Plin Ch 4.14

Hugo, in a light sleep, was awakened by the strange sound.

“Are you awake?”

Plin was awake, even though Hugo had watched him fall asleep before closing his eyes.

Not only that, but he was on all fours, his fists resting on the pillow as he stared intently at it. His tousled silver hair fell over his forehead.

“Darling… what are you doing?”

Hugo asked, bewildered by Plin’s strange posture. Why was he like that? Was he sleepwalking? Was his dinner not sitting well? Or did he actually want to strangle Hugo but was settling for the pillow instead?

A million thoughts raced through his mind.

Plin, looking at him with slightly sleepy eyes, said hurriedly,

“It’s a habit… I’ll just do it for a little longer.”

Scritch scratch!

He vigorously scratched at the pillow, making a loud noise. It looked like he was digging. The problem was that they weren’t on the ground; they were in bed, on top of the sheets.

Scritch scratch

He scratched so hard that his hair flew around, his large ears flapped, and his eyes remained fixed on the pillow.

The already flat pillow became even flatter under the fox’s ministrations.

In reality, when his right hand scratched, the right side puffed up, and when his left hand scratched, the left side puffed up. So, there was no difference before and after scratching.

After continuing this pointless activity for about a minute, Plin carefully placed his head in the center of the pillow and lay down.

“Darling… why did you dig at the pillow?”

“I was making a nest.”

The fox, having settled down, replied calmly. He seemed truly comfortable and content, turning on his side to face Hugo and wagging his tail.

“Oh… you made a… nest.”

“Yes.”

“So, does that change anything? Ah, I’m not teasing, I’m just curious. Let me try digging too.”

It had been only a few hours since they’d reconciled. The aftershocks of the pain they’d felt during their period of animosity hadn’t completely faded. Hugo asked cautiously, trying to be considerate.

“It’s just something I do.”

“Just something you do?”

“I woke up, and you were next to me, and it was warm and comfortable. So I wanted to do what I do at home. Should I stop?”

“…Do whatever you want, like you do at home. Be comfortable.”

His throat tightened at the words “warm and comfortable.” Hugo swallowed the lump in his throat and replied.

He wanted to hug Plin tightly, but he refrained, afraid of disturbing the nest the fox had made.

Soon, the fox’s breathing turned into soft snores. Despite his efforts to make a nest, he was sleeping so restlessly that his large ears were folded back and exposed. Hugo gently unfolded his ears and hugged the much smaller body close. Soon, he too fell asleep. It was the first good night’s sleep he’d had in a long time.

***

Hugo had a vivid imagination. He’d entertained all sorts of fantasies involving Plin, but he’d never, ever, imagined a daily routine that included being seen off to work by him. It was too domestic a thought.

It wasn’t an elaborate farewell. Plin simply mumbled “Have a good day at work” from the bed, his eyes still half-closed.

Still, such a greeting… It made him feel like a married man…

Plin’s messy bedhead, sleepy eyes, warm ears tinged with pink at the tips, the musky scent of his fur… Hugo reluctantly tore his gaze away, etching the image of Plin into his memory, wishing he didn’t have to go to work.

Now that they’d acknowledged their mutual feelings, his emotions were amplifying uncontrollably.

“I’m so giddy, it’s driving me crazy…”

Sitting in the sedan, Hugo covered his mouth with the back of his hand and chuckled. He rubbed his stomach. It felt like someone was tickling him with a blade of grass from his throat down to his belly, making it hard to sit still.

“Something good happened, sir?”

Thibeau, who was driving, asked, glancing at him. Hugo replied curtly,

“It’s personal. Mind your own business.”

“Understood, Mr. I’m-so-giddy-it’s-driving-me-crazy Idrohann.”

Thibeau’s obedience, delivered with a hint of sarcasm as if to say, “Well, you made me curious,” was a skill in itself. But with his newfound magnanimity, even that impertinent tone amused him.

Hugo smiled, then bit his lower lip to suppress it. Even though it hurt, as if his lip would bleed, he couldn’t stop smiling.

Has winter always been this beautiful? The snow-covered city, dusted with soot, the monochrome shades of gray and black left by car tires, it all looked exquisite, like a scene from an oriental painting.

Or perhaps, the beauty wasn’t in the scenery itself. Perhaps beauty was in the eye of the beholder.

As Hugo indulged in his sentimental mood, his phone buzzed.

[plin_forfox uploaded 1 photo]

It was a notification from Zoosta. As if in a trance, Hugo checked Plin’s Zoosta.

The photo was of a ticket to Romun, with a caption below it.

[To my Fox Love Juice customers, Hello, this is Plin. A while ago, I announced that I would be temporarily suspending sales of Fox Love Juice. All refunds were completed last night at 10 PM. I was originally planning to go to Romun, but my plans have changed… So I will be resuming sales after reorganizing… I believe that business is built on trust, and for the past two years of selling this drink (and about 10 years in total including other business experience), I’ve always strived to keep my promises to my customers. I sincerely apologize for the back and forth. Thank you. Have a happy day always….] #FoxLoveJuice #ResumingSales #Sorry

It was a disheartened announcement of his return to business.

‘Have a happy day always…’ As if he were a mayfly. He’d probably unconsciously combined “Have a happy life” and “Have a happy day.” The closing was out of context, and the spacing was a mess, but Hugo clicked the heart icon.

1 like View all 4 comments 4 minutes ago coz*** I did receive the refund, but then it’s like we gave you an interest-free loan? And now you’re saying you’re going back into business… should we trust you? zoa*** Seems like a celebrity endorsed you and you made a lot of money, why so desperate lol. But seriously, what’s your relationship? Did things go south? -_0*** Back and forth… it’s not like the drink is cheap, and this is the level of professionalism from someone with 10 years of experience lol. Still, gotta learn that shamelessness from a social media influencer. I mean, you’re making enough to buy a building in the middle of City Forest, right? │plin_fox_love_plin @-_0*** I’m not rich. I still need a lot of money… I’m sorry if I offended you. I have a lot of shortcomings.

A frustrated sigh escaped his lips.

These f*cking bastards, talking to my Plin like that.

Hugo suppressed his anger and ran a hand roughly through his hair.

He started typing a comment, each keystroke filled with rage.

I’ll buy you your own juice company. Right in the middle of City Forest

The cursor blinked before he pressed <Enter>. Hugo took a deep breath and stopped.

No matter how blinded by pure, unadulterated love he was, as a young man in his early twenties, he knew that acting so openly childish and cheesy in public would only turn Plin, already at the bottom of the social food chain, into a juicy piece of meat for predators.

He could guess why Plin needed money. He had debts to pay, and he was probably saving up for Andrea. The thought of Plin caring so much for Andrea, that invisible thorn in his side, was a little suffocating. But if it was what Plin wanted… he could give him anything.

Hugo long-pressed and copied the text.

Then he sent a message to Plin. He didn’t need to announce it to the cruel world just yet, but he wanted Plin to know.

I’ll buy you your own juice company. Right in the middle of City Forest.

He hoped Plin wouldn’t worry, not even for a second. He hoped Plin wouldn’t be hurt or bothered by those malicious comments.