#beastsk8

Anyway-

Adam formally meets Kaoru and Kojiro when two felines try and devour him and they defend him. This drives him to learn how to defend himself because he doesn't want to rely on carnivores again. These days he is aware of his own weakness but he can put up a decent fight against Kaoru (he also probably carries a gun on him).

Miya is a panther.

And as of right now: Reki is a goat and Langa is a bunny... a very tall bunny (or maybe Reki is just short? Either way it annoys him).

Also when imagining the characters (because if you have watched beastars then you know the characters literally look like humanoid animals).

The characters have defining traits (tails, horns, claws, ears) both other then that they look human! (Their noses aren't elongated and they don't have fur) Although I am toying with the idea of them gaining more animal attributes when they feel "feral" (when a carnivore tries to eat an herbivores or maybe other occasions). It is somewhat rare for an herbivore to "transform" so in this society they are seen as higher class citizens (because carnivores are largely unaware that it does happen... just not as often).

Of course! Beastars makes my brain go Brrr anyway so I'll probably be writing quite a bit of this.

Take some kindergarten Kaoru and Kojiro!

*****

Kojiro had been nervous about going to a mixed school. Perhaps a six-year-old shouldn't be nervous about such things but he was. In all fairness it was largely his parents fault for giving him the talk before his first day. "Be nice to your herbivore classmates", "don't push being friends with any of them", and "maybe just avoid them all together".

So Kojiro stepped into his class with his backpack over his shoulders and his tail hanging low along with his ears flat in disappointment. His teacher, a sheep, asked him to put his bag away so he did before sitting in the desk with his name marked on it. There were all kinds of students in the class, but it seemed that his mother was right about how he should stay away from the herbivores. A lot of them had eyes filled with tears or else they were crying. There was one boy who wasn't, a small blue haired boy who had small studs on his head; a deer. He looked like he could care less.

Kojiro supposed he would just have to do his best to be friendly and—

"Sakurayashiki Kaoru, and I'm a fox which means I'm going to grow up and be a lot prettier then all of you," a boy who had just moved here was introducing himself at the front of the class.

The teacher gave an awkward chuckle before instructing him to his seat. Kojiro wasn't entirely sure how he should feel when the boy ended up next to him.

"Kaoru," the boy said as an introduction.

"Uh... Nanjo Kojiro, I'm a wolf so... so I'm sorry if I scare you," Kojiro muttered in his quietest voice.

"You scare me?" The pink haired boy looked offended, "You are nothing but a puppy! You aren’t scaring anybody!"

He said it with anger in his voice and a huff at the end. Kojiro supposed maybe he should take offense to that, but he honestly didn't want to scare anybody.

"Really?" He asked hopefully.

"Really, besides you look all pouty," Kaoru said.

That scene where Cherry gets smacked with Adam’s board and Joe can't help himself.

He really is happy to see Adam, but he should be mad. The fox beside him is pissed and looking at Adam like he could devour the deer whole for ditching them like that. Joe knows better though. Knows Cherry wouldn't do such a thing (not that either of them would get the chance since this is Adam. They would never get close).

"No," Cherry speaks for him and Joe has to push down a whimper. He just wants to touch and hold him. His ears twitch and flatten in a pouty manner which has Adam laughing.

"Speak for yourself Cherry, it looks like our Joe missed me quite a bit," Adam says and moves to hold Joe's face between his hands.

Joe leans into him. Leans into him as his tail makes a thwap thwap thwap noise from wagging back and forth so much.

"Well I missed you too, both of you," Adam says and gives Cherry this look before he gazes back into Joe's eyes.

Joe wants to hold him and kiss him and protect him, all feelings that he felt when he was younger and none of it has gone away. Adam doesn't need his protection (or at least doesn't want it) and Joe knows this, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to protect him. And from what? There isn't a thing that could hurt him right now (outside of Cherry’s hard glare).

"I missed you," Joe confirms and leans down a bit to nose into his neck.

"I know you did," Adam whispers. Joe feels Adam’s arms carefully wrap around him and Joe does the same.

When they eventually do pull away Joe’s tail has slowed and he is able to properly feel a flurry of feelings about this instead of just being happy that Adam is back.

"I take it you didn't miss me?" Joe watches Adam turn his attention to Cherry, "They say foxes are good liars." Cherry grits his teeth but then Adam is reaching over to pry his mouth open, "Wow... you two grew to be scary beasts didn't you?"

"We're the scary ones?" Cherry asks sarcastically as he pulls away.

"Well yes! A couple of carnivores that kept me out during out teenage years, you two could have easily devoured me whole!" Adam mentions with a laugh.

"We wouldn't have and it is insulting that you think—"

"Careful foxy. Your tail is puffed up and you are bearing your fangs," Adam mentions, "Now then— you sly beast —did you miss me?"

Joe can tell Cherry is pissed. Can tell by the way every muscle in his body seems tense and his tail stands straight.

"Hardly," Cherry mutters.

"Awe you did! Well I missed you both too," Adam confirms and soon Joe was having to keep them up (and failing at that) when Adam practically tackles them in a hug. It was largely Cherry’s fault that they fell to the ground due to him stumbling back but otherwise not putting up any effort to keep himself up.

"Look at me go, taking down two beasts at once. And here I thought you two were stronger then that, although Cherry hasn't gotten any stronger," Adam is laughing again and Joe is about to tell Adam to cool it on the comments about Cherry, but then Cherry is flipping the deer over and Joe gets to watch fondly as the two wrestle with one another on the ground until they are both panting and Cherry is laughing softly.

"I missed you," Cherry mutters.

"It isn't a lie?"

Okay so should he be

A. A big horned sheep

Or

B. Jackal

Jackals are technically omnivores and they *ahem* 😌 (reads over google) pick at the remains of other animals or hunt in packs. But like... Reki with curved horns that Langa can touch 🥺 but on the other hand- Reki bonding with Joe and Cherry because all three of them are canines... okay mainly Joe because Cherry has this whole superiority complex and would never associate himself with a jackal. But.... if he is a herbivore then his dynamic with Miya and Langa is flipped from the adults dynamic (cherry, Joe and Adam are carnivore, carnivore herbivore while langa, reki, and miya would have been herbivore, herbivore, carnivore).

Cw: discussion of inducing vomiting

***

Kaoru had his hands— hands covered in fur with claws —wrapped around his muzzle (since when did he have that?) as he whimpered quietly in the alley. One wrong turn, huh? One wrong turn and he ended up at a black market and he couldn't stop drooling. He had managed to text Kojiro his location but that was it. Now he just had to hope the other came and kept his senses under control and— what if he brought Adam and Tadashi? Kaoru couldn't have those two seeing him like this. He would scare Adam and Tadashi wouldn't trust him anymore. He couldn't help it. He can't help the way the smell invades every inch of him. His stomach itches for it but he knows that he can't. He has gone twenty-six years of his life without it, he won't start now.

"Kaoru is that you?"

Thank god. Kojiro found him. He found him and everything is going to be okay because now Adam and Tadashi don't have to see him when he looks like— that is Adam. Looking up Kaoru can see his blue hair and his antlers and how uncomfortable he looks. Kaoru takes his hands off his muzzle for now so he can speak although then more drool is coming out and Kaoru is so painfully aware of what he looks like.

"Adam, please help me out of here, or get Kojiro- please."

The herbivore doesn't approach him. Kaoru doesn't blame him. They look at each other for what feels like forever before Adam pulls out his phone and sends a text. He then makes his way over and takes off his belt.

"Just until we get out of here okay?" Adam says. He looks guilty when he says it, but Kaoru supposes he gets it. He keeps his hands down and tilts his head up and then Adam is wrapping the bell around his mouth before tightening it. It doesn't actually do anything and they both probably know that, but it makes Adam feel safer and Kaoru doesn't intend on doing anything to him so it works out.

They get a few blocks away, with Adam holding Kaoru’s hand as they walk. Apparently Kaoru had nearly wandered off once due to this haze and Adam won't be hunting him down. After that Adam carefully took the belt off and put it back on.

"So is this gonna go away?" Adam gestures to... well all of him.

"I don't know," Kaoru muttered.

They continue walking after that.

They get back to the hotel and and Kojiro doesn't hesitate to pull Kaoru into a hug.

"Careful!" Kaoru grumbles when his mouth basically bashes into Kojiro’s chest.

"Sorry," Kojiro says softly before scooping him up anyway.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Adam asks softly since that is all he can think, that there must be something wrong with him.

"Just got a little overwhelmed. Nothing to worry about, especially if he isn't acting weird," Kojiro tries to offer a comforting smile, but when he says 'weird' and then not even a moment later Kaoru is pressing his nose into the other's neck and sniffing contently he kinda lost the other two.

"He was at the black market right?" Tadashi asks.

"Well a few alleys away, but yeah pretty much."

"You should go make him throw up," Tadashi says with a shrug as he heads over to his bed. That suggestion is met with a noise from Kaoru that is definitely a whimper.

"I don't think he ate anything," Adam says with a small chuckle. He hopes he didn’t. He won't be able to look at Kaoru the same if he did eat something.

"It would be good to make sure, he headed in that direction and could have been subconsciously following the smell. He should associate this night with misery and making him throw up will do that," Tadashi shrugs as if that is the most normal solution to all of this.

"Kaoru did you eat anything?" Kojiro asks as he sets Kaoru down on his bed.

"He could lie—"

"He isn't a good liar Tadashi. He looks miserable I'm not making him throw up," Kojiro snaps. He doesn't get mad often and so his anger seems to put a rest to the subject.

"No I didn't eat anything," Kaoru mutters. For someone so confident and independent who always has control over himself, he looks like a scared puppy right now instead of an elegant fox.

Despite that Adam goes to have a shower and Tadashi gets ready for bed. They all share a room though so it makes things awkward. Especially since Kaoru can't seem to relax as he tells Kojiro everything that happened which soon results in Kojiro and Adam fighting because, "On what planet is it okay to wrap a belt around his mouth while he is crying in an alley!"

"He was drooling and had his hands clamped around his mouth already! I'm allowed to be concerned for my own safety!"

"You just scared him further! If you got close enough to him to put the belt around him then that should have told you plenty!"

"Joe I'm fine," Kaoru finally interrupted their conversation. He still didn't feel fine, but he was larger and his mouth was weird and he was pretty sure he could sleep for the next month.

"But he—"

"Led me back here and did what he wanted to- to feel safe around me," his voice cracks and Kojiro is by his side again along with Adam.

"I'm sorry Kaoru, I should have more faith in you then that," Adam whispers.

"No. You probably shouldn't, I did end up in the black market to begin with. Maybe I just subconsciously went there, I just want to forget about it."

Kaoru went to lay down but then Adam was carefully grabbing his face. Hesitating when he felt the fur before just holding onto him and keeping him up.

"You would never hurt me. You would never eat an herbivore. You are precious to me, so please just... don't be mad at yourself."

Had Adam not been keeping his hands on Kaoru’s face and keeping his eyes on him he might not have noticed the way his hands covered in fur and the way it ran up his arms and soon covered him.

That resulted in a very high-pitched scream that had the twocarnivores covering their ears and the third, Tadashi, waking up and doing the same.

"What are you three doing!" Tadashi turned to look at them only to see Adam touching his fur covered face. "What the hell happened to him?"

"It just happened," Kojiro said and held back a laugh.

"Do not laugh at this, I can't look like this," Adam tries to snap but he is panicking too much and was reaching into his clothes to see just how much of him was covered. He touched his mouth and thank god his anatomy hadn't shifted.

"Im flattered," Kaoru teases and it is the first time he has smiled this evening.

"How can one person be so expressive?"

Despite that he is still scratching Joe’s chin and enjoys the familiar thwap of his tail.