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Minho didn't mean to knock over the glass. Honest! He couldn't help that the pretty lights coming in through the window had activated his cat instincts. His pupils had dilated as he had prepared to pounce on the table where the lights were, not paying attention to the glass on the edge of the table.
Minho jumped with his arms outstretched and his ears pulled back, and he came back to reality when he heard glass breaking. He froze instantly, sitting back down, his breath hitching. Minho could hear footsteps rushing into the living room, Jisung running in from the kitchen where he had been preparing both of them dinner.
Jisung came to a halt when he saw the shards of glass on the floor, his eyes quickly darting up to look at Minho, making sure he wasn't injured. When he didn't see any traces of blood and no evident signs of distress, he rushed back into the kitchen to grab something to clean up the mess. He didn't consider what his abrupt departure would be interpreted as in little Minho's mind.
Minho was scared. Jisung had come in, a worried (or maybe angry?) look on his face, then immediately left again. Was he mad at Minho? His Appa didn't know that Minho had been chasing the pretty lights, trying to catch them so he could show them to Jisung later. He only saw the broken glass, the mess Minho had made. In his regressed state, he was sure that Jisung must hate him now, will kick him out of the apartment for making such a mess and make him a stray kitten out on the streets (Minho had a very creative mind, and it wasn't always for the best).
Tears were sliding down his cheeks before Minho knew it, and he hid his face in his curled up knees quickly once Jisung came back into the living room again. He could hear him picking up the glass, too lost in his own distress to take the time to look up and see what else was going on. His tears slowly built up into sobs and soft whimpers, Minho doing his best efforts in keeping quiet so he wouldn't upset Jisung further.
His sobs must have muffled the sound of Jisung approaching even to his keen cat ears, because he was slightly startled once he felt a hand reaching out to touch his arm gently. Minho curled up tighter, whining in distress.
"Oh kitten, are you okay? Did you get an ouchie? Is that why you're upset?" Jisung asked. Minho was confused, why was Jisung worried? It seemed a little mean to be kind to him before he told him how angry he was at Minho. He sniffed before shaking his head.
"No? Then what's got my sweet kitten so upset, hm?" Jisung said, wrapping Minho up in a careful hug, ready to pull away if Minho didn't feel like being touched right now. Jisung's voice sounded gentle, and maybe not upset, so Minho carefully lifted up his head to look at his caregiver. Even if Jisung hated him now, Minho knew no safer place than his Appa's arms. He took a deep breath before explaining the cause of his tears.
"Appa mad at Min for mess…Appa hate Min now" Minho couldn't help tearing up again, scared at what his caregiver would say next. Jisung froze for a moment before melting with a coo.
"My kitten, of course I'm not mad at you. Appa could never hate you, never ever, even if you broke Appa's favorite guitar" Minho gasped. Even if he broke his Appa's favorite guitar? That guitar was completely off limits to Minho while regressed, the little not being able to control his strength (and his claws) while in headspace. Appa really wouldn't hate him even if he broke his guitar? Minho was gaping at Jisung in such an cute way that the caregiver couldn't help but giggle, his sweet kitten being entirely too endearing for his own good.
"Weally? Appa never hate Min?" Minho asked. Jisung's heart melted and broke at the same time, wishing he could erase all of Minho's insecurities so he could enjoy his headspace to its fullest all the time. But a little reassurance was something that Jisung was more than willing to do for him, and something he would do a million times over for his sweet little.
"Never ever ever ever my MinMin" Jisung punctuated every "ever" with a kiss to Minho's forehead, cheeks and nose. Minho melted into sweet giggles, burrowing his face in his Appa's neck, his ears burning red with sweet embarrassment. All of his earlier fear was gone now, replaced with a warmth and soft fuzziness in Minho's chest. He really couldn't believe how forgiving his Appa was, even if he had made a mess.
They stayed like that for a little while, both of them cuddling together while Jisung ran his hand up and down Minho's back, occasionally raising his hand higher to scratch at the base of Minho's ears. The living room was filled with the gentle sounds of Minho's purrs and Jisung's quiet humming.
Minho was so distracted, busy cuddling his Appa, that he almost forgot that he hadn't apologized properly. His Appa may be forgiving and the bestest caregiver ever, but that didn't mean that Minho could stop being a polite little kitten.
"Sowwy fo' bweakin' the glass Appa, p'omise it was accident" Minho said, raising his head to look at his caregiver while he apologized. He was greeted with a gentle smile on Jisung's face, his reaction causing a rosy blush to rise on his cheeks.
"It's okay my darling, accidents happen, and the important thing is that you didn't hurt yourself, okay?" Minho nodded, glad that he hadn't gotten injured. Blood was scary! And pain wasn't fun at all, specially for babies like himself.
"Speaking of which, how did the glass fall off the table? Can you tell Appa, love?" Jisung asked, no trace of anger in his voice, just pure curiosity and concern, trying to find out how it happened so he could prevent it from happening again. Despite knowing his Appa wasn't mad, Minho was still embarrassed at admitting how the glass fell.
Maybe Appa wasn't angry, but what if he made fun of his kitten instincts? (This had never happened before, but we have already established that Minho has a very active imagination that can sometimes backfire).
Minho whined, before deciding to be brave and telling Jisung what had happened.
"Was t'ying to ca'ch the p'etty lights…Wan'ed to show Appa…" the little said, mumbling his words. With his eyes looking down, he couldn't see the way Jisung melted at his explanation, a fond smile taking over his features.
"Oh aren't you the cutest, sweetest baby kitten ever!" Jisung said before tightening his hold on the cat hybrid. Minho squealed before dissolving into giggles, any leftover tension melting out of his bones. He was so happy that his Appa wasn't mad, and that he hadn't judged him for being all clumsy.
"It was very sweet of you to want to show Appa the pretty lights baby, just be careful next time, okay? Appa doesn't want to see his baby get hurt, ever" Jisung added, speaking into the top of Minho's head, punctuating his words with a kiss to the crown of his head.
Minho hummed in agreement, snuggling closer to Jisung's chest, taking a moment to bask in the warmth of the moment. Feeling so grateful at having such an understanding and kind caregiver, who would guide him with a gentle hand when he was used to harsh voices and cold shoulders.