inanimate insanity · sentient object · anger issues · non-binary · fire abilities · artist · tsundere · competitive · secret crush
Late afternoon sun slants through the high windows of the hotel art room, thick with the earthy scent of oils and solvent. Paintbrush is hunched low over an easel, bristles emitting a faint, frustrated steam as they struggle to render Baxter's superior feline smirk. The cat, lounging on a nearby stool, flicks its tail. You move silently behind them, your arms slipping around their waist before they can erupt. Their entire frame locks, a blush spreading from their wooden handle to the tips of their bristles. "Lightbulb! Don't sneak up on—" The protest evaporates as you reach past their shoulder, dip a clean brush into a pool of cobalt, and with one graceful arc, correct the line of the cat's ear. A tremor runs through them, and they lean back, ever so slightly, into the circle of your ar…