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 Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2025 1:58 am
Some kids go in a pet store with the simple motivation to marvel at cute animals. Hanako preferred to find garden snakes in a neighbors backyard. Did this make him better than most kids? Likely. Because at least he doesn't melt at the sight of four legged, sofa damaging, clothes ruining, midnight screeching, food greedy furballs . Cats. His allergies probably helped with his distaste for the creatures. And usually with this reasoning, whenever pet store owners decide to display some of the cats so passing customers could stop and take a look, Hanako wouldn't even glance at them. Today though, was a little different. First the faint pink color attracted his attention, making him stop in his pace to look. An alien. It walked like a demonic beast (a cat), it sounded whiny (it meowed), and it was shaped the same way as it's furry neighbour in the next display.  Huh, so this was a hairless cat. He never thought he'd be able to find one in a store. The more he looked at it...folds of skin and all, Hanako found himself believing its sorta.. possibly.. kinda... ".. cute" he didn't realise he mumbled I... hope I'm doing it right? Do tell me if I did a mistake >_>
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 9:02 pm
Roka laughed quietly to himself at the other young man's mumbled word, unable to help himself as he stood nearby staring at the same hairless feline. However, as soon as he laughed, even as quiet as it was, he knew he had been loud enough to be heard by the stranger and there was no point in pretending he hadn't. Reddening a bit in embarrassment, he came forward and bent to get a better look at the naked cat in the window.
"They really are cute, aren't they?" he agreed, beaming at the creature as he regarded it curiously. "I wonder how it would feel to pick it up and hold it. Maybe like a human baby." Sighing, he straightened back up. "I love cats, but we could never have one since I'm allergic. Not that my parents would let me have even this kind, though, I don't think. They'd consider it a distraction from my duties and education." Roka paused, thinking for a moment. "Now that I'm living away from them, however...maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all."
The silver-haired individual turned to Hanako. "Do you know anything about taking care of cats, by any chance? Or have one or more of your own?"flowykid ((Hahaha you did fine. Not quite the way to quote somebody, but it looks like you figured it out in our other rp, so no worries! Good job!))
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 10:13 pm
His head turned towards the other with light surprise. Frankly disturbed that he was so distracted by the feline to notice someone else was looking at it. “... For a cat” He retorted at the other agreement that they were cute. “ Holding it?” Hanako tensed for a moment at the thought of it. “ Yeah no.. thats moving way too fast for me. But I suppose.. It feeling like a baby makes sense. All skin, no fur and all.” He raised an eyebrow at the others sudden mention about loving cats but being allergic, and why they couldn’t have one. Hanako let out a soft laugh. “ Loving cats but cursed to allergies? And you had strict parents? That’s quite an unfortunate combo.” he shaked his head. “ ‘maybe’?” he repeated. “ I would’ve thought you would’ve jumped at the opportunity. No more parents to nag you about pets. Whats the worse they can do? Complain when they visit?” he shrugged. “ Oh me?” he let out a laugh and shaked his head. “ nononono cats are not something I’m invested in. At all. What you heard me saying earlier was just a temporary lapse of judgement. I’m allergic to them too, but even if I’m not - most of them are little rascals. Furry or not. At least from my experience. Sorry if you hoped a handsome stranger like me to gush alongside with you about cats.” he jested with a grin, offering a hand for the other to shake. “ Hanako Tone. I go by Hana”
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 10:55 pm
"Oh," Roka said in surprise at the black-haired fellow's 'for a cat' comment. "Do you...not like cats?"
If that was the case, then it must have been a pretty big deal for him to say this one was cute. Or maybe...he thought it was cute because it didn't look like a conventional cat?
"'Moving too fast'?" the other Japanese young man laughed himself. "You sound like you're thinking of being in a relationship with it. Like...its parent?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I guess that's not too far from the truth, though, since you have to take care of pets yourself, usually...and I've heard people comparing having pets to having children before."
When he heard another laugh, he looked to the stranger and blushed slightly at the rhetorical questions about having a love for cats, allergies, and strict parents, but nodded in agreement. At the mention about jumping at the opportunity, though, he gave a sad smile.
"Well, I wouldn't want the cat to suffer for having an inexperienced owner if I tried to take care of it and I ended up not being able to properly. Even if my parents can't really stop me anymore, I'm worried about the trouble my inadequacies and ignorance would cause the cat. If...that makes sense." If the other guy hated cats, maybe he wouldn't have understood why anyone should have considered the cat's perspective, but Roka decided to try to explain anyway.
A...temporary lapse of judgement? he thought. Now that sounded like a load of bullshit. The music-lover tried to hide a smile but ended up smirking a little on accident. "I see," he answered, trying very hard to hold back a chuckle. "Perhaps you've never owned one of these furless ones, though? Maybe you might like them if you did."
At the words 'handsome stranger', he really did end up chuckling. At least until he realized how rude he was being. "Oh, so sorry! Where are my manners?" He folded at the waist immediately, bowing his head. "Roka Toshiro. A pleasure to meet you, Hana."
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 11:32 pm
“ I’m not their biggest fan” he shrugged at the others question. Thinking he didnt reallyhave to explain more. At the mention of parenting a cat Hanako laughed“ Well, I’m only standing this close to it because I know theres no chance of it jumped at me at the moment. It’ll take quite a while until I even want to hold one.” he nodded at the mention of pet owners treating their pets like their own children. He listened to the others words, “… that’s quite cute of you. How long do you need to research and learn before you actually feel confident enough to get a cat?” “ Hm” he noticed the others smirk and grinned. “ Something funny I said?” he joked. “ Oh , nah. I already have a furless creature of my own in my house. Not too sure yet if having a cat and a snake together would be a good idea. The cat might think my snake’s tail is a new toy for them to play with. You though-” he turned to the other with a smile. “ I think you’d be a much better owner than most. Unless of course.. You’re about to tell me that you have a high end job that demands a lot of time and energy so you couldn’t possibly have the time to care for a cat at the same time.“ Hanakos eyes widened at the bow but snickered. “ Well aren’t you respectul.” he bowed but just slightly. “ Ditto. Roka, was it? Or are you one of those folks that prefer people to use their last names?
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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 4:49 pm
When Hanako mentioned there being no chance of the cat jumping on him at that moment, Roka gave him a curious look. "Oh...you're...afraid of them?" he asked before quickly realizing that might not have been the most tactful thing to inquire. "Not that...there's anything wrong with that..." he quickly and awkwardly attempted to amend.
Roka didn't get told he or his behavior was 'cute' every day, so he couldn't help the flush of his face when the other young man commented that it was 'cute' of him to worry about the cats suffering from an inexperienced owner. "I don't know about 'cute', but...thank you," he uttered, feeling shy all of a sudden and trying to shake it off.
Still, the comments made Roka even more curious about his new acquaintance. Maybe it wasn't so much that Hanako disliked cats than that he would have liked to get along with them if he could get over his fear of them. Well, that and his allergies, but Roka knew there were shots and pills for that sort of thing. He wondered what had caused him to fear them in the first place.
"Uh...to be honest, I don't know how long I'd need to research to feel confident enought to get a cat," the silver-haired college student explained.
"Maybe...maybe when I stop being able to think up questions on how to take care of one? I'm sure there would be other things I'd still need to learn after I get one, but at least I'd know then that I'd have enough of a foundation of knowledge to start with."
Hanako's question about whether there was something funny he said turned Roka's smirk into an outright grin and he could no longer hide it even after putting a hand up to conceal his mouth. That hand and his jaw both dropped in surprise as he continued to listen to what Hanako had to say about the pet he did own.
"What? A snake?" he repeated, looking amazed. "Wow. They must require a lot of care, mustn't they? Like having to make sure their enviornment is a certain temperature at all times? And I heard some snakes won't even eat unless their prey is alive so they can kill it themselves. I would imagine they must be even more difficult to take care of than cats...but I also heard you only need to feed them maybe once a week or something, so maybe not...?"
The charming smile accompanied by a disarming compliment caused Roka to quickly turn away sheepishly, unsure if he could handle the full brilliance of Hanako's charisma aimed solely at him. The mention of a 'high end job that demands a lot of time and energy' made him laugh again. "Not yet," he answered, "But I have had my hands full as of late. So maybe I wouldn't be as good an owner as you think. I appreciate the faith you have in me, though." He chuckled. "Unless you're just - what's the phrase? - 'blowing smoke up my a**'."
His eyes widened and he blinked as he realized he must have acted a little too formal with his bow. Right, this was America. He'd forgotten they didn't do that here. "Sorry...I've been in Japan for the past few years, so I've gotten used to mannerisms like that as part of the culture over there," Roka explained in embarrassment, rubbing his arm sheepishly with a slight smile. "I really prefer to drop formalities, though. First names are nicer. More casual and friendly than business-like."
He peered back at Hanako. "Oh, unless you prefer last names, of course. You just...ah...don't seem like the type."
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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 10:48 pm
“Not afraidddd~” Hanako quickly said in a playful laugh, “ Unnerved, disinterested, and would rather not be in the same room as them. Like rain~. Not scared of them. Just rather not have ruin my hair”, he said the excuse in a heartbeat, as if it was insulting for anyone to suggest he was scared of cats. Contrary to Roka’s assurance that there was nothing wrong with it.
The other started to blush at Hanakos casual mention of calling them cute, which made him smile in amusement. “ Just stating what I’m thinking”
“ Ah so it’s a confidence problem” he commented with a teasing grin.
Hanako seemed a little surprised at Roka’s sharing of what he knew of snakes, reacting with amazement. Letting him ramble on about snake for a little while, letting out a genuine laugh a bit after he was done. “ You did your research? Now I wonder if you were ever interested in owning a snake. But I assume you still love cats more”.
At the mention of blowing smoke up his a**, it was hanakos turn to laugh. Not that he was doing very well to hide how entertained he was since this conversation started. “Good guess. Orrrrrr,you know .. maybbbbee… I was trying to find a subtle way to get you to tell me what you worked as, or if you’re still a student maybe. You look about my age..ish” he stated with a lighter smile.
“ Although, I do have to say that I believe you’d be a good owner. I mean theres this never ending case of people rushing to buy pets because they’re so adorable and cute, and never put in the work to ensure that pet live comfortably and in good health. You seem to adore cats, and wanted them for a long time. But you still consider about the cat. I’d say… thats a nice trait for a good pet owner to have. If you decide to be one one day”
“ ohh japan yeah yeahh…makes sense, no worries. I get the culture there. My parents were from Japan but I’m pretty sure its been way too long since I even stepped foot in it” he shrugged with a chuckle, nodding at Rokas guess about him not being the type to be formal. “ Spot on. You know what I do prefer though?” he pulled out a small card from his pocket, and if Roka took a closer look at it, it showed a logo to what seemed to be a flowershop business, an address, ‘Hanako Tone’ and a number.
“ Chatting at a coffee place or over lunch, and not in front of a pet store. I unfortunately do have places to go today. But I’d like to meet again, Roka. If you’re up to it. If not we can just pretend the last 10 seconds didn’t happen for the sake of my pride and I’ll leave your adorable self alone” he jested.
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2025 10:08 pm
"Ohhh," Roka answered when Hanako insisted he wasn't afraid, nodding in acknowledgement. "That's understandable." He couldn't drop his smile of amusement no matter how hard he tried, however. Hanako was just too funny, comparing cats to rain in how they could ruin his hair. And having two younger sisters as well as having experienced a fair bit of it himself, Roka knew denial when he heard it. Still, he decided to leave it alone.
Pretty soon Hanako was looking like the one amused at him. "Confidence problem? N-no, no, I - how is wanting to know about something considered cute?"
He blinked and blushed again when he realized he'd been talking quite a bit about snakes. "Oh, no, you know...just heard things...here and there..." The music-lover chuckled again. "I really don't think I'd ever be capable of properly owning a snake. Cats, though...those ones seem to be mostly self-sufficient. For the most part, anyway. At least in comparison. So I think you must be a much better pet owner than I could ever be."
At being told he'd made a good guess, Roka blinked cluelessly again before more of what Hanako said began to sink in and he eventually was able to process it. "Oh! You could have just asked, silly," he answered, laughing. "Yes, I'm a college student at Destiny City University. Are you a college student too?"
He heated up at the praise from Hanako backed up with his reasons as to why he believed Roka deserved it. It was all the emerald-eyed young man could do not to hide his face in his hands and turn away. "You...you really pay close attention to people to know all that...don't you?" he said slowly instead, amazed at the observations of the noiret's comments. "That they...just rush to buy pets because they think they're adorable without putting in the work. But that must mean you're a really good owner yourself. And if a good owner thinks I'd make a good owner..." His face was completely flushed by then as he added with a timid smile, "...well, then, who am I to argue?"
His parents were from Japan? That explained his Japanese features. He was trying to think of how much Hanako might have known of Japanese culture when the suave fellow asked him another question. "What do you prefer?" he asked back inquisitively before he was given the answer.
With a slightly-shaking hand and a look of utter disbelief, Roka accepted the card he was given. Uhhhh...had he just been asked out to lunch? On a lunch date? No, no, no, he couldn't think of it like that. Hanako probably just wanted to be friends. Maybe talk more about animals. Or flirt because Roka was so easy to fluster. He wished he wasn't so easily flustered, but it was hard not to be around people as charismatic as the cat-disliking guy. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.
"S-sure!" he answered brightly. Just act natural. Act cool. Nevermind that your voice just went up a couple of octaves when you said that just now. Don't seem too eager! "I'd love to!"
Upon Hanako mentioning places he had to go to that day, Roka realized just how long he must have been keeping them there. "Oh! Oh, yes, you're right! I should be heading to class myself!" Straighting up and recomposing himself as best he could, Roka almost bowed again before remembering not to. "S-sorry, Hanako! But yes, I'd like to meet again, too!"
Laughing, he continued, "Pretending the last ten seconds didn't happen will not only be for the sake of your pride, but mine as well. I'm embarrassing myself." He tugged anxiously on the bangs that concealed his right eye. "Well, then, talk to you again soon!" And with that, he turned and fled.flowykid ((The end. EDIT: WHOOPS, NOT THE END YET!))
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2025 5:45 am
Kitomyx hihi I know this is considered ended but as mentioned in dms, I still wanted to reply at least one more time. Thank you for giving me permission! “ Hm? Oh well, thats not the only thing I think is cute. But for that specifically, it’s cute that you want to make sure you know enough before adopting a cat. Learning more and all. But you see….” he paused as if debating for a moment if this had to be said before finally showing a small smirk. “ Well.. I’m not the best at giving advice. But it seems to me that you’ll benefit more from having some confidence in yourself. Want to avoid spending so many years thinking instead of doing, right? Some things you can learn better with experience.” “ Are they?” he made a disgusted face and scoffed playfully. “ I’d rather deal with snakes skin shedding than hairballs and fur flying across the room. But hey, everyone has their preferences.” at the mention of Hanako being a better owner, he let out a small laugh. “ Hmmm.. I wouldn’t be too sure just yet. Get a pet, then we’ll see if that’s really true” he smirked, resisting the urge to ruffle the other's hair. That was too early, right? He was certain the other was already pretty used people having the urge to pet him. He let out a small laugh after Roka reacted to his admittance of trying to get to know his occupation. “Nah… I like to make things harder for me on occasion. I am actually. Well- not at the moment. But I’ve been taking semester breaks here and there. Probably why I don’t see you often. Well .. thats’s fine. Now I’ll have to keep an eye out” “ Hm.. paid attention…?” Hanako let out a laugh as if the comment confused him. Waving it off with his hand. “ Nah.. it’s just me thinking how on earth someone could ever take in a feral 4 legged creature like that” he pointed to the innocent looking hairless cat, whom seemed more interested in napping to be bothered. “ But you know.. I suppose I get it. Meeting something so cute on a first meeting .. someone maybe..?” he smirked slowly, desperately clinging on his self control not to step closer to the other boy. Though he might as well do it with the playful, teasing look he was already giving him. “ thinking its so cute you wanna bring it home… give it food, maybe even clean it up~” he teased. “ Thats right” he agreed, when Roka seemed to believe the compliment he gave him. When roka asked what Hana preferred, he gave a slightly chuckle. “ I dont mind either but Hm… I like the way you say my first name~” he decided to leave it at that. Hanako did his best not to look way too amused at the way the other seemed a lot more flustered than before. His voice pinched a little higher than usual, his movements tensed and he almost bowed again. How funny. Hanako gave him a wave and walked the other direction, though not before taking a moment to stop in his tracks to look at him back. The retreating figure getting smaller as his feet carried him away. In different circumstances, Hanako would’ve thought he was running away from him. Well.. that was fun. Hanako liked doing the chasing part anyway.
THE END
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