Work Text:
A/N: 3/26/17 updated and expanded this story, especially the ending!
Kyungsoo couldn’t believe his bad luck. Just a month ago he was a cat hybrid who had it all, a soft bed, all the food he could eat, and a loving owner who let him get away with anything. But all of that had changed overnight. Today, he was a run-of-the-mill stray who slept in the dumpster behind a chinese restaurant. The worst part was Kyungsoo knew the exact moment everything had gone wrong.
It was all because his owner, Chanyeol, had to throw himself a huge birthday party, which he had been obligated to attend being the man’s only pet. Kyungsoo wasn’t social by any means. In that respect his feline side was clearly more dominant. He preferred to be independent, aloof, and to seek others out on the rare occasion that he wanted to be pet or receive attention.
Under the circumstances Kyungsoo felt like he couldn’t be held responsible for his behavior at the party. He had missed two naps getting groomed that morning and after all that work, Chanyeol had let some sticky fingered kid pet him. Who the hell brings a kid to an adult birthday party? He had asked himself while trying to smooth out his matted black fur.
After that, Kyungsoo camped out at the buffet to stress eat until he could go upstairs and give himself a proper bath. He had just polished off the cheese platter when he saw two dog hybrid servants coming out with large, heavy-lidded serving dishes, headed his way. There would be some entertainment to this party after all , he had thought, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
As a pet, Kyungsoo was in a rare position for his kind, and never wasted an opportunity to remind the other hybrids of the differences in their stations. Originally all hybrids were created to be pets for rich people, but it soon became obvious that their human sides were just as dominate and their upkeep would require more than leaving out a bowl of pet food out before they went to work. Because of this, the pet idea was scrapped, and instead hybrids were found to be much more useful as a low wage labor resource instead.
This would have been Kyungsoo’s destiny as well, but when he was delivered as a kitten to work in the house of the hotel mogul who went by the name of Park Chanyeol, he had taken one look at Kyungsoo’s wide innocent eyes and chubby cheeks and declared him too cute for any kind of work. He had proceeded to spoil Kyungsoo shamelessly.
It had taken some getting used to at first, his sudden elevation in status. At first, he had been lonely when the other hybrids snubbed him, angry at him because they were forced to work in the house while he did nothing. As time passed, however, Kyungsoo forgot that it had been just stroke of luck that had gotten him to where he is now, and now that his status had risen, Kyungsoo took every chance that presented itself to flaunt it.
The two rushed past Kyungsoo, trying to refill the food quickly and without interaction with the latter and the trouble that inevitably followed. Kyungsoo crept up behind them soundlessly, overhearing the end of their quiet exchange.
“I hate that asshole. I wish I knew what he was eating so I could spit in it.” He heard the larger of the two whisper. Kyungsoo assumed from the man's long, wrinkled face he was a mastiff breed, or something equally as stupid.
“Hey guys, talking about me?” He asked sweetly, his thick tail swishing with pleasure.
They turned quickly, looking down at him in fear. “Tomorrow you will really think I’m an asshole when I tell Channie to get rid of you, but in the meantime, run along and get me more cheese, will you? We seem to have run out.”
He smiled watching them scurry away, but felt a flash of surprise when he turned around to see a woman standing at the end of the buffet staring directly at him.
Kyungsoo blinked, taking her in. The woman was dark and very thin, with bright green eyes which were narrowed at him. She was dressed a in long, tight black leather dress, standing out from the rest of the party goers in normal suits and slacks. She started walking towards him, and he turned to ignore her, staring at the crowded party while hoping she would take the hint and leave him alone. she stopped next to him anyway.
“Enjoying the party?” She asked politely, taking a sip from her champagne glass.
He noticed she had some kind of light accent, something he couldn’t quite place. He made a noncommittal noise, still not looking at her.
“I don’t get to see pets around very often anymore. How lucky for you.”
He had a strange feeling, as though she was testing him, but shook it off and mumbled a quiet “Thank you,” in reply.
“Thank you? Did you think I was complimenting you? How silly, luck isn’t an achievement,” she chided, smiling down on him condescendingly.
Kyungsoo sighed. Damn it, why do I always get stuck with the weird ones? He asked himself, and started to walk away when she suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Have you ever had your palm read before?” She asked him in an excited voice, opening his small hand. He jerked his hand back slightly but she held her grip, as he was forced to stand there watching. “You’re hands are so human,” she observed, running her fingers over the smooth lines.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t really think-” He started, but she cut off his protest as she jabbed her long nail into his hand.
“This line,” she started, ignoring his protest, her nail tracing a thin, faint line that ran across the top of his hand, “Is your luck line. It’s very long, so you’re very lucky. But even better is that it meets this line.” She indicated a separate line running parallel and intersecting at the end, “this is your life line. It’s also long, and do you see how it connects at the end? This means your luck will span over your entire life.”
“But this line down here, can you see it?” She asked, tapping his palm, “It’s very little so you might not. That’s your heart line. No wonder you’re so selfish. Don’t think I didn’t see your little act with those dogs, treating them so badly. I did wonder why you didn’t feel sorry for them, but I guess it’s not in your nature.” she sighed, continuing to tap the spot.
So that’s what this is about , he thought, losing his temper. She was giving him a hard time because of some dogs? “You don’t know anything,” he argued, annoyed, “Chanyeol chose me out of everyone, I deserve to be here. If anyone is lucky, it’s them. They should be grateful that I even allow them to stay here.” He tried again to pull his hand out of her grasp, but she held tight.
“Is that so?” she asked lightly, still focused on his hand. “Then I think what we need here is a little bit of rearrangement. How about we take this line,” she tapped the small heart line on his palm, “and move it over here.”
Kyungsoo watched, amazed, as the line disappeared from his palm and reappeared running parallel with the other two, intersecting at the opposite end.
“What did you do to me?” Kyungsoo hissed. He pulled away from her again, finally getting his hand free. He rubbed at the new line, trying to figure out how she was doing this.
“I thought it was obvious, I gave you a curse,” she replied, looking pleased with herself.
“What?” Kyungsoo shouted, gaining attention from nearby guests.
“Do you see how your new luck line intersects with your heart line at the beginning there? That means from now on, your luck is meant for someone else. That should teach you how to not be so selfish. Unfortunately, when you add something you have to take something else away, so I’m afraid every time you make someone else lucky it will take a little from the other line that’s connected, your life line.” She said cheerfully, looking up to see the emotions cross Kyungsoo’s face from anger to confusion to alarm. She must have felt a little pity for him, and finished with a brisk, “Sorry, but rules are rules.”
“Make everyone else lucky and die?” He repeated dumbly, trying to make sense of what was happening.
“Well, how about just one other person. That sounds better, doesn’t it?”
“Change it back.” Kyungsoo demanded, his face turning deep red and ears lying flat against his head. He resisted the urge to hiss at her.
“Now why would I do that? You need to learn your lesson.” she chirped, before turning her attention to the trays on the buffet table beside them. “Have you tried these mushrooms yet?” she asked, picking one off the buffet and sniffing it lightly, “They look delectable.”
“I’m sorry about the dog, okay? I’ve learned my lesson, so just fix it,” He begged, giving her his best wide eyed pleading stare that always worked with Chanyeol when he was in trouble.
“Hmmm. There is a way out of it.” she started, and he looked at her hopefully, “but I will let you figure that out for yourself.” She finished cryptically, obviously enjoying taunting him. She picked up another mushroom, flashing him a teasing smile. “It’s late, I must be going. Good luck Kyungsoo.”
Kyungsoo watched her walk away, trying to figure out what in the hell had just happened. Trust Chanyeol to invite some weirdo who went around putting curses on innocent cats to his birthday party. Typical.
X
Kyungsoo woke up the next morning slightly confused. He rolled around in his large bed, stretching. He had strange feeling that something was a little off. He didn’t remember going to bed last night. In fact, the last thing he remembered was...he jerked his hand up, looking closely. The lines were just as she had left them in the wrong places.
Kyungsoo was not usually one to get afraid easily, but he could tell something was going on that was out of his control. He decided the best plan was to ask Chanyeol who the woman was and beg her to reverse this supposed curse. Of course, the whole thing could just be a trick just to scare him. If it was it was definitely working.
He was just about to head downstairs after getting dressed when he noticed something sitting on the table beside his bed. It looked like a lottery ticket, the scratch off kind with its gold foil still intact. Weird, he thought, not remembering seeing it before. He turned it over and saw the words Good Luck Kyungsoo written in cursive, black ink on the back. He could feel the fur standing up on the back of his neck remembering those exact words coming from that woman the night before. Kyungsoo shook his head, shoving the ticket into his pocket. He would worry about this later.
Kyungsoo found Chanyeol sitting at his large mahogany desk hidden behind large stacks of unorganized papers and folders, typing onto his laptop, ignoring him. Kyungsoo rubbed his head against Chanyeol’s arm trying to get his attention before trying to slide into his lap.
“What are you doing?” Chanyeol demanded angrily, standing up quickly and pushing Kyungsoo roughly onto the carpet.
Kyungsoo looked up at him confused. Chanyeol had never spoken to him like this before.
“I don’t know what this is about, but I suggest you get back to work while you still have a job here.” Chanyeol advised, adjusting his jacket and preparing to sit back in his chair.
“Get back to work?” Kyungsoo repeated, confused. “Channie, what are you talking about?”
At this Chanyeol’s face went even darker, and he walked towards his door calling out to his secretary. “Siwon, could you please come get this servant and escort him from the house please?”
Kyungsoo scrambled up from the floor, running over to Chanyeol and grabbing his arm, latching on with his tail as well when Chanyeol started trying to shake him off. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you calling me a servant?” Kyungsoo demanded, his stomach twisting in fear.
Siwon bustled into the office, crossing to Kyungsoo and began to pull him away while Chanyeol watched on, still looking at him with dismay.
“But I’m your pet. Tell him Siwon.” He begged, looking at the secretary desperately.
Siwon looked at him dumbly. “I don’t know you, and I don’t know what this is about, but it’s time to go.” He said, trying again to drag Kyungsoo towards the door.
Kyungsoo panicked, scratching the secretary’s arms and squirming from his grip, freeing himself. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Chanyeol’s legs before continuing in a shaky voice trying to think of anything that could convince him. “I’ve lived with you for 18 years. Your favorite color is black, and...and…you chipped your tooth on a piece of chicken...and” Kyungsoo faltered, trying to think of anything that could convince Chanyeol, “and ummm you have a crush on the fed-ex guy and order packages every day. You-”
“Enough!” Chanyeol’s deep voice boomed through the room as he looked expectantly at his secretary. Siwon grabbed him again, and Kyungsoo was too stunned to fight back this time. What is happening to me? “I don’t know how you know any of those things, but I have never seen you before in my life. If you ever try to come back here again I will call the police, understand?” Chanyeol informed him coldly before turning his back and heading back to his desk. Kyungsoo stared back at him, unable to respond.
Siwon pulled him to the front door, where he stopped and looked at Kyungsoo almost sympathetically. “Here,” He said, shoving a twenty dollar note into Kyungsoo’s hands before pushing him out of the front door and closing it firmly behind him. Kyungsoo heard the sound of the lock clicking with finality, and it suddenly caught up with him what had just happened. First, some crazy witch supposedly cursed him and now Chanyeol couldn’t recognize him and he had been thrown out of his own house.
Couldn't this get any worse? He wondered, and turned around to face the busy street that surrounded Chanyeol’s house in the heart of the city. He realized, yes, yes it could.
X
Kyungsoo just wanted to sleep. It was only mid-morning and he already felt like it had been a long day. Earlier he had gotten harassed by some rag-tag dog pack that accused him of stealing from their territory. He assumed that the stealing was the half-eaten chicken sandwich and their territory was the trash bin he pulled it out of, but suggesting that had not gone well.
He finally made it back to his favorite dumpster, a little bruised and still hungry, and nestled under a small pile of half full garbage bags for warmth. He was just about to doze off when he heard the distinct grating of the side of the dumpster sliding open. Before he could react someone had climbed in, jumping directly on top of him.
The person seemed pretty oblivious that they had just landed on a person, not moving from their spot. He could hear them quickly sliding the metal door back into place, panting loudly from the exertion of whatever they had just been doing.
Kyungsoo struggled to get up, knocking the intruder off balance, and uttered a sharp, pained cry when a knee landed heavily onto his bruised stomach. “Wha-” Kyungsoo started to ask but was quickly cut off when the stranger issued a low shhhh while wrapping a calloused hand over his mouth. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, did this guy really think he was being quiet? He wondered, sinking his sharp canines into the hand.
The man yelped, moving quickly to the opposite corner of the small space. He stooped down shaking his injured hand. “What did you do that for?” the man whispered, sounding offended.
Kyungsoo slowly pulled himself the rest of the way out, stretching his sore limbs and tail before propping his back against the metal wall. He looked over, squinting to get a better look in the darkness. The guy was young, probably around his own age, with brown, messy hair that hung slightly in his dark, almond shaped eyes. He was staring at the bite on his hand, his full lips forming a slight pout at the sight.
“You stepped on me.” Kyungsoo finally responded coldly, not bothering to lower his voice. The deep sound echoed against the walls, causing the man’s head to snap up in fear. He leaned towards the opening, his face concentrated while he listened for any sounds from outside. After a moment he seemed satisfied, and shot Kyungsoo an angry glance.
“It was an accident,” He said, his deep voice still low. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be…” he hesitated, his eyes flicking up to Kyungsoo’s short, black ears and quickly back to his face again, “Uh, living here.” he finished meekly.
“Well now you know,” kyungsoo grumbled, his tail flicking in annoyance. “So feel free to leave.”
“I can’t just yet,” he confessed somewhat sheepishly, “There are some people out there that I really don’t want to find me right now. Hopefully you won’t mind if I stay just a little longer. I am really sorry about bothering you.” He added, easing into a more comfortable sitting position while examining the garbage bags with a slight frown.
Kyungsoo shrugged, yawning. The guy seemed harmless for someone who was being chased. Probably bullies. Kyungsoo concluded, eyeing the man’s light gray suit jacket paired with faded black denim jeans. He looks like an easy target .
“I’m Jongin,” he suddenly announced, avoiding Kyungsoo’s gaze, his fingers nervously twirling a plastic string holding one of the bags closed. “I’ve never met a hybrid before,” he added, flustered.
It was on the tip of Kyungsoo's tongue to tell him that he wasn’t meeting one now, but instead stayed silent. He had already gotten into trouble once today because of his mouth, so it seemed wiser to keep his opinions to himself. At least until he healed, anyway. The wind picked up outside, pushing against the side of the dumpster. Kyungsoo sighed, shivering a little. Winter was getting closer and he still wasn’t getting closer to getting back home.
“What a bad day.” Jongin sighed, drawing his knees up to his chest. "It could’ve been worse though. I was really lucky to have found this dumpster in time. As far as I know, they were right behind me, and I thought for sure they saw me come in here. I don't really know how I got away.”
The word lucky caught Kyungsoo's attention, and he suddenly felt wide awake. He leaned forward, narrowing his dark eyes to give Jongin a closer look. “What did you just say?” Kyungsoo asked slowly.
"Just that I really thought I was gonna get caught.” Jongin repeated, looking a little unsure at the intensity of the question. “Like I said I was being chased, and I really thought they were right behind me. Then I saw this dumpster and something told me to hide in here. Luckily I did because if they caught me...yeah, let’s just say it was a lucky thing I did.” He finished, shivering a little at the thought.
Kyungsoo wasn’t sure yet, but he was finding it hard to believe that Jongin had just found him by chance. At the same time, other things began to become clear, things that hadn’t made sense until just now. It’s as though Kyungsoo could see everything falling into place in front of him and he had to decide whether or not to go through with it. He had been afraid of finding the person who was linked to him by this curse, afraid to set everything in motion, but now that he was here, Kyungsoo felt something closer to relief. Finally something was happening, but he just needed to make sure .
“Why were they chasing you?” Kyungsoo questioned, playing his part.
“I owe them money.” Jongin mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck,embarrassed.
Kyungsoo nodded, pulling out the worn lottery ticket he had been carrying around for the past month out the pocket of his jeans. “Let me guess,” He said, looking down at the small, matching numbers lined up in a row. “Do you owe them ten thousand dollars?”
X
The wind blew briskly against Kyungsoo, slicing through the thin fabric of his wrinkled blue button down shirt as he followed Jongin back to his apartment. He shivered, shoving his hands deeper into the pockets of his jeans while trying keep up with the other. His legs were much shorter than Jongin’s.
The plan had worked. Jongin had agreed to bring Kyungsoo home with him in exchange for that lottery ticket. Kyungsoo was still trying to wrap his head around it all.
More than anything, Kyungsoo was happy to get rid of the thing. At first, right after he had been kicked out, Kyungsoo had remembered the ticket in his pocket and had been relieved, thinking she hadn't really left him out here on his own. He had scratched off the thick gold foil to find himself the lucky jackpot winner of ten thousand dollars, the top prize. I should have known better , he thought as the convenient store clerk accused him of stealing the ticket before attempting to wrestle it away from him. Hybrids, it seemed, weren't allowed to play the lottery.
After that, it hadn’t been very clear to Kyungsoo why she had given him the lottery ticket. He made a few attempts of getting a human to cash it in for him, but humans were wary of hybrids. They seemed to believe the ticket was some sort of fake scam that they were getting set up for, and had chased him away. After that he had given up trying to figure out why she had even given it to him, that is until Jongin had quite literally landed in his lap.
He hadn’t been sure if Jongin would agree to take home in exchange for the ticket though, but he shouldn’t have worried. Jongin seemed to lack the distrust he had seen in the other humans regarding the ticket. In fact, he had been so relieved that there was going to be an end to his problems that he didn’t think too too hard about agreeing to take home a stray he had just met in a dumpster, or why Kyungsoo would even have the ticket to begin with.
At the same time Kyungsoo wasn’t overly thrilled at the idea of living with his own personal death trap. If it were up to him, he would have just given the stupid ticket to Jongin and never see him again, but somehow he had a feeling that that wasn’t a choice. Especially if he wanted to break the curse. His suspicion was that the witch was just trying to scare him, and didn't actually plan to let him die. So he just needed to play along with her game for a little while until she got bored and gave him his life back. He hoped that was the case anyway. Besides, he could really use a bath.
Jongin was walking slightly ahead of him, still talking Kyungsoo noted, his ears flicking with irritation. Kyungsoo hoped this wasn’t a thing with him. Ever since they began walking back Jongin had been filling him in on how difficult his life had been since he had borrowed money from those guys. They had been looking for him everywhere, and had even showed up at one his jobs, which he had been forced to quit. Of course, that made him even further behind on everything, and he was also about to be evicted. Today, he had been out looking for another job when he had run into the very people he had been trying to avoid.
Kyungsoo only half-listened, not very interested in Jongin or stories about his problems. He had watched enough television to know that you can’t borrow money from gangsters and think you can hide from them. It seemed to Kyungsoo he must have gotten stuck with an idiot. I’ll just avoid him, Kyungsoo decided, as they paused at the crosswalk. I ’ll stay in my room until I find the witch . He looked at down at the thin line stretching across his hand, tracing it with his fingertip. Did it look like it was getting smaller? He wasn’t sure.
“I really can’t believe how lucky I was to meet you today,” Jongin beamed at him as the light changed and they began walking again, concluding whatever he had been talking about. The word broke through Kyungsoo’s thoughts.
“Stop saying that,” Kyungsoo demanded suddenly, causing the other to frown.
“Stop saying what?” Jongin paused, turning on the sidewalk to look at Kyungsoo.
“That you’re lucky. There is no such thing as luck,” Kyungsoo snapped, “It was just coincidence, that’s all.”
Jongin stood looking at him a moment longer, a dark look brewing on his face.“What’s your problem?” He finally asked, crossing his arms exasperated. “It’s not like I’m the only l one here getting something out of this. You’re lucky you’re not living in a dumpster anymore.” He emphasized the word, trying to antagonize the other. “So what are you complaining about?”
“It’s your fault I was in there in the first place!” Kyungsoo exploded, pointing an accusing finger at Jongin. It wasn’t as though he didn’t have a home already, a real home, and he would be in it right now if some witch hadn’t wanted him to go around and do this guy favors. So really, it was his fault.
“You’re not even making sense!” Jongin argued, aggravated. He tilted his head, his brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what was wrong with Kyungsoo. “You’re not...you’re not one of those human haters are you? Because I think it’s unfair, what happens to you guys. And we’re going to be living together so...” Jongin trailed off, and Kyungsoo could hear the words so I hope you’re not going to be an asshole left hanging in the air. Jongin turned his back to him then, taking a deep breath before resuming his walk home. Kyungsoo stood there a moment longer before following.
“This is it.” Jongin announced, turning into a large apartment complex. Kyungsoo looked up, realizing he had no idea where he was. He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts he hadn’t been paying attention to the walk at all. The street seemed to be all residential apartments. They were massive, old concrete structures, standing one by one in a row looking uniform and bleak
Jongin led him up the sidewalk to the main entrance, passing through a chain link fence that was no longer standing in sections. There wasn’t much to look at. A few overfilled dumpsters on the side of the building. An empty basketball court beside the parking lot, the pavement cracked. A group of teenagers sat on their car in the parking lot, laughing and talking loud.
Kyungsoo could feel his anxiety rising from being in an unfamiliar place. He was dependant on having a territory, and knew he would feel uncomfortable until one could be established in this new area. He nervously moved closer to Jongin as they walked through the entrance, his tail wrapping around the other’s wrist while he took everything in with wide eyes. Jongin shot him a surprised look, but didn’t say anything.
They climbed up the narrow stairway silently, finally reaching the fifth floor. Jongin reached down and took Kyungsoo’s hand, pulling him through the doorway into the long hall. Kyungsoo’s obvious fear of being out of familiar territory softened Jongin’s earlier frustration toward him, and he tugged along Kyungsoo gently down the dark hallway.
They finally stopped at a wooden door, and Kyungsoo looked around to find a number or anything to mark it and distinguish it from the others while Jongin fished his key from his pocket. He saw a small 508 above the door. Welcome home I guess.
“It’s not much.” Jongin murmured, pushing the door open and walking through. Kyungsoo stepped through the threshold, and stopped again, a sick feeling building up in his gut. The fantasy of having his own room or avoiding Jongin was gone. Jongin, it seemed, lived in a studio apartment.
The room was the size of Kyungsoo’s bathroom at home, with a small refrigerator and stove serving as a kitchen on one side,and a door that led off to what he hoped was the bathroom on the other. There was a small kitchen table set up with a few chairs, a large bookshelf overfilled with paperbacks, and a small, twin bed pushed against the wall with its cover thrown carelessly on the floor beside it. How are we both going to fit?
Jongin walked behind him, shutting the door. “You don’t want to leave the door open around here.” He explained, turning the lock. “I have to go to work now. I work at a restaurant in the evening, so I won’t be back until it’s late. You can just make yourself at home.” Jongin said while taking off his jacket and shirt and throwing them into a large pile of laundry on the floor. He then pulled a red uniform shirt from the same pile, shook it out for a moment and slipped it over his head.
Jongin looked over at Kyungsoo, who still hadn’t moved, following his gaze to the small bed. “Uh, don’t worry about it. We’ll figure something out.” He assured Kyungsoo, throwing on a old, black coat.
“Where’s the television?” Kyungsoo asked suddenly, looking around in case he may have missed the device in the cramped room.
"Oh. I don’t have one. I’m not at home much so…” Jongin trailed off self-consciously. He picked up his keys from the table, shaking them in his as he moved towards the door.
“What about food?” Kyungsoo asked again, eying the tiny stove. He didn’t think it had been used recently judging by the amount of dishes stacked on top of it.
Jongin hesitated again, and Kyungsoo could see the tips of his ears turning red. Kyungsoo sighed, he had a feeling he knew where this was going. “I usually eat at the restaurant where I work. We get a free meal a night.” Jongin explained softly, “I’ll bring you something home though.”
Kyungsoo felt like he was going to explode. Was this some sort of sick joke? “I guess I’ll just give myself a bath then.” Kyungsoo grumbled, wondering if jongin had any clothes that weren't in a pile on the floor that he could change into. Even if he didn’t have TV or food at least he could be clean again.
Jongin stilled, his hand still on the knob, and turned to look at Kyungsoo with a mix of curiosity and confusion. Kyungsoo frowned. “What? You don’t have hot water either?” Kyungsoo groaned, putting his hands on his hips.
“Oh, yeah. I do.” Jongin smiled sheepishly, looking relieved, “I just thought for a minute, when you said give yourself a bath, I thought you meant...you would do it the cat way.” Jongin admitted, laughing at the look of horror Kyungsoo’s face.
Idiot , Kyungsoo reaffirmed watching Jongin finally walk through the door. He turned around to give Kyungsoo one last look, before finally shutting the door with a soft click.
For the second time that day Kyungsoo found himself being woken up by Jongin. He was so comfortable that it took him a minute to figure out where he was. He thought he was back at home, curled up in his own soft bed and safe from curses and witches and strange guys who talked too much. But then he felt it again, a light shake followed by a low “Kyungsoo, wake up. I brought you food,” and he knew it had been too good to be true.
Kyungsoo cracked his eyes open, shivering slightly under the flimsy comforter. He could see Jongin sitting on the edge of the bed, taking off his shoes, a light film of sweat covering his face from running up the stairs. “You should eat, I’m sure you’re hungry. I hope you like spaghetti.” He said, standing up and heading towards the bathroom.
Kyungsoo yawned, wondering how long he had slept for. He could feel his stomach growling and realized that Jongin was right, he was pretty hungry. He had forgotten that his breakfast had been stolen from those stupid dogs. Had that really happened this morning ? He wondered. It felt like too much had changed for it to be the same day.
He rolled out of bed, wrapping the comforter tightly around him and padded over to the small table where Jongin had left a styrofoam container of food. He was shoveling noodles into his mouth when Jongin emerged from the bathroom followed by a cloud of steam. “You look warm.” he grumbled, taking in Jongin’s black sweats and pink skin. “Why is it so cold in here?”
“I can’t really afford to turn on the heat yet.” Jongin explained, frowning as as Kyungsoo groaned at the information. “It’s only November anyway. It’s barely even cold yet. And why aren’t you wearing any clothes? That’s why you’re so cold.” He pointed out, spotting Kyungsoo’s bare shoulders peeking out from the top of the comforter.
“Everything’s dirty,” Kyungsoo complained, waving his fork towards the mountain of laundry.
Jongin sighed, looking over at the pile. “I have a couple of hours off in a few days, we can do it then.” He said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I picked up a lot of extra shifts because I lost my delivery job, so I will be really busy for the next few weeks. But after that I’ll have more time.”
Kyungsoo hummed, pleased Jongin wouldn’t be around much. He figured there would be less ‘incidents’ that way.
“I forgot to tell you the best news though.” Jongin said, suddenly perking up as kyungsoo wrapped the last of the noodles around his fork. “I brought the lottery ticket to the store to get cashed in. They should send me the check in about a week. And it turns out they don’t take any taxes out from winnings that are below fifty thousand, so I get to keep it all. Or the people I owe it to do I guess. But either way I will finally be out of debt, and I owe it all to you.” Jongin beamed, reaching over to ruffle Kyungsoo’s messy hair.
Kyungsoo sat stiffly, glowering at his empty container. Honestly, he would have been happy to double Jongin’s debt if it meant he could just go home, but Jongin looking at him with so much genuine appreciation that it was making him feel a little guilty about that thought.
“I’m going to sleep.” Kyungsoo mumbled standing up and avoiding Jongin’s eyes. He paused beside the bed, unwrapping the blanket and spreading it out. He heard Jongin snickering behind him, and he turned around to see Jongin staring at his shorts.
“Clever.” Jongin complimented him, grinning. “That’s one way to do it I guess.”
Kyungsoo looked down, rolling his eyes before crawling all the way into bed. He had found a stash of Jongin’s boxers in the bathroom that he hoped were clean, but had to put them on backwards so his tail could go through the opening that was meant for the front. He hated regular human clothes. Jongin won’t think it’s so funny when I cut holes in the back of his pants, he huffed, blowing the hair out of his face.
Jongin followed after turning off the light. Kyungsoo watched with wide eyes as he moved towards the bed, bending down to lay down beside him. When Jongin had told him they would figure something out about the bed he thought it meant something like Jongin would sleep somewhere else. Anywhere else. It looked like Jongin had other ideas.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Kyungsoo demanded, scrambling out of bed to look down at the imposing body.
“I’m going to sleep.” Jongin answered, shifting the pillow to get into a more comfortable position.
“You can’t sleep on the bed.” Kyungsoo insisted, “There isn’t enough room for both of us.”
“Sure there is.” Jongin replied with a hint of annoyance.
“But this is my bed, I shouldn’t have to share it. I mean, I did give you ten thousand dollars.” Kyungsoo insisted, starting to shiver a little now that he was outside of the blanket in nothing but boxer shorts. He tried pulling the blanket to wrap it back around him, but Jongin held onto it.
Jongin sighed, looking up at Kyungsoo. “ Look, I appreciate you helping me, I really do. But I have to go back to work in about 6 hours. You can have the bed to yourself then, okay?” He turned his back to Kyungsoo then, pulling the covers higher over his shoulder.
Kyungsoo stood silent for a minute, his tail swishing behind him angrily while he tried to figure out what to do, and getting colder by the second. He had never shared a bed before, well at least not as an adult. He looked over at the laundry pile for a minute considering sleeping in it, but quickly decided against it. It was hard to go back to being uncomfortable like that when he didn’t have to. And after what he did to help Jongin, he should get the bed. It was only fair.
He slowly climbed back into bed, careful not to touch Jongin. He didn’t know how he was going to get comfortable because his usual sleeping position was to roll up into a ball, which was never going to work. He couldn’t lay on his back because of his tail so he settled for laying on his side, facing Jongin’s back. He could hear the latter’s breath coming out in short puffs, already asleep. He forced his eyes closed, missing his king sized bed at Chanyeol’s house. Hell, he even had more space than this in his dumpster. This was some serious bullshit.
It didn’t seem long to Kyungsoo at all before he woke up, confused again. He was warm, so warm, and appeared to be laying on top of something solid, yet soft. He opened his eyes, blinking to adjust to the dark and was alarmed to find his face plastered against Jongin’s bare chest. He raised his head to find himself sprawled completely on top of Jongin, their legs tangled, and Jongin’s arms secure around his back. He sucked in a breath and Jongin’s woody scent filled his senses. Suddenly he felt a different kind of heat rush through his body as his heart beat wildly.
Panicked, Kyungsoo quickly pulled away and scrambled back to his side, practically hanging off the edge to avoid touching Jongin. Jongin stirred from the movement, turning on his side to face Kyungsoo in the dark but stayed asleep. What was that? He wondered, trying to calm his body down. He was already missing the warmth.
Kyungsoo knew he wasn’t very educated when it came to hybrids and mating. He had never been even remotely attracted to anyone, so he hadn’t given the ordeal much thought. He couldn’t help but to find it a little suspicious that he was feeling this way now towards Jongin. Well, Kyungsoo reasoned, anyone would be lucky if I liked them, so it kind of makes sense.
But aside from that obvious fact, it still seemed a little too coincidental. He vaguely remembered the witch saying something about making his heart line longer. He had no idea what that line did but it sounded like it was related. He wished Jongin had access to the internet like a normal person so he could find out. Either way, it seemed to him the best thing to do was to ignore his body and Jongin, and go back to sleep. This situation was only temporary, anyway.
X
Living together took adjustment. Kyungsoo was expecting things to be a lot different. More like Chanyeol’s house and a little less like his stint in the dumpster. He had assumed that after he gave Jongin that lottery ticket all of his problems would be solved and he would shower Kyungsoo is gifts of appreciation. He was so wrong.
It turned out that Jongin was behind on all kinds of bills because of losing his third job, and couldn’t spend any money until he got caught up. To Kyungsoo, this translated to a lot of suffering and complaining.
And there was a lot of things for Kyungsoo to complain about.
The first problem came with the dropping temperature. Kyungsoo knew that as a cat, he preferred the air to be warmer than humans enjoyed, but this was ridiculous. It wasn’t fair for Jongin to refuse to turn on the heat and make him freeze while he was off at his cozy workplace.
It didn’t take long before Kyungsoo decided to take matters into his own hands. This was his apartment now too, wasn’t it? Hadn’t Jongin told him to make himself at home? At home he liked it to be 80 degrees. It had only taken him about five minutes to find the little control box and set the temperature, and about an hour for him to be comfortable enough to fall asleep without the blanket on.
He hadn’t really expected to wake up to find Jongin towering over him after stopping at home between shifts, demanding to know what he had done.
“What are you talking about?” Kyungsoo answered, still groggy and a little distracted. His stomach did a little nervous flip at seeing Jongin after what had happened during the night, and he wasn’t quite sure how to act.
Jongin stalked over to the thermostat, pushing the little knob back to its original position. He stood there for a minute, his back to Kyungsoo, massaging his temples. When he turned around, his body was still tense. “Listen Kyungsoo, I told you I can’t afford the heat. If you keep doing this we won’t have any electricity next month and then it will be really cold.” Jongin explained slowly, like he was talking to a child.
Kyungsoo had simply stared at Jongin his black ears twitching as the words next month played back. Was he still going to be here next month? He hoped not. He nodded along to Jongin’s expected face however, as though he agreed. Jongin relaxed, presenting him with a box of fried chicken from the chicken restaurant he worked at during the day before changing his uniform and heading out again. As soon as he left, Kyungsoo got up and readjusted the heat again. He decided to give Jongin a break and only turned it up to 75. He wasn’t that heartless.
It was the next afternoon when Jongin opened the door struggling with a bulky cardboard box, depositing it in the middle of the room. He sat on the hardwood floor beside it and began attempting to pry open the stapled flaps while excitly telling Kyungsoo that today had been his lucky day. He had entered a drawing at the department store next door to his work and had won the third prize. The prize, coincidently, was an efficiency heater. The kind that took almost no electricity.
Jongin confessed he had been feeling guilty over not being able to make Kyungsoo comfortable and had been trying to figure out what to do, so he had felt especially lucky to have won it. He finally wrestled the flaps free, pulling out the small unit and looking immensely pleased with himself.
Kyungsoo gritted his teeth, not feeling quite as fortunate. He didn’t want anything to do with Jongin’s lucky heater, whether he had asked for it or not. When Jongin left soon after Kyungsoo marched over to the cursed heater, yanking the plug from the wall. Jongin had a perfectly good heater attached to his apartment, why should he lose some of his life for a cheaper one? It seemed like the witch was just trying to piss him off.
When he went back over to the thermostat, however, he was confused. The sliding knob he used to adjust the temperature was missing. As far as he could tell Jongin had removed it without telling him, making it so he couldn’t change the temperature at all.
Frustration welled up in him, and he stomped back to bed, pulling the cover up over his head. He hadn’t expected Jongin to be so...sneaky. He couldn’t help but to be a little bit impressed. By the end of the day he gave in and plugged the new unit in. He had to admit, it was a lot better.
The next problem that came up was the food. Kyungsoo was used to a lot more variety. At Chanyeol’s Kyungsoo had his own personal chef, and could request a dish any time of the day or night and have it prepared. He really liked to eat.
Because Jongin worked at a chicken restaurant during the day and an Italian restaurant at night, Kyungsoo’s meals began to consist solely of fried chicken and spaghetti. He was sick of it. There had to be other things on the menu where Jongin worked.
He had been at Jongin’s apartment for a week now and they hadn’t seen the other in a few days. Jongin hadn’t been waking Kyungsoo up when he came home, instead leaving his food in the refrigerator and either leaving again or slipping quietly into bed.
Kyungsoo, thankfully, hadn’t woken up in the night again. Whatever had happened the first night must have been a fluke, some kind of confusion on Kyungsoo’s part from being asleep. Nothing for him to worry about.
Kyungsoo decided he had had enough when he opened the refrigerator and found spaghetti. For the seventh day in a row. He was going to have to talk to Jongin about this. The problem was staying awake until Jongin got home.
He was propped up against the wall near the front door reading one of Jongin’s old fantasy paperbacks when he heard the outside click of the lock being turned, and looked up as Jongin slipped quietly inside. He let out a loud yelp seeing Kyungsoo sitting there, expecting him to be asleep in bed as usual.
Jongin laughed, his hand over his chest, shaking his head. “You scared me. What are you doing sitting there?” He asked, closing the door and leaning down to hand Kyungsoo the cardboard box of fried chicken.
Kyungsoo, distracted by Jongin’s face smiling down at him, reached up and accepted the box. He hadn’t noticed before what a nice smile Jongin had, so genuinely sweet with a little bit of shyness. Soon though, it turned to a look of confusion when Kyungsoo still didn’t speak. He was still staring at Jongin with his mouth partially open.
“Are you okay?” Jongin asked, bending down to study Kyungsoo’s face, placing a hand on his forehead. Kyungsoo jerked away, scrambling to stand up and put some distance between them. Taking a deep breath, he realized that he was still clutching the box of chicken. The haze was slowly beginning to clear.
“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo murmured, avoiding Jongin’s eye. “I was waiting for you.” He said, his voice getting a little firmer.
“What’s up?” Jongin asked, now going through his routine of getting ready for work. Kyungsoo turned away quickly when Jongin began unbuttoning his pants, trying to focus.
“It’s this.” Kyungsoo replied, holding up the box of chicken without looking behind him. He could hear the fabric of the pants landing on the floor, and Jongin rustling around, probably bending over the find a new pair. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to focus. “I’m sick of chicken. And spaghetti. Bring me something different to eat.” Kyungsoo demanded, embarrassment making him lash out a little.
“I can’t. Those are the things I get for free. If it makes you feel any better that’s all I’ve been eating for months.” Jongin said, walking to the door to pull on his shoes. “I get paid on Thursday, we can go to the grocery store then. Okay?”
“No, it’s not okay.” Kyungsoo insisted, his lip jutting out slightly. Why couldn’t Jongin ever say yes to him?
Jongin laughed, shaking his head at Kyungsoo. “You’re so cute when you’re upset, it’s really like watching an angry kitten. See you later Kyungsoo.” He said, heading out the door still laughing to himself a little.
Kyungsoo stomped his feet, resisting the urge to scream. How could Jongin make him feel so flustered and so angry at the same time? It wasn’t fair. What if I refuse to eat anything until he brings me something different? Kyungsoo wondered, calculating. He wouldn’t let me starve to death, would he? He looked at the box still in his hands, the oil beginning to seep through and coat his fingers, the smell of fried meat overpowering his will. Maybe starving himself wasn’t that great of an idea after all.
The same night Jongin came home later than usual, carrying two large plastic bags loaded with styrofoam take out boxes. Someone had placed a large to go order, Jongin had explained while unpacking the containers, opening one of the lids to reveal baked fish and another that contained some sort of shrimp pasta dish. They had called after everything had been cooked and cancelled the order, and the restaurant had let Jongin take it home rather than throw it all in the trash.
Kyungsoo’s mouth watered. He missed fish. He was reaching for the coveted item when Jongin continued saying, “I was really lucky to get it, too, because I was supposed to have already left. But my coworker asked me to switch with him last minute and close so he could go out.” Jongin smiled broadly at Kyungsoo before heading over to collect plates and silverware from the cabinet.
Kyungsoo froze, feeling suddenly ill. He couldn’t believe that he had just lost some of his life for free food. And judging by the amount of oil he could see pooling on the bottom of the container it wasn’t even well cooked food. He didn’t want anything to do with it. Instead Kyungsoo locked himself inside the bathroom, taking a long hot bath so he wouldn’t have to smell the delicious aroma that had taken over the apartment.
Jongin was confused in the sudden shift in attitude, especially after his demands earlier that day. He could only guess that Kyungsoo was rejecting it because it was free, but even that didn’t add up because everything else Jongin brought home was free as well. He couldn’t help but to get a little angry since he had gone through all that effort just to please Kyungsoo. What was his problem? Still, Jongin stacked a few of the dishes into the small refrigerator for him. Kyungsoo didn’t eat dinner that night.
The next day when Jongin came home during his shift change he didn’t have his usual paper box of fried chicken, or any box at all for that matter. “You have food in the refrigerator.” Jongin informed him coolly when Kyungsoo asked where his lunch was. “So there isn’t any point in me bringing you more until you eat that.”
Jongin, he was beginning to realize, might not be such a big idiot after all. He was certainly smarter than Kyungsoo had originally given him credit for. It only took a couple of hours before Kyungsoo caved in. He had been wrong. The fish was cooked perfectly.
X
Kyungsoo was so bored. He had been at Jongin’s for two weeks now and being confined in the small room was beginning to wear on him a little. He could only sleep for so long. He had been a housecat at Chanyeol’s too, never going outside, but there there was stuff to do. Television, video games, staff to annoy, multiple rooms to sleep in.
At Jongin’s there was nothing but books. He had been going through Jongin’s massive paperback collection of mostly young adult fantasy books, but even that had been getting a little dull. He was so desperate for entertainment he found himself getting excited about Jongin being off of work tonight, promising to finally take Kyungsoo to the grocery store. It was sad that this is what his life had come to, but he would take what he could get.
Kyungsoo would admit that he was also slightly nervous about the prospect of spending time with Jongin. Not because of potential lucky events though. He wasn’t afraid of those anymore. After two weeks of intense hand staring he began to notice a pattern of sorts. It seemed that the line was disappearing in small even amounts every day. It was more like the line was a timer, a countdown to an end rather than disappearing after each lucky event. At the rate it was disappearing, Kyungsoo figured he had a few months before anything significant happened, so he relaxed a lot. Surely she was going to come for him before then. Now it seemed like a waste not to get free stuff if he was going to lose the line over time anyway. He thought about trying to talk Jongin into going to a casino, but he was afraid of it backfiring on him. Things tended to do that these days.
No, what was making Kyungsoo nervous was that Jongin was, well, Jongin. This would be the first time they would spend real time together while awake since Kyungsoo had moved in, and Kyungsoo didn’t really feel like he had a firm handle on what was happening between them yet. But judging from the knots in his stomach he was also excited. He hoped that was just from the idea of doing something other than laying in bed all day, and not because of Jongin as well.
By the time Jongin had gotten home Kyungsoo had exhausted himself worrying and waiting, and had fallen asleep on the bed with his head resting on his knees. He jumped slightly when Jongin reached down to scratch behind his ears, waking him up.
“You look ready to go.” Jongin teased, taking off his jacket.
“I don’t have anything to wear.” Kyungsoo mumbled sleepily, stretching his cramped limbs. “My clothes smell too bad.” He had tried putting on the soiled outfit after his bath and only to take it right back off again, followed by another bath. He couldn’t believe he had smelled that bad.
“Here.” Jongin said, pulling out a pair of black sweats off the side of the laundry pile and tossing it in Kyungsoo’s direction. He watched it land on the bed beside him in a heap, wrinkling his nose. “I only wore it once.” Jongin assured him, heading to the bathroom.
Kyungsoo picked up the clothes, sniffing them to find out if Jongin was telling the truth or not. The scent was pure Jongin. He couldn’t stop from inhaling deeply, the woody and slightly musky scent causing Kyungsoo’s brain to short circuit. He pressed his legs together, suppressing the urge to breathe in again. He didn’t know how he was going to walk around in that. But the prospect excited him as well, because that’s exactly what he wanted right then, Jongin’s scent all over his body. Kyungsoo slowly pulled the oversized sweatshirt over his head, exhaling as traveled down his body.
When Jongin returned he couldn’t help but grin at the sight of Kyungsoo swimming in his shirt, making his frame look even smaller. “So cute. Come here and I’ll help you.” He pulled Kyungsoo up to his feet and began rolling up the thick sleeves of the shirt. “Where’s the pants?” Jongin asked, finally looking at Kyungsoo and noticing the thin sheen of sweat on the hybrids face, his pupils dilated. Kyungsoo stared back at him, shrugging his shoulders, slightly dazed.
Jongin froze, the air around them getting thicker. Finally, Kyungsoo exhaled, not realizing he had been holding his breath, and Jongin finally looked away, clearing this throat. “I think you’ve been sitting in front of the heater too long.” He commented, his voice a little deeper. He reached down and picked up the bottoms, putting some space between them. “I’ll just go make a hole in these for your tail.”
Kyungsoo stumbled to the bathroom to splash water on his face, trying to pull himself back together. He looked up at his reflection in the scratched mirror, His eyes bright and patches of red still staining his neck and cheeks. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all .
“I haven’t been to the grocery store in forever.” Jongin confided as the trudged down the staircase to his apartment. Kyungsoo walked a few steps behind him, running his tail along the wooden handrailing as he followed. He still needed a little extra support. Jongin had stopped in front of him, and Kyungsoo, not paying attention ran into his back causing them to both jerk forward a little bit. He looked around, trying to figure out why they stopped.
“I was just coming up to see you, Jongin.” Kyungsoo perked up at the gruff sound. He peeked around Jongin to see a stout old grandmother blocking the stairway in front of them, her hands on her hips.
“Tomorrow.” Jongin pleaded, and Kyungsoo became more alert at the desperate sound in his voice. “I’ll get paid again tomorrow, but I can give you half today.”
“You’re already behind Jongin. You said tomorrow a few weeks ago, too. I want the money now, or you can find another apartment.” The woman insisted, her brisque manner not allowing for any argument.
“I really will have it tomorrow, though. I promise. You can’t put me out right now.” Jongin insisted, looking back nervously at Kyungsoo. The woman followed Jongin’s gaze, her piercing eyes narrowing as she stared into him.
“Who’s this?” She asked, pushing past Jongin to prop herself up on the step beside Kyungsoo.
“This is my...uh...This is Kyungsoo. He’s staying with me for a little while” Jongin responded weakly, shuffling his feet nervously.
She was silent for a minute, regarding Kyungsoo closely. “You’re a beautiful kitty aren’t you?” She finally asked sweetly, the previous gruffness gone. “Can I pet you?” She asked, her hand already extending towards Kyungsoo’s ears. He bent forward a little, pushing against her hand while starting up a loud purr. He knew how to deal with cat people. Jongin was so going to owe him for this.
“I have three cats at home. I wish I could take you home with me too.” She continued in her sappy voice, moving down to scratch his back through the thick sweatshirt. “But I just don’t have the room. I let that good for nothing grandson of mine move in. Big mistake. He does nothing but play video games all day. Acts like I’m interrupting him if I ask him to get me a goddamned glass of water. And he never puts enough ice in it. Useless.” She sighed, cursing her bad luck.
Finally she turned back to Jongin, who was looking both fascinated and terrified at what was happening in front of him. He jerked to attention, ready to resume his pleading.
“You’re doing a good thing, Jongin, helping this little guy out, so I’ll cut you a some slack. How about we forget about what you owe me, but you better be on time next month.” she emphasized, shaking a weathered finger at him. “Now make sure you bring kitty to visit me some, too. I think my grandson might have some things that fit him better. God knows he has too many clothes.”
Jongin choked a little before letting out of string of agreements and thank yous, simultaneously bobbing his head in agreement.
“I have to go give it to apartment 250 now. I don’t think they have a hybrid hiding behind their back.” She chuckled, giving Kyungsoo’s head one last pat before turning around and slowly descending back down the stairs. It was another minute before they followed, Jongin’s excitement palpable.
“I can’t believe it.” He cried, walking in a daze, not looking where he was going. Kyungsoo pushed open the heavy front door, pulling Jongin into the bright sunlight. He was going to have to snap out of it soon, though, because Kyungsoo had no idea what direction they were supposed to go in.
“Which way are we going?” Kyungsoo asked, shaking Jongin’s arm a little. Jongin looked at him, confused before glancing around the courtyard, taking a moment to remember what they were originally doing. “This way.” He said eventually, turning left. Kyungsoo fell into step on the sidewalk beside him. It was a beautiful day, the temperature unusually warm for how late it was in the season. Kyungsoo felt lighter than he had in awhile. It was nice to be outside.
Jongin reached down, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hand and swinging it between them playfully. “I just can’t believe it.” He repeated, a little breathlessly. Kyungsoo jerked his hand back quickly, but Jongin was too far gone to notice. “That was just so lucky that she was so...into cats. I can’t believe she isn’t going to make me pay what I owe. That’s just...amazing. It was all because of you. I finally paid off my debt this week and now this. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.” Jongin exhaled, looking at Kyungsoo with admiration.
Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to feel pleased with Jongin’s praise, his tail swishing in satisfaction. He had to admit that he liked that it was him that made Jongin so happy.
Jongin became quiet, still throwing little looks in Kyungsoo’s direction from time to time. They were headed out of the residential area, passing clothing shops and cafes. Kyungsoo started getting tired, wondering how much further the market was.
“I really owe you, don’t I? I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Jongin finally said, regarding him thoughtfully. “Let’s go out. We should celebrate, shouldn’t we?” He asked, his mood suddenly shifting, the excitement building in his voice. “I know exactly where we should go.” Jongin looked around for a minute, getting his bearings before turning them into an alleyway. Kyungsoo followed a little tentatively, not sure where Jongin was taking them.
The came out onto a busier street, one that Kyungsoo actually recognized. There were bright colored food stalls crammed in rows, each with their own crowds gathering up to the street. Pedestrians tried to weave their way through them, rushing to get their own meal on their limited lunch break. The smell of the different food combining assaulted Kyungsoo, making him dizzy. This was more like it.
Jongin started walking again, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hand to not lose him in the thick crowds. Kyungsoo didn’t pull away this time, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of the warm palm pressed against his own for just a moment. He stumbled a little, trying to keep up while looking at the piles of fish cakes and bags of fried squid as they threaded their way down the street.
When they had reached the end without stopping Kyungsoo became alarmed. He hoped that this wasn’t some shortcut to the grocery store and Jongin hadn’t just dragged him past all that delicious food for nothing. Hell no. He was finally going to get his way or else Jongin was going to have to find himself a new lucky cat. That was final.
Jongin continued to tug Kyungsoo’s hand, though, and he was about to dig in his feet when Jongin said “It’s just a little further,” over his shoulder, as though sensing Kyungsoo’s hesitation to leave the area. They finally stopped in front of a modern looking building sitting independently on the corner. It was obviously some kind of restaurant even though the ambiguous one word name Hugo’s emblazoned on the front didn’t give any indication of what kind of food it was. the windows were draped with banners advertising low prices and a large menu. Kyungsoo looked at Jongin skeptically before asking “You’re not taking me out for spaghetti are you?”
Jongin laughed, shaking his head and finally dropping Kyungsoo’s hand to pull open the door, pausing for Kyungsoo to walk in before him. The restaurant was busy, filled with families sitting in large, orange booths while small, domed plates filled with a single food item flowed past on a conveyor beside the tables. A sushi restaurant. Kyungsoo could kiss Jongin. Sushi was his favorite.
As they approached the teenager slouching behind the host stand Kyungsoo started getting a little self-conscious. She looked him up and down, her face forming a scowl. He could feel his ears flattening against his head, his cheeks turning red as he shuffled a little behind Jongin. This was the normal reaction to hybrids, not the one he had gotten from the landlord, but he still wasn’t used to it being directed at him. Others in Chanyeol’s house, yes. Him, never. At least, not until he had gotten kicked out.
Jongin approached the hostess, politely asking for a table for the two of them. After a moment's hesitation she directed them to a table in the back of the restaurant, away from the rest of the families. As they slid into the vinyl seats, Jongin looked at Kyungsoo a little anxiously. “The service might not be great, but the food here is really good. I used to come here all the time with my mom.”
Kyungsoo nodded distractedly, his eyes following each new plate as it passed by the table. “Have you ever been somewhere like this before?” Jongin asked him, watching him in amusement.
Kyungsoo shook his head. He had never been inside a restaurant before period. Besides, they had a chef at home that could make anything he asked for, why go out? Kyungsoo wondered briefly if Chanyeol would have ever taken him out if he asked him to. He was starting to doubt it.
“I only have about twenty dollars to spend here, so that’s ten dollars apiece. But don’t worry, most stuff here is only a dollar anyway, so we can eat a lot.” Jongin explained, pointing at the prices and names of the food stickered to the top of the domes. “This is what you do,” Jongin started, pulling himself up a little to get a good look at what was heading towards them. Because of being in the back of the restaurant a lot of the domes were already empty when they passed, most of the cheaper items already gone. Jongin’s eyes lit up, spotting his dish coming their way. “Just push the top open and pull it out.” He demonstrated, retrieving the plate smoothly. He looked down eagerly at his prize. Chicken katsu.
“Did you really just get fried chicken?” Kyungsoo asked, raising his eyebrows. “Didn’t you say that you’ve been eating it longer than me?”
“It’s different. It tastes different.” Jongin defended, pulling out a fork from the box on the end of the table. “This was always the first thing I would get when I used to come here with my mom. It was my favorite, so…” He trailed off before trying to fit the whole piece in his mouth at once. “It’s so good. It’s been so long.” He said, practically moaning around his mouthful.
Kyungsoo shook his head at him, turning back to choose his own plate. He watched the lobster with a five dollar price tag speed by, resisting the urge to grab it. Damn Jongin with his budget always ruining everything , he grumbled to himself. He pulled himself up to his knees, his tail swishing in concentration while trying to get a good look of what was coming from a distance. After a minute he spotted a dollar price tag that read flounder. Finally.
He copied Jongin, grabbing the little plate with ease. Jongin was looking at him a little funny, his face turning serious. “That’s what my mom would always get first. I would get the chicken, and she would get the flounder.” He explained, smiling a little sadly.
Kyungsoo hesitated, looking down at the two juicy white strips attached to small rice balls, feeling as though he may have made a mistake. He realized for the first time that he didn’t actually know anything about Jongin.
“It’s better with the sauce.” Jongin explained, breaking him out of his thoughts and pouring soy sauce from the little bottle along the back of the fish. “Try it.” He suggested, his smile returning.
Kyungsoo picked up the bundle, hesitantly taking a bite before shoving the rest in his mouth. It was good . “See, I told you.” Jongin said, while Kyungsoo nodded, finishing the second piece.
“So, Where does your mom live now?” ” Kyungsoo asked after they finished, his curiosity now piqued. It seemed strange he never mentioned her before, and even stranger she wasn’t around helping Jongin out more.
“She passed away a few years ago.” He answered quietly, keeping his eyes on the passing domes. “It was a car accident.” He finished, pulling down another plate. Squid this time, with a green ribbon of seaweed around the middle.
Kyungsoo pulled down the same thing, as well as a plate of shrimp to keep himself busy in the now heavy atmosphere. He should have known better than to ask.
“Anyway,” Jongin started, pouring himself some water from the pitcher on the side of the table, “We used to come here on her paydays, every two weeks, and pick out five things each. Because after five plates, you get to play a game.” Jongin explained, pointing to an opening attached to the side of the table that looked like a mail chute.
“This is the best part.” Jongin confirmed, now grinning at Kyungsoo’s confused face. He took one of the empty plates and pushed it into the chute, causing the television above them to come to life. An animated rooster jumped around on screen, announcing they had entered one plate. “When you put in five it gives you a chance to win a prize. And one of the prizes is a free meal!”
Kyungsoo didn’t hesitate to drop in his three plates, having a feeling that for the first time Jongin was probably going to win that free meal. He couldn’t help but to gloat a little, thinking of how it was him that was going to make Jongin’s dream come true. He looked up at Jongin, his squid still sitting untouched on his plate.
Jongin laughed at Kyungsoo’s impatient expression, popping the morsel into his mouth. “Don’t get too excited though, we came here for years and I never saw anyone win. It’s just a trick to get you to buy more food.” He finally pushed the last plate through and they turned to watch the screen in anticipation.
An animated slot machine appeared on the screen, spinning different food items. Jongin pointed out the full plate as the one they wanted. I’ll show you rigged , Kyungsoo thought, smirking to himself. He was surprised, though, when the first slot stopped on a picture of a fish, followed by a chicken. Finally the plate appeared, mocking them alongside the animated chicken who came back to announce their loss.
“What the hell?” Kyungsoo burst out, unable to control himself.
“I told you no one wins.” Jongin laughed, his attention already back to the food.
“But I’m lucky,” Kyungsoo pouted, pointing to himself.
“You are lucky,” Jongin agreed, obviously humoring him, “But I think we already used that up today with the landlord? We can’t be greedy.” He pulled down another flounder and placed it in front of Kyungsoo, pouring on the sauce.
That made Kyungsoo pause. Even though Jongin had no idea what he was talking about, he could still be right. He racked his brain trying to remember other times when Jongin was lucky twice in the same day. He hadn’t really been paying attention. Next time I’ll make sure to bring us on a day we can win, Kyungsoo decided, sighing in defeat.
Jongin pulled down another chicken katsu, ignoring Kyungsoo’s remarks while he cut it into smaller pieces. “It really is different from the other fried chicken. Here, try it.” He said, picking up a smaller piece with his fingers and reaching over to pop it into Kyungsoo’s mouth. Kyungsoo hesitated, opening his mouth while Jongin’s fingers brushed his lips slightly, popping the meat inside.
Jongin leaned back, looking at him expectantly while he sucked the remains of the breading and grease from the same fingers, causing Kyungsoo to choke on what he was eating. He coughed violently while Jongin quickly hopped up to aid him. “I’m okay,” He choked out, trying to push Jongin back to a safe distance, his face scarlet, “It just went down the wrong tube.”
Jongin sat back on his side, watching him closely. “I get the hint,” He finally said, shaking his head, “No more fried chicken.”
“That was fun,” Jongin said, holding open the door for Kyungsoo to walk back onto the pavement. “Now we have a new tradition. We can come here on paydays too. I mean, if you liked it.” Jongin backpedaled, now looking unsure.
Kyungsoo nodded sleepily, feeling sluggish and tired after the meal. “Next time we’ll win too.” Kyungsoo added, yawning. He followed Jongin slowly, half listening while he told Kyungsoo stories of the times they almost won. It occurred to him that it was probably not a good idea to be making future plans with Jongin like this. There might not even be a next time.
Maybe there could be one, though. What if when this was all over he and Jongin could still be friends? He was getting excited about the possibility, perking up a little. It’s not like Chanyeol didn’t let him leave the house, he just never wanted to. He could still meet Jongin for sushi. Like a date. As soon as he had that thought another one took its place. I probably won’t even like Jongin when this is over. The line will be gone, he reminded himself, shaking his head before the last, most unsettling thought popped into his mind. And he probably doesn’t like me anyway.
X
“You will never believe what happened to me today.” Jongin started, looking over his shoulder at Kyungsoo while struggling to carry his plastic garbage bag of laundry as they walked down the hallway. It had been a few days now since the they went to the grocery store and and they were finally going to do laundry. Jongin wasn’t very particular when it came to clothes.
Kyungsoo trudged silently behind him, rolling his eyes. Recently things started happening to Jongin. Like all the time. The once a day theory was definitely out the window.
But it wasn’t exactly how Kyungsoo had expected things would go. For some reason, Kyungsoo had assumed that Jongin getting lucky all the time would equal grand, fantastic things. More like winning the lottery, less like free takeout. Seems he didn’t really know how these things worked.
Lately Jongin had been coming home with so many stories about ‘how lucky he was’ to have the most mundane things happen to him that Kyungsoo was starting to feel a little bit sorry for him. Like catching a bus that didn’t make any stops when he was late or that the rain stopped right when he left work. All of those things could have easily happened by coincidence. It was hard for Kyungsoo to believe this was what someone would really call luck.
That wasn’t the only thing to change since their outing. Jongin started working less hours, especially in the morning, leaving them together for hours at home in the afternoon. This was usually when he would tell Kyungsoo stories of the lucky things that had happened during his day, along with stories about his crazy customers and coworkers. Other times they would talk about whatever book of Jongin’s Kyungsoo was reading, arguing about plot holes and favorite characters. It was the closest thing Kyungsoo had to television. He welcomed the change.
It still alarmed Kyungsoo, however, that he was becoming so comfortable around Jongin. He was still convinced it was the curse causing his attraction, but that was easy to forget when Jongin flashed him an easy smile or combed his fingers through Kyungsoo’s hair while he was scratching behind his ears. Then he would hear himself laughing along to some dumb joke Jongin would make and remember why he was really there, causing him to get angry with himself. Jongin was always confused when that happened, but always gave Kyungsoo space during his mood swings. As much as he could in a one room apartment, anyway.
Today it had been particularly difficult. When Kyungsoo had woken up this morning he was on his side with Jongin behind him, his hard chest flush against Kyungsoo’s back, Jongin’s hot breath hitting the back of his neck. Kyungsoo had shivered at the sensation and Jongin stirred, his arms instinctively tightening, pulling Kyungsoo closer to him. Heat traveled down his body, and he pressed his thighs together attempting to stop what was happening down there. It was no use.
Kyungsoo remained still with his eyes squeezed shut until Jongin had finally woken up. He had gently untangled himself from Kyungsoo, easing out of bed and heading to the bathroom. When Kyungsoo heard the water to the shower turn on he finally exhaled, flopping over to his stomach with a groan. He wondered about Jongin’s easy reaction to their positioning, and how many times the other actually woke up to them in that position.
Hearing the faucet turn off shook his head, rolling out of bed, affirming that today he would do better distancing himself from Jongin.
But he sure doesn’t make it easy Kyungsoo thought watching Jongin’s lean figure tread down the stairs, his hips swaying slightly and his threadbare jeans hugging him just right.
They turned to walk down a hallway on the first floor, and Jongin paused his story in front of a propped open door to the laundry room, turning to check on him. Kyungsoo, who had been too busy checking out Jongin’s ass to listen to his story, froze. He lifted his eyes back up to see a look of awareness cross Jongin's face. He was caught.
Kyungsoo could feel the blood pumping into his face, his entire body turning hot in embarrassment. “Kyungsoo what are you-” Jongin started to ask but was cut off by an excited cry of “Jongin, is that you?” from inside the room they were positioned in front of. Kyungsoo let out a sigh of relief when Jongin turned his head towards the call.
“Oh, hi Soojung,” Jongin said politely while walking through the entrance and leaving Kyungsoo standing alone in the hallway. It was Kyungsoo who felt lucky this time, he had no idea how he would have explained that. He took a few breaths and readjusted the bag in his arms to partially cover his blushing face and followed Jongin into the small room.
“Long time no see.” the girl was saying in her husky voice. Kyungsoo looked over his bag to see the small figure approaching Jongin. Jongin smiled, lowering his bag down next to a small row of washing machines. She was pretty, in a girl next door kind of way. She was a little dressed up to be doing laundry Kyungsoo thought, taking in her tight black pants and blouse that showed just a hint of her shoulders. Kyungsoo looked down, feeling suddenly self conscious in Jongin’s oversized sweats.
“Yeah,” Jongin agreed, turning around to pluck the bag from Kyungsoo’s hands and place it beside his while not meeting his eyes. Kyungsoo suddenly felt more alert. Was Jongin nervous?
“What have you been up to? I feel like I haven’t seen you in at least a month? You never seem to make it over for dinner anymore.” She complained, moving closer to Jongin and leaning on the machine beside him, their arms brushing slightly.
Jongin shrugged, moving away a little. “Busy with work I guess.” He commented, pushing the laundry bag with the toe of his shoe. Kyungsoo had a sick feeling he had seen this scene before in a drama, the nervous couple meeting coincidently in the laundry room. He felt like he should leave, given how Jongin hadn’t even looked at him since they came into the room, but he would be damned if he was going to help Jongin get lucky in this kind of way. He had a better idea.
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo started sweetly, his black tail swishing playfully behind him, “Aren’t we in a little bit of a hurry?” He finished,emphasizing the word while looking over at the him innocently. Kyungsoo didn’t feel too guilty, Jongin had been rushing him so they could do this before he had to go back to work. So really, he was helping.
Soojung looked in his direction for the first time, her eyes moving from his ears to his his tail before landing back on Jongin, confused.
“Who’s this?” She asked, crossing her arms and frowning slightly.
“Uhh, This is Kyungsoo.” Jongin said, busily opening the lid to the machine behind them before pulling out clothes to dump inside. “He’s staying with me.” He finished quietly.
Soojung looked back at Kyungsoo, this time her eyes narrowed. “I thought you said you were busy working all the time. I didn’t know you had that kind of job.” she sneered, stepping away from him a little.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Kyungsoo asked at the same time Jongin roughly dropped the lid on the washing machine. Soojung jumped slightly, letting out a little yelp in surprise.
“Listen Soojung, we are kind of busy. It was nice seeing you though.” he paused, indicating that she was blocking the next machine. She stared at him a moment longer before silently walking back to pick up her own basket of neatly folded clothes.
“I guess I’ll see you around.” She said, sounding a little disappointed. Jongin nodded, waving as she walked out.
Kyungsoo walked over and propped open a lid to the third machine, looking at Jongin’s blank face. He couldn’t tell if he was in trouble or not. “What did she mean by that?” He asked again, dumping in the last of the clothes into the machine. He picked up the box of washing powder and dumped a few scoops on top of the clothes.
Jongin sighed, his shoulders sagging a little before turning to look at Kyungsoo. He gave out a small cry, staring at with Kyungsoo had just done. “How much powder did you put in there?” He asked, reaching in to try and fish some of the detergent out.
“I don’t know. I told you I have never done this before. I put in enough for them to be really clean. Who knows how long it will be until we do this again.” Kyungsoo grumbled, not really understanding what the problem was. “The more detergent the cleaner the clothes, right?”
Jongin started laughing, giving up and closing the lid. He turned the dial, starting the flow of water. Kyungsoo relaxed a little at the amused expression on Jongin’s face, the tension easing a little.
Jongin pulled himself up on top of the washing machine looking down at the other. He cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. “Don’t worry about what she said.” He started slowly, pulling on the hem of his sweater. “She didn’t mean anything by that really.”
“She said she didn’t know you had one of those kind of jobs. What kind of job?” Kyungsoo persisted. He pulled himself up to sit beside Jongin on the next machine, pushing his arm against Jongin’s in the same place Soojung had. He was pleased to see Jongin didn’t pull away the same way.
“She meant a hybrid job. It’s just a stupid human thing.” Jongin explained, waving a hand dismissively. “You know, because hybrids have the worst jobs, the jobs no one wants to do? Well, if a human has the same job than people say...things” Jongin hesitated, and Kyungsoo could him concentrating, trying to figure out a way to explain this without being offensive.
“Say what? That they’re lower than other humans or something?” Kyungsoo supplied, rolling his eyes. “That’s dumb though, hybrids jobs aren’t that bad.” He thought about the workers at Chanyeol’s house, it didn’t seem like they were doing anything that out of the ordinary. Humans cooked and cleaned houses too, what was the big deal?
Jongin was looking at him, his head tilted to the side, almost like he was trying to figure out an equation. “Kyungsoo, what was your job? Before you became a stray I meant.” He finally asked.
Kyungsoo sighed, looking down at his lap. He knew this was going to come up eventually, but he still didn’t feel prepared for it. For some reason he hadn’t really wanted Jongin to know that he hadn’t been a stray for long, or that he hadn’t lived the desperate life Jongin probably envisioned about him.
“I’ve never had a job before. I was a pet.” Kyungsoo confessed, nervously chewing on a loose piece of thumbnail.
“Ah, that explains why you’re so spoiled.” Jongin teased, shaking his head. “And why I seem to know more about hybrids than you do. How long were you a stray for?”
“A while.” Kyungsoo hedged, annoyed at Jongin’s assumptions. “And I know a lot about hybrids. The house I lived in were full of them, and their job wasn’t terrible. Chanyeol didn’t make them clean the floor with a toothbrush or anything like that. It actually seemed pretty easy. I don’t get what the big deal is.”
“Did they get paid?” Jongin asked, raising his eyebrows at Kyungsoo.
“How would I know?” He answered, shrugging. “But they got to live there for free. That’s a pretty good benefit.”
“Were they actually allowed to leave though? Did they get days off? Did you ever see any of them with free time?” Jongin asked, shaking his head while staring down at Kyungsoo when he didn’t answer. “Hybrids can’t rent their own places Kyungsoo. They have to live where their employer tells them, and work for as long and as much as they’re told. It’s not a benefit. How do I know more about this than you do? Why do you think I even took you in?” He finished, exasperated.
The washer underneath Jongin buzzed then, signaling that the cycle was finished. Jongin eased down, and began silently transferring the clothes to the dryer. Kyungsoo stayed frozen, lost in thought about what Jongin had just told him. Was all that really true?
“So um, what happened to you then?” Jongin asked, closing the door to the dryer and pulling kyungsoo out of his thoughts. “I mean, how did you end up as a stray?” He clarified, seeing the confused expression on the other’s face.
“I would like to know that myself.” Kyungsoo mumbled, shaking his head. He hopped down from his own washer, opening the lid. “I meant, he kicked me out. There was a woman at his birthday party, and she didn’t like me. Somehow she got him to kick me out.” He explained, frowning down at the wet clothes.
“He kicked you out?” Jongin repeated, sounding outraged. “I can’t believe someone would just throw a hybrid out on the street. He had to know what would happen to you.”
Kyungsoo felt a weight settle in his stomach, avoiding Jongin’s sympathizing gaze. “Chanyeol didn’t have any trouble kicking anyone out,” he said, remembering all the hybrids he had gotten Chanyeol to fire just for fun. He had never really given them much thought. What had happened to them?
He shook his head again, annoyed. He didn’t like feeling this way, like he had been doing something wrong. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t know. Besides, the other hybrids could have said something instead of complaining about him behind his back. It was as much their fault as it was his. He decided that when he finally got back to Chanyeol’s he will just stay on his side of the house and ignore them all.
They closed the last of the dryers and returned to their seats. Jongin was still throwing him looks of curiosity mixed with pity, so Kyungsoo changed the subject, bringing up the book of Jongin’s he recently finished. He just wasn’t the wallowing type.
“I have some good news!” Jongin exclaimed, bursting through the door after work that night while trying to balance a pile of broken down cardboard boxes.
Kyungsoo, who had been flipping through a battered old cookbook he had found mixed in with Jongin’s novels, looked up with interest. From the look on Jongin’s face maybe something good had finally happened.
“We’re moving.” Jongin explained, while trying to lean the cardboard boxes against the wall, giving up with a shrug when they slid the the ground in a messy pile. “It was the craziest thing.” He continued, now toeing off his sneakers by the front door. “My restaurant is opening a new location a couple hours from here, and it’s sending my manager there for a couple of months to get everyone settled in. Anyway he told me he’s been trying to figure out what to do with his dog because he can’t take it with him. And I was telling him how much I love dogs and-”
Kyungsoo held up a hand, stopping Jongin. “We are not living with a dog.” He said flatly, shaking his head. Did Jongin have no dignity at all? A dog?
“It’s only for a couple of months.” Jongin rushed on, moving to sit in the kitchen chair across from Kyungsoo’s, plucking a fish stick off of the plate in front of him. “And he said I could stay in his apartment for free. Do you know how much money I’ll save not paying rent for two months? I was lucky that he asked me instead of one of his friends or something. You’ll be fine.” Jongin assured him, stealing another of the fish sticks. Kyungsoo pulled the plate out of his reach, hissing at him.
“We’ll be able to get a much nicer place after this. Plus there’s a TV, and you’ll get your own room!” He exclaimed, grinning at the other reassuringly before pushing the chair back and heading towards the bathroom. “He’s going to come help pick everything up on Friday, so we’ll have to pack quick.”
“But it’s a dog .” Kyungsoo whined, crossing his arms.
“Don’t be a brat.” Jongin warned playfully before closing the bathroom door.
Kyungsoo huffed, looking down at his hand while running the pad of his finger over the thin line stretching across. He had been staring at it earlier, estimating that a third of the line had disappeared, the smooth skin leaving no hint that anything was ever there. Kyungsoo calculated that he had about two months left. The same amount of time they would be living in the new apartment. Was that a coincidence? He slumped forward, resting his chin on his palm. Was there even such things as coincidences anymore? He was beginning to think not.
“Who’s Soojung” Kyungsoo asked a little while later, after they were finally in bed. He had almost been asleep when the question he wanted to ask earlier popped into his head. Now that it was in there, nagging him, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep until it was answered.
Jongin turned over to face him in the small space, their faces only inches apart. So close that Kyungsoo could make out Jongin’s look of embarrassment in the heavy darkness. His stomach dropped at the other’s reaction, regretting the question. Was Jongin going to confess that she was his girlfriend? Or worse, what if he wanted help getting together with her. He would have to just figure out a way for them to put it off until after he left. It won’t matter what Jongin does after the curse is gone , he reminded himself, I won’t care anymore.
“She’s our neighbor.” Jongin finally answered, reaching up to pet behind Kyungsoo’s ear. His voice sounded a little strained, however, so Kyungsoo knew there was more than that.
“Are you close?” He persisted, propping himself up on his elbow to put some distance between them. “She said you ate dinner at her house,” He recalled. That sounded like a date.
“I didn’t know she was hybrid prejudiced if that’s what you’re asking me. I had never heard her say anything like that before today.” Jongin responded, looking confused. Kyungsoo wanted to shake him for missing the point.
Why was Jongin so dim sometimes? Kyungsoo wondered, annoyed. “Do you like her? Did you date or something?” Kyungsoo burst out impatiently, watching the confused look on Jongin’s face turn into one of understanding.
“Oh...No. She...I guess she liked me. She tried to get me to come over and eat dinner and stuff. But I didn’t like her like that, so I stopped going.”
“Are you sure you don’t like her? It seemed like you did when you were talking to her.” Kyungsoo pressed, remembering Jongin’s flustered looks and her obvious interest when they were talking. He didn’t know why he couldn’t drop it. Kyungsoo could feel himself getting into dangerous waters but the territorial side of him wasn’t satisfied. He laid his head back down on the pillow, hoping Jongin wouldn’t noticed how interested he was.
“I’m sure.” He responded with a light chuckle. “I’m…I don’t date women. But really, she isn’t that bad. I think she was just jealous today or something.” Jongin explained, rolling onto his back.
Oh. oh . Wait. Did that mean-
“Is that okay?” Jongin asked quietly, his voice unsure.
“Is what okay?” Kyungsoo responded, not really paying attention while his mind was still trying to follow its last train of thought. “That you’re gay?”
Jongin hummed, his fingers playing with the top of the comforter.
“Humans are the only animals who care about that kind of thing.” Kyungsoo explained dismissively. “The rest of us don’t pay attention to those kinds of things. I thought you knew everything about us, and you didn’t even know that?” Kyungsoo teased, feeling lighter now that Soojung appeared to be permanently out of the picture.
“Did you have special someone where you used to live?” Jongin whispered, turning his head to look at Kyungsoo beside him on the pillow. “Did you get split up when you got put out?”
“No.” Kyungsoo scoffed, “I’ve never even had a regular friend. Cats are independent you know.”
“That must have been lonely.” Jongin said sympathetically, starting to rub behind Kyungsoo’s ears again.
Kyungsoo dismissed Jongin’s assumption. He just wasn’t that kind of cat. Maybe after he had become a pet and the other hybrids started ignoring him he had been a little lonely, but he didn’t care about them anymore. He had a bad feeling, though, that it might change when he went back home. He had gotten too used to Jongin by now.
“What about you.” Kyungsoo retorted, “You don’t have any friends either.”
“I have you.” He answered easily, as though it were something obvious. “And now you have me too. And I’m going to take care of you like I said I would, so you can trust me. Okay?” Jongin paused, pulling back to gauge Kyungsoo’s reaction.
“Okay,” the word slipped out, surprising them both. But once it was out Kyungsoo didn’t want to take it back. It felt right somehow. Okay.
Kyungsoo hadn’t expected things to change much after that night, but they had. Jongin became a lot more affectionate, always pulling Kyungsoo into his lap and rubbing his head, teasing him when he found the spot that made Kyungsoo actually drool. Kyungsoo, in turn, found that he wasn’t afraid of liking Jongin anymore. Jongin’s touches still made his body go haywire, but instead of avoiding them he started craving more, always seeking for more attention, more closeness. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if Jongin noticed that sometimes Kyungsoo’s breath would hitch or the way his body would squirm and twist around on Jongin’s lap when things got too intense. He never said anything if he did.
During the stretches of time that Jongin was off between his shifts he had been coming home to pack his few belongings while Kyungsoo looked on to make comments or suggestions, but offering no actual help. Kyungsoo had recently come down with a cold, and his body felt achy and sore. He told Jongin he had to take it easy to heal. Jongin had simply rolled his eyes at him but didn’t force him to help.
It was their last day in the apartment, and everything was packed into boxes and stacked neatly by the front door with the exception of the books, which Jongin was supposed to tackle today. They were leaving behind the bed and the table, which had come with the apartment.
“We’re lucky that he’s willing to come pick up all this stuff and move it for us. When I moved in here I didn’t have a car or anything. Getting all these books here was terrible.” Jongin complained, picking up a large stack of books from the shelf, placing them on the kitchen table by size.
Kyungsoo was laying on his stomach on the bed, flipping through another one of the cookbooks from the shelf. He didn’t know why Jongin even had these, he was a terrible cook. Kyungsoo had found that out the hard way when Jongin had offered to fry him an egg. After he was finished even the pan couldn’t be saved. Even though he worked at restaurants, they didn’t let him touch the food, he confessed later. They hadn’t tried frying anything since.
Kyungsoo was starting to get interested in cooking, though, especially with the discovery of Jongin’s cookbooks. He was already sick of eating canned tuna and frozen fish sticks, and most of these recipes didn’t look that hard. Jongin had promised him that there would be a full kitchen in the new place, and a grocery store on the same block. He had been looking at a page labeled chicken katsu on the top. Written on the side of the page was the words ‘Jongin’s favorite’ in long, sloping writing.
Kyungsoo glanced up at Jongin’s comment, imagining how many boxes it would take to pack all of those books. Jongin said there would be a TV at the new place, why even bother taking them? “I would have left them.” Kyungsoo stated flatly, watching Jongin attempt to slide them into a box. “You’ve already read them anyway. Why go to through all that trouble?”
“I can’t get rid of these.” Jongin responded as though he was insulted. He paused, trying to wedge some of the odd sized paperbacks into the empty corners of the box. ”Not when I spent so many years paying for them. And if it wasn’t for you I’d still be paying.” He said it casually, but Kyungsoo could hear the frustration behind the words.
“Wait,” Kyungsoo said, pulling himself up into sitting position. “You were in debt because you bought all those books?” He had been wondering about Jongin’s debt this whole time, because it really hadn’t made sense for someone like Jongin to owe gangsters that much money. But...books?
“Well not me. It was my mom,” Jongin confessed, closing the lid on the box.
Kyungsoo picked up the clear packing tape from the bed, holding it out for Jongin to take. “You’re telling me your mom took a shady loan so you could read fantasy books? Really?” Kyungsoo winced, realizing that he was being a little harsh. Whatever his mother had done, Jongin didn’t have anything to do with it. “I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo added quickly, “It wasn’t your fault-”
“It’s okay,” Jongin interrupted, dropping down on the bed beside Kyungsoo. “It was my fault, I was a spoiled brat.” Jongin admitted, nodding his head at Kyungsoo’s look of disbelief. “When my parents split up and me and my mom moved here when things were hard for her. My dad hadn’t really given her any money in the divorce, and she wasn’t used to not having money.” He explained, his fingers pulling up the edge of the tape on the roll.
“She let me do anything I wanted. I was really into dancing. I thought I was going to be an idol or something.” He gave a bitter laugh, shaking his head at the memory. “And she sent me to all these dance classes that she couldn’t afford. And of course in high school no one wanted to talk to the gay kid in dance classes, so I became obsessed with reading. And she just never said no. And then at her funeral the bank came and told me she took out all these loans, and they said I would have to pay them back at once since it wasn’t my loan, not payments like she had. Where did they think I had that kind of money? I was just a teenager.” He sighed, obviously still frustrated.
Kyungsoo looked at Jongin sympathetically. He felt like in a way he could understand having your life turning upside down, in a situation out of your control. He was impressed Jongin had hung on as long as he had.
“Anyway,” Jongin continued, “my uncle was here, my mother’s brother. And he knew some people that he said could help me. And it was okay for a little while, but I was too slow. They kept wanting me to pay back more and I just couldn’t keep up. It was like a nightmare.”
“What about your dad? Why didn’t you just ask him for help?” Kyungsoo wondered. It seemed like the obvious answer rather than working himself to death. But Jongin didn’t seem to like that suggestion at all.
“Why, so he could tell me how bad my mom messed up? Or how it was all my fault that she borrowed the money in the first place?” He huffed, waving his hand dismissively. “I don’t want anything to do with him after what he did to my mom. I can take care of myself.”
Kyungsoo was silent, finally starting to get the picture of what Jongin had been going through. He had been blaming himself for everything this whole time, taking on responsibility even when he was out of his depth. He was really something.
Jongin shifted on the bed, turning to look at Kyungsoo then, his mood shifted. He reached down to card his fingers through Kyungsoo messy hair, his eyes soft. “Besides, I found you. I know I don’t talk about it a lot, but I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t come along. I’m so lucky that I met you.” He gave Kyungsoo an affectionate smile before standing up again, heading back to the box on the table.
Jongin had said these words to him the first day he was living there, but it had felt so different hearing it than before. Kyungsoo liked Jongin looking at him like that. Like he needed him. He wanted more of it. But Kyungsoo couldn't help to feel a little disappointed in himself at the same time. He knew he didn’t actually do anything to help Jongin other than get himself cursed, and even then he was only here because he had to be. He didn’t really deserve Jongin’s gratitude at all.
Kyungsoo’s eyes traveled back down to the cookbook, the words ‘Jongin’s favorite’ catching his attention again. Maybe there was something he could do for Jongin, without any help from magic. Something he could do by himself. His eyes quickly traveled over the instructions, a small frown forming on his lips at the complexity. Well, maybe a little help from magic, he amended, flipping the page.
X
Kyungsoo didn’t like Jongin’s manager, Kris, at all. He sat silently, wedged in between boxes in the back of Kris’s massive Suburban listening to Jongin babble on about how much he appreciated the help with moving and letting him stay in the apartment while Kris continuously checked his reflection in the rear view mirror, sometimes rearranging a strand of his styled blonde hair.
They had gotten off on the wrong foot immediately while loading their boxes into the back of the vehicle. Kris had been behind Kyungsoo, and had asked out of nowhere in his deep, bored voice, “Hey Jongin, where’d you get that cat from?”
Jongin almost dropped the box he was carrying, and paused to readjust it in his grip. “Um, from a friend.” He choked out. Jongin was a terrible liar.
“It’d be cool to have a hybrid. And he don’t look too bad. What do ya think about selling him to me when I get back?” Kyungsoo, turning to glare at the offender, found Kris’s eyes raking down his body.
Kyungsoo opened his mouth, about to let this idiot get away with thinking he would go anywhere near him when he caught Jongin’s eye, which seemed to be pleading with him to stay quiet. “No, I’m keeping him.” Jongin had said steadily, giving his head a slight shake. Kyungsoo gritted his teeth, his tail whipping around him angrily.
“Whatever,” Kris had said, shrugging. When they reached the car Kyungsoo resisted the urge to drop the box he was carrying onto Kris’s foot, but only because it wasn’t heavy enough to hurt.
When Kyungsoo jumped out of the backseat at their new place his heart dropped at what he saw. There, on the corner a block away but still tall enough to see, sat Chanyeol’s house. The apartments, one of the new, modern buildings that had recently come up on their street, was one he had passed when he had been a stray.
Across from them was a large, open area that served as the neighborhood park. It was one of those built more for adults than children, with walking trails and a small duck pond that didn’t seem to have any actual ducks. Kyungsoo had tried to sleep there, but only once. He had quickly been removed by an impatient policeman who had explained to him that animals were not allowed in the park without their owners, referencing a nearby sign that showed a dog on a leash. That’s when he decided to take up residence in a dumpster a few neighborhoods away where he couldn’t be seen. No one bothered with him then.
Jongin seemed to notice his distress, and was sending him little looks of concern. It was a lot to take in. It wasn’t until they managed to get everything out of the car and piled into Kris’s living room did he start to feel like himself again. He wandered around checking out the apartment, rubbing himself against the door frames to cover the stench of dog and Kris heavy odor, while Jongin walked Kris back out to his car.
Kris seemed to like everything large. Large car, large couch, large TV, large bed. Kyungsoo could get on board with this. The only small thing he seemed to own was dog, Monggu, a tiny chocolate brown poodle. The puppy had followed Kyungsoo while he explored, his fluffy ears bouncing with each step. Jongin found them in the kitchen, scooping the puppy up in his arms and cooing about how cute he was. Kyungsoo could already see that was going to be a problem.
“You should become a manager,” Kyungsoo told him, noticing that even the refrigerator had a tiny television attached to it.
“There’s no way he could afford this on a manager’s salary. His family has money, they own the restaurant chain. They’re making him work his way up.” Jongin explained, but he said the last part sarcastically. They stopped short in front of a large black and white close up photo of Kris’s face that hung at the back of the large, oak table in the dining room. “Doesn’t look like they’re making him suffer too much, though. It sounded like I can make a deal with him for you to stay if you like it here that much.” Jongin teased, dodging Kyungsoo's fist.
“Kris said Monggu needs to go out. Let’s take him to that park.” Jongin suggested, walking towards the living room while baby talking to the dog about taking a walk. Kyungsoo followed, a nervous feeling blooming in his belly about going outside. He didn’t have a good feeling about this at all.
The park wasn’t very crowded at this time of day, mostly joggers cruising by them while Jongin tried futilely to play catch with Monggu. Apparently the game was new to the puppy, who ignored Jongin’s enthusiastic directions of ‘go get it’, running around in circles instead.
Kyungsoo had taken precautions before coming to the park after what happened last time, stuffing his tail down the back of some of Jongin’s larger sweatpants and throwing a beanie over his head, covering his ears. He hated the feeling being constricted, but he definitely wasn’t looking for any attention. Kyungsoo was about to tell Jongin he was going to head back to the apartment when someone over at the benches caught his eye. She easily stood out dressed in an expensive black wool coat, her lean legs leisurely crossed in front of her, wrapped in black leather.
It was her. He was sure if it. The witch, staring directly at him.
“I’ll be right back.” Kyungsoo said, taking off to the bench. He heard Jongin behind him, asking where he was going, but he ignored him. As Kyungsoo got closer he could feel himself starting to shake, the adrenalin coursing through his limbs. His body knew there was danger nearby.
“Hello Kyungsoo. I almost didn’t recognize you in your little disguise.” She smiled at him sweetly as he hesitated next to her, patting the bench beside her.
Kyungsoo sat at her command, almost as if he was in a dream. He could see Jongin across the park, standing and staring at them openly, Monggu pawing at his leg. Kyungsoo quickly shifted his eyes to the ground, his hands tightening into fists. “So you’re here to take me back, right?” He guessed, ignoring her greeting. “A little warning would have been nice, but I figured something was up when we moved here.”
“I see you haven’t changed a bit.” She said, shaking her head a little before turning to look out over the park. Kyungsoo sat silent beside her, not sure what was supposed to happen next. She had come to take him home, hadn’t she? Why else would she be here?
“That Jongin is so cute.” She observed, changing the subject. Kyungsoo’s head snapped up, following her gaze to Jongin, who was still watching them. His confused eyes continuously shifting back from Kyungsoo to the witch. “I don’t know how he puts up with you. I’m guessing it’s because you have a habit of making him so lucky, don’t you think?” She asked, tapping a purple nail to her chin.
Kyungsoo faltered for a second, confused about what she was suggesting. Jongin was only keeping him around because he was good luck? He didn’t believe it. She was just trying to confuse him. Right?
“You are here to take me back, aren’t you?” He repeated slowly, trying to get them back on track.
“So eager to go?” She questioned, her eyebrows raising, “and here I thought you liked Jongin, but you’re not even going to say goodbye?”
“Of course I like Jongin thanks to your stupid curse,” he hissed. Kyungsoo hated how easily she could push his buttons. He paused, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. He couldn’t afford to piss her off right now. Kyungsoo had no idea what else she was capable of doing to him. He just wanted to get this show on the road.
Kyungsoo opened his palm, pushing it towards her. “Besides,” He continued as though the outburst hadn’t happened, “I literally live one minute from here. I won’t be gone for long.” He lowered his hand then realizing that he couldn’t just disappear from a bench in front of Jongin. “Or what? Do we need to go somewhere else so Jongin doesn’t see?” His eyes swept the park, looking for a bathroom or something at least more discreet than a park bench, but paused when he heard her giggling at him.
“That’s cute.” She said, her white teeth flashing what was supposed to be a smile, but it looked too predatory to Kyungsoo. His stomach twisted nervously at the gesture. “But before you decided anything, there’s a teensy detail I should tell you about. Reversing the curse doesn’t mean everything stays the same as it does now. It means that everything goes back to the way it was. Before the curse.” She explained, leaning back and studying him closely.
He stared back, confused. She was obviously trying to tell him something, but sifting through her words again he had no idea what. “Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen?” He asked doubtfully.
She stayed silent, looking disappointed at him before shifting her eyes back to Jongin, who was gradually making his way up to where they were sitting, his progress made even slower by Monggu, who wanted to stop and sniff everything they passed. “I do feel bad for poor Jongin, though, having to go back to all that debt. I guess he really will lose his apartment this time. That is, if those gangsters don’t catch him first.” She said casually, picking a piece of lint off her coat.
Kyungsoo froze, looking up at her surprised, but no words came out. “I told you,” She repeated, looking at his stricken face, “everything would go back to the way it was before the curse. What did you think that meant?”
“That’s not fair,” Kyungsoo choked out, his mind spinning. “Jongin doesn’t have anything to do with this.” He slouched down on the bench, feeling nauseous. His life for Jongin’s debt? She was asking for too much. Besides, there had to be another way to help Jongin other than that lottery ticket. If it was just a matter of money…
“Chanyeol’s rich,” Kyungsoo suggested, rallying. It was such an easy solution. “He would give me the money no problem. I can still help Jongin.”
“You still don’t seem to understand Kyungsoo.” She said slowly, as though speaking to a child, “If everything goes back to how it was, that means you will never meet Jongin. How can you help him if you don’t even know he exists?”
Although Kyungsoo heard the words, it was as though he couldn’t process them. He let them rattle around for a minute, trying to understand, but he just felt dumb. He hadn’t seen this coming at all. “Why would you even put the curse on me in the first place if you were just going to put everything back the way it was. That doesn’t even make sense.” Kyungsoo accused bitterly.
“Why indeed?” She responded cryptically, leaning towards him. “You should know, Kyungsoo, this is very unusual. I don’t go around giving out curses just to take them back. But I have to confess, I was at that party for someone else that was obviously in need of my...services. It was just coincidence that I heard you talking down to those hybrids, sounding so entitled, and I just lost my temper. Not very professional, I know.” She shook her head, giving him a wry smile. “Not that you didn’t deserve punishment, but I could have been a bit hasty with the severity...”
Kyungsoo looked at her in disbelief. He couldn’t help to feel relieved that she really hadn’t planned on letting him die, but still…Jongin. “What am I supposed to do now?” Kyungsoo asked, frustrated. How could she have done this to him, to them?
“I think you should take some time to think things over.” She suggested, patting his leg before standing up, fastening the buttons on her coat.
Jongin was almost to them by now, and Kyungsoo could hear the light yips of Monggu as he ran towards them energetically. Kyungsoo wanted to stop her, tell her that he was ready to decide now, but the words died on his lips.
“Oh, and one more thing.” She paused, holding up a finger. Kyungsoo looked at her with dread, he didn’t think he could handle anything else today. “There is one point you seem to be confused about.” She bent towards him then, her scarlet mouth stopping just an inch from his ear. “It isn’t the curse that’s making you like Jongin.” She whispered, and his wide eyes instantly flickered to Jongin’s, steadily holding his gaze. “You're doing that on your own.”
X
Kyungsoo was in hiding. For days he had stayed put in his room after he somehow managed to convince Jongin that he was sick and needed to be left alone. That wasn’t completely untrue, his cold was getting worse, now complete with sore throat and runny nose. Jongin could tell something else was wrong, but he gave Kyungsoo space, only slipping in occasionally to leave a bowl of soup or some crackers by the bed. Kyungsoo had been too chicken to take his head out from under the blanket whenever that happened, pretending to be asleep.
It was hard avoiding Jongin, though, when all he wanted to do was crawl into his lap and cry. He didn’t deserve to do that, though, because of what he had decided to do.
That had been an ongoing battle, accepting his decision. Kyungsoo kept reminding himself that it wasn’t really even a choice. It wasn’t like they were talking about him giving up something he could get back, it was his life. Besides, when this was over he wasn’t even going to know Jongin to miss him, or to feel bad about his debt, so it didn’t really matter what happened to him. Jongin was young. He wouldn’t be in debt forever, unlike Kyungsoo, who would definitely be permanently dead. There really didn’t seem to be a real comparison.
Kyungsoo hated to think about life without Jongin, though. Especially now that he knew that he liked Jongin, for real. He didn’t want to go back to being alone all day in that house with nothing to do but figuring out ways to torture hybrids. He wanted to sit on the couch with Jongin’s arms around his waist while listening to his dumb stories. That didn’t seem like too much to ask for.
He also didn’t want Jongin to go back to being alone either, his whole life revolving around work and just doing whatever he had to do to get by. Jongin deserved more than that. They both did. There had to be a middle way. But there didn’t seem to be one though, and every time he realized that the arguments would start at the beginning again and cycle through with no progress. So Kyungsoo stayed in bed, too ashamed to do anything else.
Today, however, when Jongin brought Kyungsoo’s soup in during lunch time, he didn’t just leave it on the nightstand like normal and quietly sneak out of the room. Instead, he flopped down on the bed, pulling down the thick blanket to reveal Kyungsoo, staring up at him wide eyed.
“I knew you were awake.” Jongin accused, pointing to Kyungsoo’s straight, rigid body. “You never sleep in this position.” Jongin sighed, hesitating before slipping under the blanket, laying down and facing Kyungsoo. He reached for Kyungsoo’s hand, lacing their fingers together.
Kyungsoo closed his eyes. He really had missed this. Suddenly, avoiding Jongin seemed stupid, especially if this was the only time they would have left together. This was his last chance. It didn’t really matter what happened later, because right now was much more important. Right now he was with Jongin, and everything was fine. He could see how silly he has been being for wasting the time they had left.
“What’s wrong Kyungsoo?” Jongin asked, squeezing their linked hands. “You haven’t been acting like yourself since we got here. What’s going on?” His words were gentle, but Kyungsoo could hear the frustrated edge to his voice. Jongin didn’t like being shut out for so long.
He sighed, burying his face into Jongin’s arm. Kyungsoo wanted to tell him everything, let them figure out what to do together, but instead what came was something a little different. “Do you hate living with me?” Kyungsoo asked, his voice muffled by Jongin’s shirt. That had been the other thing bothering him, her words about ‘Jongin just putting up with him because he makes Jongin lucky’. He wasn’t expecting it to be the first thing he said to Jongin after days of silence, but he still didn’t know how to stop being selfish.
“Do I hate living with you?’ Jongin repeated, sounding confused, “I love living with you Kyungsoo, you know that. Where is this coming from?” Jongin tried pulling back to get a look at Kyungsoo’s face, but he held tight to Jongin’s arm.
“I don’t know. You only agreed to take me because of the money in the first place, and I know I can be difficult sometimes.” Kyungsoo trailed off, not really wanting to give Jongin reasons why he shouldn’t like him. He wished he could start this conversation over, tell Jongin everything was fine, and quietly eat what was sure to be burnt soup. He never learned.
Suddenly Jongin pulled his hand away, reaching down to tickle Kyungsoo’s sides. Kyungsoo broke out in a fit of laughter, flailing around on the bed while trying to use his tail to bat Jongin away. Jongin finally let go, hovering over Kyungsoo’s body while they both tried to catch their breath.
“Cheater.” Kyungsoo pouted, rolling his eyes.
“I didn’t take you because of the money.” Jongin finally answered with a look of disbelief. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it. I feel like I can live again because of it. Because of you. But I took you because you looked so sad and small sitting in that dumpster, buried under all those trash bags. It just broke my heart. Especially because you’re a hybrid. Anything could’ve happened to you, and I knew if I just left you there it would be my fault. So I decided to take care of you. The money didn’t really have anything to do with it.” Jongin explained, his eyes soft.
Kyungsoo melted at the words, his heart picking up in his chest. Jongin was so close, his breath fanning across Kyungsoo’s face, making it hard to focus. Kyungsoo licked his lips, and he watched Jongin’s eyes follow the movement, swallowing thickly. He laid still, unsure of how to proceed. Jongin stared at his lips a moment longer before clearing his throat and sitting up, putting space between them. He turned and gave Kyungsoo a mischievous grin.
“You were really annoying at first, though, turning on the heat and everything. I have to say, you did take some getting used to. But you’re okay now.” Jongin teased, lightly flicking Kyungsoo’s forehead. “Seriously, is that what you’ve been in here moping about? That you think I don’t like you?”
“No,” Kyungsoo answered slowly, feeling like Jongin had poured a bucket of water on him. He thought things were finally going his way. Why was Jongin always so oblivious ? “I told you I’m sick.” He explained, sniffing loudly for good measure.
“Fine, but I miss you. I hope you come out soon.” Jongin pouted, moving to the edge of the bed. “Now eat your soup. I promise it’s better than yesterdays. I just didn’t know his microwave was so high powered, that’s all.”
Kyungsoo sat up beside him, noticing Jongin smelled different now that his head was out of the fog. It looked like someone had been busy claiming Jongin while he had been in bed. Kyungsoo was not about to have that.
“You smell like that dog.” Kyungsoo complained, leaning over to rub his face over Jongin’s chest while his hands slid down Jongin’s arms. “I leave you alone for one minute and you come back claimed. You sure do move fast.” Kyungsoo observed, his face now rubbing against Jongin’s neck, where he was sure Monggu had just nuzzled before Jongin came in here. Kyungsoo would show him who Jongin belonged to. Jongin was his .
“There,” Kyungsoo announced, giving Jongin one last satisfied sniff. He pulled back, his grin faltering when he saw Jongin’s glazed eyes staring back at him. Jongin stayed silent, climbing off the bed, tripping a little on his way out the door. Maybe I’m the one that’s oblivious , Kyungsoo thought with a satisfied smile. He felt better for the first time since the park, and pulling himself out of bed and leaving the soup on the bedside table, he followed Jongin out of the room.
X
Kyungsoo lowered the temperature on the pot he had boiling on the stove, covering it with a lid. Jongin had just texted him to tell him he was running a little late, meaning his stew was going to be mushy. Again. He should have known better than to start cooking so early, Jongin was always late. Although this time it may have had something to do with the fact that Kyungsoo had begged him to pick up his favorite chips on the way home, which Jongin forgot and had to backtrack a bit to get. But it was worth it, in Kyungsoo’s opinion.
He leaned against the counter, scrolling through his earlier texts to make sure he told Jongin to get the right flavor, smiling indulgently as he passed a picture of Jongin eating a piece of fried chicken the other had sent earlier that day, asking Kyungsoo if he wanted any. Kyungsoo was pretty sure Jongin was going to get fired soon because ever since they got these phones, Jongin did nothing but text him. It was sweet and all, but it was starting to interfere with his naps.
Jongin had gotten the phones almost two weeks ago, when he saw a flier with a coupon at his bus stop advertising two new smartphones for ten dollars with an everything phone plan that was also ten dollars a month. He didn’t quite believe it, but it was a popular phone company, so he decided to stop in and ask about it.
It turned out to be a typo, of course. The numbers should have read a hundred dollars instead of ten. The company had tried collecting all of the fliers before anyone could see the mistake, but somehow missed the one at Jongin’s bus stop. It turned out lucky for Jongin, though, because since he had the coupon they had to give him the deal.
Kyungsoo wasn’t sure it was so lucky for him to get bombarded with messages about how bored Jongin was all day, but it did make it more convenient to remind Jongin to pick up ingredients for whatever recipe he wanted to try, or in this case, his beloved chips.
The smiled died on Kyungsoo’s lips, though, when he passed a different text Jongin sent about an apartment he had heard about that he thought would be perfect for them since they had to leave Kris’s soon. He dropped the phone back on the counter, laying his head down beside it. He hated it whenever something came up that reminded him that none of this was real. How the little domestic fantasy he had set up the last few weeks with the cooking and texting and curling up together with a movie, it was all just a distraction from the truth. A delusion that if he kept pretending then nothing would change, and he could stay with Jongin forever.
He couldn't pretend much longer though. The achy soreness in his limbs that had been slowing him down was getting worse. He was having a hard time staying awake for hours at a time. Kyungsoo was getting sicker every day. He didn’t have much time left, a little over a month. Hardly any time at all.
Kyungsoo hadn’t seen the witch since the day in the park, but he also hadn’t been outside since then either. He had told Jongin the woman in the park was the same one who got him kicked out of his last place, and even showed him where he used to live. Jongin hadn’t asked him to go out with him and Monggu after that, nor had he offered. He wasn’t ready.
Kyungsoo’s black ears twitched, hearing the sounds of Jongin rattling around in the hallway, taking off his shoes and dropping his keys in the bowl by the door. Kyungsoo pulled himself out of his dark thoughts, picking up the wooden spoon off the counter to check on the stew. This was really his favorite part of the day, when Jongin came home from work. Kyungsoo would be in the kitchen, trying a new recipe from one of Jongin’s mother’s cookbooks. Jongin would always come up behind him, hooking his chin over Kyungsoo’s shoulder to find out what he was cooking, begging for just a taste. He always told Kyungsoo it tasted just like his mother's, filling Kyungsoo with pride.
This time, however, as Jongin came into the kitchen he was squealing like a schoolgirl, faint patches of red staining his cheeks and neck. From what Kyungsoo could understand something had happened to Jongin at the store when he had been buying the chips, as usual. Kyungsoo was more interested in getting his coveted orange bag out of Jongin’s grasp, who seemed reluctant to hand the thing over.
As he took the bag Jongin was explaining in a breathy, excited voice that the person checking out before him at the convenience store was his favorite singer, and he was ‘ buying the same chips’ . Jongin had emphasized that point, because he thought it was because of the chips that the idol had even spoken to him. Apparently this guy had noticed Jongin standing there with the identical snack, and commented on his good taste. He had even offered to sign the bag, which he asked Kyungsoo to return when he was finished. Kyungsoo turned the bag over and saw in black marker across the back: To Jongin, great minds think alike . Love Taemin . Kyungsoo snorted, This guy was smooth.
After that Jongin had told the guy all the details of what a big fan he was in his usual non-filtered fashion, even mentioning the many fan letters he had written over the years. The guy had found Jongin endearing, especially because he didn’t exactly get a lot of hot male fans, and had offered Jongin tickets to go see his upcoming show, telling Jongin he would even bring him backstage. Jongin had declared to Kyungsoo that it had been ‘the best night of his life’.
Kyungsoo, who had barely been listening while carefully trying to open the bag without damaging the signature, was slowly starting to catch up to what was going on. Soon enough his suspicions were confirmed as soon as Jongin started with how he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have picked that convenience store out of all the ones he passed on the way home. He felt even luckier that Kyungsoo had wanted those specific chips, because he didn’t think the singer would have talked to him otherwise.
Kyungsoo had never seen Jongin this excited before, this animated, over talking to someone. He looked into Jongin’s shining eyes, anger ripping through him. How dare Jongin go out and hook up with some idol while he was sitting here dying, worrying about what Jongin was going to do without him. Hell no. He ripped the bag open, tearing through the signature and spilling the chips all over the floor. Jongin watched him, confusion turning to anger as Kyungsoo dumped the bag in the trash, stepping on some of the chips on the way.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Jongin demanded, following behind to to fish the bag out of the trash, examining the damage.
“What in the hell is wrong with you ?” Kyungsoo shot back, crossing his arms. “Listen to you, being so dumb. What, do you think that some idol likes you because you bought the same chips? That he wants to date you now?” Kyungsoo could see the hurt look on Jongin’s face, but he too jealous, too angry, to stop now. “Because idols are really into guys who work in chicken restaurants and can’t even pay their own bills. It gives them something to brag about to their friends.” He added sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I guess they don’t have to have any standards when it comes to hookups though. They can just pick any loser off the street.”
Jongin stared at Kyungsoo for a minute, and Kyungsoo could tell from the broken expression on his face that he had really messed up. Part of him, the part that was still angry, was pleased that he made Jongin feel bad for thinking of someone else. The bigger, more rational part of him knew that he had messed up really bad. But before he could throw himself on the floor to apologize, Jongin lowered his head, and turning around without another word, leaving the kitchen.
X
Kyungsoo heard his phone vibrate, indicating that he had a message. Finally, he thought, snatching the phone off the coffee table. It had been three days since Kyungsoo’s meltdown in the kitchen, and also three days since Kyungsoo had gotten a single text message from Jongin. Jongin knew how to hold a grudge.
When Kyungsoo had woken up the morning after the fight, burning in guilt and shame, Jongin had simply shrugged off Kyungsoo’s apology, and since then had been doing the same with all of Kyungsoo’s half-assed attempts at pretending like everything was normal. Jongin had either taken Monggu on long walks or stayed in his room whenever he was home, barely even answering direct questions, and never looking Kyungsoo in the eye.
Today Kyungsoo had pulled out the big guns, tempting Jongin with food. He had texted that he would make Jongin’s favorite dinner tonight, chicken katsu, if Jongin would bring home the chicken. He had sat on the couch for an hour, too jittery to even watch TV, while he had waited for the reply.
Ate at work already.
Kyungsoo’s heart sank at the curt reply. Since when did Jongin say no to chicken? Kyungsoo flipped over on his stomach, groaning into his pillow. He knew he deserved this after what he had said to Jongin, wishing again he could take it back. He hated that he ruined the small amount of time they had left with his jealousy.
Kyungsoo wanted to say he didn’t know what had come over him, but he could still clearly remember Jongin’s elated face, the dreamy way in which he had talked about this guy. He had never looked at Kyungsoo like that before. And now he never will, He thought bitterly, stuffing his face further into the pillow to try and block out the thoughts. But it was no use.
I guess it’s just time to give up, he decided, slowly pulling himself out of bed. Jongin didn’t even want to look at him anymore, so what was he even doing here? Kyungsoo picked up his familiar black sweat suit from where he had thrown it carelessly beside the bed, putting it on for what he hoped would be the last time. He felt awkward, getting ready to leave without so much as a note or a goodbye, but how else was it supposed to happen? Did he think that there was going to be a happy ending if he just buried his head in the sand and hide away in the apartment? No, he decided, squaring his shoulders, it was time to face reality.
Shit, what now? Kyungsoo thought, blowing air on his hands to try and warm them. It was a overcast, windy day and it was easy to tell the park was empty. He had walked around anyway, checking every bench, but nothing. Somehow Kyungsoo had thought ‘give you more time to think about it’ meant ‘I’ll be in the park, waiting to take you home’. Of course she planned to drag this out and make him suffer. She was certainly doing a good job on that part , he decided, pulling Jongin’s thick black coat tighter around him.
Kyungsoo was tired, his limbs sore as usual. He wasn’t thinking and had locked himself out of the apartment, not even bringing his cellphone. He thought about trying to find Jongin’s work, but he couldn’t handle another rejection right now. He just needed to find her. Kyungsoo started walking towards Chanyeol’s house, stopping in front of the large, brick structure.
It seemed so different, so foreign. It was hard to believe that he ever lived inside, or that he would again. Kyungsoo leaned back, looking at the last room on the third story, the only window that was covered by thick black drapes. The rest were covered in a lighter, patterned style. He had chosen the color to keep it dark in his room during the day for his naps. It seemed strange that the little differences were still there, faint traces of his presence. It made it seem like a part of him still belonged there. He wasn’t sure if it made him feel better or worse.
Kyungsoo turned, following the path that he was familiar with, past the hotels and office buildings, into a small alleyway behind the chinese food restaurant he knew so well. He couldn’t remember how he had found this place originally, after having been run out of the park. He slid open the side of the dumpster he once called home, making a face after poking his head inside. Had it always smelled this bad?
This was a dumb idea , kyungsoo decided, straightening back up and trying to bury his hands further into the pockets of Jongin’s jacket. It was too cold outside for this. She was obviously not coming, and he was going to have to go home and face another night of angry Jongin whether he liked it or not.
Kyungsoo was pulling up the collar on the coat, not really paying attention where he was walking when he sharply turned the corner back to the street, knocking into a large figure. He stumbled backwards, landing on the sidewalk with a thump, bruising his tail a little in the process.
Kyungsoo looked up, ready to complain to the person who had run into him, but the words died on his lips. The hybrid in front of him was enormous, beefy, with two small ears raised to alert from his sandy blonde hair. The hybrids with him were smaller, skinnier, but still dangerous looking. The one Kyungsoo had run into, obviously the leader in this sad little gang, looked somewhat familiar to Kyungsoo. He cocked his head, looking at him closer, and his heart sank.
“Hey Kyungsoo, long time no see.” The hybrid said, walking over and pulling Kyungsoo up by his ear, dragging him back into the alleyway. He was pushed against the wall, and he let out a gasp when his back hit the bricks roughly. His attacker stood in front of him, looking like his birthday had come early that year. It had all come back to Kyungsoo, who the man was, how he had gotten him fired. But the question was, how did he recognize Kyungsoo when Chanyeol hadn’t?
and hearing his name come out so venomously from the man’s lips, there wasn’t any doubt that he recognized him. Kyungsoo could feel danger setting in, his ears flattening on his head. His eyes darted around searching for an escape route, but there didn’t seem to be any.
“What are you doing out here by yourself? Did you get kicked out too?” He asked, his large fists ramming into Kyungsoo’s gut. Kyungsoo fell on his knees, holding his stomach with a groan. He had never been hit before, and it hurt more than he had expected. “This is the guy who ruined my life. Me and my girlfriend,” He explained to his bored looking cohorts. They perked up a little, obviously more excited that they were going to get to beat someone up than they were in their leader's story. The both grabbed one of Kyungsoo’s arms, pulling him back up to standing position.
He went into panic mode, hissing and scratching one of them in the face while trying to bite the other before he felt a harsh punch cracking his cheek, effectively stopping his weak attempt at resistance. They grabbed him by the arms again, and he hung between them helplessly, gasping for breath. The leader reached forward, grabbing his chin and pulling his face up.
“What did you tell Chanyeol? That you caught us on your bed? You fucking liar.” He spat out, furious. Kyungsoo winced at the memory. He had walked in on them, this hybrid and his girlfriend, making out in the pantry while he was looking for a snack. They hadn’t noticed him right away, and he had watched them for a few moments with a strange feeling in his stomach. After Kyungsoo left, he hadn’t been able to get them out of his head for the rest of the night, giving him a feeling of aloneness that he hadn’t felt before. A feeling he hadn’t wanted to ever feel again. So the next day he got them fired with a flimsy excuse he wasn’t even sure Chanyeol believed. He hadn’t thought of them again after that day, never wondered what had became of them.
Another blow landed on his face, this time his eye, followed by another in his stomach. The man stepped back, rolling his shoulders. He was just getting warmed up. “And then Chanyeol just fucking sold Minah. Sold her to one of his rich friends that wanted to fuck a hybrid. Sold her like a fucking dog, because that’s all we are to them.” And with the final blow landing directly on his mouth, splitting his lips open. Kyungsoo landed in a heap on the ground, tears leaking from his eyes.
“I didn’t know.” Kyungsoo whispered through his bleeding lips. He pulled himself into a ball, wrapping his arms and tail around his legs, groaning in pain, the cold from the pavement seeping into his body. The other slowly circled around him, staring down with a hard expression.
“Well you fucking should have.” He finally said, delivering one final kick to Kyungsoo spine. Kyungsoo jolted from the pain, the world slowly turning dark. His last thought before he lost consciousness was one of agreement. I should have fucking known .
Kyungsoo had no idea how he made it home, but when he finally collapsed against the front door of the apartment he felt like he had gotten beat up a second time. Or maybe hit by a truck. He held his finger to the bell, praying that Jongin was home. He was relieved when he heard the faint yips of Monggu on the other side, his nails lightly scraping the door, along with the heavy thud of footsteps. Kyungsoo sighed, sinking down the the ground, his eyes sliding closed.
When Kyungsoo woke up again he heard Jongin rustling around in the bathroom, the drawers and cabinets being roughly opened and closed. He tried opening his eyes to find one had completely swollen shut. Jongin came out of the bathroom, and stopped short at seeing Kyungsoo awake and moving.
“You’re awake.” He said, his concerned eyes sweeping over Kyungsoo’s battered frame, wincing when it finally landed on his face. “I’m gonna get you cleaned up, okay? I just gotta find the first aid kit.” Jongin left the room again, and Kyungsoo heard him move from the different rooms, cursing Kris’s lack of anything remotely medical.
Kyungsoo gingerly lifted his body, trying to sit up further to survey the damage. Jongin had taken off his ripped, soiled clothes, leaving him in nothing but boxers. Bruises bloomed over his chest and stomach, traveling along his sides. The skin on his knees was open and bleeding, and his back felt like it was on fire.
“He keeps it in the kitchen, I don’t even know what that’s about.” Jongin muttered, grabbing a washcloth and moving back to the bed. He paused, leaning forward to gently wipe some of the dirt from Kyungsoo’s face, pulling back with a frown with Kyungsoo hissed in pain. “What happened to you?” He asked, exchanging the cloth for some antibiotic ointment, sighing when he looked back at Kyungsoo’s face.
“I got beat up.” Kyungsoo replied, trying to shrug his shoulders, but even that brought on a new layer of pain. “Don’t worry, I deserved it.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Jongin said lowly, mostly to himself. “I wish I could give you something for the pain, but I don’t have anything for cats.” He paused, dabbing the ointment on the open skin around Kyungsoo’s eye, blowing on it gently to try and alleviate some of the pain. It wasn’t helping, but Kyungsoo was thankful that Jongin was even there in the room, speaking to him again. To feel Jongin’s touch him again was worth a few aches and pains.
“Jongin, I’m sorry.” Kyungsoo whispered, suddenly afraid that Jongin would disappear again as soon as he cleaned Kyungsoo up, his sympathetic gaze returning to the cold one. He couldn’t let that happen.
“It’s okay Kyungsoo.” Jongin responded in a tight voice, not quite meeting Kyungsoo’s eye. “Let’s just forget about it.”
“I was just jealous.” Kyungsoo rushed out, fear pricking his body. He was really scared for Jongin to find out how he felt and making everything weird between them, but he had to do something . All of this had to end, and he also couldn’t let Jongin think he meant the things that he said, or even worse, think that they were true.
“What are you talking about? Jealous of what?” Jongin asked, and Kyungsoo mentally cursed at how Jongin was always so slow on the uptake when it came to things like this. He was going to have to spell it out.
“I was jealous...because I like you.” He confessed, nervously pulling on the edge of the blanket. There was no way he would be able to look at Jongin now. “I like you so much, and it wasn’t like I was expecting anything from you, but I’m selfish Jongin. I don’t know how to not be selfish.” He sighed, realizing for the first time how true that statement really was.
“You didn’t deserve anything I said to you. I was just upset that someone caught your attention, caused you to be excited, when I couldn’t. And I just...wanted to hurt you.” His lips twisted into a frown, wishing he really could take it back and erase any doubt he might have put into Jongin. “You work so hard Jongin to take care of us. You try so hard. Anyone would be lucky to be with you…” Kyungsoo finished nervously, feeling like he might have gotten carried away. He wasn’t sure what to do next, Jongin’s stony silence not giving him anything. He was still happy he did it, even if it did put a wedge between them. Jongin deserved the truth.
“I’m so stupid.” Jongin finally said, and although his voice was frustrated, his expression was soft when Kyungsoo finally peeked at him. “Of course I like you Kyungsoo. But I didn’t think…”He trailed off, a slow smile settling on his face.
Kyungsoo was confused. Jongin liked him. Liked liked him? “I don’t understand.” He said in disbelief. “You like me? Why didn’t you act like it? Or say anything?”
“What did you want me to say? I had no idea that you felt the same way, and I didn’t want to make you think I had some creepy hybrid fetish or something. You might have felt pressured, because you’re dependant on me...I don’t know.” Jongin’s face was getting redder and redder as they talked, watching Kyungsoo’s eyes grow. “I actually thought you knew, and when you said all those things...I thought it was your way of telling me that you didn’t like me back.” He laughed then, the first real laugh Kyungsoo had heard from him and days, causing him to break out in an elated smile, happiness coursing through him.
“Really?” Kyungsoo asked, wheezing as he felt his lips cracking. Smiling was not a good idea right now. But he couldn’t help it, his lips curling up again on their own. Everything was just too good to be true. “For how long? I really had no idea.”
Jongin looked down at him, his expression morphing back into concern. He frowned, picking up the ointment again, “I don’t really know. It just kind of happened” Jongin admitted, his fingers gingerly dabbing new open spots on Kyungsoo’s lips. “It was just...I started missing you when I was at work. And thinking about you all the time. And the closer we got, the more I wanted. I guess I’m selfish too.” Jongin laughed, looking down at him affectionately.
Kyungsoo looked back tenderly, the words slowly sinking in. It was just too much to believe. He couldn’t help it, he wanted more. “Does that mean we can...we can...” Kyungsoo paused, not sure how to get the words out, his cheeks now redder than Jongin’s.
“You’re lying here like this and that’s what you’re thinking about?” He asked incredulously, eyes roaming Kyungsoo’s damaged body. “Honestly Kyungsoo, this looks really bad. You’re going to have to really tell me what happened. I think I’m going to have to put you in the tub to clean off the rest. It’s just too much.”
“Okay,” Kyungsoo agreed grudgingly, groaning when Jongin scooped him up in his arms to head towards the bathroom. It felt good, being in Jongin’s arms again, and even better knowing that he belonged there. In the back of Kyungsoo’s mind he knew this was just going to cause him more trouble in the long run, but he would worry about that later. He had a lot of things to worry about later, including what he heard tonight, and what he was going to do now. He sighed, wishing that he could just enjoy this moment like a normal person without the weight of curses and finding out his ex-owner was a creep. But still, it was better than nothing.
X
Kyungsoo sighed, leaning into the open refrigerator. There was nothing to eat. Well there was, but it was all ingredients and no actual food, and he was hungry now .
He turned, trying the pantry instead, his stomach turning at the cans of soup piled there. That’s all Jongin had been feeding him this week while he had been confined to the bed healing. He had lied and told Jongin his soup tasted good in a delirious moment, softened by Jongin’s adorably clumsy attempts to take care of him. He hadn’t realized that Jongin would take that as ‘I want to eat this every meal’, but he should have known by the way Jongin already ate the same thing every day that he wasn’t particular about food.
At least it had motivated him to finally get out of bed today, his stomach growling for something that wasn’t partially burned mush. And he was feeling much better, or as better as he could feel with a sickness that was slowly killing him looming in the background. At least he could move around without wincing, the purples and blues dotting his skin had turned to yellows or disappeared completely. It was time to get up.
Maybe he could talk Jongin into taking him out tonight. Like on a date. They hadn’t been back to the sushi restaurant like Jongin had promised, and he could use some time away from the stuffy apartment and his own thoughts.
The past week that Kyungsoo had been bedridden he had nothing to do but think. The first few days he had done nothing but berate himself for how clueless he had been about Chanyeol and what had been going on there. He knew he couldn’t fall back on ‘I didn’t know’ anymore. He hadn’t wanted to know.
He kept thinking about meeting Kris, and how he had asked Jongin if he could buy him. The whole thing had been so casual, like it was normal thing people could do. Honestly, Kyungsoo didn’t really believe at the time that he was serious, even though he obviously was. And if Jongin had agreed he would have to go with no say whatsoever, just because he was a hybrid. It made him that much more grateful that Jongin was a decent human being, which apparently wasn’t as common as Kyungsoo had thought.
But it wasn’t just that. It should have been obvious to Kyungsoo that Chanyeol was shady just for owning hybrids to begin with. He had been too blinded by his status at the time to see that the whole system was fucked up, but now he knew too much to go back. If he did he would just fall back into the same routine, unaware of what was going on behind the scenes, making things worse. He didn’t want to be that kind of person anymore.
He didn’t want to die, either, especially not now that he had Jongin. He hoped the witch would see that he actually regretted his behaviour and could feel sorry for him. Maybe she would give him another chance. It worked that way in books at least, so hopefully it could work that way in real life too.
He snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Jongin calling out to him, coming into the apartment from work. He smiled, reaching up to smooth down his messy hair while his ears focused on the sounds of Jongin’s footsteps getting closer. Jongin was the best distraction.
“Hey baby,” Jongin smiled affectionately, surprised to find Kyungsoo up and in the kitchen. He gently wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo, trying to avoid the areas that could still be bruised. “Feeling better?”
Kyungsoo nodded his head, a slight purr already building. He still wasn’t used to this, Jongin being so close. He wasn’t used to the way Jongin would lean forward, like he was doing now, grazing his plush lips against Kyungsoo’s, gentle enough not to bother Kyungsoo’s wounds, but enough to make him lose his breath. He wasn’t used to the way Jongin’s hands moved down and sat heavy on his hips, their heat seeping through the thin material of his shorts. And he really wasn't used to the way Jongin pulled back to look at him, like he was the lucky one and not the other way around.
Kyungsoo didn’t want this gentle treatment though, not now that his lips were almost fully healed. He stepped forward, standing on his toes to press his lips firmly against Jongin’s again. Jongin froze for a minute, surprised, before tilting Kyungsoo’s head back, deepening the kiss. Kyungsoo’s hands moved to Jongin’s hair, gripping the locks to pull him in closer while licking into his mouth.
It was too soon before Jongin was pulling away, giving the excuse of taking Monggu out. Kyungsoo smirked. That’s what Jongin always said when he was getting too worked up. He was still afraid of that Kyungsoo was too injured, and had been keeping some distance between them.
“Do you think, maybe, we could go out tonight?” Kyungsoo asked hesitantly, remembering his earlier idea of getting out of the house. “I’m feeling a lot better. And we haven’t been back to get sushi since the first time...it could be a date.” He added, hoping that would butter Jongin up a little.
Jongin looked at him closer, eyes roaming for any sign of discomfort he might be hiding. “I think the sushi restaurant might be too far...but there is somewhere else I have been wanting to take you. It’s outside though…” He added reluctantly.
“You’ve been wanting to take me somewhere? What is it?”
“It’s a surprise. So dress warm.” Jongin leaned down, giving Kyungsoo one last peck on the forehead before picking of Monggu and heading outside.
Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to be excited about what would be his first date with Jongin. He was intrigued by what the other had in mind. He wasn’t thrilled about the cold, but when Jongin stopped him before they left and slowly wrapped his tattered blue scarf around Kyungsoo’s neck, cooing about how cute he looked all bundled up, he didn’t mind nearly as much.
They didn’t walk for long, a few blocks in the opposite direction of where he used to live. It was Saturday night, and Kyungsoo could hear the music pouring from the bars and clubs they passed, throngs of people in line blocking the sidewalk. He tensed a little, not really used to being outside at night. His ears were flickering in every direction, trying to pick up each new sound.
Jongin reached out, pulling Kyungsoo’s hand from his pocket and lacing it with his own before returning it into the warm space. He was getting more suspicious with every step they took, the restaurants and shops now replaced with art studios and theaters.
Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to wonder if Jongin had planned on feeding him after all, wishing he had at least eaten a snack before they left. He was trying to become a little more flexible for Jongin though, not wanting to appear so spoiled and demanding anymore, so he kept his mouth shut and allowed himself to get pulled along further through this unknown area while hoping for the best.
It wasn’t too long before the road ended, lined up against a large courtyard, dimly lit from the nearby buildings and cars passing along the front. It was filled, crammed in every corner with people. Every few feet there seemed to be a different kind of performer. A teenage girl with a violin playing a pop song from the radio. A middle aged man with a banjo and a harmonica strapped to his mouth. Dancers, painters, even a group in body paint standing perfectly still, pretending to be statues.
Each performer had their own little group circled around, bobbing their heads or clapping along, some taking photos. Kyungsoo took it all in, his head spinning a little while they passed so many different sights and sounds overlapping each other. It was a lot to take in. Jongin pulled Kyungsoo along, stopping in front of a food cart Kyungsoo hadn’t noticed before. Had Jongin brought him all the way over here just for fish cakes? He looked questioning at the other.
“I come here a lot on Saturday’s” Jongin explained into Kyungsoo’s ear. It was hard to hear him, because setup next to the booth was somewhat of a band with a keyboard player and drummer. The keyboardist waved to Jongin, calling out his name enthusiastically. Jongin waved back with a grin, taking off his thick coat to reveal a fitting black t-shirt. “I come here to dance. Usually with these guys.” He said, indicating the same duo while handing his coat to Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows, looking at Jongin in surprise and wondering why he had never mentioned this before. Kyungsoo did remember Jongin saying something about dance classes and wanting to be an idol. “You can eat as many fish cakes as you want.” Jongin indicated the cart, and Kyungsoo smiled at how well Jongin did know him after all.
Kyungsoo reached out, grabbing one of the sticks from the broth and pulling the strip of boiled fish into his mouth. He chewed slowly while Jongin backed up to stand in front of the band while their song wound down, stretching his neck and arms in front of him. It wasn’t what he had in mind for a date, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as usual without the wind and the fish cakes were hot, so it was fine. He was more curious about what Jongin was going to do, intrigued about this secret he had been keeping all this time.
Kyungsoo didn’t really know anything about dancing and wasn’t sure what to expect when the new song started and Jongin began to move his body along with it. He certainly wasn’t expecting Jongin to transform into another person, one that was fluid and graceful, but still with that hard edge. The way he rolled his body was so sexy it almost hurt to watch. This wasn’t the same Jongin who pouted whenever Kyungsoo ate the last of the ice cream or talked to Monggu in baby talk for a solid 5 minutes.
Kyungsoo watched in awe, licking his lips when he saw a sliver of skin show on Jongin’s stomach as he lifted his hands over his head, falling to his knees. Jongin flashed him a smirk, his eyes dark and burning as they roamed Kyungsoo’s body, causing arousal to shoot straight through him. That motherfucker , Kyungsoo thought, frustrated. He’s doing this on purpose .
He resisted the urge to pounce on him right then and there, shoving an entire piece of fish in his mouth for distraction. A crowd was building around Jongin and the band by now, partially blocking his view. He was a little happy for the interruption. Kyungsoo turned back around to pour some of the salty broth into a cup, giving himself a minute to compose himself. He was pretty sure he was breathing harder than Jongin.
The man at the booth beside him also had his eyes trained on Jongin, craning his neck to see the end of the routine around the surrounding group.The song finished with a few slow notes the crowd clapped, some reaching down to throw dollars or change into the beanie he had laid open in front of him. Jongin picked it up, rushing over to Kyungsoo with a shy smile, ducking his head a little as he asked what Kyungsoo thought. Is this really the same person ? Kyungsoo couldn't help but wonder in amazement.
Kyungsoo reached up, planting a kiss directly on Jongin’s mouth before leaning back to smile at him. “You know you’re good.” He teased, shaking his head, “But a little warning would have been nice. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know. I guess I was a little embarrassed,” Jongin confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I wasn’t really trying to hide it though. I stopped coming for a while, but when we moved into Kris’s and it was so close...You’re not mad I didn’t tell you are you?”
“Don’t be dumb, but I am going to want to see some of those moves again later.” Kyungsoo said suggestively, waggling his eyebrows. He couldn’t believe how Jongin’s face turned a dark shade of red after everything he had just seen him do out there. This was going to be more fun than he thought.
The man that had been standing beside Kyungsoo at the booth was now staring at them openly, a curious expression on his handsome face. Kyungsoo tensed, hoping there wasn’t going to be some kind of issue, while Jongin put himself between them.
“You’re pretty good.” The stranger complimented, nodding his head in Jongin’s direction. “Where do you dance at?”
“Uh...here?” Jongin answered, sounding confused.
The man laughed while fishing in the pocket of his tan wool coat. He finally pulled out a business card and handed it to Jongin. Kyungsoo watched silently, noticing that the man’s stylish gold watch probably cost more than their old apartment. This guy was for real.
“I’m looking for some new talent. What do you think about coming to audition next week?”
Jongin looked down at the card, his eyes widening before returning them to the stranger. Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder, the initials SM stood out at the top embossed in a deep red. Underneath the name Kim Joonmyeon was printed in black followed by the letters CEO. Jongin nodded slowly, afraid of his voice at the moment.
“Great. Just call the number and we’ll get you all set up.” He smiled, teeth flashing. “I’ve got to go, but I look forward to hearing from you.” He nodded at Kyungsoo before heading back into the crowd towards a team of breakdancers.
Jongin stood frozen, still staring at the card in his shaking fingers. “Congratulations Jongin.” Kyungsoo said, reaching out to hug him. “See, you thought those dance classes were for nothing.”
Jongin was still for another beat before crushing Kyungsoo is his arms. When Jongin pulled away he was still dazed, his eyes still wide. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to want to tease him a little. “You just can’t believe it can you?” Kyungsoo asked, knowing exactly what was on Jongin’s mind. Jongin nodded along slowly. “It’s just so lucky we came out tonight, wasn’t it?” He continued, trying to imitate Jongin’s voice, “You almost didn’t come, did you?”
“That’s what I was thinking!” Jongin finally burst out, unable to keep the smile off his face. “How did you know?”
“It wasn’t luck Jongin.” Kyungsoo told him sincerely. “ I was watching, and you were really amazing. You’re mom would be very proud of you.” Kyungsoo said, reaching out to stroke Jongin’s arm affectionately.
Jongin hugged him again, giving him a wobbly smile. “It’s just an audition though,” he said, more to himself than Kyungsoo. “I haven’t been accepted yet.”
“Whatever,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, “I think when the CEO gives you his card it’s code for you’re in.” He leaned back against the food stand, reaching behind him for another fish cake. “So are you going to dance some more or what?” He asked, pulling some of the strip into his mouth.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” Jongin smiled sheepishly, before lowering his eyes to the stick in Kyungsoo’s hand. “I kind of have to now, since I gotta pay for all those fish cakes.” He joked, sounding like himself again. He gave Kyungsoo one last smile and ran back over to the band. Kyungsoo watched him transform yet again, but there was something different this time. The confidence was definitely more pronounced. He had a feeling that with the look on Jongin’s face right now and the crowd gravitating to his electric energy, he could eat all the fish cakes he wanted.
“He looks good out there, doesn’t he?” A soft voice beside him asked, and Kyungsoo jerked his head up to see the witch standing right beside him. He had been standing there alone for about a half an hour, transfixed by Jongin, and hadn’t noticed her sliding up.
She was clad in a leather bodice and tight stretchy black pants. What was with her and the leather ? he wondered, thinking about how cold she must be. “You know,” he started, not really surprised to see her, “I don’t even know your name.
“It’s Jinah, but you can call me Nana.” She answered, giving him what he realized was her first sincere smile. “Things have really changed I see. Look at you, all grown up. I’m so proud.”
“Whatever,” Kyungsoo responded, rolling his eyes. It seemed Jongin had spotted her standing there and talking to him, faltering a little in his moves. He was sure Jongin recognized her, and Kyungsoo knew it was just a matter of time before he came to interrupt them. He couldn’t help but to stall, though, not quite ready to know his fate yet. He decided to start with a different question instead, something he had been thinking about the last few days. “So you were at the birthday party to curse Chanyeol, weren’t you? When you said you were there for someone else? Was it him?”
“A lady never tells,” She responded, wagging her finger, “But if I were, do you think he would deserve it?”
“Yes,” Kyungsoo answered, not hesitating. “But so would a lot of people. Can you really curse them all?” He shivered, wondering about how many people were actually walking like he was, tied to a fate of punishment because of their thoughtless actions. He probably didn’t want to know.
“So…” He started, drawing in a deep breath as the nervousness set in, “how about a deal? You don’t want me to go back to Chanyeol’s. That’s obvious. So what else is there? You know that I’m..I really am sorry, right? Are you really going to let me die?” He couldn’t keep the desperation out of his voice after realizing this might be the last time he was going to see her.
“I’m sorry Kyungsoo,” She said softly, reaching up and sweeping his bangs away from his face affectionately. “I also wish it didn’t have to happen this way, but that’s not actually in my power. It’s an all or nothing thing, I’m afraid. I’m am sorry, but it’s your decision in the end.”
Kyungsoo nodded, blinking back tears, not trusting himself to speak. He had already figured this, but hearing her say it was still hard. He could see Jongin had fully stopped now, recognizing the look on Kyungsoo’s face even in the distance. He started making his way towards them, and Kyungsoo wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to smile. He couldn’t afford to be upset right now, not when it was Jongin’s happy night.
“What’s wrong. What did she say to you this time?” Jongin asked, putting his arms around Kyungsoo’s shoulders and turning to glare at Nana.
“We were just talking about how lucky he was to have you.” She explained, giving them a wink. “It’s time for me to go. It was good to see you again, Kyungsoo. I’m sure we’ll run into each other at least one more time.” She said it almost like a warning before blowing him a kiss and disappearing into the crowd. That hadn’t gone well at all.
Kyungsoo let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, collapsing into Jongin’s arms. “Are you okay? You’re not going to lock yourself in your room again like last time, are you?” Jongin worried, his hand sliding through the back of Kyungsoo’s hair.
“I’m fine…” He answered, but felt the fatigue of the day piling up. “But do you think we could go back home now? I’m pretty tired.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry I wasn’t even thinking about you still being hurt. Let’s go home.” Jongin rushed around, gathering his things and paying for Kyungsoo’s snacks while Kyungsoo composed himself, trying to focus more on Jongin right now. He would have plenty of time to be sad tomorrow.
By the time they got home Kyungsoo didn’t waste any time pushing Jongin up against the door, attaching their lips together. He could feel their time together slipping away and it made him all the more desperate and needy. Jongin was a little surprised by his enthusiasm, but kissed him back, his hand reaching up to rub the back of Kyungsoo’s neck.
Monggu had heard them coming through the door, and began barking and pawing at the door of the bedroom they had locked him in before leaving. “Uh...I have to take the dog out.” Jongin said breathlessly, attempting to pull away with a regretful smile.
Kyungsoo was not about it have it, though. Not this time. That little cock blocker could shit on the floor for all he cared. He pushed Jongin back with his body, attaching his mouth to Jongin’s neck, lightly sucking on the skin before scraping his teeth against it. His hand reached down, rubbing the front of Jongin’s jeans roughly with his hand. Even though he had never done this before, Kyungsoo wasn’t walking into this blind. He had watched enough internet porn on his phone while being bedridden for the past week to prepare himself for almost anything.
It seemed to be working, he noted with satisfaction, because Jongin had stopped his weak attempt at getting away. He was bucking into Kyungsoo’s hand with a low moan, fingers digging into Kyungsoo’s hips possessively, dragging him closer. Kyungsoo felt a rush of heat spike through him at Jongin’s reaction. He wanted more.
Kyungsoo lowered himself to his knees, rubbing his face against the bulge straining in Jongin’s jeans, inhaling deeply. Jongin looked down at him with dark, hooded eyes, swallowing thickly. Kyungsoo stared back at him, holding his gaze while releasing the buttons of his jeans and slowly pulling the fabric down far enough for Jongin’s cock to spring free, thick and heavy and painfully hard.
Kyungsoo reached out, wrapping his hand around the base, skimming his nose along the side. It was the same scent that had been teasing Kyungsoo for months, now pushing him over the edge. He needed to taste. He ran his tongue along the slit, the texture pulling the skin little. His tongue was a little flatter and rougher than a human's, but not quite as rough as a real cats. It was enough to have Jongin panting, letting out a string of curses as he braced himself on the wall next to the door, his eyes clamped shut.
Kyungsoo smiled wickedly, his confidence building with each reaction. He was just getting started. Jongin was about to see the real benefit of being with a hybrid. He leaned forward, stretching his lips over the thick member, moving down until it hit the back of his throat. He pulled back, his tongue lapping and scraping the underside while he built up a slow rhythm. A low purr started rumbling in the back of his throat, the tremors shooting right through Jongin’s cock.
Jongin cried out, losing whatever control he had been holding. One of his hands shot down to wrap itself roughly in Kyungsoo’s hair, holding his head steady as his hips snapped erratically. Kyungsoo's purr picked up speed, and he concentrated on relaxing his throat while Jongin pushed himself in deeper, attempting to chase the rolling vibrations. It only took a few seconds before Jongin came, almost collapsing as he emptied himself in Kyungsoo’s mouth with a groan.
Jongin was still for a minute, breathing heavily, before slowly opening his eyes. It was almost comical to see the sudden awareness cross his face, his demeanor going from forceful to overly considerate in a matter of seconds. “Oh my god.” He breathed out, dropping to his knees beside Kyungsoo. “I’m so sorry, Kyungsoo, are you okay?”
Kyungsoo was still trying to catch his breath, slightly amused by Jongin’s behavior. “You didn’t hurt me Jongin,” Kyungsoo assured him, reaching over to give him a soft kiss, “But I’m not okay yet.” He confided while reaching out to grab Jongin’s hand and guide it it to his own still prominent erection, slightly grinding against it.
Jongin stilled, looking everywhere but at Kyungsoo. “Oh… Do you want...uh…” Jongin started, pausing nervously, his ears turning red. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to giggle a little at Jongin’s antics, considering his pants were still pulled down to his knees.
“I want everything Jongin,” He said seriously, leaning over to plant his mouth over Jongin’s, nipping at the lower lip.
“Okay.” Jongin blinked, his voice rough as he stood up, pulling up his jeans with one hand and tugging Kyungsoo up with the other. “You can have it all.”
Kyungsoo woke up, the light too bright in the room to be morning. He reached over, pulling his cell phone off the nightstand and flicking it on. One in the afternoon. Not bad, the thought with a yawn. He chuckled, seeing that he had about 20 unread text messages from Jongin, who was probably having a rough day after how late they had stayed up last night.
Kyungsoo flipped to his stomach, wincing a little as the pain shot through his back. At least it wasn’t as painful as getting beat up, he thought, still wishing he could take some kind of pain reliever. He opened his messages, scrolling through the usual ‘ I miss yous ’ and ‘ I’m bored ’ texts along with a picture of Jongin pretending to be asleep with the caption of ‘ dead today .’
The last text, the one Jongin had sent about ten minutes ago, was something different, more sentimental. Kyungsoo stared at the words, his heart constricting. ‘I’m so lucky to have met you. Let’s stay together forever, okay? ’ Followed by a string of heart emojis. It was so typical cheesy Jongin.
Kyungsoo frowned, putting the phone down. He knew he was going to have to tell Jongin soon. It was a little ridiculous he hadn’t already. He had the feeling that Jongin was going to think so, too, and be a little mad at him. That was going to make it even harder to tell him. He certainly didn’t want to waste any of their small amount of time left arguing or being upset. Kyungsoo knew he was just being selfish again, and Jongin had a right to know.
I should probably wait until after his audition, though. Kyungsoo decided. That's not really being selfish because Jongin won’t be able to practice or do a good job if he’s worried about me. It’s really the best thing to do.
He laid back on the pillow, propping his hands under his head, thinking about what was going to happen to Jongin after he left. He would be sad at first, of course. But in reality Jongin had only known him for three months, so he would get over it quickly.
When Kyungsoo really thought about what was about to happen for Jongin with his new career, it seemed that if he wasn’t going to die than he would just end up being a burden. Jongin was about to start his real life, with a career where he would meet equals and start to have real actual friends. That would be easier without some clingy hybrid trying to compete for his attention, dragging him down.
If they were still together when Jongin started the company, it would make things much harder. Jongin would try to keep things normal at first, coming home after performances instead of going to parties with the other members. Bringing Kyungsoo would be too awkward. He wasn’t good in social situations and the other’s might think it was weird Jongin was even with a hybrid, potentially even ostracizing him for it.
After a while though, they would pressure Jongin more to join in. He would start going without Kyungsoo, spending more and more time with the other dancers. Practices would get later as they expected more from him, and pretty soon he wouldn’t have time for Kyungsoo at all.
He could see it all, feel the disappointment of the inevitable rejection. It seemed that maybe the last lucky thing he was doing for Jongin was dying, giving him the life he deserved without all the struggle of making it work with Kyungsoo in the background.
Kyungsoo realized then he couldn’t tell Jongin the truth. It would do nothing but ruin all of the happiness Jongin would have in his new life, knowing Kyungsoo died to give it to him. Kyungsoo really didn’t want that. Then it would have all been for nothing. He had been right to keep quiet after all.
X
There was no way to stop time from passing, whether Kyungsoo liked it or not. He tried to pay closer attention to everything, tried to really focus on the moments when they were together, wanting to actually be present in each one. But it was exhausting trying to keep that up. Everything was exhausting these days.
If he was acting strange Jongin didn’t seem to notice. He was practicing non-stop when he was home, getting ready for his audition. Not that Kyungsoo minded, having Jongin flexing and spinning around in a drenched white tank top for his eyes only was the same as dying and going to heaven. Kyungsoo just hoped the real thing was going to be this good.
Kyungsoo was a little worried about Jongin today, though. He had set off for his audition early that morning, so nervous that he had left still wearing his slippers, making himself late when he had to rush back to change. Kyungsoo had wanted to go with him, hoping to spread a little extra luck, but then decided against it when he remembered what happened at the sushi restaurant. He could just never tell with this curse.
Kyungsoo had been in bed all morning feeling more fatigued than usual. He had been taking light naps while waiting for Jongin’s call but his muscles were starting to cramp, which he assumed was from lying still for too long.
He slowly pulled himself out of bed, but as soon as his feet touched the plush carpet a wave of dizziness washed over him. He tried sitting back down, but it was too late. Everything was already too much. Kyungsoo collapsed, missing the bed and sliding to the floor, curling himself into a ball. He clamped his eyes shut but the room still spun ruthlessly around him, the nausea building in his stomach.
Kyungsoo was still laying there when Jongin came home two hours later, calling out to him from the hall. He could hear him talking to Monggu, asking the little dog what they had done all day and why Kyungsoo wasn’t answering the phone, teasing them for sleeping so much. He finally made his way into the bedroom, and stopped suddenly when he found Kyungsoo on the floor, his face partially pressed in a pool of vomit.
Jongin rushed over, his hands pressing to Kyungsoo's head and sides, asking him what was wrong. Kyungsoo uttered a low moan, unable to talk, feeling himself slipping further away. His last thoughts before he closed his eyes, feeling Jongin gently picking him up, was that he hoped that this wasn’t the end. He thought he had a week left, but he wasn’t actually sure. He really wanted to say goodbye.
Kyungsoo thought he should be getting used to waking up in strange places by now, it happened so regularly these days. This time he was really confused, though. He was laying on some sort of cot in a large white room filled with rows of similar cots, everything sterile and uniform. A tube of connected to a bag of liquid was stuck into his hand, the other side attached to a blinking machine.
Shit, Jongin brought me to the hospital, he realized with dismay. He noticed a few cots down from him was another cat hybrid who was younger than him, a teenager. He was tapping on his phone, a bored look on his face. Even worse, the animal hospital. He heard stories about this place, and none of them were good.
Jongin was sitting in the chair beside the bed napping, his head leaning a little forward. As Kyungsoo shuffled around, he woke up with a start. “You’re awake,” He observed, his nervous eyes flicking over Kyungsoo. “What happened?”
Kyungsoo thought for a minute, trying to figure out what he was going to tell the other. At least he was feeling better, the debilitating dizziness dialed back to a faint hum in the background. He wasn’t so sure how long it was going to stay away, though. “I just got a little sick, that’s all. You didn’t need to bring me here.” He chastised gently, trying to pull himself up into sitting position.
“Kyungsoo, after you passed out, you started throwing up everywhere, I thought you were going to choke to death. It was so scary. I didn’t know what to do.” Jongin explained, his voice tight. He reached out, carding his fingers through Kyungsoo’s bangs, moving them off his sweating forehead. “They’re running tests right now. They can’t tell what’s wrong with you yet but-”
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo interrupted, holding his hand up, “You have to take me home now. Don’t get any tests done. I’m so stupid, I didn’t even think about you taking me here. It’s going to be so expensive, and there’s no point. Let’s just go.” Kyungsoo began looking around, trying to figure out how to unattach himself from the machines when Jongin brought his hand down on his shoulder, stilling him.
“What do you mean you didn’t think about me taking you here? Did you know you were sick?” He asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. “And don’t worry about what it costs. We have to take care of you! Something is wrong!”
“Jongin, listen to me. There isn’t nothing wrong with me that this hospital can fix, okay? All it’s gonna do is leave you with debt when I’m gone…” Jongin’s eyes went wide and Kyungsoo clamped his mouth shut, realizing what he just said.
“What are you talking about, when you’re gone?” Jongin asked suspiciously. Kyungsoo looked down at his hands, avoiding Jongin’s eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?” He demanded, loud enough that the teenager looked over at them curiously.
“If you take me home, I’ll tell you everything.” Kyungsoo whispered in defeat, hoping Jongin would calm down. This was not what he wanted, but he was obviously out of options and time. The only thing left he could really do for Jongin now was to get himself home and avoid any expenses that his sickness might rack up.
“You have to tell me first, and then I’ll think about taking you home.” Jongin retorted stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. He could tell Jongin wasn’t going to budge this time.
“It’s kind of a long story,” He started, drawing in a breath. “And you’re probably not going to believe this but…”
Jongin was gone again when Kyungsoo woke up. He was always gone these days, slipping out as soon as Kyungsoo dozed off, not returning for hours after. He was trying to find Nana Kyungsoo knew, but he wished Jongin would just stop. This wasn’t how he wanted to spend their last week together at all, stuck in a hospital while Jongin was constantly out, wasting his time.
It had been surprising how quickly Jongin had believed his story. Kyungsoo could literally see flashes of awareness in Jongin’s eyes while he talked, all the little confusing bits finally becoming clear. Why Kyungsoo had that lottery ticket. Why he hated it at first when Jongin had talked about getting lucky. And of course, why he was suddenly successful with everything when he had never been before.
It had taken Jongin about two seconds to figure out who the witch was. It hadn’t been hard considering she was the only creepy stranger that had been lurking around him since they met. He didn’t like that Jongin had the idea that he was going to find her, plead with her for Kyungsoo’s life. Of course he had lied to Jongin, explaining that there were no such things as take backs in magic, insisting there was no way to break the curse. He just wanted to go home to be with Jongin until the end.
To say that hadn’t gone well had been an understatement.
At least he was speaking to Kyungsoo again, though. Kyungsoo could tell that it was a little grudgingly, but it was better than nothing. It helped that Kyungsoo's symptoms fluctuated so frequently, his health quickly declining. The dizzy spells were happening more regularly, a high fever that always left Kyungsoo delirious usually following. Jongin’s concern had far outweighed his anger.
Jongin had refused to take him from the hospital, though, much to his frustration. They even moved him into his own room. Every time they came to take a new sample and run a new test Kyungsoo could just see a new debt piling up, a new problem for Jongin. Whenever he brought it up it only led to another fight, though. He tried releasing himself while Jongin was out on one of his hunts, but pets were not allowed to release themselves without their owner's permission. He hated that there was nothing he could ever do on his own.
His week was almost up, though, and it was getting harder and harder for Kyungsoo to keep his eyes opened. He hated this sickness, this suffering, and he was pretty ready for it to be over. He was about to doze off again when he heard the door open, followed by the sound of Jongin speaking in a low whisper, assuming Kyungsoo was unconscious.
Kyungsoo cracked his eyes open, getting a peek at Jongin standing beside a tall elderly man in a white lab coat. Kyungsoo’s vet. He was patiently explaining to Jongin that Kyungsoo wasn’t improving, and that they still had no idea what was wrong with him. The man paused, putting a hand on Jongin’s shoulder sympathetically. “I know no one likes to hear this option,” the man began hesitantly, “but he’s not getting any better. You may want to think about putting him down. The longer this goes on the more he’s going to suffer and-”
“No!” Jongin hissed, outraged. “I brought him here for you to fix him, not kill him. You haven’t done anything but run tests. You’re not even trying to help him.”
“We can’t fix anything if we can’t figure out what’s wrong.” The vet explained in a soothing voice, trying to calm Jongin down. “The best we can do is make him comfortable in the time being. It isn’t going to be much longer, though. Whatever this is, it’s tough. If you change your mind, just let me know. I know it’s hard, but it’s best not to let them suffer too long.” He patted Jongin’s shoulder again, leaving him alone in the doorway.
Jongin’s shoulders hunched, his face crumpling when he looked up and saw Kyungsoo staring at him. He stumbled over to the bed, leaning forward to bury his face in Kyungsoo’s chest, sobbing.
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo started, rubbing soothing circles into Jongin’s shaking back. He paused, clearing his throat, his voice hoarse. “It’s time to stop this now, okay? I know this is hard but-”
“No,” Jongin said firmly, lifting his head to look at Kyungsoo fiercely. “You don’t know anything. I can’t just give up. I’m not going to lose you. After everything you’ve done for me, you think I’m just going to do nothing?” He shook his head, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “I’ll do anything it takes to save you.”
Kyungsoo gave him a sad smile, opening his arms up. He just wanted to feel Jongin, be held by him. Jongin looked nervous, but still slid in beside him under the cords and wires attached to Kyungsoo, scooping him into his arms. Kyungsoo sighed in contentment, looping his tail around Jongin’s arm while attempting to snuggle closer. “Where did you go today?” He asked curiously after a few minutes of silence. Talking was hard, but he didn’t want to doze off while Jongin was still here.
“I tried to go to your old house today.” Jongin confessed, his tone annoyed. “I thought...I thought they might know who the woman was and be able to tell me where to find her. But they acted like they didn’t know what I was talking about. They were…”
“They were what?” Kyungsoo asked, having a pretty good idea of what probably happened.
“I can see where you got your attitude from now, that’s all.” Jongin said, not quite kidding.
As Kyungsoo opened his mouth to respond pain suddenly racked through his body, exploding his gut. A sharp cry come out instead. Jongin detached himself, looking at him in panic. “I’ll go get someone.” He cried, scrambling out of the bed.
Kyungsoo could hear his steps thundering through the room, stopping short right outside the hall.
“It’s you! You’re here!” Jongin exclaimed. Kyungsoo only partially wondered what was happening out there, most of his mind focused on the throbbing pain. But hearing the clear voice respond to Jongin made his ears perk up, straining to hear better. It was Nana. His muddled brain vaguely remembered her saying she would see him one more time. And now here she was, at the hospital and talking to Jongin. This was bad.
“So observant,” she responded teasingly, cool as ever. “Here I am indeed. You have been looking for me so diligently, after all. How could I resist?”
There was silence, and Kyungsoo imagined that Jongin was trying to figure out what to make of her and her words. She took some getting used to.
“How can you be so casual right now?” Jongin hissed angrily. He had definitely lost his temper. “Don’t you care at all that you’re killing someone?”
“Well, he did deserve it, just a little.” She told him, sounding almost like she was scolding him for even asking. “And he didn’t have to die. He chose to. I certainly gave him an option.”
Shit , Kyungsoo thought, panicking. He opened his mouth to call out to them, to stop where this was headed, but only a low grunt came out. Could this get any worse?
“What are you talking about?” Jongin demanded, his voice rising in desperation. “What option?”
“It’s simple really. In order to reverse the curse, everything would go back to the way it was. You would go back to being in debt, he would go back to being a spoiled brat, and you wouldn’t know the other even existed. Essentially, none of this every happened.”
“That’s it?” Jongin asked, not even pausing. “Then do it. I don’t care about any of that stuff as long as Kyungsoo lives.”
Kyungsoo could hear the pause, Nana thinking through what Jongin was suggesting, and knew that this was going to be his only chance to act. He began pulling himself together the best he could, but couldn’t get his limbs to cooperate enough to stand up. Instead he managed to roll over off the side of the bed, landing hard on the linoleum floor. The IV tube connected to his hand pulled free, and Kyungsoo gasped at the new layers of pain that the fall had delivered. Why can’t I just die in peace? He wondered, frustrated that he was still being punished even now, now that he had finally done the right thing. Can’t I ever get a break? It wasn’t over though. Jongin was still outside the door talking to his worst nightmare, so he would have to feel sorry for himself later. Now he just needed to move.
“Are you sure about that?” Nana finally asked, sounding serious for the first time. “Before you decide you should know that Kyungsoo didn’t want to go back. There was a reason he got cursed in the first place you know. His old life wasn’t a very good one. Neither was yours.”
“I don’t care!” Jongin exploded, overwhelmed. “I don’t care what he was like. He was alive at least. I can’t let him die. Please, do whatever you can to save him.” Jongin begged with a broken sob.
Kyungsoo was almost to them by then, only a few feet away, before the dizziness took over. He collapsed, unable to move even if he wanted to. He could feel heaviness behind his eyes, a darkness spreading around him, pulling him in. It’s about time , he thought bitterly, exhausted from the struggle from the past week, from both the waiting and the pain. Finally, it was time for some relief.
Everything was black. Kyungsoo couldn't see anything, couldn’t feel any pressure on his body. It was almost as if he was floating, hanging in nothingness. Am I dead? He wondered idly, the last moments on the hospital floor flashing back. For some reason he always thought being dead would be a little bit...brighter. A lot more interesting at least. It seemed TV always got everything wrong.
You’re not dead. He could hear the voice, but it was more inside his mind then from inside this void. This is just a little place in between. A place for you to rest while I put everything back to where it belongs.
“No!” Kyungsoo cried out, the sound echoing around him. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen at all. “I’m not supposed to go back. I don’t want to.” He was so frustrated. Why was it that everyone was always making decisions for him? Would he never get to be in control of his own life?
Don’t worry little kitty, you will be just fine. I’m not taking everything. You’ve worked hard, you and Jongin both, so you deserve a little reward, don’t you think?
Kyungsoo was silent, not sure what she was talking about, or if he was even supposed to respond. He knew enough by now that she was going to do whatever she wanted, anyway.
You know me so well . She said, sounding amused. Suddenly everything shifted, and he had the feeling that he was falling and landing at the same time. Brightness starting to seep through the dark, overwhelming him. You’re home now Kyungsoo, and what you do now is up to you. That is my gift to you.
He could feel his eyes fluttering, trying to open, consciousness pulling him forward. He fought it a little, feeling like he wasn’t quite ready yet. He wasn’t sure what reality he would even be waking up to. You will learn everything soon. But It’s time to wake up now Kyungsoo. You have slept long enough.
It was safe to say Kyungsoo was pissed to find himself back in his old bedroom, tucked into his king sized bed at Chanyeol’s house when his eyes finally pried themselves open. He felt like he had been sleeping for days, his mouth feeling like it had been stuffed with sand. I can’t believe Jongin did this , he thought, blinking several times to get his bearings while cursing the other in his head. Kyungsoo had told him there was no way to reverse the curse. Why didn’t he ever listen.
His paused, slapping his hand over his mouth. I remember Jongin , he realized, before looking at the room again. But this is definitely Chanyeol’s house. Everything was right where he left it. His jacket he wore to the birthday party slung over the overstuffed chair beside the bed, his black leather shoes tucked neatly underneath. It was so strangely familiar, but still so foreign now that he had been away for so long.
Kyungsoo opened his hand, looking for the pattern he become so familiar with over the past few months. He wasn’t surprised to see that it had changed as well, his heart line back where it belonged, apart from the other lines on his palm. It seemed that she had put everything back, just like she said. ‘ You’re home now, Kyungsoo, but what you do now is up to you’. The words came back to him, but he wasn’t quite sure where they were from. Had that been from some kind of dream? He felt his heart pick up speed as he chased the memory. Is this what she meant? That he could choose Jongin?
Kyungsoo sat up quickly, pulling himself out of bed. It was nice being able to move around pain free again, he noticed, while he raced around putting on his clothes. He chose the same blue button down and jeans that he had worn out of the house before. It seemed appropriate that was what he was going to leave in a second time, although this time it would really be for good. At that thought he decided to grab a thick, knitted sweater and his warmest jacket for good measure. There was no reason not to indulge a little. Chanyeol was just going to have to get rid of all of this stuff anyway.
Kyungsoo’s hand paused on the doorknob while the reality of that thought sunk in. Chanyeol would probably give his things to the other hybrids in the house. He had momentarily forgotten about them in his haste to leave and get back to Jongin and start his new and improved life. It felt bitter because even though things would slightly improve for them with him gone it wouldn’t really be that much of a change.
It seemed so unfair that he was going to get to leave and have a happy life while nothing changed for the ones who needed it most. Was this really how it was supposed to work? Kyungsoo couldn’t help but wonder. It really seemed like the witch was doing things the wrong way. He sighed, finally leaving his bedroom and slowly heading down the stairs, his tail swishing in agitation.
He stopped again once he made it to the final floor, unsure about what he was really supposed to do, and if he really could just leave with everything the way it was. For some reason this felt like another test. Or was this just what it’s like being a decent person? Kyungsoo wondered, realizing this wasn’t going to be the last time he ran into this kind of dilemma.
It wasn’t that Kyungsoo didn’t want to help, but he wasn’t sure what he could do on his own. He was still a hybrid himself, after all. He turned away from the front door however, hesitantly heading towards Chanyeol’s office instead. He had gone through too much to not at least try to do something for the others before he left.
Kyungsoo expected that when he crept into Chanyeol’s office everything would be the same as before, and he would see the same scene as last time. Chanyeol would be busy working behind the desk, typing away at his computer, oblivious to the world around him. This time, however, instead of turning him away Chanyeol would instead pet Kyungsoo’s affectionately and complain about his work load before sending Kyungsoo away with a treat.
Kyungsoo was surprised as he moved closer to hear sounds behind the computer that wasn’t typing, but sounded more like crying. Maybe Chanyeol was watching a movie , Kyungsoo thought, slowly making his way to the other, his stomach churning nervously.
Upon reaching the other however, Kyungsoo stopped short, unsure about what he was seeing. It was Chanyeol, slouched in his seat behind the desk, his face buried in his arms while he sobbed loudly. That in itself was unusual enough, but that wasn’t what had stopped Kyungsoo from moving forward.
What had stopped Kyungsoo was the two tall black and white cat ears peeking out of the tangled strands of Chanyeol’s black hair. They twitched suddenly hearing Kyungsoo’s slight intake of breath, and Chanyeol jerked his head up with a panicked look, afraid that someone had found him.
He seemed slightly relieved to see it was just Kyungsoo, and he stared at the hybrid with a lost look for a moment before crashing out of the chair and onto the carpet in front of him. Kyungsoo could see from that position that Chanyeol had also inherited a tail. It was a short, fluffy affair pushing itself out of the top of Chanyeol’s waistband. Kyungsoo’s brows pulled together in confusion. What was going on?
“Kyungsoo, you have to help me.” Chanyeol’s deep voice rumbled, his fingers clutching onto Kyungsoo’s pants. He couldn’t believe how much this situation had reversed since he had been in this room last, when it had been him begging on the floor.
“What happened?” Kyungsoo whispered, tentatively reaching down to touch the fur on the back of Chanyeol’s ears, only to stop when Chanyeol suddenly jerked his head away.
“I don’t know.” Chanyeol wailed, reaching up to wipe his face with the back of his hand while pulling himself up a little. “I just woke up like this. And they won’t come off, I tried.” Kyungsoo winced as he watched chanyeol pull roughly at the base of his ears, threatening to tear the thin layer that attached them. He reached down, pulling Chanyeol’s hands away into his own before sinking on the floor in front of him.
“You really don’t know what happened?” Kyungsoo asked incredulously, a suspicious starting to creep up in him. What had Nana done now?
“Of course not. Do you think anyone would change into a filthy hybrid on purpose? Don’t be fucking stupid, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol sneered, and Kyungsoo flinched back at his words, dumbstruck.
In a way, Kyungsoo felt like he was truly seeing Chanyeol for the first time. He knew that the other had acted in ways that were horrible, but he realized then that part of him hadn’t actually believed Chanyeol was horrible himself until now. Kyungsoo felt himself harden towards the other, the pity he had been feeling a moment ago vanishing. This might not be such a bad thing after all.
Instead Kyungsoo saw another opportunity unfolding in front of him, the one that he had been looking for when he had decided to confront Chanyeol in the first place. This was his real chance at actually doing something useful for the other hybrids. A chance that would probably not have existed if both of them hadn’t been affected by Nana. Maybe this was even why she put him through everything in the first place, so he could be in the place he was now, knowing what needed to be done next. It was overwhelming, but at the same time that thought gave him the confidence he needed.
Kyungsoo took a deep breath, sitting up straighter. Now it was just a matter of getting Chanyeol to listen. “I know what happened to you,” Kyungsoo confessed, his eyes boring into Chanyeol’s, “and I think I know how to help.”
It was a half an hour later when Kyungsoo finally slipped out of the front door and onto the steps facing the busy street, officially leaving behind his former life, although with a promise to himself to come back and check on Chanyeol soon. The man hadn’t actually believed Kyungsoo, or taken any of his advice seriously. The idea of paying hybrids or treating them as equals was still so foreign to Chanyeol, and he didn’t see how that was related to his own predicament. Chanyeol had brushed Kyungsoo’s words off angrily, accusing him of trying to take advantage of him and his situation. Kyungsoo was annoyed, but knew the man would need time to let everything sink in. Time, and of course, to be treated like a hybrid for awhile.
Kyungsoo hadn’t actually mentioned to Chanyeol he was leaving though, but figured his owner would figure that out on his own soon enough. Now that he was moving Kyungsoo became even more impatient to get to Jongin as soon as possible, even though part of him was a little afraid that it was only him that got his memories back. He had no idea what to do if that happened.
All of his impatience and worries disappeared, however, when he saw Jongin standing near the steps, staring up at Chanyeol’s massive house with a small frown on his face. Jongin seemed to notice him then too, his eyes going wide. He seemed to pull himself together quickly though, striding over to Kyungsoo and crushing him into a hug. “I was so worried.” He murmured shakily into Kyungsoo’s hair, his grip getting even tighter. “I thought I lost you for good.”
Kyungsoo’s body sagged in relief, burying his face in Jongin’s chest and inhaling the familiar scent. This was where he belonged, here in Jongin’s arms. Happiness filled him as he realized that everything was really over, and he was going to get to keep Jongin for real.
“But wait,” Kyungsoo asked, pulling back slightly and looking up in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
A wave of hurt washed over Jongin’s face as he dropped his hands, taking a step back. “I thought...you...we...you don’t want me here?” He asked in a small voice.
Kyungsoo’s heart dropped, realizing the misunderstanding. “No! I mean yes!” He said quickly, looping his arms around Jongin’s shoulders and pulling the other down for a light kiss. “I just meant how did you get here so fast? I didn’t think I had been up for that long.”
“Oh,” Jongin said, sounding relieved. “I got here hours ago actually. I tried ringing the bell, but you know how that goes. So I was just waiting for you. What took you so long?” He pouted, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hand and started pulling him along the sidewalk.
“Something came up,” Kyungsoo explained, smiling up at Jongin and lacing their fingers together. “You are not going to believe what Nana did now.”
Jongin frowned at the mention of her name, but looked at him curiously anyway. Kyungsoo couldn’t help the smile that blossomed over his face. Finally, they were going home.
X
It was interesting, to say the least, for Kyungsoo to start over and relive the last few months of his life again. It was like having constant déjà vu, only without the confusion of where he had seen it before.
The major difference was that this time there was no magical lottery ticket to erase Jongin’s crippling debt. It was still there, an anchor around his neck holding him down. Kyungsoo had suggested asking Chanyeol for the money, but Jongin refused. It was one thing for him to be Kyungsoo’s pet project, but it was another to put himself in debt to someone like that. Kyungsoo thought Jongin was wise not to trust Chanyeol, but couldn’t help but to think that being in debt to gangsters was somehow worse.
In the end Jongin called his father to ask for help. Jongin hated asking him for anything, still holding the grudge of what had gone down between his parents, but he had also realized that he couldn't do it on his own anymore. He had to take care of Kyungsoo now too, so he had to stop being stubborn.
Jongin had been wrong about his father giving him a hard time or blaming his mother, but instead jumped at the chance to do something to help fix their broken relationship, paying everything off immediately. It was awkward for Jongin to say the least, but he was grateful. Their relationship was slowly making progress.
Another difference was that Jongin had become much more confident. He hadn’t realized that before Kyungsoo came he had given up on his dreams and was just going through the motions of living and working. He had stopped trying anything new, always assuming he wasn’t good enough and that things didn’t happen to people like him. Going through that audition had given him a taste of success, and now it was hard for him not to want to try again. There was an open audition in another month that he decided to try out for, and Kyungsoo was thrilled at the prospect of watching him practice every day.
And of course there was now kitty Chanyeol for Kyungsoo to deal with. That project was going slowly, as Chanyeol got a full taste of what it meant to be a hybrid. Chanyeol was gradually learning the limitations of his situation, but was still mostly in hiding. After a failed attempt to get the new appendages removed and rejection from his closer friends, Chanyeol was starting to come around. Kyungsoo knew it was just a matter of time.
But as some things changed, others tended to stay the same. Jongin still won the heater in the drawing, and brought home the bags of extra food from work. The landlord still had a soft spot for cats. All of those things played out so exact that Kyungsoo was starting to get suspicious about how much he had really been helping to begin with.
They were now headed to the sushi restaurant, their hands linked hands swinging between them. It was the exact same unusually warm day as the last time, and Kyungsoo couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. Everything was the same, yet so much better. Because now Jongin was really his. There was nothing hanging over his head, no strings attached to his thoughts or feelings ruining his happy moments. They were all his to have and keep.
They were seated in the same booth by the same scowling teenager, but this time Kyungsoo wasn’t feeling shame when she glared at his him. He was tired of being treated different as a hybrid, of being looked down on. Instead he followed her to the table with his head and tail high in the air. He had nothing to be ashamed of at all.
As they sat in the back booth, watching the steady flow of plates an idea occurred to Kyungsoo. “You know, I thought it was strange that we didn’t win last time, since you were supposed to be lucky at everything. It didn’t make any sense to me at the time.”
“I remember that you were really upset that we didn’t win because you were supposed to be lucky. It was so cute. I can’t believe you were hiding that from me though.” Jongin added, frowning at the memory, still a little upset at Kyungsoo for hiding everything from him for so long.
“I didn’t really think about what luck was at the time, though.” Kyungsoo hurried on, hoping Jongin wasn’t going to get upset at him about the curse again. Kyungsoo was really going to have to teach him the art of not dwelling. What was the point of getting upset about something that already happened? It seemed like a waste of energy to him. But Jongin wasn’t to the place yet where he could agree.
“What do you mean? Luck is luck.” Jongin answered, thankfully distracted. He reached up, pulling the place of flounder down for Kyungsoo, pushing it in front of him.
“Yeah, but isn’t it weird that everything is happening the same way again without the curse? Maybe there is more to it. I’m starting to think that maybe it all was just a coincidence. Or maybe they’re the same thing.” Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders, picking up the fish. “Either way, I’m starting to think she didn’t make all of those things happen to you. I think you did, just by trying things and putting yourself out there. Or maybe it was a little bit of both.”
“What about the game though?” Jongin asked, sliding their empty plates into the slot. He pulled down a plate of shrimp for Kyungsoo, looking at him expectantly. “I’ve been trying to win this for years with no luck.”
“Yeah well, this is probably one of the only things we came across that’s not actually left to chance, or you would have.” Kyungsoo realized, leaning forward to feed Jongin the last shrimp from his plate. His heart picked up a little as Jongin deliberately closed his mouth around Kyungsoo’s fingers, lightly sucking on them before Kyungsoo pulled them free. He turned beat red, pulling the first plate down that passed as a way to distract himself, which happened to be the five dollar lobster. “Shit, is it too late to put it back?” Kyungsoo asked nervously, looking around to see if anyone was paying attention to them.
Kyungsoo pouted as Jongin laughed. “This is your fault.” He insisted, putting the plate in front of him in defeat. The regret didn’t last long, though, as the soft, buttery flavor exploded on his tongue. He closed his eyes, relishing the taste.
“I’m lucky to have you.” Jongin said quietly, and Kyungsoo’s eyes opened to find Jongin staring at him with that dopey grin he loved so much. “Every day I think about how I close I was to losing you-” He stopped abruptly, shaking his head, trying not to get upset.
Kyungsoo stretched his hand out, placing it on top of Jongin’s. “But you didn’t lose me Jongin. You saved me. And that wasn’t luck either. That was just you, being amazing.” He paused, giving Jongin a soft smile. It was still hard for him, being sentimental, but being around Jongin made it easier every day. He really wanted Jongin to know how much he appreciated and loved him, because he never knew when something might happen to either of them, for real.
He straightened up then, rubbing his eyes. This was getting a little too intense for a sushi date. “Now,” He said, grabbing a piece of chicken from the line and putting it in front of Jongin. “Hurry up and eat so we can go ahead and lose this stupid game.”
“I love you too Kyungsoo.” Jongin grinned, picking up the piece of chicken with his fork. “It really is does taste different.” He said, around the mouthful, offering a bite to Kyungsoo who shook his head no. Some things were never going to change, and that was just fine.