Lonely Kitten

45

When the pair awoke close to noon, the storm hadn't lessened but Minho reminded himself of what Jisung had told him. Sometimes storms brought good things with them. "Good morning, little prince", the rapper hummed lowly as Minho looked at him with glossy eyes, "It's time for a late breakfast now, isn't it? Is my kitten hungry?" The little nodded eagerly, glad for any distraction he could get, so he might forget about the rumbling thunder outside. Jisung could tell the boy was still on edge but it wasn't nearly as bad as earlier. Chuckling, he picked Minho up and carried him to the kitchen. The hybrid didn't have that big of a problem with sitting on the counter anymore but still wanted his Dada to stay close, so he couldn't fall off. Jisung poked Minho's growling tummy, laughing: "That sounds really empty. What should we put in there now?" Slipping his fingers between his lips, the little gnawed on them and hummed. He wasn't sure what he wanted but he knew that it had to be sweet.

While Minho only looked at him curiously, Jisung pulled out a bowl of berries and washed them before offering the little one. It'd surely taste better than his fingers. Nibbling his strawberry, the hybrid glanced over at the fruit basket and babbled: "Nanana." Jisung gave him a questioning look, before looking over too. "You want a banana?", he guessed. Clapping his hands, Minho squealed: "Nanana!" - "Alright, kitten. You get a banana", the rapper laughed, "Oh, I know! Bad weather always calls for hot chocolate. Let's have some hot chocolate with your banana and berries. Maybe you can have some apple sauce too because I don't want my little prince to go hungry." Minho only stared at him with sparkling eyes, completely forgetting about the strawberry in his hand. Turning on a soft playlist to drown at least some of the noise out, Jisung pulled a small pot onto the stove and heated up two cups of almond milk. "Don't forget your berries, kitten", the rapper reminded with a smile. Looking down at his hand, Minho giggled: "Bewewe-we wewwies!" - "Yes, berries!", Jisung laughed, handing him another one before fetching a chocolate bar and breaking it into tiny pieces. One of the pieces was quickly snatched and slipped between Minho's lips, so the rapper hurried to add the rest to the hot milk, stirring to dissolve them.

"How small do you feel kitten? Are you big enough to get your bottle from the coffee table?", Jisung asked softly. He didn't want to go and collect it himself while Minho sat on the counter, probably freaking out the second he took one step too far away from him. Curiously tilting his head, the little asked: "Baba?" - "Yes, your baba. Do you think you could get it?", Jisung tried again, his mate nodding. He waited for the rapper to help him down from the counter and waddled to the living room. His ears twitched as he heard his caregiver sing along to the song playing from his phone and a wide smile spread on his lips. He loved that voice. Jisung was so absorbed in his thoughts about what he was going to eat and how he'd keep Minho busy today, that he startled when the hybrid suddenly stood behind him, arms and tail wrapping tightly around his waist. "Good job!", he praised as he turned to Minho, taking the bottle from him, "Can you take your berries and your banana to the dining table? I'll clean your bottle and bring your hot chocolate in a second." The little nodded eagerly, accepting the bowl and waddling to the dining table before making a second trip for the banana.

Jisung had carefully poured half of the hot chocolate into Minho's baby bottle after cleaning out the cold milk from the previous night. Pouring the other half into a cup for himself, the rapper took both to the table. He smiled widely as his mate waited for him with big eyes. Sliding the baby bottle in front of Minho, he reminded: "It's still hot, so you need to wait a bit, yeah?" The little nodded and waited as Jisung went to grab a yoghurt from the fridge. Not as healthy as Minho's food choice but it would do. He was glad the little managed to feed himself this time and soon fetched himself another yoghurt, surprised by how hungry he was. It shouldn't have surprised him that much as carrying his mate around had made his muscles grow, which now demanded more energy to sustain themselves.

"Minnie?", Jisung hummed, catching Minho's attention, "What do you want to do today?" The little pouted softly, picking up another berry. He didn't know and the weather certainly didn't put him in a good mood. Shrugging, Minho nibbled on his food. "Today's going to be a quiet day, hm?", Jisung said with a gentle smile, the hybrid giving a shy nod, "Hmmmm, weeee could, oh, we could see if we find another pretty mandala for you to color. Does coloring sound alright, kitten?" Minho nodded, a small smile spreading on his smeared lips. "Da!", he exclaimed, pushing a strawberry into Jisung's hand. The rapper looked at it and smiled: "Is the berry for me?" - "Bewewe-we wewwie", Minho babbled and nodded. Chuckling quietly, Jisung took a bite and praised: "It's really good! Thank you!" A smile spread on the little's lips as he picked up another berry for himself. By the time they were done eating, his hands and lips were all sticky and he whined every time he set his bottle back down and it stuck to his palm. Jisung quickly cleared the table and guided Minho to the bathroom to wash his hands and face. Thunder boomed outside and the little pressed himself closer, failing to suppress a soft whimper. Jisung comfortingly stroked his hair, smiling: "It's okay. We're safe in here. Let's go and get your coloring book, hm?"

The pair settled at the dining table, Minho sitting in Jisung's lap with his baby blanket draped over his thighs. His pacifier bobbed cutely between his lips as he flipped through the coloring book, still unsure which of the mandalas he wanted to color today. Another thunder. The hybrid startled, whining in discontent as he looked at Jisung for help. Pretending there was nothing outside, the rapper smiled: "You can't decide, can you?" Minho shook his head, almost tearing up. He calmed himself by running his fingers over the soft material of his baby blanket and gave his Dada a sad pout. "It's okay. Do you want me to choose a page for you?", Jisung offered, booping the little's pacifier. The small action earned him a soft giggle and Minho nodded. Jisung flipped the pages, studying each of them and humming as if it was the most difficult decision he had ever had to make. Nodding to himself, he hummed: "Huh, I think this one. This is pretty. What do you think, Minnie?" - "Pwetty!", Minho agreed, already dumping the colored pencils onto the table and pushing the empty pencil case to the other side of the table.

Jisung watched with an adoring smile as Minho set about filling in the blank spots, sometimes struggling to choose which color he should use next. He'd turn to his mate holding up a few different colored pencils, Jisung dug out his best acting skills, pretending it was a tough decision to make before hesitantly pointing at one of the pencils. Thunder struck again, causing Minho to flinch. When he looked at his mandala, he had to realize he had dragged the pencil across the paper, leaving a green line. Tears sprung to his eyes. He had messed up his pretty artwork. "Ssh, kitten, it's okay", Jisung promised, already reaching for the eraser, "We can fix it and then pretend it never happened, yeah?" Minho gave him a doubtful look, sniffling behind his paci. His eyes widened as the rapper rubbed the eraser over the paper and made the line disappear. Looking between Jisung's hands and his face, the little mumbled: "Dada wizawd?" - "Maybe", Jisung winked, wrapping his arms around Minho's waist. He rested his chin on the hybrid's shoulder, watching the boy pick his colored pencil back up.

Minho purred softly as he continued to color with Jisung watching him. The rapper quietly hummed along to whatever song came on next, distracting his mate from the noise outside. Maybe it'd be worth investing in another pair of noise-cancelling headphones, though he didn't know how well that'd work with Minho's cat ears. It didn't look comfortable when he tried to imagine it and decided to ask Minho about it when he wasn't regressed. For now, the little was content as it was. His mate close by, his soothing voice right next to his ear and so many pretty colors to color his mandala. The boy continued to purr till he felt sleepy, the pencil falling from his hand. He yawned before picking it back up and continuing. Jisung watched it happen a few more times before deciding Minho needed a nap. He didn't have much convincing to do, only needing to promise the boy to stay with him for cuddles and to protect him from the storm. They cuddled up together, Jisung's fingers tangled in Minho's hair, scratching at his scalp and ears even after the little had already drifted off to sleep.