(Not) A Cat Person
pairing: Kris/Chen
rating: this is sadly a pretty safe PG.
summary: Sehun brings home a catboy. Kris is not good with cats or people.
a/n: ok this is for sheryl! And very long overdue like sweet baby jesus. Happy christmas, happy new year and while I'm at it, happy birthday. this is actually really suck and I hope I don't disappoint you because you've been waiting for like forever. also Kris is like 2736362637 times dumber than i've ever written him, wow.


Jongdae began living with them about a month ago.

Kris remembered the day Sehun brought the cat home well; it wasn't everyday he came home from his shift at the bar early, so it was easy for the date to stick simply because of that.

Kris had found the cat lying across his flatmate's legs on the living room couch.He blinked a few times, thinking it might have been the lack of light in the living room but no, he wasn't mistaken. A sleek golden brown tail curled lazily between his legs and from a head of matching tousled golden brown hair, two pointed ears twitched, perking up at the sound of Kris closing the door.

Kris squinted in the scarce amount of light that the short excuse of a lobby between the front door and living room doorway shed into the space. A frown was already set in his features.

"Sehun..."

The younger man looked up, surprised - he must not have heard him enter over whatever drama was playing on the television. "Ah hyung! You're home early."

"I took a different shift today... Can we talk?"

A look that was clearly questioning filtered into Kris' features, his expression becoming stern. Sehun understood quickly and nudged at the cat, "Jongdae, I need to get up."

The small boy stretched himself out over Sehun's thighs a little farther before sitting up in one fittingly feline movement. Sehun got up, following Kris into the adjacent hallway leading to their respective bedrooms.

"Hyung..." he started before Kris cut him off, holding one hand up.

"Sehun, you can't just bring back a cat whenever you want without telling me." Kris glanced back towards the living room, where the cat had lain back down, curled up on the cushions. "Where did you get him anyway? He better not be a castaway."

Sehun frowned. "You know Lu Han?"

Kris nodded - of course he knew the other Chinese man. Lu Han attended some of the same classes he was in at the university and they'd hung out more than a few times with mutual friends during the school year.

"Well, you know how he's been going on about going back to Beijing to study for a year?" He didn't wait this time for Kris to answer before continuing, "It turns out, he couldn't take Jongdae with him so... I offered to keep him?"

The last part came out sheepishly, as Sehun smiled a little awkwardly. Kris stared at him before sighing. "Come on, hyuuuung," Sehun whined, "He'll sleep in my room. You won't even have to do a thing, I swear. I'll take responsibility for him."

Now that was something. Sehun wasn't a lazy kid - Kris knew this, because Sehun did work to pay half the rent after all but Kris often found himself lenient on the other just because he was younger. Sehun sometimes would grouch and pout to get his way those few times Kris didn't agree with him and the older man was sorry to say that 75% of the time... it worked.

He glanced back to the living room couch again, before heaving out another sigh. Sehun chewed on his lip, waiting for his verdict.

"...Alright."

Sehun sighed with relief but as soon as Kris' attention was on him once more, he schooled himself into a more serious expression, knowing the older man wasn't going to just leave it at that.

"You've probably prepared for this already assuming I'd say yes, didn't you?"

Sehun blinked, before rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "Of course... Just in case. I didn't want you to think I was doing this irresponsibly. I'm not a child."

Kris chuckled. "Alright then."

Sehun wasn't quite finished though, reaching to grab the taller man's elbow just as he was about to walk away.

"I know... you're not exactly a cat person. But thanks anyway, hyung."

Kris blinked in surprise, before smiling slightly. "I'll deal with it, don't worry."




It wasn't so much that Kris wasn't a cat person than the fact that at the heart of it all, he just didn't know what to make of another creature/human/thing, especially one that was essentially dependent on another for shelter, food, and other necessities.

Most interpreted that as an inherent dislike of cats.

Kris didn't really care. He'd never had to differentiate between the two with anybody - it wasn't a detail brought up in conversation often. Whether it's because his group of friends all held the same assumption that he hated cats or if it was simply because it wasn't a topic usually brought up over a cold beer and Chinese takeout, was none of Kris' concern. He never thought about it.

Sehun was unerringly diligent. Not that Jongdae needed much. He could feed himself, the only possibly difficult part lay in cooking and preparing the food for the pet. He'd been Lu Han's prior to becoming Sehun's and was already housebroken. True to Sehun’s word, he never had to lift a finger or bat an eyelash.

(Though, the fact that most of Kris' shifts were ones ending long after Sehun was in bed, could have helped.)

Things went mostly well. Once or twice, Kris took early shifts again and came home to find Sehun in the living room with Jongdae sprawled at his feet or his lap, arms around Sehun's middle. The feline boy’s ears would perk up as he entered the living room, gold flecked brown eyes peering up from Sehun’s lap curiously.

A month passed this way. And then...


( “No.”

Sehun made a noise somewhere between exasperation and desperation. “Hyung! Please, you know how much this trip means to me, come on. I was lucky enough to get this spot because someone couldn't go.”

Kris crossed his arms. “You can’t just take Jongdae with you?” He already knew the answer - bringing Jongdae with him would out of the question on a school sponsored trip such as this one. And he knew just how much the younger boy had been crossing his fingers to be chosen to go on this retreat.

Sehun shook his head, confirming his conclusions. “I’m really sorry, but you know I wouldn’t ask unless I really needed it. It’s only for three weeks?”

He pouted so heavily that Kris wanted to cringe.

“Fine, fine! Just… stop. Doing that.” )


Somehow (somehow) he ended up being coerced into being stuck alone with Sehun’s cat. The first few days he just did as Sehun had conveniently written down on a dry erase board - Jongdae wasn’t allowed too much sugar, Jongdae didn’t like broccoli so cook things that don’t have that. Things like that.

While the first few days that already passed had been awkward (to be honest, they still were) and tense, he had managed at the very least to be in the feline boy’s presence long enough to eat and watch TV. Even if it was with the two sitting at opposite ends of the sofa. Jongdae still slept in Sehun’s room and bed and Kris in his own. It wasn’t the best but it worked, he supposed.


( “What is it?”

He stood and watched tentatively as Jongdae sat down at the kitchen table, staring dubiously at the bowl of seafood stew before he seemed to deem it edible and began to eat.

Cute. He found himself thinking absently, watching bowed lips close over the metal spoon. He hadn’t even noticed it until Jongdae was staring back at him again.

“I like it.”

The tension slipped from stiff shoulders in relief. He didn’t say anything else but continued watching Jongdae until the cat finished the entire bowl.

Creepy? Maybe. )


Kris liked to think he’d made progress. Somewhat.

He was still out of the house for the first week. That is, until his boss gave (forced) a vacation on him.

”A guy like you shouldn’t be working his ass off so much. You’ve taken overtime so much just the past month. Go get yourself a girlfriend or something, put those looks to use.”

Kris snorted, thinking about Minseok’s words as he stepped out of the elevator, picking out his apartment key on the way to the door. He would probably be spending most of his days off home or sleeping, honestly - Sehun wasn’t around (obviously), Chanyeol still had work, and Tao had gone back to Qingdao to visit an old friend.

“Jongdae, I’m home.”

The quiet tinkling of a bell told him the feline boy was in the kitchen, despite the television being on the living room. He could hear the familiar dialogue of Titanic - it seemed to be Jongdae’s favourite thing to watch when he was alone in the flat, even if he didn’t understand a lick of English.

Jongdae shuffled out of the kitchen, a frozen ice pop in his mouth. Or rather, what was left of it. His lips were red from the artificial flavoring and the plastic made an obnoxious noise as he tried to suck out the rest of the melted ice water.

“You came home early.”

Kris nodded. “I got a week vacation.”

The little bell pierced through one golden brown ear tinkled gently as Jongdae brushed into him, nudging himself into his side once, twice. He just blinked in confusion, before lifting one long arm stiffly, watching Jongdae with knit brows. The feline boy nestled himself further into his side, spindly fingers still clutching the crumpled, curled up end of the plastic tube in his mouth.

Well.

This was… new.

They’d certainly gotten more friendly. But… not to the extent of touching. He bit his lip, looking down as the cat leaned his head into the crook of his arm. It was weird but not unpleasant and he felt impossibly awkward as he heard the faintest vibration of a purr.

A strangled gurgle almost escaped his throat when he felt something curl around his leg, before he realised it was just Jongdae’s tail.

“Jongdae…” he started.

The smaller boy reacted quicker than he thought at his voice (had he sounded angry?), abruptly putting distance in between them. His expression was regretful and timid. “Oh. Sorry, I forgot. Sehun said you don’t like cats.”

Kris frowned deeply. Before he had the chance to say anything, Jongdae had scampered off to Sehun’s room and shut the door, leaving Kris behind as Celine Dion’s vocals blared through the television speakers.

Kris switched the DVD player off before the credits started to roll, retreating into the kitchen to make dinner. He was admittedly bothered about what Jongdae had said - not because it wasn't true (okay, that was part of the reason) but despite being awkward with the feline boy, he really did want to befriend Jongdae.

He made a quick fried rice - usually surviving on takeout and Sehun's limited knowledge of cooking, it was a nice change and for awhile he forgot about Jongdae's peculiar behavior. He finished and contemplated for a minute before taking out an extra bowl for the feline boy.

He went to Sehun's room, knocking on the door. "Jongdae, I made food."

"Not hungry!"

Kris frowned. Was he still upset about earlier? He tried the knob; it was locked and he frowned even more. "...Alright, I'll leave it out in case you get hungry later."

Making his way back, he scooped himself some into a bowl. Moving into the living room, he sank into the couch and turned the TV on. Flipping through the channels, he only found reruns of the latest sitcoms and on the news, nothing was really of particular interest except for the report of incoming thunderstorms.

He ended up watching the Titanic, since he was already settled on the couch and didn't want to change the DVD. He got up to get himself more rice and a drink as ads were playing, frowning at Jongdae's untouched bowl of rice as he passed by like it was its fault the cat wasn't hungry.

No one’s fault but your own. his own voice reminded him unmercifully.

He’s an hour in, tapping his foot absently in time to the music of the party happening on screen when he heard the quiet tinkling of a bell and looked up sharply to see Jongdae standing in the doorway. His mouth was still stained red from the ice pop and he bristled visibly as Kris sat up, shrinking back.

Thinking he was going to flee back to the room, Kris stood up quickly and crossed the room. Jongdae’s eyes widened as Kris grabbed him by the shoulders, freezing up as he stared up at him. The taller man quickly eased up on his tight hold once he noticed the feline boy’s alarm, though he didn’t let go of him.

“Look. ….um.” Fuck, what was he going to say? He looked frustrated for a second, toning down the expression on his face when he noticed Jongdae was still staring at him with the most bewildered look in his gold flecked eyes.

“Okay,” he started again, taking a deep breath. “I know Sehun told you I don’t like cats. Right?”

Jongdae nodded slowly. “Good. I mean no, it isn’t.” He felt unbelievably awkward and getting more and more so the longer Jongdae continued to stare at him wide-eyed. “Look, what I’m trying to say is that’s not true.”

Jongdae’s brows knit in confusion, one ear flattening as indication of that. Kris sighed, running a hand back through his hair. "It's not like... I don't like cats. I'm just bad with them?" he said finally, letting go of Jongdae.

"So.... do you like me then?"

Kris stared down at the feline boy, who no longer looked confused but was instead curious. He nodded slowly. "I like you."

The smile that appeared quickly on Jongdae's face was bright, eyes crinkling at the corners as they curved. On top of his head, his pointed ears perked up happily.

"Does that... does that mean I can hug you?" he asked. Kris wasn't sure what to make of the way Jongdae looked at him expectantly - there was a flutter in his chest and he could only pin down one thing for certain.

He didn't really want to disappoint the smaller boy.

"...Yeah. It's okay for you to do that." He said finally, even holding his arms open to invite Jongdae to him. As if given a great gift, the cat's smile widened, eyes sparkling as he latched himself to Kris' middle, skinny arms wrapping tight around his waist. They stayed that way for longer than was necessary for a hug but Kris didn't really mind.

It was surprisingly easy for him return the hug, even easier to pick the cat boy up from the ground (though that might've had more to do with the fact that Jongdae was small). Maybe it was because the first major wall had crumbled, making it feel much easier to brave the smaller ones ahead. Jongdae yelped as he scrambled to hold onto Kris’ shoulders as he made his way to the kitchen.

“Now that that’s fixed… you’re going to eat and finish Titanic with me."





The rest of the week went by swimmingly. Jongdae began making it habit to shove himself into Kris' side when he cooked dinner, greeting him with a hug when he came back from hanging out with his friends.

Kris still didn't know quite how to deal with it, aside from wrapping his arms awkwardly around the cat boy. Jongdae always did beam at him afterward, his honey eyes proud.

Kris still couldn't tell whether it was from being able to hug him or if he's proud of Kris for allowing a person into his personal bubble.

Both are equally viable options.

It went on this uneventful way, with one visit from Kyungsoo and Yixing.


("Junmyeon is worried you're turning into a hermit." Yixing said by way of a greeting, smiling easily. The scowl he received in return had him laughing as Kyungsoo strode in breezily after him.

"You can't blame him. You're either working or hanging with us and the idiot brigade."

"I went out two days ago..." Kris started, only for Kyungsoo to snort.

"What, for groceries?"

"Hey!"

Yixing snickered behind a hand, before the tinkling of a bell drew his attention to the hallway. "Ohhh, Zhongda~ Sehuna left you with Kris? Really?"

Kris blinked as the feline boy latched onto Yixing, who scratches him behind the ear till he was purring quietly.

He wondered if he should ask how to make Jongdae purr, but that seemed like an odd question to ask. Knowing Yixing, he'd just quirk an eyebrow and smile that smile of his.)


Sehun did call on Saturday from Venice over Skype, as Kris was making dinner.

“I got you this mask. It looks like a cat.”

Sehun leaned over on his bed for a brief moment,disappearing from the screen and coming back holding a black mask with two telltale pointed ears. It’s very nicely made and Jongdae was obviously delighted.

“I’ll show you all the pictures when I get home. You’re doing all right there?” Sehun asked the boy then, looking worried. Jongdae nodded, the bell in his ear jingling.

“Of course. Kris is nice so why wouldn’t I?” He replied simply. Kris sat down next to the cat then, nudging his chair over so Sehun could see him in the Skype window as well. He handed Jongdae a plate of japchae and handed him a fork, before starting to eat his own food with a pair of chopsticks.

“Jongdae is fine. He just eats like 20 grown men and you owe me a lot of food.” Kris replied, pointing at him through the screen with his chopsticks.

Sehun laughed. “Okay. I’ll pay for takeout when I get back.”

Kris chuckled lighrly then and for the next few minutes, let Jongdae talk to Sehun as he pleased. Before long an hour had passed and his flatmate was pulling on a jacket.

“Hey, I’ve got to catch this exhibit. I’ll call again when I can, so take care, alright?”

“Don’t get kidnapped by traffickers.” Kris said in lieu of a farewell. Sehun snorted.

"Love you too, hyung. Bye, Jongdae.”

“Bye, Sehuna~”

And with that, Sehun was off, with a little kiss to the screen for Jongdae. Kris found himself feeling like his insides were tying themselves into knots at the affectionate gesture.

He shoved it away for the most part - occupying himself with things like dishes, responding to emails from family, playing Anipang.

But hours later, they were both on the couch, Jongdae and him.

He watched Jongdae carefully from the other side of the couch. Contrary to what he’d said after their misunderstandings the other night, they had never finished Titanic. It was droning on as Kris watched Jongdae stare intently at the TV, smile playing on his lips. He was still in a ridiculously good mood after they’d gotten that call from Sehun.

His eyes stay trained on Jongdae, long enough that the cat eventually noticed. Golden brown ears twitched on his head, swiveling before he actually turned to look curiously at Kris. “If you frown any harder, your eyebrows will fall off.”

The taller man felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. "It's nothing. I was just thinking of things. I look angry when I'm concentrating, sometimes." he tried as a reply. Jongdae stared at him, honey colored eyes narrowing slightly.

"If you say so."

The cat went back to watching the television then, making a show of stretching out over his side of the couch. The curve of his back as he arched into the cushions is smooth and not lacking in feline grace. His lashes kissed his sharp cheekbones when he blinked lazily a few times.

Kris found himself slightly uncomfortable at the sight.

He's unable to tell if the feline boy was doing it on purpose or not. Sharp honey colored eyes peer up at him for just a moment, flickering with amusement.

A weird twist to his gut sent him shuffling to the very end of the couch and turning up the volume on the television. Setting the remote down too hard, he scratched the back of his neck.

In the midst of Jack and Rose' famous scene on the deck of the Titanic, Kris thought he heard a little giggle from the cat and managed to persuade himself for the moment that it was just because of the movie.

It's not like he knew what to do about this tangled mess of weird feelings festering in his gut anyway. He began trying to undo all the knots, but where one started and another ended, he couldn't even tell.

He was so lost in his thoughts that when Jongdae's tail brushed over one bare foot, he jumped, startled. "You're getting that scowly look again." The feline boy remarked casually, as he rolled onto his back, arching as he tipped his head back to stare at Kris upside down. His expression was expectant, honey colored eyes with their slit pupils sharp and discerning.

Kris found himself feeling unsettled by the smaller boy's gaze, like he was boring right into his brain.

"It's nothing important." He mumbled, looking back at the television. He couldn't focus on the movie playing even if he wanted to but he kept up the charade for a few long minutes, before getting up. He muttered something about grabbing snacks and dragged himself to the kitchen.

It took too long for him to decide on which leftovers he felt like eating, taking his sweet time to make them as edible as they were before. However long it took, Jongdae ended up calling for him to come back - it was one of his favourite parts coming up.

(The whole movie was his favourite, Kris thought)

He came back to Rose propositioning Jack to draw her and Jongdae monopolising the couch. "Make room, or I'm sitting on you." he said in a warning enough tone.

Jongdae ignored it completely, opting instead to stretch himself out even more. The feline boy's lips curled at the ends - moreso than they usually did - as he brought his arms to rest above his head. "How about you draw me like one of your French girls instead?"

He was clearly playing around. Kris could tell from the way his grin widened. But the words left an image of Jongdae in his head he would rather not have - he could already feel the tangled mess of knots get more grossly complicated.

"I don't have any.. French girls?" he ended replying weakly, looking bewildered. Jongdae burst into a fit of snickers, rolling over and curling up on himself.

Kris huffs (he wasn't blushing, really), moving to shove the cat over with the hand not holding a plate of leftover japchae. "I'll still draw you if you like." He said, by way of a recovery. Jongdae stopped chortling long enough to snort.

"Sehun says you're terrible at drawing."

That little shit is going to owe me so much takeout. Kris thought, frowning mentally.

"I don't know what he's talking about, I'm great."

Jongdae grinned, mouth wide and curling at the ends. "He also said you were delusional."

Between the feline boy's mentioning of Sehun multiple times and the insults to his artistic abilities, Kris felt rather affronted. It must have shown on his face because Jongdae laughed again, before launching himself at him.

"You're really easy to rile up." He giggled into Kris' waist as he hugged him, while the taller man sat there awkwardly accepting the embrace. "But it's because you're so obvious."

Kris spluttered loudly. "Obvious? What's that supposed to mean?"

Jongdae snuggled into his waist. Kris resisted the urge to use him as a lapdesk for his plate, more focused on weaseling an answer out of the cat. "Tell me."

"Mm, your scent. You've been smelling like that all day."

Kris frowned. "Like that? Like what?"

Jongdae peered up at him where he was nestled into his side, before sitting up to take Kris' plate and put it on the table. He planted himself astride the taller man's lap, legs on either side. Too stunned to protest, Kris allowed the feline boy to tilt his head till he was looking straight at him.

"You smell like you're attracted to me." Jongdae tilted his head curiously, furrowing his brow. A strange gurgle escaped from Kris' throat before he could stop himself. "Eh?!"

"Do you like me?" It was that question again, only this time Kris didn't know how to respond. He stared and stared until Jongdae started to feel like the one being scrutinated instead of Kris.

Kris opened his mouth as if to respond, then closed it. Then opened it, then closed it. He felt like a fish out of water and probably looked the part too. Eventually he just stopped trying to force the words put before they were ready, his lips pressing tight together.

"...never mind." Jongdae frowned as he looked at him, before shifting to get off him. He slid off Kris' legs and onto the floor, curling up with a cushion a ways off from the taller man's feet.

He was clearly put off and Kris couldn't really blame him.

"Hey..." Jongdae just curled up tighter, not making a noise. Kris tried again, even poking him tentatively with a toe, "Jongdae..."

Getting no further response, Kris let out an exasperated sigh. "Jongdae, I like you, ok? Don't be upset with me, please?"

Jongdae's tail flicked in irritation. "Not that kind of like." He grumbled barely loud enough for Kris to catch.

He's silent for awhile, long enough that Jongdae eventually decided to uncurl and peer at him from the floor. His tail moved back and forth nervously.

Kris didn't really know what to make of it, honestly. He was still trying to figure out his own awkward tangled mess of feelings. Jongdae had his eyes trained on him, waiting for his response - if there was any.

His patience tended to wear thin quickly though and this wasn't any exception. He stood up from the floor, gold flecked eyes flashing. "Why do you only do something if I make a tantrum of it?" His voice went a pitch higher from annoyance and now that Kris was listening for it, nervousness.

Jongdae was about to stalk off before Kris got up and grabbed onto his wrist. He really didn't want another repeat of Jongdae locking himself in Sehun's room again. He tried to give the cat his best pleading look, tugging him gently to him. Kris was thankful the smaller boy didn't try to struggle away but kept his hands on his shoulders anyway.

"Hey. Listen, okay? You can't just... you can't just throw your feelings at me like that and expect me to know what to do." He started sternly. Jongdae's ears wilt, in that way Kris now knew to mean he knew he was wrong. He swallowed, licking his lips nervously. "I'm not good with feelings, ok? You make me feel a lot of things and right now it's just a huge mess to deal with."

Slowly, he let go of Jongdae, leaning back till he fell back onto the couch. He ducked his head, partly hiding the faint blush on his cheeks. "I like it when you're happy and I like it when I'm the person who can do that. I get... a little jealous when someone else does that. But I'm not really good at dealing with those kinds of feelings."

"So... does that mean you like me?" Kris looked up at Jongdae, his voice quieter than he was used to. He attempted a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I guess I like you. So what should I do now?"

The cat's eyes lit up at his response and he practically skipped over, sprawling himself on top of Kris and hugging his waist. The taller man stiffened in surprise before wrapping his arms around him, letting Jongdae nuzzle against his neck.

"I think you should kiss me now." The feline boy said, looking up from where he was nestled to grin widely.

Kris laughed, a little pink dusting his cheeks regardless. "Okay."

Truthfully he's a bit nervous still. But kissing Jongdae wasn't bad at all - in fact, as he tilted his head and gained enough confidence to tease the other into parting his lips, Kris thought it was the best kiss he'd had in a long time.

And what followed after... well, that was a chapter best left for another time. Namely the one where Sehun came back to their flat two weeks later to find Jongdae snuggled in Kris' bed instead of his and proceeded to text a picture to every single one of their friends.

( fr: sooshi ♡
to: ohdult.yeah
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took the moron long enough.)