Scratch

Chapter 15:

Big Storm Comin'

Trudging out of the elevator and into the apartment building's lobby, Kenma stopped in his tracks. He stared mournfully out of the see-through doors and shivered involuntarily, trying not to shake the cat carriers he was holding. Winter had finally arrived with full force in December, bringing snow, cold, and wind. The light snow outside, though it had stopped actually precipitating, was flying in different directions that made the already cold day seem even worse.

He briefly wondered if he should go back to his apartment and get another layer of something, but shook his head: he knew if he went back up into his warm home, he wouldn't actually leave. It was an early Monday morning, and it was cold. Who could blame him? Plus, Kenma had already gotten all the way to the lobby of the apartment building with Clyde and Colin. Heavens knows that had been a hassle.

Mentally preparing himself, he nodded several times and told his cats encouraging words, though it was really him that needed them. He began his short trek to the outside, pushing the door open with his shoulder. A gust of wind blew snow right into him, causing him to sputter and the two cats to meow unhappily. Kenma pushed on, walking much faster than he usually did and sighed in relief at the sight of his car in the parking lot. Quickly unlocking his car, he put the carriers into the backseat and collapsed into the driver's seat, shutting the car door with unnecessary force.

He shivered, turning the car on and thanking whatever god was out there that he was lucky enough to have a car that warmed up quickly. Within minutes, Kenma took great pleasure in warming his very cold fingers in front of the heater. After checking that his cats were getting warm air as well, he glanced at the dashboard clock.

Groaning in annoyance, he asked himself once again why exactly he was leaving his comfy apartment at 8:15am on a Monday. Of course, the responsible part of him did make a good point: if he didn't go to the vet while he still remembered, he would never actually go. Kenma really didn't need anymore surprise kittens, and Hinata was right. Colin and Clyde did need to be neutered.

On the drive to the veterinary office, he went over ideas he needed to talk to Kuroo about. It was more of a check list than anything, but he couldn't be too careful. After all, they were his cats and cats deserve to be taken care of well.

When can Sugar be spayed? How long should he wait after her pregnancy?

Are there any rules to getting kittens fixed?

Tell Yamaguchi and Aone to get their kittens fixed & if there are any requirements (see item #2).

Kenma pulled into a parking spot, stopped the car and turned it off. He drummed his fingers anxiously on the steering wheel, trying to remember if he had forgotten anything. Once he went over his list again, and decided that he hadn't left anything off, he got out of the car and braved the bitter cold. He shivered and grabbed Colin and Clyde, locking the car and power walked to the vet's office.

Through the sliding doors and once inside, he shook his head to get the snow off and blinked at the bright lights, a direct contrast to the bleary and cloudy day outside. Looking around briefly, he noticed Kuroo sitting behind the reception desk, seeming extremely bored and maybe a tad bit annoyed. Kenma shuffled over to him, his footsteps alerting his boyfriend to his presence.

"Kenma," he called out, the surprise on his face easily turning into delight. "I wasn't expecting to see you here today."

Kenma shuffled closer to him, and he noticed two cat carriers, but didn't say anything immediately. The young man set the carriers down, looking tired and drained mumbled, "I wasn't planning to come until I actually did."

"I'm so glad you did, though. Those two over there have been flirting all morning and I'm about to throw up," Kuroo complained, pointing casually to Oikawa in the corner with a man with short, dark hair.

Kenma, though not exactly the gossip type, couldn't help but look over and watch the two people flirt. Or what might have been considered flirting. Who knows, really. It was kind of like in elementary school, where the guy would pull the pigtails of the girl he liked, and she would chase him if she liked him back.

The man with the dark hair hit the back of Oikawa's head, and Oikawa giggled, looking bashful. Kenma scrunched up his nose in discomfort, that type of awkward feeling someone gets after seeing a couple making out in public when they really didn't want to. Ignoring the tight feeling in his chest, he turned back to the vet and informed him of the reason of the visit.

"I need you to neuter Colin and Clyde," he commented, pausing slightly as he remembered his check list before adding, "I also have some questions about cats being neutered or spayed."

Kuroo nodded and stood up from his seated position behind the receptionist desk to walk around to face his boyfriend. He bent down and glanced in the cat carriers, sticking his finger inside to play with Clyde. From his angle on the ground, he looked up and asked, "Mmkay. What are your questions?"

"When can Sugar be spayed? Also, when can kittens be fixed? Are there any requirements for the kittens to have to be able to be fixed?" Kenma asked, pausing in between each question. He mentally went through his list, the only thing left was to actually tell the others about the kittens.

"To answer your first question, Sugar can be fixed a month after she has finished weaning," Kuroo explained, smirking at the slightly confused look adorning the other's face. "Before you even ask, weaning is where the mother cat slowly takes the kittens off milk and pushes them towards solid food. Most kittens are weaned off by eight to ten weeks. However, since all your kittens are somewhere else, and she won't be weaning them, just come get Sugar spayed in two months."

"Okay, in two months. I'll remember that," the other noted quietly. Biting his lip in concentration, Kenma mentally reminded himself to tell Yamaguchi, Aone, and Hinata about weaning as well; just in case they hadn't known yet. They probably would've though, seeing as they're all smart and resourceful.

"About the kittens and being spayed and/or neutered," Kuroo continued after Kenma's attention was back on him, "Really, all the requirements are is that the kittens should be at least eight weeks old, and weigh at least two pounds. There's not much to it."

Kenma nodded, his thoughts quickly drifting elsewhere. There was so much to tell the kitten owners, and he was kind of afraid he would forget. As Kuroo played with the two cats some more, Kenma took his phone out and put a reminder in for two months later: to get Sugar spayed. He also wrote down in his notes all the facts he would need to tell his friends.

A deep cough and Kuroo's voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked down to meet his boyfriend's eyes.

"I'll take Colin and Clyde back and I'll make sure they're neutered by tonight. They won't like it, but you know," Kuroo's eyes glimmered in the fluorescent lights as he shrugged, "Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do. And what you've gotta do, Kenma, is go to work. It's after nine, if you didn't notice."

"I'm the CEO, I pretty much own the company," Kenma snorted and rolled his eyes, "They won't care if I'm late. You said it yourself, I'm Mr. Big Shot Gamer."

"You remember that?" Kuroo asked with appreciation, though it was more of an observation than anything. Grabbing the two cat carriers, he lifted them up and placed them on the reception desk as a momentary resting place as he looked back to Kenma. "Either way, you should still go. It's your job, and I don't think you would want to let anyone down."

Kenma stiffened, feeling both angry and upset at the comment, even if he knew Kuroo meant well. All it did was remind him of Nekomata, and everyone he had ever let down. He ignored the familiar feeling of dread pooling at the bottom of his stomach, and nodded robotically in response. Without saying a word, he turned and walked out of the clinic: he needed to get out of there, he needed to go to work, he needed to do something so he wasn't a complete failure.

Before Kenma even realized it, he was at work and walking into the lobby. He blinked several times in confusion, impressed that someone could get somewhere just using the familiar movements and routes. It could have been second nature.

Finally, after a complete minute of confusion and trying to get his thoughts in order, he figured out a plan. He went to the elevator, and instead of going to his office, he stopped at the fourth floor to visit the intern's offices. Maybe if he was productive, the pool of uneasiness in his stomach would subside.

Kenma looked around briefly, finding Yamaguchi's cubicle and making his way there, only to stumble and stop in his tracks. A tall, blond guy - the intern Tsukki, probably, - was sitting down at the computer, looking at nothing in particular, while Yamaguchi was sitting next to him, leaning his head on the other guy's shoulder. Music was playing, and Kenma felt like he had walked into something intimate once again, and he did not like it one bit.

More feelings of dread, more discomfort, it all started to suffocate him and he cleared his throat, coughed, anything to stop it from happening. The two men jumped apart and Yamaguchi immediately started babbling, trying to explain.

"He's the music creator, you know, for the games. I was just, uh, listening to his newest…" the intern trailed off, looking around awkwardly. The blond intern looked bored, and turned around to continue working on the music.

"Okay," Kenma agreed, if only to end the line of thought. "You need to get your kitten fixed after they're eight weeks old and weigh two pounds. If you haven't, you should also research weaning them off milk and onto solid food."

Yamaguchi nodded furiously, as if it would make the awkward conversation go away. It did, in a way. Kenma looked at the two interns warily, and instantly felt exhausted. He nodded again, and turned around to leave and go to his office where it was safe and there was nothing scary.

Getting in the elevator, he quickly reminded himself to tell Aone the same thing, considering the assistant had two of the kittens. On his floor, he exited the elevator and made his way to Aone's desk, and tapped politely on the desk for his attention. Once his receptionist had looked up, Kenma cleared his throat and quickly recited what he had previously told Yamaguchi.

"Alright," Aone acknowledged, putting it into his calendar not to forget, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kenma mumbled in reply as he collapsed onto his couch. He tossed and turned and tried every position, but still, the unease in his stomach would not go away. Instead of worrying about it, he decided to throw himself into his work. Even though all the games were finished for the holidays, he could always develop a new idea.

Either way, he would not allow himself to be depressed. He would not have a bad day. Kenma had gotten up early, he had showered, he had been extremely productive and it wasn't even ten in the morning. No, Kenma was going to have a good day, even if all that meant was making sure it wasn't a terrible day.