#enjoy<3

It starts with Harry.

He’s running around in the back garden as Regulus peeks outside to call him for dinner.

When Regulus calls him he comes bounding over the meadow, red cheeked and flushed and a little sweaty.

Regulus bends down to smack a kiss on his damp hair and presses a glass of water into his small hands.

Harry gulps half of it with vigor, breathing loudly and then puts it back down on the table with a thunk. “Uh- Paps.”

“Mhm?”

“Where’s Mochi?”

“Mochi?” Regulus hums, realizing he actually doesn’t know where their cat is, “I haven’t seen him in the house today.”

“Oh,” Harry makes, his brows drawing together.

Regulus’ chest tightens, “I’m sure he’ll be back by bedtime, pumpkin.”

The rest of the afternoon passes, the sun sets and Mochi still hasn’t shown.

Harry gets ready for bed worried but James makes up a bedtime story about adventure cats with supernatural powers and all’s well.

That is until it’s two days later and Mochi still hasn’t wound up yet.

Regulus gets actually concerned and quietly talks to James in bed at night about the possibility of Mochi having been hit by a car. James is optimistic though, gently stroking through his curls and kissing his forehead, reassuring Regulus that their cat will be back.

True to his fiancé’s word Mochi turns up just another day later. Safe and sound, no wounds or scratches and bonking his forehead against their legs like nothing was amiss.

Harry is ecstatic and Regulus sighs so heavy in relief he feels 10 pounds lighter—that is until Mochi keeps flitting back out into the garden, mewling loudly.

James and Harry go out into the yard to play on the trampoline, thinking their cat may just want some company out in the nice weather.

“I dunno, love,” James shakes his head, clambering down from the trampoline, “It sounds like something is bothering him. He keeps walking around, yelling at us.”

Regulus combs an errant strand of James’ hair back from his forehead, frowning slightly. He sighs, “It does seem like he wants something from us.”

Harry is still bouncing on the net, then he announces suddenly, “I think maybe he wants to show us something.”

James and Regulus exchange looks and then they help Harry put on his shoes again and start following behind a relentlessly meowing Mochi.

Their cat takes them out back towards the end line of their property to Monty’s old shed they don’t really use for anything.

Mochi squeezes right through a broken panel of wood inside, still meowing.

Regulus throws James a skeptical look but James just shrugs and rattles and yanks at the old door until it swings open.

That’s when Regulus hears it.

More meowing. Tiny, high mewling.

Baby kittens.

His eyes meet James in an instant as a small gasp elicits from Regulus’ throat, eyes widening in adoration and teeth digging in his lower lip, ridiculously excited.

James takes Harry up on his hip with a grin and nods Regulus to enter first.

With the help of the sunlight streaming in through the open door they find the little family in an instant.

The mom is a beautiful grey-ish tabby and there’s three little furballs attached to her stomach.

There’s one similar to Mochi with all black and white spots, another tiger striped one with an orangey undertone and then an entirely black one safe for one white spot around its ear that immediately has Regulus breaking out into coos.

Mochi runs around between Regulus’ legs all excited, screaming still, and he gently shushes their cat with head scratches. He bends down to say hello to the mom while James explains everything to Harry behind him.

It takes a few contemplative sniffs from mom before she takes a careful lick at Regulus’ finger. Mochi smells like them so Regulus is glad the mom realizes they’re family and not a threat.

Regulus beckons James and Harry over and pulls the latter between his spread knees, murmuring quietly, “These are Mochi’s babies, Harry, just like you are ours.”

Harry nods importantly, eyes fixated on the kittens.

“We have to introduce ourselves to the mom first though before we get to say Hello to the babies. Like this,” Regulus takes Harry’s hand in his and lets the female cat sniff him too.

Harry giggles when she licks him with her rough tongue and Regulus’ heart nearly bursts when she tilts her head into his little palm. James follows suit, stroking through Regulus’ curls with his other hand. It’s a marvelous moment shared between the three of them and Regulus desperately hopes that it’s going to stay a core memory in all their minds.

They run back to the house to get a pillowed basket and blankets for the mom and babies to transport back in. At the end of the day Regulus’ cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

Until James comes up behind him while brushing teeth, arms wrapped around his stomach and asks who they want to give two of the babies to.

Regulus thinks he must be clinically insane for the suggestion but he doesn’t say so just yet. He has to play his cards right here to get what he wants and what his little family clearly deserves despite whatever James may think for whatever obviously illogical reason.

So Regulus just shrugs and spits into the sink.

The next morning when Harry is already in kindergarden he grabs James on his way out to door to work.

He drapes himself all prettily against the door frame, purposly toying with the ring on James’ finger. “So,” he starts, “About the kittens.”

James already slips into a playfully skeptical expression, “What about them?”

Regulus clears his throat professionally, “After diplomatic discussions we found that there was no way for us not to keep them.”

“A-huh?”

Regulus huffs, “Yes.”

“Just between the two of you…” James prods, one brow raised.

“Yes.” Regulus’ expression is unwavering stone. He’s so standing his ground. Not budging. He’s a wall.

“All 3 of them?”

“They have names, to your information,” Regulus spits. Then adds in a more quiet voice, “Strawberry, Vanilla and Matcha.”

James only hums in return, but the corners of his lips are already curling with a badly concealed grin so Regulus knows they’ve as good as won.

“So,” he sucks his teeth, cocking his head and blinking up at his fiancé from under his lashes, “We’re gonna need a bigger car tree.”