---

The clock strikes ten when Sehun yanks his earphones out of his ears and downs the rest of his coffee. With Jongdae's report out of the way, he's finally gotten to focusing on and completing his own, which ended up taking much longer than he expected. His legs are aching from sitting on the couch with his feet on the table, so Sehun closes his laptop before standing up and stretching his spine. He's forgotten to shut the curtains again, and it's not until Sehun actually looks up and scans his surroundings that he notices that he can barely even see his own hand in front of his face. As the wind blows outside, Sehun stands in the same place for a minute, until an unreadable sensation stirs in his gut. He blinks, figuring it's because he hasn't eaten since he got back from work, but it's not until Sehun runs a hand through his hair and hears his watch ticking in his ear that it hits him: the house is dead silent.

Whilst his house being entirely silent isn't anything new, Sehun can't remember the last time he could hear the cars rushing by outside as he wandered about inside. In fact, not hearing anything breaking upstairs or the fridge opening every five minutes nearly makes Sehun anxious, and he doesn't even realize he's fidgeting until he looks down a minute later. Sehun figures he'll simply need to get used it and, in an attempt to distract himself, he bends down and proceeds to shove the laptop into his briefcase. On the bright side, whilst the silence may be unnerving at most, at least he's got a good night's uninterrupted sleep to look forward to, Sehun figures, and he blinks when he hears a clicking noise emitting from inside his briefcase when he attempts to shove his laptop back in.

At first, Sehun thinks nothing of it, but it suddenly hits him that he could have accidentally put his work phone inside it given his stressed state this morning. Sighing, he removes his laptop, places it on the couch and proceeds to shove his hand into the briefcase. Locating something at the bottom of a black briefcase whilst practically drowning in darkness himself isn't exactly easy, and Sehun ends up rummaging through the contents until his fingers graze something hard and leathery.

Jongin's purple collar dangles between Sehun's fingers, the metal plate glowing in the moonlight as Sehun holds it up in front of his face. No matter how hard he tries, Sehun can't figure out how it got there and why Jongin would even choose to put it in his breficase of all places. Sehun figures it must have slipped from his hand and into his briefcase when he put the collar back in Jongin's jacket pocket last week. Even so, Sehun finds himself undoing the buckle as he eyes the silver plating. 

Jongin was definitely right about rarely wearing it, since the silver plating is unscratched and practically brand new, and Sehun gently runs his fingers across the letters engraved in the metal. Upon closer inspection, Sehun notices that a tiny fish is engraved next to the 'N' in Jongin's name. It almost looks like Jongin tried doing it himself, given its raspiness, and Sehun doesn't even notice that he's smiling to himself whilst the wind howls outside.

Eventually, the entire house goes pitch black, courtesy of Sehun forgetting to turn on the lights as soon as he got home, and the latter gently places Jongin's collar on the coffee table, his knees suddenly giving in as he sinks into the couch. Sehun figures the report must have his soul right out of his body, because he can't fathom going upstairs and getting ready for bed, so he reaches out, grabs the remote and proceeds to turn on the television. The screen lights up and nearly threatens to blind him, and after his eyes adjust, Sehun sees a flock of birds flying across the screen. It doesn't take long for him to realize that it's the same documentary he said he'd watch; the one he promised he'd watch with Jongin as soon as he finished his workload.

Since his brain is already going haywire as a result of completing a week's worth of work in two days, Sehun suddenly thinks back to when he and Jongin ate pizza on the same spot whilst the latter talked about his past and friends, and Sehun suddenly finds himself staring out the window behind the couch. It's pitch black and he can't see anything save for the reflection of the furniture inside the room, but Sehun quickly feels a knot of worry grow inside his chest when he thinks about what Jongin said about his friend Luhan, and how Jongin might be wandering about aimlessly outside at this very moment. Sehun remembers and stands by what he said, and he's not too worried since he checked the weather forecast for the entire week, but even so, the thought of Jongin alone in the night and freezing is enough to make Sehun lay back against the cushions before he runs a hand down his face. 

It's not that he's worried, Sehun figures, since Sehun knows a ton of people who don't work as much as him who will be more than willing to take in a hybrid, or so he hopes. Sehun reassures himself by telling himself that Jongin most likely found a peaceful place to sleep for the night, before he gets up off the couch, stuffs his laptop inside his briefcase and turns off the television. Before the glare of the screen flickers off and plunges the room into darkness again, Sehun catches a glimpse of Jongin's collar on the table and briefly wonders if he should give it back. He ends up standing in the middle of the pitch black room for five minutes contemplating the decision, until he comes to the conclusion that Jongin could be anywhere right now, and that there's no way he's getting in his car and driving around looking for half the night looking for him. Maybe he'll come back and pick it up, Sehun thinks and picks it up, along with his briefcase, before exiting the room and walking into the kitchen. 

Sehun stubs his toe against a chair as he fumbles for the lightswitch, eventually finding it before lighting up the kitchen. In the very same second, he thinks he notices another light switch on outside as he walks towards the shelf. Sehun blinks, figuring there must be something wrong with his eyes, and he makes a mental note to take (lots of) breaks whilst using his computer for hours, before placing Jongin's collar next to his car keys. A glass of water later and Sehun quickly makes his way up the stairs to his bedroom, head spinning so fast he scrambles to grab onto the railing to prevent himself from falling backwards and breaking his neck.

Sehun throws his briefcase on the bed a little more carelessly than he'd planned, and he figures he should get better at turning on lights around the house, because he actually does end up slipping on something laying on the floor the second he walks in the door. He turns on the light, only to blink when he sees the soft, red cape he'd bought at the costume store wrinkled by the bed. Sehun picks it up, dusts it off and, after a moment's worth of contemplation, hangs it at the back of his closet. He definitely doesn't miss the few pieces of black fur that fall from the velvet material and land on his clothes below. 

Speaking of clothes, it suddenly hits Sehun that he should probably wash Jongin's clothes, but Sehun is far too exhausted, not even bothering to remove his suit before he flops down on the mattress. Having the entire bed to himself feels nearly surreal, and Sehun has to look down to make sure he isn't laying on top of and crushing the lump he's so used to seeing lately.

Sehun lays awake, staring up at the ceiling, mind blank before he ends up falling asleep in the middle of the mattress with a knot in his stomach, the light still shining and his suit still on.

---

It's one of the neighbors walking past with his dog that awakens Jongin at dawn the next day. Or to be exact, it's the snarl that emits from the canine that has Jongin's eyes jolting open, his tail immediately puffing up as he recognizes it as the same dog that growled at him last night. Jongin ended up nearly tripping over his shoelaces as he scrambled off the patio, whilst the German Shepherd chased him as much as its leash would allow it to, before it shot Jongin a menacing look and went to rejoin its owner. 

Now fully awake and alert, Jongin stops to catch his breath by a tree. He hopes the man doesn't end up walking his dog near him, because Jongin doesn't think his aching sides will allow him to run any further than a couple of feet. Jongin has no idea what time it is, since he's pretty sure he lost his phone in the pond the day Chanyeol pushed him in, but he assumes it's early morning, given the thick fog and few cars on the road. With the adrenaline gradually leaving his system, Jongin feels the usual nervousness settling in, and he curses when he remembers he left his jacket in the park last night, but Jongin figures he'd rather freeze to death whilst getting mauled by a dog than go retreive it.

Sometimes Jongin seriously wishes that he was an outside cat, because wandering around in the streets and waiting for somebody to take him in is always a long, drawn out process. Even though Jongin has been doing it eleven times already, it's still equally excrutiating every time. It suddenly hits him that his mother told him to wear his collar to make it easier for people to notice him, and Jongin figures the fog must be getting to him, because he still cannot remember where he put it. He huffs and shoves his hands in his pockets, figuring being mistaken for an outside cat is the price he'll be paying for being so forgetful.

Jongin ended up collapsing behind a tree fifty yards away from the bridge. As he eyes the bridge, Jongin wants nothing more than to walk over to it since he's starving, but he remains seated in the grass in fear of being approached by the men from last night. A squirrel runs up the tree a few inches from his face and instead of grabbing it by the tail and holding it up in front of his face like he usually would, Jongin simply follows the critter with tired eyes as it scurries up the trunk and disappears into the branches above.

Being an acrophobe, Jongin never fancied climbing trees during his younger years, and he vividly recalls sitting on the grass and tugging at the green strands whilst Luhan would hunt birds whilst perched on a branch. Luhan mostly failed, but it never seemed to dishearten the latter as he continued to scurry up every tree in sight in search of food whilst Jongin always watched from the safety of the ground below. Jongin remembers the crude laughter that emitted from his least favorite foster family members when he informed them of his fear of heights, after they demanded he climb a tree and pick them apples for an apple pie. Being young and impulsive, Jongin found himself attempting to climb said tree anyway. He doesn't remember much of what happened afterwards, but he does recall waking up in the ER with a sprained arm and his spine bruised.

However, as he continues to listen to the leaves rustling above his head, Jongin recalls Luhan continuously attempting to convince him to squash his acrophobia, only for Jongin to say no every time. He figures giving it a try after all these years wouldn't hurt, and Jongin blames the fog and the empty feeling in his chest for messing with his brain as he stands up and brushes himself off. Not to mention the fact that he's basically an outside cat at this point since he's lost his collar, Jongin figures and smiles, because he can practically see Sehun rolling his eyes if he were to tell the latter. For a second, Jongin actually finds himself hesitating, after seeing just how high up it is, but he's scrambling up the trunk when he hears the sound of men's laughter approaching.

After a brief struggle, Jongin manages to make it onto the nearest branch, and he prays it's strong enough to hold his weight as he slowly swings his leg across and moves into a sitting position. When he realizes that he isn't in danger of falling to his death, Jongin exhales slowly before leaning back against the hard oak, all whilst telling himself not to look down. He's pretty well hidden up here, as Jongin soon realizes after opening his eyes, and he spends the next five minutes attempting to swat away leaves and branches that tickle his face and hair, nearly falling clear off the branch when he accidentally swings his arm a little too wildly.

The sun rising above the pond in the distance dyes the red and yellow leaves a dazzling gold color and, as slowly as he possibly can, Jongin lowers himself until he's lying on his stomach. As he rests his chin on his hands, he watches the cars drive by through the small spaces between the leaves. Jongin soon finds himself slipping into a trance as he watches the cars with his eyes, but it's not until a certain car drives by that he jolts upwards, hissing loudly when he bangs his forehead on a branch.

Despite only seeing it for a couple of seconds, Jongin is certain that he just saw Sehun drive by in his car, and Jongin doesn't even realize how fast heart is pounding until he hears nothing but his pulse in his ears. He briefly wonders if he should get out of the tree and chase after Sehun's car, but Jongin opts against it before huffing and lowering himself back down. Whilst ascending a tree might be an easy task when your legs feel like uncooked spaghetti, descending a tree with your legs feeling uncooked spaghetti is a whole nother matter, according to Jongin, who nearly jumps off the branch when the same squirrel skitters into his lap.

As he sighs to himself, with the leaves surrounding him tinted an auburn shade, Jongin pouts as he swings his legs back and forth. He wonders if Sehun is at work yet, and if the latter is talking and having fun with Baekhyun and his other colleagues. The thought makes Jongin bite his lip as he swishes his tail (which thankfully isn't broken, but sporting faint footprints) back and forth, except he doesn't get to think about it any further when he looks up and notices a raindrop trickling down a leaf above his head before it falls onto his face. Jongin shivers when the cold rain water travels down his temple, only to internally scream when heavy rain starts pouring down subsequently.

Jongin scrambles down from the branch, not even bothering to land on his feet as he hits the ground and nearly slips, and he ends up standing in the same spot for a whole minute before he decides on what to do. Jongin knows that there's no way he's going back to sleeping in the same bush as last night (not to mention sleeping in wet mud isn't a walk in the park), so before he knows it, his legs are moving of their own accord as they rush him towards the road. Jongin is lucky that no cars end up skidding and crashing right into him as he scurries along the foggy, wet path before stopping at an intersection and twitching his ears.

The rain is pouring down so hard he can just barely make out the tall, white building to his left, and Jongin nearly does end up getting hit by a car as he blindly rushes towards it. Thankfully, he reaches the door just as somebody exits, and she doesn't even spare him a glace as she keeps her eyes glued to her phone and holds the door open for him. She stops for a minute and nearly whacks Jongin in the face with her umbrella as she opens it, and Jongin takes the opportunity to soundlessly sneak in the door and inside the building.

Jongin stumbles into the empty corridor, his shirt practically sticking to his torso like glue as he waits for his ears and tail to dry. He shakes his head in an attempt to rid the strands of some water before eyeing the two sets of stairs. Looking around, Jongin hesitates for a second before quietly walking towards the staircase on the right, only to dive behind a trash can when he hears heels clacking against marble subsequently. Jongin cowers behind it, seriously not wanting to get caught and thrown back outside into the rain, as he keeps his tail close to his leg. He hears a woman talking on the phone before the doors open and close. Jongin slowly gets to his feet after making sure she's gone, before tip-toeing up the stairs.

A blast of different scents hit Jongin the face as he reaches the top floor, attempting to keep a low profile as he hears people walking about in the distance. His ears perk up as he soundlessly glides into the hallway, the smell of coffee from the break room tingling his senses. The strong aroma only reminds Jongin of the time he was forced to sleep alone during a storm, and he quickly turns on his heel before he's standing in the familiar hallway. Even though it's been less than 24 hours since he was last here, Jongin barely recognizes the hallway full of offices as his eyes trail over the doors, some of which are open and some closed. 

Every time Jongin has been left behind, he has always told to never return again, a rule he stuck by up until now. Since Sehun hasn't told him to never come back or show his face ever again, Jongin assumes simply peeking inside Sehun's office won't hurt (unless he ends up getting grabbed by the back of the neck and kicked out, since that would hurt), so he ends up slithering along the walls like a lizard until Sehun's scent hits him, the latter's door slightly ajar. Jongin feels his pulse quicken as he slowly, slowly peeks his head inside the room, only for a wave of both relief and disappointment washes over him when he sees that the room is empty. Jongin figures Sehun must be in the break room with everybody else, but since he'd rather deal with the smell of coffee right now, Jongin opts to wander around the hallway instead, whilst his clothes and ears dry.

A sense of excitement coarses through Jongin's veins at the thought of having the entire hallway to himself, and it doesn't take long before Jongin is peeking into Baekhyun's office. Jongin eyes the jar of candy, which is nearly empty, probably thanks to him, and before he knows it, he's skipping into the room and helping himself to a few strawberry flavored ones. He figures Baekhyun won't mind as he seals the jar shut again. 

After turning around, Jongin spots a moth sitting on the wall above the couch. Whilst chewing, he climbs onto the sofa and attempts to stand on his tip toes as he swats at the insect. Except it soon gets away, and Jongin ends up tearing a painting on the wall off its nail as he briefly loses his balance and hops off the couch. He flinches at the loud noise that seems to echo in the entire room before stretching his long limbs. Jongin's eyes roam around the room as his ears twitch in curiosity, before they land on Baekhyun's desk. Before he knows it, Jongin is skipping over and inspecting his own reflection in the screen, which is pitch black. A logo floats around and Jongin follows it with his eyes for a minute before carefully pawing at the mouse next to the keyboard. He blinks in awe when the screen lights up, revealing what he assumes must be an inbox of some sorts. Jongin eyes the many emails sent from Chanyeol and Sehun and a few other people he doesn't recognize or bother thinking about, before he quickly grows bored and heads for the door.

Once he's back in the hallway, only to notice that it's just as empty as it was a minute ago, Jongin looks around before his eyes land on the door at the end of the hallway. He's skipping towards it and momentarily hesitates when the smell of old tobacco and laundry detergent hits him, but Jongin soon finds himself overrun by curiosity as he pushes the handle down and throws the door open. Except he sort of wishes he didn't, because he nearly ends up choking on his own saliva when a blast of smoke and Axe deodorant hit him both at once. Jongin decides to leave the door open in an attempt at airing the room out, before skipping towards Chanyeol's desk. Jongin hums to himself as he picks and prods amongst the sea of pencils, pens, rulers and torn up papers, as well as chargers and a cell phone. Averting his gaze, Jongin notices a pair of car keys lying on the table, and he finds himself pressing the biggest button over and over whilst giggling slightly.

Jongin accidentally bumps his elbow against the mouse, causing the computer screen to light up. Jongin recognizes the program Chanyeol is using, since he knows one of his foster fathers used to use the same program for work. Even though he doesn't understand much of what's written before him, Jongin does manage to make out Chanyeol's name and today's date, and after scrolling down a bit, Jongin blinks when he sees just how much text there is. It nearly makes him dizzy, yet he feels his fingertips buzzing with excitement as he proceeds to type out a quick 'Hiiiiiiiiii -w-' before perching himself on Chanyeol's chair. The room doesn't smell like deodorant or smoke anymore, and Jongin figures Chanyeol will be thankful for making his room smell a little more appealing.

As his eyes roam around the room, which is pretty much identical to Baekhyun and Sehun's, Jongin grins widely when he sees a few colorful markers on the table. Jongin immediately thinks back to the days when he and his first foster sister would spend hours drawing with her glitter pens on the floor, and before he knows it, he's hopping off the chair and picking up the pink marker. The strong smell nearly makes Jongin see stars as he bends down and proceeds to draw a fish, like the one he caught with Sehun. It comes out looking pretty decent and Jongin's tail sways back in forth in satisfaction, only for it to droop slightly when he realizes he didn't draw on a piece of paper, but on Chanyeol's computer screen. Jongin hastily caps the marker, hoping Chanyeol won't be too angry before he walks over to the window. 

The entire window frame is practically yellowed beyond belief as a result of Chanyeol's habitual smoke breaks, and Jongin wrinkles his nose when he sees a plastic cup full of cigarette butts sitting on the windowsill. If there's one thing Jongin clearly remembers his mother(s) teaching him, it was to never start smoking, since apparently hybrids have weaker lungs than humans, but the smell alone is enough to make Jongin withstand it forever. Nevertheless, Jongin finds himself swatting the cup in distaste, effectively knocking it to the floor as gray and black crumbs spill out all across the carpet. Jongin looks out the window, leg bouncing up and down with restlessness as he eyes the cars zooming down the road and birds flying high in the sky.

"You just couldn't stay away, huh?"

A deep chuckle makes Jongin's tail puff up in surprise, the latter whirling around with wide eyes, only to blink when he sees Chanyeol staring right at him. "Uh." He nervously scratches the back of his ear, avoiding Chanyeol's unreadable gaze as the latter leans against the doorframe. He looks up when the sound of floorboards creaking fills the air, and he watches warily as Chanyeol walks over to his desk. Jongin's ears flatten when Chanyeol's mouth falls open at the sight of his computer, briefly wondering if he should make a run for it when the taller proceeds to send him a glare. "S-S-Sorry--"

Chanyeol only groans, seemingly contemplating his entire existence after he takes a look at his chair and spots the pair of muddy shoeprints on the seat. "God damn you," he sighs before grabbing a Kleenex, dipping it in water and attempting to rub the ink off. It barely works, much to his distaste. "This is precisely why I in' hate you lot," he grumbles after a minute of intense wiping. "Damn it--" He sighs in exasperation before standing up.

Jongin blinks, and it's not until Chanyeol begins walking towards him that he prepares to attack, only for Chanyeol to harshly shove him aside before opening the window. Jongin watches, both in fascination and weariness, as Chanyeol wordlessly puts a cigarette in his mouth. "My Mother says that isn't good for you," he says quietly, wrapping his tail tightly around his ankle when Chanyeol only sends him a look.

"I don't give a what your mother says," Chanyeol replies bluntly, and he proves his point by taking a long, drawn out drag. He's silent for a minute before exhaling, the gray cloud soon disappearing as its carried away by the breeze. "You probably don't even know who your real mother is, anyway, so." He shoves his free hand in his pocket, only to groan in annoyance when he sees the cup on the floor. "What the is your problem."

Jongin bites his lip, ears still folded back against his head as he watches Chanyeol pick up the cup and place it back on the windowsill. He doesn't even bother replying to the taller's remark, and instead fidgets with his fingers whilst swallowing thickly. Jongin follows Chanyeol with his eyes as the latter walks over and promptly closes the door. It's not until the sound of the lock clicking into place echoes in the room that Jongin tenses. "What are you doing--"

"Now I definitely think you owe me something for the inconvenience," Chanyeol says in a low tone as he chuckles. "Seriously, how did Sehun put up with you for two weeks? Y'all get on my nerves." He clenches his jaw before sighing and crossing his arms over his chest. "So, any reason you're snooping around in other people's business? Or is that just your 'nature'?" he adds, scowling at the last word. "Always expecting people to change for you yet never making a single attempt to change yourselves." He picks up an eraser, tossing it up and down in his hand before he sends Jongin a questioning look.

Jongin bites his lip. "I don't expect anyone to change for me!" he exclaims, hears foosteps outside in the hallway a second later. They disappear as quickly as they came and he huffs. 

"So that excuses your blatant bulltery, huh," Chanyeol chuckles and presses his lips together. "I see." His eyes darken as he turns to look at Jongin, who takes a step back. "Sehun's been coming to work lately looking like he's been run over by a goddamn tractor and you see nothing wrong with that?" he scowls before walking over to the window, grabbing the plastic cup and placing it on his desk. He proceeds to light another cigarette whilst shaking his head in disbelief. "Of course you don't." A cloud of tobacco filled smoke fills the room. "If I were you, I'd just live in a dumpster for the rest of my life instead of wandering around ruining other people's lives."

Jongin slowly gets down until he's sitting cross legged on the carpet, seemingly not hearing Chanyeol's noise of protest as he gets comfortable. His tail still aches from bending it at an awkward angle whilst in the tree. He's silent for a minute, pulling at the loose threads in the carpet. "Are you a dog or a cat person?" he hums, ears twitching when he hears a fly buzzing around by the window.

Chanyeol blinks. "The 's that got to do with anything." 

"If you're not a cat person," Jongin hums casually, scratching the back of his ear when the insect lands on the tuft of fur, "then you can't tell us how to behave, it's just who we are." He looks up and sends Chanyeol a playful grin. "Like, I think you're mean and smoke too much, but I won't expect you to change that about yourself just for my sake, 'cause that's weird, so you can't expect me to do the same for you." An irritated hiss leaves his lips when he inhales a thick cloud of smoke.

Chanyeol is silent for a minute, taking a much needed drag before tapping on his cigarette. "Good luck finding somebody with that mentality," he mumbles, a low chuckle escaping his lips. "Ten families in such a short time, that's-- Wow." He chuckles again whilst wrapping his lips around the stick. "You know, in a sense, Luhan was much better than you."

Jongin is too busy pulling at the threads, which only grow longer and longer, that he doesn't hear what Chanyeol said at first. Thankfully, his brain seemed to have archived the taller's words and he blinks in surprise. "What do you mean?" he asks, feeling his stomach tighten for reasons unknown.

Chanyeol's sigh comes out in the form of a long, drawn out exhale as he puffs smoke into the air. "You see," he starts, tapping his cigarette over the cup, "whilst Luhan was a good for nothing wimp, at least he knew what people wanted." He takes a drag when Jongin blinks. "Sure, he had a like Jongdae, but at least he only had him during the entire year they were together." When Jongin only sends him a look, he sighs again. "You two were actually really different in that aspect. I mean, you're more on the annoying, dense-as- side, but you get my point."

"We aren't that different," Jongin blurts out, feeling the blood in his veins boil as he stares up at Chanyeol with a hostile glint in his eyes. "Were best friends for a reason and we're both hybrids anyway, and I already told you that it's how we are are, so what are you trying to--" He stills when Chanyeol sends him the most irritated look he's ever seen on a human being. 

"But that's not how Luhan is, idiot," Chanyeol spits. "So you're either both morons or it's just you," he adds and takes a drag. 

Jongin's ears fold back against his head. He doesn't hear the sound of rain pelting against the window pane anymore, and he honestly has no idea why he isn't just getting up and rushing out of the building. Instead, he remains glued to the carpet as he sends Chanyeol a look. "Why are you talking about Luhan like he's your best friend, anyway?" he scoffs. "You know Jongdae--"

"It wasn't always like that, dip," Chanyeol huffs, putting out his cigarette at the bottom of the cup before brushing his hands together. "This isn't even about that little er anyway, but he and Luhan actually managed to co-exist well for the first six months or so before he became an abusive son of a ." He picks up a sticky note and leans against the edge of his desk. Jongin only watches as he proceeds to tear it to shreds. "And yeah, during the first week or so, he'd irritate the out of all us with his constant rambling about how annoying and stupidly impulsive Luhan was. And--"

"So?" Jongin blinks, cocking his head aside. "I keep telling you, it's who we a--"

"Let me finish, ," Chanyeol huffs, and Jongin blinks. "Anyway, yeah, living with Luhan was, quote on quote, hell itself for Jongdae at the beginning." He's about to pick up his cigarette pack from the table but quickly becomes distracted when he speaks again. "But things in' changed after that and they lived happily ever after. Well, until Jongdae decided to become a little , but that's a different story." He sends Jongin a look. "Wanna guess how?"

Jongin blinks, ears twitching in wonder. "...I don't know how Jongdae became a--"

"Not that, moron." Chanyeol throws his hands in the air in exasperation. "I meant Luhan." After sending the younger, who still looks like a (rather adorable, which Chanyeol finds surprising) question mark, an irritated glare, he continues. "Why do you think things changed for the better after that? God, learn to listen--"

"I dunno," Jongin says, biting his lip as he attempts to rack his brain for an answer. "I--"

"Because Luhan in' got a grip and decided to change himself," Chanyeol says. "And whaddya know, after that we never heard anymore sob stories from Jongdae, so that's great, I guess," he adds and runs a tobacco stained hand through his hair. "After that, Jongdae was actually happy, they were happy and stayed together for a long time, up until...you know, started happening, but that's a different story." He catches a glimpse of Jongin's crestfallen expression and he finds himself sighing. "I mean, yeah, y'know, if you ask me, I think he should've figured out he wasn't an animal person sooner, but...yeah. God, why am I even talking about that little head anyways," he grumbles before grabbing a cigarette and lighting it up.

Jongin swallows. He honestly had no idea that there even existed a happy period during Luhan's relationship with Jongdae, but he doesn't exactly blame Luhan for excluding it when he came to him that day. Even so, he finds himself scratching the back of his head whilst he attempts to process Chanyeol's words. Tobacco tingles his nose and Jongin decides against heading for the door and unlocking it since Chanyeol would probably, no, definitely, kill him. Suddenly, he feels his chest tightening and he scowls up at Chanyeol. "Wait, did you just call Luhan a--"

"I called Jongdae a head, head," Chanyeol groans, running a hand down his face, only to accidentally burn his hand on his cigarette subsequently. An irritated sigh leaves his lips when Jongin bursts into a series of giggles. "You'd think someone as mild mannered as Sehun would've taught you to shut the up instead of laughing at people's misfortune." He shakes his head before taking a drag. "You really are hopeless."

Jongin pouts as he eyes the thick cloud of smoke exiting Chanyeol's mouth. "...But you're not a cat person, you've never taken care of one of us before, so you don't know anything," he retorts, crossing his arms over his chest in a childish manner before swaying his tail back and forth. "I keep telling you, we act a certain way, it's who we are and it's not gonna change," he adds, the words falling from his lips before he has a chance to even process them. "Everyone says that we're impulsive, like, we get impulses and feel things, and I can't control what I feel."

"But you can control what you do," Chanyeol growls, pointing his cigarette at Jongin, who leans away. "And from now on, you're gonna be doing just that, not just for your own goddamn sake, but for my sake, for Luhan's sake, for your family's sake, for everybody's sake, for Sehun's sake--" He cuts himself off and takes a long drag. It's not until he sees Jongin sitting with his head hung low and shoulders slumped that he taps his cigarette. "He cared a lot about you, I could tell," he says after a minute's worth of silence. "Sehun, that is."

Lazily tugging at the carpet threads, Jongin sighs loudly, not even bothering to acknowledge the tobacco that stings his airways. His heart is threatening to beat out of his chest (he prays it doesn't, because he doesn't want to give Chanyeol another thing to clean up) and he has to press his palms against the fuzzy carpet in an attempt to pull himself together. The soft material does little to help, though, and Jongin soon finds himself biting the inside of his cheek as he tries aligning his thoughts. Except it doesn't work, and eventually, they all mix together before sloshing around in his head. "I--" He fixates his gaze on Chanyeol's polished shoes. "You're not even my mother, why're you even bossing me around and telling me how to live, like I'm some kind of fool," he mumbles, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

"Because I know all about how foolish you lot can be, and you're not foolish, Jongin," Chanyeol says, every word accentuated by a puff of gray smoke before he puts out his cigarette and adjusts his tie. "Sometimes you gotta use your head and meet people halfway. I mean, I know you haven't suffered like Luhan, but still, it's something to...uh, think about." He clears his throat and is about to walk back to his chair when Jongin speaks.

"I have," Jongin blurts out, only to mentally slap himself when Chanyeol turns around to send him a look. "There...uh--" He doesn't even realize how fast his heart is racing until he quite literally feels his chest vibrating. "There was...this one family," he says after a minute, thinking he hears footsteps in the hallway. "They made me eat off and sleep outside in the cold and make me sit in the trunk and hit me if I tried sleeping on the bed--" He runs a hand through his hair, momentarily forgetting that Chanyeol is in the room with him as he speaks. "They made me use a box--" A single tear rolls down his cheek as he recalls having his face practically shoved into the pile of litter when he refused to do his business the way they demanded him to. Jongin quickly wipes it away before staring out the window. It's not raining anymore and all he wants to do is get up, find a nice berry bush and sleep the rest of the day away. As soon as he makes a move to get up, however, Chanyeol opens his mouth to speak.

"Okay, yeah, fine, fair enough, you got me," Chanyeol says all in one breath and Jongin swears that his eyes look a tad bit softer than they did a minute ago. "But my point is, you've had families you liked, right?" He eyes Jongin, who still has his eyes glued on the carpet. Even though the latter doesn't nod or shake his head, he continues anyway. "Just think of how different things would be if you just listened to them and stopped acting like a self-centered prick, then you wouldn't be in in this...whatever the this is--" He gestures at the air and blinks when he looks at the younger. "Why're you-- The -- Why're you giving me that look-- Stop it--!"

"Jeez, your face is scary," Jongin groans before standing up and brushing himself off. His legs have practically gone entirely numb from sitting down for so long. "People say I'm cute, so maybe you should get yourself a hybrid of your own to make you happy," he adds, seemingly forgetting all about the knot in his stomach as he bursts into loud laughter, and Chanyeol nearly slaps his mouth off his face whilst attempting to shush him.

Chanyeol rolls his eyes before grabbing a wet Kleenex and proceeding to wipe off his chair. "I'll make sure to train them better in that case," he says absentmindedly before sitting down and crossing his legs. "You're lucky I'm almost done for the day since this is gonna take for-ing-ever to remove." He grumbles something incoherent under his breath as he wipes his screen. The pink ink barely budges and he sighs in frustration. "Man, you're a -"

"Did you see the fish I drew?" Jongin asks, grinning widely as he skips over to Chanyeol's computer, too excited to acknowledge the latter's protests as he points to the faded drawing. "See? Hey, what do you think? Isn't it nice? I've caught bigger ones than that all by myself," he babbles, jabbing Chanyeol's arm with each word.

Chanyeol smacks Jongin's hand away before scooching closer to his desk. "It's lovely," he mutters.

"I caught one that looked just like it with Sehun a couple of days ago," Jongin says, not even bothering to acknowledge Chanyeol's uninterested nodding as he speaks. His chest immediately heats up at the memory, from how bright the sun shone to the way Sehun's face lit up after being shown the firefly. "I tried giving it to him to make him happy since he was stressed, but he didn't seem to want it." He pouts slightly, only for his ears to perk up when he spots a fly landing on top of Chanyeol's thermos. However, Jongin quickly cowers when he spots Chanyeol's harsh glare.

"Training starts now," Chanyeol says in a low tone, not taking his eyes off the screen as he types. It's not until he notices Jongin shaking whilst attempting to restrain himself that he groans and shuts his computer off. He slowly gets out of his chair before he stands up, the younger sending him a questioning look as he hovers above him. "Now, about paying me back for the inconvenience, and life lesson, for that matter." His voice drops at least two octaves, which makes Jongin's ears twitch in surprise. 

Jongin blinks, nearly jumping right out of his skin when Chanyeol places a hand on his shoulder, and it's not until it slowly trails down and comes to rest on the small of his back that Jongin whirls around. A low choking sound escapes Jongin's throat when he smells the tobacco on the taller's breath. It's so strong that Jongin decides to walk towards the door and find a bush to sleep in. However, Jongin doesn't get to put his plan into action when Chanyeol takes a step forward, effectively sandwiching Jongin between his body and the table. The sharp edge makes Jongin's spine ache as he attempts to wriggle out of Chanyeol's iron grip to no avail. It doesn't take long for Jongin to realize that he has nowhere to go, and he hears a dog barking outside before he opens his mouth to speak. "Uh...what are you doing--"

"Is this Sehun's?" Chanyeol asks, seemingly ignoring Jongin's question to the fullest as he tugs on the hem of the latter's black blouse.

Jongin bites his lip. "Y...yes," he mutters. He can not only see, but smell the tobacco on Chanyeol's tie and it's so putrid that he turns his face away before he can vomit. A low noise of protest leaves Jongin's lips when Chanyeol gently turns his head so that they're looking at each other again. It's not until Chanyeol leans in so his breath ghosts over Jongin's neck that the latter suddenly gets flashbacks of when he was shoved into the ice cold pond. The thought is enough to make Jongin swing his arm and slash Chanyeol in the face, but Chanyeol easily dodges Jongin's hand before grabbing his wrist tightly and holding it in the air. Jongin emits a low whimper when Chanyeol harshly tugs on his ear. "What are you doing--"

"Try that again and you're history, kiddo," is all Chanyeol growls into Jongin's ear before swiftly snaking his hand up Jongin's blouse, the latter flinching in surprise when he feels a fingers rubbing his waist. A noise of irritation soon leaves Chanyeol's lips when his work phone suddenly rings on the table, and he stills for a brief moment before huffing and taking a step back. Jongin takes the opportunity to push past him before he's rushing towards the door and scrambling for the door handle, nearly tripping over his tail in the process. He hears Chanyeol mumble something in an annoyed tone on the phone before unlocking the door, throwing it open and rushing out of the room.

--

With his tail hanging between his legs, Jongin trudges down the street, not looking back at the building before turning a corner and seeing the park a few feet away. Whilst he'd rather not deal with anybody right now, let alone crazy, drunk people who treat hybrids like him like toys, Jongin would be lying if he said he might collapse if he doesn't find a place to sleep within the next sixty seconds. He curses under his breath before crossing the road and approaching the playground. Jongin would rather not sleep inside the slide, and neither does he want to sleep in the same bush he slept in last night, so he scans his surroundings for a bit before his eyes land on the bridge. 

At first, Jongin resents the idea, since he might end up tossing and turning in his sleep and therefore end up tumbling right down into the water, which has happened on more than one occasion. But on the other hand, at least he isn't at risk of getting stepped on by frantic swimmers, given that the park is partially empty save for a few mothers pushing their children on the swings, so Jongin's legs move of their own accord as he makes his way to the bridge. If he's lucky, he might catch a fish, a big one this time, since he could definitely use some breakfast right about now.

As he passes by a set of large trees, something catches Jongin's attention, and he blinks when he turns his head and sees a man and a woman, both seemingly middle aged, looking up into the tree next to him with smiles on their faces. Jongin briefly wonders what on Earth they could possibly be doing standing around and being fascinated by trees, but he dismisses their existence before shoving his hands in his pockets. However, Jongin barely makes it three steps before something nearly makes him jump five feet in the air. 

It's a voice, as he soon realizes, and Jongin ends up turning around for a full minute trying to locate its source. 

"Jongin! Hey! Jongin! Kim Jongin!"

Jongin blinks, worrying he might be going insane as he continues to scan his surroundings for any signs of human life. It's clear that there's nobody else in the park save for the two people standing near him and the mothers fifty yards away, and Jongin is about to keep walking when he hears it again.

"Hey! Jongin! Jongin, up here!"

Jongin stills before slowly looking up, the sun nearly blinding him in the process. He squints his eyes and sees a ton of bright orange leaves rustling in the wind above. He suddenly furrows his eyebrows and blinks, because since when could trees talk??? Jongin internally screams when he realizes just how strange he must look whilst standing and looking up at a tree like a fool. He's about to continue his short trip to the bridge when he averts his gaze, only for a sudden movement to catch his eye.

What the heck-- Jongin ends up staring for a full minute before he blinks, jaw practically hitting the ground as his eyes widen in surprise.

---