[A/N] Contains spoilers for every route of Hustle Cat. I sort of made an AU where every character gets their happy ending even though Avery got together with Hayes. I swear, I got Hustle Cat last Tuesday and have been hyperfixating on it ever since.

Things are going great at A Cat's Paw. It's kind of weird to think about, but I've been working there for a few years now. A lot's happened since we had our first triumph against Nacht, and Hayes and I have grown closer to all of our coworkers. Reese, feeling hopeless when his drawing magic proved useless against Nacht, was encouraged by everyone to branch out, try new things. All of us discovered that he has talent in sewing magic! The coolest thing he can do is make literal portals with a seam ripper, but over a long ass time, he's added all sorts of little charms to our clothes; I'm currently in my new favorite hoodie (the one I only got because everyone pleaded with me to retire my purple one), and it's imbued with a special magic to keep me warm in the cold and cool in the heat.

Landry found and reached out to this kid– his name is Kaz, and he joined A Cat's Paw a few months ago– who had cursed him and made him think it would be lethal. Having found some strange peace of mind after the Nacht bullshit, he was able to have an actually productive conversation with the guy. I don't know too much about him, but I can tell he wasn't in a very happy place when they had their initial confrontation. It almost makes up for his bratty attitude scaring my boyfriend. That, and he has dubstep magic. Which is stupid, but makes for awesome cat dance parties.

One time, Hayes caught Mason crying, and after a lot of patience, we were able to learn a lot more about her. Apparently, she'd been using the cat curse as a way to visit her grandpa, who she had a rocky past with. Once the curse was broken, she lost that connection. So, even though Hayes was about to lose his mind out of fright, we set up a way to get her grandpa to A Cat's Paw, and from there, the two of them set out on the journey to fix their relationship.

Finley unlocked her magic potential with ease, and then sort of became this badass witch vigilante? She uses her powers to protect innocent content creators from trolls and dangerous creeps. She's also been learning to turn into a cat at will despite the curse being broken– a gift from Graves that almost everyone in the cafe also took him up on. With that skill, she's been able to make a grand return as Jelly Donut. Fans are losing their minds! Though, to everyone's delight, they seemed to love Finley herself with almost as much fervor.

Graves, in tangible ways, probably changed the least. But emotionally, he feels like a whole different man. Nacht tried to come back a few more times, but we were ready and kicked his ass. On this last attempt, we gave Graves the bright idea to use the cat curse on the literal fucking rust witch, and it WORKED. From what I understand, Nacht was Graves's toxic ex, and he'd never really gotten over it since Graves left. He'd also stolen Graves's metal magic, warping it into the rust we knew so well, and that corrupted his mind even more. He hasn't come back in many months. I think he's gonna stay gone this time. Graves's demeanor is cheerier, freer, and he seems to live every day with gratitude in his heart. We've had many employee dinners full of laughter.

As for me and Hayes? Well, in my opinion, we couldn't be happier. That's not to say that everything was always one hundred percent perfect. We've had arguments. He still had a lot of self-loathing to deal with, and sometimes my brand of teasing went just the slightest too far. I also had to fix my messiness; visiting my trash heap was fine, but once we moved in together, the novelty wore off quickly. Even so, I feel like a better person because I'm with him, and he's flat-out told me he feels the same. I've even had Mason teach me some cooking! And though Hayes will always be the better barista between the two of us, I've learned enough to be able to surprise him some mornings.

This morning in particular, he's insisted on making our cappuccinos. Makes sense. It's our anniversary, and the superior coffee is probably our best bet. In return, I whip up a nice breakfast– french toast with berry compote and powdered sugar, over-easy eggs, and some bacon. Mochi, my favorite trash bag slash familiar, makes it readily apparent that his food comes first, even today. That's alright, though. We're taking the day off, so we don't have to worry about any shifts; we can take as much time as we want. Light trickles into our apartment. I can't help but snicker. "Hey, honey, remember that first time you came over? When you were trying to get to the cafe to make me breakfast?"

He blushes a fiery red, blinking rapidly. "O-Oh no. I was h-hoping you'd forgotten about that by now."

"How could I forget? You were so sweet and wonderful, and I felt so bad that I totally missed you panicking in that tree for so long." I sidle up next to him and wrap my arm around his waist. He gives me a wobbly smile and his blue eyes sparkle.

"I felt so stupid. Like, G-God, getting myself stuck in a tree in my crush's yard and needing to be carried back inside? But your arms were s-so warm, and you held me so securely. Kind of like now." He leans into my touch and even pecks a small kiss to my forehead. I press my cheek to his, making him laugh a bit. It's an adorable sound, even now. "It was so confusing. I was worried you'd make fun of me, but at the same time, I felt so safe. That was the most frustrating part, back before we got together. Everything was terrifying even though I was comfortable with you."

"Agh. I get that."

"Y-You do?! You never seemed scared! That whole time, you seemed so steady!"

"Hayes. You gave me a heart latte, wrote me a poem about being scared to share your feelings, and then recited an actual love poem as clear as day, and I still had to wake you up and ASK you how you felt about me. I convinced myself it could've been a misunderstanding! Your magic literally haloed you in light and made petals fall from nowhere!" By now, we're both cracking up, and he has to set our coffee down so it doesn't burn the crap out of his hands. "I still remember what you said to me, too. You said you thought I was charming and attractive."

He bites his lip, like he always does when he's nervous, and then pipes up. "O-Oh, wow. L-Looks like nothing's changed on that front." His words get a lot quieter at the end as he flirts. My breath hitches in my throat. I feel him grow tenser at my silence, so I try to come up with the right thing to say.

"And you're somehow even smarter and more endearing than before. Hopefully more confident, though?"

He lets out a soft hum of agreement, turning his arm to play with my shoulder-length hair. It feels tingly, and I shudder. He suddenly giggles. "If we don't sit down and eat soon, everything will get cold."

"Murr," I groan in response. He boops my nose and pulls away from me to start serving himself.

Our breakfast is pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. It gets me feeling a bit more lively. We go to the park, then, and try to do some bird-watching. Obviously, we don't have tons of birds in the city, but his eyes light up whenever he sees one and he rambles about a bunch of different species. Then, suddenly, I get a call from Landry. He apologizes profusely, but says that he needs me out on the floor. We're getting to the point where people recognize Finley even on non-Jelly Cat days, so business has been booming. He and Kaz have both worked double-shifts already, and Kaz is starting to get a bit snippy with customers as a result. He desperately needs a break.

I'm hesitant to leave Hayes, but he insists that I go. "You could take the money and get something special for Mochi. Remember, for me, being alone is a non-issue. I'll be patiently waiting for you to get back, Avery, but the cafe needs you."

"Agh, you're so good." His cheeks are dusted a rosy pink from the praise. So I make my way to A Cat's Paw. I work the floor with enthusiasm, dedicated to making this day amazing even if it doesn't go exactly according to plan. Mason's grandfather comes in for his daily lunch break, and somehow even he remembers to congratulate Hayes and me– apparently Mason told him about our anniversary sometime recently. Reese shows off another "uniform" that Graves had made, a running joke at this point due to how completely awful they all are. Like, they're so garbage that my trash magic could manipulate it. But this one seems almost as though it was intended to tease me specifically– it's all pinks and hearts and frills, and Finley keeps trying to snag pictures. I have to beg her not to post them on our damn blog.

Going back to the trash magic, though... I figure, while I'm here, I can make some nice statuettes for Hayes from all of the things in our recycling bin. When I get a spare minute, I head down to the basement and start making some birds out of soda cans. I also make some flowers– I looked up a bunch of them a few days ago so I'd know what some of them look like. If we were a more conventional couple, I'd have gone for real flowers. But magic is like... self-expression and all that jazz, and plastic/metal flowers don't die on you anyway. At one point, Kaz playfully scares me with a sudden loud bass drop, and in retaliation, I swarm him with tin birds. It freaks him out for a second, but then he cackles. "God, when I found out your magic was literal garbage, I wasn't surprised, cause it's suits you and your dumb face so well. But honestly, it's kinda fun!"

"Shut up, your magic is dubstep," I banter. After that, we get back to work, tagging Landry out for his break. It's a good day, even though the crowds leave me feeling a bit overwhelmed here and there. Mason even gives me a few slices of her specialty chocolate cake– one for me and one for Hayes– and my mouth waters because I already know how utterly mind-blowing it is.

Graves appears right as I'm about to leave with a gentle smile. He hands me some tire studs. "I figured you may delight in new material to work with. Save them for when you know precisely what to do with them."

"Uhh... thanks, boss. Elusive as ever, huh?"

"Forgive me for my opaqueness. Perhaps, in time, you will come to understand the reasoning behind it." His eyes, one golden and the other blue, soften in this sort of fondness. Gosh. Even now that we understand him a lot more, he's just an inherently mysterious person.

Now with multiple statues, a bouquet, tire studs, and cake to carry, I wind up having to get Reese to help me take it all home. It's kind of a bummer that I don't live quite so close to work anymore, but at least it's nearby a lot of our friends. He spends the entire walk being a brat and joking about how I brought back a quarter of a dumpster as my anniversary presents. I tell him he'd know all about grand, romantic gestures considering all the romance novels he reads, and we argue (loudly but lovingly) all the way home. I turn the key and open wide. "I'm back!"

"Aah! G-Give me a moment!" Hayes yells from somewhere in the apartment.

"You getting up to trouble, Hayes?" Reese asks, knowing full well that Hayes never gets up to trouble.

"R-Reese?!"

"Relax. I'm not here to intrude. Your boyfriend needed some help hauling some stuff over here."

"Oh, um, thank you for doing that!"

"Mason gave us some cake!" I cheer.

"Really? Ah– um–" His words fade out. He's clearly distracted.

"Hayes, where am I allowed to be right now?"

"You can, um... you can wait in the living room! Please! Or, uh, stop into the kitchen to put the cake on plates!"

"Bye, Reese. See you tomorrow," I bid, and he gives an enthusiastic wave before leaving. After preparing the cake, I sink into the comfy couch– it's not bread-doughy like Aunt Wendy's, but maybe that's because I feel way less inclined to spend all day laying around doing nothing nowadays. Mochi meows at me, jumps onto the couch, and swats at my leg. "I know. I'm excited, too. Maybe even a bit antsy." He gives me a look before leaning over toward the cake. "Don't even think about it."

Eventually, Hayes sheepishly comes out of our "office." He's in his blue-green collared sweater, and I've always loved that one because it makes his blue eyes and blonde hair look utterly jaw-dropping. He avoids my gaze for a moment, but then straightens his spine and marches to face me across the coffee table. We catch each other's eyes for a second, and he gives me an adorable smile. I return the grin, and I feel my legs start to bounce in anticipation.

"I'm glad I met you in the cafe," I let out a slight gasp; it's the same line he used back then. His face goes red, but he pushes forward.
"Beaming at me in that contagious way.
No one could ever come in and erase
The love that we share for all time and space.
As long as you want me, I'm here to stay." The space around his head starts to look like a galaxy, though luckily, he can still breathe. I'm completely drawn in by his words.

"Though winds will flutter and blow where they may
Your heart is constant, like fortified clay.
Call on me, I'll run, no matter the place.
I'm glad I met you in the cafe." The galaxy fades away and a light breeze runs through the apartment, rustling our hair. Mochi shivers and I give him scritches, still entirely focused on my boyfriend. The conviction in his tone is unwavering and clear.

"In order to keep this fun with wordplay,
I find it funny that your last name is Grey,
Cause when you're around, you let off a glow
As rare and vibrant as a rainbow.
So now and forever, I'll proudly say,
'I'm glad I met you in the cafe.'" It seems as though the entire apartment is more colorful, though I'm not sure whether it's because of Hayes's magic or just because I'm dumbstruck by how amazing he just did.

"Hayes, that was... perfect! You did incredible!" I spring up from the couch and throw myself at him, covering his face with kisses and making him laugh in my arms.

"Avery! Avery, I did it! I read it all without messing it up, and I didn't panic!" he enthuses, beaming.

"No matter how badly you fumbled, I would've loved it, but I'm so proud of you!"

He cups my cheek with his hand and his eyes look glossy. "Thank you... Avery. I guess... after a life-and-death situation like Nacht trying to kill you... a lot of smaller things felt a lot less scary. Thank you for always waiting for me." Suddenly, in a flurry of motion, he's dipping me, and he kisses me. When he pulls back, his glasses slip down his nose and fall onto my face. "O-Oh no! I'm sorry! Agh, that's so dumb! Sorry!" I cut him off with my laughter, and he struggles to keep me steady as I tremble.

"Hayes, honey, you don't have to apologize!" I chuckle, pushing his glasses back into place.

"Ah, yeah, that's probably undermining my point." He bites his lips and his cheeks flush shyly.

"It's okay. I'm so proud of you, y'know?"

"Th-Thank you. And don't think I didn't notice your presents. They're beautiful. These flowers and birds are so intricate!" He sets me upright and kneels down to examine them. I animate one of them to flutter softly around his head, and once he gets past his initial startle, he seems to love it. He holds out a finger, and I make the bird latch its claws and settle on him. "Now... come on. We need to get to our dinner reservations. That really took it out of me... I'm starving."

"Oh, that won't do. My wonderful boyfriend can't be going hungry now." I offer him the piece of cake, scooping out a bite to feed him.

"We're gonna spoil dinner," he mumbles, coy. Regardless, he leans in to accept the treat. He lets out an "Mmm," squeezing his eyes shut in delight. I live to see that face.

Eventually, we make it to dinner, a fancy-ish place. The food is great. When we get home, we wash the dishes from breakfast. Hayes even takes the opportunity to jokingly chase me around the kitchen with a dishcloth. In retaliation, I tickle him. After that, we spend a good amount of the night watching movies together.

When we return to our bedroom, I come to realize that he's put rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed, and scattered love poems around the room– including some that I wrote for him over the course of a few years. Those ones are kind of embarrassing, but seeing that he treasures them so deeply makes my heart fuzzy. "When did you plan this?" I ask, stunned.

"Oh, um... I sort of... I sort of figured that you might get called to A Cat's Paw today. I didn't ask anyone to do that, I swear. But I told myself that if you had to work, I would do something special for you! When you got back with Reese, I was just finishing up. I... I have an empty scrapbook. I was wondering if, maybe, you'd want to help me arrange poems and pictures?"

"I'd love to!" We pick up all the poems and sit on the couch together, choosing good places for all of them. Sometimes, I have to reassure him when he gets all perfectionist-y, so that he doesn't stress about a slightly off-center paper or anything like that. But overall, it's a really nice time. I feel like I appreciate the little things a lot more now.

I find myself staring at the tire studs on the table. Hayes asked about them earlier, and seemed very curious when I told him that Graves had given them to me without really explaining why. They're clean, kind of shiny. I think back again to the night Hayes confessed his feelings. It was, admittedly, a really, really stressful day, but if I'm being honest, that made it so my memory of it is abnormally clear. I remember him talking about how he wishes he was adventurous, and spontaneous, and naturally romantic. I look at him now, having thought of all this mostly on a dime, and it makes my heart pound. My head starts to feel foggy, like there are cotton balls in my ears. "A-Avery? Are you okay? You're looking at me funny." His words are muffled. "Did I do something wrong?"

Graves, this had better be what you meant, I swear.

I hold the tire studs in my hand, stare at Hayes's slim fingers, and put my magic to work. I feel lucky that I've been practicing basically every day for years, because I can feel how stubborn and uncooperative the metal wants to be– I think it's because of how unsteady I feel. But the studs help me by following my instructions and they smooth out, no longer sharp and painful. They melt into each other and loop into two rings. Hayes's eyes fly wide open. The gears seem to be turning in his head.

I sink to the ground on one knee, and he's nodding and sobbing before I can even say anything. "I'm sorry," I tell him, "that this isn't as grand a romantic gesture as yours. I literally just got this idea now. But what I know is that I want to be with you every day of my life, Hayes. I've never met anyone as brave, and sweet, and beautiful as you. When we met, I was just a screw-up kid, but you cared about me anyway. Now, we're here. And I never want this to end. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

All he can do is repeat, "Oh my God," but he nods frantically, holding out his left hand and using his right to swipe tears away from his eyes. I slide the ring onto his finger. It's the slightest bit loose, so I tighten it till it's a perfect fit. Really, who needs a ring size? He lets out a breathless sound, somewhere between a giggle and a strangled noise. He presses me to his chest, holding me, and then wiggles to snatch the other ring and slip it onto my finger. He struggles since his vision is clouded, bumping it on my fingertip, but this just makes us laugh. We embrace one another on the couch, holding tight. Then, once he's caught his breath, he murmurs soft words to me.

"And so, through joy and sorrow ev'ry day,
I'm so glad I met you in the cafe."