Work Text:
If there was one thing Jaeyel should’ve learned by now, it’s that saying “Sure, I can babysit your newly adopted cat for the weekend!” was the kind of decision that spiraled into a full-blown sitcom.
To be fair, Juwon had made it sound like a walk in the park.
“He’s chill! Sleeps most of the day, just give him treats and cuddles sometimes,” Juwon said with that innocent smile that always came before trouble. He patted the small black fluffball nestled in his arms like it was an angel straight from heaven. “His name’s Hannyangi. He’s sweet, I promise you, hyung!”
“Sweet,” Jaeyel repeated uncertainly, eyeing the cat that blinked up at him with glossy gold eyes and an expression that already seemed… suspiciously intelligent.
The little creature gave a single, slow blink— like it was judging him.
Juwon grinned wider, oblivious. “See? He already likes you, hyung!”
Jaeyel wasn’t convinced. “He blinked at me.”
“That’s cat language for love!” Juwon insisted, pressing the cat into his arms before Jaeyel could object.
Hannyangi immediately went limp, melting against Jaeyel’s chest with a soft mrrrp— a noise so small and cute that it disarmed him for approximately two seconds.
“Okay, maybe you are a little cute,” Jaeyel muttered, petting the cat’s silky fur.
By the time he realized what he’d agreed to, Juwon had already started unloading a whole duffel bag of cat supplies by the door— treats, toys, grooming brushes, a collapsible litter box, and something that looked suspiciously like a cat-sized raincoat.
“Juwon, why does he need a raincoat?”
“Fashion and duh, in case it rains, hyung. Don’t question it.”
Jaeyel sighed, accepting the duffel and the portable litter like a soldier handed a mission he hadn’t signed up for.
“Alright,” he said finally, with the kind of resignation reserved for people who already knew they were doomed. “How bad can one little cat be?”
Juwon grinned like the devil himself. “You’ll see.”
And with that ominous statement, he gave Hannyangi one last fond pat, waved cheerfully, and disappeared down the hall, leaving Jaeyel standing in his living room holding a tiny, fluffy creature that purred like a motorbike.
For a few seconds, it was peaceful. The cat stared at him. He stared back.
Then Hannyangi wriggled free of his arms, strutted confidently around the apartment like he owned the place, and hopped straight onto the kitchen counter with one elegant leap.
“Hannyangi! No—hey, get down from there!”
The cat ignored him, sitting smugly beside the fruit bowl. Its golden eyes gleamed in the afternoon light, the very picture of feline royalty.
Jaeyel groaned, rubbing his temples. “Sweet, he said.”
He looked at the cat, which responded by delicately knocking a banana off the counter.
“…Yeah,” Jaeyel muttered flatly. “I shouldn’t have believed that word.”
******************************************
Hannyangi was not “chill".
He was a shadow.
A shadow menace.
From the very moment Juwon left, the cat became Jaeyel’s personal stalker. Wherever Jaeyel went, a pair of silent, padded paws followed.
If Jaeyel was in the kitchen, Hannyangi sat by his feet, staring up with unblinking eyes like a tiny, judgmental bodyguard. If he was watching TV, Hannyangi jumped up beside him, tail curling neatly over his lap. If he went to the bathroom—
Well.
“Yah— no, Hannyangi! Personal space!” Jaeyel yelped as the black cat pawed at the bathroom door, meowing dramatically. “You can’t watch me pee, that’s illegal!”
The cat replied with a pitiful, drawn-out “mrrrrowww” that sounded so heartbreakingly sad, Jaeyel actually felt guilty.
“Oh, don’t you dare guilt-trip me,” he muttered, glaring at the door. Another soft whine followed, accompanied by the faint scratch of claws.
Jaeyel groaned, defeated. “Fine, fine—” He cracked the door open.
The cat immediately slipped inside, tail held high like a proud little parade flag, and sat primly beside the bathtub.
“…fine,” Jaeyel sighed, covering his face. “But face the wall.”
Hannyangi turned his head, blinked once, and deliberately did not face the wall.
“Unbelievable,” Jaeyel muttered, flushing as he went about his business. “You really are a menace.”
By lunchtime, the shadow act had only intensified.
When Jaeyel cooked, Hannyangi sat right on the counter, supervising him like a tiny furry Gordon Ramsay.
When Jaeyel tried to eat, Hannyangi batted gently at his chopsticks.
And when Jaeyel tried to nap, Hannyangi climbed onto his chest, kneaded him like dough, and promptly fell asleep— purring loud enough to vibrate through his ribs.
“Are you serious right now?” Jaeyel whispered, lying flat on his couch as the cat purred like a miniature generator. “You weigh like five kilos but somehow it feels like fifty or so.”
Hannyangi opened one eye, blinked lazily, and licked his nose.
Jaeyel froze. “…did you just— ew!”
The cat licked him again, slower this time, as if amused.
“Stop that! It tickles— hah— okay, okay!” Jaeyel burst into laughter, half-heartedly pushing at the persistent fluffball. “Fine! You win! You can stay there. Just— stop licking me!”
But the cat didn’t stop. It purred louder, curling up comfortably against his chest, clearly pleased with itself.
Jaeyel sighed, brushing a hand through the cat’s silky fur. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” he muttered, voice softening. “Otherwise, you’d be banned from this couch forever.”
The cat’s ear twitched. A small, pleased rumble echoed from its throat, vibrating against Jaeyel’s palm.
Something about the warmth made Jaeyel smile despite himself.
“Alright, fine. You can nap with me, Hannyangi.”
And with that, the human and his clingy feline fell into a quiet, comfortable afternoon nap— one blissfully unaware that this was far from a normal cat-sitting weekend.
When Jaeyel woke up later that afternoon, he found Hannyangi still curled on his chest, gazing at him with an almost human fondness. The cat tilted its head, then reached out a paw to softly touch Jaeyel’s cheek.
The gesture made Jaeyel blink. “…what are you, a Disney cat?”
Hannyangi meowed lightly, tail flicking as if in amusement.
Jaeyel chuckled. “You’re too affectionate for your own good. Do you always act like this around Juwon?”
The cat meowed again— shorter this time, almost like a smug “no.”
Jaeyel frowned. “Wait— was that a no?!”
Silence.
Hannyangi turned his face away, licking his paw like a cat who’d just refused to answer.
“Right. Okay. So you understand me.”
Another quiet mrrp.
Jaeyel narrowed his eyes. “You’re a weird one, aren’t you?”
The cat yawned, stretched like royalty, and pawed at Jaeyel’s sleeve— insisting he lie back down.
And because Jaeyel was, unfortunately, soft-hearted, he did.
“Fine,” he murmured, lying on his side as Hannyangi nestled closer again. “Just for a bit.”
Within minutes, the cat’s purring lulled him back toward sleep, warm and rhythmic against his heart.
But just before he drifted off again, Jaeyel swore he heard it— a low, contented hum that sounded too much like a chuckle.
******************************************
If Hannyangi’s daytime clinginess was bad, his evening energy was Olympic level chaos.
After a long cozy post-nap cuddle marathon, the little furball refused to stay still. He sat on Jaeyel’s lap while he watched dramas, climbed onto his shoulders while he cooked dinner, and even batted at the ladle like it was a mortal enemy.
Jaeyel huffed, half-laughing as he tried to stir the soup. “You’re so spoiled, huh?” he murmured, scratching under the cat’s chin. Hannyangi purred so loudly it buzzed against his chest like a tiny motorcycle.
“Juwon wasn’t wrong. You are sweet,” he admitted, lips curving into a fond smile.
And maybe that was the moment the cat decided to test the limits of Jaeyel’s patience and his reflexes.
One second, the cooling leftover soup was peacefully settled on the stove. The next, there was a loud clang! followed by the unmistakable sound of liquid catastrophe.
“Hannyangi—!”
The cat had somehow jumped onto the counter, sending the pot tipping over just enough to splash the luckily cooled broth everywhere— on the counter, the floor, and on Jaeyel’s favorite sweatpants.
The black furball froze, wide-eyed, as Jaeyel exhaled through gritted teeth.
“…you’re lucky you’re cute,” he muttered, setting the pot back upright before scooping up the wet guilty culprit.
Hannyangi meowed pitifully, looking like a sinner caught red-pawed.
“Bath time,” Jaeyel declared with the finality of a death sentence.
******************************************
If anyone had told Jaeyel that giving a cat a bath was a workout equivalent to a full cardio session, he would’ve laughed.
He wasn’t laughing now.
“Stop squirming! I’m not trying to drown you— ow! Not the claws!”
Hannyangi wriggled like a furry eel in the sink, tail flailing and paws splashing soap suds everywhere. The floor was a battlefield of bubbles, towels, and one extremely exasperated babysitter.
After what felt like twenty years, Jaeyel finally managed to rinse the cat off and wrap him in a towel burrito.
“There,” he sighed, gently rubbing him dry. “See? All clean. Drama queen.”
The freshly washed cat blinked up at him, looking smaller and fluffier— almost offended by the entire ordeal. Jaeyel couldn’t help but laugh.
“Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who started a soup apocalypse.”
Hannyangi gave a tiny, grudging “mrrrow,” before nestling against his chest.
“…Yeah, yeah. Apology accepted.”
******************************************
After a quick shower for himself and dinner for both of them (round two, microwaved version), they settled on the couch again. The rain outside had turned heavier, tapping against the windows like impatient fingers.
Hannyangi snuggled into Jaeyel’s lap, paws kneading the blanket as if making amends.
When Jaeyel tried to move, though, the cat clung tighter, refusing to budge.
“Oh my god, you’re worse than Woongki hyung when he wants bubble tea,” Jaeyel teased. “Fine, fine, stay. You win, my little dictator.”
The cat’s answer was to lick his cheek.
“Ew— hey! Don’t— ah, that tickles!” Jaeyel giggled helplessly, his laughter echoing softly with the patter of rain.
Hannyangi licked again, this time under his chin. Jaeyel’s cheeks turned warm, his laughter spilling out uncontrollably as he gently cupped the cat’s face.
“You’re too much,” he murmured, fondness glimmering in his voice as he booped the cat’s nose. “You’re lucky you’re cute, huh?”
He leaned forward playfully and planted a quick kiss on the cat’s nose.
It was supposed to be a playful joke.
It was not supposed to trigger a magical transformation.
POOF!
He felt lips on his lips?!! What the—
Jaeyel’s world exploded into glittering smoke and faint sparkles that smelled faintly of lavender and chaos.
When the haze cleared, the fluffy weight on his lap was gone.
In its place was a very human, very shirtless, very handsome man.
Jaeyel’s soul promptly left his body.
For several seconds, he just… stared.
The man blinked blearily, nose perfectly sculpted, tousled black hair falling over feline eyes that gleamed even in the dim light. His skin glowed faintly from the lamplight, his chest rising and falling slowly beneath the blanket that now barely covered him.
“…uh hi?” the stranger said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “That worked?”
Jaeyel’s voice cracked halfway to a scream. “WHAT WORKED?!”
******************************************
The first thing Jaeyel learned after nearly fainting on his own couch was that Hannyangi wasn’t just a cat.
He was a guy.
A guy named Park Han.
A guy who was currently stealing his hoodie and his sanity.
“So,” Jaeyel said weakly, staring at the stranger-now-houseguest now sitting at his dining table. “Let me get this straight. You’re Juwon’s cousin.”
“Yup.”
“Named Park Han.”
“Also yup. But my friends call me Hani,” he said, giving a lopsided grin that was somehow equal parts charming and smug. “You can call me Hani hyung if you want.”
Jaeyel blinked. Once. Twice. Then he let out a strangled noise somewhere between a scoff and a squeak.
“Hyung—? You— you were a cat a few minutes ago!”
“Correction,” Hani said, lifting a finger with mock seriousness. “I was a cursed cat. But I'm sure I'm older than you. Minor but important distinction.”
He was now dressed in one of Jaeyel’s oversized hoodies, sleeves swallowing his hands and hem hanging loose over borrowed pajama shorts. Somehow, he still managed to look like he belonged in a magazine ad for “Hot Guy Next Door (Who Was Formerly a Cat).”
Jaeyel tried very hard not to notice. He failed spectacularly.
Hani rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting toward the floor. “It’s… a long story. I was supposed to be on a trip with my friends, you know? Just chilling. Then I tripped over this old street fortune teller’s basket of charms.”
Jaeyel squinted. “Let me guess. She wasn’t thrilled.”
“Not even a little.” Hani winced. “She started muttering something about ‘learning affection the hard way’ and then— bam. Fur. Whiskers. Zero opposable thumbs.”
Jaeyel’s jaw dropped. “So you’re saying I just… kissed a cursed guy?”
“Technically,” Hani said, tilting his head with that same infuriatingly soft smile, “you broke the curse. So, uh… thanks?”
“I kissed a cat!”
“Technically,” Hani repeated, lips twitching, “you kissed me. I felt your soft lips when I transformed."
Jaeyel made a strangled noise and buried his face in his hands. His ears felt like they were on fire.
“I’m calling Juwon,” he muttered, fumbling for his phone like it was a life line.
*****************************************
When Juwon picked up and listened to everything Jaeyel said on high speed, his laughter nearly cracked the speaker.
“Wait— wait, hold on— you kissed him?!” he wheezed between gasps of air. “Oh my god, Jaeyel hyung! Hani hyung’s gonna tease you forever!”
“You knew?!” Jaeyel screeched, his embarrassment reaching a record-breaking decibel.
“I might’ve suspected that the cat who decided to barge into my room and get adopted looked a little too smug like him sometimes, you know,” Juwon admitted gleefully. “But I didn’t think it's him and you’d actually— pfft— kiss him!”
On the couch, Hani looked far too pleased with himself, lounging with the smugness of a cat who’d just won a lifetime supply of tuna.
Jaeyel glared at him and hissed into the phone, “He’s smirking at me right now, Juwon. Do you hear that? Smirking!”
“I’m sure he is,” Juwon said, still laughing. “Good luck, hyung. I’ll, uh, pick him up tomorrow. Maybe. If you haven’t murdered him first.”
“JUWON!”
Click.
The call ended.
Jaeyel threw his phone onto the couch and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m surrounded by maniacs.”
Hani grinned, tilting his head. “You could always kick me out, but it’s raining, and you did bathe me earlier, so…”
Jaeyel groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“Oh, I’m not complaining. You were very gentle,” Hani teased, eyes glinting playfully.
Jaeyel threw a pillow at him. “Don’t make me get the spray bottle.”
Hani just laughed— a low, warm sound that made Jaeyel’s irritation wobble dangerously close to fondness.
******************************************
The evening drifted into a soft kind of quiet — the kind that made everything feel closer.
Outside, rain splattered harder against the windows, tracing silver lines down the glass as lightning flashed faintly through the curtains.
Inside, the world was smaller... just the couch, the low hum of the TV, and two people trying very hard to pretend that none of this was weird.
Jaeyel sat stiffly on one end, legs tucked up beneath him, a throw blanket draped over his lap. Hani sat at the other, comfortably slouched, one arm over the backrest, long legs stretched out like he owned the place. The space between them was maybe two feet— maybe less— but it felt electric.
Jaeyel’s brain refused to shut up.
There were too many thoughts in there— like the fact that Hani was real, that he’d seen him turn from cat to man, and that his best friend’s pet was currently wearing his favorite hoodie and looking unfairly good in it.
Every time Hani shifted, Jaeyel’s heartbeat stumbled like a buffering video.
And every time Hani caught him sneaking a glance, the older man’s mouth curved into that knowing half-smile that made Jaeyel want to fling a cushion at him.
The silence broke only when thunder did.
A sharp, violent CRACK! split the air, followed by a deep, rolling growl of the sky that made the windows rattle.
Jaeyel froze.
His fingers clenched around the blanket automatically, knuckles white. Another flash of lightning lit up the room in ghostly blue.
Hani turned to him instantly. “Hey. You okay?”
“I— I’m fine,” Jaeyel stammered, voice cracking halfway. He was not fine. His eyes darted toward the window like it might explode. The next rumble of thunder proved him wrong, and he flinched so hard that the blanket nearly fell from his lap.
“Hey,” Hani said softly, his teasing tone gone, replaced by something gentle— protective. He reached over and carefully loosened the blanket from Jaeyel’s grip. Jaeyel didn’t protest when Hani shifted closer. The couch dipped under his weight. Then an arm slid around Jaeyel’s shoulders, strong and steady, pulling him closer.
Jaeyel’s breath hitched. “What are you—”
“Relax,” Hani murmured. “You’re safe. I got you.”
It was ridiculous how instantly the warmth helped. Hani’s scent — faint soap and something cozy, like cedar— filled Jaeyel’s senses, grounding him. His head found its way to Hani’s chest, his cheek pressed against soft fabric that smelled like fresh laundry and faint vanilla.
Another boom. Jaeyel tensed again.
“See?” Hani whispered near his ear, his voice low and soothing, almost a purr. "Nothing to be scared of. Just noise.”
“You’re warm,” Jaeyel mumbled against him, his words muffled.
Hani chuckled quietly, his chest vibrating under Jaeyel’s cheek. “Perks of being cursed into a cat. We run hot.”
Jaeyel rolled his eyes weakly, still half-buried against him. “You also talk too much.”
“Only when the person I’m with is cute.”
“Don’t—” Jaeyel began, but the next thunderclap drowned him out, and his body curled instinctively closer. He buried his face deeper into Hani’s chest, his fingers clutching the edge of the hoodie like a lifeline.
Hani smiled softly and rested his chin atop Jaeyel’s head, his thumb tracing slow, absent circles on Jaeyel’s arm.
“Go to sleep, Jaeyelie,” he murmured, voice barely above the rain. “I’ll keep watch.”
Jaeyel huffed a quiet, embarrassed laugh— one that melted into a sigh as his heartbeat slowed, syncing unconsciously with Hani’s.
Outside, the rain softened from frantic to rhythmic. The thunder grew distant, more of a lullaby than a warning.
For once, the storm didn’t feel so frightening.
Jaeyel fell asleep like that— tucked against him, safe and warm, the steady beat of Hani’s heart under his ear.
******************************************
Morning arrived quietly. The rain had stopped, sunlight peeking shyly through the gray clouds. The only sound inside the apartment was soft breathing— one steady, one muffled by a blanket.
Juwon unlocked the door with a yawn and stepped inside, dragging his overnight bag. “Hyung? I’m back! How’s my besti—”
He froze.
On the couch, under one tangled blanket, Jaeyel was fast asleep, bundled up and tucked securely against a very human Hani.
The man’s arm was wrapped around him protectively, his chin resting lazily atop Jaeyel’s hair.
Juwon blinked. Twice. Then—
“…why is my cousin cuddling my bestie?”
Hani stirred at the voice, yawning as he blinked awake. “Morning,” he said sleepily, voice still husky from sleep.
Jaeyel groaned from within the cocoon of warmth, his eyes fluttering open just enough to glare weakly. “I’m never babysitting anything for you again, Juwonnie.”
Juwon grinned, already taking out his phone. “Sure, hyung. Tell that to your future boyfriend.”
“Don’t you dare—”
Click. A photo was taken.
"Send that to me, please." Hani smirked, brushing a stray strand of hair from Jaeyel’s face. “Oh and he’s not denying it, you know.”
Jaeyel let out a muffled groan and buried himself deeper into the blanket. “I hate everyone.”
But his heart was pounding fast and bright beneath the calm, and for the first time since the thunder, it didn’t feel like fear, but more like excitement and maybe kilig?
******************************************
EPILOGUE
A year and a half later, the thunders had become something Jaeyel grew accustomed to.
It didn’t scare him anymore. Not when there was always a pair of warm arms to pull him close and a familiar voice murmuring, “You’re safe, I’ve got you,” against his hair.
The storm outside today was gentler— soft drizzle against the window, the kind that painted the world in silver-gray. Inside their cozy apartment, however, chaos meowed.
“Stop climbing the curtain, you tiny demon!” Jaeyel called out, chasing after a streak of orange fluff.
The kitten darted up the couch and leapt onto the windowsill, where it sat proudly, tail flicking like it had just conquered Mount Everest.
Hani laughed from the kitchen doorway, arms crossed and grin wide. “She’s got your energy, babe.”
“My energy?!” Jaeyel glared at him, hands on hips. “You were the one who said, ‘Let’s get a playful one! It’ll be fun!’ Now she thinks gravity’s optional!”
Hani only grinned wider. “Still worth it. Look at her— she’s perfect.”
The kitten meowed loudly, as if agreeing.
Jaeyel sighed, giving up, and scooped the little furball into his arms. “You’re lucky you’re so cute, Peach.”
The kitten blinked up at him with big, trusting eyes before curling into his chest, purring loudly.
From behind, Hani wrapped his arms around both of them, his chin resting easily on Jaeyel’s shoulder. “Déjà vu, huh?” he murmured with a smile. “You holding a cat, me falling for you all over again.”
Jaeyel chuckled softly, leaning back against him. “Hard to believe you used to be the one doing the meowing.”
Hani gasped dramatically. “Excuse you, I was majestic.”
“You were a total menace,” Jaeyel corrected fondly. “You followed me everywhere. Even into the bathroom!”
Hani snorted. “I had separation anxiety!”
“You had boundary issues,” Jaeyel shot back, grinning.
They both laughed... that warm, domestic kind of laughter that comes from shared mornings, burnt toast, and too many inside jokes.
Peach purred louder, nestling between their arms like the little symbol of how far they’d come, from a surprise curse to a quiet, extraordinary kind of happiness.
“You know,” Jaeyel said after a moment, glancing up at the man who still made his heart race, “if someone told me a year ago that my best friend’s cat slash cousin would turn into my boyfriend—”
“You’d have kicked them out of your apartment,” Hani finished, chuckling.
“Exactly.”
Hani grinned, pressing a kiss to the corner of Jaeyel’s jaw. “Guess miracles have weird sense of humor and now I'm purrfectly yours.”
“Or fate just really ships us,” Jaeyel teased, smiling as he tilted his head to meet Hani’s lips halfway.
Outside, the rain tapped softly against the glass; a gentle echo of that night everything changed.
Inside, wrapped in warmth and laughter, Jaeyel realized something simple but sure:
He didn’t just fall in love with a man.
He fell for the way he made storms feel safe, for the quiet mornings and shared silences, for the heartbeat that lulls him to sleep even when he was afraid.
For Hani— human, cat, curse or not— he’d definitely fall for his Jaeyelie again every single time.
“Come on, Peach,” Jaeyel whispered, smiling as the kitten yawned. “Let’s get you some snack.”
Hani squeezed his waist affectionately. “And maybe for your human, too?”
Jaeyel laughed softly. “Only if you promise not to make a mess...”
“No promises,” Hani said, eyes twinkling.
Jaeyel just giggled as he playfully smacked his lover's shoulder.
And somewhere between the sound of rain and laughter, a little meow joined in: the sweetest kind of harmony for a love story that started with a meow and ended with another meow.
END