Minseok was NOT nervous for the reasons that Yixing had over.

He simply hadn’t had any non-work-related hang outs since… a long time.

Luhan insisted on picking him up, so Minseok waited outside his neighborhood. It would be cruel to make someone who was new to the area try to find Minseok’s house.

He had already checked up on the cat and replaced the gauze, and he had been pleasantly weirded out to see that new skin had already formed over the wound. Even though he didn’t know much about animal biology, he would bet his money on cats usually not healing that fast. He wondered if this cat was special, like that woman whose cells never died that he read about in the news.

He didn’t want anybody taking his kitty though. Over the past week, the ball of fur had slipped into his heart without having to do anything. At first, he had rationalized that the cat needed medical attention, so of course, he had to keep him. Now he was attached, and Minseok already anticipated his moping phase once he released the kitty. Sighing, he jumped a bit when a horn honk caught him off guard. Luhan’s white Mercedes rolled in, and he waved.

“Minseok! Nice to see you again!”

“You too!” He slid into the car and had to hum his appreciation. “The inside is as nice as the outside.”

The professor laughed and started the drive towards SM university.

“Okay, I have some money. I use it wisely though, such as purchasing this slightly more environmentally-friendly vehicle that comes with an electric emergency fuel source too. That’s why it’s only slightly better, because it still burns gasoline and it takes a lot of resources to generate electricity and to make the battery.”

“You know the dirty secrets to electricity?”

“Of course. It’s my job to know.”

From there, they had a lively discussion about the pros and cons between different energy sources, Luhan pulling in research articles and Minseok drawing on what he had seen in the news. By the time they entered the ice cream shop, he had seen a fair share of Luhan’s expressions ranging from nostril-flaring scrunches of frustration (he looked his age when he did) to a wide-eyed excitement (his eyes took up half his face). He also learned that he came from China, came here on an exchange program at a different university, then a few years after his master’s, he decided to teach at SM university. He was Minseok’s age and lived in a fancy apartment near the school.

They ordered, Minseok making sure to pay for his own, and sat down to eat. Minseok guessed that the shop’s pink and blue berry theme combined with the versatile menu of boba, desserts, and candy, and the store’s location made it a popular place with the students. They had come in the afternoon on a weekend, so the seats had moderately filled.

“So Minseok, what do you do at your job exactly? I don’t really understand what responsible disposal specialist… What’s your title?”

“Responsible Disposal Advocate Specialist Manager.”

Luhan looked winded just thinking of how to repeat the words back at him, so he decided to help him out.

“Basically, I manage the contracts that companies make with our company. If they want to have cleaner and proper disposal of various debris and trash, then they contract with us to take care of it. Lately, I’ve been handling mostly construction and post-construction matters.”

“Wow. You’re pretty high up on the food chain then.”

He shrugged. “It’s a small company. Sometimes I have to fill in for other managers or help out on the ground, so actually hauling the waste.”

“Is that why you’re so muscular?”

Minseok choked on his blueberry shortcake and hacked his lungs out for a good minute.

“I’m teasing! I don’t mean anything by that!”

Drinking from the water cup Luhan offered, he covered his face, feeling it heat up.

“I exercise as a choice, but yeah, I guess it helps.”

Luhan practically sank his face into his ice cream bowl trying to hide.

“I-I see. Uh, Minseok, I was just poking fun. Please don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad. Just… embarrassed.”

“What? Why?”

“What do you mean why? I just am.”

Luhan sat up just to give him a look. “You know how many people would kill to have a body like yours?”

The heat that was just snuffing out blazed right back over his face again.

“Luhan, stoooop.”

“It’s true! I’ve tried exercising, and I swear that I just got weaker.”

“You might’ve not been doing it correctly then—”

“Nuh uh, don’t go off topic. I’m not saying that you should go around showing off but have confidence! I noticed this earlier, but you shrink away from people when you really don’t need to.”

He rubbed his arms.

“I do?”

“Yup. And as your friend, I’m here to boost your confidence.”

He put a thumbs-up, but Minseok’s attention caught on that word and wiped his brain blank.

“Minseok?”

He snapped out of his daze with a shake of his head and hoped Luhan didn’t notice him staring at him until his vision cleared.

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

Luhan’s eyes glanced down, and Minseok forced his arms apart, making his hands clench at his pants under the table. He didn’t dare look down at the burning marks he felt there.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” He took a deep breath, looking away when he felt the lump in his throat. “And thanks for saying that.”

Luhan chuckled and out of his peripherals, he saw him resume eating his ice cream. Maybe he didn’t understand that Minseok meant he was grateful that Luhan would call him his friend, but that was fine with him. He gave his appreciation anyway.

They stayed for a bit to play Jenga after their desserts. Minseok won the first two times, teasing the engineering professor to use his master’s degree to win the game, before letting Luhan win the last round. The conversation somehow ended up on the topic of Minseok’s stray, so he invited Luhan into his home. The professor parked the car outside the neighborhood and followed Minseok up the cement hills to his house. He stopped once Minseok pointed out which was his and stood akimbo, gaping at Minseok.

“You live in a traditional house in the middle of the city surrounded by plants in the concrete jungle?”

“Well, I have modern furniture but pretty much, yeah.”

“Do you grow all these yourself?”

“Yeah, I compost, and I need something to throw the compost on.”

Luhan sent him a sly look. “Don’t act like you don’t like gardening. I can see it in how you’re checking your ivy.”

“These are sugar snap peas,” he whined.

Luhan laughed, and Minseok joined him before he pushed open the door. He gave him a brief tour before leading him to the corner that he delegated for the kitty.

“Minseok, he’s adorable,” Luhan whispered.

He nodded and ran his fingers through the fur. The small animal was still alseep, so Luhan pet him a few more times before letting him sleep.

“Are you gonna name him?” he asked once they moved to the kitchen, eyes glimmering with excitement.

“Nooo, I can’t. I’ll get attached.”

“Psh. I’m already attached, and I’ve only known about his existence for two hours.”

Minseok made a face at him and opened his pantry.

“Want anything?”

“Sure—”

A ding stopped them both, and Luhan excused himself.

“Hm, one of my students emailed me.”

“About what? Hasn’t it only been the first week? What could they have questions about?”

“Engineering class, Minseok. Looks like Oh Sehun is having technical difficulties logging into his account. He emailed me before saying that the system messed up his transfer, so I might have to manually rearrange some things. Sorry, Minseok, I think I should get home to solve this for him.”

“No problem. It was fun hanging out with you. Thanks for driving me.”

“Of course. I’ll grab you for a drink during midterms. Answering all the last-minute questions is going to be a blast.”

Minseok chuckled at his groan and saw him off. Letting out a satisfied sigh, he glanced at the clock and decided he had a few moments to spare to buy a few cat supplies. Yixing had told him not to take the kitty to the vet, saying he just needed rest. And since the wound looked almost completely healed, he decided that he could just take care of him until he was ready to brave the streets again. Minseok worried a little that the wound was healing, but the cat had yet to wake up. Nothing online was helping, and the vet he had called didn’t pick up. So much for leaving a number on the website.

Lying level with the sleeping body, Minseok gently the cat’s fur, rubbing behind his ears (the fur there was especially soft and Minseok was pretty sure that he would get scratched if he tried after the cat woke). He read somewhere that people in comas could still hear what was around them, so maybe the same went for animals. He had been murmuring little details about his day to the kitty in between work, changing the bandages, and dripping water in for him to drink, and today was no different.

“That was Luhan who came in just now. He’s a nice guy. I told you how we met, right?” Minseok snickered. “Anyway, we got ice cream and cake—those are sweet things, so I guess you can’t taste them, but it tastes good—and he thinks I should name you, but I won’t. I hope that’s okay with you. I… I’ll get too attached and feel sad when you leave.”

Quiet breathing came the cat’s reply.

“Well, I’m already attached, but still. Anyway, you can stay with me until you feel better. I’m going to buy some things to make you more comfortable once you wake, okay?”

He rubbed his thumb over the kitty’s cheek before heading out to Superstore Sung’s a few blocks away. The twenty-minute walk under the afternoon summer sun had him jogging to the entrance to get to the AC. Relishing in the chill, he made his way to the pet aisle that he never browsed but knew wher