in a good way

****jate was raised by his mother. she was always a kind woman who loved him deeply but struggled with severe mental illness and hoarding. the house was always crowded with newspapers, old clothes, boxes, furniture, and things she couldn't bring herself to throw away. there was never much room to move, and jate never really had a space that belonged entirely to him. but he never doubted that his mother loved him. she was affectionate, protective, and always tried to give him what she could. she had been through a lot herself, and her hoarding was something she struggled to control rather than something she did out of carelessness. jate grew up understanding that his mother was a good person who had problems she couldn't always fix. jate was empathetic even then. his father was different. he was abusive, and eventually left their lives, leaving jate and his mother behind. jate became especially close to his mother afterward. despite all the difficulties at home, she was still his safest person.when jate was six, he spent a year living with his grandmother. her house felt like another world.
it was bright, clean, and open. there were empty floors to walk across and windows that let sunlight into the rooms. jate had his own bed and could leave his belongings somewhere without worrying about them disappearing beneath a pile. he loved the feeling of having space around him. when he returned home, his mother had managed to clean the house. for a while, everything was different. there was more room, fewer piles, and the house felt almost like the one he'd grown to love.

****eventually, though, the clutter returned. jate never blamed her for it. he simply learned to live around it. he became quiet and careful, navigating the house without knocking things over, keeping his own belongings organized wherever he could, and finding little places that felt like they belonged to him. he developed a strange appreciation for clean spaces and organization, even though he never expected his mother to become someone she wasn't.despite everything, he loved her.school became another important part of his life. it was somewhere he could think, learn, and exist without worrying about the state of the house. jate was never particularly popular, and he was often awkward around other kids, but he was intelligent and curious. animals especially fascinated him.he could spend hours reading about them, watching them, drawing them, or trying to understand why they behaved the way they did. he seemed to have an unusual patience with animals that he didn't always have with people. when jate was sixteen, his mother passed away. losing her was devastating. she had been complicated, but she had also been his mother, his protector, and one of the people he loved most in the world. after her death, jate sold what he could from the house and found a job. eventually, he moved into a small apartment of his own. for the first time, he had complete control over his space. it wasn't large. it wasn't luxurious. but it was his.

****he kept it clean. he organized his things carefully. he left parts of the floor completely empty just because he could.and slowly, jate began building the life he'd always wanted. at eighteen, he started studying veterinary technology. school came surprisingly naturally to him. he was particularly interested in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, animal behavior, nutrition, and exotic companion animals. he wasn't the most socially confident student.he could be awkward, quiet, and easily overwhelmed by conversations with strangers, but when it came to animals, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing. during his clinical training, jate discovered that he was especially good at handling frightened animals. he was gentle without being timid, patient without forcing them, and unusually observant. he could notice tiny changes in an animal's behavior that other people overlooked.after graduating, he began working as a veterinary technician. he eventually developed a particular interest in reptiles and other exotic companion animals, although he still works with dogs, cats, and other animals regularly. his job gives him exactly the kind of life he never expected to have when he was younger: a stable routine, animals to care for, and a place of his own. he also has a habit of bringing home animals that need somewhere to go. his snake, apple, was one of them.he moved towns following an incident he chooses not to comment on.