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Next.
Minho watched emotionlessly with his big round eyes, how the pretty girl moved away onto the next cage. She hadn't even spared him a single glance.
He wasn't surprised, really, it was more common than not that he wouldn't even earn himself a look. It was expected.
And every passing month, he would be moved a little closer to the end of the hall.
Next.
No matter how many times he watched the people passing by him, rejecting him without giving a chance due to his pure black coat, it still hurt.
And it hurt a lot.
When he first arrived at the shelter, after having been abandoned as just a kitten, he desperately hoped someone would pick him up. Anybody.
He just wanted anybody to love him.
Next.
But again and again, they kept passing him, ignoring his soft friendly meows that begged for attention. He was good, he could promise he was good, he just needed a little bit of affection.
But he kept being ignored.
And Minho felt himself close up.
It was hopeless after all. The rejection kept coming.
Again and again.
Again.
Next.
People stopped looking into his cage when he just sat curled up in the furthest corner, glaring at whatever curious person, who hadn't seen that he was a black cat on the card outside of the cage.
Nobody even asked to get him out, they just went on…
Next cat.
Next cage.
Next to the end of the hall.
Minho knew he had been there for far too long. It was long ago that he had been a sweet kitten and by now even the volunteers felt wary to interact with him.
He had never done anything to them. To anybody.
But it was like they knew how much his glaring eyes held frustration about everything.
Next week, he would be taken into the room at the end of the hall. Right now, he had the front seats to the door that would hold a fate that had been stretching out for far too long in his opinion.
Next.
It was just another day and Minho decided he didn't even want to try anything. He didn't want to look at any human that would pass by him. His days were counted and he would spend them peacefully alone like he had been doing all his life.
His ears twitched slightly at the sound of steps walking down the hall and the very known noises of somebody cooing and swooning over the puppies and kittens.
Minho shaped himself into a little black loaf, face tucked into the darkest corner of his cage.
He had always wished he wouldn't feel so jealous about the other animals getting attention, but the bitterness still went strong in him even if he had accepted the hopelessness of his situation.
His little heart still squeezed unbearably tight and crumbled more... if there was even any of it left.
Next.
Minho was waiting for the shadow covering the entry of his cage to move away.
They always did after a couple of seconds, but this time, it wasn't quite happening.
The black cat got curious, but he refused to let anything spark in him, so he stubbornly kept looking into the corner.
"What's up with this buddy? A whole year sitting here!?"
The voice sounded surprised and the tip of Minho's tail curled just the slightest bit.
"Yeah... Minho's all black and you know how people are... And he isn't the friendliest either."
"I mean, I wouldn't really be the friendliest myself if I had been stuck here for so long... Can I take a look at him?"
There was a moment of silence and Minho's heart was starting to race.
"Are you sure? We have plenty younger c-" "Nah, man, I want to see this one."
Minho couldn't help but tense up and turn around, absolutely startled. He pressed himself against the back of the cage, eyes wide as hands approached.
He squirmed as the volunteer took hold of him, taking him out of the cage and the situation was so foreign that he couldn't help but panic.
Meowing loudly, he squirmed more, paws batting and kicking away. He wasn't usually violent but he couldn't help but let his claws drag down the volunteer's arm, the man letting go of him from the pain and Minho scurried away.
But there wasn't really anywhere for him to go.
It was a long hall with cages surrounding it. Two doors, one at the start and one at the end. There were no nooks or crannies for him to hide in and he ended up pressing himself into a corner again, black fur poofed up as he stared terrified at the other man, the one who asked to see him. He was slowly approaching.
Despite it all, Minho didn't hiss, just meowing in slight warning as the young man crouched down.
"Hey, baby... shhh, I'm sorry..."
Minho was confused as to why the other was trying to come closer to him. People working here in the shelter were the ones who dealt with the problematic animals, no one looking to adopt wanted to deal with a feisty cat.
But here he was, round eyes and round cheeks, reaching his ring-covered fingers slowly out towards Minho.
He stopped before even being close enough to touch and the black cat stared into those round eyes as if waiting for any harsh movement. But nothing came, this man didn't move, but he did speak.
"Psst, psst... I promise I won't hurt you, kitty. You've been here for so long, yeah? Sounds a little lonely..."
And it was, it had been lonely.
Minho kept staring as the man spoke to him, staying crouched and unmoving, just waiting for the cat to barely accept him and nudge himself closer to the hand.
"Jisung, I'm gonna get Felix, he usually deals better with Minho. We'll get him back into the cage and you can take a look at our kitties that came in last week."
Jisung just shook his head and kept his eyes on Minho.
"No, no... Just give me a moment, he has already calmed down."
It was true, Minho wasn't breathing erratically since Jisung was just waiting. And waiting for far too long.
The cat wanted to turn away and meow in annoyance that this guy was insistent, but there was also something else bubbling in his little black body.
Hope.
Eventually, that feeling took over and Minho cautiously moved forward. He could hear Jisung's breath hitching as his tiny black nose made contact with the fingers. Minho sniffed him, taking in his scent that was honestly not something the cat could point out. But it was pleasantly sweet.
He had been surprised that Jisung didn't right away reach to pet him and Minho felt unsure and awkward as he tried nudging his head into the man's palm.
Both of them were careful with each other, both wary of doing something wrong.
However, as fingers carded gently through his fur and Jisung's lips moved with soft gentle praises, Minho came closer and closer.
It was like he was rewinding time, going back to his little kitten self that just craved affection.
And as Jisung got the courage to attempt to pick him up, Minho curled into the man's arms, head rubbing along the other's jawline.
"He's such a sweet boy..." Jisung muttered and gently brushed the back of his fingers along Minho's cheek.
"I'll take him."
Home.
Jisung made sure he wouldn't even spend another second in that cage in the shelter.
It had been a bit difficult, the world out there being something Minho knew nothing about so everything during the car ride was reason enough for him to poof into a terrified ball of fluff.
Arriving at Jisung's apartment wasn't that much better, and much to the man's dismay, Minho disappeared under couches, dressers, and whatever else he could fit into and be out of sight.
It wasn't easy.
Minho felt guilt as he heard Jisung sigh frustrated and worried whenever he couldn't find the black cat. And he had heard Jisung muttering apologies for being too insistent with toys or foods.
At some point, the two believed it wouldn't quite work out.
The black cat was aware that he had been the one at fault for it all. The last thing he wanted was to throw this chance away and be rejected again. But there was just so much doubt.
What type of cat did Jisung even expect him to be?
Minho didn't even know what type of cat he was himself...
It had been a few days that Jisung had decided to just leave Minho alone. If the cat wanted to hide, so be it. There was food and water and the animal could go and take care of himself when Jisung wasn't around.
The man really didn't know what else to do, he had been trying everything to get the cat's attention after all and nothing worked.
Minho realized the new tactic and the sudden lack of attention from Jisung was very noticeable for the cat.
He often hid beneath the couch and every day he at least once saw Jisung's big eyes as the man peeked under the couch and talked to him, asking if Minho might be interested in crawling out of his little hiding spot that day. And now he wasn't seeing Jisung's face, he only saw socked feet as the man went about his day in the apartment.
Minho missed Jisung's face.
When the sun was long set and even Jisung, who quite often was up for far too long hours, was asleep in his bed, Minho crawled out of his hiding spot. Usually, he would play around with some of the toys, explore and eat, but this time he found himself standing by the opened door of Jisung's bedroom.
Soft paws padded across the carpet and his tail swayed behind him as he looked up to the edge of the bed.
Minho's tiny heart was racing and it never took him as much courage as this moment when he lowered himself to the ground to then jump up onto the mattress.
Jisung didn't even stir and the cat hesitantly approached his head resting on the pillow.
Sitting now by the man's head, Minho stared at the other sleeping, his mouth slack and faint snoring coming out.
He was hesitant to really do more but this, sitting and watching the man sleep. However, the gentle raise and fall of Jisung's chest coupled with how peaceful and warm he looked made Minho eventually move.
The black cat tucked himself right against the man's neck, curling into the smallest ball he could. Warm, safe and protected, he couldn't help but softly purr as he felt Jisung breathing, the soft sounds of the human lulling him into dreamland.
Minho woke up with fingers barely brushing along his fur and the sweet scent of Jisung fanning over his face. The cat opened his eyes slowly, pupils slitted at the bright lights from having woken up on top of something instead of under the couch.
Jisung's face was close and Minho tensed up at first, but it slowly relaxed as he observed the sleepy expression the man wore and the small smile on his lips.
It was strange to see so much fondness directed at him and Minho just meowed softly, being daring enough to rub his face against the other's.
Laughter bubbled up out of Jisung's chest and he moved to curl himself around the cat. Minho blinked lazily and purred, satisfied by how their morning was going. It filled him with warmth and even more hope.
"'m so glad you decided to come out of your lil hole, Minho..."
Jisung's voice was deep and still somewhat hoarse from the lack of use. Minho just meowed again and cuddled himself to the man and with every bit he gave, he got more. He felt himself be held in a careful hug, Jisung tugging him even closer.
His tail flicked and his eyes were big and round as lips brushed over the top of his head. Jisung started placing kisses all over his black fur, Minho enduring it until it got a bit too much and he meowed while squirming away.
The cat was honestly more flustered than anything.
"Ah, I guess I overdid it~" Jisung laughed and reached to let his fingers graze over the curling tail of the animal before he sat up.
The two of them stared at each other in silence for a while before Jisung tilted his head and smiled.
"Let's get breakfast, yeah?"
Minho could only agree with a soft meow.
From then on, Minho allowed himself to make first moves.
He still hid away from time to time when Jisung was being loud on the phone or when he brought someone over on rare occasions, but when the man was calm and quiet, Minho often crawled into his lap or threaded between his legs for attention.
Jisung quickly figured out the cat's favorite spots to get scratches and how to turn the little animal into a rumbling machine from how loud he purred.
Minho was given space in the home to explore the things he liked and the things he didn't, and it was entertaining to watch how Jisung really went beyond to turn his apartment into Minho's little paradise.
Cat toys laid all spread around the floor and there were two big cat towers that Minho loved to lounge in. Especially the one near the window where the sun liked shining through during the afternoon.
Minho also found out that he quite enjoyed it when the man got whiny for attention whenever the cat pretended to ignore him. It was funny to see Jisung attempting everything in the book to lure him out of a cozy spot, until Jisung just had enough and got bold enough to pick up the cat.
Minho meowed and squirmed in complaint, but he easily melted into the embrace when Jisung lowered himself onto the couch and turned the TV on.
All in all, Minho felt like the luckiest and most spoiled cat ever.
Jisung was perfect, had a heart of gold and was always there for him.
So, it had been heartwarming, just as heartbreaking, to have gotten to know that Jisung hadn't chosen him just because in the shelter.
One late night, when Minho had decided to hole up under the couch again, he had heard sniffling.
Curious about the sound, he sneaked himself into the man's bedroom, spotting him crying on the bed.
Minho didn't wait to jump onto the mattress and rub his furry body against Jisung's arm, startling the other.
Jisung looked at him and started crying even harder before he picked Minho up into his arms and firmly, but gently, held him close. And being there for him, made Minho learn about how Jisung had been lonely himself.
The details didn't matter, what mattered was that they were two lonely hearts that got together.
And Minho was determined to make sure his company would make Jisung's loneliness be at least a bit more bearable.
Every day that passed, they became tighter, and got to know each other til their last strand of hair (or fur).
It wasn't just Jisung. It wasn't just Minho.
It was Jisung and Minho. They became inseparable.
Minho, at some point, became thankful that everyone before Jisung went over to the next cage in the shelter. He was glad that nobody else had paid attention to him so he could be where he was now at that moment.
Just for the reason that he came to love Jisung all throughout and he knew the man adored him from the way he called him baby whenever he saw him first thing in the morning.
Minho was a very happy cat, the happiest on a good day...
Because he found his perfect home in Jisung.