Requested by: @USMCRules
Travis arrived at practice early, his duffel slung over his shoulder, though he could feel something different weighing it down—a little heavier than usual, and not just from the gear inside. The feeling gnawed at him, and as he plopped the bag down in the locker room, the truth was unveiled.
Kittens. Kitten fur. Everywhere.
"Dammit, not again," Travis muttered under his breath, pulling out his cleats to find Phoebe nestled in the toe of one of them. The tiny, gray-and-white kitten blinked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, as if daring him to be mad.
He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Phoebe, c'mon, girl. You can't be doing this." He pulled her out gently, setting her on the bench nearby, but as he rifled through the rest of his bag, he realized she wasn't alone. Joey, the runt of the litter, had curled up in one of his gloves, his little body already coated in bits of grass and lint.
Travis let out an exasperated groan. "Not you too, Joey."
Suddenly, the door to the locker room swung open, and Patrick Mahomes strolled in, looking ready for practice but curious about what was holding his teammate up.
"Yo, Kelce! You good, man? Coach is—" Patrick's words trailed off as his eyes landed on the kittens spread across the locker room bench, with Travis standing helplessly in the middle of the fur-covered chaos.
Patrick blinked, then broke into a wide grin. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Travis, looking utterly defeated, glanced up and met Patrick's amused gaze. "Nope. Welcome to my life, Pat."
Patrick chuckled, stepping closer as Phoebe hopped onto his lap and Joey pawed at his cleats. "Bro, what happened? You bringing your zoo to work now?"
Travis sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Not by choice, man. These little furballs made my duffel bag their personal playground this morning. I swear, Jason is never gonna let me live this down."
Patrick's grin widened. "So, this is Jason's revenge, huh?"
"Oh yeah," Travis nodded, clearly resigned to his fate. "He thought it'd be hilarious to gift us an entire litter after Taylor and I sent him a kitten. Now I've got four kittens wreaking havoc at home—and apparently, at work too."
Patrick crouched down, picking up Joey and laughing as the little kitten snuggled into his arms. "What'd you name them?"
Travis gave a rueful smile, shaking his head. "Taylor named them all after *Friends* characters. Meet Phoebe and Joey here. The other two, Monica and Rachel, are probably back home wreaking even more havoc."
Patrick burst out laughing, holding Joey up as he inspected him. "Man, this is priceless. You're really living in a sitcom now, huh?"
Travis rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. You should see Taylor at home. She and the kids are obsessed with these guys. It's like a permanent cuddle fest—when they're not getting into everything."
"Honestly, I'm surprised you made it out of the house with only two of them," Patrick joked, rubbing Joey's tiny head. "Sounds like your house is about one furball away from total chaos."
"Don't give Taylor any ideas," Travis groaned. "She'd probably beg me to keep more if she found any stray kittens wandering outside."
Patrick set Joey down, shaking his head in amusement. "Man, Brittany would lose it if I showed up with even one of these guys. You've got a full squad of them."
As if on cue, Phoebe darted across the locker room, chasing after one of Travis's gloves, her little paws skittering against the floor as she played.
Patrick chuckled, folding his arms. "Well, I guess you can't say your life is boring. I mean, you've got football and a bunch of kittens keeping you on your toes."
