You were let off work earlier today. It was mostly because you worked in the character design department, and you weren't needed during the story design process. As you headed home, you wondered who would be human today. From your interactions with Hakyeon, it seemed like they weren't able to change back and forth at will. If they changed in succession, you figured you'd be meeting either Ken, Ravi or Hongbin today. Jaehwan and Wonshik, you corrected yourself.

"I'm back! My team was let off early today." Hakyeon, now a guinea pig, greeted you by the entry hall again. "I was wondering, do you guys want to take a stroll outside today? I mean--yeah it might be odd for all five of you to go out at once, but I can take you out one by one, and whoever is changed today can also take someone?" Hyuk ran up to you and yapped, happily wagging his tail. "Okay, Hyuk seems up for it--how's your leg doing?" He obediently sat down in front of you.

You knelt down and inspected his foreleg. The scratches were scabbed over, barely noticable. Still, you were hesitant. "Maybe I'll carry you for a bit then. I'm worried about that limp you had." He ran around in a small circle and chased his tail, emphasizing that he was well. "Fine, okay. Don't push yourself.  Anyone else coming? Ke--Jaehwan? Wonshik? Hakyeon? Taekwoon?"

Hakyeon didn't seem interested in a walk. You felt slightly relieved because his vulnerable size out in the streets didn't sound like a safe idea in the first place. Taekwoon sleepily padded over to the water in the kitchen, looking innocent as if he had not been the one attacking Ravi last night. You heard a whistle, followed by the flapping of wings and Jaehwan flew over, landing on your shoulder. "Looks like it's just us three then." You peered around the apartment, "Whose day is it today?"

Your question went unanswered and you grabbed your keys, leaving your purse on the shoe cabinet. "If something happens or if you need me, my phone number is pinned on the fridge. You guys can use the home phone." Holding the door open for Hyuk, you followed after him and locked the door. To your relief, none of your neighbors were outside. You didn't need to deal with their commentary on your 'new pets'. 

Once you arrived at the nearby park, you addressed Hyuk, "Stay in my sight okay? You're not on a leash, and I'm not sure if it's a good idea to put a collar on you so you'll just have to stick around me. You too Ken. Although, it doesn't matter too much since no one really leashes a bird. Alright then, maybe keep an eye on Hyuk while you're flying." Hyuk sat down next to your ankles and looked up at you. Ken whistled a line of notes. ~I believe I can fly~

You laughed and motioned to Hyuk, "Go on! Unless you just want to sit and enjoy the air." With that, he stood up and ran into the grass, tail high in the air. The canary took off after him, landing on his head. Hyuk shook the bird off and they began a strange game of tag, where the puppy would chase after the canary and try to poke it with his nose. Then the canary would fly after the puppy, the roles switching only when Ken touched the golden retriever's head. You were worried Hyuk would play too rough at first, but he was careful when running after Ken. You also noted that the puppy's limp was completely gone now. They healed fast, you concluded.

When Hyuk returned to you, tongue hanging out and panting, you announced it was time to go home. Upon returning, Hyuk immediately made a beeline for water. Ken seemed fine and joined the others in the living room. Somehow, they had figured out how to work the television. You looked around the house, expecting one of the VIXX members. That would be the animal that was missing from the living room. You counted: a sleepy cat, a guinea pig snuggled in its side, a canary rearranging his feathers, and the puppy in the kitchen. The betta was probably still on the kitchen counter; it was immobile after all. That left Ravi.

A sudden thought struck you. What if he was unconscious somewhere? You checked the guest bathroom. It was empty. You headed for the extra bedroom instead. The door was shut. Knocking on it a few times, you tried, "Hello? Ra--Wonshik?" There was no response. Gingerly, you pushed open the door--and squeaked, quickly uttering an apology before shutting it close. You tried to erase the image of the muscular of a platinum-silver haired Ravi from your head. He must have just changed from a cockatiel to human then. You had just caught him putting one of your brother's old shirts on. Thank goodness he had already put on something for his lower body. Your reddening cheeks burned as you went back into the kitchen, deciding to prepare dinner and hoping to clear your mind.

Someone cleared their throat. You looked up to see Ravi--fully clothed now. "Oh hi! How's chicken noodle soup sound for you?"

He nodded, "Anything's fine really. I'll enjoy whatever you make. Thank you."

"Okay." You set the lid on the pot, waiting for it to boil. "Did you just...become human?"

Ravi nodded and gestured at the clock, "We change everytime the clock strikes five."

"Everytime? So you change back at five in the morning as well?"

He shrugged, "Yeah pretty much. We're usually sleeping by then, so we don't notice."

"It must be tiring."

A thoughtful expression crossed Ravi's face, "Actually, no. It's kind of like...well. I'm not sure how to describe it. One moment you're an animal. The next you're human. You just...blink and you change."

You smiled, "That's probably everyone's dream, at least once when they were young." Then quickly added, "At least, what I think anyway."

He shrugged, "Hmm.."

The following silence was filled with the sound of you and Ravi placing various plates of dishes on the dining table. The both of you sat down with a bowl of fluffy rice shortly afterwards. Unsure how to break the silence, you eyed the other four who were eating in front of the loud television. You perked up, "Oh right! Is there anything you guys need? Anything I can get you guys?"

Ravi looked up from his bowl in mid-chew. His adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, "Not at all! We're just fine. But I do wonder--sorry if it sounds a bit rude--will you be able to support all of us?"

You laughed and waved his concern away, "Of course! I mean, it really does pay to be in the character design department for a video game company. I would've probably spent my earnings on useless things anyway." Grinning, you added, "But I think I should still take you guys out to get some things. After all, my brother's clothes won't fit all of you and probably isn't always your style. Also, we'll run out of shower products soon and I'm sure you'd prefer not to smell like the flowery scents of my shampoo and body wash." You thought of Monday, when you washed puppy-Hyuk with dog shampoo and flushed, "When's a good day for shopping?"

"Well then, thank you very much! I'd find it entertaining if Taekwoon hyung smelled of flowers, but I'm quite sure he'd murder someone afterwards. Is Saturday okay for you?" Ravi laughed, throwing a sideways glance at the cat.

"Of course! I actually have the weekends off." You wondered who'd be doing the shopping for VIXX on Saturday. Hyuk? Hongbin? Ken? Maybe N would appear again?

"I really don't know how we can ever repay you."

"It's totally fine! I was--am a really huge fan of VIXX and just seeing you in person is a huge honor and a dream." You still wondered how you could have possibly forgotten them. Ravi continued eating then, notably savoring each dish. "It's not really my place to ask but, how long have you been wandering about? You, Hakyeon and Taekwoon seemed famished."

He racked his brain, seemingly counting an invisible calendar. "I'm not sure really. We haven't been wandering for too long, but we haven't had human food ever since..." He trailed off, unsure how to finish.

"Ever since VIXX disappeared?" You spoke up, trying to finish his sentence.

"Yeah, pretty much. We've lived on animal feed ever since."

"Oh." You weren't sure whether to be sympathizing with him or not. Was it their choice since they were animals? "Does it taste bad?"

Ravi shook his head, "Honestly, no. I thought it would too. It's just very bland, especially if you've had it for a while. But it is food, so it's sustainable." There was a pause before he continued, "The few days before you found us..we didn't have much to eat. It was easier for some of us to find food, but not all of us could eat what we found." You followed his gaze to the betta. 

"Ah..I see." You nodded, "I'll be sure to have something special prepared for him on his day too!--Whatever day that might be."

Ravi gave you a small smile, slightly reminding you of N's pained smile from yesterday. "Anyway," you picked at your bowl, suddenly feeling guilty that you took food for granted, "You must have gotten quite a scare last night."

There was a chortle from him. "Scared? I was fearing for my life! I really thought that was the end of me! My life flashed before me, I was thinking of all the things I wanted to do before I died and how I never made that bucket list I had planned to start a few years ago." He laughed, "Thank goodness Hakyeon hyung was still his N-jumma self, and heard the commotion. I know Taekwoon hyung would never willingly kill me, but he still scares me." Throwing a glance at the glaring cat, Ravi grinned, "At the end of the day, I know he's just a gentle and sweet person who'd never hurt a fly."

You winced at his glare, "He does have a strong glare though!"

"You hear that? At this rate, you'll scare off babies and puppies." Taekwoon hissed and Ravi wiped his grin off, "Okay, okay. I didn't say anything."

"Speaking of which. What were you saying when that happened? I couldn't hear because, well--you know--Taekwoon was on your neck."

Rubbing his chin, Ravi frowned, "Uhh actually, I can't tell you right now."

You couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. You were pinning your hopes on Ravi: that he'd be open to explaining some things. "Oh, well. That's okay."

"It's not that I don't want to, I just can't do that right now. But I can, however, tell you that Taekwoon hyung and Hakyeon hyung are against each other." He noticed the puzzled expression on your face and elaborated, "Hakyeon hyung trusts you and while Taekwoon hyung probably does trust you as well, there are things that he wishes not to happen."

Raising an eyebrow you watched as the cat moved from his spot on the sofa to Ravi, glaring again. The younger stuck his tongue out, "Hyung, you can't scare me that easily if I'm bigger than you." The cat hissed again, and batted a paw at his legs. "Anyway, they both mean well and want everyone, including you, to be safe. They just have different ideas about it."

The rest of the evening went by quickly. You went back to working on character designs while Ravi retreated into the bathroom to 'clean up his appearance' as he put it. You assumed that N and Leo had already done so during their 'days', when you were still at work. Grinning to yourself, you couldn't help but feel excited for the upcoming weekend. It'd be every Starlight's dream: a shopping tip with one of VIXX! It could be thought of as a date. Feeling giddy, you bounced in your seat, only to remember the mandatory meeting your company would be holding tomorrow. You sighed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. On the bright side, you'd have another VIXX member to look forward to meeting.

You had already met Hakyeon the guinea pig, Taekwoon the cat, Hyuk the puppy, and Wonshik the cockatiel so far. Knowing that Ke--Jaehwan was the canary, that left Hongbin as the betta.

You wondered who you would meet tomorrow.

The bird or the fish?

----------------------------------------------

And we've met Ravi now! He's definitely a lot more open hm? Anyway, I'm still in the process of moving so the updates are still going to be slow, unfortunately. (Ack. I feel like I failed this chapter.)

Do point out any mistakes I may have left in this chapter; I'm still jet lagging really badly. Not surprised if my writing doesn't make sense at times. xD Also, sorry about alternating between VIXX's stage names and their real names in these chapters. Hopefully it's not annoying to you. 

As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to drop a comment about anything~ c:

Note: Okkay..I just realized there's discontinuity with what they're eating for dinner. Sorry about that!