Archive of Our Own

after the pandemic, mental health awareness was brought to light, which saw a surge in people adopting pets and hybrids for companionship. 

the government had passed laws that emphasised the importance of the mental wellbeing of vital workers in the community, allowing for hybrids to accompany their humans to work.

in tandem to how essential jobs in the healthcare, public safety, education and infrastructure sectors were (to name a few), hybrids were now allowed to accompany such workers with the necessary permits in place.

post-covid, the first thing san looked forward to was going back to middle school to teach his kids. the second thing was adopting a hybrid, as a companion and a pillar of emotional support. while being cooped up at home in solitary confinement was okay for an introvert like him, he did miss interacting with his students in a more tangible form. 

being a teacher’s pet is quite literally high praise.

san teaches english to middle school kids and is always so patient and understanding. he likes kids, has a passion to guide and mentor. enjoys seeing these kids grow and find themselves. 

san used to teach math, but since the school would like to try and get the students more equipped for high school and then university, he’s the first teacher to conduct advanced english classes. he does have a bachelor’s degree minoring in english language, which made him the most apt to take on the inaugural role.

it’s a pilot programme aimed at better preparing the kids for the future, so the 25 students in san’s class are the handpicked, brighter kids who’ve expressed interest in enrolling for this extra class. for a competitive and cutthroat educational environment, it would greatly help with their future internship and work opportunities too. 

san personally interviewed all the students that submitted their forms, sat them down and explained what they’d been roped into. he only approved of them when they showed clarity and passion towards it.

san teaches moral education as well, and he’s one of the most beloved teachers in the school. the other teachers he’s close to are song mingi, who teaches geography or biology, and park seonghwa, who teaches literature or chemistry. due to declining birth rate, they just require the teachers to alternate between their specialties on a year to year basis, primarily focusing on one subject.

adopting wooyoung was something like destiny. 

san merely wanted a hybrid companion, just so he wouldn’t be lonely when marking papers, staying up late revising or preparing for classes. he’s also heard good things about how they could help you with stress and channel these worries into more positive outlets.

wooyoung, who hasn’t been adopted in months because he bites and hisses, somehow lets san hold him at first blush. he’d stared at san intently since he walked into the adoption center, with a nice smile and hopeful expression. that was enough to draw his attention.

san looked so shy.

“miss, could you let me take a look at-”

“oh sir, this hybrid is known to be a little, uh- he can be a bit feisty and-” the lady on duty frowns, noting that this is the cat that keeps getting returned and put up for adoption. the longest staying hybrid in their center. “are you sure you want-”

“no worries, miss.” san looks into the bright emerald eyes of the kitten, doing a little pspsps. when the cat just blinks at him, going blep, san nods in satisfaction. “he’s perfect. i’ll take him.”

“but…” then she sighs, heading towards the printer to fill in the paperwork. makes sure to attach an additional form for this hybrid, per her supervisor’s instructions. terms and conditions for returning of hybrid. “okay, sir. let me run through the basics of hybrid adoptions, and you can take him home right away.”

wooyoung does not shapeshift into human form, for days or weeks into adoption. 

he refuses. it’s always good to be cautious when entering a new human’s house- it may not always be a home.

instead, he minds his business, lurking in san’s house like a freeloading, pampered black cat. while a middle school teacher’s salary isn’t exactly the same as a hedge funds trader, san always buys him expensive fish, which makes him purr loudly. it makes his heart feel a little something too, because san scrimps and saves on his meagre wages, but splurges on his cat and his kids. san even wants to take his students on field trips, and is trying to convince the principal to allow the cohort to go camping or to the movies in batches.

san gets him a cute little cat bed, which is nice, but wooyoung likes san’s bed better. he has a bit of a soft spot for the exhausted teacher who can only fall asleep when hugging something. wooyoung started testing the waters by sleeping at the foot of san’s mattress- but eventually, san’s soft toys and extra pillows get replaced by a pretty black cat in his arms.

initially, after taking him home, san tries to talk to wooyoung and all that, but to no avail. 

after a while, he decides to let wooyoung be. san doesn’t agree with doing things by force- he believes that one should put in their best effort, and then whatever happens, happens. or at least, that’s also the approach he takes when teaching his students. most of them have been good eggs and are finding themselves just fine. 

his kitten’s adapted quite well thus far, hasn’t been destructive or up to no good. even comes automatically to sleep in his bed now.

in fact, the kitty’s been sweet, sometimes even cozies up to him when he deals with marking worksheets and works on his laptop, which is good progress. just yesterday, the black cat was snoozing on top of his laptop charger, tired after staring at him while he drafted his proposal for a camping trip.

never once has the black cat bitten him, or attempted to- he wonders where that adoption center staff got that memo from.

on a rainy day that san is rushing out to get to work, grimacing at the thought of wet weather and bad traffic, a dulcet voice speaks to him while putting on his loafers.

“you forgot your umbrella,” a man in one of san’s black tank tops and his sweats says, holding out san’s umbrella. san almost drops the toast in his mouth and trips over thin air. holy shit.

“oh my god. you’re- are you-”

“yes, i’m your black cat. yaho~” wooyoung looks at him, shows him a peace sign before tucking his long black strands of hair behind his ears. it’s all shiny, just like his coat of fur that san consistently brushes. “you’re gonna be late for work if you keep staring, ssaem.”

“oh, uh, yes,” san hastily grabs the umbrella, flushing and shoving the bread into his mouth. gulps down water as he thinks of what to say. goodness, talk about bad timing. “gosh, it’s the first time you’re-”

“i know,” wooyoung’s smirking now as he crosses his arms, leaning against the wall, “i can see you blushing, ssaem. like what you see? we’ve slept together, ya know.”

“n-not in that manner, just sleeping-! ah, how do you expect me to focus like this,” san grumbles to himself as he pats down his pockets, makes sure his staff pass, phone, wallet and car keys are all with him, “let’s talk when i get back?”

“sure,” wooyoung croons, batting his eyelashes, and san feels more heat seeping into his cheeks. god, his hybrid is gorgeous. “have a good day at work, sannie. drive safe.” wooyoung blows him a kiss, eyes twinkling, “don’t miss me too much, seonsaengnim.”

“um, yeah, i-” san adjusts his glasses, all red, “you have a good day too.”

wooyoung has prepared dinner.

san’s jaw drops. 

“welcome home, ssaem,” wooyoung smiles, “you’re just in time.”

during break, he’s already listed down basic things to buy for human wooyoung. another memo pad containing questions for him. but he didn’t expect a whole feast of home cooked korean fare. damn, he had all this stocked in the fridge?

“you’re so pretty,” san stupidly says, after the quick shower. he now sits opposite wooyoung, fresh and clean in home clothes. “wow, um. thank you for the meal.”

“i know,” wooyoung preens, smiling widely. he prides himself in grooming. he’s always been a pretty kitty. okay, so maybe san’s not that bad, then. he has a good eye. has good manners, amazing posture. so articulate, so transparent. “anything else?”

“um, hold on.” san retrieves the memo, reading off it like a checklist. have i done anything to make you uncomfortable? is there anything you need, as a human and hybrid? are there things i have to pay special attention to in either form? what essentials do i need to get you?

“such an organised teacher,” wooyoung hums, using chopsticks to pile meat onto san’s rice, “i can see why the kids like you. camping trip, huh?”

“oh! yeah, that’s just a plan, though…” san is still flustered, brain struggling to process that not only is his cat a good cook, he’s sweet, he’s attentive and observant. and god is he pretty. san seriously cannot stress this enough.

“shall i meet your kids next monday? and you’re welcome, for the meal. you’re a good hybrid owner, sannie. i’m fine with sharing your wardrobe.”

“i’ll- i’ll sub you my credit card-! the limit’s not very high, but feel free to buy some stuff you want.” so this must be what it feels like, to want to please and make a good impression.

“aww,” wooyoung stops to stare at him with a beautiful smile, teasing, “you like me that much? wanna impress me?” his cat ears are twitching nonstop, excited to see san so flustered. wooyoung can choose to hide his ears and tail in human form, but he leaves them for now because it’s cute. san likes them, it seems.

“what-! i mean, you’re my emotional support companion, i just wanna- well, i-” he stops when wooyoung stands up from across the table, pats his head. it feels so nice. no wonder why wooyoung purrs when he mindlessly scratches between his cat ears, ruminating on questions to set, grammar exercises to plan.

“you’ve worked hard today, sannie. eat up. welcome home.”

over the weekend, san takes him shopping- and oh boy, this kitten is high maintenance.

san is nervous and checking his bank account as wooyoung tugs him along in the mall, eyes sparkling at all the most exquisite things displayed by the boutique windows. he has expensive taste, but san is just a schoolteacher. wooyoung doesn’t like the idea of a collar in human form, despite the cute bell or the rhinestones- so san’s wallet is spared for now. he does buy wooyoung cute clothes that make a small dent, but still within acceptable range.

the supermarket, however, is another matter.

“please? sannie, can we get this?” wooyoung’s pouting and making those eyes at him. san sighs. he’s always been a little weak to pretty. so for every item wooyoung adds into the shopping cart, san removes one of his items. he needs to make sure to check if there are coupons or limited time sales. maybe he can do that next week, before his afternoon lessons.

that doesn’t go unnoticed by wooyoung- he’s an observant kitty too.

“uh, sannie? where did all your protein bars go? and the chicken things? coffee? and your packets of-”

“oh, um. close expiration dates,” san tries to make an excuse with a nervous smile, “anyways, i’ll wait for when they’re on sale. still have some at home.”

“what do you mean everything is expiring,” wooyoung rummages through the cart, confused. shouldn’t the stuff expiring be on offer? that would make more sense. “but all your items are gone!” he frowns, “and i didn’t put them back!”

“i know,” san says softly, still smiling, “i did.”

“then what are you gonna eat? i have all my fish and cereal and-” he pauses. “sannie.” wooyoung stares at him, swatting at the human’s chest, rubbing san’s belly, “are you on a diet?”

“what? no,” san laughs, “uh, the school provides free lunch sometimes. or subsided ones. it’s okay,”

“but the whole basket is my stuff now..?” wooyoung’s frown deepens, tail curling around san’s thigh in confusion, “san-”

“yeah, i told you i’d bring you grocery shopping. why?”

“oh! there’s a budget,” wooyoung blinks, head tilted. then he pouts, “san, why didn’t you tell me?” he quickly fishes for the more expensive, premium brands of canned food and snacks. “i’ll put these back-”

“young-ah,” san tells him so gently, holding his wrists, “i took you home. please, let me pay. at least, for the things you want,” san is looking at him so fondly, that wooyoung feels like he’s melting. he feels like the world has faded as he locks eyes with san, the teacher prying out the food items from his hands and putting them back into their cart. “we’re buying all of this, okay?”

nobody’s been so kind, they just tell him to shut up and eat the cheapest wet or dry food. or their leftovers, if he’s in human form. so of course he ran away, back to the adoption center. or threw tantrums until there was a valid reason for them to return him. at least the carers at the shelter were nicer.

“ah, but-!”

it feels a bit weird that san is a sweetheart, so kind even when they’re unrelated. not to mention, he’s only turned into human form recently, so he knows this isn’t just pretty privilege; san has always been this kind- to him, to everyone. 

san is a special human, and wooyoung is a loyal cat.

“if you like the expensive stuff, then i just need to work harder to provide for you. i chose to adopt you, youngie. please, keep your smoked salmon and tuna belly in there. i won’t die without a protein shake,”

“saaaaannie!” wooyoung wails, lips pouty, “you’re the bestest person ever!” he goes over to hug san, in the middle of the cereal aisle, giving him a big wet kiss on the cheek. when san looks dumbstruck, softly murmuring really?, wooyoung quietly swaps out his oreo cereal for san’s protein bars. he helps add the chocolates that san likes. those are on sale anyway.

“san, do you think i’m fat?” wooyoung stares at him one day, while they’re watching an animal documentary, vetting if it’s absorbable for intermediate english content. “i’ve gotten kicked out for being too fat before.”

“what the hell?” san only blinks, caressing wooyoung’s cheeks as he takes the sight of the human form sitting in his lap, “let’s see. if i really had to nitpick, then i think you’re too skinny. otherwise, you are beautiful. in fact, i want you all juicy and plump and healthy- the weight doesn’t matter. i just want you to be healthy and pretty.” san pats his tummy, rubs at wooyoung’s petite waist. “health comes first.”

“really?” wooyoung’s eyes go all shiny and glassy as he hugs san, “yes, really. you’re always pretty, so that’s not an issue.”

“okay. thank you. not kicking me out? promise?”

san, i really like you so much, i-

“never in a million years, sweetheart.” san tenderly pinches his cheeks, sees wooyoung’s tail swishing in happiness, “sorry you had to go through that. in my house, you eat whatever you want. i’ll buy it for you, okay? this is your forever home,”

“okay, sannie.” wooyoung smiles into the crook of his neck, “thank you. then i will be healthy! wanna eat with you forever too.”

after getting more comfortable with each other, san broaches the topic about biting.

it turns out, there are people that have adopted wooyoung even though he hissed and thrashed in cat form- he did so because the vibes felt off. they were just adamant in getting a black cat, because it would go well with their aesthetics or look cute on social media. because nobody wanted black cats, and it would be ‘cool to have one’. or whatever stupid reasoning it might’ve been. a whim, an impulse.

but because they paid extra and donated some money to the adoption center, wooyoung had to be signed off and taken home. some people want cats because they’re ‘lower maintenance’ than dogs, or require less attention. 

but wooyoung wants attention. 

why would you adopt a pretty kitty just to pay them dust? so wooyoung refuses to turn into human form around these people, they’re unworthy.

he just decides to wreak havoc in the house, biting and clawing at things. he forces himself not to get his hopes up, because even if they did like black cats, they may not like him as a human. hybrids are tricky like that.

he’s clingy and touchy as a human, and he understands people may not like it. acquired taste. before this whole adoption thing, his one and only owner was a sweet old lady who always patted his head and kissed him, and he’d cried for days when she passed in her sleep. since then, wooyoung’s never found a home that lasted more than a month.

but when he met san, there was just something about the big man with the cutest kitten face. he looked so soft and sweet, and his expression when he met eyes with wooyoung made his kitty instincts think, this guy is the one. 

“but i hope you don’t misunderstand, san,” wooyoung softly mumbles, “i’m a noisy kitty, but in this case, when i bite you it’s not because i’m angry with you. i just go a little feral when i see things i like. mm, like cuteness aggression. for other people, i am angry. but… i bite sannie when i don’t know what to do, when i see how cute you are..?”

“oh.” san flushes, “so you like me, then. i was worried that-”

“you’re the bestest person i’ve met so far,” wooyoung whispers back with rosy cheeks, “you let me sleep in your bed from the very first day. nobody’s done that before. people think black cats belong on the floor,”

“black cats deserve to be loved and cherished,” san corrects, pouting, “whoever thinks in such a backwards fashion, due to unfounded superstition, should go back to school and educate themselves.”

wooyoung feels his heart grow warm. it’s the same warmth he felt when san peered at him through the glass of the adoption cage. “thank you. for being so nice.”

i love you, san. do you love me too?

“it’s basic human decency,” san sulks, “and i am proud of you for standing your ground and leaving when you knew it was not a good environment for you. but that’s okay! you’re with me now. it may not be the most lavish or fun life, but i promise i’ll take care of you, wooyoung. your happiness means the world to me.”

“okay. if you go back on your word… i’ll-! i’ll do something bad to you!” he bares his teeth, showing his kitty claws cutely.

san only laughs at the veiled threat, “as you wish, kitten. do your worst.”

“saaaaaaan,” wooyoung likes to elongate his syllables, drawl out his vowels like the coy stretches he takes while looking for san. like a satisfying yawn, a good stretch where your spine cracks. “saaaannie-!”

he quite likes the effect he has on san.

it happens whenever he stretches or lounges around and the sudden movement distracts san from his papers and worksheets. when wooyoung stretches wide, makes sure the v-line of his apollo’s belt shows for a sliver. makes sure shirts drape around him loosely, giving san a glimpse of his clavicles, jumps around to tease san with his bare tummy. an opportunity whenever he lounges and flexibly bends over surfaces like liquid.

he likes how san always stares so obviously, then goes all red and tries his best to go back to grading tests. likes seeing san flush, likes when he gulps and swallows and adjusts his glasses and tries so hard to regain focus.

san is so, so, so cute.

“sannie,” wooyoung will hug him from behind, sniffing and peppering his hair with kisses, “how’s the marking going?”

“uh, good,” san will clear his throat, and wooyoung will scrunch his face when trying to hide a smile. he’ll fetch san some iced tea and just sit next to him and watch him. lean his head on san’s shoulder as he writes or types. when san is done, wooyoung will often ask him something random. whatever’s at the top of his head.

“sannie. do you really think i’m pretty? even when you’ve seen so many cats in your life?” he says today, and san thinks wooyoung’s eyes always gleam like little jewels. “you sent me a photo of the new cheese nyangi hybrid at school… she’s so pretty and-”

san’s expression melts like a chocolate fondue, sweet and warm. “maybe. but you’re the prettiest, kitten.”

“are you sure? ‘cause you wear glasses and-”

“without a doubt, lovebug. you are the cutest too.”

“s-sannie!” for someone as loud and brazen as wooyoung, san thinks it’s precious when he gets shy, smacks san and then hides his face in the nearest sturdy surface- which often happens to be san’s bicep, his chest, or his back. he cutely kisses san’s arm, “you’re also the prettiest human i know.”

“are you sure?” san raises a brow playfully, earning himself a pout, “yes! i’m super duper sure!”

“really…” san sighs, “but you’ve seen so many humans in your life… i couldn’t possibly-” before he can continue, his pouty kitten is squishing his cheeks and sulking, “you’re my sweetie pie, sannie! i don’t think of other humans as sweetie pie, so that’s proof!”

“mmph, ngh,” san manages, before wooyoung releases his hold. “ah, sorry. what did you say?”

“i’m your sweetie pie?” san softly repeats, voice like honey, and wooyoung nods resolutely. “mhm. you are. my sweet sannie pie.”

“that’s lovely, thank you.” san tenderly kisses his nose, “you are my sweetest kitty pie too, woo.”

i love you so much.

seonghwa often bakes brownies for the students in his classes, and mingi will always bring candies for his kids. san always buys cookies and cupcakes, sponsors pizza for class parties. the three of them are the more generous teachers, so the students are always excited when they see that either of the three are assigned to teach them.

seonghwa’s the elegant, beautiful teacher with a classic raven hybrid perched upon his shoulder- an intelligent creature with an aura, very fitting for a literature teacher. mingi’s the cool and super chill teacher that comes up with all sorts of absurd but effective ways to grasp and digest biology (pun intended). biology’s a bit heavy on the memorisation, so it’s apt for him to have the silliest golden retriever hybrid there to lower stress levels.

not to be biased, but san is the bestest teacher in wooyoung’s eyes. the cutest and sweetest person ever.

on his first payday after wooyoung shapeshifted into human form, san had said dinner was a surprise- he took wooyoung to dine out and have sushi. 

wooyoung’s kitten instincts are always in awe of the conveyor belts, and the endless rounds of fresh raw fish atop vinegared rice never cease to amaze him. his tail and kitty ears will poof back out in excitement.

“sannie, sannie, look!” 

“exciting, isn’t it,” san laughs, presenting wooyoung with plates of chutoro, hamachi and salmon belly. “eat all you want, my love.”

“mhn, san…” wooyoung’s tugging at his sleeve, doe eyes all glassy, “nobody’s taken me to eat sushi before… thank you,”

i love you, i love you.

“no wonder why you’re so fascinated,” san sweetly tells him to say ahh, “come, yellowtail for my kitten.”

“no! i will feed you first,” wooyoung says back cutely, picking up his chopsticks, “because you’re paying.”

“if you insist,” san eats so that wooyoung will start eating. watches him chomp on the sushi happily, little noises made as wooyoung savours the food. san savours his sushi, the happy memory, the warm feeling. “san-ah, it’s so yummy, everything’s yummy…”

“that’s good,” san feeds him more, patting his tummy and cooing at the sight of wooyoung smiling with full cheeks, “eat everything you want, young-ah.”

i love you too.

wooyoung comes to class with him sometimes, and san always threatens him (figuratively) with the cone of shame or a cage, so he won’t act up. please behave, san will say, no public displays of affection in school, okay, woo?

however, sometimes wooyoung lets his instincts get the better of him. transforms into human form when the kids like to tease san- is ssaem married, is he dating?! 

in wooyoung’s defence, it’s just hybrid instinct, to be protective of your owner. the person you live with.

to be protective over the person you like.

do you know we heard the physical education and history teachers have a crush on you? is it legit that you’ve got a thing for the fox hybrid two classes away? ssaem, did you really have dinner with the new physics teacher after school? is it true? what ‘bout the new tabby cat hybrid-

human wooyoung will just grab san’s bicep with both hands, then pout and glare at the students, accusatory, “you’re causing sannie lots of distress!” he will mutter, calming when san pats his shoulder in warning not to go crazy. “i’m okay, young-ah. don’t worry. the kids don’t mean anything bad,”

yo, did you guys hear that? sannie, he called ssaem ‘sannie’!

wooyoung only blinks when he realised the chain reaction he’s set off, “oh, san- sorry, i didn’t mean to-” he tugs at san’s sleeve while the kids are busy passing notes and excitedly speculating, “sorry… san-ah, are you mad?” his voice is a tiny whisper by san’s ear, but san only smiles, sneaking him a peck on the temple when the students are busy creating their own dramatic situations and headcanons. controlled chaos.

“i’m not. it’s cute, you always get upset when they think i’m dating someone,” then san clears his throat, and wooyoung reverts into a black cat that finds his way to the teacher’s chair. “quiet please, class. i’m not seeing any of the other teachers or their hybrids in this school, so you don’t have to worry about me transferring elsewhere. i’m still setting the questions for your exam…”

“ssaem! but what ‘bout people outside the school!”

“ah, a teacher at the hagwon?”

“are you dating a hot guy or girl? a movie star? oooooh, is that why it’s all hush-hush?”

“what’s your ideal type, ssaem! you have no wedding ring! how about the new teacher from the opposite school-!”

“oh! are you in love with someone, ssaem! but it’s not recipro-” before the boy can finish his sentence, his classmates are all booing him and tossing erasers and paper balls at him, rushing to san’s defence. ssaem is a gentleman, c’mon. ain’t no way! who wouldn’t want to date the best english teacher!

amidst the chaos, there was also a loud yowl of protest from the black cat flopped on the teacher’s desk.

san never uses his strength against wooyoung on purpose, only accidentally. he’s usually always using emojis, cute stickers when he messages his hybrid. today, all wooyoung receives are thumbs ups and one word answers.

ok. noted. hm. yes. nice.

wooyoung doesn’t admit it, but he likes when san is curt and strict with him, and that usually happens if he pushes too many buttons or san’s already crabby from a stressful day at work. but today, it feels a little disheartening- not on his end, but seeing san wallow in pressure.

“go set the table.”

“but-”

“no buts. go.”

dinner is eaten in silence.

wooyoung gets confirmation that it’s been a taxing day at work, when san starts helping himself to an entire tub of ice cream. san is full of sighs today, and wooyoung can smell his tension. can see how his patience is wearing thin, marked by a permanent frown. san’s been rougher when handling him today, doesn’t entertain his silly poses and welcome home aegyo. san was so close to spanking him in kitty form, at the smallest thing.

even a warm shower doesn’t help.

san sighs as he shovels down mint chocolate ice cream directly, jotting down pointers for future lessons, noting down common mistakes. he needs to revise and emphasise certain sentence structures, give the kids more english drills.

“uhm, sannie? is it a good time now?” wooyoung worms his way between san and his ice cream, “are you feeling okay?”

san sighs again, takes off his glasses to rub his eyes. “sorry, it’s been a demanding day. have to rework a number of things, meetings… didn’t have the capacity to be silly with you,” he gently tugs wooyoung closer, inhaling his natural scent. wooyoung always smells sweet. “sorry. didn’t mean to be rude to you earlier.”

“it’s okay, ssaem,” wooyoung easily slinks into his lap in a straddle, cuddling him, “it’s been a long day, i know… you’ve worked hard, san-ah.”

“thank you for the meal,” san kisses his forehead, “forgot to mention it just now. gosh, what have i become… a barbaric teacher with no manners! worse still, i teach moral education, tsk.”

“it’s okay! you’re most welcome, my baby,” wooyoung gives his lips a big mwah, tasting mint and causing san to smile. “it’s my job to make sure your emotions are in check. sannie can’t be out of order, or the kids will miss your class and be sad.”

“you’re the loveliest, aren’t you, sweetheart,” san sighs in contentment now, noticing wooyoung’s outfit. “can i take a photo of you?”

“mm? all of a sudden?” wooyoung’s eyes glow whenever san wants to take photos. “come on. give me a little twirl,”

“ah! you realised!” wooyoung preens, “it’s the leopard print pajamas you got me!” wooyoung spins in a circle, “pretty?”

“always. go ahead and pose,” wooyoung does as told, giving him slow kitty blinks, “what’s it for..?”

“heh. you’ll see.”

the students have educated san about something called ‘cat tax’. 

so whenever san mentions about his hybrid, be it in passing or using wooyoung as an example in his classes, he has to pay cat tax. there’s now an extra slide in all his lessons, called #WOTD. because san just keeps mentioning his hybrid, at every damn opportunity.

as a prompt taxpayer, san automatically flashes a wooyoung of the day on the projector, because it’s engaging and the kids like it. he tries to keep each #WOTD related to the theme of the lesson. once, san even did a fun kahoot quiz, using photos of wooyoung in pretty clothes to refresh the class on the colours in english. top three students won a limited edition wooyoung photocard, and everyone got ferrero rochers simply for participating.

san keeps the same photocard (but signed) in his wallet.

wooyoung, who wants attention, doesn’t like that the other teachers make use of their work from home days, but san usually doesn’t. 

san likes to be available on campus- just in case the kids want to consult him or have questions. it’s easier that way, face to face instead of emails or the class chat, to reduce miscommunication. 

he knows san is busy because they have their first graded assignment coming up, and everyone is anxious about it. but that doesn’t mean wooyoung has no feelings. san’s engrossed in getting this right, since he’s in charge of this new module after all. wooyoung understands, but he still feels upset.

so he makes sure to be extra noisy and screechy towards the kitty cam. tears snack packets with his teeth, wrappers haphazardly strewn. topples books and opens cupboard doors without closing them on purpose. tears up pillows for attention and then hurts himself in the process, but he’s too prideful to say anything. wooyoung’s nails have gotten long, just like his kitty form- and a broken nail really hurts.

when san comes home slightly earlier on a wednesday, he reminds himself to ask wooyoung what’s wrong. his noisy kitty hasn’t been meowing or scratching or making sounds today via the camera, which is odd. before he can start, he’s greeted by the sight of a grouchy human on the floor, dried blood caked at two of his nails.

“oh, my darling. are you okay? does it hurt?” san rushes to get the first aid kit, sees wooyoung bite his lip when san sits beside him, cleaning his hands. the antiseptic stings and san gently blows on his fingers to make it better. 

“of course it hurts, you dummy! but you care about the kids more than me!” wooyoung wails. while in the beginning he did use some crocodile tears against san for snacks, san can tell this one’s genuine. his kitten’s eyes are all watery, lips swollen from nonstop chewing. “you don’t care! don’t pretend you do!” wooyoung tries to shove him away weakly, “my love, don’t say that, please…” san kisses his hands, frown deepening, “you know i-”

we’re like family now, woo.

“it’s always about your students, ‘my kids’ this and ‘my kids’ that! what about your cat, you poor little kitty who just stares at the door waiting for you to come home! your wooyoungie who sits at home and waits for-”

“oh, young-ah,” san’s face has melted into one dripping with molten worry, frowny and pouty, “i’m sorry, it somehow didn’t occur to me… work life balance is important, right? yes… i know, i teach the kids that, but i… i haven’t practiced what i preach,” he softly tucks wooyoung’s hair behind his ears, kissing him, “i’m an educator… i look at kids and know something’s off- yet for my own sweet kitten, i failed to… gosh. fuck, i’m really so sorry,” san’s voice is laden with shame, and wooyoung’s crestfallen face is not helping. “beloved, my sincerest apologies. let me make it up to you, please?”

“no!” wooyoung petulantly looks away, cheeks pink, “still angry! ‘m upset!”

“darling, please… i know you have all the reasons to be mad and bratty, but i wanna make it better? tell me how?”

“no…” wooyoung’s resolve is crumbling at the tender lilt of san’s voice, “sannie’s been mean, so mean!” he punches san for added measure, then hisses when his nail hurts. “you promised to take care of me! i just… i know you’re busy, but i- i still want to talk to you, san. even if it’s just three sentences, it’s okay, i-”

i miss you so much, san.

“yes, i know… i’m sorry, sweetpea,” he stretches out his arms, silently asking for a hug as a truce. laughs when wooyoung pounces on him to give him said hug, hiding his face, “ah, i remember making you that promise. sorry… is that why you did something bad? your owner’s been an idiot. seriously, i’m fucking stupid. sorry for neglecting you-”

“as long as you don’t forget about me,” wooyoung softly mumbles into his shoulder, “as long as you don’t kick me out, s’okay,” san feels his shirt becoming damp, “mnh, as long as sannie comes home and looks at me and eats-”

“oh, my baby,” he pulls them apart, sees wooyoung’s lashes wet with tears, nose all red and runny, “i’m so sorry, i-” but wooyoung’s just shaking his head and sniffing, wiping his snot with his sleeves, “s’okay, ‘m just a house cat. i’m not… i-” san’s heart breaks into pieces when he sees wooyoung holding in wet pearls of tears, lower lip wobbling. trying to be brave. tail curling in on himself for comfort. he hauls them both to the couch, wooyoung swaddled in his lap.

i’m not sannie’s wife. not sannie’s boyfriend. i’m your cat, just your emotional support hybrid. i’m not special. i’m just-

“sweetie pie?” san grabs tissues, gently dabs away his tears. he softly kisses wooyoung’s cheeks, feels himself tearing too when he looks at wooyoung all defeated. “don’t say that, young-ah. you know you’re more than just a cat to me,”

“really..?” he makes sure to flatten his kitty ears, or they will give him away, “then what am i to-”

“you are someone i love and cherish,” san honestly tells him, fondly gazing into his eyes, “and i feel apologetic for not conveying it to you earlier. forgive me, little love,”

“‘m sorry for being so annoying and demanding,” wooyoung softly hiccups, “i wish i wasn’t like that. would hate to bother you,” he takes deep breaths, “i like living with you. i…”

i love you, san.

“my fault for picking a high maintenance cat,” san jokes, glad to see a tiny smile reappear. “i deserve to get scolded. now, can i have a smile? please?”

silly sannie and his manners.

wooyoung attempts one, cheeks warm when he sees how intensely focused san’s gaze is, gently bouncing him in his lap to soothe him. wooyoung’s tail instinctively brushes against san’s knee, curious. 

“not this one,” san cutely chides, poking at wooyoung’s imaginary dimples, “i’m referring the one where you smile with your cheeks.”

wooyoung does as told, apples of his cheeks rising like bread in an oven. “happy? ‘m smiling,” he intended for sarcasm, but in ends up as a fond, syrupy mumble.

san has always been a sucker for anything sweet.

“very.” san mimics his smile and bunching his shoulders, earning him a loud smack to the chest that he doesn’t bother deflecting. “shall we take a bath together, then order something yummy? nyam nyam?”

“nyam nyam,” wooyoung nods, quietly appeased as san kisses his forehead and carries him to the bathroom, “bubble bath with sannie?”

“sure, if that’s what my kitten wants.”

i love you, i love you, i love you.

sleep deprivation causes san to have a typo in his teaching slides. 

wooyoung, who gets really excited about spotting it, feels very proud. it was the highlight of his week, apart from san taking an extra work from home day. san tries to end his consultation hours earlier now, so he can attend to wooyoung too. 

work-cat balance is a priority. so now, san purposely adds in typos for him to find, when wooyoung’s coming to look for him. he doesn’t wish to forsake the students or wooyoung, so the trade-off is his sleep.

“saaaaaan,” wooyoung will yawn, taking his glasses off for him with a pout, pointing at the clock, “my hardworking ssaem needs to get his rest,”

“i’m okay, i can still-” san pauses to yawn, then sheepishly shakes his head, reaches for his mouse. “san-ah! my darling, it’s past midnight! let’s sleep… san-ahhhhh!”

wooyoung’s physically trying to stop him from typing, and san laughs because there’s no way that’s possible. the hybrid’s hugging him, futilely trying to restrain his arms.

“just a few more questions, dear. let me-”

wooyoung glowers at him, turns into a little black loaf that obstructs the laptop keyboard. meow! san just laughs, “ah, is that it? even my kitten’s barring me from working?”

wooyoung just bares his fangs and meows aggressively, tail thwacking san’s hand holding the mouse. when san just watches him fondly, wooyoung uses his toebeans to type out in english, woo slep wif sani nowwwwwww.

he refuses to lift his paw from the W key, until san cutely scolds him and carries him, smooches his head. “okay, okay. don’t whine. let’s call it a day,” wooyoung uses his paws to slam down the laptop before san changes his mind. he licks at san’s face, making sure they head to the bedroom. not whining, sannie! prrt!

in order to make sure san doesn’t sneak out to work when he sleeps, wooyoung gives him a goodnight kiss in human form, then falls asleep on san’s chest as a cat. he’s figured out the secret- san won’t wake up in the middle of the night like that, if he snoozes on top of him. only if he really needs to use the bathroom or get water, then wooyoung will come along with him in his arms, but still in dreamland.

wooyoung learns to drive in his free time, so he can chauffeur san to and fro the school. it’s especially handy when san’s tired from the lack of sleep, up all night chugging caffeine and preparing class material.

“good morning, handsome,” wooyoung rubs his eyes, flopping back onto the bed after washing up. “sannie?”

he’s watching the teacher hold up different hangers of clothes against himself, looking at the mirror with a deep frown, forehead wrinkled.

“nothing seems to look good today,” san mumbles to himself, going back to get another two options of clothes, “doesn’t look nice…” san is pouting, putting back the blue button ups and taking something else checkered, pinstriped. “ah, yes, good morning, love. do you think i look like a potato?”

“oh, san-ah,” wooyoung wiggles his way between san and the wardrobe, giving him a long kiss, ruffling his hair, “you look handsome as always. let’s not spout nonsense so early, ssaem.”

“but i-”

“hush.”

wooyoung deftly helps him into a black button up, helps san to do his tie into a half-windsor as he fits into his slacks. “see, sooooo handsome,” wooyoung cheeses, smiling cutely as he bites san’s cheek. he quickly gets dressed in all black too, fishes the keys from san’s pants pocket. “i’ll drive today.”

“but-”

“you just sleep, sannie. catnap,” wooyoung will continue to coo as they reach the car, buckling him into the passenger seat, “my pretty passenger princess,”

“but woo…”

“no buts, sleep.”

“good night kiss..?” san will peer at him cutely, glasses perched on his hair, and wooyoung’s exasperation will be out of the window. “but we just woke up and said good morning, ssaem.”

san will only jut his bottom lip out, eyes melty, “you’re supposed to help with my emotional regulation…”

“fine!” wooyoung exclaims back, smile never dropping as he tackles san’s face at the first red light, then covers him with a throw and tells him to close his eyes. “good night, my pretty seonsaengnim.”

san is still checking his reflection in the car door after wooyoung parks. wooyoung helps smoothen out his hair, adjusting his glasses.

“honey, are you sure i look-”

wooyoung grabs his face, squishing his cheeks. “my darling sweetie pie,” he coos, kissing san’s pouty lips, “you look so cute. so handsome.”

“really..?” san seems so shy at the praise, flushing, and it makes wooyoung happy. he applies lip balm to his own lips, then makes a kissy face at san. the tip of his tail curves happily into a question mark. “oh, young-ah… please don’t tempt me so early…”

“you are so handsome you’re begging to be kissed. stop pouting, san-ah! and yes, really. your kids are waiting, my pretty human sannie. but let’s moisturise your lips first!”

“with your lips?” san murmurs, smiling when wooyoung slaps his butt, “of course! nobody else is coming near my sannie’s pretty pout, except me!”

it’s a good thing they always come to school early, or the kids would always witness them kissing in the parking lot.

15th may is teacher’s day in korea.

every year, the school will have half a day off, with the students giving performances and gifts to their teachers in the morning, fun activities till lunchtime. then the kids will go home early and there’ll be an annual staff dinner where hybrids are allowed as plus ones. 

it’s not a fancy black tie event, more of a casual yet hard earned get together for all the teachers. there’s so much behind the scenes work to prepare and do, even after school or during the holidays. earlier on children’s day on the 5th, wooyoung and san had decorated cookies for the kids. san is pleasantly surprised to receive lots of chocolate this time, cards written in english.

seonghwa and hongjoong are already bickering about alcohol intake for the night. all wooyoung hears is the exchange of calling each other you idiot! but he knows it’s said lovingly.

“sannie. i’ll allow you to have a sip, but i’ll drink the rest for you,” he looks at san with bright doe eyes, then shoots yunho a glare, sticking out his tongue and pulling down his lower eyelid. “my ssaem is also not that great with alcohol,” he says to no one in particular, eyes trained on the puppy hybrid, “and i will help him drink too.”

wooyoung’s sure as hell not losing to a dog. he means it in good competitive fun, and obviously won’t hate yunho or refuse to talk to him if he can tolerate more alcohol for mingi. but it’s unfair! yunho just stands there and is so cool and charismatic that half the school wants to date him. puppy love or whatever.

he pays lots of attention to mingi’s voice and scent- it’s a very charming trait, and wooyoung wishes his nose would be as good sometimes. his silly nose can only smell san.

no way in hell will he allow yunho to just be so suave and black knight for mingi like that. wooyoung will die trying. a black cat can be fit for a black knight too! he has a cat’s pride to keep up as well. he has good tolerance and his sweet san is such a whiny baby after drinking, it’s just something for him to see at home.

wooyoung gets all smirky and happy when yunho gracefully bows out with mingi’s worried expression, the latter patting his thigh to tell him to stop. ha! i win! yunho rolls his eyes from opposite the table, and wooyoung helps himself to one more beer to celebrate.

“baby, that’s about enough, okay?” san’s helping him to tie his hair up, because someone’s getting all handsy and grabbing his thigh, his arm, going saaaaan, ‘s warm, ‘s hot! “if not you’re drinking more than you eat.”

“mmkay,” wooyoung smiles at san, cheeks pink. tipsy as he picks up his chopsticks, “say aaah, sannie.”

“i’m talking about you eating, silly goose.” san pinches his nose, takes more food for him, “but saaannie, ‘m cat, not goose-”

“you don’t need to compete with any other hybrids, you know. you’re always number one in my eyes, woo.”

“uhm-!”

i will fall deeper in love with you if you say things like that, san-ah.

san realises after the dinner that there are absolutely no downsides to a tipsy wooyoung, because he just gets even more affectionate and demands more kisses. clings onto san and refuses to let go until they bathe together and cuddle to sleep, shirtless.

that in itself is such a precious indulgent gift, san couldn’t have asked for more to end a wholesome teacher’s day.

wooyoung’s fine with san hanging out with his colleagues after work, or grabbing a coffee with friends on the weekend. san has a life too. as long as san updates him on his whereabouts, he’s okay. 

maybe he’ll send suggestive photos to get him home faster, but other than that, he enjoys some alone time too. says san won’t interfere so much when he tries new recipes.

“what do you mean your hybrid doesn’t hug and kiss you?” san blinks at his friend, head tilted in confusion. “aren’t all hybrids very cute and affectionate? uh, for emotional regulation?”

“san-ah, based on your description, you have a boyfriend, not a cat hybrid,” his friend laughs, and they continue talking about their work life, updates about other mutuals from uni over brunch. san has friends who work in healthcare and finance and hospitality, and everyone seems to have relatively sweet hybrids. or at least, through word of mouth or what’s posted on social media.

what do you mean you don’t tell your hybrid you love them? don’t you call them by endearments, by their name?

come to think of it, some of them hold hands, but not to the point their fingers interlock. they don’t share food or drinks like that, lovingly feeding and looking at each other. they don’t meet eyes then blush and look away like they get butterflies. their gaze doesn’t soften at the mention of the other person’s name.

what do you mean it’s not ‘normal’ to kiss your hybrid?

oh. so maybe people don’t generally take baths together with their hybrids or sleep in the same bed as them- especially not in human form. aren’t glued to the hip. don’t get all touchy and require so much skinship. oh dear.

what do you mean your kitten doesn’t have sex appeal? what do you mean your cat hybrid doesn’t act cute so you’ll come back home faster? 

said friend had looked san dead in the eye. bro, you hold your hybrid’s hands and kiss him and you think it’s just a hybrid-owner relationship? san, you dummy. after seeing your photos… you’re in love with him, you stupid shit. that is absolutely not how you look at your fucking best friend or brother. he’s definitely not just a house cat, dude.

so san starts enquiring. recalling. texting. searching.

while hybrids are usually friendly by nature, apparently cat hybrids tend to be more neutral, not as friendly as dog hybrids. more of a bare minimum type of emotional support companion. so wooyoung’s rare, then? cats are also clingy and sweet, but usually not to this extent.

unless, maybe wooyoung is in love and-

“oh.”

the realisation hits him on the way back. 

i’m in love. oh my.

he realises he’s already subconsciously bought an apple crumble pie home, because wooyoung always calls him sweetie pie and other variations. that pieces of wooyoung always follow him, no matter where he goes. that he keeps thinking of him, regardless of the 5W1H- fuck a who, what, when, where, why, how. that stands for 5 wooyoungs, 1 happiness for san.

“oh. i love him, in a romantic way. oh my gosh,” san mumbles aloud to himself when he reaches home, touching his lips. he can feel his face grow warm, can hear wooyoung’s bouncy footsteps- wooyoung always greets him by the door, races him to open it; because he claims he can smell when san is coming back. 

“sannie pie!” wooyoung greets him as the door flies open, wearing a cute apron. blows him a kiss. “i missed you, welcome home! i’m cooking, i bought lots of meat, i- uhm, sannie?” wooyoung’s kitty ears are perked upright, “darling, are you okay? did i say something wrong..?”

“nope, nothing at all.” san shakes his head, smiling to himself, “i missed you too, kitten.”

wooyoung frowns. san still smells sweet, so he’s not upset. but his expression is funny. “sannie, did something happen when you were out? do you wanna talk-”

“wooyoung,” san gently tucks his hair behind his ears, “i think i’m in love with you.”

“uh..?” wooyoung squeaks, goes pink at the sudden confession. he quickly pulls san into their home and shuts the door. “san-ah, are you okay? you just-”

“i love you.” san gently says, looking at him with those honeyed eyes that wooyoung’s heart feels like it’s going to explode. san places the pie on the dining table, sees wooyoung’s eyes brighten, then go back to worry. 

“uhm. i love you too. why do you look so serious, jagi? we always… we always say it and hug and kiss and…” wooyoung gnaws on the inside of his cheek, tail between his legs, “why are you suddenly saying it? are you… giving me away?” his eyes are glistening, kitty ears drooping, “but i’ve been really good, i-”

“no, no-! what the fuck, don’t ever think that! this is your forever home. you’ve been the bestest, pumpkin.” san gently kisses him, cradling his face, “i just… i realised i don’t say it as much as you do. i feel bad. you must’ve thought i don’t feel as strongly towards you or something… god, i’m stupid. see? you always think i’m going to throw you aside, when that’s not true at all!” just to emphasise his point, san kisses him again sweetly. “i love you, wooyoung. sorry for not telling you that more. i’m never giving you away, i promise. you’re stuck with me forever,”

so this is love.

“oh! saaaaaaannie-!” wooyoung’s eyes are glittering now, and san swears he can see little hearts in those dilated pupils. he’s so happy to the point he’s vibrating and purring so loudly, “it’s okay to be stupid, i love you too, san! i love you!”

san laughs when the hybrid jumps into his arms, legs and tail tightly wrapped around san’s waist. “there, there. you’re really excited, huh.”

“you’re telling me you love me,” wooyoung nuzzles into his shoulder, giggling, “‘course i’m fucking happy.”

“language, please.”

“i fucking love you! i gotta say it! you started it, you stupid- never mind,” san heart is flooded with so much love and warmth, as he takes the time to carry wooyoung into the kitchen, idly rubbing at his back. continues carrying him and chatting about their day, as wooyoung tastes and scoops and stirfries. “it’s made with love,” wooyoung softly says, blowing on the spoon and asking san to taste test, “and you were made to love, san.”

san thinks that there’s nobody else in this world he could possibly love more. he gives a nod to the level of spice and seasoning.

“and you, wooyoungie, are made of love.” he loves the way wooyoung looks so happy these days, scrunching his face and holding in a giggle. “ah, that’s prepositions, lesson five.” he kisses san’s forehead, “i remember all your slides, ssaem.”

“you’ll be the death of me,” san chases his lips, happy to hear bubbles of laughter brewing besides the bubbling jjigae, “i love you so fucking much too, sweetheart.”

the speed of wooyoung toggling between hybrid and human form is insanely fast. one moment he’ll be perched on san’s shoulder like a fur stole, the next he’ll have his chest pressed against san’s back, hands looped around his neck and idly tracing his broad chest.

“sannie,” wooyoung will softly say into his ear, “long day?”

“mm, yeah. sorry, still have some administrative work to do,”

“take a break?” wooyoung will kiss his hair, sniffing at his scent glands, nuzzling his hair against san’s skin, “my hardworking baby deserves a small break, surely?”

“yes, of course, dear.”

“i’ll go make sannie hot chocolate,” wooyoung smiles, cupping his cheeks and kissing him. he loves how san always has a dreamy smile after, an expression of bliss. he’s so glad he’s found an owner that’s equally touchy and comfortable with skinship. “my sugarplum. sannieplum. gonna add extra marshmallows for my sweetie.”

as he turns to go, san will catch wooyoung by the wrists, happy to see that his nails have grown out nicely, are now trimmed and manicured. “young-ah,” san murmurs, holding “it’s fine, love. stay here. just let me hold you to recharge.”

“ah. that would be nice too. come here, ssaem. you've worked hard today.” he loves smelling san, likes it best when he doesn’t spray anything. san is naturally sweet. 

“why?” san’s dimples appear, pinching wooyoung’s nose, watching as he scrunches his face, like he’s trying not to laugh. “why are you looking at me like that, lovebug?”

“uhm, i suddenly want to kiss you again, sannie.” he shyly flutters his lashes at san, “can i? when you look at me like that… i…”

“you’ve never had to ask, you know,” san murmurs into his ear, playfully nibbles at wooyoung’s earlobe, the way wooyoung will always coyly lap at his skin, bite him for fun. “you’ve always had my heart from the moment i laid eyes on you, beautiful.”

i love you, wooyoung.

“i know,” wooyoung whispers into his mouth, gently prying his lips open and rubbing at san’s nape, “but it’s polite, ssaem. you always tell the kids it’s good to have manners, ya know? so of course i gotta listen…” he laps at the little freckles on san’s face, holding in a giggle, “occasionally,”

at the beginning of every semester, san gets especially nervous when faced with helicopter parents who insist on seeing immediate results in english. 

while they’re not a dime a dozen, it’s not uncommon for these types of parents to aggressively demand how this special curriculum will help; especially with how taxing the education system in korea is.

san will brace himself, explaining how their child is doing so far, that yes, the extra class in english instead of a session at the hagwon does benefit your child. it does give them an advantage when approaching the rigorously competitive SKY university academic route. that they’re just middle school kids, maybe they should have more freedom in picking clubs and sports of their interest instead of what might offer a scholarship.

he gets entirely spent with zero social battery whatsoever after these focused, draining hours. wooyoung will hold his hand and sit next to him after those stressful parent-teacher sessions or board meetings. will tell him he’s done such a good job, he’s done so well and give him head pats. will smush their cheeks together, telling him you did amazing, ssaem. i’m proud of you! and san will immediately feel better. 

“thank you, honey,” san will murmur back, as wooyoung kisses him gently, “what would i do without you,”

“i’ll get snacks if you wa-”

“i love you so much, woo.”

“i love you too, my sweetie sannie pie!”

in order to gauge their levels of understanding and grasp of grammar and vocabulary over the past ten classes, san decides to give his class a creative writing assignment.

“now, i know some of you may hate essays that you already have to write in korean, and i understand- so i’ll give you a simple topic. one that i know all of you will enjoy.” he clicks on the slides, and the projector shows a small breakdown of the assignment. it’s fitting for a hopeless romantic like him anyway.

he put #WOTD at the beginning of the slides today, just so the kids won’t get distracted and ask do you love your hybrid, sidetracking from today’s main agenda.

“the topic i want you all to write about, is ‘love’.”

the topic itself brings about chatter in the class. they’re still a bunch of adolescent teenagers, and everyone always gets excited about the topic of love- be it their own love lives, crushes and gossip about their peers. rumours between celebrities and idols, shipping and whatnot. love is a beautiful topic, so san decides to start with that. 

everyone’s bound to have someone or something that they love, right?

before ending class, san had reiterated that this assignment would not be strictly graded against a rubric. instead, he just wants them to have fun and explore the use of proper grammar, of having a thought flow and penning them down smoothly in a foreign language. it’s okay to use simple words, no need for complexities and complicated vocabulary.

it need not be perfect, neither does it need to be super creative or out of the box- it just needs to show that the writer has put in thought and effort into their essay, with a minimum word count of 300. 

no maximum, as all ideas of love are warmly welcome.

san is pleasantly surprised by the quality of work.

love does have many extents, persists and finds its way into the nooks and crannies of all contexts. there are introspective pieces, on how we love, why we love. there are sadder, more melancholic pieces of worrying about being single, wondering if the author will find love. excerpts of true love, rehashes of classic romance stories and dramas that portray love all around us. loving the holidays and vacations, loving one’s family members and pets. love for food, for coffee, for one’s hobbies and interests.

and writing of love, between two people that you love.

wooyoung sits with him when san looks mildly stressed at the essay before him. he can literally smell the change in san’s scent.

the kid’s written an entire page in neat penmanship, talk about dedication. wooyoung tries to take a photo and runs it through papago, while san directly understands and translates everything in his head. the hybrid wishes to understand the spike in san’s tart smell. 

oh my god, wooyoung screams internally, san’s kiddo has written a whole story about us. fanfiction, like we’re celebrities! oh dear. no wonder sannie’s stressed! he wasn’t even this vexed about a hairball!

wooyoung is quick to point out the inaccuracies, “no, i’m the one who cooks. sannie doesn’t cook! you feed me, but that’s about it. you don’t chop up the mushrooms and dice onions and julienne carrots! and we sure as hell don’t slice fucking cucumbers-” wooyoung squints as he tries to decipher the english words, eyes darting between the essay and the papago korean translation. “what on earth is this person writing-”

“young-ah, it’s the effort…” san frowns, cutely hitting his thigh for swearing, “see, they used a thesaurus for sure! that’s very good news, superb effort right there. look, they try to use different types of conjunctions too. this is excellent. wow, the story is so vividly painted- many adjectives, usage of the rule of three…”

“you’re just biased. it’s ‘cause they say you’re such a hot sexy provider and i’m a hybrid that loafs at home waiting for you to come home. not true! i’m busy too! i-”

wooyoung hates being interrupted, but he does make an exception when san kisses him to hush. “i know, love. you clean up the house and cook and get the groceries and all that. read the news for us. take pictures of cute things for me. i know. thank you.”

wooyoung just sulks, leans his head on san’s shoulder. “go write a note or something. tell your kid it’s fiction, this is not real. i kiss you more than you kiss me!” 

“ah, is that so?” san takes off his glasses, turns his body at a right angle to face wooyoung completely, attention making him shy. “has my kitten been keeping count?”

“kitty instinct,” wooyoung grumbles, “why the fuck would i be count-”

“language, young-ah.”

“i will say fuck if i want to! fuck you, ssaem! fu-”

“better start counting right fucking now, sweetheart,” san laughs, undeterred, tilting his sulky kitten’s chin up to kiss his pout away. “here comes kiss number fucking one, jagiya.”

san takes it seriously, marks all of their work and sincerely adds pointers. he’s a dedicated teacher, and wooyoung can see why he’s so well liked by his students. 

san even writes his own example piece on how love is in the little things, after he returns their essays. he doesn’t want anyone to feel pressured or embarrassed if he uses their work as a benchmark. some of their write ups do seem too personal and sincere to share with the class, and he respects that. 

san tries his best to make it interesting and heartfelt, yet still with bite-sized, digestible vocabulary. he pens it in about 300-ish words, to show that it's manageable.

what is love?

to me, love is in the little things. 

love is a gentle feeling, like the beautiful petals and flowers that bloom in the spring, dancing like butterfly wings. pink like cherry blossoms, like february, the month of chocolates and confessions and candy. love is warm, like the heat in summer. it simmers, it’s overbearing. sometimes you can feel how sticky and suffocating it is. it’s intense, it’s hot. it’s overwhelming, it’s everywhere. 

love is also crisp and cool, magical. like the autumn leaves that get swept away by the wind, the toasty change of colours signifying harvest. like sharing a scarf to keep warm, a hot drink and laughter. a golden hour of comfort after overheated chaos. love is icy yet beautiful, like the puffs of air that escape from our lips in the winter. but love can also be cold and frigid, intense and bleak like wintertime, like the snow. 

but that snow can be melted when the next change of seasons come- to be loved, is to be changed.

love is when you look at someone and think, i want to do things with you. i want to be with you. i want to orbit around you, that it’s okay even if we do nothing- because i enjoy your presence. our silence is comfortable.

love is looking at something and thinking, this reminds me of you. love is buying someone a gift because you want them to be happy. love is spending time with a special someone. love is a warm embrace, a hug, a kiss. love is a look, a gaze, a touch. 

love is you and me being together. 

love is unconditional, enduring, patient. love is holding something or someplace dear- the cafe, the library, the museum, the theatre. love comes in all shapes and forms and sizes. romantic, platonic, altruistic. 

love is something that you nurture, watch it grow and bloom and unfurl into something even more beautiful.

(323 words)

wooyoung goes to school with him sometimes, since he’s bored at home missing stupid dedicated teacher san. after tearing up san’s pillows, they go to work together more often. the old pillows have been stitched back in apology.

wooyoung just misses his human and wants to be around him. sometimes, san mindlessly brushes his fur while he reads stuff in the teacher’s lounge, like it’s second nature to pamper his lap kitty.

but this time, wooyoung wants to get a good look at who the hell is choi jongho, the little troublemaker who had the audacity to write an update on the woosan fanfiction and make sure to add in graphic kissing. the author’s note even has a collaborator, kang yeosang. goodness gracious! san’s kids are getting out of hand.

he mainly recognises them by face, but can’t quite put a name to them since he mainly looks at san. all along, the kids have been fascinated by wooyoung and say he’s pretty, which is nice of them. 

wooyoung has a soft spot for them, despite the rebellious age. he’s always had a knack for babies, but he’s surprised he appeals to these teens somehow. he hangs out with his fellow hybrids yunho and hongjoong, sometimes with the other teachers when they’re off duty in the lounge.

san finds it so precious and endearing, when wooyoung gets bored and sets out to simmer his curiosity on campus while san conducts his classes.

wooyoung engages in healthy competition with seonghwa’s raven, hunting for pretty shiny things for their owners. he gets so excited finding shiny little pebbles and stones in the school gardens, will wash them and doodle on them. leave them on san’s table for him to use as paperweights.

“do you like it?” wooyoung will peer at him with sparkly eyes, trying to hide a smile as his tail swishes, “i thought they were pretty…”

“i think they’re better than the ones hongjoong found,” san says, in love with the precious smile he gets. “almost as pretty as you.”

“you’re too kind, sannie,” wooyoung will wave a hand, bashful, but still going on his way to collect little wildflowers. preserve fallen fresh forsythias and azaleas to turn into bookmarks for san. keens when he always sees san look at them lovingly, using them for his books and files.

sometimes love and home can be in the form of a person, too.

soon, jongho’s fanfiction gets handed around, and even translated back into korean, taking into account san’s meticulous pointers for his rough draft in english. 

back in their native language, it spreads like wildfire, to the point that it now has expanded with chapters and regular updates. more nuance, easier to convey in their mother tongue. more details, more plot points. 

it’s driving wooyoung mad.

the kitten hates that his hybrid bestie, yunho, is eating it up and religiously giving (unsolicited) updates. yunho’s always somehow there when him and san think they’re alone and flirting in the staff room. literally almost walked in on them kissing one time in the empty homeroom. goodness. do not get wooyoung started on the time he found out yunho approached jongho to say he was a fan of his work. the nerve of this handsome puppy to even have a #woosaner keychain!

if anything, wooyoung reckons the first fanfiction on campus should be written about teacher song and his hybrid.

mingi and his golden retriever hybrid are pretty much an undoubtable pairing, because when mingi’s breathing becomes uneven or his heart rate spikes, his golden retriever will instantly turn into human form and hold his hands. remind him to breathe and drink some water. it’s ridiculous if they aren’t a thing. mingi’s heard that some of his students have a crush on yunho, and always takes it in stride.

“he’s handsome, right? i know… they assigned me such a great therapy dog, really. he’s the sweetest, bestest boy. yunho’s perfect.”

just like what he was trained for, yunho’s presence both as human or puppy offers comfort, reduces stress, and improves the emotional well-being of people around him, not just mingi.

but now, said therapy dog is causing major distress to the therapy cat. wooyoung scowls because there’s so many untruths! so inaccurate! wrong, plain wrong! but that’s all written in the disclaimer portion of the author’s note. yunho howls with laughter seeing his annoyance.

yeosang is now a co-author, and wooyoung grimaces because he quite likes that kid. so maybe he can close both eyes if yeosang gets the facts correct.

hm. perhaps he shall pass some anonymous notes in class behind san’s back.

san feels guilty for coming home late.

he gets held up by a myriad of things today- worried parents calling, last minute teacher meetings, students saying they require urgent consultation regarding a quiz in two days. 

with every delay or development, he’s updated wooyoung dutifully, and is met with crying face emojis or selfies of wooyoung sulking. sorry, love. i promise i will be home asap. cheer up? he pushes back his advanced reading to do at home, reschedules other calls. even makes sure to take a quick detour and pick up some cakes in apology.

“honey, i’m-” san falters, heart melting when his eyes find who he’s addressing. “oh, jagi…”

wooyoung’s sleeping on the kitchen counter, in human form. clutched in his hand is a pencil, a piece of paper beside a copy of san’s little writeup on love. wooyoung’s found the first draft, where there are more lines to san’s rendition of love, but ultimately crossed out. he deemed it too personal to share with the kids.

love is the way my hybrid looks at me. love is how he shines when he smiles, how he’s filled with affection and warmth. love is seeing my cute kitten eat well. love is how he expresses his feelings so openly, how he floods a room with joy. love is how i feel when i hug him, give him a kiss. love is us spending time together, doing everything and anything.

love is what i hope he feels for me, when we meet eyes. wooyoung is the embodiment of love, radiates it, even. love is what san feels for wooyoung. love is when we-

at the rustle of the paper, the sounds of the kitchen, kitten ears twitch as his belly rises and falls. san has no choice but to take a photo before wooyoung rouses. his little love is just the sweetest. 

what is love? wooyoung has scrawled in english, imitating san’s title.

i love sannie.

i love choi san.

i miss san.

i love san-ah.

i love being with san.

i love san.

i miss san.

i love our home.

i love

the sentences probably stop where wooyoung has drifted off into slumber. san takes out his red pen, ticks each of the sentences, draws a smiley and a star. 8/8, good job! then he helps to fill in the half-written english sentence.

i love my baby wooyoung.

i love him to bits.

i miss my sweetheart.

i love everything about him.

when wooyoung wakes up, it’s to the smell of food.

he’s already prepped everything, just waiting for san to be back to cook it altogether as the finishing touch. but now san has changed and is frying the meat and japchae, and wooyoung looks at the sheet of paper in his hand. 

“good morning, sunshine,” san kisses him, as wooyoung goes red, realising san has marked his work. “you get full marks for your assignment, sweetpea.”

“t-that’s-!” wooyoung covers his mouth, flushing, “that wasn’t for grading-”

“starting tomorrow,” san turns the stove off, holds his hands gently, “you’re coming to school with me, okay? you come with, if i’m going to my workplace. in any form you want. i’ll bring your cat bed there. excuse your photos on my desk, but other than that, it’s pretty clean…”

“why,” wooyoung softly says, hopping down the kitchen counter, holding out his arms to bring the plated dishes to the dining table, “i’m doing okay at home…” when he sees san frown, he adds, “kinda?”

when san sulks, lips pursed, wooyoung cups his cheeks, “san-ah? what’s wrong, jagi? you smell sad,” his thumbs trace the freckles along san’s cheekbones, “don’t be sad, my favourite human,”

“i miss you all the time, baby.” san’s dimples hide under wooyoung’s palms, “sorry for always making you wait. drives me crazy that i’m apart from you for so many hours… but if you’re tired, you can always sleep in. no pressure,”

“i love you, san,” wooyoung mumbles to himself, before san’s words sink in. blinking away his sleep, his cheeks go pink as they rise, showing san all his teeth, “oh! you feel the same?” his hybrid companion almost looks shy at the confirmation, “sannie misses me too? do you? really? my baby?” wooyoung practically vibrates with each syllable, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

“always, jagi.” he pats down the stray tufts of wooyoung’s hair, “the kids miss you. they always ask ssaem, where’s your pretty cat? and i tell them you’re resting at home and learning new things. insert your photos into all my slides,” san laughs when wooyoung is vibrating again. “i love you too, woo.”

“uwah!” wooyoung’s making so many happy noises as he nuzzles at san’s neck, nosing at his scent glands, kissing a column from his neck up to his cheek. it’s wet and messy, but san feels all warm and fuzzy at how receptive the kitten is to his proposal. “‘m happy, so happy! they like me, and you miss me! i always miss you too, san-ah! i looooove sannie-”

“w-woo-!” if he knew wooyoung would be this overjoyed, maybe he would’ve suggested it earlier. “honey, the food-”

“grooming,” wooyoung trills, going along on his way, licking and biting, “grooming sannie. dinner can wait.”

“san, what happens if one day i can’t control myself and i do something stupid in front of your students? will you get fired?”

san thinks for a moment. “hm. maybe not fired, but a warning, perhaps? just try to control yourself, okay? as long as class ends, i’m at your disposal, honey.” san kisses his hand in gentlemanly fashion. “although, i have to say it does amuse me when the class goes crazy whenever you start turning human and interrupting the lesson.”

“jealousy is also a form of love,” wooyoung grumbles back.

regarding hand holding in school, san doesn’t mind. 

it makes wooyoung absolutely delighted, swinging their interlaced hands as they walk around. wooyoung was initially worried, since it was san’s workplace, but san said it was okay when he brought it up.

“s-sannie pie!”

“happy?”

“mm, very.”

“nice, huh,” san marvels at how even their steps are in sync, “you’re glowing today, young-ah.”

“am i..?” wooyoung uses his other face to touch his face, “i didn’t do anything-”

“i know. you’re just an angel, i think.” wooyoung swats at him with the cheesy words, but his heart flutters all the same. “then angels of the same feather flock together.”

“now, that’s not-”

“i’m not your student! don’t correct me,” wooyoung sticks out his tongue, and when san opens his mouth to retort, wooyoung kisses him to shut up. “whatever, guardian angel sannie.”

jongho says the fanfic has to be somewhat legit, because life imitates art.

he’s not even joking when he says he saw choi san ssaem kissing his hybrid. like, on the forehead and everything. holding hands on campus. but the hybrid is the one that drives? and ssaem stares at his black cat like he’s sooo in love? the hybrid is the one that packs them food. his classmates say wooyoung ssi is the one that made beloved teacher choi san go to the gym more often, apparently. 

yeosang, on the other hand, has ventured into other ships with a little help from wooyoung. he’s also done a side quest, a small yunwoo drabble just for fun. puppy and kitty, opposites attract! he’s a yunwoo shipper, much to san’s chagrin. but yeosang will die on the hill that #seongjoong is real and that seonghwa ssaem has something going on with that raven of his. 

wooyoung tells him he will help gather some information, as ‘plot material’- provided there is some cleanup on the ongoing woosan project.

“sannie, you need to tell jongho to rewrite this chapter,” wooyoung is sulking, holding the photocopy yunho made for him, “i said ‘i love you’ first! why do your kids always get it wrong-!”

san only chuckles, kisses those pouty lips, “but that’s fiction. if it’s too accurate, that’d make it a biography?”

“but-! oh my god, i will kill them if they do something that changes the rating,” wooyoung repeatedly taps at the lined paper, “i know we always kiss, but this is so-! i’m telling you, yeosang is into some kinky things-” 

“relax, they’ll keep it pg. don’t worry, darling.”

“hmph, do you know jongho’s taken the yungi pill and now we have a yungi side ship in that ongoing fic! i’m not done yet, san- and you have to tell mingi ssaem to keep his hybrid in check!”

“ah? what is it this time, kitten?”

“yunho’s a pervert! i saw him writing! he’s worse than your entire class combined, that stupid dog is writing explicit woosan stuff! i like him when he’s human, but i swear he’s a fucking pervert, you hear-!”

“simmer down, babe,” san laughs when he sees wooyoung complaining until his chest heaves, “okay, i will go talk to him.”

“but saaaaaaaan!” wooyoung whines, engulfing him in a hug, “wanna… i wanna-”

“yes, jagiya. what do you wanna..? oh? now i am curious… i shall consult mingi. you wanna reenact the perverted story? i’ll narrate it to you-”

“what the fuck, hell no!”

“young-ah-”

“wanna tell you i love you again,” wooyoung peers into his eyes, holding his face, “i love you, san. you’re the bestest ever. fiction or not.”

“i love you too, sweetpea. you’re my mostest bestest favouritest ever.”

“hey! that’s wrong, you’re an english teacher, you-”

“would you look at that, my kitten’s correcting my english now,” san kisses his nose, eyes uncontrollably fond, “my favourite is still ‘card and cash’.”

“choi san!” wooyoung smacks him, embarrassed, “that was one time at the coffeeshop!”

“and you have made great progress, good job.”

“you’re a good seonsaengnim,” wooyoung mumbles into his chest, “my favourite teacher.”

“well said, teacher’s pet.”

“ssaem! your outfit’s cool today!”

“it’s friday! are you out on a date today?”

“ah, is that so? thank you. and no, i’m busy coming up with questions for your pop quiz.” san sheepishly grins, hearing the class groan as he uncaps his marker to write on the whiteboard. he takes a peek at wooyoung sitting at the teacher’s desk, shooting him a wink and a wicked smile. “told ya, ssaem. it’s cute,”

“ah! wooyoung oppa picks your outfits!”

there’s a flurry of excitement as the class goes chatty. 

what did i say, no wonder why ssaem looks better recently! you boys don’t get it, he does his hair now… yeah, he seriously changed the hair! wait, is it me or does ssaem look fitter now… he wears more colour? and his ties have cutieful clips! no way, it’s not just the gym…

“ahem. class, please,” san tries in english to dispel the chatter, “calm down. chaewon-ah, ‘cutieful’ is not a valid word in the dictionary… by the way, class. the combination of two words to blend their meanings and pronunciation is called a portmanteau-”

“nerd,” wooyoung snorts, fondly rolling his eyes at san when they lock gazes. san only raises a brow and smirks, mouthing, and you love it, so wooyoung shuts up. san goes back to writing examples of causative verbs, perception verbs, past perfect tense. places asterisks with the tricky ones.

“-and i agree my outfits are nice, but let’s proceed with today’s lesson-”

“yah, i picked them. ‘course it’s fucking cutieful,” wooyoung scrunches his nose and sticks his tongue out at san when he sees the teacher’s expression of disdain. earns squeals from the students that he receives with glee. it’s black denim on denim, layered with silver accessories. ah, so the little ones have noticed the change in style.

wooyoung wonders if the kids realise they wear matching silver bracelets these days. “by the way. do you guys vibe with the new glasses, ‘cause i think they’re cutieful as fuck-”

“wooyoung, language-!” san pouts in scolding, capping the marker, “please, young-ah. not when the little ones are here to learn.”

the affectionate tone when reverting back to korean makes the students scream at the domestic language, and it makes wooyoung blush the colour of san’s burgundy tie from yesterday. complete with a cute little tie pin that resembles a sardine, against his white button up. 

the little ones. our little ones? maybe we could have lots of kids too. more kitties. little ones of our own. we both like kids. we can have a litter, a whole baseball team of kids-

“f-fine! i’ll leave you to teach in peace,” wooyoung sulkily turns back into a black loaf next to san’s laptop.

san’s homeroom kids really take a liking to wooyoung. some even come to him for advice, for his opinion on food and social issues and fashion trends.

“wooyoung hyung! do you know if san seonsaengnim-”

“he’s not dating park seonghwa.” wooyoung waves him aside, “do not ask me how i know, but they’re not dating.”

“no, no- are you dating san seonsaengnim?” minjae looks at him with a curious expression, eyes full of mirth, like he’s excited to hear whatever the answer is. wooyoung’s rather fond of this kid too. minjae always looks at him with lots of adoration.

“what do you think?” he entertains minjae with a smile, “y’all think we look compatible?”

“you need to see this,” he excitedly shows him a newly opened instagram page, @woosan_truthers, and it’s already racked up close to 87 followers. whoa, that’s more than 3 classes worth of kids. there are even edits from pictures of him and san, with sexy songs as the audio. edited like idol fancams, tiktok shipper edits. dang, maybe some of san’s kids should go into media and visual arts majors when they grow up. “sumin showed me this, so…”

“yah, you guys should be studying!” wooyoung cries, although he makes a note to stalk the page later, “aigoo, you guys have exams soon, you know.”

“so… feelings? dating?”

wooyoung hopes he doesn’t blush, with the heat rushing to his face. “shoo, shoo. go back and study.”

“but wooyoung hyung-!” 

“well, your seonsaengnim is cute,” wooyoung mumbles out, “but that’s all you’re getting from me.”

after the incident is relayed, more rumours go around that it’s a one-sided crush.

the rumours are so not true and it makes wooyoung mad. 

he’s going to dress in matching colours and twin shoes with san and get couple accessories or whatever. and purposefully turn human where san’s kiddos can see. this is getting crazier, it’s driving him insane. the worst part is that san says they’re just good friends. stupid choi san.

good fucking friends! i’ll show your kids just what we are!

so now, rain or shine, wooyoung forsakes the luxury of lounging in their cozy home, and even if he hates some of the noisy kids (nicknamed affectionately) he will sit on san’s shoulder while he teaches. 

sometimes he snoozes like a neck pillow perched on san, sometimes he keeps his eyes alert- just in case the kids are so nosy again and ask about san’s love life. he’s a feisty kitty and he will bite if they hint at san being in love with someone else again!

“calm down,” san will pet his black fur, “can hear you holding in a hiss, baby.” so wooyoung will bite his shoulder in retaliation, careful not to damage the clothes- because san looks good in it.

sometimes, it feels like san is his emotional support hybrid instead. 

the man is impeccable at everything he does, has such strong intelligence when it comes to academics and emotional quotients. wooyoung just trills in his ear, goes back to being a good kitty and sleeping on his broad shoulders. sometimes he thinks that maybe he’d be an amazing climber as a human- he climbs and jumps up a damn mountain to sit on san’s shoulders or head anyways.

he can be obedient when he wants to- emphasis on the want.

some of san’s kids are fascinated by his shiny fur, his gleaming green eyes. he quite likes that. and they will get him nice kitty snacks that san will decline on his behalf- and he’ll paw at san and pretend to nibble at his finger until san relents and gives in (as he always does), sighing and going alright, just this once.

even in kitty form, san always makes sure he’s dolled up. makes sure to buy him cute collars and little ribbons to tie around his neck, always tying him a big perfect bow. an aristocat, like marie. “how you look reflects how well you’re treated in my house,” san always likes to say proudly, “and i like my kitty to be beautiful.”

wooyoung, loved by san.

wooyoung thinks that if he’s a cat, then san must be a bigger cat. but then there are no cat tags, only dog tags. so he buys san one, just to mark his territory. other hybrids will understand, but humans will just see it as a fancy accessory. wooyoung doesn’t care. he engraves his own name onto the tag, and happily presents it to san.

san, loved by wooyoung.

“they’re holding hands though?”

“yah, it’s so normal to hold your hybrid’s hand, that’s the whole point? so that you guys can recalibrate emotions together?”

as class president and vice president, yeosang and jongho decide to take one for the team and shadow the teachers around.

initially they wanted gossip to share with the class- but after seeing how cute #woosan are, they change their mind. everything seems too sweet and intimate to be broadcasted to the world.

san tries his best to be neutral and not show favouritism, but he does have a soft spot for the quietly chaotic kids in his class. 

wooyoung buys him a yellow cat-feinated mug that he brings to work, and he approves of yeosang and jongho the most. he likes them, really. they’re attentive and supportive- he knows that they follow san around in hopes of catching the whiff of a scandal, but is thankful that they blush and put away their cameras when wooyoung kisses san in the parking lot after school.

actually, wooyoung is lying. 

he likes all of san’s kids. after accompanying san on the daily, he can even recognise them by their scent or footsteps now. he’s an intelligent kitty, becoming of an intelligent teacher. he even helps san take attendance now, while the teacher connects his laptop to the projector and writes on the whiteboard.

he makes little snacks for san’s kids, like gimbap and onigiri when they have extra after-school lessons, and buys them candy because he’s quite fond of the little troublemakers. they bully san to no end, but are also hardworking and sweet. sometimes he intercepts their passed notes in class, adds to them. 

last weekend, he even went to make cake pops over at seonghwa’s for these silly kids. thank goodness sweet seonghwa is teaching chemistry this year. wooyoung would die with shame at the influx of fanfiction involving himself. the sheer thought of the kids approaching kind seonghwa ssaem for ‘literature’ advice makes him dizzy.

yunho was not allowed to come (pun intended?) because his new perverted woosan chapter made wooyoung extra horny. he did give the puppy some extra cake pops though, because it was a pretty good story. he prays san never comes across it.

he’s growing out his hair now, so he lets the kids call him wooyoung noona and wooyoung eonnie- because what the fuck is gender anyway, he’s a goddamn cat hybrid. 

it’s good that the kids have an example to live freely as they please. maybe one day he’ll dye it blonde- he wonders if his fur in kitty form would change. the kids would love that.

the puppy hybrid, on the other hand, has been affectionately called handsome puppy oppa and is pleased by all the treats and head pats. mingi’s also very satisfied, because it means yunho has an outlet to disperse his energy even on days he may not have enough battery to handle him. hongjoong’s is the funniest, because they call him mysterious brooding oppa with wings, and seonghwa always has a good chuckle because the man is three apples tall in human form and aggressively cute.

“hi kids, morning. listen up.” wooyoung’s barging into class first, with mingi kindly ending his class five minutes early so that wooyoung can make his announcement.

“so. it’s july, which is sannie month- please be nice, no scaring my human. he’s a scaredy cat and i know how you kiddos love pranking the teachers and it’s funny or whatever,” wooyoung gestures in the air, voice softening, “but please be nice to sannie this july. he’s worked really hard… i trust you guys not to jumpscare him, yeah? uh, i’ll get a card tomorrow and you guys can write him something, okay?”

there are soft coos and yessirs and awws in the class, and wooyoung still has about a minute before he will hear the bell and san’s punctual footsteps.

“any questions?”

“hyung! so do you like him?”

“wooyoung oppa, are the fanfics legit?”

“eonnie, what are you planning to give him?”

“wooyoung ssi, does ssaem know about-”

“whoa! hold your horses,” wooyoung laughs, hearing san’s steady gait pacing down the corridor, “yeah, kinda. i do like him… so be nice, please. or i’ll hunt you down and chew you out. anyways, he should be-”

“good morning, class!” san greets cheerfully, and warmly smiles when he sees wooyoung’s earlier than him, two coffees on the teacher’s desk. “oh hey, woo. mornin’.”

“morning,” wooyoung mumbles, cheeks pink when he hears the gentleness of san’s voice, then turns into a cat to avoid any interrogation from the kids.

san is so touched by the birthday card (to our purr-fect teacher), wooyoung’s homemade chocolate fudge cake, and the little surprise the kids have prepared. 

they’ve pooled together some money to get san a box of pokemon cards, and have gotten permission to film his card pulls. it’s one of san’s happiest teaching moments. maybe he can make it into an assignment, about hobbies and globalisation and shared interests.

wooyoung wears a digimon tee to school out of sheer spite, initially refusing to unbox it with san. but after the tiniest whine from san (jagi… please?), he gives in (took just one pout, to be honest) and tears open card packs with his teeth to grin at san in the staff room. easier that way.

it’s late july, and the kids are off for summer vacation.

they’ll probably be back end august, so wooyoung’s very happy he gets to see san and lounge at home with him for about four to six weeks.

“sannie. can we adopt your class?”

“i’m sorry? what?”

wooyoung goes pink when san takes off his glasses and peers at him intently, “want your kids.”

san doesn’t know how to interpret that- does he mean he wants the kids in my class or does he mean he wants children with me or does he mean he wants me to knock him up or-

“uhm..?” for the lack of better words, san just goes eh? and tilts his head, tries to regain composure, “we can’t adopt the students in my class, if that’s what you mean. they all have families..?”

“hm. can we take yeosang and jongho? i like them. they’re good kids,”

“they have actual families and parents, honey! you can’t just-”

“why not? how about soobin? i know you like that one. and he has your surname already. no questions,” wooyoung just stares at him, pouting, “we can take yeonjun too. and beomgyu. a whole choi family! triplets! mm, want kids with sannie.” wooyoung sounds really happy at the thought of it, pupils dilating.

“young-ah, that’s not how it works, we can’t-”

“then let’s adopt your new class next year.”

“no we can’t, jagiya. listen-”

“mingi’s homeroom kids are nice too. i like them, but i like yours more. i can even compromise with seonghwa’s kids! how ‘bout you choose between yeosang and jongho. let’s get at least one-”

“darling! we can’t go around kidnapping people’s children!” san is fondly exasperated, “i would adopt all of them if this was an orphanage or something, but they have actual homes and parents and sibli-”

“b-but-!” wooyoung’s all teary now, using his fists to hit san’s chest, “they make me feel maternal! i want to take care of them, sannie! i want kids!” just to make a point, “and you picked me too, choi san!”

“as you did. but this is different-!”

“how is it different! you liked me and took me home. so i like them, and i wanna take them home!”

“you know it’s not like that, baby…” san sighs, albeit endeared, tucking wooyoung’s hair behind his ears. “young-ah…”

“but your baby wants-! i want minjae! let’s take him. he thinks we’re together anyway. we can be his new mom and dad?” then wooyoung deflates when san just looks at him, sternly pouting, “but sweetie pie..? please? you did say we must have manners and say please, sannie. i said please… you said you love me, you would-”

“ah, okay baby. yes, yes. we can have kids, okay? let me figure something out? let’s get a cat?”

“can we, jagi? can we have a girl? please?” wooyoung’s eyes are all glistening and wide, and frankly, if he requested a fucking bungalow san would’ve taken a loan in a heartbeat to buy one. or something. san will make it happen. “yes, love. we’ll get you a baby cat? we can’t, uh, take people’s teenagers like that,”

“must be a cat-cat, sannie,” wooyoung pouts, eyes glistening, fangs bared, “don’t want another hybrid in my house. our house.”

“me neither,” san gives him a soft dimpled smile, “i can only give my heart to one hybrid, you know.”

“naw, ssaem! you’re so sappy!” wooyoung cringes, punching him coquettishly, words in contrast to his blinding smile. “you’re soooo gross, why are you saying romantic cheesy things-”

“but it’s true,” san purses his lips, arms around his baby’s hips, “and anyway, who’s the one who wanted kids with me first?”

“now you’re just mean-!” 

san murmurs little apologies, guides wooyoung’s hands to his shoulders. carries him by the butt, peppering him with languid kisses. “no, i’m not. you are the apple of my eye, kitten. am i not your sweetie pie? shall we have sushi for dinner?”

“mph, okay. i forgive you, sweetie. you’re the bestest person ever.” wooyoung squirms and finds purchase between the crook of san’s shoulder and neck, purring contentedly, “want all the kids with sannie.”

“me too, love. would give you the entire cohort of kids if i could.”

november is when finals take place just before winter vacation, and san has done his research. a regular baseball season in korea runs from march through september or early october, before wrapping up for winter sports to take over.

the timing coincides, and it would be a good alternative. better to give the kids some fun and motivation before they start earnestly preparing for their exams. san thought of taking the kids to watch spiderman, but it’s a blockbuster and the timings all coincide with school schedules. nighttime wouldn’t be advisable.

“hey, woo.” san suddenly says over breakfast on a sunday, “what do you say we go to a baseball game with the kids?”

“ah! all of us!” wooyoung’s eyes are sparkling as he puts down his mug excitedly, coffee sloshing about. “us and our kids! what’s the occasion!”

“well, the camping trip might require more resources and time than i thought… but a field trip in the daytime, that’s workable.”

“oh, sannie, that’s amazing! let’s-”

“and um, i thought it would be a nice early birthday present to you,” san murmurs as he drinks his coffee, “i know you always get a bit sad they don’t play in november.” then he smiles, interlocking their fingers across the table, “the kids are still upset there are exams on your birthday… so i’ll do a poll on the food, we can have a mini celebration after the field trip. i’m telling you in advance so you don’t scream and vibrate and shake the entire classroom when i announce it,”

“sannie, sannie!” wooyoung is screaming and purring as he jumps over the table as a cat, landing into his lap human, “i love you so much! thank you, i love you-!”

san only chuckles at his excitement, wooyoung’s tail thumping at his thigh, exhilarated, “i love you too, little one.”

“i’ve already decided on my birthday wish this year,” he mumbles, lips inches away from san’s, “you can’t say it out loud, my love. or it won’t come true,”

“not possible,” wooyoung pouts, shaking his head, “my wish is for sannie to continue loving me forever.” 

“ah… i’m afraid that’s a fact, so you don’t need to wish for that,” san tips his chin gently, so their lips can meet, “you should think of something else.”

“mm,” wooyoung hums into his mouth, hands around san’s neck as san holds his waist, licking and biting at san’s lips. “then i wish for myself to love sannie forever,” he beams at his statement, “then that way, it will still come true, even if i say it. i’ll be sannie’s forever kitty. can’t get rid of me even if you wanted to.”

“if you guys all get an A grade for english,” wooyoung smiles, all his pearly whites gleaming, “i’ll kiss your seonsaengnim on results day!”

that’s enough to eradicate all the moans and groans regarding san’s run through on the coverage of their finals and essay submission. the class is now energised, spurred on by this encouraging prize. “i’ll get you guys ice cream too, if all of you seriously get an A. remember, all of you. cat’s honour,” wooyoung is pleased by the furore. this class just comes alive when he intervenes- just listen to the whoops and cheers!

“w-wooyoung-!” there’s only one person who sputters, going impossibly red, “there was no discussion of-”

“talk later,” wooyoung merrily says, saved by the bell, and san ambushes him when they get back to the teacher’s lounge.

“wooyo-yah, what you did back there-”

“as your emotional support companion, i think it’s a fair prize,” wooyoung beams at him, pinching his cheeks, “besides, did you see your kids! this is great motivation, now all of ‘em will aim for an A, ssaem!” wooyoung smacks his chest with a pout. “live a little, you old man.”

“we’re the same damn age! i’m just 140 days older-”

“it’s just a smaaaaall peck on the cheek, you loser,” wooyoung waves a hand, yawning, “whaddaya say, san-ah? is the deal on?” wooyoung is looking a little too pleased with himself as he helps san adjust his glasses, lets his hands roam down san’s neck, fixing his collar, “remember, it’s my credit if your class does so well.”

wooyoung tilts his head and gently holds san’s face. gives him such a sweet, long kiss on the lips that san literally has his breath stolen, words swallowed and eaten, thoughts vanished into thin air.

“wooyoung, i simply cannot believe you cut a deal with my kids like that? excuse me?” san’s still bewildered as he sits wooyoung down on their bed, about to sleep.

“oh please, seonsaengnim. i’m super chill about this already- mingi’s kids are getting a fanfiction read out. full reenactment for a T rated fic if one of them ends up topping the cohort! and you think i’m crazy for one small kiss!” wooyoung sulks, holding out his pointer finger, hogging the blanket. “hongjoong apparently says he will let their class plan a date! he’s actually going to ask seonghwa ssaem out if they all score above the higher percentile! you’re the worst!”

“ah, there, there,” san softly pacifies, running his fingers through wooyoung’s silky strands of hair, “sorry, i’m the worst, i know.” he presses a kiss to wooyoung’s forehead in apology, “i’ll buy you hanwoo beef tomorrow, okay? and dessert?”

“if you say so,” wooyoung smiles, peppering kisses to san’s face, making him yelp when he kittenishly licks at san’s lips. “even better if you’d let me make out with you in front of our kids, but yes, let’s protect them for now.”

“our kids,” san cutely echoes, eyes curving into little crescents, “i like that.”

“honestly, i would kiss you in front of our kids daily, if you’d let me…” wooyoung gives his best innocent eyes, “i would be sooooo happy to kiss sannie all the time… exam results or not…”

“what, and let them go crazier with the edits!” san sighs, “we kiss all the time-”

“but you don’t allow me to do it in public…”

“yes i do, just not in class…”

“but-! but that’s not fair!”

“young-ah, if the kids see that, they’ll grow up a bit too fast,” san gently plays with his hair, “you’re a noisy kitty, which is absolutely fine- but to hear something like that and having you shake your ass and tail in front of my students, i’m afraid i can’t allow it,” san sulks, frowning cutely, “that’s only for me, okay? i’m not sharing my boyfriend like that.”

“then you should’ve said so!” wooyoung puffs his cheeks, “if you said no sharing i would’ve understood!”

“my fault. but we can let them plan a date too, if you’d like.” san laughs, and wooyoung brightens at the idea, “we can’t loose to hongjoong! okay! i’ll tell the kids tomorrow-”

“our kids,” san corrects, and wooyoung inches in to snuggle closer, blanket surrendered, “my bad. i will tell our kids tomorrow.”

needless to say, everyone in san’s class got an A for english.

true to his word, wooyoung had asked for a dip kiss, for san to dramatically hold him while he leaned backwards, showing off his flexibility and kicking a leg up- mimicking newlyweds kissing in a swoon-worthy pose. somewhere along the summer vacation, the kids noticed him and san had gotten matching rings.

san had tried to give a disclaimer of no phones please, but kids being kids, there were multiple videos and photos. the class had gotten so excited about it, the photo blew up overnight on their instagram page, but wooyoung didn’t really care. he was far too excited seeing san flush, regretting giving in to his antics. if the principal wished to speak to him, then wooyoung would definitely have something to say on their behalf.

san had to do some damage control and try to convince them into set the @woosan_truthers account (now with 158 followers due to nosy people from the nearby school) to private, but to no avail. san had exasperatedly sighed, not knowing how to deal with this without making it overly complicated with disciplinary jargon.

wooyoung simply shooed san out, said to give him five minutes of privacy with the kids- and they miraculously listened.

“jagi, please…” san pleads with him, sulking the entire weekend, “you didn’t tell me how you got them to listen like that…”

“magic,” wooyoung simply says, feeding san some of the snacks he’s eating, “i’m just really good with kids, baby. give me one and you’ll know,”

the pout does not leave san’s face, but he does propose something else. “um, actually. there’s something else i want to say.”

“yes, darling?” wooyoung puts aside the snack packet, sitting at attention with his ears and tail upright, “what’s the matter?”

“so the other day, on the news… they said the government is considering passing laws on, uh.” he takes wooyoung’s hands, thumbs idly at the ring, “they said they might pass laws regarding human and hybrid relationships. um, i dunno how long it might take, or if it will even get green lit, but…”

“you want to marry me,” wooyoung whispers, clutching san’s hands tightly. a statement, rather than a question. they look at each other, before san’s instincts kick in. “woo, please don’t-”

san makes a mix between a nose scrunch, a laugh and a grimace. wooyoung’s buzzing with happiness, bursting into a loud yell before he bites san’s arm to muffle his scream. “fuck! you want to marry me-!”

“yes, i do, sweetheart. but like i said, nothing’s-”

“that made me really happy,” wooyoung purrs, hugging him tightly, “doesn’t matter if the law is in place. ‘m always gonna be yours, sannie. i told you, i don’t think of anyone else as my sweetie pie,”

“i don’t think of anyone as someone i’d like to spend a lifetime with either. except for you, honey.” san gently kisses his fluffy hair, “i will marry you the moment the law passes. or we can fly somewhere else if you really want to tie the knot- woo? why are you blushing?” then he narrows his eyes, “you’re reading yunho’s perverted stories again.”

“!!!” 

wooyoung only blinks at him, covering his face with his hands, a little peekaboo through his fingers to see san. “h-how would you know! we’re normal people, we don’t-”

“ah, not now, omega,” san raises a brow, starts smirking when wooyoung’s eyes go wide, “wanna take alpha’s knot?”

“choi san! you have no right to talk smack when you’ve fucking read it-!”

“i never talked smack about those things, young-ah. you’re the one who’s always complaining about inaccuracies, nerd. who says i’m not a beta?”

“but you’re an alpha,” wooyoung mumbles, then he realises san’s referring to proofreading. “oh.”

“so.” san’s smugly lowering his voice, looking at him in a way that gives him butterflies, “you have a degradation kink, my love? according to the fic?”

“uhm,” wooyoung swallows, feeling warm, “s-sannie has a praise kink, in… the-” 

“yeah, i do,” san nods, “at least i can admit it.”

san knows how to get him to shut up, and it’s called invading his space and shoving his face right before wooyoung’s. forces him to break first. close his eyes, because san doesn’t fucking blink and stares so intently. sometimes he thinks he could kiss san just to make san break his resolve first, but maybe he’ll try that when he’s feeling bolder. san would kill him if he knew wooyoung’s reading #woogi and #yunsan and god forbid, #yunwoogi, for fun.

“i-! i, uh,” wooyoung fans himself, flattening his kitty ears and looking elsewhere, “i dunno, we were just talking about marriage and now you’re being mean and-!” he punches san square in the chest, “so what if i have a sannie kink! so what if i’m obsessed with you, i-”

“oh, darling…” san’s entire countenance softens, “you’re so…”

“so what,” wooyoung sulks back, forced to lock eyes, “complete your sentence, ssaem!”

“you’re so sweet, my beautiful beloved angel.” wooyoung flushes when san (immovable object) refuses to budge despite him whining (unstoppable force). “anyway. if we do manage to get married one day, it means we can legally adopt.”

“san…” wooyoung is pouting now, rivaling san’s default pouty face, “you really…”

“really what,” san says back, hiding a smile, “complete your sentence, kitten.”

“fuck, i’m so in love with you,” wooyoung mutters to himself, smacking san because he doesn’t know what else to do, tail curling around san’s arm. “i’m so in love with you too,” just to tease wooyoung, “fuck.”

“you tell me to mind my language and then you just-!” wooyoung slaps him cutely, “saaaaaaan!”

“eh, whatever. so how many kids d’you want, young-ahhhhh,” he loves when wooyoung gets flustered. 

“hm. i think choichoi is too little. let’s do choichoichoichoi?” it’s endearing that wooyoung’s seriously thinking this through. “let’s go nine or go home, sannie!”

“we’re already home though-”

“fuck you, choi san!”

“sorry, sorry. okay. let’s pick nine kids then.”

hey, kids. so you know if you post that stuff on instagram and it goes viral, sannie and i can’t be together anymore, ya know. ‘cause the school will try to separate us, due to conflict of interest- which is understandable. maybe i won’t be able to come to school as often… hm? ah, the rings. uh, it’s not legal yet? but hopefully… one day… 

we look cute together? oh my. thank you! i think so too!

off the record, yes, we’re dating- but it would be nice to keep it in your fanfics, okay? i wouldn’t wanna embarrass or cause our sannie any problems… yeah, i can beta it for you. let’s not disturb ssaem! he works really hard, you rascals.

i know you guys understand, right? exactly, great! yep, so let’s continue to work together and bully sannie, until you munchkins graduate. hehe.