Zurekin Batera | Minchan • Banginho

An Unexpected Teamwork

It was a sunny day at "Zurekin Batera," and the animal shelter seemed to be at peace. Cats lounged in their cages, dogs enjoyed the yard, and volunteers went about their daily tasks. However, the tranquility wouldn't last long.

Chan was busy playing with a group of cats when he heard a commotion coming from the smaller cat room. He hurried over and found a chaotic scene. One of the cats, a mischievous Siamese named Socks, had managed to open his cage and was running wild in the room.

"Stop, Socks!" shouted Chan as he tried to catch the feline, but the agile cat eluded him, leaping from side to side with feline agility.

Minho, who was in the larger cat room, heard the commotion and rushed to join the chase. As soon as he saw Chan trying to catch Socks, Minho understood the seriousness of the situation.

"We have to work together to catch him," Minho said, trying to hide his frustration at Chan's presence. "Socks is cunning and fast."

Chan nodded, acknowledging the need for teamwork. Both tried to coordinate their movements to corner the restless cat, but Socks continued to skillfully evade their hands.

While attempting to catch Socks, Minho and Chan began to notice surprising things about each other. Chan admired Minho's patience and his ability to communicate with the cats, while Minho realized that Chan had great skill in handling animals, even if it was just a game.

Socks seemed to enjoy the chase and climbed to a high shelf, looking mockingly down at Minho and Chan. Both were breathing heavily but unwilling to give up.

"Let's work together to catch him," Chan said, looking at Minho with a determined spark in his eyes.

Minho nodded, despite himself. Both climbed the shelf, advancing carefully toward Socks. The cat watched them with interest, as if evaluating their movements.

It was then that something unexpected happened. As Minho and Chan approached Socks, their hands accidentally brushed against each other. An electric current seemed to pass between them, and for a moment, they stared into each other's eyes, their hearts beating faster than usual.

It was as if the world stood still for a moment, and both realized the palpable tension in the air. Their bodies were telling them one thing, but their minds were telling them to stay focused on catching Socks.

With a joint effort, Minho and Chan finally managed to catch Socks and return him to his cage. Both were out of breath, and the cat looked at them defiantly before curling up in a corner.

The tension between Minho and Chan did not go unnoticed. Both knew that something had changed in that moment, something that went beyond the rivalry they had maintained from the beginning. But neither was ready to address that change.

"Good job," Chan said, breaking the tension with a forced smile. "I guess we can work together sometimes."

Minho nodded, trying to hide his own feelings. "Yes, sometimes. Now, I think we should make sure Socks can't escape again."

The conversation remained awkward as they fixed Socks cage and made sure it couldn't be opened again. Both wanted to escape the tension they felt, but there was also a hint of curiosity in their hearts.

That night, as Minho and Chan were heading home after their shift at the shelter, they found themselves in an uncomfortable situation again. They were in the parking lot, alone under the moonlight, and they couldn't help but feel the attraction they had experienced while catching Socks.

"Hey," Chan said, breaking the silence.

Minho nodded in response.

Chan looked at Minho, his dark eyes filled with confusion and desire. "Can we talk?"

Minho sighed and looked at Chan, his eyes shimmering with a mixture of attraction and internal conflict. "Uh... Yeah, sure."

"I feel like we should stop being so competitive with each other. Sometimes it's fun to see how we try to outdo each other. But most of the time, it's exhausting, and it makes me lose sight of my purpose for volunteering here."

"I think you're right. Besides, today we discovered that if we join forces, we work just as well or even better."

Chan cleared his throat before speaking again. "Since you mentioned it... About what happened... did you notice it too?"

Both knew they were in uncharted territory, that there was something more between them than the rivalry they had maintained. The spark of respect and attraction they had felt in the cat room had ignited a new dynamic in their relationship. But Minho wasn't ready to admit it.

"See you tomorrow, Chan."

And so, hastily, Minho got into his car, avoiding Chan and his question.