"Hyung?" Minseok feels an insistent tug at his hand. "What's 'Valentine's'?"

"Hm?" he hums distractedly in response, scanning the dairy section for his companion's favourite kind of milk. When Minseok wandered into the kitchen that morning, ears still matted down from sleep, he found a note Lu Han had left for him before he went to work.

"Minseokkie~! Sehunnie is out of milk again, will u stop by the store and get him sum more?? thank you!!! ♡♡ :)"

The older catboy spots the muted pink shade of strawberry milk and grabs a quart. It'll be gone by the end of the week, no doubt.

"Hyung, Valentine's." Another tug at his free hand.

"Um." He herds the younger catboy to the self-checkout, grasping for an explanation on the way. "It's a holiday that humans celebrate." Sehun had probably seen the extravagant Valentine's display toward the front of the store, decked out with red and pink hearts and consequentially piquing his interest.

"For what?" The taller one's tail swishes behind him with interest, cat ears perked in innocent curiosity.

"Love." Minseok hesitates.

"Love?"

"Yes, love." He fumbles with the change that flies out of the machine. Why is Sehun asking him, of all people? His cheeks are starting to get rosy – he blushes so easily – and the customers behind them are staring. Minseok doesn't like it when people stare. Their eyes go directly to his ears and tail, making him self-conscious.

"Tell me, what is love?" Sehun asks.

Minseok nearly doubles over, coughing into his fist that's curled around the grimy coins.

"We'll talk about this later, when we get home. Let's go, Sehun."

Sehun gives Minseok his signature frown and follows after him reluctantly. He spares one last glance at the display before they leave, violet irises lingering on the various boxes of chocolates. Minseok has to pull him through the door and out onto the street. They're met with a gust of cold wind that blows their ears back and has their tails wrapping around their legs.

"Brrr," the younger catboy shivers, hunching over and squeezing his arms around his chest. Minseok reaches up and adjusts the boy's scarf so it covers more of his exposed skin. Sehun smiles fondly at him; even the slightest twitch of his lips makes Minseok turn red. Luckily, there isn't much of a difference due to the cold: his cheeks are already flushed.

It's a short walk back to their residence and Minseok is thankful for it. The new grocer just down the block is very convenient for someone that doesn't like to be seen in public. Sehun is still too young to understand Minseok's wariness; he hopes Sehun will never have to understand.

It's when Sehun threads his fingers through Minseok's smaller ones that he feels a little braver. Still small, still vulnerable, but braver.

Once they reach the heated confines of the house, Minseok is able to relax. He places the milk in the fridge, thinks better of it, and pours Sehun a glass before storing it away. He adds a bendy straw and takes it to the catboy, who dropped to the couch as soon as he walked through the door. Sehun thanks him quietly, happily at the strawberry beverage.

"Minseok-hyung, you still haven't told me what love is," Sehun reminds him once his drink is finished.

Minseok sinks down on the couch beside Sehun, folding his hands into his lap. He ponders for a moment.

"Love is . . ." He stops again. How does one explain love when it hasn't been experienced? "Love is when you really like a person."

The younger catboy frowns. "Is that it?" He flicks his tail.

"Yes," Minseok says. "I don't know how to explain it, really." He inclines his head, ears flattening. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I think I get it," Sehun says. He shifts positions, leaning back onto the older boy's lap. "You should pet me."

Minseok makes a disgruntled noise of surprise. "Why?"

"Because I like it when you pet me."

Minseok admits his defeat when he places a hand on Sehun's flat stomach. Sehun typically doesn't like being pet, but Minseok's hands are very soft. Softer than Lu Han's. Whenever Lu Han tries to pet him, even on the head, he ducks away and his tail bristles. He likes Lu Han, but he thinks he may like Minseok more. At least his hands.

Sehun pulls his shirt up for him, letting it bunch around his ribcage. Minseok smoothes his palm over the expanse of milky skin, warm beneath his touch. Sehun's tummy is soft like his hands. Sometimes Minseok wants to curl up there, rest his head against his stomach like a pillow.

Sehun begins to purr as Minseok his belly, nestling his cheek into the older boy's thighs. He falls asleep this way, Minseok's fingertips circling his navel. Minseok can soon feel himself nodding off as well, tipping his head back onto the couch cushions.

The next thing he's conscious of is lips pressed gently to his forehead as Lu Han gathers Minseok up in his arms. He's small, fitting snugly in Lu Han's arms as he carries him to the bedroom. The catboy curls closer, seeking his warmth, lids still heavy with sleep.

"Thanks for going to the store for me today, Minseokkie," Lu Han whispers, laying him beneath the covers.

"Don't try carrying Sehun, he's too big," Minseok mumbles, turning on his side. Though catboys are more petite than their human counterparts, Sehun is tall and gangly. He doesn't want Lu Han to hurt himself.

"What, you want me to just leave him on the couch?" Lu Han chuckles. "I'll go get him, don't worry." He kisses his forehead again and disappears.

The door creaks open minutes later and Minseok cracks an eye open, watching as Sehun sleepwalks toward the bed and collapses next to him. He wraps his arms around the older catboy, burying his face into his neck and slinging a leg over his. Minseok the back of Sehun's neck as he promptly goes back to sleep. It doesn't take long for Minseok to fall back to sleep, either, lulled into a dream-like state by Sehun's even breathing.

The fourteenth arrives without Minseok realizing it. The holiday makes itself known only when Sehun confronts him later that day, hiding something behind his back.

"Minseok-hyung . . . I got you something." He shyly brings his hand before him, holding a heart-shaped box presumably filled with chocolates. He offers it to Minseok.

"What's this?" His tail swishes with curiosity, taking the box and eyeing it with interest.

"Your Valentine's Day present," Sehun says.

"I . . ." A slow thump in his chest. "Sehun." He frowns. "I didn't get you anything . . . I'm sorry." His ears droop, feeling guilty.

"It's okay, hyung. Do you like it?" Sehun asks, his lavender eyes gauging his reaction.

"I do," Minseok says quietly. "Thank you so much." His lips upturn into a smile.

Sehun smiles back, practically beaming.

"I've figured it out, hyung." If sunlight could come from his smile, it would. "Love is making you smile."

Minseok's smile falters for a second, taken aback by the younger's words. When his brain starts working again, he pulls Sehun in for a hug.