DAY TWO ★ come close (arms around you)
Username: --Skye--
Prompt #: 307 [prompt details]hybrid au! where Kris only needs/wants cuddles when he's in heat.
Title: Come Close (arms around you)
Ship: Tao/Yifan
Rating: PG
Word count: 5,500 words
Warnings: Mention of animal neglect/abuse
Summary: Yifan doesn’t need a human.
Notes: ok this became waaay longer than I intended to. Also a bit angstier oops. Hope yall will like it tho cuz i loved writing this! Anyways, remember that when you want to bring an animal into your life you should always adopt an animal from the shelter! Big thanks to the yifantasy mods btw!! Theyre awesome!!
Yifan is a special kind of kitty. Although he has a pretty striped coat like Jongdae’s, a perky set of ears like Baekhyun’s and a pair of ember eyes like Jongin’s, he’s quite different from them. The most generic breed on earth, the tabby cat, is for the most part playful and happy, easily lovable and a great catch for people who need a strong companion in their life. However, Yifan doesn’t possess any of those traits. Yifan is not old per se, but he likes to take a nap before deciding on anything, and playing cute for the humans is something he’s no longer interested in. At this moment in time, the workers at the pet shelter are satisfying, just a few loving ear rubs and some cooing words are enough.
Some of the other hybrids don’t understand that Yifan is satiated with what he gets. Chanyeol, for example, is the complete opposite of Yifan. The long-haired mix-breed is jumping around all the time, his bushy tail leaving hairs everywhere because of its excited swooping. He bothers Yifan on the times he doesn’t really want to be bothered and bombards him with questions and hair. It’s quite tiring to be around hyperactive cats, and Yifan has told the employees by making sad eyes and giving melancholic mewls.
Because of that, Yifan has become ‘the office cat’. Employees allow him to do as he wishes, mostly because it consists of napping, eating and looking for spots where the sunlight reaches. The big playroom is too much of a ruckus for a cat like Yifan, and his own room isn’t ideal to be in 24/7 as it isn’t the biggest, so the boss has acknowledged the problem (the sad meows always work on the nurturing types) and allows Yifan to be free inside the property. Of course, there are still rules he has to follow, like being present at the two feedings and staying on the outside territory for at least an hour a day, but Yifan doesn’t really mind those rules, he just wants an undisturbed afternoon nap next to the warm, humming printer.
A hybrid as calm as Yifan isn’t fairly uncommon, but the reason Yifan hasn’t been adopted is definitely not his mindset.
When a human adopts a hybrid, there’s usually the intention of treating them as a lover and doing lover things with them. Humans seem to love the heat cycle hybrids go through, how needy and helpless they become, and that’s exactly the problem with Yifan. It just doesn’t happen. Yifan’s heat cycle consists of needing kisses and cuddles and all other things that come with being on the receiving end of first base affection. Thankfully, one of Yifan’s favorite workers, Joonmyun, loves giving Yifan that kind of care when he needs it, caressing his tummy and scratching that good spot above his tail. Yifan always goes to him when the cycle hits him, purring all over his lap despite being almost a head taller than him.
Yifan doesn’t really care about the abnormal cycle, since it can't be changed anyway and getting cuddles never hurt anyone. The next cycle date is already marked on the calendar, as the boss insisted every hybrid should do, and Yifan sees it’s about three days away. He curls up in bed with his favorite plushie, ready for his pre-dinner nap.
When it’s time for evening feeding, Chanyeol and Baekhyun accidentally bump into him at least two more times than they normally do, but Yifan doesn’t feel like snarling before he’s had his pre-midnight nap. The Persian next to him, Sehun, is only happy when it’s feeding time and basically mows through his dinner, splattering beans and mashed potato broth all over the table and on Yifan’s plate. He eats on, silently ignoring the hog sounds Sehun is making and Chanyeol’s swooshing, thick tail tickling his arm.
Although he would really like to get out of here and prepare for a sweet nap, Yifan doesn’t rush dinner because his tummy will ache if he does.
One of the workers announces there’s ice cream for dessert and the cats go wild. Chanyeol gets so excited he smacks Jongdae’s shoulder by accident and makes him bump into Baekhyun, who was just sipping on his milk and has now spilled it on his sleeve. The three start to fight and Chanyeol gets pushed against Yifan several times, destroying the last piece of comfort Yifan has.
After eating without snapping at the youngsters, Yifan makes slow passes back to his room, but stops as he meets Joonmyun on the way. Joonmyun immediately reaches for Yifan’s ear, rubbing the soft, sensitive things.
“Something wrong, Yifan?” he asks in a soft voice. “You look a little pale. Did you miss your third nap?” Yifan shakes his head and dozes off a little as Joonmyun’s fingers feel so good on his ears. When he starts purring, Joonmyun smiles softly. “Come, let’s get you to bed. I’ll tuck you in.”
Yifan really likes the sound of that, and it’s making his tail twitch in excitement.
---
“Yifan, it’s time to get up, sweetie.” Jessica’s soft voice echoes through the room. Yifan buries himself deeper into the blankets. A sigh escapes the caretaker’s lips and footsteps start approaching Yifan. A second later, Jessica is crouching by his bed. Yifan’s ears stick out from his covers and Jessica takes advantage of that, putting her fingertips along the edge and caressing along the soft fur. “Come on, it’s time for breakfast.” She coos gently.
Yifan purrs at the feeling of Jessica’s sweet fingers. “Breakfast later.” He murmurs, voice thick with sleep.
Jessica chuckles softly, “No, Yifan. It’s time for breakfast now. Napping comes later.” While Yifan makes soft sounds of discontent, Jessica carefully removes his blanket with an adoring look. “Come on, Yifan. Don’t be difficult.”
Yifan gets up from his lying position into a sitting position and grabs the brush from his nightstand. Curling his tail over his lap, Yifan begins to take his sweet time getting all his hairs to lay straight. Jessica gets up with a sigh and puts her hands on her hips. “Be there in five minutes, okay Yifan?”
“‘Kay,” Yifan replies courtly before opening up his mouth for another yawn.
Jessica shakes her head with a smile, thinking about how she’d adopt Yifan herself if it wasn’t for her two defiant catgirls at home.
---
When finally done brushing his tail, Yifan heads over to the big playroom to eat. It’s one big chaotic mess, as usual. Hyperactive Chanyeol is bothering everyone available and unavailable, Jongdae and Baekhyun are chasing after a terrified Jongin, Sehun is glaring from his seat at the big table, and the rest of the hybrids are talking above normal volume. Except one, that is.
There’s a silent hybrid he’s never seen before. His hands are splayed out over the table, both tail and ears twitching in interest as he watches Jongdae and Baekhyun do their morning routine. His coat is completely black-- a bad omen, according to the humans. Yifan doesn’t really understand that, but he reckons that might be the reason why this hybrid is here. He’s new, definitely new, but Yifan isn’t interested, because that would cost energy, and he’d rather spend that energy on walking back to his room and taking another nap.
The workers come in with plates filled with steaming food and the chaos raises a level. Yifan wouldn’t be surprised if Chanyeol’s mouth started foaming with the way his body’s twitching right now. He slumps over to his seat, mouth downcast and a weird feeling entering his stomach as the food is set in front of him. The feeling is really weird, and he knows what it is the moment he shoves one spoon of rice down his throat. He spits it out immediately and holds his stomach, feeling terribly cold in the blink of an eye. The workers have already left the room, but Yifan knows one of the caretakers will soon return to watch over them. That doesn’t stop his body from doing the natural.
Sehun, who’s sitting next to him and eating his heart out, suddenly seems like a blanket that has been lying on the heater, and Yifan desperately wants to curl up against him and receive lots of licks and kisses. Chanyeol comes into view, and Yifan’s tail starts sweeping because he suddenly wants big cuddles. He looks like he could warm Yifan right up and wash Yifan’s ears the right way, and Yifan would really like that right now.
When his eyes move to Baekhyun, he snaps out of it. It’s the influence of his heat that make them all look so good. Yifan jumps back from the table, earning quite a few questioning looks. He wants Joonmyun and mewls melancholically for him while backing away from the other hybrids, earning the full attention.
“Yifan?” Chanyeol’s voice booms. Yifan keeps himself still as his body wants nothing more than to go over and seek comfort against Chanyeol’s chest. Chanyeol’s voice would be so perfect for compliments and Yifan can already imagine getting all kinds of flattering words directed at him. He backs away in the corner of the playroom, making a small ball out of himself as he desperately tries to hide his need for cuddles and kisses.
Yifan’s arms are crossed in front of his eyes, knees pulled up as he lays down on his side. He shakes, tail twitching against the carpeted floor. A silence falls over the playroom while Yifan shivers in his place.
Then, after a full minute of curious staring and soft whispers, soft treading of feet start to echo. The footsteps are light and wouldn’t be audible if anyone was talking.
A hand tickles his ear. Yifan wants to snarl like he usually would have done, but his body is telling him to stretch out and purr, to seek more touches. Cautiously, Yifan lets the same hand scratch behind his ear. The hand touches his ear lightly, but it feels most relieving, causing Yifan to naturally curl into the contact. He looks up from his crossed arms to see the new hybrid staring down at him happily.
Yifan hisses at him, tail beginning to move rapidly from side to side. The new hybrid jumps back, a shocked look pulling his features. Another shot of warmth hits Yifan, and suddenly the hybrid does look very comfortable and Yifan finds himself blanking his expression. His body bends back into the terrified ball against its will, Yifan denying the signs of wanting affection.
The only one Yifan trusts during these times is Joonmyun, and he really would like him here right now. Yifan whimpers softly, thinking about Joonmyun’s lovely fingers and soft voice. Once again, a soft hand reaches to his ear, but this time Yifan lets it be. It won’t harm him to receive a tiny bit of affection from hands that know what they’re doing. Yifan relaxes only a little bit into the touch, but his body oozes with satisfaction, happy its desires are being fulfilled.
After a few minutes of purring softly under the fulfilling hand, the door opens and a few caretakers run in. Among them is Joonmyun, who gently coaxes the other hybrid away before kneeling in front of Yifan and putting Yifan’s head in his lap.
“You have to check your calendar more often, Yifan.” Joonmyun whispers. Yifan doesn’t hear him, too engulfed in the sweet scent and embrace of Joonmyun.
A chuckle escapes Joonmyun’s lips.
---
“I need to go back to work soon, Yifan.” Joonmyun tells Yifan while feeding him warm porridge. Yifan is leaning against Joonmyun’s side, head buried in his caretaker’s neck.
Swallowing the warm porridge, Yifan looks up with sad eyes. “No…” He whispers. Then, he hugs Joonmyun closer, possessively slinging his arms around Joonmyun’s waist. “Nooo… I want to cuddle more.”
Joonmyun rubs Yifan’s cheek, “Fine then. But only for a little while. I’ve already got to put in extra hours whenever you want to cuddle.”
“Is the boss not okay with it?” Yifan asks, feeling bad for making Joonmyun work extra hours because of his own needs.
“He’s fine with me taking special care of you, but there’s a lot of other work that needs to be done. I’m not getting paid for cuddling with you. I have to do administration, phone calls, and arrange things for you guys’ benefit.” Joonmyun explains with a gentle smile. “But it’s okay, Yifan. I don’t mind overworking if it means I get to be cozy with you.”
Yifan still feels a little guilty. “Can’t you make the boss pay for it?”
“If we weren’t so busy, he might considering doing so. Right now, he’s very busy too, with the new cats coming in and all.”
Yifan perks up at the sound of that, ears erecting to the front of his head. “New cats?”
“Yes. You were napping when we told the others.” Joonmyun pokes Yifan’s forehead as if to scold him. “But there’s recently been a dumping. We’ve got three new hybrids picked up from terrible conditions. We’re putting them in one by one to prevent them from isolating themselves from the rest of the group. Zitao is the first and he’s doing pretty well, actually.” Recognition sparks in Joonmyun’s eyes and he pushes some strands away from Yifan’s eyes. “He’s the one I found you with. You know, scratching your ear and all.”
Yifan looks away with red cheeks, embarrassed.
A smirk passes Joonmyun’s lips and he nudges Yifan’s shoulder. “You seemed to be enjoying that when I came by.”
“Not true…”
“Yeah, right.” Joonmyun scoops up some more porridge and raises it to Yifan’s lips. “Go eat your porridge. I really have to go now.”
Yifan licks the porridge off the spoon with a pout.
---
The second day is not too eventful. Yifan lies around in his bed for the first half, cuddling into his favorite plushie like he always does when Joonmyun isn’t around. When it’s time for lunch, Yifan is still lying in his bed, whining to himself in self-pity. He wants to feel another person. His plushie is most soft and embrace-worthy, but the touch of another goes above all.
It’s times like this Yifan wishes for a human. Yifan has heard many stories from adopted hybrids who came to visit for their last possessions or vet appointments. They’d tell about getting all the attention they ever wished for, no more sleeping alone and no more cramped feeding tables. Yifan would really like that right now.
No longer resisting the urge to go see Joonmyun, Yifan pushes his blanket off and steps out of bed, planting his feet inside his koala slippers. Yifan is glad the caretakers don’t lock his door like they do with the other hybrids when they are in heat, but then again, Yifan is quite the special case.
At the end of the hallway is the door that connects the bedrooms to the big playroom and on the right side there is a staff shortcut, but Yifan is not in possession of a staff pass so he needs to take the playroom route. On the usual occasion, Yifan follows after caretakers he knows like him, but no one is to be seen and Yifan walks to the playroom dejectedly. The door creaks like it’s always done, but it no longer pulls any attention as it’s become the most regular heard sound for the hybrids.
Apparently the new ones haven’t gotten used to it. Zitao, whose name was mentioned by Joonmyun a day ago. His ears twitch to the front of his head at the sight of Yifan, tail rising straight up.
He’s far away, but doesn’t seem to have a problem coming closer from the other side of the room. Yifan doesn’t really like this cat who thinks he’s Yifan’s friend just because he helped him out. A growl rumbles in his throat, ears slowly flattening back on his head to warn the other hybrid not to come closer. Zitao seems surprised and reluctantly stills his actions. His ears and tail lower in submission, slowly backing away from Yifan.
Satisfied with the response, Yifan moves to the caretakers’ office.
The sound of fingers tapping on keyboards and mouse-clicking resounds through the room like usual, and Yifan is about to walk through to get to Joonmyun’s lap, but he hears his name fall in a conversation.
“I don’t know what will happen to Yifan.” It’s Jessica’s voice. “I mean, he’s been here for so many years already. Nobody has taken interest in him for so long, not even one of the new workers.”
“I adore Yifan. If my husband wasn’t severely allergic to cats he would’ve been home with me already.” Joonmyun. Yifan frowns to himself. Why are they talking about him like this? “It’s a shame. Nobody ever takes time to get to know Yifan.”
“It’s because he always acts indifferent with them.”
“Jessica!” Joonmyun scolds.
“What? You know it’s true. And then you have his heat thing on top of his attitude. You think anyone wants a cat with that age and mindset? Of course it’s just the first impression, but it’s the only impression a visitor usually gets of Yifan.”
“He’s just like that because humans have never given him a chance.” Joonmyun argues. “And he’s very lovable once you get to know him so anyone who doesn’t want to give him a second chance isn’t worth it anyway.”
“You can think like that, Joonmyun, but there’s no denying Yifan is getting older. Once he hits over twenty-four… no one will want him. You know that Joonmyun.”
Tears spring in Yifan’s eyes. Stupid humans.
---
Yifan hisses at Jessica when she brings him his dinner. He growls at Joonmyun when he comes in five minutes later, asking what’s wrong. Dinner is left cold on Yifan’s nightstand as he’s buried in his blankets, letting time pass with tears. Humans never change.
From his earliest memories, Yifan remembers being on the street. Humans would pass by with noses firmly pointed in the air and disgusted looks directed at the alleys, the leftovers from restaurants and a generous stranger being the only source of food. In the dark streets where multiple hybrids would fight over moldy pasta, Yifan got his fair share of human compassion-- which basically meant the truth. He had come to learn humans only think of themselves, they are selfish beings who will only care about hybrids the moment they need to satisfy forbidden needs.
Yifan had given Joonmyun a chance because he thought Yifan’s feelings from the moment he met him. Because it was a cold, dry autumn night and Yifan was dehydrated to a point where his lungs felt thicker than the smog filled air. He’d given Jessica a chance too, because she was so incredibly patient with his withdrawing personality at the time. She helped him open up easier, which resulted in Yifan getting more caretakers to like him. He’d given all those workers a chance because he’d given himself the okay for trusting humans again.
A hybrid’s worst nightmare is not being wanted. The caretakers know of that, and they will never ever mention the possibility of that happening when the hybrids are near. Yet, Yifan had to hear it from his favorite workers. In his mind, where everything is fine as long as he gets enough sleep and attention on the day he’s living in, there was never even a single thought that could awaken him from his oblivion.
Of course there’s a reason he’s been here for so long.
Yifan’s abnormal cycle has always been something that repelled humans from adopting Yifan, because if there is one reason humans adopt a money-drain into their lives it would be for their dark desires. Of course, there are humans who just want a companion, someone who will mollify the loneliness, but because Yifan has always been one to live for himself, he’s far from the ideal housecat. Yifan is the sort of hybrid to be patient with, to give him space to adapt, and at his age nobody wants to give him that.
Tears well up in Yifan’s eyes again. He turns in his blankets, letting his tears drop when he faces the wall. Hugging his favorite plushie to his chest, Yifan tries to sleep the hurt away.
The door creaks after a minute or five. Soft, padding footsteps Yifan definitely recognizes resound through the dark room. Yifan stays still as the footsteps approach, hoping they will go away when they think Yifan is asleep. It doesn’t work. A weight presses down on the blanket and Yifan hears the spoon clink against the bowl as it’s being lifted from his nightstand.
“Yifan,” a soft voice comes. A hand gently nudges his shoulder. “Yifan, you need to eat. Joonmyun will be sad if you don’t eat. He told me that himself.”
Yifan sniffles, “I don’t want to.” He replies stubbornly, blowing his cover.
“Are you sad?”
Yifan wipes his eyes before retorting a shaky, “No.”
“Okay. Then you should eat.”
Yifan considers hissing and snarling at the intruder, but he’s longing for some contact. Turning around, he meets the sharp eyes of Zitao, who seems to be waiting for him to sit up.
“The porridge is a little cold, but it’s still yummy! I had it myself just now.” Zitao is eager to have Yifan eat, that sure is clear. When Yifan sees Zitao starting to stir the spoon inside the porridge, he sets his feelings aside and sits up. A smile appears on Zitao’s face and he lifts a full spoon from the bowl, up to Yifan’s lips. Without Yifan’s consent, he shoves a spoon down his throat, softly humming a tune while doing so. “Isn’t it amazing? Kyungsoo makes the best porridge! I’ve never had it this good!” Zitao babbles on excitedly, completely ignoring Yifan’s foul look.
Then, after five minutes of Zitao talking about everything that comes by, he scoots closer on the bed, leaning his head on Yifan’s shoulder. Zitao raises the spoon again, continuing to speak as he urges Yifan to eat. Yifan feels Zitao’s hair tickle his neck and the warmth of his skin triggers a desire. Yifan wants to cuddle really bad with Zitao. He looks so soft and feels so warm. A purr desperately wants to make itself known, but Yifan suppresses it, because they’re not cuddling yet and Yifan isn’t about to let Zitao know he’s enjoying this.
“-Hey! Are you listening?”
Yifan shakes out of his daydream, seeing Zitao is holding another spoon up. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just eat the porridge before it gets colder!”
---
The next day, Joonmyun wakes him. His expression is gentle, as well as his hand, but it can’t mask the confusion.
“Good morning, Yifan.” Joonmyun says, reaching out to ruffle Yifan’s bangs. Before he can reach Yifan’s forehead, however, Yifan turns away from him. Confusion releases over Joonmyun’s face and he slowly retracts his hand. “What’s wrong, Yifan?” He asks. “Yesterday you were like this too.”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Yifan replies bitterly, refusing to meet Joonmyun’s eyes.
Joonmyun asks some more questions and tries to get Yifan to talk, but to no avail. Yifan ignores him the whole time and keeps himself still until finally the door closes, and Yifan is alone in the dark again. Five minutes later, the door creaks, just like yesterday. Yifan isn’t very surprised. Joonmyun has been sending Zitao because he stubbornly keeps touching Yifan like he knows what’s underneath the warning snarls and disapproving body language.
Zitao jumps on his bed and looms over Yifan. When Yifan looks up, he sees Zitao frowning at him.
“Joonmyun said you were angry,” Zitao tells him. “You look sad. What happened?”
Yifan turns on his side, facing the wall once again. He doesn’t really want to speak. Cuddles and kisses would be best right now with the sadness Yifan is feeling. Although he’s not angry at Joonmyun, Jessica or any of the workers at the shelter, he can’t control his fury when faced with a human.
“What’s wrong?” Yifan ignores Zitao and it seems to frustrate him, because he’s pulling on the blankets and his brows are furrowed in frustration. “Why won’t you tell me?”
Yifan sighs, covering his eyes with the palm of his hand. “I hate humans.”
Zitao stills immediately, “Oh.”
Arms wraps around him and a chest presses against his back. Zitao embraces him tightly, like Yifan hugs his plushie on stormy nights or when one of the hybrids gets adopted and it’s time to say goodbye. Zitao’s arms are warm and comforting, and tears can’t help but fall. Everything is so unfair.
“I hate humans too.” Zitao whispers in a tone of remembrance that Yifan knows. It's not soft because he wants to be quiet, it's soft because the memory is loud. “Not all of them, but two weeks after my human adopted me, I didn’t get a second look. Luhan and Yixing and I lived in one room, on one bed. We weren’t allowed to go out, weren’t allowed to shower, weren’t allowed to do anything about our heats. He’d take us to the basement when we got our heat and chained us to the wall with a collar.”
Zitao’s voice is soft and dreary, making Yifan feel bad for crying about his problems, which seem so small right now.
Yifan feels Zitao’s grip tightening. “I don’t understand why he did that. Why did he adopt me if he didn’t take care of me? I’ve never understood. What did I do wrong? I never stepped out of line, I did everything he asked, I even-” Zitao chokes a sob, his tears staining the back of Yifan’s shirt. “Why did he tie me where I couldn’t move? In the middle of the woods… to a tree…” Another sob leaves his throat. “Luhan in a container, Yixing in the river… What did we do wrong? I just don’t understand!”
Yifan’s heart breaks right there and then, because he doesn’t know either. Why are humans so twisted? Why are humans this way? Yifan doesn’t know, but he welcomes Zitao’s embrace and returns it, hoping at least that will bring him a tiny bit of comfort.
---
A human who is looking for a hybrid to adopt comes in the next day. Yifan drags his feet to the big playroom, sitting down on the bench where every hybrid is waiting with gleaming eyes in excitement. Some have edited their appearance in hopes of being more attractive. Yifan doesn’t blame them. A hybrid’s life is all about its owner anyway. The human makes his entry with Joonmyun by his side. Yifan feels bad the moment he sees that smile on Joonmyun’s face. He got angry at Joonmyun without reason, and the shame makes him bow his head down.
“Who are you, pretty one?” The human asks. Yifan sees he’s talking to Jongin.
Jongin looks completely flustered, cheeks burning. “I-I’m Jongin,” he answers softly.
“Pretty baby.” The human commentates before turning to Joonmyun. “Is he still a virgin?” Yifan feels immediate disgust for this human. When will the rest of the hybrid matter?
“Uh, yes,” Joonmyun stammers, obviously feeling uncomfortable with this human’s way of thinking.
“Alright, that’s nice.” The human moves on, scanning the entire bench while scratching his cheek. His eyes still on Yifan and Yifan feels as if icy water’s been released over him. The human walks over to him with a dirty smirk, and Yifan really does not like that. Yifan does not really like him. “Well aren’t you grumpy-looking…” He forcefully takes Yifan’s chin between his fingers. “What is your name?”
Yifan growls at him, ears flattening back against his skull.
“S-Sir, please don’t touch our hybrids without their consent!” Joonmyun interrupts, placing a hand on Yifan’s shoulder to hold him back.
The human looks into Yifan’s eyes and the hybrid still growling at him in warning. With a disgusted look, he releases Yifan’s chin in a rather violent matter.
“Sir, if you continue to treat our hybrids like that I’m going to ask you to leave!” This time, there’s a lot more confidence in Joonmyun’s voice, and he’s standing in front of Yifan protectively.
“You don’t have to. I’ll leave myself. A filthy thing like that not being submissive like it should be is not worth my time anyway. I’m outta here.” The human leaves with sickened look, slamming the door after him.
“Good riddance.” Joonmyun huffs.
Yifan can’t resist putting his arms around the caretaker’s waist, nuzzling his face into his work sweater in a grateful gesture. Joonmyun smiles and rubs his ears, plain happy Yifan is acting normal again. The hybrids are discussing the lack of respect the human possessed, but from the other end of the bench, Zitao is giving Yifan a concerned look.
Yifan will need cuddles tonight and Zitao really, really wants to give them.
---
The door opens in the beginning of night, letting a thicker stream of light fall into the room as only the small lamp on his nightstand is emitting light. Yifan looks up from where he’s cuddled up next to Joonmyun, and he sees Zitao standing in the doorway, gripping a bowl in his hands. Zitao pads over to him and jumps on the bed, seating himself next to Yifan.
“I asked Kyungsoo to make some extra porridge,” Zitao explains, holding the bowl up.
“Thank you,” Yifan replies softly, taking the bowl gratefully. Maybe opening up to Zitao won’t be such a bad thing. He’s nice and warm and perfect to cuddle with. Yifan leans in on Zitao’s shoulder and rubs his nose against Zitao’s soft neck. Joonmyun watches them with a smile. Yifan bonding with another hybrid is something that hasn’t happened in a long time.
Zitao then begins to scoop porridge from the bowl, feeding Yifan porridge with a steady hand. Joonmyun thinks it’s adorable how Zitao wipes the porridge from Yifan’s lips determinedly, and how Yifan is just accepting the attention like he’s known Zitao since forever. A chuckle escapes, and Joonmyun ruffles both of their ears before getting up from the bed.
“I have to go now.” Joonmyun announces. Zitao and Yifan look up in surprise, porridge still hanging from Yifan’s lips. “You can sleep here for the night if you want, Zitao.”
“You won’t stay?” Yifan asks in a small voice.
A sigh moves past Joonmyun lips as he finds it hard to reject those two kitties. “I’m sorry, Yifan. I have to get home to my husband. He’s waiting for me.”
“Oh…” Yifan’s ears fold down in disappointment.
Joonmyun’s heart breaks and he caresses Yifan’s soft ear in hope of making the kitty feel better. “Zitao will stay with you tonight and I’ll see you first thing in the morning, yeah?” Yifan cuddles closer to Zitao, nuzzling his face in Zitao’s neck. “Is that okay, Yifan?”
“Okay…” he mumbles in reply.
Joonmyun smiles at the two kitties one last time before kissing Yifan on the forehead. “Goodnight. Do you want a kiss too, Zitao?” Zitao nods excitedly, moving his bangs away from his forehead. Joonmyun softly kisses Zitao’s forehead, earning a happy purr from the hybrid’s chest. “Goodnight to you both.”
“Bye,” Yifan bids with a small wave.
Joonmyun returns the gesture and slowly exits, the closure of the door breaking the hard light from the hallway. The soft lamp from the nightstand gives a calming feeling that makes Yifan unable to resist snuggling closer to Zitao’s body heat. Their tail and legs tangle together and Yifan feels and overflow of warmth that he never wants to let go. The feeling of another living being so close to him is so powerful when it’s the number one desire, and Yifan hopes it’s the same way for Zitao, that he, too, can feel this fire of comfort in his body.
“Cuddles are the best,” Zitao comments. Yifan hums in agreement, because yes, cuddles are really the best. “Back with my previous owner…” Zitao’s voice softens. “Yixing, Luhan and I would always cuddle. When the owner was angry, when he wasn’t home… we’d cuddle whenever we could. Cuddling makes me feel safe. I like cuddling with you, Yifan, because I know you feel better after cuddling too.”
Yifan is almost at loss of words, because he’s not used to being read like that, but he doesn’t want a silence, so he chooses to tell. “I’ve never had an owner.” Yifan looks down at his hands, fumbling with them as he feels weird. He’s never told anyone before. Joonmyun always told for him. “I lived outside. Humans looked at us as if we’re nothing and I realized that’s the only thing they see. That’s why I hate them. Everything they do, in the end, it’s all for themselves. I don’t need a human. I’ll never need a human.”
Yifan’s voice is shaking by the last sentence, but Zitao is there to embrace him. His arms wrap around him like a safety cage padded with pillows, and the feeling is one of a winter night in front of the fireplace with hot coco. It feels like it belongs this way, like this is what Yifan has been reaching for his whole life.
“Don’t worry,” Zitao’s warm porridge breath hits Yifan’s lips before he kisses him, short but meaningful. A kiss of reassuring comfort and building trust. “I don’t need a human either.”
Prompt #: 307 [prompt details]hybrid au! where Kris only needs/wants cuddles when he's in heat.
Title: Come Close (arms around you)
Ship: Tao/Yifan
Rating: PG
Word count: 5,500 words
Warnings: Mention of animal neglect/abuse
Summary: Yifan doesn’t need a human.
Notes: ok this became waaay longer than I intended to. Also a bit angstier oops. Hope yall will like it tho cuz i loved writing this! Anyways, remember that when you want to bring an animal into your life you should always adopt an animal from the shelter! Big thanks to the yifantasy mods btw!! Theyre awesome!!
Yifan is a special kind of kitty. Although he has a pretty striped coat like Jongdae’s, a perky set of ears like Baekhyun’s and a pair of ember eyes like Jongin’s, he’s quite different from them. The most generic breed on earth, the tabby cat, is for the most part playful and happy, easily lovable and a great catch for people who need a strong companion in their life. However, Yifan doesn’t possess any of those traits. Yifan is not old per se, but he likes to take a nap before deciding on anything, and playing cute for the humans is something he’s no longer interested in. At this moment in time, the workers at the pet shelter are satisfying, just a few loving ear rubs and some cooing words are enough.
Some of the other hybrids don’t understand that Yifan is satiated with what he gets. Chanyeol, for example, is the complete opposite of Yifan. The long-haired mix-breed is jumping around all the time, his bushy tail leaving hairs everywhere because of its excited swooping. He bothers Yifan on the times he doesn’t really want to be bothered and bombards him with questions and hair. It’s quite tiring to be around hyperactive cats, and Yifan has told the employees by making sad eyes and giving melancholic mewls.
Because of that, Yifan has become ‘the office cat’. Employees allow him to do as he wishes, mostly because it consists of napping, eating and looking for spots where the sunlight reaches. The big playroom is too much of a ruckus for a cat like Yifan, and his own room isn’t ideal to be in 24/7 as it isn’t the biggest, so the boss has acknowledged the problem (the sad meows always work on the nurturing types) and allows Yifan to be free inside the property. Of course, there are still rules he has to follow, like being present at the two feedings and staying on the outside territory for at least an hour a day, but Yifan doesn’t really mind those rules, he just wants an undisturbed afternoon nap next to the warm, humming printer.
A hybrid as calm as Yifan isn’t fairly uncommon, but the reason Yifan hasn’t been adopted is definitely not his mindset.
When a human adopts a hybrid, there’s usually the intention of treating them as a lover and doing lover things with them. Humans seem to love the heat cycle hybrids go through, how needy and helpless they become, and that’s exactly the problem with Yifan. It just doesn’t happen. Yifan’s heat cycle consists of needing kisses and cuddles and all other things that come with being on the receiving end of first base affection. Thankfully, one of Yifan’s favorite workers, Joonmyun, loves giving Yifan that kind of care when he needs it, caressing his tummy and scratching that good spot above his tail. Yifan always goes to him when the cycle hits him, purring all over his lap despite being almost a head taller than him.
Yifan doesn’t really care about the abnormal cycle, since it can't be changed anyway and getting cuddles never hurt anyone. The next cycle date is already marked on the calendar, as the boss insisted every hybrid should do, and Yifan sees it’s about three days away. He curls up in bed with his favorite plushie, ready for his pre-dinner nap.
When it’s time for evening feeding, Chanyeol and Baekhyun accidentally bump into him at least two more times than they normally do, but Yifan doesn’t feel like snarling before he’s had his pre-midnight nap. The Persian next to him, Sehun, is only happy when it’s feeding time and basically mows through his dinner, splattering beans and mashed potato broth all over the table and on Yifan’s plate. He eats on, silently ignoring the hog sounds Sehun is making and Chanyeol’s swooshing, thick tail tickling his arm.
Although he would really like to get out of here and prepare for a sweet nap, Yifan doesn’t rush dinner because his tummy will ache if he does.
One of the workers announces there’s ice cream for dessert and the cats go wild. Chanyeol gets so excited he smacks Jongdae’s shoulder by accident and makes him bump into Baekhyun, who was just sipping on his milk and has now spilled it on his sleeve. The three start to fight and Chanyeol gets pushed against Yifan several times, destroying the last piece of comfort Yifan has.
After eating without snapping at the youngsters, Yifan makes slow passes back to his room, but stops as he meets Joonmyun on the way. Joonmyun immediately reaches for Yifan’s ear, rubbing the soft, sensitive things.
“Something wrong, Yifan?” he asks in a soft voice. “You look a little pale. Did you miss your third nap?” Yifan shakes his head and dozes off a little as Joonmyun’s fingers feel so good on his ears. When he starts purring, Joonmyun smiles softly. “Come, let’s get you to bed. I’ll tuck you in.”
Yifan really likes the sound of that, and it’s making his tail twitch in excitement.
---
“Yifan, it’s time to get up, sweetie.” Jessica’s soft voice echoes through the room. Yifan buries himself deeper into the blankets. A sigh escapes the caretaker’s lips and footsteps start approaching Yifan. A second later, Jessica is crouching by his bed. Yifan’s ears stick out from his covers and Jessica takes advantage of that, putting her fingertips along the edge and caressing along the soft fur. “Come on, it’s time for breakfast.” She coos gently.
Yifan purrs at the feeling of Jessica’s sweet fingers. “Breakfast later.” He murmurs, voice thick with sleep.
Jessica chuckles softly, “No, Yifan. It’s time for breakfast now. Napping comes later.” While Yifan makes soft sounds of discontent, Jessica carefully removes his blanket with an adoring look. “Come on, Yifan. Don’t be difficult.”
Yifan gets up from his lying position into a sitting position and grabs the brush from his nightstand. Curling his tail over his lap, Yifan begins to take his sweet time getting all his hairs to lay straight. Jessica gets up with a sigh and puts her hands on her hips. “Be there in five minutes, okay Yifan?”
“‘Kay,” Yifan replies courtly before opening up his mouth for another yawn.
Jessica shakes her head with a smile, thinking about how she’d adopt Yifan herself if it wasn’t for her two defiant catgirls at home.
---
When finally done brushing his tail, Yifan heads over to the big playroom to eat. It’s one big chaotic mess, as usual. Hyperactive Chanyeol is bothering everyone available and unavailable, Jongdae and Baekhyun are chasing after a terrified Jongin, Sehun is glaring from his seat at the big table, and the rest of the hybrids are talking above normal volume. Except one, that is.
There’s a silent hybrid he’s never seen before. His hands are splayed out over the table, both tail and ears twitching in interest as he watches Jongdae and Baekhyun do their morning routine. His coat is completely black-- a bad omen, according to the humans. Yifan doesn’t really understand that, but he reckons that might be the reason why this hybrid is here. He’s new, definitely new, but Yifan isn’t interested, because that would cost energy, and he’d rather spend that energy on walking back to his room and taking another nap.
The workers come in with plates filled with steaming food and the chaos raises a level. Yifan wouldn’t be surprised if Chanyeol’s mouth started foaming with the way his body’s twitching right now. He slumps over to his seat, mouth downcast and a weird feeling entering his stomach as the food is set in front of him. The feeling is really weird, and he knows what it is the moment he shoves one spoon of rice down his throat. He spits it out immediately and holds his stomach, feeling terribly cold in the blink of an eye. The workers have already left the room, but Yifan knows one of the caretakers will soon return to watch over them. That doesn’t stop his body from doing the natural.
Sehun, who’s sitting next to him and eating his heart out, suddenly seems like a blanket that has been lying on the heater, and Yifan desperately wants to curl up against him and receive lots of licks and kisses. Chanyeol comes into view, and Yifan’s tail starts sweeping because he suddenly wants big cuddles. He looks like he could warm Yifan right up and wash Yifan’s ears the right way, and Yifan would really like that right now.
When his eyes move to Baekhyun, he snaps out of it. It’s the influence of his heat that make them all look so good. Yifan jumps back from the table, earning quite a few questioning looks. He wants Joonmyun and mewls melancholically for him while backing away from the other hybrids, earning the full attention.
“Yifan?” Chanyeol’s voice booms. Yifan keeps himself still as his body wants nothing more than to go over and seek comfort against Chanyeol’s chest. Chanyeol’s voice would be so perfect for compliments and Yifan can already imagine getting all kinds of flattering words directed at him. He backs away in the corner of the playroom, making a small ball out of himself as he desperately tries to hide his need for cuddles and kisses.
Yifan’s arms are crossed in front of his eyes, knees pulled up as he lays down on his side. He shakes, tail twitching against the carpeted floor. A silence falls over the playroom while Yifan shivers in his place.
Then, after a full minute of curious staring and soft whispers, soft treading of feet start to echo. The footsteps are light and wouldn’t be audible if anyone was talking.
A hand tickles his ear. Yifan wants to snarl like he usually would have done, but his body is telling him to stretch out and purr, to seek more touches. Cautiously, Yifan lets the same hand scratch behind his ear. The hand touches his ear lightly, but it feels most relieving, causing Yifan to naturally curl into the contact. He looks up from his crossed arms to see the new hybrid staring down at him happily.
Yifan hisses at him, tail beginning to move rapidly from side to side. The new hybrid jumps back, a shocked look pulling his features. Another shot of warmth hits Yifan, and suddenly the hybrid does look very comfortable and Yifan finds himself blanking his expression. His body bends back into the terrified ball against its will, Yifan denying the signs of wanting affection.
The only one Yifan trusts during these times is Joonmyun, and he really would like him here right now. Yifan whimpers softly, thinking about Joonmyun’s lovely fingers and soft voice. Once again, a soft hand reaches to his ear, but this time Yifan lets it be. It won’t harm him to receive a tiny bit of affection from hands that know what they’re doing. Yifan relaxes only a little bit into the touch, but his body oozes with satisfaction, happy its desires are being fulfilled.
After a few minutes of purring softly under the fulfilling hand, the door opens and a few caretakers run in. Among them is Joonmyun, who gently coaxes the other hybrid away before kneeling in front of Yifan and putting Yifan’s head in his lap.
“You have to check your calendar more often, Yifan.” Joonmyun whispers. Yifan doesn’t hear him, too engulfed in the sweet scent and embrace of Joonmyun.
A chuckle escapes Joonmyun’s lips.
---
“I need to go back to work soon, Yifan.” Joonmyun tells Yifan while feeding him warm porridge. Yifan is leaning against Joonmyun’s side, head buried in his caretaker’s neck.
Swallowing the warm porridge, Yifan looks up with sad eyes. “No…” He whispers. Then, he hugs Joonmyun closer, possessively slinging his arms around Joonmyun’s waist. “Nooo… I want to cuddle more.”
Joonmyun rubs Yifan’s cheek, “Fine then. But only for a little while. I’ve already got to put in extra hours whenever you want to cuddle.”
“Is the boss not okay with it?” Yifan asks, feeling bad for making Joonmyun work extra hours because of his own needs.
“He’s fine with me taking special care of you, but there’s a lot of other work that needs to be done. I’m not getting paid for cuddling with you. I have to do administration, phone calls, and arrange things for you guys’ benefit.” Joonmyun explains with a gentle smile. “But it’s okay, Yifan. I don’t mind overworking if it means I get to be cozy with you.”
Yifan still feels a little guilty. “Can’t you make the boss pay for it?”
“If we weren’t so busy, he might considering doing so. Right now, he’s very busy too, with the new cats coming in and all.”
Yifan perks up at the sound of that, ears erecting to the front of his head. “New cats?”
“Yes. You were napping when we told the others.” Joonmyun pokes Yifan’s forehead as if to scold him. “But there’s recently been a dumping. We’ve got three new hybrids picked up from terrible conditions. We’re putting them in one by one to prevent them from isolating themselves from the rest of the group. Zitao is the first and he’s doing pretty well, actually.” Recognition sparks in Joonmyun’s eyes and he pushes some strands away from Yifan’s eyes. “He’s the one I found you with. You know, scratching your ear and all.”
Yifan looks away with red cheeks, embarrassed.
A smirk passes Joonmyun’s lips and he nudges Yifan’s shoulder. “You seemed to be enjoying that when I came by.”
“Not true…”
“Yeah, right.” Joonmyun scoops up some more porridge and raises it to Yifan’s lips. “Go eat your porridge. I really have to go now.”
Yifan licks the porridge off the spoon with a pout.
---
The second day is not too eventful. Yifan lies around in his bed for the first half, cuddling into his favorite plushie like he always does when Joonmyun isn’t around. When it’s time for lunch, Yifan is still lying in his bed, whining to himself in self-pity. He wants to feel another person. His plushie is most soft and embrace-worthy, but the touch of another goes above all.
It’s times like this Yifan wishes for a human. Yifan has heard many stories from adopted hybrids who came to visit for their last possessions or vet appointments. They’d tell about getting all the attention they ever wished for, no more sleeping alone and no more cramped feeding tables. Yifan would really like that right now.
No longer resisting the urge to go see Joonmyun, Yifan pushes his blanket off and steps out of bed, planting his feet inside his koala slippers. Yifan is glad the caretakers don’t lock his door like they do with the other hybrids when they are in heat, but then again, Yifan is quite the special case.
At the end of the hallway is the door that connects the bedrooms to the big playroom and on the right side there is a staff shortcut, but Yifan is not in possession of a staff pass so he needs to take the playroom route. On the usual occasion, Yifan follows after caretakers he knows like him, but no one is to be seen and Yifan walks to the playroom dejectedly. The door creaks like it’s always done, but it no longer pulls any attention as it’s become the most regular heard sound for the hybrids.
Apparently the new ones haven’t gotten used to it. Zitao, whose name was mentioned by Joonmyun a day ago. His ears twitch to the front of his head at the sight of Yifan, tail rising straight up.
He’s far away, but doesn’t seem to have a problem coming closer from the other side of the room. Yifan doesn’t really like this cat who thinks he’s Yifan’s friend just because he helped him out. A growl rumbles in his throat, ears slowly flattening back on his head to warn the other hybrid not to come closer. Zitao seems surprised and reluctantly stills his actions. His ears and tail lower in submission, slowly backing away from Yifan.
Satisfied with the response, Yifan moves to the caretakers’ office.
The sound of fingers tapping on keyboards and mouse-clicking resounds through the room like usual, and Yifan is about to walk through to get to Joonmyun’s lap, but he hears his name fall in a conversation.
“I don’t know what will happen to Yifan.” It’s Jessica’s voice. “I mean, he’s been here for so many years already. Nobody has taken interest in him for so long, not even one of the new workers.”
“I adore Yifan. If my husband wasn’t severely allergic to cats he would’ve been home with me already.” Joonmyun. Yifan frowns to himself. Why are they talking about him like this? “It’s a shame. Nobody ever takes time to get to know Yifan.”
“It’s because he always acts indifferent with them.”
“Jessica!” Joonmyun scolds.
“What? You know it’s true. And then you have his heat thing on top of his attitude. You think anyone wants a cat with that age and mindset? Of course it’s just the first impression, but it’s the only impression a visitor usually gets of Yifan.”
“He’s just like that because humans have never given him a chance.” Joonmyun argues. “And he’s very lovable once you get to know him so anyone who doesn’t want to give him a second chance isn’t worth it anyway.”
“You can think like that, Joonmyun, but there’s no denying Yifan is getting older. Once he hits over twenty-four… no one will want him. You know that Joonmyun.”
Tears spring in Yifan’s eyes. Stupid humans.
---
Yifan hisses at Jessica when she brings him his dinner. He growls at Joonmyun when he comes in five minutes later, asking what’s wrong. Dinner is left cold on Yifan’s nightstand as he’s buried in his blankets, letting time pass with tears. Humans never change.
From his earliest memories, Yifan remembers being on the street. Humans would pass by with noses firmly pointed in the air and disgusted looks directed at the alleys, the leftovers from restaurants and a generous stranger being the only source of food. In the dark streets where multiple hybrids would fight over moldy pasta, Yifan got his fair share of human compassion-- which basically meant the truth. He had come to learn humans only think of themselves, they are selfish beings who will only care about hybrids the moment they need to satisfy forbidden needs.
Yifan had given Joonmyun a chance because he thought Yifan’s feelings from the moment he met him. Because it was a cold, dry autumn night and Yifan was dehydrated to a point where his lungs felt thicker than the smog filled air. He’d given Jessica a chance too, because she was so incredibly patient with his withdrawing personality at the time. She helped him open up easier, which resulted in Yifan getting more caretakers to like him. He’d given all those workers a chance because he’d given himself the okay for trusting humans again.
A hybrid’s worst nightmare is not being wanted. The caretakers know of that, and they will never ever mention the possibility of that happening when the hybrids are near. Yet, Yifan had to hear it from his favorite workers. In his mind, where everything is fine as long as he gets enough sleep and attention on the day he’s living in, there was never even a single thought that could awaken him from his oblivion.
Of course there’s a reason he’s been here for so long.
Yifan’s abnormal cycle has always been something that repelled humans from adopting Yifan, because if there is one reason humans adopt a money-drain into their lives it would be for their dark desires. Of course, there are humans who just want a companion, someone who will mollify the loneliness, but because Yifan has always been one to live for himself, he’s far from the ideal housecat. Yifan is the sort of hybrid to be patient with, to give him space to adapt, and at his age nobody wants to give him that.
Tears well up in Yifan’s eyes again. He turns in his blankets, letting his tears drop when he faces the wall. Hugging his favorite plushie to his chest, Yifan tries to sleep the hurt away.
The door creaks after a minute or five. Soft, padding footsteps Yifan definitely recognizes resound through the dark room. Yifan stays still as the footsteps approach, hoping they will go away when they think Yifan is asleep. It doesn’t work. A weight presses down on the blanket and Yifan hears the spoon clink against the bowl as it’s being lifted from his nightstand.
“Yifan,” a soft voice comes. A hand gently nudges his shoulder. “Yifan, you need to eat. Joonmyun will be sad if you don’t eat. He told me that himself.”
Yifan sniffles, “I don’t want to.” He replies stubbornly, blowing his cover.
“Are you sad?”
Yifan wipes his eyes before retorting a shaky, “No.”
“Okay. Then you should eat.”
Yifan considers hissing and snarling at the intruder, but he’s longing for some contact. Turning around, he meets the sharp eyes of Zitao, who seems to be waiting for him to sit up.
“The porridge is a little cold, but it’s still yummy! I had it myself just now.” Zitao is eager to have Yifan eat, that sure is clear. When Yifan sees Zitao starting to stir the spoon inside the porridge, he sets his feelings aside and sits up. A smile appears on Zitao’s face and he lifts a full spoon from the bowl, up to Yifan’s lips. Without Yifan’s consent, he shoves a spoon down his throat, softly humming a tune while doing so. “Isn’t it amazing? Kyungsoo makes the best porridge! I’ve never had it this good!” Zitao babbles on excitedly, completely ignoring Yifan’s foul look.
Then, after five minutes of Zitao talking about everything that comes by, he scoots closer on the bed, leaning his head on Yifan’s shoulder. Zitao raises the spoon again, continuing to speak as he urges Yifan to eat. Yifan feels Zitao’s hair tickle his neck and the warmth of his skin triggers a desire. Yifan wants to cuddle really bad with Zitao. He looks so soft and feels so warm. A purr desperately wants to make itself known, but Yifan suppresses it, because they’re not cuddling yet and Yifan isn’t about to let Zitao know he’s enjoying this.
“-Hey! Are you listening?”
Yifan shakes out of his daydream, seeing Zitao is holding another spoon up. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just eat the porridge before it gets colder!”
---
The next day, Joonmyun wakes him. His expression is gentle, as well as his hand, but it can’t mask the confusion.
“Good morning, Yifan.” Joonmyun says, reaching out to ruffle Yifan’s bangs. Before he can reach Yifan’s forehead, however, Yifan turns away from him. Confusion releases over Joonmyun’s face and he slowly retracts his hand. “What’s wrong, Yifan?” He asks. “Yesterday you were like this too.”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Yifan replies bitterly, refusing to meet Joonmyun’s eyes.
Joonmyun asks some more questions and tries to get Yifan to talk, but to no avail. Yifan ignores him the whole time and keeps himself still until finally the door closes, and Yifan is alone in the dark again. Five minutes later, the door creaks, just like yesterday. Yifan isn’t very surprised. Joonmyun has been sending Zitao because he stubbornly keeps touching Yifan like he knows what’s underneath the warning snarls and disapproving body language.
Zitao jumps on his bed and looms over Yifan. When Yifan looks up, he sees Zitao frowning at him.
“Joonmyun said you were angry,” Zitao tells him. “You look sad. What happened?”
Yifan turns on his side, facing the wall once again. He doesn’t really want to speak. Cuddles and kisses would be best right now with the sadness Yifan is feeling. Although he’s not angry at Joonmyun, Jessica or any of the workers at the shelter, he can’t control his fury when faced with a human.
“What’s wrong?” Yifan ignores Zitao and it seems to frustrate him, because he’s pulling on the blankets and his brows are furrowed in frustration. “Why won’t you tell me?”
Yifan sighs, covering his eyes with the palm of his hand. “I hate humans.”
Zitao stills immediately, “Oh.”
Arms wraps around him and a chest presses against his back. Zitao embraces him tightly, like Yifan hugs his plushie on stormy nights or when one of the hybrids gets adopted and it’s time to say goodbye. Zitao’s arms are warm and comforting, and tears can’t help but fall. Everything is so unfair.
“I hate humans too.” Zitao whispers in a tone of remembrance that Yifan knows. It's not soft because he wants to be quiet, it's soft because the memory is loud. “Not all of them, but two weeks after my human adopted me, I didn’t get a second look. Luhan and Yixing and I lived in one room, on one bed. We weren’t allowed to go out, weren’t allowed to shower, weren’t allowed to do anything about our heats. He’d take us to the basement when we got our heat and chained us to the wall with a collar.”
Zitao’s voice is soft and dreary, making Yifan feel bad for crying about his problems, which seem so small right now.
Yifan feels Zitao’s grip tightening. “I don’t understand why he did that. Why did he adopt me if he didn’t take care of me? I’ve never understood. What did I do wrong? I never stepped out of line, I did everything he asked, I even-” Zitao chokes a sob, his tears staining the back of Yifan’s shirt. “Why did he tie me where I couldn’t move? In the middle of the woods… to a tree…” Another sob leaves his throat. “Luhan in a container, Yixing in the river… What did we do wrong? I just don’t understand!”
Yifan’s heart breaks right there and then, because he doesn’t know either. Why are humans so twisted? Why are humans this way? Yifan doesn’t know, but he welcomes Zitao’s embrace and returns it, hoping at least that will bring him a tiny bit of comfort.
---
A human who is looking for a hybrid to adopt comes in the next day. Yifan drags his feet to the big playroom, sitting down on the bench where every hybrid is waiting with gleaming eyes in excitement. Some have edited their appearance in hopes of being more attractive. Yifan doesn’t blame them. A hybrid’s life is all about its owner anyway. The human makes his entry with Joonmyun by his side. Yifan feels bad the moment he sees that smile on Joonmyun’s face. He got angry at Joonmyun without reason, and the shame makes him bow his head down.
“Who are you, pretty one?” The human asks. Yifan sees he’s talking to Jongin.
Jongin looks completely flustered, cheeks burning. “I-I’m Jongin,” he answers softly.
“Pretty baby.” The human commentates before turning to Joonmyun. “Is he still a virgin?” Yifan feels immediate disgust for this human. When will the rest of the hybrid matter?
“Uh, yes,” Joonmyun stammers, obviously feeling uncomfortable with this human’s way of thinking.
“Alright, that’s nice.” The human moves on, scanning the entire bench while scratching his cheek. His eyes still on Yifan and Yifan feels as if icy water’s been released over him. The human walks over to him with a dirty smirk, and Yifan really does not like that. Yifan does not really like him. “Well aren’t you grumpy-looking…” He forcefully takes Yifan’s chin between his fingers. “What is your name?”
Yifan growls at him, ears flattening back against his skull.
“S-Sir, please don’t touch our hybrids without their consent!” Joonmyun interrupts, placing a hand on Yifan’s shoulder to hold him back.
The human looks into Yifan’s eyes and the hybrid still growling at him in warning. With a disgusted look, he releases Yifan’s chin in a rather violent matter.
“Sir, if you continue to treat our hybrids like that I’m going to ask you to leave!” This time, there’s a lot more confidence in Joonmyun’s voice, and he’s standing in front of Yifan protectively.
“You don’t have to. I’ll leave myself. A filthy thing like that not being submissive like it should be is not worth my time anyway. I’m outta here.” The human leaves with sickened look, slamming the door after him.
“Good riddance.” Joonmyun huffs.
Yifan can’t resist putting his arms around the caretaker’s waist, nuzzling his face into his work sweater in a grateful gesture. Joonmyun smiles and rubs his ears, plain happy Yifan is acting normal again. The hybrids are discussing the lack of respect the human possessed, but from the other end of the bench, Zitao is giving Yifan a concerned look.
Yifan will need cuddles tonight and Zitao really, really wants to give them.
---
The door opens in the beginning of night, letting a thicker stream of light fall into the room as only the small lamp on his nightstand is emitting light. Yifan looks up from where he’s cuddled up next to Joonmyun, and he sees Zitao standing in the doorway, gripping a bowl in his hands. Zitao pads over to him and jumps on the bed, seating himself next to Yifan.
“I asked Kyungsoo to make some extra porridge,” Zitao explains, holding the bowl up.
“Thank you,” Yifan replies softly, taking the bowl gratefully. Maybe opening up to Zitao won’t be such a bad thing. He’s nice and warm and perfect to cuddle with. Yifan leans in on Zitao’s shoulder and rubs his nose against Zitao’s soft neck. Joonmyun watches them with a smile. Yifan bonding with another hybrid is something that hasn’t happened in a long time.
Zitao then begins to scoop porridge from the bowl, feeding Yifan porridge with a steady hand. Joonmyun thinks it’s adorable how Zitao wipes the porridge from Yifan’s lips determinedly, and how Yifan is just accepting the attention like he’s known Zitao since forever. A chuckle escapes, and Joonmyun ruffles both of their ears before getting up from the bed.
“I have to go now.” Joonmyun announces. Zitao and Yifan look up in surprise, porridge still hanging from Yifan’s lips. “You can sleep here for the night if you want, Zitao.”
“You won’t stay?” Yifan asks in a small voice.
A sigh moves past Joonmyun lips as he finds it hard to reject those two kitties. “I’m sorry, Yifan. I have to get home to my husband. He’s waiting for me.”
“Oh…” Yifan’s ears fold down in disappointment.
Joonmyun’s heart breaks and he caresses Yifan’s soft ear in hope of making the kitty feel better. “Zitao will stay with you tonight and I’ll see you first thing in the morning, yeah?” Yifan cuddles closer to Zitao, nuzzling his face in Zitao’s neck. “Is that okay, Yifan?”
“Okay…” he mumbles in reply.
Joonmyun smiles at the two kitties one last time before kissing Yifan on the forehead. “Goodnight. Do you want a kiss too, Zitao?” Zitao nods excitedly, moving his bangs away from his forehead. Joonmyun softly kisses Zitao’s forehead, earning a happy purr from the hybrid’s chest. “Goodnight to you both.”
“Bye,” Yifan bids with a small wave.
Joonmyun returns the gesture and slowly exits, the closure of the door breaking the hard light from the hallway. The soft lamp from the nightstand gives a calming feeling that makes Yifan unable to resist snuggling closer to Zitao’s body heat. Their tail and legs tangle together and Yifan feels and overflow of warmth that he never wants to let go. The feeling of another living being so close to him is so powerful when it’s the number one desire, and Yifan hopes it’s the same way for Zitao, that he, too, can feel this fire of comfort in his body.
“Cuddles are the best,” Zitao comments. Yifan hums in agreement, because yes, cuddles are really the best. “Back with my previous owner…” Zitao’s voice softens. “Yixing, Luhan and I would always cuddle. When the owner was angry, when he wasn’t home… we’d cuddle whenever we could. Cuddling makes me feel safe. I like cuddling with you, Yifan, because I know you feel better after cuddling too.”
Yifan is almost at loss of words, because he’s not used to being read like that, but he doesn’t want a silence, so he chooses to tell. “I’ve never had an owner.” Yifan looks down at his hands, fumbling with them as he feels weird. He’s never told anyone before. Joonmyun always told for him. “I lived outside. Humans looked at us as if we’re nothing and I realized that’s the only thing they see. That’s why I hate them. Everything they do, in the end, it’s all for themselves. I don’t need a human. I’ll never need a human.”
Yifan’s voice is shaking by the last sentence, but Zitao is there to embrace him. His arms wrap around him like a safety cage padded with pillows, and the feeling is one of a winter night in front of the fireplace with hot coco. It feels like it belongs this way, like this is what Yifan has been reaching for his whole life.
“Don’t worry,” Zitao’s warm porridge breath hits Yifan’s lips before he kisses him, short but meaningful. A kiss of reassuring comfort and building trust. “I don’t need a human either.”