Work Text:
the days where seonghwa was home from work went by in the blink of an eye; the weekend rushing by as if it wants to give seonghwa a reason to do something productive.
he hates being home, it's too quiet in the small house. occasionally he'll invite his friends over, only staying for a few hours before they depart back to their own homes; leaving seonghwa to sit in silence in his own home.
he enjoys the weekdays as he has his work to keep him occupied, but when he's finished it all...well, he feels a pang of loneliness or longing grow in his chest. even when he puts the t.v on or a random playlist, he can't shake the feeling that he's alone.
-
this week was definitely one of his hardest challenges yet, never having been overwhelmed with stacks of paperwork before. he's actually looking forward to this weekend, as he can finally catch up on some lost sleep.
it's almost pitch dark as he leaves his work building to cross the street to the parking lot. he walks a little quicker as the temperature has dropped drastically since this morning- he mentally scolds himself for not wearing a heavier jacket.
just when he steps foot on the sidewalk, he hears the sound of someone in distress. he immediate freezes, making sure he's hearing correctly- and true to his ears, the sound of crying becomes louder, and he hears the faint garble of meows following after.
seonghwa turns his attention to where the sound is coming from; dread hitting every bone of his body when he realizes it's coming from a dark alleyway. he knows he can't walk away, what if someone is in actual danger? he wouldn't be able to sleep at night, nor function during the day knowing he just walked away.
with slow hesitant footsteps, he makes his way closer to where the sound is coming from. what he witnesses makes his heart crumble into pieces.
a short young man, looking a little on the skinny side, crying into his hands. with the streetlight dimly lighting the alleyway, seonghwa can make out the pair of cat ears on his head and a tail curled into his hands. from the looks of it, surely that can't be a comfortable position for anyone.
is this man a hybrid? he's definitely heard of them, only seen a few in town. seonghwa steps one foot closer, the sound of his shoe crunching a leaf has the younger, shooting his head out of his hands, eyes blurry with tears.
"don' 'ome no hur' me" seonghwa can barely make out what he's saying as his voice is mixed with distressed mewls, his voice too wet to comprehend a sentence.
seonghwa puts his hands up, visible for the man to see "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. my name is seonghwa, what is yours?"
the man sniffles, wringing his hands in-between his tail "'m h...hon'-joo'" his eyebrows furrowed, clearly having trouble with his pronunciation. seonghwa lets out a hand, watching as hongjoong hesitantly leans forward sniffing his hand. "I'm not going to hurt you, hongjoong, I promise. can you come with me so we can go to the hospital?"
hongjoong, eyebrows furrowed, whimpers softly mewling at the thought. he doesn't know what to do; he feels scared to go with this seonghwa person, but he knows that he can't survive if he stays here for another night.
"I know you don't know me well, but I promise, you'll be safe with me. I am going to help you, hongjoong" he unzips his jacket, shimmying it off to drape it over the younger taking in his torn and beaten up clothing. he holds his hand out "can you stand?"
hongjoong does his best to stand, having no strength to even lift his arm in the air. he looks up at seonghwa, shaking his head miserably.
"is it okay if I carry you? I will be very gentle, I promise" seonghwa sees hongjoong deep in thought before he nods up at the older.
seonghwa gently scoops him in his arms, sadness washing over him as he realizes how light the man is. thankfully to seonghwa, the hospital is right down the block (how coincidental yet also convenient for him). he makes the dreadful walk to the hospital.
he notices hongjoong is covered in bruises on his arms and legs watching as he shivers, mewling everytime the wind blew a little harder. seonghwa held him as tightly as he could, without wanting to frazzle the younger even more.
once he makes foot into the building, hongjoong whines, turning his head away in seonghwa's chest at the bright lights (and honestly, seonghwa can't blame him.)
hongjoong tries his best to focus on the warmth coming from the older, something he hasn't received in a long time. although he's scared out of his mind, he does his best to focus on his breathing.
he feels like he spoke too soon, as he feels himself being detached from seonghwa's arms and onto a waiting table- the table being colder than sitting in the brisk alleyway.
he doesn't hear what the nurses say to him, backing away as they brought all these medical tools towards him. he feels his breath quicken, looking around the room anxiously. mewling in discomfort before he makes eye contact with seonghwa, pleading with eyes to help him.
he's thankful to all his stars that seonghwa makes his way over. he notices the older hesitating before ultimately holding out his hand. the kitten sighs in relief as he begins to sniff his hand, searching for that comfort he felt just moments ago.
"how is he?" seonghwa asks, watching the doctor look over his papers.
"well, mr. kim here...from his records, he's been through...a lot" seonghwa looks down at hongjoong, engulfed in nuzzling his hand. "what do you mean?"
the doctor took his glasses off, sitting on the stool, motioning for seonghwa to follow; the latter sitting next to hongjoong on the table. he can faintly hear hongjoong mewl as he scoots over for seonghwa to sit next to him.
seonghwa tries his best to hold back the tears as the doctor explains that hongjoong was placed in multiple hybrid shelters, too many for them to list, from when he was just a baby. he ended up running away from the last shelter (which would explain the bruises he saw), and has been living in the alleyway ever since. and due to this, hongjoong would have to be treated as if he's a newborn kitten.
"now...this is where it lands on you, mr. park...on whether you'd like to keep hongjoong in your care or place him in another shelter" seonghwa sighs, looking down at hongjoong. watching as he looks around with the anxious look on his face, curling in on himself once more.
maybe having hongjoong around will bring the change he's been needing in his life? maybe he won't have to hate coming home to an empty house anymore. he still feels hesitant, is this something that he really wants to do? something hes ready to risk his life for? having hongjoong around- and having him in the mental age of a newborn kitten- will definitely have its struggles.
but when he looks at hongjoong, he feels an aura of innocence to him, like all the gods and supernatural beings placed him in his life for a reason. like he needs to protect him from any harm or danger. seonghwa smiles slowly "I'll keep him with me, he'll be in safe hands"
the doctor smiled back "I'll print you out a copy of his information and records" momentarily leaving the room.
the older keeps his gaze on the kitten "hongjoong?" the younger looks at him, eyes wide. "would you want to stay with me? you can sleep in a warm bed and have comfortable clothes and eat yummy food. I promise it will be safe for you"
he gently scratches his ear, hearing small purrs fade in and out. he can sense hongjoong is still nervous, but he will do whatever it takes to make the kittem feel comfortable and safe.
a knock on the door makes the kitten jump slightly, seonghwa doing his best to soothe him. "alright, here is his information. and courtesy of our hybrid department, here are some bottles and just in case, some diapers. we dont think he'll need it, but he will be in a new environment for the first time."
seonghwa feels some pressure leave his shoulders as he gracefully accepts the items given to him placed in a bag "he will need a bottle in the morning and when he wakes up from his naps. if he prefers to have solid food that is his choice. warm milk is best for a malnourished kitten like himself. we scheduled an appointment for a check-up for next month." seonghwa nods at the information, standing up from the table scooping hongjoong in his arms.
the older thanks the doctors and nurses profusely, walking out into the chilly night to his car down the road.
-
the kitten does his best to take in his surroundings, ears pressed down flat. he hesitantly leans on seonghwa for support. "this is my home, hongjoong and you are welcome to stay here with me" seonghwa speaks softly. he needs hongjoong to go at his own pace, doesn't want to force anything on him.
hongjoong looks around anxiously, afraid to even touch anything, but has been re-assured by the older that he is allowed to do so. being in a new enivronment has hongjoong pressing his ears down, hands wringed together by his tail. as much as he's feeling anxious being in the new place, he's also afraid of being thrown back onto the streets. right now, the kitten feels conflicted and scared out of his wits. and it's pretty obvious to seonghwa, just by looking at the way hongjoong stands hunched over himself, thumb slowly starting to sneak past his lips.
seonghwa places the plastic bag down, goes into his bedroom to retrieve some new and fresh clothes for the kitten to wear. but poor hongjoong didn't keep his eye on the man, now realizing he's left alone. tears well up in his eyes- as much as he doesn't feel comfortable around seonghwa, he still is scared to be left by himself. his nerves get the best of him and before he realizes it, he's letting out pained mewls followed by hiccupped sobs.
seonghwa runs into the room, feeling a pang of hurt as he watches hongjoong curl on the floor, gripping his tail. the sounds he's letting out sound like if someone was physically attacking him; like he was having an internal battle with himself.
"hongjoong...." the man speaks softly, although he can't even hear himself with hongjoong's loud cries. "hongjoong, it's just me here... i shouldn't have left you alone i'm sorry, dear" the nickname slipping so naturally out of his lips, he doesn't even notice he said it.
"take some deep breaths for you, you're okay, now" seonghwa doesn't want to initiate any physical contact unless the kitten himself makes the first step. he needs to constantly repeat in his head that hongjoong needs to go at his own pace like a mantra. he feels his nervous simmer as hongjoong's cries turn into hiccupped mewls, ears still pushed down in worry.
"come with me, dear" he slowly stands up, holding his hand out "is it okay if i give you a warm bath? i can put in bubbles for you if you'd like..." hongjoong looks deep in thought for a few moments before ultimately nodding, holding his arms up. the kitten looks miserably exhausted, seonghwa can tell for sure that his mind must be racing with multiple thoughts. gently, he scoops the tired kitten in his arms, making his way to the bathroom.
it was a process to get the kitten bathed (seonghwa trying his best not to giggle at how hongjoong was scared of the drain) and also showering himself (hongjoong almost had a meltdown, having no choice but to keep the bathroom door half open, hongjoong sitting somewhat patiently out the door and calling his name every now and then to make sure he was still there.)
now as the pair are successfully bathed and dressed in cozy pajamas (hongjoong looking even tinier in seonghwa's baggy clothes), seonghwa turns to retrieve the bottle of warm milk he prepared beforehand. "after you drink the bottle, you can go to sleep. i know you must be very tired, kitten"
hongjoong does his best to get a grip on the bottle, but fails almost spilling it onto the bedsheets; he looks up at seonghwa, eyes wide with unshed tears. "it's okay, dear, i'll feed you. here come lay down with me, it'll be much comfier" so hongjoong obliges, snuggling inbetween seonghwa's arms. right when the tip of the bottle pressed onto hongjoong's lips, he drinks the bottle in a rush; loving the feeling of warmth from the milk flow to his tummy.
seonghwa places the now empty bottle on the nightstand, maneuvering hongjoong slightly over his shoulder to pat his back, followed by the sound of a few burps leaving the kitten's lips. "alright, my dear, it's time to go to sleep. i'm gonna be right here with you during the night. if you need me, you can wake me up okay?"
he receives a sleepy nod (or what hongjoong thinks is a nod) already focused on being held tightly in seonghwa's arms. the older watches as hongjoong's ears slowly relax upwards, absentmindedly playing with seonghwa's fingers. he places a hand on the kitten's stomach, slowly rubbing it to avoid a stomachache after he guzzled down the milk in a flash.
and in an instant, the warmth from seonghwa's body and the motion of his belly rubs cause hongjoong to flutter his eyes close, chest rising up and down with each breath. seonghwa notices that hongjoong- even while deep in sleep- has a strong grip on the man's hand. watching hongjoong sleep gives seonghwa the opportunity to reflect on the events from today.
how just this morning he woke up in an empty bed, got up to work his 9-5 regular shift, only to have his whole life changed by a kitten hybrid; and watching as hongjoong nuzzles deeper into his chest- he wouldn't have it any other way. he knows it will tough for hongjoong to adjust, but he's confident in himself to protect and teach him with all his might; laughing to himself as he can already feel himself become attached to the kitten. he can't wait to see hongjoong how he is once he's comfortable enough to come out of his shell but for now, it's all up to him on how he raises him.
he places the softest kiss to the top of his head, not wanting to disturb the much needed sleep the kitten deserves, before closing his eyes himself.
"i promise nothing bad will happen to you anymore. i'm always going to be here for you"