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Shen Jiu stumbled on another exposed root before frantically scrambling to hide behind a nearby tree just as Yue Qi turned around to check out the noise a few feet away from him. Damn these roots and branches giving away his position! Nature was out to get him, for sure. And what the hell was it doing leaving things on the ground for people to step on? How inconsiderate. This was the fourth time he’d failed to keep up his stalk—ahem—close observation. At this point, anyone with decent perception and awareness would suspect someone were following them, but Yue Qi—
“Huh,” the older man said out loud. “Must be my imagination.” And then proceeded to walk forward again.
—Yue Qi was oblivious and idiotic.
Shen Jiu wanted to slap a hand against his face. Couldn’t his boyfriend be a little more cautious when he was walking through a forest alone?! A serial killer would have a field day going after someone as careless as Yue Qi!
… Anyway, back to closely observing Yue Qi’s activity.
Look, this wasn’t what it looked like. He had a perfectly good reason why he was following his boyfriend like an assassin hunting its target, and that was because Yue Qi had been disappearing for an entire night every month. When Shen Jiu confronted him about it, the older man would give an excuse that was as flimsy as soggy paper. This had been going on for a few months now. It was no surprise Shen Jiu had arrived at his own conclusion that Yue Qi was off on a tryst with a pathetic replacement of him. So it was simply logical that Shen Jiu had to resort to this.
After a few more attempts of following close, hiding when he stepped on a crunchy dead leaf, and continuing his pursuit, Yue Qi stopped at a clearing. The sun had set a few minutes ago and nightfall was slowly engulfing the sky. Shen Jiu hid at the edge of the clearing, brows furrowed as he watched Yue Qi look up at the night sky with an almost frustrated frown that looked unusual on his normally easy going face. He felt his entire face burn when Yue Qi took off his shirt and let it carelessly fall to the floor. Shen Jiu leaped out of his hiding spot immediately when Yue Qi reached to unzip his pants.
“YUE QI!” The older man jumped two feet in the air at Shen Jiu’s sudden voice. “What in the hell are you doing, undressing in the middle of the forest? Have you no shame?!”
The initial shock on Yue Qi’s face quickly morphed to stark panic. “Xiao-Jiu! W-what are you doing here—? No wait, you shouldn't be here! How did you find me?”
Shen Jiu scoffed. “As if you're the most inconspicuous man with your broad shoulders and tall frame.”
Yue Qi flashed a shy smile before he snapped out of it and grew anxious once more. “Please, you need to go back home. What's about to happen tonight—it's very soon—will make you see me differently.”
“You're here to cheat on me, aren’t you?”
His boyfriend stopped short as if he didn't hear him correctly the first time. “Huh?”
“That’s why you never tell me what you do every month,” Shen Jiu promised himself he wouldn't cry, but he could feel the tears misting his eyes. “You’ve fallen for someone else, you jerk?! Stripping naked in the middle of the night to get ready for your lover, huh? You make me sick!”
“What? No, Xiao-Jiu, that's not it. Why would I ever have feelings for someone else? Wait—this really isn't the time to be talking about this right now—”
“What better time to talk about it before you commit adultery in front of me!”
“X-Xiao-Jiu,” Yue Qi doubled over with a groan, holding himself as if he were cowering from his shame. “P-please—you need—to leave—!”
“Not until you tell me why you would do this to me,” Shen Jiu shook with unbridled fury. His nails pierced the meat of his hands as he clenched his fists. “If it was just me who only thought of our relationship as long term, then just let me end this now!”
A pained groan, much louder than the last, escaped from Yue Qi's lips as he scurried back into the brush of the forest. “D-don't follow me! Please! I—can't hold—back anymore!”
“Yue Qi, where do you think you're going? I'm not done talking to you!”
The clouds above them parted and illuminated the clearing around them. Shen Jiu looked up to see the full moon in its elegant beauty, stark bright against the dark sky. Just as he was about to call out to his boyfriend, the sounds of bones sharply snapping reached his ears in the direction of where Yue Qi scampered off. Groans and whimpers echoed throughout the forest like a haunting creature stalking the shadows for its next prey.
When the sounds finally stopped, Shen Jiu walked closer with hesitation. “Qi-ge…? Are… are you okay?”
“Xiao-Jiu, please,” Yue Qi's voice sounded really low to the ground. Was he really injured? “D-don't look at me. I'm hideous. Please go back home and pretend none of this happened.”
Shen Jiu pushed back the bush and for a moment he only saw a flash of white. “What the hell are you talking about—?”
He froze in place.
Sitting in front of him was a Samoyed with the fluffiest coat he'd ever seen on a dog. Shen Jiu furrowed his brows in confusion. When did this dog get here and where did Yue Qi run off to?
“Xiao-Jiu,” the dog said with the familiar low timber of Yue Qi's voice. “It's me.”
…
…
…
“QI-GE?!?!”
The dog—no, Yue Qi—closed his eyes and sighed. His lips curved down in what looked like a frown as his big fluffy ears flattened against his head. “I didn't want you to find out this way, but I planned to tell you eventually that I … am a weredog. A few months ago, I was feeding the usual stray dogs on my way home. There was a new one trying to take Shiwu's food, so I gave him what I had left of the dog food. He was very hostile so I was careful not to get too close, but he suddenly jumped toward me and bit me. It was a full moon that night, and a strange power surged in me and suddenly I turned into a dog! And now I change into a weredog every full moon. That's why I'm always away once every month, not because I'm cheating on you.”
Shen Jiu barely registered what Yue Qi was saying. He was still trying to comprehend that his boyfriend turned into a dog, so cut him some slack.
“Ah… Xiao-Jiu? Can you hear me?”
“Stop. Talking.”
Yue Qi did exactly that. Shen Jiu reached up to massage his temples, the painful throb of a headache rising. Okay. So. His boyfriend was a dog. Or … a weredog. Ridiculous. This was what he wanted to hide from him? Well … it was something that was completely abnormal and any normal person would find that hard to believe. And he wasn’t cheating on him so … Yue Qi survived another day.
He glanced at Yue Qi’s guilty stance. He looked like a kicked puppy. Damn it. It was bad enough that his boyfriend already had that golden retriever energy as a human. Now he was an actual dog with his already open expression delivering the deadliest blow of puppy eyes he could ever give him. And his coat looked so soft and shiny…
Shen Jiu crouched so that he was eye level and reached out to gently flick Yue Qi on the nose.
“Ow, Xiao-Jiu!” Yue Qi let out a yelp in surprise.
“You should've just told me,” sighed Shen Jiu. “That way I wouldn't have had to follow you like this.”
“B-but I'm hideous. I was worried…you wouldn't like me anymore knowing my secret.”
Shen Jiu poked Yue Qi on the forehead this time. “Foolish Qi-ge. We've known each other since we were kids. I've seen you as an awkward teenager and you've seen me at all my rebellious stages. What makes you think you turning into a dog will change the way I feel about you?”
Yue Qi's ears perked a little and his head tilted (damn it, that was adorable) to the side. “Xiao-Jiu…”
“Don't look so stupidly shocked, you meathead. Did you already forget I was the first one to confess?”
His idiot boyfriend placed a paw on his hand and smiled. “That was the happiest day of my life.”
Shen Jiu looked away the moment he felt his cheeks scald. “Always such a pathetic romantic. Can you be normal about our relationship for once?”
“Sorry, sorry. I was emotional about our love,” he said without an ounce of regret in his tone.
“All you ever say is sorry.”
Yue Qi’s chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Qi-ge is foolish, after all.”
Shen Jiu sighed and decided to let his dumb dog boyfriend’s terrible apologizing habit slide like usual. “So what do you do for the whole night?”
“Ah, I like to explore the forest to pass the time. Would you like to join me? I could bring you to my favorite spots.”
Shen Jiu glanced at the way Yue Qi's ears perched atop his head and his fluffy tail wagged in excitement. “Go on, then.”
So they walked around the forest with Shen Jiu lighting the way using his phone's flashlight. Yue Qi confidently walked a few feet ahead, stopping once in a while to look back at the younger man as if he were making sure he was still following. Shen Jiu scolded the Samoyed when he lifted his leg to pee on a tree the first time, but after realizing he was just doing that to mark his territory, Shen Jiu just stepped a few feet away to give him some privacy.
“You must be tired, Xiao-Jiu,” Yue Qi said with an apologetic smile. “I’m sure this wasn't what you were planning to do on a weekend.”
“Well, I'm still here with you, aren't I? It's not like I have anywhere else to be.”
The Samoyed chuckled. “I'm happy you stayed by my side tonight.”
Shen Jiu let out a huff and turned away. “I just needed to make sure you wouldn't get picked up by a stranger who decided to keep you since you don't have a collar.”
“Ah, that never crossed my mind. Maybe I should wear a collar just in case. Xiao-Jiu is so smart.”
“Stop saying nonsense to flatter me.”
“I mean it every time.”
Shen Jiu narrowed his eyes at him despite his face burning. “Shut. Up.”
Yue Qi simply smiled. His tail swished back and forth, dragging a few leaves with the motion. Shen Jiu's stare must have been so intense for Yue Qi to notice, because he tilted his head to the side with a confused look.
The younger man rushed to fix his expression. “What do you want now?”
“You keep staring at me.”
“Who else am I supposed to look at when I’m talking to you?”
“Xiao-Jiu… do you want to pet me?”
Shen Jiu let out an indecent squawk. “Who wants to pet you?!”
Yue Qi chuckled, his ears twitching up with excitement. He walked closer to Shen Jiu until he was within arm’s reach. “It's okay. You won't hurt me. My coat looks so shiny and fluffy, right? I never have to worry about getting dirty since I only have this form for a few hours.”
Shen Jiu stared at Yue Qi's fluffy tail. Then his cute paws. Then his ears. Then his fluffy coat that reminded him of clouds. The stupidly adorable Samoyed inched closer and pawed at Shen Jiu’s leg. His wide puppy dog eyes gleamed as he let out a soft whine for attention.
Shen Jiu grumbled, rolling his eyes. “FINE! I'll pet you if that's what stops you from begging with your eyes!”
Yue Qi's tail wagged faster. “Thank you, Xiao-Jiu.”
Shen Jiu remained silent and reached out with both hands to touch the Samoyed's ears. Fluffy. He gave a few light experimental squeezes and glanced down to see Yue Qi's happy smile. His hands trailed down to squish his boyfriend's face like an idiot sandwich and laughed inwardly at the confused noise at his action. Yue Qi leaned into Shen Jiu’s hand as he scratched his chin, eyes squinting happily. The younger man lowered his scratching hands toward the center of Yue Qi’s fluffy chest and then he heard repeating thumps against the ground. Shen Jiu’s brows narrowed in confusion at the sudden sound and looked to the back of Yue Qi’s body to see his right hind leg thump against the floor.
“Ah, sorry,” rushed Yue Qi before letting out a sheepish chuckle. “That’s my sweet spot. It’s okay if you think that’s weird, so you don’t have to pet me anymore—”
“Who said it’s weird?” Shen Jiu cut in. “Stop putting words in my mouth, Qi-ge.”
Before Yue Qi could have a chance to reply, Shen Jiu scratched his chest again with purpose. The Samoyed lifted his head with a smile as his hind leg thumped louder in quick repetition. His tongue flopped to the side of his open mouth as he panted excitedly, a happy high pitched whine coming out of him.
Throughout the entire time he’d been petting his weredog boyfriend, Shen Jiu was only thinking of one thing: HE WAS TOO CUTE AS A DOG!!!! He was holding back a lot of his emotions because he was afraid he would enact his cuteness aggression, and he didn’t want to look so shameless in front of Yue Qi like that. It would be too embarrassing!
Shen Jiu stopped when he had a sudden thought. Yue Qi immediately noticed and his ears perked in attention.
“Xiao-Jiu?”
“So this is a long term condition?”
Yue Qi let out a soft “ah” before nodding. “Unfortunately, I haven’t found out the cure for this. If there’s even a cure.”
His boyfriend looked down with a frown. His ears lowered and his voice was dejected when he said, “Does … that mean you want to break up with me?”
Shen Jiu flicked his forehead. “What makes you think I would ever say that? You’re always so foolish, jumping the gun about every little thing without hearing what I have to say.”
Yue Qi looked up, startled at the younger man’s words. “So you’re okay with what I am?”
“I always have to repeat myself to you,” Shen Jiu clicked his tongue and stared at Yue Qi. Letting out a dramatic sigh, he continued. “You’re not getting rid of me so easily, Qi-ge. I’m staying by your side for the rest of my life. For better or worse.”
Stars were practically shining happily in Yue Qi’s eyes. His tail began wagging back and forth so quickly that it looked like a cloudy blur. He chuckled, and Shen Jiu didn’t have to imagine Yue Qi’s human face to know his face was red like it usually was when he was extremely happy about something.
“Thank you, Xiao-Jiu.”
Click.
“I’m home!” Shen Yuan walked toward the living room when he heard the TV on in the living room. “You wouldn’t believe what happened to me at school, ge. Qinghua-bro kept going on and on about his shitty webnovel he’s making and—”
He stopped mid-sentence when he rounded the corner and faced them. Yue Qi smiled and waved at him. Shen Jiu was engrossed in his book to care.
“...Ge.”
Shen Jiu let out an acknowledging hum.
“What the hell is Qi-dage wearing?”
“You’ve never heard of chokers before? It’s the trend these days.”
“That’s clearly a collar with a dog tag on it.”
“In case he gets lost,” he explained.
Shen Yuan let out a strangling noise and stepped back. “Listen, if you’re going to flaunt your kinks in this house, at least do it when I’m not around!!”
Yue Qi jumped in his seat, his entire face as red as a tomato. “Ah, A-Yuan, that’s not—”
Shen Yuan scrambled back to his room. The door slamming shut was his only response.
The older man’s lips twisted in a distressed smile. “Shouldn’t we explain that it’s because I’m a weredog? I don’t want him to have weird thoughts about what we do a-alone…”
“He’s not going to believe you,” said Shen Jiu. “Besides, that’s what he gets for leaving his room unlocked last week. I’d love to rip my eyes out after seeing the compromising position he and Binghe were in that day.”
Yue Qi paled. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Xiao-Jiu.”
Shen Jiu made a dismissive hum. “Do you want to go on a walk?”
Yue Qi immediately sat up straight and nodded so hard that Shen Jiu was worried his brain was dangerously rattling around in his head. Oh well. What was Yue Qi going to do without Shen Jiu? This was why he needed to stay in his life forever.