"Why must I wear this?" Jongdae whined as he scratched his irritated skin beneath the leather strap. "I think it's too tight," he complained to himself since his master was at work.

 

Giving up on his attempts to alleviate his pain, Jongdae pouted in defeat and made his way to the couch where he flopped down and grabbed the remote to turn on the tv for background noise. It had been two months since Minseok found him on the streets and took him in, but he hated it immensely. Not Minseok, never him, but he hated the indoor life because of how constraining it was. Jongdae yearned for adventure, it was in his nature to travel nomadically not to stay in one place, but he couldn't leave Minseok.

 

"You lucky little ," he muttered beneath his breath when Minseok clasped the collar around his neck two days prior. "You're lucky I like you enough to be owned." Minseok simples chuckled before scratching the hybrid behind his ears, earning a deep purr from his content kitty.

 

Jongdae sighed loudly as he began to mindlessly tug on the collar again. Collars were never his thing, he knew that for sure ever since he was a kitten roaming the lonely streets. When he saw others of his kind with bright colored accessories around their necks he would growl in disgust. Hybrids weren't meant to be "owned," they were meant to be their own free person. Hybrids are humans after all, except with tails, ears, and the occasional purr, but thing s were different with Minseok. Somehow the attractive young man lured Jongdae in and managed to persuade him to stay.

 

Jongdae glanced at the clock on the wall above the short bookshelf and his ears subconsciously perked up. Minseok would be home any minute with left over Swiss roll slices from the work party his office had. His master made the best desserts, which is why Jongdae stealthily tried to sneak some out of the batch earlier that morning, but Minseok knew better and swatted his hand every time he attempted.

 

The jingle of Minseok's keys caught Jongdae's attention and his whole body jolted as he rushed to the door in anticipation.

 

"Why hello there," Minseok greeted with a warm smile plastered across his face. Jongdae purred loudly as he snatched the container out of Minseok's hands and rushed back to the couch to begin devouring  his precious pastry. "No, no, no," Minseok teased as he placed his hand over the lid to prevent Jongdae from opening the container.

 

"What?" Jongdae whined as his shoulders hunched over and his tail wrapped around his waist in a sulking manner. Minseok smiled then puckered his lips, relaying his message loud and clear. Jongdae's shoulder relaxed as he tail wrapped around Minseok's calf and he leaned forward to kiss the elder. "Now can I indulge?" he asked politely after Minseok pulled away with a content look upon his face. His master nodded then kissed his nose and removed his hand, settling down beside Jongdae on the couch.

 

"How was your day at work?" Jongdae inquired after stuffing his face full with one cinnamon roll. Minseok chuckled at how impolite he was by speaking with his mouth completely fully, but that was one of the things he admired about his hybrid, one of the things he never wanted to be changed about him.

 

"It was alright, just long and filled with busy work," Minseok replied, reaching up to scratch behind Jongdae's ears which in turn earned him a deep and loud purr that echoed off the walls. "How was your day, my love?"

 

"Boring as usual," he responded after he finally swallowed. Minseok stopped his movements and looked at Jongdae with a crestfallen expression. Immediately his heart aches and he wished he didn't say it, but it was merely the truth and Jongdae never candy coated anything.

 

"I'm gonna go take a shower before dinner," was all Minseok said before sauntering off to the bathroom with a sad droop in his shoulders. Suddenly Jongdae's appetite for cinnamon rolls vanished along with his peaceful, easy feeling he had when Minseok first came home. He could sense Minseok was upset and that spread to him. He hated that he didn't know how to cheer up his master.

 

 

--------------- • --------------- • ---------------

 

 

Minseok walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist that he held up with one hand. Jongdae sat on the center of the bed with his knees pulled to his chest and his tail wrapped around his body as a security blanket. His ears drooped as he watched Minseok walk in and go straight to the closet to slip into clothes without giving him any attention other than a glance.

 

The elder walked out of the closet in a baggy shirt and boxers, relaxed and ready for bed, except they hadn't had dinner yet. Jongdae began to worry even more considering Minseok had never taken a shower prior to dinner in the past. The towel that was wrapped around his body was now being used to dry his hair as he kept his gaze on the floor. It seemed as if he was doing everything he could to avoid Jongdae, the younger could sense that much.

 

"Are you mad, Minseok?" Jongdae asked in a small voice. He wasn't scared of Minseok, he learned not to be scared of humans long ago, but he was scared of hurting the elder.

 

Minseok sighed heavily and looked at the pitiful hybrid curled up on the bed. "Not mad, just... Worried." Jongdae's ears perked up and his head tilted.

 

"Worried about what? Is it work?" he asked, his tail began to loosen as did his shoulders. Minseok gave him a broken smile before sitting down next to him and pulling him into his warm embrace. He scratched right over his sensitive spot on his lower back, just above his tail.

 

"Jongdae, do you think about leaving to go back to the streets?" the elder asked in a tense tone laced with worry. Jongdae felt him tense up, but he kept scratching and his hold never loosened. The thought did cross his mind back in the first two weeks, but the closer he grew to Minseok, the less he wanted to leave.

 

"I won't leave you no matter how bored I get," Jongdae assured as wrapped his tail around Minseok's waist to pull them closer. His rubbed his nose against the elder's cheek then rubbed his head under Minseok's chin, silently asking for attention he had been deprived of since Minseok took a shower instead of petting him as usual.

 

"A collar doesn't make you mine. You're still your own person, you know that, right?"

 

"Of course I do," Jongdae stated proudly. "I stay because I want to." Minseok moved his hand to begin scratching Jongdae's head again. A smile crept upon his lips as he looked down at Jongdae, at his kitty. Suddenly, the collar that once itched so badly didn't feel so bad after all.

 

"Are you hungry? I can cook us something if you want," Minseok offered as he tried to pull away from the other but Jongdae shook his head and gripped his tail tighter around him.

 

"I'm not hungry, I just want to cuddle," he admitted with a sheepish grin and a soft purr. Minseok chuckled then kissed Jongdae on top of his head before scooting back to tuck them under the blanket.

 

"Whatever you want, my love."