Yifan sits on his sofa with Joonmyun's head resting in his lap. The catboy's eyes are closed, but he purrs contentedly as his owner rubs his belly with his large, warm hands. It's autumn, Joonmyun's favorite season, and he has ransacked Yifan's closet for large, old sweaters that have gone out of style long ago. Yifan had offered to take Joonmyun shopping, but Joonmyun insisted that the stodgy sweaters were part of his aesthetic.

 

"And they smell like you," he had added with a coy grin.

 

After their first few days together, Yifan discovers that there isn't much that Joonmyun asks for other than to cuddle with Yifan after he returns home from work.

 

"Joonmyun."

 

"Master?" Joonmyun peers up at him with dark doe eyes.

 

"Ah, no need to call me that. Just Yifan is fine."

 

"Okay, Yifan," Joonmyun agrees, eager to please. Yifan leans down to kiss Joonmyun on the forehead, and the catboy glows with happiness at the affection.

 

"Tell me, Joonmyun, how did you spend your time when you were with Luhan?"

 

"Well...he would drop me off at the library usually. He'd give me his library card and some snack money. And I would spend my whole day there until he picked me up again."

 

Yifan's brow knits in concern. "He left you all by yourself all day?"

 

"Yeah. I always felt safe, though. Luhan made sure that my ears and tail couldn't be seen, since pets aren't allowed to be in libraries without their owners. And after he picked me up, he would take me home and we would have and he would always-"

 

"Okay, Joonmyun," Yifan groans. He suddenly feels a little sick to his stomach.

 

"S-sorry, Yifan..." Joonmyun tries to turn away from Yifan out of embarrassment and remorse.

 

"Hey, no, it's okay. Don't worry, you're cute. You're so cute. I love you."

 

It should be astonishing, how easily those three words tumble from Yifan's lips. But somehow, they feel like words that he was meant to always say to him. And Joonmyun's eyes always light up each time.

 

Lifting up the hem of Yifan's shirt, Joonmyun nuzzles his cheek against Yifan's bare, warm skin.

 

"What are you doing down there?" Yifan laughs. He tugs at his collar to look down the front of his shirt, and Joonmyun peeks up at him. "You strange little kitty."

 

Eventually, Yifan has to convince Joonmyun to get out of his shirt for the catboy's safety, but Joonmyun mewls a complaint about getting cold.

 

"But you're wearing a turtleneck!"

 

"It's still too cold."

 

"You weren't complaining before."

 

Joonmyun narrows his eyes at his owner. Yifan pulls him up so that he's sitting in his lap.

 

"I love you," he repeats. Everytime he says those words, it's because he has been reminded again of how lucky he is to have Joonmyun. It's a thought that passes through his mind often.

 

But as much as he treasures his lazy moments of repose, a lawyer's work never truly ends.

 

"I'm sorry, Joonmyun. I have to go to court tomorrow, so I need to get things ready."

 

"Court?" Yifan talks about his work often, and Joonmyun always listens eagerly, even though he understands little of it. But court is something he does understand. "Luhan talked about court a lot."

 

"Just a lot? I'm surprised, Luhan never seems to stop talking about it."

 

It's not a particularly funny joke, but Joonmyun cracks up nevertheless, possibly because it was at Luhan's cost. He slips his fingers between Yifan's, which are slim and petite compared to Yifan's massive fingers. But it only makes him feel deeper regret when he has to lift the catboy from his lap in order to finish typing his conclusion statements.

 

" Luhan," Yifan grumbles, angrily jabbing at his keyboard.

 

"What's the matter?" Joonmyun's head is resting against Yifan's shoulder, but he lifts his head to look at Yifan.

 

"I'm only doing this because Luhan is scared of the prosecuting attorney."

 

"Who is that?"

 

"He's, uh...interesting. You'll see tomorrow?"

 

"What do you mean?" Joonmyun asks curiously.

 

"Aren't you going to come to my trial tomorrow?"

 

"I can come? Really?" Joonmyun's eyes are wide in disbelief. "You'd let me?"

 

"Of course! I'll need all the support I can get."

 

"Wow, thank you, Yifan. Luhan talked so much about his trials, so I always wanted to come with him to see what it was like. But he never let me. He said that I would distract him too much."

 

"Well, I promise that I'm made of stronger stuff than Luhan," Yifan vows solemnly.

 

Joonmyun's eyes crinkle into crescents, and he smiles toothily at Yifan. He leans in until the tips of their noses are touching and whispers, "Prove it to me."

 

Since hats are not allowed in the courtroom, Joonmyun wears a chestnut brown wig to conceal his ears.

 

"Looks kind of weird," Joonmyun says doubtfully.

 

"You look perfect," Yifan assures him, hugging him and kissing his forehead.

 

"No kissing in the courtroom," Joonmyun says sternly. Finding his sense of decorum adorable, Yifan kisses him again. "I mean it, stop!"

 

"Okay, okay. I'll try my best," Yifan chuckles.

 

Not long after Yifan has finished organizing his notes in preparation for the trial, his competitor arrives.

 

"That's him," Yifan mutters grimly, and Joonmyun glances up at the newcomer.

 

He's approximately half of Yifan's size, with large ears and eyes that peek out from a fringe of dark brown hair. He has a lost expression on his face, like he has never stepped in a courtroom before and is utterly bewildered by his surroundings.

 

"That's who Luhan is afraid of?" Joonmyun asks incredulously.

 

Yifan bursts out laughing. "Isn't it hilarious? Kim Taehyung is about as intimidating as a baby duckling."

 

"What is wrong with Luhan?" Joonmyun has never asked such a rude question in his life, but he sincerely wants to know.

 

Still chuckling, Yifan shakes his head and says, "I ask myself that question everyday."

 

"But really? Why is he scared of him?"

 

When they look over, Taehyung is trying to balance his pen on the bridge of his nose. It topples onto the desk, and the lawyer snickers to himself and repositions it on his nose again.

 

"The first time Luhan faced him in court, apparently he overheard Taehyung talking to himself in some kind of alien language before the trial began. And it freaked him out so much that he flubbed the entire trial."

 

"...Oh."

 

"Don't tell anyone this, but Luhan thinks that Taehyung told his alien friends to possess him and make him lose the trial," Yifan adds in a conspiratorial whisper.

 

Joonmyun nods curtly. "I won't tell a soul," he promises.

 

They share a quiet giggle before Joonmyun has to find a seat as the trial commences. He sits in the third row on Yifan's side. Yifan winks at him, so quick and subtle that it could have been mistaken for the twitch of an eye. Joonmyun beams back, flashing him two thumbs up.

 

During Yifan's opening statements, Taehyung is opening and closing his jaw, clacking his teeth together for no apparent reason. Joonmyun watches in fascination at the strange new human. When Taehyung speaks, his voice is startlingly deep, and Joonmyun begins to wonder if he even is a human after all. He's not like any human Joonmyun has ever come in contact with.

 

Yifan tries to focus on the arguments and examinations occurring, but his mind keeps wandering back to Joonmyun. Perhaps Luhan was correct in keeping him at home. More than likely, the catboy doesn't understand anything that's happening in front of him.

 

Halfway through the trial, Joonmyun dozes off, and his head lolls onto the shoulder of the man sitting next to him. Yifan sneaks a glance and sees the man smiling warmly at Joonmyun. He tries not to think about the sleepy rise and fall of Joonmyun's chest as the trial proceeds. Joonmyun had arrived at the courthouse wearing a long, navy blue peacoat, and he had taken it off after finding a seat. But when the man discovers that Joonmyun has fallen asleep, he drapes the coat across Joonmyun's shoulders to keep him warm.

 

The fact that Joonmyun is finding warmth and comfort from someone who is not Yifan is incredibly distracting, so the lawyer forces himself to concentrate. When the trial has ended, Yifan finds Joonmyun clapping eagerly with slightly disheveled hair and tell-tale imprints on his cheek. The man whose shoulder he had fallen asleep on is gone, as is Kim Taehyung. Yifan briefly wonders if they had plotted against Yifan, sabotaging his performance through his protectiveness of Joonmyun. But then he reminds himself that he's not Luhan.

 

"Thanks for all the support," Yifan remarks drily. Joonmyun beams back so genuinely that it's impossible for Yifan to be upset with him.

 

"Can we celebrate?" Joonmyun asks excitedly, neither knowing nor caring about the results of the actual trial.

 

"Ah, sure. What do you have in mind?"

 

"Let's go watch a movie!" he suggests brightly.

 

Unacquainted with the latest blockbusters, Yifan consults Zitao for a movie to watch. The secretary responds promptly with a title Yifan has never heard of before. But he trusts Zitao (usually), so he books tickets for that evening.

 

Yifan decides to never trust Zitao again. The movie ends up being a low-budget horror flick that Zitao insisted was "artfully done". Yifan sees nothing exceptional besides the noteworthy amount of fake blood used in the opening scene. But less than ten minutes into the movie, Joonmyun is quivering, nearly hyperventilating in terror. He's clenching Yifan's hand in a death grip, and his eyes are squeezed tight.

 

"Come on, let's go," Yifan murmurs into his ear, and Joonmyun nods with his eyes still closed.

 

Yifan gently escorts him out of the theater.  Joonmyun's arms are wrapped right around his waist, and Yifan covers the catboy's ears with his hands to muffle the screaming from onscreen.

 

"Don't like horror movies?" Yifan asks when they are outside the theater.

 

Joonmyun shakes his head, still clutching onto Yifan's shirt. "S-sorry," he exhales shakily.

 

"What are you sorry for?"

 

"I just ruined our date," he wails.

 

"Of course you didn't! There are other movies we can watch tonight."

 

"But now you're going to have to buy new tickets and stuff."

 

"Not necessarily."

 

"What?" Joonmyun looks up at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes. "Isn’t that illegal?"

 

Yifan shrugs, and Joonmyun giggles, "But you're a lawyer!"

 

"Come on, I have an idea."

 

Leading Joonmyun by the hand, Yifan does a quick survey for cinema staff and sprints into the next closest theater. This one appears to be playing a romantic comedy, and they slip into seats located near the front, away from the rest of the audience.

 

"Did we just sneak into a movie theater?" Joonmyun whispers incredulously.

 

"You tell me," Yifan chuckles under his breath.

 

Joonmyun sighs happily when Yifan's arm winds around his shoulder. He is swathed in Yifan's warmth and protection, but he wants to feel more of him, so Joonmyun tries to nestle even closer. He's almost half out of his seat, and the armrest digs uncomfortably into his waist, but Joonmyun can hear every heartbeat, feel every breath.

 

With one hand gripping the armrest for leverage and support, Joonmyun cranes his neck even higher so he can gently on Yifan's bottom lip. Yifan makes a small, muffled noise of surprise, but soon kisses back with languid, lazy .

 

Between kisses, Joonmyun replays the previous kiss in his mind, and ultimately the entire movie is lost to making out with and fantasizing about Yifan.

 

"Did you like the movie?" Yifan asks as the credits roll, and Joonmyun nods eagerly. "Yeah? Well, what was it about?"

 

When Joonmyun shrugs helplessly, Yifan leans close to nuzzle the tips of their noses. "I'm not sure, either," he confesses.

 

"Are you sure you want to come? You won't be able to play..."

 

"You'll need all the support you can get," Joonmyun reminds him, adjusting the baseball cap concealing his cat ears.

 

"Yeah, yeah," Yifan laughs. "Come on, I'll find you one of my old jerseys. It has my name printed on the back, so everyone will know that you're mine."

 

Joonmyun proudly wears Yifan's old jersey to the annual baseball game between Yifan's firm and their biggest rival, the one that Kim Taehyung works for.  

 

"Why is your number 00?" Joonmyun asks, in reference to the number printed on the back of his jersey.

 

"Because I'm the team captain."

 

"Why are you 00, then? Why not 1?"

 

"We don't have anyone with number 1 on our team," he admits. "But you could be number 1. Because you're my number 1."

 

If it had been anyone else, Yifan would not have dared to say anything so egregiously cheesy. But Joonmyun's smile grows even broader, and they both fall a little more in love.

 

Before the game begins, Yifan and Kim Namjoon, the captain of the other team, shake hands. Yifan is the first to bat, and a friendly-looking player named Hoseok pitches.

 

Joonmyun watches, enthralled, but he understands the baseball game about as much as he understood the trial. He cheers loudly when Yifan swings at the ball with a loud crack, sending it sailing in a graceful arc straight into an outfielder's mitt.

 

"Exactly who are you cheering for?" a man sitting next to Joonmyun asks with amusement.

 

"Yifan!" Joonmyun chirps. "He just hit the ball!"

 

"Yeah, and he got himself out," he chuckles in response.

 

Troubled by the truth of the situation, Joonmyun's face crumples. "...Oh."

 

"Hey, it's okay, I'm sure he'll do well," the man assures him, patting Joonmyun on the back. "I'm Kim Seokjin, by the way."

 

"Joonmyun," the catboy replies, returning Seokjin's handshake.

 

"You look familiar..." Seokjin muses. "Weren't you at Kim Taehyung's trial with Wu Yifan earlier this week?"

 

"Yeah!" Joonmyun confirms. "Were you?"

 

"Ah, yes. I'm surprised you don't remember me. I was the guy whose shoulder you fell asleep on."

 

Joonmyun looks down at his knees in embarrassment. "Sorry about that..."

 

"No, don't be. It was no problem."

 

Flashing him a grateful smile, Joonmyun asks, "Are you here to support Kim Taehyung?"

 

"I sure am."

 

"Are you his dad?"

 

Seokjin stares at Joonmyun in disbelief for a beat and then bursts out laughing. "No, we're just friends."

 

"Ah, sorry," Joonmyun apologizes, feeling progressively more awkward. "You said that you went to his trial and now his baseball game, and you're both named Kim..."

 

"He does make me go to all of his things," Seokjin admits. "I can see why it might seem like I'm his dad."

 

"Why are you the dad one?" Joonmyun asks curiously.

 

"That's a good question, why am I the dad?!" Seokjin pretends to complain, eliciting a giggle from Joonmyun. "Hey, since you don't seem to know anything about baseball, no offense, would you like me to teach you?"

 

"Please!" Joonmyun gushes with excitement.

 

Seokjin steals an extra bat and baseball, and they wander away from the baseball field to an open space nearby. He shows Joonmyun the proper stance and how to hold the bat.

 

"You swing like this," Seokjin instructs, demonstrating for Joonmyun. "Think you can do that?"

 

The catboy nods, and swings a few times to practice.

 

"Perfect!" Seokjin applauds. "I'm going to toss the ball to you now, try to hit it!"

 

He throws the ball in an underhand toss, and Joonmyun swings, but somehow misses.

 

"That's okay, don't lift your elbows up so much. Let's try again!"

 

After a few more missed hits, Joonmyun grows progressively more distraught.

 

"Can you show me how to do it again?" he asks.

 

"Of course!"

 

This time, Seokjin stands right behind Joonmyun and reaches around the catboy's body to place his hands on top of Joonmyun's. He guides Joonmyun through the motions until the catboy is sure of how to grip the bat and swivel his torso.

 

"Wow!" Seokjin exclaims as he chases the parabolic path of the baseball flying through the air. "That was a great hit!"

 

"Really?" Joonmyun nearly jumps up and down in excitement.

 

"Yeah! Let me step back a bit and throw a little faster to you this time."

 

Instead of an underhand toss, Seokjin throws the ball at Joonmyun with a flick of his wrist. The ball travels in an unexpected curve, and Joonmyun tries to step forward to reach it. But it’s a split-second’s miscalculation, and the ball collides with Joonmyun’s body like a punch in the stomach. The impact causes him hunch over in pain, and Seokjin immediately rushes to his side.

 

“Are you okay?” he asks with worry, curling an arm around Joonmyun’s shoulders.

 

“I’m fine,” he wheezes, clutching his stomach. As he’s stooped over, Joonmyun’s baseball cap slips off his head to reveal silky cat ears. He yelps in panic and tries to retrieve his hat from the ground, but Seokjin grabs his hand and tries to calm him down.

 

“You’re a hybrid,” Seokjin says simply.

 

“Y-yeah.” Joonmyun is close to tears after failing to hide his identity. “Sorry.”

 

“What are you sorry for?” Seokjin laughs. “I’m not going to think any differently of you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

 

He gently pulls Joonmyun by the wrist so that they’re sitting in the grass together.

 

“Is it okay if I pet you?” he asks with a hopeful smile in his eyes. Joonmyun nods, never one to turn down an opportunity for affection.

 

When Yifan has packed all his belongings into his duffle bag, he surveys the bleachers for Joonmyun, but there is no sign of his catboy. Puzzled, he looks behind the bleachers and sees two figures sitting together in the distance. As he jogs closer, the sounds of Joonmyun’s purr grow more and more distinct.

 

"Joonmyun," Yifan demands.

 

The catboy jerks up with a small, strangled sound of fear. "Y-Yifan," he whispers.

 

"It's time to go home now."

 

Joonmyun bows to Seokjin, thanking him for the batting lesson, then jogs to catch up to Yifan's brisk pace towards the parking lot. The car ride home is quiet, and Joonmyun can't help but ask, "Are you mad at me?"

 

"Of course not," Yifan responds automatically. "Why would you think that."

 

When Joonmyun doesn't answer, Yifan asks, "Did that man ask before he started...petting you?"

 

"Y-yeah."

 

"And you said yes?"

 

It's one of the most intimate acts between pets and their owners, and Joonmyun realizes with dread how the petting may have looked to Yifan. Guilt pools in his stomach, and Joonmyun nods, forgetting that Yifan's eyes are still on the road.

 

"Am I not giving you enough love?" Yifan asks after they return home. "You don't have to cuddle with strangers, you know."

 

Joonmyun gives him a contrite nod and slinks away silently. Yifan eats dinner alone, leaving Joonmyun's portion covered in foil to keep it warm. When he checks the plate later, it's empty, but the catboy is nowhere to be seen.

 

Neither of them search for each other throughout the evening as Yifan respects his pet's apparent wish to be alone. Joonmyun would normally stay by Yifan's side as he carries out his evening routine, but tonight it's like Yifan has returned to life before Joonmyun. The catboy is usually in bed waiting for Yifan before they sleep together. But this time, Yifan has to climb into empty sheets.

 

"Joonmyun?" he calls out. "Joonmyunie, come to bed. I'm not mad at you, I promise."

 

"Really?" Joonmyun asks tentatively, crawling out from behind the curtain of their bedroom window.

 

"Come here," he says, holding his arms out for the hybrid. "Of course not. But I just like being the one who makes you purr, you know?"

 

Joonmyun settles onto his owner's lap, thrilled by the possessive way that Yifan grips his narrow waist. He circles his arms around Yifan's neck and angles their lips together. Yifan's tongue flicks against his, and Joonmyun curls his fingers into his owner's hair. After a few moments, he pulls away to rest his cheek on Yifan's shoulder, Joonmyun's warm breath tickling his neck.

 

"I love you," Yifan murmurs, slipping his hands under Joonmyun's shirt to knead his soft skin. "You're my sweet kitty who's so silly and sensitive to the cold. I love the way you scratch my elbow when you want my attention and how you change the channel when I fall asleep watching the news. My smart kitty, I love how you write poems in that notebook of yours and especially when you show them to me."

 

"Stop it," Joonmyun groans. He slips bonelessly out of Yifan's grip and slides lower and lower until his face is planted in his owner's crotch. "You're embarrassing me."

 

A/N: i wasn’t kidding about seokjun being one of my otps