Let Me Ruffle Your Fur a Little

The Chinese New Year is at the end of January this year, and Bai Yao has closed the restaurant for the day to make a whole table of meals, inviting the elderly couple next door over to celebrate together. He also told Jing Xiaoqing, but she went home to show her child to her parents, she said; mostly on the desire of her own grandparents to want to see their great grandchild, apparently.

Meanwhile, grandpa Xü and auntie Zhang’s daughter has said she’s not coming back for the third year in a row. She did promise to come back a few months ago, but she changed her plans to visit her new boyfriend’s parents at the last minute.

Though there are only the four of them for this New Years’ meal, Bai Yao still made enough food for six, seven people. He both wants the couple to feel a bit more lively, given their age, and also for Mu Mu’er to enjoy the very first New Years’ he’s had in the six years he hasn’t. He wants to make it up to everything he missed.

Well, Mu Mu’er is always happy when there is tasty food on the table. He’s also a polite kid, and knows to wait until the elders have begun eating before starting himself. He’s quite visibly excited just sitting down, though.

He’s got Bai Yao on his left and auntie Zhang on his right – both of them busy filling up the little guy’s bowl with food. Even he can’t eat fast enough to drain the constantly replenishing supply of food.

Bai Yao pays close attention to Mu Mu’er, and stops when he notices him slowing down. Auntie Zhang, though, has always felt a bit extra sympathetic to the special circumstances of the boy, and is always happy to feed him extra for him to ‘bulk up,’ and continues giving food to him.

Making Mu Mu’er eat almost double of what he usually does tonight. He ate as much as ten dumplings, for example.

After seeing the elderly couple off and cleaning up, he heads upstairs to check on Mu Mu’er, and wants to offer watching TV with him; or if the New Year’s Special Program doesn’t interest him, then a simple movie.

He’s not in the living room, and so Bai Yao goes into the bedroom, immediately noticing the little sea otter lie flat on the floor, nodding off.

“Woop…” Mu Mu’er looks quite upset, and he puts his chin on his front paws, slowly struggling to roll around so that he can watch Bai Yao and show him his tummy, patting on it to ensure he gets it.

And Bai Yao does – his tummy hurts.

When the little guy feels uncomfortable, he likes to transform and seems to think it feels less uncomfortable this way, and he can lie on the ground too.

That said, why in the world was he lying on the cold floor while his tummy already hurt?! Bai Yao quickly walks over to carry him up.

“I’ll massage you.”

Still, the boy has put on some weight, meaning he’s now soft and plump when transformed, and quite comfortable to the ouch. Bai Yao carries him by the armpits before settling him down in his lap.

Mu Mu’er makes a ‘meep’ sound when he gets lifted up, quickly hugging Bai Yao’s neck with his little front paws for support, pressing onto his back.

Bai Yao starts playing with his tail, “hey, careful, little mouse.”

After putting him onto the bed, Mu Mu’er remains mostly quiet and simply continues looking at him. Bai Yao gives him a nose boop, “change back.”

Finally, after some time, Mu Mu’er finally anthropomorphises again. He is huffing while naked on the bed.

As he can speak now, he tries to nudge into Bai Yao’s lap again, complaining, “Yaoyao, my tummy hurts, it hurts a lot.”

And it does, evident in the sweat forming on his forehead that is no longer concealed in the fur.

Bai Yao tries to feel his tummy, and he has tensed up quite a lot, even trembling in some places. This is a bit more severe than he imagined, and so Bai Yao quickly heads out to grab stomachics and a glass of warm water, having Mu’er swallow them as soon as he’s back.

“I’ve told you not to eat so much. You should’ve stopped.”

Mu Mu’er mumbles in his pain, “but… but Mu’er did not hear.”

Well, he definitely heard, he just didn’t want to listen.

The little guy doesn’t take well to medicine, and he looks up to swallow with a straightened neck. He only successfully swallows with most of the water in the glass gone.

Bai Yao, sitting on the bed, then eases the little guy into his embrace with his back against him on the chest, in order to massage his tummy for him.

Also worried he might catch a cold being naked, he pulls the quilt over to cover his legs.

“Remember not to eat this much at once again, ok?” Bai Yao says, slapping him on the bum as punishment.

No answer comes after quite a while, so he assumes Mu Mu’er has fallen asleep. He pulls the quilt up some more and makes his movements gentler, when finally, Mu Mu’er says, a little hoarse and quietly, “will, will Mu’er still have it in the future?”

Bai Yao takes some time to understand what he’s referring to – this amount of meal that Mu Mu’er has only seen for the first time since they met, and most importantly, all the meals were clearly things Mu Mu’er likes. Of course, it’s because the occasion is Chinese New Year. So it’s more of an annual thing.

Mu Mu’er doesn’t know, though.

Still, he’s definitely improved in the sense of security. He is rarely ever hiding tasty things in his pockets anymore for fear of losing them.

In any case, it might not have been simple desire for food that drove him to overeat this much tonight.

“Yes. Yaoyao will make them every year, so make sure not to eat this much at once in the future, or your stomach will break.”

Mu Mu’er is too uncomfortable to speak, and simply nods.

Some time later, perhaps the stomachics are working, and Mu Mu’er is no longer feeling as bad. Bai Yao can feel the little guy relaxing in his lap, but he continues the massaging regardless, while putting his chin onto the little guy’s head.

The tummy sure is soft and good to the touch.

Though after some time, Bai Yao suddenly hears an odd sound – something resembling ‘purring’ coming from Mu Mu’er. It’s not a bad impression, actually, even though it’s still odd to hear.

Amused in any case, he asks Mu Mu’er, “what’chu doing?”

Mu Mu’er is half-asleep already, and continues lying comfortably in Bai Yao’s lap, while mumbling, “comfy. Mu’er feels comfy. Mu’er purrs.”

It would be some time before Bai Yao suddenly realises the little guy is definitely picking up what he does as a snow leopard.