Lonely Kitten

35

Minho and Jeongin had just gotten out of a meeting with their employer. They had showed him the video footage and Jeongin had given a statement on how frequently things like that happened and what the other harassment looked like. Though uncomfortable, the boy had also showed a bunch of his bruises as proof and their employer was shocked, thinking everything was running smoothly in his café. He agreed that those people had to be let go but he didn't have anyone to work if they were gone, so he promised Jeongin, he'd look for new staff and as soon as he has someone covering their positions, he'll let the other employees go. When Minho and Jeongin met up with Jisung and Seungmin, they recalled their conversation, worrying Jisung. "What if it takes a while for him to find someone new and they find out you reported them? They might turn even more violent towards the both of you", the rapper frowned, protectively pulling Minho into a hug. Seungmin only ruffled Jeongin's hair and smiled: "I have a few classmates, who are looking for a job and I'm pretty sure I could convince a few of them. The café is so close to the campus, so it's perfect for students to work there. We'll have the positions filled in no time and then my baby is safe."

The two couples wanted to celebrate their little victory and decided to get lunch together. Minho and Jisung could tell though, something was up with Seungmin. He had grown increasingly restless, startling out of nowhere or following birds with his eyes. "So, if fried chicken is okay with everyone, I know a place we could go", Jisung proposed. Minho and Seungmin nodded along but Jeongin hummed: "Can you tell us where it is and Seungmin and I will join you in a bit? I think someone has been studying all morning and really wants to chase some pigeons right now." While his mate turned bright red, the younger listened to Jisung's description of where they planned on having lunch. It was a place Jeongin had passed by before but never really checked out. He promised Minho and Jisung they'd join them there soon before tapping Seungmin's shoulder, yelling: "Catch me if you can!" The puppy hybrid was stunned for a second before taking off after his boyfriend. There was no way he'd let the younger outrun him.

Minho glanced after them for a moment before breaking into a laugh. "Hyung, do you ever feel like you need to chase something?", Jisung hummed worriedly, watching their dongsaengs play tag. Looking at his mate, the hybrid cringed: "Why would I want that? I'm not a dog." - "Oh, thank goodness", Jisung sighed, "I'm way too lazy for that. I love you but running doesn't sound like something I'd be willing to do, not even for you." That made Minho laugh again, a mischievous smile spreading on his lips. As the younger looked at him, slightly scared by the look on his face, Minho mused: "Now that you said that, I'd really like to play tag with you." - "Hyuuung", Jisung whined, giving the other a pained frown. Smiling back at the rapper, Minho tapped his arm before running off. The younger grimaced, his mate wasn't really doing this to him, was he? As he watched the distance between Minho and him grow, Jisung had to realize, the longer he waited the slimmer his chances of catching his hyung would get, so he eventually started to jog after the hybrid, whining: "Why are you doing this to me?"

Minho and Jisung didn't last nearly as long as Seungmin and Jeongin and Minho soon let the rapper catch up to him. He had only wanted to tease the younger a little but that didn't mean he wanted to run around the park forever. By the time Jisung caught him and doubled over panting, the younger couple was far out of sight, probably running laps around the park. "You're not really as bad of a runner as I had thought, given your unwillingness to run", Minho praised, patting the rapper's back. Jisung shot the older a glare, breathlessly huffing: "Didn't mean I didn't hate every second of it." - "Aww, come on, it was fun", the hybrid chuckled, "Let's go and get us our lunch now. We really earned it and I bet they'll grow hungry soon too."

They made their way to the small restaurant and already ordered lemonade for the four of them, which they sipped as they waited for Seungmin and Jeongin to join them. "Anything special you wanna do tonight?", Jisung asked, "We have a day off tomorrow, so we don't have to worry about going to bed in time." Shrugging, Minho played with a lose string on the cuff of his sleeve. There was something he wanted to do but it was Jisung's day off too and he wanted the younger to enjoy it. When the hybrid had avoided eye contact for a while, Jisung gently nudged his foot under the table and hummed: "I can tell you're thinking about something." - "I- I guess", Minho muttered, still not looking up. When he realized, the rapper was still waiting for a reply, he hummed: "Can we talk about this at home later? I might slip if I keep thinking about it right now." - "Oh, yeah, that's fine", Jisung agreed, "Anything else you wanna talk about till they're done running?"

Seungmin and Jeongin joined them for lunch not much later, both sweaty and out of breath. They ordered their food, Jeongin boasting: "It took thirty seconds longer than usual for Seungmin to catch me." - "I just went easy on you, Innie. If I destroyed your confidence completely, you might not want to play tag with me again", the hybrid laughed. There was no way, Jeongin would ever be able to match his speed and stamina, one of the advantages of being a dog hybrid. He almost never grew tired when it came to running. Shooting Minho a warning look, Jisung muttered: "We're never doing that again, so don't even try, hyung." - "I'm pretty sure I was a much easier opponent than Seungmin would've been", the older laughed, "And don't worry, I don't really like running around either, I just wanted to tease you." Seungmin chuckled. He was pretty certain that he'd outrun any of them. "I'll treat you to ice cream later, Innie", the hybrid smiled, "And we can watch movies at my dorm, enough running for today." The younger gave him a grateful smile, tiredly leaning against his mate's shoulder. He was completely spent but he knew Seungmin had to blow off some steam every once in a while. It was always a surprise though, just how much energy the older had.

After lunch, both couples parted ways, Seungmin going to buy Jeongin his promised desert, while Minho and Jisung made their way back to their apartment. When they had kicked off their shoes and settled in the living room, the rapper reminded: "So, your plans for tonight...." Minho tensed visibly and looked away. There was something that had been spooking around his head for a while, ever since he had slipped into babyspace for the first time when Jisung hadn't come home. He really wanted to slip that young again but not triggered by negative feelings like the last time. He wanted to experience babyspace in a more positive setting and maybe build a pillow nest again. It did feel like a guilty pleasure to Minho though, as he knew he'd be entirely dependent on Jisung and the rapper wouldn't really get much time to rest even though it was his day off tomorrow too.

"Hyung?", the younger hummed, "You know, you make it seem like something bad and it's scaring me a little." - "I- Uh, I don't know if it's something bad", Minho muttered nervously, "It has to do with being little." The rapper gently ran his fingers through the other's hair, prompting the hybrid to let his ears pop out. "Is my Minnie shy?", Jisung smiled, scratching the other's ears. Minho whined at the soft tone and followed the rapper's hand with his head, making sure the other wouldn't stop. Nuzzling closer to his mate, the hybrid admitted: "I want to be really young again but I'd need you a lot and I don't want to be a burden." - "What makes you think you'd be a burden?", Jisung asked quietly, "I think that's adorable."

Doubtfully looking at the rapper, Minho frowned: "I'd probably be entirely dependent on you and you might not be able to do anything else besides looking after me." - "I still think that's cute and I love looking after you. It helps me relax because it makes my heart go all mushy", Jisung admitted, a faint blush rising on his cheeks, "What would you like to do when you're that little then?" The hybrid's face lit up at that and he beamed: "I want another nest and lots of cuddles. We need to make it really cozy because the last one was a bit chaotic. Oh, and my bottle and paci." Minho was getting more and more excited, making Jisung smile. "How about you slip to your usual headspace age, so you can still build your nest and tell me what you need and when everything is set up, you can slip deeper?", the rapper offered, "Just one thing. Let's build the nest out here in the living room on the couch and carpet. It's easier accessible for me to take care of you. I almost damaged your nest every time I picked you up." - "You're really okay with that?", Minho breathed, his eyes already getting glossy. Nodding, Jisung took his hand and smiled: "Let's both change into some comfy, cuddle-appropriate clothes and then we can get started."