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Description
It was just another beautiful, sunny day. The temperature outside was relatively cool, so going to the park for a short jog seemed to be an ideal way to spend the morning.

And that's exactly what you did.

It was early, so there weren't too many people at the park, and no bikers on the trail. You might as well begin your jog before it got too crowded.

[Favorite genre] music was blasting through your headphones, getting you pumped as your sneakers hit the pavement, almost in sync with the beat. You felt unstoppable....that is until one of your laces started to become loose.

"Really now?" You sighed in slight irritation as you stopped and knelt down to tie your shoe.

But as you finished you glanced up and saw someone on the bench on the side of the trail that caught your eye.

He seemed to be about your age and was wearing glasses, a red shirt with a small cape, black pajama pants, and pink slippers. But what made this guy stand out was the fact that he was wearing a crown--like what a king would wear--and that the lower half of his face was coated in peanut butter.

'Now what the heck kinda cosplay is that? Maybe I should tell him MegaCon already passed...' You thought, until your face fell when you noticed that the man didn't look too happy. His eyes were downcast and he was hunched over, holding something in his lap. You could see a fluffy tail twitching slightly.

'Oh...is his pet hurt or something? Maybe I could help him out.'

You weren't sure why the thought of helping a complete stranger (especially one with a face slathered in peanut butter) even began to cross your mind, but he didn't look like a serial killer or anything.

And besides..the world could use nicer people.

Pausing your music, you stood up and removed your headphones. That's when you heard soft sobs coming from the man, and saw him use the sleeve of his shirt to rub his eyes.

'Poor guy..I should really try to help him.' You did just that and approached him.

"Hey...are you okay, sir?"

"Wh-Wha..?" Sniffling, the man looked up, before his teary, dark brown eyes widened at the sight of you. "Oh..I-I'm fine...it's just...this poor squirrel here got attacked by some bad dogs," he explained, looking back down at the creature in his arms. "I managed to scare them off...b-but...he's badly hurt."

"Ohh.." You muttered, before sitting down next to him despite him reeking of peanut butter. You'll endure it for the time being. "Is it alright if I see?"

With a nod, he moved his arm, allowing you to see how injured the squirrel was. It was conscious, but too weak to move. It had a few scratches on its body and a couple of nicks in its ears. Even its tail was a bit torn up. Least to say, it always hurt your heart whenever you see an innocent creature so....defenseless.

"H-He's moving..but barely...a-and I don't know if that's good or b-bad," the man whimpered, biting his lower lip, trying to stop himself from bursting into tears.

You glanced up at him, seeing how distressed he was over the situation. "Hey, it's a good thing. That means his injuries aren't fatal," you reassured him, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "But we should still get him to a vet. I know one that's close by that my friend works at."

Surprised, he looked back at you, sniffling once more. "C-Can you show me where that is...i-if that's alright? Sorry but I'm..um.. just not too familiar with these parts of town..."

"Sure." You smiled gently, before removing your jacket. "But I'll wrap him up in this so he's more comfortable..so you're gonna have to hand him over."

After some hesitation, he complied and carefully passed the squirrel over to you. You then wrapped the critter comfortably in your jacket, leaving its tiny little head poking out. Its eyes widened in alarm as it saw you, but it relaxed once it realized you weren't going to harm it.

"Alright, let's go."

With that, you both stood up and headed to the veterinarian clinic, the man following close behind you like a small child. A couple of early park visitors turned their heads and stared, but you ignored them.

Once you arrived at your destination, you went inside while the man waited anxiously on a nearby bench. After 15 minutes or so you walked out, seeing him at the bench surrounded by a couple of squirrels. But when he saw you he immediately jumped to his feet.

"W-Will he be okay?"

"Yep," you nodded. "She said she'll take care of him and release him back into the wild once he's healed up."

He sighed in relief. "Thank you...you don't know how much this means to me. I owe you one...ah...w-what's your name? Forgive me for not asking for it earlier." He apologized, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm [y/n]," you replied, smiling. "And yours?"

"My real name is Mark...though I prefer to be known as "King of the Squirrels"."

You raised an eyebrow. "Oh...well that explains the crown. But what's with the peanut butter?"

"I put this on my face for the squirrels to lick off," the King of the Squirrels explained with a smile, almost as though it was a completely normal thing to do and not unusual in the slightest. "They are highly attracted to the smell of peanut butter."

".....okaaaaaay." 'Weird indeed...but hey who I am I judge?' "How about we just walk and talk our way back to the park?"

He nodded in agreement. "That sounds lovely. But...."

"But what?"

"I'm still kinda surprised you were willing to help me, considering the fact that I'm a total stranger with a face covered in peanut butter," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I thought you would've found that to be weird or creepy..."

"Meh," you shrugged. "At least you're not a serial killer."

The King of the Squirrels chuckled. "True. Well let's not waste anymore time here. Let's head back to the park shall we?"

"But of course...your Highness." You giggled.

Once more, a blush spread across his face. "A-Ah....I-I'm terrible sorry..I-I usually don't get this flustered so easily but it's been ages since I've been called that," he admitted before smiling. "Th-Thank you, though, [y/n]."

"Hey, you're a king after all. I'm obligated to give you some form of respect, right?"

"Nah...but I do appreciate it nevertheless."

You chuckled, before you and him headed back to the park together. The whole way he talked about his fondness for squirrels, though you didn't mind too much.

Description
It was just another beautiful, sunny day. The temperature outside was relatively cool, so going to the park for a short jog seemed to be an ideal way to spend the morning.

And that's exactly what you did.

It was early, so there weren't too many people at the park, and no bikers on the trail. You might as well begin your jog before it got too crowded.

[Favorite genre] music was blasting through your headphones, getting you pumped as your sneakers hit the pavement, almost in sync with the beat. You felt unstoppable....that is until one of your laces started to become loose.

"Really now?" You sighed in slight irritation as you stopped and knelt down to tie your shoe.

But as you finished you glanced up and saw someone on the bench on the side of the trail that caught your eye.

He seemed to be about your age and was wearing glasses, a red shirt with a small cape, black pajama pants, and pink slippers. But what made this guy stand out was the fact that he was wearing a crown--like what a king would wear--and that the lower half of his face was coated in peanut butter.

'Now what the heck kinda cosplay is that? Maybe I should tell him MegaCon already passed...' You thought, until your face fell when you noticed that the man didn't look too happy. His eyes were downcast and he was hunched over, holding something in his lap. You could see a fluffy tail twitching slightly.

'Oh...is his pet hurt or something? Maybe I could help him out.'

You weren't sure why the thought of helping a complete stranger (especially one with a face slathered in peanut butter) even began to cross your mind, but he didn't look like a serial killer or anything.

And besides..the world could use nicer people.

Pausing your music, you stood up and removed your headphones. That's when you heard soft sobs coming from the man, and saw him use the sleeve of his shirt to rub his eyes.

'Poor guy..I should really try to help him.' You did just that and approached him.

"Hey...are you okay, sir?"

"Wh-Wha..?" Sniffling, the man looked up, before his teary, dark brown eyes widened at the sight of you. "Oh..I-I'm fine...it's just...this poor squirrel here got attacked by some bad dogs," he explained, looking back down at the creature in his arms. "I managed to scare them off...b-but...he's badly hurt."

"Ohh.." You muttered, before sitting down next to him despite him reeking of peanut butter. You'll endure it for the time being. "Is it alright if I see?"

With a nod, he moved his arm, allowing you to see how injured the squirrel was. It was conscious, but too weak to move. It had a few scratches on its body and a couple of nicks in its ears. Even its tail was a bit torn up. Least to say, it always hurt your heart whenever you see an innocent creature so....defenseless.

"H-He's moving..but barely...a-and I don't know if that's good or b-bad," the man whimpered, biting his lower lip, trying to stop himself from bursting into tears.

You glanced up at him, seeing how distressed he was over the situation. "Hey, it's a good thing. That means his injuries aren't fatal," you reassured him, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "But we should still get him to a vet. I know one that's close by that my friend works at."

Surprised, he looked back at you, sniffling once more. "C-Can you show me where that is...i-if that's alright? Sorry but I'm..um.. just not too familiar with these parts of town..."

"Sure." You smiled gently, before removing your jacket. "But I'll wrap him up in this so he's more comfortable..so you're gonna have to hand him over."

After some hesitation, he complied and carefully passed the squirrel over to you. You then wrapped the critter comfortably in your jacket, leaving its tiny little head poking out. Its eyes widened in alarm as it saw you, but it relaxed once it realized you weren't going to harm it.

"Alright, let's go."

With that, you both stood up and headed to the veterinarian clinic, the man following close behind you like a small child. A couple of early park visitors turned their heads and stared, but you ignored them.

Once you arrived at your destination, you went inside while the man waited anxiously on a nearby bench. After 15 minutes or so you walked out, seeing him at the bench surrounded by a couple of squirrels. But when he saw you he immediately jumped to his feet.

"W-Will he be okay?"

"Yep," you nodded. "She said she'll take care of him and release him back into the wild once he's healed up."

He sighed in relief. "Thank you...you don't know how much this means to me. I owe you one...ah...w-what's your name? Forgive me for not asking for it earlier." He apologized, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm [y/n]," you replied, smiling. "And yours?"

"My real name is Mark...though I prefer to be known as "King of the Squirrels"."

You raised an eyebrow. "Oh...well that explains the crown. But what's with the peanut butter?"

"I put this on my face for the squirrels to lick off," the King of the Squirrels explained with a smile, almost as though it was a completely normal thing to do and not unusual in the slightest. "They are highly attracted to the smell of peanut butter."

".....okaaaaaay." 'Weird indeed...but hey who I am I judge?' "How about we just walk and talk our way back to the park?"

He nodded in agreement. "That sounds lovely. But...."

"But what?"

"I'm still kinda surprised you were willing to help me, considering the fact that I'm a total stranger with a face covered in peanut butter," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I thought you would've found that to be weird or creepy..."

"Meh," you shrugged. "At least you're not a serial killer."

The King of the Squirrels chuckled. "True. Well let's not waste anymore time here. Let's head back to the park shall we?"

"But of course...your Highness." You giggled.

Once more, a blush spread across his face. "A-Ah....I-I'm terrible sorry..I-I usually don't get this flustered so easily but it's been ages since I've been called that," he admitted before smiling. "Th-Thank you, though, [y/n]."

"Hey, you're a king after all. I'm obligated to give you some form of respect, right?"

"Nah...but I do appreciate it nevertheless."

You chuckled, before you and him headed back to the park together. The whole way he talked about his fondness for squirrels, though you didn't mind too much.