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You didn’t expect Katsuki to already be home when you slipped in the front door, cardboard box in your hands. You thought you’d have a little more time to prepare, to get your story straight and to figure out how you were going to both apologize to him while also convincing him that everything was going to turn out fine.
“Where were you? The kids didn’t get out of school early today, did they? What’s that?” His questions came quickly as he rose off the couch, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black athletic shorts.
You held the box to your chest, as tight as you could for the size of it. You didn’t fear your husband’s wrath, long immune to his faux angered that covered a million other emotions, but you just weren’t sure what the aftermath was going to be this time.
And then the box meowed.
Katsuki’s face dropped. “You didn’t.”
You bit your lip. “Well…” you set the box down on the floor.
“No.” His face was stern, arms crossed tightly over his chest, one eye twitching.
“Katsu, just look at her.” You unfolded the flaps of the box and lifted the tiny creature out with one hand. A little white kitten mewled in your hands as you snuggled her to your chest, her tiny nose pressing against your chin.
“I told you I didn’t want a pet! Let alone some dumb cat.”
“Cats are not dumb!” You argued. “They’re sweet, especially when they grow up with you from a young age. Come on, Katsu.” Every time you’d asked him if he’d let you get a pet for the family, he’d turned you down. He had a million excuses: that you were both too busy, that the kids weren’t old enough for the responsibility, that he just straight up didn’t want the hassle. But then you saw this little darling, and all of the times he said no meant nothing anymore.
“She needed a home, babe. The people just left her on their porch in a box. I was not letting her end up in a shelter.” Your mind was made up, and Katsuki was just going to have to deal with it.
“I can’t believe it. After we talked about this, you still bring a mangy street cat home.”
Cradling your new family member, who was quickly falling asleep against your chest, you turned away from him and walked toward the kitchen. “I saved her, Katsu. I’d think you would understand that. Now, I’m going to make her a little bed in the laundry room. Then I’m going to pick up cat food and supplies before I get the kids from school. You can just ignore her and get over it.”
You knew exactly which button to press to shut your fiery husband up when you needed to, and with that, your family grew by one.
With your errands finished and the kids retrieved from school, you hinted in the car that there was a surprise at home.
“Is it a new toy?” your son, a tiny 4-year-old replica of your husband, asked. His father’s quirk would probably come in for him any day now. Lord, help you.
“No, not a toy,” you teased.
“Is it a new baby sister?” your daughter, a spitfire already at age 6 asked.
You choked on your own spit in surprise. “No, sweetie,” you said firmly. That was another topic still under hot debate between you and Katsuki, and you didn’t have the brain space to tackle that one at the same time.
No, the surprise you found at home was even bigger than you anticipated.
The kids raced in the door to see what was new, but you immediately hushed them, eyes wide in shock. Katsuki was asleep in the armchair, feet propped up and head lolling to the side, with the kitten curled up into the tiniest ball on his stomach, certainly leaving white hair behind on his black sweater. They both looked positively peaceful. You couldn’t fight your smile.
“Quietly,” you instructed the kids. “Go see what your daddy has there.”
They obeyed as well as they could, but the excited gasps could hardly have been avoided. Katsuki stirred awake as the kids surrounded him, his hand going reflexively to block the kitten. “Hm?”
“Daddy, you got us a kitty?” Your son squealed.
“No,” he said, sleep in his voice. “This is your mother's cat.” A smirk on your lips, you carried the bags of cat supplies into the kitchen as the kitten hopped to the floor and let your children pet it.
The kitten, which your daughter named Yuki, wasn’t shy in the least, adjusting quickly to your home and family. More often than not, on lazy afternoons or when Katsuki came home late and collapsed on the couch, you found him napping with Yuki curled up on top of him. Yes, he complained about her shedding, but he never pushed her away.
“You love you new nap buddy, don’t you Katsu?” You teased.
“Psh, that little monster? No way. Just can’t get it to stay off.”
Yet most mornings when you woke up, Yuki had already been fed, and her toys collected up in a pile, and her coat freshly brushed. As much as you loved your kids, you knew they weren’t the ones doing it, not without being asked. They kept Yuki entertained, but it was your husband who was doting on her.
The undeniable proof came in a box that was much bigger than Yuki had come home in. On a Saturday morning, you tiptoed down the stairs to make breakfast only to find Katsuki sitting on the floor next to a huge box and surrounded by pieces of carpet and twine. You watching him toss the printed instructions to the side as Yuki looked on, and being assembling the pieces.
From the stairwell, you whispered, “What’s all this?”
Katsuki huffed as he screwed two pieces together. “What does it look like?”
You sat down next to him on the floor, your hand reach up to ruffle his hair. “Did you get the biggest tower they had, babe?”
“The biggest one that would fit in the living room,” he murmured. You couldn’t even hide your smile this time.
“Aww Katsu. You really do love her, don’t you?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he scoffed, shrugging you off of him. “She needed some place to sit that wasn’t in my lap all the time.”
“Uh huh,” you replied, seeing right through him. You curled your body against his while he tried to focus on putting the pieces together, the contours of yours fitting his like puzzle pieces. Nestled against his neck, one finger drawing lazy circles on his bare shoulder, you said, “Well, if bringing the cat home was all it took for you to warm up to the idea, maybe I’ll just go out and get myself a third baby.”
Katsuki dropped the carpeted pieces on the floor while Yuki pounced at a string toy attached to one of them. “Like hell you will,” he said as he pulled your lips to his by your chin. “If you’re having another baby, it’s going to be because I put it in you.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?” you teased between soft kisses.
Katsuki cupped your face in his hands. “Both.”