Jaebum blinks lazily as he stares out the window at the snow swirling in the wind, his deep, even breathing the only sound in the house. The sun is just starting to peek out from the horizon and his alarm isn't set to ring for another twenty minutes, but Jaebum has been awake for a while already. It's been just over a year since he's had to wake up early to get Youngjae ready for school, but the habit has stayed with him after having done it for so many years. He turns on his side, staring at the two framed photos sitting on his bedside table–the old one of his parents, himself and Youngjae, and the recent one of himself, Youngjae and Jackson after his brother's graduation ceremony–feeling truly alone for the first time. Youngjae's back in Australia after visiting for winter break and Jackson just left for a three week training trip in California, his last hurrah before he retires from fencing. For ten years, Jaebum has been too busy trying to ensure the survival of himself and his younger brother to really care about not having any friends, and Jackson is lively enough for thee people, but with them both out of the house, Jaebum is free to realise what a lonely man he is. Jackson called him on it before they started going out, but it's just biting him in the now.

Bzzzt!

Jaebum blinks in surprise as his phone buzzes right beside him on the bed. Youngjae should still be asleep, Jackson should be in the middle of training, and he's got a blanket block on spam numbers. Who else could be calling him, much less at this hour? Reaching for his phone, Jaebum sees that it's a call from Yugyeom, one of his previous coworkers. He's surprised the younger man still has his number, considering the fact that they haven't spoken to each other since Jaebum got fired.

"Hello?" Jaebum answers, confusing lacing his voice.

"Hello, Jaebum-hyung, it's me, Yugyeom," the younger man sounds stressed. "I'm sorry for calling so early and I apologise in advance for what I'm about to ask you at the last minute, but you're the only one I could think of who might be able to help me."

"Okay," Jaebum says hesitantly as he sits up in bed.

"My friend has been looking for a permanent home for some kittens that her cat recently gave birth to, and I said I'd look after one in the meantime, make things a bit easier for her, but I got a call late last night–there's been a family emergency and I've got to head out of Seoul as soon as possible. I don't know how long I'll be gone and none of the animal care places will be open for hours, so could I please ask you to take care of it for me?" Yugyeom pleads.

"What?" Jaebum blinks.

"You're the only person I know who's up at this hour, and your house isn't far from mine," Yugyeom quickly adds.

"Why can't you just give it back to your friend?" Jaebum frowns.

"Well, perhaps I could, but..." Yugyeom trails off.

Jaebum raises an eyebrow as he waits for him to continue. "But?"

"Hyung, please."

"Oh, I see. You don't want to disappoint your friend after you managed to impress her."

"Something like that," Yugyeom mumbles.

Jaebum chuckles despite himself, "Alright, I'll watch the cat while you're gone."

"Thank you so much, Jaebum-hyung! I promise I'll bring back something for you from my home town," Yugyeom beams through the phone. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Jaebum frowns. "It takes about twenty minutes to get–" Yugyeom hangs up on him. "Ahhh, you wily little punk," Jaebum sighs, shaking his head.

Jaebum turns off the alarm set on his phone before he throws off his covers and slinks out of bed. He wraps himself up in one of Jackson's hoodies and then pads off to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face before he starts on breakfast. The water for his tea doesn't even have time to boil before his doorbell is ringing.

"Jaebum-hyung, sorry again for the last minute request," Yugyeom greets him when he opens the door. He's laden with a large paper bag in one hand while he has a rectangular shaped object covered with a yellow blanket is tucked under his other arm. The pallor of his face makes the flush from the cold stand out all the more.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Jaebum waves a hand. The younger man looks so beaten down that Jaebum can't help but feel sorry for him–plus, he's still got that family emergency to deal with.

"I've brought all the cat food and treats that I had on me at the time, should last about a week," Yugyeom says as he hands over the paper bag. "I also put her food and water bowls in there."

"Right," Jaebum nods as he steadies the bag in his hands; it's even heavier than it looks.

"She's not very fussy and doesn't freak out if she's left alone, so you shouldn't have a hard time with her." Jaebum sets the paper bag down on the floor before he takes the rectangular object–a cage–from Yugyeom. "Thanks again, hyung. I'll call you when I'm coming back to Seoul," Yugyeom bows before he turns and jogs away from the house, heading towards a taxi.

"Yeah, bye," Jaebum flashes a wave at the younger man's retreating figure.

Back inside the house, he removes the blanket from the cage and takes a look at his new house guest. She's a small, bundle of fur–white, save for her ears and paws–lying curled up on her side. For a long moment, Jaebum just watches her doze, a fond smile forming on his face as her paws shift and her ears twitch.

Beep beep!

Jaebum huffs out a sigh as his watch tells him that he needs to start getting ready for work.

"My apologies," he whispers to the sleeping bundle inside the cage, "but I'll have to be leaving soon."

Jaebum carefully rests the cage on the living room floor before he get the two plastic bowls out of the paper bag. The bowls are so small that there doesn't seem to be much food and water in them even after Jaebum fills them to the brim. He bites his lip, worrying that it might not be enough and she'll go hungry or get dehydrated–if the house doesn't catch fire and burn down first.

"God damn it," Jaebum groans, his hands buried in his hair.

An hour later, he's sitting in a taxi on the way to the coffee shop, metal cage digging into his legs as his house guest continues to slumber peacefully. He can only hope that his boss will be understanding of his situation and let Jaebum keep the cat in the break room.

"Good morning, Jaebu–Hey, what's that you've got there?" Jaebum is greeted by Jimin, the lively young part timer who reminds him of both Youngjae and Jackson.

"I'll tell you in a minute, first I have to talk to Wooyoung-hyung," Jaebum grunts as he ambles behind the counter and heads for the boss's room. His hands full, Jaebum knocks on the door with his forehead.

"Come in," comes Wooyoung's slightly muffled voice, accompanied by the faint clacking of keyboard keys.

"Uh," Jaebum dumbly blinks at the doorknob.

"I got you," Jimin winks as she opens the door for him.

"Thanks," Jaebum nods.

Inside the office, Wooyoung is working on some kind of document on his computer, probably tax reports for the end of the quarter.

"What is it?" He frowns, his gaze fixed on the screen.

"Sir, I'd like to ask a favour," Jaebum starts.

"Sir?" Wooyoung an eyebrow, finally looking away from his computer. "What the hell is that?" His other eyebrow joins the first.

"In a nutshell, a family emergency has left me in charge of this cat for a few days. She's too young to be left alone, and there's no one else that I could leave her with. Would it be alright if I kept her in the break room? I promise I'll keep her away from all food and drink," Jaebum bows slightly, an awkward feat with a cat cage and large paper bag in his hands.

Wooyoung slowly releases a breath through his teeth. "You're lucky it's Friday. I'll let this go for today–only today–and you can use the weekend to come up with alternative arrangements if the emergency is still on."

Relief flows through Jaebum's body. "Thank you, sir," he bows again.

"Don't call me that," Wooyoung shivers slightly.

"Right, sorry, hyung. And thanks," Jaebum backs out of the room.

"Yeah, yeah," Wooyoung mutters, turning his attention to his computer once more.

"Phew, we lucked out today," Jaebum says softly. The cat's left ear twitches, her only reaction to his words.

"It's been a minute, tell me the story," Jimin demands, her arms crossed as she leans against the door to the break room.

"A friend had a family emergency and had to leave Seoul this morning, so he left the cat with me since he couldn't take her with him."

Jimin nods, then she holds the door open for Jaebum. He can't help but groan in relief as he rests the cage and bag on the table, freeing his tired arms.

"Oh my God, she's gorgeous," Jimin coos as she all but presses her face into the cage. "What's her name?"

Jaebum blinks. "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Jimin shoots him an incredulous look over her shoulder.
"Didn't your friend give her one?"

"Not that I know of," Jaebum shrugs.

"We should give her one, then!" Jimin grins broadly, so reminiscent of Jackson that Jaebum can't believe the two of them aren't related to each other.

Jaebum rolls his eyes even as a fond smile makes his lips curl up. "We're here to work," he holds her by the shoulders and spins her towards the door. "Let's go earn our supper," he pushes her back lightly, leading her back to the front of the store.

"Boo," Jimin pouts, but she lets herself be moved.

The cat ends up sleeping for pretty much the whole day, but that doesn't stop Jaebum from making frequent trips to the break room–under the guise of checking stock–to ensure that she's not hungry or cold or in pain. From the smirk that reaches her face ever time he ducks around back, Jimin sees through his excuse.

"Sarang is my suggestion for a name, but tell me what you decide on," she chirps when her shift is over. "Happy Friday!" She salutes before she heads off to class.

"Oi, Jaebum, what's a cat doing in the break room?" Mino asks in his booming baritone as he emerges from the back, changed and ready to start his shift. Jaebum heaves a sigh, tired of telling this story.

Jaebum is hit by a wave of relief when his watch reads 8:03–he can finally head home. Although nothing happened, having the cat at work was almost as stressful for him as leaving it at home would've been.

"Have a good weekend, Jaebum. And remember, I don't want to see that cat come Monday morning," Wooyoung reminds Jaebum as he's packing up.

"Yes, hyung," Jaebum nods.

He hails another taxi to get home, wincing as he mentally calculates how much money he's spent on transportation today. It's in no way a budget killer now the way it would've been a year ago, but Jaebum has spent too many years living frugally not to have a reaction. As the lights of the city blur into a haze of colour, Jaebum rests his head against the window and lets himself doze off.

"Meow."

Jaebum sits up, blinking in surprise. The furry bundle in the cage is moving at last, pawing at the bottom of the cage. Her eyes open and Jaebum finds himself captured in aquamarine.

"Meow," she whines pitifully, pleading for food or water or attention–possibly all of the above.

Jaebum's heart melts in his chest. "Oh, sweetie, what's wrong?" Her only response is to blink at him, as if he should know the answer to that question. "Stupid question, you're probably famished and dehydrated; you haven't eaten or had water since God knows when," Jaebum sticks his index finger through a slot in the cage, tentatively the soft fur covering her paws.

"Don't worry, we'll be home soon and then you can have whatever you want," Jaebum whispers soothingly, shifting his finger so he can scratch under her chin. Her eyes shut as a purr escapes .

The first thing Jaebum does when they get home is to refill her food and water bowls and let her have her fill. She quickly gobbles the food but doesn't eat as much as Jaebum expected.

"Are you on a diet?" He murmurs with humour, his fingers gently scratching the back of her neck.

Jaebum half expects her to curl up and sleep after she's finished eating, but she surprises him by crawling up his leg–which her lets her do even though her tiny claws poke through his clothes and prick his skin–and resting her head on his stomach. Jaebum smiles fondly, bringing her into his arms as he goes to look about his own dinner.

"Ahhh, woah, careful there," Jaebum winces as she clambers up his arm, onto his shoulder. "Never seen a kitchen before?" Jaebum chuckles, watching as her big blue eyes intently scan the kitchen from corner to corner. "You can look but no exploring; we wouldn't want you to fall in a pot and get boiled alive...Maybe I should put you back in your cage," Jaebum chews his lower lip.

For all his concern, he just gets swiped at by tiny paws when he tries to put her back inside the cage.

"Hey...you, this is for your own safety! And I guess you do need a name," Jaebum grumbles as he tries to keep hold of the squirming bundle in his hands. "This is the most you've moved all day, I honestly didn't think you would have so much energy."

He's being careful not to hurt her by accident, but she has no such reservations. When she inevitably slips out of Jaebum's grasp, she heads for the sofa, slowly but steadily climbing her way to the top. Seating herself on the arm of the sofa, she shoots a look at Jaebum that he figures is supposed to be a defiant scowl.

"Alright, fair enough, you've spent all day in the cage without a fuss," Jaebum sighs, holding up his hands in resignation. "Guess I'll have to order food, spend more money," he mutters, pulling his phone out of his pocket and bringing up the number for the chicken place that Jackson loves.

He turns on the television and makes himself comfortable on the sofa as he waits for his food to arrive. The cat scuttles to the opposite side of the sofa, where she hunches down, her big eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"No cage, okay? You win." Jaebum holds out his hands. She blinks, unmoving. "I won't even keep it in the room, then," Jaebum gets up to move the cage to his bedroom. "There, happy now?"

She doesn't climb into his lap when he retakes his seat, but she doesn't try to get away when he picks her up and holds her to his chest.

"Ahhh, you really can be troublesome when the mood strikes you," Jaebum sighs as he her cheek. "I've come up with a name for you–Nora, after the little sister I thought Youngjae was going to be. Do you like it?" He murmurs.

"Meow," she headbutts his chest.

Jaebum takes that as confirmation. After the food arrives, he continues with his evening routine–watch the news, eat dinner, tidy up the house, bathe–sans Youngjae and Jackson, but for the first time since they both left, he doesn't feel alone.




"Mfft?" Jaebum blinks in confusion as he's suddenly jolted awake. He's sitting up in bed, his back against the wall as Nora slumbers in his lap. A book is lies sprawled on the floor and the lights are still on; a tingle of pain hits his eyes every time he blinks. He reaches for his phone to check the time and he realises that he was awoken by a LINE notification; it's from Jackson.


hey how you faring on your own? i'm still jetlagged as


Jaebum can't help but chuckle at the other man's message. Although his body feels like lead and he can barely keep his eyes open, Jaebum takes a photo of himself flashing the peace sign and sends it off with the caption 'surviving ^^'

In the time it takes Jaebum to ease out of bed and turn off the lights, Jackson sends him five more messages.


those dark circles...

-crying panda sticker-

what's that on your lap?

is that a cat?

did you get a pet while I was gone???


Jaebum sighs in contentment as he nestles back into bed, Nora warming his chest. The lighting is terrible, but Jaebum snaps a picture of her and sends it off to Jackson. It only takes a few seconds for his replies to flood the chat.


omggggg you did!!

jesus dude it's only been three days

your empy nest syndrome is even worse than I thought

I can barely see him/her but he/she looks like a cutie

did you name him/her yet?

are you still awake? I just realised that it's o'clock in the morning in Korea :p


If Jaebum had lacked for company that day, he would probably try harder to stay awake. Just before he drifts off again, he sends Jackson a few replies of his own.


Yeah it's super early/late and I'm fading

Say empty nest one more time and I will appear in cali and slap you

Her name is Nora and she's lovely




The sun is high in the sky when Jaebum wakes up the next morning. He turns onto his stomach to block out the light and steal a few more minutes of sleep. He gets a few more seconds before his brain catches up with his body.

"Gah!" He jumps up, staring at the sheets in dismay. Fortunately, there isn't a squished cat beneath him. Unfortunately, that means he has no idea where she could have gotten.

"Nora?" Jaebum runs his hands over the folds in the covers.

"Meow."

Jaebum's head swivels in the direction of the window, where he finds Nora perched, pawing at the glass.

"Oh, thank God," Jaebum sighs with relief as he holds Nora in his arms. The ear that's pressed to his chest twitches, as if she can hear the thumping of his heart.

Bzzzt!

Jaebum searches the bed for his phone, but he ends up finding it lying on the floor, next to his book. It's a text from Yugyeom.'Good news, I should be back in Seoul by Monday evening, so you'll only have to watch the cat for a couple more days. Thanks again for helping me out on such short notice.'

Jaebum doesn't hesitate before he dials the younger man's number.

"Hyung?"

"Actually, I'd like to keep her–be that permanent home."

"Really? After just one day?"

"Yeah," Jaebum nods, smiling as Nora cranes her neck to see the snowfall outside. "I already can't imagine life without her."