Chapter Text
This monster really is an idiot!
Shen Jiu wants to cry because the brute of a thing doesn’t know how to do anything but grunt, walk awkwardly and bring Shen Jiu nasty bits of food. It’s all mushy and liquidity, making his tongue feel all weird and icky… but then again, it does make him full… but–! But then, the monster makes some weird noises that suppose to be words and Shen Jiu can’t understand him, so he concludes: The monster is an idiot. With these thoughts, Shen Jiu knows that if he can run away, the monster will probably not know where he is. At least, Shen Jiu thinks, by now, those scarier men wouldn’t have been hunting for him now. No one would be able to find him— and though it makes him think about Yue Qi, he had to bite the thought back.
Well…
… Shen Jiu hesitates.
“I don’t want to be here anymore.” When he says this, the monster looks up from its spot, all hunched over a pile of rocks, with what appeared to be shaven pieces at his feet. He hasn’t figured out a name yet, but, he has decided on Rock-gege. Rock-gege has a thing for, well, rocks, and being dumb of course, but he always tried to bring Shen Jiu a bunch of rocks with funny lines all over them. like faces or… words. Words, Shen Jiu can’t read– he doesn’t know how to, now, but when he learns, he thinks the stuff Rock-gege has said wasn’t smart. Rock-gege huffs, then stood up quickly, whacking its head against the cave walls.
Shen Jiu twists his arm above his head, nose twitching. “I stink, you know.”
“Huh.”
“I want a bath, we all can’t be like you, and stink everywhere.”
Rock-gege pauses, mimicking Shen Jiu’s action, and sniffs at himself, before recoiling. Shen Jiu laughs at him, holding his belly as he falls back against the leaf bed. His throat is a bit scratchy as he laughs, and he chokes on his spit twice as he cackles.
“Bah.”
“Bath? Say it, bath.”
Rock-gege grunts, annoyance in his movements. When he’s annoyed, or frustrated, he walks a little heavier and his sharp teeth grate together, making a slight, ringing noise that makes Shen Jiu cringe a bit, the sound dancing up his spine unpleasantly and making his teeth ache like he’s eaten something too sugary. Rock-gege ducks down, swooping Shen Jiu into his arms. Shen Jiu expected an edge— sharpness to the touch, but it’s softer instead… even slightly… pudgy? There’s muscle but it’s soft and squishy, and Shen Jiu can’t help but shift, so he can bury his face into it… surprisingly, that action made him fall asleep right away and when he awoke, the boy was outside, listening to the sound of a river flowing through rocks and birds chirping to one another in a slightly silly tune Shen Jiu liked.
Rock-gege lets him down but hovers close enough that Shen Jiu could feel the monster’s body heat. He ignores it in favor of awkwardly stripping down as much as he could without being completely naked, and stepping into the water. It’s freezing cold– it makes Shen Jiu jolt backward, stumble on grass, and flips down on his butt. It stings, there’s water all over and he thrashes before he realizes he’s fine. Rock-gege laughs at him, before dipping into the water with Shen Jiu, after removing its… pants.
Shen Jiu stares, trying to figure out why it wore pants when it just looks like its legs were made out of iron and flesh!
“Rock-gege, you stand over there. We don’t have soap, but I’m going to take a very long bath.” And with that, Shen Jiu tilts his head and sinks into the water. Against the warm breeze, the dip was refreshing– occasionally, a stick would float by and Shen Jiu would try to grab it with his toes, giggling the whole time. Then at times, his mind would wander to Yue Qi. He turned on his side, enough to the point, grimacing when water pressed at his ear. Rock-gege was mindlessly staring into space, the water drifting through his hands. “Rock-gege?”
“Hh.”
“I want to go back home.”
Home– where he didn’t exactly have one, but Yue Qi was there, and they always promised to be together. They would have each other's back, no matter the circumstance— besides, Yue Qi was most definitely worried about him being gone for so long, right?
“Hum…?” Rock-gege asks.
“Home.” Shen Jiu pauses. “It’s not much. I live on the streets.”
Rock-gege’s teeth grind together.
“You live in a cave!” Shen Jiu hisses, flipping onto his back. “...It’s an okay cave, by the way.”
For a monster.
Rock-gege doesn’t respond right away, instead, standing up and stretches. Without the cave to hold him back, Shen Jiu realizes that his Rock-gege was pretty big— his height blocks out the sun, and on his back, those ‘wings’-- batlike apendages that widen across the river, grazing at the grass on each side. He’s so big and downright frightening, that Shen Jiu has to swallow back actual fear. If Rock-gege wanted him dead, he would’ve been eaten already, right? Shen Jiu hurriedly gets out of the water, wringing his hair out, bottom lip bit as he tried to ignore the smothering anxiety.
“Shhn…” Rock-gege begins, redressed and sopping wet. He holds out his hands, seemingly three times the size of Shen Jiu’s. “Shhn.”
Shen Jiu scowled. “What do you want?” He flips his hair back, hesitating briefly before Rock-gege huffs, and crouches down low. Rock-gege motions his back, then tucks his fingers together, pressed against the ground. Shen Jiu takes a moment to realize it— Rock-gege wants Shen Jiu on his back, and he doesn’t mind, but…
Shen Jiu does it anyways, head ducked as he’s effortlessly lifted up. His hands clamp down on Rock-gege’s shoulder, his eyes wide as the monster stood up.
Well… Rock-gege wasn’t exactly dumb if he thought of this…
Shen Jiu didn’t know what to grab, however. He was scared to touch the wings, they looked a bit sharp too, and Rock-gege didn’t exactly have hair… but he had horns… though, Shen Jiu realized, they weren’t curved back for him to hold. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Rock-gege’s neck and clung tightly.
“I don’t want to go to the cave.” Shen Jiu murmured. “Are you going to take me home? Do you even know where it is?”
Rock-gege tilts his head. “Nn.”
“No, right? Okay then, I’ll tell you where.”
He thinks it wouldn’t be that bad. Rock-gege wasn’t a bad monster, just a silly one.