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Taemin is mad at Jonghyun. Jonghyun knows this because he’s been refusing to be in the same room as him for four days straight. When Jonghyun goes into the lounge, Taemin leaves the bookshelf and goes into the bathroom to lie on the towel shelf. It’s been like this for four days, and Jonghyun doesn’t even know what he’s done wrong . If he asks (which he has), Taemin just looks at him and strolls away, swaying his tail as he leaves Jonghyun hurt and confused.
If Taemin would just tell Jonghyun, he’d be able to fix his mistake, but Taemin won’t tell him. On the first day, Jonghyun thought maybe the other just needed some space to be independent or do hybrid things that Jonghyun wouldn’t understand or be able to take part in. But then the second day rolled around, and he still wasn’t talking to him, making him nervous. The third day just made Jonghyun miserable; he missed the hybrid’s presence, and the space on his chest was left cold without his kitty to nuzzle it. And today, the fourth day, Jonghyun’s about to break down; he’s concluded that whatever it is that he’s done to upset Taemin must be a pretty big deal. And when he finds out what it is, he won’t do it again. He’s in hell. He just wants his beautiful hybrid to come and sit on his lap, cuddle him, groom him, or kiss him.
All Jonghyun can do now is wait it out, wait until he’s loved again. So he tries to do his normal day-to-day activities to take his mind off of his loneliness. He decides to busy himself and dust the bookshelf first to see if maybe Taemin will talk to him, but as soon as he gets there, Taemin is off like a rocket with a low grumble.
Fine. Whatever. Jonghyun doesn’t deserve this treatment; it’s unfair. It’s cruel, and it’s causing a heavy weight in his chest and an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He begins to take all his books off the shelves, with more brunt than he normally would, and chucks them on the sofa like a stroppy child. He takes his dust mitten and wipes the shelf with vigour, singing a happy song to himself—although he’s the opposite of happy—very quietly because he doesn’t want to disturb Taemin.
He gets so into his cleaning that he doesn’t even notice the light sounds of tiny paws getting closer and closer to him. Once finished, he turns around to pick up the books, only to find Taemin lying on them. Jonghyun has two questions, how is that comfortable? When did Taemin come in?
And another because he’s confused, does this mean Taemin is no longer angry at him?
He’ll only find out when he has to move the kitty off the books, but he’s dreading finding out because he doesn’t want Taemin to be angry at him anymore. Quietly, he picks up the books surrounding his kitty and places them back on the shelves, only quietly muttering sad words of despair when he sees some of the corners of the books have been bent and then reprimanding himself for being so careless in his miserable state. But now he’s at an impasse, Taemin is still sleeping. The books that he’s not sleeping on have all been put away.
A long sigh falls from Jonghyun’s lips as he walks close to the tiny pellet of violence. This could go one of two ways. Taemin could lash out at him, or he could just melt into his arms. He hopes for the latter; he’s doubtful. Carefully, he places both hands on either side of Taemin’s fluffy belly and lifts.
Taemin’s body curls in on itself, and a loud yowl is belted from the small lungs as Taemin struggles, disorientated and angry. His claws dig into Jonghyun’s arms, scratching him, and then suddenly he stops. His bright green eyes focus on Jonghyun, and Jonghyun has to try his best to put a smile on his face. It’s a real one; it might look awkward, but the situation is awkward. Taemin’s lying in his hands, limp, with his warm belly—the warm belly Jonghyun hasn’t been able to touch in days, his claws still in Jonghyun’s forearm, and Taemin hasn’t looked him in the eyes in days either.
Jonghyun waits. He waits to see what Taemin is going to do next, and quite frankly, he is shitting it; he wants this one-sided argument to be over. Or at least for him to be told what he’s done wrong.
Taemin rolls again, using his claws in Jonghyun’s forearms to pull himself up to a stable hold, and then he bites into Jonghyun’s bicep, not hard, not breaking the skin; it's not angry or malicious either. Jonghyun can tell what this is. It’s what Taemin has told him about many times, shown him many times; it's a love bite. Once the other unlatches his teeth, he slips out of Jonghyun’s grip onto the floor and looks up at him with his big eyes and tail swaying from side to side. Jonghyun knows what he’s saying. Hurry up . But Jonghyun doesn’t know what Taemin wants him to hurry up with or what Taemin wants him to do. So he just stands there for a second, dumbfounded and shocked, and a little bit emotional as well, but he won’t admit that. He stands there and stares until Taemin starts grooming himself. He’s growing impatient; that’s what that tells Jonghyun. He doesn’t want to do the wrong thing; he turns to get the books and looks over to see Taemin still sitting there, waiting for him. With haste, he puts all the books away and then sees Taemin walking away. He follows like a lost puppy.
He follows until they end up in the kitchen, where Taemin shifts—the first time Jonghyun has seen him in human form for days—and slides on an oversized jumper that just reaches the middle of his thighs. Jonghyun has missed his long, fluffy auburn hair as well. The moment of Jonghyun taking in Taemin’s beauty is cut short; as quickly as Taemin comes into his sight, he’s gone. Flying out of the room only to come back a minute later after leaving Jonghyun to be dumbfounded again. Jonghyun eyes the hybrid's hand and sees a first aid kit. Immediate panic washes over him as he takes it out of Taemin's hand and checks him all over. Well, he tries. Taemin is extremely ticklish when quick grabby hands touch him, so Jonghyun tries to find the wound on a very wiggly Taemin. He stops and looks at Taemin. “Where are you hurt?” he says, serious tones lacing his voice and a crease in his brow.
Taemin snorts, “I’m not the one that’s got a scratch at the moment.” He says, and then kicks a chair out from the table and says: “Sit.”
Jonghyun knows better than to protest, so he does as he’s told and sits without hesitation. It does make sense that he’s bleeding. Taemin’s attack was quite vicious, but he was quite abrupt when picking Taemin up in mid-air while he was asleep. Taemin tuts as he lowers himself down to get a better look at the cuts, and then gets to work.
“Taeminie,” Jonghyun says with caution as he uses his free hand to pet Taemin’s hair.
Taemin only makes a noise, half satisfied and half a reply.
“Will you talk about it now?”
“Jonghyun.” The hybrid says his name exasperatedly.
“Taemin.”
“Fine…”
Jonghyun waits on the edge of his chair while Taemin worries his lip.
“Well… The other day, when you said you were going to meet Kibum, you came back smelling like another cat. Not like Minho or Jinki. And Minho is a squirrel, and Jinki is a rabbit, so don’t say you smelt like either of them. I can tell the difference!” The hybrid finished with a stubborn tilt of his jaw and a huff, moving his hair out of his eyes.
Jonghyun almost laughs. Almost. This situation could have been so easily fixed if Taemin had said this from the start. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down and starts by saying, “Taemin.” Another deep breath. “Kibum adopted a new hybrid.”
Taemin’s face scrunches up, and his tail whips from side to side, hitting the kitchen floor harshly. “You didn’t tell me. Kibum didn’t tell me, nor did Jinki or Minho. Why was I left out?”
“I did tell you—”
“No, you didn’t!” Taemin reprimands Jonghyun, cutting him off.
“Taemin, I did .”
“When?”
“When you were rearranging the books around your cosy space on the bookshelf because you said the book covers annoy you now and you want to change it up,” Jonghyun explains, feeling on edge for being accused of not doing something he most definitely did.
The look Taemin gives Jonghyun tells him he’s being stupid.
“I was focused! You know not to tell me important stuff when I’m rearranging my cosy places!”
That’s true… But the point is that Jonghyun did tell Taemin; he also knows there’s no point in arguing with the hybrid because he’s ready for this to be over and he’s missed talking to him. However, Taemin’s reaction also tells Jonghyun that there is no room for another hybrid in his apartment . The thought of getting another hybrid has been floating around his mind; he’s been worried that Taemin gets lonely during the day when he’s at work. Also, Kibum has suggested it more than once. Kibum has three hybrids now; they’re all really happy. Jonghyun has thought more and more about getting another hybrid, especially recently. Especially seeing how much Jinki loves Minho, and whenever Taemin and him go to Kibum's, Taemin always has so much fun. Actually, Jonghyun has been feeling guilty for not getting another hybrid to keep Taemin company.
But Taemin’s jealousy points in the opposite direction of getting another hybrid. With Taemin being only twenty-three Jonghyun should expect jealous behaviour. After all, cat hybrids age slower; he’s practically still a kitten. He’s still not over the teenage territorial stage. And that’s fine. Getting another hybrid was only for Taemin’s happiness, and Taemin seems fulfilled by seeing Jinki and Minho every fortnight.
“I know. I’m sorry, Taeminie.”
“You’re done.”
“What?”
Taemin gets off his knees and looks at Jonghyun, confused, as he picks up the wrappers from the first aid kit and walks them to the bin. Jonghyun eventually catches on. He smiles at Taemin and whispers a small thank you, and Taemin shrugs, humming as he walks out of the room, leaving Jonghyun alone again. At least the issue has been sorted out.
At least now, when Jonghyun walks into the living room, Taemin doesn’t leave. Instead, Taemin smiles at him from the sofa and pats the space next to his head, inviting Jonghyun. This is the best. Jonghyun gets the best feeling in his stomach, all bubbly and soft, as he sits next to his hybrid, and they rest their head on his lap. Taemin looks so small and cute like this; a pretty face, adorable fluffy ears, a beautiful nose, and soft lips. Jonghyun’s hand finds its way to Taemin’s long hair and starts carding his fingers through slowly, taking his time from the scalp to the sparser, frizzier ends. Taemin doesn’t want to cut the ends because he’s been growing them since he was a kitten. He prides himself on his long hair, and Jonghyun thinks it's cute. Jonghyun understands, though; he knows how he can get with things he’s treasured for a long time. And it’s not like Taemin’s hair is dead. Well, just a little, but the point is that it’s not bad. It’s still shiny and loved, so that’s all that matters.
Taemin lays still for a while, only quiet purs coming from him while looking deep in thought, until he says, “What’s their name?”
Jonghyun continues to pet Taemin’s hair. He’s just happy at the moment, not really thinking about anything. “Who’s name?”
“The new hybrid.” Taemin softly says this as he brings his tail into his lap and strokes it rather quickly.
“Ten, his name is Ten.”
“Ten must’ve liked you a lot.”
Some may say jealousy is an ugly trait; Jonghyun thinks it's pretty on Taemin. He knows he should talk to Taemin about how he’s allowed to interact with other hybrids, and the other shouldn’t get jealous because, at the end of the day, Jonghyun is always going to come home to Taemin; he’s always going to love Taemin. But instead of giving a serious talk, he opts for scratching behind Taemin’s ear and smiling so hard his cheeks hurt.
“Ten was very excited. You’d like him, and I bet you’d enjoy playing with him as well. He’s the same size as you, so you can play more roughly than you do with Jinki and Minho. Kibumie is already talking about you two meeting.” Jonghyun explains hoping that Taemin would like to meet the new addition to Kibum’s family.
Taemin’s eyebrows furrow, and he bites his lip. “Is he pretty?”
Jonghyun laughs because that’s got nothing to do with what he just said.
“Not as pretty as you,” his smile bleeds into his voice, permeating a reassuring tone.
Taemin’s cheeks rise and turn a little pink, his eyes close contently, and he hums, “Good.”
“Huh, what’s good?” Jonghyun asks, leaning over Taemin’s face and sporting a bright smile. His hands have now moved from Taemin’s hair and are resting on either side of Taemin’s face.
"Just, you know... Stuff,” Taemin shrugs.
Jonghyun's heart beats faster as he observes Taemin's adorable display of jealousy. Unable to contain himself any longer, he leans in, his lips gently touching Taemin's. The kiss, is full of a mix of longing and affection. It's the moment Jonghyun’s been waiting for. Waiting for four days. Jonghyun hopes that’s the most reassuring.
As Jonghyun pulls away, he looks into Taemin's eyes, which are now open and reflecting a mix of surprise and contentment. Taemin's lips curl into a small smile, and he lets out a soft sigh, his body relaxing further into Jonghyun's lap.
"I missed you," Jonghyun whispers, his voice barely above a breath.
Taemin's smile widens, and he nods, "I missed you too."
They sit in comfortable silence for a while, Jonghyun gently stroking Taemin's hair and ears, while Taemin's purrs fill the room. It's a peaceful moment that they both needed after the misunderstanding that caused a rift between them.
After some time, Taemin sits up, his expression turning thoughtful. "Maybe we should go see Kibum and Ten... And the others," he suggests, his voice hesitant but curious.
Jonghyun's eyebrows raise in surprise. "Are you sure? I thought you were worried about—"
"I was," Taemin cuts him off, "but I trust you. And if you say Ten is nice, then I want to meet him. Maybe it'll be fun to have a new friend."
Jonghyun's heart swells with affection for his hybrid, he knows it must’ve been hard to say that. "That sounds like a great idea. I'll call Kibum and set something up."
Taemin nods, a playful glint in his eye. "But you have to promise me one thing."
"Anything," Jonghyun replies without hesitation.
“You have to promise that you'll always come home to me. No matter what."
Jonghyun leans in and kisses Taemin's forehead. "I promise. You're my home, Taeminie. Always."
Taemin's smile is radiant, and he snuggles back into Jonghyun's lap, his purrs louder than before. Jonghyun wraps his arms around Taemin, holding him close.