when Phan met a cat (on hold)

chapter 2

'Very funny,' thought Dan, scooping up the letters and crouching down to inspect the small ball of fluff sat on their doorstep. 'Phil's idea of a joke.' He thought, resting back on his heels and running a hand through his curly fringe. 'I'll take the small thing in and make Phil take her back to the owner.'

So Dan tucked the kitten into his hoodie and rested the letters on his stomach as he adjusted the cat so he could hold it with one arm, and clasped the few letters she hadn't creased by curling up and chewing them in the other.

Instead of tearing up the stairs to reach his warm bed, Dan had to walk as slowly and as smoothly as he could to avoid waking the cold, sleeping kitten. She had decided it was nice and snuggly in the warmth of Dan's hoodie and had promptly contentedly closed her maple brown eyes and slept.

When Dan finally reached the flat, he let himself in. after shutting the door, he turned to face a worried looking Phil, complete with rumpled pjs and scrunched up downy black fringe. "What took you so long OMG LOOK IT'S SO CUTE!" suddenly Phil had spotted the tiny kitten tucked into the neck of Dan's hoodie. "Awww...it's so fluffy and snuggly!" scooping the kitten up, Phil cradled it in his hands. He looked up at Dan, his deep blue eyes shining with happiness. Dan frowned, matching Phil's gaze with a confused glance from his own chocolate brown eyes. "so, you didn't leave that," Dan pointed at the dozing kitten in Phil's arms, withdrawing his finger to a safe distance as she yawned, displaying glinting white teeth and a tiny pink sandpaper tongue. "As a practical joke?"

Phil looked blankly at Dan. ".....No....?" Dan huffed, dislodging his curly hobbit fringe. "Oh. I'll go take her back outside. Someone might be looking for her." Phil tore is gaze away from the orange and brown feline sat in his arms to stare in horror at his friend. "No! She's ours now!"

"But Phil, someone's probably looking for her."

"No." Phil said again, cuddling the kitten slightly closer. "They obviously didn't look after her properly. See, no collar. She's ours now. Look, she's happy. She can stay."

After a second or two, Phil began to speak again. "Dan." He said, sitting on the sofa and adjusting the cat on his lap. Dan sat down next to him. "I do like you, you're an amazing flatmate, even if you do eat the all the cereal." Dan was about to argue, but Phil held up a finger, scaring him into silence. "But, I'm afraid to say, if the cat goes, I go." Dan looked speechlessly at his oldest friend, whom he had spent many hours fangirling over, before finally meeting, and then after many years, moved in with. His bestest friend on the planet, ready to change him for a cat he had just met. After a few minutes of the freeze frame just being help, them both sat on the sofa staring at each other, the cat meowed and Dan shook his head.

"Fine." He breathed. "The cat can stay. Therefore, so can you." Phil cheered and gently put her onto Dan's lap before giving him a little hug and doing a little energetic happy dance. Too happy for 9 in the morning.

"She needs a name. And, she will be your responsibility. I refuse to clean up any cat piss from anywhere." But Phil's hug had made Dan feel better, so he wasn't that grumpy.

"A name..." Phil mused, picking her up and smoothing down her ragged feathery fur. "How about Meowth?" Dan suggested, only half joking. "No." Phil thought out loud. "What about Delia Smith?" he said looking down at the adorable tabby in his arms. "Yes." Dan smiled at Phil's enthusiasm, which resembled a child's on Christmas morning.

Delia yawned, and Phil jumped up. "We need food," he announced, before scampering towards the door.

"PHIL."

"What?"

"Clothes might help."

Phil turned his turquoise gaze to his pjs.

"Oh. They might help..."

With a sheepish grin, he ran to pull on some clothes. When Dan had finally heard the front door slam, he yawned and pushed his hair out of his eyes and reached for his laptop. Which Delia was sat on. She opened her eyes and blinked up at Dan.

"Look, cat." Dan said matching her amber gaze. "I'm bigger. I've been Phil's favourite for longer. I've been here for longer. Therefore, you do what I say. And that involves staying away from my laptop. Mine. Back away." Delia just blinked again and yawned. Dan nodded. "That's right. Mine."

Dan went back to scrolling through Tumblr. After a few minutes, his stomach began to feel strangely warm. He looked down to see Delia asleep on his stomach. He patted her head and went back to reblogging gifs, his new ally occasionally being pushed away after pouncing on the keys.