#shimii

“URGH… WHAT’S [Happening in your neighborhood], ARE WE AT YOUR [Home sweet home]?” Spamton asked with a slight yawn.

“Heh heh no, we’re at the castle to pick up our lunch. I wanted to know what you would want to eat.” Shimii replied, giving him a warm smile.

Spamton peeked over her paw at the mansion entranceway, Several Swatchlings stood outside the doors, standing proud and poised greeting all the guests that walked in. The waves of concern ran through his head again, would any of them recognize him? And if they did, would they kick him out? Or worse? Especially Swatch, he knew him the best in the mansion, and could probably guess that he was still furious about his past behavior during his stay at the mansion. Even when he did have some dark dollars to spend on food, he didn’t dare go to the mansion for it, he was too scared to find out if he was on the banned list. He sunk down into his seat and pulled his legs towards his chest.

“U-UM, I DON’T THINK I CAN [Access denied] IN, THEY MIGHT HAVE [Firewall installed] ME FROM GOING IN…” He told her with hesitation.

“Wait, you mean you might get in trouble if you go in?” She questioned.

He nodded, letting out a sigh. “I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU [Five minutes later] BUT YOU SEEMED SO [Ready for something new] THAT-” He was cut off.

“You didn’t want to tell me sooner? We just went on a half hour walk to come eat here!” She complained to him.

He hid his face from her, ashamed that he didn’t speak up about it sooner. He felt like a total jerk, his face flushed a bright red. His speech grew more stuttered.

“I-I’M SORRY, I-I JUST DIDN’T WANT TO [Leave a negative review] AND-” he was interrupted again.

“No, don’t apologize…” she rubbed between her eyes with her claws and sighed.

Shimii knew immediately what was bothering the little salesman. He was still scared of her. Even though she was offering to help him, he was still running on that “fight or flight” instinct, wary of her emotions and words at all times. He was simply following an internal response, and her loud voice triggered his catatonic state towards her. She was a wolf in sheep’s clothing to him. She had to make sure to take a step back and assure him that she wasn’t someone to be afraid of before she could make any attempts to help him.

“I understand, I can see it from your face…” she reassured with a calmer face.

“YOU DO?” he wondered, his face slightly less red.

“I do.” She ruffles his hair with a claw. “You’re someone who doesn’t want to disappoint, you’re proud, stubborn, and worried. Plus, I’m sure you were just too exhausted to tell me about it… but hey, it’s okay, if you can’t go in, then we’ll just find somewhere else for lunch.” She replied, giving him a calmer look.

Spamton uncurled his legs and sighed, his face color returning to normal.

“OKAY, LET’S [Plan B] INSTEAD-”

*GRROWWRRLRLL*

“URRGHH…” Spamton groaned, leaning forward and holding his stomach in pain. “CAN’T [Time is running out], NEED [Buy one get 5 free] NOW…”

Shimii’s smile dropped almost instantly. She felt an ache in her heart seeing Spamton in such agony. Having lived on the streets herself as a kitten, she knew just what harder times felt like; days without anything to eat, days without a dry warm place to stay, weeks without someone to help her. And now seeing someone else go through the same ordeal, someone in worse off conditions as she was; no fur to keep the cold out, no claws to defend himself, and no one but her to help. The situation hit her like a ton of bricks. There was no more time to find a new place, she had to get him something now.

“Okay, no plan B, we have to go in, no buts about it.” She told him.

Spamton weakly looked up at her, tears were back in his eyes. All he could do was nod and go back to focusing on calming his aching stomach.

Shimii decided that it would be best if no one saw Spamton, so she slipped him into one of the openings of her ear. They were quite spacious for him, and the puffy white fur at the edge of her ears provided something for him to hide behind. Plus, she needed to use her hands to hold the food she’s buying for the two of them. She started to walk though the castle doorway, the Swatchlings quickly looked her over and saw nothing suspicious, so they went back to their proud standstill door guarding. Now inside the castle, Shimii makes her way towards the Color Cafe, the smell of freshly made pasta and homemade tomato sauce hitting the two’s noses. It smelt absolutely divine. The inside of the Cafe’s interior was a pleasant light pink and yellow, rainbow color shifting Swatchlings catering to every customer’s whim with grace and poise. Some even had roses in their beaks as they waltzed around with trays full of sweets and treats in their hands, which just added to their overall efforts of perfection. The main butler servant of the cafe stood at the counter taking orders, he wore a black and white tuxedo, with a triple colored brooch on the left side pocket. His hair was spiked and slicked back to points, he seemed to have a mixture of feathers and fur, almost like some kind of large bird hybrid. He wore a pair of orange and yellow shades, which strangely looked similar to Spamton’s shades. Shimii could tell that Spamton and the main butler’s outfits had some striking resemblances, perhaps Spamton was trying to be someone he wasn’t when he became homeless, a way to try and feel important. But of course there was no way he could match with such perfection, especially from whatever he made the outfit with from the trash. Shimii stepped up to the counter, looking over the menu. One of the main dishes they had were plates of spaghetti code, and some butler juice to wash it down. Since she didn’t have enough time to ask what Spamton wanted, nor did she want to give away his location to the Swatchlings, she decided to play it safe.

“Welcome to the Color Cafe, My name is Swatch, how may we warm up your day, ma’am?” Swatch inquired, bowing his head in respect towards Shimii.

“Yeah hi, listen uh, I’m gonna need you to give me one of everything you got.” she replied. “And please make it quick, I don’t have a lot of time to stay here.”

“Of course, it will be our pleasure to serve you, it’ll just take a couple minutes to prepare and pack everything for you.” Swatch answered confidently, and clapped his feathered hands to alert his Swatchling team.

A half dozen group of Swatchlings lined up at the counter, and Swatch handed them Shimii’s order. Each of them squealed with excitement and ran to the kitchen to prepare the dishes.

‘A couple of minutes!?’ Spamton thought; he had to wait more time!?

Spamton was still in a great deal of agony. The smells of the cafe were taunting his senses, not allowing him an ounce of relief. It was like torture. All he could do was wait and hide. He hated waiting. Time drove him over the edge, it made his teeth grind harder the longer he waited. The seconds turned into minutes, the minutes turning into hours. Looking around the cafe was nauseating,his sight was becoming blurry, lights became blinding, and the sounds of the cafe started to echo. He shut his eyes, his breath quickened, his panic began to set in. How much time has passed? No clock to look at. Has it been a minute? Ten seconds? An hour!? His body shivered, his mind was racing a million miles an hour. Shimii could hear Spamton struggling to keep calm. She had to do something to help him without drawing attention to where he was hiding. She turned away from the counter and pulled her ear towards her face so he could hear her better over the cafe ambience.

“Spamton listen carefully, this should help keep your mind grounded. Breathe in for 3 seconds, then out for 7 seconds, you can keep track of time this way, alright?” She whispered to him.

Spamton whimpered back an “mhm”. He repositioned himself in a more comfortable position and began to steady his breathing.

‘Focus,’ he thought. ‘You can’t lose yourself to madness, not when we’re so close to relief…’

Breathe in…

Then out…

That’s 10 seconds…

Breathe in…

Then out…

20 seconds…

His focus on breathing began to help his mind relax, it gave him some inkling of how much time has passed, and how much time could remain...

30 seconds-

“Here you go ma’am, we’ve put everything in this bag so you can carry it easier.” Swatch stated, handing Shimii the prepared food.

Spamton’s eyes shot open.

“[$49.99] FOOD!?” Spamton screamed excitedly.

A sharp pain sparked through Shimii’s ears.

“ARGH!” Shimii yelled.

Spamton had screamed so loud in her ears that it caused her to jerk her head to the side super hard, launching him out of her ear. But since he was holding onto the white puffy fur that lined the outer part of her ear, he ended up taking a handful with him in his descent to the hard floor. A crack and a thud of Spamton hitting the floor face first, then tumbling under the counter and next to Swatch’s boots. Shimii stands back upright, and checks her ear, feeling quite a lot of fluff was pulled out, it stung. Her eyes widened, she couldn’t feel Spamton in there! Swatch felt something tap his boot and he looked down, bending over to pick the now passed out salesman. Swatch puts Spamton on the counter in front of Shimii, and leans on the counter, pulling his shades down.

“Did you bring this one into my cafe?” Swatch questioned sternly.

Shimii sighed. “Alright yes, I brought him in, he just needed something to eat, and there wasn’t anything closer.”

Swatch took a look at Spamton. His glasses were no longer pink and yellow, instead, they were a static grey, almost hollow looking. He cringed a bit, Shimii could tell Swatch seeing an old friend of his in such shambles wasn’t easy for him. He tsked and adjusted his shades.

“Poor guy, he looks worse from the last time I caught him sneaking some cookies from our trash receptacles…” Swatch noted, stroking Spamton’s back with his feathery hands. “Now, I will inform you in case he hadn’t told you, Spamton is banned from entering the Color Cafe after being kicked out of the Queen’s mansion and trespassing in the basement, but… I suppose I can make an exception this one time since you were the one ordering for him… Would you mind… doing me a favor?” Swatch asks.

“Sure, what?” Shimii replied.

“Could you tell him… that I’d like to see him one day after hours… I miss our nights having some coffee and gossiping until the midnight hour strikes…” he requests, his feathered hand holding his opposite arm.

“Sure, I can do that.” Shimii agrees, picking Spamton back up in her paw.

“...We hope you enjoyed our service, ma’am.” Swatch concluded, bowing his head.

“Cool, thanks.” Shimii replied, turning away to head out the door with her bag of goods in one paw and Spamton in the other paw.

She starts to pick up the pace when she walks out of the castle doorway. She knew with each passing minute, Spamton was hurting more and more, even if he was passed out. She could feel him shaking in her paw, and could hear he had a faint static noise intertwined with his labored breath. The sky grew darker, digital rain started to fall from the green gridlike sky. Great, she didn’t have an umbrella to keep the two of them dry. But it didn’t matter at this point, she just needed to get him home and safe. Every step she took, one step closer to her hotel. The rain beat down on the two of them, increasing in severity, no mercy. Even digital mother nature did not care for your current situation. Luckily the place wasn’t too far from the castle, so it didn’t take her long to get back there, the two of them were still soaked with rain when she arrived. She flings the hotel doors open and jogs into the elevator, spamming the 4th floor button and the close door button. Once the elevator reaches her floor, she darts out and gets to her room’s doors, quickly swiping the key card to unlock it. She flings the door open again and dashes into the kitchen, placing Spamton onto a small pile of napkins (not touching the counters with that dirty behind) and rips open the bag that held their lunch inside. There was no time for reheating it, no time to plate it, just insert the food into his mouth. She sits him up and gives him a bit of a shake.

“C’mon Spamton, wake up! We’re back at my place, you need to eat now!” She told him worryingly.

. . .

No response.

Shimii grew more concerned. Is he sleeping deeply, or is he out cold from starvation, or is he-

. . .

Dead?

NO! He can’t be dead! She had to revive him! SHE HAD TO! Shimii lifted him up in her paw and grabbed the hot chocolate that came with their lunch order. There was no way he would be able to swallow something solid in this condition, but she had to get his energy levels up with something. She flipped the top off and picked up a spoon, scooping a bit of the drink into the spoon to better pour the beverage without flooding Spamton’s mouth. She carefully tips the spoon and the hot chocolate drips down his throat, mild steam steadily rising from his mouth…

. . .

No response.

Shimii grows more and more frantic, was she actually too late? She gave him a good few shakes, which caused his head to slouch to one side.

“Dammit you little street rat, wake up! Don’t you die on me!” She barked at him.

A slight tear building in her eye. “No… don’t you dare cry…”

Shimii hated vulnerable emotions when they emerged from her, she felt as though she shouldn’t be vulnerable at any point of her life. But why? Perhaps a leftover instinct when she lived out on the streets. But she knew that bottling up her emotions was also not good, especially around someone else who was physically and mentally damaged, so she soon let the one tear trail down her face. It hurt so much to do so. Staring into his blank eyes filled her with sudden regret, as if it was her fault that he was in this condition. She gave him a tight hug, and choked back more tears. She hated this feeling…

Suddenly, a hard gasp came out of Spamton’s mouth, and she stopped hugging him to see if he was waking up. He violently coughed from the slight burns the hot chocolate caused in his throat.

“S-Spamton, y-you there?...” Shimii stammered.

“...URGHHH… [Good morning]...” Spamton groaned softly, his glasses flickering back to the faded pink and yellow.

“You’re back!” Shimii gasps. “I thought I lost you for a second...” she sighed in relief.

“HEH HEH, DON’T WORRY, I’VE HANDLED [10 Ten Worst Experiences] BEFORE. THIS WAS-”

Shimii pulled Spamton in for another tight hug. At first he seemed a bit taken back from the sudden affection, but since she was soft to the touch and warm, he didn’t care and relaxed into the hug. She sniffled a bit and sighed deeply.

“...Please don’t scare me like that again…” She told him.

Spamton understood at that point that she hugged him out of fear. He must’ve looked so lifeless to convince her that he was dead, and not being able to tell her that he was still alive must’ve been scary for her to see. He nodded.

“I’ll try…” he replied.

“Alright, good…” She let him go. “You think you can sit up now and eat something? I’m sure you’ve been looking forward to this all day.” She asked him, putting him back on the pile of napkins.

“YESSS! I’M [Hungry for more!” he replied with glee, rubbing his stomach with anticipation.

There was a bit more of a sparkle in his eyes.

Shimii chuckled. “Okay then Mr. Big Shot, here you go.”

She hands him a small plate of the spaghetti code she bought, and pulls out a dark burger for herself. Spamton didn’t hesitate and started to eat, Shimii noticed that he had some slight aggression as he ate. Most likely a result of eating at unpredictable times and having to fight for his meals, she felt for him. This was something she used to do in her childhood and teens when she lived on the streets, so she didn’t blame him for his rash behavior. Since Spamton had barely eaten all week, she wanted to start him slow to reduce the risk of his body rejecting the food, but even so, it was only seconds that he scarfed down his first plate, and held the dish out for another round. She obliged, and gave him another plateful, which he immediately dug his face into. The second round he was a bit slower, but with the same amount of ravenousness, this time savoring a bit of the flavor since he was no longer forced to rush finishing it. Shimii took a bite of her darkburger, it was on the well done side, but she didn’t mind it, she was more enthralled in watching Spamton eat.

Something about watching someone else eat their fill sent her mind in a tizzy. Was it because she had a deep nurturing instinct? Was it a cat thing? Or did she just… like it? All questions unanswered, she pushed the thought to the back of her head. Ponder it for another day.

Spamton soon finished his second plate and held the dish up for another helping. Shimii smiled and gave him another portion. He gave a mischievous giggle as he dug into his third serving, really taking his time now to taste the savory tomato sauce of the spaghetti, little moans of intoxicating satisfaction escaping his mouth. Shimii soon finished her lunch and spent the rest of the time observing the little man’s behavior. And out of the corner of her eye, she swore she could see something happening to the Darkner’s sweater. She tilted her head down slowly to take a closer look so as to not draw any suspicion…

His sweater was beginning to ride up his belly.

‘Oh god, that’s cute...’ Shimii thought, her tail puffing up in unexpected excitement.

She just absolutely adored a nice chubby fluffy belly for reasons she has yet to determine. Whether they were a part of the person already, or one she created from filling them up with yummy food, it was a sight to behold for her. Despite her paws being almost twice Spamton’s whole size, she wanted to touch his puffy frame. Her mind raced with questions, “Would he mind if I touch it?”, “Is it fluffy or plushy?”, “How much bigger can it get?”-

Suddenly Spamton looked up to see her eyeing his midriff. He paused his spaghetti eating and stared back. His rosy cheeks quickly flush redder.

“U-UM, WHY ARE YOU [Looking for something] AT ME?” Spamton questions, his voice had a concerning inflection.

Shimii snapped out of her entranced state to see Spamton staring back with confusion.

“O-Oh, uh…” She hesitated to answer, unsure of how he would respond to being asked if his plush belly could be touched. “I just noticed you uh, were getting a bit… full there.” She informed him, pointing at his sweater.

Spamton looked down and saw she was right, and he quickly pulled his sweater down over his paunch in embarrassment. Her hunch was correct, it was something he was sensitive about. She still wanted to pet his tummy. No. She needed to pet his tummy. It’s right there in front of her, just asking to be cared for after his meal… But how to go about doing it without him feeling uncomfortable?... She just had to be gentle about it, make sure to be clear and ask before doing anything without his permission.

“HEH, I DON’T KNOW WHERE THAT [100% polyester material] CAME FROM…” he faltered, blushing a bright pink.

“Ohh… I know where it came from~” Shimii commented, her smile turning into a smug grin and walking her claws towards him.

Spamton watched her paw approach, swing around behind him, and flinched when he felt her fur graze the back of his head.

“[Cartoon cat], WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Spamton wondered, looking up at her.

“Just trying to help you be comfortable.” she replied, “Are you done eating?”

“WELL, I COULD PROBABLY [Need more items], SO NOT YET.” Spamton insisted, picking his plate back up and continued eating until the third plate of spaghetti was finished. “DID YOU ALSO GET [Dessert is free]?”

“Heh, sure did.” Shimii confirmed smiling, reaching into the bag and pulling out a couple java cookies. “Here, but take it slow, remember not to rush.”

“THANKS FOR THE [Confectionary]!” he squealed, and began to eat his cookie.

Shimii watched as his cheeks chipmunked from the amount of cookie he was biting each time, his belly poking out once again. The sweater rose up higher and higher, reaching his center midriff. Upon closer inspection, it was clear he was made of some kind of plush toy material, probably terry cloth, it was stained from the years of living in the garbage, but she could tell with a good wash of detergent and softener, his body color could be bright white again. Spamton started to slow down his eating, it was clear he was reaching his limit. He paused, let out a soft sigh, and put the rest of the cookie down, lying back against Shimii’s paw. He gave his belly a pat and relaxed.

“WHEW, THAT WAS A [5 Star Restaurant] MEAL! THANKS FOR [Help me] OUT TODAY!” Spamton announced, looking up at Shimii.

“Hey, it was my pleasure helping someone in need.” Shimii replied, helping him sit back up.

“WELL, IT WAS NICE TO [Vacation stay], BUT I SHOULD GET BACK TO-”

Suddenly, Spamton’s stomach experienced a jolt of pain, and he fell back into her paw.

“AGHHH! WHAT JUST [Hadouken] ME!?” he yelled.

“Oh my god, are you alright, Spamton?” Shimii asked with concern on her face.

“NO… I DON’T FEEL [100%], MY [Guts] HURT…” he replied, groaning from the pain.

“Here, lemme help you.” Shimii reassured, picking him up from the counter and holding him in her arms like one would an infant.

She began to purr, she knew soft vibrations were known to help with lowering stress levels, and this would help him relax. She then walks over to her living room area and sits on the couch.

“Now, I don’t have any painkillers you could take in the house, but I do have another way to help with the pain. I can only do so if you give me permission, alright?” she cajoled, hoping he would listen to her.

Spamton hesitated, a bit worried about what she had planned for him. What was she going to do to him? But in the end, he just wanted his stomach pain to stop, so he gave her a nod.

Shimii nodded back, and warmly smiled. She made sure to move slowly so as to not startle him and cause him more pain or make him uncomfortable. With one claw, she lifted Spamton’s sweater higher up to his chest, letting his belly out and open. She then took two of her paw beans and placed them on the center of his belly, gently rubbing in slow circles. This immediately made Spamton’s face flush a deep red, and he let out a tensed whine from embarrassment.

“-AHHH! [Cartoon cat]! WHAT ARE YOU-” he stopped his sentence as he noticed his stomach pain was fading.

The gentle pressure of her paw on his belly was quite soothing, and he released the tension in his body, reclining back into his lying position.

“OHHH… THAT DOES FEEL… [Soothe and sleep]...” he mumbled.

The deep red flush on his face overtime turned into a lighter pink flush, feeling less and less embarrassed about him being pampered. He leaned his head into her chest, listening to her lulling purrs, the sound reminded him of the massage chair he used to have when he lived in the Queen’s mansion. It was one of his favorite places to fall asleep, so consistent and makes you just want to melt. His eyes began to droop, exhausted from the day, and having a real meal in his stomach for the first time in a long time. Very soon he was fast asleep, softly snoring in Shimii’s arms. Once she realized he was asleep, she stopped the petting and wrapped him in a warm blanket, then placed him on a pillow that she didn’t care about getting dirty.

“Gotcha.” she whispered with a smug grin. “We’ll wash you up after your rest.”

Shimii leaves the living room, shutting the light off so he could take his nap better, and heads to her bedroom to bide her time until he wakes up.

“One problem taken care of… Now you just need a bath…”

He took hold of his grimy and torn blanket, as well as his stain ridden pillow in one hand, and in the other, was a small knapsack of everything he’s collected for survival over the decades; a couple bottles of water, a few revive mints, some matches, a map that he drew of Cyber City’s trash locations, a photo of the Addisons posing with him, a blunt screwdriver, and his empty wallet in case he found some stray dark dollars on the street. Not much to his name anymore. Normally he would have a few dark candies and an occasional heart donut to stave off any hunger for a while until he found some real food, but he had no such luck this week. With his possessions in hand, he struggles to open the lid of the dumpster. Not having a consistent flow of meals has drained his overall strength, even making lifting the dumpster lid difficult. Eventually he manages to fling it open, and slowly stepping down onto the cold pavement below. He groggily stands adjacent to his “home”, leaning his head against the pillow as he waits for the truck to arrive. A couple minutes go by, and finally the truck appears, ready to pick up the garbage for the day. A Darkner city worker peeks his head out from the truck window; Spark, Spamton knew him decently well, even during his days of glory. He was one of the only Darkners that would speak to him on a weekly basis whenever he worked the early morning shifts, and here and there would offer Spamton a quick snack or a couple dark dollars if he needed the help. But today… he had nothing for him.

“Hey Spamton, looking the same as usual, you sleep well!?” Spark asked loudly as it was hard to hear him over the truck engine.

Spamton hung his head down and shook his head.

“I DIDN’T SLEEP…” he muttered. “I COULDN’T FIND [Lunch near me]… AGAIN…SLEEP WAS IMPOSSIBLE…”

“aww, sorry to hear that!” Spark replied, “Wish I had something to give you today, but I was running late! I’ll make it up to you next week, okay!?”

Spamton nodded, and watched as Spark pulled some levers, the truck lifting the dumpster up and emptying the contents into itself. He slowly lowered the dumpster back down, making a loud slam as it touched the ground. Spark turned back to say goodbye to Spamton, and he noticed that a small puddle of tears was building next to his feet… Spamton was crying. Spark felt guilty and wanted to go comfort him, but he was on the clock, and running late.

“H-Hey, chin up little dude! I’m sure things will get better soon! Tell you what, how about I bring you a little surprise as well next week!?” Spark proposed.

No response, he just kept crying.

“...Well okay, see you next Monday, I guess!...” Spark replied, pulling the stick shift to propel the truck forward, leaving Spamton once again… alone.

The alleyway was silent once more, Spamton standing in the foggy dark, his possessions stained with tears. He was exhausted, so exhausted… He just wanted to curl up and sleep the rest of the night away. After some deep breaths, he soon stopped crying and wiped away the tears on his face. With a quick heave, Spamton lifted the dumpster lid and crawled in, making sure to shut the lid afterwards to prevent any cold drafts coming in. He placed his possessions back down in the now vacant dumpster interior, and dragged his blanket and pillow behind him as he shuffled to the opposite side. He placed the pillow down in one of the corners, and slowly spun, his blanket encasing him like a poorly wrapped burrito. It didn’t offer much warmth, but it was all he had to shield himself from the cold floor of his “home”. He lets his head fall onto the pillow, not taking much care to position himself, and almost misses it entirely. He lets out a soft sigh as his eyes slowly begin to close, the darkness of the dumpster consuming him. He just needed a bit more rest before the sun came up, just a couple more hours…

*Grrrooowwrrrlll*

His eyes shot open. Great. Just when he was about to get borderline comfortable again.

It had been three days since Spamton ate something of true significance, and even then it was just a half eaten plate of spaghetti code. Anything else he was able to scavenge in that time, CD bagel parts, a java cookie, and even two whole bowls of giga salads (which are pretty much just lettuce) barely filled the starving void in the Darkner’s stomach. He let out a groan and sat up, rubbing his poor belly, trying to find any sort of relief from it’s agonizing demands. It’s not like he could go searching for something to eat in one of the other nearby dumpsters, it was Monday, they were all emptied out. Rarely anyone ate out on Mondays, and anyone who did never threw anything away anyway. Parties on Fridays and weekends were the best time to scavenge, but even this weekend it seemed quiet. But now it was no longer quiet, especially since the dumpster was emptied out, any noise made in them echoed intensely. He winced from the pain.

*Grrrrggllrrrll*

Dammit.

He hated having to hear himself slowly wasting away and not being able to do anything about it. Knowing that it wouldn’t completely prevent him from hearing it, he covered his ears with his pillow with one hand, leaning one side against the dumpster wall, and rubbed his stomach with the other hand.

“PLEASE, FOR THE [Love of God] JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME SLEEP…” he begged, trying not to choke up more tears.

But there was no stopping it, his stomach ached too much to not start crying from the pain. He just wanted it to end, his endless hunger, his cold shivering, his miserable existence. He was tired of living like a rat, living in the scum of his world… but what could he do? No job, no sales, nothing to eat, nowhere to go… all he could do was cry…

“P-PLEASE… H-HELP… A-ANYONE…” he whimpered, slowly sliding back down onto his pillow, shutting his eyes.

. . .

He was scared of dying alone.

. . .

Faint light began to shine through the small crack between the lid of the dumpster, right into Spamton’s eyes. Morning, finally. He was relieved he managed to get a bit more sleep, even if it was just another hour. But he was far from feeling refreshed, his body still ached from hunger and exhaustion. Regardless of how he felt, he had to get up and look for supplies, he couldn’t sit around and let himself starve. He sat up and cracked the bones in his neck, they were stiff from the way he slept. He shuffled over to the other side of the dumpster and picked up his knapsack, rummaging through it and pulled his screwdriver out.

‘Just in case…’ he thought, there would definitely be tasques in the alleyways, hunting the maus that lived on the streets. A little protection wouldn’t hurt.

He also pulled out his hand drawn map of Cyber City’s trash locations to better help his search. He swung the knapsack onto his shoulders and pushed the lid of the dumpster open with a quick heave. This time he was able to get it open quicker thanks to the added sleep, but it still wasn’t easy. He stepped down onto the pavement and began to make his rounds to every trash can location he knew. Despite knowing they were guaranteed to all be empty, he hoped that one of the restaurants nearby would be waiting for the trash collection to pick up their trash so that they could throw away a batch of expired baked goods. Whatever he could find, he would eat, he didn’t care at this point, he was desperate. At last, his first stop, a bakery that sells hundreds of CD bagels a day, God the air smelled so good…

*Grroowwwrrlll*

Of course.

He sighed, taking a quick seat behind the building, rubbing his belly to try and stop the noise.

“QUIET, WE CAN’T BE [Caught red-handed], OKAY?” he whispered.

This seemed to have calmed it for now. He sits back up and looks over to the dumpster. He could tell that the truck had already been by to pick up the garbage from the position change of the bin, but he still wanted to take a look in case the bakery immediately threw out yesterday’s batch. He stepped up onto the lids and flung one open, peering into it. Nothing…

But wait, what’s that? He hopped in to get a closer look. What luck! It was a CD bagel stuck in the corner! It must’ve been too stuck to be tossed out with everything else, but how it ended up there wasn’t a concern, he was so elated to finally have something to eat! He ran over to it and picked it up, the bagel was slightly sticky, must’ve been in here for a day or two. Drool began to fill the Darkner’s mouth as his body was practically begging him to begin eating it right away. But as he was about to take a bite, he heard a familiar sound…

A meow. Oh no… There was a tasque nearby, scouting the area for maus to eat. He softly gasped and slowly backed himself into one of the dumpster walls, trying to stay hidden and quiet. As long as he didn’t make a sound, the tasque wouldn’t know he was there. He didn’t want to have to resort to fighting the tasque, but he clutched the screwdriver he held tighter.

Another meow. It sounded closer. He held his breath, standing as still as he could be. Despite not having a soul, he felt a pounding in his chest from the panic of being discovered.

*GRROOOWWLLRRLLLL*

No! No, not now! He tensed up as the sound of his stomach echoed through the dumpster and out into the open air. The tasque hissed and leaped into the dumpster, staring right at Spamton. It’s fur sticking straight up and it’s tail flickering back and forth. Spamton swallowed hard and chuckled nervously at the tasque.

“HEH HEH, H-HEY THERE [Little fella]! P-PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME [Do it], I-I DON’T WANT ANY [I’m in trouble], OKAY?” he stuttered, slowly reaching up for the edge of the dumpster.

Suddenly the tasque leapt forward and Spamton quickly dodged, the creature slamming it’s face into the dumpster wall. He scrambled out and made a break for it, the tasque quickly regained its composure and began it’s chase after him. It was clear there was no way he’d be able to outrun this animal, but he had hoped he could slow it down enough for it to lose interest in him. Along his getaway, he knocked trash cans and traffic cones over, trying to slow it down. But this only drove the creature’s hunting instincts higher and higher, getting ever so closer to snagging him. Suddenly, Spamton’s foot was caught on the sidewalk groove, and he tumbled across the pavement, picking up some scrapes and bruises along the way. The screwdriver he was holding bounced away, gone. No way to protect himself now. The tasque slowly approached, baring its teeth at him, hissing. Closer. Closer. He shut his eyes and curled up, it was the only thing he could do. He was too exhausted to run, nothing to fight back with. It was the end for him…

. . .

“IT’S MINE, GO AWAY!” someone shouted.

Who was that? Spamton didn’t dare look. But he could hear the screeching of two tasques fighting… or atleast, one tasque fighting. The other one didn’t sound familiar at all, nothing like the sounds of a regular tasque. But he couldn’t be curious now, all he could do was stay in his curled position until it was all over. Exchanges of hissing was the last thing he heard from the two creatures's confrontation, and the sound of one scurrying away. But which one left? He was still too scared to look. Suddenly, he felt a large claw slide under his backside. God, it felt awful. They were big, too big. Whatever this creature was, it was probably three times bigger than that tasque, five times, ten!? He felt himself be lifted up into the air, he unintentionally shivered, he was so scared. He felt another claw touch his hair, twisting it, playing with it. A jolt of adrenaline surged through his back, and a high pitched squeak escaped his mouth as his body tensed up harder. The claw stopped playing with his hair and he felt it move to his side, it began to uncurl him. He was too tired to resist, but he kept his eyes tightly shut. He felt a sharp gaze look over his broken body, it didn’t feel good.

“Hrmm, you’re a little too small for me to eat. Oh well.” the voice proclaims as it spins him around.

…That comment broke him. Of course he didn’t want to be eaten, but the fact that he was so much worse than garbage, even to the point where he was considered not even worth being eaten? He felt like a true failure. His eyes began to water. Oh god, don’t start crying again. But it was too late, he burst into silent tears, they were overflowing out of his eyes. It was pathetic.

“...Whoa whoa, hey, dude. What are you crying for? I’m letting you go, aren’t you happy, huh!?” the voice barked.

Tears, more tears. They won’t stop. They just keep coming and coming without an end in sight. He felt himself be placed in the palm of the creature’s hand. A claw stroked his cheek, trying to wipe away some of the tears.

“...Hey, don’t cry, okay? You’re fine, I didn’t hurt you, right? C’mon, pull yourself together.” the voice spoke, a bit softer this time.

He took a few deep breaths and managed to stop himself crying, or at least he had run out of tears. He wiped his face with his sleeve, and debated opening his eyes to see who was holding him. He might as well see who it is, they even told him that they didn’t want to eat him, so he’s no longer in danger. Slowly but surely, his eyes flicker open and adjust to the light. To his surprise, it was a lightner… Well, kind of, it was still some kind of animal creature, but not exactly like an animal, or a true lightner. It’s body was covered with a thick green fur, it’s ears lined with white puffy fur, the inside parts a darker purple. It had a tail too, it had two canine teeth sticking out of its mouth. Lots of puffy white fur lined its chest, almost in the shape of a heart. It looked like it would be plush to the touch. His body began to relax and untense, feeling a bit safer in the lightner’s hand.

“There, that’s better, hmm? Now I can see what your face looks like.” they said, “What are you doing out here all alone? These streets are dangerous for someone your size.”

Spamton twiddled his fingers, he felt unease as the lightner awaited a response. He felt a lump in his throat, it was hard for him to answer them.

“I-I DON’T HAVE [Accommodations]... I LIVE [Alone on a late night] OUT HERE…” he replied, his head slowly bowing in shame. “I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET SOMETHING TO [Good eats here], BUT I WAS [High speed chase] BY THAT TASQUE…”

“Oh, I see. Are you hungry? I could maybe buy you something to eat.” the lightner asked.

*Grrgrrllrll*

 His face suddenly burned a bright red in embarrassment. He quickly looked up to see the lightner staring at him with a new face. She had a smug grin. A grin!? WHY!? What about that would make her happy!? He curled back up, holding his stomach tightly, trying not to expose himself anymore to her gaze.

“I-I’M FINE, REALLY! I’M NOT [I’m starving hungry], I SWEAR!” he squeaked, hiding his face in his hands.

The lightner chuckled.

“Heh, don’t be embarrassed. I used to be in your exact position long ago. I lived on the streets as a kitten, but managed to earn enough money to get myself my own place.” they exclaimed, “Tell you what? How about I buy us some lunch? We’ll bring it back to my place and you can tell me more about yourself.”

Lunch? Was it already noon? He had lost track of time and didn’t realize how long he spent just looking for breakfast. And he didn’t even get to eat it. Spamton was unsure how much he could trust this lightner, but at this point, he was so desperate to get any food in his stomach that he was willing to take any offer.

“Y-YOU’VE [Got a deal]...” he replied and nodded, still hiding his face a bit.

“Alright cool, let’s get going. I don’t think you’ll be able to follow behind me quick enough, so I'll just carry you there. Plus, you’re probably too tired to make the trip on foot.” they said, smiling warmly, “By the way, I don't believe we've exchanged names.”

“I’M SPAM-SPAMTON G. SPAMTON.” he answered.

“Heh, cool name, my name is Shimii Smeef, but you can just call me Shimii.” Shimii told him. “Now try to take it easy, I don’t want you crying in my paws again.” she teased.