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Youngkyun doesn’t know whether he’s still dreaming or not. He can still hear the loud and insistent meows of the Flerken from his dream even when he’s looking at his phone to check the time. Did the Flerken follow him back into this dimens— aah nope it’s just Pandi interrupting his midday nap. Youngkyun turns over in his bed to make sure and there he is; pacing the floor and loudly demanding something (food. It’s always food).
“I'm going. Why are you so loud anyway?” Youngkyun shuffles after Pandi to the kitchen where the cat goes to stand pointedly next to his empty food bowl. Being the well-trained human that he is, Youngkyun takes the dry cat food container out to pour some kibble into the bowl. “What? I know you already got the canned one this morning. Don't look at me like that.”
Leaving Pandi to decide on his own whether to take the offering or not, Youngkyun retreats back to his room but not before he notices the state of the living room. The magazine he left on the table last night is somehow partially under the rug with some pages painfully sticking out. The TV and air-conditioning remotes are also on the floor, together with the entire content of the sour candy packet that was previously sitting on one of the higher shelves. Youngkyun sighs.
“No, you don’t deserve cuddles,” he tells Pandi later in the evening when the cat jumps onto his lap during his online class. “I had to clean up after you.” Pandi’s response to being reprimanded is to knead the human’s thighs before curling himself up on the chosen resting spot. When he looks up at Youngkyun he does the slow blink to show his contentment and, well, how can Youngkyun be upset with him after that? Maybe it was his own fault for leaving those things within the cat’s reach. Youngkyun strokes the little feline head before giving him a smooch; an apology the cat doesn’t need.
A soft knock makes him take one of his earbuds out as he turns his head towards his opened bedroom door. Juho is there cautiously peering in, wearing his bucket hat and with his face mask pulled down to his chin. Class? he mouths.
“Yeah. I’m on mute.”
“Oh okay.” Juho grins. “I know it’s kinda early but I bought dinner so we don’t have to cook tonight! We can eat after your class or later if you’re not hungry yet.”
“Sure.”
“I’m going to shower. Hey Pandi.”
Juho doesn’t stick around to watch Pandi ignoring him. The cat stays on Youngkyun’s lap throughout the class and he’s still there when Juho comes back later wearing pajama pants and t-shirt.
“Youngkyunnie… Is your class over?” Youngkyun makes an affirmative noise but continues to type away on his laptop. Hearing that, Juho advances into the room and leans over the swivel chair, practically draping himself over it and Youngkyun.
“I know I said we can eat later but I’m hungry…” Juho mumbles, sounding apologetic and sad. “Can we eat now?”
“You can eat first.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Hm.”
When Youngkyun doesn’t say anything else Juho shifts to rest his head on the other’s shoulder. Youngkyun can smell Juho’s melon scented shampoo from his still-damp hair that’s pressing against his ear and cheek.
“You’re dripping on me.”
“You’re ignoring me.” Juho’s chin digs into Youngkyun’s shoulder as he speaks, and even without looking Youngkyun can see the pout on his face. He brings his hand up to pet Juho’s head comfortingly. It’s times like this that convinces Youngkyun that he’s living with two cats. Juho is really just a big, gentle kitty. He's clingy and squishy and cute. He's also independent, confident, and just so regal sometimes. Like a handsome cat.
But now this handsome cat is hungry and Youngkyun feels bad for delaying their dinner.
“Okay let’s eat.”
Of course Pandi gets his dinner first.
“I thought you already gave him canned food in the morning?” The fussy eater always prefers the canned cat food over the dry one, but it’s significantly more expensive and is considered as a once-a-day treat.
“I did, but he really wants the canned one tonight,” Juho explains while scooping the gelatinous content out. “His meow is different.”
Huh. Pandi meows and he gets what he wants. Youngkyun speaks the human language and still hasn’t gotten his favourite cereal. Maybe he should meow after this.
“Oh by the way, I got your favourite cereal!” Juho announces triumphantly.
“Really?” At the back of Youngkyun’s mind he scoffs at how childish it is to get excited over cereals but he couldn’t stop the giddy smile from creeping its way onto his face.
“Yup. I went to the grocer at my old neighbourhood because the one near the station doesn't have it since last week. I think people are panic buying again and somehow choco chex is on everyone’s priority list.” Juho sets Pandi’s bowl down and throws the empty can into the metal bin. “But anyway–” he opens the pantry to take a large box of the cereal out “–now you can have this for breakfast! I bought two.” The way Juho beams at him makes Youngkyun want to hug the older boy while thanking him for his efforts.
But in the end his thanks comes in the form of leaving Juho to finish his dinner alone because he has an online group discussion that he agreed to but forgot about. It’s only because of Chanhee’s annoyed messages that he even remembers, and Youngkyun promises Juho he’ll clean up afterwards while shovelling the remaining content of his bowl into his mouth. Juho just waves his hand dismissively with a smile, shooing him away.
After the longer-than-expected video call with his teammates Youngkyun comes out of his room to see Juho on the couch, stretched out lazily across it – like a cat, he notes – while the TV plays an episode of Hospital Playlist. The dining table is cleared, the kitchen sink empty, and even the trash had been taken out. Juho didn’t give him a chance.
By the time he returns to the living room Juho has sat up on the couch, leaving space for Youngkyun to plop in next to him. They watch a couple of episodes of the drama series back-to-back, or at least Juho does. Youngkyun is barely keeping up with the storyline. He’s only here because he has nothing better to do tonight besides finishing an essay that’s due next week, but his eyes are starting to get a tad heavy. So he moves to lie down on the couch, curling up on his side and resting his head on Juho’s thigh.
“Sleepy?”
“Nope.” Despite himself Youngkyun sighs at the feeling of Juho’s hand slowly kneading the back of his neck.
“You should go to bed if you’re sleepy.”
“I’m not sleepy,” Youngkyun protests, fighting back a yawn. He can tell that Juho is shifting to lean over him and look at his face so he keeps his eyes fixed to the TV screen. “I’m watching this show.”
Juho’s soft chuckles now accompany his kneading. “Okay kitty.”
The comment makes Youngkyun sharply turn his head towards Juho, eyes narrowing at the older boy. “I’m not a kitty. You’re a kitty.” He’s pretty sure he looks quite serious but it seems to amuse Juho even more judging from the way his grin gets wider.
“If you say so,” Juho responds, not sounding or looking like he means it at all, but before Youngkyun gets to remark on it Juho starts to stroke his hair, making him unconsciously close his eyes at the comforting action.
He lets Juho mess up his fringe by bringing it over his eyes and then combing it back. Inwardly he gloats over the fact that Juho just proves him right. Juho is the one playing with someone’s hair like a cat, not him. Youngkyun is not a cat.
But if he is, he only hopes his purring is not too loud.