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“Absolutely not.”
The Doctor’s got his arms crossed watching Mia parade around the kitchen, a pout resolutely on her face. Behind her trails a tiny orange kitten, its tail stood straight up.
“But Dad!” Mia pauses, leaning over to scoop up the kitten and hold it up to him. “Look at that sweet little face!”
The Doctor won’t admit it, because it would completely ruin his argument, but the kitten is quite precious. It’s still a little damp from the rain it was caught out in. Its big eyes are hard to say no to, as are Mia’s right behind it. He’s always had a hard time saying no to her (he’s been called the “fun parent” a few times, to Rose’s dismay).
He sighs and scrubs a hand down his face, breaking contact with the two sets of pleading eyes. “No… no! We can’t have a kitten running around. Your mum and I are gone at random hours and you’re off at school most of the day. It needs proper care and attention that we can’t provide. Your mum will agree.”
“I’m only gone till 2 this semester! I’ll make sure to spend more time home to care for it!” She’s cradled the kitten against her chest protectively.
“Where did you even find it? It could be sick… or belong to someone.”
“I was walking home and it popped out of a bush near that abandoned lot by the creek. It marched right up to me, so I stopped to pet it for a bit. Then when I started back walking, it just followed me! It chose me, dad!” The cat has crawled up her shoulder now and is perched looking around the kitchen.
She looks and sounds just like her mother right now. Back on the Tardis, Rose was always picking up strays (cats, humans, aliens, other various life-forms). The Doctor couldn’t say no to her then and he’s really fighting to say no to Mia right now.
He sighs, a great big dramatic thing that Mia knows is a sign he’s close to cracking. “Ask your mother once she’s home. She just ran out to grab a few things from the shop.”
Mia squeals with delight, snatching the kitten off her shoulder and holding it up to her face. “Yes! Mum’s gonna love you!” Then she’s off, heading up stairs to acquaint the kitten with her bedroom.
“Don’t let it into my office!” The Doctor calls as an afterthought. He hears a muffled affirmative from the hall.
It’s not that the Doctor doesn’t like cats. On the contrary, he’s been friends with quite a few cats over the years… also held at gunpoint by some. The one Mia brought home even reminds him of that cat him and Rose saw in London during the Olympics, albeit much smaller. The two of them discussed getting a pet of some kind before Mia came along, but ultimately decided their lives were still a bit too hectic to take one on.
K-9 was the closest thing he ever had to a proper pet. A robot dog was an ideal companion. The friendship of a dog without all the mess of a dog. Baby proofing the house when Mia was younger was a struggle enough. A cat could go wherever it wants! In his office alone, there’s enough alien tech that could easily harm a cat that got a bit too curious.
No, he’d simply have to convince Rose that a cat was a horrible idea and they needed to take the kitten to a shelter immediately. Rose said no to Mia all the time (earning her the moniker of “boring parent,” much to her dismay). She’d see the cat, put down her foot, and the cat problem would be gone.
Unfortunately, that’s not at all how the interaction went once Rose arrived back home.
At the sound of the front door, Mia raced downstairs with the kitten in hand and thrust it towards her mum before she could even put her bags down.
“Aww! Who’s this?” Rose immediately pulled the kitten into her arms. “Hello, ginger baby! Aren’t you a precious thing?” She scratches behind its ears and it begins to purr.
“Rose! Mia has--” The Doctor races into the front hall, glasses pushed up into his hair. He freezes at the sight. “...a cat.” He knows it’s too late already. Mia knew exactly how to get what she wanted. Little do they both know, even if the Doctor had gotten to make his case, Rose would’ve melted at the first sight of the kitten regardless.
“Can we keep it, mum?” Mia pleads, big brown eyes shining and her bottom lip extra pouty.
A silence falls over the entryway as Rose thinks it over. A silent conversation happens between her and the Doctor. He raises his eyebrows in question. She purses her lips, taking a look at the kitten again. When she looks back at the Doctor it’s with a look he also can’t say no to, so he concedes and rolls his eyes a bit. It’s two against one at this point, and the one is very weak to blondes with big brown eyes.
“We’ll have to get supplies and take him to the vet.” Before Mia can prance around in success, Rose puts on her ‘mom voice’ to lay down some ground rules. “This will be your responsibility, Mia. It’s not just a fish you take home from the carnival and feed once a day. A cat needs proper attention. You’ll clean the litter box and feed him as a part of your normal chores.”
Mia stands up a bit taller. “Yes! I promise! I’ll be so good about it. I’ll show you how much of a responsible adult I can be.”
“Adult?!” The Doctor asks with a raised eyebrow.
Rose sets the kitten down and watches as it makes its way over to him. He stares at it incredulously even as it stands up and puts its front paws against his leg. It lets out a pathetic little meow.
Mia gasps at the display. “He likes you!”
“It probably just wants food.” he answers quickly. The kitten meows again in response.
“What are we going to call him?” Rose prompts, growing tired of referring to the kitten as an ‘it’.
The three look at one another as they think. While the Doctor doesn’t care much for the cat sticking around, he does have some proper opinions on what it should be named.
“I think he looks like a Bill.” Mia says. The kitten meows again and turns towards Mia. “That settles it. You’re Bill now! Full name’s William, for when you’re being naughty.” She scoops him up, smiling proudly at her parents. The Doctor smiles back, a little bit in defeat, but mostly he just loves her spirit. She reminds him more and more of Rose when they first met every day.
Rose coos at the kitten a moment before noticing the Doctor’s expression. She goes over to him and gives him a kiss, not wanting him to feel left out of the affection. He preens at the attention. “Do you need me to go back out and get food and such for him?”
“I‘ll go with you. Need to stretch my legs and stop thinking about maths for a bit.” He nods, lacing his fingers with Rose’s. “You two hold down the fort.” He gives a pointed look to Mia and the kitten— sorry, Bill.
Mia takes Bill’s tiny paw in her hand and motions a salute. Then, she’s off upstairs to settle in for the evening with him.
The Tyler residence takes to a new furry family member quickly. Bill is a charismatic cat that has a lot of opinions. His favorite place to nap is on top of Mia’s dresser upon a piece of discarded clothing. His favorite treats are the crunchy salmon kind. (He will not eat the tuna flavor.) He’ll spend the mornings begging for any scrap of whatever’s for breakfast, making sure to be right underfoot. The Doctor’s office is strictly off limits, but that doesn’t mean Bill doesn’t find ways to sneak in when he can, stretching out on the scattered papers and pawing at any spherical object.
Bill also needs to be near Mia or the Doctor at all times. When one isn’t available, the other is sure to have the cat nearby. When they’re both occupied, Bill will settle for cuddles with Rose, but it’s clearly not his favorite. The Doctor pretends to hate the attention, but when no one else is around, he’ll let the cat curl up in his lap and get extra comfy. Rose is especially jealous of him the first time she catches him being so sweet with Bill.
(“Why won’t he sit with me like that? I have a perfectly good lap. You nap in it all the time!”)