It's Always Been You
Title: It's Always Been You - Chapter 1
Pairing: Eventual!MiMin, Past!QMi
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Humor
Rating: PG
Summary: Zhou Mi finds a cat on his balcony and really doesn't understand how he got there.
A/N: junjou_robotica helped me a lot with this, so lots of thanks to her and neko_no_hi676 for being my beta.
When Zhou Mi opens the large curtains to his balcony in the morning, he expects the sunlight streaming in and the faint noise of city traffic. He doesn’t, however, expect the small black cat stretched out on the sun-soaked wooden planks. It’s completely impossible, he tells himself, I live on the tenth floor.
A cat wouldn’t go through that much effort just to lie on a patio, right?
“Here, kitty kitty.” Zhou Mi coos, sliding the glass door to the side and offering up a dish of milk he retrieved from the kitchen. The poor thing looked so small and fragile; like he hadn’t eaten in days.
There is a small flick of that orange-tipped ear and the cat is turning to look at the crouching redhead, back arched and tail swishing. It’s as if he’s judging him; deciding if he was trustworthy. Or maybe he was just taking his time so Mi wouldn’t think he was too interested.
At least that’s what Zhou Mi thinks until the little thing walks past him and makes himself comfortable on his leather sofa. Were cats supposed to behave like this? Mi couldn’t be sure because he had never had a pet before, but he would have thought that the feline would be more cautious of a stranger. But then again, he had somehow managed to find his way up onto his balcony, so maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Zhou Mi almost feels crazy for talking to this little creature until the cat raises his head and looks directly at him. It’s like they’re having a staring contest until the cat hoped off of the plush couch and approached him slowly, sniffing the air and zeroing in on the saucer that had been placed by the Chinese man’s feet. “Good kitty. It’s alright, I won’t hurt you.”
While the small cat may have been cautious in the beginning, the taste of that milk was enough to have him lapping up every last bit of it and rubbing his cheek against an outstretched hand. Everything about this animal seemed a little strange to Zhou Mi in the beginning, but when he hears the soft hum of purring, trepidation doesn’t seem to have a place in his thoughts. He almost expects the cat to wriggle out of his arms when he picks him up, but the careful swat to his nose has him laughing.
“Now, now. My nose is enough of a feature without you doing that, kitty.” He chides, his voice lacking any authority. Something about the way his rough little pink tongue swipes over the tip of his nose is so endearing that it has Mi considering keeping this stray. “I wonder what your name is, you cute little thing?”
Brushing his hand over the feline’s head and down his back has Zhou Mi realizing that there is a thin silver chain around his neck with a charm that jingles when he touches it. Min. How cute.
“So your name is Min, hmm? I wonder if you belong to one of the other residents here?” He muses, slipping his shoes on and opening the door to check with the sweet lady that lives next door. Mrs. Lee always brought him food and insisted that he needed to eat more, he was wasting away. It was so nice of her that he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that Kyuhyun was usually the one that finished off the containers.
“Hello Mrs. Lee. Does this cat belong to you? I found him out on my balcony this morning, and I have no idea how he got there.” Zhou Mi’s smile is happy when she answers, fingers scratching the still purring cat under his chin.
“Oh goodness no, Mimi. Mr. Lee is terribly allergic, so no matter how much I would like a cute little one like him, it’s impossible.” Mrs. Lee replies with a kind smile and reaches out to pat the little one on the head. “I do have some japchae left over for you that I’ll bring you this afternoon.”
“Thank you very much, Mrs. Lee. I’ll be sure to share it with Kui Xian when he comes over for dinner.” Mi nods politely, offering up another smile before turning and walking back to check with his other neighbor.
He doesn’t belong to me, the middle aged business man tells him when he opens his door. I don’t like cats, and even if I did, I don’t have time to take care of one.
Well that rules out that possibility.
“I suppose you can stay with me for a while then, Min. Let’s take a little trip to the pet store then. I have nothing to take care of you, and I doubt that you can survive on milk alone.” Mi shakes his head when he realizes that he’s trying to have a conversation with an animal that can’t talk back. “I should drag Kui Xian along so he can help me carry things.”
*****
“Kui Xian. Come to the store with me. I have some things I need to pick up, and I need you to help me carry it.” Zhou Mi practically demands, bony knuckles rasping on the solid wood of his neighbor’s door. There had been more occasions than he could remember that he came to Kyuhyun’s aid, so asking for a little help wasn’t out of place. “You can come over for dinner tonight too. Mrs. Lee told me that she has some japchae and I have some shrimp I was going to make tonight.”
The mention of food has the door opening within a matter of a few seconds, and Zhou Mi can’t help the smile that comes to his face. His business partner had always had a certain fondness for good food, so he knew that the mention of a dinner that didn’t involve a take out menu would be enough to get the younger man to agree.
“Why do I have to help you carry it? I’m in the middle of a game.” Kyuhyun complains, eyebrows scrunching as he takes in his friend’s appearance. He had always been the type to stand out, but purses weren’t something a normal man carried around. “And why do you have such a big purse? It… Is it moving, Mi?”
“Hmm? Oh! Look, Kui Xian! I found him out on my patio this morning, and he doesn’t belong to anyone, so I’m going to take care of him. That’s why I need you to go to the store with me. I can’t possibly carry everything that he needs on my own.” Zhou Mi rambles while he strokes Min’s soft fur. Mi doesn’t notice the strange look Kyuhyun gives him or the way that he scrunches up his nose at the way that the cat has captured his attention without any effort. Some things weren’t fair, really.
“A cat? I never thought you would be that kind of person. Maybe one of those little yippy dogs you can carry around in a purse, but not this.” Kyuhyun gestures to the black leather bag with the cat’s head sticking out of it. “But I guess I can come along if I get dinner out of it.”
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to say no!” Mi squeals, throwing his arms around a rather startled looking man with chestnut poodle hair. “Min is such a sweet little cat. He came right inside and hasn’t stopped purring since I picked him up.”
“If you say so. Give me a minute to get my coat and shoes.” Kyuhyun finally concedes, hoping that it will keep his Chinese friend from squealing about that damned little fur ball.
The trip to the pet store isn’t that bad. It’s a much shorter walk than Kyuhyun would have thought, so he doesn’t get the opportunity to complain that he had so been looking forward to. There was a reason that Zhou Mi referred to him as a brat, after all.
“Mi. A cat does not need a sweater. They’re covered in fur for a reason.” Kyuhyun protests when something fluffy and pink is tossed into their shopping basket. “And how much food do you think that thing is going to eat? He’s tiny.”
“Oh hush, Kui Xian. Pink will look perfect on him. And he needs to eat a lot so he can get bigger.” Zhou Mi’s reply is almost flippant. He doesn’t exactly like the tone of his friend’s voice.
“That cat is going to be more spoiled than Heechul’s cats.” Kyuhyun grumbles in response, ignoring the black bedazzled purse-like carrier being added to the plethora of things they had already picked up. How he was planning on getting all of it back with just the two of them was a mystery.
“He’s much cuter and nicer than Heenim’s cats.” Mi quips, piling the various supplies for his new pet on the counter. He completely misses the look that the cashier gives the two of them; Kyuhyun is very distracting. The cost of everything is something ridiculous, Kyuhyun says, but Zhou Mi doesn’t seem to care. People spend way more on kids.
There really is no arguing with Zhou Mi when he has his mind set on something.
A/N: This chapter was a little short, but I wanted to make sure that I set up and established everything here. Things will pick up soon :)
Pairing: Eventual!MiMin, Past!QMi
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Humor
Rating: PG
Summary: Zhou Mi finds a cat on his balcony and really doesn't understand how he got there.
A/N: junjou_robotica helped me a lot with this, so lots of thanks to her and neko_no_hi676 for being my beta.
When Zhou Mi opens the large curtains to his balcony in the morning, he expects the sunlight streaming in and the faint noise of city traffic. He doesn’t, however, expect the small black cat stretched out on the sun-soaked wooden planks. It’s completely impossible, he tells himself, I live on the tenth floor.
A cat wouldn’t go through that much effort just to lie on a patio, right?
“Here, kitty kitty.” Zhou Mi coos, sliding the glass door to the side and offering up a dish of milk he retrieved from the kitchen. The poor thing looked so small and fragile; like he hadn’t eaten in days.
There is a small flick of that orange-tipped ear and the cat is turning to look at the crouching redhead, back arched and tail swishing. It’s as if he’s judging him; deciding if he was trustworthy. Or maybe he was just taking his time so Mi wouldn’t think he was too interested.
At least that’s what Zhou Mi thinks until the little thing walks past him and makes himself comfortable on his leather sofa. Were cats supposed to behave like this? Mi couldn’t be sure because he had never had a pet before, but he would have thought that the feline would be more cautious of a stranger. But then again, he had somehow managed to find his way up onto his balcony, so maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Zhou Mi almost feels crazy for talking to this little creature until the cat raises his head and looks directly at him. It’s like they’re having a staring contest until the cat hoped off of the plush couch and approached him slowly, sniffing the air and zeroing in on the saucer that had been placed by the Chinese man’s feet. “Good kitty. It’s alright, I won’t hurt you.”
While the small cat may have been cautious in the beginning, the taste of that milk was enough to have him lapping up every last bit of it and rubbing his cheek against an outstretched hand. Everything about this animal seemed a little strange to Zhou Mi in the beginning, but when he hears the soft hum of purring, trepidation doesn’t seem to have a place in his thoughts. He almost expects the cat to wriggle out of his arms when he picks him up, but the careful swat to his nose has him laughing.
“Now, now. My nose is enough of a feature without you doing that, kitty.” He chides, his voice lacking any authority. Something about the way his rough little pink tongue swipes over the tip of his nose is so endearing that it has Mi considering keeping this stray. “I wonder what your name is, you cute little thing?”
Brushing his hand over the feline’s head and down his back has Zhou Mi realizing that there is a thin silver chain around his neck with a charm that jingles when he touches it. Min. How cute.
“So your name is Min, hmm? I wonder if you belong to one of the other residents here?” He muses, slipping his shoes on and opening the door to check with the sweet lady that lives next door. Mrs. Lee always brought him food and insisted that he needed to eat more, he was wasting away. It was so nice of her that he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that Kyuhyun was usually the one that finished off the containers.
“Hello Mrs. Lee. Does this cat belong to you? I found him out on my balcony this morning, and I have no idea how he got there.” Zhou Mi’s smile is happy when she answers, fingers scratching the still purring cat under his chin.
“Oh goodness no, Mimi. Mr. Lee is terribly allergic, so no matter how much I would like a cute little one like him, it’s impossible.” Mrs. Lee replies with a kind smile and reaches out to pat the little one on the head. “I do have some japchae left over for you that I’ll bring you this afternoon.”
“Thank you very much, Mrs. Lee. I’ll be sure to share it with Kui Xian when he comes over for dinner.” Mi nods politely, offering up another smile before turning and walking back to check with his other neighbor.
He doesn’t belong to me, the middle aged business man tells him when he opens his door. I don’t like cats, and even if I did, I don’t have time to take care of one.
Well that rules out that possibility.
“I suppose you can stay with me for a while then, Min. Let’s take a little trip to the pet store then. I have nothing to take care of you, and I doubt that you can survive on milk alone.” Mi shakes his head when he realizes that he’s trying to have a conversation with an animal that can’t talk back. “I should drag Kui Xian along so he can help me carry things.”
*****
“Kui Xian. Come to the store with me. I have some things I need to pick up, and I need you to help me carry it.” Zhou Mi practically demands, bony knuckles rasping on the solid wood of his neighbor’s door. There had been more occasions than he could remember that he came to Kyuhyun’s aid, so asking for a little help wasn’t out of place. “You can come over for dinner tonight too. Mrs. Lee told me that she has some japchae and I have some shrimp I was going to make tonight.”
The mention of food has the door opening within a matter of a few seconds, and Zhou Mi can’t help the smile that comes to his face. His business partner had always had a certain fondness for good food, so he knew that the mention of a dinner that didn’t involve a take out menu would be enough to get the younger man to agree.
“Why do I have to help you carry it? I’m in the middle of a game.” Kyuhyun complains, eyebrows scrunching as he takes in his friend’s appearance. He had always been the type to stand out, but purses weren’t something a normal man carried around. “And why do you have such a big purse? It… Is it moving, Mi?”
“Hmm? Oh! Look, Kui Xian! I found him out on my patio this morning, and he doesn’t belong to anyone, so I’m going to take care of him. That’s why I need you to go to the store with me. I can’t possibly carry everything that he needs on my own.” Zhou Mi rambles while he strokes Min’s soft fur. Mi doesn’t notice the strange look Kyuhyun gives him or the way that he scrunches up his nose at the way that the cat has captured his attention without any effort. Some things weren’t fair, really.
“A cat? I never thought you would be that kind of person. Maybe one of those little yippy dogs you can carry around in a purse, but not this.” Kyuhyun gestures to the black leather bag with the cat’s head sticking out of it. “But I guess I can come along if I get dinner out of it.”
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to say no!” Mi squeals, throwing his arms around a rather startled looking man with chestnut poodle hair. “Min is such a sweet little cat. He came right inside and hasn’t stopped purring since I picked him up.”
“If you say so. Give me a minute to get my coat and shoes.” Kyuhyun finally concedes, hoping that it will keep his Chinese friend from squealing about that damned little fur ball.
The trip to the pet store isn’t that bad. It’s a much shorter walk than Kyuhyun would have thought, so he doesn’t get the opportunity to complain that he had so been looking forward to. There was a reason that Zhou Mi referred to him as a brat, after all.
“Mi. A cat does not need a sweater. They’re covered in fur for a reason.” Kyuhyun protests when something fluffy and pink is tossed into their shopping basket. “And how much food do you think that thing is going to eat? He’s tiny.”
“Oh hush, Kui Xian. Pink will look perfect on him. And he needs to eat a lot so he can get bigger.” Zhou Mi’s reply is almost flippant. He doesn’t exactly like the tone of his friend’s voice.
“That cat is going to be more spoiled than Heechul’s cats.” Kyuhyun grumbles in response, ignoring the black bedazzled purse-like carrier being added to the plethora of things they had already picked up. How he was planning on getting all of it back with just the two of them was a mystery.
“He’s much cuter and nicer than Heenim’s cats.” Mi quips, piling the various supplies for his new pet on the counter. He completely misses the look that the cashier gives the two of them; Kyuhyun is very distracting. The cost of everything is something ridiculous, Kyuhyun says, but Zhou Mi doesn’t seem to care. People spend way more on kids.
There really is no arguing with Zhou Mi when he has his mind set on something.
A/N: This chapter was a little short, but I wanted to make sure that I set up and established everything here. Things will pick up soon :)