Archive of Our Own

Changbin is many things. 

According to his mother, he’s a sweet guy. A considerate person, who tries to take care of everyone around him before thinking of himself. His friends call him several different things, and accuse him of being a gym rat multiple times a day. And it’s not like he isn’t — he likes working out, screw him — but it’s always difficult to receive compliments like that when you don’t think of yourself that way. 

Because, you see, whenever he looks in the mirror, all he sees are his imperfections. His nose, his eyebrows, his eyes and jaw. According to himself, he’s an average guy. 

And, much like any average guy, he isn’t anything special nor does he do anything special. Again, his friends and mother would protest that statement by simply handing him a large binder of songs that he’s produced that have won awards and have broken multiple records. But those were written with Chan and Jisung — not alone. 

As a twenty-five year old he’s part of the youngest most successful trio of songwriters, producers and composers. And yet, when he comes home, Changbin is alone. 

Minho, Jisung’s longtime boyfriend and live-in menace, has decided to change that, however. He’s dragged Changbin to several different shelters and clinics, urging him to get a hybrid. 

When Changbin asked why he shouldn’t just get a cat or dog, Minho gave him a glare and nearly hit him in the head. Apparently, Changbin needs someone to actually talk to and a cat cannot do that. 

A hybrid, however, can. Which is how Changbin ends up sitting in a chair across from the most beautiful creature he has ever seen, a shy smile on his face. The form on the table announces the hybrid's official name — Hwang Hyunjin, twenty-three years old and a Ragamuffin-human hybrid — and bits and pieces of information that might be necessary for Changbin to know in the future. 

It feels kind of weird, he has to admit. To sit across from something that looks so very human and yet sports two fluffy cat ears on top of his head while a tail swishes back and forth behind him. His fur is a combination of grey and white, his pitch black human hair making his cat ears blend in seamlessly with the rest of his head. 

The first time Changbin fell in love, he thought that was it. It felt like dying, in a strange way — catapulting to something big, big, big until it all exploded in front of him because his ex-boyfriend cheated. Ever since then, Changbin hasn’t fallen in love. Not because he doesn’t want to, but because his career took off and his friends wanted attention and he didn’t want to sacrifice time with his friends for dating. 

Now, though, there’s a flurry of butterflies in Changbin’s stomach. It’s not the first time he’s seen Hyunjin. During his first visit with Minho a month ago, Hyunjin had sat perched in the windowsill of the common room in which the hybrids could hang out if they so desired, lounging in the rays of the sun with a serene look on his face. Immediately, Changbin was smitten. 

Right now, he still is. After a handful of appointments and very serious background checks, he’s been approved to adopt Hyunjin. Most important of all, though, Hyunjin has agreed to it. When Changbin asked him, Hyunjin had looked at him with wide eyes and a quiet gasp between his lips. As if he isn’t the most beautiful hybrid in the world who deserves everything and more. 

“So,” Changbin clears his throat, begging for his brain to function. He can’t help but have it malfunction, though, with such a pretty person in front of him. Felix is going to kill him for not showing pictures of Hyunjin sooner. He wanted to respect the hybrid’s privacy and consent, but Felix is going to freak. “Are you packed?”

Hyunjin hums, his left ear flicking. “All packed up. My things are probably being dragged to the front as we speak.”

Changbin chuckles. The hybrid doesn’t have much, he knows. Hyunjin was born as a Ragamuffin hybrid, which are considered extremely rare. Minho took the time to educate Changbin on the matter after seeing Hyunjin for the first time. Rare hybrids are watched more closely than any other hybrid or human on earth, to make sure that they are safe. 

When Hyunjin turned eighteen, he became a legal adult and moved out of his parent’s house to start a life on his own. Something happened, though, which made Hyunjin seek out the security and safety of a shelter. It’s a voluntary thing which not a lot of hybrids pick anymore considering they are part of society just as much as humans are, but some hybrids do. 

Of course, Changbin is dying with curiosity as to what happened to Hyunjin to make him feel so unsafe, but the hybrid will tell him himself one day. He hopes, at least. 

“Good, good.” Changbin takes a deep breath, clenching his hands into fists before unfurling them again. The nerves started a few days ago, when Hyunjin gave the all clear for adoption. He hasn’t been able to sit still since, and Jisung and Chan have whacked him across the head several times in the past seventy-two hours as payback. “Are you excited?”

Hyunjin eyes him, blinking. Before Changbin’s heart can sink to his toes, the hybrid breaks out into a small smile. “I am! But — it’s also nerve-wrecking.” 

Changbin hums, “That’s understandable. If it makes you feel any better, I’m close to jumping out of my skin.”

That pulls a startled laugh out of Hyunjin, warming Changbin’s heart and soul from the inside out. A clinic worker comes by with the results of Hyunjin’s last health check-up, and asks Changbin to make an appointment for a house visit two weeks from now so they can check on Hyunjin and see how he’s doing. 

They’ll also show up unannounced in the future to see how everything is going. While Changbin fully understands it because it’s for the safety of any hybrid, it’s a terrifying prospect. 

The clinic worker escorts them to the front of the shelter, where a woman stands waiting for someone to come and help her. Hyunjin bids the clinic worker goodbye without much fanfare — Changbin feels kind of bad for the guy until he remembers he hasn’t seen the guy before so he probably hasn’t been working there for long enough — and before Changbin knows it, they’re out on the street. 

And that’s fucking weird. Hyunjin chose a shelter with the prospect of getting adopted. He wanted this, and he’s an adult. Yet, Changbin can’t help but want to baulk at the fact that just adopted a hybrid. 

Perhaps it’s also because of the fact that he’ll have someone living in his home. Someone to take care of, and someone who will most likely want to take care of him too. Or not. Who knows. 

Spending the nights alone, eating awful take-out and hitting the gym at three am period of his life is over. That much Changbin does know. 

Hyunjin gets into his car with wide eyes, making Changbin flush as he carries the hybrid’s belongings into the trunk. His car is not modest, per se, but it’s not the most expensive car that’s always parked underneath their company building. It’s sleek, though, and definitely more expensive than your average car. 

When Changbin finally gets into the driverseat, Hyunjin has turned to look at him fully. “Wait — are you rich?”

Changbin’s jaw drops at the question. “Uh—”

Hyunjin gasps, “Oh — shit — sorry — I shouldn’t have asked that.”

“I—” Changbin shakes his head, releasing a giggle. “I mean — you’re going to see my apartment. Our apartment. I’m not filthy rich, but I make good money.”

“Oh my god,” Hyunjin chuckles, “That’s what rich people say.” 

Rolling his eyes, Changbin instructs Hyunjin to put on his seatbelt. After the hybrid does just that, they drive away from the shelter and into the more crowded part of Seoul. Living in Gangnam has never been something Changbin was ashamed of — he works hard for his money, after all — but Hyunjin’s wide eyes have his skin crawling as they drive into the parking lot underneath his apartment building. 

When they take the elevator all the way up to the floor just below the penthouse — guess who fucking owns that — Hyunjin nearly bounces with excitement down the hall to the first door he sees. 

Changbin directs him to a different front door and punches in his security code, muscles starting to strain from the weight of Hyunjin’s things. 

The truth is — when Hyunjin gave the all clear, his full consent, Changbin went a little crazy. The shelter informed him that Hyunjin is a hybrid that can actually shift into full animal form, which made Changbin nearly cry with excitement at the prospect of having both human and cat Hyunjin in his house. 

But, it also means that he’s got a scratching post in nearly every room in his house, as well as a cute set of bowls in the kitchen and a large selection of toys. Do hybrid shifters even use those things? Do they like shit like that?

Changbin freezes in his hallway, Hyunjin’s bags falling away from his arms as the cat hybrid bounces down the corridor on his sock clad feet, eager and nearly sliding into the wall. Will Hyunjin think he’s an idiot? 

Apparently, the cat hybrid doesn’t think Changbin is an idiot. He laughed when he saw the toys and the large scratching post in the living room, the sound nearly sending Changbin to his knees, but that was about it. 

“This will be your room.” Changbin motions for the door next to his own bedroom, the thick wood closed to hide the room behind it. He hasn’t exactly done a lot since he wants Hyunjin to get the chance to decorate it himself — he wants the hybrid to make it his own, truly his own, and so only the essentials have been ordered and put together. 

Chan, Felix and Seungmin had the time of their lives helping Changbin put the bed together as well as the closet, desk and vanity. During one of their meetings, Hyunjin mentioned off-handedly that he’s always been interested in fashion and make-up, and so Changbin made sure to decorate his room with the things needed for that. 

Which includes a ceiling to floor mirror as well as a professional vanity that cost more than Changbin cares to admit. Again, Chan, Felix and Seungmin had a great laugh at Changbin’s expanse, Felix and Chan staying a little later while Seungmin forced himself to go home to his own hybrid. 

Though, their situation is different. Jeongin and Seungmin met when they were both in college, following similar classes. Jeongin, as an arctic fox hybrid, stood out in the crowd and Seungmin was drawn to him. They’ve been disgustingly in love for over nearly three years, and live together a few minutes away from Changbin’s apartment building. 

So, Changbin isn’t uneducated when it comes to hybrids. He’s worked with them as idols, as artists and other producers as well as been in classes with them and the likes. They’ve been around him all his life, and yet he never got the idea to adopt one until Minho mentioned it to him. Jeongin, of course, got way too excited about the prospect of another hybrid in their friend group. 

Hyunjin opens the door to his new bedroom with wide eyes, a glimmer hidden in them that only shows itself once he turns on the light and the expanse of the room is bathed in a slight purple glow. Another thing Hyunjin mentioned off-handedly. Changbin has a whole backlog of things the hybrid has said to him, ready to be used at a moment's notice. 

The hybrid loves apples, different perfumes despite his sensitive nose and anything that tastes like vanilla. Changbin does not have several pints of vanilla ice-cream currently in his fridge despite never eating the stuff himself. Definitely not. 

A gasp leaves Hyunjin’s lips as he takes in the room, his lanky figure immediately rushing to where the vanity stands in one corner. The ceiling to floor mirror hangs next to it, allowing Hyunjin to admire them both at the same time. 

Changbin leans against the doorway and can’t help a smile. “I — I want you to decorate this room the way you love, so I’ve only added the bare essentials.”

“This is a vanity.” Hyunjin deadpans, his ears flat on top of his head as a flush covers his cheeks. His tail swishes back and forth behind him, as if he’s lost control of it. “That is not an essential.”

“To you it could be.” Changbin replies, shrugging. “You said you liked—”

“You remembered?” Hyunjin’s soft voice interrupts him, his eyes going even wider. His tail freezes, standing nearly perfectly upright. Changbin’s heart breaks a little. “I — thank you. Thank you.”

The urge to ask Hyunjin who hurt him rises to the surface, making Changbin’s throat constrict uncomfortably. He doesn’t, though. Instead, he opens his arms. He’s wanted to hug Hyunjin ever since meeting him for the first time, but hasn’t done so. Perhaps—

A solid weight hits him in the chest within seconds. Changbin makes an ‘oof’ sound, bracing himself by stepping back with his left foot. Hyunjin barrelled into him with full force, his entire body weight suddenly Changbin’s responsibility. 

He doesn’t drop the hybrid, though. To his own surprise, he wraps his arms around Hyunjin as if he practised it, holding the hybrid strongly above ground. He wheezes, the two of them stilling. 

Hyunjin’s arms wind around Changbin’s body, a low purr echoing between them. Changbin’s eyes widen — Hyunjin’s purring. He has an armful of purring hybrid. 

“Thank you.” Hyunjin whispers into Changbin’s shirt. “For listening.”

Changbin swallows. He wants to pet Hyunjin, but with his hands full and not wanting to drop the hybrid, he’s left standing there with the itch growing underneath his skin. “Of course.”

They break apart and Changbin gets the pleasure of watching Hyunjin take out his things and put them in their place in his room. After a short break of take-out food for dinner and Hyunjin rushing around the rest of the apartment to familiarise himself with every nook and cranny, he returns to his room and places the last of his things down and hangs up his clothes in the closet. 

While the hybrid does that, Changbin takes the time to clean up after dinner and take a breather. With the sounds of Hyunjin messing around in his bedroom, the apartment already feels less lonely. Not that Changbin was lonely, really. He had two of his best friends just one floor above him, Jisung and Minho a couple floors down and Seungmin and Jeongin a few minutes away in a different building. 

And yet — having someone in your house is an entirely different thing. It’s comforting, Changbin finds as he puts the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and turns it on. Outside, the sun has started going down fully, and when he makes his way back into the living room Hyunjin is sitting on the floor, knees to his chest as he eyes the outside world. 

Changbin bites his lip. Should he go sit next to Hyunjin? Or leave him be? 

“It’s pretty from up here.” Hyunjin says, not turning away. “I’ve never seen it like this.” 

Humming, Changbin dismisses his previous worries and sits back on his haunches beside Hyunjin. “I was thinking we could go to the store tomorrow to get you some supplies.”

Hyunjin turns to him, raising his eyebrows. His ears have relaxed a little more, no longer flat on top of his head. Instead, they’re angled toward Changbin, listening intently. Changbin wants to pet him so badly it hurts. “Supplies?”

“You said you love art. I didn’t want to get supplies for you because, as a fellow creative, I know it’s nicer to pick out your own thi—”

“What?”

Changbin blinks. “You — you said you like painting and drawing.”

“I — I do. But — You don’t have to buy me—”

“I want to.” Changbin interrupts, holding out a hand. Hesitantly, Hyunjin takes it. Even his hands are soft. Is that part of the hybrid gene as well? “I really, really want to.”

“Thank you — Thank you.” Hyunjin’s smile is blinding, the flush on his cheeks bright red. “But what — what did you mean by creative?”

“Oh,” Changbin hums, “I’m a producer.”

Immediately, Hyunjin’s eyes widen. “Like with music?”

“Yes,” Changbin can’t help but chuckle at the excitement suddenly coming off of Hyunjin in waves. “With music. My friends are, too.” 

“Can I — can I meet them? Someday?”

“Of course.” Changbin’s heart does a flip. What did he do in his past life to deserve Hyunjin in this one? “They’d love to meet you.” 

Hyunjin spends much of the evening in that spot in front of the large windows, his huge brown eyes focused on everything going on outside. Sometimes, his pupils flick over to a light in the sky indicating an airplane, only to return to the buildings in front of him and the people down on the street.

Changbin can’t help himself. He takes a picture and sends it to the groupchat he shares with his friends, adding a single heart emoji as the caption. Hyunjin is barely visible in the picture, only the black shape of him in front of the window, but his ears are perked up and his tail finishes his silhouette perfectly. 

Immediately, he puts it as his new background on his phone. While Hyunjin sits in that spot, Changbin tries to keep busy around the hybrid. What should one do on their first night with a hybrid in the house? Should they get to know one another? He’s sure he has a box with conversation starters somewhere, one Jisung bought him on a whim while drunk. 

He hasn’t used it yet, but maybe today is a good day to do so. 

Changbin cleans the take-out they ordered for dinner and ate in front of the window, as well as tidies up his kitchen and his dining room table. After he’s done that, he finds himself standing in the middle of his living room with his hands in his pockets. Tomorrow, he’ll have to go to work, and Hyunjin will have to stay here. 

Alone. 

“Are you okay?” Changbin asks, the question leaving his throat before he can stop it. Immediately, he winces.

Hyunjin’s left cat ear does a small flick before the boy turns around, swivelling on his butt and now with his back to the window. “Why?”

“Well,” Changbin clears his throat, sitting down on his couch. He hadn’t expected Hyunjin to actually answer him.  “This can’t exactly be easy for you.” 

Hyunjin shrugs, leaning his chin on his right hand. “I mean — I don’t know. I joined the shelter for this reason.”

Ah. Changbin knows that, obviously, but hearing it from the hybrid himself makes his shoulders feel a little lighter. Hybrids can’t enter shelters without their own explicit consent, a far cry from how it used to be, and most of them end up there when they have no place else to go. “I — Yeah, but new environments are scary.”

“I’m not scared of you.”

Changbin blinks. His heart does a little flutter, big toe tingling. “That’s — that’s good.”

“You’ve given me no reason to.” Hyunjin continues, his bottom lip jutting out as he looks at Changbin. Like this, he looks every part the pouting kitten that Changbin fell in love with on that very first day of meeting Hyunjin. That day, Hyunjin hit his head on a shelf and was pouting when Changbin walked into the common room, pushed inside by a very eager Minho. “You’ve been kind, and sweet. And you promised to buy me art supplies.”

“I did,” Changbin takes a deep breath. What would he have done if he was in the same position as Hyunjin? Would he have been scared? Or excited to get away from the shelter. “And I will. But I want you to feel one hundred percent at home here. So if there’s something you want or need, please tell me.”

Hyunjin hums, both of his ears perked up again. His tail sways back and forth a few more times before settling down on Hyunjin’s lap, the fur incredibly fluffy. “I’ll try.”

“Good.” 

The silence that follows isn’t an awkward one. Hyunjin closes his eyes and leans back against the window, seemingly at peace. And that’s all that matters, right? That Hyunjin is relaxed. 

Changbin has many questions, but he doesn’t ask any of them as they race around in his head. It’s getting late, and he hasn’t taken his shower yet. “Hyunjin?”

“Jinnie works too.” Hyunjin mumbles, a soft pur following the words. “What?”

Jinnie. Changbin’s heart swoops. “I — I’m going to take a shower.”

“Okay.” Hyunjin replies with a smile, not opening his eyes. Changbin bites his lips, the hybrid unbothered. Well, that’s a good sign. 

He sighs and pushes himself off of the couch. Walking into his bedroom, he keeps the door slightly ajar in case Hyunjin needs him. Jinnie. He can call the hybrid Jinnie. Changbin’s cheeks flush at the thought, burning as he gathers a shirt and a pair of shorts for him to wear to bed. 

He makes quick work of his shower — rinsing off his body, washing his hair and shaving his armpits as quickly as he can while still not falling over and dying in the shower. Hyunjin has his own bathroom attached to his room, stocked with a handful of hybrid friendly soaps and shampoos, but what if he can’t get the faucet to work? 

Changbin dries himself and rushes into his clothes after moisturising properly. He pads into the hallway that separates the bedrooms from the living area of the apartment, looking around the small wall to find the living room now empty, void of any hybrid. 

Instead, the cat has found his way into his own room. Changbin halts in the opened door, keeping himself hidden behind the partially closed door. Hyunjin sits on his bed, his hands petting the duvet over and over again. Soft rumbles echo through the room and the sound carries into the hallway, a smile slowly growing on Changbin’s cheeks. 

Hyunjin’s ears stand upright in a relaxed position — Minho made him memorize the body language of cats, using fucking charts and everything. Perhaps he really means it; perhaps Hyunjin isn’t scared of him, afraid of this entire situation. 

Gently, Changbin knocks on the door. The hybrid turns his head slightly, a small smile appearing on his face. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Changbin says in reply, walking into the room. “You can take a shower too, if you want.”

Hyunjin hums, “That’s okay. I showered this morning at the shelter.” 

“Ah,” Changbin replies dumbly. “Well, I think I’m going to bed now because I have work in the morning.”

The hybrid’s ears sag slightly. “Oh, right.”

Immediately, Changbin wants to quit his job. He should quit his job — he should stay here and spend time with Hyunjin. His heart aches slightly, making him take a deep breath. “Your — you know where your bathroom is, and your things. I’ll try to stay quiet tomorrow.”

Before Changbin can turn around and leave, a soft hand wraps around his wrist. He freezes, skin burning. “Hy—”

“Can I—” Hyunjin swallows audibly, the noise echoing through the room. “Can I come with you?”

Changbin’s heart skips yet another beat. “Wha—”

“I — I want to.” 

“Jinnie, don’t you want to stay home to get to know the place?”

“No,” Hyunjin whines, the noise making Changbin’s toes curl into the carpet underneath his feet. God, fuck. How can he say no to this? “I want to come with you. And get to know you.”

“I—” Changbin sighs, turning around. Hyunjin sits kneeling on the edge of the bed, his ears flattened against his hair. His tail has wrapped around his waist, as if protecting him. God, he’s so adorable. “I’ll have to ask my colleagues. And my boss.” 

Hyunjin frowns, before nodding. “Okay.” 

“Give me a sec.” Changbin hurries to say, reluctantly breaking free of Hyunjin’s touch before walking out of the room. Inwardly, he screams as loudly as he can. On the outside, though, he calls the only person he bothers asking questions at the office — Seungmin, their office manager as well as the godsend of the entire company, don’t tell him that — and texts Chan and Jisung to let them know that Hyunjin will be coming along.

Seungmin is more than excited at the other side of the phone. “You’re bringing him?!”

“He doesn’t want to be alone, Minnie.” 

“Does that mean I can come?” Jeongin joins the conversation halfway through, though Seungmin gently reminds him that he has his own job to go to. Jeongin, while Seungmin earns more than enough money to keep them both more than comfortable, still has his own job as a cafe employee. . 

It’s the one closest to the entertainment company, funnily enough. 

“But you can come after your shift ends. I think Hyunjin would like to meet another hybrid.” Changbin says, earning himself a loud cheer down his phone speakers. 

They hang up and when Changbin clicks on his chat with Jisung and Chan, it’s been spammed full of excited emojis. Apparently, Minho and Felix have decided to stop by the office tomorrow too. Of course, that’s all just a coincidence. 

No doubt Jeongin will find a way to come too, then. 

With a heart that feels a little lighter, Changbin walks back into Hyunjin’s room. The hybrid has clearly changed his clothes — a baby pink t-shirt joined by a pair of shorts with a hole in them to make room for his tail — and he looks fucking adorable. “Jinnie?”

The cat jumps, “Wh—”

“It’s me!” Changbin rushes to say, “My boss said yes.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widen. “I can come?” 

“Absolutely.” 

The hybrid is up and off of the bed in moments, wrapping his arms around Changbin. The hug is tight, and Changbin can’t help but ‘’oof’’ as he wraps his arms around the hybrid, too. His second hug of the day from Hyunjin. From his own hybrid. 

God, fuck. What did he get himself into? How will his heart survive? 

When Changbin picked Hyunjin up from the shelter, they shared a very quiet car ride together. Hyunjin hadn’t spoken much, his eyes constantly focusing on the outside world with pure wonder in his eyes. His files said he hadn’t grown up in the shelter, so it wasn’t as if it was the first time he ever saw the rest of the world, but Changbin hadn’t asked any questions then. 

Just like how he tries not to ask any questions now, when Hyunjin stands on the sidewalk next to the company building with his eyes as wide as saucers, ears flattened against his head and his tail standing straight as a rod. They used to have a much smaller building, but after the company decided to expand, they were forced to get a bigger office as well. 

Now, everything is in one building — the studios, the actual offices, the practice rooms. They even have a handful of larger spaces where they film stuff for music videos or do photo shoots. Changbin had only been with the company for a few months prior to the move, but even he knows that the new office is a major upgrade. 

It reaches high up in the sky, a good twelve floors between the lobby and the highest floor. All the way up there is Chan’s office, though he doesn’t like to come there very much whenever he can avoid it. He’s the CEO, but he’s also part of their production group, so he spends most of his time in the studios alongside Jisung and Changbin. 

Luckily, Chan isn’t the only one in charge of the company — otherwise, the whole thing would be in shambles already. 

Changbin shakes his head to get rid of his everflowing thoughts, focusing back on the hybrid standing a few feet away from him looking like a deer in headlights. Hyunjin isn’t a deer, though, he’s a cat. A very pretty one at that. “Jinnie?”

The hybrid doesn’t move apart from a small nod. Changbin swallows. “Are you okay?”

“This building is huge.” Hyunijn answers, finally relieving his neck by looking down at his eye-level again. “This is your company?”

“Well,” Changbin flushes, “Not mine, per se. I work here. Chan, one of my best friends, is co-president.” 

Hyunjin’s eyes widen. “Oh.” 

Rushing forward, Changbin shakes his head again. “There’s nothing to be scared of.” 

“Will Chan fire you if he hates me?” Hyunjin asks then, voice trembling. It’s like a punch to the gut — Changbin clenches his teeth together in order to keep himself upright. What in the world? Why would Hyunjin ever think that? 

The hybrid’s entire demeanour changes as if caught doing something he shouldn’t. His frown turns into a smile, a giggle that sounds awfully nasal escaping him. “Kidding! He won’t hate me.”

“No, he won’t.” Changbin replies, trying his hardest to keep his voice sturdy and serious. Again, he wasn’t told much about Hyunjin’s past and he didn’t want to pry. It wasn’t his place to do so — the cat hybrid would tell him once he’s ready. For it to be horrible was expected, but being confronted with the consequences of such horrid treatment that Changbin couldn’t put a name on was an entirely different story.

The residual anger festered in his lower stomach. 

Hyunjin takes his hand and pulls, making Changbin snap out of his mind. They walk into the lobby together, Changbin talking to Yuji, one of the receptionists, to order a permanent guest pass for Hyunjin. It won’t be ready for a few days, so Hyunjin’s given a day pass to be able to enter every single room in the building — with only a handful of restrictions — and Changbin helps him through the security gates. 

Not after Yuji spends a good three minutes telling Hyunjin she loves his fur, and asking him questions on how he keeps it so soft. By the time Changbin manages to extract them both from her clutches, Hyunjin has gone beet red in the face. 

After the gates, Changbin leads Hyunjin to the elevators. Everything about the building is sleek and modern, a minimalist interior design incorporated in the first few floors. It’s not necessarily Changbin’s taste, nor is it Chan’s, but it’s nice. Neutral. 

For people who come to visit, come for auditions and the likes, it’s probably for the better. 

Screens hang everywhere, though. Some with advertisements of ads the idols under contract have done, while others show a constant loop of music videos and performance clips. Changbin has long since stopped looking at those, but Hyunjin stops right in front of one of the largest screens and stares. 

The elevator doors close again, going back up to pick someone else up who will probably actually get into the goddamn thing. 

“Jinnie—”

“They dance so well.” Hyunijn interrupts before his jaw drops. He raises his hands, making Changbin’s heart sink. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“It’s fine, Jinnie. They do dance very well. We have some of the best dancing instructors.” Changbin places a hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder, squeezing. The hybrid is high-strung, that much is clear. Hopefully, once they’re in Changbin’s space in the building, he’ll calm down a little. 

“Do you dance?”

That makes Changbin release a loud chuckle. “No, I suck at it.”

“I doubt it.” Hyunjin huffs. 

Finally, Changbin gets Hyunjin away from the screen — and the constant moving frames, because apparently that’s still something that affects Hyunjin even though he’s not a full-blown cat, and into the elevator. 

When they reach the eighth floor, Changbin takes Hyunjin’s hand. “This is the floor I work on. Please, stay close to me.” 

Hyunjin hums, nodding quickly. “Of course.” 

The doors slide open to reveal a long hallway, doors on either side of it in alternating patterns. When the company moved, Chan decided they needed more studio spaces. Some of them are used by the producers on the company’s payroll, while others are used by some of their idols who help produce their own songs. 

They make their way down the hall to the very end, where a door stands slightly ajar already. Changbin closes his eyes for a deep breath before pushing it further open, revealing his personal studio to Hyunjin. 

Immediately, Jisung and Chan turn around in their seats with wide eyes. Hyunjin freezes as he steps through the door, his hand clamping around Changbin’s like a vice. “Calm down, guys.” 

“Hi!” Jisung greets, voice running an octave too high. Chan elbows him softly, shaking his head. He turns to Hyunjin with a gentle smile, “Hi, I’m Chan.”

“And I’m Jisung.” Jisung huffs, rubbing the spot where Chan’s elbow hit him. 

Hyunjin bows his head, not letting go of Changbin’s hand as he does so. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Hyunjin.”

“We’ve heard all about you.” Chan says, earning himself a glare from Changbin. This was a bad idea — a horrible idea. Changbin should have talked Hyunjin into staying home. At least for his first few days. 

“Oh?” Hyunjin asks, slowly defrosting himself. “Really?”

“Good things.” Changbin cuts off whatever it was that Jisung wanted to say, dropping his bag onto the first chair he can find. “Only good things.”

“I love your ears.” Jisung says, standing up. “Can I—”

“Of course.” Hyunjin smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he leans forward. Jisung walks toward him with wide eyes, a childlike expression on his face as he reaches out and touches one of Hyunjin’s ears. 

A stab of annoyance runs through Changbin, though he tries to ignore it. He brought Hyunjin here so he could get to know his friends. He’s a human being, for crying out loud!

“They’re soft.” 

“Yuji thought so too.” Changbin says, sitting down on the chair that Jisung vacated.

“Have you ordered him a visitor's pass?”

Changbin huffs, “Of course I have, hyung. Who do you take me for?”

Hyunjin’s giggle echoes through the room, making Changbin look at him. Jisung is still petting him, though both of his hands have now made it into Hyunjin’s hair. Hyunjin’s white tail has started flicking back and forth, his shoulders as relaxed as can be. 

“You didn’t tell us how pretty he was.” Chan leans in to whisper. “Felix is going to freak.”

“I told you he was gorgeous.” Changbin says back, hoping to whatever god above that Hyunjin can’t hear him. “It’s your fault for not believing me.”

“You’d think anything was pretty, Binnie.”

Changbin fakes a pout, “That’s not a bad thing.”

“Do you like music?” Chan asks then, his voice louder to pull Hyunjin into the conversation. The hybrid looks at the oldest one in the room and nods, making Jisung’s hand fall away from his head. 

“Yes.” Hyunjin says, “And painting. And drawing. And uh—”

“You draw?” Jisung asks, dropping himself down on the small couch they have in the studio. It’s not the studio they use whenever they are recording with their idols, so they don’t need a lot of space. The couch is big enough to sleep on, though. Changbin has a bunch of experience with that. He can’t do that anymore now, he supposes. 

Hyunjin nods, “I did. I’m not very good, though.”

“I highly doubt that.” Chan retorts, before nudging Jisung with his foot. “Come on, we have a track to finish.” 

Surprisingly, Changbin finds himself zoning into his work quite easily. Hyunjin shifts into full cat form — which has everyone in the room freaking out because oh my god he’s so cute — and curls up on Changbin’s lap for most of the morning, a purr accompanying every movement. Changbin tries to not combust the entire time, and when he’s still alive and well by the time lunch comes around, he counts himself successful. 

It’s quite nice, to have Hyunjin purring on his lap like this. Would he do that in human form, too? 

The image has Changbin blushing from cheek to toe, now forever burned into his mind. Fuck, that would be so cute. To have a lapful of Hyunjin, purring away like his life depends on it with a smile on his face. 

Instead, he has to make do with Hyunjin in cat form — which is very much not a punishment, either — until he leans forward to inform the hybrid that it’s time for lunch. Hyunjin jumps off of Changbin’s lap as gracefully as he can, before slipping through the crack between the thick recording booth door and the wall where he shifted into his cat form as well. 

After a few moments, the sound of blood rushing in Changbin’s ears at the thought of a very naked Hyunjin standing in the small hallway between the actual booth and the rest of the studio, said hybrid walks back into the main space. Fully clothed. 

“We should head down to lunch. Felix, Minho, Jeongin and Seungmin will be there.”

Changbin huffs. “We haven’t had lunch together as a group in days and now that Hyunjin is here everyone wants to? Am I not special enough anymore?”

“No,” Jisung deadpans, “You’re not.”

“I think you are.” Hyunjin whispers softly. Changbin’s heart does a flip. He vacates his chair and takes Hyunjin’s hand in his again.

“See? Hyunjin appreciates me.”

“Oh shut up,” Chan laughs. His phone buzzes on the desk. The notification is unreadable from such a distance, but it has Chan standing up immediately. “If I don’t eat anything for lunch today Felix will have my head. Let’s go, now.”

Jisung laughs too, nearly falling off of his chair. “I told you skipping lunch yesterday would bite you in the ass!”

“Is — is Chan-hyung in trouble?” Hyunjin leans into Changbin’s space to ask, hand trembling slightly in Changbin’s hold.

He shakes his head, “No, Jinnie. Everything’s okay.”

“Those are more of your friends, right?” Hyunjin says, biting his lip. “Are they nice?”

“They are, Jinnie.” Changbin replies, squeezing Hyunjin’s hand gently before guiding them back into the hallway and down to the elevators. “They’re lovely, and they’re going to love you. Don’t worry.”

Hyunjin takes a deep breath and nods, his ears perking up slightly again. Changbin can’t stop himself from reaching out and giving them both a little scratch, Hyunjin nearly melting at the touch. His heart swoops with pride — take that, Jisung. 

All of Changbin’s anxieties about Hyunijn meeting his friends are eased every second he spends around his friends during lunch. Felix has his expected freak-out moment, asking Hyunjin very carefully whether he can pet his ears, while Minho and Seungmin keep a respective distance until they can introduce themselves properly.

Before Changbin could ask Hyunjin where he wanted to sit, though, Jeongin swooped in and took Hyunjin away to sit at one corner of the table together, ears twitching gleefully at the sight of another hybrid. 

A fox and a cat may be unlikely friends, but Hyunjin didn’t mind it one bit. He warmed up to Jeongin quickly, completely focused on his new hybrid buddy instead of on the rest of their company. Changbin forced Hyunjin to eat something at one point, his own bowl long empty as his friends chatted around him. 

Minho gave Changbin a look, congratulating him with a genuine smile before departing again, taking Jisung with him. Seungmin returned to the office portion of the company, Jeongin excusing himself to go back to his own job. Felix decided to stay for a little while longer, joining Changbin, Hyunjin and Chan in the studio for the rest of the afternoon. 

When Hyunjin shifted back into his cat form, Felix nearly bursted into tears and took him in his lap. Hyunjin was more than happy to settle down there, making Changbin’s heart ache. Sure, he would have Hyunjin around him at home, too, but — he wanted him on his lap at work too. 

Feeling very much like a little kid who didn’t get what they wanted at the toy store, Changbin focused on work to the best of his abilities and before he knew it, the day was over and he was packing up his stuff.

Hyunjin shifted back to his human form and they bid both Felix and Chan goodbye before making their way back to Changbin’s car in the parking garage. 

Despite his sleeping the entire day, Hyunjin has fallen asleep in the front seat, mouth slightly open. His tail lays on his own lap, limply and unmoving, while his ears twitch back and forth. Changbin sighs — it’s probably a dream, though he doesn’t know what it could be about. 

During lunch, his friends kept asking him questions about Hyunjin since the hybrid was very much focused on his new fox friend. Seungmin asked Changbin about Hyunjin’s life in the shelter, which he could answer, but when Minho and Felix started about Hyunjin’s life before the shelter and everything else, Changbin was forced to admit that he didn’t know. 

They didn’t blame him, per se, but Chan — ever the fucking dad of the group — warned him to be a little careful. Hyunjin could have been involved in something pretty bad, or treated horribly. The latter is something that Changbin has already figured out himself — Hyunjin’s mannerisms are not those of a hybrid who has only ever known love. However, he won’t pry. 

It’ll be hard, but Hyunjin will have to come to him by himself. He needs to fully trust Changbin, whether that’ll take a week or months.

Turning his head as the car comes to a stop in front of a red-light, Changbin takes a deep breath. Hyunjin’s head has dropped forward a little bit, his neck craning, and while it can’t be comfortable, Changbin doesn’t reach out. Instead, he presses on the gas and hurries on home. 

Hyunjin wakes up with great reluctance, but they manage to get inside the apartment with relative ease. The hybrid has to lean against the wall of the elevator to keep himself upright, using Changbin’s shoulder as some sort of pillow — Changbin is treated to his own reflection with bright red cheeks due to the floor to ceiling mirrors — but they manage it. 

“Should we order something?” Changbin asks, shame curling in his gut. What must Hyunjin think of him? He hasn’t actually used his kitchen in a few weeks, far too busy to prepare food for himself. Usually, he ends up eating something at the company before going home with another bout of overtime hours on his record. 

The hybrid mumbles something, before falling face first onto the couch. Changbin can’t stop himself from giggling, the sound echoing through the quiet apartment. Hyunjin laughs too, muffled by the cushions. “I want kimchi.”

“Okay. What else?”

Changbin unlocks his phone, already loading up the food-delivery app he always uses. Hyunjin turns on his side on the couch, a pout on his face. “Rice.”

Raising an eyebrow, Changbin huffs. “That’s all?”

“I can—” Hyunjin’s words are interrupted by a large yawn taking over his features, an entire body shiver following suit. His tail straightens before curling up again. It’s the cutest fucking thing Changbin has ever seen. “I can order more?”

Changbin’s heart sinks again, nearly dropping to his toes. “Of course, Hyunjin. I never want you to go hungry.” 

Hyunjin nods, his hands reaching for a pillow and holding it tightly against his chest. “It’s not a nice feeling.”

“No,” Changbin replies, crouching down next to Hyunjin and placing one hand on top of his hair. The hybrid starts purring immediately, the vibrations running all the way through Changbin’s fingers and down his arm. “It’s not. When — when was the last time you were hungry?”

“Before the shelter.” Hyunjin replies sleepily, before his eyes close and he’s out like a light. Changbin stays there, crouched down until his knees start to ache slightly, his hand unmoving. Who had allowed this beautiful human to go hungry? What exactly had Hyunjin been through, before the shelter? 

It’s a thought that makes Changbin want to hurl something at the wall. Instead, he orders them kimchi, rice, and a plethora of other dishes and side-dishes before hopping into the shower as quickly as he can. By the time he’s done and walks back into the living room, Hyunjin has curled in on himself, his tail wrapped around the better part of his legs. 

Something sizzles in Changbin’s chest, warmth coursing through his veins. A smile starts spreading across his cheeks at the sight, unable to stop himself from taking out his phone and quickly snapping a picture. He sends it to Seungmin, who replies with a similar picture of Jeongin on their own couch. 

Hybrids are more sensitive to almost everything. One of the many things Changbin researched before officially starting the process of adopting Hyunjin. They tire more easily, and need time to recharge more than any normal human being. Normal cats sleep a lot already, and it’s no surprise that Hyunjin follows a similar pattern. 

Putting his phone back in the pocket of his sweatpants, Changbin sits down on the couch right next to Hyunjin. He turns on the television, the sound nearly completely turned off, as the hybrid continues napping next to him. 

It was a successful day — apart from Hyunjin being tired now, it was a successful day. Hyunjin seems to like his friends well enough, which is good, and they like Hyunjin. Perhaps, the hybrid will want to come with him to the office more often. It would be nice to have someone there for a change. 

Before Hyunjin, Changbin was the only one without someone there at the office with them. Jeongin came to visit Seungmin all the time, and Minho, as a dance instructor, had similar hours to Jisung in the same fucking building. And, well, Felix doesn’t officially have a title nor is he a registered employee, but everyone treats him as such because of Chan. 

Now, though, he has Hyunjin. 

The hybrid croons, hands tightening into fists as he shifts his head upward. His ears knock against Changbin’s thigh, the human placing his hand into Hyunjin’s hair once more. Yeah, he can get used to this. 

Weeks go by like the blink of an eye. Hyunjin grows more and more comfortable in the apartment, going from silently tiptoeing whenever he wants to go and get something to having loud music shows in the living room with concert videos of his favourite girl groups in the background. 

Changbin buys him the art supplies he promised a few days after Hyunjin moved in, earning himself an excited and gleeful hybrid in his lap for the rest of the day as a thank you. 

The cat comes along to Changbin’s work almost every day, choosing to spend his time in the solace of Changbin’s actual office and drawing, even going as far as bringing some painting supplies in one day. He wanders the building in search of any of Changbin’s friends, spending more and more time with them as the weeks grow into months. 

And whenever he doesn’t come with Changbin to the office, he has someone waiting for him at home. At first, it’s an unknown sensation, making his chest heat up and creating doubt in Changbin’s chest. Was this the right decision for someone like him? Minho changed his mind, though, pointing out that Changbin has been going home at normal times instead of staying until well past midnight to work on a track. 

It’s funny, really, that such a thing could change Changbin so quickly. He has used his kitchen more in the past four months than he has ever done so before, new ingredients and recipes making their way into Changbin’s apartment as Hyunjin starts growing more confident in asking for things. 

The first time he does so, he shyly requests pasta from Changbin. And, because Changbin can’t say no, he tries his hardest to prepare it himself after a grocery run together. He succeeded, but barely, and it’s only strengthened his resolve to learn more. 

Because seeing Hyunjin receive a homemade meal has become the highlight of Changbin’s days. His eyes get all big and round, his ears perking up as well as his tail. He always sniffs the air around the dish, nearly digging his nose into the actual food, and purrs throughout the entire meal.

It’s also, unfortunately, during one of those meals that Changbin learns something about Hyunjin’s life before the shelter for the first time. Apparently, he would go days without food, left to his own devices and unable to do anything about it. 

It took him two months to say such a thing. Changbin hasn’t asked anything else, hasn’t prodded despite his friends telling him to do so. They have grown to love Hyunjin almost as much as Changbin has, though Changbin’s love for the hybrid can’t be rivalled by anyone else. 

The last time Changbin cared this much for someone in such a short period of time, that very person cheated on him and left Changbin to pick up the pieces of their promised life together. He’s grown ever since then, so when the realisation hits him after writing yet another love song, Changbin doesn’t freak out. Instead, the feelings settle over him like a warm cloak, as if welcoming him back home. 

Hyunjin still doesn’t know, and that’s not a bad thing. The last thing Changbin wants is to spook the hybrid, to make him feel like he has an obligation to Changbin. He doesn’t, which Changbin has tried to make very, very clear. If he does something Hyunjin doesn’t like, Changbin asked the hybrid to be honest about it.

So far, the only thing Hyunjin has confessed to not liking is baths and eggplant. Changbin can live with that, despite the way the hybrid pouts and whines through every single shower he takes. 

He sulks and changes into his cat form after drying himself off, meowing at any random movement in the apartment for a few hours after. It’s the cutest fucking thing, but that’s besides the point. 

As the days have started to become longer, Hyunjin’s birthday has also crept closer and closer. To celebrate, Changbin made reservations to have dinner at a restaurant with just the two of them, a small get-together with his friends filling Hyunjin’s actual birthday the day after. 

The hybrid looks wonderful in the suit he chose for the occasion, white ears complimenting the white of his button-up and deep grey slacks beautifully. Hyunjin’s tail swishes back and forth as his eyes roam across the menu, studying it with scrunched up lips as he focuses. 

Changbin smiles at him, before looking down at his own menu. Soft music plays in the background as the restaurant staff move around to serve everyone else. The restaurant is fancy and has quite the long waitlist, but Changbin was able to pull some strings. Sometimes, his name being known to such a terrifying amount of people comes with good consequences. 

Hyunjin seems to like it at least, which is what’s most important. “Have you decided yet?”

“All of it looks so good.” Hyunjin mumbles, ears drooping slightly. “I can’t choose.” 

“We could order a few things.” Changbin says, already forming the idea in his head. If they chose small portions of a lot of dishes, Hyunjin would be able to taste everything. “Do you—”

“I don’t want to inconvenience the cooks.” Hyunjin interrupts, shaking his head. 

Changbin’s heart clenches, the innocence with which Hyunjin meanders through life not as startling anymore as it had been at the very beginning. The amount of empathy and care Hyunjin has for every single human being is astounding and admirable and something insanely precious. Just last week, Hyunjin came crying to Changbin about a GoFundMe he had seen online of someone needing money for their medical bills.

A complete and utter stranger on the other side of the world, and yet Hyunjin wanted to help them. 

He feeds the birds by placing seeds on their balcony in a little dish, and collects some of his own fur to put it outside so they can make nests. Whenever they’re at the company and Hyunjin wanders through the halls and into any idol or trainee, he compliments them on their hard work. Felix keeps saying he hasn’t gone a day since Changbin got Hyunjin without a compliment from the hybrid. After asking around, it was confirmed that that was the case for each and every single one of Changbin’s friends. 

Sighing, willing his heart to stop from melting, Changbin shakes his head. “You wouldn’t, Jinnie. They do it all the time.”

“They do?” Hyunjin raises his eyebrow in question, eyes wide. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve been here before.” It’s not a complete lie — Changbin hasn’t been here before, but Chan and Felix have as well as Seungmin and Jeongin. The cooks have done it before, that much is true. “They can do it without trouble.”

The hybrid seems to think on it for a moment before nodding, folding his menu closed again. “Okay. Can we do that then, please?”

Changbin nods. “Of course.” 

They place their order and receive their first round of drinks, the chatter around them serving as comfortable background noise while their own conversation carries on easily. The awkward phase didn’t last long with Hyunjin, the chatterbox that he is, and Changbin relishes in it every single time. 

After a while, Hyunjin in the middle of a story about his coffee date with Jeongin at the cafe Jeongin works, the food is served. The different bowls and plates fill a large portion of their table, Hyunjin staring at it all with wide eyes. “Woah.”

Changbin chuckles, “We can eat it all.”

Hyunjin swallows audibly, eyes roaming across the different dishes. There’s seafood as well as different types of noodles and meat, all of it smelling absolutely delicious. “It all looks so — good.”

“Enjoy, Jinnie. And happy birthday.” 

After dinner, Changbin pays and he holds Hyunjin’s hand as they exit the restaurant, the hybrid languid and sleepy after he’s been fed. He always gets tired after food, no matter what. Changbin supposes it’s part of his cat-like genetics, though humans tend to have the same response when they eat a whole lot. 

“Are you alright?”

Hyunjin hums, closing his eyes briefly with a smile. “Very much so.”

In the moonlight, Hyunjin’s ears look as if they glow along with his skin. It’s beautiful, a sight Changbin wants to remember forever. Perhaps, one day, he could practise enough to become as good at painting as Hyunjin, and recreate it in paint. “Good.” 

They round the corner to walk back to the parking lot where Changbin parked the car, the sidewalk narrowing slightly to accommodate a broader road beside it. A man walks toward them, making Changbin pull Hyunjin closer to him to avoid a collision between the two. 

However, a few feet away from the man, Hyunjin freezes completely. 

Changbin frowns. “Jinnie?”

The hybrid whimpers, a sound so filled with pain it nearly breaks Changbin’s heart. He moves swiftly, placing himself in between the stranger and Hyunjin. “Jinnie, look at me.”

But he doesn’t. Instead, Hyunjin clenches his eyes shut as his body starts to shake. “No.”

“Jinnie—”

“I —”

“Is he alright?” the stranger asks, having stopped. Hyunjin grows even more rigid in Changbin’s hold, making the human turn to look at the man. 

“He is. You can carry on.”

“Wait—”

“Lea—”

“I know you.” The man says, voice growing louder. Changbin tenses too, anger curling in his gut. The stranger, however, doesn’t seem to notice. “I could never forget a face that pretty.”

Hyunjin whimpers again. This time, it feels like a punch to Changbin’s gut. Instantly, he wraps his arms around Hyunjin completely and throws a death glare in the stranger’s direction. “Shut the fuck up and walk away.”

The man chuckles, shaking his head. “What? Are you his owner? Seriously?”

“Fuck. Off.” Changbin spits. He can’t reach for his phone and call someone, too preoccupied in keeping Hyunjin upright and safe. 

“Oh my god,” The man continues, unwavering and not afraid. “From the dumps to an owner, Hwang?”

The name has Hyunjin digging his nose deep into the crook of Changbin’s neck despite the fact that Changbin is much shorter. Changbin frowns — what could that mean? It’s Hyunjin’s surname, he knows, but why would this man know that? And why would Hyunjin react to it that way?

He stores the information away for later, shaking his head. “I’m not afraid to beat the shit out of you.”

“No need for that,” The man laughs loudly this time, holding up both of his hands as if surrendering. “I have no interest in a fourth-hand hybrid, anyway. Or was it seventh-hand, Hwang?”

Changbin sees red. The anger curls in his gut and flows into his bloodstream, tearing at his skin and asking to be released. Instead, he takes a deep breath. Hyunjin shouldn’t be witness to Changbin beating the shit out of this man. Instead, he turns around to face the man properly without letting go of Hyunjin, and glares. “Shut the fuck up.”

The man is older, perhaps close to his fifties, with a disgusting look on his face. His moustache is outgrown and barely taken care of, as well as the rest of his hair. With a dishevelled coat and scuffed jeans, he almost looks like a homeless person. How does this man know Hyunjin? 

Noting all of his features, though, Changbin swallows. He’ll call the fucking cops when he’s home. 

Without saying another word, the older man shakes his head and continues on walking. Changbin’s shoulders sag slightly, though he doesn’t allow himself to relax. 

“Jinnie—”

“I—”

“Jinnie, hey.” Changbin whispers, taking Hyunjin’s face in both of his hands and forcing the hybrid out of his hiding spot. Tears roll down Hyunjin’s cheeks, a sight so heart-breaking it nearly has Changbin thrown to his knees to ask for forgiveness to whatever deity is out there for hurting their angel that walks among men. “Baby, it’s okay. He’s gone—”

“I’m — so sorry.” Hyunjin sobs, the force of it making his entire body heave with it. “I’m so — I understand if — I can go back.”

Changbin’s heart freezes over, growing cold. He frowns. “Go back? To where, Jinnie? We’re going home.”

“To — to the — the shelter.” Hyunjin replies, another sob following his words. “You — I’m —”

“Hey, no.” Changbin pushes down the onslaught of rage that threatens to spill, instead trying his hardest to focus on the distress of his hybrid. Hyunjin’s cheeks have grown hot, as if he has a fever, from the constant tears streaming down his face as well as the stupor he has undoubtedly pushed himself into. “No, no shelter. You’re coming home. To our home.”

“Home?” Hyunjin’s voice wavers as he says the word out loud, more a question than anything else. “I can — I can still come?”

The question has every cell in Changbin’s body screaming with agony. God, fuck. The person who hurt Hyunjin will pay for it ten times over. His entire body shakes with the rage, the anger of it all, as he guides Hyunjin to their car. He tries to soothe him with words, reassuring Hyunjin that everything’s okay, that he’s okay, and that they’re going home. 

It does nothing to make Hyunjin stop crying, but at least the sobs stop at some point. Changbin grips the steering wheel as he drives until his knuckles turn as pale as snow, white where his nerves are trying their hardest to make him stop, but he doesn’t care. 

What the fuck just happened?

“That— that man—” Changbin bites his own tongue to try and stop himself from cursing, heart still beating rapidly in his chest. They’re on the couch after changing into more comfortable clothes, Hyunjin not leaving his side even as they stripped down to their underwear to change. In fact, he hasn’t let go of Changbin ever since they got out of the car, unwilling to be apart from Changbin for even a second. 

While the feeling is nice, the circumstances in which the need was created are less so. 

Hyunjin looks like a shell of himself, curled up in the corner of the couch with his knees to his chest. The tears have stopped, though only because he has most likely run out. His entire body shakes still, tremors running through him every now and again. All of it makes Changbin want to cry, too, but he doesn’t. He can’t — not now. Hyunjin needs him. 

“How did he know you?”

Hyunjin makes a noise in the back of his throat, closing his eyes with force. “He — I—”

“It’s okay,” Changbin rushes to shush him, raising Hyunjin’s hand that he’s holding to his lips to place a soft kiss there. He can’t help it — the urge to comfort Hyunjin is so strong, nearly sending him to his knees with the force of it. “Baby, you don’t—”

“I do.” Hyunjin hiccups, sitting up slightly. He clenches his unoccupied hand into a fist, looking down at his fingers as if his claws will come out. They won’t, because that’s biologically impossible, but Changbin wouldn’t mind it if they did. Perhaps Hyunjin could scratch the eyes of that man out of his skull. “I want — I want to.”

Changbin sighs, humming. “At your own pace, baby.”

“That man — he knows me — he knows me like a lot of other people do. Before — before the shelter — I was — they gave me to the highest bidder.” Hyunjin closes his eyes again, raising his head as if looking at the ceiling. He’s not, though. Changbin can only imagine the memories he’s reliving now, the agony. 

The highest bidder. 

Rage returns full force, the fury hot and lethal as it burns through Changbin’s veins. “And—” he has to swallow, force himself not to scream. “And what happened, then?”

Hyunjin shakes his head, another heartbreaking noise leaving his throat. The tears start again, rolling down his cheeks like waterfalls. “They did things to me. Hurt me. Used me.”

“Wh—” Changbin takes a deep breath. In through his note, out through his mouth. He can’t start punching the wall. Later, he’ll go to the gym in the building and break a boxing ball. Or go to the roof and scream his lungs out. “How— how did you?”

“My parents.” Hyunjin replies quickly, “they— they wanted a girl.” 

As a rare species of cat-hybrid, Hyunjin’s family would have been watched for protection. To make sure their bloodline wouldn’t die out anytime soon. How on earth did this go unnoticed?

When Changbin asks that very question, Hyunjin sighs. “They never registered me. The moment I was born, I was given away.”

Oh.

Changbin’s going to beat the shit out of them. 

“To who?” he manages to ask, entire body thrumming with every emotion known to man. Part of him wants to round up Chan, Minho and Seungmin to do some serious damage to whoever it was that took Hyunjin, that hurt him so, but that would only end up far worse than anything else. “Who — who did this?”

Hyunjin shrugs, hiccups breaking apart his words. “I was taken by this underground organisation. They had auctions all across — across Korea, and far beyond that. I only ever stayed here, though.” 

An underground organisation. 

Bile rises in Changbin’s throat. “And they sold you.”

“Never fully.” Hyunjin replies, shaking his head. “But for a night.”

Changbin has to swallow to keep their dinner from coming out. “And — and how did you get out?”

Hyunjin sighs, tears now silently rolling down his cheeks as his body continues with the tremors and the shaking. “One day, one of their auctions was raided by the police. I was taken in by them and spent — spent a long time in therapy, in a clinic. When I got out, I applied for a place in the shelter.”

“After — after all of that, you wanted to have an owner?” Changbin asks, confusion making his entire body freeze again. After all of that, Hyunjin wanted that? “Why?”

“I — I wanted to be cared for. I saw it, sometimes, on television. Hybrids living happily with humans, being cared for and loved.” Hyunjin replies, a pitiful smile appearing on his face. “And having an owner meant protection.”

Protection. “From what?”

“Not from someone, or something. Just — protection, in general.” Hyunijn replies, looking down at his hands. “The clinic, when my treatment was coming to an end, gave me many different options. At first, the thought of an owner made my skin crawl. However, they explained the system. The amount of vetting and other procedures brought me comfort.”

Changbin’s head continues to spin, though everything makes a little more sense now. Hyunjin needed the knowledge that he would end up in a safe environment, where he would be loved. Of course, he chose a shelter. Of course, he wanted an owner like that. 

“Oh Jinnie—” Changbin’s voice breaks despite himself, the first few tears falling from his own eyes. “I’m so — so sorry.” 

Hyunjin shakes his head, “No—”

“I am.” Changbin interrupts him, “You didn’t deserve any of that. And while I’m glad you got the help you needed, I need you to know that you can talk to me.”

“I know, Binnie.” Hyunjin takes a deep breath, “You’ve never made me feel scared.”

Suddenly, all the times Hyunjin has said those words return to Changbin’s mind. That very first day in the apartment together, while Hyunjin watched the stars and the outside world. The very first time Hyunjin shifted into his cat form with just Changbin there, alone in their apartment. And many more, too many to count. 

As if he was reassuring himself, too. 

“Baby,” Changbin swallows, all the hurt and anger he feels filed away for the time being. Later, he can rage. Later, he can punch something and completely fall apart. His precious Hyunjin, his wonderful hybrid, his kind, and loving, and doting cat — who can still see the good in people despite what he’s been through. What he’s endured. “You’re so strong.”

After Changbin dries his own tears as well as Hyunjin’s, they cuddle close on the couch to watch a movie. Hyunjin gets to choose, obviously, and picks a silly rom-com Changbin has never heard of before. It’s about a human who falls in love with a bird hybrid, a beautiful man with wings, but Changbin doesn’t pay attention to any of it. 

Instead, he plays with Hyunjin’s hair and reminds himself that the hybrid is safe, and that he won’t ever have to go through something like that again. 

And, that he really, really wants to kill those who have made Hyunjin live that nightmare. 

Hyunjin looks fully at peace when he sleeps. With his hair fanned out above his head and his hands held close to his chest like a baby, it looks like he’s far away in whatever lovely dreamland his mind has conjured up in his subconscious. 

It’s a far cry from the Hyunjin on the couch barely three hours ago, trembling with fear as he recounted everything that had happened. Being sold, going hungry and having to spend time with disgusting people who he didn’t even know. 

Changbin sits on the chair Hyunjin asked him to purchase, a comfortable desk chair made specifically for people who spent their days at a desk. In Hyunjin’s case, it’s not entire days, but he liked the colour — pink — and well, Changbin only wants the best for him. It cost a pretty penny, but it was worth it. 

Looking over Hyunjin like this, Changbin can almost forget about the atrocities and think about his smile instead, his adorable ears and his constant meowing whenever he shifts into his beautiful cat form. The fur is an absolute nightmare, but there isn’t a thing in the world Changbin would trade for it. 

He can’t forget it entirely, though. The anger still hasn’t simmered down, instead roaring its way back to life every time Changbin closes his eyes. Everything that Hyunjin stands for, everything that he does, now makes sense. His hesitation to ask for more food, his inability to let go of Changbin some days. His shyness when they’re at the company, or that one silly question where Hyunjin honestly thought Chan would fire him because he wouldn’t like the hybrid. 

That was, of course, never a possibility because there’s only a handful of people Chan actively hates, but all of those little things have completed the puzzle of Hyunjin’s odd behaviour. Before Changbin knew, they were just quirks. Now, they’re a conditioned response, something Hyunjin has taught himself in order to stay on the good side of his previous owners.  

And even though the hybrid did say he went to a clinic for his trauma, it will never go away. Changbin knows that perfectly well, unfortunately. Stuff like that stays with you, similarly to how the heartbreak of being cheated on will always stay with Changbin himself. It’s nothing compared to what Hyunjin went through, or what some other people suffer through, but you shouldn’t compare your struggles to those of others. At least, that’s what Chan says. 

Who, in turn, heard it from his own therapist. 

Changbin sighs, clenching his eyes shut while taking a deep breath before getting up. Hyunjin is out like a light, a soft purr echoing through the room continuously as he sleeps. His hands move every few seconds or so, fingers curling and unfurling again like an actual cat. Changbin’s heart flutters as he turns to look at the hybrid one more time before turning around and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him as quietly as he can. 

Once in the living room, he takes out his phone. He raises it to his ear, the lights from the outside world becoming a blur as tears threaten to spill. Who could do this to someone? His precious Hyunjinnie, so hurt and betrayed? 

It doesn’t make any fucking sense, and that’s what makes it so much worse. Did they do it for money? Why did Hyunjin’s parents give him away? What was the fucking point? 

Changbin’s brain comes to a halt as the line crackles before a groggy voice enters through the speakers. “Changb—”

“Hyung,” Changbin whispers, voice breaking on the last letter. “Can you come down?”

“Give us five minutes.” Chan replies, the line going dead once more. Relief rushes through Changbin, his chest feeling slightly lighter. 

It doesn’t take five minutes. Within three, Chan and Felix softly knock on Changbin’s front door and barrel inside, somehow already knowing to be as quiet as they can be. Changbin silently guides them to the balcony, where he knows for sure that Hyunjin won’t hear them. 

“So,” Felix asks, voice even deeper than during the day. The two of them were clearly asleep when Changbin called — the both of them wearing random t-shirts and shorts as well as their hair giving them away — but they don’t look annoyed. Changbin will bring them flowers tomorrow. “What happened?”

“Hyunjin,” Changbin sighs, swallowing. “Talked.”

“Tal—” Chan raises an eyebrow before his face drops entirely, expression turning grave. “What did he say?”

Felix edges forward in his seat, feet bouncing on the stone tiles that Changbin picked as flooring. Hyunjin thinks it’s hideous, that they need to get some grass, and perhaps Changbin can finally agree with him on that. “Who do we kill?”

Changbin can’t help but laugh a little, shaking his head. “Unfortunately, we can’t kill anyone, Lixie.” 

Felix huffs, “Watch me.”

“What did he say?” Chan repeats his question, frowning. “If you can tell us, that is.”

After they watched the movie and Hyunjin calmed down and decided to go to bed, Changbin asked him if it was okay if he talked to his friends about it. At first, Hyunjin seemed hesitant, as if he feared that Changbin’s friends would think differently of him, before agreeing. And for that, Changbin is grateful, because he wouldn’t have been able to keep this bottled up. 

Changbin nods, “Hyunjin said it was okay to tell you.”

And so, he does. He recounts everything that Hyunjin told him, from his parents selling him because he was born a boy to the day the hybrid got out during the police raid and spent months in a clinic, trying to get acquainted in a world in which he had always lived but never been able to participate in. 

When he finishes, Chan’s knuckles are a stark white as he clutches his knees, tears running down Felix’s cheeks. This time, Changbin allows his own to fall as well. They are quiet as they roll down his face, falling to the floor and leaving darker circles on the tiles. He’s ordering grass tomorrow morning, fuck it. 

“Poor Hyunjinnie.” Felix whispers, dropping his face in his hands. “How is he?”

“We watched a movie of his choice and he fell asleep.” Changbin replies, “His dream seemed happy.”

“Good.” Chan’s face morphs into a grimace. “Are we — are we still coming tomorrow?”

Changbin nods, sighing. He thought about cancelling everything, about staying with Hyunjin alone during the day, but that wouldn’t help. Hyunjin needs to know that he has a place in Changbin’s friend group, and there’s no better way to show that than with a get-together. Hyunjin has already hand-picked the board games he wants to play, after all. “He could use that.”

“We’ll go all out then.” Felix grins, wiping his tears. “God, I feel so bad for him.”

“Did the people get arrested, at least?”

“Hyunjin doesn’t know.” Changbin replies, heart sinking as he does so. Hyunjin told him that he had never looked out for it. “He tried to forget as much as he could.”

Chan hums, “Makes sense. Well, if anyone ever dares to touch him—”

“No one will.” Changbin says curtly, “No one will. Ever again.”

The last time Changbin visited an amusement park was when he was fifteen years old. Summer break had just begun and his friends from school wanted to do something fun, so they took their pocket money and took the train down to Lotte World. They ended up consuming more sugar than ever before and screamed on the rides like no tomorrow.

Those memories return as he helps Hyunjin use the gates at the entrance of the park, slightly different from how Changbin remembers it. Some of the rides have been changed, renovated and the park itself has grown, receiving an expansion as it became more successful. None of that matters, though. The only thing Changbin can focus on is the way Hyunjin’s eyes go wide, his ears perked in awe as he stares, head whipping around. 

Jeongin and Seungmin join them, the fox-hybrid immediately taking a spot next to Hyunjin with a bright smile. “Are you ready?”

Hyunjin turns to look at Changbin before nodding, a small smile spreading across his face. “I’m so excited.”

“What ride should we do first?” Seungmin asks, in the process of unfolding one of the maps they got at the entrance. Lotte World has an app now, which displays the waiting time for every ride and can help you just as well as an actual map can, but Hyunjin insisted on the map. 

Apparently, he wants to take it home with him after they leave. 

“I want a rollercoaster!” Hyunjin says, eagerly crowding around the map. Jeongin follows him, his own ears perked. Chan calls it airplane mode, the ears tucked backward in excitement. Hyunjin’s ears do the very same when he’s painting, focused with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. 

Changbin’s heart sinks slightly, “A rollercoaster? Shouldn’t we start with somet—”

“Scared, Binnie?” Seungmin asks, smirking. 

Huffing, Changbin shakes his head. “No.”

“Then let’s go!” Hyunjin screeches, childlike in his desire to experience the wonders of the park. The plan had formed during his birthday celebration, after everyone finished their pizzas and the movie started playing. The two main characters went on a date to an amusement park, and Hyunjin was hooked. 

Jeongin jumped up with excitement at the mention of potentially going to Lotte World, and after that, the ball kept rolling and the plans were made. Now, they’re here, and Hyunjin and Jeongin are bounding down the pathways, their arms intertwined. 

“What did you give Jeongin this morning?” Changbin asks, laughing. The two hybrids seem like they have turned back into little children, pointing at things and laughing as the screams of people in the rides reach their ears. 

Seungmin snorts, “Nothing. He wants Hyunjin to have a good time.”

“He’s a sweetheart.” Changbin replies, sighing. “Hyunjin needs to just let go for a while.”

Ever since telling Changbin about his past, he’s been a little more relaxed. Especially after Changbin told him that no one would ever hurt him like that ever again the morning after, right before taking the hybrid out for a nice breakfast for his birthday. During which, of course, Changbin presented Hyunjin with a gift of expensive paints and a pair of pencils that came highly recommended. 

However, there’s still that restlessness within him. After he told the rest of the group about all of it, Hyunjin cried and didn’t stop for a while. The movie was meant to distract him, and it had done just that, but the hybrid needs to let go a little more. To fully trust that nothing will happen to him ever again. 

Jeongin seems to succeed at making Hyunjin forget about all of his worries, however. They walk down the paths together, the four of them staying close to one another as the crowd grows a little thicker around them. The park is always busy during the weekend, but it was the only time they could all go. Jisung and Minho couldn’t join them as they have plans at Minho’s parents house and Chan and Felix have left for a brief visit to the Japanese branch of the company, leaving the rest of them to go instead.

They’ll go together again as a group, all eight of them. For now, though, it might be a good thing that they’re just with four people. Changbin follows the two hybrids down one winding path, a rollercoaster looming over him before he knows it. “Oh—”

“It’s so tall! Hyung, have you been on this one before?” Hyunjin asks, turning around as they reach the end of the line. 

Changbin shakes his head. “This one was built after the last time I visited.”

He hopes his voice isn’t wavering, because this thing is tall. It swoops and drops and has a small loop, the screams from the people riding it already echoing through his skull. Fuck, was this a good idea?

“So it’ll be your first time too?” 

This time, Changbin nods.

Hyunjin breaks out in a broad smile, taking one of Changbin’s hands in his own and intertwining their fingers. Immediately, Changbin’s cheeks heat up. “It’ll be our first time together!”

Jeongin giggles, leaning against Seungmin. 

“What?” Hyunjin blinks at the other hybrid, ears leaning back. 

“Nothing, hyung.” Jeongin replies, “You’re adorable. Sort of.”

“Look mommy, a cat!” 

Changbin turns around slightly, the line continuing behind them. A little girl, perhaps eight or nine years old, holds her mother’s hand as they stand behind the four, one small finger pointed right at Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin’s eyes go wide, ears flattening against the top of his head. His tail wraps around his waist, body trying to hide behind Changbin. Which is impossible for many reasons, one of which is the fact that Hyunjin is much taller than Changbin is. He whines, making Changbin’s heart break. 

Before he can say something, though, the little girl smiles gently. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you! You’re just very pretty!”

“Hana—”

“You think I’m pretty?” Hyunjin asks, voice soft as he leans away from Changbin. He tightens his hold on Hyunjin’s waist, keeping him close as he tries to look at the other girl. If she says or does something horrible, Hyunjin won’t recover. 

The girl nods, though, her smile growing. “Yes! You’re very pretty!”

“I’m sorry—”

“No,” Hyunjin interrupts the older woman with a gentle smile. “It’s okay. Thank you.”

Again, the girl giggles before going back to the conversation she was clearly having with her mother before she discovered Hyunjin standing in line. Changbin takes a deep breath, letting go of Hyunjin’s waist. He doesn’t really want to, but there’s no need to hold onto him any longer. 

Changbin mourns the touch as the line continues, Hyunjin and Jeongin engrossing themselves in their own conversation while Seungmin and him do the same. By the time they reach the start of the rollercoaster, the two hybrids seem to burst out of their skin with excitement. 

“Should Seungmin and I go—”

“No!” Hyunjin exclaims, pulling away from Jeongin and rushing to Changbin’s side instead. Changbin closes his mouth, raising an eyebrow. “I — I want to go with you.”

Changbin’s heart flutters. Hyunjin’s eyes have gone wide, deep brown staring at him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Hyunjin nods quickly, the line continuing forward as another round of people leave. An attendant stands at the rope, pulling it back to allow them to step forward along with a few other people. Hyunjin takes Changbin’s hand again, squeezing tightly as they take a stand next to one of the smaller gates, right in the middle of the carts. 

Jeongin and Seungmin take the one behind them, Jeongin taking Seungmin’s hand as well. Changbin’s heart swells at the feeling of Hyunjin’s hand in his, a smile appearing on his face. “Are you a little scared, Jinnie?”

“No—”

“Jinnie—”

“A little.” Hyunjin pouts, ears flattening again. Changbin reaches up and pets them gently, a purr erupting from Hyunjin’s chest. The hybrid leans into the touch, standing on his tippy-toes and turning his head left and right to get Changbin to pet him in other places, too. “But — a good scared.”

“Good.” Changbin says, smiling. “Because so am I.”

“You’re scared?” Hyunjin asks, frowning. “I thought you liked this.”

“I do.” Changbin sighs, taking his hand back. The carts roll into the station loudly, people talking even louder than before as they exit. “But it’s exciting scared. You know?”

“I’ve only ever felt one type of scared before.” Hyunjin replies matter of factly. It’s like a punch to the gut. Changbin swallows, briefly closing his eyes against the sudden onslaught of anger rising in his throat. “But this is new.”

“You—” Changbin takes a deep breath, forcing his heartbeat to calm down. “You’ll only feel this version of scared from now on, okay?”

Hyunjin nods, a smile on his face.

They scream their hearts out on the rollercoaster, Hyunjin smacking Changbin once they get out for damaging his ears and promising that he won’t ride with him ever again. Throughout the day, however, he only does one ride with Jeongin. All of the others, he asks Changbin to go with him or to sit next to him with those big, beautiful brown eyes that Changbin can never say no to.

By the end of the day, their throats hurt and Changbin has officially moved onto cloud nine with the way Hyunjin kept holding his hand all day. Even outside of the rides, he held on tightly as to not lose him in the crowd, the two of them looking every bit the couple that Changbin dreamed about sometimes. 

After eating their fill of the park’s junk food, they walk back to the car with Seungmin and Changbin sporting headbands. Changbin, of course, wears one with cat ears while Jeongin chose one with dog ears for Seungmin, the two hybrids laughing to their heart's content at the two humans. 

Changbin takes the driving seat and takes off down the highway, back to their apartment buildings. When he looks in the rearview mirror while waiting for a red light, he finds Hyunjin and Jeongin fast asleep, leaning onto one another. He sighs, “They’re adorable.”

In a rare moment of public fondness, Seungmin hums. “Jeongin was so excited. He must have tired himself out.”

“He helped Hyunjin a lot, I think.”

“Hyunjin helped him, too. It’s nice for him to have another hybrid around.” Seungmin says, reaching for the small bottle of chewing gum Changbin has in his cup holder. “He doesn’t get to release his animal instincts often.”

“Well, we can always do this more.” Changbin presses on the gas as the red turns to green, a ball of warmth settling where his heart should be. “It was fun for us too.”

“Hyunjin seems to like you a lot.” Seungmin continues on, disregarding Changbin’s words. “He’s really opened up.”

Changbin nods, “I’m glad he feels a little safer.”

“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t only feel safe around you.” Seungmin says, “The way he looks at you—”

“Don’t say that.” Changbin replies quickly, tightening his hold on the steering wheel. “He’s got enough on his plate. The last thing I want is to force myself on him.”

“Who said anything abo—”

“Are we there yet?”

Changbin gives Seungmin a pointed look before turning back to look at the road. “No, not yet.”

Seungmin heaves a sigh, looking out of the window instead. “Not yet.”

A new project at work has been keeping Changbin and the rest of their producer group quite busy. They have a few trainees who are going to be debuting soon recording their first single, along with two side tracks for their discography. It’s work that Changbin has always loved — seeing these young people working hard for their dream, to reach the stars.

They’re nice enough, and a few days into the recording sessions, Hyunjin accompanies Changbin to work again. He’s been staying home a little more now, enjoying his time alone and even going exploring all on his own. Changbin bought him a phone so that he could text him if he ever needs anything, as well as stay in contact with people on his own accord. 

Apparently, Hyunjin has come to see Jeongin at work quite often already, taking up room in one of the booths with a drink and his sketchbooks. 

Right now, the hybrid sits curled up on one of the couches in the larger recording studio, ears flattened against his head as he focuses on the piece of thick paper he’s been working on for a few days now. Hyunjin thinks Changbin hasn’t seen it, but he has. 

It’s a beautiful piece, Changbin drawn in pencil first, Hyunjin adding colours as he goes along. If Changbin didn’t know any better, he would think it to be a picture instead of a painting, that’s how realistic it looks. 

“Changbin,” Chan’s voice cuts through Changbin’s thoughts, forcing him to look away from the hybrid. Chan smiles knowingly at him, shaking his head. “Christ. I thought I was bad when I first met Felix.”

“Hyung, you were so much worse.” Jisung buts in, dropping down in his seat again. The three of them sit at the main table, Chan closest to the microphone. He has a way with the trainees, especially because he chose them as the members for their new group. They seem comfortable around him, even though so much depends on Chan. “So much worse.”

“Doesn’t take away from Changbin’s cr—”

“Hyung.” Changbin cuts Chan off, jerking his head to the couch where Hyunjin still sits, just as focused as before. He won’t hear them, he knows, but he’d like for his love for Hyunjin not to be confessed in this space. One day, he’ll come clean. For now, he wants to keep it to himself. Besides, the trainees will come back soon from their break. “Please.”

“Fine, fine.” Chan grumbles, inhaling. “But Seungmin said—”

“Fuck what he said.” 

“Stop interrupting me.” 

“Sorry hyung.” Changbin raises his voice a few notes, hoping the cuteness will make Chan laugh. It does, the sound filling the room and making Changbin’s heart slow down a little. His friends would never force him to confess to Hyunjin — it’s all about having your own pace in this group — but Changbin knows they mean well. 

“Binnie?”

At the sound of Hyunjin’s voice, Changbin swivels around in his chair at the speed of light. His heart flutters as those two beautiful round brown eyes look at him, ears perked and tail swaying. God, the fact that he ever thought that adopting  Hyunjin would be a bad idea — Changbin can’t imagine it anymore. “Yes?”

“Can we get food?” Hyunjin asks, jutting out his bottom lip. “I’m starving.”

Changbin raises an eyebrow, “First of all, you’re not starving. You had a snack half an hour ago. Second of all, you know where the cafeteria is.” 

Hyunjin huffs, “Fine. Jisung or Chan-hyung? Anyone want to come with me?”

Chan hums, leaving his chair and making his way to the door. “Felix told me to eat, so.” 

“Good.” Hyunjin smirks at Changbin before getting off of the couch and walking out of the studio with Chan by his side, the two of them disappearing. 

Changbin closes his eyes, swivelling back around in his chair to face the booth. Jisung chuckles next to him, “Why—”

“I can’t take it, his cuteness.” Changbin raises a hand to make Jisung stop talking, sighing loudly. “It’s devastating.”

“At least he’s getting more independent.”

“You’re one to talk — you rarely go anywhere without Minho. What was that dyn—”

“Okay, fuck you.”

Changbin laughs, shaking his head. “I’m joking, Jisungie. You’re right — and that’s a good thing. He’s his own person. He’s just always been too afraid.” 

Jisung hums, expression turning a little more serious. Hyunjin told all of them on his birthday — being sold, spending nights with strangers and being hurt by them in the process. And, of course, how he got out and his time in the clinic as well as his choice to pick a shelter and therefore hoping for an owner as his future. After he got through it, Changbin kept him close for the rest of the day. “And now he’s less so.”

“He knows he’s safe inside the building, and that I’d kill anyone who dares to hurt him, so he’s not terrified anymore to go out alone.” Changbin says, “It feels unfair, to have him so dependent on me.”

“He chose this, you know?”

Changbin grunts, “I know, but he’s an adult. His own person.” 

“And what if this is his version of being an adult?” Jisung asks, raising an eyebrow. “I’m an adult, but I much prefer Minho ordering food for me or taking me places than going anywhere alone.”

At that, Changbin’s eyes go a little wider. He hadn’t really thought about it like that yet. Of course, Hyunjin has his own version of being an adult, much like everyone else in the world. Some people are horribly independent, while others need other people around to be able to function. “That actually made sense.” 

Jisung squeaks, hitting Changbin on the shoulder. It stings, briefly, before dissipating again. God, Jisung hasn’t joined him in the gym for ages. “I can be smart!”

Before Changbin can reply to that, a knock sounds on the door. When he turns around to tell the person to come inside, he finds the six trainees waiting for their recording session standing there. “Hi—”

“Come in!” Changbin hurries out of his chair, scooting closer to the couch. He takes Hyunjin’s sketchbook — unable to stop himself from taking a peek, his heart fluttering rapidly as he does so — before putting it back into his bag. Hyunjin has all the freedom in the world in this building, but he does have to make room for people who actually work here. 

The sketch looks even more like Changbin than it did that morning, almost detailed to the extreme. Has Hyunjin somehow found a picture of Changbin to use? Or has he taken a picture and used that as his reference? 

Changbin doesn’t know, but the thought of Hyunjin putting this much effort into a drawing of him has his skin wanting to burst at the seams. 

He can’t imagine his life without him anymore, and while that is a terrifying thought, it’s also extremely comforting. Hyunjin, who greets Changbin when he gets home or stays hidden in his room, eager for Changbin to come in and ask him about his day. The beautiful white-grey cat that pads around the apartment and meows like crazy when Hyunjin shifts, as well as the hybrid continuing to sit on the ground in front of the windows to watch as the sun goes down every night. 

Hyunjin, who has become such a big part of Changbin’s life in such a short time. 

He swallows, putting the last of Hyunjin’s art supplies into the baby blue backpack Felix gifted him a week ago. When he comes back, he’ll probably take the bag and go to the smaller recording studio that mirrors as Changbin and Jisung’s office to sit in silence, but for now, his art supplies will be here for him when the hybrid gets back. 

Probably with too many snacks added onto Changbin’s employee account. 

Seven months after adopting Hyunjin, the hybrid has turned the living room of their now shared apartment into a small art studio of his own. Changbin has moved the couches and the television a slight bit, allowing Hyunjin to bring his easel and art supplies into the living room, by the floor to ceiling windows. 

Hyunjin asked if he could, and so it happened. Changbin likes that Hyunjin works in the living room now, though when he dares to come close to the canvas, Hyunjin hisses at him. It’s angled away from the living room, allowing no one else to see it other than Hyunjin. It’s been about a week since Changbin isn’t allowed to come close to the easel anymore — and the hybrid is clearly up to something, but he doesn’t want to pry. 

He will come to Changbin when he’s ready, or when the painting is finished. However, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t frustrated or extremely curious as to what it is. Chan and Jisung have heard him complain about it every single day for the past week, Minho and Felix in extension. 

The easel stands abandoned now, the canvas that occupied it the entire week now gone. Hyunjin took it away and into his own room barely half an hour ago, with a huge smile on his face. A few minutes after, the shower turned on, and Changbin has been sitting on the couch with a frown on his face since then. What is he up to? 

With the shower turned off ten minutes ago, Changbin expected Hyunjin to come back into the living room with towel dried ears and tail as well as a satisfied smile on his face, before dropping down next to Changbin to watch yet another movie while cuddled up together. However, that hasn’t happened. Changbin has been left alone in the living room for almost forty minutes now — no, he isn’t counting, thank you very much. 

The clock keeps ticking as the news on the television goes from the news to a commercial, a tune Changbin recognizes making him look back at the screen. The classic tune of one of the music shows sounds before it shows the list of promising new debuts, the group Changbin worked with on number three. 

He smiles, unable to stop himself. Hyunjin met them two weeks ago, when they were putting the final touches on their choreography. The hybrid was wandering the halls of the company alongside Minho, eager to see the practice rooms and everything else, when they ran into them.

According to Minho, the boys couldn’t stop fawning over Hyunjin, though Minho made sure they didn’t cross any of Hyunjin’s unspoken boundaries. Which is good, because Changbin wouldn’t have batted an eye at delaying their debut if they made Hyunjin uncomfortable or did something they weren’t supposed to.

They’re debuting next week, after months of hard work and preparing for everything. It’ll be rewarding, and Chan, Jisung and Changbin will be able to focus on a new project after everything is done. Before that, though, Changbin wants to take Hyunjin on holiday. 

To where, he doesn’t know quite yet. Perhaps Japan, or Thailand. Vietnam would be nice, too, and the hybrid would absolutely adore the food there.

Sighing, Changbin leans back onto the couch and rubs at his nose. Seungmin and Jeongin are the ones on holiday right now, all the way in North-America somewhere — Changbin didn’t bother remembering the entire itinerary of their journey — but that doesn’t mean Jeongin and Hyunjin don’t talk. They video call almost every single day. If Changbin didn’t know any better, he’d think that they were dating. 

“Binnie?” 

Changbin rushes to sit up, nearly off of the couch before stopping himself. “Yeah?”

“Can you close your eyes?”

“Close my—” Changbin raises an eyebrow, “Why?”

“Just,” Hyunjin whines, resembling more of a meow than anything else. “Just do it, okay?”

“Fine.” Changbin huffs, closing his eyes. For Hyunjin’s sake, he also presses his hands over his eyes. “They’re closed.”

Somewhere, Hyunjin’s door opens. Stumbling echoes through the living room, followed by the sounds of something being dragged. Changbin can’t help but raise his eyebrows again. “What—”

“Shush!” Hyunjin hisses, “Just — hold on.” 

One thing that Changbin has enjoyed extremely is the fact that Hyunjin has become more mouthy. With every passing day over the past few months, Hyunjin has grown more and more confident in himself, allowing him to speak more freely and even give attitude every once in a while. It’s a beautiful thing to see, to watch Hyunjin blossom into his own again. 

“Demanding.” Changbin says, shaking his head. He keeps his eyes covered, though, clenching them shut. “Can I open—”

“No.” Hyunjin interrupts, soft sounds of stumbling around and the rustling of something joining him. Hyunjin takes a deep breath, inhaling sharply into the quiet of the living room. “Okay. Open them.”

Changbin drops his hands and opens his eyes, blinking once, twice to get them used to the light again. Hyunjin stands a few feet away, holding onto a canvas. With his tail drooped and his ears tensed — in airplane mode — he almost looks distressed, but if that were the case, he wouldn’t have asked Changbin to close his eyes. 

Lowering his gaze to the canvas, Changbin’s breath hitches and his heart jumps in his chest. With a beautiful combination of lilac, pastel pink, tints of orange and purple, Hyunjin has painted them both sitting in front of the window, the skyline of Seoul behind the glass. 

It’s as if Hyunjin has taken one of the sunsets they watched together and placed it on the canvas, the two figures sitting in the front painted in a deep, dark blue. Their faces aren’t visible, nor are most of their features, but one of them has two cat ears on top of his head and the other has broader shoulders. The silhouette with the ears leans onto the other figure, their separate bodies not visible from where they touch. 

“Oh my god.” Changbin whispers, covering his mouth with his hand. He stands up and takes a few steps, walking closer to the painting. It’s the most beautiful thing he has ever seen, the gentle strokes and care Hyunjin took in creating the window, the buildings and them. “That’s—”

“Do you like it?” Hyunjin asks in a whisper, eyes wide as he stares down at Changbin. 

Changbin’s heart does a thing again, flipping in his chest. God, he wants to kiss Hyunjin. “Jinnie — this is — I can’t — this is gorgeous.” 

As if those words were what he needed, Hyunjin relaxes instantly. His ears go back to their natural position, tail curling around his waist again. His shoulders sag slightly, the smile on his face losing the tension. The corners look kinder, less cutting. “It’s for you.”

“I can’t believe this.” Changbin carefully takes the canvas, looking at it closely. The skyline has been decorated with birds flying in the distance, a billboard displaying the small logo of Changbin’s company. “Thank you — thank you so much.”

“I also—” Hyunjin swallows, the sound making Changbin look up again. “I wanted to ask you something.” 

Changbin hums, nodding. “Of course.”

“I—” Hyunjin huffs, balling his hands into fists. He shakes his shoulders. Something heavy settles in Changbin’s stomach. What is going on? “Have you ever — have you ever thought of kissing me?”

Changbin blinks. What. 

“I—” suddenly, his tongue is too large for his mouth. It rests heavily against his lower jaw, unable to move. “Ji—”

Hyunjin visibly deflates, pulling back. “It’s ok—”

Changbin gently places the painting on his coffee table before surging forward with his heart in his chest. He’s thought of kissing Hyunjin ever since seeing him on that very first day, pouting in that living area in the shelter. Hyunjin, his sweet, sweet Hyunjin. His Jinnie. 

Their lips meet and Hyunjin makes the most angelic noise. A meow, a whine and a moan combined into a sound that has Changbin’s hair stand on end in the most delicious way possible, pulling Hyunjin even closer. Standing chest to chest is not enough — he wants to be one with Hyunjin, like their silhouettes in the painting. Like their souls are meant to be. 

Tongues dancing together, Changbin reaches out and places one hand on the back of Hyunjin’s head, curling his fingers into the hybrid’s hair. He moans, loudly, mouth dropping open at the action. Changbin pulls back slightly, amused. “You like that?”

Hyunjin nods, dazed. His eyes have gone unfocused, pupils blown wide. Combined with the red tinted lips, coated with spit, he looks ethereal. “Ye — yes.”

“God, I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long, Jinnie.”

“Why didn’t you?” Hyunjin whines, pulling Changbin closer this time. He leans down to rest his forehead on Changbin’s shoulder, a gentle purr starting in his throat. “I wanted you to.”

“Because,” Changbin takes a deep breath, his own brain still swimming from the fact that he kissed Hyunjin. He kissed Hyunjin. And Hyunjin liked it. “I didn’t — I didn’t want you to think that I was forcing you.”

He continues carding his hand through Hyunjin’s hair, still damp from his previous shower. They stand in the middle of the living room, the sun going down beside them in the reflection of the windows. “Because — Because of my past?”

Changbin hums, heart shattering at the reminder. “Once you told me, my reasoning solidified. I adopted you, Jinnie. I’m your owner in the eyes of the law. I didn’t — I didn’t want you to feel like you had to kiss me, to like me, simply because of that.”

Hyunjin pulls back, eyes even larger than before. Like this, he looks more like a puppy than a cat. Changbin’s heart flutters. “I — thank you.” 

“For what?” Changbin asks, standing on his tippy toes to press a kiss on Hyunjin’s nose.

“For giving me time.” Hyunjin replies softly, “For giving me space, protecting me.”

“Always.” Changbin says quickly, “Always.” 

The apartment is quiet as Changbin walks in, toeing his shoes off and dropping his bag by the door. He sighs, rubbing at his eyes before moving further inside, down the hall. Hyunjin chose to stay home that morning, not feeling too well, and while Changbin hadn’t wanted to leave him alone, Hyunjin had insisted he was fine. 

The silence makes Changbin’s hair stand on end, though, his neck starting to itch. Usually, when he comes home from work and Hyunjin has been left alone, he’ll find the hybrid on the couch watching a drama, or using the television as background noise while he paints or draws. Now, though, there’s nothing like that. No music, no humming from Hyunjin as he sings along. 

Even the living room is empty. The couch looks to have been used, the pillows thrown astray. The blanket usually draped over the back has disappeared, though, along with one of the pillows. This can’t be good. Changbin’s heart sinks. 

“Jinnie?” He starts, turning around and walking into his bedroom. It has changed into their bedroom since their first kiss three weeks ago, but Changbin hasn’t shaken the habit of thinking of it as his own room. He’s been alone for so many years, sue him. “Baby?”

The bed is empty, still made from that very morning. The shirts they use as pajamas are gone, though, as well as one of their pillows. Changbin frowns, biting his lip. Did someone break in and decide to steal their pillows? A quick check of the ensuite bathroom ends up fruitless as well, making Changbin hurry down the hall to Hyunjin’s own room. 

His hand freezes above the doorknob as a sound comes from behind the door. A whimper. Instantly, Changbin throws open the door, bawling one of his hands into a fist. If someone dared to come in—

Hyunjin yelps loudly, breaking whatever spell Changbin was under. He blinks, eyes focusing on the room in front of him. The pillows from their bed and couch are strewn across the mattress, as well as a few articles of clothing that Changbin recognizes to be his and their pajamas. 

The hybrid lays in the middle of all of it, stark naked. His skin glistens with sweat. Changbin has to swallow, saliva pooling in his mouth. He wants to lick Hyunjin. “Baby?”

“I—”

“What’s wrong?” Changbin asks, forcing himself to calmly walk toward the bed. He places a hand on Hyunjin’s leg, the hybrid whimpering again. There’s a constant purring noise emanating from Hyunjin, as if he can’t turn it off anymore. “Do you have a fever?”

Hyunjin swallows, tilting his head back. “Heat.”

Changbin blinks. “What?”

“He—heat.” Hyunjin repeats, shaking his shoulders. His hair lays matted on top of his head, stuck there with the stickiness of the sweat on his forehead. The ears usually nestled comfortably within the hair stand on high alert, perched high on Hyunjin’s head. “I didn’t — fuck.”

“You—” Changbin closes his mouth, taking a deep breath. “You get those?”

“Yes.” Hyunjin huffs, his toes curling into the duvet and mattress. The clothes and pillows aren’t strewn around randomly, Changbin realises as he gets even closer. It’s like Hyunjin placed them around himself deliberately, calculated. A shirt here, a pillow close by. “I don’t — not often.”

Heats aren’t common in hybrids anymore. Changbin didn’t know a lot about any sort of hybrid before he decided to research adopting one, but he had always known that. The fact that Hyunjin still gets his is, quite frankly, fucking confusing. “I — how?”

Every cell in his body is telling Changbin to shut the fuck up and get into bed with Hyunjin, but he stays rooted to the spot. Hyunjin meows, entire body shivering for a breath before slowing down again. “Because — I can still turn into a cat.”

“All hybrids who can do that — they get heats?”

“Depends on the animal sort, Binnie.” Hyunjin huffs, closing his eyes.

“I can’t— What do you need?”

Hyunjin flushes at the question, his chest and face turning a bright red in the slightly dimmed room. Changbin leans in closer, placing one hand next to Hyunjin’s head as he kisses his sweaty forehead. Hyunjin whimpers. “I — sex.” 

“Sex.” Changbin whispers back, repeating Hyunjin’s words. “You need sex?”

Humming, the hybrid shivers again. “Sex makes it easier.” 

“How long — how long does it last?” Changbin pulls away slightly despite not wanting to. He takes off his shirt and makes quick work of his pants, grateful that he decided to wear cargo pants instead of skinny jeans. Once he’s in his underwear, he crawls onto the bed and takes Hyunjin into his arms.

Instantly, the purring becomes louder. Hyunjin digs his nose into the crevice between Changbin’s jaw and neck, inhaling sharply. He emanates heat, scorchingly hot against Changbin’s skin. But he doesn’t pull away. Instead, he wraps his arms around Hyunjin even tighter. “Two days. Most of the time.”

“Oh my poor baby,” Changbin whispers, kissing the side of Hyunjin’s head. “Are you okay with us having sex for the first time while you’re—”

“Yes.” Hyunjin rushes to interrupt, his body jerking. The movement has his cock dragging against Changbin, making the non-hybrid of the two moan. “Please.”

“Jinni—”

“Please, Binnie. I want to.” 

Hyunjin’s eyes are blown wide, a pout on his lips that he knows Changbin can’t resist. And fuck, Changbin wouldn’t have said no to any of this anyway. He’s wanted to have sex with Hyunjin for ages. “Okay, baby. Okay. I’ve got you.”

Things become a bit of a blur after that. Hyunjin has his first orgasm rutting against Changbin’s tensed thigh, meowing and moaning his way through it. His tail starts shaking at the tip, the cutest thing ever in the world in Changbin’s opinion, before he settles back down. 

Changbin works him open with lube and his fingers, using the liquid sparingly as Hyunjin’s encouraging purrs grow louder when a bit of lube slides down his crack. When Changbin dares to laugh, the hybrid swats him with his hand. Their lips continue to meet, kisses dragged out and interrupted by the lovely sounds of Hyunjin moaning, shivering and trying to take deep breaths while the pleasure overtakes him. 

Sitting in between Hyunjin’s legs, Changbin sinks into Hyunjin’s eager hole. For a split second, the entire world turns into white noise and he can’t see anything else other than Hyunjin’s face, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as his mouth drops open in a silent moan. 

Changbin himself can’t hold back his moans either, thrusting softly as Hyunjin gets used to him. “Feel good?”

Hyunjin whimpers again, nodding. “So good.”

Their hands find each other, fingers intertwining atop the mattress. It’s obscene, how close Changbin already is. The impending pleasure low in his gut, the twitch of his cock. “Baby—”

“Move.” Hyunjin says, leaning up slightly until their noses touch, too. “Please.”

Changbin sighs, stomach fluttering. “Your wish is my command, baby.”

Moving again, faster this time, the room fills with the sound of skin slapping against skin, each time Changbin’s pelvis slams into Hyunjin’s ass echoing against the walls and bouncing back into their ears. Hyunjin’s ‘ah-ah’s and beautiful moans join it all, creating a melody that Changbin could listen to until the end of his days. If he could, he would produce a song from the sounds and keep it to himself. Listen to it in the car, perhaps with his headphones on at work. 

Hyunjin arches into the pleasure, back rising off of the bed as he moans loudly, a meow following suit as he comes. His cum splashes against his abdomen as well as Changbin’s chest, painting them both in a beautiful white. Changbin grunts, “Fuck— Jinnie—”

“No,” Hyunjin whines as Changbin slows down. He wraps his legs around Changbin’s waist and tightens his hold, mewling. “No — keep going.”

Oh, fuck. Changbin has to take a deep breath to make sure he doesn’t combust, before he continues his movements. Chasing his own pleasure, he listens to the gorgeous sounds of Hyunjin coming undone and reaching overstimulation just as he himself comes too. The pleasure explodes in his gut, travelling through his veins and across his entire body. Changbin moans, slowing down his thrusts before eventually coming to a stop. “Fuck.”

“Fuck,” Hyunjin repeats, turning his head away slightly. Changbin takes the opportunity to latch onto the unblemished skin, biting and nibbling until a few bruises start to form. “Binnie—”

“You’re so pretty.” Changbin interrupts with a whisper, placing a kiss on Hyunjin’s cheek, his nose before, finally, his lips. “So, so pretty.”

“I’m sweaty.” Hyunjin whines with a pout, “Disgusting.” 

Shaking his head, Changbin leans a little more forward. “You’re gorgeous. So pretty.” 

“Binnie—”

“It’s true, baby. All mine, so pretty.” 

“Yours.” Hyunjin mumbles in reply. 

Before Changbin can say anything else, the sounds of the front door opening make him sit up straight. Hyunjin’s eyes widen suddenly, ears perked up again as his tail thickens where it lays on the bed. No one but Changbin’s friends have the keys, but this isn’t really a great time. 

“Hyunjin? I got your text!” Felix’s voice echoes down the hall and into the room.

Turning back to look at him, Hyunjin’s eyes widen even further. “You texted hi—”

“He needs to leave.” Hyunjin’s voice is nearly a growl as he says it, eyes narrowing. Changbin shivers at the tone in the hybrid’s voice — Hyunjin has never sounded like this. 

“Jinni—”

A knock on the door has Changbin looking back at it. “Felix?”

“Oh good, you’re here!” Felix calls from outside, “I put so—”

Hyunjin hisses, a screech leaving his lips. He leaps off of the bed, causing Changbin’s soft dick to slip out of him. The hybrid is at the door within the blink of an eye, banging on it. “Leave!”

“Jinnie—”

“Leave!” Hyunjin hisses and screeches, his tail ramrod straight behind his back. “He’s mine!”

“I know!” Felix replies, “Jinni-”

“Lix, I think it’s best you leave. Thank you for coming.” Changbin calls over the noises of Hyunjin still banging on the door. He steps off of the bed and wraps his arms around Hyunjin, cutting him off. “Jinnie is in heat.”

“Oh.” comes Felix’s reply from behind the door. “That — makes sense. Actually. If you need anything, please call. Or text.”

Hyunjin hisses again, clearly not amused at the prospect of someone else talking to Changbin at all. Changbin squeezes him slightly, keeping Hyunjin’s arms against his sides. “Thank you, Lix. We will.” 

“Good luck!” Felix calls out before his footsteps move away from the door. Changbin waits until the front door closes again before letting Hyunjin go. 

The hybrid whirls around and jumps up against Changbin within a split second. Changbin gasps, a yelp leaving his lips as his post-orgasm body is forced to hold a full-grown adult in his arms so suddenly. “Mine.”

Something in Changbin unfurls, relief washing over him. “Were you jealous, Jinnie?”

“He shouldn’t — my nest, our home.” Hyunjin replies with a growl, his teeth breaking Changbin’s skin. 

Changbin yelps again, “Jesus, Hyunjin! Your teeth!”

“Mine.” Hyunjin simply says, forcing Changbin back into the bed. “Mine, all mine.” 

“All yours.” Changbin replies breathily, shaking his head with a laugh. “Is this part of the heat?”

Instead of answering, Hyunjin pushes him to lay back down onto the bed and takes Changbin’s dick in his hands. Changbin moans at the touch, cock tingling from the overstimulation. He opens his mouth to say something, tongue heavy in his mouth, but his jaws nearly break as they make contact again while Hyunjin sits down on his dick, an effortless slide until Changbin has bottomed out. 

Hyunjin makes a satisfied purring noise, a dopey smile on his face. “Mine.”

Changbin takes a deep breath, pleasure still zipping through his body. “All yours, baby.” 

“I owe you an apology.” Hyunjin starts, standing in the middle of Chan and Felix’s living room. “I’m sorry for lashing out like that.” 

Once Hyunjin’s heat lifted, along with the added hormones and hysteria in his brain, everything caught up to him. He’s spent the past day and a half moaning and mourning his loss of friendship with Felix, nearly bursting into tears when Changbin tried to tell him that Felix doesn’t hate him. 

Unable to let it rest, Hyunjin asked for the four of them to have dinner together. Changbin asked Chan, who asked Felix, and the sunshine of the group was more than willing to put a nice dinner on the table and talk. With the dinner long gone, the four of them decided to move to the living room. 

None of them have taken a seat yet. Chan is awkwardly hovering above the couch, similarly to Felix, while Changbin stands right next to the loveseat he wanted to sit down in. He swallows, shaking his head. “Jinnie—”

“No, it’s okay.” Felix interrupts, a smile on his face. “You don’t have to apologise, Hyunjin. I read up on heats after, and your reaction makes sense.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. Or hissed.” Hyunjin mumbles, eyes downcast as he addresses the room. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Felix moves over to Hyunjin, his smile not wavering as he takes the hybrid’s hand in his own. Hyunjin tenses, his shoulders suddenly straight, before they droop again. “It’s okay, Hyunjin. Really. It’s forgiven.”

“Have you read up on heats?” Chan whispers to Changbin, the other two in their own world entirely. 

Changbin looks away from his hybrid, his boyfriend, before nodding. “Yeah — it’s wild.”

“Very. Felix ordered several books on the subject.” 

“Books?” Changbin asks, “What does he need with those?”

“Reading.” Chan deadpans, before smiling. “He wants to be prepared for it.” 

“That’s sweet of him.” Changbin replies, making a mental note to ask to borrow said books. He read a lot of online articles and talked to Hyunjin once the hormones of his heat had disappeared, but reading more could help. “Was he upset?”

Chan shakes his head. “A little confused, at first. Until you told him he was in heat, of course.” 

Changbin hums, inhaling. “Makes sense. Hyunjin was distraught when he remembered.” 

“Felix would never be offended at that.” Chan scoffs, “He wants to be able to help next time.” 

“Well,” Changbin swallows, “I was able to help him, and Hyunjin only gets them once a year.” 

Chan nods, “Good, good. How is he?”

“Good.” Changbin replies, a smile appearing on his face. It burns, the way his muscles have been used so much more ever since getting to know Hyunjin. “He’s happy, and safe. And that’s what matters.”

“Changbin from last year wouldn’t have thought so.” Chan replies, patting Changbin on the knee before leaning back into the couch. 

And he’s right. Changbin from last year wouldn’t have cared as much, because he wasn’t at home enough to do so. He was either at work, the gym or in his bedroom, sleeping. He ate out of the house and never bothered to make it feel like a home. But now, with Hyunjin there, Changbin is home as often as he can be, cooking with Hyunjin, watching movies, spending time in each other’s presence, each doing different things. 

Without Hyunjin, Changbin would have probably ended up in a burn-out, endorsed by his body shutting down entirely. Without Hyunjin, he wouldn’t have loved his life as much anymore. 

Sure, he’s always had his friends. Has always loved his friends, and known they love him, but with Hyunjin, it’s like an extra light was added into Changbin’s life. Changbin loves him, and Hyunjin loves him in return. Effortlessly, unconditionally. 

Changbin looks at Hyunjin standing there with Felix, the two of them laughing about one thing or another, and his heart settles. Hyunjin turns his head, as if feeling he’s being watched, and makes eye-contact with Changbin. He winks, a smile appearing on his face as his tail whips from side to side behind him. Next week, they’re leaving for their Japan trip, a new adventure together. Something to experience, just the two of them. 

Kissing underneath the cherry blossom trees, visiting the deers in Nara village and taking the bullet train to the ends of the country and see everything in between. Changbin from a year ago wouldn’t have allowed himself to take a whole month off. This year’s Changbin, though, thinks it might not be enough time to spend with Hyunjin. 

Luckily for him, they have their entire lives ahead of them.