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“I think we should get a dog.”
Izuku blinked at Katsuki from across the kitchen table, pausing in the middle of shoveling his breakfast into his mouth like a ravenous hyena. Taking a moment to chew on the statement, he slowly set his fork down and leaned his elbows onto the table. “And why do you think that?”
Katsuki raised a brow. “What, you don’t want a dog? You always go psycho when we see one out in public needing to fucking pet it and shit.”
Izuku flushed. That was true. “No. I mean, I love dogs. You know that. I just… this is something we should discuss in detail. Having a pet is a big deal. And dogs aren’t particularly low maintenance.”
Katsuki scowled. “Well, I don’t know. I think it’d be cool to have a pet to come home to and take hiking or some shit. It’s not like we aren’t responsible enough to have a pet.” He flushed slightly, glancing away. “And I like dogs a lot. The old hag wouldn’t let me have one growing up. And… isn’t that a goal of most relationships? To own a pet together or what-the-fuck-ever?”
Izuku bit his lip to keep himself from swooning over Katsuki’s embarrassment at admitting he liked something other than blowing things up, and at how thoughtful he was being about their relationship. “We definitely would make awesome dog owners, and I do think that would be fun, too! But… I’m apprehensive because dogs need constant attention and need to be walked at least once a day. We are often away from home, Kacchan. That’s not really fair to the poor pup, is it? Or fair to anyone we would have to ask to dog-sit.”
Katsuki was quiet, chewing on his omelet slowly. After a few moments, he huffed, stabbing at his plate in defeat like a toddler and Izuku absolutely did not think it was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. “Yeah, okay. I guess that’s a good fucking point.”
Izuku’s heart clenched, every fiber in his body wishing to console the blonde with the desire to make his thoughtful childhood dream of having a pet come true. He smiled fondly, reaching across the table to squeeze Katsuki’s hand gently. “Sorry, handsome. Maybe at a different time down the road, okay?”
Katsuki rolled his eyes, cheeks still flushed. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
---
A few days after their discussion about getting a dog, Izuku found himself tucked into the couch after work with Katsuki pressed against him. His boyfriend was slouched so that he was leaning back against Izuku, his head on the freckled boy’s shoulder while Izuku idly ran his fingers through Katsuki’s hair. The blonde struggled to keep his eyes open, effectively lulled close to a peaceful slumber from the attention.
In the still of the evening, Izuku kissed Katsuki’s temple. “So… I’ve been thinking about our discussion the other day.” Izuku spoke, words light. His fingers brushed through Katsuki’s tufts of blonde, scraping idly at his scalp. “About getting a dog.”
Katsuki hummed in acknowledgement, heavy-lidded, relaxed eyes drifting up to look at Izuku. “Yeah?”
The hopeful lilt of Katsuki’s voice made Izuku’s heart squeeze with affection. He smiled fondly, leaning down to place a soft kiss on the blonde's cheek this time. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea. But – and hear me out on this, okay? – what if we got a… cat instead?”
Katsuki was quiet for a moment, looking up at Izuku with a dubious expression. “Cats are nothing like dogs.”
Izuku raised an eyebrow, lips pulling up into a small smirk. “Well, that’s just not true, Kacchan. They both have fur. And four legs. And may like to cuddle. And like toys. And – “
“Okay, okay, stop, fucker.” Katsuki groaned, carmine eyes rolling. “This isn’t selling me on the idea of getting a goddamn cat.”
Izuku giggled, grinning. His fingers dropped from Katsuki’s hair, waving in the air excitedly as he spoke. “Okay. So, I think your idea of getting a pet is a great one. But dogs are too much work for our current occupational status and with how often we are traveling for weeks at a time. However, cats are a lot lower maintenance, right? We could get those automatic food and water dispensers, and we wouldn’t have to really worry about food and water while we’re gone. We can have multiple litter boxes, so we wouldn’t have to worry about that, either.”
At the mention of litter boxes, Katsuki grimaced in disgust, and Izuku fought the urge to laugh at the expression before continuing. “We would just need someone – Ochako or Tenya or Shouto or Eijiro; anyone, really, except maybe Denki – to come check on the cat every couple of days. Maybe clean the litter box and play with him for a little bit. Give him some love. That’s a lot easier than worrying about someone having to come walk a dog once or twice a day, among all of the other needs a canine would need. And cats are cuddly!”
Katsuki didn’t miss a beat. “Cats are assholes.”
Izuku groaned and let his head fall back against the couch. “Not all of them. We could go to a shelter and pick one out. Not a kitten. Too much potential for destruction, there. But maybe like, a one-year-old? A young adult?” He looked back at Katsuki, reaching a scarred hand out to run his fingers over the blonde’s jaw. “It was just an idea. You seemed like you really wanted a pet, and you know I love animals. I’m trying to find a compromise for us, you know?”
Katsuki looked away, feeling heat crawl up his neck and filter into his cheeks. He leaned his head back against Izuku’s shoulder again, exhaling deeply. “Okay.” He mumbled, not looking back at Izuku. “I… appreciate that. It’s a good compromise.”
Izuku, shocked that Katsuki agreed so quickly, leaned forward so that he could look Katsuki in the eye. “Wait, really?”
Katsuki glared. “Don’t act like I never fucking agree with you, asshole.” He huffed. “You made some good goddamn points. It can’t hurt to go look, right?”
Izuku looked as if he were glowing. “Kacchan!” He wrapped his arms around Katsuki’s shoulders and pressed soft kisses to the man’s neck. “I’m so excited! We’re going to be parents!”
Katsuki sputtered in Izuku’s arms, flushing, eyes horrifyingly wide. “Absolutely fucking not.”
Izuku laughed so hard at Katsuki’s reaction that he ended up rolling them both off of the couch into a tangle of embarrassed, giggling affection. Once he settled down, he slid his hands over Katsuki’s jaw and pulled the flustered man close. “I love you, Kacchan.” He murmured, pressing his lips to Katsuki’s softly. “Let’s go look this weekend.”
---
When they went to the shelter that weekend, Izuku very pointedly forced them both to stay as far away from the dogs up for adoption as possible. When they walked into the area where the felines were kept, he grabbed hold of Katsuki’s hand and pulled him toward the kitten room first. “I know we don’t want a kitten, but look at them. Let’s hold them!”
Okay, kittens were cute; Katsuki could admit that. They were clumsy as fucking hell and what the fuck, their eyes were huge. He held them gently in his palms, afraid that he would accidentally hurt them, and Izuku tried very, very hard not to think about how precious it would be to see Katsuki holding a human baby.
His heart tugged at the thought, and he promptly yanked Katsuki out of the kitten area before he found himself in a place of dangerous baby fever. They slowly walked along the wall of enclosures, pausing to poke their fingers into cages to try and pet the cats as they went, to try and gauge interest. It wasn’t until they came across a large, two-year-old, fluffy, pitch black cat that they both paused with genuine interest.
The cat – his name was Sherlock; “What the fuck kind of name is that?” Katsuki huffed – stared out at them with large, green eyes. Izuku was captivated.
“He looks like a small black hole.” Katsuki observed.
Izuku tried very hard not to bust into giggles. He didn’t do a very good job of it.
At Izuku’s stifled laugh, the fluffy critter meowed, stretching forward to paw at the cage. Izuku’s giggles subsided into soft, affectionate coos as he tried to reach through the cage to pet the animal. Sherlock meowed again and rubbed his head and body against the cage, flicking his fluffy tail at the duo. “Oh my God, Kacchan. Look at his whiskers!”
Katsuki knew immediately that Izuku wasn’t going to leave the shelter without that cat.
With an apprehensive sigh, he reached forward to try and pet the cat through the cage as well. “…We’d have to rename him.” He spoke softly, feeling his heart beating frantically in his chest with sudden nerves.
Izuku looked toward him with big, shining eyes. “Yeah?”
Katsuki smiled softly, rolling his eyes to distract himself from the way his stomach fluttered in response to Izuku’s hopeful gaze. No one would have ever guessed that getting a pet had been his idea, and not the freckled bundle of sunshine’s. “Yeah.”
---
They settled on naming him Luke Skywhiskers because they were nerds, and, as Izuku had phrased it, his whiskers are long enough to reach the sky!
And there were toys everywhere.
Small bells. Feather sticks. Catnip-stuffed fish. Tiny plush mice. Hair ties. Empty boxes.
Katsuki couldn’t walk anywhere in his home without the potential of stepping on one of Luke Skywhiskers’ toys. He had already accidentally busted three little jingling balls by stepping on them, and they'd only had him a week.
After they had brought Luke home, Izuku had insisted that they go to the pet store immediately. So they did, and Izuku had shown absolutely zero restraint as he picked out the best food and threw an obscene amount of cat toys and treats into their basket. Then, he had essentially skipped over to pick out a collar for their new housemate – it’s the same color as your eyes, Kacchan! Plus, there’s this cute little bell on it so we’ll be able to hear him throughout the house.
Katsuki was fucking irritated by it all, but he still found it ridiculously endearing to see his boyfriend so excited about their new fluffy black void of a pet.
Katsuki huffed as he kicked a toy mouse out of his path as he padded his way toward the kitchen to get lunch started. Then –
“No, no, no, Luke! Get down from there!”
Katsuki’s brows furrowed as he altered his route, heading in the direction of Izuku’s exclamation. He found the freckled man in their shared office space, standing in front of the bookshelf where they had all of their hero memorabilia displayed and waving his arms frantically toward the shelving unit.
Luke Skywhiskers was perched on the very top shelf, fluffy tail wagging lazily as he sat next to one of Izuku’s favorite All Might action figures.
Katsuki’s eyes went wide. “What the fuck. Get down, you asshole!”
Izuku whirled around at the sound of Katsuki’s voice. “No, wait – Kacchan!” He stepped in front of Katsuki as the blonde charged into the room. “Don’t startled him! He might accidentally knock things over if he’s startled!”
Katsuki glared.
Izuku gave him a wobbly smile.
Luke licked his paw absently.
There was tension in the room as Izuku turned around slowly and crept back to the bookshelf. “C’mon, Luke. Won’t you come down? Daddy will give you some treats if you do.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes. “You’re not his daddy, Deku.”
Izuku, despite the current potential disaster unfolding, shot Katsuki a coy smirk. “Maybe not. But I can be yours.”
Katsuki flushed cherry red, cheeks hot, and Izuku decided that he would never get tired of the sight of Katsuki flustered over his flirtatious innuendos, even though the blonde had an absolutely filthy mouth of his own. “Don’t you fucking – “
His sentence was cut off by movement on the shelf. Luke stood, stretched, tail bumping the All Might figure – but not knocking it down, thank fuck – and then launched himself off the shelf and onto Katsuki’s shoulders.
“What the fuck?!” The blonde yelled, hissing in pain as the cat’s claws found purchase in his skin. He reached up to grab the ball of fluff and toss him to the floor when Luke chirped softly and knocked his head against the side of Katsuki’s skull. He then proceeded to lay down, effectively wrapping himself around Katsuki’s neck like a fluffy winter scarf, purrs vibrating from his chest.
Katsuki froze, hands still in midair, unsure what to do. Izuku felt adoration bubble in his chest as he waved his hands frantically. “Wait! Wait! Don’t move, let me get my camera!”
---
Katsuki’s tongue swirled down over Izuku’s jaw, teeth nipping at the sensitive skin of his neck. Izuku’s head tilted back against the pillows, a soft, pleased hum escaping his lips as he skipped his fingers up Katsuki’s back, pushing up the fabric of his shirt.
The blonde made a soft sound of approval, body moving to slot their hips together as his hands teased down Izuku’s chest. He moved so he could yank Izuku’s shirt over his head when the soft sound of something jumping onto their bed stole his attention.
The jingle of Luke Skywhiskers’ bell was deafening in the silence that suddenly blanketed the room. The black void of fluff padded his way across the bed, soft purrs vibrating from his chest as he rubbed his head against Katsuki’s bicep and then crawled his way into the space between Izuku’s and Katsuki’s chests, plopping down and wagging his fluffy tail over Izuku’s nose.
Izuku sneezed and then collapsed into a fit of giggles. Katsuki resisted the urge to explode Luke to the other side of the house.
---
It was rare that Izuku returned home much later than Katsuki, given that they worked at the same agency, but it did happen occasionally. When Izuku finally found himself in the comfort of his own home at 11PM, he knew Katsuki would be long asleep by then.
What he didn’t expect, though, was to see Katsuki and Luke asleep together.
Katsuki was spread out on their bed on his back, one hand resting above his head, and the other resting on his stomach. Luke was curled up on Katsuki’s chest, looking every bit like a tiny black hole erupting from the blonde.
Izuku’s heart felt incredibly full.
Trying to keep himself from crying tears of oh my god, they’re the cutest and they’re all mine, he quickly slipped his phone from inside his pocket and snapped a few pictures, saving one as his new background. Then, he slid out of his dirty clothes and collapsed into the bed, exhaustion sweeping over him.
Luke stirred and stretched when Izuku’s impact ruffled the bed’s serenity, one paw effectively punching Katsuki in the nose gently. Katsuki grunted, barely blinking awake, and ran a hand over the black cat’s furry back. “Furry asshole.” He slurred sleepily, batting the paw out of his face, but not pushing Luke off his chest.
Izuku bit his bottom lip to try and contain his smile. He slid over to press his body against Katsuki’s. “Hi, handsome.” He murmured quietly, pressing a soft kiss to Katsuki’s shoulder and reaching up to pet Luke, too.
Katsuki hummed in greeting, maneuvering his free arm to wrap around Izuku’s back. “G’night.” He responded. Izuku giggled softly, leaning over so he could kiss his cheek.
“Goodnight, Kacchan.”
Luke Skywhiskers mewled softly, bumping his head against Katsuki’s chin and settling into a contented purr. Katsuki pretended like he didn’t find the affection endearing even as he gave the cat a few more strokes over his back. Izuku fell asleep with a happy smile, and in the morning, he didn’t say a damn thing about Katsuki’s budding relationship with Luke.
But he did snap a picture when Katsuki scratched Luke behind the ears and tossed him a couple scraps of egg after breakfast.