Note: Alternate Universe
December 17th, 2018.
Prompt Seventeen: Stocking
"Mint, please get out of the Santa stocking." Itachi sighed at his cat, watching the small creature poke its head out of the stocking momentarily before turning and crawling in deeper.
Itachi sighed again.
He had been trying to decorate their home for over three hours now.
Everything he tried to do was somehow made more awkward by either one or two of the playful cats roaming around the house.
With the lights, Mint had decided to play with them as they dangled from his hands.
had decided to play a game of solo-fetch with the decorations for the tree.
Now it was time to hang the stocking and Mint was currently in the stocking.
Usually, Hinata enjoyed decorating their home, however due to her busy schedule coming up to her maternity leave, Itachi had taken it upon himself to decorate this year.
A decision he seemed to regret the second he saw that twinkle in the bright green eyes of his two cats.
He knew lifting the stocking would only scare the poor creature, so he couldn't do that and once Mint had found a happy place to stay, she could be in there for hours.
As much as Itachi wanted to finish hanging the stocking, he really did not want to disturb the cat.
He ran a hand through the lose bangs of his hair, smiling down at the lumpy stocking that occasionally twitched with movement.
He looked over to the remaining baubles sitting in a box by the tree, Pepper contently pushing and catching a lone bauble around the floor.
He laughed lightly to himself.
He didn't know how Hinata did it.
She always got everything in their home done so efficiently, even with the two cats laying around her.
She would often even join in with their antics, moving small toys in the air above them, or trailing string on the ground before them. Even doing this, she always completed her task on time.
He moved to sit on the floor beside the stocking covered cat, gently patting the small animal through the stocking.
The lump in the stocking moved again.
Itachi chuckled.
"Are they giving you trouble?" a soft voice asked from behind him.
Itachi turned his head, seeing his wife enter the room through the main door.
"They're just being cats I guess." He answered, accepting the kiss she placed on his forehead.
"If you use some tinsel, you can lure her out." Hinata suggested.
"But I've already used up all the tinsel."
Hinata smiled in that warm, understanding way she often did.
"Take some down?" she asked.
Itachi almost pouted. He was so proud of his decorating.
Hinata giggled at her husband's frown.
Itachi relented and gently unstuck some tinsel from the mantle above the fireplace.
He dangled it on the floor at the top of the stocking.
Eventually one white paw peeked out, grabbing at the tinsel.
Itachi smirked.
He dragged the tinsel further back, slowly.
More of the paw emerged, swiping quickly.
With a fast and jerky movement, Itachi whipped the tinsel back, followed quickly by a small patchy cat.
Hinata quickly grabbed the cat from her spot on the floor, holding the small creature to her chest.
"You're free Mint!" she whispered, kissing the creature on its head.
The cat immediately relaxed, purring softly in her arms.
Pepper, noticing the affection his sister was getting released the bauble he had been playing with and moved over to his female human.
Itachi sighed again, smiling this time.
He re-stuck the tinsel to the mantle, finally hanging the stocking in the centre the names 'Mint and Pepper' displayed proudly on the front.
I really like cats, ok?
Prompt list by astudyinfic on tumblr!
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