Shintarou's eyebrow twitched, his lips pulling downwards to form a displeased grimace.
"Takao, what is the meaning of this?"
He stared into large blue eyes that stared back at him unblinkingly. He scrunched his nose and glared harder, but those eyes were unrelenting, the pupils dilated.
"What do you mean, Shin-chan?" Kazunari asked merrily, his voice coming from the dining room.
The doctor gritted his teeth in annoyance, feeling uncomfortable about this staring contest but being too proud to back down.
"Oh, you know exactly what I mean, you're not fooling me." He replied drily, his gaze fixated on the tiny body that was obstructing his path. His eyes went over the entirety of its tiny body covered in black fur, its pointy ears, the flat nose, the long white whiskers, the round, fluffy face, the short legs with white, mitten-like white paws, the two small splotches of white fur on top of the head, the long tail that wiggled curiously. The little intruder cocked its head, blinked a couple of times, and squeaked, as if it were greeting him. Shintarou cringed, and the sudden noise made him yelp and look away.
"You know that I can't stand these… these… things!"
Finally, Takao appeared on the doorway with a silly grin on his face. He chirped 'Welcome home, Shin-chan', before finally following Midorima's gaze to find the little creature on the ground. His grin grew cheeky.
"Oh, you mean this cute little thing?" he picked it up and allowed it to curl in his arms. The creature squeaked a few more times, obviously not pleased at being away from the ground. "I'm sorry, Shin-chan, Kazuha's cat had kitties and she could no longer keep them. I told her you wouldn't like it, but she promised it'd be temporary, she's already looking for a permanent home. I promise she won't be around for more than a month."
Midorima sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "She'll have to find someone else. I won't have our place smelling of urine and our furniture covered in hair." He stated firmly, his gaze diverting from the tiny creature to Takao's clear eyes.
His partner pouted. "Pleeease, Shin-chan. Just one month. She'll be a good girl, I promise. I'll make sure to teach her how to use the litterbox, and I'll clean it too. I swear you won't find a single hair or any gross stink anywhere. Pretty please, Shin-chaaaaaan." He whined. "Look at her, how can you say no to that cute little face?" he brought her tiny, furry face next to his, her large blue eyes grew wider, almost as if she understood she ought to plead. And Shintarou didn't find the demonic creature cute at all, but then he glanced at Takao's pleading face and he rolled his eyes.
He pushed his glasses up his nose once again and grunted. "Fine" he breathed in annoyance. "Just one month. Not a single day more than that."
Kazunari's face lit up. "Yay! Shin-chan you're the best!" he squealed, taking a step forward to kiss his cheek.
Shintarou blushed lightly and rolled his eyes. It was most unfair that Kazunari had been gifted with the power of the most persuasive pleading face ever.
"TAKAO, YOU HAVE EXACTLY THREE SECONDS TO CLEAN THIS OR ELSE."
A yelp.
"Sorry, sorry, Shin-chan, she's still learning, sorry!"
A groan.
"If I smell the smallest speck of excrement the next time I come in here—"
"You won't, you won't I promise! Never again!"
Midorima closed the door behind him and didn't bother calling he was home. He knew Takao would be back late, it was one of his co-worker's birthday and they had all gone for some drinks, he would probably be back after midnight. He kneeled down to take off his shoes and found himself face to face with the dreadful ball of fur Takao had forced into their lives. The kitty was sitting straight facing the door, as if it had been waiting for his arrival. When its blue eyes met Midorima's green ones, it blinked twice and meowed, then took a few wobbly steps forward to rub its cheek against the doctor's calf.
Shintarou scowled. "That won't work." he said simply, as if the cat would understand that its plan had failed. Because Shintarou had no doubts this little display was all Takao's scheme somehow. He scowled again.
Deciding it was too early to go to bed and that he wanted to wait for his better half to get back home, he strolled to the living room, picked up a book from the coffee table and sat down on the couch to read. He hadn't been there for long when he noticed a black ball of fur moving in his general direction from the entrance, but he paid it no mind. The cat sat next to his leg and once again started rubbing its cheek against him, but Midorima continued to ignore it. As he flipped through the pages, the tiny animal left its spot, and Midorima almost counted it as a victory until he noticed the creature climbing on his foot, then to the coffee table, and finally, with a lot of effort, making a small leap towards his armrest, where it walked in small circles before curling into a ball next to his hand. He tried to shoo it away to no avail and eventually gave up and moved to the smaller sofa on the other side of the living room.
It took the cat about ten minutes to achieve its feat, but by the time it had once again found a comfortable spot next to Midorima in the sofa, all the doctor could bring himself to do was glare.
"Takao, the thing is vomiting."
Rushed steps down the hall.
"Oh, don't worry, it's just a hairball, it's normal."
An unamused glare.
"It better not be leaving normal things around the house then."
"I'm hoooooome" Takao sang merrily as he stepped through the door. The kitty was sitting in front of him, wagging its tail playfully, and staring up at the newly arrived house. "Oooh, you came to greet me, kitty?" he cooed, picking the tiny animal up and holding it to his chest affectionately.
"Welcome home" Shintarou said drily as he stepped into the living room. "Are you drunk?"
Kazunari smiled sheepishly and plopped down on the couch next to his beloved, pressing a wet smooch to his cheek. "Just a little bit tipsy, I know you don't like me when I'm wasted."
Midorima frowned, putting away his book and glancing in Takao's direction. His cheeks were lightly flushed, his hair slightly messy and his grin was definitely not entirely sober, but he didn't look intoxicated. He sighed and cupped his lover's cheek before leaning in for a short kiss, which was interrupted by a squeak coming from between their bodies. The green-haired doctor pulled away and glared at the ball of fur in Takao's arms and then up to meet his clear eyes.
"Don't get mad at me, she got scared, you almost squished her." He explained.
The doctor got up from the couch. "Which reminds me that you promised I would not find a single hair in the house and yet it looks like you purposefully spread them over every piece of furniture we own." He accused.
Takao put the kitty back on the floor. "I'll clean up tomorrow, I promise! I didn't expect such a tiny one to shed so much hair in such short time!" he whined pitifully.
Midorima sighed again. "I'm going to bed, are you coming?" Takao's face lit up with excitement. "To sleep, strictly. I will not have you when you are not in your five senses, you know that." He said firmly.
"Eeeeeh, but four out of five should be fiiiiine." Takao whined again, getting up too and following Midorima to the bedroom.
His boyfriend didn't reply, just shot him a definitive glance over his shoulder before climbing on the bed, already wearing his pajamas. Takao was quick to change into a simple ragged t-shirt and a pair of boxers before sliding under the covers and finding his usual spot, spooning against his beloved. Shintarou flung his arm around Takao's waist and pulled him closer, their limbs tangling together out of habit and their breaths coming out in perfect synch. Shintarou mumbled 'good night' and Takao's eyelids started to feel heavier when suddenly, a high pitched cry broke through the comfortable silence in the room.
Takao cracked one eye open and found the kitty sitting by his side of the bed, meowing loudly, then getting up and pawing at the bottom of the mattress.
"What's up, kitty?"
Expectedly, the kitten replied with more meowing.
"Did you feed it?" Midorima's voice intervened, as his large body shifted behind him.
"Eeeeh? But Shin-chan has been home for hours!"
"That thing is your responsibility, I told you I wanted nothing to do with it."
"Don't talk about her like she's an object, that's mean!"
"Does it have a name then?"
Takao didn't respond for a while and pouted. "I didn't want to name her because then I'll grow attached and won't want to let her go." He replied gloomily as he disentangled himself from his love and hopped off the bed, picked the kitten up and left the bedroom. Midorima felt a light pang of guilt in his chest, but he forced himself to ignore it.
He came back a few minutes later and climbed back on the bed, easily finding his way back into his former position. When Midorima's arm was back around his waist like it belonged there, he grabbed the large hand that rested on his abdomen and squeezed it.
"Hey, Shin-chan?"
He had a grunt for response.
"Can we… can we get a pet someday? I know cats are a no-no, but maybe something else? Like a small dog or a hamster… or a turtle…?"
Midorima shifted slightly, his hand moving to draw small circles on Takao's side, but remained silent.
"It's just… well we can't have children so…" Takao swallowed. "I… don't take me wrong, I wouldn't trade you for a hundred kids but… I just… I just kind of want to form a family with you… or as close as we can get…" he sighed and chewed on his lip lightly. He'd always dreamed of being a father, but that was a luxury that couples like them couldn't afford in a country like Japan.
Surprisingly, Midorima grabbed him by the hip and turned him around so they were now facing each other. His taped fingers caressed his love's cheek gently. There wasn't a smile on his face, but Takao could just sort of tell there was an implicit tenderness to his expression. "We'll discuss that when your sister takes the cat away." He said simply and pressed his lips to Takao's forehead before pulling him closer, his face burrowing in Shintarou's strong chest. He smiled softly and closed his eyes as the warmth of his beloved lulled him to sleep.
Midorima could feel light pinches on his stomach. They'd somehow rolled over in their sleep and Takao was now splayed comfortably on top of him, his disheveled raven hair tickling his shoulder and a small pool of drool gathering on his chest. He frowned at the sticky feeling and made a mental note about smacking Takao later. It wasn't unusual to wake up in this position, Takao moved a lot during the night and Midorima tended to have an unyielding grip of his boyfriend's waist, always managing to keep him close. The pinching sensation grew increasingly annoying and a lot more painful than a normal pinch should be.
"Takao, what are you doing?" he inquired, still resisting the urge to open his eyes.
His only response was a confused "Huh?", followed by a light shift from his beloved that brushed their thighs against each other. "'m sleepin' Shin-chan…" he drawled lazily, his fingers ghosting lightly over a toned arm.
"Then why are you pinching me?" he insisted, a light frown forming on his brow.
"'m nooooot…"
"You so are."
Their lazy banter was interrupted by a squeaky mewl that sounded a lot closer than it should. Midorima finally peered over Takao's head and found the dreadful ball of fur standing on top of him, pawing his clothed stomach with its claws drawn, which explained the strange sensation.
"Takao, your damn cat is trying to tear my skin away." He complained, trying to shoo the animal away but failing miserably with his body mostly immobilized by Takao's. The pain from the pawing was growing sharper.
The Hawk Eye finally showed signs of stirring and after a moment of silence, he looked up, his clear eyes a little foggy with sleep. "She's not trying to hurt you, stupid Shin-chan. Kitties do that to get milk from their mommy, it's a lingering habit."
The doctor grunted again. "Takao, you will teach the cat not to climb on the furniture or you'll be sleeping on the cat bed with it."
His lover whined lightly. "Shin-chan, it's too early to be so mean."
He slapped him lightly on the shoulder, making him wince. "Get up and get that thing off me already, it's hurting me."
Takao finally disentangled himself from Midorima, huffing in displeasure, and picked up the kitty. "C'mon sweetie, let's leave mean Shin-chan alone, you'll find a better mommy." He cooed, and they both left the bedroom. Shintarou sighed and reached for his glasses. Maybe he shouldn't have been so rough with Takao. He knew his boyfriend loved animals, but he really couldn't handle cats. Still, that was no reason to treat his lover –who had never been less than accommodating with his own eccentricities- so poorly. He'd have to apologize.
Without even fixing his bed hair, he walked out of the room and found Takao kneeling next to the kitten, who was too preoccupied with its kitten food to pay any mind to his protector's appreciative croons.
Midorima sighed. "Kazu." He began, his voice as soft as he could make it. "Kazu, I'm sorry. I was unnecessarily rude."
"Extremely rude, if you asked me." His lover replied indignantly, his eyes never leaving the kitten. "Sometimes I wonder why I stick with you, you never appreciate me properly."
Shintarou knew Takao didn't quite mean it, but it still hurt a little, because he had wondered the exact same thing more than once over the ten years they'd been together. "I do appreciate you, you know it. I'm just very bad showing it. You know you're the most important part of my life." He kneeled down next to Takao and watched as the kitten licked its lips, its bowl of food almost empty. "It's still early, come back to bed. We can rest until late today." Takao was a complete sucker for morning cuddles and he wasn't particularly unappreciative of them either, so it was always a good bargaining chip.
The shorter man hummed, as if considering his offer, but his eyes were still fixed on the kitten, that was now rubbing its cheek against Takao's knuckles.
"Only if you promise you won't be mean to the kitten either." He said finally, a small smile spreading over his lips as he scratched the animal's ear with one finger.
Midorima rolled his eyes. Somehow this had all ended in a 100% win-win situation for Takao and he was just noticing it now. He sighed again. "Fine. But you're still responsible for teaching it not to climb on furniture or me." He said with finality before getting up, scooping Takao up by the waist and flinging him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, making his way back to their bedroom. The Hawk Eye winced and whined and flailed in the midst of a fit of laughter and Shintarou couldn't help smiling just a little himself.
"Takao, the thing is sleeping on my pillow, again."
A giggle.
"Sorry, sorry. She probably likes the smell of Shin-chan's hair, can you even blame her?
A groan.
"Takao, what is it doing this time?"
He'd gotten up from the couch, where they were watching a Michael Jordan special documentary, because he heard odd ruffling noises from the entrance, only to find the ball of fur rolling around on top of his shoes, rubbing its cheeks against them, chewing lightly on the edges, and finally sneaking inside the left one until half of its body was hidden inside the shoe.
He could hear Takao's light steps coming to join him. The shorter man leaned over his shoulder, his chin resting lightly on it and one of his hands naturally falling to his hip.
"Well… sometimes cats like to crawl into tight spaces for some reason. Or maybe she just likes the smell of Shin-chan's shoes…" he theorized, watching as the kitty continued to twist and turn inside the shoe. "I've heard of cats who like the smell of stinky feet." He added with a hint of tease in his voice.
Midorima snapped back at him and glared. "My shoes. Do not. Stink." He chided, his brows furrowed in annoyance and Takao knew that was true because no one was as prissy about hygiene as his dear Shin-chan, but he couldn't help the idiot bug that lived inside him. "Get it out, it will fill it with hair." Shin-chan instructed drily.
Takao kissed his beloved's temple and decided to comply without protesting for once. The kitty had been with them a full week and he had to admit he hadn't really fulfilled his promise of taking responsibility for educating it and cleaning after the inherent mess, and yet Shin-chan had kept to light scolding, even that one time when he had accidentally stepped on a ball of hair that Takao had failed to clean. He knew Shin-chan was trying to remain serene, even in the less than pleasant circumstances, and had even reluctantly agreed to feed the kitten if Takao wasn't home.
He kneeled in front of the pair of shoes and was about to dig into the feline-occupied one, but stopped when he found the bane of Shin-chan's existence curled inside and sleeping soundly. When had that even happened? They hadn't taken their eyes off her, and she had been playing until a moment ago. How was he supposed to wake her when she looked so cute and peaceful?
"Uhm, Shin-chan?" he looked up and met his lover's eyes that were pretty much screaming Now what in absolute annoyance. "Come on, Shin-chan, look at her!" he whined, pointing at the shoe-turned-bed. The green-haired doctor complied and kneeled beside him. Takao saw him scrunch his nose and glare at the ball of fur. "Are you really that heartless that you'll make me wake her up when she looks so comfortable? You gotta understand that Shin-chan's smell is hard to resist, anyone would feel warm and safe in it." And he did his best effort at a puppy-pleading-face because he wasn't innocent enough to not know the effect it had on his otherwise gruff darling.
He followed Shintarou's eyesight to watch the sleeping pet, her eyes were closed and one of her tiny paws was partially covering her face, as if she wanted to protect herself from the light. Takao subconsciously reached out and scratched behind her ear softly. Without opening her eyes, she leaned into the touch and started purring. A smile pulled at the edges of his face, she was adorable.
Shintarou sighed beside him. "Fine. But get her out of there when she wakes up." He said, and Takao barely caught the soft expression on his face before he got up and left him with the sleeping kitty. He grinned brighter and lightly rubbed her exposed cheek. "Maybe you're growing on him too." He said, hopeful.
"Takao, I swear to god, if the cat eats one more of my reports I'm kicking you both out."
A whine.
"Well, Shin-chan should know better by now, you know she likes paper. It's your fault for leaving it in her reach."
A scowl and a defeated sigh.
Takao gasped breathlessly. "Shin-chan!... Yes, more!" he mewled, arching his back towards the man on top of him, their naked chests pressed together. He reached out blindly and found a strong jaw he could pull into a hungry kiss.
Shintarou's hands were everywhere and his vision was completely clouded with desire, his ears rang every time his love moaned out his name. He was getting close, he knew, and he increased the tempo to match his growing need.
The room was filled with the sound of skin slapping against skin, wet bodily noises, low growls and high pitched moans and pants. And in the midst of that cacophony of pleasure, a higher noise was caught by Shintarou's ears. He ignored it at first, he couldn't even make out what it was and he didn't care. The only thing that mattered right now was writhing in ecstasy in his arms, he had no mind for anything else.
Or so he thought, until the noise started escalating in pitch and proximity. He threw a sideways glance at the edge of the bed and his eyes widened in horror.
"GODDAMNIT, TAKAO!" he roared, pulling away in the most sudden movement he'd done in his life.
The Hawk Eye whined at the loss of skinship, and took a moment to catch his breath back. "Noooo Shin-chan, just a little mooore…" he pleaded, unaware of what had caused his lover's sudden outburst.
"A little more nothing, the damned cat is right there." Midorima growled, his excitement completely deflated by the intrusion.
Takao looked to his side and yelped. The kitty's face was literally four inches away from his, and she was crying as if the world was about to end.
"You forgot to close the door." The green-haired man continued matter-of-factly, climbing off the bed to pick up his scattered clothing.
"Sorry, sorry, Shin-chan. She probably thought you were killing me or something. I'll get her a treat and we can get back to it afterwards." He winked, picking the kitty up and walking towards the door, not bothering with clothes.
"Not in the mood anymore." Midorima replied, putting his t-shirt back on.
"Awww, Shin-chaaaaan! Not fair! It won't happen again, I'll close the door properly, I promiiiiise"
"Takao, it's the third time this week." Midorima chided in obvious frustration before rolling over on the bed to sleep.
"Takao, the cat brought a dead bird inside."
An excited squeal.
"Won't you look at her! She's such an amazing hunter already."
A roll of eyes.
"Will you clean it some day or are you planning to eat it?"
A scowl.
"That's mean, Shin-chan, she brought you a present, you should appreciate it."
A facepalm.
"Sure, whatever, I appreciate it, just take the dead animal off the carpet, for crying out loud."
It had been a while since the last time he had a 24-plus-hour shift and his body had apparently grown complacent with the more regular schedule, so he currently felt completely destroyed. All he could think of was to dive straight into bed, shoes and everything on, find his love's familiar warmth and sink into it. He rubbed a little bit of the sleepiness away from his eyes and managed to get his shoes off. He wobbled drowsily to the living room, where the TV was still on, and was surprised to find Kazunari fast asleep in front of it, sprawled over the coach.
Shintarou found the remote and turned the television off before sinking to his knees next to his sleeping boyfriend. He was drooling a little bit –he always did in his sleep- but to Shintarou, he still looked ravishingly beautiful with his eyes closed exposing his thick eyelashes, his disheveled inky hair, and the serene expression on his face. Shintarou noticed something else moving next to Kazunari's face, and he was surprised to find the kitten safely curled in the crook of Takao's neck, purring softly. Shintarou decided he was going to blame his sleep-clouded mind for thinking the two of them sleeping together looked criminally cute.
"Kazu… bed." He whispered affectionately, pushing some raven bangs away from Kazunari's face with his last remaining energy.
The shorter man stirred slightly, his eyes fluttered open. "Shin-chan… welcome home…" he drawled, a lazy smile drawing itself on his lips. The kitten stirred too, looking up at the two of them, clearly confused by the commotion. "Hey, can we take her to sleep with us tonight?" Takao suddenly asked, petting the kitten's head softly. "I would feel bad about leaving her alone, she kept me company all night." He explained, a gentle look on his eyes.
Midorima felt he should object, if only because Takao was clearly growing attached to the little pet and that would be bad when the time to part with it came, but he couldn't find the right words, so he just nodded reluctantly. "Keep her on your side of the bed."
Kazunari grinned and pecked his lips before picking the kitty up and nestling her in his arms. "See? I told you Shin-chan's actually really nice."
"Hey, Shin-chan? I know you've never liked cats, but you never told me why."
A pregnant pause.
"I was scratched by one."
A snort.
"You know, Shin-chan, sometimes I wonder if I'm really the idiot in this relationship."
A blush.
"Shut up."
When Midorima came back, he found Kazunari sitting on the couch, the television on, but mostly ignored, his clear eyes entirely focused on a cardboard box on the floor in front of him. He was wiggling his fingers on the edge of the box, and Shintarou didn't really understand what was happening until he saw a small paw emerge from the box and pat the fingers before retreating.
Kazunari giggled and repeated the motion, obtaining the exact same result. Then, he lifted his fingers and started wiggling them from higher above, dangling his hand on top of the box, his usual teasing grin adorning his features. A few seconds later, the kitten lept from inside the box and managed to graze the fingertips with its paw before landing back in the box. Takao laughed.
"See how high you're jumping, little one! You'll be a fearsome predator one day." He cooed tenderly, his eyes sparkling with affection. Midorima's chest clenched. They had little less than two weeks left with the cat, and although a part of him was relieved to be free of the annoying ball of terror, another part of him hurt thinking Takao had already grown so attached to the kitten.
It was then that Shintarou realized he was staring, and he decided to divert his gaze from his adorable boyfriend before he got caught and teased for it. He cleared his throat, drawing Takao's attention.
"Oh, Shin-chan, welcome home!" he greeted cheerfully, his fingers absentmindedly tapping on the box. "You're back early, did the surgery go well?"
He allowed himself a small smile before plopping on the couch beside his love. "Yes, we had some minor complications, but the patient will be discharged by next week."
"Shin-chan, you're a hero." Kazunari chirped, bumping their foreheads together.
Shintarou blushed, but leaned into the touch, his eyes wandering to find the cardboard box and the kitten pawing at Takao's now unmoving fingers, as if demanding them to move again. He couldn't hold back a light chuckle, imagining the kitten's frustration at the abrupt ending of the game.
"I think the cat wants you to play." He said abruptly, not sure of where the concern for the cat's entertainment came from.
Takao chuckled and grabbed his wrist. "You should play with her too." He said, handing him something that looked like a fishing rod, that ended in a bundle of feathers. "I know you don't want to risk getting scratched so you can use this. Just wiggle it on top of her head, she loves it."
Possessed by an unknown power (probably the magic of Takao's persuasive sultry voice) he did as instructed. He placed the bundle of feathers on top of the kitten's head and shook it tentatively. The ball of fur looked up with wide, curious eyes and sniffed the feathers. Shintarou shook the toy once more, and the kitten propelled herself to stand on her back legs and took a swipe at the feathers before going back on all fours. He repeated the action, this time the kitten lept and tried to grab the feathers with both of her front paws, but missed. The third time, he held the feathers a little bit lower, on level with her eyes. The kitten looked confused and taken aback at first, but once she recognized the toy, she lunged forward and caught it under her full weight. Shintarou felt a light tug on the end of the rope and had to tighten his hold on the rod slightly.
"She is… stronger than she seems." He conceded, tugging at the rod to set the feathers free, much to the kitten's frustration.
Takao smiled.
"Woah, Shin-chan, you're holding her?"
A scowl.
"She was sleeping on my keyboard."
A giggle.
"Maybe she knows you work too much."
Shintarou couldn't remember the last time he felt so bad. His boss had even sent him home early to rest and he had felt too weak to even try to argue about it. He called "I'm home." Faintly, but then remembered Kazunari had left for a training camp with his team and wouldn't be back until Monday.
A soft meow welcomed him and he looked down to find the kitten sitting in front of the door as she did every day to greet him.
"I'm home, cat." He repeated, dragging his feet to the kitchen so he could pop some pills and go straight to bed. He was sporting a nasty 39°C fever and his head was spinning. A chill went up his body. The cat meowed, and Midorima wondered if it was the fever making him believe the animal was concerned about him. He swallowed the medicine with the help of a glass of water and made his way back to the bedroom. With great efforts he slipped his pajamas on and tucked himself under the bedsheets. He wished Kazunari were home to curl against him and keep him warm (and probably make a fuss about everything, "Shin-chan are you alright?", "Shin-chan, your fever is awful, I'll take you to the hospital", "No, Shin-chan, you lie down and let me take care of you"), it felt awfully lonely without him. He felt slightly tempted to phone his boyfriend, if only to hear his voice, but shook the idea away immediately. Not only would Takao be perfectly capable of noticing he was sick even if he didn't tell him, but he would also not hesitate to drop everything he was doing and take a helicopter back home if he knew (he didn't own a helicopter, but Takao was the king of silver tongues, he'd get himself one if he really needed it). He smiled a little at the thought and closed his eyes, hoping the sleep would help the pills take effect.
As the drowsiness started clouding his senses, he thought he heard a low meow before feeling a small weight climbing on top of him. He peeked down and found the kitten walking in circles over his chest before curling down, as if she had already decided this was going to be her bed for tonight. A soft vibration rumbled on the spot, which he found oddly comforting. He decided to tell himself he was too tired to fight off the animal and instead settled for petting her lightly as sleep took over him.
"Shin-chan, she's licking your fingers!"
A disinterested shrug.
"C'mon, take this seriously! You know cats only lick their family!"
A grin.
"That means Shin-chan is really lucky!"
Kazunari sighed in contentment as he stepped out of the shower, clad in nothing but his boxers and a fluffy towel draped over his shoulders.
"Shin-chan! You can use the bath now!" The shorter man licked his lips, pondering the possibility of launching a surprise attack on his boyfriend once he was naked and wet. "Shin-chan?" he called, curious about the lack of response. He walked over to the living room and found his lover engrossed in a book –nothing new there- and the kitten sleeping soundly on the doctor's lap, purring happily as Shin-chan's hands traveled through its fur leisurely.
His heart skipped a beat. There was something extremely cute and kind of hot about the way Shin-chan pet the cat which he claimed to hate, so casually, as if he'd been doing it all his life. He looked kind of manly, a book opened with one hand, the other stroking the kitten's head. His chest clenched thinking his sister would come pick her up in four days. He thought it'd be easy to let her go, but he'd grown too attached too quickly and it would be hard to say goodbye to her.
Discarding the thought of shower sex, he tiptoed back to his room to pick up his phone and snap a silent photo of his love actually getting along with a cat. He smiled softly at the picture and tucked the phone away before finally stepping into the living room and sitting down next to his darling. Shintarou didn't even flinch and continued reading and petting the kitten, unfazed.
"I know you've been lurking there for a while, just so you know."
Takao grinned mischievously and pecked his boyfriend's cheek before leaning his head on his shoulder. Without a word, Shintarou put away his book, turned on the TV and switched to the channel of Takao's favorite drama before slinging his now free arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer. The kitten yawned and stretched on Shintarou's lap, but the doctor kept petting her lightly. Kazunari's grin widened and he briefly wished he could take a picture of the three of them like this.
"Hey, Shin-chan? D'you think… can the kitty sleep with us tonight? S-she's leaving tomorrow so…"
Nervous fidgeting.
"Sure."
A wide grin.
Shintarou woke up with two bodies on top of his, one draped over his chest and tangled with his limbs, and another one small and furry curled on his stomach. He peeked at the clock on the bedside table and sighed.
"Kazunari… it's almost nine, your sister will be here soon."
Clear eyes fluttered open groggily and a pout settled itself on Kazunari's lips. "Yeah… that's true…" he sighed sadly, slipping out of the bed. Shintarou groaned and looked down at the sleeping cat. He chewed on his lip. He knew Kazunari was sad about letting her go but… He stroked her head softly and picked her up so he could get dressed too. She stirred and meowed, her large blue eyes blinking open and staring up at him in confusion. After putting clothes on, he picked her up again and allowed her to climb to his shoulder, where she nuzzled his neck. Her nose was wet and cold, but it didn't really bother him.
The doorbell rang shortly after and Kazunari went to open the door begrudgindly.
"Big bro!" Kazuha chirped, throwing her arms around her brother's neck enthusiastically. "Oh, Shin-nii, hi!" she added when she noticed his presence. "Thanks for doing this, if I had known you disliked cats so much I wouldn't have asked Nii-chan, I'm sorry."
He waved a hand dismissively. "It's nothing." He assured her, unawaredly running his fingers over the kitten's back.
"Oh! I didn't notice you had her there!" she pointed cheerfully. "Wow, she's grown so much! She looks just like my Blacky when she first came home." She continued, reaching out to touch the kitten, still latched to Shintarou's shoulder.
Hesitating, Shintarou clasped his hand around the kitten's midsection and tugged her away from his shoulder. It took a couple of tugs, the little one was clinging to his shirt as if for dear life, but he finally managed to pull her away and place her on Kazuha's hands. The kitten meowed unhappily. Shintarou's chest tightened.
"Hey, hey what's up? You forgot about me?" the girl joked as the kitten tried to wriggle out of her grasp. "Nii-chan, I brought a carrier, it's right behind me, could you pass it here and open it? She's fighting me a lot." She said, slightly confused.
Kazunari complied. He picked the carrier up and opened the door, in level with Kazuha, who was struggling to keep the kitten from squirming away. Finally, she managed to push her into the carrier, but the moment she closed the door, the kitten started crying in anguish.
"Don't cry, sweetie, it's just for a little while, okay? I'll give Kazuha your toys and food so you don't get bored in your new home." Takao cooed, and Midorima could see his eyes were slightly watery.
"You bought her toys and everything? It was just one month!" Kazuha observed, trying to calm the distressed kitten with soothing sounds.
"Yeah, well… she just got really bored when we weren't around…" Kazunari blushed, while handing his sister the myriad of toys they'd gotten for their temporary guest. She smiled back at him. "Guess this is goodbye, huh? We had a lot of fun, didn't we? Be a good girl to your new family, okay?" Kazunari whispered, wriggling his finger inside the cage, allowing the kitten to lick it.
"Say bye, kitten!" Kazuha cooed, turning for the door. "Sorry that I can't stay longer, she obviously doesn't enjoy the cage. Thanks both for your help, you really saved my life."
Kazunari was now sniffling. Shintarou felt a knot in his throat.
"Uhm… Kazuha-san?" he blurted.
"Oh, come on, Shin-nii, I've told you a million times to drop the '-san', how long have we been family?" she teased. "What's up?"
"Have you… have you found a good home for her? Someone you trust?"
She blinked at him, confused. "Well… sort of. A friend of mine has an animal shelter; he'll keep her there until we can find something more permanent. You know most apartment complexes in Tokyo don't allow pets, so it's hard to find someone who can take her." She admitted regretfully.
Kazunari looked up at him, his confusion mirroring his sister's. "Shin-chan…?"
"I just thought… it would be bad for her to change environments too many times in a short time so…" he paused, hesitated, and convinced himself he was doing this just to keep the love of his life from crying. "…well, she could stay here… until you really find a permanent home for her, of course…"
Both siblings' eyes widened in surprise. The silence was only broken by the kitten's constant cries.
"Sure!" Kazuha said finally. "She seems to like you guys anyway. Yeah, that would be great!" she continued, "I mean, as long as that's okay with you."
Shintarou blushed. "It won't… it won't be a problem… So long as Kazunari continues to clean all of her disasters—"
"I will! I'll clean them forever!" Kazunari chirped excitedly, his eyes teary with joy.
Kazuha smiled. "Awesome! Thanks a lot Shin-nii, you're the best!" She put the cage on the floor and opened the door. The kitten bolted out of it and dashed straight to rub against Shintarou's legs frantically. He picked her up and immediately allowed her to climb back to his shoulder, from where she booped her head against his cheek, purring happily. Kazunari clinged to his arm and mimicked the motion, rubbing his cheek against his bicep. And Shintarou allowed himself a small smile.
"Shin-chan, Shin-chan, we have to give her a name!"
A sigh.
"Isn't 'cat' good enough?"
A whine.
"Nooooooo, are you an idiot? Would you like to be called 'human'? No, Shin-chan, we have to give her a proper name like, like… Terror of the Night or like Black Widow or Super Ninja or…"
A quirked eyebrow.
"Cotton."
"What?"
"We'll call her 'Cotton'"
"But she's black, Shin-chan, you can't call her Cotton!"
A cheerful meow.
"…unless she likes it."
A small smile. Long fingers patting on the couch.
"Here, Cotton."
A kitten climbing to reach her owner's hand.
A giddy grin.
"Cotton it is."
Curled on the coach whilst watching the repetition of a JBL game, Kazunari nuzzled his love's chest. Cotton was washing herself in the small space between their bodies and the edge of the coach, licking her small paw before rubbing her face with it.
"Hey, Shin-chan? What changed your mind about keeping her?" he asked suddenly. Three days had passed and Kazunari had been worried he'd change his mind if he asked, but the curiosity was killing him.
Shintarou blushed and looked away, his fingers gliding lightly over the sparse skin available in the gap between Kazunari's shirt and his pants. "You got attached." He explained, his thumb finding the crevice of a hipbone.
Kazunari hummed pleasantly, but that didn't keep him from detecting the old tsundere tone in his better half's voice. "You're not fooling me, Shin-chan. You grew attached to her too." He said teasingly, his hand finding Shintarou's free one and lacing their fingers together. His lover didn't reply, and looked away, the blush on his cheeks spreading to the tips of his ears. He squeezed the larger hand in his and felt it squeeze back. "Who would've thought. Shin-chan-sama getting a soft spot for a cat. And she was the bane of your existence only a little while ago."
Shintarou frowned.
"I seem to remember someone else being the bane of my existence for a much longer time, and look where that got me."
Kazunari burst out laughing. Cotton finished her bath and curled into a ball to sleep. Shintarou decided to silence that annoying laughter with a kiss.
The end.
I've been writing at a mile per minute to get this one done before MidoTaka week ends. As you may know, Character Bible says Shin-chan hates cats because he was scratched by one (Shin-chan is such a diva, I swear). I wanted a slow burn of him getting around that dislike because how can anyone dislike cats, they're the most adorable creatures ever. I have a cat myself, and pretty much all of the behavior here displayed was inspired by her, including the "sleeping with you when you're ill".
I hope you enjoyed, this is easily the biggest ball of fluff I've written in my life. Please let me know what you think about it