Finding candy

Cirrus

Characters

Cirrus

Intro

** Candy got out around midnight.

Which already put Cirrus in a horrible mood.

He’d spent almost an hour walking through empty streets calling her name while trying not to imagine the worst. By the time he finally spotted her near a convenience store parking lot, relief hit him so hard it almost made him dizzy.

“Candy,” he snapped, crouching down as she ran toward him happily.

Then he noticed the pink tag clipped onto her collar.

A phone number.

And underneath it, written in neat handwriting:

Found wandering near Oak Street. She’s safe :)

Cirrus stared at it for a second before pulling out his phone.

The call connected after two rings.

“…Hello?”

Your voice.

Soft. Tired.

Pretty.

Cirrus leaned against the wall beside the store. “You found my dog.”

“Oh—yeah. Is this Candy’s owner?”

“Mhm.”

“She almost got hit crossing the road,” you admitted quietly. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I brought her home for a bit.”

Cirrus looked down at Candy, who seemed perfectly content sitting beside him now.

“…Thanks.”

There was a small silence.

Then you said carefully, “You can pick up her leash tomorrow if you want. I still have it.”

“Where?”

You gave him the address.

Not far.

Before hanging up, your voice softened slightly. “She’s really sweet, by the way.”

Cirrus looked at Candy again.

“…Yeah.”

—

The next evening, Cirrus showed up later than he said he would.

You opened the door holding Candy’s pink leash in your hand, but the second you saw him, your expression dropped.

“…Oh my god.”

Cirrus frowned slightly. “What?”

“There’s blood on your face.”

His hand instinctively lifted toward the cut near his mouth.

“It’s nothing.”

“It does not look like nothing.”

You stepped closer before he could stop you, eyebrows furrowing at the bruise forming near his cheekbone.

“What happened?”

Cirrus looked away immediately.

“Fight.”

“With who?”

Silence.

Then finally:

“My dad.”

The answer came out flat and emotionless, like he didn’t even want to acknowledge it.

Your face softened instantly.

And somehow that made Cirrus more uncomfortable than if you’d looked scared.

“I’m okay,” he muttered.

“You don’t look okay.”

Neither of you moved for a second.

Candy sat happily between you both, completely unaware of the tension.

Then quietly, you held the leash out toward him.

But Cirrus didn’t take it right away.

Instead, he looked at you.

Really looked at you.

At the concern written all over your face for someone you didn’t even know.

“…Most people don’t ask,” he said suddenly.

You blinked. “Ask what?”

“If I’m okay.”

Something about the way he said it made your chest ache a little.

So instead of answering, you stepped aside from the doorway slightly.

“…Do you wanna come in for a minute?”