FIC: Forever Home - Chapter 82 of 100
Title: Forever Home - Chapter 82 of 100
Author: Shadowc44
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kadam (Kurt Hummel/Adam Crawford)
Rating: R
Spoilers: AU. If you’ve seen Kurt and Adam interact, you’re good.
Summary: Adam is bored, and realizes he needs a companion. He decides to adopt a hybrid human/cat.
Warning: Mentions of past abuse (non-sexual) from other canon Glee characters. This fic is not particularly kind to most canon Glee characters.
Length: About 5,300 words this chapter. About 360,000 words so far.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Glee characters in this story; they're owned by Fox. Any non-Glee characters are my own invention
Chapter 81
CHAPTER 82
April didn’t mind canceling her room at the hotel; it wasn’t that expensive, and it was well worth it to be able to spend more time with Kurt and Adam. She really did enjoy being around them, and was intrigued by the concept of Adam’s book. Hopefully it would be good enough to turn into a screenplay, and launch her theater.
While she drove back to their apartment, she tried to think of the right questions to ask both Adam and Kurt. If they came to an agreement, they’d need to get her lawyer and agent involved, and Adam would need a lawyer for himself and Kurt. Not that she didn’t trust Adam, but it was more for his protection, so nobody stole his work.
She had a hunch she might be interrupting their plans for the night, and even though the bedrooms had a lengthy hallway between them, it might be prudent to mention she had her sound machine with her. She really couldn’t fall asleep without it, but it should help give them all a bit more privacy.
This time she waited until she’d been shown into the visitors’ lot before calling Adam. Hopefully she’d given them enough time to take care of whatever they needed to in her absence.
Adam met her downstairs again, and introduced her to the evening staff at the desk. She supposed it might be a good idea, in case she spent more time there in the future. She wasn’t planning on spending the night again, but they might have a lot of business to conduct. Some of that depended on how far along Adam was in his book. There was no guarantee he was a good writer, but she thought she’d know if he was lousy within a few pages.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Adam observed, as the elevator doors closed, giving them some privacy.
“I’m sorry, just thinking about a lot of things.” She sighed. No point in beating around the bush. “Mainly your book and my project, hoping they’ll be compatible.”
“I’m so incredibly flattered by the idea. I hope the book lives up to your expectations.”
He sounded hesitant, and she wasn’t sure if that meant he wasn’t that confident of his own work, or if it was just modesty.
She smiled, but didn’t want to give him false encouragement.
Adam asked about her preferences for dinner, steak or tilapia, or something else.
She liked both, but didn’t want to complicate things. “Whatever’s easiest for you, sugar.”
He shook his head. “We’d really prefer you choose. Kurt doesn’t want to serve anything you don’t like.”
She rolled her eyes. “That boy is so sweet. I wish he wouldn’t worry about me.” She grinned mischievously. “I think I’ll go for the fish. I have a feeling Kurt likes that more.”
“I don’t know if he’s had this kind before, but he does like other kinds. Except anchovies. He does like steak, but he was worried you might not, or might be vegetarian. He didn’t want to offend you.”
She shrugged. “I’ve tried being a vegetarian, but it just didn’t suit me. I’m a carnivore at heart, I guess. I suppose the fish would be healthier. But it’s not like I’m going to stop being his friend if I don’t like something he says or does.”
Adam hesitated, took a deep breath, then continued. “It might be good if you could find a way to work that into the conversation. He’s gotten a lot more self-confident in the month or so since I adopted him, but sometimes he has these little setbacks. I don’t always know how to get him out of them, or what sets him off. But I do think it helps that you accept him so easily.”
“Awww, that’s not a problem. I would think almost anyone would accept him once they get to know him.” He was so sweet, she didn’t know how anyone could object to him.
Adam sighed heavily. “I’d like to think so, too, but I’ve seen otherwise. He’s had a month of mostly acceptance, after nearly six years of being insulted and devalued at the pet store. I swear, if I see Will Schuester again -“
“Will Schuester runs that pet store? What’s it called?” April demanded.
Adam blinked, but as he led her off the elevator, he agreed. “Yes, that’s him. It’s called New Directions.”
“Where is it?”
He gave her the approximate location, though he didn’t remember the exact address. “It will be in Kurt’s file. I’ll look it up if you like.”
“Please. Will is an old - friend of mine.” She set her jaw. “If he didn’t appreciate Kurt, or let anyone bully him, I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind.”
“I’d love to be there to see that, but it’s probably not wise,” Adam sighed in frustration.
“Oh, I’ll tell you all about it. And Kurt, if you think he might want to hear it. Will tends to be really focused on his own goals, and he’s not as much of a team player as he thinks he is.”
Adam let them into the apartment, and once again Kurt was waiting right next to the door. She hugged him again, and he acted as though he hadn’t seen her in weeks, bouncing up on his toes and grinning.
Adam was carrying her suitcase. She thought she’d done really well in just packing one suitcase for just a few days.
“I’ll put this in your room,” he offered.
“Thank you, Adam.” She took Kurt’s hand, and led him over to the couch. “Hey, sweetie, I wanted to have a little chat with you. I hope you know I really like you, and I enjoy your company. I’m looking forward to spending another day or two with you, but I’d sure appreciate it if -“
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. She could hear his breathing change, so she hurried on.
“If you’d relax a little, darlin’. I’m so flattered that you want to make sure everything is okay for me, but it really is. I love the apartment, and your designs, your voice, the delicious appetizers.” He seemed to be hanging on her every word. She squeezed his hands for emphasis. ”It makes me feel real special that you two are goin’ to so much trouble for me, but I really don’t want to be causing either of you any extra bother. So how about we just both treat each other like friends, instead of guest and host, if you don’t mind.”
Kurt nodded, but was keeping his lips tightly closed.
“I think that’s a marvelous idea,” Adam agreed, walking into the living room. “I’ve got the manuscript there on the table, but it’s completely up to you if you want to start reading it, or watch some of the videos of Kurt, or anything else.”
“If you don’t mind me putting my feet up, I’d like to watch the videos.”
“Make yourself at home, please. I’ve got an idea, to make you both more comfortable. I’ll be right back.” Adam disappeared briefly, but came back soon with a square ottoman she’d seen in the TV room. He moved the table away from the couch, and put the ottoman right in front of it, between the two of them. Now she and Kurt could both stretch their legs out and have somewhere to rest their feet. They’d be able to watch the film without craning their necks.
Adam set everything up to project the videos onto a screen. “I can’t believe I forgot I had this, too,” he said apologetically to Kurt. “I found it in the corner of the closet when I was looking for something else.”
Kurt rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. He settled into the corner of the couch opposite from April.
“Do you need anything? More lemonade or water?” Adam asked her.
“No, honey, I’m just fine. You can start whenever you’re ready.”
Her legs were so short her feet were barely reaching the ottoman, but she didn’t want to complain. Kurt noticed and got up to move it closer to her. His legs were long enough he could still reach it.
“Thank you, sweetie, you’re so thoughtful.”
He smiled shyly. “You’re welcome.”
Adam turned on a small lamp near the bookcases, but turned off the overhead light. April settled in to watch Kurt perform. Adam did a commentary in between each number. Apparently the first few had been songs Kurt had sung for his father. April paid close attention. For an untrained singer, Kurt was marvelous. She could see a few little things he might need to work on, but she thought almost all the problems were due to nerves. Hopefully with time, and practice, he’d get more used to singing in front of an audience, whether it was one person or hundreds.
She gave Kurt her honest reaction and opinion of each number. He listened to each word with such concentration, she was a bit concerned about how he’d take her minor criticisms. She was pleased to see they didn’t bother him that much.
“Okay, yes, I can work on that, definitely.”
“Honey, if I understand right, you’ve hardly had much chance to sing any songs you wanted to for years, right?”
“Yes, but I sang them in my head hundreds of times. Well, when I was in human form. It’s not the same, it’s not using the vocal chords, but I could sort of see each performance in my mind, and hear it the way I wanted to sing it. Maybe that helped.”
She looked over at Adam, who looked thoughtful, but kept his opinion to himself. “Could be, sweetie. I’m sure it helped a lot more than if you hadn’t done anything to sing for yourself in all that time.”
She’d decided to not mention yet about her connection to Will Schuester. She didn’t want to cause him any extra anxiety. She’d let Adam bring it up, if he wanted to.
By the time she’d seen all the videos, she felt like she’d been to a mini concert.
“Kurt, you are a fabulous singer, and a natural performer. The choreography for ‘Not the Boy Next Door’, did you do that?” She waited patiently for his answer, because it would be very important in determining how he might fit in with her vision.
“Well, I adapted it from Hugh Jackman’s performance at the Tony’s. I saw it and just fell in love, you know? Not just with the song, but him - sorry, Adam.”
Adam shrugged. “Understood.”
“But it made me want to be on stage, even more. I knew I couldn’t, but it was about a gay man and his life as a performer, and nothing being quite what he expected. I just sort of related to it, I guess. But I started doing my own version right then.”
“Wait, you saw the performance about 10 years ago, and remembered it? Or did you see it since then?”
“I’d asked Dad to record the show for me, the Tony broadcast, and I watched it a lot over the next few years, before they took me away.”
“You knew at what, 8 or 9 that you were gay?”
He nodded. “I don’t think I understood all the implications, but the idea of wanting to be with men instead of women, wanting to marry a man, yeah, I wanted that. But I didn’t tell my dad. I guess he kind of knew before I really realized it. But that’s where I got the choreography from, was watching that broadcast.”
April took a deep breath. “And you adapted it to suit yourself, your personality?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay.” She grinned. “If you’re not careful, honey, I might ask you to do the choreography the costumes, and some of the acting and singing in our theatre group.”
“What? Are you serious?” He glanced at Adam, and spoke only a little more quietly. “Adam, is she serious?”
Adam held up a hand. “April, I know you’re probably joking, but Kurt doesn’t always understand teasing.”
She wasn’t about to let that misunderstanding go.
“No, I wasn’t joking. Well, maybe a little bit. That’s too much responsibility to put on one person, who’s not even used to doing those things. But Kurt, what I meant is, if you were fully human, I have no doubt you could do any number of things, and be paid for them, and support yourself. As a hybrid, I know you can’t make money, and you’re not supposed to work. But I do want you to be involved in this group, if you want to be, and if it’s okay with Adam. We’ll need to see how things go. I wanted to get a better idea of your singing range, and your acting capabilities, but it looks like you can help in other areas, too, if you want to.”
“April, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Adam warned. “You haven’t even read the book yet. It might not be good enough, or it might not be what you have in mind for a possible production.”
She shrugged. “Guess there’s only one way to find out, huh?”
Adam grinned. “I think that’s our cue, Kurt, to get out of here and let April start reading. We’re going to start fixing dinner now. If you need or want anything, just let us know.”
She waved him away. “I’ll be just fine here. Are you sure you don’t mind fixing dinner while I just sit here and read?”
Adam grinned reassuringly. “No, not at all. Come on, Kurt.”
Kurt gave her a quick smile, then scrambled off the couch and followed Adam.
April picked up the manuscript and started thumbing through it, pausing here and there. She found herself reading a couple of pages, then shook her head. She’d read enough to intrigue her, but it was time to start from the beginning.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been reading when Adam came out to let her know dinner was almost ready. She was so engrossed she almost didn’t want to put it down. But she also had a lot of questions to ask these two fascinating men she was learning so much about. In fact, she almost resented the time it took to wash her hands.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Kurt had agreed Adam should cook the fish, since he was more familiar with that type. Adam used the indoor grill, and Kurt had to admit, it smelled very appetizing. But it also made him aware of a small problem.
“Adam, I’m getting kind of restless.”
“Cat restless?” Adam inquired.
He nodded, then went back to preparing the vegetables. “I can wait, but maybe after dinner, or sometime before we go to bed. I kind of want to run around and tire myself out, so I’m not up and ready to play at 2:00 a.m., you know?”
“Mm-hm. I appreciate it, and I’m sure April will, too. Are you going to spend the night as a cat?” Adam briefly wondered how his life had gotten to that point, where that was a normal question to ask.
“I think so, yeah. Then I’ll be able to spend more time, comfortably, as a person tomorrow.”
“Okay. But I was wondering. From what Emma said, you were spending a lot of time as a cat when you were at New Directions. How did you cope with that?”
Kurt shrugged, but didn’t turn around to face Adam. “Sometimes being a cat feels more natural to me, like when I was in the store. Maybe it’s because we kept constantly hearing the word ‘pet’. But now that I’m with you, being human seems more natural. I’m not sure if it’s because you like me more when I’m human, or if I like being around you more when I’m human, or if it’s something else.”
Adam protested, “I like you as a cat as well!”
“I know you do,” Kurt soothed, “but I think you prefer to talk to me when I’m human, so I can talk back. That’s why you wanted a hybrid, right?”
“Of course, I remember,” Adam muttered. “Sometimes I forget that you’re not entirely human. I know you need to change, and I don’t mind, but sometimes I forget. But then, when I see you that way, all tiny and fluffy…”
“I beg your pardon! I’m not tiny!”
“Well, I’ve seen much bigger cats than you,” Adam teased. “You’re not kitten-sized, I just meant, compared to human you, you’re tiny. And fuzzy. I like that part of you as well as your human side.”
“That’s good,” Kurt sighed. “Sometimes I wish you were a hybrid, so you’d understand what it’s like.” He realized right away it didn’t come out right. He stopped what he was doing and turned to Adam again. “What I mean is, as a human, you’re trying really hard to understand. And you do a pretty good job, most of the time. But it’s one of those things I wish we had in common. It’s something I can’t entirely share with you, and I want to. Want you to see what it’s like, I mean. I know it’s not going to happen, and if you were a hybrid, they wouldn’t let us stay together. But sometimes I think it would do you good to relax, stretch yourself out, take a good long nap in a weird but comfortable position, and have somebody to scratch your belly and your ears.” He hated the fact that his face was giving away his embarrassment. “That’s not right either.” He stopped when he realized Adam was trying, unsuccessfully, to hold back his laughter.
“I’m sorry, Kurt,” Adam finally wheezed. He cleared his throat. “It actually does sound like fun, it’s just not really something I’d given a lot of thought to before. And since it’s not going to happen, it probably won’t do either of us much good to think about it. But I think I have an idea what you mean. I see the difference in you, in your body language. It’s not just your physiology that’s changed, and I’m not sure how much is pure cat, and how much is human you translated into cat. But you are more relaxed, more confident, and it’s like you enjoy life a little bit more, in some ways. I guess it’s because you’re more in touch with your instincts, and your emotions, without your intellect getting in the way. Or something.”
He busied himself with the fish again, turning the fillets over. Kurt saw that Adam’s cheeks were as pink as his own had no doubt been a little while before.
“It’s something like that,” he agreed. “And I think if I couldn’t change, if I had to stay in either form permanently, I don’t think I’d be able to handle it. I’d feel trapped. It wasn’t too bad at the pet store, because I knew I was safer in my cat form. But I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t even really go over the words to songs in my mind. I didn’t exactly forget them; I remembered them later. But while I was a cat, I couldn’t bring the words to mind, and I don’t think I thought it was important. But I did change back, usually for at least a couple of hours. But I’d try to do it when I woke up in the middle of the night, then I’d change again before anybody else could object.”
He returned his attention to the vegetables, and set them in a pan with butter, to sauté. “Anyway, I’m glad I’ve got the opportunity now to choose when to change.”
“I was thinking, do you maybe need to change more often? Like a couple of times a day?”
Kurt shook his head. “It seems more practical to just maybe do it once a day, unless there’s a specific reason to do it again. I haven’t exactly been keeping track, but I’m pretty sure I’m human more often than cat.”
“I’d say that’s right,” Adam agreed. “And you’re okay with that?”
“Yeah. I was thinking, if we do get involved with this theater company, I’ll probably have to spend even more time as a human, at least when we’re around other people.”
“Depending on what the play calls for,” Adam said thoughtfully. “I’m assuming April will want you to play yourself. I’ll have to try to write it in such a way that you don’t end up changing back and forth every act, for instance. I don’t think we can get away with doing half of the play with you as a human, and half as a cat, but maybe we can talk to Dr. Hanover about it, and see what he thinks would be healthiest.”
Kurt shook his head. “I don’t know how you’re going to condense it into a two-hour or three-hour production, but maybe April can help you with adapting it.”
“Maybe. Let’s wait until she’s finished reading it, to see what she thinks about it, first, before we get our hopes up.”
Adam had set the dining room table earlier, with his nicest china, flatware, and glasses. He’d explained to Kurt what each fork and spoon were for, so Kurt was pretty sure he could handle dinner and dessert without embarrassing himself.
April came in and exclaimed over the table, trying to tell them they didn’t have to go to all that trouble.
“Adam likes to have an excuse to use the nice table settings,” Kurt explained softly. “So I think you’re doing him a favor.”
“Oh, well, in that case… Everything is lovely, Adam, really.”
Kurt sensed April wanted to talk, but they all tried to keep the conversation light. He realized he did like the fish, and told Adam so, in hopes of having it again some time.
For dessert, Kurt brought out small bowls of peach-mango sorbet, and reluctantly admitted it was store-bought. “I haven’t learned how to make it yet. I think we might need a special kind of machine, or maybe just an ice-cream maker,” he explained.
“I’ll look into it,” Adam promised.
Kurt was glad the whole meal had been light, his stomach felt full of butterflies as it was. It didn’t take long to convince April to go back to reading Adam’s book, while the two of them cleaned up the dining room and kitchen.
“Well, I’d say that was successful, wouldn’t you?” Adam asked. “You both liked the fish, everything came out perfectly, you used all the right utensils -“
“Because I watched you to make sure,” Kurt interrupted.
“Okay, but it still worked.”
Adam washed and Kurt dried. He paid close attention to what he was doing, not wanting to break or chip any of Adam’s special things.
By the time they were done, and came out to the living room, April had made good progress through the book.
“Hey, Adam, I wanted to ask you. Seems like there are some scenes or chapters missing, here.”
He winced, as he took a seat opposite her perch on the sofa.
“It’s not finished yet, but I’m mostly writing things in the order they occur to me, rather than chronologically. I know I need to go back and fill in some gaps. I tried to at least arrange the chapters in chronological order.”
She nodded, and set the papers down. “Listen, I want to read more of this, maybe after I go to bed tonight. But I wanted to ask you about some things first.”
Kurt was fighting the urge to change. He wanted to be human around April as much as possible, because his cat side had never had a crush on her.
“Certainly, April,” Adam said smoothly, with a glance at Kurt. He was sitting at the edge of the sofa, trying to stay still.
“Kurt would like to change into cat form, if you don’t mind. He gets restless if he doesn’t change, and he hasn’t done it yet today.”
“Goodness, Kurt, don’t hold back because of me. I’d love to see the cat side of you.”
“Is there anything -“ He took a deep breath. “I might not remember things you say when I’m a cat, so is there anything you wanted me to hear, or wanted to ask me, while I’m still human?”
April took a minute to think. “No, honey. I enjoy your company so much, and your singing, but there are some things I should maybe talk to Adam about first, before getting your hopes up too much about anything.”
Kurt sighed, but tried not to let his disappointment show. Maybe he’d have time to spend with her the next day, before she left. But there was something very important -
“Oh, I know! April, I need to introduce you to my friends. My babies. Well, they’re not my real babies, but - “ He sighed. “They’re in your room.”
“Lead on, MacDuff,” she answered with a wide grin.
“Huh? Who’s MacDuff?”
April’s grin faltered slightly. “He’s a character in a Shakespeare play, honey. I forgot you might not have read them or seen any performances.”
He shrugged. “I’ve heard of Shakespeare, and I’ve seen “Romeo and Juliet”, but that’s it. Dad wasn’t even sure I should see that one, but I’d heard it was this great love story. He watched it with me so he could explain if things got too upsetting.”
“Good idea,” April declared. “Even some of Shakespeare’s comedies can have their upsetting moments.”
He walked to his room, telling her about his babies along the way. “The first one is Phoebe. Dad’s parents sent her to him and Mom when I was born. I never met them, and I sometimes heard him yelling at them on the phone, or he’d be really upset after they called. I never met them, so I don’t think they liked hybrids. But it doesn’t matter why they sent her, she’s always been a good friend and always protected me.” He glanced back at April, and was concerned to see her eyes were very shiny.
“April, what’s wrong? Am I upsetting you? Am I talking too much?”
“No, sweetie, I’m fine.” She blinked a few times and smiled, but it was a little bit faded from the smiles he’d seen earlier. “Just had something in my eye. It’s gone now.”
He walked over to Buckingham Palace and extracted Phoebe from the room she’d been hiding in. “Hi, baby.” He hugged her briefly. “I want you to meet my friend, April. She’s going to be sleeping in here tonight, okay?”
He turned back to April. “April, this is Phoebe.” He held her in his arms protectively, but one of Phoebe’s paws was hanging over his wrist.
April very gently picked up the paw and shook it. “I’m so happy to meet you, Phoebe. Thank you for taking such good care of Kurt.”
He introduced her to Harriet, and told her that she was a gift from Adam. “I know she’s supposed to be a toy I’m supposed to bite and chase as a cat, but I don’t want to hurt her. She’s more comforting to hold and cuddle.”
April nodded. “May I hold her a moment?”
He handed her over willingly.
April cuddled the mouse and stroked her soft fur. “It’s so nice to meet you, Harriet. I’m glad you and Kurt are taking good care of each other.” After a moment she handed the mouse back.
“And this is Bernard. He’s also from Adam. He stuffed him himself.”
“He’s a Build-A-Bear,” Adam commented, having followed them into the room.
Kurt held the bear out to her, and she hugged him, petting his soft, curly fur. “You’re so soft, and sweet! I bet you’re just the perfect size for a cat to hug. You’re great for a human to hug, too.”
Kurt was relieved April was being so nice to his friends. He took the bear back.
“Where are they going to sleep tonigh?” April asked.
“Oh, here,” he said, indicating Buckingham Palace. “Adam’s bed gets too crowded with all of us.”
She bit her lip and her eyes crinkled. “Well, I’ll tell you what. If you want to play in here, with your friends, while Adam and I are talking, that would be just fine with me.”
She looked over at Adam, and even though she didn’t say anything, he nodded. Kurt wondered what they had said to each other that he didn’t understand. But he trusted them both enough to know it wasn’t anything bad.
“Do you -“ He took a deep breath. “Do you want to see me change? Some people do.”
“If you don’t mind, honey, sure. But if you really don’t want to, that’s okay, too. It’s up to you.”
He heard Adam exhale so quietly, he doubted April had heard it.
“Do you mind if I watch you play a little bit, as a cat? Is it okay if I hold you for a minute?” She looked back and forth between Kurt and Adam.
“Fine with me,” Adam said, “but that’s also up to Kurt.”
He nodded eagerly. “Please. If you don’t mind. I kind of like having an audience when I’m playing, for some reason,” he admitted. He could feel the tips of his ears getting warm, but he didn’t think his cheeks were betraying him.
“Sure thing, sweetie.”
He stretched, and at the same time curled in on himself, until he had all furry feet on the floor. He stretched all his limbs as far as he could, while April exclaimed and cooed at him. He could tell she was just itching to pet him, so he moved closer and butted his head against her leg. She picked him up, and soon he was blissfully purring while his human friend held him, swaying back and forth and cooing nonsense at him. He didn’t care that he couldn’t understand the words, he just loved the sound of her voice. She leaned her head down, and he reached up, and brushed his face against hers. She giggled, maybe because his whiskers were tickling her and held him tighter, but not tight enough to hurt. He looked up at Adam, but his owner just smiled and nodded his head.
After a few blissful minutes of her long nails scratching through all the fur to get to his skin, she said something he understood.
“I’m going to set you down now, baby, so you can play.”
He meeped at her and blinked slowly.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She carefully set him down on the floor. He stretched again, and ran over to his castle. He looked around, but couldn’t see the kicky thing or the bouncy ball. He quietly called for them, but they didn’t answer. He looked at Adam, jumped down, and tried to tell him.
“What are you looking for, Kurt?”
He remembered he’d put them in the desk. He ran over to it and started pawing at the drawers he could reach.
“Ah, maybe he put his toys in there.” Adam searched the drawers until he located the bright ball and the kickaroo. He threw the ball, and Kurt went skidding after it. He set the kickaroo on one of the lower levels of Buckingham Palace.
He was able to get both Adam and April to throw the ball for him, for a few minutes, then he heard Adam tell April they needed to talk. He was disappointed, but knew the humans had things to discuss. He meeped and waved his tail, then reached up onto the shelf to get his kicky thing. Roo.
“I think that’s our cue to go. That one’s got catnip in it, and he gets a little over-excited about it. I figure it’s best to let him have his nipgasm in private.”
Kurt thought it would probably be a good thing if Adam never realized how right he was.
Next - Chapter 83
Author: Shadowc44
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kadam (Kurt Hummel/Adam Crawford)
Rating: R
Spoilers: AU. If you’ve seen Kurt and Adam interact, you’re good.
Summary: Adam is bored, and realizes he needs a companion. He decides to adopt a hybrid human/cat.
Warning: Mentions of past abuse (non-sexual) from other canon Glee characters. This fic is not particularly kind to most canon Glee characters.
Length: About 5,300 words this chapter. About 360,000 words so far.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Glee characters in this story; they're owned by Fox. Any non-Glee characters are my own invention
Chapter 81
CHAPTER 82
April didn’t mind canceling her room at the hotel; it wasn’t that expensive, and it was well worth it to be able to spend more time with Kurt and Adam. She really did enjoy being around them, and was intrigued by the concept of Adam’s book. Hopefully it would be good enough to turn into a screenplay, and launch her theater.
While she drove back to their apartment, she tried to think of the right questions to ask both Adam and Kurt. If they came to an agreement, they’d need to get her lawyer and agent involved, and Adam would need a lawyer for himself and Kurt. Not that she didn’t trust Adam, but it was more for his protection, so nobody stole his work.
She had a hunch she might be interrupting their plans for the night, and even though the bedrooms had a lengthy hallway between them, it might be prudent to mention she had her sound machine with her. She really couldn’t fall asleep without it, but it should help give them all a bit more privacy.
This time she waited until she’d been shown into the visitors’ lot before calling Adam. Hopefully she’d given them enough time to take care of whatever they needed to in her absence.
Adam met her downstairs again, and introduced her to the evening staff at the desk. She supposed it might be a good idea, in case she spent more time there in the future. She wasn’t planning on spending the night again, but they might have a lot of business to conduct. Some of that depended on how far along Adam was in his book. There was no guarantee he was a good writer, but she thought she’d know if he was lousy within a few pages.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Adam observed, as the elevator doors closed, giving them some privacy.
“I’m sorry, just thinking about a lot of things.” She sighed. No point in beating around the bush. “Mainly your book and my project, hoping they’ll be compatible.”
“I’m so incredibly flattered by the idea. I hope the book lives up to your expectations.”
He sounded hesitant, and she wasn’t sure if that meant he wasn’t that confident of his own work, or if it was just modesty.
She smiled, but didn’t want to give him false encouragement.
Adam asked about her preferences for dinner, steak or tilapia, or something else.
She liked both, but didn’t want to complicate things. “Whatever’s easiest for you, sugar.”
He shook his head. “We’d really prefer you choose. Kurt doesn’t want to serve anything you don’t like.”
She rolled her eyes. “That boy is so sweet. I wish he wouldn’t worry about me.” She grinned mischievously. “I think I’ll go for the fish. I have a feeling Kurt likes that more.”
“I don’t know if he’s had this kind before, but he does like other kinds. Except anchovies. He does like steak, but he was worried you might not, or might be vegetarian. He didn’t want to offend you.”
She shrugged. “I’ve tried being a vegetarian, but it just didn’t suit me. I’m a carnivore at heart, I guess. I suppose the fish would be healthier. But it’s not like I’m going to stop being his friend if I don’t like something he says or does.”
Adam hesitated, took a deep breath, then continued. “It might be good if you could find a way to work that into the conversation. He’s gotten a lot more self-confident in the month or so since I adopted him, but sometimes he has these little setbacks. I don’t always know how to get him out of them, or what sets him off. But I do think it helps that you accept him so easily.”
“Awww, that’s not a problem. I would think almost anyone would accept him once they get to know him.” He was so sweet, she didn’t know how anyone could object to him.
Adam sighed heavily. “I’d like to think so, too, but I’ve seen otherwise. He’s had a month of mostly acceptance, after nearly six years of being insulted and devalued at the pet store. I swear, if I see Will Schuester again -“
“Will Schuester runs that pet store? What’s it called?” April demanded.
Adam blinked, but as he led her off the elevator, he agreed. “Yes, that’s him. It’s called New Directions.”
“Where is it?”
He gave her the approximate location, though he didn’t remember the exact address. “It will be in Kurt’s file. I’ll look it up if you like.”
“Please. Will is an old - friend of mine.” She set her jaw. “If he didn’t appreciate Kurt, or let anyone bully him, I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind.”
“I’d love to be there to see that, but it’s probably not wise,” Adam sighed in frustration.
“Oh, I’ll tell you all about it. And Kurt, if you think he might want to hear it. Will tends to be really focused on his own goals, and he’s not as much of a team player as he thinks he is.”
Adam let them into the apartment, and once again Kurt was waiting right next to the door. She hugged him again, and he acted as though he hadn’t seen her in weeks, bouncing up on his toes and grinning.
Adam was carrying her suitcase. She thought she’d done really well in just packing one suitcase for just a few days.
“I’ll put this in your room,” he offered.
“Thank you, Adam.” She took Kurt’s hand, and led him over to the couch. “Hey, sweetie, I wanted to have a little chat with you. I hope you know I really like you, and I enjoy your company. I’m looking forward to spending another day or two with you, but I’d sure appreciate it if -“
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. She could hear his breathing change, so she hurried on.
“If you’d relax a little, darlin’. I’m so flattered that you want to make sure everything is okay for me, but it really is. I love the apartment, and your designs, your voice, the delicious appetizers.” He seemed to be hanging on her every word. She squeezed his hands for emphasis. ”It makes me feel real special that you two are goin’ to so much trouble for me, but I really don’t want to be causing either of you any extra bother. So how about we just both treat each other like friends, instead of guest and host, if you don’t mind.”
Kurt nodded, but was keeping his lips tightly closed.
“I think that’s a marvelous idea,” Adam agreed, walking into the living room. “I’ve got the manuscript there on the table, but it’s completely up to you if you want to start reading it, or watch some of the videos of Kurt, or anything else.”
“If you don’t mind me putting my feet up, I’d like to watch the videos.”
“Make yourself at home, please. I’ve got an idea, to make you both more comfortable. I’ll be right back.” Adam disappeared briefly, but came back soon with a square ottoman she’d seen in the TV room. He moved the table away from the couch, and put the ottoman right in front of it, between the two of them. Now she and Kurt could both stretch their legs out and have somewhere to rest their feet. They’d be able to watch the film without craning their necks.
Adam set everything up to project the videos onto a screen. “I can’t believe I forgot I had this, too,” he said apologetically to Kurt. “I found it in the corner of the closet when I was looking for something else.”
Kurt rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. He settled into the corner of the couch opposite from April.
“Do you need anything? More lemonade or water?” Adam asked her.
“No, honey, I’m just fine. You can start whenever you’re ready.”
Her legs were so short her feet were barely reaching the ottoman, but she didn’t want to complain. Kurt noticed and got up to move it closer to her. His legs were long enough he could still reach it.
“Thank you, sweetie, you’re so thoughtful.”
He smiled shyly. “You’re welcome.”
Adam turned on a small lamp near the bookcases, but turned off the overhead light. April settled in to watch Kurt perform. Adam did a commentary in between each number. Apparently the first few had been songs Kurt had sung for his father. April paid close attention. For an untrained singer, Kurt was marvelous. She could see a few little things he might need to work on, but she thought almost all the problems were due to nerves. Hopefully with time, and practice, he’d get more used to singing in front of an audience, whether it was one person or hundreds.
She gave Kurt her honest reaction and opinion of each number. He listened to each word with such concentration, she was a bit concerned about how he’d take her minor criticisms. She was pleased to see they didn’t bother him that much.
“Okay, yes, I can work on that, definitely.”
“Honey, if I understand right, you’ve hardly had much chance to sing any songs you wanted to for years, right?”
“Yes, but I sang them in my head hundreds of times. Well, when I was in human form. It’s not the same, it’s not using the vocal chords, but I could sort of see each performance in my mind, and hear it the way I wanted to sing it. Maybe that helped.”
She looked over at Adam, who looked thoughtful, but kept his opinion to himself. “Could be, sweetie. I’m sure it helped a lot more than if you hadn’t done anything to sing for yourself in all that time.”
She’d decided to not mention yet about her connection to Will Schuester. She didn’t want to cause him any extra anxiety. She’d let Adam bring it up, if he wanted to.
By the time she’d seen all the videos, she felt like she’d been to a mini concert.
“Kurt, you are a fabulous singer, and a natural performer. The choreography for ‘Not the Boy Next Door’, did you do that?” She waited patiently for his answer, because it would be very important in determining how he might fit in with her vision.
“Well, I adapted it from Hugh Jackman’s performance at the Tony’s. I saw it and just fell in love, you know? Not just with the song, but him - sorry, Adam.”
Adam shrugged. “Understood.”
“But it made me want to be on stage, even more. I knew I couldn’t, but it was about a gay man and his life as a performer, and nothing being quite what he expected. I just sort of related to it, I guess. But I started doing my own version right then.”
“Wait, you saw the performance about 10 years ago, and remembered it? Or did you see it since then?”
“I’d asked Dad to record the show for me, the Tony broadcast, and I watched it a lot over the next few years, before they took me away.”
“You knew at what, 8 or 9 that you were gay?”
He nodded. “I don’t think I understood all the implications, but the idea of wanting to be with men instead of women, wanting to marry a man, yeah, I wanted that. But I didn’t tell my dad. I guess he kind of knew before I really realized it. But that’s where I got the choreography from, was watching that broadcast.”
April took a deep breath. “And you adapted it to suit yourself, your personality?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay.” She grinned. “If you’re not careful, honey, I might ask you to do the choreography the costumes, and some of the acting and singing in our theatre group.”
“What? Are you serious?” He glanced at Adam, and spoke only a little more quietly. “Adam, is she serious?”
Adam held up a hand. “April, I know you’re probably joking, but Kurt doesn’t always understand teasing.”
She wasn’t about to let that misunderstanding go.
“No, I wasn’t joking. Well, maybe a little bit. That’s too much responsibility to put on one person, who’s not even used to doing those things. But Kurt, what I meant is, if you were fully human, I have no doubt you could do any number of things, and be paid for them, and support yourself. As a hybrid, I know you can’t make money, and you’re not supposed to work. But I do want you to be involved in this group, if you want to be, and if it’s okay with Adam. We’ll need to see how things go. I wanted to get a better idea of your singing range, and your acting capabilities, but it looks like you can help in other areas, too, if you want to.”
“April, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Adam warned. “You haven’t even read the book yet. It might not be good enough, or it might not be what you have in mind for a possible production.”
She shrugged. “Guess there’s only one way to find out, huh?”
Adam grinned. “I think that’s our cue, Kurt, to get out of here and let April start reading. We’re going to start fixing dinner now. If you need or want anything, just let us know.”
She waved him away. “I’ll be just fine here. Are you sure you don’t mind fixing dinner while I just sit here and read?”
Adam grinned reassuringly. “No, not at all. Come on, Kurt.”
Kurt gave her a quick smile, then scrambled off the couch and followed Adam.
April picked up the manuscript and started thumbing through it, pausing here and there. She found herself reading a couple of pages, then shook her head. She’d read enough to intrigue her, but it was time to start from the beginning.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been reading when Adam came out to let her know dinner was almost ready. She was so engrossed she almost didn’t want to put it down. But she also had a lot of questions to ask these two fascinating men she was learning so much about. In fact, she almost resented the time it took to wash her hands.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Kurt had agreed Adam should cook the fish, since he was more familiar with that type. Adam used the indoor grill, and Kurt had to admit, it smelled very appetizing. But it also made him aware of a small problem.
“Adam, I’m getting kind of restless.”
“Cat restless?” Adam inquired.
He nodded, then went back to preparing the vegetables. “I can wait, but maybe after dinner, or sometime before we go to bed. I kind of want to run around and tire myself out, so I’m not up and ready to play at 2:00 a.m., you know?”
“Mm-hm. I appreciate it, and I’m sure April will, too. Are you going to spend the night as a cat?” Adam briefly wondered how his life had gotten to that point, where that was a normal question to ask.
“I think so, yeah. Then I’ll be able to spend more time, comfortably, as a person tomorrow.”
“Okay. But I was wondering. From what Emma said, you were spending a lot of time as a cat when you were at New Directions. How did you cope with that?”
Kurt shrugged, but didn’t turn around to face Adam. “Sometimes being a cat feels more natural to me, like when I was in the store. Maybe it’s because we kept constantly hearing the word ‘pet’. But now that I’m with you, being human seems more natural. I’m not sure if it’s because you like me more when I’m human, or if I like being around you more when I’m human, or if it’s something else.”
Adam protested, “I like you as a cat as well!”
“I know you do,” Kurt soothed, “but I think you prefer to talk to me when I’m human, so I can talk back. That’s why you wanted a hybrid, right?”
“Of course, I remember,” Adam muttered. “Sometimes I forget that you’re not entirely human. I know you need to change, and I don’t mind, but sometimes I forget. But then, when I see you that way, all tiny and fluffy…”
“I beg your pardon! I’m not tiny!”
“Well, I’ve seen much bigger cats than you,” Adam teased. “You’re not kitten-sized, I just meant, compared to human you, you’re tiny. And fuzzy. I like that part of you as well as your human side.”
“That’s good,” Kurt sighed. “Sometimes I wish you were a hybrid, so you’d understand what it’s like.” He realized right away it didn’t come out right. He stopped what he was doing and turned to Adam again. “What I mean is, as a human, you’re trying really hard to understand. And you do a pretty good job, most of the time. But it’s one of those things I wish we had in common. It’s something I can’t entirely share with you, and I want to. Want you to see what it’s like, I mean. I know it’s not going to happen, and if you were a hybrid, they wouldn’t let us stay together. But sometimes I think it would do you good to relax, stretch yourself out, take a good long nap in a weird but comfortable position, and have somebody to scratch your belly and your ears.” He hated the fact that his face was giving away his embarrassment. “That’s not right either.” He stopped when he realized Adam was trying, unsuccessfully, to hold back his laughter.
“I’m sorry, Kurt,” Adam finally wheezed. He cleared his throat. “It actually does sound like fun, it’s just not really something I’d given a lot of thought to before. And since it’s not going to happen, it probably won’t do either of us much good to think about it. But I think I have an idea what you mean. I see the difference in you, in your body language. It’s not just your physiology that’s changed, and I’m not sure how much is pure cat, and how much is human you translated into cat. But you are more relaxed, more confident, and it’s like you enjoy life a little bit more, in some ways. I guess it’s because you’re more in touch with your instincts, and your emotions, without your intellect getting in the way. Or something.”
He busied himself with the fish again, turning the fillets over. Kurt saw that Adam’s cheeks were as pink as his own had no doubt been a little while before.
“It’s something like that,” he agreed. “And I think if I couldn’t change, if I had to stay in either form permanently, I don’t think I’d be able to handle it. I’d feel trapped. It wasn’t too bad at the pet store, because I knew I was safer in my cat form. But I couldn’t sing, I couldn’t even really go over the words to songs in my mind. I didn’t exactly forget them; I remembered them later. But while I was a cat, I couldn’t bring the words to mind, and I don’t think I thought it was important. But I did change back, usually for at least a couple of hours. But I’d try to do it when I woke up in the middle of the night, then I’d change again before anybody else could object.”
He returned his attention to the vegetables, and set them in a pan with butter, to sauté. “Anyway, I’m glad I’ve got the opportunity now to choose when to change.”
“I was thinking, do you maybe need to change more often? Like a couple of times a day?”
Kurt shook his head. “It seems more practical to just maybe do it once a day, unless there’s a specific reason to do it again. I haven’t exactly been keeping track, but I’m pretty sure I’m human more often than cat.”
“I’d say that’s right,” Adam agreed. “And you’re okay with that?”
“Yeah. I was thinking, if we do get involved with this theater company, I’ll probably have to spend even more time as a human, at least when we’re around other people.”
“Depending on what the play calls for,” Adam said thoughtfully. “I’m assuming April will want you to play yourself. I’ll have to try to write it in such a way that you don’t end up changing back and forth every act, for instance. I don’t think we can get away with doing half of the play with you as a human, and half as a cat, but maybe we can talk to Dr. Hanover about it, and see what he thinks would be healthiest.”
Kurt shook his head. “I don’t know how you’re going to condense it into a two-hour or three-hour production, but maybe April can help you with adapting it.”
“Maybe. Let’s wait until she’s finished reading it, to see what she thinks about it, first, before we get our hopes up.”
Adam had set the dining room table earlier, with his nicest china, flatware, and glasses. He’d explained to Kurt what each fork and spoon were for, so Kurt was pretty sure he could handle dinner and dessert without embarrassing himself.
April came in and exclaimed over the table, trying to tell them they didn’t have to go to all that trouble.
“Adam likes to have an excuse to use the nice table settings,” Kurt explained softly. “So I think you’re doing him a favor.”
“Oh, well, in that case… Everything is lovely, Adam, really.”
Kurt sensed April wanted to talk, but they all tried to keep the conversation light. He realized he did like the fish, and told Adam so, in hopes of having it again some time.
For dessert, Kurt brought out small bowls of peach-mango sorbet, and reluctantly admitted it was store-bought. “I haven’t learned how to make it yet. I think we might need a special kind of machine, or maybe just an ice-cream maker,” he explained.
“I’ll look into it,” Adam promised.
Kurt was glad the whole meal had been light, his stomach felt full of butterflies as it was. It didn’t take long to convince April to go back to reading Adam’s book, while the two of them cleaned up the dining room and kitchen.
“Well, I’d say that was successful, wouldn’t you?” Adam asked. “You both liked the fish, everything came out perfectly, you used all the right utensils -“
“Because I watched you to make sure,” Kurt interrupted.
“Okay, but it still worked.”
Adam washed and Kurt dried. He paid close attention to what he was doing, not wanting to break or chip any of Adam’s special things.
By the time they were done, and came out to the living room, April had made good progress through the book.
“Hey, Adam, I wanted to ask you. Seems like there are some scenes or chapters missing, here.”
He winced, as he took a seat opposite her perch on the sofa.
“It’s not finished yet, but I’m mostly writing things in the order they occur to me, rather than chronologically. I know I need to go back and fill in some gaps. I tried to at least arrange the chapters in chronological order.”
She nodded, and set the papers down. “Listen, I want to read more of this, maybe after I go to bed tonight. But I wanted to ask you about some things first.”
Kurt was fighting the urge to change. He wanted to be human around April as much as possible, because his cat side had never had a crush on her.
“Certainly, April,” Adam said smoothly, with a glance at Kurt. He was sitting at the edge of the sofa, trying to stay still.
“Kurt would like to change into cat form, if you don’t mind. He gets restless if he doesn’t change, and he hasn’t done it yet today.”
“Goodness, Kurt, don’t hold back because of me. I’d love to see the cat side of you.”
“Is there anything -“ He took a deep breath. “I might not remember things you say when I’m a cat, so is there anything you wanted me to hear, or wanted to ask me, while I’m still human?”
April took a minute to think. “No, honey. I enjoy your company so much, and your singing, but there are some things I should maybe talk to Adam about first, before getting your hopes up too much about anything.”
Kurt sighed, but tried not to let his disappointment show. Maybe he’d have time to spend with her the next day, before she left. But there was something very important -
“Oh, I know! April, I need to introduce you to my friends. My babies. Well, they’re not my real babies, but - “ He sighed. “They’re in your room.”
“Lead on, MacDuff,” she answered with a wide grin.
“Huh? Who’s MacDuff?”
April’s grin faltered slightly. “He’s a character in a Shakespeare play, honey. I forgot you might not have read them or seen any performances.”
He shrugged. “I’ve heard of Shakespeare, and I’ve seen “Romeo and Juliet”, but that’s it. Dad wasn’t even sure I should see that one, but I’d heard it was this great love story. He watched it with me so he could explain if things got too upsetting.”
“Good idea,” April declared. “Even some of Shakespeare’s comedies can have their upsetting moments.”
He walked to his room, telling her about his babies along the way. “The first one is Phoebe. Dad’s parents sent her to him and Mom when I was born. I never met them, and I sometimes heard him yelling at them on the phone, or he’d be really upset after they called. I never met them, so I don’t think they liked hybrids. But it doesn’t matter why they sent her, she’s always been a good friend and always protected me.” He glanced back at April, and was concerned to see her eyes were very shiny.
“April, what’s wrong? Am I upsetting you? Am I talking too much?”
“No, sweetie, I’m fine.” She blinked a few times and smiled, but it was a little bit faded from the smiles he’d seen earlier. “Just had something in my eye. It’s gone now.”
He walked over to Buckingham Palace and extracted Phoebe from the room she’d been hiding in. “Hi, baby.” He hugged her briefly. “I want you to meet my friend, April. She’s going to be sleeping in here tonight, okay?”
He turned back to April. “April, this is Phoebe.” He held her in his arms protectively, but one of Phoebe’s paws was hanging over his wrist.
April very gently picked up the paw and shook it. “I’m so happy to meet you, Phoebe. Thank you for taking such good care of Kurt.”
He introduced her to Harriet, and told her that she was a gift from Adam. “I know she’s supposed to be a toy I’m supposed to bite and chase as a cat, but I don’t want to hurt her. She’s more comforting to hold and cuddle.”
April nodded. “May I hold her a moment?”
He handed her over willingly.
April cuddled the mouse and stroked her soft fur. “It’s so nice to meet you, Harriet. I’m glad you and Kurt are taking good care of each other.” After a moment she handed the mouse back.
“And this is Bernard. He’s also from Adam. He stuffed him himself.”
“He’s a Build-A-Bear,” Adam commented, having followed them into the room.
Kurt held the bear out to her, and she hugged him, petting his soft, curly fur. “You’re so soft, and sweet! I bet you’re just the perfect size for a cat to hug. You’re great for a human to hug, too.”
Kurt was relieved April was being so nice to his friends. He took the bear back.
“Where are they going to sleep tonigh?” April asked.
“Oh, here,” he said, indicating Buckingham Palace. “Adam’s bed gets too crowded with all of us.”
She bit her lip and her eyes crinkled. “Well, I’ll tell you what. If you want to play in here, with your friends, while Adam and I are talking, that would be just fine with me.”
She looked over at Adam, and even though she didn’t say anything, he nodded. Kurt wondered what they had said to each other that he didn’t understand. But he trusted them both enough to know it wasn’t anything bad.
“Do you -“ He took a deep breath. “Do you want to see me change? Some people do.”
“If you don’t mind, honey, sure. But if you really don’t want to, that’s okay, too. It’s up to you.”
He heard Adam exhale so quietly, he doubted April had heard it.
“Do you mind if I watch you play a little bit, as a cat? Is it okay if I hold you for a minute?” She looked back and forth between Kurt and Adam.
“Fine with me,” Adam said, “but that’s also up to Kurt.”
He nodded eagerly. “Please. If you don’t mind. I kind of like having an audience when I’m playing, for some reason,” he admitted. He could feel the tips of his ears getting warm, but he didn’t think his cheeks were betraying him.
“Sure thing, sweetie.”
He stretched, and at the same time curled in on himself, until he had all furry feet on the floor. He stretched all his limbs as far as he could, while April exclaimed and cooed at him. He could tell she was just itching to pet him, so he moved closer and butted his head against her leg. She picked him up, and soon he was blissfully purring while his human friend held him, swaying back and forth and cooing nonsense at him. He didn’t care that he couldn’t understand the words, he just loved the sound of her voice. She leaned her head down, and he reached up, and brushed his face against hers. She giggled, maybe because his whiskers were tickling her and held him tighter, but not tight enough to hurt. He looked up at Adam, but his owner just smiled and nodded his head.
After a few blissful minutes of her long nails scratching through all the fur to get to his skin, she said something he understood.
“I’m going to set you down now, baby, so you can play.”
He meeped at her and blinked slowly.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She carefully set him down on the floor. He stretched again, and ran over to his castle. He looked around, but couldn’t see the kicky thing or the bouncy ball. He quietly called for them, but they didn’t answer. He looked at Adam, jumped down, and tried to tell him.
“What are you looking for, Kurt?”
He remembered he’d put them in the desk. He ran over to it and started pawing at the drawers he could reach.
“Ah, maybe he put his toys in there.” Adam searched the drawers until he located the bright ball and the kickaroo. He threw the ball, and Kurt went skidding after it. He set the kickaroo on one of the lower levels of Buckingham Palace.
He was able to get both Adam and April to throw the ball for him, for a few minutes, then he heard Adam tell April they needed to talk. He was disappointed, but knew the humans had things to discuss. He meeped and waved his tail, then reached up onto the shelf to get his kicky thing. Roo.
“I think that’s our cue to go. That one’s got catnip in it, and he gets a little over-excited about it. I figure it’s best to let him have his nipgasm in private.”
Kurt thought it would probably be a good thing if Adam never realized how right he was.
Next - Chapter 83