( @spvrks )
It's bitterly cold tonight-- but it's the least of Kyungsoo's worries. He's felt colder, slept in colder weather, with little more than a holed up coat that's worn down most of its padding. He's got a box and a rough old blanket huddled to his chest as he zips along the icy sidewalk, hurrying around the corner and making his way further into the abandoned business district that used to be the home of active warehouses and manufacturing plants, all of them empty now, all of them locked up and barred from the public. Except one in particular. He reaches the chain-link fence and pulls back the bottom corner where it's worn away from the post, and with a little bit of difficulty he fits through the gap, tugging his belongings through with him and approaching the looming building to enter it through a door he figured out long ago would open if you yanked at it hard enough.
His breath leaves him in a puff of steam and he hears a tell-tale mewl that warms him from inside out, a heart shaped grin pulling at the corners of his lips as one of three kittens come stumbling into the moonlight, followed by her ever-protective mother. "Hi, guys," the boy chuckles out, sinking to his knees and unfolding the old box to piece it together, lining it with the blanket as the baby felines romp over curiously to inspect, climbing over his thighs and purring obnoxiously, knowing that somewhere this human is hiding food for them, as mom watches warily on the sidelines. His fingers tear at the cardboard to make one side a little lower than the others in order for everybody to be able to climb in and out, and then he's taking what they're all really interested in out of his backpack: a can of wet cat food. The three fuzzy little cotton balls are climbing all over each other (and him) as he opens the can using the tab, placing it on the ground and clicking his tongue. "You three have to share with mom, too." Kyungsoo mumbles adoringly, smoothing his cold hands over downy fur, and after a short visit he's leaving, satisfied to see mother and all three kitten curled together and snoozing comfortably in their brand new box bed.
The next day he's venturing back, with more cat food tucked into his over-stuffed backpack, huddled down in his sweater and scarf, but as he nears the neighborhood there's a smell of smoke wafting in the air, and it makes his brows sort of furrow. He picks up the pace, weathered sneakers slapping against the pavement as he runs as best he can through the neighborhood, and his worst fear is confirmed-- the old factory building that's home to his feline companions is in flames. His hands start shaking and he races to the fence, dropping his backpack and scarf there before he's clambering through the hole in the chain-link and racing over, the doorknob nearly searing his hands as he tries to force it open, but to no avail. In a last ditch effort he jams his fists through glass window, ignoring the cuts and scrapes and all the smoke bellowing out as he hoists himself in, pulling his sweater collar over his nose as he tries to make his way in search of his cats. "Mama!" There's a faint crying meow somewhere far-- it makes his heart sink. "Marie--!"
By the time he finds them all, huddled and frightened in the only corner than isn't surrounded by falling beams engulfed in flames, he's snatching everybody up, his eyes watering his breath short, lungs filled with smoke as he pins all of the animals as best as he can to his chest. He's gotta get outta here. Everything is blurry and sweltering hot and there's black fading in to the corners of his vision-- shit, which way did he come from. Which way did he come from.
