Archive of Our Own

The kitchen was Johnny’s favourite part of the house.

It had been the deal breaker between this home and another when he and Taeyong had first set out to look for a new home, tired of living in a crowded apartment. With Johnny needing a personal study and Taeyong needing a home studio, they decided to pool their finances and buy a house together. It was moderate sized with three bedrooms, though they really only needed the master bedroom for themselves. The other house they were looking at had a bigger yard and a bigger master bathroom, but the kitchen for this house was what made Johnny want it immediately, and Taeyong had agreed.

It was huge, bigger than the living room, and had beautiful granite counter tops with a gorgeous island in the middle of the kitchen. Polished oak cabinets lined the walls framing large glass windows. With two sinks, a refrigerator-freezer combo, and a high-quality gas stove and oven, Johnny had immediately put his foot down. Taeyong, too, had been excited to have such an amazing kitchen to cook in, but it was Johnny who worked from home and prepared dinner for Taeyong when he came back from work himself.

The kitchen had elements of both of their personalities. Johnny, an avid coffee lover, had a fancy coffee maker with a built-in steam wand, perfect for lattes and cappuccinos. Taeyong, who loved sweets, had a rack with an assortment of sprinkles, chocolates, and candy melts prepped for his baking. The fridge was plastered with reminders and photographs of their friends, and the pantry was full of both of their favourite snacks. There was coziness in the cute dinnerware and custom-made mugs, and classiness in the bright lighting and classy bar stools lining the island.

One of which was currently occupied by a puppy hybrid.

Johnny had walked out from his study, planning to have his third cup of coffee for the day, to find an unfamiliar hybrid sitting at the counter, dutifully pouring over a textbook that was filled with diagrams and formulas. He had rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating. The hybrid hadn’t even noticed him, too lost in his thoughts as he scrawled something in his notebook. Johnny pulled out his phone which had been on silent the whole morning, and realized he had missed a text from Taeyong.

Taeyong 7:21 am

remember darling, yuta and winwinnie are bringing over mark today. i know you’re busy so they’re just gonna let themselves in. don’t worry hes very well behaved and knows not to disturb you. yuta packed him lunch too so he’s all set for the day. pls make sure to eat something too. love you!!

Now, Johnny was chopping fruit at the counter while Mark watched him curiously. He was cute, with black curly hair, big floppy ears of matching colour that perked up with interest whenever Johnny made the slightest noise. He didn’t know Mark all that well. Actually, he had never met him before today. He vaguely recalled Taeyong mentioning that they would be looking after Mark, but he couldn’t remember why or for how long. He was distracted with the upcoming deadline of his first draft for his newest novel, and his memory was, admittedly, failing him.

Mark seemed sweet though. He was quiet, not even saying one word to Johnny, politely keeping his tail to himself. He watched with wide, curious eyes as Johnny made him coffee. Johnny spotted a binder on the counter and read the title plastered across the front in bold handwriting, sipping at his coffee despite the fact that it was burning his tongue. He needed caffeine to deal with this.

“A GUIDE TO THE KEEPING AND CARING OF MARK NAKAMOTO. (Follow this or I’ll kill you xoxo Sicheng”

It was relatively easy enough. Mark needed baths every other day (he couldn’t take showers because the water pressure was too much for his sensitive ears) but he was more than capable of looking after himself. He needed exercise, but he was certified and his shots were up to date, meaning he could walk around outside by himself. He had homework, but his lesson plan was assigned by Taeyong every morning before he left for work. There really wasn’t much that Johnny needed to do besides feed him and entertain him.

“Are you hungry?” Johnny had asked, and Mark had nodded his head yes, so Johnny had pulled out the half watermelon in the fridge and was currently dicing it up. He set a bowl in front of Mark, the seeds carefully removed, and handed the hybrid a fork. Mark lit up, taking the fork with a tiny “thank you” and digging in. Johnny smiled fondly and cleaned up the rinds, taking them to the compost outside.

“So um,” Johnny began awkwardly. Mark looked up from his textbook, cheeks bulging with fruit. “What are you studying?”

Mark chewed carefully and swallowed before answering. “Physics.”

Johnny blinked. “Are you in school?”

“Not allowed.”

Right, hybrids weren’t allowed to attend school except for training school.

“Does Sicheng make you study Physics?” Most hybrids barely received an elementary school level education because they never needed to. They weren’t permitted to work “human” jobs. Johnny had always hated it, but he realized how easy it was to take advantage of hybrids, and he’d rather them be safe at home than be harmed for their animal traits and appearance in their own workplace.

“No. I like it.”

And Mark turned back to his book, effectively ending the conversation. Johnny stood there, stunned. A dog hybrid who liked to study physics. How interesting.

“I’m gonna get back to work. If you need anything just knock on my door, it’s upstairs first door on the left,” Johnny told him. Mark only responded with a nod, and after a few moments Johnny left him be and headed back into his study to do more research for his novel.

He didn’t even realize how much time had passed until he was startled out of his concentration by loud barking. When he looked out the window, the sun was already beginning to set, and he realized Taeyong was probably home. He stood up from his desk chair and stretched before heading downstairs. Taeyong was in the living room, holding an excited Mark who was jumping up and down, tail wagging excitedly. Gone was the quiet, studious hybrid, and in its place was a hybrid who was ecstatic to see Taeyong.

“Hi baby!” Taeyong greeted, and Johnny took a second to realize that Taeyong wasn’t talking to him. “Hi Markie! Were you good for Johnny?”

“I was good!” Mark promised, finally settling down. He wagged his tail harder when Taeyong scratched him behind the ear. “I finished my lessons. Can I start on tomorrow’s?”

“Taking breaks is important,” Taeyong chided gently, ruffling Mark’s hair. “Tell you what, how about we go for a stroll and pick up some dinner. Does that sound good?”

“Mind if I come?” Johnny asked, coming up beside Taeyong to wrap an arm around his waist and kiss his cheek. Taeyong was a picture of brilliance in his charcoal grey slacks and crisp white button-up, with Johnny’s watch adorning his wrist. Johnny himself was in a comfortable pair of sweats and a black t-shirt. The contrast between the two of them almost made him laugh.

“Of course not. How was your day, babe?” Taeyong leaned into his touch as Mark sat down on the ground to pull on his shoes, carefully tying the laces.

“Good,” Johnny sighed. “Made a lot of progress today, but I could use a relaxing walk with my lovely husband.”

Taeyong flushed, the way he always did when Johnny called him his husband. It was endearing, even though he didn’t really understand why Taeyong got so flustered at the reminder that they were married.

“Shall we go, then?” Taeyong asked, stretching out his hand to help Mark to his feet.

“Let’s go, let’s go,” Mark said eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Johnny smiled fondly, internally aww-ing at the sight. He glanced at Taeyong who was beaming, and left them to grab his wallet, phone, and keys. When he came back, Taeyong was clipping Mark’s hair out of his eyes with butterfly pins.

“I think you need a haircut, baby, your bangs are getting long,” Taeyong was saying. “Where do Yuta and Winwinnie usually take you?”

“To the salon on Richmond street,” Mark answered, and Johnny blinked in surprise. If Mark was talking about Hendery’s, it meant Yuta and Sicheng had no problem forking out seventy bucks for a haircut for their hybrid.

“Okay, I’ll take you there tomorrow and we’ll get your bangs trimmed so it doesn’t bother your eyes.” Evidently, Taeyong had no qualms about that either. Johnny had never seen him smile so hard.

Mark pulled out one of the clips in his hair and pushed it into Taeyong’s own silver locks. “Now we match!”

Oh. Was that a physical ache in Johnny’s heart, or was he just reeling from the effects of Taeyong and Mark’s matching grins.

“Are we ready to go?” Johnny asked, rubbing at his chest. Taeyong lit up, taking Johnny’s hand and kissing his knuckles softly before leading him out the front door. Johnny intertwined their fingers, and Taeyong grabbed Mark’s hand with his other.

“It’s so nice out!” Taeyong exclaimed happily. “Maybe we should go to the park, or…are you too busy, Johnny?”

Taeyong looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, and Johnny melted. He wondered who was the real hybrid here.

“No, never too busy for you, Yong. I’d love to go to the park,” Johnny replied. Mark perked up, pulling on Taeyong’s hand, his tail wagging as they nearly careened off the sidewalk. Johnny guided them back onto a straight path, content with listening as Mark rambled about a difficult physics problem and Taeyong did his best to keep up as Mark spoke a mile a minute.

“—and Train B goes at twenty-two kilometres an hour, right? So I just need to figure out the centripetal acceleration of Train—oh! Taeyong!” Mark tugged at Taeyong’s sleeve. “Did you see that bird? That was a scissortail flycatcher!”

“Where?” Taeyong asked, leaning up on his tiptoes to peer at the tree that Mark was pointing at. Johnny raised an eyebrow in intrigue. A dog hybrid who liked rare birds, that was definitely unheard of. “In the tree?”

“Yes!” Mark was jumping up and down now, his ears flopping with his hair. “I think that’s its nest, oh my god. But I’m too short, I can’t see.”

“Climb up on Johnny’s shoulders!” Taeyong suggested, sharing the hybrid’s excitement. Johnny sighed and knelt down as Mark scrambled to get on his shoulders with Taeyong’s help. He held Mark’s legs for support as he slowly stood up in an attempt to get Mark closer to the nest.

“Oh wow!” Mark exclaimed in a hushed voice. Taeyong passed up his phone and Mark immediately started taking pictures. “They’re rarely spotted around here, I can’t believe we’ve seen one today!”

“So are you really into birds, Mark?” Johnny asked as he crouched low to let Mark down.

Mark nodded eagerly, his tail wagging. “Yeah, last year Yuta took me to a conservation area and we got to track the migratory patterns of Canadian geese.”

“I hate Canadian geese,” Johnny muttered under his breath, thinking of the time he had proposed to Taeyong next to the lake and had gotten viciously attacked by a goose, nearly dropping the $3,000 engagement ring before he could get it on Taeyong’s finger. Luckily, neither Mark nor Taeyong heard him as they headed straight for the swings on the playground.

Johnny followed at leisurely pace, sitting on a nearby bench as Mark hopped into the seat of a swing and Taeyong began pushing him, both of them shrieking with laughter as the hybrid nearly toppled off. Johnny grimaced, thinking of the lecture Sicheng would be sure to give him if Mark got hurt, but it looked like they were having fun.

Actually Taeyong looked…breathtaking. Not just because he was beautiful, but because he was glowing with happiness, a radiant smile taking over his face as he pushed Mark higher. Johnny had never seen him look so happy. And being here at the park, together with Mark, it was almost like they were a family.

Johnny froze, his heart pounding in his ears. Of course, he thought about having a family with Taeyong, but he’d always considered it as a plan for the distant future. Right now, he was working on his fourth novel after writing a best-selling trilogy, and Taeyong was dominating the fashion industry as the young CEO of Regular-Irregular, a clothing brand whose popularity had skyrocketed the past three years. They were in the peak of their careers, and Johnny had never given much thought to the domestic picture that’s always been painted in the movies.

But had Taeyong ever thought about starting a family?

Johnny frowned; they’ve never really discussed it, not even adopting a cat like they had wanted to back in university. They were both busy, Taeyong more than Johnny these days, oftentimes too caught up in work where they weren’t able to spend time with each other for days. He didn’t know what he pictured their future to look like back when they first started getting serious, but he guessed it wasn’t really like this.

He looked up to see Mark and Taeyong laughing together, with Taeyong’s arms around Mark’s neck as they giggled. He was so happy, and Johnny couldn’t help but smile when he saw them.

This was what he wanted. This is what he felt like he’d been missing. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy with where he and Taeyong were now, but the more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t let the idea go. He imagined cooking dinner for a family, or making gingerbread men at Christmas time, or planning surprise birthday parties with Taeyong.

Johnny frowned harder. They were both too busy for kids, he knew that much. Honestly, he couldn’t see himself being happy with an early retirement. Yuta and Sicheng had managed to juggle work and having a…

Well, they didn’t have a kid, did they? Though Mark wasn’t exactly a pet either. They adopted Mark about six months ago, that much Johnny remembered. And Mark looked to be around seventeen. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself for short periods of time.

“Wait, am I actually considering getting a hybrid?” Johnny murmured to himself.

“Did you say something babe?” Taeyong popped up out of nowhere, startling Johnny out of his daze. He clutched at his chest, heart racing as he tried his best to appear composed. “Sorry, did I scare you?”

“Yeah, sorry I kinda just blanked out,” Johnny lied. “What’s up? Done on the swings?”

“Mark wants to get dinner now,” Taeyong explained. “Did you wanna pick a place?”

“Let Mark pick,” Johnny offered. “My treat. I feel bad for neglecting him all day.”

“Well, I’m certainly not gonna complain. Mark!” Taeyong turned to yell, and Mark’s ears perked up as he swivelled his head around from where he was talking to some children. Like a meerkat, Johnny thought. “Come here baby!”

Mark turned back to the kids, presumably to say goodbye, then tore across the grass like his life depended on it. Johnny knew that hybrids usually had enhanced abilities like speed and strength, but knowing it and seeing it were two different things, and he couldn’t help but gape a little as Mark sprinted at a speed almost twice that of a normal human boy.

“Where do you wanna go eat?” Taeyong asked, reaching up to pick out a leaf from Mark’s hair as he panted slightly. “Johnny said he’ll treat you.”

Mark twisted around to look at Johnny, his face bright and eager. “Really?!”

Johnny nodded. “Of course. Anything you want.”

The hybrid jumped up and down excitedly, cocking his head as he pondered about where he wanted to go. He was adorable. “Can we go to Popeyes?”

“You want Popeyes?” Taeyong repeated.

Mark nodded. “I want chicken!”

Taeyong laughed, completely enamoured. “Okay, chicken it is! Wanna walk there or do you wanna go home and get the car?”

“Let’s walk,” Mark declared after a moment, offering a bright smile. “I like walking with you.”

Johnny melted. His heart wasn’t going to be able to handle this much cuteness. How long was Mark going to stay with them? A week? He might as well start digging his grave now. Here lies Johnny Suh, weak to adorable hybrids.

“You’re spacing out again,” Taeyong giggled as Mark waved his hands in front of Johnny’s face. “Do you wanna go home? Maybe take a nap?”

Johnny shook his head, standing up from the bench. “I’m okay, my brain is just stuck in planning mode. I think I have an idea for my next novel.”

“Hmm, maybe finish your draft for your current novel before getting any ideas,” Taeyong teased, eyes sparkling as he reached over to smooth out a wrinkle in Johnny’s shirt. “Your brain is always going a mile a minute. Are you sure you’re not a puppy, too?”

“I’m sure,” Johnny said with a laugh, pointing at Mark who was chasing a butterfly. He never really tried to catch it, though he was definitely more than capable of doing so, perfectly content to just follow it around, ambling through the grass as the wind ruffled his hair. “He’s so cute.”

“Isn’t he?” Taeyong beamed. “He’s adorable. Yuta and Sicheng really lucked out, huh? They were looking for an older hybrid because they’re busy, but they ended up reducing their hours anyway to spend more time with him. It’s hard not to love him.”

The way Taeyong spoke. The sense of longing in his eyes that Johnny was intimately familiar with, because that was how Taeyong looked at him before they began dating back when they first met. His gaze was full of nothing but love and adoration as he looked at Mark who was bounding towards them, clearly ecstatic about going to dinner.

Taeyong wanted this, too.

“Come on,” Johnny said, pressing a kiss to Taeyong’s fluffy hair. “Let’s go get Popeyes.”

“Remember babe, Yuta and Sicheng are coming to pick up Mark today!”

“Okay!” Johnny called back, and listened to the echo of the door slamming shut. Taeyong was late, having stayed in bed for an extra twenty minutes to cuddle Johnny and having skipped breakfast, rushing out the door. Luckily, Johnny had managed to slip an energy bar and some pre-packaged nuts into Taeyong’s bag just before he left.

The past week has been amazing. Mark was extremely well-behaved, and he was always curious to know more about the world. They got his bangs trimmed, bought him some new outfits that he had seen on Instagram and wanted to try, and took him to a laser tag place which he absolutely loved. Johnny and Mark had spent all day yesterday binging documentaries, then watched Pacific Rim because Mark had never seen it before.

“I would be a great pilot,” Mark declared once it was finished. Johnny had smiled fondly and ruffled his hair.

“Yes, you would.”

Now it was their last day together, and Mark was sulking on the couch as Johnny prepared breakfast. He was wearing Taeyong’s terry cloth bunny headband because Mark wanted him to have ears too, trying to work their bubble waffle maker.

“Johnny.” Mark appeared behind him, leaning against the island as he watched Johnny moving around the kitchen, slicing strawberries for their waffles. “Thanks for looking after me. I know you’re busy, and I wasn’t expecting you to entertain me all week but you did anyway, and I’m really grateful.”

Johnny wasn’t crying, he just got a strawberry seed in his eye. He reached for a bowl of whipped cream and collected some on his finger, walking over to Mark and dolloping it on his nose. Mark went cross-eyed trying to look at it.

“Silly pup,” Johnny said. “I entertained you because I wanted to. I had a lot of fun, and I’m glad I could make you feel more comfortable. This is your first time away from Yuta and Winwin right?”

Mark nodded. “Mhm. They call me every night but…it’s not the same. I miss them. I like your guest room but I miss home. I can look after myself, so really I could have stayed in the apartment, but they were too worried. Especially Sicheng.”

“He’s always been a worrywart,” Johnny said, passing a napkin to Mark so he could wipe his nose. “Crime is low in your area, but the number isn’t zero. Besides, Taeyong would die knowing you were all by yourself.”

“Dogs are social creatures,” Mark pointed out with a smile. “I’m really gonna miss your kitchen.”

Johnny barked a laugh. “This kitchen is my pride and joy. Taeyong loves it, too. It’s actually why we bought this house.”

Mark wrinkled his nose. “The kitchen in our apartment is too small. I wish we had an island, I always wanna study while Yuta cooks but there’s just no room. I like all the smells, it relaxes me.”

“You’re welcome to come over anytime,” Johnny offered, spreading whipped cream over the freshly-made waffles. He slid over a bowl of strawberries and a bubble waffle to Mark, who carefully placed the strawberries in a heart shape on top. “Taeyong’s gonna be sad when he finds out we had bubble waffles without him.”

“I’ll send him a picture!” Mark said eagerly, taking out his phone. When Mark had first pulled it out, Johnny had been surprised. Most hybrid owners never gave their “pets” a phone, but Yuta and Sicheng were clearly not like most owners. I’m gonna be more like them, Johnny thought resolutely. Hybrids are more like humans than pets, and they deserve to be treated properly.

Now that Johnny was considering adopting a hybrid, he was grateful for the opportunity to watch over Mark and bond with an actual hybrid before making a decision. Sure, hybrids were in touch with an animalistic side that humans didn’t possess, but their traits weren’t dominant, and they acted more human than pet. Mark liked tummy rubs and playing fetch, but he also liked Physics and action movies. He could eat most things that normal dogs couldn’t, but he was sensitive to dairy.

Johnny had finally sent in his draft, and he had been taking more and more time for himself instead of stressing over the accuracy of the spaceship in his story, preferring to spend time with Mark. In fact, he had spent more time with Taeyong in the past week than he had in the last month, granted it was always with Mark. Taeyong had been leaving the office on time most days, wanting to take Mark for walks or play trivia games with him. He even had the idea to produce a clothing line specifically for hybrids, and had gotten feedback from Mark and their other friends who also owned hybrids. Mark had even gotten to design a pair of jeans, and had drawn little doodles all over the legs that were admittedly very cute.

He was ready to begin the process of adopting a hybrid. He had started clearing out the other bedroom, once used for storage, and was planning to redecorate and get some new furniture. He had done some research, and had even contacted Yuta and Sicheng for advice. They had spent most of the call screeching and teasing Johnny rather than giving advice, but they did provide him the name and contact info of the hybrid adoption centre where they had gotten Mark.

Johnny desperately wanted to adopt a hybrid. Now he just had to find out if Taeyong wanted to. Upon Yuta and Sicheng’s advice, he had decided to wait until after Mark was gone before bringing it up with Taeyong. First, because today was Friday and Taeyong would be off for the weekend. Second of all, they were worried Mark would overhear. Apparently Mark had been given up for adoption when he was younger because his family wanted to replace him with another hybrid, and he had major abandonment issues because of it. Sure, Mark wasn’t really their hybrid, but he was under their care at the moment, and it made sense to Johnny, but he was itching to talk to Taeyong about adopting a hybrid.

The more he thought about it, the more he wanted it. He never wanted to adopt a child, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to dedicate the time that he wanted to. But adopting a hybrid was different. He planned to adopt an older hybrid, like Yuta and Sicheng, because the older a hybrid got, the less likely they were adopted. He thought about the situations an older unadopted hybrid could end up in, and he wanted to make sure at least one could have a good, safe home. Older hybrids could be left alone for longer, and required less attention. But he was fully prepared to reduce his work hours to give his hybrid all the affection and attention they needed, and he knew that Taeyong would do the same.

The thought of spending more time with Taeyong every day, raising and caring for a hybrid together…Johnny had never wanted anything more badly in the past few years. He wanted picture perfect domestic bliss with Taeyong. He wanted a family. And every time he looked at Mark, he imagined another older hybrid with no home, and it broke his heart. He had called the information desk yesterday, and the woman on the phone had mentioned that they had quite a few older hybrids. Most families wanted a puppy or a kitty, not a teenage hybrid with a name and a personality already. The adoption centre wasn’t like the ones he had found online. They didn’t advertise purebred hybrids, they just advertised hybrids looking for their forever home. There were hybrids listed for adoption on their website, but Taeyong had come into the room before Johnny could check it out.

He thought about looking at it now, but he realized that looking at what was essentially a catalogue for hybrids made him feel uncomfortable. He wanted to meet them in person before making a decision and besides, he hadn’t even asked Taeyong what he thought about all this. He didn’t want to get his hopes up.

It wasn’t that he didn’t think Taeyong wanted a family. He could tell just by the way Taeyong acted around Mark. But he knew that Taeyong loved his work, and adopting a hybrid didn’t mean reducing his hours for just one week, it meant reducing his hours for months at a time. Taeyong wasn’t the type to half-ass anything, and Johnny knew that if they adopted a hybrid, Taeyong would want to be just as involved in their hybrid’s life. He felt guilty that he worked from home, but he remembered that sometimes he would have to attend press conferences or go on book signing tours, and Taeyong would have to be home for their hybrid on those days. It was a difficult decision to make, and he couldn’t make it alone, so decided not to dwell on it. There was no use worrying about what Taeyong would say when he would find out later tonight anyway.

A knock on the door had him breaking out of his thoughts as Mark yipped excitedly. Mark was usually pretty quiet, but he always barked a couple of times whenever someone came to their door. Johnny smiled; he guessed some animal traits were harder to control. He patted Mark’s head as he left the kitchen, leaving the hybrid to his breakfast as he pulled open the front door.

“Hi, package for John Suh?” A delivery man asked, a small box at his hip.

“That’s me,” Johnny said, taking the digital pad the man thrusted at him. He signed his name and accepted the box with a “thank you”, shutting the door and bringing the package back into the kitchen.

“What’s that?” Mark asked, unable to contain his curiosity. Johnny reached over to wipe at Mark’s chin with his thumb, the crumbs from his waffle falling to the floor to be swept up later. He placed the box on the island, reaching into one of the drawers for a box cutter.

“It’s a gift for you, actually.”

“You guys get me too many gifts, I’m spoiled already,” Mark said, but he didn’t sound like he was complaining. Johnny laughed, knowing that Sicheng undoubtedly spoiled Mark more than he ever could.

“It’s just a small gift,” Johnny explained. “I noticed you liked mine a lot the other day, so I got you your own pair.”

He lifted the glasses case out of the box and flipped it open to reveal a pair of fake circle glasses, just like the ones Johnny wore whenever he was working on his novel. Mark immediately began wagging his tail, squirming happily as Johnny took the glasses out to place on Mark’s face. Mark blinked at him owlishly behind the fake lenses, and Johnny laughed.

“How do I look?” Mark asked, touching the gift gently with his fingers. He took his phone out and opened the camera app. “Whoa! I look great! Thank you Johnny!”

And he jumped down from the stool to throw his arms around Johnny in a warm hug. Johnny hugged him back, warmth blooming in his chest. He was so, so fond of Mark, and he was going to miss him so much. He kissed Mark’s fluffy ear, indulging him a little longer before he pulled away to clean up the mess from breakfast. Mark went back to looking at his phone, presumably taking pictures to send to Taeyong.

Sure enough, Johnny’s phone buzzed with a text not two minutes later.

Taeyong 9:54 am

so that’s what u were looking at when i came home yesterday!! he looks so cute O_O i’m gonna miss him so much do u think we could steal him from yuta and winwinnie?? ah but i could never do that to sicheng he’s my baby :( but mark is also my baby :(( let’s steal them both!!

To: Taeyong 9:55 am

he does look cute i’m dying. also we can’t steal winwin and mark bc then yuta will be sad. can’t have that

Taeyong 9:56 am

right we can’t have that but!! u must admit that u are tempted!! i know that i am. oh fuck gotta go my directors are glaring at me T^T u’d think theyd have more respect for their ceo >:( bye love u

Johnny laughed, replying with a quick “love you too” before putting his phone away to focus on the dishes. Mark came over a few seconds later, grabbing a towel from one of the drawers and drying the dishes after Johnny was done with them.

In just a week, Mark had fit himself into Johnny and Taeyong’s lives. He had to admit he was devastated to see Mark go, even though he knew that Mark missed Sicheng and Yuta. And honestly, living with a marine biologist and a pediatrician was definitely the best place for Mark, who lived and breathed science as a hobby. Johnny and Taeyong could barely remember the Chemistry class they had shared in first year.

Also, Mark couldn’t go a day without rambling on about Sicheng’s cooking, or Yuta’s hugs, or their frequent trips to the aquarium. He couldn’t sleep without calling them before bed, wanting to know how they were doing, and it was frankly the most adorable thing Johnny had ever seen. He clearly wanted to go home, and it was evitable by the fact that he already had his luggage packed and ready by the door. Johnny was going to miss him, but he wanted Mark to be with his proper family more than anything.

It was crazy how in a little over a week, he had become so fond of the puppy hybrid, and Taeyong was clearly delighted to see them bonding. He had started coming home even earlier, excited to spend time with them both, and he was actually planning to come home around three pm today, right before Yuta and Sicheng were supposed to arrive and just in time to say goodbye to Mark.

“What do you want to do today Mark?”

Mark looked up from his phone, cocking his head contemplatively, before setting it down and dashing upstairs. Johnny heard him enter the guest room, and a few minutes later he thundered down the steps and slid into the kitchen, so fast that Johnny imagined he could hear the sound of tires screeching. In his hands was a 500 piece puzzle of an orca whale.

“Let’s do this,” Mark decided, and Johnny shrugged, drying the counter with the towel Mark had brought out and then hanging it on the bar to dry. He had finished his draft, he could kill four hours on a puzzle of a whale if that was what Mark wanted. They moved the coffee table in the living room, dumping the pieces on the floor and laying on their stomachs.

“You do the corners, I’ll do the center,” Mark said. Johnny had agreed, immediately seeking out the corner pieces, and they both got to work.

Mark was extraordinarily good at puzzles. He was much quicker at finding matching pieces, fitting them together with ease. By the time Johnny had managed to connect two corners, Mark had finished most of the orca itself. But it was fun, and it was relaxing. They almost forgot to stop for lunch, scarfing down grilled chicken sandwiches before immediately returning to their puzzle. They hadn’t realized how much time had passed, but when they put together the last segment, they heard a key in the lock and Taeyong appeared, blinking at the giant orca whale on the floor.

“Having fun?” Taeyong asked amusedly as Mark leapt to his feet, jumping excitedly and sniffing at Taeyong’s neck. Taeyong giggled, holding Mark down by the shoulders. He looked amazing in his black slacks and baby blue shirt. Johnny stood up too, greeting Taeyong with a kiss on the lips.

“Yeah we are. How was work?” Johnny asked.

“Great! My design team has submitted over a hundred designs for the hybrid clothing line. They love your design, Mark. We’re gonna get a couple samples made with different denim blends for you to try on, we want them to be as comfortable as possible. Luckily, the director of my design team is willing to stay late today to look over the designs, so I’m free for the rest of the evening. I will have a conference call tomorrow though—”

“Babe, you’re getting carried away,” Johnny interrupted. Taeyong startled, his cheeks turning a pretty pink.

“Ah, sorry, I’m just so excited!”

“I’m excited for you! I can’t wait to see the results. I know it’ll do very well.” Johnny wrapped his arm around Taeyong’s waist, pressing a gentle kiss behind his ear as Mark tugged at Taeyong sleeve.

“Taeyong, look! We did a whale puzzle.” Mark looked so proud of himself that it made Johnny grin.

“I see that! If you want, we can seal it in a frame with resin and you can hang it up in your room at home,” Taeyong offered, but Mark shook his head.

“No, I want to be able to put it together again,” and to Johnny’s horror, Mark knelt on the floor and tore apart the puzzle they had spent the last four hours on, throwing the pieces into the box. By the time Johnny registered that he should be helping Mark clean up, he had already put away the last few pieces. He went upstairs and came back with a backpack that presumably held the rest of his things, placing the box inside carefully.

“I’m gonna miss him,” Taeyong sighed quietly, leaning his head against Johnny’s shoulder.

“Me too.” Johnny kissed Taeyong’s cheek gently before walking over to help Mark with the zipper of his bag. Taeyong disappeared into the bedroom and returned in comfortable clothing, still looking as radiant as ever.

“Johnny, can I talk to you about—”

Ding dong.

“Open up, fuckers, I want my Mark back!”

“Yuta, please, you’re disturbing the neighbours.”

“Fuck the neighbours.”

“Do not,” Johnny said, swinging the door open, “fuck the neighbours.” And that was all he could get out before Mark launched himself out the front door, nearly bowling Yuta over as he barked like crazy, jumping up until his legs were around Yuta’s waist, snuffling into Yuta’s cheek.

“Mark, Mark, calm down!” Yuta laughed. “Did you miss me?”

“Yeah!” Mark licked a short stripe up Yuta’s cheek before getting down, stumbling on his feet until Sicheng steadied him. “I’m so glad you’re home! I missed you so much! You smell so funny!”

“Wanna stay for dinner?” Johnny asked, holding the door open wider. Yuta and Sicheng looked exhausted, most likely from the long hours they spent on the plane, and Taeyong was planning on cooking tonight.

“Yes, stay!” Taeyong said, coming up to them. He immediately began fussing over them, telling Johnny to take their bags that had been discarded on the porch inside as he dragged Yuta and Sicheng over to sit on the couch before heading into the kitchen. Mark snuggled into Sicheng’s side, sighing happily as he immediately began stroking Mark’s hair.

“Was he good?” Yuta asked, and Mark perked up, waiting eagerly for Johnny’s reply.

“The best,” Johnny confirmed. and Mark yipped in confirmation. Yuta laughed and leaned in to pepper kisses all over Mark’s face. Taeyong walked in with a platter of cookies, petit-fours, and brownie bites that he had baked yesterday, and subsequently received the same treatment until he squirmed away.

By the time Yuta and Sicheng leave, thanking Taeyong for the meal and offering to pay them for watching over Mark (they decline, obviously), Mark is already half-asleep on his feet despite not travelling halfway across the world like his family members. Yuta carried him out to the car while Sicheng hugged Taeyong and Johnny respectively.

“Thanks again for watching him. He really can’t cook, I was worried about him accidentally poisoning himself.”

“It was a pleasure, really. Now go before Yuta starts barking at you.”

“I heard that!” Yuta yelped from where he was shoving Mark’s bags into the trunk of their car. Johnny just cackled loudly, waving goodbye as Sicheng jogged down the porch steps, climbing into the driver’s seat. They closed the door and Taeyong immediately held his arms out for a hug.

Johnny could never deny his husband’s hugs, so he wrapped his arms around Taeyong’s waist and rested his cheek on Taeyong’s head, despite the fluffy silver tufts tickling his nose. Taeyong’s arms hooked around his neck and they just stood there, holding each other and pretending they weren’t sad about Mark leaving. It wasn’t like they’d never see him again, but it wouldn’t be the same as having him stay with them.

It was nice to play pretend as a family, don’t you want the real thing? Johnny thought, but he knew it was a stupid way to ask, so he kept his mouth shut. Finally, Taeyong pulled a way with an embarrassed smile, disappearing into the kitchen to wash the dishes. Johnny cleaned up in the living room, using the hand vacuum on the couch cushions and wiping down the coffee table.

“Johnny,” Taeyong called, startling Johnny out of his cleaning stupor. He wiped away the last of the crumbs and straightened up, walking into the kitchen and nearly bumping into Taeyong. “Oh! Sorry.”

“Didn’t see you there,” Johnny teased. Taeyong rolled his eyes, but it lacked his usual amount of sass. “Something wrong?”

“Let’s go to the living room,” Taeyong suggested, leading Johnny back to where he came from and sitting down on the couch. Johnny joined him, noting the way Taeyong pulled his knees up to his chest — his number one defensive position.

“Yong? Everything okay?” Johnny kept his voice purposely soft as he placed a comforting hand on Taeyong’s thigh. His husband didn’t even look at him, a sure sign that something was wrong.

“Okay,” Taeyong sighed, blowing his bangs out of his face. “I’m just gonna come out and say it. This week with Mark was…amazing. And um. I think that — no, I know that I really, really want us to adopt a hybrid of our own.”

And Johnny? He immediately pulled at Taeyong until he uncurled from his defensive position, body pliant as Johnny tugged him into his arms.

“God, I love how we’re always on the same page,” Johnny laughed incredulously. “I’ve been trying to tell you I want to adopt a hybrid for a while now.”

“You do?” Taeyong asked, eyes wide, and when Johnny nodded he immediately hooked his arms around Johnny’s neck, pulling him down for a frantic kiss. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“I love you too,” Johnny replied wetly, laughing as Taeyong pulled back to wipe at the tears on his cheeks. He was so happy. “Let’s start a family, Taeyong.”

“I’m nervous,” Taeyong said, patting at his hair to make sure it was in place. His other hand was sweaty in Johnny’s grip as they walked across the parking lot toward the adoption centre Yuta and Sicheng had recommended. “God I’m really nervous. They know we’re coming right?”

“Yes Taeyong,” Johnny assured him patiently. “I already emailed them our background checks and our income statements. I did a phone interview with the director of the adoption centre, and our appointment is in fifteen minutes. Actually,” he checked his watch, “seventeen minutes. We’re early.”

“I just don’t want them to think we’re irresponsible,” Taeyong explained, taking his hand out of Johnny’s and wiping his palm on his slacks. Johnny wrinkled his nose; it was a good thing the fabric was dark. “Is my outfit okay? Does it look professional enough?”

“Yongie, relax,” Johnny said, pulling open the doors of the centre. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

They stepped into a clean, bright foyer with light blue walls and polished wood floors. In front of them was a receptionist desk and to the right was a hybrid supply shop with specialized accessories, shampoos, and treats. Taeyong peered at a stuffed animal display, but Johnny quickly tugged him away before he could impulsively buy an entire rack.

“Hello!” The receptionist behind the desk greeted cheerfully. “How can I help you?”

“Hi! We’re Johnny and Taeyong Suh. We had an appointment at 11:30?” Johnny said, walking up to the desk. Taeyong stood slightly behind him, peering over his shoulder at the man behind the desk.

“Hmm,” the reception — his nametag read Dejun — said, rolling closer to the computer on the desk. He typed at his keyboard for a moment, and Johnny could feel Taeyong vibrating with nerves. “Oh! Yes, you’re right here. You’re looking to adopt?” Dejun looked up and gave them a dazzling smile.

“Yes,” Taeyong said, sounding slightly more confident than he had outside. “We’ve been looking forward to this for weeks.”

“Well, Kun should be out here any moment. He’s the director and he’ll be helping you with the selection process. In the meantime,” Dejun rummaged through a filing cabinet and pulled out a stack of papers, “you can go ahead and start the paperwork!”

Taeyong perked up, reaching forward to take the papers and pulling out his pen from his breast pocket. Johnny followed him to a nearby couch, and they spent the next ten minutes carefully filling in the information boxes and signing the twelve page contract. Johnny hadn’t known the paperwork would be so tedious, but he was grateful that the centre seemed to really care for their hybrids.

It only took another minute for them to be approached by a handsome, dimpled man who introduced himself as the director. “It’s so lovely to finally meet you! My name’s Kun and I’ll be assisting you in finding the perfect match for your home. Our hybrids are very excited to meet you.”

Taeyong shook Kun’s hand eagerly, beaming. “I would take them all home if I could.”

“He really would,” Johnny said, standing up to shake Kun’s hand too. “He’s always wanted a big family.”

“Let’s get started then, shall we?” Kun led them down a hall past the receptionist’s desk and to a set of double doors marked “Authorized Personnel Only”. “Can you tell me what you’re looking for in a hybrid?”

“Um,” Taeyong glanced back at Johnny, who shrugged. “Someone nice?”

Kun laughed. “I mean, are you looking for a cat hybrid? A dog? A younger hybrid or an older?”

“Just…anyone we click with?” Taeyong offered after a moment, looking confused. “Someone to love and raise as our own.”

Kun gave them a surprised look. “I can’t say I’ve ever had anyone come in without some sort of specification to what they wanted. You really don’t have a preference at all?”

Taeyong and Johnny shook their heads simultaneously. Kun smiled at them, a beautiful and genuine smile, then took them to a short hallway with four doors. “I’m glad to hear that, really. I hope you meet someone who will be a perfect fit for your household. So, these are our lounge rooms, and this is where the hybrids spend most of the time. They’re permitted to go pretty much anywhere in the facility, but we gather them in these rooms for clients.”

Johnny looked through the small window of one door while Taeyong peered into another. Inside the room were about six or seven hybrids, playing pool or watching a movie on the television. He felt a tugging on his sleeve, and turned to switch places with Taeyong. This room appeared to be an art room, with three hybrids using different mediums to make pictures.

“Oh wow, it’s really nice here,” Taeyong commented.

“We have some very generous sponsors,” Kun said, pushing open the door of a lounge further down the hall. “Why don’t we start here and work our way through the other rooms. Guys, this is Johnny and Taeyong. Play nice.”

Johnny stepped in the room first, with Taeyong close behind him. This room was more populated than the others, with several hybrids seated in a circle to play a card game, and a few more lounging on the worn sofas in front of another television. These hybrids looked older, and were mostly feline hybrids. One hybrid got to his feet and immediately launched himself at the director.

“Kun!” The cat hybrid greeted, his little fangs poking out in a wide grin as he looked up at Kun through soft brown bangs. “Hiya!”

“Hello, Yangyang.” Kun sounded so fond as he carded his fingers through Yangyang’s hair, scratching behind his ear. “Are you playing nice?”

“Mhm, I’m winning!” Yangyang declared, pulling at Kun’s hand and leading him to the circle, leaving Johnny and Taeyong to stand awkwardly by the door.

“Should we…go in?” Johnny asked.

Taeyong didn’t answer, focused on staring at a hybrid in the corner that Johnny hadn’t noticed before. He was huge, easily taller than Taeyong, although he was sitting down so Johnny wasn’t sure of his full height. He had pointed canine ears, and a fluffy tail, but Johnny could admit that he had no idea what breed he was. At first he didn’t realize what had caught Taeyong’s attention, but then he saw the book in the hybrid’s hands. Peter and the Starcatchers by David Barry. Taeyong’s favourite book from childhood.

Instantly, Taeyong scrambled past the circle of hybrids to get to the corner. Johnny followed at a slower pace, worried about disrupting the game, but Taeyong had no qualms as he zoomed past everyone. By the time Johnny picked his way across the room, Taeyong was already introducing himself.

“Hi!” Taeyong said, plopping down on the floor in front of the hybrid, who startled behind his book and nearly dropped it. “I’m Taeyong. You’re reading my favourite book.”

“Oh,” the hybrid said, his ears twitching adorably atop his head. “It’s my favourite book too. I haven’t finished the series though.”

“I have the entire collection at home! I read it when I was a kid and got hooked, so when I found the whole series for sale I bought the entire set. It’s a little long, but it’s really worth the read,” Taeyong said eagerly. Johnny wondered if the hybrid was spooked by how forward Taeyong was, but the canine hybrid placed a slip of paper between the pages and closed his book, leaning forward in interest.

“You really have the whole series?”

“Taeyong has a whole library, practically,” Johnny said, wincing when the hybrid practically jumped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Johnny, Taeyong’s husband.”

“I’m Jaehyun,” the hybrid offered after a moment. “Nice to meet you?”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Johnny replied, giving Jaehyun his warmest smile. “It’s a little loud in here for reading, isn’t it?”

Jaehyun blinked. “Huh? Oh, I guess, yeah. I kinda just tune it all out.”

“You sound like Johnny,” Taeyong said with a laugh. “He’s always spacing out, especially when he’s working on his novel. It’s hard to get him to snap back to the real world when he’s in the zone.”

“You’re a writer?” Jaehyun’s eyes flitted over to Johnny, intrigued.

“Ah, yeah,” Johnny replied bashfully, scratching the back of his head. “I write sci-fi and fantasy.”

“He wrote the Dreams Come True trilogy,” Taeyong offered helpfully. “It’s this series about an astronaut who—”

“I know,” Jaehyun interrupted, and flushed immediately afterwards. He didn’t apologize, but he leaned over to rummage through a small bin of books and pulled out a battered copy of When Stars Align, the first book in Johnny’s trilogy. Judging by the creases in the cover, it had been read several times. Johnny had met countless people who had read his books, but he felt strangely touched by seeing how well-loved this particular copy was. “It’s one of my favourites.”

“It’s one of my favourites too,” Taeyong said with a grin. “So you really like reading? What else are you into?”

Jaehyun stared at Taeyong for a moment, looking confused as to why he was asking, but eventually he mumbled out an answer, shrinking into his oversized hoodie.

“Sorry, I couldn’t hear you.” Taeyong leaned in closer, nothing but earnest.

“Fashion,” Jaehyun repeated louder, face turning red and he pulled his legs closer to his chest, a perfect mirror of Taeyong’s favourite defensive position. Johnny smiled despite himself -- Jaehyun and Taeyong clearly had a lot in common. He heard yelling, and turned to observe the game behind him as the hybrids scrambled to grab one of the spoons sitting in the center of the circle. Then he noticed Kun waving at him to step into the hall. Looking back at Taeyong and Jaehyun who were poring over an old GQ magazine, he figured his presence wouldn’t be missed, so he carefully made his way over to where Kun was standing, and they exited into the hall.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to know if you wanted to meet the hybrids in the other rooms,” Kun said with an apologetic smile.

“Ah.” Johnny looked back at Taeyong and Jaehyun, their heads bent together, pale silver contrasting honey brown. “I think we’re okay here.”

“Your husband has taken quite a liking to our Jaehyun, it seems,” Kun said warmly.

“They have a lot in common, I think,” Johnny chuckled. “They bonded over their love for the same books.”

Kun sighed. “Jaehyunnie really loves to read, I wish we had more books to give him. Everything we have here at the centre was donated by local libraries, but we don’t get donations very often.”

Johnny grimaced sympathetically, knowing how difficult it was to run a non-profit organization. Albeit he was distracted, too busy watching his husband interact with Jaehyun to respond. Taeyong was already seated next to Jaehyun in the giant beanbag, pressed against his side. Jaehyun didn’t seem to mind the contact at all. “Can you tell me more about Jaehyun?”

“Sure,” Kun said easily, also watching Taeyong and Jaehyun. “He was rescued when he was maybe ten? And he turned eighteen this past February. We’re not sure what breed he is, but we suspect a mix of border collie and german shepherd.”

“He doesn’t really…” Johnny trailed off.

“Act like a hybrid?” Kun smiled wryly. “No, he doesn’t. And that’s why he’s been here for the past eight years. People come in here looking for a pet, or someone that resembles one and is still able to take care of themselves. Nobody wants a dog hybrid that doesn’t act like a dog, and especially not one as big as Jaehyun.”

“He seems sweet, though.”

“He really is.” Kun looked so fond, his eyes softening as he looked at Jaehyun who was gesticulating wildly as he spoke to Taeyong. “He’s so gentle, but sometimes he doesn’t know his own strength and he breaks things. He has lots of hobbies, and he’s pretty good at everything he tries. He’s very passionate about his interests, and he loves playing with the younger pups around here.”

“I want him,” Johnny blurted out, then slapped a hand over his mouth. “Um, I mean--”

“Do you really?” Kun asked, eyes shining.

“If he wants to come home with us,” Johnny said softly, “then I would love to have him. Also, I can’t imagine that separating Taeyong from him would be easy. My husband gets attached very quickly.”

“If you want to adopt Jaehyun,” Kun said, “there are some things we’ll need to go through. He’s not like other hybrids, he’s been through a lot.” Johnny nodded in understanding; he imagined so as soon as he learned that Jaehyun had been here for eight years. “My office is around the corner. Why don’t you get Taeyong and meet me there? I’d like you to know about Jaehyun before you decide? I don’t want to get his hopes up.”

“Of course,” Johnny said, looking at Taeyong and Jaehyun again. “But I doubt you could get us to change our minds.”

“I’m nervous,” Jaehyun said, running his fingers through his hair as he paced up and down the living room. The strands stuck up messily, making him look adorable. It took everything in Johnny to not fawn over him.

“You sound just like Taeyong,” Johnny laughed from where he was seated on the couch. “Everything’s gonna be fine, you have nothing to worry about.”

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Jaehyun whined, throwing himself on the couch next to Johnny, pressing half in his lap. Jaehyun always forgot that he was too big to curl up on Johnny’s thighs, but Johnny let him do it anyway, careful not to get Jaehyun’s hair in his mouth. He reached up and petted Jaehyun’s ears soothingly.

“Of course, he’ll like you baby,” Johnny assured him. Jaehyun sighed, one hand coming up to fiddle at his collar. They had bought it a few months ago, but it had been Jaehyun’s choice instead of their own. It made him feel safer, and Johnny and Taeyong wanted nothing more than for Jaehyun to feel safe and loved in their home. “What’s not to like?”

“What if he thinks I smell weird?” Jaehyun asked, worrying at his lip.

“You worry too much,” Johnny said, booping Jaehyun’s nose and laughing when he scrunched his face. “Mark is gonna love you, and you’ll be able to play together!”

“Maybe we can cook something!” Jaehyun suggested. He was always eager to cook -- apparently, their kitchen was twice the size of the one at the adoption centre, and Jaehyun loved to cook. Ever since they adopted him two months ago, it was hard to convince him to leave the kitchen. He always wanted to cook or bake, and Taeyong of course indulged him, buying him all the ingredients he desired. Taeyong had started coming home from work earlier so they could cook dinner together.

“Ah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Johnny blanched, remembering how last week Mark had burned an egg so badly. Sicheng had to throw out the pan he used. “Maybe you guys can do puzzles together.”

Jaehyun, like Mark, loved puzzles. Taeyong had bought Jaehyun three custom 500 piece puzzles since he moved in and officially became part of the family. He was also a fan of sudoku and riddles. He was addicted to the mobile Professor Layton game, and had been glued to his new phone for almost a week trying to complete it. Johnny wondered if he spoiled Jaehyun too much, but then he remembered how Taeyong had bought Jaehyun a Nintendo Switch because Jaehyun thought the Animal Crossing game was cute, and he realized he wasn’t that bad. Still, Jaehyun deserved to be spoiled, and he never seemed to let it get to his head.

“Johnny?”

“Oh, sorry baby,” Johnny said, smiling apologetically. “I spaced out.”

“It’s okay.” Jaehyun squirmed on Johnny’s lap, rearranging himself so he was more comfortable. His fluffy tail draped over the edge of the couch, and Johnny couldn’t resist running his fingers through the soft fur. “Do you think…do you think we could go visit Kun next week?”

“Oh, of course we can! I’ll call him and find out when he’s free. You miss him a lot?” Jaehyun nodded, ears flattening against his skull as he stuck his lower lip out in a pout.

“He texts me a lot but it’s not the same,” Jaehyun sighed. He looked at Johnny in horror, eyes going wide. “Um, not that I don’t like it here, I really do! I just miss him a lot and—“

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re fine. You spent eight years with Kun, of course you’re gonna miss him. It’s totally understandable.”

“So you’re not mad?” Jaehyun’s tail swished nervously as he sat up, straddling Johnny’s thighs.

“I could never be mad at you,” Johnny promised. When Kun had told him that Jaehyun would require a lot of reassurance and affection, he hadn’t realized just how much. He couldn’t say he minded at all, providing love and care for his attention-starved hybrid. He had already finished his fourth novel and wasn’t planning to go on a book signing tour until the fall, so he was pretty much free to laze around at home and snuggle his baby. Taeyong was also working less, wanting to come home and play with Jaehyun more than he wanted to get a headstart on the next week’s paperwork.

Adopting Jaehyun and integrating him in their lives was everything Johnny had dreamed of. The days when Taeyong went to work didn’t feel so lonely anymore. Their enormous bed was warmer with Jaehyun sleeping between them even though he had his own room. They went for walks every day, solved puzzles or played games together, made breakfast for Taeyong in their pajamas, trying new foods at the market. Even their friends loved Jaehyun, who was silly and sweet and endearingly clumsy. Of course it wasn’t all perfect (Jaehyun had a tendency to break things when he got excited, and he was afraid of thunderstorms) but that was what made it feel even more special as they watched Jaehyun learn and grow right in front of their eyes.

It was last week when Johnny realized that Jaehyun needed to have hybrid friends. He visited the centre sometimes, but he refused to go anywhere alone and Johnny didn’t always have the time to take him. He had spent eight years alongside several other hybrids, it wasn’t healthy to keep him cooped up at home. And so Yuta had suggested that he bring Mark over for a playdate. Sicheng and Taeyong were hesitant at first, but quickly agreed when they saw how excited Jaehyun was at the prospect of a new friend.

“Mark’s really excited too,” Sicheng had said over the phone last night. “He’s friends with Donghyuck and Renjun, the kitties next door, but he doesn’t have any puppy friends.”

“Bring him over tomorrow,” Johnny had suggested. “I’m free all day, I can watch over them both.”

“Great, now Yuta and I can finally go get that couples’ massage,” Sicheng had said cheerfully before hanging up.

Now, they were waiting for Yuta to drop Mark off, and Jaehyun was, as he said earlier, nervous. It was cute, how desperate he was to make a good impression. Jaehyun was thrumming with nervous energy, climbing off Johnny’s lap to pace around the house again. Johnny scrolled through his social media, looking up whenever Jaehyun walked into the living room.

Yuta 11:32 am

Almost there! Siri send the message send the message fuck you Siri you useless piece of shit

To: Yuta 11:34 am

don’t hurt Siri’s feelings like that

Yuta 11:35 am

Maybe if she did her job

Johnny laughed, imagining Yuta driving and swearing at his phone propped up on the dashboard. Jaehyun padded into the living room again, flopping on the couch belly-up with his head on Johnny’s thigh.

“They’re almost here,” Johnny informed him, to which Jaehyun whined and rolled over to hide his face in Johnny’s stomach. “Why are you so worked up, pup?”

Jaehyun sighed. “I dunno, I feel like. Yuta and Sicheng are your best friends and Mark is like family to you. It’s important to me that he likes me.”

“Mark likes everyone,” Johnny said, pushing his hand into Jaehyun’s hair. “As long as you don’t, like, bite him or anything I think you’ll be okay.”

Silence for a moment, and then, “what if he thinks I’m stupid?”

Johnny’s hand stilled. “Why would he think you’re stupid?”

“Well, I only know how to read and write,” Jaehyun explained quietly. “I don’t know how to do all the math stuff, we only learned the basics. Kun tried to teach me some stuff, but I was the oldest there, it was hard for him to give me independent lessons.”

“You’re not stupid,” Johnny said firmly. “Just because you haven’t learned something yet doesn’t mean you don’t have the capacity to learn it. I can get you a tutor if you’d like, and you can do lessons from home.”

“You’d do that for me?” Jaehyun asked, and Johnny’s heart melted as he bent down to kiss Jaehyun’s forehead, pushing his bangs out of his eyes.

“Of course. Anything you ask for,” Johnny promised. “But Jaehyun, I have a question. Yuta and Sicheng adopted Mark from the same centre where we got you. You were there for eight years, you never met him?”

Jaehyun’s eyes darkened. “Mark was only there for a week before he was adopted by your friends. In that week I was very sick, and I was in the hospital.”

Johnny frowned. “Was it pneumonia?”

He remembered reading about it in the file given to him by Kun, but Taeyong was the one who had memorized the folder cover to cover.

Jaehyun nodded. “Kind of like pneumonia, but only hybrids can get it. I was actually angry when I came back. Mark is about a year younger than me. I thought that maybe if I had been there, Yuta and Sicheng would have adopted me instead. But I got over it quickly, because I realized that I didn’t want any other hybrid to feel unwanted like I did. And besides,” Jaehyun added, “I have you and Taeyong now.”

“Yes you do,” Johnny affirmed, pulling Jaehyun upright for a hug. Jaehyun snuffled into his neck, then gasped, ears twitching as he yanked out of Johnny’s hold.

“Oh my god, they’re here,” Jaehyun said, and a second later Johnny heard the sound of tires on the driveway. “I wish Taeyong was home.”

Johnny snickered. “He had to go to work baby.”

“I know, I know,” Jaehyun sighed, then yelped as the front doorbell rang, tumbling off of the couch. Johnny chuckled at his antics, stepping over his bulky frame and walking over to the front door. He braces himself as he pulled it open, and sure enough it was only a split second before a blur of black and blue launched itself into his arms, nearly sending them both flying.

“Johnny!”

“Hi Mark!” Johnny laughed, holding the puppy hybrid steady. He was dressed in an oversized blue hoodie that was definitely Yuta’s, and it made him look tiny. “Did you miss me?”

“I thought he was gonna jump out of the car before it stopped moving,” Yuta laughed, and Johnny pulled away from Mark to hug his best friend. “Thanks for offering to watch him, Winwinnie really wants to go to this spa thing. We can’t manage a weekend retreat so this is our only option.”

“I can’t go ‘cause I’m not hypoallergenic,” Mark said dejectedly, sticking out his lower lip.

“We have a hot tub outside,” Johnny said, pointing to the glass sliding doors at the pool and hot tub combination that they rarely used. “We can clean it out and you can play with Jaehyun.”

“Where is Jaehyun?” Yuta asked, and Jaehyun’s head popped up from behind the couch. Mark froze, sniffing the air as he hid behind Johnny to stare at Jaehyun.

“Jae, come here baby,” Johnny called, patting his thigh. Jaehyun slowly crept out from behind the couch, eyes downcast and tail portraying his nerves. Johnny cooed internally, taking Jaehyun’s arm and guiding him closer. “Mark, this is Jaehyun.”

“Hello,” Jaehyun said, whisper-soft as he shuffled his feet nervously.

“Hi,” Mark said back, losing his usual rambunctiousness and reverting back to the quiet hybrid Johnny had found sitting in his kitchen the first time they met. “Can I come closer?”

Johnny watched as Jaehyun seemed to contemplate for a moment before nodding slowly. Mark approached him carefully, stepping close to sniff at Jaehyun’s neck, then at his hair while Jaehyun stood stock still.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Mark licked a tiny stripe up Jaehyun’s cheek. Jaehyun yelped, jumping back almost three feet, one hand flying up to touch his cheek.

“Why did you lick me?!”

“I’m a dog!”

“You’re also a human and humans don’t lick each other!”

“Yes they do! Yuta and Winwin lick each other all the time!”

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Yuta told Johnny. “Good luck!”

And before Johnny could say a word, Yuta slipped out the front door, shutting it behind him. Not even a minute passed before Johnny could hear him pulling out of the driveway. Johnny rolled his eyes, planning to bitch at Yuta later, and turned back to the situation at hand.

“Jaehyun, why don’t you show Mark your puzzle collection?”

Mark gasped. “You have a puzzle collection?!”

Jaehyun flushed. “Um, yeah. It’s not really extensive or anything but I like puzzles.”

Mark was practically vibrating with excitement. “Show me, show me, show me!”

And to Johnny’s surprise, Jaehyun took Mark’s hand and led him upstairs presumably to his bedroom without even sparing a glance at Johnny. He smiled to himself, resolving to keep an ear open as he got a head start on dinner.

Taeyong 11:53 am

yuta told me he dropped off markie!!! fingers crossed that they get along, our jaehyunnie needs friends kkkk

To: Taeyong 11:54 am

i don’t think that’ll be a problem

Johnny and Taeyong returned to the van, arms laden with snacks. Yuta and Sicheng were still in the bathroom, and Jaehyun and Mark were passed out in the backseat, heads pressed together.

The trip had been Taeyong’s idea. Johnny needed inspiration for his next novel, Taeyong was drained from the launch of their new clothing line, and Yuta and Sicheng desperately wanted some time off. So they rented out a beach house for two weeks, planning to do nothing but relax in the sun and play in the waves.

“I’ve never been to the beach before!” Jaehyun had said when they were first deciding on where to go. Johnny had taken one look at the way his eyes sparkled and booked the AirBnB for the third and fourth week of July. Taeyong had been almost as excited as Jaehyun, and Johnny had to deal with their hyperactivity as they practically bounced off the walls on the days leading up to their trip.

This morning, they had woken up early and piled into the massive van that Sicheng had rented, and Johnny was currently driving them halfway across the state to get to the beach.

“I think I got everything,” Taeyong huffed, rummaging through the bags. Johnny managed to refrain himself from commenting on the sixteen boxes of strawberry Pocky that Taeyong had bought, but just barely. “Jaehyunnie likes ginger ale, right?”

“Yeah. Did you remember to get Winwinnie’s yakult?”

“It’s somewhere in one of these bags. Why did I buy four bags of jerky?”

“You bought four? I only saw you put one in the cart.”

“Well I must have gotten more because there’s four in this bag,” Taeyong sighed, dumping all the snacks into the bin that Yuta had been resting his legs on. “Maybe we shouldn’t have shopped for snacks unsupervised.”

Johnny gave him a look that read you think? before rounding the van and climbing into the driver’s seat. Somehow through all that ruckus, Mark and Jaehyun were still fast asleep.

“They’re so adorable,” Taeyong cooed as he sat down in the passenger seat, pulling out his phone to snap several pictures. “God, where are Yuta and Sicheng? Are they dying? Can we just leave without them?”

“Calm down, babe, they’re right there,” Johnny said, and sure enough, Yuta violently yanked open the van door, shaking the whole vehicle. “Yo chill out, this is a rental!”

“It’s not gonna break,” Yuta sniffed, hopping into the middle seat. Sicheng followed after, closing the door much more delicately than his other half. “Did you get the snacks?”

“They’re in the bin under your feet,” Taeyong said, and Yuta flung his legs over Sicheng’s lap to poke through the bin until he found his favourite seaweed snacks. “Put your seatbelt on!”

“Ugh, fine.” Johnny rolled his eyes as Yuta sat up properly and put his seatbelt on. “How much longer ‘til we get there?”

“About an hour,” Johnny replied. “We’d be there earlier if you didn’t take so long in the bathroom.”

“You’re one to talk, you were in the store for like twenty minutes before Yuta and I went to pee,” Sicheng retorted.

“Maybe we wouldn’t have taken so long if we didn’t have to get all of Yuta’s obscure snacks!”

“If you guys don’t stop arguing I’m gonna make you walk to the beach,” Taeyong snapped, and the three of them immediately shut up, struggling to stifle their giggles. Johnny reached over to turn on the music, a carefully cultivated road trip playlist that he and Yuta had spent three hours putting together.

Jaehyun and Mark woke up a few minutes later, rolling down the windows to stick their heads out and bark at passing cars and raiding the snack bin while Taeyong and Sicheng dramatically sang “Just Give Me A Reason” by P!nk. Despite all the noise, Yuta passed out against the window of the van, and Sicheng spent ten minutes trying to lift his head up enough to slide a pillow underneath.

Johnny kept driving, rubbing at his temple with one hand. Taeyong noticed and handed him a Tylenol, then dug around in his bag for a pair of sunglasses that he slid onto Johnny’s face to combat the blazing sun.

By the time they got to the beach house and unloaded all their stuff, Johnny was exhausted, but seeing how relaxed Yuta, Taeyong, and Sicheng were — and how happy Jaehyun and Mark looked — made everything worth it.

Yuta found the key in one of the potted plants, exactly where the owner said it would be, and stomped inside with the snack bin, whooping and hollering. Sicheng followed with two of their suitcases, and Mark and Jaehyun trailed after them with the rest of their bags, leaving Johnny and Taeyong standing on the porch that wrapped around the front of the house.

“It’s beautiful,” Taeyong said, looking out at the water with a smile that rivaled the sun. “Thanks for taking us here.”

“Of course,” Johnny answered, wrapping his arms around Taeyong’s waist. “Anything for my family.”