Lonely Kitten

15

Minho woke up early the next morning, not in his headspace anymore. It took a few seconds for him to notice, who he was laying on, startling when he came face to face with a sleeping Jisung. Scrambling up from the couch, the hybrid backed away and prayed the other wouldn't wake up. As he studied the rapper's sleeping form, memories of the past night came back and Minho had the strong urge to slap himself. Yeah, it was good he had finally showed Jisung his human form but why did he have to slip? He had wanted to leave a good impression on the boy but of course he had to act like a baby.

Before the hybrid could get too tangled up in his thoughts, he heard Jisung yawn as the younger sat up on the couch, looking around confused as to where the little had disappeared to. Spotting Minho on the other side of the room, the rapper smiled: "Good morning, Min." Nodding, the other hid his trembling hands behind his back. "I am so sorry for last night", Minho admitted quietly, "So, yeah, I'm Lee Minho, a hybrid and little. Thank you for taking me in when you found me. If you're not comfortable with me now that you know the truth, I'll leave you alone. Thank you for your kindness, I won't bother you anymore." - "Hang on", Jisung sighed, patting the couch next to him, "Maybe we should talk and get to know each other a bit better. It's not that I'm uncomfortable around you but I have to admit, I'm really confused about how we ended up like this, so I think we need to clear things up."

Taking a seat on the other side of the couch, with as much distance as possible between them, Minho gave a shy nod. "I don't know how much you know or figured out already", the hybrid started, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve, "I used to be a dancer at the same school Hyunjin and Felix go to. We were classmates for a while before our other classmates found out I'm a hybrid. Hyunjin and Felix weren't there that day, so they don't know. The others weren't really kind and I finally understood why my parents had always told me to hide that side of me." His eyes started to water a bit and Jisung wanted nothing more than to give the boy a hug but resisted, as he didn't know if Minho would be okay with it in his adult mindset, considering they were practically strangers. "I was scared and stopped going there ever since I had revealed myself as a hybrid."

When Minho didn't continue, Jisung whispered: "I'm sorry, they weren't accepting of you. Is that also how you ended up outside?" - "Similar", the older admitted, "That happened after the death of my parents. Some how my landlady found out that I was a hybrid and felt it violated her no-pet policy, so she kicked me out. My classmates only found out because I already lived on the streets." Giving him a questioning look, Jisung got Minho to continue: "I learned how to control my physical form well but sometimes, when I'm sick or tired or both, I make mistakes. At the time, I was both and accidentally revealed my ears during class. I started looking rough too, so I lost both of my jobs. That wasn't too long ago and I didn't see another option than to live as a cat till you found me. Not a good one, as you can tell, climbing isn't really my specialty but I wasn't that bad at hunting, when I wasn't the one being hunted that is. The rest you know already."

"Thank you for being so honest with me, hyung", Jisung hummed after a moment of silence, remembering Minho was older than him, "I'm sorry all of that happened to you and I don't get why people could hate you simply for who you are." - "Thank you", Minho whispered as a silent tear ran down his cheek. None of them knew where to go from there and remained silent. Jisung jumping over his shadow first and asked: "What are we going to do now? I don't mind you staying here but what are we going to tell the people who know us?" - "I -I", the hybrid stammered, eyes wide with surprise, "I can stay here?" - "As I said yesterday, I'm not scared of you and you seem like a genuinely good person, at least from what little I have seen and have been told. I- You look like you could use a hug, can I?", Jisung smiled softly.

That was how Minho ended up breaking down in the younger's arms, Jisung gently stroking his droopy ears to comfort him. "I need to get ready to go to the studio soon", the rapper sighed, pulling away. Nodding, Minho moved back to the other side of the couch again. He didn't know what would happen with them from now on and it scared him but Jisung would keep him safe; he trusted Jisung. Making his way to the kitchen, the younger called: "What do you want to eat for breakfast, hyung?" - "What are you going to eat?", Minho asked, following the other. Grabbing a bowl from the cupboard, Jisung shrugged: "Probably just some cereal, you want the same? I might also have some toast." - "Cereal is fine, I'm really craving some milk right now", the hybrid nodded, his inner cat shining through.

Jisung could only shake his head at the older, reminding: "You're lactose-intolerant, hyung." - "Only in my cat form", Minho replied proudly, giving the rapper a big pout. Deciding Minho knew his body best, the younger complied and handed him a bowl too before taking the box of cereal and the milk carton over to the dining table. He decided to save the almond milk for when Minho was in his cat form and couldn't have dairy. They had breakfast in silence, not knowing what to talk about now that they were able to, but the hybrid had a huge smile on his face, enjoying his milk. It made Jisung smile too, seeing his new roommate that happy despite their heavy talk earlier. He couldn't even imagine what the older had gone through before he had found him but promised himself to ensure things would only get better for Minho from here.

They were almost ready to leave for the studio, agreeing that it would be best if Minho shifted back into his cat form, so they could continue the way things had been before until the hybrid was ready to reveal himself to Chan and Changbin too. As of now, he was afraid of the rapper's hyungs, fearing they might not support his friendship with their dongsaeng because he was a hybrid. They might even convince Jisung to cut off all contact with Minho, which he wouldn't be able to handle, having become too attached to the younger already. Shifting into his cat form, the hybrid felt his stomach cramp and quickly returned to his human form. "I don't think I can be in my cat form right now", he groaned lowly, rubbing his stomach, "The milk isn't sitting so well." - "In general or only when you're in your cat form?", Jisung frowned worriedly, taking in the other's pale complexion. Heaving a shaky breath, Minho hummed: "Just in my cat form. What do I do now? I can't show up at the studio like this."

After a moment of contemplating their options, Jisung offered: "You can stay here, you know. Just because I need to go to work doesn't mean you have to come too. Why don't you wait for the milk to be digested, pass the time watching TV or whatever." Biting his lip, Minho shook his head. He knew he shouldn't be too clingy but he really wasn't comfortable being separated from Jisung. "Let me try again, please. I don't want to stay here all alone", he pleaded sadly. When he almost threw up, trying to shift, Minho had to accept there was no way he could join the other at the studio today. Hesitantly ruffling his hair, Jisung promised: "It'll be fine, hyung. Don't stress about it. I'll be back tonight, no all-nighters or anything, I'll make sure of that." The hybrid nodded sadly, following the younger to the living room. As Jisung put on his shoes to leave, Minho curled up on the couch, fingers tangled in his baby blanket that he had taken along to comfort himself. The rapper couldn't understand why Minho didn't want to stay back alone but he would be back later, at least that was what the hybrid kept reminding himself of, trying not to tear up as the door closed behind his dongsaeng.