Submission for Two

Chapter 5

After that night, it seemed Nickolas opened up a little more to Sebastian. He began to text him, something Sebastian found rather amusing. Sometimes, Nickolas would alternate between snarky and sassy. Other times, it was clear that he simply wanted attention from Sebastian.

Sebastian had come to discover that Nickolas had barely even touched his essay that was coming due soon for his college course. He had, of course, scolded him and instructed him that he expected half of the paper to be done by that weekend before their date. He threatened to cancel if it wasn't, something which had clearly made Nickolas pout.

Another thing Sebastian discovered was that Nickolas would sleep at odd hours of the day and also be awake at late hours of the night. It was usually during the night that he would get more stubborn and snarky; Sebastian assumed it played into his lack of sleep.

One thing was for sure; Nickolas was slowly beginning to open up to him. Perhaps the most amusing thing to Sebastian was when Nickolas would send him photos of his sleeping kitties. Some were even in his house, which confused Sebastian as he had not seen them when he went over. Nickolas had stated they hid from strangers as they were still skittish from their time as strays.

Nickolas went as far as to surprise Sebastian with a caramel Frappuccino at work, something which had Sebastian arching an eyebrow. He was wearing a hoodie, which was a little long on him, something Sebastian found adorable.

Nickolas hesitated before he spoke as he sat the drink on the counter.
"How much would it cost to get worming medicine for a cat? Here, I mean?"

Sebastian arched an eyebrow at the question, seeming to consider him before he glanced to Elain.
"Will you look it up, please? With my employee discount."

"You get a discount?" Nickolas was clearly surprised, and Sebastian chuckled, giving a slow nod.

"I do. Do you know how much the cat weighs?"

"Uh, no. I can get the weight though before getting the medicine." Nickolas mumbled, shifting slightly as his eyes flickered around to the other people in the clinic.

"What type of worms?" Sebastian arched a brow, and Nickolas' brows knitted together.
"Tapeworm, hookworm, roundworm, heartworm." He elaborated when he noticed the confusion on his face.

"Uh, poop worms? You know, booty worms? Comes out the butt?" Nickolas mumbled, and Sebastian let out a quiet laugh.

"Are they long or -"

"Like a piece of rice."

"Okay, I am guessing tape worms. I can give you a pill that should get rid of them. I would also see about a preventative for other types of worms if you haven't yet -" Sebastian explained as he moved towards the cabinet behind him, digging through it.

"I can't afford it." Nickolas cut him off, refusing to meet his eyes as Sebastian returned with two boxes.

"How many cats are in that area? How many have you seen have the worms?" Sebastian did not appear to be listening, which was frustrating to Nickolas who glowered at him.

"Are you listening, Sebastian? I cannot afford all of this -"

"How. Many. Cats?" Sebastian made sure to enunciate each sound, his eyes narrowing onto Nickolas. The younger male was clearly hesitant to respond before he finally lowered his eyes.

"Ten cats in the area. Three, I have seen the worms on their bottoms." He mumbled.

"How many cats do you take care of in total?" Sebastian arched an eyebrow, and Nickolas' lips pressed tightly together before he puffed out a breath.