The Hottest Harem // Blush Blush x Anxious! Reader

Chapter 19: Unexpected Encounter

[Your POV]

I was walking home with a now half-human Kelby when a thought popped in my head. "Hey, Kelby, can I ask you a question?" I asked. He nodded. "If a kiss is what turns you guys into half-humans, why haven't you guys been telling me?"

"Oh..." Kelby said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, even though we knew, most of us were too nervous to ask you...and...uh..." He seemed hesitant to say the next thing. I raised an eyebrow and exhaled, sniffing my breath. "Oh, it has nothing to do with your breath or appearance at all, (Y/N)!" I smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. "We've just...yeah, been really nervous to ask you. Plus you seem...like you're going through a lot, and we don't want to be any bigger burdens than we already are."

"'Burdens'...?" I echoed. He nodded, looking at the ground. "You guys aren't burdens, you're my..." I trailed off and Kelby looked over at me. "...my friends..."

"Thanks, (Y/N)..." He said, blush on his face. "Can I hug you?" I nodded and he wrapped his arms around me. Feeling his warm embrace almost brought me to tears. Just as I did, I heard a familiar voice belonging to a certain boy. My heart stopped and I held onto Kelby tighter. It wasn't the voice of any of the manimals, but of a boy I had known since high school. 

August's footsteps stopped right in front of us. "Well, look who we got here~" August said. "It's like high school all over again, huh, slut?"

"Hey, don't talk to (Y/N) like that!" Kelby said, pushing me behind him. "Who are you?"

"I happen to be quite an important figure from (Y/N) past." August said. "And who are you." He looked Kelby up and down. "More like 'what are you'."

"I'm Kelby, one of (Y/N)'s best friends." Kelby said. 

"Kelby-" I started, but he cut me off.

"I'll protect you, (Y/N). I promise." Kelby said. August frowned and looked at Kelby.

"What makes you (Y/N)'s best friend?" He asked. "Have they told you ANYTHING about their life? Well, what would you know anyway? You just seem like some stupid jock with rocks for brains."

"Kelby is NOT stupid!" I cried through my tears. 

"Oooh, getting bold now, aren't we, (Y/N)?" August said. "Wish you were more confident back when we were dating. Maybe I would've actually liked you." I looked up at Kelby, who I could tell was fuming. He grabbed August by the collar of his shirt.

"You don't have the right to talk to (Y/N) like that..." Kelby said.

"Actually, I do." August said. He pulled out his phone, pressing a button. "I've got the animal thief right here in the nature park with the cherry trees." Kelby let go of August, who put away his phone. He reeled his fist back and punched Kelby square in the jaw.

"KELBY!" I screamed, catching him before he fell back.

"I usually don't like to fight..." Kelby said. "But I'll buy you some time, (Y/N)."

"What...?"

"Go, (Y/N)! I'll meet you back home, I promise!" Kelby said.

"You're not going anywhere, slut!" August yelled, reaching out to grab me. Kelby stopped him, throwing him to the ground.

"Go, (Y/N)!" Kelby said. "I promise!" With my entire body shaking, I ran the opposite way, through the nature park. I looked back multiple times, making sure Kelby had everything under control. I continued until I ran out of breath, which was pretty quick. I bit my lip and leaned against a tree. But just as I stopped to take a break, I heard the distant police sirens. My eyes widened and I looked up at the cherry tree.

I gripped the closest branch and pulled myself up, climbing the tree. I climbed to the highest branch in the thickest of cherry blossoms. I caught my breath once I was in place. After a few minutes, I heard the sound of footsteps underneath me, running across the path. I gripped the branch and soon they passed. All I could do was hold out hope for Kelby. August wasn't too well built, and Kelby was definitely an athletic person, so he most likely got away without many injuries. I heard more footsteps along the path and the police sirens fade into the distance. Once I figured the coast was clear, I let out a breath of relief and wrapped my body around the trunk of the tree, sliding down the tree.

I was expecting to come into contact with the ground, but instead, I landed on something large and soft. "AH!" I screamed at the unexpected contact.

"AH!" Another voice rang out, running forward. I fell off the thing, face planting into the dirt path. "Oh, Garret is sorry!" A russian voice apologized.

"Who's Garret-" I said, pulling my face out of the dirt, only to come face to face with a blue bull with a yellow cat sitting on his head. My eyes widened.

"Garret is Garret!" The bull said, trying to nod to himself. The cat scurried off his head and curled into a ball on his back.

"Oh, uh, nice to meet you, Garret." I said, standing up, ruffling the dirt of out my hair, running my hands over my face.

"Garret apologizes for frightening new friend!" Garret said. "Also, what is new friend's name?"

"(Y/N) (L/N)." I introduced myself. "Do you happen to be a manimal, Garret?" He raised a brow. "A dude who was turned into an animal at some accident in a zoo?"

"Oh, yes, Garret remembers that day!" Garret said. "Yes, that makes Garret manimal!" I giggled. Then Kelby's face flashed in my mind.

"Hey, Garret, I gotta get heading home, but would you like to come with me?" I asked, pulling out my phone. "I suppose I'm running some kinda sanctuary for manimals." I pulled up some pictures of the other boys, showing him them. I explained to Garret what's been happening ever since I came to the zoo that one day. He seemed to understand and agreed to come home with me.

"Oh, but Garret does have one question." Garret said.

"Ask away, dude." I said.

"Can we keep the kitten?"