Hizashi sighs, looking deep into her bright blue eyes.
"You are gorgeous and perfect in every way. And I don't want to do this, but you know we can't be seen together." She presses her face against Hizashi's neck. "Ah, don't be like this. It's only for a few hours until the shower is fixed." He pulls her away, holding her at arm length. "If the landlord finds out I'm hiding you here then he'll kick me out for sure on the next noise complaint."
Kiki Dee lets out a long miaaaaow and Hizashi chuckles, pulling her close and kissing her ears as her tail swishes.
"I know, I'm sorry. You're just too damn friendly to have strangers in the apartment. Your sister on the other hand…" He suspiciously eyes the space under the armchair where he had last seen Loleatta hide when the carrier came out. It's gonna take a good hour to coax her without getting hurt.
He glances at the time on his phone and curses.
He doesn't have that kind of time. He drops Kiki Dee in the carrier, apologizing at her yowl of protest. Hizashi pulls on his leather gloves – if he can get her out now he should have time to run them up to Mrs. Takemoto a few floors up before the landlord comes.
He couldn't. Loleatta fought him the entire time, and while he got out without injuries, he didn't quite have enough time to take them all the way up four floors.
"You are a bitch and you're lucky I love you," he mutters as he suspiciously sticks his head out in the hall. It's empty expect for Hizashi's next door neighbor, fumbling for his keys as he comes home.
Hizashi's only spoken with him a few times – only knows the guy by last name, and that he's a teacher of some sort, but what he doesn't know…
"Hey!" Hizashi whispers loudly. "Are you allergic to cats?"
The man, Aizawa, squints suspiciously at him – his door half open. "…. No?"
"Perfect!" Hizashi darts out and pushes the carrier into Aizawa's arms. "Can you watch them for a bit while the landlord comes over? Great thanks!" Spying the elevator at the end of the hall opening Hizashi shoves his neighbor and the cats into his apartment, shutting the door behind them.
"Heeeeeeeeeeey, Mr. Sasaki, how's it going?"
Shota is not often wrong-footed. Working with teenagers means he's used to certain level of unpredictability.
Like the time Aoyama brought in enough cheese to cover everyone's desks yet refused to eat any because he was lactose intolerant.
Or when Bakugo somehow managed to cause an explosion that knocked out half of the windows in the science lab.
And then there was the time that his coworker Yagi somehow managed to discover his birthday and brought in an entire cake with candles for him.
But this was one of the weirdest things that Shota has ever faced.
He holds the carrier up to peer at the two cats inside. Two pairs of bright blue eyes blink back at him.
"Hello."
One of them chirrups their own greeting and the other scoots further back in the crate, fur bristling but not hissing. Shota smiles as the friendlier one reaches a paw out.
He would've never expected his neighbor to be a cat person. He thinks the guy's name is Ya—something. Yamamoto, maybe? Yamada? Anyway. The blonde had always struck him as too loud, too energetic, too much like a squawking parrot to have a cat. Much less two.
He moves to the open floor of the living room and sits down before the carrier, opening it slowly.
"You can come on out." The friendly one immediately prances out, looking around curiously before coming over to him and demanding to be pet. Shota snorts, but runs one hand down her back and turns the tag on her collar to read it.
"What kind of name is Kiki Dee?" He asks and only receives a soft meow in answer, but that's likely because she's sniffed out the bag of cat treats he has in his pocket. He digs them out and offers her a couple of them, and then drops a few at the door of the carrier in hopes that they will tempt the other cat to come out.
After a couple of moments, mostly spend trying to keep Kiki Dee from darting forward and eating them, the treats eventually lure the other cat out. She eats the treats quickly, eyeing him suspiciously, and then darts off to hide beneath the kotatsu. Shota smiles, and flops back onto the floor – stretching and groaning as his back pops after a long day sitting. He turns his head to watch Kiki Dee, finished begging for treats, start to explore the apartment.
It's nice, having cats again. After Moka passed last year Shota had contented himself with feeding the strays on the way to school.
And the weekly visits to the cat café of course.
But it wasn't the same. He hears Kiki Dee find what sounds like an empty juice packet, the plastic crinkling as she bats it around. He closes his eyes with a content smile.
Hizashi sighs as he sees the landlord and the plumber off. Thankfully the shower hadn't taken nearly as long to fix as he had expected, but that hadn't stopped him from worrying about his babies the entire time.
He really doesn't know anything about his neighbor, though he'd like to. (Because what little he does know is that the man has an amazing ass. God bless those jeans!) But for now, he is a mystery. And while he was thankful that Aizawa hadn't come over and demanded he take his cats back while the landlord was there, the silence had been equally unnerving.
Hizashi peeps his head back out into the hallway, wincing when he notices the keys still in Aizawa's door. He knocks softly, a little embarrassed, and hears a grunt and a very familiar meow from inside.
"Hey, uh, Aizawa?" He calls. "It's Yamada."
A muffled "come in" comes through the door and Hizashi enters, taking the keys with him. He comes to a stop, jaw dropping. Aizawa is sprawled on his back on his living room floor, in the last rays of afternoon sun. But the most surprising thing is the fact not only is Kiki Dee curled up on his chest, Loleatta – the anti-social snob – is as well. Hizashi can hear her purring from here.
"Your cats have stupid names."
Hizashi blinks, and then stomps over. The cats just stare at him, used to his sudden movements. "Um, excuse me, but one-hit-wonders go down in history for a reason."
"Doesn't mean you should name your cats after them." Aizawa props himself up on his elbows, the cats protesting. "Why'd you throw them at me anyway?"
"Cause the landlord doesn't know I have cats." Hizashi huffs and drops down beside him. "Thanks for taking them, by the way."
"You didn't give me a choice." Aizawa sounds grumpy, but the gentle way he was petting Loleatta undermined his scowl. They remain quiet for a couple of moments, the only sounds was the purrs from the cats. "There're… good cats."
Hizashi lit up. "Yeah! One of the interns at the station was looking for someone to take in a couple of kittens a few years back and once I saw them I just fell in love." He reaches over and scratches Kiki Dee where she sits on Aizawa's lap. "They're a pain in the butt, but they're the still best, aren't ya, sweetie? Yes, you're the cutest thing ever!"
It takes Hizashi a moment to realize that Aizawa is staring at him. He flushes, pulling his hand back. Before he can embarrass himself further Aizawa laughs.
"Never would've taken you for being one of those pet owners."
"Shut up." Hizashi whines. He grabs Loleatta before she can protest and gently lowers her into the crate. When he turns back for Kiki Dee he sees Aizawa, sitting up now, holding the cat and watching her with a soft smile.
Hizashi's heart pounds.
"You, uh, would you ever be open to watching them again?" He asks.
Aizawa looks up at him. A thoughtful expression on his face. He looks back down at the cat in his arms and Hizashi barely hears his muttered response in affirmative. Aizawa loosens his grip on Kiki Dee and she trots over to Hizashi, rubbing against his leg. Hizashi packs her up as well, remembering to hand Aizawa his keys before he heads out.
He pauses at the door, feeling like he should say something else, but before he can figure out what that would be Aizawa speaks up.
"You… ever been to that cat café on third?"
"No?"
Aizawa turns away, looking disinterested. "I've got a free guest pass if you ever want to check it out. With me."
Hizashi can't help a grin from spreading across his face. "Yeah! That'd be great! Is tomorrow okay with you?"
Aizawa smiles. "Sure."