paws // bokuaka

three: keiji akaashi

"Achoo!"

A sneeze escaped my lips and Kenma blinked in surprise, staring at me with sharp eyes. "Sorry," I sniffed, rubbing my nose. "Someone must be talking about me..."

I sighed, plopping down next to the calico cat on the floor. "God, I have work tomorrow... I'll have to wake up early." I groaned, the black and white-haired man from the clinic wandering in my mind. 

I rest my head on my floor, Kenma nuzzling his nose against the side of my face and mewing quietly. I sighed again and brushed my hands around his cheeks, kissing his head. "At least I'll be able to come home to you, Kenma."

***

Brrriiiing~

"Ah-" I grumbled, slamming my hands on my bedside table, searching for my phone. I held it up to my face groggily, pressing the bright screen to stop the clamorous ringing. It was 7:30 in the morning.

With a swift push, I lifted myself to my feet and began getting ready. First, I took a quick shower. I had the time to do so; my working hours were from 9 a.m to 2 in the afternoon. Grabbing a set of fresh clothes from my closet and locking the bathroom door, I undressed and waited for the water to run warm before stepping in.

After rinsing myself off in the bathroom and changing into new clothes, I brushed my teeth, fixed my hair, and checked the time: it was a little before 7:50.

I took a few breaths before making my way to the small kitchen area of my apartment. To my surprise, I saw Kenma curled up in a ball on the couch... without his usual favorite toy.

"Oh, Kenma," I asked nonchalantly. "Where's your volleyball...?"

The calico cat stared at me through irritable eyes, and I frowned, looking around for the plaything. It was nowhere to be seen. "Oh!" I recalled dropping the volleyball into my bag at the vets'. "I'll go get it. I'm sorry about that, Kenma."

I wandered towards the bag in my room and shuffled through it. It wasn't there. I pursed my lips, convinced that it just slipped through my hands, and began to take all the items out, one by one, to find the missing volleyball. What the hell? Where is this thing?

I groaned after a dedicated number of minutes of searching. "I must have left it when we went to your appointment, Kenma," I muttered guiltily, sitting next to the moody cat who was sulking on the couch and petting him. "I'm sorry. I'll bring it back on my way home from the store..." I sighed, checking the time again.

After making myself a very quick breakfast, kissing Kenma goodbye and feeding him, I headed out for another day working at the pet store.

***

"Akaashi!"

I blinked in surprise as my name was called from one of my co-workers. What was his name? I think it went along the lines of "Hajime Iwaizumi..."

"Hm? What is it?" I asked, turning my head to his direction. I was on my rest break, and I was still troubled by the missing volleyball toy. I was almost certain it was safe in the vets' clinic, but the worry was lodged at the back of my mind that maybe I was wrong or someone might take it on accident. I still had 4 more hours to go, so there was still much time before the space between me and Kenma's toy would shrink.

"Someone's asking for you," Iwaizumi said, pointing to the door leading outside of the staff room. "They say they were looking for you here."

"Why?"

"Well, they said that they have something to give you."

I bit my lip, not knowing how to reply to this. I should probably see who they are... if they know my shift hours and where I work, they must be a friend of mine. An old college friend, perhaps?

"Okay, I'll check it out," I sniffed, standing up from where I was sitting and bowing a thank-you nod to the dark-haired employee. Playing with my fingers anxiously, I peeked out the lounge door and looked around.

"Hey hey hey! It's you!" 

thank you for anyone who's reading! i appreciate it :)

- lexi