Work Text:
Reo. Come at once.
Reo frowns at his phone, typing as he slurps the dregs of his honey milkshake through the straw.
Okayyy...?? Where are you? At the office?
Just outside. Come immediately.
His eyebrows scrunch with worry. It's been a slow, hot day... what could be wrong? He slaps down a 1000 yen note on the table, puts his cap back on, and exits the cafe, walking extremely briskly towards the police box.
Within a few minutes... he sees what Mabu has called him for. He doubles over, a long sigh of relief deflating his lungs.
"Jeez, Mabu, don't scare me like that! I thought you were actually in trouble!"
"Well, this is troublesome." A tiny kitten bats at Mabu's ear, as if trying to climb up onto his head. "I can't exactly move like this."
He's right. At least a dozen kittens climb all over Mabu - they weave in between and around his legs, climb up his arms and torso using their tiny claws, and one is napping peacefully on his thigh.
"How did this even happen?" Reo kneels beside Mabu, hesitantly offering a hand to one of the tiny creatures. It sniffs gingerly and rubs its small head against Reo's fingertips.
"I wanted to eat my small lunch outdoors, and saw a kitten sitting nearby." Mabu pushes up his glasses, and a kitten on his shoulder jerks and clings tight, not expecting that sudden movement. He catches it and places it back on his shoulder. "I thought it was cute, but didn't approach it. Cats can be skittish, as you are well aware."
"Hey! I have no idea what you're talking about. Cats love me!" A different kitten gently gnaws on Reo's hand. It's fine, the cat is adorable, and it doesn't actually hurt. The kitten's sharp teeth only leave indents on Reo's skin.
Mabu sighs. "... At any rate, the kitten seemed to take a liking to me, and started mewing. Before I knew it, it had brought all its little kitten friends over to visit, and I became," he gestures at the writhing mass of kittens covering his body, "indisposed."
Reo laughs. "I can't imagine anybody else getting stuck in situations like these, pfft." Carefully, he picks up the small kitten napping on Mabu's lap, and it makes a small, disgruntled whine. That said, it doesn't wiggle or try to break free of Reo's touch as he cradles it in his palm and pets it. It's a start. "Well, you're not in trouble, but I'm glad you called me down here anyway."
"Pardon me." Mabu pouts. "How do you suggest I move without disrupting the little ones?"
Reo sits down next to Mabu, their thighs pressed against each other, and rests the side of his head against Mabu's. "Who says we need to move? It's been a slow day. Let's enjoy this while we can." He rests the sleepy kitten on his thigh, and it immediately slides over, settling in the divot where their legs meet. One kitten, climbing up Mabu's back, continues its trek over to Reo.
"Well," Mabu says, "there's nobody I'd rather be stuck with."
"Ahaha." Reo feels himself blushing red. The kitten bumps its face against his cheek, marking him. "I guess we'll be here for a while, huh?"
"Until they bore of us." Mabu kisses the side of the kitten's head, and Reo can feel the pressure on his face. "Very cute," Mabu says, and Reo isn't sure if Mabu is referring to the kittens or to the expression on his face.
Maybe it's better not to ask. He'll enjoy this moment as it is.