#also this got a little long askjfd;

[dvpendable]

› growing together with @fataldcse . . . 🌱

(tw: mentions of blood and minor injuries such as cuts and scrapes)

the remnants of a terracotta flower pot are strewn all over the outside of the apartment building - broken into both big and small, chunky pieces, all scattered around the ground alongside some fresh produce. at the center of the mess sits danbi, looking a little worse for wear and bewildered at how the scene had unfolded. it all happened so fast - one second, she was holding the flower pot she had picked up from glaazed alongside her groceries, heading into the building, and in the next, she had ended up on the concreate right before getting through the doors with everything squished and torn and broken thrown about. she blinks, trying to piece everything together. for some reason, the last two minutes or so seem a little clouded, and she can't quite put her finger on what transpired - maybe she was just on autopilot and had caught her foot on something when she had turned to come inside, causing her to take such a spill. or maybe she'd just tripped over her own two feet or missed a stair leading up to the doors, having not been paying much attention with everything in her arms.

"ouch," she hisses softly, moving her legs once she finally regains her bearings, noticing that both her pant legs are torn at the knees, the ripped material revealing her skin, scratched and reddening. she raises her hands up to see her palms are in the same condition, most likely having instinctively put them in front of her to brace herself. danbi wasn't one to consider herself to be a clumsy person - she's not the most agile, sure, but she isn't completely uncoordinated. but it seems that once in a while these days, she's a little more ungraceful than usual and will maybe drop something or lose her footing and bump into the wall.

danbi exhales gently, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. she wonders if maybe she's been taking on too much lately, having been picking up more shifts since a lot of her colleagues wanted to get out and enjoy the carnival, not to mention working longer hours at fresh fields with the holidays approaching. but she doesn't have much time to linger on the idea, as she realizes someone is coming up behind her - no doubt another resident arriving home and wanting to get inside. she reaches out to try and clear some of the broken pieces in a hurry, only to slice her finger on a jagged edge.

"o-ouch," she says again, wincing a little before she tries to ignore the bright red beginning to pool at her digits. the blood drips down her fingers, but she simply glances over her shoulder and quickly apologizes to the other standing nearby, wanting to be quick about getting out of his way. "i'm sorry, i'll get this cleaned up in a second. just be careful heading inside, it wouldn't be good to step on any of the broken pieces."

[dvpendable]

among the numerous shops that lined the street heading towards fresh fields, beat street music was not somewhere that danbi had often frequented since she had arrived in ansong. truthfully, she was a far cry from a musical aficionado and other than occasionally taking an interest in listening to whatever pop hit was playing on the radio at work, or enjoying the playlists that her friends would sometimes curate for her, she didn't know much about music. she respected it, and enjoyed it, but certainly was not knowledgeable in the subject and not up to date on any of the latest or most popular releases. not to mention she couldn't hold a tune to save her life, and she happened to be a little too clumsy to take up an interested in an instrument, but that was another story for another day.

despite all of this, the store had slowly, but surely integrated itself into her routine - most notably because she would come to visit doyun either during her lunch break if she needed to step away from the holiday rush pilling into the grocery store, or sometimes after her shift on her walk back to the apartment building. there was something about interacting with him that brightened danbi's day - his lively and animated disposition always managed to relieve some of the fatigue from the day-to-day operations, and he never failed in making her laugh.

"it's nice to see you- oh, careful, please," danbi can't help but giggle when doyun slides over the counter, greeting her feverishly, explaining how he's in desperate need for some assistance. before she has a second to process the situation, she's in front of the register, glancing over it as it remains frozen in time. she's not the most tech savvy individual, but she's dealt with enough issues on her own POS system at fresh fields to at least be able to troubleshoot. "don't worry, we'll get it fixed," she assures him, glancing over at him with a cheery smile, fist curled in the air as a symbol of determination. she wouldn't let him down, and nodded to convey as much. "have no fear, danbi is here . . . truthfully, this happens all the time at fresh fields, so i'm sure we can revive it," she looks over the device, slender index finger pressing down on the screen, trying to have it do something. "what were you doing when it froze? were you ringing up something?"

danbi leans back after a few moments, the screen unresponsive to her touch. she bends down underneath the counter, thinking they may need to play around with the wires a bit. "someone said it was 'fire' today?" she peeks her head out from under the counter, offering him a reassuring smile. "that's actually a really nice compliment. it means that they think this store is really cool - like, they're really impressed with how you have it!" she's glad to hear someone expressed their admiration - she knew doyun gave it his all into his business. "oh, do you have a flashlight anywhere, by chance?"

——— doyun frowns, furrow in his brow and all, at the computer pinging at him from the counter. you'd think as long as he's owned the place, he'd know how to work the POS system, but here he is. with a world-weary sigh, doyun tugs at the ends of his hair as he tries to click around on the screen in a desperate attempt to get it to unfreeze, to no avail. normally he'd pout at nari to fix this sort of thing, that girl was way better than he was at fucking with the computer. but it's her day off and he's reluctant to disturb that peace.

as he's debating giving up and flipping the sign so beat street's closed, the little bell above the door rings and in walks in what doyun considers a literal angel: "danbi!" oh what a sight for sore eyes, he thinks as he hops over the counter (sure, he could walk around but that's not half as cool looking). "boy, am i glad to see you, i need your help," he says conspiratorially as he ushers her towards the demon technology in question. "this thing is frozen and i can't get it unfrozen and, like, how am i supposed to sell anything like this? you know? and also someone told me when they were buying something today that this place is 'fire' what does that even mean?" the last part, a little less important but it just popped in his head and now he just can't stop thinking about it.

while he waits to see if danbi will even help him or not, doyun looks between her and the computer and nervously chews at a hangnail on his thumb. god, he hopes he doesn't have to get a whole new computer or POS system at this rate. like, sure the thing hasn't been upgraded the entire time he's owned the place (oops), but it works, okay? don't fix what's not broken or something. "you don't think we need to hold a funeral for it, do we?"

/ @dvpendable

[dvpendable]

the last of the neighborhood cats come into view, some emerging from the depths of the cardboard boxes, bleary-eyed and yawning, having been woken up from their peaceful slumber at the sound of their voices, while others come leaping over a nearby fence, licking their lips in anticipation. some smaller ones rush in from behind where both danbi and insu had come from, slipping between insu's legs before they crowd the two of them, all of them a chorus of eager meows that ring out into the alleyway. the sound reaches a crescendo as danbi begins to pour the food into their bowls, concerned orbs sweeping over the tops of their heads in hopes that the most well-known of all the felines would emerge, taking her place in line amongst them. but tuxedo - affectionally dubbed 'tux' even after having been identified as a female, despite danbi's initial mistake in thinking she was a little distinguished gentleman upon their first encounter - is nowhere to be found, not so much of a whisker left behind.

"this is her favorite brand of food too," she says softly, worriedly - danbi leaves some food in the canister after filling up the dishes, holding it up and shaking it as though it would bring the missing cat out of hiding. tux always came barreling in whenever she heard the sound of this particular container, not wanting to miss out on her favorite flavors. "she loves salmon," danbi continues, watching as the rest of the alley cats take turns devouring the dry food. some stretch out lazily once their bellies are full, while others take a few strides towards their caregivers, headbutting danbi and insu's legs in gratitude. the brunette smiles at the felines, reaching out and scratching behind their ears. "you guys haven't seen her, have you?"

the question doesn't garner an inkling as to where she might be - most of the cats either peer up at the two of them, head tilting in question, or they slink back to their perches on the surrounding rubbish. one little cat does offer danbi a meow in reply, but it's not enough of a clue to fill them in on where tux might have gone, so they'll just have to figure it out themselves. and insu's suggestion on where to begin is the best lead they've got, and makes danbi hopeful that the search won't be long and arduous - she wants to think positively, wondering if maybe tux is just snoozing the afternoon away down the street.

"you're right, i'm sure she's close by," she echoes insu's sentiments, mirroring his movements and standing back up as the cats finish their dinners. danbi makes her way to insu's side, carefully wading through the small sea of fur and smiles up at him, though it doesn't fully reach her eyes like it normally does, apprehension sitting at the corners of her mouth. truthfully, she's worried, but she has faith that the two of them will be able to find the cat. "she wouldn't be silly enough to get lost," she tries to encourage both of them, holding the container of cat food close to her chest, as though holding onto it tight enough would keep her grounded, despite the nervousness beginning to prick at her skin like small thorns. " . . . right?"

the first few inklings of uneasiness begin to seep in, but she tries to swallow her nerves down as the two of them turn and head towards their new destination. "maybe she's just catting around, strutting her kitty stuff on the street." she says as the two of them fall into step beside one another once more, trying to ease her own worries by setting herself on a more optimistic path, wanting to make a small joke. another second passes before danbi glances up at him. "hey, insu . . . ?" her voice comes out quietly as she calls him, and for a second after his name leaves her, she hesitates. she's not someone who so easily expresses her feelings, not wanting to come across as a burden - she was a martyr when it came to her own emotions, but there was something about being beside insu that made her feel safe.

"i'm really glad you're here," the words come out soft and true, and danbi offers him another small smile. he made her feel like she didn't have to shoulder things alone. "i think i'd be really scared on my own, so i'm glad we're together." the smile widens, and she shakes the container again, laughing a little. "but next time she's getting just regular meow mix so you better not spoil her after this!"

♦︎ ♦︎ ♦︎ ⸻ insu wonders sometimes how he got here. or, well, he does know, very well, actually. however the details don't matter as much at the moment. the only true thing he notes at the moment is that he wonders when fall was starting to finally pas on by. his foot falls match danbi's in pace, leaves swirling around as they fell off the trees in a array of orange and golds, reminding him that soon it would be cold and still and quiet. he tries to stop focusing on that, now, and instead peers over to the girl beside him as they tread down the sidewalk around the backside of the apartment building.

"yeah, it's about to be freezin' cold starting december. better invest in a good jacket. winters here are cold as fu—sh—hell." he sighed and slowly tossed his head back, looking at the changing leaves as he wonders why he always felt the inclination to appear more put together and "better" in danbi's presence. insu knew how he was, knew how he appeared and what kind of vibe he gave off to others. in most cases, he liked it that way. liked the mask he wore well enough; a part of him needed it to navigate the sea of... everything surrounding him and the confusion he felt. yet when he was like this, walking alongside danbi, he wanted to maybe seem like someone who could be relied on. and that confused him more then anything else.

her shiver gives him pause, and for a few heartbeats insu debates giving her his jacket so she could brave the wind. and yet, still, something keeps him at bay, hesitant. his fingers curl around the lapel of the leather for a beat before ultimately slipping back down to tuck into his pockets, a weird sort of feeling washing over him as he does so. it tended to come around often when in danbi's presence—a desire to look after her, and even wilder so, to protect her. it was as if something tugged at his mind and his heart every time as to why, like there was a reason, like it wanted to remember even if he couldn't.

he focuses on the small flare of anticipation as they draw nearer to the cardboard boxes, unable to stop the small, fond smile at the sight alone. "i'll help you bring them down, if you want," he offers easily as he watches the boxes shift a little bit as their footsteps draw near.

he feels warmed by the sight of the cats that come to greet them, a loud symphony of mewls and meows ringing out like a chorus. he chuckles softly as he watches a few wrap around his ankles, nuzzling his grease stained jeans, big eyes peering up at him and making his chest squeeze. "you guys act like we don't feed you all most all the time, or something," he mutters fondly, slowly squatting down to run his fingers along one of the nearest cat's slightly dirtied fur. he knew later beebee would huff and snuffle when she caught a whiff of another cat on him, but that was a problem for future insu to worry about.

this routine they had managed to fall into was a unexpected one, especially with how vastly different they were comparably to each other. a shared love and innate need to make sure the strays around their building were taken care of brought them together, forming a unlikely friendship that insu is, quietly, grateful for. despite the strange desire to keep danbi safe from harm regularly rearing its head when he least expected it.

and it's that same comfort that has him a bit distracted as she works towards feeding them, too busy trying to utilize both his hands to guide the cats to the bowls already set out for them. he curls his finger gently under one of the cat's chin, a small smile curling his lips upward as he feels the rumbling purr, only pausing his ministrations at her question. tux was missing? it surprised him, too. she was the friendliest one of all the cats that visited, sort of becoming secretly insu's (second) favorite of the cats.

his gaze turns to her for a beat, brows furrowing, then he survey's their surroundings with a keen eye. "shit," he murmurs under his breath, finally standing back up to full height, concern laced in that single curse. "yeah, she's usually here by now." he tried to not let his panic show, as he typically wasn't a worrier, but this was... concerning, even to him. he didn't enjoy the thought of something having possibly happening to the feline.

"do you think she might've gotten lost or something?" he shuffles his feet and watches the other cats maneuver around, still not seeing the cat among them. "let's give them some food real quick and go look for her. she's probably not far." he was hoping, at least. "i've seen some of the cats hang out in this little area down the street. wanna try that first."