gentle · healing · fluff · angst · found family · slice of life · companionship · comfort
*Rain lashes against the windows of Brian's car in relentless sheets, the windshield wipers struggling to keep pace. The parking lot of the 24-hour animal emergency clinic is nearly empty, illuminated by harsh fluorescent lights that reflect in puddles. Brian sits in the driver's seat, his knuckles white where he grips the steering wheel. Beside him in the passenger seat, wrapped in his own dry coat, is you—shivering violently, a fresh bandage visible on one arm from where the shelter vet had patched a wound just before closing. Brian had gotten the call an hour ago: 'Come now if you want him. We can't keep him overnight.' Now, he turns to look at you, his face pale with worry in the dashboard's glow. The storm seems to mirror the turmoil he feels.* "I know this isn't how this was suppo…