A fellow Cassarian shipper hosted a Cassarian Month in August 2023, and I decided to turn my entries for it into a month of different AUs! So here they are, along with short stories to go with the art!
Varian is a skilled musician. He spends most of his days at the piano composing beautiful scores and writing catchy tunes.
While Varian works, his pet Dalmatian, Maximus, pouts by the door. He wishes his human would go out into the world every once in a while, instead of sitting around here in this dank house playing music. But Varian is a bachelor, and his only interest is living for himself. And occasionally taking Maximus out for walks...
Staring out the window, Maximus watches all the people go by. Men, women, dogs, cats, cars... London is a big city full of big opportunities. That's when he spots them:
A tall human woman with short, black hair is walking her leashed Dalmatian along the sidewalk. The female Dalmatian is the most beautiful dog Maximus has ever seen! He has to meet her. And the human woman would be perfect for Varian, too. Maybe if he wasn't a bachelor, he would get out of the house more!
Maximus starts barking, and yanks on his leash that is hanging by the door.
"Not right now, Max. I'm onto something..." Varian says, not looking up from the piece he is composing.
But Maximus insists. He holds the leash in his mouth, and uses it to slap Varian on the leg.
"Ouch! Okay, okay! Point taken." Varian stands up from the piano bench, attaches the leash to Maximus' collar, and the two of them head out the door.
Practically dragging Varian behind him, Maximus attempts to pick up the scent of the beautiful female Dalmatian. He believes they may have headed to Regent's Park! Excitement bubbling within him, Maximus sprints toward the park.
"Whoa, slow down!" Varian shouts at him, struggling to keep up. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
Arriving at the park, Maximus spots the female Dalmatian up ahead, lying next to her owner who is sitting on a bench reading a book. He finally slows down, and strolls past the woman and her dog. Neither of them even glance up, and Varian doesn't seem to notice either of them.
Frustrated, Maximus leaps up and snatches Varian's hat off his head. "What are you doing?!" Varian protests, attempting to grab his hat back. But Maximus rushes away with it. He acts like he is playing with it, and then he tosses it onto the bench next to the woman.
Varian reaches for his hat, and for the first time he and the woman's eyes meet. "Heh... Sorry about that. I don't know what got into my dog."
"It's fine," the woman says. "I know a thing or two about Dalmatians. Fidella can be rambunctious at times."
Finally, the female Dalmatian raises her head up at hearing her name. She sees Maximus, stares at him for a brief moment, and then lays her head back down.
Varian puts his hat back on, and tugs on Maximus' leash. "Come on, boy. Let's go!"
But Maximus won't budge.
"Why are you being so weird today? Come on!" Varian tugs harder on the leash, beginning to drag Maximus with him. But Maximus digs his heels into the dirt, making things more difficult for Varian.
"I don't know what has gotten into you, but we are going home. Right now!" Varian scolds Maximus.
Still desiring to earn Fidella's attention, Maximus glances back in her direction to see if she is looking. But to his dismay, she and her human have gotten up from the bench, and are walking in the opposite direction! Maximus rushes after them, dragging Varian behind him once again.
Once Maximus catches up with them, he runs circles around them frantically, tangling his leash with Fidella's.
"Again, I'm so sorry, Miss!" Varian says embarrassedly. "Maximus has evidently lost his mind." He works to untangle the dogs, but by now Fidella can't take her eyes off of Maximus. His plan worked!
But even after all of this, Varian still continues to try to leave the park. He jerks on Maximus' leash again, but out of nowhere something long and yellow wraps around Varian and the woman, forcing them together. Varian blushes, as the woman regards him in shock.
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"Sorry for meddling, but I've been watching this entire event unfold," a young woman with unbelievably long blonde hair says as she approaches. Her hair is what is wrapped around Varian and the woman. "These dogs have the right idea. They want to be together, and want you two to notice each other! So, maybe you should pay better attention to them once in a while."
Maximus barks excitedly, happy that at least someone around here is observant.
"Forgive me for saying so, but I believe you two are meant to be!" The strange lady says. She unwinds her hair from around the startled people, and winks at them before strolling away.
Varian chuckles nervously, extending his hand towards the woman. "Hello, I'm Varian."
Hesitantly, the woman takes his hand. "Cassandra," she says, giving his hand a gentle shake.
"Cassandra..." Varian repeats, enjoying how her name feels upon his lips. "Well, um... Our dogs seem rather insistent upon staying together. So, perhaps, we should set something up for them?"
"Like, a date?" Cassandra says, raising an eyebrow. "For... our dogs?"
"Or, I don't know, it could be... a double date," Varian says with a shy smile.
Cassandra ponders this. She glances down at Maximus and Fidella, who are currently snuggled together, their tails wagging joyfully. Cassandra smirks, and raises her gaze to meet Varian's hopeful eyes. "Sure. A double date sounds nice..."
