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Snowflakes fell from above like small pieces of glitter, melting as soon as they reached the ground as Ritsu walked home from work alone one December evening.
Takano had a meeting out of the office and had gone straight home from there, so he had planned to stop by for a bit of time together…though he wouldn’t mind staying the night if things took such a turn. It was the start of the weekend after all.
Shaking his head wildly at his thoughts before they went down an inappropriate path, Ritsu trudged forward. The roads were a bit slick from the light snow, so he had to be careful. He could just hear Takano nagging him in the back of his head calling him klutzy for slipping and hurting himself, so he just took it slow.
He didn’t mind going too slowly when it looked like it did now, as the way the streetlights on either side of the road illuminated the snow was a welcome sight that they didn’t get very often around Tokyo…it would have been better if they’d been together of course, but it made sense for Takano to just go straight home from his meeting, so he couldn’t complain. They’d have some time to themselves once he got home.
So for now, he’d enjoy the quiet walk home, taking in all the sights and sounds. The gentle crunch of his shoes against the last of the autumn leaves, the glimmer the quickly melting snow gave to everything around him, the quiet meowing from the cardboard box on the sidewalk…
…Quiet meowing?
Ritsu came to a stop in front of an empty alleyway and peeked into an open, somewhat wet cardboard box. He let out a small gasp at the sight of a shivering white kitten.
Looking around, nobody seemed to be nearby, no other kittens, no mother, and no humans that might own it. It didn’t have a collar or anything, it was just sitting atop a blanket struggling to keep warm in the current weather.
Cautiously, Ritsu reached forward, and while it didn’t seem to recoil at his attempt to pet it, it certainly didn’t seem to be doing too well between the shivering and quiet cries. It definitely needed help…but he was horrible with animals! If only Takano had been here, he would have known what to do…
Ritsu snapped out of his thoughts as the kitten nuzzled against his gloved hand, probably just seeking warmth, but his heart squeezed in a way it never usually would around animals. Before he could do much else, the kitten plopped over onto the blanket, and he was filled with worry. It was still breathing, but it certainly didn’t look like it was in good shape.
“Oh no…no, no, no…” Ritsu quickly took out his phone and dialed Takano, feeling useless. After a few rings he was sent to his voicemail, but he hung up and tried again, only for his call not to go through for a second time.
“T-Takano-san, I don’t know what to do, I found a cat that looks like it was abandoned…it’s sitting in the cold, and it’s not really responding that much to me. I don’t want to just leave it here all alone. Call back if you can please.”
For the time being, he stood over the box, opening up his coat as a makeshift umbrella, so at the very least the box wouldn’t get any more damp or cold than it had already been. Of course, he was getting cold, but he was just a few minutes away from home, he’d be fine.
Had Takano been here, what would he have done? If the past had been any indication, would he have just scooped it up and taken it home to take care of it? Could they even manage taking care of a pet with their jobs?
Yokozawa was just as busy as they were at times and he was able to take care of Sorata…and in the time since they were impulsive high schoolers, there had been plenty of advancements with things like automatic feeders, water fountains, and robot litter boxes. He had no use for looking at such things, but he often saw them in shopping centers and online catalogs when he would get in those impulsive shopping moods that always ended with him getting things like robot vacuums or cooking appliances that he never ended up using.
…Could he handle being around a cat all the time, though? Sorata hadn’t lashed out at him during any of their encounters, past or present, but he felt more like an exception than the norm. This kitten wasn’t bad right now, but it was also not in great shape, so that wasn’t really a good indication of what it’d be like on a good day…agh, but he couldn’t in good conscious just leave it here knowing he had a cat-loving boyfriend at home who could easily pass by this box in the morning and be sad to see a frozen kitten. He didn’t think he could handle the sight, either.
After standing there for a few minutes with no response from Takano, Ritsu just took it upon himself to take the box up in his arms and rush back home the best he could without jostling it around too much. If nothing else, getting it inside where it was warmer would help, right?
He sincerely hoped Takano was home as he took out his key and made his way into his apartment. Finding his shoes neatly arranged in the genkan and all the lights on, he at the very least knew he was around. Perhaps he just hadn’t been near his phone?
Right as he entered the living room, Takano walked out from the bathroom with a towel thrown over his shoulders, his phone in hand.
“Hey, welcome home. Sorry, I was taking a bath so I didn’t hear my…what’s in that box? You didn’t get another package again did you?” Takano approached him nonchalantly, completely unaware of the panicked voicemail that Ritsu had left him, still not knowing what surprise was being brought into his apartment.
“I didn’t know what else to do!” Ritsu held the box forward, bringing the small kitten into view, making Takano’s eyes go wide. “I-I couldn’t just leave it outside, it’s too cold! And nobody was nearby, so I think someone just left it there who knows how long ago-”
“I didn’t see it when I was walking home, so hopefully it wasn’t stuck there for too long…” Takano reached into the box and plucked the cat out and into his hands, holding a kitten for the first time in a long while. “For now, let’s just get it warmed up, then I can look around to see if I have anything it can eat. There’s probably some food I have laying around in case of emergency Sorata visits.”
Thankfully, there were a few cans of wet food stashed away in Takano’s cabinets, and he went to prepare one in a small dish after handing off the kitten back to Ritsu, who held the shivering creature awkwardly, not sure how to hold it comfortably.
“I’m surprised you picked it up, you’re horrible with animals.” Takano spoke up from the kitchen as he mushed the food into smaller chunks. “Unless this is just a cover for an early birthday present.”
“What? No! I wouldn’t do that to an animal! Do you see how cold it still is?” He held it up, and as if it knew it was being talked about, it let out its loudest meow yet. “Yes, we’re talking about you.”
“Hey, if it can meow like that, it must still have some energy.” Takano walked over and placed the dish on the floor. “Put it down over here, let’s see if it feels up to eating.”
Feeling up to eating had been an understatement, because as soon as it sniffed out what was in front of it, the kitten started gobbling it up, making the most ridiculous noises despite its mouth still being full.
They squatted down onto the floor to watch, Takano in amusement, and Ritsu in fascination.
“I guess you got it at the right time, it’s still got plenty of energy to spare if it can eat like that. Must’ve been hungry after it got left there. Sorata was the same when I brought him home.” Takano reached out a hand to pet along the cat's back, and it didn’t flinch a bit. “It seems used to humans too, so I imagine it had a family before it got left behind. What a shame.”
“...What should we do then? After tonight, I mean, obviously we can’t do anything today. It’s already too late.” Ritsu asked.
“How about tomorrow we go shopping for some supplies then?” Takano properly sat down on the floor, crossing his legs. “It seems like it was abandoned, so it’s not like it has anywhere to go.”
“You think that we’ll be able to take care of it?” Ritsu now hesitantly reached out as well, taking up the spot on the kitten’s back that Takano had pulled back from, giving it a few gentle pets. “With work, I mean.”
“You’re the one at those stupid shopping centers blowing through your money all the time, I’m sure you’ve seen all those automated feeders and such. It’d be fine. Besides, this is the closest to kids we’d be able to manage, right? Just think of this encounter like a stork dropping off our first child.”
“..........” At the risk of hurting the likely sensitive ears of the young cat, Ritsu held back the yell his body was instinctively wanting to let out. “Ok, but I think it would be better off staying here. My place gets too messy.”
“Meh, it doesn't matter to me either way. Once we end up moving in together it won’t make much of a difference. Obviously you're not allergic or anything, you’re just shit with animals. We can fix that up soon enough.”
“...I already told you, I’m not ready to move in together with you yet, what am I supposed to do if my mother decides she wants to visit and I have to explain to her that I suddenly decided to be roommates with my neighbor?”
“That Marukawa doesn’t pay you enough and times are tough, I don’t know.” He shrugged as the kitten finished up the food, giving a few more licks to the dish to get any last bits of juice left. “We can save this conversation for later, let’s focus on this little guy for now instead.”
“Even if it ate it’s still probably cold, right?” It had still been cold to the touch when Ritsu had been petting it moments ago.
“How about we get in a big cuddle pile then?” Takano plucked the kitten up again and hugged it close. “Put the dish in the sink and go get one of the blankets from my bedroom.”
“...Do you really think that’s going to be any help?” Ritsu went along with it anyways, and when he unfolded the blanket, he threw it over Takano’s shoulders, who then quickly pulled Ritsu close as well.
“This is how things should always be, you in one arm, and a cat in another, it can’t get any better than this…” Takano let out a yawn as he got far too comfortable on the couch. “I think I might just fall asleep here tonight.”
“N-no, if you’re going to sleep, go to your bed.” Ritsu squirmed in his arms, but his protests fell on deaf ears. “I mean, what if the cat wants to get up?”
“Does it look like it wants to move anytime soon?” It had already curled up nicely on Takano’s chest, its shivering having come to a stop, its back rising and falling with deep breaths. “Seems plenty content to me.”
Ritsu just sighed, settling as well as he could in his awkward position atop Takano’s arm. The couch really didn’t have much room with two grown men splayed across it.
“Don’t worry, I still plan on giving you plenty of attention if we’re keeping it.” Takano reached up and pinched his cheek, earning a swat to his hand.
“I-I was never worried about anything like that! Don’t put words into my mouth!”
“Maybe I’ll give you extra special attention if you wait for me in the bedroom with some cat ears on…”
Takano received a swift bonk to the head.
“So…should we give it a name? Not that we know if it’s a boy or girl yet, but we should probably give it a name, right?” Ritsu spoke as if Takano hadn’t just requested something outrageous of him.
“Mm…” Takano scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “How about Yuki? You found it in the snow and it’s all white. It’s a pretty standard name, but those work for a reason.”
“I like it.” Ritsu reached out cautiously again, scratching it at the base of its back. “Yuki it is then.”
Outside, the snow was still falling, glimmering like the white fur of the new addition to their small family.