Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I’m so glad that you have made it, Mr. Kim!”

Doyoung blinked. Once. Twice. Not for a third time though, he didn’t want to give an impression that he had no idea what he was doing here in the first place.

If anything, Doyoung blamed it on his post-office meeting haze. He had never trusted himself whenever he was in that headspace of his, and he most likely would be trusting it any time sooner after this whole ordeal would be over.

Just a moment ago, he recalled, he had finished wrapping up a meeting together with his coworkers about a recent project and was just boring his eyes to the plain painting of a flower – or was it a cat – in the middle of his desk. He did remember picking up his phone in the middle of it, the voice speaking to him – as he had identified – was the agent who sold to him his soon-to-be house.

Doyoung wasn’t entirely sure what the conversation on the phone was all about, and yes, he was still blaming it on his post-office meeting haze. And, with that kind of call, he had expected that he would be meeting with the agent in front of the house once they agreed on it.

He had clearly not expected, however, was that he would be face-to-face with the kind face of Mrs. Lee – who he recalled to be the soon-to-be previous owner of the house he bought.

Okay, maybe kind was not the right word to use.

He had remembered vaguely about the sudden approaches he got from his soon-to-be neighbors, most of them if not all were middle-aged women. They praised him for making Mrs. Lee leave their neighborhood and how what a pain-in-the-ass she was of a neighbor, constantly eyeing whoever passes the front of her house with a deadly glare.

Honestly, Doyoung had no idea how he should react to that. But maybe it was kind of for the best that he did whatever those maybe-not-so kind ladies told him when he realized that Mrs. Lee had been talking to him nonstop ever since he had arrived and was only wrapping up just now.

When he saw her smile at him, her eyes shining as if she was waiting for his reply, Doyoung had no idea on how he should go on. He thought it might be rude if he just said up front that no, he wasn’t listening, but was there really another way to deal with this situation?

Yes , Doyoung’s one functioning brain cell sounded off in his brain. And maybe there was indeed something he could do.

And yes, that was totally just giving Mrs. Lee a nod and a smile that he prayed did not appear too awkward or fake.

She seemed to have taken the hint though when she nodded and smiled back and went back to giving out orders to who he assumed to be her family members – two kids and her husband – and probably some workers from the moving company she rented a truck from.

Now, Doyoung really had no idea on what he should do in this situation. Should he go help? They didn’t look like they needed the extra hands though. Should he just walk away? But Mrs. Lee kept on sparing a glance at his direction, as if she was wary of him leaving. Should he order something for them to drink? 

Doyoung paused at the last thought. Should he really? He didn’t want to spend money on them though. Especially when he had no actual relation to whoever this group of people was besides being the previous owners of the house he bought.

He found himself praying to whoever god was ready to listen to his prayers after giving whatever attention he unnecessarily needed to his thoughts. May the heavens and all inhuman beings understand why he was just standing there awkwardly, looking like a lost irresponsible adult if anything. And the fact that he was not what his stupid brain supply him at that moment on who he was, he wanted to just do something .

So maybe there really was a god waiting for him to speak his thoughts, Doyoung concluded when he felt a tug at the knee part of his pants.

Relief washed itself all over his system, and Doyoung was so, so ready to entertain whatever thing that decided to take his attention.

Or someone, when he came to look down and be greeted by big doe eyes he suddenly wanted to just run away and give himself a shower of pity.

Doyoung didn’t notice the way Mrs. Lee gave the boy looking up at him a warning, but he really had no idea to care. The boy was looking at him as if he wanted to devour him, and really, he did not want to disappear from this world just yet. He still hadn’t met someone who could call the love of his life. He just can’t die without meeting that someone .

The boy didn’t seem to bother with his mother though, ushering for him with his chubby hands to crouch down to his height.

Now that Doyoung, for the love of his life, finally realized that the boy was not going to devour him nor was he going to rob him of his money, he noticed that the kid must be five-something years old. 

If only he had just loved kids, which he didn’t because heaven knows why he didn’t, he would have been squishing his cheeks and ruffling his hair. But he didn’t, because he hates kids that weren’t Jeno – who was already way past his infant years.

“Hey, kiddo,” Doyoung finally managed to say when he felt like the silence was stretched out too long.

The kid only smiled at him and ushered to let him go closer, and Doyoung would have done that if not for the way they were already so close, not even air could pass through them.

But this was a kid for the love of everything heavenly! He’d rather collect all the trash in the world than tend to a crying kid that wasn’t his.

That’s how Doyoung moved just an inch to please the five-something-year-old kid. He felt another wave of relief in his body when the boy looked like he was finally satisfied with the distance between them – if there was any left, that was.

“Hey, hyung,” the kid finally greeted him back.

Doyoung smiled, and the kid seemed to have taken this as a sign to continue.

“You know, hyung,” the kid started, sucked on his tongue for a moment for a dramatic effect. “Mommy wouldn’t let me tell you this, but daddy said otherwise.”

“Oh? What is it that your mommy thinks you shouldn’t say it?” Doyoung really hoped this kid wasn’t playing with his patience, because he was still blaming his stupid post-office meeting haze for putting him in this situation.

The kid looked back and forth around them, as if wary of people eavesdropping on their conversation. As much as Doyoung wanted to tell the kid that no, people weren’t listening, and no, an adult would really rather much stay indoors than listen to whatever shit you were about to say, he held it in. He just really did not want to deal with a crying kid on top of anything else. It was basically just going to add fuel to the fire if anything.

Once the kid was finally sure that it was only them both engaging in this conversation, he breathed and started to talk, “Mommy doesn’t want me to tell you, because she thinks it’s stupid.”

Oh goodie, what a way to foreshadow.

“But,” the kid looked so serious, Doyoung would just try to at least put some genuine reaction on his face to show respect. “Dad and I don’t think it’s stupid.”

Just how many times must a kid pause? This is way worse than when Jeno was a baby!

“Okay, kiddo,” Doyoung smiled. “Just tell me what it is or your mommy may hear us.”

It wasn’t a threat, but it did make the kid want to just say whatever he wanted to him.

In a hurried tone, the kid finally said it, “Two blocks down from our house, there’s a big scary man that likes to eat children! Purple lights always come out of his window, and he always gives cupcakes to kids like me to enter his house. And all of the kids who went out of his house died! He’s so scary hyung, he’s basically the reason why we are – Ah!”

Doyoung maybe should have warned the kid when he noticed Mrs. Lee approaching them. Maybe then, he would have spared the kid some face when he started crying out in pain from being dragged by the ear.

But the kid deserved it though. He was sputtering nonsense to his ear, and Doyoung was pretty much ready to hit him in the head as he held on to the last of his patience.

Doyoung had no first impression of Mrs. Lee though, so he had no idea what he should feel when he saw her reprimanding her kid. It might be for the best though. He just didn’t care.

Once he was back to his feet, Mrs. Lee talked for him for the last time, giving her thanks and whatever. Just like he said, he didn’t care. He just wanted out and away from this ordeal.

Doyoung just watched as the family van of the five started to drive off, leaving him at the front of the house that was going to be officially his in a week.

He had no other thoughts after that, only the saying kids don’t lie repeating in his head. And really, he also had no idea either why his mind decided to remind him that.

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“You know; I’ve heard from Johnny that there’s someone who does magic. Not a magician though, if you get what I mean.”

Kids don’t lie, yes. 

But someone who was supposed to be a responsible adult like he was, Taeyong clearly was, in broad daylight, sputtering nonsense.

“And how much of that sentence do you believe in?” Doyoung asked.

He actually would rather have magic himself so he could zip his best friend’s mouth shut. 

As much as he appreciated Taeyong filling in for Jeno’s absence at the last minute to help him move his boxes into the new house, he’d also appreciate it if said best friend would just keep quiet and focus on his work for once.

But this was Taeyong, and the person he was talking to was Doyoung. Of course, shutting up was not an option nor something to deliberate about beforehand.

“I believe in his words just as much I believe in the words that Baekhyun is coming out of the military.”

Doyoung didn’t know who this Baekhyun was, probably an idol for all he knew, but he was pretty sure the comparison was just not it . But he had learned in the long run to shut up rather than question whatever shit Taeyong decided to say.

If Taeyong just won’t shut up, then he’d just buffer his voice out until necessary.

Once they were almost done, Doyoung somehow just realized maybe he should have just opted to call for Johnny too to help him move. Even if the both of them weren’t exactly close.

He only learned of Johnny because he was Taeyong’s boyfriend, and they only have met twice, and it wasn’t even climatic. Just silence on his part as the couple showed a public display of affection in front of him – which was traumatizing on his part. Were all couples that disgusting? He really would like an answer to that.

But yes, maybe he should have just done so. 

If this situation had played out with Johnny, he was pretty sure Taeyong would be bothering him instead of himself. Because his best friend just won’t shut up about his boyfriend, and Doyoung was starting to scream mentally with the amount of Johnny this and Johnny that he was hearing.

And it really, really did not help at all that Taeyong had been talking to him nonstop about this magician-not-man-probably neighbor of his because, apparently, Johnny’s neighbor’s relative was living in this neighborhood and he was faithful in believing it because it was from Johnny!

Okay, Doyoung could tell he was being dramatic at this point, but he was having flashbacks of his talk with that kid and he’d really appreciate it if he stopped.

But of course, he didn’t.

With a box that had the fragile sticker on top, Taeyong mentioned it again as if he hadn’t been talking about it for the past two hours, “There really is someone here who does magic, Doyoung. Maybe you should ask around and find out if they could magically give you the love of your life.”

“Excuse me,” Doyoung answered defensively. “I don’t need someone to conjure me up a partner. I am pretty much capable of finding one myself.”

Doyoung won’t say how much of that sentence he believed, but with his confidence, he’d say that it’s probably a lot.

“Yeah, and all those failed relationships and drunk-crying nights really make you capable,” Taeyong said, matter-of-factly at that, which made Doyoung want to throw the table he was holding at him.

And maybe he was really about to do so, because Taeyong also warned him back.

“Don’t you dare throw that table or I’m throwing this box at you!”

And Doyoung obviously didn’t want that because he was pretty sure Taeyong was holding the box that had all of his treasures which represented all of his milestones. So instead of continuing with his feeling, he placed the table properly before sitting down on the still-covered couch, the other following in suit.

They sat in silence for a moment before Doyoung noticed the way Taeyong was opening his mouth to speak again.

“Don’t,” he said, much to Taeyong’s confusion.

“I haven’t even said anything yet?”

“It’s not like I can’t guess that you’re going to mention Johnny and that magic man again, right?”

Taeyong huffed, “You make it seem like I’m not saying this out of my care for you.”

Doyoung rolled his eyes, sarcastic, “Yeah, and you aren’t definitely saying this because you want to rub on my face that you’re taken, and I’m not. But really Taeyong, I don’t care.”

“You don’t get it, Doyoung! There are rumors!”

“Oh?” Doyoung said in an amused tone. “And here I thought you said that you believe in him a hundred percent.”

“I’m just telling you so you can think about the proper security you’ll use around here,” Taeyong exclaimed.

He snorted, “I’m sure locking my doors is just enough of a security.”

Taeyong ended up sighing. But Doyoung wasn’t entirely surprised.

His best friend should have known that talking to him about this would just end up fruitless, because magic was not real or whatever the saying was. 

Doyoung ended the day with having Taeyong to stay over as he cooked them dinner. It was a simple meal, and thankfully, his best friend did not mention again about Johnny and that rumor and rather talked about his week at work and the news of a promotion that he might be getting.

He congratulated Taeyong once he finished telling him about it, because, really, he’s happy when someone close to him had reached another milestone in life. Because that’s just the way it was. There was no harm in being happy for another’s achievement. He had his list, the house they were now in being one of them, but he’d let his best friend have this first.

Once they had finally bid their goodbyes, Doyoung closed the door in front of him and washed the dishes. When he was done, he grabbed the foam mattress he brought with him during his move and laid it on the area before the couch. This setup was still temporary; he still needed to make his way to the furniture store he made arrangements with for his bed.

It was enough though, for the meantime at least.

Doyoung didn’t mind having to sleep on a mattress without a bed for a week. As long as he felt at home, nothing else mattered.

He slept that night not as peacefully as he expected, but he knew it was because of the rumors the kid and Taeyong constantly told him.

It’s bullshit , Doyoung told his stupid brain.

The saying kids don’t lie was false, and Taeyong was more of a bigger liar than a kid who was aged five-something. 

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As far as Doyoung was concerned, his life was normal, easy-flowing, compared to the rumors he had heard about his neighbor. Well, not exactly neighbor since there was a house between them, but living in the same neighborhood still made them a neighbor. At least, that’s what he was telling himself.

Lucky for him, there weren’t noisy neighbors around. And if there were, it would just be kids playing around – and as much as Doyoung still hated kids, he didn’t mind the noise they make.

Lucky for them too, he guessed.

Maybe it was indeed a miracle that he moved in.

In the first week Doyoung had lived there, people had decided to give him fruit baskets and all kinds of gifts – reasoning them as home warming gifts. But if anything, he guessed they were just grateful that Mrs. Lee was out of their hairs.

He didn’t put too much mind into it though.

There weren’t any significant happenings that would alter his life forever, the more he lived there. No one had actually approached him randomly, and Doyoung was kind of grateful for it. He never did like entertaining people besides Jeno and his friends past office hours.

He was human. He would grow tired after having to sit in front of the computer all day – and that seemed like a very reasonable reason to avoid social interactions.

But if there was anything that Doyoung had to point out, maybe he would say that it was a cat.

Yes, a cat.

A cat who somehow made its way to Doyoung’s life by being at his door every weekend to eat from his leftovers. 

And it would have been disgusting, but cats were cats. However, Doyoung’s leftovers weren’t actually literal leftovers. It was pretty much a proper meal, so the cat better be grateful for the food he was giving.

Today was like no other.

Again, it was the weekend and Doyoung had just finished his lunch. As if he had been sticking to a routine, he picked up his plate from the table and brought it to the kitchen counter. He reached out to the dish he bought for the cat – because that was how often the cat made an appearance – and moved his leftovers from his plate to it.

Satisfied with how he arranged it, Doyoung picked up the dish alongside another that was filled with water.

Just as expected when he opened his door, the cat was already waiting, looking up at him as if he was the most interesting person in the world. Maybe it did consider him to be the most interesting person in the world, seeing how it always came at the same time – every lunch on the weekend.

Doyoung placed down the two dishes he brought, and he swore he had heard a sound-like moan coming from the cat. It might just be his imagination though. But he wasn’t entirely sure. Never in his life did he have a cat close to a pet, and he never really bothered to study much about animals. So, really, he wasn’t sure what sound it just made.

As Doyoung observed the cat, it looked like it was happily munching on the food he brought – and as much as it sounded crazy, it made his heart swell. He knew that he had the talent for cooking – his family and friends had constantly given remarks about it – but seeing a cat enjoy it just as much, it had a different feel to it.

The cat, if Doyoung were to be honest, was not a stray per se.

Although it didn’t have a collar to signify it had an owner, it didn’t look like it was lost either. In fact, it looked like it knew its way around and that its owner probably was sure it would still go back home at the end of the day.

In the middle of his reverie, Doyoung could make out a honking noise a few meters away from him.

“Doyoung! It’s fine if I can park here, right?” Taeil called out to him.

He would have been surprised at the sudden arrival of the man, if not by the fact that they had agreed to meet up on the weekend a few days ago.

Doyoung nodded at the man, and Taeil proceeded to park his car by the driveway. He went out of his car with ease, a wine on hand. There wasn’t any special occasion, but this was Taeil. And someone like Taeil – or maybe it was just him – would always give something whenever they meet.

Not like Doyoung wasn’t surprised though. He had known the man for a few years now, meeting as coworkers in the same company. He had gotten used to his tactics in a year or so.

Taeil smiled as he reached the door, reaching out the wine once he stood in front of Doyoung. And like always, he gladly accepted it.

As if noticing a third party, Taeil looked down and spoke, “I didn’t know you had a cat.”

Doyoung looked down as well, “Oh. I actually don’t have a cat.”

“Is this not a cat then?”

“Well, it is but,” Doyoung paused; he had no idea why he was explaining to Taeil what a cat was.

The moment the cat looked up from the dish it was eating from though, its eyes widen – was that possible? Doyoung didn’t know – from the sight of Taeil. Or maybe from the sight of a third person. But anyways, its eyes widen and it hurriedly ran out of the scene, not even sparing Doyoung another look and asking for head scratches like it always did.

“Okay, so maybe you really don’t have a cat,” Taeil commented, an amused look on his face.

“Yeah, I guess you can say that.”

If Doyoung was confused why Taeil looked amused, he didn’t voice it out. Instead, he gestured to his door and they entered, forgetting about the whole ordeal with the cat not even a moment later.

ღ

Doyoung could no longer keep count of how many times he would see Taeil’s car come out from the gates of their neighborhood when he would just enter after a day of work. He was pretty sure that Taeil didn’t live here. But then, he never really bothered asking the other where he lived nor went to his house, so there wasn’t a proper argument to his thoughts.

However, Doyoung was sure that this was the second time Taeil had come specifically to his. 

Just like the previous visit, it was the weekend, but instead of the afternoon, it was the evening and they were about to have dinner. This time around, however, Taeil had brought a friend – and as much as Doyoung had tried to point out if he had met this guy or not before, it was nothing but a buzz.

So this was, for sure, the first time he met this man.

He gestured them inside, and Doyoung noticed that Taeil was now bringing a fruit basket – a slight contrast to the bottle of wine from his visit before.

If Doyoung had wanted to say out loud that Taeil’s friend was hot, he didn’t. If it was for the sake of saving face, he couldn’t tell.

Coincidentally, Jeno was also around and he had only remembered that his cousin was there when he came down the steps. And by the looks of his appearance, he looked like he had just awoken from his sleep.

“Oh, hyung,” Jeno called out, half-awake at most. “I didn’t know you were going to have visitors. Should I leave?”

Doyoung looked at Jeno then at Taeil and his friend, then shrugged, “Don’t worry about them, Jeno. We’ll just be having dinner. Join when you are ready though, I made a meal good for four people.”

Jeno nodded at that.

Just as he was about to go back upstairs to wash himself though, Jeno’s eyes fell upon the man Taeil brought along and wore a confusing look as he did. Doyoung couldn’t point it out though and tell him that he was being respectful as he left almost immediately when he probably had figured out something.

Taeil, seeing the whole scene play out, simply smiled and called out to Doyoung.

“We should start setting up the table. We wouldn’t want Jeno to come back down with us still standing in the same position.

And honestly, Doyoung couldn’t help but to admit to himself that Taeil was right.

Once everything was settled on the dinner table, Jeno had come down once more, this time looking much alive than when he came down the first time. He proceeded to sit beside Doyoung, in front of the man that Doyoung still could not put a name to.

They ate as soon as everyone had settled, Doyoung and Taeil leading the conversation.

In the midst of it, Doyoung was able to catch a look or two from Jeno that he was trying his best to voice out his thoughts to the man in front of him. He wanted to assure him that no matter how he would word it out, it would be fine. His first impression of the man was kind, based on his face, so Doyoung really hoped that he was.

He didn’t need to have done something like that though, because Jeno somehow made it work.

“Uhm,” Jeno cleared his throat. “Have we met somewhere before?”

When the man who still has no has no name realized he was the one being talked to, he cleared his throat as well before speaking, “Uh, yeah. Sort of.”

“So if I say you’re Donghyuck’s cousin, then are you really him?”

The moment the name Donghyuck fell out of Jeno’s lips, Doyoung made a sound of realization in his head. No wonder his cousin looked at this man as if he had met him before.

The man – Donghyuck’s cousin as Doyoung named him – answered, “Yeah, that’s me. It’s nice having to meet again with you, Jeno. And your cousin too, he’s a really great cook.”

Doyoung couldn’t tell if the last part was supposed to be addressed to him, but it was told indirectly to him, or maybe Donghyuck’s cousin was just having a hard time looking at him. Honestly, he didn’t know.

The more the four conversed, Doyoung had come to learn that Donghyuck’s cousin was called Jaehyun, courtesy of Jeno who was calling him Jaehyun hyung every now and then. Maybe after this dinner, he would talk to Jeno before he would leave again to return to his dorms, ask him a thing or two about this Jaehyun guy.

As it turned out, his first impression of Jaehyun was indeed correct, the man speaking with modesty and all those good qualities. Doyoung was – he wouldn’t say it out loud though – grateful that Jeno had somehow managed to know this guy, even if it’s through Donghyuck. He was kind, and he definitely knew his way around his words.

And Doyoung would have pointed it out to him, either to just be courteous or to let out that he was interested to befriend him as his own, if not for the way Taeil was constantly nudging Jaehyun’s foot under the table.

He didn’t understand why Taeil was doing such a thing. Jaehyun looked fine – to him, at least. He wasn’t as close to Jaehyun as Taeil, so maybe there might be a proper meaning to all this nudging thing. And Doyoung would have pointed it out just like how he wanted to say that Jaehyun was all those things, but it wasn’t his place.

He just met Jaehyun today, and Taeil surely had known him for longer than he did. Of course, it wouldn’t be his business nor was it his place to ask something along the lines of why Taeil was doing something, as if he was being wary that the man next to him would do something out of the ordinary.

After all, he and Jaehyun were still close to strangers – the word acquaintance still far off to describe their relationship.

ღ

The cat had not made an appearance since that weekend when it and Taeil had crossed paths.

Doyoung thought that it would have been only once, or twice at most. But as more weekends passed, he found himself bringing his leftovers to his door, only to be greeted with nothing but the sound of wind blowing outside.

As much as Doyoung didn’t want to be upset over such a thing, he still ended up frowning thinking about it anyway. He knew that he wasn’t the cat’s owner, but he had grown to develop an attachment to the cat that he couldn’t help but miss its presence.

This must have been the ninth or tenth weekend that the cat hadn’t shown up, and Doyoung, once again, had to walk around his neighborhood towards an area he knew where most strays would stay. Maybe, if this would continue until the next five weeks, he might just stop doing this with all of his leftovers and just put them in a tupperware where he would be the one eating them instead. If he would remember, of course.

People did say that if you think about a thing always, it would come to you in your most despairing times.

Doyoung didn’t take the saying literally though. He was, in no way, in despair. In fact, life at work was fine and he didn’t have to entertain strangers. It was honestly how he would rather spend his days anyway.

Other than the cat’s absence, he was completely fine.

Or maybe, he was completely fine until tonight , that was.

Doyoung sometimes had a habit of staying up late watching dramas and wouldn’t even realize that it was already that late until he’d look up at the clock above his television. He did despise how Taeyong – or was it himself, he couldn’t remember – placing the clock above it, complaining how bad it made his wall look.

But then, things like this happen, and then he’s grateful. He would rather go to the office with his teeth unbrushed than go with dark circles under his eyes because of this one unhealthy habit of his.

However, this said habit might also result in his death, if being shocked at two in the morning would be passable as a cause of death.

Doyoung was just about to turn off his television when he noticed an object was sitting painfully still on his windowsill. It would have been fine, and he wouldn’t have bothered, but his stupid brain told him that he had nothing placed there and that he needed to look.

So maybe, Doyoung should just blame his stupid brain if he ended up dead in the morning.

With his phone in hand, Doyoung turned the flashlight on and pointed it towards the said object on the windowsill. If it were inanimate, he would have let out a sigh of relief and gone to bed without a worry.

But this, he was staring straight at the eyes of a cat.

And not just any cat at that.

It was the cat that used to show up every lunch every weekend at his door, that same pair of eyes looking at him as if it wanted to say something.

Doyoung was so shocked at seeing the cat perched on his windowsill that he hadn’t realized he had been flashing his light for too long. Unfortunately for him, the cat had long noticed the spotlight on itself and jumped off from where it sat – as if it wasn’t bothered that he had almost shocked him to death.

Slow to react because of how things had unfolded, Doyoung shook his head into thinking straight and went up straight to his windowsill.

Instead of being able to catch up with the cat and take it in, he ended up learning that there was a tree by his window, a branch extending to his room just a few inches apart. 

And for the love of his life, why didn’t Doyoung notice that when he was still in the middle of arranging his furniture in his bedroom.

ღ

Doyoung wasn’t manic, really.

He was the type of person who wouldn’t be bothered by the little details. In fact, he wouldn’t even read too much of a situation unless it was really necessary. So saying that he was manic, that was just too much of a stretch.

But just like how everything in life suddenly made a slight change because of a cat, he now would find himself staying up late until two in the morning – the same time he met the cat last on his windowsill – and awaiting its presence. And just like every decision he had made in the past months, he thought that it was bullshit.

It was useless staying up this late, and the two unfruitful nights of not seeing the cat were just proof of it. But Doyoung was insistent, he was sure that the cat would appear at the same time, in the same place.

There was a saying that went, three times a charm . And at this point, Doyoung was holding onto that line as if his whole sanity was depending on it; his stupid brain, maybe not so much. His brain hated him, and he might as well hated it too.

This was the third night since he started staying up late, and all Doyoung did was push different thoughts out of his mind, not really wanting to be distracted just in case. Of course, he knew that he could watch Netflix or whatever, his television was just right there. But no, he wanted to put his whole attention to his surroundings. Another bullshit plan , his mind told him and really, Doyoung wanted to ask a medical professional if he would be okay alive without a brain.

When it finally happened, Doyoung gave his brain a mental told you so .

The cat, finally after two nights of absence, perched itself on Doyoung’s windowsill, still oblivious that there was someone awaiting its presence. 

Doyoung, who had been staying in the same position looking at that window for the past hour, was sure that he’d be noticed by the cat sooner or later. And indeed, he didn’t have to wait that long until the cat was finally settled and looked at him.

As if it had been possessed by some human force, the cat’s eyes widen just like the time it had crossed paths with Taeil. Its eyes widened to the point that Doyoung was worried that the cat might end up injuring itself.

In a hurry, the cat immediately jumped off from where it was perched on, and Doyoung was almost, just almost able to catch up to it. Just a few inches maybe , he noted.

Although the result had been like the first time, Doyoung had ended up learning something different. 

If the first time was the tree next to his window, he didn’t really put much thought into it. Mother nature must have been proud of him when not even a flash of thinking of cutting it down passed his mind. And he wouldn’t have to overthink much of it, but this – this was something else entirely .

As Doyoung held onto his windowsill, his eyes training along the cat’s dashing figure, he noticed the path it took and the house it entered.

It was the house two blocks down from his own .

A series of thoughts, memories, flashbacks came to his mind all at once – Doyoung also could have sworn that he heard Taeyong’s voice in the mix, telling him an I told you so . But he didn’t put much thought into if what the kid saying was real, that the person in that house was a magic killer of sort, or if what Taeyong’s words had any ill intent below it.

Instead, Doyoung felt curiosity swell in his mind. Of course, he didn’t believe in magic, but that was because his depiction of magic was taken from Disney movies and cartoons – and all of those were fiction. And fiction, as it had always been, was fake.

But if the opportunity to see magic in real life was given to him, Doyoung really wasn’t the one to say no to it. Even if a more rational part of him was telling him that magic was still, indeed, fake.

Later that morning, Doyoung found himself standing by his door, his hair still unkempt from sleep, his clothes still the ones he used to go to bed.

He had no recollection about what had exactly happened that led to this moment, but he was certain about the fact that he had been awoken from his sleep by the sound of knocking at his door. And Doyoung would have ignored it, but the action was moving too fast as if it had an important meaning behind it.

Somehow, Doyoung wasn’t exactly phased that he ended up seeing Taeil instead. He wasn’t entirely sure when was the last time the man visited him, but he was certain that it hadn’t been long ago.

Just like all the times Taeil visited, he brought a gift and Doyoung can see it was a different kind of fruit basket, unlike the one he brought when he came over from dinner. Doyoung was pretty sure the last time was all fruits of yellow, while the one Taeil was bringing now were all fruits of green.

So maybe Doyoung was a bit, just a bit phased that Taeil had visited him without a notice prior. He hadn’t even realized that he hadn’t spoken a word since he opened the door until the man in front of him cleared his throat.

“Oh. Taeil,” Doyoung breathed out. “Hi.”

“Hi Doyoung!” Taeil greeted back cheerfully, as if he had not taken in the sight of Doyoung’s half-awoken state.

“And Jaehyun, you too,” Doyoung greeted the man behind Taeil mindlessly.

Wait , his mind paused. And no, it was not because of the fact that he remembered Jaehyun’s name. He was pretty sure the man’s name had been engraved in his mind the moment it left Jeno’s lips.

He paused because of the fact that he had not completely noticed the man’s presence until now. Jaehyun was taller than Taeil; Doyoung should have noticed him the moment he opened his door, but yet, he didn’t.

Doyoung really wouldn’t like to fight his brain over this at such an hour. Instead, he might as well entertain his close friend and his not-so-much-of-an-acquaintance stranger.

“So,” he started when he finally trusted his voice to speak. “What brings you here?”

“I’m bored,” Taeil answered as if it was the most obvious reason.

And maybe Doyoung should just take it as it was. Taeil did have the tendency to show up randomly when bored, and he had already taken note of the man’s habit of it very early on in their friendship.

Doyoung nodded at that, however, didn’t bother to question Jaehyun’s presence. 

Since he had already established in his head that Jaehyun and Taeil were close based on the past interactions they had the last time they came, he figured that Jaehyun was there to accompany Taeil. Or maybe, Taeil asked him to be here. Or force, but that didn’t seem to be a thing Taeil would do – at least, that’s Doyoung’s understanding of the man.

He gestured to the pair to enter his house, and they removed their shoes by the doorway as they did so. 

As Doyoung stood there, still wrapping his mind to the events of the past hour, his thoughts were all gone the moment he breathed in the air around him. It was a coincidence, he thought, that Jaehyun had passed by him the moment the air entered his nostrils. It was clearly coincidental, he assured his mind. But how much of that sentence exactly assured him, he had no answer.

It was just pure coincidence that Jaehyun smelled like the cat that had come to his house often – peaches and cream, with a bit of sandalwood depending on the day.

And he would have been convinced that everything was a coincidence. 

But then the fact that he had no idea who Jaehyun was, where he lived, and where he was from came to mind; only knowing about what he did for a living – a freelancer, if he remembered correctly. And suddenly, Doyoung didn’t seem to be assured that the word coincidence was the right word to describe the whole situation.

He pushed all those thoughts aside though. He still had guests in his home to attend to.

ღ

Another habit of Doyoung – not an unhealthy one, but not much better than his other habit – was that he tended to wake up thirty minutes earlier than his alarm on certain days.

It usually happened when he slept too early the night before, or when he had too much thought in mind. Being awake now, Doyoung might have guessed that the reason behind his awoken state was the latter. He didn’t sleep that early last night, so the second reason seemed to be the answer to everything.

Doyoung found himself staring straight at his ceiling, the plain white surface being the only entertaining thing at this hour. He didn’t want to turn on his phone or television in case he’d get distracted, so this was the only thing he could do.

This time, he’d let his thoughts wander. He gave little attention to the less trivial things, like if he needed to buy a new set of bed sheets or if he should wait for a sale before doing so, and no attention at all to the useless things, like if he needed a new couch. And that’s funny, because Doyoung’s couch downstairs hadn’t been a year old.

When everything that happened recently came to mind though, Doyoung couldn’t help but put his full attention on them. From Jaehyun, to the cat, to the rumors, and to how Taeyong and Taeil – especially Taeil – seemed to have known something about everything; seeing how they both seemed knowledgeable about it. Well, Taeyong seemed to know much.

But Taeil – Doyoung didn’t need to question. 

Taeil definitely knew something.

The more Doyoung had thought about coincidences and everything linked to it, he suddenly recalled how every time the cat would appear on his windowsill, Taeil would show up the next day or so at his door. And he would have reasoned it that this was just another habit of the man, but it had already happened twice so far – and the cat did run away when it saw Taeil the first time he visited.

So really, Doyoung had pretty much concluded that Taeil knew something that he didn’t.

But he wouldn’t say that to him yet though. At least, not now. Maybe he’d wait for Taeil to come around, or maybe he’d use liquid courage for him to ask – Doyoung would prefer to just do the first option.

Before Doyoung could dig into his thoughts more, his alarm resonated aloud in his room, breaking his train of thoughts. He sighed at the sound, then went to reach his phone and turn it off. He stood up not even a moment later, wanting to wash himself awake and, hopefully, forget about the dots his brain had connected for him.

If Doyoung had ended up thinking about Jaehyun in the bathroom and how he also seemed to be there whenever Taeil visited, he didn’t put much thought into it yet . He was still convinced that Jaehyun was just there for Taeil – whatever that meant – and not him.

ღ

Doyoung had a handful of habits, one much different from the other.

Obviously, he wouldn’t question it. It was basically human nature to have weird habits and the sorts. But as much as Doyoung knew it was normal to have one or two, he was pretty sure that habits didn’t tend to cause death.

Maybe the disgusting ones, but this one habit of his clearly wasn’t!

That night, for reasons he didn’t know, nature’s call decided to knock on his system. To others, they may have not called it a habit. But to Doyoung, he was convinced that his body was purposely kicking him from behind as it always wanted to do this one thing at the crack of dawn.

So maybe, Doyoung should blame his body if he had died that night; his stupid brain should be a bit grateful that he didn’t put the blame on it again .

Just as soon as Doyoung had finished wrapping up his business in the bathroom, he opened the door to enter back to his room. And he may have slightly forgotten that the bathroom door was adjacent to the windowsill in his room – the exact windowsill that had the tree next to it, that was.

He was pretty sure that none of the events of tonight had been intentional, seeing how the cat landed on his windowsill as soon as he opened the door.

But maybe, the word coincidence was the right thing to describe it. It was basically coincidental at this point that Doyoung and the cat decided to be in each other’s vision at the same time.

The cat must have expected Doyoung to be on his bed at this hour, and Doyoung did, too, expected that the cat had thought that he was. However, seeing that the man was obviously not on his bed, it must have been too startled to move and think straight.

All of Doyoung’s thoughts flew out of the window when he heard the sound of leaves brushing, branches cracking, and whimpered noises falling to the ground.

Because of curiosity and worry – mostly worry because the cat definitely had injured itself this time, Doyoung went out of his room immediately and out into that side of his house, not caring if he was just in a shirt and a pair of shorts.

Unexpectedly though, the moment he had stepped outside, the first thing Doyoung heard was a groan of a man. Yes, a man’s voice had reached his ear and not the whimpered noise of a cat.

Startled, Doyoung tried to calm his mind as he continued to make his way towards that part of the house. Upon taking in the sight of it once he arrived, he couldn’t help the gasp that left his mouth and the thoughts that started to swarm his mind once more.

“J-Jaehyun?”

Doyoung found himself in his bathroom again for the second time that night.

He was washing his face for the third time in the row, and he wasn’t exactly sure why he was even doing so. To either wake up from this dream or nightmare, who could tell.

Remembering how he still had a guest waiting for him back at his living room, Doyoung couldn’t help but let out a sigh as he turned off the faucet in front of him. He took in the sight of himself in the mirror – his front hair a bit wet from the number of times he brought water to his face, and his skin a bit too white from the cold.

He sighed again. He wasn’t sure what was more distracting at this point; the fact that his thoughts had been proven correct, or the fact that he had been kept in the dark about the cat’s truth.

Doyoung needed to stop thinking about it himself though. The man in question was now in his house, waiting for him to return. Maybe if he asked nicely, he would be able to get the answers he needed.

Seeing how Jaehyun had cuts and scratches from the fall earlier, he didn’t forget to bring a bottle of alcohol and a pack of cotton from his room. And, finally, Doyoung made his way downstairs towards the living room.

“Here,” Doyoung managed to say once he was standing in front of Jaehyun.

The man was sitting on his couch, silent as ever from the moment Doyoung took him in. He silently bowed in his head gratitude, still not wanting to speak, and accepted the things Doyoung had reached out to him.

Doyoung took his own seat on the vacant space on the couch, mouth unmoving. Despite his racing thoughts, he didn’t want to bombard Jaehyun yet with the list of questions he had. He figured that the other might have still been processing his fall, so he had let him.

Silence was evident in the air around them, neither awkward nor comfortable. Both had probably something to say, it was just a matter of who had spoken first.

Doyoung could tell Jaehyun was itching to speak, if the way his mouth kept opening and closing, and his eyes moving from himself to the floor was anything to go by. Maybe, he had his own thoughts too, but Doyoung never had the ability to know other people’s thoughts but his own.

Seeing the hesitance continue the more time passed, Doyoung had figured that maybe, he should just speak. It wouldn’t hurt to go first, and Jaehyun did seem to be having trouble with initiating the conversation. 

So, he started.

“Uh,” Doyoung started. “Jaehyun.”

Upon hearing his name come out of his mouth, Doyoung could see that Jaehyun’s shoulder had become stiff. He didn’t much mind into it though, the other was still obviously shocked.

“I know this may seem like a weird question, and you don’t have to answer if it does make you uncomfortable,” he continued. “But, I noticed something. Why don’t you ever meow or purr as a cat?”

This question might have been stupid, useless, and every synonymous word that went with stupid, but this had been bugging Doyoung the most as much as he didn’t want to admit out loud. 

The moment the realization of the cat’s inability to let out cat noises dawned on him, it was on the fifth time the cat had visited. And if Doyoung still wouldn’t have been able to learn that the cat he was talking about was the man in front of him, he might have ended up concluding that it had a sickness somewhere in its brain.

Once the question seemed to have finally been registered in Jaehyun’s mind, Doyoung could see the stiffness in his shoulder loosen. It was still there though, much to his disappointment.

“Oh,” Jaehyun blinked. “T-That’s definitely not the question I expected.”

Doyoung quirked up an eyebrow, “Well, what kind of question did you exactly expect?”

“I had thought you’d ask something worse.”

Doyoung sighed and shook his head, “As much I have a lot of questions Jaehyun, I don’t want to bombard you with things that would end up shocking you more. You’re tense, and you clearly still have not recovered mentally yet from the fall.”

With Jaehyun’s height, the fall wasn’t exactly that high. But the circumstances weren’t exactly on his side, and he hadn’t prepared properly in what form or how should he land. Everything about it might still not had clicked in his mind.

Jaehyun nodded at Doyoung’s words and spoke, “But still, you could have asked me a more trivial question.”

Doyoung shook his head, “Maybe if you’d answer my question first, then we can go to the hard part.”

Jaehyun’s mouth gaped as something seemed to have clicked in his mind, “You’re seriously wanting me to answer that?”

“I did tell you that that you are free to not answer it at all if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Jaehyun sheepishly moved his gaze towards his lap and played with his hands, “It isn’t actually that much of a big deal.”

“Oh?”

“I’m not sick in the head or whatever. I actually do know how to meow and purr . But, it’s just,” Jaehyun trailed off, his ears turning red. “It just sounds so awkward to let out so I decided to just not do it entirely. It sounds so wrong in my ears, and it makes me sound so bad. I cringe whenever I make a noise similar to it.”

Oh. Oh .

Doyoung didn’t exactly think of that possibility. He really did seem convinced that the cat was sick or something. But then again, he had just learned that the cat was Jaehyun in his cat form, so he had no reason to argue with his mind about it.

“That’s,” Doyoung tried to think of a word. “That’s definitely something Jaehyun.”

“It is.”

They both went silent for a while, not sure on how they should proceed. It didn’t take that long though, Doyoung finally agreeing with himself on what question to ask.

“So, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun hummed.

“Have you,” Doyoung did a double-take on the man to see if it was okay to ask. “Have you heard about the rumors in the neighborhood? Or like, did you hear about them at least?”

Jaehyun looked at him in confusion at first, probably not sure what rumors he was referring to. But when it clicked on him which of those did he talk about, he nodded, “It’s been going on for two to three years now. It would be impossible if I, myself, had not heard about it.”

“Oh,” Doyoung paused. “You’ve lived here since when?”

Doyoung wasn’t sure if that was the right question to ask, but Jaehyun didn’t seem to find it bothering in the slightest.

“I think back when I was still a kid. My parents had lived here just when they had gotten married, and then I came to the picture. They moved out of the city when I reached of age though, they thought it was the best for their health,” Jaehyun explained.

Doyoung nodded at that. He didn’t know how old the other’s parents were, but the city did tend to be a cause of a lot of health complications.

“By the way, Jaehyun, you do realize that they were talking about you, right?” Doyoung thought he might as well add to his question; in case they start talking about a topic far from what he had intended.

Jaehyun nodded, “It was no brainer, really. There were always middle-aged women passing by, and they would intentionally talk louder if they’d see my shadow by the window. It was always Mrs. Lee starting it, so I guess I should thank you for making her move out.”

And here Doyoung thought that Jaehyun had been unbothered by Mrs. Lee. But then, he remembered how the lady acted when her son was talking to him about it and figured that it wasn’t entirely impossible that she had nothing to do with the rumors.

“It was harmless though,” Jaehyun went on. “I was never really bothered about the rumors, and I didn’t really mind that none of the neighbors talked to me. They were kind of obnoxious anyways, and I do have my own set of friends so I wasn’t never alone.”

“Taeil, you mean?” Doyoung couldn’t help but to supply.

Jaehyun chuckled, “Taeil isn’t my only friend. I have others too. Taeil just seems to be the one that’s always free, hence why he’s also the one that constantly shows up at my door.”

Doyoung nodded at that. He was no stranger to how Taeil was, after all.

“Have you always been like,” Doyoung couldn’t make up the word. “ This ?”

“Huh?” Jaehyun couldn’t help but let out. “Oh, you mean being a shapeshifter? Yeah, since birth. I thought you had figured that already?”

“If I had, I wouldn’t have asked,” Doyoung deadpanned to which Jaehyun simply laughed.

“No worries, you must still be trying to connect which is which.”

“I am.”

“Well,” at this point, Jaehyun seemed to have relaxed completely. “For starters, I only know shapeshifting. Magic runs in the blood is kind of our family thing, my mother’s to be exact. So yeah, everyone knows how to shapeshift and all, but I’m the only one in our family who doesn’t know how to do other sorts of magic, like potions and whatever my mother told me.

“It isn’t exactly a problem; I was born into the generation of technology anyways. Our ancestors, obviously, knew all kinds of magic and shit. My mother’s generation seems to know only a handful, but they don’t use it as much. Time changes, you know, and magic is believed to be fiction anyway, so there was no point in showing it off. Only our close friends know though, especially the Moons. That’s how Taeil and I ended up learning of each other.”

Jaehyun paused at that point and looked at Doyoung, as if wanting to see a reaction. When Doyoung simply nodded, intrigued at the information he was hearing, the man gave a satisfied grin.

“So anyway, there said to be a blood compact between our ancestors and it was passed down from generation to generation. Typical family history, you know. But honestly,” Jaehyun chuckled. “Magic is just magic, nothing extraordinary. And if you ever want to ask if I watch Disney movies and shit, I’ll tell you in advance that I only watch the ones that don’t involve magic in it. I have lived and have my own fair share of magic, so I’m really not impressed.”

Doyoung could only let his jaw fall slack. He had no idea that there was so much to Jaehyun, and all his previous thoughts of him seem to have dissipated. Instead, it was replaced by what the man had just told him just now.

Honestly, Doyoung wasn’t expecting a story-telling session with Jaehyun when he asked his question, but he was grateful that the other decided to just tell him all about it, as if he trusted Doyoung with an open secret. But it wasn’t even an open secret, it was really a secret.

Jaehyun went back to his own home after that, thanking Doyoung for the hospitality despite the late hour. He could only nod and wave as the man flashed him a grin, his mind still thinking about the story that was Jaehyun’s totally-not-like-the-movies life.

ღ

A week later, Doyoung found himself knocking on Jaehyun’s door, the door to the house two blocks down from his own.

It had been a week since that night, and as much as he had wanted to pay the other a visit as soon as he could, his week full of schedules was stopping him from doing so. It was only today that he had finally the time to go, and it was better late than never.

Jaehyun opened his door after two sets of knocking, wearing only a black shirt and a pair of checkered pajamas. He seemed to had just woken up, his eyes still half-open.

Doyoung found the man looking at him up and down, as if trying to figure out who would knock at his door at such an hour. It was only when it had finally clicked in Jaehyun’s mind who he was did he wave and smile.

Much to Doyoung’s surprise – he really still had a lot to learn about the man – Jaehyun had calmed down almost immediately despite his confused and startled state earlier. Without a word, the man stood aside, leaving the door open, and let Doyoung enter.

As Doyoung entered, he took in the sight of Jaehyun’s interior.

For someone whose family did magic, his house was definitely not like it at all. His interior, much to Doyoung’s surprise, was similar to his. The only difference was the lack of picture frames on the wall and no cabinet full of collections inside. He figured much though that Jaehyun’s bedroom might be different, but it wasn’t time to enter that space just yet.

Doyoung easily made his way to Jaehyun’s couch and placed down the fruit basket he had brought on the table in front of him. There was no reason to actually bring gifts, but he felt like he needed to. So, without question, he did.

Jaehyun went back up to prepare himself properly, telling Doyoung beforehand that he could make himself at home and grab a glass of water if he liked. He chuckled inwardly when the man left, finding it amusing at how such a person could wake up so late.

But then, Doyoung did have days where he slept in, so he didn’t find it unusual.

When Jaehyun came back down, his appearance much better than when he appeared the first time, Doyoung was already looking through his fridge.

“What are you doing?” Jaehyun asked as he filled himself a glass of water.

“I figured that you just woke up, and it’s time for lunch, I’d cook us a meal while you go on with your routine,” Doyoung answered.

Jaehyun was surprised, “Oh Doyoung, I can actually cook for us. Please, you can just sit on the couch while you wait, even watch television. I don’t mind.”

Instead of replying, Doyoung simply beamed as he finally found the right vegetable to use.

Jaehyun sighed, “Doyoung, really, I can cook for us. Just, be my guest.”

Doyoung looked at him and smiled, “It’s fine, I tend to cook for my friends even if I’m at their house. This is completely fine to me.”

“But, for me, it isn’t.”

If Doyoung had ended up frowning, he won’t admit it. But somehow, Jaehyun had caught on to it just before it disappeared.

He sighed once more before speaking, “Okay, we’ll cook. Okay? You and me, here, in the kitchen, cooking us a meal. As much I appreciate it, Doyoung, this is still my house.”

Seeing how the man finally agreed, Doyoung nodded and smiled, “Well, that sounds fine to me too.”

Once the table was set, the food was ready, the glasses filled to the brim, Doyoung and Jaehyun had finally sat down on their seats, ready to try the meal they had just cooked.

There weren’t much words exchanged at first, both of them invested in eating a few spoonsful before thinking of a topic. Or maybe they could just eat in silence, either way seemed fine.

Over sounds of cutlery scraping over ceramic plates and gulping of water, Doyoung and Jaehyun had somehow finished their meal without a word exchanged between the two. When they realized, they simply chuckled at each other, not an inch bothered at how the two seemed to be comfortable over the silence.

Jaehyun decided to wash the dishes first before doing anything else and told Doyoung to choose whatever he wanted to watch on the television. As much as Doyoung wanted to protest, he was too late to speak when the other was already stacking their plates on top of the other and headed towards the sink.

So the only thing he could do at the moment was to just choose something, really.

And Doyoung hated to admit it, but he ended up unsuccessful in his attempt to do something. And he hated to admit it even more because he ended up doing nothing was because he was too in awe at the sight of Jaehyun simply washing the dishes.

He mentally groaned when he started thinking how good would be if Jaehyun had a partner, how his partner would appreciate it very much that he knew how to do chores. How he ended up thinking those, he really had no idea.

Thankfully, Jaehyun, his savior, only smiled and said it was fine that he had ended up finding nothing; that they could just let a random show play while they talk. And Doyoung, for the love of his life, would like that very much .

And so, with them sitting on their own sides of Jaehyun’s couch and a randomly-picked romcom playing in the background, they started to converse.

As it turned out, Jaehyun was also interested in musicals, one of their similarities that Doyoung was definitely not keeping track of; his fascination starting when he was just a child. He shared that it was actually a family thing to watch musicals, but he had enjoyed it more than anyone. Sometimes, he’d watch a musical more than once, and other times, he’d bring his friends to watch him, even if they’d protest.

As much as Doyoung wanted to keep his cool, he had his own appreciation for musicals. So when Jaehyun asked if there was a certain musical to his liking, he couldn’t help but express his love for The Phantom of the Opera . 

And really, there was just so much common interest between the two that made Doyoung wonder why he had never befriended Jaehyun in the first place. Or why anyone would even decide to not befriend the man at all.

Jaehyun, still like how he had always thought of him, was nothing but a kind-hearted man. He knew his way around words, and was very fun to be with. Even Doyoung, who was sometimes hard to accept other people in his life, had accepted Jaehyun as easily as the air he breathed.

But as much as Doyoung had wanted to know more of Jaehyun’s interest and if they had more things in common, he still was very curious about his life and his shapeshifting abilities.

“So,” Doyoung started after debating with his mind. “I want to ask you something.”

“I’m pretty sure you have already been asking me things, Doyoung,” Jaehyun said smugly.

Doyoung rolled his eyes, “I just wanted to transition our conversation properly. Stop ruining the atmosphere, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun laughed, “Fine. Ask away.”

“So,” Doyoung started once more, “I’ve been curious. Do you only shapeshift into a cat? I don’t recall seeing you in any form other than it.”

Jaehyun didn’t seem to be surprised at his question, and Doyoung was mildly surprised that he wasn’t, “You decided to transition properly our conversation just for that ? You could have just asked me easily and I wouldn’t even be bothered.”

Doyoung huffed, “Just answer me!”

Jaehyun laughed again, “Okay, I’ll answer you. You didn’t have to raise your voice.”

Whatever , Doyoung thought. Jaehyun seemed to had sensed it since a grin made its way to his face, and Doyoung, bless him, wanted to smack it off right there and then. But he was a good person, he wouldn’t hit a man on their first proper meeting.

“Okay,” Jaehyun started. “I actually do know how to shapeshift into other things, alive or not. But it’s boring and others are just too hard to do. The only shapeshifting I do, really, is turning into a cat. Besides the fact that we have some family tradition around it, being a cat also made me feel free, like I had no responsibilities in the world and I would just run around and chase whatever I found interesting.”

“But doesn’t it hurt though? Turning into a cat so often, I mean,” Doyoung just couldn’t imagine turning from a tall man to something as short as a cat.

Jaehyun gave him an amused look, “I think you’re missing the point here, Doyoung.”

“Huh?”

Jaehyun smiled at that, “It’s what you call magic, Doyoung. I don’t hurt myself shapeshifting into a cat. In fact, it only takes a second to turn into one. I’ll show you just how I do it when the time comes.”

When the time comes , Doyoung was already looking forward to it.

“But you did hurt yourself though,” Doyoung spoke and hoped that Jaehyun got what he meant.

Thankfully, he did.

“Oh, that ?” Jaehyun awkwardly laughed. “A moment of panic, really, not serious. I really, really don’t hurt myself when I shapeshift.”

Doyoung nodded gleefully at that, amused at how Jaehyun seemed to want to defend himself with how his words went.

Just as he was about to talk some more, his phone rang in his pocket – much to the dismay of both. Doyoung signaled to Jaehyun that he needed to take this, and that he’d like to go outside for a moment.

And if Doyoung noticed within the corner of his eye Jaehyun slumping against his couch and his mouth forming a pout just when he was about to exit the door, he wouldn’t say it out loud.

Even if the sight did warm him, Doyoung would rather keep that thought to himself.

ღ

Six months had passed since then, and Doyoung was utterly surprised he’d be able to find a friend in the neighborhood.

When he first decided to move in, he had expected that his future here would be simply inviting whoever he could think of to distract him from the fact that he knew no one in the area.

But, Jaehyun – he was a blessing, a miracle in Doyoung’s semi-secluded life.

He wasn’t the one to accept people easily into his friend circle, setting up a line that would differentiate from mere acquaintances to friends. But, Jaehyun – he just settled himself in Doyoung’s life so easily, and somehow, he didn’t mind. It had been an amazing time going to and from his house to Jaehyun’s; having become a routine in his life the more time passed.

When Taeyong had heard of this, he was so happy for Doyoung that he ended up offering to pay for his meal in the heat of the moment. And honestly, Doyoung was pleased that his best friend was delighted for him.

Taeil, however, seemed to have expected it.

“It was only a matter of time, you know,” he commented once he finished taking a sip from his drink.

Doyoung quirked an eyebrow at that, “What do you mean?”

It had already been established that Taeil still knew Jaehyun better, while he, himself, was still learning more of the man. But, when he heard the words come out of the other’s lips, Doyoung had ended up becoming more curious than normal at what Taeil was implying.

Taeyong, too, seemed to be intrigued at what Taeil had just said; him also looking at the man with an unreadable gaze.

Taeil didn’t seem to mind though and shrugged, “Well, Jaehyun tends to inform me whenever he shapeshifts. It had ended up being a habit, since it was always like that when we were still young. But he’s an adult now, and yet, he still finds the need to tell me. It’s not like I mind though; it’s interesting every time he’d message.”

He paused to take another sip, then continued, “At first, I always had thought it was weird that Jaehyun would always message me the same thing at the same time. Obviously, I hadn’t put much thought into it. But then, I saw him at your house, Doyoung, in his cat form. It was too amusing to not point out.”

Taeil’s next words, however, seemed to be what had made Doyoung’s jaw drop slack.

“He said that it was the only way to not seem like a creep. But then, Jaehyun wasn’t really confident in striking up a conversation with someone he likes, so he thought that maybe, being a cat would make him close to you.”

Doyoung definitely did not know which part of what Taeil had said he should focus on. He hoped that his stupid brain had done its purpose at this moment, and actually remembered whatever the man said.

Besides Taeyong’s eyes widening in shock – probably because he had only known just now that Jaehyun was the cat Doyoung talked about and all that; a small mistake on Doyoung’s part but it wasn’t that deep, really – Taeil, too, seemed to have held an expression of his own. An unreadable one, at that. As if he had said something he shouldn’t have, having also acted at the heat of the moment.

But there was no taking it back now. It was already in the open.

Doyoung sipped on his drink as he tried to make his thoughts come back at a later time, when he was alone in his own room. He’d rather be alone with his thoughts than openly discuss them with Taeyong and Taeil.

Thankfully though, Taeyong – may the heavens bless him – had noticed the slight change in the air around the three. And just like whenever they’d reach this point, he picked up the atmosphere again with another topic; this time, about how his work had changed so much since he got promoted.

Doyoung was grateful that among them, Taeyong knew how to keep the conversation going. It wasn’t that Taeil and himself were not capable of doing such a thing; they just tend to choose a much more awkward topic whenever placed in that position.

Taeyong seemed to have known about this already though, casually talking as if nothing had happened. And the action really did its work, bringing back the atmosphere to what it once was.

It also had made Doyoung’s train of thoughts go back into a corner of his brain, putting his attention back on the meal on hand. So, really, he was grateful for having a best friend like Taeyong.

ღ

One of the things that had definitely become a normal thing to do between Doyoung and Jaehyun was watching movies at Jaehyun’s house.

Doyoung had argued when the man had said that they should do it in an alternating pattern in terms of house, telling Jaehyun straight to the point that he liked his television better. Of course, that wasn’t the exact reason, but Doyoung really did not want Jaehyun to go to his room any time soon. 

So maybe, it was a flaw on his part that he placed his own television in his room. But again, he had not expected his course of life to turn out like this. Of course, he had no choice, but to find an alternative.

Jaehyun didn’t seem to be bothered by it though, and Doyoung was grateful that he didn’t. But he knew that the other had been dropping hints that he had also wanted to spend some time at his house, however, Doyoung would always shrug it off and take note of it for next time.

This time was definitely not like any other.

As per usual, Doyoung had brought the food – this time, a box of cake that he had heard from Taeil was one of Jaehyun’s favorite. It was just the right size, not too big and not too small. He obviously did not expect them to finish the whole cake tonight, but he did, however, felt like buying something sweet for the other.

Because of how often he had come over, Jaehyun tended to leave the door unlock for him to enter, while he, himself, would continue to search for a movie in case he still had not been able to pick one when Doyoung arrived.

And so, Doyoung opened the door and entered the threshold. Once he saw the situation inside, his heart warmed at the sight of Jaehyun smiling at him by the couch, the table and the television already ready for the night.

But, obviously, Doyoung didn’t make it obvious that he felt that way. No, he’d rather, like all the other times he felt like that, would keep it to himself. 

Just until he was sure that Jaehyun was feeling the same for him too, of course. Even if Taeil had somewhat made a hint that he was, he still needed to see it with his own eyes.

When Jaehyun’s gaze had dropped from Doyoung’s face to the box in his hand, a face of expression etched itself on his face. Doyoung had thought he had done something wrong, but that was until the man on the couch started smiling softly once more.

Give it up to Jaehyun for setting the mood dramatic. Doyoung really wanted to throw the cake in his face, tenderly .

“Whose birthday is it?” the man joked once Doyoung had finally settled on the couch, the cake placed on the table.

“No one’s,” Doyoung answered. “Do I have to have a reason to buy cake?”

Jaehyun shrugged, “Well, it’s not like I don’t know your birthday. And you also know my birthday.”

Doyoung hummed, “I just had the feeling to buy one, okay?”

Seeing it as a reasonable reason, Jaehyun grinned, “Why of course that’s okay. To be honest, I was kind of craving for cake, so, really, this is nice.”

Doyoung smiled too. If Jaehyun found it nice, then it obviously made everything better.

Once Jaehyun had given a quick synopsis of the movie he’d pick for them to watch tonight – Don’t Look Up , Doyoung remembered the title as – they settled themselves for a moment one last time. And then, finally, the man pressed start and Doyoung could swear he had never seen Jaehyun paying to a movie so attentively until now.

By the time the movie was done, the cake had been eaten up until half, and Doyoung now found himself listening to Jaehyun giving out his reaction.

He didn’t blame him, of course, for the immediate reaction. Doyoung, too, had wanted to express his thoughts of the movie as soon as possible. But seeing how Jaehyun seemed so passionate talking about his own, a part of his mind had wanted to just indulge the man and take in the sight of him.

And, really, Doyoung had wanted it just as much. He wouldn’t admit that out loud though.

“It’s just so,” Jaehyun trailed off for probably the nth time. “The media is just so sick sometimes. I don’t understand why they do that.”

Doyoung simply nodded.

Maybe he had been doing the same action for whenever Jaehyun would pause to look at him, seeing how the man was now looking at him with worry.

“Doyoung,” Jaehyun spoke softly. “Do you hate the movie?”

“What?” Doyoung was taken aback. “What? No, of course not! I just like it as much as you, really.”

Doyoung really hoped that Jaehyun had seen that he meant it just as much as he intended. Because he really did enjoy the movie, he just couldn’t express his thoughts just as passionately as Jaehyun yet.

Jaehyun seemed to be satisfied with it though, “Oh thank goodness. You just must have been thinking about what I said about the movie, right?”

Doyoung could only nod, to which Jaehyun returned with a grin.

“That’s okay, I’m starting to become sick of talking about my point anyways,” Jaehyun’s body was now facing his. “So, tell me, how was your day today, Mr. Kim ?”

Doyoung, as much as he wanted to suppress it, had laughed at the way Jaehyun called him with a much-more-formal name. He had told the other that he didn’t have to call him like that, but Jaehyun would still use the name whenever he could. It sounded better in his voice anyways, Doyoung just slightly wished that everyone he worked with had the same voice as Jaehyun.

“Well, Shapeshifter Jeong ,” Doyoung started, his tone similar to the one Jaehyun used. “My day had gone by as usual, working here and there, dealing with gossipy coworkers for the whole day – not that I mind, their gossips are all harmless. Nothing special happened today, really. But then I’m here, and then maybe, something special did indeed happen today.”

If Jaehyun had blushed at how the last of his words left his mouth, Doyoung had made sure that his stupid brain had captured it. He would have taken a picture, but that just seemed a bit wrong to do.

Doyoung still had some dignity to uphold. He wouldn’t let it break just because a man had red cheeks and red ears from what he had just said. He wasn’t even being flirty, just being a tease – and if Doyoung knew that the two were similar in a way, he wouldn’t let his mind remind him that. He’d really appreciate it if he could have this moment without another force ruining it for him.

“Well,” Jaehyun cleared his throat. “That seems really nice to know, Doyoung. I also hope you know that the feeling’s mutual. Meeting you like this has always been special. It feels like you are coming home to me. It’s a nice feeling, not gonna lie.”

It was now Doyoung’s turn to blush. Unfortunately for Jaehyun though, he knew how to mask it better. 

“By the way, Jaehyun,” Doyoung called. “I have something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Is it just me or does it seem like every time you come here, you always say the same line?”

“Jaehyun!” Doyoung whined; he knew the man was joking with him, but he’d really like it if he didn’t have to point out such an obvious fact.

Jaehyun laughed, “Okay okay, I’m sorry. Yes, what is it that you want to ask?”

Doyoung breathed in and out, “So. I’ve actually thought about this for a while, but,” he paused. “Why did you never visit me before in your human form? Before when I was still new in the neighborhood, I mean.”

Jaehyun blinked, obviously surprised at the sudden question.

Doyoung had slightly expected this to play out like this though, a number of possibilities had made their way to his mind before tonight. It didn’t bother him in the slightest though.

He was patient enough to wait for Jaehyun’s answer, no matter how much he wished he’d know about it immediately tonight. But the man seemed to be in a stupor the moment he heard him ask, he really didn’t want to force him to speak if that’s the case. 

To change the mood, Doyoung decided to ask Jaehyun something else instead.

“So Jaehyun,” he called out to bring him back to reality. “Did you do something today other than scaring children away ?”

Doyoung meant it as a joke. He and Jaehyun did tend to joke about Mrs. Lee despite it being almost over half a year since she left. It didn’t really matter to them though, everything about it had seemed to be a distant memory now.

Thankfully, Jaehyun got the message and ended up laughing, replying in a joking manner as well, “Oh yes I did. I even baked them into cookies for Halloween! Imagine everyone’s faces when they realize they’re eating literal human gingerbread cookies!”

Despite knowing that gingerbreads were usually for Christmas, Doyoung still couldn’t help but laugh along with Jaehyun.

It had always been like this between them. Whenever they’d end up in a shaky atmosphere, one of them would joke about literally anything and the other would happily follow along, changing the mood almost completely.

Just like how it had been easy for Jaehyun to enter his life, it had also been easy for Doyoung to accept the way his life had gradually changed ever since he had met the man in front of him. 

ღ

The next time Doyoung had seen Jaehyun, it was after a full day at work.

It wasn’t unusual, per se. The man had tendencies to visit; most of the time, it would be things like borrowing some gardening tools, or simply, to just drop by to see if he had been well today.

Doyoung would have thought that seeing Jaehyun now at his doorstep was normal. But then he recalled that the other had not messaged him today beforehand – which was what he’d usually do when he visited.

Panic and worry startled to settle in Doyoung’s system – panic, because he had no idea what this would be all about, and worry, because he was sure that it was cold out from the autumn air and Jaehyun, for the love of his life, thought it was a good idea to just wear a thin jacket over a shirt and a pair of pajamas.

Once Doyoung had pulled up into his driveway, he immediately went out of the car and rushed to the other’s side. He didn’t bother to check if he had left something somewhere inside the vehicle, but he’d do that later once he had settled all of his worries.

“Jaehyun!” Doyoung called as he came closer. “What are you doing here?”

Jaehyun looked up and blinked at him, a look of surprise making its way to his face. Before he could let out a reply though, Doyoung had beaten him to ask more questions of his own.

“Are you cold? How long have you been standing here? I swear to the heavens if you have been here for two hours, I will forbid myself from seeing you ever again,” Doyoung had obviously not meant any of the words he said, but he was too worried. And when he was, he usually would speak before he could think.

As much as it embarrassed him once he realized what he had let out, Doyoung didn’t care. If Jaehyun had been standing in the cold for far too long, who knew what he would feel later or in the morning.

Despite his somewhat-close-to-an-outburst, Jaehyun had simply laughed and smiled.

“Are you worried about me, Doyoung?” he teased.

“I’m not–”

Jaehyun laughed once more, “Well, Doyoung, it’s nice to know that you are worried about me, but I’m fine! I actually just came and I don’t get cold easily. I’m not stupid enough yet to wait in a cold weather like this for who knows how long.”

Seeing how the other had not been lying to him, Doyoung felt a wash of relief all over him. Even if Jaehyun had said those in a teasing tone, he was genuine and it made him convinced the moment he heard it.

“Oh,” Doyoung let out, unsure of what to say next. “So then, do you want to come in?”

“Isn’t that why I’m here?”

Doyoung quirked an eyebrow, “Unless you want to stay–”

Jaehyun was quick to butt in, “Oh no, oh heavens no. I’d really appreciate it if I am standing somewhere warmer than here.”

Doyoung laughed and shook his head. No matter how many times he had seen the other react in such a way, speak in such a way, he could never find himself getting used to it. It was always something similar yet different depending on the circumstances, but every time Jaehyun did it, it just made him want to squish his cheeks. 

And so, they entered the threshold of Doyoung’s house without any further questions – Jaehyun settling himself down on the couch almost immediately while Doyoung had gone to grab them a glass of water each.

Once Doyoung had made his way to the living room, he passed to Jaehyun his own glass and sat down on the space next to him.

“So,” Doyoung started. “What brings you here all of a sudden?”

Surely it wouldn’t be he did all those just to borrow a shovel again, right? Doyoung thought if that was the case, then Jaehyun could have simply sent him a message and he’d bring it to him instead.

But seeing the look on the other’s face, a small part of his brain told him that something as simple as that was not a thing Jaehyun would make a reason to come all the way here. Thinking about it that way, it made shivers run down Doyoung’s spine.

He wasn’t nervous, in all honesty. He just didn’t know what to expect.

After the silence seemed to be stretched long enough, Jaehyun seemed to have thought that it was finally time for him to speak.

“Uh, Doyoung,” Jaehyun started. “Do you remember the question you asked me a few days ago?”

Doyoung was pretty sure he had asked a lot of things to Jaehyun in the past few days, and not a particular question seemed to have made its way in his mind. Instead of voicing it out, he simply nodded, eager to already know what this whole ordeal was about.

Jaehyun seemed to be convinced with his nod, so he continued, “You know how I tend to shapeshift into a cat, right? Well, there are actually two reasons why I do so. The first one, the most important one, is that it’s a need. I never bothered to ask the exact reason why to my mother, but it was just so obvious that I didn’t have to. It’s to keep the magic going and whatnot. You understand that, right?”

Doyoung hummed, not exactly sure where Jaehyun was going this. Nonetheless, though, he was intrigued and didn’t bother saying anything.

“And then the second,” Jaehyun seemed to hesitate for a moment, and Doyoung would have told him if he’s uncomfortable, he could do it another time. But with a shook of his head, the other continued, “You know how my human form tends to get all red when embarrassed and all those similar emotions? Like, my ears would go red, my cheeks, basically almost anything.

“But then,” Jaehyun paused and slumped into the couch. “In my cat form, I never seem to worry about being obvious if I was flattered, flushed, or whatever those feelings are. My appearance would never betray me by changing color, and it’s one of the best things that I find being a cat.”

The more Jaehyun spoke, the more Doyoung realized what question did the other refer to earlier. It was that question! With him asking Jaehyun why he never bothered to show up in his human form back when he was still new to the neighborhood.

And that would have been calming, but Doyoung still had no idea what was Jaehyun’s point in all of this, so he waited. He waited until he could finally hear the thing the other had wanted to say by doing all of this.

“And then,” Jaehyun was nervous at this point. “I don’t know if Taeil told you or anything, but he probably didn’t. But, the second part of what I just said,” he paused and breathed out a shaky sigh. “I appreciate that part of being a cat so much when I’m around someone I like.”

There, he said it.

From where Doyoung had seated, he was pretty sure that he could notice the way Jaehyun’s brain was going in a frenzy at what had just happened. He wouldn’t blame his brain for reacting that way though, because Doyoung was sure that his own stupid brain was also screaming along with him.

When the last words had fallen out of Jaehyun’s lips, the flashback of Taeil implying the same thing before resurfaced in his mind. Not only did Doyoung learn something big, but Jaehyun had also ended up confirming a thought that had passed through his mind more times than he could count.

Not being able to reply, Jaehyun must have taken his silence for something else. That was probably why he stood up so abruptly and hurried to make his way out of the house.

Too surprised at the action, Doyoung had almost, just almost had let it happen. But he couldn’t. Not only was it because he didn’t want Jaehyun to leave, but he was also pretty sure he wanted to say his side, tell him something that would not make the other regret his decision.

That was how Doyoung stumbled on his step when he stood up and almost dashed towards Jaehyun just before the other reached the door. He quickly wrapped his hand around the other’s wrist and pulled him inside just before he could take another step.

Jaehyun, much to his surprise, stumbled backward and found himself face-to-face with a nervous Doyoung.

At this point, Doyoung realized that he actually had not planned this out and every decision he made until now was on impulse. Despite being able to think of possibilities for certain situations, he had obviously not thought this would be the end when he had asked the question that night.

With Jaehyun’s questioning gaze still on him, Doyoung had no idea what he should finally do at this point. Should he kiss him? But he hadn’t said anything yet. Should he just let him leave like he intended? But that’s just rude , his stupid brain supplied to him.

Needless to say, Doyoung had found himself in pandemonium with his thoughts. And, just like every time he found himself in one, he asked the first thing he had on his mind.

“D-Do you want to stay for d-dinner?” Doyoung may have stumbled on his words, but he was sure that this was the best worst course of action he could take.

Jaehyun, despite his past confusion, chuckled at how Doyoung spoke and nodded – probably forgetting that he was just about to leave not even a moment ago.

Doyoung breathed out a sigh of relief and ushered Jaehyun to sit back down on his couch while he cooked. He may not have found the proper words to say yet to the other, but just like how he had been with his question, he was certain that Jaehyun was patient enough to wait for his reply. 

Even if the possibility of having to wait for a whole month was there, Doyoung could tell in the way Jaehyun’s eyes shimmered that he would wait for Doyoung until he was ready.

ღ

From a third person’s point of view, nothing may have visibly changed between them. 

With how Doyoung still visited Jaehyun like normal and vice versa, nothing seemed to have changed in their actions and attitudes to one another.

But if said third person were to be either Taeil or Taeyong, then the observation would be completely different. With how close they were to the people in question, even by the slightest detail, they could tell something happened.

Like every other time though, they made an agreement to keep their mouths shut, curious to see how Doyoung and Jaehyun would deal with the elephant in the room themselves.

It had been two weeks since that night, no one really mentioning it again after Jaehyun had gone home that night. Doyoung didn’t seem to think much of it though, he still had his own thoughts to deal with.

Today, however, something miraculous – as Taeyong liked to call it – happened.

Because of how they each had their own careers and lives to attend to, Doyoung, Taeil, and Taeyong rarely go out as a whole together. It would usually just be them in a pair without the other, like Doyoung and Taeil without Taeyong and all kinds of combinations.

But today was different, and Taeyong was beaming from ear-to-ear as he led the group to a restaurant they all had wanted to try but never had, because of their conflicts in their schedule.

As it turned out, Taeyong had already made reservations as if he had expected that today would happen. Doyoung and Taeil were, pretty much to say, surprised. It wasn’t that Taeyong wasn’t capable of doing such a thing, he just tended to ask for their opinions first before doing it.

And with how clueless they were about the whole thing, Doyoung and Taeil just couldn’t help but be surprised.

The waiter had led them to a booth not long after that, giving them a copy of the menu each once they settled on their seats. Since all of them had not yet eaten in this place beforehand, they called to the waiter again and asked him what item in the menu could he recommend to them.

Once their order was settled, Doyoung had the sudden urge to go to the restroom. Not wanting to worry the other two at the table that he needed to go, he silently informed them of his business and left.

Once Doyoung had finished with whatever he needed to do in the restroom, he washed his hands as thoroughly as possible. It didn’t really matter if he’d take too long or too fast, he remembered the waiter saying that their order would be served within a fifteen to a twenty-minute timeframe. 

When he was satisfied, Doyoung went to the dryer to dry his hands, and after a minute of drying, he finally made his way back to their table.

The moment he was only a few steps to the table though, he couldn’t help the surprised expression that somehow made its way to his face.

Instead of seeing Taeil and Taeyong – the two people Doyoung had remembered leaving before going to the restroom – he was greeted by the sight of Jaehyun seated on the seat across from him.

Before Doyoung could question more about what had happened while he was doing his business, Jaehyun seemed to have sensed him from where he stood, looking up at him and giving him a soft smile.

Upon seeing the smile, Doyoung knew he had his priorities.

Taeil and Taeyong can wait , he thought to himself before continuing to make his way back to the table.

Once Doyoung was seated back on his seat, it was just at the same time the waiter who took their orders earlier was carrying a tray of food towards their direction.

Seeing how the food was going to arrive at any moment, Doyoung decided to himself that he could wait just a bit more to talk to Jaehyun.

Once the waiter was done arranging their food on their table, the first thing that Doyoung thought was that the food looked good. Way too good to be exact, with how his mouth watered at simply the aroma and the sight of the food in front of him.

Doyoung looked up to see Jaehyun, not really surprised if the man had the same reaction as him.

As if there had been a silent agreement between them, they grabbed a hold of their own utensils and began to eat.

After what must have felt like a couple of minutes, Doyoung had finally come around and started to speak.

“So Jaehyun,” Doyoung called after he finished a mouthful. “What brings you here?”

“The same reason as to why you are here, Doyoung,” Jaehyun smiled.

“But Taeil and Taeyong? Weren’t they just here a second ago?” Doyoung really couldn’t help but ask.

“Oh, them?” Jaehyun thought carefully. “It just so happened that I was here too and they seemed to have seen me, so we decided to change and all that. Don’t worry, they didn’t leave you.”

Doyoung would have taken it as it was, but he was pretty sure that he had not seen the familiar heads of his friends when he was looking around earlier. Instead of questioning further about their absence, Doyoung decided to just ask Jaehyun about how his day went – to which the other happily obliged as he started to tell him about the moving truck he saw in their neighborhood.

“I really hope it's Mrs. Na moving this time. I still get nightmares from the stinky-eye look she always gives me,” Jaehyun shuddered.

Doyoung hummed at that, amused at how Jaehyun seemed to had known almost a number of middle-aged women in their area.

Once they were finished with their meal, it was time for them to pay the bill. Much to Doyoung’s dismay, Jaehyun had beaten him to giving his card at the waiter that he couldn’t help but pout. It was always him paying meals whenever he’d go out with someone, so when Jaehyun had ended up paying instead, he had no idea what to feel.

Seeing how slumped he was, Jaehyun simply chuckled and asked what Doyoung would like to eat after this.

Confused, Doyoung gave him a look. They had just eaten; why would they need to eat more?

And then, at that moment, the saying, there’s always room for dessert , came to mind and maybe, Doyoung was kind of craving for something sweet.

True to his word, Jaehyun had led him to the nearest ice cream parlor and let Doyoung pay for their ice creams – seeing how disturbed he looked when it wasn’t him who paid for their meal. Despite knowing the price difference between the two, it still satisfied Doyoung that he was the one paying instead.

After finishing off their ice creams, Jaehyun offered that they walk around the area for a moment, and Doyoung would have protested, but when his stupid brain started supplying him with all kinds of reasons that told him to go, he had no other choice but to say yes.

So maybe his not-so-stupid brain made the right choice this time.

After walking for what felt like a few kilometers away from their previous location, Doyoung came to learn that Jaehyun was leading him to some kind of forest. And with how the trees started to multiply with every step they took, it was definitely no doubt that the area they were in must be a forest.

Doyoung would have been worried at first, getting lost in the middle of the night in a place unfamiliar to him. But then he looked at the expression on Jaehyun’s face, surprisingly calm and at ease, he somehow convinced himself that Jaehyun knew what he was doing leading him here and that he shouldn’t about getting lost just yet.

After they had walked a couple of steps more, Doyoung found themselves stepping into a clearing. And with how the trees had encircled them at this point, he figured that this must be the center of the forest.

Jaehyun took a seat on the ground as Doyoung continued to gape at his surroundings. The night sky was so bright here, the moon and the stars shining visibly at the top of his head. It wasn’t every day that he’d be able to see a sight like this one, so he opted to take in as much as he could.

He would have taken a photo of it with his phone, but he remembered the time he took a picture of the night sky back when he used to go camping with Jeno and how the camera seemed to have done no justice to the sight. So instead of doing such a thing, he settled with looking at it with his own eyes. With it, he could see the sky in all of its beauty.

Once he realized that he might have been taking too long with the observing, Doyoung cleared his throat and finally settled himself down next to Jaehyun.

“You like it?” Jaehyun asked the moment Doyoung found a comfortable position.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful,” Doyoung answered.

Jaehyun smiled, “I’m glad you like it then.”

Doyoung seemed to had realize something, “You own this place?”

“Huh? What? No, I don’t,” Jaehyun looked at him as if he had said something crazy.

“Then how come you know this place like the back of your hand?”

“Oh,” Jaehyun finally understood. “Well, it’s not that I own this place. It’s just, with how often I come here, I managed to remember the path to this place as if I own it.”

Well that made sense , Doyoung thought.

“How often do you come here then?”

At this point, Jaehyun seemed to had positioned himself laying on the ground, “Well, for starters, I come here five times a week.”

Doyoung hummed when Jaehyun paused, signaling for him to continue.

“There isn’t anything special about it,” Jaehyun continued. “The source of our family magic is somewhere in the province, and there isn’t a need to go there unless someone in the older generations initiates a gathering for traditional purposes and whatnot. But it doesn’t make this place any less special though.

“Back when I was still a kid, my family brought me here more times than I can count. My mother and I would shapeshift and play with each other, while my father would cook us a meal and observe us at a distance. Maybe it’s because with how often I came here before, I got attached to it until now. That’s how I find myself almost every day here, shapeshifting and running around.”

As Jaehyun spoke, Doyoung took the time to look around the area once more. The place did seem fitting for Jaehyun in his cat form to climb, to run, to walk, and to do basically everything he could do as a cat that he couldn’t as a human.

If Doyoung had ended up thinking about a younger Jaehyun with his family here, he didn’t say it out loud. The thought was cute, but he didn’t want to seem like a creep given that the man had not shown him pictures of those events in the past.

“You know,” Jaehyun continued, pulling Doyoung out of his reverie. “No one actually knows of this place but me. Not even Taeil who is close to a brother to me knows. My parents don’t count, but they don’t come here anymore so they probably forgot the path and only remembered the opening.”

When Jaehyun’s words seemed to had settled in his mind, Doyoung couldn’t help the realization that was starting to cloud his thoughts.

“It’s been a secret of mine for as long as I have lived,” Jaehyun was now looking at him, and Doyoung couldn’t help but to look back as well. “It’s my first time showing this to someone else. I have always felt safe here and never thought of bringing someone here in case they destroy this place that I call my second home,” he paused. “You’re lucky that I feel safe enough with you, Doyoung, that I never had to doubt my decision in bringing you here in the first place.”

A confession , Doyoung’s stupid brain had finally supplied for him.

It was a confession, a proper one at that. And Doyoung would have thought otherwise with the lack of the words like and love , but the look in Jaehyun’s eyes – full of anticipation, hope, and love – there was no doubt that what he had said just now was nothing but a confession.

As the realization dawned upon him, Doyoung couldn’t help the way his heartbeat beat faster by the minute. The look on Jaehyun’s eyes, the air around him, his own feelings that he also wanted to speak out so badly – all of those contributed to the feeling Doyoung was having now.

They continued staring for what felt like an eternity, Doyoung could also hear Jaehyun’s own heartbeat beating against his chest at the same time as his. Knowing that he should say something, anything , Doyoung tried his best to form coherent words that would relay the message he had always wanted to give.

But curse his stupid mouth for ruining the atmosphere around them. Doyoung absolutely despised his mouth more than his brain at this moment.

“Can you,” he paused before making sure. “Is it okay if I ask you to turn into a cat in front of me?”

Really, Doyoung was cursing his stupid mouth as much as he had blamed his stupid brain months ago for almost causing his death. No matter how much he thought of it, his question just seemed too absurd and he wanted to leave in shame before he could see Jaehyun’s reaction.

Instead of seeing the disgusted expression he thought he’d see on Jaehyun’s face though, he was greeted by a look of relief, which was then followed by the sound of laughter.

Okay, so maybe Doyoung’s reply wasn’t as bad as he thought it was. But still, he could have done better.

“Yes, sure, what the fuck,” Jaehyun said between breaths. “You really do have a talent for knowing what to say in any situation, Doyoung.”

Doyoung pouted, “I’d rather think otherwise.”

Jaehyun just smiled at him, “It’s not like I expected much of you. Plus, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”

Just before Doyoung could reply, Jaehyun stood up on his feet, grabbed Doyoung’s hand from his side, and pulled him up to his feet as well.

“I need to warn you though; it’s not always pleasing to see magic take place in real life. Movies always tend to fantasize it way too much.”

Doyoung had almost completely forgotten what he had said, the sight of Jaehyun so relaxed in front of him taking over his mind. Nonetheless, he nodded and waited for Jaehyun to do what he needed to do.

The first thing Jaehyun did was stretch, probably to lessen the burden on his limbs during the process. The next, Doyoung noticed how his mouth was mouthing words silently, as if chanting to himself something that Doyoung was sure he would never understand even if Jaehyun would explain it to him.

And then, it happened.

Doyoung gasped in awe when streaks of golden light started to cover Jaehyun’s body, the light giving out glitters the more time passed.

He couldn’t help the way his jaw fell slack, his senses losing all of their control as he continued to watch. It was too beautiful, too mesmerizing, Doyoung was now certain that Jaehyun had ruined the depiction of magic he had in his mind from Disney films.

Once it was all over, Jaehyun, now in his cat form, lost all the light that was once there and fell to the ground, hard. 

It was hard enough that the awe Doyoung felt was immediately replaced by worry as he hurriedly made his way to where Jaehyun was.

Maybe he didn’t need to worry as much though, as Jaehyun stood up in all fours and stretched out his body just like every cat would do, letting out a quiet purr in the process.

Doyoung didn’t know what came over him all of a sudden, but suddenly, he found himself sitting cross-legged on the ground once more, reaching out to Jaehyun, and bringing him in his hold. He cooed as he stroked Jaehyun’s head, enjoying the way the cat had leaned into his touch.

Obviously, Doyoung would not say it’s because Jaehyun had trusted him with his everything already, but he’d keep that thought for later.

Another set of gasps went out of him when Jaehyun started to purr in his hold. Remembering how the other told him that he didn’t want to make cat noises because it made him cringe, it sent a wave of happiness in Doyoung. The action meant that Jaehyun had trusted him, probably to the point that Doyoung would never realize until it was shown to him.

And just like that, Doyoung found himself a feeling of enjoyment he didn’t realize he’d be able to develop with someone.

But then again, it had always been different with Jaehyun. And just like how the man didn’t mind his answer to his confession – probably because he had seen through it – Doyoung, really, would not have it any other way.