Hannah.

Chapter 3: Love me Now or Never

From that day on, everything happened quickly and dramatically.

So much so, a month and a half later, Lin Ling still finds himself terribly overwhelmed, tired, and staring at nothingness through the train windows, unable to stop thinking about... About everything.

That day, after a couple of calls from Wreck, his apartment was invaded and desecrated for the second time by what was a team of approximately (and he’s not exaggerating) thirty-five people. Some stayed at the door due to the lack of space, and they had to take turns. However, all of them were part of the commission or its collaborators, eager to contribute to the discovery that had turned the investigation around.

By the time they arrived, Lin Ling had already reminisced and joined enough dots with Wreck to argue that, indeed, his cat was Nice, and he was very conscious of that. The strange pieces of the puzzle that had always been his pet fit together perfectly, and although some details and questions remained unanswered, there was no doubt that this was the biggest reason why the cat was so strange and intelligent from the beginning.

The commission confirmed and corroborated everything almost instantly, expressing great gratitude for his collaboration and taking Nice with them to expedite a solution to his transformation. All this while Treeman’s team pushed Lin Ling aside to subject him to veiled threats and the most absolutely ironclad and terrifying confidentiality agreement he has seen in his short life.

Because of this, they directly or indirectly prevented Lin Ling from even saying goodbye to Nice the cat or seeing him one last time.

But okay. Not bad. Good. That’s great. It’s not like that hurt him enormously and kept him up at night, or anything.

Ok.

But with the revelation of Nice’s whereabouts and what had become of him during those months, the investigation took a totally different and accelerated course, leading to significant progress. By the time everyone realized it, both the missing heroes and The Magician had been found and the situation fantastically amended.

It turns out that The Magician was an inveterate animalist, whose hobby was to do magic, but his greatest trick for some reason was to turn his opponents and himself into his “inner animal”, such as making a bunny appear with a wave of his wand. Ironically, the villain was transformed into a white bunny every time the commission looked for him, and of course, who would suspect?

He liked animals more than people, and in this way, he had been turning anyone who faced him into creatures both small and large to “deal with fewer people in the world” (his words), causing social chaos and an alarming biodiversity crisis along the way.

The truth is that looking back, they should have all been suspicious as a society and wondered what was going on when the most viewed FOMO videos at the time were “Fucking loser vs cat”, “Ugly ass raccoon tries to rob me”, “Elephant enters supermarket (funny, good ending)”, and “Autistic hawk wtf”

The Magician has a point when he says that the human being is not so smart.

The fact is that X himself ultimately defeated him on his own, behind the commission's teams, as a reprimand for the prolonged delay and forcing the Magician to ask for forgiveness. He didn’t, of course, and ended up in jail, but hero number one helped return the affected heroes to their human form, who were very well received back to their previous lives.

Everything had gone perfectly.

The media created special programs to celebrate the case’s victory. They covered emotional meetings between friends and family, interviews with those affected went on nonstop, and the good news spread rapidly.

On social networks, photos of adorable animals were often compared with the heroes themselves, and new fashions emerged to explore. Videos analyzing the situation were also shared, and in general, a sense of generalized revelry was transmitted that was difficult to see in the tangle of hatred that is sometimes the internet.

Companies and marketing began to work again, and with much more strength than before, taking advantage of the new fashions and the resurgence of all those heroes who were now coming back with a bang.

The whole city was undoubtedly delighted with the development of events.

The good guys had won; the bad guys hadn’t. Their heroes were back, and everything was back to normal.

Yes.

All great.

…

And Lin Ling was...

…

…

He was...

…

He was there.

That’s it.

He sighed again. The scenery through the window, against which he was leaning heavily, hadn’t changed at all. Although the scenes passed by rapidly as the train sped toward its destination, they were exactly the same as they had been years ago.

The same trees, the same sky, the same lake, the same tedious and afflicted route that tinged the atmosphere little by little with anguish and melancholy every time Lin Ling returned to his hometown.

He hasn’t done it for many years, but there he is.

“Treeman has bought the family business.”

His brother had written to him weeks ago, from a new number that he hadn’t taken long to block after reading the string of poisonous and hostile messages that followed that one.

“They are the new owners, but they have let dad take care of everything with interest.

They have forced him to pay his initial debt, along with all the money he took from you.

They won’t let him go until he either retires or pays off the entire amount.

Because he won't succeed, it will be my turn to deal with that fucking shitty debt later.

I don’t know what the fuck you’ve done, or who you’ve fucked, but we’re going to be giving you your fucking money back until we die.

I hope you’re happy.”

Curious, isn’t it?

Lin Ling left him in read, and then deleted the chat, feeling slightly proud of himself along the way. But he shrugged, wondering how things had happened like this.

“I’m going to divorce your father.”

His mother had also written to him, out of nowhere, more or less at the same time his brother gave him the other good news.

But unlike with his brother, Lin Ling had never had the strength or heart to block his poor mother from the beginning, now also being one of his clear weaknesses.

They had never spoken much, especially since he left, but what she wrote to him this time was really good news and a thousand times more interesting than what the other family members had to tell him.

“Lin Ling, my boy.

I know I hurt you, and it’s because I’m not half as brave as you’ve always been. You are my greatest pride.

I don’t have the right to ask you for anything, I know. But I’m trying to move forward; someone has helped me get a lawyer.

I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry.

When you’re ready, if you can forgive me, I want to hug you again.”

He didn’t delete that chat.

He didn’t answer but didn’t delete it or do anything about it either.

He just left it there, pending on the huge list of things he had to deal with emotionally, and that was already starting to overflow.

But it was a curious thing, how after a month and a half after the whole ordeal, everyone had called, written, and talked to him about something.

Whether it was important or not, whether it was an everyday issue or getting out of his routine to deal with the catharsis that had been everyone’s life.

His brother wrote to him, his mother too, his neighbors spoke to him when they realized who the cat he had been living with was, Treeman’s legal team called him to confirm that he had signed the documents for the fifth time, his co-workers spoke to him to comment on the new and fruitful projects,  the vet called him to cancel that check-up that was never going to happen, the postman spoke to him when he saw him in the doorway, Wreck checked on him to confirm his windows were fixed as he promised, his grandmother called him to be sure that he was going to stay with her during his necessary vacation, and even his boss called him reluctantly after a fight to tell him that, indeed, he granted him all the days off he owed him.

But there’s someone who hasn’t written to him.

No.

Of all that enormous number of people, there is someone in particular who hasn’t spoken a single word to him after a month and a half, not a message, not a call, not a comment on the air, not a sudden appearance. Nothing.

And it’s funny, he just says it.

Suddenly, there is someone or something making Treeman buy his father’s business and force him to pay everything he owes him; or getting his mother a divorce lawyer, after years of misery fighting for it; or pulling the strings behind his boss to give him that vacation they didn’t want to grant him.

It turns out that he can do all that, but not talk to him.

Nice can go to interviews, resume his life, go back to public appearances, have a rebrand and a corporate makeover, break up with Moon for good and talk openly about how their relationship was more of a business nature, and declare how much his perspective on things has changed after being a cat for months,  but not to talk to Lin Ling.

Anything but that.

…

Fuck.

He knows he has no right to it, but he can’t help but feel heartbroken.

~0.0~

“Oh, Lin Ling.” The cheerful and affectionate smile with which his grandmother greeted him was like a warm ray of sunshine after a great and raw storm, making part of the fatigue he carried dissipate, and he couldn’t help but smile back with emotion. “Darling, come here.”

Between giggles and without thinking twice, the boy dropped his suitcases to greet his beloved grandma and hug her with all the tenderness and affection he possessed.

The return to his village hadn’t been exceptionally remarkable; again, it was the same landscape, the same train station, the same cobbled streets that made it difficult to walk with suitcases, and the same shops and neighbors who looked out curiously when they saw someone pass by.

The only difference he could find from a few years ago was that they had cleaned up the graffiti from the park, and the thermal baths now had an extra cafeteria. And himself, who felt incredibly out of place.

It was as if a little fish that had gone out to sea saw itself again inside the small fish tank in which it had once been happy, but no longer belonged, locked up again with the same corals and false decorations in which it once found solace.

But at least he knew about where he was going, and although the path to his grandma’s house from the station was somewhat tedious and nostalgic, given that she was on the outskirts, having his own goal and knowing that he was going to stay in a safe place helped to alleviate a little the latent anxiety and sadness that vibrated under his skin since he got on the train.

Having received him with all the affection she had and more, his adorable grandma soon began to prick his face and examine him closely, as she always did, as if it were her personal duty to make sure he was healthy and standing after so long without seeing each other.

“Look at you, how you have grown!” His grandma said enthusiastically, cradling his face gently. “You’re quite a man, so tall and handsome... Meanwhile, I’m just getting older and shorter.”

“Don’t say that, Grandma.” Lin Ling replied, laughing, certainly, those are the kind of things grandmothers say, as if nothing. “You preserve yourself very well.”

“Time doesn’t forgive anyone, sweetheart.”  She denied, clearly jokingly. “And speaking of time, you’ve taken your time today! Your friend and I have been waiting for you.”

Huh?

“Huh?”

HUH?

“He arrived before you this morning.” His grandmother nodded, her face a picture of innocence and overflowing happiness, especially when she spoke of “his friend”, her eyes filled with pride and emotion that the dark-haired man couldn’t quite interpret. “Oh, Lin Ling, he’s a charming boy, and very, very handsome. We have been drinking tea and talking at length while you arrived.”

“W-What?” Lin Ling asked, paralyzed by a mixture of absolute terror, panic, and confusion that flooded him at times.

What friend? What friend? What is she talking about?

Nor could he react or ask more about it, because before he could do so, a soft voice that was already familiar to him interrupted them, his owner appearing at the entrance just behind his grandmother at a calm pace and carrying a sweet and innocent smile.

“Lin Ling, finally, why did it take you so long?” Nice asked calmly, as if being there wasn’t an absolute madness that was breaking all the barriers of Lin Ling’s mind suddenly.

The terror he had felt at the thought that his grandmother was in danger for letting a stranger into her house (which, in fact, is what she has done) suddenly dissipated when he saw him. But the overwhelming confusion that already prevailed in his mind became a thousand times stronger, causing Lin Ling to suffer an overwhelming mental short-circuit. Leaving him in silence, immobilized.

Because, what? what?

His mind was blank because out of nowhere, and for the first time in... months? years? He had Nice in front of him. Not the hero Nice whom he idolized so much and stared from afar while filming an ad, not the cat Nice who meowed tirelessly to get his attention, not the marketing Nice whose dark circles he had to touch up late at night.

No, Nice, a few meters away, receiving him with an astonishing naturalness and serenity for everything that had happened and calling his name with a tinge of illusion that he didn’t want to delve into, as if he had always known him, and he wasn’t exactly the reason why he had fled the city. Dressed completely normal, without suits or accessories, just him.

Gorgeous, of course, because even with straight pants and a simple blue shirt that matches his eyes, he’s still ethereal.

And Lin Ling is so dumbfounded by the situation that he hasn’t even noticed that he was looking him up and down, silently, taking in, until the other one let out an amused chuckle and walked up to him, his grandma smiling tenderly at them.

“I’ll help you with your bags, hm?” He said, gently pushing him aside to take care of them, placing his hand on his lower back and completely ignoring the shiver that ran through Lin Ling. “We’ve made lunch, you’re hungry, aren’t you?”

We?

“Oh, that’s true! We’ve already set the table and everything is ready.” His grandma hurriedly said, as if recalling that detail helped her focus. “Hurry up! It’s going to get cold, and you have to eat.”

“That’s not-” Lin Ling began to say, still stunned by everything that was happening and letting his grandma grab his arm to take him to the dining room.

“Nice, darling, leave his suitcases in your room, the one at the end of the corridor. Everything’s ready for you two to stay there.” His grandmother ordered the hero with complete normality, while her grandson spiraled more and more with each word.

His room? Their room? Where they stay? Together?

What?

The number of questions that resounded in his head in a tangle of pure confusion and insecurity was no match for his grandma’s insistence and the sudden alliance she had formed with Nice. Despite his turmoil and silence, they sat him down at the table, served his favorite dishes, and started a cheerful conversation, making the moment feel totally normal as they had lunch together.

And he couldn’t even complain, because the dishes were really good. He had missed his dear grandmother’s food, much more her presence, and he had Nice right next to him, pouring water every time he finished his glass and chatting with the older woman, all with a slight but pleasant smile. They really seemed to get along, and a scene like this is not something Lin Ling would have imagined he could have... Well, never.

Much less with someone like Nice, who, again, what was he doing there?  It’s anticlimactic and not the kind of thing the great hero Nice should be doing, and yet he seems... Distinct.

His posture is not as tense and straight as before, allowing him to move with ease; his way of speaking is more colloquial and without preparation or extensive prior thought before communicating or saying anything; he doesn’t seem to be so on guard or aware of his surroundings; his dark circles are not as prominent as on other occasions; and the perfectionism for which he was characterized is there, but not so powerful and controlling as to constantly smooth the wrinkles of his clothes or to separate the food from the plate insistently, as he was known about it. But, above all, and what affects Lin Ling the most, is that his smiles don’t seem so forced.

He’s more natural, more genuine, a little more authentic.

Lin Ling felt his heart race, his grip on his chopsticks tightening as he glanced sideways at the other, laughing softly at some joke his grandma had shared, oblivious to his inner turmoil.

Oh, that’s not fair.

It’s not fair that, even if he’s no longer perfect, he likes him more than before and for real.

And by the time Nice turned and asked him something in a low voice, Lin Ling had already been enraptured looking at him for a few minutes, getting lost in those blue eyes for a few seconds before blinking in a daze.

“What?” He asked, clearing his throat, slightly embarrassed because it was obvious he hadn’t heard him.

“Soy sauce.” He answered patiently, showing no bother at all. And resting his hand on his thigh as he approached in the same way as at the entrance, intimately and causally, he nodded to what he wanted from the table. “It’s on your side. Can you pass it to me?”

“Ah.” Lin Ling replied uneasily, handing him the soy sauce in a hurry as if giving it to him earlier would prevent his awareness of his touch and the whole situation.

For a second, and surpassing the warm touch of the other, he felt the flutter of what was the usual guilt and worry that flooded him in these cases, especially being in the village again, defenseless, and observed. He feared a comment, a rejection, a change of attitude, something.

But nothing happened. Nothing.

No one at the table reacted, his grandma laughed under her breath again and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened; Nice thanked him, pressed his touch on his thigh for a few seconds before moving away, and his eyes shone again in that funny and mischievous way that the cat used to do when he caught him looking at the posters or advertisements in which he was the protagonist.

Lin Ling, feeling a sudden warmth flooding his chest alarmingly, due to relief and an affection he doesn’t even know how to describe, just chewed his food and kicked Nice a little under the table.

Because he’s still an asshole, uh.

Nice kicked back without flinching, of course, while his grandma began to serve the second course.

“Lin Ling, you’re very thin!” She began to scold him, of course. “You have to eat a little more. Is it forbidden to eat in the big city?”

“I’m fine, Grandma.” He said with a sigh.

“It doesn’t seem so.”

“I eat well, really.” He tried to assure her.

“Hhmm...” Nice suddenly blurted out beside him, looking away.

This-

“What do you mean by ‘hmm’?” He rebuked him instantly, annoyed.

“Nothing.” Nice replied in his usual soft tone, but with a slightly malicious smile, his eyes shining with a hint of mischief. “But you don’t cook much for yourself, you know.”

This asshole.

“That can’t be!” His grandma replied instantly. “You’ll eat well while you’re here, and I’ll give you all my recipes to cook for you from now on.”

“T-That won’t be necessary.” Lin Ling replied, frowning and kicking Nice again under the table. Snitch rat, they both know that contradicting a grandmother with food is not going to get anywhere; he has done it on purpose.

“You can give them to me.” Said Nice then, totally shameless. “I’ll make sure your grandson eats well.”

THIS GUY?

“Oh, you’re so kind, sweetheart.” His grandma said, visibly happy and pleased with the offer, just before handing them the second course. Of course, the one with the most food was destined for Lin Ling. “I know I can trust you.”

“You are welcom-

“Shut up.”

Lin Ling snapped, his cheeks burning with bewilderment and irritation at the other man’s audacity. He didn’t hesitate to put his chopsticks full of food in his mouth before he continued to talk and act presumptuously.

His grandmother began to laugh, and Nice didn’t even flinch; he just accepted the food with all the elegance he could muster after that attack, raised an eyebrow, and began to chew, all while looking at him out of the corner of his eye with a gleam of pride and amusement in his eyes.

“Really?” He seemed to say. And boy, does it turn out that he still had the ability to read those eyes easily.

When Nice tried to kick him back, Lin Ling only hooked his leg against his under the table. And if during the remainder of the lunch they didn’t put them aside and dedicated themselves to putting their chopsticks on each other’s plates, just to silently irritate the other, it’s up to them.

By the time they finished, Lin Ling had a full stomach and was calmer, but doubts still flooded his mind in a suffocating manner, although he had found a bit of the comfort he was looking for and already felt like he was inside his own skin.

Nice offered to wash all the dishes and clean up the kitchen, which, in his words, relaxed him, and the worst part is that he actually believes that. It was the moment when he could finally be alone with his grandma for a while and try to explain all this to her.

“Grandma...”

“Tell me, darling, are you still hungry?” She asked, having taken out her big and voluminous crossword book with which she used to entertain herself after lunch, of course.

“No, it’s not that.”

“Are you sure? I can fry you an egg if you want.”

“No, really. I’m fine-”

“What about an ice cream? You love ice cream.”

“Grandma.” He ended up sighing. He won’t deny it; now that she’s said it, an ice cream always appeals, but it is not what he needs right now. “Listen to me. I... I haven’t invited Nice, he and I-”

“Oh, I know.”

…

In complete silence and stupefaction, he closed his mouth and looked at his grandmother, blinking, waiting for her to give more explanation than that, while she searched with total parsimony for the page of his book that she had stayed on last time, without any hurry.

“You know.” He affirmed for her.

“Of course I know.” She confirmed again without beating around the bush or brooding. His grandma had always been like that, honest, direct, and self-assured. And he could already see where he had inherited certain things from. “He told me himself, honey. As I told you, we have been talking all morning.”

“Oh.”

And yet she let him in. She’s let him stay, in the same room as him, and eat with them and be there and-

The questions he already had and couldn’t find answers began to stir inside him, urgently, hurriedly, causing him to shake his head and swallow hard, uncertainty once again making its way into him.

If they had been talking about it, does it mean that Nice had told her everything? And if he had done so, for what purpose? Because he was there, it’s true, present and real, with his soft touches and bright eyes, but it didn’t change the fact that they had barely spoken, that everything was inconclusive and undefined between them, complicated, and was he only there to make amends? Or-

“Lin Ling.” His grandmother called him suddenly, tenaciously and feeling the palpable anguish that he radiated. “That man has put aside all his responsibilities in his life and in the big city, for which he has sacrificed and worked so hard, to come to a lost town barely relevant and talk to an old woman whom he hardly knows. He’s taught your unconscious father a lesson, helped your poor mother, and publicly humiliated your stubborn brother, helped me make tea and food, and is washing dishes in an insignificant country house, as if that’s right where he wants to be. All that for one and only reason, what do you think it is, my child?”

Oh.

Oh.

His heart began to race hard again, and Lin Ling couldn’t help but look away nervously, embarrassed, his cheeks burning hopelessly along to that radiant and blinding warmth that flooded him at the woman’s implications, for which he couldn’t even find an answer. He was breathless, hopeful, the pain he carried on the train slowly softening.

“What are you waiting for?” His grandmother finally asked, already immersed in her crossword puzzle as if she hadn’t uttered the words that had completely changed her grandson’s brain chemistry, but aware that he was still listening to her. “I’ll go play bingo with my friends in a while; you will be alone.”

Little more needed to be said; both her blessing and approval had remained dormant from the beginning, and even if Lin Ling still felt his heart about to come out of his chest as he sat up and walked to the kitchen quickly, he was grateful.

He had the best grandmother in the world.

“You’re here for the ice cream?” Nice asked him as soon as he saw him enter. “I left it there, take it.”

Without answering or acknowledging the presence of the damn ice cream (he would eat it later), Lin Ling snatched the glass Nice was drying to place it carefully on the counter, grabbed his hand without further ado, and dragged him towards their bedroom in complete stillness, but determined.

Nice just followed, taking his hand back.

“Ah.” The grandmother sighed, already alone but proud. “Young love.”

~0.0~

“You.” Lin Ling snapped as soon as he closed the bedroom door behind them and turned to Nice, bewildered.

“… Me.” He answered with the same softness and tranquility that he had maintained since they met again. Although this time his tone was slightly tense, as if he knew what was to come.

“You, you! You are-” Lin Ling began to mutter, frustrated, snorting angrily. “I don’t even know where to start!”

As they made their way to the bedroom, as much as a part of Lin Ling focused and gloated about how warm and electrifying the other’s hand was against his, how well they fit together, and how absurdly romantic it all was, he couldn’t completely silence or win over the absolutely, utterly livid part that had been stuck all this time, hurt, frustrated and without answers.

By the time they locked themselves in the privacy of that bedroom, it was that part which had taken over him.

“Aha.” Nice nodded his head, like he had already resigned himself to the fact that Lin Ling was going to vent all his fury on him.

Indeed.

“That’s it?!” Lin Ling exclaimed, becoming even more irritated by the other’s lack of reaction. “You’re unbelievable. Nice, Nice! A month and a half has passed! And you don’t even have the decency to write to me or give signs of life?! After two months of taking care of you?! Not even a ‘thank you’?!”

Nice just blinked.

“The secretary in Treeman’s legal department has talked to me more than you; I even know her name, aren’t you ashamed?! You’ve bought my family’s business, divorced my parents, turned my brother into a viral meme, and snuck into my grandmother’s house.” He began to reproach him, growling and raising the tone more with every word he uttered, with all the frustrations he’d been holding during that month of silence starting to overflow.  “You get into my life and act in it without my permission, as if I had asked for your help, and also ignoring me in the process, damn, was it that hard for you to ask?”

Another blink.

“Did you think I wouldn’t see you on TV, or that I wouldn’t have to take care of your marketing again?! This time, changing your entire brand suddenly, and besides, you were everywhere, except where you had to be.” He almost barked at him, as if the almost eternal workload he’d had during that month of madness and disappointment was his fault.

Partly yes, but no, Lin Ling only knew that suddenly he saw him everywhere, his face just as attractive, more striking than before, but just as distant, unreachable, and that burned.

“...” Again, he didn’t answer.

Something that didn’t stop Lin Ling at all, because at this point, he was already indignant, out of breath, his mind running a thousand miles an hour, and fury running through his body in waves.

“And about that, breaking up your fake relationship with Moon, right after?! And what about Wreck?!” He reproached him again. “Did you have to send your ex to look for you at my house? What the hell was that? My living room exploded!”

“...”

“Not to mention absolutely everything you did when you were a cat!” He began to reproach him. “I know you were aware, all the time, you said it in interviews! You lied to me, you used me. You stole my food, bit my shoes, ripped almost all of Moon’s stuff, spied on me in the shower, while I was changing, rummaged through my stuff, and also stole my phone. All the merchandising that-... Nice, are you listening to me?!”

He ended up asking him, stunned and briefly catching his breath after the string of shouts and reproaches he was directing at him. That, during all this, Nice had only stood still and stared at him in silence, his mind apparently elsewhere.

In fact, he blinked again and only came to his senses when he realized that Lin Ling had stopped, looking at him angrier if possible.

“Ahem.” He cleared his throat, agitated.

He cannot believe him.

“You haven’t even paid attention to me.” He reproached him in frustration. “You’re a-

“Sorry.” Nice interrupted him, swallowing hard and looking at him with overwhelming intensity. “God, it’s because I’ve missed you so much. And you’re very cute when you’re angry.”

The ease with which he said that was overwhelming. So much so that Lin Ling felt his chest compress under the weight of those words, completely disarming him. That, added to the realization that during Lin Ling’s entire emotional explosion it isn’t that he hadn’t paid attention to him, instead he paid too much attention, looking at him with that warm and longing glow in his blue eyes that he now noticed, appeased his anger and replaced it with pure embarrassment almost instantly.

No way.

The one who is always dumbfounded looking at the other is supposed to be Lin Ling; it can’t be; they can’t be like that.

“Argh.” Lin Ling muttered, his cheeks ablaze with shame as he covered his face, feeling defeated.

Nice can’t disarm him so easily, seriously, it’s ridiculous. A moment ago, he was about to kill him with his bare hands, and now he has a hard time looking at him.

“That’s why I bit your shoes. You wrinkle your nose, and your eyes shine.” He finally recognized after a few seconds. “I broke other heroes’ things because that made you blush with fury, too. But partly because I just wanted you to look at me more.”

He cannot-

“Nice.” He demanded, with a tired sigh.  “Why the hell did it take you so long?”

And that was the key question, what Lin Ling really wanted and needed to know. The only one which, if Nice answered coherently, would dispel all his doubts and resentments, the emptiness that his silence and distance had caused him. Because, despite all the reproaches he had hurled at him, the shouts, the questions, there was an undeniable fact that they couldn’t ignore.

He had missed him, damn, they had missed each other.

It’s crazy, because Nice was a cat, and Lin Ling only saw a strange and peculiar pet that danced for him when he was sad, or only paid attention to him by kissing his head.

But after discovering the truth, after the weight of reality fell on him, Lin Ling was forced to realize that all of that was Nice. He stopped to analyze, replay and reminisce in his mind about the last two months in a new light, over and over again, realizing that everything he had experienced with him, the affectionate meows, the defensive and possessive gestures, the daily gifts, the attachment, the alarming lack of privacy, the intimacy, were not just a cat’s thing but the real Nice doing everything possible to be noticed and be himself, vulnerable for the first time in a long time.

He once seemed cold, unreachable, and perfect, but now he knows that he is cunning, conceited, capricious, and invasive, yet also loyal, playful, protective, and loving. And he can’t help but fall more in love with him, fuck.

He could have left at any time. Nice could have chosen to be anywhere else because Lin Ling found an untouchable hero at the most helpless moment possible (being a dirty cat trapped in the trash). But not only did he accept it, he chose to be with Lin Ling and give him a kind of unconditional affection that’s still there, and he doesn’t know if he deserves it.

“Because you were right.” Nice ended up confessing, now he was the one who let out an exhausted sigh, looking at him with intensity, but a repentant and resigned smile making its way onto his face. “I was tired, Lin Ling.”

“Oh?” He frowned, urging him to go on.

“I was very tired.” He repeated, now with more confidence. “Of not being myself. Of constant marketing, iron control, and lies. I had lost control of myself; I didn’t even know who I was anymore.”

“But... It’s you.” Lin Ling muttered, as if that was enough of a reply, but the worry that shook him instinctively told him that it wasn’t enough. “Despite everything, it’s still you.”

“I couldn’t see it.” He denied. “Not feeling it either, people’s trust is a double-edged sword in this world, and I'm not- I’m not perfect. But they wanted me to be.”

That statement was said with some effort, as if Nice had a hard time assimilating those words, which made Lin Ling shrink slightly, saddened.

Because he could begin to understand where all that came from, with a false and forced relationship with a woman he probably didn’t know, Moon, his biggest “nemesis” being his friend and forced to fake constant fights, people like him and his company controlling all his public image carefully, added to the masses opinion that in the end fed both his power and his weakness.

All of this was like an explosive cocktail, causing him to lose any genuine trace of his real self in the process, turning him into a product.

“I thought that the only thing I had left was that, to be perfect until I broke completely, and then they would finally replace me.” Nice went on, moving closer to him until he was so close that he could feel the warmth he radiated, and letting out a sorrowful smile in the way, as if he hadn’t just admitted that he had given up somehow. “I assumed that all others valued about me was perfection, until someone admitted that he edited my dark circles under my eyes in their spare time.”

“A-Ah.” Lin Ling couldn’t help but exclaim, his cheeks inevitably burning as he recalled that night, when he so familiarly confessed to his cat why he had a fixation on a certain hero, unaware that he was right there. And now he could understand the slight change in the animal’s attitude after that day, okay, how embarrassing. “That wasn’t that important.”

“It was for me.” Nice retorted almost instantly, grasping his hand gently to make sure he was listening. “Lin Ling, you saw me. You saw me for real, and I needed that.”

“I-I...” He muttered, dumbfounded.

“Listen to me.” He called him, squeezing the hand he was holding to keep him there, his eyes looking at him with such intensity. “If it took me so long, it’s because I needed to get my life in order sooner, thank you properly, and become the man you deserve.”

“But you already are.” Lin Ling thought, unable to verbalize that because he was too busy melting inside and getting lost in those eyes again, squeezing his hand back as if he feared he was going to let go.

“You are true to yourself.” He flattered him again with a confidence and assurance that was hard to refute. “Free, safe, and genuine. You prefer to be you above all, and that’s what I like about you. So, I decided to follow your example.”

He's going to fucking explode.

“But I’m not free.” Lin Ling denied, being a bundle of nerves. He’s not entirely wrong; he knows it. Lin Ling is stubborn and carries his values and convictions with pride. It’s true that he has always chosen to stay true to himself over other things, but that doesn’t prevent him from having fears or weaknesses that limit him. “Not yet.”

“It’s okay.” Nice insisted, shrugging his shoulders as if that didn’t change his mind at all. “Me neither, but I’m trying.”

“Y-You’re...” He began to stammer.

Again, he has left him speechless, but at the same time, he has given him all the answers he needed and more.

He believes that struggling to regain his sense of identity and control over his life before speaking with Lin Ling is a valid reason for taking time.

Still, his way of showing gratitude was a little out of line, so he deserves an apology anyway.

“Also, put yourself in my shoes.” Nice began, now with those eyes beginning to shine mischievously again and raising the hand he was holding to his lips, leaving a brief kiss on his knuckles. “I had given up, suddenly I was a cat, and the cutest boy ever adopted me. I took a well-deserved vacation, only to face the aftermath later.”

Man, Lin Ling bristled completely like a frightened cat, but not taking his hand off those soft lips until the other loosened his grip and was able to hit him in the chest, agitated and with a racing heart.

“That’s why you didn’t leave?! Was it a vacation for you?!”

“At first, yes, then I fell in love.”  He blurted out with overwhelming confidence.

Lin Ling almost screamed in embarrassment, but he only managed to hit him a couple of other times nervously, wondering how, how, he can say such things without faltering, so naturally and confidently.

Probably because it’s true, but that agitates him even more.

“You were a horrible pet!” He threw it in his face, suddenly. “And you owe me an apology!”

Several, actually, but having endured his blows, born out of embarrassment and instinct, with a playful smile, as if he knew exactly what he was provoking in Lin Ling, Nice seemed to remember something and nodded slowly, agreeing with him as he began to look for something in his pocket.

“You’re right, wait...” He asked, searching for a few seconds before the curious gaze of the other man, until finally, he handed him a daisy with total solemnity. “I’m sorry, Lin Ling.”

…

This is ridiculous.

It’s ridiculous, cheesy, calculated, absurd, and childish.

Had he kept it there all along? Seriously? He can’t be so dramatic.

But the daisy is like the ones Nice used to give him every day when he got home from work, and he was just tilting his head in that lovely way that helped the orange light of the evening reflect off his blue eyes slightly, making them shine and-

Ling Lin is so fed up.

“That doesn’t serve as an apology for me.” He snapped, confident, but blushing to the hilt, his heart beating at full speed. “You have to give me something else.”

“...”

“...”

“Do you want more daisies?” Nice asked, out of nowhere.

“Do you have them?” Despite his apparent nervousness and the fact that this answer wasn’t at all the reaction he expected, Lin Ling couldn’t help but ask out of pure curiosity.

“I could give you as many as you want.” Nice assured him in that confident, irrefutable tone. “A bouquet of one hundred daisies, even.”

“Nice, I don’t want a bouquet of one hundred daisies."

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Really? They’re easier to get than you might think.”

“…Nice, tell me you haven’t brought me a bouquet of one hundred daisies.”

“It’s in your grandmother’s shed.” He confessed, bluntly. And it’s incredible how easily this man admits things like that without flinching; he doesn’t know if it’s alarming that he finds it so attractive. “I wanted to give it to you as soon as I saw you, but she told me it was better to wait.”

And she was right. But apart from the mortification that the poor old lady would have to go through to deal with all this, Lin Ling could only sigh, look at Nice in the most in love and defeated way he has ever felt, and ask him in a low voice:

“Nice, please. Just kiss me already.”

He didn’t have to ask twice.

With an almost animalistic impulse, Nice let go of the damned daisy (after all, he had more) to cradle his face directly and kiss him urgently, clinging to his body as if having him close was more important to him than oxygen itself.

Which it was, because the tension between them reached its peak, and it was as if, finally, the prey full of tension, gestures, and unexpressed feelings opened up, and why hadn’t they done this before? They would have been spared all the discussion and displeasure.

Lin Ling felt tears flood his eyes, but they were not from regret; his heart had also stopped for a few seconds of happiness and delight. The usual guilt he thought he would feel was nowhere to be seen, defeated by the sensation of a puzzle piece fitting inside him. He trembled up and down as if thunder had shaken him the moment those lips kissed him hard, and he could do nothing but cling to the other and his warmth with the same force, hugging him, sighing with relief as if he could finally breathe when in fact he was focused on reciprocating the kiss with the same energy.

What began as a chaste and hurried kiss, born of urgency and longing, gradually became a sweet and passionate dance between their lips, slow and addictive, becoming less accelerated at the moment when they finally assimilated that it was real, they were there, they wanted each other.

Time stopped, and their swaying kept them trapping their lips against each other’s until they lost their breath, over and over again.

Nice cradled his face gently, and stroked his cheek with his thumb until he dried those unexpected tears full of emotion, and Lin Ling clung to his shoulders and him as much as possible, desperate to the point where he found himself leaning against the wall and pushing himself to wrap his legs around his waist,  as if that closeness were not enough.

The hero didn’t even flinch from that movement, and the free hand that had been leaving gentle caresses on his back hurriedly grabbed the brunette by the hips so as not to let him fall, without any effort, and god, if that didn’t make Lin Ling moan in the kiss was undoubtedly what prompted him to finally pull the other’s hair,  as if he had wanted to do that from the beginning.

They parted only because Nice trembled and let out a muffled groan at that, and to catch their breath, of course. Although, because of how they were still clinging to each other, feeling every tremor and movement against their bodies and very aware of it, along with the way those blue eyes looked at him with hunger and unadulterated passion, they were undoubtedly very far from that.

“Is that enough apology, or do you need me to keep going?” Nice asked, leaning over slightly to leave a soft, provocative kiss on his neck, then his jaw, his cheek, while the hand holding his waist caressed his lower back insistently.

“I-I think you owe me many more.” Lin Ling replied, in a trembling voice, and leaving a soft and tender kiss on Nice’s temple before pulling his hair back to attack his lips.

Nice gasped in the kiss, vulnerable to his attacks, but no less helpless by the way he clung to Lin Ling’s hips to hold him and rub their bodies more insistently.

And so, the apologies followed. Over and over again, some more necessary than others, said amid soft whispers, suppressed moans, hustled giggles, or needy gasps. Nice apologized for everything and more, and Lin Ling did nothing but accept it and let it go to kiss him repeatedly.

They reached a point where they had to stop pretending and let go of that excuse, as they were holding each other because of it. This was especially true when they became completely lost in the moment, able to speak only to praise the other with fascination, call out to God, or gasp.

Still, they needed it. And it clarified many of the things Lin Ling was curious about.

Nice apologized for being a bad pet, for taking a vacation at his house until the situation in the city got out of control, for breaking his things, not respecting his privacy, being invasive and for spying on him in the shower, although he didn’t seem very sorry for the last one because according to him he’s fucking hot too and he wasn’t going to miss the show. He promised to shower together next time.

He also apologized for stealing the neighbor’s daisies, which were the source of his flowers. The poor woman almost went into a spiral of madness because the more she planted, the more they disappeared. They will compensate her.

He apologized, very persuasively, for causing his FOMO account to be banned for two years. Because when he stole his mobile phone, he dedicated himself to sending poorly written insults and threats to the CEOs of the companies. An “ugly fucker” to Shang De was the last straw, apparently.

And, knowing that there were probably things he wasn’t telling him, Lin Ling managed to get with a very persuasive and convincing manner, a confession and apology for paying a large sum of money to a random guy in his hometown to bump into his brother every morning and whisper in his ear that it was all his fault.

With that one, he laughed; that was fucking funny. Deranged but funny.

Actually, he laughed a little with all of them, because something very dangerous that he thinks Nice is not aware of, is that no matter what he does, Lin Ling will always end up forgiving and kissing him again as long as he smiles at him and tilts his head in that way that melts him so much.

That conviction of which he’s so proud has never been anything against those blue eyes that observe him with such devotion.

His greatest weakness.

“Is it a good time to tell you that I have asked your grandmother for your hand?” Nice asked out of nowhere, still catching his breath after all those apologies.

Lin Ling burst into laughter, curled up in his chest and embracing him tightly, and Nice followed him, laughing back, unreservedly, clinging to him.

Chapter 2: Hero's Crisis

“We are interrupting the emission of this program to cover breaking news.” The serious and professional tone of the newscast girl sounded softly through the apartment, distracting Lin Ling briefly from his tasks and causing him to look up at the TV curiously.

His day hadn’t been especially noticeable, tiring, and busy if he had to describe it at all, as always. His boss was still the happiest person on earth (no), the office worker he usually competed with for gossip magazines had won this time, and it had been a week and a half since the fight with his brother.

His family’s calls had stopped suddenly, of course, and that front had been completely silent for the time being, though he didn’t expect it to continue like this forever. He knew they would come back, but Lin Ling had focused on other things, and even he had been surprised by how quickly he was putting himself together compared to his past self.

Before, he would have been absolutely miserable for months, tormenting himself for having been part of the problem, for not being normal, for not being able to be the older son he should be. But now... Well, looking back at it after years of separation and introspection, and thanks to the help of his walking furball, let’s just say he’d realized that he hadn’t been the only one who’d failed here. Besides, what sin had he committed? Collecting postcards of the male hero he thought was the most handsome?

He still does that; deal with it. Unlike them, he doesn’t hurt anyone for real.

The thing is, things had been quiet; even the cat, who had become a small celebrity in the building, was staying on a peaceful line despite his usual mischievous and invasive tactics.

It’s incredible that it has been two months since she adopted him.

It’s as if they’ve spent a lifetime watching how close they are; just look at the way the animal is curled between Lin Ling’s feet, like a little purring warmer, as he folds his clothes with his usual late-night show playing in the background. The show that was interrupted to announce important news, by the way.

“The Hero Affairs Commission has convened an emergency press conference this afternoon, in conjunction with representatives of Treeman, FOMO, MG, and DOS companies.” The reporter began to explain as images of the Tower of Heroes appeared on the screen, showing the four most important CEOs of the moment greeting the journalists along with the spokesmen of the commission. “Amid the confusion of the media, they have gathered to declare that after months of investigation, the situation with the villain “The Magician” is not as controlled as initially assured, being responsible for a crisis of numerous disappearances within the heroes’ society.”

Sharpening his ear suddenly, Lin Ling felt as if a jug of cold water had been poured on him, and it didn’t take long for him to grab the TV remote to turn up the volume, with a sense of unease beginning to make its way inside him.

“Various users and experts have been pointing out during these last weeks the lack of public and media appearances of numerous heroes, both high ranks and independent, all of them ceasing their presence drastically and immediately after altercations related to The Magician.” The newscast continued, showing on screen both the recent fights against the villain and the comments and evidence of users pointing out the peculiarity of the situation.

It seems that this had happened to more than one of them: they would suddenly disappear after dealing with a particular villain, without the cameras or witnesses being able to see it. Some belonged to large companies that had managed to issue statements and soften the situation to cover it up, but others hadn’t had that luxury, or their small companies didn’t find a way to deal with the situation, so people had begun to notice an alarming pattern.

“Faced with a large number of disappearance cases and without clear explanations, the commission has ended up giving in to public pressure to send a message of sincerity and tranquility to the population.”

“It is true that there has been a worrying series of disappearances among our heroes.” One of the spokesmen of the commission made a declaration before the cameras and microphones. “We’re working on it as efficiently and quickly as possible, and as we can’t give details, we assure you that all of our current assets are meant to solve the threat posed by The Magician. Defeating him and bringing back these heroes is our highest priority, and we ask for collaboration and understanding in this matter.”

The press conference room had been in complete chaos; even watching the recording, one could see the tension, the uncertain questions both in the air and in murmurs around the room, and the uneasiness that reigned about the matter.

Questions such as “Where’s X? Is he also working on it?”, “Can the disappeared really be brought back?”, “What does The Magician want? What’s his goal with this, and what are you doing to stop it?” were on the lips of most journalists, overwhelming the interviewees with urgency and concern in order to understand what was happening.

Lin Ling had given up his task of folding the laundry a while ago and remained totally glued to the sofa, with one of the shirts he was tucking crumpled between his clenched hands. He struggled to fully absorb the news, as the initial uneasiness had given way to a growing sense of panic.

If all the heroes who had faced The Magician had disappeared, that meant Nice-

“Treeman’s CEO, Shang De, spoke to the cameras with regret about how his team and the commission tried not to alert or worry the population from the beginning until they became aware of the public interest, apologizing for what happened.” The girl from the newscast continued, oblivious to Lin Ling’s inner anguish.

“Our hero, Nice, was one of the first to disappear, and we decided to carry out the investigation with all the discretion possible.” The CEO declared into the microphones, with surprising coldness and firmness. “We did not want to instill panic or concern among civilians, so we made that decision until the commission told us that it had not been the only case. Treeman, together with the other companies, will provide all the necessary assets to-”

If the man kept talking, Lin Ling didn’t pay much attention to him either. The sight of one of the photos Treeman had given to the media about their own investigation left his mind completely blank, causing him to let go of the shirt he was holding, and a muffled sound suddenly escaped his lips, leaving him surprised.

Nice’s uniform, as neat and perfect as ever, had been found on the floor of an alley, completely buried under some boxes, dirty and wrinkled. However, that was it; the owner had vanished completely, as if he had never worn the uniform, leaving no other trail to follow.

The same happened with the owners of the following uniforms and empty armor that began to appear on TV, along with an extensive list of missing people, and a request to the public to collaborate if they knew anything related to the case. Fuck, luckily Moon didn’t appear on that list, but seeing heroes like Ghostblade or Dragon Boy there was something difficult to digest...

“Hiss.” A muffled complaint was heard between his feet.

The cat, who had been lying down and entangled between his legs until now, hadn’t even heard anything because he had been half asleep and purring at his owner’s feet since he came home from work, until Shang De’s voice echoed in the living room.

That, for some reason, was what made him suddenly wake up as if he had heard a catastrophe and sit up like a spring, suddenly growling in annoyance until the shirt Lin Ling was holding fell on him.

“Meow?” Stirring slightly, the cat managed to gracefully wriggle away from the garment that had wrapped him by surprise until he poked his head through it, looking at Lin Ling curiously, then at the TV, and at Lin Ling again with concern when he realized what was happening.

Lin Ling would have stared back at him, even apologized for throwing clothes on him, but the dark-haired man was too busy frowning and biting his nails, with a knot of anxiety settling in his chest as he continued to watch the news. He expected something, anything that would indicate a change or an improvement in the situation, one more tiny piece of information.

Fuck, he thought about it out loud the month before, lying right on that same couch with a magazine in his hands. How strange it was that Nice took a break like that, and how strange his sudden absence was. And maybe he should have delved deeper into that thought instead of being distracted by the image of those blue eyes so crystal clear that they hooked his breath at the sight of them.

But if he hadn’t been so attentive to the TV and caught up in his own thoughts, perhaps Lin Ling would have noticed that those same eyes were staring at him with resignation and melancholy, right there, next to him, and hardening after having made a decision.

~0.0~

The days following the news were not exactly smooth, neither for Lin Ling nor for absolutely anyone.

Going to work was akin to getting into a fire without protection or a helmet, because everything around him was burning out of control (figuratively, but literally also if we consider Dragon Boy fans doing their thing).

The media didn’t stop circling about the matter; all the channels were trying to find new clues and angles to cover the official case and forcing the investigation to be kept updated at all times.

Social networks were flooded with theories, comments, and videos about conspiracy and speculation on the subject, to the point where some users began to claim complete madness.

Some were saying things such as that all these heroes had escaped to another dimension, or to a paradisiacal island to take a vacation without telling anyone, others said that it had been X to eliminate the competition (he doubts it very much) and some even said that they had seen animals similar to the heroes prowling around the places where the altercation with The Magician had taken place, what kind of madness was that?! You finding an ugly ass raccoon after Dragon Boy’s disappearance didn’t say anything, Karen, tch.

And no doubt both the commission and the companies were dealing with hard public scrutiny and a level of pervasive insanity that would scare the sane, which is made worse when they’re taking too long to capture the villain.

In Lin Ling’s company, they had been preoccupied with covering up, justifying, and salvaging all the projects led by heroes who had been halted due to the disappearances, as well as those that remained safe, and the other marketing branches that were unrelated to the issue.

Meanwhile, they had to stay updated on the latest news about those affected, all while trying to appeal to their fans to avoid them losing their minds completely.

Which is difficult if we consider that everyone is equally unhinged right now, but okay. Try to reassure an average Nice fan when you can’t stop worrying about it yourself. Not even his poor and sensitive Moon had been able to talk about it...

Good thing Lin Ling is better at his job than at managing his own emotions.

But the most surprising thing of all is that, despite thinking his day had been complete shit and couldn’t get any worse, it did.

Lin Ling barely had time to put down his things when he got home from work, give a series of cloying and embarrassing kisses to his beloved cat after picking up his daily daisy, and was about to sit on the sofa, only to rest for a few minutes before his windows exploded.

BOOM!

“WHAT-

The walls shook, everything around him rumbled, the abruptness of the explosion made him shrink and instinctively protect himself from the shock, unable to distinguish for a few seconds what was happening through the flying glass and the dust that rose around him.

But by the time Lin Ling stopped being absolutely confused and could realize it, the largest window in his apartment (and the one through which the most light came in the mornings, fuck) had been smashed into pieces, all to make way for an imposing, dark, tall, and destructive villain inside his living room, who was staring at him.

…

There was a villain.

In his living room.

The fuck.

Chaos, of course, was not long in coming. Lin Ling immediately tried to unscrew himself and ran to reach his cat, knowing that no matter how stubborn and brave he is, he can do little against a villain’s attack. Yet, God knows he will try to protect what he loves most. Although he couldn’t even move a little.

“YOU.” The villain raised his sword to aim it at him, intimidating, and the weapon was so big that he didn’t even have to take two steps to almost reach him with the edge of it.

“DUDE!!” Lin Ling exclaimed, stopping in his tracks out of pure survival instinct and raising his hands, as if he would appease a seemingly very enraged villain. “WHAT THE FUCK?!”

“Where is he?!” He asked in a voice from beyond the grave.

"What?!”

“Don’t play dumb with me! Where is he?!”

“W-Who?! I don’t know, calm down!” If it weren’t for the fact that his heart was about to explode with stress, he would have reproached himself for telling a towering villain in armor and a three-foot sword to breathe and think about it while pointing it at him.

“Don’t lie to me!”

“I’m not!”

“I know he’s here!”

“But who?!”

“Where do you have him?!”

“Fuck, I don’t know what you mean!”

“WHERE. IS. HE”

“WHO?”

“HIM!” Roared the villain, and now that the surprise was dissipating a little to leave behind him pure panic, he could look at him well and recognize how familiar he was for him. “You’re driving me crazy, dwarf!”

Dwarf?! Lin Ling is taller than average!

“Who?!” Lin Ling replied again, more than desperate. He didn’t understand anything; this was surreal. “I’m very nervous, fuck, you blew up my living room!”

“NICE! Where’s Nice?!”

And now, in the midst of all that panic, he has already remembered why he sounded so familiar to him. The dark armor, the yellow touches, the great sword, the obsession with his nemesis...

“WRECK?!” Lin Ling howled, with a mixture of surprise and fanboy recognition that he should definitely not have or show in this situation. “What?! My God, no way! Are you looking for him for real?”

Wreck took a determined step, shattered glass clattering roughly under his boots, his sword pointed right at his throat as another guttural growl came out of him, as if that were all he needed to give.

“Stop! I have no idea!” Lin Ling swallowed, shrinking against the sofa to get as far away from it as possible, trying to appeal to all the reasoning that an out-of-his-own villain could have. “I don’t know what you think I know, but you’re getting the wrong person!”

Why was the villain looking for his enemy to these extremes anyway? Shouldn’t he be happy about his disappearance? The situation became more confusing at times.

“I don't think so.”

“I swear it!”

“He’s here.” The villain said, completely convinced. “I know he’s here.”

“God, I wish!” Lin Ling spoke with a mix of nervousness and a dreamy tone.

Which wasn’t a lie, panic and an imminent threat of death are enough for the dark-haired man to admit that kind of thing without remorse, because he wishes Nice were in his apartment. Both now and always.

“What?” Curiously, that was the only thing that destabilized the villain and made him hesitate, the sword lowering a few centimeters for a few seconds as if he were assimilating what he had heard.

“What?”

“You’re-” The sword rose again with defiance. Great, he’s angrier now. “Are you laughing at me?! Because I swear you-”

“Meoow.”

All the screaming, confusion, and reprimands that had flooded the room so far came to a sudden stop. Both the villain and Lin Ling stopped in their tracks, remaining tense and, for the first time since the debacle began, averting their gaze from the other to pay attention to where the meow had been heard.

“Meow.” The cat murmured again. Who, to the surprise of both of them, was right at Wreck’s feet and rubbing against his legs.

What?

Lin Ling’s soul ascended to another plane.

The silence between them lasted for a few seconds, almost a minute, in which they both remained completely stupefied and looking at the animal in amazement, not knowing how to react.

The creature had avoided the glass and remains of the window scattered on the floor with the same grace and agility as always, at an elegant pace. With his black ribbon tied and contrasting with his shiny white fur, he had approached the villain to cover him with soft meows and affectionate caresses, as if he were greeting him and had missed him.

Again, what?

“H-Hey...” After the initial surprise and in a totally unexpected way, Wreck took a tentative step back, slowly moving away from the cat, being careful not to step on him.

“Meoooow.” It was completely in vain, because his cat doesn't understand boundaries, and of course, he didn't interpret that as a signal to get away.

In fact, he got even closer, the animal rubbing against the stranger’s legs again before taking a small leap and latching onto his sword, climbing on the edge of it with a majestic grace as if that wasn’t a contraption to do evil with which he had been aiming at his owner until now.

“Hey, that’s not a toy, wait...” The villain began to speak; his voice, once from beyond the grave, had now become harsh and confused, leaving him completely stunned and paralyzed.

Both watched helplessly as the cat continued to meow until the man began to lower his sword, unsure and static when the animal made another accurate jump to hook onto his waist as if nothing.

Lin Ling is at a loss for words, overwhelmed by concern as he watches his cat cling to a giant sword. But at the same time, he’s just as uncomfortable and dumbfounded as the other man, who doesn’t seem to react violently for now, so he kept freaking out and was still hunched against the sofa.

A few weeks ago, his pet almost turned his brother into gruyere cheese just for pushing and insulting him, but Wreck blows up his living room and threatens to kill him, and the thing adores him? What the fuck? Isn’t he sensing the danger?

“Dude...” Wreck called out to him, an awkward air inevitably surrounding him, as he didn’t know how to react. It’s even unheard of to see the villain like this, but he had to let go of the sword slowly, only because he had his cat climbing his torso without any shame, and he couldn’t get rid of it. “Not for nothing, but I don’t want to hurt your cat.”

“Huh?

“I’m serious, he has nothing to do with this, you know...”

Lin Ling swallowed hard, restlessly, but nodded without hesitation.

“It’s true, yeah...”

“Meow!” The cat exclaimed, having climbed up to the villain’s neck and rubbed his little head against his helmet.

“Animal violence and cruelty are not my thing, you see...” He continued, still trying to push the pet away without much force, but to no avail.

“T-That’s very good.” Lin Ling nodded again.

“We all have our limits.”

“You said it, you have to know when to stop.”

“Purrr. Purrr.” And as if it were an everyday occurrence, the cat was purring on Wreck’s neck with the force of a small engine.

“...”

“…”

The tense, violent, and about-to-explode atmosphere that had occurred between them at the beginning is now nothing more than a tremendously uncomfortable situation, and even more confusing.

“Man, get it off me.” Wreck ended up asking, resigned. “Help me, it’s your cat.”

“Yes, yes, of course!”

It was at that moment that Lin Ling woke up from his stupor and surprise to approach carefully, keeping a wary distance between them, but limiting himself to trying to control the cat.

Who was tremendously weird now, as Lin Ling was usually the only one with whom he behaved in such a caring and demanding manner; his attachment and dependency were hard to ignore. And it’s not that he’s possessive of his cat (just a little), but why does he get attached to Wreck among all the people? Seriously?

Although he must admit to himself that the panic and terror that the villain had instilled in him at the beginning had dissipated considerably when he saw how he was deterred by a simple cat that appealed to his good principles.

Who would have thought that a villain who has dynamited his windows has more respect and decency than his brother? He has even gained points in his personal ranking for that.

“It’s hooked on me...” The villain complained under his breath.

“I know! I’m sorry”. Lin Ling couldn’t help but apologize as he got all the way closer, grabbing the cat more confidently and starting to pull it away from the other. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

"Meow!" Of course, the animal complained when he realized what they were trying, hooking his paws on Wreck’s mask and cape so that they wouldn’t separate him.

“Ouch...”

“Don’t- stop! God, this isn’t like him.”

“It doesn’t seem so.”

“I swear he never has done this.”

“MeeeeeeOW!”

“We have to educate our pets, kid.”

“Not now!”

“What do you feed him? He’s strong- Ouch, ouch.”

“Let go, come on!” Lin Ling insisted. “Let the villain go! What’s with you?”

“Hiss!”

“I’m not- Ack.”

The tug-of-war between all of them continued, with complaints and tugs flying back and forth, until Wreck’s mask gave way, partly due to the strain of pulling and also because the villain himself decided to sacrifice his impressive aesthetics to save his head. Smart decision, really.

This caused the cat to keep the mask between its paws because of the firm way he was holding it, and Lin Ling consequently found himself with the cat in his arms and finally separated from his victim.

“Aha!” Lin Ling exclaimed triumphantly.

In fact, in the face of the sudden victory and in an urgency to prevent the cat from counterattacking and doing his thing again, he didn’t even stop to look at Wreck and strode to his own room with the cat stirring in his arms, agitated.

He quickly managed to leave the animal (and the mask, now part of his collection) inside the room and close the door tightly before it escaped. He had held onto the faint hope of keeping him contained for a while, long enough to resolve this issue. However, considering the creature opens doors at its convenience and has not been amused by being removed in such a manner, it’s unlikely that isolation will last.

“MEOW!” Of course, he started complaining, which was heard inside the room, pitifully and dramatically, scratching at the door in despair.

“Stay inside!” Lin Ling scolded him, holding the door from the other side just in case.

“MEOUUUUUUUW!”

“No!” He scolded again. “Let me sort this out!”

“That’s what I was going to say.” Wreck said right behind him, his voice now changed without the effect of the mask, and gripping his shoulder tightly to turn him around and corner him against the wall.

Lin Ling was startled, his heart almost leaping out of his chest in fright and reproaching himself for having lowered his guard so much despite still having an angry villain loose in the apartment. Wreck, for his part, had cornered him again in search of answers and was looking at him with great irritation and weariness through his dark eyes. At least he was calmer than before and had dropped the sword.

Even so, unable to help it, Lin Ling’s mind short-circuited for a few seconds when he saw the villain without the mask, and 2 (two) thoughts crossed his mind immediately.

The first was: Where was this absolutely gorgeous man all this time? Fuck, he looks like a fairytale prince.

And the second...

“Oh, shit. You’re his ex-”

“How do you know that?” The black-haired man in front of him reproached instantly, irascible.

“Ex... Ex-idol partner...” Lin Ling finished the sentence, dumbfounded, gaping at the shocking information he just received.

That’s crazy.

That’s fucking crazy, unbelievable.

Nice was a classical dancer in his day, with a brief idol career alongside a partner before focusing on his heroic activities. A companion with whom he was more than friends, as far as he is understanding, and who is now right in front of him, angry, dressed as the most important villain of Nice’s career and looking for him desperately, without caring about destroying other people the apartments or his façade, because everything points to the fact that their enmity is completely false considering everything and-

Fucking crazy.

He doesn’t even have time to assimilate any of this.

Lin Ling is still opening and closing his mouth like a fish when Wreck shakes him, somewhat embarrassed for having admitted that so easily between nerves and his urgency for answers.

“Focus, man!”

“What-”

“Are you The Magician?” Wreck asked out of nowhere.

Lin Ling couldn’t help frowning, disgusted and confused in equal measure.

“No!” He replied instantly, trying to wriggle out of the hands that still held his shoulders as if he were going to escape.

“You sure?”

“Man, do I look like The Magician?!”

“...” Wreck narrowed his eyes, staring at him suspiciously.

“If I were, do you think I’d live here?” asked Lin Ling, pointing to his apartment in general.

That seemed to be the key, because the clear suspicion Wreck had in him was greatly reduced. He took a quick look at the apartment itself, followed by a glance at Lin Ling, his expression unimpressed.

“You have damp patches.” He snapped indifferently, agreeing indirectly.

“Which I would have made disappear by now if I could do magic.” Lin Ling retorted, obfuscated. “Which I can’t, because I’m not The Magician!”

“Yes, it began to be clear to me as soon as I saw you well.” The black-haired man confessed, thoughtfully. “You seem harmless enough, but I didn’t trust you.”

“Ah?!” Thank goodness he has begun to believe him. Not to mention that Lin Ling, apart from the fact that he’s harmless, if he were The Fucking Magician, he would have already defended himself from Wreck a long time ago. “Why are you even here? Seriously, I’m a civilian, I don’t know anything about this.”

“I’d like to believe you.” Wreck revealed, letting go of his shoulders to start rummaging inside his suit. “But Nice wrote to me from this location, and it’s the only clue we’ve had in months.”

“What?”

The world stopped for a moment.

Impossible. No, there’s no way.

“He wrote to an emergency number that only he knows of, from this IP address.” He affirmed again, still searching. The costumes of heroes and villains seemed cumbersome in that sense, really. “I don’t even understand the messages well, and they are from a number I don’t know either, but I’ve checked out hundreds of times, and I’m sure it’s here.”

“But it’s not possible...” Lin Ling said, puzzled and frowning at the thousands of questions that were going through his head.

“Have you noticed anything strange around here these days?” The other asked, trying to see it from another perspective.

“Yes, a madman smashing my windows and threatening me with a giant sword.” Lin Ling replied bitterly, unable to help himself.

Wreck only raised an eyebrow.

“No.” He ended up reluctantly replying. “I haven’t noticed anything, and you’re the first one to come here for this! Why isn’t anyone else looking? Has he not warned his girlfriend or his boss as well?”

Although Lin Ling doesn’t know what would have been worse for his poor heart, Wreck committing trespassing and intimidation, or Moon showing up there unannounced.

Shang De? No comments, he would probably have died on the spot.

Wreck muttered and didn’t even respond to that, as if the mere thought of it offended him. He rolled his eyes until he could pull out his mobile phone. After a few seconds of silence, during which he navigated the screen with a serious expression, he showed it to Lin Ling vehemently, presenting it as irrefutable proof and his reason for being there.

He didn’t even manage to read the messages, but Lin Ling’s heart had already skipped a beat, and he even started to break out in a cold sweat.

“That’s my number.”

“Huh?”

“That’s my phone number.” He said nervously, grabbing Wreck’s cell phone and reading carefully.

The number that had written to him was undoubtedly Lin Ling’s; needless to say, it hadn’t been him at all, and in case he didn’t remember, he didn’t think he had time these days to start writing random numbers just because.

Not to mention that the messages in question were strange to say the least.

“Wqreckl

Qteck

Wreck

Ne

Mew

Itsa me

Bice

Mice

Nice

Uim ok

Jere

Here

Comre

Xat

Zst

Tyhe cat”

And at the end of it all, a blurry and shaky photo of what seemed to be a ceiling. Apparently, it was made with the front camera while the mobile phone from which it was sent was lying down.

Even so, nothing special or remarkable was seen either, and the messages were inconclusive and unusual, lacking sufficient information to draw any meaningful conclusions.

And yet, before Wreck’s insistent and hopeful gaze, something in the back of Lin Ling’s mind urged him to look more closely, his strange intuition taking its toll on him as he tilted his head and looked at the photo from another angle.

“This...” he began to say, self-absorbed, turning the phone too.

“What?” Wreck asked instantly, uncertainty tinging his voice.

“I think this is my room.” Lin Ling thought aloud, absorbed, looking closely, and zooming in on the photo to observe the details. “Those are the same damp patches.”

And it’s sad to say it, but very true. If he placed that picture at the exact angle where he looked at his bedroom briefly before going to sleep, they were exactly the same, the same shape, size, arrangement, and how far they were placed. No, there was no doubt.

“So?!” Wreck asked again, nervous about getting that confirmation, and snatched the phone from him, frantic to have been able to follow a lead. “He was here.”

“No.” Lin Ling denied instantly. “This was sent a couple of days ago. I was here all the time, and there was no one else. It’s not possible.”

“And how do you explain this?”

“I don’t know!” He replied, just as confused as Wreck, because how was that possible? “I tell you; I have nothing to do with it. And it couldn’t be me, I left my phone in the room all day, I didn’t touch it except when the cat-”

Hold on.

…

…

…

Wait a minute.

Wait a fucking minute.

That day, he didn’t worry about his phone until late. After finishing his duties and searching the house for the cat, he finally found him in the furthest corner of the bedroom, playing with the phone itself and slapping it with his paws until it was turned off.

He didn’t even give it importance at the time because it wasn’t the first nor last time he did it, snatching his phone and hiding with it were part of his usual antics, and especially lately, something that Lin Ling let go easily after a soft meow and an innocent look.

But now?

Lin Ling and Wreck looked at each other in a tense silence, holding their breath.

“The cat.” Lin Ling said.

“The cat.” Wreck replied again, following his line of thought.

“The cat.” Said the last message that was sent.

“How long ago did you adopt it?” The breathless black-haired man asked Lin Ling, who was definitely sweating.

The possibility that none of them had considered at all was overwhelmingly creeping into their minds.

“Two months ago.”

Just the exact day of the fight between Nice and The Magician.

PAF!

They opened the bedroom door so loudly that it resounded almost like the explosion of the windows, this time with the two of them rushing into the room with more than remarkable urgency.

The cat, who had ceased his complaints and attempts to escape and had remained unusually silent since they resumed their tense conversation, had managed during that little lapse of loneliness and confinement to reopen Lin Ling’s secret drawer and take out all the merchandising of a certain hero with whom he hadn’t wanted to admit that he had a fixation.

But there it was. And it was a lot.

And sitting right in the center of that display, wagging his tail happily, standing tall proudly and completely surrounded by the extensive collection of Nice things that Lin Ling secretly possessed, the cat stared at them from his position, his bright blue eyes shining with excitement.

“Look at me.” He seemed to say. “Look at me, I’m here.”

Of course they saw it, it was hard not to when the creature had been placed in the center of Lin Ling’s personal library of Alexandria built entirely thanks to his repressed homosexuality, but apart from the moan of disgust that Wreck outlined at the sight of that repertoire and the muffled groan of shame that Lin Ling was forced to suppress, they saw him.

“Meow!” The cat meowed excitedly, preventing them from commenting on anything.

Placing one of his white paws on a poster that he had managed to unfold on the floor, he looked at them again insistently and dragged the paper slightly towards them. Then he lifted his paw and touched his face, placed it back on the poster, just above Nice’s face, and then pointed at himself again.

“Meow!” Look at me, understand me!

And fuck, they did, the pieces fit together perfectly.

“Nice?” Wreck asked first.

“Meow!”

“Nice.” Lin Ling directly confirmed it.

“Meow! Meow!”

The cat jumped up, excited, nodding his head as best he could. His big, blue eyes were shining with absolute happiness and joy.

“It’s me! Exactly, it’s me!” He seemed to say to the two of them, approaching them between jumps and incessant meows full of joy.

“It’s Nice!” Wreck exclaimed, looking at him with a smile, just as fascinated to have found his friend.

“It’s Nice!” Lin Ling replied, also happy to have solved the mystery, feeling how that heavy slab of worry he had been carrying these last few days disappeared in the relief of knowing the truth.

“Meow!” It’s me, it’s me!

Two grown men and a cat (who was also a grown man), all jumping with excitement as if they had no better things to do, was what kept Lin Ling in the sweet happiness born from the ignorance and euphoria of the moment.

But as soon as they calmed down a little and reality came, crashing down on him like a heavy stone, everything made him stop in his tracks and realize what this discovery really implied.

Nice is his cat.

His cat is Nice.

Chapter 1: Cat-tastrophe

If there’s one thing Lin Ling can be proud of, it’s his willpower.

Because he really does have it, seriously, it’s quite overwhelming and one of the few traits of himself that he can claim with certainty he possesses, something he’s proud of.

He has extraordinary willpower and conviction; both he and those who know him are aware of it, and they know that once he sets out to do something or gets it into his head, he won’t stop until he achieves it.

His ideals are strong; he upholds them with pride, and it’s something he knows has helped him to be where he is today.

Through hard work and by ignoring his father’s wish for him to join the family business, he earned a scholarship to college, graduated with honors while juggling part-time jobs, and secured a job he loved along with a small, one-bedroom city apartment, all on his own merits.

He is not a hero, of course not (hopefully), but in a way, he helps to sculpt and make the image of those who are. And he is incredibly good at it, of course, because thanks to his willpower, he can do anything.

Is it a perfect job?

No, his boss hates him and takes over most of his team’s ideas and projects. Also, there’s someone in the office who steals the cookies he left in the common room.

Does it pay the bills?

Hardly.

Is he as poor and overexploited as he is stubborn?

Well, yes.

But these are his merits: his life, something he chose and carved out himself, earned through sweat, blood, and tears, and of which he can be proud. Although he hasn’t seen sunlight for months—except for what’s filtered through the office windows, his social life is almost non-existent, his diet consists of instant food since he lacks the energy to cook, and he has ignored his family’s calls for years.

It’s not perfect, but it’s his and that’s enough.

Also, the new Nice and Moon ad? That one where they promote a new brand of haute couture clothing? All thanks to him—you are welcome. Bringing out the full potential of the two most attractive people on earth is something he can be proud of, yeah.

The thing is, his willpower is something to admire, and Lin Ling knows it. He can count on his fingers how many things really make it falter.

Moon is one of them, beyond doubt. The meat buns from the corner stand on his street, too. His grandma, whom he will always love and take calls from, of course. His favorite cookies, also of one of his co-workers. Lucky Cyan’s first album, no comments. Bubble tea, why not? Nice, maybe. Animals, who doesn’t love them?

And usually, none of those things makes him hesitate too much. Nor do they signify a big change or regret in his daily life or convictions, he usually buys the buns when he comes home from work, shares his cookies (not by choice), listens to that great album on repeat when he can, pets the neighbor’s dog, and does his job diligently as if he weren’t someone with an insane amount of merchandising about the people whose marketing is at his hands.

He has always thought that he would never find something that would weaken him more than that, something that would test and break so fervently that iron conviction.

Until he found a cat.

~0.0~

Going shopping and ending up locked in the supermarket is all too common in the big city.

His grandmother doesn’t believe him, but villain attacks are serious here. In his hometown, the worst criminal is a kid who steals a few sweets when unnoticed, but the city is different. There are plenty of heroes in the city preventing disasters, yet collateral damage remains a concern. That’s why protecting civilians is a top priority, which is why businesses frequently respond to alarms.

For Lin Ling, getting locked up during his sad weekly groceries was not in the plan. It definitely wasn’t what he wanted to do on his only day off. But, judging by the ground shaking, the huge commotion outside, and the alarms, he didn’t have much choice.

It wasn’t that bad, actually. It only took about thirty minutes before it was deemed safe to go out and the security systems were disabled, and the FOMO stream he managed to watch sitting in the frozen aisle with another group of kids captured Nice’s fight (of course it was him) against an unknown and slightly unusual villain quite well.

“The magician”, he called himself... No idea, it was the first and probably last time he appeared in public, and although he caused more havoc than anything else with his power of illusionism and magic tricks, it wasn’t something out of the ordinary either. Too bad the end of the fight wasn’t broadcast; the drones lost track of Nice or broke apart on the way.

However, the mere fact that they were let out already meant that it had been a victory for the hero. And now, after going out with his groceries and walking home through the cordoned-off areas and probing the curious onlookers, security crews, and journalists who have crowded around the street looking for the hero, Lin Ling can’t stop thinking about how much work he’s going to have tomorrow.

It’s fair, he supposes. Nice beats a strange villain with the same perfection as always and Lin Ling must edit an article and talk about how perfectly perfect he is, how graceful his movements are, how easily he handled the situation, how he saved everyone without a single wrinkle in that tight suit and how silky his hair is, how sharp his jaw is and how pretty his perfect blue eyes are when they shine-

“Meow...”

“Mmh?”

It wasn’t until he heard that lament, one that resounded loudly in the alley whose entrance he was passing, that both his thoughts and he stopped in his tracks.

Sharpening his ears further, Lin Ling wondered for a second if he had misheard or had it been something of his imagination, but before he could be sure, the next mournful meow that was heard was accompanied by a bustle of cans, boxes, and bags, followed by another one louder from the animal that confirmed his suspicions.

Of course, Lin Ling didn’t hesitate to enter the dark, silent alley. It was suspicious and close to where a hero and a villain had fought thirty minutes earlier, still, how could he not go? A few things squeeze his heart like hearing an animal cry. Right now, that’s all he hears, which alarms him.

“Meow!”

Luckily, he didn’t have to look far into the alley to find the poor cat; the animal’s incessant cries didn’t stop at any time, and it wasn’t very difficult to see him buried in the trash and boxes where he was rummaging.

“Oh, poor you...” Lin Ling muttered pitifully and raised his hand to help the animal. “What happened to you?”

There, among the dirt and junk scattered carelessly in the alley, was trapped under several boxes and rubbish the whitest, bluest-eyed cat he had ever seen in his life, injured and staring back at him with a face of infinite sadness.

It’s ironic, considering that he was self-absorbed thinking about other eyes, but these soon took a back seat because of the most talkative and (apparently) injured cat in the world, judging by how it hadn’t stopped emitting pitiful meows even when Lin Ling had appeared in his range of vision.

“Meow...” The animal complained again, anguished, stirring slightly between the nets and plastics that kept it motionless.

“Okay, it’s okay.” The boy began to speak in a calm voice, leaning towards him, little by little, so as not to scare it away. “Come here.”

Although it doesn’t seem that his presence is what overwhelms it the most, because with the whining, the way it had remained quiet and expectant of his movements, and the pitiful and afflicted gleam in those big blue eyes that seem to burst into tears at any moment, it seems that the animal was asking for help more than anything else.

It’s the spitting image of a martyr, if a cat can become one. Because it sure makes him feel sorry, and Lin Ling didn’t need to look too much at those orbs begging for mercy and understanding to give in and put aside his shopping bags, ready to help him.

The white cat’s long fur was now stained and tangled from mud, scabs, and dirty water; its body had several scrapes and a thick red stain on its back. Its front legs were stuck painfully in bags and Nice-cola can handles, caught awkwardly and worsening as it struggled. One hind leg seemed twisted where wooden boxes had collapsed, trapping it further.

Everything pointed to a big fall that the garbage barely cushioned, and the mess in the alley made things worse when it fell on the animal. The cat’s wails didn’t stop as it tried harder to free itself from where it was buried.

Very carefully and trying not to agitate it further or worsen the situation, Lin Ling cautiously pushed the boxes aside, digging up the animal from the mountain of garbage as it continued to cry.

“That’s it, it’s okay now.” He tried to reassure it while he concentrated on untangling the plastics from the cat’s paws just as gently, careful not to scratch it. Above all, he hoped the cat would not scratch him and then run away once it was completely free.

However, he didn’t, in fact, once he got rid of the plastics and grabbed the cat gently to put it aside, completely away from the garbage and anything that caught him, it just lay there on the ground, finally in silence and staring at him as if he were waiting for... Something.

“...” Lin Ling looked at the cat.

“...” The cat looked back at him, his blue eyes beginning to glow again with that infinite pity and grief.

“Okay, what do I do with you now?” Lin Ling asked, sighing. “Should I take you to the vet?”

The cat answered his question by lifting its hind leg with great effort, with eyes even larger and more pitiful than before.

“Shit.” He sighed heavily, utterly defeated.

God, he can’t even afford to keep money for himself. He spent more at the supermarket than he wanted and certainly doesn’t have enough for a vet! Maybe the cat has an owner, someone looking for it. But after staring into those pleading eyes for a few more seconds, Lin Ling ended up using his jacket to wrap and carry the cat to the nearest vet.

The meows of grief stopped a bit from that point on but could still be heard through the jacket along the way, as well as those eyes peeking through the folds from time to time, filled with curiosity. This drew enough attention by the time he entered the vet.

Now, Lin Ling has learned several valuable lessons from this experience.

First, vet visits cost more than expected, which means his extra pay is gone.

Then, it is thanks to Ahu, the hero dog, that people prefer to adopt rather than buy. That’s all well and good. In addition, Ahu promotes dog treats and flea collars. What good marketing... As a professional, Lin Ling can’t help but be stunned and take notes.

And about the cat he saved, giving up his favorite jacket and money meant for Moon’s limited-edition merch—no, the cat has no owner. It’s an unregistered white Siberian cat, no collar, no chip, and no one to claim him. He’s male, young, healthy, and, according to the receptionist, very vocal.

He’s also a little dramatic bitch.

A real performer.

One second more, and they almost gave him up for dead with the show he was putting on. But, you see, that stain of “blood” on his back that seemed so alarming? It was just Dragon Boy’s brand spicy sauce, spilled on him during his altercation in the trash.

The wounds on the front legs? A few scratches from struggling with the plastics, which didn’t even need healing, he managed with just a couple of licks.

The big and scary wound in the hind leg? A splinter the size of an ant, not even anything had been twisted. It was only a little swollen because of the fall.

And the reason why he cried and meowed in such an anguished way? Because he was dirty and didn’t like it. It seems that this tormented the creature more than anything else, and the moment the vet and his assistant washed it a little with some wipes to check on him, the cat suddenly got up as if nothing had happened and looked at them all with those big eyes shining with satisfaction, as if he was saying “That’s it,  I’m much better, thank you!”

“He’s a bit pompous, isn’t he?” The vet joked with an amused smile, clearly holding back his laughter at the situation as if seeing the cat reborn like that wasn’t surreal.

A few moments before, he was lamenting on the stretcher as if he was about to die, acting as if these were his last moments on the earthly plane, but now he was looking at Lin Ling with a playful twinkle in his eyes as he licked his paws in a pleased manner, so normal and serene, as if nothing had happened.

“Yeah, it seems so.” Lin Ling replied reluctantly, feeling one of his eye’s trembles with irritation. That little- “While we’re at it, why don’t you give him all the vaccines possible? Just in case.”

“Oh, that’s just what I was going to say!” The vet exclaimed, signs of money nearly coming out of his eyes. “Better safe than sorry, right?”

There you go, serve him right. Lin Ling had already spent the money; he had nothing left to lose. This was to ensure the cat was completely safe (and that he suffered a little) as the part about falling from a great height seemed real.

Of course, the dramatic meows started again the moment the vet pulled out the needles, and they got worse when they were forced to hold the cat between two to restrain it, but his wailing had little effect this time. Neither did the irritated and betrayal-laden look that those blue eyes directed towards Lin Ling while he was forcibly vaccinated, but he had nothing to do with it; it was for his good!

Lin Ling’s triumphant smile began to crumble a little when the process was over and the vet turned to instruct him.

“He seems to be fine but keep an eye on him just in case. We still don’t know why the fall has affected him so little. Give him a bath when he gets home, just in case, it seems that that’s what stresses him out the most... And after the vaccines take effect, bring him in for a check-up in-”

“W-Wait, wait a moment.” He couldn’t help but interrupt the vet; the weight of what was happening hit him out of nowhere. “It’s not my cat. I’m not sure if I can take him with me.”

“Oh?”

“I brought him here as an emergency, but I can’t take care of him. I don’t have the time nor the money...”

He began to explain himself, lowering his head slightly and holding back a heavy sigh. It’s not like he doesn’t want to; he loves cats, and he was the first to jump to help the animal as soon as he heard its dramatic meows, after all. But his schedules are chaotic, his salary is barely enough for other things, damn, he can’t even take care of himself! How is he going to do it with a creature in his care? He can’t; it wouldn’t be fair. Besides, you just have to look at him; he’s a beautiful and very vain cat. He deserves a home and a much more stable owner than he is.

“Are you sure?” The vet asked with a heavy sigh, shaking his head and looking at him wearily. It’s probably not the first time he’s seen something like this. “You’ve helped him after all. If you refuse to take care of him, we’ll have to talk to the shelters and-”

That seemed to be the magic word, because the moment “shelters” was heard in the room, the cat that had been on the stretcher, looking at them selflessly and recovering from its multiple vaccinations, seemed to wake up suddenly and sit up like a spring.

Taking a graceful and impulsive leap towards them, in an instant, he had lunged at Lin Ling to rub against his legs, meowing effusively and looking at him with interest.

“Meow!”

“Huh? No, I can’t!” He was restless, unsure of how to react to the cat’s sudden attention.

The animal, utterly impassive, meowed loudly again and rubbed his head against his ankle, directing those crystalline eyes at him again with a pleading gleam, as if he were imploring him, “Take me with you, oh, my savior.”

“It seems that he wants to go with you.” The vet laughed again, yeah, no Sherlock.

“But I really can’t-”

“Meow!”

Lin Ling looked at the cat nervously.

And it stared back at him, tilting its head slightly in an adorable way.

Fuck.

~0.0~

“HISSSS!”

“Okay, you groom yourself! I get it...” Lin Ling exclaimed, putting the cat comb (new, 33.22¥) aside.

“Hiss.” The cat complained again with less hostility, then sat in front of the mirror and began combing his fur with his paws in front of it, which is unusual for a cat, but okay.

The end of the vet visit felt like a fever dream. Lin Ling could barely grasp his new reality before he was overwhelmed because of the loads of information about how to care for his new pet, guidelines for his overall health, a ton of flyers from the store next door to get everything he needed for him (he didn’t know the Johnnies had a collab with pet beds), and a mountain of documents and bureaucracy to fill out that almost killed him.

All this while the veterinarian, several assistants, and even the receptionist of the place showered his new companion with attention and caresses, who seemed more than happy at the flattery and remained completely naïve in the face of the stress of his new owner, he didn’t even complain when he had to enter his new carrier (25.91¥) to go home.

By the time they arrived at his apartment, Lin Ling felt that it had been twenty years since he had left. Maybe because he was carrying a carrier, two shopping bags, and a host of new things that he had to acquire to take care of the animal. Even he was surprised by his strength and capacity (and of his wallet), although he couldn’t be too delighted or somber about it because the moment he opened the carrier for the cat to come out and explore his new home a little, he ran like a bullet to the bathroom.

Directly towards the bathroom, the only one in the apartment. Seconds later, hurried meows were heard calling him, along with the sound of the faucet opening.

How did he do that- Forget it. Lin Ling sighed and took out the new shampoo for long-haired cats (45.53¥) along with the conditioner (35.33¥, which he’s getting tired of counting. How could his cat have a conditioner when he uses a 4 in 1 shampoo? Ridiculous.)

“You really hate being dirty, huh?” He asked him, entering the bathroom as he observed the cat leaping into the sink and getting under the faucet, seemingly as if nothing was happening. He had even turned the faucet to the hot setting; had that been a coincidence, or had he done it alone? He couldn’t be that smart.

…

Besides, don’t cats hate water?!

What the fuck is this?

An annoying meow made Lin Ling stop questioning everything he knew about the world, as he had to focus on the task of bathing his vain cat.

Not even when he shampooed him several times and scrubbed him to remove all the dirt from the trash he found him, he was stirred or shaken, nor did he make a little complaint. He didn’t even run away from the dryer, unlike many other cats. Fuck, is he really a normal cat? As he starts to doubt, the animal’s only complaint has been that after using the dryer, he’s left with frizzy hair similar to a ball of lint, and Lin Ling has tried to comb him.

After that irritated hiss, Lin Ling left him alone. He distracted himself with so many questions that he only noticed the cat was done when it stared at him, expectant, with perfectly combed fur and as if he expected something from him. Only then did he realize he was no longer at risk of being attacked for interrupting his moment, and he took out the collar that had been given to him in the store (free, thank God, a gift for having bought so much at once) to carefully place it around the cat’s neck.

It’s golden, chosen by the same cat at the time the clerk took the samples because he placed his paw on that particular one at the speed of light, and curiously, it highlights more the blue eyes that are giving him so many headaches.

“Meow.” The cat exclaimed, shaking himself slightly and then turning to look at his reflection in the mirror. He tilted his head to one side, then to the other, as if he was checking that the collar fitted him perfectly before turning to Lin Ling and looking at him again, hopefully.

“What do you think? Am I not cute and adorable?” Those bright, excited eyes seem to ask him.

Jesus.

“Yes, you’re pretty and clean.” He said, letting out a tender sigh and smiled, raising his hand to gently pet the cat. “It suits you very well.”

He should be concerned that he’s already talking to the cat as if he can understand him and vice versa, in such a casual way, especially considering they have been together for less than an hour. But what does it matter? The cat now seems happier than ever. He’s healthy and seems to appreciate the compliment, clear by his happy, contented rubbing against his hand, purring, and letting him caress his head and ears, before leaving a lick on his fingers, as if thanking him.

Lin Ling could only smile, and after one last lick, the cat decided it was time to explore his new home, jumping from the sink with a determined meow and disappearing through the door as if he was willing to leave no corner uninvestigated.

There wasn’t much to see, to be honest; his apartment wasn’t very big or splendid, even if it was more than enough for Lin Ling. He had a room full of things, a small bathroom, and a somewhat crowded living room, along with a kitchenette.

Even so, he bets that it won’t take long for the cat to find a corner in which to hide and make a safe place for himself.

Meanwhile, Lin Ling just shook his head and concentrated on placing and organizing the large amount of things he had bought, both of his own volition and out of obligation. And while he was doing so, especially while he was placing the litter box, he couldn’t help but say goodbye again to his extra pay and the money he had been saving for other kinds of things, such as the new limited poster of the presentation event of Nice’s new clothing collection in which he appears with his back uncovered, heels, and-

He sighed. Being a cat father is tough, even if you’ve only been one for a few hours.

He really meant that after a long time tidying up, and finally feeling hungry, the cat only reappeared and meowed when Lin Ling began preparing dinner.

“Meoow!” He exclaimed, climbing on the kitchen counter without any shame, to get his attention.

“No, no. Not there.” He scolded gently as he carefully grabbed him to get him down from there.

He feels it won’t be the first nor the last time he does that, but it doesn’t hurt to try to teach him something. Also, there’s the fact that the cat allows himself to be carried by him and transported as if nothing, without complaints or attempts to escape. Again, rare in a cat. Even so, the creature began to yap again a string of meows that Lin Ling didn’t need to decipher to know what he wanted.

“You hungry? Yeah, I know, wait a moment.” He said, placing him on the ground, right next to where he had placed his brand new bowl (20.25 ¥) and grabbing one of the cans of wet food he had bought at the pet store, while the impatient meows followed him around.

He was so focused on trying to remember the feeding guidelines the vet had recommended, and throwing the contents of the can into the bowl accordingly, that he only noticed the sudden silence of the animal when he finished and threw the empty can in the trash.

He should be listening to the food being devoured, not absolute silence.

“...” The cat, instead, was staring at the bowl in silence, completely motionless.

“What?” Lin Ling asked, confused. “Go ahead, eat.”

Wasn’t he hungry? This is supposed to be the cat’s delicatessen. Fuck, they had sold that can of wet food as the best on the market; they couldn’t have cheated him.

However, the cat only looked at the bowl for a few more seconds before slowly turning its head towards Lin Ling, the look in those crystal-clear eyes completely dumbfounded, terrified, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

He looked at the bowl again.

Then Lin Ling.

And finally, with all the boldness and ingratitude he seems to possess, he placed one of his paws on the edge of the bowl to slowly push it as far away from him, looking into Lin Ling’s eyes defiantly and with a haughty air, indignant as if the mere attempt to feed him with that had been an offense.

“This is fucking bullshit, I’m not gonna eat this.” He says that perfectly with those eyes full of pride.

Okay, he got it.

“It is what it is.” Lin Ling began to say, feeling one of his eyes start to tremble again.

For fucks sake, since when is a stray cat delicate with food? And on top of that, he demands it like this?!

What kind of cat is this?!

“Meow.”

“That’s your food, I can’t do anything.”

“Meow!”

“It’s what you have, it’s that or kibble! Do you want kibble for dinner?”

“Meow!!”

“And what do you want then?”

It was then that the complaints ceased, and the cat turned his gaze to the counter, where the salmon Lin Ling had bought that day and was preparing so carefully for dinner rested.

Bullshit.

“No, no!” Lin Ling immediately refused. “That’s mine.”

“Meow?”

“Of course it’s not for you, it’s an expensive one!”

“Meow!”

“No!”

Lin Ling looked at the cat, his arms crossed and irritated, wondering internally how he had ended up like this.

The cat stared back at him, wagging his tail slowly and confidently, as if he already knew what was going to happen.

And sure enough, he shared the salmon with the cat.

In fact, he even put a bowl of milk next to him to go with it. And on top of that, they both dined together on the counter, as if he hadn’t tried to kick the animal out of there minutes before.

Pathetic.

That’s how he felt when he finished and got ready to go to sleep. Defeated, humiliated, enslaved, destroyed, and manipulated by a cat and his large blue eyes like gems that didn’t remind him at all of someone whose hero’s name begins with N and ends with ice and for whom he feels no attraction at all because it wouldn’t be ethical or professional to do so and something that he still doesn’t want to embrace fully for himself because it would mean completely shaking the foundations of his own person who-

“Oh, no. Not this.” He exclaimed as he entered his room.

He had had enough for today; he needed to lie down, curl up between his sheets, and forget both his inner crises and the fact that his boundaries were being crushed and rebuilt by a furry being who didn’t give a fuck about his authority. To find the aforementioned creature curled up in a ball on his bed and snoring on his pillow as happy as if it were his own, is the last straw. Enough.

“You have your own bed, I’m sure it’s more comfortable than this one, mhm?” He began to say, cradling the cat again in his arms to place it on the small pet bed he had left in the corner of the room, where he could see him. “Big Johnnie brand and all that, you can’t complain.”

“Meow.” And of course, he’s complaining.

But before he could look him in the eye or the cat could use any more persuasion tactics, Lin Ling turned suddenly to get into bed, turn off the light, and turn his back on him. Willing not to give in, because he must be strong, come on! It’s Lin Ling, he has that willpower!

Surprisingly, the cat didn’t follow him immediately; he only meowed again, and a small ruffling was heard in that little bed on which he spent that much money. Well, it’s the best for both of them, he’s sure. The cat must have his own space, Lin Ling too, he has to put some boundary between them, whichever, his bed won’t be full of hair this way, he won’t be woken up in the middle of the night by anything, and-

“Meow...” There was a small meow, sad, heartbroken, and very disappointed, as if he were calling him.

…

…

Sigh.

“Come on, come here.” Lin Ling muttered in the darkness, clearly defeated again, but not at all annoyed by it.

Not even a second passed before the cat jumped immediately onto the bed, lying down without any qualms on his chest and rubbing his face against his cheek, his neck, purring happily and contentedly as he curled up and rolled up against him to sleep.

There was little Lin Ling could do against that, other than curl up to him too and stroke his little head with a pleased smile.

Oh, his cat...

~0.0~

It turns out that his cat is an asshole.

But it’s his little asshole, and Lin Ling adores him. So, no one can mess with him except Lin Ling.

It’s not that he succeeds in controlling the cat, because the animal does whatever it wants with him. Still, Lin Ling feels the cat distribution system was very fair that day. Now, although he has to save money a little more and control his desire as a hero fan so as not to spend on behalf of taking care of his pet, his days are no longer as dark and empty as before.

A few weeks ago, when he got home from work, he was completely exhausted and wanted to avoid everything and everyone. He avoided uncomfortable calls, too, and felt alone, very alone, enduring the continuous silence and darkness of the apartment.

Now, he arrives completely exhausted, tired, and wanting to avoid everything, but with his adorable cat waiting for him at the entrance and receiving him with enthusiastic meows, ignoring those calls more easily because he’s busy trying to control the animal from biting his shoes while he changes, as if this would prevent him from going to work the next day.

In the several weeks they have been together, both he and the cat, whose name he’s still thinking about because he cannot decide, for now he calls him: cat, have seemed to get used to and come to appreciate the other. And it’s not as bad as it first looked.

To begin with, and this is something he knew from the beginning, his cat is flamboyant and vain.

He understands; you just have to look at him. He’s very cute, beautiful, the kind of ethereal, charming cat you would use in marketing to promote anything, really. Not only does Lin Ling think so, but at this point, all his coworkers have seen photos of his cat and share the same opinion: he’s perfect. From his light eyes to his white and resplendent fur.

Plus, cameras love him, and vice versa. Every time Lin Ling takes out his phone to take a picture of him, it’s as if the cat felt it and lived it in his flesh. He poses easily, at any time or place, it’s as if he were trained for it, and in every photo or video in which he is the protagonist, he is undoubtedly adorable.

It’s scary, but Lin Ling can hardly complain when he has a large photo album that grows as the days go by, and with it, a small collection of collars and bows that adorn his cat’s neck with grace and style. Some are even gifts from his coworkers.

And to think that he almost didn’t take care of him because he couldn’t afford it. Still, have you seen how pretty that little blue bow looks on him? He has that photo as his wallpaper.

Of course, the cat routinely combs and grooms himself in front of the mirror for about thirty minutes every morning, while he gets ready to go to work. And he has to bathe him at least four times a week.

But his hair is lustrous, and the animal also likes to be pampered; he purrs loudly and licks his face when he coos with compliments before leaving, and sometimes he has peeked out to greet the postman when his owner has received a package, only to hear a compliment from him or a neighbor passing by.

Then, once he gets it, he simply turns around and leaves. Waiting for Lin Ling to come back inside to snuggle up with him.

As a result, Lin Ling has confirmed that his cat is smart.

Like... Extremely smart. Intelligent in a way that a cat shouldn’t be and sometimes raises a slight suspicion that he doesn’t want to delve too deeply into for his own sake, but it’s... Strange. He’s certainly strange, curiously clever.

He seems to understand him without any issues when he talks to him. Many times, Lin Ling feels his gaze fixed on him when he tells him about his day when he gets home, or yap once he lies on the sofa, as if he were listening to him very carefully and assimilating his words. He also answers him in his own way, as if he could continue the conversations, even if he doesn’t give much in return. He says goodbye when he leaves and greets him when he returns. When he’s sleepy, he gets into bed and meows desperately, hoping he will hurry up and sleep with him, as sleeping alone isn’t an option.

Both have also learned that for him to pay attention to Lin Ling in anything, such as getting off the kitchen counter, preventing him from tearing up the sofa, or not nibbling on his shoes, he has to give him either a slice of ham or a kiss on the head; either will do. Sometimes the kiss carries more weight and is more effective, and sometimes it requires two kisses; however, a “please” and “thank you” don’t enter the equation.

He doesn’t drink water from his bowl; in fact, he hasn’t even touched it since he arrived. Instead, he drinks directly from the faucet, something he has learned to open and close without any problem from day one. To be exact, he prefers drinking from the kitchen faucet, and the one in the sink is now reserved for his bathrooms and... other occasions. Like when he uses it.

Just like the water bowl, the sandbox he invested so much in has not been used even once. The cat comes and goes from the bathroom as he pleases, and he has never seen him doing his business outside of there.

The first time Lin Ling heard him flush the toilet, he thought he was dreaming. Or drugged.

Unfortunately, no. This is real; his cat is incredibly smart and knows how to use the toilet.

So, he has one less thing to worry about... Or not.

He’s not sure; he’s still debating whether it’s a good thing or genuinely terrifying.

But anyways, he’s also dealing with the fact that the cat has figured out how to open doors, drawers, shelves, and cabinets. Essentially, anything that can be opened and will be, because except for the entrance door (which probably he also knows how to open it, but for some reason he hasn’t yet), the creature, as nosy and curious as he is, has dedicated himself to breaking and violating any barrier that stands between his target and his pawns.

He doesn’t know how, seriously, nor what motivates him, but he has been a witness and victim of how he opens the bathroom and bedroom door, the windows, the kitchen and bathroom cabinets, and even his drawers and a compartment of his dresser that had been stuck since he moved in.

Of all those occasions when the cat snoops on absolutely everything, he believes that the worst and most humiliating one was when he managed to open his closet’s door completely while he was cleaning the room.

And by the time the tired man went to close it, cursing under his breath because of his cat being so nosy, the animal was just staring at what was hiding there, making Lin Ling feel extremely aware of it.

Slowly, as he did on some occasions, the cat only turned his head to give him an inquisitive, curious, and somewhat surprised look.

“And what’s this?” He seemed to be asking with those curious and huge eyes, with an overwhelming intensity.

He doesn’t know why, but Lin Ling felt as if he were being interrogated. He might even have begun to sweat with the weight of that gaze.

“What?” He asked aloud, a little defensively. “They gave them to me at a promotion event, but I had nowhere to put them.”

Yeah, of course, because he had to place them somewhere, that’s why he had hanging not one, but two posters of Nice in which he appears smiling at the camera like a real model and with less clothes than usual, stuck right at the door of the closet he opens every morning and looks attentively.

Very convincing.

It’s what the cat seems to be thinking, too, because he looked at the posters, then at Lin Ling again with an inquisitive glow in those orbs, and then meowed with an apathetic and unimpressed tone, as if he knew perfectly well that he was blatantly lying to him. Both he and to himself, it we are exact.

“Nah, won’t fly.” He seemed to tell him.

And Lin Ling would have continued to refute and make excuses if it hadn’t been for the fact that, after that, the cat just moved away from the closet, approached the door of the bedroom at a slow and calm pace, and pushed it to reveal in all its glory another giant poster of Nice that had hung behind that door.

He would have liked to say that this is also for promotion and invent something with which to leave his poor mind at ease, but no, in fact, it was an exclusive poster that was handed out at his birthday event, and it was the first time he saw Moon from afar, and Nice was dressed in a-

“Meow.” The cat repeated, unimpressed.

“Got you.” That meant that meow, along with the sarcastic and malicious look that was directed at him from his position, sitting under the poster like a guardian, as if the animal were enjoying the situation and his suffering.

And as if he wasn’t already suffering constant humiliation from the creature every day, Lin Ling felt himself wriggle in shame inside, defeated again, and also in something he tries too hard to keep at bay, his cheeks slightly heated.

God, as if he owed explanations to a cat, as if he owed explanations to anyone, really, what was he doing?

“He’s fucking hot, okay?” He ended up admitting aloud, slamming the closet shut. “And he’s a good dancer too.”

And it was curious, because he didn’t know if at that moment he was more irritated with the cat for discovering so easily and blatantly his not-so-well-kept secrets and throwing them in his face, with himself for not wanting to confront them, or with Nice for being so handsome and so damn perfect and confusing him so much.

But at least that was the first time he had admitted something like that out loud, and he wasn’t sure if it was liberating or condemning, but some of the weight and guilt he sometimes felt when he was dumbfounded by those posters had lifted. So, it could have been a first step, or something worse.

The fact is, after that incident, the cat seemed to remain as attached and obsessed with him as ever, perhaps a little more if possible.

Because now he insisted on leaving the closet door open whenever he could and closing the one in the room every time they were inside, as if the animal was determined that those posters were in plain sight or where Lin Ling could see them all the time.

And why would he question anything, when from the first day Lin Ling soon learned that he had adopted a cat and in exchange he had sacrificed his privacy, intimacy, individuality, and limits as a rational human being, since the animal had no respect for any of them.

No matter how many kisses on the head he gave him to get him off the counter or stop bothering him, it didn’t matter or help when, wherever Lin Ling went, the cat followed him without hesitation. He was going to be with him, and it wasn’t a question or an option; it was a fact and something that wasn’t up for discussion.

Clearly, the ability to open doors was acquired in his countless attempts to follow him around the apartment as much as possible, as if not having him in his range of vision for more than five minutes was going to kill him.

At first, when he locked him up or separated them for any reason, the animal would only scratch the doors and call to him from outside with pitiful meows, as if begging him to let him in. After a while, he stopped doing that because he no longer needed to, since he now directly opens the door to his will, as if nothing, and no guide on the internet knows how to tell Lin Ling to stop this madness.

He followed him to the kitchen when he cooked or ate, followed him to the sofa, followed him at bedtime, followed him when he cleaned, followed him to his room, and more than once he has wanted to follow him to the landing when he has gone to work, and has even followed him when he changed and was in the shower.

He simply follows him, all the time, looking at him with an intensity that’s difficult to ignore.

Feeling those piercing blue eyes staring at him with a supernatural intensity as he changes is a sensation he cannot explain and doesn’t want to.

In fact, the first time it happened he tried to kick him out of the room in an attempt to regain what little privacy he has left, but the cat first meowed in desperation scratching the door urgently and then when he realized that it wasn’t going to work he opened it with the impetus of a policeman about to make a raid,  giving him an offended look as if he wanted to tell him “You can’t run away from me, don’t even try.”

Lin Ling couldn’t do anything, and when he changed, he swore that he was staring at his ass the whole time.

But hey, it’s a cat. He’s sure it’s a coincidence, just like the hurried, fast-paced way the animal gets into the bathroom when he realizes Lin Ling is going to take a shower, only to stand in a corner staring at him. Maybe it’s because he likes the moisture that builds up in the place.

What does he know? Cat stuff, he supposes.

Beyond that and all the undoubtedly alarming things that should be questioned about the matter, Lin Ling adores his cat. And nothing can change it, it’s his cat!

He’s beautiful, adorable, clingy, funny, soft, and sometimes he meows to the rhythm of Lucky Cyan’s singles and doesn’t leave him alone for a second. Even though this may seem overwhelming, for Lin Ling, it’s the opposite; he loves it when he snuggles and sits on top of him at every opportunity he finds, sometimes licks his fingers affectionately as if thanking him for everything, and rubs against his legs when he comes home to greet him.

Now he buries his face in his soft fur before sleeping, while the other purrs with happiness. Of course, the creature sleeps an average of fourteen hours a day as if he had worked to pay rent, but have you seen how happy he looks when he kisses his head or tells him how beautiful he is?

He’s weak; he knows it. That willpower he boasts so much about is nothing when he’s faced with a white hairball, but it doesn’t hurt anyone either, right?

~0.0~

“Rumors say he asked for a divorce.”

“Meow...”

“Yes, unbelievable. They seemed happy.”

“Meow?”

“Of course she deserves it, she cheated on him.”

“Meow, meow.”

“Are you siding with her? It’s not like you.”

“Hiss.”

The small and not at all serious argument between them ended when the cat placed one of its paws in Lin Ling’s mouth, preventing him from talking about it. This only caused him to laugh quietly, amused, shaking his head to get that paw off him, but conceding the small victory to the animal with a caress between his ears.

This is neither the first nor the last night that Lin Ling lies carefree on the sofa, with the cat on his chest purring and watching placidly as he carefully reads the latest issue of the most famous hero gossip magazine, which he now holds in his hands and has had a hard time getting at the newsstand.  It was almost snatched away by another office worker who’s always around!

It has become a hobby for them, reading the magazine together and commenting on the photos, articles, love affairs, gossip, and marketing campaigns that Lin Ling recognizes from both his competitors and his own company, analyzing and taking notes.

Speaking of his company, the atmosphere has lately been somewhat... Heated. Uncomfortable.

Or rather, his boss is so nervous that he resorts to making any innocent soul who crosses his path pay for it. But absolutely no one, least of all his team, is to blame for Hero Nice keeping a low profile since his last fight with “The Magician”. In fact, he hasn’t made any public appearance again, and Treeman hasn’t released an official statement beyond commenting that the hero needs a little rest and they are respecting his privacy.

This put some of the most important projects his company had on hold; it’s no one’s fault, but that’s not something that a middle-aged man whose mental stability depends on the approval of big companies is going to understand out of nowhere. So, most of these days, Lin Ling tries hard not to end up in the crossfire of that man’s anger.

He’s doing quite well, so far. The only thing that might worry him a little about the whole ordeal is-

Nice.

Of course.

And there he is, in his magazine. As soon as he turns the page, his perfect and attractive face greets him in the foreground, accompanied by a small article speculating about the reason for his short rest.

He’s not going to read it, first because it’s just that: speculation and theories, God knows Treeman isn’t going to tell the truth or spill any information about what happened to the hero. And second, because he’s busy staring at the photo they used for the article, rather than being able to concentrate on something else. It’s a rather entertaining image, to be honest, from a recent photo shoot in which, of course, he comes out perfect, with long eyelashes, bright eyes, and is he using lipstick -

It’s not until his cat lays his paw this time on Nice’s face that Lin Ling doesn’t blink, his brain regaining the ability to think.

“Meow.”

Growling under his breath, Lin Ling doesn’t need to tilt his head and face the cat to know what kind of look he’s giving him; he’s become very familiar with it lately.

However, he does, and of course, the animal has that mischievous and playful twinkle in his eyes that seems to tell him, “I know what you’re thinking, hehe.”

“I know.” Lin Ling sighed heavily.

He cannot pretend at this point, neither to the cat nor to himself, especially when the meticulous creature has already managed to find even the secret and exclusive merchandising of the hero that he had been hiding with so much suspicion.

He swears the day he came home from work and found the cat waiting for him at the entrance with his Nice special edition figure between his teeth, he almost had a heart attack.

“Meow!” Again, the animal hit the magazine page, as if he could caress Nice’s face in the process, and Lin Ling couldn’t contain another sigh.

“You like him, I know, who doesn’t?” He joked lightly and patted him again affectionately on his little head.

He genuinely believes that the cat also likes Nice, because it’s no longer just the fact that he leaves the closet open and closes the bedroom door on purpose to stare at the posters with an air of nostalgia, but that every now and then he surprises him by taking the merchandising out of his hiding place to play with it,  or leaving it around for Lin Ling to find it, ignoring the large amount of money its owner has spent on such things.

Also, every time the hero appears on TV or his image is reflected in some way, the animal begins to meow and bite his hand nervously as if to make sure he’s paying attention, as if he were shouting, “Look, it’s him!”

He doesn’t know, can cats have heroic crushes too? There’s a limit to the things he has to think about cat entities.

But fixing his gaze on the magazine briefly again, Lin Ling could only shake his head with a worried tone.

“I hope he’s okay.” He thought aloud, looking at the photo this time more thoughtfully.

“Meow?” Dropping his paw on his shoulder this time, the cat looked at him from his position with a more than confused air, urging him to keep talking.

“He has taken a break... He’s never done that, you know? I’m not sure why, but I really hope nothing happened to him.” He said, still with a dejected look, before shrugging his shoulders. “Although he clearly needs to rest.”

“...” Silence followed, this time those blue eyes staring into his with a curious, excited glow, something he doesn’t know how to decipher, but clearly asking him to keep talking.

“Do you know how many times I’ve had to edit the dark circles under his eyes? Nobody asked me, but if I hadn’t done it, the others wouldn’t have noticed.” He complained aloud, his thumb wandering across the magazine sheet for a few seconds, pausing over the other man’s almost imperceptible, hidden dark circles. “Everyone likes him and is surprised by how perfect he is. And sure, just look at him, but it’s not my case, for me it’s just... He works very hard.”

Blinking, the cat sat up out of nowhere, sitting on his chest and still staring at him intensely, as if what he was saying was complete madness, and asking him for explanations.

“What?” He snorted, amused by the animal’s reaction. “To get where he is now and reach that level of perfection, you have to work a lot, you know? Those kinds of things are not free, unfortunately, I know.”

“Meow!” Then the first meow was uttered with an excited tone. It seemed that he was agreeing with him in a very effusive way.

“Right? I told you; he dances well... He was a classical dancer before, and you can still see that in his fights; he was really good. He could have stuck with it, but he preferred to become a hero and invest all that effort in helping others.” He continued to think absently, throwing the magazine aside as if it were burning him to caress the cat absentmindedly instead. “He works very hard, all the time. I admire that about him.”

Purring loudly, the cat let himself be caressed and tilted his head towards him, as if what he was hearing made him more than happy.

“That doesn’t mean he has to work tirelessly; it must be exhausting.” He ended by confessing, along with another heavy sigh, as if the simple fact of remembering the act of working also exhausted him. “I wonder what his real smile will be like, mhm?”

“Meow?”

“I met him once; he probably doesn’t even remember it. It was on the set of an advertisement, and I was just a rookie.” He began to tell him, smiling as if the mere fact of remembering that already put him in a good mood. “But he was all fake smiles and politeness, clearly tucked into his role, not a hair out of place, and even more handsome than in photos. Who would have thought about it, right?”

For a moment, that vivid smile became tense, hesitant, as if he were thinking whether to confess aloud the next thing or not. Because saying it makes it real, expressing it in this way makes it tangible, solid, and not just a thought in his head that he can bury or mold at his convenience for his own peace of mind.

“If his smile only for the cameras is that pretty, I don’t even want to imagine how blinding it must really be.”

By the time he finished saying that, between giggles and somewhat embarrassed by his own words, the cat seemed to have had enough, jumping suddenly on his chest, happy and sketching a string of excited meows before attacking his face with licks and small bites of affection, purring with a force he had never done before.

“Ah- What’s with you?! Ha, ha!” Lin Ling burst into loud laughter, hugging the cat back. With the magazine forgotten on the floor, he let his pet continue its sudden little attack of affection.

Who knows why, but he wasn’t going to deny it, and even less would stop him; his cat was that affectionate and adorable after all.

Who would have thought that, after that night, that affection would only go further?

Not drastically, the cat still follows him everywhere, shows zero awareness, empathy, or respect for his privacy, and remains as clingy and cuddly as ever.

He simply now has to leave Nice’s merchandising out of its hiding because otherwise the cat will take it out by force. What’s more, he can no longer hide anything, because his pet has taken the habit of rummaging through his things with more strength and insistence than ever. It’s not like he’s hiding anything, but when the animal has managed to dig up even the expired condoms that he once dropped under the cupboard, he thinks about things.

And instead of meowing to the rhythm of Lucky Cyan’s songs, it seems that now the cat also tries to dance to them, and nothing has ever been so funny in his life. Thanks to that, every time Lin Ling seems a little depressed these past few days, the cat has learned that he only has to dance and prance a little to get a smile out of him.

The postman and neighbors no longer receive soft meows to get attention, but growls and hisses if they get too close to Lin Ling.

And, lately, when he returns home, his pet has taken one of those habits that the veterinarian warned him about and the blogs of expert cat owners talk about: now he leaves “offerings”. Everything that a cat can understand as a valuable present, of course, but it’s not dead mice or birds as he expected (thank goodness), but flowers. The cat has developed a habit of leaving a different daisy at the entrance each day for him to pick up upon his return.

Where is he getting them from? Well, he has no idea.

He has no flowers, and he lives on a sixteenth floor. But hey, they’re pretty, and he’s making a bouquet little by little, so he decided to put the mystery inside that little sack of inexplicable things that the creature does, and for which he still doesn’t have any justification that isn’t terrifying or concerning.

The only thing about the whole ordeal that is turning him mad and bothered by, which surprisingly is not the strange cat possessiveness or the clear lack of limits, is the sudden vandalism that some of his things are suffering. And for no apparent reason, too.

“Wha- What are you doing?! NO! NOOOOO!”

He should have inquired earlier about the strange scratching sound he had been hearing since arriving at the apartment. He should have questioned, suspected, and checked what the cat was doing and where instead of watching Lin Ling shower as usual.

But he decided to ignore all that until it was too late, since it was the first solo shower he could have had in a month. He regretted everything as soon as he entered the room and found the Moon poster that had been lying above his bed for years, completely torn and destroyed.

The cat next to it, licking his paws as if nothing, was totally guilty but not at all remorseful.

“M-My poster!” He exclaimed, his mournful approach rapidly as he tried to salvage what was left of the real victim of this. “Why...”

It’s not the first object from Moon’s brand that the cat has vandalized, but it’s certainly the most extreme. And everything he does to try to change it is in vain; he’s completely lost.

That poster was a relic of Moon’s early years as a heroine, and now it has been reduced to simple strips torn into thousands of pieces, thrown and spread out on the bed and on his bedroom floor. Sad, torn, and broken.

Fuck, how had he ever ripped so high? Can the cat fly? And on top of that, he was going to have to clean it up!

“Meow!”

Lin Ling continued to lament in silence about his great loss and the difficult tasks he was going to have to perform, while the cat called out to him with complete innocence and devotion.

As if he had not just committed an act of emotional terrorism with all the malice and treachery possible.

“...” Lin Ling turned to look at him, frowning and sulking.

And with all his attention on him, all the cat did was a pirouette and a funny turn, landing on his back and bent into an adorable posture while looking at him with those blue eyes, full of happiness and affection. Innocent to the end, of course, because he doesn’t know what he has done wrong, not at all.

Yes, that’s the kind of thing he does now to cheer him up whenever he sees him in a bad mood.

“Oh, why are you like this?” Lin Ling asked, covering his face and completely torn between pure murderous rage and the most latent tenderness.

It’s impossible to get angry at him.

~0.0~

“You haven’t answered our calls.”

“What-”

“Lin Ling.”

“What are you doing here?”

“What do you think?”

Without waiting for any other response and, above all, not deigning to give him more seconds of his precious time than necessary, Lin Ling prepared to close the door in his brother’s face. He would have slammed the door with all the force and resentment possible, just as he had when they were children, but he wouldn’t have been very considerate of his neighbors or his own furniture.

Although he’s about to, of course, harassing him like this on his day off shouldn’t be allowed, especially when he was about to take a necessary nap with his cat, who had been snoring softly on his lap for a long time, and now had to leave him tucked away on the sofa.

But now, with the outburst of anger, surprise, betrayal, and above all disappointment that runs through him, he doubts that he can do that as easily as he had planned.

Fuck, if he had opened the door, it was because he was waiting for a package, and Lin Ling would have expected anyone in this world but him. He would never have come near that door if he had known that his little brother had shown up there, traveling from his hometown without even warning and knocking on his door as if the last few years hadn’t existed at all.

As if everything he had said and done to him during these years hadn’t happened.

No, no way, he’s not going to do this, he’s not even going to think about it anymore, this is over here and now.

However, he was about to lock himself in his house and pretend that none of this had happened, before his brother put his foot in between and began to struggle from his side, preventing him from closing the door completely. Shit, fuck.

“No way! Don’t you dare close the door on me, Lin Ling!”

“I don’t want to talk!”

“That’s pretty clear for me, move!” His brother growled before giving one last strong push, forcing Lin Ling to quickly back away if he didn’t want to be hit, and forcibly sneaking into his entrance.

“Don't even think about it, get out!” He scolded him instantly. The anger he already had was intensifying by the moment; feeling so helpless, how else could he say it?

“I can’t!”

“Get out!”

“No!”

“Get the fuck out! How did you even get my address?”

“Grandma gave it to me.”

“Grand- Did you disturb grandma?!” He protested, unable to believe it.

That was a very low blow, the lowest he could commit. Their poor grandmother was off-limits, an old lady, a widow, and deserving of a quiet life; she was too good and kind, and she would never say no to any of them. To take advantage of her kindness was to cross a line that he hoped no one in his family would be so craven as to cross.

“Just listen to me!” His brother exclaimed, with all the audacity and power he thinks he has. Which in reality is: none. “You’ve been ignoring all our calls for months. What did you want us to do?”

“Not coming here!” He replied instantly, just one step away from trying to push him out of there. If he hasn’t done it yet, it’s because he knows he’s going to give it back to him with double force. It happened before, like when he left home with only a suitcase containing his university scholarship. At what point would he think this would be a good idea? He doesn’t want to talk. End of story.

And which rights does he think he has, anyway? They haven’t spoken for years, and it’s not just by Lin Ling’s will; both parties refused to do so. Doesn’t that tell him anything?

“I need you to listen to me.”

“Why? You don’t listen to me.”

“It’s important, dammit.”

“Is that why you haven’t stopped calling me?” He said, crossing his arms and shaking his head, dumbfounded. Because he wasn’t stupid, of course, the calls had gone from absolutely none for years to several per week and almost daily since the beginning of this year, but he didn’t imagine that they would go to such extremes as going to him in person. “I thought I had made my position very clear.”

His position was to be left alone. That’s it.

In addition, he had imposed and vocalized those limits quite confidently and firmly; whoever was not aware of them at this point was clearly not caring about them. And the only being in this world who can currently break his boundaries without retaliation and real consequences is his cat, good afternoon.

Are they his cat? No.

Well, fuck everyone then.

“This is more important, stop whining.”

“Ah, I’m the one who’s whining." He replied angrily. As if the other hadn’t appeared in the big city only and exclusively to put on the show at his entrance, next to his nibbled shoes.

Besides, there’s always something much more important than Lin Ling’s boundaries and desires here, of course, why is his opinion going to matter? The fact that they are surprised when he’s so iron and obstinate with his conviction is unbelievable.

“Shut up! It’s about dad.”

“Oh?” That’s all he needed. The situation is getting worse by the minute. “You don’t say.”

“They’re about to seize his business; we need money urgently.”

…

Ha.

Of course.

Lin Ling remained silent for a few seconds, disinterest and uneasiness flooding him in equal parts, waiting for his brother to start laughing at any moment to tell him that this was all a bad joke, that he had only come to visit him... But he didn’t.

Of course not. It’s real, and deep down, very deep, the hurt and resentful Lin Ling, who a few years ago had to pack his bags under his father’s angry screams, exclaimed, “I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, I knew it ~”

“Okay.” He answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Okay?” His brother asked back, totally dumbfounded.

“Yes, okay.”

“What do you mean?”

“Okay, it’s fine.” He went on, indifferent. “You could see that coming; it has never gone as well as he would like.”

“Lin Ling!” His brother exclaimed, scandalized.

“What?”

“Don’t you care at all?”

“...”

“Are you kidding me?!”

“I’m sorry for him.” He began to explain himself, because at least that was true, that sucks, and he could empathize with the situation. “But I don’t understand what it has to do with me or why you’re here.”

“You’re definitely kidding.” His brother shook his head, stunned.

It was then that the initial surprise of the news gave way to a bitter sensation settling in the pit of his stomach, as an uncomfortable, unpleasant idea began to surface in the back of his mind. They wouldn’t, would they? They wouldn’t be capable; they are not so shameless.

“No.” He began to refuse, impassive. “I'm not in the mood for jokes.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“If you come here just to tell me the news, you are done, you can go.”

“You can’t be so selfish, come on.”

That made him stop in his tracks, the bitter feeling growing more and more.

“Me? Selfish?”

“Yes! Lin Ling, you are not stupid, we need you to lend us the money.”

And yes, they are. Of course, they are that shameless, and that’s the reason for the calls. Money, it’s always money.

“Ah.” He muttered dryly, looking at his brother in the eye wearily.

That bitter feeling has become what could very well be the biggest disappointment he’s felt in a very long time.

And, seriously, there was a point in his life where he really got along with his brother. He misses him; they played heroes, went fishing together on the lake, and Lin Ling defended him from the village bullies. He was his personal hero for a while, and he took pride in it. They were only a couple of years apart. At what point did everything go wrong?

It doesn’t matter anymore, although he knows it.

“Well?” Of course, he doesn’t care about all that. He doesn’t even care about Lin Ling, not anymore; he has only come for one thing.

“No.”

One, two, three seconds...

“No?!”

“No.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“I’m not going to give you the money.” Lin Ling denied again, firmly. “First, because I don’t have it, and second, because I don’t want to.”

“What do you mean you don’t have it?! You live in the big city!” The other questioned, stunned, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Lin Ling only raised an eyebrow about that; he had forgotten the irrefutable logic of rural villages, where the simple act of moving or living in a city was already indicative of a huge monetary wealth (which does not exist).

“You’re the only one of us who left the village, you work in a renowned company, and you live alone! Of course you have that money!”

“I don’t have it, I’m sorry.” It’s the plain truth.

He’s barely getting ahead since adopting the cat, and a glance at his apartment reveals that Lin Ling is the epitome of modern job insecurity. Yet, why can’t he see it?

“Don’t come at me with that, you’re lying!” He continued to retort to him, indignant. “You’re completely selfish, you know Dad and I depend on that business, and Mom is a housewife, you can’t leave us stranded!”

“Aha.”

“You’re supposed to be the oldest one!”

He is.

God, that’s such a low, lowly blow. Again.

He doesn’t want to feel that way; it’s unbearable. The responsibility, the guilt, the desire to fix all this, even if none of them deserve it... Of all this mess, he thinks what he really regrets is the situation of his poor mother. A woman who has made an effort all these years to carry out a broken, doomed home, having to endure his bastard of a father and this type of situation over and over again.

The part of Lin Ling that is still minimally attached to that home, to the idea of family and filial piety that has been stuck so much in his head since he was a child, writhes in the guilt and anguish of knowing that he has abandoned his mother in that situation for so long, that he had left and continued with his life in the big city when he, the older brother, should have taken care of everything once he had reached the age of majority.

But it’s not fair, it’s not fair at all... If Lin Ling hates anything in this world, it’s gratuitous injustices, hatred, and inequality. And the biggest reason why he left that house, apart from being kicked out, is precisely that.

“Tell me...” He began to say to his brother slowly, his eyes fixed on him coldly and without giving him a chance to object. “What has Dad done with all the money he took from me?”

“What?”

“The money in my college savings account.” Lin Ling said, listlessly. “That account he emptied without my permission to invest it in the business because, in his own words, ‘I will put it to better use than you, son, since you only want to use it for your heroic silly things.’”

“...”

“Have you forgotten about that?” Because Lin Ling hasn’t, not at all.

He will never forget it; it was after one of his strong fights with his father, and suddenly it meant years of savings and hard work snatched away with the stroke of a pen. All this with the aim of hurting him in the worst way, to prevent him from fulfilling his goals and trying to get him to stay in the village with them, forcing him to resort to scholarships and help from other friends and family for a while.

“N-No, just...”

“He was supposed to improve the business with it. It was a large amount. Tell me, where is it?”

“It has been very hard years, and-”

“He lost it gambling, just like everything else, didn’t he?”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

What? Does he think he doesn't know his father?

Please.

The silence lasted for one or two minutes; his brother remained upset, unsure of what to say or how to refute the accusation.

He can’t. They both know it.

“Get the fuck out of my house.” He ordered him resentfully, angrily. “And be thankful that I don’t demand you all give me back the money you owe me.”

“N-No... You can’t throw me out like that!”

“Yes, I can. We are over.” Then it was when Lin Ling approached with the intention of giving the first push, tired of the whole thing, and grabbed his brother’s arm to drag him towards the door. “Goodbye.”

“But I’m your brother! What will happen to me if they take away the business for real?” He began to resist, to stir when he felt Lin Ling starting to open the entrance door behind him.

“Well, you look for a job, as everyone else.” He answered, tired of dealing with him.

However, of everything that had been said in the conversation, that was what seemed to bother his brother the most.

Being his parents’ favorite, the one who was perfect in his eyes, someone who hadn’t had to lift a finger in his life to get a job, a home that respects him, stability, and an inheritance, of course that hard reality blow was much more painful for him than leaving empty-handed. It was instantly noticeable by how he contorted his face with rage and anger.

“You’re- Fuck, you’re insufferable!” He yelled angrily, breaking free from his grip before he could throw him out all the way to give Lin Ling a hard push. “All this because you are resentful of us! Face it, Dad kicked you out for being a faggot, and you can’t let it go!”

Now, at that moment, exactly two things happened at the same time.

The first is that, upon hearing that word, Lin Ling’s heart shrank with a strength and pain that he hadn’t felt for a long time. The foundations of himself that he had worked so hard to build and recompose, to heal slowly and accept very little by little with the passage of time, shook suddenly and in an overwhelming and piercing way. Fuck, they weren’t even quite established, he himself was just starting to get comfortable with it, and out of nowhere it was like everything was going to fall apart already... How unfair.

His lower lip trembled, his eyes watered a little, and the sight of the brother who had once admired him, utterly furious and thus insulting him, shrank his heart a second time.

And the second is that, out of nowhere and without either of them seeing it coming, a perfect white ball of fur, absolutely enraged and comparable to a being from hell possessed by evil forces, rushed towards his brother with a speed only achieved by a military missile to attack him without any mercy or compassion.

“RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARHHFHHFDFSFDKSA!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“Oh my God!”

“AARG!! HELP-”

“HISSSSSIHDSAKJ!”

Not even the sounds of infinite anger the cat was emitting seemed normal; rather, they were a cacophony of hell that didn’t promise anything good. And very soon these were mixed with the screams of pain and surprise of his brother at having a totally rabid cat on top of him, which was attacking his face, and from which he couldn’t get away.

Well, in his face and... Everywhere. Lin Ling couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise and some fear, because his cat was scratching, biting and attacking wherever his furious paws reached, quickly and viciously avoiding the agitated and nervous hands of his victim who were trying to get rid of him as best he could, unfazed by the way his brother was stirring around and trying to get rid of him in complete panic, even that seemed to make him fight him more fiercely.

“GET IT OFF ME! LIN LING, GET IT OFF!” His brother shouted, horrified, and between moans of pain.

“HISSSSSSS!”

He’s freaking out, like freaking out. Lin Ling had never seen the cat do something like that, or even come close to it. Usually, his cat is calm, adorable, somewhat whimsical and strange, but even funny in its oddities. He’s peculiar in some things, which he cannot explain, but he still adores and accepts him, and none has ever involved aggressive behavior like this!

Beyond hissing at the postman as a hobby, or trying to get the neighbor’s dog away when he once peeked out of the entrance to smell him, the most bad or naughty thing this cat can do is destroy his merchandising unintentionally while playing, hide his things around the house as a kind of challenge between them,  and even hide himself at times and then try to scare Lin Ling when he starts looking for him, worried.

But he has never attacked or scratched someone like that, with such rage and frenzy.

“AAARGG! FUCKING DEMONIC SHIT!”

“RAURGH!”

“Wait-”

For a moment, Lin Ling man was so surprised by the succession of events that he had only remained paralyzed, analyzing the scene. Until, seeing how his brother had resorted to trying to get his attacker off his back by twisting and colliding with the wall and the door, he made the latter give way completely, and made them fall face-first against the floor of the landing, still with the cat on top and making even more noise.

Witnessing him nearly crush his cat in that pathetic process has evoked a strong sense of protection, indignation, and defense within him.

“Stop! Stop doing that!” Lin Ling scolded instantly, also crossing his front door and approaching them urgently to try to separate them.

“BUFFFFFFDJHDSK!”

“THEN GET IT OFF ME!” His brother complained, still on the ground and writhing. Fuck, his face already looked like a scratching board...

“I’m talking to you, asshole! Don’t hurt my cat!”

“MEOW!” The cat seemed to respond out of nowhere to agree with him, among all the fuss they were making.

“WHAT?!”

“You’re messing up his hair, he hates that!”

Tch.

It’s very clear whose side he is, and it’s not his brother’s. Who’s losing, by the way.

The strong sense of overprotection that has invaded him, apart from being there because he wouldn’t bear his asshole of a brother hurt his beloved cat in the altercation, has made him realize that probably the reason why the animal is so angry is because he sure has woken up from his little nap to see how a stranger screamed, invaded his space, pushed, and insulted his adored owner.

Fuck, he’s defending him. With utter loyalty and devotion.

And of course, Lin Ling’s going to do the same.

“ARE YOU CRAZY?!” His brother asked, desperately. “HELP ME, FUCK!”

“Then leave him alone!”

“IT’S YOUR FUCKING CAT THAT’S ATTACKING ME!”

“HISS!”

“Don’t insult him!”

“HIISSS! HISSSS!”

“FUCKING WEIRDO, SOMEONE HELP ME!” He ended up pleading in total defeat, of course, addressing the curious neighbors who had leaned out of the landing when they heard such a commotion. “THIS CAT ISN’T NORMAL!”

“It’s my cat!” Lin Ling replied, as if that was enough explanation.

“EXACTLY, YOU FREAK-”

To the surprise of absolutely no one: they didn’t help him.

First, because no one in the building is so blind, crazy, or insane as to even consider the action of getting into the brawl, which has been more like an attempt at murder by the cat. The conflict clearly had a winner, and it certainly wasn’t the boy who was lying on the floor bleeding and completely powerless against the attacks of a ball of soft and silky fur that apparently had more strength and speed than him, not to mention a more than clear motivation, seeing how the affected person addressed the owner of the creature.

It was like an humiliation ritual that was going too well, but also wouldn’t go anywhere.

Second, most of the neighbors knew Lin Ling, and consequently, his precious cat as well. Anyone who has interacted with them at all is well aware of how attached they are and how calm and tender the animal is, as long as you don’t get too close to his owner or disturb him while he’s combing his fur.

Not to mention that, in general, the young boy gets along quite well with his neighbors, they have known him for years, and they are all a fairly close-knit community. So it’s not very difficult to jump to conclusions about what had happened by seeing the animal’s visceral reaction to the intruder in the building.

Those conclusions and subsequent statements were a big help when the emergency services arrived, to be honest.

As it turns out, the neighbors closest to him, as kind and benevolent as they are, had already warned about the screams and blows that had been heard in his apartment during the previous fight with his brother. And when the cat attack followed and chaos broke out, the reactions of all of them were not long in coming.

Some called the relevant authorities with concern. Who as soon as they arrived, the attack was already over, and they could only attend to the injured man and ask what had happened.

In the process, they had to push away the cat that had been sitting on the loser’s back with patience and pride, licking his paws as if the simple act of beating him had soiled them. But hey, they softened the situation somewhat.

Others directly took out their phones, recording the entire attack and uploading it to FOMO under the title “Fucking loser vs cat”, from different angles and with dubstep music in the background, in addition.

The video had accumulated more than 15 million views by now.

Lin Ling sighed, exhausted and definitely drained both physically and mentally after everything that had happened. Again, none of this situation was what he had planned for his day off, and the expectation of having to get up the next day as if none of this had completely shaken his life and having to go to work, infused him with an overwhelming weight that was sinking him into the couch at times.

With a severe headache hammering at him and putting his mobile aside, he sighed heavily again and rested his head on the sofa to look at the ceiling, distressed.

After his cat successfully defended his honor and publicly humiliated his brother, things gradually calmed down, albeit no less awkwardly.

The emergency services who offered to attend to the injured man (both in pride and all over his body) and take him to the hospital, were met with a firm refusal on his part. They couldn’t actually force him into treatment if his life wasn’t really in danger, but the only thing his brother had to give in was a spare change of clothes to replace the ones he was wearing, as they had been tattered.

Even so, the man never looked Lin Ling in the eye or spoke to him once it was all over. When he recovered a little, he gave a statement, received a fine for public disorder, and prepared to leave with a last look at him, full of resentment and a “we'll talk” before disappearing.

No, they won’t.

Lin Ling knows it, the 15 million FOMO viewers know it, and even the neighbors who stayed with them until the end know it. Those who helped clarify the situation with him before the authorities and even patted his shoulder before saying goodbye.

The emergency team was very surprised by what had happened, and with each answer they received from those present, they were only stunned. The official and final report they wrote was summarized in a domestic altercation between relatives that had gotten out of control, in which the pet of the owner of the apartment had come out in strong defense of him in the face of the physical and verbal abuse he had suffered.

A very strong defense, it should be clarified, because they had never seen anything like it. In these cases, by protocol, it would be questioned if the animal is safe to live in society and continue with its owner, but he had all the vaccines, he had never caused problems, and with all the information they gathered, it was clear that his brother had crossed a limit that, although Lin Ling could tolerate,  clearly the cat not.

Not to mention the video evidence that served to verify all this.

At one point, they presented Lin Ling with the possibility of filing a complaint for trespassing and assault, but he ultimately refused.

He didn’t want to make the situation bigger than it already was, as it was going to make everything worse on its own.

At this moment, all he wanted was to forget about it, block all the numbers of his relatives, and hug his cat to death.

Speaking of him, he hadn’t left his side at all, and now he was on the sofa keeping him company, curling up in a bright white ball in his lap and purring as if nothing had happened.

“He sure loves you, huh?” Said one of those who took his statement, caressing the cat’s little head as if he hadn’t been minutes before tearing apart a man three times his size.

The worst thing is that he let him, because as soon as the animal secured victory and was removed from the body of his victim, he instantly returned to being the loving and charming cat he always was, snuggling up in Lin Ling’s arms until now, in full view of everyone and without showing a single ounce of guilt for what happened.

“Yes, he does.” He murmured his answer, still looking up at the ceiling, distracted, with his hand rising absently to pet his pet slowly as he recalled everything that had happened tiredly.

The tension and scandal of the previous fight had given way to a calm, silent tension that tinged the apartment, a strange and uncomfortable atmosphere, yet no less palpable after all the violence and frenzy that had taken place at the entrance.

The glass of water Lin Ling had poured for himself after saying goodbye to everyone and returning to his apartment remained undrunk in a corner of the table. The television had stayed on, its voice muffled, casting a soft glow of white and blue light across the room.

Without even being able to help it, his eyes moistened again after a few seconds of remembering, rejoicing in the argument with his brother, in everything he had said to him without hesitation or remorse, and that was weighing him down like a strong slab in his chest. The anguish and helplessness that had run through him are still present, although in a more tenuous way, after all the debacle of events.

It’s just... Fuck, it’s very unfair.

He has worked very, very hard to get to where he is. He has sacrificed many things, striving to the point of giving his all. He’s not perfect, he knows, Lin Ling isn’t perfect because he can’t be, no one is, because human nature is inconclusive in that way.

But he doesn’t want to; he has never sought it. He doesn’t want an eccentric life or an enviable fortune, nor an undeserved fame or regrets behind him; he wants to be himself.

That’s enough, he just wants to be faithful to who he is, grow at his own pace, and achieve his goals little by little in line with his ideals. To live as he would like without being discredited or having everything he has fought for taken away, as if it hadn’t been worth it.

As if he wasn’t worth it.

He knows, because he knows, that there are things in this world that he cannot fight against.  Even in this moment, when people’s trust can make the most normal human a hero, there are fears, expectations, norms, and traditions that are much bigger, more important, and have stronger roots in people than all that will ever mean. He can’t do much against them, even if it hurts him to know it.

But is it too much to ask? That they let him be himself and accept him for it? That they interpose whatever they feel for him, if they feel it at all, to intangible beliefs?

No.

They can’t, and in the end, he’s free, independent, and imperfect. Outside of their norms and their control, and they can’t change that. He knows they dislike him and would love to correct him, but it’s so unfair that he can’t stop tears from building up with anger and helplessness.

When he was a child, his father would visit his room every night before bed, read with him and tell him how his day had gone, they would joke until Lin Ling got sleepy and ended up tucking him in, and the next morning he was the one who took them to school so that his mother would not get up so early, taking advantage of the fact that he had to go to work.

His mother, in fact, always wrote him notes and put them in his lunch bag to encourage him, bringing a smile to his face every morning and welcoming him home in the afternoon with a big hug.

His brother treated him as his personal hero, as if he were everything he wanted to be. They would go home holding hands, buy sweets at the corner stall, and share them after making sure they had broken them perfectly and equally. Sometimes, they would buy envelopes of hero cards to open together and share them according to each other’s taste, and they would defend themselves tooth and nail because absolutely no one messed with their brother but them.

He doesn’t know at what point things changed; he’s not sure at what exact point in his life everything went wrong and broke down into the tangle of grudges, disappointments, and fragmented relationships that are today and hurt him so much.

He knows that his father’s visits became tense and confusing over time, in which instead of telling him how his day had gone, he only asked him what his relationship was with the neighbor’s son, why he had posters of male heroes so visible in his room and what he intended to study in the future, as if he expected concrete, calculated answers, going into silent anger if Lin Ling didn’t give him what he expected.

Everything was confusing, new, incomprehensible. The notes on his lunches vanished, as did his mother’s hugs, replaced by veiled accusations that her affection was the reason for his “problem”.

He didn’t even know he had a problem.

And he didn’t, anyway. Because it wasn’t him, he knew it; his grandmother took it upon herself to let him know very patiently, ignoring the confused and hurt whining that young Lin Ling always came to visit her with.

He can never thank her enough, because thanks to her, no matter how much he was forced to hide his posters, to stop holding hands with his brother or his friends while they were playing, to stop questioning everything that didn’t feel right to him, or to stop being himself, he knew that it wasn’t his problem.

Even so, out of nowhere, it was as if everyone knew something that Lin Ling didn’t, as if everyone was acting under a script that he wasn’t aware of and in which he remained totally lost. One in which, when he failed, it signified the fury, indifference, and rejection of everyone around him.

“Sniff.” Blinking, he began to rub his eyes indignantly, clenching his fists as if crying over this made him even angrier.

God, he already cried for this at the time. The internal mourning he had to endure is now behind him; he has accepted it, been living with it, and is trying to move forward. He cannot cry again for the same thing.

He hates it; he hates that all those wounds that he already thought were closed have been opened with just a stupid visit.

He doesn’t want to go through it again, to remember everything the matter means to him and what it makes him realize.

Above all, it’s the fact that Lin Ling never thought that unconditional love ceased to be the moment you refused to be what the other wanted or thought you were.

“Meow...”

…

Ah.

But is that really the case?

Blinking hard again and stopping rubbing his eyes, Lin Ling raised his head to look at the cat on his lap, which had sat up quickly when he heard him crying and was now staring at him from below with those big and huge blue eyes tinged with pure worry.

“Meow!”

“Oh...”

With one last tear of sadness sliding down his cheek, it didn’t even overflow because his cat had quickly sat up towards him, purring harder than before and rubbing his head against his wet cheeks, snuggling affectionately against his chest as he meowed softly, as if to tell him, “Don’t cry, I’m here...”

Comforting him, though he probably doesn’t even understand the reason for his tears.

Well, before they were out of pure frustration. Now, with the cat tucked in next to him and playfully licking his cheeks, the corner of his eyes, and even the tip of his nose between purrs and caresses to cover him in signs of affection, they are because of tenderness.

“I know...” Lin Ling murmured tiredly, hugging the animal back and caressing his back as he covered his head in kisses, as he snuggled up against his chest.

After all, unconditional love does exist.