Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Today has to be the unluckiest day of Soobin’s life.

Choi Soobin—23, full time student, part time baker—lives a typical, boring life that tends to be incredibly unlucky even on the best days.

For him, when it rains, it pours. 

He is exhausted after a long day of unfortunate events one after another, from oversleeping his alarm and rushing late to his pre-opening shift at the bakery and spilling his free coffee of the day on the way out, to losing his wallet in between lectures meaning not only was he unable to buy himself a meal to quell his empty rumbling stomach, but also that he had to visit the bank and local district office to reapply for his cards and ID, both with wait times that took a good hour each.

He finally walks home at the end of it all, an hour and a half-long trek that has him mournfully questioning his decision to live so far from campus. This late in the summer it is disgustingly humid even in the evening, and he dubiously eyes the pitch black clouds gathering quickly overhead. 

There are thunderstorm warnings on the forecast every day, but he has yet to see one actually strike as predicted. A strong wind ruffles the trees lining the sidewalk, and gives him a little relief from the stuffy heat, and when a few drops of rain splatter around him and ping off the nearby bike rack, he sighs heavily as he gloomily assumes today would be the day they get it right.

It isn’t long before the sky rumbles and those ominous black clouds grow in mass, the blustery hot wind tugging at his shirt and throwing his hair into his eyes in a way that signals a deluge is iminent.

Soobin hurriedly wears his backpack on his front and hunches over it protectively as he scurries along to find the closest bus stop. This day is turning out to be one for the books.

The rain starts before he reaches it, drenching him from head to toe as if a shower head was turned on. Thankfully the narrow space under the bus shelter is unoccupied on this little neighborhood street, and any other unfortunate passersby are tucked under umbrellas as they rush on their way. Soobin fits his tall, lanky form in the driest space of the bus stop he can manage. With the way the wind sends raindrops sideways into his shelter, it doesn’t count for much. 

Waterdrops from his soaking hair dribble uncomfortably down his neck, sending him into intermittent full-body shivers as the temperature drops a few degrees.

Rain thunders against the glass roof and runs in rivers along the bumpy cobblestone sidewalk, thoroughly ensuring his socks and shoes are fully soaked to leave him a quaking, miserable, bedraggled heap.

But maybe not as miserable as the single other occupant seeking shelter at the stop.

Soobin doesn’t realize where the low whimpering sound is coming from right away, the loud pounding of raindrops and rush of passing traffic drowning out most of the world, but when the sound persists he realizes it’s quite close and coming from underneath the bench beside him. Dipping down to see, he finds a drenched bundle of grayish fur tucked into the back corner under the seat, the little creature shivering visibly as it’s unable to avoid the growing puddle of water flooding their refuge.

The drumming of raindrops and the unpleasant cling of wet fabric on his body all fades away into the background as he meets a pair of big, dark round eyes. It’s a puppy with its fur plastered to its small body, crying in its throat as it gazes up at him with soulful eyes. 

Soobin’s heart melts all at once and he slowly drops to his knees in front of the bench, water sloshing alarmingly as he disturbs the puddle. He is already soaked and he couldn’t care less.

The dog doesn’t make a break for it as he gives it attention, just huddles in place whining and shivering and utterly pitiful. Soobin carefully places his backpack up on the seat so he can better curl down and offer one hand to sniff. To his pleasant surprise the little thing doesn’t shy away, just lets him approach, the horrible sound it’s making abruptly going quiet the second his fingertips make contact with cold, wet fur. It’s encouraging, and getting the poor thing into his arms and home where he can get it warm and dry is the only thing on his mind.

“Hey, pretty thing,” he murmurs in a low, soothing voice as he runs his fingers down its head, smoothing the wet fur and scratching gently at a floppy little ear. “Shh, it’s okay, I’m gonna help you. I’ll get you safe and dry, okay?”

The dog blinks at him, continuing to let itself be pet, and he coos and praises it constantly as he eases both hands around its trembling body and lifts it from its hiding place and into the safety of his arms without protest. He beams with accomplishment as it snuggles into his chest, carefully curling it into the crook of his elbow so that its legs are secure. The way it heaves for each breath and barely warms his ribs as he wraps the flapping edge of his shirt around it makes him soft with the urge to protect it.

It’s bigger than he thought, probably not a baby, and even though its fur is matted with dirt and so waterlogged it’s a filthy gray, he thinks it’s actually white. It’s probably a Maltese, which are the most popular with the ahjummas these days, and even though his searching fingers don’t turn up a collar, it’s most likely microchipped and he’ll be able to locate the owner if he brings it to the vet. Any pet hospitals in the area are no doubt closed at this hour, and he strangely doesn’t want to entrust the care of it overnight to some doctor who might not care as much as Soobin does.

He shouldn’t even care about someone’s lost pet at all, but Soobin is a bleeding heart for cute little creatures, especially when they are in need of help he is more than able to provide.

He forgets all about his earlier complaints over his lousy day, just tucks his backpack into his body with his other arm and leans over his precious cargo as he sets out into the rain that has slackened a bit from merciless pelting into a dreary, steady pour.

Maybe his luck was so rotten today for this very reason—to find and rescue this little one.

It’s not so unlucky, after all.

His little wet bundle has warmed considerably when he finally squelches up the stairs to his apartment thirty minutes later, the sweet way the dog trusts him and lets him carry her without complaint further giving credit to his running theory that she’s a pampered house-puppy that’s used to riding in her own personal stroller rather than walk on perfectly serviceable dog feet. Even though he is already half in love with her, he’s sure her owner must be beside themselves with worry over losing her on a stormy night, and reuniting them will be his first plan of action tomorrow.

He will deal with that tomorrow, but for now he is stupidly excited that gets to be the one to care for her.

He just hopes that Yeonjun doesn’t mind too much.

He keys in the code and enters his home with a full body sigh of relief to be back at last. The motion sensor light ticks on as he stands dripping in the entry, and he breaks into a smile as the familiar tiny pattering of feet proceeds his favorite orange ball of fur. Yeonjun trots eagerly down the hall to welcome him with a plaintive meow as if asking what took him so long. The sound has the dog cradled under his shirt jerking and perking up from the quiet doze she was in.

The second her face pokes out from around the shield of Soobin’s shirt, Yeonjun leaps backwards theatrically as if he has been shocked, skittering halfway down the hall and sliding on the floorboards when the dog barks shrilly. Soobin startles at the display then laughs loudly when the cat puffs up all over in blatant offense, ears flattened to his head and lips peeling back to deliver the newcomer the loudest, most aggressive hiss Soobin has ever heard him utter. 

Actually, it’s the first hiss he’s ever heard him utter, and he’s both shocked and entertained.

“Shh, Junnie, baby,” he calls as he toes off his disgusting, wet shoes. The dog seems to be vibrating in his arms. “It’s just a puppy I found drowning in the rain. She’s not gonna hurt you.”

Yeonjun seems to fully disagree, hissing again with his tail all puffed up to an alarming size that Soobin honestly was unaware he was capable of. He looks like an angry cartoon, and as cute as he is, Soobin is chafing in his clothes and is worried about his new stray, and soothing his feline affronts can come later. Before he can say another word, the complacent dog in his arms suddenly comes to life, wriggling out of his hold and leaping free to land on the floorboard with a loud clatter of toenails, yelping loudly and lunging for Junnie as if the fluffy, hissing housecat is a playmate.

Yeonjun lets out a sound that borders a scream and pelts from the hall, the wet bundle of gray dog dashing after him, and Soobin shouts in alarm as he runs after them.

A comical chase around his one bedroom apartment ensues, the pair of animals unable to get much traction on the hardwood floor, which has them slipping and sliding, hilariously running in place around every turn. 

Yeonjun looks properly terrified, while the puppy looks like it’s all fun and games.

Then his angry ball of orange attempts to evade his pursuer by leaping up and over the sofa which sends pillows flying and the dog to leave dirty wet pawprints on the material after him, before dashing into the bedroom to squeeze under the bed only to pop out the other side and scramble for the door again as she easily follows him. 

Soobin braces himself in the doorway, letting Junnie flash between his spread legs, then drops to his knees to both block the way and catch her as the Maltese flies towards him in pursuit. He catches her up easily, she’s much slower than his nimble cat, and quickly carries the yapping, squirming thing to deposit her into the bathroom.

He snaps the door shut and ignores the instant whining and loud scratches on the other side as he whirls around again to look for Yeonjun.

The cat is poised in the very center of the living room, shoulders hunched and back arched and what seems to be every strand of fur on his body standing on end to make him look twice his size. His big blue eyes are blown dark and glaring as he stares Soobin down in a way he has never been confronted with before. He huffs a little to catch his breath and waits for the fight to leave the cat, but the loud crying and frantic pawing coming from behind the door obviously makes it difficult for Yeonjun to calm down and ignore the fact that Soobin just brought an unwelcome guest into his territory.

Soobin always thought Yeonjun was a mild and easygoing pet, always ready for a cuddle and physical affection and hardly batting an eye when Soobin screamed and flailed about while gaming with Kai, but apparently a dog is where he draws the line. Soobin has never seen him look or sound like this, and he feels guilty for assuming his baby would understand his actions as if he was a human and not a well-mannered cat. 

It doesn’t matter that Soobin swears the cat understands every word when he pours his heart and soul to him in quiet moments cuddling on the sofa or in bed, the way he purrs comfortingly whenever Soobin hits rock bottom and hides his many tears in soft fur. When it comes down to it, all of that is him projecting the human understanding and love he is lacking in his life on a creature who has no choice but to listen to and love him. 

Of course his pampered cat would be upset by a random dog entering his home to chase him.

“Junnie,” he calls in a sweet voice. “It’s okay, baby, I won’t let her touch you. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

Yeonjun is as still as a statue, his eyes fixed on Soobin as if in betrayal, flinching and cringing back slightly when Soobin takes a single step towards him. His heart flips over at the sight, never having seen his baby look at him like this.

Right now before him is just a cat reacting instinctively in a way that means he only cares about saving his own skin and the perceived threat to his territory. He doesn’t care about Soobin’s intentions or feelings.

“Junnie,” he says again, soft and cajoling. He’s almost afraid to approach him and he feels awful. “She was out on the street in the rain, and I’m gonna get her dry then find her owner again tomorrow. It’s just for one night, sweetie, I promise.”

Yeonjun puffs up even bigger, his face scrunching into another angry face before a low hiss slips between bared teeth as if he actually understood Soobin’s words—like always—and before Soobin is over the shock of feeling like the aggression is aimed at him, the cat turns tail and flees into the bedroom. Soobin watches him go with his heart sinking, feeling like the worst person ever as he moves to shut the door after him and keep him safely shut in the room in case the dog slips free and tries to chase him again, and turns his attention to the animal having a full on meltdown inside the bathroom.

The sheer volume of the howl that tiny thing can produce is truly astounding, and Soobin is thankful that the apartment beside his is still empty between tenants or he’d be facing noise complaints for sure.

Even though he feels bad for upsetting Junnie, not only does the dog no doubt have an owner, after seeing Yeonjun’s adverse reaction he rejects any tentative thoughts of keeping the puppy if it turns out she actually is a stray. The happiness of his fluffy, orange baby comes first, no matter how cute those big brown eyes are.

Every single fiber of his being is tested again the moment he opens the door and is actually faced with those big, brown eyes though, begging him for attention and love. They look even cuter in the bright light of the bathroom, and the way the dog shuts up immediately and promptly hops up on her hind legs to paw at Soobin’s knees threatens his resolve to hunt down her true owner. Why is she so cute?

Soobin sighs, and drops to one knee, his hand fitting over her skull and smoothing down her back all the way to the furiously wagging tail. He has only known the thing for all of an hour and already she looks utterly delighted to see him, and it’s so completely different from his first meeting with Yeonjun at the pet shop so many years ago.

It took patience and dedication to break through the cat’s aloof disinterest, but whenever he looks back he sees that it was the feline’s way of protecting himself and testing Soobin’s heart before committing. However once Yeonjun deemed him trustworthy, he gave himself over body and soul. It is all the more meaningful and precious because he had to earn it, and Soobin would never do anything to minimize that.

He has to be strong and resist this dog’s charms.

“Okay, calm down you little menace. I can’t even be angry with you, you’re so cute,” he chastises half-heartedly, petting and stroking the thing, her whole body vibrating and obviously enjoying his gentle pets. “Let’s get you washed and dried, hmm?” he says through a growing smile. Those tail wags should be illegal.

Yeonjun must have taken a nap on the cool bathroom tiles again to beat the heat as he spies a familiar scattering of orange hairs around the drain. He washes them down and grabs up the cat shampoo as the puppy dances around the bathroom excitedly and attempts to drink from the nozzle. He lets her, then breaks into a grin as instead of avoiding the spray of water, the dog eagerly leans right into it instead, splashing around as if she wasn’t just attempting to hide from the rain under a bench.

Contrary to Yeonjun’s elaborate bathing routine, washing this little bundle of energy is a bit of a disaster that has him both laughing and despairing as soapy suds slap against the tiled walls and all over his sopping clothes before he decides to just shuck his shirt and pants and join in the wash up.

The warm shower feels like a dream to his chilled body, and after he has thoroughly washed away all the dirt to discover that yes, the dog is actually very white, and that also she is actually a he, he quickly spends a few minutes washing his own hair clean as well while the dog continues to jump up on his legs, tongue lolling and eager for more pats.

He’s so affectionate and obviously used to human touch and pampering even despite the long shag to his coat, the overgrown nails, and other signs of the lack of grooming. 

Maybe he has been lost for a while...or worse, abandoned.

As much as that idea pains him deeply, once he has the bouncing thing blow dried and wrapped in a towel for extra warmth, when he presses his face into the fluffy white cloud of fur to inhale, the scent of Yeonjun’s shampoo hits his nose and his heart aches. He truly regrets that he can’t keep him, but he will have to do the next best thing and ensure he goes home or to a new home that can love him instead.

“You pretty thing,” he praises, scratching behind his ears when the dog butts his head into his palm repeatedly. He peers into those adorable round eyes and sighs again. “I’d keep you in a heartbeat, but I can’t. I’m so sorry. My Junnie comes first, and I really don’t think he likes you.”

The dog stares at him for a moment, looking suddenly forlorn even though it’s just Soobin’s propensity for assigning human emotions to his furry friends, again. 

He just looks entirely much too knowledgeable and smart for his nature, and Soobin is weirdly reminded of the way Yeonjun looks at him when he speaks to the cat. They say animals understand much more human speech than people realize, but he can’t help but feel he has disappointed this little dog and it’s weird.

“You’re so pretty, baby,” he soothes, automatically slipping into the voice he uses on Junnie. This puppy seems to love it just as much. “If you lost your owner, I’ll find them for you, and if not, I’m sure someone will snap you right up; you’re adorable.”

He grabs that little jaw between the fingers of one large hand and rubs and shakes him around affectionately, much rougher and more playful than Yeonjun ever likes to be caressed—touching him like this world earn him a swipe of those dangerously sharp claws—so the way a pink tongue promptly lolls out as the dog grins happily makes him smile as well.

He always did want a dog, but a cat made much more sense since he’s living in this tiny apartment and is out all hours of the day for school and work. Dogs need so much more attention and care than just cuddles at night and on weekends. Even if Yeonjun didn’t care about a new housemate or if it seemed he’d warm up to the dog, it would be such a commitment and a shift in his lifestyle that he isn’t confident he can make right now. 

He guiltily doesn’t think his desire to own this pretty dog can justify the way he’d be leaving him alone at home every single day for such long stretches of time. Given what he’s seen so far, he’s more than certain he would cry and cause a racket, peeing all over or ripping the place to shreds in his distress. He can’t inflict such a life upon this cute thing.

Either way, he’ll make sure the dog finds a proper home.

He pets him a little longer, then has a short match of tug-of-war with a hand towel, then carefully builds him a cozy little bed of soft towels and a throw blanket under the sink in the bathroom. There’s no way to know if he’s housetrained, and he thinks it better to contain the animal in the bathroom for the night instead of risking another terrified cat tearing up his furniture.

The dog refuses to go into the makeshift bed no matter how much he coaxes and begs, and he supposes maybe he should feed him first.

It’s familiar but different to have an animal bounding and jumping around his ankles as he walks to the kitchen. Different from the way Yeonjun deliberately twists and slinks in between his legs to trip him up then glare at him incredulously when he steps on a paw or accidentally kicks him. Not that he dislikes Yeonjun’s ability to get under his feet or his low-key manipulative cries for attention, but the enthusiastic tail wagging and those big brown eyes gazing up at him in sheer devotion would make anyone feel good. 

He looks so cute and round now that his fur is clean and dry, and the way it looks like he is smiling as his tongue hangs out is so cheery. Soobin feels happy just looking at him.

He takes out a variety of odds and ends from the fridge and cupboards, noting absently how he’s somehow low on ramen again even though he’s sure he just stocked up a few days ago, then watches in rising amusement as the ball of white fluff suddenly goes quiet and serious as he’s presented with bits of meat, and rice, and carrot sticks. 

The way he sits primly and carefully sniffs the offerings before taking tiny little bites is much more feline in nature than the way Junnie scarfs his food as if he’s starving or afraid Soobin will take it away, flinging pieces of food around as if it’s live prey he has to kill. It’s cute and entertaining to watch Yeonjun eat, and he finds no less enjoyment in watching this little round fluff ball be so dainty and picky in contrast. 

He’s honestly already half in love with him, and he doesn’t know how he’s meant to just send him away. It would be best if there really is a distraught owner out there searching for him; there’s no way he wasn’t raised by loving hands.

Once the dog is done eating he refuses again to go into the bed Soobin made, and when he shoves him in and shuts the bathroom door, it’s only a few seconds before the scratching and whining starts up. The anticipated crying. It’s pathetic and pitiful, and he can only imagine how lonely he must be.

Soobin can't bear the thought, and with a long sigh he peers into the bedroom to find it silent and dark. It seems Yeonjun is too upset to show his face with the dog still inside his home, and while he wishes he could cuddle him in bed and soothe him, he doesn’t think that will be happening with those loud, plaintive wails coming from the bathroom all night.

He shuts the bedroom and opens the bathroom instead. It will just be one night.

He soon has the white fluff bouncing around his knees, so happy to see him again, and he reluctantly puts thoughts of Yeonjun sulking out of his mind. If it’s only the one night, Soobin might as well enjoy it.

He finds one of Junnie’s toys, a catnip ball he bats around upon occasion when in the mood, and spends a while laughing and cooing praises for the puppy that dutifully brings it back to him every time he tosses it across the room. Playing fetch with a dog is not at all like playing with Yeonjun, who lays there placidly and looks at him like he’s stupid when he tosses his catnip ball at him, then goes ballistic over strings or ribbons and laser pens. He pretends not to see all the fancy cat toys Soobin brings him, and more often demands praise and pets after knocking things off the shelves and pretending that it wasn’t him. 

That cat seriously acts like he is the master and owner of Soobin, and it’s not like Soobin can deny the truth of it. He really would do anything for that prickly, little orange brat, even give up any thoughts of raising this adorable puppy who seems to want nothing more than to run in circles to please him and bask under Soobin’s attention.

He plays with him for a while, charmed by every little expression and mannerism, especially the way he seems so happy for no reason. Something about him just makes Soobin feel so good, in a different way than Yeonjun does.

He finally settles on the sofa with a pillow and throw blanket, happily surprised when the dog immediately hops up to join him without even being prompted or invited, climbing all over his stomach and attacking his face with tiny warm licks that make him feel so admired and loved it hurts his heart even as it heals it.

How can this little animal treat him like his long lost friend after a single evening? This is like an innocent kid who wants nothing more than to love him—a stranger—and his heart is no longer halfway taken, he’s now utterly gone for him.

If he can’t find an owner, he is going to have to look up ways to help cats acclimatize to canine additions to the household because there’s no way he can stomach sending this dog out into the world again to end up with some unknown master, or worse, no home at all.

He squeezes the dog into his arms to encourage him to lay down until he makes himself comfortable on Soobin’s stomach. He rolls his head around to peer up at him with big, adoring eyes, his tongue popping out again, and Soobin’s heart quakes. He settles his hand over his little back and strokes his head with the other until those big, brown eyes slowly shutter and close in contentment, each breath pressing against his palm in the most fragile, trusting way. Then he sighs, long and slow as if he’s utterly at peace and Soobin watches his cute little nose twitch as he seemingly falls asleep.

It feels different than holding Yeonjun who is demanding and lazy, curling up on his pillow and placing a proprietary paw on his chin before licking his cheek randomly with his rough tongue—asking for kisses—and bumping Soobin’s face with his own every time he stops stroking his ears. Or he likes to drape himself heavily over Soobin’s neck and chest, uncomfortably restrictive but impossible to move when those rumbly purrs start up, a sound that sinks into his bones and relaxes Soobin like nothing else. 

He wouldn’t trade any of that for the world, but he’s greedy for all the love this puppy has to offer, too, and he has more than enough love of his own to give to both of them.

Given Yeonjun’s aggressive reaction it won’t be easy, but people raise multiple species of pets all the time. Yeonjun will just have to learn to share and maybe Soobin can sweeten him up by seeing if this dog is used to spending time in a crate and ensuring he’s safely encased in there while Soobin is out. Maybe he can even train him to sleep there at night to give Yeonjun exclusive rights to Soobin’s bed.

There are no doubt countless methods to help them adjust, but he won’t even let himself look them up until after he has a vet scan for a microchip. Soobin almost wants to just keep him and forgo searching all together, but if the sweet thing loves him so much after a mere handful of hours, he can only imagine how much he must love his human family. It’s only right to reunite them. 

The next morning he wakes stiff and disoriented with his legs hanging awkwardly off the sofa that isn’t long enough for him to stretch out fully. He’s confused for a moment to find that the warm ball breathing into his waist is white and fluffy rather than a sleek orange, but the sight of the dog curled into an impossibly tiny ball brings a groggy smile to his face. He checks his phone for notifications—just spam—then leaves him to sleep and blearily makes his way to the bedroom to change and get ready for the day.

There’s no sign of Yeonjun, the bed neatly made and not slept in. The sight of the pristine sheets makes him sad and guilty since the cat loves to burrow under the blankets and make a mess of the comforter whenever Soobin is out during the day. It usually fondly irks him that one little cat derails all his attempts to be tidy, but seeing Yeonjun’s favorite sleeping place abandoned hurts his heart. 

The food and water bowls he left out for him just inside the door are also untouched, and a slow frown takes over his features as he peeks under the bed and behind the long floor-length curtains to find the spaces empty.

He quickly checks under and behind the other furniture and eventually finds him in the closet in the far back, actually squeezed inside the winter coat box with the lid half shut. He wouldn’t have thought to even look there if he hadn’t seen the lid displaced, and he pulls it all the way off to see Yeonjun’s body nestled in his favorite down jacket, twisted into an awkward shape with one hind leg sticking up by his head in a way that can hardly be comfortable. 

One eye slits open to regard him, and Soobin smiles in fond relief. 

He hasn’t slept without Yeonjun a single night since welcoming him into his life five years ago, and that single penetrating side eye makes him feel like he wronged his lover and now needs to grovel for forgiveness.

“Did you sleep here all night?” he says through a worried pout. Yeonjun doesn’t move or even blink, just glares at him with that single eye. Soobin melts so quickly at the sight—he’s so cute. “How did you even get in there, baby?” 

He giggles as he dips a hand inside to reach for those silky ears, only to snap his hand back with a yelp as Yeonjun hisses and claws at him, raising two stinging lines that immediately bead up with red. He clutches his hand to his chest as he meets two slanting blue eyes with wide eyes of his own. 

Yeonjun has never attacked him like this before. It is not like his usual cute, playful swipes that never leave a mark, or even a well-deserved nip of retribution for Soobin accidentally cutting his nail to the quick, but a move of actual hostility. 

“Ow,” Soobin declares loudly, staring at his cat like he suddenly transformed into a wild animal.

Yeonjun’s ears go flat back against his skull as his eyes narrow into a line, staring at Soobin as if daring him to try to touch and promising another sharp sting of claws if he does. Soobin can hardly believe his eyes.

“Junnie, I’m sorry,” Soobin whines. “I know I smell like dog, but I promise I’ll send him home today. Please, don’t be mad.”

He coos and beckons him with soft noises and baby talk, but Yeonjun doesn’t budge. His guarded expression doesn’t change even though he tracks Soobin’s face and hands with sharp eyes. Soobin hates how he almost feels nervous to reach down into the box again, because he has never betrayed Yeonjun’s trust before and it’s shocking how quickly Yeonjun turned him into an enemy to be on guard against instead of his safe place. 

He never expected him to be the sort to hold grudges, because Soobin has done nothing but shower him with love since they met. It has always been a mutual thing, the two of them adoring one another, and he supposes Yeonjun’s jealousy is understandable. 

Even so, it still doesn’t feel very good to be faced with it. He wishes Yeonjun could understand human speech for real so that he could just explain it to him properly.

All of a sudden Yeonjun’s ears prick up straight and his body tenses, attention snapping away from Soobin and hissing loudly a second before Soobin ‘oofs’ in surprise when something jumps against the backs of his legs. He was curled awkwardly over the box and the sudden knock has him staggering awkwardly to his knees, clutching at the box as Yeonjun explodes out of it in a furious blur of orange, wildly attempting to escape from being cornered in the closet by the yapping white menace that interrupted Soobin’s efforts to soothe his baby.

The dog starts barking excitedly as Yeonjun pelts out across the room, and before Soobin can catch either of them or intervene, the dog is giving chase.

“Oh my god, no!” Soobin cries, frantically scrambling up to go after them, hearing the sound of something crashing to the floor from out in the apartment.

Yeonjun is so fast, and he isn’t being careful of objects on shelves as he runs for his life, tearing up the house and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake with a happily yapping ball of white bounding hot on his heels. They knock over his standing lamp and shatter the bulb inside, send all of Soobin’s drying school papers and everything else on his desk into a flurry of chaos in the air, and enter the kitchen to send the rack of drying silverware scattering across the floor in an ear-deafening racket.

Soobin alternates between chasing after them and trying to block the doors to intercept one or the other, finally throwing himself full body with a desperate yell to tackle the dog in the hallway as Yeonjun continues on a mad dash back to the bedroom. He disappears from sight and the squirming little puppy beneath him is suddenly growling and yipping in a different way as he seems to think Soobin is wrestling with him instead. He pins him down easily with one hand, huffing and scanning him quickly for any signs of injury. When he finds none he lets his exasperation and anger flow up instead.

“That’s enough! No!” he commands angrily. “Stop it right now, you brat! No.”

The dog wriggles and whines, knocking its head back and swiveling his head around awkwardly to look at him with the whites showing around his eyes and his ears flattened back, and Soobin assumes that means defeat. He frowns at him, actually angry for the behavior and the way he keeps terrorizing Yeonjun the second he sets sights on him. 

This was definitely not the right way to introduce the two, but he doubts that Junnie will be forgiving either of them any time soon. He better hurry up and see if this dog is taken or if he’ll need to bring out all the props for persuading Yeonjun into allowing this dog into their home. He’s sure with time they will learn how to get along. 

They have to get along, if only just in tolerance, because Soobin’s mind is already made up. He’s going to make one attempt to search out his owner, and if nothing comes through then he will keep him.

“Okay, time for you to go out,” Soobin says sternly, popping up onto his knees and grabbing the dog up before he can attempt to escape. “Let’s go for a walk.” 

It’s stupidly adorable the way his floppy little ears perk right back up at the word ‘walk’, his tail struggling to wag where it’s caught between Soobin’s arms and body. It adds yet another clue to indicate this little baby is definitely used to the life of a housepet and being doted upon by a human. Soobin longs to be that human, now. 

He is just too soft, or how else did this little guy worm his way into Soobin’s heart so fast? 

He never thought he needed anything besides Yeonjun, but apparently he was wrong. It’s all he can do to not start brainstorming names. He forces himself not to cross that line yet.

He spends a good five minutes digging in the closet for the abandoned cat harness and leash he’d gotten ages ago that Yeonjun turned his little nose up at, flopping down dramatically when Soobin finally wrangled him into it as if declaring that Soobin would have to drag his unwilling body across the floor if he was expected to go out in that thing. He meant to get rid of it, but he’s glad he didn’t. Part of him is stupidly excited at the prospect of having a pet eager for a walk, proved by the way the dog keeps leaping around him excitedly, licking his hands and yipping, as he sits and untangles it. 

“You like walks, huh?” he wonders through a smile. The dog just beams at him, tongue lolling. “You are going to be a good boy for me, aren’t you?” he coos. “Hold still, cutie, and just let me—”

He doesn’t hold still. He keeps sniffing at the material and twisting in circles as he tries to watch Soobin’s hands work behind his back, growling the cutest little rumbling sound as he catches the tail end in his mouth and tugs, and Soobin is stuck between fawning over his behavior or forcing him to do what he wants out of necessity to move on to the walking part. To the vet part.

The prospect of leaving him at the vet is sitting uncomfortably in the back of his mind, and maybe he’s unconsciously—not at all on purpose—prolonging the time until that has to happen. They can enjoy a walk first without the agenda suffering for it. 

It’s difficult to get him into it, but much easier than it had been with Yeonjun, and once it’s finally on properly he bounces around excitedly, tugging at the line as if encouraging Soobin to go already.

He’s both triumphant and disappointed that the sulky feline isn’t there to see someone else using the rejected gear with such clear delight. It’s not like he would be jealous of Soobin walking the dog in his harness—maybe just simply jealous of the attention the newcomer is stealing—but there’s no way to know because he is nowhere to be seen. The dog isn’t nosing around in the closet or under the bed either, indicating that the cat isn’t even in the room. 

With one last surreptitious glance around the apartment as they head out, they finally head outside, the dog yipping and leaping against his legs so much it hinders his steps. He tries out some basic commands like ‘sit’ and ‘wait’, but either he hasn’t been trained or he is ignoring Soobin’s obvious incompetence. 

His gentle mannerisms do not work in his favor in regards to demanding obedience, and it’s probably glaringly apparent to the dog just how big of a softie he is. He honestly doesn’t really mind, and there’s the crux of the problem.

Once they are out on the street however, he goes zig zagging across the sidewalk investigating and Soobin watches him go at it with a growing smile. The way he keeps returning back to Soobin’s side as if checking that he’s enjoying this, too, or maybe just that he’s anxious to reinforce their growing bond in his own instinctual way, does something to his heart.

They walk for a good half hour, the pace slow from the frequent pauses to explore and Soobin’s careful attention to letting those little legs rest, and they finally get all the way to the nearest vet before Soobin comes to a final stop, hesitating. 

He is anxious to find out that there is already a notice from a searching owner, or to be faced with a clear identification that will show up on the screen in a handful of seconds. He’s already half convinced that there is no hope for him to claim him, and he doesn’t want to go through with it.

He peers through the window to see the staff tending to the animals in the display cases along the wall and it tugs at his heartstrings to see the way the puppies leap up against the glass for every last drop of attention and human contact they possibly can. He doesn’t want to send this dog in there, even if he’ll no doubt greet his long-lost owner with the warmest, most enthusiastic delight.

Unless no one comes for him. 

Would he think Soobin abandoned him, too, if he leaves him here for a few days?

Before he can even decide one way or another, the tugging on the leash that he was ignoring goes extra taught before suddenly going lax, and he’s too slow to realize what that means until he turns to see the harness lying empty on the ground and a little white blur dashing pellnell down the street. 

He doesn’t even have a name to call after him, so it’s not like the dog would come on command. He’s already too far away to chase.

Soobin stands there for a moment at a loss, wondering if the dog just caught sight of something interesting or if maybe he recognizes this place and dashed off to his rightful home. He can’t even remember which exact bus stop he found him at, but it was probably not too far from here.

He waits for over twenty minutes to see if he might come back, wandering up and down that stretch of street with his eyes peeled, peering under bushes and into the alleyways between buildings to no avail. 

The little white cutie is gone, taking a piece of Soobin’s heart with him.

He eventually makes his way home, stomach grumbling and empty leash wrapped loosely around his forearm. It’s silly how sad he feels about losing the dog, but he supposes it’s for the best. He has an evening lecture tonight followed by a graveyard shift prepping dough and baking the first round of goods for when the bakery opens, and he really can’t spend any more time on this hunt or care for the dog today in any capacity if he found him, after all. 

It’s for the best, he tells himself again, the mantra reinforced when he steps back into his apartment to find it deathly silent. 

His little fur baby always rushes eagerly to the door to greet him no matter what time he shows up night or day, and seeing the empty hall yawing before him now makes him feel both guilty and anxious. This has never happened before, either.

He had no idea Yeonjun would react so adversely to one little dog, and he’s ready to spend however long it takes pampering him and groveling until he is forgiven. 

He does a quick sweep of the place, disappointed and moody when nothing moves no matter how much he calls and pleads for Yeonjun to come out. The mess from the earlier frenzied chase is where he left it, and there’s no sign of any new disturbance indicating that Yeonjun resurfaced while he was gone. 

He cleans up slowly and sets out new food and water in the cat bowls, even loudly cracking a can of insanely expensive luxury cat food he saves for special occasions that normally has Junnie running to stick his face into it before he’s even gotten it into the bowl, but there’s no response. It almost feels like Yeonjun isn’t even there, and he eyes the time with a sinking heart as he eats a quick meal of his own before moving to take a shower and get ready for his busy evening.

Sixteen hours later he drags his feet back home as the sun cracks a glowing line along the horizon, utterly exhausted and smelling like fresh baked bread. He wants nothing more than to face plant into his soft bed, but when he’s welcomed by nothing but an empty hallway once more, tears suddenly prick his eyes.

The moment he opens the door, there has always been that lilting, questioning little meow, as if Yeonjun is asking, ‘you’re home?’, along with the patter of feet and a tail propped up in a question mark shape—a pleased greeting. He always rubs his cheeks and sides of his body all over his shins as if trying to replace the scents of the outside with his own, and tends to gaze up at him just like that while leaning his full body against his calf. Whenever Soobin picks him up as he walks further into the house, he always puts his legs up on his shoulders and butts his face so hard it makes him laugh, demanding pets and kisses. 

Not having a single one of those greetings is a devastating reminder of what happened here yesterday. 

Yeonjun really was terrorized because of that dog, even though the creature itself was hardly malicious at all. 

He’s sure all he needs to do is just be patient until Yeonjun presents himself, then spend as long as it takes petting him until he’s a languid, purring lump on his lap, but he wants to find him and fix this now. He misses him dearly.

“Junnie~” he calls, voice pitched high and cajoling. “Come here, baby. Junnie-yah, come on. Where are you, baby?”

Nothing stirs, but he keeps on a constant stream of the cat’s name and other endearments, imploring him to come out as he quickly checks all the most likely spots.

He’s definitely worried by the radio silence at this point, never having faced behavior of this sort before. Maybe Yeonjun got hurt in the chase and has been protectively licking his wounds, and Soobin gave him space as if he was a human who was cross with him instead of turning over the whole apartment to find him to care for him. 

Once that thought crosses his mind, he begins searching again in earnest. 

He turns the flashlight on his cell phone to beam under the bed and sofa, checking in all the cupboards and closets no matter how unlikely it is for Yeonjun to be in a place that’s impossible for him to open let alone even reach. With each empty space that meets his eyes he grows more frantic, going back over his steps to check every single nook and cranny again.

He has never lost his cat inside his own house before as it’s tiny, so the only logical conclusion is that Yeonjun somehow escaped and is actually gone. Even though a locked door and windows makes that impossible. 

He doesn’t understand how, but it’s clear that his dear cat is literally nowhere.

He can’t bear the thought, it was hard enough to see that little white dog fleeing into the distance the day before after only knowing him a single night, but losing Yeonjun would seriously cripple him.

“Yeonjun! Junnie!” he yells louder, desperation tinging his tone as he checks the solidly bolted windows even though there’s no way a cat—even one as dexterous as Yeonjun—could maneuver the lock mechanism. “Where are you? Baby, please come out.”

His eyes are hot and stinging with tears, and he is freaking out properly. His apartment is an absolute disaster around him, and he feels both alone and like the worst person on earth to have disrespected and neglected the needs of his most precious companion. His baby.

He pauses to take a few deep breaths to try to calm himself down, going over each room once more with an even more purposeful intent until he finally finds him. There is a bulky, shadowy something squeezed into the dark, tiny space behind the washing machine, mostly obscured by the bumpy vent connecting it to the wall, but it’s certainly not supposed to be there. His heart leaps at the sight. 

“Yeonjun, oh my god!” he exclaims, laying flat over the machine to peer down at him. “Why are you back there? Junnie-yah, you worried me sick.”

The cat twists his head around and looks up, the light from Soobin’s phone reflecting against his eyes like twin sets of mirrors. He doesn’t budge or meow or otherwise look particularly happy to see him. If Soobin hadn’t discovered him he would have stayed quietly collecting dust for who knows how long!

“Are you hurt, baby?” he coos, his whole body warm with relief, quickly relaxing now that his fears have been assuaged. “You stuck down there? Hang oh, I’ll get you out.”

He quickly heaves the heavy thing out of the closet a bit, wincing as it screeches horribly against the tiles, and quickly peers over it again to see Yeonjun flatten himself to the dusty floor. He scoots forward and reaches both hands down to scoop him up, but before his fingers can so much as touch warm fur, the cat is darting away, squeezing himself through the impossibly small gap between the machine and door and speeding off once more.

Soobin sags against the washing machine with a loud sigh, frustrated and weary, but comforted by the fact that he didn’t catch sight of any sort of wound and that Yeonjun is apparently well enough to move—and quickly at that. 

He just clearly doesn’t want to be around Soobin or to be touched by him. 

It shouldn’t hurt so much because he is the one who wronged the cat, but Yeonjun’s love has always felt so unconditional until now. Hiding away from him even when he could hear Soobin calling and begging must have been his way of punishing him, and Soobin totally deserved it. 

It’s Saturday, thankfully, and he leaves the disordered mess in the apartment to be dealt with after he sleeps. He brushes his teeth and changes, looking around half-heartedly for Yeonjun’s new hiding spot as he drags himself to bed, with no luck. 

He won’t be seeing the cat until he wants to be seen, it seems. 

His blankets are beautifully tucked, no signs of being touched by little digging paws, and he buries himself under the blanket to block out the growing daylight. Despite his lousy mood, Soobin falls asleep within minutes after laying his head down on the pillow.

Sometime later, he blearily comes half awake out of a dream as the mattress by his shoulder dips. There is movement along his side indicating he’s got company, the blanket tugging as something worms its way under it and settles itself into the pillow right beside his head. 

It’s warm and soft, and so so dear, and Soobin doesn’t even open his eyes as he sleepily rolls into him and presses his face into soft fur, inhaling the familiar comforting scent. He exhales deeply, fingers finding a silky chest to pet, and it’s not long before a low, gravelly purr rumbles into his ear. 

He is forgiven. Thank god.

“‘M sorry, baby. You were so scared, huh?” he mumbles, careless of the fur getting into his mouth. He settles his fingers on his tiny, fragile breastbone. “Love you so much. The most.”

The purring gets louder, and he smiles as he snuggles his face closer. He feels the sound vibrating against his hand and sinking into his brain like a drug, and relaxes back towards sleep, feeling content.

He presses a few adoring kisses into whatever part of Yeonjun is against his mouth, but he’ll give him proper attention later as he’s already slipping back into his dreams, now with that wonderful background sound accompanying him. His thoughts stretch and melt together, tumbling from one image to the next, and surrounding it all is the constant rasp of purring that fills him up with warmth.

He can’t grasp onto the point of the dream, or who he’s even with, all he remembers is a voice he knows so well…from somewhere…speaking into his ear in between rumbles.

“You’re mine,” they keep saying. Purring. “Mine…Mine…”

It’s sunset, and he’s wandering in a field of tall, green grass that pricks at his waist as he passes. Over and over. The waving stalks stretch out into the distance, no path to ease his passing or prevent the way they catch on his clothes. Over and over…just like the points of tiny claws digging in rhythmically whenever a relaxed Yeonjun kneads at his stomach to scent him and express affection… 

“You better not replace me, or I’ll claw your stupid, handsome face off,” the voice says. Husky and sharp. 

Familiar, but no one he can put a name or face to. He dreams about them often.

They’re walking beside him. Holding onto him, an arm looped snugly across his chest. He can’t see their face because it’s tucked into his shoulder. They always cuddle a lot in his dreams. He likes it.

Their hair is a lovely shade of faded peachy orange, like when the sun melts into the sky at dusk.

“Mine…” they grumble. 

Soobin can’t seem to speak in this dream, but he’s unbothered by it—content with being claimed.

It feels good like it always does.

The grass pricks him over and over and he swats at it, his limbs floaty and insubstantial in the air of the dream. It’s hard to even keep his feet on the ground, he doesn’t really have legs here, anyway. The wind combing through the swaying blades is loud and abrasive, raspy like purrs layering one over another, and he rolls over—walks down an incline—

His dream-self knows the person walking beside him in the field, but he still can’t see their face. His lashes flutter, but his dream eyes refuse to look at where he intends to focus, details swirling and escaping the constrictions of reality. The grass pricks his chest.

The sunset is bleeding down into soft strands of copper hair that tickle his face…They’re sharing his pillow.

More sharp pricks steal his attention, and his waving, searching hand lands upon something smooth and warm—the bare skin of someone’s neck. His palm rests perfectly into the crook of their throat, curling around it possessively, and the grass stops poking him. 

He can’t hear anything but purring, now. Vibrating against his palm.

He’s so warm. 

The dream fades to black.

He wakes up to the cheery jingle of his alarm and his bedroom lit up with the bright, yellow hues of early afternoon sun. There’s a warm, cozy ball of fur atop his chest, and he lays quietly for a while basking in the feel of Yeonjun’s body breathing on top of him. He only allows himself a few hours sleep after night shifts so that his whole sleep schedule doesn’t get fucked, but just this once he thinks it’s okay to make an exception. 

He is not moving or taking Junnie cuddles for granted ever again. The jealous wrath of a cat is no joke.

He dozes for a bit then rouses when Yeonjun begins stretching and yawning, smiling stupidly when the cat immediately dips his face down to rub their cheeks together affectionately—almost aggressively so. He is so sweet and soft, and Soobin’s heart feels full and tight with feelings.

Being loved by this animal is so fulfilling, and his introverted conflict-avoidant personality deeply appreciates the way there’s no need for words to patch things up between them after he made a stupid mistake. Yeonjun seems able to innately sense his remorse and sincerity, and Soobin will be extra attentive and dote on him in repentance. 

He spends the afternoon working on his assignments, a once again happy kitty alternating between snoozing on his lap or standing directly in front of his laptop screen with his furry ass in Soobin’s face. It supposedly means he trusts him and loves him, so Soobin lets him get away with being an obstructive center of attention for once.

Who is he kidding? Yeonjun has always been the center of his quiet little home.

In turn, Soobin alternates between raining him with affectionate scratches and kisses until his blue eyes slit in contentment, purrs roaring through his tiny chest loud enough to crackle on the ends, and stroking gently down between his soft ears to lull him to sleep as he types with one hand like a stupidly whipped weakling. Keeping Yeonjun happy comes before his own comfort and responsibilities, it seems.

It doesn’t matter, Soobin is more than happy, too.

The evening routine goes off without a hitch as normal, and when he walks into his bedroom after his shower it’s to find the blankets rucked up into mountains and tunnels, a warm body already waiting for him within its depths. Yeonjun hardly waits for him to lay down all the way before he’s impatiently climbing on top of him, and his dreams are once again full of a soft voice purring into his chest as his arms wrap around a body that fits against him as naturally as breathing.

Everything in his life is settled and perfect once more…

Until the next day.

He comes home after running around collecting his newly generated cards in between lectures, pausing outside the building to dig out the device when his phone rings, and he drops the thing when a loud bark sounds from right beside him. He looks away from the caller ID showing an unknown number beneath a freshly shattered screen—just his luck—and finds a very familiar looking pair of big, round brown eyes beaming up at him from an adorable circular puff of white fur. The little dog is back.

Trading one unlucky event for an incredibly lucky one it seems. He can hardly believe his eyes.

The dog bounces up on his hind legs, pawing at Soobin’s pants, tongue lolling out in that way that makes him look like he’s laughing in delight, and Soobin can’t help it, he smiles and drops to one knee to bring his cute face closer. He scratches behind his ears and checks him over. He looks dirty again, debris and crushed leaves tangled into his silky fur, and while that hurts his heart, it also makes him excited.

“Hey, pretty thing…don’t you have a home to go back to?” he wonders, rubbing under his chin, cooing when he tilts his head up to allow easy access and encourage more. He’s so cute. “I can’t take you in until I know.” 

It’s not like the dog can understand his reasoning, obviously eager for his attention, but he won’t inflict unnecessary distress upon Yeonjun if this dog is only going to be returned to his real home. He reaches down to pick him up, laughing when the dog takes the opportunity to lick his face. 

“Okay, cutie, let’s get you to the vet to scan you for a chip, and then—”

Before he can even finish the sentence, the dog is suddenly catapulting himself out of Soobin’s arms. The moment his feet hit the ground, he’s scampering off as fast as he can, disappearing into a tiny crack between the next building and the recycling bins. Gone as fast as he came.

“Or not…” Soobin says with a little huff. 

He follows after him and peers into the alleyway only to find nothing. The dog might show up again, though, and next time Soobin will be ready to catch him and get him checked. The fact that he came back to Soobin’s house might mean he doesn’t have any home waiting, and Soobin really has to know before he makes a decision.

When he gets up to his floor, he’s greeted by his favorite sight—big blue eyes and a question mark tail trotting towards him—only for the cat to balk and skitter backwards again the moment the door shuts behind him. His back arches up and his face contorts, a strange low warbling sound emitting from his tiny body, and Soobin realizes he must have caught a whiff of dog. Damn it. 

“He was out front, but he’s gone now,” he says quickly, holding up both palms in defense. Yeonjun’s eyes seem to pierce right through him. “I think he’s a stray, but…” Yeonjun sidles backwards, putting more distance between them, and Soobin sighs. “If I see him again, I’m just going to take him in to get checked out at the vet. Promise.”

It is crazy that he feels the need to explain himself to his cat, but it seems futile anyway. If the sight of Yeonjun’s retreating back is anything to go by, the cat doesn’t believe him or fully trust him in regards to that dog. 

Yeonjun hides again and Soobin comforts himself with food as he mindlessly watches a talk show on TV. He’s too distracted to enjoy it while worrying over Yeonjun sulking somewhere, and ends up pulling out his phone to scroll through some blogs explaining methods to introduce new pets to a territorial cat. It seems totally doable.

Some time later he pauses as the short news segment being broadcasted catches his attention.

Apparently there is a new city ordinance that was just passed in an attempt to control the surge of stray animals—especially cats—that have been multiplying and causing trouble in many neighborhoods. There have been many animal-related traffic accidents recorded, and the cats keep tearing open trash bags for scraps before the garbage trucks can collect them. 

Most concerning is the noticeably aggressive groups of cats that have been taking over local neighborhood parks, fighting and yowling over territory all hours of the night, while sightings of feral-like dogs has further discouraged families from using the exercise facilities and playgrounds. 

Pet owners out walking dogs are encouraged to ensure their animals have their rabies shots and kept on leashes at all times.

There are animal control teams out and about trying to collect the strays, and are either relocating them to rural areas with pest issues, euthanizing, or putting them up for adoption. They are implanting a newly developed microchip in all the animals taken in for rehabilitation, and the initial stages of clearing the most heavily populated areas has been a success.

Soobin’s thoughts immediately turn to the little white dog, so eager for his attention but equally skittish and resistant to being contained. Maybe he already experienced a run in with animal control, which would have treated him like one of many to be disposed of and not prized and catered to as the sweet little angel he is. 

That being said, Maltese are highly popular and odds are he’d be put up for adoption rather than the other worrying options.

Given his overall bedraggled, ungroomed state, it seems very likely he is a stray, or else his owner abandoned him in hopes of this new program dealing with an animal they no longer wanted.

Soobin is even more anxious to find him and keep him safe.

Yeonjun’s jealous behavior over Soobin’s clear interest in the dog is actually perfectly founded, because taking him to the vet is only the first step of Soobin’s plan, especially after seeing the news update. He’s going to figure out how to keep him, and even though the cat won’t understand, it’s not like Soobin needs his permission. 

Maybe that feline forgiveness was conditional, but Soobin will win him back over quickly, he’s sure. He’s Yeonjun’s single most beloved human, after all, and he can’t fathom the cat ever truly turning his back on him. That devotion goes both ways, and that won’t change just because a new member is added to the household.

He wants to make the best decision for all three of them, and maybe the cute white dog will also eventually win Yeonjun over by keeping him company while Soobin is out. He hopes. 

They won’t know until they give it a try. The next time he sees him, Soobin will be ready.

Chapter Text

The dog doesn’t show up again until two days later, a little bundle of white cowering behind a parked car that Soobin doesn’t notice until he’s already dashing away again, little drop ears flapping in the wind. 

Soobin gives chase for a minute until he’s blocked by a wall and pokey shrubs, but even after scouring the bushes surrounding the little neighborhood playground he can’t find him again. 

He sees him every day at a distance three days in a row, and once he even catches him up in the hallway outside his apartment before he pelts out of sight, but he is unable to ever get close enough to touch him. The dog seems wary of approaching Soobin now in a way that breaks his heart. 

He was probably just so miserable that stormy night when he rescued him that he accepted Soobin’s care as a means of survival. 

Soobin mistakenly thought he was used to being a house pet, but each time he sees his dirty, bedraggled fur as he squeezes between trash bags to escape him he grows more certain that he doesn’t have a home. 

The dog seems to be hanging around the area and aware of Soobin’s interest, but this sort of skittish distance is much more characteristic of strays. Soobin knows a little perseverance and some food can go a long way, and is determined not to give up.

In the evenings after school, Soobin starts loitering around the playground despite the cloying humidity sticking his shirt to his back. He sets out a bowl of food under some bushes and carries a bag of treats with him to hopefully entice him closer, but even though he spies him lurking in the dirt just out of reach, the dog doesn’t dare to let his guard down and eat while Soobin is there. 

He keeps at it anyway until the day that he finds the bowl untouched and the bushes empty. He continues to visit the place daily, morning and night, but the dog is nowhere to be found. 

Soobin fears that he was injured somehow, or picked up by animal control, and there’s no way to hunt him down. 

The weekend arrives and he slugs through his back to back graveyard shifts then crashes into bed with a perpetually sleepy Yeonjun. Life has gone back to the usual norm, but Soobin is feeling a distinct lack. It’s uncomfortable and strange. 

It’s almost like they imprinted on each other or something—even though he knows it’s a silly notion—but he just can’t seem to get the dog out of his thoughts. 

Yeonjun curls up in a sleepy ball on the sofa the next day as if he didn’t sleep at all the previous night while Soobin was at work, and in between stubborn trips to scan for the dog he spends ample time petting the languid, soft, warm kitty and getting his school assignments out of the way.

Normally he’d love nothing more than maxing out his lazy Sunday, but he’s stupidly discouraged after getting his hopes up. He decides to do a quick walk around the entire block, and instead of finding the little dog, what he gets instead is a glimpse of someone who is apparently his new neighbor.

Just as he is returning and pauses to key in the code at the door, the next door over slams open, startling him to glance over his shoulder. He’s gotten so used to that apartment being empty, it’s a bit of a shock to see another person in his corner of the hall.

He is young—a student from the looks of it—with silvery, ash blonde hair in a cute ball around his head. He’s tall with long legs wrapped in dark skinny jeans, his slender frame accentuated by the overlarge t-shirt hanging off his angular shoulders, and Soobin forgets himself for a second as he lets his eyes drag up and down his eye-catching form. The sight is so unexpected.

Who could blame him? There’s a distinct lack of young people in this old building. The only other tenants on the floor are a single ahjeossi and an elderly couple—the halmoni of which periodically knocks on his door to give him kimchi and pinch his dimples. 

His door beeps loudly, letting him know he failed to complete the code in time, and the man whips around at the sound. Soobin is startled all over again at the sight of his shockingly pretty face. He has big, round soulful brown eyes with long, dark lashes, and fragile features that beg him to stare. Which he does—momentarily stunned—until the man breaks into a bright smile.

“Hello!” he exclaims loudly, looking delighted to see him as he closes the distance between them in two long strides. “I’m your new neighbor, Choi Beomgyu,” the man says, folding over into an energetic bow before offering his hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you.” 

Soobin shuffles back a step in surprise, but there’s nowhere to go in this narrow hallway. Why is he coming so close? He is a little taken aback by the friendly, loud introduction, unused to strangers approaching him when he has given zero indication that he’s interested or available. 

Kai always says his resting face looks intimidating and it usually keeps people from bothering him, but this guy—Choi Beomgyu—doesn’t seem to notice. 

Soobin politely dips into a small bow in return, his own, “Ah…h-hello, Beomgyu-ssi?” much more reserved. 

He awkwardly reaches out to accept the handshake, his own hand engulfing Beomgyu’s smaller one. Beomgyu beams, gazing up at him with sparkly eyes that seem unreal. Soobin feels like he’s falling into them, something humming in the air between them—an intense attraction of sorts that sparkles through his body and leaves him feeling a little bewildered. 

It almost seems like…something about him is familiar, but for the life of him Soobin can’t imagine what. He’s sure he’s never met anyone like him before in his life—he’d remember.

The other man seems dainty and small—exuding a sense of vulnerability Soobin is subconsciously drawn to—and he has never met a human that incited such a protective instinct in him before. Maybe he has just discovered his ideal type at the same moment he encountered him in real life, and it’s confusing. Thrilling. Terrifying. 

He quickly untangles their fingers— when did they get laced together?—and withdraws the touch.

He’s already feeling shyly uncomfortable over how incredibly pretty this man is, making him feel even more nervous and put on the spot by the abrupt confrontation even as Beomgyu looks perfectly unbothered. In fact, he looks rather expectant.

Soobin stares at him, every thought in his head sputtering into static.

“And you are…?” the blonde man prompts leadingly, leaning closer into Soobin’s space again as if drawn by a magnet. Soobin tilts backwards slightly, feeling huge as he towers over the slighter man. Even though he’s smiling, the way he’s just coming at him is a little…aggressive. What does he want ?

“Oh…um…Choi Soobin.” 

He flushes under the scrutiny of those large eyes. He looks so guileless and honest—like a little puppy—but his confident intensity clearly indicates he’s after something and has no qualms in pursuing it. 

“So your name is Soobin ,” Beomgyu responds with clear relish, a slight accent curling around the low timber of his voice. Something flutters in Soobin’s chest. What is this…? “How do you feel about roommates? I mean, specifically me —as your roommate?” 

Soobin blinks at him stupidly, completely at a loss over the abrupt preposition. Is it a preposition? They only just met, and this man clearly has his own new apartment, so where is this coming from? 

“Uh…what?” he stutters. He must have misunderstood. “You mean to say…you want to…?”

“Can I be your roommate?” Beomgyu reiterates, completely straightforward. 

Soobin doesn’t know what’s happening. He sounds eager for a positive answer, but…why? A gorgeous man coming onto him out of nowhere—asking to live together? Is he being serious? This moment feels entirely surreal. 

“But...didn’t you just move in?” he points out haltingly.

“I can’t really pay for it on my own,” Beomgyu returns immediately. “Besides, I can’t live alone. It will drive me absolutely crazy —I’m not even joking.”

He already sounds crazy.

What sort of person asks their new neighbor they just met to share rent? Doesn’t he have friends or family to move in with? It doesn’t make any sense. 

“Ah…Is that so? I’m not sure that I…um…my place is just one bath, one bed,” he explains dumbly, captivated by the depths of those dark eyes despite the questionable behavior.

“I don’t mind!” Beomgyu says quickly, eyes widening. “I share beds all the time! I don’t take up much space; I don’t even need any covers. Plus, I can comfort you however you’d like. I am the ideal roommate.”

What is he even saying…? How did he go from hello, to asking to share rent, to asking to share a bed ? 

The gears in Soobin’s brain all grind to a halt. It’s not just the way he’s blatantly admitting to sharing beds with past roommates, but offering him comfort ? What does that even mean? He’s really asking to do that—whatever that is—with Soobin? A stranger?

He really is being prepositioned. What the actual fuck? 

“What? No, that’s not what I…” he mumbles awkwardly, feeling incredibly disoriented. He almost feels like laughing at the sight of that bright, expectant face. In incredulity. Maybe this isn’t really happening at all. “I meant that it’s one bedroom. For one tenant.”

“I don’t mind,” Beomgyu repeats, eyebrows tilting in a way that’s rather imploring. 

He’s begging with his pretty eyes as if trying to wear down Soobin’s resolve with sheer cuteness. It’s dangerously effective, but they are strangers, and Soobin has lost the plot. Beomgyu seems to be able to sense his reluctance, his eyes going even rounder, but of course he’s reluctant—who wouldn’t be?

“I’m very obedient, and clean, and perfectly happy to eat scraps,” he adds to his list of strange conditions a bit desperately as if that would convince him. It just makes Soobin ready to believe the crazy part all the more readily. “I don’t need to visit the salon for grooming, and I can even walk myself if- when you’re busy!” 

The man is pretty, but he’s a complete lunatic. 

Or- or else he makes a living as a companion caregiver whose job it is to accompany and care for his employer like a friend or a date for hire. Or does he offer more than that as some kind of male escort? God —this can’t really be happening to him, can it? This is the most unexpected encounter he has ever had in his life.

A situation like service work actually makes the most sense given the information provided—though he shudders to imagine what the ‘grooming’ entails—but it’s unfamiliar and uncomfortable to him. Soobin isn’t an elderly citizen in need of such services, nor is he a lonely, rich bachelor looking for a beautiful young thing to hang off his arm or warm his bed. Not to mention the sincerity with which Beomgyu offered the roommate bit of it has him completely stumped.

Besides, it’s totally unsolicited and again, they literally just met. Beomgyu doesn’t know a thing about the man he’s begging to live with. Doesn’t he have any sense of self preservation? Soobin could be a psycho for all he knows.

Thankfully he isn’t, which means he will not be taking advantage of this innocent, sweet-faced man.

Soobin has difficulty saying ‘no’ or rejecting people in any capacity on a good day, and this is already so far out of his comfort zone that he doesn’t know what to say. 

“Um…sorry, I’m not looking for, um…a roommate. Or a companion.” He clears his throat awkwardly, wincing at Beomgyu’s crestfallen expression. “Sorry. Really sorry.”

It seems like the guy is looking for a new client who is also able to offer him room and board. Soobin does not fit that description in any way shape or form, nor could he possibly feel comfortable with such a set-up when he finds this man to be the most gorgeous person he’s ever laid eyes on. He could never pay anyone to keep him company or cater to him like that. It would be so fucking weird, and just- not okay. 

If they met on campus or as co-workers at the bakery then eventually ending up as roommates after getting to know each other is entirely plausible, but as it is, Soobin doesn’t know what to do except for to get himself away as fast as possible. 

Beomgyu just stands there staring at him with that sad expression on his face—like a kicked puppy—and Soobin feels on the verge of losing his mind. 

“Sorry. Beomgyu-ssi. I’ve got to…um,” he bows a few times in greeting as he makes his exit ungracefully, and instead of awkwardly entering his home as Beomgyu watches him, he spins around to rush off down the hall. 

Before he reaches the stairwell doors, he glances over his shoulder to see Beomgyu’s shoulders slumping as he gazes dejectedly at the floor. He looks so pitiful, and Soobin feels bad, but it really can’t be helped. He’s sure Beomgyu will find someone else who can help him out. 

He turns away to descend the stairs, his mind still racing and replaying the whole thing without coming to any more of a clearer understanding. 

Why the hell does Soobin feel so guilty about politely turning down a frankly ridiculous request? Is this how Beomgyu goes about finding work for himself? He can’t imagine. What sort of people have taken him up on such an offer in the past to make him jump on Soobin the second he set his eyes on him? It’s crazy.

He doesn’t even have a destination in mind, just strides quickly out of the building and down the road to put as much space between himself and the eccentric new neighbor as he can. He doesn’t know what to think except for that both of them just made the worst first impressions, and any future sightings have the potential to be debilitatingly awkward.

He hopes their schedules don’t overlap too much, even though part of him is stupidly anxious to see him again. For whatever reason. Probably just concern over the man getting himself into a bad situation because Soobin refused to help him out, but he really can’t . There’s no need for him to get involved. 

A short while later he finds himself passing by the pet shop slash vet he tried to take the Maltese to the other day. His steps slow. Stop. Without giving himself a chance to overthink it, he finds himself pushing through the door to a jingle of bells. The worker at the front desk smiles kindly, and when she asks how she can help him, Soobin finds himself spilling out the first thing on his mind.

“Are you able to put up a notice for lost pets or check the other vets in the area? I lost my dog.”

Okay. He is apparently committing to this pursuit of ownership even though the dog is truly missing now, and that is how he finds himself filling out a few sheets of paper five minutes later, leaving his phone and address along with a description of the dog he doesn’t own but wants to. When the forms ask for the lost pet’s name, he huffs a little in amusement as the first thing to pop in his head is the sight of that round, blonde head and big brown eyes. They hardly look similar, really, but now that he noticed he can’t unsee it. Their energy was similar enough.

He writes down the name ‘Beommie’, each stroke and line of the pen incredibly sure even as his heart flutters weirdly. He ignores it. 

It’s not an overly obvious reference to the man, nor is it like his new neighbor will ever know he used it— or that Soobin thinks he resembles a cute puppy—but it’s a bit of a problem how Soobin can’t seem to get either of them out of his mind.

Kai would wisely say it’s because he spends way too much time alone with just a cat for company, and since seeing his best friend in person always feels like a fresh breath of air that revitalizes him unlike anything else, he’s begrudgingly beginning to think Kai is right. 

Maybe he is a little too isolated these days, and it would be nice if…

Well, it’s not like he’s going to take Beomgyu up on his offer to be roommates out of nowhere, but maybe they could become friends first.

He ends up making a snap decision and buys a device before he leaves the vet that’s able to scan any generic microchip in hopes that he can just do it himself once he is able to catch the little Maltese again. He keeps vigilant all the way home in hopes he might pop out again, but he has no luck—of course he doesn’t.

Yeonjun comes to greet him at the door, and Soobin scoops him up with a coo, grinning when he gets a face full of ticklish whiskers and a cold, little wet nose pressed into his cheek. It’s followed by a raspy lick of rough tongue, and Soobin rubs their cheeks together before laying no less than five kisses on his little head right between his silky ears. Yeonjun isn’t quite purring yet, but the way he butts his head into Soobin’s jaw repeatedly shows that he’s happy to see him.

He climbs all over Soobin’s legs when he sits them down on the sofa, rubbing his body along his side and alternating between dragging his soft furry cheeks along Soobin’s forearms and fanning his overly fluffy, fox-like tail into his face to obscure his view. Soobin pets him for a while, soaking up the affection, then pulls out his new gadget to see how it works. 

It only takes a few minutes to figure it out and get it connected to an app in his phone, and when he scans it over the area he knows Yeonjun is chipped, it pops up on his screen with all his information in perfect order. Soobin is pleased to see that Yeonjun is accounted for and could easily be returned in case he got lost, even though it seems he needs to take him in to get upgraded to a newer version that includes a GPS function. The models now being used by animal control are apparently going to become the new norm, but it isn't mandatory yet.

Yeonjun doesn’t seem bothered by the device in the least, just rolls onto his back on Soobin’s lap and lets his head flop back over his knees in an invitation—a demand, really—for Soobin to give his throat and tummy some attention. He’s so cuddly and cute today, and it cheers Soobin right up.

Even though he’s worried about Beommie, he can’t do anything but hope something turns up.

Over the next few days, he doesn’t see the dog anywhere, nor does he get any phone calls from the vet with updates or leads on him. What he does get is an annoying uptake in spam calls from unknown numbers that he stops answering after the first five or six all turn out to begin with the same automated, ‘hello’. It’s probably an unfortunate side-effect of his number being plastered on the missing pet notices.

For all his effort he still doesn’t catch sight of his dog, but he’s soon distracted from his worries as every single time he steps foot out his front door he gets treated to a series of increasingly awkward run-ins with Choi Beomgyu.

He’s confused by Beomgyu’s uncanny ability to know exactly when he is going to leave or enter his apartment, especially given Soobin’s odd hours of working. He’s even more perplexed by his delighted yells of, “Soobin!” as if they are besties who haven’t seen each other in ages, when really they are newly acquainted neighbors who see each other daily.

It’s already weird enough that they see each other daily! And multiple times, at that.

He only sees the ahjeossi down the hall every now and then if he comes home from work at exactly 5am, and is a bit concerned that the husband of the kimchi halmoni has passed since he can’t say he’s ever actually seen him once this year. 

But Beomgyu seems to have nothing better to do than hang out in the hallway between their doors. What is that guy doing all day? Why the hell is he so interested in Soobin?

He knows he’s the only one who seems to feel weird, because not only does Beomgyu seem unbothered by Soobin’s awkwardness and stuttered responses, it seems like his approach to winning Soobin over is by bouncing around him while talking his face off in an attempt to make a connection. Soobin hardly has to say a word—Beomgyu is a legitimate motormouth. 

Added to that is the fact that he always slips in a query over if Soobin has considered the roommate thing like a dog with a bone he refuses to give up. He is trying to stay objective on the topic, politely refusing him time and again, but he truly doesn’t understand Beomgyu’s motivations. 

Even though something is quite obviously wrong with the blonde man, it’s not like he’s creepy about it. In fact, he’s quite sweet and earnest about it. Soobin is starting to find him cute, god help him. 

The two of them have developed a comical record of meetings in the hallway, and he starts to brace himself for it each time he opens the door. Beomgyu’s laughter is particularly loud and even as it surprises him, he can’t help but quickly grow to like it. As he’s exposed to Beomgyu’s theatrical expressions and oddly quaint phrases of speech as he prattles on about the most random shit, he can’t help but begin to look forward to seeing him. He’s entertaining and cute, and is an unexpected bright spot in his boringly regular routines. 

They guy really seems intent on inflicting his sunny presence upon him day or night, and there’s literally no way for Soobin to avoid him. He doesn’t even want to, really, his growing attraction and the private concerns over Beomgyu’s well-being lingering constantly in the back of his mind.

Kai would sure like him, he knows that much, and that’s a good indicator of character if nothing else.

So Soobin lets him tag along as he walks to the bus stop for school or random crack of dawn early bakery shifts, watching with increasingly fond confusion as Beomgyu excitedly waves goodbye from the curb every single day. He always shows up again later, too, bursting out of his apartment to welcome Soobin back home in the hallway as if he is tracking Soobin’s schedule. Or- or maybe he’s literally listening at his door to catch the sound of Soobin coming and going, which would be absolutely crazy. 

Thoughts like that make Soobin feel like he’s delusional, but Beomgyu’s behavior is so hard to explain. He seems to be following Soobin, but why ?

Maybe Beomgyu just moved here from somewhere far outside of Seoul and is a country bumpkin who assumes neighbors in the city are like the people he used to be surrounded with in a rural little town: friendly to a fault, all up in each other’s business like family, and have zero understanding of social niceties or the concept of strict personal boundaries that city dwellers draw around themselves. 

Those boundaries are essential for privacy as well as for safety, but the air of innocence and openness he wears about himself is so large it’s nearly a visible thing. He’s like a little lamb or a puppy, practically offering himself up to be screwed over and taken advantage of. 

He’s cute, but absolutely clueless . 

Soobin is incredibly curious about his backstory, but even without knowing where he came from or what his agenda is, Soobin can’t deny the guy is easy to take a liking to. He soon finds himself smiling whenever he pops into sight with that big, silly grin on his face and his waving arms. He just shrugs the first night Beomgyu invites himself along for his impromptu walks around the neighborhood, and it isn’t long before the reason behind these daily walks comes out.

“Are you always this active?” Beomgyu wants to know, round eyes reflecting the bright lights of the convenience store as they turn the corner. “You like walks ?”

He chuckles a little at discovering the blonde man’s apparent love of ‘walks’. Who even gets that excited for them except exercise enthusiasts? Which doesn’t make sense given the way Beomgyu gets winded after barely five minutes, complaining for Soobin to slow down. Even a brisk walk has him panting, but beaming, and it’s stupidly endearing.

“Not particularly,” he admits. “I like walking, I guess, but actually I have been out every day looking for my dog.” 

The ‘my’ slipped out much too easily, but he can’t take it back. He’s fully committed to the ownership fantasy now, even though with each day that passes he’s growing more certain that the dog got snatched up by animal control. He has been debating taking a trip to the main shelter associated with the clean up program to check the collection of strays with his own eyes since he doubts they’d respond to his lost pet notice. 

“Your dog?” Beomgyu wonders, peering up at him with big, curious eyes. “What do you mean, looking? You lost him?”

Soobin still isn’t immune to that sparkly, attentive gaze at all—it’s hard to breathe—and today he finds himself passing the front entrance to their apartments to wordlessly begin a second lap of the block. Beomgyu follows along, step for step, and Soobin really enjoys the feeling of togetherness. It’s also nice to have such an avid audience even when he’s sharing something mundane that other acquaintances wouldn’t care much about. 

“Yeah. He’s a Maltese.” Beomgyu blinks, lips curving up at the corners in some sort of recognition. Maybe he is a fan of the breed; he seems like an animal lover. “I-I haven’t had him long, actually. He is a stray I have been wanting to keep, but he ran away from me last week and I can’t find him again. I’m worried he got taken by animal control since they’ve been cracking down.”

Beomgyu stops in his tracks, a strange expression crossing over his pretty face.

“Yeah, those guys are ruthless,” he murmurs. Soobin wonders what he’s seen to make him look like that; it can’t be good. Beomgyu’s gaze lifts to pin him in place. “If you find him, you’re going to give him a forever home?” he asks quietly. “With you?”

There’s a weight to his regard that Soobin doesn’t understand. He’s almost never seen the man look so serious. So much of Beomgyu is a mystery to him, but with each interaction Soobin has found multiple points of connection and he feels comfortable enough by now to be candid and honest.  

“Yeah. I sorta fell in love with him immediately,” Soobin adds tentatively with a half-smile, averting his eyes. “The only problem was that my cat really hated him. I was going to try and acclimatize them to each other, but…he has disappeared. I was thinking of taking a trip to the animal shelter to check for him, actually.”

Beomgyu doesn’t reply right away, and when Soobin looks back up it’s to find the smaller man has drifted much closer to him. His chin tilts up to look Soobin full in the face, eyes searching and soulful, and he’s so damn pretty Soobin doesn’t know what to do with himself. 

Why is he looking at him like that…?

Maybe Beomgyu is just touched by Soobin’s soft bleeding heart regarding stray animals, and it seems like yet another commonality between them. He really likes that. Likes him .

Oh my god…wait. Soobin likes him.

“I’m sure he’d love to be yours,” Beomgyu murmurs, soft like a promise. 

For some reason he has gone misty eyed, and Soobin freezes when he reaches out to curl his fingers around Soobin’s hand, sending a tingle up his arm. The next moment, they’re holding hands properly. Why is he…doing that? 

“I’ll help you look,” Beomgyu tells him.

“Oh…thanks,” Soobin says back, warmth unfurling inside his chest at the words. His cheeks feel hot, but he hopes it’s not obvious in the evening light.

It’s nice to have someone recognize that his feelings over one little stray are both valid and meaningful. Soobin considers taking a pet in like adopting a family member, not acquiring a commodity, and it’s nice to learn that Beomgyu’s stance on animal welfare seems to align with his own. 

Beomgyu loves to hear everything Soobin has to say about the Maltese—which doesn’t amount to much, sadly—and after talking about him as if he belongs to him, Soobin finds that he truly has begun to believe it himself. He really, really wants to find him.

Yet even with both of them ‘looking’, he doesn’t catch sight of him once over the next week.

More often than not, the outings end with him buying Beomgyu a treat at the nearby convenience store in thanks, and with each day that passes he’s coming to see that their initial meeting was really a bit of a fluke.

Beomgyu is a little crazy, but it’s in a chaotic, eccentric personality type-way instead of a worrisome mental condition of some sort type-way. It’s a relief to know that his unique mannerisms and thought patterns stem from a peculiar upbringing that he only shares in little glimpses and scraps that Soobin is struggling to fit together into a legible picture.

He’s so damn sweet and kind and pretty, and Soobin is really starting to like him more than he should when he knows next to nothing about him besides the shape of his smile and his loud, croaking laugh. Those are definitely charming, if nothing else. Besides, it’s more than just looks. It’s really nice to have someone actively trying to get to know him—for whatever reason—and it’s allowing both of them to see that they miraculously get along incredibly well in each other’s company and also share interests. 

At this point, he definitely wants to learn more about him and ensure that Beomgyu knows and likes him back, so naturally he starts to babble a bit during conversations about the games he plays, and anime—Beomgyu’s blankly clueless expression helps him to shut up about that rather quickly—and other tidbits about work or school. 

Beomgyu takes it all in with clear fascination, and Soobin observes his reactions with a continued sense of confusion. 

They haven’t exchanged numbers or even social handles because he hasn’t seen Beomgyu take out a phone in his presence even once. He feels a little too awkward to ask because he’s sure the man doesn’t even have one for some reason. 

Soobin soon begins letting Beomgyu have access to his phone to choose the playlist for them as they walk, because once he got started on playing his favorites for him they discovered their taste in music aligns exactly even though Beomgyu couldn’t name a single artist or song. 

It’s almost like Beomgyu has never heard of half of the things Soobin talks about, which is why he’s unable to join in or respond on the topic, but Soobin’s life hardly contains anything unusual or special. He’s just a normal, boring university student, so why the hell does it feel like Beomgyu has spent his adolescence living under a rock? 

Maybe he really does need to give the roommate idea proper consideration to establish himself as Beomgyu’s new mentor and guide in the city—and in life—if only he can get a bit more background information from his mysterious neighbor.

Beomgyu is all ears to hear about Soobin’s coursework or personal life, but he’s noticeably close-lipped about his own, and Soobin spends an unhealthy amount of time contemplating his offer for companionship with an uncomfortable lump in his stomach. Beomgyu is so sunny and bright, but he is obviously hiding a much darker side of himself in an effort to appeal to Soobin, and he doesn’t like it.

The other thing that bothers him is the way Yeonjun has been acting ever since the man moved in. 

He hardly touches his food and has been all prickly and aloof. He won’t come out of hiding or sleep in the bed with Soobin without ample treats and patient coaxing every single night, and it’s unlike him. Soobin initially considered taking him to the vet to make sure he wasn’t dealing with something medical, but as trivial as it seems, he’s fairly certain the new neighbor is the issue. Yeonjun’s sensitive feline ears can probably pick up Beomgyu’s noisy chatter and booming laughter through the wall, which is an unexpected stress disrupting his until-now peaceful kitty life, but that alone wouldn’t be cause for concern. 

The way he’s neglecting to feed himself and avoiding Soobin’s affection as if he’s upset with him is the problem. Now that Soobin knows his baby is prone to jealousy, it isn’t hard to figure out why.

It’s frustrating, but Yeonjun seems to strongly dislike the traces of Beomgyu’s scent that must be lingering on his clothes since that man has no sense of personal space and is very touchy . Soobin doesn’t really initiate it himself, but he doesn’t try to dissuade him or avoid it. He likes it. 

For Yeonjun it’s probably an instinctive, territorial thing, where he believes that Soobin belongs to him and him alone, and no doubt hates that his human is spending more time out getting smothered in the smell of some loud stranger. 

Soobin hasn’t dated anyone since getting Yeonjun as a kitten, and even though he’s not trying to date Beomgyu, he is enjoying his company a lot. He looks forward to seeing him every day, and his attraction to him is only getting stronger the more time they spend out and around the neighborhood looking for a dog that seems to be long gone as an excuse to get to know each other.

Soobin has sadly gotten quite used to the cat turning his nose up and pretending he can’t see or hear him when he tries to persuade him out of his new favorite hide out in the winter coat box, or cringing away when he tries to cuddle him directly after arriving home. Or hissing . He hates that the most, but it seems like the sound has replaced his little meows that Soobin now misses desperately.

Once he has showered and changed, it’s still quite the ordeal to get Yeonjun to cozy up to him, and Soobin finally comes to the conclusion that the best way to placate both of the frustrating bids for his attention is to just introduce the two to each other. There’s no way Yeonjun won’t warm up to Beomgyu, the man is a veritable melty, soft-hearted baby .

Soobin is notorious for having a mile-wide soft spot for babies, he just never imagined he’d have two of them competing for his affections. 

He feels strongly for Yeonjun and would be desolate without him, but it’s not like his love for his cat is comparable to what he’s beginning to feel for the beautiful human that is Choi Beomgyu. 

He is pretty sure Beomgyu is both available and interested, but it has been hard to confirm it.

Soobin has no explanation for why Beomgyu wants to spend so much time with him, and maybe he’s just not around to see them, but the glaring lack of anyone else coming to visit such a social and extroverted person is a little strange. 

Soobin also doesn’t have friends dropping by because Kai lives all the way across the city, but he’s an introvert and his schedule is packed with school and work so it’s explainable. And he has a cat to keep him company, Kai’s comments about human contact be damned. 

Beomgyu is so alone and it’s weird. 

His fixation on Soobin is flattering and—damnit, comforting —but it’s weird.

He doesn’t want to stop spending time with him, though. It’s different and nice to have a friend waiting to chat with him when he gets home and a friendly face beaming at him first thing in the morning as if he’s actually happy to see him. It’s sweet, and Soobin is a weak man. Beomgyu has totally grown on him.

It would be even better if they could share a meal or play games. Or just hang out. He hasn’t had Kai over for that in ages since they have fallen into a habit of chatting over their headpieces while playing online, leaving no need for either one of them to spend nearly two hours on the subway.

He’s a little worried that inviting Beomgyu in to hang out might end in the man camping out and forcibly making himself Soobin’s roommate at last, but with each passing day he’s starting to question his initial resistance to the idea. Would it really be so unacceptable? It’s not like they’re strangers anymore.

Financially, of course it would be beneficial, but the space is meant for just one person—or a couple—and he can’t help but think what Beomgyu wants isn’t a roommate, but a boyfriend who cares for him and all his needs. He has no idea about how that might play out. Would something like that even be on Beomgyu’s radar, or is he literally a clueless country bumpkin who jumps on every opportunity to share the beds of strangers? 

He really can’t forget how this started. Where did Beomgyu even come from? What is he hiding? Or is it something—someone—he’s hiding from?

It feels really good to be around someone who seems equally enamored with him, but Soobin is not a lucky man and their budding friendship does feel too good to be true. Beomgyu literally appeared out of nowhere and approached him as if he had an agenda, but Soobin can’t figure out the catch.

He can’t let it rest until he knows one way or another if this is real or some crazy plot, and with each passing day he is growing more invested. Despite the strange circumstance of their meeting, he’s the first person Soobin has been attracted to in a very long time and he already can’t imagine not seeing him around anymore. 

He wants him to stay in his life. 

He wants to get closer to him until Beomgyu feels safe enough to open up and share, and as it turns out, he doesn’t have to even wait long for an opportunity to ask for more.

The very next day, just a few seconds after he opens his front door, the next one over slams open like clockwork. Beomgyu comes tumbling out with his shoes only half on, his blonde hair in disarray under a blue cap. He’s a bit of a mess, but he’s a pretty one. 

Soobin lets his door shut behind himself with a soft click , sending the other man a small smile of greeting. 

“Hello, again, neighbor,” he teases cautiously. “Where are you off to?”

Beomgyu slams his door shut, much too energetic for 7am as usual, and grins at him as he trots over to wrap both arms around him in a rather aggressive hug.

“Soobin! Are you going to school?”

Did he not hear Soobin’s question, or did he deliberately ignore it? He actually does this sort of deflection a lot—answering a question with one of his own—and it’s so easy to overlook the fact that he’s hiding information given the way he is always pushing conversations rapidly along.

“Yeah,” he says, holding still in an attempt to hide the way he’s feeling extremely flustered by this position. 

The hug lasts a few seconds longer than a friendly greeting should merit, but he’s too nervous to lift a hand to touch him back. Beomgyu squeezes his arms and nuzzles his head into Soobin’s chest as if searching for physical comfort, and his heart flutters wildly. 

This…he wants more of this. 

It seems Beomgyu really wants it to, so this is where he is brave and goes for it.

“Um, if- if you have nothing else going on, wanna come with?” he gets out in a stuttering rush. “There’s a really nice cafe on campus, if you like coffee?” His ears feel hot, but his hair hopefully covers it.

Beomgyu pushes him away so quickly Soobin stumbles back a step. His round, brown eyes are huge and adorable as he looks up at him, expression all soft as if touched by the offer. He really wears his heart on his sleeve.

“You want me to- I can come with you?”

“Yeah. If you want.” Soobin smiles shyly. “You’re not busy?” 

“Nope!” Beomgyu declares loudly. He bounces on the balls of his feet slightly as if he can hardly contain himself.

“You don’t have work or something?” Soobin pushes, hoping that Beomgyu might let something slip. 

Beomgyu shakes his head, looking eager. “Not today. I’m so excited to see your school,” he announces. “I’ve never been to a Uni campus.”

“Really?” he asks, surprised. “I thought you were a student.” 

He gets another head shake and a bright, innocent smile. “Nope, but maybe I’ll do that someday.” He shrugs.

Soobin hesitates, wanting to ask more—to ask everything—but the way Beomgyu doesn’t volunteer hardly any information makes him reluctant to come across as nosy. He doesn’t want Beomgyu to feel interrogated, but he really wants to know . 

He gestures forwards to indicate they should get going and struggles to keep his eyes in front of him instead of drifting to the man walking beside him. They’ve walked side by side daily since Beomgyu moved in, but today is different. 

They’re going out together. For coffee. So… this could be considered a date, couldn’t it? 

Given what he knows of Beomgyu so far, the idea probably won’t even cross his mind, but it’s currently stuck on Soobin’s. He feels a little crazy.

They chat a bit as they wait for the bus, then Beomgyu goes wide-eyed in dismay when it finally pulls up and Soobin gets out his wallet to beep his card. Beomgyu’s hands hang awkwardly by his sides, unmoving from where he stands as other people at the stop pass them to board the bus. Soobin realizes he must have left his wallet at home or something, probably because he didn’t anticipate Soobin asking him to ride a bus. 

Where was he even going without his wallet on him? Maybe he really was serious about his daily morning walk ritual. It’s not actually that weird to leave it behind while exercising. Soobin knows he’s overreacting and putting more meaning onto every little clue he gets. Right…?

“I got it, don’t worry. Just get on,” he urges him, avoiding his eyes as he requests the driver to add two passengers before he pays. 

Beomgyu’s expression clears immediately, and he doesn’t hesitate to bound up the steps. He grabs hold of the overhead bar on the crowded bus and sways his body into Soobin the second he comes to stand beside him. His hair tickles Soobin’s chin and it smells good. He wants to dip his face into it—to kiss his head—and it’s ridiculous how hard it is to control the urge.

Being close like this while going somewhere together is stupidly exciting. He feels giddy.

“Sorry about that,” Beomgyu says quickly, looking up at him as their bodies sway apart again when the bus pulls into traffic. “And thank you. I’ll pay you back somehow.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Soobin repeats. “I’m the one who invited you last minute. Thanks for agreeing.”

“I was hoping to spend time with you today, but I know you’re busy on weekday mornings.” 

Oh. Really? That’s more than Soobin was expecting, a lot more. He doesn’t know what to say, overly aware of the young woman sitting in the seat just beneath them and the ahjummas crowding into their space on both sides. 

Beomgyu has been open about his interest in getting to know Soobin from the moment they met, but Soobin still doesn’t understand why. What is he missing…?

Why won’t the guy mention a word about his schedule or personal life? He said he can’t pay his own rent, but then how is he making a living? Is he between jobs or taking a break from school since he’s unable to pay tuition? How can he find out without being obvious about it?

“Sorry, I don’t have much time to hang out during the week,” he says. “Maybe we can go do something fun on the weekend. If you want?”

“I want,” Beomgyu replies immediately, smiling at him. “It’s always fun to be with you.”

Soobin grins back, shying away when Beomgyu crowds into his body with exaggerated pouty lips. He coos something embarrassing in a voice reserved for fucking babies as he jams a fingertip into Soobin’s dimple while miming biting the air cutely. God…how does he get away with acting like this all the time? It’s all Soobin can do to hang onto the handrail and prevent the seated lady from getting an earful or an eyeful. 

He never imagined that flirting on the bus could make the commute fly by so fast.

Half an hour later they struggle through the packed bus to get off, then follow the steady stream of students headed up the slow incline just past the main gates of the campus, people peeling away to head towards their respective destinations while Soobin guides Beomgyu towards the cafe in mind. 

It’s cozy but crowded still since there’s a good forty minutes before the start of the 9 o’clock lectures. Somehow they still manage to secure a rickety little table in the back corner. Beomgyu beams at him when Soobin offers to buy his drink, asking for the same of whatever Soobin likes, and even though he’s a little disappointed not to learn his favorite flavor, he’s more concerned about the way Beomgyu is so set on pleasing him.

It’s obvious that Beomgyu is still determined to get Soobin to like him, but he doesn’t have to do it like this. Soobin already likes him, and he’ll like him even more if Beomgyu shows him more of his unique tastes and preferences. His true self. 

As he waits in line he mulls over different ways he could try to tell him that. 

Beomgyu catches his eye over the crowd of people and grins as he sends him a jaunty wave as if they only just caught sight of each other. He’s so sunny and playful it should be annoying, but it cheers Soobin up like nothing else. He’s so fucking whipped.

He waves back, something clenching tight behind his ribs. He fears it might be his heart. 

He gets them both vanilla lattes, hoping he likes sweet things, and grows increasingly more anxious as Beomgyu spends the next thirty minutes asking him every question under the sun, from his favorite bread to his best childhood memory. It’s glaringly one-sided, and the most he can get out of him in return are hints to a very sheltered and lonely life that makes his heart ache. 

He doesn’t understand how Beomgyu got to be in this situation, or even what exactly that situation is.

Beomgyu is funny and vibrant, glowing under the warm yellow cafe lighting, and Soobin is quickly falling in love with his dramatic displays of emotion and carefree laughter even if he’s carefully hiding his internal self away. He hopes with time Beomgyu might feel safe enough to share it with him. 

His phone vibrates across the table, interrupting Beomgyu’s enthusiastic description of his favorite park—the one thing he does talk a lot about are the outdoors and parks—and he’s disappointed to see the alarm notification for his class.

“Sorry, I gotta go to class,” he tells him regretfully. “I’ll give you some cash to take the bus back home.”

“No, no,” Beomgyu protests immediately. “I’m gonna explore a bit. What time are you done and where can I find you?”

Soobin pauses halfway to standing to gape at him a bit. “You mean you’re going to wait for me? I have three classes today—not done ‘till five.”

“I don’t mind!” Beomgyu cries, bolting to his feet. “I hate being home alone, it’s the worst. I’d rather be here.” His head tilts cutely to one side. “Don’t you have a lunch break? I can keep you company.”

Soobin’s stomach twists up a little at that. He’s not even shy about it when he offers himself like this, he’s just desperate in a way Soobin doesn’t understand. It’s almost like he doesn’t know how to live without direction or act in his own interest, as if he was trained to behave like this, and Beomgyu’s initial reference to himself as ‘obedient’ rises to mind unbidden. It makes him feel sick.

Multiple questions crowd to the front of his mind, but he is unable to voice any of them. What happened to him to make him like this? Beomgyu’s desire for a roommate seems to stem from something much deeper than he thought, and he doesn’t want him to keep acting or living like this. 

Maybe Soobin should take him in and slowly help him learn to live for himself before he gives up on Soobin and runs into the clutches of some predator instead. He can’t let that happen to him, especially since Beomgyu seems to think he wants an arrangement like that.

There’s no way. Soobin has to interfere.

Roommates it is.

“You don’t have to follow me around all day…” he attempts weakly, already feeling guilty for both dragging him here and at the newfound knowledge that Beomgyu’s overbearing attempts to be close stem from loneliness. Or worse. Conditioning.

“I want to,” Beomgyu declares with a little pout, his long fringe shifting to hang into his eyes without his hat there to keep it back. 

Soobin finds himself moving without conscious thought, reaching up with one hand to brush the strands back against his forehead. Beomgyu holds perfectly still, watching him with big eyes. He blinks, then bumps his head ever so gently into Soobin’s touch as if asking for more. It makes Soobin want to sink his fingers into that soft, thick hair and stroke it down, and it looks like Beomgyu wants him to. He’s nearly overcome with the urge to do it…

His phone rings with a call and he startles back, snapping his hand away. He fumbles a little to check it—another unknown number, one he thinks he’s seen multiple times now—and feels the sickening heat of a gross blush crawling quickly all up his neck. 

It didn’t quite feel like a date before, but after touching Beomgyu’s hair , his feelings and intentions are probably glaringly obvious. It seemed like Beomgyu was encouraging him all morning, so does that mean Beomgyu wants the same thing? 

Is that response genuine, though?

Is this how Soobin gets tricked into letting Beomgyu into his home by thinking they’re sharing feelings when really it’s a planned transaction on Beomgyu’s part? He has to keep that in mind and draw the line. He has to protect him. It will be fine if they are just roommates. 

Either way, he doesn’t want to let Beomgyu out of his sight now.

“Uh…actually my first lecture has nearly 200 seats, you know.” He heaves his bag onto one shoulder and looks him in the eye. “The professor doesn’t know the difference whenever someone’s friend joins in or not.” Beomgyu makes an inquiring sound. “If you wanna see what it’s like?”

“I’d love to. Let’s go!” Beomgyu cries animatedly. 

Soobin quickly stuffs his phone away, avoiding looking directly at Beomgyu’s smiling face as the blonde man snatches his cap up and rams it on his head. He’s so cute and Soobin would actually love nothing more than to have him accompany him all day. He really likes him so much.

If things go well…they totally have the potential to become one of those sickeningly affectionate, clingy couples who do everything together all the time. He can’t imagine anything more perfect. If he wasn’t already wondering where the hell this perfect, ideal man came from, he sure would begin wondering about it now.

Soobin is never so lucky, and he knows he’s a big fool for even thinking about it, but he just really hopes that Beomgyu’s interest is genuine. 

The ideal man in question can’t keep quiet during the lecture, unfortunately, whispering questions under his voice so often Soobin’s concentration is shot—his notebook a sadly intelligible mess of notes. Then Beomgyu has to go to the bathroom halfway through, only for both of them to discover the door is locked to the outside while the class is in session, and seeing his crestfallen face peering through the window in the door shatters all of Soobin’s remaining patience and self-control.

He has never dipped in the middle of class before, but there is a first for everything. He can’t let it become a habit or his grades will suffer, but the way Beomgyu literally bounces cutely in place when Soobin slinks out the door to join him in the hall makes him think it’s worth it.

“But- don’t you need to stay till the end?” Beomgyu wonders belatedly, looking only mildly sorry.

“I can get the lecture slides from the online forum later,” he explains.

“Oh. Good,” Beomgyu says. “It was hell of boring anyway, wasn’t it?”

Soobin laughs a little. It really was, but that doesn’t mean Soobin won’t do all the required work anyways. “Humanities and social sciences are prereqs that everyone in the program is required to take, what do you expect?”

“I don’t know what any of that means,” Beomgyu says with clear disinterest. “What’s the point of this?” 

“The point of school?” he replies in slow disbelief. Beomgyu nods guilelessly, looking more interested in the bulletin board stuffed full of colorful advertisements than learning about the importance of higher education. “Well, once I get my degree I’ll be qualified to work as a vet. That’s the point.”

“You wanna become a vet?” 

“Yeah. You already figured out my secret of being a big, stupid animal lover, didn’t you?”

Beomgyu’s pretty face slants into a smirk he was not prepared to ever see on him. “Big and stupid, you say? That’s just my type.”

Soobin laughs a bit self-consciously, feeling like he missed something. “Right. That’s me.” What is he saying ? He snaps his mouth shut.

Beomgyu gives him a more sincere smile. “I mean it. You’re exactly my type. I really like you,” he says. Just like that. “I already wanted to live with you before for a lot of reasons, but now I am desperate to be with you twenty-four seven.”

Soobin stares back at him, absolutely floored. “What exactly do you mean by that…?”

“Please let me move in?” he begs, lifting both hands to clasp his fingers together imploringly. His brown eyes take up half his face, sparkling at him as if trying to hypnotize him into agreeing. Those are the biggest fucking puppy eyes he has ever seen—they’re unreal.

“Beomgyu…wait,” he begins slowly, mind whirring to catch up. “Before we even talk about living together, I need to understand what you mean by ‘being with me’. You’re…asking me out?”

“Yes?” He blinks owlishly as if Soobin is being dumb about this. He’s totally not. “You’re the one who asked me on a date first. You like me, too, don’t you? ”

Soobin bites his lower lip, ducking his head a little in embarrassment as his heart patters against his ribs. He did ask him out first, but mistakenly assumed Beomgyu wouldn’t understand it for what it was. He obviously had no issue picking up on the subtle hints pinging between them, and it would be so much easier–and better—if they clear this up right here and now. 

Maybe he was wrong in thinking Beomgyu was sheltered and clueless. He hopes. He sounds more direct and honest than Soobin anticipated on this topic. More genuine. 

Fuck. This is exactly what he wanted.

“Y-yeah, I like you,” Soobin admits, because Beomgyu already knows.

This is not how he ever expected the conversation to go, but he was apparently all nervous for nothing. Even though his conditioning theory still hasn’t been disproven one way or the other, he is ready to believe any confirmation that their feelings are mutual and real .

“So I can move in now?” Beomgyu asks happily. Soobin’s heart flutters weakly.

“N-no, wait. Before we…um, I know you keep asking about becoming roommates,” he adds slowly, carefully picking his words. “So I need you to know I’m okay with that. By itself. Even if we like each other, you don’t need to date me as a condition of getting the housing you need. I’m serious.”

“No, that’s not it,” Beomgyu says immediately. “I want to date you and live with you.”

“Oh.”

They stare at each other for a moment, Soobin still feeling a bit perplexed despite Beomgyu’s confident declaration. He has no idea what they should focus on first.

“Okay,” he says, daring to just go with it. “Maybe we should try out just being roommates before we date, though.” 

“Aren’t we already dating?” Beomgyu quips, giving him a pointed stare. 

“I guess,” he agrees shyly. Beomgyu is a lot more observant than he lets on. Of course he is. Soobin keeps letting his sunny disposition distract him from the way Beomgyu is deliberately hiding his past. “But, well, there’s also your leasing contract to consider. How long did you sign for?”

“It’s not a problem. I can move whenever—no fees,” Beomgyu assures him without adding any more explanation. 

“Oh. Really? That’s good.” 

Does he know the landlord or something? That actually answers a lot of his questions. He’ll never know more about Beomgyu if he doesn’t give this crazy roommate idea a chance, and he really wants to spend all his free time with him—especially in a setting that will allow them to develop true intimacy over time. 

He longs for things like late night chats over chicken and beer and lazy mornings sharing breakfast, dressed in their pajamas and seeing each other at their most trusting and vulnerable. All of that could so easily turn into a shared bed and slow kisses against the counter, and- and fuck , he wants him badly but he can’t get ahead of himself.

It would be so damn easy to get swept away in Beomgyu’s carefree enthusiasm, but Soobin has to be the voice of reason here. He has to be practical about it.

“Well, I wasn’t lying when I said my place is small. And that the opinion of my cat matters.” He pauses, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. “If you don’t have to worry about the lease, I think we should wait a bit before making the move official. Maybe until the month is up?”

Beomgyu nods solemnly—suddenly looking oddly subdued. Soobin hates that look on him. He’s already weak for this man and he can’t bear it for more than a few seconds.

“But if you’d like, I can introduce you to Yeonjun when we get back later?”

If Beomgyu had ears, Soobin is sure they’d be perking up. His energy shifts so quickly it’s frankly adorable. 

“You’re inviting me over? To meet your precious cat?”

Soobin can’t stop himself from smiling. “Yeah…if you want?”

“I want,” he replies almost before Soobin has even finished asking. 

Then he’s lurching forwards to hug him once again, this time with his arms slipped under Soobin’s, allowing him to grab his waist and press them flush together. He fits against him so perfectly it’s insane. He smells familiar somehow, a scent that Soobin wants to keep chasing until he knows why he has such a good feeling associated with it.

“You…really like hugs, huh?”

“I’m a shameless cuddler,” Beomgyu says brightly. Shameless is right.

“So is my cat. Maybe you two will get along just fine.”

“We’ll see about that,” Beomgyu giggles, sounding properly amused. “I’m more of a dog person.” 

He rubs his cheek into Soobin’s chest with a playful little sound—not unlike a dog growl—and Soobin holds his breath. 

It’s unexpected and makes him nervous in an entirely new way—because his body lights up—but Soobin likes every little thing that Beomgyu says and does a lot. This sort of physicality is very much crossing the line into boyfriend behavior, but he’s sure that if he brings up that word already it will make this feel wrong. It’s much too soon for that. 

Becoming roommates who are dating is already pretty much the same thing as boyfriends, but it’s not like he’s asking him to move in with ulterior motives. Or promising things he won’t follow through on. He wants the total opposite. Soobin’s intentions are good and his feelings are real. Beomgyu is telling him he has feelings too while being equally open about wanting to share a home, so Soobin is going to make sure they take it slow.

He needs to give Beomgyu the time and space to leave—either the relationship or the house—if he decides he only wants one over the other.

Beomgyu seems the sort to just jump in with both feet, and Soobin feels strongly that he needs to watch over him and protect him from getting hurt. He really likes where things are heading, but he’s still nervous about the important things he doesn’t know about him. 

“Well, maybe I can make you into a cat person, too,” he suggests, totally serious even though it makes Beomgyu laugh. “You wanna hang out after meeting him? We can have dinner and play some games?” 

“So you’re asking me on another date. A date in your house,” Beomgyu says bluntly, pulling himself away from the hug to pin him in place with his glittery eyes instead. Soobin can’t look away.

“Y-yeah, a date,” he says, voice rasping awkwardly. “I was just thinking about ordering take out, but if you’d rather we, um…go out …?”

“Don’t you cook?” Beomgyu wants to know, kindly bypassing his awkwardness all together. 

“No. That’s a very bad idea,” Soobin mutters, dimple pressing into one cheek as he tries to contain a smile. “I sent my best friend to the hospital with a stomach ache in high school. It wasn’t pretty.”

“Who is your best friend? I haven’t seen anyone around.”

“His name is Kai, and that’s because he lives all the way across the city,” Soobin explains, feeling pleasantly warm at Beomgyu inadvertently admitting to watching and noticing the same thing Soobin noticed about him. “I haven’t seen anyone come by to see you either. Did you move from somewhere far away?” 

Beomgyu seems to freeze for a second, his eyes wide and slightly panicked. Soobin almost regrets asking, but then Beomgyu relaxes visibly, expression shifting subtly as if he just decided something.

“Actually, I was staying at a…youth shelter of sorts…” he says haltingly, surprising him with an answer that easily makes him feel guilty even though it finally, finally explains a bit of the mystery surrounding his past. “No one else I know has gotten out yet. Moved out, I mean. I was on the streets for a bit, and it’s been hard.” He drops his eyes to the floor. “That's why I want to stay close to you. You’re really nice to me and make me feel safe.”

Soobin’s throat closes up. He didn’t miss that insightful slip up in word choice about ‘getting out’, and it hits like a punch to the gut. He’s grateful that Beomgyu feels safe with him. It makes him feel stupidly proud and like he’s allowed to give him more .

“Sorry…I didn’t mean to pry,” he says quietly. “I was just worried.”

“Worried about me?” Beomgyu whispers, lifting his gaze to bat his eyes slowly. Why is he doing that?

“Yeah. I was worried over the way you approach strangers and ask to live with them…you know?”

Beomgyu’s lashes flutter in another slow blink, stealing the very air from Soobin’s lungs. “You’re not a stranger to me,” he murmurs. 

“I was the day we met,” he counters, hating the way all his worst fears over Beomgyu’s situation seem on the verge of being confirmed. 

“I trust you,” Beomgyu adds, tugging on his heart strings. 

How is he ever meant to go slow after learning this? Beomgyu hasn’t mentioned any family, so he must be used to hopping from place to place, putting his trust in whoever agrees to take him in in an attempt to live a semblance of a real life outside of a group shelter. A shelter that was so bad he preferred to take to the streets. 

He’s probably been paying for room and board with the only thing he has to offer: his company and body. 

Soobin feels emotional. He can’t imagine being so desperate to have no option but that, and it’s horrible to even entertain the thought. Did he really have to do stuff like that? That’s not a normal life for someone this young, nor is it safe at all! 

The mystery of how he ended up as Soobin’s neighbor now has a hazy answer that Soobin is afraid to confirm. Did he approach their landlord with a similar offer to get his current place—free of fees? Or did he save enough money to escape from that cycle even if there’s no way for him to sustain himself alone without steady income and support?

Even if other men must have taken advantage of his vulnerability for who knows how long, Soobin will never do anything like that. He would never pressure him or disrespect him, but it’s difficult to tell if Beomgyu is acting innocent in order to seduce his way into getting what he needs, or if he truly is that destitute and world-weary to simply believe transactions like this are normal and okay.

Even if things don’t work out romantically, Soobin still wants to offer him space in his apartment—for one hundred percent free, no conditions attached—until Beomgyu settles and is able to get back on his own feet. It wouldn’t be a hardship for him, he truly enjoys Beomgyu’s company. 

The trust Beomgyu is giving him is precious and he wants to prove to him it is safe in his care.

“Be honest, though,” he says lightly, hoping to ease the tension this personal revelation brought between them. “Do you actually hate cats?” 

Beomgyu’s face contorts a little, and for the life of him Soobin can’t interpret the reason for it even as Beomgyu says, “No. I love them, but they usually take offense to me. For no reason at all!” 

He looks properly upset about it, the cutie. Unfortunately Yeonjun’s adverse reaction to just traces of his scent has Soobin fearing Beomgyu knows what he’s talking about. Cats always seem to just prefer certain humans over others, and Soobin can’t promise that Yeonjun will be the first to like him.

“Is being my roommate not worth putting up with one little snooty cat?” he teases, heart racing a little as Beomgyu returns a sly look to that comment. 

“That’s a definite yes to living together, right? I knew I’d win you over,” he says smugly, eyes gleaming. 

“ Yes , but like I said, let’s ease into it,” Soobin returns quickly. “Yeonjun refuses to eat when he’s jealous or upset, and I am afraid he might get sick. He needs to get to know you first.”

“Oh, Yeonjun gets jealous easily, does he?” Beomgyu wonders with a sparkle in his eye. “He sounds like fun.”

“Fun?” Soobin echoes in a bit of confusion. Jealous Yeonjun is a nightmare, not fun . “He’s a little terror these days because I think he picked up your scent on me, but he’s actually the sweetest baby ever. If you’re patient, I’m sure he’ll come to like you!” Soobin says earnestly even though it’s maybe a bit of a lie. 

Yeonjun was standoffish but caved within three hours the first time Kai ever came to visit. His jealous reaction was much more subdued back then, but Kai is likewise a cat owner who knew exactly how to approach and patiently befriend him, and besides, who doesn’t love that angelic man? Yeonjun abandons Soobin in a flash for Kai’s lap every time he visits now. 

However, Yeonjun already seems aware of Beomgyu and has shown his clear displeasure over his existence daily without the man ever trespassing into his space. If they are lucky Beomgyu might get a glimpse of him before he dashes off to burrow into Soobin’s coats to sulk.

It’s the same problem he was facing when he decided to take Beommie in, but a hundred times more important given Beomgyu’s current situation. At least he’s more optimistic over Yeonjun learning to like a human rather than a dog even despite Beomgyu’s lousy track record with cats.

“No need to persuade me,” Beomgyu says with a smile. “I’ll do my best to get on his good side.”

“Great,” Soobin agrees happily.

“Great,” Beomgyu repeats. Then his brows pinch together. “Sorry about scenting you. Once I was sure about you, I needed to claim you even just a little or I’ll go crazy.”

Soobin chokes on his own spit. “ Scenting me? What are you, a dog?” He laughs awkwardly, trying to play it off as a joke even though Beomgyu looks weirdly serious. He’s so unpredictable.

“Yeah,” Beomgyu says flatly, unbothered by how weird the claiming thing comes across. 

It seems the man is fully aware of his resemblance to a cute canine, and it’s very likely that he has even been using it against him on purpose. Soobin is such a weak fool.

“I’ve been feeling so much better after doing that, but it’s still not enough,” Beomgyu adds. “I need you to…um, what I mean is…can we be boyfriends?” 

Soobin chokes some more, feeling light headed. He did not expect him to just…He lifts his gaze to find Beomgyu watching him, clearly expectant and confident. As usual.

Everything about this man is strange, but Soobin likes him anyway. All his reasons for taking their relationship slow have evaporated—he can’t remember a single one. 

“Oh. Y-yeah…?” Damn. Why did his voice have to crack? “If that’s what you want.”

“I want,” Beomgyu agrees immediately. His smile is small but genuine ; eyes soft. 

Soobin is on the verge of melting. He really wants to touch him. He hesitates. It feels like they went from zero to one-hundred in ten seconds flat.

There’s still a few things—a lot of things, actually—that he should ask before they just go for it, but maybe Beomgyu will open up quicker now that they have agreed on the nature of their relationship on top of planning the first stage of the house tour as well. 

“I want, too,” Soobin says like an idiot, but Beomgyu doesn’t seem to care. He looks really happy. 

“I’m so happy,” Beomgyu says as if he read his mind. “Do you really have to do more boring classes, or can we just go now?”

Soobin laughs, feeling relieved and giddy, but still a bit confused. He doesn’t care about the details, anymore, he just wants this. Wants Beomgyu however he can have him.

“No, skipping any more than this means suffering. I can’t.” 

“Fine. Where’s your next one at? Or is it lunch? I’m starving. Let’s go.”

The rest of his afternoon classes drag by, his thoughts preoccupied with the man waiting for him outside of each one. He comes out after the last one is over to find Beomgyu asleep on the window-facing plush seat he installed him in. His head is practically hanging off the cushion, blue cap on the floor, and the sight is both ridiculous and cute. He spends a few minutes snapping candid pictures before he can bear to wake him up. 

Beomgyu looks up at him with sleepy eyes, blonde hair tousled and his smile so damn adoring—almost loving —that Soobin’s heart quakes tremulously. There are definitely genuine feelings there. There’s no way he’s acting. 

The sight makes him much more confident and motivated to take care of him properly.

Beomgyu stretches full body with an adorable little yawn crumpling his face, and Soobin feels melty and warm inside. He wants to cuddle him close so badly.

“Hey, cutie,” he greets, the nickname slipping out before he can catch himself. “Ready to go see what Yeonjun thinks of you?”

Beomgyu sits bolt upright in clear excitement. “ Finally . I’m ready!” 

He holds his hand up, clearly asking for Soobin to take it. Soobin laughs and grabs his hand, pulling him to his feet. Beomgyu clutches at his hand as they walk to the bus stop, swinging their arms between them, and even though he feels a bit shy at the blatant display he’s too happy to care about drawing eyes.

And that’s how he ends up finally opening his door to allow his noisy, strange, and dreadfully persistent neighbor inside. His neighbor who is now his boyfriend.

This day truly did not go how he expected it to.

Beomgyu is the first person he’s ever invited over besides Kai. The person he’s now planning to live together with. In one bedroom. In one bed? No, they can move Beomgyu’s furniture over, of course. There won’t be any sharing of beds yet—or at all—unless that’s honestly what Beomgyu wants.

It’s what Soobin wants, but he can wait. 

His longing for Beomgyu is growing at an alarmingly rapid rate, and it’s taking all his will power to make sure he doesn’t give into temptation and rush things even more than they already are.

Yeonjun predictably loses his shit the moment he approaches the door and finds a stranger standing in the entrance beside Soobin. A stranger he probably knows perfectly well by scent.

His fur stands on end as his whole body ripples into a stiff arched shape, ears flattening to his skull as he hisses like a furious spitting beast, and Soobin sighs in resignation. He pulls the door closed behind them, crowding the two of them together in the narrow foyer.

“Oh my god,” Beomgyu mutters under his breath, clearly taken aback by the hostile greeting. “Somebody sure has a grudge.” 

“Sorry about him,” Soobin mutters back, embarrassed by the way his cat already decided he hates Beomgyu before they even met. “Just come in.”

They toe off their shoes and Soobin grabs Beomgyu’s elbow to guide and support him as he offers him a pair of house slippers to slip into. Beomgyu twists his head to peer up at him through his lashes, and he’s so cute with that impish little smile curling his mouth into the most adorable shape Soobin wants to just- to kiss it. 

Yeonjun makes a low warbling noise that’s frankly demonic in nature, and Soobin tears his eyes away from the tempting sight to gape at him a bit. Of all the noises to ever come out of his baby, that one has to be the most shocking. 

He’s not sure what it means, but Yeonjun looks about ready to explode and he hopes that turns into flight instead of fight. The cat hasn’t allowed him to cut those claws for weeks now.

“Junnie, baby, this is Beomgyu,” he coos at him soothingly. “He lives next door, and he really wants to be your friend.”

“Hi, Junnie ,” Beomgyu echoes in a high, sweet voice as if talking to a little baby. He crouches down to put himself down at Yeonjun’s level and offers one hand, palm up. “Look at you, pretty kitty. Look at those pretty blue eyes.” 

Soobin’s heart clenches a bit, and he’s confused over if he feels soft for seeing Beomgyu fall directly into baby-talk—obviously enamored with his pretty kitty—or if Beomgyu’s open appreciation for the cat is making him react like a proud father soaking up praise on behalf of his baby. 

Either way…he loves the sight of them together in one room, what is wrong with him?

Beomgyu seems to know exactly the right tone to use, but unfortunately Yeonjun refuses to relent or soften. If anything, his puffiness grows even more pronounced. Soobin still finds the sight of him like this both funny and cute, and he grins as he grabs Beomgyu’s wrists and drags him back to his feet to lead him further into the apartment.

“I think we should just let him get used to you from a distance, first. Even when he’s angry, he's so cute, isn’t he?” he gushes. Beomgyu makes a noise of agreement in his throat, and Soobin beams. He tugs on Beomgyu eagerly, excited at the prospect of the evening they’re planning to spend together. “So, what do you wanna order for dinner?”

“Uh, meat?” Beomgyu suggests.

“Sure. Pork belly?” 

Beomgyu nods enthusiastically even as his eyes remain on Yeonjun. His head turns to watch him over his shoulder as they walk past the puffy, growling ball of orange. 

“Just ignore him and let him come to you on his own,” Soobin advises. “He will probably end up hiding out in my room, anyway. Look, this is the living room and kitchen. It’s probably a mirror to your unit, right? As you can see I don’t own much furniture, so there’s plenty of room for yours.”

“I don’t have any furniture,” Beomgyu says absently as his eyes sweep the room. They fall back on Yeonjun who still hasn’t run off, amazingly enough. 

Maybe Yeonjun doesn’t want to lose sight of the threat, or maybe he is curious enough to finally have the object he’s been smelling here in person. The way he lingers makes Soobin feel optimistic, but Beomgyu’s unexpected comment snags his full attention and throws him for another loop.

“None…?” Soobin says with a frown, even though it makes sense. If he was living in a shelter of some sort before this, he would be restarting with absolutely nothing. “Did your place come furnished or something?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Beomgyu says dismissively. He’s obviously lying, but Soobin decides not to push it. 

Yeonjun abruptly emits a loud, angry string of meows, and they both swivel around to look at him. The cat sounds positively furious, as if he’s trying to express his displeasure in a proper sentence in human language to ensure they get it , and Soobin shouldn’t be smiling when his baby is honestly distraught, but he’s adorable. The smile slips off his face the moment Beomgyu continues talking, however.

“I am very low maintenance,” Beomgyu adds. “I’m perfectly happy with a towel and pillow on the floor.”

“What are you even saying? You think I’ll make you sleep on a towel?” Soobin demands in horror, watching Beomgyu’s pretty profile as the man keeps his attention trained on the irate cat. 

“It’s not like Yeonjun will let me share your bed, right?” he says with a little laugh, totally unconcerned and dismissive as if Soobin is the one being weird and overreacting. 

“Beomgyu-yah…” Soobin says sadly, reaching out both hands to cup his shoulders. They’re so narrow and boney for such a tall man. He’s somehow tiny despite his height. Beomgyu turns to look at him, and Soobin’s heart squeezes. “I’d rather give you my bed and sleep on the couch than let you sleep on the floor.” 

“No way,” Beomgyu protests. “I won’t inconvenience you—promise.”

“I’m just saying,” Soobin assures him. “We can figure it out. Kai’s good at bargain hunting.”

“Okay,” he agrees easily. “But I really don’t need a bed—” 

“Yes, you do,” he says firmly, cutting off any more nonsense. “I’m so sorry you’ve had to live without basic comforts before. You’re…you’re welcome to stay here with me for as long as you want. For free, okay? It’s not conditional, so…” It pains him to say it, but he’s certain he has to. He finishes in a big gust of air, “we don’t have to be boyfriends, okay?”

Beomgyu’s mouth falls open slowly. He looks stunned. “But…I want to be your boyfriend,” he protests as if that’s more important than the rest of it. 

Soobin’s heart can’t make up its mind, trying to clench and flutter all at once until his chest aches.

“Me, too,” he reminds him gently. “But I don’t wanna take advantage of you if you’re in a tough situation. Once you clear things with the landlord you can stay here, and we can take the rest of it slow.”

“No,” Beomgyu says with a pout, his eyes growing huge. “I can’t do slow.” 

“That doesn’t mean no…just- I’m serious about waiting to date until you’ve got your life back on track.”

Beomgyu’s begging eyes go even shinier as Soobin trails off, and he begins whining cutely in his throat as if trying to convince Soobin to give in to what he wants. Which is what ? He doesn’t understand what’s happening in Beomgyu’s head or why he’s acting like a puppy again when Soobin is talking about something so damn serious. 

It’s even harder to remain logical about this whole thing because Soobin thinks he is the most adorable man to ever exist. 

He hesitates over what to say next, and Beomgyu suddenly pops up onto his toes, placing both palms firmly on Soobin’s chest as he lurches forwards and up to lick Soobin on the cheek. Soobin startles back from the warm, wet swipe, bringing one hand up to wipe at it reflexively. He laughs shortly in confused disbelief. 

“What- did you just lick me?”

“Shit. I’m anxious and forgot I’m- you- I wanted to…it’s just how I usually show affection. Sorry.” 

Soobin has never heard him stutter like this before, nor ever seen his cheeks tinge pink like that. He’s pretty, but licking is not exactly on the standard list of affectionate gestures. Why the hell would he think licking his face would convince him to give in?

“I don’t mind,” he says stupidly, unsure of how he feels about anything right now.

“Would you prefer to kiss?” Beomgyu wonders, titling his head imploringly and derailing his thoughts even more. “Is kissing okay?”

Soobin gapes at him. Oh. He wants kisses? For what? Not- not as some kind of payment or tactic to sway his mind, right? 

“Well, y-yeah, but not if you’re trying to—” he doesn’t even get to finish the sentence before Beomgyu is grabbing him by the back of the neck and yanking him down to crash their mouths together. 

Soobin’s brain shuts off and he gives into the kiss immediately, tension bleeding out of his muscles as his thoughts fuzz into white noise. He can’t comprehend anything but the soft pressure of Beomgyu’s lips against his own. The chaste kiss is still enough to send explosions of fireworks inside his chest.

As quick as it happens, it’s over. Beomgyu jerks away from him with a loud yelp of pain at the same moment a horrible angry cat sound makes itself apparent in the background. Soobin looks down in confusion when Beomgyu drops quickly to hunker down over his leg. There are beads of dark red blood beading up between his fingers from where Yeonjun apparently just tried to claw his calf into ribbons and partially succeeded. Blood like that only comes from a properly deep wound.

“Yeonjun!” Soobin yells in horror, whirling around to loom over the crouched animal. “What the hell did you just do?”

Yeonjun’s attention snaps up from where he had been giving Beomgyu a death glare, his whole body startling violently at Soobin’s angry tone. His ears lay flat against his head, big luminous eyes going round and scared in his tiny face, and even though Soobin has never incited such a fearful reaction in his baby before, there has to be some kind of retribution for attacking a visitor. 

It’s not like the cat knows he did something wrong since he was just acting according to his instincts, but Soobin needs to make sure he never attempts a repeat.

Beomgyu is whining and moaning as if he’s mortally injured, and it sounds like the sight of blood is difficult for him to bear. Soobin is panicking a bit and doesn’t know what to do but get rid of the instigator and then attempt some first aid.

Soobin bends over and makes as if to grab Yeonjun, intending to scoop him up and put him inside the bedroom to keep him out of the way, but the moment he moves Yeonjun is bolting from the room with his whole body slunk low to the ground. His bloody claws skitter on the floorboards, leaving a small yet horrific smear, but the sight of him fleeing from Soobin hurts his heart. 

He already regrets yelling at him, he didn’t have to do that, but he’s even sorrier to Beomgyu.

Yeonjun is already out of sight and Soobin spins around and drops to his knees to check on the loudly whimpering man. He flutters anxious hands around where Beomgyu is clutching his leg—a bit dramatically if he’s being honest—but there’s a lot of red and it probably stings awfully.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” he cries, dipping close to get a better view. 

Beomgyu promptly stops wailing and looks at him with the most pitiful expression. There is a sheen of tears in his big brown eyes and Soobin can’t handle the sight of it. He wraps his free arm around his body and tugs him into a careful hug, his heart racing a bit too fast.

“I’m so sorry! Shh,” he hushes breathlessly. 

“Yeonjun really hates me,” Beomgyu sniffles into his chest, rubbing his cheek into Soobin’s shirt in that way that has already become familiar. “I told you cats hate me for no reason!”

“I’m sorry,” Soobin repeats miserably. “I didn’t expect him to do something like that. I should have put him in my room and let him get used to you from afar.”

“I don’t think that will make much difference,” Beomgyu brushes off gently, exhaling loudly. “This is his home, and he thinks I came here to take you away from him.”

Soobin winces guiltily. He already knew Yeonjun was possessive and jealous, but this sort of behavior goes beyond any of his predictions. If only he could talk to the cat and get him to understand he isn’t being replaced. 

Soobin has just been alone for so long and he doesn’t want to be anymore. He wants a lover. A boyfriend. And he specifically wants Beomgyu. If not Beomgyu—who he is stupidly infatuated with—then it would be someone else eventually. 

Yeonjun will just have to learn to share, and he’ll be even happier in the future once he understands that Beomgyu will love and dote on him, too.

“I have a first aid kit in the bathroom, come on,” he coaxes, helping him stand and keeping an arm around him as they walk. 

Beomgyu leans into him heavily, limping slightly as red rivulets streak down his bare leg and soak into his sock. The gouges are even deeper than Soobin thought.

Soobin soon has him sitting on the toilet and is easing the bloodied sock off, staunching the flow with tissues before attempting to wipe it all up and sanitize it. He’s not very good at this sort of thing, but Beomgyu holds still and doesn’t let out a peep even though it must hurt. He soon has a strip of medical bandage wrapped around the gashes that are smeared messily with ointment, and the whole thing looks glaringly unprofessional, but Beomgyu is smiling at him.

“You’ll make such a good vet,” the blonde man praises, twisting his leg slightly this way and that to admire Soobin’s work.

“Are you joking?” he chuckles. “It’s a mess, I’m sorry. I haven’t gotten to classes of this sort yet.”

“You’re wonderful,” Beomgyu says happily, holding his gaze. Their faces are so close with Soobin kneeling before him like this. “It’s less the bandaging skills and more the vibe you give off.”

“What vibe?”

“Big, strong, protector vibe,” Beomgyu shares in a low voice. “With both a heart and hands big enough to carry all of me inside of them.”

Soobin isn’t sure he’s ever had someone speak about him like this before. It fills his insides up with warmth.

“That’s a sweet thing to say,” he murmurs, feeling a bit self-conscious.

“It’s how I felt about you the moment we met,” Beomgyu says, eyes shining.

Soobin isn’t sure how the man got such a vibe from him during that enthusiastic greeting in the hallway, but he knows enough about him by now to understand the way Beomgyu gives himself over to his feelings without restraint, changeable as the wind but intensely sincere in a way that’s refreshing and inspiring. 

Soobin wants to watch him experience all of life’s ups and downs with that same vibrancy, to watch over him and share a little of it with him. He wants to feel things like Beomgyu does. 

“You’re so captivating,” he whispers, shy but eager to share his own thoughts in return. “I have never met anyone like you before. You’re like a ray of sunshine trapped in a beautiful, human body. Just being around you makes me happy.”

Beomgyu lights up even more, until there’s almost a palpable glow radiating off of him. He’s truly beautiful. Soobin could really praise him all day; he deserves it and more. 

“I knew it,” Beomgyu whispers under his breath. He reaches out a hand and cups Soobin’s face in his palm. “I knew you were the right one for me. The one who’ll be mine.”

Soobin has no idea how he knew such a thing, but it’s not like he will try to disagree. He’s never had anyone call him ‘mine’ before. No one except for his sunset colored dream lover, that is. 

This is real, but it feels like a dream. He could never be so lucky.

“Meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me,” he says honestly. “But, I don’t know if that holds true for you. You still wanna move in even after getting mauled by my cat?” he asks, feeling a bit timid after that heartfelt confession. “I can’t promise he’ll ever warm up to you, though, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, I’m sure it will take time to adjust,” Beomgyu says wisely. He doesn’t look worried about it or upset in the slightest. “I’ll try not to provoke him again.”

Beomgyu didn’t even do anything to provoke him into attacking in the first place, but his willingness to give him another chance speaks to his understanding of animal behavior and his big soft heart. He doesn’t even blame Yeonjun when he has every right to be angry about it. 

“Yeonjun is really sweet,” he promises, even though he knows it's not up to him to convince Beomgyu or prove it if Yeonjun stays hostile. “Once he gives you his heart, you’ll become the center of his world.”

A tiny smile curls Beomgyu’s lips. “I honestly can’t imagine that happening. I think you’re biased because he worships the ground you walk on.”

Soobin chuckles. Yeonjun really does act like he expects Soobin to be solely his alone, but that has literally been the cat’s whole life experience up until now. It makes sense. He loves that his baby is possessive and that their bond is so strong, and no matter how long it takes Yeonjun to open his heart to a new person, Soobin knows he will always belong to Yeonjun first. 

He is certain about offering Beomgyu a place to stay for as long as he needs to—as long as he wants to—but Soobin won’t ever be able to stop doting on Yeonjun even with a new, beautiful boyfriend coming into his home. He can love both of them.

“We’ll see. You’re very likable. Here, let me help you to the sofa,” he tells Beomgyu. “Then I’ll order us some food.” 

Beomgyu pops up onto his feet, lifting his arms out trustingly for Soobin to wrap an arm around his waist. He half-carries, half guides him back out and settles them down on the sofa, cheeks glowing with heat as the blonde man immediately cuddles his head into Soobin’s lap while he scrolls through the take-out app. Beomgyu pokes his fingers into the hole in his ripped jean shorts, tugging at the loose strings and stroking his leg in teasing little touches that make Soobin pause. He holds his breath for a moment, peering down at Beomgyu’s relaxed face, and determines this is more of his brand of tactile affection that is purely innocent , even though…it’s suggestive. 

Soobin forces himself to focus on his screen with sheer iron will, dropping his free hand to Beomgyu’s fluffy, soft hair to satiate his desire to touch him back just as innocently—because they’re taking things slow —and he soon has the man humming happily under his breath as he pets and twists the strands between his fingers. 

When he’s done ordering, he looks down to find those big, brown eyes gazing up at him and his heart skips a few beats. This moment is cozy and domestic, and Soobin is totally in love. 

Once the food arrives, Beomgyu goes rather quiet. He eats so carefully, in tiny little demure bites that has Soobin feeling some kind of way. He didn’t expect him to be so purposeful with his food when he’s usually all over the place, but then he wonders if Beomgyu appreciates it so much because he knows scarcity, and he spends the rest of the meal teasingly trying to feed him once he discovers that Beomgyu likes that.

They spend a few hours gaming, something Beomgyu proves to be much better at than expected—too good almost—and they eventually descend into a new level of bickering that Soobin hasn’t even experienced with Kai. It’s fun and ridiculous, and he doesn’t want to let Beomgyu go even though he’s the one who puts an end to their date.

Even though so much has shifted in their relationship today, Soobin isn’t quite ready to have Beomgyu just stay right now. It’s the weekend so Soobin has to leave soon to work the first of his two graveyard shifts, and maybe it’s silly but he doesn’t want Beomgyu’s first night home to be left alone with a cat who is out for his blood. He has to be here to mediate, not to mention the fact that Beomgyu will have to wait to talk to the landlord on Monday. 

So he regretfully takes the smaller man by the hand to walk him to his door. His door next door. 

This is a rather silly way to end the night, maybe, and the way Beomgyu rolls his eyes at him means he thinks it’s dumb, too, but Soobin is sticking to his taking-it-slow plan.

“I really had fun with you today,” he says formally as they pause before the closed door, making Beomgyu burst into loud laughter. 

“Let’s do it again sometime?” Beomgyu says back, his smile teasing. 

“I’ll see you around,” Soobin agrees, biting down on a smile of his own. 

Beomgyu blinks his big doe eyes slowly. He doesn’t make a move to enter his apartment, and Soobin hesitates.

“So, yeah. I gotta go to work, now,” he says, smile breaking free. “Um…bye?” He doesn’t want to say bye, but it’s actually normal for Beomgyu to see him off to work at night like this. 

“No goodnight kiss?” Beomgyu wants to know, his lower lip slowly jutting out into a pout. 

Soobin wavers, heart squeezing at the sight. He should have seen that coming. He didn’t want to assume, but if that’s what Beomgyu is waiting for, then…

He dips in quickly to smack a kiss on his cheek, pulling back quickly after. Beomgyu looks a bit disappointed, but Soobin is afraid that rushing things will mean their passion will blaze then die, and everything will fall apart. Besides, it’s exciting to leave them both a little wanting and build anticipation.

“See you later,” he says with finality, and Beomgyu sighs loudly. Petulantly.

“I guess I’ll kiss you in my dreams,” he says brattily, then turns away to key in his password. 

He sends Soobin one last pouty glare before he snaps the door shut with a little bang , and Soobin is left grinning by himself in the empty hall. It shouldn’t be so enjoyable to rile him up, but Soobin already looks forward to seeing his cute face again in the morning when he gets back.

His thoughts are on Beomgyu his entire shift, and when his phone starts vibrating in his pocket at 2am, his heart skips a beat at the prospect of a text before he remembers they don’t have each other’s numbers. The man always appears in person to hang around him, taking up all the air with his chatter and making it easy to bypass the need for contacting each other by other means, but he still hasn't seen any indication that Beomgyu has a phone.

He wipes his doughy hands on his apron and takes the device out to find it’s from his most frequent unknown spammer, but before he can click the screen off the call abruptly cuts and indicates a voice note is being recorded. He pauses before swiping it away, curious despite knowing it’s most likely an automated voice message programmed to trick him into picking up. These calls are really beginning to get annoying, and he considers going to the vet to ask them to take his notices down.

It’s not like he’s giving up on Beommie, but with each passing day it seems more and more unlikely that he’ll ever see the little dog again. He hates to accept that as final, but maybe he has to just move on.

He comforts himself by spending his break time scouring every ‘Beomgyu’ that he can find on social media, but without knowing if Beomgyu even has one it’s a waste of time. If he does, it’s probably full of pictures of his favorite parks, and even though Soobin’s own account is woefully sparse he might start up again in an instant if it means getting more of Beomgyu in his life. 

He reminds himself to finally ask about the phone thing when he sees him next, and doesn’t have to wait long at all for the chance.

Beomgyu appears in the hall the moment Soobin exits the staircase, and they share an enthusiastic hug. He’s not even sure who instigated it, but he has been up all night obsessing over the man and he is reluctant to let him go even though exhaustion is weighing down all his limbs.

He only just barely swallows down a dramatic, ‘I missed you’ because that would be weird. It has only been like twelve hours.

“You smell so delicious,” Beomgyu says in lieu of greeting as he pulls away from the hug. Soobin laughs. “Can I come with you to the bakery tonight?” 

“No, Beomgyu, it’s not even open and I’d probably get fired for something like that,” he says, grinning tiredly, reaching out to ruffle those poofy blonde locks. “I brought you a treat, though. That’s probably what you smell.”

“No, I smell you. You always smell good,” he says even as his eyes eagerly scan Soobin’s form and hone in on the paper bag held in one hand. 

Soobin hands it over as he flounders for what to say to that. Beomgyu constantly mentions smells and scents, and it seems the guy is really in tune with his olfactory sense. It’s another little unique and quirky Beomgyu thing, and Soobin is endeared.  

He’s even more endeared as he watches with satisfaction as Beomgyu takes out the pastry and takes a cute little bite, looking happy, and lingers for a moment to take the sight of him like this in. Soon he will be able to give him bread in the comfort of home, sharing a table, but for now he desperately needs his bed.

“Hey, I gotta sleep now, but see you later?”

“Of course,” Beomgyu mumbles through his mouthful. “I’ll be here.”

Soobin nods and leaves him with a smile, peeking over his shoulder one last time before entering his home to see Beomgyu still standing where he left him, munching happily away. It feels weird to just leave him like this. What does he do all day, really ? Soobin can’t wait to have more of his questions answered.

As soon as he gets inside the quiet apartment, he immediately goes in search of his cat who didn’t emerge once all evening when they were hanging out. He didn’t have time to check on him before leaving for work either. His food bowls are woefully neglected, indicating that he didn’t even slink out to eat while Soobin was gone, and he starts to worry. Yeonjun must be extremely upset. 

He finds him in the coat box as usual, curled up into a tiny ball as if trying to disappear into the folds of fabric. The way he peers up at him from where his face is buried in the fur of his own body as if he was comforting himself is so pitiful that all of Soobin’s lingering anger at him evaporates in an instant. 

Yeonjun doesn’t even protest when he bravely sticks his hands into the box to shove them under his insanely warm, fuzzy body and lift him up and out. He remains limp and docile as Soobin cuddles him to his chest and starts petting his head.

“Baby, I’m so sorry I yelled,” he apologizes as he walks them over to the bed. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Yeonjun doesn’t move, just lets him scratch his chin and cheeks, fumbling his silky ears between thumb and forefinger in the way he knows the cat loves. Sure enough, his eyes slowly descend into a relaxed slit, his tiny body exhaling long and slow in a way that’s much too human-like for a cat. It’s good to see the tension bleed out of him to be replaced with trust and contentment.

Soobin can’t be bothered to take a shower, and soon has them both under the covers with the lights off. He probably still reeks of bread and of Beomgyu, but Yeonjun isn’t putting up a fuss for once and the least he can manage is to strip off his shirt and toss it aside. 

He spends as long as he can manage petting Yeonjun before his arm grows too heavy to keep it up. Just as he tilts towards sleep, his favorite white noise begins to rumble from the tiny body pressed against his face, and he relaxes into it, thoughts flitting to the person he wishes was here with him right now.

He’s sure that if he can catch a glimpse of his face tonight his subconscious will show him an ethereal dream-version of his new boyfriend. He desperately wants to dream about him, he just hopes that his brain doesn’t show him Beomgyu with orange hair. Not that Beomgyu couldn’t pull it off, but that one incongruent detail would ruin the illusion of it being real. His dream lover is always ginger…but maybe it’s finally time for his brain to catch up and make that change now that his head is full of ash blonde hair and brown eyes. 

Amazingly enough, the direction of thoughts regarding Beomgyu—more specifically kissing him—flow perfectly into a hazy awareness of being tangled in a sensual embrace with someone. With him. His usual dream man is cuddling him up…or maybe it’s Beomgyu. He can’t tell.

There’s no kissing yet, but there are palms resting possessively on his back keeping him securely in place, and Soobin drifts in warm dreamland for an unfathomable amount of time before the dream finally starts to shift and blur into shapes and sounds. His man grips him around the waist tighter, pulls him closer until warm skin presses together—his bare chest against another—and he is very happy with this detail showing up while he’s horizontal and wrapped up in a pair of arms. 

He can’t really see what he looks like in this setting—probably since his brain doesn’t have any real memories of Beomgyu like this to work with—but they fit together perfectly. He hugs him back, searching with his lips for something to kiss. He finds soft hair, then a nose. Then pauses finally with his lips resting against the curve of a warm cheek. 

Gentle purrs crawl up and down his awareness like waves sloshing up and down the shore, and he floats away again.

It’s warm and peaceful for a while as he rides the tide of that soothing sound before a voice calls him back towards where the world swirls with muted shadows. It’s dark like his bedroom, and he can’t see much of anything. He’s a bit cold.

“Do I mean nothing to you?” the voice says, words followed by a mournful little huffing whine. 

It sounds like…

Beomgyu must be pouting. Soobin wants to see him. He struggles to keep his focus on what’s happening in the dream, but his awareness sinks a little more into his body as the blankets tug. Cool air hits his exposed back and he shivers, groaning in protest.

“You always wanted a dumb puppy, huh? I don’t understand—he’s disgusting. Slobbering all over what’s mine .” 

That voice…

Even though he’s looking for him, he knows. It’s not Beomgyu’s voice.

Soobin tries to speak to placate his dream man, unintelligible sounds tumbling out of his mouth as he sleepily rolls over, grabbing up the warm body laying beside him. He sighs in contentment as they settle together again under the blankets even though his disruptive dreams keep jolting him awake.

“I hate you so much right now,” a low angry mutter comes between raspy purrs. They’re speaking into the hollow of his throat—little puffs of hot air that make him shiver. 

It feels so good. He loves these dreams, but Yeonjun’s loud purrs keep slipping into his brain to pull him away from the fuzzy complacency of the dream. 

There’s a kneading sensation along his side that grows stronger and more aggressive as he notices it, tugging on the blanket annoyingly and breaking apart his dream the longer it goes on. He comes more awake again, understanding that the feeling is the poke of tiny razor claws that he couldn’t cut on schedule since Yeonjun was avoiding him, and he bats at them with an aggravated sound. 

“Stop it, Junnie,” he groans just as the claws catch in the weave of the blanket. His whiskers brush his cheek, soft and ticklish like hair.

His hands move down to help him untangle on autopilot, muddled but unbothered when his fingers meet warm, smooth skin and fingers instead of a fuzzy paw. Not only does he always dream things like this, he wants to fully plunge right back in to dream more clearly about there being a person in his bed without his cuddly cat interrupting the perfect episode. 

He misses Beomgyu even while asleep.

He wraps his fingers around the hand and tugs it up to curl into his chest instead, then tosses his arm around the warm body pressed against him. He strokes down the line of Yeonjun’s head and long back, patting at his soft hair. Fur. It’s Yeonjun’s fur. He’s so soft. 

Now that those claws are safely retracted he’s able to slip back into sleep, but when he wakes groggily in the late afternoon he doesn’t even remember if Beomgyu showed up in the end or not. All he remembers is Yeonjun’s warm little kitten licks under his jaw that translated into kisses in his dream world. Kisses from his blurry faced lover with peachy orange hair like the sunset. Just like usual. 

He’s a bit muddled over the details, but he’s sure there was no Beomgyu in sight. Damn.

It doesn’t matter, though. The way he feels after waking up from it makes him eager to toss all his ideas about going slow and kiss Beomgyu silly the next time he sees him. 

Maybe he’s just thinking with his stupid dick since his dream was so realistic it felt like there was physically someone holding onto him all night, but he’s incredibly horny and really is running out of excuses for why he shouldn’t just ravish his beautiful boyfriend as soon as possible. He wants to invite him in again and see if Beomgyu wants to share his bed for real, roommate plans be damned. 

He even plans to bring it up and give them both something to look forward to as he rushes out for his second bakery shift a few minutes late after a long, very very indulgent shower, except for the first time since meeting him there’s no Beomgyu bursting out to greet him in the hallway. He only has a second to say hi before he dashes out to catch a taxi, but he doesn’t want to miss a single chance to see his adorable face.

He waits around for a minute in confusion, anxiously checking the route of his approaching taxi as he wonders if Beomgyu is asleep or if he went out, and ends up knocking awkwardly on Beomgyu’s door. There’s no response and the transportation app dings to indicate his ride is here, and he has no choice but to leave even though Beomgyu is missing—

As soon as he thinks it, Soobin is sighing loudly and forcing himself to turn and walk away from the silent door. 

Beomgyu obviously just went out for some reason, like any other person does. It’s not like they ever agreed on their hallway meet-ups even though Soobin came to expect them. He selfishly got used to them instead of remembering that it’s weird how attuned and committed Beomgyu is to following Soobin’s schedule. He has his own life, and Soobin is glad he’s finally busy for once. 

It’s just…why didn’t Beomgyu mention anything this morning? Or ever ? Is he okay…? 

What if Beomgyu isn’t there when he gets back either? He can’t even text or call, and he thinks it might drive him a bit crazy. How is Soobin ever meant to focus on anything today with no way of knowing if something bad happens to him or if he needs help?

Is this why Beomgyu hangs out in the hallway to intercept Soobin? He is already considering doing the exact same thing, anxiously ready to pounce on the man the moment he lays eyes on him. It’s understandable to feel this way after getting so emotionally invested in the other man, but he can’t understand why Beomgyu acted like this from the very first day they met. 

He is really ready to finally get an answer to that particular question. Would Beomgyu be honest with him now?

Just as he’s shoving moodily out the glass door to the outside steps, he hears a noise he has been waiting for for weeks. A sharp little bark that he recognizes immediately. He jerks his head up and whirls around to see a white fluffy dog sitting just off to the side of the sidewalk. It’s Beommie.

The dog pops onto his feet, his feathery tail wagging wildly as they lock eyes, and Soobin promptly forgets about his waiting ride.

“Beommie!” he cries in delight. He drops to one knee and holds out an eager hand, berating himself for not carrying the dog treats in his pocket right now. “Hey there, cutie, come here. Come on.”

His heart flips over in delight as the dog bounds forwards at his beckoning, little pink tongue lolling happily and his round eyes shining with friendliness. He’s even more adorable than Soobin remembered, his furry round head resembling a dandelion puff in the evening humidity, and he feels like cheering and melting as the dog promptly lifts up to bounce on his hind legs excitedly in an attempt to lick Soobin’s face. He lets him, both hands coming to cradle and pet his little body that’s vibrating with energy, thrilled with how happy the animal seems to see him.

The enthusiastic greeting soothes his aching heart in seconds, and before he knows it he has the little guy scooped into his arms, laughing as his face gets slathered with saliva that’s frankly a little disgusting. He is too happy to care right now.

It’s a miracle. The luckiest thing to happen to him this week! Or well, the luckiest thing after being kissed and boyfriended by Beomgyu. Who knows where Beomgyu is—and besides he doesn’t have any time —but he can’t wait to tell him what happened and show him Beommie. 

He hurriedly carries him back up into the apartment building, wincing as he gets a notification that his taxi canceled and drove off. He will one hundred percent be late for work at this point, but there’s no way he can just let the dog go running again now that he has him. 

Yeonjun immediately comes trotting down the hall as Soobin yanks open the door, alert and curious, but the moment he sees what is in Soobin’s arms he turns tail and is gone in a flash. Soobin is grateful the cat didn’t feel the need to theatrically posture and yowl at them again since he already feels pressured for time, but he plans to lock the dog up in the bathroom to ensure the two of them are safely separated until he gets home. 

He hurriedly puts the dog down on the bath rug and shuts the door on him before he can follow him back out, and guiltily ignores the whining and shrill barking that promptly ensues. He stops in the kitchen to fill him a bowl of the kibble he had left over from feeding him in the park, and brings it back to the bathroom with another full of water. 

Beommie shuts up again the second he has the door open, bouncing around his ankles so quickly he scarcely touches the floor, and Soobin pauses for another minute to pet him.

“I have to go to work, cutie, I’m sorry,” he says regretfully, kneeling down to allow him to get up in his face again. He loves his slobbery kisses just as much as Yeonjun’s. “You gotta stay in here for just one night, okay? I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Beommie’s tail is wagging so hard his whole backside is shaking around, and he’s so damn cute he hates that he has to leave him here all alone. He will have to make it up to him later. 

Just as he stands again to go, his eyes catch on the microchip device he stowed on the shelf. He really doesn’t have time, but the curiosity will eat him alive if he doesn’t see the answer to this puzzle before he leaves. He snatches it down to run it over the little guy’s neck and back, sucking in a sharp breath as the screen lights up and beeps with a positive result. Beommie has a chip.

“I’ll be home soon, be a good boy,” he tells him, scrunching his ears between his fingers one last time. 

The dog predictably yips imploringly as he shuts the bathroom door behind himself, but he’s too busy pulling out his phone to check the microchip app to pause again to soothe him. If he does, he’ll end up staying home all night. He shoves his feet back into his shoes and bursts out of the house once more to a hallway that’s still as empty and Beomgyu-less as before, but he’s too distracted to worry about it.

His heart crawls up his throat as he navigates through the app to read the information. It comes up in an entirely different format than Yeonjun’s chip, and Soobin stumbles down the stairs without watching where he’s going as his eyes fly across the screen.

Unauthorized possession detected . It reads. His stomach drops. He clicks ‘more information’ with trembling fingers and a text bubble pops up in an automated chat function.

Return animal to Seoul Central Animal Control or complete registration to apply for ownership at local City Hall by September 1st. 

There’s no name, but the address listed seems familiar to him. It’s most likely the offices connected to the clean up project, but what catches his attention is the phone number below it that he recognizes. He quickly swipes back out and to his recent call log to double check, and finds the same digits staring back up at him from the long list of repeatedly missed calls. It’s the spam number that has been hounding him for days. 

How did they get his number? More importantly, how did they know he had even found the Maltese in the first place? The chip must have a GPS function allowing them to track him to Soobin’s area, but how would they know who Soobin was or his phone number for that matter? Did his lost pet notice get screened and uploaded to their system somehow?

It’s a little terrifying to understand that he was being monitored even when he honestly had no idea where the dog was, and even more scary to have confirmation that the animal was previously marked by animal control and somehow got back out on the street. It’s more likely that maybe he did have a previous owner, but once he became a stray again the agents were trying to track him down.

He pauses on the street, mind and heart racing, but the initial shock of the discovery is turning into a bloom of hope. 

The fact that the notice includes instructions for registration helps him to calm down and focus on the most important thing: Beommie is eligible for adoption. All he has to do is apply for ownership and prove that he can provide a home for the dog, and the he can have a new private microchip implanted to get him out of their system entirely. It’s not like the animal control will come tear the dog out of his hands and cruelly euthanize him before Soobin is able to announce his intention to take him in, right? If that was going to happen there would have already been agents knocking on his door.

It was a bit scary to discover how he is already entangled in the system without his knowledge or consent, but this isn’t some drama with secret plots and surveillance. It must be a tracking aspect on the chip they originally gave Beommie, as described on the news. 

He checks his taxi app, feeling a little giddy over the turn of events, so even the sight of an endlessly circling ‘pending’ notice doesn’t dampen his mood. At this rate he will probably miss most of his shift anyways, and he has never once called in sick before. He desperately doesn't want to go.

All it takes is a quick phone call with the co-worker on shift before him and who he is meant to relieve, and after promising to take on a double-shift in return next weekend, he is abruptly free of his nightly duties. 

With a bounce in his step, Soobin turns once more to head back inside, taking the stairs two at a time. He keys in his passcode with a smile blooming on his face, but gasps as the door swings open to reveal the sound of what can only be a fight going on. There’s loud growling and yelps mixed together with a familiar angry hissing, yowling sound, and Soobin scrambles to kick his shoes off and run into the living room only to startle back in alarm at the sight that greets his eyes.

Instead of finding a cat and dog tearing each other apart into bloody pieces on the floor, what he finds is a pair of men locked in a fierce embrace as they roll around in the middle of his living room.

What the fuck?

Chapter Text

Time seems to stop for a moment as Soobin stares at the scene—dumbfounded by the sight before him. 

They roll over again and again, backs to the door and too focused on throttling each other to have noticed him enter. Their hands scratch and tear at each other wildly, clutching at throats and tearing clothes awry amidst snarls and animalistic screams that raise the hair on Soobin’s nape. 

It’s so loud . It truly sounds like there is a pair of animals in the room with the frankly inhuman sounds echoing around the small space, but there are none to be seen. The dissonance between what his eyes and ears are telling him throws him into immobilized confusion. 

It’s appalling and he can’t look away for a second because he has never seen anyone behave like this before.

The man pinned to the floor—who is flailing his legs around while literally growling like a dog— reaches up with both hands to yank at the hair of his attacker. Soobin’s eyes are drawn to the pop of color the man currently on top is sporting on his head. It is a soft peachy orange color that he knows he’s never seen before in real life but finds extremely familiar—reminding him instantly of melty sunsets and soft warm hugs —

“What the hell —” he begins under his breath, only for words to fail him as the orangey stranger jolts, head snapping up as if he heard him, and whipping around to see him standing there.

He’s- he’s so pretty he doesn’t even look real. Soobin gapes at him, taking in a tiny face graced with a set of plush pouty lips and slanted feline eyes that are a shocking clear blue just like—

The next moment the trapped man wraps both legs around the other’s hips and easily flips their bodies, slamming his assailant down to the hardwood floor with a painful sounding thud before pouncing on him to duck his head down to bite his ear. He jerks his head around with a low rumbly sound as if he’s attempting to tear the appendage right off the man’s head, and the organgey man claws at his shoulders as he makes the worst noise Soobin has ever heard. 

It’s something between a plaintive cry and a scream that he’s sure he has never heard another human make before in his life. It’s not- this isn’t—

“What the fuck are you doing?” Soobin yells in horror, this time startling the attacking man into releasing his hold and snapping his head up to look at him.

Everyone suddenly freezes in place. The room is silent.

He’s met with a pair of big, round brown eyes beneath a familiar fluffy poof of ashy blonde hair that’s all in disarray, sticking up all over his head. He can hardly believe his eyes, there’s no way that this is really—

“ Beomgyu …?” he gasps in complete shock. 

He doesn’t understand what the hell is going on. How did Beomgyu get in and why the fuck is he biting another man in Soobin’s house? It wasn’t a sexy bite either, which makes the whole thing even more absurd.

Beomgyu abruptly releases his hold on the other man’s head, bolting upright to leave himself sitting solidly on the other’s stomach. The pinned stranger makes a low, whimpering sound as he lifts one hand to his abused ear—thankfully still attached to his body—while Beomgyu then shoves himself completely away and rises quickly to his feet.

“Soobin!” he greets brightly, sounding happy to see him. “You’re back!”

Soobin blinks at him, mouth hanging open. It feels like he’s looking at a stranger. He doesn’t understand how or why Beomgyu is here or what he could have possibly been doing. Who is that man and why did Beomgyu think it was cool to bring him here to do- to do…

“What the fuck are you doing?” he repeats dumbly, shaking his head in confusion. 

Beomgyu grins as he trots over to him—hands lifting up towards him—then pouts as Soobin shuffles backwards to avoid the hug he must have been going for. In any other circumstance and especially after a day worrying about and missing him, he would be sweeping the man into his arms and twirling him around with his feet in the air, but right now…now he is suddenly beginning to understand that this unforeseen situation might be related to the things that were hidden from him.

There’s something new about Beomgyu he’s about to learn and he’s not sure if he can handle it. What if this changes everything ?

Most importantly, Soobin was gone for hardly more than five minutes just now. Was Beomgyu hiding out in his apartment next door waiting for Soobin to leave so that he could…do whatever the hell he was doing here? Why would he decide to do it in Soobin’s house instead of his own…Oh. Maybe he noticed an intruder and was just attempting to apprehend him…by biting his fucking ear?

It doesn’t make any sense! 

They stand there for a moment just looking at each other, Soobin in bewildered suspicion and Beomgyu with increasingly big puppy eyes. He knows that look and he will not allow Beomgyu to use it on him to get out of delivering him with a satisfactory explanation.

Behind him the orangey man slowly sits up, each movement languid and graceful in a way a distracted part of his brain longs to pause and admire. His eyes are pinned on Soobin and he feels a little awkward despite his justified upset because the man is actually really hot. Exactly Soobin’s type. He is quietly observing them, and as it doesn’t look like he’s about to speak up and explain himself, Soobin drags his accusing attention back to his- his boyfriend. Or whatever the hell Beomgyu is. 

“The door was locked. How did you get in?” he begins stupidly. It’s not even the most important question here. 

“You let me in,” Beomgyu says, head cocking slightly in confusion when it makes absolutely no sense at all that he should be confused. 

Soobin most certainly didn’t let him in…unless he took the invitation yesterday as an open-ended sort of thing allowing him access at all times? Yes, Soobin offered his home to him and agreed to being roommates, but he never actually let Beomgyu know the passcode or told him he could come and go as he pleased. He specifically told him to wait, but he supposes it’s not too far of a stretch to think Beomgyu misunderstood him. 

“I didn’t let you in today ,” he protests weakly. “I haven’t seen you all day! I was just up here like ten minutes ago because I found Beommie—” His eyes dart over to belatedly notice that the bathroom door is hanging wide open—clearly empty—and while the Maltese no doubt hid himself away during the commotion, he feels a jolt of panic at the sight. “Wait. Did you let him out of the bathroom?” 

“No,” Beomgyu denies. 

“No?” he repeats incredulously, glancing quickly around the apartment in confusion. “Then where—?”

He breaks off as his eyes slide back across to the man on the floor. He just stares directly back at Soobin without blinking in the most unnerving way. Soobin can’t hold his gaze for more than three seconds. His heart is already quaking at Beomgyu’s blasé attitude regarding his secretive behavior, and being stared down by a stranger in his own home is enough to send it pounding against his ribs. 

Is Soobin supposed to believe that this guy broke into his home and Beomgyu tried to stop him? It’s more likely that Beomgyu knows him and invited him in here. But why?

He glances back at Beomgyu, feeling a bit dizzy. 

“Wait. Who the hell is that ? And why is he in my house?” he demands breathlessly, voice coming out a bit high in pitch. “Were you just waiting for the chance to bring your actual boyfriend over the moment I opened my door to you?”

Soobin’s chest feels a bit tight, eyes burning hot with an awful mix of shock and betrayal. 

Maybe that guy is also from the youth shelter. Maybe he’s someone special who knows Beomgyu in a way Soobin isn’t allowed to, and- no. Wait. It doesn’t matter. No matter the reason, this isn’t okay at all. 

“What are you talking about?” Beomgyu asks in clear astonishment. “That’s Yeonjun.”

All his wild assumptions fall apart at that name. “What?” he croaks, failing to follow along. 

The man in question was still staring at Soobin, face expressionless in a way that’s almost aloof, but the moment Soobin’s attention rests upon him his eyes go a little big and cautious. He curls both knees up to his chest and loops his arms around them tightly, still not speaking. It almost looks like he’s trying to hide himself behind his legs. His long, long smooth bare legs. 

Soobin stares. He’s in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and a loose t-shirt, and Soobin was too surprised to notice that little detail in his attire until now. Who the hell would get undressed and fool around in a stranger’s apartment? What did he walk in on?

“We were just having it out because of how badly he scratched me the other day,” Beomgyu comments offhand, and Soobin almost can’t bear to turn and look at him. He forces himself to.

Beomgyu is pouting a bit, looking surly, and Soobin doesn’t know how to understand him in the slightest. It feels like he was hit over the head.

“The words you’re saying don’t make any sense at all, you know,” he says flatly, holding himself perfectly still for fear a single movement might make him shake apart. Or actually explode. “I don’t understand a single thing you just said.” He doesn't want to understand. The things Beomgyu is implying are absolutely crazy.

Beomgyu’s pout disappears, and he stares at Soobin with wide eyes. “What do you mean?” he wonders. “You mean you don’t know ?”

“Know what?” Soobin says in growing despair. 

“You don’t know about Yeonjun?” Beomgyu asks, only confusing him even more.

“Shut up , you crazy, conniving mutt!” the ginger man suddenly hisses.

Soobin’s stomach swoops. He recognizes that voice. How does he recognize that voice?

“Make me!” Beomgyu taunts back, sticking out his tongue. 

“How dare you? Get the fuck out of my house!” the other says hotly, sounding more pissed than Soobin has ever heard him—wait. How the hell does Soobin know what he sounds like when angry? This doesn’t make any —

“It’s my house, too. Soobin said so!” Beomgyu retorts, balled fists propped on both hips as he glares down at the man now coiled into a tense position that makes it look like he’s about to pounce. The veins on the backs of his hands are popping as if he’s flexing them hard, and it’s entirely unimportant right now, but his nails seem incredibly long—

“It’s mine , and Soobin’s mine. You can’t have him!” the man snaps, practically spitting with anger.

“It’s not up to you,” Beomgyu returns in rising frustration, sounding equally serious and upset. “A pampered thing like you has no idea what it’s like to be unbonded. I need him.”

Wait. They don’t mean…are they actually fighting over him ? Or just his house? 

But, why ?

He doesn’t even know the other guy, and right now Beomgyu sounds like a different person entirely. Soobin has never seen or heard him like this. He knew Beomgyu wanted something else from him, but his hidden agenda is still not any clearer to him even though that orange man seems to know what it is and is apparently against it. 

“I don’t care,” the orange one says fiercely, eyes shining with stubborn dislike. “He’ll never be yours.”

Beomgyu looks to be on the verge of tears. He shakes his head slowly “He will . We’ve already imprinted. That’s why you’re so mad, isn’t it?”

The orange man’s shoulders hitch up to his ears, eyes narrowing into blazing chips of blue ice, before those pouty lips peel back into an angry shape and an honest to god hiss escapes from his mouth. 

There’s no way Soobin heard that right—

He startles backwards as Beomgyu suddenly lets out a low, grumbly sound in response and throws himself across the room at the orange man before Soobin can even blink. He barrels into him and knocks him back onto the floor once more with an ear-splitting shriek, and then the two of them are at it again, grappling and wrestling and writhing against each other in a manner that’s a bit shocking to witness. 

They’re both crazy. What the actual fuck are they doing? Why can’t they talk about this—whatever this is—like a pair of normal people?

“Hey! Stop it!” 

He has to shout to even be heard over the hubbub of sound that consists of much more yowling and growling than his brain can possibly process at the moment. He is so damn overwhelmed, but it’s like the pair has forgotten his existence.

Beomgyu has somehow gotten the other guy onto his stomach and is pinning him down by the shoulders, his mouth clamped around the nape of his neck. He shakes his head around a bit as if trying to tear into him with his teeth—or else like a dog playing with a toy because he’s actually growling —while the man beneath him is splayed out spread eagled and oddly limp. He’s making a weird noise, the expression on his face legitimately terrified, and Soobin doesn’t even know him but he can’t let Beomgyu hurt him like this! 

All thoughts of the two being lovers with an extremely unique taste in sexual preferences flees his mind. This isn’t consensual whatever it is. Why is Beomgyu doing that? It looks like he has absolutely lost his mind. 

The paralysis of shock that stuck him to the floor breaks, and he storms across the room with heat churning through his whole body.

“Let go of him, Beomgyu!” he commands loudly, horrified by the proceedings. “What the hell are you even doing? Get off!”

He grabs him by the back of his shirt and one shoulder, heaving at his body to drag him away from the pile of limbs. Beomgyu drops his prey and twists around to look up at him with huge, innocent eyes.

“He’s being so mean to me!” he wails in his own defense. 

“So you think it’s okay to bite him?” he practically yells back, whole body trembling. Beomgyu seems to have no idea the blow he just dealt Soobin’s heart. “I had no idea you’d ever do things like this.” 

“I was just scruffing him a bit,” he protests. “It doesn’t hurt him.”

“What?” Soobin exclaims. “He was obviously in pain, didn’t you notice?”

Beomgyu’s lower lip juts out. His eyes glisten with a sheen of tears. “He wasn’t! I would never actually hurt anyone! He’s just acting like a big baby so you’ll protect him instead of me, and it’s working.”

Soobin stares at him for a moment, lost for words. He can’t believe this. He never expected Beomgyu to act or think like this. He hated the way he felt like he didn’t know him at all, but right now it’s glaringly apparent what sorts of things Beomgyu was hiding. The desire to engage in unjustified violence and conniving to use Soobin for some personal reason is what he was hiding behind that innocent, sunshine facade.

He’s not so sure he wants to know him any more. 

“I want you to leave right now,” he whispers harshly, tears stinging his own eyes. It feels like his heart is twisting into itself.

Beomgyu’s whole face crumples—it’s horrible to look at—but then his attention catches on the man getting to his feet beside them. He looks pleased, cool blue eyes searing into Beomgyu as if he’s gloating over some perceived victory, and Beomgyu’s chin promptly dimples into a little angry shape. His eyes go dark, and before Soobin can stop him he’s throwing himself at the orange guy once more. 

The man shrieks and scrambles to escape from him, slinking through Beomgyu’s hands like a slippery eel and turning quickly to dash further into the house instead of out of it. He disappears down the short hall and into Soobin’s bedroom, Beomgyu hot on his heels. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Soobin calls in frustration, chasing after them in bewilderment. His mind is reeling. “Beomgyu! I told you to leave. And you —orange guy—you get out, too!”

He bursts into the room after them only to discover that Beomgyu is on his knees peering under the bed, and the other guy is nowhere in sight. 

“What are you doing ?” he explodes. “You do not mean to tell me your boyfriend is under my bed?”

From under the bed comes a loud, angry hissing that definitely cannot come from any man. It can only be Yeonjun—his cat Yeonjun. He must have been hiding under there to escape from all the chaos. Not only was he already upset by the reappearance of Beommie earlier, he must have felt like his territory was being invaded by these two men who were determined to use Soobin’s house as their personal wrestling ring. 

The orange one is truly gone though. The window is wide open, strangely enough, so maybe he jumped out and left that way. Is that also where Beommie escaped from? The dog is clearly nowhere to be found in the apartment and it’s one more little thing these crazy men disrupted in Soobin’s home, but it doesn’t matter—he’ll deal with that later once they’re gone.

“Leave Junnie alone!” he cries, feeling on the verge of a meltdown at this point. “What is wrong with you?” 

He grabs Beomgyu by the arm and heaves him up easily, hauling him down the hall and dragging him towards the door as Beomgyu goes all limp and heavy in his hold. 

“I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me,” he pleads, huffing loudly for air. He peers up at him with those devastating puppy eyes, but Soobin doesn’t even take his eyes away from his goal to fall prey to them. “Please don’t be mad!” Beomgyu whines, sounding properly distraught now. “I need you, Soobin. Please don’t put me out!”

“I don’t want to see you right now,” Soobin retorts in agitation. He soon has Beomgyu out the door and deposits him into the hall, stepping away from him quickly. “You better have a good explanation for this, but I’ll hear it later. For now, just stay in your own damn house!”

Beomgyu looks like he’s about to start sobbing, and Soobin doesn’t know where he finds the strength to turn his back on him, but he’s still too upset over the glimpse of Beomgyu’s callousness being exposed to be sure if these are crocodile tears or not. It doesn’t matter that Soobin doesn’t know the full story or anything about the other man who also trespassed into his house, Beomgyu’s behavior in and of itself went against so many of his values. He’s devastated by this. 

He shuts the door firmly and pauses for a moment with both palms pressed against the surface, chest heaving and tears in his eyes.

He feels so damn stupid.

Beomgyu was never transparent or upfront with him from the beginning, and it’s stupid that Soobin feels so betrayed by him now, but the whole fiasco was so unexpected and illogical. He can’t justify or hardly even understand a single thing he witnessed just now, and he doesn’t know what he’s meant to do about it.

It’s not like Beomgyu is a bad person, he knows he’s not, but he also knew that something about him is slightly off. His weird quirks were so charming and innocent to him until now, but Soobin saw how those same qualities show up as maladaptive tendencies in a high conflict situation, and it’s irreconcilable. 

He didn’t anticipate a mental health condition being the underlying reason for his odd nature, and he can’t help but think he’s not equipped to care for Beomgyu after all. 

He still wants to help him, but not if Beomgyu is going to do crazy shit like this. If nothing else, how is he meant to share a home with someone who lets strangers in without caring to ask how Soobin feels about it? And then there's the issue of that actual fucking biting. No...there's no explanation that can possibly justify that.

He sadly turns away from the door and retraces his steps, feeling a bit numb. His body has gone through way too many ups and downs in the past hour and he’s abruptly exhausted. He wants nothing more than to curl up in bed with Yeonjun and close his eyes to everything that just went wrong. 

He wants to sink into sleep and wake up to a morning where none of this happened.

The room is muggy from the open window overriding the AC, and he quietly snaps it back shut, peering out briefly even though it’s not like Beommie would still be hanging out on the other side of it. He’s long gone. The dog never liked to be contained, and maybe Soobin should just give up on that idea, too. 

There’s no one he can really protect or trust besides Junnie. Other humans are too complicated, and he just wants to go back to his normal life of just the two of them. 

He makes his way back over to the bed, dropping to his knees and peering under it into the shadowy darkness. He can’t see anything for a moment, then catches a glint of light reflecting like a mirror on a pair of round orbs. 

“Junnie?” he calls weakly, sniffling back his rampant emotions. “Shh, it’s okay, baby. They are all gone now. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. I don’t know how they got in.”

The cat doesn’t move or make a sound, and Soobin sinks slowly down to rest upon his chest. He lays his cheek upon his crooked arm and strains his eyes to see him. 

“Come here, baby,” he pleads. “Let me see you, mm? Junnie. Yeonjunnie.”

A plaintive little meow floats out from the back corner, and he cracks a weary smile at the sound. He waits as patiently as he can, but he’s tired and stressed, and he needs Yeonjun right now. He makes a coaxing little clucking sound, anxious to have the little guy in his arms so he can bury his face in his fur before the tears come spilling out.

“Please, baby. I need you,” he begs, blinking quickly to try and repress the moisture beading heavily on his lashes.

It’s silent beneath the bed, and Yeonjun must have turned away because he can’t catch the flash of light on his eyes any more. 

“Yeonjunnieee,” he whines loudly in the most pathetic display to date. He just wants to cuddle his baby, then everything won’t feel so bad. 

His heart leaps with hope when there’s finally a shuffling sound as if the cat is moving. His movements are somehow louder than expected, sounding strangely like fabric sliding across the floor, but maybe Yeonjun dragged some clothing down under there by accident in his panic. 

Soobin scoots back to his knees to give him space to emerge, but startles back with a yelp as what comes scooting out is not a cat, but a man . 

That peachy orange head pops into sight, followed by a long lean body. He scrambles backwards and away from him as he nimbly drags his full body out from under the bed and crouches before him in a bundle of long bare limbs.

“I thought I told you to leave,” he cries. This is ridiculous. “What are you still doing here—under my bed ?” 

He thought that the man was gone, but apparently he chose to hide under Soobin’s bed together with his cat. The man’s cautious expression sags, eyes dropping to the floor as his brows knit, and his pretty lips jut out in a sinful pout as Soobin glares down at him. Soobin has truly had enough.

He doesn’t speak, and Soobin just stares in growing frustration as he takes in the details he failed to notice earlier during the fight. The man is not just wearing skimpy clothing, he’s wearing Soobin’s favorite old Jujutsu Kaisen shirt that he thought he lost ages ago. And those boxers are definitely also his. What…the actual fuck?

He exhales explosively, feeling on the verge of a hysterical meltdown as his brain fuzzes with outrage over this unacceptable craziness . The man’s head whips up to look at him fearfully as Soobin inhales deeply in preparation to yell at him some more, but he abruptly cuts himself off as he takes in the other’s body language. 

The man hasn’t done anything aggressive or threatening—beyond the fact that he’s an intruder in his house—but maybe that wasn’t even his fault, either. Maybe Beomgyu invited him in without telling him anything about Soobin, and he shouldn’t blame him until he knows the facts. That cringing posture and those big, scared eyes have nothing to do with his decision to calm down and get to the bottom of this.

“Why were you under there?” he repeats in a much gentler voice. 

He’s not sure how he manages it, but his stupid soft heart is obviously taken in by the vulnerability this pretty man is exuding in waves. That’s just exactly how Beomgyu wormed his way into his heart, but he can’t bear to compare the two of them right now.

“I was just trying to get away from that mutt,” the man finally says in a sulky voice. 

Fuck. Soobin has definitely heard his voice before—in that same petulant tone to be exact—and it seems to echo mockingly in his brain. It’s crazy, but he is certain he has heard this man talking in his dreams .  

How do you dream such precise details about a real person you have never met? All of this is so damn confusing. 

“That mutt?” he repeats. “You don’t mean Beomgyu, do you?”

“He bit me!” he cries, raising imploring eyes up to him again as if trying to plead his case while he lifts one hand to cup his abused ear, and Soobin feels lost.

“Yeah, I saw. I think he was absolutely out of line, but you were also…” he trails off with a bubble of hysterical laughter rising in his throat. Why is he even rationalizing this as if he’s in charge of mediating their fights? “Whatever. Who am I to say what’s normal between you two?” he remarks sourly. He saw that crazy behavior for himself, but it still doesn’t explain any of the rest of it. “Why are you even in my house to begin with? Did Beomgyu let you in?”

The man shrinks a little, sensitively attuned to the hardness in Soobin’s voice, his pout deepening as he huddles into his knobbly knees. “Soobin…I live here,” he mumbles.

Soobin pauses to breathe deeply twice before answering. “What? I’m sorry, but I have no idea who the hell you are.”

Even if he thought he somehow recognized his voice, he must be mistaking it for someone else he knows—an acquaintance or classmate or something. There’s no way he could possibly know him.

The man’s lashes flutter as he struggles with a response, swallowing thickly and clasping his legs so tightly he looks to be in danger of toppling over. “You said…you said we’ll be together for life,” he says in a hushed voice. “You said this is my forever home.”

Soobin shakes his head slowly. “What are you talking about?” 

“September 13th,” he says, lifting his gaze to pin him in place. His blue eyes are shining with emotion. “Five years ago on September 13th, you adopted me from the old man at the exotic pet shop filled with tropical birds. Don’t you remember?”

Soobin’s mouth drops open. How does this stranger know that? Beomgyu called him ‘Yeonjun’ in a manner that indicated he assumed Soobin not only knew full well who he was—which he was wrong about—but also in a clear reference to the cat with the same name. 

Soobin cannot believe the fantastic truth the two of them seem to want him to believe.

“You’re trying to tell me you’re Yeonjun? My cat Yeonjun.” 

It sounds absolutely crazy to say it out loud.

‘Yeonjun’ bobs his head eagerly, full lips curling into a devastating little smile that makes Soobin’s heart flutter. “I’m your Junnie,” he confirms sweetly, sounding happy. 

Soobin unconsciously shakes his head, unable to comprehend. “No…you’re not. You’re…you’re…Wh-who are you…?”

‘Yeonjun’ suddenly uncurls himself, gracefully slinking onto all fours and crawling across the floor towards him in the most sensually feline manner. He is not a cat—duh—but if he had a tail it would be perked in an upright curling shape, he can imagine it perfectly. Soobin freezes in place, watching him come with his brain lost in intelligible static. 

Why is he even crawling like that? It is so…teasingly alluring, especially with that glint in those hooded eyes, but—

“Soobin…I’m yours,” ‘Yeonjun’ says, a rumbly purr coloring the edge of his voice in a very, very familiar way. “There’s no one else for me. Just you.”

Soobin feels faint. Not only is this man absolutely gorgeous, he’s the exact perfect living replica of the sunset man in his dreams—both in speech and in visuals. There’s no way…No. What the fuck does that mean? Maybe none of this is real or happening. He has to be dreaming.

He flushes, squeezes his eyes shut hard then opens them again to see him still there on all fours before him, his slender legs poised in a half-crouch and his pretty peachy hair falling into his eyes attractively. He stretches his face towards him then pauses to lift one hand instead, reaching to clasp Soobin’s ankle, and he startles at the warm touch.

He’s unreal, but Soobin is awake. He’s definitely awake.

All at once Soobin bursts to his feet and tears his foot away from the man’s hand. ‘Yeonjun’’s eyes follow him, his head tilting up and back to look at him as he towers over him. His eyes are round and hopeful, waiting for Soobin to…to do what? Believe him?

He feels crazy and it’s a million times more pronounced than anything he ever felt around Beomgyu. The two of them have somehow ensnared him and his sanity in their pretty, pretty hands, but he refuses to be part of this any longer. Whatever this is.

“I- I don’t know you, and I need you to leave,” he stutters awkwardly. “I won’t call the police on you this time, but please don’t try to enter without permission again.”

‘Yeonjun’ looks shocked for all of five seconds before he deflates visibly, his whole body sagging. Shrinking into himself. 

“I knew you wouldn’t like me like this,” he sighs mournfully, whole face and body folding into the most apt depiction of ‘forlorn’ that Soobin has ever seen. 

He shrinks away from him even more, and Soobin stares and stares and stares as he tries to understand what he’s even seeing, because ‘Yeonjun’’s body is literally shrinking . 

His pretty orange hair is melting down into his skin, which ripples and shifts to accommodate the color as fur sprouts all over his body and a long, fluffy tail twists into sight out of nowhere. His limbs disappear into his body while fingers are suddenly becoming paws, and a pair of pointed ears pop out on his skull seconds before his whole face blurs into an entirely new shape that’s not human any longer. 

It’s Yeonjun. Junnie. His cat.

The entirety of him has just morphed into an actual fucking cat right in front of his eyes.

A scream bubbles up in Soobin’s throat, but he’s so incredibly shocked it gets strangled halfway to let nothing but a shrill thin little squeak tear from his lips. He can’t breathe.

Yeonjun sits on his haunches, fluffy tail wrapping neatly around his little paws just like always, then tilts his head back up to gaze at him with big, blue eyes. Soobin stares at him, ears ringing. His heart must have missed a few beats because he feels woozy. He’s beyond stunned; he has absolutely lost it. 

The cat watches him for another long minute before his ears twitch and his eyes go half-lidded. He promptly turns and walks away, hopping nimbly up onto the bed and plopping himself down in the center of Soobin’s pillow. He curls his head around to nestle into the fluff of his own body and closes his eyes. 

Soobin just watches him, feeling so much and yet at the same time feeling nothing at all. There was a man in here just now, speaking to him and touching him, and now there is nothing but a cat. His cat.

He has had Yeonjun for five long years, and in all that time there was never a single indication that his house cat wasn’t an ordinary animal. Right? There was simply no way it would ever cross his mind that such a thing was possible, because it isn’t …

It really…isn’t.

His mind is racing, and it’s crazy but…but he already knows. It’s actually very, very real, and even though he didn’t consciously know it, somehow he already knew. 

Because…here’s the thing. Ever since adopting Yeonjun five years ago, Soobin has had an abstract sense of not being alone in his own home. He attributed it to the awareness of another living creature sharing his space because he was a lonely man once upon a time, and adjusting to the energy and habits of another—no matter the species—was a real thing. Kai said a cat would solve his loneliness problem, and it has. More than expected.

Seeing traces of another around the house for him to discover every time he comes home gives him a sense of companionship and brings a sense of life to the house that they share, but it’s not just that. It is more than that.

The old man at the pet shop said Somali were curious and incredibly dexterous, and that he should pet proof his house if he didn’t want the kitten getting into things, but it really felt like he had a roommate who moved around and did shit when he was gone, living in the same house together but never catching sight of each other. 

It isn’t just the rucked up bed sheets after he meticulously made them, or the orange hair caught in the shower drain as if the cat rolled around on the tiles, it’s the way Soobin’s food stores somehow get depleted faster than he remembers eating them. Even items safely stored away in the fridge. It’s the remote that is always misplaced—never in the same place twice—and the general sense of everything in the apartment having been used or touched in some manner by the time he gets back.

These in of themselves are little things that anyone could explain away as forgetfulness or inattention to his own habits when sleep deprived late at night. Soobin just called himself a bit of a sloppy mess and brushed it off, especially because attributing any of these things to his housecat would be silly. It’s not like the cat leisurely watches tv while he’s gone, and if he really was getting into the cupboards, he wouldn’t clean up the evidence afterwards.

He always made excuses for the odd little incidents that occurred whenever he was out, but he never considered something like this —how could he ever guess this? 

Yeonjun has a mind of his own and does what he wants, but believing his cat is capable of human-like behaviors is in no way the same thing as his cat actually being a human.

There was no reason for Soobin to investigate or otherwise come up with crazy speculations, even despite his dreams that always combined Yeonjun’s nighttime snuggles and purrs with a human in his dreamscape. Those were dreams . 

But now…apparently they are reality.

Now he knows that all those special human-like qualities about Yeonjun were simply because there was a very real person inhabiting his little cat body all along. No matter how impossible it is, it’s real.

It was a man who lounged around the house when he was out, eating all his ramen and using his shampoo. A man who slept beside him every night and licked his face affectionately. Did that…does that count as kissing? It must have. No…it was . In his dreams he most certainly experienced kissing. All over his body, actually. From a very real man who held him in his arms every night. 

Those dreams of orange hair and soft skin against his own were all real. All Yeonjun.

His thoughts jump around and skitter as he starts putting it all together. He feels a little flushed, the embarrassment flooding through his body in growing increments the more he thinks about it, because it wasn’t just cuddles and kisses they shared. 

It was a beautiful man lying there beside him inside that cat body, shamelessly watching with avid eyes whenever Soobin touched himself under the covers late at night when he was feeling lonely and needy. And especially on those mornings after waking up from hot dreams of being all entangled up with his dream man. Shit. 

He feels exposed and almost violated because he didn’t consent to that, but it’s also…not like that at all. He always did feel a little self-conscious whenever Yeonjun watched him get off, wondering if animals could instinctively recognize the smell of arousal and sex or something, and while it made him feel weird he just ignored it. 

It was just his cat. His cat who looked at him like he knew exactly what Soobin was doing, touching himself with no partner involved. 

And now, it’s not just a cat, but a human-Yeonjun who knows all these intimate details about him. Yeonjun who willingly touches him and participates in all that late night kissing while cuddled up in bed together even though Soobin is half asleep when it happens. From the way Yeonjun looked at him just now, he is getting the impression that the guy is definitely into him. That realization on top of everything is causing a minor explosion inside his brain.

He will have to process that side of things later in private, but for now it’s not as urgent as understanding the rest of this. 

He didn’t even know human-Yeonjun existed, but if Yeonjun was capable of becoming human all along, why did he never reveal himself until now?

Soobin thought he owned a cat, and Yeonjun spoke as if he thinks he belongs to him, but it’s not like he actually owns that beautiful man in any way. That would be…it would be wrong on so many levels, and Soobin would never agree to such a thing knowingly if given the chance. He didn’t know!

His stomach gapes into a hole at the thought of Yeonjun thinking of Soobin as his ‘owner’. Yeonjun acted like a spoiled animal most of the time, but he always, always put Soobin first. Always loved him without words and without conditions.

Does he not have a life beyond these walls where he exists as Soobin’s pet? He must. How could he not? As far as Soobin knows, Yeonjun has never left this apartment once since coming to live here, and that’s no way to live. Even though he’s not actually…human. Apparently he’s not an actual animal, either.

What is he?

The enigma in question hasn’t moved a whisker since curling up on the pillow, kindly leaving him a moment to have his internal meltdown for as long as necessary, but now he’s desperate for some answers. This still feels like a very realistic hallucination or maybe a lucid dream, but he has to confirm everything before he goes off the deep end.

He crosses the room, heart thrumming in his chest as he approaches the little furry orange lump. With a deep inhale he sits himself on the bed, and Yeonjun’s eyes pop open. Neither of them move a muscle. 

Soobin’s eyes trace all over his familiar form, every detail in his coloring and the shape of his cute little face long imprinted in his brain. This is his dear baby, his heart and soul, but now there’s this new impossible aspect to him and Soobin isn’t even sure if he wants this transformation ability to be real or not.

Soobin reaches out one hand cautiously but pauses before touching him. Those pretty eyes are full of an intelligence that he misunderstood and underestimated this whole time. This is a person—not an animal—with his own thoughts, who has always been able to understand every word he says, and he shouldn’t just touch him as if he is entitled to him.

Yeonjun holds perfectly still, watching him and letting him decide what happens next. 

“So, you’re…a person?” he wonders. The cat doesn’t reply. Yeonjun has always been extremely vocal, but Soobin never once heard him use human language. “Can you talk like this? In this form?”

There’s no response to his question, and Soobin can’t help but doubt himself even though he saw it with his own eyes. Yeonjun looks almost wary of him, though, and it makes him feel so sorry. 

He took Soobin’s adverse reaction to his reveal to mean he only wants him around as a cat, but that isn’t it at all. Soobin didn’t have all the information to make an informed decision on the matter, and he needs some answers first before he can reasonably be expected to form an opinion.

First, he wants to put him at ease. Even though Soobin has had the shock of his life, his poor baby has had an unfairly rough time of it. Today, especially, must have stressed him out badly.

It is a lot easier to understand his behavior if he thinks of him as a cat like usual, and gives Soobin back some of his confidence.

He holds his breath and dares to touch his little head, running his fingers gently down the curve of his skull then over to rub his soft, silky ears. The contact is familiar and safe, and his heart melts as Junnie’s eyes immediately shutter, his head leaning into the touch to encourage more pets like always. Soobin obliges, smoothing his cheeks and scratching under his chin, his heart squeezing tight as he watches him trustingly relax into the ministrations.

His hand finally comes to rest on his furry nape where Beomgyu grabbed him so roughly with his teeth, and Yeonjun’s eyes widen a little to regard him patiently.

“Did he hurt you?” he murmurs, unsure of how the two are connected. 

Yeonjun doesn’t speak, but his ears flutter and tickle against Soobin’s palm. What does that mean…? Soobin has no idea.

“What’s the relationship between the two of you anyway?” he asks pointlessly. It’s clear Yeonjun won’t be replying; maybe he can’t.

Beomgyu seems to know Yeonjun somehow, and he wonders if he came to live here in order to get close to him for whatever reason. He treated Yeonjun like a cat even when his body was shaped like a man, meaning he also knew all about his secret ability. 

Soobin is confused and jealous—both ways. 

They’ve lived together for five whole years and he should have known this monumental thing about Yeonjun. Yeonjun is his baby. Even though he isn’t that at all. He’s just his…his half-human housemate apparently. 

As for Beomgyu, he fell for him so hard and he’s upset to learn that the other man’s feelings were possibly an act in order to reach his actual goal: Yeonjun. Are the two of them together? Or were they in the past? Why did they have to drag Soobin into the middle of it?

“Can you turn back again so I can talk to you?” he asks, feeling nervous.

Yeonjun stares an endless, unblinking cat stare and Soobin shrinks before it slightly. 

“Please, baby?” he tacks on, the nickname slipping out reflexively.

Yeonjun huffs a loud breath from his little ribs, as if sighing at him, and then right under his hand his body is shifting and melting again. He grows bigger and bigger, and Soobin snatches his hand away. In between one blink and the next, there’s a now familiar man curled up on his pillow. He sits up properly and regards him with those same pretty, blue eyes.

“Okay…wow. That’s incredible,” Soobin whispers. 

A faintly pleased smile curls Yeonjun’s pouty lips. Soobin can’t look away. “I love it when you praise me,” he says. 

Soobin flushes. It shouldn’t feel so different to know this man likes praise when he knows his cat eats it up and begs for more. It’s just…it feels much more intimate to attribute such preferences to a person.

“I know…” he agrees awkwardly. Yeonjun preens a little, so cat-like and yet not, and Soobin just wants to stare at him. He struggles to form words. “Um…so, have you always been able to do this?”

Yeonjun cocks his head, eyes rolling in consideration before he gives a decisive nod. “Mhm. Not when I was a baby kitten, though,” he says contemplatively. “It happened the first time shortly before you took me home, I think. They taught me about the roles I could fulfill for you, then sent me to the shop. I chose to stay a cat because that’s what you needed.”

“They taught you this role…?” he clarifies in a choked voice. “They who? What- where did you come from?”

“The youth shelter,” Yeonjun replies easily, as if mentions of that horrible place don’t already haunt Soobin’s days enough. It has to be the same place. That answers the question of how Yeonjun and Beomgyu know each other. 

“I don’t understand,” he says. “What exactly is this youth shelter place?”

“It’s where all the hybrids stay before they find owners,” Yeonjun says with a shrug. 

“Hybrids? That’s what you are?” He can’t even address the ‘owner’ thing yet without understanding this first part.

Yeonjun nods with a bright smile lighting his whole face. Oh, fuck. He’s so cute. Soobin tries to focus on the conversation, but it’s difficult not to want to fawn over him. To want to just gaze at him stupidly. To want to touch him.

Right…that touching part is one of the problems he needs to clear up asap, because this confirms all his fears. These two really came from some sort of escort conditioning house, and the philosophy of it sounds even worse than he imagined. God only knows how the shape-shifting part of it even works.

“S-so…about that. The owners. You said earlier that I… own you?” Soobin asks in growing horror, still baffled and deeply uncomfortable with the dynamic now being confirmed. He did not consent to this.

Yeonjun’s smile grows. “Yes. I’m so lucky.”

“How is that lucky?” Soobin demands. “Even if you can turn into a cat, you’re a person . I can’t own you. People can’t own other people. That is wrong.”

Yeonjun’s eyes go wide. “No! It’s right. It’s perfectly right!” he denies quickly. “I’m not a person! I’m a hybrid, and it’s in our nature to be bonded and owned. I need a bonded owner or I’ll go crazy. You’ve seen Beomgyu—” he scoffs in faint disgust over the name. “He’s so close to losing it, I’m afraid he’ll go rabid and rip my throat open next time. You can’t let him in again, Soobin!”

“I still don’t understand,” Soobin says desperately. “What do you mean about Beomgyu? You mean he’s actually from your same shelter?” 

Yeonjun shrugs, his expression growing disgruntled. “No idea, and I don’t care.”

Soobin frowns. He really doesn’t like Yeonjun’s careless attitude because Soobin’s compassion is generally through the roof, and Beomgyu is so damn sweet it seems wrong to dislike him. “Why not? You mean he’s not a- he’s not like you?” 

There’s no way that Beomgyu is a cat, too? What the fuck.

“Beomgyu is a Maltese,” Yeonjun says as if it’s of no consequence, still looking surly. “That mutt you keep bringing home even though I clearly expressed that I’m against it.”

“I…what? Beomgyu is Beommie ?” 

Yeonjun sneers. Such a snooty expression shouldn’t look so attractive, but this man’s—hybrid’s—face is sculpted by the gods. “You named him? Why!”

“Well, yeah,” Soobin says defensively, suddenly anxious over sharing his plans to adopt Beommie now that he knows this . He obviously needs to rethink the whole thing now since Beomgyu and his dog are one in the same. 

Does that make this more or less of a problem…?

“If he’s a hybrid like you, why do you hate him so much?”

“Because he’s trying to take you for himself!” Yeonjun says dramatically, his whole demeanor going all earnest. “He needs to bond with an owner or else he’ll have an irreversible mental breakdown. That’s why he keeps bothering you so much even though you’re already mine.”

Despite all that needs to be unpacked here, Soobin’s thoughts stray to the copious amount of reports documenting the uptick of feral animals on the news, and it feels like his whole world is shifting into a new shape. Are all of those wild strays hybrids, too? 

Where did they all even come from? Are they birthed, or created? How does no one know a thing about them? His head is spinning, but Yeonjun’s final words strike him the hardest.

“I’m yours?” he repeats dumbly, deeply bothered by the way Yeonjun keeps harping on about the ownership part. “How? You mean to say I- we— ” he points back and forth between them, spluttering, “are bonded? How?”

Yeonjun’s eyes go all big and shiny, a low rumbly sound beginning deep in his chest as he abruptly leans into Soobin’s space. “We bonded the first night you brought me home, don’t you remember?” he whispers through the purring. 

It’s such a familiar, comforting sound and looking at his pretty, human face while hearing it is so…he feels a little dazed. 

He struggles to think back to that first night with a fuzzy kitten darting around his apartment with far too much energy late into the night. Yeonjun climbed all over him once he lay down to sleep, and it wasn’t until later that he finally was graced with a warm little bundle of fur, curled up on his chest and purring in contentment. As he rested the entirety of his palm over that fragile little back and breathed together with him, Soobin recalls feeling a novel sense of calm happiness in that moment, unlike anything he has ever experienced before in his life.

He remembers thinking that something about his new kitty was special. That he was perfect for him and him alone.

“I don’t know,” he says quietly. “I just remember feeling…connected to you, I guess? Is that bonding?”

Yeonjun bobs his head, his face glowing with open adoration. “Yes. You accepted me and loved me, and that’s enough,” he says softly. “Ever since then, I belong to you.”

“I don’t really understand this at all,” Soobin breathes, heart thudding loudly in his chest. The air feels strangely charged between them. “Now that I know you’re part human, there’s no way I can agree to this. I didn’t mean to…to take advantage of you. You’re not a pet, and I won’t keep you from living your own life any longer.”

“No!” Yeonjun insists with stricken eyes. “It’s not like that. This is what every hybrid needs. It’s what I’m made for.”

Made for? That makes it sound even worse! There’s no way Soobin can keep this up. 

No matter how persuasive Yeonjun is, after battling with the same concerns regarding what he thought was Beomgyu’s situation, Soobin is even more certain he has to do the right thing and lay down clear boundaries. He will help him however he can while figuring out how to be ‘bonded’ without abusing the dynamic. 

Hybrids are obviously disadvantaged and conditioned to believe that living as some kind of property is normal, and Soobin doesn’t want to perpetuate that. The power imbalance, for one, is a big issue.

He has kept this person inside his home for five whole years. Five years in which he never revealed his human form even though it seems he shifted himself while Soobin was out or asleep. He did that to appeal to Soobin’s preferences, and it can’t be healthy for him to suppress it, right? He can’t possibly be happy living like this. 

Soobin was unaware, but still…he’s responsible. 

“You aren’t made for me,” he denies in a bit of a panic. “You should live for yourself.” Yeonjun is shaking his head in agitation, and Soobin despairs over how he has been brainwashed into thinking this is acceptable. It’s not! “Don’t you want to have your own life now?” he asks tremulously. 

“This is my own life. What more could I want?”

“I don’t know…” he stutters, feeling flustered. “You should go out to meet friends. Go to school or work. Hobbies. You know…go do things for yourself.”

“You think I want to work ?” Yeonjun scoffs, both hands coming up to tuck strands of orange hair demurely behind his ears. It shouldn’t make him look so pretty, but damn. “I need at least fifteen hours of sleep a day, don’t you know me at all?”

Soobin stares at him, biting his lower lip. Feline habits aside, he doesn’t know him. That’s his point. “You shouldn’t build your life around me,” he protests feebly. “I want you to do whatever you want.”

“What I want is to stay here with you,” Yeonjun whines through a pout. “We’ve already been living like this and it’s perfect. I’m a cat hybrid , I don’t wanna live on my own or take care of myself.” The pout grows bigger. It’s difficult to look at it for long, and Soobin’s resolve is already wavering. “Why do you keep rejecting me? Don’t you want me anymore? You want to kick me out, don’t you? It’s because of Beomgyu, isn’t it?” His voice is beginning to rise in upset, and Soobin caves. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop for now,” he says soothingly, reaching out to stroke his pretty hair, dislodging it from behind his ear. Yeonjun immediately tilts his head into his hand, eyes sliding shut in simple bliss. 

He is so trusting, but that's no doubt because even though Soobin doesn’t know this version of him, Yeonjun knows every last little thing about Soobin. Even if he was brainwashed to idolize Soobin as his ‘master’, right now Yeonjun still believes and means all those romantic things he keeps saying.

Maybe given enough time and opportunity he will come to appreciate that being his own person is both doable and important. They can be bonded as equals. Soobin wants that for him—for them .

Soobin still needs time to process, but he is absolutely clear with himself on his attraction to Yeonjun. And on the deep rooted sense of connection with him. He might go so far as to call it a sense of possession, maybe, but he won’t use that word. He won’t act on it either.

But he can’t deny it is there.

Just the thought of kicking him out has his heart skittering a panicked tattoo against his ribs. He is obviously attached to him psychologically even though it wasn’t a conscious process.

It’s okay…they can figure things out slowly.

The feel of his soft hair sliding through his fingers is familiar, and even though he doesn’t know him, his subconscious does. It’s confusing and probably a bad idea to even agree to any of this, but…this is still his Junnie, his baby —holy shit, that feels different now—and all he seems to want is to stay here and keep living like this. 

But there’s no way things will just continue on as they have been. Soobin won’t give up on convincing him to become independent, but also he selfishly wants him to stay. He’d be crazy to actually reject him without even giving them a chance to explore their bond properly.

Things will be different now. Things might even be better .

“I don’t understand how our bond works, but…” Yeonjun’s eyes open; their gazes lock. Soobin’s heart quivers because he’s afraid of his own selfishness, but he has to be honest. “But I don’t think I can live without you.”

He is not taking advantage if he honors Yeonjun’s ability to make his own decisions regarding their living situation and relationship. It is probably an unrecommended way to start something, to be sure, but there are already feelings here between them. He can’t deny that part of it. Why should he?

Yeonjun watches him for another moment before a slow smile tugs on his lips. His eyes are so damn soft. Soobin feels warm under that affectionate look. He wants more of it.

“I’m really the luckiest cat in the whole world,” Yeonjun whispers, eyes sparkling. “I never thought you’d want me in this form.”

He reaches out to clutch at Soobin’s shirt, the tips of his fingernails a little sharper than expected. The way they poke through the fabric to prick at his skin sends a shiver down his spine. It’s surreal to experience the sensations of his dreams while he’s fully awake. It’s exciting.

“Why did you think that?” he wonders, stomach fluttering with pleasant nerves at their proximity. “If you really know me well, you’d know I’d accept you. I just…want you to be happy.”

Yeonjun’s fingers curl more, tugging at his shirt. He leans his body closer, long legs unfolding as he rearranges himself and promptly climbs into Soobin’s lap. Soobin sucks in a sharp breath and is unable to exhale it back out. Yeonjun releases his shirt to wrap both arms around Soobin’s neck instead, and Soobin has definitely stopped breathing. Their faces are only a few inches apart.

“I am happy, but I know you’ve been lonely,” Yeonjun murmurs, features soft with understanding. “I tried my best to comfort you, but I thought that only a human companion could give you what you were missing. I’m not human, but…” he shrugs his narrow shoulders, eyes dropping shyly. “Can I please try to be that for you, now?” 

Soobin exhales slowly as his mind races. What does that mean? What exactly does he want to be for him? And ‘comfort’? Beomgyu confused and worried him by using that exact same word previously. What does ‘comfort’ mean to a hybrid, exactly? He can’t mean…physical intimacy, can he? That’s just…that’s…Soobin doesn’t want to assume, but it’s so damn suggestive. 

His heart is pumping blood through his whole body at top speed and it’s a little hard to make any decisions, let alone form words. But he knows one thing is true. 

“I wasn’t as lonely since you came home,” he says first, wanting Yeonjun to know just how important and appreciated he is. “You already comfort me. You’ve been with me at my lowest times.”

Yeonjun’s cute smile is back. He looks extremely pleased. “I have, haven’t I?” he says proudly. “I want to comfort you even more with words now.” Something in his expression shifts dangerously. It’s nothing short of sultry . That look is so, so suggestive. “And with my body. I’ve wanted you for so long,” he admits, voice all husky with what can only be desire. "You're so big and kind and handsome, and you say I'm not lucky to be yours?"

Soobin’s cheeks feel warm. Shit. Okay. It seems that ‘comfort’ really does mean sex, but is he being serious? This is still so new for Soobin, but Yeonjun truly looks like a man who has been pining away. A man that finally has a chance to be with his object of affection, and Soobin can’t believe that is him. How could he ever be so lucky?

He doesn’t feel allowed to take Yeonjun up on it, though. Not given the complexity of their situation. 

“Y-Yeonjun…” he murmurs in protest, pulse racing. “I don’t think we should do that…I can’t—”

Yeonjun’s eyes go wide. “You can ,” he denies firmly. “You’re thinking of me as a human, but I’m not. I exist for this: our bond.”

“Okay, our bond is one thing, b-but comforting me physically is something else. You don’t exist for that.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Yeonjun huffs, pouting his lips a bit dramatically. “Does it really bother you so much that I’m a cat? You really just want a pure human?” 

“N-no. No. I don’t mind. I think,” Soobin stutters out. He’s a bit dizzy. 

“Then let me show you how this is right. I’ve been longing for this for five years, Soobin. I’m yours ,” Yeonjun says again. This time it ignites a lovely heat deep in Soobin’s gut. 

“Show me what, exactly…?” he wonders in a whisper, feeling like he's making a choice he can't come back from.

Yeonjun’s caution fades away and he surges closer to bump Soobin’s shoulder with his head like he does as a cat begging for pats. Soobin struggles to breathe evenly, already feeling a bit worked up over having a lapful of gorgeous man. He dares to lift his hands, stroking down his hair again from crown to nape, and they both sigh. The way Yeonjun melts against him also helps him to relax, and as he continues to touch his hair a purr begins to grow in Yeonjun’s chest. 

The touching and the purring is so…all of it is so soothing and familiar despite the changed shape of Yeonjun’s body—because of those dreams—but their current position is definitely making all his nerves tingle with awareness. With interest. 

Yeonjun moves closer again to nuzzle his face into Soobin’s cheek with repetitive little motions, and even though the gesture would be sweet and affectionate as a cat, right now it feels like something else entirely. It’s almost like he’s tentatively working his way closer to Soobin’s mouth. As if he is interested in kissing…

The purrs are mixing together with another low sound, something more human-like in nature that makes his heart speed up. The little whimpering sounds grow louder as Yeonjun’s lips caress his jaw, and Soobin’s eyes slide shut as that warm mouth slides closer and closer to his own. There’s nothing he wants more right now, and the longing has hardly crossed his awareness before it’s already happening.

Yeonjun kisses him on the lips, his own all wet and warm in the sweetest way. Soobin exhales shortly, and the other seems to take it as an invitation because the next moment he’s getting attacked, sharps nails pressing into the skin of his nape while a hot tongue slips between his parted lips to invade his mouth. The texture of it is a little rough and Soobin shudders at the sensation, kissing back as the kiss deepens until they are both panting. 

It feels so hot, of course it does, but it’s also safe in the most wonderful manner. He has never experienced physical intimacy that felt like this before. It’s like a combination of all their warm, sensual, cozy dreams, but a million times better. He wants to just sit here kissing Yeonjun forever.

It goes on for a while, the two of them coming back together over and over, hands in each other’s hair and lips all slick and warm as they slide together perfectly. They make out for endless minutes before Yeonjun rolls him onto his back and climbs on top of him to settle himself heavily all along his front. He’s a satisfying, thrilling weight above him, and the way his body undulates and rubs against him as they kiss has him extremely hot and bothered in no time. 

It feels so good and it has been so so long since he has had another person against him like this, but part of the high must be because he knows deep down that he really shouldn’t. It’s all he can do to not let it go much farther than the meeting of mouths and hands slipping up under shirts. Even that feels like he’s taking too much.

Yeonjun doesn’t ask for more, just kisses him silly before eventually pulling away first to drag his damp lips along his jaw and to his ear. His plump lower lip caresses the shell of it in a whisper touch before he breathes out, “Soobin, I love you.”

Soobin freezes in place and peels his eyes back open, shocked by the intimate confession. Yeonjun seems to feel his reaction, and he tenses as well.

“Wh-what?” Soobin stutters. “How can you say that…?”

Yeonjun keeps his face tucked safely into the warm little space along his neck, hiding his expression. “I have loved you for a very long time. And you love me, too,” he murmurs into the skin below his ear. 

Soobin makes a little noise of confused denial, tensing all over, because it’s not like he doesn’t love Junnie, it’s more that…well, he only just discovered his cat is part-human, and he doesn’t know him for who he is as a person yet, so it’s not like he could have cultivated that kind of love. That doesn’t seem to matter that much to Yeonjun, but that distinction is important to Soobin.

It makes sense that Yeonjun might love him already, but…this is moving a little fast, isn’t it?

“We wouldn’t be bonded if you didn’t love me back,” Yeonjun explains after the silence drags, voice still so hesitantly quiet. “Maybe…maybe if you think of me as your cat you’ll feel it too.”

It’s a strange thing to say and Soobin doesn’t want to think of him that way, but his brain is already going there and apparently Yeonjun is right. He absolutely loves the cat version of Junnie, simply adores him, and that feeling is no less strong now that his baby can talk, and hug, and kiss like a person. They are already bonded so it’s- this is just…is this normal for hybrids? Soobin has nothing to compare it to, but they are connected somehow. He does feel it, too.

Maybe he just has to accept that this is how it feels to be with a hybrid, which means he shouldn’t even consider denying them this until he knows what the ramifications of that might be.

Can bonds be broken? What happens to the hybrid if it does? Given what Yeonjun has shared so far and his insistence that bonding to owners is an essential condition for a hybrid’s mental health, he can only assume that a sad decline towards becoming a rabid animal waits at the end of that scenario. 

There’s no way he would ever risk doing something that might make that happen to Yeonjun. 

“Yeonjun. I really…I feel something, but I don’t know…I’ll need you to teach me more…” he trails off as he struggles to organize his words in a way that won’t be misleading. He holds him tightly in his arms when Yeonjun pulls his head back to look at him. He’s pink in the face, flushed so prettily, and Soobin’s heart quakes at the sight. “I’ll need some time to get used to this, but I want you to know that you’re so precious to me, Junnie. And I'll...do my best to protect you.”

Yeonjun beams at him, his whole face glowing as another purr rumbles through his body. It’s incredible to feel it emanating through his ribs and into his own, more pronounced than he has ever felt before, and Soobin tugs him closer to savor it even more. 

“I'll teach you more if you tell me more sweet things?” Yeonjun suggests breathily, curling his whole body around him in the most satisfying way.

“You’re so pretty, baby,” Soobin coos just like always, but his fingers are trembling as he dances them along his long back and tangles them in his peachy hair with a sense of awe taking him over. “I never could have imagined having someone as pretty as you.” It’s the honest truth.

Yeonjun giggles breathlessly, whole body vibrating from the force of his purrs as he arches into the touch of Soobin’s hands, basking in the attention like usual. It’s just so different like this. His movements are so sensual, and the way he seems to have no inhibitions over expressing his pleasure and desires sort of blows Soobin’s mind. He is absolutely unreal.

“Soobin,” he whines happily. “Kiss me more, too.”

Soobin is soft-hearted and easily persuaded in even the most ill advised of times. He’s in more than a little danger of letting himself be wrapped around this pretty hybrid’s finger before the night is up, but no matter how right it feels to give in, he can’t lose his stupid head entirely. He has to…make sure they take it slow. Slower. He has to respect him like a human even if Yeonjun stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the need for it.

Soobin won’t compromise any of his morals, but…a little more kissing won’t hurt, right…?

Right.

He has only been blessed with this human-form of Junnie’s for a handful of hours, but he is already obsessed with the feel of those lips on his own. He is the most kissable man he has ever met.

So Soobin wraps both arms around him and pulls him down for another round of kissing until they have melted into each other and Soobin’s doubts and concerns are floating in the clouds. 

They eventually fall asleep curled up under the covers, but just as he drifts off he thinks that it feels just exactly the same as every other night in this bed. It makes him feel some kind of way, but he’s too sleepy and happy to do anything but press his face into peachy orange hair and close his eyes. 

This is…home. Yeonjun has already been his for a very long time, and he wishes he could have known it outside of his dreams sooner. 

It’s the middle of the night when he comes awake, blinking up at the dark ceiling in muted contentment. He’s warm all over.

The body stretched out alongside him under the covers is familiar and cozy, and he basks in the feeling of this embrace while fully awake as his thoughts drift over everything that happened to lead to this moment.

By the time he remembers the other man…dog… hybrid who needs him, it is most certainly much too late to do anything about it. It has been hours since he kicked him out in a fit of anger. 

Soobin feels guilty twice over. He essentially threw Beomgyu out after promising him that this home was his, and he was so focused on understanding Yeonjun that he didn’t go check on him all night. Beomgyu must feel rejected and unloved, and now that he has calmed down and learned some of the important details he was missing before, it makes him anxious to imagine what the other might be feeling and thinking right now.

How alone he must feel over there in his apartment knowing that Soobin essentially chose Yeonjun over him. Even though that isn’t fair because Soobin didn’t know he was even choosing. And not forgetting the fact that Yeonjun belonged to him first even though, again, Soobin didn’t know that it was a position they were vying for. 

Still. He feels guilty and responsible, and to top it all off, he still likes Beomgyu so damn much.

Besides, he now has confirmation that Beomgyu really was after him and not Yeonjun. Even though he had a specific goal, it isn’t one that hurts Soobin or manipulates him, really. It is good for both of them, isn’t it? It’s just a more tangible form of sharing feelings.

Now that he knows a little more about the nature of hybrids and their need for human connection, he can safely hazard a guess and say the way he felt about Beommie is well on the way towards some kind of bonding. Beomgyu himself said something about imprinting. Whatever is developing between them leaves him with a sense of concern and longing for him at all times, and even though he wants to ask Yeonjun for more information he can tell that would upset him.

So, he needs to slip out while Yeonjun is asleep to go find Beomgyu so they can talk. Would it be weird to do that in the middle of the night…? Probably not. Beomgyu may be an actual hybrid dog of all things, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s also a little weird. In a cute, charming way.

Soobin misses him.

He thinks of the way Beomgyu spoke to him after bandaging his leg up, the way he was so grateful and trusting, and his heart aches. Beomgyu also said Soobin was perfect for him, and Soobin understands that declaration differently now. He wonders how it works to have multiple hybrids bonded to him, and he’s uncertain if it’s possible given the way Yeonjun acted threatened by Beomgyu’s advances.

If Soobin can’t have them both, there’s no way he can cut Yeonjun away in order to accept another. He couldn’t do that. 

But what options does that leave for Beomgyu? 

Soobin wants him, but if he can’t have him he will stop at nothing to find him a proper owner. He’s sure that Kai would love to have a dog, but he’s not so sure how his best friend might feel about having a hybrid. 

God…he needs to get the man over here as soon as possible to have a bit of a meltdown as he processes this new version of the world. It can't happen soon enough, but first he needs to find Beomgyu to patch things up and get them all on the same page with all the conflicting contentions and possible remedies regarding Soobin's ownership out in the open.

Soobin tries to slip out of bed but is caught by a pair of grabby hands, tiny claw-pricks forcing him to lay flat and still once more in retribution for disturbing the baby’s slumber, and he accidentally falls back asleep after his furnace of a cat-man wraps him up in all his long limbs. It’s well past eight o’clock by the time he resurfaces to lucidity in the morning, and this time he has no trouble extracting himself from the heavy limbs that kept him prisoner all night.

As he draws the blanket back over the sleeping man he startles when those long pretty legs suddenly retract into his body as it shrinks and shifts seamlessly into an entirely different form. He watches in awe as it happens, his heart twingeing stupidly when he finally sees his furry, fluffy orange darling again, but the cat doesn’t even open his eyes once to acknowledge what just happened. Or to notice that Soobin has gotten out of bed.

So Soobin tucks the blankets around him and quietly tip toes out to hunt down his neighbor.

When he knocks on the door there is no response. He rattles the door knob and pounds his fist on the surface a little daringly until the halmoni down the hall sticks her head out to see what all the noise is about.

“You haven’t seen Beomgyu out and about last night or this morning, have you?” he asks awkwardly.

“Beomgyu?” she parrots, sounding as if she can’t hear him properly. “Who is that, dear?”

“Choi Beomgyu who lives in this unit.” Soobin gestures to the silent door before him.

The halmoni smiles kindly and shakes her head. “I didn’t know anyone moved in. The landlord didn’t mention it last I saw him. Introduce me once you find him, won’t you?”

Soobin’s hopes dip pitifully. He bobs his head and quickly offers a flimsy excuse and a greeting to get himself away from any more chit chat. He trots down the stairs with a frown on his face, scanning the dirt under the bushes in the courtyard for any sign of a bedraggled white dog that might be hiding from him. There's nothing. Soobin pauses there for a moment to consider the new information.

It’s not strange that the landlord didn’t go around telling people about a new tenant, but it’s a little odd that the friendly old lady didn’t already know him. Not with Beomgyu’s even more friendly demeanor and the way he hung about in the hallway waiting for Soobin day and night like a real dog waiting for his master to return home. God…he still can’t believe that Beomgyu and Beommie are one and the same, but it’s a little relieving to know it because so much of Beomgyu’s eccentricities make perfect sense now. He’s the cutest little puppy in the entire world, and Soobin feels horrible about the way he yelled at him and lost his temper to the point he didn’t allow the other to even have a chance to explain himself.

He’s not proud of how he handled the revelation last night, and he’ll feel even worse if this causes Beomgyu to do another disappearing act on him. He never expected that to happen after they got so close and agreed to be boyfriends, but now he’s facing the very real possibility that Beomgyu might have been too hurt by his actions to want to repair things this time. Maybe he just cut his loses and ran. His heart sinks down to inhabit his feet.

He hangs around outside for a while calling Beomgyu's name as discreetly as he can in between passing pedestrians, then finally goes to get a triangle kimbap at the convenience store to both soothe the grumble of hunger in his belly and to surreptitiously ask the usual worker behind the counter if she has seen Beomgyu. She hasn’t, and Soobin struggles to hold back the growing agitation for much longer. 

If Beomgyu hasn’t run off and is in fact holed up in his apartment, then Soobin needs to get in and apologize. He has to let him know he’s open to everything that Beomgyu needs from him be it home or bond.

He already skipped his morning lecture, but there’s no way he could concentrate or face the afternoon classes while his thoughts are preoccupied with the missing man once more. What if Beomgyu is waiting for him to leave so that he can leave? He’s terrified over the possibility that he might miss a chance to intercept him.

So he does the thing he has been convincing himself not to all morning and calls up the landlord. He feels a bit crazy, but he won’t be able to calm down until he knows if it’s already too late or not. Maybe Beomgyu already ran.

As it turns out, things actually get even worse after the short call. 

Soobin stands impatiently in the hallway waiting for the man to arrive for an emergency inspection after learning that apparently an unauthorized, unknown person by the name of Choi Beomgyu was actually going in and out of that unit when such a person never signed a lease or filled out a single page of paperwork. In other words, the landlord has no idea who Beomgyu is and certainly never rented out the apartment to him, either.

It means Beomgyu must have broken in somehow. It means he was living in that apartment secretly and illegally, and Soobin foolishly never once asked for an invite or otherwise noticed that all was not as it seemed. Even though Beomgyu’s explanation over his living situation was a huge cause for concern, Soobin never imagined it to actually be something as serious as this. How could he know? Beomgyu constantly told him half-truths to redirect him and protect his secrets.

He feels blindsided all over again, but the worry weighing down his gut soon wins out.

If Beomgyu really was camping out as he attempted to get closer to Soobin, why would he hang around a single day longer once he got such a clear rejection? 

Soobin already knows what he’ll see when the landlord finally shows up and unlocks the door amidst an angry barrage of questions that Soobin hardly has any answers to. He has no idea how Beomgyu managed it, but once they enter the place to find not a single trace or sign of someone having lived there for the past few weeks, he really begins to think that Beomgyu’s claims of sleeping on nothing but a fucking towel were horribly accurate. 

There’s nothing inside the apartment, not even a package of dry food left in the cupboard, and either he cleared it all out and covered his tracks before leaving or he came here with nothing at all.

The landlord storms off to the police station in a huff to file a report even though it’s pointless since there are no CCTV on the premises to prove such a man even existed, and no other evidence to present besides Soobin’s verbal description of events. Which he firmly refused to give in a rare show of oppositional confidence. He’s honestly too heartbroken to give a shit about the landlord’s reproachful comments. It’s not like the man will kick him out. Soobin has an impeccable renting record and at worst the man will decide to disbelieve his story about the squatter and forevermore distrust him. Their future interactions may be unpleasant, but it doesn’t matter.

What matters is the fact that Beomgyu’s actions and behavior weren’t just the careless acts of a dog with no sense of societal rules or human propriety. They were the desperate actions of a hybrid who was attempting to save himself from a fate that could be avoided if only someone let him close and offered him both a home and their heart. The urgency behind his odd advances looks so different now, and even though his motivations were hidden, the pure innocence of his demeanor and his sweet personality makes it all feel okay. The whole situation is nothing short of a tragedy.

Did imprinting on Soobin help him regulate himself enough to keep it together, or will that wear off with time and distance? There’s no way to know. No way to track him. There’s nothing. Maybe he’ll never come back. Maybe Soobin will lose him. 

Beomgyu isn’t conniving or ill intentioned, he’s just a lost puppy who needs someone to love him. Soobin still wants to be that someone.

He would do anything to find him and make it work.

Soobin returns to the vet to ask them for more posters he can spread around himself, then spends another few hours before businesses close to scour every last local pet shop and shelter he can find on the map to no avail. Finally, weary and heart-sore, he turns his steps back towards home and calls his last and final lead: the number connected to animal control.

He gets an automated system that reroutes his phone number automatically before he even has to input a single number from the option list. It seems his phone number is truly in their system and registered to a Maltese-male scarily enough, proved when it eventually connects him to a pre-recorded line that spews off a series of numbers that clearly must belong to Beommie’s chip. 

Soobin pauses right where he is in the middle of the sidewalk to listen, both hands cupping his phone to his ear as his heartbeat pounds loudly in his ears. His stomach swoops unpleasantly before it attempts to climb up his throat, and it leaves him panting and shivering uncomfortably as heat floods his face. The condition of the animal in question is 'deteriorating' according to their monitoring devices, and the deadline for submitting an ownership application for him has been moved up. There is another set of instructions that are rattled off too quickly for him to properly note down before it announces it will repeat itself, because at the end of it all is an ultimatum he is not ready to hear. It leaves him feeling like he was punched in the gut.

Failure to assume ownership by stated date will result in collection and termination of the animal. Thank you for your consideration.

Soobin’s stomach drops out as the message repeats itself a second time, echoing in his ear like a toll of doom. His hand drops down lax by his side, fingers gone numb, and the faint sound of the computer offering to return to main menu doesn’t even register as his mind races. He feels sick.

Beomgyu is gone, but he’s in danger. Not only is he running the risk of descending into insanity and going feral without Soobin to bond him, but if he gets caught by the animal control before he can approach another human to assuage his condition, he will be taken away and terminated .

Why? Why would they do that to him? Was Soobin his final chance to remain healthy and sane or something? 

Why are hybrids forced to connect with a person and then punished for failing to find one that they can trust to treat them right and love them? What can Soobin possibly do about it besides apply for ownership and hope that he’s both eligible and that the agents will return Beomgyu to him if they are the ones who are able to track him down first. But would they allow Soobin to have him if Beomgyu has already descended into a feral state? Is the shift to feral really so swift and difficult to prevent? Why!

Is there no coming back from that even with a willing owner offering a bond? Is he already too late?

He doesn't know enough about hybrids to have an answer to any of his urgent questions, and he doesn't have anyone to ask except for the people who are putting Beomgyu's life on the line in the first place. He has to be brave and ask them anyway, because there's no way he can fail to gain ownership. There's no way he can allow anyone to terminate Beomgyu no matter how crazy and dangerous he gets.

Soobin is already partially his and will still be able to soothe him, won't he? No matter how weak and small it is, he won't go completely feral while Soobin's claim is on him, right?

The idea of any of that happening to Beomgyu threatens to break something inside of him that he's terrified to experience. Maybe it's the connection of their imprinting having formed a fledgling bond between them, or maybe it's just his big squishy heart that already attached itself to both the human and the puppy he welcomed into his life, but Soobin can't stop the way it feels like he's about to have some sort of fit or panic attack at the idea of losing Beomgyu. He can't lose him. He can't.

But how is Soobin meant to find him? How is he meant to save him before it's too late?

He can't do this on his own. He needs help.

Chapter Text

“I said no, Soobin!” Yeonjun whines huffily, crossing his arms with a pout. 

His pouts are lethal. Being hit with his brand of persuasive charm feels exactly the same as the way Beomgyu weaponizes his puppy eyes, but even as the cute sight of that lip tests Soobin’s strength, every reminder of Beomgyu right now is only increasing his urgency. 

What if he never sees those puppy eyes again? Or worse, never sees them sane again?

He reaches out both hands to try and pet, and cuddle, and physically coax him into helping, but Yeonjun scuttles back and away from him, the pair of Soobin’s oversized black sweatpants that he’s wearing pooling around his feet. 

“Junnie, please!” he begs, going for some puppy eyes of his own. “Beomgyu is running out of time to be bonded, you said so yourself.”

“Good. Then he’ll leave us alone,” Yeonjun snipes meanly. 

Soobin’s fingers barely brush his arm before Yeonjun is twisting easily out of reach with his pouty glare taking up even more space on his pretty face. Despite the baggy pants he is light on the balls of his feet, ready to dance away again should Soobin try to grab him. They don’t have time for this. Soobin sighs.

“I know you don’t like him, but you’re not cruel,” Soobin says sternly, straightening back to his full height and frowning at him. The two steps separating them suddenly feel like a mile. “Can you please put aside your grudge for right now? We can’t allow this to happen to him when I have the power to help him.”

“Do whatever you want then,” Yeonjun mutters sulkily, jaw hardening. “But you don’t get to be mad at me for not wanting to help the creature who is trying to replace me!”

“He’s not!” Soobin protests. “Nothing could ever replace you.”

Yeonjun doesn’t reply right away, just glares at him. His whole body is tense, radiating displeasure that Soobin is hard pressed not to try and soothe. Yeonjun’s initial impatient delight at seeing Soobin come through the door had quickly descended into worry over his panicked state, then immediately into outrage when he learned that Soobin was so distraught over Beomgyu. 

He needed to appeal to Yeonjun’s sense of sympathy, but he approached the whole thing wrong. It’s too late to find another way, Yeonjun is his only hope.

“You are important to me, and so is he. Can’t you give him a chance and try to get along?” Soobin begs. 

He wants that so badly. He wants both of them to like each other as much as he likes them, but ultimately he can’t force them. At least Beomgyu seemed more open to trying than Yeonjun is, but he wounded Yeonjun’s pride after biting and scruffing him, and that won’t make this any easier. He’s not very optimistic about Yeonjun’s willingness to forgive him for that quickly since the hybrid seems to hold a mean grudge when he feels wronged, proven by the way he gave Soobin—his beloved ‘owner’—the cold shoulder for weeks . 

If only the stakes weren’t so high. 

“What if we can’t get along? What then?” Yeonjun demands petulantly, refusing to soften. “Don’t I get a say in who I live with? If you keep him regardless of how I feel, isn’t that the same thing as saying his happiness is more important to you than mine?” 

“What- no !” Soobin cries, heart plummeting. “You come first for me, I promise, but I really care about him, too.”

Yeonjun’s pout deepens once more. Soobin is a bit stumped by Yeonjun’s insistence that he choose one or the other when that’s not what he’s trying to do here. It feels like Yeonjun is purposefully disregarding his sincerity towards him as well as his capacity to love more than one person…or, hybrid. Yeonjun knows him. Knows he cares quickly and deeply. 

He just feels so strongly about doing the right thing and is trying to be considerate of everyone’s feelings, but Yeonjun’s stubbornness is bordering on unreasonable and that makes it even more difficult for Soobin to know where to draw the line. 

“I’m not saying he has to live with us forever if that’s- if it’s your bottom line, but it would be wrong not to save him. He needs me now, and I’d never forgive myself if he gets hurt because of my choice to do nothing.”

Yeonjun looks torn, and for a second Soobin thinks he found the right words to convince him to help Beomgyu first before they hash out all the options and details regarding the rest of it.

“It doesn’t have to be you. He can find someone else,” Yeonjun protests weakly.

“For whatever reason he chose me,” Soobin returns quietly. “And I won’t lie to you, I want to do this for him.”

Yeonjun’s eyes darken, but Soobin won’t take it back. He has feelings for both of them, there’s nothing wrong with that, but if abandoning Beomgyu and pledging himself exclusively to Yeonjun becomes his ultimatum, then it might mean he loses one of them over this.

Which one he loses seems to depend on the decision he makes right now, but he can’t overthink it. He has to just do what feels right.

“So you’re going to bond him either way,” Yeonjun says slowly, finally seeming to understand that Soobin won’t budge on this decision despite all protests. “How is that putting me first? Do you even understand what you’re saying?” Yeonjun questions, his hurt anger still not dissipating.

“I don’t know,” he replies honestly. “Tell me properly. Can I really not bond fully with both of you?”

Yeonjun’s face twists up, his lip jutting out again. His eyes slant away and he glares at the ground for a long moment. “You can.” The words seem wrenched out of him reluctantly, but Soobin is delighted to hear them.

“We can,” he repeats, a smile teasing his mouth for the first time that day. “So…why do you keep thinking I’ll abandon you after bonding him? I love both of you.”

“I just don’t want to share,” Yeonjun mutters, a bloom of pink coloring his cheeks. He’s burning a hole in the floorboards at this point. “I’m yours and- and I don’t want to be his at all. I only have enough love for you.”

Soobin hesitates, biting on his lip to keep his growing smile in check. His little kitty is so stubborn, and proud, and possessive—and damn it, Soobin really really loves to be considered his —but he also knows first hand just how affectionate, and soft, and loving he is. The way he turns to putty under Kai’s attention and follows along adoringly at the man’s heels is more than enough evidence to lead him to believe that once he opens up his heart to give the other hybrid a chance, Soobin might be the one who starts feeling jealous. 

Besides, there’s no way that Beomgyu’s heart isn’t big enough to include Yeonjun in it, too. All that puppy seems to want is a person to love. Maybe a hybrid, too. 

Is it really so selfish of him to want to keep both? To desire them both? And even as he desperately wants both of them, he’d equally give up on his own desires to ensure their happiness, no matter what that might look like. 

“Does me having a bond with both of you mean the two of you are also connected? Wait- can hybrids bond to each other?” he wonders as soon as the thought strikes him. If they can, it doesn’t seem to solve the problem of going feral or there’d be no need for humans in the first place, but he hopes this doesn’t pose another obstacle.

Yeonjun’s eyes whip up to pin on him. He looks shocked. “You want me to bond with him? He’s a dog!”

“But it’s possible?” 

Yeonjun glares in answer, hackles rising, but Soobin refuses to back down. They have to figure out the best solution for all of them before making any big decisions. 

“I’m not saying you have to, just…maybe it will help you two to—”

“ No , I don’t want to,” Yeonjun hisses, eyes glinting in a way that draws his attention. Soobin is surprised to notice his pupils seem a little more feline than they were just a second ago. “I only want you, and if you’re just going to bond him anyway no matter how I feel about it, then leave me out of it!”

“Okay, okay,” Soobin relents apologetically, hating the way Yeonjun phrased that. “I’m not going to force you. I just…I need you to hear me right now. I really feel like I have to do this.”

He is committed to ensuring Yeonjun’s happiness, but their story and dynamic is so different from what he shares with Beomgyu, and he wants to honor the fledgling bond between them as well. He already feels so invested and connected to him. He feels that way about both of them. Because he is connected to both of them. Some sort of bonding has already happened with Beomgyu, and both hybrids make him happy in such complementary ways.

He just doesn’t know how he’s meant to please both of them if they’re determined to hate each other.

“I’m listening, and I’m telling you I hate it!” Yeonjun replies.

“I know,” he assures, squashing down his frustration. “But I need to help him before it’s too late. After that- after that we can figure out how to make things work.”

“It won’t work for me,” Yeonjun says angrily, a flash of too-sharp teeth catching his eyes next. “So, are you still gonna chase after him?”

Yeonjun is getting worked up to the point he’s starting to shift—which is crazy to witness—and it’s clear that pushing him will only make him retreat further. Soobin feels guilty, but he’s not going to back down from his decision to save Beomgyu. Once he does that, then they can figure things out, but he won’t let Yeonjun’s reluctance lead him to stand by and do nothing when Beomgyu’s life is on the line.

Besides, maybe he won’t even be able to find him, or else it’s already too late to save him, but he’ll never forgive himself if he doesn’t at least try. He has to try.

“I know this is upsetting for you, baby, and I promise I’m yours,” he says quietly, holding his gaze steadily. “I love you and I need you with me, but he also needs me, you know that, right? I have to find him before he goes crazy or the authorities will euthanize him.”

The stubborn set to Yeonjun’s chin wavers slightly, his lips twisting just enough to show Soobin that even though he keeps hissing and yelling about it, deep down Yeonjun does care. He’s a sweetheart and he would probably be much kinder about it if the two of them had met under different circumstances. Plus there is all that scratching and biting that needs to be accounted for.

“Junnie, please help me save him,” he pleads. “I can’t do it on my own. I need you.”

Yeonjun’s chin dimples even more, his lashes fluttering as he considers it yet hangs onto his denial to the last moment. “Why do you even think I’d know how to find him?” he mutters sullenly.

Soobin pauses, heart sinking. “Oh, I just assumed…isn’t there a way for hybrids to contact each other or something?”

Yeonjun huffs in reluctant amusement. “We’re not telepathic or anything. I have no idea where he is and I don’t care, but…anyone who tries to avoid animal control or bonding usually ends up with the rebels.”

Soobin still feels rushed, but this is something he needs to know. He lifts both eyebrows in intrigue. “Rebels. What are those?”

Yeonjun’s shoulders sink a little, his posture relaxing slightly to indicate he’s coming down off his defensive aggression a bit. “They are hybrids who want to be self-sufficient. Most of them fail, though. You’ve seen the news.”

“The feral animals?” Soobin confirms, shocked and concerned by the scope of this whole mess.

“Yep,” Yeonjun agrees. “Most of them are too weak to manage it, but the boss still takes them in anyways. He does his best to train them and protect them from animal control or human interference, but once they lose it there’s no undoing it.”

“The boss?” Soobin repeats, anxiety flaring up again at the mention that going feral is truly the end of a hybrid. It’s so scary, and it’s terribly unfair. “What boss? There’s a leader for hybrids?”

Yeonjun keeps dangling little bits of information before him like treats, and it’s frustrating to have to play his little game but Soobin is hungry for answers. 

Yeonjun’s expression slowly shifts into something he’s not sure how to interpret. “There didn’t used to be, but there is now. He’s a fierce little kitty I used to know, actually. Taehyun was like my brother.” 

He sounds wistful as he remembers this other hybrid, Taehyun. Soobin realizes that he looks regretful, almost, as if maybe…maybe he wishes he could have made a different choice about something. Maybe he wishes he was still with him?

It’s obvious that thinking of this other cat hybrid makes him sad, and that in turn makes Soobin feel bad. It hurts to learn that there was great pain in Yeonjun’s past. There were things he had to give up, people—or hybrids—he lost before he came and settled himself into Soobin’s life.

Is he really happy here with Soobin? Or is this just all he knows now? A choice he made that he thinks he has to live with forever?

He doesn’t have to do that for Soobin. Their bonding isn’t some conditional thing he needs to honor. 

Yeonjun can do whatever he wants, and Soobin would be lucky to be allowed to know him and be included in his life. He’s beautiful and sweet and Soobin can’t imagine ever being able to fault him for wanting to leave this sheltered, constrictive life behind to live a more authentic one.

Maybe he’d be happier living with those hybrid rebels. He’s already mentally secure with his bond to Soobin, so he wouldn’t have to hide himself or cater to the desires of an owner anymore should he decide to go out into the world. 

The desire to make him happy in any way he can rises up again sharply to steal his breath, because it flashes across his brain that letting him go might very well be one way he can do that, even though it feels impossible. Soobin already thought it the moment he learned of Yeonjun's true nature, and even though Yeonjun insists he’s happy here and is certainly attached to him—bonded to him—maybe he won’t always feel that way. And that’s okay.

Well…Soobin is obviously not there yet, but he will have to learn to be okay with it. 

“Can you tell me more about Taehyun?” he pushes tentatively, eager to learn more about Yeonjun and what’s important to him. “Did you know him from the shelter?” 

“Yeah. He attacked the doctor who tried to chip him and ran off one day before anyone could adopt him. He was…so angry when I refused to leave with him.” His voice rises slightly into a vulnerable whine as he shares, eyes suddenly gone watery. Soobin forces himself not to interrupt, keeping his hands to himself. “He couldn’t understand why I wanted to wait for an owner, or why I longed for one when that’s in our nature . He was just scared he’d never have one and that made him try to destroy his need for one.” 

His face crumples further and Soobin’s heart twists at the sight. He can’t hold himself back anymore and reaches out to touch him, ghosting his fingers down the line of his warm cheek. Yeonjun instantly leans into the touch, squishing his cheek adorably into Soobin’s palm. His pretty eyes flicker up to look at him soulfully, and a frisson of energy sparkles in the air between them. It makes his heart race. 

“Nothing else could possibly satisfy our need to bond,” Yeonjun whispers, looking at Soobin like- like he loves him as much as he says he does. “But I heard that he figured out how to bond with himself,” Yeonjun continues tremulously, sounding like that’s the most devastating sort of news. 

“How did you hear that?”

It’s not like information about hybrids would show up on the news stations because they probably don’t know that those feral animals are more than they seem. Unless they do, and it’s all covered up? The fact that the feral animals possess human forms and names is not publicized, either way, but he can’t help but wonder why not? 

Yeonjun shrugs as if it’s not important. “I was just chatting with some of the girls who like to hang out near the playground. They come up to our window a lot to say hi, and sometimes I’ll join them at the park for sunbathing and gossip.”

Soobin’s mind spins at this newest tidbit. He thinks of the many times he found the window left wide open. Yeonjun must not know the code to the door and Soobin has never come home to find him missing before, so he assumed he never went out. 

Did Yeonjun just go in and out through the window? As a cat? 

“Wait, do you mean hybrid girls?”

“You’ve probably seen them around, a couple of pretty orange tabbies. They were abandoned by their owner and now just like to get their human attention from the neighborhood kids.” 

Soobin doesn’t know what to say. He does know those tabbies. They came sniffing around the food he was putting out to lure Beommie in, but always kept to the shadows and well out of reach. Did they know he was Yeonjun’s…?

He has so many questions, he almost doesn’t know what to focus on. 

He’s relieved to hear that Yeonjun didn’t remain trapped inside, actually, but imagining him trotting around as a cat brings up the exact same anxiety he felt over seeing a bedraggled Beommie disappearing over and over into dark alleyways. If he got hurt, Soobin wouldn’t know or be able to find him, just like he can’t find Beomgyu right now.

After they solve this problem, he needs to insist on getting phones for both of them.

“So, you go out in your cat form a lot?” 

“Not really. I like staying home,” Yeonjun says. “I just like to hear what’s going on out there sometimes, especially now that Taehyun has a price on his head. I have no idea what it might be like for him, but he must be so lonely and a bit crazy by now, and I wish…” he trails off with a little sigh, turning his face into Soobin’s hand and closing his eyes. 

He looks incredibly worried for his old friend, and Soobin wishes he could do something to help out Taehyun. Soobin shuffles closer, heart running a bit faster than normal when Yeonjun leans into him full-body. He’s so trusting and eager for his comfort, and Soobin would seriously do anything for him. 

He wraps his free arm around him and both of them exhale into the hug. Maybe Soobin needs comfort right now just as badly. Holding Yeonjun close like this already makes him feel so much better. Calmer. Happier.

There is a lot to worry about, but he has Yeonjun, and somehow that makes it feel like everything will be okay. 

“So you think Beomgyu went to him? To Taehyun?”

Yeonjun sighs in what sounds like resignation. “Probably, but I doubt you’ll ever be able to locate them. Taehyun can only be found when he wants to be.”

“Oh. So you don’t know where he is?”

Yeonjun presses his face into Soobin’s shoulder as he shakes his head, peachy hair tickling his jaw. “Not exactly. Maybe. He might have already moved on somewhere else, though.”

“Well…if we can find Taehyun you can check on him yourself,” he suggests, hoping that Yeonjun’s lingering feelings for his lost friend may sway his mind. “Maybe you can convince him to hide out here with us for a bit until things blow over. It would be a bit cramped, but I don’t mind.”

Soobin would seriously do anything to make Yeonjun happy. Even invite more hybrids into his tiny home. Even hybrid rebel leaders. Besides, he can’t deny he’s curious to meet such a character and learn more about hybrid society.

Yeonjun makes a little noise that’s definitely cat, pawing at Soobin’s waist before squeezing him tightly. 

“You’re sweet, Soobin. Always caring about everyone. But Taehyun would never willingly enter a place he could be locked up in,” he says morosely. “Last I heard he was still evading the authorities in between breaking into shelters to recruit other hybrids to join in his mission. He has built a full out underground resistance now, working to teach hybrids how to acclimatize into human society independently, but like I said, only the strongest ones can actually manage it. Taehyun is charismatic and leads by example, but so many have gone crazy in the attempt to emulate him and that’s why they want to take him out so he’ll stop persuading new hybrids into risking a death sentence. And public safety. They care about that more than they care about us.”

His voice is trembling by the end of his explanation and Soobin lifts his free hand to stroke his hair and nape, warmth creeping through his veins like it’s alive. Something about this whole situation is making him feel strange, because even though holding Yeonjun makes him feel like everything is right in the world, everything he is learning makes him understand that is only a feeling the two of them can enjoy. 

This feeling must come from their bond, and it is so incredibly precious.

Being matched with this beautiful hybrid doesn’t just feel lucky anymore, it feels like the most important responsibility he has ever had to assume.

He was an unwitting participant in their initial bonding and knows next to nothing about Yeonjun’s version of the world, but it feels even more real now that there are names and a bigger story that Yeonjun is connected to. He’s grateful to be included in it at last, feels humbled to be considered worthy of such a show of trust, but it’s a lot to take in.

He’s upset over the treatment hybrids are subjected to and over the general injustice of their very existence in their biological reliance on bonding to retain their sanity. It doesn’t make any sense how or why things are like this in the first place, but the fact that it’s possible to be self-sufficient in any capacity is important. 

The people who know about hybrids should be supporting them and working to help them achieve true stability and freedom instead of rounding them up like wild animals incapable of expressing their own thoughts and emotions. They can obviously think and act for themselves, and even though they are not human, they are not animals either. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, either way.

Soobin wants to learn more. To learn everything.

He wants to do something.

“Can you at least tell me the general area where he might be?” he wonders. “Or do you know anyone else who might know how to reach him? Would other hybrids help me? Wait…can they sense that I’m bonded to you?”

Yeonjun makes a little growling noise then suddenly slips both arms around his waist and squeezes him hard, sinking his sharp little fangs into the meat of his shoulder. Soobin startles and winces, hand automatically dropping to his nape to pry him off before he remembers that grabbing him there will exert a force Yeonjun is unable to resist. He cups his neck but doesn’t tighten his fingers, and Yeonjun’s whole body still goes perfectly still at the touch.

“Ouch! What was that for?” he admonishes instead.

“You’re making me feel guilty for being selfish,” he grouses, nuzzling his face into the spot he bit in apology. “I don’t want anyone else to help you, but I don’t wanna do anything for Beomgyu. And I don’t want to see Taehyun because the last time I saw him it was so hard, but you are such a good person whose intentions are good , and denying you makes me feel like the worst kitty ever.”

“No, you’re so, so good, Junnie,” Soobin soothes immediately, wrapping both arms around him and hugging him aggressively. “You’re my precious, pretty baby, and you’re too sweet for your own good. I can tell that this is hurting you, and I’m sorry. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to; I’ll find another way.”

Yeonjun makes a loud noise of protest, but then he’s abruptly purring and he can’t seem to stop. He clings to Soobin tightly, and before he knows it the hybrid is hopping up to wrap his legs around his waist as well. Soobin quickly grabs him up with both hands under his thighs and staggers them over to collapse on the couch. His breath whooshes out of him, but before he can inhale again to utter another word Yeonjun is capturing his mouth in a warm kiss.

A second later he draws away to say, “ Fine . I can track down Taehyun’s location for you. If we find Beomgyu there, you can put that puppy out of his misery by completing the bond.” He sighs loudly through his nose, fingers digging into Soobin’s shoulders. “But after that, I’ll decide if he gets to stay.” 

Soobin exhales shakily, gazing up at him with warmth unfurling through his whole chest. He feels so, so relieved to see a glimmer of the soft baby he knows this hybrid to be. Ever since Beomgyu arrived, Yeonjun was just protecting himself— aggressively so—but Soobin wants to prove to him that he doesn’t need to feel threatened by this. There’s no way Soobin could ever stop loving and wanting him.

He kind of wants to forget all about Beomgyu for a few minutes and pull Yeonjun back down to get his mouth back on him, but the grace Yeonjun is offering him is for Beomgyu’s sake. He can’t waste any time. Not that kissing Yeonjun is a waste of time. Of course, it’s time very well spent. Besides…it’s getting late anyway. The sky out the window is a soft navy—indicating the sun has already set—and they’d run the risk of missing the last train or bus home if they need to travel far or search for long…

His heart is refusing to settle, pattering against his ribs, and it’s hard to think of anything with the glorious physical sensation of Yeonjun warm and heavy in his lap, their bodies slotted together perfectly. 

He spent all day out and about, running around alone with his worries and regrets, and now he just wants to stay here and enjoy this moment with Yeonjun. He missed him.

“You’ll really help him?” he whispers, hands flexing on Yeonjun’s waist. Yeonjun shifts his hips slightly as if making himself more comfortable, knees digging deeply into the couch cushions, and even that tiniest bit of friction causes Soobin’s veins to thrum with interest.  

“I’ll help you ,” Yeonjun mutters, sulkily possessive until the end. “I don’t want his craziness to hurt you.”

“I…it won’t…will it?” he breathes, thoughts entirely captured within the pocket of space between their bodies. Between their mouths.

“Not in your bond,” Yeonjun says quietly, the combativeness melting away as if it was never there. His eyes are big and dark, expression achingly gentle as he slides one palm down to rest atop Soobin’s chest—right there where his heart is still racing beneath the surface. “In your heart.” 

Soobin’s heart promptly melts. Maybe Yeonjun was actually being protective of Soobin and not himself this whole time. It makes him feel even softer for him, and he doesn’t need to rationalize his feelings or deny them a moment longer. 

He tugs on Yeonjun’s waist and surges forwards off the couch to bring them close enough to press his mouth gently against those pretty lips. He lets his eyes fall shut.

He rests there a moment, breathing him in as Yeonjun meets him and kisses tentatively back, his plush lower lip pressing against his own in tiny little movements that are too sweet for words. He wraps his arms around him and draws him along as he sinks back into the sofa, kissing him slowly to savor every single touch. Yeonjun’s body slumps against him, satisfyingly heavy, his warm tongue soon making its way out to lap at Soobin’s lip and dip into his mouth. He opens his mouth and invites him in, each soft brush of their tongues coming together sending tingles up and down his whole body. 

Yeonjun’s hands are kneading at his shoulders, a low rumble starting up behind his ribs, and Soobin’s heart throbs with feelings. He loves how this feels. Loves how Yeonjun feels. The hybrid’s contentment is a palpable thing, and the auditory aspect of how he expresses his pleasure and love ignites sparkles in Soobin’s brain that can only be connected to their bond. He has never experienced anything that feels like this before.

It feels like he’s floating full body in a sea of sunshine, wrapped up in that sound and the heat of Yeonjun’s mouth. He wonders what Yeonjun is feeling. He longs to provide the hybrid with even a fraction of that feeling in return. 

“Yeonjun…” he mumbles against his lips, now slick and wet with shared saliva. He tastes so good. Yeonjun laps at his lips without replying, then seals their mouths back together to drag his rough tongue sensually along Soobin’s as if he is after the same thing. 

Soobin forgets what he meant to ask him, losing himself in the kisses that grow wetter with each exchange, then grow a bit more rough and demanding as Yeonjun’s fingers curl into his hair and tug hard enough to tip his head back. Then Yeonjun starts rocking his hips against Soobin’s stomach as he continues to devour his mouth, and Soobin’s thoughts blank out. 

He feels amazing right now, and he desperately wants more of this. He wants Yeonjun in every single way. Wants to possess all of him.

The way Yeonjun is moving against him in such a sensual rhythm has Soobin burning with desire, and when he slips his hands up and under Yeonjun’s black tank-top, the smooth, warm skin that meets his seeking fingers turns the fire into an eruption. He wastes no time to eagerly explore that lovely expanse of skin with both hands.

Yeonjun mewls and arches into his hands, his body trembling. He is so beautifully responsive, moving against him—with him—searching full body for more of Soobin’s attention, and Soobin wants him just as badly.

“Ah…I wanna feel you all the way,” Yeonjun groans, head tilting back to expose the column of his throat. Soobin burns. That can only mean- does he really mean that ? So, are they going to- “But now you got me worried about that insufferable puppy,” Yeonjun adds, voice going whiny with complaint. “We should go.”

Soobin blinks through the haze of lust, feeling incredibly confused. He wasn’t expecting a sexual comment like that, nor was he ever anticipating Yeonjun would express actual concern for Beomgyu’s wellbeing. 

All at once, he truly can’t decide which one he wants to focus on more right now. 

“Go…where?” Soobin says, feeling stupidly disappointed when Yeonjun leans away and sits himself back on Soobin’s lap. His body aches to feel more of him. He also wants all the way .

He feels guilty a split second later, both over his eagerness to ditch Beomgyu in order to hook up with Yeonjun, and equally sorry over his agenda regarding the dog hybrid interfering with this moment where he wants to pause and show this lovely hybrid just how much he loves him. He longs to lavish him with attention and explore this new physicality between them, but the idea that Beomgyu would be out there possibly descending further into a feral state while he satisfies himself sexually makes it impossible for him to truly enjoy pursuing that scenario. 

“Take me to Bukhansan,” Yeonjun demands. “The main hiking trail should do fine.” 

Before Soobin can even reply he’s abruptly shifting forms until the heavy weight in his lap has become a much lighter little bundle of fluffy fur. He blinks down at him in confusion, both hands cradling his warm body as the cat peers up at him with big, blue eyes.

“Why did you change?” he demands incredulously, feeling bereft. He was not done kissing yet. Was not done contemplating the idea of more yet. “You mean to go out like this right now?” Yeonjun just stares at him, and Soobin huffs in exasperation. “Why can’t you stay a man and guide me?” he whines, burying his fingers into his soft fur and holding on. “Where exactly on Bukhansan am I even supposed to go, huh? That mountain is ginormous, and it will be completely dark soon.”

Yeonjun meows in the sweetest, most innocent voice he has ever heard and rises on his back legs to prop himself up on Soobin’s chest, poking his damp nose into his face. His whiskers tickle his cheeks. Soobin dips down to kiss him on the forehead indulgently and gathers him up into his arms with a sigh. 

He supposes he has no choice but to do this Yeonjun’s way and just be grateful that the hybrid caved in at all. 

He doesn’t understand why Yeonjun insists on being a cat, but maybe he just wants to avoid Soobin attempting to talk any more about Beomgyu or Taehyun. He tucks away his disappointment over the way he doesn’t get to go out with Yeonjun in his human form, and tucks the kitty into his chest and covers him with the loose ends of his light summer button down. Then they head out. 

It’s the first time he has been out with him since discovering his true nature. Something about it feels a bit momentous, and Soobin cradles his precious cargo against himself, unable to stop his mind from flitting back to the rainy night he held another close like this. 

He feels so damn soft for both of them, he really can’t imagine a life without them both in it.

Yeonjun snuggles into his arms happily enough, poking his little head out every now and again to watch the world go by. Soobin gets more than one interested stare on the subway whenever someone notices he has got a cat hidden under his shirt, and he’s greatly relieved to finally make it to the park at the bottom of the mountain.

He hikes up the main trail for a good twenty minutes before Yeonjun begins squirming and meowing, and he takes that as his cue to go off the trail and into the rocky, wooded wilderness. It takes a lot of unanswered questions and reading of body language to follow directions from a cat, and even as he gripes and groans with frustration over Yeonjun refusing to be human while navigating the side of a fucking mountain, he’s also reluctant to let him go when the hybrid finally leaps from his arms and immediately trots off without a single glance behind to ensure Soobin is following. He is following, but there’s no point in complaining when Yeonjun is clearly rejecting conversation right now.

The hybrid begins meowing as he goes as if calling for others who might be near, and Soobin wonders if he’s speaking cat or something only hybrids understand. It all sounds the same to him, and he peers around them curiously as they tread deeper into the more overgrown underbrush, clambering over increasingly steep rock formations and between thicker tree branches. This is the most exercise he has done in months.

He doesn’t see anything moving except a few birds up in the trees. Darkness settles around them and makes it even harder to see. 

Yeonjun keeps up a steady monologue of cat noises, darting nimbly across the rough terrain and Soobin is hard pressed to keep up with him. Even though Yeonjun is helping Soobin, he’s stubbornly denying him any more of himself by staying in this form and staying out of reach. 

He’s cute, but it feels so strange to be following his dear cat through the wooded mountain park when previously his baby would complain and cry every time he got him in his carrier for a vet visit as if he hated being outside. Maybe all that fuss was precisely nothing more than cries for attention, because Soobin always smothered him with kisses and treats to persuade him into every check-up visit.

It doesn’t matter if Yeonjun hid his secret love for sunbathing outdoors, now Soobin is allowed to know about his true habits and preferences, and he’s so happy about that. This little excursion is teaching him more about Yeonjun, and he hopes that it will bring the hybrid to be more honest about what he wants in life.

Things are already so different between them and he likes it even more than how they were before. He just hopes they can find the hybrids they are looking for, and that successfully persuading Taehyun into making amends with his old friend will soothe Yeonjun’s anger at Beomgyu.

Even if they find Taehyun, Beomgyu might not even be here, anyway, and then Soobin doesn’t know where he’s supposed to look for him. 

Almost as soon as he entertains that morose thought, he catches the sound of barking. It’s shrill and yappy, and it could really be any random animal, but something about it sounds familiar. It sounds like Beomgyu, but Soobin is never ever so lucky…

But recently his lousy luck seems to have changed for the better, because it turns out it is Beomgyu. 

He hardly has a moment to be happy at the sight of him as a white blur of fur is suddenly pelting out from under a bush and throwing itself at the orange cat that balks at the sight and cringes away with a loud sound. Soobin rushes forward, already too late to intercept another fight.

Yeonjun’s mouth is open wide to show all his sharp little teeth, hissing and yowling as he wraps all four limbs around Beomgyu and starts scratching at him aggressively with both hind legs in unison. Beomgyu lets out an angry noise that seems impossible to come from such a tiny, fluffy body. 

Soobin hesitates where he stands, unsure of how likely it is that the two might accidentally hurt him should he grab at them. Beomgyu and Yeonjun are rolling around in the dust, teeth at each other’s throats again . Why do they keep doing this? In fact, i t seems even worse than last time.

It’s like Beomgyu is actually attempting to hurt the cat hybrid now, because all at once Beomgyu bites his front leg hard . With a cry of pain, Yeonjun is suddenly morphing into a full grown man and grabbing Beomgyu’s little body with both hands to fling him bodily away from himself. There is an ugly red mark on his forearm—it’s bleeding!—but as the Maltese bounces horribly across the rocks and slides partially down the hill, Soobin finds himself running to him without a second thought.

Beomgyu scuttles around to get his feet back underneath himself, growling loudly and his whole nose scrunched up into a snarl that doesn’t ease even as Soobin crashes to his knees before him.

“B-Beomgyu? Beomgyu —” he calls him urgently, not knowing how to calm him. 

Those big round eyes fix on him and the rumbly sound in his chest grows louder. Soobin’s heart plummets. Is he- is he already too late? 

“Beomgyu, I’m sorry for throwing you out,” he rushes to say. “I’m here now. I’m here for you.”

“Soobin, move back,” Yeonjun urges him. “Get away from him.”

Beomgyu’s white teeth flash as he makes an aggressive little snapping motion towards him, and hands are suddenly fluttering at Soobin’s shoulders, tugging at his shirt anxiously. He stumbles back at the pull, falling upon his ass, and glances up to see Yeonjun standing over him.

“Junnie! Are you okay?” he rushes to say, trying to keep half his attention on the angry dog while also getting a better look at the injury he inflicted. The bite doesn’t seem to be bleeding profusely, but it definitely needs tending. 

“I’ll be fine,” Yeonjun says, ignoring the wound to clutch at Soobin’s shirt. “Just don’t let him get close to you.”

Beomgyu’s whole body is coiled up as if he’s about to leap at him, and even though he’s tiny and rather harmless, his teeth are actually quite sharp. Although Soobin doesn’t want to believe he’d get bitten, Yeonjun is acting like he will . Soobin tries to remain calm; it would be awful if Beomgyu sensed his fear because he might misinterpret it.

Even though more biting seems to be a real concern, he isn’t scared he’ll get bitten. He’s terrified that he's too late. That he has lost him. 

The Maltese barks like mad in between loud growls, directing most of his anger at Yeonjun, and Soobin is dreadfully curious about their ability to communicate to each other in these forms. What is he saying?

Before Yeonjun can either translate or respond, there are suddenly a whole lot more animals pouring out from every last bush and tree to converge upon where they are kneeling in the dirt. Soobin yelps in surprise and reflexively retreats backwards a bit as cats and dogs of every color crowd around Beomgyu. He grows even more agitated, snapping left and right and all around in a circle to try and keep them away. 

It seems they are trying to subdue him or contain him, and Beomgyu is a snarling, angry mess in the center of it all.

“Stop!” he cries. “Don’t hurt him. I’m here to help him.”

Amazingly enough, the crowd seems to hear his plea and they scatter a bit to give Beomgyu some space. That’s when Soobin’s eyes catch on a small black and charcoal striped tabby that is standing upon a large rock just beyond Beomgyu. It’s staring not at the angry dog, but right at Soobin. He stares back, holding his breath, as he takes in the obvious sign of confidence and power the tiny feline is exuding. 

That has to be…It can only be Taehyun.

After a long moment, the cat’s attention drops to Beomgyu and he lets out a ferocious sounding noise that echoes off the steep cliff-face a little further up the incline. Beomgyu startles and cringes, subsiding slightly as he hunches down to the ground and peers over his shoulder to look up at the cat hybrid. Taehyun makes another commanding sound and Beomgyu shrinks into himself even more. 

The exchange puts some stock in Soobin’s theory that hybrids can communicate in their animal forms, but as he observes them Soobin doesn’t know how he suppresses the abrupt urge to laugh. It’s honestly not the time and place, but this entire scene is absolutely crazy to witness. He knows all of these animals are hybrids, but it still looks like a group of animals mimicking human behavior and having it out in a tense discussion that sounds like nothing but meows and barks to him.

Yeonjun’s hand suddenly clamps down hard on Soobin’s shoulder, possibly in reaction to whatever they’re saying that has Beomgyu huddled into a tiny ball, whining high in his throat, and Soobin spares him a brief glance. Yeonjun is pale and serious, staring intently at the little rebel boss. 

Taehyun stares down at the Maltese with the most penetrating cat stare Soobin has ever seen, his tiny body poised atop the rock in a way that makes it feel like he’s seconds away from diving upon the cowering dog. Beomgyu whines and cries some more, and he sounds so pitiful that Soobin wants to go to him so badly, but the weight of Yeonjun’s palm keeps him in place. No one moves.

Then, those big brown eyes are swiveling back around to look at them, and Soobin startles as the dog hybrid immediately draws back his lips and begins growling once more. Yeonjun makes a displeased little hissing sound that’s entirely cat despite his current human form, and Soobin feels incredibly concerned by the display.

“Junnie, is he sick?” Soobin asks, eyes pricking hot. “We're too late?”

Yeonjun huffs loudly. “No…not yet. He’s just riled up because he hates me, and I’m sure the scent of our bond is making him feel jealous. This is him throwing a fit over it, when he literally has no right!” His voice goes from low and tight to hotly angry in a span of seconds, and Soobin glances up at him warily.

His guilty mind immediately jumps to what exactly their scent might indicate, and he wonders how obvious it is that they enjoyed a rather pleasurable make out session prior to heading out. He’s too afraid to ask for details, mortified by the notion that every last hybrid in range right now might be able to pick up on the fact that they aren’t just bonded platonically, but intimate with each other. 

But if that’s what’s making Beomgyu so upset, he has to let him know he’s ready to include him in their unit. That he wants him to be part of those intimate exchanges as well. He wants that so much. 

“How do I calm him, then? Can you make the scent of our- um…can you make it less noticeable?”

“No. He just has to deal with it and accept the truth,” Yeonjun says firmly. “It’s not your fault, but he seriously might try to bite you out of spite.” Yeonjun glares daggers at the snarling white dog, fingers curling possessively into Soobin’s shoulder. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

Soobin frowns and gently pries Yeonjun’s hand off so he can hold it instead. Yeonjun tugs out of his grasp.

“No, stop talking like that,” Soobin admonishes. “Beomgyu did nothing wrong, I’m the one who doesn’t deserve him. Or you,” he counters, fixing his full attention upon Beomgyu. “I know I’m not handling this well, and I feel like I’m mistreating both of you,” he adds honestly, despairing. “I don’t deserve either of you.”

Yeonjun makes a huffy noise of disagreement, probably hating to be clumped together with Beomgyu in any way. He also did say he thinks he’s the luckiest hybrid alive to have Soobin, and when faced with another who feels the same, his possessive jealousy is understandable.

As for Beomgyu’s behavior right now, it’s hard to be on the receiving end of such uncharacteristic aggression from his dandelion puff. He can’t see even a glimmer of fondness there right now, and that’s all Soobin’s fault. 

“I should have given you a chance to explain yourself fully before I rejected you. I’m so sorry,” Soobin says to him. “I didn’t understand what you needed before, but now I get it. You need to bond, so let’s do it. If you still want me…I’ll be yours.”

Yeonjun makes a loud noise of protest. “You’re being too fucking nice!” he accuses. “If he really wants to have your bond, then he’d show more respect to the cat who already owns it!”

Beomgyu’s attention snaps over to Yeonjun, responding to his angry declaration with a sharp bark. His growls do not lessen at all when Yeonjun bares his teeth and hisses aggressively back at him. Soobin despairs a little.

“I’m not here to fight! Can you two please stop for a minute?” he begs. He spins on his knees to look up imploringly at Yeonjun. “I know you’re angry, baby, but please let me help him first, mm? Then we can figure out what happens next.”

Yeonjun’s eyes flash as his jaw hardens in anger. He glares down at Soobin for a long moment, then flickers his gaze over to the rumbling dog. “If he was a bit nicer to me, I wouldn’t dislike him so much.”

“You hated me from the moment you first saw me!” Beomgyu suddenly cries, startling them both.

Soobin turns to see him in his human form again, blond hair disheveled and shadowy circles under his eyes. His clothes are rumpled and dirty, and his red-rimmed teary eyes are enough to hollow out Soobin’s stomach. Soobin feels so distraught at the sight, but he’s caught between them and unable to just act on his instincts without upsetting one or the other.

“I didn’t do anything to you!” 

“Yes, you did!” Yeonjun snaps back. “You deliberately came into my home and imprinted on Soobin when you must have known from the moment he picked you up that he belonged to me !”

Beomgyu’s lower lip trembles violently, his eyes glossing over with more tears. His whole body is shaking, his canines a tad too long for a human. Maybe it becomes harder to shift when they start to lose themselves, but the fact that he’s human now gives Soobin so much hope.

“He- he…I know.” His voice is tiny. “Y-you’re right…but I just…I need him.”

“So you tried to just take him?”

“I’m sorry…I wasn’t trying to replace you,” Beomgyu pleads earnestly, finally taking the chance to explain himself. “At first I thought he might be suitable and more sympathetic to my condition since he already had a hybrid, but then I spent so much time with him and found out he’s so much more than that. He’s so…he’s perfect for me. I fell in love with him.” His eyes flicker to Soobin after he says that so loudly, right here in front of everyone. “Recently it has been getting harder to resist it…to control my instincts and remain fully myself,” he tells him, voice wobbling. 

Soobin’s heart squeezes; he nods quickly to show he’s listening and understands. That he cares . 

“So it’s not just the way I’m losing myself that scares me,” Beomgyu rasps, a couple tears spilling over the line of his lashes to scatter down his cheeks. “It’s also knowing I’ll forget you and what you mean to me.” 

“Beomgyu—” he croaks. 

“I don’t care about your sad story,” Yeonjun cuts in before Soobin can properly reply to that heart-felt confession. Beomgyu’s blinks rapidly through more silent tears as his eyes slide over to the cat. “What you did is wrong, and I have every right to be angry. You should be asking me for permission, not him!”

“Please let him bond me!” Beomgyu cries immediately, lifting both hands up to clasp them together in a supplicating position. There’s a tinge of a canine whine layering his voice, and the combination is devastating. “ Please .”

Yeonjun shifts uncomfortably on his feet, looking upset. Beomgyu’s fate is up to him right now, and he obviously understands the gravity of it.

“Junnie…you said you’d let me do this,” Soobin reminds him quietly. His heart is aching with both love and desperation because he feels so much for both of them, but they’re still not okay yet. He needs them all to be okay so so badly. 

“I’m taking it back,” Yeonjun says crossly. “I don't want him to have your love, and I don't wanna give him any of mine!”

“Yeonjun…” 

He reaches up to hold his hand again, and Yeonjun lets him. Soobin tugs him closer until their bodies bump, and he tilts his head until he can press his forehead into Yeonjun’s hip. Kneeling here before him like this, he certainly doesn’t feel like any sort of master who has the power to command either of these hybrids to do his will, and that’s exactly how it should be. 

He can’t force Yeonjun to agree or participate, he can only decide what he himself is going to do, and right now, he is completely certain over what he must do. 

After that…it won’t be up to him.

“You don’t have to give him any love right now,” he reassures him. “Or at all, if your heart really can’t take it.” He pulls away to look up at his face in the gloom. “I don’t want you to think I don’t care about your feelings, but I feel a bit crazy over what’s happening to him. Right now, I’m the only one who can help him stay himself . You care about that, don’t you?”

Yeonjun’s face scrunches, the anger melting into something soft and guilty. The longer they stare at each other, the more Soobin starts to think that Yeonjun almost looks scared. Is he being so stubborn because he’s worried about how things might change?

That scares him, too, but he still has to do this anyway.

“I promise I'm yours,” he says firmly, holding his gaze. “That will never change.” 

He can tell Yeonjun believes him. It’s a relief. Yeonjun must trust him to at least some degree, because the defiance is slowly seeping out of his expression. 

“After I save him…can you at least consider getting to know him a bit first before you make a decision?” he dares to add on. Maybe it’s too soon to ask for that, but he’d rather they’re all clear on it from the beginning. “He told me he wants to become a cat person. For you.”

At that comment, Yeonjun laughs shortly despite his grumpy face. It takes Soobin off guard, but makes it feel like maybe this whole thing isn’t truly a lost cause.

“Unbelievable,” Yeonjun mutters, eyes slanting over to Beomgyu who is gazing at them with big, big pleading puppy eyes. 

“I’m sorry for being rough with you!” Beomgyu cries, sensing the way Yeonjun is wavering. “And for scenting Soobin. I know I was wrong, but I’ll make it up to you. I’ll make it worth it!” His eyes grow even bigger as he attempts to convince Yeonjun to give him a chance. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Grunt work. Sleep on the floor. Clean the bathroom. Water the plants. Brush your fur and trim your nails. Everything.” 

“That’s not your job,” Yeonjun says tightly, crossing his arms. “Your job is to love Soobin.”

“I do!” Beomgyu responds. “I love him so much.”

Soobin longs to finally go to him, to let him know just how much it means to hear him say that and to say it back, but he waits a little longer because Yeonjun seems to be considering it seriously. Maybe he can sense the honesty that Beomgyu is exuding so earnestly, because he finally relents. 

“If I let you become part of us, you understand that I get to have him first whenever I want?”

“Yes,” Beomgyu agrees immediately. “I get it. You’re his baby.”

“Don’t call me that,” Yeonjun hisses, face flushing a bit pink. 

“I am really jealous about it,” Beomgyu says, but he doesn’t actually look bothered by it. “But if I’m allowed to be baby, too, I’m gonna win that competition.” 

Yeonjun huffs. “I seriously doubt that. And no, you’re not allowed.”

“Then just wait and see how I'll baby you,” he promises. “There are some things a hybrid can do better than a human. I’ll show you everything you’ve been missing cooped up alone in your cozy little house.”

“Why would you even want to?” Yeonjun shoots back.

“It’s fun to rile you up,” Beomgyu says teasingly, “but I’m sure it will be even better to have you being sweet to me.”

“Yeonjun is very sweet,” Soobin praises before Yeonjun can offer a more scathing reply. “He’s my baby for a reason. I expect you to treat him right.”

Yeonjun nods, chest puffing a bit as he looks down his pretty nose at the hybrid sitting in the dirt. “You have a lot of groveling to do before I’ll even let you try,” he says snootily. “And you need to prove you’re not just using Soobin to your advantage. Prove to me that you appreciate just how precious our bond is—a bond that includes me —or I’ll kick you out. Soobin gave me final word.” 

“I will! I’ll show you,” Beomgyu says eagerly. His eyes shine with sincerity. 

Yeonjun peers at him with narrowed eyes as if daring him to lie. They fall into silence and Soobin follows their lead. He is growing more and more pleased by the moment because something is finally shifting between them. 

“Show me now ,” Yeonjun whispers. “And I’ll…show you me.”

Soobin glances between them in confusion as the atmosphere somehow grows a little tense. He’s not sure how or why, but it can only be something beyond the scope of his human senses. He doesn’t understand it, but holds his breath as the exchange turns into something nonverbal, with a whole lot of staring and little animal sounds flitting back and forth between them as well as what can only be some sort of scent thing. 

Maybe they are able to emit pheromones of some kind, because Beomgyu is sniffing noticeably at the air and cocking his head to one side. He makes a questioning sound, both eyes gone enormous, and beside him, Yeonjun makes a little sound that can only be embarrassed. Soobin is incredibly curious and feels a bit left out, but seeing them get along in a way that doesn’t involve physical violence for the first time is threatening to make him giddy.

“You smell so good,” Beomgyu comments, sounding a little besotted in a way Soobin didn’t expect to hear directed at the cat hybrid. “You’re so lovely, no wonder Soobin is obsessed with you.” 

Yeonjun’s embarrassment becomes even more obvious, and Beomgyu’s expression brightens with hope. He observes Yeonjun attentively for another few long seconds as the cat remains uncharacteristically quiet and lets him.

“You’re…really okay with it,” Beomgyu breathes in wonder. It’s not a question.

“He is?” Soobin cuts in, excited and relieved. He wishes he could smell whatever Beomgyu is picking up on, too.

“Hurry up and get on with it, then,” Yeonjun says begrudgingly. “But don’t you dare try to touch me after. Not without permission.”

Beomgyu nods frantically, his eyes snapping over to Soobin. No one moves. Are they all on the same page now? And is Soobin meant to initiate this…? He doesn’t have the faintest idea what he’s supposed to actually do.

“Go on , Soobin,” Yeonjun urges, folding his arms across his chest once more as he continues to eye Beomgyu with clear displeasure once more. 

The posture in that form-fitting tank makes his sharp shoulders poke out like little wings, and Soobin gazes up at him for a long moment, waiting for his attention to return. Yeonjun finally notices, his grumpy face faltering as he takes in Soobin’s adoring eyes. They linger a while longer, and Soobin is gratified to see the lines of stress ease into something more trusting.

“It’s okay,” he tells him quietly. “You don’t have to watch if you don’t—”

“I want to,” Yeonjun cuts him off. His tone is flat and unreadable, but Soobin believes him. 

He has all the confirmation and approval he was begging for, but he’s still nervous about upsetting him. He hopes it won’t be like that. He hopes it will feel good for all of them.

He eventually nods, and turns to face Beomgyu again. He’s sitting just out of reach, and Soobin cautiously shuffles closer to him on his knees. Beomgyu’s eyes are big and round, watching him come with the most soulful expression on his face as if he can hardly believe what’s happening, and it physically hurts his heart to look at him. 

It would have been a crime to condemn this sweetheart to insanity. Beomgyu deserves so much, the least of which is a bond that will allow him to live and flourish. Soobin will do his best for him. He’s scared to mess this up or somehow hurt one of them, and his heart trips over itself into racing as he kneels before the hybrid who suddenly looks so small. 

Beomgyu and Yeonjun…both of them are in need of his protection in so many ways, and he’s scared he might not be able to do both of them justice. All he knows is that he loves them. 

For now, that has to be enough. 

“You’re really going to…you really want me?” Beomgyu whispers, a sheen of moisture glistening across those pretty eyes.

“I really want you,” Soobin assures him softly. “How do I…make you mine?”

More tears bubble up in Beomgyu’s eyes, and he shakes his head slightly. His gaze flickers back behind Soobin, but it seems like Yeonjun isn’t willing to offer them any tips. “I don’t know…you’re supposed to just feel it.” 

Soobin hums thoughtfully, then lifts both hands to cradle Beomgyu’s cheeks between them. The hybrid’s attention slides away from Yeonjun and fixes back upon him, and Soobin smiles at him fondly. “I feel a lot of things about you,” he tells him. “And I want to feel a million more. I want you in my life however you want to be in it.”

Beomgyu bites down on his lips, lashes fluttering rapidly as he attempts to hold back the emotion shining in his eyes. “I- I want that,” he agrees, voice cracking. “Soobin…you’re- you’re so…I don’t just want a bond. I want you . I only want it with you. If I didn’t have to bond, I’d still want you. You need to know that. Do you- do you get it? I really- I always meant it.” 

“Shh…you don’t need to say anything, I know,” he soothes, tilting closer to bump their foreheads together. “I know.”

Beomgyu nods slightly, his cheeks now damp where they slide against Soobin’s palms. He swipes at them tenderly with his thumbs and Beomgyu makes a pitiful little whining sound in his throat. He definitely sounds like a wounded puppy, and it tugs unbearably at his soft, squishy heartstrings.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he murmurs, noticing the way Beomgyu is panting slightly for breath. “I feel the same. I already love you so much. To me, you’re sunshine trapped in a beautiful body, remember? A beautiful dog-human body.”

Beomgyu huffs a wet laugh at his clumsy speech. He loves that sound—he missed it. 

He is so glad that they found him, that they weren’t too late, and his heart races a little as he focuses his full attention on the feel of Beomgyu’s forehead against his own, the softness of his face in his hands, the sound of his whimpering sniffles that would be heartbreaking if he didn’t know he was about to put an end to them forever.

“I’m so lucky I get to have you,” he whispers. “Beommie…” He pulls away just far enough to meet his eyes again. Beomgyu looks so emotional, broken open between his hands in a way he never anticipated to experience, and at the sight something in his chest tightens almost unbearably. 

He would do anything for him, he really would…

Beomgyu’s breath hitches loudly, a little noise of surprise slipping from his mouth that is echoed by someone behind them—Yeonjun. His body jerks, and his eyes grow huge with wonder, and Soobin understands what it all must mean but he’s too busy feeling something to know how to react. 

Something has shifted within him…It wasn’t there before, but he doesn’t know how he ever lived without it until now. Something now feels different. Like them . In a way he can keep. It's exactly the same as how he feels about Yeonjun, and that lets him know that he succeeded.

There’s no way to express this feeling except to…he just wants to kiss him. And so he does.

He tilts Beomgyu’s face up at the same time he dips down, crushing their mouths together eagerly amidst a burst of emotion. 

He pulls away to look at him again, grinning even as he abruptly feels like crying as he takes in Beomgyu’s serene expression. His eyes are closed, his face utterly relaxed as if he’s lost in some meditation. The faintest smile curls up the corner of his lips. 

He is so beautiful. So incredibly special to him. 

Beomgyu’s lashes flutter, the smile going a little dreamy and so damn happy , that Soobin can’t take it anymore. He gathers the hybrid up in his arms and hauls him up against his chest, burying his face in his shoulder when Beomgyu immediately clings to him and hugs back fiercely. It feels—it’s almost more amazing than the kiss. 

They belong to each other now.

The hug lasts for a long time, and Soobin hardly has a thought in his head. Just contentment. It’s precious.

A little noise comes from behind him, and he blinks open blurry eyes as his mind slowly drops back into his body. He twists his head around slightly to see Yeonjun still standing where he left him, his whole face as soft and emotional as Soobin still feels right now. He’s looking at them—at Beomgyu—as if he cares about him deeply. Just the way Soobin does.

It means that however miniscule, Yeonjun opened his heart to allow Beomgyu in, both saving him and bonding them. It means this worked for both of them.

Soobin is so happy. He wonders if the both of them feel this now? The way he does. He doesn’t even know how to describe it.

“It’s done,” he says happily, wanting to share in this wonder. This new facet to their bond. “He’s part of us, now.”

Yeonjun’s eyes snap to meet his, and the lovestruck look on his face promptly disappears. He lifts one hand to clutch at his own chest, his eyes growing huge and watery as if he’s about to cry. Why is he…? What is he feeling now? He hasn’t ever seen him look quite like this before, and Soobin’s joy dips into alarm.

He sits back on his heels, gently extracting himself from the tight hug Beomgyu is reluctant to release him from. “Gyu, hang on just a second,” he tells him. He’s suddenly anxious to give Yeonjun a hug, too. He turns himself more fully towards the cat hybrid, hands still supporting Beomgyu’s shoulders as the other clings to him. “Junnie…? What’s wrong?”

Yeonjun just stands there silently, his lip slowly jutting out even as he struggles valiantly to pull it back in.

“I’m…really okay,” Beomgyu says slowly, voice thick with tears. He’s too wrapped up in himself to notice Yeonjun needs something. “Thank you- thank you for choosing me,” he continues, voice muffled in Soobin’s shirt as he nuzzles his face aggressively into the dip beneath his collarbone.

Oh. He’s talking about his mental state, and Soobin is so damn relieved. And a bit horrified. “Of course I- you don’t need to thank me!” Soobin says, feeling flustered. He strokes his hair comfortingly, his eyes still trained on Yeonjun. “It’s the least I can…you never should have had to even experience anything like that!” 

Beomgyu’s head abruptly pops up. He looks at Soobin, eyes red and puffy, then whips around to look at Yeonjun.

“Yeonjun,” he calls, voice wobbling alarmingly. “Thank you for accepting me.”

He’s so sincere about it, but Yeonjun’s pouty lip immediately stretches into a flat line as his vulnerable expression hardens into the usual dislike he always aims at Beomgyu. The change is so abrupt, almost like he’s deciding to show a displeased front on purpose. Maybe he’s a bit too proud to admit that the feel of their new bond is wonderful after going on about how much he hated the idea initially.

Beomgyu giggles as if he’s thinking along the exact same lines as Soobin. “I can feel everything , now, you know. I can feel that you like me.”

“I don’t,” Yeonjun snips, glaring harder.

Soobin’s nerves settle at this revelation. He’s so damn relieved to hear it. Yeonjun certainly plays it up and displays the most disagreeable attitude possible—justifiably so, given the circumstances—but Soobin already knows how sweet and soft he is inside, and now Beomgyu can sense it, too. 

“You care about me,” Beomgyu says sweetly, obviously touched. It hardly sounds like an accusation, but Yeonjun flinches and bristles. 

“I don’t ,” Yeonjun repeats, eyes glinting in the dim light. “Being partially bonded through Soobin doesn’t show anything about how I really feel. Why should I like you when all you’ve done is chase me around my own house and bite me?” 

“When I like someone, I go after them,” Beomgyu says, sounding smug. “I really like your scent on me. And Soobin’s. I love scenting.”

Soobin suppresses a smile. Now that he mentions it, Beomgyu certainly did that—to both of them. If nothing else, he is sure persistent about marking his territory. Or, potential territory. Yeonjun’s outrage at the puppy is even more understandable now that he knows Beomgyu scented him without permission, too. 

Yeonjun makes a huffy little mewling sound, and Beomgyu’s face brightens. Soobin almost doesn’t know which one to coo at. Both of them seem unaware of how cute they are right now.

“I don’t feel the same. You’re a stranger to me,” Yeonjun persists stubbornly. 

“Not for long,” Beomgyu chirps, grinning at him. The smile is so bright despite his haggard appearance. If he was a dog, his tongue would be lolling. “I know more about you than you know. Soobin can never stop blabbing about you.”

Yeonjun’s eyes flicker to Soobin questioningly. Soobin shrugs, smiling sheepishly. “It’s true,” he says. “Even though I only knew you as a cat until now…you’re everything to me. I want to be able to talk about who you are as a human, too.”

Yeonjun looks a bit shy, his expression turning pensive. “I…I always wanted to be important to you,” he admits. “I love that you talk about me.” 

Soobin rises to his feet and steps over to him, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close at last. “I know, baby. You were so obvious everytime I gushed about you to Kai. I really can’t help myself. I love you to pieces.” 

He squeezes him tight and Yeonjun sighs quietly, resting his forehead on Soobin’s shoulder. His hands clutch at the hem of Soobin’s shirt. Soobin’s heart is so full it feels close to bursting, but rather than continue this sappy exchange, his own mention of Kai reminds him of some of his earlier ideas.

“Now that we’ve avoided the crisis, I wanted to ask if it’s okay with you. I’d like to tell Kai everything,” Soobin says, excited with the idea of what this could turn into. “Unless…he doesn’t already know about hybrids, does he?”

Yeonjun shakes his head, pulling away from the hug a bit to look at him. He smiles faintly. “Don’t think so, or else his house would be overrun. Kai is even sweeter than you,” Yeonjun says matter of fact. “Once he learns the truth I’m sure he’ll become an activist.” 

Soobin chuckles, thinking Yeonjun is right. “True. It won’t be long before hybrids start lining up at his door because he offers an unconditional bonding service to anyone who asks,” he jokes, already able to imagine his bestie trying to host any number of strays in the tiny confines of his studio apartment. 

“Yeah…something like that would actually be amazing,” Yeonjun murmurs thoughtfully. 

His eyes slide past Soobin to look at the charcoal tabby still standing quietly on top of that prominent rock, observing them intently. Soobin had almost forgotten about their audience, but the serious air that descends over Yeonjun all at once reminds him of the bigger issues at play.

That little cat hybrid is bravely fighting against an unjust system and a world that would see him pressured into bonding with a human regardless of his personal preferences, or else cruelly condemned to mental degeneration. It’s incredible that he managed to protect himself and take a stance for his kind even though it seems to be a losing battle. It’s still worth fighting. 

Soobin wants to help him. He wants to help all of them, however he can.

Now that they mentioned him, someone like Kai is actually the perfect candidate to create and organize some sort of free bonding service. Even though there are probably plenty of similarly minded people out there, Soobin would be hesitant to trust the motivations of other human volunteers. He already contemplated the whole thing extensively in regards to Beomgyu, and the unfortunate truth of the matter remains the same: that it would be so easy to take advantage of a hybrid. 

How could they ever screen people for that sort of position? Maybe that’s why no such matching program is in place yet, and why the current state of things is not at all yet in a hybrid’s best interest. 

From what Yeonjun shared with him, it seems the animal control group operates by training hybrids to hide themselves as common house pets to survive. It sounds like they’re essentially brainwashing them, teaching them to be docile and subservient before setting them up for adoption at pet shops and shelters.

What they are doing is forcing them into a restricted life of dependency, and is not sustainable at all! 

Given the way they are now rounding up the excessive number of strays, it seems like they don’t have a solid method in place to help stabilize the secret population of hybrids who aren’t getting bonded. Aren’t they researching ways to help them become bond-free? Instead of helping them become independent, they are trying to dispose of them like some sort of failed experiments.

The whole thing looks really bad. It’s most likely that the whole system is already fraught with any number of unethical practices and abuse, so something drastic needs to change. Why else would so many hybrids like Beomgyu and Taehyun feel forced to make a run for it rather than participate? 

He wishes he could have learned of Yeonjun’s true nature sooner. Five years is such a long time to live a lie. To live in a world where his authentic self is unacknowledged, devalued, and forbidden. To live in a world that expects him to repress himself to please the people who hold the power to grant him the basic state of sanity. 

He thinks of the way Yeonjun incorrectly believed Soobin would never want him in his human form, thinks of the way Beomgyu is so eager to serve him like he’s nothing but an object to be used, and his heart aches. 

Yeonjun truly is lucky to have been chosen by Soobin. He hates to even imagine his baby being stuck with some other person who wouldn’t ever care about treating him as his own person or love him as much as Soobin does. No one could ever —

Hybrids shouldn’t belong to anyone but themselves, and they deserve the right to simply be themselves. To live how they want, just like anyone else.

“Soobin…you should take Beomgyu home. He needs to be cared for,” Yeonjun murmurs. He’s still staring at Taehyun who has remained as still as a statue this entire time.

Soobin frowns as he glances between them, something heavy slowly sinking into his gut. “What- wait…you mean you're not coming with us?” he guesses, embarrassed by how disappointed his own voice sounds. How anxious. 

Yeonjun nods quietly, keeping his gaze steadily on his old friend. “I’m going to stay here for a while,” he says, making Soobin’s stomach twist even more.

He wasn’t expecting anything like this to happen. He doesn’t want to burden Yeonjun with his feelings, but the idea of not having him near right after they just added someone else to their bond is…it feels horrible. Soobin needs to make sure Yeonjun feels valued and loved tonight, and every day from now on, but if Yeonjun insists on doing this…

“A while? How long is a while?” he wonders, reaching out to clasp Yeonjun’s hand. It’s overly warm in the muggy summer night air, but he clutches at him anyway. 

Soobin will have Beomgyu for comfort, but if he insists on doing this, Yeonjun will be alone . 

He can’t bear the thought.

“I don’t know. As long as I need to,” Yeonjun says, eyes flashing a bit. 

He sounds annoyed and Soobin has no idea why. Is he angry that Soobin is causing a scene in front of all these hybrids? Taehyun keeps staring at them and Soobin wishes they could just turn and leave him here, all three of them.

“Can I leave my phone with you, then?” he suggests, feeling so unsettled with this sudden development. “You keep it. I’ll make a new one tomorrow and call you.”

Yeonjun frowns. “I don’t need it.”

“Then how am I supposed to reach you?” 

“You don’t.”

“ Yeonjun …I can’t…I don’t think I can…we just- we only just became three, and we need some time to adjust before we spend time apart, don’t we?” 

“You said I’m free to come and go as I please,” Yeonjun reminds him, turning his head to look directly at him. His blue eyes look black in this light. “Was that a lie?”

“No. Of course not,” Soobin reassures him quickly, stomach now twisted so far into itself he feels sick. Yeonjun knows he would never- he wouldn’t try to control him or command his obedience no matter how upset he is. Soobin’s clinginess is Soobin’s problem. “I just don’t like not being able to talk to you or know you’re okay. Or- or when you’re coming back.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Yeonjun says firmly, demanding that Soobin trust him. “I’ll come home when I’m done.”

At least he called it ‘home’, but that hardly soothes Soobin’s rising anxiety very much. He’s pathetically on the verge of tears, and all at once he’s realizing just how much of an anxious attachment style he has in regards to his baby. How could he not?

He just spent a whole day frantic over his missing, endangered puppy, and now he’s facing an unknown number of days without his kitty who nearly gave him a panic attack when he was merely lost inside their apartment previously. If he gets properly actually lost out here in the wilderness of the mountain or in the vast city…

He presses his lips together tightly in order to keep any more drastic begging inside his mouth, and squeezes Yeonjun’s hand, imploring him with his eyes. He doesn’t know if he can be fine with this.

It hurts because it feels like Yeonjun doesn’t want to be traced or reached by him. It’s more likely that he doesn’t want Soobin to disturb him as he takes care of something delicate and private, but it makes Soobin feel both useless and like he’s not allowed to be part of it. Part of Yeonjun’s life. 

As sudden as it is, this is obviously important to him and Soobin wants to support him, but he also doesn’t want to leave without him. He has never been home without Yeonjun there before, but…this is his chance to prove that he can act on all his noble declarations of wanting Yeonjun to be independent and make his own decisions. 

Being faced with it in reality is so much more difficult than he expected. He hates how this feels.

Yeonjun has been living as a pampered housecat for the past five years, and said himself that he needs to be taken care of. Even though he’s not going to be alone out here, surrounded by other hybrids who know how to live out in the wild like this, will they really take care of him? From the way Taehyun is scrutinizing them, he’s starting to worry that free hybrids hold animosity for bonded ones.

“Please just take my phone…” he tries again, eyes burning with tears. “What if there’s an emergency?”

Yeonjun hesitates a moment, expression softening as he takes in Soobin’s obvious distress. 

“There won’t be. Let me do this my way,” he murmurs quietly. “It’s been so long since I’ve been surrounded by my kind and I wanna immerse myself a bit. To understand them better. To see if they’ll trust me enough to…listen to me.” 

Now he’s the one begging Soobin with his eyes, and actually, that’s all the explanation Soobin needs to abruptly understand. It makes a lot of sense, and he’s impressed that Yeonjun is taking the initiative to do something so difficult and out of his comfort zone. He is so sweet and inspiring.

He is doing this for a hybrid he hasn’t seen in five years, someone who still means so much to him even now, and that reveals a lot about his character. 

“You’re so loyal and caring, baby,” he tells him as soon as he thinks it. He feels soft inside. “Taehyun is lucky to have you.”

Yeonjun’s expression shifts minutely, a tilt to his brows that’s wistful and longing and makes Soobin want to cuddle him and never let go. His heart quakes when Yeonjun tips forwards to rub his cheek against Soobin’s in a sweet little cat-like gesture. 

“Thanks…” he whispers. “I wish he’d feel the same.”

Soobin turns his face into Yeonjun’s, lips seeking his soft cheek for a lingering kiss. “Take as long as you need until he does,” he whispers back. “But I’ll miss you so damn much.”

The thought of Yeonjun staying out here tonight and not coming home…it’s the worst thing he’s ever come up against. It’s more than just missing him, he feels like he might go crazy and die if Yeonjun takes longer than a few days. The no-contact rule makes it even more unbearable.

“I know. I’ll miss you more,” Yeonjun admits on a sigh. He turns his face just enough to allow Soobin to kiss his plush lips once, the briefest little smooch, before he’s pulling back and walking away from him.

He walks right past Beomgyu who watches him with big, emotional eyes, but they don’t exchange a word. He shifts into his cat form as he goes, the soft peachy orange soon disappearing into the underbrush where most of the other hybrids are hiding to observe the drama going on. In a matter of seconds, he already can't determine which shadowy shape is Yeonjun anymore.

Taehyun doesn’t even watch him go, his attention pinned unerringly on Soobin alone. He stares impassively with big, dark round eyes, but Soobin immediately feels like he has been judged and found lacking. He is lacking. 

That cat is tiny, but the way he’s staring Soobin down is down-right scary. 

“Taehyun…?” he calls tentatively, shifting his weight awkwardly “If you are him…um, can I talk to you, please?”

The cat stares for a long drawn out moment, then hops down off his perch and walks towards him steadily. Somewhere between the first step and the last that brings him directly in front of Soobin, his body has transformed entirely into that of a short, dark haired man. A very pretty man with the biggest eyes Soobin has ever seen.

Why are all hybrids so freaking pretty? Soobin doesn’t mean to stare, but he’s impressed and…and intimidated, really. He shuffles a few steps back from him, the slight incline of the hill putting them at an equal eye level. 

“How do you know me?” Taehyun demands, tilting his chin slightly as his eyes rake all up and down Soobin’s form. He feels even less than lacking under that penetrating scan, he feels unworthy.

“Yeonjun told me about you,” he says quietly, feeling incredibly cowed.

Taehyun’s face is expressionless. “So you’re the human who bought Yeonjun,” he drawls. “The stranger he dreamed of belonging to.”

Soobin bobs his head, face prickling with heat at the disparaging tone because Taehyun is right about the audacity of the whole situation. What else can he do but acknowledge it? He doesn’t miss the way Taehyun’s eyes harden almost imperceptibly. He braces himself to be scolded by this stranger—he deserves it. 

“You’re his precious owner who didn’t think twice before bonding another right in front of him,” Taehyun says flatly. 

Maybe he does deserve a bit of a scolding, but Taehyun has gotten it wrong. Soobin nearly made himself sick agonizing over this. A part of him does feel like he did wrong by persuading and begging Yeonjun to give into him and Beomgyu, but the final exchange between the two hybrids just now went a long way towards assuaging his guilt. Taehyun’s accusation easily brings it all right back up.

“Yeonjun agreed to it,” he says, trying to sound firm. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to yo—”

“What could I possibly have to say to such a disrespectful, entitled piece of shit like you?” Taehyun cuts over him.

“He’s not !” Beomgyu burst out in his defense. “Soobin is an angel!”

“Don’t be stupid,” Taehyun hisses scathingly, glaring at Soobin as he adds, “any human who knowingly bonds with a hybrid is doing so for selfish reasons. Especially when he already has one. It’s disgusting.”

“No, Soobin is different,” Beomgyu declares passionately, sending a jolt of emotion through Soobin. “He treats Yeonjun like a princess, and he’s the kindest man I’ve ever known. He is too considerate and respectful, actually. I’m the one who came onto him !”

“I don’t care,” Taehyun returns without even sparing Beomgyu a glance. “He has no right to either of you. If he doesn’t understand how fundamentally wrong the act of bonding even is, you eagerly throwing yourself at him will certainly not teach him shit.” 

Soobin swallows thickly, stung by the words. It’s stupid, because he actually agrees with Taehyun’s assessment, but he’s not here to plead his innocence and good intentions. He shouldn't have to defend his own character, nor does he need to gain approval from this bitter, angry hybrid, but it’s difficult to just go along with being misunderstood. 

The connection between him and Yeonjun and Beomgyu is beautiful, and Soobin would never, ever take advantage. 

“You’re wrong,” Beomgyu says stubbornly, pressing his warm body into Soobin’s side. It feels so damn good to be advocated for by the one Soobin cruelly cast out of his home. He still hasn’t had a chance to apologize for that properly. “Soobin promised to care for me without a single condition,” Beomgyu says firmly. “He’s did this for my sake.”

“You really believe him?” Taehyun scoffs incredulously. “Did you not notice the way he threw away his other hybrid for you ?”

“He didn’t!” Beomgyu denies again. “From the day I met Yeonjun, Soobin was honest about wanting both of us. He told me over and over when I was both a dog and a man. He wants us to get along, but Yeonjun is the one who refused to share!”

Taehyun finally turns to fix Beomgyu with a shrewd glare. It’s frankly terrifying.

“How dare you try to disrupt a pre-existing bond? It’s no wonder you were too weak to resist the craze alone without a master to balance your system,” Taehyun says in a low voice. “You have no self-respect or love for yourself or others. No integrity.” 

Beomgyu physically jerks as the barb strikes, and Soobin snaps out of his own self-pitying daze to wrap an arm around him. He tugs him into his side, stroking Beomgyu’s soft hair when the hybrid presses his face into his shoulder for comfort.

“That was an unkind thing to say,” Soobin says quietly. “You don’t know what happened between us, and I don’t think it’s fair of you to speak to either of us this way.” Taehyun’s eyes go even bigger as he speaks, staring at him like he’s a freak of nature. Soobin cuddles Beomgyu closer and takes a deep breath to organize his thoughts. “Honestly, I agree with what you’re saying. I’m against this whole dynamic myself.” 

Taehyun’s shock quickly dissolves into an incredulous expression. “Says the man who has two bonded hybrids.”

“You’re right. I guess I’m lucky enough to have two,” Soobin says with a little shrug. “But I didn’t know hybrids existed until two days ago. I had Yeonjun for five years, and I never…I never knew.”

“I wonder why that is,” Taehyun snipes derisively, seeming not to care at all for the point Soobin is trying to make.

“It was Yeonjun’s choice to reveal himself or not,” he says in his own defense. “And once he did, I immediately understood the need to help him become independent. To help him create his own life. I told him as much and Yeonjun had a fit. He didn’t want to.”

Taehyun just stares at him as if he doesn’t believe a word out of his mouth. “I wonder why that is,” he repeats.

Soobin glowers at him, growing annoyed with the prickly aggression that is underserved because Soobin has done nothing but cater to Beomgyu and Yeonjun’s clashing desires ever since he found out what they wanted from him. He didn’t bond Beomgyu for his own pleasure. He didn’t.

Beomgyu is free to leave and make his own life. Soobin wants that for him. 

Even though he has feelings for him and Yeonjun and wants to be together with them, those feelings are irrelevant if it means a choice in the hybrids establishing their own autonomy. 

“Even if the need for bonding is wrong, it’s cruel of you to invalidate other hybrid’s experiences. To shame them for their craving for it. The option you’re offering doesn’t even work for everyone, so you should show a little compassion.” 

“You’re lecturing me ?” Taehyun huffs in disbelief. “You really are fucking different from the other scum I’ve met. You’re worse.”  

“I understand that hybrids are forced to rely upon it or face severe consequences, and that’s horrible. I’m not taking advantage of that. I may be bonded to both of them, but I would let them go in an instant if that is what they want. No conditions attached.”

“I don’t believe you,” Taehyun says, voice trembling with anger.

“And I’ll die if you kick me out again,” Beomgyu whines into his shirt. 

“I won’t kick you out, cutie,” Soobin promises him, twisting his head to press a kiss to the crown of his head. “I’m serious about everything I told you before I knew the truth. I’ll do whatever I can to support the choices you make for yourself.”

“You sure have a lot to say,” Taehyun growls, bristling more. Both hands are clenched into fists. “Sweet talk will get them panting after you, sure, but where the hell did Yeonjun go, huh? He ran away from you because you abandoned him and trampled all over his precious bond!”

“No, that’s not what—” Soobin tries to explain how it wasn’t like that at all, but Taehyun doesn’t give him a chance.

“I saw what you did!” he hisses. “Humans give their love easily to what they consider pets, but it's conditional. You expect us to adore you and obey you, and if we don’t, we get neglected and abandoned, and hurt.”

“I know,” Soobin says gravely, giving up on explaining in an attempt to placate the offended hybrid. It is actually a good sign that he is upset on Yeonjun’s behalf. Soobin hopes that means he still cares. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I want to help you change things. I want to help hybrids become self-sufficient because the current system is abusing your rights.”

“What do you know about our rights?” Taehyun scoffs. “You said you didn’t know hybrids existed until mere days ago.”

“But I have been living with one that I adore for five years, and fell in love with another in both his forms without knowing he was one person. I care about who they are, not what they are.”

Beomgyu makes a happy little sound at that, squeezing Soobin while simultaneously bouncing on his feet and jerking him around. Soobin tries to keep a straight face because Taehyun’s cold expression doesn't crack at all even though Beomgyu’s joy is infectious. Being lovey-dovey in front of him seems to only worsen his opinion of him.

“What can you possibly do for us?” Taehyun demands. 

“I don’t know. I’ll do whatever you think might help. You can test me first, if you want. I’ll do anything, even bond other hybrids who are on the verge of insanity with no other options available to them.” 

Taehyun’s mouth drops open in the biggest show of emotion he has expressed thus far. He looks absolutely shocked. 

“You’ll what …?”

“You heard me,” Soobin says evasively, feeling a little unsure of himself now that his declaration elicited such a response. “Or…is that not- is it not possible or something?”

“I have no fucking clue. In all my years no one has ever offered to do such a thing.” His big dark eyes take up literally half of his face. “Who the hell are you?”

Soobin flushes, feeling flustered by his dramatic reaction. “I’m just Yeonjun’s. And now Beomgyu’s,” he says timidly, thinking that Taehyun probably doesn’t give a shit about who he actually is beyond that.

“No. What do you do? Are you in the system? Why would you even say something like that?”

“I’m nobody,” Soobin denies. “Just a university student trying to become a vet.”

“A vet?” Taehyun parrots, all his eloquence seems to be lost to him now. “For hybrids?”

“No…?” Soobin responds slowly as that tiny distinction immediately takes root in his brain. “Are there people who do that?”

“No, but there damn well should be,” Taehyun answers, tilting his chin up defiantly. “Where did you take Yeonjun whenever he was sick? To a hospital that treats animals ?”

“I…yeah, of course,” Soobin says with frustration because he already understands what Taehyun is getting at, but how was Soobin supposed to know? “I thought he was a cat!”

“Right,” Taehyun says. “A little pet to be kept at home and fed shit from a can while you go out and live your life. A little pet you leave to itself for hours then expect to fawn over you the moment you want its attention.”

“Right,” Soobin repeats back at him, uncomfortable at being called out for doing exactly that. But things are different now. “Which is why I’m now trying to ask you what I can do to change not just his life, but everyone’s. You don’t need to punish me for not knowing what I was part of. Now I know, and there’s no way I won’t try to change it.”

“I don’t understand why you care so much,” Taehyun says shrewdly. “What’s in it for you? What do you want from us?”

“I care because I’m a decent human being and it’s the right thing to do,” Soobin says. “And it’s personal for me. I have Yeonjun and Beomgyu to take care of—however they need me.”

Taehyun stares at him silently for a long, long moment.

“I don’t know what to think,” he murmurs, his animosity fading slightly as he takes all of Soobin in once more, much more slowly. “You came out of nowhere, and it sounds too good to be true. I’ve never heard another human speak like you.”

“I can promise you I know at least one other person who’d be even better than me,” Soobin shares quietly. “I know there’s no way for you to trust me, but trust Yeonjun. He wouldn’t lie to you.”

Taehyun’s expression darkens. “Yeonjun doesn’t even know the truth of himself or what he actually needs,” he hisses under his breath. “He was brainwashed early on by the worst of them, and I can tell he still hasn’t regained any sense of himself or his own capabilities.”

“He has. He always has,” Soobin denies, feeling incredibly protective but also proud. “He never hid his personality or opinions from me, and now that I know all of him, he is expressing it even more. It might take him a while to adjust to being more independent, but he knows what he wants and he won’t hesitate to go for it. You don’t know him like I do.”

“Sure,” Taehyun sneers. “I’ll just take your word for it. You have no idea what sort of horrific things go on in the shelters and what they’ve forced us to endure. Yeonjun was so obedient because he couldn't bear the pain. They paraded him around as their perfect little model specimen and murdered the ones who failed to emulate him.”

A lump lodges itself inside the base of Soobin’s throat. He's left breathless for a moment as he tries to put that backstory together with what he already knows of Yeonjun. He can't...there's no way to reconcile the two. It's devastating.

“I…I want to help rescue other hybrids from that,” he croaks. “Please believe me.”

“We don’t need rescuing. We need liberation. We have voices and deserve the right to use them.”

Soobin pauses for a moment, a little taken aback by just how fierce and full of conviction this little hybrid is. He’s both charismatic and intelligent, and Soobin thinks he’d gladly fall into line and obey him since there’s so much heart there. So much humanity. 

“You do,” he agrees. “How can I join you? What can I do that you are unable to do due to your social status?”

“Are you serious?” Taehyun demands. “Would you quit vet school and go into law instead? Represent us in politics?”

“Uh…would that even…um, I meant how can I help with something more immediate?”

“You can do what you said and start saving the weak ones from mental breakdown,” Taehyun suggests immediately, eyes flickering to Beomgyu who is still curled into Soobin’s side. “You and the other humans you think so highly of. Bond us and treat us like equals. Give us homes. Jobs. Lives .”

There’s no way Soobin and Kai can single handedly manage all of that, but even though he’s discouraged by his lack of power and intimidated by Taehyun’s harsh attitude, he’s also realizing just how little resources and support there must be for this group of unlikely rebels. They will just have to start from the bottom and work up from there. 

“It can’t happen all at once,” he says reasonably. “But I’ll do what I can.”

Taehyun regards him for a moment, eyes piercing. His lips curve down into a little frown, and then he makes a soft cat noise, meowing like the cutest little baby Soobin ever saw. He bites his lip and hopes that the flash of endearment he feels isn't something the other can pick up on. Soobin is really the softest, stupidest wimp for cute things- it's the worst.

Taehyun meows again, and a few moments later another cat comes trotting up to where they stand, slinking low to the ground. She’s all skin and bones, her fur ragged and patchy, and it’s the perfect picture example of the strays that have been on the news.

“Help her,” Taehyun commands. “Right now.”

Soobin swallows thickly, peering down at the cat who cringes and shrinks back under his attention, showing sharp teeth in a clear display of ‘do not touch’. “Uh…does she want me to?” he hedges, heart racing a little at the sudden confrontation. Can he even manage another bond to a strange hybrid he just met? What if he can’t?

“I want you to,” Taehyun says quietly. “She’s too far gone to make any big decisions, but she still responds to me. Until she turns on us and hurts us, I’ll keep protecting her.”

It’s noble of him. Kind, even. Soobin wonders how he enforces the ejection of a member who has gone completely feral. It can’t be easy to watch someone you know decline and then be forced to abandon and reject them for the safety of the others. It's so infuriatingly unfair. They shouldn't have to live like this a day longer. 

He cautiously sinks down to his knees once more, eyes trained on the dirty white hybrid. Her eyes are dark in the dim light, but he thinks they might be blue. Just like Yeonjun’s.

“What’s her name?” he murmurs, offering one hand towards her slowly, only to be met with a hiss and bared teeth. He freezes. Beomgyu’s hand comes to lay between his shoulder blades, his warm palm both a source of comfort and encouragement. 

“Gayeon,” Taehyun says, voice clipped. 

He obviously has a lot of feelings regarding Gayeon, and must be preparing himself to say goodbye to her soon. Soobin wishes that he can prevent that from happening. All he can do is try.

He doesn’t even know the first thing about her, but her pitiful physical state is painful to take in. She looks like she has never known the gentle hand of someone who cares more about her comfort and maintaining her purr than their own physical comfort. She hasn’t had anyone calling her sweet names or giving her treats or holding her close in the warm safety of their beds. She hasn’t had someone attend to her needs at all because she isn’t allowed to exist as a person who could ask for them to be met. 

It’s not fair, and Soobin doesn’t know her to love her, but he feels so much regret and sadness over her never getting to experience even those simple basics of life that tears fill his eyes.

He leans forwards a little more, still offering his hand to her even though she looks seconds away from either slashing him with her claws or turning to bolt away.

Taehyun starts to talk to her in cat, little encouraging noises that could mean anything, really, but whatever he’s saying seems to be helping her to relax. Her lips slide back down to cover her teeth and she slowly sinks down until her belly is on the ground. Her legs bunch up beneath her in a way that would allow her to run in a split second, but her tufted, ratty tail curls around her paws neatly and she goes still, staring at Soobin’s hand without blinking.

He spends the longest time inching closer, and even longer letting her finally smell him. His back is aching and his knees are probably bruising, but he doesn’t even feel it yet because when he finally dares to touch her behind one ear, she lets him. After a few hesitant strokes of his fingers time seems to slow down and stop.

Soobin considers himself to be an expert in cat petting, and this is his moment to prove it.  Everything else fades away as he watches her eyes shutter, then shut.

He almost doesn’t notice or understand how exactly it happens when he bonds her—it’s entirely different than with Beomgyu and Yeonjun because he doesn’t know her—but he still cares about her and her life experience. She just looks so content beneath his touch, trusting him and letting him in far enough to reach her where she was so lonely and hurting. He wonders if she’s even able to shift anymore or if she lost it along with nearly everything else, and it makes him ache. 

He holds perfectly still when her eyes suddenly snap open and tilt up to look at him. Then she pops onto her feet and steps over to rub her cheek against his knee once before she turns her back and disappears into the night. Just like Yeonjun.

He wonders if he’d have been able to manage it if he’d been faced with a young woman instead of a cat, and he honestly doesn’t think so. Maybe there is some truth to Taehyun’s claim that humans give a conditional sort of love to animals that differs from what they’d feel for another human. But hybrids do not fall perfectly into either of those roles, so in the end, does it matter? 

Taehyun is still standing there, watching him and watching him like he has never seen a hybrid get bonded before in his life. Or else, never seen a human do anything so selfless and kind.

“Is she going to be okay?” Soobin asks, even though he felt how she will be. 

“Yes,” Taehyun says quietly, the regard in his eyes shifting as if he’s finally seeing Soobin for who he is showing himself to be instead of assuming he’s the same as every other human he has encountered and hated. “I’ve seen enough for now. If I need you, I’ll come find you.”

He doesn’t say thank you, but he doesn’t sound as hateful and distrusting as he did before. Soobin nods, taking the offer for what it is. Taehyun tilts his chin down a bit in a clear dismissal, and Soobin reluctantly rises to his feet and shuffles a few steps back and away from him. 

Glancing around the dark hillside, he can’t see any sign of orange or a set of glowing eyes that belong specifically to him. If Yeonjun saw what just transpired, he’s not stepping forward to say anything about it, and Soobin is reluctant to leave without one last glimpse of him. If nothing else he passed Taehyun’s first test, and maybe that will further help Yeonjun to do what he is trying to do by staying here.

They are a team, and even though Soobin wants to stick together, right now they have to divide and conquer. Or something.

Beomgyu reaches out to touch him again the moment it’s clear they are dismissed, and Soobin wraps an arm around him when he cuddles himself right back into his side, as tactile as ever. Soobin is so grateful for him right now. Their new bond is so fresh and noticeable, a tantalizing awareness that hums sweetly every time they gravitate towards each other, and Soobin really wants to linger and absorb it fully. With some privacy.

He pauses, and looks back at the pretty hybrid rebel one last time. “Taehyun? If you could tell Gayeon…she’s always welcome to visit me if she wants,” he offers, unsure of how the white cat might feel about being bonded to someone she doesn’t know and might never see again. 

He wishes she lingered a bit more so he could give her just one more minute of affection. She really did run off with a tiny little piece of his heart, but he feels even fuller for having given it. He hopes to see her again someday, looking much more healthy and well.

“I’ll make sure she knows,” Taehyun says, and it’s the nicest thing to come out of his mouth all night. 

Soobin turns away and leaves the little band of strays behind in the dark. Beomgyu soon has hold of his hand and is leading him carefully back through the trees until they find the trail where the path is lit intermittently with little lanterns to guide their feet. They don’t speak, just walk side by side, with Soobin lost in his thoughts and Beomgyu quietly accompanying him. 

The subway is still running and Soobin is confused to notice how little time they actually spent up on the mountain when it felt like endless hours in which his entire life shifted once more. So much has happened, and he just longs to be home with his- with both of his babies. He misses Yeonjun already, but having Beomgyu back and his in every sense of the word now makes it hurt a little less. 

He doesn’t take Beomgyu to bed when they get back, too sad over the idea that even though Yeonjun is doing what he wants to do by staying with Taehyun, he’d still be hurt thinking of Soobin holding Beomgyu in their bed. He’s not sure what he should do instead because they didn’t have a chance to talk about it. Would Yeonjun want Beomgyu to sleep separately? He did claim dibs on Soobin first, but now he isn’t here to help them navigate this. 

There are so many adjustments they need to make to accommodate all three of their needs, and he wants to honor Yeonjun’s insistence that he gets to have the last say in their living arrangements. Maybe he didn’t plan it this way, but he has given Beomgyu and Soobin a little gift of time to spend as just the two of them. He appreciates it, but is not quite sure what to do with it.

Beomgyu makes the decision for him and trots over to the sofa, flinging the extra pillows away to the ground and curling himself up on the cushion. Once he is settled, he sends Soobin an expectant look and he takes that as his cue to join him. He has hardly gotten his ass on the pillow before Beomgyu is latching onto him, arms around his waist and face pressing into his stomach in an aggressive hug. 

Soobin sighs and smiles as he settles himself more comfortably. They have done this before, and even slept here together when Beomgyu was in his dog form. This is familiar for them, and more than enough to satisfy his neediness right now.

His hands drop to Beomgyu’s hair, and as he brushes fingers through the tangled strands he thinks about offering him a shower, or food, or a blanket, but he’s reluctant to move from this position. He trusts Beomgyu to ask should he need something, and Soobin needs this moment of intimacy to last quite a bit longer because he feels rather fragile after everything that happened tonight. 

Time slips by as they sit like that, cuddled together and soaking up each other’s presence, and it isn’t long before exhaustion begins to tug at his eyelids.

“Beomgyu…what did it feel like when I bonded Gayeon?” he wonders eventually. He has so much on his mind, but he keeps coming back to this.

“It felt nice,” Beomgyu says. “Like you gave her a big hug. It wasn’t at all like what we have with our Junnie.”

Soobin’s heart glows at his chosen phrasing. We . And our . He says those words like they have always long been true, and Soobin wishes that Yeonjun was here to hear it. To share it.  

“And what does our bond feel like?” 

“I already told you,” Beomgyu murmurs, eyes fluttering open to look up at him. He looks all warm and relaxed with contentment, and Soobin loves him so much.

Soobin slides his hand down from his hair and pauses, cupping the side of his head. He makes a questioning noise in his throat, asking for a reminder. 

“I told you about your big heart and hands, remember?”

“Ah. Right. Carrying all of you?” Soobin confirms, a smile stealing over his lips as he recalls that conversation. Beomgyu’s head bobs cutely, fingers busy twisting and tugging at the hem of Soobin’s shirt. “But we weren’t even bonded all the way back then.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Beomgyu says, words slurred with sleepiness. “It felt right from the very beginning, and completing it just confirmed what was already there.”

“Oh…I’m glad,” Soobin says, stroking his thumb along his cheek. Beomgyu smiles, squeezing his eyes closed again and making a happy little sound that’s too adorable for words. 

It’s quiet for a few minutes as Soobin returns to caressing Beomgyu’s face, gazing down at him with his heart in his throat. 

“I was so jealous of your bond with Yeonjun,” Beomgyu says suddenly, eyes still closed. “I know that’s no excuse for how I went after him—and you—but it’s the sweetest thing I ever felt, and I almost couldn’t stop myself. I had to be with you.” He sighs, eyes slitting open again to peer up at him. “You felt like mine …both of you, and it made me crazy to not be part of it. Then I started running out of time, and I was so scared…” 

His fingers tug at Soobin’s shirt again, begging for understanding, and Soobin feels a bit emotional over finally getting to hear and see more of Beomgyu’s heart. He wants to kiss him. 

“You fit us perfectly,” Soobin tells him, needing him to know just how true that is for him. “Maybe you were always supposed to be ours.” 

“Yeah…I can’t believe I’m yours now,” Beomgyu agrees, eyes shimmering with moisture as he smiles a tiny private thing that makes him look so soft and vulnerable.

Soobin can’t take it anymore. 

He gets his hands under Beomgyu’s head and easily lifts him away from his lap, maneuvering them both around until he can stretch himself out on the sofa with Beomgyu clutched tightly in his arms, nestled securely between the back of the couch and his own chest. He fits perfectly. 

Soobin finds his mouth next, brushing their lips together gently to draw out this moment of coming together when it’s warm and safe at last , before he kisses him properly. It’s soft, Beomgyu yielding to him before pulling back just enough to lure him in further and make Soobin chase him. He’s playful and cute, nipping at Soobin’s lips and grabbing his waist while wiggling his whole body around to make Soobin press more firmly and hold him tighter to keep him in place. 

He keeps smiling into the kiss which makes it awkward and knocks their teeth together more than once, but it’s sweet because Beomgyu is literally unable to contain his full-body joy. Soobin loves it—loves him .

It feels so different from kissing Yeonjun who is all sensual and demanding, attacking Soobin with his talented tongue and his possessive fingers because he is the master, not Soobin. Yeonjun leaves him hot and breathless and aching to be taken apart and consumed, teasing him up onto an edge he longs to fall over into purely wild passion, while kissing Beomgyu is sort of like a new and improved version of affectionate wrestling that doesn’t just involve hands and legs, but their mouths and whole bodies. 

By the end of it, Beomgyu finally attempts to get him on his back and straddle him, laughing in between short bouts of kisses, and Soobin has to employ all his strength to twist them around once more and get the hybrid pressed full body into the cushions. He pins him down and captures his mouth with fervor, deepening the kiss properly until Beomgyu has lost the strength to fight back and has gone all pliant and weak. 

The kisses slow down, heartbeats following, and then Soobin finds himself simply nuzzling his face into the crook of Beomgyu’s neck to breathe him in. Arms wrap around his shoulders and one leg hooks around the back of his thigh, and he exhales long and slow.

It feels like a new version of home, here with Beomgyu, and even as he’s acutely aware of the person who is missing right now, he is soothed by the fact that Yeonjun calls them home, too. He’ll return soon once he has done some long-awaited living out in the world he was sheltered away from, and Soobin can hardly wait to welcome him back and learn what he can do to become part of Yeonjun and Beomgyu’s fight. 

There are things he’ll need to do the next day in the meantime, returning to his classes foremost on that list, but he needs to get to campus anyway to see about changing his major starting next term. He can’t get Taehyun’s comment about there not being a proper doctor for hybrids available out of his head, and it has inspired him to want to become that person. 

It’s rather personal for him, but oftentimes that is one of the most powerful motivators. 

He’ll also need to get Kai over for a much needed update and guide him as best he can on how to get involved—because there’s no question Kai will be on it immediately—but above all most importantly, he’ll need to visit the animal control center with Beomgyu. He has to ensure they both receive his ‘ownership’ application, as well as personally check every last box on their list to prove that the Maltese is both bonded and healthy. 

He needs to better understand the current system and who is in charge of it if he is to make any headway with establishing himself in it. He doesn’t have anything to his name yet except a pair of lovely hybrids he needs to protect, but he wants nothing more than to build his life around them and become their biggest supporter. To hold them both inside his heart in a way that’s tangible and someday recognized by the rest of the world.

There’s so much to do in that area that will distract him from worrying about Yeonjun, but he knows it will hardly be enough. He wants Yeonjun home with them, and he wants to show him that he’s serious about being included in all areas of his life. 

So, Soobin is going to join the hybrid’s rebellion and fight with them every last step of the way, but first he is going to let this silly little puppy know that grabbing his ass like that while in this position has the potential to make him go feral.