Chapter Text
Jin Guangyao was cold, he’d been for a long time.
The entire land was covered in a white blanket, he could barely wade through the snow, feeling his small body enveloped by that deadly embrace. The cold was slowly seeping into his bones, soon he would be unable to move a muscle. Maybe he could just lay there, let the exhaustion claim him, and stop fighting.
There wasn’t a soul around, the animals were smart enough to seek shelter from the snowstorm and even the humans preferred to stay in the warmth of their homes. But Jin Guangyao didn’t have a home anymore, therefore his only choice was to move through the forest, a small lump of mismatched robes wandering in a sterile wasteland.
His father had chased him away as soon as Jin Guangyao presented as a shifter because he couldn’t allow such an unlucky being to live within his clan, to call himself Jin Guangshan’s son. Jin Guangyao -Meng Yao?- knew that his father had been looking for an excuse to throw him out of the family for a long time, this was just the perfect occasion: nobody would question him.
The truth was that being a shifter wasn’t an ominous sign as Jin Guangshan claimed, but Jin Guangyao figured that shifters were so rare among the population that one could interpret that fact as they wanted, manipulating the truth as it benefited them.
His legs were hurting, littered with wounds and bruises, every new step felt the last: heavy, constricting, too much for his wrecked body. Jin Guangyao hadn’t eaten a decent meal in a while, since he spent all his money to escape Lanling quickly, making sure that his father wasn’t trying to stab him in the back. Now not only he lacked sustenance, but also furs warm enough to ward off the cold. But Jin Guangyao was smart and was willing to sacrifice everything to survive.
Even his identity.
Somehow, he’d managed to reach the border of the Nie Sect, he didn’t know much of the current leader outside of the usual rumors but he figured that everything was better than the Jin Sect. His father wasn’t too keen on letting Jin Guangyao explore the murky waters of the political world, for he only had one use for him: dispose of his enemies, no matter the cost. And Jin Guangyao had delivered more than once, that was the only reason Jin Guangshan bestowed upon him the surname Jin. Too bad that the bastard son wasn’t useful anymore, he had better henchmen at his disposal now.
But no matter what his father thought of him, Jin Guangyao still had value. He was used to being discarded, forced to reinvent himself in order to be picked up again as if his only value laid in the hands of his master. He hoped that he could find employment among the Nies but for that, he had first to know what sort of people they were. Pick up on their weaknesses, find ways to exploit them, the usual.
That was his plan before he was stranded in a snowstorm, his mind too hazy and debilitated by the cold to function. He managed to reach the edge of Qinghe before his body gave up on him, it was still enough to glimpse the austere walls of the Unclean Realm- maybe he could take a rest, and then make his way to the city.
Taking a rest meant death in that climate, but he was so tired, so famished that he just wanted to lie down for a bit. It happened almost subconsciously when his body started to shift, shrinking in size and limbs readjusting to accommodate a cat’s body. Jin Guangyao’s form wasn’t fierce or intimidating, but his black fur and small size made it easier for him to go unnoticed, he had striking gold eyes and a cinnabar mark on his forehead, which only added to his charm.
He buried his body in the robes that he’d shed, hoping to steal the last traces left of his body heat. His head was swimming, so he felt relieved to finally slump to the ground. The wind surrounding him was almost deafening, but his hearing was better in that form, so Jin Guangyao was able to catch something unusual coming behind him.
Could it be a wild animal? It wasn’t impossible, but he doubted it with that climate. Maybe it was a person, not that it was better- humans could be as savage as animals when they wanted to be. He couldn’t smell anything other than himself and the snow in the air, therefore his only choice was to wait. An easy prey, he thought.
Hurried footsteps, even if hindered by the snow, rushed towards him. “What are you doing here, little one? Are you lost?” a white figure crouched in front of him, a furrowed expression and gentle face studying his curled-up form.
Jin Guangyao could only let out a weak meow, desperately clinging to his last lifeline. Maybe, if that stranger thought that he was pitiful enough, he would have a chance to survive.
“Oh, dear, someone must have left you out here. But don’t worry, I’m going to take care of you now, ok?” he spoke softly as if scared of spooking the small animal.
He was too weak to react when the man took him in his arms, covering his shivering body in layers of thick fur that smelled faintly of sandalwood and white tea and a stronger scent that he couldn’t place. He felt himself relaxing in that warm embrace, lulled in a sense of tranquillity and home, and soon fell asleep.
Jin Guangyao woke up sometime later, surrounded by a cloud of warm blankets. He nuzzled deeper into that calming scent, feeling safer than he’d in weeks as if a blanket could shield him from the world.
Hunger still clawed at his stomach, and his mouth was feeling dryer than a desert, but he didn’t have the strength to lift his head. He was far too comfortable, but weeks on the run had worn him down.
“Mingjue, look! He woke up!” someone squealed, and Jin Guangyao recognized him as the white-clothed man.
Jin Guangyao bristled as he felt another person closing in, and suddenly he felt trapped.
He tried to leap off the table, it should’ve been easy since he was in his cat form, but he somehow misjudged the strength in his legs. He tripped on the fabric of the blanket, almost rolling down to the floor before a hand stopped him.
It was a big hand, with callous fingers and an unexpected gentleness in them. “Careful there, kitten.”
Jin Guangyao was, in fact, not a kitten but it felt almost endearing coming from the man, so he decided not to scratch him in revenge. He sniffed his palm instead, catching a whiff of metal and spice coming from his scent gland. Something overcame the omega, a feeling so foreign that he couldn’t name it, and he pushed his head against his wrist in an attempt to catch more. Jin Guangyao should’ve been mortified, but he just felt dizzy and strangely at ease.
It was the first time since his mother died that a smell didn’t repulse him, that he felt more than creeping fear every time an alpha tried to scent him. Not that anyone wanted to, he was the son of a whore, but mistakes happened.
“Xichen, you were right, he is cute.” Jin Guangyao tried not to but ended up purring.
“See? We should keep him, he’s all skin and bones.” Xichen paused, then something dawned upon him. “We have to feed him, the poor creature must be famished.”
“I think we have leftovers from dinner, let me call for someone.” That warm hand left him, and Jin Guangyao whined in protest. He usually didn’t let strangers touch him, even less in that form, but those alphas didn’t make him sick like the others.
Xichen took Mingjue’s place, and Jin Guangyao turned his big, doe eyes to him. He’d already spotted the weak link between the two, and if he wanted to stay there he had to curry Xichen’s favor- not that it would be a hassle for him, the man had saved him after all. Not many people would pick up a stray from the streets, but Xichen did for some reason.
“I’m Lan Xichen, and he is Nie Mingjue.” Jin Guangyao blinked at him, why was he introducing himself to a cat? “And we’re going to be your new family.”
He blinked, again. Well, he supposed that they couldn’t be worse than his real family.
He tried not to take to heart those words, knowing well that they were going to toss him out in the streets in no time. It was the nature of things, nobody wanted a stray in their home, where he didn’t belong. But Jin Guangyao was good at not attaching himself to people, he would just take advantage of the alphas while he recuperated.
“A-Huan, he’s a cat, he can’t understand you.” Nie Mingjue rolled his eyes, but still smiled fondly at Lan Xichen.
“Mingjue, my dear” he scratched behind Jin Guangyao’s ears, and arched an eyebrow, “you talk to your saber every morning.”
Mingjue scoffed, “you will never let me live that down, won’t you?”
Lan Xichen stopped petting him and turned to Nie Mingjue to press a kiss on his cheek. “Absolutely not, because you’re adorable.”
Jin Guangyao observed them, something akin to jealousy coiling around his heart. He envied their easy intimacy, the complicity that they had. He would never admit it out loud, but deep inside him, he too craved a future like that. He buried his face into the blanket so that he couldn’t see, and locked those emotions away where he couldn’t reach them.
It didn’t matter, he didn’t need anyone to survive. He’d spent more than twenty years relying only on himself, and he was good at it: he didn’t need a storm in his life.
Their moment was interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by a servant bringing the food in. Jin Guangyao didn’t care what it was, he could’ve eaten anything. He jumped down the table, this time managing to keep his dignity, making his way to the plate and bowl of water. He dug in before anyone could think of taking them away, foregoing his usual finesse.
“Maybe we should think of a name?” Lan Xichen said.
“As long as it’s not something too flowery,” Nie Mingjue shrugged. “He has a warrior’s temper, and he will be named accordingly.”
“He’s not one of your sabers, da-ge.”
“Yet. Look at those sharp claws,” his eyes were shining, Nie Mingjue liked to play with sharp things, “I bet they’re sharper than Baxia.”
Jin Guangyao focused harder on his meal, grateful that the two men were so preoccupied with his name to notice him. He stuffed his face in the fish, uncaring of any finesse, too afraid that they might change ideas and take away his food. Jin Guangyao felt vulnerable in that body since he was completely at the mercy of a couple of strangers. He couldn’t defend himself or appease them with his words.
“Let’s call him Xiaohei!” Lan Xichen exclaimed, clapping his hands together.
“Every black cat I know is called that.”
“Yes, but it’s cute! Besides, that’s still better than Sect Leader Jiang’s dogs.”
Even Jin Guangyao had heard of Jiang Wanyin’s ridiculous names, and couldn’t help but shudder. He didn’t know who was tackier between his father and Sect Leader Jiang.
Nie Mingjue sighed but agreed in the end. Jin Guangyao watched him while he drew closer, feeling a wave of panic crashing into him: Nie Mingjue was too tall, too muscular, and from his spot on the ground, Jin Guangyao felt more trapped than ever. Nie Mingjue tried to take away his plate, there was no food on it anyways, but he must’ve been too close because Jin Guangyao lashed out at him. He scratched him on the back of his hand, and five lacerations appeared on the skin, some already bleeding a bit.
Jin Guangyao whimpered, shoulders drawing back and head bowed in instinct, ready to take the hit. When nothing happened, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the couple crouched in front of him, although some steps away.
“Oh dear, are you hurt?” Lan Xichen took Nie Mingjue’s hand in his and blew on his wound.
“I’ve been through worse, don’t worry.” He chuckled, kissing Xichen’s knuckles. Then, he turned towards him, “you’ve been a bad cat, Xiaohei, and you will be punished.”
Jin Guangyao discovered ten minutes later that Nie Mingjue had no intention to hit him, but wanted to bathe him instead. He wasn’t a full-fledged cat, even if he still retained some feline habits- and that included an irrational dislike of baths.
He tried it all to distract the pair of alphas from their task, going as far as to let them pet him and call him names like sweetheart , baobei, and fluffball . He was going to be sick, that was what too much attention did to him. Jin Guangyao was happy to stand in a corner and direct the scene from the shadows, never had he ever felt so exposed before.
“Poor Xiaohei, he’s all dirty,” Lan Xichen sighed, glancing at the cat stirring on the floor.
Nie Mingjue looked at him across the room. “Yes, and he’s not getting in the bed without a bath first.” He swirled his hand in the tub to make sure that the water wasn’t too hot, then approached Jin Guangyao. He was careful not to spook him, and maybe it would’ve worked had Jin Guangyao been a cat.
He hissed at the man, hackles raised and teeth bared. He retreated backward, hoping that he would escape that terrible predicament somehow. He hadn’t anticipated Lan Xichen swooping down on him, though. Before he realized what was happening, the alpha lowered him gently into the warm water, hands stroking his flanks to tranquilize him.
“Shh, it’s ok. See, it’s just water, it’s not scary.”
Just because something wasn’t scary, it didn’t mean that he liked it.
Nie Mingjue picked up a jug, filled it with the water from the bath, and then poured it all over his body to wet his fur then poured it over his body to wet his fur. Jin Guangyao squirmed under Lan Xichen’s hands, growing increasingly nervous. Lan Xichen did his best to soothe him, caressing his head and distracting him with the promise of a treat.
Jin Guangyao looked at him, unimpressed by his bribery. He could do better, they both knew it.
“Be a good boy for me, ok?” Nie Mingjue returned with a bar of soap and began to clean his coat, trying his best to disentangle the matted fur with a brush in the other hand.
Jin Guangyao wanted to struggle, but there was something warm and soothing in the way Nie Mingjue was taking care of him, almost as if he were precious. He didn’t know how to deal with it, it was a feeling so unfamiliar that it made him distressed, but he knew that he couldn’t run away from it. He was trapped in that basin, close to two alpha wh were doting on him, how could he refuse his inner omega?
Mingjue did something with his hands, Jin Guangyao didn’t know what, but he started to purr against his will. Lan Xichen seemed to like that because he started to pet him with more vigor. “You’re being so good, such a sweet kitten,” he smiled as if Jin Guangyao hadn’t drawn blood minutes before.
It took more than Jin Guangyao would’ve liked, but they managed to clean in in the end. His fur was so soft that they couldn’t stop running their hands through it, and Lan Xichen went close to sniffing him. Then, they started to scent him, maybe because they considered him a part of their family, maybe because they were possessive freaks. Jin Guangyao wasn’t sure, but it caused his heart to flutter a little.
It was already late, so they settled into bed. Jin Guangyao stared at them from the foot of the bed, unsure of what to do, even if he knew that he couldn’t intrude in Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue’s nest: they might have tolerated him before, but he was a stranger nonetheless.
He would’ve slept on the floor, but it was freezing and he wasn’t too keen to repeat his experience in the wilderness. However, he didn’t want to appear too fussy, he’d already made a fool of himself with the bath, so he settled in a dark corner where he wouldn’t be seen.
Then, he heard a strange noise. It resembled a pspsps , maybe it was some sort of signal, or Nie Mingjue was having a stroke. Jin Guangyao cocked his head, staring at the alpha who was leaning towards him. “Come, Xiaohei, it’s warm here.”
He hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. Was that a test, some excuse to punish him? He meowed, low and distressed, retreating from the imponent figure coming towards him. He wanted so badly to get under those covers, but he was smart enough to understand that was not his place. It was too luxurious, too big- too much for someone like him.
“You’re going to catch a cold, don’t be silly.” Nie Mingjue grabbed him and deposited him in the middle of the bed.
Lan Xichen was just as merciless, and started rubbing his belly. He had a little of fat there, and the alpha was delighted to discover it. In the end, Jin Guangyao succumbed to their cuddles and slowly drifted to sleep, more relaxed and happy than he had in years.