A/N: Just something I did to help me get over a writer's block a few weeks ago. Also, fun fact: did you know that the little stoop between the street and the sidewalk (you know, the thing most people call a curb) is actually spelled "kerb"? I didn't. O.o

Thank you to HereWeGoOnceMore for the beta!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, but I do own some cats! :D

The sign on the box said free kittens, and that was it. Allison hadn't wanted to put anything else; it just made it seem like she was abandoning them even more. Which was just silly, of course—she was a college student, for crying out loud, she couldn't keep one kitten in her dorm, let alone five—but she couldn't help feeling reproached every time one of the little guys looked up at her and mewed.

To make up for it, she was sitting next to the box on the kerb to make sure that the kittens at least got decent homes. She had set out with hopes of a few nice families, maybe someone lonely looking for companionship, but so far the only ones to give her and her little friends any consideration were a few pigeons trying to steal the cat food she had left in a dish inside the box.

Three hours and forty-seven minutes later, she thought, and not even a single parent looking for an apology-present for a five-year-old.

To be fair, it was a Monday afternoon, so not a lot of people were around. She should have come out on a weekend, but she had already had these guys for three days and her roommate was starting to get sick of finding cat litter in her sock drawer. She had to give them up eventually, and she didn't have class today, so here she was. Sitting on a kerb in front of a supermarket with a box of kittens next to her and four hours of her day gone.

Even the cats were getting bored. Most of them had already curled up for a nap. Allison was starting to wish that she could do the same.

If only the darn things weren't so cute and I could just leave them here. Damn my conscience.

"Pardon me," someone said behind her, "miss?"

Allison looked up into the apologetic face of the supermarket's manager. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry," he said, "but we're closing now, and we have a strict no-loitering policy. I'm going to have to ask you to leave for tonight."

Allison sighed. "Okay, guys," she said to the box, "looks like you're coming home with me again." She brushed off her jeans and started to stand up, lifting the box. "Maybe tomorrow we can—"

"Excuse me."

Allison looked up and saw someone walking toward her. He was young—maybe twenty-something— with dark hair and soft green eyes. And he was looking at her cats.

Allison felt her heart leap. He was looking at her cats!

"Can I help you?" she said.

The man nodded. "I would like to know... about the cats." He spoke slowly, hesitating slightly. "Please," he added.

"Well, I found them behind the bleachers at my school," Allison said, looking down at the box in her arms. "I think they were abandoned, or maybe something happened to their mother. I would have left them, but there are a lot of weirdos around there. I was afraid something might happen to them. They're only a couple weeks old, I think."

The man reached into the box and picked up one of the kittens, holding it at eye level. Then, to Allison's surprise, he lifted it slowly and set it down... on his head. It yawned and snuggled down into his hair, closing its eyes.

"Um," Allison said.

"And you're giving them away?" the man said.

"Well, yeah," Allison said, still staring at the kitten. "I mean, I can't really keep them, since my roommate's allergic, and we don't have much room anyway."

The man nodded slightly, causing the cat on his head to open its eyes and look down at him reproachfully.

"I think," the man said, "that I would like to take them."

Allison blinked. "What, all of them?"

The man studied the cats seriously for a moment. Then he said, "Yes. All of them."

"Do you... I mean, do you have room for all of them?"

"Yes," he said. "I have... quite a few cats."

"How many do you have?" Allison asked.

The man thought about it. "A lot," he said finally.

"Are you sure that you want all of them?" Allison said doubtfully.

"Yes."

"They all need their shots and stuff. And the vet I called said that they have to be fed every few hours."

"I know," the man said. "There is a cat at my home who lost her babies." He looked as if this distressed him immensely. "She will take care of them. It will make her... happy."

Allison took a deep breath. On the one hand, he seemed nice enough. And he was willing to take all of them. On the other hand, he might be one of those crazy people who had too many pets and forgot to feed them and never cleaned up and—

... Oh, who was she kidding? She had to get rid of these kittens.

"Okay," she said finally. "Just... make sure you take good care of them, okay?" She smiled a little. "I've grown kind of attached to them. I'd hate to have anything bad happen to them, you know?"

The man nodded. Then he said, "I will take good care of them." He held out a hand. "My name is Heracles."

Allison took it. "I'm Allison. And thanks."

Heracles nodded. "Yes. You're welcome." He picked up the box of cats and started to walk away, pulling out a cell phone as he went.

As she headed back to her car, she him say, "Kiku? I am sorry to bother you, but... I may need to have you call airport customs for me and warn them that —"

Just keep walking, Allison told herself.