Archive of Our Own

"A cat? Really?"

"Yes, really. Why?"

"Isn't it kind of cliché? Cute, though, I guess."

Homura could feel her cheeks warming up ever so slightly, a bit embarrassed. Perhaps this hadn't been as good as an idea as she initially thought.

Ever since she had moved in with the girl of her dreams, she had started noticing just how many kitty-themed objects she had. At first, she overlooked it and thought it simply came with her aesthetic, as cats seemed to be a recurring theme when she went shopping with her to her favorite lolita and soft-girl clothing brands, the same way bats and spiders seemed to always be there when it came to her own goth aesthetic ─ but then Madoka started petting strays a little too much when they went out for walks, offering to take care of the neighbors' pets and picking animal-related movies for them to watch, which she took as a sign from destiny. Once the idea blossomed in her mind, it stayed put.

And now, it was finally her birthday, so it was time to execute the plan.

She'd gift the best cat in the world to the best girl in the world.

Mami used her hands to sign in a dismissive yet gentle manner. "Oh, Kyoko, you come all the way here for the party, and that's all you have to say? Give her some credit. She's spent more than a month visiting pretty much every place where they sell cats in order to find the right kitty."

The redhead chuckled, "Ah, I know. Sayaka sent me pictures from the times she went too. Hey, I'm not discrediting her or anything... it's really thoughtful and adorable. It seems almost like a scene from a romantic movie."

"Oh? You watch romantic movies?"

At that, Kyoko seemed to realize the implication, and her face suddenly started burning red. From the kitchen, they could hear a certain bluehead's laughs.

"Sometimes, okay? Sayaka likes them."

"Right. Sayaka."

"Uh, anyway, I'm gonna finish hanging banners," obviously attempting to avoid the situation, she left, as Mami chuckled with a smile on her face.

Homura took a step back, looking at the apartment. They had been decorating and preparing everything for about an hour now, so it was looking pretty cute. She had bought pink banners, balloons, party hats, and even a kitty piñata ─ perhaps it was a bit childish, but she knew that her girlfriend loved these things, so she couldn't possibly complain. Mami had brought some tea and ribbons, Sayaka made a playlist for them to play, and Kyoko got some food. The cake was in the fridge: she had ordered a strawberry and merengue two layered cake, and planned to put some glittery candles on top.

It was all just as she imagined it in her mind, and for that, she was grateful. That being said, she was even more grateful for everyone's help and support.

Her relationship with Madoka hadn't always been perfect, and there had been plenty of rocks in the way. She had been toxic and obsessive at times ─ overly protective, defensive, possessive. Two years ago, they started couple's therapy and Homura her own private therapy, though, so now they had been slowly building a happy, healthy relationship and trying to make up for all the terrible mistakes she made in years past. Homura gave it her all to become a better person, for Madoka and for herself, one step at a time.

The pink headed girl had been incredibly supportive throughout the entire journey, and sometimes that made her feel a little guilty. Madoka deserved better than her. So she tried to give back however she could, be it in small gestures or big ones.

Oh, dear, how she loved her. Cupid had really thrown a huge arrow at her when she met Madoka.

Seemingly noticing Homura spacing out, Mami patted her shoulder, smiling and bringing her back to the present.

"Don't worry, she'll love it."

"I hope so."

"Oh, be more confident! You're doing great. I bet she cries when she sees the surprise party her loving girlfriend prepared." The blonde girl's smile was sweet like honey, and comforting as always. Homura had always believed there was a strange motherly energy emanating off her ─ perhaps it was an effect of the age gap between them, even as little as it was.

She couldn't help but chuckle, smiling back at her. "Crying isn't exactly the reaction I'm looking for."

"I meant happy tears. You know that."

The process of making the most adorable surprise party in existence was almost complete, and the birthday girl would arrive soon. Only one thing remained.

The most adorable present in existence.

Homura went to knock on the neighbors' door, whom she had asked to take care of the kitty until today so Madoka wouldn't see it, and gently petted the cat's head when it was back on her arms. 
Admittedly, she had started to get attached, too. The black-headed girl had been visiting the kitty on their neighbors' apartment while Madoka wasn't home. She hadn't had any pets as a child, so she had read every single book she could find on how to take care of the thing. Her only point of reference was her old goldfish ─ and, well, that was a goldfish. It's completely different. That being said, she started doing what said books recommended to do, like teaching it how to use it's sand box, getting it to get used to her scent, and sometimes even playing with it ─ a last thing that her past self didn't believe she'd enjoy doing, but had proven to be quite entertaining.

Sayaka gasped when Homura entered the apartment again, immediately running to the two of them. "Oh my god."

"...is it ugly?"

"No, the opposite!" The blueheaded girl extended her hand to pet the kitty's back, gently.

From behind her, Kyoko and Mami observed, but not for long. Both eventually succumbed to the kitty's adorable face and came close to watch and pet it, too.

It was a white kitten, with shockingly red eyes and a round, oval shaped birthmark on it's back. The person that had sold it to Homura told her about how previous clients had ignored it given it's singularity, but the black-haired girl had believed it to be a sign that it was all the more of a special creature, and got it with little to no hestiation. Madoka had always shown affection for outcasts, anyway ─ that had been how they had both gotten so close to begin with, and consequently, the trigger for them falling in love.

Perhaps it was a perfect reflection of their relationship's beginning.

"Does it have a name yet?" Kyoko got Homura out of her thoughts, tilting her head ever so slightly.

"No, I wanted for Madoka to choose. It'll be her kitten, after all. Not mine."

The redhead rolled her eyes.

"Don't couples share pets?"

"But it's a gift for her , Kyoko," Mami chuckled, and, as oftentimes seen, knocked some sense into the redhead. "naming the pet is the birthday girl's privilege. I thought you'd understand, given that, you know, you love romantic movies, and it's a common trope."

Once again, an annoyed, perhaps even offended hiss came from the girl in question, even though they all knew Mami wasn't wrong. This time, though, she didn't bother to answer, and just silently glared at the blonde whilst, just like the last time, the blueheaded girl laughed. It may have been a repetitive tease, but something about the group's chemistry let these sort of jokes happen again and again without losing the charm, so none cared. It had always sort of been this way between the five of them ─ their 'vibe', as Sayaka would put it, was unique.

It almost made it seem as if they had been friends during past lifetimes.

Perhaps they had.

Perhaps they had even been the stars of a magical girl anime series like the ones Madoka liked.

Who knows.

Either way, it didn't really matter ─ to Homura's liking, this lifetime was probably the best of them all. Why bother fighting evil or saving the world when she could have a calm, happy life, living in her cozy apartment, alongside to the girl she loved and their newly added pet? What could possibly be better than that, right?  
She handed the kitty to Mami so she could hide it in the pink present box she had gotten and add some ribbons, to then get her checklist on hand so she could double-check and make sure everything was ready. Madoka would arrive any minute now, after all.

The blueheaded girl followed and checked alongside her, constantly laughing about something. Who knows what, honestly. Homura wasn't the closest with her, and had had their few arguments about treating her beloved right back when their relationship was shaky, but she appreciated her nonetheless. 'The best friends are those who can be honest with eachother', her therapist would often remind her.

Whenever they had argued, it was only because they both loved Madoka and wished the best for her, as her girlfriend and best friend respectively. In the end, that was all that mattered.

Keeping that in mind, Homura gathered the confidence to ask.

"What's so funny?"

"Hm?" Sayaka turned around to face her, leaving the balloons she had been checking were properly arranged aside. "What do you mean?"

"You've been laughing for a while."

"Oh, that ."

She took a little pause, to then smile wide in a way Homura rarely saw, even more so in regards to herself. It was genuine, and loving, in a way only a real friend would.  
"I'm just... proud of you, I think. See, this is the thing: one year ago, I would've never thought this could ever possibly be a thing."

"All of us preparing a party for Madoka?"

"No. I mean it as in, all of us getting along. No fights, no debates, just... being friends, and you not being a toxic asshole. You've grown a lot, but don't tell anyone I said that. It's fun to make fun of you."

The blackheaded girl let herself laugh, just as genuine. Happy .

"Thank you."

She sighed, walking, thoughts racing.

"Maybe they really did forget...", Madoka mumbled to herself, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button to her apartment.

The pinkheaded girl had started her day celebrating with her fellow students from her current studies in college, who had invited her for some breakfast in a lovely 'neko café' across the street from their university, to then go have lunch with her family, which included taking Tatsuya to the park and playing with him. The boy had been particularly excited to go and show all of his friends his super awesome (and old, to his eyes) sister. 
During those first hours of the day, she spoke to Homura through the phone, but the blackheaded girl didn't mention anything about celebrating her birthday ─ barely said congratulations, almost as if she didn't care, or had forgotten.

Homura always remembered important dates.

And there was no way she didn't care, right?

Perhaps she had simply had a bad day at the bookshop. Perhaps that one annoying customer called Karen was back at it again, and had distracted her usually loving, incredibly attentive girlfriend enough so she wouldn't have time to call Madoka and do so much as wish her a happy birthday.  
Yes, that had to be it... Homura would've never deliberately chosen to ignore Madoka all day, right? This was exactly the kind of behavior their couple's counseling had tried so hard to help her through, and the pinkheaded girl knew how happy they both were with the improvements. To go back so suddenly would be... no, no, she couldn't bear to even think about it.

To make her day even better, all her attempts to reach out to Kyoko, Sayaka or even Mami had failed ─ none of them answered any messages or calls. Madoka was starting to get a little scared.

Perhaps they had all simultaneously decided that she wasn't worth it?

All she wanted to do now was get back home and speak to Homura. To cuddle, watch a movie, take a nap and chat about their days. She had felt so incredibly lonely today, with no one to really talk to but her parents ─ she needed a hug.

That would be enough. A single, warm hug.

Madoka took a deep breath, taking her keys out and starting to open the apartment's door.

"Homura, I'm ho-"

"-surprise!"

Before she could even finish her sentence, four figures jumped out and paper streamers fell down from the ceiling, alongside glitter and pink balloons.  
Madoka gasped, instinctively taking a step back. When she looked around, though, a huge smile formed on her face, realizing.

Sayaka was the first to go to hug her, smile wide. "Happy birthday, Madoka!"

She couldn't help but sob.

How could she had possibly thought about her friends and girlfriend forgetting, when in reality, they had taken the time to prepare such a lovely surprise for her? Even worse, how could she had genuinely believed it? This was wonderful. She looked around, admiring the amount of detail and are put into every single corner of their apartment ─ pink paper streamers, happy birthday banners, pearled pastel pink balloons, ribbons, cake, and three cutely wrapped boxes with presents ─ she hadn't had a birthday party like this since she was ten years old .

"Come on, Akemi, go hug your crybaby, will you." Kyoko laughed and elbowed Homura to move, whom had started staring at Madoka, admiring her factions. The blackheaded girl nodded, thanking her for pulling her back to her senses, and coming close to give her beloved girlfriend a hug.

"Please don't cry... is something wrong?"

"No, no!" She giggled, using one of her hands to clear her happy tears away. Mami had called it. "I love it! Thank you so much!"

"-and then right as we were parking, Mami freaked out because she forgot the ribbons, so we went all the way back to her apartment to get them, and-"

The blonde interrupted Kyoko's story with a whine, denying with her head. "Oh, it's not even that far away. You're overreacting."

"Mami. Everyone goes to pick up their kids from school at that hour. It doesn't matter if it's too far away or not ─ the amount of traffic makes it seem that way! And if it supposedly wasn't that far away, then why the hell did we even have to go by car!?"

Sayaka burst out in laughter at the argument and Kyoko's genuine desperation at the memory, while the chauffeur frowned a little and started cooking up her response.  
Moments like these where why Homura could never get tired of her friends, to be quite honest ─ their shared moments were the lovely memories that helped her remember who she was, and why she was here. In the darkest moments, they helped her get out of the abyss and climb back up. They were a bit of a dysfunctional group, in a sense, but one she wouldn't give up for anything in the entire world.

Homura watched Madoka as she listened attentively to the tale, smiling in the softest, most adorable way. The pinkheaded girl hadn't stop smiling since she arrived, and for that, her girlfriend was more than thankful. Seeing her beloved happy was the best feeling in the world.

She hummed to get everyone's attention.

"We should open up the gifts."

Mami gave her a knowing smile. "Oh, of course! Madoka, mine is the one with the big red ribbon."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Of course it is."

Homura stood up and handed her girlfriend the gift, to then sit by her side once again. It was a medium sized box, similar to a shoebox, wrapped in a pastel pink paper with, of course, the big, red ribbon that Mami always put on gifts as her signature.

Madoka opened it more than carefully, trying not to rip the paper. The tension was killing her blueheaded best friend, as her groaning made more than clear. 
When she finally opened the box, though, the smile on her face was worth the tense wait.

"Mami, it's so cute... thank you so much!"

She took the item out of the box, and then, Homura understood why her beloved was so happy.

A functional, pink, hello kitty themed tea set.

The blonde smiled. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Cool. Heh, now it's time for ours!" Sayaka handed the girl another present, leaving Mami's aside. It was a bag, a bit bigger than the previous present, white with thin, delicate pastel blue stripes. 
The birthday girl carefully took out the fabric inside of it, trying to figure what it was. When she realized, she gasped, eyes widening with shock.

"A lolita dress! Kyoko, Sayaka, these are really expensive! You shouldn't have..." she admired the adorable piece of clothing, turning it around to see all of it. Her eyes seemed to shine, glitter and stars within them out of sheer happiness. "Thank you so, so much!"

"You're welcome." A wink. The redheaded girl looked at Homura, a knowing smile across her lips. "I think the main present will be even better, you know. Akemi, where's yours?"

"I'll go get it."

This was it. The moment of truth. Homura stood up and walked to their bedroom in order to fetch the box she had left the cat in, looking inside of it in order to check, her heart racing with excitement as to how her girlfriend would react to finally getting the pet she had wanted for so long. Alongside excitement came anxiety, but she tried to keep calm, remembering all those moments they had shared in which Madoka had expressed her love for cats in order to set the negative thoughts aside.  
Once she opened the door to take a peek, the adorable, tiny white kitten yawned at the noise, seemingly waking up from what looked like a rather comfy nap. She carefully inserted the items she had bought for it inside the box as well: a collar, a bed and two plates, all matching her beloved's aesthetic, of course.

She closed the box again and walked back to their living room, handing her girlfriend the box.

"O-oh! It's a bit heavy!"

Dark eyes carefully observed as Madoka's delicate hand was placed on the cardboard's edge, and then as she opened it. When seeing her gift, she gasped, heart melting.  
Inside the box, wrapped in a soft blanket, was the cutest   little white kitten she had ever seen. She scooped the little creature up into her arms and nuzzled her face into it's soft fur. It mewed softly and blinked up at her with big orange eyes, seemingly lost yet comfy.

Her heart swelled with joy as she gazed into Homura's eyes. Once again, she was reminded that she was the luckiest girl in the world to have such a dedicated girlfriend who knew her so well and cared so much for every little thing.  "Thank you, Homura," she said, her voice soft, almost a whisper, full of love and gratitude. Her eyes starting to tear up, and she could feel it. "This... this is the best present ever."

The blackheaded girl smiled ever so softly, coming close to her girlfriend in order to hug and comfort her.

"No need to thank me."

"Aww, you're so cute!" Said Mami, as they all gathered around to coo over the kitten and to congratulate Madoka on her birthday once again with a big group hug.

They spent the rest of the evening eating cake, chatting, and playing with the new addition to the family. And once the night was over and their friends had left, Madoka cuddled up with her kitty in her arms whilst Homura cleaned the dishes, suddenly coming to a realization.

"Kyubey."

"Hm?"

"I'm going to call her Kyubey."

"I see. Well, Kyubey," the blackheaded girl smiled, drying her hands and leaving the dishes aside so she could sit by their side. "Be prepared to be the most spoiled kitten in the entire world."