“Kookie…” I tiptoed into my room towards my occupied mattress.

His ears moved slightly and he called my name in his sleep. Cute.

I put the tray I held on my desk and sat on my bed next to Kookie. I brushed his hair out of his eyes, and suddenly my hands were not in my control anymore. My fingertips brushed the tip of his human ears, sliding against his sharp jaw. They trailed back up to his forehead and brushed down his nose. I cupped one of his cheeks and kissed the other. His eyes fluttered open and a small smile curved his features upwards. I took control of my hands again and turned them into fists in my lap, praying silently for the treacherous heat in my cheeks to disappear quickly.

“I did not mind.” He said, grabbing both of my hands, “Cat or Human I still love it when you caress me.”

Well, never mind my prayer. I felt my cheeks consume my confidence at his words which melted my insides into a pile of liquified sticky marshmallows that wanted nothing more than be glued to the man in front of me.

Thankfully for me -though he might have sensed my slight discomfort- he changed the subject and interrogated me about the tray.

“Ah, yes!” I jumped up, turning to him with the freshly baked cookies on the tray. “Cookies for my Kookie!”

He sat up and crossed his leg. Making sure it was not sizzling hot, I placed the tray carefully onto the mattress, picking up a baked treat in the process and grinned at him.

“Open wide!”

His lower jaw fell down, revealing his sharp teeth. I stretched my hand out and when the cookie was placed in his mouth, his tongue slipped under it, pushing it into the back of his throat where he started chewing as he closed his mouth.

He hummed in content as his eyes lit up, “It’s really good!” He said with his mouth half-full.

He finished chewing and stared into my eyes, opening his mouth again, “More!” He spoke in a slightly demanding way. I glared at him and his jaw leaned back up, “Please?”

“That’s more like it.” I laughed.

I continued to feed him until there was only one left. Ah, all those precious hours in the kitchen, gone. I was about to pick up the last pastry but he beat me to it, holding it in front of my mouth.

“You should eat too.”

“Kookie, I already ate this morning.”

He did not budge. I sighed but opened my mouth nonetheless. As he placed the cookie between my lips, I held it between my teeth for a second and smiled at him. Though one second was enough for him to lean down towards me and press his lips to mine, breaking the cookie in half with his teeth. I pushed the treat into the side of my cheek and glared at him.

“Yah!” I shoved his arm.

He swallowed the piece of cookie and his bottom lip for any stray bits, “Sorry…” He looked down and bit his lip.

I regretted pushing him when I saw his apologetic features, “What was that for?” I asked.

He looked up wearing worry-filled features, “I wanted to thank you…” He trailed off, pushing his gaze back down, “I’m sorry, I said I would wait for your consent, I was too excited, I apologize-”

I pressed a finger to his lips to shush him. His irises rolled up to meet mine, though he must have been confused when the only contact he found was the lingering taste of my cookie-flavoured breath on his lips. I pulled away, slowly, and examined his expression. The slight raise of his eyebrows, the thinning of his pupils, the parting of his lips; he was surprised.

But I, on the other hand, was determined. I knew what I wanted.

Him.

He was the first to bring such comfort, the first to accept me, the first to love me the way he did. And it may have been odd at first to think about kissing my former pet but he was not one anymore. He was a man. And whatever shape or form he may have taken, I would have loved him anyway because it was with him that I felt the greatest joy.

“You have my consent, Kookie.”

His eyes swung from my right one to my left one multiple times. He switched to a kneeling position and gathered his fists in his lap.

“Are you sure?”

I sank my teeth in my lip as though in thought but my mind was already made. I nodded.

He cupped my cheeks and tilted my head down, pressing his lips to my forehead. I hugged his waist and he let me cuddle into his chest as he rested his chin on my head.

“Thank you Kookie, for being in my life.” I felt a kiss being pressed to my scalp before he pulled away, trailing his fingers down to my shoulders.

“Ah, but (Y/N), you are a gift to the whole world.”

Oh no.

“Don’t start.” I looked him dead in the eyes.

His cat-ears swiped down giving him a slightly-scared appearance.

“Start what?”

“Complimenting me.” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He cocked his head to the side, waiting for my explanation. “I am so good at compliment wars, you don’t want to start one with me, I promise you.”

He grinned at this and his eyes shone maliciously. He hummed and leaned back, his elbows sinking into the mattress, “You’re right, you are too intelligent for me anyways.”

“You’re on!”

The sound of heavy pitter patter accompanied the deluge outside, flooding Seoul in its grey-veiled afternoon. Its continuous downpour only being interrupted by my voice which repeated by heart the cues of my favourite movie.

I curled closer to Kookie as we watched the pixelated characters move on the screen while we laid down on the bed. I was leaning my back into his chest, appreciating the feeling of his soft fingers in my hair. He huffed and placed his hands on my arms’ sweater, sending shivers down my whole body, and then hugged my waist. He really was the best at cuddling.

“(Y/N)”, he called softly. I hummed in response, “Don’t you want to do something?”

“What do you mean? We are doing something.” I gestured at the TV screen, not leaving it with my eyes.

“I mean, don’t you want to go outside?” He placed one of his hands on my mouth, already knowing what I was about to retort, “Yes I know it’s raining outside, but don’t you remember that time when you brought me outside and-”

I pushed his hands from my mouth and cut him off, “People said that I looked like a Pokemon trainer because you were not leaving my shoulder? Yes, I do Kookie. But-”

Kookie’s hand s on my chin and he lifted it up, making my gaze meet his, “Please?”

His big dark-brown eyes, his thickening pupil, his breath on my face, the tingle of his fingers grazing my cheeks…

In this instant I felt nothing but his warmth where our bodies touched, I smelt nothing but his sweet cologne, I saw nothing but those two big black-holes drawing me in, not giving me a chance to escape -though it may have been the last thing I wanted to do-, I tasted nothing but the lingering aroma of the slightly crusted cookie-dough and chocolate… I did not hear the rain anymore, just our heartbeats; his, powerful and steady, mine, intense and shaky.

How did he do this? I simply cannot tell him no.

As I agreed, he fist-bumped the air and rapidly lifted himself up from the bed, hurrying to the little space in my wardrobe that was dedicated to his clothes. He picked out the outfit he had tried on at the shop and grinned at me. I shook my head at his childishness before picking clothes as well and making my way to the bathroom to change.

The weather forecasters were not kidding, it indeed was raining more heavily in the end of the afternoon. The park in which we walked was nearly flooded, our shoes almost drowned in downpour. I held our umbrella in my left hand which was covered by Kookie’s warm palm. We arrived in front of a pearly-white enamel fountain. It rested on a small pedestal on which was engraved the sentence: ‘Forgive to be a better person, remember to be a stronger one.’

I was so entranced with the calming sound of the water surrounding me, falling down onto the wet floor and on the rippling surface of the fountain that I did not notice that the warmth on my left hand had gone. I was suddenly lifted up from the ground though I did not feel any pressure on my body. I struggled to balance myself so I could straighten myself up on the person’s shoulder. His very broad shoulders.

“Jungkook! What are you doing?!”

“Half of my body was not even under the umbrella, now we both completely are.” He looked up at me grinning.

His face was spotted with raindrops, gliding down his brows, across his nose, his cheeks, his lips… I leaned down and kissed him. He opened his eyes which had fluttered shut, just like mine had, and smiled at me, cocking his right eyebrow.

“(Y/N), what are you doing?” He copied me in a mocking voice.

“Ah, shush!” I said while flicking his forehead but bending down to hug his neck.

We spent the rest of the day frolicking like two high schoolers in love. It was past midnight when we reached my apartment again and I was instantly pushed behind Kookie who stood straight in front of the slightly opened door. A massive cavity appeared near the device in which I usually tapped my code.

“Stay here.” He spoke quietly, squeezing my hand before letting it go and pushing the door open entirely. I followed his form with my eyes, readying myself to intervene if needed; until a memory forced its way back to my mind. I fell unconscious.