(Since I got a positive response on my question about showing my short writing excerpts, here’s one about Tiger and Cokoor right after they first meet. Note that this may not be 100% canon by the time I plan out their story, but you’ll at least get an idea of how their relationship starts out.)
“You better not be doing anything Ruby…” Tiger muttered under his breath as the soft sound of movement started to pull him from sleep. He just needed 5 more minutes. That was all he needed.
More movement. Then a rustle. Was something near his pillow?
Tiger grudgingly opened one eye, blinking against the light. Expecting to see Ruby’s mischievous face, he was surprised when at first he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Then with a jolt he realized a small face was peeking back at him, barely seen over the edge of the pillow.
“WHAT THE--” Tiger shot up to a half sitting position, his arms resting on his blankets. With a squeak, a 5 inch figure scrambled back and huddled on the floor. Crouching with it’s back against the wall, she stared back up at him with wide eyes.
Tiger could only stare back. This thing again?! He had thought he had only dreamed it up the night before. But ever since then, it seemed to constantly pop up out of nowhere. Even as he stared, he wasn’t fully sure if he was losing it or not.
Quickly he glanced around the abandoned room. The blankets on the floor beside him lay vacant. At this point he wasn’t even surprised that Luna and Ruby were gone. This little thing only seemed to appear when they were gone.
His gaze returned to the small dessert-like creature, and he realized it was standing now. Its own gaze locked onto his, never wavering. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem scared. Maybe shocked? Tiger couldn’t tell.
The silence between the two lengthened. Then the small figure to one step forward. Then another. And another. Slowly but steadily it drew closer. At last, it stopped right in front of him and very carefully reached out to touch his arm.
Tiger tensed a little at the touch. If he was just imagining things, he wouldn’t have been able to feel that, right? Or be able to feel the gentle squeezing as if his skin was an entirely new concept to this creature. And he wouldn’t be smelling the chocolate, strawberries, and whipped cream it was made out of either. Right?
Just one sniff was enough to make his mouth start watering. Crap. He hadn’t eaten anything yet, and he was starving...
“You’re so big.”
The words snapped Tiger out of his train of thought, and he stared at the dessert creature, who stared back in curiosity. It--no wait, she--could talk?! Up until this point he had only heard her one scream the first time they met, and the occasional squeak here and there. “Wh--how are you talking?!” he finally gasped.
The creature tilted her head as she contemplated this question. “I...don’t know?” She finally admitted.
Well that told him a lot. Tiger shook his head in disbelief, his mind still reeling over the fact that he was looking at a walking, talking dessert. Sure, he had seen some other crazy looking races, but talking food? This was starting to weird him out.
Meanwhile the creature had resumed feeling him, shifting from his upper arm down to his forearms. Tiger kept still, not sure if he should continue allowing this, or say enough and pull away. Why was she doing this anyway? Had she never seen a human before? From her fascinated expression, he wondered if that was it.
After what felt like ages, the small figure at last seemed to come to a decision. To Tiger’s shock, she suddenly flopped down onto his forearms as if they were a bunk bed. “You feel nice.” she commented, looking up at him, sporting a smile for the first time since he had met her.
Tiger could only return the smile with a bewildered expression. Where did this come from? She literally screamed in terror when they first met, but now she was acting like they were becoming friends! He couldn’t wrap his mind around this sudden change. Neither could he grab hold of any of the millions of questions tumbling around his head to properly ask.
Seeming to take his silence as permission to keep doing what she was doing, the creature settled down on his arms, curling up and using her own arms as a pillow.
Tiger’s first reaction would usually be to pull away and growl, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to. Whatever this dessert creature was, she made him think of a really young kid….like maybe a 5 year old? And if he was being honest, he felt bad about snapping at little kids.
“Uh...hey, I gotta get up you know.” he finally spoke up, still confused. He was met with silence.
“Hey, didn’t you hear me?!” Still nothing.
Carefully Tiger freed one of his arms and gave the creature a little nudge with his finger. In response, she shifted, moving her head just enough to reveal that her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep on him.
“Wh--seriously?!” How did she fall asleep so fast? It had been only a few minutes! And he had only woken up a few minutes ago! Had she stayed up all night or something? Tiger groaned. Why did he even let her do this in the first place? After a moment of awkward silence, Tiger leaned down to get a better look at the sleeping figure.
He instantly regretted it. A fresh wave of chocolate and strawberry smell hit his nose, filling him with an overwhelming desire to take a bite.
Before he even realized what he was doing, Tiger scooped the dessert creature into his free hand, and began raising her to his mouth. His sharp crystal fangs hovered barely an inch away from her head by the time his conscience caught up with him and made him pause.
What was he doing? This thing might be made of his favorite food, but she wasn’t just a dessert. She could talk. Even worse, she seemed so young. ‘But,’ a part of him argued, ‘if you’re just imagining all this, then it doesn’t matter, right?’
Caught between his head screaming ‘no’ and his stomach screaming ‘yes’ Tiger froze, mouth partially open as he stared at what could very well become his victim nestled in his hand.
She remained blissfully asleep, unaware that she could be in serious danger. At least, until she shifted without warning.
Feeling a sudden rush of guilt, Tiger’s eyes widened, and he quickly shut his mouth.
The creature turned over, seemingly trying to get comfortable. Then, unexpectedly, her small hands discovered his thumb. Immediately wrapping her arms around it, she settled back down to a peaceful sleep.
Guilt lingered in the pit of Tiger’s stomach. He definitely couldn’t take a bite out of her now. If he was honest with himself, he wouldn’t be able to live with his own guilt after doing so.
Groaning softly, he lowered his hand until it rested on his pillow. He was still really hungry though. Why did she have to approach him first thing in the morning?
He really needed breakfast. The thought spurred him into motion. He shifted, preparing to stand up, and tried to set the dessert creature onto his pillow without waking her up. The attempt was mostly a success--until he realized she wasn’t letting go of his thumb.
“Oh come on!” he muttered under his breath. It took having to pry open her grip with his other hand, but at last he managed to free his thumb. For being so small, her grip was surprisingly strong. With a sigh of relief, Tiger took the opportunity to quietly stand up and shuffle off to the kitchen. With any luck, maybe she’d be gone by the time he got back.