#he sees catnap doing anything slightly good for angel and a part of him immediately wants to hug catnap

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

I like to think Catnap was one of the few people who was there for Dogday when it was his turn to need support and comfort…

Anon you're so correct! Catnap was never much the type of person/toy to make their friends talk about their feelings, but he was always there for Dogday when he wasn't feeling well. Catnap wanting to free Dogday from both the hands of PlayCo. and his role as the obligatory leader of the group was another motivator for him to agree with the Hour of Joy. He genuinely thought this would help his friend, only to end up making Dogday even more emotionally closed off than before.

And yet, post Chapter 3, Catnap is still there to support Dogday. Not that our dear sunny puppy likes, agrees or accepts said support, although deep down he's a bit desperate for any sort of comfort.

[pocket-luv101]

An Unexpected Match || Part 1

Summary: Licht is an aspiring pianist but his cousin worries that he’s working himself too hard. In hopes of making him take more breaks, Kranz asks Hyde to help him. (LawLicht, Modern AU)

(Part 1) // Part 2 // Part 3

“If Kranz tries to set me up with another guy, I’m going to murder the date. Kranz keeps nagging me about having a work-life balance but he should know that I can’t take breaks often— especially since he’s my manager.” Licht complained to his friend Mahiru over the phone. He walked through a bookstore and skimmed the titles. “I want to find a love like the one my parents have. A match made in heaven.”

“Sometimes, the best matches are the ones you least expect. I never thought I would be with a man like Kuro but look at us now. We’re engaged! Maybe you should give the date a chance even if you don’t think they’re your type at first.” Mahiru suggested. Licht could hear the overwhelming happiness in his friend’s voice. “Kranz just wants you to be happy. He’s your cousin before your manager.”

“I know. He says he wants me to take more breaks from practise and find love. Playing matchmaker for me is like hitting two birds with one stone. He should let things happen on its own though.” He sighed softly and walked into the gothic novel section of the bookstore. “Have you read the novel I told you to? I want to talk to someone about the ending without needing to explain the rest of the plot.”

“I reached the third chapter but I haven’t been able to read much. My deadline is in a week so I barely have enough time to eat, let alone read. I need a new job. Kuro forced me to take a little catnap with him. He says it’s so I don’t overwork myself but I know the truth. I let him get away with it though.” While he couldn’t see him, Licht was certain that Mahiru was grinning like a lovesick teenager. “I’ll try to finish the book by the weekend so we can talk.”

“There’s no rush. I’m at the bookstore to find a new novel right now.” When he first started travelling on tours, his parents gave him a book to read during the long plane rides. He fell in love with gothic novels and would find a new book before each concert. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye, Mahiru.”

As he tucked his phone into his pocket, Licht noticed someone approach him. He assumed that the man wanted to browse through the books as well. The stranger stopped next to him and asked: “Pardon me, do you work here? I would like a few suggestions on what to read in the gothic section. I want to get into the genre but I don’t know where to start.”

“Shouldn’t you have decided that before you drove to a bookstore? You must have a lot of free time if you can drive here on a whim. I don’t work here so I can’t help.” Licht told him. He was on his phone earlier and he didn’t have a uniform so the man should’ve known that he wasn’t an employee.

“Sorry. I guess I should start with the classics. Frankenstein was a cool horror movie so the novel might be fun.” He pulled the book from the shelf. Licht was slightly surprised that the man didn’t leave immediately. Most people were intimidated by his glare and they would flee without speaking to him. Instead, he introduced himself. “My name’s Hyde. I don’t have a lot of people to talk to about books. I’m really into Shakespeare but I thought I would give gothic novels a chance.”

“My parents took me to a Shakespeare play once but I didn’t enjoy it. He writes in circles. Frankenstein is a classic but you might like Wuthering Heights better. It has similar themes to Shakespearian tragedies like revenge and love.” Licht was rarely able to talk to many people about his interest in books with other musicians or his friends. He took the short opportunity to do so with Hyde.

“You’re more than just a pretty face, Angel Cakes.” Hyde winked at him. While Licht rolled his eyes at his flirting, a small blush tainted his cheeks. He went on to ask: “Is there a book here that you haven’t read yet? Maybe we can both read it and then hold a little book club to discuss it. The bookstore has a little café where we can sit and talk.”

“Don’t call me ‘Angel Cakes’, Shit Rat. I have a name and it’s Licht.” He corrected him bluntly. “I don’t have time for dating.”

“That’s okay. I was being honest when I said there’s not many people who I can discuss literature with. You seem smart and you have a lot of opinions. I only want to talk and have coffee.” Hyde said. Licht stared into his red eyes and wondered if he looked too deeply into his words earlier. “You can invite anyone you want to our book club if that will be better for you. The more the merrier.”

Licht took down two copies of a thick collection of short stories and held one out to Hyde. “Are you free Saturday? We can meet at eight but I can’t stay for long. I have piano practise strictly at ten.”

“You play the piano? I knew you were an angel the moment I saw you but this confirms it. I’ll see you Friday.” He said. They walked to the cash register together and talked more about books. Licht had to admit that Hyde was attractive and he enjoyed trading quips with him. He found himself looking forward to their first book club meeting and hearing his opinion.

“See you later, Angel Cakes.” Hyde opened the door for Licht after they finished paying for their books. He nodded towards the café corner of the bookstore and said: “I’m going to get coffee and start this book right away. I can’t wait to talk to you about it on Saturday.”

He nodded back to him and went to his car. Licht paused for a moment outside and glanced back to Hyde. He wasn’t in the doorway anymore and he reasoned that he went to the café. He went into his care and took out the anthology he bought. His career was only beginning but it didn’t give him any free time to date. He accepted the coffee invite thinking it wouldn’t lead to anything.

As Hyde waited for his coffee, he watched Licht drive away. He looked away when his name was called and he took the cup from the worker. He found an empty table and sat down. Hyde took out the thick book he purchased and flipped through the stories. An illustration of an angel caught his interest and he decided to read the story first.

A man sat in the chair across from him but Hyde didn’t question his sudden appearance. He asked: “So, what do you think of Licht?”

“He’s interesting.” Hyde closed the book and sat straighter in his chair. “Kranz, I met him like you asked but I haven’t decided to go along with this plan of yours yet. It doesn’t feel right to lie to him, even when I barely know him. Shouldn’t you just talk to him instead of creating this crazy plan? This has to be the strangest acting job I’ve been offered.”

With a heavy sigh, Kranz told him: “I’ve already tried talking with him. He works hard but he doesn’t take care of himself properly. I want him to take breaks more often. Licht isn’t easy to work with because he’s so stubborn. None of his other managers lasted more than a few weeks. I’ve only been able to manage him this long because I’m his cousin.”

Kranz also worked with a few actors Hyde knew and they told him he was a good manager. When he reached out to Kranz for work, he didn’t expect him to ask him to befriend Licht. “I’ll pay you four hundred dollars each time you take Licht out and help him take a break from practise. I can refer you to a few directors I know too. Think of this as method acting.”

The number made Hyde pause. He worked part time jobs but he was struggling for money. It was difficult to work and find auditions at the same time. Hyde said, “I have a book club meeting with him Saturday morning here at the café. Meet me afterwards with the cheque.”

Hyde sat in the booth and waited for Licht to come. To pass the time, he skimmed through the book idly even though he could recite each story by heart. He was able to memorize the stories easily since he was an actor. He prepared answers for any question Licht could ask. A part of Hyde still felt guilty for the deception and he sighed into his coffee.

His phone buzzed and Hyde swiped his finger over the screen. A message from Licht told him he arrived at the bookstore. They had exchanged phone numbers and shared short conversations throughout the week. The cartoon emoticons he sent made him laugh lightly. He replied to his text and leaned back in the chair.

I’m in a booth next to the window. I already bought coffee and muffins for us so you don’t need to wait in line. Hyde texted him back. He glanced out the window and he saw Licht in the distance. He waved to him and he smiled back to him. For someone who enjoyed dark stories so much, his smile was soft and gentle. He came into the café and sat across from Hyde.

“Thanks for waiting.” Licht said and placed his book on the table.

“I didn’t know how you like your coffee so I got you black with a bunch of sugar and cream on the side. I thought you were bringing a friend so I brought three cups. At least there’s three muffins you can choose from now. I bought them a few minutes ago so they’re fresh. Do you want the chocolate chip or��� That’s a lot of cream for your coffee, Angel Cakes.”

“I don’t like bitter things.” He told him simply and Hyde couldn’t help but grin. The angel was full of interesting contradictions. He liked gothic novels but had a sweet tooth. Once Licht was satisfied with his coffee, he took a sip. He peeked at Hyde’s book between them and said, “You’re the type to highlight lines in his book. I haven’t seen that much highlighter aside from university textbooks and actor’s scripts.”

“I wanted to highlight my favourite parts so I could find them again. Better at a Distance was the best story in the collection, I think. It has drama, forbidden love and tragedy.” Hyde flipped to the story and spun the book to Licht. “What do you think of the ending?”

“It was the protagonist’s own fault that the love interest pushed him off the cliff. He should’ve told her the truth about who he was. You can’t blame her for being scared and confused when a skeleton man appeared instead of the handsome nobleman he claimed he was. I don’t know what he expected to happen.” Licht set down his coffee on the table and stared at the highlighted words. “Some things are better at a distance.”

The short story revolved around a romance between a princess and an undead servant. They never met in person yet they traded letters every day and eventually fell in love. The night they arranged to elope with each other, his form frightened her and she accidentally pushed him off a cliff.

“I guess he was hoping that she would accept him despite his appearance. That wasn’t the issue though. He didn’t trust her enough to let her get to know him. That’s the tragedy. Their romance was doomed from the start because he lied and kept a distance between them.” He didn’t glance at the book but quoted: “I’ve told so many lies I don’t know who I truly am anymore.”

Licht tilted his head slightly and asked: “Are you an actor?”

“What?” Hyde choked on his drink. He was an aspiring actor and that was one of the reasons Kranz asked him for help. Licht didn’t seem angry so he doubted he knew about the plan. Hesitantly, he asked: “How did you know that I’m an actor? Did you stalk me on the internet?”

“It was just my intuition.” He answered with a shrug. Licht nonchalantly stirred his coffee and went on to explain, “My parents are famous pianists and they would often have celebrities over for house parties. Most were musicians but some were actors. There weren’t many kids at the parties so I played a game with myself. ‘Guess what this person is.’ I’m rarely wrong.”

“You’re only half right this time. I want to become an actor but I haven’t landed a major role yet. For now, I’m working part time jobs and acting as Villager B in a local stage production.” Hyde joked dryly. “It’s my dream to be on a grand stage. When my performance is over, the audience will be too in awe to clap. Then, after a moment, the room will be filled with applause and claps. I can only imagine getting that reaction.”

“When you recited that line from the book, I pictured you on stage.” Licht was drawn into the passion in Hyde’s voice. It was clear that he was driven. Since he was chasing his own dream to be a pianist, he respected Hyde’s determination. “We all have to start somewhere. As long as you don’t give up halfway through, you can do anything you imagine. That’s what my parents taught me.”

Hyde was certain that Licht wouldn’t be as encouraging if he knew that his first major acting job was to befriend him. He changed the subject and said, “Your parents are musicians as well. Do I know of them?”

“My full name is Licht Jekylland Todoroki.” He told him but Hyde didn’t recognize the surname. Licht wasn’t surprised nor upset that he didn’t know his parents. He was a little glad he didn’t. “They tour in Europe so they’re mostly known there. I didn’t want to rely on my family name so I moved to Japan to start my career here. My music speaks for itself.”

“I have to hear you play one day. You can watch the production I’m in too.” Hyde offered. As they talked, he forgot about Kranz and their plan. Licht was engaging and Hyde found himself opening up more than he usually would. He leaned his cheek in his hand and grinned at Licht. “You remind me of the main character from Blind Love. Stubbornly independent.”

“I am not.” Licht pouted. “If I am, then you’re the character from Serendipity. A demon!”

“You break my heart, Lichtan. Here I thought we were getting along too.” His words were mixed with a laugh. “Between those two stories, which did you enjoy more?”

“Sorry, I’m late, Kranz.” Licht immediately said as he stumbled into the music room. He lost track of time while he spent time with Hyde and he almost missed practise. He raced out of the bookstore the moment he realized the time. “An hour passed. Do you think we can squeeze in another hour?”

“I asked the owner that before you came but someone already have this room booked after our session. They said that they’ll only charge us for the time we use instead of what’s booked so that’s lucky.” Kranz said but he could see that Licht was still frustrated. “We have the room booked for the next three hours and that should be enough time for your practise. It’s the normal amount people play each day.”

“I don’t want to limit myself to what most people do. I can’t reach my dreams unless I go beyond that.” Licht recalled the advice his father gave him before he left for Japan. He took out music sheets from his bag and sat in front of the piano.

“I tried texting you but you didn’t answer.” Kranz lied. “Where were you today? You usually have breakfast in your hotel room but you weren’t there this morning.”

“My friend and I were at a book club. We’re going to meet again on Monday. Next time I lose track of time, call me instead of texting me.”