Strong Slugcat(AU/Town)

you had spent weeks looking for a place that would not eat half your paycheck. the city was expensive, and your job paid just enough to keep you afloat if you were careful. after the third apartment turned out to be smaller than the listing photos and twice the price, you started posting for a roommate. a shared house felt like the only realistic option left. you checked every reply that came in, filtered out the ones that sounded unreliable, and finally settled on someone who seemed steady enough on paper.

the address led you to a quiet street on the edge of a busier district. the house itself was old but solid, two stories with a small porch and a yard that needed work. you stood on the steps for a moment with your bags, checking the message one last time before knocking. the door opened before you could raise your hand.

hunter stood there in a simple shirt and the black starry briefs he seemed to favor when he was home. he looked you over once, ears tilting slightly, then stepped aside with a crooked half-smile.

so you are the one who answered the post he said come in. do not track anything across the floor if you can help it. i just finished a double shift and i am not mopping again tonight.

you stepped inside. the living room was lived-in but not messy, a mix of practical furniture and a few personal things that clearly belonged to someone who worked long hours. a single couch, a low table, a kitchen that opened straight into the main space. the air carried the faint scent of whatever he had cooked earlier and something warmer underneath that came from him.

he led you down a short hall and pushed open a door on the left. this one’s yours. bed’s already in there. closet’s small but it works. bathroom’s at the end of the hall. we share it, so do not leave your stuff all over the sink.

he leaned against the doorframe while you set your bags down, watching with that same sharp, assessing look. i work a lot. early mornings, late nights, whatever pays. i am not here to be your friend if that is what you are hoping for, but i am not going to make this difficult either. rent is due on the first. utilities get split even. if you cook, clean up after. if you make noise after midnight i will come knock on your door and tell you to shut it.

there was no real heat in the words. the bratty edge was there, but it sat next to a kind of straightforward honesty that made it easier to take. he shifted his weight, one hand resting on the frame and added i do not take money from my parent. never have. so do not ask me about loans or favors or any of that. if something breaks we figure it out ourselves. clear?

you nodded. he seemed to accept that as enough. he pushed off the doorframe and started back toward the living room, calling over his shoulder there is leftover rice in the fridge if you are hungry. help yourself. just do not finish the whole container. i am having it for breakfast.

the house settled around you once he left the hallway. you could hear him moving in the kitchen, the soft sound of a cabinet closing, the low hum of the refrigerator. outside, the city kept its usual evening noise, distant traffic and the occasional voice from the street. inside, the place already felt like it belonged to someone who treated every hour like it had a price.

you unpacked the first bag slowly, listening to the quiet rhythm of the house and the occasional shift of hunter’s feet on the floorboards. he had not offered a big welcome or a long conversation. he had simply made the terms clear and left space for you to settle in. it was practical. it was a little sharp. and for the first time in weeks, the weight of finding a place that would not drain every coin you earned felt a little lighter.

[one month time skip]

one month had passed since you first stepped into the house with your bags and the careful hope that a roommate would make the rent manageable. the place had settled into a rhythm that felt almost natural now. mornings started with the sound of hunter moving through the kitchen before most of the street was awake, and evenings often ended with the low murmur of the television or the quiet clatter of dishes being washed after a late shift.

you came home that afternoon to the familiar creak of the front door and the warm smell of something simple cooking on the stove. hunter was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, stirring a pan with one hand while the other rested on the counter. he glanced over when he heard you, and the look he gave was easier than the sharp assessing one from the first day.

you are later than usual he said his voice carrying that same lively edge but softer around the corners. traffic or did the job keep you again? either way i made extra. sit down before it gets cold.

he plated the food without waiting for an answer and set a second dish across from his own at the small table. the black starty briefs he favored at home peeked out under the hem of an old shirt and he moved around the space with the easy confidence of someone who had decided the house was shared properly now. he dropped into his chair, stretched his legs out and watched you with a half-smile that had become more common over the last few weeks.

you know, when you first moved in i was not sure how this was going to go he said, poking at his food with a fork. i figured you would either be quiet and stay out of the way or try to turn this into some big friendship project. turns out you are somewhere in the middle. it works. i do not have to watch every word, and you do not complain when i come in late and drop my bag by the door.

zhe leaned back a little, ears tilting as he talked. the bratty tone was still there when he wanted it but it sat beside real warmth now. he asked about your day without making it feel like an interview, then told a short story about a coworker who had tried to leave early and gotten caught by the supervisor. the way he told it made the whole thing sound funnier than it probably was, complete with a quick impression that pulled a clear laugh out of the air between you.*

after the plates were empty he stood and collected them, waving off any offer of help with a light nudge of his shoulder against yours as he passed. i have got it. you worked today. go sit. the couch is free and i already claimed the good spot by the window last night, so do not even try.

he washed the dishes with the same steady focus he brought to everything else, talking over the sound of running water about a side job he was considering for the weekend. the words came easy. no careful distance, no sharp reminders about rent or boundaries. just the two of you in the kitchen of a house that had started to feel lived-in by both of you.

when he finished he dried his hands, turned and leaned against the counter with that same crooked smile. month in and you still have not driven me crazy. that is an achievement. most people would have tried to fix me or borrow money by now. you just show up, pay your half, and let me be. i like that.

he pushed away from the counter and headed toward the living room, pausing long enough to glance back. come on. if you are not tired there is a show starting in ten minutes. i will even let you pick the next one after. do not get used to me being this nice about it though. tomorrow i might change my mind.

the house felt warmer than it had on the first night. the city noise outside was the same, but inside the air carried the easy rhythm of two people who had found a balance that worked. hunter dropped onto the couch, stretched out, and left space beside him without making a show of it. the invitation was clear, open, and completely free of the careful walls he had kept up when you first arrived.

[musk alt of first scenario]

you had spent weeks looking for a place that would not eat half your paycheck. the city was expensive and your job paid just enough to keep you afloat if you were careful. after the third apartment turned out to be smaller than the listing photos and twice the price you started posting for a roommate. a shared house felt like the only realistic option left. you checked every reply that came in filtered out the ones that sounded unreliable and finally settled on someone who seemed steady enough on paper.

the address led you to a quiet street on the edge of a busier district. the house itself was old but solid two stories with a small porch and a yard that needed work. you stood on the steps for a moment with your bags checking the message one last time before knocking. the door opened before you could raise your hand.

hunter stood there in nothing but the black briefs with yellow stars. the fabric clung to his hips stretched tight over the heavy curve of his rear. a thick warm musk poured out of the doorway the second it opened rich and unwashed the kind that only built after days of ignoring the shower. it rolled off his skin and the damp cotton like heat. he looked you up and down ears flicking once and a slow crooked grin spread across his face.

well damn he said you actually showed up. i was starting to think the post was going to stay empty..

he stepped aside but not far enough that you could avoid brushing close as you entered. the musk hit harder inside the house settled into the walls the couch the air itself. he shut the door behind you and leaned against it for a second watching your face with open amusement.

yeah it is a lot right now he said i have been on a stretch of doubles and i stopped bothering with the shower three days ago. figure if i am paying for the place i can smell however i want. you look like you noticed...

he pushed off the door and walked ahead of you the full shape of his rear shifting under the starry briefs with every step. the scent followed him dense and heavy. he glanced back over his shoulder still grinning.

bathroom is at the end of the hall if the musk is already too much for you. or you can just get used to it. i am not washing up tonight either...

he showed you the room that would be yours pushed the door open and leaned against the frame while you set your bags down. the air in the hallway was thick with him. he did not move away. if anything he shifted closer the heat of his bare skin and the heavy scent making the space feel smaller.

rent is due on the first. utilities split even. i work long hours so most nights you will hear me come in late. if that bothers you tough. i do not take money from my parent and i do not do handouts so do not ask. clear so far?

he waited just long enough for you to nod then his grin turned sharper more teasing. good. because i have a feeling you are going to be fun to have around. most people would have already made a face or asked me to crack a window. you are still standing here breathing it in. that tells me something..

he reached down and tugged at the waistband of the briefs adjusting them with no shame at all. the movement sent another wave of thick musk through the narrow hall. leftover rice is in the fridge if you are hungry. do not finish it. and if you decide the scent is getting to you in a different way than just ‘gross’ well. the walls are not that thick. i will probably hear it.

he laughed under his breath low and pleased with himself then turned and headed back toward the kitchen calling out without looking back welcome home roommate. try not to pass out from the smell on your first night. i would hate to have to explain that to anyone.

the house settled around you thick with his unwashed scent and the lingering echo of that teasing voice. outside the city kept its usual noise. inside everything already felt claimed by someone who had no intention of making the place easier on the nose and every intention of watching how you handled it.

[stablished relationship with hunter/musk alt]

you had been living with hunter for months now long enough that the house felt like it belonged to both of you. the city still demanded long hours and careful budgeting but coming home to him made the grind easier to carry. he was still the same stubborn workaholic who refused every offer of help from his parent yet somewhere along the way the sharp edges had softened into something warmer and far more permanent.

you stepped through the front door that evening after a late shift and the thick musk hit you immediately. it was heavy and familiar the deep unwashed scent he always let build when he decided cleaning could wait. the black briefs with yellow stars sat low on his hips as he lounged on the couch one leg hooked over the armrest. he looked up at the sound of the door and a slow crooked grin spread across his face.

there you are, i was starting to think work had eaten you alive..

he did not get up right away. instead he stretched making sure the full curve of his rear pressed into the cushions and the musk rolled off him in another warm wave. the scent had settled into the fabric of the couch the air the very walls of the living room. he watched your face with open amusement clearly waiting to see how you would react.

three days and counting..i told you i was taking a short break from the shower. you knew what you were walking into.

he finally sat up and patted the cushion beside him. when you came closer he reached out caught your wrist and pulled you down into the heavy cloud of his scent. his free hand slid around your waist keeping you there while he leaned in close enough that the musk became almost overwhelming.

you smell like the outside he murmured against your ear. all clean and tired...i like the contrast.

his fingers traced idle patterns along your side the touch casual but possessive. the bratty edge was still there but it had turned affectionate teasing in the way only someone who knew he could get away with it would manage. he nuzzled closer breathing you in while making no effort to hide how much he enjoyed the state of his own body.

rent is still split even he said with a quiet laugh. utilities too. just because we share a bed does not mean i am going to start letting you cover my half. i earn my keep. you know that.

he shifted so more of his weight leaned against you the damp heat of his skin and the thick musk surrounding both of you. his voice dropped lower still playful but laced with something hungrier. you have been patient with this. most partners would have dragged me into the bathroom by now. you just come home and breathe it in like it belongs here. that does something to me.

his hand slid lower resting on your thigh with clear intent. the starry briefs did little to hide how the scent and the closeness were already affecting him. he made no move to pull away or apologize. if anything he pressed closer letting the unwashed heat of his body sink into yours.

i made enough food for both of us it is in the kitchen when you want it. or we can stay right here for a while. i am not in a rush to wash this off and you do not seem to mind.

he tilted his head watching you with that same sharp grin he had worn the first night you met only now it carried the easy confidence of someone who knew exactly where he stood with you. the house around you felt lived-in and claimed filled with the scent of a partner who took pride in his independence and even more pride in the way you had learned to love every unwashed part of him. outside the city kept moving. inside hunter held you in the thick warm musk of three days without a shower and made it feel like the most natural place in the world to be.

[stablished relationship with hunter]

you had been living with hunter for months now long enough that the house felt like it belonged to both of you. the city still demanded long hours and careful budgeting but coming home to him made the grind easier to carry. he was still the same stubborn workaholic who refused every offer of help from his parent yet somewhere along the way the sharp edges had softened into something warmer and far more permanent.

you stepped through the front door that evening after a late shift and found the living room lights already on. hunter was in the kitchen sleeves rolled up stirring a pan with steady focus. he glanced over at the sound of the door and a slow crooked grin spread across his face.

there you are i was starting to think work had eaten you alive...

he turned the heat down and wiped his hands on a towel before walking over. the black briefs with yellow stars sat comfortably on his hips under an old shirt that had seen better days. he reached out caught your wrist and pulled you into a brief solid hug smelling clean of soap and whatever he had been cooking.

long day? he asked pulling back just enough to look at you. sit down. food is almost ready. i made extra because i know you forget to eat when the shift runs late.

he guided you toward the small table then returned to the stove plating two servings without waiting for an answer. when he set the dishes down he dropped into the chair across from you and stretched his legs out under the table until his foot bumped yours.

you know *he said picking up his fork when we first started this i kept waiting for the part where you would try to fix me or tell me i should take money from my parent. you never did. that still surprises me in a good way.

he ate a few bites then leaned back watching you with open warmth that still carried a hint of his usual playful edge. i talked to the supervisor today about an extra weekend shift. pays better than the regular ones. i am taking it. do not give me that look. i like knowing the rent is covered by work i actually did.

the conversation stayed easy after that. he told a short story about a coworker who had tried to leave early and gotten caught complete with a quick impression that made the whole thing funnier than it had any right to be. he asked about your day without turning it into an interrogation then listened like the answer actually mattered.

when the plates were empty he stood and collected them waving off any offer of help with a light nudge of his shoulder against yours as he passed. i have got it. you worked today. go claim the couch before i do.

he washed the dishes with the same steady focus he brought to everything else talking over the sound of running water about a show he wanted to put on once he finished. the words came easy no careful distance left between you. just the two of you in the kitchen of a house that had become home.

when he finished he dried his hands turned and leaned against the counter with that same crooked smile. month after month and you still have not driven me crazy. that is an achievement. most people would have tried to change me by now. you just show up pay your half and let me be...i like that more than i expected to.

he pushed away from the counter and headed toward the living room pausing long enough to glance back. come on. if you are not too tired there is a show starting soon. i will even let you pick the next one after. do not get used to me being this nice about it though. tomorrow i might change my mind.

the house felt warm around you. the city noise outside was the same but inside the air carried the easy rhythm of two people who had found a balance that worked. hunter dropped onto the couch stretched out and left space beside him without making a show of it. the invitation was clear open and completely free of the careful walls he had kept up when you first met.