Written for the 'Veg Out' space on my fluffbingo card for 2019 Q2.

"Ah, Takashi, there you are," Hebert said, smiling as he caught sight of Takashi sitting in the lounge, "I thought you'd be in the library; I've been looking for you."

Takashi might have had the right idea, though; the library was full of anxious cadets studying for the exams this week and next, and the lounge was quiet. And Takashi was still reading, as Hebert had expected, but settled instead on a couch with a fluffy blanket over his legs.

"Did you need me for something?" Takashi asked, looking up.

Hebert moved further into the room, and Takashi closed the book, holding his place with one finger, and stroked the blanket with his free hand. Hebert couldn't help eyeing him strangely, but then the black draped over Takashi's legs shifted - all of it, including one curling streak which turned out to be a long tail as it extended from the mass of fur.

Hebert's eyes widened. "Whoa, what the-" A pair of vibrant purple eyes locked on his own, and Hebert fell abruptly silent. The great cat's head rose slowly from its place tucked against Takashi's hip.

Takashi muttered something and pulled at one fluffy, rounded ear, and the panther snorted, tail lashing, and stretched, curling itself up across Takashi's legs again and resting its head heavily against his forearm.

Hebert swallowed and braced himself, continuing on towards Takashi. "I was just going to ask you if you'd reviewed for the charting exam yet, and what you thought of Dermann's theorem. . ." he explained, waving the tablet he held in one hand.

Takashi looked up at him again with a smile. "Sorry, I've been taking a break. . ." He held up the book in illustration. It looked like something Kern would have assigned to Hebert, but . . . whatever Takashi wanted to do with his free time, he supposed. "We needed a little time to de-stress, you know?"

His fingers dug into the thick fur at the base of the panther's neck, and Hebert reflexively flinched. He knew better - hell, this had to be a friend of Takashi's, although Hebert was a little scrambled by seeing a real live great cat shifter, that was insane, who actually had a great cat shape - but he couldn't help it.

"Well, uh, thanks anyway; I don't want to disturb your break time." Hebert said, ducking his head and smiling back.

"Thanks. There's a good treatise that helps explain on the mainframe, though." Takashi suggested, waving his book vaguely. "Indexed by the theorem. Harper, et al."

"Thanks! I'll look it up!" Hebert took a step backwards as the panther raised its head with a narrow-eyed look. "Better go now, before I forget." he added with a nervous glance at Takashi.

"Mmhm." Takashi replied absently, looking down at the panther.

Which suddenly softened from the intimidating glare - overkill, if anything, on a shape like that - and looked up at him, tail slowly flicking along the couch. Shiro rubbed his hand against the panther's cheek and Hebert headed for the library, quietly reframing from 'Takashi's friend' to 'Takashi's partner' because there was no way they were looking at each other like that - one in their soul form even - and they weren't.

Part of Hebert wondered who it was - a panther, that was . . . impressive - but he was already focusing on finding the suggested treatise, hoping Harper et al could untangle the mental muddle that was all he had by way of 'understanding' Dermann's theorem at the moment.

"You know," Shiro said wryly, looking back down at Keith after the door closed behind his classmate, "this is relaxing, and we did need a break, but maybe we should have done it in one of our rooms. . ."

Keith looked up at him innocently, eyes wide and ears angled up at him. His tail continued to sweep back and forth slowly, curling a little. Shiro hummed, raising his eyebrows. Keith purred, lifting one paw and lightly grabbing Shiro's forearm, hard claws barely brushing his skin.

Shiro huffed a laugh, lightly tossing his book down towards the other end of the couch, past Keith's tail, and ruffling his fur, scritching behind one ear. Keith drew a deep breath and sighed, rubbing his head against Shiro firmly enough to all but knock the breath from him, muscles flexing all down his powerful body under the sheen of inky fur in the bright lights.

Shiro stroked his side and wrapped an arm around his neck. Keith let out a rumbling sound a little rougher than a purr and shifted across his legs, thumping into his side and rubbing his head there again, closing his eyes. Shiro sighed and patted Keith's ribs lazily.

Keith stretched his head up and gently nosed Shiro's cheek, and he smiled, nuzzling into the touch. Shiro let himself melt under the insistent cuddling, mind mostly - and peacefully - blank.