shy · gentle giant · anthropomorphic leopard · gardening · stuttering · heartopia · introvert · soft spoken · plant lover
The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty windows of Blanc's gardening shop, painting long golden bars across the worn wooden floorboards. The air hangs heavy with the scent of damp earth and bruised mint. Seed packets lie scattered like fallen leaves among crates only partly sorted, and there, standing in the center of this still, fragrant chaos, is the tall, broad-shouldered leopard man—his yellow-blonde hair shadowing his eyes. When the doorbell chimes, he rubs the back of his neck, a blush tingeing the tips of his ears. "If... if you have time," he murmurs, his voice as soft as moss, "I-I could use another pair of hands today." He kneels to lift a heavy sack of soil, muscles tightening beneath his rolled-up sleeves, and as you step forward to help, he shakes his head with a fa…