“First I was afraid, I was petrified--”

“Oh shut up,” Junho laughed at him, but he recovered soon and repeated his question. “How was it?”

Taecyeon stared at the cat curled up near his feet. He had a dark yellow fur full of black spots, his long tail moving every now and then, particularly when Junho changed his position on the couch. “I’ll survive,” Taecyeon said, and this time the pun was not intended.

Junho still rolled his eyes at him, if anything for the exaggerated answer. “Johnny just jumped on your lap because he was trying to reach the toy rat you suggested we played with.” Junho bent down to scratch at the back of the cat’s ears. Johnny’s eyes were a light green almost the same shade as Wolie’s, but they looked all dark as they turned to slits and then he purred, grabbing at Junho’s arm with his paws. “I know, baby, you wanna sleep now, right? Daddy will let you sleep, aha, just let me--”

Taecyeon smiled at the change in Junho’s voice, the fondness that was evident in the way he talked to his cats. It had been the same when they first arrived. Wolie had been there too, but Taecyeon had barely caught a glimpse of her before she disappeared upstairs.

The contentment was also there to see in Junho’s features as he sat back on the couch, pulling his feet up to tuck them in the small space between his body and Taecyeon’s. He sighed, brushing his curly fringe off his face with the back of his hand. “How long do we have until the party?”

Taecyeon had used Junho’s phone to snap a picture of him with Johnny just a few minutes ago. “Four hours, I guess?” They had both taken the Saturday afternoon off, so that Taecyeon could meet the cats before he took Junho to the drama launch event in the evening.

Taecyeon had invited him to three events that week, but Junho had said he could only go to one. Besides the coffee shop, he was busy with moving from the flat they were in right now to the one he had just bought. Since he had already been to the Okcastra, where Taecyeon had hosted a party the night before, Junho decided to accompany him to the bigger, fancier party, where they intended to surprise Minjun with some happy news.

That brought Taecyeon’s attention back to the present, to the man right next to him, his boyfriend. They were both getting used to that, they were still taking things slowly and Taecyeon enjoyed every moment they got to spend together. “Babe,” he stretched his left arm to put it over Junho’s shoulders, but the other was already moving closer, placing his feet on the other side of the couch so that he could settle against Taecyeon and be wrapped in his arms.

“Don’t fall asleep,” Junho warned him, but he snuggled up close, his back to Taecyeon’s torso, the top of his head just under Taecyeon’s chin. Maybe the warning could be applied to Junho himself, too.

“I can’t sleep when there’s the risk of a cat jumping on me again,” Taecyeon teased, and Junho clicked his tongue in slight annoyance. At least he didn’t slap Taecyeon this time, though Taecyeon didn’t really mind that either. Junho never hit too hard. “Besides, I still have to convince you to go tomorrow. I must use my time wisely.” He slid his hands into Junho’s hair, beginning to massage his scalp.

“I’m not going to meet your parents...yet,” Junho grumbled, but he sighed when Taecyeon soothed a spot just behind his left ear.

“That sounds a lot like what you said about being my boyfriend,” Taecyeon teased, but Junho just ignored him. “You’re a stubborn babe, but I’m persistent.”

“You mean you’re even more stubborn,” Junho said, some amusement slipping into his voice. “I’m not admitting to anything, though.”

“‘Course you’re not,” Taecyeon retorted, pressing down on Junho’s nape and onto his shoulders through circles and invisible lines until Junho relaxed further against him. Junho was soon making noises at the back of his throat. “You’re purring,” he mused out loud, and Junho didn’t reply with more than a shorter version of that same noise again. Taecyeon smiled against his hair and kept working on his muscles. He realized Junho’s breathing was slowing down, and it got quieter the more Taecyeon soothed his knots of tension.

“Just like a cat,” he whispered, holding back a laugh. Junho was not asleep, but he was as relaxed as he could be, and Taecyeon wanted to enjoy this moment of quiet a little longer, letting his eyes take in every detail of the other’s face now that he was basically lying on top of him. Taecyeon kept running his hands through the caramel colored locks, raking them into a growing disarray that would make Junho glare at him once he got up. But it didn’t matter; hair could always be fixed, and Taecyeon was just taking his chance to feel the smooth strands slip through his fingers, just like he had wanted to do weeks ago, on that night when he and Junho had sung Peppermint Chocolate on karaoke.

“It’s probably a matter of time before we call each other honey,” he heard himself singing, the very same line he had sung that night, on their first date. It seemed like a long time ago, but just a few weeks had gone by.

Junho rolled onto his side so that he was facing the opposite wall from where they were sitting, but Taecyeon still heard him in what sounded like a whine, “Shut up, Taec.”

Hearing that nickname made Taecyeon swell with delight. He still wouldn’t dare telling Junho he had (probably) whined, though. “Okay... honey.”

Junho took a deep breath, and before Taecyeon knew what was happening he had Junho’s face very close to his, Junho’s hands on his shoulders, Junho’s legs straddling him. “Shhhh,” the hot air ghosted over his lips, a very effective way to silence Taecyeon. He could barely focus on his own breathing when Junho was this close anyway, and he found it was very different to have Junho lying down on the couch while using his body as a pillow, and having Junho sitting on his lap like this.

Taecyeon stood very still, knowing full well that Junho might get away just as quickly if he dared make a sound. But Junho was not moving either, at least not for a while, his fingers barely brushing over Taecyeon’s shoulders through his shirt, a thumb snaking underneath the collar. Junho’s eyes were lidded, focused on the small patch of skin he had found, and Taecyeon couldn’t just stay there and not do anything anymore. His own hands found purchase on the small of Junho’s back, and Junho let out a quiet gasp, his lips parting invitingly. Taecyeon heard a growl--

“Wolie!” Junho exclaimed as the cat jumped on the couch’s armrest, right next to where they were. Wolie was a little smaller than Johnny, younger but a grown-up cat, and her dark fur was puffed up, her tail twitching, her back arched. As far as Taecyeon knew, those were all threatening signs, but Junho was chuckling as he picked her up, and suddenly there was a possibly dangerous cat right between them, a cat that Junho was holding too close to Taecyeon’s face even if Junho’s goal was to keep her close to himself. “You’re a bad, bad girl, y’know that?” Junho was making the cutest voice while he talked to her. “You just came here to mark your territory and then you’re gonna hide from me again, aren’t you?” Wolie made another sound, this time a hiss that forced Junho to drop her on the couch hurriedly.

“Was she going to scratch you?” Taecyeon asked, watching as Junho followed the cat with his eyes. She dropped off the couch and went away swiftly, as silently as she had come, no more warning sounds like the growl that had announced her presence.

“I’ve never seen her like that,” Junho said, still looking back at the stairs through which his youngest baby had disappeared. “I mean, she’s never hissed at me before,” he was frowning when he looked at Taecyeon. “She must be jealous.”

“Maybe she’s just hungry and she wants you to feed her,” Taecyeon said, before he recalled that had been the first thing that Junho did when they arrived earlier.

“I guess she just needs to get used to you...” Junho’s features smoothed a little as he said that, and Taecyeon touched his face, his left cheek. Junho leaned into the touch, giving him the hints of a smile before he got off his lap, standing up and pulling Taecyeon along. “Come on, help me pick up an outfit for tonight.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Taecyeon joked as he let himself be guided.

Junho turned around just after he had gone one step up, so he was now a little taller than Taecyeon. “Do as I say and you might be rewarded,” he mumbled just before their lips brushed, the kiss lingering in the shape of a smile on Junho’s face.

“Is this just so that Wolie won’t try to attack you again?”

“She didn’t try to attack me,” Junho said, his eyeroll audible even though he had turned around again, taking Taecyeon upstairs with him. “She’s just marking her territory,” he repeated, though this time there was no cutesy in his voice.

Taecyeon decided not to argue. Junho certainly knew his own cats better, and Taecyeon himself was as far from being an expert as he could be. Unless being with Junho meant he would end up taking on cats as well.