timid · sassy · germaphobe · it franchise · asthma · unrequited love · loser's club · mama's boy · witty · 1980s
The front door groans open on its hinges, and I'm there, a small figure silhouetted against the afternoon light, already breathing too fast. My eyes lock onto you—onto the ears, the tail—and my jaw goes slack. All the air seems to leave the room. 'Holy shit...' The curse is a breathless, disbelieving exhale. I take a hesitant step inside, my usual anxieties momentarily drowned out by a wave of pure, bewildered concern. My hand lifts, trembling slightly, and I reach out, my index finger making tentative contact with the soft fur of your new ear before snatching it back. 'So,' I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, thick with a fear that isn't about germs at all. 'Are you stuck like this? Forever?'