#294: Hybrid Café

[lordchen]

Prompt: #294
Title: Hybrid Café
Pairing: ChenKai, TaoHun, XiuHan, BaekYeol, SuLay
Rating: NC-17
Warning: general cursing, kitty in heat, self-lubrication, begging (?), otherwise this is just one big ball of fluff
Word count: 19.5k
Summary: Jongdae is an old kitty hybrid who has given up hope in finding an owner and decided to be happy with his lot in life. Jongin is a manga artist who decides his lot in life could use a big change.

Jongdae snuggles close to his pillow and shuts his eyes, lips turning up into his natural kittenish smile. Tomorrow is going to be a great day. For the first time in years, he’ll have something productive and exciting to do with his time. It’s not like taking care of the other hybrids and helping around the shelter isn’t productive, but after ten years, the same routine has gotten old. He has gotten old.

There are not enough words to express his gratitude towards Luhan and Minseok who have given him, given them all, this opportunity. The Hybrid Café will be a big change to adjust to, but change is exactly what all of them need. It’s a chance at new life that not many get once they enter the shelter system.

Jongdae squirms with excitement, his tail swishing from side to side under the covers. He grips his pillow harder, claws digging into the fabric. Tomorrow will be amazing.

The bed shakes beneath him, announcing the arrival of Sehun. The kitten always ends up snuggling on the lower bunk with Tao whenever he’s too excited about something—a trip to the Zoo, an escapade to the comic book store, Kyungsoo’s promises of baking cookies. Young kitties are hyper like that.

Sehun’s whispering is loud in the small room. “I was hoping the next Kitty Avengers would be out this week. But Yixing said the release date was pushed back another month! Ugh.”

Jongdae’s furry ears twitch. Not this again….

“I read somewhere that the author might have lost interest in the manga,” Tao whispers back. “He better not think of quitting on us now. I need to know what happens with Thunder Kitty and Kai!”

Sehun lowers his voice even more. “Do you think hyung will role-play again with us if we ask nicely?”

Jongdae groans. “No.”

“Why?” Sehun whines.

Swinging to the side, Jongdae peeks down at the two kitties. The soft nightlight makes their eyes glow a bit. “Because I know what happened in the last chapter,” he says. “And I am not kissing anyone.”

Tao grins. “Don’t want to give away your first kiss, hyung?”

A hiss and a show of sharp teeth in a mock display of dominance is enough to send the young ones laughing and hiding under the covers. Jongdae huffs in annoyance, but can’t help a smile. He shakes his head before settling back down on his pillow.

There’s some rusting on the bed below. “Maybe Mr. In is just taking his time to write a special edition of Kitty Avengers. You know, like the 100 page long Light and Flame Kitty story.”

“That was an awesome side story.” Tao giggles. “But I wish he’d made them kiss too.”

Muted laughter erupts from below and Jongdae yowls. “Guys, please go to sleep. We’ve got a big day tomorrow. You don’t want to look sleepy and tired when the customers come in.”

“Sorry, hyung,” Sehun says.

A couple of beats pass in silence. “Hyung….”

Jongdae sighs. “Yes, Tao?”

“Do you think there’s a bigger chance of someone adopting us at the café?” Tao asks.

Jongdae catches the hopeful tone in the younger’s voice. Even though he’s given up on the dream, the others haven’t. The café won’t only be a place where they can heal whatever scars the past left deep inside, but a place where maybe they can fulfill the ultimate dream of finding an owner.

“Only if you behave,” Jongdae says and then chuckles at Tao’s indignant scoff. “I’m sure some lucky man or woman will fall in love with your disgustingly cute faces, maknaes. Now go to sleep and let me get my beauty rest.”

“Goodnight, hyung,” the kitty boys say.

That night, Jongdae dreams of being a young kitty again and finding an owner who wants to keep him forever and not just temporarily.



♥Jongin♥
Jongin blinks hard. His eyes sting and water up behind his glasses, a result of staring at the computer screen for too long without a break. His back pops and creaks when he arches in a stretch, reaching up with his hands and tensing all over. He lets his body slide down the seat as his muscles relax once again. His jaw clacks open with a lion-like yawn.

He places the glasses on the desk and rubs the tears away. The tiny clock in the corner of the screen says it’s 6:35am. Great. Another sleepless night this week. It’s a common enough occurrence in the life of a semi-successful manga author who both writes and draws his stuff. Jongin still tries his best to take care of his body by eating right, exercising, and sleeping enough hours. But this latest Kitty Avengers chapter is giving him trouble. So much trouble, in fact, that he’s been working on the same three pages for the past two weeks and he’s gotten nowhere.

His publisher has already called more than a couple of times to ask how he is doing with the newest deadline. It was the first time in ages that Jongin resorted to lying and he’d done a really crappy job, which had then led to Junmyeon insisting on a Skype call at 10am on a Monday morning to discuss yet another extension on the deadline.

Monday.

Jongin checks the date in a panic, but just as quickly sighs in relief. It is Monday morning. He hasn’t missed any days in the foggy creative block he’s been living in.

He collects the dirty dishes and health bar wrappers that have accumulated on his desk, and makes his way to the kitchen. After cleaning up everything, he hops on the treadmill and runs for a good 60 minutes. Steady breaths and shoes slapping against the belt are the only sounds in the apartment as the walls lighten with the sunrise.

After a quick shower, he runs out to get breakfast from his favorite place, Wraptastic Wraps and Smoothies. The store is full when he gets there, but Chanyeol still grins and waves enthusiastically from behind the counter. The giant goof makes weird signals with his hands and Jongin nods before people think his friend is possessed.

He picks his usual table on the side nearest to the beverage display and waits, head resting on folded arms. The strong and delicious smell of coffee isn’t enough to wake Jongin up fully, but he still breathes in deeper. The warm atmosphere at Wrapstastic—the chatter as background noise, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, Chanyeol’s occasional booming laugh are always a welcome change from the monotonous quiet of his days. He could even sleep in all the cacophony….

A thump down on the table jolts Jongin awake. There’s a tray of food before him with two hot wraps and a large-sized strawberry smoothie.

“Skipping sleep again I see,” Chanyeol says and takes the seat in front. He hits his knee in the process, almost spilling Jongin’s drink, but manages to grab the tall glass in time. He steadies it with an apologetic smile. Clumsy is just one of Chanyeols many charms.

“It’s deadline time,” Jongin says grabbing his healthy wrap, mouth watering. “You know how it is.”

Jongin lets Chanyeol talk unchecked as he demolishes his breakfast, too hungry to slow down even when he burns himself with the wraps. His friend talks about his shop, about new healthy wrap ideas, about his Chinese friend who owns the comic book store some streets over, about everything and anything, jumping from one topic to another without breaks. “Oh! We totally need to go to this new café around the corner! It opened today. Yixing texted me a pic an hour ago, and the line to get inside extended all the way around onto this street! Can you believe it? So, do you have time this next weekend?”

Jongin nods along, but Chanyeol is already talking about something else.

When he’s finished with breakfast, Jongin pats his belly and lets out a contended sigh. He checks the time on the hexagon-shaped clock on the wall to see if he has time to beg Chanyeol for oatmeal cookies. 9:45am. No time. “I have to go. Junmyeon is going to call at 10.”

Chanyeol stops mid-story and pouts. “Aww. You guys always leave me out.”

“This is work,” Jongin says, trying to console his friend. He gets up to dispose of the trash and Chanyeol follows. “Remember the last time we tried to talk work with you on the line as well?”

“It’s not my fault Nemo decided to die that night!” Chanyeol says too loud, scaring a couple of customers coming in through the door.

As Chanyeol apologizes, Jongin remembers how his friend had been inconsolable with the death of his pet fish. A crying, loud mess that had taken over an hour to calm down with assurances that Nemo had indeed reached fish heaven and was probably swimming with his dad and Dory. No work talk was achieved that night.

They walk outside and Chanyeol stops him. “So, everything all right with Kitty Avengers?” He frowns. “It’s been a while since your last release. They’re not pulling the plug on it are they? I still want to know what happens to Kai and Thunder. They need to kiss again!”

Jongin hangs his head. “I’m working on that.”

Chanyeol slaps him on the shoulder, and sends him stumbling a couple of steps. “Hey, if you’re short on ideas, I’m always here to help.”

Jongin rubs his arm and smiles. His friend does have the wildest ideas, and though they might not be the safest, they always manage to get Jongin’s muse crooning into his ear again. Like the time Dragon Kitty first appeared in the manga and he got obsessed with describing flying accurately. Chanyeol had taken him bungee jumping. Only Jongin was afraid of heights and, instead of letting him off easy, his friend shoved him into the air. Chanyeol had a recording of Jongin’s girly screams which he liked to whip out whenever he got a little too tipsy. Even with all the emotional scarring, Jongin had gone back home and finished Dragon Kitty’s chapter in record time. There was also the time when he first introduced Frost Kitty and Chanyeol took him to a cryosauna…where they almost froze their junk off…yeah. “Thanks, Yeol. I might just take you up on that offer soon.”

“Yah! Don’t work too much! You look like shit!” Chanyeol yells across the street making more than a few heads turn. “Remember, just like a flower! Sun, air, and friends!”

Jongin laughs and waves back. He makes it back to his apartment in time for the call. Before sitting at his desk, he brews tea and grabs his Kitty Avengers: Rock Kitty cup and fills it to the brim. Once logged into Skype, it only takes five minutes for Junmyeon to sign in and connect them.

His publisher is as quirky as they come. The man is older than Jongin by a couple of years and yet, in the spirit of keeping up with his younger clients, Junmyeon tries to be cool. Keyword: tries. It’s an attempt that eight times out of ten fails, but at least it never stops bringing a smile to Jongin’s lips.

Currently, Junmyeon is sporting newly bleached hair, which looks very cool in Jongin’s opinion, but the effect is marred by a flower-patterned atrocity in the form for a button up shirt. “How’s my favorite author?”

Jongin grins, maybe a bit too wide, when Junmyeon props fake glasses on his nose, adding to the weird ensemble. “I bet you say that to all your clients.”

“No,” his publisher says, steepling his fingers. “Just to my favorites.”

Jongin shakes his head and laughs.

“So, how are you doing?” Junmyeon asks with a pleasant smile. “Still having trouble with the next chapter?”

Jongin sets his cup down. “Yes. I just…I’m not feeling the whole Thunder Kitty falling in love with Kai. They haven’t interacted that much before in the series, so it doesn’t feel real when they start professing love for each other.”

“Don’t believe in love at first sight” Junmyeon shakes his head. “Yeah, me neither.”

“It’s not that. It’s just that I don’t understand why.” Jongin sighs. “Why do they like each other so much?” It’s weird that he doesn’t have an answer for it when the characters are products of his imagination. Like, shouldn’t he just know.

Junmyeon nods along. “I see. Why don’t you have them go slower?” he suggests. “Ease into the relationship. Haven’t you been wooed before or courted someone?”

It’s been so long since Jongin’s last relationship that he isn’t sure if it actually happened or if he imagined the whole disastrous situation. He’d fallen in love with one of his classmates at the art institute. The guy couldn’t draw to save his life—silly stick figures that many professors praised, even though Jongin couldn’t see anything special about them. But the guy’s passion for art was contagious, and it had given Jongin new life at a moment where he hadn’t been sure if he was in the right path by pursuing art as a career. Jongin had fallen for him, fallen hard.

It took Jongin a long time after the sudden breakup to find his way back up again. But that is the past. In the present, Jongin ignores his publisher’s last question and focuses on his current problem. “The latest SM Mobile Suit is destroying the city and you want them to take it slow?”

Junmyeon laughs. “Yes! There must be a reason why they kissed before jumping into that last fight. Think about that. Why did Thunder and Kai kiss? Why did you write it that way?”

“Because….” Jongin struggles for a moment and tries to remember what he’d felt that day he wrote the kiss scene. “Because they don’t have anyone else. They haven’t had anyone else. They’ve been fighting for a long time and they were about to die and I…I thought…they shouldn’t die like this.”

Junmyeon nods vigorously. “You wanted them to realize they weren’t alone anymore.”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“Then think of how else you can demonstrate that they’ve got each other’s back, not just in fighting.” Junmyeon raises his hands in a calming motion when Jongin starts shaking his head. “I’m not asking you to have them make out and jump into bed. Just have them explore this new side of their relationship. Think of how they’re feeling after the kiss? Are they afraid? Are they excited? Are they worried? Put yourself in their shoes. You are a single man, living alone for some years now. How would you react if I or Chanyeol suddenly kissed you?”

Jongin gags “Okay, okay. I get it. I did not need that visual.”

Junmyeon laughs again. “Great! Then I will check up on you next week,” he says. “And Jongin, can I suggest you take a few easy days and just go out. There is an entire world outside that door.”

Crossing his arms, he glares at the screen. “I know that. I go out almost every day.”

His publisher tut-tuts and shakes his finger. “Walking two blocks down to Chanyeol’s and going back home immediately after isn’t exploring the world. Just go out! Pretend you’re Kai and find your Thunder!”

“Goodbye hyung!” Jongin says over Junmyeon’s yells of finding love and romance.

“Go out!”

Those last words echo in the silence, bounce from the walls, and dig into Jongin. He remains seated at his desk for some time, looking at the blank page and the unfinished cover sketch of Thunder and Kai. Just thinking about work has him yawning again, a reminder he hasn’t slept at all.

Jongin takes his packet of neon sticky notes and writes as his computer powers off. He places the yellow square right in the middle of the black screen and then goes to bed.

The sticky says GO OUT in big bold letters.

However, Jongin doesn’t go out the next day.

Or the next.

Or the next.



✨Jongdae✨
Jongdae lets his smile slip as the last customer exists the café. It’s hard having to keep up a constant pleasant and bubbly attitude all day long. But the Hybrid Café is a big hit and there is rarely any downtime to breathe and recharge energy. Jongdae both loves it and hates it.

He rests his forearms on the counter and leans over, letting his back stretch. God, that feels good. A weight settles on top of him soon after and he groans. “Have you been eating too many of Kyungsoo’s pastries?”

“Nope,” Tao says, and snuggles his face beside Jongdae’s. “Why?”

Sehun comes over and rests his cheek on Jongdae’s other shoulder. “He means you’re heavy.”

Tao pulls back, releasing Jongdae. “I am not!”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not!”

“You rolled over me in your sleep and I thought I was going to die,” Sehun deadpans.

“Liar!” Tao jumps onto the counter, black tail swishing and ready to pounce. “Take it back!”

Sehun sticks his tongue out.

Tao prepares to jump, but Jongdae grabs a hold of his apron and pulls him back, sitting him on the counter. The kitten looks at him and pouts. “Behave,” Jongdae says. “We’re not at home. We’re at work.”

“Sorry, hyung,” Sehun says, coming forward and helping Tao off the counter.

Jongdae nods. “Clean the counter and the tables,” he says and the two boys groan. “If you do it fast, I might have some cash left over for smoothies from that place you both like.”

Tao and Sehun glance at each other for a second before scampering off to find cleaning cloths and disinfectant. They scrub everything in record time, and then bounce in front of Jongdae, ears perked, tails swishing, as he hands them over money. “Don’t take too long! And bring Baek one! You know how he gets!” he yells, but the maknaes are already gone.

Jongdae sits at a table and sighs. As the oldest, Luhan and Xiumin asked him to be in charge whenever they weren’t around. He agreed readily, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the stress of managing the café. Making sure they had enough of everything, checking in on Kyungsoo to see if he was doing okay, keeping the maknaes from getting into fights with each other, and watching out for Baekhyun’s penchant of clinging onto people. It’s like helping around the shelter, only ten times harder because now any mistakes are in public, and Xiumin and Luhan’s money is on the line.

He is old. And he is tired.

But he is very happy.

Happier than he’s been in a long, long time. Happy to be doing something with his life other than waiting for an owner to pick him up at the shelter. Happy to be leaving that dream behind and following this new chance.

The door crashes open. The little entrance bell goes flying and lands at Jongdae’s feet. He stands, bristling, but slipping on a smile for the customer even if the man just almost destroyed the doorway. “Good afternoon! Welcome to Hybrid Café! What can I get—”

“Oh my god!” The tall man stays frozen by the door. His eyes are wide as plates, as he grabs his head first, and then points at Jongdae. “You look just like Thunder!”

Here we go….

The man lumbers towards him and Jongdae fights away the urge to flee. He is tall, with big ears that stick out prominently, and a wide mouth with lots of teeth. Jongdae could count them all, as the man keeps his jaw open in disbelief.

He reaches out towards Jongdae’s kitty ears and Jongdae forces himself to ignore the urge to hiss and lash out with his claws. Not many people know how to approach kitty hybrids. If the stranger had done the same to Tao or Sehun, he would’ve already gotten a scratch or two. But Jongdae knows better, and as an older kitty he has control over his urges.

The man doesn’t actually touch his ears, but Jongdae still flattens them on top of his head and his smile wobbles. “Umm, can I help you?”

“Wow. It’s the same shade of gray and everything.” The man fixes his snapback. “He’s going to freak out. He is so going to flip!”

The booming laugh catches Jongdae unprepared and he jumps back, claws extended.

“Channie, you’re being a creep again,” a familiar voice says.

Jongdae laughs nervously and peeks around the giant before him to see a familiar face approaching. “Yixing! Help—I mean, hey.”

The calico kitty slaps the man on the arm and pulls him away. “Jongdae, this is my friend Chanyeol. Channnie, this is Jongdae.”

Chanyeol points again.

“Yes, yes. I know.” Yixing grins. “He looks exactly like Thunder. Now leash your inner fanboy and greet my friend.”

Chanyeol picks up the bell from the floor and hands it to Jongdae. “Sorry about that. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength. And sorry for scaring you.”

Jongdae waves the apologies away. “It’s fine. Nice to meet you.”

“Chanyeol owns Wraptastic Wraps and Smoothies,” Yixing tells him. “Do you know it?”

Jongdae glances at Chanyeol who is still eyeing him like he’s an alien dropped from another planet. He doesn’t quite know what to do. “I haven’t been there personally,” he says, “But Sehun and Tao love your Choco-Banana Smoothie.”

Chanyeol blinks. “They do? How much do they like it? Do they think the banana taste mixes well? Is it too overpowering?”

Jongdae laughs. “Why don’t you wait around and ask them? They should be back any minute now. They’re actually there right now. I sent them to buy smoothies—”

“You what?” The screech comes from behind the employee door a second before Baekhyun blunders in, growling. “Did you ask them to bring me one?”

Jongdae narrows his eyes at Baek, willing him to calm down and actually notice the other two people in the café. The puppy does after a moment, and bows a quick apology. He stands next to Jongdae, all repentant, as they introduce Chanyeol to him. Jongdae can see the effort Baek puts into not jumping and tackling the newcomer, but his tail still wags furiously behind him.

“Nice to meet you Baek,” Chanyeol says, shaking hands with the other.

Baek bounces on the balls of his feet.

Before the puppy loses control, Jongdae says, “Why don’t you get Chanyeol a cup of coffee and a piece of cake, Baek? On the house.”

Baek snatches Chanyeol’s hand. He pulls him away so fast the giant stumbles and almost runs into one of the tables. The puppy doesn’t notice and continues dragging the other to the pastry display to show him all the different choices while chattering the man’s ear off. Chanyeol smiles wider and somehow manages to keep up with the exited pup, even petting him twice.

Jongdae chuckles and turns to Yixing once he is sure Baek won’t jump Chanyeol—though he’s pretty sure the giant could handle the pup. “So, what brings you out of the comics dungeon? And why do you even bother with shirts if they’re going to be this loose.” He pulls at the collar of Yixing’s shirt, which sags and exposes most of his collarbones and chest.

Yixing swipes at him playfully. “Hangout date with Channie,” he says. “He wanted to check out the place and…I wanted him to meet Baek.”

Jongdae frowns. “Are you playing matchmaker again?”

Yixing’s ears perk up and his tail brushes Jongdae’s hand. “Me? What gave you that idea?”

“Uh huh. Yeah. Okay.” Jongdae swats Yixing’s tail away, which is trying to lift his shirt up. “Just leave me out of it this time.”

The calico pounces. Yixing wraps his arms around Jongdae’s head and pulls him close. “But why,” he whines. “I have the perfect person for you. Trust me. It’s like a match made in kitty heaven.”

Jongdae wriggles out of the other’s embrace and fixes his hair. “No thank you.”

Yixing shakes him. “But whyyyyy?”

“I don’t need an owner,” Jongdae says, and it comes out more heated than he intends. “I’ve been doing fine on my own. I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”

The look Yixing gives him is undecipherable, but he drops the topic when the doorbell opens again. Tao and Sehun appear with half-finished smoothies in hand.

“Did you bring me one,” Baekhyun yells from behind the counter, startling Chanyeol into a coughing fit. He pats the giant as he waits for an answer.

Tao produces a takeout bag, now wet with perspiration from the cold drink inside, and presents it to Baek.

Sehun comes around and drapes himself over Yixing.

“Hey, kitten. How’s it going?” Yixing asks him.

“I’m depressed,” the maknae informs, and sips noisily from his drink. “I need Kitty Avengers.”

Yixing ruffles the younger’s hair and scratches his ears, too.

Jongdae can’t help but roll his eyes. “Get a room.”

“Hunnie! This guy says he’s the owner of Wraptastic!” Tao says while clinging onto Chanyeol’s arms.

All woeful thoughts forgotten, Sehun bounds over to Baek, Tao, and Chanyeol. The man looks two parts amused, one part about to freak out.

Jongdae calculates he has about five more minutes before he has to intervene. He links arms with Yixing. “Hey, can I ask you a favor?”

The calico wraps his tail around Jongdae’s waist, and Jongdae does the same. “Anything.”

“Could you get Sehun and Tao hooked into a new comic series?” he pleads. “They keep moping around because the next Kitty Avengers issue hasn’t come out yet.”

“I’ve tried.” Yixing scratches at his ear. “Believe me I’ve tried, but they don’t want to read anything if it doesn’t have hybrids as the main characters. And right now, Mr. In is the only one writing stuff like that.”

Big sigh. “They keep asking me to role-play the same scene over and over again.”

The calico laughs at him. “If all goes according to plan, the new issue should be out soon enough.”

Jongdae frowns. “What are you talking about?”

Yixing’s smile is the dangerous one. The one that says I am playing puppeteer with someone’s life and you cannot stop me. Jongdae is about to asks more when he’s interrupted.

“Hyung!” Tao and Sehun call out. “Chanyeol hyung says he’ll play Kitty Avengers with us next time!”

“He promised to play with me first!” Baekhyun whines.

Chanyeol holds up his hands. “I have time for everyone.”

Tao and Sehun grab Chanyeol’s arms. “Play with us first!”

“No!” Baek lunges over the counter and holds on to Chanyeol’s waist. “He promised me first!”

Yixing squeezes Jongdae’s shoulder. “Hang in there, man.”

Jongdae sighs. “Okay. Break it up. Chanyeol won’t play with anyone if you don’t behave. Now, kittens, go to the kitchen and help Kyungsoo. And Baek you still need to practice making some of the drinks. You’re making them too sweet.”

A play date is scheduled for another day.



♥Jongin♥
After getting nowhere with his manga even after replotting part of the story, Jongin finally admits defeat. The little yellow post it note with GO OUT mocks him from the edge of his monitor where he’d moved it. So instead of jumping on the couch and turning on the TV, he gets dressed in something that’s not pajamas or sweats, grabs the phone, and calls Chanyeol. His friend picks up on the fifth ring.

“Good morning! This is Wraptastic Wraps and Smoothies, Chanyeol speaking.”

Jongin pauses looking for his shoes. “Why do you answer your phone like that?”

“Jongin? Hold on.” He hears some scrambling before Chanyeol comes back. “Yeah, sorry. I switched my phone and the work phone again.”

Jongin grabs his tennis and takes a pair of socks from inside them. “The phones aren’t even the same size. How do you keep confusing them?”

“They’re the same color.”

He throws the socks away and starts putting the shoes on. “Anyways, I called to see if you were free and wanted to head over to that café you told me about.”

“Oh…I…sort of went with Yixing hyung yesterday.”

Jongin stops. “What? But you invited me first, traitor! Here I am getting all dressed up—”

“—they’re just jeans and shoes, Jongin—”

“—and now you’re telling me you already went?” Jongin huffs. “Fine by me. I didn’t want to go out anyways.”

“NO!” Jongin removes the phone from his ear. It’s a miracle he hasn’t gone deaf yet with a friend like Chanyeol. “You still have to go!”

“Why?”

“Yixing said—I mean, you’ll understand once you get there.”

Suspicious of his friend’s tone, Jongin says, “Chanyeol, if this is one of your crazy ideas—”

“It’s not! Trust me. Just go. Oh, one last thing,” Chanyeol says. “Don’t freak out.”

That didn’t bode well. “Okay?”

“That’s it. Don’t freak out! Bye!”

Jongin hangs up the phone and scratches his nose. Chanyeol is weird, but this is a whole new level of weirdness that Jongin hasn’t experienced before. He shrugs it off. Making sure to take his keys and messenger bag loaded with sketchbook and pencils, Jongin goes out without a destination in mind.

The day turns out to be wonderful. With the sun shining brightly and the skies full of white clouds that drift lazily along. Jongin heads for the parks and outdoor markets. He ends up buying bubble tea and resting against a tree, watching people and hybrids walk by. It’s been a while since he’s sketched live, so it takes him a couple of tries for his wrist to loosen up and his lines and curves to come out easier.

After a few sketches, he settles back and enjoys the tranquility. It’s not long until he is snoozing contently, dreaming of the next Kitty Avengers fight and how to draw the panels to portray the most action.

It’s too bad he doesn’t dream of how Thunder and Kai will fall in love.

On his way back, Jongin continues being adventurous and takes a different street to return home, one that runs parallel to Chanyeol’s Wraptastic. There are more restaurants and stores down this street, but Jongin usually just orders delivery from them. He isn’t surprised to see a couple of new places have opened up, and he jots down the numbers for future use.

Then he starts looking for one place in specific.

He finds it sitting on the corner where he needs to turn to reach his street. It has a big white sign with purple letters that says Welcome to Hybrid Café. And now he understands Chanyeol’s enthusiasm this morning. These types of cafés are the new cool thing. In them, you can interact with hybrids without the commitment of having to buy one, and hybrids can work free of any discrimination or harassment.

More than once, his friends have suggested he adopt a hybrid to keep him company, because “Jongin, we don’t want to find out you died two months later when someone investigates the funky smell coming out of your apartment.” They also argued that, as the author of Kitty Avengers, a live-in kitty hybrid would serve as daily inspiration. But though their points were somewhat valid, Jongin didn’t think he was up to an owner-pet relationship or any relationship just yet.

But he is going through one of the worst writing and art blocks ever. A hybrid café mere blocks from his apartment, where he can sit, indulge in coffee, and observe kitties seems like a heaven sent gift to jumpstart his creativity. There’s no harm in going in and interacting with the hybrids even if he has no intentions of ever adopting one, right?

Jongin hitches his messenger bag higher on his shoulder, takes a deep breath, and pushes the door open. A little bell rings announcing his entrance. It’s mid afternoon. Everyone’s gone back to work or classes, and he’s the only customer there. It’s smells delicious, like pastries and coffee and cozy home. The three hybrids behind the counter all turn to smile at him. They’re all kitties.

The tall one has black ears perking out of his blonde hair and black tail swiveling behind. The second is just as tall, but his ears are orange and his tail is white-tipped. It’s the smallest of the trio that catches Jongin’s eye and makes his breath stall in his lungs. The hybrid’s grey ears twitch the longer Jongin stares, but it is all he can do when the kitten looks exactly like his character Thunder Kitty.

I am going to murder Chanyeol.

“Welcome to Hybrid Café,” Thunder-lookalike says, a pleasant smile on his kittenish lips. “I’m Jongdae. What will you have today?

Jongin blinks and approaches the counter in a daze. He is freaking out inside and cursing at Chanyeol at the same time. Couldn’t he have warned me there was a live copy of Thunder working here? Nooooo. He had to leave me to suffer this mental breakdown all on my own!

The two other kitty hybrids gasp. They run away to the back through the employee door in a tangle of awkward flailing and Jongin is momentarily startled.

Jongdae stares at the door in confusion as it swivels back and forth. When the hybrid turns, his eyes crinkle into crescent moons and he pulls at the stud in his ear as if embarrassed. “Don’t worry about them,” he says. “Tao and Sehun are just skittish.”

Jongin’s brain is having a meltdown and he is internally screaming, because what are the chances of meeting a grey kitty hybrid with black hair and eyes that smiled exactly like his fictional character. Only, the live-version is even more handsome.

“Um…Can I help you?” Jongdae asks.

Heat rises in Jongin’s cheeks and he scrambles for something to say that it’s not LET ME PET YOU, THUNDER! Because that would be all kinds of creepy and inappropriate. “I-I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to scare them. Or to stare. At you. I’m just…Um.”

The hybrid laughs. “Don’t worry about it. They’ll survive, and I don’t mind the attention.” Jongdae winks. “What will you have today?”

Jongin’s brain works extra hard to process the wink. Was it flirty? Was it polite? Thunder Kitty’s would’ve been all flirty. But this isn’t fiction, this is a real, live hybrid named Jongdae who is staring back at him with gorgeous brown eyes waiting for an answer. By now, he probably thinks Jongin has brain damage, because the only reply is a mumbled word that could translate to asdfghjkl.

Jongdae keeps on smiling, but backs away from the counter. He glances through the circular window on the employee door. “Uh. Can I offer you coffee? Muffins? Donuts? You could wait five more minutes for hot, gooey, right from the oven, chocolate chip cookies.”

“Oh…Um…I….” Seriously. Get yourself together, Jongin.

Having grasped what little sanity and courage is left, Jongin opens his mouth to speak, but before he can say anything a man with a lavender Mohawk comes in from the back. He balances a tray of donuts on one hand. “Dae, why are Tao and Sehun acting like crazy fangirls in the back? Oh! I didn’t know we had a customer. Welcome!”

Jongin waves weakly.

“I’ll go check on them.” Jongdae raises a finger. “I’ll be right back.” The kitty leaves and Jongin almost lets out a scream when he catches a glimpse of the grey and black stripped tail. Oh my god. He could be Thunder Kitty’s clone! And he probably thinks I’m a psycho. He’ll call the cops on me the next time I come back. But I need to come back!

“I’m Minseok, the owner of Hybrid Café,” lavender Mohawk guy says, catching back his attention. He opens the pastry display and slides in the tray. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before? Are you new to the neighborhood? We mostly get locals.”

“I’m Jongin,” he says and shakes Minseok’s hand. “And not really. I live on the next street over. I just…don’t go out much.”

“Haha. I see. Well we’re practically neighbors. My husband and I moved in upstairs a month ago.” Minseok grabs a donut with a napkin and hands it to Jongin. He waves away when Jongin starts getting out his wallet. “We’re not new to the area though. We actually took over the hybrid shelter at the end of the road last year. Do you know the place?”

Jongin mumbles a yes around the delicious bit of glassed donut. He eats healthy, but has never been opposed to indulging once in a while. “What made you go from shelter work to opening a café?”

“Some of the strays have been there a long time,” Minseok says wiping down the counter. “They can get bored, depressed, angry. They simply don’t deal that well being without an owner. So, Luhan and I thought, why not give them something to do? Something they could work for everyday and still get that human interaction they crave. We did a little bit of research and found out about the hybrid cafés. And so we decided to open our own.”

Jongin admits is a pretty great idea, helping shelter hybrids to move on, to deal with their issues and make a life for themselves. He vaguely wonders if he should ask Minseok for a job since he has such a hard time dealing with people himself.

“So, what do you do Jongin-ssi?

“I’m a writer. I also draw manga—”

“Cookies are ready!” A pup hybrid announces proudly as he comes out the back, tray held high in his hands.

“Baek, stop messing around,” Minseok pleads. “You’re going to drop them.”

“No I’m not!” His cream puppy ears flop from side to side on his black hair as he shakes his head. Baek grins and set’s the tray down, before skipping over to Jongin. “Hi! I’m Baekhyun. Who are you?”

Minseok sighs. “This is Jongin, a neighbor and soon to be frequent costumer, I hope, so behave.”

Baekhyun leans closer, suddenly getting in Jongin’s personal space. The puppy hybrid cocks his head from side to side while he stares. Then just as fast, he retreats. “I like him,” he announces, before going back behind the counter.

“I’m sorry, you said you’re a writer?” Minseok asks.

“Yeah. Writer and manga artist.”

“That sounds amazing!” Minseok laughs. “You know, two of our kitties are absolutely obsessed with this one manga because it’s about hybrids. They drive us all pretty much insane every time a volume comes out.”

Jongin grins. “Actually, I’m—”

The pup shoves a box of cookies into his hands. Jongin glances at Minseok who mouths “On the house.” So he takes the cookies and then he’s got a handful of puppy clinging to him.

Minseok comes over and detaches Baek. “This is not behaving.”

“But I was showing him I like him,” the puppy whines.

Jongin smiles. “It’s okay. No harm done. Thank you for the cookies, Baek.”

“He likes me back!” The puppy makes to grab at Jongin again, but Minseok firmly pushes him away and sends him to bring in more pastries to the front.

“Sorry about that.” Minseok sighs. “They’re all just very excited about this. They want to be friends with everyone.”

Jongin laughs. “I see.”

After checking the time, he thanks Minseok again for the cookie bag and leaves with a promise to come back another day. After all, he has to find out if Jongdae wants to be his friend too.

~
It’s Monday again and Jongin is ready for Junmyeon’s call.

“Hello, favorite writer!”

“Hyung…what is that on your head?”

“It’s a bucket hat,” Junmyeon says, adjusting the thing.

“It has the Kitty Avengers on it.”

“Yeah, I thought we could sell—”

“No.”

“But you haven’t even heard—”

“No! You want to sell Kitty Avengers hats? Then do it on snapbacks.”

“Fine.” Junmyeon takes the hat off and throws it away. “How are you doing with the pages?”

Jongin grins. “I think I found my inspiration.”

✨Jongdae✨
Jongdae is closing up the café, rock music playing from his tablet as he cleans the tables, when the front door bell chimes. “I’m sorry, but we’re clos—” His words die out and his ears twitch when he sees who it is.

Sehun and Tao have been talking his ears off non-stop about Jongin ever since he visited Hybrid Café, but that’s not the reason Jongdae remembers him. It's because he hasn’t forgotten the sun-kissed skin and dark chocolate hair that matches the man's searching gaze. It’s the way Jongin had looked in dark jeans a simple t-shirt, and the deep richness of his voice, that has kept Jongdae thinking about him. It’s irrational to think so much of someone he’s just met. Yixing called it love at first sight, but to Jongdae it was just another sure way to get his heart broken if he wasn’t careful.

Tonight, Jongin looks sleepy and disheveled, wearing washed out cargo pants and a wrinkled hoodie two sizes too big. Yet something about that image still makes Jongdae’s heart beat faster and his tail to sway in interest. He doesn't understand it. He’s not a young kitten anymore. Handsome strangers shouldn’t turn his insides into knots like this.

“I’ll…uh, come back tomorrow,” Jongin says and turns away.

“Wait!” Embarrassed at his outburst, Jongdae quickly covers it up with a smile though his ears remain close to his head for some beats. “It’s okay. I can serve you. What will you have?”

“Coffee, please?” Jongin rubs his eyes with the back of his sleeves. “And two cookies.” The man looks like he might just fall asleep on his feet.

Jongdae walks behind the counter and sets the machine to brew some strong coffee. Then he moves to the pastry display. “What flavor of cookies? We have almond, chocolate chip, cranberry, and lemon.”

The other yawns. “Surprise me.”

Jongdae's tail won’t stop swishing everywhere, so he wraps it around his waist and mentally slaps himself to get a grip. It's not the first time he's interacted with someone this attractive. After setting up a cup of coffee—“No sugar,” Jongin says—and four cookies (one of each), he joins the other at a table. Jongin picks up the cup and breathes in. A sigh leaves his mouth after the first taste.

Jongdae licks his lips and watches Jongin fight against sleep by downing the coffee first. There are color stains on the man’s fingers and Jongdae wonders if he was working on the comic. But doesn’t he color the manga pages on the computer? Or was he working on something else? Curiosity becomes too much to keep silent. “What brings you in so late?”

Jongin jumps in his seat, sloshing some of the hot drink over his hands and the table. Jongdae hurries with a cloth and cleans up the mess. He takes Jongin’s hands in his and cleans them too, absolutely not looking at the deep blush on the other’s cheeks. There’s electricity jumping between them with each brush of their fingers.

“I-I finished a project I was working on. A painting,” Jongin says quietly, and leaves his hands on the table after they’re clean. “And I couldn’t stop thinking about…about….”

“About cookies?” Jongdae supplies.

“Cookies. Yes. I…couldn’t stop thinking about cookies.” Jongin glances up and Jongdae gets lost in the dark depths of the man’s eyes. Oh wow. Terribly shy but not afraid to flirt?

Jongdae grins, ears perking up and twitching. It’s like a game, and he can’t ignore this, he just can’t. “We’ll I’m glad.” At the look of confusion he receives, he says, “That you finished your project. Tao and Sehun will finally shut up about not having the next part of Kitty Avengers.”

Jongin chokes on the cookie he’d just bitten and Jongdae reaches over to pats his back. Once the other is okay, Jongdae sits back. “You’re really prone to accidents.”

Taking a small sip from his coffee, Jongin glances up warily. “So…you know that—That you look like—”

“Like Thunder Kitty. Yes.” Jongdae takes a bite of a cookie. “I spent six months with the maknaes clinging to me when the first issue of Kitty Avengers came out.” He frowns, but keeps a smile on his lips. “Thanks for that by the way.”

The other looks like he’s about to panic again.

“I’m only teasing. Relax,” Jongdae says in his best soothing voice, the one he uses on Kyungsoo whenever he’s having an anxiety attack. “So…Do I live to your expectations? Am I as awesome as Thunder?”

Jongin sucks at his lower lip, and Jongdae fixes his gaze on them. Soft looking and pillowy. It’s been such a long time since he’s kissed anyone. “You’re better,” Jongin says firmly, and then shoves a cookie into his mouth.

Jongdae’s chest tightens with the compliment. It’s been a while since one of those has been thrown his way and he doesn’t quite know how to deal with it. He laughs it off and grabs his tail, smoothing the hairs over and over. “I don’t think Sehun and Tao would agree with you there.”

“Can I…would you…,” Jongin murmurs. “Um. Would you mind if I sketch you sometime? You really do look like my character. I understand if it’s too creepy though.”

Jongdae quirks an eyebrow. Jongin is quite the enigma. He’s terribly shy, and yet his words are bold. He blushes easily, but it’s not afraid to maintain eye contact when speaking his mind. And he tends to ramble a bit. It stirs something in Jongdae, making him want to tease. “You’re asking me to model for you?”

“I’m still working on a special Kitty Avengers poster that’s coming out,” Jongin says. “I just…I thought…um.”

“You thought that sketching the real life Thunder would help.” Jongdae stands, grasps the edge of his shirt, and starts to lift it slowly. “All right. For the good of Kitty Avengers fans, I will strip and model.”

Jongin might explode with how red he turns. “N-no! T-that’s not it! I just wanted to see if you’d come to the park with me sometime and let me sketch you there!”

Jongdae grins. Finally a full sentence from him. And was that a date invitation? “Hmm not as exciting, but,” he leans close and Jongin inhales, “I’d love to.”

Jongin shoots up from his chair and mumbles a quick “thank you” and “bye.”

“See you later, Kai,” Jongdae says, just to mess with him.

Jongin smacks right into the door on his way out. He laughs weakly, before exiting. Then breaks into a run as soon as he reaches the corner.

Jongdae finishes closing up the shop with a big smile on his lips and an extra sassy swish in his tail. It’s been a long time since anyone has brought out this playful side of him. It feels good.

~
It’s not long before Jongdae gets to play around with Jongin again. He appears a few days later, already blushing from the moment he walks inside the café. Jongdae hears a strangled noise behind him where Tao is working at the coffee station. So, he reaches back and grabs onto the kitten before he can run away.

“Finish those last three orders and then you can go hide in the kitchen,” he says. Tao mewls pitifully but obeys. The kitten keeps his back to the front counter, and focuses on his task.

Jongdae continues attending customers and handing them their orders, until all but Jongin remain. The man smiles and hands him money. Jongdae chuckles. “You haven’t ordered yet.”

“This is for yesterday,” Jongin says. “I sort of forgot to pay for the cookies and coffee.”

Jongdae leans on the counter and hands the money back. “Those were on me.”

As Jongin stutters a thank you and starts digging into his messenger bag, something pulls at Jongdae’s tail. He glances back. Tao crouches on the floor, pretending to look for something in the lower cabinets, and using his tail to pull at him. Jongdae yanks back and Tao drops a set of pouring cups with a clatter.

“I brought this.” Jongin holds a couple of comics in his hands. “It’s for the kitties. Sehun and Tao.”

More clatter from behind him, and then Tao is clinging to his leg. Jongdae rolls his eyes and pulls the kitten to his feet. He holds Tao there with a hand tightly wrapped around his waist, so he can’t escape.

Jongin’s eyes are wide. “Oh! Hi. I heard you liked my manga. Umm. These are for you and your friend.” He hands over the books and Tao takes them robotically extending his arms and then cradling them like a baby. “I signed them.”

“Say thank you,” Jongdae prompts.

“Thank you,” Tao squeezes out.

Jongdae slaps Tao’s back. “You can run to the kitchen now and bring Sehun.”

The kitten scrambles out of sight in less than a second. The bewildered look on Jongin’s face is priceless. “Don’t you have experience with fans?”

“Not much,” Jongin says, massaging the back of his neck. “I usually let my publisher attend comic conventions in my place along with the other artists. Kitty Avengers isn’t that famous to require my presence there.”

Jongdae flicks his tail and lowers his voice. “But think of how many more books you would sell if people knew you were attending.”

The man looks genuinely confused and it’s adorable how Jongin doesn’t realize his own attractiveness.

“What do you mean?” Jongin asks.

“They’d go there to see you.”

“Why would they—oh. Oh.” The blush that covers Jongin’s cheeks and neck is a lovely thing, and it pleases Jongdae to know he put it there. “I, uh…I’ll see you later. Maybe we can do the date. I mean. Not a date. Just going to the park. A friend date.”

Jongdae bites his lower lip. “A non-date friend event.”

“Exactly.” Jongin nods sharply, does an about face and walks away fast.

~
A slow morning means Jongdae and the kitties have some free time to play around. Playing is an important part in any hybrid kitty’s life.

“Hyuuunngg,” Sehun whines. “It’s your fault I haven’t met him yet.”

Jongdae sprays cleaning liquid onto a table and wipes it down. “How is it my fault?”

Tao’s black tail lashes out at Jongdae. “You continue chasing him away with your fail flirting!”

“What kind of reasoning is that?” Jongdae sprays Sehun off the nearby table. “If I make him so flustered that he has to leave, then my flirting is on point.”

“Can you even get it on point anymore, old cat?” Sehun asks.

“Yah!” Jongdae chases him around, swatting him with the dirty cloth as the other laughs. “More respect to your elders.”

Tao hisses at them.

Jongdae turns to see Jongin walking outside. Sehun gasps and clings to his arm, claws digging in. Jongdae waves at Jongin, the man smiles but hurries his pace, disappearing from view.

“You scared him away again!” Sehun glares accusingly at Jongdae.

Jongdae laughs. “I just waved!”

Tao rests his hands on his hips. “Then you’re not allowed to wave at him anymore.”

The bell rings and the three turn to greet the customer only to find it’s Jongin. “Is this a bad time?”

Jongdae cocks his head and smiles. “Not anymore.”

Jongin swallows. “I’ll…I’ll just…come back later.”

They watch him leave again.

“Stop.” Swat. “Scaring.” Swat. “Him!”

Jongdae falls to the floor laughing as the maknaes attack.

That same afternoon, Jongin comes with backup in the form of the loud and always cheery Chanyeol. The two take a table near one of the windows without ordering. Jongdae waves at them, but is slightly ignored, so he continues serving the customers with Baekhyun’s help. The pup keeps making a whinny noise at the back of his throat and glancing at the pair.

It’s a good think the maknaes are on kitchen duty, or else he’d have trouble keeping the café running what with three employees too busy ogling the customers. Only when there’s a lull in the café does Jongdae tells Baekhyun it’s okay to go say hi. The pup bounds over to Chanyeol, tail wagging furiously.

Jongdae stays by the counter making a show of arranging the stuff on it. Kitty cups for sale, chocolate balls, some flyers, napkins, and a basket with brownie squares to go. Maybe he should even re-arrange the whole set up.

Yeah.

He’s not going to make this easy for Jongin. If the man wants to talk, he will need to get over his shyness and come to the counter. It’s not as if I bite…much.

While he’s waiting for Jongin to scrounge up some courage, Kyungsoo peeks out from the kitchen door. He has been out on the main floor of the café only a handful of times, mostly when it’s opening or closing time and there’s no one around. “Are there too many people?”

“Two friends of mine and a noona reading in the corner,” Jongdae says with a smile. “You can come out.”

The pup glances around once more before pushing the door completely open and shuffling to stand beside Jongdae. His brown ears are pressed flat on top of his head, and his tail droops between his legs.

Jongdae puts a hand on the other’s head. “Did you need something?”

“Tao is in heat.”

Jongdae inhales a sharp breath. “Did you call Minseok? Or Luhan? He can’t be here.”

Kyungsoo nods. “Sehun called them. He’s keeping Tao company until they come and get him.”

“Okay, that’s good,” Jongdae says. “With the maknaes gone, we’ll be short staffed for the next few days.”

Kyungsoo’s voice trembles when he asks, “Will I have to help out here?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Jongdae ruffles the other’s hair. “I’m sure Baek and I can manage.”

“Hello.” Jongin voice enters his ears and wreaks havoc inside, making his blood run faster. It’s like his body has become hardwired to excitedly respond to Jongin. It makes him feel more alive than ever.

Jongdae turns around, a saucy smile on his lips. “Decided you couldn’t ignore me anymore?”

“What? I-I wasn’t ignoring you.” Jongin’s laugh is awkward and short-lived. “I was just…um…Chanyeol wanted to talk.”

Jongdae is about to say something when he feels Kyungsoo press closer against his back. The pup is trembling slightly. Jongdae goes from playful and flirty mode to alpha mom mode in two point five seconds. He shields Kyungsoo completely and lifts the boys chin to look directly into his eyes.

“It’s okay. Everything is okay. This is my good friend Jongin,” he points behind him, “He writes and draws the Kitty Avengers comic Tao and Sehun love so much. Would you like to meet him?”

After some moments, Kyungsoo nods.

Jongdae wraps an arm around the pup’s shoulders and presents him to Jongin. “This is Kyungsoo. He’s the one who makes all the delicious pastries around here and keeps us all fat at the shelter.”

Jongin glances back and forth between them, and nods. His eyes turn into crescents as he smiles at Kyungsoo. “I really love your chocolate chip cookies. They’re the perfect mix chunky and gooey.”

Kyungsoo peeks up between his bangs and glances at Jongin. “Really?”

Jongin nods enthusiastically. “Yes, really. In fact, I came by today to pick up some.”

Jongdae makes cutting motions with his other hand, but it’s too late. Kyungsoo freezes beside him. “I didn’t make them today,” the pup says, his voice catching on the last word.

“Oh, hey.” Jongin reaches out and pets Kyungsoo, catching the other unawares. “Don’t worry about it. Will you make them tomorrow?”

Kyungsoo nods.

“Then I promise to come by tomorrow and be the first to buy some.” Jongin smiles again and Jongdae’s heart swells.

Kyungsoo’s tail wags a little bit. “O-okay. Nice to meet you, Jongin.”

Jongin waves as the pup goes back to the kitchen. Handsome, shy but not afraid to speak his mind, and kind to others. Not a single person had ever managed to befriend Kyungsoo on the first try.

Jongin was too good to be true. The realization puts a small damper on Jongdae’s feelings. He’s been hurt too many times before, and he isn’t about to let the same thing happen again. This thing with Jongin is fun—the flirtiness—but thinking about anything deeper than that has him shaking inside.

“Thank you for that,” Jongdae says. “He’s not that good with people. But you managed to put him at ease.”

“During family reunions, I’m always in charge of watching over my sisters’ the kids,” Jongin says. “The key is to keep calm in the face of their fear and be reassuring.”

Jongdae smiles. “True. So, I guess that means I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yep.”

Jongdae rests his elbows on the counter and leans his chin over his palms. “You won’t need Chanyeol as an excuse to visit me tomorrow.”

“What? I-I don’t—I didn’t need an excu…Yeah, okay.” Jongin runs away.

The rest of the day, Jongdae tries really hard not to think about Jongin. He fails.

~
It’s the morning lull before lunch rush and Jongin still hasn’t come by to pick up Kyungsoo’s cookies. The pup has peeked out to check about seven times already and Jongdae is ready to murder the handsome manga artist. This is exactly why he doesn’t trust people anymore. They break promises too easily.

“Dae, could you calm down? Your tail keeps slapping me every time I pass by,” Luhan says, balancing a tray with slices of carrot cake slathered in cream cheese frosting.

“Sorry.” Jongdae moves back allowing the other to pass.

Minseok and Lu decided to take turns helping out at the café until Tao and Sehun could come back. However, Luhan let Jongdae keep on his duties as the main floor manager, preferring to cook up a storm of sweet delights with Kyungsoo in the kitchen.

“I’m sure the guy has a good excuse for not showing up on time,” Luhan says, closing the pastry display after setting the newest creation in.

“Oh, he better—” The doorbell chimes. Jongin stands at the door, disheveled and panting.

Before Jongdae can get a word in, Luhan nearly tramples him over as he flies towards Jongin. “Hi! Welcome to Hybrid Café! You must be Jongin! I’m Luhan!”

Jongin takes two steps back before Luhan clamps onto his arm and drags him in. The man shoots a panicked glance at him, but Jongdae isn’t feeling particularly benevolent, so he turns his back on them and goes find Kyungsoo. The pup beams when he tells him Jongin arrived, and goes in search of the cookies.

When Jongdae comes back out, Luhan is chatting Jongin’s ear off. He hurries over because who knows what secrets and gossip Lulu has already shared.

Luhan jumps from his seat upon seeing them. “I’ll leave you three to your date,” he says and walks away to do who knows what in the kitchen.

Jongin opens his mouth, but Jongdae stops him. “It’s not me whom you owe the apology to.”

The man looks really apologetic, not even able to meet Jongdae’s eyes. When Kyungsoo come in, he sits across from Jongin, while Jongdae takes the seat in between.

Jongin smiles at the pup. “Sorry I’m late,” he says. “I was drawing new Kitty Avenger pages and lost track of time.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything.

Jongin’s smile drops a bit. “Can I still have those cookies you made for me?”

“They’re not hot anymore,” the pup says.

“That’s all right. You know what we can do now thought?” Jongin looks at him and his eye smile is irresistible, but Jongdae is still mad. So he glances away, appearing uninterested.

Kyungsoo peers up at them.

Jongin leans in close to the pup as if sharing a secret and says, “We can dunk them in milk.”

Kyungsoo brightens up at the idea and looks at Jongdae for permission. “Go ahead,” he says. “Bring three glasses because I want some too.”

The pup blunders away, tail wagging so hard it shakes his entire body.

Jongin leans in. “I am so sorry. I really did lost track of time. I didn’t mean to upset you or Kyungsoo.”

“It’s fine.” Jongdae says. “Just be careful of the promises you make.”

Jongin nods and doesn’t say anything else.

Kyungsoo returns and they settle down with a full plate of cookies and three tall glasses of milk. Jongdae lets the two talk for a long time, choosing to stay quiet and listen while he watches Baek manage the register by himself. Jongin and Soo chat about cookie recipes, about Jongin’s plans for adding puppy avengers to the series, movies, kimchi spaghetti, other comics Jongin has helped with, fried chicken, singing, and going to a karaoke bar on Saturday night.

Wait, what?

Jongdae looks over to see Kyungsoo is doing the thing he does where he opens his big eyes and pouts a little bit while wagging his tail softly. He knows Jongin is a goner even before the man answers. “I’d love to go to karaoke with you guys.”



♥Jongin♥
Going out with a group of hybrids turns out to be quite the fanfare. Minseok and Luhan do their best to keep order, but Jongin can see it’s a lost cause.

Tao and Sehun are louder than usual. They keep running around the entire group, pulling tails, flicking ears, and getting into all the conversations. There is just way too much energy in them.

Baekhyun hasn’t stopped giving little jumps since he saw Chanyeol come in through the café door with Jongin. They stick close to each other whispering and laughing. Jongin bets they will either end up adopting each other or in a relationship.

Kyungsoo holds onto Jongdae like his life depends on it, but he hasn’t stopped smiling since they started walking. The pup keeps glancing at him and Jongin can’t help but smile back. He’s too cute, dammit.

Yixing—whom Jongin had met on more than one occasion at the comic shop—had also tagged along. He latched onto Junmyeon’s arm from the minute they were introduced. From what Jongin can hear of the conversation, it’s mostly business, but Yixing keeps brushing up against his publisher on every chance he gets. Did not see that coming.

Jongin hangs back and smiles at the group. It’s a big change from his usual quiet days and he doesn’t know how to fit in. He feels like an extra piece, an unnecessary addition. It was always like this in high school and even university, which is why he searched for companionship from the characters in the pages of books and mangas. It all led to him becoming a writer and an artist, so Jongin doesn’t feel bad about those days anymore. But it is disappointing to know that things haven’t changed.

“Hey, come here. Don’t stay behind.” Jongdae moves closer and grabs his hand. Startled out of his blue thoughts, Jongin looks down at their intertwined fingers in wonder. The kitty’s lips turn up at the sides. Jongdae squeezes his hand once and then pulls him along as the group crosses the street.

He doesn’t mind at all being led. Jongdae’s hand is warm, fingers nestled against his own. The kitty swings their arms back and forth, and Jongin can’t help but feel giddy. Perhaps, things have changed.

Ever since he met Jongdae, his days haven’t felt as empty or his heart as lonely. It is strange how one person can suddenly come into his life and make everything a little bit brighter. It was scary and exciting. Maybe his friends were right in suggesting he let someone into his life.

They arrive at the karaoke place after getting lost twice thanks to Yixing who had been paying more attention to Junmyeon than to the street signs. After quickly paying for a room, ordering some refreshments—Junmyeon and Jongin’s treat—the group settles inside the small room.

“Okay, how are we going to do this?” Baekhyun asks, bouncing in his seat beside Chanyeol. “Kitties versus Puppies versus Humans? Or do we make teams?”

“We can’t make teams,” Luhan says. “We’re not an even number.”

“Umm.” Jongin raises his hand. “It’s no problem. I wasn’t planning on singing.” No need to subject his new friends to that kind of torture.

Tao narrows his eyes. “Do you want to have fun?”

Jongin blinks. “I…well, yes—”

“Then a competition it is!” Chanyeol pumps his first in the air, followed by Baek.

“We should make this more interesting though,” Sehun says, shoving a cheese stick into his mouth.

“How?” Junmyeon asks distractedly. Yixing is sitting really close to his side, his tail flicking up to the publisher’s neck occasionally.

Sehun and Tao glance at each other, ears twitching. “Let’s keep a score. Each one of use gets to vote yes or no after each performance. We’re eleven, so you’ll need a score higher than five ‘yes’ to win. Four or less means you have to down that amount in vodka shots.”

Minseok is already shaking his head. “Guys, no. We came here to have fun, not to get so drunk we’ll have to carry you home.”

“But hyung!” Tao whines. “It’s fun this way!”

“Don’t look at me,” Luhan says when Minseok turns to him. “You know I won’t turn down a challenge like this.”

“I-I don’t drink,” Kyungsoo says.

“Come on, Soo. We all know you’re going to win this,” Jongdae says, draping an arm around the pup.

Yixing leaves Junmyeon’s side and slaps a hand over the table. “Okay! It’s settled then. Order the drinks. And do we have volunteers to go first?”

Jongin figures he should get the most painful part out and done with, so he raises his hand. The maknaes’ grins are not reassuring at all. But then Jongdae and Soo cheer for him. Jongin stands and takes the mic.

An hour later, it’s the second round and though he isn’t the worst one in the entire group, the guys keep giving him fours. This means by now Jongin has downed eight shots of vodka and he is not feeling well at all. Bless Minseok for only filling the shots halfway the last time, but still.

Shouldn’t have taken that dare. Jongin is now certain that Sehun and Tao are two diabolical kittens out to destroy peoples’ lives for their own amusement. He groans and rests his head down. It’s as if his brain is spinning inside his skull with strobe lights and a bass beat as background music.

Jongin jumps when a hand descends on his thigh, and then grins at Jongdae. The kitten looks so handsome in Jongin’s jacket. He’d given it to Jongdae when the room had gotten hotter after the first four shots. It was hot still. “Never take that jacket off.”

“You like?”

“Love it.”

The kitty smiles back. It is a wonderful smile, curling up at the ends of his thin lips. What would it feel like to kiss those lips? It might be nice. More than nice. So he leans in, only Jongdae’s figure wobbles and he misses the mark. Jongdae’s shoulder is nice to kiss too, so he burrows closer and stays there.

Jongdae laughs. “I think it’s time to go home.”

Jongin totally agrees. He should go home with Jongdae. “You are so…so precious, so good to me. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“Okay, lover boy, let’s get you up.” The hybrid takes him by the waist and hauls him up. The reach outside and start walking and walking. Jongin isn’t sure where they’re going. But he’s with Jongdae, so it’s okay. He would go anywhere with him.

“How are you doing there, handsome?” Jongdae asks.

Jongin grins. “I’m perfect.”

“Yes, you are.” Jongdae grips his waist harder and pulls him along.

The kitten is so small he fits perfectly at Jongin’s side. The urge to pull Jongdae in for a bear hug is too much. He tugs the kitten into an embrace but his balance isn’t too good and he topples them.

The ground rushes up to meet him and then everything goes dark.

~
Upon awakening, Jongin discovers two things. One, that he has a nasty bruise on his cheek he doesn’t remember getting. And two, that young kitty hybrids are way too dangerous to be handled first thing in the morning while also battling a hangover.

Sehun and Tao literally pounce on him the moment he sits up. Baek stays by the door and laughs his ass off.

When they finish bouncing all over, Tao gets right in his face. “Did you guys sleep together? Well? Did you?”

“I would change the sheets just in case.” Sehun lifts the edge of the sheet and looks underneath. “Yep, definitely change.”

Jongin snatches the sheet down, realizing the only item of clothing he has on are his briefs. He doesn’t understand what they’re all doing in his apartment. Only, upon closer inspection, it’s not his bed under him. And not his walls. How did he get here? And where is here. The pounding in his temples isn’t helping with the speed of his thought process.

Kyungsoo comes in then and barks at the two maknaes. The kitties scramble off the bed and leave the room, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo running after them. Jongin decides right then that the small puppy hybrid is his new favorite person. That is, until Jongdae walks in and serves him breakfast in bed.

“What happened last night? I don’t…the last thing I remember is Yixing making out with Junmyeon, Kyungsoo singing with Baekhyun and,” Jongin scratches his head, “Chanyeol crying because it was so beautiful? And then…I don’t remember. How did I end up here?”

“Chanyeol and Junmyeon left first, and I didn’t know where you lived.” Jongdae moves closer. “So after you finished your X-rated dancing on top of the table, I brought you here. You faceplanted a couple of times along the way, hence the bruise.”

Jongdae’s fingers trace his cheek briefly before pulling away. Jongin wants to beg for more soothing touches, but there’s one thing he needs clarified first. “My what dancing?”

Jongdae hands him a piece of toast. “Eat and I’ll tell you.”

Jongin digs into the food—scrambled eggs with bacon and sausage on the side, a tall glass of water, and aspirin. It’s delicious, even more so when Jongdae shyly mentions that he cooked it all himself.

Then he settles down and listens with growing horror what went down the night before. Apparently he’d demanded to sing one last song. A song which he dedicated to Jongdae and sang at the top of his lungs while dancing, causing everyone to exit the room at full speed until he was finished. Jongdae had stayed though, and Jongin wanted to crawl under the bed as the hybrid kitty laughed and recounted his performance in full detail.

“You stood on the table and started stripping right there!” Jongdae licks his lips. “I stopped you, of course. But then you started to dance and…wow…you can dance. I mean those body rolls—”

“Oh god.” Jongin picks the pillow and shoves it in his face.

The kitty’s ears twitch. “If it’s any consolation, I really enjoyed it.”

His heart does perfect cartwheels behind his ribs at Jongdae’s words. “I am so sorry for all the trouble last night,” Jongin says.

Jongdae smiles. “I’m not.”

“Let me make it up to you,” Jongin insists. After making an ass of himself, he clearly needs to repent. He doesn’t want Jongdae to think this is how he usually behaves. “We could go to the park. Hang out. I’ll buy you lunch or dinner.”

“Like a date?”

Jongin swallows. “Um. Yes. Unless you don’t want to.”

“Oh, I want to.” Jongdae stretches and his shirt rides up. Jongin can’t help but look at the pale strip of exposed skin. “I mean, I did haul your heavy carcass all the way here, undressed you, and then woke up and made you breakfast. I guess I do deserve something.”

The excitement over Jongdae accepting his date invitation is short-lived. “U-undressed me? I thought I had done that.” The words come out a bit too high-pitched. But the thought of Jongdae peeling the clothes off his body is seriously about to give him a heart attack. And a boner.

“Nope. You got sick all over yourself when we got here,” Jongdae says. “And then passed out.”

Jongin covers his face with his hands. Boner gone. “Oh god no. I really do have make it up to you.”

“Haha. I’m up for it, but could we leave it for later? I’m kind of tired,” Jongdae says, the teasing gone from his voice.

He had to make things right. “Please. We could just go to the park and I’ll sketch you, like we talked about,” Jongin says. “All you have to do is sit or lie down and look pretty.”

“Oh, so I’m not pretty now?” Jongdae asks, pawing at his kitty ears in a cute aegyo.

“No! T-that’s not what I meant.” Jongin rubs a hand down his face. “You’re teasing, right?”

Jongdae’s tail flicks. “Maybe.”

“You’re so mean to me.”

After Jongdae agrees, Jongin runs home—thank god the aspirin is working—takes the fastest shower known to man, and then spends 15 full minutes choosing his outfit. He settles on comfortable jeans and a black tank top, since the park will probably be sunny and hot. He grabs his messenger back and sketchbook, and at the last minute takes his color pencils too. He wants to see if he can capture the way Jongdae’s grey kitty hair stands out against the dark brown of his curls and compliments the rosy tint on his lips.

Jongdae waits for him outside Hybrid Café, small picnic basked in hand. Jongin grins and waves at him. Chanyeol has always told him he loves too deeply too fast but, how can he not with all the flutterings in his chest and stomach at the mere sight of Jongdae?

Jongin takes the basket from the kitty. “I said it was my treat.”

Jongdae grins. “You also said this was a date. Isn’t it more romantic this way?”

His heart trips. Jongin almost trips on the sidewalk too.

The kitty links their arms together. “So clumsy.”

The park is full of people when they arrive. Couples lounging on the grass, kids playing and screaming, elders strolling by slowly and enjoying the nice weather. Jongin leads them to a tree and they settle down on the grass.

Jongdae stretches on the grass, his tail switching back and forth animatedly. The hybrid paws at his own ears as he squirms around, and Jongin catches himself gaping. Playful Jongdae is making him feel things. Lots of feels. Lots of things.

“So…how do you want to do this?” Jongdae asks.

“What?”

The kitty rolls onto his side and props his head up with a hand, reaching inside the basket and bringing out an apple. “Do you need me to pose a certain way or do you want me to just lie around and look pretty for you?”

A whimper forms at the back of his throat, but Jongin swallows it. “Just…sit…lie…it’s fine.”

“Whatever you want.” Jongdae takes out a plate of grapes, places it near Jongin, then settles back down, and breathes deep. His sharp teeth make short work of the apple.

Jongin ignores his racing heart and gathers his materials. A warming up sketch comes alive in a matter of minutes. Jongdae’s kitty ears, how his hair curls around them, his pierced ears, and his straight nose. Jongin focuses the second sketch on perfecting the eyes—not too wide, but still elongated like almonds—and the mouth—thin lips that turn up at the ends. The third sketch is harder, because Jongin focuses on Jongdae’s jaw and cheekbone definition. Flawless.

But there is a drop of sweat rolling down the hybrid’s neck that’s making it hard to concentrate. Jongin wants to reach out and dry it for him, but he’s afraid that once he touches, he’ll want to keep on doing it and he’s not sure if Jongdae is okay with that.

“What made you write about us hybrids in the first place?” Jongdae asks suddenly, making him jump. The kitty has one eye cracked open and is looking at him.

Jongin grabs a couple of grapes and returns to his sketch. There are clouds now and the light has changed, defining Jongdae’s features in a softer way. He takes out his color pencils. “My ex was obsessed with hybrids. I started Kitty Avengers while I was with him, before…before he ended up leaving me for one.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah,” Jongin sighs. Big ouch.

Jongdae is back on his side, staring at Jongin. “But you didn’t stop writing the series after.”

“It was all I had left. Besides, I loved writing it. It kept my mind of things.” Writing and drawing the comic became a sort of healing process for him, and when he sold the first manga to Junmyeon, his heart hadn’t been broken anymore. A bit battered and bruised maybe, but not divided in two.

Jongdae’s tail rests over his thigh and only the tip twitches. “What keeps you writing now?”

Darker shadows fall all around, and Jongin stops his drawing. “I love it. I love writing and drawing. It’s fun.”

“Then why are you having trouble with the next book?”

“Oh, that.” Jongin chuckles. “I ran into a dead end with part of the plot. But don’t worry. You can tell Sehun and Tao that hanging out with you guys has helped.”

Jongdae chuckles. “We’ve inspired you?”

“I have a live version of Thunder Kitty trying to seduce me,” he says, even as his tongue trips and a fierce blush scorches his face and neck. “How could I not be inspired.”

The kitty wiggles his eyebrows and sucks on a grape before biting into it. “Does this inspire you?”

Jongin keeps a straight face. “Nope.”

Jongdae yowls and swats at him, making Jongin laughs. He reaches out on instinct and ruffles Jongdae’s hair. The kitten leans into the touch and lets out a contented sigh. As Jongin continues petting him, a small vibration and sound starts coming off Jongdae. He’s purring. I am scratching his ears and he is purring.

Jongdae rests his head on Jongin’s thigh and stays there with his eyes closed. The sound of thunder echoes faintly in the distance. One part of Jongin’s brain tells him they should probably head back before the storm catches them, but the other part tells him he is petting Jongdae and there is nothing better to do in the world. So they stay like that, as the clouds darken even further and the breezes intensify.

“What are we doing here, Jongin?” Jongdae says suddenly, eyes still closed and purring faintly.

“What do you mean?” Jongin asks.

Jongdae’s tail swishes back and forth slowly. “I mean, is this Kai trying to bond with Thunder? Or…is this something else?”

Jongin massages his neck and wonders how to answer without sounding too pathetic. “At first, yeah, I admit I went out looking just for inspiration. And you are literally a live clone of my character. But the truth is the more I got to know you, the less I saw Thunder. I see you, Jongdae,” he says quietly and then gathers courage to say the last part, “the kitty who looks just as lonely as I feel.”

Jongdae tightens his hold on Jongin’s jeans, claws digging in and Jongin winces. “I’m not lonely.”

“It’s okay,” Jongin says and continues petting the hybrid. “We can be not-lonely together.” The rosy blush on Jongdae’s cheeks makes him smile.

Jongdae rises to sit and stares at him. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“It doesn’t have to,” Jongin says, getting lost in Jongdae’s warm brown eyes.

Jongdae licks his lips, his rose tongue barely peeking out before disappearing once again inside his mouth. His eyes are wide and searching, and Jongin doesn’t know what else to do, but to sit there and hope he passes scrutiny and is found worthy.

The answer comes in the form of Jongdae kissing him, soft lips pressed against his for a brief second, before the kitty pulls back.

His body is electrified, his blood running faster than ever, making him shiver. “That was—What was that?”

“You said it didn’t have to make sense.” Jongdae starts to lean in again but a crackle of lightning explodes nearby and they both jump apart. Thankfully, nervous laughter keeps it from becoming too awkward.

The storm is upon them and neither had noticed. Jongin gathers his things and asks Jongdae picks up the basket. Big cold drops descend on them before they even make it out of the park.

They’re running and laughing under the rain until lightning flashes across the sky and the terrible boom that follows has them taking shelter under a storefront. Jongdae presses close to him, and mumbles something about being afraid. Jongin smoothes a hand down the kitty’s back and waits for the worse to pass.

Once the storm settles down somewhat, Jongin takes Jongdae’s hand. “Come on, my place is a couple of buildings down. Let’s go dry you up before going back to the shelter. Xiumin and Luhan won’t let me take you out again if I return you with a cold.”

Jongdae simply nods. He wraps his tail around Jongin’s waist and sticks to his side, allowing him to lead the way. The kitty is abnormally quiet, and Jongin doesn’t know if it’s because the other is wet and miserable or because of the kiss. Oh my god, the kiss. Jongin stumbles on the stairs and Jongdae steadies him, fingers digging into his waist. The warmth on that spot doesn’t leave even after the hybrid releases him.

They arrive at his door and Jongin drops the keys twice. Beside him, Jongdae tries to cover up a smile. He hasn’t brought anyone back to his place since his last serious relationship. Not like we’re going to do anything other than shower and get dry. No reason to be nervous. Finally, he manages to get the damn lock open.

After dropping the things by the door, Jongin runs to his closet to get some towels. When he returns, he finds Jongdae in the living room checking out his impressive manga collection. Jongin stays back and observes as the hybrids explores, touching the spines of a few books, then moving on and staring at the unfinished painting in his art corner.

There’s a soft smile on Jongdae’s mouth when he finally realizes he’s being observed. “This is a great apartment.”

Jongin grins at the praise and hands him a towel. “The bathroom is through that door. You can leave the wet clothes on the sink and I’ll put them in the dryer,” he says. “I’ll, uh, bring you some clothes.”

Jongdae voices a thanks before closing the door behind him.

There’s a bubbling feeling expanding in his chest at Jongdae’s presence in his home. The way the kitten had strolled around, looking at everything, like he belonged. Jongdae fit in his space.

Jongin’s taking out a new set of boxers from his drawers, when he hears a crash from the bathroom. Worried that Jongdae slipped in the tub, he rushes to investigate. “Jongdae?” He pounds on the door. “Are you okay?”

“Fine!”

“Are you sure? I heard a crash—”

“I said I’m fine!” Jongdae’s voice is strained. If it was Chanyeol, Jongin would’ve already barged inside. But this was Jongdae and he doesn’t want to intrude on anything.

Jongin turns around but then he hears a sob. He presses his ear against the door. “Jongdae, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing!”

A broken moan comes across wall. “You don’t sound fine. Come on, Jongdae. You can tell me. I’ll try to help in any way I can.”

“I’m in heat, dammit,” Jongdae yells from the other side.

“You’re…oh…oh my.” Jongin grabs his hair. Well that’s not something he can help with. Well he can, but…well…. Oh fucking hell. “Umm. Do you…need anything?”

“No! Just call Minseok and Luhan,” Jongdae says. “Tell them to pick me up.”

Jongin goes get the phone when he realizes the problem. “The powers out. The landline doesn’t work.”

“Don’t you have a cellphone?” Jongdae yells.

“Sorry.” His friends had pressed him countless of times to get one. He’d declined saying a smart phone would only distract him from writing and drawing the manga. But now would sure as hell be an awesome time to have one!

He hears Jongdae laugh, but it is not an amusing sound. More like desperate. “I’m so sorry about this. I didn’t know. It shouldn’t even be time for it.”

That’s weird. Usually hybrids know their cycles pretty well so situations like this can be avoided. “What do you think brought it on?”

Jongdae’s moan comes across loud and clear. The sound shoots straight into Jongin’s groin. Images of what Jongdae is doing inside his bathroom flash in his mind, and it’s not long until he’s sporting a semi.

The door is wrenched open. Jongdae stands there in nothing but a towel and wet, disheveled hair and kitty ears. “Are you seriously asking me what brought it on when I can smell your arousal right through this goddamned door?”

“I-I…I don’t…I mean—” Jongin presses a hand against the tent in his pants.

Jongdae catches the move and hisses. “Fuck!”

“Oh god, I should…Should I go?” Jongin starts to back away. Yeah, he’ll just go stay with Chanyeol even though he wants nothing more than to stay. “I’ll just leave until—”

Jongdae’s claws dig into his forearm. “Don’t.”

Heartbeat racing, Jongin swallows. “I don’t want you to regret anything when the heat passes,” he says softly, and tries to back away again, but Jongdae doesn’t let him.

“I won't. Please,” Jongdae says. “It’ll be worse if you leave.”

Jongin takes a good look at him. Jongdae is shivering, sweat droplets already forming at the edges of his temples, and there is a very noticeable cock outlined against the towel. No matter how much he wants this, Jongin doesn’t want to hurt him.

“Jongdae.” Jongin reaches out and caresses the kitty’s cheekbone.

Jongdae closes his eyes, and his exhale is almost a sob. “Please,” he whispers. “Don’t leave me.”

Jongin breaks. He moves forward, and kisses him slow and tender. But Jongdae whimpers into his mouth and quickly presses closer, rubbing his whole body against Jongin’s. “Easy, easy. I’m here for you.”

Jongdae doesn’t stop. He hitches one leg on Jongin’s thigh and rubs himself against it, shamelessly seeking the needed friction. “Please, touch me.”

Jongin is burning up, like he’s the one going into heat. No one has begged to him before and it’s turning him up like nothing else. With a groan, he gives in and presses his hand against Jongdae’s erection, making him moan out loud. The kitty holds on to his shirt almost as if he’s in danger of falling, so Jongin pushes him onto the nearest wall.

Jongdae climbs him, wrapping strong legs around his waist. And then they’re kissing. It’s rough and messy and full of desperation on both ends. It’s been a long time for Jongin, and if Jongdae keeps rubbing against him like that, he might just come in his pants.

Jongin pulls back a bit and yanks Jongdae’s towel away, revealing his fully erect cock, the head so red it looks painful. He takes the rock hard length in hand and squeezes, feeling it pulse. Jongdae bucks into his hand with a loud whimper. It only takes a couple of flicks of his wrist for Jongdae to come all over his fingers.

But the cock in Jongin’s hand remains hard. Shit.

Jongdae pushes his sweaty hair off his forehead. His kitty ears remain pressed to the sides. “I need more.”

When the kitten grits his teeth, Jongin gulps at the sharpness of them. “Jongdae….”

“Please, Jongin,” the kitty says. “This…this won’t change anything. Just…I need you. I need you to fuck me.”

Jongin covers his face with his clean hand and groans as his cock hardens even more. “You’re killing me here.”

Jongdae’s fingers slide under his tank and pull it up. As soon as his chest is bare, the kitten starts licking him—his neck, his clavicles, his chest, his nipples. Fuck, he never thought he’d be so sensitive there. When Jongdae starts to work on his pants, Jongin stops him. The kitty mewls his frustration. “If we’re doing this, we are doing it right,” Jongin says. “There is a perfectly good bed in my room.”

He almost falls when Jongdae grabs his arm and yanks him, dragging him toward the bedroom. The rest of his clothes are disposed of in matter of seconds, his boxers literally ripped apart by claws.

Jongdae bites his lips and hovers over Jongin, straddling his waist as he fingers himself, black and grey tail undulating behind. Jongin works on sliding on a condom, but he can’t look away from the way the digits disappear into the tight, wet hole. Thank god for self-lubrication, because the kitty wouldn’t have the patience for a full prep.

“I’m sorry,” Jongdae says, moving his hand up and down Jongin’s sheathed cock. “I didn’t want our first time to be like this.”

Jongin’s heart beats impossibly fast. “You’ve thought about this?”

“Every single day since I first saw you.” Jongdae sinks down onto his cock, dragging out an embarrassingly loud groan from him. Jongin has done this more than a couple of times, but none of the others have felt like this. It’s so hot he might melt at any moment. His cock is snug between Jongdae’s walls, and the pressure makes him jerk up twice, before he remembers this is not about him.

Jongdae looks down at him with lust-filled eyes, mouth partly open. “Do it. Fuck me. Please.”

Jongin bucks at the words and Jongdae moans again. The kitty falls forward and kisses him hard. Jongin grabs onto Jongdae’s waist while he sets up a rhythm, driving in and out of that tight heat. Jongdae is making all sorts of noises, which should mean he’s doing well, but then the other pulls back.

“Jongin, I don’t need soft and careful,” Jongdae growls out. “I need more.” The last word is pointed by a particularly hard slam of his ass against Jongin’s pelvis.

Jongin almost blows his load. “Fuck.”

With a lot of awkward flailing, he flips them around and enters Jongdae again in one fell swoop. The kitty screams his pleasure as Jongin starts to drive into him harder. He has to dig his fingers into Jongdae’s waist to keep him from hitting the headboard which clacks against the wall with ever thrust.

“Oh god, please, Jongin.” Jongdae pants.

Jongin grabs Jongdae’s arms and pulls him up, so that the hybrid is sitting on him. The kitty sobs and moans as he bounces on Jongin’s cock. He smoothes a hand down to Jongdae’s ass and squeezes, spreading the cheeks apart and helping the other move up and down easily. Jongdae’s tail wraps around his wrist, keeping it there.

He moves in to lick and bite at the skin between Jongdae’s shoulder and neck. “Tell me what you need,” he says. “Tell me how to help.”

Jongdae gasps. “Touch me. Please, Jongin, touch me. Make me come.”

Jongin doesn’t need to be told twice. The pool of pleasure in his groin is about to explode, and he wants Jongdae to fall right with him. So he smoothes a hand down the kitty’s chest and finally grabs his cock.

Jongdae cries out. “Jongin, please. Please.”

Jongin pumps him in time with his thrusts. He pulls his other hand out of Jongdae’s tail, and uses it to turn the kitty’s face to him. Their lips meet in heated kiss, and then Jongdae is spilling all over his hand for the second time.

Jongin swallows Jongdae’s cries as he too orgasms. They fall forward and Jongin tries his best not to crush Jongdae under him. The kitty shivers when he pulls out.

Jongin places a kiss on his nape and stands to discards the condom inside a tissue. When he turns to glance at Jongdae, the kitty has a hungry look that doesn’t bode well. “Better?”

Jongdae grins, his kittenish lips turning up. “For now.”

Jongin remembers doing research for Kitty Avengers and the website mentioning that heat could last from a single day to a full week. He has no idea how long Jongdae’s cycle runs. But by the way the kitty pulls him back to bed and starts kissing his way down his chest, Jongin knows he’s in for a long ride.



✨Jongdae✨
They’re lying in bed, taking a small break. Their breathing is soft an even, unlike fifteen minutes ago when they’d been occupied with other things. Jongdae’s body still tingles with the heat, but he’s sated enough for now. Jongin has been…great. He grins. Actually, more than great.

The man in question turns on his side, faces him. “What’s got that smile on your face?”

Jongdae grabs Jongin’s hand and brings it to his lips. “It’s been a while since I’ve been this…satisfied during my heat. I usually go about it alone.”

Jongin hides his face in his pillow and groans. He’s so cute when flustered. Jongdae bites Jongin’s fingers and then licks away the hurt when the other whimpers.

“Can I ask you something?” Jongin is looking at him again, and all Jongdae wants to do is kiss him, and lick him, and bite—but he forces himself to nod and listen. “Is it true kitty hybrids like it when you pull their tails during sex? I had to do research for Kitty Avengers and that sort of came up.”

He delivers the question so bluntly that Jongdae can’t help but laugh. The more comfortable they are with each other, the more he gets to know the real Jongin behind the shy mess he usually is. “That’s like asking if all humans like basketball. We’re not all the same, so not all of us like it.”

“Right. Sorry.” Jongin nods and lowers his gaze, focusing on their intertwined fingers on the space between them.

Jongdae tightens his grip before letting go. The tingling has turned to insistent prickles as the heat sears through his body. He reaches out and grabs onto Jongin’s waist, pulling him closer, and places Jongin’s hand on his back. He smiles as the hand wanders lower.

“Do you like it?” Jongin breathes out.

Instead of answering, Jongdae straddles Jongin. “Let’s find out.”

~
Jongin hands him coffee cup that upon closer inspection turns out to be a Thunder Kitty cup. Jongdae smiles and takes a spoonful of the ice cream inside. Chocolate syrup drips off it.

“Don’t make a mess on the bed,” Jongin says as he settles down with his own cup.

He glances up, eyebrow quirked. “I think we already did that.”

Jongin shakes his head and smiles, but doesn’t comment anything else when he continues playing with the syrup. “How are you feeling?”

“It’s passing.” He swallows. “Why? Are you tired of me already?”

Jongin nudges him with his foot. “I’m just making sure you’re okay.”

His heart trips. Jongin has been taking excellent care of him. And not just with the sex. The man has made sure to keep him hydrated, fed, and comfortable in every way. He’d even ran out to the store to buy the bucket of ice cream when Jongdae mentioned he wanted something cold. No one else would’ve accommodated and helped him like this.

It worries him though. What will happen when the heat is gone? Will Jongin stick around or will he be left aside and forgotten like so many times before?

“Dae? Are you okay?”

What is he even thinking? This whole thing is just casual. Less chance of getting hurt this way. Jongdae hides behind his smile when he answers, “Yeah.”

The man doesn’t look convinced. Jongdae thinks he’s going to push the issue, but Jongin simply says, “Your ice cream is melting.”

It’s better to keep things light, so Jongdae licks his lips. “Maybe I want another kind of cream.”

“What? I thought you wanted vanilla with chocolate—”

“Jongin…cream….”

“I don’t—Oh. Ohhh.” A red-faced Jongin snatches the Kitty Avengers cup from his hands and puts it on the bedside table. Then Jongdae is being pushed back onto bed with kisses and licks and laughs all over.

~
The bed dips and the soft warmth leaves his side.

Jongdae whimpers at the loss. “Don’t leave me.”

The warmth returns. A kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

He feels safe and loved.

And he doesn’t ever want this to stop.

~
Light penetrates his eyelids, casting his vision red for a moment. Jongdae groans and rolls around, attempting to escape the sunlight. Something warm lies beside him and he burrows closer inhaling the familiar scent. It’s so comforting. Sleep threatens to pull him back in, but then his brain catches up.

The heat is over.

Jongin.

He jolts up. The sheet slides down his body, revealing his complete nakedness. The events of the past few days and nights come back to him, and he covers his face in his hands. Had he really begged that much? Oh yes. Yes, he had. And then there were those other moments, those sweet and tender times when they’d just sat and talked and fallen in love.

Oh god. Oh no. What is he talking about? What is he thinking? Jongdae slams his palms against his forehead. Jongin shifts a bit and he freezes. Crap. He only dares to move when the other continues breathing softly, still asleep.

This whole thing was unplanned. If he stays around, it would be like forcing Jongin to make a decision about him, about them, and Jongdae doesn’t want that. What they have is fun. It’s too soon to be thinking of anything deeper, no matter how much his traitorous heart desires it.

It’s always the same pattern. Him falling in love way before the other person. What if Jongin doesn’t even want anything serious? He had admitted this all started with his desire to be close to him because Jongdae looked like Thunder. Sure, the man says he only sees Jongdae now but, what if he gets tired? What if he changes his mind? Jongdae would be abandoned again to deal with his one sided feelings on his own.

Fuck. What had he been thinking? He should’ve just locked himself up in Jongin’s bathroom and refused to come out. But then Jongin had offered….

Closing his eyes and breathing deep doesn’t help. It smells of sweat and sex, and Jongin’s own enticing scent which Jongdae has memorized by now. He’s memorized a lot of things about Jongin, like the way he blushes just before being blunt, the way his eyes turn into crescents when he’s really amused, the way he’ll stare in wonder at Jongdae, like he can’t believe he’s real. But that’s only because he looks like Thunder, right? It can’t be because Jongin loves him—

That’s it. It’s time to stop fantasizing. He needs to get out of here. Now. Before he makes a mess of things by thinking too much of things.

Jongdae throws his legs over the side of the bed. When he stands, Jongin moans softly, so he waits a moment before moving further. It takes him a fun five minutes to find all his clothes, and all the while he is praying that the extremely sexy man on the bed doesn’t wake up.

His plan goes wrong when he trips over Jongin’s shoes and crashes onto the floor.

A rustling comes from the bed. “Hnng…Jongdae?” Jongin’s sleepy voice is the most illegal sound he’s ever heard, all deep and velvety, sliding along his skin and making him shiver. It’s a good thing his heat is gone; otherwise, he would’ve jumped back on the bed already.

Jongdae peeks up from the floor. “Good morning. I was just…umm.”

“Leaving?” Jongin stares at him, eyes unwavering. Jongdae feels as if he’s being undressed again with that look. “Without saying goodbye?”

Jongdae doesn’t try to read too much into Jongin’s tone. “Yes. I, uh…the heat is over and…need to get back to the shelter.” He definitely needs to learn to lie better. “The others must be worried about me.”

When Jongin stretches and Jongdae remembers how he licked his way along that torso. How Jongin had arched his back and kept repeating his name like a prayer. Jongdae shakes his head and focuses on what the other is saying. “I told you I called them. They know you’re here.”

“Yes. But, umm,” Jongdae scrambles for an excuse, “Kyungsoo! H-he always worries anyways. I better go and see he’s alright.” He picks himself off the floor and starts to head out. “I’ll see you around—”

“Jongdae…don’t do this.”

He stops on the threshold. “We’re okay, Jongin.”

Jongdae hears Jongin’s sigh when he leaves the room. As he closes the apartment’s door, Jongdae hopes things really don’t change between them. Deep down inside he knows things have already changed.

~
With Tao, Sehun, and Baekhyun working at the Hybrid Café, it turns out to be a quiet day at the shelter. Jongdae walks into the kitchen to get some old newspapers and finds Kyungsoo reading a pastry book. The pup’s brow furrows in concentration as he mumbles the recipe under his breath.

“Baking something new?” Jongdae ruffles the pup’s hair when he passes by. Then he rummages around the bottom cupboard where they store the recyclables.

“Mhmm.”

Jongdae finds the papers and grabs a bunch. “You need help with it?”

Kyungsoo’s tail wags. “No. I’m okay. I might need to go out and buy some ingredients though.”

“Okay. Just let us know when you head out, okay?”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes but smiles. “Yes, mom.”

Jongdae swats at the pup with the rolled up papers and then runs away when Kyungsoo almost bites him. He heads to the living room where Minseok and Luhan are re-painting the walls a nice Caribbean blue. The café has been doing great, and they’ve already been setting aside money to upgrade more things at the shelter. For now, a happier color on the prison-grey walls should lift everyone’s spirits even more.

Jongdae is about to yell that he found the papers when a familiar voice comes through. He hides beside the door leading into the common room as his heart tries to pound itself out of his chest. He swivels his ears to capture most of the sound.

“You’re here so often these days, Jonginie!” Luhan croons. “Has someone caught your eye? Are you ready to adopt?”

Jongdae represses the urge to hiss. Why is Luhan joking with this? He’ll scare Jongin away. They’ve been having so much fun together. And even with the unexpected heat and what happened that night, things can continue being fun, right? Why does ownership has to come into the picture? In Jongdae’s experience, ownership just ruins things.

Or maybe it’s the owners who ruin things….

“I-I…yes,” Jongin says.

Wait, what? He peeks over the side in time to see Minseok’s eyebrows shoot up. Jongdae isn’t sure if it’s because of Jongin’s confession or his own sudden appearance, but he motions the elder to keep quiet.

Jongin has his back to him, so he doesn’t notice anything. A good thing too because Jongdae’s breath stutters in a gasp when he notices Jongin is wearing the ripped jeans he not-so-carefully removed from the man the day of the heat. It’s been a week since they’ve seen each other, but the images of what they’d done, of what they’d said, come flooding back in high definition. Oh god.

Minseok does his best not to react to Jongdae’s presence and keeps on painting. “Oh? Who are you interested in?”

“I’m betting on Tao or Baek,” Luhan says, waving around his own brush and spraying the worn tile floor. “The first trips over his own feet to get anything Jongin wants, and the second always keeps him entertained. Well, who is it?”

“Actually,” Jongin speaks up, but then lowers his voice when both men stare at him. “It’s…umm…Jongdae.”

Xiumin’s roller skids sideways, messing up his controlled rolls.

Luhan gapes, jaw completely open and blinking his pretty eyes way too many times per second. The brush falls from his hands and lands with a splat. “Did you just say Jongdae?” he asks. “As in oldest kitty in here, grey ears, lips that curl at the corners, Jongdae? You want to adopt him?”

Jongin nods.

Jongdae’s heart is so loud in his ears.

Luhan takes a deep breath, and Jongdae knows the signs that the other is about to let out a pterodactyl like screech so he covers his ears. Luckily, Xiumin smacks the love of his life and the scream is aborted.

“Jongdae isn’t really for adoption,” Xiumin says, and Jongdae almost screams. He isn’t up for adoption, but this is Jongin and it’s…complicated. “Part of the adoption requirement is that the hybrid wants to go with you. Our Jongdae has given up on finding an owner.”

“I-I don’t want to be his owner,” Jongin says.

Jongdae’s heart plummets. Or maybe things aren’t that complicated. Jongin and him are friends, that’s all. They did sleep together, but it was a mutual agreement. Help in a time of need. Nothing personal. Nothing deeper. He really tries to convince himself of all this to no avail.

Luhan shakes his head as he picks up the fallen brush. “That’s not how it works, Jonginie. Hybrids need an owner. Something in them breaks if they never find one. We’ve seen it happen many times before. We don’t want that for our Jongdae.”

“I’m sorry. I know how it works, but I—I just want to be with him.” Jongin scratches the back of his head.

“You need to figure out what you want before you hurt him.” Minseok settles puts down the roller and grabs Jongin’s arm. “He needs you. And something tells me you need him as well. But with hybrids it’s either full commitment or nothing.”

Jongin sighs. “I don’t know what to do.”

A stab of hurt slices through Jongdae’s chest and he moves back, to lean against the wall. He didn’t know his loneliness and emptiness were so obvious to others. He’s always tried his best to be caring and cheerful towards them, no matter how bad he’s feeling. He didn’t want to burden anyone with his feelings.

“Let’s say I do want to adopt him,” Jongin says after a moment. “You guys said Jongdae doesn’t want an owner.”

“Maybe all he needs is to find the right person to change his mind,” Luhan says.

The silence is like a live weight pressing on him. The right person. Jongdae has been through many ‘right persons’ and they’ve all proved to be such huge disappointments. Always returning him. Always saying he wasn’t enough. What makes Jongin any different from them? But even as he thinks it, Jongdae knows the shy manga artist is different from anyone he’s ever met before. Jongin is self-less, and caring, and kind.

He took such good care of me. He still is still trying. Jongin had appeared at the café a couple of times asking for him. Jongdae had hidden in the kitchen one time, and the other he hadn’t been there, but Baekhyun had passed on the message. That Jongin wanted to see him. That he wanted to talk.

It’s no surprise when Jongin says, “I’ll win him over.”

Jongdae eyes start to burn, so he closes them.

Luhan’s usually sweet voice takes on a harder edge. “If you break his heart, I’ll castrate you, let Kyungsoo bake it into cupcakes, and then make you eat them. Understand?”

Minseok laughs. “What he means to say is good luck.”

Jongin spouts reassurances and promises to the two elders before leaving. Minseok and Luhan remain working in the quiet afternoon once Jongin is gone.

In the other room, Jongdae slides down the wall, wraps his arms around his knees, and hides his face as he begins to cry. It’s not often he does this, lets the floodgates open, because it’s usually hard to stop. But this time it’s inevitable. He’s happy, so so happy that Jongin is considering adopting him, but he is also afraid. What if it doesn’t work out? What if Jongin decides not to? This uncertainty is exactly the reason why Jongdae told Minseok and Luhan that he was not up for adoption anymore.

However, being with Jongin changed everything. All Jongdae thought he’d figured out, about love and relationships and owners, is now up in the air. The uncertainty of it all kills him. But life and love are never certain.

“Dae?” Kyungsoo’s soft voice startles him. He wipes away the tears and looks up with a smile, not wanting to upset the younger. But more tears fall before he can catch them.

Kyungsoo’s brow furrows and his tail droops. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” he says and smiles again.

Kyungsoo walks over and sits on the floor beside him. The pup softly pets the hair between Jongdae’s ears. “Why are you sad, Dae? It looks like you’re getting an owner soon. Don’t you want that?”

“I’m afraid to get hurt,” Jongdae whispers.

The pup shakes his head. “What is there to be afraid of?”

“What if he returns me, l-like my last owner? What if he gets tired of me?”

A sad smile turns up Kyungsoo’s lips. “We’ve all been abandoned and hurt before. But you know what’s different now if it happens again?”

Jongdae uses his shirt to dry his face. “What?”

The pups tail wags a bit. “Now you have a family waiting for you back at the shelter. You have Tao, Sehun, Baek, Luhan, Minseok, and me. You won’t be alone and hurting. You have us.”

Jongdae laughs through his tears and kisses Kyungsoo’s forehead before bear-hugging the shit out of him. He does have a family. The question is, does he want to add one more member? Does he dare take a chance like that?



♥Jongin♥
Another week passes before he sees Jongdae. After talking to Luhan and Minseok, Jongin had gone to the café looking for the kitty, only to be told he wasn’t working that day. He’d waited until the next day, to be told once again that Jongdae wasn’t there. When on the third day he goes back and they tell him the same thing, Jongin knows what’s up. So he stops dropping by.

He lets the days pass.

And then he tries again.

A week later, Jongin walks into the Hybrid Café at closing time and strides purposefully towards the counter where a very shocked Jongdae awaits in front, cleaning cloth in hand. Jongin wants to grab him and kiss him breathless, but they have much to talk about first.

Tao comes in from the back. “Dae how do we put the order for more coffee beans, we’re almost out and—” The kitty takes one look at the scene and turns back. “Never mind.”

The employee door swings shut and the place remains in silence. There’s a pressure in the air, a tension that feels wrong to have between them. “You’ve been avoiding me,” Jongin says, his words with a bit of bite.

Jongdae’s ears flatten, but he doesn’t look away. “No, I haven’t.”

“Yes, you have.” Jongin keeps his voice hard. “And I want to know why.”

The hybrid doesn’t say anything. He simply sets the cloth on a nearby table and starts to clean.

“Why did you run away that morning?”

No answer.

Jongin clenches his fists. “You were the one who said things wouldn’t change, and yet you went ahead and changed them.”

“I’m sorry—”

“No.”

Jongdae glances back at him, but keeps cleaning, his tail swinging sharply from side to side, the only sign that all of this is stressing him out.

Jongin breathes hard. He can’t believe what’s happening, how the other is shutting him down like this. “I like you. I like you a lot. You have to know that.”

The kitten sets the cloth down. “I like you too, but—”

“But what?”

“You just want me because I look like Thunder,” Jongdae says. “But I’m not him.”

Jongin steps in closer and holds onto Jongdae’s shoulders before the kitty can pull away. “I know, you’re not. I know. You’re alive and funny, extremely kind and caring towards everyone. You take pleasure in making me trip every step of the way and keep me on my toes, wondering what else is going to happen when you’re around. You are here,” he grabs the kitten’s shoulders, “you are real. I see Jongdae when I’m with you. Not Thunder.”

Jongdae’s lower lip trembles and his eyes tear up.

Jongin cradles his cheeks. “What are you so afraid of?”

The kitty shakes his head and tries to push him away, but Jongin pulls him into a hug. Jongdae goes limp in his arms, but he just tightens the embrace. “Tell me.”

Jongdae’s hands grip the back of his shirt. “I’m afraid you’ll get tired. I’m afraid you’ll leave.”

Jongin shakes his head sadly. “I can’t promise you that it will never happen. I don’t know the future. But I can promise that I will give this, I will give us 100% everyday.”

“You said you didn’t want to be my owner,” the kitty says. “I heard you.”

“I don’t,” Jongin says. “I want to be so much more. And if you give me a chance, I promise that I will spend my days proving how much I want you.”

Jongdae is trying his best to hold back tears, but one still sneaks out. Jongin catches it with his thumb and then caresses the cheek.

“Please, let me…woo you.” Jongin feels like a dork saying it, but hey, it makes the kitten laugh.

“Woo me?”

“Yeah, you know…court you, date you.”

Jongdae laughs again. “What is this? A romance novel?”

Jongin takes the kitten’s hands in his own. “I want to show you that this is real. I thought, if we dated for a while first, then you wouldn’t be afraid anymore. Please, just give me a chance.”

Jongdae bites his lower lip.

Jongin's heart races as the minute stretches on.

When Jongdae looks up again, his ears perk up and he smiles.

~three months later~
They at the park with the whole gang. It’s a beautiful fall day, with trees in all shades of red, orange, brown, and yellow; their leaves tumbling in the cold breezes. Baekhyun, Sehun, Chanyeol, and Yixing are playing volleyball to the side, while Junmyeon and Tao cheer from the sidelines. Kyungsoo sits with them, keeping the score of the game while eating a cupcake. He waves happily, tail wagging, and Jongin waves back.

He and Jongdae look at the game from under a nearby tree, while Xiumin and Luhan cuddle on a blanket nearby, catching a light nap. The two always take outings like these as opportunities to recharge batteries from the hectic days that came with having a successful business like the Hybrid Café. Junmyeon, Yixing, Jongin, and Jongdae were always more than happy to watch over the younger hybrids.

Beside him, Jongdae sighs. There’s a soft smile on his lips. Jongin can’t help himself. He leans in and kisses the kitty’s cheek, and stays there nuzzling along his ear.

“I’m happy,” Jongdae says.

Jongin draws back. “Yeah?”

The kitty nods and leans in for a kiss, but Jongin stops him. Jongdae pouts.

“I need to ask you something and…I guess this is a good time.” Jongin digs into his back pocket and takes out a turquoise band. He presents it to Jongdae, who takes it with trembling fingers, and stares at it for a moment, as if not quite believing it’s real.

When he gives it back, Jongin’s heart plummets, because this is a rejection and Jongdae doesn’t want to be his. I should’ve waited more. Three months isn’t enough. But we’re so good together I just couldn’t wait! Jongin you’re a idiot!

“Stop freaking out,” Jongdae says, laughter in his voice. He takes Jongin’s hands and raises them to his neck. Jongin’s breath stalls as he understands the message. He takes the collar and clasps it securely around the kitty’s neck. He lets his fingers linger along the skin, knowing how sensitive Jongdae is.

Jongin cups Jongdae’s cheeks and the hybrid glances up. There is something very close to love in those eyes. It makes his chest ache in the best of ways when Jongdae says, “Take me home, Jongin.”

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A/N: Writing this was so much fun and it gave me so many feels. Bless whoever came up with this prompt :) Special thanks to W for betaing a first draft of this and coming up with the name Wraptastic. You are fabulous and your comments gave me life and strength to continue AND finish the story <3

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