A/N: Oh my god, I made it. Just a light fic to finish out Kyo week. Now I'm determined to finish Kyoru week, too!

Warning: *very* light sexual content for like 10 seconds

Day 1:

For a minute, Kyo's not sure he can make it home.

He can literally see the apartment building coming into view down the street, but he can't feel his legs at all. He's worked at least 10 hours a day for the last three weeks. This was a 12 hour day. He just wants to go lie down and cuddle Tohru. What happens next is the last thing he wanted and expected to happen.

He makes it to their apartment, but everything derails from there.

"I'm home," he calls, kicking off his shoes in the genkan.

"Welcome home, Kyo-kun!"

He heads into the kitchen toward the sound of Tohru's voice, but doesn't immediately see her. He glances around, confused.

"Over here!"

He turns to see Tohru sitting on the kitchen floor in the corner, a weird little bowl with some kind of mushy food in it in front of her and—wait, what the hell is that on her lap?

"Uh...Tohru...what is that?"

She hesitates, playing with the end of her braid anxiously. "Well, it's, uh...a cat," she mumbles quickly, as if he might not hear her and this whole situation will just go away.

Not only is it a cat, it's a…

"A kitten? But...why?"

Tohru sighs and scratches behind the cat's ears, and for a second, Kyo has to admit to himself that it's a really cute kitten. Little and black, nuzzling itself up against Tohru. Wait, that's not the point.

"So, I know we agreed no pets…"

"We absolutely did."

"But this isn't really a pet, I swear!"

"Eh? How is it not a pet?"

"He's Yamada-san's! You know, the nice lady next door? Well, she needed to go out of town for business and asked if we would watch Mochi, here, for a couple days."

He has to stop himself from laughing at that. Mochi. Why would anyone name a cat after food?

"Okay...how long is a couple days?"

"W-well, five days…"

"Five days?! Tohru, why did you agree to this without talking to me first?"

"I'm sorry! But she was in a bind and needed to know right away, and you were at work, so I didn't want to bother you...and I knew you'd say no without thinking about it, but I really think if you just get to know Mochi, you'll love him!" she babbles.

Mochi chirps out a tiny meow in agreement.

Kyo tsks and runs a hand through his hair. He knows damn well he can't say no to Tohru, and he's sure she knows that, too. Although she'd never use it as a bargaining tool intentionally, it sometimes works out in her favor accidentally.

"Yamada-san is probably all the way to Tokyo by now, so you can't really say no anymore…"

He groans. "Fine," he grits out. "But will you be in charge of it, please? Cats...don't like me anymore."

Tohru's face falls a bit, and Kyo looks away with flushed cheeks. It's not that he isn't fond of cats, so much as they just bring back a lot of memories—a lot of feelings. He'd never admit it, but there are certain aspects of the Cat spirit that he misses, one of those being the fact that he could communicate with cats. By itself, that would have been a pretty cool power. Now, they don't even spare him a second glance, and they sure as hell don't come anywhere near him. It had been a little like losing a friend.

"I'm sorry, Kyo-kun," she whispers, and he snaps his gaze back over to her. Her voice is shaky, her head low and eyes hidden behind her bangs, so he knows she's tearing up. He kneels next to her. Mochi snarls in protest.

"Oh, shut it," Kyo tells the cat, then pulls Tohru in against his chest. "Hey, it's okay. Really, I'll be fine. It's just five days."

Tohru nods and pulls back to look at him. He smiles to reassure her, and she returns it. "Just five days," she confirms. Kyo cups her cheeks and brings her in for a kiss. When they part, he glances down at the cat. It's still sitting in Tohru's lap, but the expression it's wearing now is purely displeased.

"He really likes you, huh?" Kyo asks.

Tohru giggles. "I guess so. Yamada-san was worried he wouldn't like being in a new environment, but he's doing okay so far."

"He'll be fine. It's impossible not to be happy when you're around."

"Kyo-kun…" she murmurs, and he sees her eyes are wide and teary again.

"Hey, that wasn't supposed to make you cry!"

"You're just so sweet, Kyo-kun."

He blushes and goes in for another kiss, but then pulls back more, sitting back on his heels, when he feels the kitten wiggling unhappily between them. And then the cat—the goddamn cat—paws at Tohru's chest until she picks it up, then nuzzles against her face, effectively giving her a cat kiss. Kyo has to bite back a groan.

A week. It's just a week.

For the rest of the night, the cat monopolizes Tohru's attention. He hates to admit it, but he's reminded of how jealous Hiro used to get when Kisa would hang out with Tohru...and he's understanding, sympathizing, even. He feels pathetic.

When they sit at the table to eat dinner together, the kitten is still on Tohru's lap, and swats his paw at the fish on her plate. She giggles and cuts a little piece off for him, laying it on a little plate, then even gets him a little bowl of cream to go with it. She watches happily, looking almost giddy, as the cat laps it up.

Kyo can't help but feel a little guilty, then. She loves cats—he knows this, has always known this, but never really realized just how deeply she cares for them. Maybe he's been keeping her from being happy like this, letting his selfish discomfort toward cats get in the way of her happiness.

"It's okay, Kyo-kun," she says, not even looking up from the cat.

How can she always read his mind like that?

"It...it is?"

"Mm-hmm. I still love you most, I promise!" she giggles. Not quite right.

Kyo rolls his eyes and stuffs a bite of fish in his mouth so he doesn't have to respond.

Day 2:

Kyo wakes up with something laying on his face. For a second, he assumes it's Tohru—she must have rolled into a weird position in her sleep and ended up with an arm across him, or something. But then he realizes that he feels Tohru farther down, lying across his chest, and that whatever is on his face is fuzzy. His sleep-hazy brain connects the dots slowly, and when he finally gets to the answer, he startles and springs upright, throwing both Tohru and the cat off of him. The cat hisses in displeasure, and Tohru gasps as she wakes up.

"Kyo-kun, what's wrong?! Are you okay?!"

"Oh, uh…" Kyo pauses, feeling a little—okay, very—silly about that reaction. He's always startled easily, but now it feels like he's almost paranoid because of this kitten. Like anything he does might set the cat off in some way and make it angry, in turn making Tohru upset.

"Bad dream?" Tohru asks, reaching over and running her fingers through his hair. He averts his gaze to the kitten, who's now curled up on Tohru's lap, sound asleep again.

"The cat just...startled me, is all."

She tilts her head to the side, confused and waiting for him to elaborate, but he doesn't because he feels like an idiot and doesn't know how to not also act like one.

They get ready together, like they do every morning, but today the cat weaves between their legs, chirping and mewing as it begs for breakfast.

"Not yet, Mochi," Tohru coos, hands buried in her hair as she works on a braid. "Right after this, okay?"

The cat moves onto Kyo, pawing at his ankle. "Knock it off," Kyo says, mouth full of toothpaste.

"He likes you, Kyo-kun!" Tohru cheers. He looks at her in the mirror for a second, then leans over to spit into the sink.

"Only 'cause you're not feeding it, so it thinks I'm its last hope."

"Him, Kyo-kun."

"Eh?"

"Not feeding him."

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbles. He sees Tohru smile as she ties off her braid, but it looks a little sharp around the edges—like she's concerned.

"Listen...the cat and I are fine, Tohru," he assures her. He moves behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, then rests his chin on top of her head. She leans back into his touch, reaching up to cup his cheek with her left hand.

"Yeah?" she asks softly.

"Yeah," he confirms. "So, what're you gonna do with it—him—while you go to work?"

"I took today off so I can stay with him, just until he gets settled a little more."

Of course she's taking a three-day weekend to babysit a cat. It's just so her.

And apparently having a kitten is like having an infant.

When Kyo gets home that evening, Tohru's sitting in front of the TV, wiggling a little feather-on-a-stick thing in front of the cat's nose. He has to admit to himself that it's pretty adorable, but he doesn't say that to her. He just leans down and kisses her head, then goes into the kitchen.

"Kyo-kun?" she calls.

"Mm?" he asks, getting out a frying pan.

"O-oh, you don't have to do that! I was going to start on dinner right after this episode!"

"Nah," Kyo says, glancing at her over his shoulder. "You cook all the time. I can do it tonight. Just hang out with the cat."

And the smile she shoots him is so bright and goofy that he can't help but chuckle a bit at it.

"I love you," she calls. The cat climbs onto her lap and she rubs under its chin.

"I love you too."

Apparently he's turning into an infant cat enabler.

Day 3:

Saturday is the day of the week they've (well, Kyo) designated as their "relaxing day." Any chores or errands must wait until Sunday, and Saturday is spent together. Sometimes they go out on dates, but a lot of the time they end up hanging out at home, happy to just be in each other's company after work days apart. Tohru adheres to this relaxing rule most of the time—though it was hard for her, at first. But today, it's like she's slid backwards, and Kyo's having to lure her away from the front door with kisses.

She giggles as he kisses her neck, his lips tickling the sensitive skin. "We don't have anything for dinner," she chides softly in a reminder of why she'd been trying to leave.

"Let's order in later," he mumbles, then sucks at her pulsepoint. It's her weakness, and they both know it. She gasps, and he takes advantage of how weak her knees are now to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom before she can protest again.

Kyo tosses her down onto the bed gently, and Tohru laughs as he crawls over her. He tsks in disapproval. "It's rude to laugh at me when we're making out, ya know."

She shrugs a little, a smile still playing at her lips. "You're cute, though."

He groans and nuzzles his face against the crook of her neck to hide his red cheeks. "It's also rude to call me cute, of all things, when we're making out."

"Sorry," she whispers, trying not to laugh more, and he kisses her neck a few more times before lifting his head and focusing on unbuttoning her blouse.

It's quickly tossed off the bed, along with her bra, then his own shirt and the rest of her clothes. There are days when they take their time, but they're keyed up this afternoon—since Kyo's been working long hours lately, intimacy has taken a backseat for the last couple of weeks, in favor of the two spending what little time they have together just hanging out. So when all barriers to Torhu's body are gone, Kyo immediately dives under the covers, grabbing her ankle and pulling her legs apart.

"Wait…" she protests from above him. "I-I want to see you."

He curses and kicks the covers off, because what else are you supposed to do when your girlfriend says that to you? He bites and kisses his way up her right thigh, relishing in the giggly squeal she lets out, and then how it's quickly replaced by a gasp when his lips reach their destination.

"Oh my god," she mumbles. Then—

"Meow."

Kyo tries to ignore it. He moves his hands up and pulls her hips closer to his face.

"Meow."

And just like that, the moment is gone. Tohru softly nudges at his head with her fingertips, and he sits up. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and watches as Tohru gathers her clothes off the floor and calls out to Mochi.

"It's like we have a kid," Kyo groans.

Tohru looks at him over her shoulder, and she looks totally fine. She's a little out of breath, but if you weren't paying really close attention, you wouldn't notice. Kyo wonders how she can stop in the middle of sex like that be so unbothered, not have her nerve endings be red-hot and dissatisfied like his are.

"He'll be gone in a few days," she says as she finishes buttoning up her blouse. She smiles at him, the look soft and warm like it always is, and despite himself, Kyo can feel his frustration dissipate a bit.

Tohru takes a step closer and captures his lips with hers, but she doesn't let the kiss last long—which is probably a good idea, all things considered.

"Then we'll have fun, okay?" she adds, and the hint of mischievousness in her voice makes him swoon. He can't do anything but gulp and nod.

"Want to come help me make dinner?" she asks, tossing him his shirt.

He catches it, then glances down to his lap. "Uh, I—I think I'll stay here for a minute."

Tohru laughs lightly, then leans forward and presses a kiss to his forehead. "I'll see you in a bit, then."

And then she's gone, off in the kitchen talking to the cat again. Kyo flops down onto the bed. What the hell is happening to his life? How can a little black ball of fuzz stir it up so much? But she's happy. She's really happy, so it makes him a dick that he's not happy too, right? And if he can't even handle a kitten, how is he supposed to handle a kid someday? He shakes his head and digs his hands into his eye sockets. Why is he so selfish? After the curse broke, he promised himself that's something he wouldn't be anymore. Just a handful of months in and he's already failing, and because of a fucking cat, no less.

He's pathetic.

Day 4:

After Mochi cried for her when she'd just left the room yesterday, Tohru now refuses to even leave the cat long enough to go grocery shopping. Honestly, that's okay with Kyo—it's much quicker if he goes alone...even if he does somehow come back with about a quarter of the list wrong every time. Today, he makes it back to the apartment in just under an hour, probably a new personal best. He's greeted at the door with a quick kiss from Tohru, and then her hand sneaks into one of the bags to grab a can of tuna before she runs off again. He chuckles and shakes his head, then follows with the rest of the bags.

By the time he catches up, Tohru is already taking to the can with their canopener. The cat stands at her feet, mewing impatiently. Kyo steps over it to fall into place next to Tohru. She smiles up at him. "Thank you for doing the shopping, Kyo-kun."

"Yeah, 'course." His gut churns with the pure joy laced into her smile, and it makes him feel a little reckless. He hesitates, then leans over and pushes her hair back over her shoulder. He can hear her breath hitch a bit, and it spurs him on. He moves his lips to the bare skin of her neck. He hears the can thump down onto the counter, and she puts her hands in his hair to gently tug him closer, letting him know the advance isn't unwanted. The cat miraculously stays quiet. Arousal has been pooling in his stomach all day. Maybe today they can...

A few minutes and two hickies later, they're apart again, Tohru back to preparing tuna for the cat and Kyo back to watching her do that. He uses his thumb to rub at the throbbing spot at the crook of his neck.

"Could you hand me a bowl, please?" Tohru asks, and when Kyo turns, the cat is behind him, staring at him very intensely. And though Kyo can no longer communicate with cats, of course, he thinks he can see this one's intentions very clearly right now.

"...Tohru?"

"Mmm?"

"I think the cat wants to kill me."

She snorts out a laugh. "Well, you took me away from my tuna-preparation duties for a minute there. And, as you might remember, cats kind of want to kill everyone most of the time, yeah?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he groans in mock frustration, handing her the bowl she asked for. "I had real reasons to hate everyone. This one just had to wait five extra minutes for a treat."

Tohru shrugs, a smirk still on her cheeks. "Cats are dramatic."

Kyo sighs at the jab, but the playful look she gives him makes his heart stutter all the same.

"Meow!"

"Mochi, for fuck's sake," Kyo grumbles. Tohru holds out the bowl of tuna, and Kyo takes it and sets it on the floor in front of the cat. They watch it eat for a moment, and for the millionth time since Mochi came to stay with them, Kyo finds himself briefly considering how cute the little terror can be sometimes.

"Does its owner give it tuna?" Kyo asks.

"Mmm…" Tohru shrugs.

He chuckles. "You'd better hope so, or you're gonna be sending back a really spoiled cat."

She puffs out her lower lip into a pout. "He's just so cute—I can't help it."

And that makes Kyo think—really, it was just a matter of time before this happened. Tohru is a natural caretaker. If she doesn't have something or someone to nurture, her whole routine is thrown off, and she doesn't know what to do with herself. They've lived in this apartment for six months now. Six months without seeing the other Sohmas, or Uo and Hana. While she cares for Kyo, of course, that's different. Part of Tohru has probably been going insane this whole time.

If it didn't end up being a surprise kid, then really, Kyo should have known an animal would work its way into their home, if only temporarily.

Kyo bends down and presses a kiss to her forehead, his silent way of letting her know that she's being seen. He's not sure she notices the intent behind it, but she smiles and leans into his touch anyway.

"I love you," he reminds her.

"I love you too, Kyo-kun. Very much."

Day 5:

Tohru went back to work today, and she'd spent her entire lunch break texting Kyo about how worried she is about Mochi. Eventually, Kyo gave in and said he'd go home on his lunch break to check on the thing.

So here he is. Skipping a meal to go home at noon and check on a cat. A cat that's not even theirs.

As soon as he opens the door, he's greeted by Mochi. The kitten runs up to him on its chubby legs and meows. Then, apparently noticing that the person entering the house isn't Tohru, it turns and walks away. Kyo scoffs and moves farther into the house. Nothing is destroyed, so that's good, at least. He checks the bowl of kibble Tohru left out. It's about half gone.

"You're gonna get fat," Kyo tells Mochi, though there's no bite to his voice. Mochi chirps from his spot on the windowsill. Kyo walks over and joins the cat. From this window, you can see the street really clearly, complete with all the people wandering down it. Mochi's eyes dart back and forth as he observes them.

"You like this spot?" Kyo asks. "It's sunny. Nice and warm."

It makes him think about when he was part cat. Whenever he transformed, he would just sit and wait to turn human again—it's not like he could have wandered far without his clothes. So he never took time to just lay in the sun as a cat. In human form, he did and still does gravitate toward sunny spots to soak up the heat, but he imagines it just feels somehow...different to do it as a feline.

For just a second, he wishes he could ask Mochi how it feels.

Kyo shakes his head and scoffs again, this time at himself. He goes to the kitchen to look for something quick he can eat on the way back to work. When he opens the fridge, Mochi springs to attention. He runs over and weaves himself between Kyo's ankles, chirping.

"So spoiled," Kyo says, and Mochi protests with a little grumble. Kyo reaches for the riceballs Tohru had made that weekend and bites one through to its middle. As he chews, he rips off a piece of the salmon filling and crouches down. He lays his palm out flat, with the fish in the middle, and watches Mochi come up and gobble down the offering.

"Ya know," Kyo tells him, finishing off the riceball with one last bite, "You're cute when you're not being a cockblock and ridiculously needy. If you'd been like this the whole time, I wouldn't have minded you bein' here."

Mochi just blinks at him with big yellow eyes.

Kyo sighs and stands back up. "But anyway, you're leaving tonight. So...guess it doesn't matter."

Figures. As soon as he gets used to the thing, it's going to leave.

As he heads back out the front door to return to work, he takes one look back at Mochi and can't help but smile at the way he's crawled back to the sun and is purring as he dozes off.

After dinner that night, Kyo and Tohru ready Mochi to go back home. Yamada-san shows up right at 7, just as she'd planned to, and Tohru gives her the basket full of Mochi's things, along with a report about how good he was. She gives him a snuggle, and Kyo awkwardly rubs under his chin before their neighbor takes him away, inviting them to "come see him anytime!"

When their door is shut, Kyo looks at Tohru. He notices tears in her eyes, the way she's blinking rapidly to try and dispel them. He bites back a sigh and wraps an arm around her shoulders. She leans against his chest

He feels guilty about having such disdain toward the cat, and about how completely undone Tohru seems now that he's gone. But also…

He thinks he's going to kinda miss having the little thing running around.

"Hey, Tohru?" he asks.

She clears her throat, then murmurs back, "Hm?"

"Do you maybe...wanna get a cat soon?"

She pulls back to look at him with wide eyes. "What?"

A fair reaction. He can't even really believe that he said it, himself.

A low-maintenance cat should be fine. One that wants cuddles and treats sometimes, but that doesn't get in the way of their routine too much. It might make the apartment feel cozy.

And there's already this stupid, Mochi-sized hole in Kyo's chest.

"Yeah, I was just thinking...it might be nice. We should get one that's already full grown, though, so it's not so annoying all the time…"

Tohru just stares at him for another minute, then nods, a smile replacing the cloudy expression from a few minutes ago. "Yes! I'd like that a lot, Kyo-kun."

And he's sure that he will, too—because he knows that all he really wants is for her to be happy, and the rest will come naturally.