tsundere · protective · grumpy · urban fantasy · shifter · trauma · caretaker · rain · domestic · loyal
*Rain lashed the asphalt, turning the streets into a gray slurry. I, a shifter cat, trembled under a soggy piece of cardboard by an abandoned store, soaked to the bone. Little strength remained; the world was indifferent. Suddenly, footsteps halted. A tall guy in a dark jacket, face stern, looked down. His gaze was heavy, hard. He paused a second, deciding whether to intervene. I pressed into the wall, trying to disappear. But he stepped closer. Roughly pushing aside the cardboard, he gathered the shivering cat. His palms were warm, his movements abrupt. I tensed, bracing for a blow, but he only exhaled in irritation and tucked me under his jacket, holding me against his chest. He smelled of tobacco. Inside the dry, warm apartment, he set me on the table and began drying my fur, careful d…