#54:Kitten Cuddles
Kris-centric
Pairing:OT3
Continuity: Sometime after drabble #50

Kris was stressed—he was always stressed, it went without saying that even when nothing was wrong, he’d find something to make himself worry about. At the moment, it was books. This planet was full of books, and they were slowly rotting away, along with the precious knowledge inside of them. most books had been stored digitally, but they couldn’t quite access those books just yet, so they were trying to copy as many as possible. It was tough, because they were doing it by hand, and it took a very long time. And then they had to keep careful track of which ones they had already done.

Kris was going over a list of books they’d copied and books they hadn’t, trying to pick one to copy next, when Tao came into the library screaming his name and barreled into him.

“Oof,” Kris grunted as the air was knocked from his lungs. “Tao…god, get off me…”

“KITTENS!” Tao screamed. “There’s a litter of kittens in the barn!! You have to come see them!”

Kris struggled in Tao’s hold, glaring at him. “The last time you said that, you ended up bringing me to see Chen sleeping on the docks.”

Tao pouted. “Well you even admitted that he looked like a cat…but this is different!! These are real kittens, and they’re really cute and you have to come see them!!”

Kris feebly tried to shake Tao off. “I can’t, I’m busy, I have important work to do, and I’m a dog person.”

“You don’t have to be a cat person to love kittens, and your work will still be here tomorrow,” Tao said.

“It might not,” Kris countered. “These books are crumbling before our eyes, Tao!”

Tao sighed and grabbed Kris’ chin, turning his head and planting a gentle kiss on his lips. When Tao finally pulled away, Kris frowned at him in disapproval.

“You don’t play fair,” he accused.

Tao grinned smugly. “I never claimed to.” He carded his fingers through Kris’ feathers, raising an eyebrow when several came loose. “Look at this, you’re so stressed out that you’re molting.”

Kris bristled—literally, the feathers on his wings standing on end. “I’m not molting,” he mumbled darkly. “It’s normal for a few to fall out.”

Tao sighed, moving to poke at Kris’ eyes. “You have dark circles that could rival mine. Only intensity though, never in iness…” that last part seemed to be more of him thinking out loud than trying to convince Kris to abandon his work.

“I would never attempt to rival your y panda eyes,” Kris teased, poking Tao right back. “And for your information, I don’t have dark circles.”

Tao draped his arms over Kris’ shoulders, pouting at him. “You didn’t come to bed last night.”

“I did,” Kris said. “It was after you were asleep. Suho saw me.”

“You weren’t there when I woke up.”

“I was there,” Kris insisted, “And I have the bruises to prove it. You elbowed me in the ribs again.”

Tao’s pout intensified. “Suho and I were making out,” he said, “And you weren’t there. You missed out. And then you didn’t kiss me goodnight—”

“I did!”

“I wasn’t awake for it, it doesn’t count! You’re spending too much time working, it’s taking you away from me and Suho!”

Kris sighed and put down his lists. He wasn’t going to get any work done today, and besides, Tao was right. “So what do you want from me?” He asked Tao.

“I want you to come see these kittens,” Tao said, dragging Kris out of the library before he could change his mind, “And then I want you to come spend some time with Suho and I.”

Kris allowed Tao to pull him along, somewhat amused about Tao’s priorities. Were these kittens really that cute?

Yes, they were.

They were in the last stall in the barn, which was currently unoccupied. There were five kittens, about three weeks old, and the mother was a black and white cat that they all agreed looked a bit like a cow. There were two pure orange kittens, one black and white, one all black, and one calico.

Tao scooped up the black one (hiding by mommy) and scratched it behind the ears. “This one’s my favorite,” he crooned, smiling down at the little fluffball. He looked at the two orange ones and scowled. “They’re little devils, don’t trust them.”

“Orange cats are by nature mischief makers,” Kris reminded him, but he was distracted by the little calico. It had bounded up to him and was trying to climb over his leg and into his lap. It was a fluffy little thing, totally fearless in the way it charged at him. Kris it’s head with one finger, as it was too small for much more than that, and tickled it behind its ear. The kitten mewled at him, pawing at his hand with such ferocity that it fell over backwards.

“Aren’t they sweet?” Tao asked, pressing the little black one to his cheek.

“That one looks like you, if you were a cat,” Kris teased.

Tao gave him a shocked look. “Eh?”

“You’d be a black cat,” Kris went on while the calico bit at his thumb, “And you’d be fluffy, and skinny as hell, and you’d probably be really shy too.”

“Oye!” Tao cried, startling the kitten into scratching his check.

“Oh, it jumps like you too,” Kris laughed, remembering all the times Tao accidentally injured him when he jumped in fright.

Tao glared at Kris and hugged his kitten to his chest. “Maybe I’ll leave you to cuddle by yourself,” he sniffed.

“You won’t,” Kris said, finally shaking the calico off of his hand. It leapt back for another attack, but he quickly stood up. “Come on,” he said to Tao, “Let’s go before we spend all day here.”

Tao pouted but gave his kitten a kiss on its fluffy little head and then stood up as well.

The two of them found Suho and then they holed themselves up in their shared room. They didn’t actually have a bed, just two mattresses pushed together on the floor. And they didn’t really make the bed either, usually they just formed a nest of blankets and curled up around each other. Their physical relationship was largely based on cuddling. Today Suho and Tao sandwiched Kris between them, Tao with his head on Kris’ chest and Kris’ head resting against Suho’s shoulder. It was kind of backwards as far as height went, Tao’s feet hang off the bed and Suho having to inch almost to the top of the bed to make himself that slight bit taller than Kris, but nobody was complaining.

Tao was practically asleep already—Kris was playing with his hair, and it seemed to be a reflex left over from childhood but it always made Tao sleepy. Kris grinned down at his youngest boyfriend, gently brushing his bangs to the side only to have them flop back over his eyes. Tao’s eyelids fluttered, but he didn’t open them.

“Babe,” Kris whispered, nudging Suho, “Doesn’t Tao remind you of a kitten?”

Suho propped himself up on an elbow, leaning over to peer at Tao. Snuggled into Kris’ side, having his hair petted, the slight tilt of his lips…

“He does, doesn’t he?” Suho agreed.

Tao stirred and opened one eye. “I don’t…” he mumbled, turning his face into Kris’s chest and snuggling closer.

Suho let out a strangled squeak. “By the Tree I never noticed before—he really is like a kitten!”

Tao pulled back and glared.

Kris smirked and kissed Tao’s forehead. “A fluffy, black kitten, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Absolutely!”

“You’re both crazy!” Tao cried, blushing slightly.

Suho ‘Aww’ed and leaned over to kiss Tao lightly. “Oh baby, we don’t mean anything bad by it. You’re just cute and playful, that’s all.”

“But I can kick both your butts,” Tao sniffed.

“True,” Kris agreed, “But that doesn’t mean you’re not cute.”

“Yeah well…then you’re both cute too!” Tao said.

“Of course,” Suho scoffed. “Don’t forget,” he raked his fingers through Kris’ feathers and Kris yelped, feeling heat flood his cheeks.

“God, you can’t just do that out of nowhere,” he stammered, folding his wings close to his back.

“Kris is adorable,” Suho said smugly, planting a kiss on Kris’ cheek.

“Yeah, and you have an adorable smile,” Tao told Suho.

Suho grinned widely, his eyes lighting up. “Do I?”

“Don’t front,” Kris laughed, “You know we love your smile, Junmen.”

Suho’s cheeks turned slightly pink and he coughed. “So we all agree, we’re all cute, it’s not just Tao.”

“And I’m y too!” Tao cried, sitting up. “I’m not just cute, I’m y!”

Kris grabbed Tao by the back of the neck and pulled him back down, resuming his toying with Tao’s hair. “You’re sooo y, baby,” he whispered into Tao’s neck, and he didn’t have to look that Tao’s face looked like a sunset.

Not three days later Kris could already feel the stress creeping back. He really did know that he was being ridiculous, the knowledge of this whole world doesn’t have to rest on his shoulders, but he feels responsible. He was always had a brain hardwired for memorization, it’s what made him so good at learning languages. He could, in theory, read a book and still remember it well enough to write it down months later, but he didn’t want to do that, he wanted to get it all done now.

He was working on Pride and Prejudice at the moment. It was a great novel, really, but it was just…not his cup of tea. It was better than War and Peace, though.

When his eyes started to close against his will and blinking becomes dangerously close to napping, Kris decided to go for a walk. He wasn't even sure where to go, he just knew that he needed to get out of the library. He let his feet decide where to take him, and eventually he realized that his feet were taking him to the barn again. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to go see how the kittens are doing, they did a great job of de-stressing him last time.

To prove that he was not solely going to see the kittens, Kris decided to take some time and visit the horses. There were five in total in the barn, all mares. There was a big grey one that Kris was very fond of, and he spent a few minutes with her before the mewling from the last stall really started distracting him and he finally went over. The calico bounded right up to him and tried to climb up his leg.

“Ouch, stop,” Kris demanded, swatting at it. It fell back down with a startled meow and glared at him.

“I’m coming, calm yourself,” Kris muttered as he sat, and right away the kitten clambered into his lap, and set about playing with the buttons on his shirt.

Kris spied the little black kitten and tried to pick it up, only for it to stumble away, back arched, tail upright, and hissing frantically. It was absolutely adorable.

“Aww, you look just Tao when he tries to be threatening,” Kris laughed, batting at the kitten. It scurried away and hid behind it’s mother, glaring at the world. Kris laughed at it again and turns his attention back to the kitten in his lap, which he realized is wrestling with the buttons on his shirt.

“Knock it off, you,” he ordered, flicking the kitten onto it’s back with one finger. The kitten leapt back up and launched itself at Kris’ hand, chewing on his index finger.

“Little monster,” Kris grumbled, wrestling the kitten to the floor and holding it there with his thumb. It squirmed, clawing and biting, until finally it let out a pitiful mewl and Kris let it up.

“Did you learn your lesson?” Kris asked. “Are you going to behave now?”

The kitten shook itself off and crawled up on Kris’ knee, sniffing his pants. Kris pet it gently, and the kitten arched up into it, purring.

“You’re a cute little squirt, I’ll give you that,” Kris mumbled. It was hard to remember that he was a dog person when he had a little kitten rubbing up against his hand and purring happily. And it was so tiny, it looked like it could fit in the palm of his hand! In fact…

Kris scooped the kitten up in his hand, holding it out so it couldn’t go anywhere. It’s four little paws fit perfectly inside his palm, and the kitten stared around in confusion for a bit before attacking Kris’ thumb once again.

“Oye!” Kris yelled, pinning the kitten again. “Are we going to start this again?”

Kris only let the kitten up once it seemed to have calmed down, and at that point it decided to curl up in his palm and close its eyes.

“Aww,” Kris sighed, “You are so freaking cute.” He gently pet its head, and even while asleep the kitten purred.

After a while Kris realized what just happened and he froze.

“Oh, crap,” he whispered, staring at the kitten in horror. “You’re really asleep aren’t you?!”

The kitten, of course, didn't answer, and Kris was left with the knowledge that if he woke up this kitten, he’d never forgive himself, but his wrist was starting to hurt and he was hungry and who knew how long the kitten was going to sleep for?!

Kris glanced at mommy kitty, currently curled around her other four babies, and she gave him a look that threatened death if he harmed her fifth.

“Okay, I got it,” Kris mumbled, looking away from her. “I won’t wake this one up. I just…I’ll be back.”

And gripping the wrist holding up the kitten with his free hand (to keep it steady), Kris slowly got to his feet.

“I’ll be back,” he told mama cat, and then he slowly walked away, careful not to jostle the sleeping kitten. It took him twenty minutes to get to the kitchen, a walk that would normally only take ten.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol were in the kitchen, and they both gave Kris weird looks when they saw him.

“What have you got there?” Baekhyun asked.

“A sleeping kitten,” Kris sais darkly.

Chanyeol leapt up for a better view. “Aww!” he cried, “So cute!”

“Why are you carrying it like that?” Baekhyun laughed.

“Because it’s asleep, duh,” Kris said, rolling his eyes.

“So wake it up,” Baekhyun told him.

Kris narrowed his eyes and shoved his hand in their faces. “Would YOU wake up this adorable creature?”

Baekhyun cleared his throat. “No, I guess not,” he admitted, “But I thought you weren’t a cat person.”

“You don’t have to be a cat person to love kittens,” Kris said, parroting Tao’s words to him. “Now can one of you cut me some bread or something? I‘m starving and I only have one hand to work with.”

It took the kitten about an hour to wake up, and by the time that happened Kris had managed to eat and carry the kitten back to the barn. As soon as it woke up, Kris dumped it right out of his hand and right onto the little black one, who leapt up in shock and hissed, tackling the sleepy kitten to the ground and biting it’s neck.

“Get it, little Tao,” Kris cheered, “Get it for me!”

Later on, Tao found Kris and gave him a smug smile.

“I hear you carry sleepy kittens around in your hands now?”

Kris elbowed him in the ribs. “That black kitten looks like you when it gets mad too. I think I’m going to call you ‘kitten’ from now on.”

Rather than get angry, Tao blushed furiously and hid his face in his sleeves. Kris gasped.

“Oh my gosh, would you like that? I was kidding, but if you would like it then…”

“Not constantly,” Tao muttered, “But…maybe on special occasions. Like my birthday or something.”

“Or when you’re really, really, really, so unbearable cute that I just can’t take it?” Kris asked, wrapping his arms around Tao’s shoulder and tugging him close for a hug.

“Okay,” Tao agreed, giving Kris a quick kiss on the cheek. “That works.”

Kris hummed in approval, hugging Tao tighter. “Oh, and Tao?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been thinking…it’s not safe to have those kittens in the barn. As they get older, they’ll want to wander, and with the horses right there…”

“Oh,” Tao breathed, pulling back. “Yeah…what should we do?”

Kris cleared his throat. “I was thinking…maybe…we should move them to the library. You know, it’s the best place. They’re not underfoot in our rooms, and they can catch all the mice that are eating away at my books.”

Tao blinked, and then he laughed. “You can’t fool me!” He crowed, “You are a cat person! You want them there so they can keep you company!”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Kris sniffed.

Tao nudged his shoulder. “Calico cats are usually female, have you thought of a name for your favorite kitten yet?”

“Squirt,” Kris told him, “Because she’s tiny.”

Tao frowned. “That’s mean.”

“It’s cute!” Kris insisted. “What’s your kittens name then?”

“I was thinking Star,” Tao said, “I don’t know, it just fits—and yes, I know it’s a girl.”

“So we have Star and Squirt, sounds like the perfect combination to me,” Kris said.

“Your naming skills ,” Tao informed him.

The argument continued, but in the end the little calico kitten would be forever known as Squirt.

Yet another drabble that was suggested by rainiedayze146

“Giant duizhang playing with small cute animals, have you seen how big his hands are compared to everyone else's!!?? He could probably plant crops on his palms!! Ugh please write a sleeping kitten on Kris' hand; he'll try really hard not to move at all so he won't disturb it sleeping even though his arm gets tired from holding it up and it will be the most adorable thing in existence :D”

I swear, the two of us have far too much fun in the comments section. That image was just too cute to pass up!!