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Jisung could tell Minho's scent was off.
None of the other members could have picked up on this, given that Jisung and Minho were the only two hybrids in the group. What they did notice was Minho's odd behavior. He had been quiet all day, commenting on some things here and there, but keeping to himself for the most part. Jisung prided himself on being the sole owner of the "Minhopedia", so he was pretty sure his quiet mood was due to exhaustion and stress. Minho's slightly sour scent just added more evidence to Jisung's theory.
Minho, just like Jisung, was a cat hybrid. That meant that if he was stressed, it was likely he was also overstimulated. Jisung understood.
He, unlike Minho, felt his cat instincts more on the anxiety department, being easily startled and almost always tense. Minho on the other hand, had acquired a very short fuse for feeling overstimulated. When that was combined with the stress their career almost always put on them, Minho went quiet. Voices grated on his sensitive ears, even those of his loved ones, and physical touch went out the window.
Jisung knew that their current schedule, which wasn't any different from what they usually had to do, was stressful all the same. So he knew that Minho was a bomb waiting to go off; because with the awful mixture of stress and overstimulation, came the inevitable bouts of irritation, which made the older cat hybrid prone to lashing out.
Jisung knew he never meant it, having witnessed his boyfriend apologizing profusely to his members after a bad day, countless of times. Minho just couldn't help it some times. All the members understood this, and were always quick to reassure and forgive Minho. Jisung tried to take a more proactive approach.
Being the only other cat hybrid, he had some special privileges, if you will. Other than being privy to Minho's scent, which fluctuated with his emotions, he was also the owner of his own scent. Which, he had learned over the years, was a great tool in helping Minho out during these overwhelming days. Jisung had mastered the art of regulating his own pheromones, being able to pump out calming-sweet-safe whenever he deemed necessary.
Seeing as today seemed to be one of those days, Jisung had kept a close eye on Minho all day long. He wanted to be ready to intervene before things got out of hand, trying to save Minho the guilt and embarrassment that came after his outbursts. He was prepared to help him settle as soon as he noticed the signs of an impending meltdown.
They were all currently at dance practice, the mirrors all around the walls reflecting the members all sprawled out in different places.
Felix and Jeongin were cuddled up together, the younger whining, pretending to hate his current situation. Jisung wasn't fooled; if he truly wanted to get away, he would be struggling. Jisung guessed that if he was also a cat hybrid, Jeongin would be trying to cover up his purrs.
Chan was fiddling with the computer over at the studio's system, cueing up the last playlist they had to get through before they all got to go home and rest. Hyunjin, Seungmin and Changbin had walked out earlier, Jisung wasn't sure if it was to go to the bathroom or to get something from the vending machine, but they weren't back yet.
And Minho.
Minho was curled up on the large couch, pressing his back into the corner, his ears twitching every few seconds. He had his knees pressed into his chest, his eyes staring intently at the wall, just the tiniest bit unfocused.
Jisung quietly took note of this, noticing how tightly Minho was curled up. Minho was probably trying to regulate himself, seeking pressure from the sturdy couch under him, and the wall his legs formed in front of his chest. Jisung decided to help now, not waiting until the last moment to intervene.
He stood up quietly from where he was sitting, making his way over to the older hybrid. He sat down a comfortable distance away from Minho, not wanting to overwhelm him. Jisung didn't say anything, knowing Minho didn't need words right now. He just started pumping out his scent a little more, making sure it was full of comfy-safe-warm. Minho's ears twitched again, and he glanced quickly at Jisung before focusing on the wall again. Jisung knew he was grateful by the tiny smile that ghosted over his boyfriend's lips.
On to the next step. Jisung positioned his tail over Minho's arm, before initiating a steady circular pattern, trying to keep it focused to the same spot. This was another of the hybrid privileges he got to enjoy. Minho had told him that while skin on skin contact made him feel nauseous when he was overstimulated, the soft fur of his tail had the opposite effect. It was the only touch Minho tolerated, and Jisung was beyond elated to be able to help him.
Minho's shoulders started to untense slightly, his ears slowing their continuous twitching the more Jisung rubbed his arm over and over. Jisung fished out his phone from his pocket, settling down to wait until Minho felt like talking again.
It wasn't long, a couple of minutes passing by before Jisung felt Minho move. In the next second he had a lapful of cat hybrid, Minho sticking his face into Jisung's neck, trying to get even more of his calming scent into his nose. Jisung noticed with glowing pride that the slight sour notes he had noticed in Minho's scent earlier were gone now, only happy-calm pheromones reaching his nostrils. Jisung moved to wrap his tail around Minho's waist, chuckling lightly.
"Hello, you" Jisung said fondly.
Minho chirped before looking up.
"Hai hai" He replied, then promptly hid his face back into Jisung's neck, causing him to chuckle again.
"Are you okay?" Jisung knew his boyfriend wouldn't be one hundred percent okay until they made it back to their shared apartment, but he needed to ask nonetheless. He wasn't above asking Chan to end practice early just to ensure Minho's comfort.
"I'm fine now. Thank you" Minho said sincerely. He gave a small lick to Jisung's neck, trying to show his gratitude. Jisung blushed and wrapped his arms around Minho too, making sure he wouldn't fall off his lap.
"You know I'm always happy to help."
Minho lifted his head again and they stared at each other, sharing soft smiles. The moment was broken when Chan called them over, practice starting up again. Jisung sighed, tired already at the thought of exerting his muscled just to get up. Minho wasn't fairing much better, a small whine being heard from his lips and his cat ears pulling back. Jisung patted his back.
"It won't be long now, and then we can go home to cuddle and watch a movie, what do you think?" Jisung said. "Maybe you can even let me cook for once" He finished with a wink, making Minho huff in amusement.
"If I let you cook I'll have to put out a fire, and I'm too tired for that" Minho said with a smirk.
"Yah!" Jisung gasped "How dare you! I can make a grilled cheese sandwich just fine, thank you" He even puffed up his chest for added dramatic effect, getting his desired reaction when Minho giggled, the sound twinkling around them. Minho stood up, a smile still lingering on his lips.
"Come on, chef, the faster we finish, the faster we get to go home and eat your famous grilled cheese sandwich" Minho extended a hand, helping Jisung off the couch. It was Jisung's turn to smile and nod.
"Okay, okay, let's go".
Jisung just hoped the rest of dance practice actually went by quickly and smoothly.
Practice did not go by quickly nor smoothly. It wasn't long after they began dancing that everything went downhill.
As Jisung saw Minho misstep, it felt like he was watching him fall in slow motion. The loud thud of his hands and knees hitting the ground almost made the pained gasp Minho let out go unnoticed. Almost. Jisung noticed, though.
With his heightened sense, he could also hear when Minho's breath hitched, the telltale sign of oncoming tears. Tears? Jisung didn't hear that sound often, and certainly not in the middle of their dance practice studio. He had seen Minho cry, mostly when they were alone together, but even those instances were rare. The fact that Minho was on the verge of tears right now over a tumble, something they had all experienced at least once, when tiredness made your limbs uncoordinated and it felt impossible to move your legs to the right spot, was throwing Jisung off balance.
He was left frozen for a few seconds, trying to sort through his thoughts, when he heard it. He heard Minho yowl.
Minho had once told Jisung that he didn't like yowling, telling him it was "too embarrassing". Jisung liked yowling, mostly to be annoying and dramatic (sometimes to get Minho to pay attention to him, the older hybrid always rushing to his side to scent and comfort him whenever he heard the sound come out of Jisung's mouth).
Minho had never yowled before. Jisung's knees were hitting the ground next to Minho before he fully registered he was moving.
A low growl was building inside Jisung's chest. He had placed himself in front of Minho, who was cradling his arm to his chest while small whimpers escaped him. Jisung stared unblinking at the other members who were trying to approach them, probably to help. Jisung knew they weren't a threat, but his instincts were screaming at him to protect-guard-attack, and they wouldn't listen to logic until he could make sure Minho was okay. He couldn't do that while he had to fend off threats (even if they were imagined).
Chan was the first to realize this, putting an arm out in front of Hyunjin and Felix, who had been trying to approach the couple, shaking his head softly at them when they both turned to look at him questioningly. Chan quickly ushered everyone out of the room. Jisung would be sure to thank their leader later, when his frazzled instincts were settled.
Once everyone was out of the room, Jisung stopped growling and immediately turned around to look at Minho. He took stock of his injury, noting that he was remarkably calmer now that it was only the two of them in the room. Jisung couldn't take a proper look at Minho's injured arm from his place by Minho's legs, he needed to move closer.
As he inched forward, he finally took a whiff of his scent. When he did, he was confused. Minho's scent, just like any adult hybrid, had outgrown the slight milky undertone all hybrids had before their full-grown scents came in. Jisung had never known what Minho's childhood scent smelled like, but he could probably guess it smelled something like how it did now, a precious mixture of sweet vanilla and milk.
Before Jisung could ask or say anything, Minho gave another whimper, followed by a softer yowl. He was looking at Jisung with big, shiny eyes, tear tracks running down both of his cheeks. He gave a small sniff in Jisung's direction before crawling onto Jisung's lap. The younger blinked in confusion, moving to wrap his arms around the older when he gave another whimper. Minho had his face buried in Jisung's neck, trying to calm himself down with his scent.
It took a moment for Jisung to snap out of his reverie, still trying to puzzle out why Minho's scent smelled like it did. He decided to put that aside for a moment so he could check in with his boyfriend.
"Are you okay, baby?" Jisung asked.
Minho hummed, rubbing his face back and forth on Jisung's neck.
"'m fine…jus' got spooked and my arm hurted a bit…" Minho said with a sniff.
With every second that passed, Jisung grew more and more confused. Hurted?. He had never heard Minho make a mistake like that when talking. Just as he was about to ask Minho if he had hit his head as well when something just, clicked. Between the out of nowhere milky scent, the slightly slurred speech and the spelling mistake, Jisung might have a fair guess on what was going on.
A couple of years back, when he was trying to find something that would help with his anxiety, he had stumbled onto an article that had piqued his interest. The article was called something along the lines of "The Benefits of Age Regression for Stress-Relief". Jisung had spent that entire night going from article to article and looking at forums trying to learn more about the topic. The next day he had tried it, using the excuse of feeling slightly under the weather to get the dorm all to himself. After a couple of hours of coloring, watching cartoons and cuddling with one of his stuffies, he found that the coping mechanism wasn't for him. He had resumed his search for something else, but the information had remained in his brain.
Jisung never expected to need the information again. Specially not for his Minho-hyung.
After his realization, Jisung changed his demeanor a little bit. Not in any way that might have tipped Minho off, since he didn't think the older noticed there was anything different with himself just yet, but just enough so he knew he was safe with Jisung (like always).
"I'm sorry you got scared, baby" Jisung began running his tail up and down Minho's injured arm, trying his usual methods of soothing Minho, hoping they would work. "It was scary, falling down like that. Could I look at your arm, kitten? Just to see that you didn't scratch yourself or anything".
Minho hesitated for a moment before nodding and placing his arm on Jisung's outstretched hand.
"Be careful, please?" Minho said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Of course, baby. Your Jisungie would never hurt you" To help drive his point across, he started purring, feeling Minho instantly melt into him even more. It took everything in Jisung not to squeal or coo at the blatant display of cuteness from his hyung. To prevent him from acting on his cuteness aggression, he focused back on checking Minho's arm.
Jisung was happy to see no dried blood, just a bruise that he knew would turn purple in the next couple of days. He couldn't do anything about that now, but he would make sure to give Minho a pain killer once they were home.
"You're okay Min, you were so brave, thank you for letting me check your arm" Jisung said, adding a kiss to the crown of Minho's head. He could see the tips of Minho's ears turning red, and he heard a shy chirp coming from his chest.
"I'm okay?" Minho said, just to make sure he could look at his arm without seeing anything scary like blood or something. Jisung smiled and nodded his head, curling his tail around Minho's waist.
"You're perfectly fine, just a small bo-bruise. I'll give you a painkiller once we are home, what do you think?" Jisung caught himself before calling Minho's bruise "boo-boo", scared of throwing his boyfriend off and making him fall out of the cozy headspace he had clearly slipped into. Jisung was planning to breach the topic once they were both back at their apartment, just in case Minho got nervous about anyone else overhearing their conversation.
"Home? Bu'…Practice?" Minho frowned, disgruntled at the idea of leaving practice early. Even though his headspace had dipped, his head feeling a little floaty and fuzzy, his desire to be a responsible hyung made him feel like there was something wrong about leaving over a tiny bruise on his arm. "Bu' okay?"
"You are okay baby, but I think you still should rest. I actually want to rest, too, won't you come home with me? I'll feel lonely without you there with me" Jisung pouted for good measure, trying to see if he could persuade Minho to come home with him by pretending he was the one that was tired. Jisung would've felt bad about using Minho's soft spot for him, but he would do anything just to get the other one home. He was sure his plan would work, but he didn't expect the other hybrid to spring to his feet while tugging on Jisung's arm insistently.
"Come, come, have to go home so Jisungie can rest" Minho said. Jisung's heart melted, touched by his boyfriend's concern even while he was the injured one. He chuckled, rising to his feet and intertwining his fingers with Minho's.
"Let's go home, sweetheart".
To no one's surprise, specially not Jisung's, Minho falls asleep on the ride to their apartment. Jisung has to carry him into their room because, despite his numerous attempts in rousing him, Minho could not be woken up. He must have been more tired than Jisung thought.
He was careful in lying Minho in their bed, not putting his body weight on his injured arm. Jisung considered getting in bed himself and cuddling his kitten, but he decided to be useful instead. He was sure Minho would wake up hungry, so he left the room and headed towards the kitchen, set on making something edible that they could both enjoy once Minho woke up.
Minho woke up slowly, blinking up at the ceiling a couple of times. His arm still ached slightly, but it wasn't as bad as before. He couldn't believe he had yowled earlier. He had never done that before, and he didn't think he was capable of making such a noise, specially not over a small fall.
As he woke up more and more, he remembered the moment he had fallen, and how with the pain, a sweet fog had taken over his mind. That fog made his memories a little fuzzy, but he remembered how his immediate thought was to seek out comfort from the other hybrid, knowing that he would be safe with Jisung. God, Minho had whimpered multiple times in front of his members, all in a desperate attempt at getting his boyfriend's attention and comfort.
Why had he acted like that? He was trying to put the pieces of his memories together when he remembered the way he had spoken when it was only Jisung and him in the room. "My arm hurted a bit…". He had spoken in front of Jisung like…well, like a child.
Minho's stomach gave a painful lurch, and he could feel his breath coming in faster and faster. Minho had been avoiding confronting this part of him, something that he had kept like a dirty secret for months now. Something that happened to him after specially grueling days at the company, or when he felt his mood dip below the usual. Minho knew that when his stress levels got too high, his brain tended to fuzz over, and he started to act…younger than he actually was.
Minho had told no one, not even his roommate and boyfriend. He always planned this "episodes" to when he knew Jisung wouldn't be home, and if he couldn't plan them, then he would excuse himself to another room under the pretense of needing some space to himself. Jisung had never questioned him, always respecting Minho's boundaries and personal time, but he couldn't deny that there had always been a part of him that ached for Jisung to follow him into the other room and cuddle him until he felt better.
Minho was scared. His secret was now out in the open, and he didn't know what to do. Jisung hadn't reacted badly, he remembered that much, but what if it had only been a momentary thing? He knew the other hybrid was not cruel, and would never leave him in a practice room all alone and injured, but Minho couldn't pretend that what he did was normal. What if he was actually disgusted? Maybe he just waited until they were somewhere more private to tell Minho how gross and awful he was, that they had to break up, that he never wanted to look at him again, what if—
Minho was sobbing now, unable to stop the noises from leaving his chest. His sour scent was now covering the entire room, being too lost in his spiraling thoughts to regulate his pheromones. In his panic, Minho didn't hear the pounding sound of footsteps coming down the hallway and got completely startled when Jisung burst through the door.
There was a moment where neither of them moved, too shocked at the suddenness of Jisung's entrance. The spell was broken when Minho yowled again, diving under the covers so he wouldn't have to see the disgust and hatred on Jisung's face. He couldn't take it, he was sure that Jisung just came into the room to say goodbye and leave him forever.
"Oh sweetheart, what is it? Did you have a nightmare?" Jisung asked carefully. Minho noticed that he was pumping out his comforting scent, trying to dissipate Minho's distress and calm him down. Minho could feel it working, his breathing slowly evening out the more he breathed in Jisung's scent. The older hybrid could feel the bed dip as Jisung sat down besides him.
"Can I touch you angel?" Minho took a second to answer, but ended up nodding his head. If he was destined to be alone, then he would take as much comfort as he could get before he inevitably lost it. Jisung quickly bundled him up in his arms, blanket and all. Minho could feel Jisung rocking them both back and forth, and the steady rhythm helped him to calm down further. The stayed like that for a couple of minutes, Jisung's tail joining in the efforts in calming the older hybrid as it rubbed up and down Minho's back.
It wasn't long before Minho's last sniffle was heard, but he still didn't dare to raise his head out of the crook of Jisung's neck, too scared of whatever he would find in his boyfriend's face. Plus, he loved Jisung's calming scent and like this, he could breathe it in directly from the source, so could you really blame him?
"Kitten, can you tell me what had you so upset? I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere" Jisung said.
Minho hesitated, but he knew he couldn't lie to Jisung. He deserved the truth, specially for always taking such good care of him. Minho lifted his face, bracing himself by taking a deep breath. He was slightly surprised to see Jisung already looking at him, a fond and patient smile adorning his features.
"Well, um…I guess I should explain why I reacted the way I did back at the company…" Minho started saying, before Jisung's eyes widen and he paused. Here it was, the rejection that he knew was inevitable.
"Oh, can I say something first then, baby?" Jisung said, and Minho nodded cautiously. "I know what happened back there, and I want you to know that I'm completely fine with it. Remember when I searched high and low for a coping mechanism for my anxiety? Well, in my research, I stumbled across age regression, so I knew what it was when I saw you acting like that in the practice room. You were so cute, by the way, my sweet kitten" Jisung added, whispering his last sentence and giggling after.
Minho could only gape at him, completely stumped. Never in his wildest dreams did he think Jisung would be so accepting of this part of him, much less be aware of his weird coping mechanism before Minho could explain it. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes again, this time out of pure happiness instead of distress, and he dove back into Jisung's neck. Jisung panicked for a second, before he smelled Minho's scent and relaxed again, getting only hints of greatefulness-happy-relief.
"There, there, kitten, it's okay, you're okay" Jisung began patting Minho's back in a steady pattern, letting his baby get all of his emotions out. He couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for him, telling Jisung something as big as this (even though Jisung had been the one doing the most talking).
"Is okay? Really, really okay?" Minho whispered. "No hate Min?".
Jisung was slightly surprised that Minho would regress so quickly, but he also felt honored. He was happy that the older (or younger now?) felt safe enough in his presence to let go, so he rushed to reassure him.
"Of course kitten, I could never, ever hate my beautiful Minmin" Jisung could hear Minho's sweet giggle, the other hybrid quietly repeating his new nickname in a soft mumble. Minho felt like a weight had lifted off his shoulders. He had hated how he had to lie to his boyfriend for so long, and it felt so freeing to finally be able to be fully himself around the person who had made him feel the safest he had felt in his life.
The quiet was broken when Minho's stomach growled loudly, causing the regressed hybrid to startle and look up at Jisung with wide, surprised eyes.
"Appa, Min hungry" Minho said, with a cutely serious expression. Jisung couldn't help the gasp of surprise at the title that Minho had already bestowed upon him. A wide smile spread across his face.
"Am I your Appa, sweet thing?" Jisung asked, his voice thick with fondness. Minho froze for a second, a blush rising to his cheeks before he looked away.
"Mmm, Sungie Appa…Is okay?" Minho asked, scared that he had done something wrong again. It was one thing for Jisung to accept him, but maybe he wouldn't want to be his caregiver. Minho didn't want to burden him, and he would completely understand if Jisung told him to find someone else to take care of him. Before he could spiral again, Jisung nodded.
"It's completely okay kitten, I would be honored to be your Appa" Jisung tightened the grip his tail had around his kitten. Jisung couldn't fathom letting anyone else care for his kitten. It was something he had felt back at the company when Minho fell, the way his instincts had all boiled down to an intense need to protect. Maybe it was the way Minho's scent changed with his headspace, how his mature scent was slowly replaced with something more milky and young; maybe it was the immense love he had for his boyfriend. Perhaps it was a bit of both.
No matter the reason, Jisung was more than willing to be Minho's Appa and anything else his little would ever ask of him.
They moved together to the kitchen after getting Minho into some comfy clothes. Minho was in Jisung's arms after shyly asking for "Uppies, Appa?". He had blushed profusely, but it was worth it for the comfort and safety he felt while being carried around. Whenever he regressed alone in the past, he would find that his legs were a little too wobbly when he stood up, so he would opt to crawl around his bed or on the floor when he felt brave enough to slide down his mattress.
Now that he had his Appa though, Minho knew he wouldn't have to worry about achy knees or cold floors ever again.
Jisung put Minho down momentarily at the kitchen island, a pout taking over Minho's face while his ears drooped down, wondering why he was being so rudely taken away from his Appa's warmth. Jisung chuckled and leaned over to press a kiss to his kitten's forehead.
"I'm sorry angel, I can't carry you while preparing our food. I'll be quick, I promise, okay?" Jisung didn't move until Minho nodded, even if his pout was still present.
Jisung kept his promise and made quick work of putting both of their sandwiches in plates and moved them over to the table before making his way back and wrapping Minho up in his arms again. He stood over the chairs momentarily, debating whether he should put the regressor down in his own chair or if his lap would do. He decided to ask Minho instead, not yet familiar with the little's preferences (but he was determined to learn and had already filed away what tidbits of information he had gathered so far).
"Baby, would you rather sit by yourself or in Appa's lap?" Minho hummed, thinking for a second while his eyes flicked back and forth between the two chairs in front of them.
"Appa? P'ease?" came Minho's adorable response, making Jisung melt.
"Appa's lap it is, then".
Jisung sat down and adjusted Minho in his lap so they could both comfortably eat, Minho ending up sitting sideways with his head resting on Jisung's shoulder and his legs idly swinging back and forth. Jisung picked up his sandwich and began eating, enjoying the taste even if the cheese had gone a bit cold.
He was two bites in when he realized that Minho hadn't picked up his sandwich yet, and was instead just…staring at it, his thumb gently rubbing his lower lip. Jisung blinked a couple of times, confused.
"Are you okay, honey? Are you not hungry?" Jisung asked. Minho squirmed at the question, the hand that had been raised to his lips lowering back down to fiddle with the hem of his sweater.
"Can…Can Appa he'p?" Minho asked back shyly. He looked up at Jisung, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.
"Oh, of course baby! Sorry, Appa is a bit silly. You're just a tiny baby, let me help you". That got Minho squirming all over again, a tiny smile stretching his lips. Big Minho would probably die of embarrassment if he heard those words, but little Minho? He loved it. The words made him feel even smaller than before, making him feel like Jisung not only approved of his headspace but also encouraged it.
He couldn't help the purr that picked up in his chest as he watched Jisung grab his sandwich and bring it up to his lips to take a bite. Minho hummed in satisfaction, shaking his shoulders slightly at the nice taste.
Jisung was sure he would randomly combust any second now if Minho kept being this cute.
"Do you like it? Did Appa do a good job?" Jisung asked.
Minho nodded. "Appa good boy, Appa make yummy food"
"I'm glad! Now let's finish our dinner. What do you want to do after, Minmin?" Jisung gave Minho another bite after seeing him finish the previous one.
Minho brought up his index finger up to his chin and began tapping, letting his eyes wonder up in concentration. Jisung held back a giggle, little Minho clearly getting his thinking pose from those silly cartoons where the characters get a thought bubble above their heads.
"We watch movie? And cuddle?" Minho asked hopefully after his moment of consideration. "P'ease?" He added, not one to forget his manners even while regressed.
"Sounds like the perfect plan, my love".
After they finished their dinner, Jisung moved their dirty plates over to the sink, deciding that they could be dealt with later. Right now he had a precious little kitten to take care of.
Back in the living room, Minho was currently kneading the blankets they have on the couch, determined to make sure their little couch nest was perfect for their movie night. After he decided that the blankets and pillows were fluffy enough, he started to scent everything carefully. Minho would make sure to ask his Appa to also scent everything so their scents could mix together in that perfect smell that always managed to make him feel safe.
Jisung came back into the living room, cooing out loud at seeing his kitten rubbing a corner of the blanket with his cheek, a steady purr filling the space between them.
"Appa! You back!" Minho exclaimed "Can scen' this p'ease?" He stretches out the same blanket he was holding up to Jisung, his tail gently swishing back and forth behind him. Jisung nodded.
"Yes, of course, my love" He sat down besides Minho, smiling fondly at the way Minho instantly glued himself to his side, his purrs somehow getting louder. Jisung set about scenting every blanket and pillow that Minho handed over to him (he handed him every blanket and pillow around them, but Jisung was not about to complain). Once that task was done, Jisung wrapped one of the blankets around both of their shoulders and curled his arms around Minho's frame.
"What movie do you want to watch, lovey?" Jisung asked. Minho hummed in thought.
"Umm…can wa'ch Totowo?" Minho blinks up at Jisung, his pretty shiny eyes pleading as if Jisung could ever deny him anything.
"That sounds like an amazing idea. I have the smartest kitten ever" Jisung leaned down to plant a kiss on Minho's forehead, the little squirming in delight. Jisung grabbed the remote and pulled up the movie, a comforting warmth filling his chest as the familiar music began to play. He melted even further when he noticed that Minho was humming along under his breath, moving his head from side to side, following the rhythm.
Jisung couldn't help leaning down again, taking a discreet sniff of Minho's scent. It had already lost that mature edge it regularly had, replaced by the sweet milky scent of childhood and innocence. Something about it spoke directly to Jisung's hybrid instincts, his head buzzing with the need to protect and care for and coddle. He vaguely wondered if this is what hybrids felt when they had pups of their own, unsure as to how anyone could hate something as fragile and pure as this. Jisung swore to himself that he would always protect Minho, no matter if he as big or small, and would work tirelessly to make sure he knew how loved he was, until there was no doubt in his mind that his Appa loved him unconditionally.
One of Jisung's instincts was particularly loud right now. They both had had a long day, tirelessly practicing and rehearsing and going from one schedule to another. He was sure Minho would like to get clean, something to get all of the day's weight off of his skin and relax even further. A shower was not in his first options though. Jisung didn't know if it was Minho's little scent or something else, but Jisung was currently fighting the urge to start grooming him.
In the end, Jisung's body acted before his mind could catch up, his tongue darting out to start licking at Minho's cat ears. Minho gave a startled chirp, his ear twitching from the sudden wet feeling, before realization dawned on him. Appa was grooming him! Minho didn't know how he knew he felt a little icky and would love to get clean but that showering felt like too much for how little energy he had. Appa must be able to read minds, that's what it was. Minho's Appa was so kind and nice to him, he couldn't help but purr in delight, even letting out some content chirps here and there.
Minho melted impossibly further against Jisung, and he was glad to see he liked the feeling of being cleaned just as much as Jisung liked cleaning him, the motions quieting his restless instincts. They passed the movie like that, Minho occasionally turning so he could lick at Jisung's cheek in a clumsy attempt at grooming him back, Jisung smiling fondly each time before Minho got tired and turned back so he could watch the movie again. He was sure Appa would understand that he was too tired and little to return the favor.
Between the grooming and the comfortable atmosphere, it was no surprise that Minho fell asleep halfway through the movie. Jisung was in the middle of debating whether he should wake Minho so they could move to their nest/bed or to just sleep right there on their couch when Minho stirred slightly, wiggling in Jisung's hold.
"Appa?" Minho blinked blearily up at Jisung, his eyes slightly unfocused with the remnants of sleep. Jisung hummed in response, running a hand through Minho's hair.
"Yes, kitten?"
"Can sleep here? Comfy…" Minho trailed off with a yawn, his eyes already closing again. Jisung's heart melted, and just like that, the decision was made for him. He leaned down to nuzzle his cheek against Minho's, shuffling around so they could lay comfortably. Minho whined from all of the movement, Jisung shushing him until he was laying down with Minho on top of him, his arms secured around his waist so he wouldn't fall off in his sleep. Jisung let a purr rumble in his chest, hoping to lull Minho back to sleep.
It worked perfectly, and soon they were both drifting off together, their tails curling around each other in their sleep.