Work Text:
🐈
Wonwoo pockets his phone back in his coat. "Sorry, it's Mingyu texting that he will be home late, he didn't say why. You were saying?"
Junhui nods, “So, like, I just think Shi Qingxuan deserves so much better than that ending you know? They weren’t even aware of the truth behind their ascension and they didn’t even do anything wrong so why did they have to pay for it? Also, it’s painfully obvious that He Xuan is in love with them, with the way he—”
“Wait. Junnie, look.” Wonwoo points to the other side of the narrow alley where they usually make a shortcut towards their apartment from the supermarket. Lying down on a pile of flattened cardboard boxes is a calico cat, peacefully sleeping. She is curled up into a crescent, tucking her head under her paws. It’s a chilly late-autumn afternoon, a gentle rain has been greeting the city—definitely too cold for a cat to sleep outside.
“Oh, dear.” Junhui hastens his pace, forgetting that he’s the one holding the umbrella and almost leaving Wonwoo exposed to the rain with two large grocery bags in one hand. Upon hearing two pairs of hurried footsteps inching closer to her, the cat stirs. Junhui and Wonwoo join her, taking shelter under the porch of what looks like the back door to a noodle restaurant. Junhui puts down their umbrella and quickly crouches down to check on her. She looks quite underweight and is terribly shivering—some parts of her fur clump together as a result of the damp weather.
Before Junhui could lift his hand to pet her—bacteria be damned—she yawns, opens a set of light green eyes and stretches. She bumps her head into Junhui’s palm, nuzzling it. Junhui suppresses a whimper when she proceeds to stand up and rubs her body against Junhui’s jacket, closing her eyes and purring at the sudden warmth. Wonwoo gasps, quickly retrieving the economy-size bag of kibbles that they just bought from one of the grocery bags.
“Won, don’t you think she’s too friendly for a stray? I think she must’ve had an owner and they threw her away.” Junhui points out, noticing the cat's lack of collar yet fairly clean fur.
Wonwoo rips open the enormous bag of cat food with an impressive strength while examining the cat’s state, “You’re right.”
Junhui and Wonwoo are extremely fond of cats, and they have been wanting to adopt one together since forever. The only reason why they haven't had any cats yet lives and breathes in the form of a 6'2", overgrown puppy of a man they call their boyfriend. After they all moved in together, Mingyu always pouts whenever they bring up the topic and says he would much prefer adopting a dog instead. Both Wonwoo and Junhui are not opposed to that idea (they love animals), but they agree that dogs require much more constant care than cats and they are not ready for that kind of commitment yet—especially with Wonwoo and Junhui still trying to adapt with their new jobs and Mingyu finishing his last year of university.
It's not like Mingyu is allergic to nor despises cats, but to quote the man himself, he just "doesn't connect with them spiritually", and he seems absolutely serious about it. Junhui had giggled in disbelief at that, but Wonwoo had convinced him to let Mingyu warm up to the idea of adopting a cat first before actually doing it without Mingyu's approval. Therefore, they compromised. Junhui and Wonwoo proposed that once they all have more time in their hands, they will adopt both a cat and a dog. Mingyu agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly, regarding the result of this discussion. In the meantime, Junhui and Wonwoo settle with feeding strays and going to cat cafes every now and then—activities in which Mingyu is always reluctant to partake—to relieve their longing of getting a cat.
Wonwoo distractedly pours a portion of cat food on the queen's "bed" while observing her interaction with his boyfriend. She has been rubbing and circling around Junhui, which is not a rare sight—cats almost always take an immediate liking to Junhui. He returns the act by petting her enthusiastically, all while grinning and cooing endlessly at her cuteness. Wonwoo's heart warms at the sight.
"Won, it's too cold for her to be outside like this." Junhui says while he encourages her to eat the small pile of kibbles. A familiar crunching sound immediately follows, she is definitely hungry.
"Well, we definitely can't take her home. Mingyu won't be too happy about that." Wonwoo's voice sounds far too soft and fond for someone that's about to leave a perfectly lovely cat unsheltered in the streets.
Junhui purses his lips slightly, "But look at her! She's cold and she's so well-behaved. Also, I'm pretty sure she's already attached to me."
Wonwoo sighs at that. This has happened before, of course. They have fed countless cats in their neighborhood, and a significant number of them recognized Junhui as their leader or something with the way they throw themselves at Junhui upon the mere sight of him. He would love to bring any cat they meet on the streets home and keep them, but they can't just forget their agreement and break their promise with Mingyu. He's always had this anxiety of Mingyu thinking they don't consider his opinions to be important. He doesn't want Mingyu to think they don't appreciate his feelings. For now, at least, he has to be content with leaving stray cats after feeding them, however attached to his boyfriend they might be. "I know, Junnie. But we can't do that to Mingyu, we already promised him. She will be fine, we can just check on her every now and then and feed—"
"Oh, Wonwoo. We can't do that." Junhui is still petting her, his palms smoothing over her belly.
"Why?"
"She's pregnant"
🐈
Mingyu's day has been tiring. It's bad enough that he's currently working on his final project for his final year of university, but he also has been working as some photographer's assistant since last month. This morning, he had left the warmth of his cozy apartment for the library to hopefully start writing his project but he ended up getting stuck in the background again. During a pathetic attempt to conclude the background of his project, his boss suddenly called him to do a lot of errands that were mostly not listed in the job description, on his supposed off day at that. Mingyu had to run around the city under the rain for the rest of the day to fulfill his boss’ orders. He sighs for the nth time today, second guessing his decision of attempting to earn money by himself, questioning whether this "experience" is worth the fatigue and annoyance if in the end he will just work for another corporation under the evil force that is capitalism. This day has been going very slowly, and there's nothing Mingyu wants more than going home to his boyfriends.
Oh, his boyfriends.
He knows it's only been exactly 8 hours after he's last seen them, but he already misses them so much. They have been the most supportive boyfriends ever; they had dragged Mingyu out of the dorms to move in with them and he can’t thank them enough for that—it’s hard to focus on your final project in the chaotic environment that is the uni dorms.
Junhui and Wonwoo are a year older than him, and they were his seniors in the university. They met through mutual friends, when Junhui and Wonwoo had already been dating for almost a year. He wishes their getting together story were more interesting, but it’s always been so easy when it comes to Junhui and Wonwoo. There was no misunderstanding nor angst involved whatsoever—they simply admitted to him that they found Mingyu cute before he could ponder or feel guilty about having a crush on two people in a relationship. One very romantic negotiation slash first date at an IHOP later, they’ve been inseparable since.
Mingyu loves his Junhui and Wonwoo-hyung. So much that it’s almost embarrassing, really. They appreciate him greatly, and they always listen to him with undivided attention. They tolerate his stress cleaning and stress cooking even though those activities often come with serious naggings. They never let any clash of opinions marinate for too long. Junhui never fails to endear him with his general Junhuiness, and Wonwoo always makes sure he’s not feeling left out—even though Mingyu had already reassured him that he’s never felt that way since they began dating.
Sometimes, Mingyu feels guilty about moving in with them. It’s one of the main reasons he wants to work in the first place—to help them pay the rent, even though they both already said that he doesn’t have to worry about that before he graduates. Wonwoo and Junhui are both new to their day jobs, being fresh graduates and all. Junhui scored a teaching job at a dance studio, and Wonwoo works in a video game development team. Wonwoo also has a small YouTube channel where he occasionally makes faceless let's play and walkthrough videos—he even has a quite loyal fanbase. Junhui joked that his subscribers watch his videos mostly for his deep, sexy voice. Wonwoo frowned at that, but Mingyu knows for a fact that it's true—he's read thirst comments of various levels of horniness under Wonwoo's videos. Wonwoo and Junhui are currently more than capable of covering the rent, but Mingyu couldn't help but feel bad.
On top of that, he knows they want a cat to adopt and Mingyu may or may not be a little selfish for not being as equally excited at that idea. Mingyu wouldn't completely hate it if they were to adopt one as the apartment is originally their space, after all. But, being the wonderful and understanding boyfriends that they are, of course they want Mingyu’s input in this matter. Mingyu’s eyes almost water at the memory of them telling him that it’s their place, not just Junhui and Wonwoo’s. God, he misses them. Mingyu stares blankly at the subway window, watching grey clouds outside. He can’t wait to go home and bury himself in his boyfriends’ arms and tell them about his day, and maybe cook for them after that.
🐈
"Junnie, where do you think the litter box should go?"
"How about in the balcony under where we hang the laundry?"
After the thankfully easy and uneventful walk home (she was very agreeable, Junhui picked her up and carried her in his jacket with no resistance whatsoever, she even continued her nap on the comfort of Junhui's chest), Wonwoo left the apartment to get some temporary cat supplies—yes, temporary. They decided to foster her at least until her babies are old enough for adoption. Junhui was alone with her in the apartment for a moment, during which he observed her intently.
The cat was confused at first, but she showed no sign of fear of the new environment she has been brought into. Junhui is incredibly relieved. He had some really difficult cats back home in Shenzhen. She is unusually friendly and trusting for a stray cat , Junhui thought to himself. The creature in question immediately explored the apartment quietly after Junhui had dried her with a towel. She really looks like no trouble, so after Junhui attempted to converse with her (there were a lot of where did you come from, who threw away such a good baby like you, and who the fuck knocked you up and left you alone ), he let her walk around the apartment some more.
"Where is she?" Wonwoo asks after he put the fancy roofed litter box on the corner of their small balcony.
"I think she's made herself comfortable in your gaming room. I saw her going in there and she hasn't come out." Junhui is resting his legs on the couch, he's been browsing for cat names on his phone.
Wonwoo peeks inside his gaming room. It's the only room in the apartment other than their shared bedroom, and the interior is akin to something that you would find in the r/malelivingspace subreddit. It only consists of his PC setup, some soundproof foam panels on one side of the room, and a rectangular carpet with a blanket on it on the other. The carpet was there because Wonwoo forgets the outside world exists sometimes; he can game for hours and passes out afterwards. Mingyu had given up on carrying him back to their bedroom for the sheer frequency of this occurrence.
Wonwoo enters the room and finds her sitting beside his keyboard and recording equipment. He notices that all of his stuff is still in one piece, which means she's indeed a really well-behaved cat. Wonwoo smiles. Convincing Mingyu shouldn't be too hard.
"Junnie, she's such a good girl." Wonwoo exclaims, maybe a bit emotionally. He's been waiting for this moment for so long. He runs his hand over her now dried back and scratches it. She purrs in delight.
"I know, right? I hope Mingyu likes her so we can keep her." Junhui answers from the couch.
"No, we're going to look for adopters after she gives birth, remember? We ca—"
"You want me to like who?" There's a voice coming from their entrance hallway. Wonwoo stops petting her to welcome his boyfriend. He's greeted with the sight of said seemingly tired, giant boyfriend kicking off his shoes.
"Hey, welcome home." Junhui moves his legs to make room for Mingyu. Mingyu drags himself towards the couch and immediately rests his head on Junhui's lap, closing his eyes. He automatically runs his fingers through Mingyu's brown locks. Wonwoo sighs fondly. He thinks Mingyu must be too exhausted to notice the set of cat bowls and a huge container of kibbles on the corner of the room.
Wonwoo decides to drop the bomb, "Gyu, we—"
"How was your day, baby? I thought you'd be home much earlier, you're not supposed to work today, right?"
Mingyu opens his eyes and takes a deep breath, and proceeds to let out all of his frustrations that have been building up inside him all day. Wonwoo decides to sit on the couch as well, intently listening to his complaints. Mingyu tells them how he ended up briefly playing silent Guess Who with Seokmin the library receptionist after he couldn't type any more words, and how his boss treats him like his personal assistant instead of a photographer's assistant.
Junhui frowns. "That's so annoying, I can't believe he made you pick up his Pomeranian from the groomer. I'm so sorry, Gyu."
"Are you sure you still want to work for him?" Wonwoo asks carefully.
"It's okay, it's nothing that I can't handle, really. But it's just so irritating, you know? I was supposed to spend this day working on my project, but—"
A small meow cuts his whining. Junhui exchanges a mild panicked look with Wonwoo. Mingyu sits up slowly, tufts of his hair that Junhui brushed earlier standing up on his head.
"What was that sound?"
"Uh, we kinda got a cat."
🐈
It has been about two weeks since Brontë the cat became a part of their lives. Yes, Wonwoo is the one who named her—he thinks she deserves a sophisticated name.
Breaking the news to Mingyu was surprisingly uncomplicated. Wonwoo had braced himself for some sulking, or at the very least, intense pouting. But, Mingyu was mainly just confused, he doesn’t look surprised or betrayed. Wonwoo had prepared what he was going to say to Mingyu—they had a good reason for bringing her home, after all. Wonwoo explained how the cat might probably give birth around winter and how she and her babies wouldn’t survive unsheltered. He mentioned how she is only staying with them temporarily. Mingyu listened attentively, and kept silent until Wonwoo finished. It’s almost as if he already knew they wouldn’t do that without any reason.
“She’s cute.” Mingyu simply pointed out. Wonwoo sighed in relief.
Junhui beamed at that, “Wait until you see how sweet she is! You will fall in love with her eventually.”
“I doubt that, Junnie-hyung. I don’t think I will ever understand cats, but you both made the right decision of bringing her home, I would probably do the same too.” Wonwoo felt like he could melt right then and there, and Junhui was so happy he proceeded to pepper kisses on Mingyu’s face.
The process of choosing a name for her was, in contrast, a complicated affair. Mingyu was smart enough to voluntarily let himself out of the discussion and instead watched Junhui and Wonwoo arguing for what felt like hours. After Mingyu felt like he couldn’t listen to any more no, Won, you can’t name her after your old Literature professor! Didn’t you take that class only once for fun? and you can’t be serious, we’re not naming her the Chinese word for “cat” , he went to the kitchen and cooked dinner. The debate continued even after dinner, and needless to say, Brontë was nameless for her first couple of days in their apartment. Eventually, Mingyu couldn’t take it anymore and suggested they decide who gets to name her with rock-paper-scissors—a battle which Junhui lost. He was briefly against it at first, but the name grew on him (though he mostly calls her with nicknames such as Brownie or Brow-Brow and Mingyu caught him calling her "Your Highness" one time).
Wonwoo and Junhui had taken her to the vet and given her a proper bath. Brontë is mostly healthy, aside from the mild flea problem and low weight for her age. The vet also said that she is about eight months old and this might be her first pregnancy. Brontë had been pregnant for a few weeks, so they should expect her to give birth about a month from then. Dr. Park also mentioned how pregnant cats usually become more loving and affectionate—which explains her friendliness. Wonwoo takes Brontë’s pregnancy rather seriously, he even asked the doctor what they should prepare before the time comes. She told them they could make her a nest of some sort, so that Brontë won’t give birth in unwanted places like their closet or under a table. Junhui doesn't mind it too much since he had handled his family cats' pregnancies before back in his hometown.
Nothing has changed in the apartment after the no-longer-underweight Brontë has finally settled herself in. She is a quiet cat, only meows when she’s hungry and she never makes a mess—not a big one, at least. Their lives continue normally, except for having Brontë pawing their faces in the morning to wake them up to feed her and the occasional findings of a sleeping cat in multiple weird places in their apartment. Junhui is practically inseparable with her already, they always cuddle as soon as Junhui gets back from the studio. She occasionally naps on Wonwoo's lap when he is gaming or sits on his PC desk, observing him.
As for Mingyu—the only non-cat person in their relationship—he maintains a strictly professional relationship with Brontë. He respects her because his boyfriends are basically her devoted servants, but he never gives her the same attention they give to her. He's never had any chance of getting to know her as he's never been alone in the apartment with her.
Until now.
Mingyu has gone back early from his job, and he is currently sketching his concept for some photoshoot ideas on the coffee table. Brontë approaches him, rubbing her head on his arm. Mingyu ignores her and focuses on his work, and then she climbs onto his lap and purrs. The sudden warmth and weight on his lap is not an unwelcome feeling. Brontë curls herself in a ball and closes her eyes, her breathing gets more even as Mingyu continues working. She's fast asleep when Mingyu finishes, and now he wants to get up. Mingyu tries to wake her gently by poking her nose and pressing her paws, but nothing works. His legs have been dead for twenty minutes now, and sitting unmoved on the floor is starting to hurt his ass.
"Brontë-ya, please get up. This has been nice but I have to go the bathroom"
Brontë doesn't move because one, she's sleeping and two, she doesn't understand the human language. Mingyu pokes her some more just for good measure. She doesn't look like she's going to wake up soon, and Mingyu finally gives up. His own eyes start to feel heavy. He leans his head back on the couch and closes his eyes.
Wonwoo enters their living room an hour later to find Mingyu asleep sitting on the floor with Brontë on his lap, his hand resting on her. He smiles and snaps a picture for Junhui.
🐈
"I'm home." Mingyu opens the door to an empty apartment. He just got back from a pretty successful library visit; he finally made some progress on his final project. It's really cold outside though it hasn't snowed yet—it gives Mingyu a cuddly mood. Both Wonwoo and Junhui have said this morning that they will be home late tonight.
Oh well, he has Brontë with him now.
After that fateful day, Brontë has become attached to Mingyu, maybe a little more than she is to his boyfriends. She follows him everywhere in the apartment, circles around his calves when he's cooking, and accompanies him when he's working late at night. Her affection is returned, as Mingyu finds himself looking for her whenever she's not around and seeking for her attention. Wonwoo finds this development incredibly endearing whereas Junhui teases him about it endlessly—Mingyu just whines and makes an excuse about how Brontë is special.
"Brontë-ya, where are you?" Mingyu calls to the empty apartment. He enters the living room and notices something that makes his heart drop—a trail of blood that leads to their bedroom.
Junhui and Wonwoo have been talking about how Brontë's due date is getting near. They have prepared a cardboard box layered with old shirts and a soft blanket for her in Wonwoo's gaming room because there's a lot of unused space in there. Mingyu also notices how her belly grows larger every day and her movements become gradually slower. He panics and rushes to their bedroom where he finds Bronte sitting under their bed, her eyes are closed and her breaths are coming out in a rapid pace. Mingyu quickly reaches for his phone and calls Junhui. He lets out a shaky exhale when it goes straight to voicemail and his fingers tremble when he presses Wonwoo's number afterwards. He answers after three dials.
" Hey Gyu, what's— "
"Hyung, I think Brontë is giving birth and I think I'm going to faint."
" Oh my god, oh my god. Gyu, please stay calm, okay? Do you see any kittens yet?"
"No, she's under our bed right now. I think she's in pain. I don't know what to do, hyung."
" Okay. Okay. I'll find a way to get out of this early, okay? Can you move her to her box? If you can't, that's okay, just give her the blanket for some warmth. "
"I.. I'll try my best, hyung."
" Thank you, Gyu. It's going to be okay, I love you so much. "
"I love you too."
Mingyu puts his phone down on the bed and crawls closer to the cat. Brontë looks like she's struggling. His arms are long enough to haul her out from under the bed, but he's too scared to do that. She notices him and gives him a weak, strained meow. Mingyu feels lightheaded as he notices more blood on the floor. He stands up and decides to bring the box to their bedroom.
"Brontë-ya, come on. The floor is cold, come here, good girl." Mingyu tries to coax her out of there. Mingyu sighs in relief as she moves slowly towards him until she gets close enough for him to pick her up without much resistance. He puts her down gently inside the box. She lies down comfortably and lets out another weak meow. Mingyu thinks of it as her thanking him. She closes her eyes again, and she looks like she's about to push. Mingyu feels lightheaded again. Okay, this is the one thing that I can't watch. I'm so sorry, hyungs .
Mingyu leaves her alone and sits on the couch. He wipes the sweat off his forehead. He didn't even realize that he's been sweating so much. Only after fifteen seconds of sitting he really already feels very restless. He paces around the living room, checking his phone multiple times for messages from his boyfriends. After what feels like forever, Junhui sends a text in their group chat.
07.31 pm
Junnie-hyung
ON MY WAY HOME RN ฅ=͟͟͞͞((꒪∆꒪;)ฅ
Wonwoo must've called him. Mingyu lets out a breath and types in his answer.
07.31 pm
be careful, hyung.
07.32 pm
Wonu-hyung
can't get out until 8. i'm so sorry, be careful on the way home, junnie.
Ten excruciating minutes later, Junhui arrives and rushes in. Mingyu can't describe how relieved he feels when he sees the grey-haired boy. He gets up and walks towards his boyfriend. Junhui notices Mingyu's shaky legs and sweaty forehead and hugs him immediately. Junhui's forehead feels cold on his neck, his palms icy on his back. As Mingyu's breathing evens out, Junhui loosens his arms.
"Gyu, where is she? Is she okay?"
"She's in our bedroom. I couldn't be there to watch her, sorry hyung."
"It's okay. I'm going to check on her, okay?" Junhui presses a brief kiss on his lips and Mingyu nods.
Junhui goes inside the bedroom while Mingyu waits for him on the couch. He faintly hears a muffled gasping from the bedroom, then he decides that he couldn't wait and follows Junhui inside.
Mingyu finds Junhui squatting down beside the box, his back facing the door. He seems to notice Mingyu's footsteps and turns his head.
"Four babies, all healthy." Junhui smiles his brightest smile, the kind that could light up an entire stadium.
"Oh, thank God."
🐈
Wonwoo arrives about a half an hour later, his breathing uneven. He finds his boyfriends on the couch, Mingyu's head resting on Junhui's shoulder.
"Oh, Won. Welcome h—"
"How is she?"
"Calm down, Won. She's okay. Her babies are okay."
Wonwoo goes inside their bedroom to check on Brontë. Mingyu had successfully transferred her to her box. She's lying on her side, four little kittens nursing on her. One white and orange, one ginger tabby, two tuxedos. Wonwoo lets out a relieved breath. Brontë stares at him, her big, light-green eyes blink slowly.
"I will give you guys some privacy." Wonwoo walks out the bedroom and slumps on the couch.
"We're grandparents now." Junhui chuckles. Wonwoo turns to Mingyu, who gives no reaction to that statement.
"Mingyu-ya, thank you for handling it by yourself," Wonwoo sits up, runs his hand from Mingyu's hair to his cheek, turning his head towards him. He kisses his forehead lovingly, "You're so great."
"It's nothing, hyung. I'm surprised I didn't faint. If you hadn't answered my call I would have been too panicked to think clearly." Mingyu mutters, pressing his head on Wonwoo's chest. Junhui wraps his arms around Mingyu's waist and whispers, you did so well on his ear. They stay like that for a while.
"Won."
"Yes?"
"Do you think the couple down the hall would want to adopt cats?"
"Soonyoung and Jihoon? I don't know, why?"
"They look like cats."
Wonwoo throws Junhui a look—the kind he makes when someone utters a misinformed statement about his favorite video game. "Just because they look like cats doesn't mean they want cats."
"We don't know that!"
"Junnie,"
"Yes?"
"Your best friend just got a new girlfriend, right?"
"Minghao? Yeah, the girl she's been flirting with finally realized that Minghao was in fact flirting with her all this time."
Mingyu snorts. Wonwoo continues, "Do you think—"
"By the time the kittens are old enough they would probably want to adopt them? Yes."
🐈
Junhui is trying so hard to hold in his laughter. Minghao's girlfriend, Vernon, is currently sitting on the floor of their living room, four three month old kittens are attacking her, climbing onto her and playing with her hoodie straps. One of them nuzzles his face on her cheek, one is chewing a part of her fluffy hair that isn’t covered by her beanie. For the entire time Minghao has been staring at the spectacle, she has this look on her face: her lips are pressed together tightly, brows furrowed. Junhui knows Minghao well enough to recognize that it's her I'm Trying So Hard Not to Cry Right Now look. Junhui is pretty sure he hears Minghao's whimper when the tuxedo kitten toys with Vernon’s dangly earring.
"So, Vernonie, which one connects with you the most?"
"I.. don't know. They're all adorable." Vernon answers distractedly.
"Okay, take your time." Junhui turns his head to finally let out a giggle.
"Jun." Minghao calls. She sounds surprisingly calm, though her watery eyes fool no one.
"Yeah?"
"I have a friend who wouldn't mind adopting an older cat, do you want their number?"
Junhui turns his head to the kitchen. Mingyu is preparing to cook them lunch, with Brontë perched on his shoulder. Wonwoo is standing next to him to help him chop vegetables. He's petting her, grinning, nose scrunching fondly.
"Nah, she's staying."
🐈