Chapter Text
“You know, when you invited us over to hang out, this wasn’t what I had in mind,” Kitay says, watching Lun as she purrs in his lap.
“What’s wrong with it?” Rin asks defensively, reaching over to rub her chin.
“Nothing, it wasn’t a complaint, just an observation,” he shrugs, adjusting his legs, making Lun meow in protest. He snorts, sitting back down. “This is the first movie night we’ve had in a while. If I’d known, I would have brought Sunzi along with me.”
That was true. Between university work and adjusting to suddenly having two kittens running around and play-fighting in the house, Nezha and Rin decided to let the two girls get used to them and each other before introducing anyone new to them. That and both of them were so fucking exhausted at the end of the day that neither of them had the mental capacity to even think about going out. But after three weeks, Rin missed Kitay too much, and they'd thought it was good of a time as any for their girls to meet their friends.
“That probably isn’t the wisest,” Nezha interjects hastily, carrying a tray with a pitcher of iced tea and glasses. He sets it down on their coffee table next to their food and sits with his legs crossed on the floor. “Lun and Lai are only starting to get along. I don’t think bringing your giant dog into the mix would be the smartest idea in the world.”
“Sunzi is trained and well-behaved,” Kitay replies in mock offense.
“I’m not worried about him, ” Nezha mutters, earning him an elbow to the ribs from Rin.
“Don’t shit-talk our girls, they’re perfectly fine,” she snaps. Nezha rolls his eyes, reaching over to Kitay’s lap to pet Lun.
She whirls around and hisses at him, hairs standing on end. Kitay bursts out laughing, and Rin shoots him a smug grin.
Nezha glares at Lun.
“You little traitor,” he says. “After everything I’ve done for you.”
“You just reek of unapproachableness.”
“Oh, like you’re one to talk, Rin.”
“I’m delightful. That’s why you asked me to live with you and why the kittens like me better.”
“Because you spoil them!”
“ I spoil them? Don’t you have three boxes of Amazon orders of kitten toys on the way right now?”
Kitay’s eyebrows shoot up. “Three boxes? Really?”
Nezha raises his hands defensively. “I just want to be prepared.”
“Watch the girls use the boxes as toys, instead. I’m calling it right now,” Rin snorts, bundling Lun in her arms and stroking her fur. She purrs contently, giving Rin’s hand tiny licks.
“It’s the Yin gene in him. They’re always so excessive, ” Kitay wrinkles his nose in distaste. “Rich people, I swear.”
“You’re rich, too,” Nezha snaps, throwing a chew toy in Kitay’s direction, which he dodges seamlessly. He sticks his tongue out, scooting toward Rin. “ I’m not the one who bought the four Taylor Swift Midnights vinyls to make a clock—”
“That’s because it was sold out before you got to order it, dumbass, I was there when you almost threw your phone across the room—” Rin scoffs.
“You were just as pissed as I was, don’t fucking start—”
“You know,” Venka cuts in before it devolves into another bickering session, “I never imagined Rin being so gentle. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve fucking seen.” She takes a sip of her drink while she lounges on the sofa. Nezha knows she isn’t one for animals, but Lai is curled into a ball right next to her, and she occasionally brushes her fingers over her fur.
“I can be fucking gentle.”
“You almost punched Nezha in the face for surprising you with a new laptop.”
“He deserved it! I told him not to fucking buy one!”
“Can we decide what movie to watch now?” Kitay complains. “Whose turn is it to choose?”
“I chose last time, so it’s Venka’s now.”
Venka smirks, sitting up and startling Lai. Nezha holds his arms out, but she bolts past him, running straight for Rin and rubbing her head on her legs. Rin chuckles, gathering her in her arms with Lun before striding to sit next to him on the floor.
Nezha makes a noise of indignation. “I was the one who brought you home, you ungrateful little gremlin.”
“Maybe she’ll love you more if you stopped calling her names.”
Nezha raises an eyebrow, and replies, “You never stopped calling me names and I still love you, don’t I?”
Venka claps her hands sharply, glaring at the two of them. “You’re disgusting, Nezha. Both of you shut up—I have my movie pick.”
“It’s horror, isn’t it,” Kitay says flatly.
“We’re watching Alien.”
“Why am I not surprised?” he groans, shaking his head. “You and your stupid cult classic horror movies.”
“They’re called classics for a reason.”
Nezha’s stomach roils in anxious anticipation. He’s not the biggest fan of horror, and unlike Kitay, he doesn’t have the logical faculties to completely separate himself from the movie and sleep well, but he can deal with them fairly okay.
Rin, however, hates horror. She’ll never admit it to any of them, but she always ends up clutching at his arm so hard her knuckles turn white while watching. Afterward, she can’t sleep at all without Nezha in the same room, and even then, she needs at least one light turned on. Everyone asks her whether she wants to push through with movie night, even Venka, but her stubbornness and pride refuse to admit she’s too soft for them, so they all reluctantly push through. If there’s anything Rin hates more than horror, it’s feeling like a hindrance or a deadweight.
“You gonna be okay?” he mutters to her, and she gives him a dirty look, but he sees right through it. Her face turned into a slight shade of green, so Nezha scoots closer, placing an arm around her shoulders.
“Why wouldn’t I fucking be?” she replies as Venka and Kitay set the movie up.
She flinches when Kitay shuts the lights off, but Kitay doesn’t mention it, knowing her far too well. Instead, he sits on Rin’s other side, as close to her as possible for support.
The movie starts tame. As the title suggests, it’s a sci-fi horror film set in outer space. But slowly but surely, the tension grows, and with it, Rin’s restlessness. She keeps her hands busy on Lai’s fur, stroking and scratching her head, all the while pretending to look unfazed while looking away from the screen as often as possible. Lun found herself on Nezha’s lap, somehow falling fast asleep.
It all comes to a head after the first jumpscare.
Rin lets out a muffled scream of alarm, Kitay jumps in his seat, Nezha flinches, and even Venka jerks back.
“Ouch,” Rin hisses suddenly, yanking her hand away and clutching her finger, spewing little droplets of blood.
“ Lai!” Nezha exclaims, eyes widening.
“Don’t yell, she just got scared, I squeezed her too tight on accident—”
“You’re fucking bleeding. She bit you.”
“I’ve gotten worse wounds, I’ll be fine,” Rin tries to placate him, but he shakes his head.
“Just hang on—” Nezha pushes himself off the floor, making Lun wake up and meow indignantly, and grabs the first-aid kit from the bathroom. Making quick work of it, he takes out the disinfectant and band-aids. Venka pauses the film, and Kitay takes Lai from Rin’s arms, settling her in his lap.
“You’re fucking overreacting,” Rin grits out as he takes her hand and starts cleaning the wound. “It’s a tiny cut.”
“A tiny cut can get infected. Stop moving,” Nezha replies, and Kitay nods in agreement. “ Rin , stop moving— ”
“ Fine. ”
He dabs the disinfectant on her finger, earning a slight wince from Rin from the sting of the alcohol. He wraps her finger with a band-aid gently, securing it.
Then Nezha turns to the perpetrator, glaring at her.
“Lai, we don’t bite people,” Nezha says sternly. “Certainly not Rin.”
Lai ignores him, licking her paws. Venka snorts.
“Nezha’s right. You can’t bite people, Lai. Hmm?” Kitay repeats in a softer voice, scratching behind her ears. He elicits a soft meow in response. “That’s good.”
“Un-fucking-believable. I adopt you, feed you, bathe you, and you listen to a person you meet for the first time over me.” Nezha cries frustratedly, crossing his arms.
“Can we just fucking watch the movie now?” Rin asks exasperatedly, taking Lai back into her arms from Kitay. “The cut’s been cleaned, and the food is getting cold.”
The rest of the movie passed without incident, Rin opting to use Nezha’s arm as a stress ball like she usually does to avoid hurting the kittens again.
“That was disgusting,” Kitay remarks after the credits roll, glancing at Rin, who looks more appalled than scared. Nezha’s not sure what’s worse—all he knows is that the dumplings they ordered don’t seem as appealing anymore.
Night falls completely as they clean up, and Kitay checks on Rin’s cut, much to her annoyance, and eventually, it’s time for them to go home.
Rin wraps Kitay into a crushing hug, whispering something in his ear that makes him grin. He presses a kiss on her forehead, before turning to Nezha and asking, “What, do you want a goodbye kiss, too?”
“Oh, fuck off.”
Instead, Nezha walks up to Venka with Lun in his arms, grinning impishly.
“Say goodbye to Auntie Venka, Lun.”
“I am not that cat’s aunt,” Venka scowls, crossing her arms.
“But Kitay lets them call him their uncle.”
“That’s Kitay. We all know he’s a pushover.”
“ Hey! ”
“Shut up, Kitay. Absolutely fucking not.”
“Just let them call you Auntie, Venka,” Rin goads, smirking.
“Fuck you, too, Runin. Both of you are idiots. Good night,” Venka says, turning on her heel out the door.
“This time next week again?” Kitay asks, giving Rin another hug. Then he leans down and gives both kittens one more head rub.
“Definitely. See you. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
When they’ve left, Nezha and Rin both get ready for bed.
“We should invite them back like the regular schedule we had,” she says, changing into her sleep clothes. “We were worried for nothing. The girls like them.”
“Yeah, a little too much, if you ask me,” Nezha replies, resentful.
“Jealous?”
“Those cats are unappreciative little shits. They should recognize who feeds and houses them.”
“They do. They love me.”
“Don’t forget that one of them bit you today.”
“It was my fault. I scared her.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard you admitting that something’s your fault.”
“That’s because I’m never fucking wrong when it comes to our arguments.”
They bicker as they climb into bed, with the kittens joining them a moment later. Nezha gives Lai one more dirty look before sighing and reaching over to pet her. She rubs her face on his hand, and Nezha takes that as an apology.
“Let’s sleep with the lights on tonight?” Nezha asks, pressing a kiss on the top of Rin's head.
Rin rolls her eyes, but Nezha doesn’t miss the relieved sigh she makes.
“Why, are you scared?”
He snorts, squeezing a hand on her waist.
“Sure. That’s why.”
“I thought so.”
Rin hugs Lai closer to her chest, the little kitten giving her apologetic licks on her face. Rin plants a kiss on the tip of her nose, before craning her neck to kiss Nezha goodnight.
“Thank you.”
Nezha hums, reaching over to turn their lamp off. The soft glow of the nightlight casts a pretty light on Rin’s face as she drifts off. He watches her for a while like he always does after they watch a horror film in case she gets bad dreams, and she looks surprisingly at peace.
He thinks it’s the first time Rin doesn’t get nightmares after a Venka movie night—she doesn’t even stir, only ever moving to snuggle Lun and Lai closer to her.
“Make her feel safe, girls,” he whispers to them, before laying his head back down on his pillow and sinking into Rin’s embrace.