Work Text:
Sometimes Sam thinks that he needs to get Figaro a friend. He doesn't seem lonely most of the time, but there are moments when he thinks about going to the shelter to adopt another cat. This is one of those times. Figaro had been napping in a sunbeam on the living room floor and the cat in the apartment above them knocked something over. He knows it was the cat and not his neighbor because as soon as he heard the loud thud on the floor, he heard the man shout "Alpine!" accompanied by the sound of said cat running away. This is always how it starts. Alpine does something naughty, the man upstairs tries to yell at her for it, and then she gets the zoomies.
The noise woke up Fig from where he was sunning himself and he started looking around at the ceiling, tracking the movements of the wound up cat. Sam watched his eyes get big before he crouched down in place and then took off running, his own zoomies being activated by the cat living above him. Sam played with Figaro plenty, but he also had responsibilities he needed to take care of and couldn't play with him 24/7. Does he need a friend? Can Sam afford another cat? Does he even have room for another cat?
Before Sam could finish his musings on the merits of finding a friend for Fig, he bolted back into the room to bat at the catnip plush laying on the floor. He loved that shrimp shaped plush. He would even carry it around the apartment. God, his cat was adorable.
"Do you want a friend, Fig?" Sam asked, reaching down to pet him. Figaro started bunny kicking the poor shrimp, trying to kill the inanimate object. Before Sam could get more than three pets in, Figaro jumped up and ran back across the apartment. Sam chuckled as he watched him.
------------------------------------------------------
Later that afternoon, when Sam was researching how much space two cats need to have in a home and if he really needs a second litter box for a second cat, Figaro jumps up on the couch next to him and curls up next to him.
"Are you tired from all that running?" Sam asked, "Is it time for your afternoon nap?"
Figaro let out a cute little sigh as he got comfy so he could go to sleep.
"I wonder if they make kitty play dates. Like puppy play dates, but for cats," Sam mused out loud.
Figaro seemed to be intrigued by the existence of another cat so close by, yet out of reach. He hears the cat all the time, and sometimes even meows up at the ceiling when Alpine is being vocal. Maybe he should go upstairs and ask his neighbor if their cats can meet. Is that a normal thing to do? All Sam knows about his upstairs neighbor is that his last name is Barnes, it says so on his mailbox. That and that even though Alpine was a menace sometimes, the guy really loved her. He heard him talking to her a lot and he seemed to really need her companionship. Maybe both Figaro and Sam could make a new friend.
Sam decided he was going to write a note and put it in the guy's mailbox to see if he would be interested in their cats meeting. This way if the guy thought he was weird, he wouldn't have to get that rejection in person at least. It was a really simple note, it read:
"Hi Mr. Barnes, I live in the unit below you and I think my cat and your cat could be friends. Maybe we could let them meet to burn off some energy so Alpine isn't always knocking things over. Let me know what you think and we could arrange something :)"
Yeah, that would work. On his way to work the next morning, Sam would slip it into Mr. Barnes' mailbox and see what happened. Sam was pretty sure he was an older guy. He listened to older music and seemed to be fairly grumpy based on what Sam could tell. So maybe this would be good for everyone.
------------------------------------------------------
A few days had passed since Sam had put the note in Mr. Barnes' mailbox with no response, so Sam figured he wasn't interested. That is until Sam came home from work one day and checked his mail to find a small handwritten note.
"I'm so sorry for all the noise Alpine makes. She's still pretty young and is too curious for her own good. If you want, you could come up some time on the weekend and we could let them meet? I'm not sure what your cat is like, but I don't think Alpine would like being taken out of the apartment."
Sam smiled as he read the note. Fig was going to finally get to meet Alpine! He went up the stairs to go tell Figaro the good news. He didn't have anything scheduled for that weekend, so he could bring Fig up to meet her in a few days. Sam decided to make some cookies to bring with him. If he went over to someone's house without bringing something with him, his mom would kill him. She raised him with better manners than that. Sam dug out his mom's snickerdoodle recipe and added what he needed to his grocery list. He could stop by the store on the way home tomorrow, make them the day after that, and then the next day he and Fig would go and meet Mr. Barnes' and Alpine.
------------------------------------------------------
The day of the play date, Sam was unexpectedly nervous. He didn't really know anything about this guy, but he was older so Sam figured he could take him if he needed to. Sam put on a nicer pair of jeans and maroon polo. He didn't want to dress up too much, but he didn't want to look like a slob either. He wanted to make a good impression. Sam put Figaro into his carrier and grabbed the foil container of cookies and headed to the elevator. It was only one floor, but he didn't want to keep Figaro in the carrier for too long. Sam lived in unit 504, so when he stepped off the elevator he headed to unity 604 to knock on his neighbor's door.
Sam gently balanced the cookies on his left forearm, and knocked before stepping back so Mr. Barnes' could answer the door without Sam being in his face. Sam heard some grumbling, some shuffling around, and then steps headed towards the door. The door opened to reveal a much younger man than Sam had anticipated. He was tall, just a little taller than Sam, with stubble across his jaw, chin length brown hair pushed behind his right ear, and the most strikingly blue eyes Sam had ever seen. Sam knew he was gawking at what appeared to be an actual model standing in front of him, and he could hear his mother's voice in his head telling him it was rude to stare, but oh my god this is one of the most beautiful humans Sam has ever seen.
"Can I help you?" The man asked in a gruff voice.
"Oh, uh, I'm Sam. I'm the one who left the note in your mailbox. The unit below yours? I brought Figaro to meet Alpine," Sam said, mentally berating himself for stuttering.
The man's eyes lit up "Oh, right. You're the guy who found the most polite way to tell me my cat makes a lot of noise," The man said, "I'm Bucky." The man, Bucky apparently, held out his right hand to shake Sam's in greeting. Sam quickly put the carrier down the placed the container of cookies on top of it so he could greet his neighbor properly. Seriously, did all his manners fly out the window the second Bucky had opened the door?
"Come on in, I'm sure your cat doesn't want to be stuck in that carrier too much longer. Alpine hates it when I have to put her in one," Bucky said, stepping aside as he opened his door further.
Sam scooped up the cookies and the carrier and walked inside. The apartment seemed sparse but cozy. Only the necessary furniture, but more fluffy blankets than any one person could every truly need.
"Oh, I um, I brought you cookies. I didn't want to show up empty handed since you were so kind to invite me to your home," Sam said hold the container out to him. Bucky reached for the container and only then did Sam realize that Bucky only has one arm. He tore his eyes away as quickly as possible to try not to be rude. But his looking away so quickly might also be seen as rude. God, Sam was fucking this up.
"Thanks, that's really sweet," Bucky said with a small smile on his face. Sam bent down to open the carrier so Figaro could explore a little bit. Alpine was standing next to the couch, curious but cautious, and Figaro started sniffing everything in his general vicinity. He slowly made his way over to Alpine. Sam didn't speak cat, but they didn't seem to be afraid of each other. Fig started gently sniffing Alpine, and she didn't back away so that seems like a good sign. Next thing Sam knows, Alpine is rubbing herself on Figaro and I guess they're best friends now. If only making friends as humans was that easy.
"Aww, I knew Fig would like her. He gets so interested when he can hear her running around. When she gets the zoomies, it gives Figaro the zoomies," Sam says with a wide grin and a small chuckle. Sam looks over to Bucky and sees that the man is already looking at him with wide eyes and a faint blush across his cheeks.
"Oh uh, sorry about that. She's only about a year old so she has a ton of energy and gets into things she shouldn't. But then she just looks at me with those huge eyes and I can't stay mad at her, ya know?" Bucky says.
"Oh I absolutely get it. I don't think I could stay mad at Figaro for more than five minutes, and even that's a stretch," Sam replied.
"So uh, what kind of cookies are these? They smell really good," Bucky asked.
"My mom's snickerdoodle recipe. They're universally loved, so I figured why not make them for the pet parent of my only child's new best friend?" Sam joked. Sam walked over and opened the container for them so Bucky could reach in and grab one. As soon as he bit into it his eyes slid shut and he made low humming sound, so deep it almost sounded like a moan.
"Wow," Bucky said, "You know when I found Alpine in a dumpster, I never imagined it would lead to me tasting what is potentially the best thing I've ever put in my mouth." Bucky quickly took another bite and then just shoved the rest of it in his mouth.
"You um, you found her in a dumpster?" Sam asked, swallowing hard. He knew these cookies were good, but the look on Bucky's face as he ate them? He looked like he was in heaven.
"Yeah, I heard her meowing from inside a dumpster. She was really small and abandoned in there. I think her mom left her there because she's deaf. Maybe she thought she wouldn't be able to survive in the wild. That's why she makes so much noise, she can't hear herself. You found my weakness, by the way. I have a massive sweet tooth," Bucky responded.
"Well, I'm glad you found her. I got Figaro from a shelter. My friend works there and when they were getting a little too full a few years ago, she asked me if I was interested in adopting a cat for a lowered fee to help make room. I wasn't sure I was going to adopt at all when I stopped by, but then I got to playing with Fig and I just knew I was going home with him," Sam said, grabbing a cookie from the foil container. The cats had started full out grooming each other now. It was not going to be easy to get Fig back into his carrier to take him home, was it?
"How old is he?" Bucky asked.
"About three years old. He came in with a TNR program, but he was just too sweet to release. They figured he would make a good pet and they were right," Sam responded.
"It seems that you're going to be in my apartment for the better part of the afternoon, so uh, tell me a little about yourself, Sam. What do you do? Any interesting hobbies?" Bucky asked
"I'm a mechanic. I work at a garage not too far from here, and although I can work on anything they bring me, I'm the only guy with experience working on small engines so I work with motorcycles a lot. I like to cook, dance, bird watch--"
"Bird watch?" Bucky asked with a small laugh.
"I know it sounds nerdy, but it's very interesting. I know a lot about the native birds to this area, and there are a lot of interesting tropical birds to learn about!" Sam defends, also starting to laugh a little. "What about you?" He asks.
"Oh um, I'm a writer. I like to watch movies and I like art. I used to draw, but I've more recently taken up painting," Bucky said with a faint blush on his face.
"Yeah? You any good?" Sam asked.
"Which one, the painting or the writing? The painting is newer so probably not, but the writing pays my bills so I can't imagine I'm terrible at it," Bucky responds with a laugh.
------------------------------------------------------
The two of them kept chatting through the afternoon, glancing over at their cats and watching them play occasionally. Sam had learned a lot about Bucky. He was a veteran, having lost his left arm while he was in the army. He wrote cheesy romance novels, even though scifi was actually his favorite genre. He found Alpine while on his way home from physical therapy. And he was a huge nerd. Sam had shared more information about himself too. He was also a veteran, having done two tours with the air force. He loved motown and thought music sounded best on vinyl records. He prefered to start his day with a run, no matter the weather. And he liked to volunteer at the VA in his spare time. Time had gotten away from them and the next thing they knew it was already 6:30pm.
"I am so sorry, I didn't realize it had gotten so late. I didn't mean to take up so much of your time!" Sam said.
"Don't worry about it, I've been having a good time just talking with you. And it seems like our cats are inseparable now," Bucky replied with a chuckle.
Glancing over Alpine and Figaro were curled up together on the couch, taking a nap. Sam couldn't resist taking a quick picture.
"If you want, um, you could stay for dinner," Bucky suggested, "I'm not the best cook, so maybe you could show me a thing or two?" Bucky had a shy smile on his face as he asked, almost like he was a little scared of how Sam would react.
"Are you asking me out?" Sam asked with a cheeky grin on his face, "Or in, rather."
"I might be. Tell me if I'm reading this wrong, but we've been having a good time together so far, and I just don't want you to leave yet," Bucky said.
Sam couldn't help the big smile that broke across his face. "Okay, yeah. I'll help you cook dinner, and then we'll see where the night takes us," Sam replied.
By the end of the night, Alpine and Figaro weren't the only ones curled up on the couch while a movie played on the television. Sam had smiled so much that day that his face hurt. He hoped it didn't stop any time soon.