𝖈𝖞𝖗𝖚𝖘 𝖎𝖘𝖑𝖊𝖞-𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖓𝖟

“i don’t think even years of practice would help me,” he smiles. his lack of coordination and balance knows no bounds. “in that case, do you want to grab a bite or something?”

cyrus laughed, shaking his head. it seemed that there was always amusement and fondness in everything he did when around the girl. “i will, and i always do.” peonies fit, he guessed. a beautiful nymph after apollo himself. “wait, wait,” he called as soon as the news about her ex was processed. he was not expecting that. the rest? yes, it did sound like a normal day for penelope raymond. “your ex? the ex?” he questioned even though he knew it was. “and how’s that going? are you behaving?”

finally, his whole little fishing expedition had given him a few fruits. lysander was blushing and that had to mean something, right? right. the question leaves him searching for words because no, there was nothing wrong with the sunflowers. “the sunflowers. yeah, yeah. i mean, i’m not sure. i was just gonna have him take a look at them. yeah,” he rambles a little. smooth. “what are you working on?”

cyrus nods, sharing his mother’s views on the topic. nature was perfect and humans were usually a huge mess. “mom,” he calls, cheeks tinting at her words. “yes, he is cute. really cute,” he admits. “but i know what you’re thinking and don’t go there. i don’t think he likes me that way. actually, i’m not sure he likes me at all,” he chuckles. 

“i don’t think i’m the best at that either,” he muses, stopping for a second to give it a thought. he wasn’t, cyrus had more often than not let his heart and feelings dictate his actions. “i just think your time would be much better spent taking care of your new puppy. i mean, cute puppy or some asshole? the choice’s pretty obvious to me. and it would make you happier too.” that was just the effect puppies had on most people, and he still didn’t quite understand those who were immune to it.

“i don’t ⏤ no. that’s not what i meant,” the answers quickly, brows knitted together as he looks at the other. it’s not that he thought augustin was a liar, but people made jokes like that, didn’t they? “i don’t think you sound rude,” he shrugs. maybe a little confusing sometimes, but not outward rude. or maybe cyrus was the only one who didn’t see it. “thanks,” he chuckles. “i don’t think i’ve heard that before. ⏤ you say that now, but tell me that again in one hour. ”

“hey! i’m not terrifying.” he also wasn’t exactly small or a gremlin ( he spent too much time under sunlight and had had plenty of midnight snacks without going apeshit ), but terrifying was what he chose to question. “besides, gremlins are cute, they’re just misunderstood.”

“i can’t believe my fake wikipedia page is the nicest thing you have ever said to me,” he chuckles, unafraid of joking. he knows that when looking at him and penelope, most people don’t understand how it’s possible ⏤ they’re so very different in their ways and personalities ⏤, but their opinions don’t matter, penny is one of his closest friends and he loves the girl with all of his heart. “the usual. writing on my final thesis, working at the animal rescue league, making campus prettier with the gardening club,” he shrugs. “i’ve been thinking about summer, though. i think i’ll go away for a bit, do some volunteering work and all that. if i can get myself to leave bo for more than a week,” he laughs. “what about in penelope’s world?”

“you’re welcome. i don’t know how you can do half of that, but it’s lovely.” it’s then that he realizes that he might be on uriah’s ways. the dancer had stopped after one dance, but there was no telling if it was the last of their set. “am i in the way? because i can leave you alone if you don’t want the audience.” 

“yes, the sunflowers,” he nods, if a little faster than necessary. his skills are obviously lacking because the topic quickly shifts from his brother to ( to the surprise of no one but cyrus ) plants. “it’s okay, you don’t need to call him. he’s probably with the twins because quin is like that, you know? reliable and caring and just ⏤ great.” yep, he was a really good brother.  

“people think that humans are so superior and deserve so much more than any other living thing,” he sighs. they were just still blind to the beauty of it all, and the fact that humans too were nothing more than animals, albeit evolved ones. “actually, yes,” he answers smiling. “we got this new guy there. kind of quiet, but they’re cool.”

“you’re welcom. ⏤ well, i didn’t actually do anything, but i’ll pass it on to the doc,” he chuckles softly, only to sober up at their words. there’s a lot of truth behind the whole eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. his empathy has never been as strong with humans ( which was odd considering they too were part of the animalia kingdom ), but he could feel the anger coming from zelda. “i’m not sure if that’d be the best thing to do.”

“cool.” maybe it wasn’t the warmest of welcomes, but it doesn’t deter him. if augustin had trouble accepting help, cyrus always found himself offering it ⏤ they certainly made for an interesting pair. “is that really why you chose this place?” there’s no judgment in his tone, only curiosity. if he had wanted more time talking to people, he surely wouldn’t have picked this line of work. “and hey, i can be very chatty. i can talk for both of us,” he offered, smiling.

as soon as he notices the girl is thankful and not ready to accuse him of kidnapping cute pets, his smile broadens. “you’re welcome.” he keeps petting the cat who doesn’t complain at all. “they wanted to give the outdoor cat life a shot,” he jokes. “i’m cyrus, by the way.”

it isn’t rare that a stray ( or not so stray ) animal will find their way to cyrus, it’s always been like that and the young man is always delighted by the visitors. this time, it’s a black cat that finds its way to cyrus, rubbing against his leg and meowing for attention. he smiles, as usual, and picks them up, forgetting what he had been doing. “hey, there.” he pets the cat softly for a long minute, the two sharing a level of understanding that needs no words. suddenly, he looks up, zeoring on the blonde girl and walking toward sabrina. “i promise i wasn’t trying to steal your cat.” he has learned that not everyone is as unbothered by strangers caressing their pets as you’d think. “i think they just wanted to come say hi.” [ @sabrinaxc ]

he wouldn’t say that he has two left legs, but it was close enough and it became even more clear whenever he watched uriah dancing. a beauty and fluidity to their movements that cyrus would never be able to mimic. and wouldn’t even try because he didn’t fancy a broken leg, thank you very much. his smile was wide, quiet ( he wouldn't risk disrupting the other ) and lost in the dance as much as the dancer himself. it’s only when uriah is done that he brings his hands together in much-deserved applause. “that was beautiful.” more than that, it was magical how they could express so much without a single word. [ @cfuriahfries ]