Work Text:
It started with a seminar.
“Two whole days,” Kazutora muttered darkly, standing in Chifuyu’s apartment like he was preparing for war. “Two days away from Tokyo. From our turf. From Peke J.”
“We’ll be back before you know it,” Chifuyu said calmly, stuffing a laptop into his bag. “And we already agreed who’s watching him.”
Kazutora squinted. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
From the couch, Peke J blinked slowly. He was perched on a custom cat bed shaped like a motorcycle helmet. Judging. Always judging.
Chifuyu sighed. “Look, he’s the only vet student we know. He loves animals. He’s got this.”
“He sets things on fire for fun.”
“That was once. And it was a toaster.”
Kazutora crossed his arms. “Still. Bad vibes.”
But there was no turning back. They had to go.
Day 1 – 9:00 AM: The Drop-Off
“Don’t feed him anything spicy,” Chifuyu said, handing over a detailed list of instructions. “He only drinks bottled water, the kind with the blue label. He needs his eye boogers wiped at 6 PM sharp. Don’t forget the playlist—he gets anxious in silence.”
Baji took the paper, scanned it for two seconds, and shoved it in his back pocket. “I got this, relax.” He grinned wide, his sharp canines flashing like a cryptid in daylight. “I’m literally in vet school.”
“You’re barely in vet school,” Kazutora muttered under his breath.
“Still counts!” Baji saluted.
Peke J let out a low, unimpressed meow.
Day 1 – 11:32 AM: The First Incident
Baji texted this at 3 pm in the afternoon:
firebreather:
[Photo of Peke J on a skateboard]
he shreds bro
tigerlily:
WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING
thousand winters:
Why does he have sunglasses on. Why are you outside??
firebreather:
relax. vitamin d is good for cats. trust me i watched a TED Talk.
also we might go to the beach later
From the other side of the country, Kazutora felt his blood pressure spike.
Day 1 – 7:04 PM: The Emergency Call
firebreather:
yo how serious is “no spicy food”
like is wasabi serious
thousand winters:
WHAT DID YOU DO
firebreather:
okay but to be fair he asked for it
like he was looking directly at the sushi
thousand winters:
CATS CAN’T ASK FOR SUSHI BAJI
tigerlily:
i’m going to kill you and make it look like an accident
firebreather:
nah chill he’s fine. pooped real weird tho
Day 2 – 3:17 PM: The Missing Cat Scare
Baji called them. Breathless. Slightly panicked. “Okay so. Don’t freak out.”
“Where is he?” Chifuyu asked on the other line, already freaking out.
“Not missing missing,” Baji said quickly. “Just… hiding. Somewhere. Possibly the ventilation system.”
Baji could hear Kazutora making a strangled noise on the other end
“He got spooked by the Roomba,” Baji added.
“You have a Roomba?” Chifuyu asked.
“Well, I borrowed it from Mikey. Long story.”
“I am going to die here at this seminar,” Kazutora muttered under his breath. “I’m going to die from rage and grief and Peke J’s ghost will haunt you forever.”
Day 3 – 8:00 AM: Reunion
When they returned, the apartment looked surprisingly normal. No fires, no blood. Peke J was just curled up on Baji’s chest while he snored on the couch.
Chifuyu blinked. “Is he… purring?”
“He’s never purred before,” Kazutora whispered, scandalized.
Baji snorted awake. “Oh, hey. He loves me now. We watched Animal Planet and made ramen together.”
Chifuyu narrowed his eyes. “Did you eat ramen or did he eat ramen?”
“…It was a bonding experience.”
Peke J blinked, then casually licked Baji’s nose.
Kazutora was in disbelief. “He’s never licked me.”
Chifuyu sighed. “Let’s just get him home.”
As they left, Baji waved from the doorway, eyes half-lidded from lack of sleep but grinning like a maniac. “Next time you need a sitter, you know where to find me!”
Peke J gave a small meow, like a goodbye—or a warning.
Kazutora didn’t sleep for two days afterward, convinced his cat had been brainwashed.