Lonely Kitten

71

When exam period came up for Hyunjin and Felix, Minho started to feel lonely again. 3racha were busy with work, so he didn't see his mate much, and now his friends were too busy to practice together too. To keep himself busy, Minho took on more shifts at the café but was frustrated to discover that Jeongin too was in the throes of exam period and had started to reduce the shifts he was taking, so he could have more time to study. Just like that, Minho's social life had been taken away from him and the best he could do was the little chat he had with an elderly customer, sipping her coffee alone.

In his free time, Minho had started to try new recipes at home, which he would then drop off at the studio to make sure his mate and friends were eating well. Considering he was already so close to the dance room they had rented, the hybrid decided to dance for a bit, so he could blow off some steam and pass the time till Jisung would return home. One hour turned into two, turned into three and Minho, exhausted and drenched in sweat, realized just how much he had missed dancing. He knew Jisung wouldn't be home within the next to hours, the dancer took his time to catch his breath before shouldering his bag and making his way home on foot.

Back home, Minho took a long hot shower and contemplated what he should cook for dinner. Jisung should have a warm meal and not just the baked goods he occasionally brought them. Though the dancing and hot shower had left him sleepy, Minho dressed in comfortable clothes and made his way to the kitchen. He shot Jisung a text to estimate when their dinner should be ready before looking through the pantry to see what ingredients they had. Humming to himself, Minho went all out. His ears twitched happily as he fried up some pork but his mood soon dropped when Jisung got home. Don't get him wrong, he was incredibly relieved to have his mate back but the younger looked so drained with dark circles under his eyes, it broke Minho's heart. He had known that Jisung was busy but to see the rapper spread this thin was always hard for him. It was obvious that Jisung was overworking himself but the hybrid knew he had no way of stopping him.

Pulling Jisung into a long hug, Minho rubbed his cheek against his mate's hair and faintly scented him. Tired to the core, Jisung had no intend to break the hug and just stayed in his mate's embrace till the older quietly told him to go and change into something more comfortable. While the rapper sluggishly trudged to the bedroom, Minho plated their food, so everything would be ready to eat by the time his mate had changed. Though tired, Jisung made sure to tell the older how much he liked his cooking and Minho was relieved to see the younger have a proper meal. They ate in comfortable silence before Minho guided Jisung to the bathroom, instructing: "Take a nice hot shower and get ready for bed. You look like you could use some cuddles." The younger nodded sleepily, already looking forward to getting those cuddles his mate had offered.

Minho quickly cleaned the kitchen before making his way to the bedroom. He was surprised by how long Jisung took but figured the rapper was running so low on energy that everything was a little slower than usual right now. Cooing when his mate got on the bed and immediately cuddled into his chest, Minho wrapped his arms tightly around the younger and hummed: "I already worried you wouldn't find the way." – "Humpf, I almost drowned because I yawned", Jisung whined as he closed his eyes. They had almost pulled an all-nighter again if it hadn't been for Minho asking when he'd be home for dinner. The buzzing of his phone the only reminder to Chan and Changbin that maybe they should leave their studio on occasion to interact with the outside world.

Jisung was out like a light within minutes and Minho soon followed, holding the younger close. It was frustrating that the only time they got to spend together would usually be spent sleeping but it had been obvious how badly Jisung needed rest. Minho was glad he could at least get some nighttime snuggles from his mate before the rapper would disappear to the studio again.

Not wanting to waste any of their time together, Minho walked Jisung to the studio after having breakfast together and decided to go and dance for a while, so he could still be relatively close to his mate even though they weren't in the same room.

Time passed faster than Minho would've expected it to and he had exhausted himself with hours of dancing. Plopping down by his bag, the hybrid took a sip of water and felt himself get frustrated. He missed his mate. It should be considered a crime how rarely he got to see Jisung. Pouting, Minho checked his phone to see whether he had gotten any new messages but no, anyone who would message him was too busy. As the hybrid scrolled through social media, he came across some littlespace mood boards, which made his eyes sparkle with delight. 'So cute!", he thought, barely able to suppress a squeal as his mind grew fuzzy. Considering how long it had been since he had last regressed because he didn't want to do so without Jisung by his side, it shouldn't have so much of a surprise that Minho was a goner the second he glanced at the mood board.

Tears filled Minho's eyes when he realized he had slipped without Jisung by his side. He sniffled them back though, remembering that his caregiver wasn't that far away. Quickly packing up his belongings, the little threw his bag over his shoulder and waddled to the 3racha studio. Minho knew he wouldn't be able to catch Jisung alone but although he had avoided being little around Chan and Changbin, the other two knew about his headspace. Sure, it might feel a little embarrassing to himself but he knew he didn't have to fear their reactions. Hesitantly knocking on the studio door, Minho glanced at the floor and studied the tips of his shoes.

"Oh, hi Minho", Chan smiled, "What do you need?" – "Uhm", Minho stammered, fiddling with his fingers, "I-I was wookin' fow m-ma dada." The Aussie's eyes widened in surprise as he took a step back to let Minho into the studio. Taking a seat in his desk chair, Chan explained: "Jisung is currently out grabbing lunch with Changbin. The two should be back soon though." With his hands starting to tremble, Minho stepped into the small studio, afraid of any stranger he might run into in the hallway. Realizing how lost the younger seemed, Chan hummed: "You can sit down, Min. You've been here before, hm? Just feel right at home." Minho nodded, his cat ears popping out and twitching anxiously. "Do you want hyung to show you what we've been working on? Your daddy came up with some really great verses earlier", Chan offered, trying to act casual to help his dongsaeng feel more at ease.

That's how Minho had ended up in Chan's lap, the older explaining the concept of the song they had been working on. At some point, the little had tried to slip his thumb between his lips but Chan had stopped him. "Don't you have a pacifier or something?", the Aussie asked carefully, afraid of upsetting Minho. Looking down embarrassed, the hybrid mumbled: "Ish at home." – "Alright, hang on. I think I have some wet wipes somewhere", Chan muttered, going through some desk drawers, "We'll clean your hands and then you can have your thumb. Wouldn't want you getting sick, right?" Minho shyly accepted the wet wipe, the older handed him, relieved that Chan hadn't denied him the comfort because he thought it was weird but rather because he was worried for his health.

As soon as Minho's hands had dried and the smell of the wipe had dissipated, the little slipped two fingers between his lips, gnawing on them softly. Chan picked up Jisung's headphones, chuckling: "You wanna hear some of the demos your daddy recorded?" Nodding eagerly, Minho tried to sit as still as possible as Chan put the headphones on him, only his cat ears twitching with excitement. His eyes wide with wonder, the hybrid listened to his mate's voice over the headphones, falling for the other with every single word he rapped. A delighted giggle slipped out between the fingers Minho had lodged in his mouth and Chan couldn't help but smile. He knew Jisung's voice was amazing and that his lyrics were deep and thoughtful. He also knew that the couple was whipped for each other but seeing the pure joy listening to Jisung's voice brought Minho, made Chan feel really soft and warm inside.

Having teased each other all the way up to the studio, Changbin and Jisung were still bickering when they let themselves into the studio. Changbin didn't even finish his sentence, growing quiet immediately as Jisung' heart sank, seeing his mate in Chan's lap, the Aussie's arm securely around his waist.