Chapter 1: To do nothing is to do something
Notes:
Hey :) it's been a bit. I was working on my entry for the Minsung ficathon so haven't had a chance to post in a while. I've had this fic in my drafts since August and only recently picked it up again.
Warnings/Triggers:
- Human right violations (Shifters being treated as less than human)
- Captivity
- Injuries, blood, and treatment
- Mentions of mental health issues
- Systemic mass euthanization
- Reference mild fear of blood and OCD
- Poor usage of wiki-how to treat a serious injury
- Panic attackInspired by I would’ve waited forever if I could by Laven Ianne
Beta Read by: meow234
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It’s easy to ignore the wrongs of the world when they don’t affect you. Out of sight out of mind. Jisung has seen the systematic issues in their society countless times. But he has a good life. He’s a producer that’s well off. He recently bought a house. His two best friends, Chan and Changbin, are his coworkers. He’s a good cog in the corrupt machine as long as he plays along. So he does, because over the years he learned that one person can’t make a difference.
“Aww look at this, Lix made a snowman and then sat on it like it’s his throne, such a cute kitty.” Changbin fangirls about Felix, his cat-shifter pet, more than he talks about any of his other friends or love interests. “I’m getting him a heated cat bed for Christmas, he’ll love it.” Changbin exudes the enthusiasm of a hundred fangirls outside of a concert hall.
“You know what he would love just as much?” Chan speaks up with a hint of annoyance peaking through. “A human bed.” Chan glares at Changbin.
They are all really good friends. Have been since college. But there is one topic that they don’t agree on. Are shifters humans that shift into animals or animals that shift into humans and what rights should they have? Changbin’s family has had Felix for almost as long as he’s been alive. They treat Felix like a second son, except when they don’t.
Neither Chan nor Jisung have ever owned a shifter. Chan for personal reasons and Jisung…his family was too broke to purchase another child-costing organism into their household. They stuck to dogs that are dogs twenty-four-seven.
Chan leans very strongly on the shifters are more human debate and deserve human rights. Changbin is on the opposite end, although his family treats Felix significantly better than other families considering he can read, write, blend in with society as well as any other human, he’s still property. If he runs away he will get caught by animal control and brought back. If he draws blood, he will have a bite record. If he does it a second time he will be put down. That’s the rules of life they live by.
Jisung is trapped in the middle between his two friends. Like many issues that would trigger an avalanche of anxiety he chooses neutrality; to do nothing. Chan always says doing nothing is the same as siding with the corrupt system. But Jisung can’t do more. One worry grows two heads and then those spiral out of control until he finds himself scouring the internet at 3 am down a rabbit hole of reminders that he can never make a difference. So he chooses neutrality for peace of mind and mental health.
“He’s cute Changbin hyung.” Jisung pats Changbin on the shoulder and saves his file on his work computer. He packs the rest of his things as Chan and Changbin continue to argue behind him. He bows a polite goodbye and exits the recording studio.
Jisung steps through the automatic doors, immediately getting attacked by a brisk wind, no longer protected by the grand walls of JYP. The snow sprinkles down gently, coating the streets in a soft layer, and lighting up the otherwise dark streets. A single snowflake lands on his nose triggering a sneeze. Anyone outside this late might freeze to death without proper protection. Once again Jisung finds himself appreciating that he was born lucky.
Jisung walks the 10 minutes to the parking garage, shivering in the cold with every step. He should have brought a warmer coat. His fingertips sting from the frost as he unlocks his car and slides into the stiff seats. Revving up the car, he turns the seat warmer to high, the wheel warmer to medium, and the heat on full blast as he thaws himself in the car.
Once unfrozen Jisung begins the thirty-minute drive home. He wishes he lived closer to JYP, but he has a nice brand new expensive house on the outskirts of Seoul waiting for him. He likes the privacy of living alone and the peace and quiet that comes with it. He can set the house to 22 °C and lay down on the couch with a can of beer. That's how he spends most weekdays, lounging in nothing but his boxers after a long day at work mindlessly watching TV. It’s the best life one can have. Nothing and no one to disturb him.
Sure, he is 23 years old and it’s nothing compared to the chaotic partying lifestyle of college. But it’s simpler. More predictable. Jisung likes that.
He knows he will want a partner one day. Someone to cuddle up with on the couch in nothing but his boxers, share the beer and the TV. But relationships come with responsibilities. They come with questions from his family on why he chose someone who can't produce offspring.
He also has to make sure they stay happy. Entertained. Remind them they are loved. That’s a lot of effort. For now, Jisung is satisfied with his quiet lifestyle. He has his whole life ahead of him to find love.
After 25 minutes, Jisung turns off the highway onto the familiar streets of his suburban township. He is jamming to the tunes of a familiar K-pop song he helped produce for a girl group when red flashes on the side of the road.
He doesn’t think much of it until he fully processes the sight. There were two red dots. Kinda like…eyes? Jisung’s first instinct is to drive away from the creepy monster, but his second instinct is to see if someone needs help.
He pulls onto the side of the road, the snow continuing its descent at a brutal pace. Checking the rearview mirror before exiting his car, Jisung looks through the snowstorm searching for life. The thin layer of snow on the ground reflects the moonlight, illuminating the path and tire-streaked road next to him. Jisung takes a few careful steps, snow crunching under his boots, making sure to leave his car unlocked in case it’s a rabid shifter or aggressive animal.
A mewl sounds from a pile of snow, as Jisung notices red. It’s not the eyes that are red but blood. A lot of it. Did he hit them? He hadn’t felt a jolt, but he was jamming the song so loudly that he probably has hearing loss. Jisung creeps up to the animal and notices it’s a shivering cat. It’s orange and white with blood seeping out of it from several wounds.
Jisung shakes as panic and adrenaline overtake him. Is he supposed to call someone? 112? No that's for humans. Animal shelters are closed at this hour, and in a snowstorm too. If he doesn’t hurry the driving conditions will get so bad he won’t even be able to get home, let alone rescue this poor cat.
Changbin. He owns a cat shifter, surely he knows a thing or two about normal cats. Jisung inserts his AirPods, dialing Changbin on his phone before placing it back into his pocket.
It rings four times and a Hey this is Changbin I’m probably working out or sleeping. I’ll call you back when I’m awake beep voicemail sounds that Jisung ignores. Jisung calls again. This time attempting to scoop the cat out of the snow and carry it into his car. He doesn’t have gloves and his hands sting at the icy cold of blood, fur and snow.
Jisung waddles the cat back to the car and sets it down on the passenger seat, deciding to worry about the blood later. Jisung scrambles off his jacket and covers the cat, hoping to help it retain its heat after being in the cold for god knows how long.
Changbin still doesn’t pick up, probably cuddling Felix or still arguing with Chan about Felix.
Jisung quickly drives home, careful of the unsafe road conditions. The snow melts onto the passenger seat and the cat’s breathing grows ragged with every jolt of the car. Jisung presses the garage opener, slowly waiting for the garage door to lift so he can drive in. Once inside, he quickly presses it again and carries the cat into his bathroom on the first floor.
His breath picks up as he realizes he has absolutely no fucking clue what to do. Jisung searches basic first aid and struggles to read all the unhelpful how-to articles on Naver.
Step 1. Apply pressure to the wound area. Jisung presses down onto the two main gashes on the cat’s stomach with a clean towel while scrolling on his phone with his sockless toe.
Step 2: Disinfect wound area. Jisung grabs an all too familiar bottle of disinfectant and sprays it onto the gashes causing the cat to hiss. Jisung apologizes, but at least the cat is responsive. That has to be a good thing.
Step 3: Apply bandages. Jisung finds some white bandage patches in his first aid kit and places them on the wounds before wrapping them in gauze.
Step 4: Clean the patient. Jisung wipes off the rest of the blood.
Step 5: Provide medicine. What medicine? Does Wiki-How think Jisung is a veterinarian and magically has cat medicine lying around? What if the dosage kills the poor guy?
Jisung sighs in frustration, finally calming down from the rush of adrenaline. He sets out some towels on the opposite end of his bed, not knowing where else to put the cat. Once the cat is situated and sleeping more or less Jisung takes a look at himself. He’s covered in cat blood. There is a trail of crimson leading from the garage to the bathroom on the wooden flooring, thankfully not carpet. Jisung would have lost his remaining shreds of sanity if it was. Meanwhile, the bathroom looks straight out of a murder mystery.
Jisung doesn’t like things being unclean. He might be a generally messy individual as in he usually leaves clothes on the floor everywhere. But blood? Dirt? That’s different, Jisung can’t stand it. So he cleans the bathroom, mops the floor, and even picks up a few stray pieces of underwear by the couch. By the time the clock strikes midnight, he’s exhausted, the blood is gone and the cat is sleeping on the towels.
Jisung places a small blanket over the cat and decides he’ll contact Changbin tomorrow morning. And then it hits him. It actually hits him, harder than the Titanic hit that iceberg.
He just rescued a cat from a blizzard. He just did first aid on a fucking cat. He just…there’s a cat on his bed. The thing is…Jisung loves cats. He’s never owned a pet cat, but he loves how independent and self-assured they are.
Maybe if all works out he’ll finally have someone to share his boxer beer TV evenings with.
Cats are different from humans. Humans require constant reassurance that they are loved and appreciated. Cats believe they deserve appreciation for simply existing.
Maybe a furry pet is all he needs to make his simple life a little more interesting. Jisung happily falls asleep that night imagining he's cuddled up to a furry creature that purrs with every hug. With two loving arms, a broad chest, and smelling strongly of cinnamon.
Jisung wakes up a bit disoriented. His head is pounding. Did he drink last night?
He notices the snow outside reflecting in his window. He’ll most likely have to work from home because there’s no way his car will survive out in the snow without four-wheel drive. Before Jisung can check his phone for work updates. He smells a metallic scent of blood.
No, he didn’t drink. The cat. Where is the cat? In the place of a cat is young man. A butt-ass naked man on his bed. A very attractive naked man.
Did Jisung bring home a hookup and forget? Did the man eat the cat? All valid questions in Jisung's humble and sleep-deprived opinion. If the attractive naked man ate the cat that's really rude after all the effort Jisung put into saving the cat's life. What the actual fuck is going on?
Jisung’s brain takes a moment to reboot. The hot guy in his bed has orange hair with white streaks similar to the…cat? That’s when Jisung notices the blood. When the man shifted to being a very naked, yet beautiful human male Jisung would like to add, he broke the gauze and the two stomach wounds were bleeding again.
Okay human blood, another thing Jisung does not cope well with. Jisung might have a slight irrational fear of getting an infection and in this case, someone else getting a life-threatening one. Human blood on his bed. Jisung feels dizzy at the sight, but the only way to fix blood is to clean it.
He shakily gets to his feet and stumbles for his first aid kit still in the bathroom. Jisung gets some human medicine that he is sure won’t kill the cat considering he isn’t a cat anymore.
Maybe?
Hopefully?
Jisung repeats the steps from the night before, moving the sleeping unclothed man to a part of the bed that isn’t soaked with blood. In the morning light, Jisung notices the wounds aren’t as deep as he thought. The more he cleans them, the more they look like claw marks. Jisung wonders if the blood from last night was also from whatever attacked the shifter.
Once everything is settled. The cat shifter is sleeping, wearing Jisung’s biggest pair of boxers to hide his man parts.
Jisung stumbles into the kitchen making a pot of coffee. Yeah, there’s no way he’s getting any work done today. Jisung calls in a mental health day, waiting for the pot to boil.
Jisung calls Changbin again, but the idiot is still not picking up. Frustrated, Jisung starts searching on Naver for anything useful. But his neutrality on the subject bites him in the bum when he realizes just how complex everything is with the legal system. Jisung sips his coffee as he researches. What he learns horrifies him and almost makes him regret all his frantic calls to Changbin.
One. Shifters are often bred for specific features, beauty, talents, and fur color. However, this results in a lot of medical problems due to inbreeding.
Two. Shifters that don’t get adopted as babies due to breeding are discarded for shelters as the older they get the harder they are to adopt. Most shelters euthanize their shifters at age 18 because of overcrowding. A lot of owners either return their shifters to shelters or abandon them on the streets because they are deemed too old after 18 and start to age.
Three. And this one makes Jisung’s stomach turn. Shifters that run away or show any sign of disobedience may be legally euthanized.
Jisung creeps into his bedroom where the shifter is sleeping soundly. His phone starts vibrating in his pocket. Jisung instinctively answers and hears Changbin’s cheerful voice on the other line. “Yoo, what’s with the missed calls? Missed me already?”
Jisung gulps nervously, staring at the caller ID and back at the shifter on his bed. His hands refuse to stop shaking. He can’t stay neutral anymore. His decision will make a difference. Either he tells Changbin and lets the system deal with the injured cat shifter that Jisung desperately tried to save.
Or Jisung can lie.
"Yeah, just missed you man...hyung. All this snow making me feel lonely.” Jisung bullshits to the best of his ability as he accidentally drops the honorific.
“Aw want me and Lix to come when the snow melts. We haven’t even seen your new place yet.” Shit. Fuck. Changbin can’t come over while there is a literal shifter here. Felix would smell him in an instant. Not to mention the blood.
“No, no. No need to do that. I’ll come to you.” Once he figures out what to do with this shifter.
“You sure you’re okay? You seem off?” Changbin’s worried voice echoes in his ear. Jisung nibbles on his fingernails, fumbling for a way out.
“I’m good Binnie, just tired…you know how I get sometimes.” Jisung puts on his most convincing depressed and anxious voice, which isn't hard considering his heart is beating through his skin.
“Okay, feel better man!” Changbin cheers him on fondly.
“Thanks” Jisung quickly hangs up the phone and sneaks up to the strange shifter. He’s only ever been around Felix. His limited experience only makes him more nervous. What if this man is dangerous? Jisung brushes the orange fluffy hair out of the man’s face and is immediately enraptured by the sight. Bred for beauty? He can tell. The man is stunning, he feels human despite the odd hair color.
Jisung pokes his high cheekbone and sees him stir underneath the sheets. The cat shifter opens his eyes. A gorgeous shade of green swims in the irises as the man blinks slowly at him, struggling to figure out where he is.
“Hi, I’m not gonna hurt you. You’re safe here.” Jisung reassures.
The shifter suddenly sits up before clutching his recently re-bandaged side in pain. His face contorts in agony, letting out a small vulnerable squeal of pain.
Jisung seizes some medicine off the nightstand. “Here take this it’ll help with the pain.” The shifter paws it away and Jisung grows more insistent. “Is the pain bad?” Jisung asks softly. The shifter inspects the bandages around his body and nods, scooting away from Jisung. “Then take it.” Jisung places it on the edge of the bed and watches the shifter creep up to it and sniff it.
Deciding it is safe, he picks up the pill with his hand and drinks it down with a glass of water Jisung brought from the kitchen. Jisung sits down on the edge of the bed, not wanting to risk intimidating him. The shifter peers around the room, and bats the pillow a few times before setting it into his lap and kneading it nervously.
“I’m Jisung.” Felix can talk, he actually knows Korean, Japanese, English and more recently started learning French. Being home every day for 23 years with nothing to do will do that to someone. He hopes this shifter at least knows Korean.
The shifter looks up from his kneading and smacks Jisung with the pillow playfully. “Jyesong?” The cat shifter responds with a thick accent, good he can speak.
“Ji-sung. Han Ji-sung” Jisung repeats his name more slowly, enunciating every syllable.
“Juan Ji-son?” The shifter giggles, his thin face lighting up at the mispronunciation.
“Han Jisung” Jisung repeats even slower.
“Ha Jiseong?” At this point the cat shifter has a sneaky smirk, clearly messing with Jisung and no longer scared of him.
“Haha very funny.” Jisung chuckles. He watches the cat shifter roll back in the bed, stretching his limbs out in a way only cats do.
“So funny the human be entertained.” The man giggles in broken Korean.
“What’s your name funny guy?” Jisung teases whilst also digging for information.
“Minho.” His Korean speech level seems to be a bit behind his understanding of the language.
“Minwow” Jisung jokes. Minho simply stares at him dumbfounded yet amused.
“The Jisung is not much smart huh?” Minho announces, crawling off the bed and waltzing out of the room. “Can the not much smart Jisung feed the much hungry Minwow?” Minho rubs his lower stomach not covered in bandages. Jisung is feeling hungry himself, not having had a chance to eat dinner the night before or breakfast. He leads him into the kitchen, observing how Minho hides how much it hurts for him to walk and move.
Is it all an act? Is he scared?
That explains their terrible attempt at cordial banter.
Jisung heats up some leftovers and gives Minho a bowl of rice that he scarfs down using the provided chopsticks. Jisung doesn’t know why he expected him to use his hands to eat kimchi rice.
Minho seems very human. Sure he has an accent where it is obvious Korean is not his first language, and he has oddly colored hair. But what makes him any different from Jisung besides his ability to shift? Why does he need an owner? Felix could probably function perfectly well in society. Why can’t Minho? Why can’t any shifters?
Jisung has a feeling Chan’s been right this whole time. Their system is wrong. Jisung was wrong for pretending it was best to stay neutral. Neutral would be to let the system do its thing. Neutral would be to send Minho away knowing he would be put down. The same one cracking jokes about Jisung’s name, thanking him for the food, and asking Jisung “Why the good Jisung be sad?” He shakes his head not wanting to worry Minho.
“I just realized something,” Jisung puts on a brave face.
“And what have the good Jisung obtain?” Minho says through a mouthful of food, already feeling at home in Jisung’s living room. The same room he loved for only ever being his own. Maybe the dream last night wasn’t his desire to have a furry friend, maybe he didn’t lie to Changbin this morning. He is lonely. He does want company and Minho has nowhere left to go, even if he is blissfully unaware on his couch that Jisung could get him killed with one phone call. Jisung makes a vow to protect him from the system.
“Minho, do you want to stay here?” Jisung carefully offers. He doesn't want to scare him. They don't know each other. All Minho knows is Jisung helped him when he was injured and offered food.
“The good Jisung like to share big home?” Minho asks with the brightest smile he’s only ever seen on Felix.
“Yeah, if you want to?” Jisung takes a gentle step towards the man with fluffy orange hair, devouring the food.
“Minho never have big home. Minho approve of the good Jisung idea.” Minho sets the food down, stands up, and walks over to Jisung. He leans forward and places Jisung's hand on his head, demanding head scratches. Jisung hesitantly scratches Minho’s scalp. Satisfied, Minho does the same for Jisung but with his butt. “Good Jisung.”
Even though Minho likes to pretend he isn’t in pain, he seems to appreciate Jisung’s attentiveness to his wounds. The painkillers and Jisung’s presence being a bonus. By nighttime, Jisung is exhausted. He isn’t used to having someone around the house, asking for head scratches, food, and smacking his butt maniacally with an evil laugh every time he walks past him. But he likes it, Minho isn’t the only one who enjoys the attention.
Jisung replaces the bloody sheets for clean ones. He changes into his pajamas, brushes his teeth and crawls under the sheets of his bed. Minho stands in the doorway ominously as if waiting for permission. Jisung pats the spot next to him, but Minho acts disinterested by the door, peeking out the window and rummaging through Jisung’s closet.
He is honestly too tired to care, cats are nocturnal, Minho will sleep eventually. Jisung rests his head against the pillow and suddenly feels a new weight on the bed. Jisung chuckles, if his love for anime has taught him anything it’s that Minho is a tsundere. Jisung lifts the blanket, letting Minho snuggle up close and receive the head scratches he adores.
“So soft, what is object Minho and Jisung above?” Minho pats the mattress from where his arm is wrapped around Jisung’s waist.
“The bed?” Surely they had beds in the shelter or wherever Minho is from. He’s not feral, he knows how to use chopsticks.
“Bed…bed is much nice. Thank you the good Jisung for much nice bed.” Minho yawns and nuzzles Jisung’s neck, purring.
“There’s a lot of nice things here.” Jisung embraces Minho, charging up his touch-deprived desires.
“Like the Jisung. The Jisung is nice.” Minho groggily closes his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
Jisung usually has a hard time getting close to people physically and intimately, but with Minho it’s different. Jisung doesn’t overthink it as much as he usually would. It might be the language barrier, it might be the species barrier, it might be that Minho looks so soft and warm cuddled up to him. Jisung can’t help but feel lucky to have found him. Not only because Minho would have died, but because Jisung would have kept living every day thinking he was happy in his big empty house without anyone to share it with.
It might be illegal. It might be wrong. But Minho looks so happy that it’s worth it. Jisung enjoyed being neutral, but not anymore.
"Come on you have to take a bath. You reek Minho!"
"Bad Jisung!"
"Come on, I let you sleep all day, eat all of my food, the one time I ask you to do something you refuse!"
"I clean the self"
"Bath!"
"No!" Minho hisses and shifts into a cat attempting to dodge Jisung, but Jisung is faster. He catches the cat and forces him into the bath. It's been four days. Jisung found him Wednesday night, took Thursday and Friday off, and now it is Monday morning and Jisung had the brilliant idea of bathing Minho before work.
Jisung was scared to bathe Minho any earlier, not wanting the scabs on Minho's ribs and chest to get wet.
They've gotten along well for the most part. Jisung learned Minho likes attention even though he acts like he hates it. Minho likes sitting by the window to people-watch, he also has no concept of clothing, and getting him to stay in anything let alone boxers is a nightmare. Especially when he shifts in and out of his cat form leaving his clothing behind constantly.
He's a handful and Jisung is in over his head. What else is over his head?
Minho. As he jumps out of the tub and digs his claws into Jisung's shoulders painfully. Jisung yelps as Minho sprints out of the bathroom with another angry hiss.
Jisung turns off the water and strips off his shirt to inspect the damage. Both his shoulders have claw marks, not to mention the scratches on his forearm from when he tried to get Minho to eat more veggies. Or yesterday when he closed the window because his neighbors were staring and could report Jisung for illegally housing a shifter. Jisung is a mess and he is more than excited to get a break at work, away from Minho.
Jisung disinfects the scratches avoiding looking at the blood for too long. He has his ears and tongue pierced. One of which he did when he was a teenager with limited supervision, hence his fear of blood and infections, especially his own.
When he walks out into the living room Minho is nowhere to be found. He's not in the basement or the upstairs unused bedroom that still has to be converted into his music and gaming rooms. Jisung checks under the bed and bingo, Minho is cowering guiltily under it.
"I'm going to work, you be good while I'm gone, kay?" Jisung can't wait to leave. He needs space to unpack the chaos his life has become.
"The Jisung leave because the good Jisung mad at Minho not be clean?" Minho pouts, hiding his face in the corner.
"I'm not mad, but we'll talk about it when I get back. You can't scratch people." Jisung says gently. If Changbin heard he'd probably lecture him about needing to lay down ground rules. But Jisung prefers more gentle communication. He wants to be Minho's friend not his owner.
"Minho bad?" Minho whimpers adorably, eyes huge as he shrinks in on himself in cat form.
"No Minho isn’t bad" Jisung tries to reassure, but his Apple watch buzzes and if he doesn't leave this second he will be late if he isn't late already.
Jisung gets up from the floor and rushes out of the room, he can't tell if he imagines it or if Minho actually whines Minho bad again under the bed. He would have better hearing if he didn't blast music at full volume every day. But he proceeds to play it at full volume on the way to work again to drown out his concerns about the sudden addition to his household.
"Yo damn I knew you were lonely and adventurous but look at that you got yourself a feisty girl." Chan beams, noticing the scratches on Jisung's traps and arms.
"That or he got into a fight with a cat? What do you think is more likely?" Chan and Changbin look at one another, mirroring each other's evil grins.
"Girl, definitely. Jisung's always liked them wild." Chan exclaims while Jisung pretends he is one with the table and the conversation isn't about him until the two start talking about something else.
Jisung starts to ponder if he made the right decision leaving Minho at home. Will he be okay on his own? He wishes he left on better terms. But Jisung is absolutely exhausted. He's trying to figure out where Minho is from. Why he's so bubbly? Meanwhile, Minho refuses to talk about his life before. About whether he has a family or is from a shelter. He just calls Jisung bad or nosy or pabo whenever he asks.
Jisung wants to ask Chan, but what if he tells him to get rid of Minho? What if Jisung gets fired? It's too big of a risk. Minho is too big of a liability. So Jisung munches on his fingernails nervously as Changbin removes his abused fingers and replaces them with baby carrots. "You doing okay? I know you said it's one of those times but I just wanna check in with you. Let me know if I'm being too much" Changbin offers and Jisung realizes it's already lunch time.
"Hyung I have a question for you." Changbin blinks surprised, stealing a few of Jisung's carrots.
"Jisung-ah you know I am not the best with mental health. Chan hyung is a lot better at that sorta thing–" Changbin waves it off, but Jisung sees he still wants to help. Changbin can be so emotionally intuned and simultaneously dense that the dichotomy is impressive.
"No, it's about Felix" Jisung cuts him off not wanting to unpack that specific can of worms.
"Lix? What about him? Are you upset because I argued with Chan hyung about him? Is that why you didn't come to work?" Jisung hears the concern and worry etched into every syllable but Changbin is completely misunderstanding everything.
"Bin shut your beautiful mouth for a second and let me finish" Jisung states harshly and gets the silence he requested. "How do you…get Felix to behave?" Jisung feels like a football mom asking the other moms how to get the little cleat-wearing gremlins to be obedient. "What would you do if he scratched you?" Jisung immediately realizes how risky it is mentioning it, considering he showed up to work covered in scratches.
"Oh, you hooked up with a girl that has a pet shifter…I see so you feel guilty because Chan might judge you so you didn't show up to work. I see, I see." Changbin does not see. He is blinder than Jisung at 3 am without his glasses.
"No Binnie stop creating weird analyses that are way off and answer my questions." Jisung nibbles on the carrots before realizing Minho would love these carrots. He doesn't like veggies, especially leafy ones but Jisung got him to eat carrots on Saturday. Jisung looks at the package and back at Changbin. "Oh, our sweet loveable Yongbok can do no wrong."
Would he let Jisung take the carrots home?
"He's so amazing, perfect, huggable."
Maybe Minho will feel better with some carrots.
"But at his age now he'd have to be taken to a shelter for scratching. Obviously, when we were kids we'd play fight and he used to accidentally scratch me or the furniture. But that's expected when they are young and curious."
Oh shit. Jisung forgot to feed Minho breakfast.
"My parents considered declawing him but that does grotesque things to their human forms so they chose against it."
Jisung forgot to feed Minho lunch.
"Felix is super well-behaved, but that's also cause we got him young. He was a purebred too, very expensive but his breed is known for being well-behaved."
Shit. Shit. Shit.
"You okay Jisung-ah, you look super pale?" Changbin stops his monologue about Felix and observes Jisung carefully.
"I don't feel well. I'm going home." Jisung packs his bag, ignoring Changbin's concerned face on the way out, and books it to the garage through the Seoul snow.
Shit. Surely Minho knows he can eat food in the fridge. Surely he knows Jisung isn't punishing him by starving him. Jisung has the baggie of carrots and swiftly unlocks his car with a beep. He spots the smudges of blood he still has to clean, deeming it future Jisung's problem.
Jisung starts the car and speeds until he realizes if he gets pulled over they will ask about the blood and then he'll have to explain and they'll find holes in his story and suddenly Jisung is slowing down to five below the speed limit on the highway. Getting home safely and in one piece is better than being arrested.
45 minutes later, Jisung is bursting down the door and finds Minho, in cat form, scratching up his couch angrily. Minho looks up at the sound of the door opening and bends his ears back, struck with guilt. Jisung moves to slowly close the door and Minho bolts to Jisung's bedroom.
Minho is alive…wait why wouldn't he be? Jisung takes a deep breath in and a deep breath out and then he sees it. His house is a complete mess. The couch is torn, his favorite shoes are chewed up, the fridge is open with food splattered all over the counter. His soy sauce is sticky on the floor. The lyrics he's been working on for a personal project are strewn about in tiny shredded pieces.
Five days. That's how long it took Minho to destroy Jisung's clean and brand-new house. But Jisung can’t find it in himself to blame him. Jisung left after consistently being there with him. Minho might not even understand the concept of work. He might not be used to having free access to food.
Jisung temporarily subdues his panic and anxiety, taking another deep breath. One thing at a time. Carrots for Minho just under the bed where he knows Minho is hiding. Trash. Sweep. Mop. Organize. Wipe kitchen fridge. Check if Minho's eaten. Make some more food for Minho. Eat lunch while it cooks. Attempt to coax Minho out with food.
Once all is done it's 6 pm and Minho is still hiding, refusing to eat and whimpering. "Minho I'm not mad, come out so we can talk. I'm sorry for forgetting to feed you, but I assumed you'd eat from the fridge." Jisung hasn't gotten a coherent answer from Minho on whether his outburst was because of the bath, the lack of food, or a bird that scared him in the window. But he's assuming it's a combination.
"Minho bad" Minho states in shame
"Minho not bad, Minho was hungry right? So Minho should eat" Jisung tries again. Jisung is starting to doubt whether he is suitable to rehabilitate Minho from whatever upbringing he's had.
"Minho very bad. Minho hurt the good Jisung. Minho hurt the big house. Minho bad. Minho bad." Jisung wants nothing more than to hug him until he believes that he's allowed to make mistakes as long as he learns from them. But Minho is stubbornly punishing himself for his actions.
"Jisung what the hell happened?" Suddenly Chan's voice sounds behind him. Damn his poor hearing, he didn't even hear him come in, he was so focused on Minho.
"Minho bad. Minho bad. Minho bad." Before Jisung has a chance to answer Chan, Minho continues his mantra under the bed.
"Is that a shifter?" Chan's eyes threaten to bulge out of his face. He crouches down by the bed and spots Minho curled up under it, orange and fluffy, talking like a human. "Well that explains the state of your couch…and the scratches. Han Jisung, since when are you living with a shifter?" Chan's voice is shrill with exasperation, huffing in disbelief. "You said you wouldn't do anything and here you are, housing a shifter behind my back. For what? Cause you're lonely? I thought you were better than this!"
Jisung knows Chan is misunderstanding, but it doesn't make his chest hurt any less. "No, I rescued him."
"Giving a shelter or breeder money isn't rescuing. It's feeding the fucked up system." Chan pulls at his hair, pacing around the room, face red and fuming. Jisung has never seen Chan more livid.
"No, I found him injured on the side of the road." Jisung shudders in his spot. He’s sitting on his knees by the bed listening to Minho’s whimpers and Chan’s incessant pacing.
"Don't you dare lie to me and try to cover up your guilt!" Chan threatens, seeing nothing but red.
"I'm not lying. It was Wednesday night during the snowstorm. I didn't know what to do cause I thought it was a stray cat and then I called Changbin hyung but Changbin didn't pick up so I took the cat home and then the next morning he shifted back and then I called Changbin again but he didn't pick up again and when I searched on Naver I saw how bad it is. The things they do. The things they would do to Minho. I couldn't let that happen. I can't. I couldn't. Hyung, they could…" Jisung doesn't finish his ramble as he's having a hard time breathing and he doesn't want Minho to overhear.
Chan softens his expression and crouches down to embrace Jisung, reminding him to breathe. Jisung gulps air desperately, his heartbeat racing. "Sorry for assuming. I know you wouldn't. It's just a sensitive topic for me." Chan goes to the kitchen and makes Jisung some tea. They sit in silence as Jisung slowly calms back down.
Once breathing steadily, Chan ushers him out the door to buy a new couch and dinner considering his fridge was ransacked. Jisung doesn't want to leave Minho with an unfamiliar face, but Chan reassures Jisung that he needs a break and some time to reorient himself.
Chan says he'll handle it. Jisung wants to believe him. So he does and he leaves.
Notes:
Hehe wonder what Chan is up to :)))).
I have 4 chapters written so as I write the last two I'll post the the rest as I freak out over the comeback. Thanks for reading <3
Twitter 🧡
Chapter 2: Give and Take But Never Too Much
Notes:
Warnings/Triggers:
- referenced systemic euthanization
- mentioned blood
- referenced castration
- Societal dehumanization
- nudity
- needles/vaccines/minor operation (just vet things)
- mentioned stroke but not actually
Beta Read by: meow234
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Minho hurt Jisung. He damaged the house. He is hiding, terrified under the bed, hearing Jisung's panicked voice talking too quickly in Korean for him to understand. It almost sounds like a depressing rap that one of the volunteers at the shelter used to listen to. He kind of misses the shelter. It was nice at times. They let him out once a day to lounge in the sun. Jisung hasn't let him out even once. He won't even let him look outside.
Jisung lets him eat human food but he also wants Minho to bathe and Minho hates baths. Baths are gross and he doesn't know how to swim. Or float. Or ya know not look like a drenched mess after.
On the other hand, Jisung is kind to Minho. Sure he doesn't speak his mother tongue of Yartsian but Minho isn't that bad at understanding Korean, it's the speaking he struggles with. Jisung gives him attention even when he acts like he doesn't like it. Jisung is a good person. Jisung gives him head scratches when requested. Yet Jisung left Minho alone for hours after Minho injured him.
"You can come out. He's gone." A strange husky voice brings him out of his spiraling thoughts. He recognizes the language of the shifters. Minho crawls out, keeping his tail low, spotting an intimidating man with slightly curly dark hair. Minho hisses, a dog. He doesn't automatically hate all dogs. He just wants to prove cats are superior. "Eat" the dog shifter commands. "I know you're hungry."
Minho sits back and huffs in disinterest before searching around the room only to discover that Jisung left again. Did Minho upset him so much that he is now stuck with this mutt? Minho transforms back into human form and starts sadly picking at the carrots and noodles provided.
He likes carrots, they always gave them out as treats in the shelter. Jisung has tried to feed him strange food but for the most part human food is tastier than cat food. "Did Jisung leave because he's mad I didn't want to take a bath. Or because of…what I did to his home?" Minho responds in Yartsian, guilt lacing every word.
"He's not mad. He left to replace the couch you destroyed. He's only trying to help you. But he'd probably appreciate it if you didn't destroy his living room." The man’s voice is comforting, similar to the older dogs that used to take care of Minho when he was a rambunctious child with too much energy for the small cage he was trapped in. Now he has a way bigger cage to play in, but he messed up. He freaked out when Jisung left, he thought…he thought too much.
He got scared the volunteers would come for him. He got hungry and lonely. He got angry at Jisung for abandoning him. But now all he feels is guilt because Jisung came back. And now this dog showed up. It’s all too much.
"Living room?" Minho’s never heard of such a place.
"The room by the kitchen." Kitchen he knows. It’s the place where the humans make food for him. The living room is strange though. Don't they live in every room, why do they need a special room just for living?
"So got some questions, answer honestly so we can make sure you're as safe as possible. No collar, I'm assuming you're from a shelter?" The dog shifter speaks affirmatively. Minho feels at peace, unlike with Jisung he can easily communicate with this stranger.
"Yes." Just because he can communicate doesn’t necessarily mean he will. Minho starts eating the noodles, he's really hungry.
"They haven't found you so your chip is scan-only?" The dog shifter's voice is steady and familiar.
"Yes," Minho mindlessly rubs his bicep over the spot where the chip is implanted. His shelter wasn't well funded and they had limited resources, the workers always complained about that. When the shifters ran away, they rarely came back.
"Why'd you run away?" The man’s voice wavers slightly as he asks the question. The noodles in Minho’s gut turn with the memories.
"I found out they were going to kill me to make room for young ones. Too old they said. I don't feel old." He’s seen humans way older than him, why don’t they clear them to make room? Minho knew the day would come when it would be his turn to be taken. He always hoped he’d have more time.
"Have you ever lived outside of the shelter?" The man crouches down to be level with Minho. His eyes are dark, yet carry a familiar level of understanding. Minho wonders if he’s seen many of his friends be taken too.
"No." He's spent his 25 years of life in 6 different shelters. Each trying to find him a forever home as they called it. But he found it himself. Jisung will be his forever home. He didn’t have a plan when he ran away he just knew staying meant the end. Minho hovers his hand over the healing wounds, still feeling the sting of pain from where he got attacked that fateful snowy night.
He would be lying if he said the thought of running away again didn’t send shivers down his spine. Plus out there it’s cold and lonely. Here he has a warm bed and an even warmer human to sleep with. The older dogs always said greediness leads to unhappiness. Minho’s not one to take more than he can give.
"Look you have two options. Either Jisung registers you as his pet and you are his property till the day you die just like you belonged to the shelter. Or, the harder choice, you learn to be human and live in society as one. Like me. We'll get your chip removed and help you, but you can't pull the shit you did to his couch if you expect our help." The dog shifter scolds authoritatively and Minho feels a whole nother wave of guilt wash over him once more.
"I'm not human though. They say I'm just a dumb cat." Minho picks at his food, no longer as hungry. The noodles pathetically slosh in the bowl, having grown cold in the hours they’ve been out.
Warm food. Another thing he never had access to at the shelter. Another human thing that was always a little too out of reach.
"Well, they're wrong. They used to think I was just a dumb dog. Now they think I’m human. They don’t know any better.” The man defends, feeding Minho a couple of carrots, he enjoys the crunch and subtle hint of sweetness.
"You're not dumb you speak Korean very well," Minho says through a mouthful of carrots. The volunteers always scolded him for only talking to the other shifters in Yartsian. Minho preferred Yartsian, he liked getting away with talking shit behind the volunteers' backs. Now it’s biting him in the ass with his struggles to communicate. Being petty never hurt him before.
"Thank you, let's talk with Jisung when he gets back." Chan sends him a reassuring smile. Minho nods, everything is still so confusing. But he likes Jisung. He takes care of his injuries. He lets him roam the house whenever he wants. It’s better than the shelter, although Minho does miss going outside.
"Can I have a bucket of water and soap to clean, please? Jisung was upset because I smelled bad." Minho asks, sniffing his armpit and almost gagging at the stench of sweat. Smell bad. He must not have been the most pleasant to cuddle this morning.
"Of course Minho. I'm Chan by the way." Minho bows politely at Chan's introduction.
"Thank you Chan." Minho finishes the rest of his food and Chan returns with water, soap, and clothes. Minho never had to wear clothes at the shelter. That was always a human thing.
"No problem Minho" He contemplates what Chan said. He always thought he wanted to be adopted. To be taken care of as a good pet. He always thought he'd make the best cat shifter pet. He is loyal, he has high standards, and he is beautiful, what more could they want? But no one ever adopted him.
He never considered pretending to be a human an option. It is strange. Humans get to do so many cool things, but now Chan is offering it to him?
Minho washes up and rolls his eyes at the clothes. They’re such an inconvenience for shifting. "No Minho, don't skip the clothes." Chan interrupts his rebellious ways.
"Jisung's clothes are small" Minho whines. While true, they still technically fit him.
"If you wanna be human you have to wear clothes." Chan defends, picking the collection of fabric off the floor, and sternly places it in Minho’s hands. Minho stares at the clothes and everything associated with them.
"What if I don't want to be human? Why can't Jisung adopt me? I'd be the best kitty." Minho smiles eagerly at Chan. He gives him head scratches in return.
"You want to go outside whenever you want? You want to eat whatever you want. You want to dictate when you clean yourself and how? That's called personal autonomy. You can't have it if you're Jisung's property, no matter how nice he is." Chan explains and Minho understands even though being his own person sounds scary. He likes others working for him. But he also wants to go outside. It's been too long since he felt the sun on his fur.
So Minho dresses himself in the undergarments and then grimaces at the rest. "Do I have to?" Chan simply looks at him in disbelief, not bothering to respond. Minho gets the message and puts on the loose sweats and an oversized shirt. He feels very…human. The clothes stick to his skin at odd angles. They are tight around his thighs and shoulders while loose everywhere else.
It is weird. He spent most of his time in cat form at the shelter, his cage being too small and cold to comfortably lounge in as a human. On the rare occasion, he'd wander around outside as a human in the summer sun but the volunteers always gave him weird looks so he rarely did it. He was only ever in human form when possible adoption rounds were happening and they needed them to look presentable. He liked those days, they were fed well and got to eat with chopsticks. The volunteers even let Minho show off his dance moves.
He wonders if Jisung would let him dance. However if what Chan is saying is true, he wouldn't need Jisung to approve it. If he's human he can do anything he wants? Well, almost anything. Minho has heard stories of bad humans going to the bad human place.
Chan brushes Minho's hair, shows him how to clean the dishes, and explains basic manners that humans abide by. The main one being no nudity. Kinda dumb but whatever. When Jisung finally comes home, it’s with a delicious-smelling bag.
Minho prances up, begging for food. "I'll feed you in a sec, let me take off my coat first." Jisung playfully pushes Minho to the side. He takes off his bulky clothes and sets them near Chan's stuff by the couch. "How the heck did you get him out, dressed, and looking so happy?"
"Magic" Chan jokes back in Korean. Minho wonders if Jisung knows about Chan being a dog shifter. Minho's question is written on his face as Chan's eyes widen to say No and let's keep it that way. Minho nods his understanding.
Minho sits at the dining table eagerly waiting for the food to be placed in front of him, ignoring the fact he had eaten less than an hour ago. He is starving. "Minho hungry Minho hungry!" Minho cheers excitedly in Korean before remembering what Chan told him about manners. He isn’t in the shelter anymore. Calm. Collected. Patient. But very hungry.
Jisung places a bowl of dumplings in front of him. He grabs his chopsticks, thanks Jisung for the food and starts eating them. After he is full, stuffed, and probably ate too little in the first half of the day and too much in the second, Minho crawls onto the scratched-up couch he destroyed, shifts into a cat, and falls into a food coma.
"What's your plan?" Chan asks Jisung.
"Dunno haven't thought that far ahead." Jisung comes over to the couch a bit fatigued. He went to the store and ordered a new couch to be delivered Friday. He sets Minho, who is sound asleep, onto his lap and starts to stroke his back.
"I have someone you can take him to. To get his shelter chip removed. And then we can start working on getting him documented, learning Korean, and a part-time job." Chan starts listing the next steps that Jisung has been struggling to figure out for the last five days as if it’s second nature.
"Woah woah woah hold on. What? What chip? What documentation?" Jisung is struggling to keep up with Chan. He’s still processing that Chan knows and miraculously didn’t fire him for committing a felony.
"I'm sorry, did you want to adopt him?" Chan sends him an annoyed look and Jisung knows there is only one right answer to that question.
"No…" Jisung sighs out, he had no plans of treating Minho as a pet. Minho is as human as they get, even if society doesn’t view him as one.
"Then making him a legal person in Korea would be our best bet." Chan continues assertively. Jisung watches as Minho’s ears twitch in his sleep. Cute.
"Why do you talk like you have so much experience with this?" Jisung gets a sneaking suspicion that Chan is hiding something. There is no way, a regular person should know this much about how to illegally help a shifter unless they’ve done some shady shit.
"I just know people." Chan dismisses, suddenly no longer keen on holding eye contact.
"Uh huh," Definitely done some shady shit.
"Let's do it tomorrow," Chan states confidently, giving Jisung a well-needed reassuring hug and leaving the house.
Jisung sits there on the couch petting Minho, his orange fur soft and clean. Someone took a bath, Jisung smiles to himself. Minho will be safe. Jisung will protect him from the shelter and the government.
Cradling Minho, Jisung is surprised that Minho feels heavier than he expected. Either Jisung has been skipping out on his gym sessions with Changbin or he is so fatigued that even picking up a 20-pound cat is difficult, probably both. Jisung gently carries Minho into bed and covers him with a light blanket before changing and crawling into bed himself.
The sheets are soft he feels like he’s on a cloud, and his eyelids rest heavily on his face similar to how a familiar head feels on his shoulder. Jisung gazes to the side and finds Minho back in his human form snuggled up to him in bed as always. It still surprises Jisung how he doesn’t overthink physical touch with Minho. It’s not something to be feared, or overthink it simply feels right.
Jisung wraps his arms around Minho and pulls him close to his chest protectively. Minho mumbles something into his shirt and Jisung peers down confused. “What being the human be like?” Minho murmurs again, and Jisung is caught a bit off guard. “The confusing Chan says Minho be human if Minho want.”
Jisung clasps him tighter and scratches his scalp like he always asks for. “Aww Minho, you already are human.”
The next morning, Jisung finds himself cleaning the blood out of the leather seats of his car. Minho asked Jisung when he would be allowed to go outside and Jisung immediately felt horrible realizing Minho had been trapped in his house for almost a week. Jisung made Minho put on clothes, a winter coat, gloves, scarf, winter pants, boots, and even gave him hand warmers; Minho will under no circumstances be cold on Jisung’s watch.
Minho awkwardly waddles outside, not used to all the extra layers. “If you take them off, inside you go!” Jisung threatens. Chan texted him some advice for Minho. Specifically stating that creating boundaries doesn’t make him a bad person. If he wants Minho to stay safe and unsuspicious he needs to hide his hair and eye color, make sure Minho doesn’t wander somewhere he can get scanned, and most importantly not be in cat form outside without a collar.
Jisung offered him to be shifted and outside as long as he wore a collar and that went worse than trying to force Minho to take a bath. Jisung still feels the stinging scratches as he scrubs the leather seat in the cold wintry air. Jisung scolded Minho about scratching and Minho apologized and even tried to lick the scratches to Jisung’s horror. He said collars are itchy, so human clothes is the route they went.
“The good Jisung! Look what Minho find in the snow of the outdoor.” Minho skips over to Jisung holding…a dead rodent. Jisung shivers and tries to school his expression.
“Minho-yah…please put that down.” Minho’s face falls a bit and he looks back at the dead animal confused.
“Gift for the much good Jisung?” He offers a bit less enthusiastically. Jisung keeps his eyes trained on Minho and not the carcass in his hand and figures out a way to explain it.
“Humans prefer gifts that are objects, not animals.” Jisung swallows, avoiding looking at the beady eyes of the decaying mouse. “Like flowers or food or hugs. Humans like hugs as gifts.” Jisung is bullshitting and he knows sometimes people get fish as gifts but he doesn’t want Minho to accidentally give his neighbor a dead bird. Minho perks up at the explanation, tosses the mouse into the snow with a slight plop, and comes to give Jisung a hug,
“Minho like the gifts of hugs. The good Jisung very much hug…hug…hug personable.” Minho embraces Jisung with the same hands that were holding the corpse, and Jisung simply ignores all thoughts regarding the previous encounter. “Minho saw the big birds and the small birds with wings like knives. Minho much like the knife birds and much like the outside and much very like the good Jisung.” Minho separates from Jisung and starts rolling in the snow. Jisung continues scrubbing the blood out of the seats, a task that is surprisingly harder than he expected.
“I like you too Minho-yah.” Jisung smiles sweetly at Minho underneath his beige scarf.
“Why Minho-yah not Minho?” Minho picks his head up from where he is making a snow angel and tilts his head.
“Actually you might be hyung depending how old you are.” Jisung pauses for a moment trying to gauge Minho’s age.
“Minho is of years twenty-five. Minho is not of too many years. Not old. Much young” Minho declares the last part a bit sadly. Did people tell him he was old? Jisung figures twenty-five is on the older side for shifters considering most don’t live to their thirties. Which means he is older than Jisung, but Minho must not be familiar with honorifics and endearments.
“So you’d be Minho hyung 'cause you’re 25 and I’m 23. Minho-yah is just to soften someone's name and make it flow better in a sentence. So to you, I’m Jisung-ah because I’m younger.” The seat is finally returned somewhat to normal and he wipes it off with some rags he’s found. If he stares at it long enough he sees a darker stain in the leather. Jisung decides to not stare. If he can’t see it, it’s not there.
“Minho never been Minho hyung. Only Minho cat.” Minho exclaims. “The good Jisung-ah think the good name.” Minho starts balling up snow together for fun. Jisung turns off his car and joins Minho in making snowmen. Jisung is reminded of Changbin and how much Changbin loves talking about Felix. He finally starts to understand it, but also not? How could Changbin look at someone like Felix and think they deserve to be no more than a pet? It’s inhumane.
Minho suddenly stops building the snowman-dog creation he is working on, points at it, and says “Chan…Chan hyung?”
Jisung pats Minho’s head in congratulations for figuring out that since Chan is older he’s also hyung. Although Jisung is a bit perturbed as to why Minho is naming a dog snowman after his boss. Minho stills and pouts at Jisung petulantly. “Minho hyung hungry.” He declares.
“Minho hyung you ate an hour ago.” Jisung stares in disbelief, this man has an insatiable hunger.
“Minho hyung hungry,” Minho repeats a little more sadly, drawing an ugly sad face in the snow. Jisung knows Minho ate more than enough to last him to lunchtime, looking into those beautiful dark eyes he almost gives in but a car pulling in the driveway stops him. Minho gets distracted and points at Chan as he gets out of the car. “Chan hyung. Chan hyung!” Minho cheers and Jisung spots a subtle blush form on Chan’s cheeks.
“You taught him huh?” Chan laughs at Minho running up happily showing Chan the dog snowman, created in his honor. Jisung nods proudly.
Chan opens his car and gestures for Minho to climb in, which he does obediently. Chan extends a helping hand for Jisung, which he gratefully takes and they both hop in the car with Minho snuggled up in the back seat. Jisung peers at the sight realizing something is missing.
Jisung gets out of the car to buckle Minho in, explaining car safety. “Minho cat been in car.” Minho says delightedly.
“He’s only been transported in cars via cat carriers so he’s excited to be here in human form.” Chan translates and Jisung has no idea how he got from one sentence to the other, but he’s realizing there’s a lot he doesn’t understand.
They drive for a while before Jisung starts to ponder. “So where we headed hyung?”
“My friend Seungmin has a shifter vet clinic,” Chan explains not taking his eyes off the road. Jisung has heard of Seungmin before, but not in much detail. Changbin’s thrown his name around a few times, and Jisung figures it was probably about Felix’s checkups. Sometimes when Changbin talks Jisung just zones out and lets him tire himself out.
Jisung looks back at Minho excitedly staring out the window in the back seat. Jisung is glad Chan found out because he is clueless.
Jisung is having a stroke. Suddenly the three other people in the vet clinic are arguing yet he can no longer understand Korean. Why are they yelling, what is this gibberish? Why does Minho look so adorable on the vet table kicking up his legs one at a time like a little kid while the adults argue? Jisung leans against the wall feeling his head spin.
He needs to go to the hospital, his face feels warm and the room is spinning. Suddenly Minho points at Jisung and Chan and Seungmin stop arguing and run over to him. “Why can’t I understand Korean” Jisung breathes out, completely overwhelmed. Seungmin leaves momentarily and brings back a paper cup with water. Jisung gulps it down, feeling the temperature of the room lower with it.
“Sorry Jisung, didn’t mean to stress you out.” Chan apologizes and fans Jisung’s face. Every woosh of air feels refreshing on his feverish skin.
“I can understand Korean again.” Jisung breathes out relieved. Chan and Seungmin exchange a look. Seungmin sends a nod of approval. Jisung watches the silent conversation, too dazed to understand what all the eyebrow raises and squints mean. Chan picks up Jisung and carries him out into the empty lobby, setting him on the couch. Jisung sprawls out on it, feeling more stable than he did upright.
“Jisung. For us to do this. There are some things I need to tell you. I need you to stay calm and not freak out.” Chan explains slowly, while in the background Seungmin is talking with a curious Minho. Jisung nods and lets Chan continue. He is perfectly capable of being calm. He rescued and treated Minho without having a full-blown panic attack. That has to count for something. “Seungmin, he's a dog shifter. He lives every day as a human and most people don’t know he’s a shifter.”
Jisung doesn’t know why Chan thought he’d freak out about that. That makes sense, who knows shifters better than a shifter himself? Jisung’s been pondering why shifters aren’t a part of their workforce when they can do anything a human can do. “Okay and?” Jisung wonders if there’s more to it. It’s odd that Chan knows the truth. Not to mention how he knows way too much about shifters in general.
“I’m also a dog shifter” Chan’s face is completely serious as he unloads this anti-climactic news. Chan always had an extra sense when it came to his hearing. That or Jisung needs to get his own checked.
“Well that makes sense” Jisung responds, still waiting for the truth bomb that leaves him freaking out. Chan blinks confused as if waiting for the words to process for Jisung. Chan always defends shifters, he knows a lot about them, any shifter hate-crime he acts as if it’s personal. So it simply just makes sense that Chan is one of them. Because then it is personal.
“You took that better than I expected,” Chan admits, scratching his neck awkwardly.
“Come on hyung, you’re still my best friend shifter or not.” Jisung laughs even though he still feels uneasy. “Why couldn’t I understand Korean?” Jisung wonders out loud.
“Cause it wasn’t Korean,” Chan states the obvious.
“Makes sense.” Jisung covers his eyes with the palms of his hands, relieved he isn’t going to wake up the next morning with a huge medical bill or worse, not wake up at all.
“Is that your reaction everything?” Chan rubs Jisung’s stomach like he’s the dog in the duo.
“Hyung I almost died, please give me a break.” Jisung lets him because nothing could ever change how he views Chan. They have been friends since college, he helped support him in making his dream a reality when everyone told him he would fail. That’s just who Chan is. Someone who selflessly helps people. Now Chan is helping Minho.
Jisung and Chan find Minho crying as he gets his blood work and vaccines done on the vet table. Seungmin is talking in what Chan calls Yartsian and Minho seems to be having a way easier time conversing with him, even if it sounds like he’s cursing and threatening to kill Seungmin’s whole family, but what does Jisung know, he doesn’t understand the language.
Jisung holds Minho’s hand in a suffocating grip. Seungmin explains to Jisung that Minho has a huge list of vaccines he needs to take. The chip has been removed and depending on what the blood results show, he may need to cater Minho’s diet accordingly.
Seungmin also suggests a light exercise routine to get Minho more physically active since the shelter kept them in a small enclosure with limited movement. Jisung has Wii sports and Just Dance 3 that he never uses, so maybe Minho will find interest in those.
He tries to process all the advice but ends up adding notes to his phone using his free hand because there is no way he’ll remember everything. Minho clutches Jisung’s hand so tightly that he starts losing feeling in it.
At the end Seungmin pulls Jisung aside and bows at a 90-degree angle, thanking him. “If you were to adopt him he’d have to be castrated, so thank you for not forcing me to do that to him.” Seungmin stares at the floor, relief swimming in his eyes.
“Can’t you decline to do that?” Jisung asks surprised, it’s not even a procedure he remotely considered having Minho undergo.
“No, every vet clinic is required by law in order to curb the stray and homeless shifter populations,” Seungmin says quietly and Jisung realizes that Seungmin or Chan could have gone through it if they ever had previous owners. The thought alone makes the room feel colder than the blistering chill outside.
Jisung helps Minho put on his winter gear to which Minho complains the whole time and Jisung lets him. Poor guy got two vaccines, a chip removed, and bloodwork done. They walk back to the car and Minho begs for Jisung to join him in the backseat so he does. “You’re spoiling him Jisung-ah.” Chan scolds from the driver’s seat. Jisung knows but he doesn’t quite care. He wants to give Minho all the love in the world.
That thought has him pausing while buckling himself in. He always thought loving people was hard, a nuisance more than an open desire for something he wanted to do. But with Minho, he’s more than happy to spend time with him and even enjoys being around him. It’s strange. Jisung takes off Minho’s glove and interlocks their fingers. It’s strange, but he doesn't mind it.
Notes:
Thank you all for the support on this fic <3. I originally left it in the drafts for months because I couldn't figure quite out how to give it the love it deserves and I'm so glad that so many of you seem to like it! Thank you for being patient with me as I take my time editing and writing the rest of it. I used to write a lot more and a lot faster when I had more time. But another reason I've slowed down is also to focus more on quality and I hope it shows? If not I still can validate my own efforts lol and think the story makes more sense with TLC.
A lot of you had interesting theories last chapter and yes Chan is a shifter :p...what gave it away lol.
Also might bump it to 7 chapters if chapter 6 grows two heads, which it might ya never know.
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Chapter 3: Hide away and only come out when it's safe
Notes:
Warnings/Triggers
- Sexual content
- Discrimination
- Compulsive heteronormativity
- Coming out
- Past captivityBeta Read by: meow234
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
On the way back from the vet they stop by PetSmart. Jisung's hand comfortably situated in Minho’s on the premise of not losing him in the crowd. If he was a bit more honest with himself he’d say it was because he likes the feeling of being connected with someone. The same way he loves how Minho cuddles him close at night. How his skin burns with desire when Minho’s shirtless chest meets his own.
Society would never accept them, for being men nor for being different species. But Jisung lets himself fantasize about the possibility because thoughts can’t hurt them if he never acts on them.
Chan leads them through the store. Jisung wonders if Chan ever goes to the store to buy himself things for his dog-related urges. Jisung has never seen Chan act like a dog so maybe he's learned to mask it or has his own outlets.
Chan stops in the cat section, scratching posts line the wall, and rows of cat beds poke out from the aisle next to them. “Minho-yah here’s the aisle, pick some toys you’d want to play with when in cat form. Jisung probably has enough human entertainment for you.” Chan gestures in front of them. Minho peers at Jisung before delicately prying off Jisung's fingers from where they are tightly clinging to his hand
Minho strolls up to the giant shelves filled with all sorts of toys, ranging from squeaky mouse toys to feather toys, and rubber puzzles. Minho pokes a few of them a bit addled and disinterested before finding a squirrel on a fishing line and sending Jisung a devious smirk. Minho picks out a few more squirrel-related toys and a bird-matching game he found in the bird section for birdkeepers. Granted Minho probably has no idea what's specifically designated as a cat toy versus a human educational tool.
Jisung walks up to Chan and taps his shoulder a bit lost. He isn’t one to deny Minho happiness, it’s all just a bit confusing.
Chan huffs out a laugh seeing Jisung's bewildered expression. “He’s still a cat shifter, he’ll enjoy cat toys as much as human toys. He’s also grown up in a shelter most of his life, human things are a bit overwhelming for him.”
Minho places his items of interest in Chan’s cart as instructed before connecting his fingers with Jisung’s again. This time around Jisung goes a little lighter on the pressure.
Chan works with Minho to pick out a cat bed, fur brush, cat scratching post, and cat tree. Minho’s excitement is increasing alongside Jisung’s dread about his credit card bill. Jisung is not stingy. He’s more than happy to splurge when he has a cushy job. But he is also realizing quite how big of a commitment he is undertaking.
“Jisung?” He turns around to spot a broad short man and a tall blonde with freckles coming over. Oh no. Jisung blinks and hopes Changbin hasn’t spotted Chan quite yet.
“Hi…hyung. Felix. What’s up?” Jisung awkwardly responds trying not to panic.
“What are you doing here?” Changbin asks and Jisung wracks his brain trying to come up with a reasonable excuse, but before he can Chan comes in with Minho in tow.
“Oh Changbin, what a coincidence.” Chan places a reassuring hand on Jisung's shoulder and Minho once again grabs onto Jisung’s fingers. Felix eyes the two of them. His blonde hair is tucked back into a ponytail, his neck adorning a pink collar that he always wears. Minho goes to poke it and Jisung immediately grabs his other hand. Felix’s eyes light up and Jisung places a finger on his lips and Felix nods his understanding.
The last thing Jisung needs is for Felix to out Minho in the middle of the store.
Jisung turns his attention back to the conversation. “Oh, so you guys are helping Jisung’s hookup’s cat shifter get settled into his new place.” Changbin nods along and Felix rolls his eyes in disbelief with a playful smirk. Or Changbin can out Minho with his big mouth anyway.
Changbin continues grinning giddily without a clue. “Jisung you should’ve asked me, you know I’m the expert with these things.”
“Sorry Binnie I assumed you were busy.” Jisung lies, looking at the ground in shame. It's not that he doesn't trust Changbin. He knows if he asked Changbin to support him he would even if he prefers to do things the right way. But it's easier having someone like Chan who can help without judgment or fear.
“I’m never too busy for you” Changbin responds a bit hurt, and Jisung's chest squeezes at the look in Changbin's eyes.
He hasn’t been at work much having taken off the end of last week, half of Monday, and all of today. Chan also took off today which meant Changbin has probably been feeling a bit isolated. Which is most likely why he’s in PetSmart trying to spoil Felix and make himself feel useful. Jisung has heard the stories firsthand from Felix.
“I know. Sorry. I’ll ask you next time.” Jisung goes over and hugs Changbin, reassuring him of their friendship, hoping there won't be a next time.
“So whose this? And whose this girl I’ve been hearing a lot about?” Changbin redirects his attention to Minho who cowers a bit. Jisung has not mentioned a girl a single time, at this point Changbin needs to get his hearing checked more than Jisung. Or is it selective hearing that he struggles with?
Changbin's eyes settle on Minho's neck with an unnerving gaze. “Oh, why isn’t he wearing a collar. You guys should get one, don’t want the police stopping you and worrying you have an illegal shifter that’s out of the system. That can be a nightmare and a half.”
Jisung has been trying not to worry about it but Changbin voicing his fears has his mind working in overdrive. "Also isn't he a bit old to be a recent adoptee?" Changbin continues and Jisung feels Minho squeeze his hand in response.
Chan mentioned to Jisung at the vet that Minho ran away after being told he was too old. Probably doesn't help to hear it again. He snakes a second hand around Minho's bicep reassuringly. Felix occasionally sends them side glances of intrigue, a small glint in his eyes as if he knows more than he is letting on.
“Noted,” Chan says a bit vehemently.
“Minho hyung.” Minho points to himself and forces a smile at the stranger who rudely called him old. Felix grins, a beautiful gaze that Minho returns.
“Hyung? Did no one teach him manners?” Changbin asks aghast and the mood is ruined. Changbin stands in the middle of the store pondering like a professional shifter trainer. “Hmm too bad he’s on the older side, it’s hard to teach a dog new tricks or in his case reteach basic ways to address humans.” Changbin states it like it is fact, not realizing that no one within a 2-meter radius agrees with him.
Minho growls and before Jisung can stop him he says “Minho cat be cat not dog. Minho hyung young not old.” Minho matches Changbin’s condescending attitude.
“I’m sorry for the poor girl who has to deal with him. He can barely even speak! Seriously Jisung, could she have picked out a more incompetent shifter? And why is she not even around? I really don’t like this girl. I’m not usually one to intervene in your dating life, but she seems like a walking red flag.” Changbin rolls his eyes in frustration.
The only walking red flag right now is Minho’s face because he looks like he’s about to explode at Changbin for inadvertently insulting Jisung. Chan takes one look at Minho and realizes if he doesn’t de-escalate the situation it is not going to end well.
“Okay nice seeing you. Jisung, Minho we are leaving.” Chan grabs Minho’s free hand and takes their cart to checkout. Jisung doesn’t bother waving goodbye and follows them. Chan pays for the goods and places them in the trunk of the car all while relentlessly fuming.
Once they are in the car the dam breaks. “How can he say shit like that? He calls me hyung all the time. Would he stop calling me that if he found out? Just because Minho is a shifter he suddenly doesn’t deserve honorifics? Bullshit. He gets on my nerves sometimes.”
Chan starts the car and neither Jisung nor Minho bother trying to calm down the angry Australian cursing profanities worse than a drunk sailor. “Seriously a hookup's shifter? You don’t even sleep around. Where does he get these ridiculous conclusions?” Chan breathes out with a shake of his head.
“It helps us though. He makes alibis for us.” Jisung counters hoping it will relieve some of the suffocating tension in the car.
“What is the hookup?” Minho asks. Jisung looks over and hugs Minho tightly.
“You’re so cute.” Jisung giggles at Minho’s innocence. Chan says something in Yartsian and Minho smirks, answering back. Jisung hears his and Chan’s name a couple of times and notices Chan’s face turn red.
“Chan what are you teaching my poor housemate?” Jisung blurts out, growing slightly concerned.
Chan sighs, switching over to Korean. “No Minho. Just men and women.”
“Hey Chan, it doesn’t have to be defined by gender!” Jisung argues back, if Minho is getting the sex talk he wants it to be the inclusive version. “Minho hyung. It’s when two or more people are really close and want to spend time intimately. It makes them feel good.” Jisung gestures vaguely, only getting a head tilt in response.
“Jisung, he knows what sex is." Chan deadpans. Jisung did not know that. He doesn't know why he assumed the shelter would have forced abstinence. "Also, he’s gonna misunderstand with you being vague.” Chan scolds as they stop at a red light.
“The angry Chan hyung and the sweet Jisung-ah do the hook-up?” Jisung chokes on air and Chan starts driving again, seemingly unaffected, probably having heard the Yartsian version of the comment.
“No Minho hyung, Jisung is straight; meaning he prefers women.” Chan clarifies.
“Jisung is not!” Jisung shrieks. His eyes blow wide open and he panics so much he starts talking in the third person. He’s never come out to Chan or Changbin, but to have his sexuality assumed kinda hurt. “I’m bisexual Chan hyung." He tells Chan before turning to face Minho who is grinning, having way too much fun flustering them. Minho hyung, I prefer both men and women, but mainly men.” He explains a little too enthusiastically.
“Minho hyung like the men too.” Minho states proudly and rests his head against Jisung’s shoulder. “Minho hyung like the cute Jisung-ah too so can Minho hyung and the cute Jisung-ah hook up?” Minho tilts his head to the side eagerly and by the time they arrive home, both Jisung and Chan’s faces are competing with the flag of China on being as red as possible.
Jisung is really trying not to think about hooking up with Minho. Like sure. He’s very attractive shirtless and even more attractive when he happily prances around the house fully naked. But Jisung tries not to stare and be respectful. Jisung might sometimes wake up hard curled up to Minho and then have to go jerk off first thing in the morning. He may have (definitely) imagined Minho in compromising situations over the last week.
But imagining it is one thing. Actually acting on it is different. So Jisung stays silent and rubs Minho’s thigh, unable to quite reject the proposition.
That night Jisung receives a text from Chan apologizing for assuming he was straight and an odd congratulations for being bi. Jisung rereads the text a few times before deciding it’s as much support as he’s going to get. Chan isn’t homophobic, Jisung knows that. He might have just caught him a tad off guard with his reveal.
Jisung finds Minho in bed, naked as always. Jisung has gotten Minho to wear boxers at the very least around the house, explaining how it can make people uncomfortable, leaving out how in his case, very turned on. But for bedtime, Minho likes to shift between cat and human forms so much that Jisung lets him be naked.
Minho sprawls out on the bed waiting for Jisung to plug in his phone and give him his nightly head scratches and cuddles. “Have you always been so affectionate?” Jisung crawls into the bed and Minho instantly latches on around him. Jisung clears his thoughts of their earlier conversation. Minho didn’t mean it like that. He didn’t understand what he was asking. Jisung attempts to convince himself.
“The volunteers cuddle Minho cat when Minho cat lonely. But not with the big bed.” Minho explains and Jisung wonders why no one adopted him, but that seems like a personal question to ask. “Minho hyung like the many cuddles.” He smacks Jisung on the bum and then rubs it a few times.
“I like them too.” Jisung is surprised at the statement not being a lie. He finally found someone that he can calm down enough with to enjoy falling asleep alongside. He’s had girlfriends and boyfriends before, but he would get antsy when cuddling. He’d think about his projects, lyrics he could be writing, and groceries he needed. He was never calm. But Minho makes him feel at peace.
“Minho hyung like the sweet Jisung-ah” Minho whispers groggily and falls asleep on Jisung’s chest. Jisung wants to say I like you too. But Minho is asleep, and thoughts aren’t as scary when they don’t make it into the real world.
Jisung has to go back to work. It's an unfortunate reality of needing to pay the bills especially due to a recently added expense. Jisung informs Minho he can eat anything in the fridge, he shows him how to microwave, and reminds him if he goes out and plays in the snow to dress up for the winter and not be in cat form or they'll take him back to the shelter.
Minho listens along obediently and Jisung hopes that he won't come home to a destroyed house once again. Jisung eats breakfast and watches Minho explore his cat tree, enjoying how his claws feel against it in cat form.
Jisung leaves the house knowing he'll have someone to come home to. Something he never knew how badly he needed until he finally had it. Jisung speeds through all of his work and tries to finish as quickly as possible to make up for lost time.
Around lunchtime, his phone starts buzzing with a call from an unknown number. "Hello?" Jisung picks up the phone, uncertainty lacing his tone.
"Hey Jisung, it's Seungmin. I have Minho's blood results. They are for the most part okay, a couple of deficiencies but I can send you the link to some supplements he can take. But that's not the only reason I called…" Seungmin explains and Jisung is glad that it isn't anything too concerning with the blood work, but his heart aches at the unfinished sentence.
"Thank you for doing this. I know at first it's a lot of effort teaching and helping him learn how to be independent, but you're saving a life and you should know how grateful our species is for people like you. So if you have any questions or concerns please let me know." Jisung feels himself blush. He's doing the right thing. He is doing good and there's a reward in that on its own.
Jisung thinks over if anything has caught his attention about Minho. Oh right there's that. "Actually I do have something. Um…so…Minho sometimes or a lot of the time I guess says he's hungry when he isn't? Or I don't think he is. Like we'll eat and then an hour or two later he announces he's hungry." Jisung tries to explain. He's been getting stricter with Minho not wanting to overfeed him, but he still sees Minho going to the fridge and picking out carrots to munch on throughout the day. Did they starve him at the shelter?
"Oh yeah that's normal. Make sure he's only eating max of three times a day though. Due to years in captivity, he's not used to having the choice of when to eat and previously his only time of happiness was most likely centered around food. So now that he can ask you for food he does it more often as a reward-seeking behavior. The best way to fix it is to introduce him to hobbies he likes and basically trigger the reward system without it being based on food." Seungmin explains and everything suddenly makes sense.
Minho always pouts and asks for food when Jisung is doing something else or the activity they were doing together stops being interesting. "Thanks Seungmin that's really helpful."
"Also be careful of sugar. He's probably never had much in the shelter and it can be very addictive for shifters." Jisung feels a shiver roll down his spine. He has a bit of a sweet tooth, he'll have to throw out his desserts before Minho finds them. Jisung also realizes how he's never seen Chan eat sweets. He always thought it was a gym thing, but now he realizes a lot of Chan's behavior is more complicated than he previously thought.
Jisung says his goodbyes to Seungmin and finds Changbin to ask him for some help to catch up on work.
"Are you gonna let me meet her? I've already met her shifter and if you're helping him that means she's gotta be important right?" Changbin asks once most of the work is settled and he has an idea of what to do.
He doesn't know how to clarify there is no girl. Minho isn't anyone's, if he has a title it’s as Jisung’s favorite human. He's his own person. Ultimately Jisung just waves Changbin off and clarifies one day.
After a long and exhausting day of composing music, Jisung drives home in the dimming winter evening. It's around 5 pm and the sun is starting to set and reflects brightly among the melting snow.
Unlocking the door, Jisung hears mewls coming from inside. Oh no. Jisung unlocks the door and spots Minho on the still-torn-yet-to-be-replaced couch clutching his stomach.
Jisung sets his things down, tosses off his shoes, and runs towards him, checking in on him. "Did you eat something bad?" As far as Jisung knows he doesn't have any spoiled or uncooked food.
Minho nods along and points to the coffee table. Jisung turns to face it and a light chuckle escapes his throat. Minho beat him to it. The coffee table is littered in empty pudding containers. "Aww, hyung ate too much pudding and has an upset stomach." Jisung grabs the eight empty pudding containers and throws them into the trash.
Grabbing some water and real food Jisung helps Minho sit up to give him the balanced diet lecture. Minho grumbles and pouts, still clutching his stomach, but obediently eats the food. "You liked the pudding huh?" Jisung inquires gently and Minho nods eagerly. He should have been more careful when he told Minho he could eat anything in his fridge. "It made your stomach hurt because you ate too much?" Minho nods a second time shamefully.
Minho transforms into a cat and slowly settles onto Jisung's side for comfort. "There's lots of food that tastes good but makes you feel bad. And food that doesn't taste good but is healthy." Jisung educates him and then gets up to set aside food for the next day for Minho to eat. "Only eat this when you get hungry." Jisung points at the container while making eye contact with the disgruntled cat in pain.
“Wanna go outside? It’ll help you feel better?” Jisung offers and Minho shifts back and eagerly starts putting on his clothes from the couch. Minho hates clothes most of the time, but there is nothing he wouldn’t do to go outside. It makes Jisung smile to see him so enthusiastic despite having an upset stomach.
Jisung puts on his winter gear and steps out into the unusually warm day and Minho prances along the sidewalk, stretching out his limbs. One would not be able to guess he was on the couch clutching his stomach in pain a half hour earlier.
He catches up and starts walking by Minho’s side. “How the today working?” Minho asks grabbing onto Jisung’s arm affectionately.
“Work was good, missed you.” Jisung pats Minho’s head through his hat and he eagerly leans into the touch. Gone is the person who pretends he doesn’t love attention.
“I missed you too.” Jisung blinks surprised at Minho’s grammatically correct sentence. Chan did drop off a couple of grammar books and they have been telling Minho he doesn’t need to speak in the third person. But it is surprising to not hear a Minho hyung missed you. One step closer to being independent.
Then he stills in realization.
Will Minho leave when he becomes independent? Like sure they live together now because Minho has no other option, but when Minho gets a job, gets documentation, and becomes able to make those choices he’ll want to leave.
Suddenly the prospect of his lonely beer and boxer nights don’t sound so nice. They sound isolating like he’s gonna miss a fellow boxer-wearing orange-haired person cuddling up to him. He’s gonna have to sleep in his bed alone.
When did he grow so attached?
How did he get so dependent?
It is scary. The idea of living without Minho. It’s been a week and his world got flipped upside down, but now that he’s seen the other side he doesn’t want to go back. But one look at Minho’s excited expression while they walk along the wintry streets and he knows he can’t deny freedom from Minho.
When Minho leaves it will be his choice. Jisung won't stop him, but that doesn’t make the walk back to their shared home any less somber. Because now Jisung knows there’s a time limit. One day the hourglass will flip, and he will be all alone once again.
Jisung wakes up in the middle of the night with the other side of the bed completely empty. He slides his hand against the cold sheets realizing it’s probably been a few hours since Minho was in bed. In a moment of deliriousness, he wonders if the last few weeks were nothing more than a strange dream. That Minho never even existed, a strange conjuration of his mind caused by loneliness.
To clear his head, Jisung crawls out of bed, goosebumps creeping up his arms as he leaves the warmth behind and shuffles to the kitchen in his squirrel slippers. He reaches for the fridge handle and pulls it open, squinting at the bright light. It isn’t until he pours himself a glass of water that he notices a figure on the cat tree.
So Minho wasn’t a dream. Jisung blinks half-asleep. Minho is perched by the window in his human form, sitting with one foot on the middle post and the other hanging off. His own bunny slippers to the side of the cat tree. Even though convincing Minho to wear them was a long and arduous process Jisung smiles to himself seeing them be used.
Minho is watching cars drive-by in the wintery night. Occasionally a beam of bright yellow light illuminates the dark living room as it reflects along the snowy roads. The third time it happens Jisung sees a small droplet shine on Minho’s cheek.
Jisung places his Brita filter back in the fridge and strolls up to Minho. Before Jisung can inquire what’s wrong Minho asks, “Why I never adopted?” He turns to fully face Jisung, the streaks of tears from hours spent questioning his existence are evident on his puffy cheeks.
Jisung reaches out and wipes the most recent ones with the pad of his thumb. “You were always meant to be more than just a pet Minho hyung.”
He knows it doesn’t erase the years spent in captivity. Minho might act brave or pretend it doesn’t bother him. But even the greatest actors break down off camera. Minho paws at Jisung’s pajama shirt and closes the distance, placing his head on Jisung’s chest and wrapping his arms around Jisung‘s ass. Jisung fondly scratches his scalp.
“Would the kind Jisung have adopted I?” Minho asks Jisung’s shirt, staining it with newly shed tears. He wants to say that he couldn’t have afforded to when he was younger. On the other hand, now doing so crosses too many moral boundaries. He can’t easily answer because he doesn’t know what he would’ve done back then all he knows is what he would do now.
“I would have given you the life you deserve. I will.” Jisung promises. “And you know why?”
Minho peers up through glassy eyes. “Minho hyung is sweet Jisung favorite human.” Minho repeats the Minho-fied recreation of the phrase Jisung has been telling him.
It’s not to ignore the fact that Minho is half-cat. It’s to remind him that his other half is still human. Sometimes when Minho talks about himself Jisung realizes that at the shelter they convinced him he was nothing more than a cat. They erased his humanity because it’s easier to profit off of someone who believes they can’t fight back.
Jisung takes Minho back to bed, holding him close, running his fingers through his silky orange and white hair until the shaky breaths turn soft. Jisung hums a lullaby he’s been working on in his free time, reminding Minho of every beautiful thing about him that words alone can’t convey.
Notes:
So the next three chapters really long :0. I took the whole next week off but I'll only be home for the next two days so I'll try to post a bit more and edit before I leave on vacation.
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Chapter 4: Study! Study! Study! Or Face the Green Bird's Wrath!
Notes:
The chapter title is silly but you'll see :)
Warnings/Triggers:
- withdrawl
- Panic attacks
- Discrimination
- Coming out
- References to trauma
- Fainting
- Blood/InjuriesBeta Read by: meow234
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
buzz.
buzz buzz buzz.
buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz bu– “God dammit Jisung tell your hookup to stop texting you during work hours!” Changbin screams, yanking off Jisung’s headphones, alerting him of his phone exploding with notifications.
Instantly, the obnoxious vibrating starts driving Jisung insane, not as insane as the sugar withdrawal. Turns out quitting sugar for the sake of a sudden roommate is a lot more difficult than simply not consuming sugar anymore. Who would’ve guessed? Not Jisung that’s for sure.
“There is no hookup Changbin!” If Jisung wasn’t at his wit's end he might have kept up the facade of some mysterious girl, but the pounding in his head has a different plan. Jisung scratches his hair in frustration, the buttons and words on his work computer merging into a blurry message telling him to eat a Snickers bar so he’ll be less hangry.
“Then who the hell is texting you?” Changbin reaches for Jisung’s phone and waves it in front of Jisung for the Face ID to register. The messaging app loads, bombarding Changbin with hundreds of cat stickers. “Minho? Why is her shifter texting you?”
Jisung groans at the exceptional tunnel vision Changbin is demonstrating, hiding in his arms. Maybe if he pretends there are dancing glucose particles in the air his sugar cravings will stop nagging him.
Jisung gave Minho his old phone a few days ago, showing him how to use the text app for emergencies. He factory reset the phone and added two contacts. Him and Chan, not wanting to condemn Seungmin to Minho’s occasional anti-dog agenda.
Minho curiously explored the fascinating glowing metal object and decided to have fun, using it to send random messages, stickers and game pigeon games. Every hour that Jisung is at work. Turns out Minho is surprisingly good at reversi having beaten Jisung seven times in a row. He also downloaded Duolingo for Minho to start learning Korean. To not be a complete hypocrite he downloaded it on his own phone to learn Yartsian.
“Changbin. I’m gonna say it one last time. There. Is. No. Girl. I like dudes man. Occasionally girls. Mostly guys.” Another thing Jisung would not have done had he been in the right state of mind. He was kept awake all night due to the pulsating hunger pains and constant cravings.
Jisung’s irritability started showing a few days ago. Minho would give him concerned looks that he tried to dismiss. When Jisung snapped at Minho to get his damn carrots himself if he wants them so badly, Minho confronted him and Jisung apologized. Jisung explained he’s in a bad mood and wants space.
From then on Minho would ask bad mood Jisung-ah need space? Jisung would nod if he wanted to be left alone and say no if he was okay with giving Minho hugs and attention. Minho is surprisingly good at respecting Jisung’s fluctuating emotions, something he’s never quite experienced in his past relationships outside of his two best friends.
“You’re…what?” Changbin sits down next to Jisung after several awkward moments of silence at Jisung’s sudden coming out. Chan already knows, it was only a matter of time for Changbin to find out. Changbin sets Jisung’s phone back down as it continues exploding with notifications, vibrating the table with it.
“I’m bi, what about it?” Jisung leans his head dramatically on the recording studio table. Changbin places a few robotic head pats on Jisung’s head, defaulting to treating Jisung like Felix in his moment of surprise.
“So who does the shifter belong to then?” Jisung’s eyes fly open at the question.
Oh shit. He forgot about that.
Before Jisung’s brain can backpedal and scrounge up a flimsy excuse, the door to the studio opens and his lord and savior in black comes in. “He doesn’t belong to anyone. Jisung is fostering him.” Jisung sends grateful puppy dog eyes at Chan for rescuing him from himself.
Chan sits down on Jisung’s other side, joining Changbin in his awkward head pats, sensing Jisung’s mental distress.
“Then he belongs to Jisung?” Changbin corrects, earning a glare from Chan.
Belong.
Jisung hates how Minho can’t just exist by himself. An uncomfortable knot forms in his throat as he realizes he never gave Felix that consideration. Jisung bangs his head against the table only worsening his headache. He owes Felix an apology. The dark wood of the table catches Jisung’s eye. The grains weave along in parallel never intertwining kinda how Jisung always feels a few steps disconnected from those around him.
“Also isn’t he old?” Changbin ponders.
The wording irks Jisung to his core. He lifts his head slightly, opening his mouth into a grimace, sending Changbin a disgusted face.
“If you call him old one more fucking time, I’m gonna make sure you don’t have vocal chords anymore.” Jisung seethes and Chan doesn’t bother reprimanding him given the context of the conversation, simply caressing the back of Jisung’s head.
“Minho was going to be killed at the shelter so Jisung offered to take him.” Chan lies and Jisung is too tired to complain with the new version of the story, and sets his head back down on the table. From his angle it looks like a giant chocolate bar. He wonders if it tastes like dark chocolate with a big whiff of glazed wood and an aftertaste of splinters.
Changbin stops high-fiving Jisung’s head and stills in his seat. Jisung doesn’t need to turn his head to see the gears turning as he realizes the truth, or his new version of the truth. “Why didn’t you guys tell me?” Changbin shrinks in on himself hurt by the lies and secrets. Jisung hates making Changbin sad, especially since he’s always trying so hard to cheer Jisung up.
But this isn’t about Jisung’s desire to make those around him only feel positive emotions. This is about Minho’s life and future, simple feelings shouldn’t have any say in the matter. Not to mention all the shitty things Changbin has spouted, intentionally or not. Jisung sits upright to deliver his blow.
“Because you call him old and insult him. You just assumed he was my hookup’s just how you assumed my sexuality!” Jisung grits out, the headache only throbbing more. Normally he would quiet down and apologize before escalating. But Jisung is running a tight fuse and the last thing he wants to do is let himself and someone he deeply cares about be walked on because society deemed that the legally correct thing.
“I’m sorry.” Changbin whispers, voice cracking. Changbin blinks once, twice, hiding the tears forming in his eyes.
“Sure you are.” Jisung grits out.
He should stop. Changbin never intends to hurt people. He is a soft, loveable man under all of that muscle.
But Jisung is not Changbin. He intends to twist that knife in Changbin’s back because he has someone to protect and all he can see is that fluffy orange head, scared, crying, wanting a life that he was stripped of at birth.
A rattling noise on the table gathers Jisung back to the present, he watches a bottle of Advil roll over to him as Chan grabs Jisung’s waterbottle from under the table. Silently communicating he wants him to take one before he bites off Changbin’s head. Jisung much rather continue destroying Changbin, but instead opts to down the soft gel pill, knowing he’ll regret making Changbin cry if he keeps going.
“I didn’t know he was yours.” Changbin murmurs, no longer able to make eye contact with Jisung. The apologetic tone does little to ease the fire burning inside Jisung. It flickers. It burns. It rages, taking the last of Jisung’s sanity with it.
“He’s not mine. He’s his own damn person!” Before Jisung can continue giving Changbin a piece of his mind, a strong arm forces him out of the room by his bicep. Jisung takes a few unsteady steps as he is thrown out of the room by Chan.
Chan swiftly closes the door behind them and crosses his arms like a disgruntled parent. “While I love this new, sugar-lessly sweet version of you pumpkin. One. Changbin looks like he’s about to cry. Two. Our opinions and beliefs could put us and Minho at risk. Also three. Eat a candy; I can’t stand you this cranky.” Chan reaches in his pocket and pulls out a small lime-green gum drop and throws it at Jisung who hot potatoes it back.
“I can’t eat candy. I can’t keep sugar in the house!” Jisung shouts it back more like a complaint than a statement. He wants nothing more than to rip off the wrapper and stuff it in his mouth. He wants it. Just like he wants to see Minho’s smile and hear his laugh when he comes home later. It’s not about his wants and desires. He has someone he cares about and needs to take care of. Jisung guiltily plays with the strings of his hoodie.
Chan gives him a few moments to dwell on his actions before giving in and pulling him into a reassuring warm hug. Minho isn’t the only one that gives good hugs.
“I appreciate everything you’re doing for Minho, but yelling at Changbin isn’t gonna fix it.” Chan exhales into Jisung’s head.
Jisung has spent countless hours wishing he could fundamentally rip apart their system and rebuild it brick by brick but he can’t, he’s just one man. The only difference between who he used to be and who he is now is that now he’s more outspoken and participating in less than legal activities.
“I just want him to stop insulting Minho hyung.” Jisung mumbles into Chan’s firm chest, feeling a big hand caress his head. He can take insults and assumptions of his sexuality. But when someone insults his Minho, his favorite person who has done nothing to deserve the world’s cruelty, that crosses the line.
“Me too but baby steps.” Chan pats him on the shoulder a few times, tightening all the loose nails that are making him fall apart at the wooden planks
“Baby steps.” Jisung begrudgingly agrees with a heavy sigh. Chan separates from him and re-enters the recording studio. Soft sniffles radiate from inside the room. Great. Jisung made Changbin cry.
Jisung takes a moment to gather himself.
Don’t make Changbin cry anymore.
Apologize.
Keep Minho safe, orange hair and all.
Jisung reenters, with a deep bow, apologizing to Changbin for once again lying about Minho. The words feel bitter on his tongue knowing that if Changbin ever found out they lied again that might be the end of the trio once and for all.
Changbin drags him into a suffocatingly tight hug, sobbing into his shoulder. Jisung returns the awkward pats from earlier, placing an appropriate amount on Changbin’s broad back, toeing the line of a caring and peeved friend.
Chan eventually frees Jisung from his muscley prison telling them they need to get to work or they’ll have an upset upper management to deal with. Jisung turns his phone to silent, putting on his headphones with max volume to drown out the world around him and starts meticulously editing the song from the top.
Jisung finishes work around 7 pm, finally feeling in the right headspace to go back home. Jisung says bye to Chan and passes Changbin who is writing the rest of his lyrics for a soloist. The atmosphere has been tense since Jisung’s outburst.
The sugar withdrawal seems to have temporarily subsided, his head no longer throbbing as badly, meaning he can string two thoughts together. The medicine Chan provided helped to alleviate a majority of the symptoms. Jisung considers stopping by a restaurant and picking up some dinner for Minho. But it’s late enough where Minho probably made himself some dinner so he decides to go straight home.
He’s been teaching Minho a few recipes here and there, not that Jisung has much expertise in cooking. He wants to help Minho be more self-sufficient. That and help Minho discover healthy foods he likes other than carrots. The latter being a slow work in progress.
Jisung wonders if he should get Minho a cookbook, slotting in the key into the hole and unlocking the front door in the frosty chill of January. It would give Minho something to do during the day besides text Jisung and go outside.
As the door creaks open something immediately feels off. It’s not the sheer emptiness of the living room or the lack of clothes from Minho shifting in and out. If that was the case it would be a good sign that Minho has finally learned to clean up after himself.
The most ominous thing is the lack of lights on, throwing him off.
By 7:41 pm the sun has long gone down leaving the living room obscured in pitch black darkness except for a single flashing red light on the ceiling. Then he hears it. An obnoxious double chirp of the smoke alarm. The bad feeling spreads to his chest as he pulls out his phone and reads through the stream of messages Minho sent.
Minho
i ate breakfast
i am good for the Jisung favorite human
i watch the knife birds
knife birds dont know im watching
[ evil cat sticker ]
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
It simply goes like this. Minho listing his morning up until Jisung muted his phone.
It’s only after that the messages start to get more concerning.
Minho
the green bird app is angry
it tells i to study or bird angry at minho hyung
minho hyung be awesome
[laughing cat sticker]
cat superior to bird
ha
hah
hahah
haaa
Jisung chuckles at Minho’s comments. His eyes drift to the sent stamp at 11:11 am. Jisung is about to skip the rest of the messages when the next block catches his attention.
Minho
angry green bird upset at minho hyung
angry green bird call upon ceiling gods to punishment Minho hyung
ceiling and green bird angry
minho hyung is sorry
minho hyung will do angry green bird
minho hyung doing angry green bird but ceiling don’t stop anger
[sad cat sticker]
[sad cat sticker 2]
[sad cat sticker hugging bird]
[a random gif of grumpy cat]
[sad cat sticker]
Jisung feels guilt coil in his stomach as he keeps scrolling past the messages seeing Minho struggle to understand the situation.
Minho
why ceiling loud?
can Jisung-ah make green angry bird happy?
when Jisung-ah coming to big home?
minho hyung sorry for being bad
minho hyung will be better
minho hyung study but ceiling stay angry.
jisung-ah?
please come
jisung-ah?
jisung-h mad?
jsvnga
hang
wgrgnrm
rhdghtggtjtj
From there, it devolves into a series of mashed keys.
Jisung fucked up.
Somehow in his hours at work Minho started a war between the smoke alarm and the Duolingo owl. Jisung grabs a kitchen chair, climbs on top, and disconnects the smoke alarm, temporarily disabling it from making the obnoxious chirping. The living room settles into a familiar quiet. Jisung finds a spare battery in the supply closet and replaces the dying one in the smoke alarm.
Now that his ceiling is no longer wreaking havoc on Minho for not studying Korean, Jisung rushes into his bedroom. Searching the bathroom, and under the bed he only finds an occasional pair of boxers or squirrel cat toy. Jisung opens his walk-in closet, flicking on the lights, finding Minho’s cat bed, a pair of clothes, a half-eaten bag of cat treats, and more squirrel cat toys. Nervousness strums through his veins with the loud closet door closing behind him.
Jisung steps out of his bedroom eyeing the basement door. He has never seen Minho venture down there, whether from the foreboding chill or Minho’s general disinterest. He instead hurries up the stairs, turning the light switch as he goes. He passes a pair of bunny slippers on the top floor. He pokes his head in the various unused upstairs rooms, heart beating guiltily from not answering Minho all day. When Jisung finds all the rooms empty he starts to worry the worst.
What if…?
Minho wouldn’t…would he?
Jisung opens the bathroom door, exhaling in relief at the sight. A scared ball of fiery orange and white hair is curled up on the tiled bathroom floor.
He’s home. He didn’t run away.
Jisung finishes opening the door the rest of the way slowly until it hits something. A phone is lying face up, the screen off resting against the door like it was chucked against it. Jisung might need to give Minho a talk about phone preservation.
Minho is in the fetal position, tears streaming down his face, covering his ears. His cheeks are puffy and his whole body quivers. Jisung moves very carefully, not wanting to scare him further.
“Minho hyung,” Jisung whispers into the hollow space. Minho glances up with red eyes before hiding his head in his knees. Jisung takes a few steps and crouches down until he is face-to-face with Minho. He extends his arms so his fingers graze Minho’s forearms, smiling softly.
Minho peers up ever so slightly at the touch, green eyes contemplating the level of safety between the bathroom corner and the warmth of Jisung’s arms. Minho untangles himself and crawls into Jisung’s embrace, placing himself into Jisung’s lap. Jisung rubs along Minho’s lower back, despite Minho’s stature he melts into the touch. “It was just the smoke alarm. You did nothing wrong. I’m sorry for not responding.”
Minho only whimpers in response.
“Minho hyung made the green bird angry. Minho hyung sorry. So sorry. Minho hyung will be good.” Minho rambles into Jisung’s chest. Jisung starts to worry that the whole experience will unintentionally traumatize Minho into studying more.
“The battery of the smoke alarm had to be changed. It’s nothing to do with Duolingo. When you’re feeling up to it I can show you how to do it in case it happens again.” Jisung wants to bestow on Minho a feeling of comfort in their shared home. Flickers of guilt and fear of Minho running away still dig their claws into Jisung’s soul. If Minho ran away, he doesn’t know if he would be able to forgive himself.
“If the good Jisung-ah not mad why not respond?” Minho croaks out through a few tears, shudders running through his body as he tries and fails to settle his breathing.
“Minho hyung. What did I say sending messages was for?” Jisung readjusts Minho in his lap, keeping his voice steady but firm.
“Communication… emergencies.” Minho mumbles, regret dripping off him with the tears.
“While I love hearing about your day. You can always tell me about it when I get home. The smoke alarm was an emergency. But when I was at work you sent me so many messages I couldn’t read them all. I’m sorry for not responding but try to be more conscientious about the messages you send.” Jisung doesn’t want to scold Minho after the stressful experience he’s had, however, he finds importance in establishing the root cause of the issue.
Minho nods his head, holding Jisung tighter. “I complete first stage of angry green bird app.” Jisung can’t help but laugh that Minho is still stuck on that. When he downloaded Duolingo he hadn’t realized the power it held.
“Good job Minho hyung. Do you want some food?” Jisung asks, cupping Minho’s face and wiping a few tears off his cheeks.
“Yes please.” Jisung kisses Minho’s forehead, causing him to look up at Jisung with the fondest emerald eyes. Sometimes Jisung wonders how he could ever avoid falling in love with Minho. It feels inevitable. So Jisung gives him a second kiss on his damp cheek. Minho had a bad day after all, it’s the least Jisung can do.
That night, Jisung spoils Minho. he gives him some extra carrots in his salad and ends off the night with showing him Just Dance 3. He never thought a simple game of matching dance moves on the TV could bring so much joy to someone. But that’s the special thing about Minho. When he loves something, he loves it at 120 percent.
While Jisung doesn’t usually mind the extra company, there is something he misses about being roommate-less. His boxer and beer nights. It should be as simple as just cracking open a can of beer and wearing less clothing than normal.
Every time Jisung has attempted to partake in his tradition, Minho has distracted him into participating in a different post-work activity. Some nights they play board games, other days they go on long walks around the neighborhood. In moments like that Jisung is reminded of all his past relationships.
He never quite got to the living together stage in his way-too-short attempts at dating. But if he ever had, he doubts it would have ever compared to living with Minho. There’s just something lovely about how Minho always interlocks their hands as they walk. How whenever Jisung comes home from work, Minho waits on his cat tree to receive his daily head scratches. Only after the quota has been met does he transform and give Jisung a long hug.
He’ll ask about his day and Jisung will return the favor. It is homey. Domestically sweet. The fond look in Minho’s eyes sending butterflies through every artery in Jisung’s body.
Between all the physical affection and constant attention it’s easy to forget where they stand with each other.
During a sad attempt at a boxer and beer night, Jisung is casually watching TV as Minho comes into the room declaring he made the angry green bird happy for the day. Minho is wearing a pair of gray sweatpants which is more than Jisung at the moment.
Minho places his phone on the coffee table and casually straddles Jisung into a hug. Casually. Platonically. In the scope of friendship. Jisung tries and fails to remind himself. Jisung on the other hand is watching TV, a romantic comedy that he immediately stopped paying attention to the second Minho walked into the room.
Minho sits down on Jisung’s knees, trapping him between his thick thighs. Sometimes, Minho does things that border crossing the ever-so-delicate line of friendship. The way he stares a little bit too long after Jisung gets out of the shower and starts to change. Or how as he straddles Jisung his hands drift to Jisung’s ass attempting to squeeze it.
Minho buries his hands into the couch, trying to get more surface area, causing a soft giggle to erupt from Jisung’s throat at the desperation. Minho seems to give up after 30 seconds of unsuccessfully groping Jisung's butt and lays down on the opposite end of the couch, indignantly laying his feet on Jisung’s lap.
Minho opens up his arms with a commanding look in his eyes. Jisung thinks it’s one thing to cuddle at night, every single night without fail. But to do it away from the comfort of a bed, during a Friday evening, with a romantic movie playing in the background. Jisung knows that his mind will misconstrue the interaction into considering the possibility that Minho might have similar lingering feelings.
When Jisung doesn’t lay down in his arms, Minho pouts and shakes his hands, demanding it once more. Unable to see Minho so sad, Jisung gives in despite his logical half yelling at him not to. Jisung slots himself on Minho’s bare chest, angling his head towards the TV so he can go back to pretending he’s watching it.
The warm feel of skin on skin is especially cozy in the chillier living room. Minho wraps his arms around Jisung, settling onto his ass where he gives them a light squeeze, no longer barricaded by the couch. Jisung tries to focus on the confession scene where the male lead runs to rescue his female counterpart in a moment of heterosexual bravery but Minho’s breathing keeps distracting him. The way his chest moves up and down, taking Jisung with it.
Jisung finds himself peering up at Minho’s green cat-like eyes, they sparkle with a familiar look Jisung has seen plenty of times reflecting in his own. It’s a scary possibility. Right now they are safe with the label of roommates and friendship. Anything beyond that is uncharted territory. Considering Minho’s upbringing Jisung isn’t even sure Minho would want something like that. As far as he knows Minho might not even understand the concepts of romantic relationships.
As if hearing his thoughts Minho grabs Jisung‘s face and presses his lips to Jisung’s forehead. Something Jisung has done plenty of times and something the female lead just did on the TV. They’re just friends.
Jisung rests his head back on Minho’s chest, quieting each and every terrifying thought that tries to come to the surface. They’re just friends. They’re just roommates. Jisung doesn’t want that to change because he knows it never ends well.
It took six weeks, but Chan finally managed to get Minho’s paperwork and documentation.
“Huh Lee Minho?” Jisung asks, reading the ID. He didn’t know Minho had a last name.
Chan hands over the rest of the documentation and paperwork, following Jisung as he puts them in a secure spot on a bookshelf drawer.
“It’s generic enough where people won’t be suspicious. Most shifters are Lee, Kim is popular too, and quite a few Yangs out there.” Chan explains.
Jisung takes a moment to recount all the Lees, Kims, and Yangs he’s come across over the years, wondering how big the hidden shifter population is. He talks with Chan for a little longer until Chan’s Apple watch beeps alerting him of an important appointment. They wave goodbye and Jisung is left alone with his thoughts.
To celebrate Jisung wants to take Minho to the supermarket as he is now legally a human. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as playing dress up and strolling out the door.
Minho has two glaring problems. Not that Jisung actively considers any part of Minho problematic, but there exist inconveniences that put Minho in danger. His eyes and hair are the most prominent. Both of which are absolutely adorable in Jisung’s humble opinion. His language barrier and occasionally unconventional behavior are the other contenders.
The bright orange and white hair can be excused as being dyed, or covered with a hat. A bit harder to manage are Minho‘s eyes. Jisung buys Minho dark contact lenses and spends a torturous hour trying to put them on Minho.
“Stop stabbing eyes Jisung-ah” Minho complains from where he is perched on the bathroom sink. Jisung is starting to wonder if the bathroom is cursed. All their worst interactions tend to happen there.
“Fine, then can you do it yourself?” Jisung places the contacts back into their case with cleaning liquid.
“No.” Minho rubs his irritated eyes with a frown. Jisung wants nothing more than to erase that pout with his own lips. Jisung turns his head before blood can rush to it, exposing his traitorous thoughts.
“Minho hyung… I want to take you to the grocery store.” Jisung wants to make a celebratory dinner. He’s been struggling with ordering takeout when pretty much everything contains sugar.
“What a grocery store?” Minho tilts his head curiously. Orange hair flopping to the side, it’s gotten surprisingly longer since he first found Minho on the side of the road. Jisung ponders if getting his hair cut does stuff to his cat fur and vice versa.
“It’s a big place with lots of food.” Jisung bullshits knowing that Minho will do anything for food. “I’ll get you as many carrots as you want.” Jisung smiles seeing Minho’s face light up with the mention of his favorite vegetable. Jisung is not beyond exploiting Minho’s food-motivated tendencies.
“Can I eat food at big place with food?” Minho asks curiously. Generally, Minho is very enthusiastic about going outside, but he associates places outside of the neighborhood with either the vet or Jisung going to work. Something Jisung wants to change now that Minho has proper identification paperwork
”Yes, if I buy the food, but I need you to put on these contacts.” Just like that Minho’s eyes miraculously turn black. Talk about being food-motivated.
There have been many times when Jisung felt as though he was in over his head. Going to the store is no different.
“No Minho hyung don’t open that!”
“Stop. Minho hyung. No. NO Minho. I’m so sorry. Minho say you’re sorry.”
“Minho please stop sniffing that…people are staring.”
Between Minho’s general fascination and curiosity, Jisung wholeheartedly regrets bringing Minho with him.
“No, we can’t buy that…”
“Minho you are not going to be able to eat all of those carrots before they go bad. They’ll give you a tummy ache please put them back.”
“Minho…”
“Please hyung….”
By the time they loop around the store, Jisung has made a vow to never have kids. He didn’t think it was ever gonna be an option but Minho only confirmed he is not meant for parenthood. In one hand Jisung is pushing their shopping cart and in the other he is forcing Minho along, having learned his lesson on the dangers of letting a shifter roam around the store unattended.
Jisung comes across a pre-made food section, seeing if anything sugar-less catches his eye. He finds some cutlets and decides to indulge wanting to give Minho more protein in his diet. Jisung lets go of his hand for a single moment.
Three seconds max.
Chaos ensues.
Jisung had become desensitized to Minho’s pulling in the hour they were in the store, not realizing that letting go of his hand meant that Minho would sprint to the sushi section and start sniffing every single container.
Jisung drops the chicken cutlets, forgetting about his cart, and sprints after Minho to prevent security from getting called to investigate. Jisung rips the sushi out of Minho’s hand, out of breath and panicking.
“Minho what did I say about sniffing?” Jisung places both his hands on Minho’s shoulders, trying to convey the seriousness.
“Don't…” Minho looks up with his big crystal-like eyes and Jisung has to remind himself to keep his tone stern.
“What are you doing?”
“Sniffing.”
“Good. So leave the sushi alone and let's go back to the cart.” Jisung places the sushi back in the refrigerated section, seizing Minho’s hand and trudging along.
“Fish rice sandwich smell of tasty fish.” Minho’s voice is soft and vulnerable, a plea hidden in between. A part of Jisung ponders turning around and buying the sushi, but they have more than enough food to last them the next two weeks. Minho needs to learn that no means no, but he doesn’t want to completely crush his little cat-shaped heart.
“Minho hyung what level are you on Duolingo?”
“Angry green bird app?” Minho questions with a tight-lipped smile. Jisung nods. “Two dash three?”
Jisung knows there are four units. Although his research lately has shown that Duolingo isn’t the best app for learning languages since it doesn’t explicitly explain grammar. Minho studies it diligently not wanting to anger the ceiling gods again no matter how much Jisung explains the smoke alarm had nothing to do with Duolingo.
“When you finish unit 3, I’ll take you to a sushi restaurant.” Jisung ruffles Minho’s head over his winter hat. He recently explained how takeout comes from restaurants. When Minho asked when they could go to one Jisung told Minho soon. This led to a long conversation about how the shelter volunteers told Minho his whole life he would be adopted soon. Since he never got adopted he assumes Jisung is never going to take him to the restaurant.
“But Jisung say soon,” Minho murmurs not quite believing Jisung.
“I promise Minho hyung. You finish that unit and I’ll take you to the restaurant.” Jisung repeats it, hoping Minho will learn to believe humans when they make promises. He places the cutlets back into his shopping cart and heads to checkout.
“Minho hyung work hard on doing angry green bird app for fish and rice sandwhich!” Minho excitedly watches Jisung scan the items and Jisung catches his eager gaze. Jisung hands Minho a bag of rice and shows him how to scan. Minho’s whole body jitters with purpose, searching for the barcodes and scanning as Jisung packs away their purchases.
He loves seeing Minho enjoy the simple things of life. Minho mentioned how much bigger the world is outside of the small cage they kept him in and Jisung's heart fractured. Minho’s only been in the suburbs of Seoul. He doesn’t know how big Seoul is let alone Korea or the whole world. Jisung hopes to show it to him, and he knows Minho will love to see it with him.
Jisung pulls into the driveway and starts unpacking the food when his elderly neighbor comes to say a quick hello before they get a chance to sneak into his garage. “Oh Jisung ssi, nice weather we are having.”
Ah yes. Wonderful weather. Cloudy with a chance of frostbite.
“Mmhmm hello.” Jisung bows, holding his groceries in one hand and Minho’s hand in the other, trying to get both inside without any casualties.
Except the elderly woman turns to Minho, admiring him. “Got yourself a cute boyfriend.” She smiles kindly, misunderstanding the reason Minho and Jisung are holding hands.
Minho perks up at the comment and matches her equally bright smile. Jisung awkwardly dismisses her and forces Minho inside before he can open his pretty mouth and say something incriminating. Jisung places the groceries on the floor before helping Minho with his scarf and winter gear. “Minho not only favorite human but Jisung boyfriend?” Minho giggles excitedly. Jisung doesn’t think Minho knows what a boyfriend is.
“Minho hyung, a boyfriend is not just a male friend.” He tries to politely clarify as he unties Minho’s shoes. But it becomes difficult with Minho giddily bouncing up and down.
“The good Jisung-ah more than male friend.” Minho takes off Jisung’s winter beanie and pats his head delightedly.
Jisung sighs, he doesn’t know how to explain relationships to Minho. “Boyfriends…” Jisung takes in a deep breath, tugging off Minho’s right shoe and starts untying the left. “They do things we don’t do.” If Chan was here he would scold Jisung for being vague so he tries to clarify. “They kiss and hook up and go on dates. We don’t do that.”
“Why not?” Minho strips off his coat and snow pants a little more sadly. “I heart Jisung-ah. What if I want do the kisses and hookups with the good Jisung-ah?”
Some part of him, a no longer infinitesimally small part wishes they could. Genuinely and wholeheartedly wanting to be with Minho. But relationships are a sore spot for him. They never end well and they come with expectations, responsibilities and at the moment Jisung can barely take care of Minho, let alone provide him the affection and attention required in relationships. Not to mention he doesn’t even know if Minho would want that.
“Because we are just friends Minho.” Jisung looks at Minho and feels like the weight of the world crashes down with the words. Minho’s whole demeanor shifts, crumbling before Jisung’s eyes.
He doesn’t know if it’s the language barrier and Minho is simply misunderstanding but Minho looks betrayed. Minho backs away from Jisung, one step at a time. His eyes trained on the floor, until he pivots and walks straight for the cat tree.
Jisung shrugs it off as a strange Minho moment and goes to unpack groceries and make dinner. Food always makes Minho feel better and when spirits are higher Jisung will ask Minho why he seemed so down.
Jisung unpacks the food, getting distracted every few seconds by the sound of Minho dragging the cat tree from one end of the living room to the other. Attempting to bring it closer to where the sun is setting behind the blinds. Jisung closes the fridge and sets the oven to 400 degrees to make mini quiches. Not the healthiest, but he does feel a bit bad about his comments after seeing Minho sulk in his cat tree in cat form.
While the oven is preheating Jisung tries to break the uncomfortable atmosphere. Jisung walks up to Minho and asks “Minho hyung, are you upset?”
“Yes. Bad mood Minho cat want space” Minho mumbles somberly and Jisung’s heart tugs at the sound. He wants to pick Minho up and cuddle him until he feels better. But he of all people knows that when someone wants space it's better to respect it.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Jisung tries again, hoping for a moment to apologize.
“No. Minho cat want aloneness in tree of cats.” Minho murmurs from his spot. Jisung can’t see his face, but he figures he definitely upset Minho. As much as Jisung wants to emphasize healthy communication and talking through their feelings, he’s had an exhausting week and if Minho desires space, he’ll give it to him.
Jisung ends up regretting it as soon as the quiches are done and Minho is still sulking in the cat tree, refusing to eat the food. Jisung packs Minho’s portion into the fridge telling Minho he can have some when he gets hungry. On one hand, he is proud of Minho for not eating instantly. On the other hand, he tries to wrack his brain for what specific comment triggered Minho.
Unable to figure it out, Jisung calls his closest confidant and boss. Jisung crawls into the big lonely bed and listens to the phone ring on the other end. Jisung hears footsteps in the kitchen, and a fridge opening, sending a wave of relief that Minho is eating. Chan doesn’t pick up the first time and Jisung calls him again as the microwave whirrs from the other side of the bedroom door.
“Jisung?” Chan’s panting and out-of-breath voice picks up the line. Huh, he must’ve been exercising.
“Hey hyung, you busy?” Jisung wonders out loud, turning the phone to speaker mode and setting it on his chest, listening to the shuffling of fabric, whispers, and a door closing on the other line.
“Not anymore. What’s up? You don’t usually call me.” Chan’s voice still sounds out of breath, but slowly comes down to a steady pace.
“Nothing much…just calling about Minho hyung.” Jisung feels weird staring at the ceiling so he opens his phone and sends Minho the next round in their reversi game before opening solitaire and mindlessly playing it.
“Oh. Is he okay?” Chan’s voice is calm with a hint of concern.
“Sorta.” Jisung thinks trying to describe what’s wrong without explicitly stating that Minho gave him the cold shoulder after Jisung stated the very true fact of them being just friends. “I think Minho misunderstood. We ran into a neighbor and she referred to him as my boyfriend and when I clarified what a boyfriend was he started icing me out.”
“Wow, a month and a half into living together and you’re already having marital problems.” Chan teasingly sighs.
“Bang Christopher Chan!” Jisung’s voice cracks as he attempts and fails to scold Chan for even insinuating such a thing.
“Jisung. I know the language difference is tough, but Minho is 25 years old.” Chan sighs again and Jisung grunts as he progressively does worse and worse at solitaire.
“I know.” Minho constantly reminds Jisung that he is young.
“Yes. He is 25 which means he is an adult.” Chan continues and Jisung is having a hard time catching onto what Chan is implying as he straight up loses his solitaire game.
“Uhuh?” Jisung clicks the restart button to play another round.
“Don’t make me say it.” Chan groans, voice straining.
“Say what?” Jisung doesn’t understand what Chan could possibly say that is making him sound so nervous.
“Minho is an adult. He knows what a boyfriend is and he has a fully functioning libido. When he says he wants to hook up with you he means it. Jisung I swear you’re not usually this dense.” Chan explains. Jisung wishes he had been a hundred percent paying attention to the conversation and had picked up on the implications. He’s already had one sex talk with his boss, he doesn’t need to add another to the list.
The words take a moment to process. So when Minho got excited that was because he genuinely wanted Jisung? There’s no way. He’s probably developed some sort of Stockholm syndrome.
“Jisung I hear you overthinking.” Curse Chan for having amazing hearing even though that’s definitely not how that works.
“Genuinely?” Jisung needs to hear it one more time.
“Yes genuinely.” Chan’s voice blesses his ears while simultaneously turning the butterflies toxic in his gut.
“But…”
“Don’t” Chan cuts him off before he can even speak his thoughts.
“What?”
“Don’t say it’ll never work out because he’s a shifter and you’re a human, remember who you’re talking to.” Chan’s stern voice vibrates against Jisung’s ribcage where his phone is once again resting.
“I…” Jisung was definitely going to voice his deepest insecurities.
“Anyway, now that you’re more educated on your roommate. I need to go back to mine who I was having a very pleasant evening with until someone interrupted.” Chan pointedly hangs up. Jisung sometimes forgets Chan has a girlfriend. He has a human girlfriend, well as far as Jisung knows she’s human. Which means mixed couples exist. It’s not a foreign concept.
Jisung rolls onto his stomach contemplating their conversation. Minho shouldn’t have feelings for Jisung when he’s the least equipped to supporting them. If tonight was any indication, Jisung destroys delicate things in an instant without meaning to.
That night Jisung goes to sleep alone in his bed, waiting for a warmth that never comes.
The next day he wakes up cold and alone in his bed. Jisung creeps out to the living room to see Minho still in his cat tree, which is now on the east side of the house. During the night Minho must’ve moved it and placed his cat bed on the top post before declaring it as his Jisung replacement.
Jisung tries not to feel hurt, but it is his fault for misunderstanding and assuming Minho didn’t know how relationships work. Jisung tries to apologize but Minho ignores him all morning, only leaving the cat tree to go to the bathroom or eat food when Jisung watches TV on the couch. Minho plays in the snow and doesn’t invite Jisung to come along. If Jisung sees Minho make a human snowman before kicking it in the chest and stomping on it angrily then he knows it’s his own fault.
This continues into the middle of next week.
Empty bed. A sulking Minho. Magically teleporting cat tree. Corpses of dead snowmen made in Jisung’s honor.
The only time they do talk, if you can call it that, is when Minho sends him a message saying they are out of carrots. Followed by the next round of reversi as he destroys Jisung once and for all, the you lost screen flashing on his phone to really rub salt into the wound.
Jisung goes to the store and buys Minho two bags of carrots and a container of sushi. Jisung understands how Changbin feels when he upsets Felix and tries to spoil him to make up for it. Even if sharing that with Changbin makes him feel icky.
When Thursday comes around Minho does something that Jisung can’t ignore. He doesn’t think Minho does it on purpose since Jisung’s attention is the last thing he seems to want, but more so because he’s part cat and loves other cats.
Jisung comes home to the living room covered in mud. Minho covered in mud and three stray cats in his living room. Minho protectively hisses at him and Jisung ignores him, kicking the cat trio out. Minho can apologize to them later.
“What are you doing? You don’t know what diseases they might have! You can’t just bring cats into the house.” Jisung is mildly cranky after being picked apart by an artist he demoed a love song for, they stated it was generic and too simple for their liking.
“The Soonie cat, Doongie cat and Dori cat were lonely!” At least Minho’s Korean seems to be getting a bit better. Jisung has noticed Minho diligently working on Duolingo in their time apart. Less by watching him and more by getting notifications of every lesson Minho completes. Minho seems to love abusing the share with friends button as if it's a requirement to move to the next lesson.
Jisung sighs and goes to his closet to pick up a bucket and a mop. He usually hates dirty spaces, but he absolutely can’t stand them when he is in a bad mood. Jisung fills the bucket with water and mops the floor as Minho angrily glares at him from where he is sitting in the cat tree. Once the floor is clean, Jisung moves to the other problem.
“I’m giving you a bath.” Jisung states. He will not have Minho walking around his home, making it dirty again. Jisung grabs Minho from the cat post right as he transforms back into a human to try and escape. Luckily for Jisung he’s been going to the gym with Chan and holds onto Minho steadily enough to drag him into the bathroom.
Minho’s hair is covered in mud, and patches of dirt are smeared all over his skin. Jisung sets Minho inside and closes the door behind him, locking it.
“No. I will not bath!” At this point, Jisung is sure Minho is doing it to spite him. Jisung grabs Minho's wrist and turns on the faucet. He’s tried talking with Minho. He’s apologized for what he said. He didn’t mean to be condescending, but they aren’t dating, it was never implied that they were. They just cuddled in bed and are friends. Only friends. So why is Minho acting like Jisung ran his heart through a blender?
Minho continues to struggle in Jisung’s hold as the bath fills up. Once the water is three-quarters full, Jisung turns off the water. He tries to pick up Minho and force him into the water. What starts as an attempt to bridal style Minho into the tub turns into a full-on fight for his life as Minho shakes and digs his nails into Jisung’s collarbone.
Jisung manages to get Minho halfway into the water when a mix of screeching and splashing fills the air, making his grip slip, causing Jisung to lose his footing on the wet floor, falling head first towards the tub. He feels a sharp impact in his skull, the sound of yelling reverberates until it stops.
He tries to get up but his body feels heavy. He finds himself lying on the tiles, barely able to move. Jisung clutches his forehead where he hit the tub, red coating his fingers through a blurry haze.
Jisung tries to reach for Minho. He needs to clean Minho. He needs to get the blood off of him, but the ringing in his ears encapsulates the world around him taking him under.
Notes:
Sorry...
I have a five-hour drive tomorrow (passenger side whoo) so I'll try and edit the next chapter to post :D.
Chapter 5: How things should be but not how they are
Notes:
I can’t believe we are already on chapter 5!
Warnings/triggers:
- mentions of death and dying
- blood/injury
- concussion
- anxiety/panic
- referenced sexual content
- emotional manipulation
- depression
- captivity
- discrimination
- referenced castrationBeta Read by: meow234
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Blood.
Blood on the floor. Droplets on the tub. Blood seeping out of Jisung’s forehead painting the tiles in a deep coat of crimson.
Minho crashes onto the floor, knees brutally colliding with the floor. He grabs Jisung’s head with one hand as the other frantically shakes him awake. “Jisung-ah…Jisung-ah… Jisung-ah.” Minho’s world crashes into itself, blurring in a sheet of tears. He doesn’t know what to do.
He wishes he could go back, obediently take a bath in a reality where Jisung is awake and responsive. Minho scrunches Jisung’s damp shirt, not seeing any movement besides the subtle rise and fall of Jisung’s chest.
Minho rushes back to the living room where he stowed away his phone, not needing to text Jisung or interact with him these last few days.
When things go wrong he’s supposed to call Jisung, but what is he supposed to do when Jisung is the one in need of help? Minho taps the phone anxiously, ignoring Jisung’s guide on phone preservation. An angry dying battery flashes on the screen, mocking him. He looks at the percentage reading 12 percent, sighing in relief. Minho opens the contacts, revealing the only two people Jisung added.
Minho clicks the second contact and hears the phone ring. In his days of independence from Jisung, Minho tried sending Chan a reversi game but he never got a response. Minho hopes Chan is more responsive to phone calls than he is to reversi games.
“Hello?” A rough, slightly unfamiliar male voice answers on the other side in Korean. Jisung’s voice also sounds a bit muffled when through the phone so Minho dismisses it.
“Hey Chan it’s Minho. Jisung he…umm…he is bleeding. I didn’t want to take a bath and he hit his head and now he’s not responding–” Minho tries to explain in Yartsian, hands shaking as he struggles to use his legs to get back to Jisung in the bathroom.
“Who is this?” The voice interrupts still in Korean.
“Chan?” Minho asks in Korean. Did Jisung add the wrong number? Did Minho send some stranger a reversi game?
“Oh Chan, someone is asking for you.” Minho doesn’t have time for this casual conversation. “They are speaking in a foreign language. Is it spam?” Minho’s chest heaves up and down as he waits for several painful seconds of silence. He doesn’t have time. Jisung is bleeding. What if he dies?
Minho will be good.
He will listen to Jisung.
He’ll eat the green vegetables of doom.
He’ll take baths.
He won’t bring the cats into the house to spite Jisung.
He’ll cook and clean and be a good cat.
Just let Jisung live.
“Hi, this is Chan speaking.”
“Chan!” Minho answers in Yartsian, relief coursing through him momentarily. “Jisung is bleeding in the bathroom when he hit his head.” The second time around the words flow more concisely with the urgency.
“Is he unconscious? How long ago did he get hurt?” Fear creeps into the words echoing from the phone, chilling the blood in Minho’s veins.
“Yes, and I don’t know a few minutes ago. I was trying to contact you…I don’t know what to do.” Minhos quakes in his spot, hurrying to find his charger and plug it into the bathroom outlet as it threatens to die on him. He places it on speaker so he can still hear Chan and be close to Jisung in case he wakes up.
“Oh my god, did you call an ambulance?” Minho doesn’t know if he simply can’t think straight or if Chan is spouting strange words.
“An ambulance? What’s an ambulance?” Minho sobs out, banging his head through his vocabulary trying to see if he can connect it to a familiar definition.
“Stay right there…” Chan’s voice shakes on the other end and Minho only feels more terrified, he can’t do anything but stay. “Changbin give me your phone!” The demand shakes through Minho’s core, partially from being in Korean, but mainly from the terrified tone. He crouches down by Jisung’s head, unable to look away at all the blood.
“Minho listen to me.” Minho whimpers. “Do everything I say. I’m gonna need you to take Jisung’s head with both hands and realign it with his spine…” Minho does as instructed and stares at the small stream of blood trickling from Jisung’s forehead down to his eye and chubby cheeks. “We’re coming, just wait.”
There’s no everything will be okay that Jisung always promises when things are scary. That’s how Minho knows it’s not just in his head. Jisung might die.
Chan and the rude guy from PetSmart are the first to arrive. They let themselves in and find Minho still on the phone with Chan holding Jisung’s head and crying.
Next are the ambulance people Chan referred to over the phone. They take Jisung away and just like that he’s gone.
Minho can’t believe he messed up so horribly. He killed Jisung. The bad people took Jisung away. Minho knows when people are taken they don’t come back.
“He…he…he’s gone. I killed Jisung.” Minho doesn’t understand how so much went wrong so quickly.
“No you didn’t Minho, Jisung was already conscious again when the paramedics arrived,” Chan promises with a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but the words simply float in the space between them. He can’t find it in himself to believe Chan. Humans only take people away when they are about to die. Jisung is going to die. Minho made Jisung die.
“He’s dead.” Minho feels a weight around him, a sad attempt at comfort. He doesn’t think he deserves it when he killed Jisung. A good, wonderful, and kind human who always made sure Minho was taken care of. Minho failed to take care of Jisung. Maybe that’s why he never got adopted. It was to keep others safe.
“No, he just suffered a concussion. He’s being taken to the hospital.” Chan holds Minho in a tight hug, but the worries flow out of him from every pore.
“Hospital is just another word for cemetery.” The volunteers took the older shifters to the cemetery and they never came back. The volunteers took sick shifters to the hospital; they also didn’t come back.
“No, it isn’t Minho. A hospital is somewhere they treat the sick. They’ll take care of him.” Chan moves his hand along Minho’s back, but Minho just wants to be alone. He doesn’t deserve Chan after what he did.
“I should have been nice. I should have taken care of him. I failed at being a good human. I’m not meant to be a human.” Minho breaks down on Chan’s chest. Chan’s shorter than him, yet his arms are big and warm. He smells like the dogs at the shelter. Are they all dead too? He wonders how Chan became human. How long ago was it? What makes him different from Minho?
“Minho listen to me.” Chan cups Minho’s face. Minho doesn’t know what he would have done without him, he’d probably have run away again, unable to face the truth. “Jisung is alive.”
Minho shakes his head, the humans took him away. Humans only take people away when they are going to die.
“He is alive,” Chan repeats as if forcing those words to engrain themselves in Minho’s ears. Chan’s never lied to him. Not the way humans lie.
Before Minho can ask him how that is possible, the other person in the room makes his presence known. The man coughs and interrupts them. Minho turns to face the shorter man, he’s standing against the bedroom wall processing the sight before him.
“You’re…a shifter?” His voice breaks, interrupting their conversation with Korean. Minho recognizes him from the one on the phone call he originally mistook for Chan. Chan stiffens from where he is holding Minho, he wonders how long Chan has been pretending. Minho not only ruined Jisung’s life but now Chan’s too.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Chan reassures him, wrapping a firm hand around his head. “So what if I am? Are you gonna put a collar on me and ask me to bark Changbin?” Chan sneers, grimacing at Changbin.
The attack seems ineffective. Changbin simply stares in shock at the sight, tipping the line between not quite believing it and being in full shock. Minho figures it must’ve been a long time. He also figures Changbin isn’t taking it as easily as Jisung did.
Chan redirects his attention back to Minho. The words filter through his ears as his panic continues to wage its war with his mind.
Chan’s going to the hospital.
Minho is going with Changbin.
Everything will be okay.
Maybe Chan lies too. He’s pretending to be human after all and it’s what humans do best.
Living with Jisung, Minho picked up on a few habits. When Jisung is stressed he cleans. So Minho finds all the cat toys scattered around Changbin’s house and puts them in the bin. He moves the cat tree three times until it’s in the perfect spot by the window. He wipes the crumbs off the couch because he knows if Jisung was here the mess would drive him insane. Minho wishes he was here.
Changbin’s house is three times the size of Jisung’s. It’s a big cavernous space, filled with shiny things on the ceiling and even shinier things on the wall. Another cat shifter lives in the house. Minho wonders if this will be his new home now. If they’ll collar him up and force him to be a good cat. He can be good, but he only wants to be good for Jisung. He misses him.
Misses the way his smile bends into the shape of a heart or how when he’s in a bad mood his eyebrows will scrunch and he’ll curse under his breath before apologizing to Minho’s ears. Minho feels a buzz in his pocket.
Minho stares at the notification of the green bird app demanding he study Korean. What’s the point of learning Korean if he won’t be able to talk to Jisung? Every thought he has keeps floating back to that one moment when Jisung’s head collided with the tub. Minho’s stomach turns at the thought, chest squeezing, aching to hold Jisung's warm body full of life one more time.
Minho shifts into cat form, climbing up onto the lowest post of the cat tree, scratching the trunk to feel something under his claws other than the unbearable weight of his mistakes.
“What are you doing?” A deep voice has Minho stilling in his ministrations.
“Scratching…” Minho continues to scratch, peering over at a blonde man with freckles. He’s tall and lanky, a pretty pink collar adorning his neck.
Felix. They’ve met before at PetSmart. Minho vaguely remembers Jisung mentioning him from time to time. He must be Changbin’s pet. Minho finds himself feeling weird at referring to someone as a pet after being told it’s not the way things should be, it's just the way things are.
“Why are you scratching my post?” Felix narrows his eyes, tilting his head possessively. Now he seems more like a cat than a human.
No one must’ve taught this shifter that sharing is caring. He doesn’t look like the other shifters. He resembles Chan in that human-esque way he holds himself. A sense of superiority exuding off of him. The only human Minho has met that doesn’t have that aura is Jisung.
Minho misses Jisung.
“I…I was stressed.” Jisung always tells him to let out his stress in healthy ways as opposed to letting it consume him bit by bit. At the shelter, Minho would lay on the floor dreaming of a life beyond the bars of his enclosure to pass time. Now he has toys and games, he can go outside. All thanks to Jisung. Minho hopes the humans who took Jisung will help him pass into the afterlife peacefully.
Felix sighs. “Look, I know Jisung’s in the hospital and you have your unconventional circumstances but in the pet shifter world it’s really rude to scratch someone’s cat tree without permission, rearrange it, and horde all of their toys.” Minho notices how some syllables sound a bit odd. Felix must not speak Yartsian that often. Benefit of being more passably human. Granted Chan doesn’t have an accent at all, so maybe that’s not where the correlation lies.
Minho stares at the marks he’s made on the almost brand-new cat tree. When he first saw the beige structure he was reminded of home. Minho didn’t realize he was being rude, he wonders if it’s like the time Jisung scolded Minho for drinking his beer. He said it was his and he needed to ask for permission, mentioning that the drink had weird side effects. Minho didn’t like the drink anyway, it tasted like acid, he was just curious why Jisung drank it when watching the couples make out on the TV.
Minho had always hoped he’d get a TV in his future home. They had one in the main lobby of his third shelter and his cage was right next to the entrance. He’d see snippets of it when people would walk in and out or hold the door open in the summer. If he was a good kitten, the staff would let him sit on their lap and pet him as they watched TV. He learned about the outside world from it, hoping to one day get to see it. They stopped doing it when he got older. He wonders why.
“May I have permission?” Minho sends him his friendliest smile behind all the stress from the day.
Felix’s harsh demeanor seems to crumble and he nods, settling down on the couch. “Whatever, it’s not like I ever use that thing.”
“Too bad, I love it. I never got stuff like this in the shelter.” Minho enjoys the moments when he can forget about his worries, even if they suffocate him almost immediately after the thought crosses his mind.
The sound of scratches permeates the living room, where people live as Minho learned. Once his claws are perfectly satisfied, he climbs up to the third and tallest post, stretching his limbs in the warm sun air. The window doesn’t show any cool sights as Jisung’s place does. He sees a yard covered in snow, and a few birds hopping from tree to tree, none of them quite as green as the angry one on Minho’s phone.
“How’d Jisung get hurt?” Felix asks, sending prickles down Minho’s spine, jolting him with the reminder.
“I…I didn’t want to take a bath.” Minho stutters, wagging his tail nervously, suddenly feeling too high up, the fall too painful. “He tried to make me, he slipped and hit his head.” Minho reiterates for the third time that day. It not getting any easier.
“Explains why you’re so dirty.” Felix huffs out a laugh. Minho doesn’t get what’s so funny about the situation. Maybe it’s a laugh at the ridiculousness of his disobedience. The volunteers always said good cats get good homes. Minho lost his home when he was a bad cat. Minho figures Felix must be a much better cat than him.
An angry booming voice can be heard from the other room, shouting at some poor individual on the other line. Changbin enters and storms up to Felix, screaming in Korean.
“Felix! Did you know Chan is a shifter?” It’s more of a demand than a question. Everyone in the room already knows the answer. Shifters can smell other shifters, it's their responsibility to keep each other safe. When Minho went to the store with Jisung he was shocked to see tons of shifters, walking around, passing as humans. Felix stays quiet on the couch, not wanting to lie but the truth is too heavy to speak. “How could you not tell me?”
“Bad human. No yell at the yellow cat shifter Felix.” Minho doesn’t have any adjectives to describe Felix so he goes by fur color. “Yellow cat shifter with freckles keep many shifter safe from bad human place.” Minho hisses at Changbin. He doesn’t like him. He reminds him of the few mean volunteers who would insult Minho and starve him when he misbehaved. Jisung tells him food is a right, not a punishment.
“You shut up! I’m not even ready to unpack what you, Chan, and Jisung have been scheming.” Minho’s fur bristles. He doesn’t like hearing Jisung’s name in Changbin’s mouth. It comes out gross and toxic.
“Binnie, he’s our guest. Be nice.” Says the guy who growled at Minho for scratching his tree. Hypocritical much. Felix coats his words in a layer of sugary sweetness enough to give everyone in the room cavities.
“So what? You’re all just turning against me. I feel like I’m going insane. My two best friends have been lying to me for months if not years. One of them is in the hospital because they brought a deranged shifter into their house and pretended they were human.” Changbin paces around the room, pulling at his hair, throwing his phone onto the couch. Minho notes that also breaks Jisung’s phone preservation guidelines, but now he is being the hypocrite. “Yeah, you see? No collar which means I’m keeping an illegal shifter in my house. Why did I let Chan talk me into this?” Changbin points at Minho before wildly gesturing around, laughing in disbelief.
Minho thinks he reminds him of the antagonist of the show he and Jisung watched before Minho went on his anti-Jisung campaign.
It’s not that Jisung refuses to pursue more than friendship with him. It’s that he refuses to even acknowledge that Minho would want something like that.
“Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that you and Jisung have been hooking up and he has some wild shifter fetish.” Changbin huffs out an unamused laugh similar to Felix. They both seem to have oddly consistent behavior between the two of them. Minho doesn’t understand the second half of the sentence but he recently learned what hooking up was. It’s a different way of saying fucking. If Jisung is alive like Chan says he is, Minho hopes to one day fuck him, and tell him how he feels. He only hopes Jisung will believe him.
“Yes, I want hook up with good Jiusng-ah. Jisung-ah don’t want do the hook ups. So I ignore the sad Jisung-ah. I bring Soonie cat Doongie cat and Dori cat to home make the sad Jisung-ah more sad and then bath then hurt self no not self. Self hurt sad sad Jisung-ah head.” Minho’s voice wavers and his ability to speak Korean diminishes with the reminder of Jisung’s bleeding out on the bathroom floor.
Changbin’s anger only seems to simmer at Minho’s words. “At least Jisung knows where to draw some line. Granted I can’t believe he would be comfortable living with a shifter that wants to sleep with him. It’s disgusting, gross even. How can you live with yourself knowing you have such vile thoughts?” Minho’s skin pricks.
Words can’t hurt him.
They are just meaningless thoughts thrown at him.
Humans have called him pathetic.
Useless. A waste of space. They can’t hurt him. But Minho hurt Jisung.
Minho misses Jisung. His soft sweet mouth would never utter something so cruel to him. It’s not the first time a human called him disgusting or gross. The volunteers said that when they found Minho in the mating den with a cat shifter. He thought the den was to mate in privately, they let them go there during their outside time.
They gave them education on how to not get the females pregnant. They taught them how to use condoms, he remembers sitting through those hour-long TV-watching sessions to learn.
If they put all that effort in, he didn’t see why it would be gross to catch them doing that exact thing. He liked that cat shifter. His name was really pretty. It’s been so long that he doesn’t quite remember it. They called him gross and banned him from the mating den. Then when all the volunteers changed as they usually did every couple of years, he started going again. The male cat shifter was long gone by that point. He went to the hospital and never came back.
Like Jisung will. Minho wishes he had spent the last few days with Jisung instead of ignoring him. Held him close and showed him affection in a way the words never reach Jisung. Now they never will reach him.
“Not gross. Minho cat miss Jisung-ah…” Minho turns his back to Changbin and rests against the post. He wonders if Jisung would have been mad at him.
Changbin walks up to him, his presence intimidating against him in cat form. “Bad mood Minho cat need space,” Minho explains. A hand grabs him by the scruff of his neck, yanking him off the cat tree.
“This is Lix’s tree. He doesn’t like people touching his stuff.” Minho is tossed to the floor. He said the magic words. Why didn’t Changbin leave him alone? “Stay out of my sight until Jisung picks you up,” Changbin growls that last bit, threatening him.
Minho scampers off to a far corner of the house. Changbin doesn’t want him around. Minho’s learned how to make himself scarce. He’s done it before when he climbed the tree and jumped over the fence of the shelter. Minho slips through a cat door and into the cold snow outside.
There is no Jisung.
Chan left him to join Jisung. Even he doesn’t want to be in this world without their favorite chubby-cheeked human.
Changbin won’t be his new home.
Minho has no one left.
He should be used to it by now. He’s lost count of all the people he shared last moments with without realizing it. But it hurts all the same.
Minho runs through the familiar snowy streets, the ice burning the pads of his feet, hoping this time he won't get attacked by a coyote. This time he’ll find his own way like he was meant to all along. Or he’ll freeze. Whichever happens first.
“You call Minho disgusting yet you’re just referring to yourself, aren’t you?” Felix mocks from the couch.
He doesn’t usually push it. He’s let Changbin ignore what’s between them for a long time. For Changbin, coming to terms with his sexuality was a challenge but doable. Finding out that it included and primarily focused on Felix was and still is the hard part.
“Felix we agreed to drop it.” Changbin gives him a death stare. Felix is playing a dangerous game, but he’s been playing it for too long to be bad at it.
“Drop what? The fact that you held my hand at the movies? No, it was the slightly too-long hug after.” Felix taps a finger on his lips, casually in thought, slowing down the moment so Changbin swims with apprehension.
Felix takes his time, building out the tension in the room. He lounges on the couch, stretching out his limbs, letting his shirt flit slightly up, revealing a slither of skin to drive Changbin insane. He’s always had an insatiable hunger.
“Or when you got so drunk at New Year's you kissed me and then slowly fucked into me telling all your dirty little thoughts about me and how much you wish I could be yours?” Felix smirks, seeing Changbin stiffen across the room. No longer the confident, demanding head of household. When he’s with Felix, he lets him lead, take control.
He’s not trying to get Changbin to admit it again. They’ve been there done that. They even fucked a few more times for good measure. The feelings are there. The actions too. It’s the lack of change that really pisses Felix off. How can he act so high and mighty after finding out his friends lied to him? They lied to him because Changbin is the problem.
Felix is tired of being the one to wipe away the tears and reassure him that yes his blatant discrimination and condescending attitudes don’t hurt him. That yes he’s okay with always being nothing more than a house decoration and that yes he doesn’t actually love Changbin that way because it is gross and disgusting.
Felix gets up off the couch in a delicate practiced grace, his silky blonde hair bouncing along the sides of his face. He slots his hands around Changbin’s neck. “Now Binnie, it’s not nice to talk about yourself that way, is it?” He looks into his dark eyes, fluttering his own. Changbin nervously shakes his head. “I’m no different than Chan or Jisung or even Minho,” Felix says, hoping this time it’ll finally click.
“You’re better than Minho. He can barely speak. No wonder Jisung doesn’t want to sleep with him.” Changbin defends. “You’re special. You’re smart, beautiful, kind and so so wonderful.”
Felix tilts his head in disappointment. He knows he’s all of those things. He’s practiced hard every day to prove himself and for what? To be told it’s just happenstance? “Minho speaks perfectly well in Yartsian, better than me in fact. You’re not very good at English, imagine trying to live in Australia where barely anyone speaks Korean.” His words hold some bite as his perfect facade cracks with annoyance.
“It’s not the same.” Changbin earnestly defends, clinging to the narrative that it’s okay to fuck around with Felix because he’s not like the other shifters. At times like this Felix wonders why he doomed himself to falling in love with him. Other times he wonders if there is a point to it at all.
“Why not?” Felix sighs, revealing a bit of vulnerability.
“It’s just not. You’re better. You’re special. You’re not dumb like the other shifters.” Changbin repeats the same thing, failing to prove anything of value.
“Like who? Chan? Seungmin?” Felix lets his disdain filter through, noticing the desperation in Changbin’s eyes. How he craves to fix the rift growing between them. Cling to the moments between the sheets and stolen kisses because for them it's all they’ve ever had.
“Seungmin is a shifter?” Changbin visibly swallows, Adam’s apple bobbing with another strike of guilt. Felix suppresses the chuckle in his throat. He’s been waiting for the day Changbin would find out everyone’s been lying to him. Yet the victory doesn’t taste as sweet with the catalyst of Jisung being in the hospital and Changbin’s dwindling trust in his friends.
“People lied to you because you can’t handle the truth.” Felix lights the fuse with a kiss of the lips, he doesn’t often kiss Changbin first, preferring to be chased and pursued. “Which means you can’t handle me.” Felix separates, leaving the bomb to detonate in his absence.
It’s a dangerous game he plays, but ever so effective. Changbin loves him even if his brain finds every reason not to. Taking that away is like depriving the desert of sand.
“I can handle you.” Changbin croaks out, desperation clinging to save the torn shreds of their relationship. “I can…” He swallows dry again. “I’ll work on my…issues. Don’t leave me. I need you.” Felix rolls his eyes. He can’t leave. The collar on his neck made that apparent the day he was adopted. Even if Changbin would respect it if he decided he wanted an out, another pebble to the unfortunate reasons he fell for him.
Felix tuts, the game isn’t over just because one side surrenders, it isn’t until the loot is offered that Felix will accept victory. “Prove it to me.” He knows it’s a gamble. He might act confident, and pretend like he knows what Changbin is thinking, but they’ve been running circles around each other for years and probably would’ve kept running had Minho not shaken everything up.
“I will…just give me time. Wait for me. Please .” Changbin’s promise sounds empty to Felix. But maybe that's from the years of never feeling good enough.
“Sure. In the meantime I need to go find our guest, you so rudely scared off.” Felix notes the lack of a particular unwashed shifter in the house.
“What do you mean he is missing?” Chan and Seungmin burst through the door of Changbin’s mansion. Felix is waiting on the stairs as Changbin calls every shelter in the area to see if an orange cat or naked shifter popped up in the neighborhood.
“Changbin yelled at him,” Felix says happily, not delighted they lost Minho, simply excited to see the chaos ensue.
“Don’t blame me!” Changbin growls from where he hangs up the phone with the last shelter in the area and nervously paces around. Usually, Changbin would pamper Felix with love, attention, and treats. However, Felix made himself off limits, giving him time to marinate in his mistakes. He probably should’ve drawn the line after the first time they found themselves in the same bed.
Hindsight is twenty-twenty. He wouldn’t have let Minho out of his sight if he knew he'd run off.
“Who should I blame? The couch.” Felix deadpans, looking at the couch in the living room. “Bad couch! You shouldn’t have called Minho disgusting and told him to fuck off.”
“You told him to fuck off?” Seungmin’s eyes threaten to bulge out of his head from panic.
“No!” Changbin’s voice cracks as he finds himself pinned three against one, just as Felix likes it.
“Something like that.” Felix waves it off and starts putting on his coat.
Once everyone has thoroughly berated Changbin, Seungmin goes to the left while Felix and Chan go to the right half of the suburbs. Changbin stays in the house in case Minho magically pops back in. But more so because shifters, especially dog shifters, are better at tracking.
Felix and Chan walk in silence, Chan sniffing every couple of meters, checking for Minho’s scent. It would be more effective in their animal forms, but it's dangerous enough to have one uncollared shifter on the loose.
“We’ll find him,” Chan reassures more for himself than Felix. It might be his overall desensitization to feeling negative emotions over the years but outside of his few friends he can’t quite find it in himself to care. Seungmin once said he’s grown cold from the years of house arrest. Felix thought fulfilling his life goal of getting with Changbin would have finally brought back the sunshine of his youth, but it only made him burn colder.
“You still sleeping with Changbin?” Chan redirects their conversation to something else. Felix has gotten the lecture before. Mental health first. Date someone who deserves you. Changbin is a good guy but he doesn’t treat you right. Felix knows. But maybe the coldness from earlier has spread to his heart. He doesn’t quite care how he’s treated. He’s wanted and wanted for so long that he sometimes feels like he is simply going through the motions of achieving his year-long desires.
“Yeah. He still thinks it's just to relieve horniness.” The words come out colder. Maybe it's because he doesn’t quite understand those desires. He simply likes being with Changbin, helping him feel good even if he will never quite feel it in the same way. The ability was long taken away from him.
The silence overtakes them once more, footsteps and sharp inhales the only sound between them. Felix knows what's coming. He’s heard the words before. Each time it gets harder to say no.
“I can help.” Here they come. “We did it for Minho. We can do it for you.”
Felix smiles sadly at the snow-littered ground. He would if it wasn’t for the fact he is stupidly in love with Changbin. Sometimes he wishes Changbin treated him poorly, didn’t apologize, and take care of him whenever they had a fight so he could leave. But becoming human means losing his home, identity, and life. He wants to. He knows he can.
“I’ll talk to Changbin. After today, he might let you.” Chan pauses for a moment, breath vaporizing in the twilight. A second option still lies between the lines. Chan can help Felix with or without Changbin and it’s Felix’s choice; one he’s no longer quite sure he can refuse.
They wander for an hour, ready to turn back and see if Seungmin had better luck when a high-pitched mewl catches their attention down the street. An orange cat with a white muzzle is being pulled by the neck with an animal control ketch-all pole.
“Shit Minho,” Felix mutters under his breath, Without even thinking Felix shifts and sprints down the street, hearing Chan scream behind him. He sprints along the snow, leaving the clothes behind with Chan, collar charm hitting against the fur of his chest. The bodies grow bigger in front of him as he approaches and jumps on the women attempting to capture Minho.
Felix digs his claws into the baggy winter coat the woman has on, providing the distraction necessary for the line to slacken and Minho to break free and sprint to Chan. Felix lets go, jumping off before his own neck gets caught in the line. Felix catches Chan’s gaze as he scoops Minho, takes a quick picture with his phone, and runs in the other direction.
In a society where everyone thinks he’s dumb, a runaway pet shifter can easily be reunited with their owners. A stray shifter will be euthanized on the premise of being unwanted. Chan and Minho are safe away from animal control. Felix lets himself be caged and carted away by the lady. Changbin will come for him.
This is the other reason Felix can’t find it in himself to leave Changbin, take the risk, and be human. Being human means when the government eventually finds him, he’ll have no one running to save him.
The last few hours were a blur for Minho. He ran in the snow. Some lady tried to kidnap him and then Chan brought him back to Changbin’s house; the place he was told to make himself scarce at. He doesn’t understand. Even as Chan and Changbin yell in Korean about Felix being missing. Minho can’t quite grasp the situation.
“I told you to find Minho not exchange him for Felix!” Changbin growls and Minho hides further in Chan’s arms. He tried to be good. Do what he was told, but it never turns out as it's supposed to.
“Felix ran in himself.” Chan reaches into his pocket and shows Changbin something on his phone. “They’ll take him to this station. If you hurry you can pick him up before they enter it into the system.”
After that Seungmin comes back and Minho is curled up against Chan on the floor. He’s never seen Chan’s dog form. He’s more wolf than dog. His snout is long and ear-pointy like the young husky pup from the shelter. He’s grey and white, several magnitudes bigger than Minho. Yet he isn’t intimidating. Chan pulls Minho close and starts grooming his fur.
Grooming is mostly a cat thing. They do it to show each other affection or help stressed-out kittens. When the older cats in the shelter became nonexistent, older dogs would take care of the kittens. Minho wonders if that’s how Chan learned or maybe when he was a pup an older cat also groomed him. It goes both ways after all.
“Minho, why’d you run away?” Chan asks before planting a soft lick along Minho’s spine, sending warmth through his body. Minho can’t remember the last time someone treated him like this.
“Changbin said to stay away. Jisung is dead. I thought you went to join Jisung in being dead. I thought everyone was gone.” Minho doesn’t know how Chan went to the hospital and came back. It doesn’t make sense.
Chan laughs and licks the top of Minho’s head. “Jisung is alive, and he thankfully only suffered a minor concussion. It looked worse than it was.”
“You keep saying he’s alive. But the humans took him. They took him, Chan.” Minho is starting to get frustrated at no-one understanding him. Chan continues his soft reassuring licks.
“Minho,” Chan says his name like a promise of a thousand suns. Soft, gentle, loving like the older shifters he misses from the shelter. It’s hard missing such a cold dark place, but he was there all his life, not being there feels out of place, lonely, isolating. Chan keeps him close, finishing their grooming, leaving his orange fur sticky with drying saliva. “Things are different in the human world. They nurture and care for their kind.”
Minho wants to believe him. He rests his back against Chan’s side, giving in to the overbearing warmth.
“Seungmin’s gonna finish making us dinner. The hospital will call and we’ll go pick up Jisung.” Chan nuzzles right under Minho’s ear, making him melt at the touch.
“I’ll believe it when I see it Chan,” Minho says it more to protect himself. He can’t start believing Jisung is alive again, he’ll break down in tears all over again if Jisung is in fact dead. He has learned to accept that people disappear and die. He’s seen countless loved ones go to an early grave, he just never thought it would include Jisung. Nor did he ever think he would be the one to hurt him.
He hopes he’s okay like Chan says. He misses Jisung because he loves him.
Minho waits in the cat carrier in the car. Minho finds it too much effort to keep the human form and be stressed. He can’t multitask, he wasn’t built like that. Chan said he was fetching Jisung. Minho snorts. What’s with dogs and their obsession with fetching?
Like a good boy, Chan returns and opens the passenger side door, helping a human with dark brown hair, giant black glasses, and a mask into the car. Minho takes one whiff and jumps into Jisung’s lap. Immediately he feels for a pulse in his neck. The sweet double beat soothes all his racing thoughts.
“The humans didn’t kill you!” Minho shouts from excitement, overwhelmed by the relief that Jisung is alive and functioning. Jisung flinches at the noise, earning a harsh shush from Chan. Jisung’s hands find purchase on Minho’s side, pulling him close, and petting him.
“Hey, hyung.” His voice sounds weak and raspy. Minho licks his hand, hoping to provide some comfort.
Chan enters from the driver’s side and whispers to Minho, “Jisung has a concussion.” Minho stares at him confused, they keep saying words he doesn’t understand. “He hurt his head. Try to whisper. No sudden movements or bright lights around the house. Don’t play the TV and be careful when you do the dishes.”
Minho hears the list of things. He tries to remember them for Jisung’s sake. Chan starts the car and they drive through the snowy streets, a gentle snow starting to fall. Chan continues explaining things that Minho needs to do while Jisung recovers. Chan says he’ll stay over for the next day and monitor Jisung. Minho will need to take over cleaning and cooking while Jisung rests.
Jisung will also be on leave from work for the rest of the month. Minho would have been happy if it didn’t mean Jisung was too unwell to go to work. Chan simply reassures him that it’s a normal part of recovery. Minho paws at Jisung’s stomach apologetically.
“I sorry. Hurt the good Jisung head.” Minho wants nothing more than to fix his mistakes. He’s sorry for more than just injuring Jisung. He’s sorry for ignoring him. He’s sorry for overreacting when Jisung said they were only friends. It’s his fault for misunderstanding the cuddles and affection for a mutual attraction and feelings. He shouldn’t have assumed Jisung felt the same way. He should have accepted Jisung’s apology when he tried to talk. Minho’s made countless mistakes.
“It’s okay…just bathe…next time, yeah?” Jisung scratches Minho’s head and behind his ears. He curls up in Jisung’s lap, enjoying the feeling of relief coursing through him.
The car ride feels longer than the other ones, Minho starts to doze off in Jisung’s lap when suddenly a higher-pitched whirring sound fills the streets.
“Ah shit.” Chan curses under his breath. Red and blue flashes around them and Jisung covers his ears from the noise. “Minho go into the cat carrier. Now. Hide and don’t come out.” Minho knows that tone of voice. He heard it before when the fox shifter at his shelter told him the humans were coming for him and he needed to run.
Minho jumps into the bag and feels the car slow down on the side of the road. He watches Chan peel off his coat and place it on top of the cat carrier obscuring him from view. This is why he should of stayed in human form. As a human he is legal. As a cat, he puts everyone in danger. Minho keeps messing up today. He fights the tears threatening to come up, knowing crying will only make it worse.
He hears a knock and muffled Korean be spoken for a few moments before Jisung’s door is opened and he exits out of the vehicle. The words are so quiet he can barely even hear it. He waits the long minutes, only feeling the slight cold blow in from the open passenger door. He curls up as tightly as he can, not wanting any part of him to show and endanger Jisung and Chan anymore.
After what feels like forever, Jisung returns and Minho hears the familiar sound of a seatbelt getting buckled. Chan starts the car and the vehicle slowly gets back on the road yet Minho doesn’t move until Jisung lifts the coat off the cat carrier, helping him crawl out and jump back into his lap.
“I be human next car trip on long road. No danger for the hurt head Jisung and good dog Chan.” Minho promises with soft whispers, eyes watering.
“I know, you were good Minho hyung. So good…” Jisung pauses, formulating the thoughts in that beautiful head of his. Minho could watch him think for the rest of time and never be bored. “The police just thought I was on drugs and Chan hyung here…was being a bad dog and speeding.” Jisung pulls down his mask and smirks sneakily.
Minho wants nothing more than to transform back into a human and hug Jisung properly, but he doesn’t want to be a liability so he waits. He waits until Chan brings Jisung into their bed. Minho cleans the blood off the bathroom floor and changes into human clothes. He even wears a shirt as he crawls into the soft sheets with Jisung.
Jisung’s small frame rests against the bed innocently. Minho loves the bed but not as much as he has fallen for Jisung. How he takes care of and provides for Minho so wholly. He’s never experienced it before. He’ll learn Korean and bridge the gap between them so he can let Jisung know the feelings that keep threatening to burst. Even if Jisung doesn’t feel the same way. Minho will take care of him forever.
Jisung wakes up with a pounding headache. The sound of shuffling next to him is louder than nails on a chalkboard. He doesn’t even bother opening his eyes knowing the pain that will ensue. Over the last few days, Chan has been helping teach Minho how to take care of Jisung. On one hand, Jisung feels like a princess being spoiled, on the other, he feels like crap and like he’s about to throw up any time he moves.
Minho stalks up to him in cat form and curls up to his chest. He’s sweet and gentle, no longer ignoring Jisung even though they should talk about their fight if you can call it that. Minho purrs as Jisung strokes his back.
He wants to apologize but he doesn’t exactly remember what he’s supposed to apologize for. Being friends? Only friends? Something about not being boyfriends? His feelings are as jumbled as his thoughts. He likes Minho. He wants to pursue a relationship with Minho, but all the nasty voices in his head remind him it’s a bad idea.
It’s bad because Minho is in a vulnerable state with a lot of trauma and may not understand the difference between Jisung being nice and relationship-worthy.
It’s bad because Minho and Jisung can’t communicate their feelings well.
It’s bad because Jisung has never been good at relationships.
So Jisung tries to go back to sleep and not think about the soft human crawling out of bed to make him breakfast. He might long for him, desire him, and want to spend the rest of his life with him. But he doesn’t know what he wants and neither does Minho.
In the weeks of Jisung resting and recovering Minho and Felix have grown close, bonding over their similarities and differences. Sometimes they cook together, other times they play board games. Felix even starts helping him with his Korean, explaining the angry green bird app is terrible, and instead gives Minho a few books to study from. Minho still uses the green bird app on the promise of the fish sandwiches that Jisung refers to as sushi.
Minho gives Felix explicit permission to use his cat tree each time he comes over although he never seems to be interested.
“You don’t like the cat tree?” Minho ponders as they lounge around the couch. Felix is watching TV with subtitles as Minho practices his Korean problems and has Felix correct them.
“I don’t know. It feels…too weird to use.” Felix seems to think about his word choice carefully. “It’s like I’ve spent so long trying to prove I’m more than a cat. Using it feels like it defeats the purpose.”
“Chan says we’re still cats even if we’re shifters. But we’re also human. Denying ourselves either isn’t right.” Minho explains as he racks his brain for the correct particle for referring to a time in past tense, his pencil smacks across his cheek a few times until it clicks.
Felix hums in thought. “I admire you. You’re so comfortable with being a cat. I’m kinda jealous of that. I feel like if I acted more cat-like, Changbin would judge me or treat me like one and that’s the opposite of what I want.”
“I don’t get why you love Changbin. He’s rude.” Minho says, finishing up the page by connecting words to definitions; his favorite.
“Okay well, we don’t all have perfect, not emotionally constipated humans like Jisung.” Felix teases.
They’ve opened up about their mutual feelings for their respective humans, but it's different. Felix and Changbin in some ways have what Minho wants. Even desires, but it lacks the emotional connection Minho has with Jisung. He kinda wishes he could take the good parts of their situations and meld them together.
“Jisung’s wonderful, isn’t he?” Minho fondly thinks about him, before remembering their recent conflict. Minho sighs “I don’t know how to get Jisung to just understand that these last three months have made me feel alive. That I do in fact like him romantically and want to have sex with him.” Felix laughs at Minho’s comment. Minho looks down sadly. He shouldn’t rub it in for Felix. “Sorry.”
“No, it's fine. Just another thing for me to be jealous of I guess.” Felix stares at the TV, jaw clenches slightly with an unreadable emotion.
“Does it hurt?” Minho doesn’t let his eyes float down south, he only recently found out about the operation they made Felix undergo as a teenager.
“No…just is what it is. I don’t think I’ll ever understand, but I’m trying to.” Felix sends a soft smile. “Changbin lets me be in control. Helps him feel less guilty not that it was his decision. I think a part of him wishes we could do things the normal way but he’d also never want to do it with anyone else.” Felix murmurs the last part as if in thought, contemplating something. Minho once asked Felix if he’d become human like him and Felix had the same look on his face.
He doesn’t understand why he wouldn’t, but there’s a lot he doesn’t quite understand, but he’s learning.
Suddenly, the bedroom door opens and Jisung waddles out with a red squirrel blanket and his squirrel slippers. He bows politely at them, squinting in the afternoon light despite the blinds being drawn. Minho rushes up to him, getting him a glass of water from the fridge and his daily butt rubs to remind him he is loved. Jisung hugs him close, wrapping his arms around Minho’s waist and seeking affection. Minho ruffles Jisung’s hair gently.
“How you feeling?” Minho asks quietly. Felix said to use you instead of adjectives + name like in Yartsian. Felix actually laughed for 10 minutes when Minho kept referring to Felix as freckle yellow cat Felix and Jisung as the hurt head Jisung-ah. Now whenever he hears Korean he can’t unhear his past mistakes and cringes.
Jisung mumbles into Minho’s chest before separating and peering up, round fond eyes gazing up at Minho “Better hyung.” He yawns and grabs the glass, waddling back to the bedroom.
“Aww cute” Felix coos from his spot on the couch.
“Shut it freckles.” Minho ignores his ears heating up at the comment. Jisung is undeniably cute.
“If you want him to know how you feel and he refuses to understand your words, why don’t you show him.”
“Show him?”
“Ya know a little.” Felix puckers his lips a few times and Minho gets an idea. A common phrase coming to the surface. Actions speak louder than words. Minho can make his actions scream if they’ll get Jisung to hear him. Minho sends a sneaky smile to Felix who happily returns it.
Notes:
Hello peoples of the world. One more chapter to go! Sorry that these last few have been so long (next chapter is also 8k 😅)
Chapter 6: We're not gonna hurt you. You're safe here.
Notes:
Warnings/Triggers:
- Past Captivity
- Nudity/Sexual Content
- edging
- Mentions of people being sold
- Blood/Injury
Beta Read by: meow234
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“What are these?” Felix inspects the white pouches Minho just placed in his hands.
“Hand warmers. To keep your hands warm. So they don’t get cold. Don’t you want to have warm hands?” Minho shows Felix how to put them in his gloves before placing Felix’s hand through them. “See now you’re a warm cat.”
A light chuckle sounds from Felix’s throat at Minho’s unnecessary defensiveness. Minho feels a little silly. Jisung always makes sure that he is warm before going outside. Minho only wants to extend the favour to his guest.
Felix has been coming over quite often, no longer under the premise of helping Minho out but instead simply hanging out as friends. Minho has been over to his place as well, but only after Jisung started being able to function somewhat on his own. Minho likes the company even if he’s made to question his whole existence.
Minho crouches down and helps Felix tie his boots. “You have a thing for helping others?” Felix teases, poking Minho’s cheek.
Minho thinks over the question with a hum. Maybe it’s different outside of the shelter. “Do older cats, not take care of young ones here?” He doesn’t want to be unintentionally rude again, but he also instinctively caters to Felix out of habit.
“Yes…and no?” Felix hums. Once Minho has finished gearing them up for the outside. They step out into the chilly February air. Minho wants to introduce Felix to his favourite three kitty cats. “We usually stick to ourselves.” Felix shrugs it off and follows Minho along the snowy path to the woods in the backyard.
His winter coat no longer feels like a useless weight. The evening chill nips at his skin yet he feels protected from the elements. Winter is going to end soon and then spring will come, bringing warmth and flowers. Minho hopes Jisung will feel well enough to play in the snow with him before it all melts. They walk through the frozen forest path till they reach a familiar outcropping.
Minho knows Felix never had many shifter friends growing up. He can’t quite imagine how lonely that must’ve been, especially condemned to living with someone like Changbin.
Although he’s seemed nicer lately, Minho isn’t his fan…or air conditioner or any other refrigerant cooling technology. He’s only Jisung’s fan. And Chan’s. And Felix’s. Maybe half a fan of Seungmin, he gives him treats after their visits, but he also stabs Minho which isn’t very nice of him.
“It’s okay. I’ll take care of you.” Minho promises with a pat on Felix’s back. There’s something comforting about knowing that Felix will be in good hands; Minho’s very nice and warm hands.
Minho heads out to a familiar tree tsks a few times before a black and white cat pops out from the bushes. “Hey Dori, this is Felix.” Minho pets the cat and scratches him in all the right places.
Felix looks over at them fondly. After his admission of not quite being comfortable with his cat side, Minho has made an effort to show him what being a cat is all about. One of the most important things is socialization. In the shelter, the cat, dog, and sometimes even the fox shifters took on the role of nurturing the younger ones. But Felix never had it in any capacity. Minho wants to show him being a cat has a lot of perks. When they head back, they are significantly more muddy with wide grins on their faces.
On the other hand, Minho has been slowly figuring out what it’s like to be human. Not necessarily the act of it in itself. But all the privileges that come with pretending to be one. After some point, it stopped feeling like pretending.
They head to the front of the house, spotting Changbin with his black shiny car ready to pick up Felix. Felix pretends like Changbin’s not even there. Yet when they reach the front door he still says his goodbyes and gives Minho a quick hug before stalking off to the car. Not bothering to even glance at Changbin before opening the back door of the vehicle and getting in.
In the living room, Minho finds Jisung curled up in his squirrel blanket on the couch. One look at Minho and he is being demanded to take a bath. He promised Jisung that he would take baths. So he takes off his shoes and coat, shuffling to the bathroom half-heartedly.
Jisung follows him, bringing a few towels and a change of clothes. They recently went online shopping and bought Minho clothes that suit his taste. He still occasionally steals and wears Jisung’s clothes, but neither of them has addressed it.
Jisung sings a lullaby, filling the bath with suds and bubbles, his delicate voice bringing life to the small room. The complete opposite of the forced baths at the shelter.
Jisung reaches for Minho’s shirt, waiting for permission before stripping him and then himself. Minho can’t help but stare at Jisung’s body, how his broad chest morphs into a cinched waist and then his butt. Minho’s always noticed Jisung’s ass, but even more so as Jisung takes off his sweatpants and steps into the water, giving Minho a front-row seat.
Jisung sits down in the water and gestures for Minho to follow. He places one foot in the water, restraining a purr at the warmth. Minho eases in with Jisung's guidance and rests against his front, using Jisung’s thighs for support.
Jisung gently scoops and pours water over Minho’s shoulders and hair. It slowly trickles down his body back into the tub, leaving traces of heat in its wake. Jisung applies the soap like a new layer of skin as opposed to harshly scraping it off. He carefully scrubs the mud and Minho realizes he doesn’t quite mind baths if they leave him feeling this pampered
Minho thought when it became his turn to nurture the young ones that he would never feel that level of love and affection again. Jisung sends him a reassuring gaze and adds shampoo to his hair, slowly working it in. In this bathroom, it’s like they are the only people in the world.
By the time he’s clean and it’s over he wishes it wasn’t. He misses Jisung’s soft hands all over his body, longing for a second more to sit in the warm water with Jisung’s full attention on him.
While recovering Jisung has been mostly resting, taking care of himself, the best he can, and Minho has taken over the household chores. He wakes Jisung up in the morning, makes them breakfast, and helps Jisung get dressed. Sometimes he doesn’t even think the concussion prevents Jisung from doing those things. He simply enjoys helping him. Felix was right. He does have a thing for taking care of others.
After the bath, Minho and Jisung eat dinner and find themselves watching TV. Minho slots himself in between Jisung’s legs, wrapping Jisung’s arms around his torso so he can lay on his chest. He hears Jisung’s heart beat steadily, not bothering to pay attention to what is happening on screen.
Jisung mindlessly strokes Minho’s lower back. If there’s one thing he is grateful for outside of the shelter it’s the comfort and warmth of curling up in someone else’s arms whenever he wants. He tries not to think about how completely different the cold dark cage of his shelter was. He’s not there anymore. Even if he sometimes thinks that his friends are out there. If they are still alive.
To distract himself Minho snakes a couple of fingers under Jisung’s shirt, caressing the soft skin of his belly. Jisung’s heartbeat starts to quicken so Minho sticks his whole hand in, thumbing over Jisung’s side. He likes teasing him, seeing how far he can go before Jisung inevitably rejects him.
He’s been thinking about it and he’s talked with Felix. They have come to a mutual agreement that it’s not that Jisung lacks feelings, especially if his grandiose displays of affection are anything to go by. It’s that Jisung assumes Minho doesn’t feel the same way due to the language barrier. No amount of frustrated nightly confessions or explaining that he wants to hook up with Jisung can make him understand.
So Minho is taking a different approach. if Jisung doesn’t understand how he feels through words, he’ll show it to him. Minho places his arm around Jisung’s neck and slides up to him so both his legs are on either side. Minho was hoping to do this on one of Jisung’s boxer and beer nights since there would be fewer clothes to take off, but Jisung hasn’t had one since the concussion and Minho is tired of waiting.
Minho gazes into Jisung’s eyes, completely forgetting that they were supposed to be having a movie night. He is met with big round dark eyes. Minho moves his hand higher up in Jisung’s shirt, leaning down and giving Jisung’s neck a light peck. When Jisung doesn’t immediately push him off he plants another kiss, right below the first one. His lips tease along Jisung’s neck, telling a story. He hears Jisung’s breathing pick up followed by hands landing on his waist.
Filled with relief, Minho tries to be braver. He grabs the hem of Jisung’s shirt and slowly peels it off him, admiring the lean muscle on his biceps and chest. All the different parts of the bare unmarked skin he’s been dreaming of littering with bruises.
Minho plants a gentle kiss on Jisung’s collarbone before sucking on the junction between his neck and shoulder. Jisung’s breath feels hot in his ear. Failing to suppress a pleasured exhale, Jisung whimpers. Warmth starts to pool in Minho’s stomach, only pushed further by the feeling of Jisung growing hard underneath him. Minho rocks down, rolling his eyes back with euphoria.
Felix was right, all he had to do was show him. Jisung starts bucking his hips upward into him. Jisung’s grip on Minho’s waist tightens. He speeds up his grinding and closes his eyes shut while Minho paints his neck with hickeys. Minho gets even braver, wanting to tell Jisung exactly how he feels.
“Jisung-ah so good. Jisung-ah give I big home. Jisung-ah give I many carrots, bed, and freedom.” Minho grinds down, feeling the electric buzz of intoxicating lust. Yet Jisung seems to have stopped moving. “I thankful to the Jisung-ah for life.” Minho has never met someone as incredible as Jisung, so patient and willing to help him learn about the world at his own pace while still keeping him safe.
“Minho hyung wait a second.” Jisung halts Minho’s movement. “We can’t do this if you’re only doing this because you feel you owe me something.”
The words sear themselves on Minho's skin, ruining the moment they had. Minho opened his big mouth and ruined everything again. Why can’t Jisung understand that he fell in love with him? Not simply because he’s grateful or feels indebted to him. But he’s never felt such a genuine connection with anyone else. It's like Jisung is actively looking for a reason to make them not work.
Minho eyes start to water as his throat closes up, preventing him from clarifying.
He’s misunderstanding again.
“Minho hyung. I’m sorry I can’t. I…I want us…us to be…I want it to be consensual”
It is consensual.
“I want you. I heart you. Jisung use ears please.” Minho begs, letting the tears stream down his cheeks. He prefers to keep his emotions to himself, but he’s so overcome with frustration he struggles to contain it.
“I’m sorry… I guess I’ve never really had the best hearing.” Jisung apologizes. separating from the couch and Minho can’t do anything but watch him leave. Minho groans into the couch cushion, smearing it in tears and snot.
Minho lays there for a few moments, crying his heart out or lack of heart considering Jisung ripped it out and stole it.
Minho feels a few buzzes from his phone on the coffee table. Felix sent him a match in archery through game pigeon. Minho unlocks his phone, barely hits the target three times, and texts Felix a sad emoji. It’s gonna be a long lonely night.
“It is 9 pm what the fuck are you two doing at my house?” Changbin questions as he opens the door, based on his negative reaction one would think he saw the local missionaries doing their rounds.
Minho and Jisung stand at Changbin’s doorstep, a good meter of separation between them as a result of the earlier experiences that night.
“Language!” Jisung scolds, covering Minho’s ears who quickly bats him away, still mad at him. Once again they are a meter apart. “Minho is here to see Felix. Figured giving him a ride would be safer than Uber.” Jisung attempts to explain.
The thing is… Jisung doesn’t even know what happened. After he turned down Minho’s advance he expected a repeat of the week before his concussion. Instead, he found Minho getting dressed for the outside, ready to walk to Felix’s, claiming he knew how to Uber. But Minho has no money. And maybe he said that Felix was going to send him some. But Jisung would rather see Minho arrive in one piece.
Before Jisung can even help him Minho walks in, toes off his shoes, bows to Changbin, and rushes up the stairs to Felix’s room.
“You two had a fight?” Changbin sighs, letting Jisung enter as well to flee from the blistering cold outside. They haven’t really talked after the whole shifter reveal slash concussion fiasco besides setting up time for Felix and Minho to hang out. In some ways, he felt more like a parent than a roommate. Maybe that’s why Minho’s confession rubbed him the wrong way.
“He tried to hook up with me.” Jisung lets it out. Expecting all sorts of reactions from yelling to condemning to a life in hell.
“Been there done that. Felix still isn’t talking to me.” Changbin sighs against the stair railing. Jisung pauses while hanging up his coat. Changbin never calls Felix Felix. It’s always Lix or Yongbok or sweet beloved that can do no wrong. But that’s not the only strange thing about his comment.
“You guys have hooked up?” Jisung hangs up his coat, a small smile playing on his lips. He expected judgment or a sane head telling him he’s an absolute idiot for even considering taking advantage of Minho after the trauma he’s been through. Not to find out Changbin, Mr. I-believe-shifters-are-glorified-pets-that-can-speak, to say that he has done unholy things with Felix, Mr perfect-and-can-do-no-wrong.
“Once or twice or seven times,” Changbin says surprisingly casually, pushing off the railing and walking away. Jisung follows Changbin through the mansion, unable to see his face but hearing the calm exhaustion in his voice.
“Jesus Changbin.” Jisung mutters in utter disbelief. He’s had Changbin pegged all wrong. Unless Changbin’s the one getting pegged. Jisung shakes his head not wanting to imagine his friend having sex with his other friend. Even if they’ve had it seven times. Why count past five?
“It’s Seo Changbin not Jesus. Still can’t walk on water.” Changbin guides them to the gym because who wouldn’t want to work out to solve all their problems late at night?
“Maybe I should’ve gone to you all along.” Jisung suddenly feels dumb for making such a big deal about Minho wanting to hook up. If that’s what Minho genuinely wants to do.
“Not really it’s been a long road of self-discovery.” Changbin sits down on the arm press, perfectly slotting himself onto the earlier sweat stains. Jisung takes a moment to admire Changbin’s arms as they flex going up and down. Felix always had a thing for muscles, considering every time Jisung wore a sleeveless shirt at Changbin’s place Felix sniffed him out like cat nip and made sure to give each crevice a squeeze before disappearing again.
Jisung sits down on a yoga ball he finds in the corner of the gym. Bouncing on it, listening to Changbin’s huffs and groans echo in the expansive gym. He thinks about how Minho is probably talking shit. Saying Jisung refuses to hook up with him or even consider being more than friends and maybe it’s deserved. Maybe Jisung should have tried hearing Minho out. It’s just when Minho says things like I thankful to the Jisung-ah for life Jisung can’t help but think Minho is doing it out of a sense of obligation. Jisung knows all about obligations in relationships and it’s the last thing he wants to force on Minho.
“So why does Minho look like he’s gonna destroy all of Felix’s toys?” Changbin sets the dumbbell down after a few minutes, wiping the sweat off his face with a hand towel. Jisung doesn’t even know where to start. He tried to stop it from getting out of hand but that just resulted in Minho crying and almost getting kidnapped by a sketchy Uber driver.
“I like him…and I get the feeling that he might like me too. But I’m worried it’s for the wrong reasons.” Even Jisung admitting that the feelings might be reciprocated is a huge step he didn’t know he was capable of making. Whereas Chan has imposter syndrome for his music Jisung has it in his relationships. Because why would anyone ever want to be with him? His relationships fail for a reason. Jisung is the reason. “He says that he’s grateful and he likes that I provide for him.”
Changbin continues his workout and Jisung waits for him to finish his set before responding.
“Okay so…Minho tried to hook up with you. Said he was grateful that you rescued him, gave him a home, and that you take care of him. And you went all Han Jisung on him because god forbid there’s someone that enjoys you taking care of them and develops feelings for you.” Changbin gives him the same look anytime one of his relationships has ended. The it was good why’d you have to ruin it look. Jisung opts to stare at the floor instead, a little less pip in his bounce on the yoga ball.
“Pretty much.” Jisung’s ready to give up on relationships. He’s just not cut out for them.
“Now Minho is upset because despite it being obvious that he loves you and you like him back, you’re choosing to purposefully use his poor Korean as an excuse to stay just friends.” Changbin stretches out his arms, seemingly done with his workout.
Now Jisung isn’t one to judge Changbin’s intellect nor question his investigative skills, but some of his analysis seems too on the nose.
“Felix told you?” Jisung observes Changbin carefully.
“No. Felix and I haven’t been talking.” Changbin states back honestly. Jisung narrows his eyes before it clicks.
“You eavesdropped 'cause you were worried he was talking shit about you!” Jisung accuses.
“What? How? Huh?” Changbin’s face tints red.
“Felix and Minho call every night. Unlike somebody, I give them their privacy.” Jisung proudly announces his quick analysis. Minho usually locks himself in one of the upstairs rooms. Jisung specifically got him a second cat tree and set it facing the west so he could be more comfortable.
“Fine, I did! I usually don’t cause I don’t understand Yartsian. But a few nights ago they were practicing Korean. Very loudly mind you. In the living room. I was in the kitchen, making a protein shake, and happened to overhear.” Changbin defends, hiding his face in his towel. Jisung doesn’t think that Changbin is the type of person to eavesdrop, but he does think he is the type of person to be desperate to make up with Felix.
“And you didn’t tell me?” Jisung wonders, this information would’ve been useful.
“I thought you were handling it.” Changbin looks up apologetically.
“I…well…I wasn’t. It’s complicated.” Jisung stutters, he didn’t know it was even bothering Minho enough to talk to Felix about it. He thought they were on the same page.
“Stop overthinking it. What you have is good. I know it might not mean much coming from me, but follow your heart, and maybe one of us can be happy.” Changbin sighs.
Jisung and Changbin head back to the living room and Jisung feels a lot lighter having been explicitly told he’s making a mistake as he always does. “Wanna sleep over, it’s getting late and Minho’s probably staying too?”
Jisung nods before giving the sweaty man a hug of gratitude. “Sorry for lying to you. We were trying to protect Minho.”
“Sorry for being someone you felt like you had to lie to.” Jisung still hears the hurt in Changbin’s voice and he knows one talk won’t solve the broken trust between them. But a small step is still a step in the right direction. "Also sorry for all the things I said about Minho...I was projecting a bit." He scratches his head nervously. "A lot." Changbin corrects.
Jisung sends him a smile that Changbin returns.
Jisung thought all the fun for the night was over by the time he was brushing his teeth in the upstairs bathroom only to hear several knocks. Jisung opens the door to find Minho, a wide array of expensive makeup on his face, holding a packet of makeup wipes. Minho blinks away the surprise of finding Jisung still at Changbin’s place.
“Having fun?” Jisung mumbles through his toothbrush. Minho nods awkwardly, taking in Jisung’s pajama outfit. Minho is dressed in his own pajamas, probably packed from their home.
Jisung spits out the toothpaste and washes his mouth while Minho starts wiping off the makeup. “Felix and Seungmin plan to go to the bar of shifters but I show up and stop them. They make I pretty Minho.” Minho explains it as if being caught is embarrassing.
“You always look pretty Minho hyung.” Jisung gazes up at him admiring the purple and pink eye shadow glimmering in the warm bathroom light. Minho fails to return the glance.
“I talked with Changbin.” Jisung says, turning on the faucet to wash his face, spraying cool water all over his face and neck. Once his face is thoroughly clean he takes a few wipes off the sink counter and starts wiping off the other side of Minho’s face
“I’m sorry for…being dumb and not using my ears as you said. I’m…I…I” Jisung should just clear the air. He knows what he wants. He thinks he knows what Minho wants as well.
Minho pats his head a few times. If Minho was able to be brave earlier, it’s now Jisung’s turn. “I really like you hyung. I want to be more than friends. It’s just…relationships are scary for me.” Jisung doesn’t even know what he is saying. Minho’s eyes widen as he processes Jisung’s words with a hopeful smile that does little to ease Jisung’s racing heart.
“They’ve never ended well and I really like you, more than I’ve liked anyone else so it’s...” Jisung watches Minho’s face melt into a fond smirk. “It’s especially hard and I was worried you wanted it for the wrong reasons and us going further would damage it and I don’t know I’m just dum–” Jisung’s rambles get interrupted as Minho slams their lips together, pulling Jisung close by his neck.
Minho kisses him fervently. Jisung’s wondered how it would feel for so long that finally kissing Minho he feels whole. It’s not scary like with his past relationships, it simply feels right.
Minho separates, wiping his spit-slicked lips, half his make-up still on his face. “You talk too much.” Minho teases. “I like you too.” Minho places another kiss on Jisung’s lips. “Felix says simple words do best magic.”
“Felix is right.” Jisung giggles, taking the rest of the wipes and finishing wiping off Minho’s face. He slowly works it into Minho’s skin, filling the wet wipe with pinks, purples, and blues.
“I take you on the date of food. To cafe of cats and big building with many grocery stores.” Minho continues his ramble, bouncing with excitement, fingers holding onto Jisung’s neck.
“A mall?” Jisung’s gotten better at deciphering Minho’s speech, but it’s occasionally still quite a big jump.
“Yes mall. I take you to places to show heart soon. Yes? But today I show heart with body. Yes?” Jisung can’t help but snort at Minho’s strange way of asking him out on a date and for consent. “No doing the laughs. I serious about heart propostory.”
“Proposal?” Jisung asks again, feeling better with the mutual feelings out in the open.
“Propostrousness.” Minho defends confidently, patting Jisung’s cheek a few times.
“Proposition?” Jisung continues, less teasingly and more in his correct-Minho’s-Korean mode.
“Yes porposalisousness.” Minho says with a wide grin, most likely unaware of how poorly he pronounced the word.
“Okay okay, I get it. I happily accept your offer to go on a date.” Jisung leans in for another taste, it’s addictively sweet. “But now that you’re clean and ready for bed. Can I porposlisousness you for something more spicy.” Jisung should enjoy what they have, take it slow, go on a date. But Jisung also is mentally still on the couch, grinding into Minho as he gets his neck and chest peppered with love bites.
Fuck, he’s turned on.
“Jisung-ah can’t eat the spicy food.” Minho pouts, completely missing the innuendo.
“No…Minho hyung. Sleep. Continue kissing. In higher frequency.” Jisung is trying to offer it without explicitly saying that he wants Minho to rail him into the bathroom sink. Somehow Minho’s way sounded much more romantic.
“Oh Jisung-ah and Minho hyung hook up?” Minho’s smile returns in full force.
“Yes. If you want.” Jisung embraces Minho, they’ve hugged plenty of times but none have ever felt this soft.
“I want. I want. I inform Felix of the mating commencement.” Minho tosses the rest of the makeup wipes into the trash and Jisung seizes his wrist before he can prance off to Felix.
“No Minho! Tell him you’re sleeping with me in the guest room.” Jisung hopes his desperation translates to Minho.
“What reasons for lies?” Minho juts out his lips into a confused scowl.
“We’re not lying. Humans don’t usually talk about sex openly.” As Jisung says it he realizes he can’t exactly have sex with Minho without having to go ask Felix or Changbin for supplies so they might end up doing something more tame instead. Maybe he should have taken Changbin up on his lube-on-the-go packets offer when drunk last New Year.
“But Felix not human?” Minho moves Jisung’s hand from where it is around his wrist to his head, Jisung mindlessly scratches the fluffy orange hair.
“...I am human so please just say we’re heading to bed.” Jisung pleads and Minho nods his understanding, satisfied and successfully bribed by head scratches.
“Okay,” Minho gives Jisung another kiss before happily prancing off to Felix’s bedroom. Jisung notices an unpacked mattress against the wall when Minho opens the door. He wonders if Changbin finally got Felix a bed. He seems to have been thinking a lot about his behavior, it’s good to see him acting on those thoughts. Jisung smiles to himself, things are working out after all.
Minho knocks on Felix’s door and opens it to find Seungmin and Felix chatting away on the bed, makeup off, breathy giggles filling the space.
“Oh, bare-faced Minho is back. Nice.” Seungmin sends him an encouraging thumbs up from where he is lounging atop Felix’s stomach, scrolling through his phone. Felix’s hand gently rests on Seungmin’s head rhythmically patting it. When Minho first came over it was because he was emotionally wrecked from Jisung, now he wants to be physically wrecked by him.
“Um…Jisung and I will sleep in the guest room.” Minho answers, unable to quite suppress the way his mouth curves upward with excitement.
“Aw did you guys kiss and make up?” Felix kicks his legs on the bed excitedly.
“Yes lots of kisses. I am going to go and do more kisses…I mean sleep in the same bed with Jisung because we are not planning to do more than kiss.” Minho needs to shut up. “Okay bye.”
Minho quickly grabs his things and shuts the door behind him. That conversation could have gone a lot more smoothly. He's never been good at lying. He’s about to separate from the door when he hears shouts from behind it.
“Have fun.”
“Use protection.”
“Let us know if you need condoms or lube!”
“Be loud. I heard Jisung likes that.”
“Who do you think is gonna top?”
“Probab–”
Minho starts speed-walking to the guest room, he now understands why Jisung told him to be quiet. He’s not usually embarrassed about it. In the shelter, it was always as simple as asking a shifter for some alone time, then using the mating den during outside time. But here it feels a lot more convoluted and complex.
He’s just happy Jisung is finally letting him show him how he feels. He doesn’t know what happened or if their strategy of loudly talking about the issue in Korean for Changbin to overhear miraculously got Jisung to stop being an idiot, but Minho’s happy with the development. He’s floating on a pile of cat-shaped clouds, a skip in his step as he opens the door.
Inside he finds Jisung, shirtless on the bed, illuminated by the hallway chandelier. Minho’s eyes adjust to the darkness and he sees the bulge in Jisung’s plaid red and black pajama pants. Jisung follows Minho’s stare, shyly covering himself up with a pillow.
No. This will not do whatsoever.
Minho stalks up to Jisung, yanks off the pillow, and climbs on top, bringing back memories of the couch.
“No hiding happy dick.” Minho cringes at his own wording. He doesn’t know the proper terminology for it but somehow describing Jisung’s hard dick as happy feels more than a bit off.
Minho leans forward, connecting their mouths in a desperate kiss as he rocks his hips back and forth. He moves his right leg between Jisung’s thighs and presses down, eliciting a pleasured moan. He lays his front against Jisung’s chest, sucking on his neck over all the sensitive spots he created earlier.
The whines and whimpers get more desperate, followed with faster grinding. “Fuck Minho. I…I’m fuck.” Minho eases off, watching the look of elatedness leave Jisung’s face, mixed with betrayal and confusion.
Shit, he probably should’ve asked first.
At the shelter, they didn’t like going to the mating den too frequently. When they did, the volunteers tended to gossip and make them go to the vet to get tested. So when they did go they tried to make it last as long as possible.
“Sorry. Did you want to…” Minho thinks of the word. Ejaculate? Feels too scientific. Minho takes a moment to ponder, watching Jisung slowly come down from his high. Did he ruin the moment? “Sorry.”
“No. No. I. Gimme a second.” Jisung peels off his pants and boxers in one go, tossing them off the bed. Minho just stares at the red, flushed cock, beading pre-cum. He just wants to touch it.
Minho wraps his fingers around it and squeezes it. Jisung writhes under the touch. “Thanks for stopping me. I didn’t want to come in my pants. I mean I wanted to come but I didn’t… never mind you get it.” Minho is too busy pumping Jisung to really pay attention to what he’s babbling about. His cute voice is saying even cuter words.
Jisung grabs Minho’s shirt and tugs it off, before gripping the waistband of his pants. Minho looks down and sees the tenting in his pants. He gives Jisung permission and shimmies out of them. He could have transformed in and out to have an easier time stripping, but lately, he’s learning the joys of being human. Even if some of their tactics are highly inefficient.
Jisung licks his lips and Minho can’t help but press a soft kiss against them. He wants Jisung to be his for the rest of his life. He wants to hold hands and take him to the movies like all Jisung’s favorite couples do in the dramas. He wants to eat ice cream on a beach. Go hiking in the mountains. He wants to say the words, but he doesn’t quite have the ability to ask. Instead, he kisses and shows Jisung the love that is burning him inside out.
Their lazy kisses devolve into more desperate yearning and Jisung rotates them over so Minho’s on his back. Jisung looks at Minho’s hard cock and sends him a grin. “Can I suck you off?” Minho takes a moment to figure out what he’s asking but as soon as the lightbulb in his brain turns on he excitedly nods, readjusting on the bed.
Jisung takes him into his mouth, fingers kneading the insides of Minho’s thighs, tongue swirling on his tip, sucking before taking more of him in. Warmth pools in his insides and he uses all of his power to not buck his hips straight into Jisung’s mouth and make him choke. Jisung meticulously works him up, taking a few breaks to pepper Minho’s thighs in kisses.
Minho’s used to being the one in charge, the one catering to his partner. He never realized how good it feels to be taken apart piece by piece and masterfully woven back together by skillful hands. Minho feels himself reaching his peak, unable to speak he yanks on Jisung’s hair to let him know, gasps and moans escaping yet the warning fails to be spoken.
Jisung only quickens his ruthless pace as Minho comes in his mouth, Jisung’s name being the only recognizable sound.
Minho rolls his head around in the sheets, hand loosely clinging to Jisung’s hair, his whole body pulsating with the after-effects of his orgasm. When he opens his eyes he sees Jisung with swollen lips and a dribble of cum peaking out. In his hand a desperate attempt to keep his own cum from staining the sheets. Minho whimpers, he wanted to see Jisung finish, but he was too busy in his own pleasure to even notice.
He doesn’t mean to pout as Jisung cleans them both up and crawls into his arms. “You…ejaculate and I not notice.” Minho finally says, not quite remembering the wording Jisung used. “Next time you let I see.” Minho presses a disgruntled kiss on Jisung’s forehead. Jisung chuckles and squeezes him close.
They lay there, enjoying the comfort of each other’s warmth, dozing off when a familiar ding sounds on Minho’s phone.
Minho groans.
He really doesn’t want to do that now.
“Angry green bird app angry. If I ignore it call ceiling gods to punish.” Minho reaches for his phone but Jisung stops him.
“Minho hyung, stay with me. Don’t do Duolingo. You can do it in the morning.” Jisung kisses him, distracting from the constant need to keep the green bird at bay.
“But”
“I love you Minho. Duolingo doesn’t.” Love. That’s the word Felix mentioned. The way he feels for Changbin and the way Minho feels for Jisung.
“I love you Jisung-ah. I don’t love angry green bird app. It don’t deserve name.” Minho refuses to refer to it by anything other than green bird app.
“Good. Cuddles.” Jisung snuggles up close.
“Rest in peace Jisung-ah”
“Good night hyung.”
“Minho. Wait. I. Need….wait.” Jisung gasps as he struggles to keep up with Minho’s incessant pace. He knew Minho recently got into K-pop dances and even more recently boxing with Chan. But he didn’t realize that meant Minho was now a superhuman god with unbreakable stamina.
Minho turns around and looks down at Jisung. A smirk playing on his lips. “You need exercise more frequently.” Minho laughs.
Hiking.
Not the first date idea Jisung had in mind. Minho only just started his part-time reception job at Seungmin’s clinic, he informed Jisung that once he has more money he will spoil him like the rich men in dramas do to impress the girls.
Jisung leans against a tree for support. Minho happily prances towards him crouching down and offering him a piggyback ride. Jisung can see this ending terribly in five hundred different ways. But he’ll entertain Minho because he loves him and it’s not so scary anymore to admit that. He carefully crawls onto Minho’s back and is swiftly picked up by his thighs. If they pass people someone might think he’s injured but thankfully on this warm spring day, there isn’t anyone around.
Jisung rests his chin on Minho’s shoulder, it’s not the most comfortable position but it beats walking up the 5% incline trail Minho picked out. Once Minho seems to be breathing heavier than Jisung, he climbs off of him and connects their hands.
“How song making going?” Minho watches the surrounding trees for birds, in his own world but still taking his time to talk with Jisung.
“It’s going good. How’s Seungmin treating you?” Jisung asks.
“Seungmin is fun to mess with,” Minho smirks at him, devilishly handsome and nowhere near as out of breath as Jisung.
“Minho…” Jisung’s received enough calls from Seungmin scolding Minho that he needs to stop playing harmless pranks on the clients.
“What…I’m good cat…shifter…person…human.” Minho sends an exaggerated grin his way causing Jisung to choke on air. He loves him. So fucking much.
They keep a light conversation, occasionally Minho pulls out his phone and opens a birding app that tells him all the different birds in the area based on their calls. Jisung smiles fondly, seeing Minho grow comfortable with technology and pursue his interests. It has been one of the greatest experiences in Jisung’s time living with him. Minho’s always loved bird-watching but now he gets to do it while learning all about the birds and identifying which ones are which. Jisung can’t help but smile fondly at seeing Minho so happy.
“Yellow rumped-flycatcher.” Minho looks around, Jisung peers over his shoulder. It’s a yellow and black bird and he tries to spot it in the trees, but even when Minho points it out to him all he sees is leaves.
They reach the peak, looking over the city. It’s beautiful, even in the daytime. A mix of awe and sadness washes over him. Jisung wonders how many other shifters are out there, waiting to be adopted, and how many never get adopted. So much has changed while simultaneously it feels like nothing has.
He changed one person’s life. In the grand scheme of things it’s not a lot, but for him it feels like the whole world.
“Jisung-ah be my boyfriend, yes?” Minho asks, taking both of Jisung’s hands in his and despite Jisung glancing away from the world as a whole he still sees it right in front of him.
“Of course.” Jisung leans in and kisses Minho. “There’s nothing I want more.”
Minho does a happy dance, taking Jisung’s hand and leading them higher up the mountain because apparently they are only getting started. Why couldn’t Jisung have rescued a shifter with less of an obsession with exercise? Don’t answer that, he loves Minho and wouldn’t change him for the world. He is his world.
“Oh Yongboki says Congrats hope you and Jisung have a good rest of your date.” Minho excitedly shows Jisung the text, but they keep coming.
Yongbok
in other words Binnie and I made up
he agreed to get me into the system with chan
🎉🎉🎉🎉
he also gave me head
it has been a good day for everyone 😂
Jisung blinks at the messages, he did not need to know the second half. Jisung wonders if Minho texts Felix about their sex life. Some part of him worries they talk about it and Changbin is gonna end up overhearing it again.
“Yongboki got head scratches. Lucky him.” Minho reads the message causing Jisung to snort in surprise. Minho slowly types a response back and Jisung is too horrified to stop him.
Minho
jisung give good head too 👍
“No… Minho hyung, that's not what that means…” Jisung facepalms. While he appreciates the unintentional compliment, Minho is completely misunderstanding the slang. But when Minho looks at him with those beautiful innocent eyes, Jisung can’t help but give him head scratches. He’ll explain later. Or maybe Felix will.
To Jisung’s relief, they’ve taken things relatively slow. If you ignore the blow job at Changbin’s place that is. They might have gone from zero to one hundred their first night when all of the built-up tension and emotion overflowed but now they go on dates. They take their time kissing and exploring each other’s bodies. Thus far only with clothes on.
Just because he is enjoying the slow, gentle hand-holding, cuddles on the couch, and kisses before and after work. That doesn’t mean Jisung doesn’t want more. Because he sure as hell wants. No offense, but horniness does not subside from interlocked fingers, if anything it increases ten-fold.
So if Jisung finds himself daydreaming after a long day of work in his bed, that's supposed to be no one’s business but his own. If his hand crawls under the waistband and strokes himself a few times to hardness, again his own business. He grabs lube out of the nightstand and warms it up in his hands before sticking a finger into his hole. Imagining it is Minho’s small fingers, stretching him out, teasing him. Jisung feels precum drip onto his stomach. He inserts a second finger, admiring the stretch.
Having a roommate has made it hard to find time like this. Time to let everything fall away till Jisung is nothing more than a horny mess.
Now where Minho was supposed to be at Felix’s for the next three hours and shows up unannounced while Jisung is touching himself…well then it’s no longer only Jisung’s business.
“Miss me?” Minho asks way too innocently for the situation. He pokes his cute head in from the doorway. Of course, he misses Minho, he wants so badly to do everything with him. It’s society's fault for normalizing jobs, sleep, and external friendships that prevent them from railing each other every second of the day.
Jisung simply exhales. His hand is wrapped around his hard dick and Minho looks like he stumbled upon a hidden treasure. The bed dips with the added weight and Minho kisses his pout away. “Can I help?” Minho kisses him one more time. Over the months his Korean has been getting a lot better. Sometimes, Jisung needs a moment to remember that it’s the same Minho he rescued.
Jisung kisses him back and lets Minho pull his shirt over his head. Minho peppers his chest with pecks and peels off Jisung’s jeans and underwear, kissing along his thighs. Minho takes his time, taking off his own clothes, giving Jisung plenty of moments to admire his physique. Jisung wraps his legs around one of Minho’s thighs, squeezing the mass of muscle. Before long they are making out, devolving into something more messy and innate.
Minho notices the lube on Jisung’s ass, and picks up the bottle, squirting it onto his fingers. Jisung gulps from where he is lying on the bed. Minho widens Jisung’s legs before inserting a finger, followed by another, and finally a third. Jisung’s always loved the feeling of being prepped. Slowly being filled with flickers of sensation over his prostate until one specific curl of the fingers causes him to arch in the sheets.
“Minho.” Jisung hisses out and Minho continues his teasing. Jisung’s always struggled with intimacy, yet Minho doesn’t make him feel ashamed. It might be Minho’s general lack of care towards nudity or his overall bluntness, but Jisung knows Minho always takes good care of him.
They continue like this for what feels like forever until Jisung honestly thinks he can’t be stretched anymore and is using all his remaining brain power to not come on the spot. “Minho please, I need you. Inside of me.” He’s not one to usually beg, but the desperation is seeping out of him more than sweat.
“Condoms?” Minho asks and Jisung blinks. Processes. Trying to understand the question behind all the fuzzy feelings of his slightly too-close orgasm. Jisung vaguely points to a part of his nightstand. It’s somewhere. Minho’s smart. He’ll find it. Minho opens one drawer, shuffles some stuff around, opens the second with a delighted squeal, and pulls out a condom.
Jisung watches Minho as he carefully opens the wrapper, sets the plastic aside on the nightstand, checks which side is correct, and rolls it onto himself. Despite their mutual arousal, Jisung is filled with a sense of fondness at Minho’s carefulness. Jisung will make Minho a bunch of fancy carrots when he’s slightly less fucked out of his mind.
Jisung applies the lube to Minho’s dick, watching how his whole frame shudders at the motion. Minho aligns himself with Jisung’s hole and slowly enters, stretching Jisung out painlessly and filling the void inside him. Minho bottoms out with a breathy exhale, eyebrows knitted with pleasure. “You feel good. So good.” Minho kisses him and Jisung impatiently tries to rock down on him. Minho leans forward and rolls them onto their side. He slowly fucks into him, holding Jisung’s ass with both hands.
When Jisung looks into Minho’s eyes he swears he sees sparkles shining back at him. It’s the look, combined with the constant moans that drive Jisung over the edge. Jisung releases onto his stomach and Minho speeds up, finishing inside of him.
They lay there, mixed with sweat, cum, and love. Jisung realizes what he experienced before Minho was never love. Love isn’t an obligation. It’s a feeling. It’s the only feeling Jisung is experiencing. Especially considering his leg has fallen asleep from where Minho put his whole weight on it. But for love, sacrifices are worth making. Like circulation. And money.
“To Minho completing Duolingo and Felix being officially legal!” Beers clank as the group eats together at a sushi restaurant. It’s been a year since Jisung rescued Minho. While not much has changed in the political attitudes towards shifters. A lot has changed in their own views.
Considering how many shifters live hidden in secrecy it wouldn’t be surprising if one day one of them becomes president and changes the policies. But for now, they continue to live undercover. Jisung turns his attention to Minho as he tries to feed Jisung a sushi roll. He happily opens his mouth and bites down on it.
Minho proudly nods at him before picking up another salmon sushi and feeding it. Then a teriyaki and ginger roll. Jisung’s cheeks are full of food as he struggles to eat everything Minho is giving him.
“Haha, squirrel Jisung.” Minho laughs, planting a kiss on one of Jisung’s puffed-out cheeks. Jisung forces himself not to giggle at the infectious sound as he chews and swallows.
Felix sits on the opposite side of the table. His relationship with Changbin has been rocky. Changbin has been trying his best, but with Felix’s new independence, he moved out of his house and tried to live on his own before pursuing something further with Changbin.
It must not have been an easy change going from property to person while juggling feelings. They seem to be better, even if they went a few months without talking and Felix even stayed with Minho and Jisung for a bit. Jisung has faith they’ll work it out eventually. Whether they decide to pursue a relationship or friendship in the end.
Then there’s Chan and Seungmin. Nothing much has changed, but Jisung doesn’t know where he would be if it wasn’t for them.
It’s a nostalgic night full of reminiscing and thoughts. Maybe it’s the holidays that have him feeling chipper.
Minho drives them back, practicing for his driver’s license test. They make it halfway when the familiar red and blue sirens pop up.
“Pullover by the light,” Jisung instructs Minho, which he does obediently. It should be fine. Minho is in the system. His driver’s permit is legal. It’s probably just a routine check. Minho wasn’t speeding. He knows better than to.
The officer comes up to the driver's seat window and Minho rolls it down, making sure his orange hair is fully covered by his beanie. They dyed his hair for a bit to make it black in his ID photos, but they prefer to avoid questions on whether it’s actually bleached.
The police officer has a blank expression, asking for Minho’s and Jisung’s IDs, and checking their car registration. Everything seems to be going smoothly until the man asks Minho to get out of the car. Minho does so and Jisung can’t quite see what is happening until he is also asked to get out of the vehicle. Jisung hopes his nervousness isn’t plastered all over his face, but his heartbeat is in his throat.
“Take off your coats for a moment we need to scan you guys.” Jisung does as requested a little relieved knowing neither him nor Minho have chips. Once the scans come back negative, they redress and the officer apologizes. “We had two shifters run away from an auction and we can’t find them. Some rich folks are really antsy since those two were going for billions of won.”
Jisung hopes his horror doesn’t display. Minho smiles sweetly at the officer and bows. “Sorry to hear that. I hope they are found soon.” Minho lies with the grace of a sneaky cat.
Jisung thanks the officer for his duty and climbs back into the car with a relieved exhale. Minho rubs his thigh comfortingly, getting them back on the road, away from danger. The whole interaction serves as another reminder that the suffering of shifters is long from over. Minho seems calm, used to pretending to agree with the norms having learned it from Chan. He knows when to speak up and when to bite his tongue.
Jisung admires Minho. The fear of Minho one day leaving him no longer a concern. Their friends sometimes joke that Minho can’t live without Jisung, but Jisung could live without Minho.
Their friends are idiots if they think Jisung isn’t as heavily codependent as Minho is. The cute smiles and giggles, the warm hugs, the reassuring questions asking how his day was. Jisung thrives off of that.
They pull into the driveway not ten minutes later. Jisung climbs out of the car and watches Minho get out and stretch out his limbs. “I ate too much.” He grumbles, rubbing his stomach.
“You say that every time we go to a restaurant.” Jisung laughs, closing the car door.
“The food tastes good. No wonder you humans hog it all to yourselves.” Minho teases and starts walking to the back of the house and see if he can sniff out his favorite three kitty cats. Jisung offered to adopt them and Minho looked at him horrified, saying they are stray cats and perfectly happy in the outdoors. He also claimed he doesn’t want to share a home with another cat, quoting Felix as an example of turmoil.
Personally, Jisung thought they did fine in their two-and-a-half months with an extra roommate. But maybe Minho is still embarrassed that one time they forgot to lock the bathroom door and Jisung had Minho bent over the sink. They would have fucked in the bedroom had it not been for the other time they forgot to lock the door and got walked in on.
Maybe that’s why Felix moved to Seungmin’s place.
They are strolling through the woods, seeing no sign of their furry friends when Minho stills. He sniffs the air and bolts into the woods. Jisung, still not as athletic as Minho, runs after him through the snow. He keeps running, till his lungs burn, legs are jello and he’s fairly certain he’s lost but finally finds Minho crouching in the snow.
Jisung’s about to ask what’s wrong, when he sees red. The familiar color is splattered on the snow. Next to it are two creatures, both bleeding and shivering in the cold. The fox hisses protectively obscuring the other one from view.
Minho offers his hand and whispers some Yartsian to them. He points to the blood streaming down the fox’s front leg and reassures them. After a few moments, the fox calms down, bowing his head and letting Minho pick up the smaller creature and place it in Jisung’s arms for warmth. In the dark night, it looks like a beige ferret. Minho picks up the small orange fox and gestures for them to head back home. Jisung carefully holds the quivering ferret, walking quickly, while hoping to not injure him further. As soon as they get through the doors, they rush to the bathroom.
He places some towels on the sink counter and sets the ferret down, who seems barely conscious.
Jisung speed-dials Seungmin and waits for him to pick up as Minho performs immediate first aid, having been trained by Seungmin over the last few months. Jisung attempts to say the few Yartsian phrases he knows like good cat and hungry? Good Jisung have much food.
Minho reassures them in significantly better Yartsian while cleaning them up. Jisung sees how most of the blood is from their biceps where they pulled out their tracking chips. Before his very eyes, the two injured guys transform into their human forms and Minho applies the bandages.
“Hello?” Seungmin’s slightly intoxicated voice picks up on the other side.
Minho looks at the two strange shifters in their bathroom, smiles, and says, “Hi. We’re not gonna hurt you. You’re safe here.”
Notes:
Hyunin sequel? Idk if it's a sequel but their own separate backstory. I do have ideas for them and I've been indoctrinated into the hyunin cult but I don't know if I have enough confidence to write something other than Minsung without it containing one of the two. Minchan fic...when ;-;? It will be added to my list of things to possibly write.
Anyway the fic is done! Thank you for reading <3
Future works!!! Currently working on Jisung's Guide For Hopeless Romantics I have about two out of five chapters written so hoping that to be the next fic. I think I prefer posting when the fic is done just for my own sanity so might be another week or two before that gets posted. I've been trying to have longer chapters so you don't have to click through 15 chapters because that can be a pain even though it's easier for me to write and edit shorter ones. So I hope people like the change?
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