DC Shorts
Crazy Cat Martian
Writing Prompt: Writer's Choice
A/N: Review replies can be found here- http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/53634-review-replies-and-discussion-for-kokoa-bs-dc-verse-stories/
It was rare that she had the time to relax like she did, sitting at the breakfast table with her favorite mug filled with coffee. Tabitha turned the page of the book her best friend loaned her and relished fully in the plot, nearly getting lost in the story, itself. Her thoughts were semi-interrupted as something bounded onto the table in her peripherals. She glanced up and thought nothing of the charcoal cat until it meowed. It was enough to make her jump back and study the animal in full.
“… J’onn!” she bellowed but kept an eye on the feline, who sat and licked its paws casually. The Martian appeared soon afterwards and smiled at his wife before his attention went to the cat on the table. He gasped and went to pick the cat up.
“Mr. Poe, what are you doing on the table? We’ve discussed this…”
“Mr. Poe…”
“Yes. I, oh...” he saw the look his wife gave him. J’onn looked down at the animal as it purred in his arms. “Ah. He’s named after–”
“Edgar Allan Poe, I get that. Um… why is there a cat in the house?”
“Oh, you don’t like cats? Pet him, he loves it.” The Martian presented the cat to her but Tabitha backed away.
“Why is there a cat in the house?!”
“Tabitha, please understand…”
“Ten seconds, J’onn…”
“Yes. Well… oh, Tabitha, someone was giving him away and no one wanted him. I had to take him.” He explained quickly. Tabitha sighed heavily as she shook her head.
“What if I was allergic?”
“You’re not.”
“How do you know I’m–”
“Father! Mr. Eliot and Miss Angelou got o… mom!” their son ran into the kitchen, two similar cats dangling from his arms. Tabitha widened her eyes at her son and glared at her husband.
“Two more?!” she yelled and J’onn gave their son a sheepish look.
“Where is Mr. Hemingway?”
“… He’s under my bed.”
“Under your… J’onn and T’ony J’onzz, how many cats are in this house?”
“Four.” The two Martians said in unison.
“Tabitha, I could not leave Mr. Poe’s siblings behind–”
“How long have they been in the house?” she calmly asked.
“A… month?”
“Oh, my God; when were you gonna tell me? How did you keep four cats hidden for a month?!”
“It was not easy, I tell you that…”
“You expect me to say yes to keeping these cats?”
“I will not put them out on the street. And besides, they love T’ony.” He nodded towards their son. The two cats in his arms purred and snuggled on him as the little boy smiled widely at them. He looked at his mother with a small pout.
“Please, mom? I have to take care of them…” he continued to pout. Tabitha’s stern look softened as another sigh escaped.
“Fine. But only because they seem to like T’ony… and he loves ‘em.”
“Thank you, my love. You have six happy people in the house, now.”
“You have… how many cats?”
“Seven,” Tabitha grumbled in her mug. “And for some odd reason, they all like me.” she huffed as an orange and black-striped cat rubbed against her leg. It jumped into her lap as she idly stroked its back.
“And who is that?” Jamila suppressed a laugh, nodding towards the cat.
“Take a wild guess what her name is!”
“Let’s see: he’s named the others after famous writers… oh… aw, her name’s Tabby, isn’t it?” the professor grinned ear to ear as Tabitha rolled her eyes. “I thought that you put your foot down with the initial four?”
“I’ve realized that J’onn is a crazy cat lady in disguise. He has to be!” she said and the women laughed. The front door opening and closing caught their attention.
“My love?”
“In the kitchen!”
“Please don’t be mad at me…”
“Uh oh…” Jamila mumbled under her breath.
“No. No, no, no, no, no…” Tabitha grumbled and let out a heavy sigh as J’onn entered the kitchen, carrying a black cat with white paws. “J’onn!”
“He is a rescue…”
“And then there were eight.”