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Jeongin felt his phone buzz just as he reached the door to his evening lecture. He decided to wait to see who it was until he sat down, not wanting to block the door for anyone else attempting to get into class before their professor noticed they weren’t there.
Reaching his seat, he pulled his phone from his back pocket and sat down. Seeing the name of who had bothered him brought a small smile to Jeongin’s face, and he opened the message to answer his hyung quickly.
[1 New Message: Minho-hyung…<3]
Minho-hyung…<3: Tortoiseshell or calico?
Jeonginnie…<3: What do you mean??
Jeonginnie…<3: As in… which cat patterning do I like better???
Minho-hyung…<3: Yes
Minho-hyung…<3: Answer quickly!!
Jeonginnie…<3: Wait a minute! I have to look up the difference!!
Minho-hyung…<3: Haven’t I shown you enough pictures of different cats for you to know the difference by now???
Minho-hyung…<3: Aish, this is how I know you don’t listen to me
Minho-hyung…<3: So disrespectful
Jeonginnie…<3: Tortoiseshell, I like how there’s only two colors
Jeonginnie…<3: Hey I listen!!
Jeonginnie…<3: You show me so many cats, I have trouble remembering them all
Minho-hyung…<3: Oh yeah?!?!
Minho-hyung…<3: What kind of cats are my favorite then????
Jeonginnie…<3: Soonie, Doongie, Dori
Minho-hyung…<3: Okay fine maybe you do listen
Jeonginnie…<3: *eye-roll emoji*
Minho-hyung…<3: Did you really type that out??
Jeonginnie…<3: I can’t be bothered to go look for the emoji right now, class is starting soon
Minho-hyung…<3: Laziness is a sin Jeongin-ah~
Jeonginnie…<3: Is murder???
Minho-hyung…<3: 0-0
Minho-hyung…<3: I’ll get back to you on that
Jeonginnie…<3: That isn’t a no :)
Minho-hyung…<3: Pay attention to your professor brat
Minho-hyung…<3: Expect more questions from me later, even while you’re in class
Jeonginnie…<3: Okay~~~
Jeonginnie…<3: I won’t answer til later tho
Jeonginnie…<3: <3
Minho-hyung…<3: Whatever, star student :P
Minho-hyung…<3: Yeah yeah yeah <3
Jeonginnie…<3: :D
-----
Jeongin sighed and stretched as his professor finally dismissed the class. He really regretted taking a later evening class right about now, but it was an easy class that would boost his grade at the end of the semester so he couldn’t really complain.
He waved to a few of his classmates on his way out the door, nodding at their suggestion to meet later this week to work on assignments.
Feeling his phone buzz for the first time in two and a half hours, he rolled his eyes at Minho’s persistence, but couldn’t help but feel a little fond at the same time. Minho always said he’d message and be annoying during his classes but never did, only waiting until at least five minutes after his lectures ended to message him and carry on their conversations.
Jeongin decided to wait until he made it to the bus stop to read through the messages, not wanting to be a walking hazard. Plus knowing his luck, he’d probably end up walking into somebody and sending them both to the ground.
Finally reaching his destination and seeing that he had nearly ten minutes to wait for his bus, Jeongin pulled up his chat with Minho.
[6 New Messages: Minho-hyung…<3]
Minho-hyung…<3: Hooded litter boxes or open ones?
Minho-hyung…<3: Cat trees or scratch pads?
Minho-hyung…<3: Dry food or wet food?
Minho-hyung…<3: Do you have any plants out at your apartment?
Minho-hyung…<3: Nevermind, I just remembered Bertha died last week, sorry
Minho-hyung…<3: I stole your spare key earlier this week, don’t be alarmed when you find me in your kitchen when you get home uwu
Jeonginnie…<3: I’ve never had a cat so I don’t know… Probably hooded??
Jeonginnie…<3: Trees, but I've read that each kitty has different preferences so it's not up to me lol
Jeonginnie…<3: Both~ see hyung I listen
Jeonginnie…<3: HYUNG!! How dare you remind me of my sweet sweet girl who was taken from me too soon :((((
Jeonginnie…<3: Bertha I’m sorry he’s disrespected your memory, I still love you, rest well queen
Jeonginnie…<3: brb bus is here
Minho-hyung…<3: I said I was sorry about Bertha!! :(((((((
Minho-hyung…<3: You’ve done research about cats on your own???
Minho-hyung…<3: I’m so proud of you baby
Minho-hyung…<3: I know we’ve talked about you wanting a cat of your own, but this just proves you’re hella invested hehe
Jeonginnie…<3: I guess I forgive you :(
Jeonginnie…<3: I’ve always liked cats, you know this
Jeonginnie…<3: I like hanging out with you and Felix-hyung don’t I????
Minho-hyung…<3: ...I suppose -_-
Minho-hyung…<3: I’m going to order dinner for us so it’ll get here a little bit after you get home :D
Jeonginnie…<3: Okie~
Jeonginnie…<3: Hang on when did you even take my key??????
Minho-hyung…<3: What was that???
Minho-hyung…<3: ‘Thank you so much hyung, I love you so much, you're so handsome and sexy’????
Jeonginnie…<3: …
Jeonginnie…<3: Thank you hyung for buying me dinner, when the hell did you take my key thief?
Minho-hyung…<3: ;)
Jeonginnie…<3: -___-
Jeonginnie…<3: I guess I’ll see you when I get home then
Minho-hyung…<3: Return safely!!
Minho-hyung…<3: Be careful on the stairs clumsy baby
Jeonginnie…<3: Yes hyung :P
With his last message successfully sent, Jeongin decided to simply zone out for the rest of his journey home.
When he finally arrived at his apartment building, he was almost completely ready to just jump into bed and sleep until late morning tomorrow.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Minho or have dinner together, the last few days of classes had really drained Jeongin and he was definitely starting to feel it. Hopefully his boyfriend wouldn’t mind him being less than talkative during dinner.
As Jeongin climbed the stairs to his floor, he couldn’t help but to think back to their conversation from earlier. Why on Earth was Minho asking him all these cat questions, was he testing his knowledge on being a cat owner despite never having owned one? And when did he take Jeongin’s spare key?
Jeongin really hoped he at least answered the latter question, or else it would drive him crazy for a while.
Reaching his door he could hear Minho moving around just beyond it, so instead of trying to dig through his bag for his keys, Jeongin decided to just knock instead.
Jeongin couldn’t help but smile as he heard Minho shout, in what he assumed to be surprise, amused he could get the jump on his boyfriend like this. The door swung open, showing Minho’s carefully blank face.
“Hi hyung, fancy seeing you here,” Minho gave him an unimpressed look as he stepped back to let Jeongin in.
“It’s almost like I had a plan to be here when you got home or something,” Ah deadpan, his favorite Minho tone.
Jeongin rolled his eyes subtly as he pulled his shoes off. Although not subtle enough, as Minho lightly tazed his sides, and Jeongin jerked to get away from Minho’s tickling fingers. In doing so he lost his balance and would’ve fallen on his ass, had Minho not been beside him, and much too used to this.
“Jesus, not even in my presence for sixty seconds and you’re already falling for me again,” Minho laughed at his own joke, and Jeongin joined in with his own half hearted chuckles. Something further in the apartment had caught his attention and needed his immediate attention.
“Innie?” Jeongin didn’t listen as he moved into his living room.
There in the middle of the floor were several grocery bags with the logo of Minho’s favorite pet store on the side. Jeongin opened one of the bags, finding roughly a dozen cans of wet cat food, and a few cat toys that jingled as he moved the bag. Why on earth??
“Hyung, did you get new stuff for your cats before coming here?” Jeongin turned to look at his boyfriend. Minho looked a little nervous at his question.
“Ah… no I- actually-” Minho cut himself off several times. Jeongin didn’t know the last time he had heard Minho so unsure of himself. “Um, I’ll explain, but first I have a… surprise, I guess. For you.”
Jeongin shrugged as Minho backed towards the bathroom, the door of which was closed. “Okay, hyung. Should I close my eyes?”
Minho simply nodded. This was seriously odd, why was Minho being so weird? Well, weirder than normal. Jeongin decided to trust his boyfriend anyways and shut his eyes tightly, even going so far as to place his hands over his eyes so Minho couldn’t accuse him of ‘peaking.’
“You really didn’t have to get me anything hyung,” Jeongin filled the silence while waiting. “You already paid for dinner tonight, and the last time we went out! Thank you, for getting me whatever you got me but you really didn't need to-”
Jeongin was cut off by the tiniest meow he had ever heard.
Pulling his hands away and opening his eyes, Jeongin was met with the sight of his boyfriend holding a small black and orange speckled cat in his arms coming out of the bathroom.
“Hyung, what?” Jeongin couldn’t take his eyes off the cat. It made eye contact with him and they just stared at each other for a few moments before the cat let out another meow. Jeongin’s heart seized.
He reached out to let the cat sniff his hand, and felt elated when it brushed against him after a moment.
“So I may have been planning this for a while but I didn’t know how you would’ve reacted, but seeing as how you haven’t stopped looking at her for a single second I think I may have made the right choice.” Jeongin looked up at Minho for a moment before focussing back on the cat in his arms. “This little lady was named Noodle by the shelter, she’s two years old, a cuddle bug, has all her shots, and, if you want her, yours.”
Jeongin snapped his head up to meet Minho’s eyes at the last word in his explanation. “M-mine??”
Minho smiled at him. “Yes, yours. I know this is kinda sudden but I was at the pet store the other week and saw Noodle and immediately thought of you. You’ve wanted a cat forever and we’ve talked so much about it that I just couldn’t help myself.”
Minho looked panicked for a moment, but before Jeongin could even say anything, he continued. “I mean, this isn’t all set in stone, you don’t have to take her. I know you aren’t supposed to give animals as gifts, and won’t feel bad at all if you say no. All the workers said she was really good with other pets so I can take her if you can’t handle having a pet right now. Or even if you just don’t want a pet right now! It’s no big deal mmph-”
Jeongin, having had enough of Minho’s panicked rambling, placed a hand on his boyfriend's neck and brought him into a kiss, trying to put his gratitude into the press of his lips on Minho’s. A hand came up to cup the side of his face as they pulled away from each other, only to dive right back in at a better angle.
He heard a slight thump as Noodle jumped out of Minho’s arms, not wanting to be pressed between them any longer. Reluctantly pulling away from his boyfriend, Jeongin looked down at the cat- his cat!
“You don't have to worry. I love her already,” Jeongin looked back at Minho, going in for another quick peck to his cheek. “Tell me about what you got for us, please? I’m gonna need some advice, being a first time cat owner and all that.”
Jeongin crouched to scoop Noodle into his arms and carefully sat on the floor in order to not disturb her. Minho followed him to the floor and pulled some bags towards him, smiling at his younger boyfriend as he went. “I think you’ll do great, she likes you so much already.”
Jeongin felt his face heat up a little bit at the compliment, a smile never leaving his face as he looked from his boyfriend to his cat. He was glad to have a small friend living in his apartment, but he knew raising a cat was going to be one hell of an adventure. Granted, it was one he was more than excited to start with Minho by his side.