Work Text:
"A-Cheng, look!"
Jiang Cheng turns around, and is met with the sight of his husband Lan Xichen cradling a sleek black cat in his arms, rubbing his face into the cat's cheek.
They're at a local adoption drive, looking for a dog because Jiang Cheng has finally had enough of Wei Wuxian, and his brother has his husband to protect him now, anyways. They've just arrived at the event, but Lan Xichen has stopped and cooed at just about every animal they've seen, and it seems like Jiang Cheng has to remind him as to why they're here, again.
"Lan Huan, we're here to adopt a dog," he says, crossing his arms. The cat swivels its head away from where it's rubbing against Lan Xichen's chin to look at him, its blue eyes gleaming. Jiang Cheng tilts his head slightly, is the cat…challenging him?
Lan Xichen sighs, then hefts the little bundle higher in his arms. "But A-Cheng, this cat is so much like you!"
The cat purrs against his chest, then takes a half hearted swipe at Lan Xichen's nose when he tries to place another kiss on its furry forehead. Lan Xichen merely laughs as he backs his head away. "See?"
Jiang Cheng huffs and rolls his eyes, turning away from them. He tries to hide the smile pulling at his lips, and grumbles out, "Whatever...you can carry it around but we’re still here for a dog, A-Huan."
Lan Xichen makes a small triumphant sound, and he's soon walking beside Jiang Cheng, the cat still cradled in his arms.
They get to the area where the dogs are being kept, and Jiang Cheng's eyes are immediately drawn to a very large and fluffy white one at the far side of the pen. As if it had sensed Jiang Cheng's gaze, the dog perks its ears up and turns around, then starts bounding towards him, tongue hanging out of its mouth.
When it gets closer, Jiang Cheng goes down on one knee, and sinks his hands into the soft fur of the dog's neck, petting it vigorously. "Hello there," he greets quietly, smiling, and the shining amber colour of the dog's eyes reminds him of a certain someone else's. The dog barks softly but enthusiastically, tail wagging, and suddenly Jiang Cheng finds himself tipping backwards with paws pressing into his shoulders and a tongue licking at his cheek.
Jiang Cheng laughs, trying to tilt his head away from the assault. "You're a good boy, aren't you?" he asks when the dog finally lets him get back up, and he rubs at its ears, admiring the furry triangular points. He hears a sniff that sounds slightly miffed above him, and he glances up at his husband. What he sees is a slight narrowing of amber eyes paired with what can only be called a pout, and it makes his mouth open in disbelief. "Lan Huan," he starts, "don't tell me that you're jealous."
Before Lan Xichen can reply, the black cat leaps out of his arms, and there's a heart-stopping second where Jiang Cheng thinks the feline is about to run away. In an act of extreme cuteness (that Jiang Cheng will admit to only under threat of death), it instead saunters over to the dog and wraps its tail around its legs, nuzzling into the dog's side.
Impossibly, the dog's tail seems to wag even harder, its nose sniffing at the cat's ears before placing the smallest lick on its forehead.
Jiang Cheng looks at the two animals before him, then back at Lan Xichen, who has an expression on his face that Jiang Cheng has always been weak to.
They leave that day with the fluffy white dog pulling at the leash Jiang Cheng has in his hand, and the little black cat nestled carefully in a carrier held at Lan Xichen's side.
As they're walking home, Jiang Cheng links his free hand together with his husband's. He grins and looks away from Lan Xichen’s questioning glance, his entire being overflowing with contentment at the thought that even when they're choosing pets, they'll always choose each other.