Chapter Text
Chan was a simple man who did simple things. He wrote novels, he lived in a house that was too big for one person, he ate simple, healthy meals every day, he worked out (almost) every day, and he wore black every day. He didn’t take care of himself very well, but he took care of his friends and he was pretty sure that was more important. He met his deadlines, he listened to music while he worked, and he kept his house fairly clean. Chan didn’t date, despite his desire for a relationship, and he fairly consistently hung out with human and hybrid friends alike. He was happy with his life, even if some people would think that it was a little boring.
Maybe that was why, when he got a call from Minho in the middle of the day on a Tuesday in April, when he knew that Minho was working a full shift today, he scrambled to pick it up. Minho did not call Chan almost ever, despite their close friendship. He was just more of a texting sort of guy, so having him call? What the fuck could be going on?
“Minho? What’s going on?” Chan asked quickly, his eyes wide and nerves frayed.
“Ah, hey, Chan-hyung. It’s, um, kind of an emergency?” Minho said, his voice strained.
“Kind of an emergency?” Chan questioned.
“Yeah, I…” Chan could hear Minho swallow. “We have an Adoptable here, hyung.”
Chan relaxed slightly. Just an Adoptable? That wasn’t that big of a deal, that happened at least once a week, but usually more.
“Okay, and?” Chan pushed.
“I just- he needs to be fostered and I… I’m not allowed to since I’ve already adopted two hybrids and the law is so strict that you can’t have more than two, yeah? Or else I would take him in in a heartbeat, I just… Chan-hyung, he’s in a really bad way. Like, I don’t know if we’ll be able to get him a foster, and if we can’t get him a foster, since he’s an Adoptable, he won’t- they’ll put him down and I- I can’t let that happen,” Minho explained, sounding genuinely broken up at the end.
Chan was taken aback by this honesty, this pain that Minho felt. He worked as a hybrid psychologist at the Hybrid Intake Center, so he saw a lot of cases of hybrids in the system. True, he had only been at this job for a couple of years but he had still seen a lot during that time, since he worked in determining whether a hybrid was suitable for society or not. Chan had seen him take in the Adoptables who needed him most but he never spoke like this about an Adoptable before.
“I need to keep him close,” Minho explained. “I need- I need to make sure he’s safe. I can’t be the one to take him in. And I’d ask Jeongin-ah, but he took in that labrador hybrid just six months ago. I- I don’t know who else to turn to—he needs somebody who can work from home, he needs someone who will be kind and genuine, I need to be able to check on him, he’s just so scared and hurt, hyung, please, I’m begging you. I’m not going to lie and say that it’ll be easy, because it won’t, but I can’t let him die. I can’t.”
Chan sat in his office chair for a moment in silence. He had no plans to take in a hybrid, not now, not ever, and not a difficult one at that. There were plenty of people out there who could foster or adopt most hybrids that were labeled as “Adoptable.” However, Minho was not a man who asked for help easily. He was not a man who pushed Chan to do things he didn’t want to do very often. And Minho was a good man who cared deeply about hybrid issues. He also knew what Chan could and could not handle.
“I’ll come see him,” Chan finally said.
“Thank you, hyung, thank you so much,” Minho said, his voice shaking. “Seriously, I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t so important to me, yeah?”
“I understand,” Chan replied. “You need me to come now?”
“Please,” Minho pleaded.
“Okay, yeah, I’ll be there in, like, half an hour or so,” Chan said, standing up and stretching.
“Just let me know when,” Minho said.
Chan was, within five minutes, in his little black sedan, driving down to the Hybrid Intake Center. Hybrids who were given up for adoption, hybrids who had moved in from out of the country, and hybrids who had been forcibly bred in secret all needed to go through the Hybrid Intake Center. It was where Korea’s law system decided their fates. It was where they would find out whether they were considered Adoptable or Unadoptable.
Unadoptables were what most hybrids ended up being and what they wanted to be; after all, they were given full access to society. They could get driver’s licenses, they could work a full-time job, they were allowed to move into apartments and own land on their own, and they were just generally given the same rights as regular humans. That accounted for probably ninety-seven to ninety-nine percent of all hybrids; most were not considered an issue.
However, Adoptables were an entirely different issue. Adoptables could not be released into society without sufficient supervision, which meant they could not rent or own a home, they could not own a business or work more than twenty hours a week, and they could not get a driver’s license. They could vote and engage in whatever sorts of relationships they desired but they were treated as dependants.
Being an Adoptable usually meant that the hybrid had gone through some sort of intense trauma, whether for being a hybrid or some other reason. Things like intense abuse, disability, and other forms of deep trauma were generally the main root causes that a hybrid would be considered an Adoptable. That usually sent hybrids back into their more base, animal instincts, which were not approved of by most of society. It’s not that hybrids couldn’t give into their animal instincts, no, that was encouraged, but the intense fight or flight mixed with dangerous claws or teeth were dangerous. Adoptables could eventually become Unadoptables but it was rare for it to happen. Most of the time, they needed a human to cling to so they were able to exist without turning into some sort of fierce animal.
Minho worked with hybrid-specific issues as a psychologist and he worked at the intake center to help determine who was and wasn’t eligible to be Unadoptable. Hybrids that were deemed as Adoptables generally met two fates: going back to their country or being adopted by a kind-hearted human. However, if an Adoptable was dangerous enough, didn’t come from another country, and couldn’t find someone to adopt them within a specific set amount of time, they were put down. It was incredibly rare, with the last one happening over ten years ago. So, the fact that Minho was concerned that being put down might be an issue… Chan couldn’t let that happen either. He would figure it out more when he got there.
Chan pulled into the parking lot and watched for a moment as a happy-looking bear hybrid walked out, hand-in-hand with a human who was speaking animately to them. Chan let out a deep breath before he got out of the car and made his way into the office. It had some sort of scent neutralizer in it, which was probably a good idea since there were so many different hybrids that passed through. Chan walked up to the receptionist, who seemed to be some sort of lizard hybrid. Chan didn’t pretend to know what kind, he just knew that she was slightly scaly and tapping carefully on her computer. She looked up at him with blinking eyes.
“Hello, how can I help you today?” she questioned.
“I’m here to see Dr. Lee Minho,” Chan explained.
“Oh, yes, he’s expecting you. Do you know where his office is?” she asked.
“No, where is it?” Chan questioned.
“Okay, so you’re going to want to go to the second floor, it’s gonna be room 2204. That should be on the East side of the building, okay? It’s got vending machines about fifty feet from it,” she said.
“Got it,” Chan said with a nod.
It didn’t take long before Chan was in the elevator. He walked through the halls after the elevator opened, trying to find the correct place. It took him nearly ten minutes, but he eventually found Minho’s office. He knocked on the door and Minho called for Chan to come in. Chan entered and couldn’t help but notice the terrible “uplifting” cat posters on the wall. Minho was seated behind a desk, tapping away on his computer. Chan sat on the red, comfortable couch in front of him. On Minho’s desk, there were tiny, glass cat sculptures, barely bigger than the tip of your thumb. It was all very Minho.
“So,” Minho said, turning away slightly from his computer. “I’m going to help you with everything you need, but for now, I think I should start by talking to you about him, yeah?”
“Probably,” Chan said calmly.
Minho began reading off his computer, obviously having the file pulled up. “His name is Lee Yongbok Felix. He’s twenty-three years old, 161 cm, with bleach blond hair, blue eyes, and he’s a male omega. He’s a flame point Munchkin cat hybrid, and with the Munchkin cat hybrid species, you can expect possible health conditions like lordosis, pectus excavatum, and osteoarthritis. He’s actually quite tall for his breed, so he may not experience these issues as heavily as other members of his breed. He’s never engaged in any form of sexual intercourse but he did recently experience his first heat. Heats come every six months or so for cat hybrids but they can be more often. Still, I would not expect him to have another heat for around six months since all of the tests we’ve run so far indicate that his uterus is in perfect working condition.”
Minho cleared his throat, looking at Chan with some discomfort. “He was forcibly removed from his home and his owner was charged with hybrid abuse. He was purchased overseas, in Australia, when he was just a little kid. While his previous owner had paperwork that stated that Yongbok-ssi was an orphan that he was adopting, the agency that he came from has since been busted for illegal breeding, human trafficking, and kidnapping hybrids from their families. Still, if he had just been adopted from an agency he didn’t realize was crummy, Yongbok-ssi wouldn’t have had to have been removed. However, from internal logs that were taken from this place, not only was he well aware of the human trafficking aspects of this place, but that was why he chose them. He knew it was a shady place and… well…
“Yongbok-ssi was made to basically be a slave to this man from the time he was just eight years old. This man, who believed hybrids were beneath humans, would often beat Yongbok-ssi to the point where his bones broke. He wouldn’t feed him for days at a time, and he refused to allow him to use a regular toilet, instead forcing him to use a litter box and clean it himself, making him clean the floorboards with a toothbrush, just… the list of things is endless. When they found Yongbok-ssi, he was so terrified that he had to be sedated. Several of the people who were trying to help him are going to have scars from him. He bit, he clawed, he screamed. I’ve seen the police camera footage and he looked like he was terrified that he was going to be killed.
“He’s been staying here in the suites for long-term guests for about two weeks and I just… I gave my report to the uppers and they had that even though he was an Adoptable, they didn’t think he would be adopted. They said that it would be impossible to find a foster, let alone a home for him, since he would need to be sedated so often, especially in the beginning. He’s dangerous and I just… when I tried to talk to him to determine whether he was an Unadoptable or not in his bedroom, he was hiding under his bed. He wouldn’t even answer any of my questions for the first five sessions we had because he was so terrified.
“Chan-hyung, it’s a lot of work. I cannot lie to you about that. But if anyone’s soft-hearted enough to help him see the good in humans again, it’s you. Besides, with your background, he might not be as scared. He does better around hybrids,” Minho explained.
“I mean, I’m not a hybrid, though,” Chan said, squirming a little.
“I know, I know, but some hybrids say you smell like one, right? That might help soothe him a bit,” Minho said, wringing his hands together.
“Fair enough,” Chan said, shrugging a little. “So, I’ll need to sedate him? Will I need to do injections, or…?”
“Possibly,” Minho said, concerned. “He’s truly just scared, hyung. I can tell, he’s not- he’s not a bad kid. He’s just been so traumatized that he’s trying to defend himself. He’ll need help learning how to use a regular toilet again, you’ll have to work hard to help him eat properly, and he just… he needs a lot of help. I would take him in if I could, I really would, but I already have Jisung and Hyunjin, and Jeongin just got Seungmin… I promise I’ll help you in any way you need, okay? I’ll be there in any way I can.”
“Jeez…” Chan laughed anxiously. “I mean… I should probably meet him, first, right? Before I make any hard and fast decisions, yeah?”
“Yes, you’re right, you should,” Minho agreed, standing up immediately. “You need to be quiet when you’re in his room, okay? I don’t mean that you can’t talk, I mean that you just need to speak in a hushed tone. He’s very skittish and isn’t afraid to use his claws or teeth. Just stay on the other end of the room and you should be fine.”
Chan followed Minho out of his office up to the top floor, where the long-term residents stayed. This floor was filled with bedrooms that locked from the outside. They were all pretty bare, with little more than a bed, a phone to call the onboard nurses and psychologists, a wardrobe to keep their clothes in, and an en suite bathroom, which contained a toilet, a sink, a small shower, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a minuscule trash bin, and a mirror. The rooms didn’t even have a television, which Chan found kind of barbaric. He understood that a couple had been broken over the years but punishing the collective because of the few was incredibly cruel.
Minho stopped in front of one of the doors and knocked several times before he brought his badge to the lock. The light turned from red to green and Chan followed after Minho into the small bedroom. Chan tried not to wrinkle his nose too heavily as the smell of urine permeated his nostrils. The bed was a complete mess and the table had been knocked over. There was food that was largely untouched on the floor. The one thing that was missing, however, was Felix. Chan couldn’t see him anywhere in the room.
Minho squatted down and looked under the bed. “Hello, Yongbok-ssi. It’s just me, Dr. Lee. I brought with me a very nice man, his name is Bang Chan. He’s an Australian just like you, isn’t that neat? You can speak English with him if you want.”
Chan had never heard Minho’s voice be as soft and gentle as it was at that moment. He thought of Minho as a tsundere who acted a lot like a wild cat, so seeing him be so sweet was kind of weird. Minho grabbed Chan’s pant leg and gently tugged, indicating that he should squat down as well. Chan did so and took a deep breath as he got his first look at Felix.
Felix was skinny, impossibly skinny. His long, bleach-blond hair fell all over and his eyes were wide. His pupils were dilated, likely from fear, the cat ears that sat atop his ears were folded back against his head. His tail flicked this way and that. Chan could clearly see on his arms that there were a lot of fading bruises. He looked absolutely terrified and Chan’s heart broke. How could anyone make a hybrid that scared?
“Hello, Yongbok-ssi,” Chan said, his voice just over a whisper. “It’s nice to meet you, little one.”
“Chan-hyung is really great,” Minho continued. “Usually I like to tease him but I want to make sure you know that he’s a safe person. He wants to help you. He would never hurt you, okay? Never, not in a million years.”
“It’s true, I wouldn’t,” Chan agreed.
Felix let out a soft, warning yowl that said that if they got closer, he would attack. His eyes kept flickering between Chan and Minho, although they mostly stayed on Chan. It seemed as though, while he didn’t fully trust Minho, he certainly trusted him more than he trusted Chan. Chan didn’t know everything that Felix had been through, but he could certainly tell that Felix needed help, not to be put down. Chan just still wasn’t totally sure if he was the one who would be able to provide a home for Felix.
“Chan-hyung is a human, just like me,” Minho said. “I’m sure you can tell. He’s not a bad person, though, and he wouldn’t be a bad owner if he decides he wants to adopt you. I’m sure you’d get your own room where you could hide any time you needed to, he’d feed you some delicious food, better than the stuff here, and be kind to you and let you have fun, whatever kind of fun it is you want to have. Hyung, go ahead, introduce yourself a little.”
“Hi, Yongbok-ssi,” Chan said, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. “Ah, just like Minho said, I’m from Australia. I came here for college and ended up never leaving. I’m a writer, so I write lots of, like, fantasy-style books. I live in a house that’s too big for me, so I have plenty of room for you if we decide you want to live with me. I’d need to get a bed for you, but that’s okay, I don’t mind doing that.”
“Tell him about the things you like,” Minho encouraged.
“I like working out, I like writing, I like music, I like video games, I like eating meat… oh gosh, what else? I like anime,” Chan explained. “I didn’t mean to become an author, I just kind of stumbled into it. Like, I submitted a manuscript as a joke but then they actually wanted to publish my work, with some edits, obviously. Anyway, the point is, all I do most days is write books, so I could be there for you whenever you need it.
“I’ve never adopted a hybrid before, so I don’t think it would go perfectly, but I’d do my best to make you feel safe and loved. Minho was right, I- I can tell you’re not a bad person, just scared. I need a bit of time to make sure I’m be the right place for you but I’m willing to try to be the right human for you. Um, yeah, that’s about all I have to say, I guess.”
“Okay, Chan-hyung and I are going to go back to my office to talk. Is there anything you’d like to say, Yongbok-ssi?” Minho asked.
Felix’s eyes jumped from Chan to Minho and then back to Chan once more before he slowly shook his head. Chan hadn’t been sure that Felix understood anything he said because he made no attempts to move or recognize his words, but with that, Chan felt a little better. Regardless of whether Felix believed his words or not, he had heard and understood them.
Chan and Minho slowly stood up and exited the room, with Minho locking it behind them. Minho let out a deep breath before he said, “That went pretty well, I think.”
“You think so?” Chan asked, following him down the hallway.
“Yes, he was fairly responsive for having a stranger in the room,” Minho said as he walked toward the nearest elevator with Chan. “So, what do you think? Are you going to adopt him or not?”
Chan hesitated as they walked into the elevator, watching as Minho clicked the button back to the second floor. “I need time to decide.”
♡ ♡ ♡
The amount of time it took to decide was less than a full day. Chan couldn’t stop thinking about those wide, scared eyes. He couldn’t stop thinking about how soft his ears looked, how he deserved to be happy, and how Chan couldn’t let anything bad happen to him. He had been through enough trauma, Felix deserved some help. He deserved some warmth, some gentleness, some care. He did not deserve everything he had been through.
Chan informed Minho, who was more than excited about the fact that Felix would be living safely with Chan. Chan lived in a four-bedroom home, with two of the rooms being empty. Chan was planning on filling up the larger of the two with Felix’s things. Based on what Minho recommended, Chan got a dresser, a bed with a large space under it for Felix to hide in, and a mini fridge so that Felix would have access to drinks and food if he wanted to be alone. Chan knew that Felix could kind of read, although his education was severely lacking, so Chan got him some books that were aimed at elementary school students as well, so he would hopefully have something to do. He got him papers to draw or write on, some adult coloring books, and a couple of plush toys. A cat toy, a baby chick, and a wolf all sat on Felix’s new bed.
Chan, unfortunately, had to also place a lock on the bedroom door. While he had no plans of keeping Felix locked up he also knew that, according to Minho, because Felix had a violent past it would be necessary for Chan to be able to foster him. Chan wanted Felix to have a lock on his side, too, but Chan was scared that he would never see Felix again if he did that. As it was, he would just have to make it clear that he had no plans of invading Felix’s privacy as long as he could help it.
Once Chan had Felix’s bedroom set up, he grabbed his laptop and made his way to visit the Hybrid Intake Center. He was planning on applying to foster Felix. He was hopeful that it would be a foster-to-adopt situation, but Felix would have to agree to be adopted for that to happen. Chan needed to create a relationship between the two of them so he could take care of Felix.
Chan submitted an application to foster with the center, but it would be at least two weeks before they did their interview and took a look through his house to make sure everything was ship shape. So, he decided to do the only rational thing then; go visit Felix. He unfortunately had to have a security guard with him because of Felix’s past but he would hopefully be able to at least talk with Felix. Maybe get him to say a word or two, that would be nice. Chan wondered what his voice sounded like.
The security guard knocked several times before he opened up the door for Chan, allowing him to go in first. Chan entered and found the room in a similar state to the last time he had seen it, two days ago. However, his table was now standing up and the untouched food lay on top of it. Chan worried about whether or not Felix was eating enough. Instead of saying anything, he kept pretty far back and sat criss-cross with his back against the wall. He looked down, under the bed, and was met with a similar sight to before; Felix, afraid and crammed as far back as he could be.
“Hi, Yongbok-ssi. It’s me, Bang Chan. Do you remember me?” Chan asked, his voice kind and soft. Chan wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or not but he swore he saw the smallest nod from Felix. “I just wanted to come here and let you know that I’ve filled out an application to foster you. It’s gonna take some time, but I want to help you. I want to see what your smile looks like because I’m sure it’s so bright and wonderful. Not that you have to smile for me or anything—it would just be nice to see you happy is all.
“I live in a four-bedroom house. I bought it because I thought I’d get married sooner rather than later and wanted to be prepared to have kids, but that girl and I broke up a month after I moved in, so I just ended up with a big house and nobody to live in it. I think it would be nice to live with someone, even if you don’t come out of your room all that often. I mean, at least the rooms would be getting used, right? You don’t have to eat in front of me, either, and I’ll make you food. Whatever food you like, I’d be happy to try making it for you. I’m not the best chef in the world, but I’m pretty good.
“I’ve already bought some things for you and I’m hoping you’ll like them? Like, some stuffed animals and- oh! I haven’t bought any sheets for your mattress yet because I’m not sure what you would like. I was thinking of just having you tell me at some point your favorite color? Like, whenever you’re ready. I understand if it takes you a few more visits to feel comfortable talking to me. Minh- er, Dr. Lee, he told me it would take some time. I’m okay with waiting for a while. I want you to feel comfortable and safe with me, okay? It’s fine if it takes a while, I just want you to feel safe.
“I should probably tell you a little bit more about myself, right? So, uh, first of all, I grew up in Sydney, but I was born in Seoul. I went to a performing arts high school. I really wanted to write plays and become an actor at that age, I even did some commercials when I was younger. I have a younger brother and sister as well and my sister went to the same performing arts high school as I did. I ended up going to college in Korea and I did a bunch of writing because I decided that writing scripts suited me a lot more than being in the limelight. So I was writing a bunch and, during my last year in college, I got dared by one of my buddies, Changbin, to take one of the silly novels that I had been writing and submit it to some editors. He promised to buy me dinner if I submitted it to five publishers, so I agreed and submitted it.
“Anyway, that’s how I became an author. I really didn’t expect to make a ton of money from it but a book of mine went viral, and not in, like, a way where people were making fun of it, but more like people actually wanted to read it because they thought it was good? It was wild, I really was shocked. But, yeah, I’m now a best-selling novelist, I suppose, which feels really wrong to say because I don’t think I deserve it, I don’t think I deserve it at all, you know? But I guess if people are willing to buy it, what am I supposed to do? Tell them not to buy it? Either way, I make enough to buy a nice house. Like, not with outright cash or anything insane like that, but I make enough to get approved for a mortgage for a pretty big house is what I should say. Anyway, the point is, I’m not rich, but I’m well off. I make a fair bit of money, but I’m not a billionaire or anything.”
Chan was rambling at this point, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop. He wanted Felix to get used to him and his voice, so he kept talking about anything that came to mind. He was hopeful that Felix would relax around him sooner or later, but in the meantime, he needed to remember to bring some sort of drink with him for future discussions, because his throat was going to get dry with this much talking.
“Um, yeah, I, uh, I spend most of my days writing because I’m kind of a workaholic, so I’ll have plenty of time to be there for you, if you need me. Of course, that also means that I’m going to be holed up, so you can explore the house safely, too. I mean, you don’t have to, but if you want to, you can. I just- I wanna do whatever’s good for you, yeah? I don’t know why, I just- I tried to tell myself I wouldn’t immediately get attached but I did. I want to help you, you know? You look so scared and- and it’s not fair to not have anyone give you a chance. I heard that you hurt a lot of people but I don’t think you meant to. I mean, look at you, you’re just lying under the bed now. I’m not getting any closer to you and I’m respecting your boundaries and we’re getting along great.
“I- I’ve only ever had dogs and I’ve never had a hybrid before, so there is going to be a learning curve. But, I mean, I feel like if I just respect your boundaries, we’ll be okay? I’ve been around hybrids my whole life, so accommodating hybrids is not really an issue for me. Like, Changbin, that friend I mentioned earlier? He’s a rabbit hybrid and he’s one of my best friends. Plus, I have Dr. Lee on my side and he’s a hybrid psychologist and one of my good friends, so he’ll know how to help me, yeah? I wanna make sure you’re happy.
“Um, and see this laptop? It’s got all of my writing on it. So, I kind of was thinking, maybe I could just hang out here for a little bit, yeah? Maybe talk to you as I do some writing? Like, so you can get used to me being here and me talking and just me in general. We can take our time with this, I really don’t mind. So, uh, yeah, I’m gonna work a little and talk while I do.”
Chan let out a deep breath as he opened up his laptop. Felix’s expression hadn’t changed much during the time that Chan was talking, but Chan did notice that his hands that had been gripped into fists were now somewhat more relaxed. He was anxious, he didn’t trust Chan, he wasn’t ready to speak, but he wasn’t feeling as tense as when Chan first entered the room. Baby steps, baby steps.
The security guard eventually gave Chan his phone number and to call him if anything came up, but, at least according to him, it didn’t seem like Felix was too uncomfortable. He also advised Chan not to go any closer, which Chan was fine with. He would wait for Felix to come to him, hopefully sooner rather than later. Not that Chan wanted to push him to do anything he wasn’t ready to do, he just wanted Felix to feel safer sooner rather than later.
Chan typed away on his keyboard and spoke to Felix for just about two hours about everything and anything. He talked to him about his ex-girlfriend Sana, who he had been certain he was going to marry before she broke up with him, he talked to him about his dreams for the future, he talked to him about how he was planning on feeding Felix good food, and about his favorite music to listen to while he worked. He even ended up talking to him about the book he was writing, explaining vague plot points.
Chan would never go so far as to say that Felix relaxed during the two hours that Chan was there but he seemed to accept Chan’s presence eventually. His breathing became more even and, while his eyes remained distrustful and trained on Chan, they didn’t retain their wide, fearfulness. When Chan needed to head out to get some lunch, he wished Felix goodbye. Felix didn’t reply, just watching him go in silence. Chan felt like they got somewhere that day, though, even if it wasn’t as far as some folks would have wanted.
Chan made going to see Felix a habit. He tried to see him every day, even if it was only for half an hour. It was a long trip into the city but he needed to do it. He needed to gain Felix’s trust. And, while Felix was continuing to relax slightly with every visit, he still didn’t seem comfortable with Chan’s presence as they hit a full week of Chan coming over to visit him. Felix still hadn’t said a word to him, but Minho assured him that it was okay when Chan came to visit him.
“It took me more than a week to talk to him, too,” Minho said, sitting on his couch with a tired Jisung on his lap. “He’s not yowling at you or anything right?”
“He’s not,” Chan agreed. “He hasn’t growled at me or hissed at me.”
“Then you should be fine,” Minho said, nodding firmly as he pet Jisung’s hair decisively.
Jisung turned his head to look sleepily at Chan, his cheek squishing cutely against Minho’s shoulder. “Promise you’ll introduce him to me, Channie-hyung?”
“Yeah, of course, Sungie,” Chan easily agreed.
“Someone had a big day,” Minho said, patting Jisung’s bum.
“Why, what happened?” Chan questioned.
“Don’t tell him,” Jisung groaned.
“I won’t go into detail,” Minho assured him before looking at Chan. “He got scared that I might replace him again.”
“Oh, Jisung, we’d never replace you,” Chan reassured him.
“Who could replace you, anyway?” Hyunjin asked from where he sat on the floor, watching a video on his phone.
“I thought you would, Hyunjin,” Jisung mumbled, nuzzling into Minho’s neck.
Jisung and Hyunjin were Minho’s hybrids that he had adopted. They both had extreme difficulties with their instincts, with Jisung’s nature as a hamster hybrid making him too anxious to go outside very often. Hyunjin, a ferret hybrid, had been extremely bitey and often ran from humans. Both came from abusive homes, although of different kinds. Jisung came from a forced-breeding background and was eventually been abandoned by everyone he cared about, while Hyunjin was put into an abusive orphanage that turned him almost feral. Both of them were doing much better these days but they had plenty of off days still.
“I could never replace you, Jisung,” Minho said simply.
“You know, one of these days I’m going to be the one kicked out,” Hyunjin complained, frowning up at them. “You two might as well just make out at this point.”
“Shut up, Hyunjin,” Jisung grumbled, his voice muffled by Minho’s neck.
“You can just go live with Changbin,” Minho said snarkily.
Hyunjin jumped a little and looked back down at his phone, the back of his neck turning red. “Shut up, oh my god, I’m not going to ever live with that man.”
Chan smiled softly at that, amused. Hyunjin tried to deny that he was in love with Changbin even more than Jisung and Minho pretended that they weren’t in love. Chan hadn’t been in love in a long time, at least three years now. He had decided that maybe dating wasn’t for him for a while after what happened with Sana. It’s not even like they ended things on a sour note, she just realized that he couldn’t give her what she wanted. They were still friends. Hell, he texted her within the past week! So, no, they did not end things on a sour note. He just had been so certain that she would be the one that he didn’t want to deal with trying to find the supposed one again. He kind of fell out of love with the idea of being in love because of it.
Chan still wanted kids, though. Chan wanted lots of kids, which was a little embarrassing considering how few people wanted kids these days. But, if Chan had his choice, he would have at least four little tykes running around the house, perfect for picking up and kissing their squishy cheeks while they giggled. However, having kids as a single parent… well, it wasn’t something that would ever be easy. Maybe someday. In the meantime, as weird as it sounded, he liked the idea of having someone to take care of.
Felix was small, soft, and scared. He deserved to have someone love and dote on him like he deserved. Chan knew for a fact that Felix had worse things he hadn’t told Minho yet that the asshole who mistreated him before did. He spoke in quiet, tiny sentences with Minho, explaining just bits of what he had been through. According to Minho, he remained perched on his bed, huddled in the corner. If Minho tried to get any closer, Felix would hiss and then immediately look mortified by it. He knew he was a danger to those around him but he couldn’t stop himself.
It was a week and two days after Chan first met Felix when he first heard Felix speak. He had been talking about Felix’s room in a bit more detail, explaining everything he had bought for Felix, including the books. He mentioned that he still hadn’t grabbed sheets for Felix, stating that he wasn’t sure what kind to get him still. He wanted to buy some things for Felix when Felix was able to tell him what he liked.
“I need to be able to get you clothes, too…” Chan explained, his voice so soft and gentle as it always was when he was talking to Felix. “I don’t know what sort of clothes you like, so we can get you anything you want. I feel like you would look so cute in soft, fluffy kind of clothes, but, like, obviously we can get you whatever you want. I don’t exactly have the best fashion sense, after all, I’m somebody who just wears, like, black beanies, black hoodies, and black sweatpants, so, you know, not exactly the pinnacle of fashion… oh, it looks like it’s time to head out. So, um, I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah, little one?”
Chan quickly saved his document and closed his laptop, placing it in the backpack he used to transport his laptop and anything else he needed, which usually ended up being some tea or water. He was about ready to stand up and leave when he heard a hushed, surprisingly deep voice speak.
“I like blue,” Felix whispered.
Chan almost dropped everything he was carrying, he was so shocked at the words. He looked over at Felix, who was still lying under the bed. However, he was not squished up against the back wall anymore, looking to just be lying comfortably under. He still didn’t look totally comfortable, but his pupils weren’t so dilated as they usually were and he was certainly more relaxed than he had been when Chan met him a week ago.
Chan had to keep it cool, he couldn’t bounce with excitement or yell with shock, he needed to be cool for Felix. “L- like light blue or dark blue?”
“Light,” Felix murmured.
“O- okay, okay,” Chan said, breaking out in a wide grin while trying to keep calm. “I’ll get you light blue sheets, then. You got it.”
Chan didn’t end up grabbing lunch that day, instead immediately going to the store so he could get the nicest light blue sheets he could find. He washed the new sheets before sliding them on, humming happily as he worked. He couldn’t stop thinking about Felix’s voice, so rich, deep, and smooth. He had expected his voice to be very different somehow but it wasn’t an unwelcome surprise. No, just hearing Felix speak was enough to make him beam.
Chan had also noticed that Felix was eating a little bit more. The food that had been untouched when Chan first started coming a week ago was now being picked at. Not eaten in its entirety, but Felix was eating. Although Felix was clearly scared of Chan and everyone around him, Felix was making strides. Not huge strides, but he was taking baby steps forward to a future where he could be happy.
The next day, Chan came to visit Felix with a wide grin on his face. As he walked in, he drew in a quick breath as he saw that Felix was no longer under his bed, sitting in the back corner atop of his bed. In this lighting, Chan could see Felix much better; his hair was somewhat knotted, he was skinny, his bruises had all healed up, his lips were cracked and dried, and oh god, Felix had freckles. Felix was impossibly cute and tiny, someone that Chan wanted to just scoop up and protect. His wide blue eyes were still nervous, the pupils dilated. However, as of right now, he wasn’t hiding from Chan and he considered that a win.
“Hi, Yongbok-ssi,” Chan said, sitting down by the door, not wanting to come any closer than he needed to so that Felix would feel safe.
“Hi, Chan-ssi,” Felix whispered, hugging his knees.
“I got you the light blue sheets,” Chan said, giving Felix a sideways grin. “I hope you’ll like them, I got extremely soft bedsheets.”
Felix nodded slightly, still uncertain about Chan, which was fair enough. Felix had been through a lot. He had been beaten, starved, and possibly kidnapped. Chan didn’t know a lot about Felix’s family because Minho hadn’t gotten a lot out of Felix about what his family situation had been like back in Australia. Every time Minho brought it up, Felix clammed up and refused to speak. Chan could only hope that they were safe, they loved him, and they missed him.
“So, um, I know you have an English name as well. Do you prefer to be called Yongbok or Felix? Or, maybe, do you not have a preference?” Chan asked carefully.
Felix shifted slightly, staying quiet long enough that Chan almost thought that Felix wasn’t going to reply. “I… I don’t mind being called Yongbok but I miss Felix.”
“That’s fine. I can call you Felix-ssi if you want,” Chan offered.
Chan saw a brief moment of relief pass over Felix’s face. “Y- yeah, okay.”
“And, I mean, you don’t- you don’t have to, but my English name is Chris. You can call me Chan or Chris. My family mostly call me Chris but my friends mostly call me Chan. I don’t mind either way,” Chan explained.
Felix gave another quick nod, squeezing his legs closer to his chest. Chan could see the deep, dark circles under Felix’s eyes and the immense amount of pain that was reflected in them. However, there was something else there: curiosity. He was so much like a nervous animal, afraid but wanting to learn more about whatever was causing a commotion. Chan would do whatever he could to ensure that Felix could feel safe around him.
“You can talk however much you want or however little you want,” Chan said. “If you want, I can keep doing most all of the talking. Whatever you need, okay?”
Felix hesitated before he asked softly, “Why do you want to adopt me? Haven’t you heard? I’m dangerous.”
“I have heard,” Chan agreed. “And I know you can be dangerous if I don’t take care but I also believe you don’t want to be dangerous. You need your space respected because for so long it hasn’t been respected. I want to be someone safe for you. As long as we’re careful, I think we can make it work. And as for why I want to adopt you… Well, again, I don’t think you want to be dangerous. I think you want to feel safe and loved and happy. I don’t think you want to hurt anybody around you. I want to help you feel like you can be safe, you know? I want you to live in a world where you aren’t constantly scared.”
Felix swallowed heavily before he whispered, “But what do you get out of it?”
“I…” Chan’s mouth dried. “Honestly? I get to not be alone in my house. My friends–I have a lot of them, but I don’t have a ton of them that I hang out with super often. I- I bought this house with the intent that it would be filled with a partner and kids and that just didn’t happen. The house is too quiet with me by myself, yeah? I think, um, I think I need you, almost as much as you need me.”
Felix nodded uncertainly. “O… okay.”
“I just want to do whatever I can to help you be happy. I know you’ve been through a lot, so I’m not expecting perfection or anything. I just want you to have a safe place to go and for you to not have to worry about…” Chan trailed off.
Felix swallowed. “Me being put down?”
“Yeah,” Chan said softly.
“What if I attack you? Won’t you be angry?” Felix asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“No, I won’t get angry. I mean, I’ll probably be upset, but more because I did something that made you attack me. I didn’t respect your boundaries enough and that would be on me. I would never kick you out for you defending yourself, Felix,” Chan assured him.
“Mm,” was all Felix murmured in response.
“What are some things that make you uncomfortable?” Chan questioned. “So that I don’t do them.”
Felix hesitated, looking up at Chan with those big eyes that made Chan want to give him everything he owned. “Loud noises are scary. Sudden movements are scary. Touch is scary.”
Chan nodded quickly. “Yeah, I understand. I’ll be extra careful with those. What else?”
Felix nibbled on his bottom lip. “Humans… humans are scary. Especially human men.”
Chan smiled gently and nodded again. “Yeah, I understand. I’m probably pretty scary, right?”
“Yeah,” Felix whispered.
“That’s okay. We can work on it slowly,” Chan said, nodding quickly.
“You’re not as bad as some others,” Felix said, resting his chin on his knees as he hugged them to his chest. “You smell different.”
“I’ve been told that,” Chan said, giving Felix a half grin. “I’m glad I’m better than some others, at the very least.”
Chan and Felix talked for another two hours before Chan needed to go. Well, it was mostly Chan talking, but Felix would cautiously interject here and there or he would reply to one of Chan’s questions. Although they had taken big strides today, Felix was not ready to be fully open and Chan was fairly certain that he wouldn’t be fully open for a while. Chan was fine with that, he wanted Felix to be happy.
The next day, just before Chan was planning on driving over to see Felix, he got a call from the Hybrid Intake Center, informing him that they would be visiting sometime this week to see if he had a suitable living situation for a hybrid. His background check had already gone through, so they just needed to confirm that his place was liveable before they let him adopt Felix. Chan scheduled the soonest time they had, two days from then, so he could hopefully be walking out with Felix by Monday.
Chan talked with Felix a bit more that day. Felix was quiet, shy, and traumatized, but he was doing a great job with Chan’s questions. Chan was so proud of Felix and how well he was doing. If Chan hadn’t been certain before talking to Felix, he was sure now that Felix could get better with enough love, care, and therapy. And he knew just the therapist to take care of Felix.
“Sana-noona?” Chan said through the phone as he stirred his kimchi into his rice and chicken combination.
“Chan, what’s up? It’s been so long since we’ve talked on the phone,” she said. Chan could hear her smile.
“To be honest, I need some help,” Chan admitted, scratching the back of his head.
“Ohh, you’re coming to me for help, now?” she asked with a laugh.
“Yeah, I am,” Chan mumbled. “Don’t tease me about it, jeez…”
“Sorry, sorry. Of course I can help, what’s up?” she questioned.
“Well…” He took a deep breath. “It’s about Momo-sunbae.”
“You want to talk to me about my girlfriend?” she asked.
“She’s a therapist and a hybrid, yeah?” Chan queried.
“Oh, I mean, yes, she is. Why do you ask?” she asked.
“I have a possible patient for her. I’m, um, I’m taking on an Adoptable,” Chan explained.
“Oh my god, really? You are?” Sana exclaimed. “That’s so wonderful, Chan. I’ve always hated that you live in that big house all by yourself.”
“Well, whose fault is that?” Chan asked dryly.
It was mostly a joke, but there was a small part of Chan that still felt like, yes, it was her fault. He had worked through most of it in therapy and, while he could be friends with Sana, he couldn’t be close with her like he used to be. Getting too close to her reminded him he had wanted to fill up this house with their children. Still, he was much more okay with it than he had been that first year.
“I know,” she said mournfully. “I’m sorry, Chan.”
“It’s fine, we’re both over it,” Chan said with a shrug. “But, yeah, he absolutely needs therapy. He’s been through a helluva lot of abuse and trauma. And Momo-sunbae is a really good therapist who works with traumatic situations for hybrids, right?”
“Yes, she is, and I know she has room because she just moved offices and not all of her clients moved with her,” Sana replied, sounding thrilled. “I’m sure she’d love to help him and get to know him!”
Chan smiled softly as he picked at his rice. “Yeah, I’m sure she’d be great if she’s who you chose.”
“You know…” Sana sounded hesitant. “I’m sure she’d love you, too.”
“Noona…” Chan sighed.
“I’m just saying! I know that… I just miss you,” she confessed.
“I know, I know, Noona. It was just a hard breakup for me in particular,” Chan admitted. “And I’m better now, I’m completely over it, I promise, but… I mean, it’s not the best when you go down on one knee for someone with a nice ring and she says that she’s a lesbian.”
“I know,” Sana said, sighing. “I know, I should have told you the first instant I found out. I just didn’t want to break your heart but I ended up doing it anyway.”
“You did,” Chan said, not unkindly. “It’s okay, I just… I don’t want to intrude on the happy life you’ve created with Momo-sunbae, okay? I’m not saying we have to keep our distance forever, god no, I just… I don’t want to accidentally create any issues somehow. Because, I mean, we were serious and I don’t want Momo-sunbae to think that anything could start up again, because we both know it won’t. I’d rather have a partner before we become friends again.”
“Then you should hurry up and date!” she said with a huff.
Chan laughed and shook his head. While he wasn’t planning on dating anytime soon, if ever, he knew that Sana wanted him to. Sana had felt awful about breaking his heart and wanted him to remedy it by finding someone who would supposedly be perfect for him. Chan wasn’t interested in that right now; he was happy to have Felix in his life instead. He was lonely but he didn’t need romance.
“I will, I will, I’m just… I need to take care of Felix first,” Chan explained.
“Is that his name? The hybrid?” Sana asked curiously.
“Yes. He’s very skittish and has hurt people because of how scared he gets, so… I’m going to take some time to just get him used to the world again before I bring him to see Momo-sunbae if that’s okay,” Chan explained.
“I’m sure that will be fine,” Sana agreed. “What type of hybrid is he? Do you have the adoption on lockdown yet?”
“He’s, um, a Munchkin cat. He’s got a super fluffy tail and equally as fluffy ears. I don’t have the adoption on lockdown quite yet, but I’m fairly confident that because of his violent past, not many people are going to want to adopt him,” Chan admitted.
“You gonna be okay with a violent cat like that?” Sana asked, sounding concerned.
“Yes, I’m not worried about it,” Chan affirmed. “I mean, I may get some cuts here and there, but really, I’m not worried. He only attacks people because he’s scared of them. I want to show him that humans can be nice and they can love him properly.”
“Right,” Sana said, letting out a deep breath. “You’ve always been good about that sort of thing.”
“What, being nice to hybrids? I mean, it’s literally in my blood,” Chan joked.
“It sure is,” Sana agreed with a laugh.
The day after Chan’s call with Sana, the inspector came over to Chan’s apartment. Chan made sure to inform Felix that he would be late seeing him because he was going to be busy with the inspector. Felix understood, nodding with those big, adorable eyes. God, if Chan didn’t know about Felix’s violent tendencies, he would have a lot more trouble stopping himself from going up to Felix and just squeezing him like a stuffed toy. He had never met anyone quite as cute as Felix.
The inspector was a small woman with thick glasses and dark hair in a bob. She walked around the whole house, scrutinizing everything with care, especially the room that would hopefully become Felix’s room. She had a detailed file on Felix, so she knew what issues he would specifically have and what Chan would need to remedy them.
After asking some basic questions while they walked around the house, she and Chan sat down on his couch. She looked at him over her clipboard and said, “So, I think we ought to go over some things before we talk about my assessment.”
“Sure, sure, yeah, whatever you need,” Chan agreed, wiping his sweaty palms against his pants.
“First of all, I need to know your plans for psychological treatment for Lee Yongbok-ssi. He will need it for likely at least several years to come and, at least in the beginning, weekly appointments,” she explained.
“I understand. I’m more than willing to take him to those appointments and I’ve actually already reached out to a therapist to inquire about taking him in,” Chan explained.
The inspector nodded. “Good, good. Now, according to our records, he has never used a weapon and, according to the psychologist who evaluated him, he is very unlikely to use a weapon, especially since he has retractable claws and sharp canines. It is very likely that you will, at some point, be scratched or bitten. Do you understand that?”
“I do,” Chan agreed.
“No sexual abuse occurred from everything we’ve been able to gather, so there’s no need to worry too much about that. However, that being said, you should not approach him sexually or romantically should you experience those feelings toward him because of the amount of trauma he has been through. However, if he approaches you and you reciprocate, that’s not an issue. We’re mainly worried about restoring his faith in the system, so it could be dangerous to have you approach him,” she explained.
Chan’s cheeks were cherry red from those words. “Oh, I… I don’t plan on going after him.”
“I understand, but it’s important to note because many romantic relationships do come from this program,” she said, giving a knowing smile. “When you’re a human of a similar age to the hybrid you’re adopting, it can happen. Adopting a fully grown hybrid is nothing like adopting a child and we recognize that. Adopting an adult hybrid is supposed to create a safe place for the hybrid and sometimes that safety can morph into something else. You’re both adults, you can make decisions for yourselves for the most part, but if you do gain romantic feelings, keep them to yourself. If it gets back to the office that you coerced him into a relationship, it can be reason for them to take Lee Yongbok-ssi away.”
“I… yes, I get it, I see,” Chan said, clearing his throat and face warm from the idea of being romantically involved with Felix. Felix was five years younger than him and was in need of his help, not his dick.
“I would suggest you take your time with introducing him to technology, such as phones or computers. I saw that you have some educational books and those are great, I think you should get him more when he’s done with those. His previous home, as I’m sure you’re aware, did not give him an adequate education or let him out of the house. As such, he may be naive about many things. His intelligence level is normal, he just hasn’t been taught many things because of his prior abuse,” she continued to explain.
“That makes sense,” Chan agreed.
“Taking him into public is not recommended for the first couple of months. In fact, I’d wait at least three or four months and you need to go slowly. He’s going to be very scared of humans, so it’s for the best if you take your time introducing him to situations where there are many people around, whether they’re hybrids or humans,” she said.
“I get it, yeah,” Chan agreed.
“Now, do you have any experience with an estrous cycle?” the inspector asked.
“I- that’s heats, right?” Chan confirmed.
“Yes, it is,” she said.
“I mean, not with a lot when it comes to heats but I have a fair bit of experience with ruts?” Chan said, scratching the back of his head. “One of my friends has adopted a hamster hybrid and a ferret hybrid and they both go through heats, so I know about some things. Like, the hamster hybrid goes into heat every month, which is a ton for hybrids. I’ve been told Felix will go into heat every six months.”
“Yes, that seems correct based on my information,” she agreed. “Cat hybrids, when in preheat, will be irritable, will have cramps, and will be easier to sexually arouse. If you’re going off what heats are like via pornography, it’s very different from that. Heats tend to come and go in waves for about ninety percent of people, so that’s what I would expect from Lee Yongbok-ssi as well, not continuous sexual arousal.
“The point is, during that time, it’s very important that you give him the space he needs, you make sure he has an understanding of how to sexually take care of himself if you don’t want to do it, and if you’re not helping him through it, you do not enter his space without consent. Based on what we’ve gathered about him, he’s never been sexually active and most likely does not have a good sex education. He may not even know what sex is, so it’s very important that, before his next heat, you both sit down and talk about it so you can ensure that he’s taking care of himself properly.”
“Yes, of course,” Chan agreed, nodding. “Whatever he needs.”
“All right,” the inspector said, smiling at Chan. “I’m not someone who makes the final decision, I’m sure you’re aware of that, but based on everything you’ve told me today, I don’t think there’s any reason why you would be denied, Bang Chan-ssi. You’ll be informed of our final decision by Saturday and, if you’re approved, you’ll be expected to pick up Lee Yongbok-ssi within three days. So, if you have not picked him up by Tuesday at eight in the evening, you will no longer be allowed to adopt him.”
Chan felt his heart soar at the idea that he was probably going to be able to adopt Felix. “Yes, yes, I- I understand, thank you very much.”
The inspector left pretty quickly after that and Chan had lunch before he headed out to see Felix. He was so excited to see his kitty, especially since he was one step closer to being able to adopt Felix. He arrived with his laptop and a wide grin on his face. Felix was still sitting on his bed, pressed up against the back wall as closely as he could get, but his body language was a lot more open. He was only hugging one leg to his chest, the other splayed out in front of him. His pupils dilated upon seeing Chan and he tightened up a bit, but it was nothing like nearly two weeks ago when he had been hiding under the bed and he yowled at him.
“Hi, Felix,” Chan said, grinning as he took his usual seat on the floor. “I met the inspector today and I feel like it went very well. She told me that she didn’t see any reason why I would be denied, so I’m pretty excited. The latest I’ll be informed of when you can come home with me or not is Saturday so that’s, what? Three days from now? I guess the government works fast when it comes to this.”
Felix nibbled on his bottom lip and nodded. “So… You’re really going to adopt me? Even after everything? I mean, I- I’m still getting used to using a toilet, I’ve got so much trauma, and I might hurt you, and you still want me?”
Chan’s eyes softened. “Yeah, Felix. I still want you.”
“I just… I don’t understand,” Felix whispered.
“It’s okay. I just… I think you deserve a happy ending, Felix. After everything you’ve been through, it’s the least of which you deserve, to be honest. Anyway, I want to help you get to that point, okay?” Chan offered.
“Okay. Whatever you say,” Felix murmured, obviously not believing him.
“We can take our time. I’ll prove to you that I just want your happiness,” Chan said, giving a decisive nod.
Felix let Chan take control of the conversation, with Chan explaining a bit about the layout of his house and where Felix would end up having his bedroom. As Chan spoke, he couldn’t help but notice that Felix was squirming a little bit. It seemed as though he was thinking about something, something that he wanted to talk about. After finishing his explanation of his house, he decided to address it.
“Felix? Do you have something you want to say?” Chan asked.
Felix jolted a bit, his eyes wide before he relaxed a bit more again. “Um… Yes, but I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“That’s okay. You can talk to me about anything,” Chan encouraged him.
“It’s just… If I really am going to- to live with you… I feel like I should, ah… Be a bit more used to you? Physically?” Felix stammered out.
Chan blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Felix’s cheeks were a pretty shade of pink, the tan, freckled skin looking even sweeter than normal. “I mean, I just… We’ll be around each other a lot, right?”
“Right,” Chan agreed.
“So… I mean, um…” Felix looked down and Chan’s heart clenched in his chest; Felix was too cute. “Can I… can I sit next to you?”
Chan’s eyes widened significantly. Felix was feeling ready to come closer to Chan already? He wasn’t expecting this but he was really happy. Felix didn’t trust him, not really, but he wanted to. Honestly, after being made to be a slave for, what, fifteen years? Chan felt amazed that Felix would be willing to try to trust people after everything he had been through.
“Of course you can,” Chan agreed quickly.
“I… I don’t want you to touch me,” Felix said, looking up at Chan shyly.
“No, I completely understand, Felix. You can come sit by me. I’ll keep my hands up here, on my lap, where you can see them, okay?” Chan offered.
“Okay. Okay. I’m going to… to get up,” Felix said, looking at Chan with wide and terrified eyes.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Chan said.
“Can you… can you talk? While I do it?” Felix asked.
“Sure, sure, what do you want me to talk about?” Chan questioned.
“Anything, anything at all,” Felix whispered as he slowly lowered his leg so both legs were straight in front of him.
“Well, uh, I mean, I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m extremely excited to have you live with me. I know it could be dangerous but I think the first instant I saw you, I knew you deserved a happy ending. I could just tell that you needed help and based on how Minho was talking, you weren’t probably going to get it from most people. So, uh, really, it took me less than a day to figure out that I needed to be the one to help you. I still want to be that person who helps you, no matter what,” Chan explained.
As Chan spoke, Felix inched off his bed, slowly allowing his feet to hit the wooden floor. He took a deep breath and stood up, his tail flicking this way and that. Felix walked over to Chan slowly before he sat down nearly a meter away from Chan, his back up against the wall as well. Chan wanted to excitedly yell how proud he was of Felix but he managed to keep his composure. Felix did not need a human screaming at him right now, not in the least.
“Feeling okay?” Chan asked, looking at the young man with concern.
“No,” Felix whispered.
“Do you need to go back to the bed?” Chan asked. “I don’t wanna make you feel unsafe.”
“No, I…” Felix swallowed. “I just need a minute, I think. Um, do you… do you like video games?”
“Video games?” Chan was slightly taken aback but he was eager to answer. “Yeah, yeah, I like video games. I’ve got some at home, like, Pokemon games, Spiderman, and some other things. Why? Did you get to play video games at your last place?”
Felix quickly shook his head. “No. But I… I played games before. I- I want to play them again.”
“Sure, sure, I’d be happy to introduce you to some games. But we also need to make sure you’re learning about stuff that you missed out on while you weren’t at school, y’know?” Chan said.
“Yeah, no, I- I understand,” Felix agreed. “I just… I dunno. It’s hard to talk about.”
“We don’t have to talk about it if you aren’t ready,” Chan said mildly.
“Okay, yeah, uh… I’m not ready to talk about that, yet.”
Chan loved talking with Felix about anything and everything. He was so cute, Chan wanted to pinch his cheeks. And, now that Felix was more out and closer to him, Chan could clearly see the pale orange tips on his ears that were barely visible and the equally soft stripes on his tail. He had long, sharp canines and his eyes were a pale, almost icy blue. His freckles were so sweet, Chan kind of wanted to kiss them. He had always liked freckles.
Pretty quickly, Chan had to jolt himself out of that mindset. Felix didn’t need a boyfriend, he needed an adopter. Chan knew that the inspector told him that relationships were often formed from these situations but there was such a clear and strong power imbalance that Chan couldn’t fall for Felix. He wanted to guide Felix to happiness, not become the supposed happiness.
Chan thought that Felix was cute but who wouldn’t? He was so pretty, even despite his lack of eating and sleep. His blond hair fell to just above his shoulders, his lips were pouty and heart-shaped, and he was so small. He was skinny, yes, but he was also a good 10 centimeters shorter than Chan and Chan was not a tall man. Apparently that came from his breed; Munchkin cat hybrids were never taller than 165 centimeters, so he was actually quite tall for his type.
Chan also knew after some googling that Felix’s breed was rarer than rare; a flame point munchkin cat breed? Chan hadn’t heard how much Felix’s previous owner had paid for him but he knew it had to be a lot. Felix was gorgeous and could have entered beauty pageants if he wanted, but instead, he had been locked up in some rich guy’s house and forced into a life of servitude. It was unfair.
Chan would make sure that Felix got to know how beautiful and treasured he deserved to be. He was certain that there was a sweet, fun personality under all of the layers of distrust and nervousness. Hopefully one day, Chan would be able to help Felix find a partner that would love him just as much as he deserved.
Chan spent the next three days visiting Felix, writing his next novel, eating chicken with rice and kimchi, and then working out. It was on Saturday evening, when he was working out with Changbin that he started to get nervous that he hadn’t been contacted yet. Changbin was spotting him, watching as he did several reps.
“You’re distracted,” Changbin commented, his fluffy, black lop ears falling down to his broad shoulders.
“Yeah, I know,” Chan said, sighing as he put the barbell back in place with some effort. “They just- they haven’t contacted me, you know?”
“I know, you’ve been obsessed about this for a bit now,” Changbin said, looking amused.
“That’s because he needs help. He’s finally starting to get used to me, if I can’t be the one who helps him, I’m sure he’ll be crushed,” Chan said, sitting up with a frustrated noise.
“Hyung, you know you can’t control what you can’t control. He’ll be okay if they decide you’re too inexperienced to help him out. They’ll find someone,” Changbin encouraged him.
“I’m just- I’m worried. I’m concerned that once word gets out that there’s a Flame Point Munchkin cat hybrid, the wrong person will get him, you know? They’ll want him because of his rare and pretty coloring, not because they actually wanna take care of him and make him happy. I want him to be able to bloom into his true self, you know?” Chan said, looking up at Changbin with concern.
“I know, Chan-hyung,” Changbin agreed. “But there’s only so much that you can do, you know that, right?”
“I know,” Chan said, a little sullen as he looked down.
“Let’s go shower up, buddy,” Changbin said, patting Chan’s arm. “You’re not going to get any good work done while you’re so distracted.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Chan agreed with a breathy sigh.
As Chan showered, he thought about Felix, who was trying so hard to trust him. What if Chan couldn’t adopt him? Would he go to someone else? According to Felix, nobody else was visiting him as often as Chan, not even Minho. Chan wanted to bring Felix some sort of happiness, to make him feel safe and loved for possibly the first time ever. So, the concept that Felix could go to anybody else made him feel anxious. He just wanted Felix to be loved like he deserved.
After getting out of the shower and into the locker room, he tugged on his clothes, his hair curly from the moisture. He grabbed his phone as Changbin came out from the showers, a towel pulled around his waist. Chan opened up his email app, fully expecting nothing to happen except some email about an advertisement he forgot to unsubscribe from. However, his heart leaped into his throat as he saw an email with the subject, “Regarding Your Application to Adopt Lee Yongbok Felix.”
“Oh my god, they emailed me,” Chan hissed.
Changbin’s eyes widened and he smacked Chan’s arm. “Well?! What are you doing?! Open it!”
Chan opened the email, his heart pounding in his ears and his ability to breathe being severely impacted. His eyes ran over the text, the words jumbling together in his brain. He ended up having to reread the email several times over before he got the gist of it. He looked up at Changbin with wide eyes, his heart threatening to explode in his chest.
“Well?! Are you going to tell me or not?!” Changbin demanded loudly.
Chan broke out in a wide, joyful smile, his eyes disappearing into crescents. “Felix is coming home with me tomorrow.”
♡ ♡ ♡
Felix didn’t have a lot of things, which Chan already knew. He had a couple of pairs of pants, a few tee shirts, a pair of worn-out sneakers, and two pairs of socks. Chan was certain he would have to fix that soon, but for now, it was enough. Felix wore a thick, fabric mask to help stop him from biting anyone and he kept his arms folded. His retractable claws were kept out, regardless of whether he wanted them to be out or not. Chan didn’t ask.
As they were doing the outtake paperwork, which Felix needed to be there for, Felix kept as far away from the man who was helping Chan with the documents. Felix also made sure to keep Chan between them, knowing that Chan would protect him from the man if necessary. Well, that’s what Chan was hoping that Felix was thinking anyhow. He had no idea for sure.
Chan guided Felix out of the building and to the car. Chan had honestly kind of expected Felix to bolt from him the first instant he could, but instead, he simply kept about half a meter to a full meter distance between the two of them. Felix got in the back of the car, still too nervous to be that close to Chan. However, Felix didn’t know how to buckle himself in, so Chan had to get close anyway.
“You’re gonna be okay if I brush up against you a little bit?” Chan asked cautiously.
“I dunno, but I’ll try to be,” Felix whispered.
Chan took hold of the seatbelt, pulling it out slowly. Felix looked visibly nervous as Chan brought the buckle very slowly over Felix’s body. Chan’s hand brushed up against Felix’s hip as he brought the metal tongue down and over to the buckle. Felix jolted at the touch and let out a low, warning growl. Chan finished buckling him in and pulled away, letting out a deep breath.
“There we go. Got it,” Chan said with a sideways smile.
Felix relaxed and let out a soft sigh, looking disappointed. “I’m… I’m sorry.”
Chan blinked. “Sorry? For what?”
“I didn’t mean to growl,” Felix said in a small voice.
“Oh, Felix, no, you’re okay,” Chan said, happy to reassure him. “In fact, you did very well. You didn’t bite me or scratch me, that must have been difficult.”
Felix looked up at him with those wide eyes. “You’re not mad…?”
“How could I ever be mad at you, sweetheart?” Chan said, softly smiling. “Let me go get in the front.”
Chan gently closed the door for Felix before heading up to the front of the car. He got in and started the car. He set the music to some relaxing harp songs before he pulled out. Felix looked out the window and watched as the city slowly turned into apartment buildings, houses, and convenience stores. Chan chatted with him while he drove, explaining parts of the city and what certain brands were. Chan drove him up to his house, which wasn’t the largest in the neighborhood, but it was one of the largest.
Chan’s house was more modern, white, and built mostly like a square except for a terrace where one could go out to get some fresh air. Chan parked in front of it and got out. He walked over to Felix’s side of the car and explained how he could unbuckle himself. So, Felix did so and hesitantly trailed behind Chan as he walked him into Felix’s new home, carrying the small duffle bag of clothes that he had taken with him from the government building he had been living in for four weeks.
Chan entered the house and held the door open for Felix. Felix looked around with wide eyes, taking in his new home. Chan took off his shoes and Felix did the same, his anxiety on high. Chan had planned on showing Felix all around the house but seeing how scared Felix looked right now, he had to change his plans.
“I’m just gonna show you three rooms and then we’ll get you into your bedroom, okay?” Chan said, clasping his hands together nervously. “You can go into any room you want, of course, I just think these are the rooms that will be most helpful to you, okay?”
“Okay,” Felix said softly, his eyes wide.
Chan brought him upstairs, taking him to Chan’s room. Felix stayed close behind, closer than he had been at any time besides when Chan was buckling him in. He had wrapped his fluffy white and red tail around to his front and was stroking his slowly, softly. His eyes flitted all over the place, trying to memorize the layout of the house just in case he needed to be able to run away from anything.
“So, this is my room,” Chan explained as he opened the door, revealing the bedroom. The room had a couple of potted plants that he cared for lovingly, several bookcases that he kept filled with books that were not his own that he read before bed, and a queen-sized bed that took up too much space considering it was only one person using it. “I want you to know that, as long as you knock beforehand, you can come in anytime. I mean, unless I call out to give me a second because I’m getting changed or something, but if you have nightmares or if you need something, never be afraid to come in, okay? I’m happy to help you with whatever, even if it’s, like, that you broke something or made a mess.”
“Okay,” Felix whispered.
Chan brought him down the hallway slightly and opened another door, revealing a small room that had little more than a desk and laptop in it. “This is my office. This is where I write my books. If I am in here, which I usually am, unless you can hear me talking to someone, you can always come in to ask me about things or talk to me. I mean, I do need to get work done, but I am also a workaholic, so I’m actually, like, two books ahead of where I’m supposed to be when it comes to writing. So, like, come to me if you need me, got it?”
“I understand,” Felix agreed.
“Now… down here, at this end of the hallway…” Chan closed the door to the office and walked down to near the end of the hallway, opening up another door and revealing a bathroom, which included a shower that had a glass separator from the toilet and sink, an uncommon occurrence in a lot of Korean showers. “This is your bathroom. You still aren’t fully used to using the restroom, right?”
“I… I make mistakes,” Felix mumbled, looking down.
“That’s okay,” Chan said encouragingly. “You can use this bathroom anytime you want, okay? And it’s fine if you make mistakes, we can always clean it up later. Just try your best and we can go from there. I’ve already got some products in there, like shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and body wash, but if you need other things, we can get them later. You can shower whenever you want and however long you want, okay?”
Felix hesitated before he asked in a small voice, “Whenever I want…?”
“Yeah, like, every day, if you want. I mean, I wouldn’t recommend doing it more than once a day, but yeah, you can shower whenever you want,” Chan agreed.
“And, um… the heat… I should keep it cold, right?” Felix whispered.
Chan stared for a moment before he said, “I mean, if you want to take cold showers, you can, but I wouldn’t do that.”
Felix bounced nervously on his heels as he asked anxiously, “So can I… can I turn on the heat then? Take a warm shower, I mean?”
“Yes, Felix, of course you can take a warm shower,” Chan readily agreed. “I also have a bath that’s connected to my bedroom, so you can take a hot bath if you want, too. One with, like, bath bombs and scented oils and nice salts and bubbles if you want.”
Felix’s eyes widened significantly. “That’s… that’s allowed?”
“Yes, Felix, that’s allowed. I don’t think we should do it every day just because that’ll get super expensive super quick, but if you want to take a fluffy bath, like, once a week, then I don’t see anything wrong with that,” Chan said.
“O… okay,” Felix breathed out. “Okay, what’s next?”
Chan shut the door, smiling warmly at Felix. “Well, right across the hallway here is your bedroom.”
Chan opened the bedroom door, nervously smiling at his new roommate. Felix poked his head in and his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. It wasn’t like his bedroom was anything crazy, it just had a bed with blue sheets and blankets, a wardrobe, a mini fridge with water bottles and easy, healthy snacks in it, a small bookcase, a couple of plush toys, and a little seat. Chan figured they could decorate it properly once Felix was more settled in.
“You can go in,” Chan encouraged him.
Felix glanced at him with wide eyes before he hesitantly stepped into the bedroom, shifting the duffle bag slightly on his shoulder. He hesitantly glided his hand over the bed sheets, as though he were unsure whether they were real or not. Chan watched Felix nervously, hoping and praying that he would like his room.
“It’s blue,” Felix whispered.
Something about that statement really hit Chan; Felix probably hadn’t ever had sheets that were his favorite color because he was expected to be a servant. Felix had never had the option of picking out his sheets before and Chan–Chan was able to give him at least something similar. Something that he would like and enjoy.
“Yeah, it is. I told you I’d get you blue ones,” Chan said softly.
“I just… thank you. Is- is everything in here mine?” Felix asked, reaching over to stroke the ear of the cat plush toy.
“Yeah, of course. The plush toys are yours, the food and drinks in the fridge are yours, the books are yours, everything in here is yours,” Chan said, smiling nervously. “Is… it okay?”
Felix turned to look at Chan and, slowly but surely, a smile spread onto his face. It wasn’t the biggest smile, nor was it toothy, but it was beautiful. Chan felt his heart flutter in his chest as he saw Felix’s eyes turn into little crescents. Chan was once again taken aback by how gorgeous Felix was. He was at his most beautiful when he was smiling. It was almost like the sun was beaming out rays from his very being.
“This is the best room I’ve had in years. Thank you, Chan-ssi.”
Chan smiled widely, his heart once again fluttering in his chest. “Of course. Anything you need, okay? And remember, you can walk around anywhere in the house. I’d prefer if you didn’t go outside alone since I don’t want you getting lost, but if you just want to step into the yard, I don’t think you need me.”
“I’m allowed to go outside? Into the yard?” Felix asked, trying to hide his excitement.
“Yes, Felix, you can go in the yard. Just don’t walk down the street without me for now, okay?” Chan said.
“Y- yes, Chan-ssi, yes,” Felix agreed quickly.
“Um, but maybe for today we stay inside? Get you used to everything?” Chan offered.
“Yeah, I…” Felix nodded. “It’s a lot. I- I need to… to get my bedroom to smell like me. If- if that’s okay with you?”
“Of course, Felix,” Chan agreed. “Do you want me to leave you alone for now?”
Felix looked at Chan nervously as he took off the duffle bag and placed it onto his bed. “Is… is that okay?”
“Of course, Felix, of course,” Chan reassured him. “I’m planning on getting some writing done, but if I’m not in there or my bedroom, you can call out to me from wherever you’re at in the house and I’ll come running.”
“Okay,” Felix whispered. “Thank you, Chan-ssi…”
“Of course, Felix. And, um, if you want, you can speak casually with me. You can call me hyung and everything, okay?”
Felix’s eyes widened and he managed out, “I’m not ready, I don’t think.”
“That’s fine,” Chan agreed. “I just want to let you know, okay? Whenever you are ready, you can just call me hyung or, if you want to, we can drop the honorifics altogether. We’re both Australian, yeah? There’s no honorifics in English, so I don’t mind…”
Felix nodded quickly, swallowing heavily. “Oh… okay. I’ll… try to remember that. Thank you.”
“Anytime, Felix. Okay, I’ll leave you alone now. Do whatever you need to try to relax, okay? I’ll come up with lunch in, like, two hours, okay? In the meantime, do whatever you want, little one,” Chan said, nodding.
“Okay… thank you,” Felix said with a nod.
Chan gently closed the door on Felix before he let out a deep breath. It was official; Felix had moved in with him. Felix was his roommate and he was his adopted cat hybrid. He looked so nervous but he was trying, really trying. Chan wanted to believe that Felix would be happy with him but now that Felix was here, he wondered if he really would be. At the very least, he finally saw Felix smile. That had to be some sort of progress, right?
Chan walked into his office and opened up his laptop. However, as he opened his writing document, he paused. He couldn’t get the thought of Felix’s little smile out of his head. The young man looked so cute. Chan didn’t know if he was the perfect fit for Felix but he knew that Felix deserved happiness and he was going to do his best to provide that to Felix, no matter what it took.