My Other Half

Part 9

"Alright! Thank her parents for taking care of you! I'll give you something to bring with you next time. You know, you should bring her here eventually." Your mother states, not bothering to look out towards the entrance, something you're exceedingly grateful for.

"Sounds good. Bye mum!" You call, pushing Chifuyu forwards so that you can pull the door closed behind you. "Oh thank god..." You let out a breath before turning towards an irked looking blonde.

"Your mum thinks I'm a girl?"

"A very cute, blond girl with very cute kittens." You nod, earning a blush while he was still disgruntled.

"What the hell?" he huffs as the two of you make your way down the metal staircase on the side of your building.

"Sacrifices must be made, sorry." You say, putting your hands together in a mock apology.

"What's in the bag?" Chifuyu asks, clearly deciding to change the subject.

"Oh!" You exclaim, pulling your bag onto your chest before opening it to reveal Kei's helmet. "I wore yours last time, so I figured I'd just grab Kei's. I'm sure he'd be happy to let me borrow it." You smile, watching as Chifuyu made his way to his bike.

"You know, we could walk to the pet shop." Chifuyu states as he pulls his keys out of his pocket.

"Please Chiiii." You ask, batting your eyes at him as he cringes away from you.

"Ew." He grumbles, earning a laugh from you.

"Please take me on a ride?" You continue to bat your eyes at him, his blush resurfacing.

"I already said yes on the phone!" He huffs, turning his attention away from you as he starts his engine.

You plop Kei's helmet onto your head, happy that the clasp is a lot more cooperative than Chifuyu's had seemed to be. You smile to yourself, gaze finding its way towards the sky.

"Keep an eye on us Kei." You murmur as Chifuyu turns towards you.

"What?" He calls, trying to speak to you over the engine.

"I'm ready!" You call back.

Chifuyu walks over to you, fingers brushing the hair away from your neck in favor of tightening the strap to Kei's helmet so that it fits your head better. He nods once he's satisfied, climbing onto his bike and kicking the stand back into place. He looks at you over his shoulder, offering you a smile that hits you right in the chest. What did you do to deserve such a sweet boy like Chifuyu walking into your life?

~

"What food are you feeding them?"

Chifuyu glances towards her, cat toys in his hand as he had been trying to deduce which toys Pey and Yang would play with and be happiest with.

"The red bag." He states, turning his attention back towards the toys in his hand.

His gaze flickers to the store clerk, who's eyes haven't left him since he walked in. She's got a permanent scowl etched into her features, lips pursed as if she has something right on the edge of her tongue that she desperately wants to say to him. She probably does, but he won't give her any reason to act on it. He should have just sent her in with a list.

"Chifuyu."

The first division vice-captain jumps as she grabs his arms. She's got a look of concern in her eyes as he set both the toys he'd been examining back on the shelf. He has enough toys at home that both Pey and Yang ignore in favor of scratching up his couch.

"You ok?" She asks, worry clear in her bronze hues.

Her braid's all messed up from both the helmet and the cool wind outside. He does appreciate the slight red that's taken over her cheeks because of the colder weather. He's not selfish enough to think that he has that effect on her, but he is selfish enough to enjoy it when it's standing right before him.

"Yea, I'm good." Chifuyu gives her a smile that has her huffing.

"Well, if you're good, could you help me pick out a cat treat? I've never had animals before. Kei and I begged but mum always said no. I'm totally lost here." She turns her attention back towards the shelf as Chifuyu's eyes catch on the clerk's once more.

She's still glaring at him, causing him to let out a soft sigh. Baji's sister turns towards him, pout on her lips as he reaches out to grab a bag of catnip.

"This stuff's fine. Here." Chifuyu hands her the treats before fishing into his pocket and pulling out a couple of bills of cash. "This should cover it. I gotta check something on the bike. Could you pass this stuff at the cash for me?"

She cocks her head at him, confusion mixed with concern passing through her expression. She nods, making her way towards the cash on her own as Chifuyu makes his way out of the small pet shop. The clerk's eyes follow him the entire way to the door and even for a couple seconds after he's left. He wishes that Baji had lived long enough to make his dream come true... because at least Chifuyu wouldn't feel like he was a criminal for wanting to feed his cats. Shaking his head, he makes him way towards his bike, burying his nose below his scarf to try and ward off the icy wind. His gaze narrows as he finds a pink sticky note wrapped around one of the handles, rubber band keeping it in place. He manages to peel the band off before unwrapping the note from his motorcycle's handle. He blinks at the note he finds waiting for him.

'You're next <3'

Chifuyu cocks his head at the letter in his hand. Both the pink paper and the heart at the end have him scratching at his head. It couldn't have been Baji's sister, cause he's had his eyes on her since they pulled up at the pet shop. Ruffling at his blonde hair, Chifuyu tries to take in his surroundings. It's a busy street, filled with couples and families alike. He can't seem to find anyone who looks out of the ordinary or suspicious in any way. That's annoying.

"God, that lady was so rude!"

Shoving the note in his pocket, Chifuyu turns towards her, eyebrow raised at her disgruntled appearance. She's got a plastic bag, his items packaged to make life a little easier. Instead of the pleased look that he remembers seeing in the pet shop as she eyed the puppies and kittens alike, her bronze eyes are narrowed in spite. He huffs out a gentle laugh as he pries the bags from her fingers, going to put them in the cargo bags strapped onto his bike.

"I mean, what the hell is her problem? What's it to her what our background is? I didn't think we'd get fucking IDed for buying cat food."

She throws her arms up, clearly annoyed by what had happened within the pet store. Chifuyu had hoped that the lady would be less volatile if it was Baji's sister that bought the cat food instead of him. Looks like there was no such luck.

"Well, catnip can really do a number on felines." Chifuyu musses, his entertainment only growing as she rolls her eyes at him.

"That lady had awful customer service. We're never going back." She huffed, crossing her arms angrily.

It's not the only pet store in town, something that Chifuyu had already taken mental stock of after feeling so uncomfortable within the woman's store. Then again, it's not something he's very worried about at the moment. Instead, he's more inclined to take in the harsh slant of her eyebrows as she gets angry for his sake. He takes in how she clenches and unclenches her fingers in an attempt to expend some of her anger, and he can't help but smile at her as she gives him shit for laughing at her when she's so utterly upset with the pet shop's service. He's never felt this way about anybody before, and though it scares him half to death, he's willing to ride this wave wherever it will take him. He just hopes that Baji is looking down on him with a smile and not spiting him for falling in love with his sister when they'd promised each other that she would stay away from Toman's world.