Chapter Text
To say Enjolras experienced some trepidation when Jehan simply handed him a box with a few holes cut in it and a merry “Happy Birthday” before skipping off was an understatement. For one, he hadn’t told anyone it was his birthday besides the two who already knew (Combeferre and Courfeyrac) and two, for years now, anyone who insisted on presents had been directed towards donating to different organizations Enjolras approved. The slight scuffling coming from the box only increased his apprehension. Quickly, he finished his walk to his apartment, went inside, shut the door, and started trying to gently open the box.
The minute he pulled back on cardboard flap, a little grey face with a pink nose and whiskers popped out. Enjolras stumbled back. A kitten. Jehan had seen fit to give him a kitten. In what way was that a good idea?
Oblivious to Enjolras internal screams or perhaps just ignoring them, the tiny kitten scrunched up its body, wriggled its butt, and tried to jump out of the box. After two unsuccessful tries, Enjolras recovered enough to pull the small creature out of the container and cradle it in his hands. It was a tiny, tiny thing, grey with dark stripes and white feet. Its tail also had a white tip as if it had been dipped in milk or a can of paint. The pink nose pressed curiously at Enjolras’ hands, and, to his amazement, and equally pink tongue poked out and scratched across the smooth skin.
“Meow?” asked the kitten curiously, peering up at Enjolras. The student quickly placed the animal back in the box and fished out his cell phone, brushing long blond strands of hair out of his face as he did so. In a few moments, he had Jehan’s number dialed and ringing. His friend picked up almost immediately.
“How do you like your gift?” Jehan Prouvaire chirped happily. Enjolras gripped the phone tightly, holding a staring contest with the little cat, its tail twitching back and forth.
“It’s a kitten,” he hissed.
“It’s actually a she,” corrected Jehan serenely. “And isn’t she adorable? She’s from the shelter I volunteer at.”
“Jehan, I can’t take care of a cat,” Enjolras protested. He appreciated the gift but really, the only plant that had survived more than a week in his apartment was a cactus and he had eventually killed that too. He was not equipped for taking care of living things.
“Why not?” Enjolras floundered for a second. Why not? He could list a hundred reasons.
“It needs love and attention and - and I have no clue what cats need. What on earth possessed you to think this was a good idea?”
“You don’t like her?” and here Jehan’s previously happy voice deflated. Enjolras calmed himself with a breath. It wasn’t his intention to upset Jehan. Then he looked at the kitten again. It had curled up in the box with a soft blanket and yawning, its pink tongue showing between a row of sharp, little white teeth. It really was adorable.
“No, I like it, uh, her, but I don’t understand why this sounded like a good idea. I’m not good with animals.”
“I thought you might like the company, now that Combeferre moved out with Courfeyrac.”
“I’m not lonely,” snapped Enjolras, immediately on edge. There was a polite cough from Jehan on the other end.
“I never said you were. I just thought the addition of a kitty cat might be welcome. Besides, the shelter is overrun right now, and really needed some animals to be adopted. So you’re getting a companion and doing a good deed all at once!”
“Jehan -” Enjolras started. But the poet smoothly interrupted him.
“If you really don’t like her, you can take her back. But go to the shelter first. They can help you on how to take care of her and what you need and then you won’t even have to step foot in a big, corporate chain store,” said Jehan brightly, knowing he had Enjolras beat. Because the poet had thought of everything, and Enjolras had nothing he could tastefully protest.
“Where’s the shelter?” Enjolras asked in defeat. He could almost hear the victorious beam in Jehan’s voice as he answered.
“I’ll text you the address. Oh and just a word of advice. The guy who works there is really wonderful with the animals and not so good with the people. Try not to glower too much.”
“Glower? I never -” but Jehan had already hung up. Mumbling about poets and their goodideas, Enjolras waited for his phone to buzz with the address, which it did momentarily. He glanced at the address, was pleased to recognize it, and looked back at the kitten which had now settled into a sweet slumber, curled up in the box. He didn’t really want to take it with him, but could he leave it in his apartment unattended? What if it needed the bathroom or got hungry?
Feeling very much wrong footed, he pulled out a few newspapers and a shoebox with paper shavings for the litter box and put down a saucer of milk from a teacup Combeferre had left behind when he moved out. There. Hopefully that would do it. Then he grabbed his jacket and headed back out to check out this shelter Jehan volunteered at.
The shelter was a short walk from campus, tucked out of the way and surrounded by fenced in pens and screens so the animals could roam around outside without getting lost. A few dogs barked as he approached. A dusty sign proclaiming the place open hung on the window. Gingerly he opened the door, grimacing at the loose state of the door knob.
The inside was a messy main room with doors leading off the edges, each with a painted mural of different animals. The walls themselves were covered with flowers and outdoor scenes. Some of them carried Jehan’s distinctive style, but the rest were painted by someone else. At the back was a slightly crooked desk, covered in papers and folders and spilled pet dry food. Slumped over all this was a sleeping employee. Enjolras couldn’t see much of the man, except for a head of crazy black curls in which - he paused, uncertain he was seeing things correctly - for in his hair nestled a large black crow with one beady eye opened and fixed on Enjolras. An empty paint-stained mug sat by the sleeping guy’s elbow and a plate of crumbled crackers and a few blocks of cheese. A dark grey mouse crouched by the plate, holding a square of cheese and nibbling contentedly.
Enjolras took a step forward, only for a loud hiss to come from his right. A mangy tabby cat snarled fiercely at him, glaring through yellow eyes. One of its ears was mangled and torn and his fur was littered with scars. As he moved towards the desk, the cat ran across his path, nearly causing him to trip. Overall, Enjolras did not like the place. It felt unprofessional and scattered, and he believed in first impressions. And that did not include sleeping on the job. Plus he had a cat he had no clue how to take care of loose in his apartment. So he felt little remorse for stalking over to the desk and practically slamming down on the little service bell there.
The effect was instantaneous. The mouse squeaked, dropped the cheese, and ran. The yowling cat leapt onto the desk and arched it’s back. The crow made a loud, reproachful sound and half rose from it’s nest of curls. And the man himself half raised his head and blinked blearily at Enjolras through the bluest eyes Enjolras had ever seen. He smiled as the student glowered.
“Hello, can I help you?” asked the guy, with a surprisingly smooth tone at contrast with the dark stubble on his face and even darker circles under his eyes. As he spoke, he reached blindly for the mug and brought it to his mouth, blinking in disappointment to find it empty. For once, Enjolras was at a loss for words. The first thing he could think of slipped out of his mouth.
“You have a bird on your head.” As soon as the words escaped, he regretted them. Normally Enjolras prided himself on his eloquence and formidable charisma. That sentence was anything but. The worker appeared amused as he poured himself a finger of whiskey in the mug. Enjolras felt his disapproval grow. Drinking on the job? Disgraceful.
“His name is Michelangelo. And’s he’s a crow. You here to state the obvious, or do you have another purpose?” drawled the guy. The blue of his eyes was very distracting. Luckily the derisive tone snapped Enjolras out of his fog.
“My friend recently gave me a kitten from here,” Enjolras started stiffly. What had Jehan thought, sending Enjolras to a place like this? How was this place not shut down? At those words, the guy started snapping his fingers at Enjolras excitedly.
“Yes! That’s right. You’re Enj - Enjras - Enjol - Enjy -” he waved his hand helplessly, looking to Enjolras for help. Reluctantly, the student supplied his name.
“Enjolras.”
“Enjolras! Yes, that’s right, Jehan’s friend, Enjolras! Fuck, that’s a mouthful. I’m Grantaire,” the guy grinned openly at Enjolras, extending a dirty, calloused hand to shake.
“Yours isn’t much better,” he returned with a scowl. Grantaire was unperturbed.
“Which is why I nicknamed myself ‘R.’ It’s much better. You don’t happen to have a nickname, do you?” he mentioned hopefully. Slowly, Enjolras shook his head. “Shame. I suppose I’ll make one up for you. Good thing I like naming people. I could call you, hm, Apollo! He looked something like you!”
“My name is Enjolras,” the man in question countered. He felt very out of control, which was one of his least favorite emotions. Grantaire shrugged easily, the smile still on his face despite Enjolras’ open hostility.
“Like I said, it’s a mouthful. Now, what can I do for you? How’s Iris doing?” Enjolras, who had been prepared to bring this meeting to business, was stumped once again.
“Iris?” Grantaire waved his hands wildly around, narrowly missing the crow that didn't so much as flinch.
“You know, Iris! Oh! You’ve probably renamed her by now. Your cat!”
“Its – her name is Iris?” Enjolras asked cautiously. He thought of his grey kitten with the pink nose and white whiskers.
“Yeah, you know, goddess of rainbows and shit. The, uh, the link between humanity and the gods. I thought it worked for her. What’s she called now?” Grantaire spoke with his blue eyes alight with curiosity and fondness for Enjolras’ new cat.
“No, um, Iris is a good name. It – it works for it – her!” Enjolras corrected quickly. “Um, it’s just – I’ve never had a pet before?”
“Not even a goldfish?” joked Grantaire with a broad grin that covered the expanse of his face. Enjolras’ scowl was answer enough.
“Okay then!” announced Grantaire, clapping his hands together and rubbing them gleefully. “Let’s get you set up!” He moved around the desk. As he walked, the cat sprang off the surface, sinking its claws into his faded orange shirt, and climbed until it was perched on his shoulder, where it licked a paw nonchalantly. Noticing Enjolras’ stare, Grantaire introduced the cat.
“This is Bastet, but we call him Bast. He and Iris are particularly good friends, actually. They ruled the cat kingdom together. But anyway, you’re not here to learn about animal hierarchies! Unless you are, in which case, let me know. But I’m going to assume you want me to give you what you’ll need to take proper care of your new baby girl. Yes?”
“Yes. Food, supplies, that sort of thing. And then I’ll be on my way.” Enjolras really just wanted this whole interaction over and done with. Grantaire headed to a collection of messy shelves piled high with different pet supplies. He started pulling things off, seemingly at random, and listing them to Enjolras.
“So, you’re going to need cat food – the instructions are on the bag – a water bowl, food bowl, cat bed – Iris likes places to snuggle up although chances are she’ll prefer cardboard boxes – a collar, if you’re into that sort of thing,” here Grantaire threw a wink his way, causing a deep red blush to cover Enjolras’ face. He continued on, as if oblivious to Enjolras’ reaction, “some catnip toys, a book about taking care of cats, because you look like the sort to take comfort in that nice, hard knowledge, and hm, let’s see, do you need anything else?”
“I don’t know, you’re the expert,” Enjolras snapped before he could help himself. But like all other retorts he had directed toward Grantaire, this was met with a smile and another wink.
“Yes I am,” he quipped. “Now, I think that’s it. I’ll just grab you a litter box and some litter from the back. You know how that works, right?” Enjolras nodded. “Great. You want a scooper too? I’ll grab you a scooper.” Grantaire dumped the things on the desk and wandered through a door, crow in his hair and cat on his shoulder. Enjolras was left alone.
Or not so alone, he thought as he noticed the mouse return, a couple other rodents behind it. They all watched Enjolras warily. He felt uneasy under their scrutiny, even though they were just mice. Thankfully Grantaire was back in a few second, holding a plastic litter box and a bag of litter. He waved them in the air cheerfully. Then he caught sight of the little group of mice watching Enjolras suspiciously. Laughing loud and long, he reached out his hands and the hoard of rodents scurried into his open palms.
“Athena and her cronies don’t like you. What did you do, take their cheese?” he teased lightly. Carefully he lowered them onto the desk in front of the plate where they leapt off to nibble happily at the cheese squares present.
“Athena, Michelangelo, Iris, Bastet, you have interesting names,” commented Enjolras. There was something fascinating about watching this guy interact with the animals. He remembered Jehan’s comment about Grantaire being excellent with animals, not so good with people. He thought of the whiskey in the mug. What was he to make of this situation?
“So then you don’t object to Apollo?”
“Just tell me what the total is, please.” Enjolras simply wanted to purchase his things and go. Unfazed, Grantaire quickly sorted through the stack of supplies on the desk and named a price.
“Shouldn’t you scan them or something?”
“I’m pretty good at addition and subtraction as it was my father’s single passion,” responded Grantaire with a slightly bitter twist to his smile. “You can calculate it for yourself if you don’t believe me.” The offer was there, but the fight wasn’t worth pursuing.
“Fine,” Enjolras huffed, shoving money at the employee. Grantaire accepted the bills, carefully counted them out, and retrieved some change from an unlocked desk drawer. The whole system in this place was very bizarre and unsafe, in Enjolras’ opinion.
“Thank you, thank you, Apollo. Come again. And tell Iris we miss her,” called Grantaire as Enjolras grabbed the bags and rushed out of the shelter, leaving behind those clear blue eyes and easy smile. He had a kitten waiting for him.