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According to Donghyuck, Jeno had already reached elderly status.
“I’m seventeen,” Jeno responded, as if his best friend of fifteen years didn’t already know that.
“Yes, physically,” Donghyuck had said, “But mentally, Jeno Lee, you’re an old cat lady. Don’t even try to deny it.”
And Jeno doesn’t.
Jeno did, without a doubt, adore cats. Call him boring (everyone did regardless) but there was something so cute, so precious about the animal - something that spoke to him on a personal level. Everyone he’d ever mentioned it to had given the exact same reaction when he'd tell them the hard and solid truth: that he preferred cats to dogs. He received replies such as an extremely over the top scream, or ‘no wonder you’re so cold’, or his personal favourite ‘you’re going to a dog filled hell’. All over cats. Small, innocent, fluffy cats.
In fact, Jeno had wrote himself quite an extensive list of reasons that cats were the superior creature. Like, an actual list. Donghyuck had laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face when he found it. Jeno had snatched it back from him and defended every single point. For example, reason number 1: sleepier cuddles. Jeno theorised that since cats weren’t as active as dogs, this made the general atmosphere more relaxed and settled, leading to better cuddles and a much cosier naptime. Reason number 2 stated that cats and humans had a more intimate relationship. Yes, it is very endearing how much dogs love everyone, but Jeno believed that having a cat take longer to warm up to you makes it so much more rewarding once you have a close, tight-knit bond.
“If someone loves me, Hyuck, I want it to be for who I am. Not just because I can breathe,” Jeno sighed dramatically, staring dreamily into the distance.
Donghyuck blinked, “We’re talking about cats. We are literally having a conversation about cats.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Jeno announced suddenly whilst ignoring Donghyuck’s gasp, “Bongsik is lonely. I know she has me but I’m a human, and since I have human friends I want her to have cat friends.”
Donghyuck stood up from where he was comfortably nestled in Jeno’s beanbag. He ran his fingers through his messy red hair, and pulled on the ends lightly. “Jeno, you’ve gone mad.”
Jeno threw his pillow at him.
Convincing his parents for a new cat hadn’t been that difficult. Unless difficult is crying for forty-five minutes over how happy cats make you until your mother accepted just so you’d be quiet. Nonetheless, it was a successful outcome.
With red puffy eyes and his phone fully charged to take pictures and notes, Jeno set out by himself to the local cat rescue shelter. It wasn’t that far from him, around 15 minutes walking, but Jeno didn’t care about the journey much. He much preferred the destination and this one especially.
Finally, he stopped in front of a relatively modern building. It had only been there for a few years, since Jeno was twelve. In fact, it had been this very shelter that Jeno had ran into crying desperately and holding an injured Bongsik the night he’d found her. He was only thirteen and sobbing brokenheartedly, cradling the small kitten. The shelter had taken her in, nursed her back to full health, and even allowed Jeno to keep her when declaring that she was a stray. Since then, he’d been a regular visitor and took plenty of time out of his weekly schedule to visit and see the cats.
The bells above the door chimed peacefully as Jeno lightly pushed it open. He looked behind the main desk, finding the familiar face of a middle-aged woman he’d grown to know well.
“Good afternoon, Mrs Lee!” He called out, sending her his usual charming eye smile.
The woman adjusted her glasses back onto her nose, her eyes widening with joy upon noticing who it was, “Jeno, dear! You’re back!”
Jeno nodded and giggled. Donghyuck’s voice in the back of his mind whispered ‘of course he’s back because he never leaves’, but Jeno didn’t want the stress of Donghyuck whilst he is in heaven, thank you. “I am, and I think I’m going to adopt one today!”
“Oh wonderful!” She clasped her hands together and smiled widely, before continuing, “You haven’t missed much since Sunday,” She said, as if it wasn’t only Tuesday, “Mark decided to keep Cloud, but that’s all the news I have!”
Jeno beamed even more at this information, “Oh, thank God, finally! I was worried that someone else would buy him before Mark could accept cats into his life.”
Mrs Lee laughed heartily. Her son Mark wasn’t someone that Jeno saw often, but he did know about his cat denial and secret crush on Donghyuck. Cloud was a fluffy white Persian that had been in the shelter for about a year, aged six with no one wanting him. His name was Cloud because, well, he looked like a cloud. Mark had immediately taken a liking to the cat, and began spending his exam-free weekends in the shelter with his mother just to see Cloud. This was how Jeno met Mark, in between school hours and endless kittens. This was also how Jeno had discovered that Mark had been pining over his best friend, but that’s a different story for a different day.
“We actually have a new employee in today, your age I think. He only works weekends but we managed to fit training in today, if you’d like to meet him.” Mrs Lee said. Jeno shrugged and nodded. He knew every other person that worked there, one more wouldn’t make the difference.
Mrs Lee led him through the small building which he’d memorised wall to wall. The familiar white corridor that led to the separate cat pens was covered in posters that read in bold ‘Adopt Don’t Shop’. Jeno couldn’t agree more and his heart sped up in excitement once he heard the first ‘meow’ from the last room in the hall.
“Renjun, dear, I have someone for you to meet!” Mrs Lee shouted whilst swinging the door open.
The inside looked no different than two days ago, it never did, only this time there was a boy sat in the middle. Jeno blinked.
If he was his age, then Jeno was in awe at how tiny he was. Like a kitten, he thought. His legs were crossed and he was wearing the usual employee uniform: black pants paired with a yellow polo that read “Find Them a Home, Here in Seoul!” in cursive pink lettering, with a large cartoon kitten on the back. On an ordinary day, Jeno thought the outfits were delightful, but seeing this Renjun boy wear it was something else entirely. His blonde hair fell around his small, defined face, and if Jeno looked close enough… were those braces? He was officially around thirty seconds from passing out. Kittens and cute boys, he screamed internally whilst mentally thanking whatever God had planned this out for him.
Renjun stared up at Jeno and away from the small cat in his hands. His expression was filled with confusion and curiosity at the new person in the room.
“Renjun, this is Jeno. He’s been coming here for a few years now, so you’ll see him regularly!” Mrs Lee leaned in closer to Renjun’s ear, “it’d be nice for him to have a few friends, all he does is talk to these cats.”
Jeno’s face heated up at the comment, and he couldn’t even deny it, not when it was true and when Renjun was giggling softly the way he was. God forbid Jeno’s lack of coherent social skills and his undying cat obsession.
Mrs Lee somehow thought that was the perfect time to leave, which it really wasn’t, because Jeno hadn’t even prepared an introduction or an interesting fact other than that he believed his own cat suffered from loneliness.
Renjun, however, took it upon himself to begin the conversation. With twinkling eyes and traces of a smirk he said, “So you’re here often?” and wow, did Jeno love boys a whole lot.
“Yes,” Jeno confirmed, one-hundred-percent keeping the conversation alive and well.
Renjun shook his head and laughed again. He raised the cat in his hands to show Jeno, “This is-”
“Byul, I know, because of the star shaped pattern on her back-left leg. She is 8 years old and scratches if she doesn’t like you. She also doesn’t whine often, unless she’s all by herself. She loves attention and eats a lot.” Jeno stopped himself, slightly embarrassed when he realised that he’d accidentally recited the cat’s biography.
Renjun was staring at him comically, his left eyebrow raised in amusement, “Wow, Jeno. You really do come here a lot,”
And Jeno’s heart couldn’t calm down when he heard the way his name rolled off the other’s tongue, so his attention shifted to Byul who had taken a huge interest in Renjun’s pants.
“I love cats,” He defended quietly, getting shy and looking anywhere that wasn’t at the boy in front of him.
Maybe he noticed how nervous he was, but Renjun changed the topic immediately and started asking what kind of cat Jeno was looking for.
“A new one since I’m too familiar with all the old ones. I want it to be cute, which will be easy since they’re all cute, and I want it to be super tiny. Then Bongsik won’t feel scared or threatened by it.” Jeno stated confidently, cats being the only thing he could discuss without dying of embarrassment.
What Jeno didn’t realise however, was that he would leave the shelter at closing time without finding his new cat, but instead finding the equivalent only in human form.
“Donghyuck please listen to me. I am in love.” Jeno complained, for what may have been the thirtieth time in five minutes. Jeno had returned home from the shelter to a warm welcome from his best friend – his notebook being thrown at him the minute he entered his room. Apparently, they were supposed to study together at half seven (Jeno was exactly one hour late) but the meeting had completely slipped his mind. He believed the blame should be equally divided between kittens and Renjun.
Donghyuck paused, his pen coming to a halt against his notebook as he gave Jeno the same blank expression that he'd gave him since replaying the day’s events once he’d got in, "With your kitty friend. I know."
Jeno groaned and kicked his legs around on his quilt, causing a bunch of pens and books to fall from his bed.
"You might need those," Donghyuck pointed at the mess, indicating that the whole purpose of the two meeting up had been to revise for their maths test which was coming up. In the morning. At 8am.
"You know what I might need?"
"Help?"
"No. I mean, that too, but not now. I need to go back the shelter." Jeno pulled out his phone, an iPhone 5 (he was never one for upgrades) with a second-hand scratched up cat cover. His parents had offered to buy him a new one, but he was pleased. It added to the charm.
With a couple of drawn out taps to the screen since Jeno didn't understand technology, a reminder was set for Saturday to visit.
"Are you going for the boy?" Donghyuck asked, his voice ever so slightly critical.
"I don't know, Hyuck, are you going to keep ignoring Mark Lee?" Jeno snapped back, smiling to himself when his best friend actually kept quiet for once.
He wasn't wrong though.
In all honesty, Jeno didn’t think about Renjun again until the end of the week. He had more important things on his mind, such as Bongsik acting… well, different.
Jeno watched his cat as she sat in her bed near his shelves, her paws curled up beneath her as she flickered in and out of sleep. Usually, Bongsik was an active cat. She loved playing with the ends of Jeno’s jeans, knocking his books off shelves, and waking him up with a lovely furry slap to the face. For a few days now, all of that had become something of a rare event. Bongsik wasn’t chasing the feathers Jeno waved at her, nor was she following his every move. She wasn’t getting old, having only turned four recently (Jeno had threw a very extravagant birthday party at the shelter – courtesy of Mrs Lee, obviously). He had scrolled through endless pages on Google, read countless amounts of Yahoo answers posts, and even checked a variety of cat symptom checkers online to see he could unofficially diagnose Bongsik. Nothing had come out of it and Jeno felt lost. His parents had reassured him that she was fine, but Jeno wondered if it was only so he’d stop his panicking.
As if on cue, Bongsik meowed loudly and stretched on her back legs, before disappearing out the door. Jeno watched her every step, feeling his heart swell with love for his pet.
“Maybe I’m overreacting,” He mumbled to himself, letting his worries subside for a moment. Besides, he would soon have company for Bongsik once he found the perfect cat at the shelter.
The windchimes signalled Jeno’s arrival the same as usual when Saturday arrived and he found himself once again: in the shelter.
But instead of seeing Mrs Lee gushing over him and giving him cat updates, Jeno was met with the startled expression of Renjun sitting behind the main desk.
The new employee looked exhausted, however still greeted Jeno with a smile and a mini wave. Jeno’s wave back was possibly the most awkward thing he’d ever done with his body in his entire existence, but he wasn’t going to focus on that when he was almost 100% guaranteed to embarrass himself further as the day went on.
“Mrs Lee is currently cleaning up cat vomit, so you’ll have to wait a minute if you want to speak to her,” Renjun mumbled, closing his eyes and massaging his temple with each index finger.
Jeno smiled knowingly, “Rough first day?”, he asked.
“You think?” Renjun groaned and fake cried for a few seconds before pouting, “Who knew cats were so,” he threw his arms around which was a brilliant description, and Jeno raised his eyebrows.
“I didn’t expect them to be so difficult!” Renjun continued, “I’ve been here for less than four hours and I’ve already got a million scratches, heard enough meows to be able to imitate one perfectly, and had a cat throw up. I almost cried, which is why Mrs Lee put me here for a bit. She called it a stress break,”
“A million scratches,” Jeno decided to comment on.
“Oh, shut up, let me be dramatic!” Renjun exclaimed. When he noticed Jeno step back an inch, he visibly deflated and his eyes softened, “I’m sorry, that was rude. We don’t even know each other well and you’ve already experienced a breakdown.”
Jeno had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying that they could get to know each other better. He was cheesy, but not that cheesy, and Donghyuck would block his number forever if he’d have actually said it. The last thing that Renjun probably wanted was to be flirted with mid-breakdown, and Jeno wasn’t that desperate.
He settled on one of his so-called dazzling smiles as being enough for words, and luckily enough Mrs Lee took that time to walk back into the main office, removing her latex gloves as she did.
“One vomiting cat sorted!” She announced, as cheerful as possible when talking about a matter as disgusting as it was.
Renjun winced, “Sorry, Mrs Lee...”
“No, no, no!” Mrs Lee scoffed, ushering Renjun out of his seat and pushing him towards the hall, “No apologising! Now get back to work, and find this poor boy a new cat!” she tugged Jeno’s wrist as well, forcing the two teenagers down the corridor and into the main room.
The cats didn’t seem to notice the commotion and looked the same as always. As far as Jeno could tell, there wasn’t any new ones, which slightly knocked down his hopes of finding a new cat.
Renjun sat on the floor, pulling his legs towards him and rolling up the leg of his pants. He inhaled sharply when he saw the scratch, it wasn’t big but it seemed quite deep, right in the centre of his calf. He was clearly trying his best not to whine and complain, and as endearing as Jeno thought it was, he held up his finger in an ‘I’ll be right back’ motion.
Jeno swiftly dashed back down the corridor into the storage room which he’d become very familiar with over the years. He had become somewhat of an expert at ignoring the smell of cat food as he opened the cupboard at the very back, pulling out exactly what he’d been looking for.
When he returned, he sat next to Renjun on the floor and carefully opened the box. He could feel the other’s inquisitive gaze following his every move. Now is not the time to blush, Jeno, he told himself, desperately willing for his cheeks to cool. Just as Renjun was about to ask what he was doing, he was cut off by Jeno ripping open a zebra print plaster. He held it on his one finger, before holding Renjun’s leg in place and gently pressing it against the scratch. He smoothed it down and beamed brightly up at him.
“All gone,” He announced, chuckling over Renjun’s bewildered expression.
“Um,” Renjun blinked at him, “Thanks, Jeno.”
For the first time since they’d met, his voice sounded small and shy and oh, were his cheeks going red too? Jeno dropped his gaze and told him that it was fine. He could not deal with this today. Or any day, as a matter of fact. Would he ever be able to breathe around Renjun? He hoped so, because the atmosphere kept getting awkward and Jeno knows it’s because he keeps subconsciously sending heart eyes. And if Jeno wasn’t delusional - which Donghyuck would say that he is – then Renjun was also in that moment sending heart eyes. Okay, maybe not heart eyes. Maybe appreciation eyes. Jeno didn’t care, he just liked Renjun’s eyes. The eyes he was trying very hard to not stare into for a few lifetimes (And he thought Renjun’s million scratches were dramatic).
Renjun seemed to realise that he was staring and snapped out of whatever trance he was in, “So your cat,” – always a friendly conversation starter.
Jeno’s eyes lit up at the thought of Bongsik, but almost immediately it was replaced by a frown when he remembered her weird mood, “I think she’s sick. Or lonely. I don’t know which one.”
Renjun inched closer to him on the floor. He probably meant it in a reassuring manner, but this didn’t stop Jeno’s heart from pounding at the proximity.
“If you’re honestly worried, I’m sure Mrs Lee could take a look at her.” Renjun suggested.
“I’ll consider it if it gets worse. Thanks for the idea,” Jeno replied. And he meant it, truly; he didn’t want sympathy or to be told she’s fine. He wanted a solution to his problem and that’s what Renjun gave him. Give Jeno another thirty minutes and he’d be in love completely. Not that he wasn’t already.
“I don’t think I’ll be getting a new cat any time soon. Are you expecting any drop offs?” Jeno asked. He knew that sometimes owners called in advance to tell them their struggles of how they couldn’t care for their pet anymore before dropping them off at the shelter. He could only hope that they would soon.
“I’m not sure, I could check the schedule and text you?” Renjun thought, his eyes instantly widening in embarrassment when he realised they didn’t have each other’s numbers. He laughed softly when Jeno’s expression mirrored his, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. Jeno was trying (and failing) not to freak out as he also retrieved his phone.
“You’ll have to excuse my lack of tech knowledge,” Jeno confessed whilst poking his passcode in with a single finger.
Renjun snorted, “Bad with technology and a cat lover? What are you, eighty?”
Jeno had a feeling that Renjun and Donghyuck would get along.
After spending a couple of hours doing nothing but feeding cats and playing with them, Renjun’s shift came to an end – which left Jeno with the decision to either leave with him, or stay and wallow to Mrs Lee. He decided on the first option.
“Where do you live?” Jeno asked once Renjun had fastened up his coat and gathered his things.
“Wow. Old creepy cat lover wants to know the location of my house,”
Jeno thought that earned him an elbow in the chest, “I’m seventeen, stop making me feel weird.”
“Oh,” Renjun stated, “I’m seventeen as well, March 23rd.”
Jeno smirked, “April 23rd. Who’s the old creepy cat lover now?” Renjun rolled his eyes.
“I live about ten minutes in that direction,” He explained, pointing down a path that was different to Jeno’s, but lead to the same place eventually. Jeno nodded.
Neither of them made any effort to move, and half of Jeno wondered if Renjun was expecting his next question. The other half of Jeno was seconds from a breakdown and calling Donghyuck to come rescue him.
“I can, um,” Jeno cleared his throat, “Walk with you? If you’d like. Walk you to your home. Down that street. With you,” Amazing, he mentally punched himself.
Renjun smiled beautifully in return and Jeno’s breath caught in his throat when he nodded slightly. He started walking leisurely, leaving Jeno to trail behind him.
The air around them wasn’t awkward or heavy this time – it felt light, different. Jeno almost felt giddy for some reason and he had to remind himself that this wasn’t a date or anything close. It was simply one friend walking another friend home. However somehow, it felt so much more.
Jeno liked autumn. He liked seeing cats dressed up for Halloween, he liked watching Bongsik chase the swirling auburn leaves around their garden. He liked the nights getting colder so he could snuggle closer to her for warmth, and he liked picking pumpkins even though he knew Bongsik would only destroy them with her claws.
He could also add Renjun in Autumn onto that list, since he doesn’t think he had ever seen something quite so angelic ever. His blonde hair was blowing back in the wind, and the tip of his nose was tinged a little red from it. His large coat was doing a great job of shielding his body, which Jeno appreciated since he didn’t want the other catching a cold. His hands, to Jeno’s disappointment, were hidden deep in his pockets for heat. Jeno wished he could reach in there and hold them.
The thing about Renjun, he noticed, was that everything about him was so delicate. His skin looked impossibly soft, his every move filled with grace and purpose, and his smile was radiant enough to rival the moon on a crisp Autumn night. He would like to see how Renjun looked in the other seasons, his mind wandering to how he’d much he would shine in spring. To put it simply, Jeno thought Renjun was quite lovely. And the best thing was the complete contrast from his looks to his personality. Renjun was fiery, determined and unwavering. He wasn’t afraid to shout at someone he’d just met, or to be honest. He really was an exquisitely unique person, and Jeno was falling for every inch of him.
“It’s so different here from China,” Renjun whispered. Maybe he only intended it for himself, but Jeno heard it nonetheless and it spiked his interest.
“China?” He asked, not meaning to pry.
Renjun’s head dipped once in confirmation, “Yeah, China. I moved here from Jilin a few months back,”
This was new information for Jeno, “Your Korean is amazing,”
Renjun grinned, “That’s because I’ve been bilingual since birth.”
Jeno’s heartbeat almost faltered at this. As if he wasn’t already the boy of his dreams, he had to go and be smart. Jeno was going to die, he swore of it.
“You don’t go to the school, though?” Jeno would know if he’d have seen him around.
“Nope, home schooled. I’m not exactly… a big fan of the idea. Maybe one day, but I’m happy learning at home for now and meeting people like you at the shelter. That’s all that matters to me,” Renjun’s cheeks were pink, from the wind possibly, or the intentions behind his statement.
They continued walking in their comfortable silence, only this time Renjun’s hands swung out of his pockets. Jeno didn’t want to make it obvious, but he couldn’t help it when his eyes kept catching glimpses of the other’s dainty fingers that he so eagerly wanted to lace his own through.
He finally understood why Donghyuck never answered his questions about him and Mark. It couldn’t be answered. Why don’t you just do it, he’d told Donghyuck countless times. His friend had simply rolled his eyes, or gave him a blank expression, and Jeno couldn’t get his head around what was so difficult.
But now he did. As he walked the long and empty street with Renjun, he wondered why he couldn’t just take the leap and grab the other’s hand. But that was the thing, he just couldn’t. There was everything to lose – their slowly growing friendship, the uncertainty of feelings, the fact that they’d only properly known each other for a full day and a half when put together. On the bright side, at least he could re-consider judging Princess Anna in Frozen for being ready to marry Hans after just meeting. Jeno felt the same way.
“Jeno?” Renjun said, pulling Jeno away from his thoughts, “This is my house.”
Jeno wasn’t surprised to find it looking the same as every other house in the area. A small, two-story brick house with a chimney. He was, though, surprised at how it already seemed to have been made a home despite Renjun saying he’d only lived there for a few months. It was beige, and seemed cosy, the front window being displayed with an array of plants and decorative curtains. The upstairs lights shone out onto the street, signalling that someone was most likely home and waiting for him.
The two made eye contact and Renjun broke the silence, “Thank you for walking me home. It was really sweet, and I’m sorry that it’s taking you a while to find a new cat.”
“It’s no problem, Renjunnie,” Jeno had no idea where the nickname came from, and he was still disintegrating from Renjun calling him sweet.
“Renjunnie,” Renjun mumbled, “Cute.” And then he bridged the gap and squeezed Jeno’s hand, whilst bringing his lips to quickly brush against Jeno’s cheek. He giggled when he removed them, before running back to his house. He waved once more at Jeno before shutting the door behind him.
Jeno wasn’t sure he was still alive as he touched his cheek, still tingling from the brief kiss. His stomach churned with nerves, excitement and what he could only compared to a butterfly house at the thought of Renjun feeling the same as he did.
old cat lady
???????????????? hyuck
Um
Renjun? Kis sed m y chee k?
Like.f or real this wasn’t a dream this time
cat anti
what the fuck
jeno lee don’t you play with me
old cat lady
do you think I would be joking
I walked him home
And he said I was sweet and held my hand and kissed my cheek
What
cat anti
oh my god jeno
jeno OH MY GOD
YUW ALKE DH HIM HOME WHAT A GENTLEMAN!!!!!
OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOD
Finalflly ohmyog my baby is growing up
old cat lady
I am older than you
cat anti
you are missing the point
when are you seeing him again
old cat lady
I don’t know but I got his number
Oh shit I got his number
brb
Jeno switched conversations (it took him a few tries) to start a new one with Renjun. He had no idea what to say, but thankfully enough adrenaline remained for his confidence to carry him through. With a drawn-out inhale, he typed his message and sent it.
new message to: renjunnie
hope you got in safe, thank you for trying to find cats with me!! i hope the job gets less stressful !! its scientifically proven that cats help to relieve stress so you should be good haha goodnight :-]
Just as Jeno was about to put his phone down, the screen illuminated his dark room with a reply. Suddenly, he was wide awake and his heartbeat sped up as he read the text.
renjunnie
of course i got in safe you literally watched me shut the door lol cute
i’ll see you again at the shelter tomorrow i presume??
anyway, get some sleep. goodnight jeno
Jeno’s smile didn’t fade even in his sleep that night.
Of course, when things are starting to look up, they immediately crash back down.
When he woke up, he did what he normally did and checked on his cat who slept in her bed near his bedroom door. Immediately when he did, he felt his stomach drop to the floor and he jumped up. She was clearly in pain with her back hunched up, and she cried sadly before sneezing all over herself. Jeno panicked, as expected.
He took no longer than five minutes to wash and dress himself, not even bothering with his hair or how he looked. Bongsik was far more important.
Carefully, he cradled his cat in his arms and tried to relax her – stroking her back gently to try and soothe her. He placed her in her carrier and gave her a blanket, before shouting to his parents that he was taking Bongsik to the shelter and rushing out of the house.
It took him much quicker to run than usual, even though the distance felt twice as much. Jeno had to swallow the lump in his throat as he was hit with flashbacks from the first night he took her for help. Before she was even his cat, before she was the most important thing in his life. He blinked back tears and shoved the door open with his back, holding the carrier tight to his chest.
“Please help, it’s Bongsik,” He exclaimed quickly before even greeting. Mrs Lee was in her usual spot today, and she stood up abruptly when she noticed Jeno’s urgency.
Her lips pressed into a thin line as she rushed around the table, “Bring her through.”
Jeno nodded fearfully, knowing that she wanted to look at Bongsik in the vet area. The room was suffocating, and Jeno had never liked it. Bongsik hated the vet and Jeno hated seeing her sad and in pain. They avoided it at all costs, but sometimes things happen – like this.
“Renjun!” Mrs Lee called out whilst taking Bongsik out of her carrier and placing her on the table. She looked just as uneasy as she did before and Jeno almost cried as she meowed painfully again.
The sound of footsteps behind them didn’t break the tense atmosphere, “Did I hear Je- oh, yes I did. Hi Jeno!” Renjun said cheerfully, skipping over to them.
Jeno couldn’t even bring himself to greet him back, and Renjun frowned, noticing the change in his personality.
“Hey, are you okay?” Renjun asked, but was interrupted by Mrs Lee.
“I need you to tell me what her symptoms are,” She ordered. Seeing Mrs Lee in this setting, demanding people around and being so serious was a rare sight. She was only ever kind and polite; a complete contrast to how she was acting now.
Renjun suddenly noticed the severity of the situation and took Jeno’s hand in his own. If it had been any other time, Jeno’s sure he’d have collapsed, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Bongsik.
“She’s been acting different for a few days, maybe a week? She’s quietened down and isn’t active and I woke up today and she seemed like she was hurting and then she sneezed and I was so worried and scared,” Jeno sniffled, the panic returning to his chest. Renjun began tracing circles with his finger into the back of Jeno’s hand.
Mrs Lee’s expression changed, and she straightened her back. She took off her gloves and dropped them in the bin, “Jeno, Bongsik has the flu.”
The room stilled for a minute, the pressure crashing down and being replaced with a sense of uncertainty.
“Um,” Jeno articulated, “That’s it?”
Mrs Lee laughed slightly, but nodded, “Yes, that’s all. You can stop your panicking. Well, not fully. It’s still quite serious, and you were right to worry. But she’s not dying, which I know you thought she was.”
Jeno felt a little embarrassed, and even more so when he realised that Renjun was still there and still holding his hand.
“Okay. Okay, yeah. The flu. How do I get rid of it,” Jeno asked as Bongsik sneezed loudly again.
“You just have to wait until it’s over. I do advise giving her more water than usual, and feed her a little more to try and help her immune system. Also make sure to wipe her nose when she sneezes so the bacteria won’t stick to her fur and get back into her system. But otherwise, she is fine.” Mrs Lee smiled at him.
“Ah. Thank you, I’m sorry for making everyone worry.” Jeno blushed, feeling extremely flustered.
“Nonsense! We know how much you love Bongsik. Now if you excuse me, I have to make a call to another cat shelter in the city.” Mrs Lee moved quickly out the room, but not quick enough for Jeno to miss the mischievous glint in her eye when she caught sight of Jeno and Renjun’s intertwined hands. Jeno rolled his eyes, knowing she was going to tell Mark, who would tell Donghyuck, who would never let him live again.
The two were left alone, still holding hands. Renjun noticed this and dropped his hand. He coughed awkwardly, shifting all his attention onto Bongsik.
“I’m glad she’s okay. She really is adorable,” He told him, stroking her back carefully so it wouldn’t hurt her muscles. Bongsik nuzzled into Renjun’s hand, and Jeno thought he was going to cry again. Seeing the boy that he was falling for with his cat was honestly too much. It had to be now, he thought.
“Renjun,” Jeno began confidently, but it dwindled when the other’s eyes met his. His brown eyes sparkled, the reflection of the artificial lights only adding to his usual ethereal glow. He continued to pet Bongsik as his lips grew into a small smile. What was with him and being able to always read Jeno’s mind? Jeno carried on, because if he wouldn’t now then he wouldn’t ever, “I think I really like you,” and it was out there.
Renjun’s smile grew, but Jeno wasn’t stopping yet, “I know we’ve literally known each other for less than a week, but you’re so nice and funny and cute and pretty and you work with cats and I just,” he exhaled for dramatic purposes, “I really like you, Renjun,”
Renjun giggled and let go of Bongsik. He carried himself to stand in front of Jeno, who’s brain went blank the second their eyes met. Renjun was shorter than Jeno, by a considerable amount, but he stood on his tiptoes and looped his arms around the younger’s neck, “The feeling is mutual,” and Renjun closed the space between their lips.
Jeno’s entire body froze until his mind could coherently process what was happening. He’d never kissed anyone before (except Donghyuck, but that didn’t count, they were fourteen and confused) let alone someone he liked; someone like Renjun.
When Renjun pulled away and noticed Jeno’s wide eyes, he laughed and leant his head into his shoulder.
“Oh, Jeno,” he mumbled into his shirt, still giggling, “You can stop being so cute for a second, you know?”
So Jeno did, as he laughed with Renjun and pulled his chin back up so that their lips could meet once more. Jeno was still dying and doubted that he’d live another day if he couldn’t calm down. Their moment was so sweet, so innocent and Jeno was also freaking out over how he had his first real kiss in his favourite place in the world.
All good moments come to an end, though, as proven when Mrs Lee yelled “That doesn’t look like work, Huang Renjun!”
They broke apart, bashful and shy, but neither would have changed it for the world.
Bongsik meowed loudly as Jeno placed her filled food bowl in its usual spot. She’d recovered well from the flu in the three weeks it had been since Jeno’s freak-out. Which also meant that it had been three weeks since he’d been with his boyfriend. Yes, his boyfriend.
Donghyuck had screamed down the phone when Jeno had called him from his bedroom that night. Jeno had ignored the fact that Mark was with him, and he still didn’t want to comment on it. He knew what it was like – to care for someone so much you worried about messing it up.
“I need to meet him right now. I need to know his intentions and his knowledge on cats. I also need to let him know that if he breaks your heart or hurts you in any way, Jeno Lee, that he’ll have both me and Mark to deal with.” Donghyuck had demanded, making Jeno love him that extra bit more.
Life as Renjun’s boyfriend (boyfriend, oh my God) wasn’t so different at all. There was a lot of extra kisses and cuddles and hand-holding, but everything else remained. Jeno still had to calm down Renjun’s breakdowns and bandage his scratches, only it now involved a lot more ‘get better’ kisses and massages. Jeno thought he was doing quite a good job of boyfriending, if he did say so himself.
Renjun, in return, was great to Jeno. Whenever he was at school, he’d receive selfies of the other with the cats in the shelter, or motivational paragraphs on the days he had exams. Renjun had also decided himself to be Bongsik’s official other parent, without letting Jeno have a say at all (not that he cared).
They worked well together, and they’d never been happier.
“Eat well,” Jeno told Bongsik, kissing the top of her head when she began eating. Barely a second later, a sharp urgent knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Jeno smiled as he could make out Renjun’s tiny figure through the window, knocking repeatedly until he opened the door. When the door swung open, Jeno was met with his boyfriend wearing a very excited smile.
“Guess what,” He squealed, bouncing up and down enthusiastically, “Mrs Lee just called me saying the other shelter in the city have just dropped off ten new cats because they didn’t have enough facilities. Ten, Jeno! This has to be the one!”
Jeno locked the door behind him, trusting that Bongsik would be fine, and let Renjun hold his hand the entire way to the shelter.
Mrs Lee was waiting for them when they got there, seeming just as thrilled. She beckoned them to follow her to the pens, the same place where Jeno first met Renjun.
“They’re all kittens, only 10 weeks old,” She told them as she pushed the door open.
Jeno’s jaw immediately dropped open in awe. Right in front of him, were ten kittens he’d never seen before, just like Renjun had said. Renjun squeezed his arm and pushed him forward, telling him to go and see them.
“Mimi, Nora, Tan, Nabi, Luna, Felix, Seol, Nal, Kunta and Odd. That’s their names,” Mrs Lee informed him as Jeno sat down in the middle of them all.
He looked at them all individually, and his focus settled on one very tiny one. It was at the back of the group, not as playful and seeming a bit shy. The cat meowed to itself, a tiny high pitch meow which made Jeno’s heart break out of instant love. He picked it up gently, and it nudged its head into his palm.
“That’s Seol, he’s very quiet and perfect for you but,” Mrs Lee hesitated, “His sister Nal, I don’t want to separate them.” She gestured to another kitten, who was evidently livelier than her brother.
Jeno reached out his finger to stroke her head, and she reacted in the same way as her brother. He nodded and smiled up at Mrs Lee.
“Then I won’t separate them.”
Jeno was used to cats lying on his chest; it had been one of Bongsik’s favourite places to lie for years. But lying with Bongsik stretched out on his legs, two new kittens on his chest, and a boy’s head on his chest – that was new.
Jeno had one arm curled around Renjun’s shoulders and the other was barricaded around Seol and Nal to stop them falling off the bed. They’d fit in better than he’d expected with Bongsik, who’d welcomed them as much as a cat could. He had no worries for her current position, since he could feel her breathing against his calves. His boyfriends arm kept alternating between stroking the kittens and drawing patterns into his waist.
“When are you going to draw Seol and Nal again for me?” Jeno asked.
Renjun tapped his fingers on Jeno’s waist, tickling him slightly, “I only drew them a few days ago, greedy. Give my hands a rest for a bit,”
Jeno’s discovery of Renjun’s artistic abilities had made him fall in love even more, when he’d handed over the most intricately detailed sketch of his three cats. He’d been so touched that he immediately pinned it to his wall, next to the framed picture he had of them. After that, he’d started to request Renjun to draw his cats every single day.
“You’re so talented, though. I want to show everyone,” Jeno confessed, running his fingers through Renjun’s blonde hair. Taken back by the sudden compliment (which was all too common when dating Jeno), Renjun hid his face in Jeno’s chest.
Jeno chuckled, tapping the back of his head, “What? Don’t go asleep, I was telling the truth.”
Renjun shook his head and mumbled something that Jeno couldn’t understand.
“What was that, babe?” He asked. Renjun lifted his head, his eyes closed and his face slightly red.
“I love you,” Renjun announced, diving back into his comfy spot on Jeno.
It wasn’t the first time they had said the big L word, although it was still overwhelming and made them light-headed and needed some getting used to. Renjun had said it first, in fact, over an ice cream they’d shared on their fourth – or was it fifth? – date. That was over two months ago now, and Renjun still worked in the shelter and Jeno still visited way too often – only now he had more than just the cats for a reason.
“I love you too,” Jeno replied, his voice quiet and truthful.
Renjun squeezed him tightly once more, then shifted his attention to the two kittens and started talking to them in a baby voice. Jeno smiled, more thankful than ever for the shelter who not only brought him his three cats, but for letting him meet Renjun. He couldn’t imagine his life without him now. Jeno still died every now and then over practically everything he did, but he supposed that was Renjun’s charm. Sort of like a cat, he thought. You start off by loving them for being so irresistibly cute, and end up falling for them more and more each day you’re with them.
“Okay you can stop scratching me now, Nal, I’m going to sleep,” Renjun huffed, getting comfortable on Jeno again, “Wake me up when there’s food,”
Jeno was without a doubt falling more and more each day.