Chapter Text
Jisung was draped over the checkout counter at Chan’s pet store, moaning to his friend about the awful writer’s block he was experiencing, when the bells on the front door jingled to signal a customer.
“Hi, how are…” Chan’s fake customer service voice dropped and concern laced his tone, “Minho? Is everything okay?”
Jisung twisted his head slightly to see that the boy who had walked in looked frantic, panic written all over his face as he made his way up to the counter.
“I’m so sorry,” his voice was thick with tears, though they had yet to fall, “I have a stupid question. I know you’re mostly a food store, but I had a family emergency and I have to fly back to Korea, I have to be at the airport in an hour, and I don’t have anyone to take care of my babies and I don’t know what to do, I don’t have enough time to find someone and if I miss this flight my mom will kill me, but I can’t take the cats with me and I can’t leave them behind and Felix is out of town and I just don’t know what to do.” He drew in a jagged breath, his shoulders slumped and his gaze downward, “Do you pet sit? Do you know anyone who pet sits and would be able to come meet them in the next ten or twenty minutes? I know it’s a crazy question, but I just…I don’t know what to do.”
“Hey,” Chan rounded the counter, dropping a supportive hand onto Minho’s shoulders. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure something out. Just take a deep breath.”
“I can do it.”
Jisung wasn’t sure who was more surprised by the words that left his mouth, himself or Chan. His best friend blinked at him over Minho’s slumped shoulders, his lips parted in shock.
“You can?” Minho sniffed, dewy eyes finding Jisung’s. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Jisung rubbed a nervous hand along the back of his neck, huffing out a laugh even though he knew it was inappropriate for the situation. “I, um, I work from home mostly. So I can just work from your home. I like cats.”
“Jisung is trustworthy,” Chan offered slowly, his confused gaze still locked on Jisung. “And I can drop by occasionally too to check in if that will make you feel better.”
“Thanks,” Minho let out another stuttery breath, swiping his hand at his eyes. Chan gave him another pat on the shoulder before the bell chimed again, signaling a new customer. Minho’s attention switched solely to Jisung, “Can you…can you come with me now?”
“Yeah,” Jisung pushed himself off the counter and gave Chan a small wave, nodding to Minho to lead the way. Minho did so, slipping out of the store and heading towards a black sedan idling in the parking lot. “I walked here. If you don’t mind giving me a ride."
“Oh,” Minho blinked. “Um, yeah. No problem.”
They both climbed into the car, silent apart from the clicking of their seatbelts.
Minho’s hands gripped the wheel, tight and white knuckled as he took a few more broken breaths. Jisung wondered if he should reach out and try to comfort him the way Chan had, but it wasn’t really his area of expertise. He was used to being the one talked down from the ledge, not the one doing the talking.
“Sorry,” Minho mumbled, eventually putting the car into drive and pulling out of the parking lot. “This whole thing just happened so fast and I panicked. Normally I wouldn’t just let anyone stay with my babies. I mean, I’m sure you’re great and whatever, but they’re my kids. They’re my everything. They don’t really like other people and they’re going to wonder where I went and…” Minho’s face crumbled again and this time, he couldn’t hold back the tears. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Jisung mumbled, finally working up the courage to give Minho a very brief pat on his thigh. “I get it. I’m sorry you’re so stressed.”
“I’m not going to have enough time to go over everything with you,” the tears were falling faster now and Jisung wondered if maybe they should pull over so Minho could cry properly. But he seemed to be driving okay and they were on a time crunch. “Their likes and dislikes and treats and…”
“It’s alright,” Jisung hoped his tone sounded comforting and not borderline panicked. “Just tell me their names and where their food is and what I need to know for tonight. Then once you get to the airport you can text me the rest of the info. It’ll be okay.”
Minho sniffled wetly and Jisung began discreetly looking around the car for a tissue. He normally wouldn’t be digging around in people’s things, but he was about to be staying at Minho’s house for an undisclosed amount of time. And the other boy was sounding very snotty.
Jisung popped open the glovebox and found a neat stack of napkins inside, snagging them and holding them out to Minho.
“Sorry,” Minho hiccuped, taking one hand off the wheel to press the napkins to his nose. “I never cry. This is embarrassing.”
“It’s fine,” Jisung assured him, his thigh pat a little more confident this time. “Seriously. You don’t have to keep apologizing. And you don’t have to be embarrassed. I’m not judging you.”
The older boy deposited the now crumbled napkins in the cupholder as he turned into a short driveway, coming to a stop in front of a one story white clapboard house, “Thanks. Um, I know Chan said your name but…”
“Jisung,” he offered, along with a small smile. “Your house is pretty.”
“Thanks,” Minho climbed out of the car and Jisung followed shortly behind, standing at the boy’s shoulder as he fumbled with his house keys. “Felix has my spare. And he’s out of town visiting his boyfriend this week, so I’ll have to give you my key. Which, shockingly, is last on my list of stresses right now. Giving the key to my house to a random stranger I met five minutes ago,” he barked out a short laugh, completely devoid of humor, and finally got the key into the lock. “I have three cats. I’ll try to introduce you before I have to leave but they’ll probably be hiding since you’re a new person.”
Jisung could see how hard Minho was working to keep his voice and face steady, to not let the tears start falling again, but he could still hear the pain in his words.
“You don’t have to stay here all day. I mean, you can, if it’s easier, but they’re cats. They don’t need attention 24/7.” The two boys stepped across the threshold, toeing their shoes off as Minho took another deep breath. “There’s a catio out back, they have access to that whenever. Their food is in the pantry, but I think I’m getting low…” his face crumbled again and Jisung placed a reassuring palm on his back, rubbing soothingly as MInho’s shoulders drooped. He was starting to get a little more used to this comforting thing.
“Do you get their food from Chan’s store?” Minho nodded softly. “That’s fine then. I can totally go over there and pick up whatever they need. Channie will help me. Don’t stress about that.”
“Okay,” Minho pressed the palms on his hands into his eyes and quickly began rattling off more information, his voice still shaky. “Litter boxes are in the guest bathroom, spare litter is under the sink. Treats are in the pantry with the food. Dori likes to play more than the others, so you’ll probably be able to befriend him with the laser pointer. There’s a basket of toys next to the couch. The other two are older, they’ll just lounge around.
“Um, I do have pet cameras set up. In the living room, kitchen and cat room. I won’t spy on you or anything, but I’ll check them occasionally. I don’t have a guest bedroom since that’s the cat’s room, but you can sleep in my room if you want to stay over. Or you can go home and sleep at your own house. Whatever’s easier. They get fed at six in the morning and six in the evening. Soonie and Doongie get one can per feeding. They’re both orange. Dori’s the gray one, he gets half a can.”
Jisung pulled out his phone and made a note of what Minho was saying, marking down the cat’s names, colors and food. The other stuff he could figure out on his own if he forgot.
Minho let his hands drop, looking more composed than he had a few minutes ago. Jisung offered him his phone and he took it, thumbing in his number before handing the device back. Jisung sent a text to the new contact so Minho would have his number, then shoved his phone into his pocket.
“They’re usually in the living room during this time of the day so if you want to…”
“Yeah,” Jisung nodded, following Minho deeper into the house. It was small, but cozy, and the living room was no different. Dori was sprawled out on the back of the couch and he let out an indigent meow when they entered, climbing to his feet with a wary glance. He didn’t run though, just flicked his tail slowly as he eyed Jisung.
“The other two are usually in the cat tree,” Minho gestured to the structure near the window as he crossed to the couch and scooped Dori up in his arms. “Soonie has a white nose. Doongie’s is orange.”
Jisung watched as Minho snuggled with the kitty, holding him close as he murmured apologies into the cat’s fur. Once he had been sufficiently loved on, Minho put him down and made his way to the cat tree, snagging the two orange cats from inside and repeating the process.
Jisung watched, silent, the weight of Minho’s pain suffocating the room. He hadn’t asked, didn’t think it was appropriate, but for the older boy to be leaving in such a rush, someone must be on their deathbed.
As if sensing Jisung’s thoughts, Minho straightened up, releasing the cats from his hold. They both disappeared out of the room, though Dori had made himself comfortable on the couch again, not too perturbed by Jisung’s presence.
“My grandfather isn’t doing well,” he said primly. “I normally wouldn’t just abandon my babies like this, but I haven’t seen him in many years and it’s important to my mother that I say goodbye. I need to go pack, you can hang out here with Dori if you want. Or look around and get familiar with where stuff is.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing towards the hallway, “I’ll be in my room if you have any questions.”
Jisung felt weird about wandering around Minho’s house while he was still here, even with permission, so he slowly made his way over to the couch.
“Hi, pretty kitty,” he murmured softly under his breath, pausing a few feet from where Dori was lounging. Jisung crouched, blinking slowly at the feline and extending his hand for him to sniff. Dori made no move, just continued swishing his tail, so Jisung sank to the ground, cross legged in front of the couch. “I’m going to be staying with you for a little bit while your daddy is out of town. He’s reallllyyyy stressed about it, so it would be super cool if you and I could get along.”
Dori offered nothing more than another tail flick.
Jisung pulled out his phone, scrolling mindlessly as he waited for Minho to reappear. He was so focused on the screen that he didn’t notice Doongie had made his way back into the room until a small paw pressed into his thigh.
Jisung froze, afraid that any movement would scare the cat away. Doongie let out a small meow and a second paw joined the first on Jisung’s leg. Moments later he had a lap full of orange fur.
Doongie let out a few more soft noises as he got comfortable, curling into a ball in the cross of Jisung’s legs. Jisung remained still for another minute before very slowly bringing his hand down to soothe the kitty’s back. When Doongie didn’t immediately get up and run away, Jisung did the motion again. And again. And again.
Happy purrs slipped from Doongie’s mouth as Jisung continued to pet him, the sound masking the moment Minho re-entered the room. But the gasp he let out at the sight was loud and Jisung twisted his head to see the older boy stalled in the doorway, suitcase at his side and mouth hanging open.
“Is that Doongie?”
Jisung nodded, returning his attention to the cat as Minho inched further into the room. Soon the older boy was crouched next to him, his breath warm on Jisung’s neck as he reached over to pet the content feline.
Jisung could feel his relief before he even opened his mouth, “Well, that’s a really good sign. Doongie usually takes the longest to warm up to new people. I feel a little bit better about leaving them with you now.”
“I’ll take good care of them,” Jisung promised. “I know there’s a big time difference, but I’ll keep my phone on, you can call or text me whenever. Like if there’s something you think of that you forgot to mention, or if you see me being an idiot on the camera, or even if you just want to see a picture of them.”
“Thanks, Jisung,” Minho’s voice was soft. “Same to you. If you have any questions or anything. Call whenever. Even if you think it’s a stupid question.”
“You got it.”
Minho nudged the arm that wasn’t petting Doongie and Jisung looked up to see him holding out a small silver key, “House key. Please don’t lose it.”
“Can’t make any promises on that,” Jisung joked, but the distressed look returning to Minho’s face immediately had him taking it back. “I’m kidding. I won’t lose it. I’ll be the best spontaneous pet and house sitter you could ever have.”
“Hopefully the only one I ever have,” Minho rocked back onto his heels and stood. “I, uh, I’m going to leave now.”
“Okay.”
Despite his words, Minho made no move towards the front door, hovering over Jisung as the younger boy resumed his petting of Doongie. After another solid minute without the sound of footsteps, Jisung leaned over to whisper to the cat, “I’m glad you think I’m comfy and I’m really happy you want to be friends, but I think your dad needs a hug more than you right now.”
Jisung lifted Doongie onto the couch and then stumbled to his feet, turning to face Minho. The older boy was blinking back tears again, his eyes downcast as Jisung approached him.
“I’m going to hug you. If that’s okay. Hugs always make me feel better.”
Minho’s nod was more of a twitch of his head, but it was enough for Jisung to reach out and bundle him in his arms. MInho clung to him fiercely, his hands bunching tightly in the fabric of Jisung’s worn black t-shirt as he bit back a sob.
“I’m sorry,” Jisung murmured. “About your grandpa.”
Minho just sniffled, his head finding a home on Jisung’s shoulder. Jisung held him tight, rocking the older boy gently until he composed himself.
Minho pulled away, unballing his fists from Jisung’s shirt and stepping back with an embarrassed laugh, “Sorry.”
“You’re okay.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds, Jisung registering for the first time just how pretty Minho was. Even tear stained and swollen, his face looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine. Jisung felt a rush of blood to his cheeks as Minho’s feline eyes blinked at him slowly, still shiny with unshed tears.
Jisung coughed, tearing his gaze away, “Y-you don’t want to miss your flight.”
One more shaky breath slipped through Minho’s downturned lips before he gripped the handle of his suitcase, “I’m going. Babies, I love you. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
He spun on his heel and disappeared down the hall, leaving Jisung alone with the cats and his rapidly beating heart.
-
“So did you mention to Minho that you’re allergic to cats? Or did you forget that tiny piece of information in your quest to be his knight in shining armor?”
Jisung groaned, flopping backwards onto the floor of Minho’s living room, “I’m not that allergic. I’m just sensitive.”
His nose chose that moment to betray him, a sneezing ripping its way out of his throat. He’d felt the scratchiness in the lead up to Minho’s exit, but had been lucky enough to bite back the itch that tickled his throat as he’d pet Doongie.
“Jisung.”
“It’s fine,” he sniffed. “I have allergy meds at home. I’ll grab them when I’m getting my clothes and shit. He looked so panicked, Chan, I had to help.”
“Panicked, huh?” Chan’s laugh was tinny through the speaker of Jisung’s phone. “Not because he’s pretty?”
“I legitimately didn’t notice how gorgeous he was until a few seconds before he left, thank GOD.” Jisung rolled over onto his stomach, his heels knocking his butt as he tried to get comfortable. It was that movement that brought him face to face with a realization, as he stared down the lens of the camera Minho had mentioned. He blinked, cheeks burning. With any luck, Minho was somewhere above Canada right now and not listening to Jisung on the cameras, but just in case he snagged his phone and began to army crawl his way down the hallway to safety.
He stopped when he reached the door to Minho’s bedroom, settling in against the wall and balancing his phone on his bent knees, “When can you come pick me up?”
“I’m closing the store now,” Chan hummed. “Should be heading out in like five minutes. You need me to just drop you off at home?”
“No, I’m gonna stay here. It’ll be easier since I don’t have a car. I just need to get my laptop and some clothes and stuff. So if you could wait for me to grab it and bring me back over.”
Chan made a small noise of agreement and Jisung fell silent, his fingers tapping out a beat on his leg as he listened to Chan count the change in the register. A meow cut through the silence and Jisung glanced up to see Dori staring at him from the entrance to the living room, tail twitching. His brothers joined him, meowing at Jisung from a distance as the boy stared at them. They continued to yowl until he glanced down at his phone and noticed the time.
“Oh, shit, I have to feed them dinner. You have my location, right?”
After Chan’s affirmation and promise to be there as soon as he could, Jisung hung up the phone and climbed to his feet.
“Okay, kitty cats. I hear you. Food time.”
Jisung padded into the kitchen, the cats winding around his ankles and nearly tripping him as he crossed to the pantry. Their chorus of meows never ceased, growing louder as Jisung’s hand landed on the doorknob.
Minho hadn’t expressly told him that the cats weren’t allowed in the pantry, but Jisung had a feeling they weren’t. But he didn’t have it in his heart to kick Dori out when the gray tabby managed to slip in beside him.
The pantry was neat and well stocked, the colorfully labeled cat food cans taking up a full shelf. Jisung didn’t think the food supply looked low, but he snapped a picture anyway, just in case he had to head over to Chan’s store to pick some more up before Minho returned.
“Well, Mr. Dori, what kind of dinner would you like tonight?” Jisung hummed, his finger skimming over the labels as he read out the options. “Tilapia? Chicken? Duck? Salmon? Rabbit?”
Dori pawed at the frayed end of his jeans, yowling loudly.
“Rabbit it is.” Jisung snagged three cans off the shelf and shuffled out of the pantry, Dori slinking out behind him. He deposited the food on the counter and glanced around, realizing Minho hadn’t mentioned where the cat’s bowls were kept. There was a water fountain on the floor in the corner, and a mat where their food bowls would seemingly be placed, but no empty bowls in sight.
Jisung still felt slightly weird about being in Minho’s space and going through his things, but he didn’t have much of a choice. His eyes danced around the kitchen until he found the camera Minho had said was there.
“Hi, Minho,” he offered the lens a small wave. “I know you’re on the plane right now. I don’t know if this feed is live only, or if you can watch stuff back, but, um, I’m not sure where the food bowls are. So I’m going to look through your cabinets. Hope that’s okay.”
Dori yowled again and Jisung’s attention switched to the cat as he gracefully hopped up onto the counter, perching himself under the cabinet closest to the sink.
“I don’t think you should be up there,” Jisung scolded as he tugged open the cabinet door, greeted by the sight of three tiny stainless steel bowls. “Thank you though.”
All three cats hurriedly made their way to the mat on the floor as Jisung spread the bowls out on the counter and popped the lids on the cans. He dumped the appropriate amount of food into each one, the cat’s meows getting louder and louder with each second that passed.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Jisung huffed. “Jeez, you guys have no patience.”
Soonie let out a rather indigent sound at that and Jisung laughed, balancing the bowls in his arms as he crossed the kitchen. He placed the food down and the cats jumped on it eagerly, the noise receding as they busied themselves with their dinner. Jisung got to work washing out the empty cans for recycling and placing Dori’s leftover half a can in the fridge, humming to himself as he moved about the kitchen. It felt oddly domestic, playing house in someone else’s home. Jisung’s studio apartment was small and cramped, cluttered with random things he was too lazy to get rid of. He never would have washed out the empty cans at his own place, probably would have left them on the counter for a day or two until they started to smell a little weird, but Minho’s kitchen was relatively spotless and Jisung found himself wanting to keep it that way.
His phone jingled from in his pocket and Jisung startled, tugging it out as he wondered if Minho had been watching and was about to scold him for letting Dori on the counter. But it was just Chan and Jisung accepted the call with a relieved swipe of his thumb, “Sup?”
“I’m outside, whenever you’re ready.”
“Cool, coming out now.”
With a singsong goodbye to the cats, Jisung slipped out of the house and into Chan’s waiting car.
-
Jisung was startled out of sleep on two fronts the next morning, his blaring alarm and a small paw pressed to his jugular.
“What the fuck?” he muttered, sitting up quickly and sending the cat on his chest tumbling into his lap. Soonie hissed, but didn’t seem too perturbed by his short fall. Jisung slapped at his phone until the noise stopped, rubbing at his eyes with one hand as his other found Soonie’s back. “How did you get in here?”
It had taken Jisung ages to fall asleep the night before, uncomfortable in the unfamiliarity of Minho’s room. He originally started the night on the floor, curled up with a spare blanket he’d found in the linen closet, but Minho’s wooden floors weren’t exactly ideal for sleeping. Around two in the morning he’d finally given in and crawled into Minho’s bed, the scent of vanilla and sandalwood that lingered on the older boy’s pillow lulling him into a fitful sleep.
“Come on, kitty,” Jisung nudged Soonie’s butt until the cat climbed off him, padding gracefully across the bed before disappearing out of the room. Jisung glanced at his phone, wincing at the ungodly time as he noticed that Minho had texted him sometime in the night. He slid the messages open as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
I made it to Korea safely, hope everything is going okay over there
The cat’s bowls are in the cabinet by the sink, though you probably found them by now
Feel free to eat anything in the fridge, it’ll just go to waste if you don’t
Soonie’s a bit of a pig, keep an eye on him while they’re eating or he might try to steal from the others
Thank you for taking care of the babies, I hope they aren’t giving you too much trouble
Sorry again for being such a mess yesterday (,,>﹏<,,)
Jisung hearted the messages to acknowledge that he’d seen them, but decided to wait until he was a bit more functional to respond. He shuffled out of the bedroom and into the living room, rubbing at his bleary eyes with one hand as he yawned loudly.
Jisung came to a stop in the middle of the room and waved in the vague direction of the camera, blinking sleepily, “Good morning, Minho. Glad you made it safely. The babies are good.”
Yawning again, Jisung stretched, the hem of his shirt riding up as he lifted his arms above his head.
On the other side of the world, Minho gasped.
“What?” Seungmin craned his neck, glancing over Minho’s shoulder to sneak a peek at his phone screen. “Hyung, what the hell? Are you spying on someone? That’s creepy as fuck.”
“I’m not spying,” Minho couldn’t tear his eyes away from Jisung’s perfectly sculpted stomach, very glad that his past self had opted to buy the highest quality cameras on the market. “He’s watching my cats.”
“And you’re watching him. That’s weird, hyung.”
Minho’s cheeks burned, “It’s his first morning alone with them. I just wanted to make sure he actually got up in time to feed them breakfast.”
“Does he know you’re watching? And drooling?”
“I’m not drooling,” Minho mumbled. He’d been too preoccupied with his own panic to truly notice Jisung yesterday, but his attractiveness was not lost on Minho today. On screen, Jisung dropped his arms, messing with his sleep mussed hair as he turned towards the kitchen. “And yes, he knows about the cameras.”
“Well, let me know when you’re done being a creeper and then we can head to noraebang.”
Minho shot his childhood friend a glare as he switched the camera feed from the living room to the kitchen. He upped the volume and shoved his airpods in his ears, pointedly angling himself away from Seungmin as Jisung yawned over the kitchen sink.
“What do you guys want to eat for breakfast?” Jisung’s voice was thick from sleep, much deeper at dawn than it had been in Minho’s car yesterday afternoon. “Dori can have the other half of his rabbit from yesterday. Do you all want rabbit? So you don’t fight? Your daddy said you’re a bully, Mr. Soonie.”
Minho could hear the faint sound of his cat’s meows as Jisung set about making their breakfast, humming to himself and occasionally scolding the felines for their impatience. It made Minho smile, the sheer domestically of it all, and even drew a giggle out of him after one particularly loud meow had Jisung looking at the camera with a raised eyebrow and a quirked smile.
Once he was satisfied his babies were in good hands, Minho shut down the feed and nudged Seungmin, “We can go now.”
“Is he your boyfriend?”
“Huh?” Minho hoped his cheeks weren’t too flushed at Seungmin’s words. Though he’d known he was gay long before he left Korea six years prior, Minho hadn’t come out to anyone from his life before America. “What? No.”
“It’s okay if he is,” Seungmin’s voice was soft, acceptance lacing his words. “It’s sweet, the way you look at him.”
“I don’t even know him,” Minho’s face flamed, wincing a little as he remembered that Jisung’s only impression of him was a snotty, sobbing mess.
“So you are being a creeper.”
Seungmin ducked out of the way of Minho’s slap, cackling as the older boy glared at him and muttered something about respecting your elders.
-
Drunk on soju and the laughter of friends he hadn’t seen in years, Minho decided that it wouldn’t hurt to check the cameras again as he tucked himself into bed for the night. It was three am in Korea, a perfectly respectable two in the afternoon back on the east coast of America. Minho wasn’t sure Jisung would even be in the house, but his slightly inebriated self hoped desperately that he would be.
It was Minho’s lucky day. Jisung was in the living room, sprawled with one hand hanging off the couch and his other mindless patting the gray tabby curled on his chest. His laptop was open on the coffee table and his chunky headphones were discarded next to it, along with a can of soda and an empty bag of chips. It didn’t slip Minho’s notice that the can was perched on a coaster and he smiled, tickled by the thought of Jisung being careful with his things.
Jisung’s phone was resting on his forehead and he was moaning to whoever was on the other end, “This song is going to kill me. I feel like my entire brain has turned to liquid and drained out my ear. I have no ideas.”
“I told you not to call the store phone during work hours.”
“Well, you weren’t answering your cell phone,” Jisung whined. “I knew you’d answer this one.”
“I’m not answering my cell phone because I’m working, Jisung. I have customers.”
“I have no one else to complain to!”
“Jisung…”
“Fine,” Jisung grumbled, reaching up and snagging his phone from where it was resting on his face. “Thanks for nothing.”
After hanging up with Chan, Jisung slipped his hands under Dori’s front legs and lifted him so the boy could sit up, setting the cat back down in his lap as he sighed. “Since Chan’s too busy to help with my crisis, you guys will have to do. Do you know anything about bass lines?”
Soonie meowed from his spot on the back of the couch.
“Okay, well, here’s what I have so far,” Jisung’s tone was serious, as if Soonie was legitimately about to offer him some musical advice. “It’s supposed to sound longing, but it just keeps sounding stupid.”
Jisung pressed some buttons on the computer and a short instrumental began to play, stopping almost as suddenly as it had started. “That’s without the bass, I think it sounds okay there. But as soon as I add in the bass,” he clicked a few more keys and the music started up again, a bass line weaving its way through the notes now, “it stops sounding longing and starts sounding a little frantic. I tried slowing it down, I tried messing with the notes, I’ve tried different bass lines but I don’t know, I can’t get it to sound how I want it to.”
Dori nuzzled against him and Jisung let out a soft smile, looking down at the cat in his lap.
“Thanks, Dori. I believe in me too. It’s just a little hard to write a love song when you’ve never been in love, you know? Have you ever been in love? Do you have a pretty lady cat that you sneak out to see when Minho isn’t home?”
Love is frantic, Minho wanted to tell him. He wasn’t drunk enough to text Jisung his thoughts, to let him know that the deep thrum of the bass matched the beat of his heart as he watched the way the younger boy fit himself so seamlessly into Minho’s home, into Minho’s life. But he tucked it away in the back of his mind just in case, falling asleep to the sound of Jisung singing silly love songs to the cats as he spun around the living room.
-
Minho awoke with a groan, his head pounding from his late night activities. He reached for his phone to check the time, blinking confusedly when he saw that it was still open to the video feed from his living room.
Jisung was on the couch again, tucked under a blanket and awash with a soft glow from the tv screen. All three cats were on top of him, seemingly asleep as Jisung lazily scrolled through his phone. An unexpected wave of longing washed over Minho and he found himself imaging himself there as well, snuggled up with Jisung under the warmth of the kitties and the dim light of television. His arm would be tight around Jisung’s slim waist and he would be pressing occasional kisses onto the back of the younger boy’s neck, annoying him out of his mindless scrolling. Jisung would tell him he was a distraction and Minho would just hold him closer, attacking him with more sloppy kisses until Jisung was squirming and laughing in his arms, begging for Minho to stop between giggles…
Seungmin was right, he was being creepy as fuck.
Minho closed out the feed just as his mom stuck her head in his room, informing him they were leaving for the hospital in half an hour.
-
“Day two,” Jisung blinked blearily at the camera, his eyes barely open. His dark hair was standing up in a bunch of crazy directions and his already soft cheeks were even puffier from sleep. Minho was glad he was on the other side of the world, because if he was in the same room he would not have been able to resist squeezing them. “It’s too early to be alive. You’re lucky your children are so cute.”
-
The next few days passed relatively the same, a sleepy Jisung greeting the camera every morning and complaining about the ungodly time of day. A frustrated Jisung pacing the living room in the afternoon, whichever cat was closest in his arms as he ranted about the song that he couldn’t seem to write. A soft Jisung in the evenings, bundled in his blanket and snuggled with all three cats, watching Howl’s Moving Castle for the umpteenth time.
-
Minho wasn’t sure what possessed him to check the cameras at three in the afternoon, habit more than anything, he guessed. It was two in the morning in America, long after the time Jisung usually kissed the cats goodnight and disappeared down the hallway. But when Minho clicked into the kitchen feed on his laptop, he heard the soft sounds of somebody snoring.
Jisung was passed out at the kitchen table, hunched over his own open laptop, his music program still up on the screen. He mustn't have been asleep long, if the computer was still on, so Minho reached for his phone without thinking.
The sound of his phone ringing startled Jisung awake, his head snapping up with a force that had Minho wincing. Jisung’s back was to the camera, so Minho couldn’t see his confused face, but he heard it in his voice when the younger boy answered the phone, “Minho? Is everything okay?”
“Shit, didn’t mean to startle you that bad. Um, yeah, everything’s good, I just saw you were sleeping at the table and it looked awkward. I didn’t want you to hurt your neck.”
Phone pressed to his ear, Jisung turned, heavily lidded eyes searching for the camera. He gave a small wave when he located it, his voice soft in Minho’s ear, “Thanks.”
Minho watched as Jisung settled into his chair, still turned so he could see the camera, “How’s Korea?”
“It’s good,” Minho murmured. “The funeral is tomorrow. So I’ll probably be home in three days or so.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Minho watched the way Jisung’s fingers drummed out a beat on his bare thigh, his skin milky in the moonlight that washed over the kitchen. “How are things over there?”
“Really good,” a soft smile crept across Jisung’s face, knocking the breath out of Minho’s lungs. “It’s so domestic here. It feels so homey. I’m going to miss it when I have to go back to my boring apartment. It’s nice having a routine and something to wake up for. They don’t allow pets at my apartment or I would get a dog. Since I’m allergic to cats.”
Minho watched on screen as Jisung’s eyes widened as he realized what he said, the sleep draining from his face.
“I don’t even know your last name to scold you properly,” Minho teased, giggling slightly at the pure horror in Jisung’s eyes at his slipped confession. “What do you mean, you're allergic to cats? You volunteered!”
“I’m sorry,” Jisung moaned, his free hand fiddling with the hem of his oversized shirt. “I’m not really that allergic, I’ve been taking allergy medicine the whole time I’ve been here and it’s been fine. You just looked so panicked that day that I would have felt like shit if I didn’t offer to help.”
“You’re dumb,” Minho informed him, his fondness for the younger boy seeping into his tone. “But sweet. I’m glad you noblely sacrificed your nose for me and my kitties.”
“I’d do it a million times over,” Jisung mumbled. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“I didn’t really have much choice.” Minho laughed, but his voice softened with his next words, “But I’m glad it was you. The babies love you.”
“And I love them!” Even in the dark kitchen, Minho could see the way Jisung lit up. “We have to be best friends when you get back, I can’t live without the kitties now. I need to see them at least three times a week. I’m writing it into my non-existent pet sitting contract.”
“I think we can make that work,” Minho wondered if the smile in his voice was as obvious to Jisung as it was to himself. “Maybe even four times a week if you’re lucky.”
“Maybe I’ll just move in. I can be quiet. You won’t even notice I’m here.”
“Oh yeah? Even when you can’t figure out why the song you’re working on sounds bad? It doesn’t, by the way. I think you’re being too hard on yourself.”
“You’ve heard the song?” Jisung’s gaze on the camera was a little bit different this time and Minho was almost sure he was blushing, though the lighting did nothing to prove his theory true. “I guess I didn’t really think about you actually checking the cameras that frequently. Even though I say hi to you every morning. That’s embarrassing. Have I done anything else weird?”
“You haven’t done anything weird,” Minho hummed. “You’re more endearing than anything.”
“Falling for me through the camera?” there was a teasing lilt to the question, as if Jisung didn’t expect it to be anywhere near the truth. When Minho didn’t respond immediately, the younger boy’s voice dropped. “Minho? I was just joking.”
Minho was stupid. He was stupid and fond and maybe just a little tiny bit in love with a man he didn’t even know. It was the only explanation for what came out of his mouth next.
“I am falling for you. Not joking.”
Jisung froze, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he snapped it shut. He looked so startled that Minho immediately regretted not just his confession, but even making the phone call in the first place.
“I’m sorry. Please pretend I didn’t say anything. Shit, that sounded so creepy. I won’t check the cameras again. You should get some sleep.”
Panicked, he slammed his laptop shut and hung up, cursing himself for not listening to Seungmin in the first place.
-
“Um, hi, Minho.” Jisung offered the camera a shy wave. He’d barely slept after Minho’s confession, spending most of the night staring up at Minho’s ceiling. “I know you said you aren’t going to watch anymore, but just in case you are. I don’t want to bother you on the day of the funeral, or else I would have called to tell you I’m not upset or anything. I was just surprised. I hope you have the best day you can have, given the circumstances. I’ll talk to you later.”
-
Minho sent Jisung’s call to voicemail for the fifth time that day, still too embarrassed by his blurted confession to face the other boy. Jisung had sent him a few texts promising he wasn’t mad and that he didn’t think Minho was a creep and he would really, really like it if Minho called him back, but Minho wasn’t feeling up to it. He was emotionally drained from the funeral proceedings the day before and wanted nothing more than to pull up the camera feed and go back to his imaginary world where Jisung was already his boyfriend and they didn’t have to have any awkward conversations about unreciprocated feelings.
A knock at his door forced Minho out of his spiraling thoughts a second before Seungmin entered his room.
“I know you’re flying home tomorrow morning, so you’re hanging out with me today. Even if you don’t want to.”
“Nice to see you too.”
“How’s cat boy?” Seungmin bounded over to Minho’s bed, frowning when he saw the dark screen of Minho’s phone. “Why aren’t you spying on him? You’re always spying on him.”
“No reason,” Minho mumbled. His phone chose that moment to light up with another call from Jisung and he sent it to voicemail once again, shoving the offensive device in his pocket.
“What happened?”
“You were right and I’m a creep, that’s what happened.”
“I’m always right,” Seungmin preened before his voice settled into something softer. “But you aren’t a creep. He wouldn’t be trying to contact you if you were.”
Minho sighed, his fingers twisting together in his lap as Seungmin joined him on the bed, “It just seemed like he’d fit into my life so easily. I got too caught up in the fantasy of it all. I confessed.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing. I hung up before he could. I was so stupid. He doesn’t even know me.”
“That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to know you. So what if you fell for him first? Someone has to. Okay, yeah, circumstances were borderline weird, but he knew there was a possibility of him being watched. It’s his fault for being too lovable.”
“You’re a dork,” Minho bumped his shoulder into Seungmin’s, a weight lifting slightly at his friend’s words. Seungmin was right, once again, though Minho wasn’t going to dignify telling him so. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too. Even if you are the dumbest hyung I know.”
-
Minho took a deep breath, his suitcase balancing on the step next to him as he lifted his fist to knock. It was strange, knocking on his own front door, and he hoped Jisung was actually awake to hear it.
The door flew open a minute later and Minho was greeted by the breathtaking sight of sleep soft Jisung cradling all three of Minho’s cats in his arms.
“My babies!” At the sight of his children, Minho forgot everything. He forgot his embarrassment, forgot all the missed calls, forgot the texted promise to have a real conversation about his confession once he was back in the states. All that mattered were his cats.
He slipped inside and shut the door, holding his arms out to Jisung without a word. The younger boy hesitated, still clearly addled with sleep, before shuffling forward and into Minho’s arms, the cats pressed between them.
“I wanted the cats, you dork,” Minho mumbled, but he wrapped his arms around Jisung anyway, not sure he’d ever get this opportunity again. The younger boy smelled like Minho’s vanilla shampoo and he felt a pang in his heart at the sheer familiarity of it. It was so close to being real, to this being his life, where he came home to four babies instead of three.
“Whoops,” Jisung pulled back with an embarrassed giggle, Minho’s hands ghosting his slim hips as he pulled back. “Here you go.”
The cats were pushed into his arms and Minho buried his face in Soonie’s soft fur, breathing in deeply as he hugged all three of them close to his chest, “I missed you babies so much. I’m never leaving you again.”
After a million kisses and countless snuggles, Minho finally released the cats and shuffled deeper into his house, his suitcase forgotten on the front steps. It was almost as neat as he had left it, but there were little signs of Jisung strewn throughout the living room. His laptop on the coffee table, his blanket on the arm of the couch, his headphones on the tv stand, his sweatshirt on the floor.
“Sorry,” Jisung appeared from down the hallway, scooping up the belongings Minho had been staring at. “I forgot you were coming back this early. I was planning on leaving the key under the mat and being gone before you got home so you could get settled back in. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“You don’t have to rush,” Minho wanted to reach out and stop him, wanted to tell him to put everything back where it had been because it fit so perfectly in Minho’s world. “Seriously, it’s too early. You can go back to sleep and leave at a more reasonable hour. You won’t bother me.”
“Thanks,” Jisung sank down on the couch, setting his laptop and headphones back on the coffee table. “I finished the song.”
There were a lot of things Minho was expecting Jisung to say, things he was scared of Jisung saying, but that was not one of them. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I’d like you to hear it. If you want.”
“Oh, um, yeah, I’d like that.” Minho made his way to the couch, perching on the edge far enough away from Jisung so that the younger boy wouldn’t be uncomfortable. But Jisung grabbed his laptop and shifted over, fingers flying across the keys as he settled in next to Minho, their thighs and shoulders brushing.
Jisung hit play on the demo and Minho’s eyes slipped closed as he listened, bopping his head along with the instrumental. The bassline that had plagued Jisung wove through the middle of the song, mellowing out into something softer as it came to a conclusion. Twined with some beautiful wind instruments and an uneven drum beat, Minho felt it. The heart pounding fear of having feelings for someone, the beat growing stronger and more frantic before a crescendo, a confession, and then softness, comfort, in the final notes. A happy ending, the feelings reciprocated.
“Do you like it?” Jisung’s eyes were locked on Minho’s face, searching for a reaction. “I kept the bassline the same in the middle because you said it sounded good and I was being too hard on myself, but mostly because that’s what it felt like. When you said you were falling for me. Pretty sure my heart was beating that fast.”
“Jisung, I’m so…”
Jisung cut him off, his words spewing out faster and faster, “My heart still is beating that fast. Because that’s where we still are, right? The falling stage? You wouldn’t answer my calls. I was going to tell you that I think you’re really pretty and I want the chance to be able to fall for you too. I want a chance to be able to make it to the end of the song.”
A loud meow startled Minho out of his dumbfounded staring, Doongie softly blinking at him from the floor. He lept gracefully into Minho’s lap and nudged his hand with his head, moving it in the direction of Jisung’s leg.
“Doongie approves of your confession,” Minho ran his hand down the cat’s back, glancing at Jisung from under his lashes. “Is it okay if I touch you?”
Jisung nodded and Minho’s free hand landed on his thigh, squeezing lightly as Jisung leaned into him. The other two cats joined them, Dori settling in Jisung’s lap as Soonie made himself comfortable at Minho’s side. Jisung’s head fell to Minho’s shoulder and soon the younger boy was asleep, his breath even and comforting on Minho’s neck and his fingers tangled in Dori’s fur.
It was everything Minho had imagined from the far side of the lens, curled up on the couch with the soft glow of the tv washing over them, his babies in his lap and Jisung in his arms.