Chapter Text
Suggested listening: “Walking on Sunshine” — Katrina and the Waves ♪
Intern’s ringtone burst from their worn bag—far too cheerful for something echoing inside a cardboard box. Outside, paws and hooves hurried past as the city began its morning commute.
“Mmm… what time is it?” they mumbled, reaching into the bag for their phone.
8:00 A.M.
Intern’s long ears shot upright.
“Oh, sh—! It’s already eight? No, no, no! There’s no way I’m going to be late on my first day!”
The enormous yellow-tan Flemish Giant rabbit scrambled out of their cardboard box. They stretched on instinct, grabbed their oversized towel and toiletry bag, and sprinted toward the nearest public washroom, which thankfully had shower stalls.
---
Ten frantic minutes later, Intern stood before a cracked mirror, their damp fur sticking out in every direction.
They flattened it with both paws and carefully inspected their reflection.
“Fur? Check. Teeth? Good. Face? Innocent.” They leaned closer, examining their eyes. “Overall… perfectly normal.”
Intern smiled at their reflection.
The reflection smiled back half a second too late.
Intern watched the delayed smile catch up.
“Close enough,” they decided.
---
Once they finished grooming, Intern pulled an oversized hoodie from their worn bag and slipped it on. Even on their enormous frame, it hung loosely around their body, its sleeves falling past their paws until they pushed them back.
The cuffs were frayed, but Intern carefully smoothed them flat. It was their first day, and they wanted to look like someone who belonged there.
They checked their acceptance email again, hoping to find directions to the hospital where they would be working.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ANIMAL CORPORATION
SUBJECT: INTERNSHIP ORIENTATION — FINAL REMINDER
Congratulations, Intern!
We are pleased to confirm your acceptance into the Animal Hospital Internship Program.
You are required to report to the hospital’s reception office at 9:00 a.m. sharp. A map showing the hospital’s location is attached to this message.
Please be advised that management will not tolerate tardiness, misconduct, or avoidable disruptions during your placement.
Any questions should be directed to the hospital branch manager:
Dr. Harlow
+1 (435) 555-0139
Regards,
Animal Corporation
Employee Placement Division
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Intern glanced at the time displayed at the top of the screen.
8:17 A.M.
“Plenty of time,” they assured themself.
They were lying.
---
Without wasting any more time—apart from one absolutely essential stop—Intern followed the map toward the hospital.
A small coffee shop stood along the route. Intern hurried inside and ordered three large cups of pitch-black coffee, each sweetened with exactly seven cubes of sugar.
To anybody else, that amount of coffee might have seemed excessive.
To Intern, it was their daily necessity.
“Ahh… nothing beats coffee in the morning,” they sighed before taking a long drink. “Especially when it’s completely necessary for my continued existence.”
With every swallow, the faint gnawing beneath their ribs receded until it was quiet again.
They finished the first cup in several enormous gulps and tossed it into a nearby bin.
“Phew! Good ol' coffee.”
Intern placed the remaining two cups into a cardboard carrier and continued toward the hospital. Their steps gradually became lighter until they were happily skipping down the pavement, their long ears bouncing with every movement.
“I wonder what my coworkers will be like,” they muttered, completely lost in their daydream. “Maybe they’ll all be friendly. Maybe we’ll become best friends. Maybe they’ll even throw me a welcome party!”
Intern failed to notice the sleek, black-furred feline stepping out from a side street directly into their path.
They collided.
The feline caught Intern by the elbow before the larger rabbit could topple. The coffee was less fortunate.
One of the coffees flew out of its carrier and splashed across the stranger’s perfectly pressed black vest and white shirt sleeve. Intern froze.
The feline slowly looked down at himself. Before the collision, there hadn’t been a single speck of dust on his clothing.
Now, dark coffee dripped from the bottom of his vest.
“Oh, fu—!” Intern quickly covered their mouth. “I’m so sorry, sir! I didn’t see you!”
They placed their remaining coffee on the pavement and pulled several tissues from their bag.
Before the stranger could respond, Intern began frantically wiping his vest. Unfortunately, the tissues immediately absorbed the coffee and fell apart, leaving tiny white pieces stuck to the fabric. The feline’s eye twitched.
“No need,” he said through a painfully forced smile.
“But your vest!”
“It can be cleaned.”
“I really am sorry about what I did.” Intern continued rubbing at the stain. “I can wash it for you! Or pay for it! Well, I don’t have much money right now, but I could work for it. I’m actually starting a new job today, so—”
“Please stop wiping it,” the feline interrupted. “You’re making it worse.”
Intern immediately pulled their paws away.
“Oh.” They stared at the ruined tissues covering his vest. “I’m sorry for making it worse.”
The feline glanced at his watch. He was already running out of time and had no desire to continue arguing over a piece of clothing.
“Listen,” he said, releasing a tired sigh. “The vest can be washed. I have another one, and you didn’t injure me. It was only an accident.”
Intern stared at him uncertainly.
“So… you don’t hate me?”
“I don’t even know you well enough to hate you.”
Intern’s expression fell.
The feline realized too late that his answer had not sounded remotely reassuring.
“What I mean is that we’re fine,” he added, forcing his voice to soften. “You don’t need to keep blaming yourself.”
“Oh… okay.”
Intern’s long ears drooped against the sides of their head.
He had stared down anomalies with too many teeth without blinking. Somehow, one rabbit’s drooping ears made him look away. He adjusted what remained of his dignity.
“Honestly,” he assured them. “It’s all right.”
Intern gave him a small nod. “Thank you, sir.”
They opened their mouth again.
“If you’re about to apologize, don’t.”
Intern quickly closed it.
“Have a good morning,” they said instead.
The black feline turned down a narrow side street, heading toward a shortcut known only to the hospital staff. Intern picked up their surviving coffee and followed the route displayed on their phone.
They went their separate ways, both believing that their embarrassing encounter was finally over.
Little did they know that this encounter would change both of their lives forever.
---
Intern reached the Animal Hospital with only a few minutes to spare. They stopped outside and gazed up at the two-story, T-shaped building. Their earlier embarrassment disappeared beneath a fresh wave of excitement.
This was it.
This was where they would finally begin building a proper life.
Intern hurried through the glass doors at exactly 8:58 a.m. They entered the reception area, straightened their oversized hoodie, and attempted to flatten their disorderly fur.
At that same moment, a familiar black feline stepped out from the staff corridor. He wore a clean spare vest, though a faint brown stain remained on the cuff of his white sleeve.
They noticed each other.
Intern pointed at the black feline.
The black feline pointed back.
“What are you doing here?” they demanded simultaneously.
“I work here,” the feline answered.
Intern slowly lowered their paw. “You do?”
“Yes.” His eyes narrowed. “What are *you* doing here?”
“I’m supposed to work here too! Today is my first day.” Intern hesitated. “Unless spilling coffee on an employee means I’ve already been fired.”
The feline stared at them.
“You’re the new intern?”
Intern blinked. “How did you know that?”
Before he could answer, measured footsteps approached from the hallway.
Dr. Harlow emerged and examined the peculiar scene before him. His gaze moved from Intern to the black feline and then toward the small coffee stain still visible on the feline’s sleeve.
“Good morning,” Dr. Harlow said. “I see you two have already met.”
“‘Met’ is a generous description,” the feline replied.
“It was an accident!” Intern immediately explained. “I wasn’t watching where I was going, and my coffee spilled all over his vest. I tried cleaning it, but I accidentally made it worse, and I’m still really sorry—”
“Intern,” Dr. Harlow interrupted gently. “Breathe.”
Intern inhaled deeply and forced themself to stop talking.
The feline glanced toward Dr. Harlow. “This is the intern you approved?”
Dr. Harlow turned toward the black feline.
“Agent, I assure you that Intern has completed every required evaluation. I approved their placement personally, and one unfortunate accident does not invalidate their qualifications.”
Intern’s ears suddenly stood upright.
“Agent?”
Dr. Harlow looked back at them.
“Intern, allow me to introduce Secret Agent, our anomaly specialist and one of your new coworkers.” He then gestured toward Intern. “Agent, this is Intern, the newest member of our hospital staff.”
Intern’s eyes widened as they stared at the feline.
“Secret Agent?” Their gaze slowly dropped toward his stained sleeve. “As in… the person responsible for dealing with dangerous anomalies?”
“That is generally what the title means,” Agent answered.
Intern covered their mouth.
“I spilled coffee on the hospital’s Secret Agent.”
“You did.”
“Oh no.”
Agent’s ears flattened. “Don’t—”
Intern anxiously tugged at the sleeve of their oversized hoodie. “I really am sorry about the coffee stain on your sleeve.”
“That is your fifth apology.”
“You were counting?”
“I started after the third.”
Dr. Harlow’s otherwise unreadable expression briefly softened with amusement.
“Intern, Agent has survived considerably worse things than coffee.”
“That doesn’t mean I enjoyed it,” Agent muttered.
Intern cautiously extended their paw.
“It’s nice to meet you properly, Secret Agent.”
Agent looked at their paw before reluctantly shaking it.
Intern’s paw nearly engulfed his, yet their grip was unexpectedly gentle.
“And I promise I’ll replace your vest.”
“That sounds suspiciously like another apology.”
They immediately released his paw and covered their mouth again.
Dr. Harlow turned toward the hallway.
“Come along, Intern. Your orientation begins in less than two minutes.”
Intern hurried after Dr. Harlow. Just before disappearing down the hallway, they turned back one last time.
“Sorry again!”
Agent watched them vanish, then looked down at the faint coffee stain remaining on his sleeve.
His tail flicked irritably.
“It isn’t even nine yet,” he muttered. “This is going to be a very long day.”