Archive of Our Own ^beta

🐾 Minho 🐾

“Minho-yah, can you take this last one back to exam room 3?”

Minho takes the file and steps into the waiting area. He sees a pair of fluffy, orange ears in the second row of chairs facing away from him and steps towards them. “Felix-ssi?” he asks. 

He’s met with a wide, beautiful smile that falters and only weakens a touch when the action reopens his split lip. When a drop of blood touches his chin, he dips his head as he wipes it; a voice that Minho would expect from a lion hybrid rather than this little apparent housecat emanates in an unnecessary apology. 

“Come on back with me, and we’ll get that cleaned up,” Minho tells him gently. He leads him back behind the desk to the exam room, glancing down at his chart again; the hybrid is in for a shelter intake check. Felix follows him inside and waits for instruction. “You can go ahead and sit down, and I’ll take your vitals in a moment.”

To Minho’s surprise, Felix plops down on the ground right by his feet as he signs in on the computer. Big eyes peer up at him, so obviously unaware of what an odd choice it was. Minho resists the urge to pet him between the ears and taps the exam table. “If you don’t want to sit in the chair, you can hop right up on the table.”

“The chair?” Felix asks, looking over at it as if he’s never considered such a thing. “I can sit on the chair?”

Minho nods, trying to keep concern from showing on his face as he happily scampers over into it. While he knows that some hybrids’ families treat them just like their animal pets, even those generally know that they can sit on the furniture when in settings like a doctor’s office, if for no other reason than making it easier on the provider. At his age, Minho is surprised that no one has taught Felix that. 

He snaps on a pair of gloves and pulls a tray with gauze, vaseline, and a few other things in front of him. Tipping Felix’s face up to the light, Minho examines his lip. He cleans up the small smear of blood underneath it and treats the split quickly, before taking Felix’s chin lightly between his thumb and forefinger. Felix moves easily and without question, cheerful expression never waning as he allows Minho to survey the fading bruises marring his otherwise lovely face. 

Nothing else requires immediate attention, so he goes about wrapping the blood pressure cuff and getting all Felix’s vitals down. As he does, Minho casually asks, “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Thermometer in his mouth, Felix opts to simply hum out a negative. For some reason, Minho isn’t sure he believes him. “So, you’re new to your shelter; where were you before?” 

“I live with my family,” Felix says matter-of-factly. “The people at the shelter said I had to come here with them, but I can’t stay there.”

“You can’t?” Minho glances back at his paperwork. There’s nothing to indicate that what he’s saying is wrong or right, but Minho has worked here for a while now, and moreover he knows how things work at this shelter: he is a former resident himself. It’s highly unlikely that the shelter is only bringing him in for a check up before sending him back to his family.

“No, master will be sad if I stay away too long,” Felix says with sad sincerity. “I just needed a little help before I can find them, but I need to get back.” 

“Did the shelter say they’d help you?”

Felix pouts then winces, the action tweaking his lip injury again. “They said they can wait to put me back up for adoption, but they won’t do anything to get me home.”

“I see.” As much as he wants to keep asking questions, Minho knows he needs to move their appointment along. Maybe he can ask the shelter’s employee about Felix after notifying the doctor that he’s ready. He gets out a patient gown and sets it on the exam table. “You can change into this, with no clothes underneath, then wait for Dr. Um up here. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Okay!”

Minho finds Seo Eunkwang chatting with the receptionist. “Eunkwang hyung, can I ask you a question really quick?”

“Of course, Minho-yah. What’s up?”

“The cat hybrid you brought in today, Felix,” Minho starts, watching Eunkwang for any sign of something odd. The sigh he lets out tells Minho that he knows what the answer will be before he asks the question. “Is he a new resident or just passing through on his way back to his family?”

The man gives him a sideways smile. “You know how it is, Minho. We’ll hold him for a week or two max, but then he’ll be up for adoption.”

Minho nods. “How’d he get to you guys?”

“On Friday night a good samaritan dropped him off.” Eunkwang shakes his head at the memory. “He found him getting roughed up by some teens. Felix was a bit dazed, telling us that he was just trying to find his way home. From the sound of it, he was abandoned and is in denial.”

“Poor guy,” Minho says, all too familiar with the situation. “Well, I’ll do my part to help him understand his situation for now. Cat to cat, you know.”

“That’d actually be great,” Eunkwang actually looks a little relieved. “Can you believe we still haven’t gotten any new cat hybrids in the last couple months? I think this is a record.”

He gets back to the exam room as Dr. Um is exiting it. As doctors in the clinic go, she’s a pretty decent one when it comes to treating Minho like a person, but it still rankles him a bit that she only wants him in during her exams if the patient asks for another hybrid in the room, which most don’t realize they’re allowed to do, or if she’s uncomfortable being alone with them for any reason. 

“Minho-ssi, the kitten is ready for discharge, but I wanted to make sure you see my note about a mild concussion,” she says without preamble. “Might be best for them to keep him apart from others while he rests, if he gets too playful. You can set up a follow up yourself next week to ensure he heals up. You know how to test for a concussion, yes?”

“Yes, doctor,” Minho says immediately. He’s a little surprised that she’s saying he can handle the follow up, but he’s not giving her any chance to change her mind. 

His hand is on the door handle when she says, “Oh, and Minho, while I don’t want him too active, remind them I’d recommend he spends some time with another cat. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that grooming and purring together can aid in recovery.”

“Of course, doctor,” Minho nods, though he thinks about Eunkwang saying there aren’t any other cat hybrids at the shelter right now. He enters the room with a smile. “Hi again, Felix, how are you feeling? Dr. Um tells me you might have hurt your head.”

Watching the way his expression turns from sunshine to a drizzle, Minho understands why Dr. Um categorized him as a kitten rather than a cat. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it when you asked if anything hurts. I didn’t know inside hurts count,” Felix explains, and Minho only wants to cry a little bit. 

“That’s okay, Felix-ah. Did you tell Dr. Um about all your inside hurts?”

He shrugs and apologizes again. 

“How about this,” Minho says, opening up the messenger app he uses with the doctors. “Will you tell me about any other inside hurts, then I’ll pass them along to Dr. Um in case she needs to come back.” 

Sunshine returns to the room in the form of his smile, the cloud of his injury barely obscuring it. “Does it count if they aren’t there all the time?”

“Sure, any hurts.”

“Oh! Sometimes my chest feels tight when I’ve been a bad kitty, but if I curl up small, it stops after a while,” Felix says after a moment of thought. “Does that count?”

Minho smiles sadly at his excitement at coming up with something. “Yeah, that counts. I think I’ll go make sure you’re all ready to go. You can get dressed while I’m gone.” 

He heads back to the waiting area after grabbing Felix’s paperwork, finding Eunkwang again. After explaining his condition, Minho makes a decision. “Hyung, the doctor says that it would benefit Felix to have some cat time. He should be my last patient of the day, so maybe I could sign him out for the rest of the day? I know it’s not much but it’s better than nothing.”

“I think that’s a fine idea, Minho-yah,” Eunkwang claps him on the shoulder. “Honestly, you can just take him from here and we can fill out the check out form when you drop him off. Your volunteer status is enough for me anyway.”

That settles it.

Minho collects Felix from the exam room and sits him down between Eunkwang and himself. The older man lays it out for him. “So Felix-ah, you’ve gotten to spend a little time with Minho, here. Would you believe he used to live at the shelter, too?”

“Then you found your family again?” Felix turns hope-filled eyes back to Minho.

Eunkwang and Minho share a look before he answers, “After a while I did find my family, yes. So, because I know what it’s like for you, being new to the shelter, I was hoping we could spend a little more time together. Maybe you can come to my house for dinner, then we can have some special kitty time to help heal you up faster.”

Felix’s excitement is nearly palpable. “Yeah, let’s have kitty time!”

“That settles it,” Eunkwang claps. “Minho will drop you at the shelter later then, and I’ll see you when you get back.”

It’s as easy as that. 

Minho has Felix hang out in the waiting room while he wraps up his shift. The receptionist is a sweet canary hybrid, and she doesn’t mind keeping an eye on him and even chatting while he waits. After grabbing his phone from his locker, he shoots off a message to Chan then another to the family group chat informing them that there’ll be a guest for dinner. On the drive home, Minho asks about Felix’s ‘family.’

“I carried Haeyun over to where Mom and Dad were sitting. Her knee was pretty scratched up from the fall. When they asked what happened, she told them about how she tried to follow me,” Felix explained. 

“Okay, but did she tell them that you asked her to wait for you because it was dangerous?” Minho asked, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

He could see Felix shake his head no before answering. “You know how kids are, they forget. So then, Dad scooped her up and told me to wait for them by the tree. After a while, I realized they must’ve decided to take Haeyon to get treated instead of just using the car first aid kit.”

“How long is a while?”

“Oh, I don’t wear a watch or anything,” Felix giggles. “But I’d guess it was an hour or so. I thought they’d come back for me when she was all fixed up, but I guess they forgot. After a few hours, I tried walking home.”

Minho sighs as he pulls into his driveway. “Is that when you got attacked?” He asks.

“Oh!” Felix finally sounds a little concerned. “You know about that?”

“Yeah, Eunkwang hyung told me,” Minho tells him. He turns to face the younger man, patting his thigh. “You don’t have to talk about that part unless you want to.” He gestures to the house in front of them. “This is where I live. We can keep talking inside, if that’s okay with you.”

The bright smile is back. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

As they enter the house, Minho can hear that at least one of his boyfriends is in the living room, another in the kitchen. He calls out to both as he leads Felix inside. 

“Hi hyung,” Seungmin is up to greet him almost as soon as they step into the room. Minho hears a sharp intake of breath behind him, and Seungmin’s eyes widen, just a bit. “And hello to you. Felix-ssi, right?”

Felix nods then whispers to Minho, “Can I answer him?”

Minho and Seungmin cock their heads to the side in unison. “Of course, you can talk to anyone you want in this house,” Minho tells him.

“Yes, I’m Felix,” he says sweetly. “I’ve never talked to a dog hybrid before. What’s your name?”

“Well, I’m honored to be your first,” Seungmin gives him one of his dandiest smiles. “I’m Seungmin. It’s nice to meet you.” Felix takes his proffered hand cautiously and returns the sentiment. 

“Seungmin, do you mind clearing out for a bit?” Minho asks. He pats Felix on the shoulder. “We’re going to have some kitty time out here.”

Seungmin gives Felix another soft smile when he claps his hands at ‘kitty time.’ To Minho he says, “Of course, hyung. Maybe I’ll go help Chan hyung with dinner. I’ll see you both later.” 

“Thanks, Minnie.” Minho takes a seat on the couch and watches as Felix doesn’t even hesitate to sit at his feet instead of next to him. “Oh, Felix-ah, you can sit up here with me if you want to. Though if you’re more comfortable on the floor, that’s okay, too.”

Felix looks between Minho and the couch a couple times. “Are you sure your owner won’t mind?” 

“We don’t have an owner here, Felix,” Minho explains. It’s not surprising that Felix expected him to have an owner, especially considering his family seems to have had the traditional mindset when it comes to hybrids. He knows it is unusual even that there’s not a single human in their household. They had great luck in their pasts that led them to the security and autonomy they have now. He continues, “I live here with six other hybrids. We’re responsible for ourselves and support each other.”

“Wow,” Felix sounds truly awed. He settles onto the couch next to Minho, petting the fabric lightly. “I thought all hybrids who aren’t strays have families.”

“Well, we are a family. We just aren’t owned by humans.”

Felix nods, but Minho can tell he’s still a little baffled by the information. He decides to redirect the conversation. “So Felix-ah, do you ever groom other cats, or let them groom you?”

“No one has groomed me since I was a tiny kitten,” Felix says, his hand coming up to play with a lock of hair. “I haven’t spent very much time around other cats. That’s why I was so excited when you asked me to have kitty time with you. Will you groom me now?”

“Just wait right here for a moment,” Minho says with a smile. He hurries to his room to grab a few things, stopping to see the guys in the kitchen on his way back. 

“How are things with the kitten?” Seungmin asks almost as soon as he steps inside. Chan gives him an odd look but nods at Minho to answer. 

“He’s alright, got a concussion,” Minho explains. He shushes Seungmin when he immediately starts whisper-shouting about violating H.I.P.A.A.. “He’s sweet and naive. I… I’m a little worried about him. It doesn’t seem like his ‘family’ treated him with much respect.”

Chan hands Minho a couple bottles of water and drops a kiss on his cheek. He says, “Well, this isn’t the first time we’ve met a hybrid who’s used to being treated like a pet. Just do what you can for him, Min. Dinner will be ready in, like, half an hour.”

Thanking him, Minho heads back to the living room to find Felix squinting at the photos on the wall from his spot on the couch. He tells him, “You can go over to look at them, if you want to.”

“Oh, thank you!” Felix smiles as he bounds over to examine a picture of all seven of them with Changbin’s parents. He looks a little confused. “So, these people aren’t your owners?”

Minho decides to lay a gentle hand on Felix’s shoulder and is happy when he leans into the touch rather than flinching away, expected but still good to see. He guides him over to the picture of Changbin, his sister and parents, Chan, and Jisung, explaining how Changbin was always treated like their human, biological son. Even just that bit of information seems mind boggling to Felix.

“How about this,” Minho draws him back toward the couch. “What do you think about letting me braid your hair? Though, I’m a little out of practice, so I hope you don’t mind if it’s not very good.”

Felix nods so fast that he does wince now, though he’s right back to smiling. “Sounds nice!”

Minho gives him a couple painkillers and reminds him to let him know if anything starts hurting his head, including his own ministrations. He settles Felix in front of him, brush and spray bottle in hand. The kitten seems to be enjoying having his hair brushed, but Minho is a little disappointed that he hasn’t started purring yet. He might not groom other cats very often any more, but his track record is fairly impressive. Then he thinks about the little he knows about Felix’s family’s rules.

“Do you remember why Dr. Um said kitty time would be good for you?” When Felix says no, Minho keeps it simple. “She hoped that we would purr together.”

“Oh!” Felix starts purring immediately. “I’m good at purring. Just tell me when to stop. I didn’t realize something was bothering you.”

Minho pauses, blinking at the back of his blond head. “Nothing is bothering me; do I seem upset?”

Felix turns back to give him a smile. “I always purr to calm down Mom and Dad when they’re mad. It helps calm them down. I got good at doing it as long as they need me to, though they’d usually forgive me if I stopped too early.”

“And you were supposed to know when they need you to purr?” Minho scoffs. 

He means it as a rhetorical, but Felix is excitedly answering anyway. “Yep! It’s really easy to know when Dad is mad. Though I have to ask him if it’s okay to start purring. For Mom, it’s harder to know for sure, but if I can get next to her and start purring on my own, it makes her happy faster than when she tells me to do it.”

Minho isn’t sure he wants to know what ‘Dad’ does if he starts purring without permission. So instead he returns things to the matter at hand. He gently turns Felix’s head so he can start braiding as he explains, “Well, purring is good for humans’ stress levels, but did you know that when we purr, the vibrations actually can help us to feel better?”

“Really?”

“Yep.” Minho follows his instincts and releases the hair in his hands so that he can wrap his arms around Felix’s chest, pulling him against his own purring chest. The way he almost immediately melts into him and starts purring louder himself satisfies the part of Minho that was disappointed initially. “The frequency that cats and cat hybrids like us purr at promotes healing, both physically and mentally. Dr. Um and I thought you could use some good old fashioned purr therapy.” 

Felix tilts his head back to look at him. “I’ve never purred with another kitty before. It is very soothing, I like it.” His small hands come up to hold Minho’s arms against his chest as if he’s worried this new-found comfort will be taken from him. His grip even tightens momentarily when Minho moves to adjust his position. Then he’s trying to scoot away, saying, “I’m sorry. I don’t need that much if you’re ready to be done.” 

“You don’t need to apologize, kitten,” Minho pulls him back. “I just wanted to make sure we were both comfortable. I’ll only be ready to be done when you’re ready or it’s time for dinner. Do you wanna watch some TV while we sit here?”

“Okay,” Felix settles back against him. “What do you like to watch?”

“Whatever you want. What’s your favorite show?”

The younger cat hums. “I guess I like when Mom watches dramas?”

Right, Minho realizes. Pets don’t watch TV on their own, just whatever their owners are watching. So he turns on an old favorite and they sit back to watch until Chan calls them over for dinner. 

🐾 Seungmin 🐾

Everyone avoided the living room to give Minho time with the stray he brought home for dinner, but now they’re all at the dining table waiting to be introduced. They can hear the two of them speaking softly in the hallway. Seungmin leans over to Chan and whispers, “I changed my mind, he’s going to ask to keep the kitten before dinner is over.”

Chan barely has time to shush him as Minho enters the room. Hand on the kitten’s shoulder, he says, “Hey, everyone. This is Felix.”

The younger cat hybrid looks a little nervous. He eyes the chair Minho gestures to, next to Seungmin, and sits after getting an encouraging nod. Then like a switch is flipped, he smiles broadly, greeting everyone. 

“Welcome to our home,” Changbin says sweetly. “I’m Changbin.”

“Oh, he’s a bunny!” Felix whispers way too loudly to Minho. It’s incredibly cute. “There are some really cute bunny hybrids at the shelter. One of them even looks like him.”

Changbin giggles at that, a like blush coloring his cheeks. He looks much less happy when Jisung pinches his cheek. 

“Our Changbinnie really is such a cutie!”

“That’s Changbinnie hyung to you, Han Jisung,” Changbin snaps, though there’s not much heat behind it. Still, Seungmin is pretty sure Chan kicks both of them under the table as he tells them to behave. 

Despite the lack of true negative emotions, Seungmin can tell that Felix is a little uneasy after the exchange. Minho has taken his hand, and both of them are purring. He turns so he’s facing them more. “So Felix, have you ever met a quokka hybrid before?” After a small head shake, he goes on. “Jisung here is almost exactly what you’d expect of one. He’s curious, playful, and definitely fearless. But I’ll tell you a secret,” he leans in with a conspiratorial smile, pleased when Felix does as well, “he’s almost exclusively fearless here in our house, messing with people who love him and know that it’s just one of the ways he likes to show affection.”

Felix’s smile widens. “Well that sounds very nice. And it makes sense, Dad can get rough with me sometimes, but Mom says it’s just because he loves me so much it’s hard to contain himself.”

A pit forms in Seungmin’s stomach at that. He tries not to let his smile falter considering how happy Felix seems about it. When Minho meets his eyes, he knows he didn’t read too far into it. 

“Um,” Hyunjin clearly wants to move past it. “I’m Hyunjin, a ferret hybrid. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too!” Felix looks between Chan and Jeongin, pouting in concentration. They all wait to see what he’s going to ask. After a moment he says, “I think I can guess that you’re another dog hybrid, but a different breed? And I’m not sure about you, though.”

“You’re close,” Chan smiles. Seungmin can’t tell if he’s flashing his larger fangs on purpose or not. “I’m actually a wolf hybrid.”

“Your eyes are kind of glowy,” Felix says. Then he turns to Minho, and asks, “Is there a big difference between wolves and dogs?”

A mischievous smile breaks across Minho’s face. Seungmin is sure that Minho is gonna turn this into an opportunity to get a dig in on him. “Well, Felix-ah, you noticed that his eyes are light, that’s a wolf thing. Other than that, I’m sure there are plenty in general, but for these two, Channie hyung is more of a playful softie, even though he’s the wolf. And Seungmin-ah tends to be more shy around new people, but that’s usually more of a wolf thing.”

Big eyes turn back on Seungmin. “Are you feeling shy right now?” Felix asks him.

Seungmin can’t help but give him a reassuring smile. “No, not today. You’re such a sweet kitty, I feel very comfortable. How are you feeling?”

Somehow, Felix’s expression gets even brighter. “I do feel comfortable! You’re very nice,” he says before looking up at the rest of their little family. “And Minho taught me that my purrs are good for me, too, not just Mom and Dad.”

Something about that doesn’t land right. Seungmin peeks over Felix’s shoulder and sees Minho’s expression darken for a moment, solidifying his inclination that the kitten’s statement strikes a false note. Felix is already moving on, though.

“So, what kind of hybrid are you?” He asks Jeongin excitedly. 

“I’m Jeongin,” Jeongin laughs, as amused by Felix’s eagerness as the rest of them. “And I’m a fennec fox hybrid.”

It’s subtle, but Felix recoils slightly at that, his smile dropping a few degrees. But it’s back in place almost immediately, so quickly that Seungmin almost thinks he imagined it. “I should’ve known!” Felix says with false cheer. “Haeyon has asked me to help her look up pictures of foxes a lot. Sometimes when I made a mistake, Dad would joke about getting a fox hybrid to replace me. Whenever he did, she asked me so that we could draw them. Can we take a picture together later, so I can show her when I get home?”

“Home?” Jeongin looks at Minho in confusion. When the cat hybrid just gives a small shake of his head, he just gives Felix one of his signature smiles. “I mean, yes, of course.”

Felix claps his hands happily as Chan stands, grabbing one of the dishes in the center of the table. He comes around the table to serve their guest first. “Well, now that we all know each other, let’s get eating. You don’t have any allergies or anything, do you?” With the negative response, he fills up Felix’s plate while the rest all grab their own food. 

Despite having the first full plate, Seungmin notices that Felix doesn’t touch it, watching as others all start eating. He’s not the only one. Chan tilts his head to the side, confusion coloring his expression. “Is everything alright, Felix? I guess I should’ve checked that you would like all that.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” Felix shakes his head. “I’m good at not making a face if I have to eat something I don’t like. I’m just waiting.”

“Waiting for what?” Seungmin asks. Making a face of his own at the statement.

“For everyone to eat,” Felix says. He notices the confused faces around the table and goes on to explain, as if they’re all silly for not knowing. “In case anyone wants more, I need to make sure there’s enough.”

Minho’s smile is gentle. He takes Felix’s hand in his own. “At our house, you should always eat when we eat, because it’s important for you to have enough to eat, too. But also, you never have to eat anything you don’t like. We have plenty of food, so if anyone else is still hungry or if you’d rather eat something else, there are more options.”

“Are you sure?” 

Felix looks uncertain, but Minho nods, and Hyunjin speaks up, “Yeah, we have to have plenty of food at all times, cause these gym rats -” he gestures to Chan, Changbin, and Jeongin “- love to pig out after a good workout.” 

“Okay,” Felix says in the smallest voice Seungmin has heard him use. He takes his first bite and lets out a hum of appreciation.

Everyone takes a cue from him and starts eating as well. From there, the conversation takes a lighter turn; Hyunjin says he wants to get to know more about the cat hybrid, who blushes prettily at the round of enthusiastic agreements. He asks about Felix’s favorite color, flower, poem. When he reveals that he doesn’t know much poetry, Hyunjin promises to collect a few favorites of his own to show Felix later. 

Changbin and Chan ask him about music, and things are derailed for a bit when Jeongin goes on a tangent over trot music. Changbin ends up dissolving into giggles after having worked their youngest boyfriend up on purpose. Seungmin studies the way Felix’s eyes light up watching them, delighting in their robust laughter. 

“Will you play some trot for me later?” Felix asks with a giggle. “So I can understand your argument better?”

“Oh, you have to have heard it before, and you just didn’t know what it was,” Jeongin insists before naming a few songs. 

Changbin interrupts to say, “I don’t know, I think Innie should sing us a few bars right now. Don’t you think that’ll help you remember better, Felix?”

Jisung and Hyunjin join in on their giggling, and Minho seconds the suggestion. When Chan joins in, Jeongin gives in and sings about 20 seconds of “Love of Seoul.”

Then conversation turns to food. They find that Felix’s spice tolerance is probably closest to Chan’s, which isn’t to say much. When Jisung asks about Felix’s favorite dessert, they get into a debate of cheesecake over brownies. Chocolate over coffee flavor. Ultimately deciding that they clearly need to make a classic cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake, regular brownies, and ones flavored with coffee, and americanos so that they can nail down the appropriate tiers of goodness. 

It’s all so nice. It feels like the first time Minho and Hyunjin came over, though things had been a little more tense then; Jisung hadn’t yet fully gotten over his prejudice against ferret hybrids because of all the bullying he experienced at the hands of that group of ferret hybrids at the shelter. But they’d come together like this, finding out things about each other, making jokes. After the third time, Hyunjin was already becoming one of Jisung’s favorite people, and they all were in the beginning stages of falling in love. 

Seungmin can’t help but wonder if that’s what’s happening now. He can’t deny the pull he’s feeling toward the cat hybrid, not unlike the way he felt toward Minho in the beginning. He finds himself smiling widely, sinking into the background, just to watch them all have a good time. Until the meal is nearly over, when Felix asks about what breed of dog hybrid Seungmin is. This, of course, prompts the guys to make joking suggestions when they make it a guessing game. 

Changbin leans toward Felix, into Seungmin’s space. “You should know, he’s not a big dog breed. He’s like a yappy little chihuahua. You know what I mean?”

Seungmin looks down his nose at the rabbit hybrid and humphs. “Right, a chihuahua. They’re loud, reactive, and easily startled. I suppose you’d know what that’s like.”

Changbin reaches up immediately, wrapping his arm around Seungmin’s neck. “What are you trying to say, puppy?” He asks in faux anger. 

Except Felix clearly doesn’t realize they’re just messing around again. He grabs at Changbin’s arm and nearly cries, “He didn’t mean it! He’s sorry, please let go.”

Changbin complies immediately, keeping his hands up and apologizing. Seungmin can’t help but grab Felix’s hands, but he drops them when the cat hybrid flinches.

Minho is whispering reassurances, pulling the younger man into his body. 

“I’m so sorry for scaring you, Felix,” Changbin is saying, clearly a bit panicked. 

“Changbin would never hurt me,” Seungmin insists, reaching out and giving Felix the choice of holding his hand or not. Thankfully he does. “I know he’s got all those big, impressive muscles, but when it comes to me, they’re all for show. He just loves me too much. But he also knows how much puppies like me like to roughhouse sometimes, so he plays around the way I like.”

Felix nods in understanding, eyes darting between Seungmin and Changbin. Minho murmurs agreement behind him. His lips start to curl up at the corners as he says, “I’m happy he wasn’t mad. After dinner, can you show me what’s so fun about roughhousing? 

A grin breaks across Seungmin’s face. He glances up at Minho, and at his amused nod, agrees. Dinner proceeds with much less fanfare from there on. The entire time, Seungmin observes Felix. He’s sweet and funny, a little weird in just the right ways. And every now and then, he says something about his family that makes Seungmin happy that he’s no longer with them. Unfortunately, Felix doesn’t feel that way and doesn’t seem to understand that he’s been abandoned. 

When they’re all finished, Minho encourages Jeongin to take Felix into the living room. While Changbin, Hyunjin, and Jisung clear the table, Minho asks Chan to come talk to him and Seungmin. 

“You see what I see, right Chan hyung?” Minho asks quietly. 

Seungmin answers before Chan can. “I mean anyone with a brain can see what you see, hyung. The family sounds problematic at best, abusive at worst. And they left him.” 

“Guys,” Chan says wearily, already knowing where this is going. 

Minho pouts. “He should at least stay here tonight, Chan-ah.”

Seungmin thinks he’s right. Felix clearly needs to see what an actual loving family is like. It may be too early to know, but he can’t help but feel like Felix seems like just the kind of stray that fits in with their group. 

“He believes his family still wants him, and he has to go back to the shelter,” Chan rationalizes. “Even if we want him to stay, our hands are tied. You can’t just keep him when you said you’d take him back.”

“Or can I?” Minho asks as he whips out his phone. While it rings, he nudges Seungmin and whispers, “Give him your best puppy dog eyes.”

“Channie hyung,” Seungmin whines, doing just that.

Chan sighs and rubs a hand over his face. “I hate when you two gang up on me.” 

Seungmin wraps his arms around Chan’s neck and gives him an exaggerated pout of his own. The older man nuzzles his face into Seungmin’s neck, muttering about how it’s unfair to use his cuteness against him. They listen as Minho confirms with Eunkwang that Felix can stay overnight after a quick check in with him. He smirks at Chan on his way out to get the kitten on the phone. 

“So he can stay tonight?” Seungmin asks, nudging Chan’s face with his nose to get him to look up. 

“I get Minho’s reasoning,” Chan squints up at him. “But why are you pushing for this?”

Seungmin hums. “It’s just a feeling, I guess. Plus, look at him.” He says the last part with a laugh, but he’s only half joking. Felix is beautiful, ethereal even, but the impulse is more about whatever is calling to him from inside. 

“Guess I’d be lying if I said I don’t know what you mean,” Chan murmurs. 

“So, Felix is good to stay for the night and is insisting he gets to roughhouse with the puppy, so get in there, Kim Seungmin,” Minho says with an air of triumph. He squeezes his way into their embrace, arms wrapping around Chan’s waist. His face gets serious for a moment. “Remember to be gentle. It may be mild, but he does have a concussion. Now go give the kitten his puppy time, so I can give my favorite hyung some kitty time to thank him for being so understanding and indulging me.”

Seungmin scoffs in mock disgust, stepping away as a giggly Chan reminds Minho that he’s his only hyung. 

Jeongin is sitting on the floor in front of the couch next to Felix. He’s talking him through how to play a game on his phone. Though he’s not sure he should be giving Felix screen time in his condition, Seungmin is happy to see he’s warmed up to the fox hybrid. He sits, watching them and waiting. Felix clearly has a competitive streak, and it’s kind of adorable. When he loses again, he looks up and notices Seungmin. 

“Oh!” Felix exclaims as he crawls over to kneel at Seungmin’s feet. Seungmin can’t help but clock the way it seems like muscle memory. “Are you ready?” 

“Sure,” Seungmin chuckles. He slides down onto the floor as Jeongin moves up to the couch. “But first, how are you feeling? If your head is hurting you, it might be better for us to do something else.”

“If my head hurts, can we roughhouse another time?” Felix asks with the most adorable pout Seungmin’s ever seen. Well, other than Jeongin’s. 

“Of course,” Seungmin offers him a hand and is pleased when he allows him to pull him up onto the couch as well. “How about this: you came here for kitty time, right? How about you teach me what that is and next time I teach you?”

“Okay!” Felix beams. He turns to Jeongin, who hasn’t moved from his spot on the floor, focused on his phone. “Do you wanna have kitty time with us?”

Jeongin agrees somewhat reluctantly, but kitty time isn’t half bad. Felix brushes and plays with Seungmin’s hair while Jeongin braids his. When he realizes that scratching behind Seungmin’s ears makes his tail wag a little, he spends most of the time doing that rather than actually trying to do Seungmin’s hair. He’s so clearly happified by it that Seungmin stops trying to hold back the instinct after the second time.

Felix excitedly tells them what Minho taught him about how purring can be healing, and Jeongin shows him that foxes have their own version of a purr. When Felix discovers that, as a dog hybrid, Seungmin can’t purr, he crawls into his lap so that Seungmin can ‘share’ his purrs. 

So, Seungmin sits with a lap full of kitten, his chest pressed against Felix’s rumbling back, arms wrapped lightly around his waist, and chin resting on his shoulder. Felix uses his new vantage point to play with Jeongin’s hair now. It’s not long enough for him to do much with it seriously, but Minho had brought a whole container of those tiny plastic hair ties, so he puts many of them to use. 

The longer they chat, the more Seungmin feels like this is just where Felix belongs. 

After a bit of time, Hyunjin and Jisung join them and get their own plethora of pony tails. While they’re finishing Jisung’s, the others come in to watch. 

“Well, this is a regular slumber party, isn’t it?” Changbin smirks. He nudges Minho with his shoulders. “You gonna get your hair done or what?”

“Yeah, hyung, this is kitty time after all,” Hyunjin says. He whispers to Jeongin to go drag Minho over, knowing the maknae was most likely to get him to comply. 

Together with Felix, they give Minho the same treatment. Only when they’re done and the whole group of them decide to settle down to watch a movie, does Felix leave Seungmin’s lap. He settles between Minho and Jeongin, even though, after a few minutes down a googling rabbithole, Changbin determines that fox purrs, or murrs, do not have the same therapeutic frequency as cat purrs. 

🐾Felix 🐾

When the movie ends, Felix follows Minho down the hall to a neat bedroom. There’s an en suite bathroom as well as a massive closet. A shirt and shorts are draped over the desk chair. 

“So, you can sleep in here tonight,” Minho says, gesturing vaguely into the room. “Channie got you some clothes to sleep in. I’ll show you where you can find a new toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash and hopefully anything else you’d need in our bathroom here.”

Felix walks around to the other side of the bed, but there’s not a big cat bed like there is at home. He notices Chan has come to lean in the doorway. Minho probably gets to sleep on the bed with him. He clears his throat and asks, “Could I have a blanket?”

Chan does the same cute thing that Seungmin does, cocking his head to the side in confusion. “Is this one not thick enough?” 

“This one?” Felix looks back down, in case he missed it. Still nothing. 

“Lix-ah,” Minho sighs. Even though he sounds sad, Felix does like the sound of the nickname and the warm arm that wraps around his shoulders. Minho goes on to explain, “He means the one on the bed. You get to sleep comfortably in bed tonight. If you need anything to make you more comfortable, just let us know. We’ll be in the next room over.”

“Oh,” Felix says softly. Maybe so I don’t hurt my head more. 

The kindness in this home is neverending. As much as Felix loves his family, the thought of leaving here makes his chest feel tight. Minho shows him where everything is in the bathroom and they leave him to his own devices. When he crawls into the bed, he knows this is where Minho usually sleeps; it smells so much like him. The scent is comforting, like he’s wrapped back in his warm embrace. 

Laying in this soft bed, thinking about his new friends, Felix starts to feel guilty. Just a couple days ago, he loved his life and never would’ve wanted anything different. But now he’s seen how hybrids can live, just like humans. Hearing about how Changbin’s parents always treated him like a biological son, and the way their additional adoptions empowered the rest of the guys to live regular lives, was baffling. Maybe a little exhilarating. He starts to imagine what it would be like, if he was allowed to get a job or a degree. To live for himself. 

But he loves Haeyon. He can’t leave her. And he loves Mom and Dad, too. New friends or not, that doesn’t change. His last thought is of how much he needs to be with his family. 

When Felix emerges from the room the next morning, he finds Seungmin leaning against the kitchen counter sipping a cup of coffee. The sunlight coming through the window backlights him beautifully. Not for the first time, Felix is struck by how handsome he is. Everyone in this house is very handsome. 

“Good morning. Minho hyung had to leave for work pretty early and didn’t want to wake you,” Seungmin says with a sweet smile, though it wanes a bit with his next sentence. “Also, I called Eunkwang hyung, and he told me that I can try to take you home, if you remember the way.”

“Really?” Felix exclaims. 

A grumbly voice floats out of an oversized hoodie. “I wanna come.” Jisung could pass for a human dressed like that.

“Wait, me too,” Jeongin’s voice reaches them before he does. He looks almost as sleepy as Jisung. Very cute. 

“Maybe you can all meet Haeyon,” Felix says. He can’t wait to see her himself. He’s rarely been apart from her for so long. “Will we leave soon?”

“Coffee first,” Jisung whines. He walks straight into Seungmin, voice muffled by his chest. “You’ll make me a nice latte, right Seungminnie?”

The dog hybrid presses a kiss to his forehead after agreeing and offering to do so for Felix and Jeongin as well. It’s so nice seeing them openly affectionate with each other like this, though Felix can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. Haeyon hugs and kisses him, and Mom pets him sometimes, but it’s not the same. 

He shakes off the feeling, making sure his smile is in place. Jisung, Seungmin, and Jeongin discuss their coffee preferences and ask Felix about his own tastes to determine what kind of latte he might like. He almost declines, knowing Dad thinks he’s hyper enough without all that caffeine, but something about the whole situation makes it feel like a bonding experience that he doesn’t want to miss out on. 

One mocha latte with whipped cream later, the four of them get ready and are heading out. With his beanie and his tail tucked away, Jisung definitely passes for human. On the other hand, Seungmin and Jeongin’s tails are much too fluffy to be hidden away, and Jeongin’s ears are still quite pronounced under his own hat. 

To his surprise, Jisung and Jeongin climb into the backseat, insisting that Felix rides up front to navigate. Even when Mom or Dad doesn’t join them on an outing, Felix never gets to sit in the passenger seat. It feels a bit like a luxury. 

Seungmin automatically turns on the seat heater for him with a knowing grin. “Minho hyung says that heated seats must’ve been made with cat hybrids in mind. We weren’t allowed to get any cars without them, unless we were okay with him not traveling in it.”

“His car even has a heated steering wheel,” Jeongin adds with a laugh. 

Felix can’t blame him. The seat feels nice; it’s cozy and safe. He says one of the things that’s been on his mind: “He’s a very lucky kitty.”

Soon enough, Felix drops out of the conversation so he can focus on directing Seungmin. It doesn’t take too long to find a familiar landmark and start working their way home. 

“There it is!” Felix points with fervor, overjoyed about his impending reunion. Then he realizes that Dad may have been right about the coffee. He’s too excited. As Seungmin pulls up to the curve, Felix takes several deep breaths to calm himself. 

The four of them exit the car, and when Felix hesitates at the door, Jeongin reaches forward to ring the doorbell. After a moment, the door opens, and Felix’s stomach flips upside down. 

In the doorway stands a younger fox hybrid. A red fox, like Felix is used to seeing. They don’t say hello, just drag their eyes up and down each of the young men in front of him with a polite, but obviously fake smile on his face. Felix almost thinks he must’ve gotten confused, that it’s just a house that looks like his. Then Haeyon runs up. 

“Appa, Appa!” She calls back into the house. “Felix is back!”

Dad comes to the door then, nudging Haeyon back into the fox hybrid, who takes her hand and leads her away, probably to her room. He looks past Felix and Jeongin, at Jisung. “I see you found my cat,” he says. Felix can tell by his tone that he’s not happy. 

Eyes downcast, he tries to explain himself. “I didn’t mean to get lost. I tried to just wait and stay where you told me to, but I was worried about Haeyon.”

“Are you from a shelter,” Dad asks, still clearly only speaking to Jisung. Felix notices Seungmin bristle. “Did you find him or did he find you? Clearly he knew the way home.”

“Actually sir,” Seungmin speaks up, stepping forward to take Felix’s hand. “A good Samaritan took him to a shelter after he was jumped by some guys where you left him.” 

Felix’s cheeks flame, shame starting to take the forefront of his emotions. 

Dad finally looks down at him then back at Jisung. “He looks fine. Don’t tell me there’s a vet bill I have to pay,” Dad scoffs. 

“You don’t have to pay for his trip to the doctor,” Jisung emphasizes the word. “But you may have to pay for his follow up visit.”

“Follow up?”

“Yeah. A follow up for his concussion,” Jeongin joins the conversation now. He’s clearly unhappy with the way Dad is talking about it, but doctors’ visits are expensive, so it’s a valid concern. 

“Look,” Dad says in his ‘office voice.’ “He should’ve been more careful, but like I said, he seems fine.”

Felix’s head snaps to the side when he hears the low growl emanate from Seungmin. “He should’ve been more careful? He was doing what you told him to, because he believed you’d be back for him.” 

“Get your dog under control,” Dad snaps at Jisung. 

Seungmin looks angry, but before he can say anything, Dad finally speaks to Felix. “Alright get inside. Kyehoon has taken over your space, but we’ll figure something else out.”

When Dad tries to pull Felix into the house, Jeongin shifts in front of him a bit more while Seungmin, growling louder now, steps forward into Dad’s space. “What exactly does that mean? That you’ll ‘figure something out.’” Seungmin grits out.

Tall as Seungmin is, Dad is still able to look over him at Jisung again. “I told you to get him under control. If he growls at me again, I’m going to have to ask you to muzzle him.” 

All three of them seem taken aback at that. Jisung squares his shoulders and slips his beanie off. His cute, little ears spring up, a contrast to his severe expression. “He’s not my dog,” he says. “He’s my boyfriend, and you’re being extremely rude to him. Why don’t you answer the question?”

Dad rolls his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, another one? I’ll put this in terms you all can understand. Felix, go into the house, and we’ll see about getting you set up at my sister’s house. Her kids aren’t as young, so she won’t make the mistake of relying on you.”

The words hurt. Haeyon has always been Felix’s top priority. But clearly with one mistake, Dad has decided that he’s not worth keeping. Auntie doesn’t even live in this province. He can’t help it, his eyes fill with tears. 

Felix unintentionally tunes out the rest of the conversation, lost in the realization that they were right at the shelter, he was abandoned. And now they’re going to do it again, sending him away and replacing him with a fox hybrid like Dad would always say. It turns out those weren’t jokes. Felix won’t get to see Haeyon grow up. He won’t ever get to see Minho or any of his family again. The thoughts are almost too sad to bear. 

While he’s in the process of breaking down, Felix barely registers Seungmin herding him back to the car. This time he’s urged into the back seat. Seungmin and Jisung get in on either side of him, leaving Jeongin to drive them. But where are they going?

“Ar-are y-you taking m-me back to the shelter?” Felix chokes out. The bodies on either side of him squeeze in tighter. 

He feels Seungmin’s soft lips press against his hair, but his grief at losing his family supersedes any happiness he might feel about getting affection he longed for just a couple hours ago. Seungmin tells him, “Only if you want us to. But first we’re taking you home with us to make sure you’ll be okay.”

Felix can only nod as the sobs take over. Their home, not his. Because he must not have a home anymore. His family doesn’t want him. 

The drive goes by in a blur. One moment he’s in the back seat, the next Seungmin is carrying him into the house, into the bedroom he spent the night in. He sets him down on the edge of the bed.

“I’m so sorry we didn’t leave as soon as that fox hybrid answered the door,” Seungmin is saying as he takes Felix’s shoes off. “I shouldn’t have let him hurt you like that.” He climbs into the bed, sitting against the headboard, and pulls Felix to him. 

Cradled against Seungmin’s broad chest, his arms holding him tightly, Felix knows that he’s upset. He tries to purr to soothe him, to soothe them both, he supposes. He hears Jisung or Jeongin enter the room as well.

“Min, I think we do need to at least call Eunkwang hyung. Technically, he’s still under the shelter’s care,” Jisung says hesitantly. “He might want to come get–” 

He’s interrupted by the low growl emanating from Seungmin’s chest. Felix pulls back enough to look into his face, eyes wide in shock. His hold on Felix tightens, and he looks fierce, more canine than ever before, his irises and pupils have expanded so that Felix can hardly see the whites of his eyes. Maybe it should frighten him, but all he feels is safe. 

Seungmin’s voice is gruffer than Felix has ever heard it as he says, “Staying here.”

Jeongin must’ve come in as well. “Leave them be, hyung,” he says. “Do you see his eyes? He’s all instinct right now.”

“Ah, shit, you’re right,” Jisung says. He walks around to sit at the foot of the bed where Felix can see him better. “Felix-ah, are you okay there? Seungmin is just feeling a little protective of you right now, but if you want him to, he’ll let you go. He wouldn’t want to scare you.”

Seungmin whimpers a little at that last sentence, looking down into Felix’s face, fierceness replaced by concern.

Felix wraps his tail around Seungmin’s waist and puts his head back on his chest. “I’m not scared. Please don’t send me away, too.” Tears begin to well again, and Seungmin presses a kiss to the top of his head. His hand rubs soothing circles on his back. 

“Of course not,” Jisung says sadly. He gets up and heads to the door. “How about we leave you two to cuddle while we figure out lunch? Let’s go, Innie.”

The door closes softly behind them. Seungmin murmurs against his hair, “Safe here,” and Felix believes him.

🐾 Minho 🐾

When Minho returns home, he makes a beeline for his room. Jeongin had called him during his lunch break to explain what happened this morning, and it made him feel sick. If he could’ve left work then, he would’ve. 

He opens the door to find Seungmin and Felix curled up together in his bed. Felix appears to be asleep, but Seungmin’s head pops up the second the door opens. His tail thumps on the bed once as Minho approaches. 

“He’s been out for a while now, Seungmin whispers. “I think the crying just kinda took it all out of him.” 

Minho sits beside Felix, on the opposite side of Seungmin. He runs his hair through the dog hybrid’s hair a couple times, paying special attention to his silky ears. “And how are you feeling, baby?” He asks. It’s not too uncommon for hybrids to be triggered and act on more primal instincts, but it is a little surprising that it happened to Seungmin. 

“I’m fine, hyung,” Seungmin says; then he hesitates, a slightly guilty look on his face. “How’s Jisungie?”

Jeongin hadn’t mentioned anything about Jisung being triggered. Minho runs a thumb over Seungmin’s cheek. “Jisung is fine. I don’t think the confrontation got to him like it got to you.”

The guilt is still apparent on his face. “That’s good, but I meant about when we got here.” He trails off, not continuing until Minho slips a finger under his chin and forces him to make eye contact. “I kind of growled at him, too.”

“Oh,” Minho breathes. Jeongin had mentioned that, but neither of them were bothered by it. They understood exactly why Seungmin had been acting the way he was. “Jisung is perfectly fine. But if you want to go check on him, I’ll stay here with the kitten.”

Seungmin takes a deep breath, and Minho wonders if he’s still feeling compelled to guard him. But then he gently unwinds Felix’s tail from around himself and gets up slowly. His tone is serious when he says, “I won’t make him go back to the shelter. I want him to stay.”

Minho sighs. His puppy loves so fiercely; he’s happy to see his heart opening up to another stray. “As long as that’s what he wants, you know he has already made a space here,” he reassures him, tapping over his own heart on the last word. 

He lays down to wrap himself around Felix’s back. A few seconds after he starts to purr, Felix unconsciously does the same. 

Minho meant what he said to Seungmin. Somehow, in such a short period of time, this cat hybrid had unintentionally burrowed his way into their lives. Seungmin seems to be feeling what he is, and the more he thinks about it, the more sure Minho is that Felix will complete their little family. His presence feels too right for anything else to be true. 

Chan comes in after a bit, leaving the door open so Minho can hear the soft sounds of the guys in the living room. He slips into bed behind Minho, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. After a second of hesitation, he brings a hand up to card through Felix’s hair. 

“He is a sweet kitten,” Chan whispers. “Sounds like he had a hard day.”

“Yeah. Sounds like he’s had a hard life,” Minho adds. “How’s Seungminnie? He felt bad about growling at Sung.”

“He’s alright. I think they were all a bit surprised by his reaction, but honestly, when Jeongin told me what that asshole said, I understood.” Chan can’t hide the disgust in his tone. “Did they tell you the whole thing or just the basics?”

“The basics,” Minho glances back at him. “Innie called at the end of my break, and when I got here, I went straight into care mode.”

Chan retells the tale, and it makes Minho’s blood boil. He hurts for Felix. Seungmin had planned to take Felix on his own, thinking the other two would want to stay in bed. He’s glad they weren’t on their own all things considered. 

Before he can say anything, Felix’s low voice rumbles out. “I’m sorry about all the trouble. I didn’t think Dad would be mean to Seungmin and the others.”

“Sorry, kitten, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Chan says sweetly. 

Felix rolls onto his back and gives them both a weak smile. 

Still trying to comfort us, even now, Minho thinks. “You have nothing to apologize for Felix-ah. You had no control over how he would react, and it’s understandable that you wanted to… return home.”

The younger man’s eyes start to well. “I don’t think,” he says sadly, swallowing thickly. “I don’t think I have anywhere to go now.

Minho turns back to look at Chan imploringly. Chan sighs softly and looks back to Felix, “I’ll talk to Eunkwang hyung at the shelter again. I imagine that he’ll at least be okay with you staying until your next doctor’s appointment since she recommended spending time with Minho.” He pauses for a moment, then softly adds, “If you’d like to stay here, that is.”

It’s now that the tears fall. Felix tries to smile, but it doesn’t do much more than make Minho feel a little heartbroken for him. He tells them, “Thank you.” Then he curls toward Minho, head dropping down to rest against his chest. 

“Channie, I think we need some more kitty time,” Minho says as he pets between Felix’s ears. Chan immediately gets up and starts heading to the door. “Just let us know when dinner is ready.” After his quiet assent, Minho turns his attention back to the kitten. “Lix-ah, I know this will sound like a ridiculous question, but how are you feeling? I wanna hear about any of your hurts.”

“My head does hurt,” Felix says with a watery laugh. “A lot more than yesterday.

“The crying will do that to you,” Minho chuckles. “We can get you some painkillers to help with that.”

“My heart does, too.”

Minho’s smile fades. “I wish I had a medicine to help with that. All I can say is that you deserve to be treated well, Felix, like a person. Being hybrids doesn’t make us lesser.”

Felix hums in response, nuzzling against him. They lay there together, basking in the comfort of closeness and purrs. When they go out to join the others for dinner, the table is full of all the foods Felix mentioned the night before as potential favorites. It’s incredibly sweet. Minho hears Felix sniffle, but when he looks back at him, he sees a true smile on his face. 

Changbin pulls out a chair and gestures for Felix to take it as he says, “We heard you had a hard day, so we wanted to try to help try to make it a little better.”

“That’s so nice of you,” Felix says, clearly fighting not to cry. 

Jisung slides into the chair next to him. “Just don’t fill all the way up, because I convinced Jeongin-ah to take me to the bakery, so we can have our tournament of sweets after dinner.” 

“We couldn’t find coffee flavored brownies, but luckily they were able to give us this coffee buttercream icing,” Jeongin adds happily. 

Seungmin sets a full plate in front of Felix. “Don’t worry about them and eat as much as you want. There’s always tomorrow if you don’t feel up to rotting your teeth out tonight.” He and Jisung stick their tongues at each other, but then he comes around to the other side of him, and leans down to kiss him.

Minho takes his seat on Felix’s other side as Hyunjin and Seungmin finish serving the rest of them. “Let’s eat, kitten.” He’s pleased to see Felix doesn’t hesitate tonight. 

Still, dinner tonight is more subdued tonight, with less focus on Felix, though no one is excluding him. He even asks about Chan and Changbin’s work at the studio today. Jisung explains that he normally would be with them, but he’d already planned on taking the day off today for an appointment he’d gone to while Felix and Seungmin were sequestered in the room. 

When they finish eating, Chan and Jisung go to plate up desserts while Seungmin starts making their americanos. Hyunjin plops down in Jisung’s seat. He looks nervous for some reason, and Felix seems to notice, too, looking back at Minho in confusion.

“So remember last night, I told you I’d get some poems together for you?” Hyunjin asks. Minho’s still not sure why that would make him nervous, but it is amusing. “Well, I have a list for you, but,” Hyunjin glares over at a smirking Jeongin, “since Innie sang for you last night, I guess I decided I could read one for you, too.”

“Oh, that sounds nice.” Felix’s confusion is replaced by amused anticipation. 

Hyunjin clears his throat. “It’s one of my favorites, called ‘Flower’ (꽃).” True artist that he is, Hyunjin recites the poem beautifully. And his choice makes Minho’s heart warm; the idea of someone being seen where before they simply were makes him think of a particular kitten. Felix applauds when he finishes. Hyunjin sighs dramatically. “I was so nervous that I was going to mess that up. Did you really like it?” 

“It was lovely!” Felix gushes, reaching for his hands. “The poem and the way you performed it. You speak so well.” The blush on Hyunjin’s cheeks deepens. He thanks him, and Minho notices that he doesn’t let go of Felix’s small hand. 

Minho smirks to himself. He loves how welcoming and caring his boyfriends have been toward the younger cat hybrid. It may not fix what happened this morning, but he can only hope that being here with all of them will be healing for him.

Then Jisung comes bounding in to plop down on Hyunjin’s lap, Felix manages to pull his hand back just in time to avoid it getting squished. He sets two plates in front of them, each containing four desserts. He smiles widely, and Felix gives him a matching one in response. 

“Okay, we have cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake, a regular brownie, and one with the coffee icing,” Jisung says with flair.

Chan, Changbin, and Seungmin bring in the rest of the plates and, to Jeongin’s disappointment, decaf americanos. Between the eight of them making jokes and arguments, it’s hard to actually get through a true tournament to determine the best dessert. Felix doesn’t seem to mind, though, and Minho is pleased to see him laughing along with everyone. The mood stays up for the rest of the night, and he can only hope that if the kitten gets low again during the night, he’ll come to one of them for support.

Over the course of the next week, they each pick a day to stay home with Felix. Not that they don’t trust him to be alone in their home, but they don’t want him to be. It also gives them all a chance to just spend time getting to know him. Considering his presence, it’s hard for them to have a family meeting about the situation, so for three nights in a row, Minho rotates through their bedrooms, sleeping with a different pair of his boyfriends. Before they go to sleep, he talks to them all about his desire to make Felix part of their family, in the event that he wants to be. They all agree.

When the time comes, Minho conducts Felix’s check up exam from home. “I am happy to announce that Felix no longer has a concussion!” 

There’s a round of cheers from those gathered in the living room. Chan almost immediately has his phone out, undoubtedly letting Eunkwang know at the shelter. Technically they were given leave to house Felix while he was healing, and now that he’s better, they should take him back. Though, Minho has a sneaking suspicion that if Felix asks to stay, either the paperwork is already done or the record of him being at the shelter at all will have been erased to avoid the hassle. 

Seungmin scoops Felix into a hug and shakes him a little bit, tail wagging furiously. Felix’s own tail curls into a happy question mark as he giggles and tells the puppy how silly he is. 

“Wait, wait,” Felix says, expression getting serious. He turns back toward Minho, though he holds Seungmin’s arms so that he won’t let go. He obviously remembers the parameters of his stay as well. “Even though I’m all better… I can stay here, right? With all of you?” 

“We’d love to have you stay here with us as long as you want to, Lix-ah.”

“Even if I wanna stay forever?”

Minho certainly doesn’t feel tears welling up, he just feels the need to blink a few times before answering, “Especially if you wanna stay forever.”

🐾 Felix 🐾

Six months later…

“Felix oppa, don’t go!” Chae-rin whines, the hem of his shirt clasped in her tiny fingers. 

Felix crouches down in front of her, gentle smile on his face. “I’m sorry Rinnie-yah, but it’s time for me to go home. How about this: your room will be my first stop when I get here tomorrow. Deal?”

The little girl puffs her cheeks out in a pout that would give Jisung a run for his money. “You promise?” she asks. 

“I promise.”

“Fine,” she says. Chae-rin gets up on her tip toes to throw her arms around his shoulders.

Felix feels a tug on his sleeve. Little Min-jun looks up at him with puppy-dog eyes. “Will you come see me next, hyung,” he asks.

“Of course,” Felix agrees easily, wrapping that arm around him as well. They’re both so sweet. He sees little Nari making her way over as well, but Nayeon stops her. 

“Okay, children,” she laughs. “Let Felix-ah be on his way. He’ll see all of you tomorrow. For now, you’re stuck with me.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t put it that way, noona.” The kids do as she says, allowing Felix to straighten up. He doesn’t try to resist the urge to tease her, “You’re at least their second favorite nurse in the ward.”

He hurries out the door to the sound of her blustering about being second while all the children rush to tell her that she is their favorite. Minho still has to work for a couple more hours, so after grabbing his bag from the volunteers’ lounge, Felix heads right out. Almost just outside the entrance, Seungmin is leaning against his car, eyes on his phone. Felix creeps up as quietly as he can, but he’s still a foot away when his boyfriend looks up.

“Lix-ah, you may be quiet on those kitty feet, but you know I’m always gonna smell you before you can sneak up on me,” he says with a grin. He opens his arms, and Felix steps right into them, pressing a kiss to his lips. “How was your day?”

“Whatever you say, Minnie,” Felix laughs. “It was good. Haneul checked out of the hospital this afternoon, so before he left, we had a little celebration. All the kiddos get a little clingy when one of them leaves, but I don’t mind. I love that they lean on me.”

They get into the car as Felix tells Seungmin a little more about his day volunteering in the children’s ward, and he tells Felix about his photo session of the day. When they get home, no one else is there yet, so they curl up together on the couch to watch a drama until Jeongin and Jisung get home for their planned raid. 

Felix loves when Seungmin holds him tight like this. He’s barely even paying attention to their show, just basking in the comfort of his embrace. When he starts to nod off, however, Seungmin decides to break them out of their state of contentment. Felix is jolted into wakefulness by the fingers digging into his sides. He can’t contain his squeal as he grabs at Seungmin’s hands and tries to turn around in his lap.

“Much like you can’t sneak up on me, Lix-ah,” Seungmin laughs as he moves back, nearly falling off the couch. “You can’t overpower me. You fell asleep, you know that means I get to wake you how I want to.”

“That might be true, but it doesn’t mean I have to sit here and take it!” Felix gets up on a knee and lunges toward him, giving up on stopping the tickling and instead pushing on his shoulders. Seungmin’s eyes go wide as he tips back, but Felix’s surge of victory is short-lived as Seungmin latches onto his waist and pulls him with him. 

Together they tumble off of the couch, and Felix wraps his hands protectively around Seungmin’s head so that it won’t hit the floor when they land. They’re both giggling and checking that the other is okay. Then Felix realizes that this gives him an advantage. He plants his hands on Seungmin’s shoulders in an attempt to pin them to the ground with a loud, “Ha!”

The grin on Seungmin’s face is almost predatory, yet Felix feels far from in danger. “Not so fast, kitten,” he teases and bucks his hip up to unseat Felix. Next thing he knows, they’re rolling and wrestling until Seungmin is on hands and knees over him. Then he sinks down, letting his body press Felix’s into the floor, his elbows on either side of his head. “I think I win.”

Felix knows he’s beaten, but… “I’m pretty sure I’m winning right now, Minnie.” He wraps his legs around Seungmin’s waist and cranes his head up for a kiss.

Seungmin complies easily, kissing him gently. One hand comes down to cup Felix’s cheek as he deepens the kiss. The two of them stay that way for a while, tangled up together. Eventually they get up off the floor, heading for one of their bedrooms, still giggling. Felix can’t help but think about how strange it is that this warmth is his normal life now.

And he wouldn’t trade it for the world.