"Oh! I'm Noah, and you're at my house... I found you in the..." Noah started, but he was cut off rudely by the taller boy.

"Oh, so you kidnapped me then?" the boy sneered, his gaze sharp.

"W-what? No! I just wanted to help..." Noah's voice softened, trying to calm him down. This stranger was like a terrified animal. The best way to take care of him was to stay relaxed. Sadly, this was significantly harder when the person seemed keen on being an asshole.

"What, are you going to kill me now?" the boy snapped accusingly.

Wow... I saved this guy's life, and he's accusing me of murder... Do I look like some kind of psycho?

"Excuse me? Why would I do such a thing? I told you, I wanted to help you!" This was not going according to plan.

"Humans always want something in return."

Noah winced slightly because even if he did want something in return, which he didn't, it would not be a corpse.

"Ah..." Noah's voice trailed off as he continued to think.

This random man was also calling humans as if they were some exotic creature from a nature documentary. Adding his ungratefulness and lack of manners on top of that wasn't helping his situation either.

All of this led to a very important question.

Who the hell is this guy?

Noah wasn't sure how much longer he could last because with every word that left the stranger's lips, he was getting more and more irritated.

Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, the boy said the strangest sentence possible.

"Get ready to be terrified," he said proudly, as if he were about to perform something extraordinary.

"Uhm... By what? Is it your ego by chance?" Noah responded dryly, but his stomach flipped from the sudden thrill of what this terrifying thing could entail.

The man's heterochromatic eyes, one hazel and the other blue, narrowed at him, unimpressed by his lack of fear.

"By this."

Then, deliberately, he lifted his hood, and Noah for the first time noticed the slightest hint of movement, which made him wonder whether it was a snake or, worse, a spider. Noah had originally left his clothes untouched mainly because he wanted to avoid touching a rando as much as possible.

As soon as the hood dropped, Noah's eyes landed on dark, fluffy, twitching ears. Then he untucked something from his pants, and a long, fluffed-up tail swayed behind him.

Noah swore his heart melted at the sight, like butter in a hot pan.

OH. MY. GOD.

HE HAS EARS. AND A TAIL. THEY ARE TWITCHING.

I MUST TOUCH. OR I WILL DIEEEEEEE.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

"Can I pet your ears, please? They're so cute and fluffy. PleasePleasePlease!" Noah squealed in delight, circling him like a tiny predator with... well, wide purple eyes.

"Tch. C-cute?! I am not cute. I am a werewolf, a feral, fierce, and majestic predator!" the boy declared like a war general, puffing out his chest with pride. Unfortunately, his tail swished behind him adorably, which made him look even less convincing.

Noah paused his admiring just to stare at him with the flattest expression possible.

...A what now?

Is he okay...?

Maybe the snow froze his brain...

Yes. That makes perfect sense. Very bad concussion.

I NEED WHATEVER TECHNOLOGY HE'S USING!

So realistic...

"Whatever, Mr. 'I'm a strong and majestic werewolf.' Sounds kinda emo, by the way... Can I just touch those ears?" Noah gasped loudly as another wonderful idea came to mind. "I can even groom you!"

The boy stared at him with the most offended face possible. He looked like Noah had suggested he eat chicken.

"W-what the hell?! Get away from me, you vicious human! How dare you touch the son of the werewolf chief?!"

Noah was gaping by then. The boy was very fluent in gibberish and was obviously delusional.

"Alright, buddy. At least tell me your name. I didn't know you people were that much into cosplaying here."

"Cosplaying? What is that?" Micah asked, his ears perking up curiously.

Noah sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The odds were this man was either an actual werewolf or a world-famous actor. Or something in between. Anything was possible.

"Just tell me your name. If you're going to be stubborn, at least give me some information about this 'werewolf fantasy' you live in."

The boy continued to glower stubbornly at him as his ears twitched back and forth atop his head. He sat back down on Noah's couch like he was claiming his property.

You know what? Time for a social experiment.

"Fine. Don't tell me your name. I'm just going to enjoy my delicious food all by myself." Noah started walking toward the kitchen confidently with a flip of his hair.

BAM! Got him!

"Food?" The man's ears perked up instantly, and his tail started wagging against the couch. Noah, meanwhile, leaned smugly against the counter, grinning.

Weakness unlocked.

"You heard right. And you're not getting any until you cooperate." Noah grinned, already lifting the cover off the pan.

"I'm not hungry."

He crossed his arms, then his legs, and his tail thumped against the couch in irritation. His jaw was clenched tightly as if he were fighting a battle between his dignity and whether or not he wanted to be fed.

His stomach gave a loud, embarrassing rumble, and he exhaled in defeat.

Then, in a slow, almost strained voice, he spoke.

"...It's Micah."

Noah tested the name gently on his lips. He liked the sound of it, simple but unique in its own way. It fit him somehow.

"Micah."

He turned toward him with a light smirk.

"Nice to meet you, Micah. So... tell me more about yourself."

And so, Micah told his story.