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Sung Hanbin has an interesting quirk. Some have called it a malfunction, others have claimed that it must be magic, but regardless of what it is or why it happens, Hanbin can shift into a cat, a cream and grey Ragdoll to be specific. There is one little oddity about it all - his stress levels reflect on the age of the cat. The more stressed he is, the younger his cat form will be. Kind of inconvenient, really, back when it was a secret he was trying to keep, and would turn into a tiny baby kitten unable to take care of himself.
Luckily Hanbin now has a wonderful boyfriend who not only knows about his secret, but is completely enamoured by it. Which is incredibly fortunate given how stressful his career choice - a K-pop idol - can be.
Meeting Zhang Hao on Boys Planet was fate, Hanbin is certain of this. He had never felt such an instant connection with someone before, had never trusted someone so quickly. Thankfully, Hao had felt the same, and well, the rest is history.
It hadn't taken long for Hanbin to confide in Hao about his special ability, deciding that, if Hao was hopefully going to be in his life for a long time, he should just get it over with and spill. At first, Hao had been sceptical, but non-judgemental. Once Hanbin had the chance to show him in the laundry room, Hao had squealed in delight, scooping the tiny kitten - God, he was so fucking stressed on the show - and cuddling him tight to his chest.
From that moment on, Hao had declared himself as the caretaker of Hanbin's kitten form, easily filling the role.
Over a year into their debut, it's not uncommon to find Hanbin's cat self roaming around Hao's room, trilling and meowing happily if he has the capacity, is old enough. The sight always fills Hao's heart with pure joy.
Tonight, Hanbin had trudged into Hao's room, dark bags under his eyes, looking worn to the bone. They hadn't even exchanged words - Hanbin had simply crawled onto Hao's lap, and seconds later, a kitten replaced his human form.
He is so young tonight, worryingly so, but that's for Hao to deal with later. For now, he gets to the task at hand - taking care of Hanbin.
Sweet, tiny Hanbin is lying splayed on his belly, kitty legs kicked out behind him, front paws happily kneading at the cushion on which a bottle of milk is propped up. Soft, rumbling purrs accompany the loud, uninhibited noises of him contently drinking the warm milk. Completely relaxed, and not a single bad thought in his tiny cat mind. Hao feels his heart grow a hundred times larger in his chest, somehow feeling even more adoration for his cute boyfriend - something he didn’t think was possible.
Careful not to startle him, Hao settles down on the bed, simply watching the tiny kitten feeding. Once Hanbin has had his fill, he’ll stop, and then Hao will scoop him up and place him on his lap for some much needed pets. Eventually, Hanbin will doze off, safe and comfortable under Hao’s doting care.
Until then, Hao keeps an eye on Hanbin, cooing internally at the way his pointy ears wriggle with each suckle. He’s always sweet, human or kitten form, but there’s something extra precious about Hanbin as a few week old kitten.
The usual need to protect and care for Hanbin multiplies exponentially when he gets like this, so stressed that it reflects in his kitty form. Hao makes a note to ask Hanbin what’s wrong once he returns to his human form - clearly something is plaguing his mind.
Hao can’t help but reach over and pet at Hanbin’s head, gently scratching at the base of his ears. Hanbin allows it, enjoys it, even, from the way he relaxes even further.
Gradually Hanbin slows his pace, purrs mellowing out, a sign that his little tummy is nearly full with milk.
“Time for you to sleep, my sweet kitty.” Hao murmurs, prizing the bottle out of Hanbin’s slackening mouth, melting at the confused whimper he lets out. He’s so close to dozing off that he can’t even open his small eyes.
With the almost empty bottle now safely stowed away on the bedside table, Hao carefully handles Hanbin, lifts him and plops him down onto his thigh. Immediately, Hanbin gets comfortable, curling into a ball, so tiny that he fits perfectly.
Using one finger, Hao strokes the soft fur of Hanbin’s kitty head, creating rhythmic patterns designed to lull his angel into a deep, peaceful sleep.
"I love you, baobei." Hao murmurs, continuing to pet Hanbin even after he drifts off. Later, he'll place Hanbin under the covers, ready for whenever he decides to shift back during the night.
Sometimes, very rarely, Hanbin is able to manage his stress well, meaning that his cat form manifests as an adult. Like this, Hanbin is large and fluffy and affectionate. Super playful, too. Hao adores when this happens, relieved that Hanbin is handling things well enough, and also completely taken by how carefree Hanbin can be, scooting around the dorm.
Hao is bent over laughing as Hanbin sprints around the living room, little nails scraping at the floor, ears pinned back, yowling as he's overtaken by what Hao calls his cat zoomies.
"Baby, calm down, please." Hao chuckles, giving up on trying to catch Hanbin. God, the neighbours downstairs will probably be pissed off with the racket Hanbin is creating but Hao can't bring himself to care about that.
Hanbin's big, blue cat eyes sparkle with mischief, skidding to a stop but lowering to a crawl, wriggling his little butt menacingly. Which can only mean one thing.
"Hanbin!" Hao is knocked over onto the sofa as Hanbin leaps into his arms, immediately purring up a storm. "You're so naughty sometimes."
His voice holds no venom - he loves seeing Hanbin so unabashed, so free.
With Hanbin cradled to his chest, a warm solid weight, Hao relaxes against the back of the sofa, sighing with content. Hanbin wriggles, not trying to escape, more like frolicking than anything, as he rubs his face against Hao's black t-shirt. Well, it'll be mostly white now with Hanbin's fur smeared all over it. It's hard to be mad when Hanbin is so damn cute.
"Enjoying yourself, kitty?" Hao giggles.
"Mreow." Hanbin chirps, ever so vocal when he's this size. He blinks up lovingly at Hao, and begins to knead Hao's chest. His claws kind of hurt, but Hao is used to it by now. Even without human words, Hanbin is able to convey exactly how much he loves Hao.
As sweet as Hanbin can be, he can also be a total brat. Hao loves this about him, really, finds it super endearing that Hanbin can be so full of attitude. This extends to his cat form, as well.
Hao is humming along to the radio as he washes the dishes when he feels a sharp sting at his ankle. He yells, almost dropping the bowl he was scrubbing, looking down to find the source of the pain.
What he sees is a flash of fur sprinting away from the crime scene.
"Hanbin!"
The little shit had bitten Hao and ran away. Now, Hao is an expert in what he calls Hanbinisms - in other words, Hanbin's behaviours and personality. If he's correct, it means that Hanbin wants attention and is acting up to receive it.
With a sigh, he returns to cleaning up the last few pieces of cutlery before washing and drying his hands. By the time he shuts off the water, Hanbin comes strolling back into the room, acting as if nothing had happened.
He weaves himself through Hao's legs - just an inch or two taller than his ankle, maybe a six month old cat if Hao had to guess - purring and chirping innocently.
Hao stands there, hands on his hips, staring at his mischievous boyfriend and laughing incredulously.
"Don't pretend you didn't bite me." Hao huffs. That earns him another sharp bite, this time to his shin. "Hey! What's this for? You can be so bratty sometimes."
Bending down, Hao quickly scoops Hanbin up, holds him under the arms gently. Hanbin stares back, ears flattened to his head, growling playfully.
"Air prison for bad kitties."
True to the name of his cat breed, Hanbin hangs there like a ragdoll, limp and completely unimpressed with the current situation. After a minute, Hao relents and releases him onto the kitchen floor.
A set of tiny sharp teeth bite his ankle once again, before Hanbin gallops off, skidding and slipping across the flooring in his haste to escape.
"Sung Hanbin!"
Being mad at Hanbin in his cat form is rare, but this is one of the handful of times that Hao is genuinely irritated. They had been mid argument, something about Hanbin pushing himself too hard. Hanbin had lashed out, insisting that there was no other choice. He had so much weighing on his shoulders, so many people relying on him, that he just had to bear the burden and get on with it. Of course, it's untrue, and Hao tells him as much.
As always, Hanbin had bristled at the notion of not being able to take care of himself. Instead of continuing the argument, Hanbin had huffed angrily and within seconds, there's a kitten where he had been standing in Hao's doorframe.
"Really, Hanbin? Right now?" Hao groans, pinching the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "We need to talk about this!"
He must be around two months old, still small but old enough to be walking around, at least. Old enough to give him attitude, too. Hanbin hisses and turns, scuttling down the hallway with his little grey tail poking up like an antenna.
Hao sighs, taking a second to collect his emotions before getting up to try and find Hanbin.
Finding Hanbin turns into a mission, Hao's concern growing with every passing minute. What if he had gotten stuck somewhere dangerous?
As it turns out, Hao doesn't check the most obvious place until last - Hanbin's room. There, he sees a small lump under the covers of Hanbin's made bed. The sight is kind of adorable, he has to admit, despite his annoyance.
"Hanbin. C'mon, don't be like this."
The mound doesn't move.
Hao pulls the corner back to reveal a ball of cream fur, and his heart breaks. Hanbin is sniffling, actually crying, quivering and whimpering.
"Oh, angel." Hao coos, picks Hanbin up, one hand under his butt and the other holding Hanbin upright so he is looking into Hao's face. "Sweet boy, I'm here. Take all the time you need, we can talk later."
Hanbin's grey ears are pressed to his head, blue eyes wide and sparkling with unshed tears. He looks a little tentative, as if Hao is going to take it back. Once again, Hao feels his heart shatter into pieces.
Lying on his side, Hao places Hanbin beside him on the pillow, staring at the sweet kitten with a pout.
"You can't keep avoiding arguments by doing this, baby."
If Hanbin could talk, Hao knows he would be saying, well yes, he can actually.
"We will talk about this later, Hanbin." Hao sighs, letting his eyes flutter shut, exhausted from their argument and the stress of trying to find Hanbin.
There's a ticklish sensation on his chin as Hanbin crawls closer, curls up right against Hao's neck, purring very gently. An apology of sorts.
It'll suffice for now, Hao supposes.
The first time Hanbin has a furball, Hao just about goes into cardiac arrest. He thinks that Hanbin might be dying. Very quickly, it becomes apparent what the actual issue is.
"Hanbin that's gross!" Hao groans, stomach turning at the disgusting surprise Hanbin has left on the wooden floor. Hanbin looks sheepish as he flops onto his back, exposing his belly - trying to act cute.
Hao supposes he has no option but to clean it up. God, Hanbin is lucky he's so cute, and that Hao is so dearly in love with him.
That doesn't mean Hao won't complain about it, though. When Hanbin is back in his human form, he'll demand a full body massage at the very least. He's very vocal about his displeasure as he cleans it up, gagging and coughing, maybe being a bit dramatic, but Hao thinks it is justified.
Clearly a bit worried that he'll get scolded, Hanbin is reluctant to turn back for a few hours, even despite Hao's insistence that it's fine.
"I'm sorry hyung, that hasn't happened before I swear." Hanbin whines, completely red. He hasn't stopped apologising since he had returned from a shower, back in his human form, sat at the bottom of Hao's bed.
"I said it's okay, baobei." Hao sighs, looking up from the book he's reading. Some philosophy one that Jiwoong had recommended to him. "You don't need to keep apologising. I told you, just make it up to me with a massage later."
"I would do that anyway, Hao-ge."
Exasperated, Hao slides his bookmark into place and places the book onto bedside table. "Come here." Hanbin shuffles a little closer, only actually climbing up onto the bed to sit beside Hao when he's levelled with an unimpressed stare. Hao easily tugs Hanbin under his arm, roughly handling him so that he's cuddled into Hao's chest. "I promised that I would take care of you. It's not a burden, it never has been and never will be."
Hanbin makes a noise, something akin to a whimper, an emotional, trembling sound. It has always been hard for him to accept Hao's care and attention, though it's getting a bit easier for him as time passes. Still, there seems to be something that makes Hanbin feel like he is undeserving of it at times.
"I love you so much." Hanbin breathes, clearly fighting back tears.
"I love you even more."
A comfortable silence passes over them, as Hao picks up his book and returns to where he left off. Hanbin simply stays tucked against Hao, breathing slowly mellowing out into a relaxed pattern. After a while, it turns to gentle snores. Hao smiles gently at his slumbering boyfriend, keeping as still as possible to avoid disturbing him.
Loving Sung Hanbin is truly the biggest privilege and pleasure of his life. Hao feels content, despite the chaos of his life as an idol, knowing that they have each other.