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Jongdae carefully brushed the hair of the kitten sitting in his lap, working hard to make the child presentable. Jisung was still a bit too young to groom himself, so the older cat helped him all he could. The younger had chestnut brown hair, pretty pointed ears and the cutest tail, Jongdae was certain he would be adopted in no time with his extra help.
It wouldn’t be fair for the kitten to be stuck at the center for the rest of his life.
While not all humans were the nicest, times had changed since Jongdae was a kitten. There were rules and requirements for adoption that made it much safer. While Hybrids still weren’t treated as well as humans, knowing that hybrids couldn’t be mistreated without repercussion anymore made Jongdae have hope.
It took time to change things, and Jongdae was content with the fact that he was the one who had to suffer instead of the kitten he shared this space with.
“Done.” The words barely escaped his lips and the kitten was up, offering the older cat the biggest smile before running over to the play area. The smile made Jongdae push out any thoughts of the past.
Things were better.
Although the kitten didn’t know it, he had made the right choice. The play area sat right in front of the large, two-way mirror on the far wall, putting him right in the line of sight for anyone looking to adopt a kitten. Gone were the days where people could just grab one and go. That glass was there for them as much as it was for the humans.
Jongdae took a moment to put his brush set away, Then moved over to the play area as well. Weaving his way through the children, he picked up the toys that had been tossed aside, keeping the area clean as possible. Of course, he didn’t always baby the kittens, he made sure they helped clean up everything before it was time for bed.
Cats were supposed to be the more independent of the hybrids, but cleaning was something that anyone should have been able to do. The dogs would probably clean more if they weren’t constantly told all they could do was make messes.
Still, the kittens were just kittens, so Jongdae didn’t push too hard to have them doing many things.
For now, he mostly wanted them to focus on having fun while they could.
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“Come on Junmyeon, look at how cute they are!” Baekhyun’s words were almost taunting as he looked through the window and the puppy hybrids before him. “I just want to take them all home.”
“Baekhyun, you can barely take care of yourself, let alone a whole other life.” While Junmyeon‘s words may have been true, there was no punch to them. Long ago he had learned that when Baekhyun set his mind to do something, he would do it.
How he had managed to let Baekhyun take him here on his one free day this week, Junmyeon wasn’t sure, but at least Junmyeon could try to be a voice of reason for the younger. While he trusted his friend, he felt like the shelter advertised having a hybrid as a bit too easy. It wasn’t like having a fish, they were practically people.
People came with wants and needs that had to be fulfilled.
“We do have cats if you would like a more independent hybrid. Dogs tend to require more attention.” The employee smiled at Junmyeon, her hand motioning further down the hall.
That wasn’t what Junmyeon had meant, but Baekhyun had already started going down the hall.
At least a cat might be easier for his friend, but he still doubted this was a good idea.
The cat room was much smaller, bunk beds lining the far wall, with two tables next to the window. A handful of hybrids sat at the table playing cards, each cat breed easy to identify. Whether it was the pointed ears, long hair, or the spots, Junmyeon could easily tell what they were and tell they were worth a lot. His mother had a soft spot for cats, often going to cat shows and Showing Junmyeon all the pictures she had taken. Though his family had never gone as far as to get a hybrid.
Baekhyun looked through the window, looking over the cats for a bit. While he wore a smile on his face, Junmyeon could tell based on his friend’s eyes that he wasn’t interested in any of them.
Junmyeon decided to move on to the next window, figuring if he moved along it would encourage Baekhyun to move faster. The next room was similar to the last with rows of bunk beds on the far wall. But this time there were a handful of kittens playing by the window, a single adult hybrid weaving his way through them.
What first struck Junmyeon was the Hybrids face, but for an unexpected reason. The hybrid was knelt next to one of the kittens, offering it a soft smile before brushing a few hairs out of his face. His smile was cute, tiny fangs poking out as his eyes closed, his expression seemingly lighting up the room.
“Oooo, you should get him.” Baekhyun’s voice drew Junmyeons attention away from the cat.
“We came here for you, not me.”
“Right, but you get lonely. A Hybrid would be good for you.”
Junmyeon scoffed, shaking his head at his friend. There was no way he was going to argue about this in front of the employee, it would be too much to get into in the first place.
“Well, if you are worried,” The employee started, swiping around on her tablet she held in her hands, “That Hybrid, um, Jongdae, he is more than capable to take care of himself. You wouldn’t have to worry about him while you work. And he’s great with children.”
Looking back to the glass, Junmyeon saw Jongdae wearing the same smile, happily playing some sort of hand game with one of the kittens who looked to be having the time of his life. He had to admit he was a little interested, Jongdae did seem like a bubbly person that might be fun to have around.
Jongdae had beautiful grey hair, his fur a similar grey that looked to be thick and dense, making his teal eyes stick out. If Junmyeon had to take a guess, he would say Jongdae was related to the Russian Blue cat breed, but there were a variety of grey cats out there. He already knew his mom would love Jongdae.
The woman went over to the door, swiping her card and opening it. Before Junmyeon could say no, Baekhyun was urging him forward into the kitten room.
Within moments there were two kittens before them, excitedly rambling things Junmyeon didn’t quite pick up. Baekhyun took hold of things, instantly petting one of the kitten’s heads and gathering their attention.
A few of the other kittens took notice of the visitors, but none made a move like the first two. The Adult hybrid glanced over once or twice, but his attention seemed more on the kittens than anything. But Junmyeon had his eyes on Jongdae, watching the way he so carefully played with the kittens, letting them win every so often at the easiest of games.
After Baekhyun visited the dog room again to look one more time, Junmyeon stopped by the receptionist, on impulse asking her for more information on the hybrid that caught his eyes.
It wasn’t like he was committing to anything, he would be fine.
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The man was back. It had been quite some time, maybe a week or so, but he was back, this time without the other human.
Jongdae always took note of who came to the kitten room, but this time it felt different. This man didn’t seem to take any interest in a particular hybrid, he would simply come in for maybe half an hour and stay near the door. If a kitten approached him he would pet their head and chat with them, but it didn’t feel like he was bonding with them.
This time he had ventured further into the room, to the small table where the kitten would draw, next to the spot Jongdae sat today. Since Jongdae felt no worry towards the human man, he had decided to play with one of the toy pianos the kittens had, trying to pick out the sounds that came out of the device.
If only he had looked up, he would have noticed the human was watching him, smiling softly as the cat’s thin fingers lightly pressed each key, his head tilted to the side, leaning closer and closer to the piano without even realizing it.
The next time the human visited, again after a handful of days, he waved in Jongdae’s direction. Of course, the hybrid assumed he was waving at Jisung, the kitten once again getting his hair brushed by the older cat. Jongdae picked up Jisungs little hand, using it to wave back at the man.
Jisung was a bit shy but the man didn’t seem to mind, moving close enough to sit next to the pair of cats. The older cat could feel Jisung shift around in his lap, talking to the man as the elder simply continued to brush him.
A small tug on his sleeve from the younger cat caught his attention, forcing Jongdae to look up at the man. His lips were moving, too fast for Jongdae to make out the words. Based on his expression, it looked like he had asked a question, and by instinct, Jongdae nodded yes. Yes was usually the correct answer, and if it meant Jisung would get a home, it was certainly the right one.
The smile that appeared on the man’s face told Jongdae that he had chosen the right answer.
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A home visit seemed like the best idea. While Junmyeon qualified to adopt the cat Jongdae, he thought it would be better to have the cat over for a week or so to make sure it would be right for him. The last thing he wanted was to have the Hybrid with him, only to have Jongdae uncomfortable or not like him.
With the cat at his home, he would easily be able to get to know him better, instead of only popping in every week or so when his schedule had managed to clear.
Their interactions had been rather odd, the cat seemingly in his head, but he could tell the cat didn’t hate him. He had even agreed to have a home visit, so there was a chance things could go well.
Junmyeon had a decently sized place, two bedrooms, plus a master bedroom, an open kitchen, dining, and living space. He hadn’t wanted such a large apartment, but it had been the only one that he had been able to get in the location he wanted. With how often his friends liked to stay over, it had worked out having extra bedrooms.
Now one of those rooms could be Jongdae’s.
The caretaker that dropped Jongdae off did one last walk through space before hanging Junmyeon a paper to sign, then handing over a packet of cat hybrid information. Junmyeon had done his homework, feeling decently confident in taking care of Jongdae.
If worst came to worst, he could call Kyungsoo for advice.
Once the caretaker left, the room was thrust into an awkward silence. Jongdae was nervous, his ears slightly down as his eyes darted around the room. The hybrid had no more than a small bag with the absolute basics, Junmyeon doubted there was even a spare set of clothes.
Just the thought of Jongdae not even owning anything brought back that feeling of discomfort. As soon as the other was comfortable, Junmyeon wanted to take him out to pick out stuff that would be his, whether he stayed with Junmyeon or went back.
Offering a smile, Junmyeon lead Jongdae to his room. Since he wasn’t sure what the hybrid had liked, he had tried to keep it neutral enough. The room was filled with pastels, courtesy of Baekhyun’s choice. There was a queen-sized bed pushed in the far corner, a rather large dresser, a small desk, and a lamp with sunflowers decorating it that matched the yellow curtains and green bedspread.
.Even with how bare the room was, it still felt homey.
“It’s not much, but we can get more stuff when you feel up to it,” Junmyeon commented, watching as Jongdae slowly walked over to the bed, running his finger over the soft fuzzy blanket that covered the bed. He seemed completely enthralled by it, and Junmyeon saw it as his time to give the other space and get settled.
“If you need me, i’ll be in the kitchen,” Junmyeon added, stepping back from the room. Jongdae’s ears twitched, his attention still on the blanket. But Junmyeon took the movement as a sign he heard, leaving the cat to his own devices.
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It was a lot to take in.
For a place he would only be staying in until the human found another hybrid he wanted, Jongdae had to admit the space was nice. The bed for one was larger and nicer than any he had ever been allowed to use, even from before he was put back in the shelter. Granted he had only been a kitten so he hadn’t needed a larger bed, but the children had each had their massive beds, while his bed had been a small one placed in the corner of the garage.
His body shivered on instinct, remembering how cold it would get during the winter, his blanket never being enough. During the day he would be allowed in the warm house, but it only made the nights feel much colder.
Swiping his hand over the fuzzy blanket pulled Jongdae out of the memory, this blanket would be more than warm enough. Pulling up the corner, Jongdae saw another blanket underneath.
Whatever Hybrid Junmyeon picked would be lucky.
After inspecting the rest of the room, Jongdae ended up finding even more blankets and pillows under the bed, none of them particularly matching the room. He pulled out two black pillows, adding them to the bed. If he got more blankets he would get too warm, but pillows would bring the same comfort without the extra heat.
Jongdae nearly dropped the third pillow from his hands when he suddenly heard a low sound behind him, sensing another presence in the room for the first time since he had started looking around.
By scent alone he could tell it was Junmyeon, but the more sounds he made, the more confused Jongdae got. Normally picking up voices was hard, but even now that he could hear Junmyeon, the words were still a muffled blur.
Gathering himself together, Jongdae finally turned to the human, the confusion clear as day on his face.
“I don’t know what you said.”
His words came out slow, though he was fairly certain his voice still cracked. A look of confusion took over Junmyeon’s face, sending Jongdae into instant panic.
Now Junmyeon would definitely throw him out.
He had made a mistake.
Tears formed in the hybrid’s eyes, spilling onto his cheeks. His ears flattened on his head as he clutched the pillow to his chest, trying to make himself small as possible.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He said, his voice muffled as he could no longer control it. He repeated the phrase over and over, his voice getting more erratic and he began to full-on sob.
The human reached out, sending Jongdae into a deeper spiral, instantly ducking down onto the floor and covering his head. He had already lost so much, he could let his head get hurt anymore.
Junmyeon was left in complete confusion, slowly backing away from the crying cat. Everything was a mess, and he wasn’t even sure why things had gone wrong. Was it him trying to pet Jongdae? He had seen other people pet him, so he had thought it would be okay.
But it had only made him freak out more.
He hated the idea of leaving the cat alone, but he was at a loss. Quickly he went to the kitchen, picking up the packet the caretaker had given him. He flipped through it, searching for anything that he may have missed. But the words that were printed were no different than the website he had looked at.
Then the packet slipped from his hand, revealing a smaller one underneath. Printed on it was Jongdae’s name and picture, the next page having his health history. Why the woman hadn’t placed this packet on top was a mystery, but that would be something he would need to address at a different time.
Scanning the pages, he found one talking about past injuries due to previous ownership, and a casual note about hearing loss. Everything hit Junmyeon at once.
All those times he had thought Jongdae was just a quiet cat, he hadn’t even heard him in the first place. No wonder he had seemed so confused about everything and had such an intense reaction to Junmyeon asking him such a simple question about food.
Why the fuck had nobody mentioned such an important thing at the shelter? Hearing loss was a big thing that needed to be dealt with, there were things Junmyeon could have done to make things so much easier.
Now that Junmyeon had some sort of idea of what was going on, he made his way back to the room, trying to calm himself. Jongdae was still on the floor, crying his eyes out, his whole body shaking as he continued to try and cover himself.
Junmyeon sat beside him, tapping his hands on the floor. Based on what he had seen back at the shelter, Jongdae could pick up vibrations rather well. It took some time, but the hybrid did slowly uncurl from himself, his eyes falling on Junmyeon hands as he continued to lightly hit the floor.
Once the cat realized Junmyeon was just trying to get his attention, he looked at him, tears still falling from his eyes, but his body had stopped trembling. He waited until he was sure the cat was looking at him before he tried speaking.”
“I’m sorry,” He started, speaking slow enough that Jongdae could keep up with him. “I should have paid better attention.” He offered his hand to the other, a soft smile taking over his face. “You’ve had it rough, haven’t you?”
There was a moment of nothing as Jongdae seemed to process the words before he gave a small nod. He took Junmyeon’s hand, giving it a light squeeze, showing he appreciated the other’s words.
Jongdae was still nervous, it was written all over his face, but Junmyeon was more than satisfied with this small step.
“I don’t know everything that happened to you, but I would really like to adopt you and give you a good home, and possibly a better life.” The housing part was easy, Junmyeon had enough money to provide whatever he could for the hybrid. The better life would be the harder part, but Junmyeon knew he wanted to give Jongdae as much freedom as he could, treating him less like a pet and more like a person.
Again, he was met with silence, Jongdae staring at his face with the widest eyes, his hand clenching tightly.
“Why?”
The question took Junmyeon by surprise, the human having to stop and think. He hadn’t wanted a hybrid in the first place, he had only gone with Baekhyun to look for one for the younger. Yet here he was, offering everything to Jongdae.
Thinking back, the answer was actually simple. Something had caught his attention that day, and stuck in his mind even now.
“I like your smile, and I want to see you happy.”
At those words, Jongdae used his free hand to touch his face, his head tilting in confusion. The reason sounded a bit too simple now that Junmyeon said it, but it was the truth. In Junmyeon’s busy life filled to the brim with work and dealing with stressful situations, Jongdae’s smile had brought him some peace.
Slowly Jongdae moved his hand on top of Junmyeon’s own, offering him a small smile. “Okay.” He nodded, his little fangs once again poking out of his mouth. He liked the reason Junmyeon gave, it made his insides feel all warm and fuzzy. None of his other owners had said anything like that.
“I think I would like to stay,” Jongdae said, and Junmyeon couldn’t help but smile.
There was still plenty for Junmyeon to learn about Jongdae, but honestly, he was more than willing to put in the work.