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Jiseok sighed, staring up at the water stains on the ceiling of his dorm room. He was lying on his bed, his throw blanket around his feet and his laptop open somewhere beside him, idly playing an episode of Brooklyn 99. The sun beating down on him through the big window at the other end of his room was a taunt that he should be outside enjoying his freedom and his youth instead of becoming one with his mattress, but he couldn't bring himself to get up. Hyeongjun had invited him out with him and Seungmin, but he had declined, not really wanting to be the third wheel to whatever was going on between them. Jungsu was spending the day with his family for his sister’s birthday, and everyone else seemed to have something or the other to do, so Jiseok only had himself. Normally it wouldn't be something that bothered him, usually perfectly content doing things alone if need be, but today he just wanted company, even if it was just to lie in bed together and watch mindless television.
Sighing, he forced himself to sit up on his bed, and looked around the room for something to do. His guitar, leaning against the wall by his desk, was the obvious choice, but instead he groaned and just flopped back onto his bed.
He hadn’t slept well the night before, tossing and turning only to end up with four hours of broken sleep, and it was beginning to show its effects.
It was just one of those days.
A couple episodes later, he attempted it again, actually getting off his bed this time and padding over to his desk. He dropped down onto his uncomfortable desk chair and looked at his guitar, slowly letting the dread of having to set everything up just to practice creep into him. He rested his head against the desk, cheek smushed against the surface as he stared at his guitar, not really looking at it as he let his exhaustion take over instead.
He really should do something productive, but even his thoughts felt like physical exertion.
A shower. He could take a shower.
Standing under the hot stream, he willed himself to wake up, thinking about what he could do when he got out. Maybe he could take a walk, or go to the dining hall and bring a takeout box back to the dorm for dinner. Or he could keep working on the assignment that was due at the end of the semester that he had been putting off because he kept hitting a wall.
But even after the shower, his body was uncooperative, wanting to do nothing but lay in bed once again. He even tried putting on proper clothes to trick his brain into being productive, but it didn’t work. He had barely just buttoned his jeans when he was already feeling the urge to take them off.
He stared at his bed for a minute, practically feeling just how slowly the cogs in his brain were turning. He really did need to figure out what he was going to do for dinner, but the instant noodles in his drawer were beginning to sound more and more appealing than stepping foot outside of the dorm.
Finally deciding to just commit to having an unproductive day, Jiseok fully changed into lounge clothes and climbed onto his bed to fluff up his pillows, propping them against the headboard of his bed to create a little cocoon to sit against. Grabbing his laptop and the portable fan he used under it, he pulled it closer to him and started another episode as he got comfortable in his bed. With the duck plushie Jungsu had given him earlier that year in his arms, he settled into his pillows, wrapped in his blanket, as comfortable as he could be.
He must’ve dozed off while watching, because the next thing he knew, he was being woken up by his phone buzzing on his chest.
jungsu
hey
I'm on my way back to campus
you still home?
jiseok
yea
jungsu
cool I'm coming over
be there in like 20 mins?
jiseok
yayyyy!!
Tossing his phone aside, he scrambled out of his bed, nearly tripping over his sheets to make his way to the bathroom to fix his hair and brush his teeth. He wasn't going to bother changing or pretending like he didn't just waste the day away in bed, but the least he could do was look somewhat presentable.
Fifteen minutes later, a knock on the door made him stumble to his feet once again. Swinging the door open, he practically threw himself at Jungsu, burying his face in the crook of his neck and grinning when Jungsu wrapped his arms around his waist tightly.
“I'm glad you're here,” Jiseok mumbled. “I missed you!”
“I saw you yesterday!”
“So what?” Jiseok huffed, squeezing him tighter.
Jungsu just laughed softly before asking, “Is Hyeongjun here?”
“No.” Jiseok reluctantly pried himself off of Jungsu to let him enter the room. “He’s been out with Seungmin pretty much all day.”
“Unsurprising.” Jungsu rolled his eyes lightheartedly as he stepped into the room. “He texted me earlier saying he thought you weren't feeling well.”
Jiseok pouted. “Is that the only reason you're here? Because Hyeongjun texted you?”
Sighing softly, Jungsu cupped Jiseok’s cheeks, printing a kiss on his lips. “Obviously not. I was planning to see you anyway.”
With a smile and a hand on the nape of Jungsu’s neck, Jiseok pulled him back for another quick kiss.
“Do you wanna watch Brooklyn 99?”
Jungsu chuckled. “Yeah, sure.”
Jiseok watched as he took his shoes off, taking in his outfit for the day. He was wearing a blue button up with dark jeans, and a cute black bucket hat with a smiley face embroidered on the front. His sleeves were rolled up at the forearm, sticking out a little where the cuffs were unbuttoned.
“You look good today,” Jiseok commented, eyes shamelessly falling to the curve of Jungsu’s ass while he was leaning over to untie his shoes.
“Thanks.” Jungsu stood up and smiled at him. “I've been wanting to wear this shirt out for a while but never really got the chance.”
“It’s really nice.” Jiseok nodded, climbing into the bed. “Is that the one you bought when you went out with Gunil?”
“Yeah.” Jungsu got into the bed next to Jiseok, who immediately threw an arm and a leg over him, making him laugh. “Seok, one sec, let me get comfortable.”
“Can I take this off?” Jiseok asked, reaching for Jungsu’s bucket hat. “Jun won’t be back for a while. He’s always out forever when he goes somewhere with Seungmin.”
“What is up with those two?” Jungsu tossed the hat towards the foot of the bed. “Are they, like, together?”
Jiseok shrugged, immediately reaching a hand up to play with one of his ears, Jungsu leaning into the touch. “I don’t think so. Hyeongjun told me he likes Seungmin, but Seungmin’s still sort of dancing around his own feelings.”
Jungsu snorted. “As if he hasn’t literally been in love with him since the day they met.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Jiseok groaned, flopping onto his back in dismay. “But last time I talked to Seungmin about it, he was being all shy and weird.”
“He just needs to figure it out by himself.”
With Jiseok on his back, Jungsu leaned over him, brushing a hand through his hair gently. Jiseok hummed appreciatively, eyes slipping shut.
“Are you feeling okay today?” Jungsu asked quietly.
“Better now that you're here,” Jiseok answered sincerely before sighing, opening his eyes. “I just had a really unproductive day.”
He looked up at Jungsu, who was looking at him with a soft gaze, making his heart flip in his chest. He reached up to take Jungsu’s hand away from his hair, clasping them together against his chest.
“You've been busy lately,” Jungsu murmured. “It's okay to rest sometimes. That’s what the weekends are for.”
“But—”
Jungsu leaned in and kissed him swiftly. “If you push yourself when you're already feeling burnt out, you'll just make it worse, baby.”
Jiseok sighed. He knew his boyfriend was right, but it was hard to fight his own brain sometimes.
“Yeah,” he simply murmured.
Jungsu sighed softly before leaning down to kiss Jiseok’s forehead.
“Sometimes just taking care of yourself is the most productive thing you should do in a day. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
Groaning, Jiseok shoved his chest gently. “Yeah, yeah. I know.”
Not pushing the issue further, Jungsu just smiled, pecking him once. “Come on, let's watch your show.”
Shuffling a little, Jungsu took the opportunity of being above Jiseok to lay with his head on his chest instead, a position they often found themselves in despite the obvious size difference.
Not that Jiseok was complaining. He had never felt so safe than when in Jungsu’s embrace, his wide frame practically engulfing him like a safety blanket.
With his head tucked under Jiseok’s chin, Jungsu reached for the laptop, pulling it closer and pressing play on the episode still up on the screen before wrapping his arm around Jiseok.
As they lay there watching the show, Jiseok’s hand found its usual spot in Jungsu’s hair, playing with the soft blond strands and ears while Jungsu purred lightly, probably not even conscious of it. It felt like the weariness he was feeling through the day was melting away, and he held on to Jungsu just a little bit tighter.
Halfway through the episode, however, Jiseok began dozing off again. After having to force his eyes open for a third time, he decided he had to do something other than just watch the show if he wanted to stay awake.
“How was your day?” Jiseok spoke up, just barely audible over the sound of the show.
“It was good.” Jungsu nodded a little, reaching over to turn the laptop volume down so they could talk comfortably. “We went to Hyesu’s favourite restaurant and then just walked around and shopped a bit.”
“Did you get anything?”
Jungsu shook his head the best he could while still on Jiseok’s chest. “Didn’t really find anything I liked, but I bought her some makeup she wanted since I didn't really get her a birthday gift.”
“I'm sure she appreciates that more than if you had tried to guess what she wanted.”
“Yeah, exactly,” Jungsu chuckled. “I can't keep up with the things she likes these days.”
They were silent for a moment, back to watching the show, before Jiseok spoke up again.
“Hey, Jungsu?”
His voice was quiet, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere they had created, but he was worried his question would.
When Jungsu hummed in response, Jiseok continued.
“Can I ask you something?”
Sensing the shift in his tone, Jungsu moved away, resting his head against the pillows so he could look Jiseok in the face this time.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Your ears… I’ve met your parents before, and they don’t have them…”
“Oh.” Jungsu tilted his head slightly, confused. “My mom does.”
“What?!” Jiseok frowned, completely taken aback. His gaze dropped away from Jungsu’s eyes as he blinked, thinking of his mother. He remembered thinking that Jungsu inherited her smile, but he couldn’t remember ever seeing her ears.
He then met Jungsu’s gaze again, noticing his amused expression. “Am I stupid?”
“Maybe a little,” Jungsu laughed, kissing his cheek when he pouted. “It’s okay. You’ve only met her twice. And her hair is so curly that sometimes it hides her ears.”
“Oh…” Jiseok still couldn’t quite believe it. How could he have missed that?
“Seriously, not a lot of people notice,” Jungsu continued.
“So, you're, like, half catboy, then?”
Jungsu fully laughed at that, cheeks tinting pink. “Yeah, I guess so. That’s also why I don’t have a tail. Just the ears.”
“And the purring.”
Jiseok relished the way Jungsu’s cheeks turned red, laughing when he buried his head against his chest.
“It’s cute!” Jiseok reassured him, bringing a hand up to pet his hair. “I like it when you purr. It... makes me happy.”
The last part came out as a whisper, with Jiseok averting his gaze.
“Really?” Jungsu lifted his head, sounding genuinely surprised. “Why?”
“What do you mean, ‘why’?” Jiseok huffed, embarrassed. “Because!”
“Because…?”
“I don't know!”
Pulling away, Jungsu pouted.
Jiseok looked at him out of the corner of his eye.
With a whine, Jungsu nuzzled his face against Jiseok’s.
How could anyone not give in to that?
“Fine!” Jiseok exclaimed around a halfhearted sigh, meeting Jungsu’s gaze. “It just… Makes me happy that you're happy. And that you're happy when you're with me.”
“Oh.”
“Shut up.” Jiseok covered his face with his hands.
“No, Jiseok, that’s—” Jungsu laughed a little, bashful. “That's really sweet.”
Gently, Jungsu pulled his hands away from his face, leaning in to kiss him quickly. He then trailed soft kisses down his jaw before burying his head into the crook of his neck, beginning to purr again.
Jiseok felt like he was going mildly insane.
Only mildly.
He let Jungsu burrow there for a moment longer before coaxing him back up to his lips with a hand in his hair. Trying to convey his appreciation and gratitude for Jungsu, he pulled him close, pressing their lips together in what was supposed to be a soft kiss.
Jungsu, however, had other plans.
He let Jiseok kiss him gently for all of five seconds before tilting his head, pressing himself up closer to him, and opening his mouth and nipping at Jiseok’s bottom lip. His hand slipped under Jiseok’s shirt, causing him to squirm a little.
“Cold,” Jiseok murmured, giggling a little when Jungsu moved his hand under his rib.
Jungsu just kissed him harder.
Grip tightening in Jungsu’s hair, Jiseok sighed, letting himself be kissed, letting Jungsu lead him wherever he wanted to go.
Click.
Jiseok pulled away from the kiss like he had been burnt.
Immediately, he tugged Jungsu by the shoulders and flipped him down onto the mattress as the door to his dorm creaked open. In that position, his face was mostly shielded from view by Jiseok’s arms on either side of his head, and he could fold his ears against Jiseok’s pillows, looking up at him with wide eyes.
“Jiseok, are you h— Oh, really?!”
“Hey Hyeongjun.” Jiseok looked up at the door, grinning at his roommate who had just stepped in, pretending like he wasn’t trying to catch his breath. “Don't be jealous, this could be you and Seungmin if he ever gets his head out of his ass.”
Hyeongjun’s eyes widened, and for once, he appeared to be at a loss for words.
A second later, Seungmin stepped out from behind the door, looking sheepish, dark orange ears folded down behind his head.
“Oh, hey Seungmin.” Jiseok’s grin never left his face. “Whatcha guys doing?”
“We were going to hang in here for a while, if that's okay,” Seungmin explained shyly. “Didn't know you had company.”
Jiseok’s smile faltered. His eyes immediately dropped to Jungsu, widening as they flickered between Jungsu’s eyes and the top of his head.
“Do you need a minute to, uh, make yourselves decent?” Hyeongjun asked.
“Yeah—”
Jungsu shook his head, interrupting Jiseok.
“It's okay,” he murmured, quiet enough for only Jiseok to hear.
“Are you sure?” he replied, just as quiet.
Jungsu nodded, no trace of hesitation on his face. Jiseok looked up at Hyeongjun again.
“No, we’re fine, come in.”
While their two friends took off their shoes and filed into the small room, Jiseok slowly moved off of Jungsu, sitting back to give him space. Keeping his eyes trailed on his boyfriend, he watched as he also sat up, his blond hair slightly disheveled. Jiseok reached out to place a hand on his knee, earning himself a smile, and they both looked over at their friends.
Slowly, Jungsu’s ears rose up from where they were folded behind his head.
Seungmin’s eyes widened, his own ears standing up straight in surprise. Even Hyeongjun, unphased by most things, stared at Jungsu in shock, mouth opening but no words coming out.
“No way!” Seungmin exclaimed, a smile of disbelief and amazement on his face. “Jungsu, you're also a hybrid?!”
Jungsu just nodded, amused.
“Did you know about this, Junnie?” Seungmin asked, gaze shifting from Jungsu to Hyeongjun and back.
Hyeongjun just shook his head as Seungmin continued speaking.
“I always kinda suspected something, to be honest.” Seungmin was beside them in two short strides, reaching out for Jungsu’s ears before pausing. “Wait, can I?”
Jungsu laughed. “Sure.”
“I can't believe you didn't tell me.” Seungmin pouted, but there was no bite to his words. “Who all knows about this?”
Jiseok watched as Seungmin petted Jungsu’s ears, trying not to give in to the urge to smack his hand away.
“Well, now I guess it's everyone except Jooyeon.”
Seungmin laughed, his hand falling away, much to Jiseok’s delight. “He's gonna be pissed when he finds out he was left for last.”
“Well, it's not like I wanted this guy to find out,” Jungsu then joked, pointing his thumb in Jiseok’s direction.
“‘This guy’?” Jiseok repeated, faux offended. “I'm just some guy to you?”
Jungsu knew that Jiseok wasn’t actually upset, but he took the bait regardless. Laughing, he leaned forward to cradle Jiseok’s head in his hands, pulling him close, and kissed his forehead.
“Ugh, gross.” Seungmin stepped back, regaining his place next to Hyeongjun leaning against his bed.
“Don't be jealous,” Jiseok teased, grinning at Seungmin. “This could be you two if—”
“Okay!” Seungmin exclaimed, cutting him off. “I'm going to the bathroom, excuse me!”
Giggling, Jiseok watched him exit the room, pointedly ignoring the two sets of eyes on him. If his moment with Jungsu was going to be interrupted, well, he felt like it was only right for him to be a bit of a menace about it.