#i really needed to cry today after the way meshi made me feel | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

magioftheseas · 6 years

Text

A Meal With Chestnuts

written for @yuzuria because it’s her biiiiiirf

Summary: In which Hinata adopts a cat that's a whirlwind of fluff and trouble. His brother sometimes helps.

Rating: G

Warnings: Ehhhhh? There are some tribulations related to caring for a pet but that’s it.

Notes: Because I love Mewshi (cat!servant) I decided I’d whip up a quick fic with him and Hinata. Yep. Yeah. Look at this angel. Precious.

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

“I... Izuru... Hey...”

“Hajime.” His brother doesn’t miss a beat. “It is strange for you to call me out of the blue like this.”

“Y-Yeah. Um. I... I called because... I need, urgh, I-I need help.”

“Did something happen? Are you at the hospital?”

It doesn’t surprise him that’s the first conclusion Izuru jumps to. Honestly, if he were Izuru, knowing himself the way he does, that’s the first conclusion he’d jump to, too.

“I’m fine,” he says, almost snaps really. “But I...” He pinches his nose, swallows, and struggles. “I-I... I need money...”

“...”

“A-And I know!” he exclaimed. “I know I said I’d rather fucking die on the streets than borrow money from you when you offered—t-that was stupid...and immature... I’m sorry. I...”

“...”

“I... I...”

Can I really do this?

Just as he’s this close to hanging up, he glances over and ends up meeting the wide, gray-green eyes of a scraggly, tangled mess of fluff. Said fluff gives a weak chirp in acknowledgement.

How can I even ask myself that?

“I found a cat,” he said, sighing. “It’s in really, really bad shape. Like, its back legs are badly broken, one of its front paws is mangled, it has worms, and it... He smells awful, Izuru. And I don’t have enough to pay for the medical bills.”

“Understood.” The response was immediate. “Which vet?”

“Uh... The one on...” He rattles off the address. “So, uh, does this mean...?”

“I will be there right away.”

“Right away?”

“Right. Away.”

Just like that, Izuru hangs up. Hinata blinks at his phone before pocketing it. With a sigh, he reaches out to stroke the cat’s head, mindful of the plastic cone. He earns a purr for his troubles, and he can’t help but smile in spite of his grimace.

“You made me broke one of my oaths to never ask my successful, genius brother for help,” he said. “Fifteen years I kept that oath. And now it’s broken. Because of you.”

The cat nuzzled his hand.

“...I hope you’re happy. You’re really lucky, too. Izuru loves cats, and he barely loves anything. I’m still doubtful that he loves me, y’know.”

Another chirp.

“You’re...you’re in good hands. Definitely.”

Hinata Hajime was, putting it lightly, not the happiest he could be with his life.

Law school had been stressful enough, but actually trying to make it as a lawyer could be a nightmare with the weirdos he had to put up with and the cases he had to swallow his pride and do his damndest to defend when they actually made it to court. Even so, he wasn’t very successful.

Not like Izuru, never like Izuru.

Still, he had a stable life, if anything A good apartment, an alright car, a good neighborhood, a social life that sure existed even when he didn’t have the energy for it. He was doing well for himself. Not great, but well. Well, well, welly well, well.

Izuru called him boring for good reason.

He resented Izuru, of course, but he was hard-pressed to argue with him over anything. Izuru was right. Even Hinata’s own friends agree that he was the kind of guy who seriously needed to go out more. Relax more. Get laid.

Especially since his crush of seven years hadn’t picked up on any of Hinata’s painfully obvious hints. Better yet, said crush tended to fawn over his doctor. They weren’t in a relationship for that reason, but... But... Still. It was pretty damn hopeless.

Too fucking bad Hinata didn’t have the itch nor confidence to just find someone, anyone to put up with his boring, mundane, sometimes miserable ass in bed.

So Hinata was at a loss over what the hell he was supposed to do to find some level of actual contentment with his life. Or at least something if not someone to distract him from the void.

And then a flurry of wild, filthy white fluff rushed out in front of his car while he was driving and he almost wrecked then and there. Breaking the law, he ended up pulling over and investigating only to find out it was just some cat. Some cat that just chirped at him before returning to gnaw at the remains of some roadkill.

It looked like a possessed mop. Hinata took it home for the night. And then he went to the vet and called Izuru for help. Something he swore up and down for fifteen years that he would never, ever do.

Izuru didn’t hesitate at all. If anything, Izuru was immediately enamored with it. Hell, Izuru already ordered several cat toys and high-end cat food to be delivered to Hinata’s apartment around the time that the cat was expected to recover enough to go home with him.

He should feel pretty stupid right now, and he certainly felt awkward watching Izuru stare at the sleeping bundle of white.

“Does he have a name?”

“Uh... Huh?”

“A name. Did you name him?” Izuru frowned at him. “Were you planning on keeping him?”

“I...” He knows he should say no. That if anyone’s equipped to take in a cat, it’d be his crush. Komaeda already had a cat, he’d probably love another one and Izuru couldn’t have pets in his building, but... Hinata’s own apartment doesn’t have any pet policy. And it’s as alright a place as it is an empty one. And maybe, just maybe, he had fallen in love with the stupid thing overnight after making it a makeshift bed of towels, pillows, and blankets. “I wanted to, yeah.”

Izuru nods. “What’s his name?”

“His name, uh...”

And it just kind of comes naturally. The cat has long, white hair that’s fine and reminds Hinata of grain, and... Said cat had also pooped in his rice bag. Hinata still wasn’t sure how it got in there.

“Meshi,” he said, shrugging. “Is that an alright name?”

Izuru blinked at him, but glanced over at Meshi, still caught in a peaceful slumber.

“Meshi is a fine name,” he said. “After he gets cleaned up, I do predict that his fur will be as white as rice.”

“Yeah...?”

“Yes.”

Hinata could only nod along.

“Take good care of him, Hajime,” Izuru said sharply. “Or else I will not forgive you.”

“O-Of course I will!” he exclaimed, gawking. “I... I... Yeah, I will!”

He just hoped he was prepared for what he was getting into.

(He wasn’t. He had no idea.)

Meshi, as it turned out, was exceptionally fluffy, even more than Hinata already thought. In fact, Meshi likely doubled in volume entirely due to fluff.

Meshi had needed his front paw amputated but Izuru paid for a prosthetic. Of course he had.

Izuru also needed to leave for work but he had left several files on how to take care of Meshi and administer medication if need be. Izuru even set up an account with money for future medical bills. Just. In case.

And then Meshi bit Izuru when he tried to pet him. And Hinata hurriedly pulled him away. Meshi had chirped but nuzzled against him, and it was the first time Izuru had ever looked at him with such envy.

He...had felt a little satisfied. But only a little.

“I... Don’t worry, Izuru,” he said. “I promise, I’ll take good care of him.”

“Or else,” Izuru muttered. Hinata nodded again.

“...yeah. Or else.”

So...now he has a cat. And his apartment has gone from empty and clean to a mess of cat hair everywhere.

And there are child safety locks on his cabinets because otherwise Meshi would spill rice everywhere.

And the trashcan has to be facing the wall otherwise Meshi gets stuck in it. Meshi, Hinata learns, has a weird affinity for trash.

“Komaeda’s cat isn’t this high maintenance,” he grumbled while scrubbing Meshi’s fur clean for the umpteenth time today. “He’s lazy and always sleeping. Why do you have to be completely different, Meshi?”

Meshi meowed at him happily as he rinsed him off.

“A-And what kind of cat enjoys baths, anyway?!”

Another happy meow. And then Meshi gagged from trying to nibble at his soapy fingers. And then Meshi started to hack. Hinata panicked.

“Wait, no, don’t throw up!”

Hinata had to wash the tub as well that day.

Every ounce of his space is now Meshi’s space. Even when it’s late, rather than use the plush bed that Izuru bought, Meshi sleeps on his face and nearly suffocates him overnight.

He drags the cat bed onto his bed and tries to force Meshi to sleep there. It doesn’t work out.

He wakes up coughing up cat hair while Meshi innocently groomed himself.

“You,” he grumbles after washing out his mouth. “You’re impossible.”

Meshi chirps at him.

You would think that with one prosthetic and weakened hind legs that a cat like Meshi would have difficulty getting around.

Not so.

“Meshi! Meshi!”

Meshi kept on crying.

“How did you even get up there?!”

You would also think that with as much fluff that Meshi had, that it’d be difficult for Meshi to squeeze into all the weird places that cats liked to explore.

Also not so.

“Meshi? Meshi?!”

Hinata would’ve had a heart attack over his missing cat if not for noticing that the drawer was open. And, unsurprisingly, Meshi mewled at him when he peered inside.

“Don’t scare me like that!”

He ends up tying a bell around Meshi’s neck. It’s easier to keep track of him and... Maybe, just maybe, it suited him.

Meshi doesn’t play with cat toys. Meshi plays with his ties. And string. Meshi seems to really enjoy string.

“Luxuries are wasted on you,” Hinata grumbles. “Poor Izuru.”

Meshi attacks his antenna. He ends up with a shiner thanks to the prosthetic.

It’s very awkward trying to explain it to his coworkers and clients that no, he didn’t get into a fight, yes, it was just because of his new cat.

“Your cat seems to be quite the handful,” Kirigiri had murmured. “Be more careful, Hinata-kun.”

“R-Right...”

Meshi afterwards still had the gall to show him his fluffy belly and look like an angel while doing so.

Hinata knits him a mitten for his prosthetic. It takes a while because Meshi keeps gnawing at the yarn, but eventually Hinata manages.

“There we are.” He pulls back to inspect his handiwork and sticks his hand out to take Meshi’s newly knitted paw. “It’s not as soft nor as nice but... You’ll cause less damage like this.”

Meshi chirps almost cheerily and nuzzles him. In particular, the bruised side of his face. It irritates his injured eye. Hinata almost cries, but he valiantly holds back.

He forgives Meshi quickly even as the bruise lasts a while.

His life has gone from unbearably dull to dreadfully unpredictable, thanks to Meshi.

It also changed in several other significant ways. If Hinata laid on the ground, Meshi tended to trample him without missing a beat. Cooking was now a serious hazard with how curious Meshi could be in the kitchen, especially near the stove and with fluff like that—Hinata couldn’t cook until he was sure that Meshi was safely kept far, far away.

Because it’s a cat, I’m the one that has to be completely and utterly accommodating.

Sometimes he took Meshi outside and just...watched Meshi sniff around the grass and area. And afterwards, he’d have to give Meshi another bath due to Meshi rolling around in the dirt.

Because it’s a cat, it’s just going to do whatever it wants regardless about how I feel about it.

He always needed to keep a close eye on Meshi. Because, otherwise—

“Meshi, no! Out of the trash! Get out of the trash!”

Why am I willingly subjecting myself to this again?

The answer was obvious even without Meshi purring after being pulled out of the trash.

“I was already pretty busy,” he grumbled as he once more scrubbed Meshi clean. “You’re making this almost impossible.”

Meshi chirped.

“But...it’s not like you have anyone else, huh? I’m the one who took you in.” He rinses him off and wraps him up in towels to blow-dry his fur. “That makes you mine. Izuru probably could’ve found a way to make you his but—but you’re mine and that’s that.”

Meshi purrs against him as he brushes his fur afterwards.

“Mine,” Hinata murmurs. “You’re mine, Meshi.”

Meshi meows, and Hinata likes to think it’s a sound of agreement.

When Komaeda visits, bright-eyed and carrying a cat carrier, Hinata’s sure that his heart leapt up into his throat at the sight.

“I heard about your new cat!” Komaeda practically beams. “I brought Izumi with me for a cat playdate.”

There’s a low mreow from the carrier. Just a sound to acknowledge his name being said. Nothing else.

“Oh... Huh...”

He swallows as Komaeda brushes past. Komaeda sets down the carrier. And with the tinkling of a bell and the padding of feet, Meshi practically rushed up to him.

“Hi there,” Komaeda coos, reaching out to run his fingers through those long white strands. “Ooh, Kamukura-kun was right, you are a beauty. No wonder he was utterly enamored with you. Hinata-kun, you’ve been taking pictures and showing them to Kamukura-kun, right?”

“Uh, yeah, a few...” But whenever I bring out the camera while Meshi’s doing something cute, Meshi immediately stops doing the thing. “Are you sure it’s alright for you to be out and about, Komaeda?”

“Yep! Matsuda-kun even says I’ll be well enough to start working! Though he also says someone as rich as me doesn’t need to worry about that, haha...” He opens the carrier, humming. “Come out, Izumi. Come say hi! Oh.” Meshi rushed into the carrier, which Hinata more or less expected even as he worried. “H-Hey, Izumi won’t attack him right?” “Of course not! My Izumi would never...!” Komaeda stared helplessly at the fluffy tail flickering in the air sticking out of his carrier. “Meshi... Izumi can’t leave like this.” “Meshi doesn’t believe in personal space,” Hinata said. A pause. “Unless it’s with Izuru. So... I guess he’s warmed up to Izumi, at least.”

All the same, he swooped down and pulled Meshi out of the carrier. Drearily as ever, Izumi stepped out, sniffing as he did and elegant black tail flickering with those piercing red eyes.

It still weirds me out that Izumi is a lot like Izuru but... Come to think of it, Meshi looks a little like...

Meshi blinks those pretty gray-greens at him. Hinata flusters when Komaeda glances at him with eyes a similar shade and hurriedly looks away.

“Uh... Here you go, Meshi,” he mumbled awkwardly, setting Meshi back down so that he and Izumi could familiarize themselves with each other. Or at least so that Meshi could, seeing as Izumi just flopped onto the ground.

Yeah, that’s what I expected.

And Komaeda softly squealed, pulling out his phone to take pictures. Probably getting the most flattering ones, too.

“Kamukura-kun will love seeing these,” he hummed. “And Matsuda-kun will, too.”

Hinata deflated, nodding.

“I... Yeah... Anyway, can I get you anything to eat, Komaeda? I have some leftovers I can heat up if you want.”

“So kind, Hinata-kun!”

“Not...really. It’s just a courtesy.”

He still couldn’t meet Komaeda’s sparkling gaze directly and Meshi, at the very least, proved to be a very suitable distraction. Especially with Meshi crawling over Izumi like that, pawing at him curiously.

Cute... Shockingly cute...

With Komaeda bouncing after him, Hinata couldn’t help but wonder if he’d really be able to handle both of them at the same time in his tiny, tiny apartment.

God give me strength.

After they ate, Komaeda was almost as eager to look around as Meshi.

“Aha, there’s a lot of toys! Did Kamukura-kun buy these?”

“N-Not...all of them... But a lot of them...” Hinata rubs at the back of his neck. “That said, Meshi largely prefers the toy box to any of them. And sometimes he steals my ties regardless of what drawer I put them in. He’s...a weirdly intelligent cat when he wants to be.”

Even though I��ve had to keep him from literally dumpster diving more times than I had to count.

“I see, I see...” Komaeda claps. “Your apartment is still so clean, Hinata-kun, all the cat hair aside. You completely gave up on that, huh?”

“Sure did.” Hinata doesn’t even miss a beat. “Meshi gets around a lot. He’s the complete opposite of Izumi.”

Komaeda glanced towards Izumi, who still hadn’t moved from his spot, even though Meshi was kneading him. Chuckling lowly, he went over to scoop Izumi up and placed him atop the cat tower. Meshi immediately darted after him, squeezing right back into his space. Izumi didn’t seem to mind.

“I guess opposites attract,” Komaeda hummed. “That’s really nice. I’m glad. A lot of cats aren’t very sociable but Meshi seems really friendly!”

“...Yeah...”

I’m still on edge. Komaeda’s cat can be weird, but—at the very least he doesn’t look like he’ll snap at Meshi.

“Uh...” He shakes his head. “So how have things been? You’re getting better, right? That’s... That’s good...”

“All because of Matsuda-kun!” Komaeda chirped and then paused. “And Izumi, actually.”

Hinata blinked.

“I really appreciate Matsuda-kun,” Komaeda went on, blushing a bit. “But truth be told, it’s really Izumi who keeps me going. Matsuda-kun can’t always be there, of course not, he has other patients, so I used to be really lonely when he wasn’t around... Everyone’s always so busy, living their lives, I really envy them...being stuck at home by yourself and not really having anything to do, anywhere to go... It’s such a boring, empty life.”

Hinata frowned but couldn’t bring himself to comment.

“But after I got Izumi, that completely changed,” Komaeda said, lighting up. “Izumi isn’t the most energetic cat, obviously, but he’s still someone I have to watch over and take care of and... Honestly I’m never bored with him. He’s got his own little quirks that are fun to discover. For example, he does have bouts of curiosity with the strangest things. One time I accidentally left a coat hanger on the bed and he cried because of it. Another time he was absolutely fascinated with this documentary on boats so I bought him a rubber toy. After I set it in a small tub of water, he made such a mess! Haha!”

Hinata looks towards Izumi, unaffected by everything including Meshi draped over him like a big fluffy blanket.

That’s...really hard to imagine.

“...it’s the same for you, isn’t it, Hinata-kun?”

Hinata flinched at that.

“A-Ah, huh...?”

He flustered more at Komaeda’s widening smile.

“It’s the same for you, right?” he asked cheerily. “Having a cat around—it really livens up the place, doesn’t it? I was pretty worried actually about getting a pet. After my dog died, I didn’t think I would ever be ready for it, but... I’m really glad I picked Izumi up. He was so listless at the shelter and even though he’s still pretty lazy, he’s has moments of such brightness!”

“I...” Komaeda looks pretty bright, too. “I see...”

Suddenly Meshi hopped up to them, pawing at Komaeda’s side. He headbutted him, and Komaeda could only laugh, patting his lap. Meshi pounced before curling up as Komaeda stroked his fur. And then Izumi, too, lazily walked up and pressed up against Komaeda’s knee.

...I want to take a picture, but...

“You are right,” Hinata said, reaching out and pulling Izumi towards him. It still mildly unsettled him how Izumi reminded him of Izuru, but all the same Hinata petted him, and a smile pulled at his lips as Izumi pressed back against his hand. “They really do liven things up.”

And then Meshi leapt out of Komaeda’s lap and barreled into Hinata’s stomach so hard that he nearly choked.

“H-Hck...!”

“H-Hinata-kun?!”

Hinata quickly recovered, taking in deep breaths as Meshi whined at him.

“I-I... I... Huh...” He blinked at Meshi and then scooped him up, cradling him. “You’re possessive, too, huh?”

Maybe...we’re made for each other or something...

Komaeda still looked rather worried but after a while he snorted and picked up an ever-stoic Izumi.

“I’ve never seen you smile like that,” he remarked. “You’re actually really handsome, Hinata-kun.”

“H-Huh...?!”

Meshi smacked his face after he snapped up to regain his attention. At the very least the mitten did in fact keep the prosthetic from hurting.

Komaeda just laughs.

“It looks like you’re trapped,” he said. “Well, there are worse ways. Like with rubble!”

“I... Uh...” Hinata averted his gaze, nuzzling Meshi to keep him happy. “Yeah... Yeah...”

Komaeda’s laughter was carefree and calm. Even though, his heartbeat stuttered over it, but...

Meshi whapped him again and kept him in line.

In a weird way, he kind of appreciated that.

“It probably would be nice for Meshi to spend more time with Izumi since they seem comfortable with each other.” If Izumi even cares. Hard to tell. “I can’t always play with Meshi, so it’d be nice if he had someone else...y’know?”

“I do,” Komaeda agrees. “Cats usually rely solely on us for stimulation and they can get lonely while we’re busy. So it’s better to have friends, I think. So maybe you can visit sometime and bring Meshi?”

“I-I...” Another whap. He got right back on track. “Y-Yeah! Yeah... That... That’d be nice...”

“It’s a date theeeen!” Komaeda sing songs and claps with Izumi’s paws. “Yay, yay! Izumi, isn’t that wonderful?”

Izumi just yawned. Hinata snorted as Meshi meowed.

“I think they’ll be fine,” he said. “Thanks, Komaeda, for visiting.”

“Ehehehe! It’s nothing, it’s nothing! I’m glad I did!”

Maybe...just being like this...won’t be so bad.

Yeah. He was almost sure of it.

It didn’t surprise him that despite cuddling up against him all that time, Meshi kept his distance at bedtime, grooming himself as Hinata could only lie down and watch.

“You know,” he found himself saying. “I’ve liked Komaeda...for a really long time. Long enough that I honestly should’ve give up by now, but...”

He shrugs.

“I still...like him a lot...”

Meshi didn’t say anything. Of course not. He was too focused on licking his paw.

“I think even if he never understands, I’ll be fine,” he murmured. “Seeing him again... I’m just happy that he can smile like that. And according to him...”

I smile like that, too. That’s really embarrassing to think. Why? Just because of Meshi who causes so much trouble and yet...

Meshi crawls over to him and curls around him. Just when Hinata perked up, Meshi starts trying to groom him. And he can only sigh.

I’m going to have to shower in the morning. As usual.

“It’s hard to dwell in self-loathing when I have you to keep an eye on.”

Meshi is definitely frustrating...but it’s hard to resent him for that. If anything, I might just be grateful, black eyes and scratches aside.

“...Izuru loves cats,” he said, humming and turning towards Meshi’s fluff. “I guess... I can sorta understand why.”

Meshi bit his ear afterwards. It really hurt.

But it didn’t really change anything.

It didn’t change anything. He certainly wouldn’t regret taking Meshi in for the world. But. But.

“H-How did this happen?! Did Komaeda’s cat impregnate him?!”

“Hajime, that’s impossible.”

Hinata still screamed into his hands, meanwhile, Izuru observed more closely. As close as Meshi would allow anyway, with Meshi hissing if he so much approached within a certain number of centimeters. Izuru respected that, but he still blinked down at the small ball of tea green fluff nestled into Meshi’s fur.

“Tea...” Izuru mused. “Monaka would be a cute name for her, don’t you think?”

“I still don’t understand,” Hinata rambled on. “I just, I just left Meshi alone for two minutes outside and he darts inside the house with this...this...!”

“Kitten,” Izuru finished for him. “You now have a new kitten. Congratulations. She’s very, very cute.”

“She’s a demon, actually,” Hinata retorted, pointing to the scratch marks all over his face. “She’s only cute right now because she’s sleeping. But the second she saw me, she attacked my face. Meshi had to pull her off.”

Izuru frowned.

“I think you just startled her.”

“I was as careful as could be...!”

Suddenly, the kitten stirred awake. Yelping, Hinata quickly hid behind his brother but all she did was crawl up to Izuru and mew at him, blinking wide green eyes at him.

Hinata’s useless brother melted in a heartbeat, picking the kitten up and doting on her, listening to her purr.

“She’s an angel, Hajime, you must have been mistaken.” Izuru gave him a pointed look as she batted at his hair. “Or, as I said, you startled her. It was likely your pointy antenna.”

“Hey leave my hair out of this!” Hinata exclaimed heatedly. “Meshi doesn’t mind my hair!”

“Well Monaka is clearly different,” Izuru huffed.

“Where did that name even come from?!”

Izuru ignored him, humming softly as he stoked Monaka’s neck. Hinata groaned, rolling his eyes, but there wasn’t exactly much he could say.

Izuru only paused when Meshi bit his ankle, puffing up angrily at him. Blinking, Izuru reluctantly set Monaka down so that Meshi could drag her away.

“...you really are lucky, Hajime,” Izuru sighed, looking at him enviously once more. Somehow, the novelty had worn off.

He looked at Monaka. Monaka looked back and hissed.

“...I think...it all balances out,” Hinata said, sighing. “I wonder how Komaeda’s going to react...”

“I want pictures,” Izuru said.

“...don’t worry; he’ll definitely take pictures.”

It’s alright being like this...is what I thought.

Monaka doesn’t seem terribly content with Meshi fussing over her. Somehow, Hinata just knew she’d find a way to cause enough trouble to give his Meshi a run for his money.

Things are about to get wild. That’s just the feeling I’m getting right now.

He might have to ask Izuru to come over more often. They might just be closer in the future than they ever were for fifteen years.

Man.

That’s a thought.

24 notes · View notes