Warning: The following fanfiction will explore family fights. It's not extreme, but it might trigger a few people. Enjoy the story.

The wind slowly pushed against the leaves and grass. Crickets chirped right outside the window. The moonlight shined through the fish tank. The fishes' shadows swam across the floor. Dust in the air was like dull stars in the moonlight. A few grains of dust landed on a bedsheet.

Daichi slept soundly in his covers, his head on a feathery pillow. A plushie of Ragdoll was in his arms. He purred softly in his sleep. The room was peaceful.

The door slammed shut downstairs.

A loud slam invaded his dream, pulling him back into reality like a T.V. being turned off. Bloodshot eyes surveyed his dark bedroom. Eventually, they focused on the small stream of light leaking through the bottom of his door. He dragged himself out of bed while his muscles screamed in pain from a long day of training. He slowly opened the door.

"I shouldn't have to treat you like some teenager. When are you going to grow up?" Katsuo asked, exasperated.

"Maybe when you leave me alone!"

Daichi climbed down the stairs. His paw pads muted his footsteps. He stopped at the last remaining steps and poked/peered his head from around the hallway.

Katsuo growled at Haruko, who was barely standing up properly with a glass of alcohol so foul-smelling, Daichi wrinkled his nose from his hiding spot.

"I'll leave you alone when you start pulling your weight around this house instead of watching T.V all day!"

"Okay, fine, I'll do the chores." Haruko grabbed a bag of laundry. But as she did this, she dropped her cup into the bag, pouring the liquor all over the dirty clothes.

"Stop it!" Katsuo pulls the laundry basket out of her grasp.

"But you wanted me to do the chores!" Haruko whined.

"Not like this! What is wrong with you?!"

She suddenly broke down in tears. She looked like a complete mess in only five seconds. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, her cheeks and nose were almost the same shade of red with tears dripping down them. "Why are you like this to me?! I work so hard, and I am tired when I get home! What's wrong with me getting a drink after work?!" She sniffled loudly as tears streamed down her red eyes.

Katsuo was unfazed. "I'm not talking to you when you're like this."

"You never want to talk to me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she stormed up the stairs. Daichi clung to the wall hoping he would melt into the walls where she couldn't find him. It worked since she didn't see him through her tear-soaked eyes, but she stepped haphazardly on his tail, so he had to squeeze his jaw shut to keep from screaming. She went into their bedroom, slamming the door.

Katsuo stood there in the pitch-black room. With his black fur, it was like he was being swallowed up by the darkness. The only light came from his emerald green eyes shining. He pinched the skin between his eyes as his ears flattened against his skull.

"Daichi, just get over here. I know you're eavesdropping," Katsuo said.

Daichi left his hiding place and stood in front of his father.

"Son, why are you awake?"

"The door slamming woke me up."

"This is the fifth night you have been awake past midnight. Why aren't you sleeping?" Katsuo growled in frustration.

"Well, this is the fifth fight you've had at night," Daichi mumbled.

He sighed as his muscles relaxed.

"I know, I know...," Katsuo said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, if you're not going to go back to sleep, do you want a snack?"

Daichi nodded.

Katsuo motioned for Daichi to follow him as he walked to the kitchen. Daichi walked closely behind his father. He closed his eyes as the light from the refrigerator blinded him. Katsuo took out a plastic jug of milk then grabbed a jar of cookies out of the pantry.

Katsuo set down some chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk. Daichi took a seat at the table next to his father. His sharp teeth bit through the cookies with ease. The crumbs stuck to his teeth and tongue, but they were quickly washed away by the milk.

His father took a swig of bourbon from a shot glass. A flash of anger rippled through Daichi for a second. The dining room was so eerily silent, Daichi couldn't even hear the crickets outside; all he could hear was the ringing in his ears. He could feel his thoughts stray to darker ideas without any noise to drown them out. He quickly shoved one of the cookies into his mouth so the chomping could silence them.

"What are you going to do tonight?" Daichi asked.

"I'll just watch T.V and crash on the couch."

Katsuo rubbed at his eyes. Despite his father's pitch-black fur, Daichi could see the dark bags under his eyes.

After Daichi finished off his last cookie, Katsuo told him, "You should go to bed before it gets too late. You do have school, after all." The man took a seat on the couch with the remote in his furry hand as he flipped through channels.

Daichi walked back up the stairs and into his room, dragging his tail. He could hear his mom crying as he passed by his parents' room.

The sugary taste on his tongue made the night a little better, but the fight still lingered in his mind. There was a dull ache in his chest, and he couldn't close his eyes. He stared at his phone for the rest of the night.


The morning came quickly without warning. Daichi went into the bathroom with his clean uniform. He looked back at his reflection in the mirror and saw bloodshot eyes. He sighed and started brushing his unruly pelt, sticking out in every direction. After Daichi quickly performed his morning routine, he sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast.

His mother and father were already at the table with their food. No one said anything. Haruko looked like a mess; her hair was sticking everywhere, and her eyes were still bloodshot. Katsuo flexed his claws like he was aggressively kneading the table. Daichi scraped his fork against his plate as he avoided making eye contact. His fur felt prickly like porcupine quills.

Haruko left with her plate untouched and still refusing to say a word.

Katsuo set his plate in the sink after eating.

"Get ready for school, son." He patted his shoulder before heading to his room.

Daichi was left alone with the sound of the clock ticking. As uncomfortable as he felt, what unnerved him more was how he had grown accustomed to the feeling. The pit in his stomach and the pounding in his head was too familiar.

He dumped his food in a plastic container then placed it in the fridge.

"It's just the way things are," he muttered.

Daichi grabbed his backpack then headed outside.