Archive of Our Own

“Honey, I’m home!” Sungchan sings from the entryway. He knows Eunseok hates when he says it but his tail jerks back and forth so cutely whenever Sungchan does it, so he can’t resist.

He toes off his work shoes and settles into the more comfortable Keroppi slippers and hangs his coat in the tiny closet in the space.

When there’s no answer, Sungchan frowns. Usually, Eunseok is in the kitchen cooking something up from the cookbook they got from the library or he’s rewatching one of his favorite movies on the couch. He likes to spend time on the couch now, even if it’s just to stare out of the window at the city below— “It’s a nice view, Sungchan. I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to spend all your time staring out at it”. Sungchan just adds the action to his ever growing list of ‘Cat-Seok’ things.

There’s no sound coming from the living room and the rest of the lights are off. Had he gone over to Sohee and Chanyoung’s without saying anything?

Sungchan pads further into their apartment, checking Eunseok’s room first. It’s unlocked and empty, blinds shut and his sheets are unrumpled. Strange.

He pulls his phone from his pocket, scrolling to their messages to see if he forgot plans or something while he opens his own bedroom door and–

Oh.

Eunseok is curled on his bed, wrapped under the covers up to his nose so only his unruly hair sticks out at the top. The room is cast in a soft glow from Sungchan’s desk lamp and he can’t fight off the smile he knows is making its way to his lips.

He’s quiet as he pulls off his button down and slips into more comfortable clothes. All the while, Eunseok’s resting form rises and falls slowly. Steady. He’s warm when Sungchan settles in behind him, under the covers, pulling him close.

The hybrid only stirs briefly, ears flicking as he turns to curl further into Sungchan’s embrace, burying his nose into the divot between Sungchan’s collarbones. It’s then that he realizes Eunseok is unnaturally warm. Feverish almost.

As much as it pains him to do, Sungchan pushes back to gain a millimeter of space between them, enough so he can press the back of his palm against the hybrid’s forehead. It’s burning hot.

Sungchan’s fingers trail down Eunseok’s cheek and press to the back of his neck that is unfortunately, a similar temperature. He scratches under the hybrid’s chin and it stirs Eunseok who begins to purr despite everything.

“Hey, Eunseokie,” Sungchan murmurs, fingers slowing until he’s gently grazing the other’s cheekbone. When the hybrid’s eyes flutter open, tired and a little dazed, Sungchan has to resist the urge to smother him with kisses. (It’s beginning to be a growing problem between them now.)

Eunseok rumbles a confused sound, blearily pressing further into Sungchan who can only chuckle softly and run his fingers through the hair just below his orange ears.

“You’re running a fever,” Sungchan replies to the small sound, “Is that why you were sleeping in here?”

Ears flick below his chin, tickling him as Eunseok shakes his head.

“Why then?”

A beat of silence. Eunseok’s stilted purring. “Smells nice. Like you and you were gone for three days this time.” There’s some shuffling and Eunseok is pulling back to stare at Sungchan. “Please tell me you have time off now.”

And Sungchan did feel terrible. He knows ever since they got…together, he’s been even busier at work. Terrible considering the lashings Sohee gave him about always putting his job first but he was unfortunately just important enough at his job that he couldn’t really afford to not do what they asked of him.

Just last week, Sungchan’s boss had asked that he accompany him on a work conference in Japan to which he couldn’t turn down. He’d left Eunseok with his spare card and a kiss on the forehead, hoping he’d be okay on his own.

“Did you eat something bad?” Sungchan questions, fingers still carding through the other’s strands. Eunseok’s hair was a little damp with sweat and Sungchan frowns when he pulls back, “You’re too warm. C’mon, let’s get you cooled down and something to drink, okay?”

He ignores the hybrid’s protests, sliding out of bed and picking the other up under his arms to drag him to the bathroom. Gingerly, he undresses the hybrid and lies Eunseok down in the tub while lukewarm water runs. It’s a bit colder than he could like but he’s afraid that Eunseok can’t handle the scalding hot water he normally uses.

Eunseok grumbles the whole time, tail valiantly flickering despite it being soaking wet now, dampening Sungchan’s clothes in retaliation. He ignores it, cupping his hands to pour water over top of the other’s head, scratching behind his ears that have been pinned to his head nearly the whole time. At least when he feels the skin of Eunseok’s neck, he’s relatively cooler than before.

“I’ll be right back, okay? I’m going to get you some medicine. Can you finish washing yourself?” Sungchan murmurs, scratching under the hybrid’s chin, half forcing him to look up through dazed eyes.

Eunseok nods and Sungchan practically sprints into the kitchen. He rifles through their cabinet, pulling out medicine from the last time Eunseok wasn’t feeling well and grabs an electrolyte drink that stays stocked in their fridge now that he’s been trying to be better about working out.

When he returns, Eunseok is lying with his cheek smushed against the porcelain of the tub, eyes closed and tail drooped into the water. He takes in the scene for all of five seconds before dropping off the things in his room and gathering his softest towels.

He wraps Eunseok up as warmly as he can, careful not to trip on the watery floor as he heads back into his bedroom and lies Eunseok down, handing over the medicine and drink before the other can fully fall back asleep.

“Hey, Eunseokie,” Sungchan murmurs when they’re both curled up under the covers. The hybrid feels cooler now, though maybe it’s Sungchan’s wishful thinking. “Let’s go on a trip tomorrow, just the two of us.”

Eunseok’s ears perk up, albeit a bit slower than normal but Sungchan knows the other is listening.

“I’ve got a couple days off of work. Maybe we can go to the beach. There's some places I've been wanting to take you to. What do you think?”

“I’ll go anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”

Sungchan has to grip the covers in excess to stop himself from squeezing his sick kitty after hearing the words fall from his mouth. He presses a kiss to Eunseok’s dampened hairline and internally cheers.

“Let’s sleep then,” he replies quietly, stroking Eunseok’s back, “Long day ahead of us tomorrow.” 

—

“When you said long day, I wasn’t expecting this,” Eunseok’s voice can barely be heard over the wind rushing through the open car windows.

They’re halfway through the drive down to Busan which wasn’t an incredibly long drive but traffic hadn’t been kind to them and Eunseok was still a little grumpy after Sungchan woke him up this morning.

Sungchan grins despite the edge in his boyfriend’s voice. He reaches over to intertwine their fingers and bring them up to his lips, brushing them across the hybrid’s knuckles.

“You’ll like it, I promise. I got us a really nice hotel. Planned some activities,” he explains over the wind. Their hands remain intertwined in Eunseok’s lap where he plays with Sungchan’s fingers.

He tries not to let his excitement get the best of him but Sungchan has been waiting for his mini-vacation for a while. Eunseok isn’t as aloof as he thinks he comes off and Sungchan knows the hybrid has been a little needier now that they’ve crossed the relationship threshold. Sungchan has too but Eunseok is the one with heightened senses and hybrid style attachment.

“Can I at least play the music I want now? Chanyoung showed me some new songs and I think you’d like them too,” Eunseok asks after a moment, picking at the skin of Sungchan’s cuticles.

Sungchan pulls apart their hands only to hand over his phone before linking them again. His eyes flicker from the road to Eunseok for a moment to watch the hybrid’s lips turn upward into the barest of smiles before he’s scrolling through the device.

He puts on a song that Sungchan has never heard before but he finds he really enjoys it and judging by the way the hybrid’s head bobs along, he does too. Even his tail flickers from side to side. Sungchan has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his focus on the road.

Almost three hours later, they’re pulling into the parking lot of the hotel he’d booked. It’s even bigger than the pictures online, and he has to crane his neck upward to see the top. When they step out of the car, there’s hotel staff there, offering to take their bags and to park Sungchan’s car.

The staff are all smiles, even towards Eunseok which he was initially a little worried about but Sungchan had done careful research into this trip and all the places included because even if people were accepting of hybrids now, that didn’t mean there wasn’t the occasional ill placed comment or remark. Other places would sometimes ban hybrids altogether.

“Do you want to go right to our room or did you wanna walk around for a bit? We have dinner reservations later tonight but there’s plenty of time until then,” Sungchan explains after they’re all checked in. Eunseok is still glancing around the lobby of the hotel, eyes wide and shimmering with wonder.

“Huh, dinner?” Eunseok questions, gaze cutting back to Sungchan confused.

Sungchan shrugs, “It’s a surprise. But there’s still plenty of daylight. I was thinking we could ride the train that goes around the coastline..” he trails off, feeling a bit nervous. There’d been a lot of things Sungchan had planned out but he wasn’t sure if it would be overwhelming for the hybrid or if he would want to do more than lounge around.

But then his boyfriend’s eyes are lighting up again and he steps forward, crowding Sungchan’s space, tail curling around his wrist, “Jung Sungchan, did you really plan all of this? Was it in one of your library books?” He teases. “Show me what you wanted to do. I like doing what you want.”

Sungchan doesn’t hold back this time, not even caring that they’re in the middle of the hotel lobby. He leans forward to press a kiss just in between Eunseok’s eyes before leading him out into the salty Busan air.

“For your information, I looked this up online for once. Especially because some of the things I wanted us to do needed reservations and all of that had to be done over the phone or online. This though,” he pauses and points with their joined fingers towards the Blueline Park, “I did see in a book once.” Sungchan squeezes their hands together, “Don’t act like you haven’t been making your way through the cookbook we got from the library either.”

Eunseok chuckles, ears flickering and he bumps his head against Sungchan’s chin. “You got me,” he mumbles while they walk along, “You liked the braised chicken I made last week though, didn’t you?”

“I would eat it for every meal if I could,” Sungchan answers with a proud smile. He wasn’t lying, Eunseok had grown immensely as a cook. From burning toast a few months ago to making Sungchan’s lunch in cute little containers before work, Eunseok has been working hard. Of course, Sungchan always rewards him with hundreds of kisses to his face that Eunseok pretends to hate.

Sungchan buys their tickets to the Beach Train and herds Eunseok towards the station entrance where they linger until staff tells them they can hop in one of the little cars. It’s around midday still, so the sun is high in the sky, warming the inside to the point where Eunseok shrugs off his jacket and Sungchan can’t help but to stare.

Eunseok sits up in the seat, ears flickering around and tail waving wildly as the train begins its slow journey along the coast. He’s mostly quiet, letting out a few rumbles in his chest that Sungchan feels proud to hear. The hybrid has been purring more freely lately, slowly warming up to letting himself feel safe enough to do so.

He pulls out his phone to take a few pictures of Eunseok, letting him stare out into the ocean and the islands and mountains surrounding them. Sungchan doesn’t push him to speak or make conversation because he’s grown to learn that Eunseok sometimes likes to just exist with him in the same space. After weeks of cuddling together on the couch in silence while it rains, Sungchan has also grown accustomed to the way Eunseok enjoys himself.

So, he snaps pictures of the hybrid across from him, trying and failing to keep his own heart from stuttering in his chest when Eunseok turns just so that the sunlight illuminates his profile perfectly. He glows against the backdrop of the sun, lips curled into the mildest smile but Sungchan knows he’s happy.

“You look really handsome right now,” he slips out because at the end of the day, he still can’t help himself. Sungchan feels the warmth hit his cheeks and the back of his neck and wonders when he’ll get used to being able to say that to Eunseok whenever he wants.

The hybrid’s ears flick and Sungchan watches the way his expression shifts before he’s reaching over to smack Sungchan’s thigh with an embarrassed giggle that Sungchan wishes he could bottle and save forever.

“You’re a major cornball, did you know that?” Eunseok says but shifts so he’s sitting on the tiny seat, pressed up against Sungchan. His tail wraps all the way around Sungchan’s waist and tickles the inside of his opposing elbow. “But thank you. For the record, you’re also just as handsome.”

And Sungchan knows Eunseok isn’t used to voicing compliments or feelings either but he tries, for Sungchan’s sake and even the tiniest of things like this have Sungchan wishing he was the hybrid between them so he could purr.

He’s well aware there’s a honeymoon period when two people start a relationship–he’d dealt with Sohee rambling on and on about Chanyoung for days on end despite being almost more outwardly unemotional than Eunseok. And yet, Sungchan wonders when that’s supposed to end because every day since his birthday with Eunseok has felt like a day worth filing away to remember forever. If anything, he’s found his feelings growing day by day with no stopping point in sight.

Next to him, Eunseok leans into his space, chin resting on his shoulder while the train car moves and he feels the rumbling of the other’s chest. The contentedness seeping from Eunseok’s body that Sungchan thinks if he imagines hard enough, he could absorb it too.

“This is really nice Sungchannie,” Eunseok hums after a while, “Thank you for planning it.”

They get to the observatory and Eunseok even lets Sungchan take cheesy pictures of them there. Asks a younger couple to take a picture of them together and Eunseok only rolls his eyes once before sidling up to Sungchan who thinks he’s grinning with too many teeth. Eunseok’s tail wraps around his waist again and Sungchan thinks he feels his knees grow a little weaker.

On the train ride back, Eunseok doesn’t even bother trying to sit on the opposite bench of the little car. He settles in next to Sungchan, resting against his shoulder like before, only this time, he places an upturned palm on Sungchan’s knee. And Sungchan isn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He tangles their fingers together and tries his best not to start shaking like a small dog.

When they get back to the hotel, it’s a little too close to their reservation time for Sungchan to suggest anything else but he does make sure Eunseok takes another round of medicine before they start getting ready. He’s still not entirely sure if Eunseok is feeling completely fine–he’s been a bit warm the whole day but Sungchan wrote it off as a lingering side effect from the fever.

Sungchan is busy pulling on his button up when Eunseok steps from the steam-filled bathroom, wrapped in a towel. His ears poke out first, angled out to the side while he eyes Sungchan up and down, “I didn’t pack anything…fancy. Why are you wearing what looks like a three piece getup?”

“Lucky for you, I packed this as a surprise,” Sungchan announces, heading over to the closet and pulling out a matching outfit for the hybrid. “I know it seems like a lot, but remember how you said you wanted to go to a Michelin star restaurant?”

Eunseok nods slowly, fingers clutching the fabric. His tail curls around his own arm and Sungchan resists the urge to reach out and smooth his fingers across the fur there.

“And how you wanted to go to Italy and eat pasta,” Sungchan continues, “I couldn’t exactly get enough time to go all the way there this time but this place is Italian. I thought maybe, we could kind of cross two things off your list until I can actually take you to Italy.” Then as an afterthought, “There’s also a spa about a minute or so down the road that I might have booked for us to spend a day at.”

At every word, Eunseok’s eyes seem to widen, blinking between the suit jacket in Sungchan’s hand and the window of their hotel like the hybrid could see everything they were going to do right there. His tail swishes side to side like crazy and Sungchan can watch the gears turning in his head before the clothes are being pulled from his hands and tossed to the bed.

His arms are full of warmth. Eunseok pressing his cheek to Sungchan’s collarbone while he throws his arms around his shoulders and ropes him into the tightest hug they’ve shared to date. And Sungchan thought he was strong but Eunseok is giving him a run for his money, practically yanking Sungchan down to be of equal height to him, squeezing his arms as if he could pull Sungchan close enough to crawl into him. Maybe there was a mutual want there. A mutual understanding that not even being under each other’s skin would be enough. Maybe not even combining into one entity.

Eunseok is full on purring, rubbing his face into Sungchan’s skin while his fluffy ears tickle the underside of Sungchan’s chin and he has to be careful not to squeeze back with full force.

“Thank you,” is mumbled into the miniscule space between them. Eunseok headbuts the underside of his jaw then pulls back just enough to stare into Sungchan’s eyes and Sungchan’s breath catches in his throat. He thinks then that this is what he does everything for–just to see the look on the other’s face, something so full of affection that it burns through Sungchan’s chest.

He thinks Eunseok is the best thing to ever happen to him.

The hybrid bumps their foreheads together again, soft and almost embarrassed smile following like he’s realized the slight emotional outburst but Sungchan kisses his forehead before he can second guess himself, “Here, put this on and let’s go get your pasta, kitty.”

He grabs the clothes back from the bed and hands them over, proud of his choices–he’ll have to thank Chanyoung profusely next time he sees him for the help with getting them so quickly–and waits patiently for Eunseok to change.

When Eunseok steps back out of the bathroom again, Sungchan, for a moment, thinks he might have to drop to one knee right now but the rational side of him remembers it’s far too soon for that.

“I know I called you handsome earlier but,” Sungchan pauses, reigning himself in, “Wow.” He finds himself at a loss for words. The blazer fits perfectly and everything is the same shade of black, melting into each other seamlessly. “You know, you could probably model if you really wanted to.” It’s offhanded and more of something Sungchan thinks could’ve been an inside thought but he’s glad it slipped out if Eunseok’s answering blush is anything to go off of.

“Jeez,” Eunseok mumbles, staring past Sungchan out the window. His neck is aflame, ears turned backward not in anger but bashfully. “You’re so much, you know?”

Sungchan partially deflates at his words, that old fear creeping back but Eunseok steps forward quickly as if having sensed the mood change and places his hands on Sungchan’s lapels. He tugs him forward so their noses are brushing before pulling back, “I don’t mind it. I’m just not used to it. Sometimes I don’t know what to say or do.”

“You don’t have to say or do anything,” Sungchan answers easily and he finds that the words are true. “Just let me call you pretty, that’s all.”

Again, Eunseok is turning red, ears flickering and his tail lashes out to smack Sungchan’s thigh, “Can I call you pretty too?”

Sungchan chuckles, “Only if you mean it.”

“Pretty,” Eunseok replies, hand coming up to trail down Sungchan’s jaw.

Sungchan freezes, lips parting like a fish out of water but then Eunseok is stepping back, tail brushing against his thigh, “Let’s go eat.”

The restaurant is only a two minute walk from the hotel and Eunseok holds Sungchan’s hand the whole way.

When they arrive, Sungchan gives the name for the reservation and they’re placed in the seat near the window like he requested when he made the reservation. No one so much as bats an eye at Eunseok’s ears or tail, only smiling warmly at him and asking to take his blazer.

A chef comes by to explain some of the dishes in detail and gives his spiel on the restaurant. Sungchan isn’t really knowledgeable on Michelin star practices– he’s always preferred a good homemade meal but Eunseok’s eyes light up while the chef explains the process behind their cooking methods.

Each course is brought out and carefully poured over by Eunseok and the chef and Sungchan can only sit back and watch as the hybrid enthusiastically compliments each dish. His tail flickers back and forth wildly while he talks, something Sungchan knows he’d probably be embarrassed about if his concentration broke but he seems to be too excited to care.

There’s a little break between courses where they’re brought out some wine that the waiter explains is on the house. Apparently, the chef had taken a liking to Eunseok and his knowledge of this quality of food.

By this time of night, the sun has long dipped below the horizon and outside the window are an array of colorful houses with their lights on, twinkling through the window. Sungchan watches as Eunseok stares through the glass, sipping on the wine while his eyes glitter. Eunseok’s lips are moving and Sungchan knows he’s screwed the second the hybrid turns to him and he’ll probably be expected to reply but he wonders how he’s ever supposed to do anything when Eunseok looks the way he does. The beauty of their surroundings has nothing on the hybrid.

Except, Eunseok just rolls his eyes a little fondly, setting his wine down and tapping Sungchan’s fingers with his own where they rest on the tabletop.

“Hey,” Eunseok’s voice is light, a hint of laughter peeking through from the wine. “What are you looking at, hmm?”

“You.” Sungchan’s response is immediate. How could I look at anything else?

Eunseok blinks, bashful and bites his bottom lip before staring out the window again. His fingertip still rubs against Sungchan’s thumb.

“I know you don’t care much for fancy food like this,” Eunseok begins softly, “I don’t really either. I like making food from our cookbooks. But this was something I’d heard about, you know? I’ve just always wanted to go to a place like this, so, thank you for indulging me.”

Sungchan takes a sip of his own wine, throat feeling a little dry. “Well, you made me burgers from everywhere, so I think we’re even.”

Eunseok laughs then, not quietly either, drawing the attention of a few other guests but he can’t be bothered.

“Sungchan, there’s no way a couple of burgers equates to this.” Except in his mind, it does. Monetary differences don’t matter. What Eunseok did came from his heart, just as this did.

“You’re right,” he agrees, “The burgers were totally better. They haven’t even brought out your pasta yet.” 

The hybrid laughs again, still unrestrained and beautiful and Sungchan wants to hear it forever. Maybe he should look for rings. Sohee would never let him live this down if he admitted to falling this quickly and he pictures the look on the other’s face when he inevitably makes the call and asks him to come help with shopping for one. Okay, maybe he could wait a little longer…there’s only so much berating disguised as teasing that he can take from his best friend.

Eunseok finishes his wine and opens his mouth but then their waiter is coming back, larger plates in hand and he sets down exactly what they’ve been waiting for. It’s not a giant portion of pasta by any means, but it’s a fancy take on a classic spaghetti bolognese that Sungchan finds himself enjoying much more than anything else they had the whole night. Eunseok even begins to purr before he realizes what he’s doing, freezing abruptly with his tail and ears standing on end before Sungchan is tapping their feet together under the table.

“Don’t worry, I think I was the only one who heard,” he assures while finishing the last bite and his own glass of wine. Eunseok smiles but the red on his cheeks remains and Sungchan blames it on the wine. It’s entirely too cute for him to handle.

The rest of dinner goes by quickly, only two more small plates after that and the chef comes out to greet them at the end one last time. He thanks Sungchan for coming and talks with Eunseok again, complimenting his knowledge and Sungchan watches as the hybrid preens, tail swishing behind him. It wraps around Sungchan’s wrist as an anchor while they converse and then the bill is being paid and they’re stepping back outside into the balmy Busan coastal air.

Eunseok leans against Sungchan’s side, cheeks flushed and a little tipsy from the wine–Sungchan isn’t fairing much better. He hardly drinks as well and all he can focus on is the warmth beside him and the tail wrapped around his forearm like a vice.

“Hey, what do you say we get some ice cream and walk in the sand for a bit?” Sungchan asks carefully while he slides a hand to rest against the small of Eunseok’s back.

The hybrid hums and Sungchan feels it through his body, “Reminiscent of our first date hmm?”

Sungchan pauses, stumbling a bit and he’s glad for the cover of nighttime, “That was a date?”

“Maybe…It kinda felt like one.”

“Then it was one.” Simple. Easy.

They stop by a CU that’s a little further past where they’re staying and Sungchan grabs the ice cream, meeting Eunseok outside where he immediately plasters himself to Sungchan’s side again.

Sungchan shoves the wrappers in his pocket while they head for the beach. The sound of the waves is the only thing to be heard this late at night. No other couples like before or cars rushing by. Only the salty air and sticky fingers from their quickly melting ice cream.

“I think I want to get a job one day,” Eunseok announces out of the blue. “You do so much for me, you know?”

The hybrid bites his ice cream bar. Licks at where some runs onto his fingertips. Sungchan’s own fingers tingle, resisting the urge to do it himself.

“I don’t mind it. You don’t have to work,” Sungchan counters, “I like taking care of you.” And he means it. He’s always been someone who likes to provide. It gives him a purpose in life.

Eunseok’s tail smacks his side and then he’s pulling off his blazer to lie on the sand and plopping down on it. He pats the sand next to him and Sungchan mirrors his actions, joining the hybrid.

It’s a bit of a cloudy night so there’s no moon to reflect on the waves, yet Sungchan can still see the illuminated crests of waves in the distance. He turns to look at Eunseok as he finds himself doing more often nowadays, but Eunseok is already looking at him, eyes glimmering like the water in front of them. Deep pools of inky black.

Eunseok’s lips are turned upward, just enough to form a vague smile. A subconscious thing that Sungchan likes to think he has something to do with. When Eunseok looks at him sometimes, he’s already smiling. He wishes Eunseok could always look like this. Soft.

“Sometimes I think this is all a dream,” Eunseok says. He bites the last of his ice cream off the stick and sets it on the blazer. Sungchan grimaces but then the hybrid’s head is dropping to his shoulder. His ears don’t flicker this time. Serious.

“What do you mean?” Sungchan softly urges.

Waves push and pull against the shore, rolling shells and sand underneath them and above it all, Sungchan hears Eunseok’s steady breathing.

“I don’t really like to think about things like this. You know, I think I’m a pretty rational person. Grounded. But sometimes I look at you and I wonder how any of this could be real for me,” the hybrid replies. His fingers find Sungchan’s and he wraps them around his thumb. “You’ve read all about where I came from before this right?”

Sungchan nods because he knows Eunseok will feel it. He remembers flipping through each page of the hybrid’s file with an increasing anger he’d never felt in his life. Sure, he’d felt a little weird ‘adopting’ a hybrid older than him but the staff at the agency had reassured him it was a normal practice–especially with older hybrids like this who were taken from their homes due to abuse.

“I don’t know…this just feels too good to be true. Like I haven’t done enough in my life to be worthy of this. I don’t like to dwell on things either but I can’t help it sometimes.” Eunseok squeezes Sungchan’s thumb. “I get scared but then you go and do things like this and it makes me feel so much. So I just wanted to tell you.”

For a moment, Sungchan doesn’t know how to respond, unsure if the hybrid even wants a response. He turns his hand over, palm upward for Eunseok to fully intertwine their fingers. Thumbs at Eunseok’s smooth skin there.

“Where would you want to work?” Is what he settles on instead. It seems to be the right answer because he feels Eunseok’s cheeks bunch up against his shoulder. His ears swivel.

“What do you think about the library?”

Sungchan laughs, “And where will Mrs. Park work?”

Eunseok lifts his head in a slight scowl. Pokes at Sungchan’s side, “Anywhere else. She’s always looking at you too long and giving you candy. I don’t like it.”

“Eunseok, she’s old enough to be my grandmother. I don’t think you should be worried,” he counters, still chuckling even though Eunseok is clearly still weirdly jealous. Even his ears are pinned back. If he had fur all over, Sungchan is sure it would be standing on end.

The hybrid huffs, tail lashing back and forth so it smacks into Sungchan’s back every second. A dull, repetitive thumping.

“You’re my human,” Eunseok mutters under his breath, fingers still squeezing at Sungchan’s.

“And you’re my kitty, you know this,” Sungchan agrees, searching the hybrid’s face where he’s still pouting. He brings his free hand up, shifting his weight so he can palm Eunseok’s cheek and pull him in for a gentle kiss where Eunseok’s eyes are still open. Cute.

When he pulls back there’s sand lingering on his cheek where it must’ve transferred from his palm and Sungchan brushes it away, tucking Eunseok’s hair behind his ear on the way.

Eunseok is still staring at him a little wide-eyed, which maybe makes a little bit of sense. Sure, they’ve talked about what they are and they’re tactile but Sungchan has been holding back with going much further. He kisses Eunseok all the time–on the shoulder, on the cheek, on his forehead, between his furrowed brow while he pouts. But rarely on his lips even if the first kiss was something out of a dream, as cheesy as that sounds.

There was just something holding him back every time the hybrid pressed a little closer, kissed his neck and pressed his nose there. Sungchan isn’t entirely stupid, he knows hybrids like to scent the people they deem as theirs.

But that voice in the back of his head tells him that he adopted Eunseok. They didn’t just meet on the street as friends. There was no cliche meet-cute. No, he was technically the legal owner of Eunseok and it was something that whispered to him at times like these.

He never thought to bring it up to Sohee and ask how he could because his and Chanyoung’s case was a little different. He had met Chanyoung on the street and they’d formed their relationship on the same level.

“Hey,” Eunseok’s voice breaks through Sungchan’s thoughts, breath a soft puff against his face. When Sungchan’s eyes focus, the hybrid tilts his head, ears pointed forward. “Was it that bad?” He tries to joke but there’s something else in his expression and Sungchan blinks again, shaking his head as if that could dissipate his thoughts into thin air.

Instead of answering, Sungchan leans forward and presses another kiss to Eunseok’s hairline before standing and brushing the sand away from his slacks.

“It’s getting cold and you’re still too warm, let’s get you inside so we can get you some medicine,” Sungchan announces, holding his hand out for the hybrid to take. Eunseok only blinks up at him once, mouth set in a line and then he’s allowing himself to be pulled upward.

“Sure,” the hybrid says quietly, “I am feeling a bit warmer than usual.”

Sungchan scoops up their shoes and drapes Eunseok’s blazer over his shoulders, pressing a palm to the back of his neck while they trek back to the hotel.

He wasn’t lying, the hybrid has become increasingly more warm throughout the day. His skin actually almost hot to the touch and Sungchan knows it’s not the same flush from embarrassment.

When they make it to the room, Eunseok steps into the shower almost immediately, closing the door behind him and Sungchan stares at the wood, dropping his forehead to press against it and sigh.

Maybe he should talk to Sohee.

Sungchan heads over to the bed, pulling off his dress clothes from dinnerand changing into something comfortable until it’s his turn to shower. His phone buzzes from the bed in a shocking display of perfect timing and he opens his chat history with Sohee. 

uzumakhee 

how is everything going?
he sent a pic of you to the puppy
chanyoung said it’s really cute

Oh. Sungchan hadn’t even noticed Eunseok sneaking pictures. He palms his own face, wanting to tear out his hair in desperation. He feels so stupid. 

me

how do u and chanyoung do it

uzumakhee

like? sex?
*you’re* having sex?
my sungchannie
all grown up awh <3 

Of course Sohee would be direct. Of course he’d know exactly what Sungchan meant because Sungchan was apparently incredibly obvious or maybe he and Sohee knew too much about each other. 

me

shut up.
but yeah…
it’s just
i adopted him yk?
isn’t that weird? like some sort of
power imbalance or smthn?

uzumakhee

idk usually i stick my dick inside chanyoung
that’s how sex works
why are u making it weird
u guys are both adults
weren’t you always going on abt eunseok being his own person?

Well, yes. Sungchan at times has to remember that Eunseok has a phone and free will and often uses it to his advantage–spending his days out and about with the other hybrid and Sohee. He’s been more and more independent as of late especially with his newfound want of being employed. 

uzumakhee

i can tell you’re overthinking it rn
stop letting that big brain of yours get in the way
u want him
he wants you
let it happen
and if it makes u feel better
u are definitely not the first person to adopt a hybrid and then fall in love with them
much less sleep with them
should i go on the ‘let yourself have good things’ tirade again?

me

please do not

uzumakhee

then stop being a little bitch abt it 

Wise words from a tiny genius. (And Sungchan’s best friend. And his therapist. And his motivational speaker and a million other things.)

The door to the bathroom is opening again, steam pouring out and Sungchan barely gets time to set his phone down before Eunseok is on the bed, crawling towards him in just a towel. He says nothing, pressing his forehead into Sungchan’s chest and inhaling deeply.

Sungchan is frozen, staring down at damp hair and an entirely too hot body pressed against his. Eunseok is purring loudly, seemingly trying to burrow into Sungchan and when he pulls the hybrid’s head back, his cheeks are flushed.

“Eunseok, what is going on? You’re so–” Hot. Wet.

The hybrid says nothing, flopping his face back down to nuzzle against Sungchan’s chest and he starts panicking a little internally then. Eunseok is warmer than before and he’s not sure if he can attribute the dampness in the hybrid’s bangs to the shower or if he’s beginning to sweat but there’s a sheen clinging to his bare upper body.

“Mmm. Hurts,” Eunseok mumbles into Sungchan’s shirt, “Stomach. It hurts.” He lets out a little whine that stirs in Sungchan’s stomach and he chokes, trying to roll out from underneath the hybrid.

“Could it have been some of the food? I checked and asked them to make sure it was okay for hybrids to eat,” Sungchan replies after having replaced his body with a pillow that Eunseok grips practically to death. He’s rubbing his face into the fabric and making these whimpering sounds that scare Sungchan a bit.

When the towel begins to slip from where Eunseok has it wrapped around his hips, Sungchan turns away, his own cheeks flushed and his body significantly hotter.

Eunseok grumbles into the pillow, shaking his head and Sungchan hears it more than anything.

“Should you take another shower but colder this time?” He suggests, at a loss for what to do. Sungchan hadn’t even had the chance to get the cold and flu medicine he’d packed for the hybrid out of their travel bags. “I don’t know what to do.” Sungchan hears the desperation in his own voice and his body fights against him, not wanting to leave Eunseok on the bed alone but also not sure he should get closer.

“No–No, I’m,” Eunseok stumbles through his words, “Just shower. Take your shower. I need a-minute.” His tone leaves little to argue with despite Sungchan’s growing unease, so regretfully, he heads to the shower and decides it will be the quickest one of his life.

Halfway through his barely-a-minute shower, Sungchan is hit with the realization of exactly what is going on and he feels incredibly stupid. Eunseok hadn’t been warm recently because of a fever. Or at least, not a normal one. Adding to that his more than normal clinginess. Sure, they were both pretty touchy and in each other’s space more often than not but Eunseok seeking out touch first was different. He’d been practically glued to Sungchan’s side since he’d arrived home from his work trip.

Eunseok was experiencing a heat. Probably his first one, if Sungchan considered the other’s past. He’d read about hybrid heats extensively, knowing at some point they’d have to cross that bridge but Sungchan hadn’t really thought it would be this soon.

He rushes through his shower, practically on autopilot, still wrestling with his morals while he accidentally scrubs too much at a spot on his stomach. The annoying feeling brought on by the action brings him back to the present and Sungchan turns the shower off. Sohee’s words ring in his head and he curses his tiny friend for being the voice of reason on his shoulder now. Why did he have to be right?

Time to face the music.

When he leaves the bathroom, only a towel wrapped around his waist because well, it seemed a bit ridiculous to get dressed if he was going to end up taking everything off anyway, Eunseok is still on the bed. He’s curled in a ball, wrapped around what looks like one of Sungchan’s hoodies from his suitcase and there’s one or two more articles of clothing that definitely belong to him randomly splayed all over the bed. There’s no rhyme or reason to it and yet Sungchan immediately recognizes it’s an attempt at a nest.

“Hey,” Sungchan murmurs as he crosses the room, careful when he gets closer to the bed. He remembers reading that hybrid’s nests were incredibly personal and a space for them to feel safe while in heat.

The hybrid’s head jerks up, wide eyes locking onto Sungchan’s figure and he thinks he can imagine how Eunseok’s food feels. The other man stares at him with nothing but unrestrained hunger, pupils blown and body entirely flushed. Sungchan is sure he’s not much better, his chest already feels warm enough to cook on.

He reaches out a tentative hand, touching one of his hoodies haphazardly tossed on the edge of the bed, “Can I join you? Or can I help you add more to this?”

Eunseok blinks, tail whipping back and forth behind him. One ear flickers atop his head and he reaches forward, pulling Sungchan towards him and he has to plant a knee on the bed to steady himself. The towel threatens to unravel and Sungchan feels a nervous bead of sweat drip from his hairline.

“Just come here,” Eunseok huffs, tugging him closer and burying his face into Sungchan’s still damp shoulder. He feels the hybrid’s ear flicker when droplets from his hair presumably fall onto the soft fur there. “It hurts,” he mumbles into the skin there, tongue darting out to catch another droplet that hits his collarbone. Eunseok’s forehead presses against his skin like a brand, searing into his chest.

Sungchan frowns, free hand hesitating above the hybrid’s bare shoulder. They’re no strangers to touch but it’s the context. There’s pure want running through his veins and pure instinct running through Eunseok’s. Why couldn’t any of this be written in one of those stupid books. Ethics were never Sungchan’s strong suit back in his school days.

But then Eunseok is groaning, pitching forward and pressing himself closer to Sungchan as if trying to burrow himself deeper, to climb inbetween the empty space between Sungchan’s ribs and take up residence there. His tail whips behind him wildly and so Sungchan throws caution to the wind and reaches that same hesitant hand forward to curl around the appendage.

The hybrid’s reaction is immediate, his whole body freezes, tensing briely before practically melting and then it’s wrapping around his arm in a vicelike grip. A soft groan escapes Eunseok’s lips and he says nothing before tilting his head to nip at the underside of Sungchan’s jaw. His other hand runs up the skin of Sungchan’s thigh, rucking the towel upward. Sungchan shivers, fighting off his own answering moan. Everything is too hot.

“Wait.” He grabs Eunseok’s hand and nudges his forehead with his chin, forcing Eunseok to pull back. The hybrid does, although looking entirely put out and a little drunk, eyes lidded. Heavy. Sungchan can barely swallow past the lump in his throat, “I just want to make sure it’s–this is okay. Eunseok, you’re in heat right now and you might not be thinking straight–”

Eunseok shakes his head, pulling his hand free and pressing it into the center of Sungchan’s heaving chest. “I know what a heat is. I didn’t know I’d be…going through it right now but Sungchan,” he begins, eyes focusing momentarily. He pushes again at Sungchan’s chest, “There’s no one else I’d want to spend it with. Please just help me right now or I’m going to go talk to that granny at the library.” The corner of his lips upturn when he’s done and Sungchan can only roll his eyes all too fondly. Even in this state, the hybrid is still a bit of a little shit. Spending too much time with Sohee.

“Sorry for not just jumping your bones,” Sungchan mutters, angling his head forward to press a kiss to Eunseok’s forehead just because he can.

The hybrid narrows his eyes, tail forcing Sungchan’s hand to his waist, “I want you to jump my bones. I’ve wanted you to for a while but you’re always such a good boy.”

Sungchan keens at the words, “Yeah but–”

“Look, I’m–this isn’t really the best time to have this discussion,” Eunseok interrupts weakly, his fingers digging into the flushed skin of Sungchan’s chest, “But you know what a heat entails right? You’ve probably read about it, right?” He laughs a bit and Sungchan fails to see the humor. Of course he’s read about heats. Hybrids need a knot, something usually provided by another hybrid or a toy and right now they have neither.

Eunseok’s eyes are growing heavier by the second and Sungchan’s own fingers are probably gripping the hybrid’s hips too tight, “I’ll do what I can for you.”

The hybrid nods, something small and soft, a familiar gesture that somewhat helps settle Sungchan’s nerves.

“I trust you. Don’t think too hard, just let yourself feel it because I definitely will.”

Sungchan nods. He’s so in over his head.

“Sungchan,” Eunseok’s voice cuts in. Those fingers previously digging into his chest come up to rest under his chin, a mirror of the action Sungchan so often does to the hybrid. He forces Sungchan’s gaze. “Why don’t you start by kissing me?”

He can do that.

Eunseok’s lips, normally cracked and dry, are warm when Sungchan presses forward. He feels the hybrid’s breath puffing against his cheek while he tilts their heads, fingers coming up to cradle Eunseok’s cheeks–his tail relenquishing its hold on Sungchan’s arm to brush against the towel still bunched in his lap.

The hybrid’s own hands settle on Sungchan’s shoulders, squeezing and thumbing at the bare skin there while he tilts their heads, dipping his tongue out to lick at the seam of Sungchan’s lips and all Sungchan can think is how incredibly catlike it is.

Until then, Eunseok had been relatively gentle, testing with his movements but he must be slipping deeper into his heat induced half-lucidity because his tongue becomes his teeth biting at Sungchan’s lip and digging his fingers into his skin with a groan that he’s never heard from the other.

He’s practically eating Sungchan alive, pushing forward and crawling into his lap. Eunseok’s own towel slips open and Sungchan’s eyes blink open, gaze drifting down to the bare skin revealed. There’s a whimper let out between them and he’s not sure which of them it came from but his fingers loosen their hold on Eunseok’s cheeks, flexing while he works up the nerve to reach down between them.

Eunseok must sense his hesitance, grinning into the next kiss before he pulls back just enough to murmur his next words against Sungchan’s neck, “Relax, do what your body is telling you to.”

Sungchan wants to know how the other is still so seemingly calm. If he was a hybrid experiencing his first heat at a hotel with someone who couldn’t actually knot him, he’d probably be losing his mind but Eunseok has always been the more rational one between them and it’s an incredible anchor for Sungchan’s worried brain.

The hybrid noses at the skin of his neck, now damp from sweat instead of bathwater, rubbing against him with a fervor, nipping at the skin there while a purr begins to rumble through his chest. His mouth burns a path across Sungchan’s neck while his tail curls back around his forearm, dragging it down to where he wants it the most.

Sungchan’s fingertips rest against the delicate skin below Eunseok’s navel, trembling. He drops his head to rest on Eunseok’s shoulder, staring down and watching his fingers move on their own, like he’s watching from above himself. He feels Eunseok’s mouth moving against him, biting harder the further down his own fingers trail until they reach the hybrid’s warmth.

Eunseok huffs then, letting out a choked sound, rolling his hips forward against Sungchan’s fingers. There’s a whimpered, “Please,” and another bite to his neck only with less force.

He tests the waters, running his fingers through the hybrid’s folds, careful and probably too delicate. It’s not his first time around a pussy but it’s Eunseok. And Sungchan would do anything for Eunseok. He wants to be good for him.

The reaction is immediate at least, Eunseok knocking his head into Sungchan’s and stuttering his hips forward again, chasing the featherlight touch.

“More, it’s okay. I won’t–m’not gonna break,” Eunseok mumbles and Sungchan feels his ears flicker against his own hairline.

Still, he watches with rapt attention as he adjusts his fingers to thumb at Eunseok’s clit briefly before he dips a lengthy finger inside. Eunseok’s breath hitches and the purring grows louder and louder, his entire body practically vibrating with the force. Even his tail doesn’t seem to know what to do, unwrapping from Sungchan’s arm and flickering beside him again.

He slides another in almost immediately, aided by the wetness from Eunseok’s heat and curls them in a way he figures the other might like. He’s rewarded with another huff and roll of the hybrid’s hips before his own head is being forced upward so Eunseok can recapture his lips.

It’s a hungry kiss, biting and hot. Eunseok adjusts himself in his lap, spreading his legs wider to control his movements better while he fucks himself against Sungchan’s fingers and steals the breath from his lungs.

Sungchan wonders if hybrids could also grow claws because Eunseok’s nails bite into the skin of his shoulders where he grips tightly, holding himself up.

He wants to talk, wants to say anything because Eunseok has always loved hearing compliments from Sungchan but he can’t even get a word out. There’s a tongue in his mouth and even if there wasn’t the lump in his throat and the feelings threatening to boil over and pour from his heart are stuck. All he can do is grip Eunseok’s thigh and hope his fingers are enough for now.

As if reading his mind, Eunseok pulls back, humming and knocking their foreheads together. His chest heaves between them and Sungchan finds that he wants to bite. Wants to add more to the already reddened skin and the thought seems so incredulous, so out of character for him that he wonders if there’s some sort of heat pheremones that affect humans too.

“Sungchan,” Eunseok whines on a particularly harsh thrust of his hips and Sungchan swallows his own answering gasp. The hybrid rides his fingers like he’s nothing more than a toy for his pleasure and it does something to him. Eunseok repeats his name, rolling his hips with a purpose now and Sungchan curls his fingers when he can.

Slick sounds fill the room amidst the panting and purring and Sungchan feels his own face flush. He knows he’s hard as a rock under his own towel and if Eunseok were to just look down he’d see the tent in the fabric, scratching against his tip in an unbearably uncomfortable way.

“My kitty,” Sungchan replies, thrusting his fingers now, building a rhythm so he feels less passive.

That’s all it takes apparently, one of Eunseok’s hands retracting from his shoulders to grab at Sungchan’s wrist, holding it in place while his hips stutter to a stop and he comes onto the towel beneath them with a whine louder than anything Sungchan has ever heard from the hybrid. Not that he whines a lot. Or ever. Sungchan gives him privacy when he’s alone in his room still.

Eunseok pants against Sungchan’s mouth, shivering while he slowly removes his fingers. The hybrid twitches, letting out a soft whimper at the action as if mourning the loss of something inside him. Sungchan knows this is only the start of a long night for both of them. It would take more than some fingering for Eunseok’s heat to break. He thinks about the reservations they have at the spa the next day and internally cringes.

“Your fingers are so,” Eunseok begins, breathless, pulling away just enough so he can stare into Sungchan’s eyes. He waves his own hand in the air and Sungchan understands. Sometimes words aren’t needed.

He feels his own lips curl into a bashful smile, “You’re not just saying that right?”

Eunseok fixes him with a look that he only catches the briefest of glance of before his space is being invaded again with a kiss. This one isn’t as hungry as before but it’s firm and warm and Sungchan leans into the feeling, not even realizing he’s chasing the hybrid’s lips as he pulls back.

“No, Sungchan, that was really nice,” Eunseok murmurs, eyes going a bit crossed where he glances at Sungchan still only centimeters away from his face. Cat. Kitty. Cute kitty. He places a palm on Sungchan’s cheek, thumbing at his bottom lip and Sungchan thinks maybe he could die right now. “Kiss me again,” he says, fingers already beginning to tremble where they rest against Sungchan’s skin.

He does. Pressing Eunseok back while he does, lying him down against the plush sheets so he can trail kisses across burning skin.

Eunseok is still so warm all over, flushed and red. His bangs stick to his forehead and Sungchan can’t help but to reach up and brush them aside, revealing an equally damp forehead that he places a kiss to–it might be his favorite place to kiss Eunseok. Especially because the hybrid almost never expects it and his eyes cross in the middle while he tries to stare at Sungchan. It’s unbelievably cute.

“More,” Eunseok huffs below him, shifting so his hips brush up against Sungchan’s and for the first time that night his erection gets some much needed relief. He can’t stop the groan falling from his own lips, dropping his forehead to Eunseok’s collarbone where he bites. The hybrid keens, high in his throat in retaliation, tapering off into a whine, “Sungchan I need you.”

“I know,” he finds himself answering, “I know, kitty.” Sungchan pulls away, running his fingers through damp strands and scratching at the soft fur of Eunseok’s ears that flicker back and forth, seemingly unable to settle on how he’s feeling. He sits up on his knees and carefully adjusts Eunseok so he’s lying on his stomach, “It’ll feel better this way.” He’d read about that much at least. That it would feel more instinctual to a hybrid. To be…bred. And since he had no knot or toys with him, this would have to suffice.

Eunseok seems to realize what he’s doing at least, pressing his face into one of Sungchan’s hoodies where it rests against the bed and arching as if to present himself and suddenly it feels all too real to Sungchan. Like he didn’t just have his fingers deep inside Eunseok’s pussy. But this…

Below him spans what feels like miles of warm, unmarred, soft skin. Eunseok’s tail flicks behind him, wrapping around Sungchan’s midsection in a sad attempt to pull him closer but he rests his hands along the hybrid’s hips, squeezing in slight disbelief.

“So perfect,” he mumbles, tracing invisible lines up and down the hybrid’s back, reminiscent of the way he’s so used to while they cuddle on the couch on rainy days. He’s so familiar with Eunseok’s body, yet completely new to it at the same time.

Eunseok’s tail rattles with impatience where it’s wrapped around him and Sungchan chuckles, nerves alight. Sue him, when he thought about this before on rare occasions, he’d pictured something more romantic. Confessing his feelings after a candlelit dinner in their apartment and a lengthy discussion about what they were before he went and stuck his dick inside Eunseok.

“Sungchan, I know you’re doing some you thing right now but I need you to hurry up. I’m going to start cramping again,” Eunseok demands, shooting what Sungchan assumes is supposed to be a glare over a bare shoulder. The flush on his cheeks and watery eyes take away from the intensity of his anger but it’s effective regardless. Sungchan never wants Eunseok to hurt.

To emphasize his point, Eunseok rolls his hips backward, pressing himself against Sungchan’s front where the towel still remains. His fingers tremble when he tugs the fabric away, revealing his own aching, leaking cock. It brushes against his abdomen and he hisses at the contact, having ignored his own pleasure for so long but maybe that had been the wrong choice. He isn’t sure if he’s going to last long inside Eunseok and they’re going to have to go on all night.

But Eunseok is pushing back against him and whining in a way that rings through Sungchan’s head and sinks into his veins, fills him with want. What had Eunseok said? Let his body feel it.

Sungchan’s fingers move from Eunseok’s hips to his heat again and he dips a thumb in, reveling in the way Eunseok moans in content, face sinking into the hoodie covered pillow. He sucks in a breath before pulling his thumb away and lining up his own cock, rubbing it through Eunseok’s folds and spreading his pre to make the glide easier. Not that he needs it, Eunseok has been steadily leaking slick since they started, dripping down in a string to the bed beneath them. It makes Sungchan’s head spin a little. 

He pushes in slowly, mouth dropping open in a silent groan as he does, feeling Eunseok’s walls tightening around him, molding to the shape of his cock like it belonged there. He whimpers. Eunseok lets out a shuddering breath from deep in his chest, rumbling into a purr almost immediately and Sungchan comes.

Time screeches to a halt and Sungchan stares down at where they’re connected like his own dick betrayed him and well…it kind of did.

Eunseok clenches around him in a vicelike grip that has Sungchan nearly falling over on top of him with a whine.

“Do not even think about pulling out,” the hybrid’s voice sounds from beneath him, partially smothered into the bed. His tail wraps around Sungchan’s middle again, this time much tighter than expected and it’s not like Sungchan was going to pull out but now– “Just move please.”

He does. Rolling his hips forward and fighting through the overstimulation because his pleasure isn’t even close to important right now. And the punched out sounds Eunseok makes with each thrust of Sungchan’s hips mean everything to him. The part of his mind he’s tried to suppress comes back to haunt him, wanting to bottle up each low groan from Eunseok so he can listen to them any time he wants.

Sungchan finds himself falling forward, gripping Eunseok’s hips tighter and tighter, letting himself fall into that instinctual side that the hybrid seems to bring out. Maybe he was rubbing off on Sungchan.

He presses Eunseok into the mattress, chasing his own pleasure now, spurned on by the hybrid’s incoherent muttering into the hoodie. Tears roll down his face and Sungchan reaches out a hand amidst everything and brushes them off Eunseok’s cheek, “Sorry, m’sorry,” he whimpers, fucking into Eunseok with a purpose.

Eunseok scrabbles at the sheets, digging his fingers into the scratchy white hotel bed with one hand and reaching back to dig into Sungchan’s side with the other.

“It’s okay-so okay,” he pants, “Please don’t stop. Don’t–” Eunseok hiccups, cut off by Sungchan reaching down in a pathetic attempt to kiss him. It’s a terrible angle but every bit of him is fighting against himself, but he wants to make Eunseok feel good. It’s all he’s ever wanted.

His hips slap against Eunseok in a way that feels heavy, claiming. Slick and sickening sounds fill the hotel room and Sungchan can’t stop now, pushing his head into Eunseok’s like he’s the cat between the two. Mumbling apologies and assurances into the mouth of the hybrid.

Everything builds in Sungchan too quickly, consumed by the too warm feelings in his chest and the answering whimpers of Eunseok who can’t stop clenching around him each time Sungchan’s hips roll backward. But he can’t come again without Eunseok, it would feel wrong. Unfair.

Sungchan snakes a hand beneath the hybrid’s writing body, reaching down far enough that his middle finger brushes against Eunseok’s clit. He feels Eunseok’s entire body jolt, freezing briefly before he lets out an incredible whine, caught between rolling his hips down onto Sungchan’s finger or back onto his cock. Each little stutter of his hips brings Sungchan closer and closer to the edge.

Eunseok is full on crying now, tears dropping from his eyes and pooling onto the bed faster than his slick. His skin still hot to the touch burns everywhere they’re connected and Sungchan whines, thrusts growing erratic.

“So good,” Eunseok mumbles, “Doing so good. C’mon Sungchannie–”

Maybe Eunseok isn’t the only one who likes to be praised because that’s all it takes. Again, Sungchan is coming, spilling inside Eunseok with a weak whine, hips stuttering while Eunseok lets go too.

The hybrid moans into the bed, hand jerking down to grab at where Sungchan’s finger was still rubbing against him. His own tiny fingers barely wrap around Sungchan’s wrist and he thinks if he weren’t already completely wrung out it would make him cum again. Instead he whimpers, biting at Eunseok’s jaw and trying not to crush the other with his bodyweight while he settles on top of him.

Together, their chests heave and Sungchan thinks maybe they could melt together this way, surely they were both hot enough now. His own body and heart feels molten, dripping between his ribs.

Below him, Eunseok’s purring echoes in the quiet of the room, drowning out their panting and Sungchan thinks back to the first time he’d done it in front of him.

“Only when they’re really happy.” He’d said, grinning at Sungchan like he’d just shared some big secret in the almost embarrassed way he’d been doing whenever he answered hybrid related questions. Like it was odd for anyone to want to know more about him.

Sungchan eases himself up, placing a kiss to the damp skin above Eunseok’s spine where he’s still a little knobby. When he pulls out, Eunseok nearly wails and Sungchan murmurs an apology into his chest when he rolls the hybrid over so he can clean his body up. They’d fallen right into the mess of Eunseok’s slick from earlier and Sungchan knew the hybrid wouldn’t like the feeling.

“Shh,” Sungchan hums, running what he hopes is a soothing hand along Eunseok’s scalp, making sure to brush behind his ears. “I want to get you cleaned up and maybe a little bit of water in you before we go again.”

Eunseok shoots a half-hearted, heat-addled glare at him through dense eyelashes but makes no move to argue further. He’s still purring when Sungchan adjusts him so he’s lying comfortably, holding a pillow and one of his hoodies while he waddles to the bathroom to grab a damp cloth.

It’s probably pointless to clean Eunseok off now but there’s something in Sungchan that can’t let the hybrid sit there all covered in sweat and bodily fluids–even if the come dripping from between his folds makes Sungchan’s brain reset in the middle of his walk back to the bed.

Eunseok must be deep in his heat now, not even arguing while Sungchan wipes him down, only humming with his eyes closed and trying his best to pull Sungchan back inside him with a calf pressed to his shoulder. It’s incredibly endearing.

He thankfully accepts the water Sungchan steals from the mini fridge, downing half the bottle when it’s pressed to his lips and coaxed down his throat.

Sungchan can’t help himself, scratching under his chin and murmuring a gentle, “Good kitty,” into Eunseok’s mouth before kissing him. He’d thought it was bad before with the constant urge to press his lips all over the hybrid but now he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to hold himself back. Kissing Eunseok fills him with a warmth he’d thought disappeared all those years ago.

He loves it. He might love Eunseok.

Yet again, the hybrid pulls him in, hands trailing all over his body and this time Sungchan lets himself fall forward, lets himself be pulled into the black hole that is his Song Eunseok.

This time, Eunseok bites into the skin of his shoulder when he comes, fingers scrabbling at Sungchan’s back.

After that, Sungchan eats him out, face squeezed between tight thighs until he thinks he might suffocate. The hybrid pushing and pulling at his hair, whimpering all the while.

Now, they lie on their sides, Sungchan still inside Eunseok, who’d wrapped his tail and arm around him to hold him in place. Sungchan had complied because he would of course do anything for Eunseok and he was also sure he couldn’t actually move anymore. Either way, the hybrid was purring again and more lucid than the past few times, able to pull Sungchan’s arms to wrap around his midsection.

Sungchan’s fingers splay across the hybrid’s slightly distended abdomen and he rubs circles into the skin there, pressing his lips to the crown of Eunseok’s head in between his ears that flicker at the touch.

“You know, we’re probably going to have to order food service tomorrow,” Eunseok hums, voice a little scratchy from overuse.

Sungchan pokes at his abdomen, “Tomorrow? We’re going to now. You need to eat and so do I. I’m pretty sure you took everything from me, I’m gonna start shooting blanks.”

Eunseok’s answering chuckle reverberates through both of their bodies and his fingers come to join Sungchan’s on his stomach, wrapping around his thumb.

It’s silent for a while and then Eunseok pipes up again, “I know you’ll want to talk about this–I want to talk about this. But,” he squeezes Sungchan’s finger, “I’m glad it was with you and it’s because I trust you so much that this even happened.” His voice takes on an almost embarrassed edge that Sungchan wishes he never felt he had to.

Sure, he’s been freaking out since he stepped out of that bathroom to find Eunseok in bed, but Sungchan knows there’s also a time and place for conversations like this and right now, Eunseok needs comfort above anything else.

He settles for bringing their joined fingers up to brush his lips across their knuckles, “Let’s get that room service first. How about that?”

Eunseok’s shoulders sag and Sungchan can practically feel the tension leaving the hybrid’s body.

“Do you think they have burgers?”

Sungchan lets out a full body laugh at the question, placing another kiss to the crown of the hybrid’s head just because he can, “You see why I love them so much now, don’t you?”

“Maybe,” Eunseok mumbles, reaching for the phone on the bedside table, “Maybe I just like seeing you smile when you talk about something you love.”

Sungchan raises onto his elbow to stare down at the hybrid. He releases Eunseok’s fingers to brush aside damp bangs, “Who’s the cheesy one now?”

Eunseok snorts, reaching back to smack at Sungchan’s hips. “Still you.”

He stares down at Eunseok, “And how do I look now?”

A slow blink from wide eyes. “Like you’re staring at your favorite burger.”

“Is that so?”

The hybrid nods, twists until he’s facing Sungchan so he can bury his face into the other’s chest much like he had when Sungchan found him in his bed, feverish. He mumbles something into the skin there, ears tickling Sungchan’s chin.

“What was that?” Sungchan teases because he can, because he’s pretty sure Eunseok can already feel the erratic beating of his heart so there was no point in hiding. He tucks a finger beneath the hybrid’s chin, forcing his gaze upward.

“I said, ‘I love you too, stupid’.”

“I love you too, kitty.”