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"Shit."
Arthur slumps off his horse and crumples to the ground, everything fading to black. Bakugou tosses the controller onto the couch and stomps into the kitchen. It's only a few steps - the benefit of a small apartment. After a moment of rooting around behind dirty dishes, his fist finally comes up with a bag of popcorn and stuffs it in the microwave. If there is one thing that can boost his mood right now, it's watching buttery shit explode. Almost involuntarily, his eyes catch the time. Only three more hours.
*Pop*
Heavily-spiced and salty goodness nestled in his lap, Bakugou grabs the controller again, determined as ever. He pulls Dynamite into a trot, cruising over the countryside. Pretty soon, the law is on his tail again.
Not this time, fuckers.
He picks up into a canter, then a gallop, flying over fallen logs and wildflowers. Though it's Arthur on the screen, he can almost feel the wind in his own hair.
Then his apartment door opens with a bang.
"Fuck!" Bakugou jumps so hard his controller drops into the popcorn. On the screen Arthur is strewn on the ground again, bullet to the chest. But he doesn't notice either of these.
Standing in the entryway, a cardboard box in hand and eyes red, is Kiri.
"Babe!"
In a moment Bakugou is by his side. With calloused, yet careful hands he wipes away his partner's tear-stained cheeks and presses his lips to his forehead. "You're home so early...what's wrong?" He grits his teeth. "Who do I need to punch?"
It's then that he sees inside the box.
There, bony and shivering, is a kitten. What little fur is left is matted in muddy clumps, so that its actual color is anyone's guess. Its wide blue eyes watch Bakugou from a damp corner, full of fear and distrust.
Kiri, normally the thick-skinned of the pair, already has more tears beading around Bakugou's thumbs where they rest on his cheek.
"Sh-she was out in the rain a-alone on the side of the r-road"
Bakugou clenches his jaw. What kind of asshole leaves a kitten on the side of the road? In a storm?
"Right." He says aloud, already halfway into his shoes. "You two stay here and get warm, dry, and clean. I'll be back."
When he turns around to see Kiri still hasn't moved, he lets out a sigh.
"C'mon Red. You don't want to get you both sick, do you?" He places his hands firmly on his boyfriend's shoulders and steers him to the bathroom. After turning on the hot water and bringing a still-stunned Kiri a t-shirt and sweatpants, he stalks back towards the front door.
"But where are you going?" Kiri finally calls after him.
"She's gonna need some food, isn't she?"
Bakugou doesn't see as Kiri breaks a soft, sharp-toothed smile.
***
One hot shower and surprisingly easy kitten bath later (the poor thing was probably too cold and scared to resist), Kirishima is curled up on the couch, snacking on Baku's discarded popcorn. Nestled against his chest is a hand towel with a sleeping face resting between the folds. Exhausted from the day's trauma, she seems happy for the warmth and quiet. She doesn't even wake when the door bursts open, plastic bags spilling into the entryway. Before Kirishima even has time to ask, Baku dumps out his haul and gets to work.
Newspaper from the recycling becomes a placemat for a new food and water dish, marked with fish bones and sharks accordingly. The sound of pouring sand from the bathroom marks the new litter box. A bed, also decorated with fish bones, is carried to the bedroom. Toys wait on the counter. And, last but not least, a he produces a collar.
"Wow." Kirishima shakes his head in disbelief. "You really went all out, didn't you?"
"You makin fun of me?" Baku narrows his eyes, trying to pick through Kirishima's words for the sarcasm.
"No! Actually I'm..." Kiri paused, suddenly flushed. Baku was normally so rough, with a care-for-no-one attitude and a matching lack of sympathy. Of course Kiri knew there was a heart under that explosive exterior - they were dating for queer's sake - but outside of their relationship, he didn't really get to see the soft side of him. It was so manly. "I love you, babe."
Baku sets down the collar and comes over to sit on the couch. Carefully aware of the tiny bundle between them, he pulls Kirishima into an embrace. They sit there, for a moment, syncing with each other's breath, listening to the other's heartbeat. Between them, the kitten begins to purr.
"I love you too."