Just when Raivis was going to bed, his phone buzzed by his nightstand. Reaching for it while laying in bed, he answered without checking the caller tag.
"Hello?"
"Hey, mate, sorry for calling so early but I have the biggest, hugest most important mission for you!" It was Peter's voice, and he sounded serious and excited over the phone. "You are the only one who can take on this task with dila...di-diligence and care and never let your focus slip, and I would appreciate it dearly if you took up on this mission."
Raivis rose up from his bed, enthusiastic from the sound of the task alone, "What is it?" He asked, keeping his eagerness down.
Peter took a deep breath and answered, "I need you to babysit my pet while I'm away for the week."
The filling built-up in his heart sunk down like a cannon ball under the ocean. "That's it?" Raivis asked.
"Bloody Arthur won't let me take him and kept saying it wasn't a pet! I have to hide him all the time so he won't hurt Prince Harry-"
"He's name is Prince Harry now?"
"I thought really hard for that name, you know! It's mental how so many names are taken and you're left with the silly ones. So you'll take care of him, yeah?"
"Guess I got nothing to do this week, so why not?" Raivis sighed.
"Brilliant!"
Peter hung up first and Raivis tossed his phone carelessly on the bed. Now that he was tasked in pet sitting Peter's pet, it meant he would have to keep a close eye on it without his roommates finding out about it. Raivis decided to make sure no one knew of this as their apartment was a no pet policy, something he just now remembered, and hoped Peter will tell him everything he needed to know.
Turning his body until he felt comfortable, he prayed everything will go smoothly for him.
XxXxXxX
"...and he likes it if you rub his ears when he's going to bed, did you get all that?"
"Yeah, I got everything. Enjoy your trip, Peter."
"Doubtful, but I'll get something for you when I come back. Take care, bye!"
"Okay..." Raivis looked at the small plastic cage where Prince Harry was residing quietly.
Once Peter had left, Raivis went up to his room and laid Prince Harry on his bed. He was going to put him in the large cage Peter brought over a week ago (so Arthur wouldn't be suspecting anything) but Raivis wanted to get a better look at the small pet. He never saw what Peter's pet looked like because he often hid him away from Arthur often, so it was a chance he had to take to see if the pet was harmless or not.
Raivis took the pin out of the front, slowly opened the plastic cage door and peeked inside, "Hello Harry..."
Inside was bizarrely dark; he saw a pair of...red eyes staring at him deadly. Raivis felt his stomach had lurched at the sight of the hamster...
Right then, the animal raced toward Raivis' face and he immediately jerked his face and body away from the cage. Blinking through the shock, the last thing he saw was a long pink tail slithering under his bed and it disappeared.
Wait, is this thing really a hamster?
Raivis bent down on his knees and peered under his bed. It was dark at the front corners and he couldn't see Harry. He did, however, see his comic books he had forgotten were under there. Raivis then remembered he was supposed to return those comics tomorrow and he knew if he didn't, Alfred might get upset. His hand reached out to take them, risking the chance of getting bitten by the dangerous creature lurking under the eerier darkness.
"What are you?"
The animal squeaked.
Raivis felt his eyes widened, "Wait...are you a...a rat?"
He heard nothing but the sound of it nibbling on wood. It was most definitely a rat and now Raivis felt his stomach lurching while having a panic attack in the empty house, all alone with the rat, for the next week...
XxXxXxX
Raivis had his hand treated and he, thankfully, had no disease running in his blood but he was told to ask his friend if the pet had ever been given shots. Right now Raivis was on the phone with Peter as he was cutting cheese into smaller pieces like he was told multiple times. Even though he had no desire to keep that thing in this house, he had to take care of it for the next week.
"What do you mean it's not a hamster?"
"I mean, I was bitten by a rodent and could have died! Do you not care about my wellbeing, and are you even going to ask if I'm fine today?"
"Um...are you okay-?"
"NO, I AM NOT OKAY!"
"Why did you even make me ask you, then?" Peter demanded in dismay.
"Look...I think I should get someone else to take care of your, uh, pet, so I don't have to get a heart attack every time I hear it moving. I'm on the bed, waiting for it to get out so I could trap it in the cage again."
"How are you luring him out?"
"With the cheese, the ones you gave me and showed me four times how to cut them properly for its mouth." Raivis hated knowing this, but Peter insisted he showed him how to do it nearly twice on the day he was going to leave.
"Okay, I have a better idea," Peter said, "I'll come back early and if you get Prince Harry, I'll take him to the vet to get some shots."
Raivis was furious with Peter right now. How could he not tell the difference between a hamster and a bloody rat?
"How are you going to get back early? If I recall correctly, Arthur had been planning this week getaway for weeks?" He asked as he carefully and quietly placed the cheese on the ground, waiting patiently for the rat to come out.
"I happen to be the best in acting sick, and he'll never suspect a thing! I just need some nasty food and I'll be puking the whole dinner party away! Raivis, did you hear me?"
His back stiffened, his body felt cold and he was on the brink of screaming the house down, but he kept his cool and answered Peter with a forced calm tone.
"It's gone..." he whispered, the
"WHAT?"
Raivis had waited for the rat for a few seconds until he couldn't wait anymore and cautiously looked down with his flashlight to see nothing beneath his bed. He felt his heart pounding inside his chest, his skin grew cold in fear of the rat crawling, lurking around his bedroom as if to stake him like prey. Peter's cries were incoherent; Raivis lost his grip of his phone and it landed on his bed, but Peter's voice was loud and upset.
"What do you mean, he's gone? Raivis, are you there? Raivis!" Peter sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
Raivis risked a glance behind and saw his door was slightly opened...but that could only mean two things. One, his roommates overheard what he had said or two, the rat had escaped and is going to cause-
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?"
Ah, too late...
Raivis is screwed, for sure.