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Chapter Text

Wooyoung had not expected for any of his friends to want to come over this late at night, especially as Yunho had only gotten back from work around an hour ago, but here they are.

Wooyoung does not have any problems with needing to go to an office every day and being stuck there for basically eternity before being able to get back home again. Because he is a freelance photographer who is fortunately able to work from home with having a rather nice little house and an own studio in it.

He is not going to lie about how he had managed to score that house in the first place, as it had basically only been because of his parents helping him out and supporting his dream right from the very start. It had also helped that he is coming from a rather wealthy family, but how far he had managed to come as a photographer and how well known he now is had been his very own achievement.

So when Yunho had texted him that he will come over with having a kind of big favour to ask for, Wooyoung´s brain had immediately jumped to the taller blond needing some money. Which would not be a problem at all, as he is always there for his friends if they need him. Of course, he would not give him a fortunate, but if he needs to lend some for paying a sudden bill, he will get that from him.

“Thank you for letting me come over so late,” is what Yunho says first after Wooyoung had let him in. “Because I fear that this could not have waited till tomorrow.”

“Sure, it is no problem,” Wooyoung tells him before looking past him in confusion. “Is Yeosang not with you?”

Yeosang who is the other´s dog-hybrid and normally always close to wherever Yunho is. The other had adopted the hybrid only about four months ago, but their bond had already been there way before with Yunho having loved to help out in the shelter Yeosang had been in before.

They had actually pretty much fallen for each other, but he had not been able to get the dog-hybrid out of there without adopting him first. Which is why he had done exactly that after buying some things for him like a closet, new clothes, and many new books, as Yeosang had always loved to read the ones they had at the shelter.

“Was Yeosang not with you at work today?” Wooyoung wants to know, as normally, Yunho can take him to his office because it is a hybrid friendly one with many of his colleagues having their very own.

“He was, but only until my lunchbreak, as then things went a bit different than planned, which is also why I am here now and why I also needed to work overtime.”

“Why? What happened? Is he all right? Are you all right?”

“Yeah, we are both fine, don´t worry,” Yunho calms him as they take a seat in the living room on the black leather couch Wooyoung has standing there. “We were just visiting his old shelter again, like we do every week. And normally, he just stays with his old roommate who is still there, as no one seems to want him.”

“I´m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, well, Hongjoong-hyung is kind of a special case,” the taller states. “But the last weeks, everything seemed to be going all right. Just not today, as Yeosang came back from their old room with basically begging me to get the older out of there.”

“He is older than us?”

“Yeah, by one year. But he had already been in that shelter before Yeosang had even gotten there and now he is there all alone again with not having a roommate and someone who likes to be with him anymore.”

“Him and Yeosang are close then?”

“Yeah, they are best friends and very close, which is why it broke my heart to see Sangie this devastated and also panicked after having to say goodbye to him today,” Yunho recalls the moment he had wanted to take Yeosang back to his office with him. “So he wanted to stay there with him for the rest of the day, which is why I got back late to work, as I first didn’t want to let him stay for that long. But then Hongjoong-hyung came out of his room and after seeing how sad he was about not being able to be with Sangie for at least a bit more, I let him. I let him stay and asked Mingi to pick him up with Jongho around dinner time.”

“So his hyung is also a dog-hybrid? Just like Yeosang and Jongho?”

“No, he isn´t. He is a cat-hybrid. Just like San is.” San who belongs to their one year older best friend Seonghwa. “He has a bit of a rough time right now. Or who am I kidding, he is having a very rough time. No one shares a room with him, as he is not someone who easily lets another hybrid or person in. Which is why having Yeosang as his roommate had meant a lot, because he had been the only one who had managed to crack his shell and get to him.”

“Which means that he is all alone now and only having at least a bit of contact to others whenever Yeosang comes by to visit?”

“Yeah, which had normally been all right. At least he had made it seem as it was, but today he couldn´t keep that act up anymore and had a full on cry on Sangie.”

“God, that sounds horrible. I can´t imagine being in that shelter day by day with no one being close to you and also no one wanting you.”

“Hyung is actually a very sweet hybrid if you once get to know him a bit better, which I also did over the many months I volunteered there before adopting Sangie. And if my workload would not have doubled, I would still be doing it. Which is why I wanted to ask you if-“

“I wanted to start volunteering there, as I don´t have a usual work schedule like you do?”

“No, I didn’t want to ask that,” Yunho waves off before getting really nervous. “I just wanted to ask if you would like to, well, you know.“

“No, I don´t know. I really don´t, Yunho.”

“All right, fine, then I will just speak it out: I wanted to ask you if you would be up to adopting him?”

“What?!”

“Adopting him,” Yunho repeats. “Hongjoong-hyung. So that he can get out of there and Yeosang and him could see each other way more than now and he would also have a way better life than the one he is having in that shelter. I mean they do a very good work with all the hybrids there, but it is still feeling like a prison to most of them, as they can´t get out of there until someone actually wants them to with taking them in.”

“Listen, I am really sorry about him being there and about how everything is going for him right now. And I am also sorry about Yeosang being so devasted about it, but I never even thought about taking a hybrid in. I mean you always wanted to and Mingi and Seonghwa-hyung too. But me? Never!”

“I know that you never thought about it, but, Woo. You are really the only solution I could think of.”

“Why? Just take him in yourself. I mean Yeosang would be obviously happy about it.”

“You know that I can´t! Adopting Sangie has already been a big risk which I took and that not only money wise,” Yunho claims. “My apartment is not that big and it only works because Sangie is more to me than just that. He is my boyfriend too, Woo.”

“But I-“

“Please, at least come with me tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I wanted to go there again during my lunchbreak with Sangie. Because I want you to see those two with each other and to have a first look at him.”

“Have a first look? Yunho, he is a human being and not some furniture which I am not sure if I should get or not.”

“I know that,” the taller hisses. “But Woo, I´m serious here. Please just consider seeing him and maybe even getting to know him a bit.”

“So you also want me to talk to him?”

“No, not yet. I really just want you to see him without him really noticing, as I don´t want to put any pressure on him. And I also promise that Sangie will not put any pressure on you, because you will arrive there after us and leave before us. So he will not get a chance to talk to you, as otherwise, he will beg you to adopt his hyung.”

“Right, because you didn’t just do the same thing.”

“I did not. I am just asking you to at least think about it and to get to the shelter tomorrow around half past twelve.”

“Around half past twelve?”

“Yeah, why? Do you have a client then?”

“No, I don´t. I only have one in the morning.”

“So you can make it?”

“Yeah, I can,” Wooyoung gives in with knowing that Yunho would not stop with getting him to go the shelter on another day otherwise. “But that does not mean anything, understood? I will just go and see him and that will be it.”

“It´s better than nothing and who knows, maybe that will not actually be it.”

Wooyoung is rather sure that it will, as he is not going to change his mind about taking a hybrid in and adopting them. Because he is only going there tomorrow to get Yunho off his back right after with stating exactly that to him.

-

Wooyoung feels completely out of place when he makes his way into the hybrid shelter in their town. He had never been here before or even walked past it.

Only because all of his friends are having each a hybrid of their own it does not automatically mean that he had much to do with the place they had all come from. Actually, he is not sure if San and Jongho had also been here before getting adopted, but with Yeosang he does.

The dog-hybrid had been here for three years before he had been able to go home with Yunho four months ago. Which means that Hongjoong must have been here for way longer than that with what Yunho had already told him about the cat-hybrid.

At least Wooyoung already knows where he needs to go to after checking in at the front desk in the small lobby which had then led him into a locked area where you can only get in or out with your visitor-pass.

On his way to one of the biggest rooms where there is even a tv and many, many books, he passes by a lot of smaller rooms with open doors. Not every room is empty, as some are filled with one or two hybrids sitting inside of it.

He guesses that those are the bedrooms each one of them has. Some of them look actually rather nice, as they are filled with books or other seemingly personal stuff, but it still does not make the prison like feeling he has in here fully go away.

At the end of the day, all those hybrids are still locked in here and can only leave with a human who is willing to adopt them. Which he is sure is also not always guaranteeing a happy end with how many horror stories he already had to hear about a hybrid getting adopted for the wrong reasons by the wrong person.

“Hi, Woo,” Yunho, who is definitely the right person to have adopted Yeosang, is greeting him after he had walked up to the blond. “You´re lucky, as Hongjoong-hyung also just got to the tv- and reading-room.”

“Is that him?” Wooyoung wants to know while he gestures towards the hybrid who is sitting next to Yeosang at one of the many tables in the room. Him and Yunho are actually standing outside said room with looking through one of the windows into it.

“Yeah, that´s Hongjoong-hyung.”

And that is someone Wooyoung had not expected to be sitting there at all. Because the older is pretty. Like really, really pretty. And with hearing that no one wants to adopt him, he had expected the opposite of that.

He had not seen his full face yet, but his side profile and his grey and black mixed hair and cat-ears are already enough to see how beautiful he is. He is also smiling as he listens to whatever Yeosang is excitingly telling him right now, which makes Wooyoung´s brain shut off, as that smile is so bright, even from only catching a glimpse of it from the side.

“Woo?” Yunho´s voice brings him back to reality as he turns to look at his friend. “Are you all right? You just went all quiet on me.”

“I´m sorry, I just didn’t expect-“

“For him to look like that? Yeah, I get that. He is actually one of the most prettiest hybrids I have ever seen. Well, besides my Sangie, of course,” Yunho chuckles before getting way more serious again. “But he is normally also not smiling like he is now and looking rather dull and as he hates everything.”

“So he is only this happy for a short amount of time whenever you come by with Yeosang?” Wooyoung asks as he looks back to the two hybrids who are really seeming to have a great and fun time together. “Which is normally only once a week and not more like now?”

“Yeah, because Yeosang is his only family, Woo. He never had anyone else, just him.”

“Never?”

“Yeah, never.”

“But how? I mean did he not have any parents? Or siblings?”

“No, because he wasn´t born and raised like most hybrids are before something bad happens which makes them land in a facility like this one,” Yunho states in a sad tone, which makes Wooyoung look at him again.

“What do you mean with that? Where was he born and raised then?”

“In an illegal circus.”

“The ones who are using any kind of hybrid to make money out of them while basically torturing them because of it?” Wooyoung replies in shock. “That kind of circus?”

“Yeah, exactly that kind of circus,” Yunho confirms. “He mostly lived in a cage while being all alone besides when they let him out to get ready for a show, as right after one, they put him back into it again. Which is why this here is still already way better than what he had to go trough the first nineteen years of his life.”

“Nineteen years? They kept him there for so long until it got discovered?”

“Yeah, they did.”

“But wait, you said that he is one year older than us, which makes him now being twenty-six. Which means that he has been here for-“

“Seven years,” Yunho finishes his sentence while looking and sounding even sadder than before. “And those he did spend four years alone, as Sangie only got here a bit over three years ago. Do you get it now? Do you understand why I came to you with asking for this favour in the first place?”

“Yeah, I do, but this does not change the fact that I never even thought about adopting a hybrid of my own, Yunho.”

“Can´t you at least think about it some more now that you have seen him and heard the rest of his story?”

Wooyoung could, which is something he had not even wanted to consider at first, but seeing Hongjoong had definitely changed some things.

But what had really made up his mind about wanting to think this through again is the short and sudden eye contact he had with the cat-hybrid, as Hongjoong had turned his way with looking directly at him through the glass separating them while Yeosang had been busy with looking for a new book he had wanted to show him in his bag.

That one eye contact had been freaking intense and had left Wooyoung feeling like as if the older had looked right into his soul with it. Which had managed to stay with him after he had said goodbye to Yunho and left the shelter to make his way home again.

And it had also stayed with him through the whole day with keeping on having the elder´s past in his head and what he had all been through. Which is making him want to actually get to know him a bit better and which brings him right back to the shelter on the next day.

It feels weird to be here all by himself and not with Yunho who had been the only one who he had really talked to the day before.

He still feels very, very unsure about this whole thing, as him having a hybrid and sharing his daily life with them is not something he is yet fully seeing his future to look like.

But he is not going to lie, having been here the day before and seeing Hongjoong had made him pretty curious. Although when he has to ask one of the volunteers about the hybrid´s whereabouts and then getting led right to his bedroom, he is starting to slightly regret coming here again.

Because he had not even thought about the possibility of Hongjoong not being in the tv- and reading-room like he had been the day before. But now it is too late and he can´t back down from doing this anymore, as he ends up listening to the volunteer knocking against Hongjoong´s already open door to get his attention.

“Hongjoong, you are having a visitor,” the obvious older volunteer announces before he turns towards Wooyoung with a friendly smile. “I am right outside in the hall if you need me.”

“Thank you,” Wooyoung answers all polite before the other leaves with slightly, but not fully shutting the door behind him.

And just like that, he is all alone with the cat-hybrid who is looking at him with an emotionless expression on his face. Something which makes him look completely different from the way he had been all happy and giggly when Yeosang had visited him the day before.

But it still does not take anything away from his beauty, as he is still looking absolutely breathtaking, especially with seeing him from a way closer spot with standing right in front of him.

“Would you mind if we sit down?” Wooyoung asks him with pointing to the small wooden table and the two chairs in the room.

He does not get a verbal answer back, as the hybrid only pulls one of the chairs out to sit down, which leads to him doing the same.

“Well, I bet you are confused about me even being here, but I-“

“You were already here yesterday,” Hongjoong interrupts him and lets him also hear his voice for the very first time. His rather soft and light voice which is quite nice to listen to. “You were standing outside the room and watching me and my friend through the glass. So no, I am not confused about you being here.”

“Oh, well then Yeosang probably already told you about me, didn’t he?”

“No, my Sangie did not tell me about you. He only said that another human is going to join his own. Which means that you know Yunho, right?”

“Yeah, Yunho is one of my best friends. Has been for years.”

“That´s nice, but what does this have to do with me and you being here again? And that also all alone with not even having introduced yourself to me yet. Because it seems as you already know enough about me to be able to have asked to see me.”

Wooyoung is a bit taken aback by how direct the other is, as it also makes him feel a bit intimidated by him.

“So? Are you going to tell me something about yourself or not?”

“Uhm, s-sure. What would you like to know?”

“Your name, your age, and why you are here again and this time with even talking to me.”

“My name is Wooyoung. Jung Wooyoung. And I´m twenty-five years old and-“

“You are younger than me and the exact same age as my Sangie and his human Yunho.”

“Yeah, I am.”

“You don´t look like it.”

“Uhm, thank you?”

“You´re welcome,” Hongjoong replies in such an earnest tone that Wooyoung has trouble to not laugh endeared about it. “Now you can tell me the last thing which I wanted to know about you.”

“Right, why I am here again and talking to you. Which is actually because I wanted to get to know you a bit better.”

“Why?”

“Because I just want to.”

“Why?” Hongjoong asks again. “There is nothing interesting about me. Nothing one could like or anything which could make someone want to have me around for longer. Well, only Sangie did, but he is not living here anymore.”

“That´s not true.”

“Yes, it is. I´ve been here long enough to know that no one ever wanted to get to know me more, which is why I don´t get why you would want to.”

Wooyoung can´t fully understand it either, he just knows that he does.

“Did Yunho make you come here?” Hongjoong wants to know after not getting any response from the younger back. “Did he give you some money or convince you in another way to?”

“No, he didn´t! Well, he did with asking me to come here with him so that I could see you. But today I-“

“Why did he want for you to see me?” The older cuts in. “That is something I already didn’t understand the day before, but I didn’t want to get an explanation from Sangie about it.”

“Well, Yunho thought that we two would be a good fit.”

“A good fit for what?”

Damn, Wooyoung should have thought a bit better about his words, as he had not actually planned to tell Hongjoong about the possibility of him ending up adopting him.  Because he does not want to end up with giving him false hope, which it is now kind of too late for.

“Did he think that you would be able to be my human?”

“Uhm, kind of, yeah.”

“Ah, that makes sense, but I know that you won´t take me with you anyway.”

“Why?” Wooyoung can´t help but to ask, as what the older had just said had sounded so incredibly sad. “What makes you say that?”

“Because I will never ever get out of here. No one will ever really want to adopt me. I mean you are even a year younger than me, so why would you want to have to take care of someone older than you? It just doesn´t make any sense and thus it will not happen.”

“Hongjoong-ssi, please don´t say that I-“

“It was nice to meet you,” the hybrid interrupts him as he gets off his chair, which makes Wooyoung do the same. “But you can tell Yunho that he does not need to try to convince or even force any of his other friends to come here to see me. It´s fine, really. I get to see my Sangie every Tuesday or like this week even one day more than just that. And I also get to keep this room here all to myself, which is better than having nothing. Believe me, I would know.”

And if that last sentence is not fully breaking Wooyoung´s heart, because he can´t just leave the other here with thinking that being locked up forever all by himself with only seeing his best friend once a week is good enough.

Because it isn´t.

It is not good enough and Wooyoung hates that Hongjoong is not even trying to let him in a bit and immediately trying to get him to leave instead with being so sure that he will not get adopted anyway.

And sure, if you would have asked Wooyoung one week ago or even just after Yunho came to him with asking for this really big favour, he would have said no to adopting a hybrid.

But now things are looking pretty different. Especially as he is making his way out of the shelter with Hongjoong having cut his visit very short and with leaving him with a weird kind of feeling while he walks to his car.

There had been something.

Wooyoung knows it, as he would not have otherwise let Hongjoong´s words get to him like that. He would not have felt this sad for him or this bothered by the fact that he will be spending his whole day in that room with not much to do.

For twenty-six years, the older had not much good things happening for him in his life besides getting out of that circus and meeting Yeosang.

And yes, that shelter had helped him a lot, but this is still no life one should have forever. That is also not the purpose of such a shelter, as they only want to be a temporary solution for a hybrid until they will find a new home with someone adopting them. But Hongjoong has not had this luck in any of the many years he had already called that shelter and that bedroom his home.

Which is getting to Wooyoung more than he had thought it would, which is why he is now seriously considering to get the older out of there. Although he does not really know him any better than he had the day before.

-

Hongjoong stays on Wooyoung´s mind for the rest of the week right until it is Sunday and he can´t keep this to himself anymore.

Yunho had been nice enough to not put any pressure on him, as he had not tried to ask him about Hongjoong again with wanting to give him some time. Which is why he is pretty surprised when his friend is showing up at his place completely unannounced, something Wooyoung never usually does.

But before Yunho can actually say something to him, Yeosang is already appearing at the door and pulling Wooyoung inside.

Because although Yunho is still pretty patient when it comes to Hongjoong, the dog hybrid isn´t.

“Please tell me that you came here to tell us that you will get my Joongie-hyung out of there,” Yeosang basically starts to directly beg. “Please, Wooyoung, tell me that you will.”

“Sangie,” Yunho tries to softly scold him. “We said that we will not put any pressure on him and that it was already a big step that he went there with us to see him.”

“I actually also went there by myself to talk to him.”

“You did what?” Yunho lets out surprised. “Really?”

“When?” Yeosang asks excited. “When did you see him again? And did you talk for long? Do you like him now and want to adopt him? Do you?”

“Sangie, please let him breathe and-“

“It´s fine, Yunho,” Wooyoung waves off. “Yeosang only wants to help his best friend.”

“Yes, I do. I do want to help him, but I can´t do that alone, as I can´t adopt him. If I could, I would have already done it.”

And Wooyoung believes that right away, because you can see it and also hear it in the way the other looks and sounds so determined. Of course he wants nothing more than for Hongjoong to get out there. And he also seems to be mad at himself for even leaving him behind in the first place, as he had gotten out of there with getting adopted by Yunho.

The thing is that a hybrid has to agree to get adopted by someone to really fulfil all the necessary preparations for the final adoption. Not once had there been a case when one hybrid had said no, although for some of them it would have been better if they would have done so.

But for Hongjoong it had never even gotten that far, which is why Wooyoung hopes that if it will, he will say yes to it.

“So? When did you see him?” Yeosang wants to finally know. “And did you talk a lot to him?”

“I saw him on Thursday, so one day after I went there for the first time,” Wooyoung replies. “He was not surprised by it, but he did have some questions. Oh and he kind of told me that you,” he adds with directly looking at Yunho. “Should not try to ask any of your other friends to adopt him, as he does not think that it will happen anyway.”

“But it will, right?” Yeosang lets out at that. “It will happen, Wooyoung. Because you should not listen to him. What he said is just a defence mechanism of his with trying to not get his hopes up after getting let down so, so often in the past. He had been hurt so often and he deserves a home. A real home. One where he can also go out and see the world and one where he can become his very own person, just like me who is only able to do all that because my human adopted me. Well, he is also my boyfriend, but I bet that my Joongie-hyung will also be happy enough about you only becoming his human with adopting him.”

“Gosh, Sangie,” Yunho has to let out in amusement after hearing the dog-hybrid talk like that.

“So you will do it, right?” Yeosang asks Wooyoung again. “Because I know that my Joongie-hyung will say yes to it if you will. And you will, correct?”

“Yeah, I will do it,” Wooyoung confirms what he can´t fully believe himself yet. “I will adopt him. I will adopt your hyung, Yeosang.”

Chapter Text

Wooyoung had not thought that he would be at the shelter and in Hongjoong´s room so soon after having told Yeosang and Yunho about wanting to adopt the cat-hybrid.

It´s only the morning right after he had been at their place in the evening with Yeosang not accepting anything else than Wooyoung also telling Hongjoong about the good news as soon as possible.

Which is why he is already here at nine am, as breakfast is finished by now and the visiting hours are open.

Yeosang should actually also be here by now, but Yunho is running a bit late and had not been able to drop him off yet before going to work. Only that instead of waiting for him, Wooyoung is making his way inside, as that is what the dog-hybrid had wanted for him to do.

He had not wanted for him to wait, as he needs for Hongjoong to know that he will get out of here and that it will happen very, very soon. Because Wooyoung is planning to go shopping with Yeosang after they will have talked and spend some time with the cat-hybrid.

Although the photographer has two guest rooms and will give one to Hongjoong, there are still some things which Yeosang had insisted on getting for his best friend. Wooyoung will pay for it all, as if Hongjoong will say yes to this, he will be the one who will need to take care of him and that includes paying for whatever he needs.

He can only hope that Yeosang will not go overboard with choosing too many things for the cat-hybrid, although Wooyoung would understand if he would. Hongjoong has never had much in his whole life, which will now hopefully start to change.

This time, Hongjoong is really confused and also surprised about seeing Wooyoung again. Because he had been sure that what had happened on Thursday would have been their last encounter.

“Why are you here?” He asks him because of it. They are in his room again with one of the volunteers being in the hall so if something would happen, they would be able to interfere.

Something which had never happened with Hongjoong before. Mostly because he had never really gotten any visitors besides Yeosang, as Yunho had never really been here to only see him after he had not worked at the shelter as a volunteer anymore.

“I thought that you would not come again after your last visit,” the cat-hybrid continues. “So why are you back?”

“Because I will not let you stay here, Hongjoong-ssi.”

“Why are you speaking so politely to me?”

“What do you mean?”

“You called me Hongjoong-ssi. That sounds rather polite and formal.”

“I´m sorry, how are others calling you then?”

“Just Hongjoong. Well, besides mySangie and also Yunho, as they call me hyung with me being older than them. Which is something I didn’t even know was a thing at all. But other than that, I am really just Hongjoong,” the older explains. “Which is way better than just being called 3525.”

“3525?”

“Yeah, that was how they always only called me at the circus. I guess that was just the number they gave me after my birth. I got my real name after getting here, so I’ve only been Hongjoong for seven years.”

And just as Wooyoung had thought that his heart could not break any further, he is getting proven wrong.

“But if you want to, you can also call me hyung. I don´t mind, I would just like to know why you are visiting me again.”

“I am here again because I wanted to see you.”

“That´s weird, as I already told you that no one wants to see me more often. And you were already here twice before.”

“I know, but I do. I really want to see you more often. Maybe even-“

“Why?” The older interrupts with a cute tilt of his head as he is looking at Wooyoung with now rather curious eyes. “Are you wanting to start to volunteer here?”

“No, that is not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“I meant that I would like to see you more often and not just once a week, but every single day.”

“Did Yunho talk to you again?”

“What? No! He didn´t! He really didn’t!”

“Then my Sangie did, didn´t he?”

“Well, uhm, yeah, he did. But I had already made my mind up about it then.”

“Even after what I said to you?”

“Yeah, even after that.”

“I don´t get you,” the cat-hybrid states. “You don´t really know me, so why would you want to visit me every day?”

“No, hyung, that is not what I meant either. I am not going to visit you every day.”

“But then how would you be able to see me if you would not- wait,” Hongjoong breaks off after now also seeing how Yeosang is walking into his room. “Did you force him to adopt me?” He asks his best friend who had wanted to hug him. Because they always hug whenever they can see each other, only that Hongjoong now isn´t letting him. “Sangie! I told you that I don´t want someone to adopt me who does not want to!”

“I didn´t force him, Joongie-hyung,” the dog-hybrid pouts with big eyes. “He wanted to do it all on his own. I mean sure, I did try to talk him into it a bit, I am not going to lie about that. But he was the one who made the real final decision about it.”

“He did?” Hongjoong asked confused before letting Yeosang finally hug him while he directly looks at Wooyoung next. “You did?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“But why?”

“Because you don´t deserve to keep on staying here. You deserve to get out and have a life and-“

“I don´t need your pity, Jung Wooyoung!” Hongjoong suddenly hisses, which makes Yeosang pull back from him with a surprised expression on his face. “I don´t need someone who only sees me as a charity case. I want to get adopted because someone wants to have me in his life and-“

“I do,” Wooyoung is the one cutting in this time. “Because this is not pity. Well, yeah, I do feel bad for you and for what happened to you too, but I also want to get to know you more and have you around, as I am actually very lonely.”

He is not. He had not even thought about getting a pet or anything close to it, as he loves how his life is right now. But if that is what Hongjoong needs to hear to get convinced to say yes to this, then he will tell him that.

“Why are you very lonely? I thought that Yunho is one of your best friends. And you also know my Sangie and no one can feel lonely with having him around.”

“Well, yeah, I do have them. But it´s different when I am alone in my house and not having a client to work with. I would like to have someone who would be there with me and who would make my home a bit more welcoming, warmer, and maybe also louder, as it sometimes feels like no one is actually living there with how quiet it can get.”

“Why do you think that I would be someone who could make a home more welcoming and warmer? Louder, sure, probably. But not the other two things.”

“Of course you would make his home more welcoming and warmer,” Yeosang directly argues. “Because that is who you really are. A warm and welcoming person.”

“I am not a person; I am a hybrid. One no one wanted to give a real home to before.”

“But he wants to!” Yeosang keeps on pushing. “He wants to give you a real home and he wants for his already existing one to feel more welcoming and warmer, as that is what he is missing. He is missing someone like you who has been lost for so long. So please say yes to it. Please, Joongie-hyung! Because I want for you to have what I have and I want for you to be able to create an own life and to get outside if you want to and for us to do lots of things together, as we would not live far away from each other.”

“We wouldn´t?”

“No,” Yeosang assures as he takes the elder´s hand to hold it tight. “Because Wooyoung only lives a five minutes walking distance away from me and Yunho. He is also very, very kind, Joongie-hyung. And I know that you will love staying and living with him. I really do!”

“I just- I don´t know. This all sounds too good to be true,” Hongjoong sighs out. “I am not someone who good things like this happen to. At least not much, as I already thought that meeting my Sangie and getting to share a room with him has been all I will ever have in my life.”

“Joongie-hyung,” the mentioned dog-hybrid almost starts to cry by now. “You deserve the world and even then it wouldn´t be enough for what you all went through. But with saying yes to this and going to live with Wooyoung, you would already get a very big piece of said world.”

“And you are really not expecting anything back from me?” Hongjoong asks Wooyoung while still letting Yeosang hold his hand. “Because I don´t have anything, Wooyoung. As I only have myself and a handful of clothes which I am allowed to keep. Just like my little bag for the bathroom whenever I take a shower or get ready for bed.”

“That´s totally enough, hyung. As I will take care about everything else, I promise.”

“So you are saying yes to this?” Yeosang lets out with looking all excited again. “You are, right?”

“Yes,” the cat-hybrid nods with a small, but very earnest smile on his face. “I am.”

-

“Did you say the truth in there?” Yeosang wants to know as him and Wooyoung are sitting in the car to drive to the nearest furniture store. They will not get any furniture per se, but rather lots of decoration and other things Yeosang thinks that Hongjoong could like.

Wooyoung had already filled the most necessary forms out at the shelter after they had sat in the cat-hybrid´s room for a bit longer. There is still a check up the authorities there need to do, which is why Wooyoung will only be able to actually take Hongjoong with him tomorrow.

Which is totally fine, as he had already planned to first prepare the room for him and to also tidy up and clean the rest of his house. Because he wants for the older to feel as comfortable as possible with this very new and also important part of his life which will officially start on the very next day.

“So did you?” Yeosang asks again while Wooyoung turns left to get on the express way. “Or did you lie to get hyung to say yes?”

“Are you talking about what I said about feeling very lonely?”

“Yeah, that. Because, Wooyoung, if you really do, then why did you never tell any of us? I hate the thought of you sitting in that house of yours while feeling all alone with the rest of us each having someone to share our lives with.”

“Don´t worry, I didn’t actually ever feel lonely in that house of mine. But I thought that if he would think so, then he would feel as if he could at least give something back to me, which worked.”

“Yeah, thankfully,” Yeosang lets out relieved while he looks out of the window and enjoying the nice scenery passing by. “I just hope that this will really work out in the best way possible.”

“Why wouldn´t it?”

“Because I know my Joongie-hyung and I know that he will try to not take too much at first and to stay lowkey and so on. He will probably still be scared of this whole thing not working out and that you will maybe even change your mind and bring him back, which we both know that you won´t, right?”

“Of course, I wouldn´t do that,” Wooyoung stresses. “I would never ever send him back to the shelter. I don´t care how difficult it will probably be at first, I gave you all my word and I am intending to keep it.”

“Thank you. Seriously, you have no idea how much you are helping him, Wooyoung. This will be the first time in his whole life that he is going to have a real home,” Yeosang voices out. “I mean I already had the pleasure of living with a really nice older couple before they died and I was sent to the shelter. But he never had that and I am not sure if he will not let it get to him too much or if he will get to a point where he will maybe even fully break down with all the trauma he had experienced before catching up on him.”

“Did he ever break down because of that?”

“Yeah, but not in all those years he had been in the shelter at first. He only broke down after me and him getting close, as only then he trusted me enough to let his mask slip and show me the real and broken form of him. So please, if it will get to that point, then be there for him. Just hold him, listen to him, and let him cry as much as he needs, ok?”

“I will,” Wooyoung replies after having to swallow hard after only imagining how the real and broken form of the cat-hybrid must look like. Like the thought alone is breaking his heart all over again, as even though he had not even heard about Hongjoong one week ago, he is already so damn determined to give him the best home ever.

Something which he will hopefully already partly achieve with the things him and Yeosang are going to buy for him today.

Wooyoung completely lets the dog-hybrid take over the second they are in the chosen furniture store. They directly go to where all the decorative items are and also to the many pillow cases and sheets which Yeosang seems to want for Hongjoong to have plenty of.

“He loves fluffy and soft fabrics the most. He had one pillow case which was a bit more fluffy than usual and he used it for as long as he could while of course washing it in between.”

“What else does he like?”

“Well, we never had much in the shelter besides what was already there, but he also loved to read a lot with me. Oh and there were these photobooks. You know those books which are only filled with photos. He always loved those, as he never learned how to read like I did. Well, now he can, as I taught him how,” Yeosang explains after putting yet another pillow with the fluffiest looking fitting pillow case inside their cart. “But before that, he always just looked at the many pictures of the most different sceneries, animals, or even just buildings in those books.”

“Then he can have mine. I mean I have tons of them as a photographer who already had that goal when I was a little kid, so he can just look through them all as much as he would like to.”

“He will so love that. But for the rest, I guess you two will have to find out together what he may or may not like.”

“Like you with Yunho did?”

“Yeah, like we did, as he kept on showing me lots of different things we never had in the shelter and which I never even had at my former owners. There is always something new to learn or to experience. And I bet with my Joongie-hyung that will be a lot.”

“I don´t mind that. Me and him, we have all the time in the world to find out what he likes.”

“That´s good, but what I can already tell you is that his most favourite colour is actually turquoise. Which is why I think that we could at least paint one wall in his new room with this nice colour,” Yeosang announces as they had reached the aisle with all the many different colours one could paint their walls with. “Come on, we could manage that just fine until tomorrow. Pretty please?”

“Fine, put one can of it in the cart then.”

“You are the best! Thank you!”

“Just don´t let Yunho hear that.”

“Oh, don´t worry, he already knows that he is my one and only. Something you maybe also will be for my Joongie-hyung one day.”

“Easy there, Yeosang. I am only wanting to help him, ok?”

“That still makes you his human.”

“I know that it does, I just meant-“

“You just meant what?” Yeosang asks in the same manner as Hongjoong had asked him way too many things already. “Don´t you want to be his human?”

“Of course I want to be his human, I just-“

“Yes?”

“Forget it, lets just look for other decorative items in his most favourite colour. Ok?”

“Ok!” Yeosang easily agrees before he basically rushes past Wooyoung to go back to the aisle they had actually already been through before.

In the end, they walk out of there with a full cart and with Yeosang carrying two plushies in his hand. One of them is a dog which he intents to give to Hongjoong as a gift while he will keep the other one which is a cat. The dog plushie actually has brown fur, just like Yeosang´s own hair, tail, and his cute dog-ears which are also brown. Only the cat plushie is a full black one and not black and grey like Hongjoong´s hair, tail, and ears are.

Either way, Yeosang knows that his best friend will love his little surprise for him and hopefully also how him and Wooyoung are going to be decorating his new room in his new home.

He is rather excited about it, as Wooyoung had been letting him pick way too many things which had all cost quite a lot for his hyung. Which is already showing him that he will not need to worry about Hongjoong not having anything he needs anymore.

That had been a big concern of his when they had parted ways after he had gotten out of the shelter, as you don´t get everything one could need or wish to have in there. Which is all right with the shelter depending on many donations in the first place, so you can´t expect many luxurious things in there.

But that is what Hongjoong deserves; to have any luxury he never ever had in his life before.

Wooyoung is glad that Yeosang had come with him to the furniture store, as he is the only one who really knows Hongjoong and who can be an actual help with making his house more welcoming and also filled with more things in turquoise.

Also, he is even a rather big help with decorating the chosen room which the cat-hybrid will be able to call his very own starting tomorrow. Only with painting the wall, he is not that much of a help as he is way too excited and thus a bit clumsy, which makes Wooyoung do it himself.

They had chosen the wall which is right across from the one the already quite big bed is standing at, so that Hongjoong can always directly look at it whenever he will be sitting on the mattress while reading something or doing whatever before lying down to sleep.

Yeosang had also thought of some fairy lights, but they can´t hang them up yet, as the paint will need to dry for several hours during the night first. They had also taken some electric candles with them, as Wooyoung is not trusting the cat hybrid or even the dog hybrid with any real ones.

That is something he had learned from Yunho who has already had some real problems with Yeosang being way too forgetful about blowing the candles out before falling asleep, as he loves the light coming from them way too much to even want to make it disappear. And with not wanting to risk for Hongjoong to be the same, Wooyoung had chosen the fake ones right away.

He had even ended up taking two for his own room with wanting to make it a bit cosier with how bland and almost cold it seems in there. Something he had not really cared about before or even noticed, but going shopping with Yeosang had kind of made him see things he had not seen before.

Which is why all in all, the whole house looks way cosier and somehow warmer at the end of the day when Yunho picks up Yeosang to take him back home after just having gotten out of work.

The dog-hybrid almost does not want to go, as he would love to help even a bit more, although the house looks basically spotless by now. It´s just that he wants for tomorrow to go absolutely perfect when his Joongie-hyung will first enter his new home.

Wooyoung gets that, as he wants the same thing with now getting a bit nervous about soon having a new roommate and someone who he will be fully responsible for. Only now he is starting to really get what that means, as adopting a hybrid is totally different from getting any kind of pet.

Sure, pets are also a big responsibility, but Hongjoong is different with not only being a cat, but also a person. And on top of that, he also had a rather difficult and damaging past which had left its traces and will surely play a big role in the future.

But even with all the possible difficulties and worries which could come their way, Wooyoung is not regretting having said yes to this in such a pretty much short time and without having thought everything one hundred percent through.

Because he is going to be helping someone with it who deserves to get out of the shelter and away from never really having had a real life all for himself.

Sure, he will not be able to do much without Wooyoung being there, as that is what comes with getting adopted by a human. But whatever wish or dream he will have, the younger is going to support him.

And he is also a bit excited of having someone who will live with him.

It had always only been him in this rather big house, which had not been any problem, as he had loved to fill his time with his job, his friends, and also some selfcare from time to time.

But now, after having met Hongjoong and having heard about his story, he wants to have him in this house with him and for him to also become a part of his very own life. As although this will mean the absolute biggest change for the older, it will also make the life Wooyoung had known until now come to a drastic end when he will bring Hongjoong home tomorrow morning with Yeosang accompanying him once again.

-

“Are you excited, Joongie-hyung? And did you take everything you had in there with you? What about that one fluffy pillow case you once had? And the pencil case they gave each one of us?” The dog-hybrid is already attacking Hongjoong with many questions the second they are sitting in the backseat of Wooyoung´s car together. “And what about-“

“Sangie,” the older stops his best friend with a fond smile on his face. “I didn´t take anything besides the clothes I have and my little bathroom bag.”

“Oh, I thought that you also took something else.”

“No, I didn’t. And neither did you when you left over four months ago, remember?”

“Ah right,” Yeosang chuckles slightly embarrassed. “Sorry, I really did forget about that.”

“That´s fine,” Hongjoong just shrugs before he continues with looking out of the window with wide and excited eyes, as he can´t remember if he had even once seen that exact scenery when he had gotten to the shelter all those years ago. “Those trees are really pretty. They remind me of the ones we saw in that one photobook.”

“Yeah, the one about the many different kind of forests there are in the world,” Yeosang remembers. “You know what? We could actually go and spend some time in the forests we have here. We could, right, Wooyoung?”

“Sure, we could. If hyung wants to.”

“I would like that a lot, thank you,” Hongjoong replies all polite as he keeps on staring outside. It seems as if he wants to spot every little detail there is and to not miss anything.

It had been that way ever since they had left the shelter with him. Hongjoong had already been ready while carrying his small bag in his hand when they had arrived. He had not even been in his former room anymore, but in the lobby with one of the volunteers accompanying him.

He had been happy when he had spotted Yeosang and immediately let the dog-hybrid hug him and also scent him which they so often like to do. It had been a rather heartwarming and sweetening scene. One which had made Wooyoung feel even surer about having done the right thing with adopting the cat-hybrid.

He had only been allowed to come to the lobby after the check up and all of his documents had been gone through. Which is now basically making him the official owner of Hongjoong. Something he does not want to be called like at all, as he does not owe the older. Well, technically and on paper he does, but that will be all, as he wants for him to have as much freedom as possible.

Especially after him not having had much freedom at all in the twenty-six years he had already spent on this planet.

It feels as Wooyoung is watching a little kitten who had just gotten taken away from their mother and to their new family with the way Hongjoong slowly and also a bit clumsily enters his new home.

It feels clumsy, as Yeosang is kind of dragging him along with wanting to show him everything and especially what he and Wooyoung had done the day before in the room which will be his from now on.

Wooyoung is a bit scared of everything being too much for the older, but he can also see the way he does not seem to have the heart to tell Yeosang to slow down. He can see it in the way Hongjoong still keeps on holding the dog-hybrid´s hand and lets him show him one new thing after another with a fond little smile on his face.

Wooyoung is actually glad that Yeosang is going to stay with them until the evening, as this would have been way more difficult if he would have been alone with the older. Because he does not have that kind of connection with him yet.

Actually, they don´t really have any connection besides the one on paper, but Wooyoung is hoping that this will change soon, as he wants to become a friend to the older and also someone who he can always come to if there is something he wants to know about or to do.

As this new life is going to open lots of new possibilities up to him and he should never be afraid to want to take them.

Wooyoung leaves the two hybrids alone for a while with needing to process his new living arrangement too at first.

It is already way louder than usual and also looking a bit different with Hongjoong’s bag which is standing next to the couch, as Yeosang had put it there before leading them upstairs.

Wooyoung decides to bring said bag to them so that Hongjoong can already start with filling the rather empty closet with whatever he has in there.

The only thing which is already filled is one of the bookshelves in his room, as Wooyoung had put some of his photobooks there. And one of those books is already in Hongjoong´s hand when he steps into the room with his bag.

“I just wanted to bring you this,” Wooyoung explains his appearance. “You can put whatever you have in that closest, as it belongs to you now. Actually everything in here does.”

“But we will also go shopping with you,” Yeosang adds. “For more clothes, I mean. We didn´t want to buy those without you trying on what you would like first.”

“Are those all really your books?” Is the only reply they get back from Hongjoong. “Why do you have so much of them?”

“Well, those books are now also yours or more like ours to share. And I even have way more of them in my office downstairs.”

“Your office? So you are working in this house? You are working and living here?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“What is your work?”

“I am a photographer, which is why I have so many books with all those photographs you like to look at.”

“How did you know that I like to look through books like this one?”

“I told him,” Yeosang announces, which makes the older look at him instead at Wooyoung. “Which is also why this wall here is painted in your most favourite colour. Because I told him about that too.”

“Thank you, Sangie. And thank you, Wooyoung. You didn´t have to do all of this at all, but you still did.”

Wooyoung only smiles, as he has the feeling that otherwise he may burst into tears right now, because the older seems so damn fragile as he is just standing there while holding that book in his hands like it is his most prized possession.

“Well, I will leave you two alone again, but if there is anything you need, you can just come to me and ask if you don´t know where whatever you need is yet.”

“Can I use the bathroom, please?” Hongjoong holds him directly back. “I don´t know where it is yet, so could you also please show me?”

“Yeah, sure, I can give you a whole tour of the house. I just thought that Yeosang would have already done that, at least upstairs.”

“I didn´t. I was too excited to show him his room, sorry.”

“It´s fine, Sangie,” Hongjoong assures his best friend with now putting the book in his hold away to grab his hand instead. “You can come with me when Wooyoung will show me around. But at first I would really like to use the toilette if that is all right.”

“Of course, it is,” Wooyoung replies with not being able to believe how polite the older is. It feels more as he is a guest here, which he isn´t. But they will work on that, as this is only his first day in his new home.

The whole day goes like that. Wooyoung shows Hongjoong and also Yeosang, although he had already been here several times by now, around. And every time Hongjoong wants to touch something or use it, just like a simple bottle of water in the kitchen, he asks him first if it really is all right for him to.

That is also something he should not need to do, as he is supposed to be able to use everything he wants without having to ask him first. The only area he is not allowed to do that is Wooyoung´s office and photo studio. But that is because no one is allowed to and not just the hybrid.

He had still shown Hongjoong those two rooms which had left him quite in awe. It had also been the first time he had shown it to Yeosang who had almost wanted to touch something in there before Wooyoung stopping him from it.

It´s actually the dog-hybrid who is causing more trouble than the cat-hybrid is with how quiet Hongjoong is. Tomorrow, Yeosang will also be with them for the whole day to go shopping together, but after that, he will go back to going with Yunho to his office every day. Something he also loves to do, as he is not the only hybrid there and had already made some dear friends.

For the end of this day, Wooyoung had made them steak with rice and a sauce he hopes Hongjoong is really liking to eat and not just saying so to be polite. Because he does not know much about what the older could like, as they mostly only had basic meals at the shelter, but that is also just something they will have to work on.

Also, the second him and the older are alone with Yeosang having gotten picked up by Yunho, it is way quieter in the house, which is not that much of a bad thing. Hongjoong is pretty tired and crushed after the day he had and quickly decides on getting ready for bed with wanting to have a good rest.

 Wooyoung will also go to bed earlier than usual, as the day had also left some traces on him. But before that, he is still wanting to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen after having cooked a rather big meal before.

“Wooyoung?” Comes a rather quiet voice from behind him at some point, as Hongjoong had made his way back into the kitchen.

“Yes? Is everything all right, hyung? Do you still need something?”

“No,” the cat-hybrid states while he is just standing there while looking rather cuddly and cute in the pyjamas Wooyoung had given him from his own. The younger had needed to cut a hole into the bottom to make the elder´s tail fit into them, but that had been fine with him, as he had not worn them much anymore.

“I only wanted to tell you something,” the older adds to his former one word answer. “I can do that, right? I mean you said that I can come to you with everything and Sangie said the same and that I shouldn´t be scared of you getting annoyed by me or something.”

“Yeah, which is true, as you can tell me or ask me anything you want.”

“Okay, so I wanted to say thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything you did and are still doing for me.”

“Hyung, you already thanked me enough times for that.”

“I don´t care. I could thank you a million times and it would still not be enough.”

“Yes, it would. Because I am happy that you are here now, ok? Actually, I should be the one thanking you for filling my house with more life and with me not being all alone anymore because of it.”

Hongjoong seems to want to say something as an answer to that, but nothing comes out of his mouth as he keeps on opening and closing it again and again and again.

Only that before Wooyoung can add something himself, the older is suddenly coming forward to give him the softest, lightest, and most meaningful hug he had ever gotten from someone.

As fast as it had happened, it is already over again, as Hongjoong pulls away rather quick while whispering a “good night, Wooyoung” before walking out of the kitchen to make his way upstairs to get back to his new bedroom.

And while he is doing that, he is leaving a blushing Wooyoung behind whose heart is suddenly racing in his chest, as that had been the first time the cat-hybrid had touched him.

Something which had an immediate effect on him, same as his whispered “good night” and his so cute and cuddly attire had.

Chapter Text

The next few days, Hongjoong is trying to adjust to his new life as best as he can, which he actually does a way better job at than Wooyoung had thought he would.

The day they had spent with Yeosang in the city to shop had been a whole adventure, as Hongjoong had never been in a mall before. It had been sad and endearing at the same time, as at some point, he had even taken Wooyoung´s hand to pull him to one of the many display windows with wanting to ask him about all the items being shown there.

It had made the human´s heart race again, which he is trying to not think about too much. It is probably because he is not used to someone´s warm touch like that, as it had been ages since someone had wanted to be this close to him.

His friends only give him simple hugs or a pat on the back or shoulder. Although their hybrids love to hug him too and are also as warm as Hongjoong whenever they do, but it is still feeling different whenever the older does it.

Either way, Hongjoong had a real blast at the mall and had gotten back home with several filled bags of new clothes which they had gotten at the big hybrid-friendly clothing store where Yeosang had basically led him through every single row to pick whatever he likes.

And that had been mostly clothes in black, white, and grey. Only one sweater had been in turquoise, which he had of course needed to have. He also seems to love soft fabrics, as the many cardigans and sweaters in one of his bags are all rather fluffy and are probably going to make him look even more cuddly than he already does.

One thing Hongjoong had also gotten had been a new haircut which is making his eyes really pop out now, as they are not constantly hidden behind his formally way too long hair. They are also styled rather nicely, as he had gotten some hair styling products which are doing a pretty good job at making his grey and black hair seem perfectly parted in the middle.

They had also eaten pizza together, which had made Hongjoong and Yeosang talk about the pizza they had gotten at the shelter once a month as something very special.  They had also gotten to eat chicken wings with fries on their birthdays and even cake, which is all something Wooyoung is already putting onto the list of things the older likes.

By now it is already Friday and that list had sadly not gotten that much longer, as there had not been many new things with Hongjoong already being pretty stunned by everything there already is in Wooyoung´s and now also his house.

He also seems to really like the small garden they have, but which is sadly also way too colourless, as there are not much flowers planted there yet. Which is why Wooyoung is wanting to take care of that soon with taking Hongjoong to the nearest hardware store, as they also have many things for taking care of your garden there.

There are actually also some nice flowers in the grocery store they are in right now, which is why he lets the older choose some of them which they will be able to use to decorate the living room or even his own bedroom with a bit more.

“Would you also like something else to decorate your room with before we will go to the actual grocery store to buy what we want to have for dinner tonight?” Wooyoung asks after he had put the chosen flowers into their cart. “You can even pick more flowers if you want.”

“No, thank you. But maybe-“

“Maybe?”

But instead of answering, Hongjoong just takes Wooyoung´s hand to lead him and also their cart to the next shelf where lots of different games, puzzles, and also plushies are standing on.

“Could I have this one?”

“A puzzle?”

“Yes,” the cat-hybrid nods several times with holding the package he had just taken out of said shelf. “I always loved to make them at the shelter. We had lots of them there, but they were always only under 1000 pieces, which is why I would really like this one.”

“Sure, you can even take another one if you want to.”

“I am already happy with this one, as it looks pretty, right? I mean I don´t know what that thing is or where it is, but it looks all shiny.”

“That is actually the Eifel tower in Paris at night. Which is why it looks all shiny, as it is golden while the background is all black and white.”

“Paris is the capitol of France, right?”

“Yeah, it is. How did you-“

“Know that?” Hongjoong cuts in with a little chuckle. “We had a globus at the shelter with all the capitols written on each country. I loved to study it a lot in my free time after my Sangie taught me how to write and read.”

“I bet you know way more than me about all the countries in this world then,” Wooyoung claims rather impressed. “You know, we could even go to Paris some time in the future. I was never there before either.”

“We could really do that? We could just leave this country and go to another one? Even just for a day?”

“Well, yeah, we could,” the younger replies endeared at how wide Hongjoong´s eyes are after having heard about his suggestion. “Only that for just one day would be kind of a waste when we could go there for several days or even weeks instead.”

The cat-hybrid lets out a sudden happy squeak at hearing that before he puts the 1000 pieces puzzle into their cart.

“Thank you for letting me have this.”

“You´re welcome, hyung.”

Wooyoung had long stopped with trying to get Hongjoong to not thank him for everything all the time. No matter what, the older will continue with it, even if it just something simple like Wooyoung giving him a napkin to clean his mouth with after having eaten something.

“So what are you in the mood to eat tonight? We will have a rather big barbeque with my friends coming over tomorrow, so we don´t need to eat any meat today. We could just have fish. How about salmon? You like that?”

“I don´t know.”

“You don´t know?” Wooyoung asks surprised. “Did you not have salmon to eat at the shelter?”

“No, we didn´t. We never had fish, as some hybrids there were allergic to it. But I am not, so we could take it with us so I can try it.”

“All right, we will. I can also make us a nice salad to eat with and we can also take some of the baguette they sell here with us.”

“Can we also have that bubbly brown water to drink?”

“You mean coke,” Wooyoung chuckles. “And yes, we can also buy a bottle or even more, as the others will probably like to drink some of it too tomorrow. Especially Yeosang will want to.”

“My Sangie also likes that special water?”

“Yeah, he also likes that special water.”

It´s endearing how Hongjoong sees the world and how he names certain things in a way different style than they actually are called.

It makes the whole trip to the grocery store take a whole lot longer than Wooyoung usually only had needed in the past, but it also makes it way more fun and him also rather happy, as it is nice to see how shiny the elder´s eyes are whenever he sees something he had not known from his time at the circus or the shelter.

When they do get home, Wooyoung is immediately starting with preparing their dinner while Hongjoong helps with unpacking the rest of their purchases before sitting down on the wooden kitchen table. They will not eat in here later on and take their plates into the garden to sit at the table there instead.

As Wooyoung begins to cut the salmon in several pieces, Hongjoong is beginning with the puzzle they had bought. He seems to be rather the pro at it, as he is pretty quick with already having have of the frame finished before Wooyoung is even done with the dressing for their salat.

“Wow, you must have done many puzzles if you are that fast with it,” he can´t help but to tell the older as he is actually quite impressed by it. “You really should have taken more than just one then. Because I have the feeling that you will be done with this one in a record if you keep this up.”

“I just have a system which works pretty well. And I already told you that one puzzle was enough for me. Really, you are doing way too much for me anyway.”

“I am not doing way too much for you,” Wooyoung states right away. “Seriously, you can ask me for way more than you are. Because you are barely wanting anything, although you would deserve everything you could ever wish for.”

“I do not,” Hongjoong shakes his head as he picks another puzzle piece up to put it into the right place. “That would be way too much. Also, I am actually really happy with what I already got. Especially with this puzzle right here. The picture it will make will be so, so pretty.”

“We can even frame it if you want.”

“Frame it?”

“Yeah, we can just glue the finished puzzle onto a big enough piece of carton, put it into a perfectly fitting frame, and hang it up.”

“Could we even hang it up downstairs instead of in my room?”

“Uhm, yeah, sure. Where do you think it would look good at?”

“In the living room, maybe.”

“Why there?”

“Because everything is rather grey and dark there, so something a little golden could not hurt, right?”

“Right,” Wooyoung smiles amused. “It couldn´t hurt. You know, it´s kind of funny that you like turquoise so much, but almost all the clothes you picked are black, grey, and white.”

“I just like for my clothes to be more dark and not too loud when it comes to the colour.”

“Why?”

“Because when I was still at the circus, they always put me in really bright and colourful costumes. And I hated that a lot, as it made everyone there look at me as if I was some freak who was only there to entertain them,” Hongjoong explains in a slightly wavering tone, but he seems to catch himself right away as he clears his throat and continues in a normal tone. “Ever since then, I hate any kind of bright colour on my clothes. Only turquoise is fine, as they never put me into something with that colour.”

“Is that why it is your most favourite one?” Wooyoung asks carefully with also trying to not think of the sad and heartbreaking picture a younger Hongjoong in those costumes had made. “Because you don´t have any bad memories when it comes to it?”

“Yeah, but also because I actually have a good memory when it comes to the colour. The moment I got out of that circus after the police finally found out about it, there was a small fountain standing in front of the police station where I needed to give a statement, just like every other hybrid had to give too. The bottom of the fountain was painted in turquoise so that you would think that the water was actually that blue,” Hongjoong recalls. “After getting out of the circus, that fountain was the first real thing that calmed me down. It was just so relaxing to stand there and look at the water and the turquoise ground. So that is why that is my most favourite colour and why I really love that you and my Sangie painted that one wall in my room with it.”

“Well, Yeosang did say that it is your favourite colour, he just didn’t tell me the reason for it. Which I get, as this is a very personal story you just shared with me.”

“That is not the reason why he didn´t tell you. The actual reason is that he does not know about it, as I never told him.”

“You never told him?”

“Yep,” Hongjoong nods. “I did share a lot with him, but not everything, as I don´t want to talk about all that happened to me. I already put a lot on him in all those years we´ve been knowing each other and especially when we were still sharing a room.”

“But then why did you tell me?”

“I don´t know. It just felt right to.”

“Well, thank you,” Wooyoung tells him earnestly. “For trusting me with something like this.”

“Thank you for listening to me and for making me feel as if I can indeed trust you,” Hongjoong replies before he looks curiously at the bowl in the younger´s hand. “Is that going to be the dressing for our salad?”

“Yeah, it will. It is actually almost finished. Just like our salad.”

“Oh, so you don´t need any help?”

“No, but you can already get us two plates and two glasses and set the table outside.”

“Okay.”

Hongjoong seems happy about getting to help at least somehow after already having gotten rather far with his puzzle.

Wooyoung can only watch him with a fond, but at the same time also kind of sad smile on his face, as he can´t forget what the older had just told him about why he does not like to wear any bright colours besides his most favourite one.

As that had been again something new he had learned about him which had broken his heart.

-

“Wooyoung?” Hongjoong asks the younger right after they are done with setting the table outside and preparing everything for having a nice barbeque with the guests who will arrive soon. It is already the next day and close to the evening, as that is the time they had decided to meet up on.

“Yes, hyung?”

“Do you think that they will like me? I mean your other friends and not my Sangie and Yunho who already do.”

“Of course they will like you,” Wooyoung assures. “I mean what is there not to like, hyung?”

“Really? Am I that much of a likeable person?”

“Yeah, you really are.”

“You are too,” the hybrid says in all honesty as he is now looking at Wooyoung with wide eyes. “You are so, so likeable, as you are such a good person.”

“Hyung, I am not-“

“No, it´s true. You really are. You are the nicest human I know. But please don´t tell Yunho that, as he is also nice, just not as nice as you are.”

“Don´t worry,” the younger has to chuckle at that. “I will not tell him.”

“Thank you.”

It´s cute how excited but also nervous Hongjoong is about meeting Mingi, Jongho, Seonghwa, and San. He had never met many humans besides the bad ones in the circus and the good ones working at the shelter. Which is why meeting Mingi and Seonghwa will be a very important and new experience for him.

Hybrids he had already met plenty, especially at the shelter. But he had never liked many of them, as he had not even let them get close to him in the first place. Only Yeosang had been an exception, as Hongjoong and him had an immediate connection, something he never had with anyone else before.

Well, until Wooyoung had adopted him as his hybrid, as there is actual also a connection forming rather rapidly between them. Which is something the human had also long noticed, as him and Hongjoong are getting closer and closer with every new day spend together.

“One of them is a cat-hybrid, right?” Hongjoong has more questions regarding who will be appearing at their door soon. “Just like me.”

“Yeah, San is. And Jongho is-“

“A dog-hybrid, just like my Sangie.”

“Correct, just like your Sangie.”

“Are they in any way like he is?”

“Well, Jongho is a rather quiet one, but who also likes to play around. San instead is even more hyper than Yeosang and always wants to have some fun. So if it gets too much for you, then you can just tell him that. He will understand it and try to be a bit calmer whenever you are together.”

“Okay, I will if it will come to that.”

Yeosang and Yunho are the first ones to arrive, which is good, as having the dog-hybrid already here is making Hongjoong feel a lot calmer when only shortly afterwards, the other two couples are also appearing at their front door.

Wooyoung had actually planned to introducing them all to Hongjoong, but Yeosang had pretty much taken over with doing it instead, as he is way too excited for his best friend to especially meet San and Jongho.

Which is also why right after, the hybrids want to go into the garden. Only that Hongjoong hesitates at first with staying next to the four humans while smiling all politely at Mingi and Seonghwa.

“It´s really nice to finally meet you two.”

“It´s also nice to meet you, Hongjoong,” the oldest of them replies with a smile. “San was especially excited about you also being a cat-hybrid.”

“He is actually the first cat-hybrid I think that I will get along with,” Hongjoong tells them. “Oh and Wooyoung told me that you are the same age as me and that you, Mingi, are one year younger than me. So you can call me hyung if you want to.”

“I would love to, as I am also glad that we have finally met, hyung.”

Hongjoong smiles pretty wide at that before he turns towards Wooyoung while Yeosang is shouting for him to finally get outside to join them.

“Do you need some help with taking everything from the kitchen outside?”

“No, we will be fine with carrying what I already prepared and what the others brought with them. So don´t worry about it and just go to Yeosang and the others, hyung.”

“Okay.”

“Wow,” Seonghwa is the first one to comment after Hongjoong had left the house to go outside where San is already wanting to run around with him. “He is really polite.”

“Yeah, he is. He is thanking me for basically every single thing and has some real manners.”

“I can´t imagine that he had such a hard time finding someone to finally adopt him,” Mingi lets out at that. “Was he acting this different in the shelter?”

“He was just really closed off and didn’t want to let anyone in,” Yunho explains with having known Hongjoong the longest. “He only did with Sangie. Thank God, he did. As otherwise, they would not have gotten this close and I would have not convinced Woo to come to the shelter to meet him.”

“He was not believing me at first. I mean that I would really want to adopt him,” Wooyoung adds. “It seems as he had already made peace with the idea of never getting out of the shelter, which thankfully didn’t become reality.”

“So how are things with him going?”

“Good. Very good, even,” Wooyoung answers Mingi´s question. “He is very quiet, but also curious about the simplest things. He also loves to do puzzles, which is getting him all excited.”

“Puzzles? That´s so cute,” Seonghwa coos. “I wish San would have been this easily entertained. He was always a little bundle of pure energy.”

“Jongho was the same at first, but with time, he also got rather quiet and settled down more.”

“Yeosang is still the same way as he had been in the shelter,” Yunho states. “Which is actually a good thing, as he had also been very hyper and happy in there. But with Hongjoong-hyung it is definitely a step forward with the way he is being now.”

Yeah, Wooyoung would also say that the older is taking many steps forwards these days, which is nice to see.

Just like it is nice to see how quickly he opens up to San and Jongho. Something Wooyoung had not expected at first with the backstory Hongjoong has when it comes to hybrids who are not Yeosang.

Throughout the whole evening, he is close to all three of them and even has a nice talk with the four humans at once. Well, before San comes to get him to spend his time with them instead, as according to the younger cat-hybrid, their humans are boring with only sitting around and not doing anything fun.

Hongjoong even lets himself get hugged by San and Jongho when they leave after several hours. Of course, he also gets a hug from Yeosang who is already whining about having to leave him again. But as they had come to the agreement that the two hybrids will continue to meet up every Tuesday, he will be back at the house in a few days again.

“Your friends are all really nice,” Hongjoong tells Wooyoung after they are done with bringing everything which had still been outside into the kitchen. “I´m happy that I got to meet them today.”

“They are also your friends from now on and they also enjoyed to meet you a lot. Especially San and Jongho did.”

“San is even more hyper than my Sangie is, but Jongho is also up to a lot of fun. Do you need some help with putting all the dishes into that washing thingy?”

“You mean the dishwasher?” Wooyoung chuckles. “And no, it´s not that much, so you can already go upstairs and get ready for bed, as you seem to be pretty tired.”

“That´s because I am,” Hongjoong admits before he steps up to the younger to give him his good-night hug. Something which is a very much established thing by now. “Don´t stay up for too long, as you also seem rather tired, Wooyoung.”

“That may be because I also am,” the younger replies as he fondly looks at the now stepping back older. “I will just finish this up and then also go to bed.”

“Okay, see you in the morning then.”

“Yeah, see you in the morning.”

Wooyoung can´t stop with smiling even after Hongjoong is already gone, as he is loving how close they had already gotten in those few days since the older had moved in with him.

Those hugs always fill him with so much warmth, which is also making him go to bed around half an hour later with still feeling all happy and almost giggly when he lies down.

The only thing which makes him sit up in confusion is the sudden feeling of getting watched. But there is nothing there, as no one is standing in his open door which he does not like to shut fully. He never had ever since he had been a child, which would have definitely made him see if there would have been someone standing there.

He had probably just imagined it, as Hongjoong had gone to bed earlier than him and as there had also been no noise coming from his room at all.

Which is why, with a shake of his head and a sigh leaving his lips, Wooyoung lies back down again to get his much needed rest.

-

Being a freelance photographer comes with rather unusual working hours, as Wooyoung does not have a strict weekly schedule. It always depends on the clients he has and as some of them can´t always make time during the week, two of them are there on Sunday.

Those two clients are not only special because of that, but also because of them being the first ones Wooyoung will have in his photo studio since he had started to share his life with the cat-hybrid.

But just like he had expected, Hongjoong is actually pretty chill with it and doesn’t even come down the stairs during the whole time Wooyoung is shooting the couple who had wanted to take some pictures to print as cards announcing their engagement dinner.

Only that with several outfit changes and being rather picky about choosing the final pictures they want to print out, they stay for the whole afternoon, which makes Wooyoung feel a bit bad about. Because Hongjoong had not spent that much time all alone in his room before, so he is not sure about the older not having ended up getting bored by now.

But when he actually calls for the cat-hybrid to come downstairs as his clients had finally left, Hongjoong is actually already in the garden, which Wooyoung had not even noticed at first.

“When did you get here?” He asks him as he joins him at the wooden table where one of Wooyoung´s old photobooks is lying on.

“Around an hour ago. I´m sorry, I really didn’t want to bother you and your clients, but I kind of wanted to go outside for a while. But I tried to be extra quiet with knowing that you were still in the studio.”

“Don´t worry, we didn’t hear you at all. Besides, you don´t actually have to stay upstairs the whole time whenever I have clients. It would be fine for you to be in the living room or kitchen.”

“Okay.”

“Good, so in the mood for dinner, as it is almost evening by now? We still have some leftovers from yesterday which need to get eaten.”

“Sure,” Hongjoong nods happily before he grabs the photobook and brings it upstairs to put it neatly back into the shelf in his room while Wooyoung takes care of filling their plates with their meal.

He can´t even remember how it had been to eat all by himself anymore with how used he already is to the older joining him.

Something he can also can´t remember is when he had last sat in front of his lit fireplace at the end of a day. But after Hongjoong had noticed said area in his living room, he had wanted for them to sit there together.

And with him basically doing anything the cat-hybrid asks him for, which is not that much as Hongjoong is rather humble, he had quickly said yes to it.

“You like the fire?”

“I like that it keeps me warm, although it is not at all cold with it also being rather warm outside. But I still like it. I like the warmth that comes from the flames and how nice they are dancing around in your fireplace.”

“You really make me see the world in a totally different way.”

“What do you mean?” Hongjoong asks confused. “In what way different?”

“Well, to me those are just simple flames. But to you they are looking as they are dancing around, which makes a way prettier picture.”

“That´s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah,” Wooyoung has to chuckle endeared. “It´s a very good thing.”

As it is making Wooyoung´s world seem more filled with colour and with little details which are making everything way more interesting and almost adventures.

This time, when Wooyoung goes to bed after spending over an hour with Hongjoong downstairs, he is one hundred percent sure that he is indeed being watched as he is lying on his mattress.

And this time, he also manages to actually spot by who he is getting watched, as the cat-hybrid is still standing in the door frame with just now having wanted to leave again.

“Hyung? Is everything all right? Were you also here last night when I went to bed?”

“Uhm, yeah, I was,” the older stammers shyly. “I´m sorry, I was just wanting to make sure.”

“You were just wanting to make sure about what?”

“About me not being alone during the night.”

“Wait, have you been making sure about that every single night since you got here?”

“Yeah, I did,” Hongjoong admits quietly. “I just hated whenever I had to spend my night alone. In the circus, I was always just in that stupid cage with no one close, as they put a thick blanket on top of it, which blocked me off from anyone else. And at the shelter it only got better with my Sangie, as he also often cuddled with me at night. But all my former roommates were not that nice at all, which is why I didn’t want anyone new after my Sangie had left. Also, at least in the shelter I did really know that I was not all alone in that building.”

“I´m so sorry, hyung. I didn’t know that, otherwise I would have-“

“I didn´t tell you about it, so of course you couldn’t know. And it is also a bit stupid of me to always check if you are really still here. I mean where else would you go at such a time? But it weirdly does calm me to see you before going to bed for good.”

“That´s not weird. That´s actually really sweet and also understandable after what you went through,” Wooyoung assures him. “And if you do feel in the need for a cuddle or for not wanting to be all alone in your bed, you can always come to me, ok?”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Wooyoung nods with definitely meaning what he had just said. Not only because the other´s little story had made his heart break for him again, but also because he can´t imagine anything better than to be able to hold him in his arms the whole night with also already loving whenever they hug so much.

“Thank you, I will keep that in mind. And now I will not steal any more of your time so that you can sleep and so that I can sleep too. Good night, Wooyoung.”

“Good night, hyung.”

The younger has to hide the small disappointment he is feeling right now, as one part of him had really hoped that Hongjoong would directly take him up on his offer. Which is stupid, as he should be happy that the older is already feeling good and content enough to sleep all alone in his own bedroom.

Also, the fact that it is also rather calming for him to look at Wooyoung at the end of each day is also causing for the younger´s heart to jump happily in his chest as he lies back down to sleep for real this time.

Chapter Text

No matter how much Wooyoung wants to, he can´t get the picture of Hongjoong being locked into a dark cage during each night he had still been part of that brutal, stupid, and totally illegal circus out of his head.

Actually, no, Hongjoong had not been a part of it, he had been a victim and someone who had been forced into such a life before thankfully getting out of there and ending in a shelter where not everything had been better, but where his life had definitely already looked different from how it had been before.

Wooyoung had not been able to directly fall asleep at night with what he had all learned about him, which is why he is a bit tired while sitting with an actually rather chatty Hongjoong at the kitchen table as they are having breakfast together.

“You have another client today, right?”

“Yeah, I do. It´s a mother who wants to take some pictures of her little son.”

“How little is he?”

“Around three years old. I still have to decorate the studio to make it into a small water underworld, as that is what she asked for.”

“Oh, that sounds so cute. When will they be here?”

“Around one, which means that I will probably not be able to make us something for lunch.”

“That´s fine, as I can make us something.”

“You?” Wooyoung lets out surprised. “What would you make for us?”

“Well, you don´t have to sound that surprised by it,” the older pouts, which makes him look way too cute and with it also way too dangerous for Wooyoung´s heart to handle right at the start of the day. “I can actually do some things. Just very, very simple ones like a sandwich.”

“A sandwich?”

“Yes, a sandwich,” Hongjoong repeats with a nod. “I often made one for me and my Sangie to share in the shelter. We had a small kitchen area where we were allowed to make easy things with the help of the volunteers there. So I know how to make a sandwich and also how to make pancakes.”

“Really? That´s great, as I love pancakes.”

“But you don’t love sandwiches?” And just like that, the older is pouting again. “Then you don´t want me to make two for us before your clients will be here?”

“No, of course I want you to,” Wooyoung quickly assures him. “Because I also love sandwiches. I just really, really love pancakes.”

“Oh, ok. Then I can also make us some pancakes for breakfast tomorrow,” Hongjoong nods happily to himself before taking a sip of the sweet fruit tea he had started to really like to drink. “Also, I wanted to thank you again.”

“For what?”

“For reacting in the way you did last night when you caught me watching you and with also finding out about me having done it not just once but basically every night since I’ve gotten here.”

“Hyung, I would have never reacted in a bad way to something like that.”

“I know that you wouldn´t have. That is how good I am already knowing you. I just meant what you suggested yourself.”

“That you can also join me if you don´t feel like sleeping alone?”

“Yeah, that. That was really nice of you.”

It was also something which Wooyoung had not thought much about, but what he would have not minded to already happen at all.

Hongjoong keeps his word and is busy in the kitchen with preparing a quick and easy lunch for them while Wooyoung is taking care of letting his photo studio look in the way his soon arriving client had ordered from him.

His sandwiches are indeed very simple, but they taste nothing like it with how good they are. It makes Wooyoung basically shower him with compliments, which makes the older blush, as he is not used to getting any praise. Something the younger definitely wants to change, as what Hongjoong all can already do is totally praise worthy.

Same as the way he is already so good with adjusting to his new life, as you would not think that he has never had a real home before. Because living in a shelter had not been at all like living with Wooyoung is like. And what had happened at the circus does not deserve to be called a home, as it had been more like a prison with how they had treated him there.

Wooyoung is almost sad when his doorbell rings, as that means that his client had arrived with her child who will get photographed by him in the next hour or even hours, depending on how well everything will go.

You never know, especially not with a child who may not be in the mood to want to shoot at all.

And the child which is sitting in his photo studio only several minutes later does not seem to want to get his photographs taken at all. He is basically crying the second his mother wants to put him into a position she wants for him to get photographed in.

In cases like this one, Wooyoung just lets them be and does not try to interfere, as a child is still a child and not a robot or an adult who functions in another way. So if this will take way longer than planned, it is totally fine with him.

Although the loud cries are kind of shattering his ear by now, until they suddenly stop which he does not get at first.

“Kitty!” Comes then the sudden shout from the now not crying child anymore, as the boy had spotted Hongjoong who had just walked past the still open door of the studio. “Kitty!” He repeats, which makes Wooyoung and his mother also look at where he is now pointing at.

“I´m s-sorry,” Hongjoong stutters. “I didn´t mean to disturb your work. I will just-“

“No, hyung, it´s fine. Actually,” Wooyoung starts with getting an idea after seeing how the small boy is still looking all happy and even excited at the cat-hybrid. “Could you stay here?”

“Here?”

“Yeah, in the studio.”

“Oh, uhm, are you sure?”

“Yes, as it seems as your present has a rather calming effect on my little client here,” Wooyoung explains, which makes the boy´s mother sigh out in relief as her child is in fact totally still and not crying anymore. He is only looking with shiny eyes at Hongjoong who is now slowly making his way inside.

“Where am I allowed to stand? Because I don´t want to damage anything.”

“You could actually stay right next to me, as that will make him look into the camera while he will also be able to still look at you.”

“Okay,” Hongjoong easily agrees before he does as told and has to smile himself as the small boy is pointing at him again. It´s cute and he feels rather touched by someone seeming to like him so much.

The boy is just really precious, which makes it totally easy for Wooyoung to get the most perfect pictures of him while Hongjoong stays right next to him for the whole time.

Especially the boy´s mother is thankful with how quick the whole shoot goes after that, as the cat-hybrid´s presence is really the one thing keeping the boy calm and smile all happily into Wooyoung´s camera.

With being happy about how easy it all had gone by in the end, the younger had not even thought about what this could mean to Hongjoong.

Back when he had still been at the circus, he had been forced to step out and put on a show almost every single night where several people had always sat there and had stared at him.

Which is why Wooyoung is feeling rather bad now after his two clients had left again and which is why he feels the urge to apologize to the cat-hybrid.

“Hyung? I am sorry for not even asking you if it would be all right for you to stay and to let yourself get constantly watched by that child.”

“Why are you apologizing for that?”

“Well, you must have been stared at like that rather a lot when you were still at the circus, so I should have considered that, as this could have brought back some memories and maybe even triggered you or-“

“Stop!” Hongjoong cuts in rather loudly as he steps up to Wooyoung and takes both of his hands in his while they are still in the photo studio. “If I would not have felt ready to help you out like this, then I would have not done it, Wooyoung. But even with me being sadly used to getting stared at by others, especially children, I never had a real problem with it. I had a problem with everything else concerning that circus, but never ever when I could see the joy on a child´s face whenever they saw me.”

“So everything was really okay during that shooting?”

“Yeah, everything was really okay,” Hongjoong assures. “He was also a very cute child and having been able to help you with your work has also made me very happy. Especially as I could see you being in your element. And maybe also because the art of taking the best pictures has kind of interested me ever since I looked through the first photobook which we had at the shelter.”

“I could show you more then. I mean I could teach you with an old camera of mine which I don´t use for work anymore.”

“But I thought that you never let anyone touch your stuff,” Hongjoong says confused while they are still holding hands. “Because when Sangie wanted to, you stopped him right away. Also, I don´t want to damage anything of yours or to-“

“Hyung,” Wooyoung cuts in with sensing how the older is starting to panic a bit. That is also when he lets go of his hands, only to then softly cup his face to make him look at him. He is not even really thinking while he is doing it, as he just wants to calm Hongjoong down, which thankfully seems to work right away with the cat-hybrid basically pushing his face into his hand and even starts to slightly purr. “You will not damage anything. And even if, then that won´t be the end of the world. Because that camera is really one I am not using anymore, which is why I want for you to have it so that you can take some pictures of your own.”

“But I don´t know how,” the older states quietly with still purring. It is actually the first time that he is doing that with Wooyoung being present, which means quite a lot to the younger.

“I will teach you and we can also go outside so that you can try it out.”

“I would like that a lot. Thank you,” Hongjoong whispers with a happy smile. “But we need to clean up your studio first, right? Well, if you even want my help, as I would get if you don´t, as I would probably only make a mess or-“

“Hyung, you won´t. Because you are careful and you treat everything with so much respect. Like even when you are helping me with unloading the dishwasher, you are always so, so diligent when you take care of each plate or glass.”

“I just hate when people treat objects harshly. Even if they are not human beings, I try to be careful with everything.”

“You are so sweet, you know that?”

“I always was, I just tried to hide it a lot with not wanting to let anyone close to me besides my Sangie and his human Yunho. But then I met you and I let my guard down too and that because I wanted to.”

“Thank you for trusting me enough to do that.”

“And thank you for trusting me enough to help you clean and tidy up your studio and to also give me one of your old cameras to use.”

Wooyoung almost does not want to let he older pull away from him, so they can start with cleaning up and for him to also look for said old camera of his, as he is keeping it in one of the drawers in his bedroom upstairs. But it is better for them to finally part, as otherwise, he fears that they would just keep on standing there with doing nothing but to look into each other´s eyes.

Honestly, he would have actually loved that, as the other´s eyes are so beautiful, although they are almost black with how dark they are. There is just something magical about them and the way they are shining with how happy Hongjoong is.

It makes Wooyoung smile the whole time him and the older are cleaning his studio and putting the used background and items away.

And after he had also found his old camera and wants to not give it to Hongjoong, the older is suddenly looking rather shy, which makes him raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“Hyung? Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, I was just wondering if-“ Hongjoong breaks off before clearing his throat to speak a bit louder. “Can I ask you something a bit more personal? Only if it´s all right with you, of course.”

“Sure,” Wooyoung agrees right away, even with not knowing what to expect. “Shoot.”

“Uhm, well, when your friends. No, when our friends were here at our place, San and Jongho told me that Mingi and Seonghwa were not only their humans who had adopted them, but also their partners. Just like Yunho and Sangie are also partners or boyfriends, as that is how my Sangie loves to call them,” Hongjoong stammers nervously while he is looking down at his hands instead of up and directly at the younger. “And I was wondering if you are also having someone like that in your life? A significant other?”

“I don´t. I don´t have someone like that.”

“Oh,” the cat-hybrid has to suppress a smile, which Wooyoung notices with a smile of his own. Because it´s cute how happy the older seems to be about that certain fact. “Well, I just thought that I should ask. Because I would not have wanted to take you away from someone else and so on.”

“You wouldn´t. Besides, you are actually the one whose company I am enjoying the most.”

“Me? Really?”

“Yeah, you,” Wooyoung has to chuckle. “Really.”

“Then you are the first one. I mean my Sangie also really enjoyed my company at the shelter, but then he started to enjoy having Yunho´s more. Which is fine, as he likes him in a totally other way than he likes me. So, yeah,” Hongjoong stocks before taking the light denim jacket they had gotten for him in the mall. “Should we go now?”

“Yeah, we should, as the light outside is actually pretty much perfect to take some nice pictures. I will teach you on the way and whenever you see something you want to photograph, then we will stop and you can take all the time you need until you will be satisfied with what you captured. Ok?”

“Ok.”

Hongjoong does turn out to have a real natural talent, as right after Wooyoung is done with giving him a basic introduction to how to use the camera, he is already capturing several flowers, trees, and even a small squirrel who is running around.

They had made their way into the nearest park and with seeing how much Hongjoong loves to be here and how everything excites him and how he wants to capture basically everything there is, Wooyoung is glad about having taking him here.

And about adopting him and getting him out that shelter to finally let him have and live a life he actually wants.

You can´t just look at the excited cat-hybrid and don´t end up smiling yourself, as his excitement and happiness is pretty contagious. And it stays that way even after they are back home, done with dinner, and even when they had sat in front of the light up fireplace again, as Hongjoong keeps on being all happy and he also keeps on having the gifted camera next to him the whole time.

It makes Wooyoung go to bed with a content and happy feeling as well and this time when he feels watched for a rather short while, he does not sit up to look why.

Because he knows why, as it is just Hongjoong who had wanted to make sure that he is really not alone anymore. And what Wooyoung will make sure of himself is that the older never ever will be again.

-

“You look really happy,” is what Seonghwa comments on while he is helping Wooyoung in the kitchen the next day. Although at first only Yeosang and Yunho had planned to come by in the evening for having dinner together, the others had soon decided on also coming with also bringing several prepared side dishes with them.

“I am actually really happy,” Wooyoung tells the older while he can´t stop with smiling to himself the whole time. “It has just been so easy with him, which I did not think it would be at first.”

“I can´t believe that it has not even been a month since he moved in with you.”

“I can´t believe that either. It feels as if it has been for way longer with the way we just fit, you know? Everything with him does, as he was even able to help me with one of my clients yesterday.”

“He did? How?”

“The little boy I needed to take some pictures of, he cried the whole time. But when he saw hyung, he suddenly stopped and was so happy and excited. So hyung stayed in the studio while being all happy himself about bringing such joy to the little kid.”

“That sounds amazing.”

“Yeah, it was quite a heartwarming scene,” Wooyoung recalls. “He also has an interest in photography. So I gave him an old camera of mine and ever since we went out to the park, he is taking pictures of basically everything.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Seonghwa chuckles, as right that second, Hongjoong is coming into the kitchen with holding said camera in his hands. “Did you capture something nice?”

“Yeah, I did. Look,” the cat-hybrid shows the taller. “I took pictures of San, Jongho, and my Sangie.”

“Those are really good,” Seonghwa compliments him. “Especially the one you took from San.”

“Thank you,” Hongjoong replies with a shy smile before he looks at Wooyoung who had been watching them interact with a fond expression. “Don’t worry, I will put my camera away now. I just wanted to show them my new hobby at first.”

“You don´t have to put your camera away, hyung. You can keep on taking pictures if you want.”

“No, I really want to put it away and upstairs in my room. Because, well,” he stammers with now looking a bit shyly at Seonghwa. “San is rather hyped and excited about it and he almost made me drop it onto the ground. Which is not bad, but I don´t want for Wooyoung´s present to get damaged in any way.”

“Which is very thoughtful of you,” Seonghwa smiles. “And I’m sorry, San is just someone who gets easily excited.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too by now,” Hongjoong chuckles amused. “So I will bring that upstairs and then help you two with getting the bottles of coke and sprite out of the fridge to carry them outside.”

Wooyoung can´t even tell him that he does not need to do that with how fast Hongjoong is gone and running up the stairs to his room.

“Gosh,” Seonghwa lets out as he is finishing the salad he had already brought with him with spreading the dressing over it. “He is really such a sweetheart and you, Woo, are pretty much whipped.”

“What? Where is that suddenly coming from?”

“You gave him one of your babies, as that is what every single camera you own is. And you are still having that sickenly fond expression on your face, although he is not even here anymore.”

“Just go and bring the salad outside,” Wooyoung tells the older who is only laughing as he does as told.

Wooyoung himself also can´t hold the chuckle coming out of his mouth back, as yes, he is already pretty much whipped for Hongjoong. But Seonghwa is as worse as him when it comes to San. Same as Mingi when it comes to Jongho or Yunho when it comes to Yeosang.

Only that they are all also a couple, something him and Hongjoong are not.

Even if Wooyoung had wanted to try to not be as whipped or fond when it comes to the cat-hybrid, he would not have managed to. Because for the whole evening, Hongjoong is managing to be even politer and the sweetest hybrid there is.

Especially the way he had already started to treat San with the younger also being a cat-hybrid is very touching. It´s as if he had adopted him as his brother with how much he is looking out for him during their time together.

You can see a difference from how he is acting with Jongho or even Yeosang, which is making Wooyoung learn that it does play a role if two hybrids of the same kind are interacting with each other.

Yeosang even pouts and whines at one point about it, as Hongjoong is still supposed to be his best friend and not San´s, which makes everyone laugh and Hongjoong immediately hug “his Sangie”, as he will always be his closest and most important friend.

All in all, the second time with all eight spending their time together goes even better than when they had first met up at the exact same place with also eating outside in Wooyoung´s garden.

It makes Hongjoong go upstairs to get ready for bed with being all giggly and happy, as he had lots of fun again.

Wooyoung is planning to do the same because it had gotten rather late with Mingi, Seonghwa, and Yunho helping with cleaning everything up and even filling the dishwasher, so that Wooyoung would not need to do it on his own.

Although he most likely wouldn´t have needed to, as Hongjoong would have definitely helped him with it. Still, it had been nice of his friends to stay for longer to help and especially their four hybrids had been glad about it with them not wanting to part too soon again.

So with one last look with controlling if every door and window is really closed, Wooyoung shuts the lights off before making his way up the stairs to go directly into the bathroom which is his very own, as it is basically a room inside his bedroom.

Sometime later, while getting out of the shower to dry himself off and to put his sleeping clothes on, Wooyoung notices the thunderstorm which had started to boom outside.

He had always loved to see the lightning, as it looks pretty magical spread out over the otherwise so dark sky. Which is why he does not mind what is going on outside and how loud it had also gotten with the booming thunder, as he even stays at the window in the bathroom for a bit longer to keep on staring out.

Only when he then gets back into his bedroom, his heart immediate sinks. As lying in his bed while hiding under the covers is Hongjoong who is also seeming to be shaking with how scared he is.

“Oh, hyung,” Wooyoung lets out at that before he slowly climbs onto the mattress to not frighten him even more. “Come here, love.”

The petname seems to work, as Hongjoong immediately throws the blanket up to pull Wooyoung under it instead. He then basically clings onto him with still shaking from how much the thunderstorm is doing to him.

“I´m s-sorry,” he sobs out. “I am just so scared whenever there is lighting and t-thunder. Because at the circus, I was never really sheltered well and I heard the thunder so l-loudly and I could see how bright it always was because of the l-lighting and I just-“

“It´s ok,” Wooyoung assures him right as he can now also feel some wetness against the crook of his neck with the older having started to cry. “You are not there anymore and you never will be. You will not be unsheltered and you will not be alone. Because I will take care of you, no matter what.”

This right now is probably the breaking point the younger had been afraid Hongjoong would reach. Everything had been going way too well the whole time he had already been here; it had only been a question of time when the elder´s good and happy mood will start to break.

Wooyoung is not sure if he is even helping enough right now or doing the right thing to try to calm him and to be there for him. But judging by the way Hongjoong pulls him even closer and whispers “thank you” into his ear, he is sure that he is at least helping in some kind of way.

He just lets the older be and lets him cry and hold him tight as long as he needs. He also whispers to him that it Is all right and that he is there and not going anywhere, which is making Hongjoong slowly calm down and even start to purr at one point.

Making a cat-hybrid purr is always a good sign, but what Hongjoong does after is an even better one, as he starts to scent him with pressing his nose deeper against the crook of his neck.

Wooyoung had never been scented before, but he knows how much this means. He is not even sure if Hongjoong had ever scented anyone besides Yeosang, which is making this even more special and their bond grow more and more, although it had already grown plenty over the last few days.

“Could I maybe sleep in here?” Hongjoong asks in a shaking tone while the thunderstorm is still going on outside and does not seem as it will stop anytime soon. “I know that you already told me that I could if I felt lonely, I just want to make sure if it is really still all right with you.”

“Of course it is,” Wooyoung assures him and even also presses a featherlight kiss against the top of his head, which makes the older purr again. “You can sleep right here. Right in my arms, ok?”

“Ok,” Hongjoong whispers before he scents Wooyoung even more while the younger is trying to get them both to lie down like this. “Thank you, Wooyoungie.”

That is also new; the older calling him like that. It sounds cute and loving coming out of his mouth. Which is why Wooyoung can´t hold himself back as he presses another kiss against his head, which gets him, once again, a purr back as an answer.

And although the thunderstorm outside had still not stopped and is even sounding and looking worse than before, Hongjoong is now rather calm and quiet as he lies in Wooyoung´s arms.

Almost as if that is the place he had always belonged to be.

Chapter Text

Wooyoung does not have any clients today, which is why he had not set any alarm the night before, as he can sleep as long as he wants.

Well, he would if he would not be already awake with the vibrations coming from the figure lying on top of him. Because although Hongjoong is still deeply asleep, he is non stop purring, which shows how comfortable he is feeling right now.

Actually, it had been that way since they had lied down to sleep or more like tried to sleep last night. As the thunderstorm had taken a while to disappear and so had Hongjoong with finally falling asleep in the end.

Wooyoung had been so tired when it had come to that point that he had not noticed the purring coming from him anymore with falling asleep around the same time as him. Even during the night he had not woken up because of it, but the second the sun had been up and the room had started to fill with light, he had been noticing it more and more until he had ended up lying there with his eyes wide open and his arms still wrapped around the elder´s waist.

He does not have the heart to feel mad about not being able to fall back asleep again. That the other is purring that much is something so precious and which he should cherish and be happy about, which is why he takes his time with looking at Hongjoong who is still having his eyes closed and his mouth pulled into a cute little pout.

He had never seen the older sleeping and he had also never seen him in the morning with not being all ready yet. His hair is all over the place and he looks so cuddly, which he also is, as he is still hugging Wooyoung tight.

They are all intertwined with each other and although he had always loved to have his space and had hated when he had been all caged in, the younger does not mind it one bit if it is with Hongjoong.

He also tries to rest his eyes a bit more, but he does not manage to doze off again, as there is some sudden movement coming from on top of him with the older seeming to start to wake up himself by now.

“Good morning,” Wooyoung can´t help but to whisper before chuckling at the way Hongjoong is immediately shaking his head and staying where he is. “Oh, are we not in the mood to get up? Although you will be able to spend some time with your Sangie again today?”

Yunho has the day off and as yesterday had been a dinner with everyone else, Yeosang had basically begged him and Wooyoung to let Hongjoong come over to be able to spend some time alone with him. Because they kind of miss to have their best-friends-quality-time without anyone interfering, although it had not been that long since they had last had it.

“I am going to see my Sangie in the afternoon, which is why we still have plenty of time and don´t need to get up right away. So could we please stay in bed for a bit longer?” Comes the shy mumbled answer. “Oh and could you maybe do what you also did last night?”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“Well, you kissed me. I mean you kissed the top of my head and it made me feel all warm and happy,” Hongjoong replies as he presses his face deeper against Wooyoung´s chest with probably wanting to hide the fact that he is blushing right now. “So could you maybe do that again?”

“Gosh, hyung. What am I going to do with you, huh?” Wooyoung shakes his head in disbelieve, as he can´t believe how he had gotten so lucky to have someone this precious in his life.

He knows that many would say that it is the other way around, as Hongjoong had gotten lucky to have met him and to have gotten adopted and taken in. But Wooyoung is the one who is as lucky, if not even more, with how much the older had already brought into his life.

And to also answer his question, he does indeed give him an extra loud kiss against the top of his head which makes the older purr even more and also start to scent him again. Only with his hair being all over the place, it does tickle a bit and makes Wooyoung laugh.

“Are you making fun of me?” Hongjoong wants to know as he does lift his head now. “Because that is not nice at all, Jung Wooyoung.”

“Oh, it is not?” The younger plays along, as Hongjoong had used a teasing tone. “I´m so sorry then.”

“You are mean,” the older pouts before he also has to laugh. “I´m sorry if I tickled you with my hair.”

“It´s fine. I like whenever you scent me.”

“I like it too. Although I never scented a person before and not even any hybrid besides my Sangie.”

“Why me then?”

“Because you make me happy and I want to protect you.”

“So you mark me with your scent?”

“Yeah, because you are my human, Wooyoungie.”

There it is; the nickname he had first used only the day before and which is making the younger´s heart happily jump in his chest.

“With my scent, I basically tell every other hybrid to back off.”

“Wow, even Yeosang, San, and Jongho?”

“They don´t actually need to back off, but they are also not clinging to you anyway. They only hug you goodbye and nothing more.”

“Wait, is that what they also do with their-“

“Significant others?”

“Uhm, yeah, that,” Wooyoung stammers. “Do they also scent them?”

“Sure they do. Seonghwa smelled a lot like San, Mingi a lot like Jongho, and Yunho a lot like Sangie. You can only not catch it with your nose, but I can. Every hybrid can.”

“So you are marking me every time you scent me?”

“Yeah, I am. Is that okay? I just never had my own human and whenever Sangie told me how fast he had that urge to scent Yunho, I never understood it. But now I do, as I also had that urge with you rather fast.”

“Of course it´s okay with me. I only wish that I could actually smell it, as I would love to know how my own scent smells like mixed with yours.”

“It smells as if there is a field full of flowers paired with something slightly salty and bitter.“

“Salty and bitter?”

“Yeah, like caramel toffee and dark chocolate.”

“Flowers, caramel toffee, and dark chocolate?” Wooyoung repeats. “Sounds interesting.”

“It does smell good,” the older is pouting again. “It really does!”

“Ok, ok, I believe you. And just so you know, you can scent me whenever you want.”

“Can I also do it wherever I want? Like in the supermarket when I feel overwhelmed with too many people around?”

“Did you feel that way when we went there?”

“A bit at first, yes. But then I didn’t feel overwhelmed anymore, as I really liked it in there, especially as you let me have what I wanted.”

“But it would have still helped at first if you could have scented me?”

“Well, yeah, but we weren´t close enough for me to already ask you if I could do it or for me to actually feel ready for it yet.”

“Well, just so you know, you can scent me whenever you want and wherever you want.”

“Thank you,” Hongjoong whispers all cutely. “And now; let´s lie down some more.”

“Fine, but not for too long, as I remember you telling me that you are good at making pancakes which I really want to finally get a taste of.”

The answer he gets back is the cat-hybrid tightening his hold around him before nodding against his chest and letting his eyes fall shut with wanting to seriously sleep some more.

-

After dropping Hongjoong off at Yunho and Yeosang´s place, Wooyoung meets up with Seonghwa who is for once without San, as the younger cat-hybrid had wanted to stay at home to play with the computer he had only recently gotten.

That is also something Wooyoung hopes he will be able to do too some day; to leave Hongjoong all alone at home, as although it says different on the paper, he does not own him in that way, which is why the older should be able to also be all alone if he wants to and doesn´t feel in the mood to accompany Wooyoung to wherever he needs to go.

Only that with the elder´s background, Wooyoung can also imagine that he does not actually want to be all alone in that rather big house, which would be also fine, as he would never force Hongjoong into doing something he does not want to do.

“So did San even leave the living room at all today? Or where did you put his computer?”

“It is in the living room,” Seonghwa nods as him and Wooyoung are sitting in one of their most favourite cafes in town. “And he did also leave to go to the toilette or to get more snacks from the kitchen.”

“You should have not bought him one then.”

“No, I should have not bought him that one game he is basically obsessed with these days. He managed to finally make it to that one special level and ever since then, he is determined to make it to the next way more difficult one.”

“How many levels does the game have overall?”

“Too many,” Seonghwa sighs out before taking a big sip from his caramel latte macchiato. “So, is Hongjoong as obsessed with his camera as San is with his game?”

“No, although he did take it with him to take some pictures with Yeosang.”

“You think the camera will stay intact if he will let Yeosang take some pictures of his own?”

“Honestly, I am not so sure,” Wooyoung has to admit. “But something tells me that hyung will take extra much care so that no damage at all will come to it.”

“Is everything else still going smoothly with him? I mean I do know we just talked about it yesterday, but a lot can happen with a hybrid within several hours. Believe me, I would know,” Seonghwa claims. “San managed to make a complete mess of my closet in the twenty minutes I left him alone once and I also didn’t know that he had sneakily drank some coffee before.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him,” Wooyoung laughs after he had taken a sip from his own ordered drink which is just a simple americano. “I don´t even know if hyung likes coffee or if he ever even drank it.”

“San said they had coffee, hot chocolate, and other stuff like that in his and Jongho´s old shelter. Maybe Hongjoong and Yeosang didn´t.”

“Maybe, but they at least had enough for them to make sandwiches whenever they wanted to and he also knows how to make really good pancakes.”

“Sounds good, as the only thing San can make is microwave popcorn,” Seonghwa laughs. “Something he is very proud of.”

It feels good to be able to talk with someone else about Hongjoong. It´s also a nice thing to not be the one who had always kind of felt left out with all of his three best friends having a hybrid of their own anymore. Although he would have still not adopted one if Yunho had not come to him with telling him about Hongjoong.

Thank God that had happened, as he cannot imagine his life without the older being in it anymore. He does not want to imagine it and to miss having him close for even one single day, which is also why he is almost relieved when him and Seonghwa are leaving the café after over two hours. Even though he had very much enjoyed talking to the older and taller, as they had not done that in a rather long time.

And although he is really wanting to be able to pick Hongjoong up soon again, he still comes to a drastic stop after him and Seonghwa had passed a certain store on their way through the street the café is also on.

“Hey, could we maybe go inside before we will get to our cars?”

“Sure,” Seonghwa quickly agrees after Wooyoung had pointed at the toy store next to them. “What are you looking for?”

“A puzzle. One with 1500 pieces, as hyung already finished the one with 1000 in a record speed.”

“Any particular motive it should have?”

“No, not really. He just likes pretty sceneries.”

“Noted,” Seonghwa tells him before he starts to look with him through the one big shelf the store has to offer when it comes to what they are searching for. “This is really nice of you, by the way.”

“What is?”

“You wanting to gift him another puzzle, although you already do so much for him.”

“And I will continue with doing that, hyung. Because he deserves it. Hell, he deserves the whole world, I just can´t give him that.”

“I am sure that you already have given him that. At least judging by the way he looks at you as if you are the most precious treasure of them all.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Woo, he looks at you like you hung the stars!”

“He does?”

“Yeah, he does. So you are not the only one who is whipped,” Seonghwa makes clear. “As he is too and that very much for you.”

Wooyoung can´t fight the wide smile and also blush spreading on his face, as it does good to hear such words.

“It´s cute,” Seonghwa adds. “How close you two already are.”

“You and San were also close right from the start.”

“No, we were not, as I was visiting him for half a year before actually adopting him. Same as Mingi with Jongho and Yunho also with Yeosang. Every single one of us needed way longer than you did with immediately having such a connection to your hybrid. And who knows,” Seonghwa starts to smirk. “Maybe that connection will continue to grow and grow until you and him will have-“

“What you and San have?” Wooyoung interrupts him. “What Mingi and Jongho have? Or what Yunho and Yeosang have?”

“Yeah, that.”

“It´s still too early to even think about that, isn´t it?”

“I don´t think so with how fast you two already are with everything else.”

Wooyoung´s heart is the one who replies to these words, as it happily jumps in his chest again with also thinking back to Hongjoong and their morning spend cuddling in bed together.

It is true that the older is slowly but surely conquering his heart, as he is already on his mind 24/7. And that not only because they are together that much. It´s just who Hongjoong is and how he behaves which is making Wooyoung like him so, so much. And there are even more sides of him which he does not know yet, but which he hopefully soon will.

 Even if he would only get to know more little facts about him, like how much he loves to do puzzles, which is on its own one of the most precious things ever. And which is also why he lets out a loud and happy clap after Seonghwa had managed to find a new one with indeed 1500 pieces and a breathtaking scenery of an ocean, dolphins, and the sun setting in the background.

“So I guess this is a good one?” The taller chuckles after seeing his reaction to it. “He will like it?”

“No, he will not just like it; he will love it!”

Which is why Wooyoung can´t wait to be able to give it to the cat-hybrid after they will make their way home from Yunho and Yeosang´s place.

-

“Look!” Hongjoong immediately tells Wooyoung, as instead of greeting him after the younger had appeared at the front door, he takes his hand to pull him into the living room where Yeosang is still sitting on the couch.

Yunho had been the one who had opened the door to him and Hongjoong had been the one appearing right in front of him with needing to show him something.

Something which has do to with the camera he had given him, as that is what Hongjoong is now taking out of the dog-hybrid´s hand with Yeosang having looked at the screen until now.

“Me and Sangie took some pictures,” the older is telling Wooyoung as he holds the camera right under his nose. “See? We went outside a bit for it, as Yunho does not have a garden like we do. And look! I even got a picture of a full cat and not a half one like I am.”

“We also saw some dogs who I took pictures of,” Yeosang is now recalling all excited. “They were also way nicer than that cat who hissed me.”

“She only hissed at you because you scared here with how hyped and fast you were coming her way,” Hongjoong scolds his best friend. “And because you are also a dog-hybrid.”

“Then why didn’t the dogs react in a similar way to you?”

“Because I am a delight to be around.”

His answer makes Wooyoung laugh, which Hongjoong takes the wrong way, as he starts to pout at him.

“Hey! I am a delight to be around,” he also whines. “I really am, Wooyoungie!”

“Yes, you are,” the younger nods earnestly while still having an amused expression on his face. “And you are also very, very talented, which I already told you. Because these pictures are really good, hyung.”

“Thank you,” Hongjoong says with getting rather shy again before he quickly hugs him right as Yeosang gets off the couch to show Wooyoung which pictures he had taken.

“They are also good, right?”

“Well, they definitely have their charm,” Wooyoung teases, as the shown pictures are not that bad, there are just not quite sharp and a bit shaky instead, but you can still make out the dogs he had taken the pictures of.

“I also didn’t drop the camera nor damage it in any other way,” Yeosang states quite proudly of himself. “So now you can also stop with trying to keep me away from your studio so much. I mean you even let Joongie-hyung assist you in there.”

“Yes, because your Joongie-hyung is way calmer than you are, babe,” Yunho has to chuckle at his now pouting boyfriend while he also wraps his arm around him. “Besides, Woo does not even let me or the others inside of his studio much.”

“Really?” Hongjoong asks surprised after hearing that unknown fact. “I thought that you would at least let Seonghwa, Yunho, and Mingi into your studio.”

“I do let them, I just don´t let them touch anything either if I am being honest.”

“Oh, so I am really a special case then.”

“Wooyoung is just way too whipped for you, Joongie-hyung,” Yeosang suddenly giggles. “At least that is the only explanation I can come up with if he still won´t let anyone else touch his cameras and other stuff.”

But before Wooyoung can open his mouth to say something or even protest, although he knows that the dog-hybrid is completely right, Hongjoong beats him to it.

“Wooyoungie saw my talent and wants to help me improve myself! Also, of course I am his favourite. He is also mine after all.”

“What?! I thought I was your favourite,” Yeosang lets out earnestly confused. “Am I really not anymore?”

“You are still my best friend, Sangie. Besides, I am not your favourite either, as that is Yunho. Which is fine,” Hongjoong assures before he puts his camera in the little bag Wooyoung had also gifted him. “Okay, we can go now,” he then easily adds, which makes Yeosang get out of his boyfriend’s hold to hug him goodbye.

“You are also still my favourite, you know that, right?” Hongjoong whispers as they hug. “I was just teasing, Sangie.”

“I know, you are also mine. You just share the spot with Yunho, same as I am sharing it now with Wooyoung.”

Hearing those not so quietly whispered words is making Wooyoung blush but also feel so loved, as they had been said so damn earnest by both of the hybrids. Yunho can also only smile with so much fondness in his eyes while they watch how Hongjoong and Yeosang part again before the older is reaching out for Wooyoung´s hand once more.

“Good to go?”

“Yeah, I am. Oh and thank you for having me, Yunho.”

“You are always welcome to stay here, hyung,” the taller replies. “No matter when, ok?”

“Ok.”

They could have easily just walked back home, but not with Wooyoung having needed the car to get into the centre of their town where he had met up with Seonghwa earlier.

Hongjoong likes to sit in the car and to look out of the window as the scenery is just passing by, but he loves to walk around way more. Especially now after having gotten his very own camera which he loves to capture everything with.

At least he had already been outside today and gotten an opportunity to take his beloved pictures, as after they had unlocked the door to their house, they are both rather crushed and too tired to go anywhere else.  Hongjoong does not even want to sit outside in the garden while Wooyoung makes them something quick and simple for dinner with the way he is only lying on the couch during it.

He is not even in the kitchen with him to at least keep him some company and only letting his voice appear again after noticing something which Wooyoung had brought in with them.

“What´s in that bag?”

“What?”

“What´s in that bag?” Hongjoong repeats with appearing at the door of the kitchen with carrying the bag from the play store in his hand. “Am I allowed to look inside of it?”

“Yes, love. You are.”

And the older does, which ends with a loud gasp coming from him as he looks at the puzzle which he is directly lifting up to see the full picture.

“Is this really for me?”

“Well, I am not the one who is a real expert when it comes to any puzzle. So yeah, it is for you.”

“Oh, Wooyoungie,” the cat-hybrid lets out at that and quickly puts the puzzle and bag on the table in the kitchen to be able to hug the younger. “Thank you so much.”

“You´re welcome.”

Wooyoung can feel the quick and shy kiss Hongjoong´s is pressing against his cheek before he fully pulls back from him again to look at the puzzle some more.

“Do you like the motive on it?”

“Yeah, I like it a lot and I can´t wait to do it, especially if I would have your help with it.”

“My help? But you are the expert here, not me.”

“Even so, would you do it with me?”

“I don´t want to damage the system you have going on.”

“You won´t,” Hongjoong states rather sure. “I can teach you and then we can do it together while sitting outside in the garden or while sitting in front of the light up fire place. Just not today, as I am pretty tired.”

“Me too, which is why I only made us something light to eat.”

“That was very thoughtful of you. But could we still perhaps sit a bit in front of the fire place later on?”

“We can even sit there to eat if you want.”

“I would love that,” Hongjoong agrees right away. “Do you need help with finishing everything?”

“No, but you can already bring me two plates.”

“Okay.”

It´s rather domestic, the way they are with each other. One would think that Hongjoong had been here for way longer with how easily he goes around the room and with how he already knows where everything is.

Also, something had definitely changed between them ever since Hongjoong had climbed into his bed last night with being scared of the thunderstorm. They are always close and unnecessarily touching each other whenever one has to pass the other.

Well, it´s not really unnecessary, as it is actually quite nice and makes Wooyoung want to reach out for Hongjoong even more.

There is this warmth coming from the cat-hybrid and so much love with every purr he lets out while they are sitting in front of the fire place with holding their plates in their hands. That he is even purring right now without even getting hugged by Wooyoung is showing how content and happy he is, which is warming the younger´s heart more than the lit fire does.

Something which is also filling him with so much warmth that he feels like he is going to burst any second is the fact that Hongjoong is lying in his bed again after he had gotten out of the bathroom where he had gotten ready for bed.

“I know that there is no thunderstorm going on outside right now,” the older is explaining his appearance. “And I am also not feeling lonely, as I had not felt like that ever since you took me out of that shelter, but I was still wondering if I could sleep here again. Because I would really love to do that.”

“Of course you can. I would be dumb to not let you.”

“I just really like to be able to lie next to you and to feel your warmth even in my sleep. It calmed me a lot last night and I may have gotten a bit attached to it.”

“Then it´s a good thing that I am not feeling any different,” Wooyoung tells him while also getting into his bed after shutting the lights off. “I would love to cuddle with you every night if you would be all right with it. Not only here, we can also sleep in your room for a change.”

“Yeah, we could, so that my bed gets also some love,” Hongjoong giggles way too cute while the younger´s heart is jumping pretty harshly in his chest again. “But not tonight, as I just want to lie here and be with you.”

Which works perfectly fine with Wooyoung as he is still very, very tired and just wanting to close his eyes and enjoy having the other so close.

But it seems as there is still something on the elder´s mind as he moves around a lot.

“Wooyoungie?” Hongjoong then also whispers into the darkness of the room, which makes the younger look at him as best as he can. “Thank you.”

“For-“

“For everything,” Hongjoong interrupts with already knowing what Wooyoung had wanted to ask. While doing so, he is also lifting his hand up to cup the younger´s face, which brings them back to the same scene happening one night before. Only that it had then been Wooyoung who had cupped his face to calm him down.

But right now there is nothing which is making one of them panic and be in the need to get calmed down. As everything is quiet around them while they are so, so close with Hongjoong having started to come forward more and more.

Wooyoung can even feel his breath ghosting over his lips by now and almost automatically closes his eyes, as only seconds later, he can also feel the elder´s lips pressing right against his own.

Chapter Text

Wooyoung has no idea where to put every single emotion he is feeling right now. Because having Hongjoong´s lips so shyly and softly press against his own is something he had not seen coming at all.

It had truly surprised him, but at the same time he is also so freaking happy that it had in fact happened and is also still happening right in this moment.

He can tell that Hongjoong is very much unexperienced, which is nothing bad at all and making this even more meaningful, as it had been the older himself who had still wanted to take this step forward.

It is also him who clumsily tries to make the kiss turn into something more with slightly opening his mouth and then unsurely closing it again. It makes Wooyoung smile right against his lips before he also cups his face to deepen their kiss himself.

If he is being honest, he had never been someone who had felt much whenever he had been with someone in the past. There had never been any love between him and them or even something close to it. But right now, while he is exchanging kiss after kiss with Hongjoong, he is feeling nothing but love spreading all over him.

He feels warm and his skin even tingles wherever he can feel the elder´s brushing against. This must be a complete new experience to Hongjoong, but it is also to him, as never had a kiss caused so much to his heart and to the way he feels.

He almost does not want for this to end and so does Hongjoong, as he is now even wanting to climb on top of him. But the one still rational thinking part of the younger´s brain is making them part, as this is still very, very new and he does not want for Hongjoong to do anything too quickly and without fully thinking about it.

“Why did you make us stop?” Is the immediate reaction he gets back. “I didn’t want us to stop. I liked kissing you. Didn´t you?”

“I did like it. A lot, love. But I don´t want for us to rush things, especially not without having talked about this and with this probably also being the first time you kissed someone. Am I right?”

“Well, yeah, you are,” the older is still pouting with not liking that they are not kissing anymore. “I never kissed anyone before, but I also never felt the need or the want to. Not that there would have been much possibilities, but whatever. It´s just that with you, I could not stop thinking about it after last night. Especially when you cupped my face in the way you did when you wanted to calm me down.”

“I didn’t even really think when I did that. I just reached out with wanting to do something.”

“You very much achieved that, as it really did stun me for a second and it also made a voice in my head appear which was basically begging me to just come forward to kiss you,” Hongjoong explains with getting a bit shy now. “But I didn´t.”

“What made you do it now?”

“I don´t know, it just felt right, didn´t it?”

“Yeah,” Wooyoung nods several times as he presses a short kiss against Hongjoong´s lips to underline his answer even more. “It did feel right. So, so right and it still does.”

“You taste really sweet, you know that?”

“I just brushed my teeth, so shouldn´t I taste all minty instead?”

“Minty and sweet,” Hongjoong giggles. “And I like it. I like the way you taste.”

“Gosh, hyung. You can´t just say something like that to me.”

“Why not? It´s the truth, Wooyoungie!”

Yeah, the older is really too pure, as he does not really get why Wooyoung had reacted in the way he had. Which is making him fall for him even more, as how can he be even more precious? Especially after they had just made out like that?

“Wooyoungie,” he is also pouting again. “You do taste good and I want to taste more of you. Way more! So come here again. Please?”

“You are seriously going to be the end of me,” Wooyoung sighs out before he does in fact let the older kiss him again and again and again. But that does still not mean that they will not have to talk about this a bit more, although Hongjoong seems pretty set on them not actually needing to. As to him it is pretty simple; he likes Wooyoung and Wooyoung likes him.

At least that is what he tells the younger after pulling away again with them both needing to catch some air, which makes the younger only shake his head in disbelieve at how the normally so shy cat-hybrid is so bluntly acting right now.

But the shy Hongjoong is rather fast back again when they are both not able to stop with yawing even during the many kisses which had followed. Because he is now not only wanting to cuddle up to the younger to sleep as close as possible to him again, but also to hold his hand during it.

Something Wooyoung had noticed is becoming kind of a thing with how often Hongjoong had already grabbed his hand during the whole day.

“It makes me feel like I am even closer to you,” he explains the reason why to him. “And that we belong together somehow. Which is a bit silly, right? I mean over a month ago, I did not even know you. I never even heard of your name from my Sangie or Yunho before, but now look at us. Crazy, isn´t it?”

“Totally. As crazy as it is that I can´t even imagine my life without you anymore. You already took up so much space in it and in my heart, which is also kind of scary. As I already like you so much.”

“I like you too. So, so much,” the older claims as he does grab Wooyoung´s hand to hold it gently in his. “And yes, it may be a bit scary too, but it´s a good kind of scary. One I don´t mind at all.”

“Me neither,” Wooyoung whispers right as his hand gets softly kissed by Hongjoong. “Because it makes me even more curious to see what there is next for us.”

“Only good things. I can already promise you that. Because I’ve been through enough bad things for a lifetime with how lost I have always felt before. But now I don´t feel that way anymore. Because I have you; my human who is even way more than just that.”

“Come here, love,” Wooyoung says as he pulls Hongjoong as close as he can while the older is still holding onto his hand and will be for the whole rest of the night.

-

Never in his whole life had Wooyoung been this sad about having a client to photograph. Or in this case several clients, as another mother will come in with more than just one child.

With needing for it to fit her schedule, she will already be here pretty early in the morning, which means that he and Hongjoong will not be able to stay in bed for as long as they would love to. Something especially the older is not happy about at all.

“Can´t we just stay here for longer?”

“For how long?”

“How about forever?”

“No, sorry” Wooyoung chuckles with trying to look at the clock standing on his nightstand as best as he can with how tight Hongjoong is still hugging him. He is also holding his hand again after having let go of it temporarily during his sleep.

“Why not?”

“Love, you know why. My client will be here soon, so I need to get ready for the day and also manage to at least eat something for breakfast.”

“But I want to cuddle more with my baby!”

“Your baby?” The younger asks in a teasing tone while being able to see how red the elder´s cheeks are turning in a record speed. “You are talking about me, right? Or is there someone else in this bed? Someone I am not aware of?”

There is an answer which he gets back, only that he can´t fully understand it, as Hongjoong is now pressing his face against his chest while still not letting go of him in any way.

“You do know that I don´t have an ear in my chest, right?” He keeps on teasing him. “You do need to speak up if you really want for me to hear your answer, love.”

“I said that yes, of course you are the baby I am talking about,” Hongjoong mumbles with only slightly lifting his head to be at least somehow better understandable. “My baby who needs to cancel his shooting, as I need him way more than his client does.”

“Really? What if I tell you that you can assist me again? Would you still want me to cancel then?”

“Assist you? You would really let me do that again?”

“Yes, I would,” Wooyoung confirms. “Especially as my clients today are several children.”

“You think that they would like to see me? Just like the adorable boy did?”

“Yeah, I am pretty sure that they would really like to see you in the studio with me. This time you can also even help with the background for the pictures, as their mother wants to have several different ones.”

“I would love to!”

And just like that, Hongjoong is letting go of Wooyoung to get off the bed.

“Come on!” He also tells the younger. “We need to get ready for them!”

Wooyoung can only shake his head in amusement at how hyped the cat-hybrid suddenly is. Especially with the way he is pulling him out of bed before giving him a quick and shy kiss and then leaving to get into his own bedroom to get ready for the day there.

Maybe Wooyoung should not have told Hongjoong that he can assist him again. Because the more he sees how the older is all gently talking to the children while he changes the setting behind them to take another round of photos, the more he is falling for him.

And that is something he had not even thought would be possible with how fast, much, and hard he had been already doing exactly that over the last days.

It is just way too heartwarming to see how much those children are liking Hongjoong and watching him and his pretty hair, ears, and tail in awe. Or the way one of them even asks all politely if they could touch his ears, which he quickly says yes to.

They are also all a bit older than the four year old boy who had last been here, so there had not been any tears in the first place. Still, having Hongjoong here is definitely helping with making the whole shooting easier and more relaxing than it would have been without him.

Also, Hongjoong is a real help with taking care of each setting, which makes Wooyoung want to teach him more and to include him for real so that he will be able to take some pictures of his own in the future. He already has the talent for it, he just needs to learn a bit more to start to also do it in a more professional way.

It will take some time until he will be at that level, but Wooyoung is already really looking forward to get him there. Only that now, he is still busy with taking pictures himself while Hongjoong is standing next to him again after being done with taking care of the new background.

Although there are several children, they are not making much trouble at all and the overall shoot goes pretty smoothly. Still, with all the changes, they are only fully done when it is already lunch time and Hongjoong and Wooyoung are both rather hungry after being all alone in the house again.

“Forget taking care of the mess in the studio,” the younger lets out right as Hongjoong had wanted to start with cleaning up. “Let´s cook something together instead and after eating, we can tidy everything up in there.”

“Could we also go out a bit when we are done with everything?”

“Sure, we need to go grocery shopping anyway.”

“Oh, so we will take the car? Could we make a little detour then?”

“Sure, to where?”

“There is a very nice and also rather big lake not far from the shelter,” Hongjoong states. “It´s supposed to be pretty and peaceful there. At least that is what my Sangie also told me when he once visited me after going to that lake with Yunho. So can we go there?”

“Of course, if that is what you would like to do. It´s just-“

“Just what?”

“Are you sure that you really want to go that close to the shelter after only having gotten out of there?”

“Yeah, I am sure that I want to do that. I will have you with me and my time in the shelter was not that bad. It was definitely way, way better if you compare it to my time at the circus. So you better never take me to one of those, ok?”

“I would never do that,” Wooyoung assures him right away. “I would never ever let you close to any kind of circus again. I promise!”

“Thank you, baby.”

The younger will probably never get enough of hearing that so lovingly said pet name, as it immediately makes his heart race again. And he will also never get enough of being able to cook for himself and the older and to create even more of a domestic life by the way they are behaving with each other.

Hongjoong is basically all over him in the kitchen and hugging him whenever he can while also watching how he is making them something quick but still very tasty and filling to eat.

They leave right after their lunch with Hongjoong being way too excited to finally see for himself how nice the so often heard about lake will really look like. Wooyoung had not been there much, at least he can´t remember when the last time had even been, as he usually is not a lot in said area.

Well, until he had first heard about Hongjoong, which had brought them to their new life in the first place.

“I can´t remember when I was last in a car on my way to the shelter,” the older lets out with them getting closer to the place he had stayed at for several years. “The last time I’ve been here was when you picked me up and drove me away from it.”

“Right now, we are also not directly going there, but to the lake close it.”

“I know, but we are still going to drive past it. And look, they put some new plants near the entrance,” Hongjoong spots as they are indeed driving past the shelter by now. “They look nice. There are even some flowers which are making it way more colourful than how it has been before.”

There is no sadness in his voice, just pure curiosity, as he seems earnestly interested to see if there are even more little changes from when he had last been here. Although that had been not that far away in the past, even though it does feel like it with how different his life is now.

“I also had some flowers in my room once in a while,” he continues even after the shelter is out of their sight with getting closer to the lake. “But only because Yunho brought them for Sangie who then shared them with me. Which reminds me, we really need to buy some flowers and mostly also plants for our garden. Because it is way too green out there and not colourful at all.“

“I know that we need to,” Wooyoung replies and can´t keep the fond tone out of his voice with how much he loves the sound of Hongjoong saying “our garden”. “We can go next week and take our time to pick out whatever you want to. Deal?”

“Deal!”

“Are you looking forward to taking lots of pictures?”

“Yeah, I do. But mostly I am just looking forward to being able to walk by the lake with you,” Hongjoong lets out the second they are stopping at the parking lot which is surprisingly empty, as not too many had come by car like they had. Because the overall area is not empty at all and filled with several people and also hybrids, as this stop is a rather popular one in their town to go to.

Wooyoung is a bit nervous, as he had never been in a place with Hongjoong where not only many other people had been, but also their hybrids. It had been way different whenever he had seen him in the shelter, as they had always only interacted with each other in the elder´s room then.

But before he can say something and ask Hongjoong if he is really sure of wanting to be here, his hand gets already grabbed while the older is pulling him along to where the path by the lake starts.

“It´s so peaceful here,” he also tells him with a content and happy smile on his face, which makes Wooyoung feel lighter because as it seems there is no need for him to worry about the older. “Don´t you think?”

“Yeah, it is. I get why Yunho likes to come here with Yeosang.”

“It seems like many hybrids are coming here with their humans,” Hongjoong states as another pair passes them by. It is also a cat-hybrid, but he has orange hair, ears, and a tail. Totally different from Hongjoong´s grey and black colour. “But I don´t mind that. It´s nice, as we are all free out here and not caged or locked in somewhere else. Which is what I will always be thankful for.”

He underlines his words with squeezing Wooyoung´s hand and pressing a shy and for the first time very public kiss right against his lips.

“Now, let´s take some pictures, okay?”

“Okay,” the younger nods as he can see that Hongjoong does not want or need to talk about that certain topic anymore. He only wants to enjoy their time outside with taking as much pictures from the wonderful scenery around them as possible.

Wooyoung is still rather fascinated by how well Hongjoong can already make the most beautiful pictures with one of his older cameras. It almost seems as if he had never done anything else in his life with the way he is moving around like a freaking pro.

Honestly, Wooyoung himself would not do anything different, which leads to them going to bed at the end of the day with being able to look at many very good pictures from their time at the lake.

“This one is my favourite,” Hongjoong claims as he holds the camera in his hands while showing Wooyoung one particular picture which he had taken today. “It´s the most beautiful sight which I managed to capture today.”

“Hyung,” Wooyoung can only lets out in a whisper as his eyes are immediately starting to water with seeing what the older is meaning. “That´s just me. It´s only me in that picture.”

“Don´t say that it´s just or only you. Because you are way more than that. You are the most beautiful person I know. And that from the outside and most importantly also from the inside.”

“I-“

“It´s fine, you don´t have to answer. I just wanted for you to know how much you already mean to me,” the older makes clear before he puts the camera in his hands away to cup Wooyoung´s face next. “You gave me a real home and you manage to make my heart all jumpy and run so unbelievingly fast in my chest. It´s a feeling I never had before, but one which I don´t want to miss for anything in the world again. Just like I don´t want to miss being with you.”

“Come here,” is the only thing Wooyoung can get out right now. “Please, come here.”

It makes Hongjoong let go of his face as he gets immediately pulled into his arms instead. Because the younger needs him as close as he can with letting some happy tears flow down his face.

“I would not be able to be one day without you anymore either,” Wooyoung tries to not sob out too loud with not wanting for Hongjoong to misunderstand his tears. “And I also don´t want to. I don´t want to be without you, as what your heart does because of me, that is what my own does too because of you.”

“Really?” Hongjoong mumbles rather surprised into his shoulder. “Me? I make your heart jump and run in your chest?”

“Yeah, you do. Here,” The younger tells him as they pull away far enough so that he can grab his hand and put it right over his chest where his heart is. “You feel that? You feel how fast it is racing?”

“I do,” the cat-hybrid whispers with wide eyes. “It´s running just like mine. I never got when my Sangie told me about this. I never understood why someone else should make your heart all jumpy and running around. But now I do.”

It´s the sweetest thing that Hongjoong is describing his racing heart as one which is running around. It´s so pure and makes Wooyoung smile so damn wide while his eyes are still wet and he is sitting in his bed with the older being so, so close to him.

That is also what makes Hongjoong reach out to him again with letting his hand glide from his chest to be able to cup his face as gentle as possible again. And only seconds later, he is coming forward to make them be even closer as he lets their lips meet in a way too soft kiss which makes Wooyoung´s heart jump and race even more.

They just fit.

Everything about them does.

It´s as if they are two puzzle pieces which had not been able to connect all those years they had not known each other yet. Almost as there had always been this picture which had already been waiting for them to finally fulfil it with letting their pieces meet and to click in the way they had always been supposed to. As if they had always been those two lost pieces who had now finally found their way to each other.

Even with them not even knowing about it at first.

-

Things had definitely started to get even more intimate between them, as Hongjoong is now basically obsessed with kissing Wooyoung whenever and most importantly wherever he wants to.

He does not care if there is anyone around or if they are all alone instead, because when he feels like needing to shower his human and his baby Wooyoung with some love, he does exactly that.

The only time he doesn´t is when the younger has a client, as he does not want to damage his business in any way. And mostly because he himself is also always busy with assisting then. As that is what he is doing full time now; being the younger´s assistant in the photo studio.

It warms Wooyoung´s heart to see how open Hongjoong had gotten and how touchy and how happy he is whenever he can give him a kiss or even scent him in public if he feels like it.

Also, whenever he hears how the cat-hybrid starts to purr because of him, Wooyoung still feels so, so touched, as he will never get completely used to the biggest sign of comfort and love a hybrid of the elder´s kind can give you.

“You know,” Yunho tells Wooyoung as they are all at their house again with Hongjoong and the other hybrids running around the garden where he is also showing them the many plants and flowers they had finally put there. “You and hyung are really putting everyone else of us to shame with how damn touchy and lovey dovey you have gotten with each other.”

“It´s true,” Seonghwa agrees right away. “You are always within reach from each other and even when Hongjoong wants to go somewhere else, he comes back multiple times to kiss you.”

“Oh come on, you guys were the same when you only just started dating.”

“No,” Mingi lets out at that while they are all sitting at the wooden table with still eating the dessert which Seonghwa and San had bought from the nearest bakery. “Me and Jongho were not at the same level you and hyung are. Not even once.”

“Yeah, me and Sangie neither,” Yunho claims too. “Seonghwa-hyung and San? Probably, but only because San is a real leach when it comes to who he loves the most.”

“Well, you are not completely wrong about that,” the oldest of them admits with a blush forming. “But even so, you and Hongjoong are still on a whole other level. Which is nice to see, as you can just feel the love between you two. Even when you are only looking at him one can feel it.”

“He turned my whole world upside down with coming into my life completely unplanned. Actually,” Wooyoung directly addresses Yunho now. “Without you coming to me and asking me to see him at the shelter, I would not even have him in my life right now. I would have not known him, which is something I don´t want to think a sole second about.”

“I only wanted to do Sangie a favour and to also help Hongjoong-hyung out of there. And honestly, you were the quickest solution I could think of, which is why I showed up here,” the blonde admits. “I never thought that it would go this well between you and him, but I am so, so glad that it has.”

“Me too,” Wooyoung replies as he reaches out for Yunho´s hand to squeeze it right before he suddenly has a lap full of Hongjoong. “What´s wrong, love?”

“Nothing,” the older giggles before he gives him several kisses and making the others look all teasingly at them, as they had just spoken about that exact behaviour. “Just wanted to be close to you and to also tell you that me, my Sangie, Sanie, and Jonghie want to go to that one store to get us all some snacks.”

“Some snacks? Hyung, we just had or still even are having dessert.”

“I know, but we will also have a movie night later on and we really want to have some snacks to eat during it.”

“Which store are you even talking about?” Seonghwa asks interested. “Did a new one open up around here?”

“No, it´s a rather old store and also a pretty small one too,” Yunho explains, as he also knows it with going there a lot with Yeosang. Actually, Wooyoung and Hongjoong had only learned about the store´s existent because of them. “It´s run by a very nice older couple who are very hybrid-friendly. So they can just go there all by themselves without anyone of us needing to be present.”

“Oh, that sounds nice.”

“It is, which is why we want to go there now,” Hongjoong tells Seonghwa before he looks at Wooyoung with the most precious expression he can manage. “I just need some money if that is okay with you, baby. Because I want to pay for it all. Or well, you will.”

“Just take my whole wallet,” Wooyoung has to chuckle as the older gets off his lap so that he can reach into the pocket of his trousers. “But do not spend everything, all right?”

“I won´t,” Hongjoong promises before he hugs him tight to thank him. “I will only buy the most necessary.”

“Yeah, sure you will,” Wooyoung has to laugh again. “Just don´t get lost out there!”

“We won´t!” Hongjoong tells him after getting out of his arms while the other three hybrids are still waiting for him so that they can finally go and make their way to the small store together. “And you know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I will always find my way back to you.”

As that is where he belongs to.

He always had.