Nya

[sparklepox]

Title: Together
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Lu Han/Minseok
Word Count: 7405
Warnings: cat hybrid Minseok, heat (with consensual sex in a relationship context), toys
Summary: Boy meets cat hybrid.
Notes: I wrote most of this ages ago, but figures I'd finish it right after I post Minseok dressed as a cat. XD Anyway, this is my take on the cat hybrid trend. Big thanks to Gabriella & Kayleigh for helping me finally finish it.


It's not quite love at first sight, but Lu Han is definitely interested from the moment he first sees the guy behind the counter at his favorite coffee shop. He's got a pretty face under his baseball cap, with cute round cheeks and striking eyes, and a sweet smile he flashes at familiar customers.

Kim Minseok, Lu Han reads on his nametag as he steps up to give his order.

Lu Han doesn't ask him out that time, or the next few times he happens to come in when Minseok's working, or the couple of times after that when he intentionally comes in when Minseok's working. Instead, it's Minseok who finally says, with a soft, teasing smile, "If you keep coming in on my shift, I'm going to start thinking you like me or something."

Lu Han, smooth guy that he is, makes a wide-eyed shocked face that gives away everything in an instant. He's ready to melt into the ground in embarrassment when Minseok laughs, light and unbothered. "That's what I thought. You could've just said something."

"But I didn't...I mean, you...it's not..." Lu Han stammers awkwardly.

"If you're trying to say that you weren't sure I'd be interested, I am." Minseok still seems awfully amused at Lu Han's expense, but at least he's not being mean about it.

"Then do you, uh, want to go out some time?" Lu Han asks, finally starting to get himself together.

He's still a little worried about the response, but he has no reason to be as Minseok smiles warmly at him. "Sure."



When Lu Han arrives at Minseok's apartment to pick him up for their date, he finds Minseok nicely dressed in slacks and a leather jacket over a t-shirt, a black beanie on his head even though it's not that cold tonight. "Come in," Minseok says. Lu Han's confused because he thought they were going to go right out, but he doesn't argue.

Minseok closes the door behind Lu Han and they stand there in the entrance, Lu Han feeling more and more confused. "We can go in a minute," Minseok says, "but I wanted to tell you something first, so you know what you're getting into." Lu Han's mind races, trying to figure out what secret Minseok might have that he needs to confess. Is he secretly a girl? A high school student? A serial killer?

Lu Han's train of thought ends abruptly when Minseok provides the answer by pulling off his hat. He fluffs his bangs a little and then drops his hand, allowing Lu Han a clear view of the two extra ears sitting on top of his head, covered with fur the same medium brown as his hair. "You're a cat," Lu Han says stupidly.

"Cat hybrid," Minseok corrects, with the tired air of someone who's done so way too many times before. Lu Han's eyes automatically drop down, and while he can see that Minseok's ass looks nice in these pants, there's no tail sticking out of them. "I tuck it down my pant leg," Minseok explains, following his gaze. "It's not comfortable, but it keeps people from noticing."

"Oh. Huh." Minseok is looking at him, brow furrowed, probably expecting more of a response, but Lu Han is trying to figure out how to react. He knows about hybrids, of course, and he's seen them on TV, but they're rare enough that he's never met one. Or maybe he has, if there are others who hide like Minseok, but he's never known it. On TV, their cat ears and tails have always seemed like special effects, but here is Minseok, right in front of him, with cat ears that sure look real.

"If you want to call this off, just say the word," Minseok says after a few moments of awkward silence. "That's why I told you now, so we don't waste our time if you're not interested."

"Why wouldn't I be interested?" Lu Han blurts out, but when he stops to think about it, he already knows the answer. When he's seen hybrids on TV, it's almost always either for comedic purposes, making fun of their very existence, or to talk about the difficulties of their integration into human society. Humans judge each other for so many minor differences that of course being even a small part cat is going to be an issue. "That is," he amends, "I am, still. Interested. It doesn't bother me."

Minseok eyes him thoughtfully, like he's trying to read on Lu Han's face whether that's the truth or not. Whatever he sees seems to satisfy him, because he hangs the hat on a hook by the door and says, "Okay, let's go."



The restaurant Minseok takes him to is nice, quiet but not too fancy. Minseok seems to know their waitress, flashing her that smile he gives cafe regulars. "I've been busy lately, but I used to come here a lot," Minseok tells him after they've ordered. "It's a quiet place to study during the day, and the food's good."

The food is good, and the conversation flows easily as they eat. Lu Han likes to talk, but he's not always good at it, and yet somehow he has a lot to say to Minseok. They talk about their common hobbies and about work and school and so on. Lu Han mostly avoids putting his foot in his mouth about the hybrid thing or anything else, and Minseok doesn't hold it against him the few times he does.

They walk back to Minseok's apartment in companionable silence, and when they stop outside his door, Minseok says, "That was fun. We should do it again some time?"

The smile that automatically spreads across Lu Han's face answers the implied question well enough, but he still says, "Yeah, let's."

"I'll call you." Minseok suddenly steps in close and gives Lu Han a quick peck on the lips, disappearing into his apartment before Lu Han can react. Lu Han stands there for a few seconds, confused but not displeased, before he grins and walks off down the hall with a spring in his step.



A tiny part of Lu Han doubts Minseok, wondering if he hadn't just said they should go out again to be polite, but his phone buzzes with a text just as he's getting home. I'm off work Tuesdays and Fridays unless someone gets sick. Let's do something one of those days, if you're free.

They go out again the next Friday, and the next, and it's still good. They don't run out of things to talk about, and in fact keep finding more and more. It's probably too early to judge, but so far, Lu Han thinks Minseok is pretty near perfect. (He says as much to his roommate, Jongdae, who laughs and pats him on the shoulder with a fond smile. "Of course he is.")

Their fourth date is lunch at a cafe Lu Han chose, and everything is great until they're finishing their coffee and three men in suits sit down at the table next to them. They give Lu Han and Minseok a dirty look, and Lu Han is confused as to why—it shouldn't be obvious they're on a date—until he remembers Minseok's uncovered cat ears. In case there was any doubt what the looks were about, one of the men mutters, "I didn't know they were allowed out in public."

Lu Han looks over at Minseok and finds his eyes downcast. Without stopping to consider if it's a good idea, he turns a glare on the men. It takes a moment for them to notice, but once they do, they look annoyed. They turn away from Lu Han and Minseok's table, and Lu Han only has a few seconds to feel relieved before they start talking. "Must be nice, having a pretty little pet like that."

"Human parts and animal instincts, from what I hear, just asking to be dominated, always begging for more."

"I wonder what they do if someone isn't man enough to satisfy them..."

Lu Han is two seconds away from speaking up to defend both his and Minseok's honor, so it's probably for the best that a waitress comes to take the men’s order. "Let's go," Minseok says quietly while they're occupied. "We're finished anyway."

"But..." Lu Han protests. They've finished eating, but their coffee cups are still half full, and they were having a good conversation before those men showed up.

"It's not worth it." Minseok makes the decision for both of them by standing up, and Lu Han reluctantly follows him, shooting the businessmen one more dirty look as they leave.

Outside, Lu Han turns to Minseok with a frown, not knowing what to say. Minseok shakes his head before he can speak. "It happens. Don't worry about it. People probably say stupid things to you too, right? About being a foreigner."

He has a point. That doesn't make it okay, but Lu Han can understand letting things go when it's a battle you'll never win. Reluctantly, he nods. "Does it happen a lot?"

Minseok shrugs. "I go through phases where I wear a hat all the time, and then no one bothers me. If I don't, it happens regularly, but mostly just stupid things like that, a comment here and there."

"Mostly?" Lu Han asks.

"Relax." Minseok gives Lu Han a friendly shove. "I'm sure you're man enough to defend me, but I can take care of myself."

"I don't think that's what they were referring to with the 'man enough' comment..." Lu Han mutters.

Minseok laughs. "Let's not go there in public. Come on, I want some coffee since we didn't get to finish ours." He's smiling like he doesn't care at all about what happened, so Lu Han lets Minseok lead him to a coffee shop and does his best to let it go too.



For their fifth date (not counting the two afternoons Lu Han hung out at the coffee shop, talking to Minseok during downtime), Lu Han suggests going to a movie, but Minseok says, "Why don't you come over and we can watch one at my place?"

Lu Han doesn't think much of it until he mentions the date to Jongdae the night before and Jongdae says, "Ooh, someone's getting lucky."

"It's just a movie," Lu Han mutters, but now that he thinks about it, it does seem a little suspicious.

"You know what they say about cats," Jongdae adds, then laughs. "At least half of it's probably BS, but if even a little of it's true..."

"What do they say?" Lu Han asks warily.

Once Jongdae realizes it's a serious question, he explains, "Insatiable appetites, especially if they're in heat. Being really needy bottoms. All kinds of weird kinks. I even heard a guy insist once that male cats self-lubricate, but he was drunk and also an idiot, so I wouldn't take that too seriously. Still, you'd better prepare yourself. If he's in heat, you're going to be working hard."

"Is heat even a real thing?" Lu Han asks skeptically. He's heard about it before, but only scandalous gossip that's hard to take seriously. He can't even imagine Minseok like that, begging for someone to take him over and over. "Minseok's just a normal guy. There's nothing weird about him except the cat parts, and none of those have to do with sex. If we have sex tomorrow, it won't be weird either."

"Probably not," Jongdae concedes patting him on the arm, "but if it is, you better let me in on the gossip."



They get takeout for dinner and eat while watching the movie. It's not a very good movie, and about three quarters of the way through, when they're finished eating and lying on Minseok's bed together to watch, Minseok comments, "This is kind of boring."

"It is," Lu Han agrees, and then Minseok promptly kisses him. They've kissed before, at length, but not on Minseok's bed, and it quickly becomes clear that Jongdae was right about where things are going to go tonight. Lu Han's not about to object.

They take off their shirts, hands roaming over bare skin as they keep kissing, and it's not until their pants come off and Lu Han's hands brush Minseok's tail, sticking out through a hole in his boxers, that he thinks about the rest of what Jongdae said and wonders if any of it will turn out to be right.

Minseok doesn't seem any more impatient than Lu Han, and for now, at least, he's the one on top. He's not doing anything weird, only kissing and touching, his leg slipping between Lu Han's, rocking against him. It feels good, both of them getting hard as the kiss gets deeper, hungrier. Minseok gives no indication that he's in a hurry to move on, but when he grinds down suddenly, a desperate whine escapes Lu Han. "Please," he breathes.

Minseok looks kind of smug when he pulls away, like he was waiting for that, but then his expression turns serious. "I, um..." He frowns briefly and bites his lip. "If you've heard anything strange, you know, about hybrids..."

Lu Han shakes his head. "I'm not expecting anything. One way or another." He smiles, half flirty and half sheepish. "I'm pretty easy to please."

Minseok smiles, obviously relieved. "Good."

In the end, none of Jongdae's gossip seems to be true, at least not about Minseok. It's Lu Han who ends up on his hands and knees, whining for more as Minseok thrusts into him, steady but too slow for Lu Han's taste. "Shh, it's okay," Minseok murmurs. "Be patient."

Lu Han's not good at patience, but Minseok refuses to be moved. Only when he's got Lu Han moaning helplessly, desperately, does he pick up the pace and reach down to touch him, until the feeling that's been slowly building explodes and Lu Han comes hard, pleasure flooding his body. Minseok follows a moment later, thrusting in deep and crying out as he comes.

After, Lu Han flops facedown on the bed and he hears Minseok chuckle softly. "Sorry, did I overdo it?"

"No, it's okay," Lu Han mumbles into the sheets. Then he turns his head so he can say, "To tell you the truth, my roommate did tell me some things he heard about hybrids, but...they definitely got you wrong."

Minseok doesn't laugh and Lu Han is afraid he's offended him, but then Minseok's hand settles warm on his shoulder. "Don't believe anything you hear," is all he says on the subject. Then, "Let's get you cleaned up."



Jongdae asks when he sees Lu Han the following afternoon, but Lu Han refuses to say anything. "You're no fun," his roommate says, mock sulking. "But it was good?"

Lu Han nods. He's smiling, and Jongdae laughs at his expression. "You really like him, huh?"

Lu Han doesn't answer, but he can't help smiling a little wider. He does like Minseok a lot, no matter what anyone thinks of it, and he thinks (hopes) that Minseok likes him too.



And to all appearances, Minseok does indeed like him. The weeks pass and they spend more and more time together and Lu Han is happy, really happy. Maybe it should be a bigger deal than it feels like to Lu Han, getting involved to this extent with a cat hybrid, but he doesn't care. Minseok is like any normal guy, mostly, and Lu Han gets used to the little ways he isn't. Besides, it's not like Lu Han doesn't have his quirks too, and he can't even blame biology for them.

It bothers other people sometimes, them being together, but Lu Han doesn't care about that either, not really. After all, there are a lot of people who would disapprove of their relationship just because they're both male, and that shouldn't make a difference to him. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, only that Lu Han likes Minseok, and Minseok, to Lu Han's continual amazement, likes him back. Anything else, in Lu Han's mind, is just details.



They've been together about six months and it's a night like any other, the two of them sitting on Minseok's bed watching a soccer match. Lu Han's busy yelling at the TV like he always does, but eventually he notices that Minseok has been unusually quiet. He never goes quite as wild over matches as Lu Han does, but he hardly even seems to be paying attention tonight. "Are you okay?" Lu Han asks, darting glances over as his concern for Minseok wars with his desire to not miss anything in the game.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Minseok gives him a smile the next time Lu Han looks over, but it's a tired-looking one.

Lu Han's skeptical, but then he gets distracted as one of the forwards makes a break for the goal, cursing at the screen when he shoots only to go right over the top. When he looks at Minseok again, he gets another smile, fond and a little mocking. "Enjoy the game. I'm okay."

Fifteen minutes later sees Lu Han muttering darkly about idiot goalies missing balls coming straight at them as Minseok turns off the TV. "Forget about it," Minseok tells him, moving closer to Lu Han now that he's not in danger getting hit when Lu Han's cheering gets too enthusiastic. "I have better things for you to think about."

The next thing Lu Han knows, Minseok has straddled his legs, cupping Lu Han's chin and kissing him. His earlier lethargy disappears as he kisses hungrily, licking into Lu Han's mouth. Lu Han is quite happy to forget about soccer for this, pulling Minseok closer with hands on his back. His thumbs slip just under the hem of Minseok's shirt to rub against hot bare skin while his fingers brush Minseok's tail, sticking out of his pants the way it only does when he's at home. Sometimes Minseok complains about Lu Han touching his tail, but today he doesn't seem to care.

Minseok breaks the kiss eventually, but only long enough to strip his shirt off. Lu Han follows suit, and when they come together again, Minseok is right up against him, thighs bracketing his hips, pressing into Lu Han's quickly hardening cock. He has to be doing it on purpose, his hips rocking forward until Lu Han groans, "Minseok."

That stops it, Minseok suddenly going very still and pulling back just a little. His pupils are blown, his eyes shiny almost like he's feverish, and he wets his lips and frowns uncertainly. "What?" Lu Han intends to be gentle, because something's clearly off with Minseok, but his voice sounds rough.

"Can you...?" Minseok draws a slow, shaky breath in and out. Lu Han sees and feels him shiver, and his cat ears twitch like they do when they catch a sound too faint for human hearing. "I want you to fuck me," he finishes.

Lu Han's mouth goes dry. In all the time they've been together, it's always been the other way around, because Minseok prefers it and Lu Han isn't picky as long as no one expects him to be all girly and submissive. And it's good, it's always good, but with Minseok's eyes fixed on him, pleading and challenging at the same time, suddenly he really wants to know how it'll feel to be inside of Minseok.

"Don't make it..." Minseok frowns, and Lu Han can see he's uncomfortable, even if he doesn't understand why. Maybe it's a hybrid thing, or maybe it's just a Minseok thing. He's not going to pry. "Just tonight, okay?"

Lu Han nods and leans up to give Minseok a comforting kiss. That seems to be enough; he climbs off Lu Han so they can undress and grabs lube and a condom from the stash next to his bed. His expression is still stiff and tentative when he gets back on the bed, so Lu Han kisses him again, hands soft on the back of his neck. When they break apart, Minseok smiles at him, and Lu Han is satisfied.

"Should we—?" he starts to ask, but Minseok shakes his head.

"Like this," he says, moving in close again. Lu Han doesn't object, just uncaps the lube and spreads it on his fingers before moving his hand between Minseok's legs. Minseok's up on his knees and he wavers at the touch, so Lu Han wraps his free arm around Minseok's waist and pulls him in to lean against his shoulder and the wall behind him. He's warm, a sheen of sweat on his skin even though they're just getting started.

Lu Han's careful when he presses the first finger in, not knowing how used Minseok is to this. He breathes in sharply, but when Lu Han hesitates, he says, "Don't stop."

He takes Minseok at his word, moving his finger in and out, listening to Minseok's uneven breathing near his ear. He adds a second finger after a while, and still Minseok is quiet, only the catches in his breathing telling Lu Han it's doing anything to him. It's definitely doing something to Lu Han, who's trying not to rush in his eagerness.

Finally (though it's probably not really that long), Minseok reaches back to push Lu Han's hand away. He puts the condom on Lu Han himself and then moves into position, his hands on Lu Han's shoulders. Minseok doesn't look at him as he sinks down, but Lu Han watches his expression shift, pinched and then relaxing. His tail rises up behind him, catching Lu Han's eye as Minseok starts to move.

It feels great, Minseok's body tight and hot around him, slick with lube, as Minseok rocks steadily up and down. He seems to be in a hurry, bouncing faster and faster, and finally he whines, "Lu Han," in a tone Lu Han has never heard from him before. He takes the hint and starts to buck up to meet Minseok, and that finally gets Minseok moaning. Lu Han wraps a hand around Minseok's erection, and Minseok's hands squeeze his shoulders almost painfully tight.

Normally, Minseok outlasts Lu Han, but today, like this, it doesn't take much before his movements get messy, desperate, and Lu Han thrusts up harder until Minseok loses it, coming with a heavy moan. His body spasms around Lu Han and pulls him right along until he comes too, hips jerking up a last few times before he goes still, nerves buzzing pleasantly.

Minseok pulls off of Lu Han, but he doesn't move any more than that, leaning into Lu Han's chest. It's rare to catch Minseok in a cuddly mood, but Lu Han's not about to complain. He wraps his arms around Minseok to pull him closer and rests his head on top of Minseok's, his mouth pressed into Minseok's hair and one of his cat ears tickling Lu Han's cheek.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you," Minseok mumbles, sounding half asleep already. "I have to go to my sister's place for a thing tomorrow, and I'll probably stay another day or two after."

"Oh, okay." Lu Han's a little surprised that Minseok would forget to tell him ahead of time, but he supposes everyone has their disorganized moments. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing big," Minseok assures him. Lu Han remembers that he spent most of a week at his sister's a few months back, so maybe it's something that happens from time to time. Lu Han hasn't met Minseok's sister (another hybrid born to the same surrogate, he explained when Lu Han said he didn't think hybrids had siblings), and it would be nice, but it's up to Minseok when that happens. He's not going to make an issue of it.

Minseok says he'll have to leave early in the morning, so once they get cleaned up, Lu Han heads back to his apartment. He's already on the bus when he reaches into his pocket and realizes he's managed to forget his phone in Minseok's apartment. It's too much trouble to go back now, so he reasons he'll stop by and get it on his way to class tomorrow. One night without a phone won't kill him.



Lu Han leaves early for class the next morning to make a stop at Minseok's apartment. It's late enough that he's sure Minseok must be gone already, so he grabs the spare key taped to the roof of his mailbox and walks up to Minseok's third-floor apartment. He opens the door and steps inside, but as he's taking off his shoes, he hears noises. Did he catch Minseok after all, he wonders.

He stops and listens for a second and quickly realizes that he's not hearing just any noises. There are gasps and moans and the wet sounds of sex, which stops Lu Han in his tracks. Could Minseok have left a video on his computer? It wouldn't be so strange for him to have porn on there. Or maybe it's coming from next door, but it sounds too clear for that. There's one other explanation that makes sense, but Lu Han just can't believe that Minseok's cheating on him.

Confused, he walks down the hallway to the main room and looks in. Whatever he expects to find there, it's not Minseok himself, lying on his bed alone, naked, his legs spread wide as he pumps a vibrator in and out of his ass. Lu Han's pretty sure he stops breathing as he stares in shock at the scene. Why is Minseok here after he said he wouldn't be, and what the hell is he doing?

He's too shocked to speak, so Minseok doesn't notice him right away. When he does, he freezes, a horrified expression on his face. "What are you doing here?" he demands, choked.

"I—I forgot my phone," Lu Han stammers. "I stopped by to get it. What are you...? I thought you were going to..." He knows he should leave, grab his phone and get out of here because this is clearly not something he's supposed to see, but he's rooted to the spot.

Minseok groans, and Lu Han realizes he's still got the vibrator pushed halfway into him. The entire scene is so surreal he doesn't even know how to react. Then, suddenly, it clicks. "You're in heat." Of course it makes sense, but after six months, Lu Han had assumed heat was a myth, or at least not something that happens to Minseok. Obviously that's not the case.

Now Minseok whimpers, a sound Lu Han would never have imagined coming from him, and it startles Lu Han out of his inertia. "Sorry. I'll just...take my phone and go," he mumbles awkwardly.

Unfortunately, his phone is right next to Minseok's bed, and he only manages one step forward before Minseok moans out, "Lu Han." Lu Han freezes again, not knowing how to react. "Lu Han, please." Minseok turns to look at Lu Han then, and he looks so miserable, so desperate and pleading that there's no way Lu Han can leave him.

"What do...I mean, do you want me to...?" he asks, still hesitating.

"Please, Lu Han, help me," Minseok moans, all in a rush, and that's it. Before he knows what he's doing, Lu Han is on the bed beside Minseok, taking the vibrator out of his hand and moving it while Minseok strokes himself furiously, and in no time at all, he's coming with a cry that makes it sound more painful than enjoyable.

"Fuck," Minseok groans, curling onto his side, away from Lu Han.

"I'm sorry," Lu Han tells him. He's holding the still-buzzing vibrator in his hand and everything feels very surreal. "I thought you wouldn't be here or I never would've burst in like this. I didn't... I had no idea..."

Minseok doesn't acknowledge him, and when Lu Han moves a little closer, he realizes why. Minseok is hard again, or maybe still; Lu Han has no idea how this works beyond most likely exaggerated rumors. "Do you want me to stay?" he asks as gently as he can. "I can help you, but if you want me to go..."

"Don't you have class?" Minseok's voice is rough, strained.

"I can skip it." Missing a couple of classes isn't the end of the world, especially if Minseok needs him. He's still a little in shock, but it's an easy decision.

"I...it's not..." Minseok breaks off, curling more tightly in on himself, his tail following the curve of his legs.

"It's okay." Lu Han puts a reassuring hand on Minseok's shoulder, but Minseok starts at the touch, his tail twitching. He turns to look at Lu Han, his expression tight. "Really," Lu Han insists. "Whatever you want. Just tell me."

He can see the battle going on in Minseok's eyes, stubborn independence versus the overwhelming desire of heat. It's not much longer before his resolve crumbles. "Stay, please, please, just fuck me, hurry, please," he babbles, desperate

When Lu Han doesn't move fast enough, Minseok rolls over and starts opening his pants. His hands are shaky, so Lu Han pushes them away and hurriedly strips off his own clothes. He's not hard yet, so Minseok touches him quickly until he is, and he barely lets Lu Han grab a condom before he's climbing on top of him.

Unlike the night before (and oh, Lu Han thinks, suddenly Minseok's strange mood makes a lot more sense), he has no control, almost falling over, so Lu Han moves him onto his back and thrusts into him like that. It doesn't really sound like Minseok is enjoying it much, but the wordless whine that escapes him when Lu Han pauses tells him he should keep going anyway.

"Harder," Minseok begs after a while, "please, Lu Han, don't stop, harder, please." Lu Han tries to oblige, and that plus a hand on Minseok's erection gets him to come again. He nearly sobs as he writhes against Lu Han to get just a little more out of it, sending Lu Han over the edge in the process.

This time, Minseok goes soft after, sprawling boneless on the bed. He closes his eyes and Lu Han thinks he might be asleep, but then he mumbles, "I should...shower. Can you...?"

"What?" Lu Han asks when Minseok doesn't finish.

"Nevermind." Minseok opens his eyes again and drags himself to a seated position with visible effort.

Lu Han can guess what he meant to ask and helps Minseok up without a word. "I need a shower too," he says by way of explanation, and Minseok flashes him a weary but grateful smile.



Lu Han ends up skipping all his classes and calling into work that night in spite of Minseok's protests that he can manage alone. He seems relieved when Lu Han doesn't listen to him, so Lu Han thinks it's the right decision.

It's a strange day, a couple of hours at a time of relative normalcy interspersed with bouts of desperate sex. When Lu Han's heard people who haven't experienced it talk about hybrids in heat, they've always made it sound sexy, like who wouldn't want to have sex over and over with a partner who never gets tired of it, who wants nothing more than to be fucked hard and fast?

In practice, it's not anything like that. Lu Han's a young, healthy guy, but there's no way he can keep up with Minseok enough to go all the way every time. He does get off more times than he ever has in such a short period, but he still has to use his hands and his mouth and the toys Minseok has in order for it to be enough to temporarily satisfy Minseok's desperate, burning desire.

And while maybe it's different for some hybrids, it's clear that Minseok hates what heat does to him, hates begging to be fucked more and harder, again and again. Lu Han knows that Minseok likes to be in control for sex, and right now, he can't even control his own body. Lu Han can't imagine what that's like, both because he's never been so out of control and because he's never cared that much about control in the first place.

Minseok falls asleep early while watching a movie, wiped out, and Lu Han eventually follows him. He wakes up in the middle of the night, disoriented, to Minseok rubbing off on the bed sheets, groaning in frustration when it's not enough. Lu Han sucks him off before falling right back asleep, and when he wakes up again, it's morning and Minseok is sitting across the room, staring mournfully at a bowl of rice porridge and a glass of some brightly-colored drink.

"Not hungry?" Lu Han asks once he drags himself out of bed to sit across from Minseok.

Minseok shakes his head. "I always lose my appetite, but I know I should eat." He pokes listlessly at the porridge with his spoon. He looks exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes and his cat ears drooping, and his eyes still have that glazed, feverish look. "When I was younger, right at the beginning, it used to last three or four days. I passed out once because I didn't eat and barely drank. Now it's only two days, less if I have help, so it's not so bad, but I'm still careful."

He only ends up managing a spoon of porridge, but he finishes a bottle of the colorful sports drink, so that'll have to do. Lu Han eats a bowl of rice porridge and then finishes Minseok's so it won't go to waste. He makes it halfway through a cup of coffee before Minseok's body kicks into overdrive again and he has to put it aside to fuck Minseok over the edge of his bed. It takes two more orgasms after that for Minseok to relax, and by the time he's done, Lu Han's coffee has long since gone cold.

They go another round of that in the late morning, and again in the middle of the afternoon. It seems to take forever for Minseok to come the last time, but when he finally does, he slumps onto the bed with a sigh of relief. "I think...I think that's it," he tells Lu Han, still gasping for breath. He reaches out and Lu Han lies down next to him. Minseok kisses him slow and lingering, no longer desperate, and Lu Han is relieved too.

Minseok insists on getting cleaned up but almost falls over when he tries to get out of bed, so Lu Han helps him through a shower and stumbling back to bed. "After this, I'll probably sleep until tomorrow morning," he tells Lu Han, "so you don't have to hang around." His eyes are already almost closing as he curls up on the bed.

"Call me when you're feeling better?" Lu Han says, and Minseok nods. Lu Han presses a kiss to his temple and gives a little scratch behind his cat ears the way Minseok won't admit he likes before grabbing his phone and heading home.



Minseok doesn't call the next day. Lu Han texts him in the evening, Are you alive? ;-) and Minseok replies, Yeah two hours later but nothing more. Lu Han assumes he's still tired and lets it go, but when Minseok outright ignores his texts asking to hang out the next day, he starts to get worried.

For five days, Minseok ignores his texts and calls, leaving Lu Han to wonder what he did wrong. He thought everything was fine when he said goodbye to Minseok after his heat ended, but maybe Minseok was just being polite and not telling him that he'd screwed up. Maybe Minseok is just tired of him and is hinting that he doesn't want to see Lu Han anymore. Minseok has never shut him out before, so it's all too easy to assume the worst.

On the fifth day, Lu Han vents his worries to Jongdae, who rolls his eyes and says, "You know where he works, right? Go talk to him. It's no use sitting around wondering why he doesn't want to talk to you. Ask him and then you'll know, one way or the other."

Lu Han's not so sure he wants to know if the answer is that Minseok really doesn't want him around, but he's sick of the uncertainty. He goes to the coffee shop and finds Minseok behind the counter. There's no line, so he goes up to the register. "What can I get you?" Minseok asks, voice calm but expression saying, Shit, I'm caught.

Lu Han orders his drink and pays, and then Minseok finally says, without looking at him, "I'm sorry I didn't answer your messages. I can take a break at five, so can you hang around until then?"

"Okay." He finds a table in the corner and drinks his coffee, trying not to stare at Minseok while he waits the twenty minutes until five o'clock. He looks fine, and the guilty expression he had on earlier says that he was avoiding Lu Han, not ignoring him because he was sick or busy. Try as he might, Lu Han can't think of anything he did to make Minseok do that.

It seems like ages before Minseok finally takes off his apron and comes over to Lu Han's table. "Let's talk out back," he says. The shop isn't too crowded, but it seems he wants privacy.

Lu Han follows Minseok into the back, through a storage area and out the back door into an empty alley. It's not the nicest place for a conversation, but it'll have to do. It's warm outside, and Minseok takes his hat off and fans himself with it before he says, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have avoided you like that."

"Did I do something wrong?" Lu Han asks, feeling a little pathetic. "I thought maybe I did something to make you mad."

"No, it's nothing you did. It's..." Minseok sighs heavily. "I have a friend. Another cat hybrid. We used to help each other through heat and it was good like that, having someone who understood what it's like. But then he got himself a boyfriend last year, so we stopped."

Lu Han's confused what this has to do with anything, but he waits quietly for Minseok to continue, "The only other time someone's been with me for it was about two years ago. I was dating this guy, and we'd been together almost four months and been friends for another five, so I thought I should be honest with him. He asked if I wanted him to help, and I said okay. It was...a little weird, I guess, awkward, but fine, mostly, or at least I thought it was.

"Only then the next time I saw him, everything was different. He expected me to be the way I was during heat, needy and submissive, like the way I normally behaved was just an act. I tried to explain that it wasn't, over and over, and we fought about it. I broke up with him two weeks later because he just didn't get it and it was clear things were never going to go back to the way they were."

"That sucks, but I wouldn't..." Lu Han frowns. "You don't think I'd be like that, do you?"

"No, but I didn't think he would be either." Minseok meets Lu Han's eyes with the same resigned look he gets when someone heckles him while they're out. Lu Han likes it even less now, when it's because of him, even if he didn't do anything wrong.

"I won't," Lu Han insists. "I like you how you usually are. And I like you during heat too, but it's not..." He laughs, embarrassed. "I just like you. You'll have to do a lot more to change my opinion of you."

Minseok's smile is hesitant, like he's not entirely sure he believes Lu Han, but it's a smile nonetheless. "Thank you. For...all of it. I'm sorry I ignored you, and I'm sorry I lied to you before, about going away. I'll try to be more honest with you."

Lu Han smiles back at him, feeling good that Minseok trusts him like that. "It's okay. But next time, if you want..."

Minseok smiles a little wider now. "Sure thing. But it won't be for a while. For now, are you free tonight? I'm off at eight."

Lu Han finds himself grinning, relieved and happy that everything is okay between them.



Lu Han's in a good mood when he goes home with Minseok that night. Minseok seems to be back to his usual self, chatting easily about the last few days. They have a late dinner at Minseok's apartment and then end up on Minseok's bed. It hasn't been that long since they've seen each other, but it feels like it, so Lu Han's eager to pull Minseok close and kiss him. Minseok doesn't seem to object, kissing back hard with his hands in Lu Han's hair.

Their shirts come off quickly, and then their pants, and Lu Han is busy pressing kisses down Minseok's neck so it takes him a moment to realize that Minseok has gone still beneath him. He pulls back, frowning, and he's about to ask what's wrong, but Minseok catches the expression on his face and immediately pulls him in for another kiss, rolling them over so he has Lu Han pressed to the bed. Lu Han thinks he shouldn't let himself be distracted, but it's impossible to think straight with Minseok kissing him breathless like this.

It seems like everything's back to normal anyway, but then Lu Han slides his hands into the back of Minseok's underwear, tugging it down, and he can feel the way Minseok tenses. He pulls his hands away and somewhat reluctantly pushes Minseok back, forcing him to break the kiss. Minseok sighs like he knows he's been caught and rolls off of Lu Han, refusing to meet his eyes. "What's wrong?" Lu Han asks.

"Nothing," Minseok insists.

"Really?" They both know Minseok's not telling the truth. His expression is tight and Lu Han swears his cat ears are drooping.

"I just..." Minseok bites his lip. "It's not that I don't believe you. What you said before, I mean. But even if you try to be understanding..."

Lu Han frowns again, brow furrowing as he tries to make sense of this. "I'm not being understanding. I mean, I am, I guess, but it's not...do you think I'm just humoring you?" Minseok shrugs in a way that Lu Han is pretty sure means yes. "That's not it," he insists. He laughs, a little awkward. "You think I let you top all those times before just to be nice?"

That gets another shrug from Minseok, but when Lu Han gives him a look, he sighs. "No. I know I'm being stupid, sorry."

Lu Han shakes his head. "It's okay." He smiles at Minseok, and then it shifts into more of a smirk. "I'll let you make it up to me."

Minseok laughs, and Lu Han is relieved to see the lingering uncertainty fade from his expression. "Yeah? What did you have in mind?"

"I've seen all those nice toys you have." Minseok's eyes go wide and then turn hungry, and Lu Han likes that enough to push him to continue even as his cheeks heat up. "I bet you could really push me to the edge with those, make me come harder than I ever have before."

Now it's Minseok's turn to smirk, and oh, yes, Lu Han likes that a lot. "I bet I could, if that's what you want."

Their eyes meet and Lu Han can see that Minseok understands what this is about, understands that Lu Han is trusting him the way Minseok trusted him, and also that Lu Han really does want him like this. "I do. I want you."

"Good, because I want you too." Minseok's eyes are soft even though his expression is predatory, and Lu Han feels inexplicably warm and happy. Minseok moves and presses a kiss to Lu Han's stomach as he pulls his underwear down, and Lu Han thinks this is good. Anything will be good, as long as it's with Minseok.