Lonely Kitten

13

Minho slept fitfully in Jisung's lap, never really coming out of his headspace as the rapper absentmindedly ran his fingers through his fur. He didn't notice how the boys wrapped up their studio session in the evening, well aware that it was Jisung's first day back to work, so they should go easy on him. At some point, the rapper had placed the sleeping hybrid back into his carrier, making sure he was comfortable with his blanket before bidding his hyungs goodbye and starting his way home. The story Hyunjin and Felix had told him had sparked something in Jisung's mind, though he didn't really know what it was. He didn't even take off his shoes when entering his apartment, dearly needing to clear his head. Placing the carrier down on the couch and opening it, so Minho could finish his nap, the rapper left, hoping a walk would give him some time to think and bring some clarity to his muddled mind.

No matter how hard Jisung tried to make sense of his feelings, he couldn't. He felt like he knew the person Hyunjin and Felix had told him about, like he had seen those remarkable eyes before even if he had no idea where but he could tell, those eyes looked like royalty. Hearing how Minho hadn't given up on his dream of becoming a dancer even after losing his parents, made Jisung's heart ache. He couldn't imagine what it had to be like losing even one parent but he wanted to believe, that he was just as passionate about his music as Minho was about dancing. Minho. The name of his cat, that he felt so very protective of. Suddenly, Jisung felt bad about leaving the small pet alone at his apartment, knowing how attached it had become and how it always waited for his return, crying by the front door. Heart clenching with guilt, the rapper turned back towards his apartment complex, only stopping at a small store as he wanted to give almond milk another try. Sure, the last one had been awful but he wanted to be able to share with his new-found companion, so he was willing to search for a drink both of them could have, especially with the way Minho was struggling with his food intake.

Hurrying back to his apartment with a carton of vanilla-flavored almond milk, Jisung's heart raced as he unlocked the door. He felt funny when there was no one waiting for him at the front door, no sign of Minho at all and although he was glad the poor cat hadn't cried for him while he was out, it was still out of character. After kicking off his shoes, the rapper stored the milk in the fridge and made his way over to the couch, glancing into Minho's carrier but the cat was nowhere to be seen. The teether was still there but the blanket had disappeared along with the hybrid, which wasn't too surprising to Jisung, considering Minho dragged his blanket everywhere with him. Wanting to take a shower, the boy went to his room to collect some fresh clothes and frowned when he didn't see his cat there either. He would have expected it to have moved to the bed to continue its nap but he was wrong. Unable to stop himself from worrying, Jisung made his way to the bathroom and took his shower, his mind wandering as the warm water washed over his skin. His apartment wasn't that big, so where could Minho have gone?

Minho had woken up not long after Jisung had brought him home, finally being out of his headspace. He had a lot of thinking to do after listening to his dongsaengs' kind words. The hybrid wouldn't have thought that anyone would miss him after leaving his dancing career behind but somehow those two boys did. On the other hand, he shouldn't have been so surprised, Felix' had the personality of a golden retriever and probably couldn't hate anyone and Hyunjin too had a pure heart. Minho just couldn't help but worry how they would've reacted to learning that he was a hybrid. He wasn't really pleased that Hyunjin had showed them a picture of him because although he was happy Jisung found him handsome, the rapper had been acting off ever since. Not that he could blame the boy, he knew he had remarkable eyes and probably should have worn colored contacts back in school, so nobody would be able to make the connection between his human and his cat form.

Unsure of how to proceed, Minho decided it was time to show Jisung his real self before he kicked him out because he was scared. He'd still have more than enough time to kick the hybrid out afterwards but he should at least know the truth. Well, the truth was that he was terrified, not having felt as attached to anyone as strongly as he felt to Jisung, he couldn't imagine losing the rapper but it wasn't fair to live together while keeping up a lie. Wanting to look as good as he possibly could when facing Jisung in his human form, Minho used the time the boy was out to take a shower. A small smile spread on his lips when he found the bottle of conditioner the rapper always used, realizing it was the reason his hair always smelled so sweet, though he doubted other people who didn't have his heightened cat-senses could pick up on it. Or he hoped they couldn't, not wanting to share Jisung with anyone.