Hakyeon didn’t have time the next day. His first open evening would be the Wednesday, which meant plenty of time for Hongbin to overthink. And that he did, thinking and rethinking again what he wanted to say to Hakyeon. Or how. Mostly how. He had no idea how he should talk to Hakyeon, how to address him, how to go about the whole thing, really.

Taekwoon watched Hongbin with a mix of worry and amusement as he seemed to drift off into his thoughts at any and all moments, shaking his head to himself at random moments, groaning quietly to himself and wincing every so often.

“Hongbin, are you ok?” He asked him eventually, Tuesday evening.

Hongbin sighed deeply.

“Yes. Yes, I am. I… I-… yes.”

Taekwoon rose an eyebrow at him.

“Are you? Because you do look pretty stressed.”

It was true, Hongbin had been running his hands through his hair, making the now shorter strands stick up in every which way, and a permanent crease was starting to leave marks on his forehead.

Hongbin swallowed thickly.

“I don’t want Hakyeon to not come tomorrow, but I don’t know if I can-… If I can talk to him…” He admitted, and Taekwoon nodded in acknowledgement.

“How about you just think about what you want to let him know for now? You might not know if you can talk to him yet, but you’ll see about that when he gets here. And in case you find you can, it pays to have what you want to say prepared. If you can’t, we can always invite Hakyeon back another day, and another if that one doesn’t work out either, until sometime, you’ll feel comfortable enough to do it. There is no pressure, Hongbin.”

Hongbin gnawed on his bottom lip for a moment, lost in thought, but nodded eventually. Still, it didn’t stop him from fidgeting, walking back and forth between the living room, his room, and the kitchen, unable to keep still for long. Taekwoon left him to it, deciding to relax on the couch and just wait and see if Hongbin would be able to calm himself down, or needed to be reassured some more.

Eventually, when it was already getting late, Hongbin emerged from the kitchen once more, and plopped down on his mountain of pillows.

“Can we go out tomorrow?” He asked, unexpectedly.

Taekwoon must have given him a quite puzzled look, because Hongbin felt the need to elaborate.

“I was just thinking… before he comes over… Just for a little bit?”

The confusion slipped out of Taekwoon’s features, his expression softening.

“Sure. I think the forecast predicted some snow for tomorrow, though…”

Hongbin schooled his expression in time to not show the grimace that information would have normally elicited from him. Snow was cold and icky, he didn’t like it. But he really wanted to go outside, hoping that would help him calm down. Running around in the park for a bit sounded like it could be just what he needed.

“But it won’t snow the whole day… right?” He asked, unsure.

Taekwoon shook his head.

“No, I don’t think so.”

*#*#*#*

When they woke up in the morning, a thin sheet of snow covered the world outside. It looked pretty and serene, despite the low-hanging clouds that seemed to want to promise more snow later. Taekwoon was standing by the living room windows, looking outside while nursing his first coffee of the day. It was a good thing he’d decided to take the whole day off, hoping he could do something to help Hongbin calm down.

It’d come as a surprise that Hongbin asked to go out today, but a good one. He’d wondered how it came Hongbin didn’t bring it up again for so long, growing slightly worried, even. Now, he couldn’t have chosen a better time to ask to go out again. A walk outside was likely the best thing to get Hongbin’s mind off things for a bit.

For the third or fourth time since he’d woken up, Hongbin rushed past the living room door, this time back to the back of the apartment, carrying something. Taekwoon couldn’t make out what it was from the corner of his eye, but he’d decided to pretend he wasn’t aware of what Hongbin was doing for the time being. He was sure he’d find out soon enough, and in the meantime, he might be able to get himself a second cup of coffee… If he felt like walking all the way back to the kitchen, eventually.

Moments later, he thought it was a good thing he’d been too lazy to go ahead and make himself a second cup of coffee, as Hongbin entered the living room this time instead of walking past it. Taekwoon’s eyes widened when he saw Hongbin already in almost full outside gear, practically ready to bolt outside.

Taekwoon gasped quietly, himself still standing there in pyjamas. He got the underlying message in Hongbin’s behaviour clearly and decided to nod in acknowledgement.

“Alright. I’ll go change real quick and then we can go.”

Hongbin sighed in relief, and Taekwoon made an effort to hurry to get dressed and his things together. To help with Hongbin’s fidgetiness, he made sure to let him out the front door, into the hallways while he finished putting on his outerwear.

Hongbin hopped down the flights of stairs impatiently, sprinting back up every now and then to not let the distance to Taekwoon become too large. He darted ahead once again when Taekwoon finally exited the apartment, locked the door and made his way to the stairs, too.

Hongbin didn’t even flinch as he stepped out the front door of the building, into the cold. As soon as they were on the small walkway between the back-yards, Hongbin adjusted his scarf and beanie, taking off at a run for a small distance, before coming back.

Taekwoon chuckled to himself, watching Hongbin loosen up from the stress he’d no doubt been feeling lately, running back and forth, taking small leaps into untouched snow, trying to make it look as if he’d come out of nowhere and leaving no further prints as he jumped out of those spots again.

“Watch the road, Hongbin.” Taekwoon felt he had to remind the other as he was sprinting ahead again, the entrance to the park already visible from where they were.

Hongbin waited at the end of the path, deciding to only cross into more open territory by Taekwoon’s side, though it looked like he could barely stand still as he waited.

Taekwoon made sure the road was clear before crossing it and walking into the park with Hongbin, who took approximately point two second to spot potential playmates. A few rabbits were hopping through the snow, scratching at it in hopes of uncovering the grass underneath, catching Hongbin’s interest immediately.

Taekwoon frowned as he watched Hongbin become transfixed by the small, fluffy animals, suddenly growing worried. Despite the beanie covering them, he could tell Hongbin’s ears were pointing forward as much as physically possible, and the tip of his tail twitched under the hem of his coat.

“Hongbin…” Taekwoon started, his voice a little strained, and Hongbin’s attention snapped back to him.

“You’re not going to hurt them, are you?” he wasn’t sure how developed Hongbin’s hunting instincts were, and the little rabbits could very well fit into Hongbin’s hunting spectrum. Even if it was just play, he could easily hurt them.

Hongbin’s eyes widened for a second, before he averted his gaze to the floor. Taekwoon could tell how his ears drooped through their outline under the beanie, and he felt like a jerk. He had to make sure though.

“No… I just…” He shrugged, dejected, and Taekwoon sighed.

“I’m just making sure, Hongbin. I’m still learning about you, too. If you’re going to be careful with them, go ahead, you can play with them; if they want to.”

Hongbin looked up somewhat uncertain, and Taekwoon gave him an encouraging smile.

“Go ahead. I won’t walk off.”

Hongbin turned back to look at the rabbits, who’d moved a bit further away, then back at Taekwoon, and back at the rabbits before slowly moving towards them.

Taekwoon made his way to a close by bench, brushing what little snow sat on it to one side before sitting down to watch Hongbin, who was approaching the rabbits cautiously. They didn’t run off, observing him closely instead, until Hongbin stopped, crouched low with one hand extended to the closest rabbit, waiting. After a while, one of the fluffy little creatures grew curious, approaching him to sniff his hand. Hongbin waited patiently while the rabbits came closer, hopped away, and came closer again.

They didn’t let Hongbin touch them -not that Hongbin tried, anyway- but they gladly munched on the grass Hongbin uncovered from snow in front of him.

Taekwoon observed the scene fondly, finding it was a pretty good metaphor to how his relationship with Hongbin worked; with Hongbin being the rabbits, in their case. For a while, he kept watching them, observing how the rabbits became playful with Hongbin, chasing him and making him chase them, chaser and chased changing in the blink of an eye at random. It was cute, but also tiring to watch as they ran in a wide circle around Taekwoon and he decided not to keep turning around to keep an eye on them.

Instead, he started playing with the snow on the bench next to him. It wasn’t much, but together with what lay on the ground around him, just enough to make a small snowman, not much taller than the span of his hand. In a spur of the moment decision, he decided to give the little snowman cat ears, and a little twig became a tail. He was so engrossed in perfecting the details that he didn’t notice Hongbin approaching him again, until he finally heard his panting after a short while.

Hongbin was watching him curiously as he molded the figure, and when Taekwoon finally looked up, he noticed Hongbin’s intrigued expression.

“Is it… a snow-cat?” He asked, and Taekwoon shook his head, smiling.

“It’s a snow-Hongbin.”

Hongbin’s eyes widened, and he spluttered, turning his back to Taekwoon, who laughed fondly at him.

“Want to make one, too?”

Hongbin turned back around slowly, but shook his head, opting to just watch Taekwoon finish the little snow figure. When Taekwoon finally dusted off his hands, he cleared his throat softly, catching Taekwoon’s attention.

“Tonight… Will Hakyeon come late?”

Taekwoon hummed pensively.

“Depends on what you think is late. He has to finish at work, so he’ll probably come over at around the time I usually would when I work normal hours, too.”

Hongbin thought about that for a while.

“Is he going to cook with you again?”

Taekwoon didn’t know where Hongbin was trying to get with the questions but humored him.

“I don’t know about that… It takes me way longer when I cook together with him because we always end up distracting each other. You saw that last time. I was actually thinking about maybe starting to cook before he comes over, so it won’t get late before dinner is ready.”

Hongbin seemed pleased to hear that, though he was obviously trying to hide it.

“What are you going to make? Can I help?”

Taekwoon shrugged.

“Sure, if you want to. I was thinking about a stir fry. Something with fish, lots of seafood… Not sure if rice or noodles yet.”

Hongbin bit his lip, frowning a little.

“There is no seafood at home anymore…”

Taekwoon tilted his head in wonder, frowning a little, too.

“There isn’t? There should be a whole box of assorted seafood in the freezer…”

Hongbin shook his head.

“We ate that last week… There are only peas and ice cubes in the freezer.”

Taekwoon’s frown deepened.

“Huh, I was so sure we still had it… But you’re right, I remember we ate it, like, Monday last week? Or Tuesday? Sometime in the beginning of the week, right?”

Hongbin nodded.

“Well, looks like I’ll have to go shopping then…”

Hongbin tensed a little, inhaling a small breath as if startled.

“Right now?!”

It took Taekwoon a heartbeat to realize what Hongbin likely meant, and he backtracked a bit.

“Well, not now. Just, sometime today. Before tonight. Of course, I’d walk you back home before going... Unless you want to come with me, that is?” He added, questioning, as he saw Hongbin’s shoulders droop a little.

Naturally, Hongbin tensed up again, eyes growing wide as he spluttered.

“Wh-what? Me? C-come with…?”

Taekwoon nodded calmly, hoping to reassure Hongbin somewhat.

“There is a convenience store in the street on the other side of the park, behind the café we went to the other day. It’s a small place and somehow, it’s almost always empty and quiet. Since we don’t need much, that’s where I’d go today. And given it is quiet and not too far, if you want to, you can come with me. If you don’t, it’s really no problem for me to walk you back home so you can wait there.”

Taekwoon could practically see the gears in Hongbin’s head turning, and he was almost surprised not to see steam coming out of his ears.

“I… I can go in there?”

Taekwoon hummed.

“Yes. Why shouldn’t you?”

Hongbin bit his lip, apprehensive.

“Many places-… most places kick those like me out…” He admitted, quietly.

“This place won’t. I promise.”

He actually knew for a fact they wouldn’t. He’d seen hybrids in that store quite often, since he started paying attention.

“I don’t have to-… wait outside? Or, somewhere?”

Taekwoon shook his head.

“No. You can come with me wherever I go in there. And choose everything you want us to buy, too. Or just look around. Whatever you prefer.”

Hongbin thought about it, and Taekwoon went back to fiddling with the snow figurine, hoping to dissipate the tension and help give Hongbin the security that it was ok to take his time with his decision. They were in no rush, after all, and he wanted Hongbin to feel safe.

It worked. Hongbin watched Taekwoon’s hands mold the snow closely, but his thoughts were running elsewhere.

He was not at all sure about going with Taekwoon. He couldn’t remember ever being in a store and being allowed to be there. He’d been in stores multiple times, learned to avoid cameras and find all the blind spots to move around in, to act unsuspiciously and smuggle as much food out as possible without tripping alarms, how to fool security, and how to make sure he got out even if he did trip an alarm or alert security before getting caught.

Not having to do all that in a store was something he couldn’t quite fathom. But if he went with Taekwoon, and Taekwoon said it was ok for him to be there, and they didn’t need to steal the food, he had to learn how to truly not act suspicious, because there was nothing to be suspicious of, and that could prove to be a real challenge. And if he did have to flee? He was sure Taekwoon wasn’t familiar with vaulting over aisles and sliding through under display cases, wriggling through revolving barriers and rolling out under closing gates. He couldn’t leave Taekwoon’s side, though. He couldn’t leave Taekwoon behind on his own, and he couldn’t run without Taekwoon to protect him outside.

Maybe it was a stupid idea to go. Maybe. Most certainly. But maybe, he didn’t feel like going back home to wait until Taekwoon came back. Maybe he wanted to know what it was like to go into a store and be allowed there. If anything, he might be able to learn from Taekwoon what it should look like to truly not have a reason to fear anything while going into a store. Just in case. He never knew if he’d ever need it again.

And maybe, being alone again at home, for however short a time it might be, didn’t sound appealing at all to him right now.

“I want to go.” He declared, before he could change his mind again.

Taekwoon almost ruined the snow figure as he jumped because of Hongbin’s sudden declaration. Especially because of how much determination swung in his tone. It was never expected when Hongbin declared he wanted something, anything. He almost never expressed wanting anything, so the magnitude of what he’d just said wasn’t lost on Taekwoon.

“Alright. Shall we, then?” He asked, sure that stalling would only wreck Hongbin’s nerves.

Hongbin nodded, determined, even if he swallowed thickly as he got up. Taekwoon followed suit, and they started their trek through the park.

“You played a lot with the rabbits, huh?” Taekwoon asked softly as they crossed the tracks in the snow Hongbin had left earlier.

Hongbin nodded, staying otherwise silent.

“Did you enjoy yourself?”

Another nod, hesitant but there.

“I’m glad.”

Despite not answering him, Taekwoon’s casual tone helped Hongbin relax. They were just going to a store. Like normal people did, all the time. Nothing extraordinary.

He kept repeating that to himself the whole way there, trying to maintain his breathing steady, pace unfaltering, just following Taekwoon. Following Taekwoon closely, once they got out of the park, because he really didn’t want to get lost, and really didn’t want anyone to think he was there alone, not with Taekwoon, and call enforcers on him.

Taekwoon noticed Hongbin walk closer to him once they left the park but didn’t say anything. He also said nothing when Hongbin started holding on to the side of his coat, but only because he saw the determined expression on Hongbin’s face. It was almost physically painful to refrain from reassuring Hongbin, but he felt that if he interfered now, he’d undermine Hongbin’s resolve, and he deserved a chance to at least try and fight his own battles. If it proved to be too much at some point, they could always still turn back around.

Aside from sticking really close to Taekwoon, Hongbin didn’t show any signs of distress, though. He didn’t hesitate to walk into the small store with Taekwoon, and once they passed the cashier area -being completely ignored by the bored cashier, who was watching a drama on a small tv above the door that was most likely actually designed to show security footage- he visibly relaxed. Which didn’t mean he let go of Taekwoon’s coat as they went to the freezer section, no.

“I just need to get the frozen seafood mix. Do you want anything else? Or know of something else we’ve run out of?” Taekwoon reworded the last bit, remembering it was more likely to get Hongbin to mention something that way instead of asking what he wanted.

Hongbin thought about it, looking around himself. It was quite distracting, standing in the middle of so much food.

“Cream.” He eventually spoke up, and Taekwoon remembered then, yes, they were out of cream.

“Right. Also, ham.”

Hongbin nodded.

“Grapes.”

Taekwoon hummed pensively, steering them towards the small fresh food display at the other side of the store.

“I’m not sure they have them here… Want to go look? I’ll be right here.”

Hongbin let go of his coat and took the few steps towards the display without thinking, before realizing what he had done. He froze mid-step, ready to turn around right then and there, but caught Taekwoon’s encouraging gaze. He stopped again, and slowly continued his way to the fresh greens display.

He was able to leave Taekwoon’s side in the park, he should be able to do that here, too. There was no one else around, except the bored cashier who was still watching his drama. All he had to do was focus on his task. He reached the display and surveyed it closely, twice, before turning back to Taekwoon, who was still watching him, and shook his head.

“No grapes.”

“Ah, that’s too bad. Any other fruit?”

Hongbin surveyed the display again before informing Taekwoon.

“Oranges. And… tangerines?”

“Do you like either of those?”

Hongbin nodded.

“Then bring some. Also, they have grape juice, should we try that?”

Hongbin nodded before he could think about it, and Taekwoon set it in their basket, waiting for Hongbin to add the net with tangerines.

“How’s your cracker stash?” Taekwoon eventually asked as they wandered down the aisle with snacks, and Hongbin shook his head.

“There are still…” He had to count mentally, which took a moment. “…three packs.”

“Alright, that should still last you a bit. Wait, I forgot the cream! Uh… want to wait here?”

Hongbin’s breath caught in his throat for a second, but he nodded. It wouldn’t take long, what could even happen, in an empty store?

Taekwoon his heels and jogged back to the aisle with the fridges, clearly not hearing the front door opening. Hongbin did, though, and froze in his spot.

A sweet voice greeted the cashier, sounding almost like a chirp, and in the next instant a person sauntered down the aisle Hongbin was standing in. The person, a woman, stopped abruptly a few steps away from him, as if she’d only just seen him there, and eyed him warily. Her eyes were big and round, and she tilted her head curiously as she eyed him, blinking slowly. Hongbin relaxed.

“Bird…” he mumbled to himself.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Owl, if you please.”

Hongbin nodded in acknowledgement, and her eyes un-narrowed.

“Human?”

Hongbin nodded at the back of the store, and her eyes flitted to where Taekwoon had disappeared.

“You?” Hongbin asked, and she shook her head, looking almost proud.

“You need help?” She asked then, and it was Hongbin’s turn to give her a questioning look.

“Do you need to get away from them?” She clarified, and Hongbin shook his head.

“No. He’s good to me.” It surprised himself how quickly and truthfully he could answer that question.

Her gaze softened.

“Good. Stay with him as long as you can, then. It’s getting tougher for us by the minute out here.”

Hongbin flinched.

“I know… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t feel bad for having it better. Just survive.” She gave him a smile, ducking her head as she started past him and dove into another aisle once she spotted Taekwoon coming back.

Taekwoon looked after her curiously, giving Hongbin a questioning look, but Hongbin didn’t say anything. Taekwoon had clearly seen the two of them talking, and he had to admit to himself he was morbidly curious, but he didn’t ask. Instead, he went back to the business at hand, namely shopping, as he put the container of cream in the basket.

“Ok. So, we got that, too. Anything else? Should we get something for dessert for tonight?”

Hongbin’s eyes widened, not even having thought about that.

“Does Hakyeon like dessert?” he asked, unsure, but Taekwoon nodded.

“Yes. He won’t admit to it often, but he’s always here for something sweet. Especially ice cream.”

Hongbin’s eyes wandered back to the freezer section, Taekwoon following his gaze.

“You want to choose one?”

Hongbin bit his lip.

“Which one is his favourite?”

Taekwoon shrugged.

“He’ll eat everything. You can choose which one you like best.”

Choosing. Again. By himself. Once again, Hongbin felt the same nervousness as the other day well up in him, and Taekwoon noticed.

“It’s ok, Hongbin. You can’t make a wrong decision, I promise. He’ll like whatever it is that you choose. It won’t matter to him. Focus on what you would like best.”

Hongbin was in the process of chewing his lip raw as Taekwoon led him back to the freezer section but stopped once they came to a halt in front of it. There weren’t that many options to begin with, which calmed him a little. There were still a few, though, and he found it didn’t help that much after all.

“Take your time. There’s no need to rush.” Taekwoon reassured him gently, and Hongbin exhaled slowly.

“Is that strawberry?” He asked eventually, pointing at one of the containers. It happened to be the most expensive one in the whole case, and Taekwoon would never have gotten it for himself, but if Hongbin wanted that one, that one it would be, no questions asked.

“Yes. It’s a very fruity, very creamy one.”

“Can-… can we get that one?”

“Of course. Go get a tub.”

There was a strange sense of elation for Hongbin as he went to retrieve the tub of ice cream, one he had chosen, because he liked strawberries, and because he wanted it to be that one.

“Want to go choose another juice, too? We don’t know if the grape one is good yet, so you should get another one you know you like, too.”

Encouraged by the successful selection of ice cream, Hongbin didn’t take as much convincing to go choose a juice. It helped his decision that he already knew which juices he liked most, but he was still stuck in the end between apple and orange juice. He couldn’t decide which one he liked better between the two.

“We can just get both, if you can’t decide.” Taekwoon eventually chimed in, noticing Hongbin’s dilemma.

“Both?” Hongbin almost croaked, disbelief etched into his voice.

“Both. It won’t take you long to finish one of them, anyway, and that way you’ll still have a back-up until I get to the big store again.”

That made sense, though Hongbin was a little sheepish as he put one container of each into their rapidly filling basket.

“Anything else?” Taekwoon asked again, and this time Hongbin shook his head. Choosing a few things, he could deal with, apparently, but if he had to choose something else, he felt like he would combust.

Taekwoon luckily picked up on that sentiment and decided to steer them back to the front of the store, starting to unpack the contents of the basket onto the short conveyor belt, disturbing the bored cashier.

Hongbin felt his whole being freeze when the cashier looked up and fixed them with a grumpy stare. With the smallest movements he could manage, he shuffled far enough behind Taekwoon to get out of view of the cashier as he started scanning the items. Before he knew it, he was gripping Taekwoon’s coat again.

He jumped, inching even closer to Taekwoon, when the woman from earlier set her things down on the conveyor belt behind them. Only when he recognized her did he relax again. She gave him a small smile, nodding at Hongbin as she continued to unpack her things.

Meanwhile, Taekwoon was finishing putting their things into two bags, and moved to pay. The amount the cashier asked for held no significance to him, but it probably did to the woman behind him, if the size her eyes grew was any indication. Or maybe it was just an owl thing.

Taekwoon huffed slightly as he lifted the bags off the counter, and Hongbin realized they must be rather heavy.

“I can-…” He started, but Taekwoon shook his head.

“It’s ok. It’s not far until home. I was just surprised.”

Hongbin could tell that wasn’t entirely true, seeing how the tendons in Taekwoon’s hands strained.

“Just one?” he offered instead, feeling bad to let Taekwoon carry that whole load, when it was partially his fault the bags were so heavy.

Taekwoon was a little surprised by that. He hadn’t expected Hongbin to insist to try and compromise after telling him once it was ok. He guessed it was an important step for him, though, and he decided to relent, handing Hongbin the lighter bag.

Hongbin didn’t miss that he’d been given the lighter of the two bags, but even though he felt like arguing about it with Taekwoon, letting him know he could carry more, since he was, in fact, most likely stronger than the other if he wanted to be, he didn’t. He just accepted it, since being allowed to take at least some of the burden was better than none, he supposed.

Taekwoon took a minute to adjust his scarf and beanie before leading them out. By that time, the woman had finished, too, walking out right behind them, closer than Hongbin would ever have deemed comfortable had she been human.

“Keep him.” Hongbin could hear her chirp, but he was sure he was the only one, since it most definitely took more than mere human ears to pick up on those two words, quiet as they were spoken. He felt his whole face heat up at that, and he barely contained a splutter.

The woman chuckled softly, also too quiet for anyone but Hongbin to pick up on, before turning down the opposite way of the street than they were taking.

“You ok? You look flushed.” Taekwoon stated, turning around to see if Hongbin was keeping pace.

Hongbin nodded hastily, and Taekwoon blamed it on the sudden change in temperature as he led them back towards the park.

Hongbin was so lost in thought about the owl woman, and the words they’d exchanged, focusing just the bare minimum on Taekwoon so he would keep pace and not abruptly run into him should he suddenly stop, that he almost missed the first drops of rain. Or was it snow? For a moment, after one of the… things fell onto his face, he only stared at them, but then they started falling faster.

It was snow, but it was melting as it fell.

“Ah, crap…” Taekwoon muttered, picking up his pace.

Hongbin welcomed that, but it wasn’t fast enough. He spluttered as more of the mushy drops hit his face, and some dripped on the back of his neck, eliciting a choked whimper from him.

Taekwoon sent him a confused glance as he picked his pace up even more, almost walking past Taekwoon and ahead of him. Hongbin wanted nothing more than to sprint ahead, as fast as he could, and make it back home before this got worse, but he couldn’t. He had to stay close to Taekwoon, he couldn’t run ahead. He wouldn’t even be able to enter their building without Taekwoon. And while there was a small awning over the front door, where he would stay dry and safe from the rain for a bit, he couldn’t hide there on his own. Someone was bound to call the enforcers on him; if they didn’t spot him on their own, anyway, with how tightly they patrolled the residential areas.

The mushy rain picked up a bit more, and Hongbin actually let out a whine. Taekwoon thought something akin to panic flashed on Hongbin’s face, though he couldn’t fathom why.

“Are you good to run with that?” Taekwoon asked Hongbin, pointing at the bag in his hands, securing his own bag as he got ready to run himself.

Hongbin nodded frantically. Yes, of course he was! He could carry Taekwoon’s bag, too, and two more, and would still be good to run!

“Ok. Let’s run then!” Hongbin darted off, but quickly reigned himself in as Taekwoon was much slower and he had to wait. He tried hard to focus only on Taekwoon as he became aware of his beanie soaking through as his ears got cold, as well as his coat over his shoulders, and the bottom of his pants, as the rain became heavier.

They reached the end of the park, and Taekwoon called out for him to be mindful of the road again; and it was a good thing he did because Hongbin would have crossed it without making sure there were no cars coming otherwise. He didn’t care to make sure he wasn’t hit by a car right then, he just wanted to get out of the rain.

Once the road was crossed, Hongbin darted ahead again, all the way to a bend in the path where he pressed against the hedge to hopefully escape at least some of the freezing rain as he waited for Taekwoon to catch up. Taekwoon was trying, he really was, and he wasn’t exactly slow for a human, but he couldn’t keep up with Hongbin’s speed no matter what.

Hongbin was already at a point where he had to focus on his breathing more than anything, trying to keep it under control as water pelted his face, soaked his clothes, got into his eyes and nose and his mind was spinning out of control. It took Taekwoon reaching out to touch his elbow to snap him back to reality and make him move again, run further down the path and towards home.

They made it, eventually, Taekwoon panting heavily as he unlocked the door, and Hongbin darted past him so quickly he wasn’t much more than a blur in Taekwoon’s peripheral vision.

“Hongbin? Want to take the stairs while I take the elevator? I can’t run those up right now, too.” Taekwoon panted, longingly eyeing the elevator, which was thankfully down there in the lobby right now.

“Ok.” He only heard Hongbin croak before he started up the stairs.

Something was definitely wrong, Taekwoon sensed, and for a split second he debated taking off after him up the stairs, but then decided against it. Knowing Hongbin, he was probably already at their front door before he even finished the thought.

The doors to the elevator couldn’t close quick enough in his opinion, and had it always been this slow going up? He was out of the cubicle before the doors finished opening once he reached their floor, and of course, Hongbin was already there, waiting by the front door.

Wordlessly, Taekwoon unlocked the door, and once again Hongbin rushed past him. Before the door was even closed, Hongbin had already kicked off his shoes, leaving them where they fell, quickly followed by his beanie, scarf, gloves and coat. Taekwoon could only watch, his brain too slow to comprehend, and then Hongbin was gone, having taken off towards his room.

Taekwoon took his soaked outerwear off a bit neater, carrying both his and Hongbin’s things to the bathroom to let them dry over the towel heaters, and their shoes under the heater in the living room, before changing out of the rest of his clothes. Once he was done putting their groceries away, too, he noticed Hongbin still hadn’t resurfaced.

He decided to go check on Hongbin, then. He got no response to his first knock on Hongbin’s door, so he called out again.

“Yes?” Hongbin eventually answered, and the tone of his voice caused Taekwoon’s stomach to drop.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes.”

He hadn’t been prepared to find Hongbin wrapped tightly in his fluffy blanket, wedged between the wall and his bed, and still dripping wet.

“Oh… Hongbin, you… You can’t stay like this, you need to change into dry clothes, you’ll get sick…” Taekwoon sighed, worried.

Hongbin whimpered, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself, teeth chattering and looking overall pitiful as his wet hair still dripped water down his face, his ears drooping and soaked. His lips were a slightly blueish hue, his whole body trembled, and Taekwoon was sure anyone, human or hybrid or animal, must get sick spending too much time in this state, and he did not want to let that happen to Hongbin. He crouched down by the end of the bed, in Hongbin’s line of vision.

“Hongbin, please. You want to get warm again, too, don’t you? And dry. Right?”

Hongbin answered with a big shiver racking his body.

“You need to get out of there and get those wet clothes off, and maybe take a hot shower, and put on some dry clothes, and then I’ll help you dry your hair and you can sit down by a heater and I’ll get you an even fluffier, dry blanket you can wrap yourself up in and a hot tea, ok?”

Hongbin shook his head, though, eyes squeezing shut.

“I hate water. I hate it. I hate it, hate it, hate it!” He whispered, but there was a fire behind his words that burned painfully.

Taekwoon was taken aback by that outburst, and he quickly thought back over what he’d said to figure out where he’d gone wrong.

“Ok. No shower. It’s not that important. But you need to get dry clothes on, and quickly. You’ll get really sick if you don’t.”

Hongbin didn’t move. He didn’t want to move. He was cold, and if he uncurled again, he would get colder. And if he let go of the blanket, even colder, and without clothes, freezing.

“It’s just for a moment, though. Once you have dry clothes on you will feel better immediately. And even better with a dry blanket and dry hair and a hot tea. I promise.”

He hadn’t realized he’d voiced his thoughts, but he must have, for Taekwoon to give him that answer. He also wanted to believe Taekwoon, but right now he felt as if he’d never feel warm again. He could barely move from how much he was shivering, a small attempt at getting up ending with him falling back onto his .

Taekwoon gave him a soft, understanding smile, extending a hand to him.

“Come on, I’ll help. Give me your hand?” It was a suggestion, not an order or instruction, and ultimately what Hongbin needed to take the offered hand.

It was warm, Taekwoon’s hand, warm and at least twice the size of his own, Hongbin was sure of it. And strong and gentle, but that he already knew. He hadn’t known it was also soft, though, nor that it would manage to make him feel so secure, instead of trapped, like he was sure he usually would have when someone held on tight to any part of his body. Taekwoon’s grip worked as an aid to help him get up, not tugging him out of his hiding spot, but letting him tug himself out of it, at his own pace.

“I’ll go get you some towels real quick, hold on.” Taekwoon announced once Hongbin was standing, letting go of his hand.

Hongbin almost mourned the loss of contact. And warmth. Mostly warmth, even if his hand still felt like the warmest part of his body right about now, still tingling with the memory of Taekwoon’s hand securely clasped around it.

The door to his room opened again, Taekwoon stepping back inside with a pair or towels.

“Here, they’re still warm, the drier was just done with them. Hurry and you’ll feel better in no time.” He set them down on the chair by the door, and Hongbin suddenly felt himself reminded of how their interactions had been right in the beginning, when Taekwoon had just brought him here. When he’d never have taken Taekwoon’s hand of his own volition. And never have done so many other things he freely did now, actually.

“I’ll go make us some tea, come out when you’re done, and I’ll help with your hair if you want me to, ok?”

Hongbin nodded, watching as Taekwoon left.

Letting Taekwoon help him with his hair without reservations was also something he wouldn’t have done back then. Hell, even coming out of the room while Taekwoon was at home had been unthinkable back then!

And it hadn’t even been that long ago. No, it had been… maybe one season ago. Not much longer. That was almost nothing. But it felt like a lifetime.

Hongbin didn’t hesitate to go grab the towels from the chair, like he surely would have back then. He toweled his hair roughly, stopping in between to get out of his wet clothes, and then toweled his hair a bit more, wrapping the smaller towel around it before wrapping the rest of himself in the big towel.

Taekwoon was right, it was still warm, and it felt like heaven on his damp and cold skin. He sank to the floor again, crouching as he held the towel closely wrapped around himself, shivering because of the contrasting temperatures of his skin and the towel.

Unfortunately, the towel was no blanket and it quickly cooled, so he stood up again, hurrying to dry himself off and find warm clothes. He put on too many clothes, he knew that, he didn’t need two pairs of pants and several shirts and jumpers, but anything that could make him feel warm as soon as possible again was game for him at the moment, and he didn’t care that he exaggerated right now. ‘As long as my toes come back to life soon’, he thought as he pulled on the third pair of socks.

Bundled up and feeling his movements uncomfortably restricted, he did walk out of his room and towards the kitchen.

Taekwoon was only just done brewing the tea for both of them, carrying two mugs to the living room, and Hongbin went to sit in his spot on the cushions, but decided to push them closer to the heaters by the windows. Taekwoon handed him his mug as soon as he was situated, and Hongbin accepted it gladly, even if it was so hot he felt like his fingers would burn.

“Do you still want a blanket?” Taekwoon asked, not having missed the layers of clothes Hongbin had put on, but Hongbin nodded.

Taekwoon would be the last person to deny him something as simple as a blanket, even if he technically didn’t need one, and went to retrieve one, ultimately even helping Hongbin wrap it around himself so he wouldn’t have to get up from his comfortable spot by the heater. Hongbin let him, cuddling into the oversized mass of grey fluff.

He was adorable like this, Taekwoon found. Then again, he was adorable always.

“Did you dry your hair yet?” He asked, instead of voicing his thoughts, which he thought sounded a lot like Hakyeon, actually.

Hongbin shook his head.

“Want my help with that?”

Hongbin thought about it for a moment, gaze wandering from the couch to the heater next to him, and Taekwoon chuckled.

“You won’t have to move, don’t worry. I can dry it wherever.”

Hongbin exhaled softly at that, nodding.

Taekwoon chuckled, moving to kneel on the pillows behind him.

“Alright. Let’s finish getting you dry then.”

Hongbin didn’t so much as blink when Taekwoon started unwrapping the towel from his head, relaxing even further, if possible, when Taekwoon started toweling his hair. His eyes fluttered shut as Taekwoon gently passed the towel over his ears, almost caressing the sensitive shells, and using just the right amount of pressure at their base to start the soft rumbling in the back of his throat that he despised, but was learning not to let bother him when it was Taekwoon causing it.

Taekwoon’s fingers in his hair felt heavenly, carding through the short strands that he was still getting used to, but it felt like he was done all too soon, brushing the last few only slightly damp locks into place and getting up. Hongbin would have felt like complaining, if he didn’t feel so comfortable right now. As it was, he simply curled up where he sat, eventually turning to lie on his side, and dozed off.

*#*#*#*

What had felt comfortable when Hongbin had fallen asleep, turned into suffocating hot a while later, waking him up. He felt as if he couldn’t breathe, thrashing around to get the blanket off him still half asleep. The commotion alerted Taekwoon, who’d already started on making dinner, to him waking up and prompted him to come back to the living room.

Hongbin managed to free his arms and sit up just as Taekwoon appeared in the door. He looked around still completely dazed, and Taekwoon had to suppress a strong urge to coo at the other.

“Had a nice nap?” Taekwoon asked instead, to which Hongbin shook his head.

“Hot…” He grumbled.

“At least you aren’t cold anymore.”

Hongbin grimaced, finally pushing the rest of the blanket off him with a groan.

“Still want to help me with dinner? I already started since it started getting late, but I could still use a helping hand.”

Hongbin’s eyes widened as he remembered his original intention of helping Taekwoon with dinner for Hakyeon. How could he have forgotten and slept for so long?! Hastily, he started scrambling to stand up, but was interrupted by Taekwoon’s chuckle.

“Easy, it’s not that late yet. You might knock yourself out if you get up that fast while feeling hot.”

Hongbin could feel the dizziness rising in his head and slowed his process to get up, eventually standing on only a little unsteady feet. He huffed as another wave of uncomfortable heat washed over him.

“On second thought, how about you go and get rid of a few of those layers of clothing until you aren’t walking around in a furnace anymore first?” Taekwoon suggested, slightly worried. He could only hope Hongbin felt hot because of his clothes, not because of an oncoming fever.

Hongbin thought Taekwoon’s suggestion made a lot of sense and started off to his room to dress down a little. He frowned when he spotted his reflection in the mirror over his dresser, trying to pat his hair, which was sticking up every which way now down a little, with moderate success. He didn’t want to keep Taekwoon waiting for long, though, quickly stripping out of most of the clothes he was wearing, only leaving on a shirt and a single pair of pants. The shirt wasn’t high collared enough to keep the restriction collar off his skin, but he felt too hot to wear a high collared one right now, so he decided to power through the uncomfortable feeling. Helping Taekwoon cook would most likely distract him anyway.

Taekwoon noticed him immediately as he entered the kitchen, greeting him with a smile.

“Hey. Want to get started on cutting some things up? I already washed them.” Taekwoon pointed to some vegetables on the counter, and Hongbin moved over wordlessly to start chopping them while Taekwoon thawed and washed the seafood.

They worked mostly silent next to each other, Hongbin completely lost in thought most of the time, Taekwoon watching him when he didn’t respond to him asking for some ingredient that should have been cut by now.

“Hongbin…!”

It was probably the third or fourth time Taekwoon called before Hongbin reacted, and Taekwoon sighed softly.

“You’re so lost in thought… Are you ok?”

Hongbin chewed his lip, his gaze wandering over the counter instead of to Taekwoon, trying to find something to distract him. He shrugged in answer, which, of course, didn’t appease Taekwoon, who sighed again.

“I’m scared!” Hongbin eventually blurted out, surprising Taekwoon as well as himself. It wasn’t even completely true.

“W-well, not scared-… I-…” He didn’t know another word for how he was feeling, but scared was a bit too much.

Taekwoon tilted his head curiously, observing Hongbin fidgeting.

“Of what?” He asked softly, distracting Hongbin from the problem of trying to define the feeling. He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

“Of… later. Of Hakyeon-… Of talking to him. But, not scared, it’s… not that bad?”

Taekwoon hummed understandingly.

“Nervous?”

That could be it. Mixed with just a little bit of fear. He nodded.

“If you want to, you can just stay in your room and work your way over when you feel ok to do that eventually, like last time…”

Hongbin shook his head. If he did that today, he was sure he would get so deep into his head that he’d end up not coming out of the room at all. He had to stay away from there.

“Can I… Can I just stay here? In the kitchen? But… alone?”

“Sure. By alone, do you mean completely alone, or can I come in?”

Hongbin spluttered, shaking his head frantically.

“N-no, you can come in, just- just not- I-…”

Taekwoon understood.

“You just want me to keep Hakyeon out of here?”

Hongbin froze for a moment, then nodded hesitantly.

“That won’t be a problem. I’ll make sure he doesn’t come in at any point. Can he know you’re in here or would you rather he didn’t?”

At that, Hongbin shrugged, all but whispering under his breath.

“It’s ok. I- I have to come out of here at some point to talk to him, and then he’ll know, anyway…”

Taekwoon just nodded at that, turning back to the onions quietly sizzling in the frying pan behind him to make some progress on dinner.

“Alright. But know you don’t have to force yourself to come out to talk to Hakyeon if you don’t feel up to it. There is no rush, ok?”

He caught Hongbin nod hesitantly out of the corner of his eye, but he had a feeling Hongbin wouldn’t listen to him and do it anyway, even if he’d be close to fainting from the stress. There was only so much he could do about that, though. Hongbin had to be allowed to take his own steps at the pace he chose, even if he fell a few times in the process.

Hongbin seemed calmer after their little talk, focusing more on the tasks at hand and no longer spacing out to the point he didn’t notice Taekwoon calling for him. He only started worrying again when they were almost done cooking the meal and Hakyeon had still not arrived, frowning when Taekwoon left the stir fry (noodles, they’d decided eventually) to simmer on low heat.

“Won’t it overcook?”

Taekwoon looked up confusedly at first, then noticed Hongbin meant the noodles. He shook his head.

“They can do with a little more of cooking, there’s still-” The ringing of the doorbell interrupted him, and Hongbin jumped, taking a big step closer to Taekwoon. Taekwoon only allowed himself a moment to be surprised at Hongbin’s actions; not so much the jumping, but the moving closer to him. He’d wonder about it later, if the action had been deliberate or coincidental. For now, he just placed a reassuring hand on Hongbin’s shoulder, patting it gently.

“It’s ok. I won’t let him come in here, promise.”

Hongbin took a shuddering breath, shaking slightly, but nodded.

“Ok.” He croaked out, but it sounded more like he wanted to convince himself.

Taekwoon still made sure one last time that Hongbin really was ok before fully stepping out of the kitchen to let Hakyeon inside the apartment, half closing the hallway door to the kitchen to allow Hongbin to hide in the process, too.

“You should talk to the landlord to have some heaters installed in the hallways of this building, it’s freezing out here!” Hakyeon commented as soon as Taekwoon opened the door. Taekwoon rolled his eyes at his overdramatic friend.

“Good evening to you, too. How was your day? Mine was quite nice, thanks.”

Hakyeon snorted, hugging Taekwoon close as he kicked the front door shut behind him.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I could go off and say my day was terrible, I’m cold and hungry, but that’s just right now- Oh my god, you already started on dinner, didn’t you? I love you, Woonie!”

Hakyeon moved to start for the kitchen, most likely to peek into Taekwoon’s pots and pans and see what was for dinner, but Taekwoon stopped him by tightening his hold around his waist, arms still lingering from returning Hakyeon’s hug.

“No, nope, Hakyeon, stop!”

Hakyeon gave him a confused look as Taekwoon let go of him and positioned himself in front of the door to the kitchen, blocking Hakyeon’s way.

“Kitchen is off limits for you today.”

“Why?” The confusion in Hakyeon’s voice sounded almost hurt. Almost.

“Hongbin needs the kitchen to himself right now.”

Hakyeon’s lips formed an O shape, understanding showing in his features.

“Ok. Living room?”

Taekwoon nodded, and Hakyeon proceeded to the adjacent room after taking off his shoes and coat.

“I love how your place is so much toastier nowadays, Taekwoon. Have you finally, after all these years, decided that heaters do have some advantages?”

Taekwoon snorted.

“I’ve always used my heaters. Not my fault your comfort temperature lies five degrees above everyone else’s.”

Hakyeon’s eyes flashed with amusement as he spotted the abandoned nest of pillows and blankets in front of the heaters in the living room.

“Not everyone else’s…!”

Taekwoon’s gaze warmed, a small smile playing on his lips as he remembered the sight of Hongbin all bundled up, sleeping over there not too long ago. He had to shake himself out of it, focusing back on the present.

“I’ll go finish dinner up real quick, ok? You wait here, I won’t be long. Want to drink something?”

Hakyeon shrugged, sitting down on the couch and melting into the soft cushions while shoving his feet into the couch crease.

“I’m good, go ahead. Don’t mind me while I thaw my feet in here.”

Taekwoon shook his head, chuckling. So dramatic!

When he entered the kitchen, he spotted Hongbin leaning against the counter furthest away from the door leading to the living room, clutching the edge tightly. He relaxed a little upon seeing Taekwoon, but not enough not to worry Taekwoon.

“You ok?” Taekwoon asked softly, and Hongbin took a deep breath, trying to nod.

“He’s not coming in here, promise.” Taekwoon felt the need to reassure Hongbin once more, and Hongbin nodded again.

“Do you want to help me plate the food, or rather not?”

Maybe distracting Hongbin would help him calm down a little. Hongbin’s hasty nod reinforced that assumption. Without needing to be prompted further, Hongbin moved to get plates from the cupboard, but Taekwoon frowned when he noticed Hongbin had only gathered two.

“Two? Who’s not eating tonight?” He asked, cautiously, and Hongbin shifted uncomfortably.

“I’m not hungry…” He whispered eventually, and Taekwoon sighed.

“You haven’t eaten pretty much all day… Are you sure?”

Hongbin didn’t answer, keeping his gaze anywhere but near Taekwoon.

“You should try to eat at least a little…”

As a form of response, Hongbin turned and got himself a plate, too. He knew he wouldn’t eat much to nothing anyway, but if it appeased Taekwoon, then he would at least try, or pretend. Taekwoon saw through the move but didn’t comment on it.

“Woonie?” Hakyeon’s voice sounded from the living room, causing Hongbin to jump and move so Taekwoon stood between him and the source of the voice.

“Yeah?”

“What is it you’re making for dinner?”

“Seafood stir fry noodles.”

Hakyeon hummed approvingly.

“With eggs?”

“Of course.”

Hakyeon hummed again, even more approving.

“You really know how to make someone happy.”

Taekwoon huffed, amused, and continued to place food on the plates. The first one went to Hongbin, who accepted it hesitantly but didn’t move away with it.

“Actually, I think I would like something to drink after all. What do you have?”

“Coffee, tea, water… milk, I suppose.” Taekwoon listed, and Hongbin gave him a confused look, pointing at the cartons of juice that still sat on the counter by the fridge.

“Those are yours, Hongbin.” He clarified, voice much softer than when he talked to Hakyeon in the room over.

Hongbin looked even more confused, then suddenly determined.

“He can have them!” He let Taekwoon know, voice quiet but without a trace of doubt. Taekwoon still looked out for any sign that he didn’t mean it, but upon finding none, he raised his voice again so Hakyeon could hear him.

“Hongbin says you can also have some of his juices, if you want to. There’s grape, apple and orange.”

Hongbin hid his face behind his hands for a moment, shaking slightly after Taekwoon announced that, but peeked up through his fingers when Hakyeon answered.

“That’s very kind of Hongbin. I think I’ll try the grape juice then; I’ve never had that before.”

Hongbin looked shocked for a moment, dropping his hands from his face, but then moved to get a glass to fill some juice in for Hakyeon before Taekwoon could even think about it.

Taekwoon watched him, stunned, but then recomposed himself, gathering his and Hakyeon’s plates.

“Want to take it to him?” He asked, cocking his head, but Hongbin shook his head quickly, taking a step away from the glass of juice as if it would bite him.

“Ok. I’ll come get it in a second. Don’t worry about it.”

Hongbin relaxed a fraction, and Taekwoon left. He came back a moment later for the juice, as promised, and then Hongbin was left alone for good for the moment.

He really didn’t feel like eating, even if the food smelled delicious. His stomach was in a knot, his nerves frayed at the thought of eating while Hakyeon was so close by, just in the room over, not even a closed door between them. Then again, what could Hakyeon even do from the room over while he was eating? Surely, nothing much, right? He could at least try to eat, even if just a few bites to appease Taekwoon…

Taking his plate, he decided to sit down on the floor with it, leaning against a counter to eat. It was pure coincidence that he tuned into the conversation going on in the room over.

“You didn’t come to the company at all today, did you? I didn’t see you anywhere.” He could hear Hakyeon ask. There was no response from Taekwoon, so Hongbin assumed he just shook his head in answer.

“Lucky you. What did you do with your day off?”

Taekwoon hummed.

“We went to the park first, then groceries shopping.”

Hakyeon hummed, too, then sighed.

“You always used to love going to the park… But it’s been a while since we went to the park together, hasn’t it?”

“You used to hate going to the park.” Taekwoon remarked, and Hakyeon hummed again.

“I was stupid. I used to be scared my skin would get even darker if I spent too much time outside.”

“Agreed on the stupid part. You were always beautiful, even at ages no one should be allowed to be.”

“And you were always biased. But that’s why I always liked you best!”

Taekwoon chuckled, huffing.

“Right. How many relationships were you in while we were in college alone?”

Hakyeon tsked, but his voice turned serious.

“My point exactly. They came and went, you didn’t. And that’s not going to change. You are like… a soulmate, or something.”

For a moment, Taekwoon didn’t say anything, then he chuckled.

“You’re such a sap.”

Hakyeon huffed, and there was a thump that Hongbin thought sounded like someone had hit someone else.

“.”

Taekwoon laughed at that.

“I’m sorry. I love you, too! Promise.”

For a moment there was silence again, then Hakyeon spoke up once more.

“Remember when we first met Jaehwan and he hesitated to hang out with us because he thought we were dating and didn’t want to third-wheel?”

Taekwoon choked, coughing loudly.

“Gross, Hakyeon! Did you have to bring that up while I’m eating? There goes my appetite!”

Hakyeon laughed loudly, and Hongbin became thoroughly intrigued by the conversation going on, and the turns it was taking. So much so that he decided to not just listen to them, but to peek at them, too. Quietly, he inched along the counter until he could peek out of the door and watch the two humans in the living room, just in time to see Hakyeon wrap himself around Taekwoon’s arm and make fake googly eyes up at the other, kissing his cheek with an exaggerated smack.

“But darling…!” Even his voice was exaggerated, and Hongbin thought he could see Taekwoon shudder as he wiped the kiss off his cheek before flicking Hakyeon’s forehead. He didn’t push him off, though.

“Gross. This is why people always assume we are dating.”

Hakyeon shrugged, unwrapping his arms from around Taekwoon’s, but didn’t move away.

“I really don’t care.”

“That’s why your relationships never last.”

“I’m not interested in a relationship with someone who doesn’t accept that you are part of my life. Maybe I don’t want them to last if they don’t trust me enough to believe me when I tell them we aren’t ing or in any way romantically involved.”

Taekwoon wrinkled his nose at the choice of words, but ended up shrugging nonchalantly, too.

“Fair enough.”

Both of them went back to eating, reminding Hongbin that he hadn’t really touched his food, either. Now, he could even feel the slight pangs of hunger, and his stomach didn’t feel like a single tight coil that wouldn’t let any food through anymore, either. He felt calmer overall, he found.

Maybe it was because of the calm scene he could see from his hidden spot in the kitchen. Maybe it was because it was so obvious Taekwoon really cared for the man that still scared Hongbin, and that fact helped ease his worries about Hakyeon. If Taekwoon really loved him that much, he couldn’t be truly bad.

It was easier eating a little now, though he didn’t have much of an appetite still. He ate just enough to keep his stomach from growling, which was barely half of his portion.

“Are you done, or do you want seconds?” Came Taekwoon’s voice from the living room again after a while.

“I’m good, thanks.”

Hongbin scooted further away from the door to hide he’d been snooping once he could hear plates clanking against each other. Moments later, Taekwoon stepped through the door, carrying the empty plates in. He gave Hongbin a soft smile.

“Did you eat some?”

Hongbin shrugged, getting up and setting his half full plate on the counter. He wasn’t going to eat more now, anyway.

“Well, that’s something, at least. Think you’ll want more, later?” Taekwoon commented, seeing he’d eaten at least a little.

“Later?”

“When Hakyeon’s left.” Taekwoon clarified. Hongbin wasn’t sure.

“Maybe.”

Taekwoon just nodded in acknowledgement and got a cover for Hongbin’s plate before putting it in the fridge.

“Are you doing ok?” He asked once he turned back around from the fridge, giving Hongbin a quick once over.

Hongbin nodded, and meant it, for the first time tonight. Taekwoon watched him for a moment longer, but then nodded, deciding to believe him. He did look a lot more relaxed now than earlier.

He was about to leave the kitchen again, after placing the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, when Hongbin stopped him.

“T-Taekwoon…”

Taekwoon froze, turning back around.

“Hm?”

“I-… I think I can-… I can talk to him now.”

Taekwoon willed his expression not to waver and remain neutral.

“Ok…”

“But-! I-I-… Can you… Can you s-stay between-…? So he can’t-…”

Taekwoon nodded, relieving Hongbin of the stress of not being able to find the right words.

“I’ll sit on this side of the couch, closer to the door, ok?”

Hongbin nodded, relieved.

Taekwoon hesitated a moment longer, wanting to ask Hongbin if he was sure about this, but stopped himself, once again telling himself not to undermine Hongbin’s resolve. If things didn’t go well, he would at least be close to Hongbin to help him should he need it. With a last encouraging smile, he left and returned to the living room. Hongbin followed a few steps behind, freezing in the door.

Hakyeon was no longer sitting, but standing in front of the couch, rearranging the pillows on it with his back to the kitchen.

“…I seriously don’t get why these cushions always slide forward, like, no matter how you sit or what you do, they always end up hanging off the edge, and you end up having to get up to push them back every half hour-…”

Hongbin shook his head, turning to Taekwoon, who was sitting down at the edge of the short end of the couch. His look was pleading, and Taekwoon caught it, rolling his eyes at Hakyeon.

“Hakyeon. Sit down and shut up for a second, please?”

Hakyeon froze, giving Taekwoon a bewildered look, but then he caught sight of Hongbin standing in the door out of the corner of his eye and sat down quickly.

“Wha-… Oh. Hongbin, hi.”

Hongbin swallowed thickly, holding on to the doorframe tightly. There wasn’t a single chance in the world he’d be able to look at Hakyeon, so he focused on the cap of a pen laying under the coffee table. At least that was in the general direction of where Hakyeon was sitting, too.

“I… I wanted to apologize…” He half whispered, his voice failing him. It annoyed him endlessly that it did, and he cleared his throat. “I wanted to apologize.” He repeated, slightly louder. Not as loud and clear as he would have wished, but loud enough. Hakyeon didn’t say anything. He didn’t know if it was because he was surprised, because he was waiting for him to elaborate, or because he had nothing to say, but he took the chance to elaborate, anyway.

“I’m-… I’m sorry I hissed at you. And for misunderstanding. Taekwoon said… Taekwoon said you weren’t mocking me, the other day. I’m sorry, if-… if I upset you, or… offended you.” That was about it, his limit of what he could say. It was all he wanted to say, but he felt as if he should have used more words. He didn’t have more words, though.

It stayed silent for a moment. It wasn’t long, Hongbin was aware of that, but if felt long. It was long enough for him to become nervous and start shifting uncomfortably as he looked up slightly and let his gaze wander over to Taekwoon for guidance. Taekwoon gave him a look he didn’t understand immediately, but then understood was proud. Taekwoon was proud of him. He inhaled deeply, standing up a little straighter.

“Thank you, for apologizing, Hongbin. I forgive you. And I want to apologize, too.” Hakyeon eventually spoke, and Hongbin’s head snapped up, accidentally looking at Hakyeon, who was already watching him. Quickly, he averted his gaze again.

“I didn’t mean to upset you or cause a misunderstanding. And I promise to do my best to never upset you again. If I do end up doing something you don’t like, please just let me know, and I won’t do it again. Ok?”

Hongbin felt himself releasing a shaky, relieved breath, nodding before he could fully process Hakyeon’s words. Near the edge of his vision, he could see Hakyeon smile, and oh, was it a soft smile. It rivalled Taekwoon’s soft smiles. Almost. And then Hakyeon turned to Taekwoon, and Hongbin felt as if he was being let off the hook, deflating slightly against the doorframe.

“You said something about dessert earlier on the phone…” Hakyeon changed the subject, and Taekwoon picked up on it.

“Yeah. We got ice cream earlier. You want some?”

“Yes, please!” Hakyeon bounced in his seat, and Taekwoon made to get up, startling Hongbin back into the present.

“I’ll get it!” He announced hastily, retreating into the kitchen. If Hongbin hadn’t imagined the look of surprise on Taekwoon’s face, at least Taekwoon didn’t seem to mind his initiative, relaxing back into his seat to let Hongbin do his thing.

Hongbin wasn’t sure why he’d volunteered, in a spur of the moment decision. It wasn’t even really a decision, but more of a reaction. Still, he focused on the newfound task like he would any other, gathering bowls and spoons. He hesitated a moment before taking out a third bowl for himself, too. Taekwoon would probably ask why he didn’t get a bowl for himself if he didn’t, and it wasn’t like he didn’t want the ice cream. He really did want the ice cream, especially now that he felt so much lighter after getting the talk with Hakyeon out of the way.

He took the ice cream out of the freezer last, carrying everything into the living room and setting it down in front of Taekwoon to serve.

Hakyeon gasped quietly, bouncing in his seat.

“That’s my favourite brand, and favourite flavour! Woon, you never get this brand!”

Taekwoon chuckled.

“Hongbin chose it.”

Hongbin didn’t know if this was a good or a bad situation, tensing where he stood, ready to bolt off. But then Hakyeon beamed in a way even Hongbin couldn’t miss it despite avoiding looking at him, and some of the tension fell off him once again.

“Hongbin, you have excellent taste in ice cream. I feel like we’re going to become great friends!” he proclaimed seriously as he made grabby hands at the first bowl of ice cream Taekwoon was finishing serving.

Taekwoon chuckled again as he handed him the bowl and a spoon, shaking his head at Hakyeon’s overdramatic antics.

The next bowl of ice cream went to Hongbin, who took it a lot more carefully than Hakyeon had, taking a step back afterwards to decide where to go to eat his ice cream in peace. He didn’t feel the need to hide in the kitchen anymore to do it, feeling like that might even be too lonely, but he sure as hell wouldn’t sit down at the coffee table with Taekwoon and Hakyeon, either.

In the end, he slinked away to the corner of the room, out of view from the couch and close to the heaters. He ate as quietly as possible -which was very quiet- but he had a feeling he wouldn’t have been bothered by the two humans even if he didn’t. Still, old habits die hard.

Hongbin didn’t get up once he was done eating, either, counting on Hakyeon and Taekwoon maybe having forgotten his presence there as they finished their own ice creams.

They might have, or they might just not mind his presence as they picked up conversing with each other naturally again.

“Are you coming in to work tomorrow?”

“Hmm. Think so.”

“Minhyuk’s been asking about you.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t know why. You’ll have to ask him.”

“How come you don’t know?”

“Well, it’s not that I didn’t try to get to know, don’t worry. Minhyuk is just good at avoiding answering my questions. You two should try bonding over that common skill, actually.”

Taekwoon chuckled at that, and silence settled over them for a moment again, the only sounds heard being those of spoons gathering the rests of ice cream out of the bottom of bowls. Then, Hakyeon set his bowl down on the table and stretched.

“This was lovely. But I should probably go home and get some sleep. I am not out of the clocking system, like some other lucky bastard I know!”

Taekwoon huffed quietly.

“I’m surprised you haven’t bribed Sungjae into having you taken out of it, too, yet.”

Hakyeon chuckled.

“It’s not for lack of trying! But he says if I have too much free time at my hands, he’ll be too tempted into asking me to take him out, and that’s dangerous since I can rarely say no to him. And that temptation clashes with his work ethics. So, he’s keeping me busy so he doesn’t slack off. What kind of logic, I tell you!”

“Seems foolproof, as expected from our Sungie.”

Hakyeon sighed, standing up.

“The brat is so lucky I love him…”

“What would you do if you didn’t? Report him to our boss?”

Hakyeon gave him an exasperated eye-roll, which Hongbin could see from his spot, too, since Hakyeon was standing now, facing him.

“Very funny. You lack all sense of empathy, Jung Taekwoon. Which is why I’ll leave you to clean up on your own now. Bye.”

Taekwoon laughed quietly.

“I am so wounded! Shoo, go ahead and see that you make it home in time for your beauty sleep!”

Hakyeon stuck his tongue out at him, twirling around to leave the room, but stopped again before he could make it out, and to Hongbin’s surprise, addressed him.

“Thank you for inviting me again, Hongbin. And for the juice and ice cream. I hope I can repay the favour sometime!”

Hongbin stared at the floor where Hakyeon stood with wide eyes for a moment, before he remembered to say something.

“Ah… I-… That’s… That’s ok… Would-… would be ok?” He had no idea what he was stammering, what he wanted to say in the first place. Hakyeon smiled gently, waving at him.

“Good night, Hongbin.” And then he left for the hallway. Taekwoon followed him, leaving Hongbin behind in a cloud of confusion. He didn’t hear the bickering between the two humans at the front door, only Taekwoon calling out after Hakyeon to text him when he got home safely before the door closed.

Taekwoon returned to the living room, smiling fondly still as he went to pick up the empty bowls from the coffee table.

“Are you done with your ice cream, too, Hongbin?”

Hongbin startled out of his thoughts.

“Ah, yes, uh…” He passed Taekwoon the bowl as he reached out for it.

When Taekwoon went to the kitchen to put away the dirty dishes, Hongbin finally got up from his spot, quietly following him to the kitchen. Taekwoon noticed him standing there, but didn’t address him immediately. He could see the last remains of stress fading from Hongbin with every moment that passed, and only when he felt like Hongbin was finally completely relaxed again did he talk to him.

“Feel better now?”

Hongbin nodded.

“He accepted my apology…”

“That he did.”

Hongbin chewed on his lip, debating which of the things going through his mind he should address first.

“Is that really his favourite ice cream?” He eventually decided to ask first.

“It is.”

“Did you know that before?”

“I did.”

“Why… why didn’t you say it?”

Taekwoon hung the towel he’d just been drying his hands off on back in its place with more care than it would warrant, clearly stalling.

“Because I wanted you to choose for yourself, and not for Hakyeon.”

Hongbin wanted to ask why, but he had a feeling he knew why. He didn’t ask, just nodding in acceptance.

“Are you still hungry? Want me to reheat your leftovers from dinner?” Taekwoon changed the subject, but Hongbin shook his head.

“I’ll… I’ll go sleep…”

If Taekwoon was a little worried that Hongbin hadn’t eaten enough, he didn’t say anything. He probably would eat fine again by tomorrow morning. Today had been stressful, after all.

“Alright. Sleep well, then.”

*#*#*#*

Hongbin didn’t sleep right away. He just needed some time for himself. He was relaxed, yes, but only outwardly. Outwardly, in that he wasn’t scared or tense anymore. That didn’t mean that his mind wasn’t in disarray, spinning and flashing, though.

It felt like the day had stretched over a whole week, from the different highs and lows and in-betweens of emotions he’d gone through.

There had been the high of playing in the park. That one was nice. It was exhilarating to be able to run and jump as he pleased, knowing -or at least, trusting- that it was ok. That he’d be ok as long as Taekwoon was there. He’d heard the sirens of enforcers and their cars in the distance, there was no way to miss them, but he’d been able to ignore them. Taekwoon said they couldn’t hurt him, as long as he was with him, and he trusted him. He’d been safe.

He’d been safe in the store, too, even though that had been a much scarier adventure. At first, at least. And then, it had been a different kind of exciting, and stressful at the same time. Being made to choose… He liked being able to choose what he wanted. At the same time, he couldn’t quite believe yet that he was allowed to do that. That Taekwoon trusted him to make the right choices, and that he actively wanted him to make choices for himself.

He still didn’t know what to think of the situation with the ice cream. That Taekwoon hadn’t told him it was Hakyeon’s favourite even after he’d chosen it. And then he’d found out through Hakyeon that Taekwoon never got that ice cream, despite it being Hakyeon’s favourite. But he’d allowed him to get it, after he’d chosen it. That reminded him, he didn’t know if Taekwoon even liked the ice cream. Certainly, it wasn’t his favourite, if he never got it? It made even less sense that he would let him choose it, then…

The fact that Taekwoon had decided to get both juices he couldn’t choose between also made him wonder, though not quite as much since Taekwoon’s explanation was quite reasonable. Still, he could have insisted he chose, or chosen for him when he took too long. He hadn’t, though. And he’d also let him decide if he wanted to share the juice with Hakyeon or not, and without ever actively putting him in front of that decision! It had only been later that Hongbin realized he’d been given the option to decide about that. The same had happened in the store, with the fruit. Taekwoon didn’t tell him to decide between oranges and tangerines, that was one decision he’d made himself, without even knowing he was doing it.

It was scary, to be given that much autonomy. What if he ended up making a wrong decision, and not about something like juice or fruit, but about something that had much bigger implications than that? He wasn’t used to be able to make decisions, not after so much time of not being allowed. And truthfully, the decisions he’d made before that… were they ever really his own? All he’d ever had to decide between was to stay and endure or run to the unknown. Fight or flight. Were those even decisions? Or just reactions? And in hindsight, none of those decisions, or non-decisions, had ever significantly improved his situation, often even landing him in more trouble. It made him doubt if he was fit to make decisions at all, yet Taekwoon seemed to think he was, for some reason. Maybe he should clue him in that he probably wasn’t the best for that…

Other decisions he’d made, and that he doubted terribly now, was everything surrounding dessert time today. From offering to get the bowls and ice cream (really, what had possessed him back then, to make such an offer when Taekwoon was already standing?! He’d basically gone against Taekwoon!), to staying in the same room to eat it, despite knowing about his shortcomings. Granted, he’d stayed out of view while eating, but still…

Then again, Taekwoon insisted the way he ate was ok. And true, Taekwoon also used the ‘wrong’ hand from time to time (most times, when they were eating together), so that wasn’t too bad, but the fact he still lacked a lot of skill when eating with utensils at all… He should probably have gone back to the kitchen to eat, after all, even if it was lonely…

At least Taekwoon hadn’t reprimanded him about that yet. Not that he’d given him much time to do so before retreating to his room, but if Taekwoon had wanted to, he could have just told him to stay instead of letting him go. Or he could come to his room to talk to him. He’d done neither, though, and it didn’t seem like he was mad or anything. So maybe, that had been ok, actually, and he was just thinking too much into it.

He probably was thinking too much into it. Taekwoon would have long since let him know if there had been anything wrong with that, so if he hadn’t by now, everything must be ok. It probably wasn’t a big deal. Taekwoon didn’t usually make a big deal out of whatever little things Hongbin did that weren’t usual or even those that had been reason for punishment before. No, Taekwoon was different. Taekwoon was ok. That was why he’d been able to tell the owl earlier in the store he was ok, too. Her question if he needed to get away from Taekwoon still bothered him a little when he thought about it; the thought to leave Taekwoon didn’t sit well with him, even if he wasn’t exactly free with him.

But were the ones who weren’t living with humans even really free? No, not really, right? They were prisoners anyway, prisoners of fear of being caught and the horrors that came after. It wasn’t a real freedom, it was a warped one that was sometimes worse than some forms of captivity. It made sense that the owl had told him to stay with Taekwoon, if it was bearable. And that it was, most definitely, even if it wasn’t always easy.

More often than not, Taekwoon made his life a lot easier than it had ever been in the warped freedom out there, though. The comfort he lived in these days, the warmth, with the regular and tasty meals, and even Taekwoon’s easy companionship, were probably the best things he’d ever experienced in his life. Even if in turn his captivity meant he’d get rained on, because he couldn’t get too far away from Taekwoon. But Taekwoon made up for even that. If earlier in the year someone had told him that he’d get rained on, soaked through, but would even forget about that for some time during the very same day, he’d have wondered if they were delusional. Yet that was exactly what had happened today. He didn’t even have a full panic attack because of it. Close, but not quite. And it hadn’t lasted long, with Taekwoon always there, looking out for him and keeping him grounded, probably without even really noticing it.

What kept his mind the busiest among all those thoughts, though, was, of course, Hakyeon.

Hakyeon was so different from everything he expected from a human. Even from Taekwoon, whom he had been learning to trust.

It wasn’t that he trusted Hakyeon, no. Far from it! He barely knew him! And yet…

Receiving an apology from a virtual stranger in return to his own apology (which had been accepted without buts and ifs?!), that was pretty unexpected. Still, he would be able to wrap his mind around it eventually.

What fascinated him most about Hakyeon was probably how close he was to Taekwoon, and the fact he didn’t mind at all. Just thinking about Sungjae hugging Taekwoon still made his blood boil, yet with Hakyeon… he didn’t mind at all.

Maybe it was because somewhere, somehow, he was deeply aware that Hakyeon was Taekwoon’s savior. That without Hakyeon, Taekwoon would never have saved him. So somehow, he owed Hakyeon his life, too. Maybe. Maybe it was a different reason, one he didn’t know yet.

He did know, however, that it was the fact that Taekwoon loved Hakyeon back just as much as Hakyeon loved him, that he’d found the courage to talk to Hakyeon in the first place today. He would never have been able to do that if Taekwoon’s closeness and trust in the other hadn’t been so evident.

He might not trust Hakyeon himself, but he did trust Taekwoon, he knew that now. And since he trusted Taekwoon to not do him any harm for no reason, by extension, that meant he trusted him to not let someone who meant harm to Hongbin come close to him. It only took him until now to figure that out consciously, while he’d probably realized it subconsciously earlier.

He was glad he had, too. He was glad he’d been able to apologize, and that Hakyeon had accepted the apology. He might have been surprised, but also pleased that Hakyeon had apologized in turn, even if he wasn’t sure how much sincerity was behind the promise to not do something if Hongbin told him he didn’t like it.

Well, there was also the fact Hongbin would probably never dare tell him he didn’t like something, he had trouble admitting something like that even to Taekwoon, never mind Hakyeon. But it certainly was a nice gesture to make that promise of his own volition and without any prompting, there.

Hakyeon had been nothing but nice to him, too. Not the same way Taekwoon was nice to him, but his own kind of nice. Taekwoon was nice as he was gentle with him, understanding, he didn’t push him, didn’t force him into anything, let him take his time, grounded him when he needed it, took care of him when he couldn’t do it himself. Taekwoon taught him what he didn’t know, showed sheer endless patience with him, made sure he stayed well fed and clothed and clean and comfortable.

Hakyeon’s ‘nice’ was different. Hakyeon talked to him as if there was nothing different about Hongbin and any other person around him. He had a feeling that if he got to spend more time around Hakyeon, Hakyeon would end up talking to him as he would another human, making no difference between how he treated one of his human friends (maybe not Taekwoon, since he was special), and how he talked to a broken lab experiment.

After all that, he was pretty sure he could say Hakyeon was… maybe not trustworthy, not yet, but maybe ok. Yes, he could say Hakyeon was ok. And as long as Taekwoon was there, he was positive it would be ok if Hakyeon came over again. And eventually, he’d be ok to talk to Hakyeon more, too. It would be ok. He would be ok.

----

A/N: This chapter turned out quite the monster, wow. Hope no one minds long chapters around here! I ended up adding more things than I had originally planned for this chapter, but I really wanted to end it after Hongbin and Hakyeon "make up", and not before that. Also, I hope I managed to clear up some confusions that seem to have arised with some of you... I learned that I apparently left a lot of hints for things I was never aware could lead to diverse (sometimes quite wild) theories about where this story is heading. 

Now, if you have theories of your own, I'd love to hear them, and encourage you to let me know about them! Also so I can make sure to clear up and patch eventual plot holes I might have inadvertently opened. I love comments the most, especially theorizing ones, even if upvotes and subscriptions make me very happy, too. And, of course, any tip you might want to leave me over here to help with my overall living situation (because aparently you need to live to be able to write? Wild...) <3