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Haru never wanted a familiar.
He was strong on his own, as he so often proclaimed to his friends and family. The idea of a bothersome animal nipping at his heel, or another person taking up valuable space in his isolated little cottage, was not something he saw in his future. He would much rather use that free space for more ingredients for his customers, or more dust covered books he never really used, or maybe even a nice rug and some plants.
No, Haru was not a recluse, thank you very much.
He enjoyed his own company, liked to listen to the bubbling of his cauldron, the ticking of the grand-father clock and the chirping of the birds nesting outside his window.
However, much to Haru’s own chagrin, Yu came tumbling into his life. Quite literally, if the swirl of a portal above his head at 3am, paired with a loud yowl and a small, soft body landing on his chest, had anything to say. And while Haru tried his damnedest to send the clingy cat back to his home, he had grown awfully fond of the caress of paws on his cheeks and the gentle purrs and meows that flowed out of his furry companion. The large brown eyes, pouty lips, blushy cheek and pretty face that accompanied it all certainly helped soften Haru’s hardened exterior.
And so, against all odds, Yu stayed.
•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•
Tall, oak bookshelves scaled the walls of Haru’s humble living space, filled to the brim with leather bound covers encasing worn down pages and browning edges. The fireplace flickers a soft orange, flames gently licking at the piles of logs fueling it, lighting the room in its soft glow, while rain patters on the bay window. The large cat tree he had invested in resides beside the fireplace, his spoiled cat liking the shadows made by the flickering flame, who yowls whenever Haru has to move his tower to clean. Carpets covered the floor, years of wear fraying the edges, stains from dropped potions and knocked over tea by Yu’s sly paws.
Haru lights the candles littered around the room with a sharp flick of his hand, not tearing his eyes away from the book laid carefully in his lap.
He's been sitting like this, hunched over and squinting through bleary eyes, for hours. Searching through numerous of his, honestly decaying , books, trying to find anything he could use in a potion, requested by an… obscure customer. The suspiciously stained piece of paper provided by said customer obtained a rather strange list of ingredients. From what Haru could decipher, there was a smudge vaguely shaping the word ‘protection’ written at the top, and an alarming ‘blood of an innocent’ scratched at the bottom of the list.
Haru was two steps away from kicking this man out of his humble shop, especially after the strange looks and prodding fingers aimed towards his cat, who was laid comfortable on the countertop, pawing away at a glistening crystal pendant. The sharp gleam in this man's eyes put the witch on edge, but the pretty penny placed into his dish changed his mind slightly, so he ushered Yu off the counter and out of sight before continuing their trade. Unfortunately, his actions mean trying to keep his reputation spick and span by searching through ancient texts for alternative ingredients for this potion.
A loud, frustrated sigh followed with the slam of the large book filled the quiet room. The black cat, laying limp on the arm of their sofa, jolts with a small, disgruntled meow.
“Sorry, Baby.” Haru coos, petting soft, tender fingertips down Yu’s furry skull, drawing lazy circles onto the base of his spine, just above his tail. Yu melts into a vaguely cat-shaped puddle, purrs picking up like a motor engine.
Keeping his cat limp and pliable under his hands, Haru searches the room with his gaze, spotting his tablet sitting on the bay window seat, shining bright from the sunlight, like a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. He leans down to press a kiss to the crown of Yu’s tiny head, breathing in his faint scent of milk and vanilla, before picking him up carefully. He chuckled at the looseness of Yu’s feline body, flopped like jelly in his arms, and made his way over, placing him gently in his cat tree, where the sun hits just right at this time of day.
Yu chirps in happiness, rolling onto his back and stretching his short arms to curl his paws in the air, batting at the rays of light catching his sleepy gaze. Haru covers his mouth as he giggles, muffling the sound so as not to upset his dramatic familiar.
He settles into his regular seat, wraps himself in his favourite soft, slightly uneven blanket that Yu so carefully crafted for him a few months back. He was so cute, brows furrowed, large hands tangled in soft pink wool, mumbling numbers under his breath. Haru cherished the blanket with all his might.
He grabs his tablet with a puff of air, placing it on his lap, intending to do some hardcore research, determined to find something to replace the… blood, so he doesn’t have to resort to murder just for a paycheck.
A comfortable hush settles over the room, only Haru’s soft breathing and Yu’s tail swishing through the air fills the room. Unfortunately, this silence only lasted maybe three minutes, before Yu got fidgety, his soft trills cutting off harshly and a sharp meow caught Haru’s attention. He hums, sliding his gaze over and watches the cat hiss in his direction, before turning back to his device.
Yu, annoyed from the lack of attention he was getting from the witch, stalks over, jumping down from his tower and stretching his paws as he takes delicate steps towards him. He nuzzles his furry head against the witches arm, purring softly before taking a peak at his screen. He chirps inquisitively and licks tenderly at Haru’s fingers, nudging them with his head to urge them towards his chin.
Haru sighs, conceding to Yu’s desire, as he explains.
”Do you remember that strange man that came in a few days ago? He wanted some sort of protection spell, but his list of ingredients was weird. I was going to offer a personalized spell, but he seemed to be in a hurry so I didn’t get to ask… now I need to find some sort of substitute for them and I can’t find anything!!! Who does he think he is? Is the money even worth it ....” Haru trails off, scratching at Yu’s trembling chin as he liquifies onto Haru’s arm, butt in the air as he tries to nudge the tablet away, wriggling onto his lap in search of more mind-melting touches.
Yu lets out gentle, little pink sparks, his engine wiring as purrs tumble out of his tiny body. The sparkling energy catches Haru’s eye, pushing his familiar away carefully, and pulling his laptop closer.
“Sorry Yu, this is really important. We can cuddle later.” Haru is immediately absorbed into the screen, ignoring the way he huffs, hissing at his hunched-over form.
He nudges at the witches arm, pawing at his skin, trying to nuzzle under his arm to scoot his body into any space he can find, just anything to get Haru’s hands on him again. All attempted pathways are blocked by Haru and his overflowing knowledge of his typical movements. Yu scratches at Haru’s arm, annoyed and fussy, before having enough of being ignored, stalking off in the direction of the towering bookshelves.
The witch watches his mischievous familiar through the corner of his eye, watching as Yu climbs the shelves carefully, nudging his nose in between books, running his paw along the spine, dusting the shelves with his long black tail as he pads across the shelf.
Ten minutes fly by just like this, both of them with their noses buried in books. Shortly, Yu chirps, trills and sparks in obvious happiness, causing Haru to spark streaks of blue in response, a gentle smile gracing his face at the view of his familiar twirling twice in celebration. That was before Yu crouches, tail wiggling in the hair as he pushes a large, heavy, and dusty book right off the top shelf.
Haru just about jumps out of his skin from the loud bang, heart thumping erratically as he stares with wide eyes at the cat, who rapidly descended from the bookshelf, sat proudly on top of the hefty book.
“Yah! What do you think you are doing?!” Haru scolds, holding onto his chest as he calms himself down, eyes wide and mouth agape.
Yu huffs, tugging the book towards where his witch is sitting, pushing the cover open before ruffling through the pages with shocking gentleness, considering his lack of thumbs in this form. He stops on a page, perched next to it with a proud expression and his tail stroking across the title.
Curious and cautious, Haru shifts his tablet to the side, picking the book up with tentative hands, placing it on the coffee table in front of him.
“‘Willow tree sap’? but … how would that work?” Haru murmurs, fingers skimming across the pages.
Yu huffs, agitated by his human’s foolishness, before nudging Haru’s hand out of the way, using his paw to flick through the large text, landing on a page towards the back, seemingly blank. He nibbles on Haru’s finger to pull him towards the book. The witch glances at his cat, questioning, before looking at the page closer, seeing that it’s a tad too thick compared to the others.
Haru uses his nail to slip between the two pages stuck together, prying them apart to reveal a page full of blood magic. He gasps, and finds a subtitle called ‘bloody equivalents’ staring right back at him, with the first on the list being tree sap.
Haru laughs, head throws back, hysterical and exhausted, gathering Yu into his arms and squeezing tight. His familiar mewls, nuzzling his furry cheek against Haru’s, licking softly at the witches dangly earring right in front of him. He kisses the top of Yu’s hurry head, leaking love and thankfulness into his silky fur, before gently laying him down in his lap.
Lost in his reading, Haru seemed to have missed Yu shifting back, jolted out of his musings only when a much larger body clambered his way onto his lap, immediately pushing his head into the crook of Haru’s neck. Yu slumps against Haru’s front, melding them together, purrs rumbling through his chest as he leaves sleepy presses of lips against his witch’s skin.
Haru huffs and chuckles, lacing his fingers through Yu’s mop of black hair, his other hand waving towards the book, letting it hover just at eye level, before his hand finds its way to the sliver of pale skin at the hem of Yu (Haru’s) loose shirt, tracing patterns and ruins into the unmarred canvas.
“…You couldn’t have done that a few days ago? How did you even know that was there?” Haru mutters into Yu ear, lips brushing against the glowing, red shell. He laughs, endeared, at the shiver that runs through the cat’s drowsy body and the way his purrs kick up a notch as he drifts off, content under the touch and care of his witch.
Haru is so interrogating him after his little nap. But for now, he has a potion to make.
•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•
About six months into living together, Haru gifted Yu a sun-shard.
After one too many nights of waking up to Yu’s side of the bed cold, or the multitude of days where Yu spent all his time scavenging around in the forest, not coming home until three, four, five days later, covered in mud, blood (which gave Haru the shock of his life when he came through his front door covered in the red liquid (Yu didn't leave their cottage for two weeks after, essentially on house arrest)) and various other stains, Haru decided Yu needed this device.
However, like most things with his familiar, it was difficult. He refused the device for months when Haru first brought up the subject, avoiding all conversation by shrinking down into his cat form and slipping through the cracks in the cottage that even Haru didn’t know about. The witch had had enough of his partner's elusiveness and gently demanded that Yu have the device for safety reasons (which included scruffing Yu in his human form until he went limp and plaint in his arms, face flushed crimson and eyes glazed over as he nodded along to whatever Haru crooned into his ear, barely even registering the words until they where both safely snuggled up in bed that night).
Haru did notice that his familiar hissed and cowered everytime his own sun-shard rang, but he didn’t think much of it, knowing that Yu was not well versed in modern techno-magical advancements. So Haru took it upon himself to discover what was really going on with his familiar. And with a little coaxing and a small tumble around in the sheets, he discovers.
The hissing and yowling and growling were not because Yu was a difficult kitty, but because his ears were sensitive.
With that solved and thoroughly researched, Haru decided to accommodate his little kitty, casting a few enchantments over the device to ensure the sound wasn't too loud for Yu’s ears, nor was the screen too bright for his eyes. And with that, he wrapped the small device into a pretty pale blue wrapping paper and gave it to him on the night of Yu’s first summer solstice. The kitty growled and huffed, of course, but after a gentle round of petting between his fluffy ears and a soft voice explaining everything, he melted into Haru’s arms and nodded, a gentle peck left on the witches soft cheek.
Haru now had easy communication with his familiar, which also included easily teasing his familiar throughout the hours they were apart.
And Haru as always one for indulging in life’s greatest delights.
⋆˙⟡ —
The town market opened stall doors every Thursday morning at 8 am sharp, and didn’t close until 10pm.
Witches set up potion stalls and oracles reside in tents, armed with a tarot deck and candles, selkies sell wonders from the deep blue and the fae are always there to cause trouble. This town market brings in creatures from across the land, to trade and barter and sell, and one curious cat will always be there at 8:30 am every Thursday, with his worn messenger bag and a light blue collar around his neck, jingling with a tag, a marking.
Yu wakes up early on a Thursday, sliding out of the cage of Harus arms without waking him. From there, he putters around the kitchen, making a list of things they need for their cottage and things Haru needs for the shop. This is about the time where Yu makes breakfast for his witch, leaving it in the fridge for whenever Haru decides to grace the waking world with his presence.
He packs his bag and grabs some snacks for the walk, stuffing coins into the lining of his pockets. Noticing the time, Yu races back to the bedroom, slipping through the door.
Haru is splayed out in the middle of their large bed, mouth hung open, letting out roaring snores. Yu giggles, muffling it behind his hand, before creeping over on his tiptoes. He brushes a hand through Haru’s short hair, admiring his sleeping face, slack with sleep, puffy and cute. He presses his lips against his forehead, fluttering them across his skin, tracing the stars across his cheeks and jaw, before pecking Haru’s plush lips, while rubbing his thumb across his warm, sleep-soft skin.
The witch sighs, still in hypno’s grasp, nuzzling closer to the fingertips whirling patterns across his cheeks, whining high in his throat when Yu pulls away. Haru cracks one eye open, peering up at Yu through hazy eyes, before reaching out a hand to lace his fingers with his familiar.
“Yu-yah..” Haru mumbles, voice low and croaky with the early morning. He rubs his thumb against the back of Yu’s hand sluggishly, weakly tugging at him to pull him back into bed.
Yu giggles, fond and endeared, gently prying their hands apart, not before leaving a lingering kiss on the back of it, squeezing it once as though to embed the lines of Haru’s palms with his.
“Go back to sleep, I’ll be back this evening.” Yu whispers, not willing to break the sleepy silence of the room, before turning away to creep out the bedroom and head on his way.
“Haruuuu.” Yu’s pout is audible through the phone, picking up after the call almost runs its course.
“Hi baby, could you pick up some more vials when you're in the market, please? I just ran out of the good ones, y'know the round ones with the corks?.” Haru croons through the phone, smirking to himself at the petulant huff that comes from the other side. Hearing Yu whine like this makes his day, even though it doesn’t happen often. It just makes Haru want to tease him until he's flushed bright red.
“Couldn’t you have texted me?! I always answer your texts…” Yu sulks, kicking at the rocks covering the pathway through the forest.
“I know, kitty, but I needed to make sure that you knew as soon as possible! You know how much I love those vials”
“Yes Haru-ssi, I will make sure to get them for you.” Yu mutters, formal and disgruntled. He hiss quietly through the phone when he hears pearls of laughter spilling from Haru’s lips.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I love you, get home safe please.”
“OKAY! Byebye now.” Yu is quick to cut the call, sending multitudes of kisses through the speaker. Sighing in relief when the line goes flat, he continues his peaceful walk through the forest to the nearest market.
Walking through a patch of flowers, he picks up a bunch of daisies. Yu digs his hands into his well worn messenger bag that his witch gifted him. He meows in success when he finds a piece of pink ribbon at the bottom.
He ties the ribbon around the bouquet before tucking it into the crook of his arm. Yu smiles as he pictures his witch’s delighted face when he delivers this gift to him.
His pace picks up into a skip, excited to finish his errands and get home.
⋆˙⟡ —
Caramel light shines through their slightly ajar curtain, draping Yu’s sleeping figure in a sheet of gold, curving over his soft features and the curve of his body through the thin blanket. Birds chirp peacefully in the garden, hummingbirds singing and butterflies flutter by their window.
He remains undisturbed, rolling over, leg shifting upwards, out from underneath the blanket, his soft sleep shorts bunched up to the top of thighs. The glittering sunlight highlights the purple bruising and bite marks gracing the milky skin. He buries his nose into Haru’s pillow, inhaling the fading warmth and the faint smell of citrus and smoke. Yu bunches his hand into the fabric of the pillow, purring softly in his sleep, nose twitching through his dream.
The sleepy, mellow air of the hour is suddenly disrupted by the loud ringing of Yu’s sun-shard, causing him to jolt out of his slumber, bedhead sticking up wildly as he squints through half-closed eyes, patting at the bedside cabinet for the device.
A Facetime call graces his screen and he yowls, scratchy from sleep, in annoyance. He swipes across the screen and is met with the sight of Haru’s handsome face close to the screen, a goofy grin gracing his plump lips.
“Hi Yu, did I wake you? You look so handsome, baby.” Haru teases, drinking in the sight of his half awake, disgruntled familiar.
He desperately wants to reach through the screen to stroke at the soft rosy pink cheeks and the indents their pillow left behind on his cheekbones, rub his thumb over his pouting lips and hold him close. However, a reluctant facetime call will have to do for the next few hours as he works in the shop.
”Haru, is someone dying?” Yu says, deadpanned, forcing his big eyes even wider to look directly at Haru’s face. Haru giggles.
“No, sweetheart, nothing of the sort! Why do you ask?” The witch hums, taking a sip of his coffee, gazing lovingly at his sun-shard.
“What do you need? I was sleeping.” Yu pouted, eyes drifting shut again, knowing he was safe. He settles back into his blanket, ready to go back into his sweet, lovely dream void of all facetime calls from evil boyfriends.
“I wanted to let you know that I made you breakfast for when you wake up! It’s in the kitchen.” Haru says, voice too loud for Yu's sleepy brain, so he tries to squint to hear him better.
“Haru.”
“Yes, Angel.” he replies, a shit-eating grin plastered all over his face.
”This could have been a note, or a text.” Yu scolds, half tempted to hang up.
“But, baby, what if you didn’t get the text, or if you didn’t look in the fridge?! All my hard work would have gone to waste!” Haru pouts, moving closer to the screen, as though he was trying to get through it.
Yu sighs.
“Okay, message received. Can I go back to sleep now?”
“Of course, my sweet kitty. Dream of me.”
Yu drifts off listening to Haru’s parting sentence, not aware enough to hang up. The witch spends a few minutes staring lovingly at Yu’s sleeping face before the bell to the shop door rings, pulling him back to the present, hanging up the call reluctantly.
⋆˙⟡ —
harubear ~
Don’t forget to pick up dinner for tonight! and some catnip pretty please!!! love you~~~
Haru smiles, his steady pace turning into a little skip, as fondness pours out of his eyes. Without a second's delay, he’s tapping onto Yu’s profile and pressing his phone to his ear.
“Haru? Is something wrong?” Yu’s honey-sweet voice drifted idly through the speakers. Haru hears a faint rustling on the other end.
“Hi Yu-yah, what are you doing?”
“Ah, I’m just re-organising the shelves… Haru, why did you let it get so bad? It’s all dusty and not in alphabetical order…” Yu rants at him, straining as he reaches the top shelf.
“Sorry, baby,” Haru croons, endlessly endeared by his familiar, “but I know how much you like organising this kind of stuff, you can’t fool me.”
Yu huffs.
”Why did you call me, Haru?”
“Ah, I wanted to tell you that I got your text!”
The line goes silent.
“Haru?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Could you not have just texted me?” Yu sighs, tired of fighting a losing battle with the witch.
“Hmm.. yeah, I could’ve, but this was quicker. And I just miss you sooooo much!” Haru hums, teasingly, muffling giggles into his sleeve, so as to not annoy the cat any further.
Yu growls deeply, before hanging up finally, muttering curses under his breath, going back to his meticulous organising.
Haru laughs loudly, pocketing his phone and picking up his pace to get home to his grumpy familiar quicker. He buys a bouquet of tulips to adorn their humble kitchen and extra catnip to, hopefully, get him back into Yu’s good books.
•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•
A roaring rumble breaks the tranquility of their bedroom.
Under piles of blankets, a bed that more resembles a nest these days, Haru holds his breath carefully, keeping an eye on the sleeping cat beside him. Yu barely twitches, deep in his doze, nestled under Haru’s arm around his waist, head resting on his chest.
The clock in their living room chimes faintly, signaling the coming of the witching hour. The time where rituals are the strongest, potions are the most potent, and the time where Haru should be the most productive, as folklore likes to think.
However, the strongest thing in the room at that moment, is Haru's own hunger.
And so, with bated breath and trembling hands, for fear that he might awaken the beast that is his familiar at such an hour, Yu ever so carefully removes himself from where he is plastered against the warm body. Stepping on only his tiptoes, he avoids the floorboards that creak and opens the door just wide enough to slip his body through.
He pauses, halfway out the door, when Yu grumbles a slurry of words, rolling over and tangling himself further into their bed sheets, before settling down again, nose buried deep in Haru's fading warmth, body sprawled loose and limbs lay limp on the mattress.
He breathes a sigh of great relief and continues his descent into the kitchen
⋆˙⟡ —
He doesn’t even begin to attempt to make a lavish meal. Or any meal at all.
Haru rummages through their cupboards and their fridge, trying to find something to settle his ravenous stomach. All he finds is packets of noodles, microwaveable rice, and leftover take-out.
Unfortunately, Haru is a witch, not a chef.
“Take-out it is then, I guess” he mumbles to himself, making a mental note to get some real food the next time he, or Yu, is out.
Being careful to not make any unnecessary noise, so as to not unleash the fury of one Tomiyasu Yu on less than 10 hours of sleep, Haru plates up his food, heating it up in their trusty microwave.
Only then does he realise his grave mistake, as he tries to set the timer.
With every button he presses, a loud ding sounds just after. He prays to whatever deity is watching him at that moment, and sets the timer for 5 minutes. Haru breathes a sigh of relief that lasts about 2 seconds, before the thunderous whirring of the microwave begins.
Frozen still, he glances at the door to the kitchen, muttering prayers under his breath frantically, waiting for his demise. His prayers were, seemingly, answered as he hears only the rustling of bedsheets and a sleepy mrow, before the cottage is once again blissfully quiet. He’s on a mission to keep his short-tempered cat happy, and so the witch spends the next 5 minutes diligently watching the turning of his plate in the microwave, watching the timer go down, so he times the ding perfectly.
Unfortunately, the deities are not on his side tonight, and so with 5 seconds left on the timer, he hears the creaking of floorboards and the vague sound of muffled words, and is too concerned with the possible presence of someone else to notice the timer tick down.
The loud dinging resonates through their small cottage, and Haru curses when he hears loud, disgruntled and very sleepy meows and whines traveling through the hallway.
In quick movements, Haru gets his cutlery and places his meal on the table, just in time for Yu to turn the corner into the kitchen, with half-closed, foggy eyes, wrapped in the cosiest blanket he could find. Despite himself, Haru coos at the sight, earning a scratchy whine from the back of Yu's throat, and reaches out a hand for his familiar to take, leading him over to the table.
Yu stumbles over, lacking his usual grace and fluidity, and lands on Haru’s lap, a mess of blankets and limbs, as they tangle together in the soft kitchen light.
“Sorry, baby. Did I wake you?” Haru asks, quietly against the sensitive shell of Yu’s ear. In return, Yu nuzzles closer to the rumble of Haru’s throat, wrapping his arms around his waist, kitty-licking at the soft skin of the witch’s bare neck.
“‘s okay, the bed was cold without you…” Haru just about melts at the lilt of Yu’s voice, content and sleepy in its cadence, as he makes himself at home in Haru’s lap.
”Hungry?” He asks, bringing the piece of chicken up to Yu’s mouth. One hand drifts to Yu’s neck to help him keep it up, fingertips stroking across his jaw to coax his little nibbles at the chicken, encouraging him to have a little bit more.
At Yu’s whine, he pulls his chopsticks away, letting the cat fall back asleep pressed up against his front, as he digs into his midnight snack.
•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•
Haru stumbles through their front door, sloppily dropping his bag to the floor, hearing bottles clang together. He winces at the sound, but ultimately decides to deal with it later.
After a long, tiring day dealing with all sorts of snobby, know-it-all customers, all he wants is to snuggle up in bed with a small furry body, or a large human body, he doesn’t mind, and fall straight to sleep.
A small smile graces his face as he hears the whistling of the kettle and the gentle sound of porcelain tinging together. Soft jazz drifts through their cluttered hallways, and Haru feels his muscles loosen as the melody washes over him. He kicks his shoes off haphazardly and chucks his coat onto their coat rack, brushing past the piles of well loved cat toys scattered around their little cottage, as he makes his way over to his lover.
As he steps into their kitchen, Haru spots the clutter of baking utensils on the counters, and is delighted at the view of his familiar dressed in his clothes and a bright pink “kiss the cook” apron. The witch sneaks up behind Yu, pressing a loud smacking kiss against his cheek, before snuggling into his neck.
Yu gasps at the wetness of the kiss, trying to whirl around in Haru’s embrace, but is unable to move out of his tight grip.
”Haru! What was that for?!” Yu exclaims, though not entirely upset. It’s Haru, after all.
”I’m just listening to instruction,” he mumbles, gesturing to Yu’s apron, “weren’t you the one telling me i’m not obedient enough?”
Yu grumbles under his breath, before he goes back to fiddling with the tea bags.
Haru peeks over Yu’s shoulder to watch with a wide grin, as Yu pours tea into two mugs, passing one off to Haru, before ushering him into a seat at the counter. No words need to be exchanged, as they settle into routine, perfectly in harmony.
Yu watches with sharp eyes as Haru takes a sip of his tea, watches as all the tension leaves his body and he closes his eyes, humming at the sensation.
“How was your day?” Yu asks, voice no more than a whisper, so as to not unsettle the air of contentment that settles over the room.
Haru sighs, deep and weary.
”Long..”
”You did well today, baby.” Yu says, walking over to his chair, brushing his hands across the nape of his neck. Haru sighs at his warmth, melting into the strong hands rubbing across his tense shoulders.
”Ah~ that’s lovely, Yu…” Haru drawls, eyes slipping closed as he nestles into the care of his familiar. Yu giggles quietly, rubbing the pads of his thumbs behind Haru’s ears, to the sensitive skin of his hairline, as he massages long fingers into the slightly sweaty roots.
Haru murmurs, in absolute bliss, in his cat's capable hands.
“Let’s go to the couch, Moya is coming over soon, he has some fabrics he promised to give to me.” Yu wraps a hand around Haru’s bicep, stabling him as he stumbles on weak, drained legs.
He walks them through the candle lit corridors of their home, past the mounted pictures of family and friends, crossing over soft carpets and warm hard-wood floors. Yu picks up Haru’s bag on the way, gently scolding his half asleep witch, fondly placating his whines with soft kisses on even softer cheeks.
Yu hangs the bag behind the door, before guiding his witch into their cosy living room. He settles him on their plush sofa, placing a soft blanket over Haru’s aching body. Haru whines, high in his throat, reaching out grabby hands to latch onto Yu, who giggles, gracefully stepping away from his reach.
“Wait, I’ll be with you in a second” Yu shushes, drifting around the room, brushing gentle fingertips over plant leaves that flutter in his presence, lighting candles and flipping off light switches. Haru watches with a soft smile as Yu hums a melody under his breath. He drifts back to his witch, brushing a hand through his hair and leaving a soft kiss on his forehead.
“I’ll be right back, Haru.” Haru’s eyelashes flutter at the sensations and watches as Yu leaves. He blinks and Yu is back, hands holding both of their steaming cups of tea, placing them on their coffee table.
When his hands are free, Haru laces their fingers together and drags him down. Yu stumbles with a yelp, before sitting next to Haru’s head. Haru shuffles up, nuzzling his nose into Yu’s soft stomach, sighing at the feeling of those hands gliding back through his hair.
His eyelashes flutter as he fights sleep once more, to drag their still clasped hands down, leaving a gentle caress of kisses on the back of Yu’s large hands,, rubbing his rough thumb in lazy circles on his palm.
“Rest now, I’ll be here when you wake up”
Haru sniffles, brushes his noses into the soft fabric of Yu’s loose shirt.
“mhh, ‘love you, baby…”
Yu giggles, endlessly endeared by his drowsy, drooping witch.
“I love you too, Haru.”
⋆˙⟡ —
Muffled chatter drifts through the air, waking Haru up from his deep slumber. He whimpers quietly, sore legs curling towards his chest as he tries to get away from the sound. The hand, that has been non stop petting his soft hair, moves to cup his cheek, soothing his thumb over Haru’s cheek bone.
“Baby?” Yu's gentle voice whispers into his ear.
Haru lets his eyes slip open just enough to see Yu's bright, beautiful face, raising his hand to poke at his cheek. He strokes his fingertips over his long lashes and his eyelid. Yu’s smile widens, eyes closing and cheeks blooming under Haru’s ministrations.
“I’m still here..” A pouty voice drifts over from the armchair, and Haru can see a sulky Tomoya sitting, bundled in another one of Yu’s blanket creations, cradling a steaming mug. Tomoya’s face softens as he sees Haru’s bleary eyes turn on him, his fox ears twitching on the top of his head
“Oh! Hi, Tomoya.” Haru mumbles, sleep slurring his words.
Tomoya chuckles, waving his hand as Haru’s dozy figure.
“Hi, Haru, how are you feeling?”
“mhm, tired, but better,” Haru murmurs into Yu’s thigh, ready to drift back off into sleep, “Yu is taking such good care of me.”
He hears his cat squeak, Tomoya giggles at the sight of Yu's red cheeks at the praise.
Tomoya sighs, ears ruffling in his hair, as he moves to get up, placing his mug on their table.
“I should go, Hyui has probably accidentally started a fire or something, knowing him. I’ll see you love-birds later.” Yu shuffles to show Tomoya out, but the death grip to his waist and the low growl from the figure on top of him, stops him.
Yu offers a shrug to Tomoya, placating Haru with a kiss, before waving Tomoya off, hearing him clamber down the hall, and the puff of air as he leaves.
Yu looks down at the pitiful sight of Haru curled up on his lap, gripping him in a tight embrace. He shuffles down, manoeuvring Haru so he can slide himself between him and the back of their couch, trailing kisses all over his face.
“Y’know, I may be the cat between us, but you act an awful lot like a possessive puppy sometimes.” Yu whispers into Haru’s ear, hand laid flat and warm against the small of his back, keeping Haru’s body firmly pressed into Yu’s side.
Haru huffs, swatting at where Yu’s ears would be.
“Stop talking nonsense, Yu, and let me sleep.” Haru pouts, nestling closer into Yu’s neck, breathing in wafts of milk and vanilla, melting like candle wax into the warmth surrounding him.
“Sleep well.” Yu giggles, watching as Haru drifts off.
•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•
One thing Haru has learnt about having a familiar, or maybe it’s just a Yu thing, is that he will sleep anywhere and everywhere.
In the smallest of spaces, the weirdest of positions and at the most inconvenient times, Yu will curl up and nap until Haru finds the will to wake him up. He finds it adorable, sure, but Yu really does pick the worst times to be cute, and as much as it hurts Haru’s heart to wake him, he really has no choice.
⋆˙⟡ —
Haru potters into his brewery, pushing through pretty glass bead curtains hanging on the doorway. Today is one of his allocated days to spend time catching up on orders for the shop. Admittedly, he has been slacking on his responsibilities recently, not wanting to waste days in the workshop when he could be at home, in bed, with one snuggly, clingy cat attached to him.
Now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t seen Yu all day.
Normally, he can’t get away from Haru, seen in the way that Yu stays at Haru’s heels whenever he can, or in the way that Haru cannot get the black cat fur off of his clothes. But occasionally, Yu feels an overwhelming urge to move. He can go missing for days at a time, lost in the tall trees of the winding forest surrounding the cottage, coming home with the wildest range of, so-called, gifts he caught for the witch; birds, mice and spiders, all caught in the cat's teeth. Sometimes he brings home shiny things that caught his eyes. Haru can never predict what might grace his door step on those days, and he has long since decided that it is none of his concern.
Ultimately, Haru decides to take advantage of the quiet day, void of his mischievous familiar, to finally get some work done, prepared to spend hours standing in the melting hot room, watching over a bubbling cauldron.
He spends some time wandering around the brewery, sorting through and gathering the list of ingredients he needs, picking through the thousands of jars of herbs that grace his walls. He’s so lost in his own head that he almost misses the quiet mewl the sounded in the supposedly empty room.
He freezes, looking around to find the source of the noise, before he spots a long, sleek black tail curling up out of his cauldron. Haru tuts, an adoring smile gracing his lips and he creeps towards it, finding a sleeping cat resting peacefully inside the pot.
Yu’s small, furry body lays curled up into a tight ball, his small back rising with every breath he takes. His tail has a mind of its own it seems, as soon as Haru runs gentle fingertips down the curl of Yu’s spin, the tail wraps around his forearm, as though to keep him close.
Haru giggles under his breath as he gently picks Yu up, holding him close to his chest as Yu purrs in his slumber, nuzzling closer to the arm palm cupping his face. He watches as Yu blinks his large eyes open ,sneezing at the dust floating around the room from Haru’s intrusion. He stares at Haru intently before nuzzling his furry face into his neck, allowing the witch to carry him around, purring up a storm as Haru works one handed, the other hand buried into his fur.
Haru stands, hunched over his bubbling cauldron, stirring cautiously, while mumbling profanities under his breath. He looks to the side, reading the instructions carefully. He has been trying to create a specific potion for his garden. This full moon seemed to be a slightly stronger one than usual, which risked his plants dying but, while doing so, he needed to be careful to not disrupt the magic within the soil. All very confusing things, little delicate tweaking needed to be done to the original potion, or else the whole garden could be ruined and withered. Yu did his best to help, pointing him in the right direction, but even he got slower and sleepier during the long days in Haru’s workshop.
Speaking of the mischievous cat familiar, he was currently laid around Haru’s neck, his tail curled around his bicep, as his purrs rumbled down Haru’s back. Unfortunately, the heat from the stuffy work room, as well as Yu’s furry body causes Haru to work up quite a sweat. He stood up straight, carefully reaching for Yu’s form, taking him into his hands and placing him on the stool right next to him.
“Sorry, sweetheart, it’s getting too hot for you to stay there.”
Yu grumbles, before turning back into his bigger form, scooting closer to the witch, curling his arms around his waist and resting his head on Haru’s shoulder, nuzzling into his neck.
He works in silence, content with the sleep cat wrapped around him. He moved carefully to not disturb him, Yu growing heavier on his back as sleep pulls him under, but Haru can feel him jolt, trying to keep himself awake to lend a helping hand whenever Haru needs it.
The witch chuckles as he feels Yu let out a sleepy sigh into his neck, wrapping a hand around Yu’s forearms that were resting on his tummy, gently rubbing his thumb at the soft skin as he hears Yu’s sleepy snores fill the room.
And so, as much as Haru resented the idea of having a familiar, as soon as Yu walked into his life and disrupted his carefully crafted peace, he didn’t have it in him to turn the cat away. Now, he shapes his life around Yu, allowing the familiar to fill up the lonely space he didn’t realise he had around him. Haru let’s his days become slower, no longer working himself to the bone in order to fill the time he spent alone, instead he chooses Yu more often than not, preferring to stay curled up in bed with the other being rather than locked up in his stuffy workshop.
And he wouldn’t change it for the world. At least, not anymore.