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Johnny shut his phone off just as Taeil sat down next to him outside of the lecture hall. He raised a brow.
“What were you watching that you don’t want me to see?”
Johnny felt his cheeks burn. “Nothing.”
Taeil pushed up onto his toes and pressed the home button of Johnny’s phone. Johnny resigned himself to the situation as Taeil put in his passcode, unlocking the phone so that he could see what Johnny had been watching. The video started playing automatically again, the sound of cats meowing coming through Johnny’s headphones. Taeil cocked his head.
“Huh. I really thought it was going to be porn.”
Johnny spluttered, tugging out his headphones and pocketing his phone. “Why the fuck would I be watching porn at uni? Just out in the open like this.”
Taeil shrugged. “Exhibitionism? I don’t know what gets you off.”
“I am not and exhibitionist,” Johnny hissed through his teeth, trying to keep his voice down as their lecturer arrived.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I can see now that you’re a furry, my bad.”
Johnny shoved him as they followed the rest of the class into the theatre, the two of them going all the way to the back to their usual spot. “That’s not what the fuck it is.”
Taeil rolled his eyes. “Obviously. What is it anyway?”
Johnny’s face lit up, cheeks bunching as he pulled out his laptop. “It’s this guy on YouTube with his seven cats and I love each and every one of them.” He typed Cream Heroes into google images and angled the screen so that Taeil could see. “He buys them like kids toys and makes videos of them playing with them and gives them all little voices.” Johnny trailed off as Taeil gave him an amused smirk. “Shut up, it’s cute.”
“Sounds it. Does the owner have a face?”
Johnny clicked away from the Cream Heroes tab and went to the blackboard portal for their university. “No, most we’ve ever gotten is like the back of his head. I’m still ready to risk it all for him, though.”
“For the back of his head?”
“No, it’s the way he interacts with the cats, you know? Plus, we’ve seen plenty of his body in his cute little pyjamas. I don’t know, he’s cute.”
“God you’re in deep.” Looking past Johnny, Taeil sat up a little. “How’s he going to feel?”
Johnny looked over his shoulder to the door of the lecture theatre. The boy who sat a few rows in front of them – Kun, Johnny had learned – was walking in, looking soft and sleepy in his sweater that reached mid-thigh. Johnny’s palms instantly got sweaty, his heart rate picking up as Kun looked up and waved at him. Johnny waved back, feeling his smile go lop sided. He turned back to Taeil, who still looked amused.
“I only care about his cats. And I actually know Kun. Different leagues.”
Taeil scoffed, finally shifting his attention from Johnny and getting his notebooks out of his bag. “If that one conversation at the coffee shop counts as ‘knowing him’ then sure.”
“I’ll talk to him one day. As soon as a group project is announced we’re grouping with him and I’ll put my master plan into action.”
“This sounds awfully high school.”
Johnny frowned, jabbing a finger under Taeil’s ribcage and making him yelp. “Fuck you.”
Johnny had found the Cream Heroes YouTube channel by chance one day when he was avoiding university work. He had searched “cat live stream” and Cream Heroes had been the first thing to pop up. He had watched the mystery cat owner play with his cats, giving them toys and treats and trying to get them to hold still while he clipped their claws. Johnny had instantly taken a liking to the youngest cat, Lulu, who was small and cheeky and gave Johnny endless lock screen content. He told himself that he only watched it for the cats, and for the most part he did. They each had funny little traits and habits that made him melt whenever he watched the videos. But a big part of it was also their owner. The way he gave the cats their own little voices, the way he clearly put so much time and effort into looking after them and making sure they were all healthy and happy. It warmed Johnny’s heart and made him wish that his apartment building allowed pets so he could get a cat for himself.
After the lecture finished, Johnny said a quick goodbye to Kun, who flashed him a warm smile before Taeil ushered him out of the hall. They made their way back to their flat, and Taeil let Johnny put some Cream Heroes videos up on the television. After a while, and after Johnny had teared up several times and how cute the cats were, Taeil rolled his head to the side.
“Okay I kinda get it. The cats are cute and the guy is your type.”
Johnny scoffed, scrolling through the Cream Heroes Instagram. “What do you mean, my type?”
“Kinda built but also kinda soft. That’s how Ten was, and how Kun is and how this guy is.”
Johnny held his tongue back from mentioning Taeyong. “Maybe you have a point.”
“Speaking of Kun,” Taeil said, flipping over so he was lying with his head in Johnny’s lap to look up at him. “What’s your master plan?”
Johnny scratched the back of his head. “I know there’s a group project for this paper where we have to collaborate on a post-colonial rewrite so I figured I’d partner up with him. Then at least I have an excuse to talk to him.”
Taeil frowned. “That’s it?” Johnny nodded. “Your head must hurt from all that thinking big guy.”
“Shut up, it’s the best I can come up with.”
“What about me? Who am I supposed to work with?”
“You’ll figure something out.” Johnny smiled down at Taeil, tapping the tip of his nose lightly. “You always do.”
Johnny didn’t have to wait long to put his plan into action. It was only two more weeks of timid waves and broad smiles before the lecturer was asking them to all partner up. Johnny stood up so fast he hit his knees on the chair in front of him, jumping over the back to walk down to Kun’s row. Kun sat somewhere in the middle, meaning that Johnny was unable to get to him as people filed out of the seats. Exasperated, Johnny called out to Kun, who looked up and gave an uncertain smile. Johnny shifted on his feet.
“Do you have anyone to work with?”
When the row was clear, Kun approached Johnny. “Nope.”
Johnny was taken aback, the same way he was during their one solid interaction, by how much shorter Kun was than him. It shouldn’t have surprised him; he lived with Taeil who was the size of a thimble. But something about how small and warm and cosy Kun looked tugged at Johnny’s heart strings.
“Do you want to partner up with me?”
Kun spared a glance up the back towards where Johnny usually sat with Taeil. “What about your friend?”
Johnny waved a dismissive hand. “He’ll figure something out. Besides, he doesn’t pay attention in these lectures, and you’re more passionate than anyone about this stuff.”
Johnny delighted in the blush that spread across Kun’s cheeks as he tried to rub it away with his sleeve. It was true; Kun was the most vocal student in the lecture, always putting up his hand to debate back and forth with the professor about what made for good post-colonial literatures. He was the first to point out the racism in the post-colonial rewrites they had been studying and was the first to say that these stories from a coloniser’s point of view weren’t valuable compared to that of a colonised person.
“Well, I don’t think I have anyone else who wants to work with me, so sure.”
Johnny had spaced out a little, thinking about how Kun’s ears always burned whenever he raised his hand, like he was nervous about having his voice heard. He shook his head a little then nodded. “Cool, thanks. What’s the best way to contact you?”
They swapped numbers, and Johnny had every intention of adding emoji’s to Kun’s contact name, but Kun beat him to it by adding the emoji of the sun behind a little cloud. Johnny tried his best not to melt on the spot and instead pocketed his phone.
“Are you free at all this weekend? Or even after classes, I guess. We should have a first meeting to decide what we want to do our re-write on and what themes we want to choose.”
Kun nodded, reaching up to tug at his ear lobe. It was something Johnny had seen him do plenty of times from behind, but seeing it up close made it even more endearing. “Yeah, I have a few ideas but we’ll see what you’d got as well, try to figure out a happy medium.” He flashed a toothy grin and Johnny returned the gesture.
“Sick, text me when you’re free.”
Kun nodded. “Will do.”
They stood opposite each other for a moment before awkwardly shuffling back to their original seats. As Johnny sat down again, Kun turned to smile at him over his shoulder. Taeil caught sight and elbowed Johnny gently.
“Things went well, I assume?”
“Yeah, things went good.”
The one interaction they’d had before that was in Jonny’s favourite café. His friend Doyoung worked there and gave him secret discounts, plus the password to the staff Wi-Fi so that Johnny could work on his projects in the corner. He’d been leaning against the coffee machine chatting to Doyoung when Kun had walked in and placed his order.
Doyoung sensed the tension and wrinkled his nose as if he could smell it in the air. “You know him?”
Johnny wiped his hands on his jeans. “Yeah, we have a paper together.”
Doyoung nodded. “He’s kinda cute. Hey,” he called out to Kun, making Johnny’s heart leap into his throat, then nodded over in their direction.
Kun looked from Johnny to Doyoung as he approached them, eyes eventually settling on Johnny.
“Hi, Johnny, right?”
Before he could stop himself, Johnny was clicking and pointing at Kun. “Yeah, sorry I don’t know your name.”
One of Kun’s eyebrows twitched and Johnny felt it in his gut. “Kun.”
“Kun, Kun,” Johnny repeated, feeling the laugh that Doyoung was holding in. “Cool. Oh, this is my friend, Doyoung. He works here.”
Kun bowed politely to Doyoung who ducked his head in response. “I can see that. The apron’s a bit of a giveaway.”
At that, Doyoung let out a snicker and Johnny nudged him. Doyoung just shook his head and kept working on making the coffees, leaving Johnny on his own with Kun.
“Have you started on your essay?”
Kun’s eyes flashed with something like relief as he launched into a detailed explanation on what argument he was going to write about and what his approach would be. He left no room for Johnny to contribute, but Johnny didn’t mind; he thought he’d only say something stupid anyway. Kun used his hands when he got excited, his eyebrows moving as if to emphasise every word. Johnny was happy to just watch Kun for a few minutes, appreciating every movement and inflection. He was almost mad when Doyoung said Kun’s coffee was ready.
“Oh, thanks.” He reached out and took the take away cup with two hands, taking a tentative sip and licking his lips. “I’d love to stay and talk more, but I have to get going. I’ll see you in class?”
Johnny nodded. “Yeah, see you Thursday.”
Johnny thought about the interaction as he waited in a booth in the same café, eyes flicking between Doyoung at the coffee machine and the front door of the café. He had gotten there a few minutes early so that he could claim a seat for the two of them, but now the waiting was threatening to put him into cardiac arrest. He checked his phone for the umpteenth time just as the door opened. Johnny snapped his head up and waved his arm to catch Kun’s attention. Kun pointed at the coffee machine and Johnny held up his two coffee cups in response.
Kun sat opposite Johnny, which disappointed him. He’d gotten a booth seat in hopes that Kun would sit next to him, but he told himself that this was okay too. He slid Kun’s coffee towards him and Kun framed it with both palms.
“What is it?”
Johnny shrugged. “I asked Doyoung to make whatever you usually have.”
“Perfect, thanks.”
Kun pulled out his laptop and tapped at the keyboard a couple of times, then frowning at the screen.
“Everything okay?”
Kun looked up, giving Johnny a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah, it’s fine. I was just sending something before I left and it hasn’t uploaded all the way.”
Johnny nodded. “That sucks. So, you said you had a few ideas already for the rewrite?”
Kun’s smile widened. “Yeah, I was thinking we could take something that has a double meaning anyway and change it to be a reflection of colonialism. Like Alice in Wonderland or something like that.”
Johnny picked at the lid of his coffee cup. “What about Narnia? That’s supposed to be about Christianity, isn’t it? But like four white kids turn up with no experience with ruling a country and get a whole kingdom.”
Kun nodded, looking up at the ceiling as he tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth. “Yeah and all the people living there are animals and seen as like inferior or whatever.” He looked back to Johnny, making his breath hitch. “Not to mention the White Witch.”
“Oh man I hadn’t even thought of that.”
They went back and forth – mostly Kun going forth and Johnny coming back with a few words – until they felt they had a decent brainstorm for their project. Kun told Johnny that he was worried about how well he would be able to write due to Korean being his second language, and Johnny said he was happy to help with all of that. Kun paid for the second round of coffees, Doyoung bringing them over to their table in mugs rather than calling out their names. Kun clicked around on his laptop a bit, giving himself a small smile.
Before Johnny was able to ask him about it, his phone went off with a notification. When he looked at the screen, he saw that Cream Heroes had just uploaded a new video. The thumbnail was Lulu stealing food off a plate and the video was titled ‘Lulu took a whole chicken in his mouth!’. Johnny was practically vibrating in excitement.
“Who’s got you looking at your phone like that?” Kun’s voice made Johnny jump.
“Oh, no one. Taeil. He’s making dinner tonight.”
Kun nodded hesitantly. “Cute, I didn’t realise you two were together.”
Johnny felt his eyes go wide and he shook his head. “No, no we’re not together. We just live together, separate rooms and everything.”
Kun laughed behind a hand. “I’m sorry for assuming, Johnny.”
The sound of his own name in Kun’s accent made Johnny’s heart swell. “It’s fine, people do. We spend all our time together, so I get it.”
They spent a further two hours sitting in the café talking about nothing in particular. Movies they wanted to see that were coming up, books that Kun had read recently, what they were majoring in. Kun was doing sociology and had taken the post-colonial literatures paper as an elective, whereas it was a core paper for Johnny’s new media and creative writing conjoint. After laughing at one of Johnny’s jokes, (he took this as a win for the gays), Kun looked at the time on his phone.
“Oh shit, I’ve been out for ages, I should get home before my cats rip up the carpet out of boredom.”
Johnny snickered, standing up and helping Kun pack away his things. “That’s okay. Text me next time you’re free, I’ll start working on an outline for the rewrite.”
“Thanks, Johnny.” His heart skipped another beat. “I’ll let you know.”
Kun pulled Johnny into a brief and warm hug before rushing out of the café. Johnny walked over to Doyoung, half in a daze.
Doyoung rolled his eyes. “Sparks are flying, I swear.”
[Kunnie, 9:31am] hey（＾ω＾）how’s the outline going?
[Sent, 9:33am] All done and dusted! When are you free to go over it?
[Kunnie, 9:34am] hmmm what classes do you have Friday afternoon?
[Sent, 9:34am] None at all
[Kunnie, 9:35am] perfect (人◕ω◕) is it okay if we meet at yours? Coffee is expensive hehe
[Sent, 9:36am] It would be except there’s barely room for me and Taeil here, could we do it at yours instead? Sorry
[Kunnie, 9:36am] that’s okay (〃ω〃) I hope you like cats though, I have a lot of them
[Sent, 9:36am] I LOVE cats
Since their meet up at the café, Kun had taken to sitting next to Johnny during their shared class. Johnny used it as an excuse to press their knees together, using his long limbs to his advantage. Taeil and Kun got along pretty well, so it was a natural development for their friendship. No amount of touching knees could calm Johnny’s heart at the thought of being in Kun’s apartment.
It was a few suburbs over from where Johnny lived, and the area was considerably nicer. Kun’s apartment complex was tall and sleek, with large windows for every floor. He texted Kun to let him know he was waiting in the lobby, and Kun replied saying he’d be down in a few minutes. Johnny took the oppourtunity to take a mint from the unattended front desk and sat down on a plush couch. When the lift dinged, Johnny jumped, twisting his body to see Kun smiling at him.
Kun pulled him into another quick hug. “Hey, sorry if you were waiting for a while.”
Johnny laughed, readjusting his bag on his back. “Nah, I only just got here.”
They stepped into the lift together and Johnny shifted his weight from foot to foot. When the doors opened to Kun’s floor, he started talking.
“Okay I have seven cats, so I hope you don’t mind getting cat hair like, everywhere.”
“Seven of them? God, I wish that was me.”
Kun laughed, pressing his key card to a scanner and pushing into his apartment. Johnny heard Kun ushering his cats away from the door, his voice going quiet in a way that sent a shiver down Johnny’s spine. After Kun had disappeared behind the door, Johnny slipped in after him, looking down at his feet to stop any cats that ran past him. He saw the rack of shoes next to the door and took the hint, slipping his own off his feet and nudging them into place. He turned around, bag halfway slipped off his shoulder, only to look down at a tabby Scottish fold cat.
Johnny’s heart caught on his ribs and he tried to calm it down. He knew realistically that the chances of this particular Scottish fold being Lulu were tiny, that it was almost impossible for this to be the same cat on his phone lock screen. The same cat that was his twitter header and that he had just spent ￦36,000 on a plush pillow of. But then, as he stood staring down at this tiny Scottish fold, he heard a rough voice coming from down the hall.
“Ah, my butler,” now that he was hearing it in person, the voice was unmistakably Kun’s, made lower and rough as he pretended to be his cat Momo, “you’ve been gone too long, get me my treats.”
In Johnny’s peripheral, he saw Kun stick his head out of a doorway further down the hall. “Sorry, I talk to the cats a lot, it’s a bit embarrassing.”
“That’s okay,” Johnny’s voice was shaky. Lulu unfroze and moved to sit at his feet, sniffing his socks before sitting on his hind legs and reaching a paw up to Johnny.
Kun padded into the room, his slippers – the cat slippers with faces and tails – making a soft slapping sound against the soles of Kun’s feet. “Oh, that’s Lulu. He’s friendly, don’t worry.”
Johnny reached down, offering Lulu a finger for him to sniff. After getting acquainted with the smell of Johnny’s hand, Lulu nudged it with his head and Johnny felt himself starting to melt into the hardwood floor. He tried to will down the tears at the corners of his eyes as he scratched under Lulu’s chin.
“Is he okay with being picked up?”
Kun leant his shoulder against the wall, folding his arms and smiling. “Depends on his mood, but you can give it a go.”
Johnny made sure that his hold on Lulu was firm around his stomach before lifting him up. Lulu gave an apprehensive meow, but Kun nodded for Johnny to keep going. He held Lulu against his chest so that their heads were level, allowing Lulu to sniff around his face and then rubbing his nose against Lulu’s cheek. Johnny couldn’t help but let his affection for Lulu get the better of him, a tear welling up and slipping down his temple.
Kun shifted off the wall and came to thumb away the tear. “You really do love cats, don’t you?”
Johnny gave a wet laugh. “I love this cat specifically. Grab my phone out of my pocket.”
Kun hesitated, but placed a gentle hand on Johnny’s hip before pulling his phone out of his back pocket, Johnny trying his best not to jump at the contact. Johnny scratched his fingernail between Lulu’s shoulder blades as he watched Kun turn the screen on, his eyes widening. He looked up at Johnny, Lulu turning his head to look at Kun as well.
“Why is my cat your lock screen?”
Johnny felt his cheeks warm up considerably. “I’ve been watching your videos for like a year.”
Kun nodded, slipping Johnny’s phone back into his pocket. “How long have you known it was me?”
Johnny frowned, moving his thumb to stroke along Lulu’s cheek. Lulu had started purring, the vibration of it resonating against Johnny’s sternum. Lulu placed a paw on Johnny’s collarbone and nudged into his face, getting fluff around Johnny’s cheeks.
“Since I heard you talking to Momo just now. Your cat voice is pretty different from your like, normal voice, you know?”
Kun nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. He looked down as he toed at a piece of fluff stuck in the carpet before reaching down to pick it up. “Do you want to meet the others?”
They went around the house, discovering cats tucked away in shelves and boxes, DD up on the counter when Kun went to put the kettle on to make them tea. Johnny scratched under his chin, waiting for DD to roll over so he could knead his stomach. Kun leant against the counter, reaching a hand to absentmindedly rub behind Lulu’s ears.
“Have you ever had cats?”
Johnny smiled. “Yeah, when I was younger. My old cat still lives with my parents, but they’re back in Chicago, so I don’t get to see him often.”
“Oh man, I’m sorry.”
Johnny shrugged. “It’s okay, he’s too old for me to have brought him over here with me. He’s an old ragdoll, so he needs a lot of space.”
Kun huffed a laugh. “What’s he called?”
Johnny groaned a little. “Pat, as in like, Pat the Cat.”
There was a beat of silence before Kun was laughing whole heartedly, placing a hand on Johnny’s shoulder. DD rested a paw on Johnny’s wrist and he stopped rubbing his stomach, moving up to his chin again. Kun put his fingertip on Lulu’s forehead, right between his eyes and started rubbing gently.
“I hope this goes without saying, but could you like, not tell anyone that you know who I am?”
Johnny felt his heart drop just a little. “Yeah, of course. I know you’re anonymous so I’ll keep quiet.”
“Thanks, I really appreciate that.” Kun stood up, putting his hands on his hips and looking around the small apartment. “Should we start working?”
They settled on the couch under the loft bed, Kun pulling out a small coffee table for them to put their drinks and books on. Johnny sat on the couch, laptop on his thighs while Kun sat on the floor and took down notes. Every now and then a cat would jump up on the table or curl up in Kun’s lap, and he would scratch behind their ears lazily while he discussed the points of the outline Johnny had written up.
They finished the first few hundred words of their rewrite pretty quickly, Johnny typing up whatever Kun said and suggesting different words they could use, often adding in entire sentences with Kun’s approval. Once they had gotten to their set word count for the day, Kun packed everything away and made them another cup of tea each. TT got up on the couch and lay down, tucking her paws under herself and purring loudly when Johnny rubbed under her chin. Kun smiled warmly at the sight when he came back, sitting on the floor again and handing Johnny his tea.
They talked for a few hours about their other papers, about Johnny’s job as a freelance editor and Kun’s life before he moved, all the while carefully dancing around the subject of Kun’s YouTube channel. By the time a few hours had passed all seven of Kun’s cats had gathered around them, Lala licking at Kun’s hand and meowing intermittently. Kun looked at the time on his phone.
“Shit, I should feed them.”
Johnny sat up a little from where he was slumped against the couch, Chuchu settled on his lap. “Do you want some help?”
Kun smiled, getting up off the floor and walking into the kitchen to open a cabinet. “I’ll be alright.” He paused just before setting the glass bowls on the counter. “Actually, can you help me stop the kids from stealing the others’ food?”
Johnny felt his face light up; he’d seen enough videos to know that Lulu and Lala finished before everyone else and tried to steal from the other bowls every time they were fed. Kun would pick them both up and put them in “jail”, which was just storage boxes he then put on the shelves. He nodded enthusiastically, and Kun continued to fill up the bowls with cat food. Once they were set on the ground, all seven cats darted across the carpet to get to the food, and Johnny’s brain filled in the sound effects that Kun usually edited over top of the footage.
Lulu and Lala finished their food quickly, and Johnny leant down to pick them up, his large hands fitting around their small bodies easily. When he straightened up, the two cats hooked over his forearm, Kun was looking up at him, mouth slightly ajar. Johnny frowned.
“Am I doing it wrong?”
Kun shook his head. “No, it’s just I usually need two hands to pick them up.”
Johnny’s eyes darted down to Kun’s hands before he could stop himself. They looked soft and small hanging down by his sides. Kun must have noticed, as he crossed them behind his back and when Johnny looked back up to his face, Kun was blushing. Johnny didn’t have time to dwell on it before the cats were wriggling around in his arm, so he passed Lala to Kun and cradled Lulu against his chest.
Johnny helped Kun wash up the dishes, the two of them watching DD put his head under the tap when Kun put it on so it was just a dribble. Johnny giggled as he flicked his fingers through the water, splashing it onto DD’s face and making the large cat shake his head. Kun pouted at Johnny, picking DD up and holding him like a new born baby.
“Don’t be mean to him.”
Johnny smiled, rubbing a finger under DD’s chin. “I’m sorry DD.”
Kun dropped his voice, making it sound slow and dumbed down. “Dun Dun.” When he spoke again, his voice was back to normal. “DD says he forgives you.”
Johnny tried to stop himself from tearing up, but he couldn’t help it. “That was so fucking cute.”
Kun blushed again, and Johnny decided he liked it when Kun’s cheeks were rosy. “Shut up.”
“No, I love the voices you do for them. I don’t know how you do Momo’s without hacking a lung, though.”
Kun shrugged, setting DD down on the counter. “I usually cut the coughing out of the final video.”
When he got home, Johnny was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. Taeil gave him a sceptical look.
“Did Kun profess his love to you or something? This is weirdly happy for just studying.”
Johnny lightly smacked Taeil’s arm, then leant his forehead against Taeil’s shoulder and giggled, scrunching his whole face up. “He’s so nice and cute and smart and kind.”
Taeil patted Johnny’s hair, sitting up a little on the couch so that Johnny didn’t have to lean down too far. “You’re so lovesick it’s disgusting.” When Johnny sat up, Taeil was smiling. “I’m happy for you.”
Johnny hummed, pressing his cheek on Taeil’s shoulder. “He’s so cute I thought my heart was gonna burst out of my chest.”
“When are you seeing him next?”
“Our next class, I guess. Then same time next week to work on it more.” Johnny frowned, sitting up and linking his arm with Taeil’s. “How’s yours going?”
Taeil shrugged. “I’ve written it already, the other guy’s doing all the planning work so it’s even.”
“Well shit.”
Taeil smiled, ruffling Johnny’s hair. “It’s okay, it’s cute that you two are working together step by step.”
“Whatever, I get to spend more time with him so I’m winning right now. Maybe after it’s done I’ll ask him out on a date.”
Taeil scoffed. “The day you get that confident I’ll eat my own foot.”
[Kunnie, 8:53am] Hey Johnny ( ＾∇＾) can I ask you a huge favour?
[Sent, 8:57am] Yeah of course!!
[Kunnie, 9:00am] My friend who usually helps me film has gone away for the weekend, but I need to get a video filmed so I can have it edited in time (´・⌓・｀) is there any way you could come round this afternoon and help out?
[Kunnie, 9:01am] I can treat you to lunch as repayment (≡^∇^≡)
[Sent, 9:02am] omg don’t worry, I’d love to help you, what time should I come over?
One video soon turned into six videos, as Kun’s friend seemed to be out of town far too often. It seemed that every other weekend Kun’s usual helper was away for some reason or another and Johnny would be lying if he said he wasn’t suspicious. Not that he was complaining of course; he got to interact with the cats and watch Kun’s mind work through each video. Nothing melted Johnny’s heart like listening to Kun talk back and forth with his cats, giving them voices and purposefully letting them get away with things for the sake of entertainment.
If it wasn’t clear to Johnny before that Kun loved his cats, watching him interact with them in person sure as hell proved it to him. Kun handled them so gently, every touch only coming a beat after he started talking so as not to startle them, every scolding ending with a scratch under the cats’ chins, even the care that went into making food for them showed how much he loved them.
And slowly, as Johnny helped on more and more videos, spent more and more time with Kun outside of classes and course work, Johnny felt some of that care being transferred to himself. Kun would let his touch linger whenever their fingers brushed around the view finder. He would have a meal prepared for Johnny when he arrived at the apartment, still steaming and freshly made. He would make sure that Johnny was comfortable at all times, and when Johnny complained about his feet being cold, the next time he went over there was a new pair of house slippers for him. Johnny realised that, although Kun wasn’t one for words, his actions spoke to Johnny’s heart. Upon reaching this conclusion, Johnny flipped onto his stomach in bed, burying his face in a pillow and squealing while he kicked his legs under his duvet.
Johnny wished he could do the same, but he’d had a way with words since he was young – writing small picture books that his mother would staple together and he would read to his stuffed toys. No matter what Kun communicated to Johnny through touches and gestures alone, Johnny felt that his hand on Kun’s shoulder would never be enough. Soon enough, he felt like he was going to burst; too full of emotions to do anything other than tremble when he was in Kun’s presence. Taeil soon got fed up of hearing about it endlessly, snapping at Johnny in the laundromat at three in the morning.
“Why don’t you just tell him how you feel for fuck’s sake?”
Johnny stared at Taeil, slack jawed. Taeil rolled his eyes and kept throwing their clothes in the dryer. They’d been there for an hour already, sitting on top of the washing machines while they waited for their load. Doing laundry early in the morning had started when they shared a dorm room in their first year, when just the thought of being outside at such a late hour had their blood pumping. Now, however, it was just a familiar routine.
“I mean, I want to, but it’s scary.”
Taeil snorted. “I knew you’d pussy out.”
Johnny frowned, kicking lightly at Taeil’s shoes. “I haven’t. Yet.”
“Which means you might.” Taeil swung the door shut and played around with the settings before pressing start.
“It also means I might not. We’ve only just handed in our re-write, so I don’t even know if he’ll still be nice to me.”
Taeil nodded in understanding. Johnny had been worried about this for some time, that Kun was only being nice to him because he wanted something from Johnny. While Johnny didn’t think Kun was the type to use people like that, the professional distance at which Kun held him made him doubt himself.
“I guess we’ll see if he invites you ‘round this weekend.”
Kun didn’t invite him over that weekend, but Johnny told himself that was okay. He probably had something else on, or the person who usually filmed his videos, Sicheng, was in town and helping him. He’d see Kun at their lecture, when they’d get their final grades and thank their lecturer for a semester of classes.
But Kun didn’t turn up to the lecture, either. Johnny gave up watching the door forty five minutes in, opting instead to pull out his phone
[Sent, 9:48am] hey, you’re not at class
[Kunnie, 9:51am] yeah, sorry something’s come up.
[Sent, 9:52am] is everything okay?
[Kunnie, 10:01am] yeah
Something about the way Kun responded put Johnny on edge. Kun’s texts were usually full of emoticons and emojis, always had him reading it in a cheerful voice inside his head. He frowned at his phone, wondering if it was his place to point it out or not. He and Kun had been spending a lot of time together, but it was only out of convenience, so maybe Kun wanted to hold Johnny at a professional distance. His heart burned in his chest, throat closing a little and cheeks burning. He put his phone face down on the desk and tried to focus on what the lecturer was saying about their final submissions.
The next time he checked his phone, part of him hopeful to have had another text from Kun, his screen was blank. He shot off a quick text saying their project had gotten an A plus and put his phone on do not disturb, slipping his hand into Taeil’s as they headed for the door together. Taeil looked up at him.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I don’t know. Kun was kinda weird over text, but I think I’m reading into it too much.”
Taeil bit the inside of his cheek. “Probably.”
They walked to their flat more or less in silence, hands clasped together between them and swinging a bit. Taeil let go to allow Johnny to fish his keys out of his pocket, and as he struggled with the lock Taeil got Johnny’s phone out and unlocked it. Johnny let him look through the texts as they stepped inside, taking off their coats and throwing them on the coat chair in the corner.
“Hmm.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means he is being kinda weird.” Taeil flopped down on the couch, frowning at Johnny’s phone. “He hasn’t even replied about the grade.”
Johnny’s stomach dropped along with him when he joined Taeil. “Oh.”
Taeil set the phone down on the coffee table. “I’m sure he’s just sick or something. Maybe he went out last night and is hung over, you know how people are when they don’t feel good.”
Johnny nodded; he knew he was a nightmare when he was sick, retreating under his bedsheets for days at a time and barely acknowledging even Taeil’s existence.
“My advice is to leave it for a few days, see if it’s just temporary. He’s a genuinely nice guy, I doubt he’d cut you out like this.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“I always am. Hey, why don’t we watch some of his videos?” Taeil leant forward to grab the TV remote, flicking it on.
“No, I’m too sad.”
Taeil rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’m watching make up tutorials then.”
Despite what he had told Taeil, Johnny pulled up the Cream Heroes YouTube channel as soon as he was in bed. A part of him was hoping that something would be off in the videos, that something would give away that Kun wasn’t feeling great and would explain his strange responses. What Johnny wasn’t expecting was for there to be no updates in the past week.
Johnny sat up, duvet falling away from his chest and into his lap. He refreshed the channel a few times, hoping his phone was just lagging, but nothing came up. He checked the second channel, but it was dormant as always, the most recent video from six months ago. Johnny cursed the fact that Cream Heroes didn’t have any other active social media accounts. It seemed as though Kun had just disappeared. As a last hope, he clicked on the week old video and scrolled down to the description.
“UPDATE: Hi everyone~! Sorry that I haven’t uploaded recently, the kitties and I miss you! We are taking a break for a few days due to other commitments, but we’ll be back soon! Thank you for waiting for us!”
It didn’t give away much, but it sated the itch behind Johnny’s eyes for a moment more. Kun was probably just busy. He plugged his phone in to charge and rolled over, burrowing into the blankets and falling asleep. It didn’t last long, as he kept having fevered dreams that included Kun blatantly ignoring him in public, Johnny jolting awake as Momo’s teeth grew long and sharp, claws ripping open Johnny’s skin as he swiped and hissed at him.
The last week of the semester went fine, Johnny having already finished most of his course work a few weeks early so he could avoid as much stress as possible. He got back more interim grades from earlier assessments, studied for his exams, made dinner for himself and Taeil. He checked the last upload on the Cream Heroes channel every night, but there were never any more updates. He often pulled up his text conversation with Kun, but neither of them had said anything since Johnny informed Kun of their mark.
His exams went well, despite his not feeling well rested enough for them. He picked up a few casual shifts at the café with Doyoung, helping him out in the holiday rushes. He told himself that his life was in a good place; he was one step closer to graduating, he had a steady income and friends that loved him. The validation of one boy wasn’t worth getting distressed over.
He’d almost completely pushed it out of his mind when he woke up in the middle of the night to his phone ringing. He didn’t bother to check who it was, only sliding a thumb across the screen and pressing it to his ear.
“What?” He snapped, annoyed that he’d been woken up.
“Johnny? Is it a bad time?” Kun’s voice was shaky on the other end, and suddenly Johnny was wide awake.
“No, no, I’m sorry I was just asleep. What’s wrong?”
“Shit, I’m sorry, you go back to sleep.” There was a loud sniff and Johnny winced.
“It’s okay, there’s obviously a reason you rang me at,” he checked the time on his phone, “shit, three in the morning.”
There was a beat of silence and suddenly Kun was howling into the speaker. He let out wet, hiccupping sobs as Johnny leapt out of bed, looking around for clothes he could throw on.
“I’m so sorry, Johnny, I’m so sorry, fuck.”
“It’s okay, Kun. Just breathe, take a moment to calm down and then tell me what happened.”
Johnny got dressed as he listened to Kun’s sobs soften into whimpers. He never took the phone away from his ear, other than to pull a shirt over his head.
“That’s it, Kun, you’re doing great, babe.” Johnny grimaced, the pet name slipping out of habit from times he had comforted Taeil in similar situations. He busied himself by stuffing his feet in a pair of Nikes and grabbing his keys off his bedside table. “I’m gonna head over to you, okay? You just stay put.”
“Wait, Johnny,” Kun’s voice was more even, but it still sounded damp, “can you drive?”
Johnny stopped, one hand on the door handle. “Yeah?”
“Okay. Thank god, okay, can you bring your car?”
Johnny ran a hand through his hair. “I was going to anyway, don’t worry.”
Kun let out a sigh that turned to static. “Thank you.”
“Do you want me to stay on the line with you?” Johnny asked, quietly picking his way through the living room and out into the hallway.
“Uh, yeah, if that’s okay.”
It was mostly silent, Johnny focusing on driving across the city to get to Kun’s apartment complex. Kun gave small sniffles and Johnny tried to give him comforting words; reassuring him that it would be alright and that he was on his way.
When Kun answered the door, phone still held up to his ear, Johnny’s knees buckled. His face was wet with tears and swollen. His hair was greasy rather than having the soft, silky quality Johnny was used to. His clothes were rumpled and his nose was bright red. Johnny simply held his arms out and let Kun collapse forward into them, tears quickly seeping through the thin fabric of his shirt.
It took a few minutes for Johnny to calm Kun down again, shutting the apartment door and guiding him to the couch. Lulu jumped up onto the couch and licked at Kun’s hand as it gripped Johnny’s arm. Eventually, he lifted his head from Johnny’s chest, reaching for a box of tissues and blowing his nose.
“I’m sorry to wake you up at this hour, Sicheng’s gone home for the break and I didn’t know who else to call.”
“It’s okay, Kun,” Johnny said for the umpteenth time, moving a bit of hair away from Kun’s eye. “What do you need?”
Kun’s shoulders sagged. “It’s Momo, he’s,” Kun took in a sharp breath, his shoulders rising again with the action, “it’s not good, Johnny. I’ve been taking him to the vet, trying to help him get better, but,” his eyes welled up again, “Johnny, I don’t think he’s going to make it.”
Johnny nodded, trying not to cry himself and make things worse. “That’s okay, we can take him to the vet now, right? Is there a twenty-four-seven place anywhere?”
Kun nodded, playing with the hem of Johnny’s sweat pants. “It’s too far to walk, that’s why I asked if you could drive. If it’s not too much to ask.”
“It’s not at all, Kun. Why don’t you tell me the address and we can get Momo there now.”
Kun gave Johnny his phone, Google maps open on the directions as he disappeared down the hall. A few minutes later he re-emerged, Momo swaddled in a blanket against his chest. Johnny stood up, helping Kun put his shoes on and opening the door for them.
Momo didn’t look good. His eyes were glassed over, gunk collecting at their corners. Johnny couldn’t see more than his head, but he looked significantly thinner than last time Johnny saw him. Kun was whispering to him, eyes still flowing freely. After a moment of hesitation, Johnny moved his hand from the gear stick to Kun’s thigh. He squeezed it lightly, hoping it came across as comforting.
“It’ll be okay, Kun. Momo’s going to make a miraculous recovery and be just fine.” Eyes fixed on the road, Johnny swallowed. “He has the best, most kind and caring owner in the history of cat owners, I know what good care you take of him. He’ll be okay.”
He squeezed again, ready to remove his hand before Kun placed his over top. Kun’s fingers curved around Johnny’s, gripping tightly as if Johnny was a life line. Maybe, at this hour and in this stress, he was.
After some tests were run, during which time Kun clung to Johnny’s side, tears almost constant, they were informed that Momo had cat flu. The infection had spread to Momo’s eyes, meaning Kun had two choices; have Momo dependent on medications for the rest of his life with deteriorating eye sight, or have his eyes removed, which was a faster cure but meant immediate blindness. Johnny held Kun while he sobbed in the private waiting room they’d been allowed into. The vet had left them alone, giving Kun space to make a decision.
“Look on the bright side,” Johnny started carefully, “either way, Momo’s going to live. He’s going to be okay.”
“He won’t be able to see, Johnny. Either way, he’s going to be blind. He won’t be able to climb or run around or anything, and what kind of life is that for a cat?”
Johnny nodded, rubbing Kun’s back as he cried harder. When his breathing evened out, Johnny tried a different approach.
“My grandma’s cat was blind.”
Kun looked up, looking guilty. “Johnny, I’m sorry, I –”
Johnny held up a hand. “It’s okay, you’re upset. Anyway, so my grandma’s cat was blind, had been since he was a kitten. But he was okay. I mean, he was a little clumsy, but he had this like, mental map of her house, and even the garden. He knew where everything was, and his whiskers let him know when he was about to bump into something. Cats are smart animals, and they adapt really quickly. Momo’s been in this apartment for what, a year or two?” Kun nodded. “Exactly, so he already knows exactly where everything is. You’ll just have to be careful when you move your furniture around, and make sure if you pick him up that you put him down in a place where he can get his bearings quickly. Bottom line is, not being able to see won’t be the end of the world for him.”
Kun bit his lip. “What do you think I should do?” his voice wasn’t anything more than a hoarse whisper.
“Well, if it was Pat, I’d probably go for the surgery. It seems to be the safer option, and the medication runs the risk of forgetting a day, or not being able to refill the prescription. But that might be me being lazy, I don’t know.”
“No, you have a point.” Kun let out a sigh and readjusted himself on the couch, resting his head in Johnny’s lap. “I just feel like this is my fault, you know? Like I did something wrong for this to happen.”
Johnny placed a hand on Kun’s hip. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You take amazing care of your cats, you’ve done everything humanly possible to keep them happy and healthy. You can’t blame yourself for this.”
Kun reached a hand up to meet Johnny’s on his hip. “Thank you, Johnny. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
When the vet came back, Kun said he wanted to go ahead with the surgery. He wanted to wait at the vet until it was over, but Johnny persuaded him to go back to the apartment and sleep. It turned out that the clinic was closer to Johnny and Taeil’s flat, so Johnny offered that they crash there, to give Kun at least some peace of mind.
When they tip toed into the living room, Taeil was sitting in front of the TV with a plate of toast, eyebrows raised and frozen mid chew.
“Where have you guys been?”
Kun stayed quiet, so Johnny stepped forward to explain. “One of Kun’s cats needed to go to the emergency vet, so I offered to drive him.”
“Shit, is the cat okay?”
Johnny nodded. “Yeah, he’s just in surgery right now, but he’ll be okay.”
Taeil looked to Kun. “I’m so sorry, man. Do you want something to drink or eat? You look exhausted.”
Kun gave a small smile. “Just some water, if that’s okay. My stomach’s in knots, I don’t think I’d be able to eat right now.”
“Fair enough,” Johnny said as he headed into the kitchen.
He filled up a glass of water, watching as Kun gulped it down and then refilled it. He showed Kun to his room, wincing as he realised how messy he’d left it earlier in the morning.
“Sorry for the mess.” He started kicking clothes into piles and tried to straighten out the bed. “You can crash in here, I’ll probably sleep in Taeil’s room.”
As he was leaving, he felt Kun tug on his sleeve and turned to look down at him.
Kun looked tired, bags under his eyes deep and his eyelids puffy from all the crying he’d done. He looked smaller than he usually did, swallowed in his jumper and without his usually cheerful nature. He frowned at Johnny’s chest.
“Kun? Are you okay?”
Kun’s eye fell shut, dislodging a couple extra tears. “Will you stay with me?”
The request took Johnny aback, but he thought it made sense that Kun didn’t want to be alone while he was feeling like this. So he simply nodded, walking over to the bed and climbing under the covers. Kun joined him a moment later, the two of them lying on their sides facing each other. Johnny felt sleep tugging at his eyelids, but Kun pulled him back for a few more seconds.
“Thank you so much Johnny. I’m sorry I haven’t been a good friend recently.”
Johnny sighed, closing his eyes. “It’s okay, Kun. You had a lot going on, more important things to worry about.”
“Still, I could’ve at least let you know what was going on.”
“There’s no changing that now, and I’m not mad at you. I forgive you.”
Kun sounded choked up again. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Of course you do. Now stop crying and go to sleep.”
The ringing of Kun’s phone woke Johnny up, but it took him a few moments to process where he was.
It was his bed, he was sure of that from the poster of Freddie Mercury on his ceiling. But he wasn’t alone. Kun was plastered to him, almost lying on his chest, one hand resting over Johnny’s collar bone. Kun had a leg thrown across Johnny’s, and there was a bone deep comfort that willed Johnny to go back to sleep, but the next dial tone stopped him.
He reached across to the bedside table, seeing that it was the vet calling.
“Hello, Qian Kun’s phone?”
“Hi there, this is Doctor Bae from the veterinary clinic. Is Mr. Qian available?”
“Not just at the moment, but I’m happy to pass on the message.”
“Perfect, I just wanted to let him know that the surgery went well, Momo has come out and Mr. Qian can come to see him whenever he wants. We just want to hold him here overnight to make sure he’s healing alright and there aren’t any further complications.”
“That’s great news, I’ll be sure to let him know.” Johnny’s smile threatened to split his face in two.
“Alright, thank you.”
“Thanks.”
Kun stirred as Johnny reached across to place the phone back on the bedside table.
“Who was that?”
Johnny resisted the urge to wrap his arms around Kun. “The vet, they said Momo’s made it fine and they just want to keep him for another night, but you can go see him whenever.”
Kun groaned in what Johnny thought was relief, rubbing his cheek against Johnny’s chest. “How long have we been asleep?”
Johnny checked the time. “Jesus, like, nine hours.”
“Oh god, I need to feed the cats.” Kun sat up suddenly, throwing the covers back and looking around for his shoes.
Johnny curled in on himself from the loss of warmth. “Do you want a ride?”
“No, I’ve already asked too much of you.”
Johnny rubbed at his eyes with the balls of his hands as he sat up. “It’s really no problem, I’ve missed them anyway. I’ll drive you over to the vet as well after.”
When they got back, Johnny offered to feed the cats so that Kun could shower and get changed. When Kun got back, looking far better than he had a few hours before, Johnny had Lulu on his stomach as he lay on the floor, Coco licking his forehead. Kun gave him a lopsided smile, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe in the way that made Johnny feel something stir in his gut.
“I think they missed me,” Johnny said, carefully pulling himself up to stand again. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah, thanks again for taking me.”
“It’s really not a problem, I love these cats too, so I’m happy to help out.” Johnny took in a breath. “And I like you a lot too, so if I can do anything for you I’m more than happy too.”
Before he could gage Kun’s reaction, Johnny had opened the door and stepped out into the hall.
After seeing Momo at the vet, Kun cried again. Johnny listened intently to the information they were being given so he could relay it to Kun when they got home. Kun begged them to let him hold his cat, but they said he was still too delicate after the surgery for that. Johnny drove Kun home again, watched him give each of his other cats long hugs, whispering softly to them and scratching under their chins. Johnny opened the freezer and got out some chicken, defrosting it in the microwave and silently going about making a curry. Kun didn’t notice his movements until he was getting out plates and chopsticks.
“Johnny, you didn’t have to make dinner. I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay.”
“I don’t feel like I have to. I want to stay and look after you.”
He set down a plate in front of Kun, who resigned himself to the situation and sat down at the breakfast bar, setting in on the food immediately. Johnny served his own and sat down next to Kun, enjoying the silence that settled comfortably between them.
Kun looked at the time on his watch. “You know,” he started, and Johnny rushed to swallow his mouthful of food, “it’s getting pretty late.”
Johnny was confused for a moment before he saw the way the corners of Kun’s mouth were turned up ever so slightly. “That it is.”
“Traffic will be terrible.”
Johnny forced a yawn. “It’s probably not safe when I’m this tired.”
Kun giggled behind his hand. “I’ll wash up, you can borrow a shirt to sleep in.”
Kun showed Johnny where he could find a shirt, and Johnny delighted in the blush across Kun’s cheeks when he changed in front of him. The shirt was too small for him, not even reaching the top of his waistband, which made them both giggle as Kun tried to prod his stomach. And maybe Johnny didn’t try all that hard to stop him.
Kun left the room to get changed, which Johnny didn’t blame him for. He came back into the bedroom wearing a matching set of plaid pyjamas and Johnny cooed at him. Kun swatted at his hands as Johnny tried to pinch his cheeks, but his attempts were half hearted.
They settled into bed the same as they had earlier that day, on their sides facing each other. Kun had a hand resting on the mattress between them and Johnny couldn’t help looking at it.
“I’m so glad he’s going to be okay,” Kun whispered, and his face was so close that Johnny could feel it fan across his face.
“Of course he is, he has you to take care of him.”
Kun pushed forward just a little, just enough that their noses bumped together. Johnny snaked his hand out from under the covers to lace his fingers with Kun’s. His heart was thrumming in his chest, beneath his fingertips, his stomach flipping over and over and over. He closed his eyes, waiting for the impact of lips on his.
Instead, Kun’s breathing got deeper, his hand going limp in Johnny’s. Johnny let out the breath he was holding, taking the oppourtunity to just enjoy how close he was to Kun.
Momo was able to come home the next day, and seemed to be happy about it. All the other cats came up to him and licked around his face – or what of it they could reach past the cone of shame he’d been given. He moved around the apartment slowly, letting his whiskers help him map it all out. Kun and Johnny watched him, speaking quietly so as not to distract him from what he was doing. Johnny did go home that night, missing his own bed despite sleeping perfectly well in Kun’s.
Taeil was waiting for him at the kitchen table, (if you could call it that), hands folded on the surface in front of him.
“Sit down, young man.”
Johnny rolled his eyes, but pulled out a chair and sat down.
“I want your full report.”
So, Johnny relayed the past forty-eight hours to Taeil, about Momo and the surgery and the cuddling and how sweet and domestic it had all felt. How it had broken his heart to see Kun so upset, how hard it was to hold himself together for him. But it had also been nice to spend time with him, to hold him and help him feel better.
Taeil nodded, listening intently the whole time. “You’re whipped.”
Johnny didn’t have the energy to defend himself. “Yeah.”
Taeil reached forward and ruffled Johnny’s hair. “It’s cute. And so is Kun. You suit each other.”
“Thanks. I’m gonna go sleep for twenty-seven hours.”
Taeil laughed, clapping Johnny on the shoulder. “Good talk.”
He took a long shower, so hot it almost hurt as he washed away the grime of the past couple of days. After slipping into bed, he checked his phone.
[Kunnie, 11:15pm] thanks again so so much for your help the past few days (/^▽^)/
[Kunnie, 11:16pm] and I’m still so sorry for how I acted towards you (╯•﹏•╰) I feel awful
[Kunnie, 11:17pm] the cats weren’t the only ones who missed you (*˘︶˘*)
Johnny felt his cheeks protesting how wide his smile was. He flipped onto his stomach, burying his face in his pillow and kicking his legs.
[Sent, 11:20pm] what are you still doing awake? You need to sleep!!
[Sent, 11:21pm] but really, I didn’t mind it at all. Especially since I got to spend so much time with you
[Kunnie, 11:23pm] if you’re free this weekend (¬‿¬) I need to film an update video on Momo’s condition and where I’ve been?
[Sent, 11:24pm] it’s a date
Johnny double checked the location Kun had sent him, glancing around the entrance to the park and trying to catch sight of Kun. When he rounded the corner, Johnny felt all the air leave his lungs.
Kun was wearing a long, loose, purple jumper that fell just past his finger tips and came to just above his knees. He was wearing black leggings underneath, and had Momo swaddled in a sling of sorts across his chest. Momo’s head just stuck out past the fabric, letting out a small meow. Kun shot him a wide smile, the sunlight catching in his hair and turning it golden at the tips. Johnny strode over to meet him half way, greeting Momo before scratching behind his ear.
“How’s he doing?” Johnny asked as he took the camera bag from Kun’s hand.
“Really well, he doesn’t climb as much, but he’s starting to go halfway up the loft bed ladder at least. So yeah, he’s doing well.”
They made their way down a path, Johnny readjusting his backpack on his shoulders as they went. Kun talked to Momo the whole time, stroking his head and describing their surroundings on their way. Momo seemed happy, his nose twitching constantly as he smelled his surroundings.
They found a nice clearing, some ways away from where most of the people in the park were. Johnny slung his backpack off and pulled out the picnic blanket he’d packed, spreading it out across the grass. Kun helped him set up the camera and once everything was ready he pulled Momo carefully out of the sling.
Filming went by without a hitch, Momo moving around the blanket cautiously as Kun explained in a soft voice what had happened while he was away from YouTube. Johnny made sure to get some close-up shots of Momo’s eyes – or rather, where his eyes used to be – as well as some with the rolling hills of the park behind him. When Kun put a hand lightly on Johnny’s wrist, he decided it was time to put the camera away.
He reached again into his backpack, bringing out the containers of food he’d brought from home, laying them out on the blanket and offering Kun a plate. Kun raised a brow at him, mouth stretching into a wonky sort of smirk.
“What’s all this?”
Johnny felt his ears burn. “Our date.”
Kun turned to Momo, who was sniffing a daisy. “What do you think, Momo? Should I let Johnny take me on a date?”
Momo raised his head in Kun’s direction as Kun lowered his voice. “Hmm, he has helped me a lot. And his food is nice.” Johnny chuckled, reaching over to scratch lightly under Momo’s chin. “Hmm, his pats are good as well. I think he can take my butler on a date.”
“So,” Kun said, voice normal again as he turned back to Johnny, “what’s the plan?”
Johnny gestured to their set up. “This is the plan. Picnic date, it’s romantic.”
Kun picked up a tupperware container. “Did you cook all of this?”
Johnny nodded, starting to take off lids. “Taeil helped, but it was mostly me.”
“Nice of him.”
They ate and chatted, Kun complimenting the food and trying a bit of everything presented to him. Johnny preened under all the praise, enjoying the sight of Kun with his cheeks rosy and full, stretching to accommodate all the food he was putting in his mouth. It was so easy and comfortable, to spend time like this with Kun. Johnny updated him on what had been going on in the time that Momo was sick, explaining his experience with customers at the café, what it was like working with Doyoung. Kun listened intently, still tucking into the food when he could.
Eventually, both of them were so full that they lay down on the blanket, side by side, the backs of their hands brushing between them as they watched the sky. Johnny’s stomach felt swollen and it was making him sleepy, so he rolled to his side and put his head on Kun’s chest. After a moment, Kun rearranged himself to put an arm around Johnny’s shoulders, giving Johnny the confidence to sling an arm over Kun’s middle. He breathed in the smell of Kun’s washing powder, of his air freshener he had in the kitchen.
Kun tapped on the top of his head lightly and Johnny looked up at him, realising just how close their faces were. All he had to do was purse his lips and they’d come into contact with Kun’s chin. Kun smiled down at him.
“I’ve had fun.”
Johnny smiled, Kun’s breath tickling his eyelashes. “Me too.”
“We should do it more often.”
“Would that mean we would be dating?”
Kun squeezed his shoulder. “I guess it would, yeah.”
To stop himself from giggling uncontrollably, Johnny pushed himself up a little to ghost his lips over Kun’s. Kun’s breath hitched, a hand coming up to card through Johnny’s hair before settling at the back of his head. With the slightest bit of pressure, Kun was pushing Johnny forward so that their lips connected.
Johnny had to curl his toes in effort not to whimper into Kun’s mouth. Kun’s lips were soft against his own, and Johnny let him lead the way into small movements that got bolder, braver as they kept kissing. The hand in Johnny’s hair slipped down to the small of his back, Johnny resting a hand on Kun’s chest and propping himself up on his other elbow. One of Johnny’s legs slotted between Kun’s and Kun stroked up and down Johnny’s spine. Tongues entered the mix, long, languid movements as they got a feel for each other. Kun’s other hand came up to cup Johnny’s cheek and he melted into the touch, allowing the warmth that Kun exuded to envelop and settle over him. He felt like he was melting into Kun, their lips melding together and hearts syncing up in their chests. Kun tasted like the coriander chicken he’d just eaten, his breath coming out in small puffs against Johnny’s cheek.
When they broke apart, Johnny couldn’t help the small whine that escaped him. Kun chuckled, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
“There’ll be time for that later, my neck’s getting sore.”
Johnny huffed, but lay his head back on Kun’s chest. He called out to Momo, who timidly picked his way across the blanket to them, climbing up onto Kun’s stomach and curling himself into a ball while Johnny rubbed around his ears. He felt Kun’s chest deflate as he let out a deep sigh.
“What was that for?”
“Nothing,” Kun said simply, moving his hand to play with Johnny’s hair. “I’m just really happy.”
Johnny tried to rub away his blush on Kun’s jumper. “Me too.”
“We should be happy together. For a long time.”
Johnny pressed a kiss to Kun’s sternum. “I’d like that.”