Qiarah and Shino for the ship thing because some questions need answers
This got kind of long so I’m putting it under a readmore!
HMM OK I had to go look at his app to remind myself of some stuff but I THINK it would have gone a lot better if their first meeting hadn’t been when they were kits. Like, Shino was super salty about being upstaged by all these youngsters and not having his family be the only group of kits in LT, but if Qi had come in when he was six moons old, I think Shino would have already been more tolerant, if not completely civil. He would have been kind of interested in there being another trans male cat in his tribe, and he’d probably have taken Qi under his wing a bit, and at first he’d have been a little pompous and overbearing, but he would calm down pretty quick and become like a protective figure for Qi throughout his apprenticeship. When his sleep apnea started acting up during the plague, he would have moved his nest to sleep next to Qi and kept a close eye on him until he got too sick to do so. He probably also would have gone with him to bring the cure to Qi’s family (though I’m sure Ci would have come too).
Over time I imagine Qi’s little baby crush on Shino from when he was an apprentice would grow into a bigger, real crush, and Shino would come to love Qi a lot as well. Qi would have to be the one to ask Shino out, but Shino would definitely say yes. Honestly though, I feel like for Shino, he’d always view Qi as a sort of younger brother figure, due to knowing him since he was a kit, and he’d eventually confess this to him and say that maybe they should break up. He’d try to remain friends with Qi, but I think it would be up to Qi if he would be comfortable staying friends with Shino.
Endgame would probably still be Cielo/Qiarah since I can’t really imagine them NOT being together, lmao... But Shino would cheer them on and be very happy for Qi, and tell him something like “No matter what or who you choose, I’ll always love you.”
