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“Vaska? Like Vasya and Vasily?” Ogata asked quizzically looking up from the small ginger creature.
“Yes, it's a common cat name in Russia,” Tsukishima responded.
“Don't real people get named that too? Wouldn't that get confusing?”
“Yes, but I suppose you just call the human and the cat different variations of Vasily. But then again, when are you going to meet a Vasily in Japan?”
“... It's been years, I can't believe you're still holding onto that semester abroad, what a try hard.” Ogata rolled his eyes, and moved to pet the cat's head.
“You’re exaggerating again, it's only been one year.” picking the cat up and away from Ogata’s grasp Tsukishima continues, “If you don't like it you can get away from him!”
“Tsukishima! That thing is a stray, if I want to touch it you can't stop me!” Ogata glanced at his watch, “you didn't win, I just have to go to class”
—
Ogata is ashamed to admit it, but he has gotten significantly attached to Tsukishima’s stupid stray.
“Heyyy Vaska” Ogata cooed, along with some sounds that would leave him no choice but to kill the witness if someone overheard.
Vaska, of course, didn't respond, cats couldn't speak, but cats could communicate in other ways. Vaska padded up to Ogata's outstretched hand and ate out of his palm. Ogata felt as if the universe was on his side.
The little creature purred like a broken engine and Ogata melted a little. He stretched his other hand out to pat the cat on the head, scratching around the back of the ear. It was a warm spring noon, but he didn't mind the soft long fur at all. In theory the creature's body heat and long fur should've made his fingers hot and caused an inconvenience that Ogata normally would avoid, but the cuteness of the cat was just too healing.
“Oh Vaska, you're so so sooo cute! I can't believe that up tight Tsukishima would just leave you like this! I had to be the one to get you neutered and arrange your shots.” Ogata would've never admitted to this, even under threat of death, but when the cat started licking his palm after finishing all the offered food, Ogata giggled a little. Truly embarrassing.
“Ugh, everyone at college is so fake and self righteous, not like you, you're so simple and cute, oh how I love you Vaska.”
With the sun lightly shining and relative silence all around, Ogata was reminded of why he always made these trips. Dental school was absolutely driving him up the wall, but this secluded area of campus he came across by chance was his asylum from the insanity of the day. Closing his eyes, Ogata was just about to let his eyes rest a little from the constant abuse of screens and books, and more books and more screens, when he heard a stick behind him break. Ogata frowned, he really hoped whoever that was had only just made it here.
“Hello?” The stranger asked slightly nervously in accented Japanese, as if unsure whether to disturb the still close eyed Ogata. This annoyed Ogata, he shouldn't even be talking to Ogata, can't he see this was a private area? To Ogata's great dismay however, the stranger continued and Ogata was forced to recognize his presence.
“Sorry, I swear I'm not a stalker or anything, I was just walking around and heard the sound of a person talking!” Ogata took the stranger in. This guy was white, but his face was absolutely impossibly red. Definitely above average height and charmingly messy rusty hair with a similarly colored beard. Ogata decided this stranger was probably objectively attractive looking, but still not forgiven for wasting his time.
“What do you want?”
“Could… could you um… could you help me find a building?” You've got to be fucking with me, he almost said out loud… Ogata was on the fence on if this guy was lying about the whole just getting here thing, or if this guy perhaps just had crazy social anxiety.
“Which building?”
“The arts building? I'm just starting my semester abroad.” Well ok, that would explain some things, but certainly not why this random guy Ogata’s never seen before in his life is giving him such a weird look with a face so flushed despite being dressed concerningly lightly for the weather. Lucky for this individual, Ogata's next class was going to start soon, so he had to begin making his way back to the main campus in a few minutes anyways.
“Ok…” Ogata grumbled picking himself up, eliciting a broken hearted meow from Vaska that almost made him want to chase the stranger away from his clearing and skip the rest of his classes to stay with Vaska. But not wanting to seem softhearted, he ignored Vaska before turning around to the new man. “It’s along the way, I'll take you.”
The man brightened up, and stepped aside a little, as if to motion for Ogata to lead the way. Ogata hoped this could be a quiet walk with little fraternizing. Immediately Ogata was disappointed.
“Sooo… What might your name be?” His companion asked, all eyes locked forwards, aimlessly off into the distance.
“What's it matter to you?” Ogata snapped. Not only was this stranger fraternizing a lot, this guy was also doing a whole lot of not walking. They hadn't even made it out of this clearing! Ogata resolved that if this guy made him late to class, he was going to put himself first for the rest of the month. None of those suggestions Yuusaku gives him to be more ‘nice’ or ‘kind’ or whatever.
“Well, I mean you know my name.”
“What? No? What are you talking about?”
“I mean, you were talking to me back there weren't you?” Ogata put two and two together like two trains running into each other head on. His face formed into a scowl. Stupid Tsukishima and his stupid Russian semester abroad. He was really in it now.
“I was talking to the cat.”
“What cat?” Ogata looked around, Vaska was nowhere to be seen. Only him and the stranger… who he now assumed was a Vasily, stood in this clearing.
“There was a cat.” Vasily cocked an eyebrow unconvinced.
“My friend's cat, big orange thing, he did a semester in Russia, I tried calling it different names but it only responds to that one.”
“Yeah… You have a friend that studied in Russia, I don't think that's very common.” That man finally started walking, although aggravatingly Ogata was now trailing behind him.
“What? You don't believe me?” Ogata speed walked to catch up.
“Hey wait! If you were listening wouldn't you know I took Vaska to get neutered? You're not neutered are you? There's no way I was talking to you!!”