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The first thing Izuku hears is a meow.
It’s small, and plaintive, so quiet he’s not sure if he actually hears it or not. He’s sitting at his desk, catching up on some paperwork that he had to take home; he’d been at the agency for nearly 72 hours straight, sleeping on a cot in his office there, until Burnin’ came in, caught him, and practically threw him out, ordering him to go home.
So maybe it’s the fact that he’s so sleep-deprived? That he’s hearing things that sound a lot like a kitty cat when they don’t own cats, they never have, Kacchan has always said that cats are…
“Oh!” Izuku looks down; sure enough, there’s a cat rubbing up against his calf and entwining itself between his legs. He reaches down; the cat arches into his touch, and it’s so soft and sweet and cats have to be real if you can touch them, right?
“Aren’t you a sweet thing,” he murmurs, picking the cat up and sitting it in his lap. It’s nearly all white, save for little patches of black that cover the cat’s paws. The cat purrs, and prods at his thighs, before settling itself down in his lap and closing its eyes.
Izuku strokes its fur as it sleeps and stares at it in wonder. How could a cat have gotten in? Did he or Kacchan maybe leave a window open somewhere? Izuku frowns; no, it’s the dead of winter, so why would they do that? Kacchan detests the cold, so he wouldn’t have done that. Would Izuku have left one open before he went in for his shift, nearly three days ago? He scoffs; impossible, because there’s no way Kacchan would have left a window open that long!
The cat purrs again and Izuku’s thighs vibrate. He looks down, and can’t help the smile that’s tugging at his lips.
“I don’t know where you came from…Mittens…” Izuku says, “but I really, really hope Kacchan says that we can keep you.”
With a new, warm weight in his lap and a surge of love in his heart, Izuku goes back to work.
Mittens is sleeping on the windowsill in the kitchen, soaking up the last light of the afternoon, when Izuku is sure that he hears it again.
A meow, tinny and distant, but a meow nonetheless.
He turns from where he’s making dinner—Kacchan will be texting that he’s on his way home soon, and he wants to be sure that he has something tasty and ready—to look at Mittens again. Sure enough, he’s asleep, breathing steadily, but not making any other sounds.
The meow comes again, a little louder now, and Izuku puts down his chopsticks and turns off the burner on the cooktop. He has to investigate, and doesn’t want their dinner to burn.
He checks the yoshitsu: no cat.
He checks the genkan, in the bins where they keep their shoes and slippers: no cat.
He checks the hallway, and their bedroom: still, no cat.
He hears the meow again; this time, it sounds like it’s coming from…
“Ah!” he exclaims as he opens the door to the washroom, and there, sitting on their washing machine, is not one, but…
“Two!” he says in disbelief, and sure enough, there are two cats, curled up together, sitting in a pile of Izuku’s dirty clothes that he hasn’t gotten around yet to washing. One cat is asleep; the other is pawing at the first and meowing…quite loudly, too, Izuku realizes, now that he has opened the door to the room.
At the sound of his voice, the cat who is awake looks up, while the other sleepily opens its eyes. These cats are, like the first, nearly completely white, but one has patches of colors on its eyes and ears, while the other has a tawny-colored tail.
They’re…oh they are…
“So cute,” Izuku gushes, rushing forward. “But…maybe let’s not sit in my dirty clothes, huh?”
He holds out his hand, allowing the cats to sniff it. One of them butts his fingers with its nose, and Izuku giggles. The other ducks its head under Izuku’s palm, and soon, Izuku is giving pats to both cats, who are now purring merrily at his touch.
And…it’s all very adorable, but Izuku’s also very aware of the fact that there are now three cats in his apartment, three cats who were definitely not there when he left for his patrol, three cats who, really, he has no idea how they got there.
He wants to text Kacchan, to see if he knows anything about this, but Kacchan’s still on patrol—or, at least, Izuku assumes he is, since he hasn’t heard from his boyfriend since he got the obligatory Going on patrol now text. And since he’s promised to be better about texting Kacchan while he’s on patrol (like, no more Did you know that All Might’s Bronze Age Nitotan is the rarest of all the All Might nitotans? texts), he will wait until he hears from Kacchan that he’s on his way home before he texts—or, maybe, this warrants a phone call? Or should he just wait until Kacchan gets home? Or will Kacchan be surprised? Or…
Another meow from somewhere else in the apartment catches his attention yet again. He thinks it might be Mittens, so he says to the other cats, “Sorry, kitties, but I’ve got to go check on Mittens now. I’ll be back,” and, with one final pat for each of them, he leaves them on the washing machine and heads back into the kitchen.
Mittens is still on the windowsill, still sleeping peacefully, still not the one meowing.
Izuku runs a hand through his hair. Maybe he really is hallucinating; maybe he really is hearing things; maybe there aren’t really three cats in his apartment right now?
The meow sounds again, and this time, Izuku hears not one in answer, but…
Three.
In a panic, Izuku rushes back through the apartment. He checks under the sofa, in the genkan again, in the toilet and the bath. He checks under their bed, in their closet.
So far, nothing. No other cats, but yet there’s still meowing!
The only room left is Kacchan’s office. He normally keeps the door closed, and Izuku honors his boyfriend’s request to stay out of that room. He knows Kacchan has things in that room just so, and he tries hard not to go in and move things around, especially not when Kacchan’s out. Kacchan asked Izuku to respect that he needs a little private space, and Izuku tries to honor that request, because he loves Kacchan, and he wants Kacchan to feel happy and secure in their home.
But when Izuku looks more closely, he sees that the door isn’t closed; it’s open, just a sliver, and he hears, quite clearly now, several meows coming from behind the door.
Izuku goes up to the door and puts his hand on the doorknob. He holds his breath. He knows that what he’s doing is something that could make Kacchan mad, especially since Izuku has given his word to stay out of that room. But he’s hearing things from behind the door! Cat things! What if there are more cats in there? What if they’re trapped, or hurt, or…
“Kacchan,” Izuku whispers, “I’m sorry.” And he pushes open the door.
There, rolling about on the floor, are not one, and not two, but…
One, two, three, four…five?
Five cats.
Two are wrestling on the floor; one is tearing up the tatami; the other two are scratching at the legs of Kacchan’s desk. All of them are meowing and hissing and purring and making all kinds of cat sounds.
Five…plus the two in the wash room…plus Mittens…
“Eight?!” Izuku exclaims, and the cats all stop what they’re doing and glare at him. “There are eight cats in my apartment?!”
He enters Kacchan’s office. The cats watch him as he goes to the center of the room and drops into a squat. They’re all different sizes and colors, but all infinitely adorable. Izuku feels his heart melting, more than a little bit, at the sight of so many cuties in one room.
“Ahh—hi,” he says, not really sure how to handle this. He holds out his hands, like he did for the cats in the washroom. “I—I’m Izuku? I live here. It’s…um. It’s nice to meet you.”
The cat who had been tearing up the tatami approaches him first. The cat sniffs Izuku’s fingers, then, like the cats in the washroom, ducks its head under Izuku’s palm, allowing Izuku to pet it.
Once the first cat breaks the ice, the others move in, too, all meowing and pressing up against Izuku’s legs and demanding pats too. They’re so cute that Izuku can’t help but giggle.
“Okay!” he says. “Okay, everyone will get their pats, I promise! It’s okay!” And they do: he gives each one proper attention, and the cats are delighted; they’re purring, and nuzzling his hands, his legs…whatever they can reach.
And Izuku has to admit…he loves this. He loves animals, he adores cats, and having so many cute ones in his apartment is a perfect kind of therapy for the end of a long and difficult shift at the agency. He could sit here and play with the kitties for hours; idly, he wonders if he has time to run to the pet store and get some toys and some catnip, because he bets they would be absolutely adorable if they had some things to play with.
But he can’t. He can’t! Eight cats in their apartment? It’s too much, and besides, Izuku’s still not sure where they came from, and he knows Kacchan is going to be so mad when he comes home and sees them all! One Izuku maybe could have argued for, but eight??
“Can any of you tell me,” Izuku tries, “where you came from?”
But the cats just purr and lick at his fingers and nuzzle his thighs, and leave Izuku confused and more than a little bit nervous about what’s going to happen when Kacchan gets home.
When…when Kacchan…
Dinner!
Izuku gives the cats a few more pats each, then pushes himself to standing. “Sorry,” he says, “but I’ve got to get back to dinner so that I have it ready for Kacchan when he gets home! Speaking of,” he adds, fumbling a bit as he pulls out his phone, “when is Kacchan going to get here? His patrol should have ended an hour ago at least?” Izuku pulls out his phone, opens the messaging app, and finds his text conversation with Kacchan. His fingered are itching to write him, but Izuku also knows that Kacchan could be caught up in something important, and he doesn’t want to interrupt.
Really, he should go check the police scanner to see…
“Oi!” calls a familiar voice; Izuku hears the front door slam open, and then closed. “Izuku! Are ya here? Why the fuck are all the lights in the apartment on?”
Oh, shit, shit shit.
Izuku freezes. What should he do? Should he call out to Kacchan, who will then come looking and find A) Izuku in his office and B) surrounded by five cats?
Or, should he stay here, hidden, and hope Kacchan just thinks he went to the store or something?
Oh, but then he’ll find Mittens, and the cats in the washroom, and…
“What the fuck?” Kacchan utters, and shit he’s right outside the door!
“Izuku?” he calls, and pushes the door open; he’s still in his hero garb, which tells Izuku he probably didn’t even go back to the agency before coming home, even though he’s not wearing his gauntlets. “I thought I told you…oh, fuck.”
“Ahh, okaeri, Kacchan!” Izuku nearly shouts. “You didn’t text me to let me know you were coming home! And…” In a panic, he realizes that Kacchan’s not looking at him; he’s looking at the five cats.
“I—I don’t know,” Izuku stammers, gesturing at the cats wildly. “I came home, and I was doing my work, and I heard a meow, and there was this cat just…wandering into my office, and he rubbed up against my legs and was so cute and so sweet and I picked him up and pet him and now Mittens is sleeping in the kitchen…”
“M—Mittens?” says Katsuki, and his left eyebrow twitches; it’s the only thing on him that moves.
“Yeah!” Izuku replies. “He’s got little mitten feet. Anyway…
“I know I’m not supposed to come in here, that you asked for a private space if we were gonna live together, and I respected that—and I do respect that!” Izuku sucks in a breath.
“But…
“Mittens was sleeping in the kitchen and I had just started dinner and then I heard more meows and I went into the washroom and there were two cats in there, hanging out on the washing machine! And they’re also pretty cute and seemed to like me so I was petting them and getting to know them when I heard another meow…but it wasn’t Mittens, and it sounded like it was coming from in here! And…” Izuku was getting worked up, but he couldn’t stop the words, they were just coming, coming, coming…
“And I know I’m not supposed to come in here, I know that I’m not! But the door was open and so I came in and there were five cats and one was tearing up your tatami and two were scratching at your desk legs and…”
“They were doing what now?” Kacchan utters, his voice raspy and his face red—so red! Oh no he’s mad fuck fuck!
“I—I stopped them, don’t worry!” Izuku tells him; he hopes that he’s being helpful, but Kacchan looks constipated now, so he can’t be sure, but he also can’t stop the words from pouring out of him. “And they all came over here and we were just having some fun and they like when I rub their tummies but then I remembered you hate pets and especially cats and you don’t like when I’m in your office…”
“I never said I hate pets,” Kacchan tells him. “And I don’t hate cats.”
“You do!” Izuku exclaims. “You said, and I quote, ‘I don’t want any goddamn pets in this house.’ And when I asked about cats, you said, ‘Especially not selfish little extras like cats!’ And when I asked why, you said, ‘Pets cost money and they’re needy little fuckers and they leave fur everywhere.” Just recalling Kacchan’s words is driving Izuku towards a panic because all he can think about is eight cats and how did they get in and…
“Izuku,” Kacchan says, and his name is clear, and rips through Izuku like one of Kacchan’s AP shots. “Where in those words that are supposedly mine did I ever say I hated them?”
“Wait.” Izuku’s words come to a barrelling halt as he thinks about Kacchan’s question. “You—you never said that you—wait.” He pauses, thinks. “You—you don’t hate cats?” he asks, hopeful, wondering.
“I don’t hate cats,” Kacchan repeats. If Kacchan were literally anyone else in the world, Izuku would swear that he’s blushing. “I just don’t want them, because, as I said, they cost money and they’re needy little fuckers and they leave fur all over my clean furniture.” He grimaces. “And, apparently, tear up tatami,” he adds, gesturing to the floor.
“But where did they all come from?” Izuku cries out; he’s reeling from this news that he maybe could have had a cat all along if he had asked the right way, and from still from the revelation of finding cat after cat after cat in their house. “Did I leave a window open? Or the front door unlocked? But they would have had to get past security in order for that to happen…they’re awfully friendly, so maybe they belong to a neighbor or something? Or…”
“‘Zuku.” Katsuki’s crossed the room in a heartbeat; he’s got Izuku by the arms now, but his touch is light and gentle. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he says, and leans in to give Izuku a kiss. It’s soft, and tender, and Izuku immediately melts into Kacchan’s arms. “You didn’t leave the window open, or the front door unlocked. No one broke in and left eight cats in our apartment.”
“Then how did they get here?” Izuku asks; he knows his voice is starting to get high-pitched, but he’s got to know! He’s got to!
“Ah…well?” Kacchan lets go of Izuku with one hand and runs it through his hair. “That’s…well? That’s kind of a funny story.”
The shift in Kacchan’s tone, combined with the guilt etched on his face, has Izuku curious now. Kacchan never looks guilty, so what did he do that would make him look that way? And what does it have to do with the cats?
He knows there’s more to the story, so Izuku decides to play along, see what his boyfriend has to say. “A…funny story?” he asks. He cocks his head to one side and widens his eyes, a look he knows Kacchan finds both annoying and irresistible. “A funny story…how?” He latches onto Kacchan and uses his best puppy-dog eyes.
It works; Kacchan turns red and huffs, looking everywhere but at Izuku. “Ah—Well?” Kacchan laughs; it’s awkward and Izuku fights back a giggle. “While you were on your shift, the old man called me to do a special assignment as backup for the old bunny hag, so I went. You were on patrol with Icy Hot, so I couldn’t let you know.” He’s definitely getting redder the more he talks, too.
Interesting.
“And, well we kicked the shit out of those villains,” Kacchan continues, “but while we were waiting for the cops, I heard some meowing, and…” He grunts. “The fucking villains had all these cuties in the basement, filthy and with no food or water,” he says, a growl low in his throat. “I couldn’t just leave them, you know? And you were gone and I just kind of figured…I’d keep them here for now, until I could find a shelter that would take them? Because no fucking way could they have survived on their own if we’d just left them. And Mirko sure as shit isn’t fit to take care of anything, so it had to be me.” He scoffs. “They needed the best to look after them, and that was obviously me.”
“Ka—Kacchan.” As he’s talking, Kacchan’s blush is heating up even more; he’s so cute and he’s so petulant and stubborn about all this that it’s making Izuku fall in love with him all over again.
But Izuku still can’t get over the fact that…
“You—brought—eight cats—into our apartment?”
“So what if I did?” Kacchan grunts.
“Because you—didn’t want anything to happen to them?”
Kacchan eyes him fiercely. “That long fucking shift affect your hearing, Nerd? You heard what I said.”
Izuku’s heart softens and he starts to giggle uncontrollably. “Why, Bakugō Katsuki,” he says, giddy and light, “you’re nothing but a big ol’ softie!”
At his words; Kacchan’s eyes go wide and his face twists into a scowl. “I am not fucking soft!” he shouts.
“You are!” Izuku shouts back, pointing at him triumphantly. “You are! You’re the softest! I can’t believe that you did this! You’re such a softie! You wanted to take care of the cats and make sure they were okay! You did something so nice and so sweet and—”
Oh.
Oh.
Izuku’s looking at Kacchan now, seeing him like this—all gentle and kind and thoughtful—
Because Kacchan is all of those things. He is gentle; he is kind; he is thoughtful. He just…
It’s a side of him that he rarely shows, even to Izuku, and he definitely doesn’t show it to anyone else.
But now, there’s a look of panic on Kacchan’s face, and he grabs Izuku by the waist and tugs him so close their breath mingles. “Don’t say another fucking word , ‘Zuku,” he hisses. “And you better not tell another fucking soul about what I did.”
“Oh,” Izuku says, still giggly and definitely still giddy, “you have my word. I won’t tell anyone how sweet you are and—”
“I mean it!” Kacchan crows, and Izuku silences him with a sharp, fierce kiss, one that Kacchan responds to eagerly, gripping the back of Izuku’s head and tugging at his hair and oh wow softie Kacchan can kiss really well and…
“Be—before we do… that,” Izuku breathes, breaking the kiss and staring deep into Kacchan’s eyes, “we need to figure what we’re gonna do with the cats.”
“Shelter.” Kacchan’s lips are on Izuku’s jaw, and shit it’s really hard to concentrate now. “Tomorrow I’m off, and I’ll take them.”
“N—no,” Izuku grits out; Kacchan’s teeth are worrying the delicate flesh of his throat, but he’s got to—he needs to—just this one thing—
“Mittens…stays,” he says at last, his hands roaming the wide expanse of Kacchan’s back. “We keep Mittens. Since…” He smirks against Kacchan’s chest. “Since you didn’t seem to think it necessary to consult me about bringing eight cats into our house?”
Kacchan froze. “F—fuck, ‘Zuku,” he starts, “I didn’t think…I was hoping you…”
Izuku chuckles. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “Well,” he corrects himself, “not really. But…if we can keep Mittens, and…you don’t let it happen again…”
“Fine.” Kacchan’s lips find Izuku’s again. “Mittens stays.”
Izuku grins, and allows Kacchan to sweep him up into a passionate embrace, one that carries them into the bedroom and…
“What the shit?” Kacchan shrieks; he’s half-naked, and looks up from the bed, only to see three cats watching them in the doorway.
Izuku bursts out laughing. “Guess we’re gonna have to learn to close the door,” he says, and Kacchan stares at him for a moment, then barks out a laugh, too.
“Guess we have a few things to learn about keeping a pet,” Katsuki comments; he’s on his feet and at the door. “Get outta here, you little shits,” he says, shutting the door and locking it. “Ain’t nothing here for you to see.”
“Kacchan!” Izuku scolds him, but Kacchan turns to him, that heated gleam back in his eye.
“What?” he grins. “You want an audience?”
“What! No!” Izuku shouts, and Kacchan’s cackling as he pounces on Izuku, picking up right where they left off.
As Kacchan’s mouth kisses Izuku’s ears, his nose, his freckles, his jaw, Izuku can’t help but be awed by the man before him. He’s loved Bakugō Katsuki for most of his life now, and it fills him with both awe and pride that every day, Kacchan opens himself up to Izuku a little bit more. He’s an onion: layers upon layers, each one unique and surprising as Izuku peels them back. Some are sharp and tangy, some are sweet, but all of them are uniquely and wholly him.
And Izuku can’t wait to get to know the newest layer that’s been revealed, one he never, ever thought he would see:
Bakugō Katsuki, cat lover.