prompt:
I work at the animal shelter and you always come in to pet the cats when you're sad

+

The first time he came in, it was a Sunday. Brooklyn was sat behind the front desk with her feet propped up and book in hand. It wasn't unusual that a kid her age would come into the animal shelter on a weekend so she didn't think much of his presence but she did notice him.

Disheveled brown hair, worn in shit, bags under his blue eyes whose color was striking enough to be seen before he even got inside the shop. It reminded her of Charlie, the husky that left the shelter less than a month ago, whose eyes looked impossibly piercing under the awful fluorescent lights of the animal shelter.

The kid who came in stayed for at least fifteen minutes. He didn't approach anyone who worked there, just sat down in front of the caged patch of grass, enclosed for the baby kittens they've just received two days ago.

He left straight afterwards, his eyes noticeably brighter than when he came, and she didn't think much of it.

+

Until he came back on a Tuesday. She wasn't surprised by his presence on Sunday because it was the weekend and kids often came to look around but on Tuesday, the bell rang above the front door and when she looked up from the same book, she automatically checked the clock from across the room.

It was 1:45 in the afternoon and she didn't know of any high schools in the area that dismissed students before 3 o'clock. She was positive he wasn't a college student so his presence made her remember him even if he, once again, didn't approach anyone and went straight to the kittens at the corner of their lounge.

Two kittens got adopted last Monday. From where he sat, Brooklyn could only see his back, but the devastation was clear on the way his shoulder hunched.

He stayed for half an hour that day and when he left, Brooklyn tried her best to not think too much about him.

+

He came back to the shelter on Wednesday and Thursday and by Friday, it just became ridiculous. He would go straight to the kittens, sit in front of them for almost an hour, and leave with a small smile, replacing the frown he came into the shop with.

So it was Friday, 2:15 pm, and Brooklyn put her book down and finally approached him.

"You could go in if you'd like," She said and he visibly jumped from where he sat, simultaneously startling the brown kitten he was in the middle of petting.

"In the cage?" He asked, eyes wide.

Brooklyn shrugged and bent down to unlock the latch, opening one corner of the gate and letting him step inside. He did it hesitantly, most likely out of fear that the tiny cats were too fragile, but he sat down on one of the stools by the corner regardless and she couldn't help but grin at the sight of him.

His legs were too long for the short chair, his gangly limbs engulfing the cage, and his eyes almost afraid of the baby kitten pawing at the cuff of his jeans.

Brooklyn picked one up for herself, Freckle, and sat down in front of the enclosure. She wasn't supposed to name the animals who didn't have their names yet in respect for their new owners but secretly, the white cat with tiny orange spots was her favorite.

The boy across from her picked up one for himself. She had curly off-white fur, pudgy, grumpy, and seemed to loathe anyone who touched her but the boy looked at the cat with bright eyes and great adoration.

"Why aren't you in school?" She spoke up, glancing at him for only a second as she scratched behind Freckle's ear.

"Why aren't you?" He shot back with a raised eyebrow but a soothing voice and she shrugged.

"Touché."

"I don't have classes right now," He said after a beat of silence, "I'm studyin' online."

"Homeschooled," She nodded back, "I was only wonderin' 'cause you came in here at class hours. Thought it would've been amusing if you cut classes to go to animal shelters and pet rescued kittens. Absolutely badass."

The boy laughed, looking straight at her with eyes bluer than Charlie the husky's own, "If I was in regular school, I think I'd still do that."

That Friday he stayed for over an hour, making sure to cradle every single one of the cats, Freckle included. Before he left, jacket across his arm, he held up his hand, "I'm Daniel, by the way."

"Brooklyn," She smiled back and shook his hand, matching the grin Daniel had that wasn't present on his way in. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Same time," He replied and Brooklyn watched him leave until he turned a corner.

+

He fulfilled his promise and came back on Saturday but the shelter was bustling all morning and she didn't get to anticipate his arrival. She was sat in front of the desk, as usual, with her book on her lap, until a sweet, familiar voice spoke up directly in front of her.

"It only took me three days to read To Kill a Mockingbird," He said, seemingly grinning at the way Brooklyn jerked to consciousness, "And I'm not even a fast reader. You've been reading that this whole week."

She tried not to smile at the fact that he noticed as she sat up, flipping to show him the cover of the book she was holding, "But it's not To Kill a Mockingbird though," she defended, "It's a book about To Kill a Mockingbird."

Daniel snickered, "And you're reading that because?"

"School," She rolled her eyes and walked with him to the kittens at the corner.

"You still need to read for homeschool?" He frowned.

"Sucks, right?" She shrugged, opening the latch to let him in his seat.

"Guess I'm blessed, I never had to read a book that didn't have anything to do with Calculus."

"For online class?" She asked, he nodded. "Why are you taking online classes, anyway? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

He puffed out a breath, "Circumstances. Deadlines."

"Deadlines?" She asked and almost backtracked because the vagueness of his answer must've meant it wasn't a topic to dive into.

"Yeah," He explained, picking up the same pudgy, curly-haired cat he first picked up the day before, "I need to have a song written out by Monday and I'm stressed and I don't know what to write about."

Realization dawned on her and she smiled fondly, "Is that why you come in here to pet the cats?"

"Yes," He admitted sheepishly, "Easiest way to cheer me up."

Brooklyn grinned and picked up Freckle to place on her lap.

"Do you have your song?" She asked, knowing how demanding a minor subject like Arts and Music could be when it came to final projects.

"Not even an idea," He laughed grimly but softened when the kitten rubbed its cheek against his hand.

"You could write about the cats?" She offered dumbly, not knowing how to console him, but he sent her a smile nonetheless.

"They'd get a kick out of that," he laughed, "Maybe."

He stayed for two hours that Saturday, telling her how much he dreaded the day coming after. The shelter was busy, bustling with people, but Brooklyn didn't stand up from her spot until her new friend, Daniel, stood up and left with a kiss on her cheek as his goodbye.

+

It was Sunday and Daniel's arrival was right on schedule. It has been a week since his first appearance in the shelter and the change in his demeanor was beyond noticeable; his hair was still messy but it looked like it was intentional, his frown has subsided, and his impossibly bright eyes were even brighter. The addition, though, was the guitar he carried in his back.

"How'd song writing go?" Brooklyn asked the moment he stepped in, already waiting for his entrance, and walked to where the kittens were playing. She was surprised when Daniel pulled her into a short hug and she smiled into his shoulder, mumbling, "Did you write the song about the cats?"

"Sort of," He laughed and went to his designated spot inside the cage, "Took your advice and got some inspiration. Wanted you to hear it."

He was already pulling out his guitar from its case and by the time Brooklyn was sat in front of him, Freckle on her lap, he was already strumming chords and her breath stopped when he sang the first line.

"Met her in the corner of Brooklyn, block thirty.
Reading a book about a book by Harper Lee..."

That day, Daniel stayed for nearly six hours. He waited until closing before he went out of the shelter, smelling like cats and Brooklyn's perfume, with a sheet of paper containing polished lyrics in one hand and Brooklyn's fingers linked with the other.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" She asked when he was adjusting his guitar on his back and he didn't even bother to nod.

"The fact that you even asked," He chuckled and took her hand, gently pressing a kiss to her knuckles, "I'll tell you how it goes."

"You better," She called out as he walked away and he turned around to wave at her with a laugh and the brightest smile she's seen on him.

+

Daniel came back for three more days after that until he just stopped. He told her they liked the song. He played with his favorite curly-haired cat he has named Averoo, whose name he promised would make sense after Brooklyn met his friends. And on Tuesday, they kissed once. On the day before he stopped coming.

It was quick and chaste and Brooklyn held onto it until she saw him again. She thought she'd see him the day after but he only came back two months later with a bright but nervous smile, a new haircut, and surprisingly ironed clothes.

But his eyes. His eyes didn't change. They were the same bright, electric blue that didn't remind her of Charlie the husky anymore. It reminded her of the hours he's spent inside the shelter, talking to her.

He came up to the front desk and said, "I'll be damned, you finally finished the book."

When Brooklyn looked up, surprised—not because of being startled but because of the recognition of the sweet voice she's spent hours listening to months ago—and she didn't know what to do. She wanted to shove him or yell at him or do anything to hurt him the way he hurt her.

Because he stopped coming.

Because he didn't even try to be in contact with her.

Because Brooklyn was working one day when she heard Daniel's voice singing the song he wrote in front of her coming from her radio.

And now he was in front of her, timid smile on his face and his fingers nervously fiddling with the hem of his sweater, and all she did was drag him by the collar to hug him, pulling away angrily, "You have the nerve to come here after leaving me with no warning? No explanation?"

Daniel frowned, "I didn't know that I had to leave, okay? I'm an idiot who didn't have the sense to ask for your number and I did beg to come see you but instead I was being dragged away to LA."

He tentatively reached up to tuck away a strand of hair that fell onto her face and that was all it took for her to drag him to the same corner in the lounge where Freckle was and where Averoo was sitting attentively, watching the familiar kid who came in to play with him months ago.

i actually hate myself a little for this idk what this eVEN IS IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE IDEK IF IT MAKES SENSE i just wanted daniel and cats and it was meant to be under 1k words and ffs idk what im even doing anymore

pls dont judge my writing based on this :( anyways hope you're having a good day and i hope this entertained u even just a little!

and feel free to send in prompts ❤❤❤