shu-glue - Tumblr blog

[shu-glue]

childhood rivals.

₊˚ ᗢ alhaitham x gn!reader, modern au.

⤷ starting your rivalry with him at the age of five.

Al-Haitham, no matter what the age, was always going to be a pretty snotty person. He never intends for his words to come off as harsh. He always said what was on his mind. And that usually included little to no filters at all. It meant that even towards grown adults, he would comment how their breath stinks, leading to them shrinking away from the kid.

His parents once scolded him about his rude behavior towards his uncle, who was just trying to ask him what toys he wanted for Christmas, and he replied with breath mints for him. Sure, it might have been true that he needed them, but you never had to say it out loud. 

His out-of-pocket commentary garnered a lot of attention in school. And rumors about him being a social outcast caught wind with the other children. They started to avoid him, whispering behind his back about how much of a rude person he was, and that even when they had classroom pizza parties, he was always sitting alone. Kids will say what they will, even if it was mean. They were just better at hiding it than Al-Haitham.

Things began to change when you moved into his neighborhood. The two of you coincidentally lived next to each other, and your parents were quick to jump on the idea of transferring you to the same school as you. After all, it was better for you to walk home with someone than no one at all, and it would keep them from worrying about you.

You were forced to sit next to him during class because the teachers thought it would be better to pair him with someone he hung out with after school than some other kid (they figured with you around, he’d at least talk to someone. They just didn’t know you were forced to talk to each other).

You first thought the gossip about him was nothing more than empty words. Oh, how wrong you were. The first time you sat next to him, he told you that your breath smelled like fish and that your hands were too dirty to touch any of the books he had lying next to him. If you were to ask Al-Haitham why he said that to you, he would reply with “I thought it would be less embarrassing if I just let you know quickly” and “I didn’t want you to stain the books.” From this day on, you were fuming. 

You were determined to beat him in every subject. You wanted to rub in his face that he wasn’t as good as he makes himself be. You studied the same books as him, spent your recess time flipping through textbooks, writing clean notes during class, and asking as many questions as him. It started to become heated when you and Al-Haitham would raise your hands at the same time, the two of you glaring at each other as your classmates whispered to each other. Silently, they were all taking sides. The quiet, introverted genius child with no filter, or the transfer student who worked hard to get where they were. 

Despite his personality and appearance to other kids, he had a lot more heart than they give him credit for. When you fell asleep in the classroom, your face planted among pages of biology notes, he took off his uniform jacket and draped it over you. He would then proceed to sit next to you, reading a book until recess ended. By that time, you had woken up and he took back his jacket. It was so quick that it appeared as if it was never there in the first place. But he knew and has always remembered to keep his jacket with him (even during hot weather), just in case you ever fall asleep in the classroom again. 

He would secretly leave candy under your table in the small cubby. They ranged from sweet fruity candies given to him by his family or small treats the teacher gave him for having his clip be on the very top of the rainbow chart of good behavior. When you ask him if he was the one who put it there, he would shrug his shoulders and roll his eyes, saying that he doesn’t like sweet. You raised your eyebrows at first but decided to take his word for it. Maybe a teacher gave it to you for being good in class. He would wait for you to eat it during the free period, hiding his smile behind a book. It was true he wasn’t fond of sweets. He just didn’t want to admit that he’s been leaving them behind for you. It would ruin his credibility!

“Good job on the recent math test,” He says, giving you a smug smile. “You were just one point behind me. That’s still pretty good though. If you want, you could come over to my house to study.”  You stuck out your tongue at him, “As if!”

[shu-glue]

need me a man i can rant terrible media to (i just need haitham 😭)

book lover

summary ⎯ you rant about your book to alhaitham. he takes the time to admire you during your tangents.

tags ⎯ fluff. idk its just really cute. soft alhaitham idk what to tell you. you and alhaitham are two little book nerds that read physical books together and rant abt them. u2 are giving old happily married couple tbh.

tana's words ⎯ idk mane im in love. but BLADE trailer came out today so idk..... feeling a little bit i'm abt to commit an infidelity

you looked very conflicted as your eyes scanned the words of the book you were currently reading. to any other person, you looked rather focused. your face was pensive and your eyes were fixated on the novel you were reading.

but to alhaitham (who thinks and hopes he's the one that knows you the most), he realizes you're disconcerted by the novel you're reading. it's the way you're slightly pouting (almost frowning) your lips as you continue reading, like you're dissatisfied. your eyes aren't focused, but instead they were crinkled with confusion. what you're actually focused on is how much more ludicrous this book could get.

alhaitham picks his book back up again and continues his book, "murder on the orient express," by margaret atwood. something you recommended to him. alhaitham started it right after he finished the book he was reading previously, forgetting about the other books on his shelf.

alhaitham was nearly halfway into the novel when he turned his head to check on you again. this time, there was no doubt you looked pained. your eyes were narrowed with incredulity as you read the rest of the passage. you were biting your lip and your grip on the book was tight. you wanted to say something, alhaitham figured out.

so alhaitham puts down his book on the nightstand and stretches. he wraps his hands around your waist and moves closer to you, his head now resting on your shoulder. he reads a few passages here and there. and the way you slow down as you read does not elude him: he knows you're just waiting for him to finish his passage.

you two stay like this for a while. alhaitham's hands are wrapped around your body as his head lays comfortably on your shoulder. he presses a few kisses to your neck here and there, never failing to make you heat up. he's pulled you closer into him by now; you're on the verge of sitting on his lap in the bed. but even during this relaxing moment, you couldn't help but feel stress. it's probably because of this god-awful book you're reading.

you let out a loud sigh, slamming your book shut and not even bothering to bookmark it (you're a dog-earer; alhaitham thinks you're despicable for it). you lay it down on your nightstand before you take the time to melt into alhaitham's touch. once you've put your book down, you take a deep breath, and alhaitham swears he feels life return back into you.

alhaitham presses a quick kiss to your jaw, "are you okay?"

you faintly smile at him, "fine." and alhaitham knows what will come next. alhaitham studies you; he tries to dissect your every word and expression; and most of all, he always wants to find out more about you, despite having being with you for a long time already.

your smile disperses, now followed by a scowl, "i lied. i'm not fine," you rubbed your eyes with your hands as alhaitham listened to you, "can your brain hurt after reading something so terrible? my brain feels like it aged fifty years and i'm not even finished with this god-awful book. nothing in here makes sense, the plot is rudimentary at most, and the characters are making me want to rip my hair out," you ranted, your hands going to massage your temples because of how angry you were getting.

"and it's not just that too," you continued. alhaitham's eyes were on you; listening to every word, watching your eyes, and your lips. he wanted to kiss you into peace, but he also loved hearing your tirades. the way your voice became so passionate and wild made him feel things that he thought he wouldn't have felt before.

"the plot barely makes any sense. like, you're telling me grown people act like this? these people are two decades older than us, haitham," he feels himself melt at the sound of his name, nodding along to your tangent so you know he's listening, "but they act like teenagers! like... don't you have jobs? lives?" you pick up the covers that enshroud your body and proceed to let out the loudest groan into them.

you pulled down the covers, letting out a deep sigh. "sorry, i had to get that out," you turned to look at alhaitham, only to see him staring right back at you.

"i guess you're not recommending that one," alhaitham joked, removing his hands from your waist and wrapping his arms around your shoulders, pressing you against him. he presses a kiss to your temple as he feels you breath slowly.

"definitely not," you shook your head, now leaning onto alhaitham's shoulder, "the thing was, my friend recommended that to me. so, i don't know if they hate me or not, because there's no way they'd genuinely think this book was good."

alhaitham hummed, "maybe they were trying to gauge your reaction," alhaitham's hand slipped under your shirt and started tracing shapes on your bare collarbone, "like you did to me that one time," alhaitham adds, tone lifting with mock-exasperation.

you laugh, and alhaitham thinks the sound is absolutely heavenly. sometimes, especially during long nights in the akademiya, he dreams of your laughter and your smile. the sound is so melodic that any other laugh became incomparable and unrivaled by yours.

"okay, that was pretty funny though," you poked his cheek, grinning, "i almost spit out my drink when you got to that one sex scene. i thought you'd never take any recommendations from me ever again," you joyfully reminisced, letting yourself sink into alhaitham's warmth.

"'how fast you go. you arrive at a conclusion much sooner than i would permit myself to do,'” alhaitham quotes. his hands travel farther down your shirt as he allows himself to kiss your neck.

you ignore his actions, turning to him suddenly, "you're reading murder on orient express?" your eyes widen.

alhaitham's expression remains neutral, still kissing your body, "of course. i read everything you recommend me." he didn't expect you to be so shocked. he regards your opinion with high value.

your eyes still remain wide, not moving away from his face as alhaitham mindlessly rubs his hands up and down your torso, "even the bad ones?"

alhaitham chuckles, "even the bad ones. but, if it makes you feel better, you haven't recommended me any terrible books yet. at least, not as terrible as the one you're reading currently."

you sigh, looking at the disgraced book on the nightstand, "yeah... i don't think books can get worse than that one," you turn back to run your hand through alhaitham's hair, sorting out a few strands here and there. alhaitham quietly hums as you do so, sounding pleasantly satisfied.

"why are you reading murder on the orient express so soon? thought you had that other book to read about," you quietly asked.

"because i love you. and i want to experience what you experienced," alhaitham says it like it's the easiest thing in the world. i love you. i want to experience things with you. it makes your heart flutter infinitely through the stars. you've read countless romance novels through your years, yet no author would be able to word love as well as alhaitham did.

you smile wide, and alhaitham thinks if he was a dying man, seeing your smile would allow him to survive for decades. too flustered to say anything, you tuck yourself into the nape of his neck, hiding from his prying eyes.

you know alhaitham. you are aware that he knows you just as well as you know him. you know that, with one glance, alhaitham is probably able to determine every single thought you're thinking. with one word from your mouth, alhaitham understands you immediately, no need to elaborate. it's long lasting, the mutual understanding the both of you have.

yeah, alhaitham can read you like a book. he takes great satisfaction in doing so, as well.

you grab his chin and tilt his head down to meet yours, giving him a chaste kiss on his lips. you grin once again (a sight alhaitham will never get sick of) and turn off the lamp next to your bed. you whisper, "good night," in his ear and cover yourself with the sheets as you drift off into sleep, content with this night despite the horrible book.

alhaitham softly smiles, even chuckles a little bit about how fast you went to bed. he traces your jawline with his thumb before turning off his light and pulling you closer into him.

alhaitham usually does not reread books. but, if you were a book, he'd think he would reread you over and over again, because every time he finds something new to love about you, there is always more. you reel him in more than any hook. you interest him more than any other topic. you grab his attention more than any other story.

maybe he's over exaggerating. but that's no big deal for now. for now, alhaitham will just enjoy you and your presence. and he will reread you the next time he has a chance.

umm idk if that ending made sense but it's like 4am rn and idrc. alhaitham is prob ooc in this but whateva bc i like my men to be nice bc I CAN CHANGE THEM!! anyway srry if this don't make sense its 4am rn

[shu-glue]

devilspawn!

alhaitham x gn!reader

wherein Alhaitham, despite being deeply and irrevocably in love with you, thinks it's rather immature to be picking fights with a child whose age hasn't even reached double digits yet. until he meets said child himself. notes: gn!reader, written in lowercase, reader is implied to be the traveler but can be read otherwise, alhaitham is whipped for reader, reader hates timmie so if you adore the kid i'm very sorry, two curse words (reader says ass and alhaitham mentally says little shit)

alhaitham loves you a lot. he really does. he rarely ever says the three magic words, and for the most part, it's fine on your end because he expresses his deep affection for you through his actions.

sometimes, he'll say 'i love you' through quiet but powerful hugs after he comes home from a long, grueling day in the Akademiya. other times, he'll whisper 'i love you' as he hands you a small trinket or even a book you've mentioned in passing, one he bought just earlier when he saw said item in a stall while on an assignment. he'll call you 'beloved' through massaging your shoulders after training, and he'll tell you how much he adores you through the many times you spent basking in each other's presence in comfortable silence.

he'll walk with you to the ends of the Teyvat if it means staying by your side, however…

"love," alhaitham shakes his head, "you're a… fully grown adult. the one you want to 'crush under the heavy hand that is loss', is a child. my love, a child."

now, alhaitham is no stranger to the game that is TCG, Genius Invocation, the Card Game. the only times he, kaveh, tighnari, and cyno will meet up are when they're all free, fancying a drink, and cyno wants to try out another new card he has recently obtained.

in all honesty, your partner couldn't for the life of him understand the hype about this card game. he was by no means an amateur - he has won enough games to be considered an official TCG player, despite only borrowing decks from kaveh, and he is the only one able to actually last more than 5 rounds against cyno in a single session at lambad's.

he knows how to play, he just does not see the need to play so obsessively, nor blow off money for special cards he'll only use in a few given instances of his life (if he even utters this line of thought out loud around cyno, he'll have a spear stuck on his back for the rest of the day).

however, you - his lover, his partner, the only person reserved for the ring in his pocket - love TCG, and as the loving boyfriend he is, he tries to keep his opinion of the game to himself; he'd rather have a giant spear in his back than see you sad and pouting as you shuffle through your beloved deck of cards. he should know, he's made the mistake once and it took him a couple of padisarah pudding servings to cheer you up.

alhaitham loves you, and if you like this card game, he will certainly make sure you're happy every duel or match you do. he just can't wrap his head around why you're setting off to the bridge that leads to the entrance of mondstadt city, deadset on making a something years old child cry from defeat.

"alhaitham, baby, you don't understand," you argued, "that child is my mortal enemy, my lifetime arch-nemesis, and a pain in my ass."

"yes, darling, but consider: you have many more potential TCG friends who would make better rivals than some random kid." alhaitham rubs his forehead, completely exasperated if it weren't for the adorable way you're marching ahead in front of him like a goofy soldier going into war.

you only spin around just at the mouth of the bridge, your hands on your hips as you stare up at alhaitham with a pout on your face and a raised eyebrow. "you think i'm being irrational, aren't you?"

alhaitham raises an eyebrow back as he continues walking. "not necessarily, my love, however - "

there's something about being hit in the face with multiple fluttering wings and feathers unexpectedly, that can render even the most stoic of men like alhaitham utterly lost and speechless. is it the pure shock? the pain of not really fluffy appendages hitting their face? well, it's when the haze of birds - pigeons? - finally clear, alhaitham is greeted by the displeased and outright sour expression of the one he can only assume to be timmie, your 'sworn enemy'.

"what are you doing?!" said boy screeched. "you scared my pigeons away!"

alhaitham could only blink owlishly at the dirty blond haired boy, looking around to see a bunch of pigeons flying away, leaving a trail of feathers in their wake. granted, despite all the horror stories you told him about timmie, alhaitham's rational enough to be patient with timmie.

"i'm sorry, but I don't think I have control over that, kid." alhaitham tilts his head down to look at timmie. "if you feed your pigeons in the middle of the road, especially a bridge with exactly two exit and entry points, your pigeons will surely—"

"no, my mama always said that if you're a person with a pure heart, the animals won't be afraid of you." timmie turned his nose up and stuck his tongue out at alhaitham. "that's why my pigeons like me, and not you, you meanie!"

alhaitham had to reel himself back to take in the ridiculous logic, the gears in his head turning to come up with an explanation. "no," he shakes his head as if it's hurting, "birds and all animals for that matter don't know the concept of morality, thus they have no sense of right and wrong as humans do. the only reason the pigeons run away from others and stay with you is because you're feeding them, creating a dependent relationshi—"

"blah blah, why should i listen to an old man with graying hair?"

said (old) man with gray(ing) hair visibly reels back, flabbergasted. he's not so much offended as he is shocked at timmie's attitude. he wanted to say 'no, he's not old', 'his gray hair is a natural phenomenon because of genetics', and, 'listen here you little shit'.

"see?" you commented from the sideline, arms crossed. "devilspawn."

"ARGH!" timmie shouts, pointing an accusing finger at you. "you again?! stop scaring my pigeons away!"

"i keep telling you, there's nothing i can do about that!" you shout back, bickering with the small child as if you were about to lunge at him.

alhaitham looks back and forth between the two of you, mentally wondering if he was dating and courting someone of the immature type (doesn't mind it solely, because it's you). when he moves to calm you down so the both of you can finally head into mondstadt city to look for marjorie, timmie says:

"maybe my pigeons don't like you because you look like an ugly cow!"

oh boy. no good. no, no good, alhaitham won't tolerate that.

alhaitham loves you a lot. he really does. he rarely ever says the three magic words, and for the most part, it's fine on your end because he expresses his deep affection for you through his actions.

and if it means making a little boy cry at a simple card game to protect your dignity, then so be it.

"beloved. if you would so kindly let me borrow your cards."

"wha—?"

"beloved."

this is just a silly drabble i thought of a lot of days ago and no, it's not proofread AHAHA. i have been so inactive lately and i apologize for that, school has been hectic and i was busy with college applications to boot. but now, i'm about to graduate so i should have some free time before i finally taste the college life ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ if y'all saw this post but with no tags you did not

[shu-glue]

what would y'all think of alhaitham and timmie meeting 😭

[shu-glue]

i know it's been a while since you updated please teach me how to be a girlfriend BUT i recently reread it (it still holds up btw) and for some reason i glossed over certain descriptions in later chapters. all i need to know is who the hell decided to hurt suna 😃 (i know the name is mentioned but i just want some closure-)

ALSO i picked up daylight shooting star again cuz i kinda stopped at the shishio pretending to be suzume's bf like a weirdo HAHA (other than that bit the manga's got me kicking my legs and giggling <3)

OMG HI i've been really busy with school so i couldn't get to this ask right away ajajahahahw

I REALLY REALLY WANT TO PICK UP PLEASE TEACH ME AGAIN, it's my first xreader baby, and i had been planning on rewatching haikyuu anyway 😌 hehe, hopefully, you get closure soon, bc i just might mention the culprit who hurt our sunarin in a few chapters >:^(

HEHE, the romance scenes in daylight shooting star makes me wanna giggle at my screen and kick my feet BUT LIKE most of those scenes are with shishio 😠😠 like give me my baby mamura how dare

[shu-glue]

HI I'M NOT DEAD AND THIS IS MY PROOF

[shu-glue]

alhaitham and arabic love poems scratch an itch in my brain mhm mhm

[shu-glue]

Chapter Two: All it Takes is a Kiss

Alhaitham has the looks and the smarts. He will also be the stand-in CEO for his grandfather's company for a year.

But, he's been mysteriously cursed to turn into a cat every night since his eighteenth birthday… until he meets you, an employee at his grandfather's company, who rescues him as a cat and changes him back with one kiss.

Alhaitham/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on AO3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

You return to your apartment, and Alhaitham becomes cautious about his actions. You gently set him on the couch; he sits and looks around. He isn’t sure what he’s expecting, but from your decor and belongings, you like to live a simple life. Minimalistic. Not a lot of colour. Cozy. Homey. It seems like you live on your own.

He’s still taking in his surroundings when he sees you walking toward your bedroom. But what makes him immediately turn away is when you start taking off your clothes for a shower… he thinks.

You leave your room with your pyjamas draped on your arm, wearing nothing but lingerie. You see the cat with its butt facing you on the couch, and you raise a brow in amusement. Alhaitham slowly turns, but as soon as he sees you again, he turns away.

What a strange cat.

But then again, you aren’t sure if this behaviour really is strange. You never had a pet, let alone a cat, before.

When you come out of the shower, drying your hair with a towel, you see that the cat hasn't moved from the spot. Instead, he's grooming himself with his uninjured paw.

Alhaitham almost jumps out of his skin when he feels you grab his butt. Then, he immediately sits up, turns around, and sees you sitting on the floor before him with a smile.

“Are you hungry?”

He blinks once… twice… he’s never seen someone’s eyes sparkle. Or is it just the trick of the light? Whatever it is, you have very pretty eyes.

Alhaitham meows. He shakes his head, and you raise a brow. “You… aren’t hungry?” He lifts his injured leg and looks at it. That’s when you take his paw, and he immediately looks at you. “Does it hurt?”

Alhaitham blames the fresh scent of your shampoo. It compels him to step toward you and nuzzle against your cheek. He isn’t sure why he’s suddenly being affectionate, as he typically doesn’t like people touching him. This is his way of thanking you, he concludes. Nothing more.

You're slightly surprised by the sudden display of affection, but you welcome it. You've been thinking of a pet for years. You stroke the dark gray cat. Is this a sign? They say it's the animal who chooses you.

When your stomach growls loudly, Alhaitham steps away from you, his tail swishing upwards. That’s right. You haven’t eaten dinner yet. You stand and walk toward your kitchen. Alhaitham cautiously jumps from your couch and follows you. That’s when he sees the empty fridge and hears a soft sigh.

Do you not like to cook? Or… can you cook? Maybe he should teach you… you know, as another way of showing his appreciation.

As soon as you close the fridge, a buzzer goes off. He watches you answer the system and sees a young blonde girl with light brown eyes on the screen.

“Hey, sis!” she exclaims. She holds up a bag. “Did you eat yet? I picked up food! Thought we could eat together!"

When the front door opens, the blonde girl immediately gasps upon seeing Alhaitham. She puts the takeout on the table and leans down.

“How come you never told us you got a cat?” She extends her hand, but Alhaitham remains rooted in his spot. “What happened to its leg?”

“Oh, well, it’s not mine.”

After talking about your fated meeting, the blonde laughs. “If only you had such luck with guys!”

“Don’t start, Lumine,” you say, putting the food on the kitchen counter.

Lumine puts her messenger bag on the bench beside the front door and pulls out a pamphlet. "Well, there's another reason why I'm here…." She puts it on the table just as you walk over with two plates of food.

You don't even have to look at the pamphlet to know what it is. The bright pink colours and large heart logo speak for themselves.

“I’m not going,” you say dryly, sitting on the couch.

"Figures. But you don't have to come home with someone!”

“Isn't that the point of matchmaking parties? If I don't plan on getting to know someone, why go? Just to please mom?"

Lumine sits on the adjacent couch and picks up a plate. “She just wants to see you happy.”

“I am happy!" You swallow your food before you say, "I have a job I love. I'm going to move into a bigger place. My latest project has one of the highest ratings on the Sumeru Entertainment Channel... in history!"

"You know how mom is… she doesn't want you to be doing things on your own all the time. It would be nice having someone look after you, right?"

You pick up the pamphlet where the phrase 'Destiny awaits…' is written in cursive. You almost scoff. This isn't the first time your mother has presented you with one of these 'scams.' You're her only biological daughter, and she has always wondered when you would get married. You find it ridiculous that she's not putting the same pressure on Lumine and Aether, the twins she adopted when they were young.

Maybe it's because they want to get married and have kids someday. You, on the other hand, want to live in the moment. You don't want to think about kids and marriage because you like how your life is going. Besides, it's not like you have a man in your life. You haven't ever since your first and only relationship in university… and you really don't want to talk about the hellhole of that experience.

Maybe that’s why your relatives and some close friends have dubbed you the 'professional bachelorette,' as you’ve been single for almost six years.

“Everyone’s different, Lumine. I’m more than satisfied with where I’m at right now. Man or no man. No one is going to tell me to live otherwise.”

"But is it really that bad if you go? Mom will be happy just to hear that you went, at least! Again, you don't have to come home with someone." Your younger sister nods toward the pamphlet. "Just so you know, the men in this one are much more… refined than the other ones you've been to."

You open it out of curiosity. You aren’t sure if you will use refined to describe these men. Entrepreneurs. Managers. Directors. Leads. Their professional titles are in bigger fonts than their actual names.

Lumine picks up Alhaitham and puts him on her lap. She hugs him tightly and kisses the top of his head. “Who’s a 'lil cutie?” she coos. “Did you name him yet?”

“Not yet.”

Lumine makes Alhaitham face her and squeezes his cheeks. You toss the pamphlet on the table.

“Still not interested?”

“I guess their theme this year is to marry rich,” you say. You take another bite of your food. “Put him down and eat. Your food is getting cold.”

Lumine puts Alhaitham beside her. “Well, truth be told… who doesn’t?”

That's true. You'd never bought the idea that people shouldn't care about backgrounds when choosing a partner. People need standards, but the person's character is still the most important.

As you and Lumine start talking about other things, Alhaitham thinks he shouldn’t overstay his welcome. The rain has let up, so it should be okay now. Alhaitham slowly jumps off the couch but meows softly when you suddenly pick him up.

"He sure likes to jump around even though he's injured," Lumine says as you put him on your lap. When he feels your chest press against his back, he immediately jumps away… only to land on his bad paw.

Alhaitham doesn’t lie on the floor for long. You pick him up and ask jokingly, “Did I scare you”

“Maybe he's someone else's cat.” Alhaitham meows at Lumine and shakes his head. She immediately looks at you. “It looks like he just understood me or something.”

So, it’s not just you who gets that feeling.

You gently pat Alhaitham’s head. “Stay the night, at least, you naughty kitten.”

Stay… the night?

Lumine sighs dramatically. “If only you could say that to a guy... mom would be over the moon."

Alhaitham looks to the side. He’ll think of something. He has to.

◆◆◆

You're getting ready for bed later that evening as Alhaitham sits on your bed. He's wrapped up in a fuzzy towel because you just bathed him. It's an experience he'll never forget. He kept looking away as you wore shorts much shorter than normal. Your shirt was also soaked. In the end, Alhaitham closed his eyes and just let you wash him as he continuously heard how you think he was the "weirdest cat ever."

By now, he has a good idea of big your place is. He's also narrowed his escape route to the front door and the long, narrow window in the washroom. Escaping using the front door seems like a lost cause. What is he going to do after he gets out? If he's lucky, maybe jump high enough to call an elevator all the way to the first floor. But he needs a keycard for that. It literally sounds like mission impossible. But, if he can get out through the washroom window, he's a free man… or cat, in this case.

Alhaitham feels the mattress shift, and he sees you beside him. You scratch him behind the ears. “...You aren’t going to run away from me in the middle of the night, are you?”

Alhaitham's dreading the mission. Yet, he bumps his head against your cheek. Why did you sound… sad? Maybe he’s overthinking it.

“Well, ready for bed?”

Ready… as he’ll ever be.

Alhaitham slowly slips out under the covers in the middle of the night. You'd let him sleep next to you on the bed, and his heart was beating unexpectedly fast as you stared at him. Then, you scratched his tummy and slowly fell asleep… while Alhaitham stayed as stiff as a board.

As quietly as he can, he sneaks past you. But when you shift on the mattress, he immediately stops and turns toward you, ready to abandon the mission until he sees you’re still sound asleep. His heart is about to jump out of his chest as he resumes his journey across your bed.

He's about to step over your legs until you suddenly turn, your feet knocking into his back legs. You awake with a start upon the sudden contact. When you sit up, you see your furry friend frozen in place as if getting caught doing something he shouldn't.

You turn on the light, and Alhaitham meows softly when you pick him up and lie back down with his front paws beneath your chest.

“Where are you sneaking off to, hm?” You lean forward and kiss his nose.

And that’s when it happened.

A puff of smoke.

A sudden, unexpected weight on top of you.

And then you're staring into the eyes of a handsome stranger with his hands on either side of your head. Your eyes widen; he does the same. It's as if his surprised stare freezes you in place as the words are lost on your tongue.

“...Please don’t scream.”

His low, quiet voice snaps you out of it. You're not dreaming. This is real. The dark gray cat that had captured your heart is now a tall, naked stranger on top of you. You immediately push him away and jump off your bed. Then, you grab a slipper and hold it as if ready to play whack-a-mole.

“Who the hell are you?!”

“I”—Alhaitham pulls your bedsheets over his lower half—“I can explain.”

How in the world can he be so fucking calm? You’re obviously still reeling that a cat has just changed into a human as you slowly leave your room without taking your eyes off of this stranger in your bed.

"I won't move if you don't want me to," he says as calmly as before.

Like hell, he won't. You bump into your coffee table, and you wince as you turn around. But as soon as you notice him move, you immediately turn back.

“What are you doing?” you snap.

“You looked like you were in pain.”

You’re holding the slipper with both hands now. “Don’t. Move.”

"Can I sit up, at least? It's a little difficult to show you that I mean no harm if I continue lying on your bed like this." Without taking your eyes off him, you grope the coffee table for your phone. Once you find it, you're about to call the police when he says, "Could you give me a little time to explain before calling the police? I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

“W-who are you?”

Alhaitham slowly sits up, ensuring that he doesn't accidentally flash you. But, damn. The guy works out, and you would be lying if you weren't… impressed with his physique. But wait! That's not what's important here. He raises his hands as if surrendering, and you see a large bruise on his left wrist.

“My name is Alhaitham. It’s… nice to meet you.”

“You… you were a fucking cat.”

“Yes, I was.”

…That’s it? That’s all he’s going to say?

“Anything else you’d like to add, pervert?”

“Pervert? I am anything but. I’d watch what you call other people before you get to know them.”

You scoff. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how we got ourselves into this… utterly bizarre situation here.”

“You invited me to your bed.”

Your jaw almost drops how casually he says it. “That’s because I thought you were a cat! You know… a REAL cat!”

“I am a real cat,” he deadpans. “You took me to the vet, got me tested, and took me home. If I wasn’t real, what was I?”

“A cat in fucking disguise.”

“It’s a curse.”

“...A what?”

“It started when I was eighteen. I don't know why and how it happens. It just does, and I have no way of stopping it.”

You narrow your eyes. “And you didn’t think of telling me?”

“Miss, how am I supposed to tell you? By meowing it to you? I never knew you understood.”

“...You said you have no way of stopping it. But you must know how the hell you turn back! Yet, you—”

“That has never happened before. I always turn back early in the morning,” Alhaitham says sternly. “You cannot imagine the lengths I went to stop and also change my transformation.”

You raise a brow. "I'd think it would be pretty obvious. Have you not read any fairytales? A kiss breaks a curse."

"I'm sorry, I do not believe in such childish cures without scientific explanations."

The sarcasm makes you roll your eyes. “Well, now you know!” Then, quietly, “Why did it have to be me?”

“That’s a good question.”

You’ve only looked away for a moment, but as soon as you turn back, he’s standing beside your bed with the bedsheets still securely around his bottom half.

“Get back.”

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

"That's what they all say!" So Alhaitham gets back on your bed, and you say, "Raise your hands where I can see them."

He raises his hands, though his expression looks mildly unimpressed. "If I wanted to do something to you, I would've done so by now. Don't you think?"

That’s… true. But still!

“And”—the corners of his lips curve into a small smirk—“I’m naked. What are you expecting me to pull out? Unless you’d like to check—”

Your cheeks instantly grow warm. “Don’t change the subject!”

“I am just saying how ridiculous this situation is,” he deadpans.

“You’re telling me.”

"Well, Miss Bachelorette, how long are you going to hold me hostage on your bed? Surely, we can't continue this standoff forever."

Dread washes over you as you realize that Alhaitham must have heard your entire conversation with your sister.

“I… I can’t believe this,” you mutter.

“Neither can I.”

“Shut up.”

“But, I guess I must thank you.”

You raise a brow. “For… what?”

“You changed me back. I don’t know how or why… but your kiss worked.”

Did… did your heart just… race? Of course, it's only for a second, but you were truly at a loss for words.

“Great,” you say. “Now, please go find someone else to kiss.”

“Well, I think I need to leave your bed first for that to happen.”

“Not like that, you aren’t.”

Alhaitahm looks down. “You make a good point.” You roll your eyes. “I assume you don't have any clothes—”

“No.”

“We're in a pickle, aren’t we?”

You cautiously walk past him and open a drawer. Then, you toss him a large towel. “That’s all I have. You’re on your own.”

Alhaitham sighs as he swiftly switches the bedsheets with the towel. You’re looking away until he says, “You can look now. I appreciate the privacy, Miss Bachelorette.”

You look back and see that he’s standing beside your bed. Upon seeing him, you almost look away again. Why does he have to be so attractive?

"So, you say I'm on my own…."

You raise the slipper in your hand when he steps toward you. “What are you doing?”

Alhaitham takes a step back. “I’m sorry. I thought we would be on… better terms after knowing so much about each other now.”

“You know nothing about me.”

Alhaitham puts his hands on his hips. “You were so kind to take me to the vet due to my injury.”

“It looks like you’re fine now.”

“I never thought you’d be so cruel to leave an injured person to fend on his own.”

“Fend on his own?” you ask incredulously.

“You’re asking me to walk out of your apartment in nothing but a towel… with a sprained wrist.”

“I wonder who got himself into this situation.”

“I wonder if he had a choice.”

The two of you hold your stares in silence. You’re the first to look away. Yes, he’s a handsome guy. That’s why you’re a little flustered right now. Oh, and the cat thing. Of course, it’s the cat thing.

“Okay,” you sigh. “I… I have an idea.”

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @seirenspinel @lxry-chxn @ashtree-and-the-cats @sakiimeo

[shu-glue]

My Boss is My Cat

Alhaitham has the looks and the smarts. He will also be the stand-in CEO for his grandfather's company for a year.

But, he's been mysteriously cursed to turn into a cat every night since his eighteenth birthday… until he meets you, an employee at his grandfather's company, who rescues him as a cat and changes him back with one kiss.

Alhaitham/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on AO3

Female reader

Chapter One: Taken In

“Say something, Haitham!”

Like... what?

If he wants to be a good grandson, he would say yes. Yes, to taking over the company for a year while his grandfather recovers from his latest health scare. But, Alhaitham doesn't want to. He knows nothing about business; his nose is always buried in books, research, and scholarly duties at Akademiya, one of the world's most famous and internationally recognized educational institutes. He doesn't have time to… be a stand-in CEO for a rapidly-growing technology and entertainment company. What does he know about entertainment? Close to nothing. Technology, on the other hand…

"Why choose me?" Alhaitham asks rationally. "I'm not in the industry. It's not reasonable, and everyone would be suspicious."

“You’re a scholar on technology integration, aren’t you?” his grandfather asks. “What good is research if you’re not putting it to good use?”

“But—”

"I've already talked about it with the other business leaders. They know about your research, Haitham. You've spoken at business conferences and consulted companies. Every industry utilizes technology to facilitate business operations, cut costs, and more. It's time to see how we can use this in entertainment." His grandfather sternly looks at Alhaitham. "You would be a valuable asset to the company."

Alhaitham still has his doubts. But… is it his doubts or something else?

“You can’t evade positions of authority forever.”

“That’s not—”

“You rejected an opportunity for Grand Scholar at Akademiya.” His grandfather shakes his head in disappointment. “Heaven knows why…but would you not like your efforts recognized?”

“It’s the work that matters,” Alhaitham says. “Not the title.”

"A title means more responsibility!" his grandfather roars, and Kaveh almost steps back. "If you keep rejecting every leadership opportunity that comes your way, you will end up with nothing." But then, his tone softens. "Think of this as a challenge, Haitham. You'd be doing the company and yourself a favour. Would you not like to see your research being used for something good?"

Alhaitham has always been told he’s a good debater. But if there’s one person he can never convince is his grandfather. His grandfather has a point, as much as Alhaitham hates to admit it. He may dislike positions of authority, but perhaps it’s because he’s getting too comfortable. Everything seems easy, and he’s enjoying it a little too much.

“Okay," Alhaitham sighs. "I’ll do it.”

His grandfather smiles. “Wonderful! I knew you’d come to your senses, Haitham!”

Well, now he has homework to do. It's not like Alhaitham to agree to something and do it poorly. No. Now that he's taken this on, he will do everything he can to deliver results.

After Alhaitham and Kaveh leave the hospital room, Kaveh comes up beside his friend and says, “It’s not every day someone just suddenly becomes the CEO of a multi-millionaire company. Should we celebrate?”

“There’s nothing to celebrate,” Alhaitham deadpans. “It’s only for a year. And”—he sighs—“I haven’t done anything.”

Kaveh puts his hands around his head. “Yet.” Alhaitham looks at him. “You haven’t done anything… yet. You just got the job like… five minutes ago, and you’re already worrying about results! Geez, just relax for a little bit."

To this day, Alhaitham doesn't know if Kaveh's carefree nature is something to be admired. He and Kaveh are childhood friends who know each other a little too well. Both sought comfort in each other as their parents were rarely around. They were together so much that they became embroiled in dating rumours until Kaveh started dating a girl… but the relationship was short-lived. Alhaitham's grandfather raised the two as his own, and eventually, they saw each other as brothers.

When Alhaitham feels a buzz in his pocket, he takes out his phone and sees a message from his grandfather.

I’ve arranged your first appearance to be at the Best Hit Awards.

Ah, yes. The Best Hit Awards. Alhaitham may not be in the industry, but he knows all about it. His grandfather awards the recipients yearly for the best drama production and the like. It's one of the most respectable award ceremonies in the industry.

You’ll be my replacement. Dress the part.

Soon, his grandfather sends an attachment, and Alhaitham opens it to see the list of awardees this year. Curious, he scans through the list and sees a familiar drama that even he has heard about and watched in his free time despite his lack of interest in them. Then, he looks at the writer receiving the award for that show and sees… your name.

“What are you looking at?” Kaveh asks. Then, he looks over at Alhaitham’s phone and nearly grabs it out of his hand. “Wait! What is this list?” Alhaitham doesn't even have to answer as Kaveh exclaims, “Whoa! Hold up! Why do you have the awardee list?”

“I’m his replacement.”

Kaveh's jaw almost drops. "So many questions. But, first, pleeease tell me that Love in the Spotlight won something!”

Love in the Spotlight. That's the show Alhaitham watched during his free time. He watched an episode… and another… and another… until he realized it was eating too much into his time. So, he forced himself to stop.

He never imagined he would meet the woman behind the magic.

“It did,” Alhaitham says as the automatic doors slide open for the men.

Kaveh nudges him. “Hey… you wouldn’t mind a plus one, right?” Alhaitham gives him a deadpan look. “What? I just want an autograph from one of the cast!"

Alhaitham doesn't answer but walks to the car with Kaveh behind him.

On the way back to Akademiya, Kaveh turns to his friend, who looks deep in thought about something.

“Hey.” Alhaitham glances at him. “Have you told your grandfather about your problem yet?” Kaveh asks.

“Why are you bringing this up?”

"Now that you're going to be Mr. Big Shot CEO, I wouldn't be surprised if you're going to be working overtime." Kaveh smiles mischievously. "Unless you want to show up to meetings as a cat."

It's a secret that Alhaitham is prepared to take with him to the grave. It began on the night of his eighteenth birthday. A mysterious, fantasy-like transformation into a dark grey cat. Alhaitham remembers the day like it was yesterday. The sheer panic that coursed through his veins and made him attack Kaveh when they were roommates was something Alhaitham had never felt before. Kaveh was just as surprised, wondering where this mysterious cat came from, as Alhaitham had never expressed interest in getting a pet.

It wasn't until early morning the next day that Alhaitham mysteriously changed back… naked in his bed. He had hoped it was a bad dream, but it's been happening daily without any way to stop it. Kaveh had laughed a little too hard and too much but promised to keep it a secret… even from Alhaitham's grandfather, as Alhaitham didn't want to bother him when his company was taking off.

To this day, Alhaitham still hasn't found a solution. Instead, he's learned to live with it. Though Kaveh continuously suggests using it to his advantage as the grannies and the "cute girls" who walk by always want to give Alhaitham food and pets. Regardless, Alhaitham has accepted his fate, but it still remains a secret that only he and Kaveh know about.

“I’ll handle it.”

“And exactly how are you going to do that?” Kaveh asks.

Alhaitham doesn’t know, but he’ll figure something out. He always does.

◆◆◆

"I don't understand why we can't make the female lead a little more…."

“Dumb?” you ask bluntly.

You look at the male intern who recently got put onto the writing team. With the success of Love in the Spotlight, your last project, you're now leading a team of mostly rookie writers for a new project. Of course, this doesn't come without a little competition. Whoever's story proposal gets the most votes from the leadership team will be the one that gets priority and the biggest budget out of the films the company is producing this year.

While you're excited to take on this challenge and foster some great talent, you haven't been pleased with what you've been hearing, especially from this one male who seems keen on making suggestions that make the female lead lack any common sense.

“That’s not—”

“Then why would she be willing to work as his maid when she’s supposedly the top student at her school?” you challenge. “What circumstances would make her accept something like that?”

“...Desperation?” he asks quietly. “Maybe we don’t have to make her grades as good—”

“Times are changing,” you interrupt, trying to keep your temper at bay. “More and more people don’t want to see the same stereotypes over and over again. A woman doesn’t have to dumb herself down to get someone to like her.”

“Yeah, but her grades aren't the reason why he likes her! I mean… she’s helping him overcome a terrible past!”

“She’s not his mother,” you snap. “Let him overcome his trauma himself.” You look at the clock and close your laptop. “It’s almost lunchtime. Let’s get back together next week for another brainstorming session. I’m expecting better ideas.��

You stood up. Just before you walk out the door, you hear that same guy mutter, “What’s her problem? It was just an idea.”

You're waiting for your coffee at the company lounge when Childe walks into the area.

“Hey, sweet cheeks."

“Don’t make me file a sexual harassment case against you, Childe.”

He laughs and comes up beside you. “If you really wanted to, you would’ve done so by now.”

Well, that's true. You and Childe went to school together, and while he's older than you, it often feels like you're the older one with your mentality. He's always called you nicknames, so this isn't new. But, now that you work together, you'd rather keep your personal friendship at bay at work.

You pull out your phone. “You’re right. Why didn’t I do it sooner?”

Childe grabs your hand that has the phone, and you give him a deadpan look. “Okay, I’ll stop,” he says, letting go. You grab your coffee just as he asks, “So, how’s the new show coming? You’re training some new recruits, right?”

You’d rather not talk about it. “We’re still coming up with ideas.”

“Any good ones?” he asks, and you eye him suspiciously. “I’m just genuinely curious! Not working for the enemy here.”

“Are you sure?” you ask sarcastically.

He leans closer to you. “You know I’d always be on your side.”

You hold his stare for three seconds… five seconds… “Your fly’s open.”

Childe immediately looks down. You smile, grab your coffee, and walk away.

As you leave the lounge, Tighnari, your best work buddy working in the documentary department, comes up beside you.

“A coffee in the middle of the day?” he asks. “Must be a rough day.”

“You have no idea.” You take a sip of your coffee and glance at him. “How's that forest documentary with Sumeru Geographic coming along?”

“Don’t make me steal that coffee from you.”

“I heard it wasn’t that bad.”

“When you have so many opinions bouncing around,” Tighnari says, lips forming a neat line, “sometimes it can cause a bit of friction.”

“Hang in there, Nari."

Tighnari puffs out his cheeks and lets out a short breath of air. “Hangin’ in there.” As you and Tighnari turn the corner, he says, “Oh, did you hear about that stand-in CEO? They made a decision.”

It's a conversation you heard on the lips of almost everyone you passed by. But, this is news to you. The last thing you hear is that they might be grabbing someone from outside, which baffles you. But, hey, you aren't the one making the important business decisions.

“And?”

“I heard he’s hot.”

“Really?” you deadpan, glancing at him. “Out of everything that you’ve heard… you only remember that he’s hot?”

“And smart.” Tighnari glances at you. “And… he’s the grandson of the CEO.”

You almost choke on your coffee. “You’re kidding, right?”

"He has an impressive background, though."

“Well, let’s hope he lives up to expectations.”

Tighnari laughs. “It sounds like you don’t like him very much.”

You shrug. “It’s not like he’ll have anything to do with me.”

When you and Tighnari part ways, you're just about to reach your desk when you're suddenly summoned to your manager's office. You can feel it in your gut. It's not great news, and you hope you're wrong.

You knock on your manager's door before opening it. He looks at you from his large computer screen and gestures for you to sit down.

“You wanted to see me?” you ask, taking a seat.

“I wish it was good news,” he says, looking at you in mild disappointment.

Oh, great. Your hunch is right.

“There’s been a couple of complaints about your attitude during writer meetings.”

"My attitude?" you ask incredulously.

“The way you word things or give feedback to the junior writers comes off as too condescending.”

Your jaw almost drops. "I… I really had no idea they felt that way. How am I too condescending?"

“Well, when it comes to discussing ideas, you seem to have a very… strong direction of how relationships should play out between the characters.”

"Is this about what I said to the intern in the writer's room today?"

Your manager nods, his lips in a neat line. “I had to call you in because he isn’t the first to voice his opinion on your ways.”

"His ideas were too… traditional." You're fighting to sound as diplomatic as possible. "People don't like seeing a woman who has no common sense and a man who strangely falls for that because it's her 'charm.'"

"I get where you're coming from. But that's your opinion." Your manager puts his elbows on the table. "Love in the Spotlight was a success because it was different and unique. An independent woman who doesn't give up her values and ideals for a man. But there is still a market for people who want something more comedic. We wouldn't still be producing those kinds of shows if there wasn't." He has a kind look in his eyes when he says, "I'm sure you understand what I'm saying."

You know. Stop being so snappy. It’s just an idea. No need to get your panties in a knot. You wish you didn’t get so riled. But the thought of young girls mimicking the behaviour or thinking that it’s okay to lessen your worth to get a boy’s attention… it’s like an insufferable itch. Perhaps it’s because of your past experiences with men.

“I’ll watch my words next time,” you say.

“Good. I knew you’ll understand!”

“Is that all?”

“You’re dismissed.”

With your back toward your manager, you close the door on your way out.

◆◆◆

Kaveh returns to Alhaitham's apartment with a bucket of fried chicken, fries, and gravy that evening. Upon opening the door, Kaveh doesn't see his friend… but a dark gray cat sitting in front of the door.

“I… guess I was too late,” Kaveh says, shutting the door behind him. Alhaitham’s annoyed-sounding meow says it all. “Hey, it’s not my fault, though! There was traffic and a long line-up!”

Alhaitham doesn't really buy it, but what else can he do? So, he walks to his healthy cat kibble and sits in front of the bag. Then, after Kaveh finishes washing his hands, he scoops some kibble into Alhaitham's bowl.

"Maybe you should show up to your meetings as a cat," Kaveh says, putting a water bowl in front of his furry friend. "I'm sure you'll win a bunch of clients." Alhaitham looks at him. Then, as if Kaveh can read his mind, he raises his hands as if surrendering. "Okay, okay. I'll stop with the jokes."

Later in the evening, Kaveh watches a rerun of one of his favourite dramas when Alhaitham puts his paw on the front door. Kaveh looks over and asks, "You want to go out?"

Does Alhaitham have a choice? The show Kaveh is watching isn't Alhaitham's favourite, and Alhaitham has already finished his daily night reading. He had looked out the window, and the weather was quite nice. So, why not an evening stroll?

Kaveh opens the door. "Don't stay out too late. You got that?" Alhaitham walks out into the hallway. "One loop around the neighbourhood, and you're back home. Got it?"

Alhaitham and Kaveh slowly turn and see a young boy staring at Alhaitham. “Kitty!” He’s just about to run over when his mother grabs his arm. She apologizes and quickly drags her son down the hallway.

Kaveh leans against the doorway. “Well, as always, good luck out there.”

Many might consider it strange, but Alhaitham likes to people-watch. Even more so as a cat. He knows it's rude to stare as a person, but as a cat… no one cares. So he's lying casually on a stone wall, looking at the people who pass by.

The cell phone-addicted male student who's always playing the same game on his way home from school. Looks like he found another game to play today; he gets tired of things fast. The tall salaryman always wears the same white-collared shirt and black pants. It looks like he got a better watch. He must've gotten a salary increase. Maybe that's why he's standing straighter than usual. The female student who's always wearing shorts and carrying a tennis bag. Did something happen at tennis practice? She doesn't look too happy.

Then, he sees you.

That’s interesting. You're a new face in this area. Did you recently move here? Are you visiting a friend? Alhaitham’s tail swishes upwards as he watches you. You’re staring straight ahead as you talk on the phone with who Alhaitham assumes is a friend from the brief conversation he hears.

“Yeah, I’m thinking of moving out… but I haven’t decided yet,” you say.

Alhaitham watches you walk by and hops off the wall. He's so focused on you that he doesn’t see a cyclist zoom by…

You whirl around upon hearing the sound of tires screeching and one loud shout of profanity. Your eyes widen when you see an older man on the ground, the front tire of his fallen bike still spinning, and… a cat struggling to get up.

“Where the fuck did this cat come from?”

Well, this guy sure is pleasant. You immediately walk and lean toward the cat, who looks like it's in obvious pain.

“Geez,” you mutter as you gently pick it up.

“Is that cat yours?”

You look up and see the man glaring at you. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it fucking does! You should take responsibility! I almost died!”

You match his glare with one of your own. Then, you stand with the cat in your arms. “Stop being a drama queen. If you have the energy to yell at someone, you’re clearly fine.” You hear him yell something as you turn around, but it falls on deaf ears. Before you walk away, you look over your shoulder. “The cat’s not mine, by the way.”

As soon as you enter a nearby vet clinic, the receptionist looks up and asks, “Do you have an appointment?”

"Um, well, this cat got hit by a bike." You look down at the cat, who seems too comfortable in your arms. "I just want to make sure it's okay."

The receptionist comes around the counter and looks at the feline. When it touches one of its front paws, Alhaitham winces in pain.

“He doesn’t look too bad. We can do a check-up.”

So, you follow the receptionist to a back room, where a dog immediately stands and starts wagging its tail upon seeing Alhaitham. But with his one look, the dog sits down but keeps his eyes on him. You briefly explain to the veterinarian what happened before placing the feline on the table.

“Is it going to be okay?” you ask, watching the vet examine him closely.

“It’s a sprain. Nothing to be worried about.”

You pull out your phone and see a new message from your friend. It's a listing for an apartment in the area you were just in. Quite luxurious, but you could afford it with your recent salary increase.

You're looking through the details when the vet says, "There we go! All fixed up." You look up and see the cat staring at his bandaged front leg. "You keep him in excellent shape. He's well taken care of."

“Oh… um, the cat isn’t mine.”

“Oh! Is it a stray?”

Alhaitham meows and dips his head. “I suppose," you say cautiously, suspicious if the cat understood the vet's question.

“Would you like to run it for tests?”

It hits you now the possible diseases that this cat might be carrying. So, just to ease your mind on your health, you agree.

After some time, Alhaitham is back on the table, and the vet looks at you. "He's completely clean."

He looks at you. You stare back. You aren’t sure what it is, but it’s as if the feline is smiling at you. Eventually, you leave the room with the cat in your arms and are a little astonished at the bill.

As soon as you walk out, you pat the cat's head. "There goes my dinner money… for the entire week," you mutter. "And it's all because of you."

Alhaitham looks up and meows. You narrow your eyes as it looks at you like it’s smiling again.

Suddenly, thunder rumbles in the distance. You and Alhaitham look up at the darkened skies. He's still looking up when your eyes land on him. You don't want to leave him out in the cold as he's injured. But you also don't want to take someone else's cat home. You don't see a collar, and nothing indicates that he belongs to anyone.

Alhaitham looks at you and shakes its head as if reading your mind, which… creeps you out a little. You quickly look up. Nah. It's all in your imagination.

Alhaitham knows Kaveh must be worried sick… or be asleep on his couch. The second one is the likelier possibility. But, before Alhaitham knows it, you're running with him in your arms as a light rain falls. He glances up at you. What should he do? What can he do? He's a cat, for goodness sake. Alhaitham looks straight ahead, accepting his fate that he's being kidnapped or taken in by a stranger.

Well, he'll think of something. He always does.

Besides, you're cute.

Chapter Two

End notes: I think I found my fanfic author calling as a cat-story writer.

Guess which story won the tumblr poll. Well, it's still going, but I voted on it, and it was a landslide win. Hope you enjoyed :)

Tag list: @lxry-chxn @suoshiii @lordbugs @seirenspinel

[shu-glue]

to love, despite

notes: i know i said i'd go on hiatus but i think i might have underestimated the genshin brainrot and also the support of my readers so you have this now

word count: 2.7k

premise: when wanderer accompanies the traveler to inazuma, he didn't expect himself to fall in love, much less to get his heart broken and face his fourth betrayal. luckily, you're there to lift him up. maybe he wasn't meant to be alone after all....maybe he was just looking in the wrong places

contains: wanderer x gn!reader, wanderer goes through a breakup with unnamed npc, hurt/comfort, blossoming feelings

warnings: mentions of cheating, scara's insecurities

The sun was slowly setting, tinting the horizon in comforting and warm colors. But today, there was a hint of sadness to the end of this day and right now, to Wanderer at least, the hues of red and orange slowly turning to blues and blacks mirrored the way a time of happiness and joy was washed away with the tides of the ocean. The waves crashed against the bow of the ship as it swayed with the way of the water; staying in control of the captain despite the untamed strength of the sea. It was a comforting sound; as if the shores of his former homeland were speaking to him, telling him: “Don’t grieve what’s lost. This too will pass.”

A music box was playing a slow song behind him. He mused one of the sailors must have put it there because they liked the tune. He glanced at the small apparatus, letting out a bitter laugh when he saw the frail ballerina figurine on top of it. What cruel irony life threw his way over and over again.

He looked out onto the docks as the ship set sail; beginning its journey to Port Ormos. Back to the comfort of his new home, back to Nahida who’d sure have some wise words to try and soothe him. Words that would be ultimately met with silence as they wouldn’t reach his non-existent heart in light of the events that had transpired. He heard the sound of the seagulls above the beach and closed his eyes, listening to the workings of the water; imagining how it’d sway him gently to a place where nothing and no one could hurt him.

He never expected himself to fall in love. And especially not in the span of a couple of months. But the one he loved had been like a hurricane of flowers; filling his hair with beautiful cherry blossoms to distract him from the destructive storm that was on the horizon. His lover had been kind; at first. Kind and joyful. Like they’d wash away his sorrows as they danced among the crowd, dragging him into the masses and encouraging him to dance along. The flowery words and the colorful metaphors had blinded him to how shallow humanity was and always would be. How he’d have to expect disappointment before all else.

They had taken his hands into theirs and promised him they’d stay. That they never met anyone quite like him. He remembered the sound of their laughter as it filled the air of spring; a time that was meant for new beginnings. He really thought this was the start of something good. “You’re adorable”, they had chuckled before kissing his cheek and he had blushed, clutching the flowers they gave him in his hands. They had taken him to their favorite places on Narukami Island and he had followed with a smile on his face; pretending like he hadn’t seen them all before. Still, during those carefree days they had seemed much brighter than before. 

He remembered how he had sat with them under a big tree, watching the birds fly freely and the clouds pass by as if nothing ever mattered but what was there in the current moment. The one he loved had been like a gentle melody soothing the pain that still lingered in his mind and making him appreciate the peace and life around him. They had brought some goods they baked for him and told him they’re almost as sweet as him. They had told him they loved him. But sometimes people were  privy to love only for as long as their lover had an ideal of them in their head that they were unwilling to let go of. A fairytale dream that made the Wanderer recoil; knowing it was never truly him they loved. It was an idea of him that was shaped by their mind to fit the desires of their heart; something he’d probably never truly comprehend.

And then he told them what he was. It shouldn’t matter. “It won’t”, the Traveler and you had reassured him. So he took a fearful step towards the unknown. At first it really didn’t matter. Humans were desperate to hold onto their dreams of perfection, after all. Most would find that without their delusions; life would be hardly the happy place they’d convinced themselves of. His former lover had told him that no matter whether he was a puppet or a human; they’d still love him all the same. For he could love too, after all. But sometimes what one loves in others is not the person themselves but what they can provide for their lives. Enrichment, support, fun. And sometimes it was that and that only.

That was what he had realised when he caught them showing their affections to someone else. In that moment, it seemed as if their whole demeanor had shifted. The aura of innocence and gentleness had long since faded and he had come to realize that they were not a rare treasure that existed outside of all the things that had hurt him; they were entangled in that same net of human faults and selfishness as all the other obstacles he had faced throughout his life. As all of them ever would, he thought; his pessimism clouding his mind once more.

“I’m sorry!”, they had called out to him with tears in their eyes, “I was going to talk with you about this, but I didn’t know how!” What are you crying for?, he had wondered. As they went on and on about how they never wanted to break his heart but they didn’t fully understand what it would be like to date a puppet; what it lacked; he grew colder by the minute. What did he lack? Wasn’t this what Nahida and the Traveler had attempted to convince him of? That there was no reason to not call himself a human? That he could have the same experiences as one regardless; love the same and be loved in return. He had fallen in love; with courage and hope in his veins; but the lightning had struck him nonetheless. He remembered the words they’d told him before he left: “I really care about you. And I still treasure you as a friend. But I need someone who…”

They never finished that sentence but Wanderer knew exactly what they were going to say. Someone who is human. I get it. 

If the world was always going to reject his existence, maybe he should go back to rejecting the world in turn. Let the bitterness in his heart numb the pain. Let the anger wash away the sorrows and let the pride clouding his head blow down all that others had built in his life. You’re bigger than this now…, he reminded himself, knowing no anger or hatred would ever make his sorrow disappear. Only time and purpose and love could. 

“Hey”, you began quietly. He hadn’t even noticed you were there; standing next to him now and observing the waves, same as he did. After what had happened, he didn’t feel like spending another day in Inazuma. The Traveler still had some unfinished business here and Wanderer was ready to leave on his own when you had convinced him to follow him back to Sumeru. You never said it but he could see in your eyes how you believed he needed a shoulder to lean on right now. And if he was really, truly honest with himself….then maybe he did.

“I got you one of those little mocktails they sell next to the captain’s booth”, you handed him the drink that had been poured into an empty ajilenakh nut, “I made sure they didn’t put any dango in it.” He thanked you and drank a bit of it. It wasn’t as bad as he had expected it to, even though it was a little bit sweeter than what he’d normally drink. 

For a while, the two of you remained quiet. The constant sound of the ocean was enough to not make it awkward. “I’m sorry”, you then said quietly, “you didn’t deserve this to happen to you.” “I know”, he replied and closed his eyes, clutching his anemo vision for support over his chest where his heart should be, “but it keeps happening anyway.” 

At least for now he wasn’t completely alone. He had Nahida, the Traveler and you. Even Paimon. You were his friends. For how long will they remain your friends, though?, that bitter voice in his head spoke once more. But over the past year, he had grown more familiar and comfortable with you and he had listened to your stories about the life you led and the people you’ve met throughout it. It had made him realize that while his feelings of estrangement as a puppet were unique ones; ones no one in this world might as well fully be able to comprehend; there were many humans out there who had struggled with loneliness and abandonment and it had left them as scarred as he had been. 

“Such is the way of mankind”, you insisted, holding your hand out into the wind as if you could touch it. Little did he know you had grown to love the wind a little more ever since he received his vision, because it reminded you of him. He didn’t know that you had fallen for him long since, watching him fall in love with another and drift further away from you. And now he was hurting because of it. And in a way, that made you even more sad but just as determined to ease his mind and soothe the pain in his heart; one which may not be inside him but which you were nonetheless sure he had. 

“Some of us seem to find our place in this world as easily as it is to breathe”, you began, looking at him with a gentle expression, “but I’ve found many of those never reach true happiness. They just settle. But for a lot of us that’s never enough. We get swept away by the waves of conflict and abandonment; relentlessly clawing our way up the next cliff and hoping that this time no one will push us off.” He didn’t dare look at you for a while when you placed your hand on top of his but he had to admit he found comfort in the subtle touch. Maybe he was just clinging onto a hint of affection after having been abandoned; desperate to feel cared for; but in this moment that didn’t matter to him.

“Isn’t that a little pathetic?”, he mocked your words with a bitter voice. “It is, truly”, you nodded your head, “we err for as long as we live. But it’s the only way we ever reach our happiness. It’s in our nature to, even in the face of all obstacles, have at least a little bit of hope in us. We all do. Even the ones who claim to have none. And one day that hope may be rewarded. I’ve seen it happen time and time again. It can happen to you. I think that’s worth being a little bit pathetic for.” You chuckled and he thought about your words.

“They looked so happy”, he then said after a while, remembering when he had met his former lover once again with their new partner as they were taking a stroll near the port. He remembered how he’d heard them giggle and tease each other. How they’d referred to jokes he didn’t understand and call each other nicknames that made him cringe. The familiar feeling of shock and disbelief was spreading in his body again and he looked at his shaking fingers. “Do you think they’re happier without me?”, he asked quietly.

“Probably”, you shrugged calmly and he let out a laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Hadn’t you come here in a silly attempt to cheer him up?

“But what matters is not the people we have our best times with, but the ones who stay with us through our worst. Because then we know that when we share happiness with them; one day we’ll be able to look back at those memories and feel satisfied. What’s the point of having the most fun of your life, if who you shared it with will be gone in a year or two because they moved on to the next thrill? What will be left of it but emptiness? What’s the point, but to learn what’s truly of value in this life?”, you gave him an encouraging smile and squeezed his hand, “I know you would have given them all that and been there for them when they needed it most. If they weren’t able to see that, that’s their loss.”

The Wanderer noticed how the Inazuman islands had now disappeared completely from view and he felt a breeze of wind blow through his hair as his tears poured down his cheeks and his facade of bitterness cracked as he allowed himself to say the words that had been stuck on his tongue for all this time. “I’m hardly a loss”, he croaked out with a shaky voice before he started sobbing.

You remained silent, instantly pulling him into your embrace and letting him cry into your shoulder. He clutched the fabric on your back with his fists as you put a hand on the back of his head and gently ran it through his soft hair. 

“That’s not true”, you whispered, not wanting to overwhelm him with new information but also wishing he knew just how much he meant to you. That you wanted to stay by his side and love him the way he deserved, come what may. For now, you chose to try and convey that with your loving embrace, holding him for as long as he needed you to. 

“You’re a wonderful person and I’m glad to be your friend”, you whispered, tightening your hold on him, “you have as much the potential as anyone to make someone else happy and to be happy yourself. It may be hard to believe right now, but I promise you, you just have to hold on a little bit longer.” Many had told him that. But there was a sincerity in your voice and in the way you hugged him that he couldn't help but feel like there was more to it than just empty promises. Were you perhaps talking about yourself? 

What a silly thought, he brushed it off but it still gave him that familiar spark of hope. When he had been abandoned once again, he asked himself if anyone would ever truly love him. And maybe, the answer to that question would be you. Right now, he could hardly say you’d be in love with each other one day. But there was something. Like a sprout growing in the harshest desert. And something inside him couldn’t wait to see what it would become if he only had a little courage.

So he hugged you back gently, resting his head on your shoulder and smiling for the first time in days. This didn’t go unnoticed by you. “Are you feeling a little better?”, you wrapped an arm around his shoulder as you watched the sun set and stars appear in the sky. “Yeah”, he admitted, switching sides on the ship and looking in the direction of Sumeru, “and maybe I can afford to be a little pathetic.” “Oh trust me, you already did that”, you teased him and winked at him, “remember that time you called yourself the ‘Everlasting Lord of Arcane Wisdom’? That was pretty embarrassing.” He cringed at your words but it brought out a laugh through the tears. “Don’t remind me.”

You looked peacefully at the horizon, taking his hand in yours again to indicate you’d stay here to support him. “Relentlessness is one of the most defining traits of humanity”, you said with a gentle smile, “to persevere even in the face of adversity. To thrive in even the harshest environments and succeed despite the failures of the past and against the expectations of others. To suffer and lose, and to love, despite.”

notes: i listened to the sad fairy tail ost while writing this sbdbsndjsjdjs. i've had this idea for a while but the motivation to write it just hit me over the head today. hope you liked it. ❤️

[shu-glue]

everyone choose your fighter: "peared like a shape" vs "ratherly quickly"

[shu-glue]

Adopt a Wanderer: Finale [Part 5]

Summary: Now that you’ve recovered from your cold, the both of you venture to a village in the outskirts for a weekend trip.

Note: This is meant to be a found-family series with Scaramouche, who you address as Kuni in this AU! Mostly meant to be interpreted as platonic.

Part 4 <<

Part 1

A few hours’ train ride away, you and Kuni find yourselves in a picturesque village known for their scenic views. Just a bike ride and you’ll get to the beach, and in another direction you find a field of flowers that stretches as far as the eye can see - a bit further more, there’s a market with fresh produce and crafted goods.

All in all, being here is truly therapeutic to the soul, down to the kind granny that runs the bed-and-breakfast that you’ve booked for the weekend. You learn that she’s been living alone for about a year now, and started this business as a way to keep busy - needless to say you and Kuni were quick to ask if you could accompany her tomorrow on her way to buy groceries, as both a way to get familiar with the village and help her carry bags.

Keep reading

[shu-glue]

What Happens When You Meet A Scholar

Wanderer x Scholar!Reader Headcanons

wherein the Wanderer finds out you were stranger than he originally thought.

contains: gn!reader, mostly fluff, mentions of reader committing questionable felonies like breaking into libraries, slight cursing bc pls let wanderer say f*ck, wanderer whacks you awake one time and you whack him when he's late

If the Wanderer were to compare you to anything, he'd compare you to one of those... Eremites who's always dancing and look like their head are in the clouds.

Or maybe an unusual hilichurl.

(Maybe the unusual hilichurl is more accurate.)

He doesn't really know why, after you dragged him into your cooking interest club, did he choose to even stay.

A majority of the meals the club makes on a daily basis are meals that he isn't exactly fond of (the other members complain that the only meals he ever liked were the ones that were even more bitter than their professor on a Monday morning).

But he always found himself back in that little kitchenette, holding a bowl and a whisk for some reason, watching idly as you taught him how to do various cooking techniques that he never really cared to learn; he's a puppet for goodness sake, he doesn't need to eat.

Thus, because he lacks the ability of leaving, and you lack the ability of having fight or flight instincts when it came to him, your relationship is quite... endearing in a strange way.

❅ He learns that technically, you belonged to the Darshan Spantamad, the Darshan specializing in elementalism, but the reason he's never seen you anywhere on campus before was because you were a driyosh and you just came back to Sumeru after taking a quick trip to Inazuma. (Though, you mentioned you wouldn't be leaving again for another few weeks.)

❅ The Wanderer is perplexed whenever he talks with you because you always, always, always deflect every abrasive and sarcastic comment he makes. It's not that his bratty attitude goes over your head, rather, it's like it bounces off of it; you hear him, you understand that he's trying to rile you up, but you always wave off his attempts and treat him like you treat everyone else.

❅ He's now a permanent "thorn" on your side, by the way, much to Nahida's slight chagrin because that also means he's skipping lectures again. At least he's socializing(?)

❅ He always remarks about how you look exhausted and dead tired, such is the life of an Akademiya student trying to write a thesis proposal that won't get rejected this time. He also caught you flat out snoring in one of the libraries once when you were strangely absent from the kitchenette and he went out to find you (albeit complaining halfheartedly). When you awoke, he's already pushing a plate of food and a cup of coffee towards you with a scowl, saying stuff along the lines of "what would you do without me" and "for a scholar, you're so stupid to skip lunch".

❅ You ask him how he managed to sneak food and drinks into the library and he decides to not mention anything about open windows and his Anemo vision. (He also decides not to mention how you were mumbling in your sleep, stuff along the lines of "you can't drop out because of a single rejected thesis" and "you can't give up yet")

❅ Speaking of breaking rules in the library, you ask him to help you break into the library one night too.

❅ He was just as perplexed as the first time he met you.

❅ You mention some books you need for the research study you were doing, and while he does make a great point by saying that you can just borrow them without needing to break in, you're also basically a broke Akademiya student.

"It's just 500 mora."

"Yes, but it's 500 mora." Stop spending so much on shady resources then.

❅ He always ends up helping you anyway because 1), he has nothing better to do and 2), it would be so funny if the both of you were to get caught just because you refuse to pay the borrowing fee. If he sees you emerge from the restricted section, you can trust him to keep his lips sealed because divulging secrets without fear is a sin in the Akademiya, isn't it? (He's just eager to see what kind of fucked up research you've been doing that required you to steal restricted books and pay criminal amounts of mora for research resources if only he knew)

❅ Whenever you have tests and quizzes that the professors randomly decide to give you, the Wanderer is always there not to help you exactly but to tease you about how little you actually know of the field of elementalism. You admit that you only took up the course for a friend you once knew. He was about to pry further, maybe finally find out what vulnerabilities aloof and flighty you may have, but you're dead asleep and drooling on your book before he could do so, and whacking you awake made him forget all of his inquiries.

❅ Sometimes, the two of you share classes per what Nahida has assigned him to, and those are the only classes he willingly takes. Though, be prepared, he's like that kid who comes late into class armed with only a pencil and a blank notebook he hasn't written in in ages. He'll come into the lecture hall 20 minutes late and when you chastise him for it, he'll tell you that "if the teacher isn't here yet, he's not late." One bonk for him. He'll also unceremoniously drape himself over your shoulder when you take out the Prerequisites in the World of Alchemy and Elementalism book you've been urging him to buy since day one. He prefers sharing yours, thank you very much. It's more fun to annoy you by stopping you from turning the page because he's "not done yet" but turning the page himself even when YOU'RE not done yet. The only time you ever openly whack him with his stupid hat.

❅ He doesn't listen to a word in the lecture but he manages to retain the information when you explain it to him, recalling the professor's words from off the top of your head. You almost think that he isn't listening because he hasn't said a word to interrupt you, but when you stop talking he goes, "Who said you can stop? I'm still lost on how the different elements react to each other and create residuals, you know?" He just likes listening to your voice but he'd rather face retribution from everyone he'd wronged than admit that.

❅ Now, when it comes to the cooking interest club itself, the Wanderer is a... participant observer at best.

❅ The other club members will most often just find him either: by your side, helping you with cutting up ingredients, taste testing the hot broth that would have otherwise been too hot for a human's tongue (instead of questioning his inhuman traits, you've taken advantage of them for the most mundane things what kind of academic scholar are you), or creepily brooding and sulking and staring at everyone else preparing some dishes. The latter is when you go out back to fetch some more ingredients; no one lets you go out back to fetch ingredients anymore because of this man.

❅ Aside from the day he first came to the small kitchenette, his birthday, he hasn't cooked a single dish of his own again and honestly, everyone was dying to have some of his Shimi Chazuke again, the bitter tang of the tea complimented the sweet taste of the rice perfectly. But he refused to cook for everyone again and because of his more than bratty behavior, instead of being intimidated like the rest of the Akademiya students, they're exasperated and endeared.

❅ One time, however, the club hosted a cookfest, where pairs are tasked with running a food stall with any dish of their choice. Obviously, when you heard the announcement, you immediately turned to the Wanderer and despite his protests, you end up becoming one of the pairs. It wasn't supposed to be a contest or anything, just a simple day where you all cook and sell your dishes to the people of Sumeru City. However, the other club members made a bet that whoever got the most sales will be exempted from dishwashing duties for one whole month.

❅ He swore he has never seen your eyes fire up like they did when that was announced.

"Wanderer."

"...what."

"We must win."

"Absolutely not. I'm not going to exert anymore effort than I need to in something as silly as this."

"Then would you like to be outdone by the guy who thought a turnip was beetroot and the guy who thought we had no more onion powder because he read the label of one of our containers as noino?"

"..."

"Exactly."

❅ Your stall had the most customers the entire day, with a bunch of different people arriving to buy food he made. Even Lesser Lord Kusanali and the illustrious Traveler with her floating friend came by, and while you were enamored with their presence, the Wanderer just clicked his tongue. (Like what he's been doing for the past few weeks, he will not mention how he noticed the fact that some of their customers oddly looked like the other members of the club, nor the fact that their posts were oddly empty at the same time.)

❅ Don't worry, when at the end of the day you complain about not having the chance to eat his cooking all afternoon, he'll hand feed you some chazuke just to "shut you up". Though, he won't complain about the obvious stars in your eyes when you chew on the bite; he'll even tease you for it but god forbid if any one of the club members tease the both of you for acting so intimate.

❅ Compliment him too much on his cooking skills, or even make an offhand comment about how his superb cooking skills can "survive the test of time and rival the Electro Archon's eternity", and the comments would go through his hat and straight to his head. Your praise literally DID something to his braincells that rewired his entire dopamine supply and transport system. He'll be cooking something for you one way or another, it doesn't matter what it is.

"Oh, Unagi Chazuke this time?" "It's a more common version in Inazuma than my Shimi Chazuke. Well? Is it up to your taste, scholar?"

"The meat on the Tandoori Roast Chicken is so tender, what technique did you use?" "Funny you should say that, I simply..."

"So? Aren't you going to accept this?" "...why do I feel like you've been feeding me more than usual?" "Nonsense, who said that? What a ridiculous conclusion to make. Do you know what my reputation is in the Akademiya? Do you think I'd ever willingly feed anyone anything that I make? Right. Now, should have I fried the Samosas for a few more seconds or no?"

❅ He would rather die than have anyone find out that the reason he's been borrowing more and more books on cuisine and recipes was because of you. He would rather die even more than have someone tell you and he is looking at you, Buer, yes you, don't you dare Nahida.

❅ Oh, well, Nahida would never rat this Wanderer's feelings out to anyone, especially you. She respects his privacy, having grown fond of the puppet like she would a brother. However, it's difficult not to make teasing remarks and throw him a knowing glance everytime they're in the Grand Bazaar together and she catches sight of you, him already staring at you with a distant look in his eyes.

"Are they the person you've been growing fond of, Wanderer?"

"What? Who? No. Shut up. That's impossible. Who would ever grow fond of someone like them? I'll make seafood tonight if you tell this to anyone."

❅ Oh my, she has her work cut out for her then.

❅ The Wanderer thinks you're stranger than he originally thought. You treat him like everyone else despite his rudeness, you dabble in forbidden topics for your research and break into facilities just to get your hands on sources, you love it when he cooks, you're competitive at the right moments. And most of all, you make him feel something in his chest he never thought he'd ever feel.

❅ Maybe this was the cruelest fate Celestia could bestow upon him, giving him something like you, oddly the purest thing in his life, that he knew he would never dare to taint with his bloody hands.

❅ If only he knew.

[shu-glue]

lost and found

wanderer x gn!reader

genre: fluff, modern!au

warnings: none

word count: 4444

✧.* when a lost cat drags in your very snarky and attractive apartment neighbor, you end up with a bit more than you bargained for.

for the modern au writing event at @yae-publishing-house

it’s nearly the middle of the night when you see her for the first time - a little white cat huddled up by the staircase of your apartment building. your feet are aching from running around all day and your knees are on the brink of giving out from exhaustion, but you don’t even hesitate to approach her and crouch down to get closer the moment you take notice. 

she chirps in surprise and stands up to greet you right away, brushing her cold pink nose against your hand and dragging her body against you affectionately with her tail twitching happily in the air. 

“aww, sweet girl,” you whisper in a soft voice while scratching lightly around her ears. “aren’t you cold out here?”

the cat of course does not understand this, but she still meows once you finish talking before bumping her head against your hand in response. her fur is lightly covered in dirt and dust from being outdoors and she isn’t wearing a collar which would normally indicate a stray, but she’s so friendly that you can’t help but gnaw your lip in worry. 

it’s not abnormal to see homeless cats in the area, and all of which are well taken care of by the people in the neighborhood, but what if she’s somebody’s lost pet? what if she hasn’t eaten in days and nobody has seen or fed her?

these thoughts are what have you ignoring the pain in your legs and jogging to the convenience store a few blocks away to pick up some cans of wet food. thanks to it being ridiculously late on a tuesday night the building is entirely empty aside from the cashier, so in record time you’re able to secure the goods and return to the little white cat that’s still waiting patiently under the concrete steps where you left her. 

as soon as the lid is off the can she’s circling around your feet and meowing so you’re quick to set it down and let her at it. just as you had feared, she scarfs it down in under a minute before turning to you with her big green eyes like she’s asking for more. she probably hadn’t eaten for a while, and your chest flutters with anxiety about what to do in this situation. 

animals aren’t allowed in this complex, so if she’s a pet she’s likely from the neighborhood nearby and ended up here after escaping her house. surely they have some sort of community group where everyone in the area can report things like porch thefts and lost animals, so you take your phone out to snap a few pictures of her while she continues to lazily brush against your legs. 

“i’m sorry i can’t bring you inside,” you say to her sadly, slipping off your jacket to fold up and place under the steps for her to lay on. “i’ll make sure people know you’re missing, so stay here okay? i’ll bring you food again tomorrow.”

she once again meows very politely when you finish, and it takes everything in you to start walking up the stairs to your door and leave her behind knowing she’s stuck out here in the cold all night. when you finally get inside and kick your shoes off the first thing you do is download a neighborhood forum app and make a missing animal report, and it’s only seconds after that when you flop down on your bed and are out like a light. 

the next morning, she isn’t there. 

your jacket is still where you left it and covered in white fur from her laying on it, but the cat herself is nowhere to be found. you still leave an open can of food for her anyways, but the rest of the day while you’re out all you can think about is whether or not she’s safe and if you’ll ever see her again. 

nobody has responded to the report you made last night yet, not even a single like left on the post despite the page having gotten multiple views, and you’re tempted to post in a few other neighborhoods nearby by decide to hold off and see if she comes back before jumping the gun. 

later that night when you finally return, she’s curled up on your jacket under the stairs again. a tidal wave of relief rushes through you as you reach into your bag to pull out a can of food and peel the lid off. 

alerted by the sound, the little white cats’ head shoots up and she’s already padding her way over to you before her eyes have even fully focused on the source of the noise. when she realizes it’s you, a series of delighted trills leave her throat and it takes everything in you not to scoop her up into your arms and baby her. 

you sit with her for a bit longer after she finishes eating before bidding her goodnight and reminding her to stay put until tomorrow. 

it’s only minutes after you’ve fled the scene that someone else who had also taken up the task of looking out for this cat for the time being approaches the stairs and clicks their tongue in annoyance at the sight of an empty can of food. 

when tomorrow comes around, if she’s still there and nobody has responded to your post, you make an oath to yourself that you’ll sneak her inside and risk the consequences of doing so. it’s certainly more trouble than it’s worth, but you can’t sleep knowing she’s out there all by herself and the fleeting thought of her being taken by someone else and stuck in a shelter fills you with dread throughout the night. 

she’s not there in the morning again, but you still leave an open can out for her like yesterday and have a little more confidence this time that she’ll still be waiting under the stairs when the day is over. 

as expected, the sight that greets you as the moon hangs high in the sky when you finally reach the entrance to your complex is a sound asleep bundle of white fur on a jacket. 

tonight is the night that you’ll take her up to your apartment and look after her, but you decide to let her eat first while you think up a backup plan in case picking her up and carrying her won’t work. a small smile sits on your face as you kneel next to her and watch her eat, lazily scratching up and down her back while she purrs between each bite. 

“so you’re the one who’s been feeding my cat.” a male’s voice rings out from somewhere behind you. 

you jump at the sound and snap your head around to face the source, the white feline slipping away from your hand to slink over to the person who spoke and meow at his feet expectantly. about ten feet away, with his arms crossed over his chest, stands the most attractive guy you have ever seen in your life. 

the first thing you notice is his eyes - a vivid violet ocean encapsulated in his irises as he glares down at your hunched form. there’s a small amount of bright red eyeliner smudged under his waterline in a tiny wing that perfectly compliments his complexion and distracts you so much that you almost don’t see the two black rings in his bottom lip, to which your stomach does a little flip upon noticing. cropped indigo hair frames his face delicately, a sharp contrast against his ivory skin that looks soft and unblemished from where you’re crouching. 

when you finally recover from how unfairly gorgeous he is and process his words, your brows crease together in a frown. 

“your cat?” you can only watch helplessly as the white feline stretches up on her back legs and balances herself against his shins until he reaches down and scoops her up. 

“yeah, obviously.” his tone is sarcastic as he gestures to the animal in his arms with a nod. 

“then why does your cat live outside?” when you finally push yourself to your feet you realize he’s no taller than you are, standing at perfect eye level as you regard him with a suspicious look. 

what kind of terrible person leaves their pet outside? it’s clear to you that he’s bullshitting and the cat isn’t really his, but if he’s so keen on being a jerk about it then he can have the same energy in return. 

he purses his lips (curse those metal rings glinting under the fluorescent stair lights) and tilts his head back in a mocking manner. “she’s mine because she likes me the most.” 

we’ll see about that.

“c’mere kitty, pspspsps.” at the sound of your voice the cat squirms out of his hold and pads over to you with a series of sweet little meows. the smug look you send him as you lean down to scratch her ears has his jaw visibly clenching with irritation. 

“also, what’s so wrong with me feeding your cat?” you continue. “shouldn’t you be grateful?”

“grateful? she’s going to end up fat if we both feed her.” the man huffs. 

“okay? so then stop feeding her.”

“no,” he retorts. “you stop feeding her. i was doing it first.”

“well that’s a shame. what do you want me to do about it? shall we take turns?” your tone is heavily sarcastic as you suggest this, and you’re positive that if looks could kill you’d be six feet under by now. 

“what, like divorced parents? isn’t that always rough on the kids?” he counters and shakes his head. “she deserves better so just let me handle it.”

you look him up and down suspiciously, trying your best to ignore how hot he is. “why should i? i don’t know you.”

“are you-“ he releases an aggrieved sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “fine, then let her choose.”

the cat, who’s sitting patiently watching you both exchange heated remarks, doesn't move a muscle. thirty tense seconds pass while she just looks between you and him with mild confusion, her tail flicking softly behind her until she gets bored and slinks off to go curl up on your discarded jacket, leaving the two of you standing in defeat. 

“just let me take her inside.” you sigh, too tired to keep this up. 

the man looks at you like you’ve grown a second head. “inside? are you crazy? we aren’t allowed to have pets.”

“okay, and?” you shrug. “you’re telling me that wasn’t also your plan?”

his eyes close and he seems to be contemplating something for a few seconds before speaking up again. 

“one more night.”

“what?”

“one more night and if she chooses you tomorrow, i won’t argue.” he explains carefully, red lined violet eyes watching you closely. “but if she picks me, i’m taking her instead.”

reluctant to agree but unwilling to back down, you give a short nod and the deal is set. you both turn away at the same time without another word. 

the next day, as the two of you meet under the stairwell at the same time and the tiny white cat beelines past you towards the man who wears a grin so smug it has your hands clenching into fists in irritation. 

“have you even had a cat before?” you begin interrogating him, failing at trying not to be jealous over the whole thing. “do you even have everything you need? do you have electrical wires hidden and things she could eat and choke on picked up?”

he looks like he wants to argue, but instead shuts his mouth in a thin line and turns his head the other way, bangs falling into his eyes with the action.  

“…no.”

with a defeated groan you drop your head into your hands and heave a large sigh.“we’re going to the store then. you need a litter box so she needs to stay out here until you do.”

“wait- we’re going to the store?” he asks, clearly against the idea of you tagging along. “why can’t i-“

“c’mon.” he pauses when you turn on your heel to start walking the other way, leaving him momentarily perplexed while staring after your retreating form. 

there’s a place open for another hour down the road that should have everything you need, and you’re determined to not let the cat sleep out in the for cold another night so even though you can’t stand this guy, you may as well do it for her. 

after swearing under his breath the man speed walks to catch up to you. the walk there is completely silent and neither of you acknowledges each other once, but once you walk through the sliding doors into the building you look over at him and wait until he meets your eyes. 

“i’ll grab the litter, you grab the food. it’s that way.” you say while pointing to the isle. without another word, you take off towards your destination and spend a few minutes checking prices on different brands. 

it’s not long before the man returns to your side with a small bag in his hand and you realize a little too late that of course he would have no idea which kind of food to pick. 

“put that back,” you tell him while grabbing a case of litter. 

“what? why?” he asks sharply, looking slightly offended. 

“that brand is bad for them.” you explain while following hin back to the food isle. he’s visibly vexed as he trails after you. 

“if it’s bad for them then why would they sell it?” the man deadpans.  

“good question. here, grab this one.”

silently, he takes the bag from you and you lead him down a few other isles to grab things like food and water dishes and a small pack of mouse toys with bells before taking everything to self checkout. he’s strangely quiet the entire time, just letting you do your thing after having no choice but to accept that he knows nothing on the matter, and you can’t help but find it a bit endearing. 

when you scan the items, the man hovers behind you silently until you  pull out your wallet to pay. he rudely shoves you aside with his shoulder and swipes his card before you can even begin to protest, but anything you were about to say dissipates into thin air and is replaced upon seeing the name on his card. 

“kunikuzushi?” you ask with mild surprise, reading the letters out loud. 

the man’s shoulder tense up at the sound of his name coming from your lips but he’s quick to recover and clicks his tongue. 

“don’t call me that.” he grumbles, typing in his pin with a little more force than necessary. despite his irritation expression, there’s a hint of amusement in the way he speaks that makes you think he truly is just putting up an act. 

you watch him for a few beats to figure out if he’s serious or not before humming and nodding like you’ve just come to a conclusion. 

“kuni it is then.”

kuni snaps his head around to glare at you, but the pink flush that stains the tips of his ears and cheekbones gives him away. “don’t call me that either.”

you give him an innocent smile and reach around him to grab the receipt and bag before heading to the exit, not bothering to wait and see if he follows. as expected, his footsteps approach from behind. 

“cant believe i’m stuck living in the same complex as you.” kuni hisses under his breath when he catches up. you find yourself staring at his lip rings for a moment before ripping your eyes away. 

“speaking of that,” you start to say, completely ignoring his prior words. “how long have you lived there? why haven’t i seen you before?”

kuni looks like he’d rather not answer, huffing an exasperated sigh. “around five months now.”

he won’t tell you much, but you force a little more small talk out of him until the two of you finally arrive back at the complex and scoop up the cat to bring her inside. she doesn’t make a sound once on the way up, and you can’t help but thank her silently for keeping quiet since you’re definitely not supposed to be doing this. 

when you step inside, kuni’s apartment is clean and organized and dark just as you had expected. the walls are almost completely bare save for a few band posters and the only things decorating the small living room are a black leather couch and a tv on a simple glass stand. it takes no time at all to set things up while the white cat sniffs around the house and takes in her new surroundings. 

the litter box gets tucked into a corner of the bathroom, the food and water dishes set on a mat by the kitchen counter, and a few toys are laid out around the place where she can bat them around as she pleases. 

“you have to let me come visit whenever i want.” you demand when you’re finally being shooed out of the front door by him. 

“what? absolutely not.” kuni snaps, turning back to give you an offended look. 

“you have to! wouldn’t she be sad if she never saw me again? divorced parents both still get to see the kids.” you insist with full seriousness. 

kuni watches you quietly, absentmindedly moving his lip rings back and forth with his tongue before sighing in defeat. 

“fine, whatever.” he concedes. you’re about to pump your fist in delight, but he stops you to finish. “you can visit once a month.”

“one a week.” 

“no.” he argues. 

“please.” 

your begging seems to do the trick, because kuni’s shoulders quickly drop in defeat when you look up at him with pleading eyes. “are you serio- fine. once a week.” he grumbles. “just get out now, it’s late.”

and so, because you’re fairly certain he’ll let you get away with it, you start showing up every night to see her. 

kuni acts like it’s the biggest inconvenience ever when you turn up at his door every time after that, but he never denies you entry, begrudgingly stepping aside and letting you coddle the little white cat that lives with him. 

you tell him about your day even if he insists he doesn’t care, and still listens intently and tells you about his when you ask in return. you learn more about him this way. he won’t tell you exactly what his job is, only that he works from home and occasionally takes small trips to collect something from people. it’s vague and makes no sense to you, but you don’t pry more than that. 

he’ll sit on the couch while you kneel on the floor and throw her toys around, watching you laugh and fawn over her until he eventually kicks you out. 

you discover that he’s actually incredibly easy to get along with, nowhere near as cold and unapproachable as he looks at first sight. he’s attentive and clever and loves nothing more than to laugh at your expense, but you find that you don’t mind letting him if it means you get to see the frown slip off of his face, even if just for a moment. 

this little routine continues for almost an entire month before one night, kuni shoves his phone in your face with a grim expression. after pushing it away a bit to actually be able to see the screen, your heart sinks into the pit of your stomach. 

it’s a missing pet post, with images of the little white cat attached. 

after reading a bit, the situation becomes clear. her family had gone on vacation and hired someone to watch her, but that person let her escape and never said a word about it. her family didn't find out until they returned to her being gone, and were now clearly frantically searching for her and hoping she was still alive. 

“oh no,” you whisper sadly, looking towards the feline who’s happily curled up on the couch. when you meet kuni’s eyes, he almost looks a bit torn. 

“i’m calling them tomorrow.” he informs you bluntly. 

“wait, but-“ you start, trying to ignore the stinging burn of tears that threaten to fill your eyes. seeing the cat, seeing him, has become something to look forward to in the last month. the thought of seeing her go has a lump forming in your throat, bringing with it the selfish urge to keep her for yourself instead of doing the right thing and taking her back. 

“her family needs her. she needs to go home.” kuni says in a way that shows he’s trying his best to be sympathetic. 

even though he seems fine for the most part, there’s no way he isn’t going to miss her. he took the risk of letting her stay with him, and went out of his way to make sure she was comfortable and well taken care of. 

“i know, you’re right. i just…” you trail off quietly, fingernails digging into your palms. 

kuni meets your eyes, and a moment of silent understanding rushes between you like a heavy current. 

“i know.”

the next day, she gets returned to her very relieved family. kuni takes care of it since you’re not home, and then a  week passes by, as slow and miserable as ever. you have no reason to go over to kuni’s apartment anymore, so you haven’t spoken to him since, and every night you go straight to your own place and spend the evenings by yourself. 

it’s impossible not to miss the sweet little cat, the pleasant trill of her meows and the softness of her sides rubbing against your legs. 

but it’s even more impossible not to miss kuni. the way he always waited for you to stop talking before he answered, the way he would open and close the door for you even while telling you to get out of his hair, the sound of his stifled laughter when you would trip over a cat toy or mess up your words. 

one night, when you come home late as per usual, kuni is sitting at the bottom of the stairs appearing bored out of his mind. you don’t even notice him at first, but when you do your whole body freezes in fear until you realize who it is. 

“you scared me!” you accuse sharply, slightly irked by the unapologetic look on his face. 

he’s as attractive as ever, his red lined eyes creased together in amusement as he watches you gather your bearings. it may just be a trick of the light, but kuni seems almost nervous as he stands up and approaches you. 

“did you eat dinner?” he asks while shoving his hands into his sweatshirt pockets, shifting his weight from one foot to another. 

“um,” you respond intelligently, willing your eyes not to stray away to his lip rings. “no?”

he clicks his tongue and turns to start climbing up the stairs. “then come on.”

you follow after him wordlessly, having an internal battle the whole way up over whether or not he just asked you out or if you’re reading way too much into this. 

why was he even waiting for you tonight? he barely managed to put up with you whenever you came to pester him and the cat, so there’s no way he’s actually interested in you… right?

“you eat meat, yeah?” kuni asks as he opens the door for you and waits for you to step inside. his apartment is the same as you remember, the only difference being one less cat and a navy throw blanket folded over the back of the couch. 

brushing off the way it makes your heart twinge sadly, you take off your shoes and nod. “yeah, i do.”

“good.”

in the next thirty minutes of comfortable silence that pass, you find yourself sitting on the couch and helplessly watching as kuni moves around the kitchen and prepares something with practiced ease. the sleeves of his sweatshirt are rolled up to his elbows as he works, showing off his pale forearms in an all too distracting way. 

his bangs keep falling into his eyes and every time he tries to blow them out of the way you have to fight back a smile. his hair was a bit shorter when you had first met, so he must be due for a haircut by now. 

it’s strange to think that in the last month you had managed to become so fond of this grumpy stranger who nearly tried to fight you over a lost cat, but there’s no denying the way your heart rate picks up when he glances over and catches you staring every now and then. 

as the delicious smell of stir fry fills the place and your mouth water uncontrollably, you make your way over to the small dining table and take a seat at one of the chairs. kuni carries two plates over and places them down before sitting opposite of you. 

“sooo,” you finally break the silence. “what’s all this about?”

“eat.” kuni ignores you, gesturing to your plate with his fork. 

“but i-“

“eat.” he repeats himself, a bit louder than last time. his violet eyes narrow in your direction when you raise a teasing brow at him. 

“fine.” you huff. when you stab some of the food with your fork and shovel it into your mouth, you can’t stop the shock that spreads over your face as the flavor hits your tongue. 

“it’s good!” you gush in genuine surprise. you never would have thought he was good at cooking. 

“of course it is.” kuni says proudly, finally digging into his own portion. he gives a small satisfactory hum as he chews, and you feel your heart twinge again - this time for another reason entirely. 

“come over again for dinner tomorrow.” he says with no room for negotiation before taking another bite and avoiding your eyes. the tips of his ears are visibly pink despite the low light and you agree easily with a muffled laugh. 

“why are you looking at me like that?” kuni asks suspiciously after he swallows his mouthful, realizing you’ve been watching him a few moments later. 

you smile knowingly and look away. “no reason.”

it seems that as fate would have it, finding that little lost white cat was only the beginning.

[shu-glue]

about to post the wanderer x scholar!reader headcanons later ahehehe

[shu-glue]

OMG A BUSINESS PROPOSAL AU I AM ASCENDING

💸 the business proposal !

a social media au | scaramouche x gender neutral reader

synopsis after agreeing to go on a blind date in the place of your rich friend, aether, and sabotaging it on purpose, you think it’ll be like the usual dates you’ve tried to ruin for your friend. but when you go on the date acting as him you’re dumbfounded, it’s scaramouche…the CEO of the company where you work.

scaramouche’s mother, ei, and founder of his company grew sick of her son being single and continuously sets him up on blind dates. scara is a workaholic and is annoyed by this so he decides to marry the person on his next blind date so he won’t be distracted from his company anymore. that person happens to be you, but pretending to be your friend aether. after seeing how badly the date went he chooses you just so he can anger his mother. you continue to play the part of his fake future partner and also employee, staying out of his sight during work so he doesn’t realize you aren’t who you said you were. how long until he finds out?

genre fake dating, sorta enemies to lovers, hidden identity, crack, slight angst, based off the kdrama

status not started, undecided

warnings alcohol consumption, young adults, mommy issues mentioned for scara, tba

taglist is open! comment to be added, asks will be ignored

BREAKING NEWS!

featuring…

y/n and company | scara and company

ACT ONE: the best of both worlds !

O1. sugar daddy era

O2. flashcards

O3. pretending to be rich

O4. damn why he kinda

O5. chicken fingers

O6. broke ass bitch

O7. making headlines

O8. one night stand

O9. tba

1O. tba

ACT TWO: chicken fear me, men want me !

11. hide and seek

12. be bad for me

13. smile for the camera

14. vacation in disguise

tba

ACT THREE: marriage? in this economy ?!

21. deal or no deal

tba

END OF SEGMENT!

author’s notes: always wanted to do a business proposal au, either on here or on ao3. we’ll see which platform wins ig. also it’s gn and aether is a gn name so that’s why i chose him as the friend yn is going to impersonate ^^ also my editing slay

[shu-glue]

wanderer and scholar!reader have had me on a chokehold since the new year's post and omg i need to write this out (with a oneshot that may or may not have angst)