Archive of Our Own

See, the thing about Jimin is this. He’s a very tactile guy.

Taehyung is too, and that’s part of the reason they’ve been best friends since childhood. They’ve always been attached at the hip - quite literally.

It’s impossible to stay in a friendship with Jimin without being spontaneously back-hugged, or finding yourself cuddled up against during movie marathons.

He will admit, however, that this particular personality trait has led to his intentions being mistaken more than once. One notable example of this was when his then-current boyfriend walked in to find Jimin and Hoseok wrapped around each other, and decided that the only suitable course of action was to punch Hoseok in the face before even asking for an explanation. It’s not like healthy communication in relationships is a thing, or whatever.

Jimin isn’t convinced Hoseok has forgiven him for that quite yet, despite what the older boy insists. Sometimes when he watches the younger boy attempting a particular hard flip or turn in their choreography, he gets this glint in his eye, like he’s enjoying Jimin’s suffering.

Who knows though, maybe Hoseok’s just a sadist.

But all of this aside, Jimin doesn’t only welcome physical contact, he thrives on it. Even if he’s not getting hugged to death by Taehyung or Hoseok, he’s rolling with laughter right into Jungkook’s lap and clinging to the younger boy’s shoulders.

And when he can’t find affection as a human, he does it as a cat. 

According to his mother, this sort of thing runs in the family, but it definitely gave Jimin’s father a shock when he watched his baby son turn into a small, fluffy kitten for the first time. That’s not something you see every day.

There’s no real explanation for why it happens, according to Jimin’s grandmother. It just does. And yeah okay, if he was a superhero he’d have the shittiest ability of all, but he’s not. And being able to turn into a cat means that he’s able to get all the cuddles he wants, both from his friends and random strangers.

And sometimes a free meal too, if they’re feeling generous.

“Taehyungie,” Jimin whines, flopping backwards over the armrest of the sofa so he can stare his best friend in the eyes. “I’m lonely, please love me.” For extra effect, he juts his lower lip out and widens his eyes, playing up his baby-face for all its worth.

Taehyung looks awkwardly between Jimin and the door. “I’m really sorry, Chim,” he says apologetically. “But I’ve got a paper due tomorrow that I really need to work on, so I’m heading to the library.”

Pouting, Jimin asks, “Why can’t you work from here? I promise I won’t be distracting. I’ll turn into a cat and just nap in your lap, yeah?”

“I’m sorry, Jiminie,” Taehyung says sincerely, edging closer to the door. “But I need to get this paper done, and even when you’re a cat you’re distracting. I’ll give you cuddles tomorrow to make up for it. Love you, bye!”

The door shuts loudly behind him, and Jimin huffs, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Jungkook and Hoseok were busy practicing choreography (cough flirting cough), and all of his other friends were either busy, or wouldn’t understand Jimin calling them up to ask to cuddle.

He briefly entertains the idea of going out and finding a one-night stand. It’s been a while since he last went out and enjoyed his youth. But it’s quickly dismissed. It’s far too much effort, dressing up and getting there and wasting time seducing and fucking someone, just so he can have the human intimacy he craves.

A much easier solution is just wandering the streets of his neighbourhood as a cat, and waiting for some lonely old lady or stressed university student (such as himself) to see him and bring him back with them for an evening of pampering and cuddles.

Stranger danger was a concept quite lost on Jimin, despite his parents attempts to rigorously drill it into his head at a young age. As a child he had a habit of wandering off with strangers, and hugging those sweaty middle-aged men who paraded around with ‘free hugs’ signs in the centre of town and leered at pretty women. He rather pities his parents, especially his father, who seems about one scare away from developing a major heart condition

Nowadays he’s less likely to wander off with someone into a dark alley, but still sees no problem going home as a cat with complete strangers (much to his friends’ exasperation). Honestly, it’s not that much different from a one night stand, except he’s a cat, and his friends seem to have no problem with him doing that.

(“So I can go home with a stranger for sex but not for cat cuddles? Tae, that’s like, the opposite of slut-shaming. It’s cat-shaming. Fuck you.)

Rolling off the sofa, Jimin started tugging his hoodie off. It was decided then, time to find some friendly old lady to feed him tuna and watch shitty dramas with. It’d been a while since he’d been out like this, so he was rather behind on the latest dramas.

The transformation between human and cat was painless, and almost as natural as shedding clothes for Jimin, who’s been doing it practically his whole life.

It didn’t take long for him to transform, and then clamber out the kitchen window onto the balcony by their room. Barely even five minutes later, he’s made his way down to the ground from the fifth floor, well used to the journey by now.

There’s a friendly old lady near the café on the corner who always gives him cream and rubs his head just right, so he heads in that direction first, sticking to the shadows to avoid being trodded on or spotted by someone unsavoury. The streets of Seoul are dangerous as a cat.

In one particular instance, Jimin found himself taken to the pound by an unsuspecting old man, where he was locked in a small cage for almost three days before Taehyung found him and claimed him as his own. After that instance, he swore to his best friend that he wouldn’t go out wandering the streets at night as a cat anymore.

Well, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

Everything is so much bigger and brighter and louder as a cat. As a child, Jimin used to get frequently overwhelmed when he shifted by all the noise and smells, and how big everyone around him seemed. In cat form, he’d sneak away to hide in his parents’ laundry basket for hours until he called down and was able to change back.

A loud crash followed by a light “fuck” from a nearby alleyway draws Jimin’s attention. He’s still in the residential area, and at this rate it’s unlikely he’ll make it to the café in time for cream. Despite the voice in his head (that sounds suspiciously like Hoseok) telling him to just ignore the noise, he moves closer, and pokes his small head round the corner.

The light from the streetlamps doesn’t stretch this far, so the alleyway is mostly dark, the only light coming from the setting sun on the horizon. Jimin can make out a figure dressed all in black stood by a dumpster, cradling his hand. On the floor next to him there’s a rubbish bag, and judging by the sharp tang of blood in the air, the man (serial killer?) cut his hand on the dumpster. Either that or he killed someone, but that was unlikely. Right?

Jimin doesn’t realise quite how close he’s gotten to mystery dumpster man, until he looks up and meets Jimin’s eyes. The street-lights hit his face and-

Oh.

He’s cute.

His hair is black and tousled, and his lips are just so pink and pouty, Jimin wants to kiss the pout off them. Not to mention mystery dumpster man has got the cutest button nose to ever exist, and Jimin’s seen a lot of cute noses.

Despite his cuteness though, the man looks rather worse for wear. There are deep bags under his eyes, and his frame is skinny. Not unhealthily so, but enough to make him look slightly haggard. And of course there’s the fact that his hand is bleeding profusely onto the floor of the alleyway. Jimin can make out a long cut stretching across his palm, and it looks painful.

“Hey, kit,” the man says suddenly, shocking Jimin. He squats down with a wince and extends a hand towards Jimin, making that annoying clicking sound with his tongue. “Come to laugh at my pain, huh?”

In any other situation, Jimin would have bolted by now. A strange, haggard-looking man dressed all in black and bleeding from one hand, asking to pet him? No thanks, not today.

But.

He’s cute. Like, really cute. Ignoring the fact he’s slowly bleeding out in the alleyway, he looks kind. His face is soft, and his eyes seem friendly.

Jimin slowly steps forward until he’s almost directly in front of the man. Up close, he can really see how big the man’s hands are, and how long his fingers are. Several lewd thoughts pop into Jimin’s head, but they quickly fade away. He’s here for cuddles. A cute guy is just a bonus.

With the non-bloody hand, the man brushes his fingers gently over the top of Jimin’s head once, before repeating the action with more confidence. It doesn’t take long before he’s skimming his fingers down Jimin’s back, and Jimin is purring with happiness.

It takes him a moment to realise that the man is talking to him.

“You’re a real cutie, aren’t you?” he says in a deep, slurring voice, cupping Jimin’s face in his hand. Jimin feels his heart explode a little bit as the man watches him with a small smile. “What are you doing wandering around by yourself, hm?”

Meowing cutely, Jimin butts his head up against the man’s hand. When he was younger, he used to find it slightly weird to do things like this when he was, essentially, still human. But as he grew older, it started to feel more natural. And plus, if it gets him free food and cuddles, it’s worth the shame.

The man seems like someone who would give him nice tuna and pets, so Jimin pushes his face closer to him and purrs. Chuckling, the man reaches under Jimin suddenly and lifts him, Jimin letting out a startled shriek.

A second later, he finds himself nestled into the crook of the man’s neck, one hand supporting him from below. Cautious not to get blood onto Jimin’s fur, the man keeps his bloody hand down by his side. The smell of the man’s aftershave is strong but pleasant, and the fabric of his oversized black jumper is soft. Jimin feels as if he could just melt into this man’s body and never leave.

The man continues chatting away in his deep, soft voice as he stands up and makes his way to a door hidden near the back of the alleyway, punching in the door-code before attempting to manoeuvre himself and Jimin through the door.

“I don’t really have much food in my apartment right now,” he says, closing the door behind him with his foot. “Maybe some tinned meat or something,” he mutters. “Jin-hyung is always nagging me about looking after myself better.”

Jimin’s ears perk up at the mention of someone’s name. As far as he knows, he doesn’t know a ‘Jin-hyung’, but perhaps Taehyung or Hoseok might. The idea of seeing cute dumpster man outside of cat form has Jimin shivering in excitement, his tail giving a small flick unconsciously.

He feels the man’s eyes slide over to him. “Excited about getting some food, hm? I gotta make sure you’re all fed before I start putting you to work. Food isn’t cheap you know.”

Jimin isn’t left any time to ponder the man’s cryptic statement before they stop in front of a door, and he is shifted around uncomfortably as the man digs out his keys. “Sorry, kit,” the man says as Jimin scrambles to keep his hold on the man’s shoulders. He’s so broad, Jimin thinks absentmindedly, digging his claws in to feel the muscle underneath the soft jumper. A hiss of pain from the man quickly makes him retract his claws, however.

“Home sweet home,” is murmured as the man flicks on the light and shuts the door behind him. With a groan, he places Jimin down onto the kitchen table and straightens up, looking for something to wrap his hand in.

While the man is distracted, Jimin glances around him at his surroundings. It’s a typical student apartment, not that dissimilar from his own, except for only one person. The kitchen is small, barely fitting in a table and two chairs pressed right up against the wall. The countertops are bare, and as the man rummages through his cupboards in search of bandages, it becomes apparent that there isn’t much food to be found in this kitchen except for instant ramen.

Slinking to the edge of the table and peering round into the living room, Jimin can just about make out a ratty sofa and coffee table, covered in mugs and papers. On the other side of the room, there appears to be a door, which presumably leads to the bedroom.

Before Jimin can explore further, a hand scoops him up from underneath and he yelps. “Sorry, baby,” the man murmurs, running the knuckles of his bandaged hand down Jimin’s spine lightly. The sensation sends a tingling feeling throughout him, and he shivers.

Jimin finds himself being lifted until he’s face to face with this man, hands supporting him from beneath. Up close, the man looks even more tired, but also far more attractive. His face is narrow, and the bags under his eyes are almost alarmingly dark. Despite his messy, greasy hair, the man’s skin is smooth, and Jimin playfully bats out a paw to see if it’s as soft as it looks.

Startled, the man recoils, eyes blinking in surprise, before his lips curve up into a small smile. “Playful one, hm?” he says quietly. “You’re cute, that’s for sure. What are you, a calico, or something?”

There’s an awkward moment when the man’s eyes flick down to Jimin’s lower regions, and there’s a long pause. “You’re a boy.” A wave of embarrassment washes over Jimin. Some hot guy just looked at his cat dick, oh god. It was bad enough when the old man at the shelter did it, but this infinitely worse.

Jimin’s attempts to struggle out of the man’s (large) hands and throw himself out the nearest window with shame are interrupted when there’s the sound of a phone buzzing repeatedly nearby. With a sigh, the man places Jimin back down on the table and reaches for his phone nearby. Being nosy, Jimin squints at the man’s phone screen over his arm.

The man – Yoongi, Jimin knows now – sighs heavily before replying.

It took barely a minute for the phone to buzz again in reply, the screen lighting up with a message.

“God, he doesn’t know when to stop,” Yoongi complains, stretching his arms above his head. Even though the tone of his voice was harsh, there was an underlying sense of affection there in the way he playfully rolled his eyes and smiled softly at his phone.

Jimin startles when Yoongi suddenly lifts up his phone to his face, and snaps a quick shot of Jimin stood there on his table, typing out a quick text before sending both off to his annoying friend.

After sending the photo, Yoongi places his phone down with a sigh and fixes Jimin with a look. “You any good at catching mice?” he asks. What? Jimin thinks, tilting his head to one side in confusion.

Yoongi chuckles upon seeing Jimin’s apparent confusion. “You look so worried, it’s almost as if you understand me,” he jokes, reaching forward to lift Jimin up again. “Let’s make a deal, hm? You get rid of some of these mice in my flat, and I’ll go buy some real nice cat food for you.”

Jimin wrinkles his nose at the man, fixing him with a glare. He really thinks anyone would choose disgusting cat food over something halfway decent like tuna or chocolate. As a cat, he probably shouldn’t be eating chocolate, but YOLO right?

When Yoongi lifts him again, Jimin quickly finds his spot against the man’s neck again, rubbing his head against his pulse point. He can feel it when Yoongi laughs at the ticklish sensation, his chest shaking beneath Jimin.

“Cuddly boy, eh?” Yoongi says with a smile. “Maybe I’ll keep you around a bit longer if you’re useful.”

Jimin is starting to get slightly confused now by what Yoongi means. He came here for cuddles, not slave labour.

He glances around him as Yoongi walks through his apartment, taking note of the sheets of music notes and the kumamon slippers lying around in the living room. The room is fairly drab, except for the small splashes of colour in blankets and a few framed photos on the walls.

It’s difficult to make out, but Jimin sees Yoongi’s face in several of the pictures, pulling an array of frowns as he’s manhandled by two other boys, both taller than him. There’s also a picture with Yoongi smiling, showing off his gums as he looks adoringly down at a brown poodle.

Part of Jimin bristles seeing Yoongi making that face at a dog. God, why are all the cute ones always dog people? Where's the justice for us cats, hm?

Yoongi stops abruptly near the entrance to what was presumably his bedroom. Jimin can hear faint scratching noises coming from beyond the door. Something in his stomach drops, and he flattens his ear against his head. He has a bad feeling about this. Like that time he and Taehyung got kebabs from that food truck and ended up with diarrhoea.

The door to the bedroom opens and-

Yep, Jimin had been right to be worried.

The sound of mice squeaking can distinctly be heard, along with the faint tap-tapping of their disgusting little feet on the wooden floor.

His whole life was a lie. He finds a cute boy in an alleyway, who takes him back to his room, for what? Fucking mice catching.

Jimin whines in protest as Yoongi sets him down next to his bed and kneels next to him, peering under it.

"These goddamn rodents have been annoying me for weeks. The landlord won't do shit about them, it's ridiculous. But you're a good kitty aren't you, hm? Gonna help old Yoongi with his mice problem?"

The temptation to claw Yoongi's face and leave just then is so tempting. He'd come out tonight to get some cuddles and maybe some food, but instead, here he was, in some strangers bedroom about to catch mice. Maybe Taehyung was right. Maybe he should have stuck to one-night stands.

Just as he was about to make a run for the open bedroom door, he feels Yoongi's hands shoving his bum forwards and he jumps, letting out a shrill shriek.

So now he was being assaulted by him? Jimin really did have the worst taste in men.

With one last scathing look towards Yoongi and his hands (which were lurking nearby, ready to prevent him from bolting), Jimin moves forward to poke his head under the bed and search for the mice.

I'd better at least get some food out of this, he swears to himself. Something halfway decent...

Yoongi isn’t having a good day. To be honest, he was having a shit day.

It had all started when he'd gotten back one of his projects - one he'd actually been proud of - and his professor had told him it wasn't really what he was looking for. And yeah okay, that wasn't necessarily bad, Yoongi could deal with constructive criticism from his professors, but it definitely hadn't put him in a good mood.

His day definitely wasn't helped by Seokjin and Namjoon abandoning him at lunch time to go suck each other’s dicks in a storage cupboard, and then when they finally did turn up, Namjoon somehow managed to spill hot coffee all down the front of Yoongi.

But it didn't end there. No, that would be too kind. If anything, it got worse from there onwards.

Having been covered in scalding coffee and put in a thoroughly bad mood already, he'd decided to duck out of his afternoon music production lecture and just head home to get started on his next piece of work. He'd missed the bus and decided to walk back home instead, only to get caught in a sudden rain shower, completely drenching him.

As if the day couldn't get worse, he received a text from Suran alerting him that he'd missed a surprise test worth 10% of their grade in that class. What were the chances?

By the time he'd finally made it home, he was ready to just crash all evening. But of course the fucking mice had chewed through several items in his room, and when he'd gone to throw them in the dumpster outside he'd cut his hand.

Getting tetanus really would be the icing on top of this cake.

When he'd seen that cute cat come round the corner, he'd thought that perhaps things would look up from here. He could use the cat to get rid of the mice and finally get a good night’s sleep.

But no. Yoongi had somehow managed to find the one cat in all of Seoul that was scared of mice.

So now here he was, with a bleeding Tetanus wound, and a cat that (possibly) had rabies, rubbing its smug little face up against his leg instead of killing the mice in his bedroom.

After about the sixth time of physically placing the cat next to the mouse hole and watching it trot back over to him purring happly, Yoongi decides that enough was enough.

The universe had clearly decided that today was "Make Yoongi Suffer Day", and no amount of perseverance was going to change that.

Lying down onto his bedroom floor with a groan, he finally gives in and delivers the cat the attention it is clearly craving.

"Why won't you eat them?" Yoongi whines, giving the insistent cat a rigorous stroke down its back. The only response was a tilted head and 'mrowp!'. Shaking his head with a sigh, Yoongi fixed his eyes on the damp patch on his ceiling. "It's a good thing you're cute, or I'd have oof-"

His words were abruptly cut off when the cat suddenly launched itself onto his chest, knocking all of the breathe out of him in a sudden exhale. Sharp claws pierced through his skin when he wheezed, trying to get his breathe back.

"This...isn't....cute," he managed, shamelessly trying to shove the feline off of his body. In response, the cat just dug its claws in further stubbornly, fixing Yoongi with a disgruntled look. Given how it reacted to his words, Yoongi could have sworn the cat understood what he was saying.

This was why he was a dog person.

As if sensing Yoongi's traitorous preference for the other species, the cat padded forward and bopped at his nose with its paw gently, before flopping its entire body down onto his face.

The cat only seemed to purr louder as Yoongi sputtered with fur in his mouth, trying to dislodge the cat. After a few attempts, he gave up. It was the cat's face now. He may as well give up on life at this point.

Above him, the cat remained unbothered, purring away on his face, giving its paw a leisurely lick.

Yoongi lay there for who knows how long, before his stomach let out a loud rumble. There was a moment of silence, the cat pausing in its licking to stare down at Yoongi's stomach, and then....

Growl.

The explosion of laughter burst out of Yoongi unbidden, dislodging the cat from its comfy spot on his face.

"You're hungry as well, are you?" he asked it amusedly, watching as its tail flicked in irritation. "I suppose I did promise you food, even if you're a rather useless mouse-catcher." With a groan, he pulled himself to his feet and headed for the kitchen, checking that the cat was still following him.

Once there, he quickly checks the cupboards and fridge for anything he could feed to his new furry friend. The realisation that he needs to feed himself better comes to him as he's searching through his kitchen. Either that or Seokjin needs to come round more often. The milk in his fridge has been there for so long its practically solid.

"Well," Yoongi finally says, straightening up. "I have instant ramen." He shakes the plastic cup at the cat. "Nothing for you though, sorry. I'll pop down to the corner shop and buy you some tuna later."

The cat looks away from him with an indignant toss of its head.

"What? It's not my fault I don't have any cat friendly food. I wasn't expecting guests." He doesn't quite know why he feels the need to explain himself to this cat, but here he is.

It doesn't take long to boil the water for the ramen and cook it, and in barely any time at all he's sat down at his kitchen table, slurping greedily from the bowl.

A painful twinge in his leg pulls his attention away from his food, and he looks down to see the cat sat on its back legs, staring longingly at the noodle dangling from his chopsticks.

"You can't have any," is mumbled around the food still in mouth.

If anything, this rejection seems to make the cat even more eager, as it launches itself onto his lap with a soft noise. Yoongi sighs. He's in no state to argue with a stubborn cat. If it wants to sit on his lap, it can.

(He regrets this decision approximately ten seconds later when the cat accidentally stands on his dick.)

So focused on the fact that his dick just got mildly crushed, Yoongi doesn't notice the cat eating noodles off his chopsticks until it's too late. The cat's nose crinkles at the spice, and if the cat weren't Satan himself, Yoongi might admit that it was kind of cute.

"I don't think ramen is intended for cats," Yoongi points out, holding his food away from the cat in an attempt to stop it. However, a firm glare from Satan's spawn has him placing the bowl back down on the table with a shrug. "Suit yourself, it's your funeral."

While they eat, Yoongi reaches over to his phone to check his texts. There's about forty from Seokjin, demanding to know where he found a cat and promising not to turn him into the cops if he just returns it to its owner immediately.

"Have a little more faith," Yoongi scoffs, and the cat nods approvingly from his lap, stealing some more noodles from Yoongi’s chopsticks.

After he’s done with the noodles, he leaves the bowl on the table and heads to wash up his hands. When he turns around again, the cat is there, drinking the remaining broth from the bowl. Yoongi’s nose wrinkles in disgust.

The cat follows him into the living room, happily settling on his lap in front of the TV. It purrs when he strokes a hand down its back and twiddles with its ears. After a while, Yoongi finds himself falling into a rhythm, stroking the cats back.

There, in front of the TV, cat purring away on his lap and some shitty sitcom acting as background noise, Yoongi falls asleep.

When he wakes up the next morning after a solid twelve hours of deep sleep, the cat is gone.

“One, two, three…”

Hoseok claps along to the beat as Jimin and the other dancers quickly fall into sync, executing the moves.

Jimin feels energised and focused, finding himself moving along to the music as if it’s a part of him. Hoseok seems to notice his renewed enthusiasm for what he had previously called ‘the dance from hell’ and calls out: “Keep it up, Jimin!”

When the song ends, Jimin strikes his ending pose and holds it for a moment, panting loudly, before him and the rest of the dancers collapse into a heap on the floor.

“That dance is downright cruel,” Momo says, flapping her hands at Hoseok passing around water bottles. “I feel like I’m about to hack up a lung.”

“That means you’re doing it right,” Hoseok quips with an evil grin. “Good work today, though. I’m sure we’ll get the whole thing looking polished in time for the showcase.”

There’s a chorus of groans at the mention of the showcase, but Hoseok just grins winder.

Jimin stays lying on the floor even as the other dancers begin to pack up and leave. Eventually, a shadow falls over him and a familiar hand reaches out to help him up.

“You were pretty good today,” Jungkook said with a smile. “Not as good as me, but if you practice a lot you might get there one day!”

“You’re such a fucking brat.” Once he’s in an upright position, Jimin lets go of Jungkook’s hand to swat at the younger boy. “How did one-on-one practice with Hoseok-hyung go yesterday? Did you pee yourself like the little boy you are yet?”

Jungkook scowls. “It was fine. He almost called an ambulance after I slipped and banged my head on the floor, though.”

A snigger escapes Jimin, before it escalates to full-blown laughter, him throwing his whole body backwards as he laughs.

“Let me guess, he showed a sliver of skin and your poor gay heart couldn’t take it.”

It’s Jungkook’s turn to hit Jimin now.

“No! He just….he was doing some really sexual hip thrusts, okay?”

This sets Jimin off laughing again, attracting the attention of Hoseok who’s waving farewell to the last few dancers at the studio entrance.

“What are you two laughing at?” he asks as he comes over. “By the way Jimin, me and Jungkook were planning to go get some dinner, want to join us?”

A quick look over at Jungkook shows he very clearly does not want Jimin to intrude on his alone time with his crush, so Jimin just smiles sweetly at Hoseok. “Ah, sorry hyung, but I’ve already got plans this evening.”

Hoseok’s eyebrows wiggle dramatically, and he does a little shimmy. “Jiminie’s got a hot date, eh?”

“Something like that,” Jimin replies with a wink and a laugh, tugging his bag over one shoulder. “I’ll see you guys later!”

The truth is – Jimin does have a date, sort of.

For the past two weeks since he first found Yoongi in that alleyway, he’s been regularly going over to the man’s apartment every evening.

That first day, he’d stayed cuddled with Yoongi on the sofa almost the whole night, and it had been one of the best night’s sleep he’d had in forever. However, he’d eventually had to leave, narrowly escaping Taehyung’s questions about his absence by getting back into the apartment just minutes before his best friend.

After everything that had happened that evening, Jimin hadn’t been sure whether Yoongi would be willing to see him again. He’d gone to the same alleyway he’d first met Yoongi in, hoping to see the man there. He hadn’t, but looking up, he’d seen the fire escape conveniently located next to Yoongi’s window.

And yes okay, maybe it was a little bit stalkerish to sit outside Yoongi’s window for an hour waiting for the man to get home, but Jimin was desperate okay?

The older man’s face had lit up when he’d spotted Jimin sat outside his window, face splitting into a wide gummy grin. They’d eaten ramen for dinner again, and marathoned a trashy anime series.

Since then, it had been pretty much the same every evening. Either Yoongi left his window open, or Jimin sat on the fire escape waiting for him to get home. Then they’d laze around and watch TV all evening, or Yoongi would do some of his homework. Thankfully, Yoongi had finally bought some food that wasn’t instant ramen, and seemed to enjoy cooking for Jimin, interested in seeing what sort of stuff Jimin would eat.

In all honesty, Jimin could probably be keeping up better appearances at actually being a cat. Several times now he’d caught Yoongi staring at him with a thoughtful look in his eye, after he’d acted in an unusual way.

(Jimin supposes going to the toilet in the actual toilet and attempting to flush it really isn’t something a normal cat would do.)

Nonetheless, Yoongi doesn’t seem to suspect anything more than the cat he half-adopted having a few screws loose. It would be rather concerning if he did suspect Jimin of being a human. “Hey so you know that cat you’ve been cuddling to sleep every night? That’s actually a twenty year old man. My bad.” God, that would be terrible.

After leaving the studio, Jimin quickly heads back to his and Taehyung’s apartment, showering to wash all the sweat off his body. Checking the time, he sees that he still has a few hours until Yoongi actually gets back to his apartment, so he resolves to spend it actually doing his work.

As a result of spending a large amount of his day lounging around Yoongi’s place as a cat, Jimin’s work ethic has really suffered. He’s barely staying on top of his workload, and it’s stressing him out.

Several hours later, he’s packing away his notes and stripping down, sneaking out of his window so as not to alert Taehyung to where he’s going.

By now, he has the route to Yoongi’s place memorised. It’s really not that far from his own, though the walk would probably take less time as a human.

The window is already open Jimin arrives, so he clambers through, meowing loudly to let Yoongi know he’s here. When there’s no immediate reply, he looks around in confusion.

Yoongi is definitely here, the window would be closed otherwise. Normally he comes out to say hello to Jimin, rubbing in that spot behind his ears and saying “Hey, kit,” in that soft, deep voice of his.

Jimin can pick up the faint sounds of music coming from Yoongi’s bedroom, so he pads over to the door, shoving it open with his body.

The man himself is sat at his desk, big headphones over the top of his messy hair. His long fingers are twiddling at some machine – perhaps a sound board – on the desktop, head bobbing along with the beat as he stares at the screens in front of him.

Jimin had known Yoongi was a music major, judging from the sheets of music lying around the apartment, and the few certificates for piano pinned to the wall in his room, but this is the first time he’s seeming him in action. It’s kind of hot, if he’s being honest.

Yoongi is completely in the zone, eyes and ears fully focused on the screen in front of him. Occasionally he’ll stop and make a little ‘ssssp’ noise, tilting his head to one side as he corrects an error in the song. He’s so focused on the screen that he doesn’t even notice Jimin creeping closer in his periphery.

With a sudden movement, Jimin throws himself across the music mixing board, squishing Yoongi’s hands beneath his belly. He feels more than sees the man jolt in surprise, pulling his headphones off to stare down at Jimin in annoyance.

“Not right now, kit,” Yoongi says. He seems more irritable today, brow furrowed and voice tense. “I need to finish this song before tomorrow, so if you could please lie elsewhere that would be great.”

Jimin doesn’t move.

Narrowing his eyes, Yoongi attempts to shove Jimin off and finds himself getting a gentle bop on the hand for his troubles. He raises an eyebrow at Jimin, who just rolls onto his back.

Yoongi seems stressed, and Jimin knows from personal experience that cat cuddles are the best stress relievers around. This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he loves getting his belly rubbed. Nothing at all.

With a sigh, Yoongi gives in and rubs Jimin’s belly, eliciting a pleased purr from him. After a few minutes however, he puts his headphones back on to start work again. Despite fixing Jimin with a long stare, Jimin remains where he is.

Yoongi sighs.

There are days when Yoongi really regrets all the decisions he’s ever taken in his life. He regrets going to university, he regrets taking Music Production at university, he regrets eating that kebab from the suspicious kebab shop… but most of all, he thinks, he regrets letting that god forsaken cat into his apartment.

He’ll admit, it is rather endearing. He likes having someone around to complain about his day to and cuddle when he’s stressed. But he doesn’t like that all this comes with his food being eaten.

About four days into this weird thing, he’d found that it was no longer safe to keep food on the countertops. Whether it was crisps or chocolate or carrots, the demon cat from hell would eat it all. Yoongi’s fairly sure cats aren’t supposed to eat half the things this cat does.

Currently, the cat is lying across his sound mixing board, preventing him from adding the finishing touches to his project due tomorrow. He’d asked some second year called Taehyung to do the vocals this time, and his voice was phenomenal.

That wasn’t the problem with the song, the problem was that there was something missing and he couldn’t figure out what.

He leans back in his chair with a deep sigh. Hearing the noise, the cat lifts its head from the mixing board to look at him. If Yoongi didn’t know better, he’d think the animal was curious.

“Can’t fix this fucking song,” he groans, stretching his arms out. “Guess I’ll just fail.”

He hears a soft squeak as the cat stands from the mixing board and stretches, back arching. The cat watches him with cautious eyes as it relocates itself to his lap, sitting facing the computer screen and staring up at him expectantly.

Yoongi chuckles. “What, you want to listen?” The cat doesn’t stop staring. What harm can it do, Yoongi thinks, clicking play on the song.

The cat doesn’t react all throughout the song, only twitching its ears slightly at certain parts. Once it’s played through once, the cat reaches up with a paw to bat at Yoongi’s hand and meow plaintively. “Again?” he asks, pressing play once more.

This time round, Yoongi gets a shock when the cat starts yowling – almost singing really – about a minute into the song. It sounds shit, if he’s honest, because cats really aren’t suited for music, but really –

Yoongi is astounded. Firstly, what sort of fucking cat sings along to a song? He’s only ever seen that in stupid YouTube videos. Secondly, the cats yowling- singing – is actually… pretty good. He can imagine it now, with someone like Taehyung’s deeper vocals, or Jungkook’s breathier ones…

The song ends, and Yoongi scrambles to hit play again and grab his phone. “Do that again,” he says breathlessly. He makes sure his phone is recording when the cat starts yowling again.

After playing it through a couple of times more, the cat gets bored of its singing (if it can even be called that) and starts harassing Yoongi for attention once more. Pleased with the progress he’s made on finishing this song, Yoongi returns the attention lavishly, giving the cat belly rubs and talking to it in the cutesy voice he normal reserves for Holly.

Selecting the audio recording of the cat, Yoongi quickly sends it to Taehyung and types out a message to the young singer.

Deciding to test out his theory, Yoongi puts his phone away and stares at the cat.

“Hey, Jimin,” he says. The cat startles, turning to stare at him with wide, scared eyes. “That’s your name, right? At least, that’s what Taehyung says.”

At the mention of Taehyung’s name, the animal – Jimin, he has a name now – seems to be even more terrified. What did those kids do to this poor cat?

“Now that I know who you belong to, I should probably give you back,” Yoongi says apologetically. Jimin meows sadly, rubbing his head along Yoongi’s forearm. “Wouldn’t you like that?” A set of claws dug into his leg tell Yoongi that Jimin would most definitely not like that.

This little guy seems really attached, Yoongi thinks later, watching as Jimin bats at his toes while he relaxes on the sofa. I guess it isn’t all bad having him around.

Stubbornness is in Jimin’s nature. He can’t tell if a ‘him’ thing or a cat thing.

So when Taehyung chews him out after finding he’s been sneaking off to Yoongi’s as a cat for the past month, does it stop him? Definitely not.

At this point, Taehyung has practically given up on getting Jimin to stop, but he does offer him a few words of advice.

“Just, don’t get too attached,” he implores, wrapping Jimin in a big hug. “Yoongi-hyung is a good guy, but he doesn’t react well to being lied to, and he hasn’t had a serious relationship the whole time I’ve known him. I know what you’re like Chim, I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“You say that as if I have a crush on him,” Jimin scoffs, and then winces when Taehyung fixes him with a look. Okay yeah, he does. But Yoongi is just….god.

It’s gone past the initial cuteness Jimin saw. Despite his grumpy exterior, Yoongi is really a sweet guy who texts his friends with emojis and makes a whining noise when Jimin doesn’t cuddle him right. The thought of losing that if Yoongi finds out the truth… it would devastate him. Jimin hadn’t realised until now just how reliant he’d become on Yoongi’s affection and presence in his life.

“I’ll be careful,” Jimin promises Taehyung with a soft smile.

As it is now, he’s been visiting Yoongi for almost 2 months. Without the elder’s knowledge, he’d stashed some of his own work in his apartment, so as not to stay behind on his own work. He’d had to be subtle about it, transforming back to a human and hiding the notes away under the sofa before Yoongi got back one day, but so far it had been working out.

Jimin should have known his complacency would lead to his downfall.

They'd had this weird arrangement going on for almost two and a half months now (two and a half months too long if you asked Taehyung), when Yoongi comes home one day with an excited grin and a plastic bag.

"I've decided it's time," he calls, dramatically flinging himself down onto the sofa beside Jimin, who'd been having a rather nice nap while he waited for Yoongi to get back. The older man rustles the plastic in front of Jimin, a wide smile on his face and an eager gleam in his eye. It's honestly one of Jimin's favourite things about Yoongi, how excitable and cute he is once he really opens up to someone. Of course, he's still often quiet and reserved - it’s in his nature after all - but it’s always nice to see him allowing himself to be happy.

God, Jimin is so whipped.

In front of him, Yoongi reaches into the bag, dramatically pulling out three mousetraps with a flourish. "Finally our mice problem can be resolved!"

For the past few weeks, Jimin has either headed back to his own apartment once Yoongi falls asleep, or stuck it out on the sofa with the older man. Once or twice, they'd attempted sleeping in Yoongi's bedroom. Inevitably however, the squeaking and rustling of the mice had become too loud, and they'd retreated back to the sofa.

It's not that it's a bad sofa. It's fairly comfy, all things considered. But Jimin can't help but think that Yoongi would sleep so much better in a proper bed, like Jimin's, with a memory foam mattress, and human Jimin cuddling him just right-

But he can't allow himself to think this way. He can't risk ruining what he has. How many boys out there would be willing to accept a boyfriend who's sometimes a cat? Not many. So Jimin will stick with what he has.

He watches carefully as Yoongi cuts up some pieces of cheese in the kitchen, fixing the small cubes onto the traps securely.

(And maybe he tries to steal a few of them himself. Sue him, he's hungry.)

Following Yoongi into his bedroom, Jimin makes sure to take note of where exactly the traps are placed. He's been coming in here to work some nights while Yoongi sleeps on the sofa, so he'd hate to accidentally stand on one or something.

Yoongi pats his head softly after they're done laying the traps. "Soon I'll have my bedroom back properly," he muses, stroking one hand softly over Jimin's ears. "Then you can sleep with me in a proper bed for once, Jimin."

Jimin's traitorous brain conjures up images of what sleeping with Yoongi in a bed would be like. He elects to ignore them.

Just over a week after laying the mouse traps, Yoongi is awoken by a scream in the middle of night. A human scream, coming from nearby. He immediately sits bolt upright on the sofa, hands patting nearby in search of Jimin. Considering his laziness and fear of mice, the cat serves more as moral support than anything else.

He's not alarmed when his hand finds nothing, however. It's not uncommon for Jimin to be gone when Yoongi wakes up in the morning. Given how frequent his disappearances are, Yoongi has taken to leaving his window cracked open almost constantly, despite Namjoon's nagging.

Yoongi is just about to write the scream off as a freak accident in a neighbouring apartment and go back to sleep, when there's a loud thump and groan definitely coming from inside his apartment. Or, more specifically, his bedroom.

Scrambling his way into the kitchen, Yoongi opens his cupboards as quietly as possible. In a situation like this, a butcher's knife or something would be ideal to deal with an intruder. But Yoongi is a hapless fool who survives off instant ramen, so he's winging this Rapunzel style.

Armed with a frying pan, he creeps along the corridor to his cracked open bedroom door. There's a very faint light coming from within, as well as some...muffled swearing?

Once he's close enough, Yoongi bursts through the door, frying pan hefted over his shoulder, and his face contorted into the most intimidating expression he can manage (which is frankly, not that intimidating).

The intruder is, well, he's rather naked. That's the first thing Yoongi notices, still wielding his frying pan and breathing heavily to control his heart rate. Completely buck naked.

The next thing Yoongi notices is that he's hot. And yes, maybe he should have more important priorities than checking out the naked intruder in his home, but he's gay and lonely, give him a break.

When Yoongi had burst into the room, the man had frozen in his frantic hopping, and now stands there, clutching one foot, staring wide-eyed at Yoongi. Calling him cute would be an understatement, he's fucking gorgeous. His hair is unusually dyed with almost gingery highlights, falling over his face softly, and his lips, god. If it weren't a life or death situation right now, Yoongi would definitely be thinking about kissing them.

Licking his lips almost subconsciously, the strange man whimpers as he jostles his foot. It's then that Yoongi notices the source of all the commotion. There, clamped onto his big toe, is a mouse trap. It's almost ironic how none of the other traps have been touched. The mice weren't dumb enough to fall for it, but this man was.

"Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing in my apartment?" Yoongi asks, holding the frying pan higher. "Are you some sort of pervert?"

There's a long pause, almost uncomfortably long. Yoongi can see the man open and close several times, expression becoming increasingly more panicked. He looks more like he's been asked to explain the meaning of the universe, than being asked what he's doing in a stranger’s house.

Eventually, however, he seems to reach a conclusion, opening his mouth and just -

Meowing.

Yoongi pauses, lowering the frying pan. "So... you're a furry pervert?"

If it's possible, the man’s eyes get even wider, and he blushes a deep red.

"I..." he begins, and his voice is a lot higher than Yoongi was expecting. "I promise I can explain. But can I get this off my foot first, please? It really hurts."

"So," Yoongi says later, leaning back in his chair. "You expect me to believe that you're Jimin. As in, the cat Jimin."

Jimin nods shyly, tugging on the sleeve of Yoongi's dressing gown. After the fifth time of Yoongi getting distracted by Jimin's bare chest, the older man had begrudgingly handed over his dressing gown for Jimin to wear. It’s old and a bit worn, but ridiculously comfortable. If Yoongi thinks he’s getting it back after this, he’s wrong.

"I know it sounds stupid, but I promise I'm not lying. You can even ask Taehyung, he's my best friend and he knows the truth."

"How does someone even turn into a cat? Like, what the fuck?"

"I can show you, if you want," Jimin offers, moving to untie the robe. Yoongi is quick to stop him, blushing profusely.

In all honesty, this whole situation is going a whole lot better than expected. Yoongi is definitely shocked by the revelation, but he's not like, threatening to call the cops on Jimin at all, so he counts that as a win.

And if the way Yoongi is blushing and can't meet Jimin's eyes means anything, all hope isn't lost of Jimin taking this relationship beyond friendship.

"I can't believe I looked at your dick," Yoongi mumbles, covering his burning face with his hands. Jimin giggles, leaning closer and allowing the front of the robe to gape open a little.

"Believe me, it was embarrassing for the both of us. I much prefer it when cute guys like yourself look at my dick in another setting."

Yoongi looks like he's about one more compliment away from a Jimin-induced heart attack.

"So, what now?" he finally asks. "Now that I know you're not a cat you're just gonna what, leave and never come back?"

"If that's what you want."

"If that's what I want?"

Jimin smiles his charming smile, resting his head on one palm. "I was thinking more along the lines of, perhaps we could go on a date or something. You can get to know me a bit better. I already know plenty about you."

Looking up from his palms, Yoongi looks unsure. "You want to go on a date? With me?" He gestures down at his body as he says this. There’s a slightly judgemental look on his face, as if saying You’ve seen me eat ramen with my hands at three in the morning, and you want to go on a date?

"Who wouldn't?" Jimin replies. "So, what do you say?"

Yoongi looks like he's seriously debating it for a minute, before his expression turns into a smirk. "I don't know," he muses. "I kind of have a rule against dating furries..."

Jaw dropped, Jimin gapes at Yoongi as the man's facade cracks, giving way into full-bellied laughter.

"You know what, I think I will retract that date offer now," Jimin turns his nose up in the air.

"Aw Jimin, c'mon. Give me a chance. I know a really good fish place nearby!"

This time, Jimin really does smack Yoongi on the arm, but he's smiling. He can feel himself loosening up, his tense shoulders relaxing now that he doesn't need to worry about Yoongi finding out the truth anymore.

"Well, the date will have to wait until tomorrow because it's currently almost one in the morning," Yoongi says with a small smile, checking his phone. "Will you be staying the night?" He fiddles awkwardly with his hands as he asks, not looking Jimin in the eye. It's cute.

"I'd like that," Jimin nods, standing up from the table. "Though, I doubt both of us will fit on the sofa when I'm like this."

"I don't put out before the first date, young man," is called back to Jimin as Yoongi heads into the living room. "Now change into a cat and come give me cuddles."

Giggling, Jimin replies, "You sure are eager to cuddle with a stranger for someone who doesn't put out, hyung."

Yoongi's head pokes around the corridor. "Listen, I've gotten used to falling asleep with a cat now. Until I know more about you than your name, cat cuddles are all you're getting, Park Jimin." He raises an eyebrow dramatically as he says all this, making Jimin laugh again.

Left alone to change back in the kitchen, Jimin lets loose a soft sigh, allowing himself to relax a little. God, this has been a wild evening. He'd just wanted to get a start on one of his essays, and in his sleep-addled state he had completely forgotten about the mousetraps. But, he supposes, it all ended up working out in the end. The thought of going on a proper date with Yoongi - Yoongi, who's even more playful and cute when interacting with human JImin - sends a thrill of excitement down his spine.

He thinks that perhaps it'll be a bit weird, cuddling with Yoongi now that the man knows the truth, but it surprisingly isn't. Yoongi just lifts him onto the sofa, setting Jimin down on his chest and allowing him to get comfortable.

It's dark inside the room, the curtains blocking out all but a small sliver of orange street light. Jimin is just about to drop off to sleep, soothed by the rhythmic movement of Yoongi's chest, when he hears the other man breathe out, "Night, Jimin."

He doesn't reply, only cuddles closer.

Dating Yoongi is different, to say the least. He's quite a change from Jimin's past boyfriends. Normally, they were dance students as well, fuckboys that Jimin started out a 'friends with benefits' type deal with, that gradually progressed into romance and inevitably ended when they cheated on him with a cheerleader. He had a type.

Yoongi was the complete opposite. On their first date (not to a fish restaraunt, despite Yoongi's pleading) the older man didn't even allow Jimin to hold his hand until after the meal. Something about keeping up his standards, whatever that meant.

It was nice though. Being a rather stubborn and impulsive person, Jimin was used to running head-first into things without taking the time to truly appreciate them. Dating Yoongi, he learn that sometimes it was nicer to go on cute picnic dates and study together in the library than just shack up in the dance studio all week.

(Hoseok is probably quite glad about this turn of events as well.)

Though, they don't take things too slow. After their third date - amusement park, terrible idea because they were both cowards and too proud to admit it - Jimin had finally gotten frustrated of Yoongi playing hard to get, and pulled the older man into the nearest Haunted House, pressing him up against the wall and crashing his lips against his.

"You're such a fucking asshole," he had murmured into Yoongi's mouth, biting at his lower lip. Yoongi's lips were in fact as soft as they looked.

Hands snaked around his waist, pressing his body closer. "You can talk," Yoongi panted, mouthing at Jimin's neck. "I swear you've been transforming in front of me more than usual, just to get a rise out of me."

"I would never." (He had.)

They'd both become the bane of their friends existences as well. It turns out, Hoseok and Jungkook had also know Yoongi, and his other friends Namjoon and Seokjin. How Jimin had managed to avoid the man for so long, he didn't know, but it had all worked itself out in the end.

The mice problem does eventually get resolved, and Jimin and Yoongi finally get to cuddle not in cat form on the bed, much to both of their joy.

Of course, like any relationship, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. They have their first real fight about four months into dating (the argument over whether or not marmite is a valid food does not count as a couple fight, no matter what Taehyung and Jungkook might insist).

It's messy, and it's stupid. But they get through it. And it's a learning experience for both of them. Yoongi learns that he shouldn't stay out all night in the campus studios working, and Jimin learns that turning into a cat is the ultimate argument ending technique.

Yoongi spends a good five minutes attempting to continue the argument with Jimin, who winds around his legs and meows loudly.

"Goddamnit, Jimin," he says, leaning down to scoop up his boyfriend from where he's demolishing Yoongi's shoelaces. "You need to learn how to talk out your problems as a human, this isn't a healthy coping technique." Jimin fixes Yoongi with a dead-eyed stare, meowing loudly. He relents. "Okay yes, I'm not the standard for healthy communication, but at least I'm not this bad."

Jimin just purrs, butting his head against Yoongi's jawline. God, he knows exactly how weak Yoongi is. He can't say no to him. No one can. Yoongi once saw Jimin manipulate Jungkook into giving him his bank card details just by smiling and asking. No one should be that powerful.

All in all, they're happy. Jimin still hangs out at Yoongi's apartment, but a bit less than he did before. They both learned the hard way that he can't focus in Yoongi's presence. Instead, he now comes over later in the evening to cuddle in human form and watch shitty romcoms. It's really not much different from before, except there's more kissing.

With the addition of Yoongi to Jimin's life comes new friends in Seokjin and Namjoon. Jimin takes a liking to them immediately, despite Yoongi's insistence that they're terrible. Seokjin is funny and loud, and Namjoon is quietly sarcastic, not afraid to make scathing remarks at Yoongi. It's not uncommon to find all seven of them crashing each other’s apartments or studying together in the library. It's nice, really nice. He can barely remember what his life was like before all of them were together, it just feels so right.

Jungkook and Hoseok finally (finally) get together after about two years of pining and barely disguised flirting. They're both cute and sickening together. Jimin whines to Yoongi daily about how now they've finally got their shit together, they're unbearable in dance practice.

Life becomes comfortable (for the most part). But that doesn't mean it becomes boring.

By now, Yoongi is fairly used to being crushed by Jimin. The man seems to have no control over his shifting in his sleep, so it's not uncommon for him to fall asleep on Yoongi's chest in cat form, and Yoongi to wake up trapped under a very naked human Jimin.

The sound of Jimin's loud snoring fills Yoongi's ears, the younger boy lying completely on top of his boyfriend, face pressed into Yoongi's neck and arms encasing his body. Yoongi couldn't escape even if he wanted to, thoroughly trapped by his warm body. Something fond stirs in Yoongi's chest as he looks down as Jimin's cheek smushed against his collarbone, forcing his plush lips into a pout. How is one man so beautiful? And how did Yoongi end up with such a beautiful soul as his boyfriend?

He stays there, just admiring Jimin, occasionally brushing his soft locks of hair off his face. God, he’s so smitten. If his friends could see him right now, he’d never live it down. But honestly, he doesn’t care. They all knew he was a soft fucker already, may as well embrace it.

Eventually, his phone starts blaring with the alarm he set.

With a groan, Yoongi stretches out a hand to grab his phone, turning the alarm off and opening his chat with Namjoon. Above him, Jimin shifts and mumbles something against the bare skin of Yoongi's neck.

As comfortable as he is here in bed, encased by warmth, Jimin is starting to get rather heavy on top of him. Yoongi always supports his boyfriend's initiative to go to the gym and work out (especially when he reaps the benefits) but it does mean he suffers the weight of all that muscle mass.

After a few minutes of wriggling, he manages to free himself from Jimin's clutches. The younger makes a low whining noise on the bed, curling more into the mattress to attempt to preserve the warmth.

Yoongi leaves him there on the bed as he goes to make food in the kitchen.

They've only really been dating for about seven months now, but they've already fallen into an easy coexistence. Jimin doesn't sleep over at Yoongi's every night (they need their own space) but he's there often enough that he has his own key. Yoongi had finally given the younger man his own key after the fourth time of seeing his boyfriend sat on the fire escape outside the window, pawing gently at the glass.

All their friends say they'e sickening. Jimin thinks they're cute.

Yoongi is just finishing resealing the bread bag when a solid pair of arms wind their way around his waist, and a soft kiss is pressed to the back of his neck.

"What are you up to?" Jimin asks sleepily, nuzzling into Yoongi's shoulder. "Not putting more mousetraps into the food again, I hope?"

Snickering, Yoongi moves to place the bread back in its place and turns to press a proper kiss to his boyfriend's mouth. "You have to admit, that was pretty funny."

Jimin huffs.

The whole incident had happened back when they'd just started to date properly. Yoongi had noticed that his food was being eaten even when he wasn't home, and JImin was the obvious suspect. Considering how they'd first properly met each other, Yoongi (a self proclaimed comedic genius) thought that hiding mousetraps inside packets of ramen and bags of crisps, was a great idea.

Jimin, however, had disagreed. Yoongi had come home to find his boyfriend sat on the kitchen table, Yoongi's favourite mug resting next to him.

("Jimin? What's this?" Yoongi asked. There was no reply except for the narrowing of eyes from Jimin.

Slowly, the cat lifted his paw, hovering it in the air next to the mug. Finally it clicked in Yoongi's head.

"Jimin, no. Don't do it, I swear to god." His pleading was useless. The old sweet Jimin was gone, only the hellcat remained. In true cat fashion, Jimin stared Yoongi dead in the eyes as the other man pleaded, and just -

Pushed the mug off the table.

It hit the floor with a loud smash, shattering all over the kitchen. Yoongi sighed. Jimin looked smug.)

Obviously remembering his own chaotic cat antics, Jimin smirks at Yoongi, pulling back from the kiss.

"At least you know not to mess with me now," he says with a disarmingly bright smile.

"Still didn't stop me from replacing all your shampoo with hairdye," Yoongi reminds him. "The orange really suited you, by the way."

"Also didn't stop me ripping your favourite hoodie to shreds in retaliation. And I know it looked good, you couldn't keep your hands off me."

"Guilty as charged," Yoongi mumbles, hands rubbing at Jimin's bare waist. Behind them, his toast pops out of the toaster. Before Yoongi has a chance to grab it, Jimin snatches it and takes a bite out of it.

He grins at Yoongi as he chews it open-mouthed, relishing in the look of disgust on his boyfriends face.

"I hate you."

"No, you love me," Jimin replies quickly, before realising what he's said.

Yoongi pauses, breath catching in his throat. This is the first time they've said it to each other. Is seven months too soon to know you're in love? He's never felt this way about anyone before, never felt this comfortable in their presence.

In every possible way, Jimin enriches Yoongi's life. He introduces him to things he never would have tried before, pulls him out of his comfort zone. He's always there for Yoongi, whether it's just to chill, or for emotional support.

When Yoongi imagines settling down properly after university, he imagines it with Jimin. He can't imagine a future for himself in which Jimin isn't there. Ten, even twenty, years down the line, Yoongi is certain he'll still feel the same butterflies in his stomach whenever Jimin smiles, the same fever creeping across his skin when they kiss.

And he supposes, that's love.

"Yeah," he says softly, pulling Jimin's body close, until they're both pressed up against the countertop. "I do love you."

Yoongi can see Jimin's eyes widen imperceptibly, breath flowing out of him in one sweep. "Hyung..." the younger boy says, smile widening. 

"Even if you're a furry."

It takes a moment for what he said to break through the haze in Jimin's eyes, but once it does, Yoongi yelps as Jimin delivers a sharp jab to his side.

"Shut the fuck up, I'm not a furry," Jimin nearly yells, crossing his arms indignantly and not allowing a giggling Yoongi to pry them away from his chest. "Go away, no more hugs for you. I hate you!"

"No, you love me. Don't deny it, Park Jimin."

"Okay, maybe. But only a little."

"Don't lie. I know your secrets."

"Maybe a lot."

"..."

"Okay, yes, I love you a lot. Are you happy now, you demon?"

"Yeah. Now give me back my goddamn toast."