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It all started when Apollo received a job offer from someone to take care of their pet cat. Ever since he took out loans to attend law school, he had been working extra jobs to pay off the debt. While working as an intern in law firms pays well, it was only enough to maintain his daily fees. He had to take on part-time jobs or even hustle just to pay off the debt slowly. And among those jobs, he found pet-sitting to be the best job. He doesn’t mind working around animals and he has plenty of experience doing it back when he was in Khura’in.
The job offer came from a businessman, the most common customers second to families who were going on a vacation and had no one else to look after their pets. No matter the reason, Apollo would always be happy to take up any offer for a pet-sitting job. This time though, it was a bit different as he was told that the duration is longer compared to the other jobs. One whole month. He almost felt sorry for the total amount the guy had to pay for once he got back. But still, business is business and he headed towards his client’s address to pick up the pet.
He rang the doorbell and waited for a couple minutes before the door was answered by a young man, around his mid-twenties, holding a calico cat in his arms.
“Ah, are you Apollo?” The man gave Apollo a small smile as he tried to stifle a yawn at the same time. The bags under his eyes implied the restless nights, probably due to working overtime.
“Yes I am. I’m here for the pet-sitter job. For the entire month, am I right?”
The man nodded and tenderly handed him the calico cat before vanishing into the house. He was stunned by the abruptness of the man’s disappearance, so he stood at the doorstep, with the cat still in his hands as he waited for the man to return (hopefully)
It didn’t take too long though, for the man to come back with a huge bag. Apollo caught a glimpse of the bag’s contents and saw cat supplies, a catbed, cat food, both dry and wet kinds, a brush, and a memo. Without any warning, the man started rambling.
“The name is Mikeko. She is rather quiet and shy so rest assured, she won’t make a fuss. She is very low maintenance so I doubt you’ll have any trouble. You can just treat her like she isn’t there. Thank you very much for the help!” After the very rushed and brief info dump, he fixed his suit and rushed out of the house, leaving Apollo still standing on the doorstep. No, this isn’t the time to be standing out in the cold, he better go back home and get Mikeko accustomed to her new, temporary home.
On the walk back, he couldn't help but hear the owner’s words echo in his mind. Especially the line about treating the cat like it wasn’t there. Sure, cats are solitary creatures, but the idea of just ignoring its existence doesn’t sit right with Apollo. He looked down at the cat, who was a short-haired calico, with orange and black patches spread across its milky white fur. Mikeko looked up at Apollo and let out a soft meow and an expression that somewhat resembled a content smile. Huh, she’s more comfortable and calm than he expected, but it’s always better than having a fighter who keeps on scratching and hissing like you have killed their entire family. Apollo tucked Mikeko inside his sweater to keep her warm from the chilly winter air, and was glad to hear the soft purring noises that vibrated against his chest.
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The moment Apollo stepped foot inside his warm apartment, Mikeko wriggled out of his sweater and deftly leaped to the floor, apparently eager to explore her new (temporary) home. In the meantime, Apollo was already busy getting to work setting up all Mikeko’s stuff that her owner gave him. While he was placing the litter box in a good spot, he noticed a pungent smell coming from it. Apollo frowned and looked closer to inspect it. It didn’t take long for him to notice that the box has stains and small clumps of uncleaned cat hair stuck at the edges. Being a neat freak, Apollo set off to give the litterbox a deep clean, all while wondering just how someone could neglect basic hygiene, especially for a germ-hotspot like a litterbox. Mikeko, who apparently seemed to have finished exploring every nook and cranny, walked over next to Apollo and watched him in silence as he did a thorough deep clean of not just the litterbox, but also the cat bed, the grooming brush and almost every time inside the bag.
Still consumed in the task of cleaning, Apollo nearly forgot about Mikeko until he felt a soft nudge to his side, accompanied by her soft meow that is sweet enough to melt the toughest of men' s hearts. With a small chuckle, Apollo crouched down and scratched her under the neck, which made her purr like a motor engine.
“You’re so cute and cuddly aren’t you? I don’t know what your owner was talking about, saying you’re cold and shy and all that. You are a good girl, aren’t you?” Apollo cooed and continued to shower Mikeko with pets and scratches, which she responds to by nuzzling closer to Apollo's hands. He completely forgot about the task at hand, how could you remember anything at all when you have this cute little being right in front of you begging for your attention? It wasn’t until ten minutes in their petting session that Apollo’s stomach rumbled, bringing him back to his senses and reminding him that both of them hadn't had a bite to eat yet.
He walked to the kitchen and prepared his and Mikeko’s lunch. Being a broke uni student usually means having to adhere to a tight budget, which can be shown on the truck loads of pre-made processed food in his cupboard. He used to brag that he might have tried every cup noodle flavour on Earth but stopped after realising it’s not something you should be proud of. He looked at the cupboard and was about to take a pack of instant ramen before he stopped and looked back at Mikeko, who was waiting patiently and stuck ever so closely by his side. He couldn’t explain the feeling, but he just felt that he wanted to celebrate Mikeko’s arrival. He wanted to do something special for both himself and Mikeko. Besides, it’s about time he learned how to cook something that isn’t instant noodles. So with the help of a lot of youtube tutorials, trying not to burn the food and himself all at the same time, stop Mikeko from jumping up onto the counter.
Lunch was splendid. It wasn’t the best, just (instant) chicken breast with rice along with a broken sunny side up on the side, but having a new companion to spend it with made the email 100x better. Of course, it wasn’t his first time taking care of other people’s pets, but most of the time they missed their owners too much to do anything, oftentimes ignoring Apollo and only treating him like a feeding and petting machine, that’s why this meant a lot to him. He looked at Mikeko with a fond expression and gently stroked her soft fur. He could get used to this.
The rest of the day passed by quicker than usual, was it because he was having more fun? Nevertheless, it was time for bed, and with Mikeko curled up by his side, he fell into a deep sleep…not for long though.
“Meow…meow..” Apollo was roused from sleep due to the feeling of someone kneading on his stomach. He rubbed his eyes and grumbled groggily, only to find Mikeko sitting on him and “making biscuits” on his body. Apollo groaned softly and raised the blankets up over his head and tried to ignore the cat but to no avail. In the end, he gave in and picked up Mikeko and placed her on the floor before heading back to sleep. That didn’t stop the meowing though. It eventually got so grating that Apollo didn’t feel like sleeping anymore. He got out of bed and walked over to where Mikeko was meowing at, which was his empty food bowl. Apollo couldn’t help but let out a small, defeated chuckle when he looked at the time. Why is this cat hungry at 6am? If it wasn’t for her, he could never wake up at this unholy hour on a Saturday. “I guess no matter how much you like me, I’m still just a walking and talking feeding machine.”, he let out a soft yawn while preparing Mikeko’s very early breakfast. The cat replied by nudging her head against Apollo’s legs and purred happily. Well, at least Apollo can count on Mikeko for being his personal alarm clock from now on.
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Thank goodness for Mikeko’s abnormal eating schedule. If it wasn’t for her, Apollo would have completely forgotten to attend the extra class that was compulsory for Law students. As Apollo rushed around the house, tidying up his appearance and packing up his notes and laptop for the lecture, Mikeko was tirelessly running along next to his feet, which made moving around that much harder for Apollo if he didn't want to accidentally kick the poor cat in the face.
When it was time for him to leave the house, he found himself unable to move. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t. Mikeko was biting onto the hem of his pants and using her body weight to drag Apollo back into the house. (which isn’t quite possible but it’s cute that she tried) Apollo would gently try to coax her to let go but it only resulted into louder whines and meows until he couldn’t handle it anymore and called Clay for help.
It was fortunate that he and Clay attended different classes during different times. Apollo has his during the morning and Clay has the later lectures at around 6PM.
“Thanks Clay. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve missed the bus.” Apollo chuckled sheepishly into the phone the moment he made it to the bus stop, just barely. “Jeez, Apollo. It seems like you have gotten yourself a clingy girlfriend. She wouldn’t stop meowing at the door even after you left. You owe me lunch, and I don’t mean instant ramen.” Aside from Clay’s calm voice, Apollo could distinctly hear Mikeko’s cries as well as the grating sound of nails on what seems to be the door. Feelings of guilt filled his heart along with a hint of happiness that the cat is that fond of him.
This became a regular occurrence every time Apollo had to go to a school. Mikeko doesn’t want him to leave, puts up a fight, Apollo calls Clay and the minute he comes back home Mikeko would pounce on him. It’s not just when he’s gone. Mikeko wouldn’t leave Apollo’s side for a single second. She would climb onto his lap when he was busy with his essays, they would have dinner together (Apollo have learnt how to cook so she could have some of what he’s having), cuddle sessions on the bed before sleep and sometimes she would try to worm her way into the shower but Apollo would always shoo her out, so she’d just wait in front of the bathroom door.
Once, when Apollo was snuggling with Mikeko on the bed, he mumbled jokingly as he stroked her fur, “I guess I have no right to moan about how I’m still single till now, you’re basically my girlfriend at this point.” To which, Mikeko let out a pleased meow and nuzzled closer into his arms. From then on, Apollo used her actual name and “girlfriend” interchangeably, which always manages to make Mikeko rush towards him and tackle his legs with a loving nuzzle. Everything seems to be perfect, too perfect. And it was inevitable for Apollo to find out the truth. It was just a matter of time…
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It’s already been two weeks since Mikeko’s arrival and she has been settling in quite nicely. But Apollo couldn’t deny the horrendous smell on Mikeko’s fur anymore and decided it was time for her to take a bath. He filled the tub up with warm water and prepared a bunch of towels, cat shampoo and also some treats in case she made a fuss. It’s Apollo’s first time bathing a pet during his time as a petsitter, as the owners would usually give their pets one before handing them over to him. It led him to wonder whether Mikeko was actually neglected back at home or was he just looking into it too much. Whatever the case, the only thing that matters right now is to give his stinky girlfriend a well needed bath. As if on cue, Mikeko walked right into the bathroom and looked up at him expectantly, as if telling Apollo that she’s ready for bathtime. She even had one of her favourite toys in her mouth, probably a bathtime buddy for her.
Apollo picked up Mikeko and slowly dropped her into the warm water, allowing her to get used to the change in temperature. She was being very calm and didn’t make a fuss, Apollo chuckled when he saw her trying to use her paws to play with the water. After thoroughly soaking Mikeko’s fur with water, he went in to lather her up with a layer of shampoo, making sure to reach every nook and cranny. He picked her up so she’s standing up on her hind legs and started to scrub down her belly area. It was then that he noticed (felt) something wrong. Something that shouldn't be there to begin with. Two little round lumps of flesh and fur were found above Mikeko’s anus. Apollo didn’t mean to, but he accidentally let go of Mikeko in shock. The cat let out a sharp meow and fell back into the bathtub, drenching Apollo with soap and water. Apollo just sat there in shock for a good five minutes, and only snapped out of it because of the growingly unpleasant sensation of his wet shirt sticking to his skin. She….no, he, cute as ever looked up at him with his big round eyes, questioning why Apollo stopped bathing him. Apollo picked the cat up again and inspected closely. They’re still there, and very much not just a figment of his imagination.
“Mikeko.. you’re a boy?” Apollo mumbled as he continued to scrub through his fur. Mikeko only purred and closed his eyes to his question. The very baffled brunette only let out a small chuckle and placed a small kiss on Mikeko's head. “Boy or girl, you’re still the best cat. Let’s get you dried up, don’t want you catching a cold now when it’s almost time for you to go back home.” Ah, yes. going back home. He only had one more week to spend with the lovely cat before he had to go back and live with his rightful owner. The air turned tense and heavy as Apollo tried to stay positive, but it really was fooling no one, especially not Mikeko, who had seen him make the same expression whenever he gaslights himself that everything is fine. His eyes brimmed with tears upon the thought of never seeing Mikeko again and he hastily rubbed his tears away with the back of his hand. Mikeko, now all dried and clean, climbed up to Apollo’s shoulders and licked him on the cheeks as if to comfort him, only to be yanked into a hug as Apollo relished in the cat’s warmth. They remained like this for a while until Apollo let go and gather himself. “Everything will be fine. We have one more week and we can make the most of it! I’ll make you your favourite sardine salad right now.” And just like that, the both of them spent the remaining time they had together just like any other day, as anything they do together is precious.
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And now, the time has come for them to say goodbye. As usual, Mikeko woke him up at an ungodly hour, leaving him ample time to clear up Mikeko’s stuff and prepare himself mentally to say goodbye to the cat that he had not expected to be attached to. It’s all just business after all, he knew that this day would come eventually, but that doesn’t make it less painful. But he has to stay strong for him. He doesn’t want Mikeko’s last memory of him to be his tear stained cheeks and puffy red eyes. With one last sigh, Apollo scooped up and cradled Mikeko in his arms and made their way to his client’s home, back to Mikeko’s proper home.
On the way, Mikeko’s gaze never left Apollo’s face, and the brunette could not bring himself to look back at the cat's wide pleading eyes in fear of tearing up once more. This was it, Apollo thought as he finally arrived at the businessman’s doorsteps. He raised a trembling finger and pressed the doorbell, anxiously waiting for someone to come. The man came to the door and gave Apollo a weary smile before getting Mikeko back from his arms. However, Mikeko clung onto Apollo’s shirt and wouldn’t budge, no matter how much both Apollo and the businessman tried to pry him off.
“Huh, seems like she’s taken a liking to you. I never expected her to be this clingy, she’s always aloof and shrinking away around me.” The man mumbled as he looked at Mikeko’s curled up form, he seemed to be trembling slightly, was it from the cold or due to the idea of having to leave Apollo?
“He’s a very good cat. Probably the best I’ve ever taken care of. I simply adore having his company for the past month.” The man raised an eyebrow after hearing what he said and only said one word, “He?”.
“Ah! Mikeko here is actually a boy. You can um..see for yourself” Apollo became a bit flustered after realising what his words implied and coughed to hide his embarrassment. The man’s face remained expressionless and the both of them stood there in front of the doorstep awkwardly in silence. There wasn’t much they could do when Mikeko refused to go back to his owner. After an excruciating minute had passed, the man broke the silence.
“You know..I haven’t been the best owner. Truth to be told, my friend gave me her- I mean, him, because his girlfriend is deathly allergic to cats and the said girlfriend was moving in to live with my friend. I never wanted a pet but I didn’t want to leave the poor thing alone. He was very affectionate to me at first but I simply didn’t have the time to play with him.”
The man’s face turned grim and sad, which made Apollo feel a bit uneasy and flustered, as he’s unsure whether to nod along or offer him words of comfort. But after a few seconds, the man’s face softened into a small smile.
“I see that he has gotten plumper and looks healthier after the past month, you have done a good job taking care of him.I think he will be happier with you.”
Apollo perked up and looked directly at the man’s eyes, his heart started to thump fast in his chest. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, this must be too good to be true.
“Are you saying…”
The man nodded and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I think it would be best, for both me and Mikeko, if he stays with you. Of course, only if you’re willing to.”
And just like that, Apollo came back home with not only his hard-earned money in one hand, but also a new friend in another. A very peculiar friend, who despite being a boy, would only respond to Apollo calling him his “girlfriend”.