Help! I'm the Plot Device: Just Here to Save the Heroes

Hangovers, Head Rubs, and Hidden Talents"

Jerry's breath hitched. "S-system, prepare my casket..." He tried to slip away, inch by inch, but before he could get off the bed, a strong hand shot out and clamped around his wrist.

Yan An's lashes fluttered open, revealing eyes glinting with lazy arrogance. His voice was low, dangerous, still husky from sleep.
"Where did you think you were going?"

Jerry froze. "...Y-yao... daren..."

Yan An sat up with a stretch, the sheets slipping off broad shoulders, his neck cracking with languid ease. Jerry stumbled back, nearly falling off the mattress.

"You're heavy," Yan An muttered, rolling his shoulders as if nothing were amiss.

Jerry didn't dare move a hair.

Swallowing, he tried for composure. "Yao daren... why... why are you here?"

Instead of answering, Yan An sauntered back to the bed instead, sat down, and idly pushed at the string of decorative beads hanging from the canopy, his posture all lazy dominance. "Do you remember what you did last night?"

Jerry's head shook furiously. "N-no?" He whispered to the system, "What happened?"

The system's voice was ice. How bold of you to ask, host. Do you want me to replay the highlights?

Fragments slammed into Jerry's mind-him drunkenly scratching Yan An's chin, calling him "kitty," his hand sliding down a very firm chest, his forehead rubbing against Yan An's head before patting the man's chest like a pillow. And finally-curling into him, fingers hooked around his neck, sleeping soundly.

"...Wonderful," Jerry muttered weakly.

Yan An's eyes narrowed. "You breached my territory. Do you even know what that means? Touching a cat's vulnerable points without permission?"

Jerry swallowed, his finger twitching as he pointed dumbly. "Your... chest?"

"No." Yan An's gaze sharpened, voice dropping into a purr that felt more dangerous than soft. "My head."

Jerry's mind reeled. Neo's words surfaced like a death knell-Head, one of the vulnerable parts of a cat. They don't just let anyone touch it. It's their scent-marking ground, their territory. They rub with their head and chin to mark their territory or invite you into their circle. It's like claiming you as a part of their group. Family. Territory."

Jerry gulped audibly, throat dry.

Yan An tilted his head, studying him like prey caught in his claws.
"You must be very bold, or very stupid... to breach a cat's territory. So what should I do with you."

Jerry's knees nearly buckled under Yan An's stare. "Yao daren, really-I was drunk, very drunk. If I offended you, I'll... I'll crawl under the bed for three days, no food, no water!" He clasped his hands together and bowed so low his forehead nearly hit the sheets. "I'll never, ever touch your head again-just... just don't kill me!"

A knock jolted him upright.

"Yichen?" Yuanzhou's calm voice floated through the door.

Jerry's blood drained. He spun back to Yan An, whispering frantically. "Please, just go! Or at least-at least turn into a cat or something!"

Yan An tilted his head, "You want me to turn into a cat after all of this."

Jerry panicked covering Yan An's mouth, "Shhh.. please don't make noise." With trembling fingers, he reached out and scratched under Yan An's chin, then brushed over his head. For the briefest second, the man's eyes fluttered half-closed, the corners of his mouth softening-like a cat melting into a pet.