Plin Ch 4.24
by Aoi“Thank you for dating Hugo, even though he has many shortcomings.”
Chairman Idrohann suddenly said to Plin.
“…Pardon?”
Plin asked, taken aback by the unexpected comment.
“This is the first time Hugo has introduced anyone as his lover, so regardless of their species, gender, or social status, I’m just happy for him.”
“Dad, you make me sound like a loser.”
Hugo boldly pressed his lower body against Plin’s back, the weight of it a solid presence.
“A rutting beast with no sense of propriety calling himself a loser…”
Chairman Idrohann frowned in disapproval. Plin, flustered, tried to pull away from Hugo, who was clinging to him.
“Even though Hugo can be ill-tempered sometimes, he’s a good person deep down. I know it sounds like something every parent says, so it’s probably not very convincing, but you can trust me.”
“He’s… very good to me.”
Plin replied, still slightly dazed.
“If you’re done, we’ll be going now, Dad.”
“Thank you for coming all this way. Be careful going home.”
“Yes. Get well soon…”
Plin, who had been tense until the moment they stepped into the elevator, finally relaxed once he was alone with Hugo.
“You were really uncomfortable, weren’t you, darling?”
“I just… thought he might not approve of me, or that he might want us to break up.”
“You were thinking all sorts of things, huh?”
“I was also surprised that you weren’t there when I arrived…”
“Sorry.”
“…..”
Plin seemed a little down.
“This was the hospital. The one my parents were taken to after their car accident. It brought back memories.”
“I see.”
If Plin hadn’t been orphaned, he wouldn’t have become a Fox Love Juice peddler, and we might never have met.
Hugo, harboring such sociopathic thoughts, outwardly comforted Plin. Even Plin, with all his love and innocence, would surely reject him if he knew what he was thinking.
Hugo quickly buried his thoughts and continued,
“Your parents would be proud of how well you’ve grown.”
“…Yes.”
Plin replied softly, almost like a moan. Then, staring into space, he said with a melancholic expression,
“I wish that were true. I don’t even remember their faces. There aren’t any photos either.”
“Really? That’s a shame.”
“I just have fleeting memories from when I was little. I used to love socks.”
“Uh-huh.”
Hugo replied with a serious expression. He wanted to know everything about Plin.
It was a bit obsessive, but he wanted to know even trivial things, like if Plin had a special way of caring for his tail. Of course, he’d already done a background check, but childhood stories were invaluable information.
“I remember sneaking a sock from the laundry and running around with it in my mouth, and my dad would say, ‘Give me back my sock’… But he never actually took it away. He just watched me play with it.”
“Do you still… like socks?”
He almost blurted out, “I’ll buy you a sock factory.” Hugo asked, mesmerized.
“I don’t know. But when I was little, socks were the best toys. They were light and fluffy, and easy to hold in my mouth.”
“You were a happy little fox… weren’t you?”
Hugo’s voice trembled as he spoke, his eyes closing briefly as if imagining the scene. He pressed his lips together tightly, desperately trying to suppress the smile that threatened to spread across his face.
This was a poignant moment, a bittersweet reminiscence. He reminded himself, trying to control his expression. But the image of a little white fox cub frolicking with a sock in its mouth was so vivid that he couldn’t help but let out a snort.
“I’d forgotten about it… Coming here made me think of my parents, and I worried about you, Hugo.”
“Huh?”
“Since Chairman Idrohann was critically ill… I thought you must be hurting. I know what it’s like. I’m glad he’s out of danger now.”
“Oh, um, thank you…”
Once again, Hugo felt that Plin was too good for him. He knew the fear of physical pain, constantly plagued by his phantom limb pain, but he could count on one hand the number of times his “heart” had ached. One of those times was recently, when things hadn’t been going well with Plin, and he’d felt like a tornado was ripping through his heart.
Hugo decided he had to keep pretending to be a good person, to be worthy of Plin.
***
Hugo glanced at the white fox beside him. Plin, now completely comfortable in the apartment, often remained in his fully transformed state. Curled up on the pillow, the sleeping fox’s body was small enough to be completely covered by Hugo’s hand. He was a heartbreakingly tiny fox.
Hugo placed his hand beneath the fox’s black nose. The nostrils were the size of an ant’s backside. He wondered how such tiny holes could take in enough air, but a warm puff of breath against his hand reassured him.
Aside from the white fur, ears, and tail, he looked nothing like the Plin he knew. The fully transformed Plin was a little unfamiliar, sparking his curiosity. He wanted to smell the pads of his paws, though he knew it was a bit perverse. Not one to overthink things, Hugo rubbed Plin’s paw against his nose and inhaled.
“Hmm…”
Disappointingly, all he could smell was shampoo. If he’d wanted that musky scent he craved, he should have smelled him before he’d showered.
Putting aside his disappointment, he pressed the pads of Plin’s paws. They were soft and plump. Even when he pressed hard enough to leave a mark, Plin didn’t react. According to what Hugo had read, paw pads were surprisingly insensitive to pain. He wondered if they were also insensitive to tickling.
The pads were pink, mottled with black ink-like spots. Not a solid black, but a translucent black, like diluted ink. Paw pads were supposed to be pink at birth, gradually turning completely black, but Plin’s, due to a lack of pigment, had only partially darkened. His nose was supposed to be the same, but it had somehow turned completely black.
This fact tugged at his heartstrings. Hugo bit his lip, silently savoring the feeling. He didn’t understand why he was so moved by the black spots. It was just… incredibly cute.
He stroked the mottled paw pad with his finger. Plin, perhaps tickled, pulled his paw away.
Plin stirred in his sleep and sat up, climbing down from the pillow.
“Oh… are you awake? I didn’t mean to wake you… I was just touching your paws, I mean, hands, I mean, paw pads, because I thought they might be cold.”
The fox, still half-asleep, stumbled towards Hugo’s chest and collapsed against him. A small weight settled on Hugo’s chest. The fox nuzzled his head against Hugo’s shoulder, his little nose pointed upwards.
The fox, nestled against Hugo, soon drifted back to sleep, his breathing soft and even. The way he entrusted his entire body to Hugo’s warmth was unbearably endearing.
Hugo gently stroked Plin and bent down, placing a light kiss on his head. In his sleep, Plin made a contented smacking sound, his small, pink tongue peeking out.
Just a month or two ago, he’d only thought of Plin as a painkiller. When had his feelings changed so drastically?
His phantom limb pain, which used to plague him constantly, including during his monthly “cycle,” now felt like a distant memory. He couldn’t even remember what he’d been like before he met Plin.
Hugo’s characteristic dragon horns, curved and ridged with growth rings, sprouted from his head. There were even circular marks near the tips, where they’d been broken off and regrown.
He held the small creature in his arms, careful not to crush him with his weight.
Even in the darkness, the white fox was clearly visible. He was grateful for that. It would have been a shame if the dim light or dark fur had hidden him from view. Hugo’s eyes grew heavy as he watched the fox’s belly rise and fall with each breath.
That night, Hugo dreamt of marrying Plin. And not only that, but of receiving an egg.
It was shortly after their wedding in the dream, but the scene shifted abruptly to the moment the egg hatched. A small fox cub with tiny horns emerged from the cradle. The cub’s fur was a mix of Hugo’s black and Plin’s white, mottled like a cow. Soaked in amniotic fluid, its eyes still closed, it smelled just like Plin.
Hugo held his offspring, tears streaming down his face as he was overcome with emotion. Plin cried with him. In reality, even if two shifters of different s*xes mated, they couldn’t produce offspring if the species difference was too great.
He knew he was having a vivid, absurd dream, but the emotions it evoked were real.
As he named the baby in his dream, Hugo thought, “I wish Andrea would be completely forgotten, that I would be enough for Plin. I wish we had our own little mottled cub in real life.”
That same day, he received a strange message from Thibeau.
| Executive Director, we received two tips regarding Andrea’s whereabouts. I’m currently interviewing them, but both claim Andrea is deceased. Reporting this urgently. Andrea in Romun is safe and sound. – Thibeau Coutant. |
| What happened? Can’t talk right now. |
| One of the informants is a former resident of Saint Meitel Orphanage, and the other is a cleaner who worked there for a long time. Andrea was at the origin of the fire at Saint Meitel Orphanage on December 7, XX, and went missing. While his body was never recovered, the orphanage held a private memorial service. We need to confirm the identity of Andrea in Romun. We suspect that 12 years ago, for administrative convenience, an unregistered child was disguised as the deceased Andrea and put up for adoption. We will thoroughly reinvestigate the adoption process. The fire occurred after Andrea and Mr. Plin left the orphanage. Andrea had apparently visited the orphanage on the day of the fire for some reason. Mr. Plin is aware of the incident and even attended Andrea’s memorial service. However, he insisted Andrea was alive because there was no body. He claimed Andrea left him some belongings and ran away. |
| What the hell? Who had a memorial service? Plin knew about it? |
| Yes. It appears Andrea did die in the fire. The former resident claims there are at least five other people who can corroborate the story. We need to meet them, but the information seems credible. |
| Are you sure they didn’t find a body? |
| Yes. There was no body or remains at the funeral. But who knows? Perhaps they disposed of the remaining ashes secretly… |
| For now… keep Andrea in Romun safe. |