#loversarcade

"Ethan. Wake up!" Harper was already giving him a few gentle nudges where he'd crashed on the couch. She'd been looking forward to spending time with him all day, work having moved so slow she thought time had stopped completely.

ahyun has been going back and forth on the idea of bringing in aera and ruri for help.

she doesn't really know what she's doing, if she's honest. her first-aid knowledge is flimsy at best, and it's definitely harder to even try when the other wolf keeps fighting her off every time she approaches with the intent to dress her wounds. it's a relief that her body, battered as it is, still remembers how to regenerate, at least. the true worry is a potential infection.

for now, ahyun figures this is as good as it gets. pushing her won't solve anything, after all. "here," she says, voice gentle as she puts a plate of beef down in front of the other wolf. "i figured you wouldn't want it to be fully cooked, considering — well. it's really fresh, so dig in."

♡   .    ˚    .    ˚      — 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 : starter for @loversarcade 🧸

♡   .   ' i have to admit i'm more of a lover than a fighter , ' bomi's sheepish laughter fills the space between them , rivaled only by the sound of feet scuffling against the padded floor and the distant sounds of forced kiais echoing off of the walls . she looks completely out of place amongst everyone else — soft , baby pink hair curled up , lip gloss on the center of her lips , and a matching periwinkle set that has her looking more so like she is about to have a transformation scene in an anime compared to stepping up against any sort of real-life opponent .

junseo feels like a little kid. perched on a stool and watching as minchul cooks, he can't help but wonder if this is what having a dad should have been like. he has a microwave and a mini fridge on his side of the house, but jihoon had insisted when he first moved in that he had to keep his food in the kitchen. and junseo had hated it at first, but he appreciates the firmness now. they all know he would have skulked about on his own and only come when minchul called for him, otherwise.

he's still getting used to having real food, though. minchul had walked in on him putting together the convenience store special -- a pre-packaged boiled egg, canned tuna, and some microwave rice -- and had clearly decided enough was enough. junseo's staple struggle meal had been confiscated, and out had come the pots and pans and chopping boards instead. ❝ what are you making...? ❞ he asks eventually, leaning over on the stool to try and catch a glimpse of whatever it is minchul is doing.

ah, it had been a long day. ondinea is finally able to lock up the ballet studio and head home. eso is not paying enough attention to their surroundings, clearly, because the ballerina nearly jumps three feet into the air when they turn to walk towards their car and instead walk directly into someone. it seems as if this person had been glancing into the windows of their studio.

"oh--! i'm so sorry--!" ondinea attempts to gather themself and the keys they had dropped on the ground. "i-- i apologize. my dance studio won't be reopened until tomorrow morning. um, is there something i can help you with?"

despite max introducing him to the rest of the team earlier that morning, joon finds himself repeating his name to everyone out of habit. he's hopped from job to job the last couple years, he feels like he's always introducing himself. ❝ it's joon, ❞ he says, as he follows a big, buff guy around the shelter, ❝ or carter. whatever's easier, honestly. ❞ he's trying not to gawk at all the animal care stuff he's being shown, but as he'd explained to max in his interview, that side of the job expectations is outside his field of expertise. it's fine, he just has to think of the bills he has to pay. ❝ does it always smell like that...? ❞

How nice to find someone actually open to listening. In all honesty, Amara fully expected it to take far more convincing... or even, grabbing this stranger and forcibly moving them aside if it came down to it. That was usually how things went. People were painfully, unbearably stubborn sometimes.

❛ winter is for hibernating. i’m going back to sleep. ❜

"Oh." Sadness hits him like a strong wind. stealing his breath and leaving Dohwan feeling like he's about to fall over even though he's lying in bed.

Next to Cinnamon, warm and tired in his blankets, chest pressed to Dohwan's back. He's a bear. Of course he hibernates. How much does he sleep? For how long? How's he going to keep his job if he doesn't work all winter?

How could he not tell Dohwan?

Tears prick his eyes, and he sucks in a short, shaky breath. He's just overreacting. Just panicking. Cinnamon would never do that to him. He understands Dohwan's need for routine, for certainty, and always respects that. He complains so much when they go more than two days without working a shift together. There's no way he would keep a secret like this.