Jianyu shook the water off his fur. It had been sprinkling earlier, and he’d hopped out of his apartment window to catch some of the rainwater on his tongue. He soon realized that was a terrible idea, because the rainwater tasted like acid. Still, by then he was out and about, slinking through back alleys and getting a better feel for the new place he now called home. Crouching down, he leapt up several feet, pushing off back-and-forth between the two adjacent building walls until he reached the rooftop.
He whisked his two tails satisfyingly. It felt good to stretch out his furrier form. Jianyu was huli jing, or a fox spirit. Two weeks ago, he’d decided to move to NYC. And live the starving artist life. The second part was less of a choice and more of a harsh reality. He had ideas about making a living as a writer, and indeed he had short stories waiting on his hard drive to be published. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had much luck with publishing houses and online literary magazines lately. Such a shame that Chinese high fantasy and xianxia didn’t seem to be in style in the States these days. It’s only a matter time, Jianyu thought sardonically. Hopefully the hype builds up soon.
The wind shifted, and Jianyu tensed, sensing something coming from behind him. It was moving fast. Just as he turned around, that something wooshed across the air over him.
Jianyu turned back around, his eyes lighting up. He caught the scent of spider silk, morning dew, and… cinnamon? And glimpsed a suit that would be red and blue if he weren’t colorblind. Anyways. Spider-Man! Jianyu yipped, and without a second thought, he gave chase.
Jianyu’s inhibitions were loosened when he was in fox form. That was his story, and he was sticking with it. Otherwise, how would he have such nerve to go bother a superhero for no other reason than boredom?
***
An hour later, Jianyu was back in bed, feeling extremely content. He hadn’t had so much fun in ages. And he'd noticed Spider-Man's shoulders had gotten less and less tense as the night wore on, as Jianyu had continued play-fighting with him and demanding more pets. Honestly, good deed of the day unlocked, thought Jianyu sleepily.
The comforting scent of spider silk, morning dew, a hint of cinnamon lingered. Jianyu wouldn’t have thought such a combination could work so well, but honestly it was breath of fresh air that cut through the dank mugginess of NYC.
***
“Authorities are still looking into how the fire started. No deaths have been reported, and those suffering from minor injuries have been hospitalized.” The TV screen showed footage of Spiderman busting out of a fifth, sixth floor window with three people hanging onto him. He swung and landed back on ground, depositing his passengers down gently.
Jianyu glanced back down at the coffee cup in his hand, continuing to write out the previous customer’s name before handing it to John, who was making the order. The bell above the coffeshop door rang, signaling the arrival of another customer.
Spider silk, morning dew, a hint of cinnamon. And smoke?
Jianyu looked over quickly. No wayyyyy. The huli jing in him perked up, wanting more pats and ear rubs and midnight chases. Down boy, Jianyu told himself sternly. More time for that later.
Spider-Man had kept his head down, but finally looked up when he reached the counter.
Spider-Man has really nice eyes, was Jianyu’s first thought. Something tugged in Jianyu’s chest. Those dark circles though. He should really be getting more rest. I should let him rest more. The lingering scent of smoke tickled Jianyu’s nose again. “Hi there,” Jianyu said aloud, with a genuine smile instead of the perfunctory ones he usually gave. “What can I get for you today?”
Spider-Man blinked, before giving a shy smile back. “I think I’ll have a—” Spider-Man paused. He was staring intently at Jianyu’s chest, his brow furrowed.
Jianyu looked down, wondering if he’d spilled something. All he saw was his name tag.
“Sorry.” Spider-Man cleared his throat and looked back up. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “One shot of espresso please. And a medium black coffee.”
“One of those days, huh? Coming right up.” Jianyu grabbed two cups and a marker. “Can I get your name?”
“It’s Peter.” He hesitated for a moment before asking, “And yours?”
“Malik Jianyu Sun.” He grinned. His tails would be wagging if he were in fox form. “But you can just call me MJ.”