Ailurophobia ✿ for EVERYONE
Title: Ailurophobia
Rating: PG-13
Side pairing/s: N/A
Word Count: 4k
Summary: “Ailurophobia; the irrational fear of cats.” Baekhyun is a dog person. Chanyeol seems to think otherwise
Warning/s: catboys, Baekhyun being a prick
Notes: Thank you to my lovely angel beta who is always there for me in my times of great need and among my tears. Recipient, I hope you enjoy this, and I’m sorry the ending is so rushed~
Ailurophobia.
Baekhyun hates cats. He hates their claws, and their eyes, and their ears that swivel back, and their tails that always twitch. He jumps in fear when they walk past him, and he cringes when they purr. Especially those cat hybrids, with their human faces and bodies, and their enticing gazes. They seriously give him the creeps.
Baekhyun is a dog person. He’s quite happy being this way. Dogs are bundles of joy. He loves their floppy ears, and their big, soft eyes, and their tails that wag with happiness. He especially loves those dog hybrids, all handsome and sparkly-eyed and enthusiastic.
When Baekhyun is roused out of a delightful sleep by loud knocking at his door at 7am on his birthday, he is pissed. He had fantastic birthday plans--consisting of sleeping the whole day through, not talking to anyone, and getting wasted by himself (because fuck college)--but it seems someone has other plans for him. He swears and grumbles and stomps his way to the door, not even bothering to put on a shirt.
The last person Baekhyun expects to see is Chanyeol, and the last thing he expects to see with Chanyeol is a cat hybrid. The hybrid trails behind the tall man who strolls into Baekhyun’s apartment singing an off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
“Chanyeol what the fuck are you doing here it’s not even noon,” Baekhyun spits out, arms crossed and foot tapping, trying to look like an intimidating beast--and failing, instead looking more like an angry puppy.
“It’s your birthday, Baek! You can’t sleep in! It’s an exciting day full of gifts and happiness and most of all me.” Chanyeol is grinning, entire face stretching, and Baekhyun winces at his best friend. He resigns himself to his fate and collapses at the kitchen table, groaning dramatically.
It’s only then that Baekhyun seems to actually register the cat hybrid with Chanyeol, giving him a curious onceover, nose crinkling a little with distaste.
“Chanyeol, did you get a catboy?” Baekhyun asks incredulously, squinting over the table at the boy who is currently twitching nervously, ears sideways, looking at Baekhyun with uncertain eyes. He’s kind of cute for a cat Baekhyun finds himself thinking.
Chanyeol laughs loudly, shaking his head, and gestures for the hybrid to move forward. The boy walks over to Baekhyun and bows, hands clasped tightly together in nervousness, teeth worrying his bottom lip. He introduces himself as Jongdae.
“I’m excited to live with you, and I hope we can be close, and happy,” Jongdae finishes with a hopeful smile, pearly white teeth peeking from behind his lips as the corners of his mouth turn up.
Baekhyun just sits there, staring in shock, until he shakes himself out of it, and stands up from the table, significantly more awake than he had been ten minutes ago.
“Chanyeol….” he starts carefully, looking past the hybrid and directly at his best friend. Chanyeol does his best to avert his eyes, and scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Chanyeol, did you get me a catboy for my birthday?” Baekhyun tries again. His voice is calm, and unwavering, but his thinly veiled anger can be heard underneath.
“Well, you seemed lonely lately so I thought you’d like a friend with you! Especially since your roommate moved out and you’re living here alone…” Chanyeol trails off when he hears Baekhyun let out a huff, and pouts.
“Chanyeol. I hate cats. I hate catboys. Please take him away and get a dog.” Baekhyun doesn’t even try to be nice for the hybrid’s sake, voice scathing.
At Baekhyun’s words, the hybrid seems to deflate, ears falling flat, tail drooping, and he shuffles backwards, hiding behind Chanyeol slightly. Chanyeol puts a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder before glaring at Baekhyun.
“What the fuck Baek. You don’t have to be an asshole about it,” Chanyeol says, sounding very put out. “Plus, I adopted him out in your name. You’re obligated to keep him for at least three weeks before you’re allowed to return him to the shelter.”
Baekhyun scoffs, and looks from Chanyeol to the hybrid (whose name he’s already forgotten) and shakes his head, stomping off in the direction of his bedroom.
Chanyeol is left sitting at the table, awkwardly consoling the now crying hybrid.
“Don’t worry. He’ll come around. He’s probably just confused and unsure right now, okay Jongdae?” Chanyeol is still finding a way to be positive, trying to assure Jongdae that everything will be alright, when Baekhyun comes storming back into the room, now properly dressed, holding a pile of clothes, a toothbrush, and a blanket in his arms. He addresses Jongdae, waving his hand off towards the small living room.
“You’ll sleep on the couch. No complaining. You’ll be expected to make your own meals, and deal with your own laundry. I have some clothes here you can wear; I think we’re about the same size. Don’t try to talk to me, don’t try to be friendly with me, and please do not fucking touch me with your tail. Here.”
Baekhyun drops the bundle carelessly into Jongdae’s arms, and doesn’t spare him another glance, yanking Chanyeol out of his seat and towards the hallway.
“We’re going to have a nice talk outside!” Baekhyun singsongs, voice laced with murderous glee. He drags Chanyeol all the way out the door, and the second the door closes behind them, he punches the older male right in the stomach, Chanyeol doubling over in pain.
“Baekhyun, you don’t have to hit me! I didn’t realize you would hate your gift...” Chanyeol looks like a kicked animal, hand clutching his stomach, face scrunched up in a mixture of annoyance and pain.
“Well I do fucking hate your dumb gift and I’m tired and mad and my birthday is ruined so you can cancel the party tomorrow and don’t even think about stealing my Mandarin notes because you can fail on your own, Park Chanyeol!”
Baekhyun turns on his heel and proceeds to slam the door in Chanyeol’s face, sweeping through his apartment at LTE speed, completely ignoring the hybrid still sitting at the kitchen table who has tears streaming down his face. He barely makes it to his bed before he falls face first into the sheets, groaning loudly into his pillow, falling asleep almost immediately.
Hours later, when he wakes up, Baekhyun almost forgets what had happened that morning. He waltzes out into his kitchen to make a sandwich, and nearly faints when he sees the hybrid (Jongin? Joondae? What was his name again?) curled up on the couch, wrapped in the thin blanket Baekhyun had given him, fast asleep and holding his tail in his arms.
For a brief moment, the scene is almost cute, but Baekhyun is soon enough scowling at the snoring lump, dreading the three weeks he has to spend with the creature.
Halfway through making his sandwich, he hears cat boy stir behind him, and does his best to ignore him. He finishes up his meal as quickly as possible, shoving the ingredients away and speed-walking back to his room. He sees the boy sitting on the couch, hair tousled and eyes shining with unshed tears, and buries the slight pang of guilt he feels deep in his chest, pushing on, ignoring the other’s existence for the entirety of the night.
This continues for four days. Baekhyun ignores Jongdae to the point that the hybrid learns to avoid him--leaving the room as soon as Baekhyun enters it, slinking into the kitchen after Baekhyun finishes making his food, doing his laundry early in the morning before the lazy college student gets up (Baekhyun likes to go to at least one class a day).
On the fifth day, Baekhyun accidentally walks in on Jongdae showering, earning a shriek from the hybrid who tries to cover himself with the shower curtain and ends up a spluttering mess in the tub, tail sopping wet. Baekhyun hesitates in the doorway of the bathroom, wondering if he should help the hybrid, but makes a hasty exit after realizing his thoughts.
Baekhyun is confused. The hybrid had looked kind of cute, kind of inviting, when he was pouting, naked, and drenched. He doesn’t want that image in his mind; he doesn’t want to be attracted to something he fears.
After this incident, Baekhyun goes from ignoring the hybrid to unconsciously making his life miserable. He gets immature and petty, “forgetting” to replace the toilet paper, “forgetting” to leave clean towels out, “forgetting” to do the dishes.
By the end of the first week, Jongdae snaps. Baekhyun has just discovered the collar Chanyeol bought for Jongdae and tossed it straight into the trash, with the hybrid as witness. When Baekhyun turns to leave for class after trashing the collar, he is greeted with an angry cat in his personal space, eyes glinting with rage, tail whipping back and forth, ears flat on his head. Jongdae is ready for a fight, and Baekhyun finds himself taking a step back, swallowing any words that he might think of saying.
“I have fucking had enough. You may not like me, but that doesn’t give you the right to abuse me. I have feelings. I’m a hybrid, yes, but I’m still mostly human, and you’re not treating me like one.” Jongdae spits the words out, stressing each syllable, taking long, heaving breaths.
“Stop treating me like trash. Do you think I want to be here? I fucking don’t. Do you know how excited I was when I was told I was being adopted? Do you know how happy I was, thinking I was going to a loving home to make friends and be loved? And now what? Now I’m stuck here with some fucking stuck-up 22-year-old who acts like a lazy, slobby 16-year-old!”
Baekhyun opens and closes his mouth, like a fish, and he is livid, seething. He takes a step towards the hybrid, and Jongdae fidgets.
“Yeah? Well I don’t fucking want you here! I don’t want a cat hybrid--I’m terrified of cats. I hate your fucking tail and your ears and I can’t even look at you, and the last thing I expected on my birthday after years of shitty birthdays was something like this, so I guess we’re both unhappy right?”
Baekhyun glares at the hybrid, and turns around in a huff, but pauses when he hears his voice behind him, smaller and more shaky than his previous outburst--the same voice he had used while introducing himself to Baekhyun.
“You’re scared of cats?”
Baekhyun gulps, and turns around hesitantly with a nod, feeling suddenly self-conscious, eyes widening when Jongdae grins and takes a step forward.
“This whole time I just thought you were a huge asshole, but you’re scared of me.”
Jongdae is actually laughing at him, and Baekhyun is beyond pissed now.
“What are you scared of? Is it my tail? Is it my ears? Do you think I’m going to claw you in your sleep?”
Baekhyun isn’t sure why he’s still standing there, why he’s letting this hybrid talk to him, but he finds himself nodding along, agreeing.
“I got attacked by an actual cat when I was younger, and I can’t deal with you things, okay? Especially your tails.”
Baekhyun suddenly finds Jongdae right in front of him, the cat no longer appearing shy or downtrodden, but intensely gleeful, smiling, and winding his tail around Baekhyun’s waist, making the latter draw in a breath, heart racing.
“But Baekhyun, isn’t it soft?”
“Oh God it’s touching me it’s touching me stop that please don’t.”
Baekhyun wonders how things have reached this point. First they were yelling and now Jongdae is inches from him, his weirdly soft tail entwined around Baekhyun, a feline smile on his lips. The cat relents, unwinding his tail and backing away, smile still etched onto his face, and he skips away.
-
Baekhyun and Jongdae’s relationship almost improves after their confrontation, Baekhyun going as far as to include Jongdae in meals, and remember his name.
Baekhyun avoids Jongdae though, scooting away from him on the couch, refusing to actually converse with him, and Jongdae is still a little annoyed.
Baekhyun ignores his growing something for the cat hybrid, ignores how cute Jongdae looks when he pouts, ignores how the soft brush of tail against arm is more inviting than feared.
The second week is hell for Baekhyun, and he shuffles through his apartment, skipping classes, being confused, and glaring at Jongdae whenever he does something slightly cute. Baekhyun isn’t even sure what happened, when he switched from fearing-- detesting --the cat hybrid to not minding his presence, to letting him change the channel when he wants, to letting him use the nice ps3 controller.
Baekhyun falls asleep on the couch Thursday afternoon, after a day of actually going to class, and doing his work, and doesn’t rouse even when Jongdae chucks a controller across the room screaming, or even when Jongdae tickles Baekhyun’s nose with his tail, or even when Jongdae belts out an entire Girl’s Generation album, complete with badly executed dance moves.
Midnight rolls by with Baekhyun still snoring, and Jongdae panics a bit, because the couch is his sleeping spot, and he really doesn’t want to sleep on the floor (and he tries really hard not to think about how good things have been lately, and how despite that, he’ll be back at the shelter to sleep on the floor again in a week’s time).
Jongdae sits on the carpet in front of the couch and stares at his supposed-to-be-owner, studying him. It’s a shame Baekhyun doesn’t want him. The boy is good-looking, with clear skin, glowing eyes, and beautiful, delicate hands that Jongdae really wants all over his ears and tail.
But Baekhyun doesn’t like him, doesn’t give him the time of the day, and Jongdae feels determined to convince Baekhyun to keep him, but he doesn’t have much time.
The cat hybrid is just about to curl up on the carpet, when he gets a bold idea, and decides to take the risk, with the hopes that he wakes up before the drooling human. Jongdae pads over to Baekhyun’s room and looks at the soft, squishy looking king size bed, throwing himself at, and rolls around in glee. He hasn’t felt this comfortable in years, and he burrows under the covers for the most peaceful sleep he’s probably ever had.
Jongdae wakes up to someone roughly shaking him, and he looks up into the face of an angry Baekhyun.
“Why are you in my bed?” the human spits at him, and Jongdae can’t help but notice the fingers digging into his shoulder, and he feels like playing. If Baekhyun still insists on making him miserable, he can play.
“You stole my bed,” Jongdae says, tone challenging, looking Baekhyun right in the eye, tongue flicking out to lick his lips, and he doesn’t miss the way the boy’s eyes flicker down to his mouth for the briefest of moments.
Jongdae’s tail wraps around Baekhyun’s wrist and tugs him forward, and Baekhyun falls on top of Jongdae with a screech.
“Are you scared yet?” Jongdae asks cheekily, and Baekhyun practically snarls trying to push himself off Jongdae, hands on his chest, but Jongdae’s tail is strong and Baekhyun can’t move.
Jongdae’s plan to fluster Baekhyun backfires when Jongdae realizes how close the human’s face is to his, and he can see how pink Baekhyun’s lips are, and how youthful his eyes look, and Jongdae swallows, losing his resolve, and he loosens his hold on the boy, frowning.
“You’re so pretty,” he says sadly, pouting at Baekhyun (who doesn’t seem to realize that Jongdae isn’t holding him in place anymore). “Why don’t you want to keep me?”
Baekhyun doesn’t answer, just stills on top of Jongdae, and they stare at each other, neither looking away, and Jongdae’s heart starts to hammer in his chest when he realizes that Baekhyun has relaxed, face much closer to Jongdae’s than it had been a minute ago.
Jongdae tries to move out from underneath the human, but this time it’s Baekhyun who holds him in place, breath fanning over his face, and Jongdae feels lips touching his own, something he definitely hadn’t anticipated when he went to sleep hours ago.
Jongdae freezes, unsure of what to do, but then Baekhyun presses deeper, lips moving against his own, and Jongdae kisses him back, getting lost in the surprisingly gentle manner in which Baekhyun kisses him, a rumbling purr bubbling up out of his throat when Baekhyun flicks his tongue across Jongdae’s lips.
They get lost in the moment, Jongdae’s tail returning to hold Baekhyun in place, hands gripping arms tightly as his mind struggles to catch up with the strange turn of events, struggles to catch up with Baekhyun’s insistent entrance into his mouth.
The brief moment, the intertwinedness of their mouths, is snapped, brought back to reality when Jongdae’s purring changes to a low whine, and Baekhyun freezes, pulls back, eyes going wide, words stuttering, throwing himself off Jongdae and bolting out of the room.
-
Jongdae doesn’t see Baekhyun for the rest of the day, and an awkward atmosphere seems to carry throughout the entire apartment, following them both around like tendrils of unanswered questions.
Chanyeol visits, and is shocked by the strange tension in the air, giving Baekhyun weird looks when the latter jumps and nearly drops his cup when Jongdae slinks past him, tailing brushing against his arm. When Chanyeol questions it, Baekhyun bristles, telling him it’s nothing and that he should really get going. “I really need to study tonight.”
“But you never study.”
“Tonight I do so get the fuck out.”
Baekhyun doesn’t do any actual studying, and instead flops onto the floor face first, making angry gurgling noises, unsure of what to do about his situation, unsure of how to go about apologizing to Jongdae.
He needs to apologize for being such an asshole for one, and needs to apologize for accidentally making out with him. Baekhyun isn’t really sure he wants to apologize for the second part, in fact, he kind of wants to do it again.
This revelation scares him a little, and Baekhyun counts down the days until he can return the catboy, and return his life to normal.
-
Things don’t go back to normal, however, and as the days tick by, the awkward tension is replaced with a different kind of tension, thick, heavy and filled with tidbits of conversation, the brush of fur, the change in rules.
Jongdae and Baekhyun seem to almost, well, get along, and when Chanyeol visits again, this time with ribbons for Jongdae’s ears, Baekhyun doesn’t even bat an eyelash, yanking the catboy over to him, and tying them on, looking pleased with the results, ignoring the thrashing of Jongdae’s tail and the less-than-pleased hiss coming from his mouth.
“There you go Jongdae, you look adorable.” Baekhyun says, voice dripping with sarcasm, and Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at the two of them, coughing slightly when Jongdae only replies with a sly smile, padding quietly out of the room.
“You two seem much more amicable lately,” Chanyeol comments, surveying Baekhhyun carefully through sceptical eyes.
“I guess...I don’t know,” Baekhyun hesitates, eyes raking across the floor, nervousness abundant in his answer. He looks back up at Chanyeol, trusting, imploring.
“Chanyeol, I think I might keep him.”
Chanyeol looks slightly shocked, tilting his head curiously at the turn of events. Baekhyun shifts on his feet.
“It’s just, I think I like him you know. And I don’t know how this happened and I don’t know what to do about it and--”
Baekhyun is cut off by a large hand covering his mouth, and he struggles, trying to speak still, words muffled and making no sense.
“Baakhyun, that’s the whole point of me giving you him. You’ve learned that he’s not actually awful. Catboys aren’t cats and you’ve finally seen it, haven’t you?”
Baekhyun blinks, and sighs, because Chanyeol is right. Chanyeol is always goddamn right. Baekhyun has been steadily growing to actually feel affection for the hybrid, realizing that he’s much more than just a tail and ears. Jongdae is sassy, and good-looking, but surprisingly tender, and Baekhyun thinks it’s time he should admit his strange feelings for the other.
“So should I keep him? What do I do? Things are awkward right now, I don’t know how to fix it.”
“You have, what, a week left? Just talk to him, Baek. Work things out.”
Chanyeol doesn’t say anything and just hugs his best friend tightly, ruffling his hair before walking out of his apartment and waving over his shoulder. Once he’s gone, Baekhyun sinks into the couch, frown on his lips, staring absently at the tv.
He’s so caught up in his thoughts that he barely registers the couch dip beside him, and barely registers a nervous voice call his name. He jolts a little, and turns to look at the source, and sees Jongdae sitting cross legged, ears flat on his head in anticipation, but his face full of determination.
They sort of sit there staring at each other for a while before Jongdae finally speaks up.
“I overheard your conversation,” he says simply, pausing for the reaction, and Baekhyun swallows, moving back a little on the couch, not prepared for what’s about to happen. Jongdae is probably going to reject him now, tell him that he’s treated him too much like shit for Jongdae to even want to stay with him. And Baekhyun doesn’t blame him. He will see him off with a smile, and live life in a world of what ifs, the three strange weeks with this catboy a distant memory.
“I don’t hate you, you know. Yes, you’re kind of a dick, but some people can’t control how they deal with fear. This whole thing was definitely sprung on you out of nowhere, and no, I’m not excusing your actions, because I’ve been miserable,” Jongdae pauses, tail flicking side to side, twitching with every word, and Baekhyun just stares at him, mouth hanging slightly open in a way that is probably not very attractive.
“So if you want to keep me you’re allowed and you’re forgiven and also can we make out again because that was fun.”
Baekhyun is kind of a little confused right now but he doesn’t do too much thinking and just curls a hand around the back of Jongdae’s neck, scratching softly with his fingers and grinning as he smashes their mouths together, Jongdae mewling in surprise but reciprocating.
-
Their relationship doesn’t suddenly become perfect by any means. They still bicker, they still snark, and Baekhyun still occasionally jerks away when he’s half asleep and feels a soft tail around his waist and even softer ears tickle his jaw.
But he keeps his catboy, and they fit into a routine that only they can master, Chanyeol constantly bewildered at the state of the apartment when he stops by to give Baekhyun his missing class notes, only to find the two curled up half naked in a pile of blankets and questionable looking cat toys.
Jongdae is also quite pleased at the silver collar that now adorns his neck, smiling softly while he adjusts it in the mirror.
Baekhyun really hates cats, but it turns out cat hybrids aren’t half bad after all.
Additional Author's Notes: Baekhyun was too nervous to purchase the collar himself so Chanyeol had to go buy it
Rating: PG-13
Side pairing/s: N/A
Word Count: 4k
Summary: “Ailurophobia; the irrational fear of cats.” Baekhyun is a dog person. Chanyeol seems to think otherwise
Warning/s: catboys, Baekhyun being a prick
Notes: Thank you to my lovely angel beta who is always there for me in my times of great need and among my tears. Recipient, I hope you enjoy this, and I’m sorry the ending is so rushed~
Ailurophobia.
Baekhyun hates cats. He hates their claws, and their eyes, and their ears that swivel back, and their tails that always twitch. He jumps in fear when they walk past him, and he cringes when they purr. Especially those cat hybrids, with their human faces and bodies, and their enticing gazes. They seriously give him the creeps.
Baekhyun is a dog person. He’s quite happy being this way. Dogs are bundles of joy. He loves their floppy ears, and their big, soft eyes, and their tails that wag with happiness. He especially loves those dog hybrids, all handsome and sparkly-eyed and enthusiastic.
When Baekhyun is roused out of a delightful sleep by loud knocking at his door at 7am on his birthday, he is pissed. He had fantastic birthday plans--consisting of sleeping the whole day through, not talking to anyone, and getting wasted by himself (because fuck college)--but it seems someone has other plans for him. He swears and grumbles and stomps his way to the door, not even bothering to put on a shirt.
The last person Baekhyun expects to see is Chanyeol, and the last thing he expects to see with Chanyeol is a cat hybrid. The hybrid trails behind the tall man who strolls into Baekhyun’s apartment singing an off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
“Chanyeol what the fuck are you doing here it’s not even noon,” Baekhyun spits out, arms crossed and foot tapping, trying to look like an intimidating beast--and failing, instead looking more like an angry puppy.
“It’s your birthday, Baek! You can’t sleep in! It’s an exciting day full of gifts and happiness and most of all me.” Chanyeol is grinning, entire face stretching, and Baekhyun winces at his best friend. He resigns himself to his fate and collapses at the kitchen table, groaning dramatically.
It’s only then that Baekhyun seems to actually register the cat hybrid with Chanyeol, giving him a curious onceover, nose crinkling a little with distaste.
“Chanyeol, did you get a catboy?” Baekhyun asks incredulously, squinting over the table at the boy who is currently twitching nervously, ears sideways, looking at Baekhyun with uncertain eyes. He’s kind of cute for a cat Baekhyun finds himself thinking.
Chanyeol laughs loudly, shaking his head, and gestures for the hybrid to move forward. The boy walks over to Baekhyun and bows, hands clasped tightly together in nervousness, teeth worrying his bottom lip. He introduces himself as Jongdae.
“I’m excited to live with you, and I hope we can be close, and happy,” Jongdae finishes with a hopeful smile, pearly white teeth peeking from behind his lips as the corners of his mouth turn up.
Baekhyun just sits there, staring in shock, until he shakes himself out of it, and stands up from the table, significantly more awake than he had been ten minutes ago.
“Chanyeol….” he starts carefully, looking past the hybrid and directly at his best friend. Chanyeol does his best to avert his eyes, and scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Chanyeol, did you get me a catboy for my birthday?” Baekhyun tries again. His voice is calm, and unwavering, but his thinly veiled anger can be heard underneath.
“Well, you seemed lonely lately so I thought you’d like a friend with you! Especially since your roommate moved out and you’re living here alone…” Chanyeol trails off when he hears Baekhyun let out a huff, and pouts.
“Chanyeol. I hate cats. I hate catboys. Please take him away and get a dog.” Baekhyun doesn’t even try to be nice for the hybrid’s sake, voice scathing.
At Baekhyun’s words, the hybrid seems to deflate, ears falling flat, tail drooping, and he shuffles backwards, hiding behind Chanyeol slightly. Chanyeol puts a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder before glaring at Baekhyun.
“What the fuck Baek. You don’t have to be an asshole about it,” Chanyeol says, sounding very put out. “Plus, I adopted him out in your name. You’re obligated to keep him for at least three weeks before you’re allowed to return him to the shelter.”
Baekhyun scoffs, and looks from Chanyeol to the hybrid (whose name he’s already forgotten) and shakes his head, stomping off in the direction of his bedroom.
Chanyeol is left sitting at the table, awkwardly consoling the now crying hybrid.
“Don’t worry. He’ll come around. He’s probably just confused and unsure right now, okay Jongdae?” Chanyeol is still finding a way to be positive, trying to assure Jongdae that everything will be alright, when Baekhyun comes storming back into the room, now properly dressed, holding a pile of clothes, a toothbrush, and a blanket in his arms. He addresses Jongdae, waving his hand off towards the small living room.
“You’ll sleep on the couch. No complaining. You’ll be expected to make your own meals, and deal with your own laundry. I have some clothes here you can wear; I think we’re about the same size. Don’t try to talk to me, don’t try to be friendly with me, and please do not fucking touch me with your tail. Here.”
Baekhyun drops the bundle carelessly into Jongdae’s arms, and doesn’t spare him another glance, yanking Chanyeol out of his seat and towards the hallway.
“We’re going to have a nice talk outside!” Baekhyun singsongs, voice laced with murderous glee. He drags Chanyeol all the way out the door, and the second the door closes behind them, he punches the older male right in the stomach, Chanyeol doubling over in pain.
“Baekhyun, you don’t have to hit me! I didn’t realize you would hate your gift...” Chanyeol looks like a kicked animal, hand clutching his stomach, face scrunched up in a mixture of annoyance and pain.
“Well I do fucking hate your dumb gift and I’m tired and mad and my birthday is ruined so you can cancel the party tomorrow and don’t even think about stealing my Mandarin notes because you can fail on your own, Park Chanyeol!”
Baekhyun turns on his heel and proceeds to slam the door in Chanyeol’s face, sweeping through his apartment at LTE speed, completely ignoring the hybrid still sitting at the kitchen table who has tears streaming down his face. He barely makes it to his bed before he falls face first into the sheets, groaning loudly into his pillow, falling asleep almost immediately.
Hours later, when he wakes up, Baekhyun almost forgets what had happened that morning. He waltzes out into his kitchen to make a sandwich, and nearly faints when he sees the hybrid (Jongin? Joondae? What was his name again?) curled up on the couch, wrapped in the thin blanket Baekhyun had given him, fast asleep and holding his tail in his arms.
For a brief moment, the scene is almost cute, but Baekhyun is soon enough scowling at the snoring lump, dreading the three weeks he has to spend with the creature.
Halfway through making his sandwich, he hears cat boy stir behind him, and does his best to ignore him. He finishes up his meal as quickly as possible, shoving the ingredients away and speed-walking back to his room. He sees the boy sitting on the couch, hair tousled and eyes shining with unshed tears, and buries the slight pang of guilt he feels deep in his chest, pushing on, ignoring the other’s existence for the entirety of the night.
This continues for four days. Baekhyun ignores Jongdae to the point that the hybrid learns to avoid him--leaving the room as soon as Baekhyun enters it, slinking into the kitchen after Baekhyun finishes making his food, doing his laundry early in the morning before the lazy college student gets up (Baekhyun likes to go to at least one class a day).
On the fifth day, Baekhyun accidentally walks in on Jongdae showering, earning a shriek from the hybrid who tries to cover himself with the shower curtain and ends up a spluttering mess in the tub, tail sopping wet. Baekhyun hesitates in the doorway of the bathroom, wondering if he should help the hybrid, but makes a hasty exit after realizing his thoughts.
Baekhyun is confused. The hybrid had looked kind of cute, kind of inviting, when he was pouting, naked, and drenched. He doesn’t want that image in his mind; he doesn’t want to be attracted to something he fears.
After this incident, Baekhyun goes from ignoring the hybrid to unconsciously making his life miserable. He gets immature and petty, “forgetting” to replace the toilet paper, “forgetting” to leave clean towels out, “forgetting” to do the dishes.
By the end of the first week, Jongdae snaps. Baekhyun has just discovered the collar Chanyeol bought for Jongdae and tossed it straight into the trash, with the hybrid as witness. When Baekhyun turns to leave for class after trashing the collar, he is greeted with an angry cat in his personal space, eyes glinting with rage, tail whipping back and forth, ears flat on his head. Jongdae is ready for a fight, and Baekhyun finds himself taking a step back, swallowing any words that he might think of saying.
“I have fucking had enough. You may not like me, but that doesn’t give you the right to abuse me. I have feelings. I’m a hybrid, yes, but I’m still mostly human, and you’re not treating me like one.” Jongdae spits the words out, stressing each syllable, taking long, heaving breaths.
“Stop treating me like trash. Do you think I want to be here? I fucking don’t. Do you know how excited I was when I was told I was being adopted? Do you know how happy I was, thinking I was going to a loving home to make friends and be loved? And now what? Now I’m stuck here with some fucking stuck-up 22-year-old who acts like a lazy, slobby 16-year-old!”
Baekhyun opens and closes his mouth, like a fish, and he is livid, seething. He takes a step towards the hybrid, and Jongdae fidgets.
“Yeah? Well I don’t fucking want you here! I don’t want a cat hybrid--I’m terrified of cats. I hate your fucking tail and your ears and I can’t even look at you, and the last thing I expected on my birthday after years of shitty birthdays was something like this, so I guess we’re both unhappy right?”
Baekhyun glares at the hybrid, and turns around in a huff, but pauses when he hears his voice behind him, smaller and more shaky than his previous outburst--the same voice he had used while introducing himself to Baekhyun.
“You’re scared of cats?”
Baekhyun gulps, and turns around hesitantly with a nod, feeling suddenly self-conscious, eyes widening when Jongdae grins and takes a step forward.
“This whole time I just thought you were a huge asshole, but you’re scared of me.”
Jongdae is actually laughing at him, and Baekhyun is beyond pissed now.
“What are you scared of? Is it my tail? Is it my ears? Do you think I’m going to claw you in your sleep?”
Baekhyun isn’t sure why he’s still standing there, why he’s letting this hybrid talk to him, but he finds himself nodding along, agreeing.
“I got attacked by an actual cat when I was younger, and I can’t deal with you things, okay? Especially your tails.”
Baekhyun suddenly finds Jongdae right in front of him, the cat no longer appearing shy or downtrodden, but intensely gleeful, smiling, and winding his tail around Baekhyun’s waist, making the latter draw in a breath, heart racing.
“But Baekhyun, isn’t it soft?”
“Oh God it’s touching me it’s touching me stop that please don’t.”
Baekhyun wonders how things have reached this point. First they were yelling and now Jongdae is inches from him, his weirdly soft tail entwined around Baekhyun, a feline smile on his lips. The cat relents, unwinding his tail and backing away, smile still etched onto his face, and he skips away.
-
Baekhyun and Jongdae’s relationship almost improves after their confrontation, Baekhyun going as far as to include Jongdae in meals, and remember his name.
Baekhyun avoids Jongdae though, scooting away from him on the couch, refusing to actually converse with him, and Jongdae is still a little annoyed.
Baekhyun ignores his growing something for the cat hybrid, ignores how cute Jongdae looks when he pouts, ignores how the soft brush of tail against arm is more inviting than feared.
The second week is hell for Baekhyun, and he shuffles through his apartment, skipping classes, being confused, and glaring at Jongdae whenever he does something slightly cute. Baekhyun isn’t even sure what happened, when he switched from fearing-- detesting --the cat hybrid to not minding his presence, to letting him change the channel when he wants, to letting him use the nice ps3 controller.
Baekhyun falls asleep on the couch Thursday afternoon, after a day of actually going to class, and doing his work, and doesn’t rouse even when Jongdae chucks a controller across the room screaming, or even when Jongdae tickles Baekhyun’s nose with his tail, or even when Jongdae belts out an entire Girl’s Generation album, complete with badly executed dance moves.
Midnight rolls by with Baekhyun still snoring, and Jongdae panics a bit, because the couch is his sleeping spot, and he really doesn’t want to sleep on the floor (and he tries really hard not to think about how good things have been lately, and how despite that, he’ll be back at the shelter to sleep on the floor again in a week’s time).
Jongdae sits on the carpet in front of the couch and stares at his supposed-to-be-owner, studying him. It’s a shame Baekhyun doesn’t want him. The boy is good-looking, with clear skin, glowing eyes, and beautiful, delicate hands that Jongdae really wants all over his ears and tail.
But Baekhyun doesn’t like him, doesn’t give him the time of the day, and Jongdae feels determined to convince Baekhyun to keep him, but he doesn’t have much time.
The cat hybrid is just about to curl up on the carpet, when he gets a bold idea, and decides to take the risk, with the hopes that he wakes up before the drooling human. Jongdae pads over to Baekhyun’s room and looks at the soft, squishy looking king size bed, throwing himself at, and rolls around in glee. He hasn’t felt this comfortable in years, and he burrows under the covers for the most peaceful sleep he’s probably ever had.
Jongdae wakes up to someone roughly shaking him, and he looks up into the face of an angry Baekhyun.
“Why are you in my bed?” the human spits at him, and Jongdae can’t help but notice the fingers digging into his shoulder, and he feels like playing. If Baekhyun still insists on making him miserable, he can play.
“You stole my bed,” Jongdae says, tone challenging, looking Baekhyun right in the eye, tongue flicking out to lick his lips, and he doesn’t miss the way the boy’s eyes flicker down to his mouth for the briefest of moments.
Jongdae’s tail wraps around Baekhyun’s wrist and tugs him forward, and Baekhyun falls on top of Jongdae with a screech.
“Are you scared yet?” Jongdae asks cheekily, and Baekhyun practically snarls trying to push himself off Jongdae, hands on his chest, but Jongdae’s tail is strong and Baekhyun can’t move.
Jongdae’s plan to fluster Baekhyun backfires when Jongdae realizes how close the human’s face is to his, and he can see how pink Baekhyun’s lips are, and how youthful his eyes look, and Jongdae swallows, losing his resolve, and he loosens his hold on the boy, frowning.
“You’re so pretty,” he says sadly, pouting at Baekhyun (who doesn’t seem to realize that Jongdae isn’t holding him in place anymore). “Why don’t you want to keep me?”
Baekhyun doesn’t answer, just stills on top of Jongdae, and they stare at each other, neither looking away, and Jongdae’s heart starts to hammer in his chest when he realizes that Baekhyun has relaxed, face much closer to Jongdae’s than it had been a minute ago.
Jongdae tries to move out from underneath the human, but this time it’s Baekhyun who holds him in place, breath fanning over his face, and Jongdae feels lips touching his own, something he definitely hadn’t anticipated when he went to sleep hours ago.
Jongdae freezes, unsure of what to do, but then Baekhyun presses deeper, lips moving against his own, and Jongdae kisses him back, getting lost in the surprisingly gentle manner in which Baekhyun kisses him, a rumbling purr bubbling up out of his throat when Baekhyun flicks his tongue across Jongdae’s lips.
They get lost in the moment, Jongdae’s tail returning to hold Baekhyun in place, hands gripping arms tightly as his mind struggles to catch up with the strange turn of events, struggles to catch up with Baekhyun’s insistent entrance into his mouth.
The brief moment, the intertwinedness of their mouths, is snapped, brought back to reality when Jongdae’s purring changes to a low whine, and Baekhyun freezes, pulls back, eyes going wide, words stuttering, throwing himself off Jongdae and bolting out of the room.
-
Jongdae doesn’t see Baekhyun for the rest of the day, and an awkward atmosphere seems to carry throughout the entire apartment, following them both around like tendrils of unanswered questions.
Chanyeol visits, and is shocked by the strange tension in the air, giving Baekhyun weird looks when the latter jumps and nearly drops his cup when Jongdae slinks past him, tailing brushing against his arm. When Chanyeol questions it, Baekhyun bristles, telling him it’s nothing and that he should really get going. “I really need to study tonight.”
“But you never study.”
“Tonight I do so get the fuck out.”
Baekhyun doesn’t do any actual studying, and instead flops onto the floor face first, making angry gurgling noises, unsure of what to do about his situation, unsure of how to go about apologizing to Jongdae.
He needs to apologize for being such an asshole for one, and needs to apologize for accidentally making out with him. Baekhyun isn’t really sure he wants to apologize for the second part, in fact, he kind of wants to do it again.
This revelation scares him a little, and Baekhyun counts down the days until he can return the catboy, and return his life to normal.
-
Things don’t go back to normal, however, and as the days tick by, the awkward tension is replaced with a different kind of tension, thick, heavy and filled with tidbits of conversation, the brush of fur, the change in rules.
Jongdae and Baekhyun seem to almost, well, get along, and when Chanyeol visits again, this time with ribbons for Jongdae’s ears, Baekhyun doesn’t even bat an eyelash, yanking the catboy over to him, and tying them on, looking pleased with the results, ignoring the thrashing of Jongdae’s tail and the less-than-pleased hiss coming from his mouth.
“There you go Jongdae, you look adorable.” Baekhyun says, voice dripping with sarcasm, and Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at the two of them, coughing slightly when Jongdae only replies with a sly smile, padding quietly out of the room.
“You two seem much more amicable lately,” Chanyeol comments, surveying Baekhhyun carefully through sceptical eyes.
“I guess...I don’t know,” Baekhyun hesitates, eyes raking across the floor, nervousness abundant in his answer. He looks back up at Chanyeol, trusting, imploring.
“Chanyeol, I think I might keep him.”
Chanyeol looks slightly shocked, tilting his head curiously at the turn of events. Baekhyun shifts on his feet.
“It’s just, I think I like him you know. And I don’t know how this happened and I don’t know what to do about it and--”
Baekhyun is cut off by a large hand covering his mouth, and he struggles, trying to speak still, words muffled and making no sense.
“Baakhyun, that’s the whole point of me giving you him. You’ve learned that he’s not actually awful. Catboys aren’t cats and you’ve finally seen it, haven’t you?”
Baekhyun blinks, and sighs, because Chanyeol is right. Chanyeol is always goddamn right. Baekhyun has been steadily growing to actually feel affection for the hybrid, realizing that he’s much more than just a tail and ears. Jongdae is sassy, and good-looking, but surprisingly tender, and Baekhyun thinks it’s time he should admit his strange feelings for the other.
“So should I keep him? What do I do? Things are awkward right now, I don’t know how to fix it.”
“You have, what, a week left? Just talk to him, Baek. Work things out.”
Chanyeol doesn’t say anything and just hugs his best friend tightly, ruffling his hair before walking out of his apartment and waving over his shoulder. Once he’s gone, Baekhyun sinks into the couch, frown on his lips, staring absently at the tv.
He’s so caught up in his thoughts that he barely registers the couch dip beside him, and barely registers a nervous voice call his name. He jolts a little, and turns to look at the source, and sees Jongdae sitting cross legged, ears flat on his head in anticipation, but his face full of determination.
They sort of sit there staring at each other for a while before Jongdae finally speaks up.
“I overheard your conversation,” he says simply, pausing for the reaction, and Baekhyun swallows, moving back a little on the couch, not prepared for what’s about to happen. Jongdae is probably going to reject him now, tell him that he’s treated him too much like shit for Jongdae to even want to stay with him. And Baekhyun doesn’t blame him. He will see him off with a smile, and live life in a world of what ifs, the three strange weeks with this catboy a distant memory.
“I don’t hate you, you know. Yes, you’re kind of a dick, but some people can’t control how they deal with fear. This whole thing was definitely sprung on you out of nowhere, and no, I’m not excusing your actions, because I’ve been miserable,” Jongdae pauses, tail flicking side to side, twitching with every word, and Baekhyun just stares at him, mouth hanging slightly open in a way that is probably not very attractive.
“So if you want to keep me you’re allowed and you’re forgiven and also can we make out again because that was fun.”
Baekhyun is kind of a little confused right now but he doesn’t do too much thinking and just curls a hand around the back of Jongdae’s neck, scratching softly with his fingers and grinning as he smashes their mouths together, Jongdae mewling in surprise but reciprocating.
-
Their relationship doesn’t suddenly become perfect by any means. They still bicker, they still snark, and Baekhyun still occasionally jerks away when he’s half asleep and feels a soft tail around his waist and even softer ears tickle his jaw.
But he keeps his catboy, and they fit into a routine that only they can master, Chanyeol constantly bewildered at the state of the apartment when he stops by to give Baekhyun his missing class notes, only to find the two curled up half naked in a pile of blankets and questionable looking cat toys.
Jongdae is also quite pleased at the silver collar that now adorns his neck, smiling softly while he adjusts it in the mirror.
Baekhyun really hates cats, but it turns out cat hybrids aren’t half bad after all.
Additional Author's Notes: Baekhyun was too nervous to purchase the collar himself so Chanyeol had to go buy it