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a-blue-secret · 3 years

Text

We Are Each Other's Salvation (1)

g: hybrid au, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort

pairing: taegyu

wc: 19.8k+ of 31.9k+ (tumblr wouldn't let me post all in one go :()

warnings: mentions of anxiety disorder, mentions of past psychological abuse, mentions of past physical abuse, mentions of anxiety attack

an: i adore hurt/comfort hybrid aus. this is actually an idea older than my oldest fic, so you get the idea of how much i love hybrid aus! -also on ao3 here-

summary: beomgyu has lived alone for a few years now: not for his safety, but for everyone else's. all of that began to change when a certain hybrid who used to always turn up and sleep at beomgyu's porch suddenly disappeared, leading beomgyu to go out and find him. thus begins a long journey of love, kindness and affection leading up to the acceptance of oneself and all their flaws.

next ->

Beomgyu noticed the hybrid three weeks ago.

It was late. The sun had long ago disappeared below the horizon, and Beomgyu was getting out his guitar to play something before going to bed. After fooling around a little with chord progressions, he registered soft scratching and rustling outside.

He'd paused his playing, putting his guitar down. Something rustled again, and Beomgyu deduced it was coming from outside his porch.

Standing up, he made his way over to the window to peer around at the front of his house, looking for the source of the noise.

And to his surprise, there was a hybrid.

A cat hybrid, with orange tufty ears and a striped tail. It was curled up into a ball, sitting on the steps that led up to the porch, looking rather small. Beomgyu couldn't see its face, but when the hybrid whimpered in the quiet of the night, all fear and suspicion melted. He sat back down, picking up his guitar.

It was just a hybrid. A harmless kitty hybrid, probably just trying to find somewhere to sleep. Totally harmless. It would be gone by the time he awoke tomorrow, anyway.

Beomgyu played a few more songs before heading off to bed. When he woke up, the cat hybrid had vanished, like he'd predicted.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

Though lots of people were against hybrids and believed they were 'freaks', Beomgyu didn't believe that. They had been genetically modified by people who were too rich with too many resources to spare. It wasn't exactly their fault they'd been made into hybrids. And for this reason, Beomgyu never agreed with the people who shunned hybrids. Because it wasn't their fault.

The next night, Beomgyu was staying up late again, hastily trying to jot down the melody which had popped into his head.

"Ah, what was it?" he muttered, tapping his pencil against the coffee table. "How did it go?"

Staring at the half-filled music stave, he sighed frustratedly. He strummed his guitar, hoping the rest of the melody would somehow miraculously come back to him.

He was playing the same phrase for the thirteenth time when he heard a thump outside. Immediately, he froze.

There was complete silence for several moments. Beomgyu hesitantly started to play the phrase again. But he heard a soft whimper, and stopped.

Putting his guitar down, Beomgyu peered through the curtains. The hybrid was back on his porch.

He tilted his head curiously. Why was it here again? The hybrid shifted, and when it turned its head Beomgyu noticed there was no collar.

Beomgyu frowned. Hybrids normally had collars with trackers embedded in them so their owners could find them. Since it was illegal to embed microchips or any sort of tracking devices into functioning citizens (despite being able to be owned, hybrids were still weirdly considered legal citizens) collars were used. But this hybrid didn't have one.

Beomgyu stared curiously for a moment, before shrugging.

If the collarless hybrid wanted to camp out by his porch for another night, then that was fine by him. One more night didn't matter, did it?

He spent a couple more minutes trying to figure out the melody, before giving up and singing some well-known songs instead. After an hour or so, he decided to go to bed.

Parting the curtains, he peered outside. The hybrid, like yesterday, was curled up into a ball, back facing the window. Beomgyu noticed his shoulders moving up and down in a regular rhythm. The hybrid was asleep. With a satisfied nod, he closed the curtains, heading upstairs to his room.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

Beomgyu thought, after that, the hybrid wouldn't come to his doorstep anymore.

But he was wrong.

Lately, Beomgyu had trouble sleeping and stayed up late, sitting cross-legged on his sofa with his guitar in his lap, composing and singing songs.

When he trudged downstairs into the living room, he always heard a familiar rustling outside, indicating the hybrid had once again settled down by his front porch. He'd get his guitar out, play around for a few hours before heading back to bed. Not before checking on the hybrid first, who was often fast asleep by then.

He wasn't sure why the hybrid came to his door every night, nor why the hybrid had no collar, but he didn't really mind. The hybrid didn't bother him, so he had no reason to complain.

So he let the hybrid stay.

Every night for three weeks, without fail, the hybrid came to his porch, curling up on the steps. Beomgyu even came down and played his guitar at the time the hybrid would be there, so he could peer through the curtains to make sure the hybrid was okay.

He wasn't sure why he did this. It was like a habit now: hear the hybrid come up to his porch; play his guitar; go to bed once the hybrid was asleep.

Beomgyu had only glimpsed the hybrid's face once. The hybrid often sat with its back to the window, but once, while shifting in its sleep, the hybrid had turned around and Beomgyu had seen him.

It was definitely male. His face was small, making his features stand out even more. Even while asleep, Beomgyu felt a delicate sort of beauty radiating from the hybrid, as his ears flicked in his sleep and he hunched his shoulders, curling tighter into a ball.

He looked adorable, but also fragile. The hybrid shivered in his sleep, and Beomgyu's heart ached.

Summer was beginning to fray at the edges, giving way to autumn. It was getting colder day by day, with the rich green hues of summer melting into the red and gold shades of autumn. The days were gradually getting shorter, the temperature gradually dropping. Beomgyu noticed the hybrid would always have his arms around him, curled into the tightest possible ball he could. It was cold outside, and he wondered why the hybrid didn't find somewhere more sheltered to stay, instead of sitting outside the porch, in the cold.

A month after Beomgyu had first noticed the hybrid, it was fully autumn and the wind snapped at the leaves clinging pitifully onto the trees. Beomgyu almost began to expect the hybrid now, who always made his way over to Beomgyu's porch, curling into a tight ball as Beomgyu picked up his guitar, mulling over what song to play.

Each time, the hybrid would already be asleep once Beomgyu had finished, and each time, when Beomgyu awoke the next morning he was already gone. It felt normal to have the hybrid by his porch now.

But one day, something different happened.

Beomgyu whistled as he made his way downstairs into the living room. He already knew what he was going to play: after going through his old notebook, he'd found a song he'd written a couple of years ago which he wanted to try out.

Picking up his guitar, he opened the curtains a little to check on the hybrid: a habit he'd developed. But as he peered outside, he frowned.

The hybrid was not there.

Beomgyu checked the time on his phone. 23:47pm.

The hybrid was normally here by now. He always turned up before midnight. So where was he? Why had he not shown up?

Beomgyu waited. He waited for the hybrid to show up because, if he was being honest, he rather liked the hybrid. After so many weeks of seeing him sleep outside his door, he'd grown to like the sight of the hybrid, sleeping peacefully.

So he waited. He waited, and he waited, and he waited a little longer just to be sure.

But by then it was nearing one in the morning, and the hybrid still hadn't turned up. That was when Beomgyu began to get a little worried.

Where was the hybrid? Was he hurt? Was he lost? Did he perhaps leave to find another person's porch to sleep on?

Beomgyu frowned. He didn't want the hybrid sleeping on someone else's porch. Would they keep an eye on the hybrid like he did? He didn't want the hybrid to get hurt. He was truly rather fond of the cat hybrid.

A few more minutes passed, and the hybrid was still nowhere to be seen. What if he really had been hurt?

Twiddling his thumbs anxiously, Beomgyu peers out at the empty streets before abruptly standing up from the sofa. If the hybrid wasn't going to show up, then Beomgyu was going to go find him.

So, putting on his coat and his gloves and his scarf, Beomgyu steps outside onto the streets to look for the hybrid.

All the windows in the houses were dark. Not even a single car drove by. If it weren't for the dim street lamps, Beomgyu wouldn't have been able to see anything.

A good few minutes into his searching, Beomgyu realised he had no idea where he was going. How does one search for a hybrid? Where does one start?

It didn't even occur that he was behaving ridiculously at that moment. On a normal day, he would have laughed at himself for going to such measures just to find a hybrid, but this wasn't just any hybrid. This was the cute kitty hybrid who always came to his porch and slept as Beomgyu played his guitar in the middle of the night. This was the hybrid who curled into a tight ball as Beomgyu composed and sang songs. This was the hybrid Beomgyu had, oddly, grown used to.

He peered into suspicious-looking alleyways, poked around under dark bushes, even climbed up one tree because he heard rustling.

Beomgyu hopped down from the tree, brushing his gloves. The squirrel had startled the moment Beomgyu shoved his head up between the branches, scampering away. Where was the hybrid? He just wanted to make sure the hybrid was safe.

But then, he heard a whimper. A soft whimper that, in the silence of the night (well, early morning) swept through the empty streets and reached Beomgyu's ears.

He perked up, looking around for the source of the noise.

Everything was quiet. Then Beomgyu heard rustling coming from a small alley next to the park he was in. Immediately, he hurried towards the alleyway. When he peered inside, he gave a choked gasp.

There, slumped against the brick wall, lay the hybrid, unconscious and bleeding profusely. The hybrid always wore the same thin shirt and worn shorts. His shirt—which Beomgyu assumed had once been white before it'd been darkened by dirt—was practically torn to pieces, stained with not only dirt but the hybrid's own blood. He was covered in countless scratches and when his head lolled to the other side, Beomgyu saw the dark purple bruise on his cheekbone.

Beomgyu gaped, taken aback by the hybrid's horrifying state.

He took a step forward, kneeling down beside the hybrid. Then, very softly, he touched the hybrid's shoulder.

"Hello?" he said. "Hello, can you hear me?"

But the hybrid remains unconscious. Beomgyu's eyes were wide with fear. He'd bleed to death if Beomgyu left him there.

So he did the only reasonable thing he could think of.

Unravelling his scarf from around his neck, Beomgyu wrapped it around the hybrid, hoping it could provide some warmth. Then he scooped the hybrid into his arms, rushing back through the streets. He thanked the heavens that the houses were all dark, because he'd get lots of comments from suspicious neighbours if they saw him carrying a bleeding, unconscious person back to his house.

Fumbling for his keys, he messily opened his front door (the hybrid still in his grip) before kicking off his shoes and heading straight for his room.

There, he lay the hybrid down on his bed, ignoring the way his blood stained the sheets. Now the rush of adrenaline which had helped him carry the hybrid across the street had faded, he stared at the unconscious hybrid in his bed, common sense now registering in his brain.

What was he going to do with an injured hybrid? Granted, his knowledge on medicine and first aid was better than most (one of the few useful things he'd picked up while rooming with Soobin back when Soobin had been pursuing his degree in nursing while they were in college), but he had zero knowledge on what to do with a hybrid. Should he call an ambulance instead… ?

Beomgyu quickly shook his head. Healthcare services had a severe dislike of hybrids. Perhaps it was because hybrids rarely had money to pay for the services. But hey, that wasn't the hybrids' fault: the government was to blame for not letting hybrids have the same benefits as 'normal' citizens.

Beomgyu ruffled his hair, trying to stay focused.

"Right, his wounds," he muttered. Maybe hybrids were different to humans, but he was still going to try and treat the hybrid's wounds to the best of his ability.

Hurrying to the bathroom, he tugged out the first aid kit before rushing back to his bedroom.

"Okay, let's see if I remember any of the stuff Soobin made me memorise," Beomgyu said to himself, pulling surgical gloves over his hands.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

It turned out that, thankfully, Beomgyu managed to remember pretty much everything he'd helped Soobin revise during their college days.

He cleaned the hybrid's cuts, addressed the reopened wounds, and pressed several cold compressions against the bruises littering his arms and legs.

The hybrid's shirt, which was already practically falling apart, had to be stripped off of him, and Beomgyu dressed the hybrid in one of his own shirts, which was a bit large but still fit.

Beomgyu would have been worried the hybrid hadn't woken up once if he couldn't see his breathing was calm and even. This was probably the first time in ages the hybrid had slept in a proper bed.

It was a shame, really, how hybrids were treated in society. Though they were technically legal citizens, that didn't stop people from being prejudiced. The government's confusing and contradicting laws regarding hybrids didn't help matters, either. They had barely any rights for themselves, treated as walking, talking pets for rich people to flaunt.

Though there was the odd good person who took a hybrid in and raised them as a proper member of society instead of treating them as a lesser being, those good people were few and far between. Most people who bought hybrids were too rich and too dumb to understand they were buying real lives which needed care. Hybrid owners were known to mistreat hybrids, treating them like dolls and beating them when they did things wrong.

But people who bought hybrids were in the minority. Hybrids were seen as a luxury, and owning one was something only people with far too much money were able to do.

Most people either didn't like them or were indifferent to them. Beomgyu fell in the latter. While he may not actively campaign for hybrids' rights, he would not go shooing them away and yelling at them.

But back to the point. The hybrid was still asleep in Beomgyu's bed, curled into a ball.

Now that Beomgyu's mind wasn't occupied with addressing the hybrid's wounds, he took in the hybrid's calm, sleeping state, and couldn't help but smile fondly.

The hybrid really was adorable. The way his ears flicked cutely in his sleep, the way he curled into a ball, tail wrapped around him, the way his nose scrunched as he slept: it was all so adorable.

Beomgyu gazed at the hybrid for a little longer, before snapping out of his reverie. With one last glance at the sleeping hybrid, he stepped out of the room, closing the door.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

Taehyun woke up slowly, blinking and yawning in the morning light.

He faintly registered the sound of a guitar being played, and smiled sleepily. It was the same music as what that human always played.

The scent of the unfamiliar setting suddenly registered in his brain and he shot upright, rubbing his eyes. He looked around, taking in his surroundings.

No wonder he'd felt so comfortable. He was in a bed.

The room was, for the most part, very neat. Though there were some clothes strewn about the place, and a first aid kit lay open on the floor, there was no dust nor dirt, which Taehyun was glad about. The sun streamed in through clean windows, and the curtains hung neatly on either side of the glass.

It was a far cry from the highly polished marble rooms he'd originally run away from, but it was infinitely better than the muddy, rat-infested alleyway he'd crawled into before passing out.

The memories of what happened before he'd fallen unconscious came back to Taehyun, and he clutched his tail uncertainly. Then, lifting up his arms he winced, expecting to see the crusted-over wounds still stained with old blood.

He widened his eyes, tail flicking as he lifted up both arms. They were clean. All of the wounds had been either bandaged or plastered, and the bruises Taehyun had known would form were not as large as anticipated.

What had happened? Did he clean himself up somehow?

The sound of the guitar faded back into Taehyun's hearing again, and he hunched his shoulders.

Had he broken into someone's house to clean himself up? Perhaps that was the case…

The guitar music stopped abruptly, and Taehyun's ears pricked up. The music didn't start again, and he cautiously crawled out of the bed, making his way over to the door before slowly opening it.

Creeping down the hallway, Taehyun reached the top of some stairs and, peering through the bannister, he widened his eyes.

It was the human. The one who always played music in the middle of the night.

Taehyun watched from where he was sitting on the top stair as the human adjusted his fingers, strumming out a new tune.

But then the human stopped, and Taehyun held his breath. Hoping the human wouldn't look up and spot him.

The human put his guitar down and stood. And, very slowly, he looked up. Straight at Taehyun.

Just his luck . Taehyun shrank away as the human looked up at him. He expected the human's brow to crinkle, and for him to snarl and yell at him. Taehyun was already tensed, ready to run away.

But to his surprise, the human's eyes crinkled instead, and he smiled.

"Hello," the human said, and Taehyun shrank away further when he made his way over to the stairs. "So you've woken up now?"

Taehyun watched with wide eyes as the human walked up the stairs before crouching down in front of him. His ears twitched with fear, and the human's eyes flicked to the movement for a split second. Taehyun wanted to wince. The human would start scolding him soon.

Inhuman. Mutant. Freak.

He knew all the insults. Even after having left the house with its cold marble floors and fierce words long ago, the scoldings were ingrained in his brain, drilled into him after countless years. He wasn't allowed to move. He wasn't allowed to show emotions. He was a pet. He was a doll. How dare he draw attention to the animal part of him. How dare he act on his own.

Taehyun was tense, waiting for this human to scold him. But to his surprise, the human's eyes just crinkled further, little sparkles appearing in his irises. Taehyun looked at the tiny stars in awe, before remembering who he was and quickly lowering his gaze.

He heard the human give a sigh. "Oh dear, I should have washed the rest of your body. Your ears… there's a splatter of dirt here."

Taehyun kept himself stock still as the human reached out and touched the soft fur of his ears. What was this? Why wasn't he being told off?

The human’s fingers gently caressed his ears, and Taehyun had to close his eyes against the sensation. As the human’s fingers moved from his ears to his scalp, Taehyun had to suppress a relaxed purr. No one had ever stroked his hair like that. It felt… comforting.

But then the human retracted his hand, and Taehyun watched him retreat with a mournful expression on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have touched your ears," the human said. Taehyun wanted to tell him that he didn't mind and he actually liked it, but he kept his mouth shut, tail swishing anxiously.

"But that being said, I think it would be a good idea to wash your hair," the human said. "Tell me, what's your name?"

Taehyun froze, eyes going wide. The human was… asking for his name? But why?

The human gave a soft chuckle. "You've been sleeping on my porch for a month now. I probably deserve to know your name, right?"

Taehyun shrank into himself, shoulders hunching. The human was right: he deserved to know Taehyun's name after all the days the hybrid had spent sleeping outside his house, dozing off to the human's guitar playing.

Taehyun swallowed, then swallowed again, and gave a tiny cough to make sure his voice didn't come out croaky.

"My name is Taehyun," he whispered, still avoiding eye contact with the human.

"That's a pretty name," the human commented. "My name is Beomgyu."

Taehyun looked up in surprise, forgetting for a split second he was not allowed to look a human in the eye. He just told a hybrid his name?

The human, Beomgyu, just smiled at him, before standing up.

"Come on, Taehyun."

Taehyun stared in slight disbelief at the hand which was held out to him, before looking back up at the human.

Beomgyu chuckled. "Your hand. Give me your hand."

Taehyun winced inwardly. He was getting punished? Of course. He should have seen this coming.

Very slowly, he placed his hand on top of Beomgyu's, palm up.

But instead of a whipping like he'd expected, Beomgyu simply flipped his hand over and pulled him onto his feet.

"Come on. Do you want something to eat? After eating, we can go get you washed up."

Taehyun stared at their intertwined hands, before realising Beomgyu had talked to him and quickly nodded his head. "O—okay."

Beomgyu smiled, and led him downstairs.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

Beomgyu hummed to himself as he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, glancing behind every now and then to make sure Taehyun was following him. The hybrid was very shy, a trait which Beomgyu believed was taught to the hybrid, rather than a natural personality trait Taehyun already had.

Beomgyu wasn’t dumb. He knew the signs. From the way Taehyun had his head lowered to the way he’d flinched when Beomgyu had held out his hand, it was clear the hybrid had been subjected to physical and probably psychological abuse too.

He had no idea the extent of abuse that had been inflicted on the hybrid, but he was determined to let Taehyun know he would not be victim to any of that while under his care.

"Is there anything you'd like to eat, Taehyun?" Beomgyu asked, opening the fridge. "I'll give you anything you like. Just name it and I'll give it to you."

Beomgyu scanned the contents of his fridge. After a moment, he deflated a little. There was very little food.

"Ah. I'm afraid I'm going to have to go back on my word," Beomgyu said, eyeing the fridge critically, "because there isn't much I'm able to give you." He looked back at Taehyun. "Is there anything you want?"

Taehyun stood a few metres behind Beomgyu, fiddling with his fingers. His head was lowered.

"Oh, what are you doing there?" Beomgyu said. Taehyun flinched, and Beomgyu winced. "Wait, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that you can sit down over here." Beomgyu gestured to the kitchen island. "There. Have a seat, you don't have to stand."

"Okay." Taehyun obediently made his way over to the island, pulling out a bar stool and sitting down on it. Beomgyu, slightly unnerved by how incredibly meek Taehyun was acting, turned back to the fridge. He wasn't used to such instant obedience.

Beomgyu sighed again, eyeing his fridge. What could he give Taehyun? Beomgyu was aware of the frozen pizzas in his freezer, but he worried they were too processed and oily for the hybrid's stomach to handle. The variety of homemade food Yeonjun had given him would be okay, if Beomgyu knew how to heat it up without blowing up his house. Which he doubted he did.

That left the fruit and vegetables. Beomgyu plucked out an apple which looked slightly less bruised than the rest.

Beomgyu grinned. "Nice."

He went over to the sink to wash the fruit, before drying it and turning back around to Taehyun. But then, he paused. He looked at the bandaged-up hybrid, with his small, meek frame and nervously intertwined fingers, and the dark bruise blossoming on his cheekbone. Taehyun blinked timidly. He looked so fragile.

Beomgyu looked at the apple again, which suddenly looked big and hard and difficult to eat. He turned away.

"Yeah, I'll cut the apple up for you."

Beomgyu ambled over to the knife block, apple still in hand.

"Alright, which one's the tiny knife?"

Beomgyu pulled out one randomly, the knife making a neat shing sound as it emerged from the wooden block. Taehyun visibly flinched at the sound, ears twitching nervously.

"No, no, crap, not that one," Beomgyu muttered. "This one maybe?"

He pulled out another knife, this one even bigger than the last. Taehyun's hands had begun to shake a little.

Beomgyu hissed, frowning. "I wonder if I can cut an apple with scissors," he said to himself. "If I pull the wrong one again, I swear I might actually do that—oh good, it's the right one."

Beomgyu managed to take out the smallest knife at last, and swiftly cut the apple into slices, then sheathed the knife and put the cut apple on two plates.

"Here you go," Beomgyu said, placing one plate very gently in front of Taehyun. "It's not much, but in a few hours maybe I'll get you something more to eat."

Taehyun looked up at Beomgyu in surprise. "...Food? For...for me?"

Beomgyu smiled and nodded, sitting down opposite Taehyun. "Yeah, for you. I'm sorry about the whole knives thing. I didn't mean to terrify you."

"It's okay." Taehyun looked down at the apple slices, hands twisting together unsurely. How was he meant to eat this? He glanced up at Beomgyu, who had taken the slice in his bare hands, munching on it absentmindedly.

Taehyun looked down at his own hands, then at his plate. Very slowly, he picked up the apple slice, and nibbled on it gingerly.

Beomgyu smiled fondly, watching him. "You can eat as much as you want, I promise," he said. "I've got loads more in the fridge. It's the only thing I seem to have an abundance of, for some reason. If you want any more, all you have to do is ask, okay?"

Taehyun glanced up at him timidly, before nodding slightly.

There wasn't a noticeable change in his demeanor, but as Taehyun took larger bites of the fruit, Beomgyu smiled.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

"Taehyun?"

Taehyun froze, in the middle of licking the sticky apple juices from his fingers.

"It's nothing bad, don't worry, I just wanted to tell you we should get you washed up now," Beomgyu said quickly.

Taehyun immediately relaxed his tense shoulders, though his tail still flicked anxiously. He nodded, slipping off the stool.

"Okay."

Beomgyu blinked. "... Okay. Do you wanna go wash now?"

Taehyun nodded again. "Okay."

"Alright then." Beomgyu stood up too, still not used to Taehyun's immediate compliance with everything Beomgyu said. "Come on, let's go to the bathroom."

He walked out of the kitchen, glancing back at the hybrid. Taehyun was still rooted to the spot on the floor, fiddling with his tail. Beomgyu tilted his head.

"Taehyun? Are you alright?"

Taehyun startled, looking up at Beomgyu. "O—oh, yes. I'm… I'm okay."

Beomgyu frowned slightly. "Are you sure? If something is bothering you, it's okay. You can tell me."

Beomgyu waited, patient, as Taehyun's ears flicked and the hybrid gripped his tail, opening and closing his mouth unsurely.

"It's just… is it okay? It's… it's your bathroom. And I'm not… human." Taehyun's ears flattened against his head in shame. "I might… contaminate."

Beomgyu's fingers twitched, and he wanted nothing more than to punch whatever asshole had convinced Taehyun that he'd 'contaminate' things just by being a hybrid. Instead, he walked forward and gently lifted Taehyun's face, staring at him with a firm but gentle gaze.

"Let me tell you this, Taehyun," Beomgyu said. "You will never contaminate anything because you are hybrid. That is not true in the slightest. Don't let anyone ever tell you that, okay? Because they're wrong."

He stared earnestly at Taehyun, eyes determined. Then he smiled. "Come on now, let's get you washed."

He took Taehyun's hand into his own, the hybrid staring at their intertwined hands in surprise. Beomgyu smiled, rubbing his thumb over the back of Taehyun's hand reassuringly.

And then, he led Taehyun out of the kitchen and upstairs, to the bathroom.

But upstairs in the bathroom, as the two of them stared at the bath, Beomgyu realised they may have an awkward situation.

"Ah. I didn't think of this." Beomgyu turned to Taehyun. "Would you be okay with washing with clothes on?"

Taehyun looked up at him, clearly confused.

"Your wounds will make it difficult for you to wash yourself," Beomgyu clarified. "You'll need someone else to wash you."

Taehyun, understanding the situation, looked down. "It's alright. I can wash myself."

"Even if you can, I won't allow it," Beomgyu said. "You are far too weak." He nodded firmly. "There's nothing for it. You'll wash in those clothes."

Taehyun blinked. "But… these are yours?"

"It's alright," Beomgyu reassured him. "They're clean. It doesn't matter. Now come on. In you get."

Beomgyu helped Taehyun clamber inside the bathtub. It wasn't until he attempted to reach for the handheld showerhead that he realised he still had a hold of the hybrid's hand. He let go quickly.

"I'm sorry. Didn't realise I was still holding your hand. Alright, let's get to washing you."

Beomgyu turned on the water, and let out a high-pitched squeak. He coughed.

"Uh, the water was too hot. Let me adjust this."

He put the showerhead down, which immediately started spraying water everywhere.

"Ah! Ah! Turn it off, turn it off!" Beomgyu cried, before realising that he was the one who was meant to turn it off.

The water was shut off, and Beomgyu looked at Taehyun, who was still sitting in the bath, wide-eyed. Beomgyu was completely soaked, whereas Taehyun was relatively dry. Beomgyu blinked at him.

"... How about a bath?"

Taehyun's eyes darted about, like it was a trick question, before nodding.

"Okay."

Beomgyu beamed. "Great!" Then, his eyes lit up. "Do you want bubbles too?"

A few minutes later, Beomgyu watched as Taehyun's eyes grew steadily wider as the tub began to fill with water and bubbles. Taehyun looked up at Beomgyu, who smiled at his expression of wonder.

The hybrid pointed to the water— warm water!—and then pointed to himself, in shock.

Beomgyu laughed. "Yes, it's for you. We need to wash you, don't we? I have no doubt that being in that alleyway can't have been good for your health." He stood up from where he’d been crouched on the floor next to the bath. “You can play for a little while. Relax. And when you feel like there’s enough water, just turn it off, okay? I’ll be back in a minute.”

Beomgyu smiled, before closing the bathroom door.

Taehyun waited a moment. Then a moment longer. When Beomgyu didn’t appear in the doorway, he turned to look at the bubbles, a tiny smile on his face.

He ran his fingers through the bubbles, giving a small laugh when they clung to his hands as he lifted them up.

As Taehyun patted his hands over the bubbles, creating tiny splashes, he understood why humans loved bubble baths so much. They were just so fun.

It was a while before Taehyun remembered the other thing Beomgyu had told him. He looked up in alarm. The water!

Scrambling over to the taps, he fiddled with the knobs until the water shut off. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad he’d remembered before the water overflowed. He sank into the bubbles again, a relaxed smile on his face.

The bathroom door opened and he flinched, before Beomgyu smiled reassuringly.

“It’s okay. I was getting you some clothes for you to change into. Also some towels.” He held up the items. “Nothing’s wrong. Don’t worry.” He set the clothes down. “Right, I think your body might be sufficiently washed now. Let’s wash your hair, shall we?” Beomgyu grinned, and opened one of the bathroom cabinets. “What scent of shampoo would you like?”

Soon enough, the scent of lilac filled the bathroom as Beomgyu lathered copious amounts of shampoo into Taehyun’s hair.

The bottle had been a new one, and when Beomgyu had opened it, more of the lotion had come out than he’d intended, leaving him with no choice but to put it all on Taehyun’s head. This resulted in a very bubbly, very lilac-scented mess.

Beomgyu rubbed the shampoo into Taehyun’s scalp, making sure to be careful of the hybrid’s ears.

“I’m very sorry about how much I put into your hair,” Beomgyu said as he continued to massage Taehyun’s head. “I didn’t expect it. Oh dear—some has gotten on your nose.”

Beomgyu reached down to wipe the bubbles from Taehyun’s nose, before pausing. His own hand was covered in bubbles. He looked down at the water, which was also full of bubbles. He blinked, at a loss.

“Ah. We seem to have a bubble problem.”

Taehyun giggled. It was a small sound, but Beomgyu heard it also the same. He smiled, a look of surprise on his face. Taehyun looked up at him through the bubbles covering his head, a tiny smile on his face.

Beomgyu had to press his lips together to keep from cooing at how adorable the hybrid looked. Taehyun looked up at Beomgyu, big eyes crinkled around the edges as he smiled and a cute little dimple appeared on his cheek.

Beomgyu coughed, moving away to prevent himself from poking the hybrid’s dimple. “I think your hair has been shampooed enough, don’t you? Let’s wash it off now.”

As Beomgyu washed all of the bubbles off with the showerhead, he couldn’t help but marvel at how… adorable the hybrid looked.

Taehyun’s ears twitched as Beomgyu gently ran his fingers over them, making sure the last of the shampoo had been washed.

In a few minutes, Taehyun’s hair lay flat on his head, flattened by the water. His ears drooped from the amount of water in them. He looked up at Beomgyu, and there was no mistaking the smile on his lips. Beomgyu smiled back.

“Alright, shall we condition your hair now?”

Finally, after a fight with the conditioner (which refused to be squeezed out of the bottle) and an argument with the water (which for some reason had set itself to boiling hot) Taehyun was fully washed. His hair stuck up haphazardly, and his fingers had turned wrinkled from how long he’d been in the water, but the smile on his face had turned into a bright beam as he stared up at Beomgyu, eyes crinkling adorably.

“Thank you,” he said. The words were soft, quiet, but Beomgyu could feel the conviction in them.

“No problem,” he smiled. “Let’s get you dressed, shall we?”

Beomgyu helped Taehyun to his feet, assisting him in stepping out of the bath. He handed one of the towels to Taehyun.

"Here. Use this one to dry yourself, then when you take those wet clothes off use this one to keep yourself from getting cold. Then put on these dry clothes."

"Okay."

Beomgyu ruffled Taehyun's hair, forgetting that it was wet and accidentally spraying himself with water. "I'll be in my room, okay? The room you first woke up in. Just come in there when you're done."

With that, Beomgyu smiled at Taehyun and closed the door.

.・゜° (^･ｪ･^)

There was a timid knock at Beomgyu's bedroom door, and he looked up from laptop.

"Come in!"

Taehyun peered into the room shyly. Beomgyu smiled.

"Ah, you're all dressed now?"

Taehyun nodded, creeping in. "The wet clothes… I…" He gestured behind him. "The sink. I… I didn’t know where else..."

Beomgyu nodded in understanding. "That's fine. I can wash them in the bathroom sink, anyway. That's okay." He patted space beside him. "Here, come sit down."

Taehyun blinked at him, wide-eyed.

Beomgyu chuckled. “Come on, come on.”

Once Taehyun was sat beside him on the edge of the bed, Beomgyu turned to him, face unusually serious.

“Taehyun, is it okay if I ask you something?”

Taehyun had tensed at Beomgyu’s serious tone, but Beomgyu took his hand gently.

“It’s okay. It’s nothing bad.”

Taehyun relaxed, but still looked unsure. “Okay.”

“How long have you been without an owner?”

Taehyun flinched at the words, and fragments of memories flashed in his head.

The whip. The calloused hand. Harsh words, yelled right into his sensitive ears.

The blinding white marble. The fear of him , which was almost a habitual feeling at that point.

Taehyun lowered his head, shoulders shaking. “I don’t know. I… I ran away. A long time ago.”

Beomgyu had noticed the way Taehyun’s eyes had dilated in terror, and winced internally.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you scared.”

Taehyun shook his head. “It’s okay.”

Beomgyu took a deep breath, still holding Taehyun’s hand. “Do you… do you think he’ll be looking for you?”

It took a moment for Taehyun to answer. “No.”

Beomgyu frowned. “No?”

Taehyun’s whole body was shaking now, and he was clutching Beomgyu’s hand tight. “I was… I was only one. He had many.” He took a deep, shaky breath. “And I was bad.”

Beomgyu didn’t think twice. He gently took his hand out of Taehyun's, swapping it for his other hand before wrapping his arm around the hybrid’s shoulders. “You’re not bad,” Beomgyu said softly. “It’s alright. It’s alright.”

Taehyun closed his eyes, tight, but his shoulders still trembled.

“It’s okay,” Beomgyu said. “No one should have treated you like that. It’s okay to be scared.”

Taehyun pressed his lips together to suppress a sob. Beomgyu held him, rubbing Taehyun’s shoulder comfortingly as the hybrid buried his face into the crook of Beomgyu's neck.

“He was so scary,” Taehyun whispered. “He was so scary.”

If Beomgyu had wanted to punch that asshole before, he was full-on ready to murder him now. Taehyun’s tail curled and uncurled itself around Taehyun’s arm nervously.

“I don’t want to go back to him. Please,” Taehyun said, voice breaking. “He doesn’t want me anyway, please, don’t send me to him. Please.”

Beomgyu’s arm tightened around Taehyun’s shoulders. “I won’t send you to him,” he promised. “Never. I’ll never send you to him.”

Beomgyu almost flinched as something curled around his arm, and looked to see Taehyun’s tail had curled around the arm he had around the hybrid’s shoulder. Very softly, Beomgyu spoke again.

“I won’t send you back to your owner,” he said, “but what about a hybrid shelter?”

Taehyun shot upright, eyes wide and fearful. “No, no, not there! Not there either, please,” he said, shaking his head frantically as his voice shook.

Beomgyu pursed his lips worriedly. “Alright, not there either,” he promised. “I won’t give you away to a shelter.”

Beomgyu rubbed Taehyun's shoulder, making soothing noises, but he was distracted.

He couldn't keep Taehyun with him. He had his own problems, his own issues, and if Taehyun was around then the hybrid could end up getting hurt.

He couldn’t send Taehyun back to his previous master. From how Taehyun had shook at the mere mention of it, the hybrid had been severely traumatised. It wasn’t even like Beomgyu knew who Taehyun’s previous owner was, anyway.

He couldn’t send Taehyun to a hybrid shelter, either. Taehyun had almost cried when Beomgyu mentioned it, so there was no way he was sending the hybrid there. Hybrid shelters had a bad reputation anyway. Beomgyu wasn’t sure he’d feel safe with leaving Taehyun there.

Beomgyu gave a small sigh, holding Taehyun tighter against his side.

When Taehyun stopped shaking and his breathing had evened out, Beomgyu spoke. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I probably should have realised it was a sensitive topic.”

Taehyun shook his head, rubbing at his eyes. “It’s okay,” he said, voice still trembling a little.

“But still, I should have known,” Beomgyu said, sighing apologetically. Then very gently, he removed his arm from around Taehyun’s shoulders. The tail curled around his arm tightened a little, before relaxing and letting him go. He smiled brightly at the hybrid: perhaps a little too brightly, considering the situation they’d just been in, but he was determined to change the subject into something more enjoyable.

“Alright, but enough talk about that,” he said. He observed the way the ends of Taehyun’s hair still dripped with water, and he could feel the distinct wet patch on his shoulder where Taehyun’s hair had been.

“Hmm, your hair is still wet,” Beomgyu mused. “Wait here. I’ll go get a towel.”

He quickly hopped off the bed, disappearing out of the room. A few seconds later, he came back with a towel in his hands.

“I’m going to dry your hair, if that’s okay? I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

Taehyun stared at the towel in Beomgyu’s hands, before nodding. “Okay.”

Beomgyu smiled. “Great.” He gently turned Taehyun around until the hybrid had his back to him, before rubbing Taehyun’s hair with the towel.

“Did you like the bath?” Beomgyu asked.

Taehyun nodded his head. “Mmhm. It was nice.”

Beomgyu smiled at the back of Taehyun’s head. “That’s good.”

Taehyun’s frame had tensed when Beomgyu had brought the towel to his head. But after a few moments, Taehyun’s shoulders relaxed, and his tail curled comfortably beside him.

“My fridge is pretty empty at the moment,” Beomgyu said, voice soft and calming, “so there’s not much I can give to you right now. But is there anything you want to eat? Anything you’re craving?”

Taehyun was silent as Beomgyu continued to towel his hair.

“I’m not sure.”

Beomgyu smiled. “Really?”

Taehyun nodded slowly, and Beomgyu could picture the shy expression on the hybrid’s face.

Beomgyu chuckled. “Alright. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to eat, okay?”

Their previous conversation was completely forgotten as Beomgyu dried Taehyun’s hair. The atmosphere had softened now; it was gentle, comfortable, completely free of the stress and the tension which had been present minutes before.

Beomgyu smiled down at Taehyun’s head. Taehyun’s ears twitched contentedly as Beomgyu ran his hands through the hybrid’s hair, making sure there were no strands he’d missed. Beomgyu finished with his hair, and took the towel away. Taehyun turned back around to face him, a thankful smile on his face, but Beomgyu continued to eye his ears, which were still dripping water.

“Taehyun,” Beomgyu asked, “Would you like me to dry your ears?”

A light pink dusted Taehyun’s cheeks, but he nodded.

“Y—yes, please.”

Beomgyu smiled, reaching forward. “I’ll be careful,” he promised. And Taehyun had no doubt that he would.

There was a comfortable silence as Beomgyu dried the fur of Taehyun’s ears, taking extra care to not irritate them in any way. Taehyun had his eyes closed, revelling in the soft way Beomgyu was handling his ears. He purred, the sound soft and relaxed. Beomgyu smiled.

Continuing to gently dry his ears, Beomgyu rubbed his finger at a tuft of fur which was drying in the wrong way at the base of Taehyun’s ears. When he was satisfied with it, he delicately ran his fingers through Taehyun’s damp hair, before pulling away.

“There we go.”

At this point, Taehyun was purring contentedly, eyes half closed against the dizzying euphoria he felt. He opened his eyes slowly, still disoriented by how nice Beomgyu’s fingers had felt against his scalp. His face was flushed, and he blinked, embarrassed.

“Thank you.”

Beomgyu smiled, resisting the urge to pinch the hybrid’s cheeks. He looked adorable.

“No problem,” he said.

Taehyun blinked his eyes again, but slower this time. Beomgyu noticed, and picked up the towel and his laptop.

“You must be tired,” Beomgyu said. “Baths always make me sleepy, so I assume it might be the same with you. Here, sleep here.”

Taehyun stared at him with wide eyes: or at least tried to. Even at the word ‘sleep’, his eyes had begun to droop, like his body knew what it needed.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really,” Beomgyu said, smiling. “It’s okay.” He hopped off the bed, and walked over to the windows to close the curtains. “Sleep as much as you want, okay? Just shout if you need anything.”

“Are you sure?” Taehyun looked hesitant, but even as he asked he was already crawling under the covers.

Beomgyu looked back at the hybrid, and smiled. Taehyun had wrapped up into a ball with only his tufty ears and fluffy hair visible. He lifted his head and blinked at Beomgyu with big, shy eyes.

“I’m very sure,” Beomgyu said. “Sleep well, okay? It’ll help your wounds heal faster.”

Taehyun nodded. “Okay.”

Beomgyu smiled again, then closed the door.

The door clicked, and Taehyun was left in the semi-dark room. Once he heard Beomgyu’s footsteps fade away, he buried his face into the pillows, a calm sense of comfort washing over him.

Beomgyu was just so calming. The way he talked to Taehyun, the way he smiled, the way he touched the hybrid… His hands were always so gentle and kind. Taehyun breathed in contentedly. The whole room smelt of Beomgyu.

Around most humans, Taehyun had learnt to be wary and tense. But when it came to Beomgyu, the tenseness seemed to evaporate from his frame, and he found himself relaxing completely. Taehyun had only known Beomgyu (truly known Beomgyu: those nights spent outside his porch didn't count) for less than a day, but Taehyun was greatly comforted by his scent. Taehyun gave a contented purr, nuzzling his nose into the duvet.

Taehyun fell asleep surrounded by Beomgyu’s scent, a small smile on his face.

.・゜° (^･ｪ･^)

Taehyun stirred slowly. He scrunched his nose and lay his ears flat against his head, burying himself deeper underneath the covers. He didn’t want to be awake. It felt so soft and warming and comforting and… human?

Taehyun lifted his head slightly, just so his nose could peek out. He sniffed.

Yep. The room smelt distinctly of a human. But not just any human. It was…

Taehyun sat bolt upright in bed. Everything was coming back to him now: he was staying in Beomgyu’s house. Beomgyu, the human who would play his guitar as Taehyun curled up on his porch at night. Beomgyu who had smiled and held his hand. Beomgyu who had dressed his wounds and let him take a bath.

Taehyun smiled to himself, and his tail curled around his arm, pleased. It was then he registered the faint music of a guitar downstairs. Taehyun, curious, slipped out of bed, creeping towards the stairs.

In his peripheral vision, Beomgyu saw something peek into the living room and he looked up, smiling at Taehyun who stood there, looking like he didn’t exactly know what to do.

“I heard your music,” Taehyun said shyly. “It was pretty.”

Beomgyu gave a laugh. “Thank you, Taehyun.” He stood up, putting his guitar to the side. “How are you feeling? Did you sleep well? You slept for the rest of the day, you know.”

Taehyun blinked, surprised. “It’s the next day?”

“Yes,” Beomgyu chuckled. “Now, do you want something to eat? I went shopping last night, so there’s more stuff in the fridge now. Come on, follow me.”

Beomgyu took Taehyun’s hand and led him to the kitchen. Taehyun blinked at their intertwined hands. Wow. Hands are warm.

“Behold! A fridge full of things other than apples!” Beomgyu announced, opening the refrigerator door. “Take your pick. I’ll make anything you want.”

Taehyun stared at the shelves and shelves of food, in shock. There was so much that he didn’t know what to choose.

“I’ve stocked up on things which are cat-friendly, by the way. I wasn’t sure what cat hybrids eat, but I’ve got human foods which are safe for cats to eat too, so I’m hoping that works.” Beomgyu gestured to each product as he began to list them off. “I have eggs, fish, chicken—though that might take me a while to prepare right now—bananas, carrots, spinach, strawberries...”

Taehyun’s eyes lit up. “Strawberries?”

Beomgyu looked at Taehyun, chuckling at his wide, bright eyes. “Yup. Strawberries, right here. Do you want them?”

Taehyun turned his bright eyes to Beomgyu, nodding fervently. “Please.”

Beomgyu chuckled. “Strawberries, coming right up!”

He took the strawberries out of the fridge. Letting go of Taehyun’s hand—the hybrid’s ears drooping for just a second—he gestured towards the island, indicating for Taehyun to sit down. Beomgyu produced a bowl and began putting the strawberries into it, before running them under the water to wash them and setting it down in front of Taehyun.

“There you go. Strawberries!”

Beomgyu settled down in a seat opposite Taehyun. Resting his chin on his hand, he smiled at the hybrid. “Go on. You can eat.”

Taehyun stared at him with wide eyes. “...All of it?”

Beomgyu nodded. “All of it.”

He watched, endeared, as Taehyun hesitantly nibbled on a strawberry, before growing more confident and taking bigger bites, bright eyes fixed on the rest of the strawberries in the bowl. Soon enough, most of the seeded fruit had been devoured, and Taehyun stared at the last strawberry sitting lonely in the middle of the bowl. Then he looked up at Beomgyu.

“Did you eat?”

Beomgyu shook himself out of his daze, forcing himself to focus on the hybrid’s words rather than his adorably wide eyes. “Huh? Oh, yeah. I ate a few hours ago.”

Taehyun picked up the last strawberry, twisting and turning it in his hands. He glanced up at Beomgyu, before looking down again, before looking up very slowly. And then, hesitantly, he held out the fruit to Beomgyu.

“Here.”

Beomgyu lifted his head off of his hand, staring at Taehyun.

“What?”

“Strawberry. For you.” Taehyun bit his lip, looking shy and hopeful.

Beomgyu’s heart melted, and he smiled. “Thank you,” he said, taking the fruit from Taehyun. Taehyun nodded shyly as Beomgyu bit into the strawberry. They both smiled softly, eyes fixed on each other.

They stared at each other for a long, stretched-out moment, before Beomgyu blinked, quickly looking away. Taehyun’s tail stiffened, and he looked down, cheeks flushing.

“Well! We’ve successfully finished breakfast now. Come on, let’s go get you washed. You can borrow a toothbrush, if you like.”

Taehyun looked up, sliding off the bar stool. “Okay.”

He followed Beomgyu out of the kitchen, and upstairs into the bathroom.

Several minutes later, they were sat down in the living room, Beomgyu on one sofa and Taehyun on another, a low coffee table separating the two.

“Beomgyu?”

“Hmm?” Beomgyu replied, frowning down at his notebook.

“What do you do? As in, work.”

Beomgyu looked up, and blinked. Taehyun was sitting cross legged on the sofa, a blanket draped around him. He looked tiny. His tail, free from the blanket, waved around lazily, and Taehyun’s ears twitched curiously as he stared at Beomgyu. Beomgyu gave a smile.

“I’m a music producer,” he said. “Well, freelance music producer.”

Taehyun tilted his head curiously. “Do you have a studio?”

“This is my studio,” Beomgyu said, patting his guitar and his music notebook. “I’m more of an old-fashioned producer. I prefer to write it down on paper. Once I’ve got the melody figured out here”—he strummed the guitar—“I go upstairs to my camera, and record it. If someone likes it, then I’ll go to their company and refine it into a proper song.”

Taehyun stared at him, wide-eyed. “Wow. That’s amazing,” he said, voice hushed with awe.

Beomgyu smiled, shrugging. “It’s just music.”

“Do you think you could…” Taehyun hesitated, looking shy. “Could you play something?”

Beomgyu chuckled, picking up his guitar. “Well, let me see.”

He plucked a few strings, thinking, before deciding what to play. Soon, a gentle guitar melody flowed throughout the house, sweet and delicate and soft.

Taehyun watched, awestruck, as Beomgyu coaxed beautiful notes from his guitar while a small smile fluttered across his lips, clearly loving every second as he continued to play. The music made Taehyun’s heart warm, and as it slowly faded out, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were bright with wonder.

Upon reaching the last note, Beomgyu let it ring out for a moment before strumming randomly, embarrassed. Taehyun clapped immediately, blanket falling from around his shoulders.

“That was so pretty! It really was.”

Beomgyu chuckled. “Thank you. It’s one of the melodies no one wanted, so I just made it into a song for myself.”

“Why would no one want that?” Taehyun asked, tilting his head. “It’s beautiful.”

Beomgyu smiled. “I’m glad you think so, Taehyun. I’m glad you do.”

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

“Hey Taehyun?”

Taehyun lifted his head sleepily, shaking away the blanket from infront of his eyes.

“Do you remember the conversation we had yesterday?”

Taehyun frowned, sitting up. He’d been dozing on and off throughout the day, Beomgyu’s gentle melodies having relaxed him into a drowsy state.

“The… conversation?” He furrowed his brows, trying to remember. But then his eyes widened. “You mean about my… my owner?”

“I’m not sending you to him, or to a shelter,” Beomgyu said quickly. “I was just wondering if you remembered it.”

Taehyun’s shoulders relaxed, and he nodded. “I remember.”

Beomgyu nodded. “Okay. I was asking about it because, well, I’m not actually able to accommodate someone at the moment. As in, look after them properly.”

Taehyun tilted his head, unsure where the conversation was going.

Beomgyu sighed. “The truth is, I was asking you because I’m not sure I can take you in.”

Taehyun’s eyes widened.

“I’m sorry, I truly am, but I’m currently not in the right state to take care of someone right now. Mentally, I'm not… prepared to look after anyone other than myself. I’m sorry.”

And he did, he did look sorry, but Taehyun still felt sad.

“Oh… so am I going to have to leave?”

“I’m afraid so, yes. But I’m not kicking you out, don’t worry! I’m going to talk to my friends and see if they have a place for you to stay. My friends are nice people, I promise, so you don’t have to be scared. They’ll take care of you.”

Beomgyu smiled, and began launching into a long, detailed explanation of all of his friends’ personalities, and Taehyun smiled shakily and tried to listen, but his mind was occupied.

It was a shame he wouldn’t be able to stay with Beomgyu, but at least he knew he’d be in safe hands. At least he’d be staying with Beomgyu’s friends, who couldn’t be completely horrible if Beomgyu knew them. But even while he was reassured, he was sad at the same time. He would miss Beomgyu.

Taehyun had known him for less than two days, but already he’d grown used to Beomgyu’s soft words and his gentle touches, along with his comforting smiles and relaxing guitar melodies.

Beomgyu picked up the guitar again, picking out a new tune, and Taehyun’s eyelids grew heavy. His head nodded, and eventually, he fell asleep again.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

"Yeonjun, come on, you know I wouldn't ask unless I needed to!"

Taehyun stirred slowly, blinking his eyes. He sat up slowly, tail waving lazily. He took in his surroundings. He must have fallen asleep on the sofa again.

"Yeonjun! I'm begging you. Please."

Taehyun's ears twitched. That was Beomgyu.

Slowly, he walked towards the source of the noise, peering into the kitchen.

Beomgyu gave a sigh, running a hand through his hair. Phone in hand, he paced around the kitchen.

"Yes. I know, I know." A pause. "Yes, I asked Hueningkai. You and I both know that his mom will kill him if he brings a hybrid home." A longer pause. Taehyun peered curiously, ears flat against his head so they wouldn't accidentally give him away.

"He was my last resort, anyway. Come on, Yeonjun."

Beomgyu dragged a hand across his face.

"I'm sorry, Gyu. But you're the one who took care of him in the first place. Why not let him stay?"

Beomgyu gave a laugh: a sarcastic, frustrated laugh. "I can barely look after myself, Yeonjun. You and I both know I've been living alone for precisely that reason."

"It's been years since you've had a breakdown. Why not let it go?"

Beomgyu sighed roughly, about to respond, but Yeonjun cut him off.

"Anyway. Just take him in, Beomgyu. You never know, taking care of someone may help you."

"I can't just take him in! He needs more care than a normal person, Yeonjun. He's a hybrid, for crying out loud!"

Taehyun winced, clutching the doorframe with unsure fingers. Just a few hours ago, Beomgyu had said being hybrid wasn't bad. So what was wrong now?

Still on the phone, Beomgyu gave another sigh, a hair's breadth away from screaming in frustration. "And he’s injured,” Beomgyu said. “He’s weak. He’s… delicate. ”

Taehyun flinched at that word. How many times had he been called weak after fainting from the beatings?

“Can't you take him in? Please?" Beomgyu begged.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could, but our landlord has a stupid ‘No Hybrids’ policy, and you know Binnie is allergic to cat fur. And hybrid cats are the worst."

"Arrgh!"

Taehyun flinched as Beomgyu's shout echoed throughout the house, and wanted to cry. He shivered, clutching his tail for comfort.

"Alright. Alright. Fine." Beomgyu ran a hand through his hair. "Alright. See you."

Beomgyu ended the phone call, sighing. He glanced towards the kitchen door, where two meek ears poked out, followed by wide eyes. When Taehyun saw him, he ducked his head again, scurrying away. Beomgyu sighed again, and went to find the hybrid.

Taehyun was curled up in a ball on the sofa, clutching his tail tightly. Beomgyu crouched down in front of him, so he was eye level with the hybrid.

"Hey," Beomgyu said in a soft voice. "Sorry, but it looks like none of my friends can take you in."

Taehyun's eyes widened. "I—I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be a bother! I can go now, if that's what you want—"

"What? No, I just meant you'll have to stay with me instead of my friends."

"I didn't mean to make you mad, I'm so sorry please forgive me—"

"Hey, slow down. I never said I was mad, did I? It's okay, you can stay here."

Taehyun was hyperventilating now. Any calm or happiness he'd felt had vanished. He was in full panic mode, tail quivering, eyes darting around in fear.

Perhaps it was because of Beomgyu's raised voice. Maybe it was because of how annoyed he sounded. Or maybe it was because it had finally sunk in that Beomgyu truly wasn't able to take care of him, and it sent him spiralling out of control.

Taehyun hiccuped and shut his eyes, aware that Beomgyu was in front of him watching him with worried eyes. Though Beomgyu was talking, Taehyun couldn't hear him. His thoughts drowned out all other sounds.

Beomgyu didn’t want him. Of course, the only human Taehyun felt cared about hybrids didn’t actually care about him at all. It was a trick. It was a lie. Why would Beomgyu like him? He was merely a hybrid.

“I—I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“Hey, hey, Taehyun. Taehyun, shh, it’s okay. Taehyun, look at me.” Beomgyu lifted Taehyun’s head, so the hybrid made eye contact with him. “Listen. I’m not mad. I never was.”

“B—but, you just yelled in the kitchen over there—”

“I was annoyed. At my friend.” Beomgyu gave a gentle smile. “Not at you. Never at you.”

Taehyun blinked. “Huh?”

“You’re going to be staying here with me, Taehyun,” Beomgyu said calmly. “Not with my friends. Not in a shelter. With me.”

“...Really? But, you said you’re not capable of taking care of someone…”

“I’m not,” Beomgyu said, shrugging. “But who knows? Maybe with you, I’ll learn how to. I’m going to have to, anyway. You’re staying with me.”

Taehyun stared wide-eyed up at Beomgyu. Beomgyu smiled, before standing up.

“I’m hoping you had a nice nap, though. You slept for three hours. Can you believe that? You barely made a sound.” He extended his hand towards Taehyun, who gave the tiniest flinch at the action. After a moment, Taehyun took his hand, letting Beomgyu pull him to his feet. "We should have dinner now, don't you think? Is there anything you want to have? Anything you want, I'll try my best to make it. Come on."

Taehyun let Beomgyu lead him to the kitchen, listening quietly as the human continued to ramble about food. Though Beomgyu was smiling and speaking kindly now, Taehyun knew he hadn’t imagined what he’d overheard.

‘He’s a hybrid , for crying out loud!’ ‘He’s weak.’

Taehyun winced at the mere thought of them. Of course Beomgyu didn’t like him. Of course Beomgyu thought he was weak. Everyone thought that. Why had he believed Beomgyu would be any different?

Beomgyu looked back at him, concerned, and Taehyun gave a small smile. When Beomgyu turned away, however, the smile dropped from Taehyun’s face, and his ears drooped sadly. The only difference between Beomgyu and any other human was Beomgyu pitied him. He wasn’t repelled, or angered, but he pitied Taehyun.

And though pity was better than repulsion, it still made Taehyun feel sad. Beomgyu wasn’t keeping him around because he liked him. No: rather, he felt sorry for the hybrid. That was all.

He ate his food and went back to sleep in Beomgyu’s room as he was instructed. He smiled, said thank you, taking extra care to make sure his eyes crinkled in the way he knew would make it seem like he was happy. Taehyun went to sleep, surrounded by Beomgyu’s scent.

But he was miserable.

.・゜° (^･ｪ･^)

The next morning, Taehyun awoke to the sound of clattering, and a single, loud curse. He opened his eyes, yawning. It took him a moment, but then he realised he was in Beomgyu’s bed. It always took a while for Taehyun to register he had a proper place to sleep, unlike the crosswalks and porches he’d been sleeping on during the several months prior.

Taehyun’s ears twitched, and he remembered everything that had happened yesterday.

Right. He was staying with Beomgyu. Because Beomgyu pitied him. Taehyun gave a tiny sigh. He should be grateful, he knew, because for months he’d barely had any food to eat, and now he had a place to stay. But he just wished Beomgyu was letting him stay because he liked the hybrid.

The door creaked open, and Taehyun quickly lay down, pulling the covers over himself.

“Taehyun?” Beomgyu said softly, padding across the room. Taehyun shut his eyes tight.

“Taehyun, it’s time to get up now.”

He felt a hand thread itself through his hair, rubbing at the fur at the base of his ears.

“Rise and shine, Taehyun.”

The hand began to gently massage his scalp, slowly combing through the tiny knots in Taehyun’s hair.

He heard Beomgyu give a soft chuckle. “Oh gosh, you must have been tired. Look at you, fast asleep.”

Gently, the hand untangled itself from Taehyun’s hair and trailed down to cup his cheek, thumb rubbing gently against his soft skin.

“Wakey wakey, sleepy head.”

Finally, Taehyun opened his eyes, and Beomgyu smiled down at him.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Beomgyu said. “It's almost noon, Taehyun. Do you want to come down and eat something?"

Taehyun stared up at Beomgyu, before slowly nodding his head.

“Okay.”

Beomgyu grinned. “Great! Come on, then.” He extended his hand towards Taehyun, who startled a little, before taking his hand.

Beomgyu pulled Taehyun out of bed, and led him out of the room.

Taehyun stared down at their intertwined hands, marvelling at the sensation of Beomgyu’s hand wrapped around his own. But then he shook his head, frowning a little.

He pities you. Don’t think about it too much. Don’t read into it.

“You okay?” Beomgyu asked as they made their way downstairs. He’d noticed Taehyun’s steps faltering.

Taehyun gave a small smile. “I’m okay.”

Beomgyu smiled back. “Good.”

Upon reaching the kitchen, Beomgyu let go of Taehyun's hand, and the hybrid tried not to mourn the loss of contact too much.

"Oatmeal!" Beomgyu announced proudly, placing a box down on the island. "Here. I read that oatmeal is another one of those human foods good for cats, so here you go! I hope it's okay for you." Beomgyu took a bottle of milk out of the fridge and set it down beside the box of oatmeal. He beamed, looking proud of himself.

Taehyun gave a small smile. "Thank you."

"Oh, no worries. Now sit, sit! Breakfast will be ready in just a moment."

Beomgyu watched out of the corner of his eye as Taehyun gingerly sat down beside the kitchen island, eyes darting around nervously. The hybrid had been acting much more meek compared to yesterday. Beomgyu was worried. He didn't want the hybrid to think Beomgyu was going to treat Taehyun any differently than if he were a normal person. The poor hybrid had gone through so much already: Beomgyu's heart ached to think of him suffering any more.

While a part of him did pity Taehyun—who wouldn’t pity the hybrid’s situation?—a larger part of him truly cared about him. Beomgyu felt a need, an urge, a want to protect the adorable, lonely hybrid, cute tufty ears and all.

He placed the bowl in front of Taehyun, smiling. The hybrid made eye contact and flinched, lowering his head immediately. Beomgyu's eyebrows twitched into a worried frown. He watched as Taehyun began to stir his spoon in the oatmeal, hesitant to pick it up. But then Taehyun lifted his head and gave Beomgyu a small smile which Beomgyu, relieved, instantly returned.

He turned away to make his own oatmeal. Perhaps he was just being paranoid.

Behind Beomgyu’s back, Taehyun’s smile dropped, and he began to slowly eat his food.

.・゜° (^･ｪ･^)

The rest of the day passed smoothly. Beomgyu, busy yet again with a melody which refused to be written out, kept himself cross-legged on the sofa for most of the day, guitar in lap. Taehyun alternated between sleeping and gazing into the distance, sat on the sofa opposite Beomgyu.

Beomgyu glanced up at the hybrid. Taehyun was sat within a swathe of fluffy blankets, looking like he would become one with the wool any minute now. Beomgyu gave a chuckle.

“Are you comfortable there?"

Taehyun startled, lifting his gaze from the coffee table to blink at Beomgyu. He registered Beomgyu’s words and his eyes widened, shifting awkwardly. Beomgyu noticed the action.

“Oh, don’t worry. I don’t mind you using all the blankets. As long as you’re happy.”

Taehyun’s ears twitched, and he couldn’t help the smile which ghosted his lips. But then he lowered his head, smile fading.

Beomgyu noticed, and furrowed his eyebrows slightly. But he didn’t say anything. He turned back to his work, but for some reason he couldn't focus.

He looked up again at the hybrid. Taehyun's unfocused gaze was fixed on the coffee table, and that was what had worried Beomgyu the most.

Yesterday, Taehyun had been wide-eyed and alert, looking up at every tiny movement Beomgyu made. When he wasn't sleeping, he was watching Beomgyu, head tilted to the side and tail wrapped comfortably around his arm. He was completely focused on Beomgyu. Taehyun had even almost followed him to the bathroom until Beomgyu had told him where he was going.

But today, he was glassy-eyed and listless. Instead of looking up at every movement Beomgyu made, he now flinched if Beomgyu so much as adjusted his guitar.

He didn't know why Taehyun's demeanor had suddenly changed. And it worried him.

When he looked up again, Taehyun had his head buried in the soft blankets, and only the tips of his ears peeking out. Beomgyu could see the hybrid’s tail waving lazily, free from the confines of the blanket nest Taehyun had gotten himself into.

Beomgyu couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. “Cute.”

Taehyun peeked up at that, head tilted. Beomgyu smiled.

“Nothing, don’t worry.” He glanced out of the window, and gave a small gasp. “Oh, would you look at that? The sun’s gone down.” He shut his notebook and stood up. “Come on. Let’s get you washed up, shall we? You’ll need as much rest as you can get if we want all your wounds to heal.”

Taehyun stood up, too. He chose not to mention that he’d been sleeping for most of the day. But now Beomgyu mentioned it, Taehyun thought with a yawn, his body really was rather tired. Maybe he did need sleep.

Beomgyu, still standing in one place, hesitated for a moment, before calling out to the hybrid.

"Taehyun?" Beomgyu said, and the hybrid flinched, looking up. Beomgyu regarded him for a long moment, before giving a sigh. "Can you… sit down for a moment?"

Taehyun lowered himself back down onto the sofa, nervous. Beomgyu walked over to crouch down in front of him.

"Taehyun," he said, and his voice was soft and firm at the same time. "Are you okay?"

Taehyun's eyes widened, darting around nervously. "W—why do you… why would I… y—yes, I'm okay."

Beomgyu hummed, unconvinced. "You don't have to lie, Taehyun. It's alright." He gave a sigh. "It's just that you've been acting more tense than yesterday and I'm worried. You’ve been more… shy today, and I’m worried.”

‘He’s weak.’

Taehyun flinched at the memory, and Beomgyu looked at him, concerned.

“There's nothing for you to fear in this house, I promise. Whatever you ask for, I'll provide it, no questions asked. You are free to do what you like, Taehyun. I don’t know much about you or your… kind, but I want you to know I’ll do my best to help.”

“He’s a hybrid, for crying out loud!”

Taehyun shut his eyes tight. Trying to block out his fear. Trying to push back his weakness. Weakness was never good. Weakness could be exploited, and he should never give them anything to exploit.

“I’m okay.” The words were shaky. Taehyun swallowed, before opening his eyes. He couldn’t look Beomgyu in the eye. “I’m okay.”

He was glad the words came out firmer than before. He nodded his head, almost as if to make the statement seem true. There was a moment of silence, before Beomgyu gave a soft sigh.

"No, you're not," he said. He took Taehyun's hands into his own, causing the hybrid to look at him in surprise. He gazed at Taehyun, eyes bright and earnest. "You can tell me, Taehyun. I promise you, everything is okay."

Taehyun lowered his head. He pities you. You're weak. You're a hybrid, of all things. Don't read into it. Don't read into it.

"I'm fine," he whispered. "I'm okay."

He looked up and found Beomgyu staring at him with big, clear eyes, and the concern in them looked so genuine that Taehyun didn’t know what to do. Then Beomgyu smiled and Taehyun flinched, looking down again. "I'm so sorry," he said, voice quiet. "I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry, Taehyun?" Beomgyu asked gently.

"I'm such a burden, aren't I? Because I'm a hybrid. Because I'm weak."

Beomgyu frowned, before widening his eyes. Taehyun must have overheard him. And the poor hybrid had misunderstood.

“What? Taehyun, no, that’s not what I meant—”

“I don’t want to be a burden,” Taehyun whispered. “I don’t want you to hate me. Please, don’t hate me. Please.”

Beomgyu’s hands tightened around Taehyun’s, and he tried to speak but Taehyun carried on, voice wobbling as he spoke.

“Don’t hate me. I don’t want you to hate me because I really like you. I like you, a lot, because you’re so nice and kind to me and you’re so good , and I like you too much for you to hate me. You—you smile at me, and you hold my hand and say nice things and I really, really like you, because I feel so warm and safe when I’m with you. I’ve never felt like this before, but it has to mean I like you because it’s the complete opposite of the cold and fear I felt with my master, or in the shelter, or out on the streets when I ran away.”

Taehyun shut his eyes. “Maybe I’m a little weak. Maybe I’m a hybrid. But you’re just so nice to me, and I really, really don’t want you to hate me.”

Beomgyu’s eyes saddened. “Oh, Taehyun, no, I could never hate you. You’ve gotten it all wrong. I didn’t mean it like that. You being hybrid meant it was more difficult for me to take care of you, because I don’t know about hybrids that well. I didn’t want to make a mistake to put your life in danger.”

“But I’m just a hybrid,” Taehyun whispered. “A weak, little hybrid. Why would you want to willingly take care of me? Unless…” He swallowed. “Unless you pity me. Not because you like me, but because you pity me.”

He looked up at Beomgyu, and the human’s eyes widened as he realised the hybrid’s eyes were brimming with tears. “Would you… would you like me if I were normal?”

That right there. Those words. They broke Beomgyu’s heart. He had no idea Taehyun had been thinking those things, and he wanted to cry at the thought that the hybrid believed he hated him.

“Oh, Taehyun,” Beomgyu said softly. He stood up and sat on the sofa, pulling Taehyun into his lap so he could put his arms around the curled-up hybrid. “You don’t have to feel that way. I really like you just as you are, okay? I promise, I really, really do.”

Taehyun quivered under his touch, tail swishing nervously. Beomgyu hugged him tighter, stroking his hair in the way he knew calmed the hybrid down.

“Shh… it’s okay. It’s okay, Tyun, it’s okay. I’m here.”

The nickname left Beomgyu’s mouth so naturally, so normally, that neither of them noticed. Taehyun allowed himself to be embraced by Beomgyu, clamping a hand over his mouth so his tears didn’t spill over.

“It’s okay to cry,” Beomgyu whispered, hand still in Taehyun’s hair. “It’s okay. You can cry. It’s alright.”

Taehyun shook his head, hand still pressed over his mouth.

“I like you, Taehyun, I really do,” Beomgyu said gently. “And I like having you here. It’s okay, it really is. Even though I was unsure about taking you in, you should know it was purely because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to look after you well. It’s not because I didn’t want you. It’s because I thought I wouldn’t be good enough for you.”

He slowly threaded a hand through Taehyun’s hair, ever so gently stroking the soft fur of his ears, sending shivers down Taehyun’s spine.

“When I said you were weak, I didn’t mean it in a negative way,” Beomgyu murmured, mindful of the fact that his face was close to Taehyun’s ears. “I meant that you’re delicate. You’re so fragile and delicate and adorable, and I didn’t want to hurt you.” He smiled. “You’re too cute for me to hate. I like you, Taehyun, I really really do. From the cute tips of your ears to the adorable end of your tail. I like you, and you being hybrid doesn’t change that fact.”

That was the tipping point for Taehyun. He made a small, choked sound as his hand fell away from his mouth. The tears streamed down his cheeks as he clutched onto Beomgyu’s shirt, sobbing.

Taehyun had taught himself to never cry, because crying was a weakness. But here he was, sobbing vigorously on Beomgyu’s sofa, holding onto the human like he was his lifeline.

Beomgyu’s arms tightened around him as Taehyun cried even harder, sobbing and hiccupping and breathing erratically. Beomgyu stroked his hair and rocked him from side to side, whispering soothingly.

When Taehyun’s tears had finally died down, Beomgyu lifted his chin and smiled, brushing away the last droplets which fell down his face.

“I like you, Tyun," he said, voice soft. "I like having you here. Whether you're a hybrid, a human, or even a unicorn, it doesn't change the fact I like you. You're important to me. You matter. And don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Okay?"

Taehyun nodded shakily, and Beomgyu gently kissed his forehead, hugging him. There was a comfortable silence as they stayed there, Beomgyu's arms wrapped around Taehyun and Taehyun's arms wrapped around Beomgyu.

"We’re okay now, aren’t we?” Beomgyu finally asked. “I mean, I don’t want you to think I hate you. Not at all. I don’t think I could live with myself if you did.”

Taehyun nodded, smiling shakily. “You don’t hate me,” he said, voice still a little wobbly. “And I don’t hate you.”

Beomgyu smiled. “There we go, Tyun. No one could ever hate you. And if they do, they’re idiots and you should never listen to them. Okay?” Beomgyu pulled away from the hug to smile at Taehyun. He placed a feather-light kiss on the tip of Taehyun’s nose, and the hybrid scrunched his face up, giggling.

“Okay.”

“Now, you must be tired from all that crying. Would you like a bath again? It’ll help you relax.”

Taehyun nodded, and was about to slide off Beomgyu's lap when Beomgyu’s arms tightened around him momentarily, holding him in place.

“Actually, one more thing. I don’t know what sort of life you used to live, or what sort of… ‘rules’ have been drilled into your head, but I want you to know none of that applies here. You are allowed to express yourself. You are allowed to ask for things. You’re allowed to live as if you are normal, because you are. As long as you’re here, you don’t have to avoid eye contact or only speak when spoken to or constantly fear punishment. Okay?”

Beomgyu looked at Taehyun earnestly, searching the hybrid’s eyes to make sure he understood. He expected a smile, perhaps a twinkle of his eyes, a sigh of relief and a relaxing of his shoulders.

He received all of that, and a small giggle as Taehyun nodded, the hybrid burying his face into Beomgyu’s neck. Beomgyu froze, caught by surprise, but relaxed as Taehyun’s soft words brushed against his skin.

“Thank you.”

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

Over the next few days, Taehyun began to relax around Beomgyu, speaking up and asking questions. Beomgyu felt immensely proud of the progress Taehyun made, and almost cried when Taehyun walked up to him and hugged him, completely of his own accord.

“Beomgyu?”

“Yes, Tyun?”

After the first time, Beomgyu’s nickname for Taehyun had become somewhat of a permanent thing. He looked up, and Taehyun was standing awkwardly in the living room.

“What’s up?”

“My arm.” Taehyun held up his bandaged arm. “It...It kind of itches?”

Beomgyu’s eyes widened in understanding, and he stood up. “Ah, that’s right. We need to change your wound dressings. Sorry, I’ve just been so busy with work I completely forgot. Come on. The first aid kit is upstairs.”

Taehyun followed Beomgyu upstairs and into the bathroom, where Beomgyu brought out the first aid kit.

“Oh, could you wet some tissues for me?” Beomgyu asked, snapping on a pair of surgical gloves. Taehyun obeyed, and Beomgyu took the damp tissue from him. “Thank you, Tyun. Alright. Stick your arm out for me.” Taehyun did, and Beomgyu began to pat the damp tissue around the bandage.

Taehyun tilted his head. “What are you doing?”

“I’m softening the tape,” Beomgyu replied. “All your gauze is held in place by surgical tape, and if I rip it off without softening it then it’ll hurt. A lot. I don’t want that to happen.”

Taehyun nodded, watching Beomgyu work.

Then, once the tape had been sufficiently loosened, Beomgyu peeled it away. Taehyun flinched when it tugged at his skin, and Beomgyu froze.

“Are you okay?”

Taehyu nodded. “It’s alright.”

Beomgyu nodded, reassured, and unwrapped the covering from Taehyun’s arm. Taehyun winced at the open wound, but Beomgyu looked relieved.

“Oh, good. It seems to be healing well. There’s no sign of infection at all, which I’m glad about. I was worried about all of your wounds, but this one in particular was one I was most concerned about. You bled a lot here.” Beomgyu began to clean the healing wound. “It’s good to see it’s not infected.”

Beomgyu dabbed some wet gauze around Taehyun’s arm, blowing on it gently. Taehyun flinched, and Beomgyu looked up apologetically.

“I’m sorry, did that hurt?”

“It stung a little,” Taehyun admitted.

“I’m sorry. It’s an open wound. I should have warned you beforehand. I’ll be more careful.” Beomgyu lowered his head, dabbing more gently at the blood.

Taehyun watched Beomgyu work, a warm feeling spreading throughout his chest. Beomgyu was being so gentle. He didn’t know the first thing about medicine or doctor stuff, but Beomgyu seemed to know what to do, expertly cleaning and redressing his wound. His fingers were nimble and delicate, working quickly and carefully. In a matter of minutes, Taehyun’s arm had been rebandaged, and Beomgyu was smiling up at him.

“There we go, all done,” he announced, standing up. “That was easy, wasn’t it?”

Taehyun stared at his freshly bandaged arm. Indeed, it seemed so easy.

"It's healing well, so we won't have to change it for another five days," Beomgyu commented, washing his hands. "Do you think you can remind me then?"

Taehyun nodded. "Thank you."

Beomgyu smiled. "No worries." He held his hand out to Taehyun, and pulled him up.

Once Taehyun was on his feet, he expected Beomgyu to pull away, but he kept a hold of Taehyun's hand, inspecting the tiny scratches marring the back of his hand.

"What happened to your pretty skin?" said Beomgyu, sighing sadly. He pressed a soft kiss onto one of the scars. "Poor you," he said, looking up. "You know, you never told me what happened. Why were you so hurt?"

Taehyun winced at the memory. “A hybrid shelter found me that day,” he said quietly. “They took me, but that night I ran away. I didn't like it there." He shuddered. "They were awful."

"And you got hurt trying to escape?"

When Taehyun nodded, Beomgyu gazed at him sadly. "I'm so sorry, Tyun." He held Taehyun's hand in his own, soft and warm and comforting. "Come on," he said, smile back in place. "Would you like some cheesecake?"

Taehyun's eyes lit up. "How did you know I like cheesecake?"

"You were murmuring it in your sleep," Beomgyu chuckled, leading Taehyun downstairs. “Last night, I went up to make sure you were sleeping, and you kept muttering about cheesecake.” He smiled. “It was quite cute.”

In the kitchen, Beomgyu opened the fridge. “Now, what cheesecake would you like?”

Taehyun peeked from behind Beomgyu. “You have more than one?”

“Yup. Went shopping the very same night I heard you talking about it. I couldn’t sleep, so it was time well spent,” Beomgyu said. “I’ve got lemon cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake—you like strawberries, don’t you?”

Taehyun pulled a face. “Strawberry flavoured stuff never tastes like real strawberries.”

Beomgyu laughed. “You’re right. Oh, I have green tea cheesecake too. I like this one.”

“Can I try?” Taehyun asked.

“Of course! Sit down, I’ll get the cheesecake out.”

A few minutes later, the both of them were eating slices of green tea cheesecakes. Taehyun’s eyes lit up at the first bite, and Beomgyu chuckled.

“Do you like it?”

Taehyun nodded vigorously. “It’s really nice!”

Beomgyu smiled, leaning across the island to ruffle Taehyun’s hair. “I’m glad you like it.”

Taehyun ended up eating both his slice and Beomgyu’s half-eaten one, the human watching him with a fond smile on his face.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

"Beomgyu! Beomgyu, Beomgyu, oh, Beomgyu!"

There was a clattering of noise and Beomgyu looked up as Taehyun skipped down the stairs, into the living room.

“You have books?”

Beomgyu couldn’t help but laugh at Taehyun’s excited expression. “Oh wow, you found those?”

That morning, Taehyun had asked if he could explore the house. Beomgyu had shrugged.

“Sure, but there’s not much to explore,” he’d said.

“They were in the attic,” Taehyun said, eyes shining. He held up a dusty copy of Shakespeare For Children . “I know this book,” he beamed.

“Do you? Come here, lemme see.”

Taehyun sat down on the sofa beside Beomgyu, brushing the dust off the cover.

“It was a little dirty, but I recognised it,” he said. “I used to read it all the time.”

“Oh? But… most hybrids I know of aren’t literate,” Beomgyu said. “Not in a bad way,” he added.

“It’s okay. But my master had a daughter, you see, and he had tons of hybrids. He made all of us read to her and take care of her, because she liked hybrids.” He held up the book, leafing through the pages. “I never read to her,” he said. “She’s as old as me. But I watched as the older hybrids did.”

“How many hybrids did that guy have?” Beomgyu asked. “Sounds like he’s got a whole hoard of them.”

“About twenty, when I ran away,” Taehyun said, as if it were no big deal.

Beomgyu balked. “Wha—he’s abused so many hybrids?”

Taehyun looked down at the book, ears flattening. “We were only punished if we were bad,” he said. “I was bad a lot.”

Beomgyu put his arm around Taehyun’s shoulder. “We talked about this, Tyun. You are not bad. He’s just an asshole.”

Taehyun giggled as Beomgyu booped his nose. “Asshole,” he repeated.

Beomgyu laughed. “Yes, exactly. An asshole.” He looked at the book in Taehyun’s hands. “Do you like reading?”

Taehyun looked up, nodding fervently. “I do.”

Beomgyu smiled. “I think I have proper copies of Shakespeare somewhere, not just the children’s version,” he said, getting up. “Wait here a minute, okay?”

Taehyun nodded, returning his gaze to the book. He smiled as he turned the pages, the smoothness of paper beneath his fingers, tracing the pictures.

“Here we go,” Beomgyu grinned, dumping a pile of hardback books onto the coffee table. “Shakespeare wrote mostly plays, so these books will be formatted differently to what you’re used to. Come on. Take a look.”

Taehyun slid off the sofa, picking up the top book with careful fingers. He opened it, and was surprised to see even the printing font was different. And the words… there were lots he didn’t know.

He looked up at Beomgyu. “This… some of these words…”

“Oh, these are written in Old English,” Beomgyu realised. “They might be harder to understand.”

“It’s okay,” Taehyun murmured, flipping through the pages. This book felt different. It felt more… sophisticated. And Taehyun desperately wanted to be able to understand it. He looked back up at Beomgyu. “Do you know what it says?”

Beomgyu gasped as an idea struck him. “Would you like me to read it to you? You know, for you to understand it?”

Taehyun nodded shyly, smiling. “Please.”

Beomgyu grinned. “Well then. That’s settled. I’ll read to you every night before bed, then.”

And that’s what they did.

They would sit beside each other on the sofa, Taehyun curled up at Beomgyu’s side, and the human would read to him in a soft voice, explaining what each of the passages meant.

“You know, this is exactly what my mother used to do with me,” Beomgyu chuckled as he sat beside Taehyun, the hybrid’s head on his shoulder. Taehyun looked at him.

“Your mother read you Shakespeare before bed?”

“She read me bedtime stories,” Beomgyu said, smiling. “It feels nice being able to do the same for someone else."

Taehyun had smiled, nuzzling further into Beomgyu’s side, breathing in his comforting scent.

“You know, it’s not every day you find someone whose favourite Shakespeare play is The Tempest,” Beomgyu commented, picking up the book.

“What do normal people like?” Taehyun asked, already settling beside Beomgyu.

“Romeo and Juliet, or A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Beomgyu said.

“Oh. Well, those were the master’s daughter’s favourites,” Taehyun said. “What’s your favourite?”

“Me?” Beomgyu thought for a moment. “Hamlet.”

Taehyun frowned. “Isn’t that the one where everyone dies?”

“It’s a tragedy. Everyone always dies in those. And the themes are very thought-provoking, that’s why I like it.” Beomgyu turned to Taehyun. “Why do you like The Tempest?”

“There’s a wizard,” Taehyun grinned, eyes shining.

Beomgyu chuckled. “Fair enough.” He opened the book again, flipping to the page they'd gotten up to. “Do you remember where we’d left off?”

“Miranda was talking to Ferdinand, who was doing tasks for Miranda’s father,” Taehyun replied. Beomgyu nodded.

“That’s right. Now which line were we on...? Ah yes, here it is.”

“ Admired Miranda!

Indeed the top of admiration, worth

What’s dearest to th' world! Full many a lady

I have eyed with best regard and many a time

Th' harmony of their tongues hath into bondage

Brought my too diligent ear.”

“What does that mean?” Taehyun asked, head resting on Beomgyu’s shoulder in order to see the page.

“Ferdinand tells Miranda her name means admired, and that she really is the most admired in all the world. He tells her he’s admired many people before, and has been seduced by the sweet things they tell him.”

“So he fell in love with people because of how pretty they were?” Taehyun asked.

“And also because they were kind to him,” Beomgyu replied. Taehyun flushed a little at that. “Though Shakespeare seems to imply they were just faking kindness,” he added. Beomgyu turned to Taehyun and booped his nose. “But I’d never fake my kindness with you,” he said, smiling. Taehyun scrunched his nose, but smiled too.

“What does he say next?”

“For several virtues

Have I liked several women. Never any

With so full soul but some defect in her

Did quarrel with the noblest grace owed

And put it to the foil. But you, O you,

So perfect and so peerless, are created

Of every creature’s best.”

“Virtues are your goodness, right?” Taehyun said. “So he’s liked several women because of how good they are.”

“Yup,” Beomgyu said. “But he says there were always some qualities which clashed with their goodness and cancelled it out.”

“Then what does he say?” Taehyun asked, wide-eyed and curious.

“Next he talks about Miranda. He says…” Beomgyu glanced down at Taehyun. “You, oh, you, are so perfect. You are incomparable.” Beomgyu’s cheeks pinkened as he looked at Taehyun, whose eyes sparkled as he took in Beomgyu’s words. “No one in this world rivals your perfection, because you are made up of the best qualities of every creature.”

Taehyun’s ears twitched, and a faint pink dusted his cheeks. He looked away, focusing on the book.

“Imagine someone telling that to you,” he murmured, cheeks still pink. “I’d be able to die happily if someone said that to me.”

“I’d marry them on the spot,” Beomgyu said. “Shakespeare really had a way with words, didn’t he?”

“ ‘You, O you, so perfect and peerless, are created of every creature's best.’ ” Taehyun’s voice was soft. He looked up at Beomgyu. “If I didn’t know what he was talking about, I would assume this text meant something about hybrids.”

Beomgyu couldn’t take his eyes away from Taehyun, who was looking at him with such gentle, shy eyes. Taehyun gave a small smile.

“If someone said that to me, I might cry.” Taehyun looked down at the book, tracing the letters with his fingertip.

Beomgyu watched him, unable to say a word. Taehyun’s fingers traced the inked letters with such care, his touch delicate yet fervent. The soft smile still played on his lips.

“No one in this world rivals your perfection, because you are made up of the best qualities of every creature,” Beomgyu said softly.

Taehyun looked up. Beomgyu was looking at him, gaze soft, and something shimmered in the air between them: something gentle and warm and new. Something neither of them knew, yet.

Then Beomgyu looked away, giving an awkward cough. “I mean, yeah. It’s, uh, it’s a nice phrase. But if it were me, I’d want someone to tell me something straight out of their heart, and not just copy from Shakspeare, if you know what I mean?”

Taehyun nodded, gaze still fixed on Beomgyu's side profile. "Me too," he said quietly, looking down at the book. "Me too."

The rest of the night passed calmly and comfortably, but the atmosphere was still warm with that something neither of them could quite understand.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

“Beomgyu?”

Beomgyu looked up from his guitar and Taehyun stood in front of him, smiling shyly. “Oh, is it time already?” he said, setting aside his music. “Come here.”

Taehyun grinned, hopping onto the sofa to curl up beside Beomgyu. Beomgyu looked down at him.

"Did you brush your teeth?"

Taehyun nodded.

"Did you wash your face?"

He nodded again.

"Did you wash the rest of your body?"

"I even put the showerhead back onto the holder," he replied.

Beomgyu smiled, ruffling Taehyun's hair. "Well done." Taehyun's ears twitched, pleased.

Beomgyu took the book from the table, flipping through it. “Now, where were we?”

“Act 5, the last act,” Taehyun said, resting his head on Beomgyu’s shoulder.

“Ah, right. We were. Well, here goes.” Beomgyu cleared his throat, and began.

“Prospero: I did say so

When first I raised the tempest. Say, my spirit,

How fares the king and ’s followers?”

“What does ‘fares’ mean?” Taehyun asked.

“He is asking Ariel what condition the King and his followers are in,” Beomgyu explained. “Remember what we read before? Ariel was reminding Prospero that the wizard had said, by 6 o’clock, their work would be finished. Prospero agrees, saying he remembers. He then asks Ariel about what the spirit has done to the King and his followers.”

Taehyun nodded, already feeling relaxed by Beomgyu’s voice. “What does Ariel say?”

“Confined together

In the same fashion as you gave in charge,

Just as you left them, all prisoners, sir,

In the line grove which weather-fends your cell.

They cannot budge till your release.”

“Ariel has left them in the way Prospero asked him to?” Taehyun suggested.

“Exactly,” Beomgyu said, voice soft. “Ariel tells Prospero they will not move until Prospero wants them to.”

“Then what does he say?”

“The king,

His brother, and yours, abide all three distracted,

And the remainder mourning over them,

Brimful of sorrow and dismay. But chiefly

Him that you termed, sir, ‘the good old Lord Gonzalo,’

His tears run down his beard like winter’s drops

From eaves of reeds. Your charm so strongly works 'em

That if you now beheld them, your affections

Would become tender.”

Taehyun could hear Beomgyu talking. He knew he was reading out the story and then explaining it to Taehyun, but the words blurred together in Taehyun’s brain, Beomgyu’s voice becoming nothing more than a comforting hum in his ears.

Taehyun’s ears twitched as he relaxed into Beomgyu’s side, a smile spreading across his lips.

“—tells Prospero that his spell was so strong that the wizard would probably feel sorry for them if he saw the state they were in.” Beomgyu looked down at Taehyun. “Tyun? You awake?”

Taehyun nodded sleepily. “Mhm. I’m awake.”

Beomgyu smiled, putting an arm around Taehyun. “You look sleepy,” he chuckled, running a hand through Taehyun’s hair. “Do you wanna stop?”

Taehyun shook his head. “I wanna keep reading,” he said.

Beomgyu nodded. “Alright.”

Beomgyu continued to read, his voice low and relaxing, a hand still threading through Taehyun’s hair. Taehyun purred happily as Beomgyu’s fingers gently smoothed the fur at the base of his ears, shivers of pleasure running down his spine.

Beomgyu continued to speak, and the words continued to wash over Taehyun, whose gaze had drifted from the page to look at Beomgyu, at the way he formed the words, and the slight changes in his facial expression as he alternated between the different speakers in the play.

“Go release them, Ariel. My charms I’ll break, their senses I’ll restore, and they shall be themselves.” A small smile was on Beomgyu’s lips as he said this. “Look, Prospero has decided to let them go. He’s decided to let go of his grudges. That’s nice, isn’t it?”

Beomgyu looked down at Taehyun, who was watching him with starry eyes and parted lips. He laughed softly.

“What’s wrong?”

Taehyun gazed at him for a second longer, before looking away, resting his head on Beomgyu’s shoulder again. “Nothing,” he murmured. “It’s nothing.”

Beomgyu chuckled again, the sound reverberating throughout his chest, sending soft vibrations throughout his body. Taehyun closed his eyes, purring contentedly.

And Beomgyu continued reading. His hand never stopped stroking Taehyun’s hair, and Taehyun gave a relaxed purr. He’d never had someone do this before. He’d never had someone touch him like this, talk to him like this, care for him like this, and it felt wonderful.

Taehyun felt the vibrations throughout Beomgyu’s body as he chuckled again, and Taehyun instinctively smiled, tail curling contentedly.

Beomgyu looked down at Taehyun, smiling. The hybrid was distracted. He knew it by the fact that Taehyun wasn’t asking a single question about the play, but he chose not to mention it. Taehyun looked adorable when he was half-awake, obviously soothed by the relaxing atmosphere. And who was Beomgyu to disrupt the cute hybrid falling asleep on his shoulder?

Taehyun whined as Beomgyu’s fingers kneaded at the base of his scalp, and Beomgyu paused his reading, smiling down at the hybrid.

“Did you just whine?” Beomgyu asked teasingly. Taehyun flushed, unable to look Beomgyu in the eye.

“It felt nice.”

Beomgyu’s fingers massaged the same spot again, and Taehyun barely refrained from whining yet again. “Where was it? Here? Or here?”

Taehyun bit his tongue, valiantly suppressing all his noises. “I’m not doing it again,” he said, voice muffled. Beomgyu gently threaded his hands through the hair at the back of Taehun’s head and he almost let out a purr, but shook his head firmly. “Nope. No noise.”

Beomgyu grinned teasingly, removing his hand from the base of Taehyun’s neck. “Oh really?”

And then, very slowly, he began to tease the fur behind Taehyun’s ears, while also turning back to the book to continue reading in a low voice.

“Which even now I do, to work mine end upon their senses which this airy charm is for. I’ll break my staff, bury it certain fathoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound. I’ll—”

Taehyun squeaked. A high-pitched, millisecond of noise, which faded into low purring as his ears twitched from Beomgyu’s soft touch.

Beomgyu paused, raising an eyebrow. Taehyun was flushed all over, embarrassed, but Beomgyu just laughed, continuing to stroke the fur behind Taehyun’s ears.

“Cute.”

Taehyun whined again, a soft, pleased sound, as Beomgyu continued to smile at him, fingers dug into his hair. He leaned further into Beomgyu, ears twitching contentedly. A warmth spread throughout his chest, melting and burning him all at once.

Taehyun breathed in shakily as Beomgyu’s fingers trailed upwards to softly trace the curves of his ears.

He was melting. He was melting, but he was burning at the same time. He was melting under Beomgyu’s touch, melting under his soft words. But he was burning under his gaze, burning because of the warmth he felt whenever he looked at Beomgyu.

He was melting—no, he was burning—but no, he was melting—no, he was… he was…

“Hey Tyun? You okay?”

Taehyun blinked drowsily, head heavy. “Hmm?”

Beomgyu took in his sleepy frame, and smiled. “Nevermind.” He looked at the book, marking where they’d stopped, before closing it. “I think that’s enough Shakespeare for today.”

Taehyun hummed sleepily. “Where did we get up to?”

Beomgyu chuckled. “You weren’t paying attention, were you? We got up to the part where Prospero proves he’s actually a good guy.”

“A good guy,” Taehyun mused. He lifted his head up slightly to look at Beomgyu. “Beomgyu’s a good guy.” He looked down again. “I don’t know many good guys.”

His eyelids began to droop, tail swishing slowly. “But Beomgyu’s good,” he said, almost to himself. “Beomgyu is good.”

Beomgyu looked at the hybrid, whose head was still rested on his shoulder. Taehyun’s eyelids kept fluttering, like his body was drifting between sleeping and staying awake. With his cheek squished against Beomgyu, he looked small and delicate, and out of all the different versions of Taehyun, Beomgyu decided right then and there that sleepy Taehyun was the cutest.

Taehyun’s eyes finally closed, and his tail ceased its movement. Beomgyu’s eyes traced the gentle slope of his nose, the relaxed curve of his cheeks, and the soft, pink shape of his lips. Truly, in every aspect, Taehyun was adorable.

Beomgyu shook himself, tearing his gaze away from Taehyun. Very gently, he began to ease Taehyun’s head off his shoulder. “Alright, I think it’s time for bed,” he said. “Come on, Tyun.”

But Taehyun shook his head, resting it on Beomgyu’s shoulder again. “Wanna sleep here,” he murmured. “You’re warm.”

“I’m sure my bed will be much warmer,” Beomgyu said. “Come on.”

Taehyun shook his head again, wrapping his arm around Beomgyu’s. “Beomgyu’s warmer.” He took Beomgyu’s hand and placed it over his heart. “Beomgyu makes my heart warm.” He pressed himself further into Beomgyu’s side, making a low, purring noise. “My heart has never been this warm before.”

Beomgyu flushed, trying not to read too much into Taehyun’s words. He was sleepy, after all. Taehyun was probably spouting gibberish. He didn’t mean any of it.

“And I mean every word,” Taehyun murmured. “Beomgyu makes me feel warm.”

Beomgyu sighed, heart melting. “Alright then,” he said softly. “Sleep here.”

With a lot of awkward manoeuvring, Beomgyu lay down on the sofa, Taehyun curled up beside him. And there, laying beside Beomgyu, Taehyun realised. That warm, comforting feeling in his chest wasn’t the melting of his insides or the burning of heart. No: it was the warmth of something else.

It was love.

If Taehyun had been wide awake, he would have startled at that thought. But Taehyun was drowsy, his brain turned to a fuzzy, soft mess by Beomgyu and his gentle fingers and voice.

So instead he just nodded to himself, like the realisation was no big deal. Of course he was in love with Beomgyu. With the way his eyes crinkled as he smiled, with the way his laugh was gentle and bright at the same time, with the way his hands were always warm and ready to hold Taehyun’s. Beomgyu made him feel safe in a way he’d never known was possible. Throughout his whole life, Taehyun had been taught to watch what he said, watch where he looked, watch where he stepped. He’d had to be vigilant all the time, no matter what. That hadn’t changed when he ran away. The world had not been kind to Taehyun. And he’d been taught the world would never be kind to Taehyun. That no one would be kind to Taehyun. Because he was a hybrid.

But Beomgyu had been kind. Beomgyu had been kind to Taehyun, smiling gently and reassuring him he was safe when he was with Beomgyu, and Taehyun believed and trusted him.

Taehyun had always liked Beomgyu. From the very first time Taehyun had settled outside Beomgyu’s porch, Taehyun had already begun to like him. He liked the gentle melodies Beomgyu played; he liked his soft voice; he liked that Beomgyu didn't say a word about the fact Taehyun slept outside his house. Beomgyu was always so comforting.

And so Taehyun realising he’d fallen in love with Beomgyu felt like the most natural thing in the world, and he didn’t question it for a second.

Taehyun opened his eyes, giving Beomgyu a sleepy smile.

“Goodnight,” he whispered.

Beomgyu smiled back, and when he stroked Taehyun’s hair, the hybrid purred, leaning into the touch. “Goodnight,” Beomgyu replied softly.

The two of them fell asleep facing each other, bodies pressed together on Beomgyu’s sofa.

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

The first thing Beomgyu registered when he woke up was that he was warm. As he opened his eyes, they fell on the source of the warmth and he couldn't help but smile.

Taehyun had curled up into a ball during the night, pressing himself tight against Beomgyu's chest. Taehyun shivered, ears flicking. Beomgyu's arms automatically came around to hug the hybrid, rubbing his bare arms. Taehyun gave a soft purr, nuzzling further into Beomgyu.

They hadn’t closed the curtains last night, and the weak autumn sun began to push through the clouds, tentatively reaching through the windows. It was strong enough to cast a white-gold glow over Beomgyu and Taehyun, but weak enough to keep the hybrid from waking up.

Taehyun whimpered in his sleep, and Beomgyu immediately looked at him, his hand moving from Taehyun's arm to gently brush the hair away from his face. Taehyun's brow was furrowed, and Beomgyu smiled sympathetically, pressing his fingers gently against the creases in his forehead. Eventually, Taehyun's frown smoothed out, the hybrid giving a soft sigh. Beomgyu watched him fondly, twisting strands of Taehyun's hair between his fingers. Taehyun leaned into the touch, and Beomgyu smiled. He'd deduced very early on that Taehyun liked head pats, and any sort of contact involving Beomgyu's hand in Taehyun's hair. He gazed at Taehyun's sleeping face, the pale morning light gave a slight angelic glow to his features.

Who knew he'd end up sleeping on his sofa with the hybrid who used to come to his porch every night? It was something Beomgyu would have never foresaw, but now Taehyun was with him he really wouldn't have it any other way. He liked Taehyun.

Taehyun was cute. Beomgyu had acknowledged that already. It was something he'd observed from the many weeks Taehyun used to spend on his porch. But as Beomgyu got to know Taehyun, he grew to like him for countless other reasons.

Taehyun viewed the world with a child-like curiosity that brought a smile to Beomgyu's lips. When he encountered something he'd never seen before, he'd shyly approach Beomgyu, hesitantly asking questions. And though he’d previously led a life ruled over by strict guidelines and severe punishments, Taehyun’s eyes still sparkled brightly, his youthfulness having not dimmed for even a moment.

Taehyun was kind. And, despite his inexperience with lots of things, he was wise in ways which surprised Beomgyu.

Sometimes, Beomgyu would be having a hard time with his music and could feel that if anyone were to approach him, he'd yell at them or do something he'd regret. It was during those days he hoped and prayed Taehyun would stay away, so the hybrid would not have to be snapped at. And every single time, Taehyun kept his distance, watching respectfully from the sidelines, reading or sleeping without disturbing Beomgyu.

Taehyun had a sort of interpersonal intelligence that Beomgyu had never known would be possible for a hybrid who acted so child-like all the time. He was remarkably empathetic, understanding and picking up on other people's emotions and feelings almost instantly. Taehyun was unbelievably kind. But this, Beomgyu feared, could be dangerous for Taehyun.

He feared someone could take advantage of Taehyun's innocence and his gentle, meek nature, and that was something he was scared of on a daily basis. It was one of the reasons why he hadn't taken Taehyun outside once since Taehyun had been staying with him.

If Beomgyu was being honest, his own fear terrified him. It had been a long time since he'd had an anxiety attack, but ever since he'd taken Taehyun in, he'd felt a growing fear one could come again. This was the thing with other people: when he was with others his attacks always seemed to come more easily.

Beomgyu looked down at Taehyun again, rubbing his back gently. The hybrid had grown on him. And he truly didn't want something to happen to him.

Taehyun's brow furrowed, and he squeezed his eyes together, before slowly blinking them open. His tail began to wave lazily as he opened his eyes, blinking in surprise as he took in Beomgyu's face, inches away from his own. Beomgyu smiled.

"Good morning," he whispered softly.

Taehyun stared at him, and Beomgyu saw his eyes widen a fraction. Beomgyu chuckled.

"Don't you remember last night? You said you wanted to sleep here." Beomgyu nudged his nose against Taehyun's. "Did you forget?"

Beomgyu could pinpoint the exact moment Taehyun remembered, his wide eyes widening further. Then suddenly he sat upright, and Beomgyu could see his shoulders quivering. Frowning, he sat up.

"Hey, Tyun? You okay?"

"I…" Taehyun's gaze was fixed on Beomgyu's shoulder, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Hey. Look at me. Are you alright?"

Slowly, Taehyun looked up, eyes dilated and ears trembling. Beomgyu frowned, worried.

"Taehyun? Taehyun, are you okay? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I did. Everything I did, anything at all, if it was me, then I'm sorry."

"Beomgyu…" His voice was barely above a whisper, and it made Beomgyu more alarmed.

"Taehyun?"

Then, without warning, Taehyun hugged him.

Arms wrapped around his middle, Taehyun pressed his face against the soft cotton of Beomgyu's shirt, inhaling his comforting scent. Beomgyu froze at the unexpectedness of the action before quickly melting, hugging Taehyun back.

"You scared me there for a moment," he said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Taehyun whispered, voice muffled by Beomgyu's shirt. "I'm okay."

Beomgyu's hand came up to stroke the back of Taehyun's head. "As long as you're okay. As long as you're okay."

They stayed like that for several minutes, wrapped in each other's arms, before finally Beomgyu spoke again.

"What would you like for breakfast?" he asked, voice soft.

"Strawberries," Taehyun replied instantly, face still buried in Beomgyu's chest.

Beomgyu chuckled. "Would you like your strawberries now?"

He felt Taehyun shake his head. "Not yet."

Beomgyu smiled, rocking them from side to side in a relaxed manner. "Alright," he said. "In a few minutes, then."

.・゜°(^･ｪ･^)

Taehyun couldn't look Beomgyu in the eye for more than a few seconds. How could he, after the realisation he'd had last night?

His tail was curled up tight by his side, and he couldn't help the way his ears twitched nervously. Thankfully, Beomgyu didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, which he was immensely grateful for. But then, it was only 11 in the morning. Things could happen.

Taehyun shook his head, expelling the thought from his brain. As long as he kept his fingers crossed, Beomgyu wouldn't notice. Right?

"Hey Tyun? Is there something wrong with the strawberries?"

Taehyun looked up, and flinched as he made eye contact with Beomgyu. Beomgyu frowned, concerned. Taehyun quickly shook his head. "No, no, they're okay," he said, stuffing one in his mouth to prove his point. "Thank you."

Beomgyu looked at him, unconvinced, but nodded. "Alright. Well, that's the last of them, so I'm going to have to go shopping today." Standing up, he walked up to the fridge, eyeing its contents. "You and I don't consume that much food, so I think it's only strawberries we need."

Taehyun nodded. "Okay."

"Should I go shopping now, or later?" Beomgyu mused. "If I go now, I'll have to leave you alone," he said to Taehyun. He paused. "Well, whether I go now or later, I'm going to have to leave you alone."

Taehyun looked up at that.

That was what he needed. He needed time alone. Alone, away from Beomgyu, so he could figure out what on earth he was going to do.

"Go," he said abruptly. Beomgyu looked at him, confused, and he hunched his shoulders, shy at his sudden outburst. "I mean, you should go now," Taehyun said. "I'll be okay. You can trust me."

Beomgyu pursed his lips, thinking. He looked at Taehyun, who was doing his best to look reliable. "It's not that I don't trust you. I’m worried about you," he said finally. "When do your wound dressings need changing? Today?"

"We changed them three days ago," Taehyun replied. "I don't need them changed for another week." He smiled, making sure his eyes crinkled at the corners. "I'm okay. I just need to brush my teeth, and then I'll wait for you to come back."

Beomgyu nodded reluctantly, seeing no reason to protest otherwise. "Alright," he conceded. "I'll go shopping now." He ruffled Taehyun's hair as he walked out of the kitchen. "Don't answer anyone knocking on the door, okay? Remember, I have a key."

Taehyun nodded.

A few minutes later, Beomgyu hopped down the stairs, poking his head into the living room where Taehyun was. He held up a finger playfully, smiling.

"Behave, okay?"

Taehyun smiled back. "I will."

Beomgyu smiled. "I won't be long."

Taehyun waved, and a few seconds later the front door opened and clicked shut. Taehyun scrambled to the windows, peeking through the curtains to wave at Beomgyu as he left.

Once Beomgyu had left, Taehyun turned away from the curtain, his bright smile dropping. Tail quivering, he held his head in his hands.

Maybe he shouldn't have encouraged Beomgyu to leave. He'd needed time away from Beomgyu in order to organise his thoughts, which was difficult to do since he was sitting in a house filled with the human's scent.

Beomgyu. Who he was apparently in love with.

Taehyun's ears twitched, and he shut his eyes.

He was pretty sure he'd never actually experienced love before. He'd never loved anyone. He'd heard of love, of course. He'd heard how his master had professed his love for his wife, and how the master's daughter had described in detail to the hybrids about the boy she was in love with. He'd heard of the love the abandoned hybrids had for their owners, before they had been dumped into the shelter. He'd heard of what love supposedly was. But he'd never experienced it himself.

"Love is complicated," the master's daughter had said. "He's so wonderful . But I am way out of his league. Father would have a fit if he found out I was in love with a peasant, so all you hybrids better keep your stupid mouths shut, okay?"

Taehyun winced at the memory. She had always been threatening them one way or another.

"But nevertheless, I'm sure I'm in love with him," she had sighed giddily, glancing down at the hybrids sat obediently around her feet. "Which I'm sure none of you freaks can understand." The blissful smile spread across her face again. "It's wrong, but it just feels so right to be around him. My insides melt and my skin burns when he touches me, and his smile…" She had squealed, kicking a hybrid in her lovesick frenzy. "He makes me feel all fuzzy inside. He makes me feel warm."

Taehyun couldn't help but smile at the memory. Sure, the master and his whole family had been somewhat of a terrifying group of people, but at least the master's daughter had been tolerable. To some extent. As in, she wouldn't beat them up the moment she laid eyes on them.

She also gave good advice. As Taehyun recalled her words about love, he reflected on his own feelings, comparing them to what she had said.

The melting of his insides? Check.

The burning of his skin when Beomgyu touched him? If the fiery tingliness counted, then yep.

The fuzzy, warm sensation in his chest? Oh, definitely.

And was Beomgyu wonderful and completely out of his league? Without a doubt.

But Taehyun was, one hundred percent, completely and irrevocably in love with Beomgyu. And as he sat there, hands in his hair, face flushed as he recalled all his feelings for Beomgyu, he realised he wouldn't have it any other way. He liked the giddiness, the warmth, the way his face seemed to always stretch into a smile whenever he was around Beomgyu. He loved being in love with Beomgyu.

So he decided he was going to continue loving Beomgyu, no matter how awkward or flustered he might get around the human, because he liked it. Even if his love wasn't returned, Taehyun wanted to continue loving him, waiting patiently by Beomgyu's side until the day that maybe, perhaps, possibly, his feelings could become requited in some form.

Taehyun disentangled his fingers from his hair and smiled to himself, pressing his hand against his heart. Feeling it thumping, feeling it flutter, feeling it expand and warm because of his love for Beomgyu.

When he remembered his master, Taehyun's whole frame stiffened, a shiver ran down his spine as his throat constricted, his hands trembled, and he had to press his lips together to keep them from quivering.

But when Taehyun thought about Beomgyu, his shoulders relaxed and his tail waved with pleasure as his heart hiccupped oddly and he had to fight the urge to beam widely. And most importantly, Beomgyu made him feel warm.

Warmth wasn't something Taehyun experienced often. Always stuck in a cold basement, or the cold outdoors, or a cold cage. He was always cold, and warmth was a luxury.

Beomgyu provided him with the warmth not just for his body, but for his heart. Beomgyu gave Taehyun the warmth which he'd always craved, and that was one of the main reasons why Taehyun loved him.

He heard the door click and the jangling of keys as Beomgyu closed the door behind him, smiling at Taehyun who was sat on the sofa.

"Hello, Tyun!" Beomgyu grinned, holding up the plastic bag. "I've got your strawberries."

Taehyun grinned back, relishing the warmth that spread throughout his body as Beomgyu smiled warmly. He embraced his love. He embraced the warmth. He decided he wasn't going to stop loving Beomgyu. He was going to continue, because loving Beomgyu was the best thing that could have ever happened to him.

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45 notes · View notes