Chapter 16: 14.2

Many people think that cooks would make themselves varied, elaborate and gourmet meals every day for pleasure.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. After a whole busy day, and a four hour long cooking marathon, Bai Yao would much rather do literally anything else. Stir-fried spinach and eggs with some rice on the side? That’s good enough.

After all is done, he washes the dishes and thoroughly cleans the kitchen one final time, before heading upstairs to sleep.

The little sea otter has learned how to slowly and safely climb upstairs. He’s still getting used to it, but he is able to put his webbed feet on the ground firmly as he makes his way up.

Slow, but at least now he can go up and downstairs on his own.

Bai Yao does not offer assistance either; upstairs, he stands at the entrance waiting for him patiently. When finally, the little sea otter makes it up the final step, he sits on the ground, and brushes his paws in front of himself, looking proud and praiseworthy.

“Too slow. Do it more quickly next time,” complains Bai Yao, yet petting him when turning around.

He grabs a change of clothes and showers, dreaming of his big, comfy bed, but when he walks out the bathroom, the sea otter is lying quietly by his bedroom door, looking at him, with a slightly expectant expression.

He’s like a puppy left out the door for the night. Soft and more than a little pitiful.

But Bai Yao didn’t think too much, busy with drying his hair and getting to sleep. He enters his room as he shuts the living room light.

“Tired, right? Go to sleep. Good night,” then he closes the door, and throws his towel on the chair, and gets onto the bed.

Silence envelops the second floor. There is no noise, not even the sound of the little sea otter walking back to his bedroom.

Bai Yao didn’t pay much attention, because he’s asleep mere seconds after falling onto the bed and pillow.

Though halfway through the night, some barely perceptible noise wakes Bai Yao up; the clock says it’s 3:30 in the morning. He scratches his head, annoyed, gets off the bed, and goes to get a glass of water.

With lights closed on the moonless night, he can’t see a thing outside; he heads out without trying for the light switch.

Unfortunately, he completely failed to notice what’s around his legs. He kicks right into a soft little puddle of fur. He’s tall and his legs only longer, making the kick rather severe. A whimper comes from the dark, as something quickly retreats from the point of contact.

Bai Yao is both spooked and almost loses his balance, and he ends up cussing, “oh fuck!”

He quickly reaches his hands around for the light switch, turning it on, and after getting used to the brightness, the little sea otter is there, right by the door where he was.

He shrinks some more, seemingly worried Bai Yao would kick him again.

Woken up before his biological clock and almost tripping over has made Bai Yao scour. He really wants to scold the little sea otter for not sleeping and instead leaning on his door for no reason. Yet, the little sad pile of curled up sea otter with eyes shut and tail rolled up to protect himself is too precious for his misplaced anger.

“Does it hurt?” He crouches in front of the sea otter, “let me see?”

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It seems his looming image still lingers, and the sea otter shudders, trying to shrink some more. His eyes are still shut, and he is trembling quite severely.

“I didn’t kick you in the joybits, did I?”

Bai Yao is a little bewildered. Did he kick him that hard? In any case, he slowly extends his hand until he touches the fur on the sea otter’s head. He tries to soothe him, “shhh, it’s fine. Let me see.”

Bai Yao has to keep smoothing the sea otter’s fur for a while before he finally relaxes.

Well, ‘relax,’ but his eyes remain firmly closed, too scared to open, and he is even covering them with his paws in the end.

A little coward like a scaredy turtle, huh. Bai Yao almost chuckles, then lifts the little turtle by the armpits and turns him around, letting him lie on his back. Then he tries to feel for where he might have kicked him.

Sea otter fur is too thick and dense for Bai Yao to identify if there is a bruise. Actually, he’s not even sure if he saw any actual skin. There is only more strands of fur beneath strands of fur.

Finally, he gives up, and just asks, “does it still hurt?”

The little sea otter slowly opens his eyes back up, but a few seconds later, he shakes his head a little, and puts his paw on Bai Yao’s hand, like he’s telling him it’s ok.

He’s the one who got kicked who-knows-where, and yet he’s trying to soothe the ‘perpetrator’s worry. It’s almost tearjerkingly tragic.

Bai Yao sighs, and just starts massaging the sea otter over the general area where he probably kicked. He slowly relaxes under Bai Yao’s arms, and he closes his eyes again, relaxing and softening into marshmallow ready to melt under the balmy summer sun.

Clearly, the little sea otter enjoys the massage. A while later, he squeaks and heaves in comfort.

When Bai Yao stops, he seems unhappy. He hugs Bai Yao’s hands and puts them back on his own body – somewhere that was definitely not kicked.

His eyes say ‘please ruffle for me some more.’

So Bai Yao gives him a few more cursory movements, “alright, it’s done. Now go back to sleep.”

Though when he gets up, the little sea otter is still lying there, and he adds, “be a good boy now, ok?”

The little sea otter still doesn’t move, though. He looks up at Bai Yao, observing, before stepping on his feet with his webbed feet, reaching up, that he could put his head in Bai Yao’s hand.

“You want more pets? What if all your hair falls off?” Bai Yao obliges, while pushing him towards the guest storeroom, “now sleep. We can pet more tomorrow.”

The little sea otter moves slowly reluctantly towards his sleeping area. Finally, when he sees Bai Yao not coming for him at all, he finally enters the room and pushes the door shut with his little head.

Bai Yao has already turned back around, so he does not spot the fright and disappointment in the sea otter at that moment.

Back in the bedroom, on the bed, Bai Yao suddenly remembers he wanted a glass of water seconds before he falls back asleep.

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