It’d been a while since the man had left again, and even a while since he’d heard him retreat to his room and go to sleep. Still, he lay awake, unable to find sleep. It wasn’t even that weird that he couldn’t find sleep, he thought, since he’d been passed out all day, but what made him wonder were the directions his thoughts were going in.

He had no idea what had made him call the man back and allow him to check the wound on his neck after all, but now that it was over he didn’t entirely regret it. He couldn’t tell if it was really getting better, but it felt better; at least better than the night before, and definitely better than that morning! And despite how terrified he’d been the whole time the man had been working on his wound, he had to admit that he’d been extremely gentle with it. It might not have been the most comfortable of affairs, but he could tell that the man had been making an effort to be as gentle as possible with it, and there hadn’t been a single time he’d thought the pain was going towards unbearable.

Despite all that, though, he still couldn’t understand himself and what had made him trust the man to tend to the wound in the first place; and yes, he had trusted him there, for a moment, for some reason…

Maybe… maybe it had been because he did remember slivers of what had happened during the day, from when he’d woken up just a little from his feverish coma. That the man had spent basically the whole day in the room with him… That he’d helped him with the blankets, covering and uncovering him when he got uncomfortable, wiping his brow when it was drenched in sweat.

And there was the way he’d helped him with the water only just moments before… He’d been gentle there, too, his touch never hurting him…

Besides all that, there were his words, too. He liked to believe he never really listened to what people said, what they promised and offered; words were cheap and not to be trusted. Still, the man’s words had made him pause for a moment. It wasn’t when he promised him better food in the morning, or any of the times he’d promised him not to hurt him that had made him halt, but when he’d pointed out the flaw in his logic. Now, that…

He’d always thought it was better to go for the option he knew what to expect of, even if it meant certain pain. The moment the man had pointed that out, though, he’d started doubting his belief, and on a whim he’d called him back when he was about to leave.

He shook his head at himself; what an act of extreme stupidity! And yet… he couldn’t regret it. He didn’t know if he would ever do something like that again, trust someone that close, but… He wasn’t excluding the possibility. At least if it was the man.

He’d only been in his home for two days, but he felt like so much had happened already… And wasn’t he feeling so much better already, all in all? He wasn’t hungry or thirsty, he was warm and as comfortable as he could imagine. He was tired, but he could sleep if he wanted to. The wounds all over his body were healing, the aches slowly fading, and apart from the one from the collar, no new wounds had been added since the man had rescued him from the shelter. Any pain and discomfort that had been dealt to him had been his own fault and doing, no one else’s…

He couldn’t deny the improvement of his situation, at least for the time being, and with those thoughts in mind, he finally fell asleep.

He only woke up again when the noise of the man rummaging around at the other end of the apartment filtered through his sleep, and he realized it must be quite early by the little light falling in through the window. It didn’t take long for the man to knock on the door softly before coming in, carrying a tray with breakfast.

“Oh, you’re awake! Good morning! Did you sleep? How are you feeling?”

He debated if he should answer, and what to answer in case he did, but he obviously took too long. The man must already be so used to not getting an answer that he didn’t even expect one anymore.

“I hope you’re feeling better. Can I check your wound before I leave for work?”

He froze, looking up at the man with fear. Could he let him?

The man sighed softly.

“Think about it; I don’t think it’s healed enough to be left alone just yet, but it’s your decision if you want to let me look after it or not. I’ll need to get ready for work now, but I’ll come back before I leave.”

He was left alone again, trying to get his bearings; he was still feeling kind of woozy, both because he’d only just woken up and from the fever the day before. After a while, the breakfast tray caught his attention, and he checked it out from afar; he had to come to the conclusion that his stomach was not quite ready for food yet, though.

It took a moment for him to come to terms with that realization. Everything in him screamed for him to go and eat the food right now anyway, despite feeling nauseous at the mere thought. He had to eat as long as he could!

The thing was, he couldn’t. He felt too nauseous. He didn’t want to throw up again. He didn’t want to waste the food… Maybe he could hide some for later?

His thoughts were interrupted by the soft knock on the door that signaled the man’s return, and he tensed. There was no time for him to save any of the food on the tray, but shouldn’t he at least try?

The last chance came and went, and the man opened the door. To his surprise, he only glanced at the tray, not commenting on it or making any move to take it.

“I need to leave soon. Have you thought about if I can check the wound again?”

He had never actually thought about that, getting distracted by the food… But did he really have an option?

He didn’t want to pass out again, and he wanted the pain to end… So no, he had no option.

With all the reluctance in the world, he dropped the blanket below his shoulders, uncovering his neck, and found the man’s gaze. It took him an inhumane effort to nod his head once, and he failed to completely mask his surprise (and fear) when visible relief spread over the man’s face at his answer.

Before he had completely recovered from that, the man had gathered the gauzes and patches and ointments he needed and was cautiously approaching him.

The tensing was automatic, increasing the closer the man came, and he had to consciously remind himself that he needed to keep breathing.

In a sharp contrast to his own tense posture and paralyzing fear, the man’s touch was gentle and caring, and while not comfortable due to the nature of the wound, it still didn’t hurt.

He was still beyond relieved when the man finally backed away, leaving him with a new dressing adorning his neck that -he had to admit that, too- felt a lot more comfortable than the one before.

The man stopped his retreat when he reached the door, addressing him again.

“I have to leave for work now, but I’ll come back during my lunch break. In the meantime, feel free to explore the apartment; it’s as much yours now as it is mine. If you get hungry, there is food in the fridge, and more in the cabinets and in the pantry. Just take whatever you want.”

He listened closely to what the man was saying, but didn’t answer him. It seemed to be ok though, as the man didn’t seem fazed by his lack of answers anymore.

“Alright, I’ll see you at lunchtime.” The man nodded slowly, more to himself than anything else, and turned to leave.

He could hear him shuffle towards the front door, put on a jacket and struggle with his shoes, before the door opened and closed again behind him. The utter silence of the apartment that followed the noise of the door falling shut confirmed to him that he was alone now.

A huge load of tension fell off of him, bigger than what he’d expected, and he realized how utterly tired he still felt.

After discarding the duvet, which felt way too warm for him now, he wrapped himself up in his blanket and was quick to fall asleep again.

It was the middle of the morning when he woke up again, and the day was much brighter then. He felt considerably better, too, and ventured to eat the food the man had brought over and not taken away again before leaving. It was still delicious, despite having sat there for a couple of hours; it was clearly designed to last longer out of a fridge or any kind of food-heating device, and he wondered if the man had chosen that on purpose, suspecting he wouldn’t eat it immediately…

The thought surprised him. Could the man actually have done that? Being that considerate? Or was it merely a coincidence?

That must be it, he thought. He must have chosen to bring him sandwiches for breakfast because he’d probably packed a couple for himself to eat at whatever work he’d gone to. Just a coincidence.

It was a nice one, though, and for once he took the time to really savour his food as he ate it; with the man gone, he didn’t need to worry about him taking the food away from him before he was done eating.

Despite his efforts, though, he found himself unable to finish what the man had left him. His stomach wasn’t having it. Maybe he could eat the rest later, before the man came back… Just in case, he decided to hide what was left out of sight. One could never be careful enough…

Only when he was satisfied with the hiding spot of the remaining sandwich did he dare leave the room. He needed the bathroom quite urgently, but when he chanced a glance in the mirror on the way out, he was taken aback by his own reflection.

He looked incredibly sick, his eyes sunken in with dark purple-ish bags underneath them, his skin pale –even paler than usual, when there was a layer of dirt covering it; the man must have cleaned his face while he’d been unconscious- and his cheeks sunken in further than he’d ever seen them before. His torn clothes hung off his body like rags off a scarecrow, and his hair was a disaster he didn’t even dare analyze any further.

He couldn’t stand his sight any longer and fled the room. Now even more than before, he wondered how the man could stand to look at him, and even touch him when he changed his bandage… It wasn’t that he was vain, but he knew he could look different; better, handsome even. And being so far from that ideal of his… it pained him. He needed something to distract him from his painful thoughts.

Without anything better to do, he decided to take on the invitation from the man to explore the apartment, even though in the back of his mind the alarm bells rang, warning him that it could be a trap… He decided to chance it anyway.

He ignored the door he knew led to the man’s bedroom, his silent steps taking him to the next door further down the hallway, which was standing open. Peeking around the corner, he found a vast room laying behind it that had to be the living room. A large couch dominated the center, shelves with books and all kinds of miscellaneous lined three walls while the fourth was taken up by a huge entertainment center that he couldn’t fathom how anyone could afford it.

In the same wall was another door, also standing half open, and he could tell the kitchen was behind that one. From his first stint out of his room, he knew that there was also a door from the hallway leading to the kitchen, and he was especially careful when he ventured into that one.

He was curious if the man had been telling the truth when he’d said there was food to be found in this room, and he decided to check. He only touched the handles with the tips of his fingers, careful not to leave any stains on the polished surfaces. When the door to the fridge opened, his mouth fell open with it. It was packed with food! There was barely any empty space left in it, and his heart beat faster at the sight.

Encouraged by his first finding, he decided to check the cabinets as well. Alongside a couple that only held dishes, plates and cups, he found others that were just as packed with all kinds of food, both ready-made and some that needed some working on, as the fridge. A narrow door in a corner led to what had to be the pantry, and he had to stop and gather his bearings for a moment. He couldn’t believe he was in a place with so much food! As long as he wasn’t locked in in his room or the kitchen doors were locked, he wouldn’t have to starve any time soon! There was so much food, it wouldn’t even show if he took some for himself. The man wouldn’t even notice if something went missing.

He felt tears prick at his eyes, and he blinked to get rid of them; one still made it out, though, and he wiped at it harshly, only remembering afterwards that his face had been clean and now he’d probably dirtied it again.

He tried to distract himself again, leaving the kitchen after taking care that all the cabinets were closed and he’d left no evidence of his presence there.

He found himself in the hallway once more, but only now did he take note of how clean it actually was, and how sparsely but tastefully decorated.

The door opposite the kitchen door caught his attention, but after opening it, he only found a dining room that looked like it was never used as such and served mostly to stash away things that weren’t used that often, either.

The door next to it led to a more interesting room, even though it was definitely an office. It didn’t look that used, either, but what caught his attention was the large black piano in the corner. He approached it carefully but curiously, inspecting it closely. Despite the thin layer of dust that covered the polished black surface and indicated that it didn’t seem to have been used in a while, there were obvious signs of usage on the most common spots, as well as on the note-sheets on top of it.

His eyes widened when he scanned over the scattered papers on the desk and on top of the piano, finding more note-sheets and realizing that most of them were hand-written, with some parts crossed out, extras drawn in, arrows and asterisks organizing the different parts.

He had expected many things of the man, but not for him to have an interest in music of any kind, never mind him playing the piano and even composing! He didn’t look like someone who would be even remotely interested in such a fine art, and it didn’t fit his scary personality at all…

Then again, maybe he wasn’t the one who played that piano and wrote the sheets. Maybe he’d inherited it… Or he had a friend who played it and composed. Maybe a roommate who just happened to be out at the moment…

A cold shudder ran down his back. If he had a roommate who was out, where would they live when they were here? Was he staying in the roommate’s room right now? But it was so devoid of any personal items and even the wardrobe was empty there… Maybe the roommate lived in the only other room he hadn’t checked yet…

He hurriedly left the office, silently making his way over to the last remaining room. The door wasn’t locked, and the room behind it was big; big enough to be a bedroom. It wasn’t furnished, though, except for a wardrobe that took up one entire wall, and an assortment of boxes that stood on the floor, probably storing away more things that weren’t used that often.

So that excluded the possibility of a roommate.

Maybe the man had a partner who shared his room with him… He swallowed. He’d heard enough stories from other hybrids who’d been adopted by people, just for their partners to get jealous and take out their anger on the hybrids.

Had he known how to pray, he would have prayed that the man didn’t have a partner…

He closed the door of the empty room behind him, retreating to his own room again. He had no more interest in exploring what exactly the apartment held; he wouldn’t dare touch anything anyway, not wanting to dirty any of the nice and clean things he found everywhere. Everything in the apartment looked so nice and clean and tidy, everything was tastefully decorated, but it still looked lived in and cozy. It was perfect, really, but it saddened him.

Even if the man happened to have good intentions and just wanted him to live there with him, he didn’t think he would ever feel like he belonged. He was dirty while everything else was clean; he was ugly while the rest of the place was pretty; he was stupid while the whole apartment oozed wisdom, education and culture; he was an aberration while the man was normal.

He sat down in his usual spot in the corner furthest from the door, holding the blanket close as he wrapped his arms around his knees and waited. He didn’t know what he was waiting for, but he just waited.

*#*#*#*

Taekwoon kept glancing at the clock on the wall opposite his desk. It felt like the hands weren’t even moving, and if they were, then it was about 50 times slower than usual. Lunch couldn’t come fast enough for him today, and he couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. Usually, he didn’t care. Lunch came when it came, and he’d just go with it. But today, he just couldn’t wait.

Would the hybrid be ok on his own? How was he doing after the fever on the previous day? Was he feeling better? Was he eating? Had he left enough food for him? Would he find the food in the kitchen? Would he take it if he was hungry? Would he even leave the room? Would he try to leave the apartment again? He really, really hoped he wouldn’t, and even if he did, he hoped he wouldn’t get out. If he was caught outside on his own… He didn’t want to finish the thought, but he didn’t get to anyway.

The door to his office flew open, ricocheting off the wall with a bang, and a very angry looking Hakyeon appeared, throwing something at him.

“Traitor!” He yelled as Taekwoon dodged his missile, finding it was only a balled up paper after it fell to the ground.

“You go around adopting a hybrid all of a sudden and don’t even think about telling me?! A feral hybrid nonetheless?! What were you thinking?!”

Taekwoon sighed, deflating in his chair. Not this, not now. He knew it had been coming, Hakyeon would have found out at some point anyway, but he’d hoped it would take him longer. In hindsight, knowing him he should be surprised it even took him as long as until now.

“He’s not feral.” He only answered to Hakyeon’s accusations, though.

“Feral or not, what made you adopt one all of a sudden? If I recall correctly, you were still hell-bent against adopting a hybrid just before you left for the shelter with Raul!”

“I wasn’t against it. I just said they shouldn’t be kept as pets.”

“That doesn’t explain anything!”

Taekwoon sighed again, rubbing his temples and glancing at the clock. Oh, so now the hands were moving faster? Now that Hakyeon was nailing him in place and would keep him from leaving until he’d answered all of his questions -which he didn’t feel like answering at all- to his satisfaction? Time was being exceptionally rude today.

“There is nothing to explain.”

“Oh, but there is!! You and your feral hybrid are the talk of the company today, and I want to know how it could come to that! And what’s more, I want to know why you didn’t think that was something worth mentioning when we were talking yesterday!”

Now Hakyeon sounded just hurt and betrayed, and had Taekwoon not been so annoyed himself and known Hakyeon as well as he did, he would probably have felt bad about not having told him about the boy sooner. As it was, though, his annoyance won over, and he sat up in his chair again, mildly glaring at Hakyeon.

“Again, he’s not feral, and he’s not mine. I don’t own him! And it’s not my fault I’m the talk of the company today, it wasn’t me who told anyone anything, as you just pointed out yourself. I don’t care about anyone discussing what I do outside of work at work, as you should know.”

“You should have known Raul wouldn’t keep quiet about it when you pull a stunt like that!”

“That’s why he’s your friend and not mine…”

Hakyeon gasped, offended, but Taekwoon didn’t pay him any mind as he started cleaning off his desk, leaving it ready to pick up work again after lunch.

“Hey, that’s not fair!”

Taekwoon just shrugged, and Hakyeon closed the distance to Taekwoon’s desk.

“You still haven’t told me what happened that you adopted that hybrid.”

Taekwoon glared up at Hakyeon, but if Taekwoon knew Hakyeon well, Hakyeon knew Taekwoon even better and ignored the glare expertly.

“I’m sure you’ve already heard all the details and even more from Raul. So why are you bothering me?”

“Because first of all, you should have been the one who told me all about it in the first place, and I want to know the truth! Raul tends to exaggerate sometimes.”

Taekwoon scoffed something about knowing someone else who tended to do that and kept glaring at Hakyeon.

“Are you sure you don’t just want the hot tea straight from the source so you can spill it all over the place yourself?”

Actual hurt flashed in Hakyeon’s eyes, and Taekwoon regretted his words at least a bit.

“Taekwoonie, you are not being fair! You know that I’ll keep my mouth shut if you don’t want me to spread something, even if I don’t get what the harm is in telling it. Also, it offends me that even though I’m your best friend I have to find out about the big changes in your life through office banter at the coffee machine!”

Ok, so maybe he hadn’t been completely fair with Hakyeon and he had a point there. He sighed, resigning to his fate. He might as well tell Hakyeon what he wanted to know and correct whatever misinformation had been spread about him.

“Alright. But! First of all, he’s not feral. Second, I adopted him because I had no choice. Third, he doesn’t belong to me or anyone else but himself.”

“Ok… But if he’s not feral, then why did Raul say he was and that he was kept in a cage separate from the others?”

Taekwoon narrowed his eyes, but not at Hakyeon this time.

“Raul is an idiot. But yes, he was in a cage that was separate from the others. They claimed he was feral at the shelter. Hakyeon, he was kept in that cage, too small for him to even sit in upright, never mind lay down or stretch any limb since he was also chained up, to be taken down. By taken down, I mean killed. He’d been in there since the day before, no food, no water, sitting on cold, wet tiled floor with bleeding ankles and wrists and the knowledge that his life could be ended at any second without him being able to do anything about it. Tell me you wouldn’t have done anything!”

Hakyeon stayed quiet, swallowing hard at the new information that Raul hadn’t passed on to him.

“He isn’t feral, he’s just scared. He is just a boy, he can’t be that old yet, and yet… Only he knows what hell he has been through already in his life that made him wary of everything to the point that he would rather lash out first even at a helping hand in fear of being hurt again.”

Hakyeon dragged the only other chair in Taekwoon’s office over and sat down heavily on it, not having expected what Taekwoon was telling him.

“Has he hurt you?” his voice wasn’t without worry for his best friend, but he relaxed when Taekwoon shook his head.

“No. He’s hissed and growled at me when I tried to get closer to him before, but hasn’t hurt me. He was hurt badly by a detention collar they put on him at the shelter when he tried to get it off, but he’s been letting me take care of that wound since last night. Other than for that he won’t let me come close to him, but I can’t blame him. It’s on me to prove that he can trust me and I won’t hurt him first.”

Hakyeon let Taekwoon talk, well aware of the fact that it wasn’t usual for him to talk that much and that passionately very often, and listened closely. Especially to what he wasn’t saying.

Behind Hakyeon, the hands of the clock moved into the position that Taekwoon had wanted them in for hours now, and he got up from his chair, startling Hakyeon.

“Where are you going?”

“Home. I’ll be back in time before the break ends, but I need to check on the boy… He had a bad fever yesterday and I don’t have a good feeling about leaving him alone all day already. I told him I’d be back at lunchtime, too, and I’m not going to break one of the first promises I made to him.”

Hakyeon rose from his chair again, falling into step with Taekwoon as the younger strode towards the door.

“I’m coming with you!”

Taekwoon stopped immediately, turning around so fast that Hakyeon collided with his chest, unable to react quickly enough.

“No.”

“Why?!”

“I told you, he’s scared. Of everything. He’ll be scared of you, too. He doesn’t know you won’t hurt him, and he won’t believe either of us if we tell him. Plus, he might not let me check on the dressing of his wound again, and I really need to do that. You’ll meet him eventually, but not now.”

Hakyeon pouted slightly, but he understood Taekwoon’s reasoning and didn’t argue, nodding instead.

Taekwoon sent him a grateful look and turned to leave again. He stopped when he reached the door again, though, turning back towards Hakyeon.

“And Hakyeon… He’s not just gossip material. Please don’t degrade him to that.”

Hakyeon loved a good gossip, and usually no one and nothing was safe, except Taekwoon and a selected few other close friends if they asked for it, but he found himself not even considering talking about anything of what he’d learned of the hybrid from Taekwoon to anyone, even without Taekwoon asking him to keep to himself.

He nodded in understanding.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. Go take care of him. Give me your tag, I’ll cover for you if it takes you longer to get back than the end of lunchtime.”

Taekwoon smiled as he took his company identity card out of his pocket and handed it to his friend. Despite whatever flaws Hakyeon might have –which, considering everything, were many in Taekwoon’s eyes- no one could say you couldn’t count on him. And especially Taekwoon could always count on him, no matter what.

The apartment was quiet when Taekwoon arrived home, but he hadn’t expected anything else. While he took off his shoes, he surveyed the door area quickly, but he couldn’t find any trace that the door had been touched at all since he’d locked it that morning, and he felt a sense of relief at that.

Nothing else that he could see in the apartment seemed to have been touched either, though, and that wasn’t what he’d been hoping for. On the other hand, he knew he couldn’t expect too much of the hybrid too fast, and there was a good chance he didn’t dare touch anything he found; he barely even touched anything in his room, never mind anything outside it.

He knocked on the door to the hybrid’s room softly, and as always got no answer. When he opened the door and stepped inside, though, the hybrid made no move to get up from where he was sat in the corner despite being very much awake and alert.

Taekwoon didn’t know how to interpret it, but he put on a soft smile nonetheless as he took in the empty tray and the figure in the corner huddled into his blanket.

“Hi… Did you have a nice morning?” Of course, he didn’t get an answer, and he knew he wouldn’t get one to his next question, either, but he asked nonetheless. “How have you been feeling? Any fever or anything like that?”

To his surprise, the boy shook his head minutely in answer. It took him a world of self-control not to show all of his excitement at having gotten even that much of an answer.

“Ah, I’m glad! Will you still let me check your wound and change the dressing? If we keep it extra clean and tended to, soon it’ll be healed enough that I don’t need to check it as often anymore, and it’ll stop bothering you.”

The boy squared his shoulders, but still nodded with the tiniest movement of his head.

Taekwoon’s smile intensified as he thanked the boy, and then left to get the tray he’d put together with the things he needed to tend to his injuries.

The boy tensed when he got back, even though he approached him slowly, calmly. Despite tense, though, the boy didn’t react in the slightest to anything he did while tending the wound, the tip of his tail peeking out from under the blanket twitching in even, tiny movements the whole time, and Taekwoon hoped it was because he was actually not inflicting any pain on him while trying to help him.

“How are your wrists and ankles doing? Are they healing?” he chanced as he was just finishing dressing up the wound on his neck, and the boy tensed further for the first time.

As soon as Taekwoon finished fixing the bandage, the boy shifted away from him, fidgeting in barely noticeable movements, but when Taekwoon didn’t move further away than just out of reach, he stopped. A moment of complete silence and no movement at all passed, and then the boy shifted again, slowly holding out his hands to Taekwoon.

Taekwoon’s heart sped up, relief and excitement washing over him since he’d never expected such a reaction from him.

“You will let me check on them?” He asked, making sure to confirm before he touched him without his consent, and after staring back at him for a moment with wide eyes, he nodded his tiny nod again.

Taekwoon felt on the brink of being overwhelmed, but he held himself in check and took one of the boy’s hands in his own carefully. He felt the hand that was almost too small for a boy his size shake in his much larger one, before the boy reigned himself in as well and forced himself to hold it still.

Carefully, he unwrapped the layers of gauze he’d fixed there the night he’d taken him home from the shelter, uncovering the bruised skin underneath. Scabs had formed and partly healed the cuts, and the bruising was starting to fade to a greenish hue around the edges.

“It’s healing well. Let’s keep the dressing off now, it’ll heal better without it from now on. Just don’t pick at the scabs, ok?”

The boy only looked at him, not answering directly this time while Taekwoon let go of his hand and took the other one in his. He found the same there, even though the bruising was worse on that wrist. He figured he must have struggled more to try and get that hand free, and he wondered if the boy’s leading hand was his left one.

When it came to his ankles, the boy was a little more hesitant, but he ended up letting Taekwoon take care of those as well. They were better healed than his wrists.

After he was done, Taekwoon realized with a start that time had been flying, and he wouldn’t make it back to work in time; he was suddenly very glad Hakyeon would be taking care that his card clocked in on time again, but he didn’t want to stretch it anyway.

Quite hastily, he cleaned up and threw together a meal for the boy and brought it to his room.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d already found the food… I’m sorry I can’t cook you a proper meal right now, I have to go back to work. I hope you’ll like this anyway. I promise I’ll cook proper food tonight for dinner, but I might be coming home a bit late. You can eat whatever you want until then.” He put the tray down and stepped back, observing the boy who was still carefully inspecting his wrists even though he was watching his every movement at the same time.

“You’ll be ok, right?” He worried. “You’re really not feeling ill anymore?”

The boy met his gaze slowly for a short instant and then shook his head carefully.

Taekwoon sighed.

“I’ll make sure not to stay out too late anyway. Just the absolute necessary.” He mused, more to himself than to the boy.

*#*#*#*

The reason why Taekwoon was going to stay out later that day was because he was planning on going shopping for clothes for the boy. He didn’t like that he had to stay out late because of it, but he liked it even less that the boy still felt like he had to wear his own battered and threadbare clothes, clearly not feeling comfortable enough to wear the ones Taekwoon had laid out for him.

As soon as Hakyeon heard of his plans, though, he insisted to come with him. There were few things Hakyeon enjoyed doing more after work than going clothes shopping, and after Taekwoon conceded that he might be a nice help -since he admittedly had a great sense of style, and his hips looked to be about the same size as the boy’s, so he could try on some pants for him- Hakyeon was radiant.

In Taekwoon’s eyes, letting Hakyeon come with him was redemption enough for not immediately running to him and telling him about the hybrid.

Hakyeon was still a little offended, though, and while sitting in the car on the way to the shopping area of the city, Hakyeon couldn’t help but tease Taekwoon half-seriously.

“So, have I officially been replaced as your best friend now? Aish, my heart! And I don’t even know the name of the poor soul-… lucky one who’s number one to endure your silent treatments from now on!”

Taekwoon smiled to himself while Hakyeon rambled, thinking about how Hakyeon was still number one to endure his silent treatments; and how he was actually the one enduring a silent treatment from the hybrid now! Oh, the irony!

“Yah! Are you even listening to me?! Jung Taekwoon, I am talking to you!!”

Taekwoon chuckled slightly while he tried to simultaneously dodge Hakyeon’s hit to his shoulder and keep his car on the road.

“I can hear you, Hakyeon. I was just distracted…”

“I can see that! Now stop being distracted and tell me at least the name of the one distracting you!”

Taekwoon knew exactly who Hakyeon meant, and his face fell when he realized he couldn’t answer his question.

“I… I don’t know his name…”

“What?! He’s been living with you since Friday, and you don’t even know his name? How?!”

Taekwoon shook his head sadly.

“He isn’t talking to me yet. Except one time when he yelled at me, he’s said one word so far. I’m happy if I get as much as a shake of his head as a reaction from him when I ask something…”

Hakyeon whistled.

“Next level silence treatment… I bet you are getting along splendidly, communicating with glares and meaningful looks with each other. Just make sure the hum of the fridge doesn’t drown out your mental conversation waves.”

Taekwoon rolled his eyes, shoving at his friend.

“At least he’s not talking my ears off night and day…”

“Hey! I don’t talk that much! But if I didn’t tell you everything you would never know anything that’s going on!”

Taekwoon scoffed.

“I think I’m quite fine not knowing that Namjoon got his spare underwear stolen at the gym, or that Hani only feeds her cat cooked moonfish…”

“That isn’t even a representative choice of what I tell you, you meanie! And it was starfish!” Taekwoon took the chance that they were standing at a red light to give Hakyeon a meaningful look, and the older rolled his eyes.

“Fine, I talk a lot! So what? I like talking. I am a social and communicative person! Which makes me wonder how I ended up with you as a friend; you don’t even listen to what I tell you!”

“I listen, but no one can process and remember everything you manage to say in the span of ten minutes, never mind whole days.”

Hakyeon huffed, crossing his arms and looking out of the window while giving Taekwoon an offended, cold shoulder.

Taekwoon chuckled, mentally counting how long it would take Hakyeon to talk to him again.

“…fourty seven, fourty eight, fourty nine, fif-“

“You know, for as long as you don’t know his name, you should just give him one of your own.”

Ah damn, he’d almost made it to a minute! Only two more seconds and he would have broken his old record of fifty one seconds… Too bad. All of a sudden, he realized he hadn’t been listening to what Hakyeon had been saying again, and tried to recall it. Something about giving the hybrid a new name…

“I can’t just call him something that isn’t his name…”

Hakyeon rolled his eyes.

“You don’t have to call him that. Just in your head or when you are talking to people, so you and everyone else can call him something else while he doesn’t give you his name.”

Taekwoon shook his head.

“That’s ridiculous. Who even does that?!”

Hakyeon shrugged.

“I do. Before I knew your real name I had a name I called you when talking or thinking about you, too.”

“No you didn’t…” Taekwoon denied, not wanting this story to be true.

“Yes, I did. Want to know what I used to call you?”

“No.”

“Yes, you do. I used to call you Leo. Because you seemed super intimidating and fierce, like a lion, but also somehow as cute as a kitten.”

Taekwoon was just stopping at yet another red light, and he glared at Hakyeon, but it went straight over the older’s head.

“If you ever call me that again, in person, in your mind or when talking to someone, I will end you.”

Hakyeon actually laughed.

“You can’t know if I’ll ever call you that when talking to someone or thinking about you. For all you know, I could always still think about you as Leo.”

“Then stop it.”

“Why?”

Taekwoon gave him a look that would have sent most people fleeing, but not Hakyeon.

“Because it’s ridiculous, rude, childish, and I don’t like it.”

Hakyeon pouted.

“Awww! But it is so fitting for you!”

“No! It isn’t! And if you are not dropping it immediately, I will kick you out of the car and you can walk home! And no shopping for you today!”

Hakyeon’s pout intensified for a second, but the thought of not getting to go shopping with Taekwoon today sobered him up quite quickly. Well, it returned him to a slightly more serious mode, at least.

“Ah well, oh mighty Lord Grumpy Jung Taekwoon, so it shall be! What were you even thinking about buying for your new roommate then? Shirts? Pants? Jumpers? Underwear? I’m not trying on underwear for him, you can forget that!”

Taekwoon was glad he was already pulling up to a spot in one of the numerous parking decks, as it gave him plenty of time to roll his eyes at his friend.

It took more eye-rolls than anyone could count until the end of their shopping trip, but despite the slight headache that was starting to form from all the eye-rolling, Taekwoon could happily fill the trunk of his car with a whole new wardrobe that he hoped would fit the hybrid, even if he would have to grow into some of the clothes. Hakyeon’s fashion sense had been impeccable like always, and Taekwoon even made sure to mention it to the proud older one, boosting his ego just that little bit further.

It was worth it, though, he thought, since the thought alone of having to navigate the endless stores on his own while looking for clothes for someone whose fashion ideals he had no idea of would have been enough to give him nightmares.

Under Hakyeon’s guide, they had settled for clothes that were mostly held in black, grey or blue, with the occasional white and rare red in between. The style was casual and comfortable, since they doubted the hybrid would be wanting to leave the house with Taekwoon all too soon, but the clothes providing a sense of security was an unnegotiable requirement.

While the bags they carried out of the stores and to his car became heavy and heavier, Taekwoon’s wallet got lighter and lighter, but while he was usually quite reluctant to spend too much money, he didn’t seem to care there with only the happiness and comfort of the hybrid on his mind.

When he pulled up to Hakyeon’s apartment, he felt the need to hug the older close; something that happened rarely enough, and Hakyeon masked his surprise well as the younger’s arms wrapped around him.

“Thank you, Hakyeonie.”

Hakyeon smiled over his shoulder. He was most definitely no longer mad that Taekwoon hadn’t told him about the hybrid sooner. He wasn’t jealous of him, either, and he only hoped Taekwoon would be able to achieve everything he wished for the boy; for both their sakes.