You were pretty good at drinking games. Scratch that, you were awesome at drinking games.

Your friend watched in amusement as you, once again, outdrank her. “Woah, someone’s up for a good time.” 

With a loud laugh, you raised a finger to shush her. “I am up for the bestest of times baby.”

She lightly slapped your hand away from her face. “Yeah, just don’t get all flirty with me, you’re a when you drink.” 

Kinda true, but also mean. You crossed your eyes at her, earning yet another laugh.

Earlier that day, you weren’t really in the mood for drinks, especially after the disastrous dinner party with you family earlier that week. But tomorrow was one of you friend’s rare days off and she insisted that going to a bar tonight would be the best way to cheer you up.

“A-ny-waaay.” She smirked. “You were telling me about cute kitten kisses?” 

Or maybe she just really wanted to pry. Not that you minded, you’d probably do the same in her place.

“The cutest.” You managed to slur. Poor Baekhyun, all locked up in the house. “Let’s bring him next time pleeease.” 

“No way, it’s a girls night out. I barely get to spend time with you nowadays, so no hybrids allowed when we hang out!”

You pouted. Yeah, right. Next time he simply had to come. So you could lean into him when you started to get tipsy. And he would look down, asking you if you were alright with that melodic voice of his. Then you’d look up and smile as he purred and leaned to you, to leave yet another sweet kiss on your lips. And then- 

“Stop! I just asked you to not act like a ert.” Your friend covered her ears. Ok, so maybe it was time to stop drinking if you were blabbering your thoughts out loud.

Setting aside your beer, you leaned back with a dramatic sigh. “I want to kiss him again, but like, how do I even get him to kiss me? Should we talk first, or maybe I just go for it? Do I ask him on a date?” You wondered helplessly. “I don’t want him to feel pressured…”

“Dunno, never dated a pet before.”  Your friend rested her chin on her hand. “Oh ,  he’s your pet! Does that mean you’re his dom now?” 

You kicked her under the table, but still joined her in laughing.

Going out for drinks really was great!

After paying the bill, you and your friend shared a cab home. Your place wasn’t far, but you didn’t feel confident about walking. At all.

You opened the door, taking dizzying steps inside. The initial plan had been to be as quiet as possible, but your purse knocked a flower pot down and you couldn’t hold back a giggle.

Damn, you really were a bad drunk.

“You’re home late.”

“Hyunnie!” You walked to the hybrid with extended arms, smile growing wider when he caught you in his own. “I’m drunk.”

“I noticed.” The worried voice tickled your ear so you squeezed him harder. “You should go to bed.”

“No! We should go on a date. I’m taking you on a date.”

“Oh yeah? And where will you take me?” Gently, he started to pull you towards the bedroom.

“Movies and dinner…” Your eyes glimmered as you laid on the bed. “and a bar.”

Baekhyun chucked. “I’m looking forward to it.” 

Just as the hybrid was moving away, you managed to catch the hem of his shirt. You looked up at him, feeling dizzier all of a sudden. “Maybe you could stay… just for a bit?”

He contemplated your question, tail moving slowly from one side to the other. “I don’t know…”

“Please?” 

Biting his lip, Baekhyun nodded and laid beside you. It took you less than a minute to comfortably place his arm around your middle. A smile reached your lips when he pulled you closer, holding you tight. “Baekhyun?”

“Yeah?” His breath was warm at the back of your head.

“I really like you.” You said, right before closing your eyes tiredly, but you were still awake enough to feel a sweet kiss land on your shoulder.

“Me too.”

***

Ugh.

The light coming from your window was way too bright. Really, how could you forget to close the curtains? 

Waking up before the alarm clock sounded was the worst way to start the day. You moved around the bed, head buzzing, only to come to a stop once you noticed the body beside you.

Baekhyun was sleeping peacefully on your bed. Why was he on your bed?

Then it all came crashing back. You had basically trapped the poor kitty into it.

, what do I do?? I can’t face him now.

Remembering the alarm was probably going to ring soon, you managed to slip out of bed as quietly as possible, so as to not wake up the hybrid. Your heart did a summersault when he breathed a bit heavier and turned around.

Finally, you reached for the alarm, turning it off. There was no day like today to arrive early at your job, you guessed.

And boy, were you early. Breakfast seemed like a far off dream with the way you stomach turned at the mere thought of food. You also picked the first clothes you eyed in your wardrobe, not even thinking about the outfit. 

Maybe you should have stuck to the usual routine, just in case the hybrid woke up. It would be less awkward if you acted normal. Also, Baekhyun didn’t need to see you all flustered so early in the morning. 

Still, your head hurt like hell and your belly was trying to murder you by making you feel sick, so it’s not like you had much time to process what you were doing.

Hangovers are the work of the devil. Is all you could think about as you made your way to work.

***

At first, you focused on nothing but your job. Swiftly working on your previously unfinished task, the romantic comedy Haejin had assigned to you.

Your head still hurt, but you willed it down. This wasn’t the worst hangover you ever had, you could do it.

You could finish your job, not throw up, and most important, not worry about your little confession to the cat hybrid.

It was around noon when you finally cracked. When your co-workers left for lunch you opened the tab so familiar to you at this point. The glittery logo of My Pet and Me appeared on the screen.

A quick search on the menu bar proved your worst fear to be true, they didn’t have any advises for what to do when you were crushing on your hybrid.

Feeling lost all of a sudden, you reached for your phone then froze. Your friend wasn’t going to answer so soon, used to turn off her phone during her off days. 

Maybe it was time to practice sharing your troubles with your dear sister.

Y/N [12:13PM]:

Woke up next to baek, I’m DYING of embarrassment 

A couple of agonizing minutes pass before you get a response. 

Ji-Woo [12:15PM] :

Oh.

Hm.

Was it good?

Y/N [12:15PM]:

???

We only slept

You don’t get it

I’ll call

As your fingers finished to type her number, you noticed your boss coming up to you. “Hello?” Ji-Woo’s voice sounded from the other side of the line, and you were quick to hang up.

“Good, you’re still here.”  Haejin said.

You gulped. “Yes?” Silently, you wished for it to not be another mistake. You couldn’t afford any more of those.

“I just checked your work today… It's coming out quite well.” He smiled. “Seems like you’re back in the game, make sure to keep it up.”

Astonished, you could only nod at his back as he walked away. You were back in the game? You wondered about it, about the other times you screwed up.

Like usual, you’ve been worried the whole morning, only this time… This time you didn’t obsess over it, actually managing to stay focused on your work until lunch, when you were free. 

And maybe that’s because you weren’t really as anxious as the other days, because it’s Baekhyun. You may feel embarrassed, but if it’s him you didn’t really mind.

A sudden buzzing on your hand brought you back to the moment, looking down at the phone, you answered the incoming call.

“Don’t hang up on me, I hate it when you do that!” 

“I think I’m falling for him?”

There was a pause, then giggles came from the other side of the line. “Okay? I kinda noticed it on Saturday.”

“Oh.”

***

Baekhyun stood up to greet you as soon as you opened the door. “Hey.”

You closed the space between you, noting his droopy ears, disheveled clothes and cheerless expression. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing, just hungry.” 

“Is this about last night right? I’m sorry.” The way he grimaced was all it took to confirm your suspicion. You had pulled him to bed with you, clung close to the hybrid all night, only to leave without saying goodbye in the morning. Of course he was feeling more anxious than you.

He had been abandoned before.

But you were set on improving your communication skills, starting with expressing your feelings properly.

“It’s okay, I figured it was the alcohol talking.” A sad smile reached the hybrid’s eyes, but you were quick to deny it.

“No, it wasn’t.” You confessed, not bearing to see the disappointment on his face. Determined in a way foreign to you, you were ready to come clean about your thoughts. 

“Baekhyun, listen, Today I got out of here panicked, that’s true. But for the first time it didn’t get in the way of my work, then, I called Ji-Woo and we had a full conversation without it turning into an argument. And last night my friend told me we need to hang out more, that I’ve been spending less time with her… It made me realize that I don’t feel as clingy and annoying as I once did. Or lonely, for that matter. You help me Baekie, I think you being around makes me want to be a better person.” Taking a deep breath, you locked eyes with the hybrid. “I really do like you,  a lot. And… I don’t know, I want to try to see where this goes.” 

Hope crossed his eyes, the same hope that got him to chase you all that time ago. “Let’s go on that date then. Movie, dinner and then a bar? Told you I’m looking forward to it.” He winked, reaching for your hand and intertwining your fingers with ease. “I do have one request though.” 

“What is it?”

“I don’t want to wait until the end of our date to kiss you.”

You pretended to ponder before agreeing and smiling happily. “No harm in letting you do it, I guess.”

With a satisfied purr, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind you ear before holding the back of your head and leaning down to slowly kiss you. It’s soft at first, as if you’d push him back at any moment now. But you’d have to be mad to do so.

You wrapped your arms around the hybrid, kissing him back, enjoying every flutter in your stomach and how your knees turned into jelly.

Baekhyun leaned back, just a little. Just enough for you to drink in the smile on his mischievous face. “Maybe we should reschedule that date to tomorrow?”

You could only laugh as he kissed you again.

For the first time in a long, long while, you could tell that everything was going to turn out just fine.