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It was finally the weekend. Shuichi walked you home from school as he usually did, your hand in his. He had offered to help you study for the calculus exam on Monday.
You were lucky to have him for many reasons. You had been dating for a few months now, and being the gentleman he was, your family loved him — even your father. You got along well with his mother, too, and it seemed that your budding relationship had the chance of standing the test of time, unlike most high school romances.
Of course, you could only hope.
You unlocked the door to your apartment, taking off your shoes before stepping inside. Shuichi followed you. Both of your parents worked, and your sibling had soccer practice tonight. Only Kiren was there, snarling at your boyfriend.
Your father was a scientist, and as such, he had many scientist friends. He was gifted a domesticated fox named Kiren from an old friend who was now performing research at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Russia. Kiren was born the runt of his litter with a few health problems, unsuitable for the type of research he was bred for. Due to his affable nature toward humans, he was sent to live with you.
Kiren adored you — in fact, you were his favorite person in the household. He was a beautiful fox, his main coat a rich red, legs dipped in black. His ears were perfectly pointed, whiskers clean, eyes bright. His tail was plush to the touch, as soft as a feather pillow.
At this rate, Shuichi would never know, though. For whatever silly reason, Kiren loathed Shuichi.
“Oh, stop it,” you said gently, shooing the fox away as he attempted to accost your boyfriend with a barrage of growls. “He’ll get used to you one of these days.”
“If only I had a nickel for every time you said that,” Shuichi mused. He never seemed annoyed with Kiren, however. He was endlessly patient, a quality you admired in him.
“I’m sorry.” You leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. “Come on in. Let me know if he bothers you.”
You settled on the couch in the living room. It wasn’t the ideal place to do calculus, with all the endless formulas and equations, but you enjoyed a good cuddle. Shuichi was warm and smelled of the most lovely roses, and as he explained concepts to you, the calculus book resting open in his lap, you leaned closer and closer.
Suddenly, Kiren leaped onto the couch between the both of you, hackles raised, tail lifted high. He snarled at Shuichi, who was forced to retreat. The textbook thudded onto the floor.
“Kiren!” you cried, picking him up so he couldn’t intimidate Shuichi any further. “What’s wrong with you? I don’t understand. He’s so friendly with everyone else.” This was not the first time the fox had acted this way.
“Perhaps no one’s been this close to you before.”
“Maybe,” you sighed. You had this conversation several times ever since you first invited him over. Shuichi was your first serious boyfriend, the only one you had brought home since Kiren became the family pet. You supposed he was just being protective.
At least Kiren usually calmed after you stepped away from Shuichi. You set the fox down on the ground a short distance away, and he prowled off into the bedroom.
“Are you hungry?” you asked Shuichi.
“I could eat something,” he said.
“I’ll be right back, then.” You disappeared into the kitchen to prepare some snacks.
Kurama sat back on the couch, leaning into it with a sigh. It would be nice to be able to share a cuddle or kiss with his girlfriend, but that darn fox was always on guard.
How could he show Kiren he wasn’t a threat to _____?
She did not know this, but Kurama was far closer to understanding foxes that she realized. He was not ready to reveal his true identity to her. Still, he wondered how embarrassing it would be to one day admit that he, her fox demon boyfriend, could not get along with her pet fox?
It wasn’t too odd, actually. Foxes were solitary creatures, unlike most other canines who lived in packs with complex social hierarchies. Although domesticated to be friendly with humans, Kiren was not a dog — that would require thousands of years of selective evolution.
The program that produced Kiren was started in 1959 by Russian geneticist Dmitry Belyaev. It had only been around for sixty years. Kiren had quite a ways to go.
Foxes were notoriously territorial. Fights among adults were not uncommon — they were rarely vicious, but they certainly played a role in securing the borders of a fox’s land. Perhaps Kiren was merely feeling that he had to protect his territory from Kurama.
He thumbed aimlessly through the calculus textbook, deep in thought. If he wanted this relationship to work, he’d have to do something about that fox… but what?
Suddenly, Kiren came, flinging himself from the nearby shelf above and onto Kurama’s head. Despite the attempts to claw and bite, Kurama remained calm, pulling the fox away. This only seemed to incense the animal, and Kiren returned, teeth bared, tangling himself in the man’s hair.
Kurama almost gave a yelp, but he didn’t want to alarm _____ in the kitchen, and he silenced himself. He didn’t want to hurt the fox, either — the last thing he needed was an angry girlfriend, even though he was sure she’d be at least sympathetic to his plight. Instead, he struggled with Kiren, avoiding his sharp teeth, while wrestling him off of his head and onto the floor.
It was a strange combination of quiet and frantic. Kiren didn’t seem to wish to create a racket, either, so he only silently charged at Kurama from the shelf, cleverly tipping an expensive-looking vase in the process. Kurama had to rush toward the vase to straighten it, Kiren getting a good grip on his leg in the process.
He winced, but only long enough to kick the animal into the couch. Kiren was not deterred, throwing himself at the visitor again.
He would have to speak in a language this animal understood, and in a shift of supernatural energy, he summoned his truest form. The room became colder, sparks of demonic power like electric currents flickering through their air. Even the houseplants seemed to shudder at his mere presence.
Yoko Kurama appeared in the modern living room, giving the fox a venomous look. His ears were erect, flowing tail lifted just enough to signal a threat. “Enough,” he said, his voice low.
Kiren responded immediately, ceasing his tirade. He looked fearful for a moment, tail tucking, ears folding backward. He glanced away, revealing the whites of his eyes, crouching to the floor submissively.
“Good.” The demonic energy began to dissipate, Kurama returning to his human self. Everything was back to normal.
The fox relaxed, gingerly pacing away for a second, licking his lips. He picked up a ball, one of his favorite toys, returning to Kurama and dropping it at his feet. An apology.
A smile tugged at Kurama’s lips. “Very well,” he said, tossing the ball.
Kiren ran off into the hallway to fetch the toy.
You finished your charcuterie board, filled with cheeses, meats, nuts, and fruits. It was a little fancy for two teenagers during an afternoon study session, but you were proud of how it looked. You walked back to the living room with your appetizers.
You nearly dropped the tray at the sight.
Kiren had cuddled up to Shuichi, chin resting on his thigh. Shuichi’s hand ran through the fox’s luscious fur, petting him in smooth strokes. In his other hand was a book from your literature class, which he held a short distance away from his face.
“W-what just happened?” you asked, setting the food down on the coffee table.
“It seems your fox had a change of heart,” Shuichi replied, looking up from his book. “We only needed a few moments together.”
“Oh my god.” You stared at Kiren. His posture was relaxed, eyes closed, breathing steady. “I can’t believe this. What did you do?”
“I convinced him that behaving aggressively would do him no good. I’m here to stay.” Shuichi smiled at you. “There are many benefits to be reaped from offering polite behaviors, like a good game of fetch or a head scratch.”
You shook your head in disbelief. “Wow… just wow. I’m really impressed at your handling skills.” You were able to sit down on Shuichi’s other side, cuddling up to him. No reaction from Kiren.
Shuichi even slid an arm around your shoulder, bringing you closer.
Kiren only looked up for a brief moment, yawned, and then returned to Shuichi’s lap, unconcerned.
“I don’t know how you did it,” you said, staring at your fox. “But I guess it doesn’t really matter. I like this. We can move forward.”
“We can,” he said, stealing a quick kiss.
Before the end of the evening, you thought Kiren might have liked your boyfriend better than you. Shuichi sneaking him pieces of cheese off the charcuterie board probably helped.
“Stop it,” you said. “You’re going to make him fat.”
“I thought you wanted him to like me.”
“Well, he likes you plenty now.”
Kiren sat next to Shuichi, black lips parted in a canine smile, awaiting his next treat.
“He’ll always be yours,” Shuichi said. “He only tolerates me.”
“What are you talking about? He’s smitten with you now.”
He chuckled, giving you a piece of cheese. “You can have him back.”
“By making him even fatter? By bribing him?”
“Pick your battles, _____.”
You thought about it, weighing your options. “Fine.” You tossed Kiren the cheese, and that darn fox crawled across Shuichi’s lap and into yours.