Baekhyun let his head loll back and forth on the floor, purring softly as Yifan gently massaged his ankle.  Half his attention was focused on the nightly news; they were reporting on a batch of spoiled cabbage at the local market—the rest was on his owner, who looked exhausted.  Baekhyun knew Yifan worked far too hard; it showed in the lines around his dark eyes, and the crook of his spine when he worked over his normal shifts.  But this was more; it was the third week of ridiculously late nights at the office and Baekhyun was getting worried.  

            The cat frowned slightly, his ears pressing flat against his skull as he wondered what comfort he could offer the human.  Despite having been purchased by Yifan nearly seven months prior, there was still much Baekhyun didn’t know about his soft-spoken master.  Yifan liked to drink his coffee with at least three spoonfuls of sugar and a serving of vanilla creamer.  His feet were cold at night; his hands colder.  He thought fart jokes were hilarious and watched comedy shows almost every night.  He only ate kimchi when he was stressed; he always gave Baekhyun a kiss on the forehead before bed.  Baekhyun knew lots of small, useless things about Yifan, but there were many things he didn’t.

            He didn’t know what the man looked like when he wept.  He didn’t know what Yifan truly loved; didn’t know the sound of his unrestrained laughter like his college friends.  Baekhyun often sat at the door sadly waiting for when his owner would return from his weekly drink nights with Jongdae and Joonmyun.  

            He was a cat.  Cats didn’t get to go out to sit around drinking and catching up.

            He wiggled his toes, trying to silently catch Yifan’s attention.  The man blinked, reaching down to gently grasp one of the wriggling appendages.  "Yes, Baekhyun?”

            The cat frowned delicately, wondering how to word his worries to the man.  ”You work too much.”

            Yifan raised his thick eyebrows, still tugging on Baekhyun’s littlest toe.  ”Do I?”

            Baekhyun huffed, turning his head away from the curious gaze of his owner, back to his upside-down view of the television.  ”Yeah.  You’re getting wrinkles.”

            Making a wounded noise, Yifan’s hands flew to his face, prodding at the skin that he worked so hard to keep hydrated and youthful.  ”I am not.”

            "Are too."

            Yifan reached down, prodding the sensitive bottom of Baekhyun’s foot, making him hiss and snatch it back; he curled his legs against his chest, scowling at the man.  Yifan knew he hated being tickled.  ”What’s got you in such a catty mood?”

            "Very funny," Baekhyun grumbled, not amused by the pun.  He rolled up, studying the soft smile on his owner’s face.  "Why do you work so much?"

            Yifan seemed taken aback by the question, reaching his large hands out to draw Baekhyun’s smaller form into his lap.  The cat allowed this, for he liked curling up in Yifan’s long arms.  ”So that we can have a comfortable life, Baekhyunnie.  What’s brought this up, hmm?”

            "You work too hard.  You’re tired."

            "A bit."  Yifan’s smile dimmed as he considered what Baekhyun had said, "are you lonely?  Yixing’s offered to watch you if you don’t want to be alone during the day."

            "I don’t wanna spend my day with that airhead."  Baekhyun said, scowling.  "I want to spend my day with you."

            Yifan coughed to hide his laugh, not wanting to encourage Baekhyun’s attitude towards Yixing, no matter how amusing it was.  ”That’s not very nice.  Yixing likes you a lot.”

            "That’s great."  Baekhyun pressed his nose into Yifan’s warm neck, scenting the human’s familiar smells, comforted by them.  Mumbling into the fabric of his owner’s shirt he added, "he should get his own cat."

            Yifan cupped the back of Baekhyun’s neck, thumbs rubbing against his skin gently.  ”He’s been considering it.  I don’t think he’ll manage to keep one alive if Joonmyun doesn’t help him, though.”

            "Joonmyun helps him with everything; of course he would help take care of Yixing’s cat."  Baekhyun’s right ear twitched violently as Yifan’s soft laugh blew over it, tickling the delicate skin.  "Stop breathing on me you oaf."

            "So sorry."  Yifan pressed his lips together, barely restraining another chuckle.  "I’ll try to breathe less."

            "You spend too much time with Jongdae.  You’re becoming annoying just like him."

            Rubbing his palm across Baekhyun’s calf, Yifan hummed thoughtfully.  Baekhyun watched him through his lashes, admiring the lines of the man’s handsome face—he’d never paid attention to his previous owners like he did Yifan.  He’d never loved someone as much as he did Yifan. 

            Bouncing between families and adoption centers, Baekhyun had started to become convinced that he was the problem.  That he was truly unadoptable.  Something was off in his genetic code, preventing him from making lasting connections.  That had changed when Yifan took him home, though he still found himself wondering at times when the illusion of perfection would shatter.

            "Perhaps I do," Yifan murmured, his fingers tangling gently in Baekhyun’s shaggy hair.  He scratched the cat’s scalp, his eyes drifting back to the news as their conversation peacefully drifted off, Baekhyun not wanting to pursue the familiar argument of Jongdae’s bad influence.  Baekhyun disliked Jongdae because he was snarky and rude, not because he was Yifan’s ex.  Really.

            The cat resumed purring, the warmth in his chest spreading.  Being held by Yifan was better than anything else in the world; no food, toy or plush bed could even hope to compare.  He’d give up every nice thing he’d been bought by his owner to stay in his home and arms.  Thinking of his many toys, Baekhyun lifted his head sharply from where it rested.

            "Do you work because of me?"

            Yifan glanced down, frowning.  ”What?”

            "I mean…" Baekhyun worried his bottom lip, considering this new angle.  "Do…you work hard to provide for me?  Am I a burden on your living expenses?"

            Blinking in shock, Yifan scooted forward on the couch, his hand sliding down to cup the back of Baekhyun’s neck, forcing him to look up.  ”What in the world makes you think that?”

            Pursing his lips, Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest, tail snapping roughly against Yifan’s side.  ”I don’t know.  You…you’ve just been giving me more stuff lately, but your hours picked up, too—”

            Laughing loudly, Yifan squeezed Baekhyun tight against his chest, kissing one of the cat’s wildly flapping ears.  ”Silly cat.”  The man ran his nose across Baekhyun’s cheek to gently kiss the side of his mouth.  ”We have plenty of money and you’re hardly putting a dent in my savings, I assure you.  I’m up for a promotion, Baekhyunnie.  I need to prepare Luhan to take my place and I’m not the most organized man.  It’s been a hassle getting all my files together.”

            Baekhyun’s heart raced in his chest; he tried to focus on what his owner said, but his brain was too frazzled from the traces of warmth left from Yifan’s lips so close to his own.  ”What?”

            "Promotion.  Me."  Yifan squeezed his neck again.  "I was messy at work and it’s caused me a ton of extra effort to switch over.  It’s got nothing to do with you.  I can’t believe you thought that I was…" the man frowned, "hey, I make good money, you know?"

            "Then why do you always make Joonmyun pay when you go out drinking?"

            "Because he makes even better money."  Yifan grinned, "besides, he likes to wave around that stupid black card."

            Baekhyun wasn’t entirely convinced that was true, considering the way Joonmyun grumbled about Yifan and Jongdae’s pricy drinks, but he didn’t contradict Yifan’s statement.  Baekhyun wriggled free of Yifan’s hold on him, settling his legs around the man’s hips, his knees pressing into the couch beneath them.  ”So it’s really not me?”

            "I promise you, Baekhyunnie, it has nothing to do with you."

            Satisfied, Baekhyun draped his arms over Yifan’s shoulders, his tail curling possessively around Yifan’s knee.  ”Then start coming home earlier.  I don’t care about Lu-whoever having trouble adjusting.  I want—” willing down the blush rising in his cheeks, Baekhyun glared at Yifan. “I just…”

            Yifan studied Baekhyun’s expression, finally sighing.  ”I’ll start leaving at seven.”

            ”Six,” Baekhyun insisted, scowling.

            "Six."  Yifan parroted, nodding obediently.  "I swear."

            Baekhyun pressed his nose against Yifan’s throat, relaxing into his owner’s arms as the man switched the channel to his nightly comedy show.  He ignored the chatter on the television, lulled by the soft sound of Yifan’s steadily beating heart.  Relief made him tired, his energy having been run dry fretting over his stupid master.

            “You’re not really getting wrinkles,” he confessed softly, closing his eyes.

            “Good,” Yifan whispered back, sensing that the small body in his arms was about to take one of his many daily naps.  “I’d be sad.”

            Baekhyun snorted, curling his slender fingers around the soft strands of Yifan’s hair as he drifted off.

A/N:  I wasn't planning to post this until monday, but Cminka bothered me so much that I'm gonna just post it early.  I hope you guys enjoy this little drabble.  I'd like to revist this auverse someday, but for now, this is complete!