Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jiwoo couldn't sleep.  

Training aside, these past few days had been very tiring. He hadn’t seen Jisuk, Subin, and Wooin in over two weeks, and he had been too wrapped up in his own mind to call them and ask them to come over. Although he missed the outings and the game nights, he also appreciated the tranquility that came with being alone. But now he felt too alone, especially without the presence of a certain orange cat.  

It’ll only be a little while , Mr. Kayden had said. But almost four weeks had gone by, and he had not heard back from him yet. He’d expected a call, considering how close his mentor and him had gotten in the past few months. He knew that being an awakened one required its compromises and responsibilities, but he hadn’t thought the house would feel this empty. He still remembered when he first met Kayden, how excited he had been to learn he wasn’t the only one with supernatural abilities. Their relationship had naturally flourished, and soon enough he’d found himself thinking about his mentor as more than just a teacher. A parental figure, maybe. His mom was consistently absent, and he’d never had the chance to meet his father. Some part of him liked to think that Kayden had filled that spot, his protectiveness towards him noticeable enough for even others to notice a shift in his usually brassy attitude. Still, he had never brought the topic up to Kayden, too scared of what he might answer.  

Jiwoo sighed again, looking over at the digital clock on his nightstand. 3:42 am.  

He rubbed his eyes with one hand, grabbing his phone with the other. He stood up, making sure not to disturb the sleeping cats on his bed. He grabbed a jacket and a pair of socks from his closet, heading downstairs. Putting his shoes on, he headed out, making sure to grab his earbuds on the way out.  

He took the path he used to take for school, quietly humming to the music as he kicked a few rocks blocking his way. It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes before he saw the shadow of something small moving between the trash cans of a convenience store. He got closer, making sure to remove one of his earbuds. He crouched, avoiding making as much noise as possible.  

“ Pst pst ”.  

A small, black head wormed its way out, softly meowing at him. He smiled, reaching out with one hand to softly pet the matted black fur.  

“Hi buddy, what are you doing out here, hm?” he exclaimed, carefully scanning for any injuries the small kitten could have. The kitten meowed back, fully getting out between the trash cans. It licked his hand, wobbly paws reaching towards his sleeve.  

“Aw, you’re too cute. Are you hungry? I have some food for you back home,” he carefully attempted to scoop the kitten up, making sure to tuck its paws beneath it. The kitten purred, a small confirmation. He removed his other earbud and tucked it in his pocket, returning his full attention to the meowing kitten. “If you like it there, you could stay. You’re too little to be out here, unless your mama is waiting for you.”  

The kitten looked up to him, attempting to bite one of the fingers that were petting him. “Alright, alright, I get it. You’re hungry, let’s go.”  

The walk back had been calm, his soft voice throwing reassurances at the hungry kitten. “I’m sure Mr. Kayden will love you. He won’t admit it, but he’s gotten soft. He’s always giving the other cats extra portions of Meow Jello.” He smiled at the kitten, remembering how he’d playfully confronted Kayden about the rapid disappearance of Meow Jellos he had bought. They're hungry, kid. Let ‘em have it , he’d responded. He sighed, suddenly remembering his mentor’s absence. Once they got closer to the house, he checked the mail to look for any due bills ( and for any updates about a certain someone, but he didn’t want to admit it ).  

Once at the door, he took his shoes off, careful not to jostle the sleepy kitten in his arms too much. He went inside, heading straight to the cabinet filled with cat food and treats. He opened it, taking out a tuna can. He placed its contents in a small bowl short enough for the kitten to reach and eat. He placed the kitten on the couch, rearranging the blanket so that it formed a small nest around it.  

“Here you go,” he placed the bowl in front of the kitten, encouraging it to eat by petting its head. Once the kitten began to eat the tuna, he headed back towards the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water. He made note that he’d also need to give the kitten some water later. Once the glass was empty, he walked towards the glass back door. As he was double checking that it was closed, he heard it. A small, but pained, meow.  

His head quickly turned towards the sound, scanning over the yard for any wounded animal. He slid the door open, stepping outside and closing it behind him. He scanned the area once again, not seeing any signs of a wounded cat. He walked towards the back bushes and took out his phone from his pocket. Turning the flashlight on, he scanned the area one last time, and that’s when he saw him. Kayden’s fur was matted with blood and what looked like to be debris. His chubby paws had cuts all over them, and his eyes were slightly ajar, a hazed expression on his face. Jiwoo quickly rushed towards him, scooping him up and brushing some of the debris away from his muzzle.  

“Mr. Kayden! What happened?!”, he exclaimed, placing Kayden safely in his arms, making sure not to touch any of the visible wounds all over his chubby body. He did not reply, only receiving another pained meow in response. He headed back to the house, placing Kayden on the couch next to the small kitten. He rushed towards the first aid kit, opening it and pulling out gauze and some skin disinfectant. He brought the items back, crouching next to Kayden. “What happened?”, he asked again, not expecting a response back.  

“Kid...?”, Kayden whispered, his eyes looking to meet Jiwoo’s.  

“Don’t move, I will clean some of the wounds, okay? It might sting a little bit, but I don’t want you bleeding out.” He carefully began to disinfect some of the smaller wounds, inexpertly wrapping gauze around Kayden’s chubby belly. There were larger ones too, and after a closer look, he determined those might need stitching.  

“Mr. Kayden, these wounds need stitches or otherwise professional help,” he explained, not being able to conceal the worry in his voice.  

“No. No hospitals...”, Kayden answered, moving his head slightly so that it was better facing Jiwoo. “I, ugh...”, he groaned, flinching a bit, “I already fixed some of them with my force control, it’s okay.”  

“Mr. Kayden, I can’t see some of these wounds because of your fur. I could take you to the veterinary instead?” Jiwoo suggested, trying to come up with different options. His head was going to explode. “We can’t leave you like this, sir.”  

“It’s okay, kid. Just do your best with what we have here, okay? I can take care of the rest.”  

Jiwoo continued by disinfecting his paws and wrapping them with more gauze, carefully avoiding the larger wounds he knew needed a professional to treat them. Once done, he placed the first aid kit back in its place near the kitchen, grabbing a bowl with water and some Meow Jellos on the way back.  

“Here, I thought you might be hungry,” he placed them in front of Kayden.  

“Thank you,” he replied, but did not attempt to reach towards either.  

“Sir, what happened? You left for almost four weeks and came back like this. Did you fight again? Was it another organization?”  

“Gosh, kid. Calm down. You don’t have to worry too much. I was looking for some trouble and got it, okay?” Kayden answered, his voice a little hoarse but otherwise less pained, “But thanks for taking care of the wounds. Who would’ve thought you’d be a natural, eh?”  

Jiwoo attempted to smile at the comment, but he could feel the worry seeping through. He knew Kayden was grown enough to take care of himself, but he couldn’t help but worry about him. What if something bad happened to him? What would he do if one day he never came back?  

His mentor’s title of one of the strongest awakened ones excited him, but it also worried him to death. He would go crazy if something happened to Kayden, and – even worse – what if it was because of him?  

As if reading his mind, Kayden interrupted his thoughts. “Jiwoo. You’re thinking too much. Stop. First of all, this has nothing to do with you, okay?”  

Jiwoo looked at him, trying to find the lie.  

“I ran into some issues with certain people. I attempted to fight them, but it backfired on me. I’m okay, might just need some more time healing, that’s all.”  

Jiwoo sighed, looking at the small kitten he’d found earlier. Kayden followed his gaze, landing on the small matt of black fur on the couch next to him.  

“Oh, look at this little guy. He new?”  

Jiwoo nodded, biting his lip. “I found him in the dumpster near a convenience store when I was taking a walk just a bit ago.”  

“Just a bit ago?”, Kayden glanced at the clock on the wall, marking 5:47am. “What were you doing up so late?”  

“Oh, uh, just taking a walk. That’s all,” he answered, looking away from Kayden’s scrutinizing gaze. He was too good at telling when something bothered him.  

“A walk? This late at night?”, using his two front paws, he fixed his posture so that he was better facing Jiwoo.  

Jiwoo knew what was coming now.  

“Okay,” he turned his face towards Jiwoo, “what’s wrong?”  

“Nothing.”  

“Taking late night walks does not mean ‘nothing’ in Jiwoo terms. C’mon, kid. You okay?”  

“Y-Yeah. I was just, you know, thinking.”  

“About what?”  

“About my friends. I haven’t seen them in a while, you know?”  

“Okay...?”  

He did not want to tell him. But at the same time, he knew that he’d eventually find out about how he felt about their relationship. Mr. Kayden was good at it, especially when it concerned him. His fingers trembled, and he began scratching his palm with one hand, a nervous tic. Mr. Kayden noticed, and looked from his palms, back at him.  

“Listen, kid. If you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine. You’re not forced to. But just know that –”  

“N-No. I do. I do want to tell you, uh...” he trailed, thinking back at the state he’d found Mr. Kayden in. He didn’t know what could happen in the future, if Mr. Kayden ever fought increasingly stronger people. Could he get even more badly hurt? Worse, what if he –  

Jiwoo did not allow himself to finish that thought. He refused to. He took a deep breath and looked back at Mr. Kayden, who had been carefully observing him for a little while now.  

“I was – uh. I was thinking about you. Um. I was worried. But,” he could feel his ears getting a little hotter, “ I was thinking about, you know. Us, I guess. Cuz you take care of me and stuff.”  

Mr. Kayden leaned forward now, adjusting his paws so that they wouldn’t hurt with the weight. His ears lifted, interested in what he was saying. He looked at him with silent amusement.  

“I suppose what I’m trying to say is... uh. That I appreciate you. Or what you do for me, I mean. Like, protecting me and stuff. Because I know that you’re not required to be here, right? You have your own life to live, but instead choose to be here, with me. So, um, yeah. Thank you, I guess.” He could definitely feel the flush in his face now, his ears burning with embarrassment. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. Another nervous tic.  

“Huh.” Mr. Kayden answered, as if trying to process what he’d just heard.  

“But this doesn’t need to mean anything, you know? I was just saying that I appreciate you for being here but you can also leave whenever you want. I was just very worried, and for a moment I just thought you’d never come back. That, I don’t know, you’d decided to part ways, or something. Because you didn’t call me or text me or anything, and I –,” he could feel the tears coming. His voice choked up, and he hung his head low, “My mum left, and I never met my dad. So, I guess I’m a little scared that one day you’ll leave too. And I thought that moment was happening right now. So –”  

“Jiwoo...”  

“I just don’t want you to leave, sir. Not right now. I know I’m still weak, but I still have so much to learn from you. But I also understand –”  

“Jiwoo.”  

“If you ever feel like I’m constricting you here, just know that I’m –”  

“Jiwoo!”  

He looked up, tears and snot covering his whole face now. He wiped his eyes, sniffing.  

“Kid...”, he sighed, “You’re not forcing me to be here, you know? I’m here because I want to. I will admit, initially I did it because it was a good hiding space. A domestic cat hiding in a domestic house. No one was gonna suspect a thing. But then... I guess I began to enjoy it. Actually enjoy it. I was so used to moving place to place that this domestic life was a little bit of a shock. But I genuinely like staying here. And I enjoy your company too, kid.”  

Jiwoo sniffed, sitting on the ground now, at Mr. Kayden’s level. “People have always wanted something from me. My loyalty. My force control. But no one had ever wanted only my company. My presence. Until I met you, Jiwoo. You’re a great kid. And brilliant too. Of course, my amazing teaching skills have almost everything to do with your insane growth –”  

Jiwoo laughed.  

“But you’re a very gifted kid. Some people have strength, while others have kindness. But you have both, Jiwoo. You’re a good kid. I never thought I’d say something like this about someone, but here I am. I am staying here because I want to see your growth. I want to be here for it. I want to help you achieve whatever your goals may be, and...”, one of his ears twitched. Jiwoo could’ve sworn he saw a slight blush forming near Mr. Kayden’s whiskers, “One day I’d like to see you become a better awakener than I ever was. I’m proud of you, Jiwoo.”  

Jiwoo couldn’t help but stare at his mentor. Chubby form, and all. He bowed, feeling even more tears forming. “Mr. Kayden, sir. Thank you. Truly.”  

Kayden laughed, wincing after remembering the fresh wounds that adorned his body. Jiwoo stood up, getting closer to him. Kayden, as if understanding what he meant, slightly bowed his head, giving him permission. Jiwoo crouched, placing his arms around him, careful not to touch any of the gauze. “I’m glad you’re here, Mr. Kayden,” he whispered, placing his head near Kayden’s neck.  

“I know, kid. Me too.”