FIC for MAUDLINSKY! I'll Be Your Pet (Kyung/U-Kwon, others)

Yukwon was a bit selfless at times, he worked hard at his journalism job even when he'd rather be dancing or fighting for animal rights, he helped out without thinking about any consequences, and he had this relatively odd habit of picking up strays and trying to find a permanent home for them. His best friend, Lee Taeil, thought it was really strange but even his opinion didn't stop the energetic journalist. If there was a box on the side of the road with animals in it, Yukwon would take them in without a thought.

He figured everyone, including pets, had a right to a good home. And he also knew that if the box was found by the wrong person, they'd be taken in and put down after so long if no one adopted them. So he took it as his god given quest to help them out when he could. Even if that meant that he had a few extra pets that he didn't necessarily have room for.

It was one of these occasions, when Yukwon was coming home late from work when he noticed a rather large box just outside of his apartment. He tried really hard to resist the urge to peek inside and take in the cute animals inside but in the end, his habit won out. He stepped over to the box, listening intently to make sure it wasn't just full of garbage before he pulled back one of the flaps and gasped slightly.

It wasn't just a couple animals curled up inside the box, but also a man, looking worse for wear than the kittens curled up beside him. Yukwon's head swivelled around before he took in a determined breath before beginning to drag the box towards the doors to his apartment, hoping no one would wake up from the noise.

It took about an hour before he was able to get the man and the kittens into his apartment and he was definitely ready to pass out but he figured he should probably see if this guy was okay. Shaking his head, Yukwon grabbed his first aid kit and sat down next to the couch he'd put the guy on, surprised he was still asleep through all the commotion of getting him inside. Looking at him, the man was probably about his age, with dark hair and bruises and scratches all over his face and arms. It almost looked like he'd escaped from some sort of torture.

Shaking his head and muttering to himself about strays and stupid habits, Yukwon set about doing his best to fix the injuries. The kittens pranced around the rest of the apartment while he fixed up the box-boy, sniffing things and probably getting into other things while he wasn't paying attention.

After working on the dark haired man's face, he moved on to his arms and hands, grimacing at the skin that seemed to be peeling back from his fingertips. This guy had seen a battle, Yukwon was pretty sure he was lucky to have been found. Some of these injuries would have gotten infected pretty quickly without any sort of medical attention. When he was done bandaging the guy's hands, Yukwon stood up and covered him with a blanket, eyes surveying the apartment quickly before returning the kit to its place in the bathroom.

“Here kitties, I'll just go out to the convenience store to get some things for you...keep an eye on the big one over there for me okay?” He smiled, scratching their heads before picking them up and settling them on top of the sleeping man. At least it was only two actual animals, it wouldn't be too hard to find someone who wanted a cat, they seemed to be everywhere in this neighbourhood after all.

Yukwon sighed again and pulled on his shoes, stepping out and jogging down the street to the 24-hour store. It didn't take him too long to find what he needed and also to pick up some food to eat either. He was humming softly when he walked into the apartment again, pretty content with life until he turned around from the door to become face to face with a rather happy looking box-boy.

“Geez! You weren't there when I opened the door!” He looked around, noticing the lump of blankets on the couch, complete with sleeping kittens before bringing his eyes back to the other.

“The dutiful master returns!” Box-boy crowed loudly, grinning widely before lifting a bandaged hand so it formed a paw and cocking his head to the side slightly. “Woof woof!”

Yukwon's eyes widened and he looked at the boy like he'd grown a second head, thoroughly confused. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Being a good pet so you'll keep me? Don't they always greet their master when he or she returns home?” He pursed his lips, deadly serious.

“But you don't know me...and you're not a pet...”

“Well, we could get to know each other if you let me stay here with you as your pet.” He grinned, winking slightly from his still crouched position; his hand dangled uselessly in front of them still.

“This...this is weird. Is this your way of asking me to let you be a freeloader?” Yukwon shook his head slightly, toeing off his shoes and scooting passed the boy so he could set the kittens up with some food and a litter box.

“Not really...I don't expect much..just some affection and the occasional meal. I'll even help out around the house.” He followed Yukwon into the kitchen, grinning still and it was almost infectious.

“Are you on drugs?” Yukwon frowned, looking at the boy as he set things up, shaking his head slightly before looking away. “Once you're healed you can leave...I don't have time to babysit.” He sighed softly when he looked up and saw the biggest puppy eyes.

“I promise I'll be good, I don't have anywhere to go. My landlord is a crazy homo and he might find me.” The boy shuddered and stuck his lip out further, enhancing the cuteness of his expression. “Like I said, I'm just a pet, I don't take up much space and I'm not too disruptive.” He bit his lip slightly, perching on a bar stool as he watched Yukwon.

The journalist pursed his lips and finished what he was doing before starting to pull out what he needed for kimchi rice. He sighed softly in defeat a few moments later as he was putting two portions of rice into the pan. “Don't think this is a permanent thing, you can sleep up in the loft but you don't get a bed.” He shook his head, pointing with his spoon at the ladder just to their left. He'd been using that space just as storage before but he was sure there was space on the floor for a bed of blankets.

“Really? Hooray, you're the best master a pet could have.” Box-boy yelled the words excitedly, curly red bangs flopping away from his face as he stuck out his tongue happily.

“What should I call you? My name is Yukwon, I don't expect you to call me master or anything.” Yukwon shuddered slightly, mildly bothered by the idea.

“Hmm...well my name is Kyung but you can call me anything.” He shrugged slightly, “I'm your pet, you choose. Everyone renames their pets don't they?” He smiled slightly, leaning forward on the counter as he watched Yukwon cook.

Yukwon looked at Kyung with a withering stare, unimpressed by the suggestion. “You're a human...not a pet....you can just keep your name, what do I care? This isn't permanent.” He shook his head slightly, dishing out the spicy smelling fried rice onto two plates and sliding one across the counter to Kyung. “Eat that and don't come whining to me if it's too spicy or you're hungry still. I have work to do.” He frowned slightly, looking at the red head with a frown before shaking his head and continuing on his way to the desk.

Yukwon sat down at his desk, pulling out his laptop from the keyboard drawer and opening it up. He was just about to start typing into a word document when he felt something warm and large on his lap. He looked down and frowned at the sight of Kyung's head in his lap, eyes staring unblinkingly up at him. “What now?”

“I'm dirty...I need to bathe.” Kyung smiled sheepishly, expression hopeful.

“I'm sure you know what a bathroom looks like. You can find it.” Yukwon nudged the boy's head from his lap and turned to stare at his screen, wanting to immerse himself in work for a while. But then Kyung was sticking his bandaged hands in his face and pouting at him.

“I can't get these wet though...so you need to help me.” Kyung grinned, looking for the world like he hadn't just asked Yukwon to bathe him.

“I'm not bathing you.” Yukwon shook his head, cheeks flushing as he looked at Kyung like he'd grown a second head.

“Why? We're both guys...it's not like it's anything you don't have.” He nodded his head before pursing his lips and grinning like he had a great idea. “I'll wear my boxers...and you only need to wash my hair and that's it.” He nodded his head, tugging at the red curls.

Yukwon looked at Kyung for a moment, expression irritated before he was letting out a heavy sigh and motioning behind him. “Just...give me a second, I'll be there to help you.” He shook his head slightly, exasperated by the other. Though Kyung didn't seem to notice as he let out a happy whoop and got up to go find the bathroom.

The journalist blew a loud burst of air through his lips before pulling out his phone and firing off a text to Taeil. “I hope Jiho's not home, you need to come over tomorrow morning. :<” He nodded his head and set the phone down, going into his room to change his clothes. He made sure to pull on an apron and grab a towel before he went into the bathroom to help Kyung out. This was all way over his head and he was sure he would regret it later, but for now he just had to deal with the consequences.

After a terribly long bath during which Yukwon struggled to get Kyung to sit still and to keep his shorts on, Yukwon tossed some blankets at the other and stormed into his room. He was done being hospitable for the night, it was entirely too late and knowing his best friend, Taeil would be over bright and early. Some people just had no clue about sleeping in.


Yukwon woke up in sluggish alarm the next morning when the smell of burning filtered through his door and into his room. He looked around, noting that there was no smoke, before he crawled out of bed to investigate. He'd almost forgotten about the stray person he'd taken in until he saw Kyung attempting to make pancakes or something. The resulting stack of vinyl record looking things was terrifying.

“What the hell are you doing?” Yukwon frowned, moving over to open the kitchen window, gently pushing Kyung out of the way to take over cooking.

“I was trying to make breakfast...apparently I can't cook.” He frowned slightly, looking up at Yukwon with a puppy dog expression and the journalist couldn't help but think of the cocker spaniel he'd had growing up.

“Breakfast for yourself I hope?” Yukwon lifted a brow, scraping another failed pancake off of the pan.

“Well...I'd hoped you would eat it...but I don't think they're even edible.” Kyung laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck lightly.

Yukwon shook his head, “I don't eat breakfast...I just drink a smoothie usually.” He shrugged, depositing the dirty pan in the sink and grabbing a new one to finish off the batter with some nicer pancakes. Cooking was one thing that he'd always been particularly eager to learn and master. He'd have to remember not to let Kyung into the kitchen from that point onward. Though of course, he reminded himself, this situation was not permanent.

“Oh...well, see, I didn't know that. I can clean it all up though...” Kyung offered hopefully, mildly surprised when a plate of fluffy looking pancakes was shoved into his hands.

Yukwon shook his head slightly, already starting to do the job. “Don't worry, just eat that. With your hands bandaged up like that, you can't get them wet, remember?” He shrugged slightly, not entirely concerned. While the breakfast had been destroyed, the kitchen wasn't that bad so it was a quick clean. He finished that job, made his smoothie and then went to get himself ready for company and work. He was lucky that he was allowed to work later hours in his office, it meant he didn't always have to get up early. Though they still preferred him in earlier most days.

He was surprised when Kyung bounced into his bedroom an hour later, smile one his face as he saluted and offered a cheeky grin. “Off to school now, I'll be back later. How will I get in if you're not home?”

Yukwon frowned slightly before sighing softly, “aren't you thorough?” He shook his head slightly and left the room, with Kyung following closely behind him, to find his keys. Kyung was lucky that Yukwon kept a spare set of his keys, just in case anything happened. Though he decided as he was taking them off of his keyring, it was probably a bad idea to keep them on the same ring as his normal keys.

“Use these, don't lose them.” He waved the boy off, smiling tightly even as he wondered absently how old Kyung was to still be in school. Though it was clearly not as low as high school considering how late in the morning it already was. And just as he was about to wonder why Taeil hadn't come yet, Kyung was opening the door to reveal the short man's surprised face and raised fist.

“Oh, a friend? I'm Kyung, I'm sure I'll get to know you eventually.” The red head grinned before scooting around Taeil and bounding down the stairs, as if he hadn't just gotten beat up the day before. Absently, Yukwon wondered if Kyung was some sort of a con man.

“What was that?” Taeil stared after the energetic male for a moment before letting himself inside Yukwon's apartment.

“That...he's a stray I somehow took in.” Yukwon sighed softly and shook his head, expression dark as he shut the door behind his friend.

“The reason why you wanted me over no doubt.” Taeil nodded his head perceptively, moving to go prepare tea in the journalist's kitchen.

Yukwon sighed softly and nodded his head, “yeah, exactly. And to catch up for the lost time when Jiho was home.” He grinned slightly, moving to sit down at the kitchen table to watch the other. “He was home for a long time this time...I'm kind of surprised he didn't drag you off to Canada or something to make it official between you two.” He laughed softly, kicking the table legs lightly.

Taeil raised a brow before holding up his hand to display the simple gold band on his ring finger, “he did do that though. He surprised me with the trip and then we went skiing for the weekend afterwards too. And then he still stayed home for another week after.” The shorter man sighed dreamily as he poured the hot water into two cups with tea bags and then carried them to the table to sit across from Yukwon.

“So you're officially a married couple now? That's great!” Yukwon nodded his head, looking at the ring a bit closer before leaning back and nodding his head. “I'm kind of jealous...I feel alone in the world.” He pouted slightly, exaggerating the expression slightly.

“Oh please, you brought it on yourself, saying you can only be with that Jihoon guy.” He shook his head slightly and rolled his eyes at Yukwon, sipping the hot tea.

“But I swear that Jihoon is my soul mate...he's just...everything.” Yukwon breathed out a happy sigh as he thought about the younger journalist. “Oh! He's coming to work in my office again! He's been in America and Shanghai for the last two years so it's exciting.” Yukwon was practically beaming and Taeil teased him by pretending to gag.

“You're probably the only one who's excited for it.” Taeil laughed and then motioned towards the door, expression curious. ``Now...tell me about that kid.”

Yukwon pursed his lips slightly, looking almost disgusted with himself before he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “There was a box outside last night...”

“That's how all of these stories start isn't it?” Taeil rolled his eyes and sipped his tea again.

“Yeah..I guess so. But...like usual I just had to look.” He shrugged, as if it was something he just had to do. “And Kyung was in there with those two little guys.” Yukwon pointed to the kittens curled up on his sofa, smiling slightly at them. “The plan was to patch him up, let him sleep on the couch and send him on his way in the morning.”

Taeil frowned and arched a brow, looking at Yukwon like he was insane. “Yeah..that clearly didn't happen.”

“Yeah, no...he fancies himself my pet now...” Yukwon frowned slightly, swirling his tea in its cup.

Taeil laughed softly, “well, I wonder what mister Pyo will say about that when you finally get him home.” He grinned, shaking his head slightly as if he might have thought that Yukwon was stupid.

“Probably not good...” He frowned slightly, cheeks turning pink. “Though...do you think he'd even be interested in me?” He pursed his lips and couldn't help the almost sad sigh from escaping him.

“Well...you'll find out today at work, won't you?” Taeil offered a helpful smile, glancing at the time. “I can give you a ride if you want, you have to start in a little bit right?”

Yukwon glanced at his clock and sighed again, nodding his head. “Unfortunately yes, that would be great.” He grinned at his best friend before putting the rest of his tea down the hatch, pushing away from the table. “Just let me go get changed.” And as he walked away from the table, he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of panic at what could be awaiting him at work.