roartonrisen

AU

Quite honestly, for about three months, Kieren just sort of figured his cat's been getting really fat. It's not like he should know better, because it's not like he'd ever had an appreciation for the animal arts when he'd been alive. So when someone had given Kieren a look like he's an idiot and commented that the cat's just pregnant, he doesn't think it should be his fault he hadn't noticed.

He hadn't even noticed himself coming back to life. How is he supposed to notice a cat?

He can notice, though, that the cat seems to be in distress and a quick check on the internet says that this is around the time they go into labour. Still, he's not doing this on his own. A touch panicked, Kieren fumbles around the bungalow for his things and fetches towels and an actual dropcloth, texting Sirius absently as he wanders, running a hand through his hair until it's wild.

Does he call a vet? Does he get a house call? Do those things still happen?

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"You know, now that I have a heartbeat again, we need to talk about you giving me some kind of warning before you startle me. Windchimes or something," he says, thinking of the one too many times that he'd been startled to shock at the sight of Sirius suddenly in his place. He digs his fingers into Sirius' hair to idly stroke it as they watch Ginger work.

Sirius lets out a quick bark of a laugh at that then immediately shuts his mouth when he notices the way Ginger startles at the sudden noise. The kittens hardly seem to have noticed anythign at all, at least, still squirming sightlessly upon the towel as Sirius turns his head just enough to grin up at Kieren.

"Shall I ring a bell?" he asks. "Waggle a dog collar with tags attached?"

"I mean, if you're planning to go and buy something..." He trails off, a teasing smirk on his face that's hard to make go away. He isn't kidding, though. He does get a jolt every time Sirius turns up out of the blue without any warning. One day, he really might feel his heart skip a beat from it.

"Perhaps we can train little Ginger or Minnie here to meow quietly whenever I arrive," he says, quite liking the idea himself. There's something rather appealing about having an animal, if even only a harmless house cat, herald his appearance.

Watching Ginger again, he perks up even further he notices the another little newcomer. "Ah, we've got another," he says, though he stays as he is, his head perched on Kieren's thigh. "I'm starting to wonder if we should take bets on how many we'll get in total. We're up to four now, so what do you think -- six by the end? Seven?"

Sirius is already referring to the kitten as theirs and it makes Kieren blush all over, ears prickling red as he thinks about this little home that they're building. "I hope it's not too many," he says, starting to get worried. "I don't want to be taking them all on."

"Two cats and one dog quite enough for you?" he asks, grinning. "I'm sure we can find a home for them all. Look at them - they're adorable. It shouldn't be hard. I bet I could guilt Kell and Lila into taking one. Maybe Harry, too."

"I'm sure we could probably persuade Noah into getting the rest into the cat cafe," he admits, scrunching up his nose. "Do you think they need credentials for that? Little cat resumes?" he wonders, huffing out a soft, disbelieving laugh at what he's talking about.

"We'll get it all sorted, I'm sure," Sirius replies, marveling as Ginger curls to lick at her newest little kitten, the other three still wiggling and squirming around the place. "We'll fill it in with all their best qualities. I bet little Minnie went to a nice, respectable kitty uni even."

Kieren grins as he curls into Sirius, feeling so warm and happy and filled with a future himself. "I never thought I'd get this," he says softly, staring at the bungalow around them and Sirius in his arms. "I never thought this was even an option for me."

"What, a pregnant cat?" Sirius remarks, grinning easily at Kieren as Kieren curls in close, Ginger and her kittens only feet away. His tone purely teasing, laden with an understanding even as he jokes. "You have to have had some idea letting her wander all hours of the night. She's a hussy, you know. I did warn you."

Kieren laughs and wraps his arms tighter around Sirius to bury his face into his neck. "I let you wander at all hours of the night," he points out, "and that seems to be going just fine for me, seeing as you always know to come home."

"Yes, well I don't just lift my tail for anyone, now do I?" he remarks, grinning wider now as he rolls slightly, pulling Kieren half atop him. "And I come home because I know what's good for me. Why wander about when I've got a nice roof over my head, steady food on the table, and one beautiful-if-slightly slutty cat.

"And a gorgeous boyfriend, of course," he adds with a wink. "But doesn't that go without saying?"

"Really? Where is he? Maybe we can meet," he jokes, which is one of the oldest in the books, he knows, but it still makes him smile fondly to say it. "I'm really happy too," he promises right back, leaning forward as another kitten seems to be coming out (and he has to hope that this is the very last).

Sirius lets out a groan that response, rolling his eyes fondly as he tightens his arms around Kieren and gives his neck a light bite. "None of that now," he says, still grinning before noticing that Kieren's watching Ginger again. "Merlin, how many do you think she has in there? This is starting to get ridiculous. I wonder if they all even have the same father."

"I think she's slowing down," Kieren promises, because it also looks like Ginger's expanded stomach has started to return to something that looks vaguely normal and Kieren doesn't think that's just his optimism. "Besides, wouldn't you want to get it all over and done? Have a litter and just do one pregnancy instead of multiple. I mean, if you or I were a woman and we wanted kids."

"Luckily, that's not something we need to be concerned with," he says, staring at Ginger's belly for a moment. It does look a good bit less full than earlier and Sirius and can only hope she's largely done. If only for her sake. "I'd make a horrible mother, I'd think. Particularly if I take after my own. Can you imagine me pregnant? Horrifying."

It's not really a conversation they've had, but Kieren now starts to wonder if they should. "You don't want any, then? Kids, that is," he clarifies, not sure he's really done much thinking himself on the matter. He's only nineteen (sort of) and he'd been dead. He doesn't even know if the plumbing works anymore.

Kieren's voice suddenly sounds a good deal more thoughtful and Sirius glances over again, eyebrow arched. If he's honest, it's something he has thought of before if only because of Lily and James. Because of Harry. It's only that he hasn't had a relationship like there's with anyone.

Not until now.

"Do you?" he asks, deciding to deflect momentarily, to gauge what Kieren might want first before he says anything.

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AU

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