Requested by: @USMCRules
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Travis Kelce was used to a lot of things in his life. He could handle the pressure of football games, the media, and even the occasional crazy fan. But there was one thing he wasn't prepared for — the constant invasion of kittens into his football bag. And this? This was the sixth time.
He stood in the Chiefs' locker room, staring down at his unzipped duffel bag with a resigned sigh. Inside, nestled between his cleats and practice jersey, were four furballs that were all too familiar. *Phoebe*, *Monica*, *Rachel*, and *Joey*. The kittens that Jason, in his infinite wisdom, had gifted him as some form of twisted revenge.
Jason had been smug when he'd dropped off the kittens a few months ago. "Payback, little brother," he'd said, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. Of course, Taylor had found the whole thing hilarious, immediately naming the kittens after *Friends* characters. It was typical Taylor—finding the fun in everything, even when chaos seemed to reign in their house.
And as much as Travis loved her for it, he was starting to feel like these kittens were a personal mission from his brother to drive him insane.
"You four again?" he muttered as Phoebe blinked up at him innocently, her tiny body curled around the straps of his shoulder pads like she owned them. Monica was batting at a water bottle cap, Rachel was already half-asleep inside one of his cleats, and Joey... well, Joey had managed to get stuck under his gloves. Again.
"What am I gonna do with you?" Travis sighed, gently lifting Joey out from under the gloves. The little orange kitten squirmed in his grip but quickly relaxed when he gave her a scratch behind the ears.
At that moment, Patrick Mahomes strolled into the locker room, a towel slung over his shoulder. He took one look at the kittens and burst out laughing.
"Man, again?" Patrick grinned, shaking his head. "You're a magnet for those little guys."
"Don't remind me," Travis grumbled, setting Joey down next to her siblings. "This is the sixth time they've snuck into my bag."
Patrick chuckled, leaning over to pet Monica, who purred loudly in response. "You know, you should just build them their own little setup here at the facility. Equipment management might have to designate a 'kitty corner' at this point."
Travis rolled his eyes but couldn't help the small smile tugging at his lips. "They're sneaky, I'll give them that. But I'm about two seconds away from asking Jason to take them back."
Patrick laughed harder. "Yeah, right. Taylor would never let you. You've got those girls at home who are probably obsessed with these kittens."
That was true. River, his five-year-old, absolutely adored the kittens and had declared herself their official protector the moment Jason had dropped them off. Maisie, his two-year-old, couldn't go more than five minutes without asking, "Where da kitties, Daddy?" And then there was little Lillian, their newborn, who would one day undoubtedly be part of the kitten chaos.
He couldn't deny that their house was always lively with the girls and the kittens, and Taylor, of course, found the entire situation endlessly entertaining. Every time he'd tried to bring up asking Jason to take the kittens back, she'd just laugh and say, "Travis, you're the only one who doesn't love having them around!"
And maybe she was right. As much trouble as they were, they had wormed their way into his heart. Even if they did sneak into his football bag at every opportunity.
Just as he was about to zip up his bag, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out to see a text from Taylor.
**Taylor**: *Did the kittens find their way into your bag again?*
Travis shook his head, grinning.
**Travis**: *Yep. This is the sixth time, Tay. They're getting real good at it.*
**Taylor**: *That's because they love you! And you can't lie — you love them, too. Don't even try to deny it.*
He sighed, looking down at the kittens, who were now all curled up together in a pile, completely content.
**Travis**: *Maybe...*
As he sent the text, he heard some commotion coming from the equipment room. One of the staff, Dave, poked his head around the corner. "Hey Kelce, we've been thinking, man..."
Travis raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
Dave grinned. "We know those kittens keep sneaking in here, so the guys in equipment management decided to build a little 'kitty corner' over by the lockers. Figured it might keep them from sneaking into your bag."
Travis couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "You're kidding."
"Nope." Dave motioned for him to follow.
Travis, still holding Joey, walked over to the corner of the locker room, and sure enough, there was a small, carpeted platform with little tunnels and climbing shelves—an entire setup for the kittens. There was even a sign that read: *Kitty Corner.*
"Now this," Travis said, still chuckling, "is something."
Patrick walked up beside him, shaking his head in disbelief. "You know you're never getting rid of them now, right?"
"Don't remind me," Travis groaned, but there was a smile on his face.
After practice, Travis finally made it home. The second he stepped through the door, River came racing toward him, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Daddy! Daddy! Did you bring the kitties home?" she asked, bouncing on her toes.
Travis crouched down to her level, handing her Joey, who purred as River cuddled her close. "Yeah, they snuck into my bag again. But guess what? The equipment guys built them a whole little corner at the stadium."
River's eyes lit up. "They have their own room now?"
"Something like that." He ruffled her hair. "Where's your mom?"
"In the kitchen with Maisie and Lillian!" River said before running off with Joey in her arms.
Travis made his way into the kitchen, where Taylor was bouncing Lillian gently in her arms while Maisie sat on the floor, trying to coax Rachel into her lap.
Taylor smiled as he walked in. "So, how was practice?"
"Same old, same old," Travis said, leaning over to give her a kiss on the forehead. "Except for the part where I found four kittens in my bag. Again."
Taylor laughed, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "They just can't get enough of you."
Travis rolled his eyes playfully. "And now equipment management has built them their own little corner at the stadium. I'm never going to live this down, am I?"
Taylor grinned. "Nope."
As Travis sat down at the kitchen table, watching River run around with Joey and Maisie finally coax Rachel into her lap, he felt the familiar warmth of family life wash over him. Sure, it was chaotic — especially with three girls under five and four mischievous kittens — but it was his chaos, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.
Taylor sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as Lillian cooed softly in her arms.
"You know," she said softly, "I think they bring a little extra love into this house."
Travis smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Even if they do keep stowing away in my bag."
Taylor chuckled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "You love it. Admit it."
He sighed, shaking his head with a smirk. "Yeah, alright. Maybe I do."
And as the kittens darted around the room, followed closely by River and Maisie, Travis knew one thing for sure: as much as he liked to complain, his life was full of love, laughter, and more than a little bit of feline mischief. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
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Requests ~~~~~~~>
