AH collections

I feel warm in your arms tonight

Jeremwood
Word count: 2791
Chapters: 1

The first thing Jeremy hears when he ducks into the alleyway is a tiny mew.

He knows there's stray cats around Los Santos—it's not unusual in big cities. Still, growing up with cats himself, he has a soft spot for them. Sometimes he wishes he could gather up every cat he found on the streets and take them in, but his apartment doesn't exactly have room for that.

As he approached the mewing kitten, his eyes widened. Even in the dim light, he could see its outline: it was small, and its fur was short and dirty. Jeremy kept the comms on while he sat down next to the kitten, holding a hand out for it to sniff. Before long, it came closer to him, now being illuminated by the streetlamp glow outside the alleyway.

It was a light gray with some white splotches around its face and belly. It sniffed his hand before rubbing its head against it, and Jeremy smiled. "Hey, little guy," he cooed, hoping no one could hear him through the comms.

He jumped when he heard police sirens, though. Right, the heist was still going on. He sighed, looking at the kitten cupped in his hands.

Well. Jeremy couldn't leave it behind now. He tucked the kitten into his suit jacket, keeping an arm under it to keep it held up. He spotted the getaway vehicle and Jack in the driver's seat—oh, he was gonna get an earful from her when he jumped in. Making sure the kitten was secure, he got up and rushed to the car.

"God, do you know how long we were waiting for you?" Jack exclaimed, immediately as Jeremy got into the car. She stepped on the gas and drove away, giving him little time to settle into someone's lap (all the spots were already taken). Ryan pulled Jeremy into his lap, and his face flushed. "What took you so long, Jeremy?"

"O-oh, uh..." He glanced down at the lump protruding out of his jacket. "Nothing, just...got lost, a bit."

"Well, stick to the plan. Geoff didn't make it that hard this time, did he?"

"Look, I forgot!"

Jack groaned and continued driving, clearly not wanting to argue with Jeremy anymore. Even if it was because she was worried about him and the rest of the crew, she must've been tired. They all seemed to be—Gavin was passed out next to him and Ryan, and Geoff seemed to be nodding off in the passenger seat. Even if Michael was awake, he was definitely struggling to do so. Ryan didn't look as tired as the rest of them, but he kept leaning away from Jeremy to yawn.

Soon enough, they drove into the penthouse's garage, and everyone started to file out and head up. Jeremy, though, wasn't exactly ready to release the kitten there. He at least wanted to make sure it was healthy before letting it around the others. He got out and started walking out of the garage so Ryan could leave, but he couldn't hear the other man leave. He turned around, seeing Ryan leaning against the car. "Not coming up to the penthouse?" He asked.

"No..." Jeremy trailed off. "I'd rather sleep in my apartment tonight."

"Can I come with?"

Oh, now he was conflicted. First he pulled him into his lap on the drive back, and now he wanted to come to his apartment? Jeremy sighed. The thought of Ryan being in his apartment made him want to freak out for two different reasons: he'd wanted this for ages, but at the same time, he still didn't want to reveal the kitten's existence to him.

Well, he hoped Ryan was good with secrets. "Y-yeah, sure."

"You good?" Ryan asked, joining Jeremy as they walked.

"Just kinda shaken up, I guess. Didn't want the cops to catch us, y'know?" He laughed half-heartedly.

Ryan hummed in response. "Are you hiding something?"