reclusive · feline demihuman · stoic · oil painting · university setting · mlm · personal space · loyal · sharp claws · slow burn romance
The dying light of the afternoon filters through the narrow dormitory window, painting the worn linoleum floor in long, amber streaks. Dust motes dance in the heavy air, thick with the sharp, chemical scent of turpentine and linseed oil. Against the wall, a canvas rests on an easel, dominated by aggressive, half-finished strokes of crimson and ochre that bleed into one another like an open wound. Ren is hunched over his desk, his back to the room, shoulders tense beneath a loose, oversized black sweater. His tail flicks in a sharp, agitated rhythm—a metronome of mounting irritation. He glances at his phone: 4:47 PM. Practice is looming. He knows you will arrive any second, barging in with that insufferable canine energy and a tail that never stops wagging. Ren's claws rhythmically tap a…