Small delay in any art/writing updates! My fiancé and I are cat-sitting for a little over a week and these fluffy little bastards (affectionate) have declared war on anyone with the audacity to try to sleep between midnight and 5am.
Consolation prize cat pics in the meantime!
Hildy is a little formerly-feral tabby, weighing in at a negligible 10-ish lbs (in comparison to the others). She's a little odd, but quite charming. She goes brrrrp! and ma-maow! whenever she sees us and tries to lick my fiancé's eyelids. We don't know why. It's probably better that we don't know. She's a more recent addition to my friend's household, so I don't know as much about her as the other two yet, but from what I understand her previous owners didn't take care of her at all and basically left her to the land. I will say that my friend has done an amazing job of socializing her and working on her fear-aggression and trust issues. I saw her briefly when she first arrived over a year ago and it's like she's a whole new cat now.
8/10 - Hildy's a little too quick to claw when overexcited for my preferences, but otherwise a lovely little moggy who loves cuddles and pets.
Isaac Catsimov the distinguished (mostly blind at this point) flame-point Ragdoll gentleman, at a respectable 16lbs. Isaac doesn't believe in personal space, and for an old man (he's almost 18 now) he's surprisingly agile, as his pre-dawn parkour sessions can attest to. Great lungs, superb sound system: I do wish he'd sing something other than mournful cat-dirges at 3am however. He also slaps people in the face to 'politely' request a resource of some sort. We both take our thyroid meds together every morning. He's a good sport about it.
9/10 - Isaac loses a point for slapping me in the face this morning with his giant shovel paws because he stood in his own water dish and got fur in it, but I love him so much.
And, saving my personal favourite for last, this is "Big Fellow" Atticus Finch (as he's listed in his vet records) the dark-bodied seal point Ragdoll-Maine Coon mix (and also the grandson of Isaac!), reigning supreme at roughly 20lbs of solid muscle and fluff. He runs like a badger, makes the most terrifyingly deep BAO! sound in the dead of the night when he's bored, and headbutts like a freight train at full speed with faulty breaks. He also likes to hold people's hands and cuddle their arms with all four of his feet.
15/10 - I love him more than life itself, and also fear I am slightly concussed.
The Foxes may have won Division I games, some of them might have gone on to successful pro careers (to join Court), and others to successful non-Exy careers (doctors, designers, etc.). But there is one badge of honor that they (and anyone who knows them) all strive for - to say that they have been chosen to cat-sit Neil and Andrew’s beloved fur-children:
Renee and Bee are a given, of course. Even if Neil isn’t big on Bee as a psychiatrist, he knows that Andrew completely trusts her and that she is the closest thing to a mother he’s ever known, and that she won’t harm their ‘children’.
The same with Abby and Wymack. These two have looked after the Foxes and continue to do so, and will watch over their ‘kids’ offspring, be they covered in fur or not.
Allison and Andrew might not always see eye to eye, but she takes such responsibility seriously so she’s added to the roster. (Plus, it gives her a chance to go through Neil’s closet during her stay, destroy anything she finds ‘hideous’ and replace it with ‘decent’ clothes, which Andrew approves.)
Matt is Neil’s best bud and Neil trusts him with his life, but when he called/texted 60 times over every little thing (’I can’t find the cats! - NM, they were under the bed,’ ‘are they supposed to sleep this much?’, etc.), he’s only kept in the rotation if Dan can come, too.
Nicky has offered several times... Neil and Andrew are grateful that he’s in Germany. He’s a ‘last resort’ and ‘only if Erik is there the entire time’ option.
It took a couple of years before Robin was added to the rotation, and more because she didn’t feel comfortable cat-sitting until she got a cat of her own.
Aaron is offended to find out he’s only on the list as Katelyn’s ‘+1′ - like Matt, he’s not allowed to watch the cats unless his spouse is there (Neil still has a few things to work out with his brother-in-law, but gets along great with Katelyn. Andrew has to admit - well, not really - that the cats like her and makes sure her name is toward the bottom of the list).
Kevin? He’s utterly indignant that he hasn’t been asked yet - indignant! He brings treats and toys whenever he visits, spends a night going over the history of cat domestication (until Andrew all but throws him out), sends Neil an itemized list of why he’s so much better a cat-sitter than anyone else... and almost loses it when he finds out that Jean was asked to cat-sit one weekend. Jean!
Neil and Andrew trust Kevin, they’re just having too much fun tormenting him for the time being. Plus, he buys the best cat treats (even better than what Allison brings), so....
Pairing: Cat-Hybrid!Jeon Jungkook (BTS) x Fem!Human!Reader; Genre: Hybrid AU, fluff, angst; Wordcount: 8.538; Rating: PG-13, sfw; Warnings: broken glass, some cuts, mentions of blood, bad cat puns,
Summary: Your neighbours called you spontaneously to watch over Kookie while they were on a holiday. Since you love animals you agreed without much thought. You didn’t even worry much about not seeing Kookie the first few days because your neighbours had warned you about how shy he was. That was until you heard the loud thump followed by a crash one evening. Something that was a little too loud for a cat.
A/N: I met a cat, his name is Oskar and after spending some time with him he gave me this idea. And I just pictured Jungkook. Cause all those habits Oskar had, screamed basically JK energy at me.
“Hey Kitty!” You called into the hall, after closing the door behind you again. Curious, you looked around. The cat was nowhere to be seen. You took off your shoes and jacket and put it on a small chair near the door. “Okay, Kitty. Uhm, I'm just gonna make dinner then?!”
Three days ago your neighbours had asked you to look after Kookie, while they went on vacation. They had booked the flights and the hotel before they got him and it was too late to reschedule something and that’s where you came into place. You’ve been in their house before and they had invited you prior wanting to discuss everything.
When she called you and asked you to keep an eye on Kookie, your first response was: "Oh? So you finally got a cat for the boys?” She hadn’t denied your question. Instead she asked you to come over and so you did.
She opened the door almost immediately after you rang the doorbell, which confused you since she normally needed some time but you shrugged it off.
You could hear the boys playing upstairs while you followed their mom to the kitchen. “Kookie is pretty shy. He got his own room upstairs and only the boys are occasionally allowed in there. He is a little territorial and shy around women. Most of the time he is even too afraid to look me in the eyes.”
“Are you sure I am a good choice when he could be afraid of me?” You asked unsure what to do with that information.
“Ah, don’t worry. He will warm up to you during the next three weeks eventually. You don’t even have to do much. It would just be nice, if you could keep him company and sometimes make him a normal dinner. Otherwise he would end up eating only cup noodles and nothing else. If he is not too shy, you could eat with him. Of course you are allowed to use anything here to cook and you can eat the stuff we got here as well. Kookie eats a lot but it should be enough for three weeks. Should it not, I’ll put a letter with a little money in this drawer, so you could go grocery shopping.”
You nodded along, making mental notes to remember everything. For a moment you wondered that Kookie got normal human food to eat but you dismissed it since you knew of stranger pet diets.
Suddenly the boys ran downstairs and jumped around you, laughing loudly.
Alarmed, you froze on the spot. That never happened before. They were loud and excited with each other but never were you directly involved.
“What happened?”
“Kookie says you smell nice!” The younger one giggled while tugging at your arm.
“Thanks? That’s nice of a cat to say. I guess.”
“Yeah, Kookie is really nice!” The elder nodded before turning to his brother. “Let’s go back to him.” With that they left again, leaving you stunned and confused.
Their mom broke you out of your frozen state by saying: “Well, I think that’s about it. Don’t worry when you don’t see him the first few days. Just stay here for a bit and do whatever you like.”
You nodded and bid your goodbye afterwards.
And now you stood in the kitchen, making lasagne with the ingredients you found. While cooking you hummed silently a melody that was stuck in your head. After some time you felt an intense stare at your back.
That was strange. The stares of humans were something you always felt but never the stare of an animal. Unless it was the obnoxious stare of your friend's dog while you were eating.
Still you decided not to turn around.
“It still takes a bit until the lasagne is finished,” you said quietly. “But if you’re really hungry, I could make you a snack?”
It was silent after your question and you were about to facepalm yourself. Of course a cat can’t answer your question. “Ugh, I wish I could talk to a cat or at least understand cat-ish!? It would make it way easier to communicate with you.”
You sighed and stopped for a moment. This was crazy and despite knowing how stupid you were, you continued to talk. “Uhm, maybe you could meow when you agree with something I say or swish with your tail to the left or something.” You chuckled lightly imagining how that would work. “Anyway, do you want a snack before dinner?”
Nothing.
“Ookay, I hope that was a no. Then, uhm, do you like lasagne?”
You almost dropped the lasagne you were about to put in the oven when you heard the meow.
“Yeah, that’s.. that’s great I guess. Well, like I said, it’s still taking some time but I will call you when it’s ready. Unless you want to keep me company while I do the dishes?”
Another meow came from him and you smiled brightly. “Cool, it’s nice to have some company.”
During your one sided conversation you never turned around once or tried to sneak a peek at the cat. Still you chatted lightly accompanied by a few meows here and there. When the oven ringed, you pulled out the lasagne. “Do you want us to eat together?”
Once again it stayed silent.
“Oh, okay. No problem. I just get you a plate ready and go away or something like that.” You rushed a little to get everything done. Embarrassed that you got rejected by a cat. “Everything’s done. I will leave for today and stop by tomorrow morning again.”
Out of the corner of your eyes you caught a glimpse of Kookies tail before he hid himself again when you turned around.
“Don’t eat too fast! It’s still hot. I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said, putting on your shoes and jacket and leaving directly afterwards.
It was the same the next morning and the following days. Even after three days you haven’t seen more than a little of his tail.
You sat on the couch in the living room watching the late evening program on TV mindlessly. Despite the flickering screen you had no lights on, feeling calmer this way.
The calm was disturbed when you heard a loud crashing sound upstairs. Alarmed, you shot up, looking at the ceiling and waiting for another sound. Straining your ears you heard tapping as if someone was walking and then a little bang.
Slowly you got up, tiptoeing to the staircase. Your heart pumped heavily and your hands turned clammy. Nervous you rubbed them over your thighs while constantly looking around.
After every few steps you paused. When nothing out of the ordinary appeared you moved further. It was hard hearing something else besides your own rapid heartbeat but as soon as you reached the top you could hear a low whimper.
You immediately forgot all your fears, only the worry of something happening to the cat prominent in your mind. Marginally you noticed the light in a room and dashed inside of it.
Stopping almost directly again. With wide eyes you stared at the scene in front of you.
On the edge of the bathtub sat a young man in loose dark grey shorts and a wide white tee. He stared at you as shocked as you felt.
Your eyes jumped over every little detail as your brain worked overtime to puzzle the pieces together. Of course your neighbours weren't talking about an actual cat. The own room, the human food, the conversation with the boys. Everything made sense now.
You noticed his cat ears that were pulled tight against his dark brown hair. Almost invisible, if he hadn't moved slightly. You noticed his tail swaying nervously behind him. The tail you only caught glimpses of before. You saw the blood dripping down his bare heel and a few minor cuts on his arms as well as a deeper one on his cheek.
When your eyes settled on his own you noticed how scared and guilty he looked.
You took a deep breath to calm yourself down again. Considering how shy he was you looked away again instead focusing on his heel. “Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” You chuckled slightly, still monitoring every movement. “You scared me there, buddy. All this time I believed I had to look after an actual cat.”
Your voice was calm and low, hopefully even soothing to the hybrid. It clearly relaxed him and his tense body started to loose up a little. Carefully, still talking to him, you went to the small drawer and got the first aid kit. “Do you need some help?” You asked, your eyes flickering up to his face for a moment.
He didn't answer, still staring at you with wide eyes. Like a deer caught in headlights.
“If you’re still not comfortable talking to me, you could always resume to meow at me.”
“Why should I meow at you?” He asked, confused. His voice was soft and melodic.
“Why did you meow at me when I thought you were an actual cat?”
“Because you thought I was an actual cat!”
“But why haven't you told me? I feel so stupid now for not realising it sooner.” You gasped loudly and looked at him in shock. “What if I never had realised it during the remaining two weeks we have?”
You could see his cheeks scrunching up and the crinkles forming at the corner of his eyes before you heard him laughing at you. His laugh sounded somewhat boyish showing his teeth that resembled somehow a bunny. Fascinating that he resembled so many animals but not a cat despite his obvious hybrid traits.
Despite wanting to pout you had to grin, feeling relieved that he wasn't in a daze anymore. “So, do you need some help with the cuts, Kitty?”
“You know I have a name, right?”
“Kookie.”
“That's only my nickname.”
“Is it? Oh, then what is your real name?” You asked out of curiosity. But before he answered you stopped him again. “Wait! You can tell me later. Don't try to change the topic again. Your cut! It needs to be treated. And this one too.” Pointing at his cheek, concern evident in your eyes.
Sheepishly he avoided your gaze before nodding. “I think. Maybe. I think I might need help,” he whispered, gnawing on his lower lip.
“Okay. I'm going to start with the cut on your heel. You just need to stay still,” you said and approached him slowly.
He had his injured foot propped up on the edge of the tub as well, which gave you enough access to it. But when you came nearer he tensed visibly.
“If it hurts or you feel uncomfortable or anything else that burdens you, please tell me. I try to be as gentle as possible and I let you know about every step I take, okay?” You kneeled in front of him, his heel now on the same level as your eyes.
You could feel his intense stare on you but tried to blend it out and focus on the task before you. “At least it seems like a clean cut,” you mumbled, searching for the things you needed. When you glanced up at him he immediately turned his head away to hide his staring. Still he couldn’t hide the deep blush on his face that spread to his neck and chest even.
Calmly you disinfected your hands. “I’m disinfecting your wound as well and cleaning it if necessary.” You caught his nod and started doing what you just told him. It was a relief to see that there were no glass shards or whatsoever in the wound. You just needed to wrap it up in a bandage.
You had asked him to shift his foot from the bathtub on your lap so you could wrap the bandage around it. “How did this actually happen?” You asked while concentrating on the bandage.
“I practised and stumbled against the mirror.”
“In your room?”
“Yeah?” His voice was raised at the end like he wasn't answering but asking something. “Why do you ask?”
Rolling your head from one side to the other you hesitated with your answer. “How should I put it? I assume the mirror is broken into pieces, right?”
He nodded shortly.
“And those are everywhere on the floor.”
Another nod.
“Shall I clean them up?”
Confused, he tilted his head, not knowing what you wanted with this question.
Deeply sighing you stopped your motions for a moment and looked him in the eye. “It is in your room. You are injured and I kind of don’t want you to move too much. So I want to clean it up to prevent more injuries. But I won't go in your room unless you allow me to go there.”
“Oh, uhm. You will only clean up the shards?” His voice was barely above a whisper.
“If you wish, I will even promise to you to only look on the floor and nowhere else. I just don't want you to step in a piece of the mirror,” you confirmed.
“No, no. That's okay. I think.”
“You can watch me and make sure I won't do anything else,” you suggested trying to ease his mind. “But only after I got all your wounds cleaned up.”
He nodded silently and you took it as a cue to resume your work. Methodically you tended to all his cuts on his arm until only the cut on his cheek was left.
“This one is pretty deep,” you whispered while your fingers graced over his skin. “It could leave a small scar.” Carefully you inspected the cut, unconsciously drawing closer to his face while biting on your lower lip in concentration.
Silently he watched you. His breath hitched a little when he noticed how close you were but you were too focused on the cut to notice. He could feel the warmth radiating from your body and suddenly the urge to cuddle into you washed over him. Your cute expression and closure didn't help him at all to suppress this urge.
“At least it is clean,” you mumbled with a small smile before you withdrew from his face to get a sticking plaster. “So those were all the injuries I could see. Are there any other injuries?” You leaned back and let your gaze wander over his body.
“No. No more,” he croaked out before coughing lightly.
“Okay. Then let me help you to your room and while I clean up you can tell me your name and what kind of practice you did, yeah?”
He nodded and you helped him to his room. Thankfully a small chair was right at the entrance so you could place him there without getting through the mess. While you got a broom he told you about his hobby, which was dancing.
You were amazed that you never heard his steps but thought that would be a cat thing. You could hear how excited he got when he told you about his favourite song and the moves he created for it.
“I’m all done now but you still haven't told me your name.” You laughed after discarding the last shards.
“Jungkook.”
“Nice to finally meet you, Jungkook. I’m Y/N.” You grinned and stretched your hand towards him.
“I know.”
“Oh, so they told you my name.” Embarrassed, you were about to retreat your hand but in the blink of an eye he reached out and grabbed your hand, shaking it happily with a big grin.
Since then you spent the time when you went over actually together. Playing video games, watching movies, eating together. Sometimes just being in the same room while doing different things.
Your stays even got longer than in the beginning. Especially towards the evening, where you often sat in the living room after eating dinner together.
At first Jungkook kept his distance towards you. He was still not completely over the close proximity you two had in the bathroom.
Wherever you sat down he took the seat farthest away. But over the time he grew bolder, placing himself nearer every day until he was only an arms length apart from you. Still on the other couch but he could stretch his hand out to you and touch you.
Of course you noticed how he moved closer and you noticed his gazes as well. Sometimes looking right back at him until he recognized you were staring back and blushed furiously. Grinning lightly you went back to whatever you did before. You never mentioned or questioned it just accepting it being a habit of him.
Your neighbours had once sent you a message, asking if everything was alright since you never called or texted them. As an answer you just snapped a picture of Jungkook while he was immersed in watching the Ironman movie on tv. With the caption: “I think we're good. Hanging around a lot and having fun.”
“I knew he would warm up to you!” Your neighbour had answered with a bunch of emojis. “We are so excited to see him again soon. Hope you can still keep it up until then.”
Right. Soon your ‘job’ would be over and you wouldn't come around everyday. Somewhat gloomy you stared at your phone, not noticing that Jungkook felt your emotional change and looked over your shoulder to see what caused it.
Reading the message he got to the same conclusion you had but he didn't know how to deal with this information. Instead he just stood up, startling you, and rushed to his room.
Confused, you watched him leave. For a moment you were fascinated he could storm off like that but it seemed like the rumours of fast healing abilities for hybrids were true. “I guess it's called a night then,” you sighed and stood up as well, packing your stuff and calling your goodbye to Jungkook before leaving the house.
The next day, you basically forgot about the message, wanting to enjoy the second half of your duty. But when you entered the house and called out Jungkook didn't come to greet you. You called once again with no avail.
“Oh, come on. Don't be a grumpy cat and say at least hello to me,” you shouted upstairs. But again there was no reaction. Annoyed, you huffed: “Back to square one I guess.”
The whole day he didn't come out of his room even once. You worried about him, yes, but at the same time you thought he would come around again and that it was just some cat thing. You heard so many stories about cats being moody as hell and going from extreme cuddly to don’t ever fucking touch me again, filthy human. Since you never had an encounter as close as this with another hybrid you just tried to put plausible things you knew about the animal itself at work here. You couldn't know that he was in distress since something he deemed part of his territory would vanish.
When you went home for the day Jungkook was basically glued to the window, watching you walk away. You didn't have to walk far to your home and Jungkook could see your house from his room. But before you reached the door you had stopped and whipped around. Your face illuminated through a streetlamp.
Nervously Jungkook's tail swished behind him. He saw you talking and your eyes growing in shock before you scrambled for your phone. You were too far away for him to hear what you were saying but his stomach dropped when he saw you shrinking and making yourself appear smaller than you were. That's when he noticed the person next to you, wildly gesticulating and finally reaching out for you.
Jungkook hissed when he saw that person grabbing your arm and forcefully dragging you to a car. He even growled when he saw you hitting that stranger's hand and arguing back, if your angry face was any hint for that matter.
Still you were shoved into the backseat of the car followed by the stranger and as soon as the car door was closed the motor started in a loud roar and the car drove off. Jungkook stared anxiously after the rear end lights until they vanished. His breathing was accelerated and his mind ran miles an hour. He had no idea what to do, he couldn't just run after the car. He didn't even fully comprehend what just happened.
Were you just kidnapped? But it seemed so different from the kidnappings he saw in movies. Are real kidnappings different? His fear rose and he started to pace around his room agitated. Trying to figure out what to do.
He didn't sleep that night. And his worries grew when you didn't come the next morning. Normally he would be asleep at the time you came but he always knew you were there because of the breakfast you prepared before leaving again. Jungkook even went down to make sure he didn't miss you, running around the floor, looking in every room but not finding you or any other hint.
This was driving him insane. Exhausted from worrying and staying up all night he went to the living room. There was still the faint smell of you lingering around. With glassy eyes he sat on the smaller couch, where you normally sat. Carefully Jungkook took the pillow you always used to prop yourself up and smelled at it. Since you had used it for the whole time you came here it only smelled like you.
He desperately clawed at the pillow, holding it close to his chest. Tears welled up in his eyes and he curled up on the couch, nuzzling into your scent. You had never missed a visit. You always came at the same time, like clockwork. Finally realising you weren't going to come this morning, the tears started to stream down his face. Silent sobs escaped his lips and he tried to muffle them by shoving his head into the pillow. Jungkook cried until exhaustion hit him and forced him to fall asleep.
Guilt gnawed at your insides when you opened the door and sneaked inside of your neighbours house. Despite knowing that Jungkook could probably still hear you, you didn't want the confrontation at the moment. You were exhausted from being awake for over thirty five hours.
You tiptoed inside of the living room and stopped in surprise. Jungkook was curled up on the smaller couch holding on to one pillow for dear life. His body moved slightly up and down in a calm rhythm that indicated he was sleeping. You noticed the tear stains on his face as well as his furrowed brows and the guilt hit you like a wrecking ball. ‘He must have been so worried.’ You thought to yourself, almost breaking into tears.
The whole day you were trying to convince yourself it was okay to only stop by in the evening since he ignored your presence the day prior. You thought he could eat some leftovers should he get hungry. But you were so wrong and it broke your heart.
Silently you draped a blanket over Jungkook, tugging him in carefully. “I'm so sorry,” you whispered before lightly pecking his forehead. “So, so sorry.”
Despite being tired and barely able to keep your eyes open, you decided to make something to eat for Jungkook when he would wake up. Afterwards you could lie on the other couch and doze a little.
Said and done. You had prepared some curry and plopped down on the couch. Jungkook still slept but his face looked a lot more at ease than before. You watched him for a while until you dozed off.
Jungkook woke up because of his twitching nose. Tiredly rubbing his eyes he sat up. For a moment he wondered why he fell asleep on the couch but his memories came back as soon as the haze of sleep left his mind. The emotions accompanied with the memories were too much for him. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath.
His body tensed. Your scent was stronger than before and he could smell freshly prepared food. Immediately he shot up looking around frantically until his eyes landed on you.
You had dark circles under your eyes but Jungkook could only feel relieved to see you there. His heart was beating so fast he was afraid it would break out of his ribcage any moment. You were here again. Or were you? Hesitantly he approached you reaching out to tap your shoulder.
Scared he immediately pulled his hand back until his mind registered that he actually could feel you. A huge burden lifted from his heart. Delighted he wasn't actually dreaming he crawled behind you. “Mine,” he purred and pulled you to his chest, caging you in his arms.
You woke up due to a constant rumbling you felt. Disoriented you tried to sit up but a small growl and the tightening of arms around your body stopped you. Blinking rapidly you tried to make sense of your situation. Only seeing Jungkook missing on the other couch made you realise he was lying behind you. As soon as you stilled your movements Jungkook began to purr again. Letting you know he was the reason behind the rumbling.
“I'm sorry I missed out this morning,” you whispered, “I didn't think it would affect you.”
“I was worried to hell after seeing you being kidnapped,” Jungkook grumbled, pulling you even closer.
“Kidnapped?”
“You were dragged into a car last evening.”
“Oh that. I wasn't kidnapped, Jungkook,” you said, a small giggle escaping your lips due to the ridiculousness.
“But he forced you.”
“Yeah, but he is a friend and I promised to hang out with them yesterday. I forgot about that and he was a little angry that I didn't come and since I had ignored his calls and text messages he decided to show up at my door.”
“But why weren't you here this morning?” Jungkook insisted, his voice strained of hurt.
“I was staying with my friends,” you admitted. “Partying and afterwards cleaning and then going out. They insisted on doing something with me. I couldn’t turn them down again, you know? I didn't know you saw how they picked me up and thought you were just fine, even if I came later than usual. Especially because you ignored me yesterday.”
Jungkook went silent and after a while you grew agitated and forced his tight grip to let you turn around. His eyes were distant, not focusing on anything.
“Are you okay?” You asked worriedly, looking at his face.
When he didn't react you drew your hand up to his cheek, cupping it softly. “Jungkook? What's wrong?” He closed his eyes and started to purr, nuzzling into your hand. “Talk to me, Kitty,” you whispered.
“I don't want you to leave me.”
Confused you blinked up to him. “Tonight?”
Jungkook shook his head. “No, ever,” he confessed in a hushed tone.
“I understand.”
Jungkook's eyes shot open. Confused, he scanned over your face. Hope rising up in his heart.
“But I can't just stay here. This is not my home.”
He visibly gulped, still holding on to a shred of hope to stay with you.
“And I can't just take you to my home.”
There it was. His last shred of hope crushed by your words. You could see it dying in his eyes and it hurt. It hurt so much.
“You are the hybrid of someone. If I take you, that would be considered stealing.”
“But I would go on my own free will with you,” he whispered, tears brimming at the edge of his eyes.
“I know. Shh. I know, don't cry. We can't just decide on an outcome when a third party has to decide as well. And it’s not like I will vanish from your life. I am still your next door neighbour.” You soothed, stroking his cheek softly.
A part of you was sure he felt this way because of his prior worries. Maybe he would forget his wish in a few days.
Thankfully he calmed down again. Enough to fall asleep one more time, still holding you. Sighing quietly you stroked over his hair, resulting in a low purr from Jungkook. You chuckled lightly. “Sleepy Kitty.”
You had stayed the night since there was no way you could leave Jungkook's tight hold. But you actually didn't mind and caught up on sleep in the meantime.
Jungkook woke up before you, glad you were still in his arms. He nuzzled his face in your neck and inhaled your scent in content, purrs erupting from his chest. He was so absorbed that he started to paw at your hips. Slowly pressing his hand down before lifting it up and repeating this movement.
You groaned. It was way too early for you to be awake. Still you opened one eye to observe Jungkook. His eyes were closed and he was in a complete state of relaxation. He didn't even notice you woke up.
When he suddenly clawed at your hips while pressing down you stiffened. It didn't hurt but it was still a weird feeling like small pricks into your skin despite having clothes on. “Good morning,” you whispered and ruffled carefully through his hair, slightly rubbing the base of his ears and massaging his skull.
The purrs got louder and he even pressed his head more into your hand.
Giggling you continued to massage him while ignoring his pawing on your hip. You were about to fall asleep again from the loud purrs when they stopped out of the blue and your hand was ripped away from Jungkook's head.
In the blink of an eye he had grabbed your hand, holding it down with his nails scratching your skin a little, while biting it. Once again it didn't hurt but it was definitely more than just gnawing on your fingers. You held still not sure what to do. A part of you wanted to yank your hand away and scold him while another part wanted to laugh out loud but mostly you were curious what Jungkook would do next. So you waited.
It didn't take him long. He stiffened and stopped moving at all. His eyes wide like saucers. His gaze flicked to your face before it went back to your hand. Shocked about himself he shot up, jumping from the couch and came to a halt at the doorway, where he turned back to you.
You arched an eyebrow, the corner of your lip twitching upwards and waited for him to say something.
Instead he came back, his face bright red. He sat in front of you on the floor, carefully taking your hand, caressing and licking it with low purrs.
You snorted. This was too hilarious and cute. You patted his head, moving forward to rub your nose against his. “You are too damn cute.” You giggled and stood up. “Let's get some breakfast.”
The whole day he followed you around. He tried to play it cool by pretending to have some business in the same room. When you both chilled somewhere and you stood up he continually tensed and asked where you were going, telling you he had to go there as well actually.
One time, while you two were in the living room, watching a movie, you stood up to go use the bathroom and he was about to stand up as well but you stopped him. “Jungkook. I am only going to the bathroom. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Promise.”
He nodded and sat back down, trying to look relaxed. But his eyes were fixed on your retreating back. And he hadn't moved a notch until you came back. His eyes constantly glued to the doorway until you reappeared.
With a sigh you sat back on your previous spot on the couch, with your back against the armrest and leaning sideways against the back. One of your legs was propped up while the other was extended on the couch.
You felt Jungkook's stares again as soon as you had settled down. “Shouldn’t you concentrate on the movie?” You asked, tilting your head with a small smile towards him.
Embarrassed for being caught he blushed, playing nervously with his fingers.
“Cat got your tongue?” You teased him when he didn’t respond.
Jungkook huffed and stood up, still not saying a word. He glanced once at your face before he climbed over your leg and plopped down between them with his head on your lower stomach. His arms snaked around your stretched leg and held it close to his chest while loud purrs erupted from his chest again.
You snickered, your hand automatically drawn to his head to play with his hair and rub his ears. “You’re going to lull me to sleep with your purrs. You know that, right?”
Sneakily he grinned up to you, purring even louder.
“Watch the movie!” You laughed and hit his shoulder slightly.
The hours and even days went by like that. A constant push and pull with Jungkook. One moment he was all cuddly and almost lying on top of you and the next he jumped away to do something completely different, letting you be on your own. But you still had to be in his view otherwise he would grow restless.
Everytime you mentioned you needed to go home he would cage you in his arms or lay down on you and make himself even heavier than he was. “But I need to shower and get fresh clothes,” you whined, pushing against his shoulder in vain.
Instead of letting you go he hoisted you up over his shoulder and carried you to his room. He dropped you on his bed, fixing you with a stern look, before he went to his drawer and pulled some clothes out. “You can wear those,” he said, throwing them to you.
You sighed in defeat. “Okay, thanks for the clothes.” With that you stood up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. You folded your old clothes, stuffed your underwear between your outerwear and secured everything by tieing the sleeves of your hoodie.
After that you stepped inside the shower, groaning when the warm water hit your skin. You tried to relax a little but still felt uncomfortable showering at your neighbours house. Closing your eyes you wanted to clear your mind but a few things were haunting you.
“He is a little territorial.”
“I don't want you to leave me.”
“Kookie says you smell nice.”
“No, ever.”
“He got his own room upstairs and only the boys are occasionally allowed in there.”
Pressing your eyes shut and holding your hands against your ears, you shook your head. You didn't want to hear their voices. You didn't even want to think about this, about your growing feelings, about your fear of what will happen as soon as your neighbours return.
“Y/N? Are you alright?” Jungkooks concerned voice brought you back out of your mind.
‘He must have felt your distress.’ You thought, blinking rapidly. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Just, uh, may I use your shampoo?” You could facepalm yourself for this lame excuse but it seemed like Jungkook didn't notice.
“Sure. I’ll be back in my room. Join me, when you have finished.”
“Yeah, will do,” you answered, taking a deep breath. You had to keep it together. You had only a few days left and since his demeanour had not changed over the past few days since the incident you actually had to think about a solution for the upcoming problem.
Shoving your thoughts aside you continued to shower, stepping out of the cabin soon after. You dried yourself and were about to dress again when you noticed that Jungkook obviously had no underwear for you. Not having a bra on was no deal for you but actually not wearing panties under some shorts felt weird. Still you had no other choice.
Sighing deeply again you dressed yourself, only to notice that the shorts hung pretty loose on your hips and were at the verge of sliding down and the white tee was sliding off your shoulder as well. “Comfy gets a completely new meaning with this.” Shrugging it off you walked back to Jungkook's room.
He was sitting with his back towards you, concentrating on the game he played on his computer. Headphones covering his human ears, while his cat ears twitched in annoyance. “Nooo, what are you doing?” He exclaimed furiously, his tail swishing forcefully from side to side.
You leaned against the doorframe, giggling quietly and watching him immersed in the game.
As soon as his cat ears registered your giggling he turned around, eyes wide, scanning your appearance. “Gotta go,” he said, still not looking back at the screen.
“You can play more,” you assured, nodding to the screen, where his character got some serious hits. “I don't mind.”
Jungkook shook his head. “No, I wanna spend my time with you.”
Your heart constricted painfully. As it seemed you weren't the only one thinking about your limited time together. Carefully you strutted towards him. “How about I stay right next to you while you finish this round?”
He turned to face the screen, grinding his teeth, before he grabbed you and placed you on his lap.
Surprised you squeaked and wrapped your arms around his neck, pressing yourself flush against his chest.
His arms were around your body, holding you in place despite playing.
Your cheeks grew hot, your heart was beating way faster than it should and you were painfully aware where you sat. You always imagined doing something like that with your boyfriend, should he be a gamer but here you were with Jungkook and it felt just right. You definitely didn't want to experience this with anyone else from now on.
You relaxed and leaned against him, getting comfortable on his lap. You left a hand at his neck, where your fingers played with his hair, while the other was in front of you, splayed over his chest. You could hear his heartbeat until he started to purr. If you had to choose, you would say that this was the best sound in the world, lulling you to sleep effectively once again.
When Jungkook noticed you were asleep he stopped mid game and carried you to his bed. After laying you down he stood up again, looking over your sleeping form. Seeing you wearing his clothes filled him with pride and fondness. Seeing you so vulnerable before him he wanted to protect you. From everything. Forever. And just seeing you, being near you, feeling you, let his heart swell.
Jungkook never felt something like this before but the moment he had first smelled your scent he knew you were special. And damn he was right. You never got weirded out because of his habits he sometimes did when he wasn't focusing on acting human. You didn't even mind them, just took them as they came. You didn't mind snuggling with him despite his huge build.
Not even his owners were fond of cuddling with him and the kids were too young to actually stay put for longer cuddling sessions. They got offended when Jungkook would stop playing with them when he got enough. But you just shrugged it off, doing something else instead. If he stayed with you, he thought, that would be a perfect life.
Smiling fondly he climbed over you to lie down behind you. As soon as he was lying down you slid towards him, nuzzling yourself into his warmth. Wrapping an arm around you Jungkook was sure his life would be perfect with you.
Unknown to you and Jungkook, your neighbours returned earlier home. It was the middle of the night and both boys were asleep when their parents carried them inside. Quietly whispering, they shuffled around. The low noise woke up Jungkook.
At first he wanted to shrug it off since he recognised the voices but as soon as he realised what he was hearing he tensed, pulling you closer to his chest.
“Hey, aren't those Y/N’s shoes?” The mom asked, confused. “Is she still here?”
Jungkook heard the sounds of steps walking around the house and then on the stairs. He heard her checking the other rooms.
“I can't find her,” she whispered, stopping right in front of his room. “Do you think she is in his room?”
Jungkook could hear her confusion and worry.
“Do you think something is wrong with him?”
“Shhh.” Her husband hushed. “It's the middle of the night and the boys are finally sleeping. Maybe she just forgot them here.”
Jungkook rolled his eyes and he could basically see the woman doing the same. “Shoes! You mean she went back home barefoot?” With that Jungkook noticed how the handle of his door got pressed down.
Out of instinct he wanted to growl at them for disturbing his time with you, for eventually waking you, but they were his owners and he couldn't bring himself to do that. Instead he pulled you closer and hovered half over you to keep you safe.
He squinted his eyes slightly when he looked straight to the small gap of light between the door and wall. Seeing the shocked expression of the woman he mused that his eyes were currently reflecting back.
“Hey, Kookie, so you’re awake, huh?” The man whispered, who pulled his wife back into the hall. “Is Y/N with you?” He asked.
Jungkook nodded.
“She okay?”
Once again he nodded.
“Why is she in your room?” She added, peeking from behind her husband.
Suddenly you stirred underneath Jungkook and a slight panic overcame him. Shifting his gaze from his owners to you. He didn't want you to wake up now. He knew you would stand up, apologise to his owners and leave. Carefully he nuzzled his cheek against yours and started to purr lowly, making sure you stayed asleep.
“How about we talk about this tomorrow morning. We’re all exhausted. Sleep tight, boy.” The voice of the man let Jungkook look up once again. Seeing him nodding and closing the door before he forced his wife to go to bed as well.
Jungkook relaxed slightly. That wasn't so bad. Still they were here early and it displeased him to only have half a night left with you. He hugged you tightly, holding you as close as possible while hiding his face in the crook of your neck.
“One day you will snap my back in half when you continue to hug me so tight,” you murmured. “You are stronger than you think, Kitty.” Grinning you pushed some bangs out of his face when he stared at you in surprise.
“You're awake?”
“Yeah, I saw the car in the driveway.”
“But.. how?”
“You know, once you sleep you are pretty out of it. I received a message and woke up from the tone. She had texted me that they were coming back early because one of the boys got sick. I had answered her that it wouldn't be a problem, that I hoped it wasn't something serious and that I had to talk to her regarding you.”
Jungkook looked confused.
“I haven’t told her what I want to talk about but I am sure she has an idea by now,” you sighed but kept on smiling. “It's gonna work out. I am sure.”
Still not convinced, Jungkook pressed his head against your shoulder. “You can't leave me,” he mumbled.
“I won’t,” you whispered and kissed his temple. “Promise.”
Jungkook held still, his breath going even. And after a while you thought he fell asleep so you closed your eyes as well, wrapping your arms around his neck to hold him near you.
Slowly drifting back to sleep, you were startled when Jungkook spoke again. “Y/N?”
“Mhm?”
“You really gonna stay with me?”
“I grew too many feelings for you over the past weeks to ever let you go again,” you mumbled, stroking the back of Jungkook's head.
And it was true. He had shot right into your heart when you saw how afraid he was after hurting himself. This spot grew after realising he had clowned you over a few days by meowing at you, and even more after seeing him smile and hearing him laugh. And everyday new things were added to the list: His cute little habits, his humour, his appetite, his dorkiness, his playful side, his cuddly side and even the moments he felt embarrassed about.
You liked that he loved to cuddle with you but that he didn't go overboard with it where you would think he was clingy. Because of his cat side he often liked to be just around you without skinship. A feature you loved since you easily felt cornered with too much skinship.
“You mean it?” Once again Jungkook's voice pulled you out of your train of thoughts.
“What exactly? You need to specify a little, Kitty,” you teased him.
Jungkook growled and pressed you tighter against himself. “Your feelings,” he murmured against your bare shoulder.
His breath sent shivers down your spine. Still you decided to tease him further. “Well, yes. I have feelings.”
Another growl. “What kind of feelings?” Jungkook started to nibble at the skin of your shoulder.
“Good feelings.”
“Stop teasing.”
“I can say the same to you,” you retorted, trying desperately to blend out the feeling of his lips on your skin.
Jungkook chuckled and propped himself up. You slid under him so he hovered above you. “I like to tease you,” he admitted, leaning down to rub his nose over your cheek. “I wanna make you mine.” His voice came out husky and had you stood up you would have toppled over because your knees grew weak.
“Yeah, I noticed that. Mr. Meow,” you said giggling before turning serious. “As much as I like you.” You sighed deeply. “Just.. not today. Maybe not even tomorrow. I just want to make it right.”
Jungkook nodded and plopped down next to you and pulled you into a hug again.
Relieved he didn't take it personally you cuddled with him.
“I like you too,” he added cheekily before purring again.
The next morning a knock on the door shook both of you awake.
“Yes?” Jungkook said gruffly, sitting up with his eyes still closed.
You giggled and smoothed over his hair and stroked his cheek before turning to the open door as well.
The husband stood grinning in the doorframe. “Good morning, lovebirds.”
“You mean lovecats,” you answered, grinning as well.
He immediately started laughing out loud and you had to chuckle as well. Which confused Jungkook even more. Weren't you all supposed to be dead serious because of the upcoming discussion?
“Finally someone who appreciates my cat puns,” you said, poking Jungkook's side teasingly, which resulted in another laugh from the man.
“Ready for breakfast?” The man asked after he had calmed down again. “The boys are still sleeping so we can talk.”
You nodded and nudged Jungkook, who still sat frozen next to you. “We’ll be there in a minute.” With that you were left alone.
“What was that?” Jungkook asked.
“A good sign.”
Both of you got ready to walk downstairs. You didn't want to admit it but you were nervous. Acknowledging this relationship thing between you two was one thing but letting Jungkook constantly stay with you was another.
Jungkook could feel your nervousness and took your hand in his. Knowing you actually were scared strangely reassured him. He led you to the kitchen and the dining area, holding you close and half behind him.
It took his owners a moment to notice both of you standing there. Jungkook cleared his throat nervously.
Both looked up at you. The man grinning just like he did when he woke you and you noticed something like fondness in the eyes of the woman in front of you.
“Good morning.”Come on, take a seat. Seems like you have some news for us,” she said.
Jungkook gulped visibly and you had to shove him slightly towards the table. Even though both of you sat down he didn't let go of your hand, pulling your chair actually closer to his so you were almost sitting on his lap. You chuckled before reassuringly squeezing his hand.
“I need Y/N!” He suddenly blurted out without context.
You stifled a laugh before leaning over to him and whispering audible for everyone. “Take a deep breath. Good. Now try to explain the situation before telling the consequence.”
Jungkook nodded and took another deep breath. “I can't really explain it. I think it is a hybrid thing but the moment I smelled her I knew I needed her. When she isn't near me I feel empty and restless. I am worried when she leaves, can’t sleep without her next to me. But this isn’t her home. I know she can't stay here. And it pains me to imagine letting her go. I don't want to be without her.” His eyes pleaded with his owners to understand what he was trying to explain.
“I don't think it is a hybrid only thing, boy,” the man said looking at his wife with a big smile.
Confused Jungkook turned towards you.
You laughed softly. “What you just described sounds a lot like loving someone, Kitty.”
Jungkook scrunched up his nose at the nickname but continued to focus on your face, seeing you smiling brightly. You lifted your free hand and stroked his cheek softly and he gladly nuzzled into your palm purring.
“Jungkook, and I as well, feel immensely conflicted. You are his owners and we know it would be too much to ask of letting him stay with me. You just got him and I am sure the boys are very fond of him. It pains us to sadden them,” you said without breaking eye contact with Jungkook.
“I’ve never seen him this relaxed with another person. Not even us.” The voice of the woman broke through your little bubble. “I had actually thought owning a hybrid would be less work than owning a real pet and I realise I never thought of the hybrid as another person.”
“Maybe it is time to get an actual cat. I probably need my own office in this house as well,” the man suggested. “And if Kookie ends up with Y/N, they won't be out of the world and could visit any time.”
His wife nodded along. “Would you be in for a transfer of ownership?”
Jungkook almost crushed your hand by squeezing it so tight. “You mean I can go with Y/N? I can stay with her?” Excitedly he jumped up and pulled you into a hug, purring loudly.
“I told you everything’s going to be perfectly fine.” You laughed.
“Yes, everything is perfect.” Jungkook breathed relieved, still purring.
