Chapter Text
It was a lazy day. There weren't many coustomers, so Cheng Xiaoshi decided to use this time to clean up a bit. The studio got a bit dusty and he had no time and no motivation to do so lately. Well, if he was supposed to be working now he might as well do it right now. Thank god the sun was out at least and the day was beautiful, otherwise he would be rotting here by now (more than usuall...)
With a sheer force of will, he dragged his ass to the bathroom to get the dusters. He slouched over the cabinet readying himself for the inevitable before opening it.
Finally, he reached for the pack... but it was unusually light.
He groaned.
Really? Already? He could swear he just bought it, why is it almost empty, he doesn't even clean that often. And he's pretty sure no one would brake in just to steal them. Well, Qiao Ling steals his food sometimes but that's different.
He squeezed the package trying to gauge how many wipers were left and sighed. Well, if he really tried it could be enough for this time... though he'll still have to go shopping afterwards.
He couldn't run away from his duties forever so he got downstairs and started cleaning before he gets distracted by something else.
He couldn't even finish dusting one shelf when the bell rang, signalling the door opening.
Cheng Xiaoshi groaned again today, going back to the counter. Why did someone had to walk in just the moment he finally got an urge to clean up?
But when he got back to the entrance, he was met with a... rather unusall sight. Instead of walking in immediately, the client only sticked his head through the door, looking around the shop hesitantly. When he cought a sight of Cheng Xiaoshi, he cleared his throat, before speaking.
"Good morning, can i walk in with my dog? I haven't seen any signs not to and I didn't want to intrude if it's not welcomed"
So that's why he was acting like this, understandable. Even though Cheng Xiaoshi was in no mood for work today, he still had to do his best, he can't afford to lose a potential client.
And this guy was so polite he couldn't help himself from smiling a little.
"Hello, and no problem! As long as you keep an eye on it of course"
"I will, thank you" The customer smiled slightly, directing his attention to his dog, guiding him inside.
Not only polite, but also soft and good with animals...
He took a closer look, he looked around his age, but Cheng Xiaoshi has never seen him around before, he'll definitely remeber that. It was hard to miss his striking white hair. Was it natural or bleached? He wanted to ask so bad but he didn't want to come off as rude-
Sudden barking interrupted his thoughts.
Cheng Xiaoshi looked down at the source of the sound and...
He beamed instantly.
A brown furball of pure energy appeared right before his eyes. The dog was so tiny and so cute! Brown, with a white patch around his mouth and, and it had a small bandana tied on his neck!
Cheng Xiaoshi almost fell to his knees.
"It's so cute! And so full of energy, is it always like this?" he wanted to play with it so bad! But he held himself up straight to save some dignity, he can't appear unprofessional in front of the client! Especially such a well-mannered (and good looking) client!
"Yeah, though not gonna lie I sometimes struggle to keep up with him" As if it wasn't obvious already, the dog sprinted toward Cheng Xiaoshi, jumping and barking happily on the way.
"I can imagine!" How was he supposed to remain calm, when this ray of sunshine was right before him? His whole body shivered from the need to shower this creature with affection. "H-how it's called? And can i pet it?" The hell with his dignity, he's just a human afterall.
"S-sure" The client gasped slightly but reagined his calm immediately, giving Cheng Xiaoshi a warm smile "And he's called Sunny"
His heart skipped a bit.
"I can see why, It fits him so much" He lowered himself down to finally pet Sunny before he could start overthinking about what the hell his heart just did right now.
"I know" The client sounded amused by his behavior, but not in a bad way.
Cheng Xiaoshi didn't want to think about it right now, so he focused on Sunny, melting at the way he nuzzled into his hand, while eagerly waggling his little, fluffy tail. He laughed when he stuck his tongue out and licked his hand.
"It must be super lively having him by your side!"
"It is" The client sounded like he was used to saying this, Cheng Xiaoshi wasn't surprised. But after a short pause he continued softly "That's what love about him the most... even when he refuses to leave my side when I'm tired and need a moment to myself" he smirked before continuing "But he's special to me and I wouldn't have it any other way"
"I know what you mean" Cheng Xiaoshi replied dreamily "I mean, with the 'special' part. My cat is a complete opposite" he puffed at the comparison, still scratching Sunny's head "I found it on the street one day and thought that maybe it's a sign... But when I took it home it was pure hell" Cheng Xiaoshi laughed at the memory "I really thought it hated me and I really considered giving it to the shelter, but... when it curled up next to me on a bad day, I just couldn't let go of it you know... I realised that maybe it's just the way it bevahes" after short break he added "Besides, it's a really smart cat so if it really hated me it would've run away long time ago, I even left the door open many times to give it a choice. But it's still here so maybe I'm not that bad of an owner. Such a demanding little creature"
The client smiled even though he could feel there was more to this story, but he didn't want to pry. Though it made him really curious about the cat.
"Do you keep it here?"
"Yeah, well not exactly here, as I don't want everything to be covered in fur, but it's upstairs. I still have no idea how i managed to teach it not to play in the stud-" Cheng Xiaoshi jumped so suddenly the client flinched.
"Right! What can i do for you?" Cheng Xiaoshi was back on his feet, trying to compose himself, to prove that he's capable of what he's doing.
His behavior cought the guy off guard but he regained his calm easily again.
"Oh, I have a few pictures that i want developed"
It wasn't long before they finished discussing the request and having done the formalities, it was time to say goodbye.
"It's a small request so it won't take long. And remember to bring your dog again" he said winking at him.
"I will" he gave Cheng Xiaoshi a smile before leaving.
"Great!"
Cheng Xiaoshi stared at the door for a bit longer than needed. He realized he's been probably smiling like an idiot for the whole time when his cheeks begun to hurt.
He didn't emberrass himself, did he?
Hopefully not...
But what if he did...
No.
The guy didn't seem troubled, he even smiled, and most importantly, he didn't left in a hurry!
But...
But it wouldn't be the first time he missed he the signs so... He'll have to wait till he gets back here to get the photos to make sure, won't he...
But Cheng Xiaoshi still felt like he forgot about somehing.
...
...
...
Oh!
He facepalmed.
He should've shown him his cat!
He groaned.
Next time!
Next time, just you wait!
Somewhere not so far away, on his way home, Lu Guang passed by the pet store and without second thought bought Sunny a new toy. He deserved it.
Having calmed down a bit, Cheng Xiaoshi knew he shouldn't, but curiosity got the better of him. When the client, no, Lu Guang (as he introduced himself when leaving his contact info) left the store, Cheng Xiaoshi suddenly found himself eager to work. After waiting for a while (not even a minute) in case some other client walked in, he stormed toward the dark room with a camera in hand.
He even had a camera! And it was such a good model too. In this era, where the number of people who choose digital copies over the physical ones had been rising with each year, it was so rare to find someone who actually bothered with the latter, especially people around his age. Cheng Xiaoshi couldn't contain his excitement as he got to work immediately, forgetting about his previous requests and focusing solely on Lu Guang's photos. Besides there wasn't many of them so if keeps his pace up he could easily complete all of his request in time, so it's not that he was cheating or something.
The first photo was pretty normal. It depicted a sunset, one of many, with a bit of landscape in the background. Cheng Xiaoshi smiled. It wasn't a perfect a shot, but he could get an idea of the intention behind it. If it was him, he would experiment a bit with different angles but it didn't mattered.
The second photo immediately made him giggle as he recognized the creature. It showed Sunny, slightly smaller than now, but the energy he emitted hadn't changed a bit since then. Was it from the day Lu Guang adopted him? Cheng Xiaosi could only guess.
The next few photos were jumping between different landscapes and Sunny, sometimes both. It warmed his heart seeing how much Lu Guang cared about his dog, the way he chose those exact photos to develop.
When he got to the next picture he expected another landscape, but it was nowhere to be seen. Instead it was group photo, probably taken at the culmination of some event. When Cheng Xiaoshi took a closer look he gasped. It wasn't just a normal school event as he originally thought. There was no mistaking it. It had to be some comic convention as they were all wearing cosplays. He couldn't believe his eyes as he scanned the photo desperately until he found Lu Guang and his heart skipped a bit.
He was standing in the middle, dressed as a character Cheng Xiaoshi didn't recognise, surrounded by some girls squirming around him. He didn't want to admit it but he couldn't blame them, he would probably do the same in their place. Lu Guang was wearing white robes with blue and gold ornaments... Cheng Xiaoshi could feel his cheeks warming up a little...
until he saw his face.
He snorted.
He looked so done!
He looked as if he was taken straight out of a novel. A perfect cosplay. He had all those people around fawning over him... And yet he looked like he was there as a punishment, like he wished to be somewhere else, anywhere but here. Like a wet cat.
He definitely didn't suspect him to be a cosplayer, but it only fuelled his need to get to know him better.
Cheng Xiaoshi couldn't remember the last time he was so excited about his job.