Archive of Our Own ^beta

“… And don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with some bits yet, we have all week to work on it before you have auditions for your showcase. Anyways, you can write an email to me and we can arrange some more lessons if you need.” Hangyul smiled at the students, who smiled back and bowed, thanking him before leaving the class one by one. He glanced at the clock on the wall; that was his last lesson, and it was almost lunchtime, which meant that his friend Seungyoun could arrive any second.

“Damn, you didn’t tell me you were teaching to handsome college students!” Hangyul rolled his eyes. There he was.

“Can you stop? They’re freshmen, they’re young you weirdo.” He smiled and greeted his friend with a high five.

“Not much younger than you, ‘Gyul-ah! And I told you I would totally be up for- “

“Yeah, I’ll stop you right there. Let’s just get lunch, okay?”

They got out of the practice room, Hangyul locked it before giving the keys back to the receptionist on their way out. There was a ramen place near the academy he was teaching at, he relied on it whenever he didn’t feel like going back home to cook, or when he had afternoon lessons. Or, just like today, when he had to meet up with friends.

“So how’s your job going?” Hangyul asked as they waited for their food. Just like him, Seungyoun had finally managed to get his dream job, as a producer. Well, for now he was just on trial, but he knew it was just a matter of time before he got it for real.

“Oh, it’s going well. I finished a song just today, they’ll let me know what they think… but if it’s positive they’ll just take me permanently, so fingers crossed!”

Hangyul smiled. “See, I knew it. Soon enough you’ll earn more than me!”

“Think about it. We’re employed!” Seungyoun chuckled “We’re not broke anymore.”

“What a wild concept.”

“We can go on actual vacations!”

“Please, it’s enough that I can afford a house by myself for now!”

Seungyoun rolled his eyes. “Boring. Did your roommate move out already?”

“Yep, like last week.”

“Isn’t it weird, living alone?”

“Maybe… a bit, but I kind of like it, it feels good to be independent. A bit lonely sometimes, but then I remember how annoyed I was with my roommates and suddenly I love loneliness.”

Seungyoun laughed at that, shaking his head. “I mean, you lived with me and never got annoyed with me so your roommates must have been the worst ever.”

“Oh no, I got annoyed with you too, it’s just that I’m your friend so I decided not to deck you.” He earned himself a slap for that, and it would have turned into a full match if the waiter hadn’t come with their food, which made them calm down a little and head straight into their own dishes.

“So, plans for this afternoon?” Seungyoun asked after a while.

“I have to cover for Seungwoo at the coffee shop, does that count as a plan?”

His friend dropped his chopsticks. “No way, is he taking a day off? And the owners agreed to let you work even if you don’t work there?”

He laughed. “Yep, can you believe it? He took the day off cause his baby brother has a dance event, or something. And as for the owners, well, I worked there not even a year ago, they trust me enough.”

Seungyoun chuckled back. “Today on ‘is Dongpyo Seungwoo’s brother or is he his son?’”

“I’m going with the son thing.”  They both laughed, shaking their heads at their friend’s parental tendencies with his brother.

Lunch time went by before Hangyul even noticed, and before he knew it he and Seungyoun were parting ways and Seungyoun was wishing him good luck for his shift at the coffee shop. Hangyul took a deep breath as he started walking and braced himself for a really busy afternoon.

As he was going home, Hangyul was tired. Hell, he was exhausted. He was already tired after the lessons that morning and then lunch with Seungyoun, but that afternoon shift at the coffee shop, with him having to deal with overly loud high school students and a few annoying people who questioned the fact that the drawing on their cappuccino was “flat”, whatever that meant, definitely drained his batteries even more.

So, because he’d had quite the day, he was positive he could be seeing things after all.

But how on earth could his mind, despite being as tired and sleep deprived as it was, make up something- someone, like that?

There was a person in the impasse right before his house, curled up in himself and hiding behind some old and unused dumpster. Even with his poor eyesight he could see the boy had a pair of ears peeking out from his head, though they were flat against it. So, he was a hybrid. A hybrid hiding behind a dumpster and no one noticed, really?

Hangyul stood there for a bit, conflicted. Whoever he was, he surely needed help; maybe he was lost, cause Hangyul was sure he’d never seen a stray hybrid around there, or maybe he was hurt; but most importantly, it was November and the boy only had a big looking plain shirt on him: warm, but not warm enough. The thing was, he had no experience with hybrids. Sure, he knew a couple and he was friends with one of them too, but he really had no clue on how to take care of one, so how could he help this one?

He stood there for another minute or so, enough to notice the boy’s shoulders rising and dropping in irregular motions, almost as if he was crying. When he realised that that was probably what was happening, he decided he was going to worry about everything else later and just go help him.

Hangyul stepped into the alley slowly, making his steps a bit louder than usual so the boy could hear him approaching; when he didn’t even raise his head, Hangyul tried talking.

“Hey.” He said, in the softest tone he could manage. It wasn’t soft enough. The boy almost jumped backwards, head raised and eyes wide open, staring at him like a deer caught in headlights. Hangyul kneeled while keeping a distance, trying to seem as harmless as he could. Now that he was close, he couldn’t help but notice three things: One, the boy was definitely crying. His face was all wet and his eyes bloodshot, as if he had been crying for a long time; Two, he was a cat hybrid, judging from his pointy white ears; and Three, he was absolutely gorgeous. And completely terrified by him.

“I’m not going to hurt you, okay?” he talked again, softly. “I just want to help. What’s your name?”

Silence. The boy kept staring at him as if he didn’t want to answer. Or maybe he didn’t get him? He knew some hybrids that were born as strays had difficulties with having normal conversations.

“Do you understand what I say?”

Silence again. But then, just when Hangyul was about to start making gestures, the boy gave him a small nod. Hangyul smiled.

“Good, you can nod if you don’t want to talk. Did you get lost?”

The boy shook his head. No, he wasn’t lost. What the hell was he doing there then? He was about to ask that, but the boy raised his head a little and pointed at his neck. There, Hangyul noticed a darker string of skin, like a bruise. A bruise... from a collar? A collar that had been too tight? Or… as if he got pulled.

“You had a collar… You got abandoned.” The realisation struck him like lightning, and he didn’t need any confirmation since the boy’s eyes watered again and he hid his face between his knees.

Shit. Hangyul turned his head to look down at the ground, deep in thought. He couldn’t just leave that boy, he knew he couldn’t; he wasn’t a stray, he had no clue on how to survive and it was almost winter and he looked like he had nothing with him except for the clothes he was wearing. No money, and as far as he knew, no identity either.

It took him less than a minute to decide: he looked back at him and unzipped his jacket, took it off and slowly got closer to the boy, who had his head back up and was once again staring at him terrified. Hangyul placed his jacket on the boy’s shoulders gently, adjusting it so it wouldn’t fall.

“I live really close to where we are now. How about… you come home with me? I can give you food, and you can warm up, and we can look for foster houses tomorrow and I’ll bring you there, okay? So you don’t have to stay here, in the streets. It’s too cold. What do you think? It’s just up to you.”

The boy looked to the side, probably thinking about his offer. Hangyul noticed how he kept touching his jacket and rubbing his nose against it, as if he was trying to take in his scent; he found it really cute.

Finally, after what felt like forever to Hangyul, the boy looked back at him and gave him a small nod. Hangyul stood up, waiting for the boy to do the same; he wasn’t much shorter than him, actually with his ears he was almost taller, but he was so small and tiny that Hangyul was almost worried of hurting him with a mere touch.

“Follow me. It’s really close, I promise.” The boy nodded again.

His house was barely a minute away, but to Hangyul it felt like forever. The boy kept close to him the whole time. He was a bit slow climbing the stairs, luckily his house was on the first floor. He flinched when Hangyul took his hand off his pocket and raised his arm.

“Don’t worry.” Hangyul said, still in the softest tone he could manage “I have to put in the passcode so we can get in, okay?”

Another nod. As he put on the passcode and the door unlocked, he wondered why on earth was this boy so scared.

“Here, come in.” Hangyul said as he let him in. The boy took his shoes off, mimicking him, and followed him looking around as Hangyul spoke. “It’s messy, but not as messy as when I was living with other people. This is the living room and kitchen…” he stopped to look at him “are you hungry? I can show you the rest later, we can stop here and eat something.” A nod.

Hangyul guided him to the kitchen table, where the boy sat as he rummaged through his food, looking for something he could eat right away. He thanked the odds that he had gone grocery shopping just the day before, so he had all kind of snacks. He pulled out some and put them on the table, also taking out two packs of ramen for later. When he turned, he saw the boy had a snack in his hand already, a chocolate one. He smiled.
“You like chocolate? I do too.” He sat next to him and took a snack as well, opening it “I hope you like ramen too, ‘cause I’ll be doing that for dinner. I wasn’t really expecting to have company, so…”

The boy nodded again as he chewed on his snack, still looking around. He guessed he was trying to take in his surroundings, trying to make the place look familiar. At least he stopped looking at him terrified, Hangyul thought. Once again, he wondered why he was so scared, and why the hell his owner decided to just throw him in a dirty alley and go. He was aware that people sometimes weren’t the kindest to hybrids of any sort, and cats especially since they were usually the most delicate, but if you cared enough to take one in how could you just leave him like that? And as if abandoning one wasn’t bad enough, his owner also did it when winter was close, leaving him without nothing else but the clothes he was wearing.

Yeah, Hangyul didn’t like this person, whoever it was.

He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the thin voice uttering a single word.

“Wooseok.” He sounded hoarse, as if he didn’t use his voice for a long time.

“What?”

“I’m… I’m Wooseok.”

Hangyul smiled. “Hi, Wooseok. My name is Hangyul.” The boy- Wooseok, smiled just a little.

“Thank you.”

“No, don’t mention it. It was the least I could do…”

Wooseok smiled again and went back to his snack. Hangyul noticed his ears perked up a bit. Well, that was a start. All he had to do now was preparing his spare room for the boy, make them both dinner and then the next day he would call some foster houses- yeah, right. He didn’t even know any foster house, how on earth was he going to just call whatever house pulled up on his search results? He didn’t know if they actually treated hybrids well. He had to ask for help.

Seungyoun seemed the best option; his social circle was so wide that he had to know some hybrids, and he’d surely know some good foster houses, or at least he’d know what to do.

“Uh, hey, I have to make a phone call real quick, I’ll go in my room okay?” he pointed at said room, showing him where he’d be. Wooseok nodded but talked again as he was standing up.

“Leave the door open?”
Hangyul stared at him for a few seconds, surprised by the request, but quickly got over it.

“Of course, don’t worry.” He felt the boy’s stare on his back the whole time. He waited to be as far as possible from the living room before he dialled the number, hoping maybe he was out of his earshot.

“Geez, you must have had a terrible afternoon if you’re already calling me to nag about it!” Seungyoun’s clear voice was so piercing, even over the phone, in comparison with Wooseok’s small one.

“Shut up, it’s important.”

“Holy crap, okay? What happened?”

“Do you know anyone who works at a foster care house for hybrids? Like, a reliable one.”

Silence. Hangyul almost thought the line had dropped before Seungyoun talked again. “Excuse me, what?”

“The thing is that I found this boy, a hybrid, hiding behind a dumpster in an alley near my house as I was walking home… Seungyoun, he got abandoned.”

“Please, don’t tell me you brought a stray hybrid in your house.”

“He isn’t a stray, idiot, that’s the point! He was abandoned! And he was hiding, he only has the clothes he’s wearing and nothing else, what was I supposed to do, leave him there?!”

“Okay, calm your tits, I was just saying. Is he cute?”

Hangyul rolled his eyes. “Are you serious? Seungyoun this boy is scared, out of his mind, he looked terrified of me, he wasn’t even able to talk until I brought him home and gave him something to eat! And your first reaction is to ask me if he’s cute?”

“Well, you know, just trying to lift the mood. It’s not like you call me every day to announce you brought in an abandoned hybrid.”

“I didn’t bring him in, or at least not permanently… I doubt he’d want to stay, I told you he’s so scared, I’m afraid of talking too loudly and have him jump out of his skin.”

“Wait, you’re actually considering keeping him?”

“Seungyoun can we please focus on finding a solution? Listen I- I distanced myself a bit to talk to you- “

“Which is probably useless ‘cause he’s a hybrid and his senses are way more developed than ours, but go on.”

“Shut up. He asked me to keep the door open, Seungyoun, so he can look at me. I can feel him looking at me now, like he’s afraid I’ll vanish or something- he’s scared, and I must get back there and try to comfort him. He just lost his owner and he’s alone, I have to be there for him, so can you please help me?”

He felt his friend sigh on the other end. “I don’t really know foster houses personally, but I have a few friends that volunteered in some so I can ask them. Do you need an answer now?”

“No, I told him we’d look for foster houses tomorrow…”

“Okay. Well, I’ll text my friends now and let you know.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem, buddy. Say hi to the boy.”

Hangyul smiled “Seungyoun, he doesn’t know you.”

“Whatever, bye!” he shook his head at his friend’s antics and closed the call, already heading back towards the kitchen.

The boy hadn’t moved an inch and had his head rested on his hands, he almost looked like he fell asleep until Hangyul was actually able to see his face and see that he was crying silently. It was creepy, really: his eyes were as inexpressive as they could be, and yet tears were falling from them. He looked like a doll, gorgeous as ever but with no emotion.

“Why are you crying?” he managed to say in the end. It was almost concerning to watch, how fast his expression changed. Suddenly he was scared again: he sat up straight and lowered his face so Hangyul couldn’t see him. His hands were shaking.

“I’m sorry. I won’t cry anymore.”

Hangyul hissed at that. He thought he was accusing him… so he sat down on the chair next to him and talked in a soft voice again, hoping this way it would be easier.

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to accuse you… but I came back and you were crying, I’m just worried.”

Wooseok raised his head to look at him. “Worried?”

“Yeah. Worried. ‘Cause you’re crying.”

The boy kept staring at him with a confused expression on his face. “You don’t want me to stop crying?”

“Yes- well, I mean, I want to know why you’re crying, so I can help you… and if you need to cry then you can, but I want to help you feel better so that you won’t want to cry anymore, do you understand?”

“Feel better.”

“Yeah. Feel better.”

Wooseok stayed silent for a while. His ears were flat against his head again when he resumed his crying.

“I’m alone.” He muttered, head hanging low, Hangyul couldn’t see his face but he knew he was crying hard from the way his voice trembled. “I’m alone.”

“Can I touch you?” He waited for a positive answer before running a hand through the boy’s brown hair, careful not to tug at his ears. When he felt like the boy was relaxing with his touch, he got closer to his face.

“You’re not alone now.” He whispered, still caressing his hair in slow motions “You’re here with me, I’m going to help you okay?”

“Help me…”

“Yes, I’m going to help you Wooseok.” The boy nodded, looking like he was finally calming down. He didn’t move, though, so Hangyul kept going with his hand, still caressing his hair.

After a while he glanced at the clock, it was dinner time. Wooseok had his arms on the table and his head resting on them, eyes closed and almost purring at Hangyul’s touch, it was honestly adorable, but he needed to cook them dinner. So he took back his hand and Wooseok’s eyes flew open instantly, looking at him as he stood up.

“Where are you going?”

Shit. This wasn’t good, Hangyul thought. Why on earth was he so scared every time he moved away?

“Nowhere, I promise. I just have to get dinner ready, but I’ll be right here, okay? You can see me.”

“I should…help…”

“No, there’s no need to, okay? It’s quick anyway, and you should rest, you’ve had quite the day.”

He looked at him with that weird look on his face, as if he didn’t understand what he said. He didn’t know why, but he had a bad feeling about that look. He decided he was going to worry about that later.

“Do you want… to watch as I cook?”

The boy kept staring at him but he tilted his head lightly, maybe in confusion?

“What I mean is… I can show you how to make ramen. Do you know how to cook?” the boy shook his head after a bit of hesitation.

“Okay, I can show you how…come here.” Wooseok obeyed and stood near him. Hangyul smiled at him and he smiled back, even if it was much smaller than his.

“Okay, all you have to do is take a pot- here, I’m using this one that’s, like, medium size ‘cause we’re both eating, yeah? But if you’re by yourself you can take a smaller one.” He showed him the pot that was on the kitchen counter and quickly filled it with water, resuming his talking.

“You put…water, I’m not sure of how much, I usually just go with the feeling.”

“The… feeling?”

“I mean, I put water until I feel it’s enough. See? Just like this.”

Wooseok looked at the pot and nodded. His ears were back up now as he watched curiously his every move.

“Now I turn on the fire… most kitchens nowadays are easier than this, though, but- “ he turned it on quickly “but this was cheap, so… now you put the pot over the fire, and the water warms up.”

“Warms up.”

Hangyul smiled. He got what the hybrid was doing, he kept repeating the words he said to make them familiar.

“Yeah, the water warms up. As you wait, you can put on the seasoning. The small bag inside the noodles.” He opened a pack and took the seasoning, showing him how he opened it and put it in the pot.

“Wanna try?” when the boy nodded, Hangyul gave him the other pack. He struggled a bit to open it but he did it, and then proceeded to mimic exactly what he did.

“Good, you’re doing well. Now we mix it.” He opened the first drawer and took a ladle, but before he could do anything else he heard a loud hiss and suddenly Wooseok was far away from him, staring at him terrified once again.

“Hey… hey, what’s going on, what happened?”

When he didn’t answer, Hangyul started looking around, trying to see if anything could have triggered that kind of reaction. Then-

“-me…” Wooseok let out. Even if he was far, he could see he was shaking.

“I didn’t hear you… What did you say?”

“I said… don’t hurt me… Please.”

Hangyul furrowed his brows and shook his head. “I’m not… I don’t want to hurt you? What…” but then his eyes fell on the ladle.

“Oh my God…” he let it fall on the counter, the noise startling Wooseok a bit more.

“Wooseok… come here, please?” the hybrid obeyed, still reluctant.

“I don’t want to hurt you. I won’t hurt you, okay? I won’t touch you at all if that’s… what you want. That’s for cooking, okay? Just for cooking.”

“For cooking. Okay.”

Hangyul nodded. “Take it.”

He looked a bit reluctant, but he still took it. Hangyul carefully placed a hand above his and guided him, showing him how to use the ladle to mix the seasoning with the water. Wooseok’s breathing was a bit uneven, but Hangyul could feel him calming down slowly. His hand stopped shaking underneath Hangyul’s bigger one.

“… And when it’s warm enough- You see it when you see bubbles, here, see? When you see them that means it’s warm enough and you can put on the noodles. But you must be careful ‘cause it’s hot, okay? I don’t want you to burn yourself.”

Wooseok nodded and watched as Hangyul dropped the noodles in the pot, with a light smile on his face. Hangyul wondered what that smile meant. And then wondered what the hell happened to this boy, what kind of owner he had.

Shit, he thought the ladle was meant to hurt him.

On a second thought, he didn’t want to know what kind of owner he had.

Without much struggles, they finished making dinner and sat down to eat it. Wooseok dived into it right away, ears perked up once more, tail no longer wrapped around himself but moving slightly behind him. Adorable.

After dinner, Hangyul showed him the rest of the house. Wooseok watched with curiosity in every room, going as far as reaching out to smell the scented soap that Hangyul kept in the bathroom’s sink.

“Fruit.” He simply said, to which Hangyul nodded with a smile.

“Yes, it’s peach-scented. You like it?” Wooseok nodded and got closer to smell it again. That made Hangyul smile, he really was adorable.

“You know… you can take a shower, so you’ll smell like fruit too? My shower gel is also peach-scented. And I can lend you some of my clothes to sleep on, so you don’t have to sleep on jeans, how about that?”

He nodded immediately at the mention of shower, so Hangyul quickly retrieved some of his “home clothes” in his room (Wooseok kept his eyes on him the whole time) and then brought them back to the boy.

Just when he was about to close the door behind himself to give Wooseok some privacy, he spoke again.

“Please…. No.”

“No….?”

Hangyul saw his eyes flicking quickly between him and the door. “Open. Please.”

“Well… I can’t leave it completely open. Privacy, you know? But… if you feel better, we can leave it slightly ajar, what do you think?”

He seemed to be thinking about it for a bit, but still nodded in the end. Hangyul nodded too.

“I’ll be in my room; the door is open.” He waited for Wooseok to nod again and then turned away from the door, walking towards his room quietly and sitting on his bed.

This whole thing about Wooseok not wanting to be left alone, or not wanting closed doors, was beginning to scare him. Actually, everything about his behaviour scared Hangyul; cat hybrids were skittish and that was something everyone knew, even someone like him with little to no experience with hybrids. But that wasn’t just him being skittish, no, that was something different, some sort of learnt fear that was like engraved in his mind. He didn’t like it one bit.

Hangyul wondered how well he could fit in a foster house. From his own experience as a kid (and he doubted that foster houses for adult hybrids were much different) you didn’t get cared for much, the doors were usually closed, and your care givers weren’t always there; mostly, you handled things yourself and never complained. Before his mum adopted him, he had gotten used to it, but he doubted he’d be able to go back to that after living a life with people that actually cared about him. Then again, Wooseok’s owner didn’t seem like someone who cared about him very much… even if Wooseok cried at the thought of being alone.

The more he thought about it, the more he despised the idea of getting rid of Wooseok and leaving him at a foster house, but what were his choices, really? Wooseok still looked like he was somewhat scared of Hangyul, the best option was finding a good foster house with hopefully less threatening-looking caregivers, say goodbye and hope he’d live a healthy life after whatever happened with his previous owner. Yeah, that was the best thing to do.

Maybe if he repeated that to himself once or twice he could actually convince himself on that.

Right then, Wooseok appeared in his doorstep; the clothes Hangyul lent him were too big for him and his tail moved left and right- right, his tail.

“I’m so sorry, I forgot…your tail, is it uncomfortable?”

“Uh- just- just a little…” the boy replied quietly, still rubbing his head with one of the towels Hangyul had given him. He just stood there, so Hangyul quickly rummaged through his nightstand’s drawer and found the scissors he kept there.

“If you come here, I’ll cut the sweatpants where your tail is, so you’ll be at ease.” He explained, to avoid a remake of the ladle incident from before.

“It’s… your clothes.”

“I don’t mind, it’s just an old pair of sweatpants and I don’t want your tail to hurt, okay?”

“…okay.” Wooseok had a weird expression on his face, but he still came closer and turned his back to Hangyul. He took it as a sign that the boy was finally beginning to understand that Hangyul wouldn’t hurt him at all.

Hangyul was a bit embarrassed as he tried to understand where exactly he was supposed to cut; no matter what his real intentions were, he was still basically staring at the boy’s butt (a cute as fuck butt, said a voice in his head that sounded awfully like Seungyoun’s). He shook his head to get out of it and quickly cut the fabric making sure it was the right spot and Wooseok turned around again, adjusting the pants blindly. Hangyul saw his tail stopped moving so much.

“Is it better?”

This time, Wooseok smiled a bit more. “Yes. Thank you.”

“Okay, I’m glad. Uh… are you tired? We can… stay up if you want, or just lie down and sleep.”

“Sleep…”

“Yes. We can go to sleep- what are you doing?”

Wooseok sat on the ground and looked like he was about to lie down. “Sleep?” he offered, looking up at Hangyul.

“You’re going to sleep… on the floor?”

“It’s… where hybrids sleep.”

Fuck. “No.” Hangyul said, showing a calmness he didn’t feel in that moment. “No, that’s where bad humans force hybrids to sleep. Stand up, Wooseok.”

The boy obeyed, confusion written all over his face. Hangyul carefully raised a hand to place it on his shoulder.

“I’m going to prepare you a bed in my spare room. You’ll sleep there, okay?”

“Spare room?”

“Yeah. Over there.” He flayed his other arm in the general direction of the other room. Wooseok looked at it, and then back at Hangyul. Worried.

“Alone?” he asked, voice even thinner than usual. Hangyul felt his own heart clench a little at that. He hesitated for a few seconds as he glanced at the other bed that was unoccupied in his room, from when he and Seungyoun were so broke that they had to share the flat with other 2 people. No one had been there ever since.

“How about you stay there instead?” he pointed at it, looking at Wooseok as he turned. “You won’t be alone, I sleep right here.”

“If I’m not trouble… Yes, please.”

“You’re not trouble.”

He stood up to retrieve some sheets and blankets and prepared the bed, Wooseok occasionally helping despite Hangyul telling him he didn’t have to. When he climbed on the bed Hangyul tucked him in, going as far as petting his hair. He decided he was going to ask himself what the fuck am I doing later.

“If you need anything, whatever it is, wake me up okay?”

Wooseok nodded. He wasn’t sure that he’d actually wake him up, however he still smiled at him and went to his own bed.

“Lights on or lights off?” he asked once he was also under the covers.

“On.”

So Hangyul left the bedside lamp on, ignoring the fact that he despised any source of light during the night and turning to the side.

“Goodnight, Wooseok.”

“Goodnight…”

Hangyul dozed off right away, worn out by the eventful day, but not before hearing the hybrid’s small voice mumbling a “thank you” under his breath.

*

A ringing sound startled him out of bed the next morning, so abrupt and loud that it took him a couple of seconds to realise that it was the sound of his doorbell. Who even was visiting him in a Saturday morning, anyway? Whoever it was, Hangyul was positive that they were about to hear a piece of his mind.

That was when his brain finally connected the dots and he remembered about Wooseok; sure enough, the boy was awake too and looked terrified, staring at Hangyul with wide eyes.

“It’s just the doorbell,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes to try and wake up. “I’ll go get it and see who it is, no need to be afraid… you can stay here if you feel safer.” With that he stood up, waiting for Wooseok to nod before exiting the room, ready to yell at whoever the hell thought it was a good idea to ring a bell at that ungodly hour-

“Morning!” his best friend’s annoyingly loud voice pierced through his ears “I brought breakfast! Where’s the guy?” Seungyoun shook a bag with what looked like Tupperware full of rice and side dishes. Hangyul was about to smash said bag on his face.

“You are… a criminal. You come and ring my bell at the crack ass of dawn- “

“It’s nine.”

“It’s a damn Saturday, idiot, you woke us up! What are you even doing here?”

“I was curious! Will you let me in or…?”

“I should kill you… come in, you monster, and go to the kitchen. I’ll go get him, you scared him.”

Seungyoun mumbled an apology but he was already heading to the kitchen, so Hangyul rolled his eyes and went back to his bedroom. Wooseok was still in the same position as he left him, still with a scared look on his face.

“It’s okay,” Hangyul says softly “It’s my best friend, Seungyoun. He’s loud, but he won’t hurt you, hmm? He’s friends with some hybrids, too. He just wants to meet you. Do you want to? He brought breakfast for all of us.”

Wooseok seemed to think about it for a while, Hangyul held his breath. But then…

“Alone… with him?”

“No, no, I won’t leave you alone with him if you don’t want to, I promise.”

Wooseok then nodded and stood up. He looked half asleep, it was adorable. His hair was sticking out in all directions and his tail flayed weakly, as if the boy was still trying to get his body to wake up.

He kept behind Hangyul as they both headed to the kitchen, where a smiling Seungyoun was pulling out bowls from the cupboard. He stopped though, the moment he saw Wooseok shyly entering the kitchen.

“Well, hello there!”

“Seungyoun, I’m begging you.” Hangyul mumbled. But Wooseok wasn’t taken aback, instead he gave Seungyoun a small smile.

“Hello.”

“I’m Seungyoun, I’m Hangyul’s best friend! Nice to meet you…”

“Wooseok.”

“Nice to meet you, Wooseok!”

Hangyul sat on one of the chairs, Wooseok mimicking him straight away as Seungyoun finished setting the table.

“I didn’t want to wake you two up, I thought it was late enough.”

“It’s a Saturday, dumbass. It isn’t late enough until its past midday.”

“Well, I brought breakfast, so I’m forgiven.”

“Yeah okay. Please shut up now, I haven’t fully woken up yet.”

Seungyoun chuckled, but stayed silent. At least for 5 minutes. He started asking questions to Wooseok, mainly simple ones that the boy could answer with a word or two.

Like that, Hangyul found out that Wooseok was 26 (three full years older than him, he would have never guessed), and that he thought Hangyul was nice (that made him smile). He went to high school, apparently, but didn’t answer when he got asked about university. Seungyoun carefully avoided questions about his life, focusing on more meaningless things like his favourite colour ‒green, if he liked to read ‒yes, or if he liked Hangyul ‒again, a yes.

Wooseok seemed relaxed, even if he met Seungyoun not more than half an hour before. Hangyul had to admit this, Seungyoun knew his way with people; he instantly knew what to say, how to get to them, how to make himself trusted. Something that Hangyul surely lacked, but he compensated that well enough with kindness (at least, he hoped so).

It went silent for a while, as the three of them focused on their breakfast. Soon enough though Seungyoun talked again, this time addressing both of them.

“So, I made a few calls last night. Most of my friends who worked in shelters didn’t really have good stuff to say, predictably enough… but then I remembered my ex used to volunteer in one and he usually talked well about it- “

“Your ex? You mean the one who broke up with you because you were loud, that ex? Didn’t I tell you not to contact him anymore?”

“I didn’t, until now. I needed his help, emergency, right? But don’t worry, I blocked his number right after.”

“Hmm. I sure hope you did.”

Wooseok stared at them with wide eyes, almost as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Hangyul was almost tempted to know why, but the topic was too important to change it.

“If you’re done brooding, can I go on?”

“I wasn’t brooding. Yes, go on.”

“Thanks. He told me he worked there for a year, so he saw a lot of people coming and going, he has a full insight on that foster house. And he said the hybrids are good there. There even are some very young ones, they’re still minors- people whose families gave up on. They have tutors and caregivers, even a psychologist to deal with sensitive cases. He mainly helped in tutoring, but he saw the atmosphere was serene… hybrids are treated well and they’re almost like a family, so it should be good for our Wooseok, here.” He smiled towards the boy, probably expecting him to smile back, but that never happened. Wooseok was serious again, gaze down, ears flat and tail wrapped around himself. Hangyul didn’t like it one bit, he then realised why: that was exactly how he found him in that alley the day before.

“Wooseok?” he asked tentatively, “What’s wrong?”

No answer. They heard some light sniffling.

“Wooseok… did we say something wrong?” Silence. Seungyoun gestured him to not ask more, eyes fixed on Wooseok, probably sensing he was going to talk. And he did.

“You don’t…want me here….” It came out as a sob more than a sentence, Hangyul felt the immediate need to retort that no, it’s not true, of course he wants him, but stopped himself in his tracks when he realised, he genuinely didn’t know how to comfort him. So he sat there, frustratingly still, afraid of doing the wrong thing.

“Wooseok…hey. You need to calm down, okay? No one is going to force you to do anything, alright?”

God, Seungyoun. If only Hangyul had a quarter of his ability with people…

Wooseok gave him a small nod but didn’t lift his head. Seungyoun looked back at Hangyul and motioned towards the living room, he understood that he wanted to talk privately.

“Wooseok,” he tried then. Just like the day before, he placed a hand on the boy’s hair and caressed it, something that seemed to calm him down. “We’re going to talk for a bit… huh, we won’t be far, okay? Just in the living room, you won’t be alone for long. Is that okay?”

Again, Wooseok nodded. Right then, Seungyoun grabbed his arm and tugged him quite harshly towards the living room, closing the door for good measure.

“Wait, he doesn’t like closed doors.” is all Hangyul can say. It sounded pathetic even to himself.

“Forget that for a second, this will be quick anyways. You’re quite ridiculous, you know that, right?”

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re so careful around him, so eager to please him and make sure he’s alright, and then you keep saying you want to send him off?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Yeah well, I didn’t see you stopping me when I started talking about shelters.”

“That doesn’t mean I’d send him away and forget about him!”

“Would it be that bad, Hangyul? To keep him?”

“Weren’t you the one saying it was a bad idea to have him home in the first place?”

“That’s mean, I never said that. And anyway, I hadn’t seen him last night and moreover I hadn’t seen you around him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Seungyoun actually rolled his eyes at that. “Come on! You tip toe around him, your voice and behaviour is so soft, you like taking care of him!”

Hangyul couldn’t deny that. Even if he’d want to, mainly to go against his friend, he couldn’t.

“Okay, well, what I like doesn’t matter. He’s not an animal, he’s a person, I can’t keep him just because I want to. He’s been hurt, deeply, he’s scared of everything, and as much as I’d want to, I don’t know how to take care of him. He needs someone who knows how to take care of him.”

“And you think he can find that in a shelter? Hangyul, you know this better than me. Don’t make me say it.”

He knows. Hell, he knows. He was in a good foster house, he lived relatively well, but no one really stopped by to take care of them individually, no one had the time. They had to deal with their fears alone, to grow out of them, no one could be there for them. And sending Wooseok in one, even one with a psychologist… he would still be alone. And he knew, he knew he wouldn’t just stop worrying. Hell, he fell asleep last night hoping Seungyoun could find a foster house close by, so he’d have time to stop there after work…

“Listen. Hangyul, listen. If you keep him, wouldn’t your mum help you? I know she’s not a psychologist, but she’s been dealing with stuff like this her whole life. Wouldn’t she know what to do?”

He was right. For a moment, the idea of not having to send Wooseok off lingered in his mind. It almost concerned him, how beautiful that idea looked to him. But…

“He was scared, terrified of me. He… warmed up now but I doubt he’d want to stay.”

“Did you ask him?”

“Well…no.”

“Then don’t take the decision for him. Like you said, he’s a person. He should be given the chance to decide before you do that for him.”

Again, Seungyoun was right. So right that it almost pissed Hangyul off. He scoffed.

“Let’s go back to him. I hate when you’re right.”

Seungyoun chuckled behind him as they both made their way back to the kitchen, where Wooseok hadn’t moved an inch. He still sat there, head low and ears down. Seungyoun signalled him silently to talk, and Hangyul agreed on that. Seungyoun was better with words, but it had to come from Hangyul for Wooseok to understand he really meant it.

“Wooseok,” he called, “can you look at me? Please?”

It took him a few seconds, but he eventually did. His eyes were teary, cheeks wet, and Hangyul first instinct was to reach out his hand and wipe his tears away. He followed it this time, much to Wooseok’s surprise.

“Don’t cry, please. I don’t want to leave you alone, but I’m worried… because you need care and affection and I’m afraid I can’t give you what you need… I’m telling you this because I want you to understand that it’s not that I don’t want you here, I’m just scared you won’t be happy here, ‘cause I have no experience with hybrids. But… it’s right that you choose, so… you tell me, I can take you to this shelter and I promise I’ll drop by every day to see you, or… you can stay here, but remember that… I might not be able to make you completely happy. I’ll try though, I promise. So…what do you choose?”

Wooseok looked at him a bit dumbfounded, the same way he did when Hangyul told him to sleep in a bed or offered to cut his own clothes to make them comfortable for him. He was starting to pick up that look meant that he wasn’t used to people- humans, that were nice to him. Again, the thought frightened him.

“I get to choose?”

“Yes. Yes, you can choose.”

“But… if you don’t want me…”

Hangyul found himself caressing his cheeks again (did he seriously not remove his hands from Wooseok’s face the whole time? Really?). “I want you here. I do.”

“Let me stay… please.”

“Yes… yes, you’ll stay.”

That was all it took for Wooseok to throw himself into Hangyul’s arms, taking him by surprise with the sudden action. He got over it quickly as he wrapped his arms around the boy’s smaller frame, caressing his back in soothing motions. Seungyoun wore this sly grin on his face that Hangyul really wanted to clear off, but he didn’t dare move from the hug.

“I... I didn’t ask…” Wooseok’s voice came even thinner from his place in Hangyul’s chest. Not that he minded.

“What?”

“If I could…hug you.”

Hangyul held him a bit tighter. “You can hug me whenever you want, no need to ask. Okay?”

A small pause.  “Okay.”

Hangyul didn’t let go, waiting for Wooseok to pull back when he felt more comfortable with it. Just as the boy was releasing him, he caught his best friend mouthing something that really looked like “remember about your mum”, so he nodded subtly and turned to Wooseok again.

“Although, if you’re going to stay here…” he had the boy’s attention, totally. “I need you to meet a person…my mother. She’s…so nice, just like him,” he pointed at Seungyoun “So you don’t have to worry, okay? It’s because…. You’re hurt and I need to understand how to help you, and she can help me with that. Is that okay?”

Wooseok thought about it for a bit, but he nodded in the end, causing Hangyul to smile.

“Well,” Seungyoun stated, a bright smile on his face “I got to go now. I’m glad everything turned out well, and it was nice meeting you, Wooseok! Though, unlike some lucky bastard right here, I have to work on Saturdays.” He stood up, flashing a bright smile towards them. Hangyul stood up too and walked him to the door, well aware that Wooseok was following him suit. As he was closing the door behind his friend, Hangyul turned around to face him. Then he asked, not being able to hold himself.

“Are you still afraid of me leaving?” he blurted out, eyes carefully watching Wooseok’s reactions.

He didn’t see anything but fear in his eyes as the boy answered simply, “I’m just… afraid I’ll wake up. And be in that street.” His hand ghosted over his own neck, where the bruise was still clear as ever, as a reminder that not even a day ago that boy was in the hands of someone mean, someone that Hangyul didn’t even know, that had the power to hurt the small hybrid, the power to drag him to an abandoned alley and leave him there. Terrified, defenceless, and alone.

Hangyul pulled Wooseok in another hug, careful to leave him space to back out (which he didn’t, anyway). He combed his hair with his fingers, pulling him back just enough to whisper in his ear. “You’re safe here. I’m not going to leave you, you’re safe.”

That lead to Wooseok holding on him even more tightly.

“Thank you,” he managed to hear even if his voice was even thinner than usual. “Thank you so much…”

“No need to thank me. Just…let’s go sit on the sofa, hmm? You can watch TV or something, so I can call mum and tell her to come here, is that okay?”

The boy nodded and then obediently followed Hangyul as he made his way to the living room. He showed him briefly how to turn the TV on and change programs, then left him watching some idol program and distanced himself, already dialling his mum’s number. Still, he could see Wooseok throwing occasional glances at him, as if he was checking that he was still there.

“’Gyul?”

“Hi mum. Sorry, am I bothering you?”

“Of course not honey, what’s up?” his mum’s tone was kind and peaceful, calming in such a way that Hangyul found himself smiling without even knowing.

“Well…I sort of need you here, right now.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

“Uh, not really happened, just… I found a hybrid.”

“A hybrid?”

“Yeah. His name is Wooseok, he got abandoned yesterday and I found him and brought him home, and… well… I don’t really want to send him away, and he wants to stay too, so I thought why not keep him?”

A pause. His mother was clearly thinking and processing the information. “Are you sure, honey? I mean… I’m sure he’s lovely but having a hybrid to take care of isn’t easy, especially if you have no experience… of course it’s not like he’s a pet, fully dependant on you, but it’s still important that you know how to take care of one.”

“I know that mum. That’s why I called you, uh… his owner… I think he wasn’t in a good family before, I mean of course, he got abandoned… but he has a harsh bruise where his collar was, he doesn’t like closed doors, or dark places, and he doesn’t like to be alone. Oh… also, he thought I wanted to hit him yesterday when I was cooking, with a ladle. And… I don’t have a good feeling in general, mum, he’s just… he looks too scared to be normal.”

A small pause again. Then, when his mother talked, her tone was firm and collected. “I’ll be there in ten.”

Unlike what Hangyul expected, Wooseok seemed at ease with his mother. When she first arrived and sat on the couch, he still kept being close to Hangyul, but it only took him a few minutes to relax and in that moment, as Hangyul was leaving the room to let the two talk in private, he only glanced at him once and didn’t even seem alarmed when he closed the door.

The minutes seemed to never pass for Hangyul; he was never a patient person, but waiting there, knowing that Wooseok was inside there with his mum, talking about who knows what, was simply excruciating. He couldn’t keep still, pacing the kitchen back and forth and throwing occasional glances at the door, hoping that his mum would come out and tell him that he could enter.

And sure enough, she did. But her face didn’t look good, at all. Something in her expression made him almost storm in and take sight of Wooseok; his face was tear-stained, but it wasn’t what made Hangyul hiss loudly.

His shirt, the very shirt he lent him to sleep, was lifted up to show his arms… where you couldn’t see what his real skin tone was, since most of it was painted purple, yellow and black. Bruises. Fresh, old, a canvas of colours that made Hangyul’s eyes tear up.

“You didn’t see them?” his mother spoke softly, near him. Hangyul didn’t answer, he simply sat near Wooseok and took one of his arms carefully, to see them from up close. It was even worse.

“I’m… I’m so sorry, I didn’t know… I didn’t notice, oh my- I’m so sorry, Wooseok- “

He didn’t get to finish the sentence because the boy slowly sank in his arms. He hugged him, trying to be even more delicate than usual, and left a kiss on the crown of his head out of instinct, just trying his best to comfort him.

“I’ll make this better, I’ll make this all better, I promise…” he repeated again and again, as he felt his heart sinking. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know all that Wooseok had to stand, he didn’t know if he could bear it.

His mum broke the silence then, talking in a low, reassuring voice.

“He says he has those everywhere…” Hangyul turned to her, disbelief written all over his face. His mum continued “He says the arms are the worst, ‘cause he shielded his face with them, but…” he nodded. He didn’t need to know anything else.

“Do you have stuff to treat those here, honey?” she continued. Wooseok still didn’t make a move or say a word.

“I do, but… I’m afraid it’s not enough, I should…go buy some.” She nodded, then kneeled down to talk to Wooseok while being at his level.

“Is that okay for you, sweetheart? Can Hangyul go buy medicines while you stay here with me and talk some more?”

He seemed to hesitate a bit, but in the end he nodded, detaching himself from Hangyul just enough so he could stand up.

“I’ll be quick.” He said, before caressing the boy’s hair one more time and leaving the room to go change.

It was the fastest stop at a drug store he ever made; the assistant looked at him in a mix of worry and interest when he asked for “anything to treat bruises”, he couldn’t care less. In the end, he left with maybe more bandages and ointments that he needed, but since he had no idea on what the other bruises looked like he figured he did good. He also stopped by a convenience store to get some more chocolate snacks, since Wooseok seemed to like them a lot. When he came home him and his mum were still in the living room, talking as she held his hands.

“It’s all over now,” he heard her saying “Hangyul is a good person, we’ll both help you… and I’ll take you to my friend, a psychologist, she’ll help you as well. You’ll get over this.”

Hangyul stopped before he was seen to not interrupt the moment, but he couldn’t help hearing what they were saying.

“I’ve never…been able to do things myself…” it was the longest sentence he’d ever heard Wooseok saying.

“You were never given the chance to. You’re strong, Wooseok, only a strong person would have been able to deal with what you dealt with. And we’ll help you when you need us to, both me and Hangyul. He’s good, I told you that right? A good person.”

“I… I know, he is…” Hangyul felt his heart get warm at that. He heard some sniffling, then he decided to show himself.

“I’m back,” he announced, smiling lightly. Wooseok’s arms were still on display and he felt his heart sink again at the sight of his bruises. “Hey, look what I got for you, chocolate!” he handed him the snacks, that the boy accepted with a small “thank you”, ears perked up as he grabbed one and opened it already.

“Don’t eat them all, okay? Or you won’t be able to eat lunch.” Hangyul said with a smile, ruffling his hair.

“Honey, can I talk to you alone?” his mum was addressing him. “Wooseok, you don’t mind right? We’ll be right here, you can eat in peace in the meantime.” The boy nodded, bowing at her as she got up and followed Hangyul in the kitchen, far enough from the living room to hope he wouldn’t hear them.

Away from Wooseok, his mum didn’t look that cheerful anymore. Suddenly, worry was evident on her face, it couldn’t mean anything good.

“Is it that bad?” he heard his own voice asking. It was a stupid question, really, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Oh, honey,” his mum began “he went through a lot…”

“I heard you talking about a psychologist…”

“Yes… he’ll need it.”

“I figured he got abused, but…”

“Are you sure you want to hear this? It’s so much…”

“Mum, I’m afraid to but do I have a choice? I need to know, I’m already bad at taking care of him, I should at least know what happened…”

“Well, he had a nice childhood, so the good news it’s that he can recover from his trauma more easily…”

“Okay. Then what happened?”

“A guy noticed him, when he was almost legal. So, when he turned 19 and finished high school, he was bought by his family and went to live with them- “

“Wait. His parents sold him?”

“Well… it’s what happens, yeah.”

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“It’s the law, honey. Humans can buy hybrids.”

“Yeah I know that but… I thought that no sane parent would sell their child.”

“Well…they were offered a good amount of money, and… as he told me, he didn’t have bad parents but… they weren’t that close either, at least not with his mother. He had a good father though, he told me he kept visiting him for a while, then he stopped.”

“Why?”

“Well…this is the worst part.”

Hangyul took a deep breath. “I can take it. Go.”

“Okay. His…owner, was always pretty controlling… at first, Wooseok was only allowed to leave the house if he was with him, or with his parents. But… a few months after he was bought, they got together.”

“They…got together.”

“Yes. It wasn’t easy for him to realise that he liked boys, either.”

“I bet…”

“Anyway… as you probably figured, things got worse once they got together. He was… way more controlling. I don’t think he even noticed, I made him talk about his typical day ‘cause he doesn’t see it as… as abuse, this was normal to him.”

“What exactly is normal to him?”

“From what I gathered… he wasn’t allowed a phone, and he couldn’t go out at all… I don’t know why exactly, he said he got mad if he asked to go out so he never asked…I think he wasn’t allowed to eat either, if he was alone. If…he misbehaved, he said, he would sleep on the floor, sometimes… and then he started getting beat.”

“What- Jesus Christ, what? Why?”

His mum shook her head. He could tell she was bothered just like he was. “I don’t know, honey… he said he kept being bad, I think… I think that when you’re this abusive, to the point that you have full control over another person, you lose it for the smallest thing… hence why he’s full of bruises.”

Hangyul sat down, trying hard to take all the information in. All he could think about was how much he felt sorry for the boy, and how bad he wanted to fix things for him.

“Honey? Are you okay?”

“I- I don’t know, actually. I’m… confused, I just wish this wasn’t true…”

“Yeah, I can understand. But he’ll recover, you know he will… slowly, and he’ll need all the care in the world, but he will.”

Hangyul nodded. “Jesus…just yesterday at this hour my biggest problem was teaching some kids a choreography… now all I can think about is that I’m so scared of failing to protect him.”

His mother hugged him tight, trying to soothe him as she could. “You always say you’re not enough, but honey, I’m sure you’ll be able to give him what he needs. After all, it’s just affection and care, right?”

“Right.” She pecked his cheek affectionately, causing him to whine a not so convinced “muuum” that made her laugh.

She was soon gone after that, not before saying bye to Wooseok. Hangyul was still shaken by what he heard, but decided to not let anything out as he sat near Wooseok. Instead, he smiled at the boy.

“Can I treat your bruises?” he asked, gently. “I’ll be delicate, I promise.”

Wooseok nodded, looking down shyly as he got rid of his clothes to let Hangyul have access. He was prepared to see bruises, but the sight still made him uneasy. He started to treat them (the worst ones seemed to be in his arms, since the boy shielded his face with them) and tried his best not to embarrass the boy by staring too much or things like that.

“You know what I usually do on Saturdays?” he said as he helped the boy put his clothes back on. He shook his head, looking at him expectantly. “I sit here and watch shows on my computer. Or movies, whatever I feel like. Do you want to do that?”

“It… seems fun.”

“It is! And it’s cheat day, so we can eat all the junk food we want! After lunch though.”

Wooseok let out a giggle (Geez, he was so cute). “Alright. After lunch.”

So that was exactly what they did. As Hangyul imagined, Wooseok didn’t know much about TV shows or things like that. He suspected that his asshole ex owner didn’t let him watch many things. They spent what was left of the morning looking for a show that he might like, and when they found it (a comedy show that Hangyul knew by name already) they left it on to load and went to eat lunch.

They spent the whole afternoon binge watching the show (Hangyul glanced at Wooseok more often than not, just because his amused expression as he watched, looking carefree for once, was somewhat relieving). Before they realised, it was late evening and none of them was hungry, given all the junk food they ate. As the evening progressed, Wooseok scooted closer and closer to him until they ended up with Hangyul circling his shoulders with one arm and pulling him closer, careful not to hold him too tight. The boy seemed completely at ease near him, totally opposite to what he was the day before. Maybe the talk with his mother helped for real, he thought as he glanced at the relaxed expression he had; maybe the thought that he wasn’t going to be abandoned in some foster house helped too, who knew.

It was when Wooseok tried to hide a pretty obvious yawn with his tiny hand that Hangyul decided it was time for them to go get some sleep; they got ready for bed together, sharing space as if they had been doing it for ages instead of it being the first time. Then, just as they were settling down in bed and Hangyul glanced at the boy, he realised.

“Wooseok,” he called softly, making the boy turn to face him “You don’t…own clothes. Except for those from yesterday.”

“All my clothes were shared with… with him, I can share with you.”

“But…your tail?”

He shrugged. “I got used to it.”

Fuck.

“How about… we go shopping tomorrow?”

Wooseok’s eyes lightened up. “Shopping?”

“Yes, shopping.”

“I loved shopping!”

Hangyul smiled. “Then let’s go shopping.”

Wooseok looked so happy just at the thought, Hangyul wondered how his expression would be the following day.

*

The answer: Wooseok was glowing.

Hangyul watched in awe as the boy looked around, eyes shining, a small smile softening his features immensely. He still kept close to Hangyul, but he really looked like he wanted to explore the shop. It had taken Hangyul a while to find a shop that sold clothes for hybrids and it was pretty far away too, but now he was glad he took Wooseok out instead of just relying on buying online, like he did for himself.

“What do you want to look for first?” Hangyul asked, noticing how a few people had started staring at them for staying still for too long.

“Uh- I don’t know…”

“Why don’t we do pants first? Those are easier,” he proposed. As far as he could see, it was the least crowded section and he didn’t want Wooseok to panic.

The boy nodded and so the two proceeded to the pants section. Hangyul noticed a lot of hybrids there with their owners had a collar, some even a leash. He glanced at Wooseok, at the bruise on his neck, and a sense of uneasiness washed over him; he was almost tempted to put an arm over his shoulders protectively, but decided not to. This was Wooseok’s moment, he wouldn’t ruin it because he was being defensive all of a sudden.

So he focused on helping Wooseok the most, advising him when he asked, but mostly letting him do whatever he wanted.

He usually hated going shopping and moreover he hated having to wait outside the changing rooms, but this time it didn’t feel half as bad as the other times he went. He liked Wooseok’s expressions when he told him he looked good, or that that pair of jeans or that sweater suited him; he would lighten up and blush a little and it was so cute and pure, Hangyul enjoyed it all.

When they were finally done with all the shopping (surprisingly he had spent less than what he imagined) it was evening already; they finished their day out having ice cream in a place near Hangyul’s house (which he didn’t propose because he saw Wooseok’s expression lighten up watching people eating ice cream, not at all) and then headed home.
Throughout the day, Hangyul noticed how the boy’s body language seemed to change. He had learnt to observe these kind of things thanks to his mother, so he could notice how Wooseok didn’t put himself in a defensive position with him, or how when a stranger accidentally got too close he would seek comfort in Hangyul’s touch, sometimes grabbing his arm or letting himself come closer until Hangyul would wrap an arm around him. Unconsciously, the boy was accepting Hangyul as a shelter, trusting him, and that meant he saw him as a safe place. He couldn’t be happier, he thought as he opened the door to his house and let Wooseok walk forward.

“Wooseok,” he called during dinner. The boy looked up from his plate, tilting his head in question. It was endearing, to say the least. He forced his gaze away so he could talk without getting distracted. “I told you I’m a teacher, right? I teach dance to college students.”

“Yeah…”

“Well… my classes are in the morning, from Monday to Friday.” He turned to look at him, and saw understanding in Wooseok’s eyes. Of course, he was too smart not to understand where he was getting at.

“I’ll be alone?”

“I’m sorry, Wooseok. Tomorrow my mum will come pick you up and you’ll spend the morning with her, also ‘cause you’ll meet her friend, remember? So tomorrow you won’t be alone.”

The boy nodded. “I understand,” he said.

“I really don’t want to leave you alone… but I need to work, you understand me, right?”

Wooseok broke into a small smile, which relieved Hangyul immensely. “I understand…you’ll be back, right?”

“Of course. Every day, a little past 2 in the afternoon, I’ll be here. Is that okay?”

“Okay. Yeah… it’s okay.”

They both nodded and went back to their dinner. A while later, Wooseok spoke.

“Thank you,” he whispered, still facing his plate.

“Why are you thanking me?”

“For… everything. You…found me… took me here… took care of me, bought me so many things… you’re so nice to me and I did nothing… you’re keeping me and I did nothing… to deserve this.”

Hangyul dropped his chopsticks and got closer to Wooseok, waiting for him to do the same so he could hug him.

“No, you don’t thank me… not for this, not for being nice to you… The world hasn’t been nice to you, Wooseok… but you deserve some kindness, especially after what you went through… so let me take care of you now, you don’t have to give me anything in return, just... some company, it was lonely here anyways.”

Wooseok looked up to meet his gaze and gave him a small smile. “No more lonely?”

Hangyul smiled back. “Yeah, no more lonely.”

*

Still, leaving Wooseok with his mother the day after was extremely hard for Hangyul.

He could see how the boy looked back anxiously at him as he sat shotgun on his mum’s car, and was still staring at him despite her being reassuring and sweet.

“I’ll come get you when I’m done, okay? And we’ll go home together.” He tried, hoping that would reassure both him and the uneasy feeling he was experiencing in his guts.

Wooseok held out a hand, his pinkie finger sticking out. “Promise?” he asked, so cutely that the younger couldn’t help but interlock his pinkie with him and smile.

“I promise. See you then.”

When Hangyul picked him up that afternoon, Wooseok looked tired. Not physically, just… he looked drained.

“What’s wrong?” he asked first thing, arms wrapping around the boy instantly as Wooseok went to seek comfort in his chest.

“Nothing,” he mumbled weakly, ears perking up just a bit as he felt Hangyul rubbing his back gently. “I’m tired…”

“He talked to my friend,” His mother explained then, “he’s okay, but it was hard emotionally so now he’s tired.”

“It’s okay,” Hangyul whispered in his ear, “wanna go home? We can rest there…”

Wooseok nodded eagerly, but his mother spoke before he could tell him to go grab his coat.

“Gyul-ah… before you go, my friend wants to talk to you.”

He really didn’t want to leave Wooseok, especially since he seemed to be in need of physical contact, but he really had no choice. He caressed Wooseok’s hair gently, making him back up just enough to see him.

“I’ll be back before you know it, okay? Then we can go home.”

The smaller boy nodded and slowly let go of him as he made his way in the offices he knew. He himself had been seeing his mum’s friend when he was younger so he knew where her office was.

“Oh, Hangyul.” She seemed to have been waiting for him. He sat in front of her, mumbling a greeting.

Yang Miyeon, the sign on her desk read. She was a nice woman, caring, and just like his mother she had a home-y feeling overall, something that made you feel at ease in whatever situation. Maybe the fact that she wasn’t that much older than him helped too, he thought. He was still nervous, but not as much as he would have been with anyone else.

“How are you?” she asked.

“Uh, I’m fine, thanks.” He wasn’t really sure of what to expect from this, hence why he couldn’t fully relax.

“First of all, I must say that what you did for Wooseok is amazing. Not everyone would bring an abandoned hybrid home, take care of him like you did.”

“He needed help,” Hangyul retorted. Actually, it made him feel uneasy. Everyone telling him what a nice person he was. Wasn’t it basic human decency? Wooseok needed someone, he was alone, with no clue on how to survive on the streets. Anyone would have helped him.

Miyeon smiled. She knew Hangyul well, she probably got everything he was thinking.

“That’s right. He still needs help, Hangyul.”

“I know.”

“It’s… kind of a miracle that he’s trusting you like this, so soon. He said you remind him of his childhood, that he feels safe with you.”

“I’m… I’m glad… I just want to help, but- noona, I’m not sure I’m capable of… this, taking care of him like he needs.”

“Oh, I’m sure you are, Gyul-ah. As I told you… the fact that he trusted you in such a short time is a sign that you’re doing really well.”

Hangyul thought about what he would say next. Mostly because he was really afraid of the answer.

“He’s been… it was hard for him, right?”

“He’s been abused… severely.”

A pause. Hangyul gulped. “Severely.”

Miyeon got a bit closer, looking at him in the eyes. “See, I’m not too worried about physical abuse… he’s in a safe place now, his bruises will fade and luckily he was never raped, so that’s good… but the emotional abuse, that’s harder to process, harder to deal with and… harder to erase.”

“And… and that was severe, too?”

“Yes. He didn’t have a phone, couldn’t leave the house, couldn’t eat or do anything at all. His previous owner… he made sure to delete Wooseok’s identity and individuality, as if he was… his property. And what’s more concerning is that Wooseok completely gave in.”

“He… he does seem weirded out when I ask him what he thinks, or what he wants…”

“Yeah, he mentioned it to me. He said…he doesn’t get why you keep asking him, when you could choose by yourself.”

“Should I stop?”

Miyeon shook her head, a small smile softening her features. “No, Hangyul. I told you… you’re doing well. It won’t be easy, but by asking him stuff, letting him choose his clothes, or what he wants to eat… you’re helping him find himself again, and…if he keeps seeing me, we can work together...”

“If he needs to of course, I’ll do anything… I just want him to be okay, noona.”

Miyeon smiled. “With someone like you to take care of him, he will be okay.”

*

And so, their routine began. The hardest thing for Hangyul was leaving Wooseok alone in the mornings, but since he got him a phone he was more at ease. He would call the hybrid between his lessons, checking on him and asking how he was. It took Wooseok a bit more to understand that it was okay for him to call as well. He went to therapy twice a week in the mornings, accompanied by Hangyul’s mother, and he would come out and dive straight in Hangyul’s arms, sometimes with a tear-stained face, sometimes just looking tired as hell.
Those were usually the days Hangyul saved for them only, choosing to let Wooseok recover by staying home watching shows or just cuddling; the other days, depending on Hangyul’s level of tiredness too, he took him out of the house, to the park if it wasn’t too cold (it was adorable, Wooseok liked little kids and they seemed to like Wooseok as well, so mostly he watched with a fond smile as the boy played with toddlers) or to coffee shops, sometimes to the mall. Mostly, he wanted to make Wooseok see the world as something a bit more positive, he wanted him to enjoy the little things that he could appreciate, even when he had bad days.

Bit by bit, he wanted to erase the life he had lived with his previous owner; the bruises were fading away and, albeit in a much slower way, Wooseok had started to let go of some mental boundaries he had. Everything was like a victory, at least to Hangyul.
Like the day he came home and found that the boy had been hungry and ate without asking for permission, the day he asked to go out instead of waiting for Hangyul to propose it, or the day he started a conversation with their neighbour out of the blue, just because it was a good day and he felt like sharing it. The biggest victory though was the night he finally told Hangyul that he could turn off the light before sleeping, because he wasn’t that scared anymore.
After that though, sometimes Hangyul would wake up with Wooseok’s form hovering over him at night (he didn’t get scared easily but damn, he really was about to scream once or twice) asking if they could sleep together. Hangyul never questioned it, instead he just scooted over and made space for him, letting him curl on his chest and fall asleep again.

He wasn’t sure why he asked to share the bed. Could have been because he was scared, or just ‘cause he wanted to cuddle, but Hangyul didn’t mind so why not? Besides, it would have been a lie to say that he didn’t like waking up in the morning with Wooseok lying on his chest, his cute ears tickling his neck and tail wrapped on his waist.

Wooseok met his friends too. Besides Seungyoun, whom he had already met and seemed to be head over heels for the small hybrid, he introduced him to Seungwoo and his adorable baby brother Dongpyo, who also brought his best friend along (a way too tall, dog hybrid called Dohyon). He liked the company. Hangyul assumed he could have been a rather social person before his owner happened to him, judging from how he acted when they were with their friends: always with a small smile on his face and looking genuinely interested in whatever the others told him. He laughed at Hangyul and Seungyoun’s antics, and he even stopped being so scared and feeling the need to hold on Hangyul’s arm all the time.

Okay, maybe he was a bit bothered by this, but that was mainly because Seungyoun tended to get a bit too excited and touchy and Wooseok let him and okay, yeah, maybe he was jealous, but he still kept silent about it because hey, Wooseok feels comfortable enough to not rely on him in social situations anymore, it’s good, right? Right. Still, he was jealous and threw daggers with his eyes whenever Seungyoun got too close. Not that it helped, since Seungyoun seemed to have it all figured out and his eyes glowed in amusement whenever he saw Hangyul sulking next to them.
He still forgot everything about his jealousy when it was late night and Wooseok slipped in his bed, cuddling him and making him feel so warm and cosy it was hard to focus on anything else.

He also had the feeling that their sleeping together was becoming more of a habit than a necessity, both to him and to Wooseok, but he still opened his arms every night and didn’t say a word.

“’Gyul!” Wooseok’s clear voice resonated in the quietness of the room. It sounded too far, but Hangyul still turned around in the bed trying to feel his presence.

“Hmm… what are you doing up, ‘Seokie? What time is it?” he managed to mumble once he was sure the boy was up. It was a Saturday, for crying out loud. No activity allowed until 11 in the morning, at least.

“I think 9? ‘Gyul, look! Snow!”

Hangyul opened his eyes reluctantly, sitting up and rubbing his face sleepily. He heard Wooseok giggle, so he stood up and slowly made his way to the window where he was.

Sure enough, Seoul was covered in a layer of blindingly white snow. It was too early for Hangyul to be excited, but seeing the gleeful expression in Wooseok’s face he couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Can we go out to play with the snow?” he asked eagerly, ears twitching just at the thought. It took the younger about two seconds to give in.

“Let me have a coffee first, then you can drag me where you want.”

Wooseok let out an excited squeal and ran towards the kitchen, Hangyul following suit with a smile.
Miyeon was right; he really was going to be okay.

“Careful, ‘Seokie.”

It was like talking to a wall, really.

“This is so much fun!” he retorted, rolling around in the ground. Hangyul was glad he brought him to the park, at least he could be sure no one ran them over with a car.

“I know, but please don’t let snow go inside your coat, we don’t want you sick.”

“Won’t be sick.”

“Okay.”

“Come with me?” Wooseok sat up and reached out his arm, ready to take his hand and make him stand up from the bench he was sitting on.

“Uh, no, thanks I’m fi- “

A harsh tug (seriously how did he look so tiny but have so much force in his arms?!) and he was down in the snow too, his ass freezing besides a laughing Wooseok.

“Is it a fight you want?” he poked his sides lightly, causing the boy to jump and giggle some more.

“Can we have a snowball fight?” he asked, rather shyly. Especially for someone who just yanked someone else’s ass on the snow. As an answer, Hangyul simply gathered some snow in his hand and threw it at him.

“Game on!”

It turned out, they both had snow everywhere. Fuck, Hangyul could feel some inside his pants even and it was so cold he was positive he was about to lose a limb- but he found out, he couldn’t care less. Not when Wooseok was lying right there beside him, cheeks red from the cold and the fight, ears perked up like they were when he was happy, and a smile softening his features. He looked simply gorgeous, he thought.

He almost lost his breath when he saw Wooseok look back at him with the same fond expression Hangyul had. Fuck, I’m in so deep.

“Hangyul,” he called, voice quiet as usual. Like a whisper.

“I’m here.” He answered, still not able to look away.

“I’m happy, Hangyul.” And with that Wooseok sat up just enough to get close and leave a small kiss on his cheek.

Hangyul knew that the blush creeping on his cheeks wasn’t because of the cold.

Entering that foster house with someone by his side surely felt weird.

He hadn’t had time to come for his usual visit in his old home after Wooseok entered his life, and when Hangyul mentioned to him he wanted to go back he immediately said he wanted to come as well. Not that Hangyul got the reason behind his choice… especially since now that they were inside he seemed to be in defensive mode again, hiding behind Hangyul’s broader frame and hand gripping his tightly.

“Oh, Hangyul, hi!” an assistant greeted him, his eyes flicking to Wooseok almost immediately. Hangyul remembered how he wasn’t really his favourite assistant there. Still, they had to refer to him as he seemed to be the one working that afternoon.

“Hi, Hakyeon-ssi. I was wondering if I could say hi to the kids, I haven’t had the chance in a while… I brought them all candies for Christmas as usual.”

“Ah, you spoil them too much, Hangyul.”

“I really don’t.” he felt Wooseok’s hand tightening the grip on his fingers.

“What will happen when you stop coming and they’ll ask all those candies to us?”  his eyes kept glancing at Wooseok. He didn’t like that.

“Well, I won’t stop coming, so your wallet is safe.” Asshole, he wanted to say. You can literally buy them wagons of candies, you just don’t want to ‘cause you don’t give a fuck.

Wooseok rested his head on Hangyul’s shoulder and the boy felt himself calming down immediately.

“I see you found a stray,” Hakyeon continued, ignoring his previous remark. “You must know we don’t host adult hybrids here.”

Fuck, he could feel his blood start to boil.

“He’s not a stray. His name is Wooseok, and he’s with me.”

“Uh, I don’t see a collar- “

“I’m his.” Wooseok interrupted the man. Hangyul’s heart started hammering in his chest.

“I’m his.” Mine. He said he’s mine.

“Alright,” the assistant replied, one brow arched as to show his confusion (not that anyone cared). “The kids are in the open space right now, I’ll take you there.”

Needless to say, the kids were ecstatic at seeing Hangyul and his new friend. Truth be told, they seemed to enjoy the candies more, but they went to hug him and Wooseok as well, albeit reluctantly at first.

Wooseok, Hangyul thought, had a natural talent with kids. All it took was ten minutes and he already had a kid on his lap as he was teaching him to draw flowers, and around a dozen of kids all around him, watching intently his every move. Hangyul too was more focused on him than on building towers with the kids he was playing with. He couldn’t help but think about how his behaviour had changed again. Before, at the hall and with the assistant there, he seemed to be afraid again, hiding behind Hangyul and heart beating fast. Now, he looked relaxed as ever. He still glanced at Hangyul every now and then, smiling when he saw Hangyul was watching, too.
He thought he needed to figure out why the hell he kept losing his breath every time Wooseok looked back at him.

“Hangyul-hyung! The tower fell again!” he almost jumped at the sudden, piercing voice.

“Ah, I’m sorry Jisungie, I wasn’t paying attention… here, let’s fix it.” He picked up the blocks, rebuilding the tower. Hansol – the other kid playing with them, as well as the only one who was older than 10 – shook his head.

“Hangyul-hyung is busy staring at his friend.”

“I wasn’t staring at him!”

“It’s okay if you were,” Jisung intervenes, sounding too old for his age. Not that it was uncommon in foster houses. “Wooseok-hyung is pretty.”

He tried his best to fake innocence. “Pretty?”

“He’s pretty. Do you like him?”

“Yah, that’s adult stuff, kiddo.”

Hansol let out a smile that was more of a smirk. “See, ‘Sungie, when adults avoid answering that means they have a secret.”

That had Jisung widening his eyes almost comically. “Hangyul-hyung! You can’t have secrets with us!”

“You promised, Hangyul-hyung.” Hansol retorted. That brat, seriously.

“Alright, alright.” He gave in. “But I need to know if you two can keep a secret.”

“Of course we can!!”

Hangyul raised his pinkie finger, and the kids were so fast in interlocking their pinkies with his that he almost wanted to laugh.

“Do you like Wooseok-hyung?”

“Yes, I do.” Hangyul finally admitted, ears and cheeks turning a deep shade of red. “I like him a lot.”

The kids’ childish squeals resonated in the whole room.

Wooseok had been quiet the whole evening after they came back from the foster house. He didn’t talk much usually anyway, but that was too quiet even for him. Hangyul let him have his time, thinking he just needed to recharge after all that social interaction, but when it was night time and they slipped in Hangyul’s bed and Wooseok still hadn’t said a word unless it was a “yes” or “no” when Hangyul asked him something, he thought it was about time he asked him.

“’Seokie?” a hum was all he got as an answer. “What’s wrong, ‘Seokie?”

The boy finally looked up to meet his gaze. He didn’t look sad, not exactly; more like… melancholic?

“I was thinking…”

“Hmm… you know you can always get it all out, right Wooseok? So tell me.” It was one of the things he was working on in therapy, how to speak his mind and let his feelings out.

“You… grew up there, right?”

Hangyul nodded, studying the boy’s expression.

“Since when?”

“Birth, I guess… I was abandoned. My mum took me in when I was 7.”

Quiet. Wooseok didn’t answer, not immediately. Instead, Hangyul heard some sniffling that made him panic so he was quick to hug Wooseok, feeling how the boy melted in his touch and against his chest.

“Hey, ‘Seokie… don’t cry, why are you crying, hmm?”

“I’m- I’m sad…” the boy choked out, “I’m sad that it happened to you, you’re so kind, you didn’t deserve any of it and- and… and you were alone, just like those kids are, all alone…”

Hangyul had to suppress a smile. True, they weren’t talking about the happiest moment of his life, but the thought that Wooseok cared so much, to the point that he started crying at the thought of Hangyul being alone… yeah, that made him smile.

“Wooseok… the world isn’t fair, you know that… you didn’t deserve what happened to you too, you know you didn’t, but it still happened…”

“But I’m happy now, though… it all turned out well…”

“Yeah. And it all turned out well for me too, right? I was adopted, I got a family, I have lots of friends, and now I got an amazing person here with me, I’d say my life is great now.”

Wooseok pulled back a little to look at him, his tear-stained face still looking as beautiful as ever. “You think I’m great? I make you happy?”

The younger smiled. “Yes. To both questions.”

Wooseok didn’t answer right away. He kept staring at him, thinking about who knows what. Something in his gaze, so intense and… longing? Made Hangyul blush and want to hide his face.

He didn’t have the time, though. Just a second later, Wooseok moved and before he could realise what was happening, their lips touched. It was brief, so brief that Hangyul found himself wondering if he had just dreamt of it, but judging from the boy’s blush, it was all real.

Fuck, his lips feel so nice…

“I’m- I’m sorry…” Wooseok said then, making Hangyul snap out of his daze.

“What- what are you even sorry for?”

“Kiss? I…it’s just that… you make me so happy and safe, and… and I trust you, but… I’m sorry… I don’t even know if you’re… if you like boys…”

“Wooseokie, slow down.” The boy looked at him, surprised when he felt Hangyul’s lips on his forehead.

“’Seokie,” he began again “I like you.” And with that, he leaned down to kiss him. It was a bit longer this time, both holding onto each other tightly as if they were afraid of getting separated. He felt Wooseok smile on his lips and that made him smile too.

“What is it?” he asked, still so close that with every word their lips touched.

“I’m so lucky.” None of them seemed to want to part from each other.

“Funny. I think I am the lucky one.”

Wooseok raised his tail, wrapping it around Hangyul’s side and back. “Please, say you won’t let go.”

“Won’t let go?” Hangyul echoed, confused. “Of what?”

“Of me… of your feelings for me. Even if… I’m still broken and it…it could take a while for me to have a normal life… or relationship…”

Hangyul took his hand, interlocking their fingers gently, and raised it to leave a kiss on it. “You’re doing so well already.”

“But I’m still…healing. So…please… say you won’t let go.”

And Hangyul kissed him, slow and tender, his free hand tangling in Wooseok hair and caressing it.

“I won’t. I won’t ever let go.”

THE END