Meeting Royalty

by DatHeetJoella

When they were younger, Haruka and Makoto made a promise to each other. Now, thirty years later, their promise is one step closer to being fulfilled. In which Haruka and Makoto surprise their children with a visit to the shelter, where they meet two cats who might just become the new members of their little family. - MakoHaru Family Fic

2. Princess & Duchess

A/N: Hello again! I hope you're all having a lovely day and I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter, especially you, Kelly! ^^

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When they arrived at the shelter, the children were practically buzzing with fervor and impatience to finally see the cats they had already heard so much about.

Inside, there was no one seated at the front desk so Makoto pressed the little bell that was perched up on the counter to announce their presence. Within an instant, a woman who seemed to be around their age appeared in the doorway with a welcoming smile painted on her red lips.

"Hello," Makoto greeted with his own default smile, "We have an appointment to meet two of your cats, Princess and Duchess. We are-"

"Coach Tachibana!"

Clearly Makoto's reputation preceded him; he didn't even need to introduce himself.

Makoto looked puzzled for a split second, the cogs in his brain spinning as he tried to recall who this lady was. "Ah, you're Ayumi-chan's mom, right?"

"That's right," Ayumi-chan's mother replied, "I'm Tanaka Futaba."

"Haru, I've told you about Ayumi-chan before, haven't I?" Makoto said, directing his attention back to his husband. "She specialises in butterfly, and she has a really powerful dolphin kick!"

Haruka did remember him talking about her before, but he talked about pretty much all of his students so it was hard to keep track. He always listened attentively no matter what Makoto was gushing about, though, and it was adorable how excited he got about the progress of each kid time and time again. He really loved his job.

"Yes," Tanaka-san concurred, "she has learned so much since she's in your class. At first she was scared to even put her face underwater and look at her now! She isn't scared anymore and she always looks forward to the swimming classes, and it's all thanks to you, Coach Tachibana, so we're really glad that you are her coach. I don't think she could have done it without you."

"Oh, that's very nice of you," Makoto said, rubbing the back of his neck abashedly, "I'm glad that you feel that way, but it's really because of her hard work that she isn't scared anymore. I'm sure that she would have been able to do it regardless of who her coach is, because all of my colleagues are more than capable-"

"Of course, I didn't mean to imply that they aren't!" Tanaka-san quickly assured, raising her palms in front of her chest. "But, well, truth is that you're known to be the best coach around, and not just because you have trained Olympic champions. I'm sure that everyone hopes their child will be coached by you…"

"I- Well- Thank you, but-"

"Can we see the cats now?" Haruka cut off his husband's stammering. He told himself it was to save Makoto from this awkward stream of compliments that, though they were true, were definitely making him uncomfortable. But it also might or might not have been because he knew there was a certain group of single moms at the swim club who had their sights set on Makoto, who tried to impress him and catch his attention at any given opportunity, and he wasn't sure if Tanaka-san was one of them or not. She was emitting a certain vibe that he wasn't particularly fond of.

"Ah, of course, Nanase-san." Apparently, his reputation preceded him too.

"Tachibana," Haruka corrected.

The unconcealed bitterness in his bite startled the lady, her mouth hanging agape as she stared at him in perplexity.

He hadn't intended to sound so harsh, but he didn't regret it. While he knew it couldn't be helped that most people still knew him as Nanase Haruka and he therefore didn't mind it usually, there was just something inside of him that had wanted to make a statement this time.

"Please excuse me, Tachibana-san," she recovered as she put up her smile again, but there was obviously less shine in it now. "Come right with me."

Tanaka-san led them into the corridor she had just come through and Umiko and Mizuki followed right behind her. Makoto and Haruka trailed behind a bit more composedly.

A soft but purposeful brush of a hand against his made Haruka look up to meet his husband's gaze. Makoto shot him a knowing and assuring look, the corners of his lips curling up ever so slightly in a gentle smile. It said more than spoken words could, and his love was conveyed through those gorgeous eyes of his, slipping into Haruka's heart to banish the slivers of unease that had settled there.

Even after almost two decades of being together and nine years of marriage, Haruka still hadn't been able to shake his jealous and protective tendencies and he probably never would either. It was hard, having such an all-around perfect and desirable spouse, but it was more than worth it. Makoto would always be there to put him at ease.

They were brought into a moderately-sized room with large windows making up one of the walls, so the inside of it was visible from the hallway. Cat trees and towers filled up the space, impressive bridges and structures hanging from the ceiling and walls to connect them to one another. Water dispensers, litter boxes and scratching posts stood in every corner and numerous comfy beds and pillows were present to ensure sweet dreams. And to top it off, all kinds of toys and a couple of cardboard boxes were strewn over the floor, making this an absolute kitty paradise.

The only missing factors were the feline friends themselves; they were probably put back in their cages for now so that their family could meet Princess and Duchess without the distraction and interference of other cats.

"This looks amazing!" Makoto marvelled as he let his eyes feast upon the impressive cat furniture. "It's like cat heaven in here."

"Thank you," Tanaka-san chuckled, hiding the sound in her fist. "We get most of the things either through donation or along with the cats that are brought in."

"That makes sense," Makoto nodded, somberly pursing his lips, "if people don't want the cat anymore then they probably don't need the furniture anymore either."

"Why would they not want the cat anymore?" Umiko asked, looking almost offended at the notion that someone who had a cat would give it up while she didn't even have one - yet.

"I don't know," Makoto replied earnestly, because the thought was unimaginable for him too, "I guess sometimes people just can't take care of it anymore, and they want it to have a better life with someone else. Or like with Princess and Duchess, the owner passes away and there's no one else who can take them." The idea of someone willingly giving up their cat, or any pet for that matter, was just too mind-boggling to comprehend.

"Yes," Tanaka-san concurred, "It's sad, but sometimes people just don't have any other choice." Then she resumed, "When a pet is adopted, all of their furniture is given to the new owner, of course. I believe Princess and Duchess had quite some stuff, so if you end up adopting them, then all of that will be yours too."

"Oh, that's okay," Makoto immediately brushed off, "If we do end up adopting them, you can keep their stuff here, we'll just get them new things."

"Nonsense! That stuff was theirs to begin with and it will stay theirs," she argued, "I don't know from the top of my head which exact items were theirs, but we keep track of it so I'll look it up later. Unless you don't want it…"

"It's not that! It's just… we just really don't want to take away from this," Makoto said as he gestured around them. They probably had more funds to get new cat necessities than the shelter did.

"That's very nice of you, Coach Tachibana, but I insist. They will probably feel more at home in a new environment if they have their own things, so it might help them settle down in your house."

Before Makoto had the chance to reply to that, Mizuki whined, "Can we see the cats now?" He was really being tested today; his patience was already wearing thin earlier and this certainly wasn't helping his case.

"Of course," Tanaka-san chuckled - unlike the first time she was asked that question today. "Wait here, please, and I'll go get them."

"Great! Thank you," Makoto said with a sunny, slightly exaggerated smile. He must have felt like he had to compensate with kindness for the curt and brashness that both his husband and their son had displayed.

Whatever his motivation might have been, it seemed like Tanaka-san appreciated it as the corners of her lips went up in response. "I'll be right back."

Tanaka-san left the room, and for the first time since entering this building, Haruka let down his guard. Perhaps it was entirely unnecessary to have it up in the first place, as his gut feeling had definitely overreacted before, but he simply couldn't ignore feelings when they welled up so strongly.

"Ah, I wonder what they're like in person!" Makoto sighed, staring straight into Haruka's eyes. His gaze was intense, like he was pushing Haruka to pick up the underlying meaning of his words. "I can't wait to see them!"

As always, a mere look sent his way by those gorgeous eyes was enough to pin him down and to make him succumb to the impact Makoto had on him. He despised to admit it, but Makoto was right; these petty feelings of his shouldn't obscure his vision and draw away his attention from the real reason they were here.

"Me neither," Haruka mumbled, the tiniest of smiles appearing on his face at his husband's ability to ground him. That smile was wholeheartedly returned.

"But you've already seen them," Umiko said, "I don't even know what they look like yet!"

"They look like cats," Mizuki helpfully supplied, shaking his head at his older sister's ignorance. That much was obvious, wasn't it?

"Not all cats look the same! Dogs don't all look the same either."

"But cats are not dogs. Cats are cats."

"Doesn't mean they don't look different."

"Yes," Mizuki agreed, finally understanding what Umiko meant, "Papa said one is white and the other one is orange."

"That's not the only difference! They can be big or small or have spots or squished faces."

"Or socks," Makoto added to this highly intellectual discussion.

"Socks?!"

"Yes," he affirmed seriously, though it only deepened their frowns, "if they have white feet, it looks like they're wearing little socks, right? Though, judging by the pictures, I don't think Duchess has socks, and Princess is almost entirely white so that doesn't count."

"Princess is one big sock," Mizuki concluded, making Makoto chuckle heartily.

Even Haruka couldn't suppress a small snort. "I wouldn't say that to her," he advised, "she probably won't like being compared to a sock."

"No," Makoto said, "she is a princess after all."

"If Princess is a princess, then what is Duchess?" Umiko wondered.

"A cat."

"Yes," Makoto laughed again. Mizuki's simplicity was an endless source of amusement for both his husband and him. "But she's a duchess."

Already anticipating the question that was surely burning on the tip of their daughter's tongue, Haruka explained, "A duchess is a member of an important and noble family."

"So if you're important and noble, you're a duchess?"

"Not quite. It's a specific title only given to certain women of certain families. It's special, just like princesses are."

"Only women?" Mizuki asked, almost like he felt dejected that he couldn't be one if it was exclusively for women.

"Yes, because male duchesses are called dukes, just like you have princes and princesses. It's the same, it just has a different name."

"So which is more important?" Umiko questioned, "A princess or a duchess?"

"I believe a princess," Haruka said, deciding to keep things simple. If they wanted, they could look into the hierarchy of nobility more later, but for now, there were more pressing matters at hand.

"But," Makoto cut in before they would become unfairly biased against either cat just because of their names and the status those names implied, "when it comes to cats, they're all equally important."

"How important?"

"Very important."

Umiko grinned at that. "Papa really loves cats."

"I do."

"But not as much as you love us," she stated confidently. There would never be a shred of doubt about that.

"Exactly," Makoto confirmed with his warm smile as he ruffled her black locks, "You know me so well."

"Look!" Mizuki suddenly exclaimed as he pointed at the window. His interest to partake in the conversation had dwindled in favour of being on the lookout for the lady to return, and when she did, she didn't disappoint; in her arms she was cradling a large, fluffy cat. "Princess!"

His family automatically looked up at the sound of his voice, and when they followed the direction of his small finger, they could not only see Princess coming into view, but also Duchess, who was being carried by an adolescent girl - presumably a part-timer or a volunteer.

"Duchess!" Umiko yelled excitedly, jumping up and down with joy. She could barely believe that Duchess actually looked like the cat of her dreams, not even as she was seeing it with her own two eyes.

"Here they are," Tanaka-san said as she and the girl entered the room, closing the door behind them before they put the cats down onto the floor. In addition, she introduced the girl as Hanazawa-san, a part-timer who worked mostly with the shelter's cats. Makoto replied with a brief introduction of their family.

"They're so cute!" Umiko squealed, covering her mouth with her hands, and Mizuki instantly voiced his agreement.

"Wait," Makoto told the children, knowing they were only a second removed from making a beeline towards the cat in their preferred colour, "Let them come to you." To show them what he meant, he crouched down and held out his hand as he softly called them over.

Meanwhile, Haruka opened up his bag to take out the camera once more. His husband was like a cat-magnet, and any scenario that involved him and any feline was guaranteed to be utterly adorable. He wouldn't want to miss out on capturing the first interactions of him and their future cats.

Curiosity piqued, Princess approached Makoto in an elegant stroll and she didn't seem wary at all; as soon as she sniffed his hand, she began to rub her head against it in both permission and a request to pet her. Naturally, Makoto complied. "Hi there, Princess," he murmured in a slightly higher pitch than normal as he scratched behind her ear, bringing down his other hand to stroke his fingers through her long fur, "Aren't you just the sweetest?"

Princess closed her aquamarine eyes as she leaned into his touch, purring softly to show her appreciation. This caught Duchess' attention, who seemed to be the more cautious of the two, and she followed Princesses example and slowly inched closer. Noticing the other cat drawing nearer, Makoto disentangled one of his hands from where it had been buried in Princess' fur to offer it to Duchess.

"They like you already!" Tanaka-san said with a smile, clasping her hands together in delight.

"All cats like Papa," Mizuki claimed, and Haruka wasn't sure if he was proud of that fact, or a little jealous of his father's ability to connect with any cat in a matter of seconds.

"Not just cats, I'm sure."

Within an instant, the alarm bells inside Haruka's head started to ring again and he whipped his head over to Tanaka-san to shoot her a not-so-subtle glare.

Taken aback by the imaginary daggers that were aimed at her, Tanaka-san elaborated with an awkward smile, "From what I've gathered, all the children at the swim club are really fond of Coach Tachibana too."

Haruka bit the inside of his cheek as he averted his head. The storm inside him hadn't been appeased just yet, as his suspicions of others were still as alive as they would be until he took his last breath, but things had quieted down inside his heart for a moment. Suddenly, he was very preoccupied with the settings of his camera.

"Yeah, but it's not the same," Umiko stated, completely unaware of the exchange of looks between her dad and the shelter-lady. "Everyone likes Papa because he's nice, but cats are special."

"That's not true," Makoto denied, and it honestly surprised Haruka that he had even heard their conversation when he was so lost in his fur-covered world. "You're making it sound like I'm some sort of cat-whisperer."

"You are."

"You are, Papa."

"You kind of are," Haruka agreed with the children, chuckling lightly as the sound of his husband's lovely voice had pulled him from his own obsessive world. He never failed to remind Haruka of what truly mattered, and in this case, it was experiencing this moment to safekeep forever. "You always have been, even when you were a child."

"You're exaggerating," Makoto brushed off, though the fact that he still had both Princess and Duchess' undivided attention proved otherwise. His green eyes were twinkling with joy as he continued to caress their heads; though Princess was only a bit bigger than Duchess, Duchess' face looked so small in Makoto's large hand, that could envelop it entirely. "I just love cats a lot, and I think they can sense it."

The shutter clicked and eternalised this tender sight. "I love cats too," Haruka disputed as he took a couple of steps to the side so he could get a different angle, "and though they generally like me too, it's just not the same."

At last, Mizuki's patience had finally run out. He couldn't care less about the conversation anymore, he just wanted to get the cats' attention. He crouched down and held out his little hands. "Princess, Princess," he called softly. It seemed like his colour-bias hadn't worn off just yet.

Upon hearing that high-pitched squeak of her name, Princess turned her head to look towards the source of the sound with curiosity still swimming in her gem-like eyes. Then she turned her head back to Makoto again, deeming that Mizuki wasn't worthy of her time right now.

Mizuki huffed at that haughty attitude and crossed his arms in offense, puffing out his cheeks to show his discontentment.

"She's a real princess, alright," Makoto giggled as Princess circled around his legs, trying to squeeze herself between him and Duchess to draw all of his attention to her.

With Mizuki being somewhat defeated by the cat's response - or lack thereof - Umiko found that it was her turn to try. She leaned down on one knee and cooed, "Duchess! Duchess, come here, kitty kitty."

Contrary to Princess, Duchess wasn't even interested in the call of her name. Instead, she took on Princess' challenge to compete for Makoto's love and jumped against him, pushing at his chest with her front paws.

Not being able to resist either cat, Makoto muttered, "Okay, okay, wait a second," and he sat down on the floor so he wouldn't have to worry about keeping his balance.

Princess immediately claimed his lap as her own personal throne, but Duchess wouldn't be defeated this easily. She rubbed her body against his legs persistently as she walked around him, attempting to nudge Princess away with every step she took.

"Tachibana-san, are you sure you didn't secretly slip some catnip into your pocket before you came here?" Hanazawa-san asked with an amused smile that she tried to hide behind her hand.

"I'm honestly starting to wonder if I did," Makoto joked, "I don't know why they like me so much, but I can't say that I mind it."

The probability of Makoto somehow having been born with properties similar to catnip was much higher than him sneaking it inside in order to gain the cats' affection, Haruka thought to himself with another snort. "Good thing you have two hands," he remarked, "otherwise you wouldn't know who to pet first."

"It's not fair!" Mizuki protested, and at last the envy was vibrant on his usually-stoic face.

"Yeah!" Umiko concurred, "I want them to like me too!"

"Me too!"

"Alright, come here," Makoto said, beckoning them closer with a wave of his hand.

Mizuki, long since tired of waiting, didn't need to be told twice and he walked towards his father and the cats with outstretched arms. His sights were still set on Princess and determination flickered in his sea-green eyes. Unlike her brother, Umiko was a bit unsure of what to do, so she stayed put for now and simply watched how Mizuki approached the cats.

"Be gentle, okay?" Makoto reminded with a kind smile, knowing how rough Mizuki could get without intending to, "You might hurt the kitty if you pet too hard."

"Like this?" Slowly, Mizuki ran his little hand over Princess' back.

"Yeah, just like that," Makoto encouraged, making sure to keep petting Duchess himself so she wouldn't feel left out.

Things like this never ceased to make Haruka's heart melt with adoration, and his finger automatically pressed the button that guaranteed his heart would still be able to melt because of this decades down the line.

"She's pretty."

"She really is, huh?" Makoto murmured, smile softening at their son's words. "And Duchess is too. They're both so sweet."

"I like them," Mizuki declared, reaching out his other hand to pet Duchess as well. Perhaps seeing them up-close was finally tearing apart his initial preference. He probably decided he had enough love to distribute between the two of them.

"Me too." The twinkle in Makoto's eyes was even brighter now, glad that their son, who always knew exactly what he wanted, liked the cats too. But there was one person whose approval was still missing. "Umiko?"

"No." Umiko shook her head; her mind was made up. "I want them to come to me first."

"Alright," Makoto said, smiling at her resolve. This was a battle for feline affection and Umiko wouldn't give in so easily. She was a real warrior.

Umiko sat down on her knees in the hopes that her lap could serve as Duchess' throne; it wasn't as big as her father's, but it was better than nothing, she decided. "Duchess! Come here, Duchess!" she called, loudly slapping her thighs in order to draw attention to herself. But despite all of Umiko's efforts, Duchess still couldn't be bothered. "Duchess, please!" Umiko pleaded, a gloomy frown twisting her features.

Saddened by the sight of the little girl's misfortune, Hanazawa-san scanned the room for an object that could help her on her quest. "Ah, there it is," she mumbled under her breath as she went to retrieve it. "Here," she said as she handed Umiko a small toy mouse, "Duchess loves this toy. It's one of her favourites!"

A huge grin split Umiko's face as she eagerly accepted the mouse. Attached to the end of the mouse's tail was a tiny bell, and that would surely be interesting to the cat. With newfound willpower, Umiko yelled, "Duchess!" and fiercely shook the toy.

At the sound of that familiar clinking, Duchess' ears perched up and she instantly whipped her head around to see where it was coming from. Less than a second later Duchess had snatched the toy out of Umiko's hands and she was staring up at Umiko with large, almost-hypnotised eyes in a request to play.

"Yes!" Umiko cheered as she reached out to pet Duchess who, because she had successfully seized her prey, allowed it. "Daddy, look at her!"

Haruka smiled at their daughter's enthusiasm and he got closer to her so he could take pictures of her and Duchess too. The way the toy was clamped in Duchess' mouth was absolutely adorable and it made for a great photo, as he knew that was what Umiko wanted of him.

After snapping a couple of close-ups, Haruka took a few steps back again so he could get more of the environment within frame too. Context was important in a series, and he wanted to make sure the memory of this playroom where they had first met their cats wouldn't be forgotten in the grand scheme of things.

"Here."

He looked up at the sound of Tanaka-san's voice, who held out her hands towards the camera in a silent offer to take pictures in his stead so he could join his family and the cats.

Doubt immediately clouded his mind. On one hand, he wanted to officially meet the cats too and truly live in the moment together with his husband and their kids. But on the other hand, he knew he would regret it if he didn't have pictures to commemorate today with and he didn't know if he could entrust Tanaka-san, a stranger who he was pretty sceptical of, with a task as important as this one. He was nowhere near a professional photographer himself, but he knew exactly how he wanted pictures to look and the risk of the end result not being up to his own standards was big if she was the one to take them.

His hesitancy was as clear as water since he didn't respond, so Tanaka-san tried again. "I have children too, you know."

Though he knew that already, the iteration of that fact was a bit reassuring nonetheless. What she meant by it was obvious, but he wasn't fully convinced just yet.

Although he didn't really care for being in their pictures, Makoto had told him that he did care and that he wanted Haruka to be a part of them too. By Makoto's demand, they would sometimes switch roles and he would snap some photos so that Haruka wasn't completely left out of them. But Makoto was so preoccupied with his new best friends right now that he probably hadn't even noticed that Haruka had brought the camera along in the first place. That being said, Haruka knew he would be disappointed when they looked back onto these pictures but his - in Makoto's words - beautiful husband was nowhere to be seen.

After carefully weighing down his options for about ten seconds, Haruka reluctantly handed over the camera to Tanaka-san. As she accepted it, Haruka got a front row seat to the exposition of the golden band that was wrapped around her left ring finger. It was shown in such an obvious manner that the message she wanted to send with it was conveyed loud and clearly. I'm not trying to steal your man.

With that, the majority of Haruka's scepticism of her intentions slipped away. Evidently, she was not one of the single moms who preyed on Makoto like a cat on a toy mouse, though that didn't explain some of the, in his opinion, questionable things she had said. Perhaps she was just someone who appeared to be overly friendly, but meant no harm.

Before he could really get embarrassed of his own behaviour, he quickly explained how the camera worked in an attempt to distract both Tanaka-san and himself. Her knowing smile told him that he didn't need to worry, for she understood - whether that was the settings of the camera or the jealousy, Haruka didn't know, but he wasn't about to bring it up for discussion.

Once he was sure that Tanaka-san at least knew how to take proper pictures, Haruka crouched down next to Umiko and greeted Duchess with a scratch behind her ear. Her light brown eyes fell shut at the touch as she purred around the toy in contentment.

"Aw," Umiko sighed in adoration. It seemed like Duchess had won her over too - which didn't take a lot to begin with. "Papa, Mizuki, look! She's so cute!"

The look of infatuation on Umiko's face was arguably just as cute and Haruka's hands itched to capture both adorable expressions. His gaze found Tanaka-san with the intent of signalling that he would like for her to take pictures of this, but he didn't need to bother. The cues that the situation emitted hadn't gone over her head as she was already crouching down with the camera in hand.

It was difficult to let go of control, but Haruka told himself that he should try to let Tanaka-san handle it. If he was constantly worrying about whether or not she was fulfilling the task she had been given correctly, then he still wouldn't live in the moment. That kind of defeated the purpose.

Fortunately, his husband and their kids - and apparently the cats as well - were great at gathering his attention.

"Daddy, you should come see Princess too," Mizuki thought.

Upon their son's request, Haruka stood up and sat down next to Makoto, but not before ruffling Duchess' head once more. The fluffy Princess had fallen asleep in the meanwhile, deeming Makoto's lap good enough for a quick nap. Haruka was glad that she was able to let down her guard like that, for it meant that she felt comfortable and safe in their presence. So far, it appeared that their liking of the cats was mutual.

"She's pretty, right?"

"Yes," Haruka agreed, smiling softly at Mizuki's repeated statement. He must have really thought so if he cared to say it twice. "Really pretty."

"Speaking of which," Makoto started, pulled from his cat-induced trance, "What breeds are they? It wasn't mentioned on the website."

"That's right," Tanaka-san confirmed, "we don't mention it on the website for every cat and there are two reasons for that. A lot of the cats that we have in our care are former strays, and we usually don't know what exact breed they are. And unlike with dogs, most people who are interested in adopting a cat aren't looking for a specific breed, but are more interested in their sex, their appearance, their behaviour, things like that."

Makoto hummed in understanding. After all, they hadn't been looking for a specific breed either, but more so the things that Tanaka-san had mentioned.

"Princess is a ragdoll," Hanazawa-san said with a smile, noticing that her superior hadn't answered the initial question. "We're not entirely sure about Duchess, so we guess she's a domestic shorthair."

"Why are you sure about Princess but not about Duchess?" Umiko asked in confusion.

"Unlike Princess, who was adopted from a certified breeder, the former owner found Duchess as a kitten so we don't know where exactly she originally came from," Hanazawa-san explained, "A lot of cats are actually mixed breeds, and those with short fur like Duchess are called 'domestic shorthairs'. Therefore, based on how she looks and the fact that domestic shorthairs are very common, the vet just assumed that she's one too."

"Technically, it's not a 'breed'," Tanaka-san added, making quotation marks in the air with her fingers, "But that's just what they're known as."

"Well, she's perfect even if she's not a breed," Umiko defended, petting Duchess' back decisively.

"She is," Hanazawa-san agreed, stifling a chuckle with her fist, "She's really cute, isn't she?"

"Yes," Umiko nodded fervently, "I really wanted an orange cat, and I'm happy they're both girls too. Daddy and Papa and Mizuki are all boys, so I'm the only girl at home. Now with Duchess and Princess, we're even!"

She had never voiced that thought before, so hearing her say it so nonchalantly took Haruka aback. He was sure that it wasn't something that bothered her on a day-to-day basis though, otherwise she would have mentioned it much sooner. Still, after seeing how victorious she looked now that the balance would be restored in their household, he was glad that it turned out like this too.

"If you're the only girl at home, that means you're special," Hanazawa-san claimed, and Umiko's eyes widened in surprise before an enormous grin stretched her cheeks; she had never regarded it like that before, but it sure was a nice way to look at it. "You know, Duchess is actually really special too."

"How so?"

"Most orange cats are boys, so the fact that Duchess is both orange and a girl is rare."

"Wow!"

"And Princess?" Mizuki asked, not wanting her to be left out, "Is she special too?"

"Of course," Hanazawa-san stated confidently, "There aren't many cats who can call themselves a princess, right?"

"No, because cats can't talk."

Haruka and Makoto snorted at the answer that was so typically-Mizuki. It wasn't quite what she was expecting, but thankfully, Hanazawa-san recovered quickly enough.

"Sorry, I meant that we can call a princess."

That was a more acceptable response to Mizuki and he nodded in what could either have been understanding or agreement. Then he turned back to Princess, tangling his little fingers through her fur.

"So pretty," he mumbled under his breath, making Haruka bite his lip to hold back an audible huff of fondness. He was starting to sound like a broken record and it was just too endearing.

He wasn't wrong though, and the longer Haruka was in their presence, the more confused he became about their current place of residence. He simply didn't understand how two cats as cute and sweet as Princess and Duchess weren't adopted sooner. While all cats were lovable in their own ways, they truly were the polished diamonds among the rough.

"Have they been here for long?" Makoto asked, and it was the exact question that had been on Haruka's mind too - either he had noticed that and decided to speak up for him like he did more often, or he had been thinking about it as well. Regardless, Haruka couldn't help but smile because they were on the same wavelength as always.

"No, they were brought in just a little over a week ago," Tanaka-san replied, "We were surprised when we received your email, since they had only been up on the website for a few days and we didn't expect to get a response so soon."

"I'm glad," Makoto sighed in relief, "I'd feel bad if they were here for a long time… Not that it's not nice here or that you don't take good care of them, but-"

"It's alright, I understand what you mean," Tanaka-san interrupted Makoto's flurry with an amused chuckle, "We take care of all our animals to the best of our ability, but they don't belong here: they all deserve to have a loving home."

"And we can give them that!" Umiko chimed in, sounding both excited and hopeful as she looked back and forth between her parents. "Right?"

Makoto gazed at him from the corner of his eye and Haruka gave him a tiny nod. As if he even needed to ask at this point.

"Of course," Makoto said, and the smile that adorned his handsome face was somehow even more sunny now than it was normally. After all, Umiko wasn't the only one whose heart had been stolen by the two cats; their entire family had fallen victim to their charm, and there was no way they could ever break the spell they had been captured in from the very first moment. They wanted Princess and Duchess to be a part of their family, for now and forever.

When she processed that confirmation, Umiko's mouth fell open in disbelief before a grin as wide as her cheeks would allow beamed off her face. She was so indescribably happy, and she wasn't the only one. Even the usually-stoic Mizuki was overwhelmed with glee.

"Yes!"

"You hear that, Duchess?" Umiko squealed as she threw her arms around the cat in a triumphant hug. Duchess fortunately didn't seem to be bothered by the cage of overly zealous six-year-old that she was trapped in, "You're my cat now!"

"Our cat!" Mizuki corrected firmly, "And Princess is too!" To prove his point, Mizuki wrapped his arms around Princess and put his cheek onto her back.

Princess didn't bat an eye at the children, for even their high-pitched shrieking wasn't enough to pull her from her dreams. Haruka understood it though. He knew better than anyone how comfortable her pillow was, so it would be a waste to be disturbed and get up from it without needing to.

Unlike normally, the kids didn't bicker about it any longer because they were both too absorbed in their happiness to pay the other further mind, and they cuddled the cats as much as they could in their positions.

Seeing their children so overjoyed naturally made Haruka smile too. He turned his head to look at his husband. A radiating smile softened his beautiful features as well, and Haruka's heart swelled inside his chest as he reached out to take his hand. Makoto met his gaze and rubbed his thumb over his skin in response, and it took all the strength in Haruka's body to stop himself from kissing him right then and there. He would have to save up his affections for now so he could let them run wild later.

They never needed words to convey what was on their mind; finally, after thirty years, their promise was fulfilled. And they wouldn't have just one, but two cats of their very own - which was probably a good thing, since they had three decades worth of built-up love to shower their cats in, and they wouldn't want to drown them right away.

"This is really great. I'm glad that you have found each other," Tanaka-san said with a kind smile, and Haruka could tell she was genuinely relieved that Princess and Duchess found a new family so soon.

After having such a loving home for pretty much all their lives, they were suddenly torn away from everything they knew and put in this unfamiliar environment, and that surely wasn't easy on them. So Haruka dearly hoped that they would be able to restore the warmth and serenity for them and become the loving home they had always had, and always deserved to have.

"We are glad we found them too," Makoto muttered, his free hand coming up to stroke his fingers over Princess' head once more, "Is there anything else we should know about them? Like grooming, or medication, or…"

Tanaka-san shrugged. "I'll have to look in their files for that."

"I know!" Hanazawa-san blurted, "Princess needs to be brushed at least twice a week to prevent her fur from getting matted, but Duchess only has to be brushed about once a week to remove any loose hairs and to keep her fur healthy. Next to that, they might need to get their nails trimmed and their ears cleaned every once in a while, and it's important to keep their teeth clean too. But those are things that you should probably talk to a vet about, since things like the frequency that's necessary differs for each cat. Right now, they're as healthy as can be, but it's important to keep an eye on certain things, like their diet and-" She abruptly cut herself off when she realised she was rambling rapidly, and blood rushed to her cheeks in fear of having been incoherent. "I'm sorry, I…"

Makoto only smiled at her passion. "You sure are knowledgeable about cats, Hanazawa-san," he complimented with his trademark head-tilt, "Thank you. We'll take them to the vet regularly to make sure they stay healthy."

"Ah well," Hanazawa-san mumbled sheepishly as she averted her eyes, "I just love cats a lot, and it's my job, so I have to know a lot about them."

"Oh," Tanaka-san suddenly breathed as she remembered something vital, "They are both indoor cats though. They've never really been outside before so it can be dangerous for them out there. Because of that, we advise you to keep them inside for their own safety."

"Yes, we read on the website that they're indoor cats," Makoto said in assurance, "Of course, we'll keep it that way. We wouldn't want anything to happen to them." The mere thought of all the things that could happen to them outside if they weren't used to defending themselves or didn't know how to deal with traffic was enough to make his stomach churn, or so Haruka could read in his eyes. That feeling was entirely shared.

"That's good to know," Tanaka-san replied earnestly. "Now, is there anything else you want to know about them?"

Unconsciously, Makoto brought his hand up to cup his chin as he contemplated that, and Haruka also tried his best to recall if there was anything else that was necessary for them to know that they hadn't been told yet. He couldn't think of anything else right then, as things about more in-depth medical care were going to have to be asked to a vet like Hanazawa-san had suggested.

"I have a question!" Umiko said as she raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"When are their birthdays?"

A very important question, Haruka had to give her that. How would they be able to celebrate their special days if they didn't know on which dates they were born?

"That's a good question," Tanaka-san agreed, smiling kindly down at Umiko, "but I'm afraid that I don't know that from the top of my head, so I will have to look that up in their files. Unless…"

All eyes in the room - with the exception of the cats' - turned to Hanazawa-san, who abashedly rubbed her hand over her arm as she looked away from the prying gazes; an action that indicated that she did know, but was embarrassed to admit it.

"Um," she started, "Because Duchess was found as a kitten, they didn't know her exact date of birth. But based on how old she was at the time, the vet estimated that she must have been born around May 11th, and the former owner accepted that as her birthday so that's what her documents say."

"And Princess?" Mizuki questioned the instant Hanazawa-san finished her sentence. He was very adamant about the fluffy cat not being left out. Something told Haruka that he was going to do everything in his might to become Princess' best friend.

Hanazawa-san smiled at his eagerness. "We are certain about Princess' birthday: it's February 8th."

Mizuki gasped in disbelief. "That's the same as me!"

"No, Mizuki," Haruka refuted with a shake of his head. "Your birthday is January 8th."

"Oh yeah."

Makoto giggled lightly at their son's mix-up, his thoughts undoubtedly filled with nothing but adoration for him and the rest of his family. His beautiful laughter was contagious and everyone merrily chuckled along with him, even Mizuki himself.

"My birthday is August 26th," Umiko announced. Like Princess, she obviously couldn't be left out either.

"Really?" Hanazawa-san played along, "Mine is August 28th!"

"That's so close to mine!"

"Yeah," she concurred, "And, Umiko-chan, how old will you be on August 26th?"

"Seven!"

"Seven?" Tanaka-san joined in, "You're going to be a big girl, then."

Before Umiko had the chance to argue that and claim she already was a big girl, thank you very much, Mizuki said, "I'm turning five."

"Not until next year, you already had your birthday this year!"

Afraid that the children would end up arguing about this, Tanaka-san diverted the conversation back to Umiko, "So, you're going to have a big party in August, then."

"Yeah, but it's going to be Daddy's birthday first! His birthday is-"

Umiko was interrupted by the distant sound of a bell, the noise that indicated that someone else had entered the shelter and was requesting the presence of an employee.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I completely forgot," Tanaka-san blurted in recollection, "We have another appointment today."

"It's alright," Makoto dismissed with a faux smile, "Do you still have time for us to sign the adoption papers right now? I don't think we can take them with us today since our home isn't ready yet, so is it alright if we come pick them up tomorrow?"

"Eh? But I wanted to play with them more!" Umiko protested.

"Me too!"

"I know, but there are other people who want to meet their new pet too. Starting tomorrow, you can play with them every day, but for now we have to leave," Makoto explained to the children, who admitted defeat, but not without loud and exaggerated heaves and pouts.

"Actually, if you want, you can stay here and play with them some more," Tanaka-san said, "The other appointment is for a dog, so we don't need this room right now. We can take care of the paperwork later, if that's okay with you."

"Yes!" Mizuki yelled instantly.

"Papa, please?"

"If it's really no problem… I guess we can stay a little longer," Makoto obliged, making the children cheer and thank him profusely, but Haruka knew he was doing himself just as much of a favour. He wouldn't let it show, but beneath his responsible-adult demeanour, he truly hadn't had enough of the cats yet either and wished to stay just as much.

He might be able to fool strangers, perhaps even their own children, but he could never fool his husband.

Tanaka-san gave Haruka the camera back and then she left the room with a small wave and a promise to return later to take care of the paperwork. Haruka was tempted to sneak a look at some of the pictures she had taken - and, if they were inadequate, take some better ones - but he held himself back. These pictures would remain a secret until they were at home and he could look at them together with Makoto, but in the meantime, he didn't see why he couldn't snap a couple more, just to be sure. One could never have too many tokens of a special occasion, or so he had discovered with the hundreds upon hundreds of wedding photos they had.

But then, Hanazawa-san held out her hand. "I can take some pictures, if you'd like," she offered with a shy smile. Before he had the chance to object - or question her qualifications and experience - she continued, "I'm usually the one who takes the pictures that go up on the website. That includes Princess and Duchess'."

Unlike with Tanaka-san, this time Haruka didn't hesitate. It were the pictures of the two cats that had initially captivated Makoto, and if Hanazawa-san was the one who took them, then that must have meant that she was at least somewhat of a decent photographer.

And she immediately proved her worth. She made them scoot closer together for their first official family photo with the new members. While Haruka's own pictures were usually a bit more spontaneous, he couldn't deny that it was nice to have a portrait like this that captured everyone in one shot. For his husband's sake, he did his best to smile a little too.

After a couple shots, Hanazawa-san deemed it good enough and let them return to playing and cuddling with the cats.

Umiko finally did what Duchess had wanted of her all along: she began to play with her, giggling as she moved the toy mouse around the floor while the cat swatted at her hand in an attempt to catch it.

The chiming of the bell in combination with the sound of Duchess' paws tapping on the tile floor arose Princess from her beauty sleep, and Mizuki found that now was the time that he could play with her. He tried to catch her interest with some of the toys that were nearby, but she didn't particularly care about any of them so he had to change his tactic.

Luckily, Hanazawa-san came to his rescue. If there was one thing that Princess loved, it was food, so she gave Mizuki a ball that had a few treats inside. She said that that was one of the best ways to make her get some exercise - which she needed, or else she'd get chubby in no time with her gluttonous tendencies - and she wasn't exaggerating; once she smelled the food inside, Princess immediately began to chase the toy.

Mizuki's sea-green eyes lit up in bliss as he rolled the ball over the floor from one hand to the other, the occasional treat falling out of it which disappeared again in less than a second with a mere flick of Princess' tongue before she targeted the next one.

Warmth filled Haruka's chest as he watched the children play with the cats. Their cats. Although he would have liked to join in on the fun, he was content with simply looking for now. After all of Umiko and Mizuki's attempts at persuading him to get them a dog, there had been lingering slivers of fear that they wouldn't like the cats and had just gone along with it because they desperately wanted to have a pet of some sort. But seeing them like this took all of those worries away, because their children were open books and nothing but genuine excitement and affection was scribbled across their pages.

A slight squeeze of his hand told him that his husband felt the exact same way. After unintentionally having stolen the limelight from the very start, Makoto allowed the kids to have their moments with the cats too. Though he loved to play with cats as well, having to watch from afar was definitely no punishment.

A little while later, Hanazawa-san excused herself to go take care of the other cats. Once more, Makoto got up and offered for them to leave, but Hanazawa-san assured him that they could stay until her superior returned. She wasn't in charge of the paperwork and therefore wouldn't be able to help them further, so they might as well wait for Tanaka-san to be ready in here with the cats than in the waiting room.

Time flew by without their awareness, as every minute that trickled by felt like a mere second when company was as great as this. The camera was passed around between Haruka and Makoto to eternalise every endearing move, interaction and expression.

After a few rounds of chasing the ball in the hope of gathering treats, Princess decided to forfeit in favour of taking another nap. It had been a race to see which ran out first: the treats inside the ball or Princess' energy, and it seemed like it was the latter - which was understandable, since playing around and eating took a lot of effort and could be very draining. This time, she picked Haruka's lap as a suitable bed. Haruka was sure he wasn't her first choice, considering Makoto was currently up on his knees, snapping photos of Umiko and Duchess, but he would settle for second best, he thought to himself with a smile.

Not longer wanting to wait for Princess to wake up again, Mizuki crawled over to his sister and the orange tabby to play along with them instead. Makoto joined in too, but not before taking a picture of Princess all cuddled up in his husband's lap, whose gentle gaze and soft smile just so happened to be within frame.

Haruka was invited to play along too, but he declined their offer. He wouldn't want to disrupt Princess' well-earned nap. Being a spectator wasn't bad at all when the game he was witnessing was both amusing and endearing. The mouse toy was thrown from one person to the other while Duchess did her very best to snatch it away. Haruka couldn't help but snort when Duchess caught it before Mizuki could, much to his dismay.

Duchess might have bested him now, but Mizuki wouldn't give in that easily. He reclaimed the toy and tossed it over to his father, who quickly threw it in Umiko's direction in an indication that they had to pick up the pace. The children giggled excitedly as they passed around the toy as fast as they could, and Haruka changed modes on the camera so he could record their little game.

Watching his family having fun like this always flooded Haruka with happiness. Moments like these weren't rare at all but that didn't make them any less cherished, and he thanked the heavens for every minute he got to spend alongside his family. And the prospect that only more were ahead of him, not just with his husband and their children, but now with their cats too, made a small yet unerasable smile adorn his face.

---

Eventually the door was opened again and Tanaka-san poked her head through it, an awkward smile tugging at her lips. "Sorry to disturb, but it's almost time for us to close, so…"

Makoto looked down at his watch to check the time and he saw that it was almost seven o'clock already; the visiting hours ended fifty minutes ago. He gasped audibly, "Oh, we're so sorry, we completely lost track of time!"

"It's alright, if it was a problem then I would have come to get you earlier," Tanaka-san assured, "We actually just finished up with the other adoption, so it's really no issue."

"Alright, it's time to say goodbye now," Haruka told the children, who still looked a bit sad that they had to leave their new friends behind but were more at peace with it now than they were an hour and a half ago.

"Bye Duchess, I'm going to miss you lots, but I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?" Umiko said to the tabby cat, who didn't understand a single word and just kept staring at her. Then she leaned down and pressed a loud kiss against Duchess' head.

"I want to give her a kiss too!" Mizuki whined and he copied his sister's behaviour.

The girl in question had already moved on to Princess, who was still nestled in her dad's lap, and gave her the same treatment.

Once both kids were done saying their goodbyes to the new members of their family, it was their parents' turn. Makoto whispered some sweet nothings to Princess and Duchess before lightly pecking their foreheads too, briefly nuzzling his nose into their soft fur. Haruka picked Princess off his lap, who hung limply in his arms as he got up, showing that she had no intention of moving or leaving any time soon. So Haruka handed her to Hanazawa-san, who had returned with another coworker that went inside to retrieve Duchess too. He gave Duchess another scratch behind her ear once she was in the man's arms.

"Bye Duchess, bye Princess! See you tomorrow!" Umiko called as the two shelter-employees left with the cats, wildly waving at them together with her brother. For good measure, Makoto waved along too.

When the employees were out of sight, they followed Tanaka-san back into the lobby. All the paperwork was already printed and lying out on the counter, proving that Tanaka-san had purposely taken care of that beforehand to give them some more time with the cats.

"Here's a list of all the items that came in with them," Tanaka-san said as she slid one of the papers over to them.

At the top of the list was one of the cat trees they had seen earlier, along with a couple of pillows and beds, two carriers, a litter box, two scratching boards and about a dozen toys.

"It's all nice stuff," Makoto muttered under his breath, glancing over to Haruka for a second to ask for his opinion.

Haruka nodded in agreement. Everything seemed to be in good condition, but with the space in their house in mind, they would still need to go to the store to get some more things; if they had enough scratching posts and toys to entertain them, then maybe they would spare the curtains. "Are you sure there aren't some things that you would like to keep here?"

"There are still some things we need to get anyway," Makoto added, "and there must be some things you can use."

"That's very kind of you," Tanaka-san replied, "but really, it's alright."

Haruka pursed his lips as he thought about that. "Keep the litter box," he said decisively. He figured that would be the item the cats were the least emotionally attached to, and they already had to get a second one anyway, so they might as well get two brand new ones. This would not only help out the shelter, but also save them the hassle of moving and cleaning it - and while they were at it, perhaps they could pick litter boxes that matched the rest of their furniture a bit.

"Are you sure? You really don't have to…"

"Yes," Makoto confirmed with a blinding smile, "Consider it to be our donation."

"Ah, well, thank you. We appreciate it," Tanaka-san said with a slight bow of gratitude. Then she searched for the adoption papers on the desk and handed Makoto a pen. "Now, please sign here, here, here and here to officiate the adoption."

While Makoto signed all the papers, Haruka took his wallet out of his bag and paid the adoption fee of roughly 25,000 yen in total.

"There," Makoto muttered under his breath as he gave the pen back.

"Thank you. Then these are for you." She kept two of the papers on the counter and put the others back onto the desk beside the computer. "These numbers are their chip IDs. You can go to this website and fill in the numbers to register your name and address in their chips."

"Thank you," Makoto echoed, "Then we'll come pick them up tomorrow morning, if that's alright?"

"That's fine, we'll make sure they and all their stuff are ready by then."

"Oh," Makoto sighed as he remembered something vital and he turned to his husband, "But how are we going to get the tree home?"

Haruka pondered about that for a second. They had a moderately-sized family car, but even if they went through the trouble to take the cat tree apart then it might not fit inside entirely. They could make multiple trips, but there had to be an easier solution. "Doesn't Yamato-san have a minivan?"

"I think he does!" Makoto affirmed, smiling excitedly at Haruka, "I'll ask him if we can borrow it!" Instantly, Makoto fished his phone out of his pocket and typed a quick message to their coworker.

"In that case, we won't take it apart," Tanaka-san commented, "Well then, I'll see you tomorrow."

They thanked Tanaka-san once more for all her help and said their goodbyes before they took their leave.

"Can I come tomorrow too?" Umiko asked once Makoto was helping her into her carseat.

"Me too!"

"No," Haruka immediately refused, "You have to go to school."

"Yes, but you and Papa have to work," Mizuki argued, "So you can't go get them either."

"I'll take some work home so I can go get them and they won't be all alone on the first day," Haruka simply answered, "That's what I used to do when you were younger too, remember?"

"And my classes don't start until eleven tomorrow morning," Makoto added with an apologetic smile, "So I can help Daddy with picking them up before I go to work."

Knowing that her parents wouldn't let her stay home without a valid reason - and wanting to stay home to play with their two newly-adopted cats wasn't good enough - Umiko decided to take a different approach. She faked a cough and sniffed deeply. "I think I'm getting sick."

Inspired by that brilliant idea that hadn't even crossed his mind, Mizuki mimicked his sister's behaviour and mumbled, "Me too."

"Oh no," Makoto played along, the feigned concern in his voice sounding pretty believable for someone who was so bad at acting. "If you're getting sick, then you can't go to school tomorrow."

Two pairs of eyes lit up as the kids thought their sneaky plan had worked, but before they could actually reap the fruits, their father went and ruined it.

"You'll have to stay in bed all day to make sure you get better, and you can't see the cats either."

"What?"

"Why not?" Umiko questioned, panic beginning to bubble up and resonating in her high-pitched voice.

"What if you infect them? If you're both sick then I think it's very contagious, and we wouldn't want the cats to get sick too, right?" Makoto explained, and Haruka had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing at the looks on the children's faces. "So you'll have to stay in bed and won't be able to see them until you're all better."

"A-Actually, I'm feeling better already," Umiko stumbled in an attempt to undo the damage without admitting she had lied. But Makoto wouldn't let her off the hook that easily.

"Are you sure? You seem a little pale to me," he muttered and he brushed her fringe back as he pressed his fingers against her forehead, "And you feel warm too. Should we go to the doctor?"

"No!" she yelled, "Papa, I promise I'm better, I just…" There was no escaping it now; she had to tell the truth. "I just wanted to stay home to play with Duchess and Princess. I'm sorry."

A smile of understanding softened Makoto's lips. "I know. I was just teasing you."

"We know you would rather play with the cats than go to school," Haruka started, "I'm sure Papa wants to stay home and play with them all day too, but there are just some things that we have to do, like going to school or work, even if they're not what we want to do at that moment."

"But we can play with them after school and work is over," Makoto continued, "So we'll have something to look forward to all day. And maybe, you can bring your friends over to play with them too," he suggested after glancing at Haruka to get his approval.

"Not tomorrow, I want to play with them alone first," Mizuki claimed, crossing his arms solemnly.

"They might feel scared if they're surrounded by a lot of people at once," Umiko remarked, thinking back to what her father had said earlier about her friend's guinea pigs.

"I don't think that will be an issue," Makoto thought, "but you don't have to invite them over if you don't want to. It's your decision."

"I'll invite them over another time. First it's my turn to see Suzu-chan's guinea pig since she got it first," Umiko reasoned, which was fair enough.

"I'm not sick," Mizuki declared seemingly out of nowhere, "But I am hungry."

"Me too!"

It wasn't odd, considering they had only had one vanilla muffin since lunch. "I'll start on dinner as soon as we get home," Haruka promised, and to make sure they would get home as soon as possible, he closed the door and sat down in the driver's seat. Makoto followed his example and got in as well.

"But I'm hungry now," Mizuki emphasised in that whiny tone he had carefully developed over the past four years. Haruka was glad that he had brought the muffins earlier, otherwise it would have rained complaints hours ago.

"I know, but I don't have any food with me right now. We'll be home soon and I'll make something quick."

"Or," Makoto said, once more looking at his husband to ask for his permission, "Maybe, because it's a special day, we can go out to eat somewhere else…?"

"Yes!" Umiko and Mizuki cheered in unison. They loved their dad's cooking, but they would never turn down the invitation of getting to eat at a restaurant.

Haruka knew that Makoto's invitation wasn't just to appease their children. Waiting for food to be done at a restaurant took about the same time as waiting for him to whip up something quick at home, but eating outdoors saved Haruka the trouble of preparing a balanced meal. Although he didn't mind cooking at all, he couldn't deny that it would be nice to have to do nothing but sit and wait in order to get food for a change. That, paired with the fact that it made the children so happy, made him nod in agreement.

"And maybe, when we're done eating, we can go to the store to pick out some stuff for the cats!" Makoto proposed, figuring that they might as well get the necessities now so they wouldn't have to rush to get everything ready tomorrow morning.

"Will it still be open after we're done eating?" Umiko wondered.

"If we're fast. After all, we have to get home before your bedtime, too."

The mention of the most dreaded time of days coaxed protests out of them, and Haruka snorted. He was certain they would fall asleep somewhere along the way home, as he knew their excitement had worn them out like it always did.

But in order to make sure they would stay awake for as long as necessary, Haruka put the key into the slot to turn the car on and he asked, "So where do you want to eat?"

---

A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! If you did, I'd love to hear it! :)

Again, I'm not a cat owner so I don't have any first-hand experience that I can apply to this fic, but Princess and Duchess might have been losely based on my own dogs, haha.

As always you can find me on Tumblr, Twitter and Curious Cat at DatHeetJoella for more MakoHaru content in-between fic updates.

Thank you once again for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you'll stick around for the last part of this fic, that should be up soon! In the meanwhile, I wish you all an amazing day! 3