Lonely Kitten

18

Jisung entered the apartment and kicked off his shoes, still slightly out of breath from hurrying home. Glancing into the living room, his worries dispersed as he found the hybrid curled up on the couch, asleep with his face snuggled into his blanket. The rapper decided to let him sleep and went to his room to get changed into more comfortable clothes before making his way to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Passing by the couch, Jisung glanced at Minho, who had slightly shifted his position, not hiding his face anymore. The younger froze in his spot, noticing the sickly pallor of the other's skin, the swollen eyes and dried tear tracks. He should have known better than to leave Minho alone. Feeling his heart ache with guilt, Jisung took a seat on the edge of the couch and hesitantly reached out his hand to touch the hybrid's arm.

Unsure with what amount of physical contact Minho would be okay, Jisung settled for poking his arm a few times and turned to shaking it when the older still didn't wake up. Rolling over, Minho sleepily blinked his eyes open and looked up at Jisung. The rapper's heart broke, seeing the other's glossy and bloodshot eyes, before Minho closed them again, humming a soft: "Hey." - "Hey", Jisung replied quietly, "Were you doing alright on your own?" He knew very well that the other hadn't been doing well but felt he should ask anyway. Keeping his eyes closed for the fear of tearing up again, Minho gave a hesitant nod and hoped the younger wouldn't question him. "You sure? You look like you've been crying", Jisung commented, making the hybrid curse inwardly. Not sure how to express what was on his mind, Minho blurted his realization out: "I-I'm lactose-intolerant."

After a moment of awkward silence, Jisung frowned: "Yeah, I know. That isn't really any new information." - "No", Minho argued, getting worked up all over again, "I mean, in my human form too." The rapper's eyes widened as he remembered how the other had had his cereal with cow's milk this morning. "Did you get sick again?", he worried, "You do look pretty pale to me." - "I had a stomach ache but that's better now. Just, I-I can't believe that I really can't have milk", Minho shrugged, trying to convince not only Jisung but also himself that it wasn't that big of a deal. The younger could see straight through his façade though, especially when Minho's eyes got damp again as he glanced towards the opposite wall, trying not to accidentally make eye contact. Staying silent, Jisung placed a hand on the hybrid's shoulder. He wanted so badly to comfort Minho but wasn't sure whether it was okay for him to touch the other's hanging ears. Drawing a shaky breath, the older admitted: "I just- I love milk so much. How am I supposed to live without it entirely? So many awesome things are made with dairy, I can't just not have it ever again."

No sooner than he had said it out loud, Minho's throat tightened with a sob and he brought his hands up to hide his face. "I - Hyung, can I hug you?", Jisung hummed, feeling helpless. The older nodded, hesitantly leaning into the rapper's embrace, while furiously scrubbing at his eyes to get them to stop spilling tears. Gently running his fingers over Minho's soft fur as he traced the base of the hybrid's ears, Jisung whispered: "We will figure something out about that, okay? There are always solutions even if a few small changes need to be done, it can always be worked around it. Nowadays, there are so many milk alternative and vegan substitutes, I'm sure we can find a way, so you can still have the things you like. We just need to do some research, yeah?" Giving a watery sniffle, Minho nodded and hid his face against the other's chest.

It took a few minutes for Minho to calm down as Jisung continued to caress his ears. "Actually, I picked you up a little gift, while I was out. I'm sure that'll cheer you right up", Jisung remembered and the hybrid's ears instantly perked up. Lifting his head, Minho gave the younger a curious look and sat up, so the rapper could go and get his backpack. He watched as Jisung pulled something out of his backpack, his heart beating faster at the cute wrapping paper the item was wrapped in. With his tail twirling excitedly, Minho accepted the gift and looked at the other for permission to unwrap it. When Jisung nodded, he tore off the wrapping paper and glanced at the baby bottle with his eyes going glossy. It looked so cute, the hybrid couldn't help but slip into his headspace. His hands shook and he almost dropped the bottle, worrying the other. "I-Ish soo pwetty", he breathed tearfully, when he noticed Jisung's nervous expression. Startling the rapper, Minho threw himself into the boy's arms and hugged him tightly as he whispered 'tank chu' over and over again.