Watchmen fic: A Hair Out of Place
Title: A Hair Out of Place
Characters: Adrian, Bubastis.
Rating: Worksafe, gen.
Word count: 549
Summary: Written for Mundane Bingo. Prompt: using a lint roller to get pet fur off your clothes.
===
If Adrian has one regret about the creation of Bubastis, it's this: she wasn't designed to be low-shedding.
In 1975, she goes through her first summer molt, and Adrian finds that he's constantly picking the downy fluff from his clothing. He hires some people to groom Bubastis every day, but it does little good... and, besides, it isn't long before she develops a strong aversion to hairbrushes and flattens her ears at anyone who approaches her with one. She's a lynx, not a house pet. She's very fussy about being touched.
"You're an awful spoiled princess," Adrian tells her, while she sits on a table. (Adrian has long since given up on telling her to get down from the furniture, because it seems futile and a little petty. She's a cat. Cats like to climb.) Bubastis ignores him, and proceeds to groom herself. She looks suitably regal, every bit the pinnacle of genetic engineering... until she pauses, licking her lips and looking slightly perplexed, then retches up a furball that resembles a hairy turd.
She then sniffs the furball, with a sad expression.
"It's a good job I love you," Adrian says, and goes to find someone to clean up.
--
In 1977, Karnak hosts a symposium on renewable energy. Adrian paces around his personal quarters. He doesn't feel nervous, just tired. He has too much to think about. There will be numerous representatives from the power and fuel companies in attendance, and he'll have to be polite. It's also a given that there will be CIA employees present, although Adrian believes he's already identified most of them.
Preparations have been made. Everything should be accounted for. There's little left for him to do, so he decides that he might as well change into his formal wear.
He's already chosen a suit for the occasion. One of his valets should have left it in his bedroom. He isn't particularly fussy about suits - he has better things to worry about - but he does have the odd favorite.
When he reaches his bedroom, he finds that the door is already open. This is strange, because everyone at Karnak makes sure to close all doors behind them, to keep Bubastis from wandering into places where she's not supposed to go. Adrian could assume that the valet has simply forgotten to shut the door properly, but he doubts that.
He steps inside, and finds Bubastis sitting on his bed, shredding and chewing the plastic cover that his suit has been left in. When she notices him, she pauses and eyes him beadily, pricking her whiskers forward. The plastic cover already has a sizable hole in it.
Apparently, she's intelligent enough to learn how to open doors, but still stupid enough to chew plastic.
Bubastis doesn't wait for Adrian to say anything. She quickly jumps down from the bed and slinks out of the room, as if she has an urgent appointment elsewhere.
Adrian lets her go. He goes to examine the suit. The cover might be torn, but the suit itself is undamaged. It's just covered in lynx hair.
He finds a lint roller, trying to do what he can, and distractedly mutters, "I'm going to kill that cat."
---
In 1986, Adrian still keeps finding cat fur on his clothes.
Characters: Adrian, Bubastis.
Rating: Worksafe, gen.
Word count: 549
Summary: Written for Mundane Bingo. Prompt: using a lint roller to get pet fur off your clothes.
===
If Adrian has one regret about the creation of Bubastis, it's this: she wasn't designed to be low-shedding.
In 1975, she goes through her first summer molt, and Adrian finds that he's constantly picking the downy fluff from his clothing. He hires some people to groom Bubastis every day, but it does little good... and, besides, it isn't long before she develops a strong aversion to hairbrushes and flattens her ears at anyone who approaches her with one. She's a lynx, not a house pet. She's very fussy about being touched.
"You're an awful spoiled princess," Adrian tells her, while she sits on a table. (Adrian has long since given up on telling her to get down from the furniture, because it seems futile and a little petty. She's a cat. Cats like to climb.) Bubastis ignores him, and proceeds to groom herself. She looks suitably regal, every bit the pinnacle of genetic engineering... until she pauses, licking her lips and looking slightly perplexed, then retches up a furball that resembles a hairy turd.
She then sniffs the furball, with a sad expression.
"It's a good job I love you," Adrian says, and goes to find someone to clean up.
--
In 1977, Karnak hosts a symposium on renewable energy. Adrian paces around his personal quarters. He doesn't feel nervous, just tired. He has too much to think about. There will be numerous representatives from the power and fuel companies in attendance, and he'll have to be polite. It's also a given that there will be CIA employees present, although Adrian believes he's already identified most of them.
Preparations have been made. Everything should be accounted for. There's little left for him to do, so he decides that he might as well change into his formal wear.
He's already chosen a suit for the occasion. One of his valets should have left it in his bedroom. He isn't particularly fussy about suits - he has better things to worry about - but he does have the odd favorite.
When he reaches his bedroom, he finds that the door is already open. This is strange, because everyone at Karnak makes sure to close all doors behind them, to keep Bubastis from wandering into places where she's not supposed to go. Adrian could assume that the valet has simply forgotten to shut the door properly, but he doubts that.
He steps inside, and finds Bubastis sitting on his bed, shredding and chewing the plastic cover that his suit has been left in. When she notices him, she pauses and eyes him beadily, pricking her whiskers forward. The plastic cover already has a sizable hole in it.
Apparently, she's intelligent enough to learn how to open doors, but still stupid enough to chew plastic.
Bubastis doesn't wait for Adrian to say anything. She quickly jumps down from the bed and slinks out of the room, as if she has an urgent appointment elsewhere.
Adrian lets her go. He goes to examine the suit. The cover might be torn, but the suit itself is undamaged. It's just covered in lynx hair.
He finds a lint roller, trying to do what he can, and distractedly mutters, "I'm going to kill that cat."
---
In 1986, Adrian still keeps finding cat fur on his clothes.