Rain was battering against the old roof of their apartment again.

Despite being an overall light sleeper, Minseok had grown accustomed to the loud patter over the years of living inside the four walls. After all, the muggy months of summer may have been unpredictable, but always provided them with downpours on an annual basis.

Rather, it was the sensation of fingers running through his hair that stirred him awake.

“Hey,” a voice murmured, nails gently raking against his scalp to get his attention. Minseok cracked his eyes open, cotton balls of a deep sleep pulling away as he squinted against the lamplight radiating from the nightstand. “I’m sorry. I got tied up with work.”

Of course, he did. They had the same conversation multiple times a week at this point. Minseok was too tired for it right then, though, merely letting out a grunt of acknowledgement. Still wrapped snugly in the quilt, Minseok squirmed away from the edge of the mattress, inviting its owner to reclaim it.

His owner, too, no less, a young man under the name of Yixing.

Minseok watched him through lidded eyes. Yixing’s dark hair was glistening with rainwater, neckline of his old t-shirt sagging over the curve of his shoulder. It looked thinner than it used to; he made a mental note to himself to check the refrigerator tomorrow to see if Yixing had bothered eating the dinner Minseok had set aside for him. Minseok knew bringing it up would inevitably lead to “the talk” yet again, but at the moment, he couldn’t be bothered to care, feeling Yixing’s bodyweight sag into bed.

Swaddled in the man’s arms, Minseok drifted back to sleep with purrs soft in his throat.

---

For the past seven years, Minseok had lived a comfortable life with Yixing. It was probably a life he didn’t truly deserve, if he was being honest with himself. He was fully aware of the fact that Yixing spoiled him rotten; plush blankets, his prized noise-canceling headphones, spending money for snacks and his stupid computer games, outings together, a home.

And Minseok was just some hybrid. Despite how some viewed his kind as lesser than, something so far beneath them they rivaled mere pets, Yixing had never taken that stance with him. Even with Minseok’s boring black ears that blended into his choppy mop of hair and being composed of a mix of genetics that Minseok knew made him some kind of mutt in the cat world, Yixing treated him like the greatest diamond in the rough.

He hadn’t ever been sure as to what had granted him such kindness, but it was something Minseok had always cradled close to his heart, ever since the day Yixing brought him home as a mere kitten, his features still chubby and soft back then with baby fat he hadn’t shed yet.

It was illegal for hybrids to be in the workforce, so Minseok, in return, pulled his weight at home. He wanted to avoid being a burden, an inconvenience, even if Yixing told him there was no way he ever could be. He liked a clean space, anyway, so helping keep their apartment tidy was an easy thing to cross off his to-do list. He wasn’t a great cook, not by a long shot, but he did try his best to have something edible in the house so that Yixing could eat when he came home. And contrary to what Baekhyun said, his soup was just fine, thank you.

Which, much to Minseok’s chagrin, upon opening the refrigerator door the next morning, there sat Yixing’s dinner, untouched in its little home of a saran-wrapped bowl. He wound up groaning in frustration, and closed the door.

Despite how great things could be, there lately seemed to be trouble in paradise.

Minseok wasn’t blind to the way Yixing had grown smaller than how he was normally built, how he kept coming home long after nightfall, the way the curve of skin below his eyes had begun to turn purple. It was a stark contrast to the way things used to be. Yixing had been in his early twenties at the time of his adoption, single, and they admittedly struggled for a while due to Yixing’s lower paying job, but… Minseok harbored many fond memories of those days. It was like having a best friend he had always wanted, having someone to eat dinner with and hang out with at the park and spend the day with whenever Yixing didn’t have to go to work.

Things were different now. Minseok was well aware of it, but it left a rather sour feeling of nostalgia in his gut whenever he dwelled on it for too long. Yixing had a better job now, but with it came longer hours, and Minseok found himself home alone more than he ever had. His owner was usually so preoccupied with work he’d often forget to eat, and while Minseok had his own room, he found himself crawling into Yixing’s bed in the evenings instead. At least when Yixing came in to go to bed, the feeling of him settling onto the mattress would wake Minseok up long enough to see him for a bit.

It was a lonely feeling. Even Yixing’s days off didn’t bring much relief, because while Yixing had been single all those years ago—

“But I promised Junmyeon we could do lunch today,” Yixing was saying, still bundled up in his blankets and curled up on his side in bed. It was nearly eleven already, but Minseok had let him sleep in, knowing his owner wasn’t getting a lot of rest. Minseok had eventually gone back into his bedroom to wake him up, deciding to hold off on the topic of his food still sitting in the fridge, and instead try a gentler approach of asking Yixing if they could go somewhere together for the day. But Yixing’s response had him frozen, sitting on his knees with his legs folded underneath him. He felt the telltale tug of his secondary ears, trying to fight the way he felt them flattening against his hair in disappointment as his heart sunk low in his gut. “We can hang out with Junmyeon and Baekhyun today together.”

While Yixing may have been single all those years ago, it wasn’t like he was now. Minseok knew Yixing liked Junmyeon, immensely at that; they had been together for three years already for crying out loud.  And who was he to disagree with the plans his owner made? After all, Junmyeon was a human being. Who wouldn’t pick Junmyeon over him?

He was just a cat that took up too much space.

“Yeah,” Minseok had eventually said, thankful that Yixing was still half-asleep and hadn’t seemed to notice the emotional lull in his voice. “Okay.”

It wasn’t like Minseok harbored any ill intent towards them. Junmyeon was nice and always welcomed the two of them with open arms whenever they came over to his apartment. He made Yixing happy, and that was one of the most important things to Minseok at the end of the day. And while Baekhyun could sometimes be…a lot, to put it simply – he was a dog, for crying out loud – he was a good friend.

But sometimes, it would have been nice to just have a day with Yixing, just the two of them, like they used to have.

Sulking wouldn’t get him anywhere, though. He pushed his feelings down the best he could, and the two of them began to get ready for the day. Whatever news program Yixing had on for background noise drowned out the sound of the rain against their apartment windows, which had thankfully gone from a torrential downpour to a light shower. Still, stereotypical of a cat or not, Minseok was not a fan of it.

He wound up bundled in his raincoat, tail shoved underneath it, ballcap snug over his head and hiding his ears, before tugging the hood of his raincoat over for good measure. It wasn’t like it was unusual to see hybrids out in public, but sometimes, it was nice to just blend in, to not have people stare at him. Plus, he despised getting wet outside of the shower, so hiding his fur-covered features would be a benefit at the moment.

Yixing had forgotten his umbrella and had run back upstairs, leaving him alone on the sidewalk outside of their apartment lobby. Still, at least the overhang of the first floor kept him dry as he waited. Huffing in annoyance, he fished his phone out of the raincoat pocket to check the time. He did have his bag with him, but at least his phone was guaranteed to stay dry in his raincoat.

So, if they used a leisurely pace, that would be fifteen minutes to the subway station, and—

  BANG.

Minseok jumped, phone nearly spilling out of his grip and onto the wet pavement. What the hell was that? Frowning, Minseok took a few steps down the sidewalk, curiosity getting the best of him. Off to the left side of their apartment building was a narrow alleyway, and Minseok found himself standing at the opening, brow pinched inward in thought. It sounded like the noise came from that direction, further into the alleyway, but all that was down there prior to hitting the dead end was the assortment of trashcans and recycling bins for their building and the business next door. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, minus one of the can lids lying on the ground, wet from the rain.

“Minseok?” He spun around then, startled for the second time, only to find Yixing standing behind him. He was holding the umbrella he had accidentally forgotten now, and his eyes were open wide in alarm, like they always were when he was worried about something. “What are you doing back here?”

Pursing his lips, Minseok made a vague gesture with his hand in the direction of the alleyway. “I thought I heard something.”

Yixing cocked his head a little to the side, obviously confused. “Maybe it was a rat?”

“I guess,” Minseok replied, deciding to just let it go. It wouldn’t have been his first time seeing a mouse in the city, so he doubted a rat would be that unusual. “Can we go now?”

Yixing flashed him a grin. “Sure. Let’s get you out of the rain.”

With their journey across town, the little incident in the alley was long forgotten. The two of them walked in a comfortable silence, huddled close together. It was a nice compatibility they had in that way, a characteristic they both harbored that not every moment had to be filled with talking. The summer air felt thick with humidity and Minseok was sure there was sweat starting to bead up in his hairline beneath his cap, so it was a relief when the two of them finally made their way into the subway station and headed downstairs.

They had just tapped through the gate with their transportation cards when Yixing suddenly turned to him. “Are you still upset with me?”

Minseok felt his shoulders tense. “What do you mean?”

“I know you, Minseok. The look on your face this morning said it all,” Yixing said. With them now waiting at their platform for the train, Yixing’s eyes turned to him, trying to meet his own. Minseok quickly lowered his gaze in return. When Yixing couldn’t make eye contact, he resorted to reaching for his hand instead. It took everything in Minseok not to snatch it away. He already wasn’t very affectionate, and even less so in public. Yixing asked him again, “are you still upset with me?”

“It’s not—you,” Minseok started, still refusing to meet Yixing’s eyes, hating the way he practically choked on the response. “I just thought me and you could…”

He trailed off lamely, and Yixing sighed.

“Let’s do something together next weekend, then,” Yixing offered. He squeezed his hand gently, and Minseok was thankful that he didn’t try to further pry anything out of him. He hated trying to talk about his feelings, and he wasn’t good at it either. “Just you and me.”

Minseok peeked up at him. The train had pulled into the station at this point, the din of sliding doors and moving passengers nearly drowning out his voice. “Really?”

“Anything you want.” Yixing tugged him gently onto the train then. It was crowded, not to their surprise, with it being a Saturday. They found a corner of the car to stand in together, Yixing still gripping his hand protectively in his own. The two of them talked softly in their small space. “I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been making much time for you.”

“You haven’t been for yourself, either,” Minseok huffed. “Your dinner was still in the fridge this morning.”

“I wasn’t hungry when I got home last night.”

“Okay, well, my point still stands. Also,” Minseok continued, “I need you to get more sleep. You look exhausted, not to mention the way I’m already falling asleep before you come to bed.”

A pause. Yixing then gave him a quizzical look. “Is that why you’ve been sleeping in my bed instead of your own these past few weeks? So you can try to make sure I’m in bed at a certain time?”

Before Minseok could think of a response, Yixing continued.

“I think you’re worrying yourself too much. I know you want to look out for me, but it’s my job to look after you, not the other way around. It’s just some growing pains right now.” A thoughtful expression overtook Yixing’s facial features. “Maybe we should get you a roommate to take your mind off things.”

Minseok almost instantly felt his tail bristle within the confines of his raincoat. It wasn’t their first time discussing the topic, but somehow, every time, he felt a wave of annoyance rise inside of him whenever it came up. He knew where this was going. Great. Just what he wanted was to have “the talk” in public, but at least them always conversing in Mandarin together, hopefully not as many people could understand what they were going on about.

“I don’t want a roommate.”

“I think it’d be good for you,” Yixing replied, still somehow keeping a light airiness in his voice that made it sound like a suggestion. “I know you’re lonely.”

“I’m not.” As if to prove it, he yanked his hand out of Yixing’s grip, petty as it was. Yixing was right, and Minseok knew it, but there was no way in hell he would admit it.

“Minseok,” Yixing sighed, trying to grab his hand again. Minseok shoved it into the pocket of his raincoat, out of reach. “C’mon, don’t be so stubborn. It’s okay to feel that way. When’s the last time you actually had social interaction that wasn’t me?”

Minseok huffed. “I played League with Taekwoon on Wednesday.”

“Outside of a video game,” Yixing countered. Minseok opened his mouth to respond. “Or Discord call,” Yixing then added. Minseok’s jaw clicked shut again.

Yixing gave him a little nudge, signaling it was their turn to get off. So Minseok obeyed, shuffling his way through the other riders to get to the door. Yixing followed him, and for a moment, they were left in an uneasy silence until Yixing spoke up again. “Just think about it, okay?”

Yeah, right. Minseok had already long decided he was perfectly fine being the only hybrid in the household. He didn’t need a roommate, nor did he want one; the only way he wanted to be living was with Yixing and only Yixing. Sure, he didn’t have many friends, and maybe he didn’t go outside enough, but he was doing just fine. Things weren’t perfect, and Minseok knew they could be better, but having to share his space, and Yixing with yet another person wouldn’t solve any of it.

To his relief, Yixing dropped the topic at hand. The rest of the trip gave Minseok some time to recollect himself and get his emotions back in check, and thankfully, by the time the restaurant came into view, he was feeling much better.

It didn’t take Minseok long to spot Junmyeon and Baekhyun either, even with the summer rain and masses of people. They were huddled together under the overhang, scanning the crowd and holding their matching umbrellas, though it didn’t last long. Once he and Baekhyun made eye contact, his umbrella was forgotten, practically hurled at Junmyeon as he went barreling out and into the rain. Somehow, he managed to dodge and weave between everyone he passed, ending up plowing into Minseok with a force that nearly bowled him over and off his feet.

Grunting from the air being knocked out of his lungs, Minseok wrapped the wriggling body up in his arms to hug him back. He was glad he had worn his raincoat, because Baekhyun was damp, brown hair starting to plaster to his forehead and the fur of his ears matted with moisture. “Hello to you, too.”

Baekhyun peeled himself off of Minseok then, rewarding him with one of those award-winning smiles he always had, bright and full of teeth. He looked like he was about to say something, but was interrupted by a fatigued-looking Junmyeon coming up behind him, armed with two umbrellas.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to run out into crowds like that?” Junmyeon sighed, though his voice held no venom. He handed the once-forgotten umbrella over to Baekhyun. “And look at you, you’re soaking wet.”

“I got excited,” Baekhyun told him in an attempt of defending himself, a pout on his lips in a heartbeat. It pulled a laugh out of Yixing, who tried to ruffle his hair, but the fibers were wet and it instead just left it disheveled and uneven, not that Baekhyun seemed to mind. Junmyeon, however, almost as if on reflex reached out to flatten it back down.

With pleasantries exchanged and the two owners having glued themselves to each other’s sides, Minseok let him fall back behind Yixing and Junmyeon to be around Baekhyun instead. The four of them headed inside and upstairs, settling in at a table together. Baekhyun curled into the seat beside him, leaving Yixing and Junmyeon to sit next to each other.

It was nice. It had been a couple months since he had seen Junmyeon and Baekhyun face-to-face. Minseok was admittedly a homebody, but he and Baekhyun did play games online together often, so at least there was still some regular communication between them. Still, it wasn’t quite the same as getting together in person.

Plus… Minseok paused in scooping more rice onto Baekhyun’s plate to glance across the table and Yixing and Junmyeon. Last Minseok had heard, they had been talking about work, so he had tuned them out to listen to Baekhyun’s ramblings instead. They were laughing about something, he didn’t know what, but he couldn’t help but notice how happy Yixing always seemed whenever they talked. It was as if he had a sparkle in his eye, and with him being pulled in so many different directions lately, the spark seemed to have been replaced by nothing but fatigue and stress.

Feeling like he was intruding on a moment that wasn’t his, Minseok looked away, wondering when the last time Yixing had looked like that around him.

Well, at the end of the day, at least Yixing was happy. Minseok could still remember how nervous he was when the two of them had first gotten together, but at least it had all worked out. After they had gone out for a while, that was when Minseok met Baekhyun for the first time. He had already outgrown his puppy stages by the time Minseok had met him, but his corgi genetics left him with energy that Minseok could not keep up with to save his life. He didn’t know how Junmyeon did it.

A hand touched his forearm, and Minseok jumped, startling out of his thoughts.

He was greeted by Baekhyun frowning at him, chopsticks still gripped in one hand. “Are you even listening?”

“Sorry,” Minseok sighed, one hand reaching up to scrub over the top left quadrant of his face near his eye. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind. What were you saying?”

“About Chanyeol,” Baekhyun told him. Right. Minseok had met him once before; huge fellow, floppy black ears on the sides of his head that contrasted Baekhyun’s pointed brown ones at the top of his own. He somehow had even more energy than Baekhyun did, or at least it seemed that way when Minseok had hung out with the two at the park that time. His owner, Kyungsoo, and Junmyeon were coworkers, if he remembered correctly. “He said Kyungsoo adopted another dog.”

Oh. Minseok winced. “How’s he taking it?”

“I dunno. He didn’t really say, but could go either way, I guess. He’s pretty open to strangers, but he’s pretty attached to Kyungsoo. So… I’m just praying they don’t get into it over that,” Baekhyun said. “And! You didn’t hear this from me, but I’m wondering if Kyungsoo got another dog because of how high-energy Chanyeol is.”

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think?”

“Hey! Listen, I know I have of energy too, but his puts mine to shame,” Baekhyun replied. “Since Kyungsoo doesn’t have a yard, he’s always at their apartment’s gym or at the dog park or something. Otherwise, he starts bouncing off the walls. Jongin is way bigger than I am, so I’m thinking maybe he could be a good playmate for Chanyeol. At least then they can tire each other out. Or something.”

“You guys are something else,” Minseok tiredly told him. “If I don’t get my two-hour afternoon nap before dinnertime, I can’t function.”

“You’re a cat. Of course you wouldn’t get it,” Baekhyun said. “We really need to find you some more cat friends… Isn’t everyone you know a dog except Taekwoon?”

“Him, you, Junmyeon, and Yixing are all I need. I don’t know if I can handle anyone else,” Minseok responded. Baekhyun was giving him an expectant stare, and Minseok sighed. “Okay, fine. I will see if I can hang out with Chanyeol on a bi-monthly basis. Jongin I will give you an update on after I have met him and can further clock his personality. But Kyungsoo is chill and I am open to discuss further details. You should tell him to add me on League.”

Baekhyun laughed. Despite how much of a hyper little gremlin he could be sometimes, Minseok knew he was on the introverted side, like he was. Too big of a social circle could be absolutely draining. It was one reason Minseok liked his games so much; he could hole himself up in his room, but still socialize to a certain extent. Stimulating, but not absolutely exhausting.

After lunch, the four of them explored the area together for a while. The rain had thankfully stopped while they were out, letting them shop in peace. Yixing and Junmyeon found some clothing they could use for work, Minseok found a new pullover that he liked, and Baekhyun insisted they get matching keychains, so they did. After Minseok caved to Baekhyun’s pouting for the second time that afternoon and shared an ice cream with him, they decided to call it quits. It was getting later in the day, and the ominous sound of thunder in the distance warned them that more unpredictable summer weather was on its way. With Minseok giving Baekhyun a hug – and pointedly ignoring the way Yixing and Junmyeon kissed each other goodbye because ew – the two pairs went their separate ways.

“You and Baekhyun seemed like you had fun today,” Yixing was saying, the two of them bumping into each other as they swerved around a deep puddle on the side of the road. “What did you guys talk about?”

“This and that, I guess. Nothing particular,” Minseok hummed. “Oh. Right, except he did say Kyungsoo apparently got another dog.”

“Yeah, I heard from Junmyeon. I couldn’t handle a dog hybrid, let alone two.” Yixing playfully flicked the brim of his ballcap. “You’re high enough maintenance as it is.”

“I totally am not,” Minseok argued.

“World’s most spoiled kitty.”

Minseok shoved him playfully in the side. Yixing just laughed in response, clearly teasing him.

At least the trip home was on a much higher note than it had been that morning. Minseok was in a much better mood this time around, even though it had started to rain again by the time they made it to the subway station. His outing was nice, and Yixing didn’t have work at all today, meaning he still had several hours alone with his owner before it was time for them to go to bed. Maybe if he asked nicely Yixing would make him those noodles he liked so much for dinner…

After a nice, hot shower, though. Even with his raincoat, the thunderstorm had gotten him wet on their walk home thanks to the wind. His ears felt gross underneath his now-damp baseball cap and he needed to clean and dry them off for sure before he could crawl into his pajamas.

Eventually, their apartment building came into view. As the pair passed the business next door, and then the corresponding alleyway, Minseok remembered the assortment of clutter in his bag. He and Baekhyun hadn’t been able to find a trashcan while they were out earlier, so the empty bottles from the drinks they had gotten at the convenience store were still rattling around in there. And, of course, he had forgotten to toss them at the subway station.

He was already soaked at this point, so no harm in stopping for a second to throw everything in recycling. If he brought it upstairs, he’d just have to take it back down anyway.

He tugged on Yixing’s sleeve to get his attention. “I’m gonna go toss this stuff real quick. I’ll meet you at the door in a sec.”

“Okay,” Yixing agreed, and the two of them parted ways.

Minseok headed down the narrow strip, unable to stop himself from grumbling in complaint when he accidentally submerged part of his shoe in a puddle that was way deeper than he had been anticipating. Stupid rain. Stupid summer. He couldn’t wait for this to all be over and they could move into fall. He liked the cold better, anyway. Well, at least he was almost home, and then he could chuck his shoes across the entranceway and change his socks.

Approaching the back wall, Minseok ped his bag, fishing out a handful of old wrappers and one of the plastic bottles, before he paused.

The lid he had seen on the ground earlier was gone.

He stood there for a second, trying to process what he was looking at. Or, rather, wasn’t looking at. It was like the entire lid had disappeared into thin air, because it wasn’t on the can anymore either. Surely if someone else had come to clean up earlier and had tidied up, they would have put it back?

Whatever. He was overthinking things. But either way, something felt…off.

He picked at the label of the bottle in his hand for a second before peeling it off, letting out a successful little noise as he did so. Flattened, cap back on, done. One down, one to go.

Maybe it was because his hands were wet, or it had grown dark outside by this point, but the second one was giving him some more trouble. Eventually, he lost his grip on the slippery plastic, and the bottle clattered to the cement below him.

Minseok groaned in annoyance, bending down to pick the bottle off the ground when he noticed something out of his peripheral vision. Something glittered in the low light, and, turning his head, he realized he had somehow found the missing trash can lid. It was wedged behind the main bins.

Minseok stared for a second, and then realized the lid was above floor level. While one piece of the rim was up against the wall, it was somehow several feet off the ground, almost as if it was resting on top of something.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Minseok, still squatted down, peered his head around the corner of the bins to look into the small gap.

Only to be met with two eyes staring back at him from underneath the lid.

He fell back onto his rear on the cold, wet ground, and screamed.

---

A/N: And so it begins... How are we feeling chat! Also, Taekwoon is Leo from VIXX, for anyone unaware.

Bonus notes: Minseok is a domestic short-hair cat. As mentioned, Baek is a corgi. Any guesses for Chanyeol, Jongin, or Jongdae so far? (small hint: chankai are both breeds of large dogs)

Bonus notes 2, lore edition: Minseok is also a Fortnite player and AR60 in Genshin Impact (I know no one asked but he mains Wriothesley) (someone please make him go touch some grass)