SELFISH [Shirou x Reader]

10. Unexpected Conversations

Author's Notes:

Hello!

Once again I'm changing the shortcut name for the preferred pronoun from [pp] to [ppr] b/c I am feeling, under the weather, with the comprehension of its usage. English is something I'm sensitive about b/c ur girl was once an ESL student and although I'm happy that people are enjoying the content, I am uncomfortable with something created for inclusion to be misinterpreted as... otherwise. No ill feelings towards anyone: this is just to make your reading experience better! :)

[ph] = preferred honorific

[pn] = preferred noun

[ppr] = preferred pronoun

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As Shirou sauntered through the white sterile hallways of the hospital, he reflected on some of his personal interactions with the human.

Today, he brought a box of takoyaki, from a local street vendor, with him. Per _____'s request, Shirou made sure that he wasted not a second more with bringing this in time for lunch. ' Fresher is better! A chef spends a lot of time learning the art of cheapness and perfection. If we don't eat their food right away, we would be disrespecting their efforts! '

He wasn't in the mood to question why _____ believed this; he just knew that it was easier to entertain [ppr] antics. The last time he experienced such unpredictability in a human's behavior was when Michiru was still around. It wasn't like this human could shapeshift as [ppr] pleased or that [ppr] were spontaneous in helping him out on an assignment. That was Michiru's idiosyncrasy.

However, it was [ppr] mentality that drew Shirou back again and again. [Ppr] was far from what a beastkin could be: a puny human who never stood a chance in this city as soon as [ppr] stepped foot on land. [Ppr] stupidity sent [ppr] to the hospital. Yet, leaving [ppr] in such a vulnerable state didn't feel right to Shirou. He would bear the weight of guilt if he didn't at least watch the human as [ppr] recovered from the convict's bite.

'You're being hard on yourself again, Shirou,' a familiar voice rang in his head.

Shirou rolled his eyes.

He wasn't the type of beastkin to be fond of their loved ones. No . He still had the duty of protecting Anima City and all of its living beings. He just wasn't expecting to put so much time into someone so insignificant一 in comparison to the millions of other citizens who lived here. But why did he put so much effort into seeing [ppr] in the first place?

He didn't have to do any of this. He could have left _____ alone in the hospital. There wouldn't be anything more than a fleeting encounter when he carried [ppr] to the emergency room. Or, he could have left _____ after he bought [ppr] a new phone: [ppr] could have contacted the human police and asked them to bring [ppr] back. Was seeing the human really necessary?

'This is for the sake of all beastkin,' he told himself.

When they had their first conversation, Shirou was taken aback by the misery experienced in [ppr] hometown and the desire to escape from it. Based on his preconceptions, Shirou assumed that every human would be content with where they lived. With no beastkin in sight: what place wouldn't be paradise for this abhorrent race? Apparently, that wasn't the case for this one: a [pn] so eager to leave the comfort of friends and family behind in search of an unknown future. He wanted to figure out why an early adopter of this human residency program would want to stay here so much, especially after being attacked on the first day. Shirou's hope was that by understanding [ppr] behavior, he would learn why humans were so bent to misjudging beastkin.