Apparently, he had fallen asleep at some point, because when Ryeowook opened his eyes again, light was shining on the sleeping cat hybrid in front of him through the window. The older hybrid couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Taemin’s sleeping figure, hair messy, mouth hanging slightly open, the blanket had lost its cocoon form.

Careful not to wake the teen, Ryeowook got up and crawled over the foot end of his bed until his bare feet were standing on the carpeted floor.

Knowing there was no way he’d get any more sleep, the cat hybrid got ready in the bathroom and then checked the time. It was too early even to start making breakfast, so he went into the living room instead and the TV, eventually finding a news channel that managed to distract him at least a little. The news wasn’t much different from any other day—reports about a war here, a crime there, the call for everyone to be careful, a few things about politics and economics, yet it had a strangely calming effect on Ryeowook to hear about what was going on in the rest of the world.

The news was followed by a documentary where Ryeowook quickly lost interest. Checking the time again, Ryeowook leaned back and zapped through the channels once more in hopes of finding anything better to watch. When still nothing caught his eye, he turned the TV off and instead went back into the kitchen, finding a notebook and a pencil there with a small note on top. Frowning since he hadn’t seen the object there before, he saw Sungmin had left the items there.

I know you can’t sleep. Why don’t you write down a few recipes so we won’t starve? – Sungmin

Ryeowook smiled at the small but sweet note that showed just how much the older had gotten to know him. In lack of anything better to do, he sat down and opened the notebook. After thinking for a moment, he started to write down the first few things he could think of.

Throughout the next hour, a small collection of recipes was created on the formerly blank pages, a collection of meals Ryeowook had learned how to make in his nineteen years of living. The dishes ranged from fancy meals he only ever prepared for birthdays or holidays to simple, short instructions of how to make bacon perfectly.

It was only when he heard the soft sounds of the next person getting up that Ryeowook looked up and realized it was almost 7AM which was still early, but assuming the others wouldn’t sleep well either, he figured it was nevertheless an adequate time to start making breakfast. He decided to make two of the recipes he had also written down for the others. One was cranberry and cinnamon swirled buns which usually fit better into colder seasons, but he felt like making them anyway. When he came to a point where the dough had to rest, he started to prepare spiced veggie rice with poached eggs.

He worked in comfortable silence until Hangeng entered the kitchen. “Good morning. You’re up early.”

Ryeowook looked up to smile at the older. “Good morning. I know, I couldn’t sleep well.”

The older went to the table. “What is this?” he asked and picked up the notebook.

The cat hybrid glanced over his shoulder and then back at the onion he was cutting. “Sungmin left me a notebook and the request to write down a few recipes so you guys won’t be left hungry. He knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep well tonight.”

“That was a really good idea.”

Ryeowook could hear the pages being turned behind him and smiled. “I hope you guys will like the recipes and that I didn’t forget any instructions.”

“We’ve always liked your meals, Wookie. And I’m sure that if you did forget anything, we’ll be able to figure it out. And if not, we’ll just give you a call.”

“Alright then.” The younger smiled as he continued to chop the onion, trying to ignore the sting of the fumes rising up. He leaned back a little. “Hyung? Could you open the window, please?”

“Sure.” Hangeng put the notebook aside and opened the window, then he came to stand by Ryeowook’s side. “Can I help you somehow?”

“If you want to? You could cut the garlic and the chilies.”

“How much do we need?”

“Two of each.”

“Alright.” The older got a cutting board and a knife as well, then he began to do as Ryeowook had instructed him to. “What are we making?”

“I figured I might make the spiced veggie rice with poached eggs since you guys like it. We’ll have cranberry and cinnamon swirled buns afterwards.”

“That sounds perfect to me!”

Ryeowook smiled at the remark and continued to work. “I figured it might be a good mix. Something spicy and something sweet that will nevertheless keep you filled up until lunch. And the girls won’t complain either.”

Hangeng laughed softly. “That’s true. They’ll love you for making the buns.”

“I know. You guys have to make them a lot when I’m gone.”

“Did you write down the recipe?”

“I wrote down both of these recipes.”

“Thank you.”

The younger nodded lightly. “You’re welcome. Maybe I can still cook for you all occasionally.”

Hangeng shook his head. “Focus more on cooking well for Kyuhyun.”

“But I also want to cook for you guys!”

“I am here and so is Sungmin. The others also know how to cook, so don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”

“I know…”

Ryeowook could tell Hangeng stopped working for a moment, but he continued to focus on his onion, trying to tell himself it was only because of the vegetable that he was tearing up. After a couple of seconds, Hangeng gently nudged his shoulder with his own. “Hey~ We’ll miss you, okay? But for now, you should focus on your own future and not on us. Look ahead and embrace what’s coming towards you. We’ll always be there to back you up if you need us.”

The cat hybrid nodded softly. When he finished cutting the last onion, he went to the sink to wash his hands properly, then he got a tissue to dry his eyes with it. “I’ll be fine,” he replied, unsure though whether he wanted to convince Hangeng or himself.

“Yes, you will be. You’ll do really well. And eventually, you will get used to living with Kyuhyun and you will see it’s not all bad. Just give it some time, okay?”

Ryeowook nodded softly. Trying to get himself back under control, he turned away to grab a big pan. He put it on the stove and turned it on, then he got oil and poured some into the pan so they could move on with making food.

Bit by bit, life returned to the shelter as everyone was waking up and slowly filing into the kitchen while Hangeng and Ryeowook made breakfast. Unlike most mornings, though, the atmosphere wasn’t easy-going and cheerful. Everyone seemed to be dwelling on some thoughts, thinking about what was about to happen that day; even Hyuna and Sohyun were comparably calm which was very unusual for them.

The mood was only lifted a little during breakfast, when one of the girls sniffed a little. “Ryeowook-oppa~? What else are you making?”

Said male looked up. “I’m making cranberry and cinnamon swirled buns. I know how much you two like them, after all.” He had put them into the oven shortly before the two girls had joined them, so they hadn't seen him prepare the buns before that point.

In an instant, the two girls’ faces lit up. “You are? Thank you, oppa!” Sohyun exclaimed. “Then let’s eat quickly so we can have the buns soon!”

Ryeowook laughed at that comment. “Take it slow~ They’re not even done yet. And when they are, they’ll have to cool down a little so you won’t burn your mouths. Plus, if you eat too fast now, you’ll feel sick later.”

“No~” Hyuna disagreed and shook her head.

“Quite the contrary, Hyuna. How often has that happened to you already? If you don’t eat more slowly, you won’t get any buns at all.”

The teenage girl pouted and looked down at her food defiantly, but she did eat a little more slowly from then on.

“Why will they not be ready soon, oppa? Did you not time it well?” Sohyun continued asking, though.

“Once again, the opposite is the case,” Ryeowook replied. “I timed them so they will be done when we are, so we can let the food sink for a while before we can continue eating.”

“But I want to eat them right after this!”

“What if the sweetness won’t come through properly, though, because you’ve had something spicy just now?” Sungmin interfered and looked at the young girl challengingly, successfully shutting her up.

The silence that followed afterwards wasn’t as depressing anymore. It was a lighter and more comfortable one, one that was soon interrupted by the soft chatting of the two girls. Slowly, the others began to talk as well.

Only Heechul stayed unusually quiet.

After breakfast and cleaning up briefly, Ryeowook took the buns out of the oven and then went into his room to do some last-minute packing, interrupted every now and then because the girls wanted to play with him or tell him stories they made up on the spot. Since almost everything was done, Ryeowook took the time to listen to Hyuna and Sohyun and play with them, knowing it was part of their ‘goodbye’ that they spent more time with him that morning.

“… and then the prince arrived and saw Rella for the first time.”

“Wait, how can the prince still be a prince if Rella is also a guy?” Sohyun interrupted her best friend’s story telling.

“Why should they not both be men? Heechul-oppa told me the fairytale like this, it’s not my fault that there are two men in there!”

“No, Rella is actually called Cinderella. He’s a girl!”

“No, he’s not!”

“He’s a she!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is—“

The doorbell rang, instantly making Sohyun stop in the middle of her sentence. Her eyes grew wide. “Is that him?” she whispered as if there was a chance Kyuhyun could hear her if she spoke even the slightest bit louder.

They were quiet for a moment and listened to Hangeng open the door, followed by several voices speaking. “That is him,” Hyuna whispered back.

Ryeowook shook his head lightly. “I have to finish getting ready now. Will you two excuse me?”

“No~!” both whined in unison.

“But I still have to get my tooth brush and everything.”

“He’ll have some for you.”

“And what are you gonna do with my things?”

“They’ll sit here until you come visit us,” Hyuna reasoned and both girls looked up at him with big eyes as if nothing could possibly make more sense than their logic.

Ryeowook couldn’t help the soft smile that appeared on his lips. “I’ll come visit even if you let me pack everything.”

“Are you sure?” Hyuna asked.

“You have to promise it!” Sohyun added.

The young man smiled and leaned down a little, extending his hand with his pinky held out for the two girls. “Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise!” the girls agreed in unison, so he had to look into their eyes and promise each of them on her own that he would come back to visit as many times as he could.

“Okay, then you can go,” Hyuna declared and nodded.

Ryeowook couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Well, thank you for your permission.” He straightened and went to the bathroom, the girls trailing behind him until they were in the hallway, then they went to another room which Ryeowook figured would be the living room. He got everything from the bathroom that he needed, then he looked around once more. He would miss this place, every single inch of it…

Shaking his head in an attempt not to get too sentimental before he’d leave so he could keep the promise he had made towards Taemin the night before, Ryeowook went back into his room and finished packing once and for all. He pulled the suitcase into the hallway, letting it stand by the front door, then he went back again to grab his backpack. He looked around his former room once more and was almost glad it looked empty and desolated because that meant it didn’t seem to hold many memories.

He turned around and closed the door one more time, then he put his backpack down with the suitcase. His ears involuntarily focused on the sounds coming from Hangeng’s office.

“If there are no further questions, please sign the contract.” That was Hangeng’s voice.

Ryeowook gulped because he knew those were the exact seconds in which his fate was decided on. He almost thought he could hear the slight scratching of the pen on the paper, but he knew that sound was too quiet even for him. Mere seconds passed until he could hear chairs being pushed back.

Having heard the sound as well, Sungmin and Taemin emerged from their rooms and the two girls went to stand in the doorway of the living room, holding hands, looking at him with big eyes. He flashed them a brave smile and then turned to face the office door that was just being opened. Heechul was the first to exit the office, his eyes finding Ryeowook’s almost in an instant. The older smiled warmly at him and nodded softly as if to tell him everything would be fine, then he fully stepped out of the room to make place for Mr. and Mrs. Cho, then Kyuhyun, and eventually Hangeng.

Kyuhyun looked around curiously, eyes only landing on Ryeowook after a couple of seconds, then he smiled brightly. The hybrid tried to respond to that smile as good as he could, ignoring the slight confusion in Hangeng’s and Heechul’s eyes when apparently his smile didn’t look all too fake.

“Are you all set?” Kyuhyun asked and took a step towards him.

Ryeowook nodded and looked down awkwardly for a moment before looking up again, unsure about how exactly he was supposed to face or talk to the other now that he knew the contract was signed, he officially belonged to the young man in front of him. “Yes, I am,” he replied quietly, hoping no one could really hear which verb-ending form he used since he wasn’t sure whether to speak using honorifics or not.

Kyuhyun’s parents put on their shoes and then stood aside to let the other two do the same. Ryeowook tried not to slow his movements down even though the majority of him wanted to use every single second he had left in the shelter. When he stood up and turned around, everyone had moved closer, Hangeng standing by the side, then the girls stood side by side and Sungmin and Taemin were right behind them, only Heechul was nowhere to be seen.

Trying to ignore that and the fact that he wanted to do nothing but cry and stay, Ryeowook put on another smile. “Stay positive, everyone. Taemin, Hyuna, Sohyun, learn and study a lot, okay? Sungmin-hyung can show you everything you’ll need to know.”

“Did you write down some recipes for us?” Sungmin asked with a smile that barely covered the fact he, too, felt like crying.

Ryeowook nodded. “Yes, I did. Thank you for leaving me something to write.”

“No problem.”

“Never give up hope, okay?” Ryeowook looked at the four hybrids in front of him again, especially at the younger ones. “Work hard and you’ll see, someone will come to take you home before you know it.”

“Will it be a prince?” Sohyun asked quietly and Ryeowook couldn’t help the soft, true smile that sneaked onto his lips.

“Maybe. But whatever he does, even if he’s not generally titled a prince, remember he will always be your prince.”

“Then it’s okay.” The young girl smiled up at him and then waved. “Do well, oppa. Work hard, too!” The others nodded in agreement.

Hangeng stepped forward and engulfed him in a comfortingly tight embrace for a couple of seconds before he stepped back again and gently ruffled Ryeowook’s hair between his ears, coming in touch with the sensitive spot behind the hybrid’s cat ears for just a moment too long to be coincidental. The younger automatically flicked his ears, uncomfortable with the touch when it wasn’t just the two or the three of them. Hangeng and Heechul were the only ones who were allowed to touch him there and even then it was usually only in private moments when none of the others were around and they were watching a movie or something like that.

Hangeng smiled at the reaction and pulled his hand back. “Never forget what you learned here, Ryeowook. None of it. You’ve grown a lot during your time here, keep it. Especially remember what I told you last night, okay?”

The younger man nodded softly. He knew Hangeng was talking about everything, ranging from his cooking skills, from starting to open up towards others a little more, from accepting skinship with certain people, to the part where every hybrid who came to this shelter was asked by Hangeng to find out the work dates and hours of their future owner and pass them on to Hangeng so he and Heechul could make surprise visits at some point to make sure the hybrid was doing fine. “I won’t forget any of it. Thank you so much for taking me in.” He bowed as far as he could without coming into further touch with Hangeng.

When the Chinese man stepped aside, Heechul made his way through the other hybrids, holding a small box in his hands. “You almost forgot about these,” he said and presented the box to Ryeowook.

The younger man took it in slight confusion, only recognizing the two remaining buns he had made that morning a moment later. He looked up again with a soft smile, shaking his head lightly. “This wouldn’t have been necessary…”

“I know. But I want you to have them. It’ll be a good way for you to show off.” Heechul winked at him and then stepped closer for a full embrace including his tail wrapped tightly around both of them. Ryeowook hugged him back the same way until he felt the tears in his eyes threaten to fall out. He let his head fall back for a moment, taking deep breaths to try and keep himself under control. When he leaned back and looked at his best friend again, he could at least put on another smile.

“Don’t be too mean to the others. Or too clingy,” he advised his hyung.

The older chuckled. “As if you could tell me what to do!” he replied playfully and Ryeowook knew the older nevertheless took it to heart. “Take care, alright? No matter how much I love you, I do not want to have you crawling back and begging to be let in anytime soon.”

Ryeowook blushed and looked down, feeling uncomfortable with that remark since the person he was about to stay with could hear all of that.

Seemingly also remembering there were more people around, Heechul looked up again. “Take care of Ryeowook, alright? You know the conditions and you know we’re not like most other shelters.”

“Yes, I know,” Kyuhyun replied and took a step closer.

Looking up, Ryeowook could see a stern expression in Heechul’s eyes, so he put a hand on the older’s chest, successfully distracting him after a moment. “It’s okay, hyung. I’ll be fine,” he assured the older with another brave smile, then he turned away to put the small box into his backpack before flinging it over his shoulder and grabbing the suitcase.

“Do you want me to take anything for you?” Kyuhyun offered, turning towards him.

Ryeowook shook his head. “It’s fine,” he replied quietly, using honorifics since all the attention was on him.

Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” Ryeowook simply nodded in response. “Let’s go then, alright?” The slightly older one nodded once more.

The Cho family said their goodbyes, then Mr. Cho opened the door, letting his wife exit first, then he exited next, followed by Kyuhyun and Ryeowook. Outside, Kyuhyun hugged his parents to say goodbye while the second youngest bowed to Kyuhyun’s parents, then they watched as they drove off. Afterwards, Kyuhyun turned back to him again and nodded towards the other car parked in front of the house. “Let’s go.”

“Yes,” Ryeowook replied and followed the slightly younger man without looking back, knowing if he did turn around once more, he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from crying.

Kyuhyun helped him put the suitcase and the backpack into the trunk of the car, then he nodded towards the front. “You can go ahead and sit in the passenger’s seat. Or can you also drive?”

Ryeowook shook his head. “No, I can’t,” he replied quietly and looked down, feeling like he was starting to fail Kyuhyun already.

“That’s fine,” the other replied cheerfully, “I guess it’ll be best if we get you signed up for driver's ed sooner or later, but until then, I can simply drive and we can use public transport. That’s easier here anyway.”

The cat hybrid hummed in agreement, unsure if his voice wouldn’t give away what he felt. To avoid further questions, he got into the passenger’s seat of the expensive-looking car and put on his seatbelt, then he looked outside through the windshield while Kyuhyun got in on the driver’s side, buckled up as well, and the engine, then he started to drive as he to the not too busy road.

“Alright, now that my parents aren’t around to criticize my decisions any further: there’s no need for you to use honorifics when you talk to me or about me. Please just speak comfortably with me. Remember that I’m younger than you, alright?”

Ryeowook nodded without meeting the other’s eyes. “Yes.”

Probably realizing the cat hybrid wouldn’t become talkative all of a sudden, Kyuhyun kept on asking questions, “How come you only hugged two of the ones you lived with? Aren’t you close with the others, too?”

“I am,” Ryeowook replied, fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat because he knew he had to explain this part in order to make sense. “I just… don’t really like skinship…” he admitted.

“Oh, really not?” The hybrid shook his head. “That’s a shame…”

“You can still go back and—“

“That’s not gonna happen. I picked you and I won’t change my mind just because you have a different view on skinship than I do.”

Ryeowook bit his bottom lip at the interruption. He had made another mistake…

When Kyuhyun spoke up again, his voice was softer than before, “I’m serious, Ryeowook. I’ve made up my mind to take you home with me and to do my best to make my apartment also feel like home to you. I neither want anyone else nor do I have a need to get anyone else.”

Ryeowook simply hummed in response. He still couldn’t understand why Kyuhyun would choose him out of all possible options. And yet the biggest question remained: would the other stay in his life? Or would he be like everyone else, except for maybe Heechul, and get tired of him, move on, find someone new to focus on? No one had ever bothered to stay so far…

“You’re not convinced.”

“I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”

Ryeowook could feel the other’s eyes on him for a moment, but he still didn’t look up until he heard Kyuhyun’s next words, “If I don’t have anything to do with you not being convinced right now, it means I can work on earning your trust, right? We can work together until we learn to confide in each other, and then we’ll just take it from there. What do you think about that?”

The young man glanced at the other and had absolutely no idea where Kyuhyun’s positivity came from. He had been told off several times, it was obvious that Ryeowook still wasn’t happy about what was happening—and yet Kyuhyun didn't lose his energy and motivation for all of this to work out. “I… guess?”

“Great!” A smile appeared on the younger man’s lips, making Ryeowook frown. Apparently, he had been staring too much because the smile disappeared and Kyuhyun glanced at him briefly with a raised eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“But?”

“I just… don’t understand you.”

“Which part?”

“Everything, I think.”

Kyuhyun laughed softly. “We can work on that.” They drove in silence for a moment, giving Ryeowook the chance to realize the radio was playing on a very low volume. He wasn’t sure if Kyuhyun was still able to hear it, but he himself was.

They remained silent until they got into a stop-and-go on one of Seoul’s busier streets. Kyuhyun leaned back, apparently a little frustrated over the traffic. He glanced at Ryeowook once again before he spoke up, “You’ll call Hangeng-sshi, won’t you?”

“If I’m allowed to?” Ryeowook asked back insecurely, wondering if Kyuhyun was really just guessing or if anything had been discussed or if maybe it was just really obvious.

The latter nodded. “My parents wouldn’t let you, but I don’t mind. It’s not like I could check throughout the day anyway.” Kyuhyun smiled softly, but Ryeowook thought it didn’t look happy. Before he could ponder much about it, the younger continued to speak, “But I would like to ask something of you in return. I can see there are still a lot of things you’ll need to get used to before you can feel comfortable. Because of that, I would like you to spend as much time talking to me as you spend talking to your friends. We don’t have to do it on the same day since I might be too busy occasionally, but I still want to get to know you better. I want to learn what you like or dislike, I want to find out more about who you are. You don’t have to tell me anything now. I got you a notebook, so you can write down notes if that will make it easier for you to tell me something about yourself. I know when someone just asks me to tell them about myself, I’m usually left with a blank space where my brain should be.” Kyuhyun glanced over at the cat hybrid. “Does that sound okay to you?”

Ryeowook didn’t have to think about it before he nodded. He knew that was the best offer he could get, and knowing he’d have time to get prepared before he was forced to talk about himself would also make it easier for him. “Yes, it does. Thank you.”

“No problem. When Ara-noona—she’s my sister, in case you didn’t know—moved out, we would still talk a lot on the phone. I know she was lonely since she lived on her own at first until she found Eunhyuk and Donghae to live with her, but she still called me a lot afterwards. I picked that habit up when I moved out and into my apartment, so I know it’s strange to spend a lot of time completely on your own all of a sudden. I don’t want you to feel too lonely or isolated,” Kyuhyun explained.

Ryeowook nodded softly once more. “Thank you.”

“Noona will probably visit next weekend because she’s really curious about you. Eunhyuk and Donghae will most likely come along. But I should warn you“—he hybrid half expected Kyuhyun to warn him about the other two hybrids’ ual orientation—“they’re very touchy… I’ll try to make sure not to leave you alone with them, at least not too much, but knowing them, they might find a way to talk to you alone. If they get too much for you, just do your best to escape them and come find me or noona, alright? I’ll tell noona about you not being comfortable with skinship, so hopefully the two kids will hold back.”

“Kids?” Ryeowook repeated. It had always sounded like Eunhyuk and Donghae were older than ‘children’.

Kyuhyun laughed softly. “Actually, they’re a year older than you. But that’s just a technical thing, it seems. They can behave like grown-ups, but I think most of the time they prefer to behave like teenagers. Don’t tell them I’m calling them ‘kids’, though, alright?”

The cat hybrid nodded in response. “I won’t.”

“Thank you.”

They continued to drive in silence after that until Kyuhyun turned the volume of the radio up a little so the music and the MC could be understood. At some point, Ryeowook looked out of the window by his side instead of the front window, hoping Kyuhyun didn’t notice the silent tears that escaped his eyes and ran over his cheeks. When a small pack of tissues landed on his lap, though, he knew his attempt had failed.

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Hey guys, I hope you all had a fantastic week and that you'll also have a wonderful weekend!

Please tell me what you think of this chapter~ And yes, finally we'll really get to the part where Kyuhyun and Ryeowook start to live with each other and get to know each other! I hope you enjoyed reading~