Work Text:
“Oh, just be careful with him and he’ll love you,” Luo Binghe grumbled sarcastically. “Don’t mind his claws, he’s only protecting himself!”
He stared at the white ball of fur, scrunched so far in the corner his head was almost flipped upside down as he hissed and spat. His beautiful white fur was a little scraggly and fluffed up making the cat look over double his actual size.
Binghe sighed and backed out of the room. The ridiculous thing was, this cat already knew him. Xiao Jiu as his mother called him (or ‘Shizun’ as Binghe had often mocked as the little demon spawn had taught him how to dodge flying clawed projectiles) had been in Binghe’s care for over three weeks now and the temperamental thing hadn’t calmed in the slightest. After his mother’s passing there had been no one left but him available to take in the hellspawn. He hadn’t wanted to. Binghe was currently attending University, trying to get a degree for his cooking skills so he could start his own restaurant and honor the skills his mother had taught him. He was busy living his own life!
But his mother had adored Xiao Jiu. The fluff ball had lived two of it’s seven years in the Luo household being doted on by his mother. Binghe had tried in the beginning but there was an animosity from the cat he could never get past. It was understandable considering he’d been rescued from an abusive household that had several other maltreated cats but Binghe wasn’t really looking for the cat’s approval after having his face shredded for the seventh time. Instead, he left the demon to his mother to dote on as he moved out to be closer to his school so he could take it seriously. After all he was on scholarship and his grades needed to be spectacular to keep the money flowing.
Then his mother passed away. He was drowning in grief, funeral preparations, and schoolwork- and he’d been stuck with a cat that would rather rip Binghe’s arm off then eat from his hand. It was as infuriating as it was disheartening.
With another disgruntled sigh, he plopped on his couch- a faded leather thing that he found sitting outside for free- and snatched his phone off the stained coffee table. With one hand running through his thick hair- cut short enough on top that the curls looked stylish instead of a bird's nest with shaved sides to complete the image- he pulled up his contacts until he found Mo Junbei’s number. There really weren’t a lot of names on his contact list, ten in total, because he saw no reason for people having his personal phone number when it was more convenient to keep them at a distance on social media. The people that he did have in his contacts were some that he actually considered close friends or important networking contacts… which he was still working on building.
For now, he ignored the rest, dialing his best friend’s number and immediately complaining when he heard the click that signified the phone was answered. Junbei was a rather quiet sort and usually wouldn’t talk without prompting but he was great at listening. Binghe always turned to him when he needed an ear just to vent. So, he told him about Xiao Jiu and how nothing was working still and miracle of miracles-!
“Try looking at Cat Dad. He has a YTube channel. Good content. Helped me bond with Qinghua.”
Qinghua being the little bobtail Mo Junbei had rescued from a dog on the streets. Binghe had met the thing and all it did was shiver and shake in a corner.
“Bond?”
“Yes. He purrs in my arms now.”
He couldn’t help but gape a little. Months of a terrified cat with nothing the serious man could do to fix it and suddenly, warm purring cat?
A Ytube channel, huh?
“I think I will give it a look,” he murmured, thinking of gathering Xiao Jiu up into his arms, no claws, just purrs. The silky white fur soft under his fingertips, the warm heat of a tiny body vibrating from contented purrs.
He was sold.
He didn’t really get a chance to sit down in the next few days though, considering his schedule was packed with classes and for some inane reason, all classes had tests at the same damn time. As soon as the gamut of tests was over and the weekend approached, Binghe found himself on his dinghy little laptop that worked well enough for school purposes. It was well maintained, just old, like everything else in his rundown little apartment. He never truly needed much growing up poor but loved… but sometimes it would be nice if he had some better electronics.
He stared at his still loading computer with a grumpy face. It was starting to slow down a lot more. With a huff, he looked at the closed door of his bedroom, the new palace for his bitchy Shizun- as he’d taken to sleeping in the living room because it just didn’t feel right locking the furball in the tiny bathroom of his one bedroom apartment- while pondering the possible options that might be presented to him. He’d tried many things before. Playing only made the cat want to attack Binghe, Shizun was fond of treats but not enough to get close to Binghe, and just sitting in the room to get the cat used to his presence only resulted in getting attacked as well if he waited long enough.
“Just you wait, Shizun. You’ll like me well enough eventually. If you think I’m going to throw you out just because you’re the spawn of the devil, you’ll be waiting a long time. Mom loved you so you aren’t going anywhere you hissy hellspawn.”
With his muttering complete, his laptop finally finished loading as well and he gleefully pulled up Cat Dad’s channel, settling in for a long afternoon.
It was rather enlightening, really. Some things he knew- Xiao Jiu would probably never like him as much as he would like a female person, Xiao Jiu was terrified and that’s why he was acting this way, Xiao Jiu had claimed his bedroom as his territory- but others were something he could keep in mind for the future. When dealing with a scratchy cat, bundling them could work to get them used to your presence, but Binghe should have started off with a smaller area like the bathroom at least for the first few days. Xiao Jiu had probably been overwhelmed which only made his attitude worse. Treats were a good way to go thankfully and Binghe was determined now to make the best dishes for his prissy little cat until he found the perfect combination for the picky demon. Now, he also knew some solutions to that stink problem- apparently Xiao Jiu was spraying and he should probably be neutered soon. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, he knew dogs did that on fire hydrants and stuff, he just hadn’t realized what was happening because he couldn’t see any remnants.
And… lastly, sometimes cats need companionship. Binghe wasn't really certain on this point for Xiao Jiu… introducing a new cat may actually make the situation worse but Xiao Jiu had been in a household with lots of cats before, so maybe he was missing that connection?
Better to try than do nothing?
With that thought in mind, he ended up visiting several shelters over the course of the weekend. No cat really stood out, though. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for exactly but he just knew there were only a few personality types that could handle ‘Shizun’. The new cat couldn’t be a pushover, had to be friendly, and most importantly it had to like Binghe! How else was he supposed to show Xiao Jiu Binghe was safe to approach?
(It definitely wasn’t because he wanted cat affection. Definitely not.)
Two weeks later and still nothing.
It was kind of exhausting with Xiao Jiu still attacking, the funerary services trying to drain all his money just to get his mother a nice plot of land, and packing his only free time full of cat interviews that kept ending up in failures.
Then it happened.
He was sitting on a park bench, three cities over having just finished another shelter scan, when he heard hacking. It was a common sound in his apartment now with Xiao Jiu leaving his stress furballs all over the room, except it sounded more wheezy.
Binghe jumped up trying to follow the sound when it abruptly stopped. The bushes to his right were shivering just the slightest bit, though and he shoved apart as much of the leaves and branches as he could. It was a pink thing covered in cracked skin and patches of dull gray fur that was still convulsing, drool slipping from its mouth to puddle in the dirt. Binghe only belatedly recognized it as a cat after he’d pulled it out of the bushes and cleared a pointy bird bone from its throat.
Looking back, Luo Binghe would not be able to tell you how he helped the cat. All he saw was this pitiful creature obviously choking, with it’s terrifying looking skin and patchy fur and he just… did.
The vet he ended up literally running too with a limp cat cradled carefully in his arms, had congratulated him on a job well done on his cat Heimlich and then immediately recommended putting it down. Not only did the cat- who he learned was male- have the worst case of mange the vet had ever seen but bloodwork had come back that he was suffering acute renal failure. Odds were that the little kitty he’d saved wouldn't last the week.
He looked down at the injured form, lying prone and conked out, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth… and something just melted inside of him. How could he just snuff its life out when it had fought so long and so hard? To get to this level of damage, he had obviously fought to stay alive and Binghe wasn’t going to let that go to waste!
“I’ll take him. Anything he needs. I’ll pay for it! Even if he doesn’t- doesn’t make it. I’ll pay for what he needs,” he declared firmly, glaring at the vet.
The elder man, whose face had been stern and distant, suddenly smiled at him. “While I don’t like to see animals suffer like this, this boy’s got a will so he might pull through. The mange we can take care of with medicinal baths but the renal failure- his kidneys might never recover enough for him to live a happy life. Are you still willing to risk it?”
“If he can’t fight for himself anymore, then I’ll just have to fight for him.”
“You’re a kind-hearted young man. Very well. We’ll keep him here. We have the facilities to treat him until we see if his kidneys can recover.”
“Thank you, Doctor Mu.”
After that, he went home, pleased with himself for his decision but frantically trying to figure out where he could get more money. He had some savings, but that was currently going towards food and with his mother’s funeral… Well, maybe he could try to take out some loans? His credit had always been fairly good. He hadn’t really wanted to get loans because they could cripple a person later in life but-
He had a gut feeling about that cat. Even in pain and recovering from choking it had bumped its head against his hand and let out a squeaky purr before falling unconscious. Yuan, as he had tentatively decided to call him in his mind, for Hope. Though, maybe the character and meaning could change, Yuan sounded right.
Xiao Yuan.
He nodded, determined.
Xiao Yuan made it through the first week, then the second, then the third. He went from looking like an overgrown mutated rat into something closer to a sphinx cat, though one could see the fur, white and not gray due to dirt, starting to grow back in. He looked like an actual cat by the time Binghe was able to take him home, with his storm of medicines to keep his kidneys on the mend. He’d been warned that Xiao Yuan would never fully recover but he’d made amazing progress so far and they were hoping he could at least get half of his kidneys functioning again.
That was fine. At this point, Binghe would do practically anything for Xiao Yuan. The little pink skinny thing had been everything that Binghe had wanted out of Xiao Jiu. Purring, affectionate head bumping, eating from his hands. Doctor Mu had jokingly called them fated with how well they seemed to read and respond to each other even in that small amount of time he could visit the vet hospital.
His money problems weren’t going to go away any time soon but he could deal with that. His mother had finally been laid to rest in a small plot of land with a good view of the rest of the cemetery. His classes were going well, his grades having not dropped below a B before he pulled them back up in a minor panic. Just… Xiao Jiu was still being a demonic brat.
Binghe had made minimal progress with Xiao Jiu but any progress was still progress. He’d been right that food and treats had been the way to go. Xiao Jiu was the prissiest picky eater ever but that was fine as long as he was eating. He didn’t even mind Binghe being in the room while he was eating anymore. But only while he was eating. Any other time and there were brandished claws to dodge.
Now, he was bringing Xiao Yuan home- he’d officially signed the paperwork for his new cat, had a chip implanted, and chosen the character for hope as his new name- and he was slightly worried about how that meeting/introduction was going to turn out. Obviously, they’d be separated for a while but would Xiao Yuan’s scent set off Xiao Jiu even more?
Actually… he still needed to get that cat neutered. Maybe Doctor Mu would be willing to do it? The elderly vet was kind of far but he did good work and after seeing him so often, Binghe knew he genuinely cared about his patients unlike some other places he’d heard horror stories about. Maybe at the end of the semester only a month away? Then he’d have summer to devote time to taking care of and medicating his cats. Neutering didn’t really need pain medicine as the balls were outside the body (he winced a bit thinking of how vulnerable his own were as well) and a quick fix- unlike a female that required cutting her open- but Binghe wasn’t about to skimp just because Xiao Jiu hated him.
Plans tentatively set for the future, Binghe set about introducing Xiao Yuan to his new space. He still didn’t have the heart to use the bathroom, which was cramped and slightly damp no matter how much he tried to air it out. Instead, Junbei had tracked down a large crate while Sha Hualing- after finding everything out afterwards which she was pissed about- furnished it. The crate itself was meant for large dogs and was, therefore, quite spacious. A soft blue blanket had been draped over the top to make the new space seem smaller, cutting it off from the rest of the living room, while the inside was lined with soft and easily washable blankets that he could change daily. The litter box in the corner wasn’t very large so he’d have to clean it daily- and it was better to see how Xiao Yuan’s piss was anyway considering his kidneys- with his food and water bowl on the opposite end, already filled.
“Ooo! Is this him?” Dressed in a red cross belted crop top and ripped skinny jeans, Sha Hualing popped off his couch as soon as Binghe kicked open the door. Her hair was thrown up in a ponytail that swayed as she shimmied over to look into the carrier crate Binghe had lugged up the stairs into his apartment on the second story. It wasn’t truly a hassle, considering how light Xiao Yuan was, but- again- he spoiled his cats and splurged on a larger carrier than necessary so Xiao Yuan would be comfortable. It seems to have worked considering there was none of the yowling that Xiao Jiu had subjected his ears to when he first picked him up. Instead, he’d stared calmly outside the front hatch, peeking at Bonghe every now and then. It wasn’t good for his heart while he was driving but he made it!
“Yea. Xiao Yuan say hi.”
The cat meowed obligingly, rubbing his face against the metal bars of the door as Hualing stuck her fingers through.
“Holy- He’s so freaking cute!”
“Right? You can’t have him. You already have your mutt.”
Sha Hualing scoffed as she stood again, stretching her arms above her head. “Her name is Mingyan, Bing-er! And she is a showbreed so stop calling her a mutt!’
Her hands came down to smack the top of his head, emphasizing her point.
“Ow! Hey! Not while I have the cat, dammit!”
Xiao Yuan meowed again like the perfect little cat he was.
“Alright alright. Get the fluff ball moved into his new home. I just shoved a bed in there too. Fit great between the food and the litter box and he’s still got floor space to stretch. Oh! Beibei said he wants to visit later this week, he was too busy to wait for you.”
Binghe nodded, not at all surprised. Mo Junbei was ridiculously busy between school and his family business which his uncle kept trying to steal or something. “That’s fine. I’ll text him later. C’mon a’Yuan, let’s get you situated.”
Another meow made his heart melt even more.
Xioa Jiu’s hackles were up again, growling every time he came into the room. It was obvious he could smell and hear the other cat in the house and it was making the demon rear its ugly head. Already a week had passed and Xiao Jiu had scratched him about five times, one of which was deep enough to bleed for a good three minutes.
He sighed. Almost there. Three more weeks until finals.
Xiao Yuan meeped at him from his cage, one half of the blanket flipped up to allow the kitty a view of the apartment. The little white cat was stretched as much of the length of the crate that he could, his belly pushed up against the bars so his fur poked out in white rectangles.
His mouth quirked up at the adorable sight. Xiao Yuan’s fur was coming back in really smoothly, his skin all healthy and pink. Just like Xioa Jiu, he was a pure white but unlike the green beady eyes on the devil spawn, Xiao Yuan had hazel eyes that changed often from yellow, to amber, to brown depending on the lighting and angle. It was really very pretty. Binghe wished he could afford a good camera to start taking pictures but he only had his old phone which couldn’t capture detail like that.
“Yea, buddy. This is going to be your place soon enough. You’re almost there. How about… I let you out next week? Just to roam around a little?”
The ‘pirrup’ he received was obviously a yes.
Three weeks later, finally finished with this semester's classes, he decided to work on the introductions between Xiao Jiu and Xiao Yuan after a’Jiu had been neutered. He was hoping that it would cut down on the possible aggression between the two of them. So, he set about the horrifying task of catching Xiao Jiu and ended up with shredded arms and a wailing cat in his carrier. He huffed but drove to Doctor Mu after making sure Xiao Yuan was resettled in the crate.
His lovely little a’Yuan had taken to roaming the apartment like he owned it. He walked with a grace only a cat could achieve as he sauntered around the living room and kitchen. Every time he passed by the bedroom, Binghe could hear Xiao Jiu throwing a fit but he couldn’t really do much about that besides try to get the clawed horror to eat closer to the door and therefor associate Xiao Yuan’s scent with the positive eating time (another suggestion from Cat Dad who he now followed religiously). It hadn’t worked all that well but Xiao Jiu was about to find himself spending time in the crate after his surgery so hopefully there could be a better scent introduction there.
Binghe arrived at the vet shortly, deciding for sure to go with Doctor Mu who he liked, and dropped off the still wailing Xiao Jiu.
(Dramatic little thing. It was like his life was ending or something.)
Then he went back home to work on his room. Xiao Yuan was already wandering already, sniffing eagerly with his little tail curled happily. But Binghe… well- he had some major cleaning ahead of him. With a heavy duty cleaner sent courtesy of Junbei and a blacklight on loan from Hualing- he tackled the absolute horror that was his bedroom. How in the nine hells had Xiao Jiu gotten his spray so high up on the walls anyhow?
Eventually when the smell of the cleaner became too much, he booted a’Yuan, gently, and opened the mostly unused window to air it out. He didn’t have the best view being right next to a brick building, so he never really used the window for viewing but it worked when one needed fresh air instead of piss and bleach. Then he was on his way to pick up Xiao Jiu, making sure the door to his room was shut while the dinky little box fan was running and pulling in fresh air from outside. He couldn't have a’Yuan trying to jump out the window, after all.
With his new medicine for the next few days and his cranky loopy cat, Binghe set off back home to get everything all set up again. Just a few days before, he’d aired out the crate and cleaned the litter box thoroughly in one of his hours off but left the blankets alone because they were scent catchers. As long as Xiao Jiu didn’t see Xiao Yuan before they were ready, everything should be fine. Hopefully.
He’d just have to make sure the blanket covered the crate in a way that didn’t make it suffocating inside the cage. Thankfully his apartment came with central air conditioning so he could run it all day even if the price was going to come back to bite him. It was fine. Money could be solved later.
With his room scoured clean, Binghe finally felt safe enough sleeping in it for the first time in months and he brought Xiao Yuan with him to keep the cats from meeting each other too early. It was a really good sleep and he woke up to a cute furry face inches away from his own with rattling purrs vibrating into his ribcage. It was fantastic.
“A’Yuan,” he hummed happily. “A’Yuan. Get up, hm? It’s time for breakfast.”
Xiao Yuan predictably did not get up. If he could laze the days away when he wasn’t running out his small energy spurts, Xiao Yuan would happily snooze forever. Unfortunately, Binghe had another cat in the living room which needed his attention and he still had to cook all three of them breakfast. So, with a heavy heart, he peeled his cat off his chest, steeling his heart against Xiao Yuan’s questioning sleepy chirps, and got out of bed to start the day.
First, he checked on Xiao Jiu, making sure to keep the curious Xiao Yuan away. The hellspawn glared at him first thing, his wagging tail snapping against the blankets in agitation from where he was curled up in the cat bed. The cone was still on, though, which seemed like a miracle. He would have thought it would have been clawed off.
“Morning JiuJiu.”
He received a grumbling growl.
Binghe smiled at the mellow response and dropped the blanket again so he could head to the kitchen and make food.
First came the cats. Xiao Yuan still had his supplements so those were mixed into the small cup of rice and diced blueberries he was going to eat, topped with cubed bits of red meat and one slice of steamed tuna. Xia Jiu’s plate was much the same, excluding the fish which he didn’t seem to like and adding a few extra berries and more raw red meat. And his pain meds because he absolutely was not going to try to hand feed it to the little monster.
Both of them dug in happily.
Binghe’s breakfast was simple congee, quick and easy, as he thought over what he was going to do today. Should he start trying today with the cats? Maybe have them eat dinner on either side of the blanket blocking the crate? Or maybe wait another day to let Xiao Jiu decompress (if he ever would?)
Decisions. Decisions.
For now, he needed to look into getting a summer job. Maybe he could get some experience as a chef somewhere? Even a burger flipper would be fine because money and experience were absolutely needed. Sure, he could try his hand at working at a fancier restaurant with no experience but he’d heard from multiple sources that in this day and age it wasn’t really viable. Too many jobs looking for some kind of experience. And right now he needed money more than the experience. Xiao Yuan’s care was expensive! Not that he was going to stop or give his cat up but he couldn’t push the debt off for too long. His savings right now wouldn’t even cover the entirety of the cost either so he was going to have to start making up the difference.
The day was sort of fruitful. No jobs were found but he did submit a resume (an empty one which he thought was ridiculous but whatever) to three places. And he decided to have the cats eat dinner closer. Xiao Jiu growled the whole time (which resulted in angry nomming sounds which were hilarious) and Xiao Yuan seemed more curious than hungry but it was done. The first-ish introduction was complete. This should go on for about a week before they even caught sight of one another. Catching Xiao Yuan from ripping the blanket off the crate, Binghe knew that was going to be a bit difficult.
Well, he had a job now. Burger flipping. Which was fine. It was. Really.
More importantly, when he finally introduced Xiao Yuan and Xiao Jiu there was no maiming! It probably had more to do with the bars in Xiao Jiu’s way but that was fine too. Xiao Yuan didn’t seem at all deterred by the spitting and hissing, instead bapping Xiao Jiu’s claws as if they were playing a game.
And after his third day at work he walked in on the cats talking to each other! Well, more like Xiao Yuan was chatting, chirping, and purrowing up a storm as he paced in front of Xiao Jiu’s crate like the most regal lion. Xiao Jiu just watched with a flicking tail tip. That probably meant the hell raiser was just waiting for his chance to hunt a’Yuan but Binghe held some hope.
At the end of the week, Binghe sat himself on the couch after a long ten hours of flipping burgers (because a coworker called off and hell yes he was down for overtime) and watched Xiao Jiu tentatively poke his nose out of the crate. Xiao Yuan was cradled on his lap, eagerly watching, head held high, and purring up a storm. The minute Xiao Jiu set sights on Binghe the growling started up again but that didn’t stop the white cat from slinking out into the living room, immediately darting under the coffee table. Binghe yanked his feet up- fearing for the sanctity of his toes- and regretting not doing so earlier as he displaced a’Yuan who hopped to the floor neatly.
A catfight did not start.
But his heart still nearly leapt from his throat when Xiao Jiu pounced from under the table and they both went rolling across the floor. Xiao Yuan responded with a chirp and knocked Xiao Jiu off and took off into the kitchen. Xiao Jiu was hot on his heels and Binghe was freaking out wondering if cat world war was going to start because he made a mistake.
Xiao Jiu was cleaning Xiao Yuan on Binghe’s bed by the time he caught up to them (by flinging himself off the couch in the most undignified way that ended up with his knee cracking against the coffee table and his face almost kissing the floor).
He stopped in the doorway, utterly flabbergasted.
Xiao Jiu glared at him, his tongue never stopping as Xiao Yuan kept his motor boat purring up.
Apparently, Cat Dad was a god.
Xiao Jiu actually let him pet him the other day (for about half a second but still!). His little hellion Shizun had actually mellowed into a cat that could be tolerably lived with. He still didn’t like to be touched and preferred the company of a’Yuan but Binghe was now something more than just a cat scratcher.
It was amazing.
Binghe buried his nose in Xiao Yuan’s side with a happy squeal. The white cat squeaked at him. He squealed again in response which earned him a whap to the head from a tail.
He knew Xiao Yuan was the perfect one. He just knew.
Binghe was going to do his absolute best to make sure both of his cats lived their best lives!
Omake 1:
“Are you Luo Binghe?”
“Who’s asking?”
“My name is Zuzhi-Lang. You’re my cousin.”
“Excuse me?”
“Congratulations. You’re now the heir to a conglomerate-”
“You mean I can build a cat palace now?”
“...Yes?”
Omake 2:
Mo Junbei stared in shock at his uncle’s dead body. Qinghua poked his head out from under the table with a chirp. The scratches on his uncle’s body and Qinghua’s bruised body told a story he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. His uncle had obviously died by hitting his head on the kitchen counter but by the state of his house and his cat there had obviously been a fight beforehand.
He’d literally been upstairs sleeping. How had he not heard this?
Qinghua rubbed at his ankles, leaving bloody paw prints.
Nope. Didn’t matter. Qinghua seemed ok (though, there was going to be a vet visit) and he had a body to disappear.
Omake 3:
Binghe stared down at Xiao Jiu who was latched around his arm, teeth digging into his wrists and back paws shredding his forearm.
“I literally only tried to pet Xiao Yuan! Xiao Jiu get off!”
Omake 4:
Sha Hualing stared at Xiao Yuan trying to coax him into eating. Her friend Luo Binghe had trusted her to watch his cats while he was out setting up the restaurant of his dreams with his deadbeat dad’s money. It should have been no problem. Really.
She didn’t exactly trust Xiao Jiu but he was doing mostly fine besides avoiding her. It was Xiao Yuan, the supposed sweetheart, who was turning his nose up at the food.
“I literally made it the same way your dad does! C’mon! He’s gonna kill me if you don’t eat!”
Still nothing.
“Mingyan, you’re supposed to be helping!”
Her Saluki was laying on the ground throwing moon eyes at the damned cats instead!
Omake 5:
Binghe stared at his hand in absolute betrayal. He could already feel the tears building.
Xiao Yuan had swatted him! Him! He’s never done that before.
There was an imperious sounding chirp and slowly, he turned his red rimmed eyes to the edge of the bed where Xiao Jiu hopped up shortly after. Binghe’s eyes dimmed as he stared at the preening cat in front of him.
“You’ve corrupted my precious a’Yuan, you beast.”
Xiao Jiu chirped smugly, licking his paw as if it was the most graceful act he’d ever committed in his life.