This is probably the longest chapter in the story. XD Most chapters are pretty short, sorry.
Chapter 2: Attached
The shriek of "KAO-CHAAAAAN!" that attacked Kaoru's ears was the last thing the soaked Hitachiin needed after an hour-long walk. If it hadn't been for the package in his arms, he knew Hunny would have tackled him. Mori appeared behind Hunny in the open doorway and put a hand on the tiny senior's head affectionately.
"Make room, Mitsukuni, before he catches a cold."
"Takashi!" Hunny laughed, pushing his cousin playfully as both boys moved out of the way. Kaoru felt almost shy. His orange t-shirt was plastered against his skin, and his jeans were darkened by the rain. He knelt to put the box on the ground and pushed his bangs aside meticulously when he rose again. Hunny bounced around his legs excitedly.
"What's in the box?"
"More importantly," Mori said, "are you okay?"
Kaoru was a little surprised by the question. He turned slowly to meet Mori's dark eyes and nodded.
"Yeah, I am. It's just…I went for a walk along the bike path again, and-"
"Got us a present?" Hunny peeped jokingly, grinning. "You shouldn't have."
Kaoru smiled wryly at him. "You can have them if you want them." He opened the box and stared at the interior for a moment. "I don't know what else to do with them."
Mori glanced down at the box and smiled, lowering his head in satisfaction; Hunny squeaked and put a hand in so that his palm brushed the back of one of the three creatures inside. "Kittens! Takashi, they're so cute!"
The one he touched stirred and looked up, blinking sleepily, its eyes bleary and wet. It was completely black except for a white streak on its chest that reached up to cover its chin and run up its nose like a flicker of smoke. The toes on its forepaws were white as well, and Hunny stroked them, causing the creature to mewl softly.
The other two kittens were orange. One had brown tinges in its fur, and its left ear was completely brown. It looked up when Mori knelt down to scratch its chin, which was a lighter shade of orange, like its belly. Mori rubbed its ribs gently and it rolled over. Its belly was light orange, almost tan. The other orange kitten had brown streaks too, but they were more prominent, as if they were tiger stripes. Its belly was tan, almost identical to the slightly larger one now purring under Mori's large fingers. The one with the brown ear batted at Hunny's fingers playfully while the white-bellied one moved to rub Mori's fingers. So it wouldn't be left out, Kaoru reached down to scratch the ears of the striped kitten; it began to purr immediately, looking up with hazel eyes and squinting with pleasure.
"Anata wa kawaii desune?!" Hunny squealed at them. He picked up the larger orange one and hugged it, nuzzling its nose with his. It squirmed in his hands, mewing.
"Where did you find them?"
"In that same box," Kaoru said, "by a dumpster. Someone just threw them out. It's almost Halloween…bad things happen to stray cats in October, and these kittens are so young."
"They look only about three, four months old, at most," Mori said. He glanced at Hunny; the streaked kitten, and the largest of the three, was licking his cheek. Its ears were back.
Kaoru looked down at the face of the striped one. It had socks; unlike the one Hunny was playing with, the toes on its front paws were white, and so were the toes on its left hind paw. Stripes ran down the kitten's forehead like dripping paint, and when the kitten…and there was no better word for it…smiled, they scrunched together. Kaoru rubbed them fondly.
Mori took a look at the brown-eared kitten Hunny was holding carelessly, then down at the black and white one. After a moment, his fingers stroked the striped's underbelly gently.
"This is female, the other two are males," he muttered. Kaoru picked the tiny female up and sat with his legs crossed so she could lie in his lap. His eyes were already glimmering with an expression Mori saw in Hunny's too often.
"Are you going to keep them?" he asked quietly. "All three?"
Ah, so that's what the Hitachiin was depressed about. Mori glanced up at Hunny, who was almost glaring at him, hugging the ear-tipped kitten to his chest protectively.
"Why? Did you want one?"
Kaoru glanced down at the feline, who was curling into a tight ball in his lap, he tail wrapped around herself securely. The orange on Hunny was cuddling was still purring audibly. He did want her, he decided, but there was only one thing that prevented him from just taking her home.
Hikaru.
If he kept her, Hikaru would want to help take care of her. Kaoru didn't want that. Hikaru had stopped sharing with him. He didn't want to share with Hikaru. Not the kitten, at least. Perhaps, just once…he stroked the kitten's ears. Maybe he could be a little selfish. This time. As if to reassert her position to him, she rubbed his hand.
"We can't really separate them, can we?" Kaoru whispered. "Siblings shouldn't be taken from each other…so young," he added hastily, perfectly aware of Hunny and Mori's eyes on him.
"I want this one!" Hunny whined softly, pressing the large kitten to his cheek. The black male nipped Mori's fingers playfully. "And that one wants you."
"We can take them from each other, but they have to be able to see each other."
"Can't we do that at the Host Club?" Hunny chirped hopefully. Kaoru didn't look up from the kitten, but his eyes traveled to Mori secretively, inquiringly.
"The customers would definitely love to see them, especially combined with Hunny's loli shota act," he said slowly.
"They need constant attention. They'd distract us from our jobs."
As though frightened by the prospect, Hunny hugged his kitten. "Kyou-chan would kill us," he whispered, eyes twinkling.
The three fell silent. Kaoru's kitten had fallen asleep in his lap; she'd stopped purring. Hunny's was rubbing his chin with the top of his kitten's fuzzy little head. One of its ears had bent backwards from the pressure. The black kitten had wrapped its paws around Mori's hand and was chewing on his index finger, tiny claws digging into the human's skin. Mori rubbed the white belly with his pinky.
"I want to name him Yuhi," Hunny spoke up suddenly, his tone cheerful. "He's the same colour as sunset, right?"
Kaoru was afraid to name his, though he quite agreed with his senior. Mori voiced his fears.
"Careful, Mitsukuni. When you name it, you get attached."
Screw it. He was already attached.
"I'm naming her Akatsuki. She's similar to Yuhi, but just different enough to be a separate entity," Kaoru said, mostly to himself.
"Like you and Hika-Chan," Hunny said knowingly, smiling slyly at him. Kaoru pretended he was unaware of his blush and simply stroked the streak of brown running down to Akatsuki's tiny nose.
"So…that settles it," Mori said. "And maybe we can get someone at the school to watch them during club hours."
"Renge?" Hunny suggested.
Kaoru shook his head. "No, she'd dress them up, and I'm pretty sure even a cat would be embarrassed by that." He coughed, raising a hand politely to cover his mouth.
"I'll make some tea," Mori said quietly. "You're going to get sick."
"I'm fine," Kaoru said, but Mori left the room anyway, placing the kitten on the floor. He watched the tall human leave, and cocked his head. After an almost defiant meow, he turned and ran to Hunny as fast as his little legs could take him. A foot from Hunny's bare feet, he screeched to a halt, momentum sending him sprawling over the boy's foot. Hunny scratched him behind the ears, adjusting Yuhi in the crook of his other arm.
"Maybe some of our customers could watch them?" Hunny suggested after awhile. Kaoru looked up from petting Akatsuki's head, golden eyes bright with thought.
"Iiya…they'd tell someone else from the club, especially if suspicion arose."
"Good point," the senior sighed, kneeling. The black male ran toward the door where Mori was entering the room again; Kaoru found himself delighted by the tiny claws scrambling frantically against the polished wooden floor. Fast as the legs moved, the kitten took some time to get to Mori, who scooped it up wordlessly and put a tray down in front of the other boys. Hunny and Kaoru took their mugs of tea and murmured their gratitude, both deeply in thought.
"Any ideas, Takashi?"
"Tsuki."
It took Kaoru a moment to realize he was talking about naming the kitten. It was a fitting name, to be sure.
"For the kitten-sitters, I meant," Hunny said, giggling. Mori smiled.
"Yeah, I know. What about Nekozawa?"
"There's an idea," Kaoru said, his lips breaking into a grin.
"Neko-chan! But…he's more interested in the occult, ne? What if he tried to sacrifice them to…to…" He couldn't finish. Frustrated and pouting, he blushed and raised his mug to his lips as an excuse to cut himself off.
"They worship cats," Kaoru pointed out.
Mori sighed in realization, shaking his head. "They worship cat-shaped objects," he reminded them. "They don't even like cats, do they?"
"Kirimi doesn't like cats. Umehito-sama might. It's definitely a thought."
"But is it a good thought?" Hunny murmured softly, petting Yuhi's brown ear. Kaoru looked down at his cup for the first time. A stalk was floating in it, stem up; he smiled.
"Hai. I really think so."
"And you're so cute!" Hunny shrieked again, louder than the first time, if that were at all possible. He rubbed his nose to Yuhi's. Akatsuki woke up and mewled in displeasure, squinting at him and laying her ears back.
"Nekozawa-senpai, then," Kaoru said. "Once he gets back from visiting his Russian relatives. You can get Satoshi or someone to watch them tomorrow, right Mori?"
"Un," Mori grunted in acknowledgement. Tsuki chewed his index finger. "And tonight, or Hikaru's going to be all over your girl."
Without a word, Kaoru placed Akatsuki back in the box. She immediately perched on her hind legs, staring at him and clawing at the sides. A cry erupted from her throat.
"Shimatta. Damn things get attached awful fast," Kaoru muttered. He looked back down at his tea. "Could be a good thing."
"Rain's dying down," Hunny said, grinning. "Kao-chan, are you leaving?"
"I'd better, before it gets dark."
"And before Hika-chan freaks out looking for you!" Hunny laughed. "He probably is already!"
Kaoru shook his head slowly, his deadpan, orange eyes locked on Hunny's cheerful amber ones.
"No," he said quietly. "I don't think he is."
With a last look down at Akatsuki, who was now crying for him nonstop, he made for the door and put his shoes back on. Upon opening the door, he hesitated. After a moment, he met Mori's dark eyes.
"Thank you."
He closed the door and headed into the dying rain, leaving Hunny very confused, and Mori very concerned.
For the record, a stalk floating upright in a cup of tea is a sign of good things to come. XD
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