Page 15 of Under Construction

"Seriously?" Dennis spins around, face stormy. He kind of wants to run back to the kitten to save it from Chris, but at the same time, hereallydoesn’t want to offer Chris any assistancewhatsoever, in any way, shape, or form.

"Look, I don't usually rescue kittens, okay?” Chris says, sighing. He rubs the back of his neck, looking away, before his eyes meet with Dennis’s. “This is a first for me."

He shrugs with the kitten in one hand. It squirms in his gentle grip, tiny paws kneading air.

Dennis hesitates. The shelter's been his sanctuary for months now—ever since he moved to Sacramento and discovered his fancy apartment's strict no-pets policy. Every Saturday, he'd go there to decompress, to forget about his father's expectations and the weight of the Kim name. Just him and the cats, no judgment, no pressure.

He doesn't want to share that place with Chris. Hereallydoesn’t want Chris invading this one, itsy bitsy slice of peace and happiness he'd carved out for himself.

Dennis should walk away. Should let Chris deal with his own problems.

The kitten meows again, its tiny cry echoing in the empty lot, its eyes wide with hope—or hunger. Oh no! The poor thing sounds so small and desperate.

Ugh. He can’t leave it here with that stupid, dumb oaf. Sure, Chris might look strangely handsomer than normal with the kitten in his hands, but who knows what Chris might do to it? No one’s safe from his harassment. Dennis would know.

He tries not to feel like he’s being unfair. Internally, he might be forced to admit—grudgingly—that he may have already seen that Chris can be not-a-dick when he feels like it. But still. It’s the principle of the matter.

"Fine." Dennis pulls out his phone, when the kitten meows again, this time more pitifully than ever. "I know a place. But you're driving."

Chris smiles, eyes narrowed and lips pleasantly curved—so annoyingly bright it makes Dennis want to hiss and shield himself from it to not burst into a pile of pissed-off ashes. He opens up maps and taps on his phone as fast as he can.

Twenty minutes later they're pulling up outside Happy Paws Animal Shelter. The kitten's curled up in Dennis’s lap, purring like a tiny motor.

"Traitor," Chris mutters from behind the wheel. "Sure, cuddle up to the princess. See if I care."

"She has good taste." Dennis scritches under her chin. Rolls his tongue to purr along with her as she tries to snuggle deeper into the part of his thighs. "Unlike some people who send dick pics to their colleagues."

"Wha— you'restillmad about that?"

Dennis sneaks a glance out of the corner of his eye when he hears the lilt in Chris’s voice. When he spots Chris’s raised eyebrows, eyes still on the street, he almost snorts. How is this manactuallysurprised? He probably has a whole collection of dick pics he sends out on the regular. The motherfucker must have desensitized himself to workplace harassment long ago.

Dicksensitized himself.

"I punched you in the face,” Dennis reminds dryly.

"Yeah, but like," Chris shrugs, lips downturned as if it’s no big deal, "in a sexy way."

Dennis’s head snaps up. "What?"

"What?" Chris throws the car into park, kills the engine, and swings the door open in one fluid motion. One foot hits the asphalt as his eyes sweep over the shelter building. "We're here," he singsongs. "Let's get this done."

He’s out of the car before Dennis can even think of responding.

Which is good because Dennis has no idea how to respond to Chris thinking his punch was sexy.

None at all.

"Dennis!" A cheerful voice calls as they enter.

Sasha, one of the regular volunteers, rushes over when she spots him.

"We missed you last Saturday!” she says as she approaches. “The cats were so disappointed—especially Mr. Whiskers.”

Her hand lands on Dennis’s arm and lingers there. “He waited by the playroom door for hours." She bumps her hip against his, grinning up at him. “I might have missed you too.”

Dennis feels his cheeks heat up as Chris's eyebrows rise.

"Been busy," he mumbles. "But I brought you a new friend." Dennis transfers the kitten over with careful hands. It meows indignantly, quite comfortable with Dennis’s warmth and in no hurry to leave him.

---