Work Text:
Jin GuangYao found a cat. A large gray cat that looked fierce when he visited Qinghe.
"What are you doing here?" Jin GuangYao asked, trying to approach the cat. The cat stared at him sharply before starting to hiss at him. Perhaps the cat thought Jin GuangYao could bring danger to it. Jin GuangYao glanced around; he was walking in the garden when he found this cat catching one of Nie Huaisang's birds that accidentally escaped its cage. There was no one around the garden.
"Are you lost?" Jin GuangYao crouched, reaching out his hand to call the cat. The cat looked at him suspiciously but still approached. Jin GuangYao laughed because he felt the cat's gaze was very similar to Nie MingJue's when he looked at him. Suspicious but still approaching for the sake of keeping an eye on him.
The cat approached but kept a considerable distance from Jin GuangYao. It wasn't like most cats Jin GuangYao had seen. This cat was always alert. Jin GuangYao observed the cat carefully. Besides the fact that this cat roamed alone in the Qinghe garden, Jin GuangYao found that the cat looked very well-maintained. Its gray fur looked very smooth, and its body was quite large for most cats. Perhaps someone took care of this cat.
"Where is your master?" Jin GuangYao asked.
But the cat meowed loudly as if protesting Jin GuangYao's words. As if it wanted to emphasize that it didn't belong to anyone.
Stubborn and proud. Truly reminiscent of Nie MingJue.
Speaking of that man, Nie Huaisang only mentioned that Nie MingJue went hunting the night before Jin GuangYao arrived and might return later than expected. They might not meet during Jin GuangYao's stay in Qinghe. For some reason, Jin GuangYao felt a little relieved because it meant he had time to avoid arguing with one of his sworn brothers.
"Because I think you already know this place very well and you must live here, I will leave you and go back to my room." Jin GuangYao reached out to touch the cat, but the cat dodged very agilely and even scratched Jin GuangYao's hand.
"Aggressive," Jin GuangYao murmured before laughing. He no longer tried to touch the cat and chose to stand up and return to his room. But standing up so suddenly made him feel dizzy, and he swayed a bit. Somehow, the cat immediately approached him and meowed more softly this time. As if asking if Jin GuangYao was okay.
Jin GuangYao just smiled. He waved at the cat and then walked back to his room.
Because Nie Huaisang was currently busy with research for his erotic book, Jin GuangYao wanted to take advantage of the time he had now to rest. It felt like he had been able to relax like this for a long time. Jin GuangYao was in the process of taking off the golden robe he was wearing when the gray cat jumped into his room through the window. Hm, it seemed that the cat was interested in him.
"I don't have any food now," Jin GuangYao said casually. He noticed when the cat turned to look the other way, and he started to think if the cat could snort, it would probably snort right now.
As Jin GuangYao took off his mesh hat, he heard the cat making a sound, but Jin GuangYao didn't turn to see what the cat was doing because he felt the cat was just doing something ordinary. Jin GuangYao had taken off all his clothes, leaving only the thin robe he wore as underwear. Jin GuangYao opened the robe to change the bandages on his body.
This time, the cat made a loud hissing sound until Jin GuangYao thought the cat saw something it didn't like. But the cat's gaze was on Jin GuangYao's body, and he thought the cat might not like seeing an injured body. A pretty smart cat.
"Turn around if you don't like to see it," Jin GuangYao said half-jokingly. He even laughed when the cat seemed to give a 'hmph' and turned its face away.
As Jin GuangYao unwrapped the bandages that covered almost half of his body, the cat slowly approached him, staring closely at the wounds that were gradually healing. It was as if the cat was curious about what had caused such injuries on Jin GuangYao's body. Could a cat really have a caring side like this? Adorable.
Jin GuangYao didn't feel burdened to share with the cat. After all, what could the cat do with the information?
"Madam Jin never liked me. She poured hot water on me quite often, and I have to be thankful that the clothes I wear are thick enough to prevent more serious injuries. But, of course, that doesn't make it easier. I'm quite used to burn wounds, actually. Not that I don't feel the pain, but at least I'm experienced in treating wounds like these, so they won't leave scars." Jin GuangYao chuckled softly when he realized the cat was paying attention to every explanation.
"But the healing process can be troublesome, especially when you're going to be beaten quite often. I try to avoid them from making new wounds on my body, but they always manage to find me and hit me." Jin GuangYao hissed a bit as he applied the ointment given by Lan XiChen to his wounds. The coolness of the ointment was soothing to his sore skin, but the pain when touched was still quite noticeable.
When he finished wrapping new bandages around his wounds, Jin GuangYao put his clothes back on and lay down on the bed. He was very tired lately, and sleep would be a good choice. Perhaps the cat thought the same; it jumped onto the bed and lay down calmly beside Jin GuangYao. Jin GuangYao smiled faintly, reaching out his hand, and this time, he wasn't scratched by the cat. It gave him the courage to stroke the gray fur of the cat. His guess was correct; this cat's fur was very soft.
He wished the cat a good night and slowly drifted to sleep with his hand still on the cat's body.
...
...
No one owned that cat. Even Huaisang looked confused when Jin GuangYao said he found a cat in the garden. Jin GuangYao could only guess that somehow the cat found its way into the Unclean Realm.
When Jin GuangYao prepared to return to Lanling, he found the cat sitting comfortably in his carriage. It even slept on Jin GuangYao's simple coat.
"Do you want to come with me?"
The cat didn't make any sound; it just stared, and its tail moved with boredom. Alright, Jin GuangYao took it as a 'yes.' Besides, Huaisang had already said that the cat wasn't part of the pets in the Unclean Realm, and again, the young man was really angry at the cat for killing one of his beloved birds.
Yeah, no problem. It would be nice to have a friend to talk to in Lanling when he was tired.
...
Regarding the whole thing with the cat, Jin GuangYao just found it a bit strange. Like the fact that the cat would never eat anything other than what came from Jin GuangYao's plate, or the fact that the cat always hissed angrily whenever it found a new wound on Jin GuangYao's body.
On the fourth day the cat was with him in Lanling, the cat began to decide to follow wherever Jin GuangYao went. It couldn't be out of its sight, or the cat would meow very loudly while running to find him.
Ah, a clingy cat.
When a Jin disciple raised his hand to hit him, the cat shot very quickly to attack. It was also very agile in avoiding people who wanted to hurt it. As if it was already used to avoiding things like that. And thanks to the cat, the wounds on Jin GuangYao's body slowly began to decrease.
Jin GuangShan didn't say anything about the cat always following him because Jin ZiXuan somehow managed to convince their father to let it be. And Madam Jin, Jin GuangYao found that woman really liked the cat and always tolerated its presence as long as it was with him.
And another fun fact was that the cat always became a good listener for all of Jin GuangYao's grievances.
Tonight, the pain in Jin GuangYao's leg returned. Although the wounds from his fall down the stairs had happened years ago, the pain still lingered. Sometimes the pain would intensify to the point of making Jin GuangYao struggle to walk. If that happened, all he could do was provide a warm compress for his leg.
Jin GuangYao was massaging his sore leg when the cat approached him and meowed as if asking about his condition. Jin GuangYao smiled, "Don't worry. It's just temporary pain. Sometimes it can be troublesome, but I can still overcome it."
The cat continued to meow, this time pacing in front of Jin GuangYao as if lecturing him. It was amusing to see the usually calm cat becoming chatty. Jin GuangYao unintentionally chuckled at the cat. Perhaps because the cat didn't like being laughed at, it suddenly fell silent and stared at Jin GuangYao intensely. Jin GuangYao still had a smile on his face as he apologized to the cat.
People might call him crazy for always talking to the cat. But only with this cat could Jin GuangYao pour out his grievances, only with this cat could he show his vulnerability without fear of mockery.
Jin GuangYao extended his hand, gently stroking the cat's head. "Thank you for keeping me company. I'm glad to have you."
Maybe because Jin GuangYao successfully scratched its neck well, or it understood what Jin GuangYao said, the cat looked surprised. Jin GuangYao didn't mind and just moved to his bed, lying in silence, hoping the night wouldn't be too cold so that his leg wouldn't hurt more the next day.
The cat jumped onto Jin GuangYao's bed and lay quietly by his side.
"Good night," Jin GuangYao said before falling into his own dreamland.
...
As morning approached, Jin GuangYao realized something unusual. He felt warm, even though the blanket given to him was just a thin piece of fabric that wasn't enough to keep him warm. Sometimes Jin GuangYao had to wrap himself in his own robe to make sure he didn't freeze to death. Besides, he felt something strong encircling his waist, but strangely, it felt comfortable.
Jin GuangYao slowly opened his eyes, trying to focus. The first thing he saw was the bare chest of a muscular man. Jin GuangYao was surprised but tried to process what was in front of him. He slowly raised his head, finding Nie MingJue's face. The man had his eyes closed, but there were wrinkles around his eyebrows. Maybe he was having a bad dream.
Yes, that must be it.
Jin GuangYao closed his eyes again for a moment. It was a beautiful dream. Jin GuangYao would go back to sleep.
Not long after, Jin GuangYao opened his eyes quickly and made sure that what he saw was real. Nie MingJue still had his eyes closed, but the man's hand tightened around Jin GuangYao's waist, trying to pull him closer.
What—
"Dage? Why are you in my room?" Jin GuangYao asked stupidly.
He could feel Nie MingJue's chest move as the man snorted. Nie MingJue finally opened his mouth and spoke.
"Go back to sleep. It's still too early."
Nie MingJue's voice sounded a bit husky, but Jin GuangYao found it sexy enough to hear. Jin GuangYao still didn't understand what was happening. He was confused about how Nie MingJue could enter his room, let alone end up in his bed naked. Did Nie Huaisang accidentally install some kind of teleportation charm under Nie MingJue's bed, making him end up in Jin GuangYao's bed?
"But why is Dage here?" Jin GuangYao asked again. He was like a child asking his parents.
Nie MingJue glanced at him and snorted again. It was as if he was annoyed with Jin GuangYao, but his hand had already made Jin GuangYao stick to his chest.
"That will be explained later. Now, go back to sleep."
Whether Nie MingJue's words contained a spell or Jin GuangYao was just too tired, the man fell asleep again shortly after. He even made a soft snoring sound like a cute cat. Nie MingJue looked at Jin GuangYao's sleeping face and smiled gently. He gave a tender kiss on Jin GuangYao's forehead, "Sleep well, A-Yao."