Coming Home, kitten!Niall
Zayn still has a lapful of purring, snuggling Niall when his mobile buzzes in his pocket.
wheree r u?
Oh man. He forgot all about Liam, who is definitely going to kill him.
buying a kitten? dont kill me, Zayn types back.
His phone starts ringing immediately. Shit.
“You’re doing what?” Liam yells through the earpiece.
Zayn flinches and pulls the phone away from his ear. Niall, upset at the petting interruption, burrows further into Zayn’s chest and lets out a tiny mewl of discontent.
“I know, I know,” Zayn says. “This is a horrible idea. But I couldn’t leave ‘im, Li! He’d be all alone and he’s - I just. I want him.” Zayn looks down at the kitten in his arms and feels a rush of affection. The little bugger really is adorable.
He can hear Liam sighing through the phone, and Zayn imagines him rubbing the bridge of his nose like he does when he’s particularly exasperated.
“You know this can’t be something you lose interest in halfway through, right Zayn?” Liam has his stern, daddy voice on. Cue lecture in three, two - “A hybrid is a huge responsibility. You can’t only pay attention to it when it suits you, y’know. They require lots of attention and care and time. It’s a big commitment.” Liam pauses and lets out a whooshing breath. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”
Zayn pauses, voice caught in his throat. He knows all his friends, Liam included, think he’s a little spacey, a little too reserved some times and a little too spastic during others, and maybe they’re right.
“Li,” he says, voice soft and a little timid, “I really want this. I know I can do it. I mean, his name’s Niall, and he’s adorable and striped with the cutest little ears and - and I’m supposed to take care of him.” Zayn sighs. “I mean, that’s how you feel about Harry, right?”
At the sound of Harry’s name Niall perks up, ears twitching, and suddenly he’s straddling Zayn’s lap, sitting up and looking around the room as if he’s searching for his missing mate.
“Yeah, yeah, you know I do,” Liam says, and Zayn can hear him smiling dopily over the phone, probably petting Harry as they speak. He sighs again, and Zayn knows he won’t be hearing the last of this, but he thinks Liam may not be plotting his imminent death anymore, at least. “Speaking of,” Liam continues, “I was going to go home and get him settled. You want us to wait for you?”
“No, that’s okay,” Zayn replies. “You get everything in order, and we’ll meet you back at the flat. I’ll take a cab. Who knows how long this’ll take; I probably have to fill out a mountain of paperwork.”
“Yeah, you have fun with that. That’s why I did mine ahead of time. Because unlike you, I plan ahead.”
Zayn can feel his eyes rolling right out of their sockets. “And I’m sure it has nothing to do with being a neurotic control freak, and I mean that in the best way possible. See you at home!” Zayn hangs up quickly, cutting off the sound of Liam’s sputtering indignation.
“You ready to go home, Niall?” Zayn smiles at the kitten, running his hand through Niall’s messy hair.
Niall focuses back on Zayn, smiling brightly. He presses their cheeks together and nuzzles close, purring in satisfaction.
Zayn laughs at the tickling sensation. He’s foreseeing a lot of snuggling in his future, and he can’t bring himself to mind. He has a feeling Niall’s going to have him wrapped around his finger.
“I guess that means yes, yeah?”
Niall just purrs louder.
~~~~~~
“Liam? You here, mate?” Zayn shuffles into the apartment, hands and arms filled with various bags and Niall, who is currently clinging to him like a limpet. The crush of people during rush hour was a little overwhelming for the kitten, and he spent most of the cab ride on Zayn’s lap, alternating between peering out into the city and hiding his face in Zayn’s neck any time a cyclist flew past the window.
“We’re in the kitchen,” Liam calls out.
Niall’s eyes widen at the sound of another voice, and he ducks in closer to Zayn, gripping on tighter. Zayn drops the bags he’s holding, all of the supplies Marjorie insisted that Niall couldn’t live without, and tries to steer Niall towards the kitchen.
“Don’t worry, Niall. I have a surprise for you, alright?” Zayn lowers his head, trying to catch Niall’s eyes. “I promise you’ll love it.” Zayn smiles reassuringly and takes Niall by the hand, leading him towards the back of the flat.
Liam is there, pouring some tea out of the kettle, Harry twined between his legs.
Zayn can feel Niall freeze as he spots Harry, and he lets out a high pitched little chirrup, squeezing tightly to Zayn’s hand as Harry turns towards them, immediately recognizing the sound.
There’s a brief pause and then suddenly it’s nothing but a blur of brown and blond as the two kittens tussle on the floor, chattering and purring, trying to pin the other down.
“Uh, Liam?” Zayns asks, eyeing the two kittens suspiciously. “Why is Harry starkers?”
Liam hands a cup of tea to Zayn and leans back against the counter, sipping his own mug and watching Niall chew on Harry’s ear with his small pointed teeth.
“Apparently clothes are going to be a subject of negotiation. He stripped as soon as we walked through the door. I think he finds them restrictive,” Liam muses, wincing slightly as Harry finally manages to tackle Niall to the floor.
Zayn watches as Harry licks a spot under Niall’s ear, Niall squirming and huffing underneath him as he tries to upend Harry from his perch on Niall’s stomach. He manages to buck him off, the two kittens skidding around on the linoleum floor before Niall darts behind Zayn and takes off full tilt towards the living room, Harry enthusiastically giving chase.
Liam and Zayn blink at each other for a few moments, and Zayn flinches at the crashing sound that follows the kittens’ rapid departure.
Liam looks at Zayn and points the spoon he’s holding at him accusingly. “This was all your doing, Zayn Malik. You remember that.”
Zayn can’t even deny it, can only sigh and follow the kittens and the sounds of chaos out towards what he thinks is his and Liam’s shared office space.
But he still can’t help smiling, and he knows for certain that his life just got a lot more interesting.
wheree r u?
Oh man. He forgot all about Liam, who is definitely going to kill him.
buying a kitten? dont kill me, Zayn types back.
His phone starts ringing immediately. Shit.
“You’re doing what?” Liam yells through the earpiece.
Zayn flinches and pulls the phone away from his ear. Niall, upset at the petting interruption, burrows further into Zayn’s chest and lets out a tiny mewl of discontent.
“I know, I know,” Zayn says. “This is a horrible idea. But I couldn’t leave ‘im, Li! He’d be all alone and he’s - I just. I want him.” Zayn looks down at the kitten in his arms and feels a rush of affection. The little bugger really is adorable.
He can hear Liam sighing through the phone, and Zayn imagines him rubbing the bridge of his nose like he does when he’s particularly exasperated.
“You know this can’t be something you lose interest in halfway through, right Zayn?” Liam has his stern, daddy voice on. Cue lecture in three, two - “A hybrid is a huge responsibility. You can’t only pay attention to it when it suits you, y’know. They require lots of attention and care and time. It’s a big commitment.” Liam pauses and lets out a whooshing breath. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”
Zayn pauses, voice caught in his throat. He knows all his friends, Liam included, think he’s a little spacey, a little too reserved some times and a little too spastic during others, and maybe they’re right.
“Li,” he says, voice soft and a little timid, “I really want this. I know I can do it. I mean, his name’s Niall, and he’s adorable and striped with the cutest little ears and - and I’m supposed to take care of him.” Zayn sighs. “I mean, that’s how you feel about Harry, right?”
At the sound of Harry’s name Niall perks up, ears twitching, and suddenly he’s straddling Zayn’s lap, sitting up and looking around the room as if he’s searching for his missing mate.
“Yeah, yeah, you know I do,” Liam says, and Zayn can hear him smiling dopily over the phone, probably petting Harry as they speak. He sighs again, and Zayn knows he won’t be hearing the last of this, but he thinks Liam may not be plotting his imminent death anymore, at least. “Speaking of,” Liam continues, “I was going to go home and get him settled. You want us to wait for you?”
“No, that’s okay,” Zayn replies. “You get everything in order, and we’ll meet you back at the flat. I’ll take a cab. Who knows how long this’ll take; I probably have to fill out a mountain of paperwork.”
“Yeah, you have fun with that. That’s why I did mine ahead of time. Because unlike you, I plan ahead.”
Zayn can feel his eyes rolling right out of their sockets. “And I’m sure it has nothing to do with being a neurotic control freak, and I mean that in the best way possible. See you at home!” Zayn hangs up quickly, cutting off the sound of Liam’s sputtering indignation.
“You ready to go home, Niall?” Zayn smiles at the kitten, running his hand through Niall’s messy hair.
Niall focuses back on Zayn, smiling brightly. He presses their cheeks together and nuzzles close, purring in satisfaction.
Zayn laughs at the tickling sensation. He’s foreseeing a lot of snuggling in his future, and he can’t bring himself to mind. He has a feeling Niall’s going to have him wrapped around his finger.
“I guess that means yes, yeah?”
Niall just purrs louder.
~~~~~~
“Liam? You here, mate?” Zayn shuffles into the apartment, hands and arms filled with various bags and Niall, who is currently clinging to him like a limpet. The crush of people during rush hour was a little overwhelming for the kitten, and he spent most of the cab ride on Zayn’s lap, alternating between peering out into the city and hiding his face in Zayn’s neck any time a cyclist flew past the window.
“We’re in the kitchen,” Liam calls out.
Niall’s eyes widen at the sound of another voice, and he ducks in closer to Zayn, gripping on tighter. Zayn drops the bags he’s holding, all of the supplies Marjorie insisted that Niall couldn’t live without, and tries to steer Niall towards the kitchen.
“Don’t worry, Niall. I have a surprise for you, alright?” Zayn lowers his head, trying to catch Niall’s eyes. “I promise you’ll love it.” Zayn smiles reassuringly and takes Niall by the hand, leading him towards the back of the flat.
Liam is there, pouring some tea out of the kettle, Harry twined between his legs.
Zayn can feel Niall freeze as he spots Harry, and he lets out a high pitched little chirrup, squeezing tightly to Zayn’s hand as Harry turns towards them, immediately recognizing the sound.
There’s a brief pause and then suddenly it’s nothing but a blur of brown and blond as the two kittens tussle on the floor, chattering and purring, trying to pin the other down.
“Uh, Liam?” Zayns asks, eyeing the two kittens suspiciously. “Why is Harry starkers?”
Liam hands a cup of tea to Zayn and leans back against the counter, sipping his own mug and watching Niall chew on Harry’s ear with his small pointed teeth.
“Apparently clothes are going to be a subject of negotiation. He stripped as soon as we walked through the door. I think he finds them restrictive,” Liam muses, wincing slightly as Harry finally manages to tackle Niall to the floor.
Zayn watches as Harry licks a spot under Niall’s ear, Niall squirming and huffing underneath him as he tries to upend Harry from his perch on Niall’s stomach. He manages to buck him off, the two kittens skidding around on the linoleum floor before Niall darts behind Zayn and takes off full tilt towards the living room, Harry enthusiastically giving chase.
Liam and Zayn blink at each other for a few moments, and Zayn flinches at the crashing sound that follows the kittens’ rapid departure.
Liam looks at Zayn and points the spoon he’s holding at him accusingly. “This was all your doing, Zayn Malik. You remember that.”
Zayn can’t even deny it, can only sigh and follow the kittens and the sounds of chaos out towards what he thinks is his and Liam’s shared office space.
But he still can’t help smiling, and he knows for certain that his life just got a lot more interesting.