Lonely Kitten

44

Minho woke up at some point during the early morning hours. It was way too early for either of them to be awake but something had disturbed his sleep. His fluffy ears twitched, a gust of wind hit the window and the hybrid tensed as he heard thunder roll in the distance. The weather hadn't been too bad when they had searched for Felix earlier, so he wouldn't have expected a storm. Pressing himself closer to Jisung, Minho started purring to soothe himself. The storm was still far away, so maybe he could drown out the noise and go back to sleep before it hit. The rapper instinctively pulled him closer and Minho relaxed, despite still being able to hear the wind and distant thunder.

An hour had passed and Minho still hadn't managed to fall asleep. The storm was closer now, rain pattering against the windows. Reaching for his baby blanket, Minho slipped one corner between his front teeth. He wasn't little but felt the need to nibble on something and his blanket was a welcome distraction. How could Jisung sleep so peacefully? Thunder struck and the hybrid bit down hard on the fabric between his teeth, covering his ears. Next to him, Jisung had started to stir, sleepily propping himself up on his elbow. The rapper needed a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark as he felt his mate's distress. Knowing Jisung was awake, reassured the hybrid. He wasn't alone. There was someone with him, whom he trusted deeply. It was okay to be scared because Sungie would protect him. Before the rapper had even grasped the situation, Minho lost his grasp on his headspace and slipped, whimpering pitifully.

The timid noise was enough to bring Jisung to his senses. Sitting up in a rush, he flicked on the reading lamp and took a look at Minho. The boy had curled up tightly, clutching his baby blanket to his chest, his teeth buried in the soft material. Looking utterly terrified, Minho gave a whine, tears trailing down his face. Too focused on his mate to take note of their surroundings, it took Jisung a moment to hear the rain, the pieces slowly falling into place as he laid down on his side, stroking the little's arm. "Is the rain scary, Minnie?", he hummed softly, the hybrid wriggling closer to cuddle into his chest. Nodding, Minho pressed as close to Jisung as he possibly could but the rapper knew that neither of them would be going back to sleep. He placed a soft kiss on the crown of the little's head before pulling away and whispering: "Do you want to go to the living room? We can listen to music or watch a cartoon. I'll make you a bottle and we'll get all comfy." Minho nodded again, wiping his tears. Quickly fetching the boy's pacifier, Jisung slipped the comfort item between the other's lips and picked him up.

Minho clung to Jisung all the way to the living room. He didn't want the rapper to place him down on the couch, making him sigh: "You wanna come to the kitchen with me? I'll need you to be brave and sit on the counter though." The hybrid nodded. He could sit on the counter if that meant he'd be able to stay closer to Jisung. Jisung gently placed him down on the countertop and patted his ear, smiling: "Let me just heat up some milk for you bottle, hm?" Minho nodded, anxiously fiddling with the hem of his sleep shirt while the other pulled his baby bottle from one of the cabinets and filled it with almond milk before placing it into the microwave. While the bottle turned, Jisung went back to stand in front of Minho, cupping the little's cheeks. "You're really brave", the rapper smiled, "Sitting up here like a big boy. I'm so proud of you." Minho gave a shy smile as he suckled on his paci, storm almost forgotten with the affection his Dada was giving him.

When the microwave beeped, Jisung retrieved the bottled and screwed on the lid, walking to Minho and asking him to hold the bottle for a moment. He carried the hybrid to the couch, where the pair settled in comfortably. Switching on a random children channel, Jisung turned his attention to Minho and took the bottle from him. "Get all comfy and then Dada will feed you your bottle, yeah?", he hummed, waiting as the little shuffled around trying to find the perfect position draped across the couch and his mate's lap. When Minho was comfy, he looked up at the other expectantly, not protesting in the slightest when his pacifier was removed and placed onto the coffee table. Gently running one hand through the hybrid's hair and scratching his ears, Jisung held the bottle to the boy's lips and smiled when he eagerly latched on.

The warm and sweet drink worked wonders soothing Minho's nerves, the cartoon drowning out the patter of rain. They could still hear the thunder but it wasn't as intimidating anymore, the little relaxing fully into Jisung's touch. "You know, I used to be scared of storms too", the rapper admitted quietly, "I'd always listen to music really loud, so I wouldn't be able to hear anything else." Minho looked up at him with big eyes, his ears twitching curiously under the other's hand. His Dada was always so strong and brave, it seemed impossible anything could scare him. "I'm not scared of storms anymore", Jisung smiled, ruffling the little's hair, "I always remind myself of the good things storms bring. The rain makes the grass and flowers grow in the park. You like the park, don't you? It would look so much different if there was no rain." Minho clutched the rapper's sleeve, staring up at him with sparkling eyes. Storms really did that?

"I have one really fond memory of a storm, which had changed my mind about them being evil and scary. One day I had to go out in the storm to get coffee for me and my hyungs. I was already upset about having to go out in the rain and it only got worse when my clothes were soaked and the water got into my shoes. But I found something very important out there", Jisung recalled, booping Minho's nose, "That was you. I found you hiding out there and suddenly I was glad I had been forced to go out because I wouldn't have found you otherwise." A single tear slipped from the hybrid's eye, which Jisung quickly wiped away, cooing: "I would've missed out on so many amazing cuddles and I would be so alone. It would've been a pity if I had had to return to my quiet apartment all alone, listening to the storm all night without a fluffy little kitten curled up next to me. For me storms aren't scary anymore, instead they make me feel hopeful, maybe even a little excited, because you never know what you may find during the storm or after the skies have cleared."

Minho had long since stopped suckling on his bottle, only staring up at Jisung with teary eyes. The rapper was right. He had found his mate and a new home during a storm, one of the worst storms he had experienced while living on the streets. Jisung noticed the little's expression and placed the bottle on the coffee table, so he'd have his hands free to hold the boy, who now curled up against his chest, quietly crying into his shirt. Knowing those weren't tears of fear, the rapper just held Minho, stroking his back and rocking him softly. He wouldn't have expected to make the hybrid that emotional with his words but he had felt the need to express it once and he wouldn't have been confident enough to do so while Minho was big.

The milk was slowly growing cold but they paid the abandoned bottle no mind. Minho clinging tightly to the other. He had slipped too deeply into his headspace to verbally express himself and he had no other way to vent his emotions than to cry. The smile never left Jisung's face as he held the boy in his lap, singing one of the slower songs they had been working on at the studio lately and gently rubbing the little's ears. After a while, the tears slowly dried up and Minho's sniffles were replaced with soft purrs, the hybrid slowly growing sleepy again. They could either eat breakfast or go back to bed for another hour or two, which Jisung decided would be the best option for them. When else was he supposed to catch up on the sleep he lost working? His mate already looked mostly asleep in his arms anyway, so he carried the boy back to the bedroom. Once he had placed Minho down and covered him with the blanket, the rapper quickly changed his shirt, which was still damp with the little's tears, and slipped into bed next to the hybrid. A faint smile spread on Jisung's lips as Minho's tail draped over him, wrapping around his arm to ensure he wouldn't leave while the other was asleep. Minho was really the only one, who's possessiveness could be this adorable.