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Changbin’s evening was certainly not going as planned.
He was running through the street, soaked to the bone with his jeans ripped and his knee scraped, a baby chick sheltered in his hands. Its fluffy yellow feathers were drenched and it was making pathetic little chirping sounds, barely audible against the rain and the constant onslaught of traffic.
No, this was certainly not how Changbin had envisioned spending his evening.
They had the day off so he had gone to see his family. They had eaten dinner at a fashionable Japanese restaurant a few kilometers away from the dorms, and since he had eaten too much Changbin had decided to take a leisurely stroll home instead of getting dropped off. That had been the first bad decision of the night. His mother had warned him it was going to rain. His sister had even tried to shove an umbrella into his hands. But no, Changbin had felt confident that he could make it home before the rain began.
He had only been walking about ten minutes when he felt the first few raindrops hitting his head and shoulders. Just a little rain right ? he had thought, shrugging it off, and not even bothering to hurry his step. But about a block later that light drizzle turned into a continuous downpour. At that moment Changbin should have reconsidered his plans. He should have taken shelter under an awning and gotten an Uber. But had he done that? No, he had not. He had continued walking along, resigned to getting rained on.
Of course by then he had gotten enough sense to hurry up at least, but he had still been hoping that the rain was short lived. Thinking back, Changbin should have factored in that he was the unluckiest member of Stray Kids. Bad things just happened to him! How many times did someone need to lose rock, paper, scissors, in a row before they admitted that luck was just not on their side? This was the kind of thing that would never happen to Lee Know, for instance; it was unimaginable.
The rain had only gotten worse, to the point that he was running through the empty streets. Everyone had sought shelter inside, and the few people out were well equipped with umbrellas and raincoats. It wasn’t even just the rain that was the problem; the wind had picked up too, and soon Changbin found himself fighting against it as if it were an invisible barrier. He was still barely halfway to the dorms when his shoe had slipped on the wet concrete and he landed forward, breaking his fall on his hands and knees. He had winced as he examined the torn fabric at his left knee. The scrape was not deep, but it was big and ugly, and it stung as he got up on his feet again.
He stood in the rain, feeling foolish, then glanced to the left of him into an alleyway between an old apartment building and a convenience store. And that’s when he saw it. It was a scruffy yellow patch against the grey of the building. Its small body was partially hidden by a trash can so that Changbin wasn’t even sure what he was looking at, but some instinct told him to get closer.
He stepped into the alley, and watched as the little scruffy creature moved its tiny little legs to get away from him. It was fast, but there was nowhere to go, and before Changbin knew what he was doing he had crouched down and extended his arms, trying to grab hold of the chick.
Usually he was not much of an animal person. His family had never had any, and he found dogs a little unpredictable for his tastes. Cats were sweet and very pretty but unfortunately he was allergic, so he had always kept a good distance from them. He was certainly the least likely member to pick up a stray, and yet Changbin strongly felt that he couldn’t just leave it there.
It was a baby. He had no idea what the lifespan of a chicken was, or how long it took to reach maturity, but it was tiny and helpless and he was not about to leave it alone in the middle of an alleyway. The chick tried to get away from him, running with surprising speed, and chirping in alarm, but Changbin reach was too long and a second later he had the small bird in his hand.
He had expected it to peck him, but it appeared the chick didn’t have many powers of protest outside of chirping. He held it awkwardly in his hands, not wanting it to escape, but also not wanting to harm its delicate little form.
He looked around the street as another gust of heavy wind blew through. He wished there was someone else around so the responsibility of saving this little creature didn’t fall entirely on him, but there was no one. Grudgingly he turned back towards the dorms, a new urgency in his step. He felt like he had suddenly become a father; he had a responsibility to get this chick to safety.
He didn’t stop running until he reached their building. He passed through the first door with a sigh of relief. His clothes were so wet they felt like they were glued to him, and he was shivering, actual droplets dripping from his hair. Under the yellow light he looked down at the little chick, who gave a small chirp. He had to get her warm. He climbed up the staircase, opening the door to their dorm rooms and immediately shaking off as much of the rain as he could.
The dorms appeared completely dark and silent.
“Anyone here?” he called loudly. “It’s an emergency!”
When no response came, he sighed and cupped the chick gingerly in one hand while he removed his shoes with the other. He didn't want to set it loose, so moved her from hand to hand as he removed his jacket, leaving it in a soggy pile on the floor.
“Oy, I’m serious! Anyone here!?” he asked as he walked into the living room.
There was a sound of a door opening and footsteps and the next moment Felix was poking his head out of their bedroom. He was bare faced and wearing old pajamas, part of his fluffy blonde hair up in a ponytail. His eyes had that glassy look they got when he played video games for hours straight.
“Oh, you got caught in the rain,” he said. “I can bring you—” He stopped, and his eyes suddenly widened as he looked down at the thing in his hands.
“I found it,” said Changbin.
Felix frowned. “You.” He cocked his head to the side, and the chick made a little chirping sound. “You found it here ?”
“Yeah, it was on the street.”
“ This street?”
“No, a couple blocks away,” said Changbin impatiently. “Felix, I need a towel, I think it’s cold.”
“Ah!” said Felix with a start as he dashed into the bathroom.
“Where is everyone?” Changbin shouted after him.
He heard the sound of rummaging and a cabinet opening and then Felix ran back, holding two large towels. Changbin handed Felix the chick and he carefully wrapped it in one of the towels. Then Changbin stripped off his shirt and pants and dried himself with the second towel, shivering in the cold.
Felix was gazing down transfixed at the little bird. “It’s so cute,” he muttered, his lips pouty.
“I’m gonna get clean clothes, don’t let it get away.”
Felix nodded, not even bothering to look up at him.
Changbin grabbed some sweatpants and a half-clean hoodie and dressed as quickly as he could. He didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that he was an absolute mess right now, but that had never mattered less to him. He still couldn't believe what had just happened. What were they going to do with it?
From the other room he could hear Felix baby talking to the chick in his deep gruff voice and despite himself Changbin laughed. Of course, it had to be a chick.
When he returned to the living room he found Felix sitting crossed legend on the floor, the towel spread over his lap and the chick nestled in it.
“Does it look okay?” asked Changbin.
Felix shrugged. “I mean it’s not bleeding or anything, but I haven’t had much experience with baby chicks.”
Changbin tried to kneel in front of him and instantly let out a loud wince. He had forgotten his scrape.
“What’s wrong?” asked Felix in alarm.
“I fell on my knee a little, it’s not a big deal.”
“Binnie,” said Felix with concern as he shuffled closer.
“It’s fine, I just—” He looked down at the small bird all wrapped up in a red towel. “Hope this little guy is okay.”
Felix lifted it up to eye level and the chick made another cute little sound. “You’re glad to be out of the storm aren’t you?”
“Me too.”
He looked back at the hallway that led to the other rooms. All the lights were off and he couldn’t hear music or voices. Were they alone?
“Where is everyone?” he repeated.
“Bangchan and Seungmin went out to eat, and Hyunjin and Han went over to Lee Know’s a few hours ago. They’re all probably avoiding coming back in this weather.”
“And I.N?”
Felix gave a shrug. “I think he’s here.”
Changbin got up. “Oy! Maknae!” he shouted. “Baby bread!”
“You’re scaring the chick!” hissed Felix.
A second later there was a response from the last room in the hall. Changbin heard something fall, as the light came on and Jeongin popped his head out, looking like he had just woken up. “What?” he said in a groggy voice.
“Family emergency, get over here!”
I.N gave a deep sigh, and walked over, dragging his feet. “I was dreaming of that really good deep dish pizza we had in Chicago—” he said, stifling a yawn. “Why did you-” and then he spotted the chick and his countenance changed instantly. It was like he had been splashed with cold rain water. He paused and his eyes widened looking from Felix to Changbin, to the chick. “What is that ?”
Felix held up somewhat proudly, a big smile on his face. “It’s a chick!” he said in English.
“I found it outside,” Changbin explained.
The three of them sat in a lopsided triangle on the floor, their eyes all fixed on the little bird. Felix was drying it gently with the towel and slowly its feathers were becoming fluffy again.
“We’re not allowed pets,” said I.N. “We’re gonna get in trouble.”
“It’s not a pet,” countered Felix.
“And we’re not keeping it,” said Changbin. He wasn’t sure what was going to be done about it, but they certainly could not keep it.
Felix glanced up at him like a damn pleading emoji. “We’re not?”
“It’s not allowed!” I.N insisted
Changbin looked at it. It appeared so fragile and small. He couldn’t even imagine how it had gotten to the city, much less how it had ended up all alone in an alleyway. “I mean, it wouldn’t be happy here,” he said. “There’s no grass or sunshine, and it probably needs its brothers and sisters.”
Felix gave a deep sigh. “Yeah, that’s true.”
“But what are we gonna do tonight?”
Changbin felt like the decision was up to him. He was after all the oldest member present and that gave him some sense of authority. “I think we’ll have to keep her here tonight. Maybe tomorrow we can call someone from the city and figure out where to take her.”
Felix loosened the towel around the chick and instantly it sprang up, moving so quickly that I.N gasped and pulled back. It certainly did not appear to be injured in any way as it moved in the space between them.
“Maybe it’s hungry? What do chicks eat anyway?”
Changbin pulled out his phone and quickly did a google search. “Worms,” he said, listing it off. “We definitely don’t have those. Crickets. Nope. Mmm… tomatoes?” He glanced up at Felix, who shook his head.
He glanced back at the list. “What about lettuce, or bananas?”
Felix perked up. “We should have both.” He stood gracefully in one smooth motion and headed towards the kitchen. Sensing her opportunity to escape, the chick bolted after him, forcing I.N to scamper on hands and knees after it, scooping it up into his arms.
“It’s so fast!” he said.
The chick looked resentfully at I.N, but it was properly trapped in his hands. He put it back in the towel, confining it.
Felix returned with the clear bin that he usually used to transport his famous brownies, except this time it held a pile of shredded lettuce. Delicately I.N dropped the little chick inside the container. It chirped, running from one end to the other with jolting movements.
Felix petted it with an index finger. “Go on, little guy,” he said in English. He poked him in the direction of the lettuce. “Go, have a snack.”
The chick did not seem interested in having a snack; instead it chirped again and tried to get Felix’s finger with its beak.
He retracted his hand and glanced up at Changbin. “I guess we can keep her here for the night?”
The chick gave an indignant chirp, hopping on the spot.
“I don’t think she likes it,” said Felix. “But it’s big enough and she can’t get out.”
Felix grabbed a small sauce container and filled it with water, putting it in the bin with the chick and the lettuce, while Changbin picked up his wet clothes from the floor. He knew if Seungmin or Lee Know had seen him be such a slob there would have been hell to pay.
When he was finished he found the other two watching variety shows on the TV, the bin with the chick at their feet. Changbin settled down next to Felix and grabbed one of his hands for warmth, keeping it between both of his own. His skin felt soft, and Felix, who cuddled at any opportunity, immediately pulled Changbin closer, until his head and his still wet hair was resting on Felix’s shoulder.
An hour passed and if anything it sounded like the storm had become more violent outside. Thunder roared through the dorms, making the chick jump. Changbin glanced at the clock over the TV. It was ten o’clock already and yet none of the others had come back.
As if he had been thinking the same thing, I.N pulled out his phone. “They’re not coming home,” he said, holding it up to show the group chat. Hyunjin and Han were sleeping over at Lee Know’s place, and Bangchan and Seungmin would sleep at his parents as it was much closer than the dorms.
“I can’t believe I get a room to myself,” said I.N with a giddy smile.
Felix on the other hand made a pouty face. “It’s creepy when this place is empty.”
“I’ll be in the bunk bed next over,” Changbin assured him. “And anyway we have a special guest,” he said, pointing to the chick with his foot.
Around midnight they got ready for bed, bringing over the bin to sit in between both of the bunk beds. Felix lay flat on his stomach on the ground, taking pictures of the now very fluffy little bird. “I wish we could keep her,” he said, sounding like a little kid begging for a puppy.
“Me too,” he said, because he loved nothing more than Felix getting exactly what he wanted.
Outside there was another flash of lightning followed by more thunder. “I’m glad I didn’t go out today,” said Felix, as he put on a grey sweatshirt. “It’s freezing in here.” He shivered as if to prove his point and then added, “Do you think the chick is warm enough?”
Changbin hadn't even thought about that. Felix sat on the edge of his bed as they did a quick google search to discover that chicks did in fact need an extra warm atmosphere and were usually kept under a heat lamp. Quickly they moved their books and cosmetics off nightstands, put the bin where they had been and positioned both of their lamps to point down at it.
“Is that going to be warm enough?” asked Felix as he tested it by putting his hand underneath.
“Does it feel warm?”
“It does,” he said, extracting it again. “I just hope it’s enough for her. They’re not supposed to be alone either. I wonder what she was doing there?”
Changbin didn’t want to think about it too much. The only answer he could really come up with was that this chick was supposed to be on a menu somewhere, although he wasn’t sure what kind of dish would require a baby chick. He settled into bed, piling the blankets on himself, and hearing the sound of Felix doing the same from the other bunk bed.
The room felt odd with that orange light, and Bangchan’s absence, and the rain heavy against the window outside. He flopped over onto his back. What were they going to do with it tomorrow? What if this chick didn’t eat lettuce, or the lamp wasn’t warm enough, or it needed medical attention? He wanted to check on it again, but he held himself back. There was nothing else they could do for it, he had tried his best, and theoretically it had all it needed.
He let out a deep sigh and from the other bed he heard Felix shuffling around.
“Did you have pets when you were growing up?” asked Felix.
“Never. Did you?”
“My sister had some hamsters when we were little, but I think we got too sad when they died so mom and dad wouldn’t let us get anymore.”
“Would you want a pet?”
He looked over to see Felix grinning. “You mean in the future?”
The future. It was difficult to know what “the future” meant or when it would come but they all took this phrase to mean in a future where Stray Kids was not their first priority. It felt like it was ages away, but of course within the next few years most of them would have to complete their military service, and after that who knew?
“Yeah, in the future.”
“I’d like a dog, You can take it places, go to the park, or camping, or—” his smile widened. “He could come with us on our bike dates.”
Changbin laughed. “So, not a cat then?”
“No, but don’t tell Lee Know. What about you?”
He contemplated for a moment, trying to picture some older version of himself, where he had gone through his military service and had his own apartment. It was difficult to picture. He wasn’t sure living by himself would suit him at all. He had always liked living with his family, and living with his members was even better. It had never felt like an obligation; it was a treat to be able to spend so much time with the people he loved.
“I don’t know, it depends on too many things.”
“Like what?” whispered Felix.
“I don’t ever want to live alone,” he said bluntly. He could feel Felix’s eyes on him. It made him self-conscious somehow, which was stupid really. He and Felix had always been close. Even with the language barrier, he had liked Felix from day one.
“You can live with me then.”
Changbin grinned and turned on his side to look at him better. “You mean that?”
Felix stretched out his hand towards him, and Changbin did the same. The beds were too far away from them to touch properly, but their fingers graced against each other. “If it was up to me we would all live together forever.”
“Me too.”
“I’m gonna follow you into the military,” said Felix with a wicked grin.
Changbin laughed. “No, don’t be stupid, you’re lucky you don’t have to go.”
“I know, but I’m gonna miss you.”
“It’s years away,” Changbin assured him, although he felt a lump in his throat. He was going to miss Felix. He had gotten so used to sharing a room with him, to hearing his light, even breathing at night, to waking up to the smell of expensive cosmetics, to hearing him curse in English as he played video games deep into the hours of the morning. All of that meant home to him.
He shut his eyes and listened to the sound of the rain, wanting it to wash away all of his useless anxiety. After all, they were together now and that was all that mattered really.
-
“Binnie.” He could feel someone shaking his shoulder vigorously. “Please get up!”
Changbin answered with a vague groaning sound.
“The chick is gone! Please help me look!”
Chick . For a moment he wondered what on earth Felix was talking about and then suddenly it all came back to him in a flash and he was sitting upright. It was morning, and from the sound the rain had stopped. Felix was standing in front of him, white faced and messy haired, and behind him Changbin could see the bin.
He jumped to his feet. The lettuce was still there, and the container of water, which had been overturned during the night, but the chick was gone.
“Maybe I.N took her?” suggested Changbin, rubbing his eyes.
“I’ll go ask,” said Felix, rushing out of the room.
Changbin looked around frantically. The room was not large, but there were thousands of places a tiny chick could be hiding. He knelt on the ground looking underneath both beds with the flashlight of his cellphone. There was nothing but some dirty socks. He went over to the desk where Felix's gaming monitors were set up, and moved the wires in the back, hoping to hear a little chirp.
He moved the wardrobe and checked behind the mirror, but there was no sign of it.
“I.N’s still asleep,” said Felix when he re-entered the room.
“Fuck,” said Changbin under his breath.
Felix went down to his hands and knees as they went around inspecting every inch of the floor. “It has tiny little legs, how far could it have gone?” said Changbin as he carefully moved the hamper of dirty clothes. The chick was so small; if they weren’t careful they might hurt it with all their shuffling and movement.
At first he felt confident that between the two of them the chick would be found in no time. But then 10 minutes passed, and then 20. They expanded their search through the rest of the dorms, crawling on the floor room by room, but there didn’t seem to be a single trace of the chick.
More than an hour had elapsed when the door of the apartment opened and voices were heard.
Felix and Changbin instantly looked at each other. The only thing worse than finding and having to care for a lost chick was having to tell the other members that they had lost it somewhere in the dorms.
Felix laughed nervously. “What are we going to say?” he whispered.
As both the rescuer of the chick and the oldest it certainly fell onto him to give an explanation, but what was he supposed to say? The situation was so silly that he doubted whether anyone would even believe him.
“Let’s just keep looking, we’ll tell them we lost an earring or something,” said Changbin, diving underneath the couch again. It had to be around here somewhere, chicks didn’t just disappear.
Suddenly there was a scream from the entrance that made both of them jump.
“What the—” came Bangchan’s voice in English.
“It bit me!” shouted Seungmin.
“Don’t let it escape!” yelled Changbin instantly, jumping to his feet and running to the entrance. His timing was perfect too, as the little chick was making an escape just then. He dived on the floor, determined to grab it but it was too fast for him, slipping right out of his reach.
A second later he heard a little yelp and looked over his shoulder to see Felix on the ground, cradling the chick between his hands. “Got her!” he said triumphantly.
Changbin sighed with relief, and waddled over to him on his knees. “Why did you do that?” he asked the chick. “We were worried about you!”
“What is that ?” said Seungmin who was standing in the doorway looking terrified.
Felix beamed at him, that special crinkly smile that made him look like the happiest kid on the planet. “It’s a chick,” he said, showing it to them.
“Well I know that! What I mean is what is it doing here?”
“I found it last night in the street during the storm so I brought it in,” said Changbin very quickly.
“What was it doing in the shoes?” said Bangchan.
Felix and Changbin looked at each conspiratorially.
“We were playing hide and seek?” suggested Felix weakly.
Seungmin gave a great sight and walked over. “You lost it, didn’t you?”
“No,” Changbin lied.
Seungmin crouched down and gently petted the chick with an index finger. “I forgive you for biting me,” he said. Then he glanced up at Changbin. “But I don’t forgive you for leaving a wild animal loose in the apartment.”
“It’s not a wild animal,” argued Felix, shuffling close to Seungmin and resting his head on the other’s shoulder. “It’s a baby.”
There was something irresistible about Felix and Changbin watched as Seungmin’s expression softened. Changbin smiled to himself. Felix really could really win anyone over, even the neat freaks of the household.
Soon they were all crowded around the little bird. They plopped it down in a circle between the four of them and watched as it moved and chirped, its skinny legs moving quickly as it sought an escape.
They were still like this half an hour later when the door opened a second time and the rest of the members came in. Hyunjin and Han were arguing loudly about something, while Lee Know was groaning about something or other. The chick jumped at the new sounds, and dove straight at Bangchan’s knees as if seeking protection.
“Oy, quiet over there!” shouted Changbin.
Han poked his head in. “What’s the matter with you?”
“We have a chick,” said Bangchan with a giggle.
“A what?” came Hyunjin’s voice, and as a second later the three of them came into the room.
Hyunjin’s mouth dropped and Han did a double take. Lee Know on the other hand stayed calm and collective as if he had been expecting to walk into this peculiar scene.
“Is that real?” said Han.
“Of course it’s real!” said Hyunjin, elbowing him in the ribs.
The three of them came to join their circle, Lee Know squeezing between Changbin and Bangchan, Han draping himself over Felix, and Hyunjin tangling himself on Seungmin as they all looked admiringly at the chick.
“If we were gonna have pets in here I would have brought my cats,” complained Lee Know.
“It’s not staying,” said Bangchan, although there was a soft, indulgent note in his voice.
The chick spent the rest of the day with them.
Out of consideration for it's psychological welfare they refrained from eating both eggs and chickens, and instead of watching their usual drama they put on a cute kid’s movie called Chicken Little.
Finding a good home for the chick proved much easier than anticipated as it turned out one of Lee Know’s aunties raised them. He made a call and in the evening she showed up to pick up the chick, bringing them generous helpings of sweet bungeoppang and exclaiming over how skinny they all were.
After having cared for her for almost 24 hours Changbin felt a sense of emptiness as he watched the auntie drive off with her. That was, until he felt someone hug him from behind, wrapping their arms around his waist. He recognized Hyunjin by his rather exquisite perfume.
“You did good rescuing her.”
Changbin grinned.
He hoped so. He knew that sometimes he came off as intimidating, as tough, particularly when he rapped, but that wasn’t who he was. He just wanted to help: to help his members and his family, and apparently random chicks if they came across his path.