#deonghwa

Seonghwa and Hongjoong were sitting in a very peaceful silence in their shared apartment, Hongjoong curled up against Seonghwa’s side as he read something on his phone. Seonghwa hummed suddenly and looked down at him, a soft smile spread across his face.

“I could really go for some ice cream right now.”

“You wanna go out into the cold, darkness of night for some ice cream? When you can stay inside, warm and cuddled up to me, your absolutely wonderful boyfriend?”

Seonghwa chuckled and pat his thigh, moving to sit up.

“The quicker we go, the quicker we can come back. Come on, Joong, let’s go.”

As much as Hongjoong wanted to protest, he knew that he would get nowhere. Once Seonghwa had his mind set on something, he was gonna get it done. He huffed dramatically and stood up, walking to the door to put on his shoes and coat alongside Seonghwa before they made their way out into the cold. 

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Seonghwa kept up a playful demeanor, making sure that Hongjoong wouldn't sulk too much for being forced out of the house. Hongjoong wasn’t really upset - he loved any and all time he could spend with his boyfriend. But seeing Seonghwa doing aegyo to stay in his good graces. 

“Don’t be mad at Ddeonghwa-“

“Shut up!”

Seonghwa was taken aback by his outburst, slowing when he realized that Hongjoong had stopped. 

“If you don’t want me to do that you could’ve just told me so…”

“No no, just- be quiet for a second…”

Seonghwa was still confused, watching as Hongjoong narrowed his eyes. He stood silent nonetheless and then he heard it too. 

Mew.

The couple looked down the dark alleyway, waiting to see if they could hear the sound again. 

Mew.

Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong’s hand firmly, free hand reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone, using it as a flashlight as they inched into the alleyway. The sight that they were met with had both of their hearts clenching. 

There, curled up in the corner of the alley, was a hybrid, dirtied and visibly shaking. The poor thing had matted black hair with a white stripe down the front, ears peeking out from the mop of hair atop his head. His head was buried in his arms and knees, and it was obvious that he was rather afraid of the presence of two strangers. 

Hongjoong moves forward and kneeled down, making sure not to get too close. 

“Hey, we're not gonna hurt you. Can I see your face, please?”

The hybrid made no moves for a moment but eventually lifted his head to peek up at Hongjoong. He looked him over before lifting his head from his arms completely, still glued to his corner. 

Seonghwa kneeled beside Hongjoong, his eyes full of worry as they scanned over the hybrids face. He was absolutely speechless, letting Hongjoong do the talking. 

“Hi, I’m Hongjoong and this is Seonghwa… Are you out here all alone?”

The hybrid nodded, eyes shifted to scan over Seonghwa now. They didn’t look like a threat, but he knows from past experiences that even those who seem harmless could cause the most pain. 

“Poor thing… you must be freezing. Are you lost?”

Seonghwa slid his coat off and handed it to Hongjoong who took it and moved slowly to lay the coat over the hybrid before backing away again. The hybrid stayed quiet, eyebrows furrowed slightly before speaking up for the first time. 

“I have nowhere to go.”

Hongjoong looked heartbroken, turning to look at Seonghwa with a face he knew all too well. Hongjoong wanted to help him and honestly, so did Seonghwa. 

Seonghwa spoke up softly. 

“It wouldn’t feel right to leave you here alone… Let us at least feed you and get you cleaned off hmm?”

The hybrid shied away, seemingly to try and curl further into the corner. The couple knew that it would not be easy to gain his trust but they were willing to try. 

“It’s really cold out, our place is really warm. We have some clean clothes that we can give you and plenty of food. Just stay inside with us for tonight and you can leave in the morning if you’d like okay? We can help you find somewhere to go.”

Seonghwa pleaded with the hybrid to go with them - he wouldn’t be able to live with himself knowing that they left a precious hybrid out in the freezing cold when they could have helped. 

To his and Hongjoong’s surprise, the hybrid nodded. Hongjoong offered a hand and a soft smile to him as Seonghwa stood up.

“Let’s go quickly okay? You’re shaking so much…” 

Still hesitant, the hybrid took Hongjoong’s hand and let the man - Hongjoong, he recalled- help him up. Hongjoong made sure that Seonghwa’s coat was secured around him before leading him back to their apartment as quickly as they could. 

Once they got back inside, they were able to get a good look at the hybrid: he was dirty, with smudges on his cheeks and worn clothes; the fur on his ears and tail were matted and dirty; his eyes were sunken and tired. The sight broke the couple’s hearts. 

“First things first, let’s get you cleaned up hmm? Do you feel comfortable with one of us bathing you or would you rather do it on your own?” Seonghwa asked, already mentally going through what they would need to do for the poor thing tonight. 

The hybrid stayed silent, thinking through each scenario before looking up at Hongjoong. He couldn’t seem to get the words out of his mouth, but Hongjoong got the message. He pointed to himself and asked for clarification. 

“Do you want me to bathe you?”

The hybrid nodded and Hongjoong turned to Seonghwa, making sure to talk loud enough for the hybrid to hear too, wanting him to trust them and to be comfortable.

“I’ll help him clean, could you get a pair of sweats for him please and a sweater from my clothes? Something that’ll keep him warm. And then when we’re done we could warm up the leftovers from dinner for him?”

Seonghwa nodded and gave the hybrid a once over, noting his frame so that he could pick clothes that would fit him better. 

“Take your time, make sure it’s not too hot so you don’t burn him.”

Hongjoong chuckles and motioned for the hybrid to follow him to the restroom. He moved quickly around the bathroom, talking as he ran bathwater and grabbed towels. 

“We can let you sit in a bath of warm water so I can start to wash you and warm you up, but it’ll be really dirty so we’ll have to turn the shower on afterward, okay?” 

“Why are you helping me?”

The question caught Hongjoong off guard - why wouldn’t he help a poor hybrid in need? It shouldn’t have surprised him though since he knew that many people treated them with as much respect as pigs on a farm. That didn’t stop him from freezing up at the question. 

“We couldn’t just leave you out there like that. You needed help, so we helped you. Simple as that.”

The hybrid didn’t seem convinced. 

“People don’t just help hybrids they see on the street without wanting to gain something from it in my experience. So you mean to tell me that you don’t want anything from me?”

“That’s correct. When we found you, we were actually on our way to get ice cream. I heard you crying in the alley and we decided to go check it out. We found you and, well, here we are. If you’d like, you can leave in the morning, no questions asked. We just want to make sure that you are cared for tonight.”

After checking the temperature of the water, Hongjoong stopped the water and turned back to the hybrid.

“This may be uncomfortable, but you have to take all of that off now. We can toss your old clothes, I’ll give you something nicer that you can keep.”

Hongjoong offered a soft smile to the hybrid, holding his hands out as if to ask for the clothes to be placed there. The hybrid complied, carefully peeling the coat and his clothes off. What does he have to lose? When he was fully nude, Hongjoong tossed the clothes into the hamper and helped him into the warm bath, which sent a weird, warm feeling up his spine. He let him relax in the water for a moment before grabbing the cup that they kept in the shower to rinse the hybrid’s ears and hair. 

“You know, we never asked what your name was. Do you have a name?” Hongjjong asked, tilting the hybrid’s head back to keep the water out of his face.

“I do.” 

“...Will you tell me what your name is, please? I’d like to be able to address you properly.”

The hybrid stayed silent for a bit, eyes closed as he felt the warm water run through the strands of his hair, rinsing loose dirt from it.