#muichiro

It stared at him with sleepy golden eyes, completely unbothered by his presence.

"...Is that comfortable?" he asked.

You looked up from the flower bed you had been tending and blinked. "Oh. Hi, Mui."

The cat stretched lazily, balancing itself without the slightest wobble.

"Oh, Mimosa?" You smiled as though having a cat as a hat was the most ordinary thing in the world. "She likes high places."

"I can see that."

For several seconds, neither of you spoke.

A rabbit suddenly hopped out from behind your legs.

Another followed.

Then another.

Muichiro counted six before he lost track.

"You have a lot of rabbits."

"I do."

"They're multiplying."

"No, these are just the ones outside today."

"...Outside today?"

You nodded innocently.

"There are more inside."

Muichiro stared.

Not because he disliked animals.

He simply had not expected your house to apparently function as a tiny sanctuary.

"You should come in," you said brightly. "Everyone is friendly."

Everyone?

Before he could ask what that meant, two fluffy cats wrapped themselves around his ankles.

A tiny white mouse poked its head out of your sleeve.

A green parakeet landed neatly on your shoulder.

Muichiro blinked once.

"...I think I'm surrounded."

"They're saying hello."

"They're very enthusiastic."

"They like calm people."

"I see."

The bird tilted its head before flying over and landing directly on Muichiro's shoulder.

It chirped happily.

"...Hello."

The bird chirped louder.

"I think it likes your voice," you giggled.

"I didn't know birds had preferences."

"They absolutely do."

The parakeet puffed up proudly, as if agreeing.

Muichiro reached up slowly.

The tiny bird rubbed its face against his fingers.

"...Soft."

"I know."

You smiled with unmistakable pride.

"They're all soft."

He looked around.

Cats lounged on windowsills.

Rabbits explored the yard.

A pair of guinea pigs squeaked from a little wooden enclosure.

Someone inside the house was ringing a tiny bell.

"...What's making that sound?"

"Oh."

You laughed.

"Probably Cinnamon."

"Who's Cinnamon?"

"My ferret."

"...You have a ferret."

"I have two."

He accepted that information with surprising ease.

Perhaps because after seeing a cat use your head as furniture, nothing else felt impossible.

You opened the door.

The moment Muichiro stepped inside, he froze.

It looked less like a house and more like paradise for small animals.

Shelves had climbing bridges for cats.

Little tunnels crossed the corners of rooms.

Bird perches sat beside sunny windows.

Rabbit beds were tucked neatly beneath tables.

Glass terrariums lined one wall, each decorated beautifully with plants and smooth stones.

Muichiro walked toward them.

Inside one was a tiny leopard gecko.

It blinked slowly.

"...Hello."

The gecko blinked again.

"His name is Marble."

"He looks thoughtful."

"I think he's just sleepy."

"I understand."

You smiled.

"So do I."

Another terrarium housed two small tree frogs.

Nearby rested a snake curled comfortably around a branch.

Muichiro looked at it for several moments.

"Does it bite?"

"No."

"It doesn't?"

"Only frozen mice."

"I am relieved."

"It also enjoys watching people."

Muichiro looked back.

"...It's watching me."

"It thinks you're interesting."

"How do you know?"

"I guessed."

"...Reasonable."

You laughed.

The sound made something warm settle inside his chest.

He found himself listening for it.

Almost immediately afterward, something climbed onto his foot.

He looked down.

A tiny hamster had escaped from somewhere and was trying very hard to climb his sock.

"...Hello."

The hamster continued climbing.

"It likes you."

"I haven't done anything."

"Exactly."

You crouched beside him.

"They trust gentle people."

Muichiro looked down at the determined little creature.

Very carefully, he picked it up.

It fit entirely in one hand.

It sniffed his fingers before stuffing an invisible snack into its cheeks.

"...Very small."

"His name is Chestnut."

"He seems busy."

"He always is."

Muichiro gently held the hamster while you prepared vegetables for the rabbits.

Soon he noticed something strange.

He felt...comfortable.

Usually silence surrounded him like mist.

People often expected him to fill conversations he did not know how to continue.

With you, silence felt different.

There was no pressure.

Only tiny squeaks.

Soft paws.

Quiet chirping.

The peaceful chewing of rabbits enjoying lettuce.

It was...nice.

Very nice.

"You've gone quiet," you observed.

"I was thinking."

"About what?"

"...This place."

You tilted your head.

"What about it?"

"It feels warm."

You smiled so brightly that he almost forgot what he had been about to say.

"I wanted it to."

You reached over to pet one of the rabbits.

"They all came from somewhere."

Muichiro listened.

"Some were abandoned."

He looked at the sleepy cat curled beside the fireplace.

"Some were injured."

He watched one rabbit missing an ear hop confidently across the room.

"Some were just lonely."

A little finch landed beside another bird, immediately fluffing against its companion.

"So I kept them."

"You kept all of them."

"I couldn't choose."

"...That sounds like you."

You laughed again.

"You make it sound like a personality flaw."

"I don't think it is."

"You don't?"

"No."

Muichiro looked around the room once more.

"They seem happy."

"They are."

"And you look happy."

You paused.

"So do you."

He blinked.

"...Do I?"

"You've been smiling."

"I have?"

"You have."

Muichiro touched his face as though checking whether you were telling the truth.

"...I didn't notice."

"I did."

You smiled softly.

"I like seeing you smile."

For some reason, that sentence stayed in his mind much longer than it probably should have.

Hours passed without either of you noticing.

You brushed rabbits.

He refilled bird feeders.

You cleaned terrariums.

He sat quietly while three cats claimed his lap.

Apparently he had become acceptable furniture.

"...I don't think I can move."

"You can't."

"Why?"

"The orange one is asleep."

"I noticed."

"And the black one was asleep first."

"I also noticed."

"The gray one is pretending."

Muichiro looked down.

The gray cat cracked one eye open.

It immediately shut it again.

"...You're right."

"I know my children."

"They're cats."

"They're still my children."

"I suppose they are."

You sat beside him.

A bunny climbed into your lap.

One of the cats reached over to place a paw on your hand.

Everything became very quiet.

Outside, the afternoon breeze rustled the leaves.

Inside, birds chirped softly.

Muichiro looked toward you.

"...Can I ask something?"

"Of course."

"Does it ever become overwhelming?"

You considered the question.

"Sometimes."

"You don't regret it?"

"Never."

Your fingers stroked the rabbit's ears absentmindedly.

"They rely on me."

You smiled at every little creature around you.

"And I like taking care of them."

Muichiro watched the way every animal seemed to relax when you were nearby.

Cats sought your lap.

Birds landed on your shoulders.

Even the snake calmly followed your hand inside its enclosure.

"They love you."

You looked surprised.

"I hope so."

"I think they do."

There was complete certainty in his voice.

"They trust you."

You looked down shyly.

"I love them."

"I know."

He hesitated.

"...I think that's why I like being here."

Your eyes widened just a little.

"You do?"

"It's peaceful."

He looked toward the sleeping cats.

"No expectations."

Toward the rabbits.

"No unnecessary talking."

Toward you.

"...Just someone kind."

Your cheeks became noticeably pink.

"I like having you here too."

Silence settled again.

Comfortable.

Gentle.

The kind that needed no explanation.

A tiny finch fluttered onto Muichiro's head.

You stared.

He looked up.

"...Something happened."

"You have a bird."

"I suspected."

"It likes high places too."

"...Like your cat."

"Exactly."

You laughed so hard you nearly scared the rabbit in your lap.

Muichiro found himself smiling again.

"You really are laughing."

"You have a bird on your head."

"I suppose I do."

"You look ridiculous."

"I probably do."

"You definitely do."

He reached up carefully.

The bird simply hopped from his head to his shoulder.

"...It refuses to leave."

"Congratulations."

"For what?"

"You've been chosen."

"I wasn't aware there was an application."

"There wasn't."

"I see."

Another rabbit hopped over.

Then another.

Within moments, five rabbits surrounded his feet.

"...This seems excessive."

"They're curious."

"I've become popular."

"You have."

A ferret suddenly poked its head out from beneath the couch.

It climbed directly into Muichiro's lap beside the cats.

"...There's another one."

"That's Cinnamon."

"The bell."

"The very same."

The ferret yawned dramatically before curling into a tiny ball.

Muichiro looked down at the collection of sleeping animals covering him.

Cats.

Ferret.

Bird.

Several rabbits refusing to leave his feet.

"...I'm trapped."

"You absolutely are."

"Will they move?"

"Eventually."

"When?"

You grinned.

"Maybe in an hour."

"I understand."

"You don't sound upset."

"I'm not."

He surprised himself with how truthful those words felt.

"I think..."

He paused.

"I don't mind staying."

Your smile softened.

"I'm glad."

The sun slowly dipped lower outside.

Golden light spilled through every window.

It painted the room in warm colors.

The birds quieted.

The rabbits settled into little fluffy piles.

Even the cats became sleepier.

Muichiro leaned back against the wall.

Without thinking, you leaned gently against his shoulder.

Neither of you spoke.

There was no need.

After a long while, you whispered, "You know..."

"Hm?"

"I was worried all the animals would scare you away."

"They didn't."

"There really are a lot."

"I noticed."

"I may have a tiny problem."

"I don't think it's a problem."

"You don't?"

"No."

He looked at you with the same calm expression he always wore.

"If having this many animals means I get to see you smile like this..."

His eyes drifted toward the cats sleeping peacefully across both your laps.

"...Then I think the house has exactly the right amount."

Your face immediately turned bright red.

"You can't just say sweet things like that."

"I can't?"

"Not without warning."

"I didn't know I needed one."

"You definitely do."

Muichiro thought quietly for a moment.

"...I'll remember that."

"You probably won't."

"Probably not."

You laughed once more.

The sound blended with the soft chirping of birds and the gentle purring of cats.

For the first time in a long while, Muichiro felt completely relaxed.

Not because of silence.

Not because of solitude.

But because he had somehow found someone whose kindness filled every corner of a home, every tiny animal, and now, without him even realizing when it happened, a quiet place in his heart as well.

BONUS:

It started with a sparrow.

You were watering the flowers outside when you heard a familiar knock at your door.

When you opened it, Muichiro stood there with his usual calm expression.

"...Hello."

"Hi, Mui."

He held out both hands.

Nestled carefully in his palms was a tiny sparrow with one wing drooping awkwardly.

"I found it."

You immediately softened.

"Oh, sweetheart..."

The bird didn't even try to fly away as you gently scooped it into your hands.

"I think it hit a tree."

"It did."

"You stayed with it?"

"I didn't want a cat to find it first."

You smiled.

"You did the right thing."

Something almost imperceptible relaxed in his shoulders.

After that, it became a habit.

One week it was an abandoned litter of newborn kittens wrapped carefully inside a clean cloth.

Another time it was a pair of baby rabbits whose nest had been disturbed after heavy rain.

Then came an exhausted dove, an injured squirrel, three mice, and somehow even a baby hedgehog.

Every visit began the same way.

A quiet knock.

You opening the door.

Muichiro standing there with another tiny animal.

"I found this one."

"You always do."

Eventually you couldn't help asking, "Do injured animals just...appear in front of you?"

He thought for a moment.

"I think I notice them more now."

"Because of me?"

He nodded once.

"You'd know what to do."

Your heart squeezed.

"You trust me that much?"

"I do."

Weeks later, Shinobu happened to pass by your home.

She blinked at the growing collection of tiny animal beds lining the porch.

Then she spotted Muichiro quietly building another one.

"...Tokito."

"Hm?"

"Is that your fifth rescue this month?"

He looked genuinely confused.

"I think it's the eighth."

From inside the house, you called happily, "Mui, the kittens opened their eyes!"

Without another word, he stood and walked inside.

Shinobu watched him go before smiling to herself.

"...So that's where all the lost animals have been disappearing to."

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! <3 If you want to request something, leave it in my inbox but read request rules first! Taglist is open for anyone to join, except for bots!

Credits to @saradika-graphics for the banners!