youfeelluckypunk

Reid still isn't entirely certain why he's here. Very much like his assignment as part of the security team at Mindy's sexual health seminar, he isn't sure how his role as a consultant to the Darrow PD could possibly have led him to being on his way to the city's Humane Society with Russell.

He'd tried putting up a fight, insisting that there were many others cases that needed his more immediate attention (which isn't untrue) than this, a cat-napping, and the only reason he'd ended up leaving the station is because the Chief had implied he considered himself above the case. That's not what Reid wants to get across, not even in the slightest, and the Chief is well aware of that. It'd been an excellent way to achieve checkmate, Reid has to give him that.

When Russell stops the car, though, Reid can't help but let out a heavy sigh. "I can't believe they're sending us to take care of this," he grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose before unbuckling his seatbelt. "We're not that understaffed, I'm pretty sure anyone else could have taken care of this without any trouble at all." What actually needs his attention is the vampire case. To Reid's dismay, he hasn't gotten any closer in the past months to solving it, and the time they'd spent being terrorized in Silent Darrow, along with the time off he'd taken, had seen him greeted with three new victims when he'd returned.

The problem isn't going to solve itself, that much is obvious; but at this particular moment, Reid supposes he won't be solving it either. No, right now, he's being forced to deal with something that's apparently far more important: cats.

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"Hey, man, don't put that responsibility on me," Russell says, laughing and holding his hands up before he unlocks the cruiser, then goes around to the back so he can open the door to let Reid put the cat carrier inside. He does feel a little bit responsible for this, like maybe he should have tried harder to talk Reid out of it, but it had happened to suddenly and he isn't even sure if he had time to convince his partner it's a bad idea. It might not even be a bad idea when they get down to it. Maybe his burly boyfriend won't care one way or the other or maybe he's just a big goddamn softy and won't say a word even if he hates cats. Whatever the case, Russell doubts this sort of thing is going to end their relationship and he's grateful for that, because he'd feel a little bit like it was his fault if it did.

"C'mon, man, get in. I'll drive you home and get outta there like a bat out of hell before your bookstore guy can decide I'm the one who talked you into getting these," he says, nodding toward the front seat before he slides behind the wheel and turns on the car. He misses having a regular partner, but the new guy, someone named Will, he's supposed to start soon and Russell is looking forward to having someone else to sit in the cruiser with him. It's always better having someone else on board for patrol.

In the back seat, the cats are surprisingly quiet as Russell heads back toward the park. It's not that far a drive and he hopes Reid isn't nervous, because there sure as hell isn't much time for him to collect himself before Russell is pulling alongside Petros Park. The bookstore is only a block or two away and he glances over, his mouth twitching up into a grin. "You ready for this?"

Reid doesn't try to convince Russell that he should stick around after driving him back, it's fairly evident every time his partner's name comes up between them that Luke isn't exactly his biggest fan. For the most part, Reid doesn't try to question it, everyone is entitled to their own opinion; but he also thinks a large part of why Luke may not like Russell is due to the number of times he's been called in to work during an evening meant to spend together. More often than not, it's been Russell on the other end of that call, which is by no means his fault but it's admittedly a less than ideal association.

Still, the animosity can't possibly be that severe, and as he settles the carrier down in the backseat along with the new supplies he's been given, Reid tilts his head with a sudden thought. "I'm not sure I can ever be properly ready for bringing home two cats to my unsuspecting boyfriend," Reid says with a little smirk as he climbs into the cruiser, "but I guess I don't have much of a choice, either. Keep your phone close in case I have to call you for a ride back to the shelter."

He doesn't think it'll come to that, which is evident enough in his tone, but there is the slightest bit of lingering fear that it may be a possibility.

"You know what I was thinking just now, though? I should probably honor you for playing such a big part of this whole situation." Glancing over his shoulder at the cat carrier then back at Russell, he grins. "I don't hate the name Mister Purrkins, but Catrick Swayze has to go. My gut is telling me I should go with Russell."

Russell is about fifteen hundred percent certain Reid's boyfriend is going to hate that, but he figures that's for him and Reid to work out between the two of them. As it is, all he can do is laugh, his eyebrows drawn together in an expression that's somehow both confused and amused. The idea of one of those ugly ass cats being named after him instead of being named something appropriate like Malevolent Ruler of the Undead is just about the funniest thing Russell has ever heard.

"I mean, Russell's a good name," he agrees, still grinning. "I like to think I'm a little less evil lookin' than those guys back there, but maybe I'm just completely delusional." At least he has hair and his forehead isn't all wrinkled like theirs. They have so much extra skin Russell is pretty sure they could fit a whole additional cat inside there. Which brings up an entirely new kind of disgusting image that he has to shake away.

"C'mon, man, it'll be fine," he says, even though he doesn't know that for sure. It's just that he's gotten to know Reid and while the guy is scary smart and knows way too much about way too much, he's also just about one of the nicest people Russell has ever met. Not everyone has that sort of kindness in them and if he loves the bookstore guy, Russell has to figure he's not all bad or scary, and he's probably not going to go postal at the sight of two unannounced cats. Especially not ones that are so ugly they're cute. "I mean, if you need to, you can call, but I'm sure it's not gonna be a big deal. They're just cats, right?"

"Delusional is a word for it," Reid says, keeping his tone serious, though he flashes a teasing smile Russell's way. Their working relationship isn't exactly what Reid would call playful but of all the people at the station, he feels most at ease with Russell. That's mostly to do with the fact that they've worked most closely together most consistently but even so, Reid has an appreciation for the way Russell approaches his work. It's so unlike how he would do things himself but in spite of that, Russell had stepped in to fill the gaps with Denise back at the shelter without any prompting at all. Not everyone can act that quickly, even for a case so simple.

Besides, Russell is also right about how things are going to turn out with Luke. Even though Reid is nervous, simply because he knows he's the one in the wrong, he knows his boyfriend will ultimately be accepting of the situation. It's really just a matter of how long that'll take, though he's hoping Luke will find the cats cute enough to resolve that fairly quickly. Either way, he doesn't really think Luke will kick him out of the apartment or anything remotely as extreme over this; it's just that Reid may have some serious groveling to do for an indeterminate amount of time.

"They're just cats," Reid repeats, nodding firmly. "No, you're right, he's not unreasonable like I'm probably making him sound. It's just that it's really only now hitting me hard that I'm not exactly making it fair for him. How could he possibly reject the idea of putting Russell and Mister Purrkins in little sweaters? He won't be able to, I know it. I know him." He bites down on his lip, glancing at Russell. "We've never had a fight before, maybe that's why I'm a little nervous, too. The idea that I could be responsible for making him angry for any reason just makes me uncomfortable."

"Hey, everyone is gonna fight eventually," Russell says, waving his hand, though he looks a lot more casual about it than he feels. He and Katie don't really fight, they never have, not since that awful day when the virus had come to Darrow. It's not something Russell wants to think about, he hates so much how he had behaved and, even worse, that maybe he'd been responsible for bringing the virus to Darrow in the first place. He'd hurt people he loves, hurt them badly, and he'll do anything in the world to make sure that never happens again, and if part of that is never fighting with Katie, he's more than happy to do that. She's far from unreasonable, the sweetest person he's ever known, and he's going to make sure she knows how much he loves her for the rest of his life. If a little part of him is always making up for the awful things he'd done while sick, he's more than happy to take that.

"Think of it this way, if you're gonna fight for the first time, it's probably better that it's about a couple of cats instead of somethin' real serious, right?" he asks, although he doesn't actually know if that makes any sense. It seems to, because cats really aren't a big deal when it comes down to the end. It's not like Reid's got a secret girlfriend -- or boyfriend, or whatever -- and it's not like he's adopted a child or something without telling the guy he's living with. Cats are nothing. Hardly worth fighting about at all, but if they do, Russell figures there really are worse things. Bigger secrets, bigger problems.

"C'mon, grab your cats and face the music," he says with a grin. "It's gonna be okay. I'm sure of it. If he hasn't killed me already from all the times I interrupt your nights together for work stuff, he's not gonna be mad about the cats." And even if he is, Russell figures they'll work it out.

[dec 6]

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