He could feel Kit's excitement radiating through their bond as the little guy bolted around his massive backyard, chasing flocks of panicked prairie dogs. Somehow, Darah didn't think that he was doing it quite right, but he wasn't going to intervene, either. Kit was doing something he loved, and was also trying to catch dinner for his bat. 

It was sweet. 

Unfortunately for his cute furry friend, after nearly an hour of all-out running, Kit returned exhausted and empty-pawed. He also seemed quite upset, which was understandable. He'd been so hyped to catch dinner for him, yet he'd failed. 

"It's alright, bud. We still have plenty of leftovers from mom. How about we relax on the couch tonight and watch a movie?" he said as he lifted Kit's despondent little ferret up. 

Kit immediately snuggled into his hoodie pocket, silently sulking. 

Shaking his head with a smile, Darah walked to the kitchen and got some things heating up in the microwave, but before the device could finish, he heard a sound at the door. 

I didn't order anything...

Opening the front door, he looked down to see a small Amazon package. He shared an account with his parents, but he definitely hadn't ordered anything recently. 

Mentally shrugging, he picked it up and closed the door. He could already hear Kit sniffing at the new scent, so it was no surprise to see the little ferret's head sticking out of his pocket as he looked at the plastic-wrapped package curiously. 

"Mom must have sent it," he noted as he walked back into the kitchen, where a light was already on, and opened it. 

The sight of what was in the plastic bag made Darah's heart warm. 

"I told my mom about how awesome you are, and how you've hunted prairie dogs for a long time," he said as he lifted the stuffed animal from the bag. It was easily the same size as Kit, though more round than long. 

"I think you have a new stepmom who wants to dote on you."

Before he could say anything else, there was an excessively energetic ferret hanging from the poor stuffed animal's throat as it squeaked and thrashed, clearly not hesitating to go for the kill!

I... can't say I blame him for that reaction. 

It was actually kind of cute, in a ferocious sort of way. 

"You did it, bud. You got him good," he said as he carefully set the stuffed animal, as well as its attached-ferret, down on the tile floor. 

The second they were settled, Kit took off with the stuffed animal somehow held above his head, a dooking-squeak sounding like a victory call as he disappeared into Darah's bedroom a moment later... after hearing a few thunks along the way, probably from him running into the walls. 

I guess I'll get some cleaning done while he disembowels mom's present. 

He actually hadn't been doing his normal routine of rigorous cleaning nearly as much since Kit had arrived. Although, now that he thought about it, he began to immediately get busy scrubbing the kitchen and snacking on what he'd already heated up in the microwave. 

First the stove was done both inside and out, then the fridge had its turn. Next was a bit of vacuuming, as well as dusting, and dishes. 

By the time he heard footsteps from the hall, he was content with his little cleaning binge. 

"Mr. Darah?" 

Darah's heart melted in an instant. 

He turned around after rubbing at his chest a little, then offered Kit a smile. 

"Hey there, I see your prairie dog is still in one piece," he said, a hint of humor to his words as he walked over to pat Kit's soft hair. 

He had shifted at some point while in his room, and now had on a pair of blue gym shorts. He was also currently hugging the stuffed animal to his chest, like it was something precious. 

"You like the stuffed animal mom got you?" he asked, when Kit didn't move or speak again. 

Kit nodded immediately to his question, a smile finding its way onto his face. Darah was about to say something else when his phone began ringing in his back pocket. 

The ringtone told him to pick it up immediately, but as soon as he said "hey mom," his mother replied. 

"Where is my little Kit? Did he like his new stuffed animal?" 

Should have known...

Grinning, Darah put the phone on speaker, then walked over to sit on the couch. He patted the spot beside him a moment later, and Kit happily hurried over to settled right up against him, his stuffed animal still held firmly in his arms. 

"He's right here beside me, and he's got the stuffed animal. I don't think you're going to get it back," he joked. 

His mother chuckled lightly, then replied, her tone gentle and upbeat. 

"Hi sweetheart, I just wanted to call and check in on you. I'm glad you like the toy I got you."

Darah expected to hear Kit speak into his mind, since he'd already said a lot more than he usually did a few moments ago, but when he reached out to gently grasp the phone, then leaned a little closer, Darah raised an eyebrow. 

"Th..." Kit tried, his mind visible through his expressive eyes as it worked to find the words he wanted to say. 

"Thank you," he eventually managed. 

Darah's mom immediately took over the conversation, clearly wanting to make Kit feel more comfortable. 

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Charles and I are going to have a little barbeque tomorrow, if you'd like to come over again."

Ah, now he knew her plan. If she got Kit to come over more, he would inevitably be there, too. 

Not that his mom didn't adore Kit, but she also was amazing at playing her hand, so to speak. If doting on Kit got her more time with her son, too, then she'd gladly rain praise and stuffed prairie dogs down on Kit all day long. 

Thankfully, Kit knew to at least look up at him before he accepted the invitation, which was much appreciate. Unfortunately for Darah, he had no good reason to decline. So, he gave a quiet sigh and nodded his agreement. 

The excited look that took over Kit's face made the thought of spending more time with his parents worth it. 

Kit quickly returned his attention to the phone and made an affirmative humming sound. 

"Wonderful, we got some new things for you to use in the pool, too."

By the time their little conversation was over, Kit was very excited to go visit his new stepmom tomorrow. He shifted the moment Darah hung up the phone, then ran around with his stuffed animal held over his head, tripping every few steps since he couldn't see where he was going with it blocking his view. 

Darah was about to go back to his room and hop on his game for a little gear farming, when he heard a text message pop up on his phone, drawing his attention down to it. 

Mom: Could you and Kit pick up some bell peppers and potatoes for tomorrow please? 

Darah glanced up as Kit ran into the wall, his stuffed animal thankfully cushioning most of the impact. 

"Uh, hey Kit? You wanna go to one of those cool grocery stores with me? Mom wants us to go grab a few things."

Kit looked up at him after shaking off the hit to the wall, though it was obvious he still couldn't see around the plushy. He then shook his coat out and gave an agreeing dook!

Before Darah could even get up, Kit was bounding back into his room, a startled squeak happening somewhere in the hallway along the way. 

Maybe I should get him a smaller stuffed animal so that he can see better.

As he stepped into his room a few moments later, Darah was surprised to see Kit back in his human form. The young man was tugging on a pair of his fancy dress pants, though he was struggling a bit since he refused to set down his precious stuffed animal. 

"Want me to hold him while you get dressed?" he offered, holding back a chuckle at how cute he looked trying to manage the task. 

Kit lifted the stuffed animal to his mouth as he shook his head, then finishing fastening his pants, before grabbing a dark red dress shirt. The buttons still weren't easy for him, so Darah did  step forward and help with those. 

"Looks perfect," he commented after stepping away. 

Kit gave him a big grin... which was hidden by the stuffed animal still being held in his mouth. 

Internally shaking his head at the goofy guy, Darah just slid on a pair of sneakers, then grabbed his keys and wallet. 

"Ready to go?" 

Kit dropped his stuffed animal back into his arms, then slid on his own fancier shoes before ging an affirmative hum. He then headed for the door. Darah followed him after messaging his gaming buddies that he wouldn't be on for a while. 

A few of them sent him random emoji's back, but he didn't bother responding. 

The grocery store wasn't far, and while Kit seemed nervous, he also seemed almost excited. As soon as they parked, he was up and out of the car, but while he appeared determined to head inside first, he managed to stop himself and wait at the back of the car for him. 

"Thank you for waiting. Let's walk in together," Darah said as he met him there, then took his hand. 

He knew that most adults could navigate a parking lot safely, but Kit was new to just about everything human, so he didn't want to risk him running in front of a car. 

They were soon inside, and Kit, thankfully, gravitated to the big shopping carts. He even slid his stuffed prairie dog into the child's seat. 

Glad he wants to try pushing them. It will make keeping an eye on him much easier. 

Or so he'd thought. 

"B-bud," Darah called for the third time as Kit got absolutely absorbed  in the massive supermarket. 

After the second time he disappeared around a corner, however, Darah sped up and took hold of the cart, too. Third time would not be the charm.  

"Let's walk together, hmm? We still have to get what mom asked, but if you see something interesting that you'd like to try, just let me know, okay?" he said as they began to walk again, side by side this time. 

He quickly remembered why most food items had cute characters or bright colors on them. 

He is so distracted. 

It was kind of refreshing to see someone have so much fun in a grocery store, though he had to make sure that he didn't disturb the other shoppers too much, either. 

Eventually, Kit turned to him holding a box of Fruit Loops. It was a cereal his mother would never allow in her house, so he'd rarely eaten it, himself. 

"That's what you want to try?" he asked as he took the box and looked at... all the junk in the ingredients. 

He honestly doubted that he would like them, but he put the box in their cart. Before he could return his attention to Kit, the young man was hugging him. 

"Thank... you."

Cute. 

"You're welcome, bud. Let's get mom's stuff now," he said as he guided their cart towards the produce section. 

He wasn't surprised when Kit didn't seem as interested, since he mainly ate prairie dogs before, but he didn't seem bored, at least. Darah got the two things his mom wanted, but then, instead of leaving, he noticed the bowl of fresh fruit that was left out for hungry kids. 

"Want to try a fruit?" 

Kit glanced over his shoulder, having been fascinated by a display of dragon fruit. 

 Darah walked over to the bowl and picked up an apple. 

"You've had an apple before, right?" 

Kit pursed his lips, then shook his head. 

"I've had a banana before, I think. It was too sweet, though." 

I figured that you weren't a huge sweets guy. 

"Want to try an apple? This variety is more sour than sweet," Darah said as he offered the green apple to him. 

Kit eyed it for several moments, considering if he really did want to try it or not. Eventually, however, he gave his head a slight shake. 

"No, thank... you."

Darah smiled and took a bite of the apple, himself. 

"Alright, I think we're good, then. Wanna head home?" 

Kit seemed about ready to nod, but then something apparently caught his attention. Well, it caught his nose's  attention. 

Soon, Darah was following him over to the deli counter, watching as Kit's eyes got wider and wider at the large array of meats laid out in front of him behind the glass. 

Good thing there's glass there. I bet his ferret is right behind his eyes now, ready to take down those hams. 

"Would you like to try something, young man?" the little old lady behind the counter asked nicely. 

Kit opened and closed his mouth a few times, possibly trying to respond to her, but also possibly just imagining himself eating the smorgasbord of meat. 

Eventually, he looked over his shoulder, his eyes pleading. 

Darah took pity on him and hurried to stand beside him at the counter. 

"He'd love to try a couple things, if he could?" 

The woman smiled and nodded. 

"We have some really good honey smoked turkey breast, and there's some buffalo chicken slices..." she listed, going over several things he had a feeling Kit wouldn't quite like. 

"Ah, what about this? Smoked brisket?"  

Darah nodded to that option. 

"That one would be great, thanks."

She quickly got their slices ready, then handed them over the top of the glass case. 

Darah took them, since he could tell that Kit really was trying to keep his ferret calm, then turned and offered him his big slice. Kit took it carefully, then sniffed it for just a moment before taking a big bite. 

The look on his face told Darah that they'd made the right choice. 

As they both snacked, he ordered a half pound of the brisket, as well as a half pound of peppered ham. When they were handed over, he thanked the woman, but instead of putting them in the cart, he handed the two packages to a beaming Kit. 

"Hold those for me?"

Kit gladly took the packages of meat, and as if in a trance, followed Darah like an obedient child for the remainder of their trip to the checkout, then car. 

By the time they got home and got things put away, with Kit getting another slice of brisket to nibble at, he realized something. 

I guess meat is the key to his heart. 

Darah chuckled... then grabbed another piece for himself, before heading into his room to game a bit. As soon as Kit was finished with his own snack, there was a little ferret wiggling its way into Darah's hoodie pocket... after a stuffed prairie dog was deposited in his lap. 

A few moments after that, little snoring sounds made Darah's lips tilt upward. 

He's so cute.