Chapter Text
After lunch, the adults sat for a while around the coffee table, letting the cats have some more time to play and for Ace to have his afternoon nap. Which Sabo took with him.
Marco dreaded their leaving time, not knowing if Ace would react badly. But, to his surprise, Ace fully understood, and after the hybrids exchanged some licks and nuzzles, the raven ran- and jumped him. He had to flail to hold onto the cat and get him settles properly in his arms.
“Ready to go home-yoi?” Marco asked carefully.
Ace nodded, Mya! Mwarro, wwriiiisssssiiiiiii ‘Bo mweahn?
“Ehm….” Marco wracked his brain to try and decipher Ace’s still learning words. There was a ‘yes’, his name, Sabo’s name… and….
“He wants to know when I’m visiting. Or when you’re visiting here.” Ace’s personal translator, Sabo, jumped to the rescue.
Marco oh-ed and hummed, look to Thatch and Izou. “Maybe… Next weekend?”
Izou took out his phone and nodded after a minute, “We’re free on Sunday.”
“We’ll see on Sabo again Sunday-yoi.” Marco looked to Ace, “I’m going to work the next few days, and then the second day that I don’t need to work, we’ll see to visit Sabo, or he can visit us. Is that okay?”
There was no vocal reply, but the cat did purr and rub against his cheek. He took that as a yes.
“Then, we’re off. Thank you for having us. Thank you explaining everything, Sabo.” Marco thanked them all, giving Sabo extra thanks. A few more words were exchanged before they took off.
To Marco’s intense relieve, Ace hadn’t searched for Sabo again in the coming days, they had even had a successful outing to the mall where Ace was able to choose a senior phone.
It was saterday now and he had spend the whole morning going over the phone with Ace. He had sett it up before showing Ace how it worked. Letting the hybrid hold it himself and press on buttons. They even held some fake conversations with Ace holding the phone to his ear and they talked to each other.
Now though, now was the real test. Marco was going to try to leave Ace alone and let him call him all on his own. He took the cat off his lap and had him sit on the couch.
“Alright, Ace. I’m going to go into the bedroom. When I’m there, you call for me, okay-yoi?”
Meoaaaa!
Smiling Marco rubbed Raven hairs as he got up from the couch and went into the bedroom. Holding his phone ready to pick up when Ace called h-
Mwarrooo!! Mwarooo!!
Hearing the yelling he hurried out, “What’s wrong, Ace????”. Running up to the cat he checked him over, confused as Ace purred into his hands. “Ace?”
Meow?
“What’s wrong?”
There was a simple cock of the head in confusion which had Marco rub his own head in his own confusion. “Okay… I’m going to go back into the bedroom, call me when I’m there. Alright?”
With a sett of nods, did he disappear into the bedroom again. He had barely shut the door when Ace was yelling again.
Mwarrooo!!!!!!
Once again he made his way over to the cat, frowning as Ace looked proud of himself. Tail flicking every now and then behind him.
“Ace?”
Meow!
“… You’re supposed to call me when I go into the bedroom.”
The cat nodded with a bright smile.
Did… Ace not understand??? He was sure he understood. “Ace-yoi. When I go into the bedroom, you need to try and call me, not… call…. Out to me……” he slowed down as he spoke, groaning to himself. “You did call out for me….” He sighed and crouched, putting Ace’s face between his hands and rubbing it. Getting purrs in return. “Goodjob, Ace. You called out for me the second I was in the bedroom. Goodjob. Here’s a fishy.”
He pulled a treat from his pocket and rewarded the cat. The cat afterall did call out to him… just not with the phone.
“Alright, Ace.” Marco started when the fishy was eaten. Placing his own hands over Ace’s paws that held the flip phone, “this time I want you to phone me. Call- phone me with your phone, with this flip-phone. Like we practiced. You open it up and press the number 1 on top. Can you do that for me?”
Mya!
He looked into Ace’s eyes for another moment, trying to decipher if he understood. But he only saw pure cuteness. So after another moment he got up and went into the bedroom, looking back for a moment to see Ace watching him. He smiled at him before entering the bedroom and waited.
There was no immediate calling out of his name, so he was hopeful that ace understood him. He already wanted to go out after a minute of nothing, but stayed patient. Keeping a look out on his phone.
‘C’mon, Ace, you can do it-yoi.” He spoke to himself. Going over their earlier lessons mentally, Ace had looked like he had the hang of it with him there. Now it was time to-
RING RING! RING RING!
Ace’s name appeared on his phone, a picture of Ace flashing on it. “Yes!” He picked up the phone and held it to his ear, “Marco speaking.”
Meow Meow Meow!
“Hi Acey.” Marco smiled as he heard the meows, “How are you doing? You enjoying your time at home? What are you doing?” He figured out after that he shouldn’t fire off so many question at once at the kitten. But in the end it really didn’t matter as Ace just started meowing. Possibly answering his questions, but he had no idea about that. This did clear something up, something he had noticed. Ace only spoke with words when speaking directly to him. If he was by himself, he would always meow. So… he may need to work on teaching Ace to talk words into the phone too. But, this was good. He could hear from the meows too that Ace was happy.
“I see. I see-yoi.” Marco chuckled. “I’m going to end the call now, Ace. I’ll come back soon.” He ended the call and waited. Still hearing Ace meowing in the other room.
When he went back out, he saw Ace still meowing into the phone. Alright, they would work on that, and at the start he may tell Ace at the end of the conversation to close the phone and put it aside.
“Hi Ace.”
Mwaro!!!!!
Ace twisted around, jumping off the couch and onto him. Phone flying to the floor. Good thing these senior phone were made to withstand some drops…
“You did so good, Ace!” Marco hugged the cat tight, rubbing his back. Smiling bright as he got nuzzles and purrs. “You called- phoned me all by yourself! You’re so smart!” He beamed as he went to sit down again and took out some fishies. They would practice more often in the next days. But this was a great start. “So smart. You’re amazing. If I’m not home, and you need me, if you need anything, you use the phone to phone me. No matter what. Okay?”
Mweoaa!
“And if I don’t pick-up-yoi.” Was this too much info at once? “You can press the other numbers on top. Until someone picks up. You get it?”
Mya!
Alright, nope. Chuckling he kissed Raven locks before laying the boy on his back, scratching the belly. Awing as paws were held before a chest and purrs racked the body. So cute. “We’ll first make sure you know how to call me properly and then we’ll see about the other numbers. We’ll figure it out together. You’re my smart kitty after all.”