𝘽𝙉𝙃𝘼 𝙊𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙏𝙎

this family of ours // gen

hizashi's husband has a habit of collecting strays.

he loves shouta, and one of the things he loves most is his big heart. he can never turn away someone in need. (the essence of a hero is strong in him.)

it started with jelly.

shouta brought her home early in the morning, just after his patrol ended. she was dirty, her grey fur matted and body littered in scratches. shouta immediately headed to the bathroom to clean her up.

apparently, she was a street cat that got caught in the middle of his fight with a villain. after apprehending the criminal, shouta whisked her up and thought it appropriate to take her home and tend to her wounds himself rather than taking her to a vet or shelter. at hizashi's raised eyebrow, shouta promised him that she wouldn't stay long, just long enough to recuperate. (later, he hears shouta baby talking jelly from the living room, and he knows she's here to stay.)

that's fine. one cat can't be that bad.

———

except it's not just one cat.

one day, a month or two after they adopt jelly, hizashi's on the couch when he hears scratching and meowing at the window. from the kitchen, he hears his husband mutter a curse beneath his breath as he fixes his coffee. hizashi looks out of the window and sees a cat, black and orange and white fur mixing. its big green eyes stare longingly at him from outside, and hizashi hums curiously.

"what's this guy doing out here?"

shouta sighs, walking over to stand next to him. "i've been feeding him."

"shouta," hizashi scolds. "you know you can't do that."

"i know, i was trying to stop, so i didn't put anything out for him today. but you see how that went." his eyes landed back on the cat, now staring directly at him and batting furiously at the window.

hizashi sighs, but goes to prepare a bowl of cat food. when he opens the window to set it outside though, the cat just jumps into the house with an impatient meow.

hizashi frowns, looking at the cat now weaving around shouta's legs. "that wasn't very nice little mister."

"his name is pillow."

he made an incredulous noise. "you named him already?"

shouta pointedly ignores him.

"he just needs food," he says, taking the bowl from hizashi's hands and offering it to the cat, who begins eagerly licking it up. "once he's eaten, i'm sure he'll leave."

"right. right, sure." hizashi sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. he takes up residence on the living room sofa, watching shouta run his forefinger over pillow's tiny head with a small, fond smile.

two cats it is.

(he thinks maybe it's worth it.)

———

next time, it's not just a cat, it's a whole-ass teenage boy.

he's standing awkwardly in the entryway, and hizashi registers that he's seen this kid before. he's sort of unmistakable with his mess of purple hair and stark eye bags.

but, right now, he looks completely different from when hizashi last saw him. at the sports festival, he was stiff and angry, sharp edges and even sharper eyes, scathing words on the tip of his tongue.

he'd reminded him of shouta, back when he was young and the world hadn't been the kindest to him, leaving him rough and defensive. but now, he seemed softer. like something had smoothed over all his jagged ends.