Work Text:
It was a nice evening.
The warm glow of the floor lamp painted everything in comfortable warm lighg, and the faint scent of dinner still lingered in the air despite the dishes having been washed nearly an hour ago.
Akito sat cross-legged on one end of the couch with his laptop balanced comfortably on his thighs. His fingers moved across the keyboard as he focused on some work, occasionally pausing to think before resuming his typing.
Across from him, Toya looked considerably less productive.
He had somehow acquired both cats.
Moka was curled into her usual loaf beside Toya's thigh, looking perfectly content simply existing near him. She barely moved beyond the occasional slow blink, seemingly convinced the world would continue turning without her direct involvement.
Keeki, meanwhile, had sprawled herself dramatically across Toya's lap upside down, all four paws lazily dangling in the air as if she'd completely forgotten gravity existed. Newton be damned.
Toya smiled so softly it almost hurt to look at.
"So cute," he murmured as he gently scratched beneath Keeki's chin with two fingers. "You're such a sweet girl."
Keeki answered by stretching as dramatically as possible before loudly purring in approval.
Toya's smile widened.
"Oh?" he asked warmly as he rubbed slow circles along her tiny forehead. "You like that?"
The purring somehow became louder.
"I thought so."
He carefully switched one hand over to Moka, slowly stroking along the orange cat's back with practiced gentleness.
"And Moka," he said just as fondly as he brushed a hand down her side, "you're being so patient."
Moka cracked one eye open for approximately half a second. Then immediately closed it again.
Toya laughed quietly.
"I know," he said. "It's difficult being such a relaxed girl."
Akito continued typing.
"I wonder," Toya mused as he scratched behind Moka's ears, "Did you two have a good nap today?"
Keeki responded by rolling onto her other side and presenting her stomach.
"You did?" Toya asked with exaggerated surprise before carefully rubbing her fluffy belly. "How wonderful..."
Akito's fingers paused above the keyboard.
Then resumed.
"So spoiled," Toya whispered affectionately before gently booping Keeki's tiny pink nose. "Aren't you?"
Keeki immediately reached up to bat at his finger.
"You got me." Toya chuckled. "You've become so brave..."
Loud, aggressive clicking sounds intensified.
Akito blinked at the laptop screen. His eyes weren't really reading the words anymore. Instead—
"So pretty," Toya continued as he scratched beneath Moka's chin this time. "You're both such beautiful girls. My adorable little babies."
Akito stopped typing altogether. He stared blankly at the blinking cursor on his screen.
Something felt...
Wrong.
He frowned.
The apartment remained 'comfortably' quiet.
Keeki had started kneading Toya's hoodie with tiny paws while Moka remained happily loafed against his hip, accepting slow pets without demanding anything more.
Toya looked impossibly content surrounded by the two orange cats.
Akito glanced toward them. Then back at his laptop. Then toward them again.
His eyebrows slowly furrowed.
As if having just read his mind, Toya looked over immediately. "Hm?"
Akito blinked. "Nothin'."
Toya nodded once before returning his attention to the cats.
"There we go," he cooed as Keeki bumped her head insistently against his hand. "Someone wants even more attention,"
Akito watched him smile.
He watched Toya gently cradle Keeki's little face.
He watched Moka quietly scoot two inches closer until she was leaning against Toya's leg.
He watched Toya smile again.
Akito's fingers rested motionless on the keyboard.
A strange thought quietly wandered into his head.
He's been petting those damn cats for, like, half an hour?
He's called 'em cute at least twenty times.
Has he even looked over here?
Akito frowned harder.
His fingers tapped absentmindedly against the side of the laptop.
He wasn't upset. That would be ridiculous.
They were cats.
Their cats.
The two orange freeloaders he himself had insisted they adopt after Toya fell in love with them.
It wasn't like he wanted all of Toya's attention.
He wasn't nineteen anymore, awfully jealous at their new pet cats. He was twenty years old. Engaged to Toya now for fuck's sake. Perfectly capable of entertaining himself.
He should be over this by now.
He absolutely—
"My precious girls," Toya said as he smiled down at the pair curled comfortably against him. "I'm so lucky to have you."
Akito's eye twitched.
He slowly looked down at his laptop.
The document he'd been working on hadn't changed in almost three minutes.
"The hell..."
Toya perked up almost immediately. "Akito?"
"Nothin'," Akito muttered as he resumed typing with perhaps a tiny bit more force than necessary. Just perhaps.
Toya tilted his head. Something felt—off.
He quietly watched Akito for another minute.
The typing sounded normal. His posture looked normal. His expression...
Toya's eyes lingered on the tiny pout Akito was trying—and failing—to hide with his hoodie.
He blinked, then slowly glanced down at the two cats currently monopolizing his attention. Then back to Akito. The realization arrived all at once.
His eyes widened just slightly.
Surely not.
He looked back toward Akito again.
The keyboard had slowed considerably. Akito wasn't even looking at the screen anymore.
He was very pointedly not looking at Toya either.
Toya felt the corners of his lips twitch upward.
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing.
"...Akito?" he called out as he continued absentmindedly scratching behind Keeki's ears. "Aki,"
"What." was the reply he received from his partner.
Toya studied him for another second before smiling to himself. "You seem quiet."
"I'm workin'."
"Mhm."
Toya watched Akito pretend to read the exact same line of text for what was probably the fourth time.
His smile softened.
Carefully, he lifted Keeki off his lap and set her down beside Moka. Neither cat seemed particularly bothered by the relocation, immediately curling up against each other instead.
Keeki had gotten over her obsession with having Toya's attention 24/7, but it seemed that his partner still hasn't gotten over his jealousy.
Not that Toya minded. More reasons for him to spoil him.
Toya shifted across the couch.
Akito didn't look up.
By the time Toya was sitting directly beside him, their shoulders were nearly touching. Akito continued staring very intensely at absolutely nothing on his laptop.
Toya couldn't hold back the tiny smile that escaped him.
He reached over and gently rested his hand atop Akito's typing fingers.
The keyboard immediately fell silent. Akito finally looked over. "What?"
Toya's expression was impossibly fond. "Were you jealous?"
Akito froze. "...What?" he mumbled.
"Were you jealous," Toya repeated with the same gentle smile, "Because I was giving the cats so much attention?"
Akito stared at him. Then immediately looked away.
"The hell kinda question is that? Got over that shit ages ago…" he grumbled, though the blush on his face only confirmed Toya's theory. "Quit smilin' like that."
Toya laughed quietly before intertwining their fingers together.
It wasn't the first time Akito had gotten jealous over cats grabbing his attention, and it surely wouldn't be the last.
But it was no problem—Toya already had a fool-proof solution.
"I think," he admitted as he gently squeezed Akito's hand, "I've accidentally been neglecting someone."
"I don't need—"
Before Akito could finish protesting, Toya pulled his hood back. He leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss against his temple.
The words died instantly.
Toya smiled against his skin.
"My handsome fiance..." he murmured sweetly before brushing another kiss against the corner of Akito's forehead, "Thank you for always taking such good care of me and the cats."
Akito's face immediately began heating up. "T-Toya."
"You work so hard." Toya's thumb slowly rubbed across the back of Akito's hand. "I appreciate everything you do."
"Toya..."
"I appreciate how kind you are."
The blush spread all the way to his ears.
"I appreciate how dependable you are."
"Toya."
"I appreciate how patient you've always been with me."
Akito groaned quietly before trying to pull the hood over his head again. Obviously it didn't work.
"Dude."
"And," Toya continued with the gentlest smile, "I think you're even cuter than Moka and Keeki."
Akito made a tiny strangled sound. "The hell kinda comparison is that?"
"The most important one."
"You compared me to our cats!"
"You were jealous of them no? I just wanted to let my fiance know I love him most..."
Akito buried his burning face in both hands. "You can't just say shit like that—!"
Toya would have looked puzzled, if it weren't for the fact he knew Akito could read right through his expressions.
"Why not?" he asked teasingly.
"'Cause—"
Akito made another incoherent flustered noise before giving up entirely.
"'Cause you say it all..." he huffed into his palms before peeking at Toya through his fingers. "You say it all nice an' earnest like it's not gonna kill me."
Toya's smile grew even softer. "I mean every word, always."
Akito finally looked at him properly. "...I know."
He smiled. "Good."
Akito sighed before letting his hands fall into his lap. "Damn menace."
"I've been called worse."
"Mm..."
Toya laughed under his breath before leaning over once more, wrapping both arms around Akito in an unhurried hug.
Akito melted sideways almost immediately.
He rested his forehead against Toya's shoulder with an embarrassed, but his own arms found their way around Toya's waist without a second thought.
"This better?" Toya asked quietly as he rubbed slow circles across Akito's back.
Akito stayed silent for several seconds before mumbling something into Toya's hoodie.
"What was that?" Toya asked, smiling.
Akito reluctantly lifted his head just enough to answer. "...Yeah."
Toya chuckled. "I'm glad."
Akito rolled his eyes, though there wasn't the slightest bit of annoyance behind it.
"Don't get all smug." he muttered.
"I wouldn't dream of it."
Akito snorted despite himself before finally smiling.
"Shut up."
"I love you too." Toya said, almost teasingly.
Akito's face somehow managed to become even redder. "You are unbelievable."
"So I've been told."
Behind them, Keeki let out a tiny questioning meow before hopping onto the couch and wedging herself confidently into the tiny space between the two of them.
Moka followed at her own leisurely pace, circling twice before loafing comfortably against Toya's thigh as if nothing unusual had happened.
Akito looked down at the two orange cats now sandwiched between himself and his fiance.
He sighed. "Ya little attention seekers."
Keeki responded by climbing directly into Akito's lap instead, and rubbing herself all over him. Akito couldn't giving her scritches.
Toya watched the scene with unmistakable amusement before resting his head lightly against Akito's shoulder.
"I think," he said warmly as Keeki immediately demanded pets from Akito this time, "she's decided it's your turn now."
Akito looked down at the fluffy orange menace already purring beneath his hand.
He scoffed before scratching behind her ears anyway.
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as Keeki instantly leaned harder into his fingers. "Guess I can spare a little attention."
"What about me Aki…" Toya said, bu with a barely concealed grin. Akito was pretty sure his partner was mocking him (lovingly).
"Just c'mere already, Toya."
"So mean to me—"
Toya reveled in the way Akito's face flushed crimson.