Story, last part
I still haven't come up with a title... I'm such a slacker.
This is either the end, or and extra-depending on whether that last part was the end.
Three years later:
Rayn passed out chocolate mint cookies to the group in the quad. She’d been extra nice these last few weeks. Kin didn’t want to be too paranoid. She’d left him alone for the almost three years they didn’t share any classes but at the start of senior year she’d joined the sewing club.
Everyone else ate their cookies. The biggest comment was that it was extra minty. Kin ate his slowly, letting large crumbs fall into the grass. The group were trying to pick cookie flavors to sell at the fundraiser next week. All the other groups had their recipes picked out. Kin’s group was still three short. This fundraiser would pay for fabric to make cute clothes and blankets that the club would then donate to the Foster Association for Homeless Familiar Kittens.
Less peppermint was the general agreement, but the chocolate and texture were good. By the time they downed eight other samples each it was time for the final decision. Kin had a hard time thinking. His brain wasn’t working right. He blinked slowly. Nope. He wasn’t in his right mind.
He pulled out his phone and texted Ved. Come get me. I think I’ve ingested catnip.
Two of his friends were playing with each other’s hair. They turned cat and wiggled out of their clothes. A girl was rubbing against the wizard she had a crush on. He looked surprised, but not upset. Rayn sat beside Kin and took his hand. He yanked it away.
She smiled at him. “Don’t fight it, sweetheart.”
He tried to stand up, fell down, and tried again. “I thought you liked Shiva.”
“Everyone loves Shiva and she loves everyone. Did you realize she never wants to settle down?”
Kin could have told her that. As a kitten, Shiva had said she wasn’t going to have kittens of her own. And she’d mocked a guy just last year who wanted to possess her. She’d soon grow bored with him, no matter how good he thought he was. Now if he had three friends, or even five or six…
“Do you want to settle down?”
“I’d thought you’d never ask. This stuff works better than I thought.”
Kin panicked, but his body wouldn’t respond the way he wanted it to. “I’ve already settle down with Ved. We moved in together months ago.”
“But you never really gave me a chance. Now you’ll have to.”
She leaned over him. He scooted away.
A graduated student walked across the quad. “What’s happened here?”
Kin got up on his knees. “We’ve been poisoned.”
Rayn rolled her eyes. “Catnip isn’t poison.”
“Catnip?” The grad student frowned at Rayn. “You realized it’s not allowed on campus without a permit. And feeding it to someone against their will or without their knowledge is a crime.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Warm arms lifted Kin. Voices everywhere. Kin was even more light headed. How much catnip had she used? Someone far away was saying to get all the familiars back to their rooms safely and to try to get them to eat something with grease in it to slow the absorption.
Rayn was kicking up a fuss in Kin’s ear about how she did nothing wrong and how he really loves her. The catnip was supposed to prove it. Somehow.
The person carrying him moved. Walking? “Ved?”
“I’m here, love. Shiva’s getting us those cheesy fries you love so much. You’ll be all right.”
“Ved?”
“Yes, love.”
“How long until graduation?”
“Love?”
“How long until I graduate?”
“Let me check the calender.”
Kin felt better and better the longer he was with Ved, so that by the time he lay on their bed, he was frisky. He flopped around while Ved consulted the calender. “Eight months. Almost nine.”
“How many weeks?”
“What?” Ved looked back at the calender. “You don’t mean to make use of this.”
“Ved, I need you and Shiva’s going to come and babysit me while you sleep out in the hall or something and I need you NOW.”
Ved licked his lips. “That’s just the catnip talking.”
“Ved, do you love me?”
Ved frustration sound. “But will you still love me if I take advantage?”
“It isn’t advantage.” Kin was getting too warm. He needed his clothes off. “We planned to have a kitten or two just after my graduation.”
“We hadn’t meant to cut it so fine. Had we?”
“Going to your grandma and telling her I wanted to make a baby with her grandson was the only thing keeping me from being pregnant already.”
Ved laughed. “Grandma is pretty formidable.”
“And I want your baby.”
The doorbell rang. It was Shiva. Kin didn’t bother covering himself up. The bigger bag smelled divine. The smaller one smelled suspiciously like mint.
“I took a sample by Grandma. It is indeed catnip and a very strong strain. Eat everything in the bag. It will wear off by tomorrow morning. Afternoon at the latest. Or.”
“Or?” asked Ved.
“I brought a cookie for you.”
“What?”
“So you can have matching bellies at Kin’s graduation. You know you want to.”
Ved bit his lip. Kin kissed it back out of his teeth.
Ved stepped back and ran his hand through his hair. “Is this what you want? We can save the cookie for next week. Or even this weekend.”
“Or you can eat just a bit,” she pulled something else out of the minty bag, “and use protection. Then have this discussion again when you’re both sober.”
Ved shook his head slowly. “You are disgustingly sensible.”
Shiva laughed. “My greatest fault.”
She closed the door as she left.
Ved licked his lips.
“Pick,” Kin begged. “I’ll go with whatever you want. But please I need you yesterday.”
He pulled at Ved’s clothing. Ved turned cat, stepped out of his clothes, and turned man again. Efficient.
He got the box out of the minty bag. Kin was dying inside. Ved licked the wrapper, which must have had crumbs on it.
He opened it slowly. Then he gave Kin what he wanted.
-
Kin opened his eyes. He was in his room, in his bed, with Ved. Bright sunlight was peeking though the curtains. He closed his eyes. It had all seemed a dream. “Thank you.”
Ved purred.
“For giving us a practice.”
Ved rubbed his face in Kin’s hair. “You’ve very welcome.”
“You are right. I didn’t want to cut it so close.”
Ved kissed his ear.
“When’s our next three day weekend?”
“One month.”
“I’m not sure I want to wait that long.”
Ved laughed then took a deep breath. “Who first? You or me?”
“Me, next month, then you during Christmas break. That way I’ll be feeling well enough to rub you belly or feet or whatever when your near the end.”
“What about the other way, so I can pamper you?”
Kin sighed. “I’m more scared of the early stuff. Morning sickness and the like. I want you well enough to hold my hair back as I puke my guts into the toilet.”
“That sounds so romantic.”
“That’s why you love me.”
“So true.”
They where interrupted by a knock. “I’m coming in.”
Shiva carried two big bags into the room. Kin and Ved each got a double hamburger, large fries and huge shakes. Kin’s was chocolate and Ved’s strawberry. Shiva sat on the bed as they ate. “I see, by your mess, that you took my advice.”
Kin wiped ketchup off his chin. “It was all your advice.”
“Indeed. But you picked the best, because according to Grandma that catnip was laced with something. Someone that ate a whole cookie would be looking at a litter of as many as four.”
Ved whistled. “I’m not ready for eight at once.”
“I only ate half.”
“Four is still too many.”
“How many is just right?” Shiva stole a fry from Kin. He growled at her. She laughed.
“Two, at first. One per parent. We’ll go from there.”
“And you, Kin?”
“Three litters. Over ten years or less. I don’t want kids younger than my grandchildren.”
Ved and Shiva exchanged a look. Kin took a long drink of his shake. Shiva patted his knee. “That’s a smart thing to take into account. We have aunts and uncles younger than we are.”
Kin nodded. “I want to properly spoil my grandchildren. Not be old and frail when they’re born.”
“And have time to enjoy each other once they grow up.” Ved took his hand.
“All this talk about grandchildren and you haven’t even had children yet.” She got up. “Don’t forget, I’m always available to babysit. May your house be warm and bright. May you have half as many children as you can afford and twice as many as you plan.”
Ved threw a pillow at her, but it only hit the closing door.
Kin stuff all the trash into his bag. “That wasn’t a spell was it?”
Ved shook his head with a sigh. “You can never tell with Shiva. Where were we?”
“We were about to take a shower, changed the sheets, and get back in bed.”
“Could I coax you into a walk along the river as the sun sets?”
Kin licked the salt off Ved’s fingers. “You can talk me into anything.”
-
At Kin’s graduation they were both big and round. Kin from being about to pop and Ved because he was carrying two. Kin’s fathers were super proud. Ayr had pretty much everyone he met take a picture of his family. Kin’s three year old brothers didn’t want to stay still, but each appeared in at least one of the photos even though no photo had all four. These were their last, Dad said, they were ready for grandchildren now. Kin wasn’t sure he believed them.
Rayn wasn’t graduation with their class. She’d been suspended from campus for her actions and made to do community service by helping Ved’s Grandma in her research. Grandma was aghast at the idea of drugging fellow students, but intrigued by the chemistry. The potion Rayn had started with should have only given a light buzz, but she’d added a few things that separately wouldn’t have done much, other than the catnip, and come up with the strongest fertility potion Grandma had ever seen. She had great potential if she could be steered in the right direction.
The quick actions of the staff, and Ved, had kept the birth rate down to a single litter and it was a good thing the couple weren’t switchers because they now had seven as it was. That was a pregnancy Kin would not want to have had. Finley had had to spend the last few months in cat form in order to carry them all to term. Both he and his husband were missing graduation because their newborns needed constant feedings and neither had slept in a week.
Nope. Kin was glad Ved decide to wait.
This is either the end, or and extra-depending on whether that last part was the end.
Three years later:
Rayn passed out chocolate mint cookies to the group in the quad. She’d been extra nice these last few weeks. Kin didn’t want to be too paranoid. She’d left him alone for the almost three years they didn’t share any classes but at the start of senior year she’d joined the sewing club.
Everyone else ate their cookies. The biggest comment was that it was extra minty. Kin ate his slowly, letting large crumbs fall into the grass. The group were trying to pick cookie flavors to sell at the fundraiser next week. All the other groups had their recipes picked out. Kin’s group was still three short. This fundraiser would pay for fabric to make cute clothes and blankets that the club would then donate to the Foster Association for Homeless Familiar Kittens.
Less peppermint was the general agreement, but the chocolate and texture were good. By the time they downed eight other samples each it was time for the final decision. Kin had a hard time thinking. His brain wasn’t working right. He blinked slowly. Nope. He wasn’t in his right mind.
He pulled out his phone and texted Ved. Come get me. I think I’ve ingested catnip.
Two of his friends were playing with each other’s hair. They turned cat and wiggled out of their clothes. A girl was rubbing against the wizard she had a crush on. He looked surprised, but not upset. Rayn sat beside Kin and took his hand. He yanked it away.
She smiled at him. “Don’t fight it, sweetheart.”
He tried to stand up, fell down, and tried again. “I thought you liked Shiva.”
“Everyone loves Shiva and she loves everyone. Did you realize she never wants to settle down?”
Kin could have told her that. As a kitten, Shiva had said she wasn’t going to have kittens of her own. And she’d mocked a guy just last year who wanted to possess her. She’d soon grow bored with him, no matter how good he thought he was. Now if he had three friends, or even five or six…
“Do you want to settle down?”
“I’d thought you’d never ask. This stuff works better than I thought.”
Kin panicked, but his body wouldn’t respond the way he wanted it to. “I’ve already settle down with Ved. We moved in together months ago.”
“But you never really gave me a chance. Now you’ll have to.”
She leaned over him. He scooted away.
A graduated student walked across the quad. “What’s happened here?”
Kin got up on his knees. “We’ve been poisoned.”
Rayn rolled her eyes. “Catnip isn’t poison.”
“Catnip?” The grad student frowned at Rayn. “You realized it’s not allowed on campus without a permit. And feeding it to someone against their will or without their knowledge is a crime.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Warm arms lifted Kin. Voices everywhere. Kin was even more light headed. How much catnip had she used? Someone far away was saying to get all the familiars back to their rooms safely and to try to get them to eat something with grease in it to slow the absorption.
Rayn was kicking up a fuss in Kin’s ear about how she did nothing wrong and how he really loves her. The catnip was supposed to prove it. Somehow.
The person carrying him moved. Walking? “Ved?”
“I’m here, love. Shiva’s getting us those cheesy fries you love so much. You’ll be all right.”
“Ved?”
“Yes, love.”
“How long until graduation?”
“Love?”
“How long until I graduate?”
“Let me check the calender.”
Kin felt better and better the longer he was with Ved, so that by the time he lay on their bed, he was frisky. He flopped around while Ved consulted the calender. “Eight months. Almost nine.”
“How many weeks?”
“What?” Ved looked back at the calender. “You don’t mean to make use of this.”
“Ved, I need you and Shiva’s going to come and babysit me while you sleep out in the hall or something and I need you NOW.”
Ved licked his lips. “That’s just the catnip talking.”
“Ved, do you love me?”
Ved frustration sound. “But will you still love me if I take advantage?”
“It isn’t advantage.” Kin was getting too warm. He needed his clothes off. “We planned to have a kitten or two just after my graduation.”
“We hadn’t meant to cut it so fine. Had we?”
“Going to your grandma and telling her I wanted to make a baby with her grandson was the only thing keeping me from being pregnant already.”
Ved laughed. “Grandma is pretty formidable.”
“And I want your baby.”
The doorbell rang. It was Shiva. Kin didn’t bother covering himself up. The bigger bag smelled divine. The smaller one smelled suspiciously like mint.
“I took a sample by Grandma. It is indeed catnip and a very strong strain. Eat everything in the bag. It will wear off by tomorrow morning. Afternoon at the latest. Or.”
“Or?” asked Ved.
“I brought a cookie for you.”
“What?”
“So you can have matching bellies at Kin’s graduation. You know you want to.”
Ved bit his lip. Kin kissed it back out of his teeth.
Ved stepped back and ran his hand through his hair. “Is this what you want? We can save the cookie for next week. Or even this weekend.”
“Or you can eat just a bit,” she pulled something else out of the minty bag, “and use protection. Then have this discussion again when you’re both sober.”
Ved shook his head slowly. “You are disgustingly sensible.”
Shiva laughed. “My greatest fault.”
She closed the door as she left.
Ved licked his lips.
“Pick,” Kin begged. “I’ll go with whatever you want. But please I need you yesterday.”
He pulled at Ved’s clothing. Ved turned cat, stepped out of his clothes, and turned man again. Efficient.
He got the box out of the minty bag. Kin was dying inside. Ved licked the wrapper, which must have had crumbs on it.
He opened it slowly. Then he gave Kin what he wanted.
-
Kin opened his eyes. He was in his room, in his bed, with Ved. Bright sunlight was peeking though the curtains. He closed his eyes. It had all seemed a dream. “Thank you.”
Ved purred.
“For giving us a practice.”
Ved rubbed his face in Kin’s hair. “You’ve very welcome.”
“You are right. I didn’t want to cut it so close.”
Ved kissed his ear.
“When’s our next three day weekend?”
“One month.”
“I’m not sure I want to wait that long.”
Ved laughed then took a deep breath. “Who first? You or me?”
“Me, next month, then you during Christmas break. That way I’ll be feeling well enough to rub you belly or feet or whatever when your near the end.”
“What about the other way, so I can pamper you?”
Kin sighed. “I’m more scared of the early stuff. Morning sickness and the like. I want you well enough to hold my hair back as I puke my guts into the toilet.”
“That sounds so romantic.”
“That’s why you love me.”
“So true.”
They where interrupted by a knock. “I’m coming in.”
Shiva carried two big bags into the room. Kin and Ved each got a double hamburger, large fries and huge shakes. Kin’s was chocolate and Ved’s strawberry. Shiva sat on the bed as they ate. “I see, by your mess, that you took my advice.”
Kin wiped ketchup off his chin. “It was all your advice.”
“Indeed. But you picked the best, because according to Grandma that catnip was laced with something. Someone that ate a whole cookie would be looking at a litter of as many as four.”
Ved whistled. “I’m not ready for eight at once.”
“I only ate half.”
“Four is still too many.”
“How many is just right?” Shiva stole a fry from Kin. He growled at her. She laughed.
“Two, at first. One per parent. We’ll go from there.”
“And you, Kin?”
“Three litters. Over ten years or less. I don’t want kids younger than my grandchildren.”
Ved and Shiva exchanged a look. Kin took a long drink of his shake. Shiva patted his knee. “That’s a smart thing to take into account. We have aunts and uncles younger than we are.”
Kin nodded. “I want to properly spoil my grandchildren. Not be old and frail when they’re born.”
“And have time to enjoy each other once they grow up.” Ved took his hand.
“All this talk about grandchildren and you haven’t even had children yet.” She got up. “Don’t forget, I’m always available to babysit. May your house be warm and bright. May you have half as many children as you can afford and twice as many as you plan.”
Ved threw a pillow at her, but it only hit the closing door.
Kin stuff all the trash into his bag. “That wasn’t a spell was it?”
Ved shook his head with a sigh. “You can never tell with Shiva. Where were we?”
“We were about to take a shower, changed the sheets, and get back in bed.”
“Could I coax you into a walk along the river as the sun sets?”
Kin licked the salt off Ved’s fingers. “You can talk me into anything.”
-
At Kin’s graduation they were both big and round. Kin from being about to pop and Ved because he was carrying two. Kin’s fathers were super proud. Ayr had pretty much everyone he met take a picture of his family. Kin’s three year old brothers didn’t want to stay still, but each appeared in at least one of the photos even though no photo had all four. These were their last, Dad said, they were ready for grandchildren now. Kin wasn’t sure he believed them.
Rayn wasn’t graduation with their class. She’d been suspended from campus for her actions and made to do community service by helping Ved’s Grandma in her research. Grandma was aghast at the idea of drugging fellow students, but intrigued by the chemistry. The potion Rayn had started with should have only given a light buzz, but she’d added a few things that separately wouldn’t have done much, other than the catnip, and come up with the strongest fertility potion Grandma had ever seen. She had great potential if she could be steered in the right direction.
The quick actions of the staff, and Ved, had kept the birth rate down to a single litter and it was a good thing the couple weren’t switchers because they now had seven as it was. That was a pregnancy Kin would not want to have had. Finley had had to spend the last few months in cat form in order to carry them all to term. Both he and his husband were missing graduation because their newborns needed constant feedings and neither had slept in a week.
Nope. Kin was glad Ved decide to wait.