Chapter Text
Minho twisted his key in the lock and pushed into the quiet, dark apartment. He stripped off his scrubs and threw them in the separate laundry bin he kept next to his front door to avoid contaminating his apartment. He kicked his bag to the side as he stumbled toward the couch, falling onto it with a groan. Releasing a deep sigh, he listened as the silence of his apartment was broken by the telltale patter of soft paws. He braced himself for the sharp claws of his three precious babies to appear on top of him, digging into his bare skin. Though he could only see their silhouettes in the dark, he was able to identify each of them. Their collective purring rumbled through his chest, helping release the tension of his day.
A loud crash interrupted the silence of the night and Minho chuckled to himself, pushing his cats away and rolling off the couch. He contemplated for a moment if he would have time to shower before the inevitable knock, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sudden timid tapping on his door.
“One sec!” He called, running to pull on a pair of sweatpants and grabbing a t-shirt. He shooed Soonie, Doongie, and Dori away from the door before pulling it open. He smothered a smile at his neighbor’s wide eyes and raised an eyebrow, offering a quick, “Hello, Han Jisung.”
“Hi, hyung.” Minho watched the boy’s eyes dip toward his bare chest and then drop to the floor, a dark blush spreading across his face and neck.
His own eyes dropped to the way Jisung was cradling his wrist against his chest, and he sobered quickly. He opened the door wider in welcome, commenting, “Mind the cats,” before going in search of his first aid kit.
Minho heard the click of the front door closing and Jisung’s baby talk to his cats as he sorted through his medical bag. He also pulled on the shirt he had grabbed, now that he had pulled the reaction he wanted from the boy. Minho’s feelings for Jisung ran a bit deeper than he liked to admit, considering he couldn’t quite read Jisung’s feelings for him. Either way, he was happy to tend to Jisung when he needed attention. He met Jisung by the couch, their regular routine, and held out his hand for Jisung’s.
“I fell,” he said, wincing as Minho pulled up his sleeve and revealed a bloody cut, “while holding a knife.”
Reluctant affection bubbled in Minho’s gut as he spread a chucks pad over a pillow and placed it under Jisung’s arm. Of course he was holding a knife when he fell. There was a reason this was a bit of a ritual for them. He couldn’t count how many times Jisung had knocked at his door with an injury resulting from his clumsy nature.
Minho rinsed the cut with a saline flush before dabbing at the injury with gauze, clearing away the blood. It continued to ooze a little bit, but he could tell it wasn’t too deep and it was already clotting. He was more concerned with the wrist that was already beginning to swell. He bandaged the cut quickly before going to his freezer to grab the squirrel-themed children’s ice pack that he kept on hand for Jisung.
“I don’t think it’s broken, but it’s probably sprained.” Minho wrapped the ice pack in a towel before placing it against the swelling. “You know the drill, no longer than twenty minutes.”
“Can we finish that documentary from last time?” Jisung asked quietly, eyes following Minho as he cleaned up his supplies and took inventory of his nursing kit.
He looked back at the boy and nodded, joking, “You know you don’t have to hurt yourself to come hang out with me.”
“I know that,” Jisung looked flustered, turning to the remote to pull up the National Geographic documentary. “It just happens this way.”
Minho collapsed next to his neighbor on the couch, leaning in to adjust the ice pack. “Try to be more careful. I don’t like it when you get hurt.”
“I will, hyung,” Jisung murmured, turning to glance up at Minho’s face before dropping his eyes again. “And I promise I will text you to hang out like normal friends next time.”
Soonie, Doongie, and Dori inserted themselves in Minho and Jisung’s space, begging for attention. Minho reached in between the couch cushions and pulled out two squeeze treat tubes. The cats reacted to the sight of them immediately, meowing loudly and stepping all over Jisung’s injured arm. He ripped open both of them and handed one to Jisung, and the two of them spread the treats amongst all three cats.
They only have half an hour left of the documentary to watch, cuddled up with cats. Minho pulls off the ice pack and examines Jisung’s wrist again, but the boy insists that it’s feeling better already. He feeds Jisung two Ibuprofen before he lets him leave, walking him to the door with the cats twining through their legs.
“So when are you gonna text me to hang out?” Minho asks, nudging his neighbor and blocking the door with his body.
Jisung looks flustered but manages to sputter out, “When are you free?”
“I’m done with my orientation for this week, so I’ll be around for the next three days, then I’m on for four.”
“Let me think,” Jisung furrows his brow, and Minho bites back a smile at his cute expression. “Oh, wait, I’m babysitting my cousin this weekend.”
Minho tried to imagine Jisung in charge of a child, but couldn’t really picture it. “How old is your cousin? Are you able to take care of a kid?”
“Hyung!” Jisung crossed his arms petulantly before wincing at the harsh movement of his arm. “He’s three- no, four. We just hang out and play together and then he goes to sleep. Not that hard.”
“Will you at least have Felix with you?” Minho asked, thinking of Jisung’s roommate. Definitely the kind of person who would better manage a child. Or at least keep a mostly calm head in an emergency.
Jisung shook his head, responding, “He and Hyunjin are going away for the weekend. It’s their anniversary or something.”
“Should you invite Chan-hyung to help?”
“I can take care of him! I’ve done it before.” Minho raised his eyebrows at that, and Jisung backpedaled. “Well, not overnight, but I have babysat him during the day before. It won’t be that much different.”
Minho was mostly teasing, but he was honestly a bit concerned. He and Jisung had been neighbors for over a year, and friends for nearly as long. He knew that Jisung was prone to having accidents and suffered from anxiety. He just wanted to make sure that his friend wasn’t babysitting out of familial duty and putting himself at risk.
“I’m sure you’ll do great, Hannie,” Minho finally said, stepping aside to pull open the door. “Maybe I can come play with you guys for a little while, if you want.”
Jisung brightened and his cheeks puffed out when he smiled. “I’d like that, hyung.”