Chapter Text
Sieun had started feeding a cat.
It wasn't like it was a secret, he just didn't feel like telling anyone. Well, maybe it was a secret, or rather, information withheld for the sake of the personal enjoyment of doing something good for another living being, for a change.
He had found he one random afternoon, while returning from cram school. A small ball of fur, meowing as if his life depended on it, in an alley. Sieun had never had pets, and he hadn't even considered asking his parents because he knew what their response would be. If they couldn't even take care of their own child, how could they want another mouth to feed?
Sieun crouched near the cat, waiting for him to approach. What no one would suspect about someone like Sieun was that he loved animals, and learning about them. Especially considering the other species option was... humans.
Humans.
Simple, idiotic, with the intellectual capacity of an eraser, selfish. Humans.
Sieun detested the vast majority. There were exceptions, like Beomseok, Suho, Juntae, Baku, Hyuntak… Seongje.
No, not Seongje. Clearly, the face of his archenemy hadn't just crossed Sieun's mind as he analyzed the few specimens of the human species he would save from imminent extinction. No.
A soft tickle at his fingertips brought him out of his thoughts. The small animal had approached, curiously sniffing at his hands. He had just eaten a tuna kimbap after school. The cat was definitely hungry.
Sieun tried to pet him very slowly, continuing when he was sure the little creature wouldn't flee in terror. It was odd when another living being didn't look at him as if he was about to stick a pen between his eyebrows —though, in defense of the humans who did look at him like that, Sieun had a reputation, after all—
“I'm going to get you something to eat. Wait here, okay?” He wasn't sure he'd understood, so he ran to the nearest convenience store, hoping the little furry creature wouldn't disappear before he arrived.
Luckily for Sieun, the cat was still there when he returned. A small smile had unconsciously formed on his lips, something that would make Baku scream like crazy if he saw it.
Carefully, he arranged everything he'd bought on the floor in perfect order. Two bowls, one filled with water and the other with wet food. He hadn't had time to thoroughly study the perfect diet for a cat yet, so for tonight, that would have to be enough. The cat was definitely happy, and chewing was definitely not in the dictionary of that furball with legs.
Over the next few days, Sieun thoroughly informed himself of every single detail that anyone should know before adopting a cat. It wasn't as if he could do it himself, especially since he was living at his mother's house, at least with his father, it would have been easier to hide him.
He decided that feeding himself was dispensable, so he spent his entire monthly allowance on the essentials.
For starters, a good diet, not that junk from the convenience store —no disrespect—, a good dry food, with at least 30% protein and no flour or refined ingredients, and an excellent wet food, in case he didn't drink enough water.
Every morning, he would walk through the alley, give him a good portion of food, and take the bowl with him to avoid attracting other animals. He did exactly the same thing at night, taking advantage of the extra time he had from not having to go to school to spend more time with the little one.
Without realizing it, weeks went by with this routine. Sieun knew he would have to take him to the vet in the future, so, once again, his food money had to be saved for much more noble purposes than feeding himself —besides, stealing food from Baku was very satisfying—
Sieun had never been happier, or at least he hadn't been in a long time. His life the last two years had been absolutely crazy, and being this peaceful in that alley, away from the disdainful or needy looks he faced every day, was... Relaxing.
The happiness was so great that, for once in a long time, he had forgotten how messed up reality could be. Especially for someone like him.
We've taken your kitten. If you want him back, you know where to find us. Come alone and unarmed, or face the consequences.
Sieun angrily crumpled the paper in his hands. He knew that if that note was there, it was for one reason only, but he still couldn't help but desperately look in every corner of the alley. No sign. And Sieun was sure about who had done it.
Seongje was incredibly bored. Incredibly. Bored. And that didn't mean anything good for anyone.
It had been a while since he'd half-cut ties with the Union, but still, none of the idiots following Baekjin would even think of kicking him out of the garage where they did their motorcycle dealing, especially when he was taking a nap —instead of using them as personal punching bags—
What Seongje didn't expect was to wake up to screams, blows, and what was clearly a fight in the common area of the garage. On one hand, he was surprised, but on the other, the adrenaline rush of accidentally receiving a completely free pizza at your doorstep on a Saturday night when you don't have anything for dinner is indescribable.
He quickly put on his glasses, got up, and went outside, hoping to run into some idiot who'd decided it was a nice afternoon to die... not with the tip of a mechanical pencil breaking directly against one of his glasses lenses.
“What the f-?”
His body reacted before his head, ducking so he could punch his opponent in the stomach.
When his opponent retreated in pain, he could make out who it was. “…Newbie?”
It wasn't that he found strange that Yeon Sieun wanted to kill him and the entire Union, but he did find odd that he would suddenly attack, without —clearly— a plan and, above all, without his stupid gang of brats.
Strange or not, as I said, when you're offered a greasy delicacy for free, right under your nose, it's not polite to refuse. So, taking advantage of the fact that he was still hunched over from the punch, he put his hands on his shoulders with every intention of smashing his face in with a knee.
And so it was going to be, until some strange words stopped his movements in midair.
“Where's my cat?”
It was a whisper, practically imperceptible if it weren't for Seongje's senses being on full blast thanks to the adrenaline of the fight. Even if he understood the words, he still lacked the context. "Excuse me?"
Sieun was tired. He was tired all the time. He'd just knocked down four or five minions, taking his fair share, as always, in addition to the punch that still made his guts churn. He wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Where. Is. My. Cat?"
He chewed on each word before blurting it out, taking advantage of the taller man's confusion to free himself from his grasp. He hugged his waist and began pushing him until Seongje's back was pressed against the wall. Sieun raised the mechanical pencil again, this time aiming right for the opponent's carotid artery. He didn't want to waste any more time.
For his part, Seongje was... surprised, to say the least. The fact is, he didn't feel like fighting anymore, but he also didn't want to bleed to death with a mechanical pencil stuck in his windpipe, so he raised his hands in surrender and spoke with all the frankness he could muster —and it wasn't much, so let's hope Sieun wasn’t trigger-happy—.
“Look, I'm not understanding the context of all this at all,” he said, circling his finger from the —hopefully only— unconscious bodies around him, to the mechanical pencil at his neck. “But us- I don't have your cat.”
Sieun slightly loosened the fist holding the mechanical pencil. He didn't want to believe him, he really didn't, but something inside him told him that he was telling the truth. Something that, from the first moment they crossed paths in the museum bathroom, told him they were pretty similar, that despite how dangerous he seemed, Seongje was safe. That he could trust him.
And Seongje seemed to notice, perhaps because he, too, felt that curious connection between them. Maybe that was the reason he kept hanging around that seedy garage, because he knew that, with luck, at any moment, Sieun would appear, pen in one hand and murderous intent in the other.
“Besides, I would never hurt an animal, much less a cat. I have four.”
That was definitely something Sieun hadn't been expecting. Incredulous, he released his grip and took a couple of steps back. Seongje instinctively put a hand to his neck. It's not like he doesn't enjoy a little masochism now and then, but dinner beforehand would be nice.
“It's not that surprising. Do you think I'm a monster or something? They're rescues. I have pictures if you need proof.” Sieun didn't even have time to respond when the first photo of a tabby cat popped into his vision, followed by a photo of two small tortoiseshell cats, and finally, what looked like a tiny orange and white pig. "His previous owner was a very old lady who kept forgetting what she'd fed him, so she'd put more food. I've managed to get him to lose 4 kg in eight months. I don't even smoke inside the house because of some bullshit about grooming themselves could give them mouth cancer, so imagine how much I love them."
Photo after photo, Seongje kept showing him more and more images, like a father who's obsessed with his only daughter. Although in this case there were four of them, and they were very furry.
The problem is that all the adrenaline rush was descending for Sieun, so the stress, anger, worry, and the punches he'd just received —and dealt— began to weigh so heavily on him that he could do nothing but grab onto Seongje's arm. It was that or collapse, stupidly dramatic, to the ground.
"So... if you don't have it, who does?" He said in a small voice, silently thanking Seongje for the arm he put behind his back, helping him maintain his balance.
"I don't know, I don't think it's Baekjin's doing either. He's a jerk, but he has principles. And he's allergic to cats. When I want to piss him off, I rub my jacket in his face to make him shut up." The triumphant smile that graced Seongje's lips at that anecdote disappeared instantly when his eyes met Sieun's.
They radiated the purest, saddest concern.
Then Seongje did something he was terribly bad at: empathizing. He thought about how fucking crazy he'd be if some bastard dared to touch, even by mistake, a hair of one of his furry children—because yes, they were his children, he'd given birth to them, and that was that—.
“Who else hates you and is stupid enough to do something like that?”
Many could argue with the nature of Hyoman's ideas.
Normally, and by pure statistics, even the dumbest of human beings has a minimal percentage of good ideas throughout their lives.
Not Hyoman. No. Possibly his last good idea was taking his first breath at the moment of his birth. And considering how many people would think otherwise, maybe it wasn't his best idea either.
“Boss, Yeon Sieun is taking too long, maybe we should have signed the note,” one of his minions whispered, almost fearfully.
No one in that room, watching the leader of their group of vandals take an absurd number of photos of the cat they had just kidnapped, thought it was a good idea, but more out of habit than anything else, they followed their superior's orders.
"If he takes much longer, we're going to... kill the cat?" Everyone turned at once to look at the next minion who spoke, including Hyoman, who finally stopped with the photos.
"What do you think we are? Degenerates?" Hyoman clutched his chest in indignation. They were definitely a group of degenerates, but not that kind of degenerates. "He'll eventually put the pieces together and come, then we'll threaten to hurt the cat. Which we CLEARLY won't do, but Sieun doesn't know that. Then we'll make him do something horribly embarrassing, record it, and have a way to blackmail him. A perfect plan."
And maybe, maybe in a parallel world where they had signed that damn note, Sieun wouldn't have gone first to confront the Union, and therefore, the cat-loving Seongje wouldn't have appeared on the scene. Maybe in that world, this would be the second time Hyoman had a good idea.
But since life isn't that easy, the next image that flashed before his eyes is of a fist, fitting perfectly into his face. Right on the bridge of his nose. That's the real perfect.
Before he could react to the situation, Sieun had already scooped the cat up in his arms while Seongje unleashed the wrath of a thousand suns on Hyoman and his subordinates. The amount of blood that decorated that room when he was done would be considered a work of art, especially if you didn't notice the pile of semi-corpses in the middle.
“Okay, newbie, if you want to kill someone for touching your baby, I won't be the one to object. You can even use me as an alibi, though I warn you I won't be very credible in the eyes of the law.”
Sieun watched them for a few seconds, quickly turning his attention to Hyoman. Seongje had destroyed his nose, it was clearly crooked. He'd also split his lip, and he was absolutely certain that, given how hunched he was, one of his ribs hadn't survived.
Despite that image, something unknown was boiling inside him, something that invited him to take Seongje's words as a promise.
And for a split second, he was about to give in to that something, until he felt a slight tremor in his arms. The little ball of fur was shaking, probably terrified by the noises and the growing smell of blood that filled the room.
“I think he'd learned his lesson. Let's go.” He carefully wrapped his jacket around the kitten, providing a small cave where he would be protected and warm.
The walk to Seongje's apartment was silent. Not awkward, perhaps a little long since they both decided it was dangerous to ride a motorcycle without a proper carrier, but strangely relaxing.
"I haven't asked you yet. What's his name?" Seongje was the first to break the silence as they were taking the elevator to his flat.
Sieun stared at him for a few long seconds, until the sound of the door opening announced that they were on the right floor.
"Don't tell me... he doesn't have a name?" Seongje crossed his arms, staring at him in disbelief.
In the rush of the situation, Sieun had completely forgotten to tell him the story of how he'd met the cat, what he'd been doing these past few weeks, and how technically it wasn't... his cat. It wasn't like he wanted to share intimate details of his life with Seongje, but in a way, he owed it to him, right? So he rapidly explained.
When they entered Seongje's apartment, Sieun was surprised. It certainly didn't smell of cigarettes, plus it was quite tidy and completely overloaded with cat trees, toys, and more cat things.
On Seongje's advice, they both went into his room, closing the door behind them. Apparently, cats could be very territorial, and it wasn't a good idea to suddenly put them together.
"I'll get some food, water, and litter. He'll probably want to hide. If he goes under the bed or wherever, let him, it's fine as long as he's comfortable."
Sieun stared at him with excessive concentration, which Seongje didn't like at all. The funny thing was that, when it came to Sieun, it wasn't because of his three-second rule, it was simply that those chronically tired eyes made him nervous, and he couldn't explain why. "What are you looking at?" He said more forcefully than he intended, which didn't faze Sieun.
"Just... Thank you. For everything." Perhaps it was the extreme exhaustion from everything that had happened, or the inexplicable security that Seongje's presence exerted on his nervous system, but an inevitable smile formed on Sieun's lips after uttering those words.
And, for the first time in possibly his entire life, Keum Seongje was speechless. The image of Yeon Sieun smiling sincerely at him, while caressing a small kitten, wasn't in his bingo card.
When Seongje left the room, Sieun began to notice his surroundings a little more. He was in Seongje’s room, possibly the most private part of his home. A small tingle ran through his chest as he realized this fact.
The decor was dark and atmospheric, with warm lights and lots of photos of his cats. He was definitely right to leave his little furball with him.
So they had decided: Seongje would take care of the cat and Sieun could visit him whenever he wanted —twice a day, every day, he had already made clear—. He would take care of the cat's food, the vet checks, and any emergencies, which Sieun didn't mind, since it was basically mafia money, and it was better if it was used for good.
Seongje soon returned, opening and closing the door several times until everything they needed was inside. “You still have the dry food you were going to give him in your backpack, right?” Sieun nodded. He had read that you can't suddenly change their food or it might upset their stomach, so he assumed that was why. He nodded toward his backpack, inviting the taller to take whatever he needed.
While Seongje was preparing everything they needed, Sieun fixed his gaze on the small animal still hiding, curled up in his jacket. “Why haven't I named him yet?” He whispered, almost unconsciously.
Now that everything had calmed down and they were in a safe place, he couldn't help but think about it. All these weeks, he had simply called him a cat, or ball of fur, or little animal. But it had never crossed his mind to give him a real name. Maybe it was because of f-
“Fear, maybe, that he would leave or someone else would take him.” Sieun looked up, staring at Seongje, who had finished putting everything back and was looking at him with disdain. “I don’t know, all that sentimental garbage that oppresses this shitty society. What’s a name? You’ve cared for him, fed him, almost committed unforgivable crimes for that ball with legs, in my opinion, you’ve done everything you had to do.”
Perhaps it was because of the strange bond they’d formed over this whole experience, or because he’d never imagined Seongje acting like anything other than a garbage bag with glasses, but for some reason, his heart started beating faster than physiologically appropriate, and he could feel a slight blush warming his cheeks.
Luckily, Seongje didn’t seem to notice, as he was the one now staring at Sieun’s jacket. “Would it be okay if I took a look at him? After so many visits to the vet, I think I could more or less determine his current health.”
Sieun didn't have time to respond before Seongje knelt right in front of him, very slowly moving the fabric of his jacket, letting the cat sniff him, accepting as an invitation a gentle brush of whiskers with his fingertips.
Sieun basically didn't blink, his eyes observing with complete attention each and every one of Seongje's movements on the small animal.
How he checked his eyes, inside his ears, his paws, his claws, his abdomen, until he arrived at... "Newbie, I have some news for you." Concerned, Sieun snapped out of his trance and stared at him, waiting. "It's a girl!"
Sieun frowned at Seongje's mocking laughter. The truth was, it had never occurred to him to check something so basic, and like the name, he couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed.
"So we have a daughter." Seongje said, now leaning almost entirely on Sieun's thighs so he could better pet the little one.
"... we?"
"Of course, if I'm going to take care of her, it means I'm, at the very least, her stepfather." It was because of comments like this that Sieun was never entirely sure if everything Seongje said was a joke or if he just had a strange mind.
It fascinated him a little, honestly.
“…” Sieun bit his lip, unsure of how to respond. Continuing conversations wasn't his strong, especially when they weren't based on pre-selected answers.
“Ko.” Seongje broke the silence, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Sieun, for his part, was completely lost in the conversation. “Ko, should be her name. You know, I broke that bastard's nose to rescue her.”
Oh, the name. Seongje was joking —or at least that's what Sieun interpreted from the laughter that filled the room— but the truth was, he didn't think it was a bad name. His memory went straight to the first time he saw her in the alley, how the first thing she did was tickle him with the tip of her nose. Also, remembering Hyoman's potential fractured septum seemed strangely gratifying.
"Ko... I like it."
Now it was Seongje's heart that stopped for a millisecond. He had never imagined that such a soft and sweet tone of voice could come from Yeon I-am-going-to-impale-you-with-a-pen Sieun.
Besides, since when did he even notice anyone's tone of voice? He usually only picked up on babble and squeaky voices when he had to engage in conversations with other human beings. It must also be said, in defense of said human beings, that most of their interactions began with punches and kicks, so the squeaky voices made a lot of sense.
The fact is, he didn't like the atmosphere that had suddenly formed between them, so using the excuse of checking on his own children, he left the room, leaving a curious Sieun behind.
He showered his little ones with cuddles, repeating that even though they now had a new sister, he still loved them more than anything. He organized the house, checked that all the food and water bowls were clean and ready, cleaned the litter boxes, went out for a cigarette, and took a shower.
After an hour or so, he decided it was time to let go of the strange feeling that had been clouding his mind since he'd left the room, and slowly went back inside. "Newbie, do you want a ride home or something?" When he didn't get a response, he slowly approached the bed, discovering a very sleepy Sieun curled up with Ko. In his bed.
Suddenly, the connotations of the situation hit him like a punch to the pit of his stomach. Yeon Sieun was in his bed, possibly leaving his scent everywhere. Or worse, leaving him with Seongje's scent all over his body.
Okay, that train of thought had been strange, even for him. He had no choice but to wake him up and kick him out of his house —and his bed— as soon as possible.
And he was fully prepared to do so when Ko started purring in her sleep, and, perhaps under some kind of evil spell, he could swear Sieun started purring too.
After all, Seongje loved cats… How could he kick out the neediest and biggest cat he'd ever encountered?