Wide ocean blue eyes stare up at Makoto, claws out in self-defense. The brunet smiles gently in response, brandishing a freshly-bought can of mackerel.
"Hi, little one," the man coos, popping the lid and placing the food before the hungry cat. It immediately pounces on the treat, purring in delight.
Makoto runs a hand through its shiny black coat. The cat has been roaming around in the bushes outside of his apartment for nearly a week, and while he doesn't mind its company, he can't help but worry. Where could its owner be?
"What if it's homeless?" he gasps aloud, drawing the animal's attention. It gazes up at him, head cocked to one side curiously. With its neck stretched, the brunet could see the fur around its neck flattened and sticking up at odd angles, probably from a collar that had fallen off.
Makoto quickly gives it an encouraging smile, patting its head softly. "Don't worry, you can stay with me until we find your owner!"
The feline seems content with his proposition, rubbing its head against his hand. The man smiles brightly, scooping the animal up into his arms and bringing it inside. He sets out another can of fish, this time tuna.
The cat hisses when it catches a whiff of the fish, shoving the tin aside. Makoto watches the response in shock.
"What's wrong? Is it spoiled?" He fumbles with the can, trying to make out an expiration date.
He doesn't notice the feline slinking around his groceries until a loud thud resounds through the room, a startled screech accompanying it. He jumps in alarm, scrambling to the scene to find half of his groceries scattered across the floor and a black mass in the middle of it, gnawing at another can of mackerel.
Rather than be upset, he laughs in amusement, taking the can from the cat and popping it open for it. "I guess you only eat mackerel, huh?"
The cat seemingly nods in response, pink tongue poking out to lap at the fish. Makoto stares at it in wonder for a moment before recalling that there was a mess to be cleaned.
The following day, on his way to his morning class, Makoto stops off at the library to print copies of the "found" poster he'd made. While he did enjoy curling up with the adorable cat the night before, (the warmth of an extra body was incredibly pleasant), he feels responsible for finding the feline's owner.
He runs off twenty copies of the flyer, sticking them up periodically around the campus throughout the day. Considering that he lives a few minutes away from the university, someone on campus must know who the black cat belongs to.
At the conclusion of his last class, he bolts from the room, afraid of leaving the feline unattended for too long. He left enough food to last a few hours, but his apartment isn't exactly animal-friendly.
Upon reaching his front door, he pauses, bracing himself for the worst. Taking a breath, he slips his keys into the lock and opens the door.
"I'm home, little one," he calls, shutting the door behind him and hanging his coat up. A black blur is all the warning he gets before his housemate latches itself onto his torso. Its small head nuzzles into his chest, wide blue eyes gazing up at him.
Makoto blinks in surprise, the hand not occupied by his keys rising to pet the animal gently. He wraps an arm around the cat and carries it into his small living room, relieved to see it still in one piece.
He sets his bag down on the table and sits on the couch, allowing the cat to crawl onto a cushion next to him.
"I put some of the posters up," he tells it, pulling one out of his bag. The feline's head nods again, eyes scanning the paper intelligently. "Hopefully your owner will see it and call me. Then they can come here to pick you up!"
The blue eyes settle on him after his proclamation, and Makoto swears there's hidden emotion behind the look. Did the animal even want to be found?
"Hey, how about I go change, then make us some dinner?" Makoto offers. The cat's eyes light up, and it nods, leaping off of the couch to follow him inside.
Makoto strips off his day's clothes, slipping into a pair of sweatpants. He couldn't shake the feeling of the feline's eyes watching him change. Why am I so uncomfortable? It's just a cat.
Turning back to the other occupant in the room, Makoto scoops it up and carries it into the kitchen. He places it onto the counter, digging in his cabinets for ingredients.
A meow draws his attention to the cat, holding a pack of rice out to him. Makoto's green eyes widen in shock, hands automatically accepting the package. "Do you cook with your owner?"
He must be going crazy, because he swears that the cat shrugs, as if to passively say, "yeah, what of it?" Shaking his head, Makoto fills a pot with water and sets it on the stove to boil. He then turns to his refrigerator, pulling out a pack of scaled mackerel.
The cat's eyes light up in glee upon recognizing its favorite dish. Makoto catches the shift and chuckles. "I don't usually eat it," he states, placing a pan on the stove to heat up as well, "but since you like it so much, I might as well try it again."
The feline nods encouragingly, watching as he prepares the meal. Its paws point at various spices that Makoto normally wouldn't use but just happened to have. When it's finished, the brunet dishes some out for himself and his eager companion.
He watches the feline dig into the meal with amusement before eating some from his own plate. To his genuine surprise, the food is exceptionally tasty.
"How did you learn to do this?" he asks incredulously, wide eyes looking to the cat casually eating from its bowl. Said feline glances up with another shrug, quickly returning to its meal, leaving Makoto to stare at it in wonder.
Two weeks pass before Makoto gets a call from an unknown number.
"Hello?" he greets politely, eyes meeting the curious blue of the cat beside him.
"Hi, is this Tachibana Makoto?" a somewhat deep voice asks on the other line.
Makoto nods, then recalls that he's on the phone and voices his affirmation. "How can I help you?"
There's a slight pause before the other answers, "I believe you have my cat."
Makoto inhales sharply, looking at the feline lounging on his couch sadly. "Would you like to come pick him up?"
"If it's not too much trouble," the voice replies hopefully, the jingle of keys audible in the background.
Makoto has to gulp down the lump in his throat to respond. "Sure, it's no trouble at all." He quickly recites his address for the man, trying not to stutter.
The call ends, Makoto sighing and meeting the cat's gaze again. "Well, it looks like your owner is on his way," he announces.
Blue eyes widen, and the feline leaps up in excitement, scrambling for the door. A sharp pang hits Makoto's chest, but he conceals the pained expression that wants overtake his features, suggesting instead, "how about we clean you up? I'll draw a bath for you."
Realizing his mistake, Makoto shuts his mouth, worried that he upset the animal stereotypically afraid of water. To his astonishment, the feline perks up and makes a mad dash for the bathroom.
He shakes his head. Two weeks of excitement, and the cat is still surprising him. He quickly follows, drawing a small bath and adding a bit of soap. He has to restrain the animal from jumping in before the water is warm enough, holding it back with one hand and testing the water with the other. Once he deems it warm enough, he closes the tap and releases the feline.
Just as he's drying his hands on a towel, the doorbell rings. He casts a weary glance at the cat splashing around in the small pool of water before rushing out to answer it.
"Hi-" he begins, jaw dropping upon observing his guest. Shoulder-length fiery red hair frame a gorgeous face with strong features. Blood red eyes clash with the warm smile stretching across soft pink lips. A black tank top shows off muscular arms and a strong core. Tight blue jeans hug the male's hips and accentuate a firm behind. Makoto has to stop himself from drooling.
"Hey, I'm Matsouka Rin, we talked over the phone," the other greets, clasping Makoto's hand and giving it a firm shake.
Makoto nods, stepping aside to let the man in. Rin whistles as he enters, hands in his pockets. "You've got a nice place," he compliments with a wink.
The brunet blushes. "Thanks," he mumbles politely, following the redhead further into his home. "Can I get you anything?"
They stop in the kitchen, Makoto moving to his refrigerator. "Some water would be nice," Rin answers with a smile, taking a seat on a barstool as the brunet quickly fills a glass. "Speaking of which, where's Haru?"
It takes a second for Makoto to realize that that must be the cat's name. "Ah, he got excited when I was on the phone with you, so I suggested he take a bath to clean up for you. He's probably still in there…" Makoto's voice trails off at Rin's pale expression.
The redhead bolts up from his seat, eyes darting toward the hallway. Makoto follows his line of vision anxiously. "What, is he not supposed to take baths?"
Rin suddenly blushes, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, it's not that he isn't supposed to take baths more than what happens when he does…"
Makoto opens his mouth to ask for an elaboration when he hears soggy footsteps tentatively making their way down his hallway. A figure wrapped in the same towel from the bathroom emerges, blue eyes meeting his before landing on the other occupant in the room.
"Rin!" the man says, mildly surprised, though his features don't shift much to express it.
Rin smiles brightly at the newcomer, arms wide in a silent request for a hug. "Haru!"
The black-haired man pads over to him, but rather than lean into the embrace, he hits the other with his towel. "Asshole, where were you?" he scolds, mouth downturned.
Rin raises his arms in defense, wincing when the damp towel strikes him. "Damn it, Haru, that hurts," he whines.
Haru stops, wrapping the towel back around his shoulders. He allows himself to be pulling into a small hug, still pouting.
"Why did you leave?" Rin asks, disappointment coating his words.
"You left first," Haru deadpans, crossing his arms. "Your sister is nice, and all, but she's not you," he adds in a soft voice.
Rin's eyes widen, and he gently sweeps Haru's long bangs from his face. "Haru, you know that I was called back to Australia for a competition. I'm sorry that I had to leave you, but I would've had no one to watch you."
Haru blushes and looks away. "It's not like I would've run away and gotten lost," he mumbled defensively.
Rin can't help the chuckle that bubbles up past his lips. "Well you managed to do that here."
Makoto watches the exchange with wide eyes. Did he call the man 'Haru'? Upon closer examination, Makoto noticed that the man didn't have ears on the side of his head, but had a pair of shiny black feline ears poking out of his hair. A long black tail snaked out from beneath the towel, passively swaying back and forth.
"Y-You're not a cat?" he finally manages to say.
Two pair of eyes, blue and red, glance at each other before meeting his wide green ones.
"I am a cat," Haru states, wriggling his ears and tail for emphasis.
"B-But you're also human!" Makoto accuses, blushing as he recalls all of the instances of Haru being around him while he was indecent. "Y-You watched me change and take showers!"
Rin's eyes widen, and he shoots a glare at the black-haired male. "Was I really gone that long?" he teases.
Haru rolls his eyes and swats him on the head. "I didn't have sex with him, moron," he answers.
"But you slept with him," Rin points out, smirking when he dodges another hand. "Hah! Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!"
"If it'll shut you up," Haru mutters, grabbing the front of Rin's tank top and dragging him into a rough kiss.
Makoto's brain nearly explodes. He just learned that the cat he's been caring for and sleeping with for the past two weeks is not entirely a cat, but also a hot young man, and is now watching him make out with his equally attractive "owner."
Haru broke the kiss, blue eyes settling on Makoto. He slinks over to the brunet in a manner that should be illegal, and leans up to the man's ear on his toes.
"Thank you for taking care of me," he whispers, leaving a wet kiss on Makoto's cheek.
Rin rolls his eyes, though his sharp teeth are bared in a smirk. "I knew you had the hots for him." He leans over the counter, face inches from Makoto's. "I was trying to warn you before, but water is like a kink to him. I'm surprised he managed to go without a bath this long."
Haru groans in response, clinging tightly to Makoto's left arm. "Don't remind me." He begins trailing light kisses along the brunet's throat.
Green eyes widen, nervously meeting red. Rather than being jealous, as Makoto predicts, Rin appears to be… aroused?
Haru's ministrations escalate from small kisses to nips and sucks. He hits on spot in particular that forces an involuntary moan past Makoto's mouth.
"That's it," Rin growls. Lunging forward, he catches the brunet's lips with his own.
Makoto gasps in surprise, allowing Rin to slip his tongue into the other's mouth and deepen the kiss. When they part, Makoto isn't given a chance to breath before being engulfed by Haru's hungry kiss.
His head is spinning, trying to keep up with the sudden shift of events. It has been awhile since he was in a relationship, but he can tell where things were heading.
"Do you two usually have sex with random strangers?" he jokes when Haru pulls away from his lips.
The two shake their heads in unison. "The truth is, I've been watching you for a while now," Haru confesses, biting his lip anxiously. "I sort of developed a crush on you, so when Rin left, instead of stay with his sister and her boyfriend, I decided to stay with you…"
Rin's jaw drops, and he points at Makoto questioningly. "He's the guy you've been telling me about?"
Haru nods. "I wanted to see what Makoto was like close up, and I knew that I could get you two together this way, so I figured 'why not?'"
Makoto's cheeks redden and his heart skips a beat. He had been afraid to say it before, knowing that Haru would have to leave, but he'd fallen in love with the cat over his two week stay. The fact that he was also human and had a sexy owner/boyfriend only makes things better in his eyes. "So, what do you think?"
Red meets blue, a silent exchange taking place before they turn back to him. Rin walks around the island, pressing himself against Makoto's right side and wrapping his arms around his waist. Haru wraps his arms around the brunet's neck, kissing his cheek.
"We think that we really like you," he states, "and if it's okay with you, we would like to date you."
Makoto turns to Rin curiously, only to receive a peck on his other cheek in confirmation. "We sensed that something was lacking in our relationship as of late, what with me leaving so often for work and all, and we think that you might be what's missing," Rin supplies with a warm smile.
Makoto feels his blush reach his ears. They both want to date him… "I'd like that," he answers, a genuine smile lighting up his face.
Red meet blue again, a triumphant and scheming look passing between them. Haru leans forward, unexpectedly reclaiming Makoto's lips, while Rin nibbles on the brunet's ear, hand snaking down his body.
"Now, let us repay you for taking care of Haru," Rin breathes in a husky tone, hand landing on Makoto's crotch.
Makoto groans, suddenly very glad that he took the black cat in.
A/N: In case it wasn't obvious, I suck at titles :/
I know, I know, I should update the story that I've been neglecting for the past month, but I couldn't resist taking part in this, especially because it's my OT3! ...Even though I feel like I didn't do them justice... *sinks into corner*
Anyway, I may participate a few more times through the week, but with school work starting to pile up and all, I don't know if I'll be able to do much. I am working on the next chapter for 'The Fun Host,' too, so bear with me if you're waiting for that! x3
Anyway, thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it! :)