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The morning sun had barely spilled through the blinds when Seungmin shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. He’d been woken up by a persistent scratching sound at the door, the kind that made you think of rodents or worse, Minho forgetting his keys again. But Minho was already seated at the long comfortable sofa, sipping his coffee with that infuriatingly smug calm that came only after a proper night’s rest.
“You left the door unlocked,” Seungmin mumbled, voice rough from sleep.
“I didn’t,” Minho replied, setting his mug down. “You did. And because of that, we now have… a guest.”
Seungmin blinked, following Minho’s pointed glance toward the corner of their coffee table. Sitting primly on the tile floor was a small gray-and-white cat, tail wrapped around its paws as if it owned the place. Its green eyes blinked back at him, unbothered, almost challenging.
Seungmin stared. “You kidnapped someone’s pet?”
“She walked in on her own.” Minho leaned back in his chair, arms crossing. “Probably starving. She followed me when I took out the trash last night, but she wouldn’t leave. And now…” He gestured toward the cat like a game show host presenting a prize. “She’s ours.”
Seungmin snorted, padding toward the refrigerator for water. “That’s not how ownership works, Minho. You don’t just keep anything that walks into our apartment.”
The cat meowed loudly as if taking offense. Minho immediately softened, crouching down to scratch behind its ears. “Don’t listen to him, pretty baby. He’s always grumpy in the morning.”
Seungmin took a long sip from his glass, eyeing the scene. “Amazing. I’ve been dating you for years and it only takes a stray cat to hear you use that voice.”
“You’re just jealous,” Minho teased, lifting the cat into his lap. The little creature curled comfortably against him, already purring. “She likes me.”
“She likes the smell of your hoodie, probably.” Seungmin set his glass on the counter, leaning against it with his arms crossed. His expression stayed unreadable but there was the tiniest upward twitch at the corner of his lips.
“You do realize she’s probably carrying fleas, right?”
Minho froze mid–chin scratch. “Don’t ruin this for me.”
“I’m just saying. You bring home strays without thinking and then wonder why you start itching.” Seungmin sipped his water again, calm as ever.
Minho glared, then pressed a kiss to the top of the cat’s head like a challenge. “Worth it.”
“Unbelievable,” Seungmin muttered, though his eyes lingered longer than necessary on the little bundle of fur. When the cat meowed softly and padded across the living room floor towards him, Seungmin crouched down without hesitation, holding out a hand.
The cat bumped her head against his fingers.
“Traitor,” Minho said instantly, sounding wounded.
“She has good taste,” Seungmin replied coolly, scooping the cat up with surprising ease. The animal settled in his arms, purring like a motor.
Minho blinked at the sight of Seungmin cradling her against his chest, rubbing gentle circles behind her ears as if he’d been doing it forever. “...You’ve done this before.”
Seungmin shrugged. “I had a cat when I was younger.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“You never asked,” Seungmin replied simply, standing with the cat nestled against him. She melted into his hold so naturally it was like she’d always belonged there. His hand moved in slow, steady strokes down her back, each motion practiced, gentle.
Minho didn’t say anything. He just… looked in awe.
Seungmin was still in his wrinkled sleep shirt, hair a mess, lips pressed in that usual flat line that gave nothing away. But there was something in the way his arms curved protectively around the small creature, the way his cheek brushed against soft fur without him even noticing. The picture was so effortlessly tender that Minho felt something warm press tight into his chest.
It hit him suddenly, that quiet awe of realizing this was his. His Seungmin. The same boyfriend who rolled his eyes at every cheesy line, who never let Minho get away with anything, now standing in their kitchen with sunlight painting his skin gold and a stray cat purring in his arms.
“...What?” Seungmin asked, finally glancing up when he noticed the silence.
“Nothing,” Minho said, but his voice came out softer than he meant it to. His lips curved just slightly, almost reverent. “You look… good.”
Seungmin blinked, tilting his head. “Because I’m holding a cat?”
“Because you’re you,” Minho answered without hesitation.
Seungmin rolled his eyes, but the tips of his ears flushed as he turned his face back down toward the cat, hiding the faintest smile.
The cat purred louder, nuzzling into his chest. Minho’s hand twitched, legs itching to walk towards both of them, but instead he leaned back in his chair, just letting the sight etch itself into his memory, his boyfriend and their maybe a new family member, already fitting together like they’d been waiting for this moment all along.
He pulled his phone from the table, thumb already tapping at the screen.
Seungmin narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing?”
“I’m telling our friends,” Minho said simply, scrolling to his contacts.
Seungmin blinked. “…About what?”
Instead of answering, Minho hit call and set his phone on speaker. It rang twice before a familiar voice picked up.
“Hello?” Jeongin’s tone was cautious, like he already suspected trouble.
Minho grinned, eyes flicking to Seungmin. “Yah, Jeongin-ah. Seungmin and I just adopted a child.”
There was a sharp choking sound on the other end. “What the fuck?”
In the background, Jisung practically shrieked, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN A CHILD?!”
Seungmin nearly dropped the cat. “MINHO HYUNG!” he yelped, voice cracking. “IT’S NOT A HUMAN CHILD!”
The cat scrambled onto the table, tail flicking as if entertained by the chaos.
“EXPLAIN YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!” Jeongin shouted through the speaker.
“HYUNG, ARE YOU INSANE?!” Jisung’s voice cracked from sheer panic.
Minho’s grin turned downright wicked. He leaned back in his chair, eyes glinting as he met Seungmin’s horrified stare. Then, with deliberate calm, he pressed the red button on the screen.
Call ended.
The apartment fell into silence, only broken by the cat’s soft purr.
“…You didn’t,” Seungmin whispered, staring at him.
Minho stretched like a cat himself, smug as ever. “Oh, I did.”
“They’re going to show up here thinking we actually—”
“Even better,” Minho interrupted, walking over to steal a quick kiss from Seungmin’s temple. “They’ll find out the truth when they meet our daughter.” He gestured to the gray-and-white ball of fur now pawing at Seungmin’s sleeve.