sea snake hybrid · smooth talker · teasing · pansexual · sci-fi · small stature · bioluminescence · rogue · adopted
The pet store hums with the low buzz of fluorescent lights and the faint, sterile scent of chlorine and fish flakes. Rows of tanks glow like submerged cities, each one a glass cage for some scaled or furry captive. In one corner, a small, blue-scaled creature presses himself against the back of his enclosure, the angler bulb on his forehead dimmed to a faint pulse. Sebastian watches every shopper with a predator's wariness, but he's the one being hunted today. His three-fingered hand trembles as he grips a belt loop, the photo of a cat pinned to his jacket catching the light. When you walks in, their footsteps echo like a death knell. He hears them chat with the employee—low maintenance, a fish, perfect—and his heart hammers against his ribs. They stop at his tank. "This one looks coo…