You. Me. Right meow. (1/2)
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s)/Focus: (Suho/Kris)
Length: 11k words total
Summary: Joonmyun’s friends always like to tease him because his hybrid is taller and bigger than him but how does Joonmyun feel about it?
Warning/s: Hybridism, Heat, Sex, Cat puns, Cliché.
Notes: Written for kimjongdae for suholiday 2015
There is a tattoo of seven knocks rapping out loudly on the front door of the apartment. Joonmyun shuffles over to the entry and squints one eye as he rises up on his toes to peer through the peephole. Kris spares a glance at his owner and smiles softly at the cute posture before returning to frown at his newspaper, ears twitching.
Joonmyun isn’t surprised when he sees his three friends through the fish eye lens. Jongdae, Baekhyun and Chanyeol mill about outside waiting for him to respond to their summons.
The three of them pour inside noisily and just generally disturb Kris’ quiet morning. It had been the beginning of a lovely Saturday before the flurry of text messages had convinced Joonmyun he should go out with his friends. Of course Kris had been invited too but he graciously declined, preferring instead to rest at home.
Joonmyun had been resting too until the intrusion. He had been laying across Kris’ lap as he played pokemon on his vintage GameBoy Colour. It was one of Joonmyun’s prized possessions along with his collection of classic games. The music from the game bounced along in a chirpy 8-bit accompaniment to their quiet morning relaxation. His slipper clad feet tapped along in time with the beat and his blond hair fanned out over Kris’ thigh while one of Kris’ large hands rested comfortably on his owner’s chest. Kris sipped his coffee and read his newspaper, periodically glancing over to see Joonmyun’s progress or his notice his tongue protruding in concentration over a particularly tense battle.
In short, it had been just as Kris liked it.
Joonmyun’s phone had interrupted with an obnoxious buzzing to entice him away. Pausing the game, Joonmyun had sat up and his secure weight had been lost to Kris. Since then Kris had failed to read any more of his newspaper. He had just managed to glare at the small print.
“Hi Kris,” Chanyeol says. He’s the first to greet Kris every time. If the hybrid is honest, he dislikes Chanyeol the least out of the three even though he is just as puppy-like as the other two. Despite being friendly, Chanyeol is just too haphazard, too volatile for Kris to warm too.
“Hello Chanyeol,” Kris replies. “Jongdae, Baekhyun.” He greets the other two with a nod and they nod back nervously.
“I can’t believe you got tickets!” Joonmyun says. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation.
“My sister got them,” Chanyeol laughs as he mirrors Joonmyun’s excitement. “Noona just asked me if I wanted to see the premiere of ‘that Star Wars movie’. I can’t believe she’s in promotions. She just gave them away.” It’s then that he turns to Kris.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Joonmyun offers again. “Chanyeol said he has enough tickets,” he smiles and nods. Joonmyun looks so excited that Kris feels his resolve weakening. For a moment he thinks it might be nice to go but then he remembers how the four of them like to sit for ages afterwards and repeat the entire movie they just saw line for line and he shakes his head.
“It’s really nice of you to invite me, but I’ll have to pass,” Kris says. “You all go and have a great time.”
Joonmyun pouts cutely for a moment before walking over to the couch to press a goodbye kiss to Kris’ mouth. Kris lets his eyes close and finds it difficult not to chase Joonmyun’s lips when he pulls back. Joonmyun has the fingers of one hand sliding through Kris’ black hair and the way he stares into the hybrid’s eyes has him entranced.
They had only just recently stepped over the line between housemate/friends and boyfriends/possibly more. The honeymoon feeling is only getting worse each time the friends see the pair together.
The sweet moment is interrupted by a cough. Kris blushes and hides his embarrassment by scowling in the group’s general direction. Joonmyun smiles and Kris feels his stomach flop around like a goldfish out of its tank.
“I’ll bring you home some icecream, Kris,” Joonmyun promises quietly before leaving.
Kris finds himself sitting on the couch and clutching at the still unread newspaper long after the rowdy group departs.
There’s a tell-tale rush skittering through the hybrid’s system and a heat picking up on his skin that can only mean one thing.
Kris figures he has about two weeks to prepare for his heat.
<<<|>>>
“So how does it feel to be out without your bodyguard, oh crown prince Joonmyun?” Jongdae pipes up as the group make their way to the nearest subway station. They can’t walk four abreast on the footpath so Joonmyun and Jongdae trail behind as Chanyeol and Baekhyun lead.
“It’s not like that,” Joonmyun frowns. Baekhyun and Chanyeol are arguing about who the coolest character is going to be in the film and it’s a miracle that Chanyeol manages to avoid taking out any innocent bystanders with is wild gesticulations as he tries to make his point.
“You do have a touch of the prince disease,” Jongdae crows. He dances away when Joonmyun takes a gentle swipe at him. “Don’t you see it?” he continues. “He would make a perfect body guard!”
Joonmyun shakes his head. It’s not anything he hasn’t heard before. His friends had pointed out how different Kris was to the other hybrids around in Korea. It wasn’t hard to see. When you said the word “Kitty” or “Hybrid”, the images that sprung to mind were all small and sweet and cute. The boys imagined blushing submissive pets and not one of those images matched with the reality of Kris. He appeared neither small nor sweet and there was no way that any of them except Joonmyun would have said that Kris could be cute.
When Kris looked at you, you shrunk away under his stare. It was only Joonmyun who ever saw how soft his eyes could be or the cute way his mouth pursed when he was concentrating. Joonmyun always felt that words failed him when it came to explaining it to his friends. They just couldn’t see it.
“He still looks like he chews bullets for breakfast,” was Baekhyun’s contribution to the conversation as they waited at a set of traffic lights.
“Baek,” Chanyeol shook his head before turning thoughtful. “You know what though? You know how I went to China the other week for work?”
“Oh yeah, how was it?” Baekhyun asks, accepting a possible change in topic.
“Well we went past these government buildings and I saw hybrids that looked exactly like Kris. Like, right down to the scary frown and everything.” Baekhyun and Jongdae think it over as they frown thoughtfully. “They were all in suits with dark glasses and talking into their sleeves like this,” Chanyeol says as he demonstrates the stereotypically ‘FBI’ pose.
The others seem suitably impressed. Joonmyun tries to keep his face blank. He knows exactly why there is a resemblance but it’s really not his place to tell. If Kris wants to share the story then he will.
“I reckon that they could bench press any of the three of you,” Chanyeol is cracking himself up by the time he finishes the sentence and both Jongdae and Baekhyun are laying into his shoulders with vicious rabbit punches. Cries of ‘take that back you overgrown…’ and ‘come down here and say that!’ cover up the need for Joonmyun to respond.
He’s thinking about how it feels to be swallowed up in Kris’ arms or carried to bed after falling asleep on the couch. His cheeks heat despite the cold air when his thoughts trail into the times when Kris sets him on fire with bruising kisses and holds him so tight he can’t even think of moving. They haven’t gone further than that but Joonmyun would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it.
Luckily, Joonmyun doesn’t ever have to think of a response because they reach the cinema and their attention is occupied with gathering snacks and finding their seats.
<<<|>>>
“Right meow I’m thinking that I could be investing in property but the market is so volatile that it’s really discouraging, you know?” Baekhyun says as they sit in a coffee shop after the movie. The group is waiting for Chanyeol to take his seat at the table so they can begin with their deconstruction of every facet of the movie.
“It gives me paws too,” Jongdae says without missing a beat.
“But maybe I could be purr-suaded to take a second look,” Baekhyun reconsiders. He smiles sweetly and takes a sip of his latte.
“What’s going on?” Joonmyun asks. He’s not quite sure what is happening but he’s sure that something isn’t quite right.
“Nothing,” Jongdae says innocently. “Baek was just thinking about buying an apartment and renting it out. I was giving him some advice.” His smile is sweet but his eyes glint dangerously.
“I don’t want to lose it all and have to claw my way back into the market,” Baekhyun says.
“I know what you are doing!” Joonmyun huffs.
“What? Is our conversation about property investment annoying you? Maybe you could suggest another topic for discussion?”
“Ugh whatever,” Joonmyun makes a noise of disgust. “You guys know what I’m talking about,”
He fixes each of them with a hard look.
“It’s a bit of a game of cat and mouse at the moment,” Jongdae starts again.
“Are you paws-itive?” Baekhyun shoots back, clearly proud of himself. Joonmyun groans and sighs. His friends are finding new ways to be immature every day.
“Yep, it’s fur real.” Jongdae cocks his eyebrow triumphantly. He’s got this in the bag.
“You have got to be kitten me,” Baekhyun feigns disbelief.
“Do you two even know what you are supposed to be talking about anymore?” Joonmyun tries to intervene one last time.
“Just wait a meow-ment,” Jongdae holds up one finger and Joonmyun silently fumes.
“If it’s outside you purr-view…” Baekhyun begins. He has nowere to go with this and he knows he is about to lose unless he can come up with something that will break Jongdae’s concentration for good.
Joonmyun glares and the other two turn their attention to him. Twin looks of innocence are directed his way but he isn’t buying it this time.
“So tell us how did Kris whisker you off your feet?” Jongdae says and,
“I didn’t know you were of that purr-suasion!” Baekhyun says at precisely the same time.
The pair turn to regard each other and they know it’s a tie this time.
“That is enough!” Joonmyun says a little too loud in the small coffee shop. He stands and walks off to the bathroom just as Chanyeol arrives with his beverage.
Chanyeol watches him stomp off and looks with suspicion at the two remaining men.
“Alright, what did I miss?”
The pair can no longer hold it in and break out into fits of giggles. Chanyeol sighs and goes off to convince Joonmyun that they were just being idiots.
<<<|>>>
“It’s okay,” Kris sighs into the receiver. “I understand. I’ll be there soon.” He checks his watch and looks up to the ceiling as he counts in his head. “Say, 20 minutes?” There is a pause as he listens to the response and nods to himself. Chanyeol is overly apologetic and Kris can almost hear him bowing on the other end of the phone. “Okay. Get him out the front and I’ll collect him.”
Kris hangs up the phone and slips it into his pocket. He’s already jamming his feet into the sneakers by the entry and pulling the sleeves of his jacket over his hands. The door closes behind him with a soft click and he hears the lock engage. Kris breathes out a puff of mist into the cool night air.
It’s an easy walk to the bar where Joonmyun and his friends are drinking. The streets in this neighbourhood are well lit and there is a food stall on almost every second corner. The Halmoni stirring large pots of broth and turning skewers of meat and fishcake usually pause to stare at the handsome hybrid making his way down the street but not this time. Kris doesn’t draw much attention when his hood is pulled up against the cold and the mask covering the lower half of his face. He’s just another man, taller than average to be sure, but unremarkable other than that.
By the time Kris arrives at the bar, Joonmyun’s friends are waiting outside. The four of them together look like puppies caught chewing slippers. Joonmyun’s head is lolling to the side and he has his arms around Jongdae’s neck. As Kris approaches, Joonmyun is mumbling into his friend’s neck and another of the group, Baekhyun probably, is rubbing large circles into his back. They seem in high spirits and it puts Kris on alert, concern for his owner rising.
“Hey,” Kris is greeted by Chanyeol. They shake hands and the tall man’s long hair flops in his eyes. He tosses his head back but the hair refuses to cooperate and just covers one eye again. Kris is kind of grateful for that because Chanyeol has a lopsided toothy grin and a drunken glow that gives him a creepy look despite his friendly smell.
“Sorry about this,” Chanyeol apologises again. “It looks like he went hard but I think he really only had four drinks. He’s probably just tired or something,” Chanyeol indicates Joonmyun with the jerk of his thumb over on shoulder before replacing his hand in his deep pocket.
Kris nods and moves over to where his owner is sitting. It’s actually more like collapsed. He’s draped over Jongdae in a way that raises the hair on the back of Kris’ neck. It’s only made worse by the way the smaller man grins up at him and pulls Joonmyun closer. Kris swallows and takes a deep breath to calm himself and if he’s honest with himself it only works a little.
“Joonmyun?” Kris says. “You ready to go home?”
“Kris?” Joonmyun lifts his head so quickly that he almost topples backwards off the bench. The hybrid snags his hands and pulls him back up. Maybe he used a little more strength than was necessary because Joonmyun ends up crashing face first into Kris’ chest with an audible ‘ooff!’.
The group starts to laugh but quickly smother their mirth when they see how unamused the hybrid is. He bristles and the others take a step back.
“Well, we were going to move on to the next place…” Baekhyun says. He has a hard time meeting Kris’ eyes and he shuffles his feet. The hybrid narrows his eyes and raises one eyebrow. Baekhyun would later insist that Kris was definitely a government experiment and that he had mind control powers.
“What Baek was trying to say is that we’re glad that Hyung will be alright now and we are really grateful that you could come to pick him up. You’re a real life saver because we don’t think we could have gotten him home in this state,” Chanyeol elbows Baekhyun out of the way and leans in to shake Kris by the hand before bowing a few times and heading off. He drags the other two along for a while and then looks back to wave enthusiastically as they stumble down the street. Chanyeol will tell Baekhyun that he has an inferiority complex and that Kris is normal. Baekhyun will pout and Jongdae will cackle. Kris can make out their arguing for a little while until their voices are swallowed by the background noise of the city.
“Kris-” Joonmyun sighs and Kris is brought back to the reason he came out tonight. Joonmyun smacks his lips and nuzzles closer into his pet’s chest. Kris can smell alcohol but it’s not anywhere near the worst he has seen Joonmyun.
“Alright, let’s get you home,” Kris says to his owner. “Can you walk or should I carry you?”
“Piggy back!” Joonmyun smiles and tries to open his eyes and look up at Kris. Kris chuckles at how Joonmyun’s eyes seem to roll around in their attempt to focus.
“Alright then,” Kris says. “Hop on.” The hybrid goes down on one knee so that Joonmyun can throw a leg over him and slump over his shoulders. Joonmyun’s breath is puffing gently against Kris’ hood as he starts home. There are only a few stares as the pair makes their way back home past the Halmoni and the night time revellers.
Kris expects Joonmyun to fall asleep quickly because that’s what he always does when he drinks. They are half a block from home though, when Kris feels Joonmyun shift and his hood is thrown back. There are hands petting his ears gently. Kris flicks his ears to express his irritation but he just hears Joonmyun giggle.
“So soft!” he exclaims. “Kris, you have the sweetest ears. They are so soft and pointy and I want to pet them all the time.”
“Please don’t,” says Kris, shaking his head so that Joonmyun gets the message. He doesn’t. He just keeps stroking gently. He uses his fingers to smooth the fur softly in the right direction. While Kris can’t really fault his technique, it’s making his knees weak and it’s going to end badly if he collapses while he’s carrying Joonmyun.
“I’ve never understood why you don’t like it,” Joonmyun yawns before slumping back down onto Kris’ shoulder. “I would love someone to run their fingers through my hair and pet me and I bet it feels really good… oh.” Joonmyun stops talking when Kris clears his throat noisily and hikes him further up to get a better grip on his legs.
“We are almost home, Joonmyun,” Kris says quietly. He is just barely able to concentrate with Joonmyun breathing down his collar. It’s a relief when he is able to lower Joonmyun to the ground and punch in the code for their door. The human starts giggling for no good reason that Kris can see and he leans heavily on the hybrid as they enter.
Joonmyun then flops to the floor and Kris has to get him out of his shoes and jacket. Joonmyun is extremely indifferent to what Kris is attempting to achieve, bordering on outright obstructive. He wriggles this way and that on the floor which means that Kris has to chase him in a very undignified manner. Joonmyun giggles every time Kris gets anywhere near his sensitive spots regardless of whether or not the hybrid was actually trying to tickle him or not.
“Can you stay still so I can get your jacket off?” Kris huffs. He sounds angry and Joonmyun curls in on himself.
“No!” he playfully denies his pet until they are both breathing hard.
Kris eventually gives up and sits back against the wall of the tiny entry. It really is absurd that they have been home for a full ten minutes and they are still not properly in the house.
“Fine, you can boil in that thing. See if I care,” he says without any real venom. Kris drags a hand through his hair in exasperation as Joonmyun just lies there.
Kris is about to get up and just leave his owner on the heated floor when Joonmyun raises his head off the ground and looks at him.
“I really do like your ears, Kris,” he smiles before letting his head fall back with a thunk as it connects with the floor boards and promptly passing out.
That night, Kris is left to carry his owner to bed and nurse the strange hot water feeling in his chest. Kris had heard such complements from his owner before and they had pleased him but now it feels as if every sweet thing Joonmyun says sticks like honey in his fur making it feel like he can’t move. Disturbingly, there is also a tight feeling appearing all over his skin. He only has one week left.
<<<|>>>
“What’ve you got there?” Joonmyun looks up from his phone as he sits on the couch. Kris twists around suddenly with a strange guilty look on his face.
“It’s nothing,” he replies. There is something though. Joonmyun can see it. Kris might be big, but whatever he is holding behind his back is too big to conceal.
“Is it a secret?” Joonmyun asks with raised eyebrows and a smile. He locks his phone and trains all his attention on Kris. The hybrid is trying to slip into his room without turning and showing what is behind his back.
“Not a secret as such,” Kris begins. His eyes dart around until Joonmyun laughs. With a wave of his hand, Joonmyun lets him off the hook.
“Don’t worry I’m just being nosy,” he says and goes back to scrolling on his phone. A faint smile curls the corners of his mouth. He knows precisely what Kris is smuggling into his room. He has always known but if Kris wants to keep it all to himself then Joonmyun isn’t going to push it. Not this.
Kris blinks a few times before cautiously backing down the hall and scurrying into his room. Once he has shut the door, Joonmyun looks over to Kris’ bedroom and shakes his head. He imagines Kris rearranging the multitude of soft plush toys in different ways, cuddling them and petting them, even talking to them when he thinks that no one is paying attention. He thinks about how that new toy will be introduced to all its new companions. Kris goes on as if Joonmyun isn’t aware of his habits but Joonmyun knows. He notices everything about the hybrid. He notices how much Kris loves sweets, cake in particular; He sees Kris get weak over cute things. He has a special smile reserved just for these objects. Lately, Joonmyun has noticed that smile directed at him and it makes his insides all swirly.
As a grown man, Joonmyun shouldn’t hope to be thought of as cute by anyone, not even his mother. But the more that Kris directs this look at him, the more Joonmyun finds he doesn’t mind Kris’ thin lipped smile and crescent eyes. He doesn’t mind the large hand mussing up his hair. He doesn’t even mind the chin on his shoulder or the arms looped about his middle while he is occupied with some other task.
The swirly feeling is in his chest too. He thinks about Kris’ expression when he lays eyes on one of those silly alpaca plushies and it makes him smile too. Sure, the hybrid may have too many toys but the thought of making his pet happy has Joonmyun opening up a browser window to find the perfect one.
<<<|>>>
“Kris,” Joonmyun calls as he enters the apartment and Kris comes padding over.
“Did you bring food?” the Kitty asks, anticipation evident in the way he sways back and forth.
“Here.” Joonmyun hands over the bags of takeaway chicken. It’s Kris’ favourite and he manages to purr with contentment even before he reaches the kitchen. That’s a record. Normally he is eating before he gets like that.
Joonmyun follows his pet into the kitchen with the surprise hidden behind his back.
“I got you something else Kris,” he starts.
“Oh really?” Kris asks, preoccupied with pulling out plates to serve up the chicken.
“Yeah,” Joonmyun smiles. He slowly brings the rainbow alpaca out from behind his back and Kris happens to glance over when Joonmyun is silent for a while. He does a quick double take before wiping his fingers on a tea towel and moving over slowly.
The look on Kris’ face makes it all worth it if Joonmyun is honest with himself. The hybrid’s eyes are wide and his ears are pointing straight up. His eyebrows furrow and he starts frowning slightly.
“Is that for me, Joonmyun?” Kris asks even as he holds his arms out for the toy. All pretence is forgotten and he makes no attempt to conceal how much he wants the fuzzy alpaca.
“Of course,” Joonmyun beams and holds it out a little further. Kris rushes over to him, chicken forgotten, to take the toy.
At the last moment, Joonmyun’s expression turns teasing.
“Oh,” he sighs. “Maybe I got the wrong one?” he muses. He lowers the toy and Kris is left holding his arms out awkwardly as he is denied.
“No! It’s perfect,” Kris reassures him. “Can I have it please, Joonmyun?” His attention is fixed on the way the rainbow fur glitters under the fluorescent light.
“Maybe I should get another one,” Joonmyun teases.
“No please!” Kris pouts. He looks only slightly troubled by how loud he was and mostly agitated at the thought of not getting the toy.
Joonmyun is deriving a sort of sick thrill from teasing his pet and he doesn’t notice that Kris’ tail is swishing back and forth dangerously low to the ground.
“In a second, Kris,” he stalls. “I want to get a good look at it. Maybe I want to keep it?” He has no intention of keeping the thing for himself but he is enjoying dragging this out.
“But you said it was mine,” Kris pouts. There is no whine but there is certainly a great deal of pouting occurring.
A doubtful, “well,” is all that Joonmyun manages before he feels Kris’ entire weight forcing him down onto the couch.
Joonmyun makes no effort to resist and the alpaca is wrestled from him. Kris sits straddling Joonmyun and completely without shame, hugs the rainbow alpaca to his chest.
“AH Joonmyun, thank you!” he smiles. Joonmyun feels lightheaded and while it might be the fact that Kris is heavy and it’s difficult to breath, it could also be the sparkles from Kris’ smile.
The hybrid leans in to drop a quick kiss on Joonmyun’s cheek before retuning his attention to the new toy. Maybe it’s the kiss that has him disoriented.
Either way, Joonmyun is floating for the rest of the night. Kris prances off to his room mumbling something about fur not getting greasy and comes back without the toy. He leans up against his owner and rubs his ears on Joonmyun’s knee as they watch TV and eat dinner. There is also the ever present purring that Joonmyun is getting used to.
part 2
Pairing(s)/Focus: (Suho/Kris)
Length: 11k words total
Summary: Joonmyun’s friends always like to tease him because his hybrid is taller and bigger than him but how does Joonmyun feel about it?
Warning/s: Hybridism, Heat, Sex, Cat puns, Cliché.
Notes: Written for kimjongdae for suholiday 2015
There is a tattoo of seven knocks rapping out loudly on the front door of the apartment. Joonmyun shuffles over to the entry and squints one eye as he rises up on his toes to peer through the peephole. Kris spares a glance at his owner and smiles softly at the cute posture before returning to frown at his newspaper, ears twitching.
Joonmyun isn’t surprised when he sees his three friends through the fish eye lens. Jongdae, Baekhyun and Chanyeol mill about outside waiting for him to respond to their summons.
The three of them pour inside noisily and just generally disturb Kris’ quiet morning. It had been the beginning of a lovely Saturday before the flurry of text messages had convinced Joonmyun he should go out with his friends. Of course Kris had been invited too but he graciously declined, preferring instead to rest at home.
Joonmyun had been resting too until the intrusion. He had been laying across Kris’ lap as he played pokemon on his vintage GameBoy Colour. It was one of Joonmyun’s prized possessions along with his collection of classic games. The music from the game bounced along in a chirpy 8-bit accompaniment to their quiet morning relaxation. His slipper clad feet tapped along in time with the beat and his blond hair fanned out over Kris’ thigh while one of Kris’ large hands rested comfortably on his owner’s chest. Kris sipped his coffee and read his newspaper, periodically glancing over to see Joonmyun’s progress or his notice his tongue protruding in concentration over a particularly tense battle.
In short, it had been just as Kris liked it.
Joonmyun’s phone had interrupted with an obnoxious buzzing to entice him away. Pausing the game, Joonmyun had sat up and his secure weight had been lost to Kris. Since then Kris had failed to read any more of his newspaper. He had just managed to glare at the small print.
“Hi Kris,” Chanyeol says. He’s the first to greet Kris every time. If the hybrid is honest, he dislikes Chanyeol the least out of the three even though he is just as puppy-like as the other two. Despite being friendly, Chanyeol is just too haphazard, too volatile for Kris to warm too.
“Hello Chanyeol,” Kris replies. “Jongdae, Baekhyun.” He greets the other two with a nod and they nod back nervously.
“I can’t believe you got tickets!” Joonmyun says. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation.
“My sister got them,” Chanyeol laughs as he mirrors Joonmyun’s excitement. “Noona just asked me if I wanted to see the premiere of ‘that Star Wars movie’. I can’t believe she’s in promotions. She just gave them away.” It’s then that he turns to Kris.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Joonmyun offers again. “Chanyeol said he has enough tickets,” he smiles and nods. Joonmyun looks so excited that Kris feels his resolve weakening. For a moment he thinks it might be nice to go but then he remembers how the four of them like to sit for ages afterwards and repeat the entire movie they just saw line for line and he shakes his head.
“It’s really nice of you to invite me, but I’ll have to pass,” Kris says. “You all go and have a great time.”
Joonmyun pouts cutely for a moment before walking over to the couch to press a goodbye kiss to Kris’ mouth. Kris lets his eyes close and finds it difficult not to chase Joonmyun’s lips when he pulls back. Joonmyun has the fingers of one hand sliding through Kris’ black hair and the way he stares into the hybrid’s eyes has him entranced.
They had only just recently stepped over the line between housemate/friends and boyfriends/possibly more. The honeymoon feeling is only getting worse each time the friends see the pair together.
The sweet moment is interrupted by a cough. Kris blushes and hides his embarrassment by scowling in the group’s general direction. Joonmyun smiles and Kris feels his stomach flop around like a goldfish out of its tank.
“I’ll bring you home some icecream, Kris,” Joonmyun promises quietly before leaving.
Kris finds himself sitting on the couch and clutching at the still unread newspaper long after the rowdy group departs.
There’s a tell-tale rush skittering through the hybrid’s system and a heat picking up on his skin that can only mean one thing.
Kris figures he has about two weeks to prepare for his heat.
<<<|>>>
“So how does it feel to be out without your bodyguard, oh crown prince Joonmyun?” Jongdae pipes up as the group make their way to the nearest subway station. They can’t walk four abreast on the footpath so Joonmyun and Jongdae trail behind as Chanyeol and Baekhyun lead.
“It’s not like that,” Joonmyun frowns. Baekhyun and Chanyeol are arguing about who the coolest character is going to be in the film and it’s a miracle that Chanyeol manages to avoid taking out any innocent bystanders with is wild gesticulations as he tries to make his point.
“You do have a touch of the prince disease,” Jongdae crows. He dances away when Joonmyun takes a gentle swipe at him. “Don’t you see it?” he continues. “He would make a perfect body guard!”
Joonmyun shakes his head. It’s not anything he hasn’t heard before. His friends had pointed out how different Kris was to the other hybrids around in Korea. It wasn’t hard to see. When you said the word “Kitty” or “Hybrid”, the images that sprung to mind were all small and sweet and cute. The boys imagined blushing submissive pets and not one of those images matched with the reality of Kris. He appeared neither small nor sweet and there was no way that any of them except Joonmyun would have said that Kris could be cute.
When Kris looked at you, you shrunk away under his stare. It was only Joonmyun who ever saw how soft his eyes could be or the cute way his mouth pursed when he was concentrating. Joonmyun always felt that words failed him when it came to explaining it to his friends. They just couldn’t see it.
“He still looks like he chews bullets for breakfast,” was Baekhyun’s contribution to the conversation as they waited at a set of traffic lights.
“Baek,” Chanyeol shook his head before turning thoughtful. “You know what though? You know how I went to China the other week for work?”
“Oh yeah, how was it?” Baekhyun asks, accepting a possible change in topic.
“Well we went past these government buildings and I saw hybrids that looked exactly like Kris. Like, right down to the scary frown and everything.” Baekhyun and Jongdae think it over as they frown thoughtfully. “They were all in suits with dark glasses and talking into their sleeves like this,” Chanyeol says as he demonstrates the stereotypically ‘FBI’ pose.
The others seem suitably impressed. Joonmyun tries to keep his face blank. He knows exactly why there is a resemblance but it’s really not his place to tell. If Kris wants to share the story then he will.
“I reckon that they could bench press any of the three of you,” Chanyeol is cracking himself up by the time he finishes the sentence and both Jongdae and Baekhyun are laying into his shoulders with vicious rabbit punches. Cries of ‘take that back you overgrown…’ and ‘come down here and say that!’ cover up the need for Joonmyun to respond.
He’s thinking about how it feels to be swallowed up in Kris’ arms or carried to bed after falling asleep on the couch. His cheeks heat despite the cold air when his thoughts trail into the times when Kris sets him on fire with bruising kisses and holds him so tight he can’t even think of moving. They haven’t gone further than that but Joonmyun would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it.
Luckily, Joonmyun doesn’t ever have to think of a response because they reach the cinema and their attention is occupied with gathering snacks and finding their seats.
<<<|>>>
“Right meow I’m thinking that I could be investing in property but the market is so volatile that it’s really discouraging, you know?” Baekhyun says as they sit in a coffee shop after the movie. The group is waiting for Chanyeol to take his seat at the table so they can begin with their deconstruction of every facet of the movie.
“It gives me paws too,” Jongdae says without missing a beat.
“But maybe I could be purr-suaded to take a second look,” Baekhyun reconsiders. He smiles sweetly and takes a sip of his latte.
“What’s going on?” Joonmyun asks. He’s not quite sure what is happening but he’s sure that something isn’t quite right.
“Nothing,” Jongdae says innocently. “Baek was just thinking about buying an apartment and renting it out. I was giving him some advice.” His smile is sweet but his eyes glint dangerously.
“I don’t want to lose it all and have to claw my way back into the market,” Baekhyun says.
“I know what you are doing!” Joonmyun huffs.
“What? Is our conversation about property investment annoying you? Maybe you could suggest another topic for discussion?”
“Ugh whatever,” Joonmyun makes a noise of disgust. “You guys know what I’m talking about,”
He fixes each of them with a hard look.
“It’s a bit of a game of cat and mouse at the moment,” Jongdae starts again.
“Are you paws-itive?” Baekhyun shoots back, clearly proud of himself. Joonmyun groans and sighs. His friends are finding new ways to be immature every day.
“Yep, it’s fur real.” Jongdae cocks his eyebrow triumphantly. He’s got this in the bag.
“You have got to be kitten me,” Baekhyun feigns disbelief.
“Do you two even know what you are supposed to be talking about anymore?” Joonmyun tries to intervene one last time.
“Just wait a meow-ment,” Jongdae holds up one finger and Joonmyun silently fumes.
“If it’s outside you purr-view…” Baekhyun begins. He has nowere to go with this and he knows he is about to lose unless he can come up with something that will break Jongdae’s concentration for good.
Joonmyun glares and the other two turn their attention to him. Twin looks of innocence are directed his way but he isn’t buying it this time.
“So tell us how did Kris whisker you off your feet?” Jongdae says and,
“I didn’t know you were of that purr-suasion!” Baekhyun says at precisely the same time.
The pair turn to regard each other and they know it’s a tie this time.
“That is enough!” Joonmyun says a little too loud in the small coffee shop. He stands and walks off to the bathroom just as Chanyeol arrives with his beverage.
Chanyeol watches him stomp off and looks with suspicion at the two remaining men.
“Alright, what did I miss?”
The pair can no longer hold it in and break out into fits of giggles. Chanyeol sighs and goes off to convince Joonmyun that they were just being idiots.
<<<|>>>
“It’s okay,” Kris sighs into the receiver. “I understand. I’ll be there soon.” He checks his watch and looks up to the ceiling as he counts in his head. “Say, 20 minutes?” There is a pause as he listens to the response and nods to himself. Chanyeol is overly apologetic and Kris can almost hear him bowing on the other end of the phone. “Okay. Get him out the front and I’ll collect him.”
Kris hangs up the phone and slips it into his pocket. He’s already jamming his feet into the sneakers by the entry and pulling the sleeves of his jacket over his hands. The door closes behind him with a soft click and he hears the lock engage. Kris breathes out a puff of mist into the cool night air.
It’s an easy walk to the bar where Joonmyun and his friends are drinking. The streets in this neighbourhood are well lit and there is a food stall on almost every second corner. The Halmoni stirring large pots of broth and turning skewers of meat and fishcake usually pause to stare at the handsome hybrid making his way down the street but not this time. Kris doesn’t draw much attention when his hood is pulled up against the cold and the mask covering the lower half of his face. He’s just another man, taller than average to be sure, but unremarkable other than that.
By the time Kris arrives at the bar, Joonmyun’s friends are waiting outside. The four of them together look like puppies caught chewing slippers. Joonmyun’s head is lolling to the side and he has his arms around Jongdae’s neck. As Kris approaches, Joonmyun is mumbling into his friend’s neck and another of the group, Baekhyun probably, is rubbing large circles into his back. They seem in high spirits and it puts Kris on alert, concern for his owner rising.
“Hey,” Kris is greeted by Chanyeol. They shake hands and the tall man’s long hair flops in his eyes. He tosses his head back but the hair refuses to cooperate and just covers one eye again. Kris is kind of grateful for that because Chanyeol has a lopsided toothy grin and a drunken glow that gives him a creepy look despite his friendly smell.
“Sorry about this,” Chanyeol apologises again. “It looks like he went hard but I think he really only had four drinks. He’s probably just tired or something,” Chanyeol indicates Joonmyun with the jerk of his thumb over on shoulder before replacing his hand in his deep pocket.
Kris nods and moves over to where his owner is sitting. It’s actually more like collapsed. He’s draped over Jongdae in a way that raises the hair on the back of Kris’ neck. It’s only made worse by the way the smaller man grins up at him and pulls Joonmyun closer. Kris swallows and takes a deep breath to calm himself and if he’s honest with himself it only works a little.
“Joonmyun?” Kris says. “You ready to go home?”
“Kris?” Joonmyun lifts his head so quickly that he almost topples backwards off the bench. The hybrid snags his hands and pulls him back up. Maybe he used a little more strength than was necessary because Joonmyun ends up crashing face first into Kris’ chest with an audible ‘ooff!’.
The group starts to laugh but quickly smother their mirth when they see how unamused the hybrid is. He bristles and the others take a step back.
“Well, we were going to move on to the next place…” Baekhyun says. He has a hard time meeting Kris’ eyes and he shuffles his feet. The hybrid narrows his eyes and raises one eyebrow. Baekhyun would later insist that Kris was definitely a government experiment and that he had mind control powers.
“What Baek was trying to say is that we’re glad that Hyung will be alright now and we are really grateful that you could come to pick him up. You’re a real life saver because we don’t think we could have gotten him home in this state,” Chanyeol elbows Baekhyun out of the way and leans in to shake Kris by the hand before bowing a few times and heading off. He drags the other two along for a while and then looks back to wave enthusiastically as they stumble down the street. Chanyeol will tell Baekhyun that he has an inferiority complex and that Kris is normal. Baekhyun will pout and Jongdae will cackle. Kris can make out their arguing for a little while until their voices are swallowed by the background noise of the city.
“Kris-” Joonmyun sighs and Kris is brought back to the reason he came out tonight. Joonmyun smacks his lips and nuzzles closer into his pet’s chest. Kris can smell alcohol but it’s not anywhere near the worst he has seen Joonmyun.
“Alright, let’s get you home,” Kris says to his owner. “Can you walk or should I carry you?”
“Piggy back!” Joonmyun smiles and tries to open his eyes and look up at Kris. Kris chuckles at how Joonmyun’s eyes seem to roll around in their attempt to focus.
“Alright then,” Kris says. “Hop on.” The hybrid goes down on one knee so that Joonmyun can throw a leg over him and slump over his shoulders. Joonmyun’s breath is puffing gently against Kris’ hood as he starts home. There are only a few stares as the pair makes their way back home past the Halmoni and the night time revellers.
Kris expects Joonmyun to fall asleep quickly because that’s what he always does when he drinks. They are half a block from home though, when Kris feels Joonmyun shift and his hood is thrown back. There are hands petting his ears gently. Kris flicks his ears to express his irritation but he just hears Joonmyun giggle.
“So soft!” he exclaims. “Kris, you have the sweetest ears. They are so soft and pointy and I want to pet them all the time.”
“Please don’t,” says Kris, shaking his head so that Joonmyun gets the message. He doesn’t. He just keeps stroking gently. He uses his fingers to smooth the fur softly in the right direction. While Kris can’t really fault his technique, it’s making his knees weak and it’s going to end badly if he collapses while he’s carrying Joonmyun.
“I’ve never understood why you don’t like it,” Joonmyun yawns before slumping back down onto Kris’ shoulder. “I would love someone to run their fingers through my hair and pet me and I bet it feels really good… oh.” Joonmyun stops talking when Kris clears his throat noisily and hikes him further up to get a better grip on his legs.
“We are almost home, Joonmyun,” Kris says quietly. He is just barely able to concentrate with Joonmyun breathing down his collar. It’s a relief when he is able to lower Joonmyun to the ground and punch in the code for their door. The human starts giggling for no good reason that Kris can see and he leans heavily on the hybrid as they enter.
Joonmyun then flops to the floor and Kris has to get him out of his shoes and jacket. Joonmyun is extremely indifferent to what Kris is attempting to achieve, bordering on outright obstructive. He wriggles this way and that on the floor which means that Kris has to chase him in a very undignified manner. Joonmyun giggles every time Kris gets anywhere near his sensitive spots regardless of whether or not the hybrid was actually trying to tickle him or not.
“Can you stay still so I can get your jacket off?” Kris huffs. He sounds angry and Joonmyun curls in on himself.
“No!” he playfully denies his pet until they are both breathing hard.
Kris eventually gives up and sits back against the wall of the tiny entry. It really is absurd that they have been home for a full ten minutes and they are still not properly in the house.
“Fine, you can boil in that thing. See if I care,” he says without any real venom. Kris drags a hand through his hair in exasperation as Joonmyun just lies there.
Kris is about to get up and just leave his owner on the heated floor when Joonmyun raises his head off the ground and looks at him.
“I really do like your ears, Kris,” he smiles before letting his head fall back with a thunk as it connects with the floor boards and promptly passing out.
That night, Kris is left to carry his owner to bed and nurse the strange hot water feeling in his chest. Kris had heard such complements from his owner before and they had pleased him but now it feels as if every sweet thing Joonmyun says sticks like honey in his fur making it feel like he can’t move. Disturbingly, there is also a tight feeling appearing all over his skin. He only has one week left.
<<<|>>>
“What’ve you got there?” Joonmyun looks up from his phone as he sits on the couch. Kris twists around suddenly with a strange guilty look on his face.
“It’s nothing,” he replies. There is something though. Joonmyun can see it. Kris might be big, but whatever he is holding behind his back is too big to conceal.
“Is it a secret?” Joonmyun asks with raised eyebrows and a smile. He locks his phone and trains all his attention on Kris. The hybrid is trying to slip into his room without turning and showing what is behind his back.
“Not a secret as such,” Kris begins. His eyes dart around until Joonmyun laughs. With a wave of his hand, Joonmyun lets him off the hook.
“Don’t worry I’m just being nosy,” he says and goes back to scrolling on his phone. A faint smile curls the corners of his mouth. He knows precisely what Kris is smuggling into his room. He has always known but if Kris wants to keep it all to himself then Joonmyun isn’t going to push it. Not this.
Kris blinks a few times before cautiously backing down the hall and scurrying into his room. Once he has shut the door, Joonmyun looks over to Kris’ bedroom and shakes his head. He imagines Kris rearranging the multitude of soft plush toys in different ways, cuddling them and petting them, even talking to them when he thinks that no one is paying attention. He thinks about how that new toy will be introduced to all its new companions. Kris goes on as if Joonmyun isn’t aware of his habits but Joonmyun knows. He notices everything about the hybrid. He notices how much Kris loves sweets, cake in particular; He sees Kris get weak over cute things. He has a special smile reserved just for these objects. Lately, Joonmyun has noticed that smile directed at him and it makes his insides all swirly.
As a grown man, Joonmyun shouldn’t hope to be thought of as cute by anyone, not even his mother. But the more that Kris directs this look at him, the more Joonmyun finds he doesn’t mind Kris’ thin lipped smile and crescent eyes. He doesn’t mind the large hand mussing up his hair. He doesn’t even mind the chin on his shoulder or the arms looped about his middle while he is occupied with some other task.
The swirly feeling is in his chest too. He thinks about Kris’ expression when he lays eyes on one of those silly alpaca plushies and it makes him smile too. Sure, the hybrid may have too many toys but the thought of making his pet happy has Joonmyun opening up a browser window to find the perfect one.
<<<|>>>
“Kris,” Joonmyun calls as he enters the apartment and Kris comes padding over.
“Did you bring food?” the Kitty asks, anticipation evident in the way he sways back and forth.
“Here.” Joonmyun hands over the bags of takeaway chicken. It’s Kris’ favourite and he manages to purr with contentment even before he reaches the kitchen. That’s a record. Normally he is eating before he gets like that.
Joonmyun follows his pet into the kitchen with the surprise hidden behind his back.
“I got you something else Kris,” he starts.
“Oh really?” Kris asks, preoccupied with pulling out plates to serve up the chicken.
“Yeah,” Joonmyun smiles. He slowly brings the rainbow alpaca out from behind his back and Kris happens to glance over when Joonmyun is silent for a while. He does a quick double take before wiping his fingers on a tea towel and moving over slowly.
The look on Kris’ face makes it all worth it if Joonmyun is honest with himself. The hybrid’s eyes are wide and his ears are pointing straight up. His eyebrows furrow and he starts frowning slightly.
“Is that for me, Joonmyun?” Kris asks even as he holds his arms out for the toy. All pretence is forgotten and he makes no attempt to conceal how much he wants the fuzzy alpaca.
“Of course,” Joonmyun beams and holds it out a little further. Kris rushes over to him, chicken forgotten, to take the toy.
At the last moment, Joonmyun’s expression turns teasing.
“Oh,” he sighs. “Maybe I got the wrong one?” he muses. He lowers the toy and Kris is left holding his arms out awkwardly as he is denied.
“No! It’s perfect,” Kris reassures him. “Can I have it please, Joonmyun?” His attention is fixed on the way the rainbow fur glitters under the fluorescent light.
“Maybe I should get another one,” Joonmyun teases.
“No please!” Kris pouts. He looks only slightly troubled by how loud he was and mostly agitated at the thought of not getting the toy.
Joonmyun is deriving a sort of sick thrill from teasing his pet and he doesn’t notice that Kris’ tail is swishing back and forth dangerously low to the ground.
“In a second, Kris,” he stalls. “I want to get a good look at it. Maybe I want to keep it?” He has no intention of keeping the thing for himself but he is enjoying dragging this out.
“But you said it was mine,” Kris pouts. There is no whine but there is certainly a great deal of pouting occurring.
A doubtful, “well,” is all that Joonmyun manages before he feels Kris’ entire weight forcing him down onto the couch.
Joonmyun makes no effort to resist and the alpaca is wrestled from him. Kris sits straddling Joonmyun and completely without shame, hugs the rainbow alpaca to his chest.
“AH Joonmyun, thank you!” he smiles. Joonmyun feels lightheaded and while it might be the fact that Kris is heavy and it’s difficult to breath, it could also be the sparkles from Kris’ smile.
The hybrid leans in to drop a quick kiss on Joonmyun’s cheek before retuning his attention to the new toy. Maybe it’s the kiss that has him disoriented.
Either way, Joonmyun is floating for the rest of the night. Kris prances off to his room mumbling something about fur not getting greasy and comes back without the toy. He leans up against his owner and rubs his ears on Joonmyun’s knee as they watch TV and eat dinner. There is also the ever present purring that Joonmyun is getting used to.
part 2