Lonely Kitten

3

Chan and Changbin were already getting concerned, wondering what was taking their dongsaeng so long, when the door slammed open, revealing their soaked friend. The older two cringed in sympathy and Changbin hurried to take the bag with their food from his hand, while Chan rummaged through the sports bag of spare clothes they kept at the studio for the times they stayed the night. The oldest turned around to hand Jisung a set of dry clothes when he spotted the other dirty bundle in the younger's hand. Jisung gently placed the bundle onto the floor, earning a soft meow from Minho and two surprised gasps from his hyungs.

"Sorry, I found her while I was out and she didn't seem to have a place to stay. Hyung, I couldn't just leave her there, she was so scared", Jisung stammered sheepishly. Rubbing his face, Chan sighed: "So you're going to take care of a pet from now on? Sung, are you sure you're up for that? You only just started living on your own." – "Hyung, I don't know what I'm gonna do but I couldn't just leave her there. Let me change into those and then we can talk. I'm kinda cold", the younger replied, taking the clothes from Chan, while Minho wearily watched them. Jisung hurried off to one of the company restrooms to get changed, not too worried about the cat because his hyungs were there to watch it.

Minho had come out of his headspace again, when Jisung had placed him on the floor of their studio and went to get changed. He didn't trust the two new people and prayed the stranger they were referring to as 'Sung' would be back quick. Changbin was unpacking their breakfast as they waited for their youngest, handing Chan his coffee and taking his own before placing Jisung's caramel latte on the table next to his notebook. Changbin also found a paper cup filled with hot milk and figured his dongsaeng had gotten it for the stray cat he had brought. When Jisung returned, Chan helped him tie his wet clothes and the muddy blanket into a plastic bag for the younger to wash when he got home. "The milk is for the cat right?", Changbin asked, handing Jisung the warm cup. His dongsaeng nodded and sat down in his seat, placing the still soaked cat into his lap before accepting the cup from Changbin. He carefully dipped his finger in to ensure it wouldn't be too hot before offering the milk to Minho, who hesitantly sniffed it.

With his fur still wet, Minho couldn't help but shiver, relieved when the milk warmed him up from inside. Jisung's lap was nice and warm too, making him feel safe. Despite his sharp sense of hearing, the hybrid couldn't pick up the slightest sound of the storm outside and not having slept much the previous nights, it didn't take long for him to drift off in the rapper's lap. Jisung didn't mind in the slightest, placing the cup down, happy that the slender cat had drank most of it. He gently ran his fingers over the damp fur frowning at how matted it was.

"Are you going to keep that cat?", Chan wondered, not knowing his dongsaeng to be a cat person. Shrugging, Jisung admitted: "I'm starting to feel attached but I don't know how to care for her. She certainly doesn't look like she has a home but, I don't know." – "How about you take her to the vet clinic tonight, when we're done here?", Changbin offered, searching up vets in their area, "That paw should certainly be checked and maybe she has a microchip, so they can find the owners. And if you're right and it is a stray, they might take her to an animal shelter." Jisung agreed and they continued working, with Minho dozing in Jisung's lap.

Jisung however struggled to focus. He had heard many bad things about animal shelters and would definitely prefer to keep the cat with him. Pretending to read over his lyrics on his phone, he checked the rent contract for his apartment and was relieved to see it allowed pets, as long as they weren't too big. It might take some getting used to but Jisung was determined to be responsible enough to care for a pet. He might even benefit from not living entirely on his own, despite preferring not to socialize all day, the boy would appreciate the company.

Chan could tell, the younger's thoughts weren't with their work, and already decided they'd cut it short today after spending all night at the studio. It was kinda cute how whipped their youngest was for the cat he had found barely an hour prior. The Aussie knew his dongsaeng could be mature and responsible if he wanted to, so maybe taking in a pet would help him grow up. Changbin seemed to feel the same, secretly sneaking pictures of Jisung and the tiny ball of fur curled up in his lap.

They knew the boy sometimes tended to get anxious around people and would occasionally also shut them out, so maybe having a pet could bring the younger some comfort and keep him from completely isolating himself. For that, they'd have to make sure the cat didn't belong to anyone else though and had simply gotten lost. Jisung would be heartbroken if he got attached too soon only to be separated again not long after but how could he not, when the cat nuzzled against his thigh and made himself comfortable in his lap? It was just so adorable.

Minho hadn't slept that comfortably in quite a while and didn't even feel cold anymore. The thunder was impossible to hear inside the soundproof studio, which gave Minho's nerves a break and allowed him to let his guard down a bit. He was more than grateful that the stranger had taken him earlier and that he sat so still, allowing him to nap on his lap. Even if it was only for the moment, it was still warm and safe.