_____

Turns out Jeongguk hasn't really figured out what to do. It's already the third day and Jeongguk finds himself getting used to having company. If he's honest with himself he considered for a second calling animal control but knowing that he doesn't know what will happen with the red panda afterwards or if he will ever see the cutie again, made him drop this topic immediately. Somewhere on the way to being stubborn and not accepting the little fellow Jeongguk bit by bit embosomed it.

It's the early morning of the fourth day the red panda snuggles comfortably in its nest, eyes blinking before it stands up and climbs from the bed. The big penthouse windows and the sunrise are what catch the red panda's immediate interest. Its paws tap along the big window, its standing on two paws like a child would do who's caught something interesting behind the window, eager to see it closer. Unknowingly to the animal, it leaves a trace of paw prints and some saliva from its nose behind on the very clean windows.

The sun stretches over the roofs of the houses in the city in a barely visible yellow-orange colour, slowly dipping the clouds into pink and purple. The red panda watches in wonder as the sun slowly rises. Trapped in its bubble, the red panda is not aware of its surroundings, such as the disapproving grunt that escapes the drummer as he sees the work of art the red panda has created.

"Aish. You got the window dirty, didn't you?" A sigh escapes the human and, defeated, he gets up from the bed to fetch a cloth and a cleaning product. He kneels behind the red panda and pulls it onto his lap with a serious expression on his face as if to admonish him. "Little one you got everything dirty with your snout and paws."

Jeongguk points unenthusiastically at the paw prints on the clean windows. Momentarily he begins to wipe them away and then looks at the little troublemaker's paws and takes the precaution of cleaning them too. As Jeongguk is cleaning them, he momentarily pauses and looks up at the beautiful red furred face that's looking straight back at him. Realising they are slightly sore. He could only imagine it's because the panda was in the city, on rough ground and not the soft ground they are used to. He gently cleans them so as not to cause any further discomfort. No sooner has he cleaned them than the red panda turns around in his lap and stares at him with small brown eyes. Jeongguk tilts his head, not quite understanding what the little one wants from him.

The red panda climbs onto Jeongguk's shoulder and looks curiously out of the window again, head nestling against Jeongguk's head, who then scratches him under the head. Jeongguk lets out an aweee as the red panda shakes himself and lets out soft twittering noises.

"You know where we can see the sunrise even better?"

The red panda looks at the other and Jeongguk returns the gaze, giving him an understanding to hold on tight. To do this, he puts a hand around the red panda before standing up. "Hold on tight."

With a jerk, Jeongguk stands up, grabs his key and leaves his penthouse with the red panda on his shoulder. Carefully, he takes the apartment building stairs leading up, trying not to let the panda slip off his shoulder. When he reaches the top, he catches his breath and opens the door to the roof terrace everyone in the house has access to. Only then does he notice that he hasn't changed into proper clothes at all.

Jeongguk shakes his head. No one is there anyway. It's rare that people in this house come up so early to watch the sunrise. The next moment he feels the red panda climbing down from his shoulder and seeing it walking towards the edge of the roof terrace. For a second Jeongguk is scared the animal can jump from the roof but stops near the fence. Jeongguk chuckles. Watching the red panda walk on two legs is still so amusing and cute to him, he thinks he'll never get tired of it.

He decides to take a seat somewhere in the middle of the roof terrace, watching the red panda as it walks back with eager sounds and climbs back on Jeongguk's lap. A content sigh leaves his lips as he looks down on his lap with a small smile, hand caressing through the red soft fur. Jeongguk thought besides playing his favourite place in a band he can never really be happy in the near future. Every time he would come home he was reminded that his penthouse was empty—no pet, nothing. It set a sadness in his chest free he didn't know existed. He only wished for this emptiness to disappear.

Now... he's not so sure anymore. Jeongguk has never been the best social butterfly there is, more like the opposite and that's why he never expected anything less than coming back to his empty apartment, not that it bothered him in the beginning and after some time he tried to push the sadness away. Being busy with the band never allowed him to get a pet, being there for it every day to spend time.

For as long as the red panda will stay, Jeongguk will make sure to put effort in it. This might be the only chance he gets in proving himself being able to take care of something other than himself while being in a band. And no, he doesn't see the red panda like a pet, more like a companion.

"I should've brought some pillows or a blanket," he groans and rolls his head in his neck, "Or some snacks."

Together they stare at the sunrise, as the colours of the sun mix more with the clouds and it rises higher and higher until it towers over the houses of the city and makes the sky appear in beautiful colours. Even though Jeongguk hasn't been up here for some time, the scenery still takes his breath away. On one hand, he thought briefly, how lucky he was to be able to live in a place that offered such views. Now being able to share this with his new companion.

Jeongguk is the first to break the silence with something that has been on his mind for a while and he is desperate to get it off his chest, whether the red panda can understand him or not. "I'm sorry for how I acted the first day you were in my flat. I can see now that you are not dangerous. You have to understand, red pandas are species you can only visit in a zoo if at all. I didn't know how you got into my bag, but I don't think I will either. You must have snuck in there, right?" He asks with a faint giggle as he knows the panda couldn't respond.

Jeongguk winks at the red panda but means it jokingly, knowing that it takes a human force to open the doors in the concert venue. Jeongguk just can't come up with a clear solution on how he got into his pocket, especially since someone should have noticed it too. "I just hope you don't already have a home you escaped from. I don't think I'd find it easy to give you away again."

A sad whimper escapes the red panda and instantly Jeongguk looks down at him, concern written all over his face. "Are you hurting? Do I have to take you to the vet?"

Instead of responding to his words with sounds, the red panda claws at his pyjama top and tries to stand on Jeongguk's lap on two legs as best it can, so that it has his snout up against Jeongguk's face. Jeongguk can only blink fast enough before he is surprised with a tongue on his cheek. Then there's sniffing and low sounds similar to cries. Jeongguk realises then the red panda seems to be as attached as him and doesn't like the idea of leaving.

"Alright, alright." Jeongguk chuckles lowly and tries to calm the red panda by patting its soft fur. "I won't give you away, alright? But I can't call you little one forever, you will need a name at some point, hm?"

Jeongguk takes the red panda's head gently between his hands and looks at him for a moment. He bites his lip thoughtfully. "How about...hmm...Song? Or Chai? Oolong- okay okay. Then how about a more human but cute name: Min? Minmin for a boy?"

The red panda lets out of happiness huff quacks and licks over Jeongguk's cheek a few times before it lays its head in the juncture of Jeongguk's neck, snuggling while its paws and claws press against his chest. It makes Jeongguk begin to think that the little one is somewhat obsessed with this position since it's not the first time this happens.

Jeongguk warmly smiles. "You seem to like this a lot, hm? You're like a little kitten, all cuddly and cute, Minmin."

He snakes his arms around the red panda and presses it softly against his chest while placing its paws on his shoulders so its claws won't hurt him. Jeongguk enjoys the warmth the red panda gives and loves that he can just run his fingers through its soft fur. This is something so new for him but also something so wonderful that he doesn't want to let go of anymore.

They sit there in the sunrise, bathing in the first sunrays and spend the next few minutes taking in the silence and the proximity of the other. For the first time in a long time, neither of them feels alone.

"Look, the sun is almost up," Jeongguk whispers near the red panda's ear, causing it to get goosebumps. The red panda likes Jeongguk's voice. It's so soothing. It always has a better mood when it hears his voice.

Jeongguk observes how the red panda turns around on his lap, eyes set in the horizon while its tail is held high, brushing Jeongguk's face. Jeongguk believes there might be more evenings or mornings just like this. He wants the little one to be comfortable with him, in every possible way. Jeongguk will look up more about red pandas and see if he can find possibilities that Minmin can possibly go out. He hates the thought of Minmin being only in his penthouse, no matter how big it might be.

"Minmin, I like the name..." Jeongguk sighs and places his arms further back on the floor. Welcoming the sun rays, he throws his head back and breathes out. So relaxing...

...Up until a sudden low rumble sounds near Minmin, catching the red panda off guard so that it shrieks in panic and clumsily stumbles over Jeongguk's leg and somewhat rolls off Jeongguk's lap. Alarmingly Minmin glances around and settles then at Jeongguk's stomach and nudges it with his small, cute snout gently. Is that where the sound came from?

The panicked reaction has Jeongguk react nearly immediately and take the shocked red panda into his arms.

"Shhh... it was only my stomach." Jeongguk chuckles and looks at it with admiring eyes. "How about we go back and grab some food? The sun is almost up anyway."

-'๑'-

"Red pandas are actually far from being cuddly. They are shy and don't interact with other red pandas or humans much..." Jeongguk reads out loud what's written on the web page and raises an eyebrow, looking at Minmin who climbs his sofa up and down. "So you're unique, huh?"

Minmin raises his head and runs towards Jeongguk, sitting patiently down in front of him for a few seconds before Minmin tries to climb up his pants. Jeongguk pries his paws off. "Ah, ah, ah. Those pants were expensive, Minmin."

Jeongguk's eyes find the screen of his phone, reading with interest what's more there's written about red pandas. "Red pandas live high up in the trees in the mountains, which they use for shelters and to escape predators. For this reason, they are skilled climbers."

"This explains a lot of things actually," Jeongguk mumbles and looks around in his penthouse. He notices that it doesn't look red panda friendly at all. His gaze swiftly travels over his expensive furniture and he swipes his tongue over his thin bottom lip in thought. There's no possibility he can make it more friendly for Minmin, no?

Jeongguk gets the idea of watching some videos about red pandas in a zoo and pulls up YouTube on his phone, watching a video how a red panda climbs up some big branches and then steals some fruit from a zookeeper. It's then that an urge spreads in his chest, seeing how much fun they have climbing on those tree parts in their zoo cage, that he can imagine Min to do the same in his penthouse. It's sudden and unusual—because who would get such images flashing in their mind?

He feels sad because the red panda's can't live freely in those videos but he can't change it. He can only try and make Min happy. Jeongguk likes the image which flashed through his mind along with the idea of building a parkour of tree branches in his big living room for the little fellow. Min would be able to climb and he wouldn't have to worry about his furniture getting claw marks. It's a pretty good and wonderful solution.

Just... where does he start?

Jeongguk searches some more through the internet and finds out he can start asking in a DIY superstore to get at least the materials. Perhaps if he calls, it might be possible for someone to come and build things up? He doubts he can manage to build it like he imagines it to look like.

"Am I really going to let a parkour build inside my penthouse?" Jeongguk mumbles, hoping Min didn't hear but looking at him, Min didn't hear anything as he's busy chasing some ball through Jeongguk's living room. Jeongguk can't help but cooe at the sight, loving to see Min having fun whenever Jeongguk is busy with something. It just warms his heart.

Jeongguk decides in the end that he will go personally to a DIY store in his neighbourhood, maybe they can help him with planning and so on. So he gets ready to leave and hopes Min won't be too lonely without him. He'd take him with him but he isn't sure how or what could happen. Jeongguk promises himself instead to take Min out another time.

"Don't miss me too much while I'm gone, okay?" Jeongguk leans down and pats his head one more time before he leaves a sad red panda in his penthouse. The door closes behind him.

Jeongguk walks to his car, which he had parked in the underground car park, and drives to the nearest DIY store with ideas blooming in his head and a tingly feeling in his stomach. He has no idea when was the last time he was this excited about something that didn't have to do with Black Wonder's performances. Jeongguk bites his lip excitedly while his tattooed hand clutches the steering wheel tighter, trying to stifle a smile. He can't wait to see if this will work and how Min will react.

Smoothly, he parks in the car park of the DIY store and puts on a black mouth mask before leaving the car with slightly wobbly legs and a racing heart in his chest. Using his thumb, he presses the lock button on the car key before entering the DIY store and going straight to the appropriate department to speak to one of the staff at the information desk.

Jeongguk can't believe his luck when one of the employees takes the time to make a plan with him for remodelling his penthouse and even kindly offers him the possibility of a service for this kind of construction he needs. Jeongguk thanks the employee several times with a big smile under his mask as he informs him that this would be possible tomorrow evening.

With everything wrapped up, Jeongguk makes his way home with a good feeling when an eager red panda greets him there. Jeongguk has to suppress the tears forming in his eyes, not used to being truly welcomed when he comes home. Jeongguk notices now the effect and weight of loneliness that's been weighing him. How lonely must he have been that fate granted him Min?

Before going to bed, Jeongguk spends the evening listening to music and exploring the internet, while Min follows him around like a lost puppy. This stops however as Jeongguk has to carry Min out of the bathroom since he has made it his habit to often follow Jeongguk in his penthouse. Jeongguk hopes that he can change this a bit when he builds the branch parkour, because no matter how cute this is, he needs his privacy in the bathroom. He falls asleep with a small smile and Min in his arms, tail curled around one of his arms.

The next day, Jeongguk prepares everything and makes space for when the employee would come and build things up. He is sure Min is wondering what he is doing as he sits there looking at him with a big question mark on his face while Jeongguk pushes his furniture around in the morning. Jeongguk would love to tell him what this is going to be, but this is supposed to be a surprise.

"I see you. I know you're watching me..." Jeongguk comments, seeing out of the corner of his eye Min standing on two black paws and looking at him with a question mark on his face. With his arms, Jeongguk pushes the sofa aside a little, muscles bulging. He mops the floor so he can put down some kind of pad to protect the floor. "I won't tell you what's happening today, you can watch me for as long as you want to and I will keep quiet about it."

Just when he has finished and done the final preparation, the doorbell rings. A little panicked, Jeongguk looks away from the window and is about to rush to the door when his eyes fall on Min, causing his eyes to widen. He quickly grabs Min under his arms and carries him into his bedroom, where he says a few rushed words to him and assures him to come back soon. He pulls the door shut behind him and runs straight to the penthouse door to open the apartment building door downstairs.

Jeongguk is taken aback by the packed material an older employee pushes on something like a platform cart out of the elevator and comes towards Jeongguk. His black hair is cut in a bowl cut and he wears a jacket with the sign of the DIY superstore. The thick wooden branches look so much bigger than he imagined them to be but whatever, he has enough space for it. He just isn't sure if this can be done by one person, so if needed he'll offer his help.

Jeongguk humbly holds the door open for him and bows respectfully, which the other returns and pushes the cart further into the penthouse. "Thank you for making this happen so quickly. Please follow me, then you can get a quick idea of where the branches should go."

The staff member nods and follows him through the spacious penthouse until they arrive at the sofa that Jeongguk had pushed aside earlier and placed a pad beside it to work on. "I don't know how assembling all this will go, but I'm here to offer my help if it comes to that."

"Thank you. I think some of the parts are a bit heavy actually to lift alone," the staff member thanks Jeongguk for his help, who gives him a gentle smile and heads to the kitchen to put a glass of water and some snacks on the coffee table for the staff member.

The first few minutes pass without any problems. Jeongguk helps the employee lift the branches from the cart and lay them on the floor for the employee to work on, occasionally asking Jeongguk's opinion on whether he imagined it this way or that, and also giving his own ideas. As they get closer to hanging and attaching things to the walls, Jeongguk begins to doubt the organisation of the DIY superstore. He is sure by now that this is a two-person set-up job, so he understands all the less why they only sent one person over. But there is one advantage: he can participate productively and learn a thing or two.

Just as they are about to hang the first branch, Jeongguk hears scratching noises. They are quiet at first and he looks to see if the staff member has noticed, but fortunately he doesn't seem to. Jeongguk has to swallow as the scratching noises in his penthouse get louder and strange noises are added. Jeongguk has a premonition that it won't be long before Min starts making noises and wants to get out.

To Jeongguk's horror, the staff member seems to take note of the noises now, glance darting around and head turning as if looking for possible answers. Jeongguk draws in his breath. He inwardly begs the staff member not to ask, but when he looks at him with widened eyes and his head tilted to the side, Jeongguk knows his astonishment is greater.

"Excuse me, but do you have something like a wild animal here or a child watching an animal documentary?"

Animal documentary... yeah, right, Jeongguk stifles his comment, though, trying his best not to let the truth read off his face. Because Min belongs to wild animals, or rather animals that may not be kept at home without further permission.

The drummer is aware that Min must hate being locked up there in a way. The very word locked up gives him uncomfortable goosebumps and leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. Hold on a little longer. We'll soon be done.

A sudden thump in his penthouse makes him slightly jolt and snaps out of his thoughts. "Sorry, my nephew's here. I told him he could watch TV, but I'll have a quick look before he breaks something and hurts himself."

Without waiting for a response from the staff member, Jeongguk stands up with a determined expression and turns his back on him, walking to his bedroom, with a small bead of sweat, trickling down the side of his forehead. Concern blossoms in his chest as a pain-filled hiss comes from his bedroom, his body tensing in an uncomfortable way. What has he done now?

With a swing, he pulls open the door of his bedroom and looks around in panic, his hand lingering on the doorknob as he sees Min sitting in the middle of his bedroom, his nest on the bed destroyed and a box ripped out of his wardrobe. Jeongguk is more than shocked, especially when Min stops making noises, realising that Jeongguk is there. Min acts like nothing has happened...

His fingertips begin to tingle with irritation and he presses his tongue against his cheek as he enters the room. He takes a quick deep breath and closes the door behind him, collecting his thoughts.

"Was it you? Did you do all this mess?" Jeongguk asks the obvious, eyebrows drawn together and his hands supported on his hips. The hem of his sweater is rolled up and shows his sleeve tattoo. The way he's standing there in front of Min is in a way intimidating and Jeongguk knows he has the tendency to look like that if he wants to. Innerly he hopes that Min understands that he's not pleased about seeing this.

"Do not make that face at me, Min! I know you made this mess on purpose." He squats in front of him, pointing to his grimace. "This means I'm mad. You make a mess, and I will be mad. The same goes for scratching on the door."

"Every time you scratch the door-" Jeongguk points behind him, frown still present on his face, "-I cut cuddle time. I know you hate it here but hold on a bit longer and I'll let you out. After all, what I'm currently doing, is for you."

Jeongguk sighs and walks towards the box from his wardrobe and puts it back in its place. He stands there for a few seconds, back turned to Min as he collects his inner peace. Jeongguk hates scolding Min, but he needs to learn to be patient and not make a mess just because he has to wait or wants attention. Turning back around, Jeongguk does his best to fix his nest and then sits down in front of Min with a serious facial expression, trying his best not to go soft on him.

"So please... don't scratch the door, even if you want attention or be let out. My household has rules and you'll get fewer cuddles if you break a rule. There's a reason why you are here for some time. Trust me it will be worth it, little one. Okay?"

Jeongguk stands up and leaves the room with a finger on his mouth, signalling Min to be quiet. Once he closes the door behind him, Jeongguk leans against the door and takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a quiet moment while he desperately tries to ignore the quiet whining coming from the inside of his bedroom. I can't go soft on him. I can't go soft on him, mumbles Jeongguk over and over in his head.

With one hand in front of his face, he gestures as he comes down and puts on a smile. He would like nothing more than to turn around and take Min in his arms, but he has to be persistent and show him the limits.

"Hey, sorry about that! You know how kids are..."

"Uh- hahaha, alright. I mean you could just let me know where you want the things, if you need to be there, you know?" The staff member laughs lightly and runs his hand over his neck after he grabs the next part which has to be built up.

"Oh, no, no. He should be fine now. We can continue building up. I'm sorry for the interruption."

Jeongguk moves next to the employee, to continue working until they hang up the last piece and look at it. Difficult to believe but there's now a parkour of thick branches for climbing hanging down on metal chains and a kind of net bridge decorating his penthouse for Min. Seeing it all as a whole makes him feel proud, but also fills him with nervousness and impatience. A rush of hyperactivity surges through his body. He really can't wait for Min to show this off.

Jeongguk has thought of himself as less gifted with his hands, but today was fun and he proved the opposite of what he thought of himself. He feels like he could burst with happiness.

"Thank you very much for your work," Jeongguk says as he looks at the whole set up with awe sparkling in his eyes. His gaze wanders to the DIY store employee and lets a genuine smile play across his lips, with respect he bows and escorts him out of his penthouse. Once more, he lets his gaze first glide over the finished work. His chest tightens as he walks towards his bedroom door and pushes down the door handle with anticipation.

"Min?" Cautiously, Jeongguk pokes his head between the hinge and the door, not knowing what to expect after reprimanding Min.

To his astonishment, Min lies quietly curled up with his head facing the window. Jeongguk chews his cheek nervously as he takes a step towards him. Is he sulking? Is he angry?

"Min? Are you mad at me?" Slowly, Jeongguk steps up to the red panda until he's next to him and then sits down. Unsure if he can touch him, he drops his hand into his lap. "I know you didn't want to be in here, but if you want, I'll show you something really cool that I had made just for you."

Min lifts his head tentatively and eyes Jeongguk, his ears moving and he tilts his head. It irritates Jeongguk a little and he doesn't know what to do or say, not knowing what's going on in Min's head. As if reading Jeongguk's mind, he walks around Jeongguk and heads straight for the door.

"It's not the answer I was hoping for, but I'm glad you want to see what I had made for you," Jeongguk mutters, standing up with an uff. He chuckles softly as he sees Min waiting for him hopefully at the door until he catches up. Together they enter the hallway that leads him to the spacious living room. "I know it's not ideal like where you probably came from, but I wanted to give you the best thing possible if you want to stay here."

Min squeals out, upon seeing what Jeongguk means by his words. Excited, the latter already runs up to the first branch and climbs it eagerly before going through the small suspension bridge that goes across the living room, letting out loud noises of joy. He liked this change, no trace of disappointment or the like to find more.

"Min, be careful, I don't want you to fall off. I'd hate for anything to happen to you. I just got you after all," Jeongguk says, a hint of sadness laces his voice. Min must have noticed how Jeongguk's mood changed, almost immediately he tries to climb down the parkour, wanting nothing more than to make it gone.

Meanwhile Jeongguk has sat down on the floor to observe this little angel, squeaking about his present. This present was worth it, he thinks and hums, glad that he didn't tell the red panda again to go away. Jeongguk sinks into thoughts, causing him to be surprised by the sudden impact on his chest which lets him fall onto his back.

This feels like a dejavu.

"I like you too, little one."

Min freezes in his arms, not moving a centimetre. Jeongguk furrows his brows, not understanding what's troubling him when he gets a lap full of red fur and something slimy sliding along his cheek. Jeongguk laughs, unknowingly growing fond of the little rascal. "You're lucky, hm? That you went home with me and not someone else. I'll treat you like the little prince you are."

That said, Jeongguk gets up and is amused as Min follows in his antics and stands on his back paws. Jeongguk is intrigued and puts on some music, leaning then down to Min who eagerly puts out his front paws and Jeongguk takes them and starts dancing with Min in his living room. Call him crazy but he enjoys what he can do with Min. He—They have fun. It's so much better than living his days alone.

"Let's go to the kitchen. I'll make some food for you and I need to order some bamboo for you. I totally forgot to get this when I went to the DIY superstore, I'm sorry." Jeongguk lets go of Min's paws and strolls to the kitchen where he prepares Min a bowl of some mix of food he found in the DIY superstore section for pets. "This might actually be the problem, no? Seeing you like this reminds me that I still need to put some weight on you to let you look healthy again and bamboo is your main food and I only give you fruits... Today though is a bit different."

Jeongguk informed himself about red pandas and read that they mainly eat bamboo and occasionally eat fruits, insects and so on but totally forgot to look for bamboo in the DIY superstore. He will have to do this later after meeting with his bandmates for practice. Which reminds him that his teammates wanted to come over this weekend. on the weekend. He is unsure what he should do with Min. Keeping him again in his bedroom doesn't sound right to him.

"Hey-" Jeongguk's thoughts are interrupted as he feels claws along his pants, but before he can stop Min, he climbs up his body, claws digging into his clothes until he eventually sits on his shoulder and grabs for the food in the bowl. Jeongguk chuckles and shakes his head in disbelief. "Although you love climbing, little one, you can't get used to getting spoiled, okay? I love the clothes I'm wearing and I don't want to buy them again."

Jeongguk continues to feed Min, having come to love observing how the red panda eats. "You just know what to do, to get the things you want, right?"

Min lets out a confident huff, which causes Jeongguk to laugh, hand laying around him as he's careful not to drop Min. You're so adorable. Looking at him, gives Jeongguk a flutter in his belly. I hope there will be more days like this.