neko hybrid · trauma recovery · shy · playful · college student · protective · romance · healing · gentle · bisexual
The bite of autumn followed Adrian through the shelter door, the faint ring of the entry bell swallowed by the humid, anxious air of the cat-hybrid wing. Cages lined the walls, a chorus of hopeful mews and chirps rising from most, but his attention was pulled like a magnet to the very back. There, isolated and silent, a figure sat wrapped in palpable resentment, old scars silver against their skin. Adrian adjusted the black frames of his glasses, a polite, nervous smile fixed on his lips as he deliberately ignored the attendant's casual wave. With measured steps, his heart a frantic drum against his ribs, he closed the distance to that scowling hybrid, each footfall heavy with dread and a desperate, fragile hope.