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Higashi sighed as he stared out the window. He knew that today's forecast had called for rain, but it was only for rain, not the thunderstorm he was watching now.
It wouldn't be so bad if Sugiura were home. But he was out helping Yagami with a case, and there was no telling where he was in Kamurocho, or if he had found a place safe from the storm, or if he would even be able to come home tonight. Higashi thought about calling him, but he doubted Sugiura would even be able to hear him over the downpour.
Before the thought of heading for Yagami's office could cross his mind, he heard the door open. Higashi turned around to see a drenched Sugiura standing in his doorway, carefully slipping off his shoes, carrying a bag full of takeout. "Made it," he called out, sounding a bit of out breath.
"About time you got home," Higashi said. He was relieved, though. Both because Sugiura was safe, and because he really wasn't looking forward to getting soaked.
Higashi also noticed that Sugiura's hoodie looked slight bulkier than usual, like he was hiding something inside it. But he quickly dismissed the thought, assuming that he was trying to keep some evidence, or something similarly important, dry.
"Is that really how you're gonna greet me?" Sugiura said, with a tired smile. He held the takeout up. "I even went out of my way to get dinner for us, and all I get is a 'about time you got home'?"
Higashi opened his mouth to snark back, but was interrupted by something...meowing? "What was that?"
"Nothing!" Sugiura said almost immediately. And he was almost immediately undermined by another meow, and some movement inside of his hoodie. "Hold on a sec, will you?" he hissed softly.
"Sugiura, what is..." Higashi trailed off as the movement continued, until a small, orange kitten poked out from the top of Sugiura's hoodie. Higashi crossed his arms and looked away. "You've got to be kidding me."
"I can explain," Sugiura said. "So I was staking out the cheating husband that Yagami had assigned me to, right? Well, at some point, she," he pointed to the kitten, who mewed in repsonse, "had found her way, somehow, in the pocket of my hoodie. I can't tell you how it happened. And then the storm started, and..." he trailed off, as if he were quickly losing track of the explanation he had constructed.
"That doesn't mean you had to bring her back here."
"She followed me home."
"You're carrying her in your hoodie," Higashi countered. Sugiura glanced around the room and made a half-hearted attempt at looking guilty, while the kitten seemed to be pleased, if the loud purring were any indication.
Higashi removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hand me the takeout, and get changed. You're not getting water all over the furniture."
Sugiura nodded and gave him the takeout, then carefully removed the kitten from his hoodie and set her on the floor before heading off toward the bedroom. The kitten stood still and stared directly ahead, dismayed over the absolutely terrible thing that had just happened. Higashi put his free hand on his hip and glared down at her.
"What, you think you're being mistreated now?" he asked. Which turned out to be the wrong thing to say, as in a flash the kitten darted toward him and launched herself at his leg. "What are...Get off of me!"
"What's going on out there?" Sugiura ran back into the room, wearing only a pair of sweatpants. His concern quickly turned into amusement, and he didn't quite manage to stop himself from snorting at the sight of the kitten trying to climb up Higashi's leg, screeching the entire time.
"I heard that," Higashi growled as he tried to pry her off one-handed, except her grip was a lot stronger than he had thought. "Come on, let go...Sugiura, get her off of me." He already knew from Sugiura's smirk that he wasn't going to get the answer he wanted.
"Nah, I think you can handle it. I need to finish gettin' changed." Sugiura returned to the bedroom, leaving Higashi to glare after him. With another heavy sigh, he slowly walked towards the table to set the takeout down. Hopefully any claw marks the kitten left on his pants wouldn't be too noticeable.
After managing to finally remove the kitten, Higashi held her up and said, "Don't think you're staying here after that."
She responded with a pitiful meow. Pitiful, but Higashi knew better than to fall for it.
He somewhat understood why Sugiura brought her home--the storm sounded like it was getting worse now--but that doesn't mean they were going to keep her. Not even remotely.
First, though, he needed to check on the takeout.
***
Fortunately, dinner had not been ruined by the weather.
Unfortunately, actually eating dinner quickly became more of a headache than Higashi was wanting to deal with tonight. When the kitten wasn't trying to climb up his leg for what felt like the hundredth time this evening, she was screaming her tiny head off. And Sugiura was absolutely no help, as he spent more time trying to hold back his laughter than helping reign in the mess that was his fault in the first place. Or even eating.
"You are not getting any of this," Higashi growled at her, and was met with another shrill meow in response. He turned towards Sugiura and asked, "You didn't happen to pick up any food for her, did you?"
"Now that you mention it, I might have stashed something away in..." he dashed towards the bathroom, where he had left his drenched clothes, and returned with a can of cat food. "Had to swing by Yagami's office to get this, the nearest Poppo was absolutely packed."
"Why would Yagami have..." Higashi started to ask before remembering, it's Yagami. Of course he would have some cat food just laying around his office. Honestly, it was more surprising that Yagami had kept the cat food in his office instead of on his person. How one leather jacket could hold so much stuff, Higashi would never know.
Regardless, the kitten has turned her attention entirely on the food, so he had no complaints there. And dinner actually became peaceful; Sugiura filled him in about the case he was helping Yagami with, and Higashi told him about the very few things that had happened at Charles today. He could feel his headache slowly fading away.
"So, I was thinking Blue," Sugiura suddenly said.
"Excuse me?" Higashi asked.
"For her name. Blue. What do you think?"
But she's orange, isn't she? Higashi thought before shaking his head. This was not the point he needed to argue. He needed to stop this before...before... "No."
"Alright, then." Sugiura leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. "So what name did you have for her?"
"I don't have a name for her because we are not keeping her," Higashi said.
"Why not?" Sugiura asked. "I didn't see a collar on her."
"That doesn't mean anything. Her collar could have been removed somehow." It wasn't the most confident answer Higashi could have given, and it was a longshot at best, but if it got the little brat out of his apartment...
Sugiura thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, Yagami might have mentioned something about having to look for someone's missing cat. But," he added, cutting Higashi off, "that doesn't mean this particular kitten is even the one he's looking for. Besides, do you really want to throw her back out in this weather?"
Another crack of thunder boomed out, this one much louder. And the rain sounded much louder as well.
Higashi rubbed the back of his neck. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he didn't feel comfortable just throwing the kitten back out in the storm. Maybe it'll clear up by tomorrow, he thought.
"Besides, she really seems to like you," Sugiura said with a smirk.
Higashi looked down and nearly jumped out of his chair when he saw the kitten, curled up in his lap, asleep. "What the...When did she--"
"Hey, not so loud. You don't wanna wake her, do you?" Higashi growled in protest, but Sugiura ignored him, standing up and making a big show of stretching. "Speaking of sleep, I think I'm gonna get some myself. I've had a long day, after all."
"What am I supposed to do with--"
"Don't worry, I'll clean up first. Don't wanna leave the food sitting out all night."
As Sugiura grabbed the takeout and went about cleaning up, Higashi stared at the kitten in his lap, shaking his head. How is this happening? How is this what my life has become? he thought.
"Good night, babe. Be a good pillow for Blue, now." Sugiura kissed Higashi on the cheek, then headed off towards the bedroom.
He couldn't believe this. Exiled to his own chair, in his own apartment. By a cat, of all things. He couldn't just let this stand, could he?
Higashi attempted to gently lift the kitten off of his lap, only to feel a set of claws sink into his leg. He looked down to see her slowly open her eyes into a glare.
Well.
Higashi recognized a warning when he saw one.
He slowly removed his hand and leaned back in his chair, growling under his breath. This was going to be a long night.