Author: Zazu
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Sap
Pairings: 1x2
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I own the characters. I have borrowed them here for some fun and creativity, and this is not for profit. I do, however, own the plot mentioned here, and any instances that you may find similar to real life events are purely a coincidence.
Notes: Not beta-read.
Hope's Guests
Quatre looked down at the cat that had managed to slip in before he closed the door. He opened the door again, leaning down to shoo her out, but Hope only leaned closer, nuzzling the hand with a purr. With a sigh, Quatre straightened and closed the door again. Washing his hands, he went to the toilet and looked down at Hope again.
She stood by the closed door, staring at him.
Quatre shifted a turned his back to her.
A minute later, he followed the cat down the hall back towards the living room. She doubled back and went around him before cutting in front of him, making him stumble as he tried to avoid stepping on her.
Hope gave him a dirty look before she left him for the living room.
"Duo?"
Duo looked up at Quatre as he entered the room and sat down on the couch next to Trowa.
"Your cat is..." Quatre stared at the cat that was suddenly standing on the coffee table staring at him.
As if daring him to say anything rude.
"What about her?" Duo asked.
"She's a voyeur," Quatre finally said. "She followed me to the washroom."
"Yea, she does that. Just ignore her." Duo leaned forward, stretching an arm out to pet Hope. She purred, moving closer to him.
"Typical cat," Trowa said.
"Yea," Duo admitted. "But I can't help but love her. Isn't that right, kitty?" he asked. Hope shifted and shook herself before hopping off the table and stalking away.
"Somehow, I never thought you would own a cat, Duo," Quatre said. "I always thought you were more of a dog person."
"A dog requires a little more attention than a cat," Duo explained. "But that's only one of the reasons I got Hope. When I found her at the shelter, I was just looking for a companion, and somehow I instantly fell in love with her."
"Help, please?" Heero called from the kitchen. Trowa chuckled and headed to the kitchen to help Heero.
"Are you all right, Heero?" Trowa asked.
"Bad kitty," Heero was crouching, shaking a finger at Hope. She swatted at the finger. "I'm fine," Heero answered. "I could use a hand bringing things to the table though. Just be careful of Hope. She'll walk in front of you."
"Ah, that would be why I heard Quatre stumble when he came back from the washroom." Trowa took a plate and watched Hope as he walked past her. Setting the dish on the table, he felt his foot connect with something and bent down to look at Hope, who had been right behind his foot. "Inquisitive little thing, aren't you?" he asked her as he picked her up and pet her.
Hope only tolerated his touch for a moment before squirming free and hopping down to the floor. She made her way to Heero and nuzzled his leg.
It didn't take long for dinner to be set up and the four of them were seated. The table could seat six; Hope wasted no time hopping up on one of the chairs and sitting there at the head of the table.
She watched as the four men began to serve themselves and each other, then meowed.
"No, Hope," Duo said. "You have your own food. You're not eating our food."
Hope meowed again, a little louder.
"No." Duo leaned closer to her. "Heero got you your food. Now, he got me my food. I don't steal your food, so you shouldn't steal my food."
As if to snub him, Hope stood and jumped from her seat, dashing under the table and stepping on Duo in the process.
Heero chuckled. "She's curled at my feet," he informed the others.
"She seems to like Heero better," Trowa said. "Or is it just me?"
"She likes the both of us," Heero replied. "She just likes to stick around."
"I never would have thought that you would like a cat either, Heero," Quatre said.
"I just liked Hope's pet," Heero quipped.
"Hey!" Duo said indignantly.
"What do you mean, Hope's pet?" Quatre asked with interest.
"I mean Duo." Heero looked at Duo who was glaring at him. "Hope was the head of the house when I moved in. She picked on Duo. So I decided to save her human and take better care of him than she ever did."
"I'd say you were doing a good job, then," Trowa said with a chuckle.
"See?" Duo said to Quatre. "Don't ever get a cat. They're devious little things. They know how to train humans very well and as you can see, Hope managed to train Heero really early, from before he moved in. That's why he thinks he's managed to become the head of the house and has managed to tame Hope but that isn't the case."
"How so?" Quatre asked grinning at the fact that Heero was now mock-glaring Duo.
"At least I qualified as Hope's human," Duo announced. "Heero is, thus far, at the rank of Hope's source of food and also Hope's bed."
"Hope's bed." Quatre blinked. "You can't keep her out?"
"She'll scratch at the door. She's used to sleeping in the bedroom," Heero replied.
"Well, on the side of the bed Heero currently occupies," Duo cut in. "Although I have to say it quite a nice picture to wake up to, Heero Yuy with a cat sitting on his chest as he sleeps on unaware."
"I'm not unaware!" Heero protested. "I've just gotten used to it."
"The way I see it," Trowa said. "Heero's just become Hope and her human's slave."
Quatre laughed at the comment despite the twin glares coming from across the table. Trowa suddenly jumped, and a moment later, Hope's head popped up between his body and the table. She stood on him, front paws on his chest as she sniffed inquisitively.
Quatre gaped as Hope licked Trowa's lips before jumping to the floor.
Duo burst out laughing. "You might want to wipe before you kiss Quatre, Trowa!" he laughed. "Just in case Quatre minds!"
Trowa looked at Quatre, eyebrow raised. Quatre leaned away, just a little. "Please do," he said to his lover. "Wipe, I mean."
Trowa sighed. "I was right," he said, wiping his lips. "Hope runs the house." He looked down at Hope, who was sitting a few feet away watching the humans. She licked her paw and cleaned herself for a moment before leaving the kitchen.
The rest of the dinner passed with no further interruptions, as did the coffee and dessert that came right after.
It wasn't until they were ready to go that Quatre mentioned the cat again.
"Where did she go?" he asked. "I'd like to say goodbye to the head of the house, and to thank her for lending us her humans."
"Probably snuggled somewhere in the living room," Heero replied, leading the way back to the room.
Trowa found her first. "I guess your coat was really comfortable, Quatre," he commented, pointing to where Hope was curled on the couch, having successfully pulled Quatre's blanket down from where it had been draped over the back of the couch.
"Is it okay to wake her up?" Quatre asked.
"Yea, let me get her," Heero replied, going to get the cat. Before he could touch her, she blinked her eyes open and shifted. Heero paused and she got up by herself, stretching with a yawn before walking to the other end of the couch.
"Wow. She's big when she stretches," Quatre said, wide-eyed as he picked up his jacket. Shrugging it on and buttoning it up, he smiled. "Thanks for dinner, Heero, Duo."
"Thanks for coming," Duo said with a grin. "And lending your jacket to Hope for a nap."
"Goodnight then," Trowa said. "See you next time, Hope,"
Her ears flicked in his direction and she looked at him for a moment before walking up to him. She followed the group to the door as if to see the guests out.
Once the door shut behind their guests, Heero took Duo's hand and looked down at Hope. She ran off to the living room again, no doubt to find her place on her favourite blue blanket.
"I say we join her for a cuddle on the couch," Duo said. Heero followed him to the couch and let Duo stretch out on the couch, laying his head on Heero's lap. Putting his own legs up on the footrest, he tugged the purple blanket down over Duo, snuggling low on the couch with a sigh.
He managed to worm his feet under the blanket, and he smiled as Hope shifted to snuggle up with his feet. With his hand under the blanket and resting on Duo's chest, Heero sighed again, feeling Duo clasp his hand as he grabbed the remote control, flicking on the television to watch the late night news.
Hope opened her eyes to look at her humans, ears flicking towards the television as the sound came on. The two of them were staring at each other, soft smiles on their faces.
She nuzzled Heero's foot again and purred, telling them in her own way just how content she was to be with them.
OWARI
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