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Catboy!AU: Cuddles are the Best Medicine, Part 1
Don slips on his apron and smiles as he sets to work gathering the ingredients for lunch. Today’s menu is meant to be a surprise; he’d banished Marvelous from the kitchen (amidst increasingly pleading protests) just so he’d be able to keep it a secret. It’s going to be an absolute feast - baked chicken stuffed with cream cheese and bacon, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, cheese toast with pesto, pasta in tomato sauce with zucchini and eggplant, fried apples with cinnamon, and fruit parfaits with sweet cream for dessert. Marvelous is used to big meals, of course, but they’re not always elaborate ones (though they are always delicious), so Don takes a lot of pride in being able to put together a truly exceptional spread.
The prep is going to take him ages, since he’s doing it all by himself, but it’s worth it for the joy of surprising Marvelous. He figures he might as well round up all the ingredients at once, just to make sure he actually has everything he needs, though Marvelous’s kitchen is so well-stocked he hardly thinks he needs to worry. The meat and vegetables are right in the refrigerator, of course, as is the cheese and some of the fruit. The apples are in the basket on the counter, and the bread is in its cupboard as always. He sets it all out and takes stock of it before moving on to the spices, taking each one out of the spice rack with care. Before long, he’s gathered everything he needs.
Everything except the pasta, that is.
Marvelous keeps the pasta up on the very highest shelf in one of the tall cupboards above the counter. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble reaching it himself with just the help of the kitchen stool, but he has certain height and reach advantages that Don doesn’t. Even getting up on his tiptoes on the stool, the pasta is just out of Don’s reach. He steps down from it, tail swishing with frustration. He could go get Marvelous and ask him to get the pasta down for him, but that would ruin the whole surprise of the meal! He’ll have to get it some other way.
Don frowns, tail still swishing as he thinks about it. He really only needs a bit more of a boost, so there should be something he can use... He looks over at the dining table chairs. He’s never stood on one, but they always seem sturdy enough when he sits on them, so they ought to be fine. It’s only for a second anyway.
Don picks up one of the chairs and carries it over to put it in front of the counter. He takes a quick step up onto it, using his tail to keep his balance. The pasta is all easily within reach now. He scans the shelf for the box of penne, and spots it in the back. He reaches for it and the chair wobbles. He starts to lose his footing just as he grabs the box, and he’s a split second too late to jump safely off when he hears the wood crack. He yelps with surprise as he falls, too startled and thrown off-balance to make a good attempt at catching himself, and cries out when his foot hits the floor and a blaze of pain shoots up his leg. He lands hard, taking most of the impact with his hands and forearms. He only just manages not to hit his head.
For a moment Don just lies on the floor, tears in his eyes from the shock and pain of his fall. His heart is racing, and he’s struggling to catch his breath. He tries to push himself back to his feet but his leg surges with pain and he cries out again, his yell dying down into a sob as he clutches his hurt ankle.
The prep is going to take him ages, since he’s doing it all by himself, but it’s worth it for the joy of surprising Marvelous. He figures he might as well round up all the ingredients at once, just to make sure he actually has everything he needs, though Marvelous’s kitchen is so well-stocked he hardly thinks he needs to worry. The meat and vegetables are right in the refrigerator, of course, as is the cheese and some of the fruit. The apples are in the basket on the counter, and the bread is in its cupboard as always. He sets it all out and takes stock of it before moving on to the spices, taking each one out of the spice rack with care. Before long, he’s gathered everything he needs.
Everything except the pasta, that is.
Marvelous keeps the pasta up on the very highest shelf in one of the tall cupboards above the counter. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble reaching it himself with just the help of the kitchen stool, but he has certain height and reach advantages that Don doesn’t. Even getting up on his tiptoes on the stool, the pasta is just out of Don’s reach. He steps down from it, tail swishing with frustration. He could go get Marvelous and ask him to get the pasta down for him, but that would ruin the whole surprise of the meal! He’ll have to get it some other way.
Don frowns, tail still swishing as he thinks about it. He really only needs a bit more of a boost, so there should be something he can use... He looks over at the dining table chairs. He’s never stood on one, but they always seem sturdy enough when he sits on them, so they ought to be fine. It’s only for a second anyway.
Don picks up one of the chairs and carries it over to put it in front of the counter. He takes a quick step up onto it, using his tail to keep his balance. The pasta is all easily within reach now. He scans the shelf for the box of penne, and spots it in the back. He reaches for it and the chair wobbles. He starts to lose his footing just as he grabs the box, and he’s a split second too late to jump safely off when he hears the wood crack. He yelps with surprise as he falls, too startled and thrown off-balance to make a good attempt at catching himself, and cries out when his foot hits the floor and a blaze of pain shoots up his leg. He lands hard, taking most of the impact with his hands and forearms. He only just manages not to hit his head.
For a moment Don just lies on the floor, tears in his eyes from the shock and pain of his fall. His heart is racing, and he’s struggling to catch his breath. He tries to push himself back to his feet but his leg surges with pain and he cries out again, his yell dying down into a sob as he clutches his hurt ankle.
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It seems to take forever; it surprises him a little when Don asks if it's over already! He recovers himself quickly, voice steady as he replies, "all done. That wasn't so bad, was it?"
He puts his arms around Don properly, but loosely so that Don can relax back and still be in his arms. He knows well enough by now to leave it a few minutes before he makes his next suggestion, allowing Don to calm down a little and just sit there with him.
"I think we've done what we can," he says softly, "so maybe I should call my friend now and get him to come and take a look at your ankle?"
Marvelous can definitely convince Sid to make a house-call; he's a very persuasive individual. And every time they've run into one another at the coffee shop Sid has ended up chatting away about his job and how much he loves it. Marvelous might spend an indecent amount of time during the (mostly one-sided) conversation just watching the way Sid's strong, firm looking hands wrap around his coffee cup, but he listens well enough to pick up on the general idea of what's being said! He'll come over when he realises how important it is to Marvelous and, more importantly, to Don.
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He leans back and rests in Marvelous’s arms, laying his head on Marvelous’s shoulder. He closes his eyes and tries to relax, taking in the feeling of Marvelous’s comforting embrace, of being surrounded by his scent. For a while, Marvelous’s scent had been strange to him, but now there’s not many aromas that could possibly soothe him more. The smell of books, perhaps - of old paper and leather. Or the smell of wood burning in a stove, like the one in the house where he used to live. Marvelous doesn’t smell like either of these things; he smells like food and hair products and human musk. And he smells a little like Don, too.
After a few minutes, Marvelous speaks again. Don’s stomach twists with nervousness at the mention of the doctor, but his tension eases a little when he realizes that Marvelous is planning to have the doctor come to them. He won’t have to move from here, won’t have to have Marvelous carry him out to a cab full of too many human smells, won’t have to go into an unfamiliar hospital to be treated by an unfamiliar doctor. He can just stay right where he is, in the safety of Marvelous’s territory. It doesn’t completely cure his fears, but he feels better just knowing that he won’t have to leave his home in order to be treated.
Don nods. “I think so,” he says. He sits up properly to give Marvelous room to let go of him and get up. “Go ahead and call.”
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