If anyone asked Lu Han how he imagined himself at the age of twenty four, the answer probably wouldn’t be something about him getting kicked out of his best friend’s place, just because the said best friend’s pet and Lu Han couldn’t live under the same roof.

“I’ll start paying the rent, just please don’t let me go,” Lu Han wails, gripping desperately on the rim of Jongdae’s shorts. He’s making a scene and the whole neighborhood is probably staring at the two of them, but Lu Han honestly doesn’t give a . He’s stuck between making a pathetic fool out of himself and going back to his parents, and if it’s between the two, he’d rather let the whole world watch him beg Jongdae for mercy than go back to them.

 Jongdae tries to pry him off, but Lu Han’s grip is tight. “Sorry hyung, but Joonmyunnie’s getting uncomfortable with finding you on the couch every morning. Also, you know I can’t afford food for both him and you.”

Jongdae gives a bit harder push and Lu Han lets go of the other’s shorts, falling on his with a dull thump. He sniffs. Jongdae’s known Lu Han long enough to know the other’s playing, but he can’t ignore the light pang in his chest at the sight of his best friend being miserable like that.

Jongdae lets out a quiet sigh and kneels by Lu Han’s side. “Hey,” Jongdae says, nudging Lu Han’s shoulder with his own, “Cheer up. I’m sure you’ll find a place to stay.”

Lu Han turns to him, visibly offended. “How can I cheer up when you’re choosing a pet you got two months ago instead of me, your best friend since college!?”

“Yeah, but said best friend has been lounging his for the past three years, waiting for inspiration to come from cable TV and gossip tabloids he’s not even paying for,” Jongdae says, trying to sound as calm as possible. It’s almost impossible to be patient with Lu Han at this point, especially after he found how much Lu Han had spent during his stay.

“But Jongdae you don’t realize how important it is for me to know if Kim Jaejoong is still single,” Lu Han explains, making Jondae roll his eyes. “Also, I’ve felt it coming, the inspiration y’know?  I already have the half of it done, so if you give just a couple more months I’m sure-“

“You had two years to finish it, hyung,” Jongdae snaps and feels guilty the second the words leave his lips. Lu Han pouts and turns his head away from Jongdae, crossing his arms against his chest.

“Perfection takes time, Jongdae,” Lu Han says, his eyes now focused on one of the windows on Jongdae’s house. A flash of curios brown eyes and furry ears of the same color catch his attention, making the pout on his lips replace with a scowl. There it was - the reason he was currently sitting in front of Jongdae’s house and not inside, waiting for the rerun of Desperate Housewives. Lu Han thinks he never in his life felt this much repulsiveness towards a cat hybrid. Sure, Joonmyun was cute, Lu Han’s not going to deny it, but god dammit he was the number one reason Lu Han’s going to become homeless in fifteen minutes or less.

Homeless.

Homeless.

“Jongdae!” Lu Han cries, making the younger man startle. “Don’t leave me! I don’t have anywhere else to stay. I don’t want to become homeless.”

“You’re not going to be homeless, you have your car.” Jongdae points to the silver Ford, parked right behind them, with the trunk door still open. All of Lu Han’s stuff is packed inside of three carton boxes, plus a traveling bag and his laptop. Jongdae’s sure Lu Han has more stuff inside the house, left on purpose so Jongdae could feel nostalgic and guilty, especially guilty, when he finds them some time later.

“This,” Jongdae continues as he places a small wallet in Lu Han’s hands, “is enough money to keep the tank full for days, plus the phone numbers of Jongin, Sehun and Yifan.” Jongdae makes sure to emphasize the last name.

Lu Han takes the wallet with lifeless fingers. Jongdae gives out another impatient sighs as he takes Lu Han’s hands in his own ones. He holds Lu Han’s hands tight when he says, “I’m sorry, but it’s for the best.” He doesn’t wait for Lu Han to respond when he releases the grip and stands up, dusting off his pants in the process.

Lu Han continues to stay quiet even with Jongdae hovering over him like that. Wanting more than anything to get down and hug Lu Han, tell him it’s all going to be okay and that he doesn’t want to do this, doesn’t want to ruin the friendship they built over the years; except he knows he has to finally think of his own future and unfortunately he doesn’t see anyone but Joonmyun in it.

Figuring Lu Han needs more time, Jongdae turns to walk down the paved pathway, surrounded by many bright flowers Lu Han helped him plant and pretends he doesn’t hear the other man gasp as he gets closer to the door.

“Jongdae-“

“Goodbye hyung.”

He doesn’t dare turn and meet Lu Han’s eyes. The door shuts behind him and Jongdae runs up the stair, into the bedroom and he finally crumbles against Joonmyun’s warm chest. Joonmyun only hugs him silently, letting his owner to wet his shirt with salty tears he kept pooling inside of him the entire time.

Outside, after minutes – maybe hours, Lu Han honestly doesn’t know – Lu Han rises to his feet. He throws the wallet carelessly through the passenger window, right on the worn out leather seat.

“Is this what you want?” he yells, making a few heads on the street turn towards him. “Is this what you want for me, Jongdae? Fine then! I’m leaving and I’m never coming back. I don’t need anyone but myself from now on, you hear me?”

He snaps at a girl who’s standing on the pavement and staring at him with interest. He glares at her, making her yelp and run away crying.

“I don’t need anyone!” he shouts out for the whole neighborhood to hear as he stomps to the driver’s seat, closing the truck before he crashes onto his seat and starts the engine. He has no idea where he’s headed; all he wants for now is to get out of this yard and Jongdae’s yellow daffodils* and that damn cat hybrid. He feels manly tears prickle his eyes as he turns the car in the yard, and not so by accident runs over the deer and beagle figurines Jongdae put as a symbol of their friendship.

As he shifts into the first gear he glances to the rear-view mirror where he spots Joonmyun shuffle behind the window of his room, pointing to something franticly with his sharp nail. Jongdae appears by his side and his eyes widen. Lu Han tries really hard not to put his middle finger up. He hits the play button on the radio when Jongdae disappears from the sight, his pet still standing by the window with scared eyes. Just Another Girl and Jaejoong’s powerful voice fills the car as Lu Han turns up the volume and drives off.

“You’re the only one I need, Kim Jaejoong,” Lu Han whispers as presses the gas pedal. His window is opened and he sees Jongdae run outside and after Lu Han. Lu Han only pushes the gas pedal with more force, leaving Jongdae to stand miserably in the middle of a street, hidden by the dust Lu Han’s tires have left behind.

“It’s too late!” he shouts through the window, but Jongdae can’t hear him. He’s too far away.

~

Three hours and four replies of WWW later, Lu Han finds himself outside of Seoul for the first time since college. He already made a stop at some gas station that looked like it came straight out a B-rated horror movie, but gas was cheapest over there. After emptying his bladder and buying two cans of cherry soda and chilly-flavored chips for dinner, he got back to his car and the engine, ignoring the weird look the man who filled his gas tank gave him. The man probably looked like that all the time considering the place he worked at. Lu Han felt bad for him. Only a bit.

It was somewhere past noon when Jongdae kicked him out – Lu Han’s heart still clenches at the word – so it’s no surprise that it’s already nighttime when Lu Han stops the engine and lets his head fall back. He’s still unaware of his situation or the fact he’s going to sleep on the uncomfortable cushions of his backseat and not Jongdae’s comfy, couch ones. He rolls down the widow and sticks his head outside, scanning the surroundings.

The road he drove on for the past few hours is surrounded by nothing other than half-dead vegetation and an occasional house, appearing every five kilometers or more. In the past hour he hasn’t noticed a single car other than his own, a sign announcing a motel or at least a diner. The road ahead of him promises the same. Easily said, Lu Han’s in the middle of nowhere. And any second soon a wild man is going to jump from the back of his car, slice his throat, eat his brain and Lu Han’s too pretty to die this young.

He rolls back the window and opens the drawer on his right, getting a road map he bought on that haunted gas station. He spreads it over the steering wheel, hoping he can locate himself somewhere. With his finger he follows the road he apparently took, the last sign he passed by which announced a populated town and stops when he gets to a place he hopes he’s parked at. If the map is correct, he should find a motel after twenty kilometers straight and five more on the right. Putting away the map along with the remains of salty chips, he drives back on the roadway and presses hard the gas-pedal. If he’s lucky, he might reach the hotel in less than twenty minutes.

It’s the end of August and nights have been cold as if it’s autumn already. Lu Han’s teeth chatter and he grips tighter on the steering wheel, the leather squeaking under his touch. He hates the cold and curses under his breath when he realizes the heater’s been broken since February this year. If he knew he was going to get kicked out of his/Jongdae’s house, he might let Jongdae search for a mechanic and fix it.

He presses harder the gas pedal and smashes his fist with all his might on the dashboard. The heater doesn’t turn on, but Jaejoong’s voice starts faltering at first, until it turns into something not resembling his manly, velvet, voice at all.

“Nooooooo!”

Lu Han punches the dash one more time, trying to get the WWW disk out and save it before it’s too late. Only the damn thing is stuck and Lu Han feels tears gathering in his eyes.

“About time, I thought the torture’s never going to end”

Slowly, Lu Han raises his head from the radio to look at the mirror above his head where furry ears on top of black hair are placed and eyes of the same color blink at him.

“Hi”

Two things happen at the same time; Lu Han screeches and his tires mimic the sound as Lu Han hits the break and turns his arms in the most painful angle, making the car rotate three time, throwing Lu Han against the window and cat-ears tumble all over the backseat. The car halts after ten seconds of rotating helplessly and throwing the passengers against its sides. Something clicks inside and Lu Han looks from his spot against the window at the radio turning on and its display illuminating the dark interior. Light starts playing.

“Ugh, not again,” a voice groans behind Lu Han’s seat and a flash of black cat ears appear again in the mirror.

Lu Han screams.

The smell of burning tires is what first hits Lu Han as he kicks open the door, throwing himself out of the car. He falls on the heated pavement and immediately scrambles back to his feet. He backs away from the car and cat-ears peeks its head through the window. Now that Lu Han has a better look of his face, he finds that cat-ears are indeed cat ears and that’s a boy with cat ears. There’s a catboy hybrid in the backseat of his car. A catboy. Hybrid. Lu Han feels anger boiling inside of him.

“Out!” he yells, making the hybrid raise his eyebrows, but obey. He steps outside and Lu Han now gets a more clear view of the creature. He has jet black hair, the fury ears on his head and eyes the same color. He wears a plain striped shirt with a round collar and washed out denims. They’re too big for him, ripped above his knees with rolled hems, and Lu Han notices how skinny his knees and ankles are. And what’s most important, he’s not wearing a collar around his neck.

He’s a stray.

Lu Han looks at the backseat in disgust where a blanket he packed for himself lies now turned into a nest for the stray. Where did he pick up this hybrid and for how long did he even drive him?

“Who are you? How did you even get in?”

The catboy tugs on his sleeve absently and kicks a rock with his bare foot. He stays silent and Lu Han only glares harder.

“Answers me!” he snaps and the catboy looks up. His mouth curls in a frown and a flash of a sharp tooth glints in the moonlight. That’s when Lu Han realizes he’s stuck in the middle of nowhere with a stray cat who has sharp teeth and fangs and there would be no one to hear his screams when this creature rips his throat out. His eyes search for anything to defend himself with. He eyes the windshield wipers now hanging crooked and wonders how long it would take him to rip out the wipers and attack the catboy.

The catboy is using his pointed nail to pick on his teeth and he looks as Lu Han switches his glance between him and the windshield. The catboy only raises his eyebrow and Lu Han lets out, what he hopes to be, a manly whimper.

“I’m Minseok,” the catboy says, making Lu Han snap from his trance. “You left your truck open and I really had to take a nap.”

Lu Han only stares at him incredulously. He’s gone mad, there’s no other explanation. Someone must’ve put something in that cherry soda.

“And now we’re here,” the catboy – Minseok – states simply. He gives Lu Han a pointy smile and Lu Han feels his skin crawl in fear. Suddenly, he remembers why’s here in the first place and instead of Minseok in his rags, an image on Joonmyun with gelled bangs, dressed in a puffy sweater appears before him. Joonmyun’s tail dances in the air like it did whenever he was happy. He winks at Lu Han and Lu Han feels his eye twitch.

He stomps past Minseok, pushing him aside so he could get the blanket from the backseat. He throws it at Minseok’s face and the catboy grabs it happily, hugging the warm material against his chest. His tail starts flicking back and forth. He’s too engrossed in his own world, that he doesn’t catch Lu Han walking to the front seat until the door closes with a thump. Minseok looks up confused and he walks to Lu Han’s side, knocking with his nail on the glass.

Lu Han rolls down the window. He starts the engine as Minseok leans his elbows on the window frame, making Lu Han automatically shift from the other’s presence. The blanket is now thrown over his shoulder.

“Where are you going?” he asks and Lu Han nervously presses the pedal. The engine rumbles and Minseok backs away slightly.

“I don’t know, just to get away from here,” Lu Han tells him.

Minseok nods in understanding. “Okay, just wait for me to get in.”

“And from you,” Lu Han tells him firmly, trying to roll up the window.

“What?”

“You heard me, now back off.”

Minseok steps back, stunned. He throws the blanket now over both shoulders and holds tight onto it. His bottom lips trembles slightly and dark ears flatten against his raven hair, the tail that was dancing around his waist seconds ago now hangs uselessly between his legs. There’s something that awfully looks like tears in his eyes and Lu Han pretends he doesn’t see them.

“You can’t leave me here,” Minseok says weakly.

Lu Han doesn’t answer anything when he steps on the gas pedal and drives off.

~

Two minutes later is when Lu Han realizes he just left a living creature in the middle of nowhere, with just a blanket and no food or shoes. He presses the break so hard, he fears he’s going to topple all over again and probably break his spine and be dead before he could even blink. Well, he’d probably deserve that.

The car doesn’t tumble nor does Lu Han break his spine, he only turns around and drives back as fast as he can. He finds Minseok after less than a minute; the catboy decided to walk in the opposite direction Lu Han had left him. He stops the car and opens the passenger seat.

“Get in,” he says and Minseok steps back, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“But you said-“

“I said get inside before I change my mind!”

Minseok hops inside, the blanket around his shoulders and tail dancing around playfully. They drive off together.

~

The first couple of minutes pass in complete silence, the only sound coming from the radio where Jaejoong sings the lines of One Kiss, when Lu Han decides to break it once he says, “For your information, I hate cat hybrids. I’m only taking you to the first motel and you’re off.”

Minseok rolls his eyes and Lu Han feels fooled, because he fell for those sunken eyes and glossy pout, which there are no traces of now.

“I don’t need another cat hybrid to ruin my life,” he mumbles under his breath. The car goes silent again and it’s Minseok who speaks next.

“You know, I’m pretty sure it’s not a cat hybrid’s fault your best friend kicked you out.”

Lu Han gasps and turns shocked to look at Minseok. The catboy only stares ahead of him, obviously ignoring the glare Lu Han’s sending him his way.

“How would you know that?”

“You have a habit of talking to yourself.” Minseok chuckles behind his hand when Lu Han pouts, crossing his hand against his chest. The car slightly wavers and they end up in the sidetrack, until Lu Han grabs hold of the steering wheel again and gets them back in their track.

“Where are you even headed?” Minseok asks.

“Daejeon,” Lu Han answers honestly and Minseok nods his head.

“Good. That’s where I’m headed as well.”

Lu Han snorts and Minseok chooses to ignore him, even when Lu Han tells him again how he’s going to drop him off at the nearest motel.

“And where are we now?”

“Somewhere near Gangneung.”

“Lu Han?”

“What?”

“Isn’t that on the total opposite side of the country?”

“Maybe”

The car goes silent again. When Minseok turns to face Lu Han he finds the man face’s stoic, his hands holding the steering wheel relaxed as ever, only when they pass under the streetlight placed to illuminate the dark road is when Minseok finds Lu Han’s face dripping with sweat, brown bangs glued to his forehead and shirt sticking to his skin. Minseok raises his eyebrow.

“You have no idea where you are going, do you?”

“No!” Lu Han cries out, getting into the left track again. Minseok yelps, grabbing the wheel and moving them onto their side yet again.

“Focus!” Minseok orders, making Lu Han shift in his seat, slowing down a bit. “Luckily, you have me to help you.”

“What?” Lu Han deadpans. “I’m absolutely not lucky to have you, what the hell catboy!”

“I have a name you know, Lu Han?” Lu Han flushes a bit at the sound of his name leaving the other’s lips and feels stupid the next second for reacting like that. “You’re lucky to have me help you out. I’m amazing when it comes to orientating in nature. I’m a half-cat, after all. Now, where is your map?”

Lu Han points silently to the drawer above Minseok’s feet. Minseok opens the drawer, rummaging through leftovers of Lu Han’s dinner and loudly stating his disgust. When he finally finds the map, now marked with cola stains, he spreads it over his knees. He places his feet on the headboard and Lu Han almost screams in horror at the sight of Minseok’s dirty feet on the dash.

“Get your filthy stray feet of my dash!”

Minseok only spares him a glance and doesn’t put his feet down.

“This helps me concentrate better.”

“You’re so full of bullsh-“

“Not to mention you’re now a stray like me, so let’s work together. Okay?”

Lu Han goes silent, allowing himself to process what Minseok had just said.

“Oh my God.”

“Exactly,” Minseok says sympathetically, patting Lu Han’s shoulder. “Now let’s see. Oh look! There’s a sign for a motel.”

 Without a second thought, Lu Han turns right, not even bothering with the gear shift. Minseok yelps in surprise when they find themselves on a side road, a gravel path no less, and the old Ford rumbles as it drives across many stones thrown over the pathway. There’s another sign on their right, this one announcing a motel in less than five kilometers.

“God, can you be a bit careful? At this rate we’re never making to Daejeon alive,” Minseok scolds, earning himself a glare from Lu Han and a pinch on the arm. Minseok hisses at the other’s touch.

“Stop saying we. There’s no we in this case,” Lu Han says. Minseok says nothing at that, choosing to stays silent for the rest of the ride. They pass another sign leading to a motel and Lu Han really wants to sigh in relief when the board says “2 kilometers left to ‘Paradise Lost’; Make your wildest dreams come true!” He almost laughs at the ridiculous name and slogan. All he wants now is to drop off Minseok at the nearest populated place and maybe rest his eyes for an hour or two.

And finally, only meters ahead of them, neon light illuminate the sky and everything in a five meter radius, including a two–story building. There’s only one more car parked in front of the orange (or is it pink, Lu Han can’t tell in the dark) building. Well, it’s no surprise considering their location and the radio clock showing 11pm. Minseok stretches lazily in his seat, letting out a tired mewl.

“Man, can’t wait to get some sleep,” he says and Lu Han only stares at him incredulously.

“You’ve got to me kidding me! You spent the whole afternoon, if not more, sleeping in my car and somehow you’re still tired. I don’t believe this.” Lu Han turns off the engine and angrily grabs the map from Minseok’s lap, folding it and putting it under his armpit. Now that there’s no more greasy paper to cover Minseok’s lap, Lu Han’s eyes are met with a ridden shirt and a scandalously lean stomach.

The image only last for a second though, right until Minseok curls his black tail around his waist protectively and lets out a hiss. “What are you looking at?” He opens the door and steps outside, Lu Han’s blanket thrown over his shoulders. The shirt is now back in its place and Minseok turns on his heel to start walking towards the entrance.

“Nothing!” Lu Han yells after him. He grabs his backpack, the only necessary item at the moment, where his money and toothbrush are packed. He feels foolish for allowing himself to even blink in the catboy’s direction. Well, in only a couple of hours all of this will be done. If he’s lucky, he might sneak out while Minseok’s asleep.

Minseok waits for him by the wide door, under which is a doormat with a huge ‘welcome’ sign written in cursive letters.  As they enter, Lu Han almost gets blinded by the bright light illuminating the foyer. When his eyes finally adjust to the sudden change of brightness, he doesn’t try to stop the gasp of surprise as the interior blasts in front of his eyes. Everything is pink; pink couches, pink walls, pink chandlers, pink floors and even pink keychains hanging off the board behind the reception desk.

Minseok seems equally as surprised. Only his shock seems to last for a moment since a vending machine sitting in the corner of the foyer manages to grab his attention. His tail flicks back and forth as he eyes many different flavored chocolates, hidden behind the glass and a locket asking for money.

“Lu Han, I need 2000 won.”

“Step away from the machine, catbo-“

“Welcome! How may I help you?”

Minseok and Lu Han both jerk in surprise at the sound a cheery voice welcoming them. Lu Han turns slowly towards the voice coming from the reception desk and he’s not surprised at all to find a very young man with an ear-splitting grin on his face, dressed in a pink shirt and a beret of the same color hiding his ruby bangs.

“Umm… we’re looking for a place to stay only for tonight.” Lu Han points to him and Minseok, who’s still trying to somehow break into the vending machine.

The man’s – Lee Jinki, Lu Han reads from the nametag as he gets closer – grin gets even wider, if that’s possible. He claps his hands in delight.

“Of course! After all, no one stays here more than a night.” He gives Lu Han a wink. Lu Han only frowns in confusion as the receptionist eyes Minseok for a split second, before focusing on Lu Han again. “I think I have a right offer for you. Please, take a look.”

He dives under the desk and gets up only seconds later, a heavy book in his hands. He starts looking through the pages, until he gives an exclaimed “aha!” and opens the desired page. Lu Han leans over to desk to give a look at the book. What he finds makes blood rush into his head so fast that he has to hold onto the desk for support. Gulping, he blushes as Jinki explains how this room is what most clients request when it comes to customers like Lu Han and Minseok.

“The room is accompanied with all the necessary equipment, condoms included. Protection comes first, after all,” he gives Lu Han another wink and points to Minseok. “I see your partner already has an eye on our latest product. After all, chocolate is the best aphrodisiac. May I recommend dark chocolate; it’s my personal favorite, although my partner prefers caramel flavored ones. All of our rooms are soundproof, so may the noise not concern you. You will also find a mini fridge in every room. The tab, of course, has to be taken care of in the morning. Other than telling you our discretion is guaranteed, I don’t have anything else to add. Do you have any questions?”

“I- I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Lu Han says weakly, slowly backing away from the desk. The pink decorations and plush chairs, heart prints, rosy carpet and smell of cheap perfume in the air – they all finally make sense. Lu Han is now walking back in a faster pace, blindly searching for Minseok’s hand. He has to get them out of here.

The receptionist gives Lu Han a confused look, followed by a tilt of his head. “Are there some other rooms you’d like to look at? There’s plenty more and all of them have a different theme. Are you by any chance interested in ?”

When he finally gets a hold of Minseok’s small hand he tugs him against his side and, without any explanation, pulls them towards the exit. Minseok starts struggling, obviously confused with Lu Han’s sudden behavior. Lu Han only pulls him harder.

“Maybe some other time. Thank you for your time,” Lu Han says. He winces when a sharp feeling pain runs up his arm and bows quickly as they reach the door. “Goodbye!”

“Sir-“

They don’t hear him finish as Lu Han runs towards the car, Minseok on his heels. He still has Lu Han’s blanket with him, now tied around his neck like a cape. 

“What the hell is wrong with you!? I wanted a chocolate!”

“I’ll buy you a freaking chocolate at our next stop, just get in the ing car,” Lu Han snaps. Minseok only stares at him, his mouth pressed in a tight line. After he stops sulking, he follows Lu Han and gets in his own seat. Without a word, Lu Han starts the car and turns in the parking lot, almost crashing into the only car parked there. He gets them off the side road in less than three minutes, ignoring the gravel tossing Minseok up and down in his seat.

When they finally reach the main road, Lu Han lets out a most hysterical laugh Minseok’s ever heard. The catboy only looks at him, slightly scared by the sudden upturn in the atmosphere.

“I can’t believe we managed to escape that,” Lu Han says finally.

“Escape what?” Minseok asks, now getting more annoyed than scared.

“It was a Love Motel. I can’t believe we almost fell for it. The guy even thought we were a couple, can you imagine that?”

Minseok blinks. Once. Twice.

“Are you that stupid!” It wasn’t even a question and Lu Han jolts in surprise when Minseok shouts, getting Lu Han to stop the car. He turns on the hazard lights, warning everyone driving behind him.

“Me? What the hell did I do?”

Minseok rubs his temples in annoyance. “You’ll never find a motel as cheap as that one. Have you never heard that Love Motels are really cheap and people who usually have nowhere to sleep, sleep over there because it’s really cheap!?”

“Well I’m sorry, but I’ve never been in a situation like this. And you, you could’ve told me nicely. Instead you decide to bite me.” Lu Han raises his right arm to point at a round mark on his forearm. There’s no blood, but it will probably take days to heal. “Oh my God! You bit me! Do you have rabies? Am I going to get rabies? Oh no, I’m going to die,” he cries and Minseok uses his feet to kick some sense into him.

“I do not have rabies,” he hisses and his sharp canines show, along with his claws. Lu Han pouts at him, rubbing his hand over the place where Minseok landed his punch. For a second, Minseok wonders if he should leave this man-child by himself and maybe hitchhike for another ride.

The car goes silent. The radio clock shows it’s already past midnight. They haven’t met a single car on their path so far and the situation hasn’t changed even now when they have their car parked in the middle of the road. Even the moon is hidden behind the dark clouds and with no street light to illuminate the road Lu Han’s car is in complete dark as well. Lu Han can’t see the other’s face, but he knows he’s offended the catboy. They’re both on the same boat now and Lu Han isn’t by any chance better than Minseok at this moment.

 Shifting slightly in his seat so he could reach the light above them, Lu Han turns on the switch and a small light bulb flickers before it starts glowing above their heads.

“I’m sorry,” Lu Han starts. Minseok has his back towards Lu Han, curled on his side. Even though he’s not facing him, Lu Han can see the catboy’s face in the glass of his window. Minseok’s ears are flattened against his head, but they perk slightly at the sound of Lu Han’s voice. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

Lu Han doesn’t know why is he apologizing to the catboy, or why does he even care, but figures it’s better to do so than to feel guilty till Minseok’s next stop. Minseok continues to stay quiet, still ignoring Lu Han with his back towards him. Lu Han takes it is a sign to leave him alone, so he turns off the light and starts the car. They have a long journey ahead of themselves.

“I’ll forgive you,” Minseok suddenly says. Lu Han glances at his curled up form in surprise. Minseok is looking at him over his shoulder, a toothy smirk on his face. “Only if you buy me chocolate.”

“In your dreams,” Lu Han bites back, making Minseok laugh. He turns to face the window again, throwing the blanket over his shoulder and hugging it tightly.

“We’ll see,” he says playfully and Lu Han only huffs angrily in response.

It’s still a dark night when the summer wind makes the cloud scatter away and a bright moon shows again. Minseok pretends to sleep as he shifts in his seat, letting the blanket fall off his shoulder. He cranes his neck slightly, only enough so he could peek over his shoulder at where Lu Han sits. And right there under the moonlight is Lu Han, eyes fixed on road, a smile on his face.

~

It’s only when the sun rises high enough in the sky for Lu Han to actually distinguish the road without having to squint or drive with the lights on, is when he stops at a small gas station. Minseok’s been sleeping for the past few hours, the bumpy road and Lu Han’s sudden turns not affecting him the slightest.

They’ve entered the town only ten minutes ago and Lu Han can’t hide his surprise when he runs into busy streets and packed houses. He’s spent way too much time on that load of a road.

Minseok doesn’t even stir when Lu Han parks at the gas station or because of the people talking aimlessly in the streets. He decides he has enough fuel for hundred more kilometers, so he stops on the parking lot behind the building.

Warm morning sun greets Lu Han when he exits the stuffy car. He welcomes the hot rays as he stretches his sore limbs. He’s been driving for the past seven hours, only taking a break to eat and then hopping back behind the wheel. Minseok, of course, has been sleeping the entire time. At the thought of the catboy, Lu Han looks at the hybrid sleeping peacefully, with his legs propped on the dashboard, jet-black tail curled around the gear stick.

Grabbing the wallet from his backpack, Lu Han locks the car just in case, and walks to the front of the square structure where gas dispensers are placed, along with the small market. He earns a couple of curious looks – and one grim from the lady buying rice. It was a small town after all and Lu Han wonders how people would react if they saw Minseok with his black ears and tail, sleeping at the front of his ride. He gives a sheepish smile to the lady sending daggers his way and a slight nod of his head before he grabs everything he needs and storms out through the automatic door.

He almost runs to the back where his car is when a bright yellow logo catches his attention. Lu Han stops, two plastic bags held firmly in his hands, and checks if there’s anyone around the corner listening. When he makes sure the coast is clear, Lu Han walks to the plastic frame attached to the shop’s wall, yellow stickers with small phones drawn glued all over it. Fishing the red wallet Jongdae gave him from his pocket, Lu Han goes in a search for the small paper he knows his former housemate wanted him to have.

There are exactly three phone numbers on it. They’re all written in a messy handwriting and Lu Han has a problem with distinguishing the names on it. He recognizes the first as Sehun – Lu Han’s and Jongdae’s mutual friend; Yifan is written under him and Lu Han immediately skips over the name. He doesn’t know why Jongdae wrote the number in the first place, since Lu Han knows it by heart anyway. It blasted on his phone screen way too many times for Lu Han not to remember it.

If the first two were Sehun and YIfan, then the third must be the person Lu Han was searching for. He puts the wanted money into the machine and starts dialing the number from the list. It rings and rings and rings, and just when Lu Han was about to hang up and call Jongdae instead, tell the er off for giving him the wrong number, a soft voice Lu Han’s never heard before answers.

“Hello?”

“Hello?”

Lu Han and the person say in unison. Lu Han frowns at the mysterious voice when it speaks again.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“Umm… is this Jongin?” Lu Han’s going to kill Jongdae.

“Jongin?” the voice says again, a slight confusion in its tone. “Oh, right! Jongin. He’s in the shower right now. Do you want me to tell him to call you back?”

“Um, I’m calling from a phonebooth right now, I can wait. Can you tell him to hurry up? Tell him it’s Lu Han.”

“All right,” the voice chirps. A sound of two people shouting at each other comes from the phone and Lu Han has to put money two more times before a familiar voice finally answers him.

“Hyung! Is that you?”

“Jongin? Jongin! What took you so long?”

“I’m sorry, but I was in the shower. If Seoyeon had told me it was you, I would have answered sooner. How are you doing, hyung?”

Lu Han can’t help but smile at the sound of Jongin’s voice. It’s been so long, after all. He hasn’t seen Jongin in years; the only chance of getting to see him was from those awful portals and bleary screens, only cause Jongdae stopped paying for his cable TV months ago.

“Not so well,” he tells Jongin honestly and he feels so bad for calling him only at the time of need.

“What happened? Is there a way I can help?” he offers and of course he would do that - it’s Jongin after all. 

Lu Han bites his lip. The phone cable twirls around his finger and he wonder if he should tell him everything.

“Well,” Lu Han says after a moment of hesitation. “You can. Do you perhaps have a spare bedroom?”

~

With two bags of food and a home address in his back pocket, Lu Han goes back to his car and finds everything intact, including the hybrid in the front seat. Deciding the catboy’s had enough sleep, Lu Han puts the groceries away and walks to the passenger seat. He opens it and, without any warning, unfastens the seatbelt. Minseok tumbles to the ground with a painful groan, luckily having Lu Han’s blanket to ease his fall. So much about cat reflexes.

“Wake up,” Lu Han says and Minseok obeys slowly, murmuring ‘’ under his breath. “You’ve been sleeping for the past nine hours. How about you let me rest for a bit?” he asks with a light punch on Minseok’s chest and turns around so he can walk to the hood of the car. Something hits against the pavement and Minseok looks down to find a chocolate milk bar, wrapped in red cellophane. Despite being rudely awakened by the other, Minseok still grins at the candy and bends to pick it up.

He grabs the blanket as well, throwing the material over his shoulder. Deciding he should follow the other man, he walks to the front and finds Lu Han’s sitting on the hood of the car, one leg propped on the bumper. He’s munching on a sandwich wrapped in aluminum foil, a cup of to-go coffee sitting next to him. Slowly, Minseok walks to his side. Lu Han ignores him as he places the blanket on the hood, mimicking Lu Han’s pose.

“Where are we now?” Minseok asks as he opens the candy bar Lu Han had bought him. He takes an experimental bite and lets out the most obscene noise, startling Lu Han. “I’m sorry, I just really like chocolate.”

Lu Han’s eyebrows furrow, but he nods anyway. He goes back to his sandwich when Minseok starts talking again.

“You know what else I really like?” Lu Han raises his eyebrow. Minseok points to the plastic cup placed next to Lu Han. “Coffee. I really like coffee.”

Minseok goes for the cup, but Lu Han grabs it before the catboy could get his hands on the warm drink. He jumps from the hood, backing away with unsure steps, the cup held firmly against chest. “You’re a cat, you’re not supposed to like coffee,” he protests, making Minseok pout.

“I’m still half human, remember? But I’m not going to take your precious coffee away from you.”

Still suspicious, Lu Han doesn’t move from his safe spot. He watches as the catboy finishes his chocolate, his fingers in the end, only to start going through the bag Lu Han forgot on the hood.

“Hey, hey, hey!” He stomps angrily to Minseok’s side. Minseok already has another candy bar out and is in the process of unwrapping it. The candy bar he found is chocolate with coconut filling and before Lu Han could protest, given that those were his favorite, Minseok already has the whole thing in his mouth. Lu Han doesn’t even catch him chewing on it. He swallows the rest of chocolate really quickly and gives Lu Han a toothy smile, his canines having chocolate stains all over them. Lu Han’s face twists in disgust.

“You’re face is ugly like that, but I guess it goes with your outfit,” Minseok points out, going for more food.

“Give that to me!” Lu Han grabs the bag from Minseok’s eager hands. “You’ll get plenty coffee from where you’re going right now.”

“And where’s that?” Minseok asks, unimpressed.

“Next hotel, shelter, whatever!”

“And you?”

“Me? Far away and you’re not coming with me this time.”

“Yeah right.”

Lu Han shots him a look of disbelief. Choosing to ignore the catboy from now on, he opens to door to his seat, throws the bag in the backseat and sits behind the wheel. The engine starts rumbling, making Minseok jump on top of the hood. He scrambles down really quickly and Lu Han takes a prompt turn, already on his way out. Minseok yelps in surprise. He runs towards the car and Lu Han opens the passenger door, not stopping the car. With the car still in the move, Minseok jumps in the seat, the blanket in his hands.

He’s still trying to regain his breath as they leave the parking lot and end up on the main street. “Do you think this is the ing Taxi?” Minseok manages to say between gulps of air.

“You said my outfit is ugly, you deserved it!”

“Well it is! I mean, who even wears a bright red tracksuit in this century? You look like a 90’s music video.” Lu Han gasps, his face matching his outfit. However, Minseok doesn’t stop. “Is that your plan for when you get lost? I mean, anyone can spot you in a five meter radius. Hey, do you glow in the dark?”

“Should I remind you that you’re under my mercy? I could leave you anytime I want,” Lu Han says.

Minseok suddenly starts laughing, but not a chuckle he allowed himself from time to time, but something resembling that Thai horror movie Lu Han watched a month ago.

“Lu Han, if anyone’s under someone’s mercy… that’s you under mine.” To prove his point, Minseok runs a pointy claw below Lu Han’s jaw, right where his heart beat is now pulsing frantically. He clicks his tongue and goes back to his seat, running a hand through his messy hair. But he doesn’t let go of Lu Han that easily. A long furry tail starts creeping underneath Minseok’s leg, going around the gear stick and stopping when it curls around Lu Han’s wrist. Lu Han goes pale. “Not to mention you’re probably infected with rabies.”

Lu Han screams.

~

Lu Han couldn’t believe what he’s gotten himself into. Three days ago he was lounging in the confines of Jongdae’s home, TV magazine and remote in his hands, ready to review the last concert of DBSK as OT5 for the fifteenth time. Not to mention he “accidentally” locked Joonmyun in his room. Yeah, it couldn’t get more perfect that that. But now; now he’s stuck inside his ty car with a stray he found less than 24 hours ago holding him hostage. Not to mention he ate all of Lu Han’s candy.

“I can’t believe this.”

Minseok doesn’t even look from the map in his lap. Lu Han’s been wailing for the past hour, saying something about having Minseok arrested and put in a cell for eternity.

“Can I at least play Jaejoong?”

“No”

Lu Han doesn’t shut up for the next hour, not even when Minseok threatens again with his claws. Only when Minseok lets him play the compilation of DBSK’s biggest hits is when he stays quiet, occasionally humming throughout a song.

“We should reach Jincheon soon,” Minseok informs him as they pass one of many info boards by the road. “Would you like to take a break?”

“No,” Lu Han says firmly, making Minseok roll his eyes. As if on cue, a yawn breaks through Lu Han’s body. He curses under his breath when Minseok smirks.

“You’re going to pass out at this rate. Let’s just park somewhere and you can sleep or something.”

“I’m not tired. We’re going to reach Daejeon in less than two hours anyway. And why are you acting so worried all of a sudden?”

“I’m not worried about you thought. I don’t want you to fall asleep and get both of us killed.” Of course he’s only looking after his own furry , Lu Han thinks as they pass another board. This one shows a path leading outside the main road, somewhere inside the forest. Minseok must have noticed it as well since he turns in his seat as much as the seatbelt would let him.

“Go back,” he tells Lu Han. “Park somewhere inside the forest. There isn’t much sunlight in there, so you can rest in peace.”

“Wow, so caring. No one would ever guess you’re actually holding me hostage and that half an hour ago you threatened to cut my throat,” Lu Han says, sarcasm enveloping his every word. Knowing Minseok’s probably not going to let him travel further like this, Lu Han takes a 180 degree turn, throwing Minseok off balance, and drives towards the road they both saw.

They only pass half a kilometer when Minseok points to a secured place for them to hide. It’s nothing more than a land surrounded by softwood trees, concealing them from curious eyes. Minseok was right when he said they could rest without having the afternoon sun to disturb them. Even though it was the end of August and the night were chilly, announcing equally as cold autumn, daytime was still illuminated by the warm light and clear skies. It was even unusually quiet for this part of the nature, so as soon as he gets the belt unbuckled, Lu Han’s eyelids start fluttering.  

His body feels so heavy it’s no surprise it takes less than a minute for his eyes to fully shut, torso leaning heavy against the steering wheel. A honk echoes through the wood and Lu Han straightens up in a second, his eyes comically wide.

“Get in the back,” Minseok tells him and, for the first time, Lu Han obeys without any complaints.

~

Everything is so comfortable and so soft and feels so so nice, Lu Han wishes he could sleep forever. But, has anything on this trip gone according to Lu Han’s plans?

No.

So a violent shake that throws him off the backseat and into the empty space in-between isn’t surprising. At all. Lu Han muses whether he should get up and maybe look for the cause of this rude awakening, but the floor isn’t much different from the seat above and Lu Han is so tired. “Five minutes,” he tells himself as his eyes start closing again.

Ten seconds is what he gets until another rumble shakes the car, making Lu Han’s eyes snap open. He sits up quickly, eyes scanning the surroundings. The car is empty aside from him currently sitting on the floor. The blanket Minseok adopted lies on the floor next to him. It’s unusual for the fluffy material to be left by its new owner. Minseok made sure to rub his scent all over it and there are even some suspicious stains Lu Han doesn’t want to know where they came from.

It takes one more quaver for Lu Han to get on his knees and peak over the window frame. He’s isn’t exactly discreet, but he’s pretty sure two creatures currently involved in a bloody battle aren’t in any case interested in him. His captor maybe, but Minseok probably has other things on his mind – like that wolf hybrid trying to tear him up in half, for example.

Minseok’s pinned on the dirt by another hybrid. With sharp ears on top of his unruly hair, short but furry tail and wild claws, Lu Han knows the creature could be nothing but a servant of the moon. Only, even though he’s an untamed creature of the woods, when Lu Han looks closer he sees nothing but a bag of skin and bones. It’s his wide mouth and gums covered in blood that make him intimidating. Other than that, he’s merely a sheep in wolf’s skin.

Minseok pushes him off with ease, making the wolf hybrid stumble over his feet. He trips over a root sticking above the ground and lands on his back. Minseok doesn’t hesitate to jump on the creature, his claws going for the other’s throat. He already has his razor-sharp nails ready to slice the other’s jugular vein when a sound of something that awfully reminds of Lu Han’s trash motor turning on disrupts them.

“Get in, catboy!”

The only excuse Lu Han finds for not leaving Minseok in the middle of the forest and finally getting a chance to drive to his friend’s where he’ll get a chance to escape this madness is, well… Actually, there are no excuses. Lu Han is an awful human being and if this is his only chance to escape, he might as well go for it.

“What is he doing?” A voice cuts in, a voice Lu Han’s never heard before. He switches to lever so he could look at the two hybrids that were at each other’s throats seconds ago, now on their feet, acting as if nothing happened. It takes a moment for Lu Han to realize it was the wolf boy that just spoke. Now that Lu Han studies him up close, he almost laughs.

The wolf hybrid is a child. There’s no way in hell he was even out of high school, not with those round eyes and a bowl haircut. With heart-shaped lips and sharp canines peeking out, Lu Han wonders how the hell this boy ended up in this mess. He wears an outfit similar to Minseok’s, a plain t-shirt with navy shorts, and of course no shoes.

Minseok starts walking towards the car with practiced steps, his tail dancing in the air. He leans against the window sill to point at something above Lu Han’s knees. Lu Han looks down to see the keychains jingling loudly, the engine still running. Minseok smirks, blood glinting over his lips and Lu Han wonders if it’s too late to escape.

Lu Han curses his fate when he turns off the engine. Minseok nods, murmuring “good boy” and Lu Han feels blush creeping into his face.

“Come out and meet Kyungsoo,” Minseok says. Lu Han looks over Minseok’s shoulder to see the boy perking up at the mention of his name. Lu Han raises his eyebrow, making Minseok snicker into the palm of his hand. “It’s safe, don’t worry,” he assures and Lu Han doesn’t believe him.

Still, he walks out of the car, Minseok waiting him by the passenger door. Kyungsoo hasn’t moved from his spot where he’s picking on the leaves with his bare feet.

“Lu Han, meet Kyungsoo.” Minseok points the wolf boy and then to Lu Han. “Kyungsoo, meet Lu Han.”

Lu Han and Kyungsoo nod in unison. Minseok looks pleased for some reason. It’s only then when Lu Han checks for the other’s state of attire and finds that Minseok’s shirt is torn in multiple places, now perfectly matching the jeans he wears. Minseok seems unfazed by it.

Lu Han frowns. “Umm,” he begins, not knowing what exactly to say. He hopes he’ll wake soon from this nightmare or whatever it was. “Can someone explain why the hell you two were at the verge of killing each other two minutes ago?”

Minseok and Kyungsoo exchange a look and then they both turn to Lu Han. One of the two, Lu Han thinks it’s Minseok, snorts and they both start laughing so hard, Lu Han feels his face turn red in embarrassment. They’re laughing at him, he knows they are. The wolf boy is clutching his stomach, while Minseok is wiping the tears away from his eyes.

Laughter soon turns to quiet snickers as Kyungsoo points to Lu Han and asks Minseok, “Where did you even find him?”

“Don’t ask,” Minseok answers. He then turns to wink at Lu Han and Lu Han now feels more offended than anything else.

“It’s how things work with us,” Minseok provides the explanation after they’ve both calmed. They’re looking at him as if he’s the one with ears on top of his head and a tail between his , and not them. “It’s merely a greeting. I wasn’t trying to kill him.”

Kyungsoo nods as Minseok talks about the strange habits of their species. Lu Han looks clueless as ever, making Minseok snort again. “You really are something, aren’t you?”

“Huh?” Lu Han asks, puzzled. Minseok gestures with his hands to just forget about it.

“Where are you two headed?” Kyungsoo asks after a while.

“Daejeon,” Minseok and Lu Han say in unison. At the mention of the town, Kyungsoo’s eyes widen and his tails starts swinging excitedly. He moved from his spot made of fallen leaves and dirt and now is heading towards Minseok. He still has that dumb expression on and Lu Han’s spent enough time in the hybrid world to know nothing good can come out of this.

“Can I come with you?”

“Sure!”

It takes a while for Lu Han to process the deal the two just made, and when he does, he turns mortified to glare at the catboy. Lu Han is the driver, since when was Minseok allowed to make all the decisions. ‘Ever since he threatened to cut your throat with his claws,’ a voice inside his head informs. Lu Han ignores it.

Only when Lu Han finally gathers the courage to voice his disapproval, it’s too late; Kyungsoo’s already in the backseat, comfortable seated in the leather of Lu Han’s seats. Minseok took the blanket from the seat behind and is holding it firmly in his lap again. Lu Han continues to stand dumbly next to the passenger’s seat. There’s no way he’s driving those two in Daejeon, no way in hell.

“Get in, pretty boy. We have a long way to go.”

And there was the final straw.

“Oh, hell no! My car is not some kind of a traveling zoo. You two are either getting out or I’m leaving!” Minseok gives him an unimpressed raise of a perfect eyebrow. Lu Han can see Kyungsoo mouth ‘what’s wrong with him’ at Minseok.

“There’s nothing wrong with me!” he snaps. Kyungsoo flinches and it’s almost ridiculous how easily scared he gets considering he’s the one with battle scars and bloody teeth, not Lu Han. Lu Han only has a red tracksuit on and a face of a deer caught in the headlights.

Minseok rolls down the window. He sticks his head outside, baring his sharp teeth at Lu Han. For some reason, probably cause he got tired of Minseok’s vague threats, Lu Han doesn’t draw back. Minseok looks surprised, but he doesn’t let his voice waver as he hisses loudly and stomps his feet in an open threat.

“Get inside, Lu Han.”

Lu Han only smirks at visibly annoyed Minseok. He takes a few steps back, saluting at the two as he gets further and further away. He’s determined to get out of this mess, even if that means leaving all of his belongings. The only thing he does is check for his back pocket just to be safe and suppresses a smirk as he recognizes the shape of a familiar wallet.

“Lu Han,” Minseok warns, but the other can’t hear him. That’s what you get when you call Lu Han pretty. Lu Han’s not pretty. Lu Han’s a man. And he’s enough of a man to hitchhike.

~

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t that much of man. Woods were scary after all and Lu Han’s seen enough movies to know what happens to pretty boys like him.

He’s been walking for probably more than half an hour and Lu Han was sure they came for this direction and that main road is only two kilometers ahead. He can almost hear the honking and smell the people, big cites, civilization. Only the main road is nowhere ahead and Lu Han only feels like he’s heading deeper and deeper into the forest. Not to mention the night is slowly creeping between the trees, replacing the orange and rosy lights playing around the dead branches and fallen leaves. Everything was so cliché – the howl of animals, dry wood cracking under his feet, cold wind creeping underneath his clothes - and Lu Han hated himself for being a writer and believing in clichés.

He’s torn between turning back and running for his car, or climbing up a tree where no wild animal or killer psychopath could find him. A shadow moves in the corner of his eye, making Lu Han increase his step and - no, it’s not running - stop behind a high rock, overgrown with vines and unfamiliar flowers. It’s almost dark now and Lu Han’s not sure if he’s shaking from cold or fear at this rate. A sound comes from somewhere inside the forest, too loud to be anywhere but near him, and Lu Han crumbles onto the muddy ground. Dirt sticks on the back of his sweats, but he couldn’t give a about his red pants - they were too ugly anyway. All he needs to do now is survive. And survive is what he’ll do.

The sound is only getting louder by now and those are definitely someone’s feet. Its steps are too careful for an animal. The sound of heavy breathing is what reaches him next. It’s a person - a person trying to regain their breath. They’re too close now and Lu Han only prays the person can’t hear him shivering in fear. More tree branches break under heavy feet and yep, that person is behind the rock and Lu Han’s going to die.

Holding onto his last bits of courage and manliness, Lu Han grabs the nearest rock and jumps from behind the pillar. He flies the rock with all the strength left in his red tracksuit, watching it reflect on the outlines of the person’s face. The person makes a sound of pain, making Lu Han grin maniacally and go for another rock. This time he manages to hit the stranger in the shoulder and just when he was about to go for the third hit, an overly familiar voice reaches him.

“Ow! What the actual , Lu Han!?”

“Minseok?” Lu Han says, holding the rock just in case. He’s still on a safe distance from the figure, so he can’t distinguish the other’s face or clothes. The person starts moving towards Lu Han and he only prepares to throw another punch.

“Of course it’s me, who else would it be?”

The vision in front of Lu Han clears and yeah, that’s definitely Minseok holding onto his bleeding nose and wearing something that incredibly reminds Lu Han of his limited edition DBSK shirt only existing in 300 samples.

“Minseok!” Lu Han lets out a relieved sigh, dropping the rock into the dirt. He runs to Minseok’s side, where the catboy is holding onto his face and mumbling curses under his breath. Getting a closer look of the catboy, Lu Han doesn’t know is he’d rather scream because of Minseok’s injury, or the fact that his limed edition, only existing in 300 samples, DBSK shirt just got ruined by the stream of blood coming from Minseok’s broken nose.

“You ruined my shirt!” he shrieks and regrets it the second the words leave his lips. Minseok looks furious as Lu Han grabs his shirt, tugging onto it desperately.

“Is that the only thing you have to say to me right now?” Minseok’s words sound muffled as he’s still holding the bridge of his nose between his fingers. At the same time, he’s trying to stop the bleeding and to break the hold Lu Han has on him. After Lu Han releases the grip on his shirt, Minseok backs away, hissing in pain.

‘You ruined my favorite shirt!” is what Lu Han wants to say, scream at him, but only “I’m sorry” leave his lips. Sighing, he takes off his red jacket. Minseok puts a fight when Lu Han tries to move the other’s small hands from his nose. After he finally gives in, Lu Han makes Minseok put his hand by his side as he takes his own hoodie and wipes the blood off Minseok’s face. He didn’t actually break Minseok’s nose, but it’s still bleeding heavily. Lu Han makes them sit on a long lying over the dead grass. Minseok lets Lu Han hold the material underneath his nose, his eyes closed as Lu Han runs his other hand over Minseok’s dark hair. His ears twitch a bit at the touch, tail running aimlessly over the forest floor.

For a long time, they keep quiet. They’re both stepping over the line they set at the begging of their journey, with Lu Han running his hand over Minseok’s ears and Minseok allowing him to do so. He almost falls into Lu Han’s touch, drops his head onto Lu Han’s shoulder, allowing him to come so close that Minseok trembles under Lu Han’s hands.

“I’m sorry,” Lu Han whispers. Minseok opens his eyes to look at the human sitting beside him, the hand caressing his ears now going still. Lu Han drops his hand from Minseok’s hair and ears. Minseok almost wines at the loss of touch.

Lu Han’s still holding his jacket under Minseok’s bleeding nose. Minseok elbows his side gently, motioning for him to give the jacket to his hands; he can do it by himself. Hesitantly, Lu Han gives him the improvised bandage. Minseok lets his eyes close again, allowing his sharp senses to catch onto the whispers of wind in the trees, the echo of water splashing meters away from them, the sound of night falling over the woods and Lu Han’s beating heart by his side.

Minseok doesn’t speak until he removes the ruined material from his face. The bleeding had stopped and there were only red streaks on Minseok’s face now. “I’m sorry for running your shirt. I shouldn’t have taken it from you without asking first.”

Lu Han nods, not knowing what to say. He’s scared that whatever might leave his lips will only make the situation worse - that’s what he did till now, after all. 

Finally, Minseok’s the one to break the silence when he says, “I know you’re wondering what I’m doing over here, but I think it’s quite obvious.” When Lu Han doesn’t say anything, he goes on. “Come back, drive Kyungsoo and me to Daejeon, and it’s the last you’ll see of us.”

When Lu Han lets out a bark of laughter, Minseok grabs his hand sitting on the log, startling Lu Han. Lu Han looks down to their folded hands, then up to meet Minseok’s dark irises. “I promise,” Minseok says.

“Why should I trust you? You haven’t left the best impression, you know?”

Minseok laughs, still holding onto Lu Han’s hand. He seems unfazed by Lu Han’s blushing face or the violent thump of his heart and Lu Han’s glad the catboy doesn’t notice it.

“When I met you, I didn’t have anyone but you to keep me company, so I tried to stay with you as much as possible. Now when I have Kyungsoo, I don’t have to be scared of being left alone.”

Slightly shocked by the confession, Lu Han lets their fingers tangle and he hears Minseok’s breath shudder. “You met Kyungsoo an hour ago, how can you trust him? Look at the marks he left on you.”

“Kyungsoo? He’s still a puppy, I’m not worried about him. And why are you talking about Kyungsoo when you’re the one who left me in the middle of nowhere, kicked me out of the car in the middle of a parking lot, tried to crash us on multiple occasions, almost broke my nose, and now I’m holding hands with you in the middle of a forest.”

At the mention of their joined hands, Lu Han blushes hard and eases the hold. Minseok laughs at his face, making Lu Han hop off the log onto his feet.

“And you promise to leave as soon as we arrive to Daejeon?”

“I promise.”

Lu Han pretends to mull the thought over in his head as Minseok jumps to his feet as well, looking expectantly at Lu Han.

“Fine,” Lu Han says finally. A grin explodes on Minseok’s face and he almost jumps to hug Lu Han.

After Minseok explains how Kyungsoo stayed in the car to watch over it, and throws Lu Han’s red hoodie in a near bush of hydrangea** since now it’s completely useless, they head back to the car. Minseok’s a few steps ahead of Lu Han, walking in front since his vision is much better than Lu Han’s in the dark and the forest is never a safe place at this time.

“Hey, does this mean I’m still your hostage?” Lu Han asks.

“Nah, I declare the hostage situation over,” Minseok says. Lu Han squints his eyes a bit, still not fully trusting Minseok.

They walk in silence, Lu Han allowing Minseok to fully concentrate. Lu Han’s still in the back when he notices his favorite shirt is still on Minseok, blood stains all over the collar.

“You know, I’m still mad about the shirt,” he shouts and Minseok’s steps quicken. Lu Han starts walking faster as well, Minseok’s pace now almost turned into running. “Hey!”

“Umm… I’ll buy you a new one!”

“You can’t buy me a new one. That was a limited 2007 edition, they only sold it in 300 copies and you’ll neve- Minseok, wait up! You can’t run forever. You know I’ll still find you and when I do, I’ll make sure you pay for it! Minseok , wait, I can’t see-.”

~

Half an hour later, Lu Han sits behind the driving wheel, one hand on the gear shift, the other holding onto his swollen cheek. He glances at Minseok who’s in the passenger seat, trying to wash off the blood streaks under his nose. Their eyes meet and Minseok smirks. Lu Han wishes he could do same, only if his damn face didn’t hurt so badly.

“We’re even now.”

Lu Han sticks his tongue in response and Minseok does the same. Luckily, Kyungsoo is not aware of them, soundly asleep in the back of the car.