The Bus Boy

"Oh. My. Gosh."

When Tired arrived to Bus's place, as soon as he opened the door to let her inside, the first thing she saw was the kitten in his hand. Bus never put it down ever since he picked it up.

"I know! I saw while on my walk tonight!"

"It's so tiny!"

"Do you wanna hold it?"

Tired nodded, and Bus put it in her hands. The kitten curled up into a ball and let out a meow. Tired could have melted right then and there. Her lips turned up into a wide smiled, and her voice became higher.

"Awwwww, it's so cuuuuute!"

Bus laughed a little at her reaction. Sure, he thought the kitten was cute, but he thought the way Tired reacted to it was just as adorable. Tired looked up and realized Bus was watching her. Her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink as she stared at him for a little while. Realizing she showed weakness, she handed the kitten back to him and looked away, acting aloof.

"I mean…I'm more of a dog person, but this is cool, too…I guess…"

Bus laughed again, a little harder this time.

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"So why did you call me anyways?"

Bus's smiled slowly faded, and he started to explain himself.

"Well…I was planning to take this little guy- or girl- to the vet either tonight or tomorrow. I looked up how to take care of kittens, and it turns out that it needs to be at least eight weeks old before it can get adopted."

"So?"

"Sooooooo, that might be a difficult for me to do on my own, especially since it needs to be taken care of full-time, and I'm always going to games and events. I'm not going to be around all the time to take care of a kitten."

"...Wait a second…"

"Can you-"

"Stop right there."

His demeanor drooped immediately.

"Come onnn! I'm not gonna ask you to do it all by yourself! I'll just need some help for when I'm not around!"

"I don't have time to take care of a cat, Bus."

"Not even for a portion of the day?"

"Give me one reason why I should."

Bus hesitated before holding up the kitten right in front of her. On closer inspection, the kitten wasn't looking too healthy. You could see its ribs through the fur, and while it didn't look like it was sick beyond that, there was always a possibility. Tired couldn't help but feel sympathy.

"This cat needs us, Tired."

Tired looked back up at him and sighed, admitting defeat.

"Fine…but it stays at your place. You pay for most of the necessities, and I'll only take care of it when you can't."

Bus smiled and shook her hand.

"Deal."

Bus talked his foot while he sat down in the waiting room, waiting for the vet to come back with results. He had the vets run over a quick check-up, and he was anticipating the worst-case scenario. A cat with a lot of issues would be difficult to take care of. Tired noticed his nervousness and looked up at him.

"Bus, chill out. It will all be fine."

Just then, the vet came back with the kitten and handed it back to Bus. She didn't seem too concerned, only showing a furrowed brow in her expression.

"Good news! The little guy is gonna be fine. He might need a bit of extra care to get some meat on his bones, but other than that, he seems to be doing okay! He has no illnesses or parasites beyond that. You're lucky you got to him this early. I don't know how he would've survived if he wasn't found on time. I'll be right back with your total."

Bus sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness."

"She said the cat was a boy, right?"

Bus didn't even realize it until Tired mentioned it. Bus grinned as he automatically came up with a name.

"She did! Then, I'll name him boy!"

Tired scoffed at him.

"Wow. Naming a boy cat "boy"? How clever…"

"You just wait. This boy willl be the best boy to ever…boy…"

Tired held back her laughter and rolled her eyes.

"You're such a dork."

"Yeah, but you like me that way!~"

Tired smiled and looked up at him. Bus's face met hers as they leaned in close…

Then, the vet came back, and Bus immediately turned away, only to be met with the bill. Luckily, the veterinarian didn't notice.

"Sign here, please."

The nurse walked away, and after Bus skimmed through everything, his jaw dropped, only to be met with a burst of laughter by Tired.

"Why is it so expensive!? It was just a checkup!!"

Tired spoke in between giggles.

"You pay for it! You're the rich athlete!"

"Bullsh!t !!!"