She needed constant companionship.

She needed reliable supervision.

She needed honest responsibility.

They needed a home and they found one.

Inspiration ß Kitty AUs

...xXx...

She should have known. The minute that the door opened and her best friends crashed in through the door with the mischievous twinkles in their eyes, she should have turned them away and denied them, but she was a second too late and inside, the two came and outside, the two pulled her. The two talked in hushed whispers as they walked a few feet ahead of her on the street. 

She had been dragged along in enough of their plots to follow without questions although with plenty of suspicion. They turned to look at her, giggled between each other, and turned back to the front. 

She sighed.

"Ok. I'll bite. Where are we going? Why? How much trouble should I expect? and for how long?" she questioned thoroughly, using the authoritative tone she had mastered over the years. They didn't answer. "Park Miyoung. Kim Jinju."

"Really Umma? You don't trust us?" Miyoung questioned, turning to her and pouting.

"I don't," she answered automatically, giving them a knowing look.

"Ok fine," Jinju relented, sighing. "We're going to adopt a cat because they're adorable and you need to be more sociable! Oh and let's see...you should expect a lot of trouble and for as long as the cat lives!"

She should have known. 

"Cats aren't just 'adorable' Jinju nor are they purely social Miyoung," she began, already in her lecturing-mother-mode. The two girls in front ofher shifted uncomfortably but listened as experience had taught them. "They're a lot of responsibility and work. Think about your home situation. They cost money for food and toys and it's like raising a child. Your stress levels go up because you have to clean up after them and teach them. Do you two even stay at home enough to consider taking care of a pet? They tend to destroy things at first and you'll have to consider if you're spoiling them or not. There's also the whole territorial part of it and their mating season. And the time the owner will be affected is usually around 13 years or so but there are also reports of cats living to their 30s - yes in human years. Plus, there's the depression after the feline passes away and the possibility of taking care of the cat's kittens. You can't just one day get up and say 'I want a cat' without considering all the possible troubles that come with one!"

"But we've thought about this a lot!" Jinju retorted, accented by Miyoung's "Yeah!" in the background.

"How long have you thought about this?" she questioned, mentally calculating how much time and money it would personally cost her at the moment to have a cat.

"Hmm...about a few hours?" Miyoung half-asked. 

"3 hours if you want to be precise," Jinju confirmed. 

She sighed.

"This is what I mean," she pointed out, ready to lecture again.

"But U~mma~" Miyoung and Jinju whined at once. 

"We'll take good care of 'em. Promise!" Miyoung negotiated. 

"We'll consider all that stuff you talked about later!" Jinju added. 

She sighed once more.

"You're not going to listen to me anymore," she stated rather than asked, recognizing their stubborn, whimsical tones.

"Mhm," the two chimed in.

"We're getting cats whether I want to or not," she added, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Yup," the two confirmed.

"We're going to regret this," she warned, subtly giving them permission. They recognized it.

"Yay!~ Let's go Umma!" Miyoung cheered.

"We're going to get a cat!" Jinju shouted, attracting the stares of the many surrounding pedestrians. 

She should not have opened her door.

-oOo-

The three girls entered the pet store with one squealing at the "adorableness," one cooing at the "itty bitty ones," and one sighing and sulking. It wasn't long until they caught the attention of one of the workers who decided to assist them in finding a cat.

"Well, what kind of cat are you looking for?" the male worker asked, casting an eye over the three.

"We need one that's affectionate and loyal," Miyoung chirped in, giving a pointed look to the shortest of the group. 

"And who's rather intelligent," Jinju added, throwing a knowing look towards their 'Umma.'

"The European Burmese is known to be all three traits," the worker suggested, guiding them to a case with a few kittens who pressed up against the glass, mewing.

"Aw~" Miyoung and Jinju cooed.

"No," she declined politely. The worker frowned, mentally wondering how the shorter could exude such a strong presence.

"Are you sure? They're one of our most popular breeds and are especially-"

"No," she repeated firmly. The worker continued on then, turning away from the strong gaze the girl directed.

"Well, we've recently had a new shipment of Japanese Bobtail and they're rather popular for their affectionate and active personalities," the worker suggested once more, directing the females to another case full of kittens, pouncing playfully on top of each other. The worker turned to her, trying to gauge her reaction, but she ignored him, walking up to one of the cases at the end, crouching down and looking at the one in the corner.

"I want this one, the blue-eyed feline," she declared, putting a finger gently on the glass. The cat, unlike the others, was a little more mature and less active, more worn for wear, staring at her with wary blue eyes. There was another one beside it, much younger with green eyes and excitedly jumping against the glass. 

"Are you sure?" the worker questioned hesitantly. "Generally, Russian Blue are loved for their coat and graceful natures. They're known to be playful but this one's rather quiet. We're actually thinking of putting him down soon since he's been here for a while without a single potential customer. Plus, although the blue-eyed Russian Blues are rarer, the green-eyed ones are more striking and popular. Would you prefer the other one?"

"I said I want this one," she repeated, looking up at the worker with unflinching confidence. 

"We'll get the papers for him ready then," he relented, giving her an awkward smile. "While waiting, how about we find cats for your friends?"

"Oh! I want one that's quiet but affectionate and adorable!" Miyoung spoke up, raising her hand enthusiastically. "Emphasis on the adorable!"

"Well, the Abyssian are very affectionate but they're driven by agenda so you'll have to think carefully if you want that one," the worker suggested, directing the girls to one case. There was two kittens together, napping on top of each other.

"Aw~" Jinju cooed, giggling. "Well, they fit the adorable part."

"There's also the American Wirehair. They're quite rare and even-tempered. Plus, they come in a large variety of colors," the worker suggested again, directing them to a nearby case.

"These are adorable too," Miyoung squealed. 

"A Manx will suit you better. No tail to step on and they have a bunny-like hop," she suggested, pointing out a large display case where, indeed, a large number of kittens were rolling about without a tail.

"Umma you're a genius!" Miyoung decided, running over. "They're all so adorable and I can't even-"

"Pick one already Maknae," Jinju urged, giving her a knowing look. 

"Oh but I can't," Miyoung whined. 

"We'll leave you here for now. Pick one," she ordered, turning to the worker. "For her-" She tilted her head towards Jinju. "-an active cat."

"How about a Turkish Angora? They're active, curious, and come in a variety of colors," the worker suggested, pointing out a case.

"What kind of fur are they?" Jinju questioned, looking at the kittens with interest.

"They're longhair felines if that's what you're asking," the worker answered.

"That's a lot more work...any shorthairs you can suggest?" Jinju asked, interest partially lost.

"There's also the Egyptian Mau. They're very active and they're shorthairs," the worker pointed out, directing them to another case where two near-identical kittens were playing.

"Any other patterns?" Jinju asked, giggling affectionately at their 'fight.'

"If you want a variety, Ocicat's are a better choice. They're known to be outgoing and have 12 colors officially," she spoke up, nudging her head at the case next to them. 

"Aw they're perfect!" Jinju squealed, immediately getting into picking one.

"You might as well do my job," the worker half-complained with amusement.

"I wanted a cat before so I did my research," she admitted modestly. 

"And you didn't get one because...?" the worker carefully questioned.

"Umma's allergic. I'm on my own now though so there's nothing stopping me," she answered simply.

"Oh," the male stated shortly. 

"Umma! I chose one!" a familiar voice shouted, calling the female and male worker over. Miyoung's eyes shined as she pointed out a cat in the corner, grooming himself.

"I want him," she squealed, cooing over his 'adorableness.'

"We'll get the paperwork to you right away," the worker promised.

"Umma! I chose this one!" Jinju declared, pointing at one of the kittens enraptured in a play-fight with another kitten.

"I'll go fill out the basic paperwork," she informed the two girls who gave her a wave of acknowledgment.

"They trust you a lot," the male pointed out with a chuckle as the duo walked to the counter.

"I suppose," she agreed noncommitally. 

"I'm Kim Kibum by the way," the male introduced, pulling out three packets of necessary papers. "You should meet my cat Jonghyun; he's an adorable Singapura."

"Choi Sooyeon," the female returned, producing a pen out of her handbag and filling the papers out right away. "You better not be flirting."

He laughed.

"I have a feeling this will be a beautiful friendship."

-oOo-

"Your cat's adorable Umma," Miyoung complimented, reaching over to pet him. 

"He'll scra-"

"Ow!" Miyoung complained as the Russian Blue yowled.

"He's still skittish. You shouldn't approach kittens so rashly when they're nervous like that," she advised, clucking her tongue as she got up.

"You're a poop!" Miyoung shouted at the kitten, pointing an accusing - bleeding - finger at the feline who hissed in return.

"His name is Zitao," she reminded, handing Miyoung a small first-aid kit and taking a seat by said 'poop' feline. 

"Minho's better!" Miyoung declared, pouting as she gathered her own kitten in her arms and disrupted his nap.

"What? No way Maknae! Changmin's the best!" Jinju spoke up, pointing at the kitten who had found the curtains a nice scratching post. 

"Tell Changmin to get off my curtains," she ordered, casting a dirty look at the energetic Ocicat. She looked to the two other females. "You two should get going too. It's better to familiarize your cats with their new homes and territories immediately."

"Alright," Miyoung and Jinju chorused, leaving with their kittens. The door shut behind them. 

"Finally," she muttered, sighing. She glanced inside her living room and at the clock - 4:33PM - too early for dinner and too late for lunch. She looked for another distraction, her eyes catching on the book she had left on the counter that morning. She brightened slightly, picking up the volume and taking a seat on the couch. She let Zitao explore, not really paying him much mind as she read, engrossed in the story.

It was only when she heard crashes coming from her bedroom that she put down her book, faithfully finishing the paragraph and memorizing the page number before going to see what had happened.

What she saw surprised her but also did not. The white curtains that normally hung around the window had fallen, knocking down a few of the potted plants she kept on the window sill. Her bed, just under the window, was now covered in dirt from the pots, sheets messed up. The pencils and pens neatly placed on her desk, beside her bed, were scattered and the lamp that sat on top of her desk normally had fallen straight into the trashcan right next to her desk. Her books on the bookshelves that lined the room were, luckily, untouched but the dolls on top of her dresser had all been knocked aside and a few of the drawers opened and clothes tossed about.

Her kitten sat on her desk, a few pens and pencils between his paws. She turned to him, giving him an accusing glance.

"Only been here a few minutes and already a mess," she muttered to herself mostly as she stepped closer. She raised a hand and was surprised - fully this time - when Zitao flinched.

She blinked and cautiously put a hand on his head. She petted him absentmindedly, taking in the full extent of the damage. A purr from her under her hand startled her, grabbing her attention once again. She looked down at the kitten, unable to hold back the sudden giggle that bubbled out from . 

"Aren't you a little bundle of trouble," she cooed, picking up the feline and placing a light kiss on his startled head. She walked to the living room, pulling out a few toys and tossing them randomly on the carpet as she let Zitao down. Immediately, his attention was taken by a small cloth mouse with a small bell around its neck and he pounced on it. 

Meanwhile, she went back into her bedroom, first systematically refolding all her clothes and putting them back in the drawers. She wiped off the top of her dresser and placed the dolls back in order. She picked the lamp out from the trashcan and placed it where it belonged and picked up the pens and pencils that had rolled all over the carpeted floor. A familiar furry friend rolled a few pens and pencils over and smiling, she pet him for a second in thanks before picking them up. She straightened them out in the pen holder as Zitao jumped lithely up from her chair and onto the desk. She kissed his forehead, giving him another smile before moving onto the biggest mess.

She straightened the pots back onto the window sill then picked up the curtains where, luckily, most of the dirt laid on top of. With careful movements, she scooped up most of the dirt and maneuvered it back into the pots then tossed the curtains into the laundry basket soon followed by her sheets. She vacuumed any remaining dirt on her bed and floor, startling Zitao who stared at her with accusing eyes. Then, she stuck the curtains in the washing machine and took out another set of sheets; she had been meaning to change them anyway. 

By the time most of the cleaning was taken care of, it was well into dinnertime.

She opened the fridge, checking its contents. Fish. She cooked. She ate, giving half of the fish to Zitao who happily ate it. She half-cringed and half-laughed at his messy eating habits and grabbed him, wiping his mouth with a wet wipe. He yowled and struggled but she was firm and once he was free, he threw her a glare.

She stayed up a bit longer, reading while Zitao played around the house. She  Animal Planet for the feline and was amused to find him enraptured by the report on African wildlife that was playing. 

She turned in early for the night, climbing into her bed and reaching for the lamp when a soft mewl broke her thoughts. Zitao. She reached a hand out and pulled the feline up to her bed, coaxing him to sleep on her pillow; she never used it anyways and often pushed it aside but now she had a use for it. He headbutted her hand for a few minutes of petting and purring before her cheek in affection and curling up to sleep.

Maybe it wasn't so bad to open the door.

-oOo-

"Maybe I should have rethought all of this," Jinju sighed, scratching her head. She had literally just brought Changmin into her home when he had gone bananas. He was more work than she expected and she was lazy darnit. 

Already, she had to clean the living room, kitchen, and bedroom-

CRASH!

-and bathroom. 

"For the love of," she muttered, trying not to curse. What did pet shops feed kittens nowadays? Deciding not to procrastinate - quite unlike the usual - she immediately got to work, cleaning the fallen curtains, the knocked over plants, the dropped books, the thrown-randomly remotes, the clattering pots, pans, etc., the box of cereal on the floor, the lamp in the trashcan, the dolls on the shelves, the water on the floor, and the soap in the toilet. (She didn't even want to know how Changmin had done all that in a matter of minutes.)

CLATTER!

Her anger boiled over and she cornered the feline finally in the kitchen.

"Now you listen here Changmin! This is not your playground and you better settle down because I freaking hate cleaning and you're even worse than my little sister who's the devil incarnate," she half-screamed, catching the full attention of the feline. Later, she would wonder how the feline knew she was talking to him when he was a feline and she knew enough about cats to say they didn't listen to anyone, but at the moment, she was freaking angry. "You do not knock things over and you do not get in the food or destroy things! Do you understand me?!" 

The feline "meow"-ed and with a flick of his tail, walked away. 

"Changmin!" she fumed, chasing after him. She slipped, landing on her behind just as the cat jumped up on the kitchen table, looking down at her condenscendingly. Was that a freaking smirk? 

She scowled. Maybe she should have taken Umma a bit more seriously...Too late for that now. Umma would lecture her more for abandoning the kitten at a shelter and for not "considering my words before" and all that annoying stuff. She sighed, catching sight of him once more.

"Changmin no-"

She scowled once more, groaning into her hands. 

She reconsidered abandoning the kitten and getting lectured. She glanced at the phone on the table and could already hear the nagging. 

Never mind.

First things first then, teach Changmin to use the litter box.

Time to ask the internet.

-oOo-

She knew it was a good idea to get the kitten as soon as she laid eyes on him. 

"Minho," she cooed, petting him under the chin. She was going to spoil him rotten she could already tell and so could Umma and Yeobo (Jinju) judging by the knowing looks/warnings the two had passed onto her. 

The feline purred under her touch and she giggled. He was adorable. He wasn't warming up to her immediately but that was ok. He would warm up to her eventually she was sure and if all else failed, she could refer to Umma or Yeobo or the internet - they always had the answers.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, feeling rather hungry herself. He "meow"-ed in response and beaming, she got up. 

"What should we eat?" she questioned aloud, looking at Minho as if he could give her an answer. He stared back at her soundlessly but she didn't need an answer and before long, she had a few sausages on the pan and rice in the cooker. 

"What do cats eat?" she realized, blinking. She turned to Minho and wondered if trial and error would work but she decided that wasn't a good idea. And as she knew she would, she turned to the internet. 

-oOo-

Over the next few months, she found herself in a comfortable schedule.

Her mornings were slow, lazy even. She woke up with the sun most days, simply out of habit, and she'd run a round of laundry - either the whites, lights, or darks. Then, she'd prepare breakfast - something simple usually - before waking up Zitao. He was always easy-to-please in the mornings and oddly very indulgent too, always pawing for another pet on the head or minute in bed, but a good kiss on the head and call of his name would usually rouse him from bed.

Then, she would spend a few hours alone in her room, doing her job as an author, online newspaper advice columnist, and the occasional online tutoring job or some other small part-time job. After would be lunch, something more filling, before Miyoung would drop off Minho and Jinju would drop off Changmin for their own jobs - a video game tester plus movie reviewer and chef plus chocolate tester respectively. The three cats were quiet and stayed out of trouble, earning the jealousy of one certain cat owner. ("How'd you get Changmin to stay so calm?! He doesn't go five seconds without messing something up at my house!")

During that time, she would fold the laundry and run any miscellaneous errands or settle any appointments, giving Zitao a kiss on the head and reminder to be good before she left, before settling down with a good book on the couch. She would play Animal Planet for the felines who oddly were enraptured by the reports and petted them absentmindedly when they were nearby. Then, Miyoung and Jinju would come home for dinner, the three girls, sometimes just two, collaborating on whatever they felt like eating although there were plenty of days where she would cook for them alone; she had the shortest and easiest job of the group. After a good meal with the occasional dessert, Miyoung and Jinju would leave, taking Minho and Changmin with them. 

Afterwards, Zitao curled up in her lap, purring as she would read and pet him or brush his fur, or he would grimace with the occasional bath or dental care or some other health-related thing. However, he was so easy to spoil and his anger was easily disippated with a good cuddling session. Soon afterwards, they would tuck in for the night, the feline settling beside her; her pillow had been abandoned by the feline to curl up beside her instead.

Zitao was somewhat unusual for a cat. He was not haughty and trailed after her like a puppy. He was well-behaved and flinched when he did cause a mess, as if expecting some kind of punishment. He was easily pleased and loved to cuddle, always curling beside her on the couch. He was surprisingly protective and clingy, but she found it endearing.

(Kim Kibum, the pet store worker, and she were texting buddies, often sending each other adorable pictures of their respective kittens, and throughout the day, she fiddled with her phone except for the period between breakfast and lunch when she was devoted entirely to her job. He had visited once and Zitao had thrown such a fit that Kibum had joked she would never get married.)

It was a bit repetitive but it made her happy - content even. She hadn't realized how much she yearned for companionship until then or how comforting it was - human, feline, or otherwise.

Zitao her hand then, breaking her train of thoughts, and she petted him, placing a light kiss on his forehead before she and her companion fell asleep.

-oOo-

Her friends had once sat down together and discussed her...in front of her of course, no gossip to be heard of. They looked towards her for input once, twice, and that was all; they knew she didn't really care too much about how they characterized her. One of the traits that had come up was 'unreasonable reasonability.' She had pointed out it was a contradicting term and most likely not quite real but they went into the specifics for her patiently, patiently for them anyways.

"You're reasonable when you shouldn't be," Jinju had huffed, crossing her arms. 

"Maybe it should be something like irrational rationality?" Miyoung had suggested, frowning. 

"Either way, there are time when any other sane human being would do one thing and you seem to refuse to do that," Jinju had explained, Miyoung chorusing her with a "Exactly!" that made the entire café turn to look at them. 

She shrugged then and the two continued on with their conversation, trying to characterize her.

Perhaps that was what Jinju and Miyoung were talking about when she awoke the next morning. 

She was in bed with a male.

She was in bed with a  male.

She was in bed with a male she had no recollection of. 

For a moment, she froze, shut down on herself for a bit before she in a breath and examined her surroundings. She was dressed. She was in her room. Male had collar - the blue collar that she had gotten for Zitao - and had ears - cat ears. Cat. Zitao.

"Zitao," she whispered, watching the male for his reaction. He lazily opened a eye, made a cat-like growl, and went back to sleep.

His eye was blue - like Zitao's. He was wearing a blue collar - like Zitao's. He answered...to Zitao.

Her 'reasonability' was turning to shambles.

Sources: 01