Chapter Text
After their formal engagement was announced, General Xuan Zhen and General Nan Yang worked diligently on combining their palaces and planning their wedding. It was a long and complicated process full of surprises that tested both palaces and frayed many nerves.
The day Feng Xin moved into the Xuan Zhen Palace had one such surprise that would eventually become a complication for General Nan Yang.
When Feng Xin checked on his deputies, he found Mu Qing in a hall directing them while carrying a short-haired black cat. He approached and opened his mouth to ask, 'who's this?' when Mu Qing spoke first.
"He's been underfoot," Mu Qing said sharply and fed the cat another piece of dried fish. "I think someone forgot his breakfast."
"Oh, no, did a deputy forget to feed you, poor baby?" Feng Xin cooed as he scratched behind the cat's ears. He noticed the distinctive white patch on his chest shaped like a crescent and that he had matching white-socked paws. How adorable. To Mu Qing, he said, "We can't have him going hungry."
"Things have been falling through the cracks with the move. I'll assign a deputy to ensure he's fed and bathed properly tonight." Mu Qing's cheeks flushed. "And deputies are tripping over him so I'll just hold onto him for now."
"Aw, are you causing trouble for Mu Qing, Mimi?" he asked the cat, who now purred happily at all the pets.
"Not too much. He's rather sweet." Mu Qing hesitated and then asked, "About his sleeping arrangement. Should I setup a cat bed somewhere? Do you have a preference?"
"Oh, I'm fine with anywhere." Feng Xin shrugged, not wanting to displace Mu Qing's cat. "I don't want to make things difficult. Wherever you're happy."
While Feng Xin petted the little thing in Mu Qing's arms, he had intended to ask questions. Really, he had. It was just that Mu Qing seemed to expect him to know about the cuddly feline already.
If he was supposed to know about the cat, then he should know the name, shouldn't he?
So he hadn't asked. He had waited instead, expecting Mu Qing to address the cat at some point. He even forgot for a while.
It wasn't until Mu Qing suggested they include the cat in their wedding that Feng Xin realized he had a problem. He had been living with them for months and still didn't know the name. He didn't want him to realize Feng Xin didn't know the name. He didn't want Mu Qing to think he didn't care.
The only option was to figure out the name before Mu Qing realized he didn't know it, preferably before the wedding when guests would surely ask about it.
Thinking back, Feng Xin tried to remember every cute nickname his fiance used for the feline.
Mu Qing called him Fluffball most often, edging out Little Bun and Didi by a small margin. Everyone else most often called him Mimi. There was no way Mu Qing, of all people, would officially name his cat any of those though.
For a while, he'd considered maybe he had when no actual name was said. But whenever the cat was in trouble, like when it was caught using another antique chair as a scratching post instead of the designated posts stationed throughout the palace (or one of Feng Xin's "hideous monstrosity" chairs), Mu Qing scolded it using different nicknames. Nothing was as adorable as Mu Qing giving a very sternly worded reprimand to "Little Bun" or "Bit of Fluff." But it was best not to laugh or Feng Xin would be reprimanded alongside him for "encouraging bad behavior."
He'd tried subtly eavesdropping when anyone discussed the cat. No luck there.
He'd tried subtly prompting deputies to say it. Only more nicknames were forthcoming there.
He'd tried less subtly prompting Mu Qing to say it, but had only prompted Mu Qing into more discussions about the cat, which risked exposing Feng Xin's secret.
When Mu Qing had asked where the adoption papers went, because he couldn't find them after the move, Feng Xin had thought a success had finally arrived. Those papers would certainly detail the cat's history, age, and—most importantly—his name.
Somehow they were misplaced when they'd joined their documents room. He'd had his deputies scour through every filed scrap of Nan Yang paper more thoroughly than they ever did for any heavenly audit. Mu Qing seemed to have his deputies do the same. They all awkwardly skirted each other for days in the now joint record room as they dug through centuries of paperwork.
It was gone.
He was used to failure by then though.
He'd comforted Mu Qing—who seemed doubly disappointed—that no one was going to contest a god's cat ownership. And no one in their right mind would challenge the pair of them together. The document wasn't that important.
♥.:➶:. 【♥】 .:➴:.♥
Soon after that day, Mu Qing was away attending duties and Feng Xin was supervising his armory move to their joint palace. The cat was dressed in a leather collar with bold accent stitching in Nan Yang uniform colors. A golden charm with the engraved image of a rising sun dangled prettily.
Feng Xin's heart swelled with adoration as he picked up the fluffball for a morning cuddle. Mu Qing had outfitted his cat to match Feng Xin. It was the warmest welcome for his deputies while they were still ironing out contentious details for joint palaces.
While they were technically still separate cults, it was too complicated to manage both palaces at separate locations. Upon deciding to join them in one location, they'd competed to settle disputes. Mu Qing had won the wrestling match to keep his residence and they expanded the building to make room for the Nan Yang Palace to move in.
To Mu Qing's dismay, Feng Xin won the arm wrestling match to keep his "ugly" furniture. Feng Xin had lost the Go match to keep said furniture in their bedroom however, and it had been relegated to a recreational room reserved for Nan Yang deputies.
It had been days of competing and when they were fatigued from decision making they allowed their deputies to compete for them. It had worked well to avoid resentment and give all involved a physical outlet for frustrations. Plus it was difficult to argue with a decision when everyone had an opportunity to win.
The deputies had all—Nan Yang and Xuan Zhen alike—been charmed by the new collar and began calling the precious cat a Nan Yang junior official. Many even referred to him as shidi as the cat "helped" with the move by knocking over loose items and lounging in inconvenient places. Mu Qing hadn't even protested upon hearing the Xuan Zhen cat being sworn in as a Nan Yang official.
That was when it really struck him that his fiance loved to spoil his cat with ridiculous accessories. Every morning, Mu Qing dressed his precious pet in a different ribbon or collar. No look was complete without a piece of jewelry adorning the cat's neck either. The accessories were rarely practical and—though Mu Qing refused to admit it—always coordinated with his outfit for the day.
Feng Xin had hoped that in all those fancy accessories, one would have the cat's name on it. He'd snooped thoroughly in Mu Qing's closet, where a small section was dedicated to various cat accessories and toys. Said closet Feng Xin wasn't even allowed to think about storing anything of his own in. None of those accessories had a name either.
Then he checked his sewing projects to find half a dozen in-progress pieces for the cat. No name there. Just cute little vests and collars. Even the storage container for said unfinished projects was only labeled as "cat" in Mu Qing's neat calligraphy.
That gave him the bright idea to commission a new collar and charm for the wedding. Mu Qing would love it, and it wouldn't be strange at all to ask if they should use a cute nickname or not. Obviously the answer was not to use a nickname at a formal event. Of course Mu Qing would call him a moron and tell him precisely what to put on there like he'd done with everything else Feng Xin hadn't been sure about.
♥.:➶:. 【♥】 .:➴:.♥
In his office, Feng Xin waited anxiously for the results from his latest plot to discover the cat's name.
The Nan Yang deputy solemnly said, "General Xuan Zhen instructed that the cat's official name should be used because a wedding is a formal event and nicknames are not formal."
"That's all he said?" Feng Xin asked. "He didn't write it down?"
Looking defeated, the deputy shook his head.
"Hah, son of a bitch," Feng Xin said, deflating. He was sure he'd found the perfect way to get Mu Qing to provide his cat's name this time. "Fuck."
It was another failure in a long line of attempts.
"Maybe if I ask which character it is?" Feng Xin wondered.
The deputy snorted. "What if there is only one character though? Not all words have multiples."
"He might just think I don't know that it only has one character?" Feng Xin asked hopefully.
"Not after you just asked which name to use. He's smart. He'll figure it out. Then he'll use his massive sword to kill the messenger. Who is me. So please, if you're going to ask that, do it yourself."
"He'll take one look at my face and know I'm trying to trick him if I ask." That was why many various attempts had been made through his deputy assisting with the wedding planning. Feng Xin was terribile at deception and Mu Qing had a suspicious personality.
His deputy sighed. "Then just tell him the truth."
"I can't! He's super stressed about the wedding right now. He'll be upset and we're not going to upset him." Feng Xin wasn't as adept at planning all the nuances of a wedding which left Mu Qing unfairly burdened. He'd resolved to help Mu Qing in other ways by picking up some of his busy work and meetings. One of the most important ways of helping was by not stressing him out by being an idiot.
His deputy threw up his hands. "Then you shouldn't have started this scheme to begin with!"
"I fucking know but it's too fucking late now!"
"Ugh, I have real work to attend to." His deputy dismissed himself, leaving Feng Xin to fend for himself.
He again considered asking a Xuan Zhen deputy and swearing them to silence, but the risk was too high. Even if the deputy didn't immediately tattle to Mu Qing, it would eventually come out. Going behind his back was worse than being stupid.
"Ah, fuck." He didn't know what to do and he had to commission this collar without knowing a name. Using symbols for both their palaces in the design and skipping the name was the best option now. He'd apologize later if Mu Qing didn't like it. "I'm such an idiot."
♥.:➶:. 【♥】 .:➴:.♥
Mu Qing wasn't going to think about it.
It didn't matter. Not really. It was just a cat's name.
They were having a great evening before their wedding. The night was beautiful. His fiance was handsome. The cat was extra cuddly.
All the wedding plans were complete. Every box was checked off. Back-up plans were finalized. A list of subject changes was ready and memorized. No one would realize Mu Qing didn't know the cat's name. They wouldn't.
He had agreed to relax.
Unwind.
He wouldn't think about it.
He was going to focus on his fiance.
He would relax.
Feng Xin seemed to be enjoying himself in the courtyard. When they had the time, they would sit together under the stars and cuddle. They often said little of importance and found comfort in shared warmth.
Tonight the moon was large and full, casting a warm glow across his fiance who draped handsomely over Mu Qing's—their—settee. Feng Xin's adorable furball laid on his chest and kneaded expensive robes with sharp claws.
Feng Xin's smile was soft and he rumbled happily in response to the cat's rhythmic purrs. "Yeah? You had a good day today? Did you ruin any chairs?
"Not today," Mu Qing mused. He was forever grateful that the cat was allowed to spend his days beside Mu Qing in his office. If it had been the other way around, he wasn't sure he'd be as understanding to have his cat preferring Feng Xin's office suddenly.
"No? How about uniforms?" Feng Xin continued asking the cat.
In the evenings, Feng Xin liked to ask the fluffball about his day as if the cat would answer. He could only guess how long ago they'd established that routine.
He'll never understand how he didn't realize Feng Xin had a whole secret life with a cat of all creatures. The cat mattered greatly to Feng Xin who always brought him up now that they lived together. And he had eagerly agreed when Mu Qing suggested they include his cat in the wedding.
"He ruined one uniform today," Mu Qing supplied, "but it was a middle court official from Pei Ming's palace so it doesn't matter."
While plenty of toys were on hand in his office, the cat still loved causing mischief, often swatting at long robes or dangling accessories. Sometimes, if the cat didn't like someone, he would knock items off the shelves at them with his perfect little white paws. He'd quickly learned to store light-weight toys and innocuous items for the feline to knock down at his leisure.
"Oh, a Ming Guang official, huh? You did so good. Such a good boy deserves a reward, isn't that right, my little bun?"
Upon hearing the nickname, the "relaxing" Mu Qing couldn't take it anymore. His stress immediately amplified and his resolve crumbled.
"Feng Xin," Mu Qing huffed, "why do you never use his name?"
"What?" Feng Xin stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"You never call the cat by his name."
"Uh, well," Feng Xin said and then stammered a few syllables without forming actual words.
A paranoid thought struck Mu Qing. "You know, don't you? You've known this whole time and you're just tormenting me because I didn't admit to it."
Irritation bubbled up but he did his best to quell any real anger. This was Mu Qing's fault after all. He was the one who hadn't admitted to not knowing the cat's name. He was the one who had let it fester for months until it was too late to admit the truth.
"Wait, what? Known what?" Feng Xin sat up, placing the cat on his lap but not letting him go. The cat flicked his tail in annoyance but remained otherwise pliant.
"I know I should have said it right away, but I didn't want to disappoint you when everything was finally going so well with the move. And that was all for nothing because you've just been making fun of me this whole time." He felt like such an idiot. Why hadn't he just admitted it right away?
"Mu Qing? What are we even talking about? I promise I'm not making fun of anything."
Exasperated, Mu Qing snapped, "The cat!"
"What about the cat?" He looked down at the fluffball like he'd explain.
"His name."
Feng Xin's face flushed and he looked distinctly guilty. "His name?"
"Stop repeating everything I'm saying and just tell me his name already!" Mu Qing stood up because he couldn't have a good meltdown while seated next to his stupidly handsome and warm fiance. "I forgot, okay?! I have no idea what he's named and I admit it! I've been pretending! It's not that I don't like him, I just forgot!"
Feng Xin looked stupefied. "You forgot your own cat's name?"
"Now is not the time for all the what's mine is yours nonsense. I said I like him. He's cute. Damn it, I love him even if he ruins the furniture and leaves fur everywhere. I just forgot you even had a cat until you moved in."
"I had a cat?"
"If you repeat what I say one more time, Feng Xin—"
"But I thought he was your cat." Feng Xin held up the cat so they were face to face. "Whose cat are you?"
The cat provided no answer, only blinking leisurely at him with big golden eyes.
It was Mu Qing's turn to be stupefied. "Wait, what?"
Feng Xin looked at Mu Qing with his stupidly honest face. "I don't have a cat, Mu Qing. I thought he was yours."
Suddenly months of strange interactions recontextualized. All the questions and the weird game of chicken with saying the cat's name made sense now. Feng Xin wasn't trying to mess with him. He just hadn't known the answer to the question either. Mu Qing blinked hard. "You're serious."
"I'd been stressing out trying to figure out his name, you have no idea." Feng Xin nodded as if okay with the fact that they were both idiots and turned to the cat again. "Where did you come from, Mimi?"
Collapsing in a heap beside his fiance, Mu Qing tried to gather his wits. He couldn't believe they'd both been playing stupid games for months over a misunderstanding. They were marrying in the morning. It's not like they were going to brawl like old times over a simple mistake. They really were idiots.
"Come here, Qing'er." The heavy weight of Feng Xin's arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him into his chest.
He was eye level with the cat who had no concept of the ridiculousness that had just passed. Sighing, Mu Qing settled in to cuddle the pair. The bulky pec beneath his cheek and silky black fur beneath his fingers did wonders for his mood.
Well, he supposed, if his fiance was okay with their shared stupidity, he could be too. Rolling his eyes, Mu Qing said affectionately, "He can't tell us where he came from, moron."
"Hm." Feng Xin asked, "Okay, so how did this happen? When did he first show up?"
"The day you moved in your personal belongings," Mu Qing said. "I thought he was part of that."
The cat had been underfoot all day, and in retrospect, he realized he had been a little dirty and a little thinner. That could be expected because he was young and Nan Yang officials were ruffians for the most part.
Mu Qing had picked him up and fed him dried fish scraps to keep him from being trampled delaying the move. It took exactly one soft meow and one long purr pressed to his chest to adore the little thing.
"When I first saw him, he was cuddling with you, so I assumed he lived here. And he spends a lot of time in your office." Then Feng Xin frowned and flipped the cat over to look between his legs. "He's a she!"
Mu Qing rubbed his forehead. Of course they didn't even know the gender. "What do we do with her?"
"What do you mean? He—she's—been living here for months, they're ours now."
"Feng Xin, there aren't stray pets in heaven. For her to be here means that she belongs to someone." His heart squeezed painfully at that.
His fiance frowned. "Well, no one has been searching for a cat and there aren't any notices about it. So whoever had her probably doesn't care."
"But they might."
"Then we'll fight them," Feng Xin said stubbornly.
Mu Qing opened his mouth to tell Feng Xin how stupid the idea was but closed it. Thinking about some faceless god coming to claim a cat they didn't know was missing for months made him angry. Yeah, he'd fight them. Fuck them for abandoning his precious bun.
"Okay."
"Hear that? It's official, you're ours now," Feng Xin told the cat. "What do you want to be called?"
Mu Qing laughed more from relief than anything else and scratched the cat's chin. "She can't tell you."
"How about Fluffball? You don't mind when Mu Qing calls you that," Feng Xin continued.
"That's not a proper name."
Feng Xin thought for a moment. "Well, she has a crescent moon on her chest. How about Yueguang?"
"Moonlight, I like it."
"Hear that? You have a proper name now. Do you like it?"
The cat settled like liquid spilling over Feng Xin's chest without answering.
"Seems she has no objections." Mu Qing sighed lowly. "Hey, Feng Xin?"
"Yeah, baobei?"
"Let's not tell anyone about this." He'd never live down the embarrassment.
Feng Xin flushed. "Yeah, let's just keep this between us."
【♥】The end - Please see the next chapter for a brief epilogue!