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Lindsey wants a cat. Frank knows she does, but he also knows Gerard's allergic. And also, cats. But here he is. A friend of a friend has a hairless cat with kittens, and Frank is a fucking sucker for Lindsey. Especially because there's not much she pines for. She either finds a way to get what she wants, or she moves on. But every time they see kittens at the pet store or a cat on the sidewalk, she stops and coos.
He makes fun, at first. Because that's Frank's way. And because cats, Jesus. Frank and Jamia have always had dogs. Gerard likes dogs. Lindsey likes dogs, but... fuck, he wants to see her face if he comes home and sets a kitten on her lap. Fucking fuck. So he calls Kat because Kat knows these things and finds out that holy shit, they're expensive, but Kat is also a magical human being. And Frank gets this hideous, hairless kitten for what he is pretty sure is highway robbery.
He does talk to Jamia and Gerard first. Gerard makes this ridiculous face at him like he'd said he designed a working lightsaber or something. Jamia laughs her ass off which is even less helpful. They both say yes, so he goes to get the kitten.
"You are the ugliest motherfucker I have ever seen," he tells it as it sits in his lap in the car. He let it out of the carrier when he pulled in the driveway because it was mewing so pitifully. Now it's curled in a tight ball in his lap, purring. The fucker likes him.
He runs his fingers over its head and is once again surprised at how soft it is. He lifts it up and cradles it against his chest to get out. It latches its tiny claws into his pec, and Frank winces. "C'mon, dude. Let's not, okay?" He repositions the cat and walks up to the house.
Lindsey's car is in the driveway, but she's not in the living room. "Linds?" he calls.
"Office," she calls back. "Aren't you at work? I talked to Jamia like five minutes ago."
"Your birthday present showed up, so I decided to just bring it to you," he replies and leans against the office door.
"Present?" she asks eagerly, a big grin on her face. Frank reaches out and plops the kitten in her lap. Her eyes go wide. "Frankie," she breathes.
"I know it looks like an alien, but I was told it's a cat. One that shouldn't bother Gee."
"You bought me a cat," she replies.
"Do I need to take it back?" Frank asks. She's making him nervous. She's just staring. Then she looks down at the kitten.
"Frankie," she repeats and picks it up. She cradles it in her arms and pets it and coos. "Does he... she? Have a name?"
"The guy I got it from said his only stipulation was that we call him Blackjack, but I'm pretty sure we can make that a middle name if you don't like that," he says.
"I like that," she says. "Maybe as a middle name. I think he really needs to be called something else, too." She's smiling and biting her lip, and Frank finally just gives up and sinks to the floor by her chair, leaning his cheek against her knee.
"What's that?" He asks.
"Lucky," Lindsey tells him. She lifts the kitten to nuzzle him and laughs, "All I can think when I look at him is that he looks like a grandpa."
Frank laughs with her. "You're gonna have me calling him grandpa now."
"He's still Lucky," Lindsey says.
He goes up on his knees to kiss her. "Not as lucky as me," he murmurs against her lips.