Gu Luoxin had no idea what he had done to deserve this unconditional kindness and generosity. When he thought back to their first encounter, the one who took the initiative to approach him was Lucius. From the beginning, he seed to be at ease around Gu Luoxin, even taking his side when Noir pushed him away before. While the fact brought him nothing but joy and happiness, right now he couldn’t help but wonder if there was a deeper reason behind the black cat’s actions.
"Hmm..." Lucius licked his paw as he contemplated on his choice of words. "Xinxin, you... sll good ow?"
That answer was so unexpected that Gu Luoxin whipped his head up, utterly stunned. "...Huh?"
"If I have to make a taphor," he began. "Then to , humans are like steaks— tough, unsavory and rotten steak. They sll bad, and eating them gives a stomachache ow. But only you, Xinxin, you are fresh, tender and—"
"Ciit—!" Gu Luoxin imdiately jumped in surprise, his heart leaping to his throat. The fur in his entire body bristled as he hurried to create so distance between him and Lucius. He was so hasty that he stumbled over his own paws and rolled backwards in a very inelegant manner, but right now he couldn’t afford to care about it. He stared at the black cat in horror, his voice trembling as he protested, "I–I am not tender ciit! I don’t taste good at all!!!"
H–He had never expected that Lucius would view humans in such a way. To be described as fresh and tender... wasn’t it just another way of saying he was an... an easy prey?! Oh God, please tell him it’s not true!!
Lucius stared at him for one prolonged mont, his gaze inscrutable. His long tail thumped lightly on the ground, each beat intensifying the dread in Gu Luoxin’s heart.
And then without a warning, Lucius lunged forward and pounced on him with his claws extended!
"Mroow!"
"Ciit—!" Scared out of his wits, Gu Luoxin desperately scrambled away as quickly as his four limbs could carry him, hiding under the table on the far corner with his body pressed against the wall. Tears stread down his face as he shielded his head with trembling paws, pleading, "D–D–Don’t eat ... I’m small and dirty. I will upset your stomach ciit!!"
When he couldn’t sense another presence around him, he tremblingly opened one eye to take a peek, only to find that Lucius had not moved from his spot. He was lounging leisurely on the ground, seemingly with no intention to pursue Gu Luoxin.
Sensing the brown mouse’s disbelieving gaze on him, he nonchalantly grood his paw and let out a ’keke’ sound. "Who says I want to eat you ow?"
Gu Luoxin: "...!"
At that mont, Gu Luoxin finally realized that Lucius was scaring him on purpose. He took back his words; whether it was Lucius or Noir, both of them were created from the sa mold! They were sadistic through and through!
Gu Luoxin was so enraged and incredulous that his entire body was shaking. "You—!" This ti, the tears welling up in his eyes weren’t born of fear. "You dare to—"
Lucius blinked his eyes innocently, "I dare to what?"
"You... You..." Shaking in anger, Gu Luoxin gnashed his teeth and glared at the black cat with all the seething resentnt within him. How hateful! How could he... how could he toy with Gu Luoxin like that, knowing that he was already a scaredy-cat to begin with?! But what stoked his anger even more was the realization that he could never win against Lucius in a fight, and thus could only swallow his grievance down!
Wiping away his tears roughly, he turned around so that his butt was facing Lucius. Out of sight, out of mind!
Behind him, Lucius still emitted a laughing ’keke’ sound, fueling his frustration even further. Gu Luoxin huffed and puffed, his fur bristling into a ball, but then he heard Lucius speak, his tone more serious this ti,
"I am not joking, though," he remarked, a hint of sincerity in his voice. "Xinxin, you sll the best for out of everyone ow. It’s like a breath of fresh air, and it makes feel at ease. Alright, you can sleep well here as I will keep watch. Good night ow~"
Still facing the wall, Gu Luoxin struggled to regulate his ragged breathing, his senses still heightened by the rush of adrenaline. The best sll? He was certain that Lucius wasn’t talking about his body odor, so what could it possibly be? Did it have sothing to do with his skill card, perhaps? After all, it was a gorilla and he received it after going through a Cycle in the tropical forest, so could this refreshing air have co from that?
Gu Luoxin thought long and hard, almost wearing his brain out, yet he still couldn’t co up with an answer. He didn’t feel like talking to Lucius again after the cruel prank the black cat had pulled on him, so he could only dwell in his own speculation and theory.
Unbeknownst to him, he eventually drifted off to sleep, the exhaustion catching up with him.
He didn’t have the slightest idea how, in the quiet of the night, Lucius silently approached, and upon seeing the tears still lingering on Gu Luoxin’s cheeks, he took it upon himself to lick it clean before curling up around the brown mouse, snuggling against each other in a peaceful slumber.
***
Presumably due to the emotional rollercoaster he had been through the past few days, Gu Luoxin enjoyed the deepest sleep he’d had in ages.
He slept so soundly and so deeply that he didn’t even realize that the sun was high up in the sky, or that Lucius had snuck out of the house soti in between. He was only roused awake when a mouth-watering sll reached his nostrils, awakening his appetite.
T–This was...
...dried nuts!
In an instant, Gu Luoxin’s eyes snapped open and his soul almost bounced out of his body when he ca face-to-face with Lucius, so close that he could almost feel the black cat’s soft breathing. "...!!!"
He was so shocked that he couldn’t even let out a squeak. anwhile, Lucius nonchalantly nudged the bread toward him, pretending not to notice his extre reaction. "Awake ow?" he inquired. "You should eat first. I’m taking you to your teammates."
Those words successfully jolted Gu Luoxin out of his daze, and his round eyes perked up, his eyes sparkling in anticipation, "W–We’re gonna et up with Xiao Shen and Da Shen ciit?!"
"Yes," Lucius confird, amusent dancing in his erald eyes. "I can’t always be by your side ow, so you’d better join them."
Gu Luoxin nodded again and again before grabbing the bread with his tiny paws, chomping down on it with vigor. He couldn’t help but notice that it was the sa bread Lucius had fetched for him last night; it had even been thoughtfully torn into small pieces for his convenience. Not only that, there was also a red, plump and juicy tomato!
As he munched on the food, he couldn’t resist stealing glances at the black cat, who was lazily grooming his fur while sunbathing.
Sigh, forget it. Lucius had saved his life and fed him delicious food, so it would be petty of him to hold a grudge over an occasional prank... right?
After polishing the bread and devouring almost half of the tomato, Gu Luoxin cleaned his paws and face to the best of his ability, though it seed to make little difference.
When it was ti for them to depart, this ti Gu Luoxin adamantly refused to ride on Lucius’ back again, insisting that he could walk on his own. Last night was the only exception; his heart was truly not strong enough to do it again for the second ti!
Helpless, Lucius had no choice but to comply.
Together, they exited the house and made their way through the familiar streets. On this sunny morning, the market was teeming with activity, with most of the vendors peddling fresh ingredients and delicious breakfast. Gu Luoxin made sure to stick as close as possible to Lucius, almost walking in the black cat’s shadows, while seizing the chance to survey the surroundings.
But as they andered through the crowd, Gu Luoxin noticed that sothing was off with the atmosphere.
Was it only his imagination or... did the townfolks seem strangely restless today?
Although the space was bustling with people, they huddled together in small groups and whispered quietly to themselves, their murmurs laced with tension and concern. Gu Luoxin’s instinct scread that sothing was amiss, but just as he was about to ask Lucius, their presence caught the attention of a man seated at a nearby table.
With a sudden outburst, he leaped to his feet and exclaid, "There!" He pointed at Gu Luoxin. "I see a mouse right there!"
Gu Luoxin: "...?!"
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