Steve finds the damn thing in the trash.
And like, he's not stupid, he knows what a cat is, knows none of the upside down creatures are all fuzzy and wide-eyed, but he's been through some shit, alright, and he's not too keen on taking chances.
It's got weird deformed front paws, and it's tiny, like, maybe two handfuls if he's generous, and it's sopping wet from the rain the night before and there's just something about it's big, sad eyes that makes him think too much of the party. And, well, he'd want someone to take the kids in if they were left in the rain, right?
He tells himself firmly that he's just going to dry it off. Maybe give it a little snack for the road. It's what any decent person would do, and it'd stave off some of the guilt he'd feel when he'd have to set it outside by the woods.
And then he thinks about Robin's rant about rabies, and he's looking up the number to the nearest animal hospital. Their next availability isn't until the morning, and he's not going to let the damn thing just get soaked again just to take it to the vet the next day, so he sets up a little bed made out of a spare trunk in the attic, an old pillow, and bedding from the guest room closet that had that weird pink floral pattern the kids threatened to burn if they had to see it on their bed again.
And when he goes the receptionist looks startled, and he gets defensive of the little thing because hey just because it has weird little paws doesn't mean they can make fun of it. He can't quite make out what they say, his hearing's been going out in his left ear and they're talking too fast for him to catch, but he thinks they mention something about it being a girl in there somewhere.
He pays for the vaccination and drives them back home.
And he sort of gets to thinking.
Because Claudia had been talking about how feral cats were becoming a problem, like, ecologically or whatever. Killing local birds and overpopulating and all that shit, and, it'd kind of be irresponsible of him to just let her loose right?
He makes a quick run into the nearest pet store, keeps the little thing tucked inside his hoodie pocket because she seems to like it there. And he keeps one hand in the pocket to make sure she doesn't try to escape and her weird little paws grasp his thumb and he feels a lurch in his chest, and well, fuck.
In for a penny and all that.
He gets her a nice big crate because he doesn't think she should be let loose while she's still so young when he can't be home. And an actual bed that's raised on three sides and got this black and pink plaid pattern he thinks would go with his ugly room wallpaper in a funny way. And two little pink bowls with little princess crowns on them. And a cute collar with different shaped tags he can get custom engraved. And a bunch of toys because cats need a lot of mental stimulation, right? And he sees the cat sweaters and really just can't resist can he, she's so small what if she gets cold?
It's when he gets to the food he gets a little stumped. He reads the ingredients lists and there are a lot of words on there he doesn't understand and who the hell is just gunna feed their kitten random shit? And he finds a book on cat-food recipes and it's all the shit he eats anyways and figures that's probably safer for his baby kitten.
He gets home, his kitten (freshly dubbed Rhiannon because he was listening to Fleetwood in the car on the way to the vet and, sorry kitty, he was not going to share a name by calling her Stevie) still tucked away all happy in his pocket while he gets her set up.
He gets to making up some of those recipes, pulling out a stack of tupperware containers so he can stock up and freeze her food for the week, and she climbs out of his pocket to sit on his hip. Tews had never done something like that, but she was a shoulder cat, so he guessed different pets all had their things.
He's in the middle of dividing the food up when the doorbell rings, and he's really careful about making sure he has a hold on her so she doesn't try to wiggle out and escape while he answers the door.
It's Eddie, he'd almost forgotten they made plans in all the excitement. He's got his usual smirk stretched across his face, pulling at the scar on his cheek for just a moment before his eye catches on Rhiannon. He blinks a couple of times, and Steve smiles wide as he prepares to introduce the new member of the party.
Eddie cuts him off though, pure confusion on his face as he takes in his new girl.
"Harrington. Why the fuck do you have a raccoon?"
