Stray Kids Drabbles

Northern attitude

"No child of mine will grow up to be a sissy."

You didn't know how to comfort someone crying. You were raised as an only child, so you didn't have a choice amongst your childhood grief. Not even your mother was there to coddle you and wipe away the remainders of tears from your cheeks.

Every time Changbin cried, you stood beside him awkwardly patting his shoulder. It wasn't something someone had taught you. You always dealt with your emotions by yourself. It was so unfamiliar and foreign; the warmth of Changbin's salty tears on your chest.

When he grabbed you and cried into your chest, you let him. All you could do was wrap your arms around him and let him grieve. You never got to experience how he comforted you because you never cried around him.

You laughed and you smiled. You openly experienced your happiness, but you locked your sadness away. Every time he poked around asking about it, you changed the topic. It was something you didn't like to talk about; the only topic you flat out refused to discuss.

However, lately things had been shifting in your life. It started with your co-worker being fired from their job. You were close to them, so it was difficult to come to work without their upbeat attitude.

The wave of destruction continued with another friend of yours. After a freak accident while out on a hike, they were killed. It crushed your heart, but you continued to stay strong. You had to be, it's what your father told you and it's what your mother agreed upon.

Your heartstrings were stretching thin. How much could they stretch before they broke and your heart shattered in your chest? How much more grief could you swallow before your glass lungs cracked?

It all came to a stand still in the middle of the week. You had just returned home from the pet store with two small glass dishes and a collar. One bowl was for water and the other was for kitten food. After doing hours of research, you decided to somewhat adopt the newest neighborhood stranger.

A tiny gray kitten had been abandoned by someone. As much as you wanted to bring it inside, you couldn't, not with Changbin's cat allergies. His company needed him to be in tip-top shape for rapping and singing. A kitten in the house would destroy that and make him miserable.

You opted to take care of the kitten outside on your own terms. You played with it, you pet it, and you fed and watered it. After you messed with him, you changed your clothes, dropped them into a separate hamper to wash them without Changbin's clothes, and you took a shower. When he kept coming back to your backyard, you decided to claim him as your own.

The sky blue collar was going to go great with his fur coat. You even got a tag with your phone number on it in case someone wanted to know more about him. You had even picked out a name for him.

You were so excited to share your purchases with Changbin. He was so happy to have the kitten, even if he couldn't interact with him. A few nights ago, he opened up the back door and watched you play with the cat through the screen door.

You were grinning and laughing while you teased the cat with a stick. The small kitten kept batting his tiny paws and trying to catch it. Right when he was about to, you jerked the stick just out of reach.

Behind you, Changbin's affectionate laugh filled the air. It delighted you for nearly an hour. The two of you were smitten with the kitten. It had been the highlight of every evening for the past two weeks.

It all came to a tragic end as you stopped your car a few feet before your driveway. The tiny gray kitten you opened your heart to sat in the middle of the road unmoving. You parked your car and got out as fast as you could, but it was too late. Someone had run over the kitten and drove away.