Chapter Text
The time had come to finally move across the country. Make a new life and have a fresh start. The job offering was what you'd been working so hard for, and very soon it would finally be yours. This was supposed to be an exciting time, but what could be holding you back? You weren't as happy for yourself as everyone else was for you. Something had changed.
A month before then, you were working at a small pet store. It was pretty easy going, and you loved animals with a burning passion, so life was pretty good. You enjoyed being alone with the animals and caring for them. There was only one downside to your job....
Some strange guy would stand across the street looking in the window of the store. He came in a few times a week normally, only to buy some cat food. He never said much to you, and always seemed more and more tense with each visit. He never responded much to the banter or small conversations you attempted to start besides as a nod or a small grunt. That was okay, though, you weren't much for socializing with strangers either.
But recently, he mostly just stood outside, looking in the window. It seemed like the more time passed, the more nervous he became to come in. As a result, his weird habit was born. If anyone would exit the store while he was out there, he'd run away like a rat. This happened only occasionally, but it bothered you when it did. The first time he did that, "Somebody's Watching Me" was playing in the store at the moment you noticed him. You assumed that he just came to look at the animals or something harmless like that. Considering all the cat food he bought, he must have been an animal lover....right? And it wasn't news to you that he was shy. Somehow, that self reassurance didn't help make it any less creepy.
It was another slow work day, the strange man was the only other person at the store, loitering in the back where the cat food was. You were busy feeding the animals, everything was generally peaceful as it usually was. At least, for the moment, it was. Suddenly, the door sounded like it was kicked open pretty hard, and it chimed loudly, thus breaking the silence. "H-hey, Karamatsu! Don't break the door!" Damn, just as soon as you started to enjoy the peace.
Two strangely familiar looking men entered the store. Both had resembling features, it was pretty clear they were twins. The only noticeable distinctions to you were their HUGELY different clothing. One had a stupid grin on that made him look punch-able with a simple red hoodie, and the other was striking an over dramatic pose in jorts, a tank-top with his own face (you gagged a little when you noticed that), ugly ass golden shoes, and sunglasses. Well, it's obvious which one decided to kick the freaking door in!
'Is he...really wearing that...?' Hopefully they weren't a gruesome twosome. You didn't wanna deal with any of this shit, it was Friday! With any luck, they wouldn't give you much trouble.
"Heh! It looks like..." the possible drama club member stated before taking off his sunglasses in a theatrical manner. "We're finally here...!" You looked around quickly. Is someone filming a movie in here....?
The red one huffed, "Yeah, after losing him and ending up at 7 different places in town, I think we finally found the place. Whew! I'm gonna need a nap after this... Haha! Hey, Karamatsu! Check it out! This cat looks like Totty!"
You sighed before putting on your work face, warmly greeting the two customers as you always do and offering your help with finding anything. They looked at you up and down really hard for what felt like forever and gave each other a smile. This doesn't look good...
Jorts put his sunglasses back on and smiled smugly as he approached you. "Heh! Hello, my lady! We are..." he, once again, took his sunglasses off in an unnecessary way and looked directly at you while continuing, "Love doctors!" Why put the sunglasses back on when you just took the damn things off?! This made you uncomfortable.
The red one stepped in front of Jorts and corrected "What he MEANS is yes, we need some help!" You let out a small sigh, partially relieved that whatever topic Jorts tried to start was quickly dismissed. You asked them what it was they needed help with.
"Well~", the presumably normal one chimed as his expression slowly but surely shifted from innocent to demonic. This also made you really uncomfortable. "Have you seen our little brother Ichimatsu? He looks like us, but his hair is messy like a huge guinea pig's ass hair. Also, he's purple."
That was a horrible description.
The dramatic one continued, "He also has a burning passion for felines, as well as a very... unique aroma that's-"
You didn't pay much attention to the rest of the monologue because it instantly clicked. That strange man that came around often was their brother! That explained why they seemed vaguely familiar to you! Then your thoughts drifted to the concern for their parents, having such an seemingly stressful set of triplets.
When you stopped spacing out, which was a few minutes later, you realized Jorts was STILL talking, as well as striking a new pose. "And now I keep looking for something I can't get. Broken hearts lie all around me, and I don't see an easy way to get out of this!"
It sounded like he wasn't even talking about his brother anymore! What WAS he talking about?!
"Yeah, that... Anyway!" The red guy stopped him before he could continue. "Have you seen anyone around here like that?"
"Yes, he comes here quite often, actually. He's in the back right now." You nodded, pointing to the aisle you saw him go into a short while ago. Obviously, the aisle that contained the cat food.
"Oh~, is that so," Red wiggled his eyebrows. Somehow you felt like you were helping convicts do something they weren't supposed to.
"Well, Ms. What's-your-name..."
He waited for you to correct him, looking at you expectantly. You didn't really want to introduce yourself to them, but you didn't want to be rude either. So much for these two not giving you trouble. You let out a sigh "...It's (Y/N)."
"Ms.(Y/N)~, could you maybe help our brother out? He, uh..." Red looked over to his brother, looking for the right words to say. Jorts picked up on this right away and finished the sentence.
"He still hasn't found what he's looking for! You see, he's at a crossroad at this moment. Deciding on what-"
"Kind of cat food to get," Red interrupted.
"Uh...Right! He's on a mission to find the best nourishment-"
"It's for his picky cat friend! That's allergic to cat food!" Wait, how?!
"T-that's right! A-"
"And he has diarrhea! He's pretty fat too." Woah, that escalated.
"...Yes! We need a cure for all his ailments! A miraculous remedy! However, our brother can sometimes be...."
"Shitty."
"The word I was looking for was 'reclusive'...!" Jorts seemed to be losing his patience with the constant interruptions from Red Guy. You wondered why he asked Jorts for help if he already knew what to say. Your suspicions of this guy being an asshole grew yet.
He cleared his throat awkwardly to regained his composure before continuing, "Heh! As I was saying! The enchanting eyes of an elegant lady make him uneasy. He cannot cry out the necessary words to reach you. However, his overweight friend is holding out for a hero! Yes, he is not long for this cruel world without your aid. We need you, our Angel, to help our brother overcome his trying obstacle and guide him! His companion's beautiful and prosperous life is in your caring hands."
That sudden speech made you the most uncomfortable you had been yet. It was a generally normal question at least, (even though their order was crazy). That explained why that man always came by and looked so anxious. (Although, it didn't fully explain why he stood across the street...)You wanted to help them to the best of your ability, for the sake of the cat and easing the mind of his troubled owner.
To make it easier to refer to the cat instead of just calling him 'the cat', you asked, "What's the cat's name?"
They both responded at the same time, but said completely different things. "Heh, Fur Real!" "Pussy."
They exchanged a look of confusion to the other before the Red one quickly turned back to you and corrected, "His name's... Totty!"
"Yes! Totty!"
All this uncertainty was obvious, and it was really confusing you. There was a tinge of doubt this cat even existed considering they talked about it as if they were making it up and didn't agree on the name, but you didn't want to take any chances if they weren't lying and were just idiots. And really, you couldn't think of anything they could gain out of lying like that. Unless it was a half-baked prank, but if that's the case, they didn't plan it very well.
You agreed to help and made your way to the back aisles. They followed a good distance behind, whispering to each other out of your earshot and occasionally chuckling. It was aggravating; you were almost positive they were talking about you. It really felt like they were just here to mock you, but you ignored them. It wouldn't take long to reach the section with the cat food given that the store was fairly small, so causing a scene would be pointless anyway. Still, you sped up your pace a little to reach the back faster.
Right where you last saw him, unmoved as a dead rock, 'Ichimatsu' was there staring at the ground, looking lost in thought. His ever red brother called out to him in an annoyingly playful tone, "Oh Ichimatsu~?"
Immediately, he jolted as if they walked in on him in the restroom. He turned to you and his troublesome brothers, making an expression more emotional than you'd ever seen from him. It was a mixture of spite, surprise, and a lot of fear. All along with his mouth hanging agape.
A tense moment of silence passed before he swallowed hard and grumbled, "What are you two doing here...?!" The atmosphere felt like a scene from a horror movie where someone dies. Maybe you WERE actually helping them do something illegal. Before anything bad could happen, you decided to get their focus on you by clearing your throat.
You were a little scared to pull all the attention to you in this tension, especially since this man made you a little uneasy. Nonetheless, you didn't want any trouble to start, so you spoke up. "Um... Sir... I heard about your 'Totty'. Is there any way I can help...?"
His expression changed to a mixture of confusion and concern. "....What? Totty...??"
"If you want," you continued, "I could help you find something he's not allergic to. And something for his, uh...'stomach problems'... and dietary problems... and everything else..."
His only response was "Haaah...?" as he tilted his head in complete confusion, almost scared that he didn't know what you were talking about.
The red one spoke up again, moving in to stand in between you two. "Oho~, that sounds great! Right, Ichimatsu? It'll probably take a looong time to find 'non-cat food' cat food and whatever else we told her, but this cute girl is willing to help you! Aren't you a lucky guy?" He patted Ichimatsu on the shoulder cordially, which didn't seem to relax him in any way.
Jorts had a tear in his eye, and sniffled "Heh! Truly an angel!"
Their remarks towards you made you really uncomfortable, but you weren't paying much attention to them. You were watching Ichimatsu, wondering if you'd done anything wrong. He looked flustered with rage and embarrassment at the same time. He grit his teeth but didn't say anything. You expected some kind of outburst until eventually he grabbed his brothers by their shirt collars and started to drag them out of the store.
"Woah, hey! What'd we do??" The red one defended, although clearly apprehensive.
Ichimatsu dismissively grunted in response.
Red ignored him and turned to Jorts, trying to talk quietly enough so you wouldn't hear. "...Hey, Karamatsu, our little brother has pretty good taste, am I right?"
"Heh! She's all you'll ever want. She's the kind I'd like to flaunt and take to dinner!"
Before you could hear anything else, he pulled them out the door and slammed it behind him, leaving you alone in the heavy atmosphere. The only sounds now coming from the animals.
Everything happened so fast, all you could think to yourself was ".....What was that all about...?"