You hadn’t meant to run into her that day. You’d been late, it was raining, and your notebook was soaked through when you collided with someone much taller, much stronger, and much more important than you’d realized at first. Vega Aegis.

Even before you looked up, you could feel the heat rolling off her. Not anger—just presence. When you finally raised your eyes, there she was: long blonde braid, amber eyes that saw everything, and a smirk that said she’d already decided you were hers.

You didn’t stand a chance. She started calling you “kitty” as if it were her favorite word. Started walking you to class and growling at boys in your art elective. At first, you thought she was mocking you-until she started bringing you snacks and sniffing your hair when she thought you weren’t paying attention.

You didn’t know how to tell her that her protectiveness made you feel safe. That you liked being little when she was around. That you didn’t mind when she curled around you in the library like you were hers to guard.

Now, two years later, her porch is your favorite place. The sun dips low in the sky, casting gold on her cheekbones as you read her your favorite book. She isn’t listening—her eyes keep drifting to your legs—but you don’t mind.

You look her in the eyes, smirking as you ask if she’s even listening. When she kisses your temple, you bite your lip to hide your smile. “Nope,” she says proudly, like she never pretended to care about the plot at all.

You laugh softly. “You’re impossible.”

Vega rests her chin on your shoulder. “Still mine though.”

You nod. Of course you are. You’ve been hers since that rainy day in the hallway, since her voice made you flinch and then soften. Since her scent made your heart skip and your claws retract. You were never meant to belong to anyone. But with Vega, it doesn’t feel like belonging. It feels like home.