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Chan's cottage had always been bigger than it needed to be. The kitchen and great chamber paralleled each other and down the hall were four bed chambers, only one larger than the rest with a bathroom accompanying it.
While Chan's big bed chamber had been decorated with furniture (and a dream catcher he made when he was child in hopes to please the dream god), the other three always sat empty. They lacked Chan's care and attention for there was no reason for them.
Chan only had the cottage thanks to his time at war. When asked what he'd like in return for his service, he asked for a homey cottage on the edges of the city with a garden of crops he could spend his time attending to.
Perhaps he had forgotten how he young he truly was when he asked for such a thing at nineteen. He had felt old from the traumas of war. He'd watched people die and children innate, women's bellies swell until they popped with bastards. In the five years he spent at war, he had witnessed many things that life gave and took. And it took a lot.
So Chan grew lonely. As he fetched water from the well up the hill from his home, he wondered silently what it would be like to take a wife. For her to bare his children and to grow a happy and healthy family. He wasn't all that enthralled to have a wife, but to have children of his own to raise and to cherish made a smile spread across his face.
Chan paused when he reached the well. He held the empty bucket in his hand that he had planned to switch with what should be a full one, but it seemed a cat had found it's way into the bucket in the wall.
A black cat stood on the stone of the well, it's fur clambering down to its skin with water. It shook itself, sitting down to lick itself clean of the well water it had took a swim in.
Chan let out an amused breath. He hadn't seen many cats, but enough to know to never approach to quick, or even at all if one could avoid it. Cats were creatures who took pride in having their own bubble of space. One couldn't force themself into the bubble, they'd only pop it. The cat was the only one that could open it up and let one in, and they would only do it willingly.
"You go a for a swim?" Chan took a small step forward. "I hope you don't get sick."
The cat stopped licking itself and paused to give Chan a stare. It's pupils thinned to slits in its green irises.
"Come on, kitty. I got crops to water and you're standing in front of the well." Chan took another small step forward.
When the cat only returned to licking itself clean, Chan let out a sigh. He supposed the crops could wait awhile longer. The sun wasn't going down any time soon, and he hadn't actually spoken to anyone besides some of the shop keepers in the market place once a week. Sure, maybe it was a cat he was speaking to, but a cat was better than no one. He sat down, legs crossed and the empty bucket by his side.
Chan held out his hand, rubbing his fingers togethers. He clicked his tongue, remembering how one of his former legions called a roaming cat in the foreign land. "Come on, kitty. I ain't gonna bite."
The cat paused again, this time choosing to stay in a sitting position on the stone wall of the well. It's ears flickered upon the noise, and it's tail swung back and forth with curiosity. It let out a small chirp as it lowered its head to attempt to meet Chan's eye level, though failing terribly.
A smile slipped onto Chan's lips. "Yeah, hi." He said, though he kept up with the movements of his fingers. "You like scratches, don't you? Come 'ere kitty."
The cat stuck its butt up, tail wavering with a small turn at its end. He watched Chan for a split second longer before jumping down to the grass.
It was careful when approaching Chan, sniffing the air with each step closer. It's tail slowly wagged side to side. Not a sign of happiness like a dog, he recalled his friend saying, but a sign of cautious focus, especially with the dipped head.
"Hi." Chan cooed as it grew closer. "You're such a pretty. . ." Chan dipped his head to the side to get a look at the sex. "Boy. Such a pretty boy." Chan found the cats eyes again, but he was solely focused on Chan's moving fingers.
Finally close enough to touch, Chan stopped moving his fingers and let the cat sniff. He didn't move, not until the cat made the first move he knew. He waited as the cat touched his wet nose to Chan's fingertips.
Then he took a few steps back. The cat let out a lewd meow before pouncing off into the bushes.
Chan let his hand fall into his lap with a disappointed sigh. He thought he was going to make friends with the cat, but was easily humbled with the cat's escape. He wondered what part of his scent had sent the creature running. Maybe he was looking for food and was disappointed to find nothing but the smell of human.
Chan climbed back to his feet and took the bucket back into his hands. He still had work to do.
—
Chan pulled another throned weed from his garden with a hiss. He let it fall to the dirt as he looked over his red palm. He really wished he had gloves, but all the ones he ever found never fit his hands quite right and he didn't enjoy having much on his hands anyway. It was just uncomfortable and he preferred without it. He would just suffer against the weeds that showed up every now and then.
Chan took the edge of the weed, a part that wasn't lined with thorns, and held it up. He began his way to the end of his garden, to the stone wall that surrounded it to keep pests like wild rabbits out. He didn't have carrots, but he heard cabbage was another snack the wild things would devour.
As Chan found his way to the basket by the stone fence full of weeds he had already pulled, his eyes fell upon a familiar cat sitting by the fence gate on top the stone. The black cat's tail swung side to side in a familiar fashion to the days before that he saw him.
"Hey, kitty." Chan greeted as he set the weed down. "Fancy seeing you here."
The cat let out a meow, longer than any of the other ones he heard, and a bit softer. Like he was giving his own greeting back at Chan.
Chan grabbed the basket with both hands and waddled over past where the cat sat to the gate. "Could use some hands, kitty." Chan joked as he messed with the lock to the gate. He attempted to flip it open, but with his hands full, he only seem to struggle.
The cat took a few steps closer and with a swing of his paw, opened up the gate.
Chan watched with silent shock as the gate creaked open. He had heard that cats were pretty intelligent creatures, but he hadn't expected for the cat to open up a gate for him—a gate meant for humans to use.
Chan turned to the cat. "You better not let any rabbits in with that trick, kitty." He warned before passing through and kicking the gate close behind him.
What a smart kitty.
—
Chan had seen a number of shrines dedicated to a number of gods within the city. Water fountains with a sculpture of the water goddess's human form, small stacks of stone with a small tomb for the death god, a totem of a sun for the sun god. The one Chan visited most often was within a district of orphanages. A sculpture of a cat looking up to the sky, candles that were only lit under the moonlight at its paws. The god of stealth and posterity. The god of children in the night. Protector of their innocent souls.
The cat was a symbol of this god. His human form could be found in books, and Chan had read a number of them. He had a cold exterior that any adult would find offensive, but a soft inside that any child could see with one glance. His elegance was always shown through his stories of him leading stray children to those he deemed worthy to protect them in their wake.
Chan visited the shrine once a week when the moon was shining. He felt lucky whenever he got to visit on a full moon. He always hoped this god would protect the children hiding away in the orphanages. He had been deemed unfit to take in any of them because of his mental condition. War was not easy on the mind and Chan had spent countless hours still awake in his bed when he should have been asleep. Insomniac, they called him.
Chan lit one of the candles carefully. The smallest one that would soon burn to nothing but wax. He blew out his tinderbox and set it aside. Pressing his palm together, he closed his eyes.
The feeling of fur against his side and elbow startled him out of his prayer. Turning with open eyes, he found the black cat purring up to his side. Then he sat with a small chirp as he looked up to Chan.
"Hi, kitty." Chan smiled. He let his hands fall to his lap. "Have you been following me?"
Chan hesitantly ran a hand over the cat's head, and he gratefully rubbed up against his hand, making sure to take Chan's palm all the way down to the base of his tail. Chan let a smile slip onto his face.
Chan looked back to the symbolic cat he knelt next to. "They say his name is Minho. Only children have ever had the pleasure of seeing him, and the adults that have always meet an untimely fate." He tilted his head. "I like to think he protected me at war. I was still a child after all."
The cat chirped again.
"It was two years ago, but still." Chan glanced down at the cat. He almost blended in with the night with his black fur, but it glistened under the moonlight. "I hope now that he protects the children here. I know I can't take any of them under my own wing, but I can pray they are protected elsewhere." Chan let out a sigh through his nose. "Though it would be great to have company. To have children to take care of—something other than my garden. To protect them from this diseased world."
The cat silently looked over the shrine himself. To Chan, it almost looked like he was pondering something. His ear twitched, then his other, then his skin crawled down his spine, then his ear twitched again.
"Do you think Minho would approve of me, kitty?" Chan smiled up at the moon.
Do you approve of me, Minho?
—
When Chan woke the next morning, he was sure he was dreaming.
A lady he remembered from back during the war times, a woman that had been taken slave from when they ransacked one of the villages, stood at his door with a baby in her arms. She was in tears, full on sobbing with the baby as she attempted to soothe him.
Chan looked her up and down with worry. He couldn't remember her name, but he remembered her face.
She sniffed. "Chan, right?" She said, leaning forward. "You were a legion years back."
Chan swallowed. "Yes. What's wrong? Do you need anything?"
"My baby. Take my baby."
Chan quickly took the child from her arms, hoping that would ease her emotions. He attempted to soothe the child himself with rocks and bounces.
The woman held her hands to her chest. "He's a bastard of the king, you must take him and raise him on your own, I beg you." She said. "If the queen finds out, you know how she is. How know how brutal she can be."
Yes, Chan knew. The queen would kill anyone who would dare cross her. She had to bare an heir, and even as a bastard that would leave this baby as the true heir. She would kill him in a heartbeat.
But why him? "Why me?"
"Because." She sniffed. "It sounds stupid, but I saw sign in the stars. It led me here, to you. I think the stars were right. I remember you always being kind to us ladies and our children. You never treated us poorly like the other men." She took a wavering step back. "His name is Hyunjin. Please take care of my son." She off before Chan could even think about saying no.
Chan stared out onto the path to his cottage with a crying baby screaming next to his ear. He stood in shock, unable to fathom how it had come to this.
Then Chan's eyes landed on the cat standing on the stone fence that followed the path to his cottage. His tail was wrapped around his paws as he watched Chan. One slow blink and suddenly Chan realized he had the trust of this cat.
Chan mustered up a smile to the cat. "Hey, kitty." He said, before shutting the door with his foot.
—
One, two, four, six. Within a span of four years Chan had six children, and a cat. He also had a cat that he continued to call kitty.
His oldest was Changbin. He ended up on his doorstep a year after he took in Hyunjin. He had explained that he ran from the orphanage and when he asked a random stranger in the night where to go, he said here. He was two at the time, and Chan wondered how he managed to make his way all the way to Chan's cottage on his own two little feet and managed to speak so much. He was six now.
Hyunjin was the second oldest, but he had him the longest. He turned out to be a very sensitive baby that freaked out over anything that he couldn't possibly like. Eggplant seemed to be the bane of his existence which was a problem for Chan because well, that was one of the few foods he had in his garden.
Then he managed to end up with twin boys. Two years into having just two, he suddenly had four. At two years old, he found the twins playing in mud at the edge of a pond near his cottage. He practically screamed at the sight of such young children hanging so close to a pool of water without any close supervision. Whoever their parents were did an awful job at keeping an eye on them and it was clearly better that he took them anyway. Jisung and Felix were at the ripe age of four now, screaming matches being their favorite game.
Seungmin was hardly much younger than the twins only by mere months, and found him that much later than them. He had found kitty sitting up in a tree and insisted on helping him down. Once Chan had assured him that kitty would be fine on his own (mainly afraid of any of the children touching the cat because he knew how cats could be when their space was invaded), he did himself a favor and just took Seungmin home with him. At four, he, thankfully, hated the twins screaming matches.
Jeongin he found two years after Seungmin. He was three and was actually found inside of Chan's garden. He was simply looking at the plants, but didn't dare put a finger on any of them. He only seemed fascinated by the green beauty. Chan watched him for a bit before the child caught sight of kitty and immediately went to make an attempt to pet him. He raced to pick up Jeongin before he got to touch the cat. Last thing he needed was any fits.
So now Chan had six children and a cat named kitty.
He believed the Minho had heard his prayers and brought stray children to his home for him to take care of. Minho approved of him.
"Ahhhh!"
Chan groaned as he heard Jisung's loud voice enter his ears. Not too long after his, Felix's came just a tad bit louder. Jeongin sat in his lap with a frown, and Seungmin stood by his side with a pout.
"Daddy, can't you tell them to stop? They're hurting my ears." Seungmin said as turned to Chan. He had one of Chan's big tomatoes in his hands, plucked just minutes ago.
They were positioned outside with a bucket of water to wash the veggies they had picked for tonight's dinner. He wasn't sure where his oldest two had ventured off to, but he trusted them enough to not go too far from the cottage without him. Jisung and Felix were somewhere inside, but he was sure their screaming match might come outside for him to decide.
And the name daddy was originally only Hyunjin. He was the only one who he had raised from his infant stage. Changbin picked up on it pretty quick, and since that's what the older two had called him everyone joined in on it. Not that he minded. He loved it.
"No, let them have their fun." Chan said. It was better they did it now than when it was bed time. That made him want to rip his ears out, and everyone along with it. It was bedtime for Christ's sake.
Seungmin wrinkled up his nose as he handed Chan his tomato. But his smile quickly returned to his face as a new idea popped into his head. "Can we go see the kitty shrine later, Daddy?"
Jeongin's face lit up at the mention of the shrine. He had only seen it once in the past two months he had been here and loved it. Chan had told them a few stories about the god, Minho, while they were there. He even sang the song that was often associated with him. Come Little Children, it was called.
Chan hummed in thought as he dumped the tomato into the bucket. He had already boiled this water so it was clean of germs. "Maybe. If all your brothers are awake enough by that time."
He visited the shrine less and less these days. He knew the children couldn't stay up too late, and he tried to get them in bed by the time the moon was out. Going to see the shrine meant they stayed up later and that meant they slept in. He needed all hands on deck as soon as possible in the morning and even these little people had little hands and slow brains, their help made a difference when it came to preparing breakfast and dinner for seven people (and one cat. Kitty was given a sliver of meat if Chan had enough left over).
Both boys gave their own shouts of excitement. Seungmin jumped up and down with his fists pumping in the air, doing a full circle. Jeongin attempted to copy him from his spot in Chan's lap, bouncing up and down between his legs, eyes fully on his brother. It was adorable how much he looked up to Seungmin.
"Daddy!" The cottage door swung open, Jisung stomping over with closed fists. Felix followed at his tail, nearly tripping over some of the stone sticking out of the path.
"What?" Chan looked over his shoulder as the twins came closer, both wearing looks of determination.
"Who can scream louder? Me or Felix? Ready?"
"No." Chan grabbed ahold of Jisung's wrist before the child could belt out one of his high pitched screams. "No more screaming. How about you go find Hyunjin and Changbin for me and meet me and your brothers in the kitchen? We need to start dinner if we're gonna go see the shrine tonight."
Jisung's eyes practically popped out of his head at the mention of the shrine. Felix's mouth fell agape with a small gasp, his own eyes sparkling with excitement. The two knew the shrine as the place to hear stories. They were always adamant on going to pray to the god. They were in full belief that he was protecting them, and Chan was glad for it. "Okay!" Jisung grabbed ahold of Felix's wrist and took off toward the back of the cottage where a rope swing was tied up on a tree. He wouldn't be surprised if that's where his oldest two were hiding out.
Chan put the last tomato in the basket before lifting Jeongin out of his lap and onto his feet. "Come on you two, let's bring all these goodies to the kitchen."
—
When they finally sat down for dinner, Chan heard a faint scratching on his door. He stood and opened the door to let kitty in. The cat quickly slid between the crack of the door and hid under the table at the children's feet.
The first time he had done this, Chan had a mini panic attack. While the cat may have trusted him, he didn't trust the cat. He continuously told the children to keep their feet up on their chairs and to not invite the cat over. But eventually he learned that kitty was simply picking up after the children when they dropped crumbs on the floor. Usually cabbage that they were trying to avoid eating.
Once they finished, Seungmin was quick to sprint towards the door—
Where kitty sat, cleaning himself.
Chan was quick to scoop Seungmin up into his arms before he could get close enough to even touch the cat. He was still paranoid of the children crossing his boundaries without even knowing where they laid.
"Okay." Chan turned on his heel. "Seungmin, you need shoes on before we go anywhere, okay?" He set the toddler back down on his feet and gestured toward his room down the hall. "Go get shoes. Everyone else too once you've finished your food."
Once every gave a collective 'okay!', he turned back to kitty sitting by the door. He held Chan's eyes when he turned back around, tail sitting gently around his feet.
Chan sat himself on the floor a few feet away from the cat. He wasn't sure why he ended up sticking around—it wasn't like Chan fed him every day. But then again, kitty did leave quite often too. Chan could count days where he didn't see the cat, only for him to return in the end. He must have had other humans he tended to visit for food and attention.
Chan leaned his cheek against his fist. "You guarding the door or what?"
Kitty chirped as he stood. He stalked over to Chan with his tail held high, a bend at the tip. He rubbed his cheek up against Chan's knee with a purr.
Chan smiled and leaned off his hand to reach out and stroke the black fur. "Are you gonna come with us to the shrine? You seem to be there every time we go. I don't think I've ever visited without you there since the night before I got Hyunjin."
"Daddy, why are you talking to the cat again?" Felix's voice boomed from across the hall.
Chan glanced back to see half of his children had their shoes on and were ready to go. Jeongin, Seungmin, and Felix all collectively standing in the middle of the hall with their hands intertwined. Jisung was barely scuttling past with cheeks puffed full of food into the hallway behind them.
"Because he's my friend." Chan said. It felt true. The only other person he ever spoke to on a day to day basis were his own children. While he loved them all dearly and couldn't be any more grateful for them, he couldn't just talk about his concerns to them. Even though kitty wouldn't ever respond in words, he was his friend in his own way.
Hyunjin and Changbin appeared behind the younger children, Hyunjin somehow towering over all of them at only five years old. It must have been in his genes—the king was quite lengthy. Not that Hyunjin knew that of course. Chan vowed to never let him know of his origin until he was sure the boy wouldn't do anything to try and pursue that part of his heritage. Especially with the heir finally being born, Hyunjin was a major threat to them and it was best he stayed hidden.
Once Jisung appeared with a big grin and shoes on his feet, they left the house.
Chan held Jeongin and Seungmin's hands and his twins held onto theirs. Hyunjin and Changbin skipped ahead of them some feet, but never too far out of reach from Chan. He had made it pretty clear since their family started growing that if they ever left the house they could not wonder off.
Chan only took them out at this time anyway, or out of sight of the orphanages. They had deemed him unfit years ago and if they found he was raising children on his own without a wife to accompany him, he wasn't sure if they'd take them away from him or not. He only felt trusted by Minho and didn't dare let anyone get the chance to do so. He held them all so dearly to his heart that if anything were to happen, it'd shatter him.
Finally, they grew closer to the shrine. Everyone's voices grew quiet as the shrine came into view, only Jeongin's excited squeals that he could barely keep in being heard over their footsteps. "You must be quiet", he told the children during their first visit, "because Minho can only protect you from so much". He didn't want to risk any of the orphanage directors coming out to investigate the sound of children so late at night.
They gathered around the cat statue. Jeongin took his designated seat in Chan's lap while Jisung leaned onto his thigh. Felix and Hyunjin had a habit of cuddling during times like these, Felix climbing into the older's lap who took pride in caring for his younger brothers. Changbin sat close with Seungmin in his own lap.
Chan lit one of the new candles that had been placed. While normally he would pray on his knees, he didn't dare move Jeongin from his spot on his lap. He silently placed his hands together, his children following his lead, closed his eyes, and began to pray.
Chan prayed for the protection of his children. In times of when he wouldn't be able to, he hoped that Minho would keep an eye on them always. To watch over them when they grew. To keep Changbin out of trouble, to keep Hyunjin grounded, to keep the twins close forever, to keep Seungmin humble, and to keep Jeongin smiling.
Seungmin reached over and patted Chan's thigh. "Stories now?" He whispered.
Chan flashed him a smile. He kept his voice low as he spoke. "Stories now."
All of the kids eyes fell on him with excitement. They turned and waited, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Tonight I'll tell you about one of his stories with a demigod named Yeosang." Chan shifted in his spot in the dirt, attempting to make himself comfortable enough to tell the story properly.
He had read this story a thousand times over. A child thrown into the clutches of war, only to be dragged back out by Minho. He fought with his own kin, another god, in order to protect him.
"Hongjoong, he'd say. You can't throw a child into war. Even if you believe he will not die with his talents, he will suffer." Chan said. "But Hongjoong was a hefty god with lots of stubbornness. He would not let Minho win this fight so easily. So he pressed Yeosang to come back to war with a trick."
Chan paused as his eyes landed on kitty sitting on the other side of the statue, tail twitching as he listened intently. It was endearing that cat wanted to listen to the story too.
"He sent a messenger to do his bidding and to give Yeosang a letter that said many of their people were dying since he left. He used Yeosang's own gentle heart against him to lure him back. And Yeosang fell for it. He sailed back to war with the northern fleet. There he found he was tricked, and it didn't take long for him to find out it was his father who had done the bidding. Angry, he began attacking his own allies. I will not be tricked, he said. Trick me again, and I will do more than sabotage the side you root for."
Jeongin slapped his hands over his mouth with a light gasp. He scrunched up into a ball to reveal his surprise. It was so adorable that Chan had to fight the urge to chuckle at him.
"Minho appeared deep in the night when Yeosang left to relieve himself. He told him, you can go home. Do not come back, even if they ask you to. You are a child, not a warrior. Go home. I will not let him strike you down for this. And Yeosang went home, and as promised, Minho kept Hongjoong at bay from Yeosang until the war came to an end."
Kitty chirped from behind the statue, seemingly approving of Chan's story.
"Okay." Chan lifted Jeongin up as he stood and settled him on his hip. The youngest laid his head down on Chan's shoulder, becoming drowsy from staying up so late. "Time to go. Hands." Chan took Seungmin's hand in his free one, and eventually everyone was holding on like a train.
Kitty bounded after them on the heels of Chan's feet on the opposite side the children were walking. He gave a meow that faded into a fond purr as he looked up at Chan.
Chan flashed the cat a smile.
When they reached the cottage, Chan watched kitty bound off into the bushes. He watched the feline for a moment before ushering his children inside for bedtime.
Bedtime was always easier when they visited the shrine. They were more willing to get in bed with their droopy eyes, reminded of Minho's tales and protection. He tucked the younger two into bed first, then the twins, then his oldest. He made sure their lanterns were blown out and they all got a kiss goodnight before retreating to his own room.
But Chan couldn't sleep.
He tried at first. He tucked himself under his sheets and attempted to fall asleep, but his brain kept going and his body ached to move. A reminder of his times at war. Stay alert, never let your guard down.
Out of frustration, Chan sat up on the edge of his bed and stared out his window. Little lightning bugs flew around the trees and bushes hiding away his house on the outskirts of the woods, lighting up their paths. Every now and then he'd see a bird passing by in a quick attempt to get home late.
Chan jumped when kitty landed on the windowsill on the outside the glass. He pressed a paw to the window with a meow.
Chan let out a breath of relief to know it was only the cat. He stood and pulled open the window. Kitty slipped in and jumped to the floor before Chan shut it close again. He sat back down on the bed and was swiftly accompanied by the black cat.
"Hi, kitty." Chan ran a hand down kitty's back as nuzzled down by his side. "Did you go eat? Is that why you left?"
Kitty chirped in response as he purred against Chan's palm.
"I wonder who feeds you. Or maybe you hunt—lots of cats hunt and you seem capable." Chan chuckled to himself.
His eyes drifted to the window again. The lightnings bugs still flew, the trees still stood, and a knight marched down the stone path.
Chan's face fell. A knight? Here? So late at night, too. What business could he possibly have here?
Chan stood up from his bed and made his to the front door. Kitty followed after him by his heels, making little chirping noises after every few steps. He was probably asking for more attention or hoping Chan was going to the kitchen give him a treat. But he sat at Chan's feet when he opened the door.
The knight slowly lowered the hand that was getting ready to knock. He cleared his throat as he stood up straight, some of the armor knocking together to stir up some noise. "Am I speaking to Bang Chan?"
Chan made sure his door was pretty much closed. "You are."
"Sorry to visit so late at night. I would've been here earlier if I had known anyone lived all the way out of here. I'm here by order of the queen. She's looking for a child." He fumbled with a piece of parchment from his small bag around his waist, hanging slightly behind him. He held up it up to reveal a child that closely resembled the king, which made Chan feel a bit relieved to know they either didn't know of Hyunjin's existence yet or just simply didn't know what he looked like. "This is the child. We have reason to believe his name is Hyunjin and should be at the age of five now."
Shit.
Chan pretended look over the parchment with a scratch of his neck. Kitty let out an aggressive yowl by his feet, which he was quick to push him back behind the door with his foot. "I can't say I've seen him, sir. What's the Queen's business with this child may I ask?"
The knight rolled up the parchment. "That is confidential information. Please let the crown know if you've seen or heard anything." He gave a ninety-degree bow before turning on his heel and heading off into the dark.
Chan closed the door with a sigh. He looked down at kitty with his hands on his hips. He gave him the same look he gave his children when they off and did something bad. It wasn't serious, but it always looked serious enough to make his children feel guilty. "Why would you do that? Trying to make me look bad?"
Kitty's eyes grew wide, sparkling brightly up at Chan with a tilt of his head. It was hard to stay angry at him when he looked like that. He let his arms drop to his side and gave kitty a pat on the head. "You're too cute for your own good."
Chan ventured back to his room and laid down in his bed. He wasn't going to sleep any time soon, that was for sure. He wouldn't be able to get Hyunjin out of his mind.
Kitty had jumped up to cuddle up next to him, but Chan was already walking across the hall to check up on Hyunjin. He was feeling paranoid. If the crown got ahold of him, he wouldn't live to see another day. But to Chan's assurance, he was safely tucked in his bed, fast asleep.
Chan laid back down in bed with a soft breath. He closed his eyes, deciding he'd have to try again at some point. He had to try to sleep if he was going to wake up on time tomorrow.
Chan jumped for the second time that night when kitty chose his chest as his sleeping spot for the night. He specifically laid right against Chan's chin on his neck. It was like a warm hug from a cat. He even gave a sand-paper lick on the stubble of his chin before laying his head down on his chest.
For once, Chan fell asleep relatively quickly.
—
"Daddy!"
Chan flung himself out of the bed, missing his footing and slipping to the floor. His sheets came with him, piling on top of him before he could even register anything going on around him.
With a groan, he heard a couple of giggles from behind him. Looking back, Jisung stood the closest with a torn plushie in his arms. His brothers stood behind him, all watching with their own laughs.
Chan reached up and grabbed the clock sitting on his nightstand. He frowned when he realized he had slept in an hour longer than usual. He placed it back up with a sigh as he got to his knees.
Felix stepped over the sheets and put a hand on Chan's shoulder. "Are you okay, Daddy?"
"Huh?" Chan turned to find Felix's eyes pretty glassy as he looked over him. "Oh, yeah. Daddy's okay. You lot just startled me."
Now that he was awake, he realized kitty wasn't with him. He quickly checked under the bed, but it was empty besides the small chest tucked underneath. He looked back at his children, but he didn't see him hiding behind them either.
Chan stood and gathered up his sheets. "Have any of you seen kitty?"
"No." Felix shook his head.
"Was he in here?" Changbin said, tilting his head.
"Yeah, he fell asleep with me." Chan rubbed the back of his head as he looked over his bed again. It seemed the cat must have found a new place to sleep in the middle of the night. Somewhere in the house, he presumed. There wasn't anyway for him to get out without someone helping him.
Chan decided to brush it off. He had to think of a quick breakfast to make up for lost time. Good thing he still visited the market when he could. "Who wants eggs for breakfast?"
—
Chan did his best to make up for the lost time that he missed this morning. He rushed breakfast and made sure his kids ate before heading to the garden, only to realize that he still hadn't gotten a new bucket of water for the day.
Chan grabbed the empty bucket and signaled for his children to stay put and continue plucking what they needed for lunch.
As he walked back up the hill, a familiar creature came into view. It was kitty, sitting on the edge of the well like the very first time he met him five years ago. Except this time he wasn't dripping in water. His fur still glistened clean under the spring sun.
But, how did he get out here? Last Chan recalled, no one had let him out of the house and all the windows had been shut. He was sure the cat had been locked in asleep somewhere in the cottage. Unless he had somehow opened the door—he was a pretty intelligent cat.
"Hey, kitty." Chan greeted as he walked up to the well. "How'd you get out, huh?"
Kitty chirped as he knocked his head against Chan's arm, looking for attention.
"Yes, hi." Chan smiled. "Now, do you mind? I have to get some fresh water and get back to the kids."
Kitty chirped once more before hopping off the stone and onto the grass below. He sat next to Chan's feet as he retrieved the other bucket from inside the well.
Once Chan switched the buckets, he carried it down the hill behind kitty's frolicking. He chuckled at the cat's kitten antics and began to wonder just how old the cat was. He couldn't be older than ten, but no younger four. He seemed to be at that middle age where he still had lots of play in him but could still relax and be mature.
When Chan reached the front of his cottage, Changbin was already heaving a cloth full of tomatoes out of the garden, Seungmin on his heels in an attempt to steel one or two from the makeshift bag.
"Seungmin, stop it!" Changbin jerked the cloth away. "We have to clean them before we eat them."
"Changbin's right." Chan set the bucket down. "Go and help out your brothers with the cabbage, Seungmin. I'll make kimchi tonight."
Seungmin's face lit up before he spun on his heel back towards the garden.
Chan turned back to Changbin, sitting down next to his oldest. He gestured for the boy to go ahead and start, planning to observe him as he went. He wanted to make sure he was doing it correctly and washing them properly. It would be nice to have more than just his hands working to do it correctly. He was always taking what his children did and doing it over again, and while their help was appreciated and did help smooth things over, he was still practically working alone to make lunch and dinner for seven.
"Kitty!"
Chan's head snapped to see his two youngest huddled around the black cat. He almost shit his pants seeing them so close to the cat. He had being doing so well at keeping them at bay, afraid of the boundaries being overstepped.
But kitty sat and let the two children pet him, even though Jeongin was practically pushing his head down and pulling his eyes back with each stroke. He let out a small meow when Chan turned to look at him, but he didn't move and let them do as they pleased.
Chan rushed over anyhow. "Hey, boys. If you're going to let kitty you have to be gentle." Chan took Jeongin's hand and released him from the cat. "Like this." He guided Jeongin's hand to give slow and much softer pets. Seungmin watched and attempted to recreate his strokes.
"There you go." Chan let go of Jeongin's hand and watched as the two pet the cat. "And if he walks away, don't follow him. It means he's done. Okay, boys?"
"Yes." Seungmin nodded.
"Yes, Daddy." Jeongin flashed a smile up at him before returning to focus hard on his soft pets for the black cat. He seemed awfully engrossed in doing it correctly.
Chan gave kitty a quick scratch on the chin. "Good, kitty."
—
Chan wasn't all that surprised to find that he couldn't sleep again that night.
He sat up in his bed, watching the clock tick by while his eyes fought to close and stay open at the same time. It was like they had their own shoulder angel and devil that was fighting for control. Go to sleep or stay awake.
A familiar tap on the window revealed kitty on the windowsill. He waved a chirp, muffled by the glass between them.
"Hey." Chan stood and let the cat in. He let the cat rub up against his arm as he passed inside before closing the window shut again.
Chan fell to the bed with a sigh. Kitty found a spot next to him, meowing with a quiet purr as he laid himself halfway across Chan's tummy. He ran a hand across his fur, feeling the vibration of the cats purrs with every stroke.
"So." Chan smiled to himself. "You have more patience than I thought you did. You let Jeongin practically abuse you today."
Kitty lifted his head and threw a low toned meow at him.
"What? Didn't like it? Why do you think I kept them away from you all these years?"
Kitty yawned and placed his head back down, this time facing away from Chan.
Chan lied his head down on his pillow, his eyes finally finding their way to close. He was finally drifting off to sleep.
—
Chan hadn't seen kitty in almost a week.
He was used to kitty disappearing a few days at a time, but the longest he had ever gone without seeing the cat was three days, not seven.
While he tended to his garden with his kids and played games with them in between work, he kept an eye out for the black coat. He was growing worried with the animal's absence. It wasn't like kitty belonged to him and was a household pet or anything—he was a wild animal
still, but he never usually strayed for long. He was beginning to wonder if something happened to him, or maybe he grew bored. It also occurred to Chan that he left the day after the kids had touched him and part of him wanted to believe that was the reason.
"Daddy!" Hyunjin exclaimed as he came running from inside the house. A smile was plastered on his face. "Can we get pie from the market today for dessert?"
Chan blinked. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach at the thought of going to into town while they were on the look out for Hyunjin. It was unlikely they would put the pieces together just seeing him, but he was afraid of them hearing his name and putting together the pieces. Hyunjin did look a lot more like his mom than his dad, and it was very possible that the information came from his mother in the first place—or someone who knew her at least.
"Not today, Hyunjin." Chan frowned. "Maybe another day, but not today."
Hyunjin frowned, his entire body caving against gravity as the emotion rushed through him. "Tomorrow?"
"I don't think so."
"When then?"
"I don't know, Hyunjin." Chan patted him on the head. "Eventually, but not now."
"Why?"
"It's complicated. I don't think your little brain could handle it." Chan squeezed Hyunjin's cheeks with his hands, earning a happy squeak from the five year old.
But Chan's smile quickly faded as a new sound entered his ears. The familiar sound of metal armor clinking against each other. The armor of a knight coming right down his path—and not just one, but five.
Chan turned and held Hyunjin behind him. Having five knights at his home could only mean one thing—they were here to make an arrest. They were here because there was a problem or a crime being committed.
They were likely here because someone told them of a boy named Hyunjin who lived here.
"Bang Chan." It was the knight from a few nights before. He puffed his chest out and his chin high, and a hand resting on the handle of his sword. "We have reason to believe you have been harboring the child the Queen is searching for."
Chan held his own posture. "I'm sure I'm not, sir."
Hyunjin was peeking out from behind Chan's legs at this point. He was a curious boy and Chan couldn't blame him. He'd also stare at a bunch of knights that randomly showed up at his home accusing his father of treason. But this drew attention to him quick.
It had to be Hyunjin who was with him at this time, didn't it?
The knight leaned over and made eye contact with Hyunjin. Not much of his face was visible under his helmet, but it was easy to tell he was smiling by his eyes. "Hi, there. Do you happen to know a boy named Hyunjin?"
Chan quickly cut in before Hyunjin could answer. "We have things to be doing so we can eat dinner tonight, gentlemen. If you don't mind." He tried to usher Hyunjin away quickly, but the knights weren't giving up easily.
"We do mind. You are being suspected of treason, do you understand that? Just give up the child and we'll leave you and your wife and any other children there may be."
Chan tried to control his facial expressions, but he found he had a hard time doing that. Especially when he was feeling negative emotions of all things. He didn't catch himself in time when he sent the knight a glare. He quickly tried to cover it up. "I don't have a wife."
The knight stood in silence from shock for a moment. He must have already seen some of the other kids in the garden on the side of the cottage already. He quickly composed himself and cleared his throat. "Mr. Bang, we don't have time for this. It's either you give up the child or we take you into custody."
"Daddy?" Hyunjin said. His voice was low, like he was attempting to keep his voice quiet without dying down to a whisper. "Are they looking for me?"
Chan froze. Sure, Hyunjin tried to stay quiet but they weren't standing that far from the knights. They weren't exactly letting Chan have much space with his current charges. He gave a glance back at them, a trickle of hole inside him that they either took it as a stupid question or didn't quite hear it.
The knights' eyes were wide, their hands slowly loosening the grip of their swords.
They definitely heard and they definitely realized.
Chan pushed Hyunjin towards the garden with a hushed, "run!". He turned back to the knights once he heard Hyunjin's footsteps with furrowed eyebrows. "He is a child. He poses no threat."
"So you know them?" The knight cleared his throat. "Seize him. I'll find the kid."
Chan for once felt fortunate for his training when he was at war. Sure, he didn't train for years like these knights and sure, he didn't have armor to protect him, but his fists would be enough to defend himself and his kids.
He quickly stepped out of line of fire from the knight coming at him and stepped in front of the knight going for Hyunjin. All he had to do was stall. He was sure once his kids caught the commotion they'd go off running. They had to.
But the knight's hand came out faster than he anticipated, hitting Chan in the face with a fist of iron. It knocked him off his feet and down into the dirt.
He didn't have time to pick himself back up. Someone was already sitting on top of him and grabbing ahold of his wrists to bind behind his back.
Chan squirmed. His eyes caught sight of the knight heading back towards the garden and the small screams of fear coming from his kids as he swung the gate open. Tears formed in his eyes as he heard Hyunjin's cries for help and Changbin's vulgar shouts of threats towards the knight to keep off his brother. Jeongin's terrified wails were like nails on a chalkboard.
Chan let out his shout as he attempted to escape the grip around him. Just as he managed a hand free, an armored hand came down on his head.
—
Chan had a terrible headache.
Not just a pounding headache from being hit on the head, but one of worry snapping at the back of his brain. He wasn't fully awake yet but his body snapped forward when he remembered what had happened.
Chan woke up on a cold stone surface, held up by chains on the edges and attached to the wall his left. In front of him were bars, bars, bars, bars. A cell, he was in a cell.
Chan stepped onto the stone to find his shoes missing. He wore rugged clothes, a tunic and a loose pair of pants of the beige variety with smudges of dirt around the edges and the holes.
It reminded him all too much of his time spent as a war prisoner. Many don't do it anymore. They choose to kill every enemy, only saving the women as trophies and pleasure. But their enemy did keep prisoners, and Chan was one of them. They had stripped him naked and hung him from his wrists, only toes capable of touching the floor. Only when they decided he was no threat did they let him back to the ground and cloth him.
Chan rubbed his feet flat against the stone floor to remind him that this wasn't that. He may have been a prisoner, but he could still move and he was stilled clothed (even if they had changed him while he was still unconscious).
Instead, he turned his attention back to the problem at hand. He had no clue where his children were, or if they had only grabbed Hyunjin or all of them. He wasn't even sure how long he had been out. Long enough for them to drag him to the castle dungeons and change him.
Chan stood and grabbed onto the bars. "Hello?" He called. He needed a plan to get out of here, and quick. He tried to rack his brain for techniques. Anything that could reunite him with his children.
"Hello?!" Chan repeated a bit louder, but it seemed his hall of cells were empty.
Then a meow rung in his ears.
The halls were dark but Chan could still make out the small figure running down the hall. The yellow eyes came into view first under the lantern, then the familiar body of the cat that he had befriended over the years.
"Kitty?" Chan crouched as the cat grew closer. How in the world did this cat manage his way into the barracks of the dungeon? He had always proven to be smart but Chan hadn't realized how smart.
Chan reached an arm through the bar as kitty closed in the cell. He bumped his head against Chan's hand before crouching down. His eyes focused on the locked cell door and pounced. He landed just on top of the solid lock. Placing a hand on the top of the lock, the cat pushed down and broke it open.
Chan watched as the broken lock clanged against the stone floor with a slacked jaw. He was beginning to think that kitty wasn't just some feral cat that attached himself to him.
When kitty landed on the floor, Chan pushed open the door and stepped out. "Do you know where they are?" Chan asked helplessly. If this cat could break him out of a cell made for the most agile of criminals, there was a sliver of a chance that he'd be able to locate his kids, right?
Kitty chirped at him before beginning a sprint down the hall. Chan followed him with the lightest steps he could muster. He had to find his kids. He had to protect Hyunjin.
Minho was counting on him.
Chan followed kitty's lead. When the cat came to a stop at a turn, he came to a stop. He waited for the black cat to decide when it was safe and then continue to follow him again. He followed him up stairs, through doors, and Chan was beginning to wonder why the barracks of the castle basement were so large.
Eventually, kitty sat down in front of a door. He pawed at it before looking up at Chan silently.
Chan didn't waste time breaking open the door.
Inside was cul-de-sac of cells of which he could see five of his children huddling together in a corner. In the middle of the room was two knights, a well dressed woman, and his five-year-old crying hard enough to lose his voice as one of the knights held him.
Chan jumped forward and managed to rip Hyunjin from the grasp of the knight. He had taken him by surprise and he knew that was the only reason he was able to get him so easily.
Chan held Hyunjin close as he backed up against the bars of the cells. His breath was ragged with rage and fear.
The woman looked shocked for a moment, but anger replaced it quickly. She turned to one of the knights. "I thought you said he was locked in the lowest level."
"He was, your highness." He bowed a head, his voice shaking with each word.
So this was the Queen. This was the person after his son all these years—that forced his mother to give him up out of fear for their lives. She was right in front of him and was ready to kill Hyunjin with no remorse.
Chan picked Hyunjin as he stood. He tried to remain strong and push the overwhelming fear down into the bottom of his gut. He needed to get his kids back in the least violent way possible. He needed to do this safely.
"Your highness." Chan bowed his head with a heavy breath. "He doesn't even know of his heritage and I never planned to tell him or let him act on it." He said. It was true. Hyunjin would only know if he asked and Chan was sure he wouldn't try to do anything with the knowledge. It could get him killed. "Please."
Her glare grew stronger. "So you knew? You knew this child had claim on the throne and you let him live?"
Chan was appalled. "Why would I harm a child?" He took a step forward. "He's a child."
"The people want the first born child of the king. It has always been this way. They will want him and no one else. Not my son, him." She growled. "You are foolish and a traitor to the crown. Seize him and kill the child. We shall not delay this any longer."
Chan began backing up again. "No." He said. "You can't—"
Kitty flew over his head. Instead of landing, a flash of light beamed through the room. It lasted moments before a man appeared dressed in a white robe that hung loosely around his arms and legs. He was barefoot, floating in the air for a few moments with his arms outstretched.
Chan didn't have to stare long to recognize the deity. The cat he had been speaking to and called his friend was a god all along. It should've clicked in his head long ago. His prayers were never answered until kitty came around. He didn't stay long but Chan's place was definitely his favorite to be around. Not to mention that his shrine was that of a cat.
Minho was here to protect them.
Gracefully, Minho's feet touched the stone. He rolled through his bones before standing flat. He connected his hands in front of him. He stood just a few inches taller than Chan himself.
"You will not harm this child." Minho stated. "In fact, you will let them all go. Hyunjin's fate was never meant to be intertwined with your own. Your god was the one who changed that."
The Queen's eyes were wide and her face red with rage and embarrassment. Minho stood in front of her and Minho stood in front of no one but children and those moments away from death.
She huffed. "Then why has he changed that?"
"Because he wishes to harm me." Minho said with a tilt of the head. "He wishes to take away a family that I carefully crafted. I will not allow you or anyone else to take that from me." He squinted. "I do not trust that you will turn this away."
Minho held out his palm towards the Queen her knights. They all took a careful step back, and Chan was sure he was about to kill them in front of the kids, but they only disappeared after a beam of light.
Chan let out a shaky breath. He was next, he was sure of it. No adult ever saw life again after meeting eyes with this god. He held Hyunjin close and squeezed his eyes shut.
He did not hear Minho's footsteps, but why would he? The man was the god of stealth too. His voice hovered over him. "Chan."
Chan peaked an open at him. His entire body tensed with fear. He had done everything in his power to keep the children he gave him safe but he failed. This was it. This was his end.
But Minho smiled at him. His smile was far more beautiful than the pictures in the story books. His entire physique was truly divine. One could never truly describe how lovely a deity can be. Only sight can grant this.
"This was not your fault. I do not blame you."
Chan relaxed at the words as surprise wracked through him. "You don't?"
"No." Minho chuckled with a shake of the head. "I have gifted you children who other gods wish to destroy. Hyunjin, the bastard son of the king. Changbin, a future hero of the kingdom. The twins, children of witches who have damned the gods. Seungmin, the offspring of blood magic. And Jeongin." Minho turned to Jeongin with a special glint in his eyes. "My son."
Any words that Chan wanted to respond with got caught in his throat. He glanced between his youngest and the god in front of him. They looked far too alike than he realized.
Minho met Chan's eyes again. "I've been watching after this children as closely as I can since their births, but it wasn't easy. When I found you, I knew I had someone who I could trust with them. I knew you couldn't fight the wrath of the gods, but I could. Which is why I've been so close." He tilted his head as his eyes softened. "I've grown very fond of you, Bang Chan."
Minho threw a hand out at the cell that the other kids were in. It broke and swung open in the same second. "We should go home."
—
"Goodnight." Chan kissed Changbin on the forehead before blowing out the candle on his bedside table. He clambered backwards, his eyes not leaving his oldest child until he had to crack the door close.
When Chan returned to his bedroom to find Minho standing by his window, staring out at the pathway in the front of his house.
Minho had snuck them out easily and helped put together a better dinner than Chan could ever make. He didn't eat and had left for some time. Now he was here again, in Chan's bedroom.
"You have a hard time sleeping because your times at war, yes?"
Startled, Chan's body tensed for half a second. "Uh, yes. Sleeping was more of a luxury at that time."
"I understand." Minho turned to face him. "I remember. Many of you died then. Too many children sent to indulge in violence despite not being developed enough to properly process what was happening around you. I don't remember many names or faces but I do remember you mentioning it at the shrine one night." He frowned. "I'm sorry I could not protect you from the horrors."
Chan let a smile slip onto his face. "I didn't die, so I guess you still did your job." He sat down on the end of his bed. "I can't believe you were a cat this whole time."
Minho chuckled. "Yes. Kitty was such a great name."
Chan rolled his eyes. "Why do I think I don't have any pets?"
"You have an innocent soul, Chan. Even after all you've been through.
"Please never let anyone take that away from you."
—
//This was inspired by a number of different medias, one of them being Circe. Also a few other Minchan fics I read on ao3.
This is by far my longest oneshot at 10600 words. Hope you enjoyed! (originally posted on wattpad under the user pigmirrr)