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Soonyoung steps outside the studio to a heavy pour. He has nothing against the rain, really. He just hates it when it happens after a sunny day, when the forecast did not tell him to bring an umbrella in the morning. To add to his demise, the closest convenience store is closed today. It's alright, he can go to the one a little further down. It doesn't have his trusted snacks, and the employees are a bit noisy but it's not that much of a detour.
He hurries down the streets, walking along the walls to try and avoid as much water as he can. The precipitation is steady, each drop heavy where it lands on his hunched shoulders. He can feel each of his muscle aching in a dull, throbbing way after a full day spent using his body. He wants nothing more than soak in a warm bath, snuggle in bed in front of a compilation of Taemin's fancams and forget how petty some of the kids' parents are.
The bright sign of the CU is finally in sight, and Soonyoung solely focuses on it as he hurries his steps. He rounds the corner, ready to enter the store when the faintest of movement catches his attention. There, on the pavement, pressed against the wall is the tiniest cat he's ever seen. It's dark, wet and shivering and his heart breaks at the sight. Soonyoung never had cats, his family is more dog oriented, but he's pretty sure this one is young - too young to be left alone outside. He looks at the store, and back at the cat and makes a decision : if the cat is still here when he comes back, still alone, Soonyoung takes it home.
One umbrella acquisition and a bit of - for once helpful - small talk later, Soonyoung crouches down to the kitten. It stayed here, and if his tremors are a bit less impressing, he still looks like the cold is getting deep into his bones. Maybe there is someone who hates the rain more than him right now, Soonyoung can't help but think. He extends his hand slowly, but the kitten does not budge. No reaction at all. This can't be good. Soonyoung opens his jacket, puts a heat pad into his shirt's pocket and reaches for the kitten. It does not protest, and lets itself be tucked in.
The way home seems to be excruciatingly long this time around, like each step is felt. Soonyoung manages not to be drenched, even if the way he juggles the umbrella while trying to support the kitten inside his jacket with his other arm isn't the most efficient. He feels the humidity from the tiny creature's hair seeping into his clothes, but he can also feel how some heat, more subdued, seems to come from the cat. It still does not move, but there is a slight vibration on Soonyoung chest, right where it lays.
When he arrives in front of his home, Soonyoung is met with the habitual sight of his neighbor, ready to brave the rain with both his hood and his umbrella and an empty grocery bag dangling from his hand. Over the year and a half Soonyoung lived here, he learned that Jeon Wonwoo has for habit to go do groceries around the time he comes home from work. He's not exactly diligent with it, but it's often and regular enough to be a habit in Soonyoung's mind. He goes to bow in greeting, as he's used to, but the umbrella resting precariously on his shoulder slips and falls to the ground.
It's embarrassing, how he's a mere couple feet from their building's door and couldn't make it there intact. But he's more worried about the kitten, and hunches over himself even more, in an attempt to shelter him from the elements as best as he can. Wonwoo, ever the gentle and polite man, picks up his umbrella and makes sure Soonyoung is covered by it again.
"Do you need help with the door, perhaps ?" He asks, his voice soft. They didn't talk a lot, but his voice is always smooth, low and quiet. Soonyoung just nods. He's too preoccupied by the cat's well-being to care about proper manners. They go towards the front door, Soonyoung still hunched awkwardly and Wonwoo with the two umbrellas. The latter balances them as well as he can to open the door and let Soonyoung in. Soonyoung doesn't need to raise his head to feel the inquisitive gaze. Surely a question is bound to be raised soon.
He finally goes inside the hall, back against the door to prevent it to close. He straightens up a bit and his eyes finally meet Wonwoo's. The taller man is as puzzled as he thought he would, but not as judging. And then his eyes travel down, towards his chest and he lets out a small 'oh'. Fuck, does their building even allow pets ? What if it doesn't and Wonwoo snitches on him ? Why did he not think of it earlier ? He should have hidden the cat more. He was too focused on his short term well-being and didn't consider more practical questions for a further future.
But Wonwoo just smiles, visibly endeared and says : "Cute… What's their name ? Is it a girl or a boy ?"
Soonyoung is a bit taken aback. "I don't know," is all he can answer. Wonwoo raises an eyebrow and he feels a bit stupid. "I just found it on the street, it was shivering !" He adds, desperate and trying to advocate for himself and the tiny life form in his arms.
Wonwoo's face morphs into something close to understanding, but his brows are now a little furrowed. "Alone ?" He asks, more serious than Soonyoung has ever seen him. "Are you sure there was no other kitten, or adult cats anywhere near them when you found them ?" Soonyoung can only nod but it doesn't seem to soothe Wonwoo much, as he continues with more questions, pressing : "Even a bit further down the streets ? Can you be sure of it ?" Soonyoung can't, how could he, it was raining and he was sad and stressed for the poor kitten whose drenched state felt like a grim mirror of what his future could have been before he got that umbrella.
Before his hesitation Wonwoo just sighs, "it's okay, can you tell me where it was ? I'll go check it out myself, don't worry, you should just focus on this one for now and we'll see what to do if there are more, ok ? Do you have anything to take care of them ?" Soonyoung guesses spam is not the answer Wonwoo is looking for this last question, so he does his best to give the most precise information he can (including how the wall of the CU had a small crack where the kitten was pressed and that he has only spam and kimchi in his pantry).
Wonwoo accompanies him to his flat, before taking off with a "I'll be back in a few, make sure his temperature doesn't drop in the meantime. And maybe pat both of you down with a towel, we don't want to risk any illness." And then he's gone. Soonyoung's door closes, and he's left alone to face what he's beginning to realise might be the biggest challenge of his life.
The cat is on the couch, nested in an array of blankets and Soonyoung is looking at it intently from where he is on the floor. It seems to have fallen asleep, his flanks raising in a soft and steady rhythm. Soonyoung puts a hand on him every ten minutes, to check is he's still emitting warmth - and just to reassure himself - and he barely get a reaction most of the time : a small turn of head at most, of an ear otherwise. But it's enough to make his heart a bit more at ease for the next ten minutes. He doesn't dare leaving its side however.
When knocks are heard, he hesitates. He should go and open the door to see what it is. It should be Wonwoo, but what if it isn't ? He doesn't want to wander too much from the kitten, and the couch is just out of his vision from the entrance. He let the door unlocked, with how focused on the kitten he was, and he decides eventually he can just blindly trust it's Wonwoo. So he calls out with a "the door's open" and stays where he is, eyes not leaving the sleeping ball of fur.
The door barely makes a noise before Soonyoung hears Wonwoo remove his shoes and drag something on the floor. Then he doesn't hear anything anymore, and that actually makes him turn his head in direction of the entrance. There, in the living room's threshold stands Wonwoo, arms full of things Soonyoung has a hard time making out, looking a bit lost, his eyes without a clear focus.
He never stepped a foot here, after all. They met a lot, thanks to their schedule coinciding, but they rarely went past the cordial greetings in the hall. Soonyoung had once made a joke and Wonwoo had complimented his tiger jacket, which had lead to more fleshed out conversations but that was about all.
It's not like Soonyoung was wary of who could enter his territorial intimacy, but he never thought of inviting people in. Even Jihoon had only come to visit him twice in all his time here, despite being his closest friend. And Wonwoo always was on the verge of leaving to do groceries when those discussions happened anyway, so proposing him a tea would have felt irrelevant.
Soonyoung smiles and waves at Wonwoo, gesturing him he can enter. Wonwoo takes a moment to come out of his head, but soon enough he is crossing the threshold and putting his things on the floor, near the entrance. He strides across the room to come and crouch down beside Soonyoung, eyes focused on the kitten. He extends a hand, and this time the kitten reacts before he can even touch it. Head high, hears alert and eyes open, it seems to register Wonwoo is someone different.
Wonwoo takes his time, lets the kitten sniff his hand at first, before gently trying to pet it. It's like he's evaluating the responses and taking decisions according to them. He then maneuver it around, seemingly looking for something. He must find what he's looking for, because he mumbles something before proceeding to pet the cat some more. Soonyoung takes it all in, eyes wide open as to not miss a single second of it. He's no genius but one thing appears clear : Wonwoo knows his way around cats.
"Ok," the latter says, "I went back to the CU and around and there wasn't any cat indeed. This one's either lost, an orphan, or someone wanted to get rid of him." The words are crude, and Soonyoung's heart aches as he hears them. But he knows it's the truth. The world out there isn't nice and soft. It's harsh and cruel to some, especially weaker ones like small kittens are.
"He seems big enough to eat by himself, at least," Wonwoo continues, "I got him some wet food and I should have some dry food left somewhere… I'll bring it to you tomorrow if you have to keep him."
Wonwoo has (had?) a cat ? Is Soonyoung's first thought. Before he pedals back and Wonwoo's words sink in. "What do you mean, if I have to keep him ?"
Wonwoo looks at him in a mix of surprise and sheepishness. "Well, next thing to do is bring him to the vet. There they will be able to tell you if he has a chip. And if so, they'll be able to track his owner."
It makes sense. Soonyoung feels a bit dumb for the tendrils of his imagination that already started to project themselves in a future filled with feline presence. Thankfully it didn't go that far, yet. But he's not sure he'll be able to pass the night without fantasizing about it some more, even with that new knowledge.
Wonwoo stands back up, going to retrieve something from the stuff he left near the entrance. He comes back with a tube that looks a lot like the medicine Soonyoung's takes when he has stomach aches. Wonwoo settles back, opens the tube and a rich scent escape from it. The kitten seems to pick it up too, because his head is back up. It stretches in a manner that even Soonyoung can see means he's not exactly all that confident in his body yet. And then he goes to search where the aroma comes from.
It's a bit gangly, still groggy from sleep, but Wonwoo approaches the stick to its mouth and presses on the end to make the content flow out. Soonyoung swears the kitten's pupils grow triple their size. Soon enough, it's lapping at it with delight and enthusiasm. Soonyoung is captivated by the sight. He never saw something so tiny and yet so full of life. To think it was amorphous just couple minutes ago. That it was shivering under the cold fall rain less than an hour ago.
He can feel Wonwoo shift a bit on his side and he hears a soft chuckle coming from him. "I'll help you settle him for the night, if you want," he proposes. "I can even take you to the vet tomorrow." Soonyoung turns to look at him. He never found anything to dislike in Wonwoo, he was a perfectly fine neighbor - who also happened to be quite charming. But he never knew he could be so generous. Maybe that's the power of cats, he wonders.
A bit of time passes where they stay and watch as the kitten retreats back to his blanket nest and doze off again in a matter of seconds. And then Wonwoo starts talking again. He explains things about cats eating habits - not in the same place as they drink? -, or their pooping ones. Soonyoung tries his best, but the fact that he's having trouble registering everything must show on his face because Wonwoo just tells him : "I'll show and set things up for you, don't worry. It's just for this night at first anyway, and he's really small he should sleep a lot. And you can always knock on my door if you need anything."
The proposition warms Soonyoung's heart more than he thought it would. It feels nice, above just the help and reassurance in front of the unexpected situation it felt like he found an ally in his neighborhood. Coming from a district where everyone knew each other -especially him since he was the son of the village's chief -, helped each other and had each other's back had had him left a bit distraught in the big city. He had learned a different kind of loneliness, one that was caused by the indifference from everyone around him. He had long adapted since then, long before he even ended up living here. Still, finding this back in Wonwoo is very welcome.
The rest of the evening is basically spent with Wonwoo going around the room and setting food, water and litter boxes in key spots. Soonyoung doesn't get the exact reasoning behind it but Wonwoo seems to know what he's doing and promised to explain it again later so he's not too preoccupied. Then Wonwoo says he's gonna go home and Soonyoung, still listless on the ground and facing the sleeping kitten, panics. What if something happened ?
For the first time since he sat there, he stands up and reaches out to take Wonwoo's sleeve in a second. Anxiety controls his actions so he has a hard time realizing Wonwoo's face is flushed and he's probably embarrassing him at first. "Wait !" He knows he should take a step back, but he wants to convey his desperation, and for Wonwoo to understand how much he is needed here. "What if… what if the cat stops breathing ? How can I know it's eating and drinking right ? What if- what if," his voice breaks a little, "what if I do something wrong ?"
Wonwoo puts a hand on his shoulder, forcing Soonyoung's head to not be as much in his face as well as comforting him through it. He seems to think about something for couple minutes, his eyes searching something in Soonyoung's. The latter knows there is only something pitiful and lost to find there. And then, eventually, Wonwoo proposes something that Soonyoung can't refuse. "Do you want me to stay the night with you ?"
Soonyoung wakes up with a stiff neck and a not-that-much-better back. The night hadn't been a very restful one. Wonwoo had passed a lot of time trying - and failing - to convince him he could go sleep in his bed and leave the kitten unattended for a couple of hours. In the end they had put blankets on the floor and slept there, not even a foot away from the cat. Soonyoung had not found sleep at first, keeping sitting back to look at the kitten every five minutes, until Wonwoo had forcefully laid him down and put a second blanket on him as added weight. Soonyoung could've sat back up just as easily, but somehow it worked. Maybe it was because he wanted to stay on his neighbor's good side. Or maybe it was because he wanted to let him think it worked. Regardless, Soonyoung stayed horizontally from then on.
He didn't fall asleep exactly, but after a while he began drifting in and out of sleep. And before he knew it his phone's alarm was waking him up. Apart from his body hurting, the first thing Soonyoung registers is a humid warmth on the right side of his neck. He tries to look at it and is met with something full of hair. Short hair, not that soft and not that clean now that his face is basically into them. The kitten, his brain finally processes. Nestled on his neck, like it's the coziest place on earth and breathing wetly against his skin. A wave of fondness overcomes him, and he has to remind himself he might have to let go of it in just a couple of hours.
That's a harsh thought to have first thing in the morning. He'd like it better to stay here, in the warmth of it all, a bubble of softness despite the dirt in the kitten's fur and how his muscles are acting up. It takes him a couple more minutes of groggy denial to think about Wonwoo. He doesn't want to bother the sleeping kitten so he decides to blindly reach out on his right with his hand. And indeed, it is met with something too sturdy to be just blankets.
There is a ruffle of fabrics, and Soonyoung feels something move next to him. Soon, Wonwoo's head appears in his view, hair mussed and eyes still half closed with sleep. He turns around to take something and, not a minute later, he has his glasses back on. He yawns, and that makes Soonyoung yawn in return. As Soonyoung stretches, he can't help but think that life is unfair. He doesn't know what he looks like right now, but there is no way he looks as effortlessly handsome as Wonwoo does right now, looking at him with his sleepy gaze.
"We should call the vet," are Wonwoo's first - devastating - words. His voice is still raspy, deeper even than usual. Soonyoung's face must morph into something as pitiful as he feels because the next thing Wonwoo says is a muffled "sorry" with a sheepish smile on.
Soonyoung can't really resent his neighbor for being rational, but he still pouts a little when he says "Good morning, Wonwoo, hope you slept well," hurt slipping in his voice as annoyance.
It's Wonwoo who calls the veterinary, while Soonyoung fixes them a quick breakfast by rummaging along the leftovers he has - nothing happened during the night, and Wonwoo promised to keep his eyes on the kitten while he's on the phone so Soonyoung feels confident enough to be in the kitchen for a few minutes. When he comes back, the kitten is nestled in the blankets on the couch again, and Wonwoo is sat next to it, one hand mindlessly petting the dark fur. He raises his head and smiles at Soonyoung when he enters the room back.
They are awaited by 9:30am, which leaves them just enough time to eat and take turns in the bathroom. Wonwoo goes back to his flat once Soonyoung is ready. The kitten is still sleeping, and Soonyoung scrolls on his phone while waiting. Not even ten minutes later, Wonwoo is back, a transport cage in one hand and his car keys in the other. The cat doesn't protest while it's manipulated into the box, still half asleep. Once the door is closed, however, it seems to wake up and anxiously turns around in his confined space.
They make a quick work of it, rushing out the door and into the parking lot. Soonyoung climbs on the passenger seat with the box on his knees and keeps his focus on the cat the whole way. When the car finally comes to a stop, Wonwoo puts a careful hand on his shoulder, as if to say both 'We're here' and 'You're not alone'. Soonyoung is grateful for it. He doesn't know how he would have done even half of this if it weren't for Wonwoo. So he takes his hand and squeezes it, before letting his eyes meet his neighbor's ones and utter a shaky "Thanks, really".
The waiting room is not the biggest, but it's furnished in a way that leaves all the space needed. The colors are soft and cold, and everything is as clean as something can be. The sign on the door indicated it was a cat only clinic, and it somehow settles some of Soonyoung's nerves. He had no doubt Wonwoo would have taken him somewhere adequate, but these people especially must know what they're doing. The secretary behind the desk welcomes them with a smile and asking for a name. Before their indecisiveness, understanding downs on them and they ask if it's about the stray found on the street. They just nod and are sent to settle on the side before a doctor comes for them.
As the minutes pass, Soonyoung feels part of his nerves finishing to settle down. The kitten seems calm now, and the clinic puts him at ease. But at the same time, the looming possibilities are making themselves known more too. It might be the last time he sees this kitten. He tried his best, and it had only been something like twelve hours, but Soonyoung knows he's already attached to it. A lot.
Just as he's about to wallow, someone enters the waiting room from behind the desk. It's a man, in medical wears. He approaches them with a smile that seems to be natural. He's slightly shorter than Soonyoung, with big eyes and a soft vibe, but for some reason the only thing that Soonyoung thinks about is if all veterinary are that buff. Those have to be the biggest biceps he's ever seen. Next to him Wonwoo clears his throat to put him back into focus.
Once in the examination room, time seems to take a weird pace. The doctor puts the kitten on the table and puts it in different poses. First, he rubs round and smooth object on him, seemingly searching for something. He turns to them and announces : "No chip ! Let's see how healthy this little one might be, now." And then he weights it, touches his belly, looks inside its mouth… Soonyoung stays on the side, trying to take notes of everything that is said. But it's a lot to take in, and even if each new information appears to paint an optimistic canvas, he can't help but be submerged by what if at every new things Wonwoo and the doctor are talking about checking out.
Ten minutes later, the doctor asks him if he wants to adopt the kitten officially, since he's not chipped. He assures him it doesn't need to be done immediately and goes to retrieve explicative pamphlets in a drawer but Soonyoung is decided. "Yes, I want to," he says before the doctor even has time to get the pamphlet out of the drawer.
Follows a explanatory monologue about expenses and responsibilities, but Soonyoung looks at Wonwoo and the smile he gets in return is enough to solidify his decision. It's the last hit on the nail he needed. As for expenses, he will have to reconsider his trip to Hawaii anyway with the cat so it's not that much of a downside to have his saving for it having a small dent.
The doctor prepares a chip and a health record, and then comes the big question : "I'm gonna need a name." Soonyoung looks at Wonwoo, at the pet and then back at the doctor. He did not think about it beforehand. So he says the first thing that comes to mind.
"Woo-," he points at Wonwoo, then at himself, "-young."
"Wooyoung ?" The doctor repeats with wide eyes, but complies when Soonyoung nods.
And then they're back in the car, Soonyoung now officially a boy cat named Wooyoung. He feels proud, somehow, even is he didn't accomplish anything. "I'm gonna take good care of you," he promises to the dark ball of fur that presses itself against the door of the box on his lap.
Wooyoung has been living with Soonyoung for a month when it happens. Despite a rocky start, Soonyoung now has a new routine that takes the cat's needs into account. He feeds him as he wakes up, and once again after throwing the cluttered litter in away before going to sleep. He doesn't let anything on the coffee table anymore - Wooyoung is high in spirits and likes to play with any and everything, Soonyoung learned at his GD's photocard binder expenses.
Amongst the new things in his routine, there is also Wonwoo. Wonwoo, who comes to check on the cat every other day and stays to eat on Saturday evenings. Wonwoo, who settles his nerves each time he's wondering why would Wooyoung suddenly let his wet food unattended or how to make him stop climbing on the kitchen stove when Soonyoung is looking into his fridge. They don't say it out loud, but Soonyoung knows that, in a way, Wooyoung is as much Wonwoo's cat as he is his.
Just the other day, when Chan came to borrow Soonyoung's camera - he needed it to record his boyfriend's cover of a song, if Soonyoung understood correctly, but he didn't care too much, Chan was like a little brother he liked to spoil and the reasons were always secondary - something came to light. They always thought Wooyoung was an outgoing and social cat, with the way he acted around Soonyoung and Wonwoo, always asking for cuddles and waddling toward them when they called him. But the whole time Chan was there, he stayed hidden behind an old shoe-box Soonyoung had sacrificed a week before, seeing how the kitten liked to play with it.
Life was slowly but surely settling down in this new pace, and everyone was finding their marks and forging new habits. Soonyoung, Wooyoung and even Wonwoo. Everything was fine. Until now.
Soonyoung looks everywhere and calls for Wooyoung, but he doesn't seem to be anywhere in the flat. He already searched every visible surfaces, and all of the cat's most trusted hideouts. He's been at it since he came back from work and didn't see two sharp eyes on dark fur greet him at the door. But nothing. Not a single meow, not the shadow of a tail nor a pointy hear.
Soonyoung is ready to bit his nails and tear his hair here and there. But he refuses to succumb to panic. He must find his cat first. Only when he has him in front of him, preferably safe and nestled in his arms, will he be able to let emotions take over.
He's about to do another round of the flat and something catches his eyes in the bathroom. The window is left ajar. A dreading feeling seeps in, from head to toe, in a matter of seconds. His entire body is now in high alert. If Wooyoung is not inside and the window is open, he could be anywhere. Soonyoung left in the morning, it's now three in the afternoon. Who knows when the cat could have fallen. Who knows how far he could've gone. Not to mention he's on the second floor. What if he hurt himself ? He was still a baby. Even if the vet told them he was old enough to be without a mother Soonyoung doubted a six month old kitty would survive the impact on a cold winter day intact.
His reflex is instantaneous : he reaches for the smartphone in his pocket. Wonwoo's number is already saved along the important ones, the ones to call in urgent cases. Like this one. He never called him before, since so far all his questions could be asked by messages or by knocking on his door. But this is different. He needs Wonwoo, and he needs him now. The more time passes, the more dangerous it could be for their cat out there.
Luckily, Wonwoo picks up even before the second tone. "Soonyoung ?" His voice is laced with sleep and urgency, like he just woke up but still realises how dire the situation must be. It's enough to make the tears well in Soonyoung eyes. The wet "Wonwoo…" he lets out must be alarming enough, because Wonwoo's answer is immediate.
"Shit, don't move, I'm coming ! Are you home ?"
Soonyoung only whines as a way of assent. "Is it Wooyoung ?" Another whine. Wonwoo seems to understand him anyway, and just as he's about to try and utter proper words there's knocks on his front door. Soonyoung all but rushes towards it, and falls into Wonwoo's arms, who opened the door in his own haste.
He's wearing a flimsy sport short and his short-sleeved t-shirt is rumpled. His hair is in an even worse state. He must have been taking a nap just now, if Soonyoung had to guess. Still, he woke up and came right away. He's even taking the time to comfort him with a hug despite their cat missing.
Oh, right, he doesn't know that. The thought of breaking the news to Wonwoo makes Soonyoung actually sob. If he was, albeit overwhelmed but still, managing until then, he is now pretty sure he left snot and tears on Wonwoo's sleeping shirt. Wonwoo brings a hand on Soonyoung's left shoulder, and gently asks : "Where is Wooyoung ?"
Soonyoung shakes his head. He doesn't know. That's the whole issue. "Bathroom… window…" is all he can muster between two sobs. And Wonwoo might as well be an psychic because, once again, it's like he's understanding him perfectly.
"Fuck," he says, breath short. "Ok. It's alright, Soonyoung, we'll find him. He can't have gotten that far. He's probably stressed and hiding somewhere. Remember how he was with your friend ? It must be even more terrifying out there with even more people he doesn't know. I'm sure he's just waiting for us to find him."
As he reasons, Wonwoo doesn't stop moving his right hand along Soonyoung's back. Soon enough, he's somewhat functioning again. His eyes are still itching, and he just knows they must be red and puffy. But Wonwoo is smiling at him, like everything will indeed be alright and he lets himself fall for it. Hope is the only thing they can have right now, and they need it if they want to find Wooyoung. So Soonyoung arms himself with both hope and Wonwoo. And like that, it finally feels like Wooyoung is indeed just waiting for them.
Wonwoo asks if he can borrow one of his coat before they go, and Soonyoung is glad he likes oversized clothes so much because Wonwoo's shoulders have never fit that good in anything he saw him in. Wonwoo pats him on the head, takes his hand and opens the door. He squeezes his hand before they step out of the flat and it warms Soonyoung's heart so well he doesn't think and says : "let's go find our cat."
Wonwoo is a bit taken aback by the statement, and Soonyoung takes a couple minutes to realise why. But when they both look into each other's eyes, there is only determination. They need to find Wooyoung. The rest can wait.
Admittedly, the search may feel like hours on end but it lasts for about two minutes. They go down the stairs and, as they're reaching for the lobby's door and readying themselves for the biting cold waiting for them outside, they hear a small meow.
Soonyoung's head never turned around so fast before (and he's a professional dancer, he had to learn to know how to turn his head really fast). There, behind the stairs, in the shadows, are two eyes. Soonyoung rushes towards them, kneeling in front of the cat. In the dark it's hard to know where Wooyoung starts and ends, what part of him it is that Soonyoung is petting to try and comfort him. But he's there, and he's alive. For now this will have to do.
He turns back, eyes wet again, to find Wonwoo already looking above his shoulder. "He's here," he says, smiling so big his mouth hurts. And Wonwoo looks just as relieved. He kneels down next to Soonyoung, head in his hands and exhales loudly. Soonyoung takes his hand away from his face and guides it to the soft fur of the cat. "He's here," he repeats, like he needs to say it to believe it. "Let's take him home."
And Soonyoung lets Wonwoo cradle Wooyoung. Lets him put him on his favorite cat bed. Calls the vet himself while Wonwoo is petting Wooyoung. When he comes back to them to announce they need to be to the clinic in an hour and a half Wonwoo finally looks back at him and not solely at Wooyoung.
It's strange how the roles are reversed, for a small instant. Wonwoo is already regaining composure, surely preparing himself to drive them there. But in this fleeting moment where he's the one worrying and Soonyoung was the one taking charge, other types of emotions bubbles to the surface. His eyes get insecure, but oh so hopeful.
"Our cat ?" He asks, mirroring the words Soonyoung said before they left the flat.
"Our cat," Soonyoung answers decidedly. It seems to be a start, but not all Wonwoo wants.
"Does this means," he begins again, hesitant, "does this mean I am like… His dad ?"
And Soonyoung has no idea where he's going, but he answers all the same : "I guess, yes ?"
"Like you ? Like… you're his dad, and I'm his dad, and we're his parents…?"
It's getting a bit confusing, because it seems to be important for Wonwoo but Soonyoung can't quite grasp why. "Yes, that's what dads are, parents ?"
"But aren't parents… couples ?" Wonwoo hides in his elbows, as if ashamed to have even thought about something like this. Or maybe about how he said it.
"Oh. I mean, we could be that too. If you want." This is not how Soonyoung imagined he would act on his crush on his hot neighbor. But this is also not how he thought anyone could ever act on their crush on him, so. In the end the only thing that matters is how Wonwoo's eyes are sparkling so brightly as he nods frenetically.
On their way back from the vet, after they're sure Wooyoung is healthy and only needs painkillers medicine for a week, Wonwoo mumbles something about Soonyoung being a bit too into doctor's Kang biceps. Soonyoung retaliates by telling him he doesn't date jealous boys, so he can either start to go to the gym or find other ways for him to lust him. That quiets him enough for the rest of the journey.
Soonyoung looks over to where Wooyoung lounges on the windowsill from where he himself is sprawled across Wonwoo's torso. Their cat seems to be entranced by what is happening on the garbage room's roof. Probably other cats or birds. The net preventing him to fall doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest when it comes to spying on the neighborhood.
Over the past two years, however the amount of mischief his tiny body could hold, he never gave them a fright as big as the one they had when he fell from the window. But they never stopped worrying for him. He's like a spoiled only child. No matter how many vases he breaks, he can get away with it and the only important thing is that he's not hurt in the process. Soonyoung would hate for one of his human child to ever become like this. But it's Wooyoung. It's their cuddly, fall of love ball of fur.
"Isn't he getting a bit fat ?" Soonyoung mumbles into Wonwoo's pec, "What if he reaches the morbid obesity state and it causes him health issue as he ages ?"
Wonwoo puts a hand on his head, and turns to look at their cat too. His whole body moves with him, muscles tensing and hardening under Soonyoung's own lax body. It's a funny feeling. Like he's suddenly reminded Wonwoo is not a part of him, but still something oh so close he feels every shift of.
"He seems fine for now, we can always worry when it will become an issue. Let him enjoy his food for now, he won't be in danger because we can see his tummy a little, I assure you." Wonwoo's voice is warm and soft, always soothing his nerves until worry seeps out of them entirely. "If you're really worried, we can buy him something to exercise with. How does that sound ?"
Soonyoung hums, quietly agreeing, and goes back to dozing off. Wonwoo's always right on time like this. They will find a way when the time will come. No need to worry now. The muscles shift back beneath him, he feels Wonwoo pec on the top of his head and he relaxes some more. Everything will be fine.