Hatchetfield.

Cute Outdoes Reasonable

"Hey baaaabe?"

"Yeaaaah?" Paul answered as the front door closed. He moved from the stove to go to the hallway and greet Emma after her shift. He was all ready to open his arms and bring her into his and have her hold him back... but she already had something in her arms. Something all bundled up.

Paul slowed down as he got closer to her. "Hey babe uh, whatcha got there?"

Her answer of "Don't be mad." worried him slightly. And when Paul peered down closer he saw a grey cat in her arms. "Oh." It popped its head out at his voice and meowed at him, Paul immediately noticed it had one blue and one brown eye, it also looked quite thin and scraggly but apart from that like it took care of itself. Paul just kind of... nodded. He looked up to Emma. "I mean... it's cute, but, why is it in our home?"

Emma walked over to the couch and placed the cat down there carefully. It moved to the other side and looked up at her and Paul as he sat next to her, meanwhile Emma looked to Paul, then to the cat. "Oh he just followed me home! He walked with me all the way from Beanies! Can you imagine that Paul?" Her eyes widened and she smiled brightly at him and uh-oh Paul felt his heart going for her. Emma turned her head and held her hand out for the cat "Tch tch tch." She called and it came straight over. Emma giggled as it put it's hand under her palm and nuzzled its face there, before walking over her lap so her hand could pet the rest of it, then walking straight from her lap onto Paul's.

Paul stiffened a bit as it went on him. He didn't mind cats but he shared his worries with Emma "Emma, hun, what if it's diseased?" He tried to rationalise. Emma picked him up from Paul's lap and held him under her chin protectively, the cats body calmly dangling under her hands. "Then we take him to the vet." She muttered, her chin bouncing slightly on his soft little head.

Paul sighed, his eyes dulling while bringing up his next worry and hoping to be reasonable with her. "What if he already has an owner?" He didn't like to shatter her plans and happiness, but this was a big ask.

Emma just stared at him from her position. "Then we take him to the vet, and find a chip." She repeated stubbornly.

Paul moved so his leg was touching Emma's, and she set the cat down on her lap, turning to look at him properly now.

"Em... we can't have a cat."

"Well why not." She pouted. She gave Paul those big puppy dog eyes and her lower lip stuck out like it always did when she was actually sad, unfortunately Paul found it hard to tell when she was acting versus actually sad, unless she was very overdramatic. "Besides, what if he's homeless?" She tried to reason now, tried to worm her way into Paul's sensitive side than his logical one.

His eyes were stuck on her sad features and he began to melt. Well he didn't want to leave an animal out to suff... no! This was all her effect, her plan!

Then he forced his eyes away and stared at the cat being pet under her hands instead to break the spell. "We don't have any cat stuff here!" He argued softly. Only to see Emma's hand lift off the cat and reach out for his. His breathing stuttered as she held it, then she started to play with his fingers, and it stopped altogether. "I'll pay for it all with my card." She promised, tracing her index finger up and down between the curves and spaces of Paul's much bigger hand.

"Please?" Emma paused for a second, moving her head to get him to look her in the eyes. When he didn't she used her free hand to pick up the cat, take him off her lap and place him instead next to her on the sofa. Paul was sad when Emma let go of his hand, but shocked when she wrapped her own around his neck. He was even more startled when he felt her lips make their first connection on it.

She kissed his ear, then just under it, slowly, dragging it out, her lips moving purposefully down the side of his neck. A few seconds in, when falling out of his stupor, Paul wrapped his own arms around her waist, he stared to whimper as she made his stomach flip and his heart beat fast. Her lips pecked from his shoulder back up to his ear without missing a millimetre, so she could lean in and whisper into it "Are you worried he's gonna steal my affection?"