Birthday Extra 3: Fox Baby
Inside the bathroom:
Looking at his ears and tail, Jiang Qing honestly didn’t know where to start.
He looked rather helplessly at his reflection in the mirror.
That pair of russet-brown fox ears sensitively captured the sound of the running water and the echoes in the bathroom, amplifying them several times over compared to usual, which made him quite uncomfortable.
He carefully avoided the inner auricles, which seemed exceptionally sensitive.
The most troublesome part was that tail. Once the fluffy fur was soaked through with water, it plastered tightly to his skin, revealing the contour of the tailbone hidden beneath the thick fur—thinner than he had imagined.
He clumsily tried to rub body wash onto the tail. The slippery texture and the tail’s involuntary squirming made him almost lose his grip. During rinsing, as the water flowed over the tailbone, it brought a strange shiver, and the tip of the tail curled up uncontrollably.
“So… troublesome.” Frowning, he looked at the disobedient tail that kept trying to dodge the water. For the first time, he felt a sliver of genuine annoyance toward his new form.
This was completely different from the “mutation” he had envisioned; all that was left was the awkward embarrassment of not even being able to shower properly.
He could faintly hear the deliberately lowered voices chatting outside the door. A vein popped on Jiang Qing’s temple, and he decisively turned the showerhead to maximum volume.
Taking a deep breath, he resigned himself to battling his own tail, deciding to end this as quickly as possible.
—————————
Life is full of surprises everywhere.
Jiang Qing felt this phrase was extremely fitting for right now.
Holding his dripping wet tail, he looked at the people in front of him.
“What… are you guys trying to do?”
“Wait… hold on! I’ll do it myself!!!!!”
Looking at the group of people eagerly waiting to help blow-dry him, Jiang Qing finally felt like he had fallen into a wolf’s den.
Song Lingchen had already picked Jiang Qing up horizontally.
“Aiya, Qingqing, just leave these small tasks to us.”
“Fuck you!!! Song you idiot, put me down!!!!” Jiang Qing punched Song Lingchen’s shoulder, but a child’s strength posed zero threat. Because of his struggling, his wet tail whipped around, splashing water all over Jiang Linmu’s face.
“Aiyo!” Jiang Linmu wiped his face. Instead of getting angry, his eyes grew even brighter.
Jiang Yu frowned slightly, taking the fiercely thrashing Jiang Qing from Song Lingchen’s hands and holding him steadily in his arms. He said in a deep voice: “Don’t move around, be careful not to fall.”
Being held by his brother, Jiang Qing settled down a bit temporarily, but his mouth didn’t stop:
“This is illegal imprisonment! Plus molestation of a minor!”
Su Lin had already plugged in the hair dryer, adjusting it to a gentle heat and airspeed. He retorted with a perfectly straight face:
“According to Criminal Law, the crime of molesting a child requires the purpose of stimulating or satisfying sexual desires. Our current actions, judging from subjective intent and objective manifestation, lean more towards… nursing care.”
Jiang Linmu nodded frantically beside him. Clenching a pet deshedding brush tightly in his hand, his gaze burned with passion: “Yes, yes, yes! It’s nursing care! Brother, your tail being wet must be so uncomfortable, we’re helping you dry it!”
Shen Zhize handed over a bottle of pet-specific fur-conditioning spray, supposedly with softening and volumizing effects.
Looking at this group of people armed with various “tools,” rubbing their hands together, and looking ready for a big project, Jiang Qing despairingly realized that he probably couldn’t escape this time.
He was firmly secured in his brother’s arms. The warm air was already blowing onto the back of his head, while several other pairs of hands were eagerly reaching toward his ears and that tail…
He closed his eyes in grief and indignation.
A bunch of perverts.
——————————————————
Jiang Qing finally managed to endure through it, though undeniably, the service was indeed professional.
But he couldn’t bring himself to be happy at all.
Right now, sporting a head of soft, fluffy hair personally blow-dried by Jiang Yu, he hugged his completely dry and comfortable tail to his chest with a death grip. Curled up in the farthest corner of the sofa, he swept a defensive and accusatory glare at the several “perverts” surrounding him.
Varying degrees of satiation and longing lingered on their faces.
“So… you guys can get lost now, right?” Jiang Qing issued the eviction order without an ounce of politeness.
“Um… I think we should first…”
“3…”
“1…”
“Right away, right away!!!” The group scrambled out of the room in a panic.
Seeing them leave, Jiang Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just now, having his ears and tail touched by several pairs of hands… especially his tail! An indescribable heat surged through his body.
Waves of undeniable numbness spread from the base of his tail, crawling quietly up his spine, making his heartbeat falter slightly.
Jiang Qing buried his face into his knees, holding his tail tightly in his arms, his fingertips aimlessly plucking at the soft fur at the tip.
What exactly is going on? Could this… also be one of the side effects of shrinking? Or could it be…
He shook his head, not daring to think too deeply.
But very soon, a wave of drowsiness hit him.
Jiang Qing didn’t overthink it, lying back on the pillow and falling asleep.
Outside the door, the group who hadn’t truly gone far listened to the noises inside gradually dying down, exchanging glances.
“Is he asleep?” Jiang Linmu asked in a whisper.
Jiang Yu made a shushing gesture, gently pushing the door open a crack. By the faint light from the hallway, they could see the small silhouette curled up motionless on the sofa. His tail rested loosely by his side, rising and falling slightly with his steady breathing.
He carefully closed the door, turning to the others and lowering his voice:
“He’s asleep.”
Everyone sighed in relief simultaneously, but none showed any intention of leaving.
“I’m still worried,” Shen Zhize spoke first, sliding down against the wall next to the door to sit. “What if he changes again in the middle of the night, or has a nightmare?”
Song Lingchen scratched his head, simply lying flat on the carpet with his hands behind his head: “Wouldn’t be able to sleep if I went back anyway, might as well stay here and stand guard.”
Su Lin retrieved a few light blankets from somewhere and handed them to the two sitting on the floor.
Jiang Linmu looked at this one, then that one, and finally looked at his eldest brother, Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu remained silent for a moment, walked over to the single armchair, and sat down. His gaze remained fixed in the direction of the door crack as he said in a low voice, “Rest in shifts, keep quiet.”
Without further words, the group found their respective spots to settle down in this area connecting the hallway and the living room. Carpet, wall, armchair… their postures varied, yet all maintained a tacit agreement to guard that door.
In the dead of night, only a few steady breathing sounds intertwined. Occasionally, when a faint sound of someone tossing and turning came from inside the room, or the rustle of a tail unconsciously sweeping by, the few people resting with their eyes closed outside would snap open their eyes in alert simultaneously. They would listen intently until confirming the breathing inside had grown long and steady again, only then relaxing once more.
The moonlight filtered through the window, shallowly illuminating this corner.
And inside the room, completely oblivious to all this, Jiang Qing hugged his own tail, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly in his sleep. It seemed he was having a rather good dream.
—— Birthday Extra Fox Baby (End) ——
[Author’s Note: I’ll leave the thanks for the donated gifts to the next chapter. Today’s author note is dedicated to wishing Qingqing a Happy Birthday!
My original idea was to have the group sleep with Jiang Qing but be very inappropriate. But on second thought, I realized that wouldn’t work. It would make them seem like perverts (BT) even though they already are.
But I want their love for Jiang Qing to be something more than just blatantly possessing and expressing it. Instead, the motive behind all my actions stems from you, not me. I can suppress this love for you if I don’t know whether it will bring you trouble. I will always stay by your side. Even if you don’t respond to me.
If the object of their secret crush were anyone else, this secret crush would turn into a chaotic mess for one person, but sorry, the object is Jiang Qing. Jiang Qing can read everyone’s intentions and sense everyone’s love. If the other party gives sincerely, he will treat them with sincerity in return.]
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