[ sorry - sorry, he shouldn't laugh, he really shouldn't, but.
it's the only thing he can manage. the relief, the elation, the emotion he feels when he sees therion sneaking in to his apartment, it's overwhelming. it's a little too much for his old, aching heart, for a part of him that he thought was irrevocably broken. he sucks in a sharp breath and everything is very, very bright for a second. it's so stupid. therion's caught in his fucking window and he's here, and he has coffee? he bought coffee. is that his scarf? his stupid fucking thief is injured and didn't take the goddamn door and probably made his injuries worse and he didn't run.
his brain is so broken. he just breaks into hysterical little giggles that also might be half-sobs, it's hard to tell, hiding his face in the blanket. his ears are pinned back and his tail is between his legs, and he's the biggest loser in the universe because this is not a normal reaction and he knows it isn't, and he knows it's going to freak therion out but he can't help it.
okay, his first reaction initially is just like, sheer embarrassment and extreme grumpiness, because he knows this was stupid, but he - see, he was going to leave. he really was. he slept like a fucking rock and that freaked him out, and he thought maybe he should just skitter the fuck out of jiaoqiu's life forever. and he started to do that, and he made it out the window and down to the sidewalk, and the cold hit him like a brick and he started thinking about the way jiaoqiu said i like it when you stay, and so. that was how he ended up down the street at the coffee shop instead, hands jammed in his pockets and mouth shoved into a scarf that smells like stupid fucking jiaoqiu and his stupid warm house and stupid life that he wants therion in. and that was how he spent real actual money to buy a drink that he knows jiaoqiu likes, because this is the kind of stuff that he does pay attention to even if he pretends he doesn't.
and so he had to sneak back in, with his prize, grumbling the entire way, and then he got trapped and that's how he ended up here, flustered and embarrassed and scowling as jiaoqiu is LAUGHING AT HIM, he should have just left -
and then those giggles turn into like, crying noises and he is so absolutely thrown and has no idea what to do for a second. floundering uselessly, therion sputters and puts the drink down on the closest surface, and comes over to jiaoqiu, not that he has like. any idea how to help or what to do. his hands kind of uselessly flutter in the air. ]
Hey - fluff, what the hell...?
[ PANIK!!! it is in fact freaking him out!!! ] It's not that funny.
[ poor therion, this is really what he's resigned himself to. jiaoqiu tries his best to pull himself together, wiping at his face with the blanket. a little cough, and then: ]
It isn't, you're right.
[ he says, voice wavering, and it's totally pathetic, he's going to just explode on the spot. he's supposed to be the composed one here, he's supposed to tease therion until therion gets actually mad, but after everything from yesterday he just cannot get himself together. again, just absolutely broken when it comes to emotions, like they got rewired and he has no idea which port goes to which plug anymore. he's so endeared by therion looking so absolutely grouchy about doing a nice thing, and it hurts, but it feels good, too. and he wants to explain, but he can't figure out how to, so.
he just gives up, and moves forward and takes therion's hands in his own. he laces their fingers together where they're up and fluttering mid-air, and leans forward to kiss therion right on the mouth. hi. don't panic, he's okay. ]
[ oh. okay. well, the kiss absolutely startles him from where he was getting all riled up, and he lets out a - ] Mmpht.
[ noise as whatever he was going to say dies on his mouth. it's like just. deflating, he just kind of deflates, the hot air from being flustered and annoyed and mortified all just as cut off, like a bucket of water being dumped on a spluttering campfire.
his face is still very warm in jiaoqiu's hands - any lingering cold from being outside vanishes in the face of being very embarrassed, and he just kind of gives up and rests his cold hands on his wrists for a second, properly mortified. at least if he's kissing him he's not laughing. or crying. or coughing. or doing whatever the fuck combination of emotions are happening right now, because therion's own emotions are also a mess. it's just a mess. the whole thing is a mess. at least he's not upset, or whatever. god!!! ]
[ it's just a brief little thing, something warm and sweet. he lets it linger, though, because it's a continuation of all that sensation, all that feeling. therion is still wind-cold, and jiaoqiu is useless for body heat, but it's okay. he only jumps a little at the cold hands - brings them in to press them between his own, rubbing them to warm them up.
when he pulls away, he adjusts his blanket, and then wipes his eyes again with his shoulder. takes a deep breath. ]
Leave me a note next time, you brat. [ he fake-scolds, but there's no heat at all to it. mostly, he just sounds relieved. ]
[ oh, he is so embarrassed. red from forehead down to his chin, now - the stupid little kiss, for no reason other than to just do it makes his heart jump, and he has to pretend that it doesn't, and jiaoqiu taking his hands like that means he just has to stew in it, shoulders up around his ears, unable to look him in the face in the one two punch of his own mortification of being caught and then being covered in Feelings.
god. when he pulls back, therion catches onto that relief - he is not stupid - and shoves his hands in his pockets, immediately turning on his heel to march back over and grab his stupid coffee for him. he wasn't going to come back, there was no need for a fucking note, but he's back, and even if he's embarrassed, undeniably, it comes with a bunch of butterflies and stupid fluffy warm feelings, too. urghh. he made the right decision by coming back, and he knows it, and that's a whole other host of emotions. jiaoqiu's so happy.
anyway, now that he's turned his back, he's finally getting his composure back, so, naturally, jiaoqiu brings up the scarf. therion's shoulders jerk right back up to his ears, and the color on his face that had finally started to fade jumps back again. the backs of his ears are red. ]
Mine had blood on it. [ this is a lame excuse because his scarf always has something gross on it, he usually just folds it over and ignores it until he can get to a laundromat, but this is fine. grousing, he grabs the coffee and makes his way back over and shoves it in his hands. all this grumping and grousing and complaining and anger is actually just because he's flustered and deeply lacking heat. ] It's fucking cold outside. Here.
[ very believable. very embarrassing. hate it here. ]
[ this is so funny to jiaoqiu - he's not paying attention to his tail, which means that it is wagging slightly behind him as he watches therion stomp angrily across his apartment to grab the coffee. he does not for a second think that therion is actually angry; in fact, the flustered complaining is just kind of cute. it's so clearly just a cover-up for whatever it is he's actually feeling. he's so jumpy! like a pill bug. like a cat confronted with a cucumber.
it really makes him want to pin therion to the closest flat surface and kiss him to see how deep of a red he can get his face to go. his tail swishes a little more impishly at the thought. ]
Thank you. [ he says politely, because he is a good boy except for when he isn't. but maybe the most important thing is that he's smiling, and there's life behind it. he takes a moment to sip from his coffee, and actually does a little ! motion when he tastes it? it's... exactly how he likes it, which makes his throat get all tight and his eyes burn again, and he has to take a second. jesus, he really is broken.
he clears his throat. ]
If you'll allow me a moment to put on pants, I'll make us breakfast. And do your laundry. A civilized person shouldn't wander the city smelling like sex and blood.
[ teasing, but. the implication is he can just... stay the rest of the day... and it'd be okay. ]
[ mgh. he knows he's opening himself to being bullied even more but it's fine. he takes his own coffee and leans against the nearest piece of furniture, hiding the rest of his embarrassment behind the lip of the drink, sulking a little even if he doesn't really mean it. ugh.
he takes a long drink and just makes a noise whenever jiaoqiu thanks him, waving it off and settling back in. unaware of jiaoqiu's plans, he watches him - watches those ears perk up and looks away again. any satisfaction is easily kept off of his face, even if he does feel it, something small and sweet and fluttery kept as far away from the surface as humanly possible.
he looks jiaoqiu and his blanket up and down, and gives him a judgy look. ]
Wow. Thanks for the lesson in civility. I'll keep it in mind. [ so, so dry. acerbic as ever. and just to nitpick for nitpicking's sake, he continues - ] What were you going to do if I was actually someone breaking into your house?
[ with your naked bare ass and your blanket cape. he does not deny the implication. he doesn't really miss it, either. ]
thinks about how he should probably not joke about dying in front of therion
closes his mouth. tries again. ]
Perhaps I was relying on a knight in a scarf that doesn't belong to him to save me. [ he teases. ] I would have been fine. I don't like combat, but it doesn't mean I can't protect myself. Even naked.
[ adjusts his blanket. actually, he'll just go put on pants. that's it, just loose sweat pants and no underwear because he doesn't really care enough to get totally dressed when therion has had his fingers like, inside him. when he wanders back out, he's holding his coffee cup in both hands, shuffling across his apartment to where therion is so that he can get in his space and be annoying. bunts his head against therion's jaw. ]
Hm. I'll need a shower, too... [ nyeh. he's sticky and gross. but also he smells like therion and his foxian brain likes that, so. y'know. ]
before jiaoqiu gets away too far, he gets the scarf tossed on top of his dumb head for his trouble because he forgot he was wearing it. how dare you compare him to a fantasy cop ]
Sure. I guess they might laugh themselves back down the fire escape.
[ he doesn't doubt that jiaoqiu could probably defend himself. but, then again, he can't think of any other thief who would be dumb enough to look at jiaoqiu of all people and consider him some kind of target for theft. there is nothing in here worth stealing, as jiaoqiu has told him many, many times, and also, the idea kind of rankles him a little bit? he's the one that made the comment, but also. no. not allowed.
he's mostly back to his normal, grouchy self by the time jiaoqiu comes back - just kind of standing in the kitchen, holding his coffee, mind off down a different path entirely, wandering back to the fact that he's staying here, at least for now. it's being head bunted that gets him to snap out of the swirl of emotions he's still feeling about the concept of staying somewhere - therion makes a noise, tilting his head up and shutting his eye, making space for this very animal behavior to happen without any actual complaining. letting him into his space like this is a sign enough he's not bothered. ]
What are you complaining to me about it for. [ grumbling. ] And you're the one that put on pants.
I am complaining because you're the one who made me need one.
[ yawns. he's happy to be allowed here, pushing his luck, pushing boundaries. but he wasn't very worried about it - therion bought him coffee and got mad when jiaoqiu implied that someone else could steal from him. he figures he's got some leeway in being close. it's sort of all he wants, right now, and it's been so long that he's just letting himself go for it. he leans against therion with a little huff, sipping his coffee. he can make food in a second. cuddle him first. ]
You can take them off me later, once I've checked to make sure that your wounds haven't reopened. You know that I am in possession of a door? Yes?
[ quit going through the window you dingus
he hasn't quite realized that therion did not mean to come back, originally. ]
[ don't think you have leeway he's so mysterious and edgy and distant!!! he has so much leeway. for now, at least, or maybe forever? you never know.
anyway. he sighs as if put upon about the injuries and the door comment, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. ]
I didn't feel like digging for your keys. [ thankfully, he's a good liar - he's perfectly fine to keep up this cover story. it's more embarrassing to think that he left and came back. god. not only that, but - there's something that feels very real about using the door that he's just not going to prescribe right now. so. window like a creature it is. ] And I'm not an amateur. I'm fine.
[ like, actually fine. probably? if he reopened something, he didn't feel it. he has climbed much scarier buildings with worse injuries. he also made it up here last night with it freebleeding, so making it down and back up again was fine.
all of this grumbling, and yet, jiaoqiu is allowed to lean against therion - despite his warm face which is only just now coming down to pink, he's pretty cold from being out in the frosty daylight, so he drinks his own coffee with only the usual perfunctory level of complaining about being nagged at, and quietly lets jiaoqiu get as close as he wants. it feels nice, though he won't admit that, either. ]
jiaoqiu will just settle here for a minute, then. he rests his head against therion's uninjured shoulder, tail swishing gently, sipping his coffee. they could be sitting in bed and doing this if therion hadn't tried to abscond, but here they are. slowly, they can warm up right here, and get used to touching. therion doesn't need to say that he likes it, jiaoqiu can tell. ]
I'd still like to check for possible infection.
[ he was very thorough about cleaning, but still. a beat. he noses a little at therion's jaw. ]
You won't be going several days without changing your bandages, in any case. [ ... ] Last chance to tell me what you'd like to have to eat.
[ several days, huh. some part of therion balks at that, but he doesn't show it. can he even make it several days? can he be here that long without feeling like he has to run off? who knows. the idea makes him feel a little twitchy, but he says nothing of it for now, just looking down at the cup in his hands, thinking about the bitter blackness of the flavors, the bright and brilliant spice of the food jiaoqiu often makes.
the nosing at his jaw keeps him from lingering on it for too long - subtly, unintentionally, he tilts a little into it. ]
Whatever's fine. [ he's never once had an actual meal request. he wouldn't even know what to ask for, and frankly, whatever jiaoqiu comes up with tastes better than 95% of the things he eats on a daily basis. ] 'm not hungry.
[ which he knows jiaoqiu will not stand for because he absolutely has not eaten since like three dumplings last night, but that's fine. jiaoqiu seems to be in a really good mood, so if he gets all fussy and naggy, it'll be annoying, but his mother hen behavior is kind of secretly a little bit charming (and a lot funny) so if he can get him to fuss about it then he'll be annoying about it on purpose. ]
Not hungry! You've had a couple of dumplings and then vigorous activity directly after. How are you not hungry? You should be ravenous.
[ huff huff huff!!
he bites a little at therion's jaw, just an absent gnaw, and then finally pulls away with a sigh. he doesn't want to - what he wants to do, he thinks, is push therion back to bed and just nap the rest of the day away, but that's his natural rotting tendencies speaking. he should make them food, he should make them get clean, he should fuss while he's allowed to. greedy. therion won't stay forever, so he has to take as much as he can before he's gone. ]
I'll go make us something. [ fwips his tail at therion's ass. whack. ] Go get clean. Unless you'd like to wait for me.
[ there he goes... predictable... well, he's not that predictable, but the nagging is like clockwork. therion shrugs, unrepentant, though he does put a hand on his face and give it a little push when he starts gnawing, snorting and rolling his eyes. ]
Let's just call it learned experience. [ dry and unbothered, and casually admitting to the fact that he doesn't eat. for most of his life, therion didn't know where his next meal was coming from, and most days, he still doesn't. it's really only ever showing up here that he's guaranteed anything. (that, and, well, his own skills. he's a good thief. it's just not exactly like he's eating home cooking.)
he jerks when his ass gets smacked and turns around to try and grab at that fluffy tail in retribution, but after a moment, he shrugs and moves past jiaoqiu like he owns the damn place, and goes to the kitchen, and
unceremoniously sits his ass right on the counter with his coffee. ]
[ wauhgh!! his tail!! he makes a disgruntled noise when therion grabs at it, but it's not serious.
there is far more grumbling when therion sits! on his counter! with his ass! if he had his fan he would be whacking him with it. maybe. he's still thinking about learned experience - and how upsetting it is to him to think about therion learning how to not be hungry out of necessity. ]
You -- !
[ is what he says instead, tail puffing up. god. grouchy, as he starts digging through his fridge to find eggs and hot sauce: ]
You tempt fate, with how many knives I've got in this room. Get down from there.
[ does not bother enforcing this because he likes that therion didn't leave. hehe. ]
therion looks unbearably smug where he's settled, leaning back against the cabinets with his coffee, the expression on his face that just says "i know you won't". awful. the worst. ]
[ DON'T JUST SAY THAT AFTER HE SO VERY NICELY AVOIDED MAKING A DIE JOKE
throws a dishtowel at him. unfortunately he does not have a rebuttal so therion wins this round.
he will cook! he's also chatty. therion absolutely does not care about what sushang did at work the other night nor does he give a shit about jiaoqiu's chore list, but he will hear about it. it's mostly just to fill the silence, and at the very least he doesn't seem to need therion to be an active participant. he can just listen or zone out if he wants.
but eventually he'll finish making an omelette with a bunch of diced ham and chili peppers and shove it into therion's hands on a plate. eat!! ]
[ hehe. victory. he puts his hands up to block getting hit in the face with the towel and then just takes it, snickering to himself like an asshole. he loves winning.
and... while jiaoqiu cooks, he just kind of leans back against the counters, holding his coffee, and watches him. he might not seem like he's listening, but he is - occasionally he reacts with a noise here and there to prompt him to keep chattering, but for the most part, he's very quiet, just watching him.
it's such a contrast to the other side of jiaoqiu, watching him hustle and bustle like this. he'd have to be blind to miss how lively he is here, how i like it when you stay was nothing but the truth. his mouth's still tingling a little from that surprise kiss earlier, and he sits there, wishing he had his own scarf to bury his face in and quietly having feelings that he keeps to himself, feeling warm and scared and safe and wildly comfortable and uncomfortable all at once. he's never had this much of effect on someone. no one has ever cared about his presence. ever.
the plate coming into his hand almost startles him. he takes it, looks down at the omelette, and takes whatever silverware come too. there's a pause. ]
[ years ago, he did this exact thing for two other people. she went for a morning jog, dragging their crow out with her, and when they came back she poked and prodded and wheedled jiaoqiu out of bed and laughed every time that he fake-scolded her for sitting on the counter, only shut up by the crow at his back, leaning to take dishes so that he could clean. this was how it was. this is what he was, under the layers of sediment and dust that he's allowed to gather over his soul.
he wasn't alone. he had purpose. like now. it brings the part of him that was not always miserable and broken out to see the sunshine.
when therion speaks, jiaoqiu's ear flicks. he goes back to his stove, to make himself one as well. ]
[ therion doesn't let him get very far. he reaches to snag him by the waistband of his sweats when he comes close to deliver the plate, so he can't turn, and then in one fluid movement, leans over and steals a kiss.
it's short, but a piece of punctuation. he pulls back a second later, and says - ]
... Thanks for breakfast.
[ and then hops off the counter and goes to properly sit down somewhere to actually eat it and behave himself, for once. maybe it's the novel fact of being cooked a meal at all. maybe it's just that lively, living creature standing in this room, instead of all the misery he's seen under the surface. maybe it's a thank you for putting up with - whatever this is. he doesn't really know, either. he'll maybe never stop expecting the shoe to drop, but... he's not too bad at living in the moment. and for right now, the moment's a good one - whether he's stolen it away or not. ]
[ here's the thing - it startles him, but this time, it's a good startle.
therion leans down and drags him back, and the kiss makes jiaoqiu let out a squeaky sound. it's embarrassing, and even worse, he's left standing a little dumb in the middle of his kitchen, as therion hops down to go sit. the only place is really the armchair in the living room - he doesn't have a couch, doesn't have any seating made for two people. when he bought this apartment, it took him months to buy anything that wasn't his bed. the armchair was an afterthought, something to make the black hole seem a little less imposing, make his living room look less empty.
jiaoqiu watches therion wander off, ears perked up and eyes open. touches his mouth briefly, fingertips at his bottom lip.
maybe he'll buy a table. maybe two chairs. ]
... You're welcome. [ he says, lamely. and then he turns to make himself food, feeling like an idiot. ]
he's very smug about this for no reason. jiaoqiu gets to feel the way his mouth pulls up into a smirk as he's pulling away - he likes to pigtail pull and he likes to win, and it's the god given nature of a thief to be just a little dramatic. a little extra.
he waves two fingers over his shoulder to the "you're welcome" and plops down in the armchair, draping both legs over the arm and balancing the plate on his stomach so he can eat like a creature, and also like he owns the place. this is the cat you have invited into your home to stay, unfortunately, and whether he stays or not, he will at least act like he does. the food is, of course, delicious and very spicy, which he finds he never quite gets all the way used to. much like jiaoqiu himself. (and maybe that's why staying, at least sometimes, could start to work. because he can't ever be too complacent here, and that suits therion better. a moment on his guard is a moment he's closer to safe.)
he's eaten most of his food by the time jiaoqiu is done - another part and parcel of life on the street. eat fast, eat your fill, and tuck the rest away if you can. ]
[ ugh, smug thieves, the worst. jiaoqiu huffs, berating himself quietly for being so easily flustered.
it doesn't take him long to finish cooking - he checks on therion every so often, just leaning around to see if he's still there. very casually, like it doesn't matter if he is or not, of course. even when he doesn't have someone right in his line of vision, it's... really nice to have someone else in his apartment. his tail won't stop swishing back and forth as he works.
when he carries his own food out to the living room and sees that therion is nearly finished, he looks slightly amused. part of it is the street rat thing, but also, he likes that therion likes his food as much as he does. ]
And where am I supposed to sit when there's a big bad wolf in my armchair, hm?
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no subject
it's the only thing he can manage. the relief, the elation, the emotion he feels when he sees therion sneaking in to his apartment, it's overwhelming. it's a little too much for his old, aching heart, for a part of him that he thought was irrevocably broken. he sucks in a sharp breath and everything is very, very bright for a second. it's so stupid. therion's caught in his fucking window and he's here, and he has coffee? he bought coffee. is that his scarf? his stupid fucking thief is injured and didn't take the goddamn door and probably made his injuries worse and he didn't run.
his brain is so broken. he just breaks into hysterical little giggles that also might be half-sobs, it's hard to tell, hiding his face in the blanket. his ears are pinned back and his tail is between his legs, and he's the biggest loser in the universe because this is not a normal reaction and he knows it isn't, and he knows it's going to freak therion out but he can't help it.
christ. ]
no subject
okay, his first reaction initially is just like, sheer embarrassment and extreme grumpiness, because he knows this was stupid, but he - see, he was going to leave. he really was. he slept like a fucking rock and that freaked him out, and he thought maybe he should just skitter the fuck out of jiaoqiu's life forever. and he started to do that, and he made it out the window and down to the sidewalk, and the cold hit him like a brick and he started thinking about the way jiaoqiu said i like it when you stay, and so. that was how he ended up down the street at the coffee shop instead, hands jammed in his pockets and mouth shoved into a scarf that smells like stupid fucking jiaoqiu and his stupid warm house and stupid life that he wants therion in. and that was how he spent real actual money to buy a drink that he knows jiaoqiu likes, because this is the kind of stuff that he does pay attention to even if he pretends he doesn't.
and so he had to sneak back in, with his prize, grumbling the entire way, and then he got trapped and that's how he ended up here, flustered and embarrassed and scowling as jiaoqiu is LAUGHING AT HIM, he should have just left -
and then those giggles turn into like, crying noises and he is so absolutely thrown and has no idea what to do for a second. floundering uselessly, therion sputters and puts the drink down on the closest surface, and comes over to jiaoqiu, not that he has like. any idea how to help or what to do. his hands kind of uselessly flutter in the air. ]
Hey - fluff, what the hell...?
[ PANIK!!! it is in fact freaking him out!!! ] It's not that funny.
no subject
It isn't, you're right.
[ he says, voice wavering, and it's totally pathetic, he's going to just explode on the spot. he's supposed to be the composed one here, he's supposed to tease therion until therion gets actually mad, but after everything from yesterday he just cannot get himself together. again, just absolutely broken when it comes to emotions, like they got rewired and he has no idea which port goes to which plug anymore. he's so endeared by therion looking so absolutely grouchy about doing a nice thing, and it hurts, but it feels good, too. and he wants to explain, but he can't figure out how to, so.
he just gives up, and moves forward and takes therion's hands in his own. he laces their fingers together where they're up and fluttering mid-air, and leans forward to kiss therion right on the mouth. hi. don't panic, he's okay. ]
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[ noise as whatever he was going to say dies on his mouth. it's like just. deflating, he just kind of deflates, the hot air from being flustered and annoyed and mortified all just as cut off, like a bucket of water being dumped on a spluttering campfire.
his face is still very warm in jiaoqiu's hands - any lingering cold from being outside vanishes in the face of being very embarrassed, and he just kind of gives up and rests his cold hands on his wrists for a second, properly mortified. at least if he's kissing him he's not laughing. or crying. or coughing. or doing whatever the fuck combination of emotions are happening right now, because therion's own emotions are also a mess. it's just a mess. the whole thing is a mess. at least he's not upset, or whatever. god!!! ]
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when he pulls away, he adjusts his blanket, and then wipes his eyes again with his shoulder. takes a deep breath. ]
Leave me a note next time, you brat. [ he fake-scolds, but there's no heat at all to it. mostly, he just sounds relieved. ]
Is that my scarf?
no subject
god. when he pulls back, therion catches onto that relief - he is not stupid - and shoves his hands in his pockets, immediately turning on his heel to march back over and grab his stupid coffee for him. he wasn't going to come back, there was no need for a fucking note, but he's back, and even if he's embarrassed, undeniably, it comes with a bunch of butterflies and stupid fluffy warm feelings, too. urghh. he made the right decision by coming back, and he knows it, and that's a whole other host of emotions. jiaoqiu's so happy.
anyway, now that he's turned his back, he's finally getting his composure back, so, naturally, jiaoqiu brings up the scarf. therion's shoulders jerk right back up to his ears, and the color on his face that had finally started to fade jumps back again. the backs of his ears are red. ]
Mine had blood on it. [ this is a lame excuse because his scarf always has something gross on it, he usually just folds it over and ignores it until he can get to a laundromat, but this is fine. grousing, he grabs the coffee and makes his way back over and shoves it in his hands. all this grumping and grousing and complaining and anger is actually just because he's flustered and deeply lacking heat. ] It's fucking cold outside. Here.
[ very believable. very embarrassing. hate it here. ]
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it really makes him want to pin therion to the closest flat surface and kiss him to see how deep of a red he can get his face to go. his tail swishes a little more impishly at the thought. ]
Thank you. [ he says politely, because he is a good boy except for when he isn't. but maybe the most important thing is that he's smiling, and there's life behind it. he takes a moment to sip from his coffee, and actually does a little ! motion when he tastes it? it's... exactly how he likes it, which makes his throat get all tight and his eyes burn again, and he has to take a second. jesus, he really is broken.
he clears his throat. ]
If you'll allow me a moment to put on pants, I'll make us breakfast. And do your laundry. A civilized person shouldn't wander the city smelling like sex and blood.
[ teasing, but. the implication is he can just... stay the rest of the day... and it'd be okay. ]
no subject
he takes a long drink and just makes a noise whenever jiaoqiu thanks him, waving it off and settling back in. unaware of jiaoqiu's plans, he watches him - watches those ears perk up and looks away again. any satisfaction is easily kept off of his face, even if he does feel it, something small and sweet and fluttery kept as far away from the surface as humanly possible.
he looks jiaoqiu and his blanket up and down, and gives him a judgy look. ]
Wow. Thanks for the lesson in civility. I'll keep it in mind. [ so, so dry. acerbic as ever. and just to nitpick for nitpicking's sake, he continues - ] What were you going to do if I was actually someone breaking into your house?
[ with your naked bare ass and your blanket cape. he does not deny the implication. he doesn't really miss it, either. ]
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thinks about how he should probably not joke about dying in front of therion
closes his mouth. tries again. ]
Perhaps I was relying on a knight in a scarf that doesn't belong to him to save me. [ he teases. ] I would have been fine. I don't like combat, but it doesn't mean I can't protect myself. Even naked.
[ adjusts his blanket. actually, he'll just go put on pants. that's it, just loose sweat pants and no underwear because he doesn't really care enough to get totally dressed when therion has had his fingers like, inside him. when he wanders back out, he's holding his coffee cup in both hands, shuffling across his apartment to where therion is so that he can get in his space and be annoying. bunts his head against therion's jaw. ]
Hm. I'll need a shower, too... [ nyeh. he's sticky and gross. but also he smells like therion and his foxian brain likes that, so. y'know. ]
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before jiaoqiu gets away too far, he gets the scarf tossed on top of his dumb head for his trouble because he forgot he was wearing it. how dare you compare him to a fantasy cop ]
Sure. I guess they might laugh themselves back down the fire escape.
[ he doesn't doubt that jiaoqiu could probably defend himself. but, then again, he can't think of any other thief who would be dumb enough to look at jiaoqiu of all people and consider him some kind of target for theft. there is nothing in here worth stealing, as jiaoqiu has told him many, many times, and also, the idea kind of rankles him a little bit? he's the one that made the comment, but also. no. not allowed.
he's mostly back to his normal, grouchy self by the time jiaoqiu comes back - just kind of standing in the kitchen, holding his coffee, mind off down a different path entirely, wandering back to the fact that he's staying here, at least for now. it's being head bunted that gets him to snap out of the swirl of emotions he's still feeling about the concept of staying somewhere - therion makes a noise, tilting his head up and shutting his eye, making space for this very animal behavior to happen without any actual complaining. letting him into his space like this is a sign enough he's not bothered. ]
What are you complaining to me about it for. [ grumbling. ] And you're the one that put on pants.
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[ yawns. he's happy to be allowed here, pushing his luck, pushing boundaries. but he wasn't very worried about it - therion bought him coffee and got mad when jiaoqiu implied that someone else could steal from him. he figures he's got some leeway in being close. it's sort of all he wants, right now, and it's been so long that he's just letting himself go for it. he leans against therion with a little huff, sipping his coffee. he can make food in a second. cuddle him first. ]
You can take them off me later, once I've checked to make sure that your wounds haven't reopened. You know that I am in possession of a door? Yes?
[ quit going through the window you dingus
he hasn't quite realized that therion did not mean to come back, originally. ]
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anyway. he sighs as if put upon about the injuries and the door comment, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. ]
I didn't feel like digging for your keys. [ thankfully, he's a good liar - he's perfectly fine to keep up this cover story. it's more embarrassing to think that he left and came back. god. not only that, but - there's something that feels very real about using the door that he's just not going to prescribe right now. so. window like a creature it is. ] And I'm not an amateur. I'm fine.
[ like, actually fine. probably? if he reopened something, he didn't feel it. he has climbed much scarier buildings with worse injuries. he also made it up here last night with it freebleeding, so making it down and back up again was fine.
all of this grumbling, and yet, jiaoqiu is allowed to lean against therion - despite his warm face which is only just now coming down to pink, he's pretty cold from being out in the frosty daylight, so he drinks his own coffee with only the usual perfunctory level of complaining about being nagged at, and quietly lets jiaoqiu get as close as he wants. it feels nice, though he won't admit that, either. ]
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jiaoqiu will just settle here for a minute, then. he rests his head against therion's uninjured shoulder, tail swishing gently, sipping his coffee. they could be sitting in bed and doing this if therion hadn't tried to abscond, but here they are. slowly, they can warm up right here, and get used to touching. therion doesn't need to say that he likes it, jiaoqiu can tell. ]
I'd still like to check for possible infection.
[ he was very thorough about cleaning, but still. a beat. he noses a little at therion's jaw. ]
You won't be going several days without changing your bandages, in any case. [ ... ] Last chance to tell me what you'd like to have to eat.
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the nosing at his jaw keeps him from lingering on it for too long - subtly, unintentionally, he tilts a little into it. ]
Whatever's fine. [ he's never once had an actual meal request. he wouldn't even know what to ask for, and frankly, whatever jiaoqiu comes up with tastes better than 95% of the things he eats on a daily basis. ] 'm not hungry.
[ which he knows jiaoqiu will not stand for because he absolutely has not eaten since like three dumplings last night, but that's fine. jiaoqiu seems to be in a really good mood, so if he gets all fussy and naggy, it'll be annoying, but his mother hen behavior is kind of secretly a little bit charming (and a lot funny) so if he can get him to fuss about it then he'll be annoying about it on purpose. ]
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Not hungry! You've had a couple of dumplings and then vigorous activity directly after. How are you not hungry? You should be ravenous.
[ huff huff huff!!
he bites a little at therion's jaw, just an absent gnaw, and then finally pulls away with a sigh. he doesn't want to - what he wants to do, he thinks, is push therion back to bed and just nap the rest of the day away, but that's his natural rotting tendencies speaking. he should make them food, he should make them get clean, he should fuss while he's allowed to. greedy. therion won't stay forever, so he has to take as much as he can before he's gone. ]
I'll go make us something. [ fwips his tail at therion's ass. whack. ] Go get clean. Unless you'd like to wait for me.
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Let's just call it learned experience. [ dry and unbothered, and casually admitting to the fact that he doesn't eat. for most of his life, therion didn't know where his next meal was coming from, and most days, he still doesn't. it's really only ever showing up here that he's guaranteed anything. (that, and, well, his own skills. he's a good thief. it's just not exactly like he's eating home cooking.)
he jerks when his ass gets smacked and turns around to try and grab at that fluffy tail in retribution, but after a moment, he shrugs and moves past jiaoqiu like he owns the damn place, and goes to the kitchen, and
unceremoniously sits his ass right on the counter with his coffee. ]
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there is far more grumbling when therion sits! on his counter! with his ass! if he had his fan he would be whacking him with it. maybe. he's still thinking about learned experience - and how upsetting it is to him to think about therion learning how to not be hungry out of necessity. ]
You -- !
[ is what he says instead, tail puffing up. god. grouchy, as he starts digging through his fridge to find eggs and hot sauce: ]
You tempt fate, with how many knives I've got in this room. Get down from there.
[ does not bother enforcing this because he likes that therion didn't leave. hehe. ]
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[ DON'T JUST SAY THAT
therion looks unbearably smug where he's settled, leaning back against the cabinets with his coffee, the expression on his face that just says "i know you won't". awful. the worst. ]
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throws a dishtowel at him. unfortunately he does not have a rebuttal so therion wins this round.
he will cook! he's also chatty. therion absolutely does not care about what sushang did at work the other night nor does he give a shit about jiaoqiu's chore list, but he will hear about it. it's mostly just to fill the silence, and at the very least he doesn't seem to need therion to be an active participant. he can just listen or zone out if he wants.
but eventually he'll finish making an omelette with a bunch of diced ham and chili peppers and shove it into therion's hands on a plate. eat!! ]
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and... while jiaoqiu cooks, he just kind of leans back against the counters, holding his coffee, and watches him. he might not seem like he's listening, but he is - occasionally he reacts with a noise here and there to prompt him to keep chattering, but for the most part, he's very quiet, just watching him.
it's such a contrast to the other side of jiaoqiu, watching him hustle and bustle like this. he'd have to be blind to miss how lively he is here, how i like it when you stay was nothing but the truth. his mouth's still tingling a little from that surprise kiss earlier, and he sits there, wishing he had his own scarf to bury his face in and quietly having feelings that he keeps to himself, feeling warm and scared and safe and wildly comfortable and uncomfortable all at once. he's never had this much of effect on someone. no one has ever cared about his presence. ever.
the plate coming into his hand almost startles him. he takes it, looks down at the omelette, and takes whatever silverware come too. there's a pause. ]
...hey. Doc.
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he wasn't alone. he had purpose. like now. it brings the part of him that was not always miserable and broken out to see the sunshine.
when therion speaks, jiaoqiu's ear flicks. he goes back to his stove, to make himself one as well. ]
Mm?
[ he's listening. ]
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it's short, but a piece of punctuation. he pulls back a second later, and says - ]
... Thanks for breakfast.
[ and then hops off the counter and goes to properly sit down somewhere to actually eat it and behave himself, for once. maybe it's the novel fact of being cooked a meal at all. maybe it's just that lively, living creature standing in this room, instead of all the misery he's seen under the surface. maybe it's a thank you for putting up with - whatever this is. he doesn't really know, either. he'll maybe never stop expecting the shoe to drop, but... he's not too bad at living in the moment. and for right now, the moment's a good one - whether he's stolen it away or not. ]
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therion leans down and drags him back, and the kiss makes jiaoqiu let out a squeaky sound. it's embarrassing, and even worse, he's left standing a little dumb in the middle of his kitchen, as therion hops down to go sit. the only place is really the armchair in the living room - he doesn't have a couch, doesn't have any seating made for two people. when he bought this apartment, it took him months to buy anything that wasn't his bed. the armchair was an afterthought, something to make the black hole seem a little less imposing, make his living room look less empty.
jiaoqiu watches therion wander off, ears perked up and eyes open. touches his mouth briefly, fingertips at his bottom lip.
maybe he'll buy a table. maybe two chairs. ]
... You're welcome. [ he says, lamely. and then he turns to make himself food, feeling like an idiot. ]
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he's very smug about this for no reason. jiaoqiu gets to feel the way his mouth pulls up into a smirk as he's pulling away - he likes to pigtail pull and he likes to win, and it's the god given nature of a thief to be just a little dramatic. a little extra.
he waves two fingers over his shoulder to the "you're welcome" and plops down in the armchair, draping both legs over the arm and balancing the plate on his stomach so he can eat like a creature, and also like he owns the place. this is the cat you have invited into your home to stay, unfortunately, and whether he stays or not, he will at least act like he does. the food is, of course, delicious and very spicy, which he finds he never quite gets all the way used to. much like jiaoqiu himself. (and maybe that's why staying, at least sometimes, could start to work. because he can't ever be too complacent here, and that suits therion better. a moment on his guard is a moment he's closer to safe.)
he's eaten most of his food by the time jiaoqiu is done - another part and parcel of life on the street. eat fast, eat your fill, and tuck the rest away if you can. ]
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it doesn't take him long to finish cooking - he checks on therion every so often, just leaning around to see if he's still there. very casually, like it doesn't matter if he is or not, of course. even when he doesn't have someone right in his line of vision, it's... really nice to have someone else in his apartment. his tail won't stop swishing back and forth as he works.
when he carries his own food out to the living room and sees that therion is nearly finished, he looks slightly amused. part of it is the street rat thing, but also, he likes that therion likes his food as much as he does. ]
And where am I supposed to sit when there's a big bad wolf in my armchair, hm?
[ he asks playfully, ear flicking. ]
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