Chapter Text
Chiba is a bustling province in Japan, covered with built up cities and towering skyscrapers, extensive train networks and traffic-clogged roads. But if one knew where to look, they would find a small farm shop, and beyond the back walls, in a large garden...
A Wildcat Rescue Sanctuary.
Hidden away beneath blossom trees and tall conifers, four large enclosures span the area behind the tiny farm shop, a secret that only the local community are aware of. It’s run by Iwaizumi Hajime, who suffered an ankle injury in a college volleyball tournament and managed to complete a veterinarian course whilst he healed. He has a permanent limp, but it’s not something that stops him.
The four enclosures are constantly occupied by a number of felines. In the smallest one, a caracal that was mistaken for a lost pet cat and brought to the sanctuary with a leg injury. Despite being wild, the caracal behaves tame, if not mischievous. It sleeps a lot, but plays the same amount - often stealing things from Iwaizumi’s pockets when he enters the enclosure to feed him.
The caracal can easily be petted, but only by two people. Iwaizumi himself, and one of the other staff members, Iwaizumi’s partner; Hanamaki. They name the caracal Matsukawa, due to how quiet the species generally is. They find the name does not fit at 3am every morning, when the caracal mewls and whines for company. Hanamaki usually ends up sleeping in the pen, cat-sized animal on his lap and a torn pillow behind his head.
The second enclosure is a safe area for an Iberian lynx. It had been sent to the sanctuary by one of Iwaizumi’s old university friends, having been found on a bust at the shipping yard. What they had thought to be a drug raid turned out being a rescue mission for hundreds of ‘exotic’ animals. Most of them were parrots or lizards, so the lynx had been a bit of a surprise, and it had been an emergency to find somewhere for it. Luckily for the lynx, Daichi Sawamura had been on the police team that came across it, and quickly contacted Iwaizumi.
The lynx had settled quickly, but also displayed aggression towards anyone encroaching on its new territory. At first, due to the behaviour of the big cat, they had been sure it was a male. It wasn’t safe to get close enough to check, and the sanctuary had a 99% holistic approach. Darting and tranquilising was forbidden unless it was the direst of circumstances. They named the lynx Kyoutani. The name stuck, even when – surprising everyone on sight – it was discovered the lynx was carrying kittens.
A third enclosure, the largest on sight, was currently occupied by two female snow leopards named Yui and Kiyoko. They were sisters from the same litter, saved from a zoo in Tokyo that had shut down. Whilst leopards were usually solitary animals, in captivity, it was common for them to share space. The reason for their large enclosure wasn’t just because there were two of them. It was going to become a breeding enclosure, as soon as the girls were of age.
Yui was the smaller of the two, but her muscle bulk made up for the few centimetres she lost over her sister. She was playful and lively, an affectionate bundle of fluff that was happy to be groomed, petted, and cuddled. One of Yui’s favourite toys was an eagle feather on a stick, poked through the fence and teasingly bobbed by whomever was nearby.
Kiyoko was much more reserved, shyer at first glance. She much preferred to leisurely sprawl herself over the elevated wood platform, or hide in a shadowy patch of long grass. Still, even she was weak to the bristle brush, allowing staff members to run it through her thick fur. One of the most notable things about Kiyoko was that her spots were much larger and more frequent. For a snow leopard, she was closer to being black than white!
The last enclosure was a decent size, and home to Iwaizumi’s favourite. A male snow leopard, strong and large enough to kill a human effortlessly, that melted to absolute putty when Iwaizumi was nearby. Oikawa was more like a pet than a wild animal, raised from a cub that had been born by Iwaizumi’s first snow leopard, which unfortunately died during labour. Only one tiny cub had made it, and Iwaizumi had raised Oikawa from minutes old, to the three year old he was today. Oikawa was, undoubtedly, his son.
Sometimes, Hanamaki found himself jealous of the attention Iwaizumi lavished upon the snow leopard. As a newer member of staff, Hanamaki had actually found the place by being invited by Iwaizumi once day. He and Iwaizumi had met uptown, bumping into each other in the street. Hanamaki’s wallet had fallen from his pocket into a drain, and both men had stared at it in horror before Iwaizumi managed to fish it out with a cat toy, that he was going to modify into a leopard toy later.
Iwaizumi had then brought him lunch as an apology. At some point throughout the meal, things had just... Clicked. They exchanged numbers, met up a few more times, and started dating. So imagine Hanamaki’s surprise when Iwaizumi cancelled their first anniversary. Looking back on it now, it was one of the pivotal moments of his life, and perhaps the funniest.
“Taka, I’m so sorry, there’s an emergency with Oikawa, I have to cancel.”
“Oikawa?”
“I haven’t told you about him? He’s my son.”
“You have a son?!”
“Yeah. I have to go, the vet’s here.”
“A vet?! Hajime, get a doctor for your child!”
“I don’t think a doctor would appreciate a snow leopard in the examination room. Gotta go! Call you later, Taka, I love you!” The phone call let out a long beep as Iwaizumi hung up, and Hanamaki was left holding the phone to his ear with wide eyes blankly staring at the wall in front of him. A snow leopard... Iwaizumi... Had a snow leopard...
Shortly after that, Iwaizumi had invited Hanamaki to the sanctuary, absolutely beaming in pride as Hanamaki fawned over all the animals. When he’d seen how immediately attracted the animals were to his boyfriend, he’d offered Hanamaki a job as a partnership. It worked really well, since Hanamaki was a photographer for National Geographic. It hadn’t been long before Iwaizumi proposed, and they held their small wedding right in the middle of Oikawa’s enclosure.
Regrettably, the snow leopard got to the cake (baked safe for big cats!) before anybody else could get a slice. And he didn’t like sharing.
Hanamaki huffs a small laugh, pressing his lips against Iwaizumi’s shoulder blade from where they’re cuddled up in bed, shirtless with the covers thrown off. It’s a warm night, but that doesn’t stop entangled legs and comfy spooning. Iwaizumi grumbles at the brush of hot air over his shoulder, wrenching an eye open.
“What’re you doin’...?”
“Just thinking about the past~.” Iwaizumi huffs a soft chuckle, pressing backwards into Hanamaki’s warmth.
“Cute, but I don’t really think now is the appropriate time.”
“I have no idea what you mean. It’s only... 2:47 in the morning.” Hanamaki keeps his eyes on the clock as he watches it tick over to 2:48, narrowing his eyes.
“Hajime. You know what’s going to happen next, don’t you?”
“Unfortunately...” He lets out a heavy sigh, and – as if he had his own clock to check – the caracal starts to call loudly. Without fail, Matsukawa does this every night, until someone goes to sit with him. Iwaizumi thinks that may actually be his own fault, since he stayed with the feline every night as a kitten, trying to settle him into his enclosure. It became a habit hard to break, until Matsukawa reached 2 years old.
Since then, the caracal disallows anyone on site to sleep unless he has one of his two favourite people with him. Or both. He’s a little bit spoiled, but neither Iwaizumi nor Hanamaki would have him either way.
“You jinxed it, you go.”
“Wha-?! Hajime, nooo! There are so many bitey bugs outside, and I’m sensitive.”
“You’re his favourite.”
“You’ve known him longer.”
“... Then we’ll both go.” Iwaizumi pushes himself up from the mattress, leaving Hanamaki to whine at the loss of cuddles. Somehow, Matsukawa must hear it, because he yowls a little louder. There’s the distinctive rattle of the enclosure fences, where he’s started to jump at them.
“Come on~.” Iwaizumi slaps the back of his hand against Hanamaki’s bare thigh in a gentle and encouraging way, prompting him to slowly shuffle after Iwaizumi. Sluggishly, they dress in full-length trousers and long shirts, because as tame as Matsukawa may behave, he’s still a wildcat, with sharp claws and long fangs. There’s no guarantee he would behave how they expected him to, or that something wouldn’t provoke him into attacking. That had been proven when he’d attacked a volunteer worker, and Iwaizumi had managed to narrow the cause down to a perfume.
“I’m ready. You?” Iwaizumi nods through a yawn. He should be used to this routine by now, but 3am always sees him struggling to rise. They have to hurry; if Matsukawa keeps yowling and demanding attention, it’ll set Oikawa off. Oikawa is not easy to comfort when he’s tired, grumpy, and clingy. Hand-in-hand, the duo make their way through the narrow stone pathways over to the caracal enclosure, where Matsukawa’s russet fur is unmistakable as he rubs up against the fencing, purring loudly at the sight of his favourite humans.
His forehead is marked by two thick black streaks, which Hanamaki affectionately refers to as eyebrows, and the inner tufts of his ears are a pale sandy shade. Even though it’s only just nearing dawn, Matsukawa is clear to see in his home. Hanamaki crouches down and coos softly, scratching the top of Matsukawa’s head as Iwaizumi opens the gate and edges into the area. Avoiding bamboo stalks, he manages to get within range and scoops Matsukawa up in his arms, baby style.
“Hello, noisy one~. Are we ever going to get sleep with you around?” Matsukawa purrs, butting his head against Iwaizumi’s chin like he’s proud of his mischief making. Iwaizumi softly laughs and makes a chuffing sound to relax the little wildcat, before placing him back on the ground. He makes a dash for Hanamaki, who is just stepping in the entrance. He has a trusty broom in his hands; the wood scratched and marred by many big cat encounters, and uses it to stop Matsukawa slinking around his ankles and possibly towards freedom.
“Ah-ah, back you go... Oi, let me in!” He has to nudge Matsukawa with the bristly end of the broom, and the caracal simply responds by jumping up to the nearest surface and batting a paw at some flyaway strands of Hanamaki’s bedhead. Whilst Hanamaki ducks to avoid the sharp claws, Iwaizumi makes a disciplinary sound, almost like a growl, and hooks a finger around Matsukawa’s ankle, holding the large paw back.
“No. We don’t do that. Stop being naughty.” Matsukawa, of course, doesn’t truly understand the human language. Instead, he flicks his tail smugly and nibbles gently on Iwaizumi’s finger. Rolling his eyes, Iwaizumi lets him. It keeps the caracal distracted for long enough that Hanamaki can drag in a couple of sleeping bags, and set them up in a clean corner. He settles in, and as soon as Matsukawa catches a glimpse of his favourite favourite person, he leaps down from the raised platform and jogs over to Hanamaki.
“Alright, time to sleep now. You little devil, waking us up. We were having cuddle time, Matsukawa, cuddle time!” The sly cat purrs as if he understands and then looks to Iwaizumi with his tail flicking in impatience. Iwaizumi sighs, kneeling down on the sleeping bag and ruffling through the russet fur to tug out any knots before he moves to lie down, using Hanamaki’s shoulder as his pillow. Matsukawa pads over their laps a few times, causing a couple of pained groans, before he neatly wedges himself perfectly between them, sprawled out from their ankles to their thighs. Hanamaki can’t resist scratching his chin, until Matsukawa’s purrs drift off into blissful silence.
“I think I’ll follow his lead~... G’night, Hajime.”
“Night, Taka. Love you.”
“Love you too.” As tired as they are, they share a tiny peck on the lips before both men are drifting off to sleep together, Hanamaki with a torn pillow, and Iwaizumi with Hanamaki’s shoulder. They almost look like a little family, with a caracal instead of a child.