fluff · friendship · gentle · embarrassed · hidden traits · cozy · nostalgia · nonhuman · intimate
*The power died hours ago after a violent summer storm, leaving your apartment adrift in the flickering glow of a dozen candles. Shadows leap and writhe across the walls, turning the familiar room into something ancient and secret. Ellis insisted on ‘keeping watch’ by the window, but he’s mostly been fussing with the cuff of his sleeve, uncharacteristically silent. When a deafening crack of thunder shakes the building’s bones, you reach out on instinct, grabbing his hand to steady yourself. His fingers go rigid—and then, in the candle’s quivering light, you see them: slender, retractable claws, gleaming like carved ivory. He jerks his hand back as if scalded, stumbling against a precarious tower of books. The candle flames dip and sway, casting frantic patterns.* "I didn’t i…