Archive of Our Own

When Saturday arrives, it signals the time for their little family's weekly grocery shopping.

After Qin Jiu locks the gate of their house behind him, he tilts his head to the untarnished sky, one palm shielding his eyes from the sun's direct brilliance. The white clouds are numerous but sparse against the blue canvas, much like a spread of cottons after harvest. While the wind has risen, it doesn't have the impact capable of torturing one's sight with dust nor whipping the ends of one's clothes all around. Instead, today's wind is warm and breezy, an intangible shawl that goes past his cheek like the tender caress of a lover's.

“Spacing out?" And a lover's caress does come to him, only this one is covered in coarse skin, the well-defined fingers containing stories of unspeakable struggles that trail a pleasant itch as they lightly pat Qin Jiu's cheek. 

"Just a little bit.” Qin Jiu isn't ashamed to admit it, the corner of his lips tipped up in delight. He's about to reciprocate this pat to You Huo's cheek as well when his peripheral vision spots a certain white tiger cub standing nearby, small hands tightly clasped over his own eyes.

A question mark pops atop of Qin Jiu's head. With a tiny chuckle, he asks. “Little Big Invigilator, what are you doing?" 

"Eh?” Qin Xiao makes a noise of confusion. He has yet to remove his hands from his eyes, but this cub's nose has always been good—he’s able to face the general direction his parents stand in even without looking. "Have Dad and Father finished smooch smooch? So fast!”

Even You Huo is rendered speechless hearing their son’s blatant remark, something that's undoubtedly inherited from his dad's shameless tongue. Qin Jiu, on the other hand, has to mask his full-blown laughter by kneeling in front of Qin Xiao, shoulders still bobbing with humour as he teasingly pinches the tip of the cub’s finger. "No smooch smooch happened, my little dear. Your father is just reminding Dad to not have his head in the clouds.”

Only then Qin Xiao removes his hands, his eyes of translucent gold retaining a curious glimmer. “Did Dad find something in the sky?" 

Qin Jiu hums, forefinger pointed upwards. “Other than the bright sun? Nope. However, it does remind Dad that you should wear your hat, otherwise your head will be cooked into crisp by the sun." 

Qin Xiao pouts, his fluffy white tail swishing in displeasure on the ground. "Don't wanna.”

Tucked into the side pocket of Qin Xiao's little backpack is a plain, cream coloured cap with two zippered slits on each side, ensuring that the animal ears of children won't be squeezed under the cap. However, Qin Xiao doesn't really like wearing it because of an incident some time ago where the furs of his tiger ears got stuck in between the zippers. It took everything in this young cub to not cry aloud as Old Yu, who was on babysitting duty that day, tried to untangle the furs off.

I'm five years old! That means I’m already a big boy! I won't cry from that little pain!

So he said to his parents when they picked him up later in the evening after their work in the military base, but you could say it left a tiny psychological shadow on Qin Xiao, for he refuses to wear that cap again ever since.

Even after You Huo has bought him a new cap with wider slits, Qin Xiao is adamant with his decision. Qin Jiu can't help but feel amused.

Well, he is Big Invigilator's son, after all. Has to get that stubbornness from somewhere, yeah?

(You Huo turns his head to the side as he sneezes, unaware of Qin Jiu's thoughts)

Sensing that his dad doesn't look like he'll let go of this matter any sooner, Qin Xiao is quick to switch tactics by mentioning You Huo—a foolproof tactic to distract Qin Jiu that's taught to him by Aunt Chu. “Then Father should be wearing a hat too! Father has black hair, so it means Father's head will be cooked faster than mine!" 

"Oh? Where did you learn that?”

"Uncle Yi told me that the colour white shoos the heat, but the colour black eats the heat!" 

Qin Jiu laughs, while You Huo snorts with a shake of his head.

Ah, the super-intelligent AI that used to be a part of a tyrannical military system who tormented so many people all over the world… now has to resort to simpler language just to describe an oversimplified concept of heat radiation to Qin Xiao. 

Life is truly full of twists and turns.

"Little Big Invigilator, you shouldn't worry about your father,” Qin Jiu says with a nonchalant tone as he takes the cap from Qin Xiao's backpack and unzips the twin slits. “After all, he has magic powers to fight the heat.”

You Huo deadpans at Qin Jiu, unimpressed. What kind of bullshit is this person spouting to their son right now??

“Eh?! Father does??" Qin Xiao exclaims in surprise, looking back and forth at his parents. Lost in his colourful imaginations, he doesn't even fully register Qin Jiu putting the cap on top of his head and adjusting his tiger ears through the slits. “What kind of magic?" 

“The kind of magic that can lower the temperature in the room with his cold gaze alone,” Qin Jiu explains, rising back to a stand with a pleased air practically radiating from that infuriating grin of his. "It's a very famous ability of your father, little one." 

On an angle unseen by the awestruck Qin Xiao, You Huo pinches a firm muscle on Qin Jiu's arm hard. The warning in it is clear as day: Any more absurdity from your mouth and I'll go alone with Xiao’er to the supermarket.

Qin Jiu cheerfully clamps his mouth shut.

Thanks to Qin Jiu's earlier nonsense, Qin Xiao sticks close to You Huo along the way, lightly swinging his father's larger, rougher hand that's held by his smaller, more tender one. When You Huo looks down, he notices that while Qin Xiao's attention is sometimes stolen by the passing vehicles on the street, the scent of food from roadside stalls, or passerby aunties who coo at how cute he is, never once he lets go of You Huo's hand.

Alright, he muses, maybe Qin Jiu's bullshit does have some unexpected merits.

On Qin Xiao's other side is You Huo's aforementioned husband, currently discussing with him what they should buy in the supermarket later. They don't have the habit of jotting down a list, preferring to prioritize the primary necessities before meandering around to see if there's anything else they may need.

Food, of course, is the most important. Due to the nature of tiger hybrids, their preferences lean more towards meat, but vegetables can't be kicked out of the equation that easily. Even their family's resident picky eater Qin Xiao has no choice but to compromise with You Huo's insistence to eat the vegetables.

“But they taste so plain, I don't really like it." Qin Xiao huffs with puckered lips. “I can live for a thousand years without vegetables just fine!" 

“Don't imitate your Uncle Wen’s dramatics," You Huo gently chastises him. If Wen Yuan dares to teach Qin Xiao any more weird figures of speech, You Huo won't hesitate to throw him into the simulation with the rest of his trainees the next time he sees the head technician. "And vegetables are very important for our bodies. Just look at your dad, how do you think he can be so strong?”

Qin Jiu grins, chuffing out loud with pride. If he has his tail out right now, no doubt it'll be standing upright from happiness. How rare that his beloved praises him so straightforwardly!

Qin Xiao innocently scrutinizes his dad from top to bottom before turning back to You Huo. “Because Dad eats many vegetables?" 

“Exactly. Too much meat won't be good for you. You need vegetables to balance it out.”

Qin Xiao processes this information with a slow nod of his head. His parents can see that he still looks reluctant, though, so Qin Jiu parts his mouth to further coax him…

But then he hears a loud screech coming from far away.

During their conversation, they have just finished crossing the intersection together with a throng of people. You Huo and Qin Jiu stand firm on either side of Qin Xiao, guarding him from this hubbub created by the sunny weekend. However, when that grating shrill resounds from seemingly nowhere, it feels like everyone's limbs are hit with a pause button, simultaneously stopping mid-track to find the source of that unnerving sound.

For one tense second, the world goes mum.

And in the next second, someone is screaming.

A worn down jeep suddenly shows up in everyone's vision, speeding down the road with no indication of decelerating even with the busy traffic in its path. There's literal smoke erupting from its tires, almost to the point of spitting fire as the jeep violently collides onto the rear of other cars, shoving every obstruction out of its way onto the shocked observers around.

And that jeep is heading right into the direction where You Huo is standing!

Qin Xiao doesn't even get to squeak out a yelp when he feels his father's arm winding tightly around his slim figure and they fly away from the jeep’s collision trajectory. The wind rings a  howl in his ears, intermixing with other people's panicked cries. The world around him spins wildly before it settles with a deafening boom!

With a quivering breath, Qin Xiao blinks rapidly, noticing that for some reason, his vision is ladened with… leaves and branches?

“F- Father, w- where…?”

"Sshh, Xiao’er, I'm here. It's alright.”

Right before the jeep crashes onto them, You Huo has taken Qin Xiao into his embrace and jumped as if he's weightless on his feet, accurately grasping onto the thick branch of a looming tree growing on the sidewalk with just one hand. He makes a seamless swing mid-air and lands on top of the branch, hugging his son as firmly as possible onto his chest so that Qin Xiao won't see the jeep smashing into a fortunately unoccupied building or the blood from the injured people below.

You Huo runs a comforting hand on Qin Xiao's trembling spine as he purrs a placating tune, allowing a soothing waft of his scent to seep out from his scent gland. Qin Xiao instinctively burrows himself closer to his father, fair hands twisting the fabric of You Huo's shirt into his fists. With their higher position on the tree, the wind feels slightly stronger than before, knocking Qin Xiao's cap off his head.

The cap floats meekly to the ground, only to be caught by a certain person's hand.

“Are you two alright?!" It turns out to be Qin Jiu, who also manages to leap away to safety in time. While he trusts that You Huo will never permit any harm to come to their son, there's no helping the haywire instincts of an alpha whose family has just escaped danger. “The police have apprehended the jeep's driver, so it's safe to come down now. Here, I'll help you." 

“Xiao'er," You Huo whispers, a rare tinge of concern lacing his quiet voice. "Do you want to stay up here a little longer?”

Qin Xiao shakily gestures a no with his head. "I- I want to smell Dad's scent too…" 

You Huo nods, hiding the dark undercurrents in his eyes by kissing the top of his son's head.

As a cub who basks in his parents’ scent daily, Qin Xiao considers You Huo's scent of snowy morning and Qin Jiu's scent of summer afternoon as his greatest source of comfort. After You Huo slides down the tree with the same smooth expertise, Qin Xiao goes straight to his father's arms and nuzzles his face onto the slope of Qin Jiu's neck, just inches shy from the location of the scent gland on his nape.

"My poor, sweet cub,” Qin Jiu murmurs with a distressed tone. "Got so frightened that your ears and tail disappeared right away… Are you okay? Were you hurt anywhere?" 

Qin Xiao shakes his head again. Now that he has been scented by both of his parents, his jittery nerves begin to ease, his limbs going slack within Qin Jiu's firm, gentle hug.

You Huo glances at the chaotic scenery around them—the flashing red from the ambulance and paramedics treating the victims, the collapsed concrete of that destroyed building, before his eyes fall onto the limping, but still protesting figure of the jeep driver as he's mercilessly dragged away by the police.

“Qin Jiu." 

“Yes, my dear? What's wrong? Are you hurt? Do I need to call the paramedics over?" 

“No, I'm fine. Just want to ask you something." 

“What is it?" 

“Do we have connections with the local police?”

Qin Jiu understands his intentions at once. After all, they're a pair of people who persistently hold grudges—if someone under their protection got hurt, then it must be paid back tenfold. And now, the someone in question is their own flesh and blood, their own son. Even though Qin Xiao is physically unharmed, the disappearance of his ears and tail is enough indication of how shaken he is.

While an adult person’s instinctual response to danger is to manifest their animal features, children’s is the exact opposite. They’ll subconsciously retract any features and begin to seek for the closest shelter which is their parents.

Qin Xiao’s response to danger is his tiger ears and tail immediately disappearing, so naturally, his parents’ response is to retaliate.

Thus, while Qin Jiu continues to soothe Qin Xiao, You Huo starts to make calls with a low voice that carries an inexplicable chill. Once, Qin Xiao wants to look over to his father, but Qin Jiu gingerly directs his gaze back at him with a hand on his cheek. “Your father is a bit busy right now, Little Big Invigilator, so don't bother him, okay? He'll be back shortly.”

"Oh, okay, Dad." While Qin Xiao doesn't know the exact details, he knows that his parents have very important and super secret jobs (Little Uncle Yu’s words, not his!), so he always tries his best to not disturb them too much. As long as he can see You Huo and Qin Jiu whenever he wakes up in the morning, it's enough to make this tiger cub happy. 

“Do you still want to go to the supermarket?" Qin Jiu asks. “If you feel unwell, we'll go home at once. We can go shopping tomorrow." 

“Still want." Qin Xiao's voice is soft, but his golden eyes are brimming with determination. "Father looks so angry… so I want to find something for him in the supermarket. That way, he'll definitely smile again.”

Qin Jiu’s coaxing smile stiffens.

“My little one." 

“Mm?" 

“Do you think your father looks scary when he gets mad?”

Qin Xiao ponders about it for several seconds before he nods, a tiny, fanged grin brightening the now relaxed contours of his healthy cheeks. “Just a little, but Father only makes that face whenever he's worried about me or Dad, so it never looks that scary to me, hehe." 

Hearing this, the perturbed knot in his chest unwinds like cotton threads in the wind. Qin Jiu can't help but laugh, a gleeful note of his scent drifting languidly mid-air, catching the attention of You Huo who has just tucked his phone back into his pocket.

“Qin Jiu?" He asks, but Qin Jiu simply shakes his head and reaches out to press his thumb gently onto the frown between his husband's brows, effectively smoothing it down.

“Nothing, my dear. Just feeling very thankful that you've gifted me such a wonderful son.”

Despite Qin Xiao’s insistence to keep going to the supermarket, his parents notice that his mood is still not in the right place. 

Although Qin Jiu has stepped down to become an instructor just like You Huo prior to Qin Xiao’s birth, they've applied to their superiors to have day offs every weekend, thus most of their workload gets allocated into the weekdays. On weekdays, Qin Xiao is to learn in the kindergarten and stay in Old Yu’s house until his parents return from the military base in the evening. On weekends, unless there's an unavoidable emergence in the base, Qin Xiao will have his parents with him at all times.

(You Huo is better off dying than following his mother's example. What ground-breaking research, what rigorous experiments, how can such a selfish thing compare to Qin Jiu's embrace and Qin Xiao’s giggles?)

That's why Qin Xiao has always liked their family’s grocery shopping time. He may imitate You Huo's cold, confident demeanor often in the kindergarten (“Because it just feels so cool!”), but You Huo also knows just how much this cub loves to cling to him and Qin Jiu.

So to see an absentminded Qin Xiao who simply tugs along with the shopping cart in silence… You Huo feels something twists in his chest just from the sight of it.

“Xiao’er.”

Two seconds pass before Qin Xiao realizes that his father is calling for him. Right away, he cranes his head backwards to meet You Huo's unreadable gaze. "Ah? Uhm, yes, Father?" 

“Hold out your hands." 

“Both?" 

“Yes." 

Qin Xiao turns around and obediently stretches out his hands, palms facing upwards. In the next second, You Huo places a small, cold jar of yogurt on each of his hands, one blueberry-flavoured and one strawberry-flavoured respectively.

Qin Xiao blinks slowly, his head tilted like a curious kitten. "Is there something wrong with the yogurts, Father?”

“No." You Huo lowers himself to one knee, his eyes as solemn as an examinee choosing his next examination subject. "I want to ask Xiao’er, which flavour do you like best?”

If his trainees are subjected to this kind of close-up questioning, they are sure to immediately kowtow and beg for their chief instructor’s forgiveness, but to Qin Xiao, there's nothing scary about his father's eyes. 

What is there to be scared of? Those are the eyes he himself shares. Those are the eyes his dad has always praised to be beautiful.

"Hmm…" Qin Xiao’s nose scrunches adorably as he falls deep in thought. A little to the side, Qin Jiu watches them with his pitch-black eyes laser-focused, one hand already hovering over the fridge rack in preparation to hoard the yogurt flavour his son chooses.

“Strawberry tastes good… but I think I like blueberry better?" 

And the young cub jumps in surprise when he sees his dad swipes six jars of blueberry-flavoured yogurt into the shopping cart, the speed equivalent to the one Qin Jiu habitually deploys to reload the magazine of his firearms.

Clatter!! The noise echoes particularly loud in the dairy products aisle.

Uncaring of the startled looks other customers cast at them, You Huo nods at his husband, lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. "Then it's decided. The three of us will have blueberry yogurt after dinner tonight.”

Qin Xiao's mouth gapes open, his golden eyes sparkling—the first light You Huo sees in them after that disastrous car accident. “Really?!”

"Mm.”

Qin Xiao starts bouncing on his heels in excitement, but then, as if remembering something, his head snaps to look at Qin Jiu, an unspoken doubt evident on his face. No doubt this cub is thinking about that one night where he ate five milk candies and his dad had to chase his sugar-rushed self around the house because he couldn't sleep.

(Even though he has yet to realize that Qin Jiu was just trolling him with that “fish” talk)

Qin Jiu laughs as he ruffles Qin Xiao's hair into a further mess of dark brown strands. “Why do you think Dad gets us six yogurts, little dear? After all, it's the weekend. If you wake up late tomorrow, Dad won't chide you." 

Qin Xiao beams, a tiny fang peeking past his lips as he holds up his pinky finger. “Promise?" 

“Promise." And Qin Jiu links it with his own without missing a single beat.

"Now, shall we continue shopping, Little Big Invigilator? Your father and Dad have sooo many things to buy today, but we can't do it without your guidance. Will this great invigilator assist us?”

“Yes!"

Such is You Huo and Qin Jiu’s strategy to dispel the storm of scorching tires from their son’s mind. All items in the shopping cart must gain Qin Xiao’s seal of approval first, be it food, drinks, detergents, soaps, even which packaging of the oil-absorbent tissue he likes best. Soon, their shopping cart is brimming with a miscellaneous of items that Qin Xiao, who volunteers to push it, is huffing with exertion by the time they arrive at their cashier.

Rather than weekly shopping, this feels more like their monthly one…

“Good job, my little dear,” Qin Jiu praises with pride, fishing out a handkerchief from his pocket to dab the budding sweat on his cub’s temple. “From this alone, I know you're going to be as strong as your father in the future.”

Qin Xiao grins, flaunting one arm that barely has any muscles. “I’ll work harder, Dad!”

Together, the three of them deposit the items from the cart onto the counter one by one, Qin Xiao handling the lighter ones and his parents the heavier ones. The cashier smoothly scans the items as she initiates a conversation with Qin Xiao, her round face bright with smiles.

“Little brother, how old are you this year?”

“I’ll be six this year, Sister!”

“Really? I thought you’re almost seven! You’re so tall already, must be the good genes of your parents, hehe.”

“Not tall enough, I want to be as tall as Dad!”

“I see you’re buying a lot of milk, so make sure to drink it everyday, okay?”

“Yes, Sister, thank you!”

Watching Qin Xiao hold conversations with a stranger so cheerfully like this makes You Huo’s heart grow warm. If his tail is out, it’ll definitely sway from happiness.

Before entering kindergarten, Qin Xiao’s personality is more on the quiet, withdrawn side, something that Chu Yue comments as the side effect of being glued to You Huo’s arm (or tail, in most cases) almost 24/7. Thankfully, it takes only two weeks in the kindergarten for Qin Xiao to flourish, with many teachers reporting to You Huo and Qin Jiu that the younger kids look up to him and the older ones treat him with respect due to his height.

(“Just like our Big Invigilator…” Qin Jiu wipes away a fake tear. “I’m so proud.”

Qin Xiao stares at his dad with wide eyes, his tail standing upright in alert. “W- Why is Dad crying?”

“Don’t bother, Xiao’er.” You Huo curls his own tail around his son’s to ease it down. “Your dad’s dramatic module is just acting up again.”)

Now, Qin Xiao’s energy is abundant enough that he’s able to keep up with Yu Wen and Di Li’s antics whenever the two swing by for a visit. Usually, combining Qin Xiao and Yu Wen together spells for a sleepless night trying to fix the mess of their playtime, so You Huo is immensely grateful for Di Li’s presence who’s in the possession of the most brain cells between the three of them.

As per Qin Jiu’s words: “That young wolf has 60% of the brain cells, our little one has 25%, while Yu Wen takes up the remaining 15%.”

You Huo: “…Can’t disagree with that.”

Indeed, their son is chaotically sensible (sensibly chaotic? Is that the same?). He must’ve got that from his dad.

You Huo is snapped out of his musings when the cashier announces the total price of their purchase, yet when he’s about to take out his phone to pay up, she continues excitedly,

“Sirs, since your total spending has exceeded a certain amount, you’ve been granted one chance to draw a discount coupon!”

You Huo instantly has a bad premonition.

Unaware of You Huo’s, and subsequently Qin Jiu’s, blank expression, the cashier pulls out a big glass case full of papers from under the counter and places it in front of them. 

Oh no, the great masters think in unison.

Still with that bubbly air around her, the cashier explains. “There’s a total of 100 coupons here! The best one is 90% off which has only a total of five coupons here, but don't be discouraged! There are also fifteen 70% off coupons, thirty 50% off coupons, and forty 20% off coupons! There’s actually also seven 10% off and three 5% off coupons, but I’ve never seen anyone getting them, so be rest assured! I’m sure you’ll be able to get a good one!”

You Huo: ……

Qin Jiu: ……

Qin Xiao: …?

Others may not be able to notice it, but Qin Xiao can sense that his parents’ mood suddenly gets a little… weird?

Question marks pop atop of this confused cub’s head. Do Dad and Father not like discount coupons? Don’t they make us spend less money? Isn’t that a good thing?

Qin Xiao watches as his parents exchange a silent conversation through an unmoving eye contact for several seconds. Then, Qin Jiu bends down and pokes at Qin Xiao’s nose with the tip of his forefinger. “My little dear, do you want to try drawing the coupons?”

“Eh? Can I?”

“Of course, why can’t you?”

Qin Xiao narrows his eyes in thought.

Dad is all smiles while Father is all serious as always… There's nothing wrong with them, but somehow I feel like there is…?

But no matter how hard he thinks, this cub comes out clueless. If his ears and tail were still there, they would've slumped together with his shoulders and pursed lips.

He's no mind reader, he has no way to figure out the intricate cogs and gears inside his parents’ head. So Uncle Gao was right, I really had a long way to go to become a great master…

However, since they have entrusted this great task to him, he won’t disappoint them!

Assisted by You Huo’s hands under his armpits since the opening of the box on the counter is too high for him to reach, Qin Xiao closes his eyes and dives his hand into the box. He rummages through the thickets of coupons for a good five seconds before—

“Got it!”

—he pulls out a 5% off discount coupon.

The cashier: …

Qin Xiao: ?!

T- The super rare and unlucky 5% off?! QAQ

Seeing the whole thing unfold, especially Qin Xiao's openly gobsmacked expression, Qin Jiu doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Since when is bad luck hereditary?

Ah, if only he had his camera on, he would've recorded this legendary event and put it into 154’s archives for safekeeping. That way, should someone ever doubt Qin Xiao’s identity in the future, the recording can prove that this cub is irrefutably his and You Huo’s.

When they left their house two hours ago, the sky was bright and bereft of shadows.

But now? A dense curtain of water greets them when they’re about to exit the supermarket. Hissing pitter-patters of water droplets hit the awning of the entrance in an unsystematic rhythm, building up a thin layer of fog at their surroundings. The roaring downpour bites at the smallest patch of exposed skin, prompting Qin Xiao to stick himself to his parents’ side in order to preserve warmth. 

Felines have a natural liking for heat, so being assaulted by a cold rain like this is something that never climbs up the rank in this family's favourite things list.

“Well, this is quite unexpected.” Yet contrary to Qin Xiao’s expectations, his dad doesn’t sound too upset even though several people are grumbling about the inaccurate weather forecast. “Shame that we didn't bring any umbrellas with us, though.”

You Huo swiftly unlocks his phone and announces. “I’ll go order a taxi.”

But thirty minutes later, his order has yet to be accepted by any driver and Qin Xiao has been sneezing for more than ten times to the point a clear string of snot dangles below his nostrils. As You Huo dabs his son’s nose clean, he begins to worry that Qin Xiao will catch the flu.

However, going back into the supermarket is, unfortunately, not an option. With all the air conditioners fully functional, the temperature inside is no less low than the temperature outside. In actuality, this kind of rain poses no trouble for him and Qin Jiu who have faced the worst weather the system could offer to them, but there’s their son and their bags of groceries to consider. You Huo doesn’t want to risk it.

But this cold isn't good for Xiao’er…

“My dear, I’ll go back inside to buy some raincoats,” Qin Jiu proposes. “Try ordering the taxi again. Keep me updated, alright?”

“Mm.” You Huo nods. That seems to be their best choice for now.

Ten minutes later, when the rain has eased just the slightest bit, Qin Jiu reemerges from the supermarket, but instead of raincoats, he’s carrying two large umbrellas and a cup of something steaming that turns out to be hot chocolate. Qin Xiao instinctively turns his head to follow the source of that delicious chocolate smell. After passing the drink to their shivering son, Qin Jiu answers You Huo’s questioning gaze with a humourless laugh,

“Tough luck, Big Invigilator. All raincoats have been sold out. I suspect everyone has got their hands on them before me.”

You Huo sighs as he accepts one umbrella from his husband. “No luck with the taxi either. It seems that we really have to brave the rain.”

From his peripheral vision, he notices that the moment Qin Xiao hears this last sentence, the cub hastens to finish his hot chocolate. Before he has the chance to burn his own tongue, You Huo gently grabs him by the elbow to soothe him. “Drink it slowly, Xiao’er, it’s alright. Your dad and I will wait for you.”

“But Father doesn’t like the cold, right…? I want to get home as soon as possible too.” Qin Xiao murmurs dejectedly, looking down at his feet.

“Don’t worry about me. What’s important is that you won’t be cold. Take your time drinking the chocolate, okay?”

“Okay…”

After the last drop of hot chocolate is finally gone from the cup, You Huo and Qin Jiu begin to arrange their formation. Qin Jiu is to carry about 60% of their groceries, You Huo the other 30%, and Qin Xiao the remaining 10% which consists of the lighter items like tissues, face wash, neutral air freshener refills, etc.. Due to the intensity of the rain, they must strike the right balance between going fast and going careful, so for Qin Xiao, he’s tasked to hold up the umbrella while being carried by You Huo in one arm at the same time.

“Is it okay, Father…? Won’t it be heavy?”

“I can even carry your dad if I want to, so carrying you is no trouble for me, Xiao’er.”

Qin Jiu chuckles as he adjusts the grocery bags in his hold. “Yes, Little Big Invigilator, trust in your father’s strength more. He’s not our chief instructor for nothing, after all.”

Thus, armed with two large umbrellas above their heads, this Qin family of three starts running under the rain.

Although You Huo’s arm around his midsection is strong and unshakeable, Qin Xiao still can’t help the thundering of his heart inside his ribcages. He grips the umbrella handle with all the might his small hand can muster, ensuring that the rain won’t ever get to his father. The grocery bags within his embrace jostle with every large step You Huo takes, hugged by Qin Xiao’s other arm close to his chest.

It’s a thrilling and dreadful experience at the same time.

Thrilling, because Aunt Chu isn’t lying when she says that his parents’ prowess is truly something to behold—they’re running so fast, yet never once they bump onto other people on the sidewalk despite the fog generated by the rain! Amazing! But it’s also dreadful because he’s been entrusted with another task to keep You Huo’s head dry with the umbrella! He doesn’t want to disappoint his parents for the second time in a row!

But you know what they say—if things can go wrong, it will go wrong.

When his parents turn sharply on the corner, just one more street away from their neighborhood, Qin Xiao sees the striking flash of a car’s headlight tearing through the rain, racing from their opposite way. The next thing he knows, Qin Jiu shouts a sharp “Watch out!” as he lowers his own umbrella to protect You Huo and Qin Xiao’s unguarded side.

The car speeds past beside them, hurling a ridiculous amount of muddy water from the puddles on the road. Qin Jiu’s umbrella manages to block most of the water so that only the ends of You Huo’s trousers and a little portion of Qin Xiao’s hair get splashed, but as a result, due to him sacrificing his umbrella as a shield, Qin Jiu is drenched by the rain all the way from his head to his feet.

You Huo curses under his breath, eyebrows knitted into a deep frown. “Don’t stop! Just one more street to go!”

“Yes, Sir!” Even though he knows it’s futile, Qin Jiu still straightens the umbrella back into place and resumes his run with You Huo, not a single falter in his steps as if he doesn’t register the additional weight of his soaked clothes.

Three relieved sighs erupt simultaneously the moment You Huo closes the front door behind him, shutting the downpour and the whipping winds outside their house.

“Qin Jiu,” he wastes no more second to take the grocery bags from his husband’s hands and jerks his chin at the bathroom, “Bath, now.”

Qin Jiu blinks, still in the middle of toeing his soddened shoes and socks off his feet. “Big Invigilator, you know this rain is nothing to me, right? Not to mention we still have a lot of groceries to sort—”

“No.” You Huo angles the bags out of Qin Jiu’s arms range. “I can do it on my own. You need to take a bath now, preferably a hot bath, lest you’ll come down with the flu.”

“My dear—”

“Dad, please?” The rest of Qin Jiu’s sentence dies on his tongue when Qin Xiao tugs at his finger, pale white and almost bloodless from the cold. His cub’s voice is full of grievance as he pleads. “Dad got drenched to protect me and Father… I don’t want Dad to get sick…”

Qin Jiu’s resolve shatters within seconds. If he makes his son cry, he’ll ask You Huo to throw him into 154’s toughest simulation this instant! His hands hang above Qin Xiao’s taut shoulders, wanting to hug him but dares not to because of his sorry state. “Forgive me, my little dear, Dad didn’t mean to make you worry. Dad will take a bath right now, okay?”

Qin Xiao nods, but his lips are still pursued in a mix of sadness and guilt.

“Xiao’er,” You Huo says, his voice a consoling purr, “how about you take a bath together with your dad? That way, you can make sure that he’s all warm and healthy again.”

Qin Xiao brightens a bit at this suggestion. “Okay, Father, I won’t let Dad get sick.”

Qin Jiu, of course, has no objection, so he allows his determined cub to drag him to the bathroom by the finger. His sopping wet clothes are thrown into the laundry basket on the corner of the bathroom, quickly joined by Qin Xiao’s own. The spacious bathtub in their house is specifically built to be able to contain their family of three at the same time, so right now, there’s more than enough space for Qin Jiu and Qin Xiao to stretch their legs after the bathtub is full to the brim with warm water.

Unlike cats, tigers don’t have any aversion towards water. In fact, Qin Xiao loves taking baths so much that sometimes his parents have to remind him to not stay in the bathtub for too long else he'll turn into a wrinkled, steamed white tiger cub.

Around the two tigers, the murky water bubbles with a neutral-smelling soap, accompanied by three rubber ducks on the surface. The rubber ducks have faint traces of a black marker on the face area—once, Qin Xiao had drawn a toothy grin and an earring on the ducks to resemble his parents, but the lines had long since faded by the waters, morphing into little smears on the rubbery yellow surface.

Qin Xiao was a little disappointed when he first noticed this, but this cub was quick to bounce away from his sadness. This is because Qin Jiu has taken a picture of the ducks and You Huo has etched it on the fridge with a magnet, so Qin Xiao can always look at his mischievous masterpiece again whenever he passes by the kitchen.

His drawings on the rubber ducks may fade, but what won't fade is the warmth of his parents’ love for him.

At some point, Qin Jiu, who has his eyes closed in contentment, feels a lazy movement beneath the water before something small and soft wraps itself around his leg. Creaking an eye open, a fond smile makes its way to his face when he realizes that Qin Xiao has manifested his tiger ears and tail once again, the fluffy white tail subconsciously projecting his clinginess to his parents. 

I’m glad, a telltale of a rumble climbs up Qin Jiu’s throat—a sound unique to alphas whose happiness can no longer be contained. I hope we can always be your safe haven in which your tiger features can show up without worry.

“Is Dad asleep?" Qin Xiao peers up at his dad until the back of his head rests against Qin Jiu's collarbone, his twin fluffs of white twitching amid damp dark brown strands.

Qin Jiu meets that pair of brilliant golden eyes with yet another joyful rumble. "Just relaxing, my little dear. We still have ten minutes before we'll have to wash up, so let us savour soaking in the tub a little longer, okay?”

And Qin Xiao nods just as happily. "Okay!”

As someone with a military bearing deeply ingrained in his body, Qin Jiu can be very punctual to a fault when he wants to. He doesn't even look at the wall clock—exactly ten minutes later, he suddenly stands up and fishes a white tiger cub out of the water by wrapping his arms around his stomach, eliciting a surprised, yet cheerful giggle from Qin Xiao.

“Caught myself a tiger cub~." Qin Jiu sings to himself as he steps out of the bathtub and drags over a stool with one foot in preparation to wash up his energetic cub.

Still giggling along the way, Qin Xiao playfully tries to wriggle free from Qin Jiu's embrace, but to no avail. His dad is just that strong! He ends up being placed onto the stool, small hands soon scrubbing himself with a shower puff while his dad washes his hair behind him.

It's only after Qin Jiu meticulously cleanses the shampoo from his hair that Qin Xiao finally remembers his initial goal of taking a bath together with his dad. Jumping from the stool, he spins on his heels to face the smiling Qin Jiu. "Dad, are you warm now?”

Qin Jiu chuckles. "Of course.”

"Not cold anymore?”

"Nope.”

"So… Dad won't get sick, right?" 

“Dad won't. It's all thanks to my Little Big Invigilator. This bathing exam is a success~.”

And Qin Xiao brightens completely hearing this.

“Father, Father!" 

After carefully drying it up with a towel, Qin Xiao’s tail puffs up in a rather comical way, looking like a big feather duster of white and black stripes as he makes a beeline towards the kitchen where You Huo has just finished cooking lunch for their family.

"Exam successful!” The cub reports with a clumsy salute and a tiger’s unique close-eyed smile. “Dad says he no longer feels cold!" 

“Good work, Xiao’er," You Huo praises him with an affectionate head rub. "You and your dad go eat first. I'm going to take a bath as well.”

"That won't do, my dear.” A thick, long curl of swaying orange and black stripes above the floor enters You Huo's vision. When he looks up, he’s met with the loving stars in Qin Jiu's pitch-black eyes, all warm and bright edges from a good soak. "I'll keep the food warm until you finish bathing. Our family has just escaped an epic mayhem, so why not end it with an uneventful lunch in return?”

"Dad's right!” Qin Xiao sneakily wraps both hands around You Huo's wrist, wanting to be petted a little longer. "Grandpa said that the best meals are eaten together with the people you love, so Father must eat with us!”

But I don't want any of you to go hungry while you wait for me, is what You Huo intends to say. For a long time, he's used to doing everything by himself—living alone, cooking alone, eating alone, other people's smiles and laughter suspended in one lively bubble he never saw the need to disturb with his ominous eyes.

But everything changed when he met Qin Jiu.

Everything changed when he decided to become mates with Qin Jiu.

And these wonderful changes are carried over until he has Qin Xiao in his life, too.

"If you say so." You Huo smiles, his objection rewoven into an agreement. “I promise I won't be long. Xiao’er can have some bites first.”

The cub pumps his fist to the air. "Yaaayy!!”

"And what about me, Big Invigilator?” Qin Jiu grins as he points at himself, orange ears flicking with anticipation atop of his head.

“For you, some bites as well, along with this." 

Taking one step forward, You Huo closes the distance between himself and Qin Jiu, close enough that he's able to relish in the fresh, fiery winds of the sun that's emitted by Qin Jiu's scent gland. Without looking away from his husband's glittering eyes, he cradles Qin Jiu's cheek with one hand and parts his lips,

"Xiao'er. Eyes.”

Qin Xiao makes a surprised yip, embarrassed for being caught staring at his parents, and immediately crouches down, slapping both palms to the front of his eyes.

And there it is, the tender, brief smooch he hears every so often from his parents. 

Actually, Qin Xiao gets smooches too from his parents, be it on his cheeks, forehead, nose, or head. However, Aunt Chu once told him that his parents’ smooches with each other are different—adult stuff, she said with a laugh as she shielded his eyes with a big, firm hug, you're still too young to see it, Xiao-Xiao. 

When he asked her what the difference was, she pinched his chubby cheeks instead, again saying that he was still too young to know that.

Humph! Too young? He's five years old! It's already all the fingers in one hand! Surely that accounts for something, right?

Yet his dad and father always remind him to close his eyes whenever they want to smooch. Sometimes, Qin Xiao already notices when the smooch is about to happen, so he takes the first initiative to cover his eyes, but at the same time, he's also very curious!

Unfortunately, his parents are just too sharp, always knowing whether Qin Xiao is looking or not as if they have eyes on the back of their head. The cub sulkingly tells himself to just cover his eyes from now on to save himself from that sense of embarrassment again.

“Dad, Father, are you done?”

"Done, my little dear~. Open your eyes?”

Qin Xiao lowers his hands, yet the moment he does so, he's taken by surprise by the smooch You Huo presses against his temple.

"Xiao’er gets one too,” his dad purrs, a pair of round, white ears and a bushy tail of black and white—a larger, mirror image to Qin Xiao’s own—already manifested on his person. “I’ll be taking a bath now. Don't make chaos with your dad in the kitchen while I'm gone, okay?”

“I'll be a good tiger for you, my dear." Qin Jiu laughs, lifting Qin Xiao from the floor and into his arms, similarly pressing a kiss to his forehead. "We will be, right, my little dear?”

Qin Xiao makes a noise between a ticklish thrill and an elated purr. "We will!”

Oh well, so what if he can't see his parents’ smooch? He gets a smooch too from both of them, so it's still a win in his books!

And for Qin Jiu and You Huo themselves, being able to make their son happy is, too, a win in their books.