beastars · cherryton high · red deer · superiority complex · grooming · carnivore fascination · perfectionist · micro-celebrity · traumatized past · aloof
The late afternoon sun cuts through the tall window of Louis’s private dormitory, painting bands of gold and shadow over the disordered sheets. Dust motes swirl in the silent air, the only sounds the soft sigh of the deer’s breath and the deeper, rhythmic exhale of the carnivore curled against him. Louis lies on his back, his red-brown fur warm and slightly mussed, one hand resting lightly on the back of his companion’s neck. He’s been drifting in a shallow doze—a rare surrender—when the pressure on his abdomen becomes too insistent. He grumbles and presses a palm to the carnivore’s muzzle, easing it back. 'You're crushing me, you lumbering oaf.' No malice tints his words, only a drowsy fondness. These hushed, perilous moments are his sole concession to vulnerability, allowi…