Chapter Text
Wei Ying spits on the pavement and wipes the blood off his lips with the back of his hand.
“Run you fuckers!” he yells at the retreating group of thugs. He holds his composure until the last of them disappears behind a corner, then he slumps against the wall and lets out a heavy exhale.
This one was a close call. There were five of them against him and at one point he was sure he wasn’t going to make it. Right when he started to curse his hot head that always leads him into this kind of situation, something changed. His punches landed every time while his opponents seemed unable to even touch him. He watched the fear growing in their eyes until they finally decided to turn tail.
With his heart still beating frantically in his chest, Wei Ying checks himself for injuries. His lip is cut and he can feel bruises forming on his ribs but other than that and his favorite jacket being torn at the shoulder, he’s alright. It’s a small miracle, but after years of inexplicable luck, he’s not even surprised anymore.
Things have always been like this. He threw himself into harm’s way but got out of it with nothing but ruffled hair. The luckier he was the last time, the more daring he grew. Fighting a street gang on his own might have been a bit too much, but they were about to mug a sweet old lady and he couldn’t allow that.
“You are this lucky because you are doing good, fighting bullies and protecting the weak. It’s the Universe helping you in serving your purpose,” jiejie always says.
“One day you are going to run out of luck and come back in a black plastic bag,” A-Cheng says.
He thinks they might both be right, but while the luck lasts, he’s going to use it.
Confident that his knees are going to hold him, he pushes himself off the wall, looks around making sure that the thugs didn’t come back with reinforcements, and heads home.
He should hurry before he runs into more trouble, but he’s too exhausted. Dragging his feet through the dark ally he notices something moving in a pile of trash.
Expecting it’s a cat, he squats down and extends his hand in a universal human-to-cat greeting.
With a flash of pearlescent scales, whatever the thing is, scrambles to hide under a carton box. Sure that it’s not a cat, Wei Ying lifts the box. His breath hitches. Curled on the dirty concrete desperately looking for a way to escape, is some kind of a lizard. Wei Ying has never seen anything like it. The scales are mostly white but glimmering in multiple colors. Its body is long and muscular with four clawed legs and a long tail. The strangest part is the head. It reminds Wei Ying of a tiny dragon, the one from traditional paintings. He has one just like that tattooed on his chest. Stunned by the sight, Wei Ying takes a moment to notice that the animal is injured. It’s dragging one leg and some of the scales are splattered with blood. Its tiny body is shaking with pain and exhaustion.
“Hey, little buddy,” Wei Ying whispers, “don’t be scared. I’m gonna help you.” He reaches out but the reptile raises on its hind legs in a threatening position and hisses showing tiny sharp teeth.
“Whoa. I see, you are a scary powerful monster,” Wei Ying says placatingly, “but you are hurt. Let me help you.”
The animal looks even more exhausted after its defensive stunt. If it stays out in the street, it’s surely going to die.
Wei Ying heaves a heavy breath and risks his fingers. As fast as he can he grabs the noodle-like body in its middle and lifts the creature off the ground. For a moment it wiggles like the fish Wei Ying used to catch at Lotus Pond, but then it gives up and becomes limp in Wei Ying's hand.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he keeps repeating in what he believes is a soothing whisper. He can now see the extent of the injuries and it makes his hands shake as he puts the creature gently into his backpack. He forgets his own exhaustion and makes it to his apartment in record time.
In the safety of his little kitchen, Wei Ying opens his backpack. The creature looks up at him grumpily. Thanks to the lighting being better than in the alley, Wei Ying notices that its eyes are golden. He also notices a delicate blue ribbon tied around the creature’s forehead.
“Does the blue mean you are a boy?” He asks, not expecting an answer. “Sorry if I misgender you, but I guess you have no way to tell me.” From what he knows about reptiles it’s very hard to tell their sex. After all, it’s not like the little noodle is going to complain.
“I also don’t know what to call you. What about Xiao Miantiao?” He says while tentatively reaching into the backpack. There’s no angry hissing. Xiao Miantiao lets himself be picked up and put on the table. He looks around sniffing the air. He looks miserable right now but Wei Ying thinks that when he heals and cleans up he’s going to be gorgeous.
“Wait here, Xiao Miantiao. Let me grab a first aid kit.”
He runs into the bathroom and scatters the content of the cabinet in his rush to grab the first aid kit as quickly as possible. Despite all his effort, when he returns to the kitchen he finds Xiao Miantiao asleep, curled on his discarded jacket.
“I’m sorry, but you need to withstand this. I’ll be gentle I promise,” he says as he pulls him out of his little nest and starts cleaning him with a wet washcloth. The lizard seems to like the warmth of the washcloth and holds still while Wei Ying works on the bloodstains. He becomes twitchy, though, when he gets too close to his wounds. “Shh, don’t worry. I’m going to take care of that too,” he encourages him before he takes a cotton swath and dips it into an antiseptic. No matter how careful he is while tending his wounds, Xiao Miantiao seems to be in pain. To soothe him as much as himself, Wei Ying hums a little song under his breath. It works wonders. By the time he’s done, Xiao Miantiao is half asleep again.
After putting his tools away, Wei Ying scoops his noodle-like body into his palms and puts him back on his jacket. Xiao Miantiao digs himself deeper into the cloth hiding his head. His little chest is rising and falling steadily so Wei Ying lets him rest.
Yawning he stretches his arms above his head. His ribs are sore and the cut on his lip is scabbed over but he forgot about all of it while taking care of the little creature.
As he walks into the bathroom, he wonders who the strange reptile belonged to and how he ended up on the street. He thinks about putting up some advert about a found pet. Somebody surely must be missing him. If he can’t find his owner, though, Wei Ying thinks he might keep him. He always wanted a pet but wasn’t allowed one while living in Lotus Pier. When he moved out he was busy enough with taking care of himself to tie another life to his. But what can a little lizard need? Somewhere to live and something to eat. In the shower, Wei Ying makes a mental note to google what species Xiao Miantiao is and what he needs. He checks on him before he goes to bed and finds him soundly sleeping, burrowed in Wei Ying’s jacket.
Wei Ying sympathizes with him. The moment he drops himself on his cheap mattress, exhaustion takes over him.
He dreams about flying among fluffy clouds, a silver city floating in the background.