what you need is a cat, for thesockmonster
Title: what you need is a cat
For: thesockmonster
Word count: ~3100
Rating: PG
Summary: Yixing is getting over a messy breakup, and his best friend recommends he gets a pet to take his mind off things. What he doesn’t expect is a sassy companion with sharp claws and sharper words.
“What you need is a cat.” Luhan announced, beaming and clapping a less than amused Yixing on the shoulder. The younger boy jerked forward under the force, hardly mirroring his best friend’s smile.
“I do not.” He huffed, dabbing his eyes with yet another tissue.
“Yes. You do.” Luhan’s tone took on a serious note. “The two of you broke up how long ago, and just his name still makes you turn on the waterworks? You need something to take your mind off his sorry ass, and caring for a pet is a perfect distraction.”
Yixing sniffled in thought. “Can’t I just get a goldfish?”
“Absolutely not.” The elder replied. “Can you cuddle a goldfish? Can you pour out all your emotions to a goldfish and have them look at you with big, bright, understanding eyes? No.”
Yixing could have sworn he saw a gleam in his companion’s gaze.
“Tomorrow,” Luhan declared, leaning in towards the younger’s ear. “We’re going to go find you a cat.”
--
Yixing sulked in Luhan’s passenger seat, displeased with the fact that he had to put on real, non-tracksuit clothing and actually leave the comfort of his nest in the apartment. Ever chipper, Luhan pat his sullen friend on the knee reassuringly.
“You’ll thank me later.”
The younger simply hummed and continued to stare out the window.
It wasn’t until the pair passed the third potential pet store that Yixing let his curiosity get ahead of his moping. He wiggled a bit in his seat, suddenly antsy.
“We are getting a live cat, right?” He questioned.
“We are.” Luhan confirmed, ignoring the subtle sass and keeping his eyes on the road. “Just not one you’re used to.”
“What do you…?”
“We’re getting you a hybrid. A cat hybrid.”
“A what?”
“Shh.” Luhan turned the car into a small paved lot adjacent to what looked like a barn. “Trust me. Walk quietly and follow my lead.” He tugged the keys from the ignition and pocketed them with a quick wink. Yixing, eyes wide with disbelief, was teetering on the edge of asking Luhan if he’d been on the receiving end of any illicit drugs recently.
With the smallest of sighs, he unbuckled and hoisted himself from the car.
Inside the barn, Yixing had to bite his lip to keep from making a strangled noise in shock. Cats. But not… Cats. Catboys. And girls. From tiny kittens learning how to master their two feet to what looked like den mothers overseeing the group lovingly. Most of them looked human enough, save for the pointed ears on their heads and fluffy tails.
And here was Luhan, just walking right in as if there could be nothing more normal.
A younger catboy, one who looked to be generally their age in human years, bounced over to Luhan immediately and rubbed his face affectionately against the other’s shoulder. Luhan buried his fingers in the soft hair between two pointy, fuzzy ears and Yixing could actually hear the newcomer purring.
“Xing, this is Minseok.” He noted proudly. “He’ll help us find someone for you.”
Sure enough, this calico boy leapt at the chance to give them a tour around the barn. He asked Yixing a handful of questions, most of them too rapid-fire for Yixing to remember.
“Do you want a male or female?” Minseok questioned, sliding his glance over to the still-gaping human beside him.
“Female.” Luhan answered for him.
“No.” Yixing spoke up. “Absolutely no. Male. Girls are too… Catty.”
Minseok just stared at him with concern in his eyes before turning and leading them in another direction.
“Um. Are you looking for a certain age?”
“I don’t know what I’m looking for at all, really. I barely agreed to a pet, I didn’t expect to be looking for something half-human.” Yixing felt a sudden tug on his sleeve and turned to see an adolescent catboy pawing at the hem of his sweatshirt. While it was kind of endearing, it was still unsettling to be plunged into such a strange new world so unexpectedly.
“Why don’t we make this easy, then? Look around for a bit, and then show me what seems to suit you best.”
Minseok plunked himself down in Luhan’s lap, tail spiraling happily around the human’s wrist.
There were a lot of options, that much was true. Every color, every temperament; long hair and short hair, wild and lazy. Catboys batting at feathers idly, lounging in plush blankets, munching from dishes in the corner… Nothing caught Yixing’s eye, however, until he spotted a brindled male with golden hair sitting in the corner behind a stack of crates. This catboy had his knees drawn to his chest, severe eyebrows knit in what looked to be frustration.
Yixing pointed at him, causing Minseok to shake his head frantically.
“What’s the matter with this one?” Yixing asked. The catboy didn’t even bat an eye at the ones talking about him.
“That’s… Wu Fan. You don’t want that one.”
“How do you know I don’t want that one?” Yixing snapped. If he was going to be forced to pick a humanoid pet, he wasn’t going to let someone else make the decision. He crouched down, crawling closer to the one called Wu Fan.
The creature’s slitted eyes darted in his direction and Yixing offered a hopeful smile. The catboy’s tail vibrated with anxiety and there was a grunt of annoyance in his throat. Yixing reached out to pat him on the head - and instantly wished he hadn’t. Wu Fan lashed out with a snarl, surprisingly sharp claws catching the human across the face and drawing beads of blood. Yixing screamed and flinched backward, hardly aware of Minseok darting forward and hissing at the other cat. Wu Fan ignored the scolding from the older feline, opting instead to flick his tail and look away.
Minseok and Luhan helped Yixing back to the front of the barn, sitting him on the couch and dabbing at his wounds with wet cloths.
“That’s why you don’t want him.” The calico murmured, applying some ointment above Yixing’s eye.
“What’s wrong with him?” Yixing repeated, wincing at the sting.
“We don’t know. He’s always been like that. He’s hurt a lot of people and he’s never been given a second thought for adoption. We are going to… Send him away soon, I think.”
“Send him where?” Yixing wasn’t sure why he was so invested in this angry feline, but something told him not to drop the subject.
“Ah… Away. To a camp. You’re new to the world of hybrids, aren’t you?” Minseok leaned back to survey his handiwork and Yixing gave him a withering stare.
“What tipped you off?”
“Hybrids get sent to camps if they’re unfit for adoption. They can’t survive in a human’s world without someone to help care for and guide them, so sometimes it’s best if they go.”
“What happens in a camp like that?”
“They work.” Minseok lowered his voice, sharing a concerned glance with Luhan. “They work until they… Can’t.”
“It’s a death camp?!” Yixing shouted, drawing the attention of several nearby cats. “You send innocent creatures to slave away until they keel over and die?”
Minseok desperately tried shushing Yixing. “It’s the way it’s always been. I don’t make the rules, I just have to follow them.”
Yixing set his jaw, teeth grinding at the absurdity of it all. Luhan reached out and rubbed Minseok’s back, noting that the calico’s fur was standing on end.
“I’m taking him, then.” Yixing declared. “I’m not going to let you kill him. I’m adopting the cat named Wu Fan.”
--
The first few weeks were rough, and the first few days were especially hellish as Wu Fan realized this new home was his home. Yixing found himself absolutely covered in gouges and scratches from the catboy’s claws and teeth. He had to wear unnecessarily long sleeves to cover most of the wounds on his arms.
But he didn’t give up on this cat named Wu Fan.
Yixing talked to him constantly, even when the brindled creature sat in the corner and sulked. He asked what his personality was like, how he was feeling, if he was hungry and what he liked to do in his spare time… All with the ever-predictable silence as a response. Yixing also told the cat all about his day; his projects at work, the feather he found on the ground, and the cute barista in the new coffee shop down the street. He never really knew if Wu Fan was listening or not, with his rigid ears and flicking tail, but it still made him feel better somehow. Every night,
Yixing made a tuna fish sandwich (he did his best to combine what he knew cats liked as well as what humans like, as he was still new to this whole thing) and set it on a white plate a few feet from Wu Fan. When he woke up every morning, it still sat there untouched. Yixing would sigh and throw the discarded food into the woods for the birds to peck at on his way to work.
But even still, something told him not to give up on this cat named Wu Fan.
He was shocked into silence when one day, two months later, he woke on a Saturday to see Wu Fan actually sitting on the floor of his bedroom, looking at him nervously. Yixing blinked and sat up, staring back. Beside the catboy’s feet lay the white plate, on which only the crusts of the bread remained. He couldn’t stop the beaming smile that stretched across his lips, and Wu Fan actually blushed.
“Are you still hungry? Is that it?” He asked. Wu Fan nodded quickly, cheeks tinged and ears swiveling anxiously.
“All right. Let’s see what we can find for you.” With a stretch, he swung his legs out of bed and padded towards the kitchen. Wu Fan was at his heels, but suddenly paused in his tracks and turned around. Yixing leaned over to peek back into the hallway, noting with a smile that Wu Fan was fetching the plate.
“What do you like, I wonder…” Yixing hummed, sifting through leftovers in the fridge. There was a rustle behind him as Wu Fan approached and crouched down nearby.
“I like things that humans like, you know.” The catboy said, voice deep and smooth. Yixing jumped in surprise,
knocking his head against the inside of the refrigerator. He grunted in pain and spun around to meet Wu Fan’s curious eyes.
“You can talk?!”
“Of course I can talk,” Came the indignant reply. “I’m half cat, not half stupid.”
“Yeah, but you’ve been here so long and you haven’t said a word-”
“Because I had nothing to say. I don’t talk to humans much.” He peered over Yixing’s shoulder, looking into the fridge himself as the human took out containers of food.
“Why not?”
“I don’t have any reason to anymore. I hate humans.”
Yixing frowned and scooted back, shutting the appliance door and gathering the food packages in his arms.
“Do you hate me?” He asked, fearing the answer.
There was a long pause then, and when he looked at the creature on his kitchen floor, Wu Fan was blushing again.
Feral nails scratched idly against the tiled floor.
“You’re the least detestable human I’ve met so far.”
And that was enough for Yixing.
Wu Fan began to open up more as they talked over a plateful of leftover salmon and potatoes - most of which the catboy devoured enthusiastically on his own. Yixing even had him smiling. The only question that Wu Fan refused to touch was the reason why he hated humans so much.
--
Days lapsed into weeks and before long, Wu Fan was celebrating his second month in Yixing’s house. It became customary for the cat to curl his long limbs up in Yixing’s lap and press himself close to the human’s chest. He purred softly as Yixing stroked his hair and watched nothing in particular on TV. That’s usually how they’d fall asleep; even if it meant an aching back for him in the morning, the bonding was worth the discomfort.
“Why did you adopt me?” Wu Fan asked one night. Yixing inhaled sharply at the question. “When there were so many other cats, most of which wouldn’t have scratched your face off, why me?”
“I just… Liked you best.” Yixing said lamely. He could almost feel the intensity with which Wu Fan rolled his eyes.
“Your heart got faster,” Wu Fan observed. “You’re lying.”
“They were going to do something bad.” He admitted quietly. “Something really bad. To you.”
“That’s not enough information.” There was a growl on the edge of Wu Fan’s voice as he sat up and looked Yixing in the eye.
“They were going to take you away!” Yixing breathed out, hands braced on Wu Fan’s shoulders. “Because of how you were acting, they were going to take you and-”
“The Place.” Wu Fan murmured, face paling with realization. “They were going to take me to The Place?”
Yixing’s eyebrows knitted.
“Don’t think I don’t know.” Wu Fan hissed, ears flattening. “The Place is where they send cats who are too old, too damaged, useless. Cats who leave never come back!” His voice rose in panic, and Yixing stroked his neck to calm him.
“But you don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Wu Fan was silent for a long moment, breath coming in shallow bursts.
“You saved me. Even after I put my claws through your face, you still… Still wanted to save me.” There was a softness in Wu Fan’s eyes that Yixing had never seen before, so he offered a small smile.
“Not all humans are bad.”
Wu Fan made a chirruping sound in his throat, tipping his tail back and forth before leaning in and planting his lips right on top of Yixing’s.
The human gasped against the catboy’s mouth, startled, but didn’t find he wanted to pull back.
“I didn’t know cats could do that.” He murmured once Wu Fan leaned away to breathe. The catboy looked like he had half a mind to hide under the couch for eternity, but Yixing held him still.
“Humans… Like that, right? Kisses?”
“We sure do.” Yixing beamed.
“I think I like it, too.”
“Do you want to try it again to be sure?”
Wu Fan blinked at Yixing, wondering how he knew. The human gave a soft snort of a laugh and placed his hands on either side of Wu Fan’s jaw. The catboy shifted his position to get more comfortable and settled his own hands on Yixing’s shoulders. Ears twitching with anticipation, he leaned in again and repeated his action from earlier.
Yixing guided him a bit more this time, slowing their kiss down so it bloomed and tingled and blended seconds into minutes.
Their lips were swollen and their breath came in gasps by the time they parted again, but there was a long moment of Wu Fan searching Yixing’s eyes, a long moment of thinking.
“So,” He said quietly. “You answered my question, and I guess that means I need to answer yours.”
Yixing blanked out for a moment, trying to remember what he’d asked. “Which question is that?”
“Why I don’t like humans. Most humans.”
Yixing held his breath for a moment, shocked at the sudden breakthrough. Up until now, Wu Fan hadn’t dared to touch such a discussion.
Wu Fan fidgeted a little, tail twitching back and forth as he made thoughtful noises in his throat. There was a moment before he met Yixing's eyes again.
"I was young, when it happened. A kitten, by your standards. I had a lot of brothers and sisters, and they were all older and bigger than I was. Whenever the human that took care of my mother invited people to see us, they fell in love with all my siblings. They played chase, they got ear scratches; they were fed chicken and treats, all of that.
But for some reason they ignored me.
"Mom said it was because I was too quiet. I didn't purr, I didn't talk to the strangers when they came by, and I was so small. She encouraged me to be bolder."
Yixing watched and listened silently, his fingers gently stroking the end of Wu Fan's tail.
"So I had to prove myself. I had to show everyone that I was fierce and worthy of being alive and that they shouldn't ignore me. I tried to be bolder, livelier. But I did so physically. I tried showing off with louder hisses and growls, with my teeth. The act went on for so long that it eventually became reality and I couldn't remember what it was like before. I didn't know how to turn back. When the last of my siblings found their human, I was sent to live in the barn with Minseok. It's kind of... A place for misfit cats that came from different places and backgrounds."
Yixing nodded, understanding a lot more than before.
"But even there, hardly anyone ever bothered with me. It felt normal to resent humans. I never expected anyone to want to deal with me. Least of all such a quiet and gentle human male." Wu Fan smirked and flicked his tail so it hit Yixing on the nose. "But I guess in the end, quiet and gentle was all I needed. The act was useless."
"Not useless, it landed you in the barn, right? If you weren't there, I'm pretty sure there's no way I would have ever found you otherwise. I mean, I didn't even know hybrids were a thing until two months ago."
"You have a lot to learn, human." Wu Fan snorted and touched his head to Yixing's.
"This has been a learning experience for us both, cat." The human returned, rubbing the back of Wu Fan's neck.
"You're right," Wu Fan pressed his nails into Yixing's shoulder, gripping him tighter than before and leaning in for a series of tiny kitten licks along his cheek. "I'm learning that I like this a lot."
Yixing let out a huff of a laugh, his fingers gliding through Wu Fan’s hair. The catboy’s eyes flicked up. “I like you, and I want you to stay here with me.”
There was suddenly another deep, long kiss, which had both of them melting.
“I trust you.” Wu Fan murmured, lips barely parted from Yixing’s as he spoke. "And I'm learning that I like living here. A lot."
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Wu Fan finally confirmed, curling up and laying his head in Yixing’s lap.
The human was about to respond when Wu Fan turned to look up at him, more words on his lips.
“With you.”
For: thesockmonster
Word count: ~3100
Rating: PG
Summary: Yixing is getting over a messy breakup, and his best friend recommends he gets a pet to take his mind off things. What he doesn’t expect is a sassy companion with sharp claws and sharper words.
“What you need is a cat.” Luhan announced, beaming and clapping a less than amused Yixing on the shoulder. The younger boy jerked forward under the force, hardly mirroring his best friend’s smile.
“I do not.” He huffed, dabbing his eyes with yet another tissue.
“Yes. You do.” Luhan’s tone took on a serious note. “The two of you broke up how long ago, and just his name still makes you turn on the waterworks? You need something to take your mind off his sorry ass, and caring for a pet is a perfect distraction.”
Yixing sniffled in thought. “Can’t I just get a goldfish?”
“Absolutely not.” The elder replied. “Can you cuddle a goldfish? Can you pour out all your emotions to a goldfish and have them look at you with big, bright, understanding eyes? No.”
Yixing could have sworn he saw a gleam in his companion’s gaze.
“Tomorrow,” Luhan declared, leaning in towards the younger’s ear. “We’re going to go find you a cat.”
--
Yixing sulked in Luhan’s passenger seat, displeased with the fact that he had to put on real, non-tracksuit clothing and actually leave the comfort of his nest in the apartment. Ever chipper, Luhan pat his sullen friend on the knee reassuringly.
“You’ll thank me later.”
The younger simply hummed and continued to stare out the window.
It wasn’t until the pair passed the third potential pet store that Yixing let his curiosity get ahead of his moping. He wiggled a bit in his seat, suddenly antsy.
“We are getting a live cat, right?” He questioned.
“We are.” Luhan confirmed, ignoring the subtle sass and keeping his eyes on the road. “Just not one you’re used to.”
“What do you…?”
“We’re getting you a hybrid. A cat hybrid.”
“A what?”
“Shh.” Luhan turned the car into a small paved lot adjacent to what looked like a barn. “Trust me. Walk quietly and follow my lead.” He tugged the keys from the ignition and pocketed them with a quick wink. Yixing, eyes wide with disbelief, was teetering on the edge of asking Luhan if he’d been on the receiving end of any illicit drugs recently.
With the smallest of sighs, he unbuckled and hoisted himself from the car.
Inside the barn, Yixing had to bite his lip to keep from making a strangled noise in shock. Cats. But not… Cats. Catboys. And girls. From tiny kittens learning how to master their two feet to what looked like den mothers overseeing the group lovingly. Most of them looked human enough, save for the pointed ears on their heads and fluffy tails.
And here was Luhan, just walking right in as if there could be nothing more normal.
A younger catboy, one who looked to be generally their age in human years, bounced over to Luhan immediately and rubbed his face affectionately against the other’s shoulder. Luhan buried his fingers in the soft hair between two pointy, fuzzy ears and Yixing could actually hear the newcomer purring.
“Xing, this is Minseok.” He noted proudly. “He’ll help us find someone for you.”
Sure enough, this calico boy leapt at the chance to give them a tour around the barn. He asked Yixing a handful of questions, most of them too rapid-fire for Yixing to remember.
“Do you want a male or female?” Minseok questioned, sliding his glance over to the still-gaping human beside him.
“Female.” Luhan answered for him.
“No.” Yixing spoke up. “Absolutely no. Male. Girls are too… Catty.”
Minseok just stared at him with concern in his eyes before turning and leading them in another direction.
“Um. Are you looking for a certain age?”
“I don’t know what I’m looking for at all, really. I barely agreed to a pet, I didn’t expect to be looking for something half-human.” Yixing felt a sudden tug on his sleeve and turned to see an adolescent catboy pawing at the hem of his sweatshirt. While it was kind of endearing, it was still unsettling to be plunged into such a strange new world so unexpectedly.
“Why don’t we make this easy, then? Look around for a bit, and then show me what seems to suit you best.”
Minseok plunked himself down in Luhan’s lap, tail spiraling happily around the human’s wrist.
There were a lot of options, that much was true. Every color, every temperament; long hair and short hair, wild and lazy. Catboys batting at feathers idly, lounging in plush blankets, munching from dishes in the corner… Nothing caught Yixing’s eye, however, until he spotted a brindled male with golden hair sitting in the corner behind a stack of crates. This catboy had his knees drawn to his chest, severe eyebrows knit in what looked to be frustration.
Yixing pointed at him, causing Minseok to shake his head frantically.
“What’s the matter with this one?” Yixing asked. The catboy didn’t even bat an eye at the ones talking about him.
“That’s… Wu Fan. You don’t want that one.”
“How do you know I don’t want that one?” Yixing snapped. If he was going to be forced to pick a humanoid pet, he wasn’t going to let someone else make the decision. He crouched down, crawling closer to the one called Wu Fan.
The creature’s slitted eyes darted in his direction and Yixing offered a hopeful smile. The catboy’s tail vibrated with anxiety and there was a grunt of annoyance in his throat. Yixing reached out to pat him on the head - and instantly wished he hadn’t. Wu Fan lashed out with a snarl, surprisingly sharp claws catching the human across the face and drawing beads of blood. Yixing screamed and flinched backward, hardly aware of Minseok darting forward and hissing at the other cat. Wu Fan ignored the scolding from the older feline, opting instead to flick his tail and look away.
Minseok and Luhan helped Yixing back to the front of the barn, sitting him on the couch and dabbing at his wounds with wet cloths.
“That’s why you don’t want him.” The calico murmured, applying some ointment above Yixing’s eye.
“What’s wrong with him?” Yixing repeated, wincing at the sting.
“We don’t know. He’s always been like that. He’s hurt a lot of people and he’s never been given a second thought for adoption. We are going to… Send him away soon, I think.”
“Send him where?” Yixing wasn’t sure why he was so invested in this angry feline, but something told him not to drop the subject.
“Ah… Away. To a camp. You’re new to the world of hybrids, aren’t you?” Minseok leaned back to survey his handiwork and Yixing gave him a withering stare.
“What tipped you off?”
“Hybrids get sent to camps if they’re unfit for adoption. They can’t survive in a human’s world without someone to help care for and guide them, so sometimes it’s best if they go.”
“What happens in a camp like that?”
“They work.” Minseok lowered his voice, sharing a concerned glance with Luhan. “They work until they… Can’t.”
“It’s a death camp?!” Yixing shouted, drawing the attention of several nearby cats. “You send innocent creatures to slave away until they keel over and die?”
Minseok desperately tried shushing Yixing. “It’s the way it’s always been. I don’t make the rules, I just have to follow them.”
Yixing set his jaw, teeth grinding at the absurdity of it all. Luhan reached out and rubbed Minseok’s back, noting that the calico’s fur was standing on end.
“I’m taking him, then.” Yixing declared. “I’m not going to let you kill him. I’m adopting the cat named Wu Fan.”
--
The first few weeks were rough, and the first few days were especially hellish as Wu Fan realized this new home was his home. Yixing found himself absolutely covered in gouges and scratches from the catboy’s claws and teeth. He had to wear unnecessarily long sleeves to cover most of the wounds on his arms.
But he didn’t give up on this cat named Wu Fan.
Yixing talked to him constantly, even when the brindled creature sat in the corner and sulked. He asked what his personality was like, how he was feeling, if he was hungry and what he liked to do in his spare time… All with the ever-predictable silence as a response. Yixing also told the cat all about his day; his projects at work, the feather he found on the ground, and the cute barista in the new coffee shop down the street. He never really knew if Wu Fan was listening or not, with his rigid ears and flicking tail, but it still made him feel better somehow. Every night,
Yixing made a tuna fish sandwich (he did his best to combine what he knew cats liked as well as what humans like, as he was still new to this whole thing) and set it on a white plate a few feet from Wu Fan. When he woke up every morning, it still sat there untouched. Yixing would sigh and throw the discarded food into the woods for the birds to peck at on his way to work.
But even still, something told him not to give up on this cat named Wu Fan.
He was shocked into silence when one day, two months later, he woke on a Saturday to see Wu Fan actually sitting on the floor of his bedroom, looking at him nervously. Yixing blinked and sat up, staring back. Beside the catboy’s feet lay the white plate, on which only the crusts of the bread remained. He couldn’t stop the beaming smile that stretched across his lips, and Wu Fan actually blushed.
“Are you still hungry? Is that it?” He asked. Wu Fan nodded quickly, cheeks tinged and ears swiveling anxiously.
“All right. Let’s see what we can find for you.” With a stretch, he swung his legs out of bed and padded towards the kitchen. Wu Fan was at his heels, but suddenly paused in his tracks and turned around. Yixing leaned over to peek back into the hallway, noting with a smile that Wu Fan was fetching the plate.
“What do you like, I wonder…” Yixing hummed, sifting through leftovers in the fridge. There was a rustle behind him as Wu Fan approached and crouched down nearby.
“I like things that humans like, you know.” The catboy said, voice deep and smooth. Yixing jumped in surprise,
knocking his head against the inside of the refrigerator. He grunted in pain and spun around to meet Wu Fan’s curious eyes.
“You can talk?!”
“Of course I can talk,” Came the indignant reply. “I’m half cat, not half stupid.”
“Yeah, but you’ve been here so long and you haven’t said a word-”
“Because I had nothing to say. I don’t talk to humans much.” He peered over Yixing’s shoulder, looking into the fridge himself as the human took out containers of food.
“Why not?”
“I don’t have any reason to anymore. I hate humans.”
Yixing frowned and scooted back, shutting the appliance door and gathering the food packages in his arms.
“Do you hate me?” He asked, fearing the answer.
There was a long pause then, and when he looked at the creature on his kitchen floor, Wu Fan was blushing again.
Feral nails scratched idly against the tiled floor.
“You’re the least detestable human I’ve met so far.”
And that was enough for Yixing.
Wu Fan began to open up more as they talked over a plateful of leftover salmon and potatoes - most of which the catboy devoured enthusiastically on his own. Yixing even had him smiling. The only question that Wu Fan refused to touch was the reason why he hated humans so much.
--
Days lapsed into weeks and before long, Wu Fan was celebrating his second month in Yixing’s house. It became customary for the cat to curl his long limbs up in Yixing’s lap and press himself close to the human’s chest. He purred softly as Yixing stroked his hair and watched nothing in particular on TV. That’s usually how they’d fall asleep; even if it meant an aching back for him in the morning, the bonding was worth the discomfort.
“Why did you adopt me?” Wu Fan asked one night. Yixing inhaled sharply at the question. “When there were so many other cats, most of which wouldn’t have scratched your face off, why me?”
“I just… Liked you best.” Yixing said lamely. He could almost feel the intensity with which Wu Fan rolled his eyes.
“Your heart got faster,” Wu Fan observed. “You’re lying.”
“They were going to do something bad.” He admitted quietly. “Something really bad. To you.”
“That’s not enough information.” There was a growl on the edge of Wu Fan’s voice as he sat up and looked Yixing in the eye.
“They were going to take you away!” Yixing breathed out, hands braced on Wu Fan’s shoulders. “Because of how you were acting, they were going to take you and-”
“The Place.” Wu Fan murmured, face paling with realization. “They were going to take me to The Place?”
Yixing’s eyebrows knitted.
“Don’t think I don’t know.” Wu Fan hissed, ears flattening. “The Place is where they send cats who are too old, too damaged, useless. Cats who leave never come back!” His voice rose in panic, and Yixing stroked his neck to calm him.
“But you don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Wu Fan was silent for a long moment, breath coming in shallow bursts.
“You saved me. Even after I put my claws through your face, you still… Still wanted to save me.” There was a softness in Wu Fan’s eyes that Yixing had never seen before, so he offered a small smile.
“Not all humans are bad.”
Wu Fan made a chirruping sound in his throat, tipping his tail back and forth before leaning in and planting his lips right on top of Yixing’s.
The human gasped against the catboy’s mouth, startled, but didn’t find he wanted to pull back.
“I didn’t know cats could do that.” He murmured once Wu Fan leaned away to breathe. The catboy looked like he had half a mind to hide under the couch for eternity, but Yixing held him still.
“Humans… Like that, right? Kisses?”
“We sure do.” Yixing beamed.
“I think I like it, too.”
“Do you want to try it again to be sure?”
Wu Fan blinked at Yixing, wondering how he knew. The human gave a soft snort of a laugh and placed his hands on either side of Wu Fan’s jaw. The catboy shifted his position to get more comfortable and settled his own hands on Yixing’s shoulders. Ears twitching with anticipation, he leaned in again and repeated his action from earlier.
Yixing guided him a bit more this time, slowing their kiss down so it bloomed and tingled and blended seconds into minutes.
Their lips were swollen and their breath came in gasps by the time they parted again, but there was a long moment of Wu Fan searching Yixing’s eyes, a long moment of thinking.
“So,” He said quietly. “You answered my question, and I guess that means I need to answer yours.”
Yixing blanked out for a moment, trying to remember what he’d asked. “Which question is that?”
“Why I don’t like humans. Most humans.”
Yixing held his breath for a moment, shocked at the sudden breakthrough. Up until now, Wu Fan hadn’t dared to touch such a discussion.
Wu Fan fidgeted a little, tail twitching back and forth as he made thoughtful noises in his throat. There was a moment before he met Yixing's eyes again.
"I was young, when it happened. A kitten, by your standards. I had a lot of brothers and sisters, and they were all older and bigger than I was. Whenever the human that took care of my mother invited people to see us, they fell in love with all my siblings. They played chase, they got ear scratches; they were fed chicken and treats, all of that.
But for some reason they ignored me.
"Mom said it was because I was too quiet. I didn't purr, I didn't talk to the strangers when they came by, and I was so small. She encouraged me to be bolder."
Yixing watched and listened silently, his fingers gently stroking the end of Wu Fan's tail.
"So I had to prove myself. I had to show everyone that I was fierce and worthy of being alive and that they shouldn't ignore me. I tried to be bolder, livelier. But I did so physically. I tried showing off with louder hisses and growls, with my teeth. The act went on for so long that it eventually became reality and I couldn't remember what it was like before. I didn't know how to turn back. When the last of my siblings found their human, I was sent to live in the barn with Minseok. It's kind of... A place for misfit cats that came from different places and backgrounds."
Yixing nodded, understanding a lot more than before.
"But even there, hardly anyone ever bothered with me. It felt normal to resent humans. I never expected anyone to want to deal with me. Least of all such a quiet and gentle human male." Wu Fan smirked and flicked his tail so it hit Yixing on the nose. "But I guess in the end, quiet and gentle was all I needed. The act was useless."
"Not useless, it landed you in the barn, right? If you weren't there, I'm pretty sure there's no way I would have ever found you otherwise. I mean, I didn't even know hybrids were a thing until two months ago."
"You have a lot to learn, human." Wu Fan snorted and touched his head to Yixing's.
"This has been a learning experience for us both, cat." The human returned, rubbing the back of Wu Fan's neck.
"You're right," Wu Fan pressed his nails into Yixing's shoulder, gripping him tighter than before and leaning in for a series of tiny kitten licks along his cheek. "I'm learning that I like this a lot."
Yixing let out a huff of a laugh, his fingers gliding through Wu Fan’s hair. The catboy’s eyes flicked up. “I like you, and I want you to stay here with me.”
There was suddenly another deep, long kiss, which had both of them melting.
“I trust you.” Wu Fan murmured, lips barely parted from Yixing’s as he spoke. "And I'm learning that I like living here. A lot."
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Wu Fan finally confirmed, curling up and laying his head in Yixing’s lap.
The human was about to respond when Wu Fan turned to look up at him, more words on his lips.
“With you.”