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.
"I promised you, I'd get you a bottle, didn't I?", Jisung smiled when the little nuzzled his face into his neck, purring loudly. He had been right, not only was the bottle totally Minho's style, it had also managed to cheer him up, so the rapper offered: "How about you have a bottle for dessert later, hm? Only if your tummy feels okay enough for that though." - "Weawwy?", the hybrid beamed, studying the bottle again. It was just so pretty. Fondly ruffling the boy's silver hair, Jisung nodded: "Sure, why not? Let's see what we'll have for dinner. You had lunch, right?" When he glanced at Minho, he found the little guiltily fiddling with his fingers. "Ma tummy huwted", the hybrid reminded, making Jisung sigh. Biting his lip, he contemplated their options as he didn't want to make his friend sick again. "How about I make you some plain rice, hm? It'll go easy on your tummy and when it settles alright, we can see if you can handle having a bottle", he hummed. Minho nodded before his smile fell and his ears drooped, remembering something: "Me nuh can haf miwky." - "You can't have all types of milk but there are some you can have", Jisung argued, "Remember that vanilla milk I gave you? That didn't make you sick, did it?" The other shook his head, a wide smile spreading on his lips as he giggled: "Me wike nilla miwky."
Jisung turned on the TV and searched for a cartoon Minho could watch, while he went to the kitchen to cook some rice and to wash the hybrid's new bottle. He was just washing the bottle when two arms snuck around his middle and he felt someone clinging to his back. The rapper's heart fluttered when he turned around to properly return the hug and Minho started to purr. "Is your cartoon boring?", Jisung asked carefully but the little shook his head. Hiding his face against the other's shoulder, the hybrid muttered: "Me missed chu. Nuh wanna be wonewy nuh mowe." - "Aww, kitten", Jisung cooed, almost tearing up, "It's okay, I'm here. Do you want to watch me cook? Maybe we can get you a chair this time, if you don't like sitting on the counter." Biting his lip, Minho contemplated his options. "Me otay wif sittin up thewe, just- just pwease stay cwose so me nuh faww off", he requested shyly. Picking the boy up, Jisung chuckled: "Of course, up you go." The rapper kept his promise and stayed close by, preparing some chicken for them to have with their rice. To distract Minho from his nerves when it came to heights, he handed the little his new bottle, along with a tea towel, so he could dry it off for his dessert later.
They had dinner in silence and after Jisung had switched Minho's chopsticks for a spoon, the little was fine feeding himself. Despite having had an upset tummy earlier, Minho finished his meal entirely, which shouldn't have surprised Jisung as much, considering he had skipped lunch. When they had finished their meal, the rapper excused himself to take a shower, earning a sad pout from Minho but the hybrid understood he couldn't go with him even though he really wanted to. Listening to the shower run, Minho sat on the couch and fiddled with his blanket as he barely paid any attention to the cartoon playing on the TV. He wanted his Sungie back. Though it felt like an eternity to the little, Jisung had actually made sure to wash up as fast as he could, knowing he had already left Minho alone way too long today. After quickly putting on his sweatpants and a soft hoodie, the rapper made his way back to the living room, rubbing his hair with a small towel. "You want to take a bath too, Min?", he asked the little, who's ears had already perked up hearing his steps in the hallway. Minho shrugged a bit, mainly wanting to spend time with the other but he knew cuddles would feel even better after a warm bath. "Come on, I think I still have some bubble bath that my mom gave me. You can have a nice warm bath and by the time you're done, I'll have your bottle ready. Your tummy feels well enough for that, right?", Jisung decided, offering the little a hand, so he could walk him to the bathroom and run him his bath. Nodding shyly, Minho followed along and took a seat on the rapper's fluffy bathroom rug as he watched the other fill the tub with water and lots of bubbles.
"When I'm gone, you can take off your clothes and get in. I'll bring you some fresh ones to sleep in soon, yeah? Oh, by the way, do you prefer your milk cold or warm?", Jisung asked from the door, about to leave to get the boy some clothes. Fiddling with the hem of his shirt, Minho mumbled: "Wawm, pwease." - "Of course, little prince. I'll be back with your clothes in a minute. Enjoy your bath", the rapper smiled, closing the door behind him. He picked out a soft, knit sweater, that he just knew Minho would look adorable in, along with comfortable sweatpants. Returning to the bathroom, he knocked hesitantly and entered when the little called him in. Even though Minho was mentally a toddler at the moment, Jisung still felt awkward entering the bathroom when the other was only covered by mountains of bubbles. "Here are your clothes and you can use that towel", the rapper instructed, placing the items on the sink, "When you're done, I'll be waiting in the bedroom with your bottle and blanket, so you can go to sleep."
Minho didn't take long to finish washing up. Although the bubbles were fun to play with, he wanted to get back to Jisung quickly, especially when the other was waiting with his blanket and bottle. His new bottle that the rapper had gotten for him today. He couldn't wait to try it out. Drying off, he reached for the clothes and took his time sniffing the sweater and rubbing his face into it. It smelled so much like Jisung, he just couldn't stop himself. When he was dressed, he waddled to the bedroom with the towel still over his shoulders. "Oh dear", Jisung frowned, when he noticed the hybrid's hair was still dripping wet, "Come here, Min. Let me dry your hair. We can't have you catching a cold." Minho crawled onto the bed and sat with his legs crossed, while the other took the towel and thoroughly rubbed his hair dry, being especially careful around the hybrid's ears and taking the time to pet them as it was too hard to resist. By the time he was done, Minho was purring loudly, looking at him with big, innocent eyes.
Jisung got the little settled in bed, with his blanket in his hands, and took a seat on the edge of the mattress. "Here's your milk, kitten", he smiled handing Minho his bottle. Shyly studying the sheets, the hybrid poked Jisung's thigh with one finger and breathed: "Can- can me sit thewe?" - "On my lap?", Jisung confirmed and the little nodded, "Of course, scoot over a bit." The rapper got on the bed properly and sat with his back against the headboard, smiling when Minho got comfortable in his lap. Minho soon closed his eyes, suckling on his bottle, while Jisung repeatedly stroked his hair and traced his ears. Soon the boy was too sleepy, so Jisung took the bottle from him and fed him, Minho soon drifting off in the other's lap, the bottle almost finished. The rapper felt his heart go all soft and mushy, as he placed the bottle onto the nightstand and wrapped his arms around Minho's small waist, holding the hybrid close. When it was time for Jisung to go to bed too, he carefully shifted the other into a flat position and pulled the sheets up to his shoulders before getting under them too. He lay flat on his back, not wanting to overstep boundaries and cuddle up to Minho, while the other was asleep and unable to tell him no. Jisung didn't have to though, as the hybrid sleepily rolled over and nuzzled his face into his chest, his tail draped protectively over both of them.