Love Meow or Never. - Chapter 3
Fandom: To Be Hero X
Pairings: Original Nice x Lin Ling (Nicest / Niceling)
Rating/Tags: Domestic fluff, animal transformation, emotional hurt/comfort, healing, homophobia, family issues, unresolved romantic tension
Other(s) links: AO3
If there is one thing Lin Ling is proud of, it’s his willpower.
Because he sure has it, and it’s overwhelming, impressive, the reason he has gotten to where he is today. Even though he’s overworked, stubborn, and his life is not as perfect as the face of a certain hero whom he doesn’t have a crush on at all.
The thing is, he always thought he would never find anything that would test that conviction he’s so proud of.
Until he found a cat.
Or:
That time Lin Ling adopted a strange blue-eyed cat, and they healed each other along the way.
Chapter Summary: Lin Ling: h- Nice: 🔵🔵
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.
Damn, he loves to be right; his real smile is much prettier than he imagined.
