Minjun

"Okay, the kids are settled in with Toy Story. Now talk." Jung Ewon set a hand on Minjun's shoulder and sat in the seat next to him.

Jun had no idea where to begin.  He looked around Lee Junho's kitchen table. All of his friends were smiling at him encouragingly "Gain's appointment with Nichkhun went great. She's healthy and he had a few pointers on how to bridge the gap between us."

"Her behavior was perfect this morning. She ate her breakfast and asked politely for more bacon." Hwang Chansung linked hands with Junho, kissing the back of his fiancé's hand.

"That's what always happens. When we're with other people or in public, she behaves perfectly, but once we're alone it's an all-out war." Jun sighed "At least that's what it feels like." 

"One of the kiddos in my class last year had a similar issue. He was a great kid in school and when I met his mother on parent-teacher night, it was like she was describing a completely different child." Ewon looked around the table at their friends.

"Did that little boy lose his father?" Jun couldn't help wondering if anger was a form of grief.

Ewon nodded and reached for the coffee carafe, pouring more into his cup before doing the same for Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul, who was sitting next to him "In a way. The parents split up and the father wasn't granted any visitation. He was one of your patients, wasn't he?" Ewon turned to the pediatrician.

"He was." Nichkhun answered guardedly folding his arms over his chest.

"So, how did you fix him? When I met with his mother a few months later, she said his behavioral issues had been corrected." Ewon sounded genuinely interested in knowing the answer.

Nichkhun rapped a fist against Ewon's blond head "Hello? Doctor-patient confidentiality! Duh..." Nichkhun burst out laughing.

Ewon rolled his eyes "Okay, well let's say that you have a hypothetical patient with the same issue as the real patient. How would you fix him?"

Nichkhun raised an eyebrow "I'm a doctor, not a mechanic." 

"Jesus Christ, Doctor McCoy..." Ewon held up the Vulcan salute.

"The behavior of the student Ewon is talking about got better when his mother realized the reason for his acting out was not seeing his father." Nichkhun said grudgingly.

"And since Miryo's gone, that won't help Gain." Jun stood up and rinsed out his empty coffee cup "I've been thinking a lot about your suggestion to get her a pet, Nichkhun. Taecyeon also said it was a good idea."

"I knew this would all come back to Taecyeon if we were patient." Junho batted his eyelashes at Chansung.

"WTF, Junho! You and Ewon agreed that I should dump his cheating !" Minjun sat down hard in his seat "The both of you were all over me two years ago to dump Taec's cheating and now you're acting like you want me to get back with him."

Ewon and Junho exchanged uneasy looks "We were wrong to encourage you to not even hear Taecyeon out." Junho reached a hand out to Jun "We were both so angry that he hurt our friend that we may have given you a bad advice."

Jun felt a bubble of laughter rise up through his chest. He couldn't help letting it out. His friends exchanged looks like they were wondering if now was a good time to call the men with the butterfly nets. 

He was laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face. His friends had never admitted they were wrong about Taec before. Junho usually blamed Ewon and vice-versa "You may have given me a bad advice, but I was the one who decided not to call Taec back when I should have." Jun sobered instantly, taking a shaky breath "I really should have heard him out."

"Did he finally tell you what happened that night with the plumber?" Chansung rolled his mug around between his long fingers.

Nodding, Jun looked up at his friends "He told me the plumber grabbed him and started kissing him. He struggled so hard that the bastard's fingers left bruises on his arms."

Reaching into his back pocket, Jun pulled out his phone. With shaking fingers he pulled up the email with the pictures of Taec's injuries attached. He handed the phone to Ewon who shared it with Nichkhun.

"Those are some serious bruises." Nichkhun said quietly "ual assault on men is even more underreported than it is with women." he passed the phone to Chansung "I'm glad he finally told you."

"Finally told me? Nichkhun, did you know about this before now?"

Nichkhun nodded "We collaborated on a case about the time you broke up with him. We hit things off."

"Wait, were you dating Jun's ex?" Junho shot Jun an appalled look. 

Jun's stomach pitched like a dingy in a hurricane at Junho's question. Had Nichkhun and Taecyeon been hooking up this whole time? Taec said they'd been just friends, but that didn't mean it was true. Jun didn't know why, but the thought of the two of them together hurt more than knowing Taec had been hooking up with random men.

"No, Junho. The surest path to a broken heart is to date a guy on the rebound. Taec and I became friends and started hanging out together. One night after a few too many Heinekens, he told me all about how things ended between him and Jun."

"I can't help thinking Taecyeon must have thought I was there to save him when I came home, but instead I let my insecurities take over and I kicked him out of our house." Jun shook his head, not wanting to think about how hard it had been for Taecyeon to deal with being assaulted and losing his boyfriend at the same time.

"What are you going to do now?" Ewon asked.

"I'm going to do what Gain's pediatrician told me to do and get her a kitten. I don't have the time or the energy to deal with the Taecyeon situation right now." Jun made air quotes. He would deal with his ex later, once he figured out how the hell to apologize for what he'd done.

Nichkhun was all smiles "I don't mean to contradict you, but Taec volunteers at Paws and Claws. He was the one who helped me adopt my cat Fluffy."

Ewon burst out laughing "You named a cat Fluffy?" 

Nichkhun shrugged "She's fluffy. What would you have named her, Klingon?"

"Captain Kirk, duh..." Ewon rolled his eyes.

"You know, this might not be a bad time to get Jay that puppy he's been begging for." Junho grinned up at Chansung.

"Great minds think alike, babe. Jay? Gainoo?" Chansung half-shouted.

"Gainoo? Why the hell is everyone calling her that? Taec called her that yesterday." in the five years he'd known his niece, no one had ever called her that.

"Jay calls her Gainoo, so we do too. It's a cute nickname and it makes her smile." Chansung waggled his eyebrows "Who knew our son would turn out to be the cool kid?"

Jun heard pounding footsteps as the kids ran into the kitchen.

As usual, Gain was clutching her ratty, black stuffed cat. Jun found himself looking forward to being able to place the real thing in her arms. He was just worried how she'd take the news from him "Chansung has a surprise for both of you." Jun knew it was the coward's way out, but he just wanted to see Gain's face light up when his friend made the announcement.

Chansung shot Jun a questioning eyebrow "What would you both think about going to Paws and Claws today?" 

"For my puppy?" Jays eyes bugged out and he groaned before fake-fainting, landing flat on his back on the kitchen floor.

Chansung burst out laughing "And also for Gain's kitten."

"Why do I get a kitten?" her suspicious eyes moved from Chansung to Minjun who was smiling brightly.

Jun was heartbroken. He was hoping Gain would imitate Jay and fake-faint over the surprise of his gift.

The last emotion he expected Gain to feel was suspicion "You take such good care of Whiskers..." Jun pointed to the well-loved stuffed cat "...that I thought you'd be just as good with the real thing."

Gain scowled at her uncle and turned to look down at Jay who was still lying flat on the floor.

One of Jay's black eyes popped open "You love kittens, Gainoo! Maybe they'll have a black one just like Whiskers."

"Maybe." she folded her arms over her chest and walked over to Nichkhun "Doctor Khunnie, will you help me pick out a kitten?"

Jun swore he felt his heart stop beating in his chest. He drew a ragged breath that felt like his lungs were filled with broken glass. 

As hurt as he was over his niece asking Nichkhun to help her pick out a kitten, he knew this wasn't about him. This was about Gain finding a way through her grief.

Taecyeon

The morning had been a busy one at the animal shelter. Taecyeon had helped place two of the newly adoptable kittens and an over-active Labrador mix. He knew it was a long-shot, but he was hoping Minjun and Gain would come in today.

It had been strangely surreal for him to finally tell his ex what had happened with the plumber two years ago. He thought he'd feel a sense of relief or would feel ten pounds lighter, but he'd felt neither.

Taec still missed Minjun. He knew finally hearing the truth wasn't going to send Jun running back into his arms, but to be honest, he'd expected a bit more of a reaction than he'd gotten. 

Jun had stood there with his hands fisted on the desk blotter staring at Taec like they'd never met each other. His stubborn ex hadn't even apologized for having gotten the story all wrong and for making him wait two years to tell it. Taec sighed. It was all water under the bridge.

He'd spent the last two years trying to figure out how to get Jun to listen to his side of the story. Now that the story was out, he had no idea what the hell came next for him. 

Did he troll the gay bars looking for a hook-up or did he start an online dating profile to find a serious relationship? He wanted to get married and have a family of his own. He'd been willing to hold out for Jun, but now that his ex knew the truth, Taecyeon knew there was nothing left for him to wait for. Two years was long enough to pine after any man.

Rolling his eyes at himself, Taec grabbed the kitten chow and headed toward the kennel where the new kittens were housed. He'd really wanted Gain to have her pick of the six baby cats, but now there were only four left. The two grey tabbies had been adopted earlier this morning by a family with twin daughters. It made perfect sense that the identical girls have identical kittens. 

Opening the kennel door, Taec could hear the kittens crying. They'd only been away from their mother for a few days now and the babies cried almost non-stop.

He plopped their chow in the food bowls and sat down on the concrete floor. He could feel the cold rise up through the seat of his Levi's. The remaining kittens ran for him, rather than the food, using their tiny claws to scale his pants. He could feel the claws bite his skin as they broke through the denim.

A bell jingled from the front of the shelter. Taec knew it was silly to think the ringing bell was Minjun and Gain, but he couldn't help getting his hopes up.

Even though they'd been apart for the last two years, Minjun had been a huge part of his life. His ex had never been far from his thoughts.

As much as Taecyeon knew he needed to move on with his life, he couldn't just walk away from that history, as much as his brain urged that he should. 

"Got a couple of forever families for you, Taec!" Jacson Wang called through the kennel door. 

"Send 'em on in!" Taec called back, not bothering to get up from the floor. The kittens were stuck to him and he knew it was going to take a while for the families to look at the selection of animals and make a choice.

"I always knew you'd end up in the clink!" Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul laughed as he approached the kitten kennel. 

"Nichkhun, what are you doing here? Please tell me it's not to return Fluffy." Taecyeon tried to look around his friend to see who else had come with him.

"No way. The only way you're getting my back is when you pry her out of my cold, dead hands." Nichkhun grinned at Taecyeon "Chansung and Junho want to get Jay the puppy they promised him months ago and Jun wants to get Gain a kitten."

Taec couldn't believe his ears. Jun was here?

"Hi, Taecyeon-th-un-th-engnim!" Gain ran toward the kennel. "Are the-th your kittie-th?"

"No, honey. These kittens are up for adoption. Do you want to meet them?"

"I th-ure do!" Gain looked up at Nichkhun excitedly "Can I go in-thide?"

"Why don't we ask Uncle Jun, huh?" Nichkhun turned around to motion Jun over.

Taecyeon watched as Gain's face crumpled. His heart broke for Jun. He remembered how Gain had been glued to Jun's side when she'd been little. There were even entire weekends when the little girl would stay at their house to give Miryo some time to herself.

It killed him to see Gain react this way, like Jun was a total stranger. Taec never would have guessed in a million years that their relationship would end up this far off in the ditch.

"Wow, what have we got here?" Jun shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Taecyeon couldn't help thinking it was to keep from reaching out to touch his niece.

"Kitten-th." Gain said with a bit of snark in her voice. She didn't take her eyes off the bundles of fur. 

Jun crouched down on his haunches next to her "Do you want to go in and meet them?" 

"Doctor Khunnie'th gonna go in with me." Gain scowled at Jun and crossed her arms over her chest.

Taec watched as Nichkhun shot Minjun a helpless look.

"Great idea! Nichkhun just adopted a cat. He's the perfect person to help you make your choice."

Biting his lip to keep from laughing at Jun's show of reverse psychology, he scooted over in the kennel to make room for Gain and the pediatrician.

"Th-o pretty!" Gain squealed, sitting next to Taec. She reached over and ran her fingers over the mostly black cat. It was almost a dead ringer for her stuffed cat, but for the heart-shaped white mark on the animal's chest. 

Taec met Jun's eyes through the chain link of the kennel. His ex-lover looked totally worn out. He knew things were tough with Gain, but he'd never guessed things were this bad.

With a baby animal things were only going to get worse. Kittens required a lot of care and he was sure the tiny cat would be heartbroken to leave her littermates. 

"Wow! I think the ginger tabby is my favorite." Jun winked at Taecyeon.

Taec rolled his eyes in return. He couldn't help wondering if Doctor Khunnie, Miracle Worker, had suggested this approach to handling his niece. It was obvious the little black cat was her favorite, but Taec had a strong feeling that if Minjun said how much he liked that animal, Gain would abandon it to spite him.

"Black cats are my favorite too, Gain. Know why?" Nichkhun asked softly.

"'Cause they're the beth-teth cat-th in the world?" Gain whispered loudly.

Nichkhun shook his head "Because they're they hardest to find homes for. My Fluffy is a black cat."

Gain looked outraged "Why are they hard to adopt?" she plucked the tiny kitten off Taec's jeans and rubbed its silky fur against her cheek.

Nichkhun shrugged "Weird people think they're bad luck."

"I think Blackie is gonna bring me the beth-t luck ever!" Gain's tone brooked no argument.

"Maybe you should ask Uncle Junnie if you can get that cat." Taecyeon prodded, watching Jun's face for his reaction. It didn't disappoint. Jun shot him a grateful smile. 

Gain shook her head, not looking up from the cat "He took me away from my Mommy. He'll take me away from Blackie too."

Taec's eyes popped open and he looked to Nichkhun for help.

Nichkhun set a steady hand on Gain's shoulder "Your Mommy's an angel Gain. Uncle Junnie had to take you home with him."

Taec looked up at Jun to see he was crying. He wanted to go to his dark-haired ex and hold him tight. He couldn't imagine the pain he felt over losing his sister. A pain which must be magnified ten-fold with his niece's rejection of him. 

"I don't care. I coulda th-ayed with her. I love her." Gain's eyes were wet with tears she was trying to hide against Blackie's fur. 

"You know what angels can do, honey?" Taec asked.

"What?"

"They can watch over you all the time. Your Mommy is always with you. Do you know how I know that?" Taec reached over to run a hand against Gain's messy dark hair. 

Gain lifted her tear-soaked eyes away from the damp kitten "How?"

"Look at the white heart in Blackie's fur. I think that heart was a kiss from your Mommy."

"You do?" Gain's eyes were b with unshed tears and hope.

"I do, honey." Taecyeon looked up to see Jun swiping at tears with the sleeve of his jacket with one hand and patting the other hand over his heart.

Gain looked up at her uncle "Uncle Junnie, can Blackie come home with uth?"

Minjun nodded, crying too hard to answer.