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Aggro deftly weaved his way through Sweetheart’s legs, taking extra care to bump his head against their ankle and wrap his tail under the arch of their foot as often as he could on their journey from the bedroom to the kitchen. Ever a sensitive cat, Aggro could tell when something was wrong with his humans.
And lately, something was very, very wrong.
For the last week and a half, Milo had done almost nothing else but stay in the bed. That never happened before. Milo was always doing stuff. Sometimes, he’d leave the territory for hours and come home smelling like exotic places and many other people. Even when he was home, Milo would spend time with Aggro doing lots of fun things, like throwing jingly balls, hunting wand toys, brushing his fur, and lots more.
It had felt like ages since Milo had done any of that.
Instead, Aggro quickly realized that Milo wasn’t feeling good at all, and that was why he chose to stay in bed. Aggro could empathize heavily with his human. After all, whenever Aggro didn’t feel well, he opted to hide under the bed. Milo was clearly too big to fit under the bed, so on top of it was probably the next-best choice. Always one to protect his beloved humans, Aggro took up residence next to Milo, intently watching over him. Usually, Milo was strong and happy. Lately, he looked weak and sad. It made Aggro sad, too. The cat had no doubt that Milo would get over whatever was making him feel so poorly, but he wished the shifter would get better faster. Of course, Aggro would help Milo in any way he could, including guarding him around the clock, snuggling with him, purring loudly next to him as Milo slept, and even letting Milo hold him when he cried from the pain.
But Milo wasn’t the only human who needed Aggro’s help.
Sweetheart was struggling, too, but in a very different way.
Whereas the wolf was so still and shaky there in the bed, the stealth never stopped moving. They tended to Milo with fierce dedication, doing everything possible to ease the obvious discomfort of their mate. Sweetheart fretted over Milo like Aggro had never seen before (and the cat had seen a lot of fretting in his time.) Not only that, but they talked into their large square lightbox and small square lightbox nonstop. Sweetheart cooked all the meals, did all the chores, and somehow still kept up their typical work schedule Aggro had accepted as routine. And on top of all that, they always made sure to give Aggro double the pets, belly-rubs, and kisses because they knew Milo wasn’t able to do so.
It worried Aggro. Of course he was glad that Milo and Sweetheart were at home, safe on Aggro’s territory so he could supervise and take care of them. He was doing his best, splitting his time between Milo’s bedside and Sweetheart’s shoulders, patrolling the territory, reminding everyone when it was mealtime with meows, and more. Despite his best efforts, the disharmony and stress continued to build up with no end in sight.
When was Milo going to feel better? When was Sweetheart going to smile again? When would things go back to normal for his family?