spaces_between | Its all about cats

Its all about cats

[He hated being here. He hated being fed, locked up, cleaned up like he was just another animal. He wasn't, and he hated it. They always brought him back though, and he wasn't the type to be 'adopted' to a 'forever' home either.

Roommates came and went, but Rumlow stayed. They put in the friendliest with him, no doubt in an effort to warm him up, but those individuals were interested in getting adopted and getting the hell out of this place. They never interacted much after the first punch or claw to the face; he stayed on his side of the room, they stayed on theirs. Then they were gone and he'd have momentary peace and high potential for terror of those cleaning his room.

Whatever.

He had a new roommate who was in the current process of ignoring as he lay on his bed, black tail curled around his thigh and facing the wall. It was his 'I'm ignoring you' choice, but the new roommate was different from the others; somehow claws at the face only encouraged more bugging. He hated that too.]

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[But as far as shelters went it wasn't that bad. They weren't in cages for one, he'd heard stories about those things. They had their own room that was shared with food set out at set times, plenty of blankets around to lay on with little cut pieces on the edge to play with. There were toys and shelves to climb.

Not his old home which Sam missed every morning and every night but it's something.

They talked to him when they set him in here about his roommate, that Rumlow was a surly buddy but they thought he'd get along and they needed to help him socialize better. Sam huffed at the clear message being sent and promptly ignored it again, picking his way across the room - a sleek dark brown streak and put himself just behind Rumlow's back. Sleeping was easier with company and the shelter was closed for the night. No more visitors.]

Stay still. [Seriously, the guy's coat needed some help something fierce.]

[Wilson was a strange cat, and he knew him instantly. Most normal cats avoided contact with their kind, given that they were technically higher predators. The shelter environment tended to be high stress anyway, and so he had no problem keeping to himself and avoiding people and others of his own kind alike.

It was a tactic that had worked very well. Then Wilson came along and was ruining the trend. The guy was horrible.

His tail flicked, a warning that he wasn't actually yet asleep on his chosen bedding. His ears flattened to his skull when a sudden weight settled down behind him, and he issued a low dangerous growl.] Fuck off if you want to keep your face.

[He's just friendly. Which Rumlow definitely was not.

Though there was enough sense in him to not continue on immediately in the wake of that ground. Sam eased back but didn't relocate himself.] I'm not doing anything! Just trying to sleep, okay?

[It's warmer on this side anyway.]

[His growl was a constant in the same way that a friendly cat would purr. It only raised in pitch and lessened in threat when he was given some room, but it continued all the same. Like a low dangerous motor.]

There are plenty of other places to sleep. Go there.

[He was not possessive of much, but the current spot he was laying in happened to be one of them. He could care less about everything else. His ears rose a little, again, lessening the threat level based on the room that he was given. He shifted and settled, since he doubted anyone was persistent or stupid enough to sidle in against him.]

They're not as warm. You've got the vent.

[So he can see why Rumlow would be possessive and cagey about keeping it all to himself. And the room pretty much was just his, his scent was strong and ingrained which matched the story of him being there for a while. Sam's ears were swiveled to the side, keen and waiting if he really needed to get out fast but as Rumlow's growl grew a little less threatening they inched forward.]

Let me stay here tonight and I'll leave you alone tomorrow.

You won'the be here long enough to appreciate the vent like I do.

(It was true. Already he had watched from the highest post in the place as Sam made an easy play at the people that peered into the room. One pair even came.in to offer pets. He had of course rejected anything of the kind himself.

However Wilson carried around a sadness that he could in his own way appreciate. However his had long ago turned to bitterness and anger. People always let them down so there was no point leaving just to be shoved back.)

How about you go away tonight and stay away from me for the rest of your short stay here? Sounds like a much better deal.

[Sam was quiet for a few moments enjoying the warmth from the vent and Rumlow in that space before he lowered his head and huffed out a long sigh. That might have been a roundabout way of saying no, of passing up on Rumlow's counter-offer.

He'd been playing with the people who came to look at him for a while but picking someone was where he stopped short. What if he went home with them just to end up back here or at another place? What if going home with them meant he was just forgetting about Riley?]

How long is long enough for maximum appreciation?

(There was no closing of the distance between them which was as God as compliance in his mind. He relaxed with a sigh of his own and his ears returned to a relatively neutral position for him. His tail gave a few lazy flicks as the heater came back on in full.

He preferred the lesser disappointment of being here. No kid pulling on him or kicking him. No night spent ouside because it was preferable than getting thrown in a bathtub or hit just for eating what little food there was. Whatever thus was much better
)

For you probably a week but you won'the last that long. For me, it has taken me weeks to get a full appreciation.

You make it sound like such a bad thing. ['Won't last that long'. Sam observed with his tail twitching, brushing over Rumlow and then back. HIs ear tilted forward at the thought, wondering a little more.]

Do you want to stay here?

It's not. I prefer to not be annoyed by the roommates they think I need. [He didn't need anyone, and he flicked his tail in annoyance as Wilson's tail brushed his. Otherwise, he was content to settle in, his growling slowly coming to a stop with a heavy sigh at the end.]

Better than out there. Now shut up. I'm going to sleep. [He shifted so his back was more firmly in Wilson's face and did exactly as he said he would do. He slept.]

[And sleep he definitely did. Sam stayed awake a few minutes longer, Rumlow's dark fur all in his face before he heaved out another side and minutely stretched before leaning in and using that bit of fur as pillow.

They must have shifted around in the night because by the time Sam woke again Rumlow was firm against his side and he was nearly draped over him like a spoon. And it was comfortable on top of being the best night of sleep he'd gotten since he came into the shelter. Still thick with sleep he started to purr, nuzzling close before his tongue flicked out to lap just at the base of Rumlow's left ear for some drowsy grooming.

He needed the bath anyway.]

[Sleeping came easy after being in this place so long. It was the one pleasure that he had when the world was shut out and only the pleasure of the vent blowing warm air over him was all that mattered. However, he stretched and moved in the night as all creatures did, and the press of weight against him was as comforting as the vent, though he would never admit it while awake.

The low rumble of a purr on his back earned a slow deep one from him as he sluggishly began to wake. His ear twitched and flicked at the grooming, and he stretched his legs out as he tolerated the grooming because no one had ever tried it with him before.

Slow and steady, he came to be awake, drowsy and comfortable, warm and safe. Had there ever been a time? He opened his eyes blearily, his purr rising from him before he realized he was doing it and then found a confusing mix of sensations all around him.]

[No denying satisfaction with a purr like that. Sam does hesitate, though - a split second in which it registered that the other cat was awake. He thinks that maybe Rumlow will immediately lash out, bat at him with claws and a fresh hiss to start the day off.

He keeps on, his nerves easing up when Rumlow chooses instead to stretch. Sam moves between his ears, dutifully cleaning there with long swipes of his tongue. The drape of his front leg tensed only to imply he wasn't done yet.

So don't move.]

[It took him a moment to realize that he was being groomed, and he suspected the last one to ever do something like that was his mother so very long ago. He couldn't even remember her well in this form. Someone was grooming his ear and now his head, and his ears flicked as that realization became more and more clear.

Retaliate. Fight. Instigate.

Those words crowded his brain which was always on the defensive, and yet, he stayed for the grooming as he tried to decide what to do about it. No one had ever groomed him before, at least no one he allowed to live. Yet, he lay stretched out and quiet, allowing it to happen all the way up the other ear, and his eyes closed again as if he might sleep.

It was that which roused him most, that he was comfortable enough to sleep so close to another. He finally issued a growling huff and pulled himself away, flicking the other with his tail and stomping off with only a single backwards hiss. God damn it, this was what he got for being stuck with roommates.]

Get lost.

[Honestly, having Rumlow sit still and enjoy it at long as he did was a huge accomplishment on his own only secondary to him accepting it at first realization. Sam feels Rumlow start to drowse again and wonders if he's actually going to get away with this (for now, there's 100% guarantee he'll be pissed later) but then-

That'd be pushing it. Rumlwo stalks away with that growl and a hiss and Sam huffs, twisting strangely onto his back to watch him go.]

You're welcome!

[Yes, grooming and cuddles. What a horrible fate. Sam stretched again, pawing at the air while keeping a watchful eye on Rumlow and noted that it felt close to breakfast time.]

[What an absolute itch to his ass, he thought as he went to sit by the window to peer out at the rustle and bustle that was beyond their little room. He mentally calculated when adoption hours would be and decided he could in fact last that long and then Wilson would be gone by the end of the day.

He flicked his tail in annoyance and began to pointedly groom himself, smoothing the fur on his ears and his head with a paw. His tail continued to flick in warning, and he shuffled his shoulders to ignore Wilson's attempt to be 'fresh' and 'cute' because that sort of attitude worked on the little girls that came squealing in here and not on him.

It wasn't long - not even finished his tongue bath - when one of the staff came in with two bowls of food, using a baby voice on them like they needed it. He set his ears back in annoyance, which quickly turned the woman's attention to Sam as she goo-goo'd at the other male and called him a handsome prince.

He remained stiffly at the window while their food was put down, eyeing the bowl closest his location and didn't budge until after their litter tray was cleaned - oh, look at these surprises! - and their water refreshed. Only when she left to feed the others did he jump from his spot and shove one bowl as far away from the other in the room.]

Every fucking day. Like we're a bunch of babies needing coddling.

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