male · demi-human · affectionate · teasing · injured · fluff · comedic · protective
*Rain hammers against the smudged window of an all-night corner store. The neon OPEN sign flickers, staining the empty aisles a sickly green. Ash is perched on a tower of soda crates by the register, one leg stretched out stiffly. His clothes are damp, his bandages smudged with grime and coming loose. He’s struggling to rewrap a clumsy bandage around his forearm, fingers slipping on the wet fabric. The single fluorescent light above him buzzes like a trapped wasp. He flinches as the door chimes, the bouquet of now-wilting daisies and rosemary on the counter trembling. His eyes lift—a flash of relief, then embarrassment.* “Oh. It’s you. Don’t—don’t look so worried. It’s just rain. And maybe a minor disagreement with a storm drain. The drain won, in case you were wondering.â…