The Adventures of Cat and Kitten

Chapter 15

The hall was loud with the rumble of eager, excited fans. They sat packed on the stands like pilchards in a can, squeezed together, all chattering and betting and eagerly waving little fans with school team logos on them. There were so many people in fact that the HVAC systems were straining, an audible rumbling over the sound of the crowd, and Seungkwan questioned himself again. If he had had any sense he'd be well away from this place, but Jihoon-hyung had dragged him with and was even now making a pillow of his shoulder. They were seated fairly in the front, but it was as if he could feel the weight of all the people press down on him.

"Hyung," he asked, having to call to be heard. "Hyung, what are we doing here? This is crazy, this is a fire hazard waiting to happen."

His talking must have displeased High Overlord Lee Jihoon, because he got a poke in the side and a muttered instruction not to jiggle around so much. "Soonie's in the competition with Cheol-hyung," his mentor said. "I'm trying to avoid his wrath about staying in my studio too much. He was really upset that you guys didn't take care of me."

Seungkwan spluttered, wanting to jerk upright like a prickled cat. "Not take care of you?" he called. "Hyung, you threw a plushie at me! A narwhal plushie! It nearly took my eye out with its horn!"

Jihoon sniffed. "Oh shut it, it wasn't that bad. We're just going to watch the taekwondo matches, okay? We don't have to be at any of the others. Where's that boyfriend of yours?"

Peeking, Seungkwan tried to see past the sea of people. "Down there somewhere?" he guessed, wiggling a finger down at the mat. "With Seokkie and Channie. I think they're supporting the team today. And I think that's Jun-hyung over there? Look, there to the left, isn't that him hanging onto Minghao-hyung? What is that they have on?"

Jihoon cracked an eye open. "Exhibition Wushu clothing," he yawned again, shifting to get a little more comfortable. His head dipped and he nosed his way in underneath Seungkwan's arm, leaning pliantly to fit the other omega's shape a little better. "They're martial artists too. Something about the discipline of it being good. It sounded exhausting, so I didn't listen. Wake me when they start, okay?" Determinately, he shut the eye again.

Seungkwan blinked down at his hyung. Somehow, he wasn't quite sure how, one whole half of him was devoted to being a body pillow now, with his hyung's face tucked into the curve where his chest met his throat. To get away from the smells? Or is he feeling threatened as well? His hyung was more cat than he was, he knew that much from the tail and the way even his hair seemed to fluff sometimes. Self-preservation warned him not to ask, just in case his hyung decided to be frank again, so instead he wrapped his arms around him, settled into a soft purr and waited for the matches to begin.

They didn't take too long, with the juniors' matches starting. There was a lot of shouting and confused movements, and he felt a little alone in the roar of the crowd, but the quick glimpse he caught of his hyungdeul's heads on the competitor benches made him feel a little better, as did the slumbering cat in his arms. It thrummed along his spine, gave him a little courage and allowed him to straighten his back, forming a bulwark against the press of the crowd.

Two matches, then a whole host of them, with Seungcheol-hyung and Soonyoung-hyung being mat referees. He got a message every now and then from Hansol or Channie or Seokkie in their group chat, and spent as much time streaming Youtube videos through his earphones as watching the taekwondo. It was only when the mats were cleared that he shook Jihoon-hyung awake again. "Hyung," he called, jerking his shoulder. "Hyung, it's getting to the black belt matches, you wanted to see right?"

Jihoon woke up, scrubbing at his face, and looked around himself. He had been irritable earlier, but the air was practically choked with adrenaline now, and most of the stands were rocking from the university cheer being chanted. "I don't care," he said, feeling ill-at-ease. "Come on. We'll go and see if we can sit down there with them."