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The moment Minho saw those pouty, rosy lips, he knew he was fucked.
And don't get him wrong. It was the right kind of fucked. The my charming and adorable boyfriend is trying to manipulate me into something, and I'm so whipped I'll give in kind of fucked.
Minho sighed and leaned back on the couch, allowing Felix to fit into the space right next to him and intertwine their fingers. Felix's fluffy, sandy-blond cat ears twitched on top of his head, and he nuzzled Minho's neck briefly before pulling back, his tail swaying lazily behind him.
"Hyuuuuung," Felix batted his eyelashes, his nose scrunching prettily in a smile.
"Yeah, Lix?"
"Hehe, can we go to the store? I reaaaaally want to try a new recipe I saw, but we're missing a few things," Felix pouted, ears flopping down a bit.
Minho couldn't resist and lifted a hand to pet them softly, his thumb gently rubbing the silky inside and pulling a soft purr out of Felix, whose eyes fluttered in bliss. "What recipe caught your attention now, kitty?"
At that, Felix perked up, straightening his back and swaying his tail happily. "Honey creamy tuna cookies!"
"Wha– what? Honey… creamy… tuna, you said?" Minho asked, baffled.
"Yep!" Felix grinned, popping the p soundly. "I was reading this Instagram post from a baker I follow, y'know, the one with the cute doberman… Anyway, she said they're pet-friendly: meant to be a human-pet bonding experience, an eating together kinda thing, so, we can eat them with Soonie, Dori, and Doongie."
Minho's heart did a flip in his chest at the casual display of affection, his boyfriend always did his best to include their whole feline family. "Are they me-friendly, though? Because the tuna-creamy aspect in a cookie sure sounds weird..." he said teasingly.
Felix's pout deepened impossibly before his eyes glinted mischievously, mirth gleaming in little specks that matched his freckles. "You say that as if you didn't enjoy my creamy aspects, sweetheart," he said, leaning further into Minho's space to playfully lick at his cheek. Minho quickly returned the favor, holding Felix's face by the chin and ducking down to kittenishly lap at his neck, making Felix squeal and blush. "Hy– hyung!"
"Oh, I love them alright," Minho flirtatiously retorted with a smug expression, amused.
A loud mewl sounded from across the living room.
"Can you stop, please? Dori is making fun of me again because of you," Felix whined, scrunching his nose and swatting Minho's face away, standing up from the sofa to tug at Minho’s hand. "C'monnnn, hyung. I promise you'll love them."
"Hmmm, I don't know, Lix..." Minho answered, sagging even further against the couch and thoroughly enjoying his boyfriend's exasperated face.
Felix did an adorable little tantrum, feet stomping, promising Minho he'd do whatever he wanted if he came to the store with him right that instant.
"Okay, fine," said Minho, defeated, and Felix's face lit up in a smile. He was about to turn to grab his shoes when Minho tugged him back down into his lap. Felix tumbled forward with a yelp and caught himself on Minho's shoulders. "But first, I want to collect on that promise," Minho said before leaning in and stealing Felix's breath in a sweet, careful kiss.
Felix closed his surprised eyes and melted into it, and Minho felt him go soft against his mouth, that familiar warmth spreading through his chest at how easily Felix gave in to him. Minho kissed him slowly, savoring the little hitch of Felix's breath, before Felix pulled back with a peck and a love-dripping smile. Minho tightened his grip on his waist for a moment, reluctant to let the moment go, before finally releasing him, watching fondly as Felix’s fuzzy tail swirled behind him while he crouched by their apartment door to pick out a pair of shoes.
Minho stood with a groan and headed to their bedroom for his wallet and a hoodie, the temperature had dropped considerably these last few days. A second before leaving, he turned around and rummaged through one of his drawers, pulling out a soft white beanie and pocketing it in his jeans for later. Felix's kitty ears always, always got cold, and yet he stubbornly refused to willingly wear beanies. Minho was used to bringing one along by now and enjoyed coming up with different tricks to get Felix to wear them, upping his game every time.
Minho grinned, already picturing how he'd pull it off this time, and made his way back to the living room just in time to see Felix by the doorway, tying his sneakers before turning to address the kids. Felix always said he kind of felt like one of them, too. You know, being a hybrid and all.
"Alright, Dori. I hereby leave the house to you," Felix announced once ready, pointing a finger like a scepter. Soonie complained with a meow from the top of the cat tower he was lounging on. "Oh, don't you dare talk to me like that, Soonie. Last time we left you in charge, Doongie ripped the food bag open and you did nothing about it, young sir," Felix said, pointing accusingly, a small frown creasing his forehead and his cheeks puffing out. Doongie just stared, uninterested, before turning away, while Dori meowed proudly at his feet and stretched. "The disrespect!" Felix screeched, and Minho couldn't hold back a chuckle.
"Leave my kitty alone, okay?" he said, and Felix turned to look at him with a comically betrayed expression.
"Ya! Hyung! Whose side are you on? I'm your boyfriend!" Felix whined, ears down in displeasure.
"That's why I said my kitty love," Minho said, punctuating each word with a peck to Felix's forehead, nose, and lips. Felix stared at him adoringly before blushing furiously when Minho playfully slapped his butt. "Now let's get going, or I'll leave you here under Dori's watch too," he added, opening the door and stepping out after blowing a kiss toward their kids.
Once out of sight, he grinned to himself, listening to Felix fuss and shower the cats with last minute kisses before hurrying down the hallway to catch up, slipping his hand into Minho's to walk down the stairs together.
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They reached the store soon enough, as it was just a few blocks from their apartment. It looked small from the outside, but the first time they'd gone in they'd been pleasantly surprised to find everything they needed and more. It had been their go-to shop ever since, with almost the whole staff knowing them by now.
Minho opened the door, waving Felix in first and taking quiet pride in the way Felix's ears gave his contentment away, twitching every time he did that. Felix greeted the door guard warmly before grabbing a basket and pulling Minho along, hurried.
"So, what do we need again?" Minho asked as they walked hand in hand down the corridor, eyes trailing over the shelves they passed.
Felix pulled out his phone, scrolling through his notes for the list. "Mmm... eggs, flour, butter, andddd, tuna."
"Tuna? We bought like ten cans of tuna last week," Minho said, the memory of that receipt still fresh enough to sting. He was pretty sure their tuna budget alone could've covered a nice dinner out somewhere. Felix side-eyed him, his blond ears drooping as he looked away, playing innocent. "Lee Felix Yongbok, I swear to God..." he muttered.
At that, Felix spun around and launched into his defense. "Look, it's not entirely my fault. The kids and I were starving, and you wouldn't want us to die, right? So I opened a few cans..."
"You mean ten cans?" Minho rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
"Well, um... Oh, look, there's the milk!" Felix said, ears perking up as he ran away to the next aisle.
"You didn't say we needed milk, Lixie," Minho sighed, faux-exasperated, following after him. He made a mental note to find a way to hide some of the cans so his boyfriend and their kids wouldn't finish them all in one sitting. Maybe behind the canned green beans. Felix wasn’t a fan of those.
Fifteen minutes later —and a still blushed Felix from Minho kissing him by the frozen goods aisle, then sliding the beanie down over half his face, which made him knock a few things off a shelf in surprise—, they were finally back home.
Minho set their groceries on the counter while Felix went to gather the rest of the ingredients and their aprons, because ‘it always tastes more delicious when we cook together, hyung!’
Once everything was ready, Minho watched Felix happily scroll through his Instagram feed looking for the recipe, tail swaying excitedly. Felix glanced up. "Min-hyung! Can you put on some music? The speaker is over there," Felix pointed at their coffee table.
"Sure," Minho replied, heading over to grab it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dori and Soonie lounging in their cat tree, Doongie nowhere in sight. "Hey, buddies. Where's the little rascal?" he asked, coming closer. Soonie purred under the pats, and Dori scratched at his fingers playfully. "He'd better not be causing trouble."
Then, Minho connected his phone by bluetooth and put on the shared playlist he and Felix kept for moments like this. He wandered back to the kitchen, and at the sight of Felix leaning over the counter measuring flour, softly humming along to the music, he couldn't help but smile, content to watch him for a moment.
Minho's eyes followed the line of Felix's figure, catching on the messily tied bow just above his hips, the soft curve of his tail swaying unhurried behind him, the way the afternoon light caught the blond of his hair, gilding it until Felix looked like he'd stepped out of the sun himself; Minho’s personal ray of sunshine, however sappy that sounded even in his own head. His heart gave a small twinge of affection. The next moment Minho found himself crossing the kitchen and wrapping his arms around Felix's waist, blowing kisses into his neck.
"Hyunggggg!" Felix screeched, a giggle spilling out of him, his tail straightening before curling around Minho's arms.
"What?"
"Nothing," Felix said, turning around in Minho's hold. "I just love you," Felix smiled, leaning in to rub his nose against Minho's. Minho raised a hand to touch the lovely freckle right beside the corner of Felix's eye, the one he'd been enamored with ever since he noticed how it scrunched into something like a heart whenever Felix smiled. "Gotcha!" Felix suddenly shouted, and Minho's eyes went briefly, blindingly white as Felix clapped his flour-covered hands in front of his face. "You look very handsome, love," Felix chuckled, satisfied with himself.
Wiping the excess flour from his eyes, Minho focused them back on Felix, who was beaming, and without missing a beat Minho raised his now powdery fingers in threat, aiming for Felix's hair.
Felix squeaked and darted around the kitchen island to escape. "C'mon, Lixie. Come give your favorite hyung some cuddles," Minho said, wiggling his fingers and making a grab for the kitty's tail.
"But I can't! We need to bake, and you need to– uh– you need to put your apron on first!" Felix said, holding up the aqua, cat-paw-printed apron like a shield after snatching it off the counter.
"Oh, so now you want to bake, huh?"
"In my defense, I've always wanted to bake. You just had to come in here with your beautiful face and I couldn't help myself," Felix shrugged, the apron wrinkled in the fist propped on his hip. A soft purr by his feet made him crouch down. "Look! Doongie came to my rescue. Right, buddy?" Felix patted the cat's head, looping his much bigger tail with his in a show of alliance.
Minho huffed, feigning betrayal at Doongie siding so blatantly with Felix. In truth, he didn't blame him; if he were the cat, he'd have picked Felix's side too. "I see how it is, then. Hope you enjoy annoying Felix instead of me from now on," he said, reaching for a kitchen rag to scrub his hands and face.
Doongie meowed. "Annoy? How could this lovely prince annoy anyone?" Felix cooed before standing to hand Minho his apron.
Minho put it on, turning so Felix could tie the knot at his back. "You talk like you've never badmouthed my babies."
"Me? Pfff, never."
Minho turned around again and fixed him with a deadpanned look, joined by a chorus of outraged meows.
"Okay, okay, I have," Felix admitted quickly. "But that's only because you were really mean to me in the beginning, always biting and scratching me even though I'm practically one of yours," he pouted, addressing the cats. Felix went back to measuring the rest of the ingredients.
"It's because they love me too much," Minho singsonged, turning on the oven so it would be at the perfect temperature by the time they finished the dough. When he came back to Felix's side, he noticed Soonie and Dori had wandered into the kitchen too. This time it was Soonie who meowed.
"Okay, yeah, I did it yesterday too," Felix said apologetically. "But," he added, pointing a finger at Dori, "it was his fault. I left my yogurt on the table while I went to the bathroom, and you ate it, fully knowing it was the last one," he accused the dun-colored cat.
Dori meowed in response while Minho watched, amused. He was used to his boyfriend's ability to understand his cats by now, a far cry from the freaked-out expression he must have worn the first time Felix stayed the night and Minho had found him chatting away with them while making breakfast. He probably should have expected it, from a hybrid, but it wasn't as though there were pamphlets handed out about dating one.
"You were hungry?" Felix asked. "If I remember correctly, I gave you all a can of tuna for lunch, and even one as a snack– uh, can you pretend you didn't hear that, hyung?" Felix smiled sheepishly in Minho's direction, as if this were somehow news to him. "And you're bold enough to tell me you were hungry?" he went on.
Dori meowed again, jumping onto the counter to rub his head against Felix's hand and tap him a few times with his paw. "Oh, it's alright," Felix relented, cooing. "I forgive you, I love you too," he added.
That was Minho's cue to step in. "So, what do we need to do now, kitty?"
"Right!" Felix squeaked, grabbing his phone to check the recipe. "It says we've gotta stir-fry the tuna in melted honey first, then add the cream, then mix it all into the dough. Hmph, the recipe is pretty simple, basically a regular batch with an extra egg."
"I'll get the honey, then. You can deal with the tuna cans meanwhile."
Minho rifled through their cabinets until he found the honey jar and set it on the island. Suddenly, a devilish idea crossed his mind as he glanced over at Felix beside him, tongue poking out in concentration. Minho opened the jar and dipped a finger in, catching a bit of the sticky substance.
"Min, no!" Felix screeched when he realized. "You're supposed to use a spoon, otherwise your finger will be gummy, and how are we even gonna pour it on th–" Minho swiped his honey-covered finger across Felix's lips, cutting the sentence short. Felix's eyes and mouth flew open in surprise, his blond ears shooting straight up, and Minho smirked, triumphant.
"They say vengeance is the sweetest meal," Minho said, before leaning in and catching Felix's lips in a kiss, crowding him against the counter and using his tongue to lap up the honey, pulling pretty little gasps out of Felix. One of the cats meowed and Felix's hands tangled into his hair. It was perfect, so he smeared the last of it on Felix's cheek too.
"Hyung!" Felix fussed, pulling back. "Now what, are you going to lick that off too?" he asked, blushing.
Minho hummed thoughtfully, leaning in close and stopping just a breath away. "Nope. Good luck with that," he chuckled, reaching past him for the bowl of strained tuna and carrying it off to set a pan on the stove, tipping it in a moment later.
"Hyung," Felix pouted, wiping his cheek clean with water. "You're always teasing me."
"No, I'm not," Minho replied over the sizzle of the tuna. He grabbed a wooden spoon, added a generous portion of honey, and stirred it all together. It smelled like opening the door of a bakery in a port town; a mix of sweetness and fish that mingled questionably.
"Yes, you are. I have witnesses. Right, Soonie?" Felix asked, the oldest cat answering with a meow. "She agrees, by the way."
"You bribed them, that's why they're on your side." Minho caught, out of the corner of his eye, that Felix was almost ready with the dough, so he moved to grab the cream to mix in with the tuna.
"Nooooooo," Felix's ears twitched as he whined. "It's because they love me," he said cheekily.
Minho turned off the stove and turned around, pulling Felix in by the waist to make him look his way. "Can't blame them. Love you too, kitty," he murmured against Felix's lips before pecking them.
"Hyung, you're such a sap," Felix said, failing to hold back his grin.
"And you love it, so shut up," Minho said, tapping Felix's hip pointedly. "The tuna's ready, let's mix this up."
Minho turned to grab the pan and carefully poured the mixture over the dough Felix had prepared in the bowl. It looked... interesting, to say the least.
"Just so you know, I'm not touching that," Minho said, pointing at the dough.
Felix shot him an unimpressed look. "Pussy," he said, before diving in with his bare hands to knead it all together.
"Says you," Minho mumbled under his breath. He watched Felix's nose scrunch delightedly and the telltale of his tail when he liked something.
"Smells delicious! What d'you think, Min?"
"Uh... sure!" Minho answered, after a deep, performative sniff. Delicious was not the word he'd use to describe that smell. "I'll wash up while you finish that off," he said, lifting the dirtied pan.
Felix hummed in agreement, kneading the dough into a ball while Minho scrubbed down the pan and utensils at the sink. He was already washing the suds off his hands by the time Felix set the dough in the fridge.
"Ten minutes and then we can cut it out," Felix said. "I'll get the cookie cutters!" He passed by Minho on his way to the cabinets, tiptoeing carefully around the saucers and spice jars.
"Don't forget the fish-shaped one," Minho said, drying his hands on their kitchen rag —its purple long since faded to a soft lilac, threads fraying at the edges, though neither of them could bring themselves to throw it out. It had been the one they'd picked out at the home decor store the day after they first decided to move in together, and they were both sentimental like that. "The kids like it," he added, and three long meows agreed.
Felix hummed as he kept digging their cabinets and drawers for the cutters, muttering something about how they should really keep them all together in a box.
Minho hummed noncommittally, eyes fixed on the sway of Felix's tail, leaning back against the counter and petting Dori one-handed.
He took a moment to look around the home they'd built together; the mismatched mugs hanging under the cabinets, the old polaroids taped to the living room wall, the flecks of orange, dun, white, and blond fur scattered across their sofas and rugs (courtesy of Felix too).
Then his ears picked on the soft notes drifting from the speaker, and he looked up to find Felix already looking at him. "Hey."
Almost automatically, they reached for each other, Felix tugging Minho's hand to pull him toward the middle of the kitchen, playful smiles adorning their faces. Minho's hands went to Felix's waist, but Felix had other plans, guiding them up around his own neck instead and looping his tail around Minho's hips as he settled his own hands on Minho's waist.
"Like this," Felix murmured, smiling at him.
Minho leaned in to rest their foreheads together, swaying them both in a slow dance to the music's rhythm. "It's nice." A moment passed. "I still remember the first time we danced to this."
Felix purred. "You do?" His brown eyes sparkling thanks to the golden light coming in from the kitchen’s window.
"Of course I do. It's the day I met you," Minho said, pulling back just enough to spin Felix out on his arm. "I'll never forget it."
Felix laughed. "Good. Me neither. You looked very handsome."
"Oh, really?"
"Mhmm. Everyone was so jealous of me."
Minho shrugged. "I doubt it."
"Why? Doubting yourself?" Felix wondered.
"No. But I know they were jealous of me, darling." Minho slotted their legs together, pressing Felix flush against him and reveling in the blush that rose to his cheeks, his fluffy ears twitching. "I was dancing with the most beautiful boy in the world."
"Hyung, you're so cheesy," Felix smiled.
"Only for you," Minho said, leaning in to peck Felix's lips, a kiss that soon deepened. He caught Felix's bottom lip between his own, tasting him before nibbling on them as Felix opened his mouth in a gasp. Their tongues met unhurried, caressing the other swiftly before they eased back into softer, slower kisses. "Let's finish those cookies, hm?"
"Yeah, let's," Felix exhaled. "Alright," he added, pushing Minho gently toward the fridge. "Bring the dough, please?"
"Sure, boss," Minho said, giving a mock salute. "A kiss first?" He leaned in, only to be met with a hand flat against his lips instead.
"No more kisses until we're done, hyung," Felix said, shaking his head. "Also, where are the kids?"
"You're no fun," Minho drawled, opening the fridge and taking out the bowl of dough. "And I don't know. I got distracted by my ex favorite kitty," he said playfully.
"What are you, ten?" Felix rolled his eyes.
"And you're like two hundred in cat years, so don't push it."
"That's not even real, Min-hyung. Don't believe everything you see on YouTube."
"I'll have you know it wasn't YouTube," Minho said, setting the bowl on the counter. "It was NatGeo."
Felix gave him a look that had Minho cracking up inside, the corners of his mouth twitching with barely repressed laughter. "Hmph. Even worse, then. Anyways, that would make me the hyung, wouldn't it?" Felix said playfully, reaching for the rolling pin Minho was already handing over.
"In your dreams, kitty. Where'd you leave the cutters?" Minho asked, dusting the counter with flour.
"There, hyung," Felix said, pointing with his tail toward the space beside the faucet. "Losing your eyesight already, old man?" he teased.
"You've been awfully naughty today," Minho said, tugging playfully on Felix's tail just to hear him yelp. He gathered the cutters and laid them out on the countertop, watching Felix carefully flatten the dough, endeared by how meticulous he was about it.
"This would go so much faster if someone helped me..." Felix sighed, faux-annoyed.
"We don't have another roller," Minho pointed out.
"I could always get you one. Your birthday's coming up."
"Yeah... let's keep that a mystery." Minho took the finished dough from Felix. He couldn't resist leaning in to smell it, his nose scrunching in distaste.
Felix laughed. "You'll love them."
"I'm trusting you on this, kitty-Lixie." Minho picked up one of the cutters, a heart-shaped one, and pressed it firmly into the dough before lifting out the first cookie. "DoriSoonieDoongie!" Minho called out in a rush. "Come choose your cookies!"
"They're going to go deaf if you keep yelling at them like that," Felix said, still rolling out the rest of the dough.
"Well, I can't meow at them like you can." Minho watched his cats file in one after another and waved them closer. "Ask them what shape they want."
Felix turned to the cats. "Tell me." All three meowed in unison, and Felix nodded along, apparently understanding, before turning back to Minho.
"They say meow," Felix meowed at Minho. "What?" he asked, when Minho kept staring flatly at him."Meow means 'I love you'."
Minho reached over to pinch one of his freckles. "So does this."
"Ow!" Felix yelped, rubbing his cheek and pouting. "Dori wants a flower, Soonie a fish, and Doongie an umbrella."
"Coming right up!" Minho singsonged, cutting the rest of the dough.
"And I want a bone," Felix added.
"Oh, I know you like boners," Minho mischievously smiled at Felix’s rapidly blushing face.
"I said bone, hyung. Bone. And the kids are right here, oh my God," he whined, covering his ears as all three cats started meowing obnoxiously at him. "You shouldn't tease me, he is the dirty-minded one, not me!" Felix told the cats.
Minho burst out laughing and went to grab their oven tray, cutting a sheet of wax paper to line it while Felix finished cutting the rest of the dough, still bickering with the cats.
"This is your fault," Felix pouted.
"It's not me who wanted the bo–" Minho was cut off by Felix pecking his lips.
"No more. Time to get these in the oven!" Felix grinned.
Minho sighed, endeared, and helped Felix arrange the cookies on the tray. Once they were done, he wiped down the counter while Felix slid the tray into the oven and adjusted the temperature.
"Ready!" Felix clapped, tail whipping happily behind him. Minho stepped closer to his fur-ball of happiness and kissed his nose lovingly. "Now what?"
"I have some ideas," Minho hummed, tugging Felix out of the kitchen by the waist, grinning like a madman.
"Hyung, the timer!" Felix shouted over their laughter, never one to say to not follow Minho.
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"So? How do you like them?" Felix asked an hour later, all the cookies laid out and the five of them sampling the not-too-burnt ones.
"They're awful," Minho said around a bite.
Felix cackled. "You love them." Then he turned to watch their cats happily devouring their treats and cooed. "They liked them too."
Minho looked at those smiling, rosy lips and knew he was fucked. Well —Minho figured he could get used to the taste.
He took another hearty bite.