#and i keep getting bloody scarf and it. GAH the item is hard enough to get used to on a normal run

[rnoonsetter]

i love enter the gungeon, don't get me wrong. despite my 14 year long addiction to isaac, i think it's better designed than isaac, i find myself returning to it more often and for longer.

but the busted television is genuinely fucking evil. i've played over 1,000 hours, and have almost every achievement and somehow. i still haven't been able to unlock the fucking robot.

[tardistimes]

Olara

Summary:  Snowed in with a frozen human to care for, the Master is left with only one course of action.

Series: The Planets Part 3 | Part 2 | Part 1

Word Count: 5091

N.B. I was originally going to write a ‘freezing cold companion has to be warmed up by the Master with naked cuddles’ for the #dhawan!master x reader tag but then I remembered this series was overdue an updaye. If anyone would like to read another version of this story for a reader fic, let me know and I’ll keep it on my prompts list. 

AO3 link here.

It was meant to be a quick stop. The Master had been looking for someone, someone who owed him a favour. He’d tracked him down to Olara, an ice giant which had been terraformed to support life. The man had been trying to hide there – whether from the Master or others, Ana didn’t know – but he had failed. His small cabin, deep in the Olaran forests, was easily found.

When the TARDIS landed, a few kilometres from the cabin so they could better sneak up on it, the Master had warned Ana to dress for cold weather. Although terraforming had modified the planet’s atmosphere, topography and ecology, it had only been mildly successful with its global temperature. The most successful settlements were around the equator. Olara’s ice caps took up significant proportions of the northern and southern hemispheres however, and the further travelled away from the equator the colder it became.  

The Master had warned Ana it would be cold. He hadn’t told her it would be freezing.

Tugging her coat as tightly across her body as she could, she was grateful she’d left some gloves in the pockets or her fingers would turn blue. If only she’d had the foresight to grab a scarf. Her eyes were watering from the bitter gusts sweeping down from the high mountains and she had nothing to shield them behind.

Unbothered by the temperature, the Master marched ahead. Ana followed him as best she could but, between walking over uneven terrain and trying to maintain her core body heat, it was a struggle.

“Keep up.” He instructed when she fell behind. After a few minutes, she lagged again, so he took up her hand and used it to drag her along the trail. He wasn’t even wearing gloves. Crazy alien.

“It’s just along here.”

Nodding, worried that if she tried to speak through her chattering teeth they would bite into her tongue, she picked up her pace. The promise of a warm cabin was an enticing one. Hopefully, the man would have a roaring fire going. Unless, like the Master, his alien physiology enabled him to tolerate such extreme temperatures. If that were the case, Ana grumbled to herself, she’d go back to the TARDIS and leave the Master alone to his plans.

Someone must have liked her as, when the cabin finally came into view, they could see smoke rising from its chimney. Instead of rushing for it however, they paused behind one of the trees.

“There’s a door around the back.” He told her, pulling the TCE from his pocket. “I’ll go in that way. I want you to knock on the front door and pretend you’re lost. There’s a campsite close to here called Olaran Views, say that’s where you’re trying to go. Got it?”

She nodded again, but he wasn’t facing her. Irritated, he looked her way when he seemed to get no answer.

“Yes.” Ana managed, only just catching the tip of her tongue with her chattered word.

“Are you cold?” The Master said, his annoyance giving way to amusement.

“Bloody freezing. So if you don’t mind.” She replied, gesturing to the cabin.

Grinning at her wildly, he strode off while Ana hurried up to the front door. Slamming her palm against it, she was only waiting a moment before it swung open and a man was staring down at her.

“Hi, sorry to bother you,” she said, no longer restraining a shiver from racking her body, “I think I’m a little lost. I’m trying to find Olaran Views? I saw the smoke from your chimney and thought you could point me in the right direction?”

Immediately a smile broke out across his features. Instinctively, Ana frowned back.

“Sure, I can help you. Why don’t you come inside while I find you a map? You look like you could do with warming up.” He invited, pulling the door fully open.   

Reluctantly stepping inside, she calmed herself by curling her hand into a fist when he leered over her frame.

“There’s a fire over there.” He told her, shutting them in.

Scanning the room for any sign of the Master, Ana couldn’t spot him – he must still be getting into position, she reasoned as there weren’t many places inside the cabin to hide.

Tentatively walking over to the fire, she warmed her hands over the flame while the man made a show of looking through his shelves. The inside of the cabin was cosy, decorated with earthy tones which matched the forest visible through its small windows. There was only one big room with an attached bathroom. There weren’t any personal items, like photographs, just lots of papers, logs and work tools. They cluttered up the compact space. He’d been here for some time. For them, the Master had only been looking for this guy for a couple of hours. Ana wondered how long it had been for him.

“I didn’t catch your name.” He said.

“Ana. And you are?”

“Nice to meet you, Ana. I’m Stanfield.” Giving up the pretence of looking for a map, he walked over and extended his hand.

As soon as she took it, Stanfield used his grip to tug her into his chest.

“Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?” He growled down at her.

No longer prepared to wait for the Master to show, Ana drove her heel down on Stanfield’s foot. Lifting their joined hands above her head, she spun and, when her back collided with his chest, pushed them into the nearest wall. Their collision knocked over a bureau, an assortment of books and tools falling to the floor.

With a grunt, his grip on her loosened. Wasting no time, Ana wrenched herself free and put space some between them. Taking up a defensive position, fists raised before her, she watched him for his next move. Before Stanfield could try anything else, however, the Master spoke.

“Stanfield? Is that what you’re calling yourself here, Brod?” He laughed.

There was a bed in the corner which he must have hidden beneath when Stanfield – Brod, she corrected – went to answer the door. Rising from it, the Master aimed his TCE at Brod and motioned for him to step away from Ana.

“I’m here to cash in on our favour, Brod. I don’t suppose I need to remind you what I’m owed? What I did for you?”

Slowly raising his hands, Brod backed away from Ana. He glanced her way, assessing how much of a threat she posed before pouncing. Ducking down, the beam of the TCE missed his head by an inch. Picking up a hatchet from the floor, which was knocked over in his brief fight with Ana, he threw it towards the Master. To her relief, it missed, but it gave Brod an opportunity to dart towards the door.

Immediately, Ana gave chase.

Leaping over the fallen bureau, she rushed after him. With no weapon to hand, she had nothing to aim at him as he ran through the clearing so she could only hope the Master was close behind. Following Brod on the trail, they headed in the opposite direction of the TARDIS.

Overhead, black clouds were quickly starting to gather and Ana cursed as she realised the temperature had fallen even further since their first arrival. The chase kept her warm however as she wove through the trees, bounding over the roots that crossed over the terrain and impatiently brushing aside branches that impeded her route.

Brod had a short head start on her but he was struggling with the run; the falling darkness made it hard to see where they were going and he kept catching himself on the trees. Ana was able to keep up, she’d had plenty of obstacle course training courtesy of her father, and she almost had a hold of Brod’s jacket when they suddenly burst through the treeline onto the edge of a frozen lake.

Stumbling, Ana paused as Brod unthinkingly took off across the ice. Glancing behind her, she couldn’t see the Master yet although she could hear his footsteps tearing after her. Not wanting Brod to get away, Ana continued her pursuit. The ice looked thick enough to hold them, and there was no shining sun to thaw it.

She’d lost a bit of her headway and, taking a chance, used the slippery surface to her advantage. Falling to the floor, she stuck her right foot out and, as she had hoped, it slid along the path. With the momentum of her run, she skidded into Brod’s path, her foot connecting with his ankle.

“Gah!” He yelled, floundering forward. Hands outstretched, he crashed down onto the ice. As he fell, Ana rose.

“Ana!” The Master yelled from the shoreline.

She turned to look at him. He started running toward them as fast as he could. At first, Ana didn’t understand why. Brod was still down, groaning in pain from the collision of his head against the ice. It was only when she looked at him properly that she saw the sudden urgency of the situation.

“Shit.” She breathed, watching the spindles of broken ice extend from beneath Brod’s body. All too quickly, the ground gave way from under him, and Ana – standing by his feet – went with him.

As she fell she tried to take a deep breath but however much air she managed to fill her lungs with was immediately expelled as soon as she came into contact with the freezing water. Her mouth opened to shriek, but her cry was cut short by the flood of icy lake water which flooded past her lips, reducing her shocked scream to a gurgle.

Her coat instantly saturated with water, it became a weight around her body, dragging her down with Brod beside her. In the dim light which punctured the blackened water from the gaping hole above them, she could see him struggle to stay afloat. The water around his head was stained red with blood however and he didn’t have the awareness to properly fight.

Divesting herself of the coat, Ana kicked her legs together and tried to push herself up. Her limbs were already cramping from the cold however and with no oxygen in her lungs, there was nothing to give her buoyancy.

Black splotches erupted before her eyes and it took her a second to realise she was drowning. She would die in there, Ana realised with a chilling panic. There was no way she could escape. She would die on this alien planet and no one back home would ever know what had become of her. 

With another failed gasp for air, she gulped down another mouthful of water and it burned a path to her lungs. Spluttering, trying to expel it, she only drew more water in. The blackness was growing, joining together to blind her, so she couldn’t notice the sudden dimming of the light above her.

A hand encased a frozen wrist, unfeeling to his touch as he yanked her through the ice and back to his side.

“Breathe.” He instructed, frantically slapping her back to clear her airway.

She did as she was told but, instead of providing relief, breathing air was agonising. Crying from the pain, Ana wrapped her arms around herself, fighting to stay conscious.

The Master pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

“B-Brod?” Ana tried to ask through blue lips.

“He’s dead. Don’t worry about it.” The Master told her, scooping her up in his arms. “We have to get out of here, there’s a snowstorm coming. You can’t get caught out in this, you’ll freeze to death.”

He tried to activate the transporter device on his TCE but, given his howl of rage, Ana guessed it wasn’t working.

“Water got into it.” He growled. “Fuck!”

Securing his arms tightly around her, he sprinted across the lake as fast as he could without slipping.

“TARDIS is too far.” He panted, talking to himself as Ana was incapable of responding. “Got to get to the cabin.”

It was almost as dark as night when they got back into the heart of the forest. Ana didn’t know how the Master navigated it, especially with her in his arms.

She drifted in and out of consciousness, no matter how much the Master yelled at her to stay awake. She came to when he kicked open the door to the cabin. Impatiently, he dropped her onto the couch and secured the front door – he needed to get the building airtight to protect them from the snowstorm before it hit.

“Okay,” he said, hastening to her side when he was confident everything was locked up tight. “We need to get these clothes off you, get your body heat up then make sure all the water is out of your lungs.”

Ana could only stare at him, the pain from before ebbing into exhaustion. Her lungs ached, her limbs were still cramping from the cold, and she’d lost all sensation in her extremities. When she ran her tongue over her dried lips, she couldn’t even feel the action.

The Master clenched his eyes shut for a minute, pressing his hands to his temples. He seemed to war with himself for a moment before his eyes shot open and he started to work on her, with almost a clinical detachment.

Starting with her boots, he struggled to untie the wet laces but eventually succeeded. Carelessly throwing them over his shoulder, he pulled off her socks before starting on her trousers. It was a relief to get the saturated clothing off. She could suddenly feel the heat from the fire caressing her skin. She wanted to get closer to it, her head flopping to the side so she could stare at the fireplace longingly.

“Hang on, nearly there.” He said, trying to sound soothing while he thrummed with impatience. Tearing his jacket from Ana’s shoulders with little care, he yanked her upright so he could pull the sodden jumper over her head. It splatted noisily when he threw it on the floor. His hands ran over her skin as he set her back down onto the cushion, and she wanted to curl into it. How he had stayed so warm throughout the ordeal was beyond her. He hadn’t even worn gloves.

“Dumb alien.” She laughed uncontrollably, her words mumbling into each other as her brain struggled to keep up with what was happening.

The Master raised an eyebrow at her, not understanding the comment, but he didn’t ask. Instead, he focused on throwing his dry jacket over her prone body, left only in her damp underwear, and tearing the cabin apart in a hunt for clothes.

Finding some large shirts, he coaxed her up again and slid one over her head. Using a spare, he vigorously rubbed her head to wring the water from her hair. When it was relatively dry, he leaned back and observed her.

“Okay. Dry human. Now I need to warm the human.” He told himself. Glancing around, he spotted the bed in the corner.

“All right. Up we go.”

Scooping her back into his arms, Ana cried in protest when he took her away from the fire. The cabin chilled the further they moved from it, leaving her with no choice but to curl deeper into the Master’s hold for warmth. His skin burned against her exposed thigh, her skin was so cold.

Huffing, he tolerated her clawing him closer.

With one hand, he pulled back the covers and settled her in. There was an additional throw blanket over the couch, which he retrieved and added to the blankets. Still not satisfied, he retreated to the bathroom and, collecting all the towels, placed them atop of her.

Clicking on the bedside lamp as the world beyond the windows grew steadily bleaker, he looked her over again. “There. Warm and dry human. Now, let me check your lungs.”

Picking up his jacket, his entire arm seemed to disappear as he reached into a pocket for something. Blaming it on what she presumed was hypothermia making her delirious, Ana convinced herself she was imagining it.

He eventually extracted a stethoscope. Placing the resonator between his hands to warm the metal, he encouraged her to sit upright. While she wanted to cooperate, her body couldn’t.

“Fine, I’ll do it for you.” He grumbled. Grabbing hold of the tops of her arms, he gently brought her up into a seated position. When she was settled, he pulled at the back of her shirt, ignoring the hitch in her breath as the frigid air descended on her skin. Pressing the resonator to her back, he instructed her to take some deep breaths. When he’d tested several areas, he moved to her chest and repeated the process.

“That sounds good. There, you’ll be fine.” He told her.

“Master, I’m still really cold,” Ana told him miserably as he laid her down again.

Clenching his teeth, the Master realised there was no other way around this. It had occurred to him almost immediately what was the best way to warm someone, but he hadn’t wanted to take advantage. Ana was still cold however, and he was forced to admit that there was only one way to get her body temperature up. With a sigh of surrender, he worked on unbuttoning his waistcoat. Ana could only look at him in bewilderment as he made his way through his clothes. After a minute he was standing next to her, only dressed in his shorts and socks. Walking around the bed, he pulled back the covers and pressed himself beside her.

She had to bite her lip to restrain a moan of pleasure. He was so warm!

Rolling onto her side, she burrowed into his chest. He hissed when her frozen arms enfolded him and again when she pushed her nose into his neck. He accepted her however, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tightly against him. Rubbing his hands around her back, he tried to warm her up as quickly as he could.

Burrowed among the blankets only her head remained uncovered and, when he noticed her teeth were still chattering, he rested his cheek atop of hers so her head was sandwiched between him and her pillow. His breath warmed her cold ears and she could have sobbed with relief at the heat slowly thawing her iced body.

“Are you starting to warm up?”

Nodding frantically, Ana held him back just as tightly as he held her, hoping he wouldn’t let go anytime soon.

“Good. Because we might be here a while.” The Master groaned.

Wondering what he meant, she reluctantly drew her head back and glanced over her shoulder. A blizzard eclipsed their view of the clearing. All she could see what a screen of white.

Just the sight of it sent another shiver racking through her frame, and the Master drew her closer.

“Don’t worry. We’re safe in here. I checked everything once we got inside.”

“Can we get back to the TARDIS?” Ana asked, pleased to note her teeth weren’t chattering so much when she spoke. Settling back into his side, she curled her feet under his to warm them too.

“No,” he admitted, “the TCE got damaged in the lake water. I can fix it and teleport us to the TARDIS. It might take a while though. And we’ve still got to get you warmed up or you could get hypothermia.”

“I told you, I’m feeling warmer.”

“You still look pale.” He noted unhappily. Hesitating for a split second, he leaned in to press a kiss to the end of her nose. When Ana smiled back at him, he went for her lips.

Kissing him back tiredly, she couldn’t help but laugh when her mouth tingled as it slowly regained sensation.

“You’re not still delirious, are you? Because you only get to call me a dumb alien once.”

“Oh Christ, I didn’t say that out loud did I?”

“I’m afraid so,” the Master intoned, “at least I now know what you really think about me.”

Rolling her eyes, Ana explained: “I was just feeling jealous that you weren’t cold.”

“Time Lords are physically superior. And mentally. Superior in all manner, really.”

“Barring modesty.” She grumbled.

“I heard that.”

“I wasn’t trying to be quiet.”

“You should try being more grateful.” He said, brushing a strand of hair off her face. “My superior physiology is the only thing stopping you from freezing to death right now.”

“Oh, I’m very grateful.” Ana assured, looking up at him with a coy smile.

“Try showing it. And also, don’t call…”

“Ugh, I wasn’t calling you O.” She protested, cutting him off before he could use that old joke. “And I suppose I also have to be thankful for you pulling me out of the lake.”

“I wouldn’t leave my pet to drown.” He told her, pulling his hand out of her hair and settling it over her cheek.

“Sorry about Brod though. I know you needed him.”

“He can easily be replaced.” The Master assured her. “You can’t.”

“Still…”

“I told you before, don’t worry about it.” He insisted, petting her gently. After a moment he pulled back and contemplated her. “You’re not feeling guilty about him dying, are you? Because you know he’s a wanted felon?”

“No, I don’t,” Ana admitted, not having to lie. How terrible.

“Good pet. Try to sleep now. I’ll work on the TCE when you wake up.”

“You’re not going to work on it until then?” She asked, surprised.

“No. I’ve got to keep my human warm, don’t I?” He chuckled. “Go to sleep, Ana. I’ll be here when you wake up.” He sealed his promise with another kiss dropped on her lips.

Leaning her head on his shoulder, it was easy to drop off. Between the adrenaline she’d burned through during her chase of Brod and her near-death experience, she was exhausted. The warmth of the Master’s body next to her reassured her she was safe, and the beating of two hearts beneath her ear drowned out the ever-worsening storm outside.

________________________________________________________________

When she woke up, it was to a low, muted light. As promised, the Master was still behind her although he’d pulled back slightly when Ana had fully warmed up, not wanting her to overheat. As soon as he saw she was awake, he dropped a kiss of greeting to the crown of her head before getting up.

“We’re completely snowed in.” He told her, walking towards the fire. After stoking it, he bent to inspect his TCE. At some point in the night, he’d snuck away to disassemble it and left the components to dry. “So walking is out.”

Pulling the covers back, Ana groaned at the chilly air that greeted her, but she couldn’t stay in bed all day. After seeing her clothes were still slightly damp, she stayed in the shirt the Master had found for her yesterday.

“You should stay in bed.”

“I’m fine.” She shrugged. “Much warmer now.”

“At least eat something. There are cans in the kitchen.”

Going to rummage through the cupboard – because her stomach liked the idea, not because he told her to, she told herself – she found something which looked like blue kidney beans. Giving them a go, she found the taste unpleasant yet palatable. They settled well on her stomach and after a few bites, she didn’t even notice the slightly bitter flavour.

“Do you want anything?” She asked out of politeness, knowing he would say no. Her strange alien. How he could go so long between meals was beyond her.

“Yes. Either get back in bed or come stand by the fire.” He replied. That was where he was, sat cross-legged before the hearth while he reassembled his TCE.

“I meant, did you want any food?” Ana clarified, staying where she was, leant against the kitchen counter.

“No. Now come over here.”

“Do I get a biscuit as a reward or are you just going to pat my head and call me a good girl?” She drawled.

Glancing over his shoulder, the Master gave her a cheeky grin. “I will if that’s what you go in for.”

Determined not to let her mind go down that road, Ana did as he asked and sat next to the fire. They sat quietly together while he worked and, once she’d finished her food, the heat of the hearth started to lull her back to sleep. Before she could slump down and accidentally set herself on fire, she shuffled into a comfortable position: leaning heavily against the Master’s back with her head on his shoulder. He exhaled heavily when she pressed up against him but didn’t protest, he just continued to work.

When she came to, she was on the couch, under a blanket, and the Master was nowhere to be seen.

Sitting up so abruptly her head spun, she called out for him. There was no response and, when she looked around, there was no sign of him.

Feeling a stab of terror in her chest, Ana leapt up from the couch and ran over to the window.

He wasn’t outside either.

Beside the fireplace, all the pieces for the TCE were gone and so was his jacket.

Slumping back down on the couch, she felt her lungs constrict and struggled to draw in air.

Had he left her?

Ever since their first adventure together, a part of her worried that if she said something wrong, upset him somehow, she’d be abandoned on whatever hunk of rock they were on. Had he been angrier about Brod’s death than he’d let on? Had she ruined his plans? He hadn’t seemed angry though. Maybe it was her near-death experience? Had it finally shown him how comparatively weak she was? That she couldn’t possibly keep up with his antics.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Ana tried to make herself think. She could get down to the major cities, maybe find transport from there. Money could be an issue, but she’d learned enough from the Master to know how to acquire that in a pinch. If worst came to worst, she could call the Doctor – suffer through an I told you so speech before being deposited back home.

The thought of returning to her old, now irrefutably, lacklustre life left her gasping.

On the verge of total panic, the room was filled with a flash of light. Before the Master could say anything, Ana was upon of him, her arms caging his midsection as she held on with all the strength she could muster.

Looking at her in bewilderment, he held up his TCE. “I was just testing it. Made a few jumps with no malfunctions, so it will be safe for both of us. Thought I’d be back before you woke up.”

He prised her away and examined her. “Didn’t mean to scare you?”

Letting out a shaky breath, Ana nodded. Of course, he was just testing the TCE.

The Master was still watching her. “Did you think I’d left?”

“Did you think I left you here?”

“Ana!”

Holding up her hands, she tried to defend herself. “No, no, I just worried that something happened to you.”

“Bullshit.” He snarled. “Don’t try lying to me, pet. You’re not good enough.”

Her face fell.

He pulled her back. “I’ve told you before. I didn’t think I needed to repeat myself, you’re usually an excellent listener. It’s what I like about you.”

Ana nodded against his chest.

“What did I tell you?” He prompted.

“I’m yours.” She said. But was he hers?

Smiling at her manically, he repeated it. “You’re mine. Say it again.”

It was easy to say, harder to believe. “I’m yours.”

“Good pet.” He crooned, leaning in to seal the promise with a kiss. Unusually for him, he kept it light, feathering kisses across her lips, along her jaw until he was breathing heavily over her ear. Only when she shivered for him did he speak, keeping his voice quiet to encourage her to lean further into him. “Get your clothes on. There’s something I want to show you before we leave.”

Hasty in her obedience, she tugged on her stiff jeans, shoved her feet into slightly damp boots and threw her shirt over the one from the cabin – knowing she’d still be light on layers without her coat.

“Ready.”

The Master held a thick winter coat out for her, waiting to assist her as she stared.

“What? You didn’t think I would let you go out in only that? I’ve learned my lesson, humans don’t fare well in the cold.”

Ana rolled her eyes as she hooked her arms into the sleeves. “I thought that was obvious.”

“Maybe to a human.” He scoffed. “Your species is a lot more work than I thought. I need an owner’s manual.”

Lightly elbowing his side, the Master feigned a pained look and staggered back.

“You wanted to show me something,” Ana said, trying not to snicker at his theatrics. It would only encourage him.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he activated the TCE. They appeared in a clearing, the trees towering over them. Still on Olara, the Master had taken them further north where – at that time of year – night had already fallen. Above them, ribbons of jade streaked across the sky.

“The Aurora Borealis?”

“This planet’s version of it.”

Above them, the planet’s moon was shining fully, illuminating the meadow the Master had found them. Squinting towards the light, Ana thought the air seemed to shimmer in its rays.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” He prompted, feeling proud of himself for finding them such a picturesque spot.

“Gorgeous.”

“Because it’s an ice giant, there’s an excessive amount of moisture in the atmosphere, even with the terraforming. When it gets cold enough, it forms a mist of kinds in the stratosphere which, from the ground, makes it look like the sky is sparkling.”

Tugging on the Master’s lapels, Ana brought him down to her level for another kiss.

“I take it this means you like it?”

“Love it.” She corrected.

“You’re cold though, aren’t you?”

“Bloody freezing,” Ana confirmed with a laugh.

“Let’s go back to the TARDIS.”

“No,” she said, stopping him from activating the TCE with a hand over his, “I can handle it for a few more minutes. If you don’t mind?”

“I think you can convince me.” The Master chuckled, bringing her even closer.

Olara was inspired by this post: https://263addersthetardistimes.tumblr.com/post/617343387963719680/underbetelgeuse-horizon-zero-dawn-scenery. I'm loving all the world building I get to do for this series, making up planets is so much fun!

I hope you all enjoyed the latest installation in this series! Stay safe ❤

[tokyoteddywolf]

How about cat boy Shiro & shance?

It got away from me….————————————-Lance yawned as he opened to door to his house, tired after a full day of work. Allura was a slave driver, having him work the clearance floor of the fashion building. There had been a huge sale today, customers having flooded the shop and nearly cleaning it out, and not all of them were nice to him.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, shutting the door behind him. After getting changed into some sweatpants and an old t-shirt, he flopped on the couch, shutting his eyes. He got about what felt like ten minutes of blessed sleep before a crash and a yowl of pain woke him up, the lanky 25 year old man bolting upright in surprise. He got up and looked at the clock. What the fuck? Who was even awake at 4am?

With a groan, he got up and decided to investigate the sound. He shrugged on a light jacket and stepped out onto the porch, bare feet cold against the concrete. He glanced around and walked over to where a soft whimpering was coming from, the alleyway with all the trash cans.

“Hello?” He called, padding inside the alleyway, hand against the wall of his house. His eyes caught a hunched shape next to the dumpster, something big with a twitching tail and curled in on itself. Oh.

Now that he was closer, he could see it was a Hybrid, creatures that were a common pet in this city. This one was a Cat Hybrid, with long, messy and dirty black hair and ears and a white forelock and a white tipped black tail. It was making soft, pained sounds, gripping at its right arm.

“Here kitty kitty, what’s wrong?” Lance crooned, attempting to appear as non-threatening as possible. Which wasn’t hard, he could see the muscles through the tattered shirt on the Cat Hybrid’s body, even though it looked very malnourished. He walked a little closer, trying to recall everything Hunk had told him about Cat Hybrids since the big guy worked at a shelter for all kinds of Hybrids, like Keith, a mixed breed of a Cat and a Wolf Hybrid.

The Hybrid’s head shot up, staring at him with wide, panicked silver eyes that were admittedly quite pretty. Now that he could see its face, Lance could tell the Cat Hybrid was male, and hurt too by the bloody cut across his nose. The Hybrid growled warningly, ears flattened back and tail puffed up in fear.

Lance held up his hands, palms outwards, staying calm like Hunk had taught him when handling scared Hybrids. “Woah there, Kitty, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m just trying to help. Can you let me do that?” He soothed, focus entirely on the terrified Hybrid.

The growling paused for a moment, wavering, and an almost curious look flashed through those gray eyes before being replaced with more caution. Lance took a small step forward, encouraged.

“You don’t look too good there, Kitty. Want me to get you some food and a bandage for that cut on your pretty face?” He cooed, shuffling a little closer and crouching low to appear smaller, less dangerous. The Hybrid’s ears flicked, indecision flickering across his face. Lance was now close enough to reach forward with one hand, carefully.

The Hybrid leaned forward, uncurling a little to sniff at Lance’s fingers, before cautiously turning his cheek against the Cuban man’s palm before pulling back a little with a soft whine. Lance smiled gently, keeping his teeth hidden, and ran his hand over the Hybrid’s hair and ears, a small purr startling both males.

Lance spoke up again. “Hey, let’s get you into my place so we can fix you up, okay?” The Hybrid blinked, confused, but allowed Lance to pull him up and suddenly Lance had to reevaluate this because the Cat Hybrid was taller than him by a head and a lot wider than skinny little Twig Lance. Not to mention heavy! For someone so emaciated, he sure packed a lot of weight!

Lance carefully led the Cat Hybrid out of the alleyway and into his house, shutting the door quietly and tugging him into the bathroom. “Okay, I know cats hate water, but we need to get you washed and cleaned before we bandage you up.” Lance explained to the startled Cat, who was staring at his reflection in the mirror with something akin to horror.

Lance filled the bathtub with hot but not scalding soapy water, and guided the Hybrid in. The water seemed to relax the dirty kitty, and Lance easily pulled off the ragged and soon to be burned old shirt and boxers the Hybrid had been wearing, finally able to assess the damages.

The Cat was covered in old scars and new injuries, like he’d been in a fighting ring. His right arm was missing, obviously recently because the stump hadn’t healed completely and was an angry reddish purple, blotchy and clearly infected. The poor Cat was going to need a Vet, and Lance hoped Hunk would cover this. But first he had to do what he could to help, since he’d never been one to turn down a creature in need.

He set to work, using safe shampoos and soaps to clean the dirt and blood away, having to drain and refill the tub several times until the water stayed mostly clear and bubbly. The Cat Hybrid flinched with every wound wiped down, but seemed to recognize that Lance was helping him and didn’t fight back. Lance hummed to fill the silence, a soothing Spanish lullaby his Mama loved singing.

Once he finished, he rinsed the Cat one last time before leaving to grab some overly large clothes that would probably fit the huge Hybrid, which he was guessing was of the Maine Coon variety. He came back and drained the tub, tugging the relaxed kitty out and drying him off, bandaging every wound with a bandaid or gauze before helping him into soft, clean clothes that actually fit the Cat just right, if not only slightly tight.

“Okay, just a haircut and then some food, sound good?” Lance soothed, sitting the other male on the closed toilet and holding up a pair of scissors and a hair razor. The Cat eyed the items warily, but merely made a soft noise of agreement before letting his eyes fall shut.

Lance pulled a towel over the Cat’s neck and shoulders, before setting to work snipping the long, tangled black locks of hair. He shaved away the worst of it, giving the Hybrid an undercut and leaving the top alone, trimming around the ears to a short, fluffy length and even grooming the ears and tail to get rid of the matting. The white forelock was left a little longer than the rest, since Lance found it kind of cute.

He cleared away the mess and once again tugged the Cat Hybrid by the wrist along with him to the kitchen, the poor kitty making a soft mew, a wordless question. “Food then! You look pretty hungry, kitty, and I think I still have a package of turkey somewhere.” Lance clarified, gesturing for the Hybrid to sit on the couch while he entered the kitchen to rummage around his fridge.

He came back to see the Cat Hybrid looking around curiously, tail flicking and ears up, which was definitely a good sign if he was showing interest in his surroundings. Lance gave himself a mental high five and cleared his throat lightly, gathering the kitty cat’s attention. He held up the package of turkey and had to stop himself from giggling at the way the Hybrid’s eyes lit up and ears perked, staring at the wrapped meat hungrily. His stomach let out a demanding growl too, and Lance definitely laughed then.

“Haha, okay, here you go then.” Lance chuckled, opening the plastic package and unwrapping the seal around the meat, plopping it back into the container and handing it to the Cat Hybrid.

While the cat scarfed down the meat, Lance dug his phone out of his jacket.

He had a few calls to make.——————————–This….. got waaaaaaaayyy out of control…… it was supposed to be a small fluffy fic and I turned it into some angst? And yes, Shiro is the nameless Hybrid. I don’t suppose you’d want more, maybe? I mean I wouldn’t mind making more? Gah- I need to stop making all these AU’S, my brain is out of control ;0;Hope you enjoyed!

(edit- here's chapter 2- https://tokyoteddywolf.tumblr.com/post/161255787588/companions-au-chapter-2 )