On Thursday, Kyuhyun and Ryeowook went back to the restaurant to sign the contract and discuss when Ryeowook would need to work. Luckily for Ryeowook and Kyuhyun, the cook who worked the early shift was about to leave, meaning that they would still be able to spend time together in the afternoons, especially during Kyuhyun's semester breaks. The cat hybrid would also be required to work on the weekends, therefore he would get Wednesdays off because the restaurant was closed for cleaning on that day. Ryeowook was also given a folder with the recipes the restaurant was using and was asked to try as many of them at home as possible with the exact ingredients as they were listed on the papers so he could get a feeling for the time they took as well as their taste. Last but not least, he was asked to come in on one of the following days so he could learn a little what exactly he would be in charge of and what usual mornings in the kitchen looked like. Somehow they also managed for him to get the day after Donghae's birthday off.

When they left, Ryeowook’s head was spinning from all of the things he had needed to take in and would need to do before he’d start working there. He was certain he would have forgotten half of them if it wasn’t for the notes Kyuhyun had taken during the interview.

They spent the next week with Ryeowook preparing for his new job, but it was Hangeng who ultimately had the best idea during one of their phone calls.

“So you’re saying you’re starting to memorize how to make all of them but that it still seemed very hectic when you were there, right?” Heechul repeated and Ryeowook could hear in his best friend’s voice that he wanted to help somehow. “And you don’t have the chance to have a test day or something like that?”

“Not really.”

“A test day?” Hangeng repeated.

“Yes. You know, in that restaurant, cooking for all of those people or at least some of them…”

“That’s a brilliant idea!”

“What?”

Ryeowook could almost see the confused look Hangeng was getting from his boyfriend, but it seemed like the foreigner indeed had a plan because he continued to speak, “You said you’re off for the next two days as well, right?”

“Yes?” Ryeowook replied hesitantly.

“Then why don’t you and Kyuhyun swing by tomorrow in the evening. If you’d like, his sister and her two hybrids are also very welcome to join us. And then we’ll just try it out. I could help you cook that evening. You just bring along the recipes and all of us will choose something. That’ll be a group of eleven people, so it’ll be fine to test with that, right? And of course you could also cook something for yourself.”

Ryeowook thought about that offer and eventually asked, “So no one else has joined the shelter so far?”

“Actually there is a new hybrid, but Taemin found someone recently. We’ve just returned from his place and it seems like he’s doing well. Then again, Heechul and I are having an eye on a shelter that is struggling a lot recently and might not make it much longer. Since they’re not too far away, we’re the first shelter who would be asked to take in some of the hybrids,” Hangeng replied.

The young cat hybrid hummed and eventually got off his bed. “I’m happy for Taemin-ah! But hyungs, can you two wait for a second? I’ll ask Kyuhyun what he thinks about it.”

“Sure,” Hangeng agreed right away.

Ryeowook took the phone away from his ear and hurried from his room to Kyuhyun’s, knocking on the door as always and waiting there until he was allowed to go inside. “Kyuhyun? Hangeng-hyung just made an interesting offer: He asked if we want to go to the shelter tomorrow so I could cook different meals for a larger group of people for a change,” he repeated his friend’s idea.

Kyuhyun looked surprised, but then he nodded quickly. “Sure, that sounds great to me!”

“Hyung also said that if your sister, Eunhyuk-sshi, and Donghae-sshi want to come as well, they’re welcome to do so.”

“Really? I’ll go ahead and ask them. Thank you very much for the offer! When would you like to meet?”

Ryeowook shrugged lightly and raised his phone again instead. “Hyung?”

“Yes?” Hangeng replied quickly.

“When can we come over?”

“Let’s say… Around five-thirty or so? Then we should still have enough time to cook everything.”

Ryeowook took the phone away from his ear again. “Hyung suggested going to him around five-thirty so we could still cook.”

Kyuhyun nodded. “Then I’ll tell my sister the same thing. She might not be able to make it that early, though.”

“What time do you think would work for her?”

The other shrugged lightly. “She should be able to make it by six or six-thirty, I’ll ask her.”

“Okay.”

Ryeowook smiled happily and left to go back to his own room again, repeating for Hangeng what Kyuhyun had said. They eventually settled on simply discussing further details through text messages and Hangeng asked Ryeowook to send him pictures of the recipes so the others could go ahead and pre-decide and the two of them could go grocery shopping the next day.

Kyuhyun showed him later how to send the pictures when he himself sent pictures of the recipes to his sister so she and her two hybrids could decide what they wanted to eat the next day.

The next day, once everyone had told them what they wanted to take, Hangeng and Ryeowook went to the store to get all the ingredients they needed, talking a little about the recipes and what possible variations they might try. Ryeowook told Hangeng that Kyuhyun’s sister and her two hybrids would only be able to make it by six at the earliest, rather half past six, but the other said that was fine—the most important thing was that Kyuhyun and Ryeowook were there earlier so they could go ahead and cook. Ryeowook had to admit that he enjoyed simply spending some time with Hangeng—after one and a half months of hardly seeing the other, it felt good to be side-by-side again.

At five-thirty that evening, Kyuhyun and Ryeowook arrived at the shelter. They had taken the subway to avoid getting stuck in traffic, but therefore they had missed the train and had needed to wait for about five minutes, destroying the cat hybrid’s plan of being there earlier than they had said they would.

“Wookie-baby!!” was the first thing he heard the moment the door opened and he hardly had time to take in Heechul’s appearance when the other hugged him tightly, but only briefly. “You look so good!” he complimented after a couple of seconds of just looking Ryeowook up and down. “I’m looking forward to your cooking so much!!”

Ryeowook couldn’t help but laugh. “Hyung, I’ve only been away for one and a half months and we’ve talked every day. And you have Hangeng-hyung who cooks for you!” he reminded the other.

As if on cue, Hangeng peeked out of his office and grinned before coming out all the way. “Hey you guys,” he said and walked over to them. “Heechul, get back inside! I bet the other two will prefer to come inside instead of melting out there.”

Heechul laughed in response. “I’m sorry, guys~” He stepped into the building and motioned for the other two to enter as well. When the door closed, Ryeowook sighed softly at the nice coolness of the house.

“It’s fine, hyung,” he said with a slight delay as he took off his shoes.

“Oppa!!!” a young girl squealed and when Ryeowook looked up, he saw Hyuna and Sohyun running over to them.

“Hey girls, how are you?”

“We’re good,” Hyuna replied with a bright grin. When they came to a stand, they bowed towards them and added in unison, “Hello, Kyuhyun-sshi.”

“Hello, you two. Hyuna and Sohyun, right?” When the girls looked up, they beamed and nodded in confirmation. “There’s no need to be so formal with me.”

“So you’ll be our oppa, too?” Sohyun asked, her eyes sparkling with joy.

“If you want to call me that, then yes,” Kyuhyun agreed and crouched down in time for both girls to hug him as they laughed.

“Welcome back, Kyuhyun-oppa~!!” they squealed.

Ryeowook and Heechul exchanged a glance and the older hybrid rolled his eyes. “Now, girls, why don’t you lead Kyuhyun inside while Wookie and Hannie will cook?” he suggested.

Sohyun nodded and turned to Kyuhyun again. “Oppa, will you come play with us?”

Kyuhyun looked up at Ryeowook, making eye contact for a moment as if to check if the cat hybrid would mind it, then he turned back to the girls. “Sure, if that’s what you’d like to do?” he replied and a moment later, the girls more or less kidnapped him.

Once they disappeared in Sohyun’s room, Hangeng turned to Ryeowook again. “Would you like to meet Gikwang? He’s a dog hybrid and still rather shy, but he’s warmed up with Sungmin quite quickly, just like Taemin did.”

Ryeowook nodded. “Of course I’d like to meet him! It’s strange to know things are happening here that I’m not really informed about… I used to know about everyone who came and went…” He pouted softly. It really felt strange to suddenly not know everyone who lived in this place and to only have found out so late about Taemin moving out.

“Then come on,” Hangeng said and motioned for Ryeowook to follow along. They went to Sungmin’s room and Hangeng knocked on the slightly ajar door. “May we enter?”

“Of course you may,” Sungmin called from the inside and when Hangeng pushed the door open further, Sungmin approached them as well. “I’m sorry I didn’t come out as well, Wookie.”

“It’s fine. Hyung already told me there’s someone new here.”

Sungmin nodded and made some space to allow Ryeowook to see the other hybrid behind him. The teenager bowed into their direction. “Hello, my name is Lee Gikwang and I’m sixteen years old.”

Ryeowook bowed back to the other. “Hi, I’m Kim Ryeowook. I’m nineteen, so I will be your hyung.”

Gikwang bowed his head once more. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ryeowook… hyung.”

The cat hybrid smiled softly. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m glad you came to this place and I hope you will find someone soon.”

“Thank you.”

“Shall we start cooking then?” Hangeng suggested.

“We don’t need to do that yet,” Ryeowook objected. “If Ara-sshi, Eunhyuk-sshi, and Donghae-sshi will only arrive at some point between six and six-thirty, we might be done with the meals way too soon if we start already.”

Hangeng nodded. “Alright. But let’s not wait much longer until we start preparations, okay?”

“Okay,” Ryeowook agreed.

“Ara-sshi? Is that Kyuhyun’s sister? With her two hybrids? They’re really coming?” Sungmin asked excitedly and when Ryeowook nodded, he grinned. “Tae would love this! When I’ll tell him about this, he’ll be so jealous that he wasn’t here today!”

“I’m sure they’ll get another chance to meet,” Ryeowook replied with a smile. It was good to see Sungmin that happy and excited.

“I really hope you’re right about that,” Sungmin agreed with a soft sigh. “I’m really excited to meet them!”

“I’m sure they’re all excited to meet you guys as well. They’ve never met the people I’ve lived with before, after all.”

“Ah, this will be so cool! Gikwang-ah, you’ve never tasted Ryeowook’s cooking before, but I promise you it’s on the same level as Hangeng-hyung’s!” Sungmin praised the cat hybrid while turning back to the newcomer.

“Wow, really?”

Sungmin nodded. “He’s been the one to usually cook for us. Hangeng-hyung didn’t cook often because of his work, and if he did, it was usually together with Ryeowook.”

“Then I’m really looking forward to tasting your cooking, hyung,” the dog hybrid replied with a shy smile. Ryeowook smiled back just as shyly.

“Thank you for your praise, hyung. But I’m not sure I deserve it. I’m still learning a lot.”

Sungmin rolled his eyes. “You’re only saying that because you’re generally too self-conscious. You’re a fantastic cook, Wookie!” he replied, but then made a gesture for them to leave again. “Talking about eating makes me hungry!”

Ryeowook laughed softly. “Okay, okay, I understand! Hangeng-hyung and I will start preparing soon then. But don’t be disappointed if it takes a little longer until we’re done.”

“But don’t take too long, Wookie! We don’t want your future customers to complain about you taking forever to make their great meals, do we?”

Ryeowook smiled but shook his head. “Of course I wouldn’t want that. But I can’t be done before the others arrive either.”

“Then good luck timing everything when you don’t even know when they will arrive,” Sungmin replied with a grin.

This time it was Ryeowook who rolled his eyes lightly. “Thanks, hyung,” he said sarcastically but eventually left the room. He went back to the kitchen with Hangeng and Heechul and the former two of them began to prepare everything. They had decided to simply make salad to go along with the main course in regard to Sungmin who, since he was a bunny hybrid, usually only ate vegetables and fruits, but he would get a meal specially designed for him as Hangeng and Ryeowook had adjusted one of the dishes to work out for Sungmin’s special diet.

“So how are things going? You look really happy,” Hangeng observed with a warm smile as they worked together peacefully. Ryeowook could feel himself relax with every passing second at the familiar tasks.

“Things are actually going pretty well, I guess.”

“You said you’re starting to miss skinship,” Heechul from behind them and Ryeowook knew his best friend was grinning.

The younger cat hybrid blushed and hummed in response. When neither one of the others said anything else, he sighed softly. “Yeah, I guess that’s true… It’s strange… Especially you, hyung, always insisted on as much skinship as possible and at some point I think I grew so used to it that now it feels weird to go without it the entire time… I mean, I still don’t need all that much skinship, I’m also not that close to Kyuhyun so far. But it’s still weird…”

Heechul snickered. “You have no idea how happy those words make me! Do you think you’ll also let him touch your cat ears at some point?”

Ryeowook grimaced, the thought alone seeming rather strange to him. “I don’t know… I guess I might, but so far that would seem weird to me… I mean, he probably wouldn’t even know how to do any of that.”

“Hannie didn’t know it at first either, but he learned through us, didn’t he? And you, too, had to take some time to figure things out.”

“I know, I know,” Ryeowook hurried to say and whined at the reminder. “But it still takes non-hybrids longer.”

“Usually, yes,” Heechul agreed. “I’ve also already heard of a few people who did really well from the very beginning, though.”

“Really?”

“Sure! It’s usually if they’ve already had a lot of contact with other hybrids or maybe even pets before. Then they’re able to easily understand the signs we give them and how to properly scratch our ears.” As he talked, he stepped closer and a moment later, his arms wrapped around Hangeng, making Ryeowook smile. “But of course everyone can learn how to treat us properly sooner or later~ And you’ve done a really good job! You must have if even Wookie lets you touch him, after all~” he added towards his boyfriend.

“Hyung, mind you, he was still learning with me.”

“Yeah—but you only let him touch you after you helped him with me and knew I liked it.”

Ryeowook shook his head lightly. It was true, since he himself had already known by the time Heechul had been bought by Hangeng how the older cat hybrid liked his ears to be scratched, he had been obliged to show Hangeng how to do it properly. Ryeowook had no idea so far how Heechul had managed to go for over one year without proper ear scratches and how Hangeng hadn’t learned how to do it properly in the meantime, but somehow it had apparently been possible. He knew that to this day Hangeng was embarrassed about that evening when Heechul had once again whined about how Ryeowook did a better job at ear scratches and Ryeowook had then shown Hangeng how to do it to Heechul’s satisfaction.

“Admit it, hyung, you’ve been waiting for me to join you guys until you let Hangeng-hyung touch your cat ears.”

“I did not! There had just never been an opportunity before!” The two cat hybrids made eye contact for a moment and Ryeowook raised his eyebrow, well aware of his best friend’s lie, and the other eventually gave in. “Okay, yes, I have been waiting! But only because I knew Hangeng didn’t have further experience with cats and I figured having you around would be helpful.”

“Yah! You really did wait for Ryeowook just so he could show me how to do ear scratches? Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to learn how to do it any other way?”

“You’re a human, Hannie.”

Said man huffed. “I can’t believe it. Yah, get off me, I need some space to move!”

“Hanniieeee!!”

Ryeowook rolled his eyes as he listened to his friends’ bickering. After it had scared the living hell out of him at first, he had grown incredibly used to it to the point where he realized he had even missed this—the noisiness, the fun of simply listening without being involved, the knowledge that this was most likely the main reason why the two of them never truly fought over anything—they cleared out any obstacles in these sessions. At some point, Heechul gave up and went on to hugging Ryeowook instead, sulking over Hangeng still being unhappy about the fact he had only found out about now.

The young cat hybrid on the other hand thought about Heechul’s words, wondering if the other truly expected him to become touchy with Kyuhyun that quickly, making him realize at the same time how long it had taken until he had allowed Hangeng to hug him and that despite having lived together with Sungmin for years now, he still didn’t feel comfortable making skinship with him or any of the others in the shelter, yet he had actually asked for a hug from Kyuhyun. Was it only because here at the shelter he had always had Heechul around to pamper him and give him all the hugs he had never known he needed? Was it really just that or had something inside him changed because he knew he didn’t really have an option but to trust Kyuhyun from the very beginning and the other was doing everything in his power to make him trust him? Was it normal for him to feel torn between accepting Kyuhyun’s place as a home and denying that exact sentiment since some things still felt unfamiliar to him?

It was only when the bell rang that Ryeowook realized it was already a quarter past six. He and Hangeng had been working the entire time, he knew he had even looked at the recipes to follow them and not forget anything and to also know where he maybe wanted to make variations and when he should add them as well as that Heechul and Hangeng had been talking the entire time, but somehow other than that he had gotten completely lost in his thoughts.

“Sungmin-ah, can you get it, please?” Hangeng called out into the shelter.

“On my way,” Sungmin called back. About half a minute later, chatting filled the hallway once again. Heechul left the kitchen to welcome Kyuhyun’s sister and her two hybrids, leaving Ryeowook and Hangeng alone to their work.

“What were you thinking about?” Hangeng asked quietly and Ryeowook could hear the curiosity in his voice even though he didn’t look up.

“About a lot of things, actually,” the cat hybrid admitted and leaned against the counter for a moment since there wasn’t anything he could do just then. “Mainly about the past one and a half months and the time when I just moved in here.”

“Things are very different, aren’t they?” Ryeowook nodded at his friend’s words and looked at the prepared plates without really seeing them. “Wookie?” The hybrid blinked and looked up at his friend. “We—Heechul and I—want you to know how happy and proud we are.”

“Proud?”

Hangeng nodded. “I’m not sure if I should, but I’ll say it now anyway: I was really worried when we bid you goodbye.”

“I know, hyung. You had every right to be.”

The older man nodded lightly but continued nevertheless, “I was afraid you would hold on to this place too much and not give Kyuhyun the chance he deserves. I’m proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone and allowing Kyuhyun to become a part of your life. I had already expected to see you on our doorstep within the first week, but when I saw you during your second week, I knew Heechul and I had made the right decision to still put your name up instead of taking it down like I know you would have preferred us to. I also know you would have preferred us to keep on insisting for Kyuhyun to take someone else, but I’m glad now that we didn’t do it.”

“So Heechul-hyung did have a say in me going away?”

Hangeng nodded, looking surprised. “Of course he did! He was the one who brought you here, he’s still your best friend. Just because I’m the one doing the business here doesn’t mean Heechul doesn’t have a say in what’s going on, though it's true that I relied more on him with this decision than I usually do. What do you think why he’s always present during the signing of the contracts or when I go on those visits?”

Ryeowook turned around again to check on the food and turn off the next dish. Hangeng got the plates and they started to distribute the dishes together, making sure to mark the plates where they had varied the recipes a little as well as to write a list with who got which meal so they could be certain to be able to tell them all apart later on.

Ryeowook had always known Heechul was Hangeng’s partner in more terms than just their relationship, but it still made him happy to hear the older was downplaying his real position though that wasn’t usually Heechul’s style. He was certain that a hybrid would be good at helping with such major decisions as the ones Hangeng had to make. Heechul certainly also noticed some things that would have gone unnoticed by Hangeng, just like Hangeng probably noticed aspects Heechul wouldn’t have paid attention to.

When they got to the last few plates, Hangeng simply put them on the counter. “I’ll go ahead and announce what we talked about earlier, alright?”

Ryeowook nodded and Hangeng left the room. They had agreed on letting people who had chosen the same dish sit together so they could try the different versions and say later on which one they liked the best. They had figured this would create a better picture of the meals than only Ryeowook’s and Kyuhyun’s opinion would.

Ryeowook listened to Hangeng make the announcements and took care of the finishing touches in the meantime, placing the orders on a small trolley that didn’t even manage to hold everything. When he heard Hangeng ask for the drinks and Sungmin quickly jump to his aid, he went into the living room to hand out the plates. It took the newcomers a couple of seconds until they noticed him.

“Ryeowook!” Eunhyuk exclaimed, making the cat hybrid bow lightly. “I already thought I wouldn’t get to see you!”

“Why should I have called you then?” Kyuhyun replied from the other side of the table.

“So you can try more different meals?” Eunhyuk prompted right away.

“Oh, I’ve already tried most of them this past week.” When Ryeowook looked up after setting another plate down, he could see a triumphant grin on Kyuhyun’s face while Eunhyuk stared at him in disbelief.

“You what!? And you didn’t invite us any sooner? How dare you?” the monkey hybrid protested.

Kyuhyun snickered. “You wish! Be happy I invited you at all.”

Eunhyuk only huffed in response. “I can’t even sit next to Hae!”

“You two should’ve chosen something different to eat then.” Kyuhyun shrugged.

“They’re so soft!” Hyuna’s squeal made everyone’s attention turn towards where she was sitting next to Donghae. The older hybrid had blushed a bright red, especially now that everyone’s focus was on them, while the young teenager had apparently gotten permission to feel Donghae’s puppy ears. “Even mine aren’t that soft… How do you do that?”

Ryeowook couldn’t help but smile, watching them for a moment, but when Eunhyuk once again interrupted the scene to complain about how he had thought he was one of only few people to be allowed to touch Donghae’s dog ears, Ryeowook left the room again to get the rest of the plates as well as the salad.

In the kitchen, he found a grinning Sungmin and Hangeng who simply shook his head. “So that’s what they’re usually like?” the latter asked quietly and when Ryeowook simply nodded, he added, “No wonder they were too much for you on your first meeting.”

“Wookie, can we fit some of the drinks on the trolley already?” Sungmin asked from his position of taking out glasses before he said into Hangeng’s direction, “Three glasses of coke.”

“I’ll see,” the cat hybrid replied and continued to put the plates on the trolley first.

They only managed to get a few of the glasses onto one of the two boards, but Sungmin went back into the living room with him to help distribute everything. They went back once more for the rest of their drinks, then they all got seated. Ryeowook briefly glanced over the table once again to make sure everyone had something to drink and a meal in front of them, then he nodded towards Hangeng who sat across from him and now stood up once more, clearing his throat. When everyone was quiet, he spoke up, “Even though it’s late now, I’d like to welcome our guests and thank you all for coming over and taking the time to spend this evening with us. As you start to eat, don’t forget to also try what someone else might have chosen, especially from those who chose the same dish as you did, so we can get your opinions on the meals later on.” Everyone around the table mumbled their agreement and Hangeng, too, glanced over the huge table, then he nodded once more. “Let’s eat well then.”

The others agreed and the typical noise of silverware clinking against each other and eating could be heard, yet all conversations died down for a while as everyone who had come together focused on their meal instead.

Ryeowook watched the others as he ate slowly. He himself had chosen a meal like it could be found in one of the recipes since it was a dish no one else had taken. His lips slowly formed a smile as he watched one by one try every part of their dish and light up at the taste, humming, some making eye contact for a moment, smiling for sure. Some also already started to curiously try what someone else might have gotten and soon the chatting started all over again. Ryeowook simply watched happily as Kyuhyun started to chat away with Sungmin and Gikwang listened to them while Donghae, Hyuna, and Sohyun were talking on the other end of the table. Heechul was talking to Eunhyuk while Ara and Hangeng were talking. He didn’t need to engage in any of the conversations as he simply watched everyone enjoy their meals and interact. This was nevertheless one of the things he liked the most about meals—they brought people together and allowed them to strike up a conversation even if they hadn’t met before or wouldn’t have known what to talk about otherwise.

“Wookie-oppa~!”

Ryeowook looked back to his right side where Sohyun was watching him expectantly but also with some judgement in her eyes. The cat hybrid smiled at her apologetically. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“You’re not interacting. You’re just watching everyone!”

“Of course I am. I have to see whether everyone—“

“Nonsense!” Ryeowook blinked at the interruption, not used to the young girl talking to him with defiance and slight anger. “You’re the cook, but you’re not the host today. You’re a family member, but still a guest. Have Hangeng check if everyone’s happy, he cooked too, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did, but—“

“No ‘but’.” Sohyun grinned at him. “Hannie-oppa can take care of everything, you just need to enjoy this evening.”

Hyuna leaned forward to nod in approval. “Sohyun-ah’s right! You’re not that much older than we are, oppa, so relax, okay? We’ll take care of everything.”

Ryeowook hesitated for another moment, but then he nodded softly. “But what if I had just—“ he started again but was once more interrupted.

“Invalid argument,” Sohyun declared and Hyuna nodded.

“Donghae-oppa told us you two haven’t gotten the chance to talk a lot so far. Since you are family now, you have to change that!” the older one of the two girls reasoned and the monkey hybrid nodded to confirm that statement. “Heechul-oppa said that you’re getting comfortable with Kyuhyun-oppa, so you also have to become comfortable with Donghae-oppa and Eunhyuk-sshi and Ara-sshi.”

“Donghae-oppa told us about your first meeting and said you were also rather impassive then. How are you supposed to become comfortable with each other if you don’t talk?” Sohyun replied, sounding matter-of-factly and a lot older than she actually was.

Ryeowook grimaced. “Isn’t that supposed to be Heechul’s line?”

“If he doesn’t tell you that, we have to do so!”

“What about me?” Heechul chimed in from the other side of the table. “I heard my name, didn’t I?”

“I was just telling Wookie-oppa to start being responsible,” Sohyun replied.

“Oh, you did? Am I not doing a good job at that?” Heechul frowned, causing Ryeowook to roll his eyes and Sohyun and Hyuna to laugh.

“Wookie-oppa also said it should be you saying that!”

“How can you two always be so alike?” Hyuna asked with awe in her voice.

“Aren’t you two the same way?” Heechul pointed out and raised an eyebrow.

The two girls made eye contact and then grinned. “Let’s never change!” Sohyun exclaimed and hugged her best friend tightly. Ryeowook smiled at the sight, hoping as well that their friendship would last long after they stopped living in the shelter.

The two male cat hybrids exchanged a look and smiled at each other and just then Ryeowook knew Heechul had thought the exact same thing as he had. The two girls went on about their plans for their futures, Donghae sitting by their side, forgotten, but Ryeowook could tell the other didn’t mind it too much either. It was simply fun listening to the two girls making up wild scenarios about a potential future and what might happen to them in a year or two.

The chatter from before continued, but this time Eunhyuk went back to talking to his boyfriend while Heechul leaned over the table a little to steal some food from Ryeowook’s plate. “So, Wookie-baby, this is your second time meeting the others, isn’t it?” When Ryeowook nodded, Heechul smiled and stole some more food. “What do you think now? They’re not all teasing each other but instead seem to get along very well with everyone else.”

“I’m really happy. I had hoped things would go like this,” the younger one replied and looked around the table once more. “It’s good to see everyone right now.”

“We’re here together because of you,” Heechul pointed out, but Ryeowook shook his head.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“There are so many factors that added up to this… Me, I guess, but also Kyuhyun coming here in the first place, you guys sending me off, Eunhyuk-sshi and Donghae-sshi mentioning the possibility of going to work and then Kyuhyun helping me find a place I can work at… There’s so much.”

Heechul shook his head. “You’re too modest. Really it actually is you. You could’ve decided to go an entirely different way, but instead you chose this one.“

“When have things really been up to me?”

“All the time. Hybrids run away, hybrids decline. You could have shown a different attitude on your first meeting, you could have said you didn’t want to come with Hannie and me. You could have decided not to tell Kyuhyun Hannie offered to make place for his sister and those two”—he nodded towards Eunhyuk and Donghae—“as well. And every time I hugged you, you had the chance to push me away. Well, maybe except for when we met again and you came home with Hannie and me.” Heechul grinned. “If you think about it, you’ll realize a lot of things are up to you, even when it may seem like you don’t have an option.”

“That’s true,” Sungmin entered the conversation as well. “And if you ask me, you make great decisions.”

Ryeowook looked down at his plate in embarrassment, realizing at the same time that he had almost finished eating. “Thank you, hyung.”

The bunny hybrid laughed softly. “You’re welcome! By the way, you two also got some dessert, didn’t you?”

The young cat hybrid looked up again and nodded in response. “Yeah, why do you ask?”

“Because I’ve been debating on whether to take seconds or wait, but if we get dessert, I’ll simply wait.”

“How fast did you get done, hyung?”

“You know I’m a fast eater~”

“But you were talking so much…”

“I’m a bunny, Wookie. Never underestimate bunnies when it’s about food.”

“Alright, alright,” Ryeowook replied and, when he glanced around the table, he realized he was almost the only one still eating—the girls were the only other two people eating. He hurried to finish as well, not wanting the others to have to wait for dessert.

They had some ice cream for dessert and afterwards sat down in the living room. After the groups had been separated for lunch, they mostly stayed separated to talk to all kinds of people. Eunhyuk and Donghae ended up sitting with Sungmin, they all turned out to be the same age. Ara stayed with Hangeng and Heechul, obviously getting along really well with them, Ryeowook also sat close to them. Kyuhyun was on his other side with the two girls next to him once more to chat with him playfully, only Gikwang seemed a little lost on the girls’ other side, but Ryeowook could tell Kyuhyun nevertheless tried to let the dog hybrid participate in the conversation, asking him about his opinions and his own ideas about what the girls were saying.

At some point, Ryeowook went over to listening to Heechul and Hangeng’s conversation with Ara and eventually, Heechul’s arm naturally found its way around Ryeowook’s shoulders and the younger leaned against his best friend comfortably, only realizing that would seem strange to Ara when her eyes lingered on the arm a little too long and a knowing smile appeared on her lips, yet she didn’t interrupt the conversation. Ryeowook was glad about that because it meant no further attention was drawn to him.

“Talking about not liking skinship, huh?”

Ryeowook jumped when someone suddenly spoke up from behind him, and when he looked up, he spotted Donghae having come to a stand there, smiling at him. The cat hybrid blushed and sat up straight again. “I don’t. I just…” He looked away, biting his lip since he didn’t know how to explain it, but of course Heechul was right on track a moment later and pulled him closer again.

“Jealous because I can cuddle my Wookie-baby and you can’t?” he teased the dog hybrid.

“I was just surprised.”

Ryeowook felt his best friend shrug but then the other straightened as well, still without letting go of the younger cat hybrid. “Believe me, nothing about Ryeowook’s attitude towards skinship has changed—at least not within the past two months. I just more or less got him used to it, so he’s started to open up a little with skinship as long as it’s with Hangeng or with me. You may not have noticed it since Ryeowook and Kyuhyun arrived before the three of you did, but none of the others in this shelter have gotten too close to Ryeowook, no one else has made physical contact with him. They all know Ryeowook doesn’t feel comfortable with hugs or too much touching in general, more often than not he also doesn’t change his opinion when he’s grown comfortable with someone and begins to trust that the other person won’t leave him. So far, Hangeng and I are the only exceptions I know of and I know for a fact that Ryeowook also feels very comfortable with Sungmin, for example, or generally the others here in the shelter. He loves to play with the girls and also enjoyed to read with Taemin or simply chat with him. He and Sungmin met just about a month after he met Hangeng for the first time.”

The young cat hybrid knew Heechul was lying, leaving out one important event—the evening when he had asked Kyuhyun for a hug. The first time he had asked someone who was neither Heechul nor Hangeng to get close to him, the one time he had initiated skinship because he had felt like it. And at the same time, he wasn’t surprised about that—Heechul knew that small piece of information might lead others to a wrong way of thinking, at least if they didn’t know him well yet.

For a couple of seconds, no one else spoke up, and Ryeowook figured Donghae at least took the time to think about Heechul’s words. It was Hyuna who broke the silence in the end, “Oppa, if you want a hug, you can come here. We’ll give you lots of hugs!”

“But I wouldn’t want just any hug…” Donghae replied and it sounded like he was sulking.

“But Wookie-oppa is off-limits. Everyone here knows that. It used to be one of the rules we were taught when we first arrived here,” Hyuna explained and when Ryeowook looked at her, he couldn’t help but smile a little. It was sweet to see the others from the shelter defend him, even though he would have preferred for things to continue in a happier way than this.

When Donghae eventually went back to sitting next to Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun nudged him gently. Ryeowook looked over at him in slight confusion, but then noticed the phone the other held out. Glancing down at it, he read “Hae is not good at reading the mood. Please don’t be upset with him.” The cat hybrid made eye contact again with the man next to him and nodded lightly to show he understood and that it was fine. He hoped Kyuhyun understood what he meant.

Slowly, everyone continued to chat, starting as always with the two girls and then spreading through the room, yet Ryeowook could see Donghae was still a little upset.

“Ryeowook-ah?” The cat hybrid blinked and looked at the young woman who had just called his name and now smiled at him. “I almost forgot to say it, congratulations on getting your first job! I’m really happy for you that you found one this quickly, and then it’s even something you’re so good at! The meals you cooked for us today were really delicious.”

“Thank you.” The younger man looked down again in embarrassment, but then he looked back up when he remembered he still needed to know which meal the others had liked the best. “Hangeng-hyung?”

“Yes?”

“Is it okay if I get the list now so we can sum up which variation of which meal everyone preferred?”

The older man nodded. “Of course you can.”

Ryeowook nodded back lightly and stood up. He hurried to get the list from the kitchen and then sat back down, waiting for Hangeng to speak up again. Knowing him well enough by then, the Chinese man clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention and then he spoke up when the room had gone quiet. “As you all know, we initiated today as a small test—one for Ryeowook to see if he could get everything done in time and also one for the meals. Now we’d like to know who preferred which variation of which meal. Please remember to tell us the name of the meal if you know it as well as whose plate it was on.”

“I liked Sohunnie’s version of our bulgogi the best,” Hyuna spoke up right away and made eye contact with her best friend who nodded in agreement.

“I actually liked mine better than Hyuna’s as well,” she confirmed. “I think the one on Donghae-oppa’s plate was a little too spicy.”

“I liked the spicy version,” Donghae argued. “The other two were too mild for my liking.”

Ryeowook nodded as he hurried to take notes.

One by one rated the meals they had tried, whether they had been their own or entirely different dishes, and by the end, Ryeowook could see most of them agreed on making the dishes the way the restaurant also suggested them except for one meal where everyone preferred the variation he and Hangeng had thought of. Ryeowook himself mostly shared what the others thought as well, he had tried every meal while making it, after all.

When everyone had spoken up, he read over his notes again and then nodded, looking up to make brief eye contact with everyone. “Thank you very much. I highly appreciate you all volunteering to try these meals and help me with your opinions.”

“You’re welcome,” the others replied more or less in unison and Sungmin added with a grin, “As if we’d ever willingly miss out on a chance to taste your cooking!”

“You’re the master of Korean dishes! No one can make them as good as you can,” Sohyun agreed.

“We’ll have to come to your restaurant very often!” Hyuna suggested and looked at Hangeng expectantly, but the other simply laughed and raised his hands in defense.

“Guys, I’m not printing my own money! But I’ll try to take you there every once in a while, alright?”

Ryeowook heard cheers of the others from the shelter and even Gikwang looked enthusiastic about that plan. Pride washed through him at the thought that this was because of himself, because of something he was really good at. He thought again about Heechul telling him that all of this was happening because of him and he couldn’t help but admit that those words made him happy.

When they all had to part ways, Ryeowook took the time to hug Hangeng tightly and thanked him profoundly, ignoring the fact that Donghae started sulking again because of that. He bid Heechul goodbye in an equal manner and then simply waved at the others, still smiling happily as they walked outside where they bid Ara, Eunhyuk, and Donghae goodbye as well—Kyuhyun with an embrace and he himself with a small bow, a smile, and a wave.

When they arrived back at the apartment, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun got ready for bed. Ryeowook was tired and worn out from the day, but he was happy. He had seen all of his friends again, gotten to know Gikwang, had been able to spend a bit more time with Kyuhyun’s family and been able to find out a little more about Ara, Eunhyuk, and Donghae… Everyone had liked his cooking and he had been able to try out another one of the recipes.

When he was ready, he went to Kyuhyun’s room like he did every evening, and as always he found the other sitting at his desk and working on his studies.

“Good night, Kyuhyun. And thank you for today.”

The other raised an eyebrow in surprise. “No, thank you, Ryeowook. I had a lot of fun day today, everyone was really nice and happy to see you. And seeing you interact with them and relax so much was also really nice.”

The cat hybrid looked down. “I’m sorry… It’s not like I can’t relax here—“ he started, instantly rather noting the slightly negative touch of Kyuhyun’s sentence than the actually positive meaning, but the other was quick to shake his head.

“Oh Ryeowook, just take it as a good thing, alright? You’re already so much more relaxed now than you were when you first moved in here. You have no idea how good to see that is.” He shook his head lightly once again. “But that’s not even my point. My point is that it was good to see you interact with everyone at the shelter today. You seemed happy about being close with Heechul-sshi again. Everyone needs their dose of hugs every now and then.” He winked at the hybrid with a warm smile.

“About that… Thank you for not having mentioned the hug…”

“Why should I have? I know it’s rather out of your nature and that it might not happen often, so I didn’t see a need to destroy the point Heechul was making and to get Hae thinking that you’re not all that serious about not liking skinship.”

Ryeowook nodded softly. “But still… Thank you. For all of today.”

“You’re welcome then.”

The cat hybrid nodded lightly and looked up again, flashing Kyuhyun a shy smile, getting a brighter one back in return. “Good night.”

“Good night. Sleep well.”

“You too.”

Ryeowook went back into his room, still smiling to himself as he went to bed.