Chapter Text
At’s 12:45pm. Kirishima looked out of his office window. The steady rhythm of rain droplets hitting the window pane made Kirishima smile. He closed his eyes and exhaled a small breath. Maybe the gloomy weather and the dark clouds should make him feel sad, but the truth is the day had proven to be nice. No demanding emails, no complaining clients, no abrupt interruptions, no unnecessary meetings. All in all, an easy work day. Kirishima stood from his desk and lifted his arms above his head. A knock at Kirishima’s door caught his attention. Shindo entered the office and caught him midstretch.
“Hey dude, just reminding you that you can have my lunch if you wanted it.”
Kirishima smiled sheepishly at the announcement. Honestly, he doesn't even remember how it all started but for the past 3 months Shindo has allowed, and even encouraged, Kirishima to eat his bento lunches. And they were legit bento meals! Made with care and filled with small little details that one would find on blog posts. Fruits were cut into small shapes and once in a while there would be a decorated toothpick. Those were Kirishima’s favorite, they seemed silly and always made even the roughest days better. Still, he felt guilty about the whole situation. “Are you sure man?”
“Of course!” Shindo replied immediately. “I promise, you’re doing me a huge favor by eating them.” Shindo pulled out his phone as he spoke. “Katsuki throws a fit if I don’t…”
“Does he really?”
“Yes!” Shindo chuckled light heartedly. “Whoever said cat hybrids were low maintenance, lied.”
Kirishima joined with a small laugh. “Okay, yeah. Thank you.”
Shindo looked up from his phone and smiled. “No, thank you!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next few weeks passed by without much fanfare. Kirishima was in the staff lounge washing Shindo's bento box while humming a random song when he heard some commotion in the hallway. Camie probably brought her baby to the office for a visit because strings of awww could be heard. He hurried to finish soaping up the box, he wanted to see little Emi, she always made the cutest faces when she saw him.
“Uff…” Kaminari groaned as he closed the door behind him. “Sorry about that…”
“About what?” Kirishima turned his head toward the lounge door expecting to see his coworker, instead he was met with blond fluffy hair, fine pointed ears, and the most intense fiery red eyes he had ever seen. A true cat hybrid. Wow. No wonder everyone was excited.
“It’s fine…” the hybrid responded at the apology that was clearly meant for him.
“Oh, Kirishima!” Kaminari said when he noticed what had Katsuki’s attention. “Have you seen Shindo?”
“Uh…” Kirishima turned completely around and held the compartments of the bento box in his hands. Drops of water and bubbles dripped to the floor as he spoke. “He went out for lunch with Inasa..” Kirishima noticed the way Katsuki’s eyes drifted down to the bento box. Shit, he was getting water everywhere! Quickly, Kirishima tossed the bento pieces into the sink and wiped his hands absentmindedly over his slacks. “Should be back any minute though…”
Kaminari hummed in thought. “Okay, come on Katsuki, I’ll take you to his office and you can wait for him there..”
Katsuki’s eyes slowly moved back up to meet Kirishima’s, then they narrowed on him. “Fine.”
Kirishima swallowed nervously. Kaminari walked past Kirishima toward the other end of the lounge and Katsuki followed him. When Katsuki was next to Kirishima, Kirishima noticed how the hybrid’s attention focused on the sink. Then, Kirishima was left standing alone.
That was intense. Shaking off the uneasiness, Kirishima returned to the task at hand and began rinsing the bento compartment. He had never felt anything like he did just then, like he was being scrutinized, like Katsuki was scanning him, looking for an opening, an opportunity to attack, he felt like prey. Grabbing a few paper towels Kirishima continued to think about what had just happened. Katsuki was the first cat hybrid he had ever seen up close and he was beautiful. Dog hybrids were more common but Katsuki seemed quiet and reserved and he carried a certain elegance to him which was spellbinding. Drying the bento box Kirishima began to wonder what Katsuki could possibly need from Shindo, their procurement officer. What would a cat hybrid need with…..
Oh no. Oh no.
“Oh shit!”
Kirishima speed walked his way back to his office which required him to pass Shindo’s office. He could hear Katsuki talking to his owner but the tone was light. Maybe Katsuki didn’t realize that his owner was giving away the bento boxes that he’d no doubtly made with care.
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The next day was sunny and bright, but Kirishima couldn’t help but feel guilty. As the hours passed he had resigned himself to go to the corner convenience store and grab a quick bite. Meal prep had not gone according to plan the night before which made him realize just how much work went into making Shindo’s bento lunches.
“Hey man!” Shindo’s voice sliced through Kirishima’s thoughts. “Left my lunch on the bottom shelf….”
“Oh…”
“Katsuki said he made it extra special today…”
Guilt flooded Kirishima’s senses. “Why don’t you eat it?”
“It’s a nice gesture but honestly, I prefer take out.” Shindo shrugged his shoulders. “If you don’t want it then I’ll just toss it..”
“No.” Kirishima said, trying his best to hide his annoyance. How could anyone throw out food that was made with them in mind? “I’ll have it, thanks..”
“No man, thank you!”
Shortly after Shindo left, Kirishima released a small breath. He made his way to the staff lounge, opened the refrigerator door and spotted the bento box on the bottom shelf. Trying not to overthink the situation again, he scooped up the box and left for his office. The last thing he needed was for Katsuki to make another unannounced visit and catch him red handed in Shindo’s food.
Finally back in the safety of his office, Kirishima stared down at the bento box on his desk. He was almost afraid of opening it. It was like he was opening something forbidden. Katsuki had made this lunch special….with Shindo in mind, and here he was about to eat it. Still, it was better than it going to waste so, delicately he pulled off the lid. He furrowed his brows when he saw a transparent snack bag on top of the food. There was a piece of paper inside, a note from the looks of it. Biting his lower lip, Kirishima made the executive decision to open the bag. If it was something personal, he’ll just lie and tell Shindo he hadn’t bothered to open it. The whole ordeal quickened Kirishima’s heartbeat. Was this some sort of adoption anniversary lunch? Those were common. Maybe a more intimate anniversary? Relationships between hybrids and humans were common. Was Katsuki Shindo’s partner? Kirishima shook his head. Maybe but hopefully not. Maybe it was a birthday lunch? Was it Shindo’s birthday? Shit, maybe he should get him a card or something. Kirishima was careful to unfold the paper from the bag and he groaned softly at the note.
‘How long have you been eating my owner’s food?’