Soon, a pattern develops.

Cat b-- Kai goes out of his way to make sure Kris bumps into him almost every step in Kris’ early morning routine: he waits outside of the bathroom, meowing; he watches Kris shave, standing in the doorway, and looking as if he doesn’t know if he wants to go in; he watches Kris eat a granola bar for breakfast and reaches for a piece when Kris takes a break.

Because he’s still not sure he wants anything to do with this alien, Kris has started to ignore Kai, as much as one can ignore one hundred and eighty centimeters of cat boy. But it’s hard because even with his little jingle, Kai still sneaks up on him and tries to press himself into Kris’ hand when Kris holds it over the side of the couch.

For a few days, Kai tries to get Kris’ attention in all the ways he can, and by the weekend, when he’s finally pulled away and taken to holing himself up in the room, Kris thinks he can finally rest. Kai has given up on his mission to get Kris’ attention and that’s all Kris has ever wanted. Things can finally be a little normal around here.

Kris has never been so wrong.

On Saturday, he comes home from the market (because he is going to learn how to cook goddammit) to find his entire apartment has been trashed. He almost breaks the eggs in his haste to put his bags down. The rest of the cushions Kai hadn’t destroyed the last time are now completely in pieces, cushion fluff spilling out everywhere. No lamps are knocked over this time, no glass is on the floor. His living room couch is tilted forward, pulled away from the wall, and there are claw marks in the drywall near the tv. What the ? How the hell is he supposed to fix this?

He finds Kai in the bedroom, glaring at him again from the bed. This scene is so familiar Kris can’t muster up the energy to be angry but he still tries.

“What the hell is your problem?” You is implied by his tone.

Kai grumbles and turns away from Kris, facing the wall. His tail is wrapped tightly around his waist, his ears flat against his hair. He doesn’t even look over when Kris is right next to him, staring him down.

“I’m serious, Kai. You can’t keep doing these things. My apartment isn’t a ing dump. Don’t--” He gestures to his apartment. “You can’t do whatever you want.”

It is entirely unsatisfying to yell at someone who doesn’t even understand why you’re yelling at them  
and therefore can’t yell back.

Kris glares at Kai, keeping his eyes on the side of Kai’s face, and then walks away a few minutes later, not knowing what else to do. After his newly bought produce has been put away, he cleans up his living room, finally throwing out the last of the cushions, and rights the couch again. The leather is cool and gives under his body, shaping to fit the curve of his back.

God, this is ing exhausting. So far his notes on Kai are entirely about food and his eating behaviors. He doesn’t like cat food, cat treats, or even fish. His favorite foods seem to be “whatever Kris is currently eating” and he almost stuck his entire hand in Kris’ soup a couple of nights ago because he was so taken with it.

Chanyeol hasn’t bothered him about Kai yet. Kris hears he’s too invested in another project and hasn’t even been seen for more than two days, stuck in his lab. It’s only a matter of time before Chanyeol wants to know what Kris has found out.

He’s about to send Chanyeol a message asking him if he’s still alive when Kai creeps out of his bedroom. He jingles all the way to the couch, walking slowly, and pauses just beyond Kris’ reach.

Kris watches him. Kai has been wearing those clothes for a few days now. Assuming Kai sweats as much as a regular human does, there isn’t much time before Kai starts smelling like that petshop, and then what the hell is Kris supposed to do? Wash him?

Wash... Kai, and almost glowing, pouting as Kris works a soapy sponge down the smooth canvas of his back. No, he’s a cat, right? Don’t cats hate water? Kai splashing as Kris tries to wash him. Water soaks through Kris’ t-shirt and then Kai pulls him into the tub, shoving Kris to his chest and happily meowing even if they both don’t really fit in the tub--

Pressure on Kris’ knee makes him look up. Kai rests his chin there, looking up at Kris, his knees on the floor. He looks almost a little sad when he sweeps his eyes along the newly cleaned living room and then turns back to Kris, ears forward. He meows. It sounds like an apology.

Kris sighs, shoulders drooping, and then holds his arms open, not really knowing what to expect. He hasn’t felt this exasperated since he was still in school taking exams and he just wishes there was a man on alien cat-human care.  

Not sparing a second, Kai lunges at him, not unlike he had on the first night, and hits Kris in the chin with his forehead.

“--” He had almost bitten through his own tongue, this ing cat.

Kai tries to curl up into a ball on Kris’ lap, but he’s really too big and he doesn’t seem to realize this, position and repositioning his body. Kris shoves him a little bit, just so Kai is sitting next to him on the couch, and Kai flops his head to the left, his head now on Kris’ thigh.

Kris ignores him and he trashes the apartment. Kris makes one move to pet Kai and suddenly Kai is all over him, rolling over on his back, letting Kris see the pretty lines of his neck.

Touch, Kris realizes, slowly moving his hand to rest on Kai’s forehead. He likes to be touched. Maybe he’ll act favorably and not ruin Kris’ apartment if Kris pays attention to him? But I don’t want to. He’s a menace.

He does look nicer when he’s calmer like this. It wouldn’t hurt Kris, well.... it wouldn’t hurt him much, to test his theory out a little bit.

Kris decides to go through with his experiment. He starts with Kai’s hair, dark and human-like. It easily slides through his fingers and he pulls Kai’s bangs away from his forehead, and then them down again. This is okay, he thinks. This is almost a little easy. It’s like having a giant dog (that’s a cat). Kris has played with dogs before, his grandmother had a giant labrador in the country.

His hand slides too close to one of Kai’s black ears and it twitches; Kai’s half closed eyes open again and he gives Kris a sleepy meow. He hits his head against Kris hand, ear twitching again. Kris thinks he’s finally starting to understand his little kitty language and with I’m doing this for science running through his head, he touches one of Kai’s ears. It twitches and Kai meows again.

Kris imagines he’s being chastised. Stop fooling around and touch me, you damn ape.

This is almost okay if Kris tells himself this is his pet and he’s only doing what pet owners do. Of course, he’s not sure what over pet owners have to deal with their pet’s shirts riding up, displaying their cute, warm, human tummies and spreading their legs ago, as if wanting Kris’ hand to touch him more. Most pet owners, Kris thinks, probably don’t feel pressure dip in their stomach when they trace the lines of their pet, starting at his dark ears and ending where his tail spreads out comfortably behind him.

The ears are safe; the ears are innocent. Kris one between his thumb and index finger, forcing most of his attention on the drama currently playing on the tv, but ignoring the heat in his lap impossible. Without looking down, he from Kai’s cat ears to where his human ears would be if he had them and then glances at the space. Nothing’s there. It’s only skin and it doesn’t seem to be more sensitive than his actual ears. How many years had it taken for his cat ears to develop? How? And why Mars? Why is everything else besides his ears, tail, and means of communication so human?

“I wish you could talk,” murmurs Kris, running his hand up the side of Kai’s head. “My life would be a whole lot easier.”

Kai yawns, his canines peeking out, and closes his eyes, turning on his side. He’s using Kris’ thigh as his pillow.

For science. Kris lifts his hand from Kai’s head and waits.

For a few seconds, he thinks Kai doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, too lost in his drowsiness. But then Kai picks his head up, eyes narrowed, and grumbles, tipping his head up to look where Kris’ hand has gone. He’s almost... a little cute when he rubs his head on Kris’ open hand, seeking his touch, and there is something relaxing in the way his body goes a little limp, eyes falling shut, when Kris returns his hand to his ear and rubs.









When Kris is starting to fall asleep on the couch, he shakes Kai a little to wake him up. Kai startles, meowing, and stretches out, half of his body now in Kris’ lap. The quick flash of skin between his shirt and his pants makes Kris dizzy.

“Come on,” says Kris, pushing at him a little. He’s starting to see double. “It’s time for bed.”

Kai’s jingle follows Kris all the way to his bedroom and then he stands by the door, rubbing his eyes with his fists. He crowds Kris, pressing into his side, and makes a little noise when Kris moves away to get into his bed.

I’m going to regret doing this for the rest of my life. Tomorrow Kris will do something about what he thinks about the most when he finally gives Kai permission into his bed and Kai slides in like he’s been waiting to do this the entire time he’s lived here. It would have been a hell of a lot easier to get Kai situated in a cage the first night, rather than a bed, because he’s a cat, right? But the way he’s against Kris now feels entirely human. He lies between Kris and the wall of his bedroom, stretching himself out on top of the covers and nuzzling the blanket under his nose.

Pets sleep with their owners, right? Kris thinks, turning away from Kai. His bed feels warmer already, so he tries to tell himself this isn’t that bad because it’s like sleeping with a heater. Not safe. Definitely not safe, but what’s the worst that could happen, right?

Eh, he’ll let Tomorrow’s Kris worry about that.








Tomorrow’s Kris, now Today’s Kris, wakes up with a hardness between his legs and Kai’s cute little pressed against him through the covers.

He’s purring in his sleep and Kris can feel it on his .

o-oh my god!!! >/////< THIS IS THE START OF THE HARD THINGS PLEASE TURN BACK AROUND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT!!!!!