Archive of Our Own ^beta

Fifteen literature essays done, only five more to go. The amount of typos in the last essay almost had his head throbbing, so Shota takes the last sip from his second cup of coffee and decides it’s time for a heavy refill.

The math may or may not add up, and three cups of coffee may be the furthest thing from rational at three in the morning, but what’s a high-school teacher to do? Mid-terms were putting him through the ringer, and he needs something to get his half-dead body through the rest of the night. If he listens to his body close enough, he’ll probably feel the onset of anxious tremors, but he needs to get this grading done seeing as he skipped working on it for the first part of the night. That’s the last time I let Yamada talk me into drinks on a school night. Irresponsible.

The clock keeps ticking, daylight getting closer, so he swipes all the eraser crumbs off his desk and tidies up a bit before getting up to go to the kitchen. But then his foot bumps into something soft, he has a mini heart attack, hears a startled, high-pitched meow, and almost knocks his head into the nearest wall—all in that order.

For crying out–! He turns his head back around to see a green mess of fur scurrying under his desk, tail hanging low.

Of course, it was just one of his cats. With a sigh, he rakes a hand through his unwashed hair. “Deku, I’m sorry.” His voice is monotone, but not without a little pleading. Only for his cats.

No movement. No sign of forgiveness.

“Come on out. You know I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he tries to reason with him.

Some sad meowing in return says that Deku will not be coming out.

Something about that cat…he’s always had that ability to appear right where Shota’s leg is at any given moment. Where Kacchan could be heard as a wave of destruction, meowing loudly to alert his presence, Deku liked to float around the apartment quietly, just sitting there, waiting and watching with his big eyes, until Shota either notices him or gets up and accidentally kicks him. Then he has the audacity to run and hide like he’s being beaten.

“Meow,” comes the low-pitched disappointment from Kacchan.

Offended and highly territorial over his companion, his hackles are immediately raised over Shota hurting Deku. When he turns his head, his blonde cat is already glaring at him, ears defiantly stuck back on his head, even though he knows Shota would never do anything to hurt either of them. It was just his personality to be an asshole.

“Watch that tone, Katsuki,” He threatens, but it’s empty. Any amount of command he had over these cats disappeared soon after he adopted them. Shota was never able to stay mad at them long because for as much trouble as they got into, they were also undeniably cute. And Shota had an incurable softness for cats.

“I said I didn’t mean to, so go tell him to come out.” He’s practically begging now. 

He’s on his knees, crawling towards Deku, who’s pretending to cower, just so his companion can come to his rescue. He may be hiding under the desk, but Shota reads in his body language that he holds no fear. He’s only extremely sensitive and will tilt his ears all the way down and widen his eyes at the slightest onslaught to his emotions, but the moment Kacchan saddles up next to his cheek, bunting their heads together, he can practically see small hearts bead in the air around them. Just waiting to be rescued by his hero.

Shota laughs to himself and shakes his head at their antics.

They were both pretty tough cats not to love, even if they were troublesome. Once feral and roaming the busy neighborhood around his apartment, Shota had experienced enough heart attacks for one lifetime watching them dart in front of cars. He’d figured out that they weren’t part of a pack—just them two on their own—so one day, he decided to catch them and bring them into his home. It’d been a while since he’d had a cat, and he figured he could provide for these two, or at the least, keep them from almost getting themselves killed.

Before he brought them in, it was impossible not to watch their behavior through his window, the moments he’d catch them flashing by. He’d first discovered Kacchan when he was a lone cat, and noted him as a ferocious, tan short-hair with red eyes, wandering about by himself; he’d presumed that he’d once had a family but got lost or separated somehow (or purposely abandoned). He was always so well-groomed, walking about with a little red collar around his neck, but as time passed, eventually he lost the collar and knew his way around the city like it was nothing. Unlike other cats, he never relied on Shota’s assistance for food; he was just that much of a go-getter. Tenacious with unwavering confidence.

One time, Shota found him sitting on a stone wall, cleaning himself. He seemed at ease but was such a lean cat, he worried that he might not be getting enough food. He tried to offer him some soft food he gave to the other neighborhood cats, but Kacchan didn’t even look his way, ignoring his calls as if he was saying, “Look how much I don’t need you.” Thankfully, despite his stubbornness, he did seem to stay at a proper weight all on his own.

However, when a mysterious green cat showed up one day, things started to change. 

Together almost constantly, it seemed he’d found a companion, and a quick one at that. The green, long-haired cat with huge viridian eyes and whisker pads that lended him the appearance  of freckles had a timid personality that Shota assumed was due to his newness to the area.

He’d watch as Kacchan would walk around, head up and proud, while the newcomer would hang his head and tail lower, sticking close to Kacchan’s side, shy and wary of his new surroundings and the other ferals in the area. Shota guessed he’d probably wandered into the city from the countryside. Often, the strong smells of the city lured cats in even if the busier traffic frightened them.

It was surprising how close they’d become in such a short amount of time. Shota had never seen two cats get along so fast or quite so well. While their relationship with each other wasn’t unusual, typically it was only seen in feral cats who were siblings, not complete strangers. Their bond was so strong, it was more accurate to say it was infatuation.

Now, this wasn’t a problem; Shota was happy that the loner-cat Kacchan had finally found a partner. But his finding a partner did contribute to a problem.

If Shota knew cats (and he did) he knew that with their closeness and level of attraction to each other, they would probably start scenting each other soon. Letting other cats out there know that the other was off limits. This was sure to cause some issues, but what caused the most issues was that they were both males who had to let every cat in the world know that they were ready to mate…but only with each other.

Of course, the female cats who crawled out of every nook and cranny in Tokyo didn’t know that these signals of mating-readiness weren’t for them. On that same note, neither Kacchan nor Deku (the name he’d given the new visitor because of his tendency to be bullied by the other cats) knew that in their quest for each other, they’d be inviting unwanted company.

It didn’t take long for Shota to catch glimpses of them being swarmed by hordes of female cats. 

At the time, Shota had doubted their loyalty to each other, and worried that new litters would be born like there was no tomorrow, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case. It turned out he was wrong about their bond. Something akin to soulmates, they simply loved each other too much to mate with any of the other very-willing suitors.

It reminded Shota that this, in fact, had never really been a problem before Deku showed up. Kacchan wasn’t a fan of anyone, cat or human, until he’d found his exception.

But by then, scents had been released, and both cats knew there wasn’t any way to take back their emitted pheromones. The only thing they could do was fend off hot-and-bothered cats left and right. Understandably, they chose different tactics.

Deku, when faced with a female in heat, would bolt quicker than any cat he’d ever seen, fluffy green tail tucked between his back legs. Her drawing meows and sashaying tail only worked against her as he sped off and ducked under a random pile of trash, only coming out much, much later after even her scent had vanished.

Kacchan was the more aggressive of the two, choosing offensive actions and openly swatting at any cat who came near him unless it was Deku. Eventually it got to the point where once his claws came out, every cat nearby ran away for fear they’d get scratched. Deku would, of course, remain close by, and, after the area was clear, he’d saunter right next to his blonde friend, and the two would exchange a couple of well-meaning licks, rub their cheeks together, then scurry off. Needless to say, it was always entertaining seeing them outside his apartment, but it was clear they needed a home. Thus, Shota decided to take them in.

Catching them wasn’t too difficult. Mainly because Deku was familiar with Shota from occasional feedings. Once he had Deku in his arms, Kacchan wouldn’t leave him alone, pawing at his legs and meowing for him to put his friend down.

After a quick trip to the vet (that left Kacchan vehement and Deku terrified) to make sure they didn’t have any worms and were otherwise unharmed, it was official. 

That experience was a few months ago, but they settled in quickly. Less than two days was all it took them to accept this was their new home. It was clear they enjoyed the fact that inside these walls it was only them two, no other cats to bother them. Finally, they could scent each other in peace. 

If only scenting was all they did. No, he discovered just how much the two cats loved each other very early on. 

Before these two, he’d had other cats. Those cats had engaged in mounting behavior, of course. It was natural, after all. But none of them compared to these two. Time and again he’ll catch Kacchan on top of Deku, or vice versa. It was just a fact of his life now: catching these kitties in the act.

Because he risks scratches and bites, and because there’s no real harm, Shota leaves them to their own business whenever he stumbles upon their coupling.

Sometimes Kacchan will get up and sashay towards the other cat, tail upright as it waves and sways in front of Deku’s face to demand his attention. Without fail, it works. He’s even seen Deku stop eating to go grab onto the blonde cat with a strength too fierce for his own little body.

Between the two of them, Deku usually puts up zero fight to Kacchan’s advances, but sometimes, just to be an ass, Kacchan plays hard to get. That’s when Shota’s getting woken up in the middle of the night to obnoxious meowing. Kacchan gets loud, yowling like he’s being attacked, ears flat as he hisses at the fluffy green menace backing him into a corner, tail swishing rapidly side to side while Deku’s is languid and cool. It’s clear from his behavior that Kacchan isn’t enjoying the situation at all, but it’s all for show. Shota learned that the hard way. He’d tried to separate the two on one such occasion and received a nasty bite on his hand from Deku and a scratch on his arm from Kacchan. As he was nursing his wounds, a huffy Kacchan dragged Deku away by his scruff then allowed the green cat to mount him with no trouble at all. And after all that show of hissing up a storm. These damn cats.

That was only the beginning.

No, these two were definitely menaces like Shota’d never seen, and they were always up to something. He was right about Deku never having lived in a home before. Maybe his parents had and he’d been an unwelcome surprise (Shota wasn’t sure on the details), but judging by the way he acted, all full of love and respect for his human, it told him that he’d never received this kind of care in his life. Kacchan on the other hand, had experienced it, so whatever novelty he had in Deku’s eyes, it was nonexistent in Kacchan’s.

The frequent headaches were mainly Katsuki’s doing; always getting them into trouble. Shota was sure he was house-trained, as he pranced around the apartment like it was second nature. Never hesitant to communicate with Shota should he need something, yet having no qualms about peeing outside the litter box when it was too dirty for his standards. Assuredly spoiled at his old home, he always did as he pleased: going around knocking things over, scratching the furniture to trim his nails (even though Shota bought them a nice scratching pole), and waking Shota up early in the morning demanding breakfast. He had also learned to encourage his companion to do the same via affectionate touches and sweet kitten meows that could almost woo Shota’s own heart, but while they sound sweet, he knows they’re anything but. He knows what Katsuki’s telling him; “go ahead and explore your new home,” or “scraping them here keeps your nails shorter,” but all he can hear is “meow meow meow,” and the occasional beep from the blonde cat telling him to get the fuck out of the way. He’s an ass, but he loves him.

Altogether less noisy than Kacchan, Deku doesn’t beep at him. He simply slinks around him like a polite cat (then cries when Shota doesn’t do the same and instead kicks him because he didn’t see him standing there). Towards Shota, he’s definitely the more affectionate of the two (they’re both insufferable when it comes to each other). While Kacchan treats him like his personal slave, Deku sees him as a genuine member of his family, one he loves and wants to take care of. 

After a long day of teaching young and rowdy students who exhaust him beyond reason (he doesn’t know why he let Yamada talk him into teaching—high-schoolers no less) the one thing he’s always looking forward to is smashing his head into his pillow at night. Sometimes it’ll be for an after-school nap, but usually he doesn’t have time for that, so he just goes to bed early. But only on his most worn-out days, where his head feels close to exploding does he go to his room to be greeted with dirty cat paw-prints and a small pile of grass laying on his pillow: his gift for working so hard.

Deku’s such a sweet cat, so earnest and well-meaning, it’s damn near impossible to be upset about anything he does (even when he’s following Kacchan’s lead knocking things over and he accidentally breaks something). Leaves and flowers lying around his apartment means he also presented a gift to Kacchan, and similarly the presence of live animals is a tell that Kacchan went out to get something better, one-upping his companion’s gifts. Thankfully, when he has to release the poor gifts outside, neither cat is too upset, altogether too busy rubbing themselves against each other and purring loudly.

Another way that Deku shows his affection is with his kneading.

Shota has never once seen Kacchan knead. Not Shota, nor Deku, whereas Deku does it a lot. Shota just fed them a good meal? Deku’s kneading him. He bought them new toys and played with them? Deku’s making biscuits. Even if they’re only sitting together on the couch while Shota watches TV, the paws (and claws) are coming out as Deku clambers up to his chest. It’s like he’s constantly trying to say “Thanks for taking us in and for loving us!” because all he ever knew was life on his own. And that absolutely wrecks Shota’s heart. Deku’s emotions are something he can’t help but show, and Shota loves that about him. Kacchan, on the other hand, does not love it. Jealousy flares up in that cat worse than dynamite when he’s giving someone else attention. He used to glare and chirp his dissatisfaction at the both of them, but he’s come to understand it’s something Deku needs to do. He’s also learned (been trained?) that once Deku’s finished kneading Shota, he’ll find Kacchan and knead him even more. 

Watching the green fur-ball massage his little friend is always a humorous sight, especially when Kacchan is stretched out on the floor, purring, when the grumpiness vanishes from his whiskered face. With the amount of licking Deku does, one would think he was grooming, but he usually keeps the kitten licks to Kacchan’s face and head, so Shota knows he’s really just peppering him with kisses. Even if it leaves him half-groomed and he has to go back and finish grooming himself, by the way Kacchan purrs, it’s clear he loves the intense attention. A significant amount of Shota’s camera roll is filled with pictures like these, including his favorite one of Deku’s tongue pressed up against Kacchan’s furry cheek, his face all scrunched up like a baby being groomed by their mother.

And then sometimes they’re less cute when they start play-fighting and it turns into actual fighting because one of them took it too far. One minute, Shota hears them rolling about, bodies thumping on the ground gaily, the next he hears growling and hissing emit from the other room, and upon running to check on them, both cats have their ears pulled back and their neck fur raised as they looked about to pounce. He’s used to seeing Kacchan upset, but it’s always an interesting sight when Deku gets mad; his long green fur all puffed up and his low-pitched growl never look right coming from him. And all because Kacchan probably stepped on his whiskers or something similarly miniscule.

It’s up to him to stop them, otherwise they’ll get feisty. Thankfully, they never see (or care?) that Shota’s approaching, so he wraps his hands around Deku’s trunk and lifts him into air jail while making sure to keep his claws away from him. He’s altogether the safer option, unlike Kacchan who will not hesitate to scratch him.

After calming them both down, he forces them to take some time apart from each other. This only lasts about ten minutes before they miss each other again because they’re insufferable. 

Even when mad, they only want each other.

>₍^. .^₎< 

Ok, so maybe Deku overreacted when Kacchan stepped on his tail earlier, but he gets it now. It was an accident, and Kacchan was too embarrassed to apologize. But waiting around with no Kacchan cuddled up next to him? It’s miserable. They always slept together, so why weren’t they now? He’s had about enough of no-Kacchan time!

(He knows Kacchan feels the same way. No amount of biting or scratching or hissing could keep them apart for long.)

Deku’s green fuzzy ears move around his skull as he listens to make sure it really is just the two of them in the apartment. Sometimes their human leaves in the evening, and it seemed that was the case today. Happy with his findings, he stretches his legs and hops up, sauntering over to a sleeping Kacchan. With his features relaxed in his sleep, he’s so peaceful! And his tail flips at the tip every so often as Deku watches him dream. He’s cute when he dreams, but even cuter when he’s awake, so he swats playfully at his tail a couple times, until Kacchan’s eyes snap open to reveal wide, red slits.

Of course he wasn’t really sleeping, just waiting for Deku to come to him.

Kacchan picks his head up, and Deku gives a soft, overjoyed meow in response. Unable to help it from showing, and not wanting to hide his happiness, his tail sways enthusiastically back and forth behind him, and not once do his eyes leave Kacchan. He meows a couple more times, happy to be close again, and saying his name.

Hi, Kacchan!

Up rises Kacchan’s slinky form, thick loaf slimming into his lean body as he walks with easy steps up into Deku’s space. Innocently, he pushes forward to let their noses touch, their whiskers mingle, and although it tickles Deku to no end, he absolutely does not pull back. Not when Kacchan is close.

Deku.

There were differences in the ways they carried themselves, he’d noticed. Where his green eyes were always wide and watchful, both wondrous and wondering at the world around him, Kacchan’s eyes were calm, easy, composed. Confident that everything was his to know, have, and explore. And when Kacchan stared at Deku like that, of course the excitement would build inside him. He knew Kacchan was his. And there was no other cat who could claim him as Deku had. 

It wasn’t with dominance that he was able to. No, Kacchan didn’t bow to strength and power. Kacchan simply became his when his eyes refused to leave the space Deku occupied. He hadn’t met a lot of cats, but he knew none of them compared to Kacchan. With eyes that never wavered, how could there ever be room for anyone else.

>₍^. .^₎<

They met almost a year ago.

Before that, Deku had, at one point as a small kitten, his mother with him, and they lived out in the wild on their own. It was only him and her, a smaller group compared to others he’d seen, but he didn’t need anyone else. One day, though, something happened that left him all on his own. Sadness stayed with him for a while, but eventually with his strongest bond broken, he didn’t know what to do anymore. So he decided to leave and maybe he’d find somewhere else. He wandered through trees and fields and over railway tracks until the ground became less grass and more concrete. He wasn’t at home in the city, but it was here where he started seeing more cats and thought maybe he could find a family again. Maybe find a friend.

But city cats, it seemed, were unwelcoming to outsiders. Well, no, Deku had seen a couple other cats wander in anew, but they weren’t scorned or shunned like he was. He didn’t know why they didn’t like him, but it didn’t matter. He was fine being on his own. 

Until one day he wasn’t. Until the day he saw him. 

Out of all the cats Deku had ever seen, Kacchan was the most beautiful. His color reminded him of his old home, nestled in tall plants that were gold and swayed in the wind. His eyes called to him; the confidence and assuredness they held in their deep red. Deku knew if he had him in his life, then he’d never feel lost or lonely ever again.

Something told him this cat would love him. And that something was right.

After that, there was no way he could be patient. He couldn’t keep it short, and he couldn’t do it slowly. It didn’t take long for him to rush right up to the other cat. It may have been the wrong way to introduce himself, but luck and the universe seemed to finally be on his side. Because Kacchan, sweet Kacchan, wasn’t thrown off by it at all. With wide, hopeful eyes, Deku watched as his ears pointed forward and his tail stood straight up, a cute curl showing how excited he was and how interested he was in him.

>₍^. .^₎< 

~A couple months after meeting, and the beginning of mating season~

Here he was, waiting around for Deku, but he was nowhere in sight. And after he’d gone through the work of finding a new scenting place and everything. (It was the most intimate he’d been with another cat, ever. Rubbing each other here and there as a way to say, “Hey, back off, he’s mine!”)

It wasn’t often they split up, always content to be with each other; meowing back and forth and running across rooftops and underneath cars together was a want Kacchan didn’t know he had. But it was true. Life was so much better with Deku and because of this, they were inseparable.

However, these past couple of weeks, almost three times a day they’d be doing there own thing and then a damn female cat would show up out of nowhere and start harassing them! She’d act all cute, eyes lusty and determined, and then start rubbing up against him, getting her nasty scent all over his fur. Did she fuckin’ ask to do that? No. Just acts like Kacchan wants her to when he fuckin’ doesn’t. Strangely, all he wants is to get it on with Deku because he’s been feeling really pent up lately. It’s something he doesn’t quite understand. Not a feeling he’s ever felt before, at least, not until Deku came around. But with time it seems to be getting more… intense. Shit’s making him grumpy, and he’s been meaning to bring it up to his friend; to know if he’s feeling the same, and to, perhaps, gauge his reaction…

Except he can’t do that when he has to watch Deku be corralled into an alley by some other fuckin’ bitch who also wants to get it on with him. So he sits there, glaring daggers from the rooftop as she stretches her body all along his, nuzzling into his head, under his chin, her ratty tail intertwining with his big fluffy green one. It makes him want to gag. Spit out a hair-ball, hiss, and run away. But that would make him a coward. A scaredy cat. And he ain’t one of those. Never has been. Just another way Deku’s fuckin’ with his head.

Just look at him. Ready to mate! With Deku!

They may not have done so yet, but of course it’s where they’re headed. Him labeling every part of Deku as his just shows as much. But it also shows what a stealin’-ass hoe some cats are. Tch. Why does this bitch think she can make a move on his territory?

Which is why it’d be nice to finally get some alone-time, just the two of them, and then maybe he could get closer to Deku—continue getting closer. He’s pretty sure they almost touched noses a couple days ago. They had just finished rough-housing with each other, and Deku had grazed him with one of his claws. He’d tried to brush him off, but Deku was insistent about cleaning the small wound on his shoulder. He’d licked it for a good minute or so (pure torture), and just as Kacchan was getting ready to tell him to stop, Deku turned to let him know he’d finished. And there they were, staring at each other, faces an inch apart. Their whiskers were tickling together, and if they pushed any closer, their noses would have touched.

It had almost happened, but just as they were going to close the final gap, they were interrupted by another damn cat. He’d lamented the loss of opportunity, but was working hard to get it back. And with Deku’s damn sticky eyes stuck to his body, slit-eyed gaze crawling all over him, he could tell he wanted it too. 

Just as the yearning inside Kacchan was becoming unbearable, he finally found a spot.

So here he is, waiting.

It’s a little more woodsy, but he figures they’d be best further away from the inner city and whatever was making those female cats horny as fuck. Eventually, he hears some leaves rustle and a debris-covered cat pops out from the bush next to him. He’s got leaves and sticks in his fur and spiky burs matted in his tangles.

“Holy crap, Deku.” He meows without much emotion. "What the hell happened to you?” He goes up to greet him, but the smell of a female instantly hits his nose, making him draw back. It’s a reaction that shocks himself, but Deku’s too clueless, trying to yank the clinging seeds out of his fur with his teeth.

“Sorry, Kacchan,” he meows distractedly, “I was on my way here, but then another girl showed up.” And there it is again, that sharp pang of jealousy and aggressiveness that he can’t seem to shake. Seems it’s only going to get worse the longer he drags out not mating with Deku.

It’s not as if the thought disgusts him. It actually sounds really fucking good. Amazing, even. But he’s never felt this urge before. At a loss, he’s not sure what to do to get Deku to want to mate with him too. He’s never done this before.

“So I tried to hide under a nearby bush, but I didn’t see that it was a sticker bush.” His meows are soft and quiet where it’s just the two of them: getting lost to the air around them. Kacchan sits there and listens, trying to understand the feeling inside himself. “But then when I came out, she was still there, waiting for me. Of course, she tried rubbing all over me—like they usually do, you know—but I think she got poked by some of the burs in my fur, ‘cause then she hissed at me. Something about my coat being ‘an unruly mess and completely unattractive’.” He blinks as if trying to understand her reaction. “Then she ran away.”

Although Kacchan knows Deku doesn’t pay any mind to the other cats they live around, he can see the hurt in his eyes, in his tail, how it curls around his paws.

Kacchan hates when Deku’s hurt because he feels he’s an inconvenience. He doesn’t deserve to feel that way, not when he’s Kacchan’s whole world. It’s something that should be obvious, but well, Deku could be a little stupid sometimes. But so could Kacchan. Maybe now was a good time to be less so?

When Deku tries to start grooming again, Kacchan gets up to stop him. With a curt meow, he grabs Deku’s attention, and then Deku realizes they’re face to face again and he stops moving entirely.

“Kacchan?” he meows, whiskers brushing against Kacchan’s.

But he doesn’t respond. Only presses his nose up to Deku’s in a small, quick movement. Even though he closes his eyes, he knows Deku’s stay open for the entire thing—fuckin’ freak, but whatever, it works for him. They stay nose-to-nose for a few seconds, and when he pulls back, he expects Deku to be shocked, to be confused. What he doesn’t expect is Deku immediately pouncing on him, pinning him to the ground.

The slits in his eyes are thin as he stares down at him with a relentless joy.

“Kacchan’s mine?” he asks, taking everything from the moment Kacchan wanted him too. He was a smart cat too.

He glares up at Deku with soft eyes and diffidence. “You say that like I wasn’t already.” His whiskers feel itchy and his ears are falling back in embarrassment, but inside, he’s happy. He finally got it out. And Deku…with the way he’s licking him and rubbing his big fluffy head all over him, he clearly feels the same way.

Plus or minus a few burs. When one pokes Kacchan in the chin, he meows at Deku to get off.

“Sorry, Kacchan!” he meows quickly. “I’m just so happy!” 

It’s true, joy palpable on his face, but he scoots too far away from him, careful of offending. Kacchan scoffs at him then hops closer.

“Don’t get so far then! I’m happy too, idiot,” he nips at a bur on his front leg, pulling it off cleanly. “Now let me groom you properly like I’ve been dying to!”

Licking small strokes up his side and back, he loves how Deku almost immediately starts purring. He bows his head shyly. “But it’s too much of a mess, Kacchan. You don’t have to deal wi—”

A long lap of his tongue up Deku’s furry, whiskered cheek shuts him up, and when he licks into his ear, his purring gets louder and his tail starts quivering, giving away his excitement.

“Don’t think twice about what that cat said,” he pulls some leaves out from the fur on his chest, then nuzzles against the fluff on his front, relishing in what’s now his. “Your coat’s amazing. It’s just no one else knows how to take care of you,” he admits, but to himself he thinks, like I do.

But even without saying it, Deku understands. More than Kacchan does, he understands as he lets him groom him for five or so minutes before he interrupts the silence with a request.

Petals decorate the ground, a breeze rustles down more, and Deku’s meow is tentative.

“So after this…would Kacchan want to mate with me?”

Kacchan’s tongue stops where it’s pressed against Deku’s hip, easing the fur where he’d just pulled out a small twig, and having loved the way it curls, started playing with it. At the request, his own tail is twitching, so it’s clear what his answer is, but still, Deku waits for him.

“...Sure,” he gives the tiniest meow, his face on fire, but when Deku wraps his bushy tail around him, he can’t help but start purring. 

He can’t help but feel safe, secure, and loved.

>₍^. .^₎< 

~A week or so after adoption~

Deku’s green paws tap the floor as he stays low to the ground. Ahead of him is his target, lean and tan and unaware of his presence. Kacchan’s lapping quietly at the water bowl. He’d gotten up from where they were snuggling because he needed to get a drink. Of course, Deku followed him. Mainly because their bed was cold without his presence, but also to play with him.

Playing with Kacchan was his favorite.

“I know you’re there, Deku.” Kacchan meows at him from where he’s still got his head low to the water bowl.

Izuku’s ears drop down in disappointment. “Aw, c’mon, Kacchan! I was gonna sneak up on you!”

He watches Kacchan finish drinking, then stretch his limbs; long and powerful with only a buzz of creamy, soft hair, he makes Deku itch from the inside out. Front legs, then back, he moves his body with assured confidence. He’s the prettiest cat Deku’s ever known.

“You hafta be quiet if ya wanna sneak up on me.” Kacchan explains, walking by and letting his tail flick in front of Deku’s nose. He watches it hungrily until Kacchan sits down, planting his tail out of sight behind him. “Haven’t I told you that before?”

Deku tries to sit with him, but his mind is still stuck on Kacchan’s tail, so up he gets, winding behind Kacchan as he meows. “You have. But I was being quiet!” A couple seconds pass, and then he’s diving at Kacchan’s tail in attack. However, Kacchan easily pulls it out of his reach then rounds on Deku and jumps, pinning him to the floor and catching him off guard.

“You may be quiet,” Kacchan meows, “but you’re too predictable. How d’you ever expect to beat me using the same old moves?” 

Then he nips at Deku’s paws as he tries to swat at him, each green paw missing until he gets him with one of his back paws, successfully shoving him by the face so that he tumbles off of him. It leaves him with an opening to pounce, and he takes it, successfully pinning Kacchan down.

“Like that, Kacchan,” his meow is happy, and he nuzzles into Kacchan’s face and neck, purring his enjoyment as Kacchan chirps at him to stop. Of course, he doesn’t. Not when he’s got Kacchan right where he wants him.

Eventually, he gets so flustered he has to bite at Deku, but that doesn’t work. How could it? He loves Kacchan’s bites.

“That guy’s right over there! Knock it off!” He squirms, wriggling helplessly until Deku decides to have mercy and let him go. Bashful and embarrassed, his fur is all raised and frazzled, sticking up from his body in haphazard angles and giving him the appearance of a ball of spikes. Suddenly, he feels bad for Kacchan, and steps up close to him, shielding him from their human. When his fur covers his body, he seems to relax a little.

“Kacchan. ‘That guy’ is who we live with now,” he meows with consoling eyes. “He’s part of our family, and he takes care of us.”

“It’s only been a week!” Kacchan chirps, “And you already trust him that much?” He doesn’t miss the side glares Kacchan sends their human’s way, even though Deku’s pretty sure he’s asleep on the couch.

Deku’s taken to licking up Kacchan’s back fur and scruff, trying to tame his jagged spikes. He meows back, “He used to set out food for me. Even if you didn’t eat it, I thought it was nice. I didn’t know where all the good hunting spots in the city were like you did.” When he makes it up to Kacchan’s ears, he seems to have calmed down. He continues to tickle him, making his ears flick back and forth adorably. 

“Probably just wanted to kidnap you.”

Deku trills a little happy sound. “That’s okay! He brought you with me, and now we have this big whole house to ourselves.” Teasingly, he bites the small spot behind one of Kacchan’s ears. “It shows he knows we love each other. Otherwise, why else would he take in both of us?”

With that, he stands up, then moves slowly around Kacchan, rubbing his furry body against his companion’s with purpose. Low purring moves through Kacchan’s body, and Deku takes that as a good sign. He moves down to Kacchan’s tail, and he’s getting ready to move it out of the way with his head, but Kacchan flicks it in his face again. 

He has his grumpy face on again, eyes mean and squinting, but he’s still purring when he looks over his shoulder.

“Not here, dumbass,” his meow is mean and cute. The pretend grooming of an already well-groomed paw only adds to his cuteness. Deku has to meow a quick “Ok!” before he grabs Kacchan by his neck-fur and drags him to the closest room, excited to mate with his silly, shy Kacchan.

>₍^. .^₎<

Deku was always painfully obvious with his affection, and Kacchan, who pretended to be asleep until his green lover made his way over, loved to see it pour out of him.

Before Deku knew it, he was being pushed to the ground, spread out on his side, squish going everywhere so he looked fat and stupid. Except Kacchan never thought he looked stupid. He looked yummy, and because of that he always felt like he wanted to eat him. Of course he didn’t actually want to do that, he just felt like it. Grooming got him close though.

He licked and licked, attacking Deku who was happily pushed backward as a rough tongue cleaned him throughly. He was sweet like that. Both greedy and a pushover, he’d let Kacchan do what he wanted (if it meant he was getting what he wanted too).

There was just something about him that made him different. Never, in all of Kacchan’s life, had he ever groomed another cat. The thought of another cat’s fur getting in his mouth, of passing through his body—disgusting. Absolutely not happening. His body was better than that.

But Deku, like he was destined to be, was an exception. And Kacchan liked the way his fur felt against his tongue. He liked knowing his fur was in his body. He liked everything about him from the moment he first saw him slinking through an alley, bushy green fur in desperate need of attention. His attention.

Now that they have a home together, he can keep Deku safe and groomed all he wants. 

His cheeks, he licks first, just because he absolutely has to. The way Deku scrunches up his eyes in response to his tongue makes him look like an adorable kitten. After mussing up the fur around his face, he moves on to the rest of him, laying his claim in a way that shows Deku is his and no one else’s. Today, like most days, he wouldn’t be satisfied until every inch of Deku was covered in his saliva. Properly groomed and tongue-bathed by someone who loved him. Someone who was the best at taking care of what he loved.

Up his sides and down his ribs, he lets his tongue roam all over his furry green body while Deku soaks up the attention as if Kacchan were the sun himself. Staying still for the most part, when Kacchan’s tongue tickles the spot at his hip, he jerks, and one of his paws buzzes past his ear.

His red eyes narrow at the cat underneath him. Deku’s eyes widen sheepishly, ears flicking with feigned indifference when Kacchan knows he’s feeling embarrassed. The tip of his tongue eases their twitching, though, and a small meow relaxes his body again so Kacchan can keep grooming.

Stay still, he says with his eyes.

Sorry, Kacchan! Deku blinks back in response.

With his tummy covered at least twice over, he moves lower as Deku purrs his enjoyment, which only increases as Kacchan brings his head closer to his dick. A definite area that needs to be well-groomed, but Kacchan was always grooming it well, so he mostly did it for pleasure at this point. Gently stimulating Deku with rough, warm strokes of his tongue, heat stirs in Kacchan’s own gut when his purring gets louder.

Deku, where he’s laying, peeks one of his eyes open to stare at Kacchan. When he sees soft eyes and slow blinks, his heart starts to race even more than it already is. It makes him feel the happiest when Kacchan looks like that! It shows that Kacchan clearly enjoys bathing him (even though he knows he does) and when a soft rolling purr trickles from his throat and matches his own, he feels it even more intimately.

He likes seeing him like this, but he also likes when Kacchan is pushier and meaner when taking care of him.

Coyly, and with one eye still open, he takes one of his paws and swipes it outward so that it gently passes by Kacchan’s scruffy face. Red eyes open again, narrow and threatening, sending that heat through his body. He wants to be caught by Kacchan and never able to get away! Kacchan flattens his ears against his skull, and Deku mirrors the motion with a playful set of meows.

“Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan!”

Kacchan meows back.

“What, Deku?”

Another set of meows.

“Kacchan! Kacchan. Kacchan!”

Kacchan thinks he looks stupid. He sounds stupid, just repeating his name over and over. But Kacchan thinks he must be stupid too with how much he loves Deku when he does anything. It makes him want to bite him all over—cover him in his teeth marks.

Deku does this a lot when he’s in the middle of grooming him. Something about having his attention on him makes him want it even more, even though he already has it. Kacchan knows he just wants to rough-house, but dammit, he’s in the middle of something and was just getting to the good part. Rough-housing can wait.

“You’re a freak, Deku, you know that?”

His meow is short and clipped, but clearly fond. Deku’s is silly and flirtatious.

“Kacchan’s the freak,” Deku emphasizes with his back paw pressed lightly to his face, still hovering near his dick.

Deku may have a point, but that doesn’t mean Kacchan has to take it.

There isn’t much space left between the two of them, just enough for Kacchan to step forward and pin the green cat down. He doesn’t weigh all that much, and his paws press lightly into Deku’s fur, meeting his body underneath in intimate proximity. If he needs to bring out his claws, he will, but for now, Deku gets the hint and gives a complacent meow, happy with the possessive touch. Only lightly incensed, Kacchan bites at the scruffy fur on his thigh, small and quick enough to make him twitch before his earlier task calls back to him.

He gets back to work, re-wetting Deku’s already slightly damp dick, taking the chance to go over it again, memorizing the feel of it against his tongue (even if he does this too often to forget). Over and over, he grazes the small nub, inhaling the private, deeply personal smell of his lover.

Once Deku’s had enough of being teased, his purring starts to reach deafening levels, a pleasure-drunk offering to Kacchan’s ears signaling him to continue pleasing him. Lower down between his back legs, buried beneath tufts of hair, he finds Deku’s balls, round and cute and sweet, and he begins to lap at them where they rest on his tail.

After this amount of grooming, the green fur-ball he’d hack up later thanks to Deku’s longer hair would be a nightmare to deal with, but it was worth it when he got Deku all limp and boneless like a soft and floppy cock. And now he was all wet like one too.

It tickled and it felt good. Oh so good! Deku absolutely could not stop purring, even if it gave away how incredibly in love he was with Kacchan touching him like this. But it was okay, because Kacchan was purring too. The first time Kacchan had delved deeper and groomed his privates, Deku had paid close attention to him. Wanting to know how Kacchan would react, he saw Kacchan get just as worked up as he was feeling. By now, he was used to Kacchan losing himself to excitement. Neither of them could help it, really. Something inside both of them called forever to the other. 

As his own pelvis starts to twitch thanks to Kacchan’s sweet touches, he sees the same sign in Kacchan that he’s ready to mate. Mating with Kacchan was always so exciting! Being on top of Kacchan or below him made him the happiest cat in the world! He loved the warmth of their bodies pressing close, and he knew Kacchan loved it too. It was a frequent habit of theirs.

Once the foreplay’s nearing it’s peak, Deku gets really fidgety. Squirming like he’s close, and that he can’t take much more. It’s amazing pushing Deku over the edge with just his tongue, but it’s more amazing when their bodies are closer together, and he can feel every twitch of every muscle, every brush of his fur, warm and safe and soft.

Using his head, he starts to roll Deku over, pawing at his legs to encourage him to move, but of course, he readily gets into place: stomach pressed against the floor, tail knocked to the side. Deku’s ears are forward, which shows he’s happy and in love, and his small meows tell Kacchan he’s excited. He loves the sounds Deku makes when they mate, but sometimes, if their human’s home and he gets too loud, he nips at his ears to get him to quiet down. He didn’t want anything risking making them stop.

A long, drawn out meow escapes Deku’s mouth when Kacchan wraps his paws around his body, pressing into his fur. Relaxed and purring, he can’t help it! Kacchan’s the best at mating and helping Deku relax. A thrill of anticipation jolts through him as Kacchan’s mouth finds his scruff, latching on securely. Holding him in place just like Deku wants him to. When Kacchan starts sucking, he preens, hips twitching again. His saliva is warm and welcome, and it sends a shiver rippling through his spine. He’s sure Kacchan can feel where he’s on top of him.

With his tail out of the way, Kacchan plants his hips right against his ass and immediately starts pumping against him. Both of their purrs mingle together, becoming one sweet note as they share each other’s bodies, losing themselves in one another.

Deku can’t help but meow—small quick ones, long ones—just anything to try and let out how Kacchan’s making him feel.

Encouraged by his satisfaction, Kacchan sucks harder, pulling his fur tighter as his hips pick up in pace. Again and again, their bodies bump together as Kacchan ruts his hips behind him, and it makes Deku feel so warm. So loved with Kacchan’s warm body around him. They rock together until there’s a sticky mess underneath and between them, evidence of their love.

Deku listens as Kacchan’s purr drawls until it peters out, and when he releases the back of his neck, he stretches his neck up to nuzzle against him. Kacchan nuzzles back, sweetly moving their cheeks together and tangling their scents. As he does so, his pelvis rubs against his rear end, overstimulating Deku as he moves still pressed along him. But like a perfect partner, when he finally unmounts and Deku begins to clean his front off himself, he begins to lap at his spend on his backside. Naturally, once he finishes, Deku moves his way over to Kacchan’s privates and cleans him up too.

Abound in mutual affection, the two of them roll around together on the floor until they decide they want to lay in a nest. Deku wants to make the nest for Kacchan since he just took care of him—as a thank you—but Kacchan also wants to make it—to continue taking care of Deku.

They meow at each other a minute or two, arguing over who gets to build it, but eventually it gets made and they finally get to lay down with each other and cuddle.

Green fur overlapping tan limbs in a small bundle of love.

>₍^. .^₎<

As Shota opens his apartment door, he sighs a breath of relief at how quiet it is. 

Normally, pet parents would be anxious when greeted with silence; it could mean their problem children are getting up to trouble, destroying who knows what. But for him, the quiet meant he could relax. Trouble for his cats sounded like fabric tearing and high-pitched meowing. Loud and obnoxious trouble that made it impossible to look away. Not that he could, otherwise the whole apartment would be left falling to the ground.

As he makes his way into the living room, his eyes fall onto the double loaf of cats sleeping, snuggling up with each other. So affectionate and full of love.

When they hear him come in, they wake up with excitement to see him. At least, Deku does. He bounds over with a couple steps, greeting him with small meows and rubbing against him. Kacchan is slower to get up from their bed, and even slower to make his way over to him. Unlike Deku, whose greeting is a full-body thing, his is much more low-key. Still, it’s unmistakable that he’s pleased he’s home by the way his tail winds coyly around his leg.

He gives them each a good amount of scratches before they go back to what they were doing before: roaming around the apartment, completely enamored with each other. 

When Kacchan climbs all the way to the top of the cat post in the corner, Deku stalks up to him cooly, plume swishing easily behind him. Kacchan pretends not to notice or care about what’s coming, but it’s clear he eagerly awaits his companion accompanying him at the top.

Maybe they’ll both be content to snuggle up there. Maybe they’ll chase each other around, playing this same game of tag for a while. Or maybe one of them will pounce at the other and knock the whole thing down as usually happens.

He’s used to the games they get up to, and seeing as he lives alone, he’s glad to have them causing a ruckus in his life, and he’s glad they have each other. Had he left them outside, he’s not sure what would have happened to them, but with how much they care for one another, they most likely would have been fine. But he’s glad he was able to give them some respite from the hectic, unpredictable life of ferals. Glad to give them food and water and a place to call their own.

He’s grateful he can provide for them, and as he thinks to another cat he’s seen wandering outside all alone, two-toned and with a nasty scar on half of his face, he wonders if he can’t provide for one more.