𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩||𝘉𝘛𝘚

vii

The panther hybrid stood in disbelief at the sight before him. His mind struggled to comprehend the chaos unfolding in his domain. With a flicker of doubt, he entertained the notion of slapping himself awake from this surreal dream. Yet, as his gaze lingered on the familiar patterns adorning the bodies of the insects infesting his dorm, reality crashed back with force. Anger surged through him, his voice echoing through the room like thunder.

"Miae Blackwood! Show yourself right now!"

The muffled tinkling laughter emanated from somewhere within the house, causing his ears to twitch instinctively. They flickered towards the second room, where his packmate resided. That sneaky little–

"Jungkookie~" Her voice filled with amusement as she stepped out of her room, clad in oversized hoodie that reached till her knees. Sweater paws covered her mouth as she giggled, her blue-gold eyes sparkling with happiness, lips curling up as she gazed at him. "What's wrong?"

"Care to explain to me why there are a thousand copies of you wandering around our house?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, his tongue toying with his lip ring as he shot her a pointed look, hands resting on his hips.

"They just wanted to have some fun, Koo. They're my little angels, you wouldn't deny them that, would you?" She gazed at him with innocent eyes, lips forming a small pout, her smile growing as she noticed his scolding expression softening, knowing she had tugged at his heartstrings with her imploring gaze.

He shook his head, berating himself for falling for her tricks, despite the small smile tugging at his lips, revealing the internal battle between amusement and self-reproach.

"Those tricks don't work on me anymore," he scolded her, though his words lacked their previous bite as a small grin broke on his face, revealing his bunny teeth.

Her laughter bubbled up, her eyes closing in sheer delight as she watched his smile widen. "You nearly broke," she teased, her heart fluttering with joy.

"You need to do better than that—hey! Don't distract me from the topic," he huffed, attempting to shoo away the butterflies nearby. His tail swatted at them, but he grew annoyed as they simply fluttered to another place, finding a new perch. His eyes squinted as he took a good look at the shimmering gold on his guitar and his clothes. Swiftly, he turned to face her, his eyes narrowing.

"Why is the fairy dust floating around?!"

He was utterly fed up with his packmates' antics, rolling his eyes and emitting a sigh. "I'm heading to wash up. There better not be any pollen in the bathroom, or I swear to god..." he muttered, though he knew his threat wouldn't faze her.

"Have fun while I play with them," she teased, her voice ringing out with mischief as she winked at him. Butterflies flitted about her, landing on her arms, clothes, and hair. He responded by simply flipping her off, muttering a curse as he headed into his bathroom. Despite his irritation, his heart warmed at the sound of her laughter echoing through the room.

—

As he emerged from his refreshing shower, feeling rejuvenated and prepared for the day's classes, the tantalising aroma of pancakes wafted through the air, mingling with the comforting scent of cinnamon and hazelnut. A mischievous smirk played on his lips. Seizing the perfect opportunity to startle her, he crept silently towards the kitchen where she stood, her back turned as she expertly tended to the sizzling pancakes, the soft hum of a tune and the deep resonance of music enveloping the room.

"You know baby, if you want to get back at me for the prank I pulled, you have to do better than that." she teased, echoing his earlier words with a mischievous grin. She turned around to face him, barely able to contain her laughter as she saw his comically frozen expression. He watched her biting her lip to stifle her amusement, his frustration growing as he whined with a playful pout.