Lonely Kitten

17

Making his way to the studio alone felt weird to Jisung. He had gotten so used to the weight of Minho's pet carrier in his hand that it felt like he had forgotten to bring something, even though he knew exactly what, or rather who, he hadn't brought along today. Maybe it was for the better, maybe spending a few hours apart would help him sort out his thoughts, as their entire situation was a lot to take in. At the same time, Jisung worried about the hybrid. Back when Minho had been in his cat form, he hadn't been able to leave the older home alone for as little as a few minutes before he ended up crying at the door. What if Minho slipped into his headspace again? Jisung didn't know much about littlespace but the way he had witnessed his new friend act while little, leaving one to their own devices didn't sound like the best thing to do.

He entered the studio greeting Chan before plopping down in his seat, glancing at Changbin's vacant one. The older noticed his questioning look and sighed: "Binnie didn't hear his alarm. He'll be here soon." Jisung nodded, fiddling with his fingers, not really knowing what to do with his hands. "Where's Minho? You didn't bring him today?", the Aussie noticed, giving his dongsaeng a worried look. This was certainly out of the ordinary, as the younger had explained how impossible it was to leave the cat alone. "Yeah, I'm trying to get him used to being alone in the apartment. It's been difficult to run errands with him not wanting me to leave", Jisung lied, "It's just an experiment and I'll probably end up bringing him again." Chan nodded, humming: "Do you think he could have separation anxiety? I read some articles and that's apparently a thing for some cats." - "Yeah, I read that too and it would actually make sense with how he's acting", the younger agreed, feeling even worse about having left Minho behind. He had been in his human form, so he surely would've told Jisung if he didn't feel okay with him going to the studio alone. Even if he hadn't, Jisung was no stranger to anxiety and would've surely been able to pick up on it, right?

His train of thought was cut off by Changbin bursting into the studio, gasping for breath. "I am so sorry", he panted, shrugging out of his coat and plopping into his seat. "Breathe, Binnie. I already told you it was okay", Chan laughed at his flushed dongsaeng before fetching him a bottle of water, "We haven't started yet, so catch your breath and take out your notebook when you're ready." Jisung laughed a little too but his heart wasn't really with it today, his tummy twisting with worry. It was like he could tell that something wasn't right back with Minho. On the other hand, the rapper had always been somewhat of an overthinker, so it was probably nothing. Minho was a grown man, who could surely pass a day watching TV or whatever. He also had enough food at home, so the hybrid wouldn't have to miss lunch. This reminded him of how he had struggled using his chopsticks yesterday. Oh well, he also had toast at home, so Minho would be fine.

Though they were working pretty productively, it was mainly Chan and Changbin coming up with stuff today, as Jisung's thoughts always reverted back to Minho. The older two could tell that their dongsaeng wasn't in it today but didn't comment on it for a while. At some point though, Chan mentioned it: "Worried about Minho, Sungie?" - "Huh, how did you know?", the younger frowned, scratching his head. Turning his chair, so he'd face the other, Chan sighed: "You space out all the time, it's like your mind is anywhere but this studio." Realizing how true this was and how little help he was to his friends, Jisung buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, you're right", he admitted, muffled by his hands, "He just always had such a hard time being alone if only for a few minutes and now I'm leaving him by himself for an entire day and I feel even worse now that you reminded me that he might have separation anxiety." - "You know, I understand where you're coming from", Chan started, Changbin nodding in agreement, "How about we try to do a bit of a speed run? Try to focus for a while and maybe we'll be able to finish up early today. That really needs all three of us paying attention though." Nodding eagerly, Jisung straightened his back, determined to give it his all, so he'd be able to get back to Minho soon.

It was still difficult for Jisung but he tried his best. For one, he knew it wasn't fair on his hyungs to let them do all the work, and two, he really wanted to get back to Minho. He needed to see the hybrid was fine with his own two eyes. The day seemed to never end and Jisung could barely believe it when Chan finally announced they were done for the day. The younger slumped back in his chair, heaving a sigh. It was still considerably early but to him it felt like he hadn't seen Minho in days. How could he be so attached to someone he didn't even know very well? If Chan had been right about the separation anxiety thing, he should probably get home as fast as he could. On the other hand, he had promised to get Minho a bottle. Where did he even get one? Sure, he could order one online but then it would take days for it to be delivered. Hadn't Minho said he slipped when he was scared or overwhelmed? If that was the case, they'd most likely need it today already, so there was not enough time to have it delivered. He could just look around some of the family stores at the mall close to their studio building. Of course, he wouldn't be long. No strolling around the mall or anything, just in and out to buy what he needed and then he'd head straight home to Minho. If the hybrid was in a low mood, the bottle might cheer him up a bit and make a good reward for passing the day all by himself.

That was exactly what Jisung did, hurrying to the mall and heading for the first store that looked like it could have a baby section. It did but none of the things remotely attracted Jisung's attention. They had a few different bottles but none of them looked like they were Minho's style, not that the rapper felt like he knew what his little liked, he just had a feeling that this wasn't it. Sure, it'd do the job and he'd come back if he couldn't find anything better, but for now it was off to the next store.

The next store was a hit, as he soon spotted the baby section as well as the shelf with different bottles. There was this one bottle that instantly screamed 'Minho' when Jisung looked at it. It was a soft shade of mint and had a white paw print on it. The rapper just knew that he had to get that one. It would go really well with the hybrid's baby blanket. Wanting to get home as fast as possible, he grabbed the bottle and hurried to the check out, though he took the time to ask the cashier to have it wrapped in some cute wrapping paper, as it was obviously a gift. He wouldn't buy a bottle for himself but would get weird looks, considering he looked even younger than twenty-one, plus, Minho would have a gift to unwrap when he got home. With a wide smile on his lips, Jisung hurried back home, barely able to contain his excitement at having found Minho the perfect bottle.