Pairing: Minho & Felix & Hyunjin

Genre: Non-Idol AU

!!TW!! : referenced imputation, manipulation, forced headspace, mild panic attack

(requested by @changlixAir & @Hyunjins_catboy2187)

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Felix hummed a soft, mindless tune under his breath as he crawled out of the room and into the hallway. He was thirsty, but Hyunjin wasn't home right now to help him, so he had to move around on his own.

Learning to move without his legs had been hard. At first, he had been so distraught and drugged up on pain medication, he had lost all sense of autonomy. It was thanks to Hyunjin that he slowly, but surely adapted to his handicap.

(That's what they called it – a handicap. It used to upset him because it was nothing more than pure torture, something they forced him through, but he eventually got used to it.)

It didn't hurt anymore. Well, there were phantom pains from time to time, but the stumps had long since healed properly, and he had stopped taking medication a while back, now. Felix couldn't really pinpoint it, though, time was a fuzzy concept when he didn't have a need for it.

His days were all the same – wake up, eat, play and cuddle with Hyunjin, keep his distances from Minho, and go back to sleep. It was a mind-numbing routine that now summarized his entire life, and it was... nice.

He didn't have to worry about anything anymore. He quickly came to realize that giving in to his headspace made everything that much easier to endure everything, because he didn't have to try and process complicated emotions, and since he truly couldn't run away anymore... well, he just gave up.

Best decision of his life, most probably. It was so much nicer to be rewarded for good behavior, and to sleep in the master bedroom with his owners instead of the cold cage in the basement, and to just be able to relax and laze around all day without constantly stressing about hopeless plans of escape.

All in all, everything was better now. He still had some down days from times to times but, nowadays, he could stay in his kitty headspace for days on end, so that was nice.

It was while in that headspace that Felix crawled all the way to the kitchen, where his bowls had been set up. As expected, one was filled to the brim with nicely cut chicken pieces, and the other with fresh water. Not hungry yet, he made a beeline for the second bowl and, leaning down, he started lapping up the water.

As he was drinking, he heard it – the familiar noise of the key turning the lock. He instantly perked up, his cat ears twitching in response to his sudden excitement, and he crawled as quickly as he could toward the entrance. Just as he reached it, the door opened, and none other than Hyunjin stepped in.

"Hyunie!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hi, Lixie," cooed Hyunjin, putting down the grocery bags. "Did you miss me?"

Felix leaned into his hand the moment it cradled his face, a soft purr-like sound rumbling up his throat – it was a neat trick he had eventually managed to learn after a lot of practice, and from watching a lot of videos on YouTube.

Hyunjin cooed again at that, promptly picking him up. Felix instantly snuggled into his chest, nuzzling his neck and lapping gently at the skin. Hyunjin giggled a bit at the display of affection as he carried him over to the living room. Once there, he plopped down on the couch, settling Felix in his lap.

Felix sighed contently as Hyunjin started running his hand through his hair, then down his back, and then back up his spine and back into his hair. He loved getting pets.

"I wasn't gone for too long, was I, kitten?" then asked Hyunjin, a little concerned.

Felix shook his head, nuzzling his neck again. "It's okay. Lixie misses Hyunie all the time."

"Well, Hyunie misses his precious kitty too," chuckled his owner, bopping his nose. "That's why Hyunie is going to spend the whoooole day with you tomorrow. How does that sound, kitten?"

"Really?" gasped the boy, overjoyed. "The whole day?"

"All of it!"

"Yay!"

Even though Hyunjin was home quite often, he still had a job and, as such, he spent most hours of the day at his dance studio. Minho was usually gone from morning to late afternoon, since he was still a teacher, but Felix didn't miss him as much as he missed Hyunjin – if at all, really.

(Even while in headspace, he vividly remembered how the man had hurt him in the past. He was always the one to handle his punishments and, while Felix now knew he had deserved those for being such a bad kitty, he still couldn't get over his fear of the man.)

The pair stayed in that position for a while, Hyunjin mindlessly petting Felix, and Felix completely zoning out as he enjoyed the gentle treatment. He was so warm and cozy, he felt so safe—

"Ack! Shit!"

He instantly tensed up as Minho's voice echoed from the entrance. He was cursing up a storm, and hearing it instantly set his nerves on fire. What if Felix had done something wrong? What if Minho was upset at him and hurt him again?

Minho stumbled into the living room a moment later, glaring at them.

"Hyunjin, love, I told you not to leave the groceries in the middle of the hallway."

"Ah, I'm sorry," murmured his husband, wincing apologetically. "I just got distracted by this little cutie~."

Minho's eyes shifted to Felix, who instantly tensed up even more under his gaze. His body was stiff, completely still, as if playing dead would make him look away. He was barely even breathing, simply praying for him to leave—

"What, not even a greeting? I'm hurt, kitten."

Felix's breath hitched, and his eyes almost instantly filled with tears. They started falling before he could stop them, so he hid his face in Hyunjin's chest – he knew it always angered Minho when he acted like a crybaby, but he just couldn't help it.

"Oh, baby, what's wrong?" cooed Hyunjin, patting his head gently. "Why are you crying? Won't you tell Hyunie what's made you upset?"

Felix wanted nothing more than to open his mouth and beg for forgiveness, hoping it'd lessen his punishment at least a bit, but he couldn't even formulate coherent thoughts anymore, let alone words. All he could answer with was a soft, high-pitched whine as his hold tightened on Hyunjin's shirt.

"What's wrong with him?"

Minho's harsh words made him sob a tad violently, and a moment of startled silence followed, before Hyunjin's petting stopped, his hands moving to hold Felix a little tighter instead.

"Minho, love... I think our kitten is scared of you."

"Aah? Why?"

Felix let out another sob at that, and Hyunjin shot him a pointed look. "Have you ever touched him for any reason other than punishment? Interacted with him for any reason other than telling him off and yelling at him?"

Another silence, as Minho mulled over his words. As he carefully thought it over, though, he quickly came to realize that his husband was right: in his haste to offer Hyunjin what he desired most, he had been quite harsh with their kitten, but he'd always let his husband handle the rewards and the comforting aspects of their dynamic.

Felix had instinctively learned to associate him with pain, which was only natural since Minho never gave him anything else.

Aish, it's so complicated to tame a pet...

But still, he loved Felix as much as Hyunjin did. He didn't show it in the same way, but he certainly didn't want their precious kitten to be afraid of him. He would simply have to remedy to the current situation, now.

"Lixie," he called, trying his best to soften his voice. He sat on the couch beside them, his hand carefully falling on top of the boy's head. "Kitten, look at me."

After a few seconds, he obeyed. His eyes were puffy and red, with fat tears still streaming down his voice, and his lower lip was wobbling with barely restrained sobs. Minho couldn't help but smile at how cute he was, and that seemed to make him relax a bit.

"I'm not mad, kitten," he assured gently. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you."

"I- I deserved it," mumbled Felix, rubbing his eyes to stop his tears. "I was- I was a bad kitty. Shouldn't- shouldn't have made you mad."

"It's true that you deserved your punishments, but I should have participated more actively in rewarding you when you were a good kitty," he admitted.

"... 's'okay. I- I'm okay."

"I'll make it up to you, alright?" insisted Minho, rising to his feet. "How does sushi sound for dinner, hm?"

Felix's eyes instantly brightened. "Really?"

"Really."

"Y- yes please! Thank you!"

His two owners exchanged a knowing smile, glad the issue had been resolved.

.

Later on, they decided to have a movie night. Felix would usually crawl in Hyunjin's lap but, this time around, he carefully made his way over to Minho. The man watched him approach, curious, until Felix stopped beside the couch, hesitant.

Minho immediately smiled. "Cuddles?"

Felix's expression brightened a bit at that, and he nodded eagerly. Not needing to be told twice, Minho bent over to pick him up before carefully settling him down on his lap. Almost instantly, Felix wrapped his arms around his chest and nuzzled his neck. He really an affectionate little thing, and Minho adored him all the more for it.

How had he not noticed what was wrong sooner, really?

"Aww, my two favorite boys are so adorable together," cooed Hyunjin, joining them with a bowl of popcorn.

He instantly sat down next to Minho, his hand gently petting Felix's head a few times before he leaned against his husband's side. Once everyone was comfortable, they started the movie, and Minho found himself relaxing.

Taming a pet wasn't easy, but their good little kitten was definitely worth the trouble.