Minseok’s back was killing him.

Someplace between his shoulder blades, an ache, a soreness, a sharp twinge—every kind of pain imaginable throbbed in that one particular spot.

Didn’t he get frostbite there last night?

If last night’s events even happened.

But when he shuffled and groaned his way to the living room, he saw the little cat still sleeping in the blanket bundle he made for it. So that meant the cold in his back, vomiting in the street, and the bleeding kitty weren’t part of some strange vision or figments of a dream.

Juuuuust great.

Sighing, Minseok moved to take a shower first. He felt icky, and when he looked down, he saw blood staining his shirt from where he had held the cat. He hopped into the shower and made sure to let the warm water run over the sore spot in his back. The pain receded for a little while, long enough for him to get changed and make coffee without wanting to groan every two seconds. As he warmed something to eat—noodles and soup he prepared last weekend—he peered over at his small guest in the living room. He guessed that he would have to take it to the vet soon. Could they look at it while it was unconscious? Or should he wait since the cat seemed to have healed on its own?

Minseok still thought that was weird, by the way.

He remembered that he should change the bandages now since he might not get a chance to later, so he pulled out the first aid and carefully replaced the gauze. The little one kept on sleeping, and now that Minseok’s mind no longer ran in a frenzy, he took a good look at the cat.

Its black fur actually had highlights of gold weaved in like stripes, also coloring the tail tip. He guessed that the cat was male, but he didn’t know the breed from just looking at him. He knew little about pets or how to take care of them. His family had never been a pet family.

Minseok pulled away from the thoughts and went back to preparing his food. He did a quick search for cat food substitutes in a pinch as he ate and subsequently got into reading cat-related facts. In a chance glance at the time, he realized that he was going to be late for work and slurped down the rest of the noodles, chucked the dishware into the sink, and zoomed out the door.

He clocked into work just in time and heaved out a sigh. With his perfect record still intact, Minseok relaxed and headed first to the Lounge to see Yixing. His friend wasn’t there though, and he wondered if something happened again with his other work.

He jumped a bit as his phone blared out its generic ‘snowflake’ ringtone, flashing Yixing’s name.

“Huh, what a coincidence. Hey, Yixing, what’s up?”

“Are you at work right now?”

He drew back at the worry weighing in his voice. The unusual snap of urgency alarmed him.

“Yeah, just clocked in. Why?”

“Where are you?”

“Near the Lounge.”

He heard Yixing swear, and now Minseok shifted on his feet, looking over his shoulder. His gentle friend never swore.

“What’s wrong?”

“Minseok, go to your office and do not leave, okay? I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

Before he had a chance to ask why, he hung up. Minseok looked at his phone in confusion, but if his calm and smiley friend was so jittery, then he had best comply to put him at ease. Starting towards his office, he turned the corner and rammed straight into something. Minseok groaned at the impact and opened his eyes to another surprise, this one imposing and familiar, minus one thing—dark vapor radiated off his body, and Minseok flinched at the pressure that suddenly crushed him.

“Kyungsoo?”

The Disposal Manager stepped back, his hands and stance as if he was about to defend himself, but his eyes had widened in shock. He dropped his hands, and the vapor dissipated in an instant. Had he imagined it? Besides, Minseok was a bit surprised too because he never saw so much of Kyungsoo’s eye whites before.

“Minseok.”

“What’re you doing here?”

He narrowed his eyes at him, and Minseok mentally facepalmed himself.

“Uh, I mean—not that you can’t be here. You have every right to be here like any of the other office workers.” He sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just surprised to see you.”

Kyungsoo didn’t say anything. Minseok tensed as he saw that Kyungsoo fists were still clenched with his unchanging expression, he couldn’t tell how offended he was. The vapor had disappeared, but the power he felt with it seemed to rumble in the air.

“Minseok, answer me honestly. Did you meet anyone last night?”

That was a bit random but harmless enough.

“No, I didn’t. I picked up a little cat though. Poor thing was injured.”

Kyungsoo’s fists tightened, and he wondered if he said something wrong.

“Minseok!”

Turning around, he practically had to catch Yixing before he sped straight into the wall. His friend broke out of his hold and started patting him all around.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?”

“Yixing! Relax. I’m fine. I was just talking to Kyungsoo, one of the disposal managers.”

Yixing blinked, then turned to Kyungsoo, who glanced between them two.

“Hello, Kyungsoo.”

“Yixing.”

The following silence made it hard for Minseok to not-cringe, so he cleared his throat.

“So, Yixing, did you have something you needed from me? You were telling me to get to my office.”

Slowly, as if he was belatedly hearing Minseok’s question, he nodded.

“Then Kyungsoo, did you need anything from me either? Any onsite reports?”

“No.”

“Okay, then, Yixing, come with me, and I guess I’ll see you later, Kyungsoo.”

With a nod from the disposal manager, Minseok waved and tugged Yixing with him until he had shut the door to his office. As he automatically his computer, he looked at Yixing and startled to see him narrowing his eyes at him too.

“Is something the matter?”

Yixing pressed his lips together and moved right into Minseok’s face.

“Minseok, did Kyungsoo do anything to you?”

“Not at all. If anything, I was the one who did something. I was turning the corner and ran into him.” Minseok rubbed his face. “He must work out. It felt like hitting a brick wall.”

The confusion continued to twist Yixing’s features, and Minseok didn’t like that look on his friend.

“Why’d you ask about Kyungsoo?”

“Because it’s the only solution that would make sense…”

Minseok watched as his eyebrows furrowed as the cosmos lit in his eyes. Leaving him to his thinking, Minseok started on today’s paperwork and clients. Every so often, he glanced over at his friend to find him in the same position. Sometime around lunch, Minseok saved his things and took Yixing by the shoulder. He seemed jostled out of his thoughts, and he wondered just how long his friend could think while standing and not even move.

“Xing, c’mon, it’s lunch time.”

“Already?”

“Yes, and I let you stand there without working, so you better get lunch with me now.”

He dragged him down to the little canteen area on the ground floor. The Cafeteria doubled as the unofficial lounge area for the on-ground workers because it was closer, so a small set up of chairs, water-stocked fridge, and ceiling fans took up a corner of the place. The menu sported about six entrees and various sweets, extras going into a refrigerator, that was free for workers. ADS occasionally acted as host to field trips, and students would hand in vouchers pre-paid by their school.

Minseok got a wrap, while Yixing got soup. They sat and ate in quiet. Minseok rather liked eating lunch with his friend, but the worry in his eyes was also making him worry.

“Yixing, eat and tell me what’s bothering you.”

After a beat, he tucked into his soup. It wasn’t until mid-way that Minseok heard the first words from him since they left his office.

“That’s not possible… is it?”

Raising an eyebrow, he kept eating and nudging his friend to eat, figuring that Yixing would explain his mutterings eventually. He usually did even if he hadn’t known words had slipped out of his mouth earlier.

“Minseok, I cried on you yesterday?”

“Yeah. Uh, don’t worry about it. I had to wash my shirt anyway since I got cat blood on it. At least the shirt was dark colored.”

“Cat blood?”

“Yeah, I found a little kitty that was injured and took him home to help him.”

Yixing’s rounded eyes blinked back to normal size, though the cosmos still swirled in them, before he sighed a little.

“You really would’ve been a great angel.”

Since his words seemed more to himself, Minseok didn’t comment, and they finished up their food. He had Yixing return to his work, reassuring him that he’d be fine when he lingered at the door, and got to work himself.

After Minseok arranged an onsite survey for regular debris pickup with Jeong Jaehyun, he noticed that he got a text.

Minseok reread the text a couple times, because he couldn’t believe that someone invited him out. Although he was friends with Yixing, they hadn’t really hung out outside of work or not discuss work in a casu