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It was raining that day, the hybrid’s ears and hair sopping wet as he crouched in the alleyway. Ears flat against his head as he huddled closer to his twin brother, he had to keep him out of the elements, he was the only thing keeping him going. However, his sad eyes peered up at his brother, he knew it wasn’t fair for the two of them- people spat at them, “lowly hybrids, strays too” or “they can’t even fucking be human, look at them, actually disgusting.”
“Ji.. I have some spare change a nice lady gave me.. We need to go somewhere warm.” Felix tries to convince him to move, his body is already cold and wet- he could get sick and if Jisung is sick then everything starts to fall apart.
“I know.” Jisung replies, eyes dazed and distant while staring at the cars rattling by the alley. His tail swished in dismay as he felt empty inside. He always feels empty inside anymore, it’s hard to breathe when there isn’t any purpose besides keeping your promise.
“It isn’t fair Ji.. It just isn’t fair, why can’t it work out,” the small gust of wind made him shudder, fingers clutching onto his brother’s shirt to get a tad more body heat. He was the weaker one of the two, they both knew it. Felix would get almost deathly sick in the winter because of the cold, Jisung would never leave his side.
“I know,” he mutters softly, pressing against his brother to keep him warm, “I know it isn’t Lixie, but there isn’t anything we can do.. We are just..” his chest tightens, biting his lip as he spits out “Lowly disgusting vermin, hybrids.” He feels the disgust creep into his body, tears welling in his eyes as he hates it. He fucking hates it! They live cardboard box to cardboard box, both of them hardly schooled as the only person willing to even associate with them was the old grandma on main street. She couldn’t let them in, would sit on her porch and bring them warm meals, offer them her grandkid’s old clothes, but her husband was a mean one and cursed at them whenever he saw them as he hated hybrids with all his guts, hastily shoo-ing them away.
Jisung feels the soft fingers of his brother brushing the tears off of his cheeks, not even realizing they fell from his lids. Felix’s small smile on his little shaking frame, clothes ragged and torn, made the brunette’s heart ache because he knew that his brother would be flourishing in a nice household that cared for him- he wanted that for him, it didn’t matter what would happen to Jisung, Felix needed to get off the streets. Fingers clutching against Felix’s own small ones, Jisung takes off with his brother in tow down the dark alleyways.
Jisung knew where he could find someone willing to house his brother, keep him safe, the old grandma would tell them about her grandkids while they sat on the porch eating like the street hybrids they were. He remembers one of them visiting and wanting to take Felix home, “He looks too fragile to belong on the streets”, he remembers Felix protesting “I won’t go without my brother Ji!” Felix will understand, Felix has to. Jisung wants him to be happy, it’s the only thing he promised their mother before everything went wrong, “Keep Felix safe.” Felix isn’t safe on the streets, Felix belongs with a family that will love him and keep him safe- not Jisung. Jisung puts him in danger with every breath he takes. The brunette falters, biting down harder on his lip to keep from crying in anguish. Jisung is about to lose everything keeping him together, but it’s for Felix’s sake, everything Jisung does is for his brother. Felix deserves to go get an education, be warm in bed, not scrounging around alleyways and begging for money on these cold nights.
He’s fast, his brother’s legs are tripping to keep up with Jisung as he races down the alleyways to get to the destination fast. The small brown alley cat knows they will take him, they told Jisung that day, pressed an address in his hand when they first met- they knew what internal dilemma he seemed to be struggling with. Feet slowing to a stop at the small blue house on the corner, fingers pressed tightly with Felix’s small shaking hands, as the two make their way up the steps agilely. Keeping his brother behind him, his heart thudding loudly- almost deafening as he hits the wood of the door in three swift knocks. The tears fall almost like a dam as the couple opens the door to the two pitiful cat hybrids, the unluckiest twins. Jisung’s mouth opens, his throat closing up with the tears cascading from his face being mixed with the rain, but they know. They’ve always known from the first day they met the two alleycats at their grandparent’s house, haven’t they? How fiercely Jisung would do anything for Felix.
Felix’s tail swishes in confusion, ears flat against his head as he peers at the couple wondering why the two are here and why had his brother brought him to these people? Jisung steps aside, gently pushing Felix towards the door as the couple smiles. The couple opens the door up more for the smaller hybrid, when it finally hits Felix like a ton of bricks, Jisung is forcing Felix to leave him without option. Felix’s eyes search his twin’s desperately, a small noise escaping through his throat- one that says he doesn’t need to do this, they can find a different way to make everything work. However, Jisung’s caramel eyes are somber, his shoulders shake as he smiles weakly at his twin brother before his gaze flickers towards the couple, “Please take care of him.. I’ll come visit when I can, if I’m allowed.” The couple’s gazes towards Jisung are ones of pity, but also kindness; he knows he can trust them with Felix. Jisung will see Felix once or twice every few weeks, Felix will be safe.
“Ji.. Ji.. please. It doesn’t-! I don’t-!” Felix whimpers, fingers desperately squeezing Jisung’s at the door frame as the couple tries to usher him inside. The couple is chatting softly about feeding him a meal, letting him have a nice soothing bath, some nice fitting clothes- treating him like the child they just couldn’t have. Jisung only gives Felix’s hand a light squeeze, his lip trembling almost as much as the day their mother passed, “They’ll take care of you Lixie, I’ll come visit, it’s not safe for you to be on the streets like this anymore. I’ll come see you, I promise you, but I promised mom that you would be safe and this is my only option.” It’s then that Jisung drops his twin brother’s hand, hanging his head and thanking the couple profusely for their hospitality before he starts his trek back into the alley. Felix’s eyes are following him with guilt and heartache before the door is shut and the couple start to dote on him, but Felix believes that his heart is in a million pieces and he can tell from the subtle twinge that Jisung’s must be feeling the same as well.
Jisung ends up settling in a small cardboard box, at least Felix is okay, all four of his paws tucked under him as his head drifts against the soggy cardboard. Jisung allows himself to doze off, being fully asleep in the alleys is trouble, he knows there are other stray alley hybrids around and they aren’t friendly when it comes to turf and meal scraps. Jisung’s ears twitch as the sound of footsteps approaches the damp cardboard box, yellow eyes cracking open at the sound and ready to run if it’s trouble. What he doesn’t expect is a person, overalls stained with paint, peering into his soggy box, “Hey little guy.. Let’s get you out of here.” Jisung is too tired to fight the gentle hands and too tired to run as he’s being picked up by the stranger. Jisung prides himself in knowing his way ‘home’ from almost anywhere in the city, so yellow eyes close at the warmth of the person. The blonde man settles him into the crook of his arm keeping him safe from the elements, almost fearful that the cat may not make it with how beat up it looked.
If only it didn’t rain when everything fell apart so many months later, Jisung learned to despise the rain. It’s always been raining in all of Jisung’s bad memories. The way he finds himself staring at Hyunjin’s door, he’s soaked to the bone due to the rain, Hyunjin has thrown him out, “You can’t live here anymore, I’m sorry Ji, it’s hard for both of us to be together anymore.” He remembers Hyunjin’s heartbroken eyes, how he wouldn’t keep eye contact with the hybrid for more than a few seconds. Hyunjin was Jisung’s home since that day in the rain, many many months ago, Hyunjin has taken everything in stride- they’ve been through high highs and low lows. Hyunjin has given, but Jisung has taken, Jisung has taken too much of Hyunjin without giving anything in return. Hyunjin deserves better, he does, it’s not fair of Jisung to take and take without realizing Hyunjin’s own feelings too, how much hurt he has caused the person, his person . Jisung feels the tears welling in his eyes, almost reminiscent of the day he left Felix, as he scratches at the door wanting Hyunjin to open the door again, to make Jisung feel whole again where the gaping hollow hole is in his chest. Jisung sobs, sobs for messing everything up with the only person besides his own brother that cared for him, it’s almost manic as his tail swishes and splashes in a small puddle beside the door. Jisung is unlucky, Jisung is a feral animal with a bad temper, Jisung is bad luck, nothing good comes from Jisung. All of these words are almost like a mantra in the back of his head by now and maybe they were right, it is Jisung’s fault.
Picking himself up from the rain soaked cement, his nimble fingers fumbling for the phone Hyunjin gave him after he started doing things around the house for an allowance while Hyunjin was at work. Hyunjin was a soft hearted and kind soul, it was no surprise that he worked with preschool aged children and tried to take Jisung in. Jisung and Hyunjin were alike, almost scarily alike. However, Jisung and Hyunjin may have met at the wrong point in life, Jisung not ready to give up his ways nor his fun whereas Hyunjin wanted to settle down, maybe be happy in life with a partner and have kids. Jisung’s eyes watered, his fingers trembling as he sends a short and simple text,
[jisunggie] i’m sorry, i hope you’ll forgive me someday
read at 7:20 pm
After rain comes the sunshine, it doesn’t stay cloudy forever. Jisung learned that with Hyunjin, it was like sunshine after the storm before the storm clouds rolled back in. It’s been a few weeks since it happened, the split or even the breakup. Jisung is back on the streets clutching the phone given to him tight at night as he makes time to charge his phone in small cafes or libraries. Hyunjin texts him, but it’s not like how it was- from “I love yous” to the curt “Be safe.” Jisung wonders if it’s because Hyunjin still cares for the small cat he brought home with him one rainy night after work, why would Hyunjin still talk to him after everything that happened between them, the messy fall out and the harsh words? Jisung still misses the teacher, his clothes still linger with Hyunjin’s scent on it, making Jisung’s heart fall into a million pieces as he tries desperately to keep the scent a little while longer, it won’t feel as real to the small cat.
[hyunnie] don’t get into trouble, be safe ji.
[jisunggie] i won’t, i promise.
read at 11:20 am
Jisung’s fingers press the power switch on the phone after seeing Hyunjin read the message, he has to bite his lip to keep from breaking down in the middle of the sidewalk. Tearfilled eyes stare at the dark phone screen as his head is hunched down, continuing his walk to the small little alleyway he calls home now. That is until he bumps into something, no not a something, a someone. His nose catches a whiff of scent, feline. Gulping, his ears twitching nervously as he stares at the stranger with timid eyes. He doesn’t want to cause trouble, he really doesn’t, Felix will be so upset when he hears about the turf fight. “I’m sor-”
“Ah no, I’m sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was walking and-” the cat continues, he seems to babble on and doesn’t show any sign of stopping. Jisung peers at him, the stranger is awfully intimidating with the way he holds himself, almost like he is the most important person to walk the Earth. To Jisung, it doesn’t seem like this cat is of the stray alleyway kind and seems… nice, strangely enough? The stranger finally notices something, the scent , before taking a look at the person he bumped into, “Huh! You too?” The surprise in his voice was a bit overwhelming, was he laughing at Jisung? “I’ve never met another cat that didn’t scramble off as soon as they got a look at me.” Jisung is still uneasy, still very skittish, and this stranger must’ve picked up on it as his eyes got comedically wide.
“Did I make you uncomfortable, I’m sorry. Let me get you a coffee to make up for this.” His lips are curved up into a half smile half smirk, a small little jolt through Jisung’s stomach as he quickly darts his eyes from the other in embarrassment. “Minho, if you were curious, my name is Minho.”
“J.. Jisung.” He breathes out, half with nerves and half with a sort of fondness. He feels like something hit him, maybe a bus? A metaphorical bus filled with some sort of butterflies.
Sunshine always comes after the rain, it does, Jisung knows. Pressing his face into Minho’s shirt as the two sit at a booth in the bar, Minho is on break from his shift and Jisung seems to always want to be near the other rather than their quiet apartment. Jisung hates being left alone without Minho, the place feels empty and confining. “How much longer is your shift, Min?” Jisung mumbles into the empty space between them, clutching onto the fabric of Minho’s work shirt tighter. “Just another two hours, Ji,” comes the soft whisper as Minho buries his face into Jisung’s curling damp locks. Jisung had forgotten an umbrella before leaving, not realizing that the weather would turn sour halfway through on his journey to bother Minho at work, “then I can go home and we can watch that movie you’ve been telling me about, sounds good?”
Jisung doesn’t like to be dependent on someone, hell Jisung hates it. Jisung would rather have his independence than be stuck conforming to another, but with Minho.. it’s different. Minho is a book that Jisung is just learning to read, Minho is a gentle spring day with the flowers blowing in the breeze, and Minho only gets more interesting by day. Minho is different from Hyunjin, Jisung can’t exactly place it, but the two are different when it comes to loving him. Minho let's Jisung go at his own pace, never giving or taking too much that would overwhelm the younger hybrid, he’s something that doesn’t change. Hyunjin liked to be organized, his day planned just like that of his students- something that Jisung could never conform to.
The older hybrid’s hand comes to stroke the top of Jisung’s head, an involuntary purr escapes Jisung’s throat as his cheeks flush a bright pink. “Happy?” Minho laughs, light and airy, his lips are placed in a smile and his eyes are looking at Jisung with a fondness and tenderness that Jisung never thought he would deserve. “Shut it!” The hybrid whines out, burying his face deeper into the soft fabric of Minho’s shirt.
Regrettably, as Jisung sulks, Minho is waved back by his coworkers to get off his break. Changbin is teasing him to get back to work, something about if Minho would get back to work, maybe he could afford something that goes on a nimble finger. Rolling his eyes at his younger coworker, a small huff escaping pressed lips as Minho’s hand squeezes Jisung’s, “I have to get back to work. Go home and I’ll be there with food after I get off, alright? Your favorite convenience store noodles, only the best.” Minho chuckles, shifting out of Jisung’s grasp and out of the booth, wandering back towards Changbin who pats him on the back with a teasing smile. Jisung feels the warmth dissipating, a small frown tugging on his lips at the loss of the other, but Minho’s job is paying the bills so Jisung can’t just complain like Minho says he loves to do.
Jisung’s walk back to the shared apartment, this time with an umbrella as the rain drizzles around him, is full of Minho, it’s always about Minho. If Jisung is unlucky and Jisung is bad luck then Minho must be lucky and Minho is good luck. The two hybrids balance each other out as the sun does after it rains. Minho is the sun after Jisung’s rainy days, he’s never out of reach, always there as a warm comfort after a particularly bad day. As Jisung closes the door to the small apartment, back resting against the wood door, he fumbles for his phone- a simple and short text.
[jisunggie] i love you
read at 10:15 pm
[minnie <3 is typing] . . .
[minnie <3] i love you too