❥ bookstore

@ʚ ten ɞ 　　⤿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: daddy issues - sophia gonzon

　　donghyun was mostly not spooked until the stranger got close enough that he could actually make out the man's features. if he yelped, he couldn't help it, seeing extra arms and soft fuzz and... all of this was far too much for a poor cat hybrid. his tail fluffed up and his ears laid back, even if he wasn't in any inherent danger, probably, given that the stranger was busy cradling his daughter and not exactly moving toward him in a threatening manner.

of course, any fear was forgotten when the little girl called him his favorite word. immediately, donghyun's ears pricked forward and his tail fluttered around him, pleased and no longer looking like a bottle brush as he preened, as any vain little cat was wont to do.

"thank you," he said, smiling wide enough that his dimples appeared. the quickest way to his heart was not through his stomach, but through his ego. he wiggled his fingers at the little girl by way of saying goodbye, but the farewell was to be shortlived, it seemed. he soon found himself with a tiny hand clutching at his shirt, his expression right back to perplexed.

"this isn't my baby. i didn't birth it," donghyun said, looking back up at the child's father, entirely serious but he still patted her on the head anyway, in the way his manager did when he said something that sounded like he knew how to spell his own name and didn't have open space between his ears.

@ʚ k. donghyun ɞ really debating the option of giving up his venture of single parenting, relief flooded through the arachnid as his eyes landed on the girl. he wasn't sure how he felt that she was currently in a stranger's hold, looking at them with bright eyes and babbling about something but he was content she was still in the store. 'did.. you just call a child an 'it'?' he asked, briefly forgetting the entire purpose the question was being asked.

ten wasted no time stepping close enough to collect his doctor with all four arms, hugging her close with a deep sigh. his lips parted to mutter a sorry but he was being cut off by the grey haired girl trying to squirm in his hold. he was baffled as he glanced over to where she was pointing at the latter.

'pretty,' she chimed, fingers wiggling in his direction.

his eyebrow rose up slowly before he deflated. 'so glad all the 'stranger danger' talks have gone over well,' he mused with a shake of his head, carefully putting her back down. what he expected was to take her hand, pay for his book and head home so he could possibly throw up thanks to the anxiety caused by the situation - life didn't agree. the tugs to his lower left hand left him beyond confused.

'well.. apparently, 'it's' yours now.' the raven's arms crossed as he watched her reach just far enough to grab the stranger's shirt hem, still connected to his own hand.

@ʚ ten ɞ 　　⤿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: goodbye - tei shi

　　donghyun had no intentions of finding himself in a bookstore, but he wasn't complaining when he meandered between the shelves, running his fingers over the titles on the spines. contrary to popular belief, the ragdoll hybrid knew how to read. and write. even if he seemed like there was nothing between his ears, donghyun's other, less known job was to write. no, he was mostly known for his modeling career.

(if he wrote trashy romance novels, that was neither here nor there and he wasn't writing them under his real name, so no one could blame him anyway.)

he had wandered into another section, fluffy tail swishing behind him, when he heard the patter of tiny footsteps and looked to his left.

so there donghyun was, staring down a child with no one to accompany her. he raised his hand and wiggled his fingers at her, smile awkward, and her face proceeded to crumple up in the prerequisite to screaming, wailing waterworks like he'd seen from a former coworker's baby.

approximately /not long enough/ later, he had an armful of tiny child, the book he'd been looking at was on the floor, and there was another man coming around the corner looking just as panicked as donghyun felt. the ragdoll's wide eyes landing on him, he the child in his arms toward the man. or he would have, anyway, but he was afraid he was going to drop her on her head and then someone would be digging his body out of the dumpster out back. "is this yours?"

@ʚ k. donghyun ɞ it was an easy, simple trip: go to the bookstore, get the book, go home. ten repeated the words in his head as he roamed the small building, feeling just a tad closed in, leading the three year old along the way. it was a cookbook he went for, something one of his clients suggested when he let slip he couldn't cook worth a ; he didn't like to admit most of their meals came from a friend in the building. as his fingers slid along the spines, trying to read big and small letters in different fonts, his hand left mar'i's for the brieftest second, a sound of triumph leaving him when he found what he was looking for. it wasn't on purpose, of course not, but within the moment, he realized she was no longer beside him.

'//.' grabbing the book he'd sought out, he his heel to look around, the anxiety in his gut growing rapidly. 'Mar'i?' the store wasn't even that big, how could he possibly lose a three year old? then again, he wasn't sure how anyone even let him be the guardian of said toddler with how he was doing. wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole, he moved to check the handful of aisles. he could feel his heart beating in his esophagus as he made his way from the back of the store to the front.