Infectious

ch. 10

Chapter Ten;;- [name] & Her Cats

[name]'s days off were few and far between, now that she had taken up teaching at Yuuei. She didn't mind, most of the time, because work kept her busy and she would prefer to be busy than bored, but the occasional day off did wonders for her. She liked being able to sleep for as long as her body will let her.

Which actually wasn't very long. She'd fall asleep around four, five if it was a bad day. The morning light would wake her up sometimes at around eight, but if it didn't, her body would wake itself up at about nine. Some days she got five whole hours! Compared to the peak of her insomnia, she was doing better than ever.

Although, her favorite thing about her days off was being able to spend time doing absolutely nothing, in her pajamas, with her cats. She had three, and they were spoiled lil' assholes but she'd be damned if she said she didn't love them.

Lounging on her couch with the television on a low volume while [name] ate a lazy breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs, Bebus was right beside her. Bebus was a Sphynx breed-- the bald, wrinkly cats that looked like raw chicken. She had two grey patches (one on her head and the other on her right hind leg) but the rest of her was a pale pink. Bebus was affectionate and loving to [name] and only [name]. She had a fierce sense of loyalty... for anyone that would give her food. She was getting some chub these days, but [name] hadn't noticed any health complications, so she thought it was alright.

Watching from afar was Meatball, an all grey British Shorthair, who shared Bebus' love of food. Only, Meatball was much more shy and reserved, so he didn't beg like Bebus did. In comparison, Meatball was skinnier (after you patted down his fluff) but it was really only because he was too timid to come up and request food like Bebus did. [name] winked at Meatball when she saw him watching. With her plate mostly cleared, she dropped a small piece of egg to both Bebus and Meatball.

"Where's Weird Bug?" She asked Meatball as she watched him gobble up the piece of scrambled egg she had given him. Meatball looked back up at her and meowed, making [name] smile.

Weird Bug was her third cat. He had a real name originally (Paul) but [name] abandoned it after she noticed what a wacky cat he was. Weird Bug (WB, sometimes) got his name fairly-- he was weird, and he liked to bring [name] bugs. [name] knew that the bugs were a sign of affection, which she loved him for, but there were only so many cockroaches you can almost step on before it starts to get just a little bit gross.

WB disappeared sometimes. He always found his way back, but that didn't stop [name] from wondering where he went everyday.

[name] strolled into her kitchen to wash her dish, Bebus following hot on her heals. Jumping onto the counter, Bebus mewed affectionately, trying to con [name] into letting her lick the dish. Bebus put a soft paw on [name]'s arm as she was about to put the plate under the running water.

Unable to contain her smile, [name] kissed Bebus on the nose. "Not today, Beb," She told her sympathetically, pulling her head away to actually wash the dish. Bebus responded with a despondent mew, making [name]'s smile grow.

With the dish washed, [name] returned to the living room. Immediately upon returning, [name] found a praying mantis' corpse sitting in her favorite chair. Weird Bug slithered between her legs, his sleek black coat gleaming as [name] squatted to stroke him. His eyes shut in pleasure and a soft purring emitted from his chest.

"Babe, that's so gross," She told him, scratching the top of his head.

WB opened his eyes again immediately, bright green irises glaring at [name] as if to ask her why she didn't like his gift. A sheepish smile touched [name]'s lips and WB sniffed loudly.

[name] knew that if she were alone in Japan without these three, life would be a lot lonelier. At the same time though, would the cats keep her occupied forever? Would she never yearn for something beyond the affections of an animal that doesn't understand the world outside her apartment?

But for now, they were her close confidants and her best friends, which more than she could ask for out of people apparently. And that was alright.

She didn't want anything else for now, she told herself, even if the bed was cold at night, even if the house was always so empty, even if quiet sometimes bothered her. She would be fine, she swore to herself.

a/n: this one is reeeaaally short compared to the other chapters but honestly it was totally a filler to put some time before the sports festival came around. you got to meet the reader's cats too! it's worth mentioning, i guess, that weird bug and meatball are both in english. bebus isnt a real word.