A first pawesome meeting
This fic is my first contribution for the amazing @goingknowherewastaken’s DivineMeAMasterpieceChallenge (and also honorable mention to her assistant @jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets :D)!
My interpretion of the Tarot card I chose for this challenge can be found under the cut.
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Pairing: McKirk
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Words: 1747
Prompt: Hey I just moved into the house next door and I just wanted to let you know that your dog keeps getting into my yard an - wait what? What do you mean that’s a cat????? That’s not a cat it’s fucking huge!!!! (turns out it is a cat, it’s just really big and fat)
Leonard’s first meeting with his new neighbor doesn’t go exactly as expected.
My interpretation:
The card I chose for my story was the Fool, and I only used the meaning for the upright position (beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, and a free spirit) for this fic, cause it didn’t feel right to include the reversed one (holding back, recklessness and risk-taking) into the situation of the story. I mainly concentrated on the meaning of new beginnings, though I hope the story fits the card with more than just that.
The way I see it, the card doesn’t describe just Leonard’s or just Jim’s situation here. Sure, for Leonard there’s a new beginning as he tries to start over in a new town, but in my eyes it’s a new beginning for Jim, too. He meets his new neighbor, and as he says it himself at the end, it’s the beginning of a new friendship (and probably so much more ;D). They are both connected due to Jim’s cat, through which they get to know other. And lets be honest, isn’t a free spirit the most fitting description ever for a cat? ;)
(Also, I’m sorry for the shitty explaining of my interpretation, but somehow my brain just stopped working.)
+++
Leonard glared at the still unpacked boxes that were scattered all over his living room, but of course they didn’t disappear. It was late afternoon, the sun would go down soon and he was nowhere near done with his work, but he was too tired to go through the rest of the boxes, as it had taken him nearly all day to clear the bedroom where the chaos had been even worse.
He really hated all the work that came with moving, taking hours for finding the right places for your belongings or dragging wrong labeled boxes from room to room, until you finally found out where they actually belonged to.
And not to forget the horror of having to clear that one box containing all the knick-knacks that landed in there during hasted packing sessions, never knowing where to put them until you finally gave up and just threw them into the next best drawer.
At least for now his bed was ready, and so he was spared of having to sleep on the ground, which would have ended for him with a sleepless night. Experience had told him that he was far too old to deal with that.
Hopefully, all the trouble of leaving his old life and getting a fresh new start would be worth it. He had found a good job at a nice little clinic in a not too small town, where you knew your neighbors, but still had at least some privacy.
And even though his decision to move here had been a bit too rushed for his own taste, he had been able to find a nice cosy house in a rather secluded street at the end of town, which lessened the chances of being surrounded by nosy people.
Of course he knew that he couldn’t avoid his neighbors forever, but so far his peace hadn’t been disturbed, which he had been more than grateful for. Though he’d definitely go and introduce himself, as soon as things would have calmed down a bit.
It probably would have been for the best to get over with it as soon as possible, before people would start talking behind his back and write him off as an unsocial bastard, which, if he was completely honest, he was to a certain degree.
However, he didn’t want to get on the wrong side of his neighbors before he had even gotten to know any of them. Maybe he’d start this weekend with whoever lived right next to him.
After a while of losing himself in his thoughts, he finally decided to call it a day. Satisfied with his work so far, he really deserved a break, and so he poured himself a drink, took it outside and sat down on the porch to enjoy the rest of the evening.
His gaze wandered all over the yard, as he moved the glass towards his lips, but he put it back down immediately, when suddenly he spotted something far in the back.
He squeezed his eyes together, trying to find out what it was, but all he could make out was something huge and dark slowly moving around, and Leonard guessed by its size that it had to be the neighbor’s dog.
He frowned and realized, after watching the animal for a while, that the dog seemed to feel completely at home. Apparently this wasn’t the first time he had escaped his owner and enjoyed a nice little stroll around Leonard’s yard.
So after all, the time to get to know his neighbor had come sooner than expected, and though he contemplated what to do next for a minute or so, he knew there was no way around informing the owner that their dog had escaped its own home.
He definitely wouldn’t try to catch the animal on his own, that wasn’t his responsibility. There was no reason why this should be Leonard’s problem if his neighbor couldn’t take care of their own pet properly.
And so he got up, his glass of bourbon completely forgotten for the moment, and headed for his neighbor’s house.
+++
When he rang the doorbell he was annoyed and frustrated about the situation, since this wasn’t how he had planned for his evening to end. If anyone had asked him, he would have stayed alone for the rest of the day and gone to bed early. But like so many times before no one gave a damn about his opinion, or that he would have preferred getting to know his neighbor another day when he felt ready to face other people again.
After a few minutes, Leonard heard someone stumble around from the inside, a loud crash and then footsteps coming closer to the door. Whoever was on the other side definitely hadn’t anticipated any visitors at all, and Leonard felt the tiniest slither of glee rise up in him, happy that his evening alone wouldn’t be the only one ruined.
He tried to prepare himself mentally for this first less than perfect meeting, but when the door opened abruptly, he found himself staring into the bluest pair of eyes he had ever seen, making him lose all of his words and thoughts at once.
He must have looked like a complete fool, standing there in front of the handsome blond man who eyed him with confusion, while this weird man just blinked at him, not saying a single word of what he wanted from him.
Leonard could feel how heat crept up his face, and inwardly he scolded himself for his strange behaviour. But thankfully, the blond began to smile at him, and even though Leonard could have sworn that his heart must have stopped for a few beats, he finally got himself back under control.
“Uhm, hi. I’m your new neighbor, Leonard McCoy.”
The other man’s smile became understanding, and Leonard found himself liking the sight a little bit too much.
“Oh hey! I wanted to come over and welcome you into the neighborhood myself, but life has been a bit crazy lately. I’m sure you can relate. But now that you’re here, why don’t you come in for a beer? I’m Jim by the way.”
Leonard was a bit overwhelmed with Jim waiting patiently for him to decide what he wanted to do, as he blinked at him innocently, making him feel more and more uncomfortable.
“Uhm, that’s very nice of you, but actually I’m here to talk about your dog.”
“My… my dog?”
Jim’s hopeful expression changed back to the confusion he had greeted Leonard with, and the doctor had the feeling that he was missing out on some important information. Maybe the dog didn’t belong to Jim?
He probably should have shut up straightaway, turned around and headed back for his own house and just forgotten that this evening happened, but unfortunately he had to open his mouth again.
“Yeah. Please keep him restricted to your own yard. I’m not saying to hold him him on a leash all day long, but I really don’t want him to dig his way through my garden and bury his bones or whatever else he’s doing over there.”
The longer Leonard talked, the bigger Jim’s grin became, worsening Leonard’s frustration instantly. Why did he have to leave his house today? Just to get made fun of by his stupid neighbor? Who, as he had to admit to his own annoyance, was quite attractive?
“What’s so damn funny kid? Is this simple request beneath your dignity, or what’s your problem?”
But Jim didn’t answer immediately, instead he just looked at Leonard apologetically, and the brunet felt a bit bad for his harsh words.
“No, I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t own a dog.”
“But… If it’s not yours, do you know who else around here owns a black dog that’s straying through strange yards?”
“Actually none of the other neighbors own a black dog. But I think I know what you mean, you probably just saw Mr. Pawsome. He sometimes gets mistaken for a dog.”
Leonard blinked at Jim, cause he clearly must have misheard what the other man just said.
“Mr. What???”
“Mr. Pawsome. He’s my cat.”
“A cat? What do you mean that’s a cat? That’s not a cat it’s fucking huge!”
Jim laughed at that, and Leonard felt like an idiot again. There was no way that Jim was serious, a cat surely couldn’t have the size of a dog.
And just when he thought of going back to his own house, leaving Jim without another word and if he should ever talk to him again, something came around the corner. Leonard stared at it, and indeed, it was a huge large cat, with long black fur and as big as a dog.
The cat walked up to them, moved around Jim’s legs and butted its head against them, before it sat down in front of his owner, looking up and watching the stranger with big calculating eyes.
Leonard, who couldn’t believe what he saw, stared first at the cat, then Jim and finally the cat again.
“That’s a cat. How is that a fucking cat?”
Jim, who finally had his laughing back under control, looked at his overwhelmed neighbor with sympathy.
“He’s a Maine Coon, it’s normal for them to be this huge. They are one of the biggest cat breeds, so don’t worry. You’re not the first one to confuse him for a dog. So, now that this has been cleared, what about the beer I offered?”
Leonard threw one last wary glance down at the fuzzy feline, before he finally accepted the situation. Jim seemed to be a nice enough guy, and maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have another friend in this town.
“Why not. But keep that monster of a cat away from me, I’m not keen on getting suffocated by it.”
Jim leaned down, scratched his cat, who began to purr loudly as soon as he got petted, under the chin.
“Don’t take him serious, Paws. He’ll love you once he gets to know you.”
Leonard snorted, but couldn’t hold back the little smirk that appeared on his face, which was answered by Jim with another big beaming smile, and Leonard asked himself if the other man ever stopped smiling. Jim meanwhile stood back up, and stepped aside for Leonard to get inside of his house.
“Come in Bones, I bet this is going to be the beginning of an epic friendship.”
tags (Strikeouts I can’t tag) : @thevalesofanduin @medicatemedrmccoy @toosouthernforspace @reading-in-moonlight @feelmyroarrrr @0dannyphantom0 @eyeofdionysus @bsotstory @neon-green-bra @loststarlight @imoutofmyvulcanmind @fireboltrose5737 @ree923 @str8-jack-it @flaminglupine @captainsbabysitter-blog
McKirk: @mishacolyte @joannaleemccoy
Star Trek: @theartofeheheh @samleerandom
