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“Berry! C’mon girl!” Chan called out into the inky, shadowy expanse of his backyard. He’s stood between the threshold of his cozy little home in the eastern corner of Sydney, and the unencumbered night air unfurled on the other side of the sliding plate-glass door.
The air is thick and balmy. Heady and mossy. But what else would you expect from Australia in December? Each particle of oxygen feels so palpably humid, it’s as if microscopic weights are fastened to each dew drop hanging in the air.
“Berry!” Chan yelled again, cupping his hand over his lips to make his voice carry even farther into the recesses of his backyard. He’s straining to hear any noticeable tells of his canine best friend—his geriatric cocker spaniel—over the din of late night magpies and wild parrots. He had recently let his beloved pup out to do her business, and he’s eagerly awaiting her return.
Usually, Berry takes around 5 to 10 minutes to bound out of the house and into their spacious backyard, complete what nature demanded, and then toddle back to paw at the smudged panel of the glass patio door—alerting Chan she’s ready to be let back inside. After sniffing at any random pocket of lichen, and possibly harassing any stray critters who happen to be passing through the yard, of course. He just heard her yip and bark in what can only be presumed as excitement, so Chan at least knows she’s probably ok. But Berry’s been gone for going on 15 minutes! And if Chan is one thing, it’s a constantly worried dog father.
Hence, why he’s anxiously twiddling his thumbs while staring vaguely-helplessly into the murky yard before him. Oh no, what if a particularly feisty goanna took a chomp out of Berry’s tail?!
But then he heard it! The telltale jangling of the heart-shaped tag on her collar! The hardly perceptible click clack of her nails against the terracotta patio floor! Berry’s comin’ on home!
The ancient proverb is right—dogs really are man’s best friend. Chan doesn’t know what he would do without Berry. Even in her old age, with patches of grey mingling with her mottled coat of burnt umber and creamy ecru, she still gazes at Chan with those big, sparkly eyes like he’s the most beautiful thing in the world. Without her, Chan wouldn’t have anyone to binge watch Parks and Rec with! Or anyone to cuddle with at night in bed like a living stuffed animal!
Yes, Berry is Chan’s best friend. Well, his best nonhuman friend. And now he can see her squat little frame waddling back into the thin blanket of light cast onto the patio from the living room; her floppy ears waving about like hanging banners as she pads back at the sound of Chan’s voice.
But wait...Berry’s silhouette looks... odd. In spite of her white and orange form still being largely muted in shadow, Chan can make out something on her back. It looks like Berry has a hunchback! Or more accurately a hump back, because there is definitely something stuck onto her coat! Maybe she got caught in a thicket of burrs or brambles? It certainly looks like there’s a whole bush stuck to her!
“Berry! What’s gotten onto y—oh my god.”
Well, mystery solved. Berry just hopped over the small metal divider separating the patio with the living room—tongue lolling out of her jowls, without a care in the world.
And that thing on her back? Yeah, Chan knows what that is now. Because Berry is now happily standing in the mellow light of the living room, tail wagging like a broken mechanical toy, with a baby koala clutching onto her back.
A koala! A literal koala! A small fuzzy grey lump no bigger than a child’s teddy, burying its little face into Berry’s fur like she’s some mythical savior prophesied by all koala-kind. Its hands are desperately latched onto tufts of her fluffy pelt, effectively keeping the baby marsupial securely attached to his dog’s back.
Chan lives in Australia—he’s seen koalas in the wild before. Heck, in his childhood home kangaroos used to graze in their front yard! But really?! A koala joey really had to choose his poor, unsuspecting pooch as its mobile home?!
“Berry! What—how did this happen?!” Chan exclaimed, as if he seriously expected his dog to go on a rant explaining how the koala managed to clamber onto her back. Well, that at least explains Berry’s round of hyperactive yipping before. And why her return inside was so damn prolonged!
He knelt down, gently clasping Berry’s collar in his hand to keep her steady. The older canine is panting quite heavily—presumably from the added weight of a baby koala all but surgically strapped to her back—but overall, she seems just peachy. Unlike Chan, who’s kinda freaking out right now. Not just kinda, actually.
Chan is freaking out.
The baby koala lifted its little grey head as Chan gazed at it, his eyes perplexed and brows furrowed. But then he met the koala’s stare and damn. That thing is cute. Like, the cutest thing Chan’s ever seen— no offense to Berry, of course. It honestly doesn’t even look real; Chan wouldn’t bat an eyelash if someone told him the juvenile marsupial is truly a children’s stuffed animal magically come to life.
In the dim, cozy lighting of Chan’s living room the koala’s grey fur almost seems to take on a vaguely lilac hue? His eyes must be playing tricks on him, but still, the little critter’s pelt continues to appear as some odd median between stormy grey and a dried bouquet of lavender. That’s...odd. Also odd? How lucid the creature’s eyes look—almost as if it knows Chan won’t hurt it, and that it’s safe with him. Despite being impossibly dark and incredibly sparkly, the koala’s eyes are borderline human in how they are boring right into Chan!
Creepy, if you ask him. Of course, the adorable appearance of the little critter vastly outweighs its uncannily knowing eyes. So Chan just shook his head, accepting tonight as one of the weirdest nights of his life, and tried to scrape together some form of a plan to deal with the little guy.
He can’t just throw it back into his backyard like a catch-and-release fish! It’s so small, what if it gets lost or hurt in the dark?! Chan would never live with himself! So he made the executive decision to board the koala overnight, and then re-release it with the light of the next day. If it doesn’t like his choice, it shouldn’t have picked his dog as its living hotel for the night now should it!
“Alright little guy, just stay cool.” Chan spoke gently, trying to placate the tiny grey blob still firmly fastened to his dog’s back. The koala is, admittedly, quite calm and not distraught in the slightest. Chan’s rambling is more so to keep himself calm than anything. With tangibly unsure movements, Chan’s fingers inched towards the furry lump on Berry’s pelt.
He hovered his digits above the critter with the unease of an agent tasked with diffusing a bomb, not a pudgy wild animal. But he's nervous, ok?! Contrary to popular belief, Aussies aren't taught proper-koala-handling etiquette in primary school, and the last thing he wants is to hurt the thing!
But with that thought in mind, Chan deftly wedged his fingers beneath the baby koala’s tummy, gently grasping its back with his thumbs. And then, he pulled. Softly, of course. He does have the marsupial’s best interest at heart, but he’s gotta get it off poor Berry!
And surprisingly, much to Chan’s relief, the thing allowed itself to be pried off with little to no rebuttal. Sure, its pudgy little arms swung about in the absence of Berry’s fur, desperately searching for something to reattach to, but it didn’t whine or squeal or cry. Chan took that as a good sign.
Chan’s eyes darted about his living room, looking for somewhere to keep the koala safely overnight. His borderline frantic gaze then landed on one of his accent pillows on the sofa; perfect! Well maybe not perfect, but it'll have to do.
Chan slowly padded over to the sofa, motions careful and cautious so as not to jar the baby koala cuddled up to his chest. It pawed at his sweater, already closing its little fingers on the fabric so it has something to grasp.
With the same gentle movement from before, Chan wrenched the koala’s fingers from where they were balling up his sweater, and placed the critter flush onto the pillow. Instantly, it hugged the cushion, wrapping all its tubby arms and legs around it like a furry grey octopus.
“Alright!” Chan cheered at the sight of the koala seeming to approve of his choice of its bed for the night. “Well, looks like you got a roommate tonight, aye Berry?” Chan mused, absentmindedly reaching down to rub some comforting strokes on Berry’s forehead. The pup toddled over to investigate as Chan placed the koala on its pillow-mattress, but she waited patiently and didn’t stick her muzzle where it shouldn’t be. She didn’t even bark. What a good girl, Chan thought to himself.
The artfully vintage wall clock above his sofa struck midnight—it’s late. And he’s exhausted. Well, Chan supposes that’s what koala wrangling does to you.
“C’mon Ber’, let’s head to bed.” Chan announced after a yawn stretched his lips, gesturing for Berry to follow him into his bedroom. The pup immediately complied, jumping in recognition before skipping after her owner.
And with that Chan surrendered to slumber, with Berry curled up into a white and orange ball snoring lightly at his side. It’s warm, he feels so warm—but it’s not uncomfortable. He fell asleep with a small smile upturning his lips.
Bright and early tomorrow, he has a koala to let back into glorious Mother Nature.
ʕ♡˙ᴥ˙♡ʔ
If Chan thought yesterday was hands down the strangest night of his life, this morning doesn’t even hold a candle on the weirdness-scale.
Chan is currently standing stiffly in his living room. Frozen before his sofa, with an expression of pure incredulity on his face. Shock and vexation and horror all rolled up in one. His eyes are wide open, his lips pursed in a firm, grim line. It’s right about now that Chan is very glad Berry is still sleeping soundly in his bedroom, safely tucked away from the madness before his eyes.
Because where Chan left a slumbering koala last night, there is now a full grown human boy snoring away.
Like, a legit boy. A person. Read: not a koala in the slightest.
He can’t be much older than 20 years old, with a lanky form that looks crumpled and awkward snuggled up on Chan’s couch. He’s wearing only a simple white t-shirt, and equally unassuming indigo jeans. He’s barefoot, and Chan can see the layer of dirt caked onto the soles of his feet with how his legs are curled up into his chest. His skin is sun-kissed bronze, and a mop of pastel lavender locks messily fall over his softly shut eyes—Chan can’t even make out the majority of his features through the screen of mussed pastel tresses. His hair is lilac, but Chan can’t deny there’s a muted undertone of cloudy grey underneath the ethereal lavender hue. Grey and lilac mingling together...it sounds vaguely familiar.
But Chan is much too taken aback to care.
The koala is completely gone! Now all that’s greeting Chan is some weird ass stranger clutching the pillow Chan left the baby marsupial on last night like it’s a lifeline!
He’s sure he locked his patio door last night, and there’s no question if his front door and windows were securely barred shut before he went to bed. All the panes are intact, and there’s not a single shard of glass to be seen on the hardwood. So how in the Hell did this kid get in?! What could he have done to Chan’s house overnight that tuckered him out that much to warrant falling asleep on his target’s couch! And what if this hooligan did something to that poor, innocent baby koala?! Chan will have his head, that’s what!
That’s it—Chan demands answers!
“Hey! Get up!” Chan barked, stalking over to the peaceful snoozing teen and violently shaking his shoulder. The boy instantly jolted awake, his eyes shooting open as slumber was forcefully wrenched from his grasp. Chan noticed a small puddle of drool seeped into the top of his accent pillow, in the wake of the strange boy shoveling his face into the cushion. Yuck— that’s going straight in the wash, once this living nightmare is over.
The boy bolted upright, almost knocking foreheads with Chan in the process. And when he did startle awake, Chan finally got a good look at this (possible-robber-that-fell-asleep-on-his-couch) miscreant’s face.
Droopy, hazel brown eyes that are still visibly puffy from the throes of slumber. Pouting lips pulled into a surprised frown, but still pretty pink and shimmering. A dollop of drool still staining the corner of his mouth. Angular cheekbones and a sweet button nose, and even freckles. A beautiful smattering of light brown dots fanning his cheeks and across the bridge of his nose. The elegant sunspots appear like a flock of bobbing dandelion seeds took permanent residence in the boy’s skin.
If he weren’t, you know, a complete stranger in Chan’s house, Chan might even consider him cute. Very, very cute. But alas, he is a complete stranger in Chan’s house.
“W-wha—oh, hey! You’re the guy who saved me last night. Thanks for that!” The mysterious pastel-haired kid exclaimed, recognition crossing his features as he met Chan’s fiery stare. His arched brows mellowed, his lips pulled into an easy, crooked smile as he gazed at Chan. He even raised a tiny hand and lazily wiped the splotch of spit from the corner of his lips with the back of his wrist.
But wait, what?! What does he mean by…“ saved me”?
“W-what are you talking about?” Chan murmured, suddenly feeling queasy as a seemingly impossible picture began to take shape before his incredulous eyes. There’s no way—
“Ah yeah, sorry. I’m the koala from last night.” The boy stated easily, casually. Nonchalantly, as if he’s merely announcing himself as Chan’s fucking Uber driver.
Oh, there’s a way, Chan. There’s always a way.
Chan blinked. He stared dead and blank as his brain shattered in his skull. This kid must be drunk. Or high, or something keeping him ditzy enough to say something so...nonsensical!
“You... you’re the koala. From last night.” Chan parroted back, scuttling back on the couch so he’s a safe distance from the freckled stranger spouting poppycock on his sofa with him. Who knows what else he could be capable of!
The boy nodded. Chan felt his throat begin to constrict.
“Yup. I’m a were-koala—and before you say anything, yes, we exist. I fell out of your gum tree last night, and I landed on that nice little fluffy dingo you live with.” The boy continued, and wow was his voice always that goddamn deep?! It probably was, and Chan was a tad distracted before to take full notice.
Not like he’s doing any better mentally right now, of course.
He...fell out of Chan’s gum tree? He does in fact have an old, withering gum tree in the far right corner of his backyard, where parrots and kookaburras often roost and chatter about. And what did he say about a small, fluffy ding— oh . Oh no.
“Fluffy di—do you mean Berry?!” Chan virtually shrieked, running a clammy hand through his head of unruly brown curls. The boy shrugged, his lips jutting into an endearing pout as he did so.
“I guess? If that’s what those things are called? I’ve never met a ‘Berry’ before!” The kid happily announced, his eyes forming sparkling little crescents as he bounced in place with excitement. Literally bounced. Like a kangaroo.
Or perhaps more accurately in the wake of this absurdity; like a koala. Which aren’t even known for bouncing!
Chan’s eye twitched. This isn’t happening.
Oh, poor naive Bang Chan. Yes it is.
“Berry is my dog. Are you—are you seriously that baby koala?” Chan’s tone suddenly flattened into something verging on deadly serious. Maybe even a tad threatening, as he narrowed his eyes in skepticism. He stared the boy down, scrutinizing his every move for some visible tell of his lies falling apart. But there was no such tell to be seen. No melting of his demeanor of complete seriousness. No crack in his armor or non-verbal cue he’s secretly pulling Chan’s leg.
The kid is not only sober, he’s serious. Almost painfully so.
“Yep! My name’s Felix, by the way. What’s yours?”
How nice! The were-koala—which apparently not only exist, but are scuttling about in his backyard— has a name! A human name at that! Oh happy day!
“I must have a good few kangaroos loose in the paddock.” Chan murmured, voice barely above a strained whisper. Coupled with his vacant, thousand yard stare, Chan looks like he just witnessed something terrible. Maybe more accurately, something life changing .
“Kangaroos? I knew a kangaroo once, his name was Eric! He was so nice!” Felix eagerly exclaimed, clapping his delicate hands together in a display of genuine euphoria.
A kangaroo named Eric, huh. Yup! Chan’s officially lost his mind. Barely 22 and already bonkers! That’s gotta be a record, Chan thinks.
But before him is Felix the were-koala. Supposed were-koala. He’s gazing at Chan, eyes starry and full of expectation. Full of hope. Anticipating. Right. He’s still eagerly waiting for Chan’s introduction. Everything Felix does seems to be hyperactive and eager. Even as he sits on Chan’s couch, gently rocking back and forth with sugar-rush energy. Well, Chan might as well ignore the glaring absurdity bludgeoning him upside the head, and answer.
“Chan. My n-name is Chan.” He supplied, his brown eyes dazed and far, far away. So this is really happening. His sanity flying up north for the summer is still up for debate.
Felix seemed appropriately satisfied with his introduction, in spite of how stilted and awkward it may have been. “Nice to meet you, Chan! Thank you again for taking me in, I really appreciate it.” Felix mused, a blinding grin stretching his plump lips as he spoke.
Chan couldn’t help but melt under the boy’s beaming smile—the expression is like the goddamn summer sun grew eyes and a cute button nose! And a splattering of freckles, to boot.
But before he could react, Felix took it upon himself to virtually leap forward and engulf Chan in a bone-crushing hug. Chan felt all the oxygen in his lungs squeeze past his lips as Felix wrapped his arms around Chan’s chest, before bringing his legs up to encircle his waist. The koala-boy buried his face into Chan’s neck, in a fashion akin to how he had his face shoveled into the accent pillow before Chan woke him up. Chan might as well be a pillow turned sentient, with how Felix is tightly squeezing every drop of oxygen from his chest as one juices a fresh tangerine.
Felix’s breath is hot. Hot and damp. Balmy like a day in Australia in December—but somehow not uncomfortable in the slightest.
Ok, now Chan fully believes this kid is the human version of that all-too cuddly koala.
“O-ok, Felix,” Chan wheezed, “You’re crushing my lungs.” And his windpipe, and ribs, and all his other vital organs, but who’s keeping track.
Felix loosened his vice-grip hug, but didn’t release his hold entirely. “Oops! Sorry Channie, I’m kinda cuddly.” Felix observed, and Chan could hear the smile in voice as he dove back to nuzzle his head back into the crook of Chan’s neck. Channie? Chan thought to himself with a silent chuckle. It seems they’re already on a nickname basis—he doesn’t feel terribly perturbed about that.
Chan rolled his eyes. But in a shocking turn of events, a rosy and feather-soft blush crept up his throat before nesting on the apples of his cheeks. In an even more startling move, Chan brought his hands up to lightly rest on Felix’s dainty back.
“I can see that. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a stage-5 clinger.” Chan joked, a genuine grin breaking onto his lips as he felt Felix shift under his gentle grip. His brain is much too far gone to fully question this morning’s events, so he might as well accept...whatever this is. Might as well embrace—literally and figuratively—the odd, but undoubtedly sweet, boy in his living room who happens to be a fuzzy little koala by night. He lives in Australia for God’s sake; he’s sure stranger things have happened.
Granted this unbelievable occurrence might give whatever else is on that list a run for its money, but still. Felix is soft and warm, and Chan could admittedly get used to the feeling of his body fitting against his like a long-lost puzzle piece.
“I think I’m higher than stage-5, Channie.” Felix is pouting again. Chan can feel how his velveteen lips now graze the junction of his neck and his shoulder.
Chan just laughed. Laughed, because what else is he expected to do? “So...what now? Don’t you have, I don’t know, a family? A mom, or something, to go back to?”
Uh oh, maybe Chan shouldn’t have asked that—very reasonable and sound query—because Felix instantly tensed in the wake of the words leaving his lips. It was at this point Felix took it upon himself to finally pull himself free from Chan’s all-encompassing embrace. If Chan immediately missed the feeling of Felix's slight frame nestled against his, he ignored it.
Felix shook his head, his feathery lilac locks bouncing with the movement. “No...I don’t. My mom died after she had me so I’ve kinda been...living on my own? In your gum tree?” His eyes are suddenly glassy, a lacquer of newfound emotion blanketing his chestnut irises. Chan felt his heart quake behind his ribs.
In my gum tree, huh, Chan thought to himself with a small shake of his head. Who would’ve thought.
He couldn't help but instantly take pity on Felix; the poor boy has no one, quite literally. He’s so sweet and kind and full of life and—Chan knows what he needs to do.
“Well,” Chan began with a huff, adjusting his position on the cramped cushion of the plush sofa. He might wanna think some more before he says the next words dancing on the tip of his tongue. But in true Chan fashion, he didn’t. Not in the slightest.
“You’re free to stay here, I guess? Like, here here. Not in my gum tree.” He muttered, averting his gaze as he sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck. But with the way Felix immediately perked up in Chan’s arms, how his downcast eyes lit up from within and his lips bloomed into a smile more beautiful than springtime magnolias, Chan suddenly didn’t regret his hasty offer anymore.
“Really?! Thank you, Channie!” Cried Felix, before unceremoniously tackling Chan in a second bone-breaking hug. Just like earlier, he wrapped his arms and legs around Chan like a purple-haired boa constrictor, wringing out Chan’s lungs like two dirty dish towels in the process. But different from Felix’s previous koala-hug, Chan didn’t plan on prying him off any time soon.
“Well strap a brush to my back and call me an echidna, I’ve got a were-koala living with me.” Chan softly mused under his breath, more to himself than to the humanoid-koala in question. However, that didn’t seem to phase Felix in the slightest.
“Oh, oh! I knew an echidna once! His name was Kevin, and he was so nice, Chan! So nice!” Felix virtually shrieked into Chan’s ears. He felt his eardrum bleed a tad.
But Felix’s sheer enthusiasm quickly slapped a proverbial band-aid on Chan’s ruptured ears, and wrapped his heart in a cashmere blanket of affection. Maybe Berry bringing a—previously—unwanted guest inside turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
A blessing in the disguise of a fuzzy little koala.
ʕ 0//ᴥ//0ʔ
Chan was on the cusp of drifting into slumber when he heard his bedroom door creak open. Berry is a snoring lump at the foot of his bed, so there’s no question as to who the culprit of his door’s rusty hinges squealing could be from.
“Felix?” Chan grumbled, sitting up in bed and rubbing sleep from his eyes with a closed fist. And lo and behold, who does Chan see in the doorway? None other than Felix, nervously teetering from foot to foot and wringing his hands in the threshold.
Chan isn't terribly surprised to see human Felix wobbling about in the door frame; the boy revealed to Chan earlier that he can control his koala-transformations at will, and he’ll stay primarily in human form now that he's with Chan. With Chan. That's got a nice ring to it. It was just him and Berry before but now it’s... them and Berry . It’s nice. He could get used to it.
“Chan? Can I...is it ok if I sleep in bed with you?” Chan almost had to strain over the blare of his fan to hear Felix’s question. Almost. Right—he should’ve expected this. Felix, being a were-koala, is about as clingy as a bad rash. On his first night ever sleeping over in his house, Chan should’ve predicted the kid craving some good ol’ skin on skin comfort.
“Of course, come on in.” Chan’s voice is raspy, and still a sleep-ravaged mess. Luckily, Felix seemed to have heard his approval loud and clear.
The boy instantly brightened, his eyes glittering with such brilliance they threatened to bathe Chan’s pitch-black bedroom in the light of the midday sun.
The were-koala skipped up to Chan’s bed—taking care not to disturb Berry—and clambered under the covers. Within 10 seconds of his arrival under the duvet, he wrapped his arms and legs nice and tight around Chan’s body; instantly creating a sloppy tangle of limbs that did little to combat the heat of a blistering Australian summer night. Not like Chan cared in the slightest. Felix nuzzled his head into the center of Chan’s shoulder blades, his hands linked over the latter’s taut stomach like a living, breathing robe cinched at his waist.
Chan’s warm. So, so warm—but it’s not uncomfortable. Not at all.
Chan has a sneaking suspicion that this will become their nightly routine; and that proposition doesn't sound bad in the slightest. Although, Chan might wanna consider investing in a bigger mattress. And industrial air conditioning.
“Goodnight, Felix.” Chan managed to mutter, before the combination of the fatigue nipping at his eyes and Felix’s limbs securely swaddling his body forced sleep to overtake him.
“Goo’ night, Channie.” Felix slurred, voice equally pummeled by exhaustion.
And so the two fell asleep. Arms locked, legs locked. Heartbeats steady and calm, intertwined and enlaced as one.