Archive of Our Own

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“A cat?” Hoseok clarifies as he stares at his best friend in disbelief from just outside his door

It was probably around midnight when his best friend, Jimin came knocking at his apartment. Hoseok wasn’t expecting anyone during this ungodly hour- not that he was actually expecting anyone at all at any given time of day but he made sure to cancel all of his plans for the whole day until tomorrow since he was tired, to say the least. Hoseok was exhausted from the events of today, not only did his students from the kindergarten spill paint all over his new chanel bag, making it unsalvageable but his long time boyfriend of seven years, Namjoon has just broken up with him over a phone call so if anyone was to ask him, no, he wasn’t in the mood to entertain anyone right now especially someone who bears a gift that he couldn’t even get a meter near of without his nose clogging up and lungs collapsing. 

“Step away from me, Park Jimin. You know that I’m allergic to cats” He frowns and the boy in front of him nervously looks around the empty hallway of his complex as if expecting someone to emerge from the eerie silence or better yet hoping to avoid a certain someone from showing up. Hoseok thinks that the latter is most likely.

His best friend looks stressed, his usually well groomed blonde hair was sticking out at different angles and his lips, although beautiful as they are without anything, didn’t have the usual shine that comes from the gloss that he always uses. Jimin is anxious about something and Hoseok wants to ask him about it but his emotional exhaustion gets the best of him. He’ll ask him some other time, he told himself. 

Jimin was holding a ball of blanket with both of his arms and Hoseok assumes that the cat in question is hidden within the white cloth. His bestfriend bites his lips in deep thought and sighs before pulling them up in a smile, his eyes doing their best to give that puppy doe look and Hoseok knows that he’s fucked. Jimin is never going to let this go unless he takes the stupid cat. He breathes out loudly 

“Listen, I appreciate the gift and I’d accept it if I can but again, you know that I’m allergic to cats-” Jimin’s smile only grows wider at that and Hoseok raises his brow in question 

“Good thing you’re not then!” Jimin blurts out but immediately regrets it when Hoseok shoots him a weird look “I mean this cat... you won’t get allergic to it. Trust me” He manages to finish his sentence proudly and a small pur from inside the blanket can be heard “See? He agrees!” Jimin smiles excitedly but Hoseok is still in the middle of trying to piece together his friend’s sudden weird behavior and obsession that he takes the cat. Jimin is weird on a daily basis but his weirdness can be categorized as quirky and fun not ‘disturbing you at your apartment at midnight to give you a random cat’ type of weird 

“He?” Hoseok thought of asking first among the many questions that was floating in his head

“Yep, It’s a male cat! so would you take it?” Jimin is still smiling at him but something in his eyes tells Hoseok that this was like a plead, begging him to just take the damn cat for a still unknown reason

“No, I’m sorry but I really can’t take in a cat right now Jimin. Goodnight” Hoseok tries to shut the door but Jimin stops it from closing with his foot. Hoseok regards his best friend suspiciously

“Please, just take him? If it makes you feel any better, just think of it as your birthday gift!” He smiles delightfully at his own idea  “I mean, It is your birthday today, right?” Jimin struggles to look at his watch while still holding the cat trapped inside of the cloth and his face lights up when he reads the time. “Just right on time! It’s 12 am of february 18. Happy Birthday hyung, now here’s my gift for you!” He hands Hoseok the cat and his eyes widen when Jimin suddenly lets go of it, making him snatch the poor animal before it hits the floor and possibly break any bones. 

Hoseok was too occupied by his own self loathing that he even forgot about his own birthday. It wasn’t until Jimin points it out that he realizes this and he feels a sharp pang on his heart as he comes into a realization that Namjoon just broke up with him a few hours before his own birthday, the day where the other always made sure that he knows that he was the center of his world, the only one for Namjoon’s eyes. He always made sure to make Hoseok remember how he is the best person that he could’ve possibly met in his lifetime during this special day yet today at exactly 12 am on his birthday, Hoseok feels the worst that he has ever had his whole life. All those promises and constant assurances that he was enough, that he was even more than enough for the other are just gone in a snap and he didn’t even have the guts to do it in person, in front of Hoseok. He suddenly feels a sick sensation hit his stomach. 

He hears a meow that sounded as if it was pain and he unravels the cloth curiously to a small cat with medium length golden brown hair. He assumes that it was a british shorthair from the way it looks and it was looking straight back at him with those big glassy eyes like most cats do. Hoseok feels his heart heave an adoring sigh before realizing what he’s holding.

“Jimin, I ran out of medicine yesterday, just take him before my allergies act up!” Hoseok pushed the cat on his chest and there it was again, a meow that sounded like a whimper, like it attained some kind of pain from the action. Jimin winces and hesitantly looks at Hoseok as he puts his hands inside of his pants pockets nervously. Hoseok only then notices that Jimin was still wearing his lab clothes, making it more suspicious why he was there at Hoseok’s front door right now when he should be working during this time. It’s been weeks since they last hung out because Jimin was busy working in the lab all day and was also always too tired on his rest days. Hoseok should’ve taken this as a hint.

“I swear you won’t get allergies!” Jimin musters up another smile for him and this time it looked like it was caused by relief although his expression immediately falters to that of worry when he looks at the cat in Hoseok’s arms “A little warning though, you might want to be careful with him since he has a broken leg right now” He says sadly and Hoseok’s irritation dissipates right away when he looks down at the cat that is still looking right back at him with those glassy brown orbs of its own. He wonders how something could look so majestic and fragile at the same time but he shakes his own thoughts away and sighs.

“Look Jimin, I had a really fucked up day today…” He starts and Jimin’s eyes widen before he pulls himself together to give Hoseok a sympathetic look, embarrassed of how easily he forgot things.

“Yeah I heard from Namjoon hyung, I’m sorry about… you know, that. I’ve always thought that you guys were endgame to be honest” Hoseok feels the tears start to build up in his eyes again but he manages to keep it in. He can wait until Jimin goes home with this cat, he can wait until then to wallow in sadness and self pity again. Hoseok hands the delicate animal back to Jimin carefully

“It’s not your fault, Jimin. We had a good run anyways. Seven years is a long time” He forces a smile but Jimin still refuses to take the cat. He doesn’t know why he said what he said but at the mention of their long time together, Hoseok felt his heart squeeze painfully in his throat.

“I just kind of feel responsible about it too since we’re always up in the lab and you guys haven’t really been on a date for months… I was the one to suggest that he joins the research in the first place and make sure to keep everything confidential. He’s very frustrated not being able to tell you anything, you know that right?” Hoseok takes a deep breath and he transfers his hold of the cat to just one hand, using the other to reach Jimin’s arm.

“It’s not your fault. People fall out of love and that’s normal” He swallows the huge lump in his throat since he wasn’t really sure if he said that because he actually believes it although a part of him really wants to. Hoseok wants to believe that it wasn’t anything on his or Namjoon’s part but solely just because two people have had a good run and they have finally reached the time to find themselves outside of their relationship, separated. That’s what he wants to hold unto for now.

Jimin shifts on his feet awkwardly before conjuring another smile “I believe you hyung, I just feel really sorry is all. I’m really sorry” He reaches for the cat’s head and the animal jerks and backs away to Hoseok’s chest, making him look at Jimin in suspicion.

“Did you do something to this cat?” Hoseok asks, his tone filled with accusation as he feels a sudden need to defend the poor creature in his arm. 

Panic shadows Jimin’s face as he stares and immediately waves his hands erratically in denial “No! Oh My God no, I just… I got him when he just broke his leg and I think that he associates me with the event somehow” He scrambles to find the right words and Hoseok looks at him sternly, his suspicion growing by the second

“What are you even talking about? What event? Jimin tell me right now, where did you even get this cat?” So many questions race in Hoseok’s mind and he can see the rising stress etched on Jimin’s face as sweat trickles down his forehead. 

“I- I found him in a rescue center!” He chuckles nervously 

“A rescue center? At midnight?” Hoseok asks incredulously. Another thing to remember about Jimin is that he’s bad at lying, like actually terrible at it that Hoseok doesn’t even know why he’s letting this one prolong right in front of him.

“Yeah, there was one ,uhm, just near the lab and I saw him from the windows when I passed by and thought, hey! It’s Hoseok hyung’s birthday, why not get him a cat?” Jimin was making absolutely no sense and even he knows it though he wishes that the small naive part of Hoseok would buy his excuses. Hoseok on the other hand can see right through him the moment he found Jimin outside of his door but was way too out of it to even bother pointing it out until now.

“Jimin, I’m saying this in the nicest way possible but you are truly not helping your case right now. First of all, you know that I’m allergic to cats and second you just realized that it was my birthday like a few seconds ago. I was literally in front of you when you checked your watch” He states obviously. Smirking when he watches the color in Jimin’s face drain, knowing that he has caught his best friend's lie. If Hoseok was being honest, this was turning out to be a really fun conversation and he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t glad that something as stupid as this has risen momentarily to distract him from his depressing thoughts.

Hoseok looks down on the cat again and it was just then that he realizes that he hasn’t sneezed a single time since Jimin arrived with the furball nor has his nose started to itch in any way. Maybe Jimin was right that he wasn’t allergic to this cat after all but he doesn’t understand how that’s possible because every cat that he has encountered in his life only took him for a run to the hospital. There was another possibility though- he may be dreaming, Hoseok starts to think. That’s the only possible explanation for all that has happened today and so he further thinks that maybe if this was indeed a dream then when he wakes up his chanel bag would still be clean of paint, his cat allergies would still exist and Namjoon, the love of his life didn’t actually end their relationship over a phone call, that tomorrow when he wakes up, he would find a sweet good morning message from him and go on about his day. It sounds dreamy to Hoseok and he starts to smile too, settling on his idea and wondering when this odd dream would finally end.

Jimin remains staring at him in shock, unable to come up with an answer before Hoseok laughs, startling the blonde and he carries the cat again with both of his arms, cradling it like a baby. Jimin looks at him nervously

“Hyung, are you okay?” He asks cautiously as Hoseok boops his nose against the cat’s pink little one and the animal purrs contentedly at the gesture. It seems to be enjoying Hoseok’s presence 

“Hmm?” Hoseok looked up at Jimin, his smile reaching his eyes and there was a twinkle in it that Jimin hasn’t seen ever since he got to the apartment “Oh, yeah, I am. I’m fine, thank you for the gift Jimin. I never really dreamed of having a pet nor being gifted one because of my allergies but I think you’re right, I haven’t sneezed at all or felt itchy ever since you got here so maybe I did get over them and now it’s time for me to be a cat owner” Hoseok chuckles and Jimin watches him in alarm as he continues to pet the cat and it looked like it was having the best time of his life under Hoseok’s touch. Jimin furrows his brows “You better get home now, It’s late. Also could you please tell Joon that I’ll meet him for breakfast tomorrow if you ever reach him, I’d appreciate it greatly” His eyes still hasn’t left the cat and Jimin was starting to get worried at his friend’s sudden shift of mood

“Hyung” Jimin speaks tentatively “You and Namjoon hyung broke up” He says in a low voice but it was still enough to make Hoseok look at him. He was confused at first but it didn’t take long until his face light up again, a smile breaking on his lips and he chuckles 

“Ofcourse, of course we did,” Hoseok laughs as if there was a joke told somewhere that Jimin wasn’t aware of. “Anyways, I’m really tired, Jimin. Let’s catch up tomorrow instead, okay?” Jimin was about to protest but then Hoseok slammed the door shut on his face. The blonde stares at the closed door in front of him for a few more minutes, wondering if Hoseok was playing some kind of joke on him until he realizes that he wasn’t coming out anymore, at least not anytime today and he sighs as he retreats outside of the apartment complex. 

Jimin has done it and now he just has to prepare himself for Namjoon’s wrath in the morning when he finds out what he did.

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Hoseok’s mood changed drastically ever since Jimin left his apartment. He started humming and skipping around his living room while thinking of ideas for his and Namjoon’s date tomorrow. He told Jimin- well, the Jimin that was a fragment of his dream that he wants to meet him for breakfast, assuming that it would probably just be at their university’s cafe again but now that Hoseok thinks about it, he wants to try going to a fancy restaurant instead. Maybe just to make up for all the dates that they’ve missed because of their busy schedules. Hoseok smiles to himself until he realizes that he was still holding the cat in his arms and he walks to his small kitchen. 

His apartment is small by normal standards but it was big enough for him to still be able to have a few guests over from time to time. He has two rooms, one bedroom and another that he still hasn’t found out what he would use it for. He suddenly thought about possibly converting it into something that Namjoon would make use of when he moves in with him in the future, perhaps a mini lab or an indoor garden. Namjoon loves his plants and the thought of it warms Hoseok’s heart.

Hoseok places the cat carefully on the kitchen counter, removing the blanket off of it completely and there he saw the broken leg that Jimin was talking about. What an odd dream this is, Hoseok thought. If he was to dream of having a pet for the first time, why did it have to be an injured one at that? He thinks that’s quite a sad thought to have and furthermore even progress as a dream. Its front right leg couldn’t support its weight because of its injury and the cat, looking as frustrated as he is about the whole situation, slumps on his kitchen counter helplessly as it looks up at Hoseok as if to ask what this man is gonna do about him now.

“I think I have a first aid kit here somewhere from when I first moved in. Namjoon made sure that I have one although I never intend on using it and I still haven’t used it two years later” Hoseok laughs and he realizes how silly it was to talk to a cat “You didn’t understand anything that I just said, didn’t you?” He chuckles and the cat just looks at him with those curious eyes, attentively anticipating his every move

“Of Course you didn’t, you’re a cat!” Hoseok shakes his head in disbelief before walking to his room where he remembers he put the first aid kit at. He immediately found what he was looking for when he opened one of the drawers in his cabinet and was grateful when all of the contents turned out to still be fine to use. He should probably tell Namjoon about this over breakfast tomorrow. 

He walks back to the kitchen and the cat still hasn’t left its spot although its eyes are now looking curiously around like a kid who is very eager to understand every part of the new place they have just arrived in. Hoseok places the kit just beside the cat before slapping his forehead in frustration 

“Right, I don’t know how to do first aid on a cat. Let me just get my phone, okay?” He asked the animal and as expected it only stared at him with those wondering brown eyes. He has never seen a cat up close like this before because of his allergies and he’s still amazed by how beautiful their eyes are. He was glad to be able to see them clearly now. 

It didn’t take Hoseok long to retrieve his phone from his room but when he came back to his small kitchen, he found the cat sleeping on its back. Its belly had strikingly white fur in contrast to its golden brown mane but what really surprised him isn’t the silly position that the animal was in nor how beautiful its fur is. It only made Hoseok’s theory that he was really dreaming stronger when he sees the cat with a nicely done bandage around its broken leg. He stares in amazement as he observes the white cloth extending around its neck and back to the said leg like a makeshift sling. 

He got scared for a minute and frantically searched around his place if there was someone else who would have possibly done this but there was none because of course, this was a dream and even in his dream he was still alone at his apartment. He pushed the thought away quickly and continued to stare at the cat with the makeshift sling instead. It looked comfortable in its position, with all four of his legs up in the air and its mouth slightly open, sharp teeth peeking and soft snores coming out of it. Hoseok couldn’t help but coo at how cute it was. He’s even more fascinated when he thinks about how this was all just a dream, making the cat with a white bandage sling a creation of his imagination. Maybe he hasn’t lost his touch after all and he should get back to writing stories, he suddenly thought.

Hoseok feels the exhaustion of the day consume him once again and he quickly retracts his prior thought as it came because this is probably one of the reasons that he convinced himself to let go of being a writer in the first place. Because if he was actually to write this story, this dream in his mind right now, he wouldn’t make himself feel this tired. He yawns audibly since no one else is around to even care and hesitates whether he should pick up the cat or not. He decides on the first one since this was after all a dream and he won’t have to deal with his allergies. In addition, the animal in his arms is actually so soft and warm that all he wants is to cuddle with him as he sleeps or whatever sleep equivalents in a dream and hopefully when he wakes up, the cat would be gone and Namjoon would be back in his arms instead. 

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Namjoon was sadly not back in his arms when he woke up the following morning but that wasn’t what woke Hoseok from the delusion that he had created for himself. He was surprised to see the cat from his dream lying down next to him and just like from his memory, it was sleeping on its back with all four of its legs including the one restrained by the makeshift sling up in the air awkwardly. His allergies, that he swore would be back by morning, still haven't acted up either and that was with a lot of fur shedded on his bed. 

It was actually the text message that broke it to him or rather the lack of thereof. Namjoon, even until yesterday when he broke up with Hoseok made sure to always send him simple messages in the morning to remind him of just how much he loves the other but today there was none of that. He sighs in disappointment and closes his phone when he sees that it only had a message from his colleague and friend, Taehyung telling him that his leave has been revoked because another teacher got sick and couldn’t replace him. He curses underneath his breath and groggily gets up from his bed. Hoseok hears a soft meow from behind him and turns to see the cat, now awake, looking at him. The animal tries to stand up but as expected, fails with a whimper, making Hoseok chuckle.

“You’re a funny little kitty” He approaches the cat on the bed and softly pat its head to which it naturally follows his touch “I wonder what’s so different about you that my allergies seem to just not exist anymore” The cat meows in response as if it understands and proceeds to lick his hand. Hoseok got startled and jumped a little but immediately felt bad when it gazed at him with those sad eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m just not used to cats licking my hand- or just animals in general” He doesn’t understand why he’s still talking to it or better yet apologizing but the cat purrs again as if to say “I understand” and moves to licking  his own fur instead

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The cat did multiple attempts to get down the bed but to its own disappointment, it still couldn’t stand on all four of its paws, making him fall down on the floor helplessly every time and Hoseok worries that its injury might get worse each time that he picks it up and settles the animal back on the bed. 

Despite his worries, Hoseok had to take a bath and to his relief, the cat seemingly stopped trying to get himself hurt by the time he got back. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was about to change when he suddenly felt self conscious and he turned around to see the golden brown fur ball with its eyes watching him intently. He picked his teacher’s outfit and headed back to the bathroom to change instead. His uniform was really just his usual loose light denim jeans and a plain white shirt that has a smiley and different other weird designs drawn on it with various colored spray paints by Taehyung. Hoseok was after all, a kindergarten teacher and they were free to dress however they want to as long as it is deemed appropriate, it was only a plus that the kids actually like his quirky way of dressing up and it adds to the reasons why he loves his job. Hoseok sighs and picks up the cat, raising it above his head. The cat looked startled by his sudden action though how Hoseok came to that conclusion, he doesn’t know. Nevertheless, he puts it down to his chest level instead, looking down on the animal.

“Look, I’m still not sure if I’m gonna keep you since I don’t really know how to take care of a cat but while I’m away, can you please not make your broken leg worse by jumping off of my bed?” He looked at the cat in his hands in worry and Hoseok was surprised when it closed its eyes and nodded just like how an actual person would respond. That should’ve been another hint for Hoseok but instead he just laughed in amazement.

“I’m really starting to think that you actually understand me” He continues to laugh “Oh well, It was nice chatting with you mr. cat but I have to go to work now” Hoseok starts to pull away but the cat has already sunk its claws on his shirt “What the-” The animal looks up at him with those adoring brown eyes and again, there was something with the way that this cat looks at him, a sincerity; a touch of humanity that he doesn’t even see in actual human beings. It looked like it was asking him not to go and Hoseok would be lying if he said that he wasn’t tempted to stay at home and talk to the cat stupidly all day.

“Stop giving me those eyes, I really have to go to school now or I would lose my job too among other things” Hoseok bites his lips to stop himself from saying anything more although the only person or rather- only living thing that can hear him right now is the cat that is so desperately clawing at his shirt. It almost rips it in the process and he releases one of his hands from holding it to remove the claws that hang on his shirt. “Sorry” Hoseok says apologetically as he carefully puts down the cat on the floor 

“I know you can’t walk yet but at least you won’t fall from my bed anymore” He sighs and the cat once again looks up at him, craning its neck up in an attempt to persuade the man to carry him again. The cat meows sadly when it realizes that Hoseok won’t take him back up anymore and deflates on the floor in defeat. Hoseok was surprised to see the animal accept its defeat so easily. He might not know a lot about pets or animals but he knows just as much that they won’t be this obedient especially to someone they haven’t been around with for a long time. 

Against his better judgement, Hoseok scoops the animal back in his arms. Those piercing feline eyes look back at him again and he could’ve sworn that a cat just smiled at him. “This is getting creepy” He mumbles before walking to his living room and picking up his bag “You should fit in here just fine” Hoseok smiles mischievously and the cat just stares at him with a look that was like confusion.

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This was a bad idea. Hoseok knows this but it’s too late, he’s already inside his classroom surrounded by loud and overly active kids; and to add even more stress to his work that he wasn’t even supposed to be in right now, there was a cat hidden inside his bag just right under his desk. He thought that he succeeded in calming them down until he realizes with alarm why his kids suddenly turn quiet and are looking curiously in the same general direction that is under his desk.

“Fuck” He curses underneath his breath and unfortunately, one of his students, Yoona heard him 

“Teacher, what is fuck?” She asks curiously and thankfully her classmates are all too occupied by whatever they were looking at to even hear this conversation take place. Hoseok’s eyes widen in surprise but before he can even come up with a decent reply, another one of his students, Yohan emerges from underneath his desk with a ball of golden brown fur : a cat.  More specifically, Hoseok’s injured cat that he snuck in the school.

He sprinted towards the little boy but Yohan was quick to run with the animal to the middle of the room where all his other students crowded him, all waiting for a chance to hold or play with the animal. 

“Yohan, let me play with it!” One of his friends whined

“No, I found it first” The kid smiles teasingly and Hoseok was tempted to roll his eyes. Yohan had always been the most stubborn kid in his class although don’t get him wrong, he loves all of his students just the same, it’s just that Hoseok recognizes who needs the most patience and who can be left alone inside the room without anything catching fire, Yohan was definitely not the latter.

“Yohan, give Mr. Jung the cat please” Hoseok speaks up with his best cheerful and calm voice, a forced smile spread across his face and his hands reaching out to receive the cat. He should’ve known better because Yohan just sticks his tongue out to his teacher and runs around the classroom with the cat. Hoseok watches in alarm as the little boy carelessly handles the poor animal and he runs after him. Hoseok easily catches Yohan but the worst was yet to come when they bumped into him and the cat vomited all over Hoseok. Hoseok abruptly stopped in his tracks, eyes wide and unable to process what to do before Yohan started laughing at him and dropped the cat loudly on the floor. It lands with a thud and as the animal is injured, it whimpers in pain because it was unable to land properly.

“Ew Mr. Jung has eewies all over him '' One of his students starts to tease him and the rest of the class follows. They all pinch their noses in disgust and wave their hands in front of their faces to push away the horrid smell of cat discard. Hoseok himself cringes at the smell and glares at the cat who only looks away with an expression that can’t be mistaken as other than that of being embarrassed.

“Okay, uh, so you’ve found my surprise, tadah!” Hoseok tried to fake an enthusiastic tone but his class of small children barely bought the act. Thankfully, his little curious nuance was one of those who bit his bait- or at least he thought that was the case.

“What do you mean, Mr. Jung?” Yohan asks curiously and he sighs of relief before picking up the cat that is completely clean of its own vomit. He mentally curses the cat for that and he conjures another fake smile for his little audience.

“This class, is Mr. Moody” Hoseok blurts out the nickname before he could even think about it more thoroughly and he heard the cat meow in response, possibly annoyed or unimpressed by its new not-so unique name “Mr. Moody will be our new class pet but I want you guys to be very careful with him because as you can see he’s injured his little leg” He shows them the makeshift sling that he still hasn’t made sense of and the class responded in a chorus of “Oohs” and “Aahs”. Hoseok felt a relief rush to him until he smelled his own scent again and realized that he was still covered in cat puke. 

“Okay class, we’ll take a 10 minute break for now. Please look after Mr. Moody and don’t let him get out of the classroom, understand?” He stops just right in front of the door to their connecting bathroom and turns to look at their classroom’s door nervously “Uh class, If any other teacher comes in just tell them that Mr. Moody is the class pet, okay?” None of the children was listening to him and he rushed inside the bathroom to clean himself up.

He had barely wiped all the nastiness off of him before he heard one of his students, Yoona, from the sound of it scream on top of her lungs and he scrambles to wipe himself faster. He rushes back to his classroom and nothing that he can possibly do could’ve prepared him for what he sees next. In the middle of the room where his whole class seemed to be huddled up is a person lying on the floor with his back against Hoseok. All he could see from where he was standing was the person’s hair that was short in the shade of golden brown. Something tugs within him when his mind processed this observation but he couldn’t figure out the reason for his sudden anxiousness. Maybe because there’s a stranger in the middle of his classroom who seemed to have lost all of his clothes, his mind reasons but his heart that was beating faster than he could catch tries to tell him otherwise. 

Hoseok was fast to wake himself up from his trance and he, like a cat on a hot tin roof, looks around to find his own cat that he left barely just a few minutes ago. “Where is Mr. Moody?” He asks and one of his students points to the man that still remains unmoving on the floor. “No, I mean the furry animal class, Mr. Moody? Our cat?” He chuckles nervously but they just stare at him and the man back and forth before pointing at the person lying down again. Hoseok notices the ripped white bandage that used to act as a sling for his injured cat beside the man and carefully approaches them. He kneels just beside them and he taps the person hesitantly to which they answer with a soft meow. Hoseok’s eyes widened, could that have been really a meow or was he still in a dream up until now? He taps the person again and he steps back when they turn around to face him. Small eyes containing soft brown orbs look back at him and he feels his breath get caught up in his throat. The person had really pale skin but his cheeks were flushed red and it ran all the way down to his neck. He had a small pointy nose and thin lips that were as pink as the nose of his missing cat but what caught his attention the most was its eyes, its brown eyes that were sharp and almost feline like. Hoseok shudders but immediately shakes himself off of whatever absurd thoughts are formulating in his mind right now. 

“Excuse me but what are you doing here?” He says in the most polite way that he can but Hoseok knows that if he wasn’t in a room full of kids that are ages four to five anticipating his every move, he would’ve cursed this man away already. The person he was talking to only looks at him with that blank face, almost imploring his help on what kind of expression his face must morph into. Hoseok sighs when he doesn’t get any response and slowly moves himself to stand up “I don’t understand why you would possibly be here in a room full of kids without any clothes on but I will get you something to change into for now then we can talk later when I’m finished with my class” Hoseok says it with finality and he finally receives a response from the other person. He still doesn’t say anything but he nods his head meekly in understanding. 

Hoseok was supposed to change into his extra clothes that he keeps in his locker but he knows that he can’t have a naked man sitting in his classroom full of innocent kids as he tries to explain why they shouldn’t say anything about the events that just transpired in this classroom to anyone.

“Why were you naked?” Yoona asked nervously and Hoseok felt bad knowing that the image of the man fully unclothed might haunt her for a while. He looks at the person sitting beside him expectantly and Hoseok unconsciously notices how he was smaller than him in all aspects. The person still doesn’t utter a single word even after Hoseok offers him his clothes and he sighs in frustration before answering all the questions directed to the mystery man instead. Things have just gone all kinds of weird since yesterday and he wonders when this misery of his might end. 

Hoseok did his best to answer his students’ questions patiently and carefully until he managed to convince them to keep this as their little secret but that is if these kids don’t run their mouth first thing they can when they get out of this classroom. He can only hope that they don’t and just how fast the events happened, time also caught up to him and the bell was already ringing, signalling that this day of hell is over. 

“Goodbye, Mr. Jung” Yoona smiles up at him when she reaches the door and stops just right before she steps outside. She motions for him to crouch down and Hoseok obliges with a returned smile “I promise I’ll keep Mr. White butt our secret” She giggles while she whispers to his ear and Hoseok’s brows knit in confusion when he looks back at the little kid. “Goodbye, Mr. Moody!” She then calls the man back in the classroom. Hoseok jumps a little in surprise but immediately gets himself together in time to see the small man smiling and waving his little hands in return at the kid from his chair. 

Hoseok couldn’t help it anymore and his mouth hung wide open as he stared at the stranger. He was wearing his oversized green shirt that looked even bigger on his small frame and had the prettiest smile that Hoseok has ever seen painted on his pale face. 

“Who is Mr. Moody?” Hoseok heard one of his students’ mothers ask and he snapped his head to their direction nervously. It was Yohan and his mother but before he could even try and beg, he releases a deep breath of relief when he heard the boy say “Just a class pet that Mr. Jung got for us” Yohan winks back at him and Hoseok smiles, waving goodbye to his students for the day like he always does. 

Their school doesn’t really allow class pets because of students and teachers like him that are possibly allergic but he thought that he could better explain why he got a cat that he was supposedly allergic to compared to why there was a naked man in the middle of a kindergarten classroom. Hoseok’s worries creep back to him the moment his students all left and he checks his surroundings before closing the door behind him and the stranger who is still patiently waiting for him in his chair

✿✿✿

“First thing’s first, where’s my cat?” Hoseok asks accusingly and it was only then that he notices that the man was struggling to hold his right arm up. He winces in the process but he still doesn’t respond to Hoseok’s question. “Are you okay?” He suddenly changes his tone at the sight of the other person in pain and the man shakes his head no weakly. Hoseok stands to go outside without saying anything, leaving the stranger alone in his room and when he comes back, he is carrying a black arm sling from the school’s clinic. He hands it hesitantly to the man.

“Let me help you put this on?” Hoseok offers and the man just nods again before he gets to working on his broken arm. When he was finished and the other looked a lot more comfortable, he sat down in front of him, determined to get some answers this time.

“Okay now back to business, Where’s my cat?’ Hoseok pushes and to no one’s surprise, the man doesn’t speak up again. Hoseok groans frustratedly and pinches the bridge of his nose “Jimin is so gonna kill me, it hasn’t even been a day and I already lost the stupid cat”

“Jimin?” He hears the man finally speak and he opens his eyes excitedly 

“Yes, Jimin, do you know him?” Hoseok asks expectantly and he was even more surprised when he nods his head yes all the while looking scared as if the name of his best friend holds some kind of trauma to it. This should’ve alarmed Hoseok more than he chose to show.

“Who are you exactly?” He asks instead, still in a calm and collected voice but eager to know more

“I’m Yoongi” The man replies shyly and Hoseok nods, still patient

“Hi Yoongi, I’m Hoseok, now that we know each other. Can you please tell me where my cat is or better yet, why the hell were you in my classroom naked?”  He tries to add a little more taunting to his voice but that didn’t seem to faze the other man at all as his stomach growls in protest and he mumbles “I’m hungry” 

Hoseok just stares at him incredulously for a while and after a few more moments upon realizing that he won’t get the answers he wants, he asked Yoongi if he would like to eat instead to which the other reacted in a rather very enthusiastic way to a stranger’s offer of a meal. His brown eyes glint as it stares at Hoseok’s boring ones in excitement and he felt something small jump in his stomach, tickling his whole being. Something that he hasn’t felt in years, something that hasn’t felt since Namjoon.

✿✿✿

There was a local restaurant near the school that Hoseok always went to. The place may be small but it was always packed with people because of the delicious food prepared by the owner who was a very sweet old lady. A smile immediately appeared on her lips when she sees Hoseok enter and he smiles back at her just the same

“Hoseok-ah! I see that you’ve brought a new guest. Where is Taehyung-ie?” She asks curiously all the while observing Yoongi with new found interest as the man looks around the place curiously, sniffing the scent of good food in the air.

“Ah he’s still busy at school, Auntie, I’ll try to convince him to come next time though” Hoseok smiles sheepishly at her and she directs them to an empty table. Hoseok was quick to choose his order and since Yoongi has refused to speak any more than he had earlier, Hoseok also had to choose his food for him. The old woman regarded the small man sitting awkwardly in front of Hoseok and gave him a small smile when his brown eyes found her staring at him before leaving the two of them alone.

“So…” Hoseok starts tentatively and Yoongi’s eyes lock with him right away. His stare was so sharp and piercing that Hoseok had to look away when it became too long and hard to endure. His heart suddenly runs at a speed that he doesn’t recognize and he wonders what it is with Yoongi that makes him anxious like a little kid being asked to perform on stage for the first time. Yoongi watches him all the while, lips still sealed in a tight line and he sighs. 

Hoseok figures that Yoongi won’t speak the words that he wants to no matter how much he pushes him and decides that he’ll just give up on trying all together. All he wants to do now is go home, have a nice bath and crash on his bed for the remainder of the day. 

Their food arrives after a few minutes although it felt like hours sitting across a man that refuses to speak or give him any kind of social interaction whatsoever. Hoseok dives in his food right away and he looks in alarm at Yoongi when he touches his food with his bare hand curiously. He observes the black bean noodles in his left hand which was the uninjured one for a while before letting it fall off of his fingers and back to the bowl, uninterested. Yoongi then eyes the steamed fish from across him, beside Hoseok’s plate and pulls it towards him. Hoseok doesn’t dare point out that it was his order until Yoongi dives in the food although not in a way that a normal civilized being would. He pushes his face to the plate where the fish lies and gnaws at it directly using only his mouth. 

Hoseok looks around the restaurant fearfully, hoping that no one notices his company’s strange behavior and he was grateful to see that everyone is engrossed in their own conversations. He pushed Yoongi’s head up to look at him slowly and there was fish sauce spread around his mouth and nose. Hoseok couldn’t help but find him cute and he pulls a tissue from the container on their table, using it to wipe off the mess on Yoongi’s face and the other just looks at him curiously.

“Are you right handed?” Hoseok asked stupidly. He thought that maybe the other was just having a hard time trying to eat because his dominant hand is currently restrained. That was the only logical reason that he could come up with for Yoongi’s strange behavior, thankfully the other answers by shaking his head no but that only made Hoseok even more confused. He takes a chopstick from the tray and hands it to Yoongi.

“Here, you can just use it to skew the fish just like a fork” He waits for Yoongi to accept it but the other just stares at him dumbfounded. Hoseok sighs and does exactly what he suggested, he pokes the fish using the chopstick and hands it over to Yoongi like a barbeque. “Like this, so you can eat easier” He explains and luckily Yoongi finally understands what he’s saying. He takes the chopstick with the half eaten fish from Hoseok and continues to relish in it like earlier although how he eats the fish by licking and biting it, ignoring the bones that would normally make humans choke is still concerning Hoseok. 

✿✿✿

“Okay, since I paid for our food and you basically never talked aside from telling me your name and that you're hungry then I guess this is where we say our goodbyes. Goodbye Yoongi, it was a… pleasure meeting you” Hoseok forces a polite smile. He was about to turn his back on him and the restaurant when he felt a hand grasp his arm, holding him back. The feeling was all too familiar like deja vu to him from earlier this morning and he looked back at Yoongi, raising his brow in question.

“Your clothes” He says simply as if that explains his overall strange behavior 

“What about my clothes?” Hoseok asks, his patience suddenly enough for idle conversations like this.

“I’m wearing your clothes. How am I supposed to return them?” Hoseok was surprised to hear him say something more than just two words and he smiles impressively at the other just like what he does when his kindergarteners manage to draw what he asked them to 

“You don’t have to, I have a few other clothes at home just like it so you can keep them if you want” Hoseok assures him and Yoongi starts to chew on his bottom lip nervously, his hand still never leaving its surprisingly strong hold on Hoseok’s arm

“I’m homeless” He says all of a sudden 

“Huh?” Was all Hoseok managed to say. Yoongi hasn’t done or said anything that wasn’t out of the ordinary since they met just a few hours ago and Hoseok wonders just how much weirder the events of today can go. 

“I don’t have a home” Yoongi says again as if it clarifies everything 

“I understand what being homeless means, I just meant, why are you telling me this?” Hoseok knits his brows at him suspiciously and Yoongi finally lets go of his arm. The spot where Yoongi’s hand used to be just a few seconds ago now felt void like a part of it was taken away with the other’s hand and Hoseok bites his lip harshly at the thought. He only met Yoongi a few hours ago and it even happened in the most unconventional way so whatever Hoseok was feeling right now is caused by his fatigue from the previous events and his grief of his broken relationship. There was nothing more else to it, he convinces himself.

“Don’t tell me…” He starts while looking at Yoongi expectantly “Are you perhaps asking if you could stay at my place?” Hoseok finally asks and he knows that he should feel more strongly against this idea. The man was a stranger after all but something in him, a stupid part of him was telling Hoseok that this was totally normal and that Yoongi can be trusted. Those brown eyes that had all its attention directed at him right now were what he can say were trustful and he didn’t want to- or rather his mind didn’t even stray to think of doubting them.

“Yes” Hoseok was surprised by Yoongi’s firm response but he was even more surprised by what he himself says next

“Okay” He agrees before he can even take it back and the small man smiles widely at him. His gums showed as his lips curled upward and the sun hit his pale face directly, making him glow- literally under the sunlight. Hoseok felt his breath get taken away by the beauty that was unfolding in front of him but he was quick to collect himself again before Yoongi could even notice.

✿✿✿

“Let me just get you something to change into” Hoseok tells him and Yoongi nods as he makes himself comfortable in Hoseok’s small living room. He knows that he should be regretting this by now or even before they got here, on their way to his apartment but he couldn’t get himself to do that. All he knows is that there’s a man with golden brown hair, a smile that can shine a light to any amount of darkness and brown eyes that will make you feel weak as you look into them sitting comfortably on his couch as he thinks of these thoughts. He knows so little about the man named Yoongi yet at the same time Hoseok feels this homely warmth surrounding him when around the other. 

He found some clothes that Jimin left whenever he slept over at Hoseok’s place and thought that the smaller clothes would fit Yoongi better than his large tees. Hoseok almost skips in delight when he comes back to the living room only to find out that Yoongi has left. The door to his apartment was wide open and it shocks him further when he sees his clothes that he had lent to Yoongi left scattered on the floor along with the sling that was supposedly supporting his broken arm. He sighs dejectedly and retrieves his phone from the couch where the man once sat down. 

For a short moment that day, Hoseok forgot all about Namjoon and it startled him when he saw that his ex had just left him ten missed calls. He looks sadly at his wallpaper, a picture that they took a couple of years ago when Namjoon just got his Phd and they went on a nature get away for a week. In the picture, Namjoon was holding a small frog that he found by the river and was smiling at Hoseok who took that selfie of them. It has only been a day since he got dumped but Hoseok felt like it had been years, long and grueling years at that. 

He stood up from the couch as he dialed Namjoon’s number and proceeded to pick up his clothes on the floor. Hoseok feels his breathing stop when he sees the familiar strands of short hair stuck on his green shirt. Golden brown against the striking green fabric, there was no mistaking it. The hair was from a cat, more specifically, his cat that he has supposedly lost. He looks towards his open door, some part of him hoping that something or- someone walks right back in his apartment right at that second and tell him that he hadn’t been losing his mind. 

“Hoseok?” He hears Namjoon’s voice coming from his phone and although he has waited for him to call again since yesterday, Hoseok doesn’t even bother to answer him. He had a lot more important questions that needs attending to right now aside from why his relationship has failed. 

✿✿✿

After his call wasn’t met with an answer from Hoseok, Namjoon attempts another one to which Hoseok immediately picks up, apologizing multiple times for not saying anything and leaving him hanging. Namjoon tells him repeatedly that it was fine and that he was calling to ask if Hoseok was willing to meet up with him tomorrow morning since it was a weekend and they both didn't have work anyways, possibly to give closure to a somewhat sudden breakup. Hoseok of course agrees and now he’s at the teacher’s faculty staring at his blank computer for what seemed like hours until he felt what appeared to be a piece of popcorn thrown straight to his face. 

Hoseok wakes up from his daydream and finds the culprit that is his best friend Taehyung smiling mischievously beside him. He glares at him before looking back to his computer which he just then realizes he hasn’t turned on. He hopes that Taehyung hasn’t noticed that he’s been staring at the blank space this whole time as he starts up his computer.

“It’s friday!” Taehyung cheers happily and the other teachers glare at his direction. Hoseok has always told Taehyung to keep his tone to a professional level whenever he was at school if he wanted to keep his job as a teacher but it seems the years of nagging still haven't worked on the other.

“Yeah it is, do you have any plans?” Hoseok asks nonchalantly just to make conversation and he starts to organize his students’ grades on his spreadsheet 

“Not really, I think I’m gonna spend my friday night knocked out at home since my students really took a toll on me this week. How do kids always have so much energy, you know?” Taehyung lifts his arms up above his head, stretching his back and Hoseok hums in agreement, still busy with his work. They stayed in silence for a few moments until Hoseok couldn’t help it anymore and asked the question he has had hanging on his head since last night.

“Do you believe in shapeshifters?”  Taehyung chokes as he sips  on his coke. He looks around the faculty in panic and found that all of their colleagues are busy with their respective works, probably finishing them all so they can enjoy the rest of their weekends

“Huh?” Taehyung responds once he has collected himself 

“Shapeshifters, do you believe in them? or animal hybrids like the gumiho or something” Hoseok turns on his seat, his attention now fully on Taehyung and the other’s mouth hangs open in shock. Hoseok couldn’t put a name on what his friend’s face looks like right now but he had the same look that Jimin had when he came knocking at his door to give him a random cat. It was that of anxiousness or perhaps fear though why his friend would have such a reaction to a harmless question he has yet to understand.

“Never mind, it was stupid, sorry for asking” Hoseok waves him off and Taehyung seemingly got himself back to earth at that. 

“No no, It was fine. I was just shocked because…” Taehyung trails off momentarily and Hoseok stops with his work again to look at him expectantly “It was an unusual question, yes uhm so why did ask again?” He tried his best to keep his face from trembling and Hoseok just sighs

“It was nothing. I just had a weird… dream lately and it had something to do with that. I think. Sorry for creeping you out” Hoseok says with finality and before Taehyung can even conjure up an answer, he was already fully immersed again in his spreadsheet that was mostly filled with As because Hoseok, as tired as he may seem dealing with kids on a daily basis, loved the little humans very dearly. It was the main reason he chose to be a kindergarten teacher in the first place, it was because he likes kids a whole lot since he thinks that they’re so pure. To him, they’re people with spirits that haven’t been tainted by the ugly world yet and that’s why they’re so easy to love and understand. Hoseok truly believes that if he could be a part of these young people’s lives while they’re still so full of life and hope then he could help nurture them into the kind of people that this world can never break, the kind of people that would be filled with hope and compassion for others. Many would call it bullshit but to Hoseok, he can see how his students, even the naughty boy that is Yohan can be a great person enough to make a change to the world and as his teacher, he would have helped in making him that kind of person for this planet.

“I don’t believe in them” Taehyung speaks after awhile and Hoseok just nods silently “I really don’t think that this break up has been going well for you, hyung and I’m sorry that you had to come to work today but I would do the best so that I can to give you at least a few days off next week so just take it easy, okay?” Taehyung stands up from his desk with his bag slung on his shoulder and Hoseok offers him a small smile, thankful that his friend was the caring person that he is.

“Thank you Taehyung-ie” He says 

“You know that I always got your back and hyung...:” Taehyung stops and sticks his tongue to the inside of his cheek before hesitantly saying “Is there something that you’re not telling me? Was there something that happened that has led you to these thoughts?” His eyes search Hoseok’s for some kind of answer but the other quickly looks away from him. Taehyung’s heart starts to beat faster in his chest and Hoseok can sense his nervousness even from a mile away. 

“Nothing, nothing happened that you should be worried about. It was really stupid of me to even ask that question, sorry again” Hoseok chuckles nervously and the air between them is starting to become so unsettling that they both wish one of them would withdraw from the conversation already 

“Yeah it was, it was stupid” Taehyung repeats but almost to himself and Hoseok winces. Before it becomes even more unbearable, Taehyung starts to walk away, leaving Hoseok sitting on his chair dumbfounded on why he just had one of the most awkward conversations of his life happen right now. He lets out a breath that he doesn’t realize he was holding in once Taehyung closes the door to the faculty and glances at the green clothing peeking from his bag beside his monitor screen, the small pieces of golden brown hair still tightly stuck on the fabric. 

“Everything is so weird.” He mutters quietly and proceeds to finish his work so he can get home to the comfort of his bed right away.

✿✿✿

“Yes, I swear I smelled it since yesterday. I really think that he knows something” Hoseok overhears Taehyung talking to someone over the phone when he walks past the bathroom. It appears that his friend still hasn’t left the school since leaving the faculty half an hour ago and though he knows that it’s bad to eavesdrop, Hoseok couldn’t help but tune in to what he was saying. 

He steps closer to the bathroom’s door quietly, hoping that Taehyung won’t hear him and gladly he doesn’t.

“I can fucking smell one even from a mile away, of course I know what their scent is” Hoseok knits his brows in confusion. The conversation that Taehyung was having right now sounded extremely odd yet he somehow thinks that this has something to do with his current situation. His stomach twists in knots as he continues to listen further. 

“I don’t know, I really don’t know but I told him that it was stupid so hopefully he'll let go of it” Hoseok senses the uncertainty in his voice and feels his heart get caught up in his throat. When he hears Taehyung’s footsteps nearing, he immediately walks away with his thoughts all messed up with the new information. 

The only thing that Hoseok was sure about right now is that Taehyung was talking to someone about him and he starts to wonder what exactly did he mean when he said the things that he did. Some part of him thinks that that vague conversation answered that question that he had since yesterday but another part of him, the more logical one, tells Hoseok that it was probably just plain coincidence. His mere human brain decides to settle for the latter. 

✿✿✿

Just as he thought that there was nothing else that would surprise or weird him out anymore, Yoongi with proper clothes on this time was standing just right outside of his apartment door and it looked like he had been waiting for awhile. When his eyes spot Hoseok walking towards his apartment, a smile breaks from his lips, the same one that Hoseok has seen before, wide with his gums showing. It made Hoseok’s heart do a flip and he did his best not to let that show on his face at all as he approached the man. 

“Hey” Hoseok says hesitantly when he reaches his front door and he observes what Yoongi was wearing. He had a white cloth made as a substitute for a sling, jeans that looked too big against his thin legs and a simple white tee with a logo of the pet cafe that he has passed by quite a few times. In bold letters just below the logo, it says “Happy Cats!” and Hoseok chuckles, realizing how straightforward their name was. “What are you doing here?” He finally asks him and Yoongi’s smile falters a little although it doesn’t fully drop into a frown 

“I came to say sorry for leaving without telling you yesterday. My parents called me and I had to go home, sorry” Yoongi tells him monotonously and it was obvious to Hoseok how rehearsed his line was which made him laugh a little. Yoongi pouts at him, his pink lips pushed forward in that cute manner that goes well with his whole demeanor

“But you didn’t have a phone, you didn’t have anything at all yesterday including your clothes” Hoseok cocks a brow at him teasingly and he can see the sudden panic rush in Yoongi’s small brown eyes. His uninjured hand immediately flies up to his mouth and his tongue was already stuck out about to lick his hand from the looks of it when he remembers that Hoseok was watching him and their eyes lock for a second before he slowly lets his hand fall back to his side awkwardly. Yoongi looks away as he feels a blush creeping on his cheeks.

“I-” He starts to say but his stomach betrays him when it growls loudly. The sound painfully echoing in the silent empty hallway of Hoseok’s floor and he found it harder to look back at him. 

“Do you want to come inside? I was just about to order dinner. We can talk more when both of our stomachs are full” Hoseok grins at him and Yoongi nods shyly as they proceed to enter his apartment

✿✿✿

“Do you work there?” Hoseok tries to break the awkward silence that has enveloped them. He asked Yoongi what he wanted to eat but the other decided to go back to his silent treatment towards him, leaving Hoseok no choice but to just order his usual set of chicken wings with some more extra in case Yoongi wanted more. The food arrived just a few minutes after he placed his order and now they’re sitting across from each other in Hoseok’s small dining table, not one of them making any kind of sound until Hoseok decides that he has had enough of the deafening void of conversation.

“Work where?” Yoongi asks innocently

“The cat cafe, “Happy Cats!” . I recognized the logo on your shirt right away” Yoongi quickly looks down on the shirt that he was wearing and Hoseok could have sworn that he heard a high pitched whimper that sounds like it came from an actual cat when he realizes what he was wearing. Yoongi gazes up to him, his small eyes look troubled and he sighs.

“I just borrowed it from someone” Yoongi replies and Hoseok knows that he should probably ask more of the questions that circle in his mind since the moment that they met and probably since that night that Jimin gave him the injured cat, but he also knows, somehow that all of his questions have already been answered. Hoseok just has to wait it out if those answers would be verified by the very man that concerns them.

Hoseok watches the other as he eats and he notices how Yoongi still struggles to use the proper utensils although compared to their meal from yesterday, it looked like the other did his research and is trying hard to not show how unfamiliar this way of feeding himself was to him. Hoseok gives him a small smile when Yoongi feels him staring and looks at him nervously. He tries to assure the other that it was fine and he should eat to his heart’s content which he did so very happily. Hoseok also learns that same night that he enjoyed watching Yoongi eat even though they have only shared a meal for the second time since yesterday, he could've sworn that it felt like he had been watching him for longer than that

✿✿✿

The awkward silence slowly turned to that of comfortable stillness while they eat their dinner and one who will watch from the outside might think that they have known each other for longer than they really have. By the time that they both feel full, Yoongi tells Hoseok that he has to go and apologizes once again for the trouble that he caused yesterday.

“I’m really sorry again for everything. I  hope that the kids are doing fine. I can’t imagine what they must’ve thought when they saw me… you know, without clothes yesterday” Yoongi chews on his bottom lip and Hoseok makes a mental note to remember that it was a habit he does whenever he’s nervous or unsure of something 

“I would have asked you more about that situation but I don’t think that you’d actually tell me the truth if I asked” Hoseok pauses to regard him and he sees Yoongi nod meekly “I figured”

“I’m really sorry, it’s just hard to explain” Yoongi fixates his eyes on his injured arm instead and it gave Hoseok an idea

“Stay right there” He tells him and the other just stares in confusion. Hoseok comes back from his room just a few seconds later and with him was the black arm sling that he gave Yoongi the day before. The other’s mouth hangs open and before he could even say anything, Hoseok was already unravelling his makeshift sling and replacing it carefully with the one that he got for him. Hoseok smiles proudly at his work and looks at him expectantly 

“Is that better?” He asks hopefully but Yoongi was still in a state of shock 

“Yeah… this is better, thank you” Yoongi replies after a few moments and looks away from Hoseok as his cheeks burn up all of a sudden

Hoseok feels his face get hot too but he immediately shakes it off and clears his throat in an attempt to ease the tension “So, I’ll see you again soon, I guess, then maybe once you’re ready you can give me more truthful answers?” the words come flowing out of his mouth before he could even hear them in his mind and Hoseok mentally slaps himself. He just offered himself bare to Yoongi, a man that he only knew yesterday and barely had any fruitful conversations with. He hinted at future meetings and Yoongi opening up to him which Hoseok only realizes then was scary and he searches for any sign of fear in Yoongi’s face right away, afraid that he might have scared the other but Yoongi only smiles. A reaction that Hoseok wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or concerned about. 

“Yeah, I’d like that” Yoongi only tells him as he makes his way to his door. He stops on his tracks just as he was about to turn the doorknob and turns to face Hoseok, a lump on his throat clearly gulped.

“Do you miss him?” He asks and for a second Hoseok thought that he was talking about Namjoon and he felt his heart clench until he realized that Yoongi couldn’t have possibly known who Namjoon was nor what role he plays or used to play in his life. The thought made him sad again, reminding him of a meeting that will happen tomorrow, a possible closure to this chapter of his life.

“Who?” Hoseok asks dumbfounded 

“Your cat, Mr. Moody, was his name? Do you miss him?’ Yoongi asks and he musters up the courage to look directly into Hoseok’s eyes, making the other tremble in his spot. Yoongi had such pretty eyes, his mind kept singing to him but he made an effort to wake himself up from his stupor right away and answer his question.

“Yeah, I guess. He was a gift from my best friend after all” Hoseok feels his heart run at a higher speed because he knows, he knows he’s getting nearer to the answer that he seeks though he doesn’t dare name it yet.

Yoongi doesn’t say anything in reply and just hums, nodding his head as he turns the doorknob, saying one final goodbye to Hoseok and closing the door to his apartment, leaving him fazed and stupidly anticipating when and where their next meeting would be. He should’ve asked him the exact details but he later figures that he doesn’t want to end the series of surprises that comes with Yoongi just yet, his unexpected appearances included. 

✿✿✿

Hoseok allows himself to waste his free time in bed, thinking over the past seven years that he had with Namjoon and wondering when things went wrong. In the middle of his thinking session, he also finds himself not yearning for those moments to come back but rather feeling pity that those moments had to end meaning that tomorrow will possibly be the final moment that he can add to this collection of memories. Namjoon will give him his closure and no matter how much he thinks of it, it doesn’t really feel like the end but instead- as cliche as it sounds, Hoseok feels like after tomorrow’s dinner, a new beginning will follow right away, that tomorrow will mark the beginning of something rather than the end.

He smiles to himself and his mind unconsciously drifts to an image of golden brown hair sitting atop the head of a man that had the brightest smile that he has ever seen in his life, even compared to his that everyone around him says is the happiest and most joyous smile that they have ever encountered. Yoongi’s smile was different, different in a way that it was full of wonder and pureness, something that Hoseok thinks he has lost over the years. He used to be like that, wondering just about anything and everything, wondering why things were the way they are and looking at the world with a very positive outlook. Sadly, that wasn’t the case with him anymore, Hoseok was still a very positive person compared to others and he still believes that everything done out of good intention contributes to making the world a better place but lately he has just been content, existing in this space that he has created for himself. He stopped wondering and looking beyond what is on the surface and with Yoongi's sudden arrival, those wonderings have come back. He started to let his thoughts drift aimlessly again, never looking for a definite answer but rather hoping that there was something good that it could land on. Hope was back in Hoseok’s world. It was crazy that two silly encounters that he still couldn’t paint the full picture of can make him feel this way but there’s no denying it. Yoongi made Hoseok feel different again and in a very good way.

His eyes were near closing when he heard someone or rather something at his front door. He lets the sound drag on for a few more seconds before he realizes with a jump that it was the sound of a cat’s soft meows at his door. He scrambles to get up on his bed, sprinting to his front door and when he opens it, he sees his cat sitting patiently in front of him. There was no mistaking that there was a fresh new set of bandage wrapped around its broken leg but how that happened, he doesn’t dwell on the thought too much, scooping the animal in his arms right away with caution and Hoseok smiles as those brown feline eyes bore into his once again. 

“That was fast” He tells the cat and this time, he really did mean to direct his words to him. The cat only purrs in response but Hoseok can tell when confusion was etched on its small face and he chuckles. Hoseok hopes that he finds the courage to be brave enough but for now he’ll accept what little broken answers he can get from the other. 

✿✿✿

“So…” Namjoon starts to speak. His eyes couldn’t look at Hoseok and the other felt his heart sink. The air around them that used to be so comfortable and easy just like breathing now felt suffocating and Hoseok started to wonder how long they could last like this

“I’m sorry”  Namjoon’s eyes finally find Hoseok’s, making him hold his breath momentarily until the other continues when he doesn’t respond. “I should have done this in person a lot sooner, I should have… broken up with you in person so you’d have clarity. You deserve at least that, Seokie and I’m really sorry” Hoseok doesn’t say anything. He just stares blankly at Namjoon not because he doesn’t want to give a reaction but because he discovers that he actually doesn’t know what he feels about the situation. He was sad, that was sure but did he come here hoping to mend his relationship or did he come because he wants to be mad at Namjoon? It was too late that he realizes that he doesn’t know the purpose of many things he had, his relationship with the man in front of him not being an exception.

“What happened to us?” Hoseok asks quietly, afraid that his voice will quaver and Namjoon nods understandingly before sighing and pushing his hair back, a habit that Hoseok has come to memorize whenever the other needs to say something heavy 

“I kept on going over the words that I want to tell you over and over again and I really thought that I can say it easily once I have to but now that we’re here I realized that it’s hard to say it to your face like this but I know that you deserve your closure so here I go anyways” Namjoon takes a deep breath before locking his eyes with Hoseok again, this time with an underlying message telling him to look into him and listen deeply to what he actually has to say “I love you” He says and Hoseok’s eyes widen in surprise. Hoseok chokes on his own breath and violently slaps his chest. He’s heard Namjoon tell him that he loves him multiple times but he never expected him to say it again in this situation where they’re supposedly broken up 

“What?” He breaths out 

“I love you Seokie and that will never change but I don’t love you that way anymore. We’ve been at this for seven years now and what I felt about you never changed, I thought that it was normal at first, loving you the same way that I did seven years ago but I realized that there wasn’t really a direction that we’re taking. We’re just aimlessly wandering this world with no end in sight, we didn’t grow over the course of seven years together Seokie, we simply just existed” Namjoon searches his face for any sign of opposition but there was none

“I don’t get it Namjoon, if you still love me and that never changed then shouldn’t that be enough, why are you throwing away these seven years? Is there someone else?-” Hoseok wanted to keep going, so many new questions formulating in his mind but Namjoon frantically shakes his head no at the last question, cutting him off immediately 

“No oh my god Hoseok, I will never do that to you. There’s no one else, It’s just you, I swear” Namjoon sees Hoseok’s shoulders release some of its tension and felt himself ease up a little too “I’ve remained loyal to you all these seven years, please don’t think that I’m someone capable of breaking your heart like that, I just, what I’m trying to say is...” He struggles to find the right words and Hoseok can see the frustration building up in his eyes. He reaches a hand towards Namjoon’s arm, softly stroking it to relax him and gladly, his little trick still worked. 

“I don’t even remember the last time we kissed,” Namjoon finally says and Hoseok raises his brow in bewilderment. The last time that they- and that’s when it clicks, Hoseok realizes that Namjoon was right, they haven’t even kissed in months and the other looks at him as if to say “I told you so”

“I don’t think that it was the right decision for us to even start dating to be honest” Namjoon’s words pierces through his heart but he doesn’t let that break him, not yet, not here

“But we did date, for seven long years, Joon” Hoseok reasons out and he cringes when he hears his voice, it sounded like he was whining 

“That’s exactly it Seokie. We’ve been together for seven years yet we haven’t gone anywhere. And as much as I love you, as much as I want to believe my love would sustain us, that love never gave me answers. It never showed me the end and I guess I just got tired of waiting for that image to show up. I waited very long to know what we could be but all our time together just showed me the same thing over and over again. We’re not growing Hoseok and that scares me, call me selfish but I want big things- things that I can’t do if I’m with you. We don't even talk about our plans in the future. Will we get married? Will we have kids? Will we adopt a pet ? We never talked about those things and I don’t think we ever will from what I can see. We’re just friends Seokie, we were and we still are, that never changed. We just liked each other so much that we thought that we were in this as lovers” Hoseok knows that it was bullshit, everything that was coming out of Namjoon’s mouth right now are just excuses for something he won’t say because they did grow together and they did love each other. Maybe that’s not the case anymore but it’s still a fact that happened at one point of their lives and Namjoon is completely disregarding that with his bullshit speech. That made Hoseok sad more than angry. 

“Do you want to? Do you want to get married and have kids?” Hoseok asks bravely when he managed to organize at least some of his thoughts

“Yes” but not with you , Hoseok adds in his mind and he smirks. Namjoon looks at him puzzled but they both don’t say anything about it. 

“Who is he?” Hoseok finds the courage to ask again and Namjoon pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration 

“I told you, there’s no one-” The moment happened so fast. One moment Namjoon was frustratedly trying to push his garbage excuses on Hoseok and next thing he knew there was something golden brown that leaped out of his bag and onto Namjoon’s face, scratching him. The waiters on standby near their table saw what happened and rushed to his aid, pulling the cat away from Namjoon. Hoseok stays frozen on his seat and he watches the scene unfold in front of him with amusement. 

“Sir- sir!” One of the staff, the manager from the looks of it shook him awake from his trance and Hoseok was quick to say multiple silent sorrys to him, standing up from his seat to get the cat from one of the waiters. “I’m sorry sir but the restaurant has a no pet policy, it would be very much appreciated if you leave the premises right now with the cat” Hoseok didn’t need to be told twice before he’s putting his cat back in his bag. Namjoon watches him pack his things but doesn’t say anything, his face now had three small claw marks on them and it took everything in Hoseok not to laugh. The other customers in the restaurant have been watching them with hungry eyes and Hoseok repeatedly bowed to the staff, saying his apologies until they reached the outside of the restaurant. He releases a sigh of relief before finally laughing to himself. 

He peeks inside his bag and finds the animal looking up at him with eyes that he was sure told him that he was worried about Hoseok. “It’s okay, I’m fine” He assured the cat and honestly, he really was fine. Namjoon wasn’t a bad person and his perception of him still hasn’t changed but if there’s something that he hated about this breakup so far, it’s Namjoon’s dishonesty with him because Hoseok truly believes that he can take it if the other just told him straight what really made him fall out of love with him, nevertheless that’s the least of his worries now. He was free and wondering about the world again, in addition to that, he also acquired a pet for the first time, a cat time that he’s actually not allergic to. He has found something to burn an exciting fire in his life that has become dull and boring and Hoseok was excited to see how this next chapter would unfold for him. 

✿✿✿

He waited for exactly a week until Hoseok decided that he couldn’t wait any more longer. Namjoon hasn’t contacted him again since their dinner that night and Jimin hasn’t shown his face to Hoseok either. He didn’t mind though, he had something much more important to think about than them.

He felt silly, Yes, sneaking up on a cat in his own home, but he had to do something at least, he tried to justify his actions in his mind but it always just told him that it was stupid. His cat’s injured leg had become a lot better and he didn’t require a sling anymore which was a sigh of relief in Hoseok and probably his part too. His furball roommate was finally able to roam around their apartment although from what he read up about cats, his still isn’t performing in its full capacity because he hasn’t seen it jump in high places whatsoever, probably because its leg was still weak. 

He had been staring at the cat in the kitchen, busy eating its food for what he can tell was more than around five minutes and still, it hasn’t sensed his presence from behind. Hoseok enjoys watching the cat eat, he had very much the same feeling when watching a particular someone eat too, someone that he wishes to meet right about now. 

“Yoongi'' Hoseok says tentatively and the cat shoots up its head, frantically searching the room until it turns around to see Hoseok, his lips pulled up in a smirk. The cat tries its best to conceal its expression of shock on his little face but to his dismay, the damage has already been done and he frowns “I fucking knew it” Hoseok approaches the animal slowly, crouching down to level his face with his and he chuckles, glad that he wasn’t losing his mind afterall. 

“Yoongi” He says again and the cat looks away embarrassed, suddenly licking its paws and Hoseok knew from his research that cats normally get obsessed with cleaning themselves when they’re anxious. “Come on now, I know it’s you uhm-” He pauses for a moment, not entirely sure what he planned earlier when he decided to confront him “-can we talk properly like- as two people?” He asks sheepishly and the cat- Yoongi, purrs in defeat but doesn’t do anything. Hoseok’s furrows his brows confused 

“Do you need something so you can transform?” Even when he said it, the word still felt weird on his tongue, this whole situation was weird per se but it wasn’t like Hoseok denies its existence, that’s actually why he’s doing this in the first place. They stare at each other for awhile before Yoongi the cat raises his small paw to the direction of Hoseok’s shirt and that’s when he comes into a realization, his mouth forming an ‘o’ and he hastily stands up from his position on the kitchen floor “Let me get you something to wear then” He feels his cheeks start to burn up at the memory of a particular man lying naked in the middle of his classroom, skin pale and hair golden brown, very much like the fur his cat now possess which raised more questions in his head that he’ll be sure to ask Yoongi once he’s a talking human person.

✿✿✿

Hoseok kept Jimin’s clothes in the topmost drawer of his closet in case Yoongi comes back although back then he wasn’t really expecting to see the other again or at least he hasn’t admitted it to himself just yet. Nevertheless, he leaves the clothes just beside the cat, leaving him for privacy and a few minutes later, he hears the soft sound of footsteps emerging from the kitchen and to his spot in the living room. 

He turns on his position on the couch to see Yoongi, now the person that he saw exactly a week ago wearing Jimin’s old orange sweater. Hoseok thought that it would suit him just well but the other turned out to be much smaller than he estimated because Yoongi looked even tinier than he did before in the sweater that hangs loosely on his small frame. 

Hoseok knew that he wanted to see Yoongi again, like this but now that he’s actually in front of him, he finds himself at a loss for words or any kind of movement at that. They both look at each other clueless as to how to proceed and the air around them turns awkward with each passing second. That is, until Yoongi couldn’t bear the deafening silence anymore and took the first step forward towards Hoseok who watches him with new found adoration. 

“How did you know?” He speaks once they were only a few inches away from each other. Hoseok notes that Yoongi’s breath smells of cat food, which he doesn’t really find a pleasant smell but he keeps his mouth shut anyways, that’s probably a conversation for another day. He unconsciously smiles when he thinks about that, more days of getting to know Yoongi. He is so whipped for someone he barely even knows but at this point, Hoseok was done with being scared, of only wandering safe and sure waters. He has done that with Namjoon for years and look where that got him. No, this time he wants to wonder more, visit and touch places that he never even dared to look at. Yoongi would be his first step to the freedom he only dreamt of before, that, Hoseok was sure of. 

Hoseok realizes that he has been staring at the other for far longer than what is deemed comfortable and looks away quickly, clearing his throat to break the unnecessary tension that was building between them. He needs to learn not to stare at people too much, he notes. 

“It was really obvious” He says, trying to keep his face from smiling any wider 

“Oh” Was the only response that Yoongi could come up with and instinctively, his hand comes up to his ear to scratch it lightly

“I didn’t want to startle you because I knew about your, you know… but also my curiosity has been eating me up so much for the past few days so I just had to say something. I’m sorry if you’re not comfortable with what I did, I’d understand if you leave right now” Hoseok offers an assuring smile but deep down inside of him he also wishes that Yoongi won’t take his stupid advice and just stay there, with him. 

“What are you curious about?” Yoongi catches his eyes again and Hoseok’s smile couldn’t be contained anymore. It broke to the biggest it had in awhile and he nods excitedly.

“Everything” 

✿✿✿

“So you’re a shapeshifter is what I’m picking up from this?” Hoseok clarifies and Yoongi nods, now more comfortable in his position in Hoseok’s small couch. They’re sitting at opposite ends but Hoseok can still hear the soft nervous beats of Yoongi’s heart “Relax, I don’t judge” He says finally and the other looks at him again with those brown eyes that had followed Hoseok even in his dreams for the past week, he looks away bashfully 

“I come from a family of shapeshifters, making me one too, yes” Yoongi confirms 

“How?” Hoseok knew that he should’ve made his question clearer than just that one word but thankfully, Yoongi seems to have understand what he meant 

“We’ve been around for a long time if that’s what you mean. There were old stories that try to explain our species like the gumiho but none of them are true, none of them even came close. Even my clowder, which we call ourselves since we have a cat form doesn’t really know when or where we originated from. All that we know is that society isn't really accepting of our kind so we made it our mission to blend in the community in either our human or animal form until the end of our days, making sure that no one will ever find out that the shapeshifters exist among the new world” Yoongi stops momentarily, his eyes never leaving Hoseok and he says in a quieter voice “You’re the first one to see me in both my human and cat form or at least just the first who realized that both of my forms are me” 

Hoseok takes his time to digest the information and he swallows the lump that has formed in his throat “Why me though? Why did you show yourself to me if your mission as you just said is to keep your kind anonymous. How can you be sure that I won’t tell anyone about you?” It was a genuine question but Hoseok regrets asking it immediately the moment that he sees Yoongi wince and his brown orbs that are still looking at him, now had doubt forming in them 

Yoongi quickly recovers and he sticks his tongue out a little in thought before he answers “I trust you, I know that you won’t tell anyone. You won’t tell anyone, right?” The words were simple but the weight that it carried to Hoseok’s shoulders was almost too much to bear. How can this person or can he even be called one, be so trustful of a stranger like Hoseok?

“I won’t, I just wondered, sorry” He says meekly and there it was again. The shroud of awkwardness threatening to eat them whole but both Hoseok and Yoongi seems to not have planned for that to happen because they speak again at the same time

“What-”

“I want to get married” Yoongi says seriously and Hoseok chokes, eyes blinking and unbelieving of what he just heard 

“What?” Hoseok asks, cheeks burning a fiery red 

“In the future I mean, not now obviously since I don’t have anyone to get married to yet-” There was no mistaking it but Yoongi’s eyes glint when he said that and looked at Hoseok’s widened eyes “-but once I find my significant other, preferably someone like me. I’d like to get married in my human form and live my days as a person named Min Yoongi” Yoongi smiles at the thought as if he was imagining his wedding day right there in front of Hoseok who is still in shock on the topic that they chose to move unto. He won’t admit it to the other, but Hoseok felt a slight sadness when Yoongi mentions his preference to be with someone of his kind, not that he thought they would actually be together that way or anything. He mentally slaps himself.

“You can do that” Hoseok finally replies and Yoongi smiles at him lopsidedly 

“I know but my family doesn’t particularly like that idea and I love my family too much to make them sad so I don’t really think that I can, Hoseok” The shine that was once there just a few seconds ago left Yoongi’s eyes and Hoseok wants nothing but to do something to help bring them back

“Why won’t they like that when it would possibly make you happy? I don’t know your family yet but that sounds a little controlling to me” Hoseok huffs and though he didn’t mean to by this particular statement, he made Yoongi chuckle 

“You’re right about that part, you really don’t know them yet but I think that you’d like them if you just meet them. 

They don’t really oppose the idea of me getting married or anything like that, if anything they want me to settle down already since I’m 27 years old, at the right age for marriage in their opinion. The thing is that they’re just very wary of me spending too much time with humans because of our history with your kind though we do have a human form too. It’s just more complicated for shapeshifters to live as humans compared to our animal forms, I personally would find it hard to hide my identity because I’m not very good at controlling when or where I transform” Yoongi laughs again and Hoseok finds himself enjoying the sound of his laughter in his ears very much like how he enjoys watching the other eat too. 

“Just like when you transformed in my classroom” Hoseok remembers and Yoongi blushes, looking down on his palms that are on his lap instead

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that again, the kids just made me panic because they crowded me and boom! I just transformed right there and then, sorry” He chuckles nervously 

“You talk about shapeshifters like there’s a lot more other forms out there, not just cats to humans and vice versa like you” Hoseok asks curiously, changing the subject in an attempt to hide his own face reddening from that mental image and he was glad when Yoongi picked the signal. 

“Exactly, some of those dogs that you walk past on the way to work? A lot of them are shapeshifters in their animal forms. It would honestly surprise you just how many of us are actually living in Seoul as we speak” Yoongi laughs again and he manages to look back up to Hoseok who looks like he still has a million more questions running in his head, carefully picking what he wants to ask first

“Just ask the first thing that pops to your mind and I’ll try to answer them as best as I could” He smiles and Hoseok feels warmth creep into his heart, swelling and making it too big for his chest.

They spent hours just talking about random things and Hoseok has grown even more fond of Yoongi as their conversation progresses. Yoongi was just so patient with Hoseok while he was so eager to put his questions out right away and somehow that worked well for them because by the end of the night. He feels like he had known Yoongi for years rather than just a week or technically a few hours in his human form. 

Hoseok learns that shapeshifters can both be born in their animal or human forms, depending on how their parents mate which he didn’t ask any further details about. Shapeshifters contrary to popular belief also don’t have supernatural powers aside from their actual shape shifting and that their life span and growth rate are still the same as normal humans which amazed Hoseok and just irritated Yoongi, saying that that belief made him cringe all the time and that if he actually had superpowers, he wouldn’t have hidden himself to the world and made sure he was a hero who got all the glory instead, making Hoseok laugh in return. Additionally, Hoseok learns that Yoongi lives with his family in a cat cafe. That's why he arrived at his apartment that night wearing a souvenir shirt, Hoseok laughs when recalling the memory.

“Since we don’t spend a lot of time in our human forms, my parents don’t really see the point of us having human clothes and that’s pretty reasonable to me too” Yoongi shrugs

“But you said that sometimes you and your brother go out in your human forms to enjoy the park or something, where do you guys get your money from if none of you worked?” Hoseok raises his brow suspiciously and Yoongi just rolls his eyes, growing more comfortable around Hoseok in just a short span of time

“We just get them from the cafe’s cashier when they’ve all gone home, no big deal” Yoongi says as a matter of fact and Hoseok’s eyes widen, an exaggerated gasp escaping his lips and the other burst into fits of laughter 

“You’re too much” Yoongi said in between laughter and Hoseok pouts 

“That’s stealing Yoongi” He says seriously and Yoongi grabs his hand to which Hoseok reacts in a more surprised way but this time, it was real. He feels the organ in his chest start to beat faster but if Yoongi notices that, he doesn’t pay attention because he just holds Hoseok’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers while looking at his face playfully. 

“It’s not stealing if we’re the ones making sure that the money keeps on coming in” Yoongi winks and lets go of his hand. Hoseok wants to protest and take his hand back but he stops himself, he should be as patient as Yoongi, he can do this much since the other granted him access to so much secret tonight alone. “Plus, we keep their place rat free, a free exterminator if you may” Yoongi laughs when he sees Hoseok cringe and slaps his chest playfully “Don’t act like the thought never visited your mind when you knew what I was” He says giggling 

“And if I say that I never thought of it before you put that horrendous image in my head then what?” Hoseok challenges 

“Then I’d say you’re stupid because I am cat, what else would you have expected?” Yoongi tells him in an incredulous manner but with a silly smile plastered on his face 

Hoseok didn’t want this conversation to end although Yoongi kept on reassuring him that he won’t run from him if it does and that more conversations like this one can take place as long as Hoseok wants to. That made him feel better for a second but still, with great hesitation, he pushed himself to ask the one question that he was so afraid to ask since earlier. He looks up straight into Yoongi’s eyes that he finds were already looking at him and takes a deep breath.

“How did Jimin get you?” He asks and his heart, even worse than before beats at a faster pace, threatening to burst out of his body at that moment. He senses Yoongi stiffen under his gaze and he was the first to break eye contact. Hoseok feels his heart slow and finally sink when he realizes just how much he has just asked the other

“I’m sorry-” His words immediately dies on his mouth when Yoongi tracks his eyes back on him with a look of pain 

“Don’t, don’t say sorry. It’s okay and you should know. The reason why I knew of your friend Jimin is because he caught me” He says and when Hoseok looks at him confused, Yoongi continues, his voice becoming quieter by every word “Remember how my family hates that I interact with humans all the time? Well let’s just say that I got to experience first hand the fear that they had. I think that it was around last year when the shapeshifters first heard of the rumor that some humans, scientists to be exact, had come to know of our existence and wanted to- and I quote catch one us so that they can conduct their study. A lot of the shapeshifters didn’t believe the rumor at first, myself included until one of us- a bird got caught and she escaped, confirming and telling us about the ongoing study where they use some gruelling ways of getting information from us” Yoongi closes his eyes, as if the memory hurt him physically and Hoseok hesitantly reaches for his hand but retracts when Yoongi’s eyes open again

“I was so stupid going out that day, I went to the public library since I love reading but I forgot to bring extra cash with me for the travel back home. The library was a bit far from the cat cafe but I still could’ve walked it if I wasn’t too lazy and transformed in broad daylight at the back of the building. I was so sure that no one saw me but it was only when I got pushed inside a cage that I realized that I was fucked, I didn’t even get to transform back to my human form so I could fight them before I was being injected with something and next thing I knew, I was in the lab with Jimin looking down on me sadly while his colleague does… some things on me” Hoseok sees Yoongi shudder and he too feels goosebumps rise on his skin. 

Hoseok feels his heart break from Yoongi’s story and his mind wanders to Jimin and Namjoon who he now knows what kind of study they are conducting. He wanted to be angry at them and confront them for hurting Yoongi in any way but a hand squeezing his softly shakes him awake and out of his thoughts. His eyes meet Yoongi’s once more and the other offers him a small smile.

“I know what you’re thinking but it’s not worth it Hoseok, we’ve thought about it a lot already and the only solution that we can come up with is to never reveal our identity to others, live in the shadows if you may” Yoongi sighs 

“But that’s not fair, you guys aren’t doing anything wrong and you just wanted to live life” Hoseok says exasperatedly and Yoongi managed to let out a bitter chuckle 

“Nothing really is fair to begin with, Hoseok” 

✿✿✿

Yoongi, as Hoseok found out from their conversation last night was very easy to open up. He wanted to keep asking him about the simplest things like what he likes to eat or what he does to entertain himself when there’s no customers in the cat cafe but the other almost fell asleep on the couch a couple of times while Hoseok was speaking so they decided to call it a day at around four in the morning.

Hoseok had always been an early bird even when he didn’t have work to do hence that same morning, he woke up a few hours later just as the sun had risen and prepared to grade his students’ works. It was his spring break and he could’ve just stayed lazy in bed but Hoseok was a workaholic among other things. As much as his own work drains him most of the time, he just couldn’t get enough of it that he even considers it a disease, something that he hates to do when he’s on site but misses it greatly when he’s given a break. He loves his work a lot and the past week that has given his life some of its weirdest turns had also allowed to him to reflect back on why he actually chose to be a teacher; he wanted to be an instrument for someone to have hope, no matter how small or big his effect may be, Hoseok wanted to help people know that there is hope to every situation and every dream. 

Hoseok passed by the couch on his way to the kitchen and found a cat in Yoongi’s place, splattered and dead asleep with its paws up in the air. Yoongi's clothes that he wore the night before were also left messy beside the sleeping animal. Hoseok tried his best not to laugh and made his way to the kitchen as silently as possible. It makes him feel warm somehow, knowing that Yoongi was more comfortable and had to transform to his cat form whenever he was asleep, memories from the past week coming back to him at that note. 

Hoseok doesn’t like coffee as much as most but during mornings like this when there is peace and quiet in his surroundings and his mind, he does enjoy the occasional dosage of caffeine too. He hears rustling in the small couch just a few steps away from where he was sitting at his kitchen table and found himself smiling foolishly at the drawings that his kindergarteners had drawn. One of them was a simple drawing of a golden brown cat releasing vomit on a man that Hoseok was sure is him and giggled, and as if the situation couldn’t get more cliche or rather- cuter, the person whom he just started thinking of walked silently into his kitchen. Golden brown hair sticking up to every direction possible, eyes barely opening against the harsh morning sun that was illuminating his face and bare feet that were half covered by the pajamas that turned out to be longer than him. Yoongi has woken up from his sleep, transformed and dressed himself up in his human form as it appears and is approaching Hoseok. He sat on a chair beside him and looked at the papers that he had scattered on the table.

“What are you doing?” Yoongi asks with sleep still thick in his voice and Hoseok couldn't help himself from smiling 

“Good Morning to you too Yoongi, I was just grading some papers before you woke up. Do you want to eat anything? Coffee perhaps?” Yoongi’s eyes forcibly open against their will and they follow the direction of the strong smell on the table, finally landing on the white cup containing Hoseok’s coffee. 

“I’ve never tried coffee before” Yoongi responds groggily and Hoseok gets up from his seat with excitement 

“One coffee coming right up then” He practically skips to his kitchen counter and pours Yoongi his own cup of coffee. He doesn’t put anything in it and serves it to him as is “Try it first and if you find it too bitter, I’ll add some sugar”  Yoongi cups the small mug in between his large pale and veiny hands and Hoseok unconsciously finds himself staring at them in awe. 

Yoongi smells the coffee experimentally and when he finds the scent good enough for his liking, he sips the drink tentatively and his eyes widened. Yoongi shoots up a gaze to Hoseok’s expectant ones, his lips suddenly pulling up in a smile. “This is really good” He says before diving in for another sip and then another until the whole cup was gone in under a minute or so. Hoseok’s eyes stay frozen on Yoongi in surprise and the other hands him the cup again, smile widening and eyes sparkling.

“Another one please” 

✿✿✿

“Easy there buddy, I don’t know if it’s any different for your kind but for mere humans like me, drinking too much caffeine isn’t exactly healthy” Hoseok warns him as Yoongi indulges in his third cup of coffee for the morning. It turns out that Yoongi wasn’t a sweet tooth like Hoseok and enjoyed his brewed coffee as is without any kind of creamer or sweets. Hoseok has never met anyone who enjoyed the drink in its plain and bitter form and he starts to wonder how much of Yoongi’s taste buds differ from his and if it has something to do with him being a shapeshifter. Hoseok shudders all of a sudden at the thought of what Yoongi feeds on from last night and thinks that maybe he can help make him favor the taste of human food better. Hoseok liked his own idea and had already started thinking of meals that he wanted Yoongi to try

“Why do you guys drink it then if it isn’t good for you?” Yoongi asks all the while immediately finishing his current cup and placing it on the table, just the right distance away from his papers and Hoseok silently thanked him in his mind.

“Because humans are stupid and we consume things even though it’s bad for us” Hoseok laughs before realizing something “Speaking of bad, cats aren’t allowed to eat chocolate because it’s lethal to them so I wonder if the same applies to you?” He asks hesitantly and Yoongi considers his question for a moment 

“I’ve heard of that before but I’ve only tried eating it once in my life when a kid accidentally dropped a chunk of her food on the cafe’s floor and I got curious. It’s not exactly lethal to us, I guess but I did have a really bad stomach ache after that and the owner got so annoyed by how much mess I made for the whole week” Yoongi laughs at his own memory and Hoseok follows with a small chuckle before going back to his pile of work 

“You know, I never actually went to school,” Yoongi speaks after a few comfortable minutes has passed. The other’s bluntness and pure willingness to share whatever is on his mind will probably never not amaze Hoseok, he thought.

“Really? Not even kindergarten at a public school?” Hoseok wonders if that sounded rude or insensitive but Yoongi doesn’t seem to take it in anyway other than just innocent curiosity for which he was thankful for

“Yeah, never. My parents just don’t see the point especially since our family are one of those who decided to stay in our animal forms more, they told me that it would just be a waste of time and a huge risk if I were to go to school so I didn’t” He shrugs it off as if it was nothing but Hoseok can tell from the way that he was looking at the drawings that there was something more that Yoongi was holding back, something that he was embarrassed of to say even after he has already said too much to Hoseok. He thought that there’s nothing else that could’ve possibly make Yoongi shy at this point but surprises were still yet to come and he's not exactly opposed to the idea

“Did you want to though? I mean go to school?” Hoseok asks, his voice a careful tone and Yoongi meets his eyes before looking away shyly, a red color forming at the surface of his cheeks.

“Yeah” Yoongi says shyly and he looks back at Hoseok with a braver face “It sounds stupid but I used to always sneak out of the cafe when I was younger. I would take whatever clothes I could find in the neighborhood and transform to my human form so I could attend this one elementary school that was just a few blocks away. I didn’t have anything else with me since my parents don’t buy me stuff but the teachers were always kind enough to lend me pencils and crayons to color with so I had fun for awhile until they started questioning who I was because I wasn’t in the class record and I was left with no choice but to run away as a cat in the bathroom during break. I kind of regret not coming up with a lie and wanted to come back multiple times after that but at the end, it was just too risky” He finishes his short story and his fingers find their way to his mouth, teeth instinctively biting at whatever nail it could find. Hoseok felt pity that a kid like Yoongi had to do all that just to attend school and his mind immediately shifted to his students who always had a good time draining his energy everyday. 

Hoseok was about to say something when a certain memory hit him, his eyes widened in surprise and Yoongi smiles at him meekly as if he knew what exact scene is playing in Hoseok’s mind right now. “That was you?” He asks in astonishment 

“Yeah, I thought that you’d actually recognize me right away but that was years ago after all so I don’t blame you” Yoongi looks away bashfully while Hoseok’s mouth stays agape. It takes him a few seconds but he manages to pull himself together. 

“I remember the teachers always liked you because you were so active in class and to be honest you were like the smartest kid there” Hoseok chuckles, a ticklish feeling suddenly blossoming in his stomach “You really made all of us worried when you suddenly stopped showing up one day but the teachers couldn’t find a way to reach you because you never had a record with the school to begin with so we just carried on like nothing happened though.. I personally always did wonder what happened to that kid” He couldn’t stop the smile from creeping on his face anymore and Yoongi just continues to blush in embarrassment.

He remembers that kid all too well. Yoongi always had the messiest hair, very much like how his hair looks now and his clothes were always mismatched that some of the kids would make fun of him behind his back but Hoseok only thought that he was cool back then. Yoongi on the other hand, despite all that, never paid them any mind because whether or not he heard them, he didn’t give the negative comments any attention and instead he just focused on learning as much as he could. He would always borrow books from the library and isolate himself during play hours, his nose would be buried in the new book that he got and whenever someone would approach him, he would just glare at them until they went away. He wasn't someone that's easy to forget and Hoseok regrets it too late that he didn't recognize him. 

That kid with the weirdest clothes and smartest retorts had always amazed Hoseok and although that was the case, when the other kids painted him as someone cold and unreachable, he believed them quickly without a doubt. He wanted to be friends with that kid who now turned out to be Yoongi but was always terrified that he would get rejected and glared at just like the others so he chose to just watch him from afar everytime. Hoseok would play with the other kids on the playground but his eyes would always be at that scruffy golden brown hair whose face he can barely see because of how it's always hidden behind the thick cover of a book. 

It still won’t sink in to him that the kid turned out to be Yoongi and now Yoongi was in his kitchen, right in front of him. Telling him stories that he never expected he would hear from anyone, especially him, the kid that he so badly wanted to talk to before. Hoseok feels like he’s dreaming but the warm hand that makes its way to his arm tells him that this is all real and he moves his eyes up to the owner's own set, his gaze locking on Yoongi and now his heart remembers why those brown eyes were so familiar to him from days ago. Those were the eyes who so hungrily absorbed every word from whatever book he can get his hands on and now those same eyes are looking back at his, attention completely undivided and boring only to Hoseok’s own pair of brown orbs. 

“Do you want to go to a library?” Hoseok finds himself asking the boy, suddenly feeling like he’s seven again

✿✿✿

Hoseok brought Yoongi to the library farthest from the cafe and university that Jimin works at, afraid that he might be reminded of unpleasant memories. Yoongi doesn’t comment whether he noticed or not but felt silent relief when he saw that it wasn’t the same library where he was caught. 

Yoongi immediately makes his way to the fictional section and Hoseok remembers when he used to do the same when they were younger. Yoongi was older than him by a year but Hoseok figures since he only sneaked in school, he just attended whatever class he thought he belonged to, luckily it was Hoseok’s that he found. Yoongi was fast to pick out the books that he wanted to read and Hoseok laughed when he approached him with a stack consisting of five books already.  

“Can you borrow these for me? I never get to take home books because I just sneak in the libraries to read. I never really had an ID to present whenever they asked me for it” It went away just as quickly as it came but Hoseok catches that hint of sadness that formed in Yoongi’s face when he talked about not having any ID. Hoseok is so smitten for the person in front of him that he wants to get him all the IDs possible as fast as he can although reality was quick to crush that dream when he realizes that Yoongi might not even have a birth certificate to process any official documents with. It was so unfair that someone like Yoongi who had so much potential couldn’t use it in the actual world because of the fear of being persecuted for what he is. It's thoughts like these that makes it hard for Hoseok to be hopeful at times 

“Of course, are these all that you want?” Hoseok asks and the sudden glint on Yoongi’s eyes was enough to answer his question, making him laugh

Yoongi immediately found five more books to add to his collection although they only got to check out eight because of the library’s policy on just how many books one may borrow for a duration of time. Yoongi was happy nevertheless and even asked the librarian if he could return the books in less than a week so he can borrow eight more. The lady looked at him incredulously, in disbelief that someone can read the books that Yoongi got in that short amount of time but Hoseok knew Yoongi or atleast Yoongi from when they were young and if there’s one thing that he was sure the other can do, it is to finish reading however thick any books are very fast. 

Yoongi was very giddy on the way back to Hoseok’s apartment and the moment they arrived at the place, Yoongi in an instant, had made himself a nest in Hoseok’s couch. Hoseok avoided making any noise once Yoongi picked up his first book and by dinner time, Hoseok found out that he was already halfway through his third book. His eyes unblinkingly and rapidly moves from one word to another as if he was in a marathon with them and his hands that held the book delicately, carefully flips the pages all the while still keeping that fast pace that he had going on for hours

“I know that the lady said that you can borrow more books once you’re finished with the ones you have now but it’s okay to take it slow, we can go back to the library anytime that you want, there’s really no rush” Hoseok smiles at him adoringly and Yoongi only then managed to take his eyes off of the pages and to the person looking down on him on his own couch. He smiles sheepishly, realizing how long he has gone silent just reading books. 

“Sorry, I just get carried away really fast” He mumbles as his hands move to close the book in them

“I do remember” Hoseok sits himself next to Yoongi, their thighs brushing off of each other but they don’t say a thing. “So what would you like for dinner?” He asks right when Yoongi’s stomach betrays him for the second time in front of Hoseok. Yoongi buries his head embarrassed in his hands and they both burst out laughing 

✿✿✿

Two weeks of his school break has passed by quickly and Yoongi has somehow become a part of his daily life now. Every three days or so, the two of them will make a trip down to the library to switch Yoongi’s books which made the librarian surprised at first. She even made the foolish move of asking him about the books, to see if he actually reads them and there was this one time during their third visit where Yoongi got so carried away explaining why the book that he just finished reading was all kinds of offensive and Hoseok had to step in just to cut him off. The librarian never doubted him again after that and would even suggest him new books that were added whenever he visited to which Yoongi found sweet. Yoongi has settled himself on Hoseok's couch and every morning when he wakes up, he feels a sigh of relief seeing that lump of what he knows is a cat under or on top of the mound of blanket and clothes. 

Hoseok prepares himself for work while Yoongi remains unmoving, deep in his sleep. He carefully weighs whether he should wake him up or not and decides on the latter when he sees how peaceful Yoongi was sleeping, his stack of books now finished again and he adds a mental note to pass by the library to inform the librarian that Yoongi would come alone later with his ID. He was about to leave his library card on top of the latest book that he finished when Yoongi moved in his sleep and his small feline eyes fluttered open to Hoseok whose lips instinctively lift up to a smile. 

“Hey, I’m going to work soon. Do you need anything while I’m away?” He asks and Yoongi jumps down the couch. Hoseok’s eyes followed his movements curiously and saw that he went behind the brown seat. After a few seconds of rustling and a pale arm, peeking and reaching for his clothes on the couch. A human Yoongi emerges, approaching Hoseok while rubbing the sleep remaining in his eyes

“Let me come with you to school” He says shortly, not even allowing Hoseok to get his response out and Yoongi was already in the bathroom, the sound of water coming from the shower echoing through the apartment 

✿✿✿

Just like the first time that he brought Yoongi to school, then as a cat. Hoseok still feels- and  a percentage of him actually knows that this was a bad idea. When they reached the guard house and Yoongi had to get a visitor’s pass, Hoseok was quick to make excuses about how he was a cousin from the countryside and that he left all his IDs back home. Yoongi just agrees to whatever he says, speaking only when necessary and the guard watched the two of them suspiciously but eventually issued Yoongi a pass since Hoseok was someone that everyone trusted. Besides, who would have thought that Hoseok was trying to sneak in a supernatural being like a shapeshifter into school grounds? anyone who would hear Yoongi’s stories wouldn’t believe them and would only think that Hoseok was losing his mind and it wasn’t until Hoseok’s first break of the day that he realized that someone else aside from Yoongi would actually understand their story. 

Hoseok didn’t think through where Yoongi would stay during his classes and so he ended up borrowing a few books from the highschool department for Yoongi to busy himself with inside his classroom. He was worried at first since the books that he got were purely school textbooks but his worry immediately dissipates when he learns that Yoongi not only liked reading but also solving math equations for fun. Hoseok would’ve teased him as a nerd on normal occasions but since nothing about his situation was normal, he instead finds himself in awe watching Yoongi do calculus in a small chair beside his teacher’s table. His eyes knit together in concentration and he really wonders where Yoongi would’ve been now if he was able to finish school like a normal person. He lingers on the sad thought until one of his students pats his hand and shows him her work.

“Wow, that’s a really pretty drawing, Jieun” Hoseok puts on his signature friendly smile and the small girl smiles back at him

“You’ve been staring at Mr. Moody since we started class” She comments and Hoseok’s eyes widened. He wishes that the little girl doesn’t notice but he feels his whole face flush at his apparent obviousness. Yoongi, the person in question doesn’t seem to hear their conversation at all and only smiles when it appears that he got the answer correct for one of his problems. 

“Did you tell anyone about Mr. Moody?” Hoseok asks nervously yet his smile still doesn’t disappear nor falter on his face, a skill that he has developed over the years of teaching kindergarten. Jieun shakes her head no and he releases a sigh of relief. He pulls out a star stamp from his drawer and places three on his student’s drawing. He returned it to her and Hoseok almost laughed when he sees Jieun’s look of surprise, the little girl tells him that she will draw more and he encourages her by giving her a new picture to draw 

“How about a cat?” He suggests and the little girl winks at him before rushing back to her table to get started on her new piece. Hoseok shifts his gaze back to the small man and his calculator and as if it was planned, Yoongi looks up right on time with a wide smile on his face, gums showing. Hoseok suddenly thought about how that image of Yoongi has now been etched in his mind and he wishes that it will never go away. 

“I haven’t done calculus since years ago and luckily it turns out that it was still fun” He tells Hoseok excitedly “How about you? Did you like math?” Yoongi asks  and that’s when Hoseok cracks up a small laugh 

“No, god, I was bad at maths. To be frank, I was more of a literature type of person since my dad was a literature teacher after all” Hoseok says proudly 

“So you write?” Yoongi looks at him expectantly and Hoseok feels something squeeze inside his chest. He hasn’t written anything in years and he had taken it upon himself not to think about it anymore although just a few weeks ago, he did have a momentary thought about writing again because of a particular event that also involved the person beside him now. 

“I used to but I don't anymore. I just did it for fun, nothing too grand” Hoseok tries to pass it off with another laugh, hoping that Yoongi would let go of the subject but his voice just shakes, a nervous sound was made instead

“I want to read it” Yoongi says seriously and Hoseok shoots him a panicked look

“I told you, I don’t write anymore besides, if I did write something lately, It’s not something worth reading” He sighs but Yoongi doesn’t seem like he’ll let it go without getting the answer that he wants so he continues, 

“I still want to read them, Hoseok, if it’s fine with you” He says now with a more mellow tone and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to Hoseok anymore just how much Yoongi can influence him to do things that he don’t normally do but still, it sent shivers down his whole body when he says the following word without a doubt or another thought 

“Okay” 

✿✿✿

Recess came with a ring of the bell and so it signals the start of Hoseok’s first break of the day. He already felt a weird atmosphere build up between them since he asked that question about shapeshifters a few weeks back but the next thing that unfolds in front of him takes the cherry on top of things. 

The moment that Taehyung sees Yoongi and Hoseok enter the faculty, he sprints towards their direction and pulls Yoongi’s arm harshly towards the exit. Hoseok quickly trails behind them heading to leave the room when Taehyung stops abruptly, hand still gripping Yoongi’s arm. They stopped just right in front of the faculty’s closed door and luckily there wasn’t anyone around to listen in on their conversation. 

“No” Taehyung motions for him to stop and Hoseok raises his brow in question 

“Why-”

“It’s fine, he knows” Yoongi speaks and that broke Taehyung’s serious face only to be replaced by that of anger and frustration 

“He knows?!” He says in barely a whisper, almost like a hiss but Hoseok was still able to pick up what he said anyways

“Know what?” Hoseok asks, adding more of a demanding tone in his voice and Taehyung rolls his eyes. He pulls both Yoongi and Hoseok by their arms, dragging them to an empty classroom at the end of the hall and he observes if anyone saw them entering before closing the door and releasing a deep sigh of frustration. His eyes immediately land on Yoongi, glaring at him and the other just looks away bashfully. Hoseok on the other hand was still confused although he does have a hunch on what this was about, a particular conversation that he overheard in a bathroom suddenly coming to mind. 

“How could you let him know?” Taehyung half yells and Hoseok senses Yoongi flinch from beside him, eyes still looking anywhere but the angry man in front of them

“He won’t tell anyone, I swear” Yoongi defends himself, his voice rising a register higher “I just- he helped me a lot, okay? It was the least that I could do” He sighs exasperatedly but Taehyung still had his gaze deadly on him 

“Hey, what is this even about?” Hoseok managed to speak up and Taehyung moves his stare towards his direction, softening a little bit although the anger and confusion are still very evident on his face as if he’s having an internal debate as to whether Hoseok was trustworthy or not 

“You know very well what this is about Hoseok. You know that Yoongi hyung is a shapeshifter and now since we’re in the topic anyways, you might as well know that I am one too” Taehyung explains, his expression a lot more calm and Hoseok remains frozen on his spot, finding it hard to process the information being thrown at him

“You’re a-” He points at Taehyung who only nods and then he turns his whole body to Yoongi’s direction, finger also pointing at him “And you’re a-”

“Yep” The two says at the same time and Taehyung cringes 

“But we’re not like the same- same, Yoongi’s a cat shapeshifter and I’m a dog. Shapeshifters just know each other naturally because we agreed to the same thing, time and time ago- that we would keep our identity a secret” His eyes find Yoongi’s again and the other sighs louder than before, now sounding annoyed 

“I get it okay. I broke the promise, but you should know since Hoseok is your friend too that he wouldn’t tell anyone” Yoongi tells him 

“Guys, I’m still here” Hoseok laughs nervously but they pay him no mind and thankfully the tension that was building up melts away just as quickly when Taehyung decides to change his tone

“I thought that you got caught or at least that’s what I last heard from your family. I was so worried about you, hyung. What happened? Why haven’t you gone back home? Jungkookie has been very worried about you” Taehyung quickly tells him and Hoseok hears Yoongi sigh again. His own arm snakes around Hoseok’s seeking comfort and Taehyung looks at it suspiciously though he doesn’t say anything. Hoseok’s curiosity was piqued by the mention of Yoongi’s younger brother and it was only then that he realized how selfish he had been, keeping Yoongi all to himself and not encouraging him to go home to his family.

“I did get caught but I managed to get out with some help and that’s when Hoseok came to the picture. He took me in and I just felt like it was unfair that he doesn’t know the real me so I gave him some hints here and there. I didn’t really tell him anything until he was the one to actually figure it out and I just had to fill in the gaps” Yoongi shrugs though that didn’t fool Hoseok as his arm shook nervously around his

“You know that they won’t buy that. You still helped by letting him know about us through whatever hints you gave, just go home hyung. You need to explain to them” Taehyung looks at him worriedly 

“I’ve been thinking of going home, I really do but I just don’t know how to face them yet. I know that they’re worried sick and I’ll come home soon, I promise but just let me do it on my own way, okay?” Hoseok can feel Yoongi’s body quiver and he pulls his hand down to his own, intertwining their fingers and squeezing Yoongi’s reassuringly, making it harder for Taehyung to stop himself from asking his question 

“Are you guys together?” He finally asks and Yoongi was quick to disentangle his fingers from Hoseok’s. Hoseok felt a slight pang in his chest but he knew that he shouldn’t have, Yoongi was just a friend after all, he tried to convince himself.

“No, no we’re not” Yoongi tells him and doesn’t even dare look at Hoseok. Taehyung watches the two of them still suspiciously, showing not even the tiniest bit of sign that he was convinced but thankfully, Taehyung does let the subject go and right on time, the school bell rings again, bringing Hoseok back to his own reality. The end of his first break of the day.

✿✿✿

Hoseok would have forgotten that conversation with Taehyung actually taking place if it wasn’t for his stubborn mind continuously having mental battles with himself if he should push Yoongi to go home. Yoongi on the other hand, since they got back to the apartment that day, made it a silent mission to never talk about it again and Hoseok, remembering what he told Taehyung, that he’ll come home on his own accord, let him. 

Life with Yoongi living on his couch became so familiar that Hoseok at one point has completely forgotten what it felt like before he met him or at least before he became an apparent part of his current adult life. Normally, he would wake up in the morning alone, go to his kitchen alone and prepare himself a meal and a drink that is only enough for a single person but like a lot of days that Yoongi has taken him by surprise since that night, Hoseok woke up this morning to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking in his kitchen. He liked bacon and eggs except he knew that he didn’t have any in his fridge before he slept. He stretched his body slowly, looking at the clock beside him that told him that it was past eight in the morning and finally got himself to get up from his bed, following the fantastic smell that was coming from his kitchen. 

Yoongi had his back against him, his mop of golden brown hair as messy as they always were and when he turned around to see Hoseok at the door of the kitchen, he smiled and went back to what he’s doing. Hoseok sits on one of the chairs in his small dining table and it didn’t take Yoongi longer until he was making his way to the table, putting some freshly cooked bacon strips and sunny side up eggs on the plates situated in the middle. He quickly cleans up his mess in the kitchen and sits on the chair across from Hoseok, a proud smile appearing on his face.

“Where did you get the bacon?” Hoseok asks though he already was chewing on his second strip. Yoongi chuckles and portions some food for himself, now fully accustomed to using korean utensils and he picks up an egg expertly with a pair of chopsticks

“From the supermarket” Yoongi replies as a matter of fact and Hoseok rolls his eyes jokingly

“No, I mean where did you get the money?” He hums in delight at the best breakfast he had in awhile and he sees Yoongi blush in embarrassment. Hoseok hopes that more mornings like this would happen- no, he greatly begs the universe for it.

“I got some from your wallet” Yoongi confesses sadly and Hoseok just laughs, making the other look at him dumbfounded 

“I was just making conversation, relax, I don’t mind you buying stuff, Yoongi just make sure to save some for rent” He continues to chuckle and Yoongi shoots him a small smile, not fully convinced 

“I was watching this show the other day and just thought that I’d try cooking human food” Yoongi mumbles, his lips pushing out into a pout as he idly pokes his sunny side up on his plate

“You did great, Yoongi, I really enjoyed today’s breakfast. Thank you” Hoseok smiles at him and that was enough to convince Yoongi that he immediately dives into his own food. He goes on talking about other more complicated dishes that he wanted to try and complains about how being in his animal form all the time has led him to only eating a small variety of food for all twenty seven years of his life. Hoseok listens to his every word attentively, absorbs them all and makes sure to never forget them. Hoseok thinks that nothing could be better than this.

✿✿✿

A one time breakfast that turned into Yoongi cooking their meals everyday, trips to the library that initially only excited Yoongi turned to something that Hoseok also looked forward to doing with him, stolen glances that often became a full blown staring contest that not one of them would say anything about afterwards and just Yoongi’s presence that his apartment was once void of and now screams of Yoongi at every corner. From the sheddings of golden brown hair on the couch, the humongous amount of borrowed books, neatly stacked on the coffee table and coffee cup now designated for Yoongi’s use always contains a fresh batch of brewed coffee. Hoseok couldn’t seem to remember the days when he would wake up without the knowledge of Yoongi’s existence waiting for him outside of his bedroom door and because of it, he doesn’t plan on letting these days with Yoongi end any time soon. 

Finally, on another day, during what appeared to be their first month of living together, Hoseok finally found it in himself to ask Yoongi out on a date. He didn’t have any grand plan when he did this. All he knew is that he wanted Yoongi to know that he had a big fat crush- or in more accurate terms- he has been smitten, head over heels for the shapeshifter since he doesn’t remember anymore. Hoseok told himself that he’d be fine with whatever Yoongi responds with, whether he’ll reciprocate his feelings or not. They’ve only properly known each other for a month after all although for Hoseok that one single month already felt like ages and he was ready to skip every step there is, with Yoongi beside him. The image that he only had pictured in his mind was made true by Yoongi that night, at the top of Namsan tower, with a lot of people staring at them but that didn’t bother Hoseok at all since all his attention was now focused to the small man whose waist is tightly secured in his arms. Chest close to his and lips touching Hoseok’s, a warm and comfortable feeling enveloping them in the middle of the chilly night. The moment happened fast and short but both of them knew that it was more than enough compared to what’s to come.

“Ofcourse, I like you too, Hoseok,” Yoongi smiles against Hoseok’s lips. Hoseok still had his eyes closed, the warm feeling of the other’s soft lips pressed against his is still a feeling that his brain is trying to process when he hears him laugh, that soft chuckle that Yoongi produces and Hoseok opens his eyes to the most beautiful man that they have ever laid upon, now finally a person that he can call his .

“I like you so much, you don’t understand how hard it has been for me not to tell you everyday” Hoseok still had his arms around his waist and Yoongi giggles, something that has now become music to his ears. The idea of him having to hear that everyday excites him more than anything else. Hoseok, just when he thinks that nothing could go better when he is with Yoongi, has been proven wrong once again because everyday with him is by far better than the one before. 

Everything with Yoongi has been a fast play since day one compared to his past relationships which isn’t really saying a lot since his list only consists of that one guy he dated for three months in highschool and a year after that came Namjoon whom he was with for seven years. Yoongi was his present and the momentum for which they are going forward together in their relationship doesn’t seem like it would stop or slow down any time soon. He took things slow with Namjoon, everything from their courting to their actual relationship was like in slow motion now that Hoseok thought of it but with Yoongi, all that he could think about is how he can take them further everyday, how he can start doing certain things with him and hopefully have him in every part of his future, whatever that may mean. He simply just wasn’t scared of running with Yoongi no matter the chances of them tripping since the other always makes sure to keep up with him or better yet, has the same pace as him on things but in a more calm manner contrastingly to Hoseok’s enthusiastic one. They fit so well together that one might think that they’ve known each other since the start of times and Hoseok won’t even deny it because they might as well be. Yoongi has opened up so much more to him than he has done to anyone else in his years of living and Hoseok was the same, he let him see clearly through him so quickly and although that should’ve scared him. It only made Hoseok want to keep Yoongi with all that he can, even if that means opening old scars to a passion that was suppressed for years. 

They’re still on top of the Namsan tower but people have stopped staring at them and they were leaning on the railings where people keep padlocks to signify their love and commitment to their significant other. Hoseok fidgets with the medium sized rectangular object inside his coat and once in a while steals nervous glances at Yoongi who’s watching the night scenery of Seoul with so much interest and admiration. He has never felt this nervous around him since they met and that just made him doubt what he’s about to do more. Yoongi eventually senses his discomfort and pulls Hoseok’s other hand to his, intertwining and keeping them inside of his own coat’s pocket without sparing him a glance, eyes still focused on the scenery up front.

“Spill it out Hoseok” Yoongi says and Hoseok clears the lump in his throat. He removes his hand from Yoongi’s and clumsily fishes out the gift that he has prepared from his coat. 

Yoongi finally looks at him and his eyes widen at the small book placed in his hands. He brushes his hand slowly on top of the red hard cover and feels his eyes water when he reads the golden inscriptions customly made on top of the velvet cover. “Stories for Yoongi” was written in bold cursive letters and at the bottom of the book it says, “Short stories written by Jung Hoseok” . Yoongi looks up at Hoseok, an anxious smile on his face as he waits for his response and what comes next was enough to assure him that he didn’t make the wrong choice because Yoongi indeed loved his gift. 

Yoongi throws his arms around Hoseok’s neck and on his tip toes, He pecks his lips lightly before kissing every part of his face, making Hoseok giggle. His nose, his eyelids, his cheek and every spot that he could, Yoongi has put his lips on until finally, he pulls away. Yoongi’s eyes were still glassy but no tears escaped them and instead a grin spread wide on his face to which Hoseok returned with much relief.

“You actually did it” Yoongi breathes out 

“Yeah, I thought that you wanted me to” Hoseok replies, a blush creeping into his cheeks in embarrassment 

“I did, I did want to read them, Hoseok. Thank you” Yoongi reaches again to kiss his cheek lightly and Hoseok holds him in his arms even tighter, afraid that he was just dreaming and that all of this would end in the blink of an eye

“You’re real, right?” Hoseok asks with fear in his voice. Their foreheads are pressed against each other and Yoongi looks at him incredulously, his eyebrow cocked questioningly 

“I am, Hoseok, is everything okay?” Yoongi’s expression was immediately replaced by worry when he saw Hoseok’s crestfallen face as he lifted his head to look at him. Eyes as if looking for proof that he wasn’t actually real and Hoseok’s grip on him becomes tighter.

“I don’t want to lose you” He says in barely a whisper and Yoongi offers him a small smile, his hand lifting to hold Hoseok’s cheek and thumb caressing his skin softly 

“I’m not going anywhere, Hoseok” He assures him

“But I’m not a-” Hoseok was quick to stop himself and his eyes searched their surroundings in panic that someone might hear them. He sighs when he finds no one and looks back to Yoongi whose bothered eyes are still trained on him “I’m not like you and you said that you would have preferred it if it’s someone your kind” Hoseok knows that he’s starting to sound like a whining little kid but he doesn’t care anymore and Yoongi smiles at him in amusement, his hand that was on Hoseok’s cheek moves down his chest and he chuckles 

“Keyword ‘preferred' and Hoseok I only said that before because I wasn't sure if you'd feel comfortable with me hinting that I like you. I liked you since the moment Jimin brought me to your apartment and you became really defensive of me when I flinched. Heck I can even trace this back to when I first noticed you at the elementary school. You were the only one who didn't try to disturb me from reading back then which you proved to be out of consideration just a few weeks ago. I've always wondered why you didn't try to talk to me before when I so clearly remember you staring at me from the playground all the time" Yoongi chuckles and Hoseok looks away as he feels his face burn up more "The point is, Hoseok, I didn't and I still don't care if you're not like me. Look at me right now in my human form telling you all of this, I know that we've only known each other for a month but I also know that you're the only one for me Hoseok. I can't imagine being without you, not now and not ever" Hoseok takes a moment to process and he pulls Yoongi’s hand away from his chest, only to hold it inside his own, keeping it warm.

“Do you really mean it all?” Hoseok asks nervously yet he knows what the other would say anyways, he wanted to hear it come from his own mouth 

“I do, I really do Hoseok. I can see a life with you, one that is years in the future. I really want to be with you if you’d allow me” Yoongi tells him, a small fear that he might have said too much starts to rise but at last, a smile broke from Hoseok’s face and Yoongi knew that this was it, he found his person in the form of a human called Hoseok

“You know, just a few weeks ago, someone told me that they can’t see a future with me and ended my seven year relationship over a phone call but now just weeks later, you’re telling me right here that you want a life with me, one that suggests we’ll be together in future years. Are you really sure about me, Yoongi?” Yoongi fought his best not to roll his eyes but couldn’t help it anymore and laughed at Hoseok’s face which made him jump in surprise

“Yes, Hoseok. I want to be with you, how many times do I have to say it? Namjoon, among many things that he does is stupid to not have seen a future with you because all I can see when I look at you is the future, bright, hopeful and just a place with no end because we don’t need an end, people who keep looking for an end will eventually find themselves at their goal dumbfounded about what to do next because they put a name to an ending. We just need to keep going forward together, that’s the future that I see with you, I love you Hoseok” Yoongi moves to cup his face in his hands “I fucking love you and I don’t care anymore if we’re going too fast or if I’m going too fast. I love you, I love you, I love you” He says each three ‘I love you’s after every kiss on his face, first on his cheek then his nose and his cheek again, making Hoseok giggle

“I love you too, Yoongi”

✿✿✿

“We don’t have marriages like regular people, we simply just find the person we want to spend the rest of our lives with and start calling them our husband or wife or whatever label you want to slap on to the relationship. The important thing is, the people involved truly love each other and are willing to stay through thick and thin even without a piece of paper telling them so. It makes it a lot more natural in my opinion, I don’t know why you people spend your life’s savings for something as silly as a wedding” Hoseok hums in agreement while he brushes Yoongi’s hair with his hand. 

"But you did say before, and I quote 'i want to get married'"  Hoseok says and he hears Yoongi chuckle, all the while his eyes never leaving the pages of the book he's reading

"Yeah, I did but as I have just said too, marriage to us doesn't necessarily require all the complications you humans put upon yourselves" Yoongi has made himself comfortable lying on Hoseok’s chest in his bed and though Hoseok had asked him to read it when he's not around. Yoongi is already two pages away from finishing his book, starting it immediately once they got home a few hours ago. Hoseok felt embarrassed everytime Yoongi would read a line out loud because he liked it but at the same time felt deep pride knowing that someone who was very critical about the literature he reads is openly complimenting his work.

“Aren’t you just saying these things because I’m your boyfriend?” Hoseok laughs and Yoongi finally finishes reading the last page. He closes the book and turns to face Hoseok, a mocking cringe making an appearance on his face.

“Boyfriend, Husband, Lover whatever you want to call it, I still think that the stories were amazing especially that one about the boy and his cat” Yoongi smirks and Hoseok’s face flush crimson red 

“This is why I didn’t want you reading it” He pouts and Yoongi pecks his lips softly 

“You’re such a big baby” Yoongi teases 

“It took me years to compile that book and it took you just a few hours to finish it, this feels unfair” Hoseok continues to pout and Yoongi roars of laughter 

“I told you before, nothing really is fair” Yoongi giggles and pushes himself down on Hoseok’s chest again, sighing contentedly 

“Do you think that your parents would like me?” Hoseok suddenly asks and he feels Yoongi tense above him. The other doesn't say anything for awhile before he feels him tugging nervously on his shirt 

“I honestly don’t know but I don't want to lie to you either and tell you that they would  because the truth is and let's face it, If you were like me then I can tell you right away that they’d definitely like you but because you’re human, I think their prejudice against your kind would play a big role” Yoongi sighs and Hoseok rubs his arm in comfort 

“Why don’t we find out then?” He suggests and Yoongi, the surprised cat that he is , transforms into one on the spot. Hoseok lets out a laugh and he watches as the small animal above Yoongi’s pajamas is doing his best to glare at him. Yoongi still had some moments where he would transform into a cat or the other way around when he’s caught by surprise and Hoseok would find it cute everytime. 

Hoseok manages to put his laughter to a stop and the cat, Yoongi, was still glaring at him from the same spot. “I want to meet your parents but only if it’s okay with you?” Hoseok was still holding back his laughter and in the next second, Yoongi, the person lands with a thud on the floor as he transforms again. Hoseok couldn’t help it any longer and burst out laughing, the sound of it echoing through the whole apartment and he hears Yoongi mutter a curse 

“You can be really mean sometimes, Hoseok. I’m telling you now, they won’t like mean people” Yoongi grumbles once he put his clothes back on and settled himself on the crook of Hoseok’s neck

“They’ll love me” Hoseok says confidently as he kisses the top of Yoongi’s head, still grumbling things he doesn’t understand but that was fine because now, after so many years, he has finally found a reason to look forward to the future again and his mind then wanders to the future that Yoongi told him about earlier. Just him and Hoseok and a future with no end goal, not exactly wandering aimlessly but just willing to see more than what others might think the end of the road is.

✿✿✿

Much to Hoseok’s disappointment, they didn’t only not show that they loved him but there was also no way for him to understand what they were saying aside from the sharp glares coming his direction. To make matters even worse, it turns out that Hoseok’s immunity to cat fur only applies to shapeshifters and so now that they are at the cat cafe where Yoongi’s family lives along with other real cats. Hoseok’s allergies have started acting up the moment he steps foot inside of the air conditioned building. He feels his chest start to tighten and nose itchy but he keeps a straight face on in front of the three cats in front of him. They were all the same breed as Yoongi as expected but their fur ranges in a variation of brown, his youngest and only brother Jungkook, having the lightest color among them all. 

“You know I can still hear you throwing insults at my boyfriend” Yoongi rolls his eyes and Hoseok looks at him expectantly. They’ve been conversing like this ever since they arrived, Yoongi would speak out loud normally and Hoseok would hear what he says then his parents in their animal forms would respond but only Yoongi would obviously understand what their meows meant “You don’t have to know, they’re just saying a lot of unpleasantries thoughtlessly” He assures him but Hoseok sure did not feel assured at all knowing that his boyfriend’s parents are saying unpleasant things about him when he was just right in front of them. A small part of him wishes that he could be a cat just in that moment so he can level with them in the conversation

“Can you tell them that I don’t plan on telling anyone else about you guys if that’s what they’re scared of?” Hoseok manges to say though his breathing has started to become harsher by every second. Yoongi furrows his brows worriedly

“They can actually understand you, they’re just being stubborn at this point” He sighs and watches as Hoseok’s eyes water while he battles the reaction that cat fur has on him

“Hey, are you okay?” Yoongi squeezes his hand from beside him on the floor. Hoseok knew his voice would betray him the moment he speaks again and so he only nods. Yoongi looks at him with even more worry and shifts his gaze back to the cats in front of them with a defeated look “Can you please change forms so we can talk outside? Hoseok is really doing his best here” He practically begs but two of the cats, his parents don't remove their eyes off of Hoseok, doing their best to intimidate him with their small feline eyes that are strikingly just as beautiful as Yoongi’s. Jungkook, the cat with the hair close to blonde on the other hand makes his way to the back of the room at the sound of his brother's plea and a boy wearing the same “Happy Cats!” shirt as Yoongi before emerges a few minutes later. 

“Hey, hyung, I’m Jungkook!” He greets Hoseok cheerily and he manages to smile at the younger despite the tightness continuing to grow in his chest 

“Hey, Jungkook, I’ve heard so much about you” Hoseok says in the loudest voice he could muster up and Jungkook knits his brows, looking at his brother Yoongi for clearance and he nods his head before Jungkook pulls Hoseok to stand up and leave the cat cafe. Hoseok looks back to Yoongi and his parents right before they reach the door but Yoongi only smiles encouragingly at him as if to say, it's okay and he smiles back weakly at him, frustrated about his body's conditioning to cats and how it ruined this day from the start. 

The second they step foot outside, Hoseok sneezes and Jungkook guides them to the nearest park where they sit on a bench overlooking the field. Hoseok silently thanks him and pops another pill in his mouth. The minutes drag by and none of them say a word while Hoseok waits for the medicine to kick in before he speaks.

“I’m sorry” Hoseok finally says and much like Yoongi’s own, Jungkook chuckles 

“It’s okay, hyung. I understand and I’m sorry too for how my parents reacted, they haven’t really transformed in years and the news that came along with Yoongi’s hyung’s sudden return probably shocked them as well” Jungkook tells him though they still won’t look at each other “Thank you, hyung” He then says in a voice much more serious but still lighter than the tension back at the cat cafe. Hoseok’s brows meet each other in confusion 

“Why are you saying thank you?” He laughs nervously 

“Because” Jungkook stops to ponder on what words he wanted to use and he moves to face Hoseok with his whole body, a smile so bright just like how Yoongi described it has developed on his lips “Because you make my hyung happy and I’m really grateful for that” Hoseok feels his cheeks burn up and he returns him a smile 

“He makes me happy too, Jungkook” He answers simply and there was this sudden look of doubt in Jungkook’s face that flashed but Hoseok was quick to catch it “What is it?” He asks cautiously and he feels his own heart start to beat nervously. Jungkook starts to scratch the back of his ear just like Yoongi when he's anxious and the knowledge certainly did not help Hoseok's nerves at all

“Yoongi hyung had always loved being in his human form, interacting with humans and doing human things which shouldn’t really be a big deal since we are shapeshifters after all, we are human as much as we are our animal counterparts but it’s just… Yoongi hyung has already been caught once and even before that, our kind never felt safe showing ourselves to you humans because of how you perceive us but hyung did it with you in just what, a month?” Jungkook suddenly finds interest in his fingers that he had been fiddling with on top of his baggy pants “I just worry a lot for my hyung, I hope you understand that” He sighs and Hoseok places his hand on top of Jungkook’s, making the younger boy look at him again

“I worry a lot too, Jungkook especially since I know who those people are that did those things to Yoongi but I really love him and I will do everything that I can to make sure that he’s safe, please have trust on me” Even as Hoseok says those words, he knew that what he was asking for is a lot. He knew how heavy the burden would be on him but it’s Yoongi that they’re talking about; the Yoongi that was never afraid to speak his mind, the Yoongi that learned how to cook by simply watching tv everyday, the Yoongi who was the first person to ever tell him that his writings was worth reading and the Yoongi who was willing to risk it all just to have that future that he sees with Hoseok. That was the kind of Yoongi whom he’s promising to protect now and putting things into perspective, Hoseok feels like it would be a lot easier since it’s him. 

“Did you know that Yoongi hyung used to have a crush on a human kid before?” Jungkook asks after a few moments and a particular conversation popped to Hoseok’s mind that made him laugh 

“Yeah, I heard” Yoongi didn’t exactly tell him that he had a crush on him but the intent was there and hearing Jungkook confirm it just makes Hoseok even happier 

“I was only around four or three back then but hyung told me about it anyways when I got older. He said that he used to always sneak out in the morning before we woke up and he’d attend school like regular humans do, he kept on telling me the same stories over the years about how the teachers didn’t suspect him for months until he finally got caught and how he managed to finish almost every book there is at the library before that happened. My favorite part about the stories though was how he’d always talk about this boy with jet black hair and how he was so sure that he was always staring at him. He wondered a lot why that boy never approached him even once and Yoongi hyung always wishes that one day he’ll see the boy again and maybe ask him why he never talked to him, I wonder where that boy is now” Jungkook finishes telling him and Hoseok ruffles his hair, a wide smile spread across his face 

“He didn’t exactly ask him about it but he did meet the boy” Jungkook stares at him in confusion for a few seconds before shock envelopes him and his eyes widened, mouth forming an ‘o’

“You’re- you’re the boy?” He asks in amazement and Hoseok nods “well would you look at that” The both of them chuckles

“I hope you know what your future with someone like us would be like” Jungkook once again falls to that nervous and doubtful tone but Hoseok just bumps his shoulder playfully

“I don’t” He answers and before Jungkook could even ask, Hoseok cuts him off “I don’t know what my future with Yoongi would be like but that would be true even if we ended up with someone like ourselves. The huge difference with others though probably is that even if we are unsure of our future, I’m willing to find that out with him. We’ll just figure things out along the way and who knows, maybe the future will have something better for both of our kinds” Hoseok smiles optimistically at him and this time, he really means it 

✿✿✿

Jungkook and Hoseok return to the cafe after talking for a while more and they see Yoongi patiently waiting outside in front of the entrance. He waves at them when they get nearer and finally greets Hoseok with a hug, burying his head on his chest before releasing a heavy sigh. Jungkook clears his throat, making them step away from each other and the two of them smile sheepishly at him. 

“I should probably go in” Jungkook stops momentarily to chew on his bottom lip and looks at Yoongi hesitantly “You’re not coming home anymore, aren’t you?” Yoongi offers him a sad smile and shakes his head no slowly. Hoseok puts his hand at the small of his back, caressing it lightly in comfort 

“I can’t stay with them if they refuse to even transform just to talk to Hoseok. I’m sorry Jungkook” Yoongi reaches for his hand and Jungkook allows him, enveloping him in Yoongi’s large pale hands

“It’s okay hyung, I understand and I’m really happy that you found that little boy” Jungkook smiles and Yoongi looks at him in surprise then to Hoseok who only shrugs, watching the exchange between two brothers with a hint of sadness though he covers it with a grin

“You knew?” Yoongi asks in disbelief 

“Somehow figured it out” Jungkook chuckles “I’m really happy that you’re safe hyung and I’m sorry about mom and dad. You should know that they’ve been really worried about you for the past month and I think that everything you put on them today was just too much” He looks nervously at his brother but Yoongi only smiled understandingly 

“I figured that too, Jungkook and I’m sorry for worrying you as well. Take care of mom and dad for me, will you?” His voice almost cracks and thankfully Jungkook doesn’t take notice but if he did, he doesn’t point it out and instead he does his best not to cry 

“I will hyung and do you still do that thing whenever you get surprised or overwhelmed?” Jungkook asks in a more casual tone and both Yoongi and Hoseok understood what he meant right away 

“Yeah” Yoongi managed to laugh and Jungkook does too

“Be careful out there, hyung and Hoseok hyung-” Jungkook shifts his gaze towards him with the best intimidating look he could and it took everything in Hoseok not to laugh at him, pulling a neutral face on the whole time “-remember what you promised me. I’m putting my faith on you” He says sternly and Hoseok nods while Yoongi watches them with a confused look etched on his face. Hoseok only squeezes his waist to assure him that it wasn't something he should worry about 

✿✿✿

That night just like the ones before, Yoongi makes himself busy reading a book before bed. Hoseok has just finished washing himself up and he quietly joins Yoongi under the covers, head leaning on his shoulder as the other flips the pages at a faster pace than he could finish reading what was written on the one before. Obviously, he also liked reading but Yoongi’s ability to absorb words was way faster than his in comparison, something that he once envied but now watched in adoration. Hoseok would normally just let the sound of Yoongi’s slow breaths and the paper turning with his long fingers lull him to sleep but something has been bothering him since before they got home and his mind wouldn’t let him not talk about it any longer.

“Yoongi” Hoseok says hesitantly and Yoongi’s hand stops, hovering just above the page that he was about to turn 

“Yeah?” He asks curiously although he knew what the other would ask about. Yoongi would be lying if he said that he wasn't anticipating it

“What did your parents say about me?” Hoseok gulps, patiently waiting for whatever Yoongi’s reply might contain but the other just makes a dissatisfied noise at the back of his throat, proceeding to flip his book to the next page 

“Just as I expected, they worry about me spending too much time with humans and tried to reason with me again why living as a cat for the rest of my life is more practical” Yoongi says in a bored tone while his eyes never leave the pages of his book. Hoseok feels his heart sink to his stomach but he quickly recovers to say what he’s been itching to since earlier. 

“I want to try again” Hoseok tells him quietly and that was enough for Yoongi to finally close his book and turn his whole body to face him. His hand making its way to his cheek and eyes full of love for the man nervously looking back at him. 

“You don’t have to, they might think like this now but they’ll soften up eventually and accept that this is what I want” Yoongi smiles reassuringly though he wasn't sure whom he was trying to assure exactly. He closes the distance between them, his lips softly brushing against Hoseok’s and he pulls away just to see worry still evident on the other’s face, he sighs

“I want to try anyway, this time alone and I don’t care if I have to take enough antihistamines to knock me out for the whole day just to be able to do it. I want to do this much for you because they’re your family and anything or everyone that is important to you is important to me too” Hoseok musters up a smile for him and kisses the crown of Yoongi’s head to which he responds with a hum. Yoongi was just right at home there in Hoseok’s warm embrace and there was nothing that anyone could do to change this feeling for him.

✿✿✿

With so much allergy medication streaming in his bloodline as he walks to the cat cafe. Hoseok barely makes it to the entrance without falling asleep along the way. He shakes his head and slaps his face strong enough to wake him up. Hoseok walks up to the same man that entertained them yesterday and he too was surprised to see him come back so quickly.

“Good Morning sir, eating alone today?” He asks noticing Yoongi’s absence and Hoseok shakes his head no politely though he wasn’t really sure just how slowly he did the shaking because he can’t feel most of his body at this point. The man looked at him weirdly and that was enough for Hoseok to know that he probably looked like an idiot right now so he tried to straighten his back and put a smile on his face. He will not let himself look like a fool in front of Yoongi’s parents for the second time. 

“Uh, yeah so I don’t know if this is weird to ask but remember the three cats that we played with yesterday?” Hoseok was glad that the actual cafe was behind the closed doors beside him because he was sure that saying he played with them is a minus point for him. The man nods hesitantly and is looking at Hoseok suspiciously now “Well I was wondering if they’re like available right now? I don’t really know how cat cafes work but I just came back to see them again” Hoseok hastily wraps up his statement in hopes that it would sound less weird but the man already has his brow cocked at him 

“Well sir, funny that you asked about those three particular cats because they have just been adopted yesterday, a few hours after you left” He smiles and it took just that to wake Hoseok up against all those antihistamine in his system 

“Excuse me?” Hoseok asks incredulously and the man didn’t even attempt to hide his annoyance when he responds

“They were adopted sir, all three of them” He answers still in a polite way but the condescending tone was there anyway. Hoseok can hear it but that wasn’t his main priority right now

“Who adopted them?” Hoseok pushes his luck

“Sir, I can’t-”

“Look, I don’t know how to explain this to you but I think I know who got them but I need assurance first before I do anything because those people aren’t exactly safe to be cat owners so I’m asking you for the last time, what are the names of the people or person who adopted the three cats?” Hoseok can now hear his voice louder compared to earlier and the owner just regards him intently for a minute before sighing and typing something on his computer

“There were two men who came here yesterday wearing lab coats from the university just a few blocks away, their names are Kim Namjoon and-” Hoseok decided that he has heard enough and rushed out of the door, ignoring the owner’s frantic calls

“Sir!”

Fuck Namjoon

✿✿✿

He hasn’t been to Namjoon’s place in months and he never thought that he’d actually have to go there again after their break up but that was until Namjoon pulled this stunt and now Hoseok is banging loudly on his door, screaming his name and paying no mind to the neighbors coming out of their respective doors complaining about the noise. Hoseok didn’t care at all, his blood was boiling and knuckles in a tight fist. He needed to confront Namjoon as soon as possible.

“Namjoon! Kim Namjoon you fucking-!” Hoseok was immediately cut off by the door opening and inside of his apartment was Namjoon in his pajamas, looking like he just got off his shift but Hoseok couldn’t care about that any more than he cared about making a scene right now.“Where the fuck are they?!” He screams angrily and the neighbors retreat to their homes with curses being thrown directly at them or Hoseok in particular 

“Who?’ Namjoon asks dumbfounded and he yawns, sleep still evident on his face “What is this about Hoseok, why are you making a scene at such an early hour?” He knits his brows and Hoseok crosses his arms in frustration, using every ounce of patience within him not to punch Namjoon right there and then 

“The shapeshifters Namjoon, I know what the fuck you’ve been up to” Hoseok sees a look of shock pass on Namjoon’s face but he immediately changes it to a forced look of confusion and Hoseok rolls his eyes 

What Hoseok said was seemingly enough to wake Namjoon up completely and very much like all the time he had to turn down Hoseok’s request at knowing what his project was about, Namjoon speaks with the same rehearsed tone “ I don’t know what you’re saying Hoseok but I think that our breakup is taking a toll on you, I just got off work and I’m really tired so can we just do this on another day?” Namjoon offers him a fake smile and proceeds to close the door but Hoseok was faster and stronger, he holds the door open, enough to glare at Namjoon. 

“I don’t know if you actually heard me but I know what you’ve been up to with Jimin, I know. Your gaslighting won’t work on me this time” he emphasizes the last part and finally Namjoon sighs of defeat, his demeanour falling off his face right away and he peeks around the hallway to make sure that no one is listening to them. He pulls Hoseok’s arm harshly to the apartment and closes the door behind them before turning his back on him and frustratingly pulling his hair. Hoseok had no sympathy left for him anymore, not after knowing what he actually does and what he just did to Yoongi’s family 

“How did you know?” Namjoon finally gathers his thoughts and turned back to face Hoseok, the bags under his eyes now more obvious on his face that looked so helpless

“That’s not what I’m here to talk about right now and you know it” Hoseok hisses at him and Namjoon flinched, the anger in Hoseok’s eyes enough to torment him for a lifetime

“Look, I can’t tell you anything. I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you the same now, I can’t tell you and you shouldn’t even know about this” Namjoon sighs exasperatedly as he sinks down his own sofa “Hoseok, how the fuck did you even know?” He asks in the smallest voice that Hoseok has ever heard him speak with

Hoseok, no matter how hard he tries, can’t find it in himself to look at him with the tiniest bit of pity. Only worry and fury for someone’s family and entire kind is what he feels right now and he wants to make sure that his message is loud and clear as he speaks the next words “I know one of them and you sick fucks just took his whole family for your sick project” 

The moment the words leave Hoseok’s mouth he turns his heel for the door and slams it on Namjoon’s face when he tries to run after him. This wasn’t how he planned today to go at all and he feels a knot form in his stomach. 

✿✿✿

Hoseok only realizes later when he was on his way back to the apartment that he doesn’t actually know how he’ll break the news to Yoongi. The thought of keeping it from him did pass his mind but he immediately shakes it off knowing that Yoongi deserves the truth about his family.

He cards the key into the apartment and the second he stepped inside, he was met by the smell of Yoongi’s delicious cooking. He feels his heart ache suddenly especially when he sees Yoongi happily doing a little dance as he cooks. Hoseok hates to be the one to remove that smile off of his face but he knows that he has to. 

Yoongi finally notices his presence and looks back to see Hoseok muster up the biggest smile that he could which isn’t really big by any standards and Yoongi was quick to sense that. His own smile falters off of his face and he switches off the stove before walking towards Hoseok, hands immediately finding their way to his cheeks where they seem to have found home lately. Hoseok looks sadly at him and Yoongi sighs 

“It didn’t go well, huh?” Yoongi asks him sadly and Hoseok shakes his head no, hands carefully reaching Yoongi’s and pulling them down from his face, squeezing them weakly 

“Yoongi, listen I have to tell you something” Hoseok starts and Yoongi’s brown eyes bore into his worriedly 

 “What is it?” He asks, voice shaking a little “Hoseok you’re scaring me” Yoongi’s lips tremble and Hoseok kisses his forehead quickly before pulling away and giving his hands another squeeze

“I don’t know how else to tell you this but Namjoon got them” He didn’t need to expound on that for realization to hit Yoongi very quickly. His face morphs from shock to anger to pain in mere seconds until the spot where Yoongi once stood now has a sad cat, producing sounds that sounded like cries on top of the scattered clothes on the floor. Hoseok feels his heart break and he kneels beside him, arms open and Yoongi settles himself inside of Hoseok’s embrace, crying until he needs to.

✿✿✿

Half an hour has passed since Hoseok told Yoongi about it and it’s also been half an hour that he’s been convincing him not to do what he plans to. 

“What do you want me to do, Hoseok? My family is in that awful place and they’re probably doing the same things that they have done to me” Yoongi croaks, voice still hoarse from crying but the tears have now stopped. He sits on his usual spot on the couch and Hoseok although he doesn’t know what to do either, keeps on convincing him not to go. This is the only time that he has heard him talk about his experience at the lab since when he found out about Yoongi being a shapeshifter. Hoseok feels guilty, not that he could’ve done anything to stop it from happening but he feels guilty knowing that his own friends or if he still even considered them as such- are doing these things to them. 

“I was only there for three days, Hoseok and it was absolute hell. They hooked me up in all these machines trying to get some sort of reaction from me but thankfully I was strong enough not to transform in front of them. I vowed to myself the moment that I got caught that I will never let them see my human form in hopes that I would someday manage to escape and live as a human instead. Hoseok, My parents haven't changed forms in many years and my brother, Jungkook, if you think that I don’t have control over my forms is actually far worse than me. I was only lucky that Jimin took pity in me enough to let me escape that night but I don’t think that my family would have the same luck. I heard everything that goes on in that laboratory and I’m sure that Jimin was the one to point out where my family is as a consequence for letting me free” Yoongi didn’t notice but he was crying again and Hoseok wipes his tears with his thumb, feeling ashamed of himself for not being able to do anything more to ease his pain 

“How could you know that Jimin was the one to point them out?” Hoseok realizes too late just how stupid his question was and Yoongi sniffles, eyes red and puffy from crying. He mentally slaps himself. 

“I don’t know! Maybe he kept a tab on me and watched us from afar! I don’t know Hoseok but it looks too fishy to me that they got caught just a few hours after we went to visit” Yoongi’s voice reaches an octave higher by every word and Hoseok stares at him apologetically. Hoseok stands up suddenly and Yoongi watches him with curious eyes 

“Just stay here, I’ll go and make you a cup of tea. I don’t know what else to do right now Yoongi but we’ll figure it out together, okay?” Hoseok tells him and he watches nervously as the other nods slowly, eyes looking far away, farther than the walls of their apartment and Hoseok heaves a sigh as he makes his way to the kitchen.

He prepares a hot cup of tea for Yoongi as quickly as he can, but when he comes back to the living room, it is already too late. His clothes were scattered on the floor and the door to his apartment was wide open, the air suddenly cold on Hoseok’s skin as a similar memory from weeks ago returns to him. A part of Hoseok knew that he would do it once his eyes left Yoongi and stepped out of the room but he stubbornly convinced himself that he wouldn’t have to watch the other go through this again. Hoseok knew immediately where Yoongi went and in a rush went out of the apartment and got in the first cab he saw.

✿✿✿

The research university where Namjoon works at was a place that Hoseok had only been to a few times and never in those events did he reach the place where they conducted their actual study. They would always just meet at the lobby or in one of the food places within campus but tonight he would be seeing his ex’s workplace for the first because he tried his damn best to hide it from Hoseok for years and now he knows why. 

People who he assumed are Jimin and Namjoon’s colleagues from the way that they dressed all looked at him in alarm as Hoseok barged in the place with his casual clothes and face that tells not even half of the anger that he was feeling at the moment. Although he hadn’t been there, his instincts immediately told him the way to where they were and finally he reached a quiet room with a connecting door that he was sure had the people he was looking for at the other side. He pushed the heavy door with all his might and he entered what looked like a control booth overlooking another room filled with lab equipment he doesn’t understand. On a white inclined table facing him was one of their test subjects securely tied to it, a writhing human boy with hair close to blond. Hoseok couldn’t hear what was happening in the other room assuming that the glass barrier was soundproof but he can see from the way Jungkook’s face scrunches in pain and how his mouth opens while the veins on his neck stretch that he was screaming his head off. Hoseok screams in fury and the two men sitting in front of the control booth only then notices his presence, jumping off of their seats in panic and facing Hoseok with sweat trickling down their faces. 

Jimin cautiously approaches him but Hoseok steps away quickly “Hyung-” He starts but Hoseok was already pulling hard on the secured door to the room. He turns to face Jimin angrily when it doesn't budge

“Open this right now, Park Jimin” Hoseok ordered, his nose flaring and Jimin got so scared seeing his best friend act like this for the first time that he backs away 

“I can’t hyung, I’m sorry” Jimin manages to say in a steady voice and Hoseok approaches the booth. His colleague tried to stop him but Jimin holds him back, shaking his head no slowly 

Hoseok doesn’t understand how he would know but the moment he pressed the first button he saw, Jungkook’s painful screaming echoed through the room and he heard Jimin wince. “Jungkook, Jungkook can you hear me?” Hoseok asks apprehensively over the mic hoping that the boy would hear him and he did because Jungkook forces himself to look straight at him from the other side of the glass wall. His eyes begging for help and he screams again when something hits him, electric, Hoseok assumes and his anger only grows even bigger. 

“I’m gonna get you out Jungkook, just wait” Hoseok lets go of the button and in an instant, he had his friend Park Jimin against the wall, hands balled into fists on his lab coat’s collar and when his colleague tried to help him. Hoseok only pushes him away with ease, the weak man ended up lying helplessly on the floor

“Security is going to come soon hyung” Jimin warns him and Hoseok shots him a bitter laugh, startling the smaller man

“Yeah? What are they gonna do? Send me to the precinct and take my statement? Then what? I tell them about this sick project you guys have going on here? I bet this isn’t even legal Jimin” Hoseok wasn’t sure about the last part but he doesn’t let his face show doubt and when Jimin’s face turns to that of shock, Hoseok knew that he hit jackpot 

“I was just guessing about that last part, you fucking assholes. How dare you mess with innocent people’s lives like this. Fucking open the door Jimin or I will call the fbi right now and have you all arrested for your illegal study” Hoseok taunts and Jimin carefully circles his hands around Hoseok’s wrists, eyes full of fear and shame 

“Hyung, please, this will be a groundbreaking study once we finish it-” He tries to reason out but Hoseok just sneers at him, making Jimin flinch 

“Groundbreaking study my ass, what is the point of doing all these things to them? Torturing them? What exactly are the grounds of your study Jimin because the only thing that I see here” Hoseok pauses, pointing at Jungkook who looks exhausted on the inclined table "Are stupid humans inflicting pain on shapeshifters and trying to ruin their lives by breaking their animosity. Maybe if you just talked to them like normal human beings you would have known more about them by now except of having injured animals and bringing them to your best friend in the middle of the night in hopes that he will never find out” Jimin looks away in embarrassment and Hoseok harshly lets go of his collar. His friend chokes out the breath that he has been holding on 

“Open the door and let all the shapeshifters go if you don’t want me talking” Hoseok hisses and Jimin quickly presses a few buttons on the control panel until the tight sealed door opens and he sees the room filled with cages containing different animals- or shapeshifters in their animal forms. Hoseok runs to Jungkook first and he untangles the straps confining the boy earlier. He catches him right away when Jungkook falls weakly to his chest and sighs when he sees the fresh bruises scattered on his chest. It looked like they forced him to transform from his animal form on the table because the boy wasn’t wearing anything and Hoseok removed his coat to cover his bare body.

“I’m so sorry Jungkook” Hoseok whispers and he feels something stab his chest when the younger boy manages to look up to him and smile although it pained him to do so

“You didn’t do anything wrong hyung” He says and they both heard the two men from the control booth enter the room, looking at them blankly 

“What?” Hoseok glares at them “Get moving, release them and make sure they have clothes for when they transform” Hoseok orders and he watches the men in disgust as they move to open the cages one by one. He only then realizes that he hasn’t seen Yoongi nor his parents and he stands up abruptly, leaving Jungkook on the floor.

“They’re at the back,” Jungkook tells him when he sees the look on his face and Hoseok offers him a small smile before running to the cages he pointed at. He sees Yoongi along with two cats huddled in one small container and he feels his resentment run deeper. He yells for Jimin to open up their cage and Yoongi immediately jumps to him once he is free, making Hoseok fall on his back on the floor and he transforms right away. Beautiful brown eyes look down on him and Hoseok wraps his arms around Yoongi’s bareback. 

“I’m still naked Hoseok” Yoongi chuckles and Hoseok pulls away to look at his face, worry still evident on his, and he pushes them into a sitting position. The shapeshifter sits on his lap and Jimin’s colleague offers Yoongi a blanket that he wraps around himself shyly.

He hears the sound of more cages opening and animals transforming or making their way outside of the building as is. Hoseok further hears people arguing, possibly their other colleagues finding out what happened and trying to contain the chaos but he couldn’t care less as the most important person to him right now is safely in his arms again.

“Did they hurt you?” Hoseok asks, his voice shaked a little and Yoongi buries his head on his chest 

“No, you came just on time but... they did get Jungkook” Yoongi quickly pulls away at the realization and the person in question, now fully clothed, walks up to them with a limp. Yoongi’s face falls at the sight and he stands up to regard his younger brother, throwing his arms around the taller boy when they come close right away. Hoseok smiles, though it felt bitter sweet more than anything. The knowledge of what Yoongi’s kind had to go through and is possibly still going through in other places gives his stomach a painful twist. He stood up slowly and almost screamed when a couple around their 50s approached him. They were wearing the same clothes as Jungkook and the woman’s eyes were the color of chocolate, very much like the ones Yoongi has. The man on the other hand looked like an older version of Yoongi with his pale skin and small pointed nose. There was no mistaking that the two standing in front of Hoseok are Yoongi’s parents in their human forms, now smiling at him contrastingly to the cold feline glares that he had received just the day before.

Hoseok stood frozen on his spot, unsure of what to do when he feels an arm snake around his waist and Yoongi speaks from beside him

“About time that we had a proper introduction although I wouldn’t say that this was my ideal meeting place either, nevertheless, It is what it is” Yoongi laughs and Jungkook stands beside their parents on his mother’s side. A playful smile on his lips “Mom, Dad, This is Hoseok and Hoseok, these are my parents” His parents had the same warm smile that he got used to seeing everyday since he met Yoongi and that's how Hoseok knew right there, in that moment that he finally doesn’t have to wander anymore because he has found them at last.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, son” Yoongi’s father pats his shoulder in acknowledgement

✿✿✿

2 years later  

A smile appears on his face when Hoseok peeks inside the room. He has had this apartment for years even before meeting Yoongi yet this particular room had always been kept empty because he couldn’t think of what to do with the extra space but now he finally knows. His eyes, though he always sees it everyday, wanders excitedly around the now occupied room. At one side there was a single bed that Jungkook claims as his and on the other was a much bigger one for Yoongi’s parents. The room wasn’t huge but they managed to make it work and now his home that had always felt empty finally had enough people to fill it’s eerie silence with. He senses a pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist and his smile grows wider as he walks backwards, bumping on Yoongi as he closes the door. 

“What were you looking at?” Yoongi asks when Hoseok turns to face him, his lips also spread into a smile and Hoseok pecks them lightly 

“Nothing much, I was just thinking about how around two years ago I didn’t know what to do with my spare room and now my apartment feels too small for all of us” Hoseok chuckles and they hear Yoongi’s father call from the kitchen that the food was ready. It turns out that between his parents, Yoongi’s father was more of the cook and ever since they moved to Hoseok’s place, his father has volunteered to cook for them everyday. 

“Lunch is ready kids!” He calls and Hoseok feels his heart warm. It has already been two years but everything that has happened still doesn’t feel real to him especially when everything was just so, perfect . He even had to ask Yoongi to pinch him from time to time just to make sure if everything was real and that he has really managed to build a family with Yoongi in that time span

“Stop thinking too much, we’re real, okay?” Yoongi seemed to have read his mind, getting used to Hoseok always spacing out like that and he kisses his cheek as they walk to the kitchen to the smell of Yoongi’s father’s delicious cooking

After that day at the lab two years ago, Hoseok convinced Yoongi’s parents to move in with him. As expected, they were reluctant at first but eventually they agreed to living with Hoseok but only if he lets them help him with the expenses. Hoseok of course argued that they should just rest and that his pay from the kindergarten along with the side job that he recently got from a publishing firm was enough but after their long insisting and Yoongi telling him that they’ll never resort to defeat, Hoseok half heartedly agrees and his parents now work at his school too. His mother as a librarian which they only then discovered actually had a degree before they decided to live in their animal forms and his father as the cafeteria’s cook. Hoseok had to pull some strings to make it work since they were older than what was ideal for the job posts but in the end, everything fell right into place. 

Jungkook as well has adjusted to human life. After taking certain exams with Hoseok’s help, he got into university and so did Yoongi who by the way, wasn’t very happy at the prompt of him and his brother who had a four year gap in age starting university together. Nevertheless, he was happy to finally attend school again, now with his own name and ID that Hoseok also had asked some people to help him with. Yoongi was taking a major in literature to no one’s surprise and Hoseok finally started writing again. It was tricky at first especially on the legal side of things but everything was coming together and Hoseok thought that this was enough except Yoongi’s mother thought otherwise. 

“Wah-what?” Yoongi coughs as he choked on his food and his mother rolls her eyes at him from across the table. His father just watches them excitedly and Jungkook also looked happy although he doesn’t show it much. Hoseok only had his mouth agape for a straight minute since the question was asked 

“I said, when are you getting married? I’m already 55 and I can tell you that I have better hearing than both of you kids” She chuckles and so does his father

Yoongi manages to collect himself and he clears his throat, bringing Hoseok back to the conversation at hand too “Marriage” He clarifies 

“Yes, child, marriage, I’ve been waiting for either one of you to finally come up to us to get our blessings but both of you have just been chickening for two years” She sighs and Hoseok looks at Yoongi for assurance which he only replies to with a shrug 

“I thought that you guys don’t get married” Hoseok says hesitantly, making Yoongi’s father laugh 

“Ah, I see that Yoongi has told you about that. Yes, we preferred not to get married because it’s a hassle anyways but since we are living as humans now, It’s best to keep up with traditions, isn’t it?” He pauses and shifts on his chair, seemingly fishing something out of his pocket and he places a small red velvet box in the middle of the table, patting it lightly.

“We never got married since we decided to avoid living in the humans’ world or at least as humans ourselves but Yoongi’s grandparents did get married and gave this to us if we ever wanted to do it the human way too but we’re too old now and contented as is so I think that you kids should have it instead” He points at the small box and Jungkook watches them with new found interest. Yoongi reluctantly reaches for it and opens the lid to a pair of gold bands securely kept in the middle. Hoseok gasps when he sees it and they both look at his parents at the same time.

“Are you sure about this?” Hoseok asks and his mother smiles at him before nodding 

“We are, we just want you to be happy” She tells them and Yoongi feels tears start to sting at the corner of his eyes 

“Plus we just want grandkids as soon as possible” It was now Hoseok’s turn to choke and the rest of them at the table roar in laughter. All content with how things are and how it’s going to be, this was just the start of his future with Yoongi. 

✿✿ ✿

4 years later  

“Are you sure about this?” Hoseok asks him worriedly at the backstage of the morning show’s set and Yoongi smiles assuringly at him

“Yes, I’ve never felt happier than when I met you and embraced both the human and animal world. I want other shapeshifters like me to also find the same happiness I found without the fear of being themselves. I want to do this, Hoseok” Yoongi tells him and he turns to his other side where a nervous looking Namjoon stands a safe distance away 

“Don't hold back and say everything that you want to, even the bad experiences with me, it will help other shapeshifters greatly, Yoongi,” Namjoon offers him a small smile and Yoongi returns it genuinely. He steps forward towards Namjoon and catches him off guard when Yoongi wraps his arms around him, pulling away after a few seconds and looking up at the man in his arms without the slightest hint of resentment

“I never planned on holding back anything to begin with and thank you again for the opportunity Namjoon,” Yoongi starts, pausing just to gather his remaining thoughts. “You may have done it in the wrong ways at first but I can see now what your true intentions are and I’m truly happy for you and Seokjin hyung” He finishes and Namjoon looks at him with a look of adoration and gratefulness.

“I’m really sorry again, Yoongi for everything that I've done towards you and your kind. I never expected you to actually agree to this but know that I'll forever be grateful to you. You're a great man, Yoongi” His voice was drowned by the host’s own voice booming in the studio but Yoongi heard it nevertheless and nods at his direction before looking back at Hoseok who squeezes his hand just as he was about to go on air

“Four years ago, actor Kim Seokjin, the nation’s sweetheart, surprised us by revealing that we live among what they call shapeshifters by admitting that he is one too, specifically a swan shapeshifter in an interview done with his now husband, Dr. Kim Namjoon who had been conducting research about shapeshifters about 2 years prior to their meeting. Four years later, another shapeshifter has agreed to conduct an interview with us to give better insight into the lives of the species that we didn’t even know we were living with just four years ago. Ladies and Gentlemen, please give it up for Min Yoongi!” The live audience claps in unison and Yoongi does a quick bow before he sits himself on the guest’s couch on the mini stage. The host had a grin plastered on his face and his eyes twinkle with great interest towards Yoongi’s direction

“So First thing’s first Yoongi, You are a cat shapeshifter, am I correct?” He asks politely and Yoongi nods with a nervous smile, still not used to many cameras and eyes directed on him 

“Yes” He answers 

“And how is that like? Being a shapeshifter in Seoul? How’s your life now with your husband whom we learned is very much human compared to you. It seems to me like you’re the next Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin, do you agree with that?” The host laughed and so did the audience but Yoongi only cringes which stopped his laughter abruptly. He was warned beforehand about talk show hosts making comments such as this but he still couldn't help himself from reacting the way he did

“I never saw ourselves as the next Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin but rather we are the first Jung Hoseok and Min Yoongi” Yoongi chuckles and the audience reacts in a chorus of “oohs” and “ahhs”. The host also laughs nervously but lets Yoongi continue to his relief “Life in Seoul is okay, I think. I finished my bachelor’s degree about two years ago, got a job at the same publishing firm as my husband and just this year, my daughter started going to school which I and Hoseok, who is also a kindergarten teacher are very excited about” Yoongi smiles proudly and he sees from his peripheral vision a little girl waving at him as Hoseok carries her. The camera rolling in front of him didn't hold him back and he waved back to her. The host follows his line of vision curiously and gasps in delighted surprise 

“It seems like we have more guests than we anticipated since Yoongi’s husband and daughter are also backstage, please come on up!” He encourages the audience to clap and as they do, Hoseok lets their daughter down to run up on stage and jump excitedly to Yoongi as he trails behind shyly, waving towards the people and the camera when he comes to view and settles on the seat next to his husband. His arm instinctively making its way around his waist from behind “What a beautiful family that you have here, Yoongi, may we know what the pretty girl’s name is?” He asks and their daughter confidently smiles at the camera, the audience cooing at her cuteness 

“This is my daughter, Naeun and this handsome man right here is my husband, Hoseok. They are my family and everything that makes me who I am today” Yoongi shifts his gaze to meet Hoseok and it goes without saying that they both know that they are in their future now, together. 

This was Hoseok’s future; to be with someone who wasn’t scared to move forward and put into reality, a future that they envisioned together and at the same time, this was also Yoongi’s future; both of his worlds colliding and coexisting as he builds a life with the man that he loves. They know that they’ve reached the future that they only talked about before but they also know that it wasn’t the end because instead, this was just the beginning of their everything together and they can't wait to see what more this world has in store for them. 

✿✿✿

The end