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Baekhyun would be lying if he said that he hadn’t been waiting for this very moment. He had thought about it a few times over the years, though most of his thoughts had gone unfinished, shaken away and pushed aside to avoid complicating a deep, meaningful friendship.
They had known each other since Jongin’s family moved into the house next door, playdates with the neighbour’s boy a regular thing despite their two-year age gap. They had grown up together, and when Baekhyun was old enough to graduate he chose to work at the local inn for a couple more years, deferring his college application so he could enter in the same year as his childhood friend.
Last weekend, however, Baekhyun had given in and let himself picture the entire thing: Jongin’s flexible body moving against his and melting under his touch, Jongin mewling with closed eyes, his soft tail curling around Baekhyun’s hips to take him in even deeper. It had easily been one of the best orgasms he’s ever had, the vision of Jongin coming undone before him brought on by a very successful, albeit nerve-wracking, first date.
Baekhyun owes it all to Jongin’s subscribers, their overwhelming support for the catboy a key contributor to Baekhyun’s courage when he finally came clean about his feelings. He had been there for Jongin’s live Q & A session—a simple interactive stream to celebrate Jongin’s YouTube channel surpassing 100,000 subscribers—joining in on answering the questions whenever they were directed at him, too.
“Like the delivery fees?” Jongin answered with another question. The catboy had retreated to the couch after saying goodbye to the audience, his feet propped up on the faux leather, black tail swishing lazily against the arm of the sofa. He had left Baekhyun to log out of the live on his behalf, but the latest comments had piqued Baekhyun’s interest, and the attached camera continued to roll from the tripod stand. Jongin’s head was still slightly tilted, his ears turned to the side to show his uncertainty regarding Baekhyun’s question.
“So they want to buy us?”
“What are you saying, Kyoongie hyung?”
Baekhyun watched as the live chat went crazy after Jongin moved forward, leaning in so close he could feel one of Jongin’s ears twitching against his temple. Baekhyun tried to keep his composure as Jongin’s pleasant scent wafted more strongly due to the proximity, like a meadow flushed with fresh peaches in the spring. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw Jongin’s small frown, his plump lips pouting as he tried to read the chat, his hand enveloping Baekhyun’s own as he tried to navigate the mouse.
Jongin had laughed just then, his eyes crinkling, the dimples starting to show on his smooth face. “Everyone... Are you saying you want to see us get together? Is that what shipping means?” Jongin read through a few more messages, the computer screen’s reflection in his brown eyes making him look even more celestial. Another moment passed before he locked eyes with Baekhyun, teeth running over his lower lip. “I want that, too.”
And with that, Baekhyun accidentally clicked on the End Stream button.
“Does it feel good?” Baekhyun asks now in Jongin’s bed, his question coming out in a low whisper as Jongin continues to purr in his ear. The hybrid manages a small whimper in response, clearly enjoying the feel of Baekhyun’s fingers delicately scratching that one spot behind his feline ears. “Tell me what you want, Jonginnie.”
He sees that small hesitation, that flash of a moment where Jongin looks a little unsure of what he can or can’t say. It brings him back to that rainy evening, sitting on the old metal swing in the Kims’ backyard, watching the catboy softly pinch his own fingers, his ears drooping slightly, eyes cast downwards. It had been the day Baekhyun officially graduated high school, the day he had called Jongin over to test out the new gaming console his parents had bought for him. The day he was starting to decide on college applications.
Knowing he just needs a little push, Baekhyun brings his hand up to cup Jongin’s cheek, gently guiding the other to face him. Baekhyun caresses Jongin’s jaw with his thumb and lets Jongin lean into his touch, sighing along with the catboy as he relaxes.
“I’ve always liked your hands, hyung.” He makes to turn away, but Baekhyun brings his thumb now to Jongin’s chin, coaxing the catboy to keep facing him, to continue what he was about to say. Jongin licks his lips and his eyelids flutter. “I want you to... I want your fingers.”
So it hadn’t just been his imagination, Baekhyun discovers, Jongin’s confession almost dizzying. He had noticed it, of course, but the insinuation that the catboy might have felt the same way seemed too good to be true. He had seen the way Jongin looked at him when he played the piano, his gaze fixating on Baekhyun’s moving fingers when he was supposed to be dancing along to the melody or feeding their three dogs while addressing his audience through the camera.
It seemed like he hadn’t been the only one to notice it, too, as he read and reread the comments under Jongin’s YouTube videos about looking distracted whenever Baekhyun started playing the instrument. Once, he came across a comment claiming Jongin had looked positively in love, the phone falling onto his face after he saw the thousands of likes for that comment alone.
The prodding of Jongin’s foot against his stomach brings Baekhyun back to the present. “Don’t laugh at me,” the catboy whines, his hands sitting timidly on his knees, his fingers interlocked.
“I’m not laughing at you, Jonginnie,” Baekhyun assures him, “I’m just very, very happy. My favourite catboy likes me back.”
“I’m the only catboy you’ve ever liked,” Jongin corrects him, and Baekhyun laughs, nodding to confirm the other’s statement. It makes Jongin blush despite himself, and the catboy scoffs before finally turning away.
Baekhyun doesn’t stop him this time; instead, he slides down the bed and settles onto a sitting position. “We should have some lube for this, right?” Jongin snaps back at him, eyeing him like he’d grown another head. “I- I just don’t want to hurt you, Jonginnie.”
“Hyung.” Jongin’s blush has deepened a fair bit, and his long, black tail drops onto the sheets, the end of it softly grazing Baekhyun’s thigh. “You don’t know much about catboys, do you?”
Know what? he wants to ask, but the words get clogged in his throat when Jongin takes his hand and slowly brings it towards him, leading it down until it hovers just above his crotch. Baekhyun swallows, nervous that he’s reading the situation all wrong even though most of their clothes have found their way to the floor. They both wanted to take this slow, after all, the soft makeout session last week being the furthest they’ve gone.
They had spent most of that night with their eyes partly closed, simply breathing in each other and getting used to one another’s tongues. It had taken all of Baekhyun’s willpower to untangle himself from the catboy’s limbs and tail, the chirping of birds signalling the arrival of dawn being his cue to leave Jongin’s bedroom and get back to his own across the hall. Jongin had looked so beautiful against his plush pillows, his eyelids heavy and his lips moist and swollen from their little game of tonsil tennis. And Baekhyun had bid him goodnight as they had previously agreed, though not before stealing another quick kiss.
“Catboys don’t need lube, hyung,” Jongin says softly, his fingers delicately wrapped around Baekhyun’s wrist as he pushes Baekhyun’s palm onto the area just beneath his bulge. There’s an incredibly wet spot on Jongin’s briefs, and Baekhyun can’t tell who hums and who groans, their voices blending together.
Oh.
But he knows that he’s the one gasping now, leaning forward to rest his forehead on Jongin’s, slotting his lips in between Jongin’s plump ones. Slowly, carefully, Baekhyun slips two fingers past the fabric, taking his time to appreciate the sensitive area before he locates the catboy’s leaking hole. Baekhyun moves at a languid pace, keeping a similar momentum with the kiss, listening to the sounds coming out from Jongin’s pretty mouth.
—
Baekhyun wakes up with his arms still wrapped around Jongin, half of his face in the catboy’s soft, dark locks. The steady rise and fall of Jongin’s chest suggest that he’s still in deep slumber, and Baekhyun sighs, contented.
It should have been like this from the start.
Still, he loves their story the way it is; they had grown together in separate ways, learning different lessons throughout their respective lives while recognizing the importance of their friendship. He could always count on Jongin’s company whenever he felt a little lonely, and he’d like to believe that he’s been there just as much for the catboy, whether to make him laugh or to provide a shoulder to cry on.
A bicycle bell rings twice from the streets below, and Baekhyun can just make out the sharp rustling of someone sweeping the leaves from the walkways. He stays like that for a few more minutes, eyes trained on the ceiling, listening to Jongin’s breathing and the usual morning sounds of the city, admiring Jongin’s sweet scent—faint now that he’s asleep.
—
Baekhyun is working on the fourth pancake when he hears Jongin heavily trudging down the hallway. He looks up to see the catboy walking towards the open kitchen, the ball of his palm lightly rubbing at his eye, the trademark pout plastered on his face. Baekhyun chuckles; there’s a warmth spreading in his chest as he takes in the adorable sight, like flowers blooming all over his lungs.
“Good—” he looks at the clock on the living room wall, “—afternoon, Jonginnie.”
Jongin giggles. “Kyoongie hyung.”
“I’m making breakfast—well, lunch, I guess—for the three of us.”
Jongin stops rubbing his eye and squints at him. “Three?”
“Yeah. You, me,” Baekhyun says, a small smile on his lips as he carefully lifts up the pancake and adds it onto the plate “And the cow that licked your hair in your sleep.”
Jongin’s hand immediately goes up to his hair, eyebrows knit together, his ears perking up. He breaks out into laughter when he feels the familiar, stubborn cowlick, and takes a few more steps until he’s at the counter. “Thanks.” Baekhyun feels Jongin’s arms wrapping around him, resting the side of his face on the nape of Baekyun’s neck.
Jongin purrs.
They stay like that for a while, until Baekhyun decides to turn off the stove just to be safe. The catboy takes in a deep breath before shifting, his chin now resting in the middle of Baekhyun’s shoulder blades.
“Am I distracting you?”
“Just a little.” Baekhyun sighs. “It’s nice,” he adds, hoping that Jongin doesn’t choose to move away. He’d much prefer staying like this for the most part of the day, just being this close to his—
His...
“Hey, Jonginnie?”
“Hm?”
Baekhyun turns around, catching Jongin by the shoulders when he realizes the catboy had placed most of his weight on him. He tilts his head, meeting Jongin’s gaze then, and tiptoes slightly to land a kiss on Jongin’s forehead.
“Are we—?” Baekhyun frowns. He should have given this moment more thought. “I mean, do you want to be— Like, officially?”
Jongin blinks at him.
“Boyfriends?” Baekhyun asks, searching the other’s eyes. He only manages to register the excited swish of Jongin’s tail before he gets pulled into a kiss.
He’ll take that as a yes.