The week passed slowly. Kyuhyun and Ryeowook spent most of their time at the apartment, giving Ryeowook the chance to slowly get used to the sounds and scents around him and find a routine he could fit into. They spent a lot of time watching movies or dramas that Kyuhyun enjoyed, but the younger would still keep on asking questions here and there to help them get to know each other better. Ryeowook nevertheless kept to himself as good as he could, never sitting too close to Kyuhyun, making sure to manage the household so the other wouldn’t have to be bothered with it. He knew the younger man was always hoping for more contact between them, for more conversations, but Ryeowook felt too awkward to speak to him casually, knew too little to have normal conversations. He kept on feeling like a failure, like any other person on this planet would have done a much better job at keeping Kyuhyun company, but every evening on the phone Hangeng and Heechul kept on assuring him that it was alright, that it was normal to feel out of place at first and that talking and getting to know each other would eventually help them overcome that awkward first phase.

After what felt like the longest week of his life, it was Saturday morning. Ryeowook woke up early again, driven by a new wave of fear that he might fail. Kyuhyun had told him Ara and her two hybrids would come over in time for lunch, and even though he already had everything planned out, he was nervous. What if they wouldn’t like him, just like Kyuhyun’s parents seemed to be entirely against him? What if Eunhyuk and Donghae would really be as clingy as Kyuhyun had indicated they would, causing him to feel even more uncomfortable and maybe even do something he wasn’t supposed to? What if they didn’t like his food? Would they share his or Kyuhyun’s opinion on the younger man’s choice to ‘adopt’ him? On top of that, he still felt uncomfortable in the new clothes Kyuhyun had gotten for him. It was strange to wear something no one had owned and worn before him, making him feel lost and like the wrong person to have those clothes.

Too many questions were left unanswered and bothered him to the point where he got up much earlier than he had wanted to. He tried to distract himself, but he was too nervous for anything to succeed in keeping him busy. Everything had been cleaned already, there seemed to be nothing he could do.

Since he had figured out how to operate the internet when he had done Heechul’s homework, he aimlessly typed in different things, coming across a few recipes he figured he might like to do one day. He wrote them all down in the notebook Kyuhyun had given him and was somehow busy that way until Kyuhyun woke up.

They spent the morning together like every day, but even when Ryeowook went on to start preparing lunch, Kyuhyun stayed with him that day.

“Can I help you with anything?” the younger man offered.

Ryeowook shook his head. “No, thank you. I’ll be fine,” he replied and turned around to flash Kyuhyun a brief and nervous smile.

“You’ve been restless again all day…”

“I’m sorry.” The cat hybrid focused on what he was doing. If only he was able to do good with this, it would surely leave a good impression, wouldn’t it?

“Are you nervous about meeting my sister, Eunhyuk, and Donghae?”

“Yes, I am,” Ryeowook admitted quietly.

“There’s no need to be. Just remember to stick to my side and come to me in case the other two should meet you on your own and they get too much for you, alright? You’ll be fine, I promise,” Kyuhyun replied in a gentle voice.

“How can you be so sure about that? You know I’m not good with people,” the slightly older man argued, eyes still focused on what he was doing, his back facing the young man.

“Maybe I still have a lot to learn about you, but I do know my sister and the two kids. They wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable, though the two might be testing your boundaries and they’ll probably be disappointed to find out you don’t like skinship. But I’ll remind them to respect your limits in case they step over them.”

“But how will you know if they cross… my boundaries?”

“Maybe I don’t know everything about you yet, but I’m certain I’ll figure out when they cross your boundaries. Don’t worry so much, okay?”

Ryeowook hummed in response and put the meat into the preheated pan, then he turned to his next task.

“That’s not everything you’ve been worrying about.” Ryeowook remained quiet, not wanting to bother Kyuhyun with his thoughts since they seemed to be nothing but troublesome even to him, so he was taken off guard when the younger man spoke up again, “Are you afraid that they might not accept you as a new addition to our family?”

The knife slipped when the cat hybrid accidentally applied too much strength and he jumped at the unexpected force, quickly pulling his other hand away in time to see the sharp end of the knife cut into the board where his fingers had been a split second before. He needed a moment to calm down a little, then he shook his head and casually continued his work with his heart beating fast from shock. “There’s no need for you to worry about it.”

Kyuhyun, too, seemed to take a moment to catch up with what had almost happened and that everything had nevertheless ended well, then he spoke up again, “So that’s it. You’re afraid Ara-noona, Eunhyuk, or Donghae might not accept you, just like my parents have trouble accepting you.”

“I never said that.” But of course he also hadn’t said anything against it since he didn’t want to lie to Kyuhyun.

“Maybe you didn’t say it, but you also didn’t deny it. And your reaction would fit as well.”

“I just slipped. That happens if you cook a lot.” He had already cut himself countless times when he had paid too little attention and when he hadn’t known the knives well enough yet.

“Maybe, but it doesn’t seem to happen to you all that often.” Ryeowook heard the scratching as a chair was pushed back, then he could hear the steps Kyuhyun was taking towards him until he leaned against the counter next to him, apparently trying to make eye contact but the slightly older man made it a point to continue his work and not look up. After a couple of seconds, Kyuhyun sighed. “Ryeowook, listen closely, alright? Noona will accept you. We share the same opinion on almost everything. I’m sure she’ll see why I picked you and why I won’t change my mind about you. As for the other two… I guess they’ll be a little harder to crack since you don’t like skinship. But don’t worry, they’ll learn to behave around you and they’ll get along with you eventually. Give them a bit of time, and you’ll be able to rely on them fully—if you want to. But believe me, those three will accept you very quickly.”

Ryeowook nodded softly, grateful for the comforting words, though he didn’t feel much better regarding the other two hybrids he was supposed to meet that day.

In the end, Kyuhyun left him alone in the kitchen when he realized he really couldn’t help at all. Ryeowook was slightly grateful to be alone at last and was able to fully concentrate on the meal he was preparing, even though it also meant his worries and insecurities came back without him being able to do anything about it.

He was in the middle of a passage in the book he was reading while waiting the last couple of minutes until the meal would be done when the doorbell suddenly rang. The music he had heard from Kyuhyun’s room upstairs stopped. “I’ll get it,” the younger called out and Ryeowook could hear his steps a moment later. The cat hybrid quickly put his book away and went into the hallway as well to stand near the door—but not too close so the others would be able to enter. His palms were slightly moist from nervousness and he could feel his heartrate pick up again. The worries from the past hour seemed to be rushing through his head in fast motion, then Kyuhyun took the last step and smiled at him brightly. He opened the door. “Noona~ Come on in.”

“What about us!?” another voice called out from behind the young woman Ryeowook could see.

“Nah, I don’t feel like letting you two in,” Kyuhyun replied and it sounded like he was grinning.

“Yah! We came all the way to see the new kid and now you won’t let us in?” another young man exclaimed, making Kyuhyun laugh.

“Sounds like I’ll have to let you in if I want to keep on living here.” He stepped aside to let a young and beautiful woman in a pretty dress enter. She hugged her brother, her eyes instantly falling on Ryeowook, but the cat hybrid quickly looked down.

“You must be Ryeowook,” the young woman said, sounding curious.

Said man could hear steps from her high heels as well as the steps of the other two entering behind her. He hurried to bow towards them. “A-annyeonghaseyo,” he replied and only straightened slowly afterwards.

“So formal that kid… Where’d you say you got him from?” one of the two young men who had just entered asked. The rustling of fabric revealed they were taking off their shoes now.

“A place called ‘Hangeng’s Shelter’,” Kyuhyun revealed.

“Is it new?” the former man asked again.

“Kinda, yes,” the apartment owner replied.

The alarm went off in the kitchen, causing Ryeowook to jump. “Please excuse me,” he said hurriedly, bowed once more, then he went back to check on the meal, relaxing a little as he did so. This was at least something he knew how to do.

He could hear Kyuhyun ask the others to come into the living room with him where the big dining table had been set already.

“He looks so squishy, I want to hug him!” one of the two hybrids in the living room said.

“If you keep on talking nonsense I’ll have you miss out on Ryeowook’s lunch,” Kyuhyun threatened.

“No!! You can’t do that! I skipped breakfast this morning, I’m starving!” the former speaker instantly protested.

“Well, if you hadn’t procrastinated as much, you would’ve been able to have breakfast with Ara-noona and me. But no, you had to stay in bed all morning instead,” the other hybrid argued.

“I was still exhausted! Mind you, you’ve been able to sleep more the night before! And I’m the one who bottoms!”

“Shush, what kinds of talks are you two having?” Ara interrupted them before anything else could be said.

“Seriously, I should just kick both of you out,” Kyuhyun growled.

Ryeowook didn’t understand the sudden hint of anger in the other’s voice, but he only looked up from where he was doing the last preparations to make the food look good when he heard Kyuhyun enter the kitchen. “Is that ready?” he asked and pointed at something Ryeowook had already finished.

“Yes, but—“ The cat hybrid didn’t get any further before Kyuhyun grabbed two towels that had still been lying around from earlier.

“Then I’ll take this.”

“Don’t worry, I—“ The younger man’s warm smile and the determination in his eyes interrupted Ryeowook once again. He didn’t want Kyuhyun to have to help him when he could as well manage to do it all on his own. What if the others thought he was unorganized and had to relied on help? He slouched his shoulders as he continued to work on the last part of the food and then helped Kyuhyun carry everything to the dining table.

“Woah! This looks so good!” one of the two hybrids exclaimed, but Ryeowook still didn’t look up to see anything more specific.

“Is all of this for us?”

“Noona, can we take some home?”

“Yah, you’ll probably eat too much anyway and we won’t end up having any leftovers,” Ara replied, but Ryeowook thought he could hear a hint of amusement in her otherwise strict voice, confusing him a little.

When everything was set, Kyuhyun motioned for the chair next to his own. The other two hybrids were sitting across from them, Ara sat on the small end of the table on her own near Kyuhyun.

“Let’s sit down,” Kyuhyun said softly and the look in his eyes showed Ryeowook that it was really okay, that he wasn’t expected to fill everyone’s plate.

He nodded lightly and hesitantly sat down on his chair, looking up at the person across from him for the first time. He was met with a pair of curious, brown eyes belonging to a dog hybrid. His eyes flickered to the young man sitting across from Kyuhyun, a monkey hybrid as he found out, eyes just as full of curiosity as the first hybrid’s. The last one in line was the stunningly beautiful woman who now pointed at the dish in front of her. “May I?”

Ryeowook nodded. “Of course, ma’am.”

“Oh, please don’t speak that formally with me. My name is Ara and I’d really like you to call me that. If you two keep on getting along, we’ll be family after all, won’t we?”

The cat hybrid looked down again, nodding even though he wasn’t really sure about it. “Yes. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Thank you very much for cooking for us.”

When Ryeowook glanced up, he could see a warm and sincere smile on Ara’s lips, one that reached her eyes and made them twinkle long enough until their gazes met, then she turned to the food and started to fill her plate. The other two hybrids instantly started to do the same.

“How old are you?” the dog hybrid asked.

“I thought I taught you better? You still haven’t introduced yourselves,” Ara chimed in, though, before Ryeowook could answer.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” the monkey hybrid jumped in. “I’m Eunhyuk. And that brat is Donghae.”

“Yah, who are you calling a brat!?” the dog hybrid who was apparently called Donghae backfired.

Ignoring him, Eunhyuk continued, “Now we’ve introduced ourselves. How old are you, Ryeowook?”

“I’m nineteen,” the cat hybrid replied and fidgeted on his chair a little. Kyuhyun next to him began filling his plate as well and then held the spoon out for him. Ryeowook looked at him in surprise and confusion for a moment, then he hesitantly took the spoon and began to fill his plate a little as well, unsure how much he’d even be able to eat with how nervous he still was.

“Lucky you that Kyuhyun-ah found you then,” Donghae replied, sounding amazed.

“Yah, you on the other hand can speak more formal with me.”

“You’re younger!”

“But in a higher position!”

“You heard it, we’re family. I’ll speak with you however I want.”

“Noona, what did you do?” Kyuhyun whined, but his sister just laughed. Ryeowook looked at the other strangely, never having heard him speak in any of those ways before, yet it seemed to be normal for the others.

“At least you’re sticking to your position as the maknae,” Ara commented with a grin.

“You’re not helping,” Kyuhyun protested and turned to his plate again. “Let’s eat well.”

“Let’s,” the others chimed in and quickly began eating. Ryeowook slowly followed their example, watching the expressions around him anxiously, afraid any of them would not like it. He had made sure to include all of the wishes he had been told about—no seafood, nothing too sweet… The responses came fast in forms of surprise and delight as well as happy smiles.

“It’s really good!” Eunhyuk commented first.

“Where did you learn to cook so well?” Ara asked next, watching Ryeowook curiously.

The cat hybrid hurried to swallow so he could answer. “I learned it in the shelters I was in until now. There was always someone who could cook something I hadn’t learned until then, so I was always able to learn something new.”

“So you’ve always lived in shelters?” Donghae asked, sounding surprised.

“How many times do I have to tell you that not everyone gets to be as lucky as you were to grow up with their parents at first,” Eunhyuk replied.

The dog hybrid sent him a hurt glare, showing this discussion was neither led for the first time nor did it have a good ending. Whatever happened to him in the past, Ryeowook could tell it wasn’t a happy story but at least there seemed to be a happy ending eventually.

Everyone turned to look at Kyuhyun instead when the other shook his head. “More people share Donghae’s story than you think, Hyuk-ah.”

“I’m your hyung,” Eunhyuk protested weakly, but it seemed to be more out of habit than in a real hope to change the way Kyuhyun was addressing him.

The younger man simply shrugged. “It still surprises me as well when I hear your kinds of stories.”

“Yeah, you are one thing. But Hae should know better. He’s been at a shelter, we’re more among hybrids than you are, we know more stories on our side than you probably ever will. Believe me, my version of the past dominates. Don’t you agree, Ryeowook?”

“Huh?” The cat hybrid had been looking back and forth, trying to fully understand what was going on in this ping pong game of words, but he hadn’t expected to be pulled into the discussion.

“Don’t you agree that there are more of us who have never gotten to know their parents but grew up in shelters all the way?”

“Ah, yes. That’s true.” Ryeowook nodded softly to emphasize his words.

“Exactly. Most of us are just more lucky and get adopted sooner or we’ll get a temporary family and will go back to shelters for whatever reason. That happens a lot, too,” Eunhyuk replied with a slight shrug. “But it sounds like you’ve never been part of a family outside a shelter before, have you?”

Ryeowook looked down, unable to help the feeling of being a failure and worth less than the others who had apparently been bought much sooner.

“Hey, don’t be sad. I know enough of us who never got this kind of chance.”

“But with these parents…” Donghae muttered and Ryeowook could hear he was being hit probably by Eunhyuk, yet he didn’t look up. The feeling of having failed everyone and never being enough for anyone was too deeply rooted inside him.

“Stop making him even more afraid,” Ara interrupted the two hybrids she owned. “Can’t you see he’s having a tough time anyway? He’s already gotten to know our parents, so he knows they’re not too happy about Kyuhyun’s and my opinion about hybrids. Yet I’m certain they’re a lot more likely to accept Ryeowook than you two.”

“Just because they’re homophobic,” Donghae mumbled. “At least you two are a lot more open minded.”

“Ah, Ryeowook, I hope you don’t have a problem with any of this?” Eunhyuk asked.

When the cat hybrid didn’t answer right away, Kyuhyun was quick to fill the silence that threatened to consume them, “I don’t think he would. His best friend is in a relationship with the owner of the last shelter he was in—and believe me, the two were about as open about it as you two are, with the only difference that they stayed more objective during official meetings. You two could most certainly learn from him.”

“Nah, that’s boring,” Donghae argued and went back to eating.

“So, Ryeowook, how do you like it so far?” Ara changed the topic and when the cat hybrid looked up, he could see the young woman had leaned forward a little.

He shrugged lightly. “It’s… strange,” he replied after a couple of seconds. “Very different from what I’m used to.”

Ara nodded and her expression was understanding. “Eunhyuk and Donghae felt the same way at first, Hyuk-ah even more than Hae. It must be new to you to have so much room to yourself with only one other person around.”

Ryeowook stared at the young woman with slightly widened eyes, surprised at how well she truly seemed to understand what he was feeling.

“It may get tough on you when Kyuhyun starts going to work and university again,” Eunhyuk added, causing Ryeowook’s eyes to flicker to the other hybrid, even more surprised because the formerly playful and teasing tone had been replaced by seriousness. “It was strange to us to suddenly have the entire apartment to ourselves after only a mere week of trying to get used to having just one more person around.”

It was weird to hear his own thoughts and feelings expressed by other people and at the same time he suddenly got the thought that maybe what Heechul had said wasn’t wrong after all—that even though he lived far away from his friends he really wasn’t alone in this. Others had gone through the same thing.

He turned to Kyuhyun, filled with uncertainty and also surprise at himself for not having asked this question before. “How long will you work and go to university?”

“It’s just a part time job, luckily, so I’ll only be out in the mornings. I work from 8AM until 1PM, give or take another thirty minutes for me to get there and get back, so I’ll be out for about six hours Mondays through Fridays. And university… I might end up being away all day, actually. I don’t know my schedule yet, but with finals and all… It’s rather tough. But I’ll make sure we can still spend as much time together as possible,” Kyuhyun explained and even though Ryeowook could tell the other was feeling troubled about all of that, the apartment owner flashed him a reassuring smile. “And it’ll just be for a couple of weeks, hopefully. Then I’ll be back to working.”

“Don’t take this too lightly, though,” Ara warned her brother. “Study a lot and don’t always watch movies or play on your computer. If you study now, you’ll have more spare time and less stress in the end.”

“I know, noona. So you keep telling me.”

“That’s because you usually never listen,” the young woman replied and then turned back to Ryeowook again. “So what are you going to do during all that free time?”

Unsure of how to answer the question, Ryeowook shrugged helplessly. He realized how careless he had been for not having thought about all of that sooner already, but at that point he couldn’t change that anymore.

It was Donghae who helped him out, though, “You could work. There are also places that will hire hybrids. Usually we’ll only get small jobs with very low wages, but with the way you cook, you could try out at a restaurant or a bakery,” he suggested.

Eunhyuk nodded. “I worked at a pet shelter for a while when we first moved in with Ara-noona, Hae worked at a sports club. He still works there, I teach some classes there as well by now.”

“It’s also good because you’ll get your own money, so you can get Christmas presents and all that nice stuff on your own!” Donghae agreed. “Though you’ll first have to set up a bank account.”

“What do you think about that?” Kyuhyun asked him curiously.

“I… I don’t know… I’ve never done any of that,” Ryeowook replied, feeling like too much was asked of him to decide right away while the other four stared at him. He looked down uncomfortably at his still half full plate that he was certain he couldn’t eat another bite of.

“There’s a lot for you to take in right now,” Eunhyuk replied and leaned back.

“Maybe this will help you as well—I made a pillow fort when we arrived at Ara-noona’s apartment!” Donghae added, causing Eunhyuk to laugh.

“To this day I’m convinced your growing collection is one of the reasons why you keep on sleeping in my room instead!”

“But it did help! I didn’t feel lonely!” Donghae defended himself.

“Yeah, but some days we weren’t even sure if you had run off because we couldn’t find you among all of your plushies!”

“At least I wasn’t whining about how lonely I felt at night and how strange it was to sleep on my own because I had something else in my bed as well!” The two of them kept on bickering, but when Ryeowook glanced up, he could see Kyuhyun and Ara were rather paying attention to him than the other two hybrids. He could see in their eyes that they were worried, making him feel even worse and look down again quickly. After another moment, Kyuhyun interrupted the quarrel.

“Yah, shut it or the neighbors will come over to complain about you guys being noisy!”

“But Hyukkie is being mean to me!” Donghae protested.

“I don’t care. Either you two keep it down and start talking to us again as well or I’ll kick you out.”

“You’re not being fair! Just because you get to eat really good food every day!” Eunhyuk began to protest as well.

“If you want more of it, then stop fighting.”

“We weren’t fighting,” Donghae mumbled, but they nevertheless quieted down afterwards.

The four of them kept on talking calmly during the rest of lunch and eventually even Ryeowook picked up his silverware to finish eating while he thought about all of the things he had just been told and started to process them. In the end, though, he figured he’d have to talk about all of that again with Heechul that evening.

When everyone was done eating and they had just been chatting for a while, Kyuhyun addressed everyone again. “Why don’t we sit down on the sofa? That’ll be more comfortable.”

The others nodded. “Sure, that sounds like a good idea,” Ara agreed and stood up. “Let’s go~”

“I’ll just clean up quickly, alright?” Ryeowook replied, though, not feeling entirely comfortable about leaving everything as it was.

“There’s no need to,” Kyuhyun replied, but the cat hybrid shook his head softly.

“I would feel more comfortable doing it, though.”

“We’ll help you real quick,” Eunhyuk offered and stood up.

“Don't worry, it’s fine,” Ryeowook replied instantly and stood up as well, glancing at Kyuhyun, seeking for help.

The slightly younger man simply shrugged, though. “Let’s all help to put everything into the kitchen, then Ryeowook and I will take care of the rest later,” he offered and smiled comfortingly at the cat hybrid.

“He’s been living with you for a week and you offer to help with the household? Are you sick or are you just trying to leave a good impression?” Ara brother, making Ryeowook blush and look down quickly. He wasn’t used to others helping him either—only Sungmin and Hangeng had really helped him recently, he had never let Kyuhyun help him.

“That’s not it! It’s just faster like this,” the latter immediately protested and huffed. “You don’t have to help if you don’t want to. But I will.” With those words said, he grabbed the first things and stalked off towards the kitchen.

Ryeowook hurried to grab a few things as well and follow after Kyuhyun. When he started to also make a move to clean the plates of the last remains of their dinner, though, Kyuhyun lightly touched his arm for a tiny moment and shook his head barely noticeably, then he went back into the living room. Figuring it was the other’s way of trying not to leave him alone with the other two hybrids, Ryeowook was about to follow when Donghae stopped him. “Where do you want me to put these?”

“Anywhere will be fine. I’ll take care of them later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Please don’t worry,” Ryeowook replied and smiled back shyly.

Donghae beamed in response. “Wah, you’re so cute! I want to hug you!”

As if on command, a pair of arms was suddenly wrapped around him from behind, making Ryeowook freeze in his position. Before he even had the chance to think of a solution how to make clear he did not like this situation without offending anyone, though, Kyuhyun was right back in the kitchen. “Yah, are you coming? I didn’t know you could get lost on your way from the kitchen into the living room,” he replied, suddenly talking to him in the same tone he had used with the others.

“I’m sorry, I’m coming,” Ryeowook replied and eased himself free from the embrace, then he hurried to walk next to Kyuhyun, his head lowered in shame and embarrassment. He could hear Eunhyuk and Donghae mumble something behind his back and felt like they would be saying mean things about him, that he wasn’t good enough, that he should be different. He played with the hem of his shirt, fighting the urge to wrap his arms and cat tail around himself to help against the sinking feeling.

When they had put everything away, he sat down on the smaller sofa with Kyuhyun, the one that held only two spots, grateful to know the other had picked this one for them so he could avoid having anyone else sit with him—but his hopes were destroyed when Donghae suddenly sat down on the arm rest and poked his shoulders. “What’s wrong with you? Why—“

“I can’t believe it,” Kyuhyun interrupted him.

“What~!? Is that the way to talk to a hyung?”

“No, but what’s wrong with you? Noona needs to teach you guys some manners. Go sit properly, that is no chair.”

“No, it’s a sofa.”

“Obviously. Go sit on the other one.”

“Why!? I want to sit with Ryeowook, too! Why can’t I sit with him?”

“Because you’re annoying, go sit on the other sofa.”

“You’re so mean.” Donghae got up and sat down on the other sofa instead, hugging Eunhyuk when the monkey hybrid sat down as well. Ara sat down with them. “Why did you tense up?” the dog hybrid continued his question from before anyway.

Ryeowook fidgeted uncomfortably, looking down, so once again Kyuhyun answered for him, “Maybe not everyone’s as outgoing as you to hug total strangers right away.”

“We’re not strangers, we’re family!”

“He’s only just met you. How is Ryeowook supposed to feel like you’re family when he doesn’t even know if he’ll end up liking you? What if he gets annoyed by your childishness?”

“You’re younger than me, Kyuhyun-ah!”

“Age is just a number.”

“So what? I can behave however I want.”

“Seriously, what’s wrong with you all today?” Ara interrupted them. “We didn’t come here to fight all the time. How do you even get along usually? We came over to get to know Ryeowook. Maybe he just didn’t expect to be hugged or maybe it’s like Kyuhyun says and he’ll just have to get to know people better, maybe he just generally doesn’t like hugs that much, there are people like that. You two should know that better than I do. So behave, alright?”

“Sorry, noona,” Eunhyuk and Donghae replied in unison.

“Don’t apologize towards me, apologize towards Ryeowook.”

“We’re sorry, Ryeowook,” the two hybrids replied.

The younger male looked up, shaking his head and his hands in defense. “No, no, please don’t apologize. I know most others would have reacted differently, you did nothing wrong,” he replied and put on a smile, but inside his head, Donghae’s words seemed to have been put on repeat. What’s wrong with you? Sometimes he’d really like to know that answer, too…

“Kyuhyun-ah said you like music as well. Is that true?” Ara asked, changing the topic to a lighter one, though that didn’t help lift Ryeowook’s mood.

The cat hybrid nodded bravely, though. “Yes, that’s true. But I don’t know a lot of specific music, I’ve only ever heard what other people listened to and what’s on the radio.”

“That’s a good start towards developing your own taste of music, though! Hopefully you two will have a similar taste.”

“Yes, that would be good,” Eunhyuk agreed right away. “What else do you like to do?”

Ryeowook shrugged lightly. “I like to cook… And to read,” he replied insecurely, suddenly thinking that what he said sounded extremely lame. “I’m sorry. There’s just never been much room for me to find out what else I might like,” he mumbled.

“Don’t apologize,” the monkey hybrid objected. “Remember, I too have lived in a shelter until Ara-noona decided to take me home with her. I hadn’t had the chance to find out what I truly liked until then either, so it’s normal.”

The cat hybrid nodded softly, but knowing what the other two were doing, he still felt like he was below average, a product of what this society was trying to make of every hybrid and he himself had never resisted, had always let them form him in any way they wanted to.

“Were you close with some people from the last shelter?” Eunhyuk asked quietly and Ryeowook nodded softly. “Are you still able to remain in contact with them?” The younger hybrid nodded again. “Then it’s good. Don’t worry, you’ll get over this phase, all of us fall into it, some sooner and some later, some get out of it sooner than others, and all of us react differently. Donghae for example started to collect stuffed animals from the very beginning and built his fort that we mentioned earlier, I locked myself away. I guess we all can agree on the fact that Donghae handled the change better than I did. But try to talk about what you feel, what confuses you, what bothers you—if not to us, then to your friends. And if they give you tips on how to get out of this phase, listen to them no matter how stupid their ideas may be—they probably know you very well and might be able to give you just the right tip to get out of this depression again.”

Ryeowook looked at the monkey hybrid in front of him, somehow surprised to hear those serious words when he had been fooling around like a child just minutes earlier. Eventually, he nodded. “Thank you.”

The older shrugged. “I’ve learned that the hard way because I wouldn’t listen. Maybe you will solve this smarter than I did. Just remember that talking really is important when you feel uncomfortable about something.”

The cat hybrid nodded softly and looked down again. It was somehow strange to hear people whom he’d never met give him the same advice as his best friend had, advice that he seriously started to think about.

He let the others do the main part of the talking for the rest of the afternoon, mainly listening and learning more about both the man he lived with as well as the family he was able to become a part of if he wanted to and if he decided to fully accept this chance he had been given.

“Isn’t that what I’ve been telling you all along?” Heechul sounded a little annoyed on the other end of the line.

Ryeowook sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. I just…”

“You felt stupid and like a child, so you didn’t want to ask him. I understand that. But you could’ve nevertheless trusted me to know you well enough to figure out this might be a good solution for you.”

“I know~!”

“Aish… Whatever, you said the meeting today went well?”

“Kind of, yes.”

“Hey, Kyuhyun made sure they’d respect your boundaries without directly telling them, didn’t he? So he made sure no one would think it’s about you or about them,” Heechul pointed out.

“But Donghae-sshi did say something is wrong with me.”

“On the other hand, you said Kyuhyun’s sister also pointed out not everyone fancies skinship. You know, people are different. I bet there are millions out there who are more like you, who are not that fond of skinship. There will also be millions out there who are average about skinship—who like it with people they’re close with but don’t need it with others. And there will also be millions of people like me who will simply enjoy skinship with almost anyone as long as it’s not too intimate with the people we don’t know well yet.”

“But it seems like those who are like you dominate.”

“That’s just because we attract more attention.”

Ryeowook sighed. “Maybe you’re right…”

“Of course I’m right! Now don’t forget to talk to Kyuhyun tonight, alright?”

“I won’t forget it… How are the others doing?”

“They’re fine. I have to report to them every day so they’ll know you’re doing fine.” Heechul laughed softly. “Especially Sungmin always wants to know how you’re doing. If you’re alone next week, why don’t you call sometime and talk to Minnie? I think that would make him really happy. And thanks again for telling me Kyuhyun’s working hours.”

“No problem. But about that… Ara-sshi mentioned something earlier today…”

When Ryeowook didn’t continue speaking, Heechul said, “Ah, did she?”

“Yes… She mentioned I could maybe go to work…”

“Really? I think you’d like that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely! You’d have something to do, you’d be able to communicate with others professionally, which means you wouldn’t be alone all day but there would also be no further contact expected, so they won’t care about you not liking skinship. Plus, you will have some money for yourself, so if there’s something you’d like to have, you can simply get it.”

“Donghae-sshi also mentioned Christmas presents…”

“Really? That’s great! That most likely means you’ll get proper presents for Christmas! Which would also fit the image I have of Kyuhyun and his sister by now… Ah, this makes me so happy!” Ryeowook once again remained silent at Heechul’s outburst, simply listening. As always, the older knew something was wrong, they didn’t have to see each other for Heechul to always know how he felt. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… I’ve never done this. Our Christmas parties are all I’ve ever gotten to know, though of course I heard there’s more to it. I wouldn’t know how much or what to get…”

“Don’t stress yourself, Wookie. You’ll figure it out.”

“But how?”

“Listen to the people around you. Maybe if you get closer to Eunhyuk, Donghae, and Ara-sshi, you could even ask them what you could get for Kyuhyun, I’m sure they’ll help you. I don’t think you’d be expected to get anything for the others.”

“But they also won’t get me anything, will they?”

“How could I tell? You’ve been there for a week now, I’ve never met them before!”

Ryeowook sighed. “Hyung, it was so much easier with you all…”

“But there’s no turning back now for you unless things go down the hill. You’ll get through this, Wookie. And you’ll see how great this chance that you got is. Take your time, there’s no need to rush things. From what you keep telling me, I think Kyuhyun understands you need time to fully accustom to things as they are now, so you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, hyung. I really miss you guys.”

“Have a good night.”

“Aren’t you gonna say it back?”

“No, I won’t, because if I do you’ll start regretting having left and you’ll think you would’ve been better off here which you are not. I’ll see you soon and when I see you, I want to see you smiling and not crying, okay? It sounds like you have a great family, don’t only look at the negative side. Kyuhyun seems to be taking good care of you.”

“Thank you, hyung.”

“You’re welcome. I have to leave now or I’m afraid Hannie will fall asleep in his office again! Good night.”

“Good night.”

The line went dead. Ryeowook just stared at his phone for a couple of seconds, drained from the long day and the visit from the other three earlier that day as well as all the things he had to think about now. There was so much to consider, so much to keep in mind, and so little he could comfortably put into words to a point where he would be fine talking about it with Kyuhyun. But at least one thing had to be done now…

He turned his phone off and put it on his nightstand, then he stood up and left his room one more time that evening to knock on Kyuhyun’s door. Even though it was quiet on the other side, Ryeowook had seen light under the door slit, so he was certain the other was still awake.

“Come in,” Kyuhyun answered just a moment later.

Ryeowook opened the door hesitantly and found Kyuhyun sitting in front of his desk with what looked like a lot of paper work. “I’m sorry to interrupt you… I should just—“

“No, no, it’s fine. Did you want anything?”

The cat hybrid looked down. He opened his mouth, but when he didn’t quite know what to say, he closed it again and thought a moment longer until he slowly started to speak, “Donghae-sshi mentioned something earlier that Heechul-hyung also told me about this past week… They talked about how everything seemed too big, there’s too much space after the small shelters and the lack of room…” He fell silent again for a couple of seconds, trying to gather the courage to say the next words out loud. “Because of that… I wanted to ask you… if I could maybe… have a stuffed animal…” His voice got more and more quiet with each word and he continued to stare at the ground by his feet, waiting to hear Kyuhyun laugh at him or tell him he was being childish or that he couldn’t have that, that it was nonsense. None of that followed.

“Of course you can,” he said instead and there was a warmth in his voice that surprised the cat hybrid. When he looked up, Ryeowook could see that same warmth in Kyuhyun’s eyes.

“What?” he asked, insecure because of the sincerity of the other's tone and gaze, subconsciously grabbing the fabric of his pajama shirt in lack of anything better to hold on to.

“Nothing. I just take it as a good sign that you want to feel more comfortable here and that you’re slowly taking steps towards achieving that. Let’s go out tomorrow and get something for you so you can hopefully sleep better tomorrow night, alright?” Kyuhyun offered.

Ryeowook hesitated, but since he couldn’t think of a good reason to argue against what the other said, he nodded. “Okay.”

“Great! Now sleep well, alright?”

“What about you? Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I will—soon. I just have to finish this real quick.”

“What is that?”

“Stuff for university. Unlike what my sister probably thinks, I take some time to study every evening so I’ll be able to score high in my exams. Especially now I can’t risk to fail any of my classes.”

“What’s different now?”

“You. You are here with me now. My parents threatened to have you taken away again if I fail any of my classes, so I’ll work hard to pass them all. I know my sister faced the same issue and she did very well in all of her exams despite having two bolts of lightning to take care of, so I can’t do worse than she did, can I?” The younger man winked at Ryeowook and the smile on his lips was sincere. “I promise you that I will do well so no one will have an excuse to take you away again unless you want to go.”

The cat hybrid looked down, feeling his heart ache at those words because he could tell Kyuhyun really meant them. It was the first time someone actually wanted him there and he couldn’t help but doubt himself nevertheless, couldn’t help but think if he hadn’t been better off at the shelter. “I’m sorry,” he replied quietly, hearing his voice shake a little with unshed tears that those words had brought up. “I’ll try not to fail you.”

Ryeowook listened as Kyuhyun stood up and came over to him. “Look at me,” he demanded in a gentle tone, and the slightly older yet shorter man had no choice but to obey. “You won’t fail me because you can’t, alright? Even if you decide to go, that will be because you couldn’t feel comfortable here which means that I wasn’t the one you were supposed to live with in the end, but until you make up your mind I will try my best to make you choose me and not the shelter again, alright? So don’t worry so much, you can relax now. And like Hyukkie said, if you ever want to talk about anything, I’ll be there for you.”

The cat hybrid looked down again, sniffling in a helpless try to hold back his tears. “How can you be like this to me when... when you were so different earlier today?”

“Oh Ryeowook, please don’t cry,” Kyuhyun instantly begged. After a moment, he stepped back just to return with a small package in his hand that Ryeowook soon found out to be tissues. He took it and retrieved one from the pack, but he didn’t use it just yet. “I know they will be fine if I talk like that to them. I was different with them in the beginning as well. But this side here is only for you now, okay? I want you to feel at home here.”

“But I wouldn’t want you to put up an act for me.”

“I don’t.” By the way Kyuhyun’s hands moved, the cat hybrid could tell he would have usually touched him to comfort him, but in order not to cross his boundaries, he didn’t. “Believe me, Ryeowook, this is no act.”

The slightly older man nodded and eventually turned away to blow his nose, feeling bad for doing so. When he looked up again, he was met with a warm smile instead of a judging glare, though.

“Now go to bed, alright? Today was a tough day and going into town tomorrow may become tough on you, too, so you should rest now. Sleep well.”

“You, too,” Ryeowook replied softly and bowed lightly towards Kyuhyun again, then he left the room. Falling back into his own bed, he tried to calm down and even though it seemed impossible at first, he found himself on the verge of sleep a couple of minutes later. He forced himself to turn around once more to turn off the light, then he closed his eyes. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.