Lonely Kitten

11

When Jisung woke up the next morning, he was confused. He couldn't remember going to bed the previous night but was aware that he hadn't really been in his right mind, so maybe he just forgot that he did. Next to him lay the mint-colored baby blanket and Minho had curled up on the pillow. Absentmindedly, the rapper ran a hand through Minho's fur and sighed. He was pretty sure his hyungs were both at the studio, probably hadn't even gone home for the night while he was here in his own bed, sleeping in. A sleepy meow pulled him from his thoughts as the hybrid rubbed his head into the rapper's hand. "Good morning, kitten", Jisung whispered, scratching the cat's ears. He should really get ready to head back to the studio but first he had to feed Minho. Getting off the bed, he yawned widely, still exhausted despite the number of hours he had slept.

Minho followed him to the kitchen, remembering that the younger hadn't had dinner the previous evening. He watched Jisung prepare a bowl of cat food but didn't even sniff it, well aware it wouldn't taste good. After feeding the hybrid, Jisung was about to go to the bathroom, to get ready for the day ahead, only to be stopped by a demanding meow. It was followed by a soft thud and when he turned around, Minho had jumped onto the kitchen counter and pushed the box of cereal onto the floor. Jisung was lucky he had sealed it well, hurrying over to place the hybrid back onto the floor, so he wouldn't hurt himself by jumping down, before picking up the box of cereal. That was when he remembered how Changbin had told him to eat. He didn't really have an appetite but he knew after skipping dinner, he should at least eat a little.

Sighing, he poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table, adding milk. Minho looked up at him with hopeful eyes, maybe this time he'd get some of the milk. Jisung raised his eyebrow at him, humming: "You should eat something too, Min. We'll head to the studio afterwards and will probably be busy all day." The hybrid hissed at that. There was no way Jisung would go into work today. Not after what happened the previous day. Changbin had already told him it would be fine to take some time off, so why couldn't he just take some time to rest?

Dissatisfied, Minho had a few bites of the cat food, noting that it didn't get any better over time, so he doubted getting used to it would help. To his frustration, Jisung again drank his leftover cereal milk himself, no matter how sad the hybrid looked at him, so it didn't seem like the day would be getting any better. While the rapper went to get ready, Minho became aware of two things. One, he'd have to keep the younger from going to the studio and two, he really needed to tell him he was a hybrid. That was easier said than done though, as he doubted there was any easy way to explain it, that wouldn't end with Jisung completely freaked out.

It would probably be easier to focus on task number one for now but what could Minho do to stop the rapper from going out? Deciding to block the door, the hybrid went to the living room and dragged one of the couch cushions towards the front door. It was pretty exhausting to do so with his teeth but he was determined, so he went for the next one. By the time Jisung exited the bathroom, Minho had piled all couch cushions as well as the rapper's pillow and his own baby blanket in front of the door. The younger looked at him with wide eyes as the cat curled up on top of the pile and started to purr.

"Minho, what are you doing?", Jisung gasped, watching the hybrid nuzzle his face into his blanket and close his eyes. Minho deliberately ignored him and pretended to have fallen asleep, which the younger knew very well he hadn't. Sighing, Jisung picked up both, Minho and his blanket and tried to place them into the hybrid's carrier, so he could clean up the rest of the mess. He failed to do so because the cat instantly clung to his hand and started licking his fingers. Before the rapper could get any further with his clean up, his phone rang. Tearing himself away from the hybrid's affection, Jisung went to pick it up.

"Good morning", Chan greeted, "How are you doing today, got some sleep?" The younger nodded before realizing his hyung couldn't see him and humming: "Yeah, I did. Just finished getting ready. I'll be over soon but Minho piled up all couch cushions in front of the door, so I need to clean up first." - "Smart cat. Take your time cleaning up, we don't want you coming in to the studio today and you know that", the Aussie reminded, "Take the day off, spend some day with Minho and if you're feeling up for it tomorrow, we'll be happy to have you back with us." - "But hyung, I'm up for it today too", Jisung whined, not wanting to feel useless while his friends were working, "I'm fine."

He heard a hushed conversation on the other side of the line before Chan replied sternly: "Not up for discussion. Just as a warning, my cousin and one of his friends will be joining us tomorrow. They're dancers and did a dance cover of one of our songs. It might help us gain more popularity, so don't be surprised tomorrow. Don't worry, they're really nice. Oh, Changbin asked if you ate..." - "Fell asleep before dinner yesterday but I just ate breakfast", Jisung grumbled, aware that his hyungs would just take him straight back home if he decided to go to the studio anyway. "Alright, take care and see you tomorrow", the Aussie chuckled before ending the call, leaving the younger to huff in frustration.

Minho had overheard the entire conversation and was proud of himself to have delayed the rapper's departure long enough for his hyung to tell him to stay home. Now he just had to occupy the younger for the rest of the day, which shouldn't be too difficult. He loved Jisung's cuddles. With another huff, the rapper plopped onto the couch, his frown soon disappearing when Minho climbed into his lap baking biscuits on his thigh. "Care to tell me why you decided we needed all the pillows over there?", Jisung giggled, when the cat curled up on his lap. The only reply was Minho starting to purr and knowing he wouldn't go anywhere anytime soon, while the hybrid was so comfortable on top of him, the rapper turned on the TV, changing channels till he found an anime he liked.

When he placed Minho down to make lunch for both of them, Jisung used the opportunity to clean up the pile in front of their door and had an idea. He still remembered how much the hybrid yearned for everything dairy and today he'd have the time to do some grocery shopping. The vet had told him almond milk would be okay for cats too, so if he ate his cereal with almond milk from now on, he could give the milk to Minho.

He finished his lunch before crouching down to pet Minho humming: "I'm just going to run some errands really quick. I'll be right back before you know it. Okay, kitten?" The hybrid gave a sad meow. He was still incredibly uncomfortable with Jisung leaving him but he knew he couldn't cling to the younger all the time. It was weird and confusing. He had only ever felt attached to his parents, so why did he feel so connected to this stranger, aside from the fact that Jisung had put a roof over his head and fed him? It didn't take long for the rapper to head out, wanting to be quick to get back to his hybrid faster.

Not long after Jisung had left the apartment, did Minho start to get stressed. His parents too had told him they'd be back but they never were. What if Jisung wouldn't come back either? At least, the rapper wouldn't go by car, he reminded himself pacing the hallway in front of the door. His worries soon overtook him and Minho slipped into his headspace, crying heartbreakingly. Padding back to his carrier, he pulled out his blanket and dragged it towards the door before also retrieving the teether, Jisung had gotten him, and dragging it to his blanket. Pitiful whimpers escaped him as he curled up on his blanket, chewing on his teether.

It felt like an eternity and Minho was certain the sun would be going down soon, when the hybrid heard steps in front of the door. In reality, it had barely been an hour since Jisung had left and he was right back with two bags over his shoulder. The rapper had stocked up on cat milk, cereal, ramen and the main reason he had gone out, a carton of almond milk. If it tasted good, he'd only buy almond milk from now on. "Aww, did you miss me, Min?", he cooed when he spotted the blanket and teether in front of the door, closing the door with his foot before placing his grocery bags onto the kitchen counter. Purring loudly, Minho rubbed against Jisung's legs, glad that he had finally come back. The younger picked him up and nuzzled his face into the hybrid's soft fur, breathing: "I missed you too, little prince. But I got something for us to share."

After putting his groceries away, he poured himself a cup of almond milk, taking a hesitant sip. He grimaced a bit, the taste nothing like he would have expected. "You want some milk, kitten?", he asked, offering it to Minho who sniffed it before wrinkling his nose and walking away, "Yeah, relatable." With a sigh, Jisung finished the milk by himself before retrieving a bottle of cat milk. "Come here, Min. I'm making you another bottle", the rapper called.

With the bottle in hand, he made his way to the living room and sat on the couch, smiling when the hybrid dragged his blanket towards him. He gently bundled the cat into his blanket and started feeding him the bottle, cooing: "You need to eat well, kitten, you're only going to get skinnier and we can't have that. Good job, drink as much of the milk as you can." Minho didn't need to be asked twice, greedily suckling on the bottle. He loved it when they'd get all cozy with his blanket and Jisung bottle fed him. Soon, he was asleep in the rapper's lap, bottle long since empty as the younger massaged Minho's ears, watching another anime before it was dinnertime for himself.