Chapter Text
Winters are always harsh during this time of the year. He knows this very well, for this is the third winter he’s spent in the snow. He should be used to the stinging cold biting his paws, he should be used to the feeling of dread that comes with knowing food is now scarce and the birds he’d prey on have now migrated towards the south for warmth. He should be used to this.
But oh how he wishes he had wings to fly towards that warmth too.
His fur does nothing to sheild him from the flakes that continue to fall – his tail the most vulnerable, due to patches missing because scars of his past. Futile attempts to soothe the wounds with tongue are nothing but a momentary distraction from his thoughts – the wounds are long infected and crusted. It’s become increasingly difficult to even find clean patches of snow to feed from in a attempt to sate his hunger due to humans pollution tainting it.
Perhaps he should be thankful that he was tossed into the outside world in the guise of freedom. Because it is better to be free in the open air than free in a messy crate of things he is forbidden to indulge himself in. Though, freedom is too kind of a word – for that would imply that he could walk more than a few steps without pain and struggle, (he cannot.)
Everything is pointing towards the direction of his inevitable death, and as much as he hates his life… he does not want to die. No, not yet. Not when there is so much of the world he has yet to see, not when that small part of hope still burns bright within him. And while humans are not something he can trust, and while he truly believes that they have an inherent evil to them – he knows the world is large, and he wishes to see more of it. He wishes to see the rainbows from his dreams in the sky, he feel a comforting warmth inside himself rather than a painful cold.
He wants to experience this someday, alone. Humans would not like cats like him, who disobey and cause a mess. They would not like cat like him who would make too much noise, scratch the floor of the crates and get their fur all over the furniture. He is not a cat meant to be with humans, and he thinks he’s okay with that – he does not need humans to explore the world.
Yet as the snow continues to pour down, and as the only patch of dryness near the garbage starts to freeze – he is convinced that this dream is only that, a dream. Nature does not seem to agree with his small spark of hope. He does not want to die, he does not… but it appears life is harsh in it’s reality. His ears flicker once at a drop of water hitting his head, and he closes his eyes. The hunger has now created a numbing sensation in his stomach, and he almost thinks that if it’s not the cold that kills him, it’ll definitely be his own stomach eating itself.
“Pspspsp, kitty kitty. You okay?”
He blinks once, glancing upwards at the source of the noise. A man, a tall one at that, crouches down with a bag looped on his left wrist. If he had the strength, and if his legs could move without sending a shock of pain up his back, he would flee – but he is tired. If this human wishes to bring him somewhere, to hurt him more, he realizes that he does not care anymore. His hope of survival is gone at this point, despite not wanting that to be the case. He hears the crunch of snow indicating the figure coming closure, and instinctively curls more into himself to appear smaller which – does nothing beneficial, because being smaller simply means more vulnerable and easier to hurt. He also knows this too well.
“Oh –” The voice says upon closer inspection to his form, in a tone he assumes is sympathy. Which, for the record, he does not need. Sympathy is an emotion that is only shown for show. If such a feeling was true, he would have not endured the years of harsh treatment throughout his youth.
Hands, seemingly hesitant, begin to attempt picking him up. They attempt to grab both of his sides, the sides which hurt, and the attempt is proven to be in vain as he releases a vocal hiss of pain in response to the touch. And there he was again, being disobedient, being a bad cat – surely this human would back away, and understand that he was not worth the effort of pretending to care for.
What happens next surprises him.
The jacket that adorned the humans shoulders is now discarded, leaving his arms exposed and vulnerable to the cold air. The human carefully, more gently than before, picks him up with the jacket barriering their hands. This time, the human does not touch in places that hurt – the jackets inner fabric greets him instantly with warmth upon it wrapping around him like a shelter. And oh, this feels nice. Very nice – he blinks silently as the human begins to walk with him sheltered in the fabric of his arms. Logically, he knows he’s most likely going to be taken somewhere that leads to more pain – but maybe he can allow himself to indulge in this feeling just this once.
“I am not.. knowledgeable on cats, but I will do my best to help you. Do you have a name?” The voice asks.
Of course he does not have a name, what kind of question was that? No collar of ownership wrapped around his neck – and even with his previous owner, he had not been named once. Only called cruel remarks to make sure he was aware of his misdeeds. He blinks silently again, and the human seems to realize their questions flaws.
“Ah how silly of me – you seem to be a stray. How about.. mm.. Xiao?”
Yes, that is fine - and if the fuzzy feeling within him at the prospect of a name is anything to go by, he’s actually more than fine with it. A name… something that gives him individuality, an identity, a sense of self... Even if harsh treatment after realizing his misbehavior is inevitable, this is already more than he – Xiao – has ever had before. He chirps in acknowledgement of it, and lulls himself to rest at the gentle movement of the humans steps.
In the field business, Zhongli was a name of someone who was smart and knowledgeable – and his high position was proof of that. He was not known for making errors or mistakes, nor was he known for not thinking things completely through before making a decision. Quite the opposite, infact. Yet today seems to be the first day he proves others knowledge of him to be wrong – because Zhongli thinks taking in a random cat he found on the street was the stupidest thing he’s ever done.
Coming home from work was usually the same – the sun would be setting, and night time usually brings a chill with the wake of the moon. But during this time of year, that chill would often last from dusk til dawn, and from dawn til dusk. Zhongli usually wore multiple layers to help combat this, but it appears that the one day he forgets to do so due to rushing out the door this morning was a bad idea. His shoulders now lay exposed at the snows mercy, and he quickens his steps carefully as to not wake the sleeping cat in his arms, and also so he doesn’t slip.
Fumbling with his keys, he unlocks the door to his apartment and closes it with a heel. Despite being pretty wealthy, Zhongli never felt the desire to live in a large house or even a home – he liked smaller apartments due to it’s more ‘cozy’ feel. Setting his keys down on the table, he kicks off his shoes, flicks the heaters switch on and rushes into the bathroom to where the first aid kit occupies the cabinet. He places the bundled cat on the counter, and rummages through the kits materials. And ah, this isn’t good – Zhongli has never had a cat before. He has no experience with these things. Would human materials even be safe to put on a cat?
He did not think this through.
The cat is still sleeping soundly in the bundle of his jacket, and Zhongli decides on safer options to apply onto the cats.. many wounds. There are patches of fur missing, which he assumes are due to burn marks or fights, and he very gently dabs cotton onto the one that appears to be recently opened to stop the bleeding. The cat flinches with a startled hiss, big blown yellow eyes looking at him with fear. “Sorry, sorry. I am just trying to help – I will have to call in a vet tomorrow since they’re all closed this late at night, so this will only be temporary.”
He probably sounds silly, talking to a stray cat who probably doesn’t understand a single word that comes out of his mouth. But despite that, his words somehow seem to ease tension, and Xiao does not hiss at the next press of cotton on the wound. Zhongli never thought of himself to be an animal person, let alone a cat person, but the small yawn and stretch of paws squeezes at his heart. Cute.
Zhongli concludes his ‘treatment’ with wrapping up the exposed wounds carefully, trying not to do so at an awkward angle that might hurt Xiao even more. With no hiss or growl of protest, he finishes and carries them into the kitchen to find something for them to eat. And while he has no experience with cats, he’s pretty sure they like milk right?
No, he should probably give them water first. He sets Xiao down on the counter, grabbing the smallest bowl he owns and filling it up with water. The sound of water makes the cat flinch in the bundle slightly, and Zhongli whispers an apology once more before setting down the bowl in front of them. They look so thin, sickly thin, and signs of what he thinks is dehydration are prevalent in the way their cheeks sink into their skin. With no response of interest at the presence of the bowl, Zhongli shoves it closer to Xiao and says as softly as he can muster with the roughness of his voice; “Xiao, it’s water. See? It’ll help you hydrate and feel better.”
The cat blinks and eyes the bowl warily, and weakly raises their head to sniff at the bowl. Thank god Zhongli was at least smart enough to choose one of his few lower leveled bowls, so raising their head that much wouldn’t be required to drink. He stands and eyes the cat patiently, and Xiao finally darts out their pink tongue to lick the water. One lick, and then two, and then three, and then they drink almost greedily with small splashes until it’s finished. Milk can be saved for another day, he thinks.
With the water now finished, Zhongli shuffles over to the fridge and finds something to give for food, just as a temporary measure until he gets proper cat food for them. Lunch meat should suffice, right? He remembers seeing cans of cat food at stores contain meat, so maybe Xiao would enjoy this? Fortunately they do enjoy it, for the moment Zhongli puts the tear of lunchmeat down he eats it quickly within seconds.
“Not too quickly, I don't want you to throw it up.” He gently chides, and the cat’s ears flatten on their head as if worried for further repremendment. Ah, this makes Zhongli’s heart squeeze once more, but this time from hurt. Did something happen to them to cause such a reaction? He could be completely wrong due to his lack of knowledge in this area, but a lot of Xiao’s wounds appeared to be cause by cigar burns due to it’s shape or other kinds of human infliction. Zhongli hopes this is not the case, because the mere idea of such a thing happening to an adorable cat makes him boil with rage.
He sighs, picking up the cat in the coats bundle and bringing it onto his bed. The cat is fast asleep again, and Zhongli uses this as an opportunity to take a warm shower to get rid of the lingering chill on his shoulders. He would definitely have to do some research tomorrow, he thinks as he washes his hair and wraps up his cleansing quickly. If anything, he could ask Venti to come over tomorrow and bring things with him while also looking over and treating Xiao. Plus, doesn’t he owe Zhongli anyways?
Once in more comfortable clothing, he comes back into his bedroom and smiles fondly at the cat still resting peacefully at the end of his bed. He gets under the covers, turns off his bedside lamp, swipes past notifications on his phone and calls the one person he dreads talking to the most for help. It rings. And rings. And rings. And after a solid minute of ringing, he finally picks up.
“Thanks for waking me up old man. What’s up?”
Zhongli sighs, rubbing his temple with his free hand. “You and I both know you don’t sleep until midnight, and it’s barely nine. Look, Venti, I need help with something. It’s urgent and–”
The voice screeches on the other end in surprised laughter, and Zhongli is half-tempted to already hang up and just ask Ganyu to run supplies down here instead. Zhongli was not the type to ask others for help like this, let alone Venti of all people, but the unfortunate reality is that his dear friend is a certified Vet and while a hassle – it’ll be less of a hassle than trying to schedule a same-day appointment with a clinic.
“Sorry, sorry. Go on.”
“Look, I found a stray cat on the way home from work. They appear to be.. injured, starved, and signs of what I theorize might be abuse. I called to ask if you could bring supplies tomorrow for the cat, and maybe treat their current injuries and tell me what steps I should do to nurse it back to health–”
“Waa! The old man has a soft spot for cats? I would have never known!” Venti laughs on the other line, and Zhongli balances his phone between his ear and shoulder to rub at his head with both hands. “You’re lucky I’m on a holiday right now. I’ll be over at nine tomorrow. Text me anything that happens if you need it.”
“Thank you. I would say i’d repay you somehow but you owe me for breaking my work laptop–”
“You’re still on that?! It wasn’t even yours, it’s your jobs. Can’t they just give you a new one?”
“No, Venti. It’s my jobs but still a liability I have to pay for. Look, I would still appreciate it if you –”
“See you at nine, byeee!”
Zhongli sighs at the line falling silent, and sets his phone down at the bedside table. With the confirmation of aid coming tomorrow, Zhongli releases his hair from it’s tie and succumbs to rest. Too long of a day, too much thinking – he just hopes he doesn’t accidentally kick the cat while he’s asleep. Thank god it was the weekend so he had time for all of this.
The first thing that greets Zhongli when he wakes is the morning sun filtering brown through the rooms curtains. Ah finally, some sun to melt the snow, he thinks. He blinks away the crust at his eyes and stretches with a yawn. The events of the previous night hit his head like a thousand weights, and he looks at the end of the bed to see that the cat he’d placed into the jackets bundle is gone.
Oh god. He’d already lost the cat.
Standing up in panic, Zhongli first checks under the bed. Nothing. He checks under the sheets – also, nothing. The cat didn’t seem to be able to move that much, so they shouldn’t have gone far. What if they injured themselves jumping from the bed? What if Zhongli did accidentally kick them off? This thought only intensifies his worries as he rummages through his entire room and finds absolutely nothing. He halts when he hears movement coming from the closet – oh yeah, he had forgotten to check there. Sighing in relief at the movement confirming the cats presence, Zhongli opens the closet and peeks through the hung up clothes.
There, in a pile of his clothing is not the cute green cat with interesting patterns he saved yesterday. No, not in the slightest – but a actual human being. Zhongli has seen many things, experienced many horrors in his life-time, but that does not halt the yell that rips through his throat nor his legs losing balance and tumbling backwards. Was this a thief?! An assassin?! What was this man doing in Zhongli’s closet? He shuffles back, blindly grabbing his phone at his bedside table to call the police – and freezes his finger at the dial button at the sight of ears peeking from the side of the closet door.
The nights prior were clear to Zhongli, so he is definitely sure he didn’t pass out drunk to experience hallucinations. Was this a nightmare? That thought is also quickly discarded as he can very clearly tell that everything appears to be normal – except the human?? in his closet. The figure belonging to the ears emerges more from the closet door, and Zhongli rubs his eyes a final time to confirm what he’s seeing to be true.
It is a man, yes – but one with green ears on top of his green head, and red markings above his eyelids - the same markings Xiao had. A tail, thin and with patches of fur missing, shakes behind the cat – man – as he quickly dashes back into the closet in supposed fear.
While rare, hybrids did in fact exist in Teyvat. But usually, they were kept in the entertainment industry or used to experiment on – the only case of them being pets was when the wealthy were able to afford them in the first place. Hybrids were a sign of wealth, power, and while being aware of their existence Zhongli has never seen one with his own two eyes. What was a hybrid doing out in the street?! How had they not been captured for profit yet?!
He eyes down at his phone, and texts Venti.
Uh.. Remember how I had said there’s a cat I found the other day.
I woke up to said cat being a man in my closet.
Now I don’t know if you specialize in hybrids too but some additional help regardless would be nice.
Setting down his phone back on the bedside table, he carefully opens the closet completely and finds a horrified Xiao buried in his dirty clothes. How is he supposed to treat hybrids? Are they the same as normal cats? Do they even speak the same language as humans do? They silently stare at each other, and Zhongli crouches down slowly to a less intimidating height. There is a small pang of guilt at the hybrid’s fearful expression – Zhongli’s yell probably horrified the poor thing. It wasn’t his fault that Zhongli had no experience with hybrids.
Voice etched with remorse, he speaks at a lowered distance. “Hey – I don’t know if you can understand me but I am sorry for startling you. I uh..” Zhongli pauses at Xiao raising his head from the clothes pile more in interest of his words. He takes this as a sign to continue; “This is my first time interacting with a hybrid, so I was startled. Do you.. are you..”
Zhongli’s words trail to silence – what is he supposed to ask? ‘Are you okay’ when he’s clearly horrified out his mind and still hurting? Xiao fully emerges from the clothing suddenly, and Zhongli feels a heat rise from his cheeks to the tips of his ears at the sight. He is completely, and utterly naked, and the thin patches of fur do nothing to hide his modesty. He stands and quickly grabs a robe from his drawer.
“Can you put this on? Do you know how too?”
At his words, he sets the robe in front of Xiao and waits. The hybrid stares dumbly at the piece of clothing. Zhongli will take that as a no. With no other solution, he grabs a thin bedsheet that lays discarded on the floor and carefully wraps it around Xiao’s shoulders. The hybrid does not protest and seems to understand what Zhongli is asking to a certain degree as he then hugs the sheet closely around his body. Okay, so he does understand some social cues. Zhongli takes a moment to grab his phone, and as expected, Venti has replied.
WHAT?!
I would ask if you’re joking, but you’re someone incapable of that.
You’re lucky taking a hybrid course was mandatory for being a Vet in college. I know a thing or two. I’ll be over at ten at the latest, then. I have more things I need to prepare.
For now, just make sure you don’t scream or scare them. And don’t give them milk, it’ll make them sick.
Well, too late for the do-not-scare-them part. Zhongli crosses milk off of the list of possible things to feed Xiao from his mental list - what a relief that Venti had some knowledge in the matter. The best choice would be to just wait until he arrived, but that was two hours from now, and pretending there wasn’t a hybrid looking at him with blown pupils of fear and sat on his dirty clothes wouldn’t exactly be easy. He sighs and moves closer to the hybrid whilst staying on his sat position on the floor, and notices Xiao’s ears flatten in fear at the closed distance.
“I won’t hurt you, I promise. I just want to re-check your wounds and see if you’re okay. Can you communicate in other ways?” Zhongli asks, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible even though he’s sure he’s lost that credibility with his yelling prior. The hybrid opens his mouth slightly, as if trying to speak, and chirps in response to the question. Xiao’s ears still lay flat in his head, and his tail still shakes in lingering fear.
Well, now what? It’s clear that while the hybrid has some understanding of Zhongli’s words, he’s unable to communicate back in a way that Zhongli would understand. Is the only option really to just awkwardly sit here until Venti arrived with information? Caught up in his pondering, Zhongli doesn’t notice Xiao’s movement until he feels a hesitant hand pat his leg in a way that has him flinch. The hybrid blinks at Zhongli’s sudden jerk of movement, and backs away until hitting the closets wall. What?
They stare at each other in silence. A minute passes by, and with movements filled with hesitancy, Xiao brings his paw – or well, hand – to touch Zhongli’s thigh once more. Instead of drawing back it lingers, and Zhongli looks down and can fully see the overgrown claws that appear to have damage beneath the skin. Was he asking for help? Was he hurting there? Zhongli did not know. Xiao does not move his hand, and keeps it there while eying Zhongli almost expectinantly.
“I.. I am unsure what you want. What do you need Xiao?”
“.... Cut?”
Zhongli blinks. Okay, so one the hybrid can in fact talk. And two, cut? Cut what? He stares at the hand, and then looks back up at Xiao’s now tilted expression of mirrored confusion. “I am not sure what you mean.. Cut what?” Zhongli asks, and at this, the hybrid retracts his hand away and grips the tips of his claws and tugs.
“Wait, wait - stop that, you’ll hurt yourself.” And Zhongli quickly snatches Xiao’s wrist, stopping him from further irritating the obviously infected wound underneath the nail. Was.. was he asking him to cut his nails off?! While he does not enjoy remembering the moment’s he’s spent in Venti’s company, he can vividly remember that cutting off a cats claws was the equivalent to cutting of a humans fingers. It was painful and awful for the cat, so why did Xiao request that of him? At Zhongli’s stunned silence, Xiao looks down as if ashamed for having such an assumption in the first place.
Zhongli should really work on his gentleness.
Sighing in frustration with himself, Zhongli stands. “Stay here, I’ll be back with some food. Venti seems to be taking his sweet time and I don’t want you to go more hungry than you already are.”
The hybrid raises their head and chirps in acknowledgement, and Zhongli quickly leaves his room and checks his fridge once again. Xiao seemed to love the lunch meat last night, but maybe that was because he was so hungry he would have eaten anything. Less tired and more alert, he takes some time to go through the fridge and internally cheers at the sight of wrapped up can tuna. It was from two days ago, it shouldn’t be that bad – if anything, he can’t believe he didn’t think to give it to Xiao yesterday.
He scoops up the tuna with a spoon and places it into the bowl and makes his way back upstairs. And upon seeing Xiao’s hunched figure still in the closet, it feels weird giving a human food like this in a bowl. But he supposes Xiao isn’t technically human, isn’t he.
He notices the hybrids nose twitch once the foods scent hits his nose (which is probably the cutest thing Zhongli has ever seen -) and Zhongli places the bowl down on the floor in front of him. Xiao lowers his head to sniff the bowl and the tuna, before darting out his tongue to taste it. This time he eats, but very carefully, as if remembering Zhongli’s words prior about not consuming it too quickly.
The two sit in a comfortable silence for some time, with only the sound of Xiao finishing up his food with an awkward bend of his head filing the air. Zhongli uses this as an opportunity to check his phone thoroughly, and before he realizes it an hour passes with the doorbell ringing. Xiao startles at the noise ringing through the walls, and dashes back into the pile of Zhongli’s clothes. There goes your ‘don’t scare Xiao’ advice, Venti he internally scoffs, standing up and quickly walking to the door.
Upon opening it, Venti stands there with multiple bags in his arms and walks into the living room instantly. And he hopes to celestia that the man actually acts his age for once instead of startling Xiao more. Seriously, it baffles Zhongli how Venti even managed to get a degree in this field that requires the opposite of how he acts, let alone a job. He closes the door, and stares at Venti with a cross of his arms. “You could have knocked, you know. Or texted me. The doorbell startled the life out of Xiao.”
“Xiao? Aw, you gave him a name. And as you could see upon opening the door, my hands were full – so unless I had a third hand to text or knock, the easiest option was to elbow the doorbell. Regardless, sorry to Xiao. Speaking of which – where is this hybrid you speak of?” Venti asks, bringing out an array of materials from the bags and backpack he carried on his back.
“In my closet. I’ll try and bring him down. Wait here and don’t steal my alcohol please.”
Rushing back into his room, Zhongli finds Xiao still buried beneath his clothes. He peeks his head out of the pile upon sensing Zhongli’s presence, and sniffs the air curiously. Xiao seemed to be more at ease when Zhongli was at his level, so he crouches down once more to whisper gently. “Hey, I have company over. He’s loud, but also here to help you. Can you come down with me, Xiao?”
Xiao nods, grips the sheets to cover himself, and attempts to stand. Ah, of course he couldn’t stand. He could barely walk as a cat, what made Zhongli think he could walk down stairs on his own? The hybrid looks down in that same shameful expression, and Zhongli carefully hoists Xiao up in his arms which.. despite their height difference – Xiao is unnervingly light. Very light. He’s also surprised he didn’t get a single noise of protest from the hybrid either. Were hybrids supposed to be this light?
“Oh my goodness! Come come, set him down – yes gently. Put him on the couch. Hello there!” Venti exclaims, not as loud as he usually is but still fairly vocal. Xiao flinches, and Venti frowns in response.
“Okay first off, it appears you’re right. There does in fact seem to be signs of abuse – I can see from just his bodies reactions and also due to the burn scars on his ears.”
“Are you sure the reaction isn’t because you need to whole neighborhood to be aware of your presence?” Zhongli retorts, sitting next to Xiao on the crouch and feeling a pain in his heart at the hybrids obvious tension. Venti ignores his remark, and instead occupies himself with going through his medical supplies in his backpack. Xiao seems to eye the new room warily, as if trying to see if there’s any way to escape, and Zhongli brings his hand to scratch his ears.
A flinch. And then a rumbling purr erupts from the hybrids throat like boats motor. Noticing Zhongli’s beaming expression, he pulls his head back from Zhongli’s scratching and the tension returns tenfold.
Before Zhongli can apologize, Venti shuffles on his knees over to Xiao. “Okay Xiao, the best way I can help you is if you turn into the smaller you. Can you do that?” Xiao blinks, shuffles into the sheets to cover himself completely – and before Zhongli can even take his next breath, the big lump vanishes into a smaller one that claws it’s way out from the sheets. Obviously Xiao was capable of doing that, but seeing it in real time was.. strange.
“Perfect! Alright. No poking today, don’t worry, i’m just examining you.” Venti starts, picking up the form that Zhongli had originally brought home to closely inspect it. Given Xiao’s wounds, he was strangely limp and cooperative to Venti’s prodding.
Venti sets the cat down back on the couch and sighs. “This is going to be a big responsibility, Zhongli. It appears that this is more severe than what meets the eyes. Not only is he dehydrated and starved, but it appears that there are some internal problems as well that will need further help – and possibly surgery. If anything I can bring Xiao to a shelter and –”
Before the sentence is finished, Xiao jumps onto Zhongli’s lap and lays right on top his legs. Venti giggles at the sight, and continues “Orrr your kind and amazing friend Venti can spend his uneventful vacation helping you here instead. But the problem would then lie on you, since I’m pretty sure Hu Tao wouldn’t want her best employee taking time off for an animal, hybrid or not.”
Ah, Zhongli forgot about that obstacle completely. And while he yearns to stay here and take care of this cat that needs his help, he cannot abandon his job for it. The best option would be to send him off to a shelter, but Zhongli doesn’t want Xiao to go. It hasn’t even been twenty four hours of being in this hybrids presence and he already feels a connection – plus, Xiao seems to like him alot, judging by the sudden closeness of him on his lap.
Zhongli goes through the list of options in his head. He could drop him at a shelter, potentially never see him again, forget this ever happened and go back to work. Or he could be irresponsible for the first time in his entire career, use the entirety of his months worth of paid vacation off right now in one sitting, and help Xiao be healthy enough to sustain himself. The responsible option would not be the latter, so it would be wise for him to just let Venti drop him off –
Xiao nudges Zhongli’s chest. He’s gone. He’s done. He’s lost it.
“I will take care of him. I’ll use my paid vacation and hopefully in a months time he can sustain himself.” Zhongli concludes, heart squeezing at the sight of Xiao beginning to knead the couch cushions. Yeah, he’s definitely gone. Hopefully Hu Tao understands if Zhongli sends her a picture. Venti raises both his brows in shock – and for once in his loud life, he's speechless.
“Once again, if that came from literally anyone else, i’d think you were joking. Wow Zhongli, who knew a man in his thirties was this soft for a hybrid!” Venti exclaims, going back to rummaging through his backpack. He was thirty-one, thank you very much, and Venti wasn’t the definition of young either. Despite Xiao’s minor protest, Venti picks him up from Zhongli’s lap and applies ointment before wrapping it up in a bandage.
“The bags contain food, cat friendly milk, toys, and other things. Again, do not feed him human milk. I have done all I can do today with tending the wounds. The bandages I used stretch out for the sole purpose of them not tearing if he changes. Bathe him with the cat-friendly wipes I left in the bags, he’ll need the help. Oh also, apply this tomorrow night to the wound at the base of his tail and keep doing so every night. I’ll be back in two days, I have things to sort out for future care. Good luck with your boss!” Venti rambles out as he stands up and gathers his things, and Zhongli takes a moment to take in all the information. Okay, he can do that.
He thinks.
Upon Venti’s departure, Xiao sits in the same form and rests back on Zhongli’s lap. He makes a mental note to call Hu Tao, to pray she doesn’t laugh at him (she will.) and to give Xiao a proper meal. Staring at the bags full of supplies and then back at the hybrid, he sighs for the umpteenth time.
What has he gotten himself into.
The human was very nice. Xiao had been telling himself to not grow attached, to not get comfortable – but it’s hard when this is probably the first time he’s been treated in such a way. With gentleness, warmth, patience and kindness. He’s given Xiao food, water, and everything he’s dreamed of these past three years. Though he’s certain that this is only temporary, and the human will soon tire of Xiao, he still finds himself leaning into the gentle touches and soothing rumble of his voice.
He didn’t mean to startle the human with his form – did he like Xiao when he was smaller like this? Taking on that other form was less painful because of how much bigger it was – but he didn’t want to make the human more upset that he already had. Speaking of which, the human is now on what Xiao learns is a phone, talking to a voice he thinks is coming from the other end, and appears to be frustrated and angry at something. Did Xiao do something wrong again? How can he fix it?
Much to his dismay, he leaves the comfortable pile of the humans clothing to see what’s wrong. He doesn’t know exactly why his scent seems to be so comforting, but he thinks he likes resting in the pile where he’s surrounded by it. Plus, going on furniture would guarantee a punishment for getting his fur everywhere. The clothes seemed dirty and the human didn’t seem to care, so he figures it’ll be his main safe place to rest.
With a silent patter of paws against the carpet, Xiao slowly yet surely makes his way over to the direction of the humans voice. Whatever that other loud guy put on his wounds helped the pain a little, so movement is less straining on his upper legs than before. He stops at the doorway of a room, where the human sits on a chair making gestures as he continues to talk.
“Hu Tao listen, I know it’s not ideal for me to use all my days at once. But if it makes you feel better, I can work from home if coverage is absolutely needed.”
The smaller voice from the device is quiet, but still loud enough for Xiao’s sharper ears to hear.
“Bhahaha, i’m teasing. Good luck, send me pictures like promised. I’ll have a work laptop sent your way, and make sure you don’t break it again.”
“It wasn’t me–” The human stops mid sentence and sighs. “Of course she hung up. Typical. Now wha-” Xiao blinks at the doorway, staring curiously at the human who finally noticed his presence. If the soft smile is anything to go by, Xiao uses this as an invitation to walk into the room fully and nudge at his feet.
Which.. is an urge Xiao hasn’t had in a very long time. The last time he felt the need to scent something like this was the occasional blankets he’d be allowed to have when in care of his previous owner. To scent a human is a bit much, but Xiao can’t help the feeling of possession that sits in his chest. He feels hands, gentle ones, pick him up and rest him on the humans lap.
Xiao thinks he’s never felt this alive before. The aches are still lingering inside and out, but the hunger that previously ate at his belly is now almost completely gone. His hair isn't uncomfortably matted with dirt anymore, and the only thing left to do that he dreads is.. his claws. Which was never a safe thing for Xiao to have, never.
His old owners never cared to properly remove them. He thinks that was to make it hurt more when they grew back – and it hurt. It would be safe for the human to remove them as quickly as possible, because claws meant destruction and destruction meant unhappy owners and punishment. And Xiao has yet to get on the humans bad side, which he would not want. So why does the owner not cut his claws, and reprimand him for trying to do so himself? Strange.
That isn’t the only strange thing he notices about the human. Food aside, water aside, bathing aside, he had allowed Xiao to sit on his couch and bed, and even went as far as to urge him to rather than the floor. The sight of Xiao’s hair was very clear on the brighter fabric, so the human obviously noticed it afterwards. Why did he allow Xiao to continue ruining his things this way? It did not make sense, none of this made sense – he thinks the safest option is to continue to be careful and not do anything too risky.
Fingers begin to card through his fur, and a purr bubbles at the back of his throat at the motion. He nudges closer to the humans chest, rubbing the side of his whiskers to further scent him, and sways his tail in slow contentment. Yes, this was nice. This human was even more nicer at the start than the previous ones, and smelled nicer too. The house he brought Xiao too was also clean and big, better than the cage he was kept in before. He can actually move around freely and stretch his limbs.
It’s very nice. And Xiao feels himself get sort of sad at the idea of knowing it’ll most likely get taken away from him, too. That this is just a calm before the storm, a small luxury before he messes it all up like before. He wants to believe that this human wouldn’t do such a thing, but Xiao knows the flaws of trust too well. His previous owners too were nice, they would too give him kind words – but once they had truly understood how reckless Xiao naturally was, that was the end of it.
His thoughts are interrupted by the humans voice, but the fingers to not halt their scratching behind his ears. “I took sometime off to help you, Xiao. Venti proposed sending you to a shelter but.. I think.. I want to keep you – if you will have me?”
Keep him?! The human had wanted to truly keep something like Xiao? Keeping meant he would stay here, not be abandoned, because you do not abandon what is yours. His eyes light up at the suggestion as he chirps. Yes, yes! he wishes he could exclaim, but it seems the human understands.
“Lovely.”