A faint blush crept over her cheeks and Davey’s grin pulled wider; this day was turning out better than he could have anticipated even after he’d gotten the text that someone had Huck. He gave her hand a firm shake and then shifted so he was holding Huck in both arms again, eyes flickering from girl to cat. It didn’t escape his notice the way she gazed so fondly at Huck, and Davey couldn’t help the gentle tug of guilt that settled in the pit of his stomach; it felt oddly as if he was taking her pet away from her. And maybe he sort of was – she’d had him a month.
For a brief moment Davey wondered why she hadn’t tried to reach him sooner – and then he came to the conclusion she must not have seen his posters until now. It was lucky any of them had stayed up this long, really. And – “His stuff?” Davey repeated in surprise, finally noticing the bag she held out for him. It occurred to him suddenly that he wasn’t sure what he’d actually done with all of Huck’s things. Had he gotten rid of them when he thought the cat wasn’t coming back? That didn’t feel right…but Davey shrugged it off. Huck was back, and he’d clearly been cared for extremely well. He offered another wide grin, once again re-adjusting his grip on Huck so he could reach out and take the bag in his free hand. “Hey, thanks! This is amazing. You’re amazing. Seriously, I’d give you a giant hug right now if my hands weren’t full with this guy.” Speaking of, Huck was clearly over their reunion and keen on getting back into Davey’s apartment, squirming until Davey moved to set him down and the cat sprang from his arms and darted inside.
“Guess he’s not that happy to see me,” Davey laughed, shaking his head lightly before he turned his gaze to Kaitlin again. It occurred to him that she might have very well thought she’d brought home a stray to keep, only to find Davey’s posters a full month later. “Hey, uh…you can come in and say bye to him if you want?” He offered. “Or I can go get him and bring him back to the door for ya,” he tacked on quickly, suddenly very aware that offer could have come across as creepy. “Oh! And there’s the reward, too. I can get that for ya. Plus I can reimburse ya for food and stuff,” he added, because she’d had Huck for a whole month. And bought him things. “I can’t tell ya how much that cat means to me,” he added, voice softer, and his smile was too. “Seriously, I….thank you. He looks great, and I was worried…” Davey didn’t finish that thought. Instead he smiled again. “You’re kinda my hero today, you know that?” Because who said a girl couldn’t be a dude’s knight in shining armor?
Davey had given her all of Huck’s things, just in case. But as she agonized over how to get Huck back without messing Davey up she realized she couldn’t just show up with his stuff. That would raise too many questions. Or maybe she’d just been stalling. Either way she’d replaced anything that might be recognizable, as well as picking up a few extras. Everything was just too cute and retail therapy did wonders for her mood, especially when what she was buying wasn’t for her. It had been worth spending most of her flower budget at the pet store. But she couldn’t tell Davey why she’d bought so much for him.
Or that as much as she adored Huck, and she really had enjoyed having him with her, a lot of that had to do with him being a sort of stand in for Davey. A way to keep Davey with her a little longer. Because to him she was a stranger. Kaitlin had to keep reminding herself of that so that she didn’t start looking at him too fondly. Instead saving all the fond looks for Huck and stealing longer looks at Davey while he was paying attention to Huck. It was harder to treat him like a stranger when she was looking at him. Especially when he kept making her cheeks go pink, like they did again when he called her amazing. Her eyes dropping to her shoes for a moment, not sure what to do with that.
She let out a slightly flustered giggle at his mention of a giant hug. Oh Danu, that wouldn’t be good. As difficult as it was treating him like a stranger, hugging him like one would be impossible. Yet she was disappointed she couldn’t give him one all the same. An emotion she kept hidden behind a smile as she answered him. “You’re welcome. Really I’m just glad he’s back where he belongs.” And she meant it. Davey was Huck’s family, they needed each other. Kaitlin’s giggle mixed with Davey’s laughter as Huck darted inside. “I’m sure he is. Who wouldn’t be? He’s probably just ready to curl up in his favourite spot again.”
Before she could worry about how to get inside herself and find a way to return his hat, Davey was inviting her in. Danu, she’d forgotten how nice he was even to strangers. He kept talking and Kaitlin had to fight to keep from smiling too widely at him. He was just so Davey. Not a trace of the things the fey had done to him, the betrayal and agony he’d gone through all gone. There was some sadness around his eyes but that had been there when she’d first met him, easy to assume the reason was the same, Bette. Even that seemed softer this time than it had when she’d first met him almost a year ago. Hopefully even with missing memories the year had made it easier to accept her loss.
Kaitlin didn’t have time to linger on those thoughts because he was making her flustered and her cheeks go pink again. “Hero? No one’s ever called me that before,” she told him, biting her lip after because she probably shouldn’t be smiling this wide. Stranger, remember. “I don’t want a reward or reimbursement. I’m just glad I could bring him back to you. It’s enough that he’s safe at home.” That Davey was safe. And whole. That was all Kaitlin cared about. “But if I could come in and say goodbye, that would be fantastic. If you’re sure you don’t mind.” Kaitlin touched one of the flowers in her hair trying to hide her nerves. Giving Huck back had been the easy part. Now she had to find a way to give him the hat without being caught. But she had to, there was no alternative, Davey needed his hat just as much as his cat.
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