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As he makes his way down the gravelled path, Sehun hears the sounds of children frolicking by the pond, their high pitched laughter interrupted by an occasional splash. Even though Sehun finds it irritating, he figures it's a hundred times better than sitting on his couch whilst pretending to get work done. He'd left work two hours early since he couldn't bear to stay inside the building any longer, a choice that Sehun soon came to regret the second he walked in the door and saw Jongin's purple collar gleaming on top of the shelf. Sehun ignored it at first, opting to grab a snack before throwing out the expired milk carton and settling himself down on the couch. He still hasn't fixed his desk yet, and it's not like he plans to, either, since the living room makes for a much more peaceful workplace than his room.

Sehun brought Jongin's coat home with him for reasons he still doesn't know, and he ended up hanging it in his closet in case Jongin were to magically return one day and ask for it back. Sehun knows for a fact that it won't be happening, and he sort of feels a great deal of guilt at the thought of Jongin being cold because of him (despite that, he chose to keep Jongin's phone in his back pocket just in case). Even so, Sehun continues down the path and shudders when he spots the berry bush and bench he'd been sitting on earlier, and upon closer inspection, he notices that practically all the raspberries are gone. Sehun briefly wonders if it's the work of a fox and makes a mental note to stay alert whilst shoving his hands in his pockets. Sehun once again forgot to bring his jacket (he told himself he'd only be out for ten minutes, which he soon regretted after the first half hour), and his suit brings him little warmth as the sun continues to set and the sky begins to darken.

Walking past the bridge, Sehun has to stop and take a breath when a gust of wind passes, mostly in an attempt to clear his head. As leaves fall from the trees and fly towards his face and get stuck in his hair, Sehun sees a stray cat wandering dangerously close to the edge of the bridge, and he wonders how Jongin is doing and where the latter is. Sehun figures Jongin must be living with a well rounded Manhattan family at this point, and Sehun doesn't know if the thought makes him that much more agitated or relieved as he continues walking. He honestly has no idea where he's heading, but the wind blowing in his hair is enough to make him withstand the cold and continue onwards, past the bridge and towards the playground. On the other hand, Sehun figures he shouldn't be all too worried, since, if Jongin really is safe and sound, that the latter should be fine since he's an inside cat, after all.

Baekhyun's words seem to cling to Sehun's back no matter how much the latter tries to shake them off, which only makes Sehun scowl to himself. He ends up scowling right at a young woman who walks past him, but he doesn't bother apologizing as he fidgets with the tip of his tie. Over the wind howling in his ears, Sehun swears he hears voices in the wind, and he momentarily questions his sanity as he approaches a large oak tree. He remembers one of his friends claiming it was taller than twenty feet after falling right out and fracturing his ankle. Sehun blinks when the wind settles, only to see that the bright orange clusters of leaves seem to rustle on their own, which only makes Sehun curse his sleep deprived mind for screwing with him.

Sehun sort of hates himself for not putting in the effort to tame Jongin sooner, especially after learning about the latter's redundant family history, but Sehun figures there's no use in pining over it as he feels his legs cramp up from all the walking. He figures sitting under the large tree and resting his body and mind for a few seconds won't hurt, but it's not until he gets a few feet closer that something suddenly falls from one of the branches above and lands on the muddy ground with a thud. After taking a step forward, Sehun blinks when he sees that it's a crow, and it's not until he realizes that its entire throat is torn apart that he blinks. The thought of foxes lurking around in the branches above (not that he knows if foxes can climb trees, but even so) is enough to make him want to turn on his heel and rush straight home, but he doesn't get a chance to when something else falls from the tree a second later. It nearly scares the living soul out of him and Sehun takes a step back, only to blink in surprise when he looks up.

A young man stares back at him and it doesn't take Sehun long to figure out that he's a hybrid, his tail swaying back and forth in curiosity as they stare at each other. Sehun almost finds himself chuckling at the younger male's obvious baby face before the latter walks over to the bird and picks it up by the claw. 

"Don't even think about it, it's mine," the baby faced male says, voice laced with hostility, and Sehun only watches in awe as he proceeds to sink his teeth into the animal's neck before proceeding to walk back towards the trunk.

It suddenly hits Sehun that, even though he doubts it, perhaps the younger male has an idea of where other hybrids, namely Jongin, might be. Sehun finds himself unable to open his mouth, however, as he watches him scurry back up the tree in less than two seconds. Sehun hears rustling before he curses under his breath and walks past the tree. Sehun figures that Jongin could never make it neither up nor down a tree of that height, and he sighs loudly when an all too familiar feeling of worry washes over him. 

Whilst continuing down the path, Sehun feels his fingers itching to pick up Jongin's phone and, before he knows it, he's pulling it out of his pocket and eyeing the lockscreen image. It fills Sehun's chest with the heat of a hundred fires (which he figures he needs now that it's practically zero degrees out) every time he sees it, but Sehun soon finds himself biting his lip in contemplation when he unlocks it and stares at the short contact list before him.

Sehun figures calling Jongin's foster mother is out of the question, since she probably wouldn't know nor care if he asked. The only one left to call is Luhan, but he hesitates when he the question of whether or not Jongin and Luhan are still friends pops into his head. Even though Jongin called Luhan his best friend, the fact that they haven't contacted each other (at least not over the phone) in over two years makes Sehun knit his eyebrows together. Not to mention he still wouldn't know what to say without coming off as creepy and strange, yet his thumb hovers above the 'Call' button as he ponders the decision. Out of nowhere, his pulse seems to race in agitation, and the sheer surprise of it makes Sehun slam his finger down on the screen before he's pressing the phone to his ear.

Inevitably, Sehun is once again greeted by Luhan's voicemail and the former exhales in exasperation before shoving Jongin's phone back in his pocket. He figures he might as well go straight home and get straight to work on the two reports he has due next week, since his head is starting to spin, most likely from dehydration. Not to mention it's so dark he can barely see his own hand in front of his face, anyway, so Sehun caps his idea of relaxing by the pond before turning on his heel. If Sehun had a tail, he figures it would be puffed up beyond belief when he turns around and sees the male hybrid, the one he saw just now, running towards him at impossible speed. Whattheheck-

"Sir, wait, come back," the brunet exclaims, ears erect as he frantically rushes towards Sehun and proceeds to tug on the latter's sleeve. When Sehun only takes a step back and slaps his hand away, he gestures at the tree. His entire face is covered in blood and Sehun hopes it's bird's blood. "I-It's my friend, you gotta help my friend--!" He gestures wildly when Sehun only sends him a look. "He's up there and too scared to come down, you gotta help him!" He's practically bouncing up and down in anxiousness as he points to the large oak tree behind them. "Well, come on-!"

Sehun takes another step back. "What are you even--" He sighs when the brunet nearly smacks him in the face whilst flailing wildly. "What do you want me to do," he huffs, checking his watch. He figures he should be heading home right about now if he wishes to fulfill his work promise, and he's about to tell the brunet sorry when the latter jabs his arm painfully. Sehun knows that there's no way he's climbing a twenty foot tree without any sort of equipment and he doesn't know how he feels about dragging a fully grown human out of a tree, either, even if knows it's for a good cause. The brunet's franticness is doing nothing to help Sehun think, and in the commotion, Sehun finds himself pulling out his own phone before dialling 911 (he always figured that his first time calling 911 would be due to a robbery or home invasion, but he was very wrong).

Sehun barely even knows what he's doing as he tries explaining the situation to the dispatcher (and prays she doesn't think he's crazy) the best he can, and he mutters a quick thanks before hanging up. The brunet is still staring at him with wide eyes, and his anxiety is starting to make Sehun's brain, which is already a nervous wreck, become even more riled up. "I called somebody, they should be here soon," he mutters and is about to turn around and walk back home when the brunet grips his sleeve.

"You look like a prince," he says and Sehun blinks. "In a good way, like, if I put a crown on your head, I think you could star in a Disney movie!" He grins, the nervous glint briefly disappearing from his eyes.

Sehun sighs. "I get that a lot," he mutters whilst awkwardly shuffling in place. "Look, I need to--"

"Do you have a princess?" the brunet asks, ears twitching in excitement as he raises an eyebrow. "You know, like, somebody you love? Like, my brother has somebody he loves, do you?" He his head to the side and Sehun wonders what it is about hybrids and their ability to change the subject in the blink of an eye. "You can't be a prince if you don't have a true love, that's the way I see it!"

Sehun shoves his hands in his pockets. He figures the dehydration is also making his heart threaten to burst out of his ribcage as he eyes his muddy loafers. He plans on keeping his mouth shut, hoping the younger will get the hint and leave him alone. It doesn't work. "Not anymore," he simply says and he doesn't even realize how much darker it's gotten out until he can barely even see the brunet. In fact, aside from the younger male's white shirt, all he sees are his yellowish green eyes as they sparkle in the darkness. It sort of creeps him out and Sehun is suddenly glad that Jongin had 'human' colored eyes. "Listen, I think you should run over and keep your friend company whilst you wait--"

"Okay, sure, but you need to come with me," the brunet says before shrugging. "I've known him for a while, he can get...dramatic, sometimes," he adds and Sehun doesn't even get a chance to answer before he's being dragged by the sleeve towards the giant tree.

Yanking his hand back, Sehun mutters something under his breath as he looks up at the branches. All he sees is rustling, orange leaves and it's so high up that he has to look away when he nearly topples over from lightheadedness. Sehun opts to stand as far away as humanly possible whilst the brunet skips off to the tree and presumably talks to his friend. As he tunes them out, Sehun checks his watch and huffs when he thinks about all the work he could be finishing right now. He doesn't think his boss will accept being stopped by a strange cat hybrid and helping them rescue their friend from a tree as a valid excuse, and Sehun curses in mild irritation. However, he whips his head up when he hears the sirens in the distance and before he knows it, a large, red firetruck is pulling up by the playground.

Sehun watches in slight awe as the brunet rushes over to one of the firefighters that steps out of the vehicle subsequently. Sehun can't hear what they're talking about, and he finds himself bolted to the ground in fascination as he watches one of the red clad men place a white ladder up against the tree trunk. It almost reminds Sehun of your typical cat rescue in the movies, and he blinks when a female firefighter climbs up the ladder before briefly disappearing amongst the leaves, only to scramble down the ladder with a handful of scratch marks all over her face less than ten seconds later. The brunet quickly rushes over to her whilst Sehun wordlessly watches from his spot ten feet away. As much as he just wants to head home and go to sleep, Sehun finds himself walking towards the tree, hoping he isn't interfering too much as her male colleague climbs up the ladder.

Inevitably, he also ends up cursing loudly after a brief struggle, which Sehun can't see from his spot on the ground. After a full minute, he descends the ladder before gesturing at the brunet to come closer. Sehun watches as the younger male reluctantly (and with immaculate grace) climbs up the tree. Sehun can't hear anything of what's going on, but he finds himself sighing impatiently when the brunet hops down from the tree and shakes his head in defeat. Sehun takes a step back and is about to excuse himself when the female firefighter suddenly walks towards him.

"Are you a friend of his?" she asks and Sehun nearly winces when he sees the red marks all over her face.

Sehun blinks before shaking his head. "Uh-- No, he kinda...just ran up to me and asked me to help him, so I called," he mumbles, watching over her shoulder as the other firefighter, as well as the brunet, attempt to climb up the tree together to no avail. Sehun almost wishes Baekhyun was here, because the latter's communication skills could most definitely convince somebody to get out of a tree, without question.

She shakes her head. "No, I meant the one up there," she says, pointing behind her. 

Sehun shakes his head again. "I don't know any of them, I was just taking a walk," he replies, wondering if this is his cue to finally leave and go home. In fact, he's about to ask if he can leave when she puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, well, we could use some help," she says sheepishly. "He's awfully stubborn," she adds before guiding Sehun towards the tree. She mutters something about fetching something Sehun doesn't bother hearing before she scampers off towards the truck. 

Sehun ends up standing by the trunk and looking up at the leaves above, seriously wonder what he's done to deserve this. He figures as long as he doesn't get attacked, like everybody else, he'll be fine, and he sends the brunet a look before sighing loudly. To his left, Sehun sees the two firefighters rushing towards the tree with a giant blue mattress, a mattress that reminds Sehun of the ones his sister would use to practice gymnastics, before placing it under the right side of the tree. The leaves and dirt that flies up subsequently nearly makes Sehun cough, and he simply huffs in exasperation before grabbing a smaller branch and hoisting himself up. He figures his entire suit will be ruined once this whole thing is over, but he shoves the thought aside before slowly making his way up the trunk.

Sehun briefly wonders who's going to be paying for his health insurance if he were to lose his balance and fall and break his neck, but he's quickly distracted when he hoists himself upwards until he's resting his arms against one of the thicker branches, which Sehun hopes doesn't snap under his weight. The insects crawling all over him, as well as the constant tickling of leaves against his neck and hair, make Sehun huff in irritation as he hoists himself upwards again, and he briefly catches a glimpse of a person in black lying and grabbing onto of the branches to his right.  

Feeling another set of leaves graze his neck, Sehun whacks them away before huffing loudly. "Listen, kid, if you do something stupid and get us both killed I'm suing you in the afterlife, you hear me," he grunts whilst trying to find a stable place to rest his right foot so he doesn't fall. "So how about you co-operate and--" He curses when he nearly gets whacked in the head subsequently. "Look, it's late and I don't have time for--" he looks up, his eyebrows shooting up his forehead when said person raises their head.

Jongin's ears tremble as he hugs the branch for dear life, body stiff and not even moving an inch as he keeps his tail tightly wrapped around the thick wood. It doesn't take long for Sehun to realize that Jongin's entire form is shaking, his eyes red rimmed and face splotched with wet and dry tears. Sehun barely has time to register the fact that Jongin is sporting one of his favorite blouses when they lock eyes, and Sehun watches as Jongin flinches and shoots up like a rocket, his eyes wide in surprise as his tail uncoils and puffs up. Sehun barely has a chance to utter a word when Jongin, with his tail no longer supporting him, suddenly loses his balance, and Sehun can only watch in horror as Jongin scrambles to grab onto the branch, only to disappear from view less than a second later. Sehun doesn't even bother placing his feet correctly as he practically throws himself off the trunk and down onto the ground, ripping his pants in the process, his heart racing as he rushes over to the other side of the tree.

In his panicked state, Sehun briefly forgot all about the blue mattress they'd dragged out and he nearly collapses in relief when he sees Jongin moving into a sitting position on said mattress subsequently. He's surrounded by the two firefighters as well as the brunet, and Sehun sees Jongin say something to the two before they nod and walk towards the truck subsequently whilst dragging the mattress behind them. Sehun suddenly feels slightly awkward as he stands ten feet away and watches the brunet embrace Jongin, but the feeling of awkwardness is slowly overcome by relief as he takes a step closer. Sehun figures he should tell Jongin's new foster parents off for being so irresponsible, except he doesn't even get a chance before Jongin looks up. Jongin scrambles to hide behind the brunet when he sees Sehun approaching.

The brunet blinks before he huffs and gestures at Sehun. "Hey, you should thank this nice man," he says. "He called the firetruck," he adds and Sehun fights the urge to remind him that the firefighters were literally no help at all aside from supplying them with a mattress. "Sorry, he can get a little...weird sometimes." He sends Sehun a sheepish smile and Sehun fights the urge to smile back because he definitely knows all about that. "You pocket dialled me earlier, by the way, weirdo--"

"I didn't even call you," Jongin mumbles, ears flat against his head, although Sehun can spot him sneaking glances at him over the brunet's shoulder. He sounds surprisingly unfazed for somebody who just fell twenty feet and Sehun doesn't know if he should laugh or be worried.

The brunet blinks. "Yes you did, twice, actually," he says before chuckling. "Always so forgetful." He playfully jabs Jongin's arm, the latter swatting his hand away. 

Jongin furrows his eyebrows. "I didn't," he murmurs, geniune confusion in his voice before he brushes his ears. "You're just talking out of your again-"

"Don't mind him," the brunet huffs, gesturing at Jongin before sending Sehun a smile. "Thanks for your help, I appreciate it a lot," he says sincerely before standing up and pulling Jongin to his feet. "Will you be staying over tonight or will you be fine on your own?" he asks and blinks when Sehun speaks up.

"You haven't found a new home?" Sehun asks before he can stop himself, his heart racing a thousand miles per hour as he stares at Jongin, who slowly shakes his head. "How," he blurts out, mentally smacking himself.

"What kind of question is that?" the brunet asks, blinking in confusion. It's not until he spots the look of concern on Sehun's face that he turns to Jongin. "Jongin, you know this man-?"

"It's because I'm not wearing my collar," Jongin says quietly, ignoring Luhan's question as he unconsciously reaches up and prods at his neck. He hastily wipes his face even though he knows that the tears staining his cheeks are all dried up at this point. He's sort of really thankful that Sehun's hearing isn't as good as his own, because Jongin doesn't know how he could bring himself to explain why his insides sound like a thunderstorm as he eyes the taller with weary eyes. 

Sehun blinks, a pang of guilt erupting in his chest as he opens and closes his mouth. "I...uh, I have it, it's...at my house," he says sheepishly as he rubs the back of his neck. All three of them fall into silence for a minute before he clears his throat. "It...I found it at the bottom of my briefcase." Jongin blinks and he clears his throat again. "Yeah, sorry, I should've-- You can stop by and pick it up, along with your jacket, if you want to--"

Jongin blinks and fights the urge to slap a hand on his forehead. As much as he wants to curse himself for being so forgetful, a part of him can't help but erupt into a wide smile, because it soon hits him that Sehun accepted and kept his gift all this time. Jongin finds himself nodding absentmindedly, all whilst Luhan blinks in confusion. His smile is soon replaced by a wince, however, when his tail muscle aches after falling right on it just now. 

"What's going on," Luhan mutters, apparently also affected by the fall as he scratches the top of his head. "I don't--"

"Wait, hold on--" Sehun turns around and pulls out Jongin's phone, hurriedly opening up the contact list before pressing down on 'Luhannie :3'. Sure enough, he hears the brunet scold Jongin for his constant pocket dials a second later, and Sehun quickly ends the call before running a hand through his hair. "I've...I've got it, it was in your coat pocket," he says sheepishly before walking over and handing Jongin the cell phone, trying his best to ignore the static shock that travels up his arm when their fingers graze.

The brunet, whom Sehun now knows is Luhan, blinks as he watches the whole exchange. "Uh, why do you have Jongin's phone? Weirdo," he mutters before throwing his hands in the air. "Wait, Jongin, who is this man--"

"I thought I lost it in the pond," Jongin says, blinking in surprise as he stares at the phone in his hand. He carelessly shoves it in his pocket before swaying his tail back and forth in contentment. When Luhan doesn't stop sending him a confused look, he slowly leans in and cups his hands around Luhan's ear before whispering. Jongin leans away, hoping Luhan won't be too obvious about it, but one look at the way the latter's eyes flash subsequently and Jongin knows it's useless.

"Wait, so this man is your boyfriend?" Luhan asks in awe, whipping his head aside to look at Sehun just in time to see the latter take a step back in surprise. "Yeah, he does look like a prince, man I'm good," he hums to himself before grinning. "Although I think the word is ex-boyfriend, but I dunno." He quickly gets to his feet before skipping towards Sehun and patting the latter's shoulder. "Hi, I'm Lu Han, Jongin's best friend, thanks for loving and taking care of him." A loud snicker escapes his lips when Sehun's mouth falls open in surprise. "Sorry for not picking up, this guy has a tendency to sit on his phone so I sorta stopped picking up--"

"That was one time," Jongin huffs, head hung low as he thinks back to the one time when they were sixteen; when he accidentally pocket dialed Luhan in the middle of dinner, which earned them both a time out. He doesn't think Luhan will ever let it go after this, and he only sighs. On the other hand, Jongin thankful that Sehun hasn't brought his new hybrid with him, since Jongin doesn't want to end up lashing out a third time today. A cold gust of wind passes and he's forced to stand up before he can freeze to death. Behind him, he hears Luhan mutter a quick 'Be right back' before the latter disappears into the tree subsequently.

Sehun shoves his hands in his pockets as he listens to Luhan rustling about amongst the branches above, and he keeps his gaze fixated on his shoes. He's sort of glad it's so dark out by now, because he'd rather Jongin didn't catch the way his neck and face are heating up, but he soon remembers that Jongin can most likely see it without issue. The thought only makes Sehun blush even more, much to his dismay, and he's sort of really relieved when Luhan jumps down a second later, with the same crow he'd seen before clutched in his hands. Sehun blinks at the way Luhan is basically throwing the dead animal around like a soccer ball, which is soon followed by Jongin walking over and demanding Luhan share. Sehun watches as Luhan shakes his head, only for Jongin to hiss and swipe at the bird. Before Sehun knows it, he's running over and yanking Jongin off of Luhan as they both roll around on the muddy ground in a hissy clawing fit.

Jongin grumbles something under his breath as Sehun ushers him away, all whilst Luhan hides his catch possessively behind his back. Jongin feels his stomach growl subsequently, so Luhan, having the sharpest hearing between them, huffs before agreeing to let Jongin have one bite (after threatening to claw Jongin's eyes right out of their sockets if the latter so much as dared to keep it for himself, of course). Sehun has to turn his face away in disgust at the sickening crackling noise that breaks the calm silence when Jongin proceeds to bite right down on the animal's neck, only for Luhan to whine about him eating too much before snatching it back. Sehun makes sure to stay a good three feet away when Jongin walks towards him and wipes his mouth.

"I caught and saw it first," Luhan huffs before taking a big bite and chewing loudly with his mouth open. Sehun almost walks over and whacks him upside the head to get him to stop. "Maybe you should get better at catching other things besides just butterflies," he adds with no bite in his voice. He takes another bite and Sehun assumes he tore an aorta, judging by the fountain of red that sprays upwards and in his face subsequently. "I'm gonna stay back, Mom's gonna go into conniptions if I bring another one into the house." He shrugs apologetically before laying down on the muddy ground and burying his face in the feathery carcass, and Sehun hears him emit a muffled 'See ya tomorrow! Have fun with your boyfriend!' before he resumes eating.

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