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When Aoyama invited Ichigo over to spend the night at his house, she wasn’t sure how to respond. She wanted to, no doubt about that. But, knowing her father, Ichigo wouldn’t be allowed to go to school anymore, let alone a fifty kilometer radius of Aoyama. Her mother would probably be fine with it, albeit shocked. Shirogane would probably think it would be a bad idea. If the aliens attacked the city, Ichigo would have to find a way to get away from Aoyama and fight with the other Mew Mews. Every other time it happened, they were in public spaces. Naturally, Ichigo could make up excuses in those situations. She wasn’t the best at them, but at least saying she got swept up in the chaos usually worked. This time, she didn’t have an easy way out.
Not to mention, she had been to Aoyama’s house before.
He didn’t know that, of course. But, Ichigo couldn’t forget that day even if she tried. Confused, not herself, and lost, Aoyama was the one silver lining to an otherwise horrible experience. Even then, his house wasn’t completely safe. She randomly turned back to a human, and then back to a cat again. Ichigo was pretty certain that wouldn’t happen if she spent the night, but she didn’t even know why she turned into a cat in the first place. If she turned into a cat, or at the very least her ears and tail popped out, what was she going to do?
Despite it all, Shirogane didn’t object when Ichigo brought it up to him at her shift. He just said he was glad she told him, and to keep her cell on her in case of an emergency. Even when Ichigo brought up about turning into a cat, Shirogane just replied with “It’ll be fine.”
That statement didn’t ease Ichigo’s anxiety, but she didn’t object to his response. With the Mew Project on top of school and chores, Ichigo barely had any time to be a normal girl. Her and Aoyama haven’t been on a real date since the day she met Shirogane. Their concert date was missed due to the aliens, and their schedules never lined up to have free time to do anything. Most people wouldn’t consider spending the night a date, but Ichigo was going to take whatever she could.
On the evening of the sleepover, Ichigo was nervous as Aoyama walked her home from Cafe Mew Mew. Pudding’s teasing smirks didn’t help keep her face from burning as red as her hair. Aoyama just chuckled at the entire exchange. “Your friends are really lively,” he told her. “They seem to be really close to you.”
Ichigo nodded. “Yeah! We know each other well from how often we work together.”
“That’s really nice.”
“I’m sure you understand it, too. It’s kind of like your kendo team.”
Aoyama pondered, thinking of his relationship with his teammates. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. But, I think I’m not as close to them as you are with your friends,” he admitted to her, a tad sheepish.
“I’m really glad you could come over,” he said after a pause, keeping his eyes away from Ichigo. Cheeks burning, he kept his eyes away from her.
Ichigo’s eyes widened a bit, surprised to hear him say that. Aoyama didn’t talk about himself very much. There was a lot she still had to learn about him, and part of her hoped she could learn a bit more tonight.
Once the two approached his home, Ichigo’s nerves crept up. Silently, she followed him inside, acting as natural as she could. After taking off her shoes, she peered into his home. His parents …
“It’s just us,” he said, almost as if he could read her mind. “My parents are on a work trip.”
Suddenly, a growl was heard around the corner, sending a shock down Ichigo’s body. That growl … she forgot about him!
Chuckling, Aoyama knelt down, getting closer to the source. “And Lau. But he’s a good boy, so don’t worry!” He turned to the small dog, letting the hound lick his face. “I didn’t forget about you, boy.”
Lau’s tail wagged at an incredible speed, happy to see his owner home. Ichigo had to admit, seeing him so excited with a smiling Aoyama was an adorable sight to see. She never had a pet before, so she had no idea what the bond between a pet and an owner was like. But, seeing Aoyama and his dog warmed her heart.
Until Aoyama stepped away to fill his food bowl.
The second Aoyama left the room, Lau’s grin disappeared from his face and he started growling at Ichigo. Caught off guard, Ichigo jumped, moving towards Aoyama’s couch and pulling her feet off the floor. Why doesn’t he like me?! Was Lau able to tell Ichigo was part cat? What was she supposed to do?!
Lau was so busy antagonizing Ichigo, he barely noticed Aoyama coming back to the living room. Aoyama raised an eyebrow seeing Ichigo curled in fear on his couch, but then saw how she was looking at Lau.
“Oh, are you afraid of dogs?” he asked her. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you beforehand.”
Ichigo shook her head. “It’s fine! I’m just worried he doesn’t like me.”
“Lau is a good dog. He’s friendly. But if he makes you nervous, I can keep him in another room.”
Hearing that, Lau started whining and pawing at Aoyama’s leg. He was begging to stay out with him and to not be alone. Smiling softly, Aoyama knelt down to scratch under Lau’s chin. “It’s only if Ichigo says you scare her. Let her see what a good boy you are.”
She felt the daggers again.
Still curled in the couch, Ichigo hesitantly looked over at Lau. She didn’t mind having him out here if he was nice. But the last time she was over …
“He can stay.”
With her permission given, Aoyama let Lau stay out with the humans. Joining her on the couch, Ichigo was especially ready to lean close to Aoyama. At school, she could never get close enough. All she wanted was to feel the warmth of his arm against hers as they sat close together…
So why was he fuzzy?
Before she knew it, Lau had already jumped on the couch in between them, half of his body in Aoyama’s lap. Was this dog really trying to get in between her and Aoyama?
Figuring it was best to let Lau do what he wants, Ichigo sat as she did, looking at Aoyama before she began talking. “Lau seems to like to cuddle! Does he sit in your lap often?”
“Actually, he usually doesn’t,” Aoyama said, surprised by his dog’s behavior. “But he does sleep in bed with me at night.”
Ah, so they wouldn’t share a bed tonight. As much as Ichigo dreamt about it, she definitely didn’t think they were at that point in their companionship. Until she figured out how to keep her ears under control, and how to stop herself from turning into a cat, she didn’t want to take any chances in the middle of the night again.
“Oh, that’s right,” Aoyama said aloud as he remembered something. “Lau, no bed tonight. Ichigo is sleeping there.”
Lau whined again, looking up at Aoyama as if he was pleading Please can’t I sleep in the bed? His big puppy eyes stared down to Aoyama’s soul, but the owner seemed unfazed. “You have your own bed,” he countered, motioning over to the dog bed at the side of the room. Still not liking the news, Lau slumped in Aoyama’s lap, letting out a deep huff of a sigh.
Ichigo giggled to herself. What a spoiled dog, she thought.
It seemed that Aoyama wasn’t the only one reading her mind tonight, as Lau laid his head sternly in Aoyama’s lap, intense eyes staring Ichigo down. She felt like she was being searched for by a T-Rex, and if she moved she would be attacked.
Aoyama, somehow, was oblivious to most of this. As the two of them went to the kitchen to make dinner, Lau kept doing small things to Ichigo. He would sit on her feet so she couldn’t move, steal her food when she wasn’t looking, he even peed on her shoes! Enough was enough, and Ichigo couldn’t take it any longer. Even though she was excited to spend the night and have alone time with Aoyama, she was ready for bedtime just so she could get away from this canine.
Excusing herself to the bathroom, Ichigo changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth, letting out all of her steam before she hit the hay. Once she fell asleep she wouldn’t have to worry about that dog, and she could spend some time with Aoyama in the morning before heading home for the weekend.
At least, that’s what she thought.
Entering Aoyama’s bedroom, Ichigo saw Lau already taking up the entire bed. He wasn’t just laying on it, but he was stretched out wide, taking up the entire mattress, and leaving no room for her.
That’s it, she couldn’t hold her tongue anymore. “You know if you take up the bed like that, that I get to be the one who sleeps with Aoyama tonight!”
Ears perking back, Lau crouched his head. Ichigo couldn’t tell if he was angry or ashamed, but at the very least, he curled his body enough to give her a place to sit on the bed. Grumping, she plopped on the empty edge, crossing her arms at the dog. “Why don’t you like me?” she asked. “Why have you been playing tricks on me all night?”
Being a dog, Lau couldn’t talk, but he did express with his eyes how he felt. As he had been all night, he looked at her angry, a low boof slipping past his teeth.
Still not satisfied, Ichigo continued. “All I wanted was to spend a nice evening with Aoyama, but you kept getting in the way! I’m the guest, but you weren’t hospitable at all! I couldn’t even pet you without being afraid you would bite my hand off!”
Lau started to growl more at her, raising to his legs. This just got her even more upset. “What am I doing to make you not like me?!”
This time, Lau started barking at her. The more aggressive each other got, they just fed off of each other. What was weird to Ichigo was how Lau’s barking seemed to get louder and louder each time, but Aoyama was nowhere to be seen. Couldn’t he hear any of this? Where was he?
Before she knew it, Ichigo was eye to eye with Lau, her own teeth baring in response to his infectious aggression. She really tried to not let her stubbornness or her short temper get the best of her, but under pressure, her brain works on autopilot and gets her into sticky situations.
Suddenly, Ichigo noticed how large Lau seemed. Turning her head to look up at him, she kept her eyebrows furrowed, her fang teeth nearly permanently sticking out of her mouth. “What did I ever do to you?!” she asked.
“You’re taking my human away!”
What?
Why…why did Ichigo understand him?
Looking down, Ichigo saw black furry paws. Behind, she was met with a tail attached to a furry, small body. Peeking over the edge of the bed, it seemed taller than before. Her worst fear came true. Ichigo had turned into a cat at Aoyama’s house. Again.
“I knew you were that cat from before!” Lau barked at her, literally. Why were dogs so loud?
“It’s not like I want to be a cat! I’m a human!” she hissed back.
“If you were a human you wouldn’t be a cat right now!”
“It’s a long story, nya!”
Sighing, Ichigo sat on her hind legs, energy leaving her small cat body. Arguing with a dog really tires someone out…
“I am a human, but my body got hit with this weird light, and now sometimes I turn into a cat if I get too overwhelmed,” she explained, although Ichigo was talking more to herself than to the dog on the other side of the bed. “Sometimes I get ears and a tail if I get too excited. Usually it happens when I get really close to Aoyama… I hate hiding it from him. But if I tell him the truth, he’ll hate me and think I’m a freak…”
At this point, Lau had his teeth hidden, his body not as tense anymore. He was still on all fours, but at least he seemed like he wasn’t going to pounce on Ichigo anytime soon.
“Why are you taking him away?” Lau asked.
Ichigo tilted her head at the dog, her ears wiggling in confusion. “I’m not taking him away. I just want to spend time with him. He’s my boyfriend after all!” Even as a cat, she blushed. Though they haven’t been an official couple for long, Ichigo still blushed at the thought that Aoyama was actually her boyfriend.
“But you are taking him away!” Lau argued. “Ever since he started talking to you, he isn’t home as often! The big humans are gone all the time, and my human is sad and alone! He needs me to feel happy!
“And now he isn’t home that much, so I’m all alone all day without anyone!”
Ichigo stared at Lau in shock. Now she understood. Lau didn’t dislike her because she was a cat—at least, that wasn’t the main reason. He didn’t like her because Aoyama spent more time with her, and Lau was stuck in the house by himself.
“You must be sad when no one else is home,” Ichigo guessed, her voice full of sympathy.
Sitting on his hind legs, Lau looked down and nodded. “We don’t even have time for walks most days anymore…”
She stepped closer to Lau, testing the waters on his boundaries. “Lau, I’m sorry. Aoyama never told me about having a dog. If I knew, I would tell him he should spend time with you, too.”
Not fully acknowledging her statement, Lau continued. “That’s why I like to sleep in bed with him every night. It’s the most time we get to spend together.”
Stepping even closer, Ichigo took it one step at a time until she was under Lau’s chest. Once she knew he was alright with her being so close, she cuddled up under his legs and nuzzled close to him. “If it’s okay with you, I would like to be your friend.”
Lau’s ears went straight up, his snout going downward to face the kitten in his lap. “Really?”
Ichigo nodded. “You really care about Aoyama, and I know he loves you. And anyone important to Aoyama is important to me, too.”
Reluctantly, Lau nuzzled his snout against Ichigo’s head. “Are you sure you’re not really a cat?” he asked.
“I promise I was born a human. But even if I wasn’t, cats and dogs don’t always have to be enemies. I want to be your friend, Lau.”
Laying on his belly to cuddle closer to the kitten, Lau laid his head gently next to Ichigo’s. “I’ll be your friend, too.”
Ichigo started purring softly, cutely mewing and snuggling against Lau. In return, Lau snuggled back and his tail wagged lightly, not too much to disturb the comfy creatures. The vibrations of the purrs and tail wags weren't distracting, but comforting. It was like white noise, ASMR, or a massage chair. Nature of animals was something Ichigo didn’t fully understand, but it was something she was really glad to experience in this moment. Even as a human, this was one of the small things about the planet she wanted to protect. Small happinesses that got us through the tough times, like cuddling with a loyal dog.
“Lau? It’s bedtime, come boy!”
Aoyama peered down the hallway, Lau nowhere to be found. Ichigo wasn’t in the bathroom, and Aoyama hadn’t seen her or Lau for over twenty minutes.
“That’s odd. Where is he?”
Knocking on his bedroom door softly, Aoyama called out for Ichigo’s permission to enter. When he didn’t hear a response, he slowly opened the door, surprised at what he found.
Before him, he saw a sight that warmed his heart. Ichigo, dressed in super cute pink pajamas, was asleep on his bed, with Lau snuggled up and asleep right next to her. He couldn’t help but smile at the view. Lau looked the happiest he’s been all day, and looked extremely comfy. Ichigo, despite her anxiety with Lau earlier, looked at bliss. Her smile was radiant even as she was asleep. She was absolutely energetic and beautiful. There was never a moment Aoyama thought otherwise. Yet, something about this view told him that he was right, and that he was right from the first time he ever saw her smile. The time that he fell for her, and truly felt happiness for what felt like the first time in his life.
Tiptoeing over to them, Aoyama scratched Lau behind the ears, and then brushed stray strands of hair out of Ichigo’s face. Tracing his finger over her cheek as he pulled away, he felt so warm inside. “My kitty,” he whispered before giving her a gentle pat on top of her head. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her forehead. But he wanted their first kiss—their first real kiss—to be when they both were awake. He couldn’t bring himself to do even a small forehead kiss without her knowing. Aoyama cared for her too much to do even that without her permission first.
“Goodnight, Ichigo. Goodnight, Lau.”
With that, Aoyama quietly left the room, leaving his two beloved companions to have a peaceful night’s sleep. And the two slept pleasantly while cuddling the entire night.