a/n took too long on this + crap ending. whatever. (and yes this time i was procrastinating on a report zz) 

got inspired by these tweets. kkuma is the cutest pls. also ot13 svt is family <3 

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"What the are YOU doing here." Jihoon spits when he sees a grinning Soonyoung trail into the Universe Factory behind Wonwoo. It's time for the cat lovers club - Jihoon, Wonwoo,  Junhui and Hansol to gather. Soonyoung is not a member of their exclusive club, so what is he doing here, wearing his stupid tiger print shirt, and lugging along not one, but TWO of his precious tiger plushies?

“Wonwoo invited me!” Soonyoung replies cheerfully, flopping onto the couch with his stuffed tigers.

Wonwoo shrugs nonchalantly, as if it’s not a big deal. In fact, he seems proud of himself that he’d managed to drag Soonyoung along. “Tigers are cats.”

“Well, yeah, but we’re domestic cat enthusiasts.” Jihoon defends lamely, hoping to get Soonyoung out of his studio as soon as possible (the last time Soonyoung had gotten his paws on Jihoon’s equipment, he’d written a song to tease their leader Seungcheol - which is a long story on its own).

But Wonwoo remains unfazed. “Should we rename ourselves as Domestic Cat Lovers then?” His tone is neutral, but there’s this sort of edge to it that seems to challenge Jihoon - go ahead, kick Soonyoung and his tigers out, if you dare..

Soonyoung interrupts. “This is wild cat discrimination. Cat-discrimination. You’re all cat-ists.”

Jihoon frowns at Soonyoung’s nonsense.

“Like racist, but for cats.” Soonyoung explains hurriedly, hiding behind his tigers.

And right at that moment, Junhui makes his grand entrance. “Hey, guys. Hey, Soonyoung.” He’s got his sharp nose stuck in his phone, as usual, probably watching some cat video, because that’s all he does in his free time, apart from burning his tongue eating spicy food.

“Hey, Jun. Can Soonyoung join us?” Wonwoo asks, before Jihoon does. Junhui’s easy-going, so whoever asks first would get him in their corner; that’s why Wonwoo’s quick to act.

“Sure, why not?” Junhui pets one of Soonyoung’s stuffed tiger, as if it’s real. “Tigers are cats, right?”

Wonwoo gives Jihoon a triumphant grin.

“We’ll wait for Hansol, and see what he says.” Jihoon mutters begrudgingly. For whatever decision they have to make, everyone gets a say in it. That’s how it always worked.

Jihoon’s not a huge fan of Soonyoung’s tiger fursona - he’d been extra embarrassing about it in the recent months (being stuck at home takes a toll on the mind). Soonyoung had practically made it his personality - from various tiger memorabilia, to persuading Bumzu to help him make a whole song about tigers.

(Horangi power, yeah yeah.)

Maybe Jihoon should establish an anti-tiger club. He already knows who to recruit (Minghao) and who to avoid (Wonwoo, who can be vocal against Soonyoung’s obsession towards tigers, but it seems like that’s all just a front, because Wonwoo is actually very supportive of Soonyoung’s tiger agenda). 

But at this point, it’s difficult to separate the whole tiger thing from Soonyoung. The other members are slowly coming to embrace it, but Jihoon remains in denial. He’s still got some fight left in him, and the day he gives in to accept Soonyoung’s tiger fursona is the day the world burns.

“Hey, everyone.” The four same-aged friends look at the door, expecting the final member of Seventeen’s unofficial cat lovers club, Hansol. He’d promised to pick up his cat Leo from his family home so that they can all fawn over him.

But it’s not the right Choi, and not the right animal.

Seungcheol grins at them as he enters the studio, cradling his puppy Kkuma in his arms. “Look who’s come to visit!” 

Kkuma’s the cutest fluffball to grace the planet (yes, alongside cats); and Jihoon absolutely adores her. Grinning madly, he goes over to pet the little puppy, who yaps excitedly at him. As usual, she’s got her bangs tied up, to keep it out of her big, literal puppy-dog eyes. Kkuma basks in Jihoon’s attention, as Seungcheol watches on like a proud father.

Somehow, it goes without saying that Seungcheol and Kkuma are allowed to stay (it’s Jihoon’s personal studio, after all); and they make themselves comfortable. Seungcheol squishes himself onto the couch between Junhui, and Soonyoung’s tigers, letting his dog sniff around the place.

After watching Kkuma for another minute, Jihoon goes back to his unattended computer. He’d been working just before everyone arrived, and he quickly saves his files before anything bad happens.

Everyone goes off to do their own thing: Seungcheol and Jun are on their phones, while Wonwoo helps himself to some snacks. And in the middle of the room, Soonyoung seethes as he watches Jihoon fiddle with his computer. Jihoon's supposed to be his friend (his best friend, if he dares to add). Why is he being so sensitive over who gets to hang out in the studio, cat lover or not (even though he's adamant that tigers are cats, so he should be allowed membership?). He’s determined to find a way into the club, even though the Cat Lovers gathering is basically just a hangout - they don’t actually do much, usually vibing on their own.

In a typical Cat Lovers 'meeting', Jihoon would be busy with his music production, aided by Hansol. Junhui would be on his phone, scouring the internet for memes or playing mobile games. And Wonwoo would be reading a book or writing lyrics (poems); all of them enjoying each other’s quiet company. They all just happen to be cat enthusiasts, which is why Wonwoo had coined the term Cat Lovers Club for them, just for fun.

Soonyoung had learned about it from Wonwoo, and now he wants in.

And he’s determined about it, no matter how - which includes picking a fight with Jihoon.

(he never learns that it's always the wrong move.)

“You’re biased.” Soonyoung swaggers towards Jihoon with one tiger plushie under his arm. “Why does Cheol-hyung get to stay, but me and my tigers can’t?”

“Decision is pending Hansol’s arrival.” Jihoon says in a clipped tone.

Kkuma trots over to Jihoon, cutely tilting her head. He picks her up, letting her sit in his lap.

“There should be a White Dog Owners Club.” Soonyoung remarks off-handedly, throwing a shady glance towards Seungcheol.

Apart from the leader, Mingyu, Seungkwan and Seokmin (by extension) all have white dogs. And like the Cat Lovers Club, they could probably form their own faction based on that common fact.

At the mention of Mingyu’s name, Jihoon makes a face. He’s okay with the giant, golden-hearted puppy disguised as a very tall person, but he’d rather not be with Mingyu and Seungkwan in one room - that’s just inviting World War 3.

“You’re fratenizing with a dog, Jihoon. What happened to Cat Lovers’ Club?”

Jihoon has nothing against dogs, even though he prefers cats. But Soonyoung's tone irritates him. “What are you trying to do?” He holds Kkuma tightly.

“Just let him join us, Jihoon.” Wonwoo pleads.

“Or I’ll overthrow you and your dog loving !” Soonyoung threatens.

Jihoon sets his foot down, his annoyance towards Soonyoung peaking. “You are NOT going to stage a coup onto MY club.”

Seungcheol perks up at the mention of his stage name.

“Not you.” Jihoon snaps. Seungcheol sheepishly turns his attention back to his phone, letting them resolve their argument. He'll only intervene if it gets out of hand, and he trusts the boys to be civil adults and work out some sort of compromise.

But it escalates when Soonyoung flings his tiger plush aside, ready to square up against Jihoon.

The puppy in Jihoon's lap lets out a little whine.

"Wrong move, Kwon." Jihoon says, when Seungcheol pockets his phone, his dad instincts kicking in when he hears Kkuma's plaintive cries.

"Who's scaring my baby?"

No one moves a muscle. Scary Seungcheol is... scary, and no one would be protected from his wrath.

Seungcheol takes Kkuma from Jihoon, petting her soothingly. Yet his begrudging gaze never leave the four other boys as he cuddles his beloved puppy. "She can feel the negative vibes. Y'all better behave." He directs that last bit at Soonyoung, who seems personally wronged by Jihoon's veto power over the decision to let him hang out in the studio with Seventeen's cat enthusiasts.

Kkuma wriggles out of Seungcheol's grip, rushing to hide in the corner of the studio.

“Hey.” Hansol finally makes his appearance. He's alone, though with no pet in sight. He's oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the studio, bending down to pet Kkuma before he acknowledges the older members.

"Hansol, we need your opinion." Jihoon calls out the second he appears.

Hansol removes his headphones, looking puzzled. "Me?"

"Soonyoung wants to join our hangouts." Wonwoo supplies.

"There shouldn't be anything wrong with that." Hansol begins, which pleases Soonyoung, who does a little fist-pump. "But since it's Jihoon-hyung's studio, so he should decide who's allowed in here."

Perfectly neutral, as expected from Hansol the pacifist.

Everyone turns back to Jihoon. It's his call now, as studio owner to decide whether Soonyoung gets to stay.

He looks around at everyone in the room. Wonwoo's got a hopeful look in his eyes, reflecting off his thick glasses. Beside him, Soonyoung reaches out to grasp his hand tightly, waiting for Jihoon's verdict. Junhui and Hansol both wear neutral expressions, while Seungcheol fusses over Kkuma, who'd gotten herself stuck behind Jihoon's couch.

They're all his family. And he could never say no to them.

Jihoon reaches a compromise that would benefit them all. "Well, I'm going to set ground rules. We all remember the last time I let y'all hang out here."

A distant shared memory pops up among them - of broken lights and empty chip packets littering Jihoon's studio. It had sparked a huge controversy among the Seventeen members, as Jihoon raged on the internet with evidence pictures, vowing to hunt the perpetrators down.

(Seungcheol is one of the guilty ones from that particular episode.)

Months had passed before he let another Seventeen member enter his precious studio. And now it seems like something similar is happening - somehow there's so much unnecessary discord surrounding entrance into Jihoon's studio. He loves the members (though he'd never say it to their faces) even though sometimes they're just a bit.. too much.

Just like a family relationship, they've all got their highs and lows. And the best part? Their bond is unbreakable, no matter what.

"Thank you, Hoonie!" Soonyoung forces Jihoon into a tight hug, pulling the others along with him. "I'm so happy I can hang out here with everyone!"

Jihoon tries to wriggle away, but he's practically being crushed by everyone else (who are selfishly taller than him, heh).

"Wait. Cheol-hyung isn't in the club, why is he here?" Soonyoung wonders out loud, when he realises the leader has joined their little hug-fest.

"I like hugs." Seungcheol replies simply, holding the other boys tightly.

But Jihoon's got an opposing opinion, especially when he's stuck in the middle of the group hug. "Let me go before I kick you all out."

The boys laugh as they scatter away, hearing Jihoon's loose threat.

"So now what? Am I in the club? Is there some kind of initiation ceremony?" Soonyoung asks, hauling his two tiger plushies into his arms.

"There isn't." Jihoon replies curtly, crossing his arms.

"We could order food, or something." Wonwoo suggests. He's all about indulging Soonyoung today - if Soonyoung wants a member initiation ceremony, then he'll get one.

Seungcheol seems to like Wonwoo's idea, especially when he'd skipped breakfast. "That's a great idea. Anyone hungry?"

"Yay! Cheol-hyung's buying dinner!" Soonyoung shouts excitedly, bouncing with happiness. "It's like a welcoming dinner to the club!"

Jihoon's about to retort that the Cat Lovers Club isn't a real club, while Seungcheol freezes in horror when he hears Soonyoung's sudden announcement. It's something the members constantly do; twist his words into something else especially when it involves food.

"Ooh, I'll text everyone else." Junhui's already tapping away, texting the Seventeen group chat. A few seconds later, everyone's phone buzzes with that message, so the other members would've gotten the notice as well...

Seungcheol frowns when he sees the text, glaring at Junhui. "You little - "

"Hyung, Kkuma can sense your negative energy."  Soonyoung points towards the little puppy, who's got her little in the air, her head burrowing into the void under Jihoon's desk.

The leader hurries to retrieve his dog before she gets tangled in Jihoon's computer wires. "I'm so sorry, baby!"

"Hey. Jeonghan-hyung's asking what's for dinner." Jihoon's reading the group chat, which has been revitalised with the announcement of free food.

"Hotpot?" Junhui suggests, his eyes sparkling at the thought of spicy food.

But Seungcheol shakes his head. "Too spicy. Jihoon and I can't handle it."

"Y'all are softies." Junhui mumbles.

"Whatever, I'll let you all decide." Seungcheol waves a dismissive hand.

"Oh, there's this new restaurant Seungkwan told me about." Hansol chimes in.

The conversation shifts over to dinner plans; hundreds of messages flooding the group chat. Everyone's in a great mood (except for Seungcheol), as they leave the studio to meet up with the others at the place Seungkwan had recommended. It's conveniently close to Jihoon's studio, so the six young men (and one white pup) decide to walk there.

Soonyoung sidles up to Jihoon, ready to get the last laugh. "Do you agree that tigers are cats?"

"Yes. Can we stop fighting about it?"

"I'm still going to ask everyone else about it." Soonyoung grins cheekily, skipping ahead to bother Hansol next.

Jihoon rolls his eyes, wondering how he'd put up with Seventeen for the past ten years. Still, he wouldn't mind spending another ten years and beyond with these guys he call family.