Just do the right thing

 "What are you doing?" Ari's question made Pan want to dodge a bullet. He was out back of the apartment complex smoking a cigarette in his bunny hat and parka. Winter had arrived in a windy blanket of white snow.

"I'm holding a kitten." Granted he'd found it out near the manmade river beyond the snowdrift. If he could call it that. He'd heard the kitten and he found it. Of course, Ari took the little thing from him, claws and all sticking to him.

"You shouldn't smoke while holding a kitten," Ari informed him.

"Oh," Pan nodded. So that's what he'd done wrong. "It's Rox's Christmas present."

"What?" Ari looked at him shocked. "Where did you find this kitten?" Pan pointed past the snow bank. 

"I saved it, you know," Pan told him.

"Well, not yet." Ari was in a huff. Pan festered a frown. 

"What is your problem?" Pan took a draw from the cigarette as if maybe he'd entice Ari and he'd shut up about the little kitten. It looked like it might be a tabby.

"You have to take it to the Animal Human Society. There might be a whole litter out there and it's momma too." Ari glared at Pan as if he was the worst. "This is your idea of a Christmas present?"

Pan shrugged back. It was free, he thought. And Rox wanted a cat.

"You two need to go together to the Animal Humane Society and do this right. You need to let her pick the cat she wants. A cat that might tolerate you."

"Huh?"

Ari sighed and grabbed his phone. Pan thought Ari might call the animal cops on him, but he turned on his phone light and went off in the dark searching for more kittens. Pan followed after he stomped out his cigarette butt. 

"Leave it to you to be the hero in all of this," Pan shook his head as he stepped deep into the snow. It was too cold for this, but damn if Ari didn't find the box where the rest of the kittens were. There were six in all and a famished momma cat.

So they headed for Ari's car. 

"It's late," Pan insisted. It was nightfall and the nuisance snow was back fluttering above them ever so lightly.

"It's not that late," Ari acted as if he could do it himself, but Pan got in on the passenger side and held the box of kittens with the momma cat.

Of course, Ari had to say they could easily be frozen to death. It made Pan feel so uneasy.

"Well, look at it this way, you'll know where the Animal Human Society is now, and you can make a date with Roxanne and you can adopt a cat that she wants," Ari went on to say as he headed to the freeway.

"How come you know about this kind of thing?" Pan wanted to know.

"I like dogs," he said as he looked ahead on the clean roadway as cars sped by him. "Mutts actually. I'd like to have a dog, but I'm afraid it would end up in doggie daycare. I just don't have time for a dog. But ever so often, I've fostered a dog or two, during the pandemic, but I didn't keep them long. They found families who wanted to adopt them."

"Maybe you and Jade can adopt a dog," Pan looked over at him and grinned. "So how's that going?" THAT meaning SEX.

"Oh, you know, she stayed the night. We seem to be..um..almost there." He shrugged about the matter with a smile. "I just figured she would have just..you know, WHAM. Can we watch TV now, kind of thing, but no, it's been lots of..something..but she likes to argue too. It seems we have to go to her sister's on the eve of Christmas eve or something. So you know, that's a good sign. Right?"

"He'll if I'd know," Pan shrugged. "I don't do anything with Rox's family. She sees them, but I just don't like going."

"Why not?" Ari looked over at him as if he might be the Grinch after all.

"What? Are you saying I should?" He frowned.

"You should surprise them. They might like you and give you money, you know." Ari kept his eyes on the road. Luckily, they didn't have to go on any snowy streets. They found the entrance to the Animal Human Society, and they were still open. It was only a little after seven in the evening. Pan felt it might as well be midnight. He hadn't even called Rox to tell her what was going on.

"What are trying to tell me? I'm not manning up?" Pan asked.

"Can we use that word anymore?" Ari only chuckled. Of course, he didn't say yay or nay about the matter. He opened the door for Pan. They were hopefully saving a whole family from the cold.