Dahyun groans, rubbing her eyes as she slams her fist down on the blaring alarm. It’s their day off, but the exhaustion from the night before that had seeped in her bones dragged her in bed without even wiping off her makeup, much less turning the alarm off. She’s about to turn over in bed, ready for another few hours of rest before she sees something that makes her jolt up from her bed, tumbling over and thunking her hand against the nightstand before falling on the ground in an unceremonious heap. 

“Good morning.”

Dahyun blearily looks up towards the voice, finding Tzuyu sitting on her bed, back straight and hands folded in her lap.

“Morning, love,” she mumbles, running her fingers through her hair as she squints over at her girlfriend.

“I found that in bed next to you when I woke up twenty minutes ago. Seems pretty cute.”

“Okay, but are we not going to talk about WHY there’s a baby TIGER in bed next to me? And where is Chaeyoung?”

The sound of Dahyun’s outburst causes the little ball of fur to stir, tail twitching softly before it lets out a big yawn and starts stretching, tiny canines bared, and Dahyun can’t help but feel a smile stretch across her lips at the sight. A tiny purr leaves the cub as it begins kneading at the bed, turning around once in a circle before flopping down, facing the two girls staring at it dumbfoundedly as its tail twitches lazily.

“Unnie, this is gonna sound a bit weird, but stay with me, okay? I’ve been watching it for the past twenty minutes. So… those were the clothes Chaeyoung slept in last night,” Tzuyu gestures at the heap of pajamas next to the cub. “And Chaeyoung is known as a little cub, right?” 

Dahyun rubs her eyes, getting on her knees to take a closer look over the edge of the bed. The tiger cub turns to look at her, and she feels a sudden rush of fear before she meets its soft baby blue eyes- and melts. She’s in love. The cub gets up, padding over to the edge of the bed where her face currently resides, letting out a tiny mewl before it stretches out a paw, batting at the hair that is slightly mussed from Dahyun’s previous misadventure off the mattress. She holds still as the kitten waddles closer, frozen as it curls against her neck, purring.

“Chaeyoung or not, it likes you, unnie. I’m gonna go make some breakfast.”

Tzuyu walks out the room, leaving a frozen Dahyun with a cuddly ball of fur.

-

The rest of the dorm wakes slowly, the sounds of oil sizzling in the pan and the smell of sausages and eggs filling the quiet morning air and taking the last remaining silence with it. Momo comes barreling out of her room, Jeongyeon tailing her with a pillow - “Momo, get back here! You didn’t make the bed!”, wrapping her arms behind Tzuyu and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek before sneaking a sausage off the plate and gobbling it up right when the pillow hits her with a solid thud.

“Stop stealing Tzuyu’s sausage and go make the bed, Momo-“

“Who’s stealing Tzuyu’s sausage? Can I get some?” Nayeon slides over with eyebrows wiggling, and Jihyo quickly comes up behind her, flicking her forehead as the older girl whines.

“Who’s sausage?” Sana’s voice carries from the living room, soon appearing with her fingers interlaced in Mina’s. “Someone making a o without me?”

Tzuyu groans. It’s too early for this, and she utters, “I’m making sausages and eggs for all of you if you want to help set the table. Also, we have a baby tiger in our bedroom.”

Nobody even flinches; Chaeyoung’s nickname is familiar to all. 

“Tzuyu, if you missed your girlfriend so much, you could’ve just gone back to bed,” Nayeon points out. “That’s what we were all doing this morning,” she smirks softly. 

Jihyo tries to smack her arm, but Nayeon’s prepared this time, tugging at her hand until she’s pulled into her embrace. The rest of the girls are causing chaos already, grabbing plates and silverware.

-

The tiger cub is sound asleep curled up against Dahyun’s neck, and she dares not move. She lets her cheek rest against the soft fur, frowning in thought. Was what Tzuyu said right? Although the Taiwanese girl is the youngest, she’s always proven to be quite wise and observant, and Dahyun trusts her judgment. She just doesn’t even want to begin figuring out the logistics of such a thing occurring.

Dahyun sighs, rubbing at the headache forming between her brows before stiffening. Her movements have caused the little cub to stir, its soft little yawn and subsequent purring causing her to melt just a bit more, choosing to pull back so she can watch the little animal more closely. The baby tiger takes unsteady steps toward her, mewling as it tries to get close to the warmth that left. Dahyun finally decides this little animal is no threat, shuffling back into the bed and reaching hesitant arms out to lift the wriggly ball of fluff, placing it in her lap as she rests against the headboard. 

The little cub wriggles against her, finding the best spot to curl up on, dozing off soon after. Dahyun quickly follows, her hand absentmindedly the fur until she is sound asleep, her head against the wall.

-

All the girls have been served their breakfast, and Tzuyu carries a tray of steaming food back to her room. She might not tell her girlfriends she loves them often; she doesn’t even sleep in the same bed as them most nights (it’s far too small, and she’s too tall, she insists), but she shows it in other ways. Finding Dahyun fast asleep, the little cub curled in her lap, Tzuyu melts. Setting down the tray carefully on the bedside table, she pauses to take a picture with her phone before pocketing it. She’s just about to pull the blanket over Dahyun’s exposed legs before she notices the older girl’s head slowly slipping down the wall precariously toward the wooden headboard. 

As quickly and silently as possible, the Taiwanese girl climbs on the bed, leaning against the wall and catching the ol