Chapter Text
Izuna frowns at the way his brother is grooming their newly acquired kitten.
It's not really nii-san's fault of course, nor Kagami's either, but it's undeniable that the baby's needs have meant the consumption of the majority of nii-san's time and effort.
Getting Kagami into their nest was only the start of it, and keeping him fed has been very difficult. Unable to make milk, he and nii-san were forced to let the humans do it and being constantly on the alert for human hands is taking a toll.
Izuna and his brother have long since trained their humans not to approach them unless necessary, but Kagami's needs have made it necessary and Izuna doesn't like it. He doesn't feel secure, not even here in the space which he and nii-san have made their own, and it's... not good.
Usually, when he feels like this, he goes to nii-san and lets himself be treated like a kitten again, curls up small and lets his brother's purrs lull him into sleep. But now that nii-san has an actual kitten, Izuna can't deny that he feels somewhat... supplanted.
That spot under nii-san's chin is his spot, and he wants to hiss at the interloper but he can't.
Because Kagami is a baby.
It's not fair! Why did the humans have to bring home another cat anyway!
Izuna growls under his breath, furious at the humans, at the way Kagami looks at him fearfully, and the world.
A kitten like this should be with his mother, just as nii-san and he should have been left with their mother! Sure, their father didn't come back but they could have managed!
Somehow!
He knows nii-san would say that it's not the past which matters, only what they make of things now, but Izuna can't let go of his anger so easily. At the same time, nii-san is right - there's a kitten here, and someone needs to take care of it.
"Here, let me." Izuna shoves himself into the nest, ignoring the way Kagami tenses up next to him, and starts licking at the kitten's fur.
Nii-san never does as good a job as he does anyhow.