duckyshimetai (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
duckyshimetai) wrote2017-07-26 01:11 am
duckyshimetai) wrote2017-07-26 01:11 am
Entry tags:
Cat-alyst of Love
Title: Cat-alyst of Love
Author: duckyshimetai
Beta-reader: none
Pairing: Tennen (OhnoxAiba), side Matsumiya, side ShoxToma
Length: Oneshot
Rating: PG13 for kissing
Summary: A oneshot about how a cat that wandered into the lives of five people in a shared house, unwittingly played cupid.
Notes: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
rainbowfilling! Prompt: how kittens are born. Omg I'm soooooo happy to be done with this idek :D apologies in advance for any OOC! + I can't believe I did so much research on pregnant cat care T_T + some reference taken from kittykaty's ShareHouse story!
Warning: Slightly graphic when the kittens are born
------------------------------------------
"Princess~" Aiba stood out on the porch and called out, rattling the plastic container of cat food.
"Princess, where are you? It's dinner time!"
A tinkling bell sounded to his left, and Princess appeared, taking her sweet time to sashay across the porch towards the man. Once she reached, she rubbed herself against his legs, purring as she wound in and out between them.
"Oh, there you are, Princess." Aiba giggled, and gently set down the plastic bowl filled with cat food in front of her. "Enjoy!"
Princess buried her nose in the bowl and slowly nibbled at the food while her owner watched her fondly.
-----
The five housemates hadn't intended to keep a cat, not at all. But fate had decided otherwise.
Aiba had discovered Princess in a cardboard box on the side of the road one day on the way home, shivering with cold, and so thin that her ribs were visible. Being the kind soul he was, he immediately brought her home, intending to nurse her back to health himself.
He knew he didn’t have the skills to properly take care of a stray, starving, possibly sick kitten, so he kept her warm in a spare towel and brought her to the vet’s the next morning.
Dr. Ikuta, the resident vet, told him of the general procedures that the kitten needed, as well as the necessary shots and medicines and food. He even gave Aiba some brochures and notes for reference, as he was sure the older man wouldn’t be able to remember everything. Aiba nodded, and gently carried the kitten and brochures back home.
Having his arms full, Aiba was concentrating so hard on keeping everything balanced that he didn’t notice when one of the brochures fluttered into the street and was lost in the wind. On the front cover was written “Spay Today: 3 Reasons to Spay your Cat”.
-----
Aiba’s housemates hadn't been as enthusiastic as he was about keeping a kitten. Nino grumbled about how she would always mew at him and break his concentration when he was in his most comfortable spot in the living room, just about to beat the final boss. Jun fussed about how it probably wasn't hygienic to have her around while he was cooking. Sho hadn't seen her much as he was almost perpetually out of the house at work, and Ohno was rarely enthusiastic about things anyway.
Aiba kept her anyway, since she had no home to go to. He bought her a basket and put it in his room, and fed her and cleaned her litter box. He even read all the brochures that the vet had given him, just to check if he could make her life better in any way. She was a sweet little thing, and no matter how tiring or bothersome it was, one look at her huge, cute eyes gazing up at him made him decide it was all worth it.
It was Nino who came up with the name Princess for her, albeit unintentionally. Aiba had been talking to him - at him, rather, because Nino had been deeply immersed in his video game at the moment and punctuated the conversations with “mmhm” and “ah” at random intervals while not really listening – and Aiba had fretted about all manner of things, the topics hopping from “what should I name her” to “I wonder whether there’s anything I can do to make her life better”. Having caught the tail end of Aiba’s words, and his character getting knocked out just then, Nino grunted in frustration and grumbled, “Well, you treat her like a damn princess already! Can you please let me play in peace for just one round?”
“That’s it! Princess! Thanks, Nino!” Aiba’s eyes sparkled as he practically pranced out of the room, looking for the feline household member. “Princess!”
-----
Although the housemates hadn’t really seem interested in Princess at the start, they gradually warmed up to her presence.
Jun would occasionally give her pats on the head as long as she stayed out of the kitchen.
Ohno would visit Aiba’s room sometimes, just to sit and pet Princess for a while, and stare into space.
Nino let her watch his games in the living room as long as she sat quietly and didn’t distract him. When she leaned over and batted the controller with her paw, out she went.
Even Sho occasionally took time to pop his head out of his room where he was working and ask about how Princess was.
It wasn’t long before Princess regained her health. Her bones were no longer visible, and her fur developed a lustrous sheen. She loved everyone in the house, but she loved Aiba the most. Sometimes, at the end of a long day, Aiba would pick her up and give her a cuddle. She would purr beautifully, and all his stress would melt away.
In the blink of an eye, Princess had grown into a cat, and went out at night, returning in the morning to sleep in her basket or at different spots around the house. After a couple of nights of her scratching and mewing and demanding to be let out, Aiba installed a cat flap for her to use, which she gladly did.
-----
"Princess has gotten bigger lately, hasn't she?" Jun remarked casually one day.
"Has she?" Ohno looked sleepily up from the couch. "I hadn't noticed."
Nino didn't reply because he was too focused on his game.
"Aiba-chan spoils her too much." Jun decided.
"Hey! I don't do that!" Aiba pouted, arms folded.
“You do too,” confirmed Jun. “Who’s the one who keeps giving her fish and buying her ‘extra-special’ cat treats? Like the one with goji berries and catnip?”
“Well, it’s good for her health!” Aiba folded his arms across his chest. Suddenly, he felt a soothing hand on his shoulder, and a soft voice, almost a whisper beside his ear. “Jun’s just teasing you. We all love her.”
Aiba smiled. Ohno understood.
-----
“Princess!” Jun stood at the entrance to the kitchen, hands on his hips, frowning down at the accused cat. “What in the world..?”
Princess looked at him helplessly. Jun’s formidable eyebrows could scare grown men at times, never mind a tiny cat, who also appeared to be sick, judging from the brown pool of half-digested cat food on the floor just inches from his nice, clean kitchen. Seeing her trembling in fear, Jun sighed and rolled his eyes, before calling the housemate most responsible for her. “AIBA!!!”
Quick footsteps were heard as Aiba galloped full speed towards the sound. An angry Jun was a Jun to be feared.
“Yes Jun? Is everything –oof!” He was stopped in his tracks by Jun’s hand, inches away from stepping into the pool of sick. “Oh, yuck! What happened, Jun?”
“Your precious Princess is sick.” Jun gestured at the cowering feline. He was about to add more biting remarks, but he saw Aiba’s worried face and the suffering expression on Princess, and relented. “Bring her to the vet. I’ll clean up here.”
“Thanks Jun! I will.” Aiba tenderly picked up Princess, who nuzzled gratefully into his arms, and went to his room in search of a carrier. On the way, he bumped into Ohno, who had been looking for Princess for his afternoon sit-quietly-and-pet-Princess session. Understanding the situation from Aiba, he volunteered to go along with him, as the normally sunshine-beaming man was looking extremely frazzled and in need of some moral support.
Aiba carried Princess solemnly in his arms and Ohno walked beside him. Somewhere along the way, neither of them knew exactly when, Ohno’s hand wandered to Aiba’s arm to give a comforting squeeze. And it didn’t let go until they reached the vet’s.
-----
Dr. Ikuta swivelled around in his chair. “So, what can I do for you today?”
“It’s Princess, she’s sick, she threw up on the floor…” Aiba rambled. “Please, take a look at her for us!”
“Right-ho, let’s get her out then,” Dr. Ikuta opened the carrier and gently coaxed the cat out.
After performing a few tests, interspersed with questions like “What have you been feeding her?” and “Has she been out lately?”, Dr. Ikuta looked up with a glint in his eye at the intently waiting pair. “Aiba-chan,” he intoned, almost accusingly.
“Yes?” Aiba squirmed in his seat, feeling uncomfortable under Dr. Ikuta’s intense gaze.
“Did you not spay her like I advised you to?”
“Spay? What’s that?” Aiba turned to Ohno, but the older man had an expression that was as clueless as he himself felt.
“I told you about it and gave you a brochure on that…” Dr. Ikuta pinched the bridge of his nose exasperatedly and sighed. “Anyway, it means get her sterilised, and from your answer I’m assuming you didn’t do that, and the evidence is right here.” He gestured at Princess, still lying on the table. “Congratulations. She's going to have kittens.” He deadpanned.
Aiba couldn’t believe his ears. KITTENS? “So... she isn’t sick?” He felt his heart lift with relief and excitement.
“Nope, it was just morning sickness. But now you have to take special care of her, and once the kittens are born, I would strongly suggest that you get her spayed. There are too many stray and abandoned cats around, it’s better not to add to that number.”
Dr. Ikuta then told them the proper care methods for a pregnant cat, and gave them more brochures. “Don’t lose them this time.”
“All right! Come on, Oh-chan, I can’t wait to tell the rest! See you, Dr. Ikuta!” After setting the next appointment date, Aiba waved goodbye to the vet, rushed to make payment for the visit, and hurried out with Princess once again in the carrier.
-----
Aiba practically burst through the front door in his excitement to make the announcement – it was lucky Ohno was the one to carry Princess this time.
“GUYS! IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! PLEASE COME!” Aiba hollered at the top of his lungs. Ohno had the presence of mind to cover Princess’ ears and bring her to a safe distance. He was sure she didn’t want to hear any loud noises at this point in time.
“What is it?” Jun, grumpy from clearing up the puddle of cat vomit earlier, popped his head out of his room. Walking to the living room, in a practised motion he leaned over Nino’s shoulder and pressed Nino’s controller to pause the game. He dragged the gamer with him to see what Aiba was going on about.
“Hey! I was nearly done with that boss!” Nino protested.
“GUYS!” Aiba began again, hoping that Sho would come in as well. Sure enough, the red door opened and Sho ambled out, on his face the expression of someone who had his precious few hours of sleep interrupted.
“Yes, Aiba?” He sighed tiredly.
Delighted to have his full audience, Aiba giggled and continued. “Guys, we’re going to be grandparents!”
A confused hush fell over the group.
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Aibaka? None of us even have children.” Nino’s voice cut through the silence.
Seeing that his announcement didn’t have the desired effect, Aiba placed his hands on his hips. “I mean, Princess is going to have kids!”
“Kittens, Aiba. Not kids. Kids are baby goats.” Jun put in helpfully, while Nino groaned and covered his face with his hands. “Not more animals in this house?!”
“That’s why she was sick! Cause she’s pregnant!” Aiba giggled. “Who knows what she did with the other boy cats outside…” This earned him a smack on the head from Nino, with a sharp comment. “Pervert!”
“Well, if that’s all…” Sho mumbled and turned to go back to his bed. “Good night, guys. I have work in a few more hours.”
He left amidst a chorus of “Night, Sho” and “Rest well!” from the rest, as they knew that Sho had a hectic work schedule that resulted in him only being able to sleep at odd hours.
-----
Aiba was working in his room with his door ajar when Princess padded in and started nudging his knee with her head. Aiba bent down to scratch it.
“Hey, Princess. What’s up?” he asked tenderly.
“Meow.” Princess looked at him, and continued with her affections, rubbing her body in and out between her legs. It was ticklish, and he giggled.
“Princess, I’m busy now. I have to earn money to buy food for you.” He told her firmly, but she was persistent. Puzzled by the sudden onset of affection, Aiba consulted the brochure on cat pregnancy. At 4-5 weeks, your cat might become more affectionate, even demanding attention from you. “Hmm. But I really need to get this done before the deadline…”
Just then, someone knocked softly on the door. Aiba looked up and beamed. “Oh-chan! You’re just in time!” He invited the other in, and patted the bed. “She’s all yours.”
Ohno smiled and picked Princess up gently to place her on the soft blanket before getting onto the bed himself. He sat there and stroked Princess, a dreamy look on his face as she purred under his skilful touch. Over her head, under her chin, and down the sleek shiny back his fingers went, and she moved responsively, enjoying it.
It had been his routine since Princess arrived. At first, it had just been an excuse to stay in Aiba’s room and watch him work and be in his presence, but he had found Princess to be genuinely therapeutic, and Aiba hadn’t minded, so it turned into a regular, almost daily thing.
Ohno had noticed Aiba since the man first moved into their house. When he first stepped in, he seemed to light up the entire place with his presence. Jun and Sho were rarely around due to their work, and Nino mostly stayed in one spot in front of the television gaming when he wasn’t composing songs in his room. Ohno himself was usually quiet, as he hadn’t much to say nor the energy to say it. The house needed a bit of life, and he was glad that Aiba had come to provide it.
Over time, he just felt himself drawn to this bubbly man. Aiba was the only one who would put in effort to get into a conversation while everyone stayed in their own little bubbles. In fact, he was the one who had actually gotten the four of them to go from being strangers who lived under the same roof to being friends and actually eating dinner together a few days a week.
Aiba had actually taken the effort to break through each of their layers but getting to know the topics that were near each of their hearts. For Nino, it was the newest game that they could share on the console. For Jun, it was asking his advice on clothes shopping. For Sho, it was secretly adjusting his tight schedule so that he had time for dinner with the rest. And for Ohno, it was fish.
Ohno was very impressed by the effort and the observation that Aiba must have gone through to learn about the things the other housemates liked most, and actually use that to improve the dynamics of the housemates. He just hadn’t told Aiba, because one flash of that sunny smile would make him forget anything he was about to say.
The appearance of Princess was like a miracle to him, because as much as he kept to himself, he did enjoy being in the presence of Aiba. Even right now, as his fingers traced patterns on her soft fur, he would glance at Aiba and smile happily, lost in thoughts of the younger man. He was genuinely happy that Princess made Aiba happy, and he would do his best to take care of her. Aiba didn’t know that, of course, and just assumed in his carefree way that everyone loved Princess as much as he did, and just had different ways of expressing it.
He did love Princess, though. Just not as much as he loved Aiba.
-----
Everybody had been trying to persuade Sho to take a break for ages. He had been frustrated and stressed recently, and dark crescents hung under his eyes. People remarked that he looked like a zombie, and when he looked into a mirror, he had to agree. He had finally agreed to take three days off, and he actually slept through most of the first day.
Jun came into his room carrying a tray with chicken soup just as he awoke in the evening, and some agitated voices could be heard from outside the door.
“Thanks, Jun,” Sho mumbled gratefully, sitting up to drink the soup. “What’s going on downstairs?”
“Oh, that’s just Aiba and Nino.” Jun sighed. “It’s Princess’s ultrasound appointment tomorrow, and Aiba has an important event at the zoo so he can’t bring her, and Nino can’t either, because of...reasons.” He looked at his feet, a faint blush tinging his cheeks.
“Oh, it’s your free day tomorrow too, isn’t it?” Sho nodded understandingly.
“Yes… and Aiba is accusing Nino of being heartless. Oh-chan is away on a fishing trip, so it can’t be helped.”
“Oh. In that case, I could bring her.” Sho said casually. Jun looked at him gratefully. “Are you sure? You took these days off specially, you should rest.”
“Well… Anything for more of this wonderful soup.” Sho grinned. “And maybe some cheesecake,” he added as an afterthought.
“Deal! I’ll tell Aiba then. Thanks so much!” Jun hurriedly left the room to dissipate the bickering.
Moments later, Aiba appeared at the door, breathless. “Sho-chan, Jun says you’ll take her?”
“Yeah… Just give me the address and time.” How hard could it be?
“Thank you, Sho-chan!” Aiba enveloped him in a huge hug.
-----
“How hard could it be?” What was I thinking? Sho grumbled to himself.
Of course, Jun’s cheesecake would be worth it. Sho tried to focus on it as he lugged Princess in her carrier to the vet’s. His air muscles were screaming as he walked into the building.
When his number was called, he went into the consultation room. Placing the carrier onto the table, he let out a slight groan, and stretched his arms. The huge chair swivelled around, and Sho found himself staring into a face with strong features, one that stopped his mental processes momentarily.
“Oh, you’re a new face.” Dr. Ikuta remarked. “And a good-looking one at that.”
Sho’s brain tried to make a connection with his mouth, but all that came out was “Uh.” I must look so stupid, he berated himself internally.
Dr. Ikuta didn’t waste a moment and bent over the carrier. Sho could see a grin tugging at the corners of his lips, as if the vet was trying not to smile.
“Ah, Princess! It’s time for your ultrasound, isn’t it?” He chuckled, and brought her over to the machine.
Sho could only watch as Dr. Ikuta deftly operated the machine, talking all the while about how it worked and looking at the fuzzy grey picture on the screen.
“See, that’s her kittens. It looks like she’s going to have five, wow!”
Honestly, Sho couldn’t see anything in there other than patches in different shades of grey, much less anything resembling a kitten, but he trusted the vet and nodded anyway. At the end of the session, Dr. Ikuta handed him some photos that he printed out, and saw him out with a cheery wave.
“I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again.” The words echoed in Sho’s ears as he left with Princess and the photos, and he blushed.
Maybe it was good to take a break, once in a while.
-----
“Oh my goodness! Look, look, it’s the kittens!” Aiba couldn’t control his excitement at dinner time when he saw the photos that Sho had brought back with him. The rest of the members reacted with varying amounts of interest. Ohno nodded quietly, while Jun cooed enthusiastically and Nino just rolled his eyes.
“Seriously? All I can see is some grey and white fuzzy patches…” He folded his arms and huffed. (Sho was secretly thankful that he wasn’t the only one.) Jun elbowed him. “Oh, all right, they’re pretty cute, I guess… But I still don’t want them near me when they come out!”
After the rest of the members left to do their after-dinner routines, Ohno was left to do the washing-up with Aiba, and he was startled to see the younger man’s eyes looking a little wet.
“Aiba-chan, are you…crying?” He asked softly.
“Oh? It’s nothing, Oh-chan.” Aiba wiped his eyes on his sleeve and laughed. “I’m just too happy that Princess will be a mother soon!”
Ohno hummed understandingly and patted Aiba’s hand with his own soapy one, and they continued washing the dishes as if nothing had happened.
-----
A large box bumped into Ohno one day as he went out of his room. “Oh, sorry!” it said, and Ohno realised that Aiba was carrying it and was hidden behind it.
“Aiba-chan, what are you doing? Do you need help?”
“The brochure says you should prepare a large nesting box for your cat, in an empty room with food and fresh water, and also a litter box,” Aiba recited. “So that’s what I’m doing. Could you help me open the door to the spare room, though?”
“Sure,” Ohno replied, and did so, feeling impressed that Aiba had memorised the brochure on pregnant cat care so thoroughly.
After setting up the place nicely, Aiba dusted off his hands and said, “Well, now we have to get Princess to come here.”
They hunted about the house for her, and found her in the living room, playfully irritating the beans out of Nino, knowing full well that the gamer wasn’t allowed to forcefully shoo her away because she was expecting.
“Oh, finally!” Nino didn’t take his eyes off the screen, as he squirmed in an attempt to avoid the cat’s ticklish paws. “Please take her away, you two!”
Aiba grinned, having half a mind to let her do as she wanted, but Ohno’s heart was softer and he gently escorted Princess away from Nino and to the room they’d prepared for her.
She walked around the box, inspecting it carefully, and finally sat down in it with a purr of contentment. Aiba and Ohno watched from the door, and left her to get adjusted to it.
‘Thanks for helping me set up, Oh-chan!” Aiba turned to the older one with a beam, sending the other’s heart soaring.
“Anytime,” Ohno replied, and in his heart he knew it to be true.
-----
The first kitten arrived just as Aiba was refilling Princess’s food dish a few days later. Her water broke, and it came out in a gush. Aiba yelped and ran to get Ohno.
“Oh-chan, Oh-chan, hurry!! She’s having her kittens!” He called out. Ohno put down his paintbrush and hurried towards the spare room.
The rest of the housemates, having heard his distress, flocked down as well, and only Sho had the presence of mind to call Dr. Ikuta. (Or rather, he hadn’t had much else on his mind lately anyway.) The housemates all peeked in through the doorway. Aiba was so nervous he nearly started hyperventilating.
“Breathe, Aiba-chan.” Ohno’s calm voice sounded near Aiba’s ear, and his breathing showed down. Ohno slowly rubbed Aiba’s back in soothing circles as he asked, “Now, what did the brochure say?”
“The water breaking is completely safe. She will lick her…” at this moment Aiba paused, “down there… as there is a discharge that will come out, and she’ll lick it off. Then the kitten will come out, followed by a placenta. The kitten has an amniotic sac around it, which the mother will tear off and lick vigorously, so that the kitten can breathe. It is likely that she’ll eat the placenta. Each kitten will have one placenta.”
“Very good, Aiba-chan,” Ohno murmured. “Now stay calm, okay? Dr. Ikuta is going to be on his way, and everything’s going to be fine.”
Aiba nodded, and everyone watched intently while waiting for the vet.
Soon enough, the doorbell rang, and Sho ran to get it. He led Dr. Ikuta to the spare room, and the vet took over the process.
After a while, all the kittens were safely born, and Dr. Ikuta was washing his hands in the bathroom sink. Everyone let out a breath they didn’t realise they were holding, and as Nino and Jun went back to their rooms, Nino could be heard to complain, “I can’t believe I just spent a couple hours of my life watching a cat give birth…” Jun nudged him, but they both knew he was just as relieved as any of them that the process went well.
The other three thanked Dr. Ikuta for his help in the delivery, and Ohno had to escort a trembling Aiba away to his room, because he suspected the younger man was about to cry again. Sho showed the vet to the door, but not before offering him something to drink and a slice of Jun’s cheesecake, which the vet politely declined, saying he must be off.
At the doorstep, Sho said “Thank you once again, Dr. Ikuta!”
He replied, “Please, call me Toma,” and winked in Sho’s direction. Sho nearly felt his heart stop, and a blush crept over his cheeks.
He was still blushing long after Dr. Ikuta, no, Toma, had returned to his workplace.
-----
In Aiba’s room, Ohno rubbed Aiba’s back while the taller man sobbed openly onto his shoulder, relieving all the nervous energy and worries he had built up earlier.
“There, there, Masaki, you did a great job,” Ohno soothed. Aiba tensed suddenly.
“Did you…hic…call me…Masaki?”
A faint worry washed over Ohno. Was it something he shouldn’t have done? “Um, yes, I did, but if you don’t like it, I won’t do it again,” he mumbled.
“No… It’s fine.” Aiba hiccupped again. “Thanks, Oh-chan.” He wiped his eyes, suddenly embarrassed. "I'm such a crybaby, huh?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure we were all nervous about Princess, it’s her first birth after all…”
“But Oh-chan is always so calm… Thank you.”
He wrapped the smaller man in a tight hug. Ohno wished he didn’t need to let go.
-----
The kittens weren’t even able to open their eyes at first, but when they grew to little adventurous fluffballs, they stole the hearts of everyone in the house. The adorable kittens climbed over everything and everyone, and no one knew where the next one would pop up from.
Jun loved the little things, but they were scared of his formidable eyebrows, and ran away when they saw him coming.
Nino, on the other hand, just wanted to play Dragon Quest, and the kittens just wouldn’t leave him alone. They would climb all over him and get tangled in the wiring and he would end up swearing and getting up to rescue them and lifting them away, but they would still come back. Jun happened to see this one day and felt jealous, but he couldn’t pinpoint whether he felt more jealous of the fact that Nino could attract the kittens, or that the kittens could get Nino’s attention while he was gaming, which he had never been able to do.
That is, until they found a solution. Jun would just sit next to Nino while he was playing, and the kittens would stay away. Jun was a little sad about having to act as “kitten repellent”, but was cheered up with an unexpected kiss on the cheek from Nino, who continued playing after that as if nothing had happened.
Sho wanted to do his part for the kittens as well, and he tried to make feeding and litter-box cleaning schedules for the kittens, but Aiba –as the resident zookeeper- was the one mainly taking care of Princess and the kittens anyway, so the idea kind of backfired.
Aiba, for his part, loved playing with the kittens as much as properly taking care of them. Once, Jun caught him trying to groom a kitten with Jun’s hair clips, and scolded him soundly. Eventually Jun relented on the grounds that the pleading looks that both of them were giving him were too cute, but he bought new ones for himself to use.
When night time came, Aiba would sing lullabies to get the kittens to sleep, while Ohno looked on fondly from the door.
Even though Aiba mainly took care of the kittens, Ohno would sometimes take over the feeding and cleaning when Aiba was too tired from his day at work, or from chasing the kittens around or cleaning what they spilled. Sometimes, even Aiba with the boundless energy could get tired from taking care of the kittens, and when he fell asleep on the couch, Ohno kissed him softly on his forehead.
-----
However, as much as the five of them loved the kittens, they all agreed that Princess should be taken to be spayed to prevent any more unplanned pregnancies. Surprisingly, Sho volunteered to take her. The rest of the housemates didn’t know why, but he came back grinning from cheek to cheek after the operation.
-----
Aiba, with a kitten in his arms, knocked on the door to Ohno’s room one day. Ohno opened it, with smudges of paint all over him. “Hi, Masaki, what’s up?”
“I just wondered what you’re doing…” His eye fell on the huge canvas that was taking up most of the space in the room. “Wow…”
Ohno followed his gaze and blushed. “Oh, I’m not done yet…Still putting the finishing touches on.”
“Can I watch you? I’ll be really quiet, I promise,” Aiba looked at him with puppy eyes.
“Sure.” Ohno gestured towards his bed. “You can sit there.”
Aiba perched on the bed and stroked the kitten, watching as Ohno touched up his painting. He had noticed Ohno ever since the first day when he moved into this shared house. Ohno was the most willing to open up to him out of the four of them, and had helped him feel more comfortable in a house that had felt like it was occupied by strangers. Even though he was quiet, he responded well every time Aiba tried to strike up a conversation, and for that, Aiba was grateful.
Over time, he just felt himself strangely drawn to this calm man, who did things at his own pace. Sometimes he felt drained after an exhausting day at work, but seeing Ohno had a soothing effect on him, and he would feel rested and refreshed after talking to him.
Ohno was a talented man. Beyond his love for fishing and painting lay also an ability to bake bread and also shape clay with his beautiful long fingers. He had an amazing singing voice as well, which he used mainly in the shower. The best part was, despite these gifts, Ohno was humble and never flaunted them or looked down on anybody, and he was always willing to help out with anything you asked him. Aiba respected the man even more for this.
The appearance of Princess was like a miracle to him, because as much as he was bubbly and outgoing, he still got nervous around the older man, and was delighted when Ohno came in to play with Princess almost regularly. As his fingers traced patterns in the kitten’s soft fur, he looked at the painter, fully absorbed in his work, and smiled, reminiscing about all the times he’d gotten Ohno to help him with something for Princess, like the vet visits and the nesting box.
He did love Princess, though. Just not as much as he loved Ohno.
-----
“There, all done.” Ohno stood back with his hands on his hips to admire the painting, and Aiba clapped his hands in delight. “It’s us and the cats! Amazing!”
Ohno nodded. “Thank you.” He twitched his nose, and remembered something. “You wanted to say something?”
“Yes…no…um…” Aiba was at a loss for words. He held up the kitten. “Isn’t this kitten cute?”
“Yes, it is. Almost as cute as Masaki.”
“Eh?” Aiba couldn’t believe his ears. “Come again?”
Ohno groaned inwardly – he hadn’t meant to say that last sentence out loud. It had sort of slipped out, but since he’d gone and said it, he might as well carry on. Bravely, he said, “I like Masaki.”
He closed his eyes and braced himself in case Aiba thought it was weird, but when Masaki didn’t say anything for a while, he opened them again, just to see Aiba’s face extremely close to his. He let out a small gasp, which was silenced as Aiba captured his lips with a short kiss.
Breaking apart, Aiba said shyly, “I like Satoshi too.”
Ohno smiled, and was about to kiss Aiba again, but Aiba stopped him and gestured to the bed, giggling, “The kitten is watching.”
Sure enough, the kitten blinked innocently straight in their direction. Aiba took it out of the room and put it with the rest of the kittens in the playpen they’d bought.
When he got back, Ohno was looking at his canvas again. On it was the two of them in the centre, and Nino and Jun on the right, and Sho and Toma on the left, all surrounded by the kittens and Princess.
“Do you have a title for that?” Aiba asked.
“Family Portrait,” Ohno replied.
Author: duckyshimetai
Beta-reader: none
Pairing: Tennen (OhnoxAiba), side Matsumiya, side ShoxToma
Length: Oneshot
Rating: PG13 for kissing
Summary: A oneshot about how a cat that wandered into the lives of five people in a shared house, unwittingly played cupid.
Notes: Written for
rainbowfilling! Prompt: how kittens are born. Omg I'm soooooo happy to be done with this idek :D apologies in advance for any OOC! + I can't believe I did so much research on pregnant cat care T_T + some reference taken from kittykaty's ShareHouse story!Warning: Slightly graphic when the kittens are born
------------------------------------------
"Princess~" Aiba stood out on the porch and called out, rattling the plastic container of cat food.
"Princess, where are you? It's dinner time!"
A tinkling bell sounded to his left, and Princess appeared, taking her sweet time to sashay across the porch towards the man. Once she reached, she rubbed herself against his legs, purring as she wound in and out between them.
"Oh, there you are, Princess." Aiba giggled, and gently set down the plastic bowl filled with cat food in front of her. "Enjoy!"
Princess buried her nose in the bowl and slowly nibbled at the food while her owner watched her fondly.
-----
The five housemates hadn't intended to keep a cat, not at all. But fate had decided otherwise.
Aiba had discovered Princess in a cardboard box on the side of the road one day on the way home, shivering with cold, and so thin that her ribs were visible. Being the kind soul he was, he immediately brought her home, intending to nurse her back to health himself.
He knew he didn’t have the skills to properly take care of a stray, starving, possibly sick kitten, so he kept her warm in a spare towel and brought her to the vet’s the next morning.
Dr. Ikuta, the resident vet, told him of the general procedures that the kitten needed, as well as the necessary shots and medicines and food. He even gave Aiba some brochures and notes for reference, as he was sure the older man wouldn’t be able to remember everything. Aiba nodded, and gently carried the kitten and brochures back home.
Having his arms full, Aiba was concentrating so hard on keeping everything balanced that he didn’t notice when one of the brochures fluttered into the street and was lost in the wind. On the front cover was written “Spay Today: 3 Reasons to Spay your Cat”.
-----
Aiba’s housemates hadn't been as enthusiastic as he was about keeping a kitten. Nino grumbled about how she would always mew at him and break his concentration when he was in his most comfortable spot in the living room, just about to beat the final boss. Jun fussed about how it probably wasn't hygienic to have her around while he was cooking. Sho hadn't seen her much as he was almost perpetually out of the house at work, and Ohno was rarely enthusiastic about things anyway.
Aiba kept her anyway, since she had no home to go to. He bought her a basket and put it in his room, and fed her and cleaned her litter box. He even read all the brochures that the vet had given him, just to check if he could make her life better in any way. She was a sweet little thing, and no matter how tiring or bothersome it was, one look at her huge, cute eyes gazing up at him made him decide it was all worth it.
It was Nino who came up with the name Princess for her, albeit unintentionally. Aiba had been talking to him - at him, rather, because Nino had been deeply immersed in his video game at the moment and punctuated the conversations with “mmhm” and “ah” at random intervals while not really listening – and Aiba had fretted about all manner of things, the topics hopping from “what should I name her” to “I wonder whether there’s anything I can do to make her life better”. Having caught the tail end of Aiba’s words, and his character getting knocked out just then, Nino grunted in frustration and grumbled, “Well, you treat her like a damn princess already! Can you please let me play in peace for just one round?”
“That’s it! Princess! Thanks, Nino!” Aiba’s eyes sparkled as he practically pranced out of the room, looking for the feline household member. “Princess!”
-----
Although the housemates hadn’t really seem interested in Princess at the start, they gradually warmed up to her presence.
Jun would occasionally give her pats on the head as long as she stayed out of the kitchen.
Ohno would visit Aiba’s room sometimes, just to sit and pet Princess for a while, and stare into space.
Nino let her watch his games in the living room as long as she sat quietly and didn’t distract him. When she leaned over and batted the controller with her paw, out she went.
Even Sho occasionally took time to pop his head out of his room where he was working and ask about how Princess was.
It wasn’t long before Princess regained her health. Her bones were no longer visible, and her fur developed a lustrous sheen. She loved everyone in the house, but she loved Aiba the most. Sometimes, at the end of a long day, Aiba would pick her up and give her a cuddle. She would purr beautifully, and all his stress would melt away.
In the blink of an eye, Princess had grown into a cat, and went out at night, returning in the morning to sleep in her basket or at different spots around the house. After a couple of nights of her scratching and mewing and demanding to be let out, Aiba installed a cat flap for her to use, which she gladly did.
-----
"Princess has gotten bigger lately, hasn't she?" Jun remarked casually one day.
"Has she?" Ohno looked sleepily up from the couch. "I hadn't noticed."
Nino didn't reply because he was too focused on his game.
"Aiba-chan spoils her too much." Jun decided.
"Hey! I don't do that!" Aiba pouted, arms folded.
“You do too,” confirmed Jun. “Who’s the one who keeps giving her fish and buying her ‘extra-special’ cat treats? Like the one with goji berries and catnip?”
“Well, it’s good for her health!” Aiba folded his arms across his chest. Suddenly, he felt a soothing hand on his shoulder, and a soft voice, almost a whisper beside his ear. “Jun’s just teasing you. We all love her.”
Aiba smiled. Ohno understood.
-----
“Princess!” Jun stood at the entrance to the kitchen, hands on his hips, frowning down at the accused cat. “What in the world..?”
Princess looked at him helplessly. Jun’s formidable eyebrows could scare grown men at times, never mind a tiny cat, who also appeared to be sick, judging from the brown pool of half-digested cat food on the floor just inches from his nice, clean kitchen. Seeing her trembling in fear, Jun sighed and rolled his eyes, before calling the housemate most responsible for her. “AIBA!!!”
Quick footsteps were heard as Aiba galloped full speed towards the sound. An angry Jun was a Jun to be feared.
“Yes Jun? Is everything –oof!” He was stopped in his tracks by Jun’s hand, inches away from stepping into the pool of sick. “Oh, yuck! What happened, Jun?”
“Your precious Princess is sick.” Jun gestured at the cowering feline. He was about to add more biting remarks, but he saw Aiba’s worried face and the suffering expression on Princess, and relented. “Bring her to the vet. I’ll clean up here.”
“Thanks Jun! I will.” Aiba tenderly picked up Princess, who nuzzled gratefully into his arms, and went to his room in search of a carrier. On the way, he bumped into Ohno, who had been looking for Princess for his afternoon sit-quietly-and-pet-Princess session. Understanding the situation from Aiba, he volunteered to go along with him, as the normally sunshine-beaming man was looking extremely frazzled and in need of some moral support.
Aiba carried Princess solemnly in his arms and Ohno walked beside him. Somewhere along the way, neither of them knew exactly when, Ohno’s hand wandered to Aiba’s arm to give a comforting squeeze. And it didn’t let go until they reached the vet’s.
-----
Dr. Ikuta swivelled around in his chair. “So, what can I do for you today?”
“It’s Princess, she’s sick, she threw up on the floor…” Aiba rambled. “Please, take a look at her for us!”
“Right-ho, let’s get her out then,” Dr. Ikuta opened the carrier and gently coaxed the cat out.
After performing a few tests, interspersed with questions like “What have you been feeding her?” and “Has she been out lately?”, Dr. Ikuta looked up with a glint in his eye at the intently waiting pair. “Aiba-chan,” he intoned, almost accusingly.
“Yes?” Aiba squirmed in his seat, feeling uncomfortable under Dr. Ikuta’s intense gaze.
“Did you not spay her like I advised you to?”
“Spay? What’s that?” Aiba turned to Ohno, but the older man had an expression that was as clueless as he himself felt.
“I told you about it and gave you a brochure on that…” Dr. Ikuta pinched the bridge of his nose exasperatedly and sighed. “Anyway, it means get her sterilised, and from your answer I’m assuming you didn’t do that, and the evidence is right here.” He gestured at Princess, still lying on the table. “Congratulations. She's going to have kittens.” He deadpanned.
Aiba couldn’t believe his ears. KITTENS? “So... she isn’t sick?” He felt his heart lift with relief and excitement.
“Nope, it was just morning sickness. But now you have to take special care of her, and once the kittens are born, I would strongly suggest that you get her spayed. There are too many stray and abandoned cats around, it’s better not to add to that number.”
Dr. Ikuta then told them the proper care methods for a pregnant cat, and gave them more brochures. “Don’t lose them this time.”
“All right! Come on, Oh-chan, I can’t wait to tell the rest! See you, Dr. Ikuta!” After setting the next appointment date, Aiba waved goodbye to the vet, rushed to make payment for the visit, and hurried out with Princess once again in the carrier.
-----
Aiba practically burst through the front door in his excitement to make the announcement – it was lucky Ohno was the one to carry Princess this time.
“GUYS! IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! PLEASE COME!” Aiba hollered at the top of his lungs. Ohno had the presence of mind to cover Princess’ ears and bring her to a safe distance. He was sure she didn’t want to hear any loud noises at this point in time.
“What is it?” Jun, grumpy from clearing up the puddle of cat vomit earlier, popped his head out of his room. Walking to the living room, in a practised motion he leaned over Nino’s shoulder and pressed Nino’s controller to pause the game. He dragged the gamer with him to see what Aiba was going on about.
“Hey! I was nearly done with that boss!” Nino protested.
“GUYS!” Aiba began again, hoping that Sho would come in as well. Sure enough, the red door opened and Sho ambled out, on his face the expression of someone who had his precious few hours of sleep interrupted.
“Yes, Aiba?” He sighed tiredly.
Delighted to have his full audience, Aiba giggled and continued. “Guys, we’re going to be grandparents!”
A confused hush fell over the group.
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Aibaka? None of us even have children.” Nino’s voice cut through the silence.
Seeing that his announcement didn’t have the desired effect, Aiba placed his hands on his hips. “I mean, Princess is going to have kids!”
“Kittens, Aiba. Not kids. Kids are baby goats.” Jun put in helpfully, while Nino groaned and covered his face with his hands. “Not more animals in this house?!”
“That’s why she was sick! Cause she’s pregnant!” Aiba giggled. “Who knows what she did with the other boy cats outside…” This earned him a smack on the head from Nino, with a sharp comment. “Pervert!”
“Well, if that’s all…” Sho mumbled and turned to go back to his bed. “Good night, guys. I have work in a few more hours.”
He left amidst a chorus of “Night, Sho” and “Rest well!” from the rest, as they knew that Sho had a hectic work schedule that resulted in him only being able to sleep at odd hours.
-----
Aiba was working in his room with his door ajar when Princess padded in and started nudging his knee with her head. Aiba bent down to scratch it.
“Hey, Princess. What’s up?” he asked tenderly.
“Meow.” Princess looked at him, and continued with her affections, rubbing her body in and out between her legs. It was ticklish, and he giggled.
“Princess, I’m busy now. I have to earn money to buy food for you.” He told her firmly, but she was persistent. Puzzled by the sudden onset of affection, Aiba consulted the brochure on cat pregnancy. At 4-5 weeks, your cat might become more affectionate, even demanding attention from you. “Hmm. But I really need to get this done before the deadline…”
Just then, someone knocked softly on the door. Aiba looked up and beamed. “Oh-chan! You’re just in time!” He invited the other in, and patted the bed. “She’s all yours.”
Ohno smiled and picked Princess up gently to place her on the soft blanket before getting onto the bed himself. He sat there and stroked Princess, a dreamy look on his face as she purred under his skilful touch. Over her head, under her chin, and down the sleek shiny back his fingers went, and she moved responsively, enjoying it.
It had been his routine since Princess arrived. At first, it had just been an excuse to stay in Aiba’s room and watch him work and be in his presence, but he had found Princess to be genuinely therapeutic, and Aiba hadn’t minded, so it turned into a regular, almost daily thing.
Ohno had noticed Aiba since the man first moved into their house. When he first stepped in, he seemed to light up the entire place with his presence. Jun and Sho were rarely around due to their work, and Nino mostly stayed in one spot in front of the television gaming when he wasn’t composing songs in his room. Ohno himself was usually quiet, as he hadn’t much to say nor the energy to say it. The house needed a bit of life, and he was glad that Aiba had come to provide it.
Over time, he just felt himself drawn to this bubbly man. Aiba was the only one who would put in effort to get into a conversation while everyone stayed in their own little bubbles. In fact, he was the one who had actually gotten the four of them to go from being strangers who lived under the same roof to being friends and actually eating dinner together a few days a week.
Aiba had actually taken the effort to break through each of their layers but getting to know the topics that were near each of their hearts. For Nino, it was the newest game that they could share on the console. For Jun, it was asking his advice on clothes shopping. For Sho, it was secretly adjusting his tight schedule so that he had time for dinner with the rest. And for Ohno, it was fish.
Ohno was very impressed by the effort and the observation that Aiba must have gone through to learn about the things the other housemates liked most, and actually use that to improve the dynamics of the housemates. He just hadn’t told Aiba, because one flash of that sunny smile would make him forget anything he was about to say.
The appearance of Princess was like a miracle to him, because as much as he kept to himself, he did enjoy being in the presence of Aiba. Even right now, as his fingers traced patterns on her soft fur, he would glance at Aiba and smile happily, lost in thoughts of the younger man. He was genuinely happy that Princess made Aiba happy, and he would do his best to take care of her. Aiba didn’t know that, of course, and just assumed in his carefree way that everyone loved Princess as much as he did, and just had different ways of expressing it.
He did love Princess, though. Just not as much as he loved Aiba.
-----
Everybody had been trying to persuade Sho to take a break for ages. He had been frustrated and stressed recently, and dark crescents hung under his eyes. People remarked that he looked like a zombie, and when he looked into a mirror, he had to agree. He had finally agreed to take three days off, and he actually slept through most of the first day.
Jun came into his room carrying a tray with chicken soup just as he awoke in the evening, and some agitated voices could be heard from outside the door.
“Thanks, Jun,” Sho mumbled gratefully, sitting up to drink the soup. “What’s going on downstairs?”
“Oh, that’s just Aiba and Nino.” Jun sighed. “It’s Princess’s ultrasound appointment tomorrow, and Aiba has an important event at the zoo so he can’t bring her, and Nino can’t either, because of...reasons.” He looked at his feet, a faint blush tinging his cheeks.
“Oh, it’s your free day tomorrow too, isn’t it?” Sho nodded understandingly.
“Yes… and Aiba is accusing Nino of being heartless. Oh-chan is away on a fishing trip, so it can’t be helped.”
“Oh. In that case, I could bring her.” Sho said casually. Jun looked at him gratefully. “Are you sure? You took these days off specially, you should rest.”
“Well… Anything for more of this wonderful soup.” Sho grinned. “And maybe some cheesecake,” he added as an afterthought.
“Deal! I’ll tell Aiba then. Thanks so much!” Jun hurriedly left the room to dissipate the bickering.
Moments later, Aiba appeared at the door, breathless. “Sho-chan, Jun says you’ll take her?”
“Yeah… Just give me the address and time.” How hard could it be?
“Thank you, Sho-chan!” Aiba enveloped him in a huge hug.
-----
“How hard could it be?” What was I thinking? Sho grumbled to himself.
Of course, Jun’s cheesecake would be worth it. Sho tried to focus on it as he lugged Princess in her carrier to the vet’s. His air muscles were screaming as he walked into the building.
When his number was called, he went into the consultation room. Placing the carrier onto the table, he let out a slight groan, and stretched his arms. The huge chair swivelled around, and Sho found himself staring into a face with strong features, one that stopped his mental processes momentarily.
“Oh, you’re a new face.” Dr. Ikuta remarked. “And a good-looking one at that.”
Sho’s brain tried to make a connection with his mouth, but all that came out was “Uh.” I must look so stupid, he berated himself internally.
Dr. Ikuta didn’t waste a moment and bent over the carrier. Sho could see a grin tugging at the corners of his lips, as if the vet was trying not to smile.
“Ah, Princess! It’s time for your ultrasound, isn’t it?” He chuckled, and brought her over to the machine.
Sho could only watch as Dr. Ikuta deftly operated the machine, talking all the while about how it worked and looking at the fuzzy grey picture on the screen.
“See, that’s her kittens. It looks like she’s going to have five, wow!”
Honestly, Sho couldn’t see anything in there other than patches in different shades of grey, much less anything resembling a kitten, but he trusted the vet and nodded anyway. At the end of the session, Dr. Ikuta handed him some photos that he printed out, and saw him out with a cheery wave.
“I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again.” The words echoed in Sho’s ears as he left with Princess and the photos, and he blushed.
Maybe it was good to take a break, once in a while.
-----
“Oh my goodness! Look, look, it’s the kittens!” Aiba couldn’t control his excitement at dinner time when he saw the photos that Sho had brought back with him. The rest of the members reacted with varying amounts of interest. Ohno nodded quietly, while Jun cooed enthusiastically and Nino just rolled his eyes.
“Seriously? All I can see is some grey and white fuzzy patches…” He folded his arms and huffed. (Sho was secretly thankful that he wasn’t the only one.) Jun elbowed him. “Oh, all right, they’re pretty cute, I guess… But I still don’t want them near me when they come out!”
After the rest of the members left to do their after-dinner routines, Ohno was left to do the washing-up with Aiba, and he was startled to see the younger man’s eyes looking a little wet.
“Aiba-chan, are you…crying?” He asked softly.
“Oh? It’s nothing, Oh-chan.” Aiba wiped his eyes on his sleeve and laughed. “I’m just too happy that Princess will be a mother soon!”
Ohno hummed understandingly and patted Aiba’s hand with his own soapy one, and they continued washing the dishes as if nothing had happened.
-----
A large box bumped into Ohno one day as he went out of his room. “Oh, sorry!” it said, and Ohno realised that Aiba was carrying it and was hidden behind it.
“Aiba-chan, what are you doing? Do you need help?”
“The brochure says you should prepare a large nesting box for your cat, in an empty room with food and fresh water, and also a litter box,” Aiba recited. “So that’s what I’m doing. Could you help me open the door to the spare room, though?”
“Sure,” Ohno replied, and did so, feeling impressed that Aiba had memorised the brochure on pregnant cat care so thoroughly.
After setting up the place nicely, Aiba dusted off his hands and said, “Well, now we have to get Princess to come here.”
They hunted about the house for her, and found her in the living room, playfully irritating the beans out of Nino, knowing full well that the gamer wasn’t allowed to forcefully shoo her away because she was expecting.
“Oh, finally!” Nino didn’t take his eyes off the screen, as he squirmed in an attempt to avoid the cat’s ticklish paws. “Please take her away, you two!”
Aiba grinned, having half a mind to let her do as she wanted, but Ohno’s heart was softer and he gently escorted Princess away from Nino and to the room they’d prepared for her.
She walked around the box, inspecting it carefully, and finally sat down in it with a purr of contentment. Aiba and Ohno watched from the door, and left her to get adjusted to it.
‘Thanks for helping me set up, Oh-chan!” Aiba turned to the older one with a beam, sending the other’s heart soaring.
“Anytime,” Ohno replied, and in his heart he knew it to be true.
-----
The first kitten arrived just as Aiba was refilling Princess’s food dish a few days later. Her water broke, and it came out in a gush. Aiba yelped and ran to get Ohno.
“Oh-chan, Oh-chan, hurry!! She’s having her kittens!” He called out. Ohno put down his paintbrush and hurried towards the spare room.
The rest of the housemates, having heard his distress, flocked down as well, and only Sho had the presence of mind to call Dr. Ikuta. (Or rather, he hadn’t had much else on his mind lately anyway.) The housemates all peeked in through the doorway. Aiba was so nervous he nearly started hyperventilating.
“Breathe, Aiba-chan.” Ohno’s calm voice sounded near Aiba’s ear, and his breathing showed down. Ohno slowly rubbed Aiba’s back in soothing circles as he asked, “Now, what did the brochure say?”
“The water breaking is completely safe. She will lick her…” at this moment Aiba paused, “down there… as there is a discharge that will come out, and she’ll lick it off. Then the kitten will come out, followed by a placenta. The kitten has an amniotic sac around it, which the mother will tear off and lick vigorously, so that the kitten can breathe. It is likely that she’ll eat the placenta. Each kitten will have one placenta.”
“Very good, Aiba-chan,” Ohno murmured. “Now stay calm, okay? Dr. Ikuta is going to be on his way, and everything’s going to be fine.”
Aiba nodded, and everyone watched intently while waiting for the vet.
Soon enough, the doorbell rang, and Sho ran to get it. He led Dr. Ikuta to the spare room, and the vet took over the process.
After a while, all the kittens were safely born, and Dr. Ikuta was washing his hands in the bathroom sink. Everyone let out a breath they didn’t realise they were holding, and as Nino and Jun went back to their rooms, Nino could be heard to complain, “I can’t believe I just spent a couple hours of my life watching a cat give birth…” Jun nudged him, but they both knew he was just as relieved as any of them that the process went well.
The other three thanked Dr. Ikuta for his help in the delivery, and Ohno had to escort a trembling Aiba away to his room, because he suspected the younger man was about to cry again. Sho showed the vet to the door, but not before offering him something to drink and a slice of Jun’s cheesecake, which the vet politely declined, saying he must be off.
At the doorstep, Sho said “Thank you once again, Dr. Ikuta!”
He replied, “Please, call me Toma,” and winked in Sho’s direction. Sho nearly felt his heart stop, and a blush crept over his cheeks.
He was still blushing long after Dr. Ikuta, no, Toma, had returned to his workplace.
-----
In Aiba’s room, Ohno rubbed Aiba’s back while the taller man sobbed openly onto his shoulder, relieving all the nervous energy and worries he had built up earlier.
“There, there, Masaki, you did a great job,” Ohno soothed. Aiba tensed suddenly.
“Did you…hic…call me…Masaki?”
A faint worry washed over Ohno. Was it something he shouldn’t have done? “Um, yes, I did, but if you don’t like it, I won’t do it again,” he mumbled.
“No… It’s fine.” Aiba hiccupped again. “Thanks, Oh-chan.” He wiped his eyes, suddenly embarrassed. "I'm such a crybaby, huh?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure we were all nervous about Princess, it’s her first birth after all…”
“But Oh-chan is always so calm… Thank you.”
He wrapped the smaller man in a tight hug. Ohno wished he didn’t need to let go.
-----
The kittens weren’t even able to open their eyes at first, but when they grew to little adventurous fluffballs, they stole the hearts of everyone in the house. The adorable kittens climbed over everything and everyone, and no one knew where the next one would pop up from.
Jun loved the little things, but they were scared of his formidable eyebrows, and ran away when they saw him coming.
Nino, on the other hand, just wanted to play Dragon Quest, and the kittens just wouldn’t leave him alone. They would climb all over him and get tangled in the wiring and he would end up swearing and getting up to rescue them and lifting them away, but they would still come back. Jun happened to see this one day and felt jealous, but he couldn’t pinpoint whether he felt more jealous of the fact that Nino could attract the kittens, or that the kittens could get Nino’s attention while he was gaming, which he had never been able to do.
That is, until they found a solution. Jun would just sit next to Nino while he was playing, and the kittens would stay away. Jun was a little sad about having to act as “kitten repellent”, but was cheered up with an unexpected kiss on the cheek from Nino, who continued playing after that as if nothing had happened.
Sho wanted to do his part for the kittens as well, and he tried to make feeding and litter-box cleaning schedules for the kittens, but Aiba –as the resident zookeeper- was the one mainly taking care of Princess and the kittens anyway, so the idea kind of backfired.
Aiba, for his part, loved playing with the kittens as much as properly taking care of them. Once, Jun caught him trying to groom a kitten with Jun’s hair clips, and scolded him soundly. Eventually Jun relented on the grounds that the pleading looks that both of them were giving him were too cute, but he bought new ones for himself to use.
When night time came, Aiba would sing lullabies to get the kittens to sleep, while Ohno looked on fondly from the door.
Even though Aiba mainly took care of the kittens, Ohno would sometimes take over the feeding and cleaning when Aiba was too tired from his day at work, or from chasing the kittens around or cleaning what they spilled. Sometimes, even Aiba with the boundless energy could get tired from taking care of the kittens, and when he fell asleep on the couch, Ohno kissed him softly on his forehead.
-----
However, as much as the five of them loved the kittens, they all agreed that Princess should be taken to be spayed to prevent any more unplanned pregnancies. Surprisingly, Sho volunteered to take her. The rest of the housemates didn’t know why, but he came back grinning from cheek to cheek after the operation.
-----
Aiba, with a kitten in his arms, knocked on the door to Ohno’s room one day. Ohno opened it, with smudges of paint all over him. “Hi, Masaki, what’s up?”
“I just wondered what you’re doing…” His eye fell on the huge canvas that was taking up most of the space in the room. “Wow…”
Ohno followed his gaze and blushed. “Oh, I’m not done yet…Still putting the finishing touches on.”
“Can I watch you? I’ll be really quiet, I promise,” Aiba looked at him with puppy eyes.
“Sure.” Ohno gestured towards his bed. “You can sit there.”
Aiba perched on the bed and stroked the kitten, watching as Ohno touched up his painting. He had noticed Ohno ever since the first day when he moved into this shared house. Ohno was the most willing to open up to him out of the four of them, and had helped him feel more comfortable in a house that had felt like it was occupied by strangers. Even though he was quiet, he responded well every time Aiba tried to strike up a conversation, and for that, Aiba was grateful.
Over time, he just felt himself strangely drawn to this calm man, who did things at his own pace. Sometimes he felt drained after an exhausting day at work, but seeing Ohno had a soothing effect on him, and he would feel rested and refreshed after talking to him.
Ohno was a talented man. Beyond his love for fishing and painting lay also an ability to bake bread and also shape clay with his beautiful long fingers. He had an amazing singing voice as well, which he used mainly in the shower. The best part was, despite these gifts, Ohno was humble and never flaunted them or looked down on anybody, and he was always willing to help out with anything you asked him. Aiba respected the man even more for this.
The appearance of Princess was like a miracle to him, because as much as he was bubbly and outgoing, he still got nervous around the older man, and was delighted when Ohno came in to play with Princess almost regularly. As his fingers traced patterns in the kitten’s soft fur, he looked at the painter, fully absorbed in his work, and smiled, reminiscing about all the times he’d gotten Ohno to help him with something for Princess, like the vet visits and the nesting box.
He did love Princess, though. Just not as much as he loved Ohno.
-----
“There, all done.” Ohno stood back with his hands on his hips to admire the painting, and Aiba clapped his hands in delight. “It’s us and the cats! Amazing!”
Ohno nodded. “Thank you.” He twitched his nose, and remembered something. “You wanted to say something?”
“Yes…no…um…” Aiba was at a loss for words. He held up the kitten. “Isn’t this kitten cute?”
“Yes, it is. Almost as cute as Masaki.”
“Eh?” Aiba couldn’t believe his ears. “Come again?”
Ohno groaned inwardly – he hadn’t meant to say that last sentence out loud. It had sort of slipped out, but since he’d gone and said it, he might as well carry on. Bravely, he said, “I like Masaki.”
He closed his eyes and braced himself in case Aiba thought it was weird, but when Masaki didn’t say anything for a while, he opened them again, just to see Aiba’s face extremely close to his. He let out a small gasp, which was silenced as Aiba captured his lips with a short kiss.
Breaking apart, Aiba said shyly, “I like Satoshi too.”
Ohno smiled, and was about to kiss Aiba again, but Aiba stopped him and gestured to the bed, giggling, “The kitten is watching.”
Sure enough, the kitten blinked innocently straight in their direction. Aiba took it out of the room and put it with the rest of the kittens in the playpen they’d bought.
When he got back, Ohno was looking at his canvas again. On it was the two of them in the centre, and Nino and Jun on the right, and Sho and Toma on the left, all surrounded by the kittens and Princess.
“Do you have a title for that?” Aiba asked.
“Family Portrait,” Ohno replied.
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Oh my! This was the cutest thing I have ever read! Thank you!!
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Thanks for reading and leaving a comment!♡
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Poor Jun *lol* they are afraid of him :) but at least he gets Nino's attention with it :)
Ohno and Aiba are so cute 💙💚 but the cutest is princess with her kittens 💙💙💚💚
This is really a wonderful story, so warm and calm and such a nice mood you decribed here. 😍
And I love them all living together and being there for each other. 💚💙❤💛💜
Thanks for sharing, dear, I loved that.
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Haha yeah, Jun and animals... ^^;
Yes, I totally agree, I've recently fallen in love with writing that pair XD and they're even cuter with kittens♡
I love it when all of them stay together and support each other as well ^_^
Thanks for reading and leaving such a lovely comment! ♡
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Kittens and romance and flirting.
I am going to be smiling all day after reading this. 💜
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Wow, I'm happy that it put a smile on your face. That's one of the best things that can happen :)
Thanks for reading and leaving such a lovely comment! ♡
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Thank you for sharing. They are like a big great family ^^
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OHBA is cute 😍
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Thank you for reading and leaving a comment! ^_^
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There are so many cute parts in this, like Aiba losing the brochure Toma gave him, and then Princess gets pregnant. Sho's schedule-driven day. Jun + kitchen. And how it's impossible to lure Nino away from his games. Sunshine Aiba. And of course Ohno who observes everything and uses Princess as an excuse to spend time with Aiba. I didn't expect the Sho/Toma parts although it was in the description ^^, but I find them really fitting and a nice surprise!
Somehow this line was soooo cute and fun btw.
and only Sho had the presence of mind to call Dr. Ikuta. (Or rather, he hadn’t had much else on his mind lately anyway.)
*LOL* I love how workaholic Sho meets Toma, actually by chance, and they hit it off immediately (the flirting :D)
Matsumiya is <3 Poor Jun, wants to pet the kittens, but well, guess he *coughs* gets to pet Nino instead? :D
Ohba are adorable, both using Princess as an excuse to hang out with each other. I'm glad Ohno confessed in the end <3
Thanks so much for writing and sharing this! <3
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Haha, yeah, some people irl thought I had a pregnant cat from the amount of googling I was doing LOL XD but it was worth it!
Awwww thank you for listing down your favourite parts! ♡ haha sometimes I forget what pairing is in the description when I get too focused on a fic as well, so it's okay ^_^ I'm glad you enjoyed the Sho/Toma! It's my first time writing them (my first time writing Toma actually) and I'm glad that it worked ^_^
Hehe, Toma knows what he wants. :p When a hot Sho steps into his office, he has to seize the chance! XD
Yeppp, Nino is like a cat sometimes anyway ^^
Aww ♡ That's why I love Ohba!! (even though Ohmiya+Sakuraiba are my OTPs, cough) Ohba is just tooo adorable ♡
Thank you so much for reading and writing such a lovely long comment~!!♡ Again, I'm really glad that you enjoyed it!
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An Arashi shared house is already nice to read but with one cat and then lots of kittens it's even more adorable. <3
Poor Jun! I wish there would be an animal that likes him... even though Nino is cute and small too, I think once in a while he wants something furry^^
Princess as the cupid here LOL
She did a great job and the confession was unexpected but sweet.
Your story could actually work as a continuaion of my ShareHouse story. It really fits well LOL
Otsukare on finishing this story! :)
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Yes, a cat and kittens really adds to the cute!! ^_^
Aww... maybe there will be one next time XD
Yes, I agree that Princess did a great job as cupid! 3 successful pairings after she came to stay ^_^
Yes, actually I did take some reference from your ShareHouse story >< I hope you don't mind! I'll edit the notes to reflect that!
Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment! ♡
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This is so cute!!! >w<
He did love Princess, though. Just not as much as he loved Aiba. I loved this part :D :D :D
Thank you for sharing this with us! ^^
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(yes I love that line too HEHE! thanks for noticing it~ :D)
Thanks for reading and leaving such a lovely comment~!!♡
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please make one non-au version as cute as this :D
anyway, thank you for writing and sharing :)
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Um, I'm not good with non-AU though... I'm sorry >< I might try a non-AU fic in the future, but no promises ><
thanks for reading and leaving a comment! :)