How Rei Convinced Inko to Let Her Get a Job

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Inko Kōsetsu was not a woman who got angry often. In fact, she rarely was even unhappy. She preferred to keep herself on the happy side of life, and be as positive as possible. But when her boss contacted her to tell her that she would have to work for a full three hours of overtime the next day, and “Sorry, but we can't pay you for it,” she was livid. To make things worse, the man had the audacity to cut three weeks off of an already short deadline, with absolutely no warning whatsoever. She already worked far more hours than was even legal, and for barely enough to support her wife and son. Hell, she rarely got home before midnight most nights, and left the house before 09:00. She knew that Rei wanted to help her, and wanted to work to get some money to improve their lives. But she couldn't. The poor woman was, as much as Inko hated to use the word, broken. She was hardly even able to go outside and get on a train without having a mental breakdown. There were too many people, and she never felt safe. So she stayed at home, taking care of their son, Izuku. Sweet little Izuku, the boy who would never hurt a fly, but was bullied for having two mothers as opposed to the usual one. Inko sighs quietly to herself as she unlocks the apartment. They weren’t in the best shape, but they were family, and pretty much all they had.

In any case, she swallows her anger toward her boss, opens the door to her apartment, and is immediately greeted by a chorus of meowing and purring, quickly followed by Izuku’s whoops of joy. “Momma’s home, Momma’s home!” he cheers, rushing up to her and grabbing onto her leg. Inko just chuckles and reaches down to pat his head as the family cats start to swarm around her legs.

“Yes, Yes, I’m home, sweetie. Do you mind fetching Mommy for me? I need some help cooking dinner tonight, I’m very tired.” She crouches down, and sets down the grocery bag in her hand, in favor of scooping up one of the four cats at her ankles, stroking its sleek, solid black fur as Izuku rushes off towards the bedroom. “Hey there, Yukitama. Did you miss me as much as they did?” she asks the cat, not expecting any sort of answer from the animal. Obviously, he was a cat, he couldn't speak. It still felt nice to imagine his little trill of comfort as a response after a long day. Of course, she wasn’t lonely, or in need of any sort of comfort, she already had that. But a little extra never hurt anyone, now did it?

Speaking of comfort, she looks up from Yukitama to see none other than her amazing wife stepping out of their shared bedroom down the hall. Their son followed after, but he wasn’t visible for long. He knew his mothers were likely to get a bit kissy, and he was at that age when all of that was gross. He rushes under down and across the hall, and into the living room, jumping onto the couch and flicking on the TV. A quiet mewl prompts Inko to set Yukitama down, and he slinks off after the youngest Kōsetsu.

One warmth in her arms is quickly replaced by another, though this one is far bigger, and definitely not fluffy. Well, maybe a bit fluffy, but not in the same way. Her vision is obscured by silk-smooth, white hair, and Inko feels arms wrap around her, and a chin resting on her shoulder. A gentle, cool breath blows past her ear, and she shudders a bit at the feeling, barely even noticing the quiet, low words that it carries.

“Welcome home, love. I missed you,” comes the quiet whisper, almost inaudible due to the cats and their incessant purring. Inko’s arms sneak their way around her wife’s waist, and squeeze gently. She plants a quick kiss on Rei’s cheek, and melts into the warmth of her embrace. Even after being together for nearly 7 years, Inko could never stave off that feeling of utter joy that washed over her when she and Rei hugged, or when she woke up in the mornings with her white-haired lover on the other side of the bed. It was one of the few constants in Inko’s life, and she was beyond glad for it.

“I missed you too, my snowstorm,” she responds with a light laugh, before pulling back to look at the beauty in her arms. “Though, you could have just called me, if you missed me so much. I do have my phone on me all day.”

“I know, but it isn’t the same. I like to see your face when I talk to you,” Rei returns, pouting slightly. “It’s a lot prettier than the bedroom wall. Or Yukitama, or Yuriko, or Inei, or any of the other cats. And don't even start about video chat, you know that makes me nervous.” The taller woman pulls back an arm to point at Inko.

Inko just giggles and smiles, pressing another kiss to her wife’s cheek. “You’re such a dork, Rei. There aren’t really any other options. Unless you and Izuku want to follow me to work everyday.”

Rei levels a slight glare at her love, and folds her arms over her chest. But, she doesn't retaliate, and the glare only stays for a second before dissolving into a grin. “Fine, I’ll call you next time. Maybe I can finally get Izuku to memorize your number.”

“You do that, honey. Now, let’s get started on dinner, shall we? I got you two’s favorite!” She grabs the discarded grocery bag, and opens it up for her wife to view the contents. Inside are some simple cuts of pork, a bit of broth in a cardboard carton, a bag of rice, and an array of vegetables. “Pork katsudon!” She smiles as Rei’s face lights up, and Izuku’s head appears in the doorway to the living room with a cheer.

Thirty minutes of Inko cooking and the other two providing small bits of support later, the entire family is sat at the dinner table, and the clatter of plates and bowls fills the room in between bits of conversation. Inko has to remind both wife and son not to feed the cats human food, they have their own. And of course, she has to hold her own against the puppy eyes that are locked onto her from two different fronts. Fortunately, the looks don't last long, before the pair is digging in to the food. That’s good, she probably couldn’t have held up for long.

Dinner continues uneventfully, and the family is quick to finish. The two mothers put Izuku to bed, and head into the family room to watch TV before bed. Inko settles down on the couch next to her wife, and they lean into each other with twin sighs of comfort. They both loved their son, but it was nice to have moments where they were just alone with each other, nothing to distract them. Sure, the cats were there, but they wouldn’t interrupt anything. They were more than happy to just curl up next to the loving couple, all in one big ball of fur and fluff. “Gods, it’s been so long since we could just do this,” Inko purrs, as her head comes to rest on Rei’s shoulder.

“It really has,” Rei responds, snuggling into Inko’s side with a grin. “You know, I could get a job online or something. I want to help you out, you’ve been working so hard for us. And you’re so terribly stressed, I can see it in your eyes.” Her smile morphs into a frown as she pulls back and cups Inko’s cheek in her hand.

“It’s fine, love. I’ll manage.” In truth, Inko had grown up in a rather rough way, and had to provide for herself from a very early age. She was reluctant to let anyone do any work for her, and tried her best to keep others’ lives as stress-free and calm as possible. Unfortunately, it seemed that Rei was determined to help her out, whether she wanted her to or not.

“Nope. I’m going to start looking tomorrow morning. You need a break,” the platinum blonde replies, grabbing her wife and squeezing her tight again. “No arguing. We could use the extra money anyway, there's no good reason for me not to get a job.”

Inko opens her mouth to provide any reason she can think of, but a soft glare from her wife makes her stop. After a moment, she nods, and sinks into Rei’s satisfied hug. As much as she hated to admit it, she definitely did need a break, and Rei would force one on her if she didn’t take one soon. “I’ll call in to my boss tomorrow morning, and tell him I’m taking some time off, working from here. We can find you a job.”

They fall asleep a few hours later, cuddled in each other’s arms and covered in purring cats.