There are few sounds in the world more wretched than that of a morning alarm, as it pierces the ears of whichever poor bugger is unfortunate enough to be in the same vicinity as its sound waves. Said bugger, Zhang Yixing, lets out a groan as he fumbles around to try and get to the accursed appliance. He briefly contemplates lobbing the alarm against the wall but the rational part of his brain intervenes before he commits electronicide. Moving with all the grace of a wounded water buffalo, he extracts himself from his blankets, managing to lose a sock in the process. Shivering from the cold tile floors under his bare feet, he trudges to the bathroom across the hall. The water is pleasantly warm and helps invigorate-nah, it’s actually cold as because Yixing lives in a run down piece of building and his landlord’s plumbing skills are as questionable as his taste in fashion.  (And it is really too early in the morning to think about horrific velour tracksuits).

 

 

A quick glance at the wall clock shows that he has 20 minutes to get dressed and eat before he runs the risk of being late for work at the nursery. Normally he’s too laidback (read: stoned) to care about this but Chanyeol has been extra pissy these past few weeks and has been threatening to boot his if he’s late one more time. The likelihood of Chanyeol actually going through with it is slim but he can still assign Yixing to fertilizer duty and he’d rather avoid smelling like cow for the next few months. The last time it happened, he got booted off every mode of public transport in Seoul.

.

He pushes two pieces of bread into the toaster while haphazardly pulling on his work shirt. The living room is dark and he goes to pull up the blinds, blinking at the sudden invasion of sunlight.  There is slush on the ground and the window panes are still frosted but the first signs of spring in Seoul are starting to emerge. Deciding to enjoy the pleasant weather, Yixing grabs his toast and some jam before stepping out on the fire escape outside his window. The rusty metal creaks ominously and as always Yixing prays (he likes to alternate deities to cover all bases) that it doesn’t snap. Jehovah must be in a good mood today because he doesn’t go plummeting to his death 6 feet below. Setting the plate down beside him, he messily spreads jam on the bread with his fingers. From up here he has a vantage point of the whole apartment complex and if he squints he can make out the top of Namsan tower towards the East. He spots his perpetually sleepy (and incredibly attractive) neighbour Kai making his way across the street, gym bag slung over his shoulder. A tall, blond hybrid (Yixing dubs him Draco) is waiting for him, hands in his pockets and tail wrapped around himself for warmth. Kai looks around furtively before grabbing Draco’s collar and doing his best impersonation of a Hoover. It reminds Yixing of a nature documentary he once watched on anteaters. Draco doesn’t seem to mind if the way he grabs Kai’s is any indication and Yixing can see his ears flickering from all the way here. The snogging continues for a few more minutes until Kai extracts himself (Yixing’s mind helpfully supplies a plunging sound effect) and the two walk away. Well, well, well, this is interesting. He feels like one of the nosy old aunties back home in Changsha who used to sit out on their porches and spy on the neighbours. Deciding that what his breakfast (and voyeurism) needs is some milk; he makes his way inside to pour a glass before heading back out.

 

Except when he returns, his food is gone. His chipped Hello Kitty plate is still sitting there but any sort of edible matter it once contained is gone. He looks around him to make sure he didn’t drop it before squinting up at the sky. Maybe a pigeon stole it. He’d have to be a pretty buff pigeon to make off with it whole though. Can wings get buff?  Yixing ponders the science behind this until his phone starts ringing. He answers it with a distracted “Hello?” and nearly falls off when there is a loud yell right in his ear.

 

“Zhang Yixing, you useless bastard, you’d better be on your way here. Chanyeol is on the ing warpath and I don’t get paid nearly enough to deal with his alone.” Luhan’s voice really is unattractive when it gets all pitchy and Yixing calmly informs him of the fact. There is a pause on the other end before Luhan replies. “Listen to me carefully Yixing” he says in Mandarin, in the artificially sweet tone he only uses when there are customers around. ‘If you aren’t here in ten minutes, I am going to take the entire shipment of Chilean cactuses and very slowly shove them up your . Are we clear?” the line goes dead and Yixing sticks his tongue out at the phone. Luhan is so overdramatic. And he’s pretty sure the plural of cactuses is cacti. Or was it cactopi?  Picking up the plate, he takes one final look around before shutting the window behind him.

 

***

Yixing is fifteen minutes late for work, despite running the last few blocks to Naegok-dong where the nursery is situated. In his defence, the pretty girl outside the subway entrance had been handing out free cookie samples and Yixing was hungry (he mentally shakes a fist at his avian sandwich thief). She had been sweet enough to let him a have a second sample when she saw him staring at her tray with a glazed-eyed look. He then felt obligated to fill out the customer review survey, film a clip for the brand’s YouTube channel and pose for pictures including one where the sample girl draped herself over him. (He was fairly sure the last one wasn’t for promotional purposes but whatever, it got him another cookie).

 

“Yixing” he hears someone trill and he looks to see a petite brunet with big doe eyes make his way from behind the counter. “So glad you made it!” Luhan opens his arms for a hug and Yixing almost foolishly walks into the embrace before seeing the small spiky plant his co-worker is holding. Luhan continues to smile, his grin looking less beatific and more frightening, arms still spread out as if he were a demented version of that Jesus statue in Rio. Ah Rio. Yixing loved that movie. The birds were pretty. And they didn’t steal sandwiches.

 Yixing slowly backs away from Luhan, eyes scanning the area for any sharp objects Luhan could use on him (or he on Luhan) “Listen I know I’m late but there were these cookies-“

“Cookies?!” Luhan screeches charging Yixing and putting him in a headlock while simultaneously trying to shove the cactus up his nose.”I’ve had to put up with that lovesick goon moping and sighing all afternoon. And if I have to hear Lonely on repeat one more time, then I’m dismantling the intercom system. I thought I could count on a little support from you but oh no, you have no time for your gege , you’d rather eat ing cookies!”

 

Yixing is fairly sure he’s blue in the face by the time Luhan lets go of him and even then it’s only to go greet Rashida, the sweet old Lebanese lady from across the street who always drops by to buy hummus (they had tried to explain several time that the sign actually said humus but to no avail, so now they keep a stockpile of hummus in the back for her). Clutching his throat, he makes his way to Chanyeol’s office.

 

Yixing is certain the sight in front of him would be comedic to a more sadistic soul, but as it is, he just finds it sad. Chanyeol is sitting on the floor in the middle of his office, surrounded by cacti which he’s transferring into a carton. The normally hyperactive giant looks like the wilted bonsai in Yixing’s kitchen, even his hair is drooping and his eyes lack their usual psychotic glee. 2AM warbles over the speakers and Chanyeol lets out a loud sigh. “Did you have someone special back home, little guy?” it takes Yixing a moment to realise he’s talking to the cactus in his hands. “A hot Colombian girlfriend in the desert? Did you get to say goodbye to her before you were brutally extracted from the earth of your motherland?”

 

“He’s Chilean” Yixing says, walking inside. Chanyeol looks unperturbed by the fact that he’s been caught commiserating with a plant and merely packs him away with his cacti brethren. Of which there are at least a hundred scattered around the room. “Who the hell even ordered these?”

 

“You know the guy who lives across from me. The one with the big eyes who always looks like he just got flashed? Apparently he’s into tequila-making as a hobby and he’s trying out some new experiment with these. I told him I’d give him a discount if he gave me a bottle.”
Yixing blinks slowly at his boss. “Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that…illegal?”

 

Chanyeol glares at him. “What do you care, are you gonna report him?” He slams a flowerpot into the carton with a little more force than necessary. “People should do what they love rather than living horrible, meaningless lives where they have no one to fight over the last slice of pizza with.”

 

Yixing sighs. Of course this is about Baekhyun. Chanyeol had fallen hard and fast for the petite hybrid who worked in a popular cat café. Baekhyun had been more than happy to string Chanyeol along; what with the money he made off the giant’s visits, not to mention the gifts. But then Chanyeol made the great error of proposing to Baekhyun in the middle of the café, complete with a serenade (Yixing had been his accompanist) and was promptly banned from the establishment. His seemed to be hitting the depression phase of the five stages of grief so Yixing was hoping that he’d get back to normal soon but this phase was taking a lot longer than he’d initially anticipated. He was starting to scare customers away. Hell, Yixing was pretty sure he was partly the reason why the strawberry saplings kept dying. Flowers can sense auras and Chanyeol’s was probably making them all commit mass suicide.

 

“Channie” he coos, pushing his boss to sit in the desk chair before beginning to massage the kinks in his shoulders. “Have you considered maybe getting back out there?” his fingers find a stubborn knot between Chanyeol’s shoulder blades and he presses harder. “Tried to visit another hybrid café maybe?”

The murderous look Chanyeol gives him has him skittering out of the office.

***

Yixing’s muscles are screaming like an opera heroine as he drags himself up the six flights of stairs to his apartment (the elevator is of course out of order). Chanyeol had punished him by assigning him cactus delivery duty. He had to make three trips across town in the store’s ty van and carry all the cartons up to the tequila enthusiast’s apartment (his elevator was perfectly operational but off limits to non-residents. i.e. commoners like Yixing). Tequila guy or Do Kyungsoo as the order form said, made him empty out all the boxes and personally inspected each plant before finally paying him. Chanyeol then had him restock the loam bags, an activity Luhan was supposed to help with but the Chinese man just had to wave a spiky plant in his direction for Yixing to agree to do it solo.

 

He fumbles with his doorknob for a few seconds before managing to open the door. Peeling off his shoes as he walked in, he kicked the door behind him and flipped on the light.

 

And came face to face with a person in his kitchen.

 

Yixing stared blankly into the person’s eyes, mind slowly trying to process the situation. Firstly, there was a stranger in kitchen. Said stranger was a hybrid, with pointy black ears and a tail that was currently frozen in mid air. In his mouth he held two slices of bread and his hands held what looked like a giant stash of tuna cans and ramyun packets. There was open jar of pickles on the counter and the tangy scent tickled Yixing’s nose. He sneezed.

 

It broke the silent stare down. With a yowl, the cat jumped the counter and raced towards the open window where the fire escape was, hands still full of food. Honestly, if he had dropped the food and ran, Yixing might have let the entire matter go considering how exhausted he was. But seeing some mangy street cat make off with half the contents of his pantry was infuriating and he ran after him, managing to tackle his legs before he could get himself properly through the window.

The intruder struggled, upper body dangling outside while Yixing kept a tight grip on his legs. The hybrid was tall, easily over 6 feet and could probably have shaken Yixing off easily if it weren’t for the fact that he refused to relinquish his stolen haul. Yixing took advantage of this incapacitation and began pulling the hybrid’s legs, yanking him slowly back inside as the hybrid kicked out at him. His tail comes out of nowhere and whips Yixing across the face, and he can feel the side of his face begin to swell. That’s the final straw. Yixing grabs the hybrid’s tail and yanks. Hard. There’s a yowl of pain before the hybrid scrambles back inside, presumably to avoid having his tail ripped off. Yixing tackles him to the floor and they tussle for a few minutes until he manages to get a knee on the hybrid’s crotch. The hybrid stills immediately, looking at Yixing with wide eyes. Yixing tests his new found power “Hands behind your head” he orders applying some more pressure with his knee. The hybrid whimpers but complies immediately. Yixing uses his now free hands to pin down the intruders legs and he surveys him from this vantage point.

 

It may be a shallow thing to notice given the circumstances but the food thief is ridiculously good-looking. His face was grimy but underneath the dirt were prominent cheek bones, sharp jaw line and thin lips with a feline curl to the corners. His nose was aquiline and a pleasant contrast to his other more delicate features. But his most striking feature were definitely his eyes. Almond shaped with puffy eye bags-wo can were what his grandmother called them- they gave him a fierce, predatory look. Said eyes were focused on his with a mixture of defiance and fear. Yixing hadn’t really thought much about what he was going to with the hybrid after restraining him and lets out an awkward cough. He decides to start with the basics. “What’s your name?”he asks trying to sound stern. He sounds more like his neighbour Yongguk when he has a head cold. The hybrid calmly looks at him before responding with “Go yourself.”

 

Well that was rude. Yixing frowns down at the catboy who blew a raspberry at him. He tries again to interrogate “Where do you live?” The hybrid smiles beatifically “In your momma’s pants.” Yixing resists the urge to release one of the hybrids legs so he could give him a vicious noogie for that line. Breathing deeply, he locks eyes with the cat. “Who are you?”The hybrid looks up at him, all traces of amusement gone and beckons him closer. Yixing leans in until he and the hybrid are nose to nose. From this angle, Yixing could count each and every freckle on the boy’s face and he would’ve soon been preoccupied in doing so if the hybrid hadn’t spoken. “I am” he breathes out, gazing at Yixing who swallows “the one who stole your sandwich. What now, motherer?” he lets out a mocking laugh.

 

That laugh turns into a high pitched squeal of pain when Yixing puts all his weight on his knee. The hybrid starts flailing, trying to get the weight off his pelvis but Yixing is seeing red right now. “You er, that was my sandwich! Mine! I had to go hungry at work because of you! You probably got your pigeon accomplices to help you out, huh?” he grabs the hybrids shoulders and begins shaking him. “Where is he? Take me to your buff pigeon friend. Once I find him, I’ll stuff a pillow with his thieving carcass.”

The hybrid is staring up at him, his expression properly terrified. “What in the are you going on about? What ing pigeons?  Hey wait, you speak Mandarin? Cao ni- PLEASE GET YOUR KNEE OFF MY OH MY GOD!”

 

Yixing belatedly realises that he yelled out his pigeon rant in Mandarin. Oh so the hybrid is one of his countrymen. But this is clearly a diversionary tactic. He resumes shaking the boy. “Yes, I speak Mandarin. It is an official language of China, Taiwan and Singapore and has over a billion speakers worldwide. Including me. But that’s not important right now, stop trying to distract me. What the hell were you doing in my apartment?”

 

“I was hungry!” the hybrid wails and Yixing realises with a start that he’s crying. He gets off him and the hybrid pulls him self up, wiping furiously at his face while another hands holds his crotch. “It’s been three days since I’ve found anything decent enough to eat until your sandwich this morning and then you left the window open and I thought it wouldn’t matter if I took a few things.” He sniffles loudly, arms wrapped around himself and Yixing notices how skinny he is, ribs showing through the low cut sleeves of his raggedy tank top. A wave of guilt hits him and he suddenly feels really ing selfish for fighting with a starving boy over discount packs of ramyun. He stands up slowly, wincing as the blood rushes back to his legs. He gathers up the fallen food items before making his way to the kitchen. The hybrid watches him go with a resigned expression before standing and hobbling to the window. He has one leg out when Yixing calls out to him “Hey, you never told me your name.”

 

The hybrid eyes him warily, ears flickering. “Zitao” he says after a pause, voice barely carrying over to the man across the room. “Why do you care?”

 

“Zitao” Yixing hums, testing the word on his tongue, syllables oddly comforting. He smiles widely at Zitao who looks a bit caught off guard at the sudden change in expression (Yixing’s dimples tend to have that effect). “I’m Yixing. Would you like to join me for dinner?”

 

 

***

Yixing thinks he falls a little bit in love over dinner, with the way Zitao eats his ramyun slowly as if he’s being fed royal court cuisine, with the high pitch of his voice forming words in Yixing’s mother tongue, how his tail twitches happily when Yixing brings ice cream for dessert and the way his eyes crinkle into half moons when he laughs. When dinner is finished and the dishes are washed, Yixing finds himself hesitating in the doorway of the living room. Zitao is sitting on the floor, picking at stray threads on the hem of his jeans, as his tail flicks around. He looks warm and sated and he gives Yixing a smile when the other man approaches to sit down beside him. Yixing returns the gesture and they sit there in comfortable silence. Yixing scratches his leg as he gazes sleepily at Zitao. “So what’s your story?” Zitao raises an eyebrow and gives him a questioning look. Yixing clarifies “I mean, why are you going around stealing food. Don’t your owners feed you?”

 

The smile drops off Zitao’s face and he looks down. “I don’t have any” he mumbles low and Yixing has to lean in to hear him. He’s surprised by the information. All hybrids in Korea have to be registered under a human owner or corporation, as a pet or worker, no exceptions allowed. For a foreign hybrid to be running around Seoul on his own is unheard of. “How come? I mean-how would you even get into the country without an owner? Did they pass away?” Zitao fiddles with his fingers before responding with “I don’t want to talk about this.” He’s on his feet and moving towards the window before Yixing realises. Damn hybrid cat speed. Zitao turns to him and does an awkward head bob. “Thank you for the food. I’ll leave you alone now.”

“Wait” Yixing calls out, concerned. “Zitao, do you have a place to spend the night?” The hybrid gives a short nod before climbing out the window. Yixing doesn’t buy it and walks over to the window and leans out to grab Zitao’s arm. “Zitao, seriously. If you ever need a place to say or eat, come over anytime. I usually get off work around 6. “ Zitao gives him a searching look before gently extricating Yixing’s hand off his arm. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Then he turns and jumps off the fire escape. Yixing’s lets out a terrified squeak and clambers out to gaze over the edge. He’s greeted by a calm, empty street and not Zitao’s mangled body splattered out on the pavement. He scans the block but there’s no sign of the tall hybrid anywhere. He rubs at his eyes, wondering if the entire day has just been the result of one, bad trip. Minseok had better not be selling him that cheap, laced again. He locks the window behind him, not bothering to undress as he falls into bed.

 

***

Yixing doesn’t hear from Zitao again for two weeks and the craziness of his work life is enough to distract him from pondering about the mysterious hybrid. Spring is approaching and the nursery is constantly busy with new shipments and customers. Luhan and Yixing have been forced to shoulder more of the burden than usual due to Chanyeol’s latest antics which both of them got an eyeful of on Monday morning.

“Sweet Buddha, my eyes!” Luhan screeches before throwing his backpack at the two bodies on the counter. There’s a squeak and a yell and the sound of broken vases. Yixing closes his eyes and tries to focus on taking deep calming breaths, like they taught him in Lamaze classes (long story). It doesn’t really help, because he still has the image of Chanyeol with his tongue shoved down the other man’s throat burnt into the back of his eyelids. He’s mildly impressed the short hybrid’s airways weren’t blocked, what with the amount of…vigor Chanyeol was putting into the kiss.

 

Said shorter guy pulls himself up from where he’d fallen on top of Chanyeol behind the counter and turns to glare at Luhan, ears standing straight up “What in the ever-loving hell is your deal, dude?”

 

Luhan doesn’t respond and that alone is strange enough for Yixing to peek his head over the brunet’s shoulder to look at the cause. He gasps when he sees who’s got his co-worker gobsmacked “Minseok-hyung?” he gapes, taking in the familiar almond eyes and red hair. The petite hybrid’s glare turns into a wide grin as he sees Yixing. “Xing-Xing!” he coos, bodily shoving Luhan to the side and coming to wrap himself around Yixing who staggers back with the added weight, mind frantically trying to figure out what his drug dealer is doing at his workplace. Minseok tucks his head under Yixing’s arm and grins up at him. “So this is where you work.”

Yixing nods “Umm why exactly are you here? And why…were you making out with my boss? Unless that was a new variation of the Heimlich.”  Chanyeol lets out a protesting squawk at that before being walloped over the head by Luhan. “I don’t care what or who you like to physically assault with your tongue but do it far, far away from my counter.” the Chinese man hisses before stomping off to the back room. “Where the do we keep the Lysol? If I catch an STD from that surface, I’ll castrate you with a toothpick, Park Chanyeol.”

“If it helps, I’m clean” Minseok calls out, cheeky grin stretched over his features. Yixing makes eye contact with his boss and tries to transmit his “what the is going on” feelings to him. Chanyeol nudges his head towards his office and Yixing follows him, Minseok still clinging to him.

 

Ten minutes of explaining later and Yixing still can’t fully wrap his brain around what’s going on. “Let me get this straight. You’re planning on making Baekhyun jealous by dating the hybrid who owns the ddeokboki stall across from the café?” Minseok nudges his head against Yixing’s hand and he complies by scratching him behind his ears.

Chanyeol wrings his hands excitedly. “But don’t you get it? This is the perfect scheme! Hell, you’re the one that gave me the idea.”

“Me?” Yixing sputters. “How on earth did I have a hand in this madness?”

Chanyeol’s right eye nearly twitches shut as he grins and Yixing resists the urge to let out a terrified “meep” . “I was thinking about what you said about me getting back out there. But rather than me seeing another hybrid and forgetting about Baekhyun, Baekhyun will see me with another hybrid and remember me. Then he’ll get jealous and duke it out with Minseok for my love.” Did this grown giant just swoon?

 

Minseok sighs, stretching out his legs. “Basically, crazy eyes here has been watching too many dramas and thinks he can pull off a dramatic reunion scheme. There will be no duelling or ten paces at dawn by the way, your flat ain’t worth it.” Chanyeol nods enthusiastically in agreement, seemingly missing the insult.

 

Yixing rubs his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a stress headache. “Okay I’m beginning to understand this plan and I can definitely see Chanyeol’s influence all over it. But why the hell are you involved?”

Minseok finally gets off Yixing’s lap, leaving his legs a bit numb. “I get paid per day and makeout//assault session. Plus he agreed to let me grow grass in the back.” He makes a rolling gesture between his thumb and index finger lest the other men not understand basic drug lingo. “I wonder if that organic compost will give the leaves a stronger flavour.”

 

Leaving Minseok to discuss his new horticultural pursuits with Chanyeol, Yixing rounds the corner and comes face –to-face with a manic Luhan. He has a brief second to wonder whether he is currently the sanest person in the shop before he’d being yanked behind the counter.

 

“Are the two of them still in there?” Luhan whispers, peeking over his shoulder to check.

“Yes” Yixing grumbles, snatching his arm out of the other man’s grip. “What’s got your VS Pink ™ in a bunch?” Luhan glares at him. “ you, they’re comfortable. More importantly, who is that hybrid and how did Chanyeol coerce him into a relationship?” Yixing raises an eyebrow at him. “What’s it to you?”

 

Luhan sighs and sits down, pulling a flowerpot off his desk into his lap. Yixing realises that it’s one of the remaining Chilean cacti. What is it with these plants? “You know that was part of a customer’s order right?”

Luhan shrugs. “I decided to raise it as my own. Its flowers are supposed to be quite pretty. Just like that hybrid over there.”

“Minseok” Yixing helpfully supplies.

“Minseok” Luhan echoes, a dreamy expression on his face. “God, he’s just ing delicious isn’t he?” Yixing wonders if Luhan knows he’s a cactus leaf in a vaguely phallic manner. “His ears are so ing fluffy. And his cheeks. God his cheeks look so squishy. Like baozi” Yixing sincerely hopes Luhan is talking about the cheeks on Minseok’s face. “What is a gorgeous being like that doing with a gutter rat like Park Chanyeol?”

 

“I heard that!” Chanyeol calls exiting the back room, Minseok at his heels. He grins down at his two employees. “Operation: Make Baekhyun Jealous is all systems go. Soon, my darling and I will be reunited.” He lets out a wistful sigh, his eyes practically hearts. From behind him, Minseok makes gagging motions before grabbing Chanyeol.

“Alright, get in the car, Park, it’s almost 3 and I need to open the stand. The high school kids are out now and they’re my best customers.” Not just for the ddeokbokki, Yixing thinks wryly. He nudges Luhan. “Go say hi” he mouths in Mandarin, ignoring Luhan’s squeak of protest as he pushes him out from behind the counter. Luhan stumbles, falling forward but Minseok manages to catch him. The short hybrid quirks an eyebrow at the Chinese man, lips turned up in amusement. Luhan pulls himself up and adjusts his clothes before extending a palm outwards. “I don’t think we got off to the best start” he says and oh god, he’s using that breathy -me tone of his. Yixing wants to bury his face into the cactus just to spare himself the sight.

Minseok smirks. “As I recall you tried to assault me.” Luhan blushes and starts babbling apologies. Minseok waves them away, smiling. ‘That’s alright, no harm done. Nice to meet you too..?

“Luhan” the brunet squeaks; grin so wide it makes him look vaguely like the Joker. Minseok is clearly a braver man than Yixing ever gave him credit for because he doesn’t run screaming at the sight. He grasps Luhan’s hand lightly. “Luhan. I’m Kim Minseok, nice to meet yo-“

Suddenly Minseok’s eyes widen and with a yowl he lets go of Luhan’s hand, screeching as if he’d been burnt.  Yixing rushes out from behind the counter, holding the cactus in his arms. “No, no, no” shrieks out Minseok backing away from him, tail flying about him. ‘Get that accursed, smelly thing away from me. Oh my god, it smells like a mortuary.”  Gagging, the petite hybrid flees the shop, slamming the door of Chanyeol’s sedan behind him.

 

There is silence as Yixing and Luhan process what just happened. “Umm” Yixing hands Luhan the flowerpot. “I don’t think your new crush and cactus child are going to work out”. Luhan lets out a wail and flops down onto counter, clutching the flowerpot. Yixing sighs and goes to do seed inventory. They’ve been low on fennel for the past few weeks.

 

***

Chanyeol and Minseok don’t return for the rest of the afternoon so Yixing makes the executive decision to close up early. Luhan has been too much of a wreck to do any work and keeps wandering around the shop Miss Havisham-style muttering about cacti and baozi and how “women underwear is pretty, why can’t boxers have lace?’. Plus, the weatherman is warning of a freak storm that will hit Seoul and possibly shut down traffic so public-transport reliant Yixing needs to get going. He locks up and bids Luhan goodbye. Halfway home, it starts raining, heavy sheets pelting the streets and unsuspecting citizens of Seoul who desperately run to find shelter. Yixing manages to squeeze his way onto a bus and makes to his street in a relatively dry (but uncomfortable- that ajummas umbrella was getting very intimately acquainted with his balls) condition. He races to the entrance of his building, bag held over his head for protection. He shakes his head wildly in the lobby, droplets flying in all directions.

“My, my, Yixing-ah, aren’t you all…wet” he hears a purr behind him. It’s Chen, his neighbour from three doors down, leaning against the wall, tail curling upwards as he grins lasciviously. Yixing normally wouldn’t be too opposed to being openly seduced by someone as good looking as Chen (he eyes the hybrid’s shapely white legs that are on display in a pair of obscenely tiny shorts) but there’s something about his interactions with the hybrid that leave him feeling vaguely dirty and bloated. Like a chocolate binge. He smiles sleepily at him. “Evening, Chen. What brings you down to our regal lobby?” He gestures to the dank room with its peeling paint. Chen grins and pushes off the wall, gait slow and measured. Yixing tries not to get hypnotized by the movement of Chen’s hips as he walks over to the visitors couch and sinks down. “I’m waiting for Daddy to come home. He hates thunderstorms so I thought I’d surprise him. Distract him from all the banging. “Chen’s smirk is lewd. “You should get upstairs, Yixing-ah, you wouldn’t want to catch a cold now. Let me know if you need any help keeping warm.” Yixing nods and moves towards the stairwell, tripping over a mop the janitor left behind. He can hear Chen’s laughter behind him as the door swings closed behind him.

 

Six flights of stairs later, Yixing is inside his apartment and sets about stripping off his clothes, chucking them all in the hamper. He pulls on a pair of worn sweatpants and a hoodie before proceeding to the kitchen for some reheated bibimbap. He eats on the couch, watching drama reruns on tv as the rain continues to pour outside. Despite the loud crashing of thunder, he has no problems slipping into sleep, eyes falling shut of their own accord.

 

He’s woken up by a persistent tapping noise.. Rubbing at his eyes, he blinks at the microwave clock, the bright red numbers flashing 2:47. He jumps at a particularly loud blast of thunder and hears a shrieking sound before there’s a loud banging sound coming from the windows. Scared less, he reaches to flip on the lights but his buildings ever unreliable electricity system isn’t working. Fumbling through his kitchen drawer, he retrieves a lighter and flicks it on, the weak flame illuminating the room. He slowly walks over to the windows, where the banging has decreased some and slowly pulls back the curtain. He can’t make anything out and bring the lighter closer to look.

 

What he sees has him scrambling to pry open the window, lighter flicking off in his haste.  Once he finally wrestles it open, a huge gust of air flows in drenching him and half his carpet. Ignoring the stinging raindrops, he reaches out blindly until he makes contact with something solid, before pulling. There is an unearthly screech form the fire escape which is swaying with the force of the wind and Yixing prays that the damn thing holds. One final tug, and he falls backwards, a large mass landing on him and knocking the wind out of him.

 

Zitao looks wretched, mud clinging to his clothes which are soaked through. He’s shivering violently and tenses when another crack of thunder sounds. Yixing tries to distract him. “Funny how whenever we meet, one of us is always on their backs eh?” he jokes, wiggling his eyebrows. It’s weak but Zitao lets out a little chuckle before shifting to move off him. Together they manage to shove the window shut.  Yixing finds some old aromatherapy candles in the pantry and lights them, giving them something to see by.

The first item on the agenda is to get Zitao something dry to wear. He’s sneezing nonstop and sniffles, using his tail to wipe his nose. Yixing is far shorter than him so they make do with the baggiest articles they can find (and Yixing thinks Zitao looks adorable in his too-short sweatpants). It’s late and although Yixing realises the need for them to talk, he’s too tired to do it right now. They create a makeshift bed for Zitao on the couch and Yixing whispers a sleepy goodnight before going to the bedroom. A short while later, Zitao creeps into his bedroom and stands by the bed, sniffing. Yixing only hesitates for a second, pulling back the sheets and letting Zitao curl up against his back. Some would probably find spooning with a hybrid who is essentially a stranger quite questionable but Yixing can’t be arsed to care when his back is pressed up against the solid bulk of Tao’s chest, the hybrid radiating warmth. They drift off together to a symphony of thunder.

***

Yixing wakes the next morning with a dry mouth and a pressing need to empty his bladder. He extricates himself from Zitao’s death grip on his waist (the hybrid lets out displeased mewls in his sleep until Yixing shoves a pillow in his arms as proxy). The weather outside his bathroom window is dreary, rain continuing to fall although the winds from the night before have calmed somewhat.  Chanyeol has left a message telling him and Luhan that the nursery will be closed today so that’s one less thing for him to worry about.

 

He guzzles down two glasses of water in the kitchen before filling another glass and taking it to the bedroom. Zitao is now flat on his back, Yixing’s pillow covering his face. The too-short sweatshirt Yixing lent him is riding up, exposing a flat strip of tanned skin and dark hair and Yixing swallows hard, because  there’s a really good looking hybrid in his bed right now and this is a situation he’s very much out of his depth with. He approaches the bed slowly not wanting to wake Zitao and places the glass of water on the nightstand. Zitao seems to sense the movement and flops over onto his side, stretching his limbs out lazily. His ears twitch every time he exhales and oh my sweet cactus, he is so adorable, Yixing want to squeal. Yixing tiptoes out of the room before he does something absurd like pinch Zitao’s cheeks. He’s pretty sure they haven’t reached that point in their relationship together. Yet.

 

Yixing’s pantry is woefully under stocked and he doesn’t think his guest will appreciate a breakfast of green beans and saltines, so he prepares to head out in, grabbing a raincoat. He shuts the door softly behind him, not wanting to wake Zitao. It’s almost funny how this feels like the morning after a one night stand, minus the sticky clothing and lingering aches.

 

Thankfully, the convenience store two blocks over is still open and Yixing bows to the ahjumma at the register before making his way to the milk aisle. He gets sidetracked by the cereal display and is too engrossed in solving the maze puzzle on the back of the Froot Loops carton to hear the footsteps coming up behind him. He squeaks when a pair of arms wraps themselves around his middle and warm breath blows into his ear. “Good morning, Yixing-ah”.

Yixing twists himself around, catching a glimpse of sharp cheekbones and a mischievous smile. “Oh god, Chen, you scared me. Why are you out here so early?” He tries to ignore the way the hybrid’s fingers are creeping closer and closer to the hem of his t-shirt. Chen lets out an exaggerated sigh, pressing his head between Yixing’s shoulder blades. “I’m picking up Daddy’s vitamins. Normally he does it but…lets just say the thunder wasn’t the only thing keeping him up last night.” Yixing starts as he feels a cold nose press into the skin of his (very sensitive) neck. Chen sniffs him for a few seconds before drawing away with a scandalized gasp. “Yixing-ah!” he exclaims, slapping Yixing on the arm. “You dirty boy! You had company last night”

Yixing’s automatic reaction is to deny. “No, I didn’t” he says backing away slowly towards the milk aisle. Chen isn’t having it and follows him, using his tail to grab onto Yixing’s wrist. “Bull, you have a hybrid-scent all over you. Any cat for miles could probably smell it. Hell, I’m surprised I didn’t catch on sooner. Must be those jeans.” He gives Yixing’s an appreciative once-over before meeting his eyes once more. “So who is he?”

 

Yixing sighs, grabbing a carton of milk “He’s a friend. He got caught in the rain last night and dropped by and ended up staying the night.”  He brushes past the smirking hybrid to reach for an egg carton. Chen, never one to miss a chance for inappropriate touching, slides a hand into his back pocket. “Really? He just dropped by? And somehow managed to febreze himself on you? C’mon Yixing, we’re both adults here. Tell me the truth.”  He grabs a handful of Yixing’s and Yixing nearly drops the egg carton.

“We slept together!” he yells. There is silence and he looks up to see Chen, the ahjumma at the counter and a blonde hybrid staring at him shocked.  “Platonically. We slept together as in shared a bed with clothes on. Platonically. And spooned. Platonically”

The ahjumma and the hybrid (Draco?) both give him judgemental looks before turning their backs on him. Flushing furiously, he ducks into the bread aisle, followed by a laughing Chen. He grabs a loaf grumpily. “Shut up, it’s not that funny.”

“Hell yes, it is.” Chen guffaws, wiping tears away from the corners of his eyes. “I think you gave Kim-ssi a heart attack. Nobody’s probably whispered anything remotely ual near her for years.” He smirks as Yixing glowers at him. “Okay, so you and your hybrid friend haven’t done the nasty yet.” He clucks his tongue disapprovingly “You should get on that”. He leads them both to the cashier where ahjumma Kim glares at Yixing before turning around to scan his items. Yixing ducks his head down, pretending to be very interested in his frayed shoelaces. “And why, pray tell, should I do that? Unlike you Chen, I don’t feel the need to jump everything that moves.” He fishes in his pockets for his wallet, panicking briefly until he notices Chen holding it with his tail and paying. They both bow low and exit the shop. Chen links their arms together. “I don’t jump everything that moves but I’d definitely jump your hybrid friend. He practically stinks of virirlity.” He leans in and takes a long sniff of Yixing and shudders letting out an obscene sounding moan. “Oh yeah. I’d bang that harder than a screen door in a hurricane.”

 

They reach their building and make the slow trek up to the sixth floor. (Yixing ends up piggybacking Chen for the last two flights). When they reach their floor, Yixing tries to quickly unlock his door using his body to block Chen’s attempts at entering with limited success. They grapple in Yixing’s entranceway until Chen finally acquiesces when Yixing promises to introduce Zitao to him later (he has no intention of doing this). Chen fixes his shirt grumbling slightly, using his tail to rummage through Yixing’s shopping bags. Yixing quirks an eyebrow at him. “What are you doing?”

 

Chen flourishes a small bottle. “Retrieving my vitamins. Thanks for paying!” Before Yixing can protest over Chen scamming him, the hybrid uses his shirt to yank Yixing forwards and plants a kiss on him. “Bye papa” he coos before slinking away.

 

Yixing rubs at his mouth frantically. He’s not sure if daddy issues can be spread through physical contact but he’s pretty sure Chen’s contagious. He’s in the process of gargling when he hears a soft cough behind him. Freezing with his mouth still full of water, he turns slowly to see Zitao standing in the hallway, shuffling his feet awkwardly.  They stare at each other for a few seconds until Yixing speaks “How long have you been standing there?” Unfortunately, he forgets to spit first and ends up spewing water all over himself and the floor.  He sees Zitao cringe and Yixing wants nothing more than to crawl under the sink and become one with the drain pipes. Sputtering, he awkwardly clears his throat. “Um I’m going to work on breakfast. If you want to shower, I recommend you do it now before the hot water is used up.” Zitao nods and shuffles back towards the bathroom and Yixing notices how he still has the quilt wrapped around his shoulder.

 

Once he hears the bathroom door click shut, he sets about cleaning up the puddle on the floor. Figuring there’s no point in dirtying a dish towel, he peels of his soaked t-shirt and uses it to soak up the water. He’s in the process of wringing it out over the sink when he hears a surprised squeak.

 

Zitao is back in the hallway staring at him wide-eyed as he takes in Yixing’s half appearance, eyes appraising the long lines of Yixing’s torso, lingering over small dark s. He flushes; red travelling all the way to his ears and averts his eyes immediately when he realises he’s been staring “Um...t-towels. I need a towel?”

 

“Hall closet, second shelf.” Yixing replies, resisting the urge to cover his pectorals with oven mitts. Zitao nods and all but runs back into the bathroom. Yixing puts his face into his hands and takes a deep breath. Breakfast. He can do this. He can have a meal with Zitao without any more incidents of weirdness or semi-. Pulling on a hoodie, he moves to the stove and pulls out the frying pan.

 

He’s feeling pretty proud of himself by the time Zitao gets out of the shower and hesitantly enters the kitchen, towel around his shoulders. His face lights up when he sees the scrambled eggs and toast set out for him and he sets about stuffing his face with gusto, almost falling off the chair in his excitement. Yixing sips his coffee and smiles as he watches the hybrid enthusiastically chew. He pushes his own half-eaten plate over when he sees his guest eyeing it.

“Hungry?” he asks playfully nudging the hybrid and Zitao smiles back. “So hungry. This is amazing; you’re a really good cook, gege.” He continues to chew thankfully oblivious to Yixing’s internal hysterics at the use of the honorific. Once finished, he insists on doing the washing up, pushing Yixing’s hands aside as he reaches for the plates. Yixing concedes and sits back on the couch, watching Zitao bustle around the kitchenette which is clearly too small for his large frame. There’s a small crash as his tail knocks off a fridge magnet and Yixing laughs.

 

“Zitao” he calls and hears a hum in response. “Why were you out so late last night? You should’ve stayed home when the storm warning happened.”

There’s another crashing sound before Zitao’s head emerges sheepishly from behind the counter.  “Uh…y-yeah I was on my way home when it started and I got caught up.”

 

Yixing narrows his eyes at him suspiciously. “Why were you out at 3.AM? The storm warning was broadcast at 5 o’clock”

 

Zitao is wringing the dish towel between his fingers, staring at the floor. “Come here” Yixing calls, surprised by the sternness in his own voice. The hybrid obediently shuffles over to the living room and sits at the foot of the sofa.  Fidgeting with the couch cushion in his lap, he begins to speak. “Um do you remember the first time I was here?”

 

“No, attempted burglaries are a part of my daily existence, I can’t recall your case specifically.” Yixing quips. A small smile tugs up at the corner of Zitao’s lips before he coughs and continues. “Well I may have lied to you.”

 

“So it was the pigeon who did it!” Yixing exclaims. There are a few moments of silence as Zitao stares at him before Yixing gets hit in the face with a couch cushion. Hard.

 

“Anyways” Zitao continues ignoring a sputtering Yixing beside him. “I lied to you. I do have owners.” Yixing ceases holding his nose in pain and turns to gape at Zitao who ducks his head low.

“Oh my god, why didn’t you tell me this earlier? They’re probably so worried about you” Yixing’s hands flail about as he frets; missing the looking of bemusement on his couch mate’s face. “Oh my god, what if they think I kidnapped you? I could get arrested. They’d deport me back to China. I’d have to go back to work at the family butcher shop.” Yixing is now hyperventilating. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life touching meat!”

 

Zitao hits him in he face with the couch cushion again. “Relax gege, I doubt they care enough to go to the police.” The casual way he says this has Yixing frowning.

“What do you mean they won’t care? What kind of people let their family members roam around alone in the streets?”

Zitao sighs stretching out his legs. “I was bought by a family in Qingdao when I was six. They ran a wushu center and I worked for them. The Grandmaster was kind to me and I was treated well while I was with them. I worked and lived there for 12 years until the Grandmaster passed away. His sons didn’t want to continue running the center so they sold it off and me along with it. The new owner’s wife- Meili jiejie- took a liking to me and when she got divorced, I went with her. That how I came to Korea actually, she moved us here when she got remarried” he coughs. “Gege, can I get some water?”

When Yixing returns with the water, Zitao resumes speaking. “Her husband runs an electronics store and the initial plan was that I would work for them there. But I’ m sure you’ve noticed by now that I’m a bit clumsy. I kept breaking stuff and he wouldn’t let me work there anymore.  I tried to find another job but my Korean is pretty . The husband hates me, says I’m a freeloader and keeps yelling at jiejie to sell me. He has a drinking problem and during bad times he tries to take swipes at me. When that happens, I usually leave the house for a few days till jiejie tells me it’s safe to come back.” He puffs his cheeks out. “He got really wasted last night and started throwing things in the middle of the night.”

 

Yixing doesn’t know where to begin sorting through everything Zitao’s just told him. “Wait, you’re telling me your owners are abusive?” he leans over and clasps one of his hands. “Have they ever hurt you?”

“It’s not like that” Zitao reassures him. “I could defend myself easily; I just don’t hurt him for jiejie’s sake. It’s just easier to leave.” Despite this, Yixing’s senses are telling him that everything about this situation is royally ed up. “That’s still not right Zitao. You should call the police or Hybrid Protective Services. He can’t treat you like that. You shouldn’t be out wandering the streets at night because you’re scared to go home.”

He gets a shrug in response and he frowns, annoyed that the hybrid isn’t taking his concerns seriously. He pulls Zitao closer, tucking his head under his chin. “You know…you can stay here for a while if you need to. I have space.” Zitao lets out a laugh at that, the tips of his ears tickling Yixing’s chin. “You really don’t gege. Besides, I wouldn’t want to leave jiejie alone for that long. I can take care of myself.” He burrows himself further into Yixing’s chest and Yixing’s idly bring his hand up to scratch at Zitao’s ears.  The reaction is instantaneous. Zitao lets out a loud, full body purr and arches up into the touch, body going pliant. He drops his head into Yixing’s lap, nudging him with his tail to continue.  Yixing complies, revelling in the soft noises Zitao lets out when his fingers find a sensitive spot behind his left ear. “Zitao” he speaks, smoothing his fingers over the soft fur on his ear, eliciting a happy hum in response. “I’ve told you this before but I’m serious. If you need a place to stay or eat or even watch T.V, please come over. It’ll really stop me from worrying.”

 

Zitao flips over so he’s staring up at Yixing. “Why would you worry about me? You barely know me.” Yixing playfully tugs on his hair. “Shut it brat. You’re my didi, I’m allowed my concern.” Zitao lets out a grin at that, picking up Yixing’s hands and intertwining their fingers. “Tao”

 

“Hmm?’

 

“Call me Tao, gege”

 

***

Tao leaves him the next morning, after a night spent cuddling on the sofa watching old Chinese movies. Yixing manages to sneak him out with relatively little trouble (read: Chen). Tao finally explains what his little fire-escape trick was. He jumps and uses his tail to hook around the bars below and drops down safely

“You scared me so badly when you first did that, I was looking around for cat pieces all day.” Yixing complains when Tao climbs back up. Tao pouts at him before pushing him towards the window. “Get a move on, gege, you don’t want to be late for work.” Yixing reluctantly moves to the ledge, climbing in. He turns around to wave goodbye but the fire escape is empty.

 

“Show-off.” He calls and he swears he hears a giggle in response. Smiling, he locks the window and heads out.

 

The nursery is quiet as he enters which immediately sets alarm bells off. Tiptoeing quietly, he peeks his head into Chanyeol’s office which is empty. So are the back rooms and the greenhouse.  Properly scared now, he gingerly makes his way back to the front, jumping when his phone rings loudly. It’s Luhan calling.

“Yixing, oh my god, you need to get out here.”

“What happened? What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s ing Chanyeol, he’s at the café Baekhyun works at.”

“I thought he was banned.”

 

“Okay he’s across from it, at Baozi’s ddeokbokki stand. But you need to get here and take the big oaf back.”

“Did something happen with Baekhyun?” Yixing asks, phone pressed between his shoulder and ear as he locks up and heads out.

 

:No but I swear he’s going to get cited for public indecency if he keeps going. And I’m this close to ripping his throat out if he touches Minseok one more time.”

 

“Someone’s possessive” Yixing teases, heading to the subway entrance. “ Why can’t you bring him back?”

There’s silence on the other end before Luhan mumbles something. Yixing creases his forehead in confusion. “You have what now?”

 

“I have a zit” Luhan wails. “A giant, monstrous pustule marring my otherwise sublime face. I can’t go up to Minseok looking this heinous.”

 

Yixing rolls his eyes dramatically, making a isn’t-he- crazy gesture to the girl sitting across from him. She glowers. “I have pepper spray, creep.” Whoops. Time to change seats.

 

“Wait, so if you refuse to approach them, how are you seeing all this” he inquires after moving to a new row.

“I’m hiding in the hair salon beside the café. Hey do you think, I could pull off rainbow hair?”

 

“If you want to look like a fairy took a piss on your head, then sure.”

 

“Goddamnit. Whatever get here soon okay.” Luhan hangs up. Yixing sighs, staring outside the window as the scenery whizzes by. He has a gut feeling that this won’t be a simple retrieval. At least he has duct tape on hand. Working for Chanyeol over the past two years has taught him that duct tape is essential to any situation whether to fashion a tourniquet or as makeshift waxing strips.  Let’s just say working at the nursery has enlightened him.”

 

 

***

The cafe is located in a quiet street in Jung-gu, flanked on either side by clothing boutiques. Attractive hybrids of varying breeds mill around inside with some standing outside to flirt with passers-bys and lure them in for some coffee. Yixing shakes off a particularly persistent hybrid and crosses the street, squinting around looking for Minseok. When he spies him, he nearly walks straight into traffic.

 

 

Minseok’s ddeokbokki stall is directly across from the cafe, a few tables and chairs set up in front of the stove behind which Minseok is busy at work. A horde of teenage girls crowds in front of him, cell phones raised in the air recording the scene in front of them and Yixing wants to slap their hands away and cover their innocent eyes from the sheer obscenity.

 

 

Minseok is puttering around behind the stove stirring a large pot of red sauce, adding rice cakes slowly into the mixture. Chanyeol has him in a back hug and appears to be necking with him. It reminds Yixing of Animal Planet documentaries where lions would capture gazelles by the neck and rip out their jugulars before consuming them. Minseok seems entirely nonplussed by his impending doom, managing to move smoothly around to serve his customers without detaching the Chaneyol-sized lump around his back. He deposits a plate in front of a group of squealing high schoolers who pan their cameras lower to capture Chanyeol’s hands sliding up Minseok’s back and this is too much for Yixing to watch. Gagging, he backs away from the stall entrance trying to get air that isn’t clogged with fish sauce and teenage hormones. That has to be some sort of health code violation.

 

 

Someone grabs his arm and he feels himself being dragged to a back alley. He opens his mouth ready to scream bloody murder when a hand slaps over his face. “Calm your , it’s me.” his attacker hisses. Yixing squints closer and realises that it’s none other than Luhan wearing a headscarf and a pair of cat’s eyes sunglasses. Grumbling he yanks his arm away. “Why the are you dressed like an extra from Grease?”

 

 

“I had to conceal myself somehow and they don’t sell niqabs so I improvised.” Luhan hisses crouching down and gesturing for Yixing to do the same. They both peek out from behind a stack of cardboard boxes. Luhan makes a growling noise in his throat as he sees Chanyeol tip Minseok’s chin up to kiss him. Yixing can’t stop a giggle from escaping him. “You really like Minseok-hyung huh?”  he asks. Luhan flushes and ducks his head down. “I can’t help it, something about him is so squishy and precious and I just want to hold his handle and cuddle and feed him soup. Then he wears those tank tops and I can see his ing biceps and I just want him to tie me down and call me his little .”

 

Yixing blinks. ”You were so close to actually being endearing there, gege. So close. ”

 

Luhan ignores him, eyes still fixated on the stand. “Okay, listen. The sea of raging hormones will ebb an hour or so since all the hagwons start opening around then. Once the estrogen ocean is gone, I want you to go there and drag Chanyeol back to the nursery, using whatever force is necessary.” He stands up and primly rearranges his scarf. “I’ll go back and hold down the fort at the nursery.”

 

Yixing frowns. “What do you expect me to do out here for an hour?”

 

Luhan waves a hand at him airily as he walks off. “Improvise!’ he calls out before disappearing in a sea of shoppers.

 

Yixing kicks the wall in annoyance, squeaking as pain shoots up his ankle. Hobbling, he makes his way over to a bench and parks himself besides an ahjumma whose carrying what seems like a year’s supply of anchovies. He plugs in his headphones and leans his head back, idly eyeing people walking by. The entire thing actually feels a bit trippy and he wishes he had some weed to supplement the experience.

 

The pleasant atmosphere is interrupted by a high pitched shriek that he manages to hear even through his headphones. There’s a small commotion by the ddeokbokki stand as Chanyeol and Minseok have a shouting match with two hybrids. Yixing squints and makes out the shorter blonde one as Baekhyun. .

 

 

“Park Chanyeol, just when I thought you couldn’t reach a new level of pathetic, you prove me wrong” the hybrid hisses, voice dripping with scorn. His ears are pressed flat against his head, black lined eyes narrowed into slits and standing tensed, as if poised for a fight. Draco hovers behind him, expression neutral (with a dash of constipated), eyes taking in the scene before him. On the other side, Minseok is calmly using a large knife to clean ddeokbokki sauce out from under his fingernails; while Chanyeol has an arm wrapped around his waist as he has an intense stare-down with Baekhyun (a literal stare down-Chanyeol has a good 5 inches on the hybrid).

 

“Ah, Baekhyun, I see your ego is still alive and thriving. Tell me why you feel compelled to make a scene in front of my baby’s stall when he’s just trying to make an honest living?”

 

Baekhyun throws his head back and laughs. “Honest living? By selling weed to teenagers? Oh that’s rich”

“Actually my clientele includes the college demographic as well” Minseok interjects, now using the knife to trim his bangs. “And it is rich actually, pays really well. The economy may go up and down but people never stop wanting to blitz their brains out.”

Baekhyun glowers at him before turning back to Chanyeol “Are you forgetting beanpole, that according to the restraining order you aren’t allowed to be within ten feet of me?” He juts one hip out, arching an eyebrow cockily. “You’d best clear out before I call the cops.”

 

“Yes indeed munchkin, I remember the restraining order” “Chanyeol replies, voice pleasant but Yixing can see how his smile is strained. “It states that I’m not allowed to approach you. But in this case, you’re the one who came stomping over here towards me. I could technically sue you for entrapment” He smiles beatifically down at a fuming Baekhyun.

 

Baekhyun seems to realise he’s trapped and switches tactics, giving Minseok (who is now using the knife as a toothpick) a condescending look. Well I see you’ve gone from Neiman Marcus to Wal-Mart, Channie. What’s the matter, couldn’t afford a kitty that was a bit more high rent so you settled for an alley cat?”

“Excuse me” Minseok says pleasantly, removing the knife from his mouth. “What did you call me?”

 

Baekhyun steps up to him. “Alley.Cat”

 

In what is an impressive display of speed, Minseok grabs Baekhyun by the collar and uses his other hand to press his knife against the hybrid’s throat. Chanyeol lets out a scream and Draco starts (a truly dramatic display of emotion for him). Yixing figures this as good a time as any to intercede and cautiously sidles up to Minseok to tap him on the shoulder. “Hyung, I’m not sure if you should be doing that in the middle of the street.”

Minseok tilts his head to the side, appraising him before dropping Baekhyun who falls to the ground with a squeak. Minseok stares down at him, still clutching his knife menacingly. “Run along little kitty before I neuter you.” Baekhyun doesn’t need to be told twice and takes off in a run back to the café.

 

Draco is still standing there. “Can I get my ddeokbokki now?” Minseok heads back to the stall, using the handle of the knife as a backscratcher. “And please use a different knife.” Draco yells out, getting a wave in response.

 

Yixing gently takes Chanyeol’s arm, tugging him over to a bench. The showdown has drained all of the giant’s previous bravado, he looks exhausted and his eyes keep straying back to the café door. He looks so much like a kicked puppy that Yixing can’t resist wrapping his arms around him and it’s a testament to Chanyeol’s mental state that he allows him to. “C’mon hyung, lets get back to the shop”

 

“Don’t want to” Chanyeol mumbles into his hair.

 

“Luhan’s alone in the shop right now.”

 

“Let me get the car.”

 

***

 

Tao is sitting on the fire escape when Yixing gets home, listening to music on a beat up ipod nano. He flashes Yixing a wide grin when he opens the window for him before climbing in. He hands Yixing a red Tupperware container. “Jiejie made dumplings for you. As a thank you for putting up with me.” He bounces on the soles of his feet, eyeing the box in Yixing’s hands. “You should heat those up, they taste best when fresh.”

 

Yixing grins. “So passive-aggressive. If you want the dumplings, just ask didi.” Tao pouts and follows him to the kitchen, hopping up to sit on the counter, swinging his legs out as Yixing places the food in the microwave. In the narrow space of the kitchen, there’s no way for Tao’s ridiculously long legs to not hit him and Tao seems to be purposefully aiming for him anyways “Stop that” he chides, smacking Tao’s foot away. Tao waits until his back is turned before landing a kick firmly on his backside. Yixing squeaks and jumps away, flushing as Tao laughs at him on the counter. “Brat” Yixing hisses, grabbing Tao’s legs. Tao throws his hands up mockingly. “Gege,please don’t hurt me”. He bats his eyelashes at Yixing.

 

The smirk is wiped off his face pretty quickly when Yixing’s fingers find their way to his sides and he unleashes a full on tickle attack. Tao shrieks, twisting to get away, as he nearly knocks over the dish rack in his flailing.  Yixing is merciless, dragging the squealing hybrid off the counter and continuing to tickle until Tao begs for mercy. They lie there on the kitchen floor until the microwave dings. Tao jumps up to pull the plate out, nearly dropping it in his haste. “Careful” Yixing warns. “They’re hot you’ll burn yourself.”

They’re back in the living room and Yixing’s mouth is watering as he stares at the dumplings, willing them to cool down faster. He’s about to reach for one when the doorbell rings. He groans, smacking Tao’s hands away from the plate before getting up to answer it.

 

He knows he’s in trouble when he sees Chen grinning back at him. He tried to slam the door shut but the hybrid has cat-like reflexes on his side. He ducks under Yixing’s arm and runs into the living room. Yixing trips over a bag the hybrid drops and goes sprawling. By the time he makes it to the living room, Chen is crouched on the coffee table and has a terrified-looking Tao’s face clasped in his hands.

 

“Yixing why didn’t you tell me your little hybrid lover was so hot?” Chen purrs, smoothing his thumb over Tao’s cheekbone. The hybrid lets out a terrified squeak, eyes flitting back and forth from Chen and Yixing. Yixing marches over and yanks Chen away from Tao. “He’s not my lover and you’re scaring him. Cut down on the creepy, it’s your first meeting.”

 

“But if we’re going to get to know each other better, he should be prepared from the get go” Chen coos, reaching over to tickle Tao under the chin. “I’m Chen. What’s your name precious?”

 

Zitao mumbles a response, Korean heavily accented and awkward sounding. Chen pets his head before leaning over to pick up a dumpling and bring it to Tao’s lips “Say ahh” he coos and Tao complies, blushing when Chen drags his finger across his lower lip. Yixing watches the interaction from the corner of the sofa trying to control the hot rush of jealousy he feels at the action. He stuffs a dumpling in his mouth, chewing angrily as he glares at the shorter hybrid. “What are you even doing here Chen?”

“Ah” Chen says, resting his chin upon his hands. “I heard some screaming earlier and being the conscientious neighbour that I am I thought I’d ensure that nothing untoward was going on. Or if it was, whether I’d want to join in” He grabs the plastic bag Yixing tripped over earlier. “I wasn’t sure what the situation called for so I brought tampons, jolly ranchers, Advil, handcuffs and kiwi flavoured lube.” As he speaks he pulls each item out of the bag, lining them up in a neat row on the coffee table.

Yixing can feel himself turning beetroot red as he sees Zitao curiously eye the assortment of objects (and Yixing does not notice the way the hybrid’s eyes linger over the handcuffs, he most definitely does not). “Chen” he hisses, showing the items back into the bag. “Is it necessary for you to be inappropriate in front of the guest?”

 

Chen rolls his eyes “Relax Xing-Xing, he’s not a kitty. Probably had his first heat and everything.” He leans over and scratches a befuddled looking Tao behind the ears ignoring Yixing’s scandalized gasps. He feeds Tao another dumpling. “So have you two slept together yet?”

 

“No” Yixing mutters snatching the plate of dumplings away from Chen. “I told you it’s not like that with us” He holds a dumpling out in front of Tao’s face. The tall hybrid gives him a baleful look, clearly irritated at being stuffed full of food while excluded from the conversation. Yixing pouts at him and this earns him a small smile before Tao leans over and eats the dumpling out of his hand. Yixing blushes when he feels the hybrid lips brush against his fingers and he withdraws his hand quickly. He can see Chen smirking out of the corner of his eye and studiously ignores him.

 

“Interesting” Chen mutters softly eyes flitting back and forth between the pair. He turns to Tao and makes a few throaty sounds in his throat. Tao responds likewise and they have some kind of secret hybrid-language bonding moment. Chen glances up at the clock.

“Oh it’s almost seven, I should get going. Daddy will be home soon.” He stands and stretched, shirt riding up to expose a great deal of pale skin and dark hair. Yixing leans over to yank it down. “Exhibitionist” Chen gives him a lazy grin. “Don’t act like you don’t enjoy it.” He turns to Tao. “Nice meeting you Taozi. I’ll see you around.”

 

“Goodbye Chen- oppa” Tao responds smiling back up at him. There’s a moment of silence before Yixing awkwardly clears his throat. “You mean Chen hyu-“

 

The rest of his sentence gets cut off by a pillow to the face. Chen has climbed into Tao’s lap and has the terrified hybrid’s face buried in his chest as he squeezes him. “You are the cutest ing thing I’ve ever seen, oh my god, oppa’s heart can’t handle this.” He points threateningly at Yixing “I swear to god Yixing if you don’t make an honest cat of this precious boy, then I will”.

 

“You’re married!” Yixing snaps, trying to pry Chen off of Tao. Chen finally pulls away, staring adoringly at Tao. “You let oppa know if Xing-Xing messes with you, I’ll come over and have on everything he loves.” He tilts Tao’s face up and pecks him on the lips. “Bye Taozi” he coos before jumping off the sofa and walking past a fuming Yixing. The sound of the door slamming is heard as Yixing and Tao stare at each other, Tao’s hands coming up to touch his lips. The door opens and Chen reappears, reaching for the plastic bag and pulling out the lube. “Figured if you two aren’t going to get it on, I should make good use of this.” He blows them both a kiss before sashaying away.

 

Tao coughs awkwardly “Well that was…interesting.” Yixing lets out a laugh, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, I’m sorry; I should’ve warned you about Chen. He comes off a bit strong but he’s harmless. Generally.” He notices Tao still has his fingers pressed to his lips. “Don’t worry about the kissing thing, he does that to most people”

 

Tao frowns, pulling a couch cushion into his lap “He kissed you too. The other day in the kitchen.”

 

“Oh you saw that.” Tao nodded, eyes focused on the pattern of the couch fabric. “Listen, it’s not like that. I told you Chen is just overly affectionate.” Yixing isn’t even sure why he feels the need to reassure Tao in the first place.

 

Tao scrunches his face up “Doesn’t his husband get mad at him?”

Yixing shrugged. “He doesn’t really seem to mind. I guess it’s a thing of theirs, who knows.” He plops down on the couch beside Tao.

 

Tao meets his eyes, gaze suddenly serious. “If it were my mate” he says slowly “I wouldn’t want them touching anyone else” his eyes trace slowly over Yixing’s “I’d want them all for myself.”

 

Yixing’s throat is dry, his body pinned to the sofa by Tao’s stare. There’s a steady thrum of desire rushing through his veins and he think about how easy it would be to fist his hands in Tao’s shirt, pull him down on top of him, bite down on the soft skin of his neck. He almost does it, leaning in slowly, fingers coming up to tangle in Tao’s hair  and Tao rises to meet him halfway.

 

But of course life is a giant and a piercing alarm starts blaring right before their lips touch. Yixing starts, eliciting a pained cry from Tao whose hair he had just yanked.  He can hear the sounds of footsteps as his neighbours stumble out of their apartments and he follows suit, grabbing Tao’s hand and tugging him along.

 

It’s chaos in the lobby as the confused residents mill around. The alarm finally stops blaring ten minutes later and a tall man in a pink tracksuit stumbles out from the control room, coughing loudly.

 

“Sorry, everyone, false alarm” Himchan announces. “Was trying to fix the boiler and I set it off somehow.” He bows, repeatedly apologizing as irritated residents make their way back upstairs. Yixing reluctantly relinquishes Tao’s hand when the hybrid pulls away.

 

“I guess I’ll get going then, gege,” Tao mumbles, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. Yixing tries to keep his disappointment from showing. “Will you come over again?”

 

Tao shifts from foot to foot, ears flickering on top of his head. “Um... maybe...I might be busy. Job hunting and all that” He pulls his hood up over his ears. “Bye gege.” He abruptly turns and power walks out of the lobby, leaving a befuddled Yixing in his wake.

 

“Aww” Chen whispers coming up behind Yixing. “Why so glum, papi?’

 

“I think Tao’s mad at me” Yixing sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “He frowns at Chen tugging at one of his ears “No thanks to you pulling the little kissing stunt.”

 

Chen pouts “Oh come one, I’m Chen, I kiss everyone.” He kisses Yixing’s ear. “He’s probably just jealous”

 

“I wish” Yixing mutters under his breath, pushing Chen away and making his way back up the stairs.

***

Yixing gets no sleep that night, too busy tossing and turning, trying to get his almost kiss scene with Tao out of his head. He stumbles into work 40 minutes later, hair mussed, teeth unbrushed and he’s pretty sure his boxers are on backwards.

 

“Jesus Christ, you look terrible.” Luhan says peeking at him over his Cosmo. “Did you go drinking last night?”

 

“Couldn’t sleep” Yixing grunts, reaching for his apron. “Where’s Chanyeol?”

 

“Had to go talk over a deal with the Seoul Country Club, they want us to provide all the flowers for their new landscaping project.” Luhan props his chin on his hands. “We’ll have to hire extra help if he gets the contract; it’s a pretty massive order.”

 

“Do you think it’d be a good idea to ask for a raise if he gets the deal?” Yixing asks, hauling a wheelbarrow out from the storage room.

 

Luhan scoffs. “You’re welcome to try. Probably have better luck squeezing won from a rock.” He eyes Yixing loading flowerpots into the barrow. “Be careful with the pansies, they’re delicate. Oh, Chanyeol left a special assignment for you.” He chucks a sheet of notebook paper at Yixing.

 

“Am I the only one who ever does any work around here?” Yixing huffs picking up the paper irritably. “Aren’t you going to help?”

 

Luhan pauses, tapping his pinky against the corner of his mouth. “Let me think about it-No.” he picks up his magazine again. “I’m willing to entertain you though. Want me to read out “44 ways to spice up your life”?

 

Yixing flips Luhan off behind his back as he squints at the notebook sheet. “Why does Chanyeol want me to visit Do Kyungsoo again? Did the bastard order a shipment of Mauritanian lily pads or something this time?”

 

“I think you needed to pick up some stuff from his place actually” Luhan replies not looking up from the magazine “Hey listen to number 8: Chew a small piece of mango, then take him in your mouth. You can use whatever fruit you have, just don't try anything too acidic, as it can burn him." He makes a face “Or you know, you could leave fruit out of the equation entirely.”

 

“Thinking like that is exactly why your life is so un-spicy, gege” Yixing teases. “How do you expect to win Minseok-hyung if you’re not willing to be a bit adventurous?” he waggles his eyebrow eliciting a laugh from his co-worker

 

“Better yet, I think I’ll follow number 16: draw an attention-grabbing circle around your s using rhinestones and body glue for a special night in.” He arches his back over the counter, sticking his chest out “Minseokkie will never be able to resist my blinged out .”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Luhan breathes out slowly, raising his head to meet Yixing’s eyes. “Baozi’s standing in the doorway isn’t he?” he asks in Mandarin.

 

“Yup”

 

“He just heard what I said, didn’t he.”

 

“Two for two, gege”

 

“ me” Luhan moans dropping his head into his arms, knocking the magazine off in the process. Minseok gives Yixing a bemused look before picking it up and scanning the article. He taps Luhan on the head, waiting till the blushing brunet lifts his head up.

 

“Personally I’m not a fan of rhinestones-those could be a bit of a choking hazard. But number 15 sounds promising.” Minseok tilts his head, giving Luhan a feline smirk before pulling away. “I’m going to be planting in the greenhouse if you two need me.” He saunters past, tail reaching out to pet Yixing’s cheek.

 

Yixing looks over at Luhan once Minseok’s left. “Number 15?”

 

Luhan lets out a shaky breath “Number 15: Tie his silky tie loosely around his , then roll it up and down for a silky .” There is silence.

 

“Well then” Yixing exclaims brightly “I’ll just leave the two of you be while I do this pick up assignment.”

 

Luhan’s eyes widen. “You can’t leave me alone with him” he whispers, trying to grab Yixing’s arm. “I can’t ever look him in the eye again. And who’s going to shift the rest of the flowerpots?”

 

“Not my problem” Yixing responds, blowing him a kiss as he leaves.

***

A short, pleasant looking man answers the door when Yixing arrives at Kyungsoo’s penthouse. He flashes Yixing a bright smile and a bow. “Ah, you must be from the nursery. Kyungsoo is in the shower right now, he’ll be out shortly. Please come in.”

 

Yixing lets himself be ushered into the airy apartment and the short man, who introduces himself as Joonmyun, pours him a drink and they make idle chit chat with until Do Kyungsoo wanders into the living room, hair damp and towel draped across his neck.

 

“Darling” Joonymyun greets, smiling up at the smaller man “This is Yixing from Park Nurseries. He’s here to pick up the stuff.”

“Of course” Kyungsoo responds giving Yixing a wide-eyed once-over. “Please follow me”.

“Um I’m not exactly sure what Chanyeol- I mean Park-ssi sent me here to pick up” Yixing says as he follows Kyungsoo. For some odd reason, the shorter man makes his way out the front door, leading him to the elevators. Yixing jogs to keep pace with him.

 

Kyungsoo regards him as they step into the elevator, pressing a button for the basement floor. “I promised him a case of home-brewed tequila in exchange for obtaining me the Valparaiso Cacti. They’re quite sticky to get through customs normally but Chanyeol-ssi told me had connections at the Sokcho port.” The elevator dings as they arrive at their floor and Kyungsoo gestures for Yixing to follow him. “My lab is located over here”.

 

The inside of the lab is dark and airy and Yixing almost walks straight into a table full of instruments. Kyungsoo grabs hold of his wrist and steers him to a smaller door. “This is where I let it ferment” he explains, scanning his fingerprints on a small machine by the doorknob. With a beep, the door unlocks and they enter. Bottles of all sizes are lined up on shelves bearing handwritten labels. The air is freezing cold and Yixing can feel goosebumps break along his arms. Kyungsoo pulls three bottles off the shelf before leading them outside. He wraps the bottles securely in butcher’s paper, tying it off with hemp string.  “There are specific instructions you need to follow” he lectures Yixing as they head out, balancing the package in his arms. “Store it in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. I recommend letting it ferment for another month before drinking. Don’t you dare mix any other drinks; the flavour has to be appreciated solely on its own. Keep it away from those with low alcohol tolerance and hybrids-

“Wait” Yixing interrupts, pulling on his arm to stop him. “What was that last part?”

Kyungsoo squints in annoyance before continuing. “Keep it away from people with low alcohol tolerance. I learnt this the hard way last week when Joonmyun drank some of the unfinished batch. He climbed out on the balcony, took off all his clothes and started singing “I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts” to passers-by. We got a public indecency citation from the building folks.”

 

Yixing gapes at him. “J-Joonymun-ssi…stripped?” The story does not match up with Yixing’s impression of the sweet man he met earlier. Joonymun dresses like a librarian for god’s sake. The kind who works in the children’s section. If Yixing had offspring, he would gladly let Joonymun teach them about the joys of reading. He shakes his head to clear his confusion and clears his throat “I was referring to what you said about hybrids.”

 

“Oh” Kyungsoo says rolling his eyes as they enter the grand lobby. “Yeah apparently Chilean Cacti s with hybrids something fierce. It emits some kind of scent that makes them go bat. Our cleaning hybrid had to be sedated after walking into the storage room.” He shrugs “Weirdly enough the sap has a catnip-esque effect on them” They pause at the entrance “Do you need any help getting those to the car, Yixing-ssi?”

 

“Oh, ah no thank you” Yixing says, mind preoccupied in processing this new information. Minseok’s cactus-induced freakout suddenly makes a lot more sense. He bows clumsily to Kyungsoo before making his way to the nursery’s rickety old van.

The talk of hybrids makes him think of Tao and he feels a pang in his chest at how their last encounter ended. He gnaws on his bottom lip, replaying their last interaction over in his mind. He probably offended Tao somehow without realising it being the dense idiot he is. He lets out a dramatic sigh, resting his head against the steering wheel (before shooting back up because letting your guard down in Seoul traffic is a sure-fire way to get killed). He drives back to the nursery in a gloomy mood, singing along to 60’s ballad on the radio. Before exiting the car he sneaks a bottle of the tequila into his bag. Chanyeol’s liver will thank him.

 

The atmosphere in the nursery is markedly improved from when he left. Minseok is busy transferring his precious plants from their pots to a small plot in the greenhouse and Luhan helpfully aids him by handing him the tools he requires (and sneakily checking out his every time he bends down to dig). He glares when Yixing approaches the two of them and when Minseok wraps himself around Yixing in a hug; he swears he hears Luhan hiss. His inbred survival instincts kick in and he makes himself scarce lest he end up as compost.

 

He heads home early, planning on passing the night with his stolen booze and a heaping dose of self-pity. He sets the bottle down on the counter, fishing about for the shot glasses and ice cubes. He can hear the heavy bass of Kai’s music bleeding through the thin walls of the apartment and he grimaces, trying to block out the noise. He leaves the ice cubes melting on the counter and goes over to bang on the wall. As he moves, he sees something white out of the corner of his eye. There’s a note stuck to his living room window. One look at the messy hanja and Yixing know exactly who it’s from. He opens the window and pulls it off from where it’s been taped to the glass. The note is short.

 

Yixing wakes up the next day feeling something he hasn’t felt in a long time: inspired. On impulse, he picks up his guitar and his music sheets, a fine sheen of dust covering both from disuse. The sunlight filtering through the curtains paints his living room in warm shades of amber, pale rays illuminating the papers he sets up on the coffee table. He pulls his guitar in his lap, tapping out the beat in his head against the scuffed wood. The song comes easily, melody thrumming in his veins as he hurries to get it all down on paper. There are no lyrics yet but he can already tell this is a love song. He plays around with the notes, making adjustments here and there, adding another verse. It isn’t until his stomach grumbles that he realises he’s spent almost an hour hunched over his instrument. Stretching slowly, he notices he’s late for work. Luckily Chanyeol’s little relationship preoccupation has made him a bit oblivious to the comings and goings of his employees (Luhan walked into work in a bathrobe yesterday) and so he can take his time. He’s in a ridiculously good mood that not even his toaster finally fusing can kill. He merely digs out the charred remains of toast and resolves to pick up food to go. When he enters his cold shower, rather than wishing a bloody death upon Himchan as is the norm, he wishes that his landlord merely steps on a Lego. He dresses in bright colours, opting only for a light cardigan as the weather has slowly become warmer.

 

He goes to a nearby café that makes good omelettes, and his playful flirting with the barista gets him a free side order of hash brown. He locates a table in the corner and sets his food down.

 

He’s midway through his meal when he feels a tap on his shoulder and he looks up. He nearly bites his tongue off when he sees a blond hybrid staring down at him. Baekhyun gives him a tentative smile. “Hi, Yixing-ssi.” He nervously indicates the empty seat at the table, clutching a plate in his other hand. “May I sit?”

 

Yixing swallows his mouthful. “No.” Baekhyun’s face falls and Yixing grabs his arm gently before he leaves. “Not if you insist on being all formal with me.” He smiles and Baekhyun returns it, sitting down across from him. They eat in silence and Baekhyun orders coffee for both of them, waving away Yixing when he tries to pay.

“So” Yixing says, dumping half a pitcher of cream into his espresso (Two Italian tourists on the next table look like they want to throttle him).  “Long time no see.”

 

Baekhyun smiles, “It has been.” He offers Yixing a scone. “What have you been doing?”

 

Yixing shrugs. “The usual. Working at the nursery, trying to save up for a better apartment, being terrorized by Luhan.” Baekhyun hums, lifting his china cup to his lips. “What about your music?”

 

“Ah,” Yixing fiddles with sugar packets. “That kind of went on the back burner for a while. Just haven’t had any motivation to go out there and perform or write new stuff.”

Baekhyun nods understandingly. “I know what you mean. Other than the café performances, I don’t sing anymore. I miss when I did for fun.”.

 

“Ah, how’s it going at the café?”  Baekhyun shrugs. “S’alright. Pays the bills. The only reason I’m up so early today is to help train some new kid.”

 

 

“Fun.” There’s an awkward silence as the two stare out the window before Baekhyun sighs, placing his cup back on the saucer. “Actually, I was planning on coming to see you soon, Yixing. There’s something I need your help with.” He fiddles with the hem of his t-shirt. “If it’s not too presumptuous of me to ask.”

 

“Of course not.” Yixing assures him. “What do you need help with?”

 

Baekhyun looks him straight in the eye. “Chanyeol.”

Well this is unexpected. He nods dumbly as Baekhyun takes a deep breath and continues. “I-I know you saw that scene out there the other day and I’m really sorry about that. Pre-heat hormone fluctuations and all that.” He laughs weakly. “Actually, I just wanted you to let Chaneyol know that I’ve dropped the restraining order against him.”

 

“Oh. Um… what made you decide to do that?”

 

Baekhyun smiled, it came out looking pained. “Well if he’s going to be visiting his new boyfriend in the area, then he shouldn’t have to worry about getting arrested if I happen to be nearby.”

 

Oh this is terrible. Yixing feels like punching Chanyeol as he sees Baekhyun’s ears droop sadly in front of him. He hesitantly leans over and covers Baekhyun’s hand with his own, relieved when he doesn’t move away. “Baek…this may be out of line for me to ask but do you still have feelings for Chanyeol?”

 

Baekhyun flinches, twisting his tail between his legs before standing up abruptly. “I have to go.” He says. “It’s been good meeting you, Yixing-ah. Drop by the café sometime, I’ll get you a drink on the house.” He bows hastily and leaves.

 

Yixing gets up to leave, mulling over the encounter all through the bus ride to work. The store is busy today, gardening enthusiasts streaming in to get their first pick of seedlings (Two old men nearly start a fistfight over the poinsettias). The rush keeps Yixing occupied until midday when the crowd eases up a bit and he and Luhan abandon Chanyeol at the register to head out for lunch. Being the refined gentlemen they are, they opt for McDonalds.  Luhan orders half the menu and sets about stuffing his face with gusto once they’re seated. Yixing cringes and tries to avoid the special sauce flying everywhere. “My god, pace yourself.”

 

Luhan sticks his tongue out at him, giving Yixing an unwanted view of the half-masticated burger. He swallows before moving on to the next one. Yixing fiddles with his drink cup before setting it down. “Lu ge, can I ask you for some advice?”

 

Luhan chokes, eyes bugging out wildly as he flails about. Yixing, who really should’ve expected this, calmly performs a Heimlich before resuming his meal. Flushed, Luhan stares at him adoringly through watery eyes. ”You want advice from me?”

“No, that little display reminded me why I never ask you.” Yixing deadpans. Luhan lets out a whine. “C’mon Xing, let me play Oprah for a little while. Tell me!”

 

The earlier encounter with Baekhyun comes spilling out and Luhan is surprisingly a better listener than he’d thought. He runs his fingers through his hair. “What do you think this all means, Lu?”

 

“It means you were dead on when you guessed he still had feelings for Chanyeol, feelings that are illogical and possibly immoral because Chanyeol but they’re definitely there. Do you know how much trouble it is to get a restraining order? If you seriously loathed the person you wouldn’t go around canceling it on a whim.”

 

“But why would he run when I asked him? More importantly, why would he break up with Chanyeol in the first place?”

 

Luhan hummed, his non-existent beard thoughtfully. “Well, I’m guessing he’s jealous right now because he thinks Chan’s moved on with Minseok, so he’s trying to be blasé about his feelings. As for why they initially broke up, that’s anyone’s guess. Me, I always assumed he rolled over in bed one day and got a really good look at what he was banging.”

 

Yixing snorts, standing up to dispose of their trash. “I feel kind of bad for prying. I should go apologize.”

 

Luhan claps him on the back excitedly, nearly knocking him over. “Yes you should! And you should try to get to the real root of Baekyeol’s break-up. We need that information if we’re going to get them back together.”

 

“You want me to apologize for being invasive by being even more invasive?” Yixing sputters. ”And since when did you care so much about Chanyeol’s love life?”

 

Luhan clasps his hand together. “Because the happiness of our boss and dear friend means the world to me.” He drops his hands. “And because I can’t go after Baozi while he’s still under contract with that goon.” He hooks an arm around Yixing’s shoulder, pulling him closer. “We’ll go after work.”

 

They’re almost at the shop when Luhan drops his head to lean against Yixing. “Y’know Xing, you’re the only one of us right now who’s not in any kind of relationship.”

 

Yixing feels his pulse speed up as he think of tan skin and a feline grin. “No one’s caught my eye, I guess.”

 

Luhan pets his head sympathetically as they cross the road.

**

 

They head out to the café after work, Luhan pouting all the way as Minseok opts for dinner with Chanyeol rather than accompanying them. Yixing distracts him on the subway ride by singing him the melody he’d written earlier. Luhan hums along, tapping along to the rhythm. “That’s a pretty tune, Xing. Written lyrics yet?”

 

Yixing shakes his head as they get off the bus. “Not yet. But it sounds to me like a love song.”

 

“Been a while since you’ve written one of those. Not since Leo if I recall.” Yixing flinches at the mention of the name. “Let’s not.”

The hybrid café is fairly empty only a few individuals scattered here and there. Yixing asks the pretty she-cat at the register if Baekhyun is available before taking a seat on a sofa near the window. Baekhyun comes out from the back, his clothes far finer than the ones he was wearing this morning. His black-lined eyes widen when he sees Yixing , who waves sheepishly. He smiles warily before making his way over. ”You were that eager for your free drink, Xing?”

 

“Well you did offer.” Baekhyun waves over a short hybrid to take his order. Once he leaves the two lapse into an awkward silence. Yixing decides to just go ahead with his initial purpose. “I came here to apologize.”

 

Baekhyun blinks at him in surprise. “Why?”

 

“For earlier this morning.” He clears his throat. “I was really rude to ask you about Chanyeol. Forgive me.”

 

Baekhyun looks away from him as the hybrid returns with his drink. Once he leaves, the blond turns back to him. “You don’t have to be sorry. It was a valid question.” He pulls his legs up on sofa, resting his chin on his knees. “Did you ever know I was initially a factory hybrid, Yixing?”

 

Yixing nearly spits out his drink in surprise as he stares at the dainty feline. “You-a factory hybrid?” Worker hybrids, particularly those in service industries, were usually human/big-cat hybrids giving them larger builds and strength better suited for manual labour. Baekhyun on the other hand was a Chartreux, which was definitely a pet or service hybrid.

 

Baekhyun laughs at the look on his face. “Yeah, I know, the Hybrid Bureau Commission ed up with my classification paperwork. I worked at a car parts factory up south.” He grimaces. “It was vile. I wasn’t physically suited for any of the work and all the other workers basically used me as an errand boy. Not much fun being the runt of the litter when you’re surrounded by a bunch of hulking louts with more testosterone than brains.” His ears twitch angrily. “It got so bad that I ran away.”

 

Yixing’s drink nearly goes shooting out of his nose this time. Baekhyun hastily pats him down with a napkin as he sputters, trying to get oxygen back into his lungs. “ What? ” he wheezes out, voice coming out high pitched. Hybrid’s abandoning their jobs or owners is relatively unheard of, maybe because it’s only recently that the punishment for the crime was reduced from death to 25 years in prison.

Baekhyun winces, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, I was young and dumb and thought I could make it to Seoul before they caught on. Barely made it out of the province as it was before I got busted. I was pretty much screwed until Kang-the owner of this place- bailed me out. I’ve been working for him ever since to pay off my bail.”

 

“Huh,” Yixing says eloquently. He focuses on his drink. “So what does that have to do with you and Chaneyol?”

Baekhyun sighs, dropping his head on his shoulder. “Well for one, I’m contractually forbidden from being in a relationship as long as I work for him. And Chanyeol- he means well but he has a saviour complex. I could have gotten him to pay off the rest but I’ve spent almost five years in debt to a man and I’ll be damned if I start a relationship that way. “

 

“Have you talked to Chanyeol about any of this?” Baekhyun’s ears droop and Yixing makes a disapproving noise. “Baek.”

 

“I know, I know.  I went about all of this all wrong. Honestly, I was planning on finding him and talking things through but… I’m a coward. And now he’s dating the ddeokbokki hybrid.” Baekhyun sighs. “You know what, I’m happy for him. He deserves better than me.”

 

“Don’t.” Yixing says taking Baekhyun’s hand. “Don’t put yourself down like this. I think you need to talk with Chanyeol. You two idiots keep overcomplicating simple matters.”

 

Baekhyun is about to reply when there’s a loud crash from behind the counter. His eyes widen. “,” he hisses rising and shaking off Yixing’s hand. “This new kid, I swear.” Luhan is fuming as he stares down at the coffee stain on his shirt, cup shattered on the floor. A blond head pops up over the counter. “I’m sorry sir,” it squeaks out in accented-Korean, leaning over with a dish towel to dab at his shirt. Yixing nearly drops his own drink. “Tao?”

 

The hybrid freezes and spins around. “Yixing ge ?” he looks panicked. “What are you doing here?”

 

“He’s friends with me.” Baekhyun snaps. “More importantly, Zitao, you need to focus while you’re handling the china. Any damage comes out of your paycheck and customers could get seriously hurt from having hot drinks spilt on them.” Tao’s ears droop and he fiddles with his tail as Baekhyun lectures him, eyes darting up briefly to meet Yixing’s. “I understand, Baekhyun-hyung, I’ll be more careful.” He sounds miserable and Baekhyun sighs, reaching up to pet the taller boy’s ears. “Just be careful Zitao. And clean up the mess.”

 

Tao nods, bending down to pick up the broken pieces of the mug. Yixing walks over and helps. Tao flushes. “You don’t need to bother.”  Yixing pokes him in the cheek. “I want to. How come you didn’t tell me you’d gotten a job?”

 

“Well, I technically haven’t,” Tao mumbles holding open a bag for Yixing to dump the broken pieces in. “This is my week-long trial period after which they’ll decide whether to hire me.” He knots up the bag dejectedly. “I’m off to a great start as you can see.”

 

Yixing frowns, tugging gently on Tao’s ears. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s your first day, you’re just nervous.”

 

Tao mock glares at him. “I was doing fine till you came along.” Yixing smirks and leans in closer so that their noses are almost touching. “Oh? Are you saying that I make you nervous?”

 

Tao gulps and opens his mouth to squeak when Luhan yells at them. “They end up knocking heads in their haste to stand up. Blushing, Tao retreats to fetch a mop and Yixing turns to glare at Luhan, rubbing at his sore head. “What?”

 

Luhan grins wickedly. “I was just saying we should head out now before the last bus leaves but if you wanna stay and talk to your little kitty-boy over there, that’s fine.” He waggles his eyebrows and Yixing vaguely considers whether he could be held liable for his actions if he were to impale Luhan onto the lamp nearby. Probably not. It’d be considered community service.

 

“Actually, how do you know Zitao?” Baekhyun asks shoving a small take-away bag in Yixing’s hands. “From what he’s said, he only moved here recently.”

 

“Oh you know,” Yixing says faux-casually. “We had a chance run-in and I kind of took him under my wing. Fellow Chinese and all.”

 

“Aww” Luhan and Baekhyun coo obnoxiously, with the elder reaching in to pinch his cheeks. Yixing slaps their hands away annoyed.  “Go say bye to him before we go.” Luhan exclaims, pushing him towards where the hybrid is mopping.

 

Tao steadies Yixing when he nearly slips on the wet floor. “Thanks,” Yixing murmurs, distinctly aware of the warm pressure of Tao’s hand on his forearm.  He clears his throat awkwardly. “So listen, I know you want to focus on your training here for the week, so how about we meet up on Saturday? For dinner.”  He flushes as Tao appraises him. “To celebrate. Because  they will hire you.”

 

Tao  smiles softly at him. “I’d like that. Do you want to meet up here or your apartment building?”

 

“Here” Yixing says immediately. Any option that involves less Chen is the preferable one. “Is seven o clock okay?”

 

Tao nods happily. “I can’t wait.” They smile at each other until Luhan begins to obnoxiously cough, his hacks sounding suspiciously like “Yixing and Tao sitting in a tree.” Yixing swats him in the back of the head and pulls him out of the store, waving as they leave. Luhan is silent as they board the train.  They sit in silence until Luhan speaks. “You like that boy don’t you?” Yixing opens his mouth to deny but Luhan fixes him with a glare. “Don’t try it Xing. I haven’t seen you look at anyone like that since Leo.” He smiles softly “You’re writing music again after god knows how long. Be honest, it’s because of him isn’t it?”

 

Yixing smiles. “He’s-he’s special Luhan. That’s all I’m going to say.” He fixes the older man with a stern look. “Don’t you start teasing the poor boy. He’s already got Chen to deal with.”

 

Luhan gasps in mock outrage. “Who me? Anyways, tell me what Baekhyun said. Operation Free Baozi needs to be put into effect ASAP while I’m still young and virile.”

**

 

In hindsight, maybe asking Tao out for a Saturday date-dinner- on a Monday wasn’t the best idea since Yixing spends the rest of the week alternating between giddy excitement and stomach roiling nausea. He continuously reminds himself that this is just a casual evening with a friend. A really good looking friend who he totally does not want to hold hands with or kiss under the moonlight or propose to in the south of France, wait what.

 

He channels all his nervous energy into his song writing, managing to turn out five more tracks, spending long nights with his guitar and notebook and a litre of coffee. He sends the demos to the studio that normally buys his tracks and they buy three on the spot so now he has a little extra cash to throw around. He keeps the first song he wrote to himself though. For some reason he’s not quite ready to relinquish that one yet.

 

Overall, it’s a fairly productive week for him.  He goes on a voracious bout of spring cleaning until even the mold on his walls is sparkling. He lets Luhan drag him shopping and buy him “some decent clothes that don’t make you like a homeless fratboy.” By the time Saturday morning rolls around, he’s practically vibrating from the suppressed energy. He wakes up at 6 a.m, showers, eats, goes on a jog, showers again, and writes letters to relatives in China, eats, showers yet again because he’s sweating like a pig in heat. At 6:30 he’s dressed in the white button-down and black skinny jeans from the earlier shopping spree, leather jacket draped over his shoulder. He spends a ridiculous amount of time deciding whether to part his hair on the left or the right before slicking it back. By 6:45 he’s nervously being jostled around by Seoul’s populace on the subway en route to the café (at least he know his cologne is a success because random people keep stopping to sniff him). He’s five minutes early when he arrives. He nervously wipes his sweaty palms off, adjusting his shirt before walking to the front door. He’s about to open it when he gets yanked to the side and tugged into an alley.

 

He’s getting a strong feeling of déjà vu as he stares at Luhan who’s ‘inconspicuously’ dressed in white bell bottoms and a tie-dye shirt. “For someone who’s allegedly not a hooker, you do pull me into alleys a lot.”

 

Luhan scoffs. “You could never afford me.” He eyes Yixing critically. “Good, you managed to dress yourself properly. Oh wait, you have a smudge on your cheek. Hold still.” He his fingers and brings them up to wipe at Yixing’s face. He bats his lunatic friend away. “For s sake Luhan, I don’t even let my mom do that.”

 

“You should be grateful, you brat.” Luhan scolds as he fixes a flyway on his head. “Baekhyun and I are going through all this trouble to help you on your date.”

 

“It’s not a date.” He responds automatically. “And wait, you’re in cahoots with Baekhyun?”

 

On cue a door in the alley opens and Baekhyun sticks his head out. He motions them over. “Oh wow, you did well Lu.” He exclaims when Yixing comes into view. “Okay listen, he’s changing in the backroom right now. He’s super excited because Kang decided to hire him part time so make sure to congratulate him on that. But pretend you don’t know when he tells you, he wants it to be a surprise.” He looks at Yixing’s empty hands critically. “I’m guessing you didn’t bring a gift.” He pulls a small gift bag out of nowhere and shoves it at him. “You owe me one. Okay, when you see him, make sure to compliment his makeup, he spent a lot of time on it.” Baekhyun gives a quick squeeze on the shoulder. “Good luck, Xing.” The door closes behind him. Luhan (who has managed to pull out a blond wig and aviators from nowhere) nudges him. “Well? Let’s move. Your kitty waits.”

 

“Can you please tell me why you’re dressed like that?”

 

“It’s my disguise. I can’t have Tao recognizing me.”

“Why would you need to hide from-Oh hell no, Luhan. You are not tailing us tonight.”

 

“Try and stop me” Luhan smirks before pushing him through the doors of the café. Yixing stumbles and is this close to going back outside and hanging Luhan with his bellbottoms when he hears a soft cough. He looks up.

 

Holy .

 

Tao looks…well the only word that comes to mind is radiant. He’s dressed in a white tank with a red cardigan and dark skinny jeans, the colour a beautiful contrast against his olive skin. His eyes are emphasized by expertly applied of black liner and his lips look shiny and Yixing should probably retrieve his jaw from the floor and actually attempt some semblance of normalcy. He coughs. “Hey.” Smooth like butter, that’s our Yixing.

 

Tao smiles down at him. “Hi.”  He fiddles nervously with his necklace drawing Yixing’s attention to the tan column of his throat and nope, nope, not going there this early in the date. Dinner. “Ready to go?”

 

Yixing nods, eager to get away from the prying eyes of Tao’s new coworkers. He follows Tao outside, smiling when the younger holds the door open for him. They stand awkwardly on the curb as Yixing calls a taxi company. When he gets off the phone, there is silence between them.

“So.” He begins, trying to break the weird tension. “How was your training week?”

 

Tao lets out a snort. “Miserable. I kept mixing up orders and the patrons found me scary. But for some reason Kang-ssi decided to hire me.” He beams. “It feels great. I can finally work on my Korean and now Meilei jie’s husband can’t accuse me of being a freeloader.”

 

“Is everything okay at home?’ Yixing ventures gingerly. Tao nods but doesn’t elaborate and Yixing doesn’t pry. He holds out the gift bag. “Here. A little present. To congratulate you.”

 

Tao let’s out a surprised gasp. “Ge, you shouldn’t have!” he insists even as he all but snatches the bag out of his hand. “What is it?”

 

“It’s…” Holy , did he just hand Tao a package without knowing the contents? Luhan was behind this so he wouldn’t be surprised if there was a rubber ducky in there or something. He wonders if he can subtly snatch it back from the hybrid and throw it in a nearby bush but Tao has already stripped off most of the wrapping paper. “A surprise.” He finishes weakly, screwing his eyes shut as he waits for a reaction.

 

 

He isn’t expecting to be pulled into a hug, cheek smushed up against Tao’s chest (he subtly sniffs him and goddamn ).  “I love it.” Tao whispers, lips dangerously close to Yixing’s earlobe. “Thank you so much.”

 

“You’re welcome.” He responds, voice muffled. He’s now kind of curious as to what Baekhyun bought for Tao that has him so happy (Please be the ). He pulls away to look.

 

It’s a panda plushie. But with the way Tao is cooing at it and practically rocking it in his arms, you’d think Yixing had just bought him the moon. The taxi pulls up and he practically trips over himself to hold the door open for Tao. He sees a flash of tie-dye out of the corner of his eye and grits his teeth. ing Luhan. He leans in to address the cab driver. “Can you hold on just a second please? I need to leave a message.”

He jogs over to Minseok’s ddeokbokki stand where the elder is cleaning up for the night.  “Min-hyung!”

 

Minseok beams when he sees him. “You look so good, Yixing. Special night?” he waggles his eyebrows.

Yixing laughs. “Actually yeah.” He indicates the taxi. “Do you think you could do me a favour?” he leans in close. “Luhan ge and I were supposed to hang out tonight but I have to ditch him for the date. Do you mind keeping him company?”

 

Minseok grins. “Well I was planning to head out to Hongdae, do a little clubbing. He’s more than welcome to come along. Where is he?”

 

“In the alley by the cat café. He’s the dude in the bell bottoms, you can’t miss him.”

 

“Alright.” Misneok says throwing his apron off as he locks up the stand. “You head on back to your cab, I’ll go get him. “ He jogs off in the direction of the alleyway. Yixing lets out a wicked cackle as he joins Tao in the backseat and gives the driver instructions. The last thing he sees as they pull away is a humiliated-looking Luhan being dragged away by Minseok, blonde wig abandoned on the sidewalk.

**

The taxi ride over is awkward with both of them sitting stiffly apart from each other.It isn’t until the taxi driver takes a sharp turn and Tao nearly ends up face first in Yixing’s lap that the tension breaks. Yixing scoots over closer to the hybrid, under the guise of steadying him as he points out the various sights of Seoul to the fascinated boy. Tao explains shyly that he’s yet to see most of Seoul despite being in Korea for almost a year now. “It’s so big, it’s intimidating. Plus I’m scared of the subway.” “Maybe we can go explore together one day.” Yixing suggests faux-casually and the blinding smile he receives in return has him mentally fist pumping. When the taxi pulls up outside their destination, Tao takes a hold of his hand. “Don’t want you to lose me.” he teases, warm palm presses snugly against Yixing’s own. He blushes profusely before shyly tugging the hybrid closer. “Better make sure you don’t go too far then.”

 

Dinner is fun. Tao is enamoured by the glitzy interior of the French restaurant, pausing to take selcas from every angle. He butchers the names of the dishes as he orders but it’s ridiculously endearing and his sweet nature wins over their waiter who smiles down at him before promising to sneak him an extra slice of cake. Tao won’t even let him begin eating until he’s snapped their flawlessly presented dishes and picked appropriate Instagram filters. Once he does start eating though, it is almost astonishing the sheer volume of food the hybrid manages to put away (“You can’t blame me, I’ve seen bigger then these portions. Ge ? Ge, are you choking?!”), sneaking bits of Yixing’s food when he thinks the elder isn’t noticing. They end up feeding each other small bites throughout the dinner and Yixing feels more emboldened by the wine they’ve been steadily consuming. By the time dessert rolls around he’s feeling pleasantly buzzed and tipsy Yixing is a touchy Yixing. If Tao notices or objects to the teasing he doesn’t make any indication, merely laughing when Yixing tries to initiate footsie and ends up banging his shin against the table leg instead.

 

Dinner is wrapped up by 9 and as they stand outside the restaurant, Yixing realises he’s not quite ready for this night to end. He casually drapes an arm over Tao’s shoulder. “Do you want to come back to the apartment? I have something I want to show you. We can have a few drinks too if you’re up for it.”  That totally doesn’t sound like he’s propositioning him.

 

Tao agrees and they take the subway back to Yixing’s apartment. The climb up the stairs takes far longer then it probably needs to, with the two of them stumbling and giggling like school girls. (Okay the stumbling was mainly him). Zitao chuckles as Yixing unlocks the door, ushering him in. “You realise this is the first time I’ve entered your apartment through the front door?”

 

“I’m sorry, if you’re more comfortable with breaking and entering, I can lock you out.” Yixing quips, getting a bop on the head in return. Zitao sheds his cardigan as he enters, flopping face first onto the couch. “How’s about those drinks?”

 

Right drinks. Yixing rifles through his cupboards, frowning when he only manages to produce a couple of dusty beer cans. He wracks his brain until he recalls the bottle of Tequila under the sink. It probably hasn’t aged enough but whatever, it’s not like he and Tao are particularly refined. He digs out the shot glasses Kai had gifted him as a housewarming present when he’d moved in, carrying his cargo to the living room. Tao smiles lazily, face smushed into the cushion as he watches Yixing pour out the tequila, the amber liquor having an almost greenish tinge to it. Tao sniffs it experimentally scrunching his face up in disgust. “This smells terrible.”

 

“Can’t handle the hard stuff?” Yixing teases sitting across from him. “Want me to get you a Cosmopolitan?”

 

Tao kicks him in the thigh lightly, before pinching his nose shut. “On three” he orders, voice nasal and counts them down. They clink and Yixing pours the shot down his throat, wincing slightly at the sharp taste.  “Maybe I should’ve gotten the lime and salt first.”

 

“Now who’s being a wimp?” Tao teases, reaching for the bottle. “Another.”

 

Four shots later, Yixing’s world is blurring at the edges and he stares up at the ceiling, giggling madly as the paint bumps merge together. The alcohol’s effect on Tao seems to be especially potent; the hybrid is practically dangling off the couch, tail lazily waving around. The alcohol makes him touchy, hands coming up to splay around Yixing’s waist, dangerously close to his . He nuzzles into Yixing’s necks, teeth softly biting at his earlobe. Yixing can’t contain the full body shudder that this incites, fingers coming to wrap tight around Tao’s biceps, the hybrid’s skin radiating heat like a furnace. Tao pulls away slightly, staring down at him. “What did you even bring me here to show me?”

 

Oh right, Yixing came here with a purpose. He pulls away, standing up shakily as he retrieves his guitar from the corner, nearly hitting Tao in the head as he gets into position. Tao eyes him curiously. “You play?”

 

“I’m a songwriter actually,” Yixing slurs trying to locate the E string but in his current state his guitar looks more like a harpsichord. “I wrote you a song.” He tries to play the opening chords but a mishmash of jumbled notes is the result. Sighing, he places the instrument back on the floor. “Sorry, I can’t play right now.”

 

Tao pouts at him. “So you have nothing to show me?”

 

Yixing laughs. “I guess not tonight. Do you want to leave? I can call you a taxi.”

 

“Hmm,” Tao trails his fingers up his sides, fingers coming to fist in the front of Yixing’s shirt. “But what if I have something I want to show you?”

 

It happens quickly; he barely registers Tao pulling him forward before thin lips cover his own, warm body pressed flush against him.  He gasps into the kiss, starting when the taller boy nips at his top lip. He responds eagerly, hands coming up to tangle in Tao’s hair. In a small of genius, he scratches at the base of one of Tao’s ears eliciting the most delicious moan from the hybrid. Things get progressively more heated and it isn’t until Tao is away at his neck, hands up his shirt that Yixing thinks this is maybe going a bit too fast. He tries to nudge Tao’s hands away but the hybrid grips harder, biting down firmly at the juncture of his neck. He winces and tries once again to pull away, this time eliciting a hiss from the younger boy. “Tao, s-slow down.”

 

Tao gives no indication he hears him fingers moving downwards to fumble with the buckle of Yixing’s pants. Yixing tries to pull his hands away. “Tao, no, I don’t want-“. The rest of his words are cut with a startled yell when he realises the hybrid is hard, rutting shamelessly against his leg as he pulls his zipper down. “Tao!” he screams finally getting his attention. Tao’s pupils are blown, eyes glazed over and Yixing immediately knows that something wrong here, it doesn’t even seem like Tao even knows what he’s doing. The hybrid again tries to pull his pants down and now Yixing is seriously panicking, frantically hunting for something to use against the taller. His eyes fall on the tequila bottle within arm’s reach and he barely thinks before he swings it at Tao’s head, hearing the sickening thud as it makes contact. He pushes the injured hybrid off, panicking as he sees blood oozing from the boys head. “Tao, please, what’s wrong, why are you acting like this?”

 

Tao doesn’t respond, seemingly fascinated by the blood on his fingers. Yixing blanches at the sight, turning to find the first aid kit from the bathroom.

 

When he returns, the living room is empty, apartment door open. He sees a trail of blood droplets and frantically follows them, panic increasing as the stains gets noticeably larger the further he goes. The trail ends at the end of the street and Yixing spends twenty minutes frantically combing the area to no avail. He abandons his search once the rain begins to fall, shivering as he slowly trudges back up stairs, the now dried stains making bile rise up his throat. He barely makes it back inside before he’s throwing up in the sink, all the food and liquor from earlier coming back up. He leans his head against the cool tile of the counter and tries to figure out how things went so absolutely wrong.

**

He sleeps fitfully, waking up twice in a cold sweat, fingers fisted tightly in his sheets. He gives up and stumbles out of bed around 5 a.m. A wave of nausea hits him as he enter the living room, the scent of spilled tequila sharp in the air and he dry heaves but there’s nothing in his stomach for his body to expel. He cleans and cleans and cleans; losing himself to the monotony of the task, vacuuming the carpet, picking up glass shards, scrubbing at a blood stain till his fingers are cracked and the cleanser stings the tender flesh. He forgoes food; pulling his sneakers on to run laps around the neighbourhood. By the time the office workers hit the streets, briefcases in hand, his t-shirt is soaked in sweat, muscles burning as his feet move rhythmically against the pavement, mind in a blank haze. He almost misses the shouts of his name until he nearly collides with the person calling out to him. Sehun steadies him with one arm, eyebrows furrowing in concern as he takes in his appearance. ‘Dude, you okay? You seem pretty out of it.”

 

“M’okay.” He mumbles trying to sidestep the taller hybrid who blocks his path. He glares up at him. “Move.”

Sehun seems taken aback by the aggression, hands coming up against his chest.  “Sorry.” He apologizes, moving to the side with a small frown. Yixing pushes past him, grunting in response to Kai’s cheerful greeting as he passes him in the lobby. He stumbles up the stairs, eyes screwed shut as he s along the banister so he won’t have to see the dried, rust-coloured splotches on the tile.

 

His phone shows several missed calls and texts from Luhan and Chanyeol inquiring as to his whereabouts. He powers it off, tossing it to the side of the living room. It lands with a soft thump on the floor and his eyes spot familiar red fabric nearby.

 

Tao’s cardigan is soft to the touch and when he lifts it to his face, he can smell the hybrid’s spicy, sharp cologne clinging to the fibres. He puts it down, fists coming up to harshly wipe at the sudden wetness in his eyes. A part of him is furious at how the hybrid has managed to with his emotions like this, he should hate him, but the larger part has a hard time matching up the sweet playful boy he’s come to adore with the persistent creature of the night before.

 

He sits there dully until a loud knocking on the door interrupts his thoughts. He jerks to his feet unsteadily, twisting open the doorknob. Chen stands on the other side, giving him a wide grin as he holds up two bags. “Howdy neighbour. I picked up some breakfast and didn’t want to eat alone so-“

Chen stumbles backwards, nearly falling over when Yixing collapses against him, arms wrapping around the hybrid’s slim waist. His eyes widen as he realises the younger man is sobbing. “Dear god wha- okay, okay, it’s okay baby, let’s get you inside, come on now.” They stumble into the entryway, collapsing onto the floor in a mess of uncoordinated limbs. Chen pulls Yixing into his chest, making soothing noises as the elder sobs into his shirt. For all his innuendos and trickery, Chen is probably one of the most caring people he knows. The hybrid makes deep purring sounds in his chest, the vibrations a comforting hum as he Yixing’s head. “What’s wrong, Xing?”

 

“Everything.” He mumbles thickly, nose plugged up. He pulls away from Chen slightly, and the hybrid tsks, holding up a napkin for Yixing to blow his nose into. He does, feeling about ten years old. Chen hands him a bagel, nudging him gently to sit up. “Start from the beginning.”

 

So he does. The entire story pours out from their first meeting that fateful night when Tao had tried to steal from him to their disastrous date. Chen listens attentively, squeezing his hand when Yixing stumbles over his words or has to pause before continuing. He frowns when Yixing describes Tao’s behaviour from the night before.

 

“It was like- he completely was out of it. He wouldn’t respond to anything and his eyes were all.” Yixing looks at Chen, eyes widened. “His pupils were dilated.”

 

Chen pulls him up and takes him into the living room by the hand. He pauses and sniffs the air, eyes screwing shut. He winces, opening them to fix Yixing with a look. “Do you have anything Tao was wearing last night? Anything he may have touched?”

 

“There’s this.” He gingerly picks up the red cardigan, handing it to Chen who pulls it up to his face, taking a deep sniff. His face when he pulls away is flushed, eyes slightly glazed. He clears his throat. “I thought so. He was pre-heat.”

 

“W-what?” Yixing squawks. “You can tell that from smelling?”

 

Chen nods. “I thought I smelt something weird but its fainter in here. Mostly smells like Oxy Clean.” He drops the cardigan to the floor, staring at it thoughtfully. “A heat cycle would explain why he was aroused but it doesn’t cause any eye dilation. It especially wouldn’t put a hybrid so far out of it that they wouldn’t be able to identify their surroundings. “

 

“I thought heats made hybrids go” Yixing makes a circle gesture near his head. Chen snorts. “It does have an effect on mental states but we’re actually more alert during them. It’s evolutionary; you couldn’t risk getting hurt while mating.” He frowns appraising the room. “So he was normal before you guys came here? Nothing out of the ordinary?”

 

“No he was fine. A bit touchy and ate about five tonnes of food but fine.”

 

“Hunger is a sign of an impending heat.” Chen his chin thoughtfully. “Okay I have a theory here.” He gestures for Yixing to sit with him on the couch. “My guess is judging by the hormones he was a day or two away from a heat cycle.  Question is, what made him go all psycho?”

 

Yixing leans his head back, feeling more confused than ever. ‘We just had a couple of drinks beforehand.”

 

“What kind of drinks? Some hybrid breeds don’t take to alcohol well, although the usual side effect is vomiting or fur loss, not ual assault.”

 

“Don’t.” Yixing snaps. “Don’t-he’s not some kind of criminal.” He stands and head to the kitchen unable to bear the pitying look on Chen’s face. “The booze got spilt last night but I think the shot glasses are in the kitchen.” He retrieves one and hands it to Chen who takes a sniff before blanching.

“Jesus Christ, that smells terrible.” He wheezes. “What is that?”

 

“Some specialty drink one of Chanyeol’s customers gave him. Cacti tequila or some .” He flops back onto the sofa, shutting his eyes.

 

Chen lets out a startled squeak as Yixing shoots back up suddenly. “Cactus tequila. , , .” He frantically retrieves his phone, fingers shaking as he speed dials the nursery. A miffed-sounding Chanyeol picks up. “I need Do Kyungsoo’s number.”

 

“You have some nerve,” Chanyeol snaps, “You play hooky from work and then think you can bother me for some customer’s number? Beside Kyungsoo’s married dude, you don’t have a cha-“

 

“Chanyeol shut the up and give me the number!” There is silence on the other, possibly as Chanyeol reels from hearing Yixing swear, which occurs about as frequently as Haley’s Comet. He rattles off a string of digits and Yixing repeats them, snapping at Chen to write them down. He hangs up with a terse “Talk to Baekhyun, you moron” before dialling Kyungsoo. The man picks up after three rings, voice sleepy over the line. “Hello?”

 

“Kyungsoo-ssi” he begins as Chen watches him, tail flickering back and forth in time with Yixing’s pacing. “This is Yixing from Park Nurseries. I just needed to talk to you about the tequila you gave me- I mean my boss.”

“Tequila?” Kyungsoo sounds confused. “Oh you mean the Valparaiso sample. Did Chanyeol-ssi like it?”

 

“I’m sure he did but that’s not what I wanted to inquire. You said the tequila had a weird effect on hybrids. Can you explain what that meant?”

 

“Ah” Kyungsoo says and he hears noises on the other end of the line as the man gets up, whispering quietly. “Sorry, Joonmyun woke up. Well, I researched the cactus a bit after the incident with our cleaning hybrid and it seems that particular breed of cacti has long been used as protection against feral cats. It’s got a scent that disgusts them. My guess is some traces of that passed down to modern hybrids, their feline genetics don’t react well to it.”

 

Yixing screws his eyes shut, rubbing his forehead. “Is there any way drinking it could cause behavioural changes? Aggression maybe/”

 

Kyungsoo hums thoughtfully on the other end. “Well, I’ve heard the sap-that’s the base for the tequila- has a energy-drink like effect upon them. Not much research on the matter but I suppose it could cause an escalation of hormones so yeah, more aggressive or depressed.”

 

He swallows. “A-and heats?”

 

There is silence for a few moments on Kyungsoo’s end. “Something really bad happened didn’t it?”

Yixing’s throat feels tight. “Thank you for your help, Kyungsoo-ssi.” He replies before hanging up. Chen looks at him expectantly.

 

He explains the whole cactus saga to Chen who eyes the shot glass with renewed trepidation. “Well, it seems like you need to do two things. One: Call Chanyeol and tell him that under no circumstances is he to give that booze to any other hybrids. Second, we need to find Tao.” He stands. “Get your shoes on.”

 

Yixing stand dumbly as Chen cleans up the breakfast wrapper. “I-I don’t know if I want to see him again. So soon.”

 

Chen pauses. “Xing, I know you’re hurt right now and I understand that. But a male hybrid in heat wandering around high out of his mind is a risk to both himself and others. We need to get to him before the police do.” He pushes Yixing towards the hall closet.  “Hurry.”

 

Yixing laces up and they head out, Chen wincing when Yixing explains the sources of the stains on the stairs. They head to the cat café first since Yixing reasons that maybe Tao managed to make it to work this morning. Baekhyun gives him a wide grin as he enters, bounding over to them. ‘Well? Well? How’d the date go?’ he demands pulling on Yixing’s arm. “Did he like the gift? Did you guys kiss? You totally kissed didn’t you!”  He grins lecherously. Chen tugs him away gently, gesturing for Yixing to sit before he and Baekhyun have a short conversation in hybrid-speak. Baekhyun’s face goes grim as he listens, shaking his head occasionally before heading to the back room. Chen sits beside Yixing, rubbing his knee.

 

“He said Tao had a three day heat leave scheduled for next week, and he’s not working today either. He’s getting the address Tao gave them on his work forms, we’ll go check that place out next.”

 

Yixing nods, quietly accepting the piece of paper Baekhyun hands him when he returns. The blonde hybrids eyes are pitying and he pulls Yixing in to a hug. “It’ll be okay, Xing.”

***

They take the subway to Tao’s family’s house, located in one of the dingy market areas of Seoul. The apartment is above the electronics shop and they climb up a dank staircase until they see a door. Chen knocks and then stands to the side.

 

A petite woman with an apron opens the door. ‘Yes?” she inquires, Korean slow and accented. He deduces that this must be the infamous Meilie jie . He bows his head slightly, greeting her in Mandarin. Her eyes widen. “Are you Zitao’s friend?” she whispers, pulling him closer. He nods and she curses before yanking the two of them inside. She frantically bolts the door before turning to face them. “Where is he?” She twists her apron strings in between her fingers frantically.

 

Yixing feels his heart sink. “Wait, you mean he’s not here?” She nods and gestures for them to follow her. Inside a cupboard there’s a small stepladder and she indicates they should climb up. It’s dusty and small and Yixing nearly hits his head on the low ceiling as he enters. There’s a small bed in one corner with a threadbare rug at its feet. A neat stack of books is neatly placed at the side and there’s a small chest of drawer. A tiny skylight offers minimal light and he squints in the darkness.

 

Chen is breathing hard as he sniffs the air. “He was here last night” he grits out and Yixing realises that Tao’s heat hormones must be affecting him. He rubs the hybrid’s back soothingly before turning back to face Meili. “He was here?”

 

She nods. “He–he came in late last night and he was in the middle of one of his…sessions. Usually he goes to a hotel during that time but last night he seemed strange. I kept calling him and he snarled at me.” Her lower lips trembles and Yixing takes her hand, nodding at her to continue. “He went to his room and I thought he’d calm down on his own so I didn’t say anything. I had an event to go to already so I left. When I came back “she breaks down, loud gasping sobs echoing through the dusty chamber. “There was b-blood on the bed sheets.” She shakily point at the bed. “Yooseok-my husband- he won’t tell me what happened, just kept saying Tao got what he deserved.” Chen in a breath of air sharply and Yixing can almost feel the weight of his fear. He grips Meili’s hand hard, making her squeak in surprise. “Do you have any idea where might be?”

 

She shakes her head. “He never told me the places he used to go to. I o-only knew of you.” She presses his hands to her forehead. “Yixing, please, I’m begging you, find him.”

 

“Right.” Chen interrupts coldly, yanking Yixing away. “Thank you for your help, we’ll be leaving now.” He pushes Yixing down the stepladder and out the door, dragging him until they reach the street. Yixing massages his sore arm, watching the short hybrid warily. Chen kicks at a beer bottle angrily, ears standing straight up as he glowers at the offending object. “Chen, what’s wrong?”

 

“How can she sit there and cry like a pathetic little-she was his master! She was supposed to protect him!” he picks up the bottle throwing it so it shatters against the wall. “You said that her husband’s been abusive before and she knew but she didn’t do anything.”

 

Yixing grabs Chen, pulling the shorter man into a back hug, soothingly petting his ears. “We don’t know everything that went on, Chen. Right now I just want to find Tao.” He pulls away and Chen nods jerkily, wiping at his eyes. “So where do we go now?” he asks

 

Yixing paces, trying to remember any kind of detail that Tao may have mentioned before. “He-he once said that he used to hide from police in parks. Maybe he’s at one right now.”

 

It’s a pathetically flimsy lead but Chen humours him. ‘Okay” the hybrid says leading him towards a bus stop. “We’ll start searching at parks close to the area.” He pulls out his phone, tapping in a few numbers. ‘I’m calling for backup.”

 

“What backup?” A bus pulls up and they board.

“There’s too many parks in Seoul for us to do this solo, we need people to help out. Yongguk-hyung works at the Seoul Hybrid Shelter, I’ll tell him to be on alert. Call Baekhyun and your nursery friends; see if they can help out.”

Yixing pulls out his phone, beginning to dial Chanyeol’s number as he stares at the moving scenery. They have seven hours till it gets dark, seven hours to find his Taozi and bring him home.

 

***

They spend well into the evening searching through parks in Seoul, inquiring whether a hybrid of Tao’s description has been seen nearby to no avail. It isn’t until late in the evening when Chen is starting to sway on his feet, eyes slowly shutting that Yixing agrees to end the search for the day, telling Luhan to inform the others aiding them that the search was called off. He carries Chen home on his back, the hybrid having fallen asleep on the subway. The climb up the six flights is complicated to say the least with a passed out male on his back but he notes with some relief that the floors have been cleaned.

 

Chen’s husband opens the door when he knocks, eyes softening at the scene. “I’ve got him” he says, lifting Chen gently and carrying him over to the couch. Yixing turns to leave when he feels one of Kris’ big hands on his shoulder. ‘How are you holding up?” the tall man asks, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

 

 

“I’m-holding up.” He replies. Kris looks worried but doesn’t press. He bides him goodnight before trudging back to his own apartment, feet dragging on the carpet. He doesn’t make it to the bedroom flopping onto the couch in defeat. His mind is still overactive but his body has had enough and he feels his eyes shut.

 

Maybe it’s because his sleep is fitful but he wakes up instantly, letting out a startled gasp as his phone vibrates loudly. Fumbling, he pulls it out, squinting at the unknown number on the screen. He answers “Hello?”

 

“Yixing” he hears a deep voice rumble over the line that he identifies as belonging to Yongguk. “Sorry for calling so late. Chen gave me your number earlier.”

 

“Huh? Oh yeah?” he mumbles reclining his head back. “Everything okay?’

 

“Yeah, I’m at the shelter right now-night shift- and I think the hybrid you guys were looking for was just brought in.”

 

He stands up so fast he gets whiplash. “What? When? Are you sure?”

 

“Tall, blonde Siamese hybrid who speaks Chinese. Yeah pretty sure it’s him.”

 

“Oh thank god.” Yixing murmurs, pulling his shoes on. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

 

“Come to room 5 on the second floor, I’ll be waiting there.” Yongguk instructs before the line goes dead. Yixing grabs his backpack, frantically checking for his metro pass as he rushes out the door. The sheer relief of knowing Tao has been found, that Tao is safe has tears welling up in his eyes and he runs, fuelled by a desperate need to see him.

***

 

The Seoul Hybrid Shelter is located on the city outskirts and it takes him a good hour to reach there with the lack of public buses running at 4 a.m. The shelter is comprised of a large building with multiple stories, resembling an apartment complex. He signs in at the front desk and the receptionist guides him on how to get to the second floor. His throat constricts in panic in the elevator as he realises he’s being taken to the medical wards. The sharp scent on antiseptic hits him as he pushes open the sliding doors and he winces, searching the narrow corridor till he spots a small figure. Yongguk looks up and waves at him, eyes crinkling. He gestures for Yixing to follow him into a small office and Yixing does, parking himself on an uncomfortable armchair as he impatiently fidgets. Yongguk notices this and sighs.

 

“I’ll take you to see him but I need to warn you-he’s in bad shape” Yongguk warns. “If you can’t stay calm or you think it’s too much tell me immediately.”

 

He’s led to another hall where the medicinal smell is stronger and the beeping of machines can be heard. Yongguk pauses at a door before standing aside and letting him enter first.

 

It’s stark and white and cold and Yixing shivers. There’s a bed by the window surrounded by machines and there’s a figure asleep in it, propped up on pillow. He approaches slowly.

 

Tao is battered, forehead bandaged and a black eye peeking out from underneath his fringe. There are scabbed over cuts on his arms and ears and bandages peeking out from under the low collar of his hospital gown. He gasps wetly, feeling his breath hitch and he sees Yongguk start out of the corner of his eye. He tries to compose himself, bringing his fingers forward to gently caress along Tao’s cheekbone and the hybrid shifts slightly, letting out a small whimper in his sleep. He shifts his head and Yixing can’t stop the low cry that comes out of his mouth this time when he sees that one of Tao’s piercings, the little metal studs he was so proud, of has been ripped clean through his ear. Yongguk is immediately at his side, hand gently resting on his arm.  “Time to go, Yixing.” He nods frantically rubbing at his eyes as they proceed towards the door. He fumbles through his bag and pulls out the panda plushie Tao had left in his apartment. ”Can you give this to him?”

Yongguk nods, steering him towards the office. “Of course. Wait in there; I’ll give you a ride home. The night staff will be in here soon, they’ll take care of him.”

 

 

 

 He lets himself be lead to the office and then down the elevator to the car park. It isn’t until they’re halfway home that he breaks down, heaving sobs echoing in the small confines of the car. Yongguk, bless his soul, doesn’t say anything and merely turns on the radio, eyes fixed ahead. They drive ahead, the soft sound of music doing little to cover Yixing’s chanting of “It’s my fault, it’s my fault.”

 

 

***

 

His surroundings the next morning are unfamiliar, the robin’s egg-blue walls markedly different than his own peeling beige ones. He squints, making out the red blanket covering him and he twists to the side, making eye contact with Kris as he steps into the entranceway. The taller man smiles down at him, fingers fumbling with his tie.

 

“Hey, you’re up.” Yixing waves lazily, throat dry as he clears it. Kris gives up on the tie and sets about pulling on his dress shoes. “Yongguk brought you over last night, he seemed pretty worried. Sorry you had to sleep on the couch; the guest room is being used for storage.”

 

“It’s fine, thanks for letting me stay here.” He sees Chen stick his head out of the kitchen and waves at him too. The hybrid pulls Kris to him by his shirt lapels, expertly knotting the tie for him. There’s tenderness in the way he smoothes down Kris’ collar, in the way his husband smiles down at him and Yixing feels like he’s intruding on something intimate. He rolls over on to his front, face buried in the pillow as he hears the low murmur of voices before there’s the sound of the door closing. Seconds later, a large weight lands on his back and he lets out a pained squawk.  Chen bounces up and down a few times, seemingly uncaring about the torture he’s wreaking upon Yixing’s spine. “Get up now sleepyhead. Your pancakes are getting cold.” He smacks Yixing’s . “We have a long day ahead of us.”

 

“I’m tired.” Yixing whines into the pillow, and it’s true, last night’s lack of sleep is making his head throb. Chen is an unsympathetic bastard however and yanks the covers off.

 

“You can sleep later, we have to get dressed and down to the Seoul Courthouse before the morning rush gets in.” Chen begins folding the blankets expertly, managing to get all the corners even which is some Ripley’s Believe It or Not right there. He sits up, groaning as his back pops loudly. “Why the courthouse?”

 

“To get a temporary guardianship permit for Tao.” Chen appraises him critically. “Stand up.”

 

He pushes Yixing backwards, does something with his arm, there’s a loud crack sound and suddenly the pain in Yixing’s back is gone. He stares at Chen in disbelief. “How…?”

 

“Power bottom trade secret, sorry.” Chen shrugs. “I’ll get you some clothes from your apartment, you can shower here. Go eat.” He pushes Yixing towards the dining room.

Yixing pokes morosely at the pancakes, the mere mention of Tao having killed his appetite. He guzzles down coffee instead, caffeine making him feel slightly less like he’s about to pass out. Chen tsks when he returns. “You should eat. I worked hard cooking those.”

 

“So it’ll be a shame if I throw it all back up over your antique tablecloth.” He accepts the folded pile of clothes the hybrid hands him. “What’s this about a guardianship permit?”

 

“Well I was talking to Daddy last night and he said-well it was mostly a bunch of legal bull, but essentially since Tao’s a foreign hybrid, he needs someone to register as his guardian otherwise the shelter will have to hand him over to the Hybrid Affairs Bureau and believe me, if you lose him in that mess of red tape, you’ll never get him back. Yongguk will vouch that his current owners are unfit.”

 

“Won’t it take some time to get everything finalized?”

 Chen grins. “Advantage of having a high-ranking lawyer husband, he pulled some strings for us. But the Justice is a busy man which is why you need to hustle before he gets too busy with the other cases to sign off for us.” Yixing’s manages to duck the hand Chen aims for his this time. “I’m going, I’m going!”

 Once he’s showered and dressed (“Did you purposely pick the tightest things in my closet?” “Maybe.”), Chen and he board a cab headed for the courthouse.

 He fumes in the backseat as Chen guides the cabbie to the courthouse, telling Yixing to wait in the vehicle while he goes inside. He returns with a manila folder that he deposits in Yixing’s lap, instructing the taxi driver to head to the shelter.

Yixing pulls out the forms, squinting at the fine print. Some of the legal terms in Korean are unknown to him and he flips past those sections, pausing as he gets to the guardianship form. He scans it, eyes widening.

“Chen?” the hybrid hums, looking over at him. “Why am I the one being registered as Tao’s temporary guardian?”

 

“Who else do you expect to do it?” Chen shushes him before he can respond. “Kris isn’t a Korean citizen so he can only have one hybrid registered in his household at a time which is me. You have your residency too, no criminal record and steady income so it makes sense for you to have him. Besides, you’re the only other person Tao knows besides his old owners from the sounds of it.”

 

Yixing wants to argue further but Chen pulls out his phone and starts a heated conversation in hybrid speak with the person on the other end, who he’s none too pleased with if the amount of yowling is anything to go by. He ends the call when they pull up to the shelter.

In the light of day the shelter is less foreboding. The ground outside are filled with hybrids of varying breeds of all ages, some are playing sports or reading but the majority are curled up on blankets napping. Chen gets distracted by a group of kids, cooing and petting them until Yixing forcibly yanks him away, Chen yelling” My kittens!” the entire way up to the second floor.

 

At the entrance of the medical ward, they’re met by a short man with caramel-coloured hair and gentle eyes. Chen shakes his hand. “You must be Yixing and Chen. Yongguk-hyung said you’d be dropping by.” He gestures for them to follow him. “I’m assuming you have the paperwork ready?”

 

Chen hands him the folder and Jongup flips through the papers, nodding. “Okay good. Technically, I wouldn’t have been able to let you see him without these, Yongguk-hyung made an exception last night.”  He leads them down another hallway, and Yixing notices this ward is different. “Patient Huang’s condition is currently stable. Night staff reported no significant issues so we transferred him to the observation ward this morning.” He stops in front of a door. “You guys can go in and talk with him; I’ll have my supervisor file these forms. Also, say hi to his roommate, he’s new and still kind of shy.”

 

They enter the room slowly. The antiseptic smell is still there but there’s been some effort made to brighten this room up with the cheery floral wallpaper. There are two beds located across from each other and the privacy screens have been drawn around one of them. The bed near the window has a familiar head of blonde hair fanned across the pillow. Tao is asleep, ears twitching slightly as he breathes out, the tag attached to his ear flickering slightly. They approach him slowly, Chen making the first move as he brushes some hair off the hybrid’s forehead. Tao looks a bit less sickly then he had when Yixing saw him last although there’s still an unhealthy pallor to his skin. Chen squints at the chart on the wall and begins reading out loud. “Lacerations on arms and chest, a bruised rib, severed claw-Jesus someone did a number on him.” They both start as a loud crash is heard and Chen sticks his head around the screen. “Are you okay?” he calls out “Xing, you stay here, I’ll check on the roommate.” He leaves, pulling the screen shut behind him.

 

Alone with Tao now, it’s hard for Yixing know where to look. He settles for counting the drips of the IV bag, not letting his eyes travel to the tube connected to the hybrid’s arm. He nearly jumps a foot in the air when he feels warm fur brush against his hand. Tao is on his stomach, tubes getting tangled underneath him. His tail rests atop Yixing’s hand where it’s clutching the side railing of the bed and he watches as it slowly begins to move as Tao stretches. His gazes move up to the hybrid’s eyes which are slowly blinking open, and their vision meet, Yixing’s terrified brown orbs staring into Tao’s sleep glazed amber.

 

Tao’s eyes widen as he recognizes him and he shifts back with a terrified yelp, nearly falling off the bed. He buries his head under the pillow, tail twitching in fright.

 

Yixing is…perturbed to say the least. He gently taps Tao on the back of the leg. “Zitao?” He gets no response other than Tao shifting further away from his touch. “Tao, please look at me.”

 

“Can’t.” comes the muffled reply. There’s silence for a few second until Tao speaks again. “Why are you here?”

 

“I-I wanted to see you. I was worried about you.” Yixing fists the scratchy white hospital sheets. “I was so scared, you were bleeding when you left the apartment. I’m so sorry.”

 

“You’re sorry?!” Tao sits up sharply, hissing as his hand comes to his chest and Yixing moves to support him, easing him back on to the pillows. “Careful, you hurt your rib-“

Stop it!” Tao screeches and there’s silence in the room save for the beeping machines. “Why are you being so kind to me? I remember what happened before I left the apartment. I-I forced myself on you, I hurt you.” Tao is crying, big heaving sobs that shake his body and the machine measuring his heartbeat begins to beep in warning. Yixing tries to take one of his hands in vain. “Tao, please, please, calm down, I’m not angry at you, I don’t blame you.”

 

“You should!” Tao sobs out, the beeping of the machine now an ear-splitting shriek and Yixing hears footsteps rapidly approaching.  A nurse appears and bodily shoves him out of the way, closing the screen behind her. Yixing stands there until he feels a soft grip on his hand and someone gently tugs him away.

 

He lets himself be led, not paying attention until a chair is pulled out for him. He looks up, and sees he’s in a cafeteria of sorts. The person holding his hand lets go and he looks up, expecting to see Chen but is instead met with the shy smile of a small, tan boy. He returns the smile tentatively, scanning the room. The boy speaks softly, Korean heavily accented. “Chen-hyung went back to the room.”

 

 

“Ah.” Yixing sees Chen approach the table, a tray in his hands.  He sits beside the boy, scratching him behind the ears, eliciting a small smile. “Yixing, this is Kunpimook, he’s Tao’s roommate.”

 

“The staff call me Bam Bam.” The boy supplies helpfully. Chen hands him a cupcake before pouring tea into two cups. “So, I take it the meeting didn’t go too well?” He passes Yixing the cup.

Yixing inhales deeply. “He- he thinks I should be angry at him, he’s angry at me for not hating him. I don’t know how to deal with this.” He rubs his forehead wearily. “I’m-I still shaken up from that night but now that I know the circumstances, how can I blame him for it?”

 

Chen nods. “Okay, I think I need to go speak to him first. If I can explain what happened to him it may be easier to get him to listen to you. It may be less embarrassing to hear from me as well.” He stands and smiles down at the hybrid. “Bammie, why don’t you take Yixing around the shelter for a bit?”

 

They split up, Chen heading towards the elevators and Yixing and Bam Bam heading out towards the gardens. Yixing finds himself almost instantly swarmed by a group of young hybrids, all of them clamouring for his attention, fingers into his shirt. He gets pulled down into a big kitty pile. A cacophony of voices calls out to him in both Korean and hybrid-speak until Bam Bam manages to distract the crowd with a motorized car. The entire litter goes chasing after the toy and Yixing goes to sit on a bench nearby, watching the shenanigans with a small smile. Bam Bam taps him on the shoulder. “You have a fan.” He points at a little girl hybrid, a tiny thing with fluffy brown ears whose peeking at him shyly from behind a tree. He waves at her and she ducks behind it again, tail still peeking out from behind the trunk. He turns back to Bam Bam. “Lively bunch aren’t they?”

 “Well we don’t get a lot of visitors normally so the kittens get excited. Some of them probably think you’re here to adopt so they’re trying to show off for you.” 

“So are you Tao-hyung’s boyfriend?” Bam Bam suddenly asks looking up at him curiously. Yixing flushes and shakes his head. “Well, do you want to be?”

 

 

He pauses. “I do.” It’s liberating to admit it out loud, he’s been keeping his feelings suppressed for so long. “If he’ll still have me, anyways.” Oh yeah, there’s still that minor hurdle to cross over.

 

“You mean he gets to choose?” Bam Bam is the back of his hands, using them to wipe at his ears. “Couldn’t you just buy him?”

 

“Well-I mean, technically yes I could, but he could leave me if I was a bad owner, the law would allow that. And I wouldn’t want to force anything like that on him.” He squints down at the younger. “Is it different where you’re from?”

“Kind of.”   A loud bell rings over the quad and the hybrids begin to line up in a single file “Back home, hybrids are only for ownership. There’s no laws for-what’s it called-um, when you have no owner?”

 

“Independent status hybrids?”

 

“Yeah those. And it’s looked down upon to be in relationships with them. No one says anything about affairs but marrying or dating them is out of the question. I actually never even heard of it before coming to Korea.”

 

“Well, it exists. Chen, you just met him, he and his husband got married in Canada, they allow hybrid-human marriages over there. And I know an independent status hybrid, he runs his own business.” Albeit with an illegal side trade.

 

 

Something butts him in the side and he looks over to see the little girl grinning up at him. He lifts her up into his lap, and she settles against him, purring happily. He scratches behind her ears. Bam Bam props his chin on his knee. “Do you want to marry Tao?”

 

If Yixing had been drinking something at that moment, he probably would’ve spat it across the courtyard. As it is, he has a massive coughing fit causing his little feline cargo to worriedly thump him on the back. He’s saved from replying, when Chen walks over to them.

 

“There you are! Who’s this?” Chen leans down to coo at the little girl who immediately holds out her arms to him. Traitor. “Tao’s waiting upstairs, you should go see him. I’ll take this little one back to the nursery”

 

“Wait, he actually wants to see me?” Yixing wipes his sweaty palms on the front of his jeans as he stands. Chen nods. “I managed to explain and get him to calm down somewhat. They’ve upped his painkiller dosage for the rib so he’ll probably knock out soon, you should hurry.”

 

Yixing all but sprints up to the second floor, taking a few seconds to adjust his clothes before he knocks slowly on the door. A soft “Come in” is heard and he pushes it open. Tao is sitting up in bed, staring at him. “Hi,” he whispers and the hybrid smiles softly, beckoning him closer. He pulls up a chair besides the bed, taking care not to get tangled in any of the wires. He notices that Tao has the panda plushy tucked into his side. They sit there in silence until Tao speaks, voice so quiet that Yixing has to lean into hear. “Chen-hyung explained what happened.”

 

“Ah” Yixing exhales. “Do you understand now why I don’t blame you?  It was whole series of unfortunate events that led up to that.”

 

Tao hesitantly takes one of his hand, playing with his leather bracelet. “I was so scared about that. I didn’t want to lose you.” He smiles sleepily up at Yixing, head falling against the pillow. The drugs are probably starting to kick in. “You’re the first real friend I’ve had in years.”

Friend. Yixing wishes the word had a physical manifestation so he could drop kick it in the face. Tao continues on, words now sounding slurred “We can pretend it never happened, Yixing ge. We can go back to the way things were before.” He nuzzles into Yixing’s hand. “Promise you’ll stay?”

“I’ll stay.” Yixing promises, words bitter in his mouth as he watches Tao’s eyes droop shut slowly.

 

He sits there for a good long while alternating between glaring at the wall and staring lovingly down at the hybrid. It isn’t until the chamomile tea decides to forcibly evict itself that he lets go, sneaking away quietly to use the bathroom.

 

When he comes back, he’s met with the semi-comical sight of Chen surrounded by a group of kittens sitting in the middle of the hallway, distributing snacks. Ten pairs of eyes fixate on him as he enters and Bam Bam makes a ‘run for your life’ gesture behind Chen’s back.

 

“Well?’ Chen inquires eagerly. “Did you two kiss and makeup?” There’s a chorus of giggles and oohs at the word kiss and Yixing flushes. “We made up but there was no kissing.” He kicks at a stray cookie crumb. “We’re friends.”

 

He’s met with ten judgmental stares at Chen shoves the pack of cookies at Bam Bam. “Look after the litter; I need to talk some sense into this fool.”

 

He drags Yixing outside and parks him on a bench. Yixing opens his mouth to speak but is caught by surprise when Chen slaps him. “Why is it you still can’t get your together, Zhang?”

 

He gapes up at the fuming hybrid. “You hit me!”

 

“That was not a hit, that was a mere love tap compared to what I’m going to do if you don’t get back in that hospital room and profess your love for that boy and ravage him senseless.” He pauses. “Okay maybe not ravage him, I don’t think there’s a lot of safe ual positions for broken ribs. And you don’t want to scar Bam Bam for life.”

 

“He doesn’t want to date me!” Yixing protests, flinching as Chen’s hand rears back. “Don’t hurt me!”

 

“Yixing,” Chen pinches the bridge of his nose wearily. “Have you asked him?”

 

“Asked him what?”

 

“Whether he wants to go out with you?”

 

“Oh-no.”

 

Chen squints down at him. “And you judge Chanyeol for handling his whole Baekhyun situation so ridiculously when you’re worse! At least Chanyeol can admit he wants Baekhyun, you’re just content to martyr yourself for a boy without even wanting anything in return.” he shakes him by the shoulders. “I did not sacrifice so much of my beauty sleep for you to spend the rest of your life awkwardly tip toeing around Tao and staring at him all moony-eyed. It’s revolting.” He lets go and jabs Yixing in the forehead. “I’m going to take the kids back out. We have an hour until Kris comes to pick us up. Either you confess in that much time or you’re walking home.”

 

He goes back into the room and re-emerges with all the kittens following behind him in a single file line, flanked by an exasperated looking Bam Bam who mouths good luck to him.

 

Tao is still asleep; a thin line of drool leaking from his open mouth to the pillow and it’s probably the final nail in Yixing’s coffin of denial that he finds it adorable instead of gross. He gently tips Tao’s head up, wiping away at the spit. Tao shifts from the contact, batting away at the air. Yixing pokes him in the cheek, finding it endlessly amusing how Tao’s face scrunches up in annoyance, even in sleep. It’s all fun until Tao swipes out and scratches him.

 

He lets out a pained yelp and Tao wakes up. His eyes register the three small scratches on Yixing’s palm that are starting to bleed and he lets out a startled gasp. “Did I do that, oh my god are you okay?” Yixing tries to stop Tao from sitting up but the hybrid grabs his hand and brings it to his mouth and laps at it. Yixing freezes when he feels Tao’s tongue against his palm and the room is suddenly silent. Tao seems to catch on to the atmosphere and drops his hand quickly. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking-“

 

Yixing sits up, taking Tao face into his hands, effectively shutting him up. “That night,” he begins, watching Tao’s eyes grow wide in confusion. “When you came over. Did you want to kiss me?”

 

“Ge, what are you asking?” Tao asks, fingers coming up to lock around Yixing’s forearms.

 

“I’m asking,” Yixing enunciates slowly, “Even if you weren’t on your heat that night, would you have kissed me?”

 

Tao looks down, ears pressing down and Yixing has to lean in to hear his answer, breathed out so quietly that he almost misses it. “Yes.”

 

He doesn’t give himself any more chances to over think. He tips Tao’s face up and kisses him, swallowing the small squeak of surprise the hybrid lets out. It’s chaste and awkward, Yixing’s teeth bumping Tao’s chin but its so perfect to be able to taste Tao without the haze of alcohol, to feel the plush surface of his lips under his own and he thinks he wants to spend the rest of his life learning all the textures of Tao’s skin.

 

Tao pulls away, hand still clutching Yixing’s arm. “Are you serious?” he asks, eyes wide.

 

Yixing smiles down at him. “I want you. Only if you’ll have me.”

 

This time it’s Tao who pushes himself up shakily on one arm to kiss him, purring happily into the kiss. They kiss like that until Tao’s arm gives away under him and he falls onto the bed with a startled squeak. Yixing laughs and Tao pouts up at him, tugging him down by his shirt collar to kiss him again.

“So,” Tao asks when they break apart. “What happens now?”

 

Yixing smooth his fingers over the warm velvet of Tao’s ears. “Well, your main priority is to get better. Can’t take you anywhere till we get that ribs fixed.” He taps Tao on the nose before glancing up at the clock and cursing.  “And I need to go find Chen before he ditches me and I have to walk back to Seoul.”

 

“Don’t leave.” Tao whines. “Take the other bed, Bam Bam can sleep in the bathroom.”

 

“Rude.” They hear someone call and the screen around the bed is pulled back to reveal Chen and his feline posse. Chen gives him an expectant look. “Well?”

 

“They’re holding hands!” one of the little brats squeals and everyone swivels their heads to stare at their interlocked palms. Then the applause begins (and the whole synchronicity is really getting creepy). Chen shouts hallelujah and bounds over to the bed to kiss Tao’s forehead.

“Oh thank god, I thought it would never happen.” He mimes wiping away a tear. “Bless you for agreeing to deal with this moron Tao. He’s a bit shabby right now but I have experience in training humans, we’ll have him in shape in no time. And then-“he leans in and whispers something that has Tao’s face turning a violent shade of puce. Chen stands back up and grins at their audience. On cue, they all begin to chant “Kiss! Kiss!” and a few wandering medical staff join in. Chen aims a phone at them and gestures at Yixing. “Get on with it.”

 

Yixing obliges, bending down to peck a smiling Tao and despite everything that has led up to it, he can’t recall a moment in time where everything felt more right.

***

EPILOGUE

“When,” Tao huffs as he leans on Yixing for support. “Will your damn landlord fix that elevator?”

 

“At this point, I’m betting sometime around the next ice age.” Yixing wheezes out, leaning against the banister. There are still two more flights to go and he’s not normally this out of shape but it’s been a lazy few months. And he didn’t have to drag six feet of annoyed hybrid upstairs with him too.

 

“I could walk up by myself you know.” Tao murmurs, nuzzling into his neck. “Give your back a rest old man.”

 

“Brat.” Yixing huffs out, looping Tao’s arm back over his neck and continuing their slow trek up the stairs. “You heard the doctor, your rib is still in delicate condition.”

 

He feels more than sees Tao rolls his eyes and the boy’s tail comes up to loop around their waists. “Dr. Sunggyu is more of a worrywart then you are.” He points to the giant red number 5 on the wall. “Almost there, Xing. “

 

They make it up to the sixth floor and Tao applauds as Yixing bends down to catch his breath. Yixing swats at his leg before taking his hand. “This is it.” He smiles softly. “Home.”

 

“Home.” Tao repeats. He loops his arms around Yixing’s neck, pulling the shorter man down. “Aren’t you going to carry me over the threshold?”

 

“Too soon for that, I think.” Yixing chokes out. “Plus, I don’t think I could.”

 

“Excuse me?” Tao glares down at him, hands on his hips. “You calling me fat, Zhang?”

 

Yixing is saved from having to answer when the door to his apartment is slammed open and Chen and Kai stick their heads out, both grinning widely.

 

“Welcome home!” Chen yells, pulling Tao down to plant a kiss on him, but misses and nearly ends up with a face first of shag carpeting. Kai bursts into high pitched giggles at the sight until a large hand yanks him back inside. Kris scoops up his inebriated spouse with a bemused grin. “Sorry those two decided to start the celebrations early.” He pats Chen on the back teasingly. “You’re setting a bad example for your future son, Chen.”

“Bam Bam won’t move in for another two weeks, let me have my fun you old fart.” Chen slurs, nearly hitting his head on the doorframe as he’s carried back inside.

 

“Celebrations?” Yixing asks before he and Tao are pulled inside by an overexcited Chanyeol and a loud chorus of “surprise!” greets them. Someone sets off a party popper and they spend the next fifteen minutes trying to get the smoke alarm to turn off.

 

Yixing has a drink shoved in his hand by Chanyeol who slaps him on the back jubilantly. “I’m really happy for you bro. Your boyfriend seems like a sweet kid.”

 

Thanks.” Yixing cranes his head, trying to locate Tao’s pointy black ears over the sea of faces. “Did you see where he went?”

 

“And because I’m such a great boss,” Chanyeol continues, ignoring him. “I’m not even going to dock your pay for the three weeks you’ve missed.”

Yixing gapes up at him. “Seriously?”

 

“Seriously.” Chanyeol confirms before letting out a maniacal little laugh. “But you’ll be taking over the fertilizer shipments for the next month.”

 

Before Yixing can do something stupid, like throw his drink in Chanyeol’s face a soft tap on his shoulder distracts him. It’s Baekhyun, looking elegant in his black v-neck, fingers wrapped tightly around a wine glass. He pulls him into a hug. “Good to see you.”

 

“Yeah, you too.” Yixing returns the hug, frantically scanning the surrounding area for any weapons Baekhyun could use against Chanyeol. “Thanks so much for dropping by to see Tao last week, it really made his day.”

 

“I only wish I didn’t have to be the bearer of bad news.” Baekhyun sighs. “I tried to talk Kang out of firing him but well…Anyways; I’ve heard he’s got a new job offer lined up.”

 

“Really? He didn’t mention.”

“Because I haven’t offered it yet.” Chanyeol interjects, smoothly inserting himself between the two. “We have a new opening now that the country club deal went through.” He smoothly takes Baekhyun’s empty glass from him. “Red or white?”

 

“White unless they’ve gotten into the champagne.” Baekhyun smiles u pat Chanyeol and Yixing swears he sees a spark somewhere before the giant leaves to go to the kitchen. He nudges Baekhyun in the ribs. “What is up with that?”

 

Baekhyun laughs, blush spreading to the pointed tips of his ears. “Well, it was actually him. He came into the café two weeks ago, asked if we could talk. We ended up finally getting through a lot of things.” He fiddles with his sleeves, eyes unconsciously straying towards the kitchen and Yixing hides his smile behind his beer. “He knows about my arrangement with Kang.”

 

“How’d he react to it?”

 

“Tried to be the knight in shining armour as expected. But I explained things to him and he understands now. We’re not dating yet but we’re, I don’t know, getting to know each other? Be friends first. Once my debt is paid off, I told him he can ask me out again.” Baekhyun chuckles. “If he still wants to.”

 

“I will.” Chanyeol says from behind him, passing him a glass. The two share a look that makes Yixing want to coo and shove their faces together and scream “Now kiss!”

 

“Well, I’m glad you guys got your together.” Yixing gives both of them an affectionate head pat. “Now take your awkward elsewhere, I need to find my boyfriend.”

 

“Before that,” Baekhyun says casually. “You may want to check in on your room.”

Yixing stares at him before his eyes widen and he bolts through the living room rush to fling open his bedroom door. What he sees has him letting out a high pitched scream. “Luhan!”

 His co-worker waves lazily at him from where he’s sprawled out underneath Minseok, the hybrid clearly high out of his mind if the sporadic twitches of his tail are anything to go by. “Don’t worry dude, we saved you some.”

 Yixing can feel his right eye beginning to twitch shut. When Luhan had called him several days ago to scream about how he and baozi had finally gotten together after Luhan kissed him (while testing out Minseok first organic batch), he had been legitimately happy for his friend. But where was his sense of decency, Jesus Christ.

“Get off my bed, I am not letting you two defile my sheets before Tao and I get to”

“Mmm.” Minseok lifts his head up to grin at him lazily. “Can I watch?”

“OUT!” he yells before heading back into the living room. Chen has apparently hit the phase of drunkenness where he deems it acceptable to sing Girl’s Generation at the top of his lungs whilst trying to force a poker faced Sehun to join in. He ducks the flailing hybrids and searches the room for Tao, frowning when he doesn’t see him. He’s about to go check the bathroom when he sees a shadow outside his window.

 “Hey you.” He greets, pulling himself through the window slowly onto the fire escape which loudly voices it’s displeasure at the added weight. He sits beside Tao, linking their legs together. “Too crowded inside?”

 

“Just wanted to clear my head a little.” Tao leans his head against Yixing’s shoulder. “Sing for me.”

 

Yixing tries to refuse. “Why right now, everyone’s going to hear me. I’ll do it later.”

 

“No,” Tao yanks on his arm demandingly, making the rusted metal structure jostle ominously. They both freeze. The hybrid pouts at him “I want to hear you right now.”

 

Damn Tao and his aegyo. Yixing leans his head in the window and yells at someone to pass his guitar over before shutting the window. It takes some awkward shuffling until they situate themselves comfortably, Tao draped over his arm as he begins to play.

He sings, letting the notes pour out into the evening night with the shouts of the neighborhood children as the backdrop. Tao purrs deep in his chest, somehow keeping in time with the beat and he pulls Yixing’s hands away from the guitar before he’s finished the second verse, placing them on either side of his face. “Kiss me.” he whispers and Yixing does, eyes falling shut as he slowly traces his tongue along the seam of his lips, parting them to allow access.

 

Then there’s a loud splat sound, followed by something wet hitting the back of his hand and Tao shrieking and jumping up. “That pigeon just on you!”

***

Fin.