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The first time Jeno met Mark, he was just a kid, and Mark was just a cub. Mark hadn’t liked the way Jeno intruded on his personal space, and Jeno hadn’t understood the concept of personal space. It ended with Jeno accidentally stomping on Mark’s tail and Mark sinking his teeth in Jeno’s arm. He had to get stitches, the cuts were so deep.
Jeno, when he got older, understood that Mark was just defending himself — that his trauma had led him to believe that Jeno was attacking him, that he had been scared — but at the time he was afraid of Mark. Afraid, and resentful.
His uncle always preferred Mark. Between an ordinary human child dumped on him by neglectful parents, and a lion hybrid cub worth millions of dollars, there was a clear winner. His uncle was never cold or cruel, so Jeno didn’t really care. The nanny, housekeeper, and cooks all loved him more anyway, so what did it matter?
It never occurred to him that they were afraid of Mark.
“Have you considered selling him?” Linda, Jeno’s nanny-turned-PA, asked him in a hushed whisper one afternoon. They were standing in the dining room, staring at Mark through the glass doors that led to the backyard. The lion hybrid was sprawled in the grass, basking in the hot sun.
“What?” Jeno whispered back, despite the fact that there was no one else in the house.
“Lion hybrids are worth millions these days,” Linda informed him, “especially adult males. You could even sell him to the military.”
Jeno shook his head. It was true that the market price for exotic hybrids had skyrocketed in the last few years, but there was no way he would sell Mark. Especially not to the military. “He’s family. I could never do that to him.”
Linda glanced outside again warily, as if Mark could hear them from all the way at the back of the garden, before shaking her head and disappearing.
She quit two days later, claiming she felt unsafe with such a dangerous hybrid around. Jeno simply rolled his eyes and replaced her the next day, uncaring of the history between them.
Her replacement, Renjun, was a much better PA anyway.
🦁
Jeno was stressed out.
When his uncle was still alive, Mark mostly stayed in the master suite. It was practically a mini apartment within the manor, so he never needed to come out except to venture into the yard.
But Mark didn’t like being in the master suite, and Jeno understood. It was too painful, too soon after his uncle’s death. His uncle was the only one who loved Mark after all. Jeno didn’t see it as an issue — this was Mark’s home as much as it was Jeno’s. Why would he care if Mark wanted to roam around freely?
Evidently, it was a problem. Not for him, no, but for the staff. Most of them had quit upon finding out that Jeno was refusing to sell the lion hybrid, but also refused to chain him up or restrict his movements. Jeno didn’t really need staff, but the house was huge, and difficult to clean by himself. He didn’t have much time to cook, or do housework, or maintain the yard and the pool. But every person he called would refuse his job offers when he mentioned that there was a lion hybrid living in the manor. It didn’t matter that Mark had all the certification, his shots were up to date, and that he had taken six years of obedience training. They were still scared of him.
Jeno sighed, running a hand through his hair as he abandoned his computer in favour of exiting his study, heading downstairs and straight to the kitchen. He paused in the doorway when he saw Mark sitting on the counter with flour staining his cheeks and nose. Renjun was there too, an apron tied around his waist as he shoved something in the oven, laughing at Mark, who was smiling so widely Jeno was almost taken aback.
“Hey!” Renjun greeted when he noticed Jeno standing in the doorway. “Mark and I were just baking some pie.”
“Apple pie,” Mark said proudly, puffing up his chest.
“Mark picked them himself,” Renjun praised, reaching over to pinch Mark’s cheek. Jeno just stared. One time, he tried to take a piece of lint out of Mark’s hair, and he had tried to bite Jeno’s hand off.
“Speaking of,” Jeno began, “do you think you could help me find a new gardener?”
Renjun grimaced lightly; he knew why Jeno was having a hard time hiring new staff. “Of course. I’ll get right on it.”
“No, no. Take your time,” Jeno insisted. “I’m looking forward to having some of that pie.”
Renjun smiled softly. “It’ll be ready in about half an hour.”
Jeno heaved a big sigh. “I guess I better go do some work. Don’t burn my house down.” Renjun just giggled, so Jeno turned away. He only made it a few steps before he heard Mark say something that had him stopping in his tracks.
“The staff… they quit because they’re afraid of me?” And he sounded so sad that Jeno’s heart broke.
“No, of course not, Mark,” he heard Renjun say. He was lying, though, and Mark knew it. He was incredibly perceptive for a hybrid. It was both a blessing and a curse. Jeno sighed internally and headed back upstairs, opening yet another cleaning service ad with renewed vigor.
There had to be someone who wasn’t scared of lions.
🦁
Evidently there was.
A young couple that worked as a gardener/cleaner duo. Jeno, exhausted and frustrated, had begun the interview with, “how do you feel about working in proximity to a lion hybrid?”
Jaemin, the gardener, had leaned over the table of the cafe with poorly concealed interest. “As in, the hybrid would be working with us?”
“No.” Jeno shook his head. “He lives in the manor. Sometimes he roams the grounds, but very rarely. He’s good with strangers.”
“Is he aggressive?” Donghyuck, Jaemin’s partner and the housekeeper, asked.
“No, he’s quite docile,” Jeno replied.
Donghyuck frowned. “Sorry, I’m just a little confused. Why would we have a problem with a docile hybrid?”
Jeno smiled and crumpled up his list of questions. “You’re hired.”
🦁
Mark loved Jaemin and Donghyuck.
He had been anxious at first, cautiously sniffing around wherever they were working, hesitant to approach. If they got too close or moved too fast, he would hunch down and bare his teeth. But after a few days, he slowly crept closer, curious as to what they were doing.
Jeno caught him in the living room while Donghyuck was cleaning. His eyes were darting back and forth, gaze focused on the feather duster in Donghyuck’s hand as he swept it over the bookshelf. His tail was swishing back and forth, and Jeno wondered if he planned to attack it. Sometimes, Mark was more like a house cat than a lion.
He was about to walk past when he saw Mark get up and place a hand on Donghyuck’s elbow, stopping him from dusting. Jeno quickly hid behind the door frame to see what Mark would do. It was the first time he had seen Mark willingly touch anyone besides Renjun.
“Can you read this to me?” Mark asked, his voice so soft that Jeno had to strain to hear him. He reached up and pulled a book down from the shelf, but Jeno couldn’t see which one it was.
Donghyuck glanced at his watch, then turned back to Mark with a smile. “My lunch break is in five minutes, can you wait until then?”
And Jeno watched Mark nod eagerly, scampering over to the couch to curl up on the cushions with the book in his hands as he waited for Donghyuck to finish his dusting. He couldn’t hold back his smile as he walked away from the living room, heading into the kitchen to get started on lunch for everyone.
He had made the right decision, hiring Donghyuck and Jaemin. He never imagined that he would find someone so good at their job and also willing to spend their lunch break reading to a hybrid.
And it wasn’t just Donghyuck. Jaemin also treated Mark like he was something precious. Jeno had been standing on his balcony, finishing up a phone call with a potential investor, when he saw Jaemin and Mark together in the garden. Jaemin had placed a crown of daisies on Mark’s head, careful to avoid touching his ears. Mark had sneezed so loudly, Jeno could hear it from upstairs, then shook his head like a wet dog while Jaemin laughed and laughed. They were adorable together, and Jeno was so happy that Mark had more people who cared about him.
It stung a little when Mark still avoided him or flinched away from him but it was fine. He would just have to remember that for all Mark liked Renjun, Jaemin, and Donghyuck, he still didn’t feel comfortable around Jeno.
🦁
Jeno was stressed.
It had been a long, long day, where half of the computers at the office had shut off due to a blown fuse and many people lost their work. Calling in an electrician and then helping the IT desk fix the computers in the Marketing department had taken up most of his day, and he followed that up with four hours of paperwork and filing. It was late, he was hungry, and he was stressed because it seemed like there were never enough hours in a day to get everything done.
He dragged himself into the kitchen, unwilling to turn on the lights, and used the last of his remaining energy to take out a bottle of wine. He was too tired to get a glass, so he just slumped in the closest chair and uncorked the bottle, sighing as he sagged against the table. He pressed his cheek to the cool surface and wondered if he could drink his wine like this.
He probably shouldn’t try. He’s wearing Armani and also if he choked on wine and died, Mark would probably just leave his body in the kitchen. Jeno chuckled to himself, though his chuckles died out when he remembered that, oh yeah, Mark still hated him.
It wasn’t like Jeno didn’t try. He tried so hard to reach out to Mark all the time. Bringing him presents, offering to read to him, making all of his favorite foods. He remembered all the things Mark liked and asked him about them, but Mark usually just gave him a blank stare and ran away to another room.
Jeno sighed and sat up, propping his elbow on the counter and resting his cheek in his hand, bringing the bottle up to his lips. Tomorrow was Saturday, he reasoned as he drank. He could let loose for one night.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but suddenly he was blinking awake, facedown on the table. He was definitely tipsy at the very least, but when he squinted he could see the outline of the bottle on the tabletop. Thank God he didn’t drop it, or Donghyuck would give him a hard time when the wine inevitably stained the tiles.
He wondered what had woken him up, and turned to see Mark standing near the table, his tail swishing behind him as he eyed Jeno carefully. If Jeno wasn’t drunk, he would have shrieked and toppled off the chair in fright, but his brain was sluggish, so it took a few seconds for him to register that Mark was there.
“Mark?” Jeno mumbled sleepily. “Did you need something?”
Mark took a step back and Jeno almost sighed again. “You’re sleeping in the kitchen.”
“I fell asleep,” Jeno admitted, straightening up. His back cracked painfully and Mark startled, his ears pressing flat against his head. “Sorry.”
“You should sleep in your room,” Mark told him matter-of-factly.
“I will, thanks,” Jeno replied, getting up from his chair and making sure to give Mark a wide-berth so he wouldn’t flinch back. He padded to his room and collapsed on the bed, too exhausted to even consider getting undressed.
It occurred to him, as his eyes fell shut, that he and Mark just held the longest conversation they’ve had since Jeno became the owner of the house.
🦁
Of all the things that could have brought them closer together, Jeno didn’t think it would be an earthquake.
It wasn’t huge, and their home was as structurally sound as you could get, but it did knock a few things down. One of them being the flatscreen TV sitting precariously on the television stand in the living room. Outdated, sure, but Jeno hadn’t bothered to replace it because Mark was the only one who used the TV and he seemed perfectly fine with it.
The quake happened at night, and the whole house had trembled. Jeno had heard the sound of shattering glass in his half-asleep daze, and had the foresight to crawl out of bed and roll underneath just in case. He ended up feeling pretty ridiculous when nothing happened, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
It was only when he had gotten up from the floor did he remember that he wasn’t the only occupant in the house. He ran to the guest bedroom, where Mark had been sleeping ever since his uncle had died, and found Mark cowering under the bed. He expected the fearful snarl as Mark bared his teeth, clearly terrified, but what he didn’t expect was for the muscular hybrid to leap into his arms, trembling all over.
“Mark?” Jeno said softly, but Mark just clung to him tighter, making tiny whining noises from the back of his throat. Jeno waited patiently, though his arms ached from where he was holding Mark’s legs up around his waist. He felt claws at his back, digging into his shirt, and winced. “Shh, it’s okay, you’re safe. It’s okay.”
Mark was breathing raggedly in his ears, and Jeno could feel his heart hammering in his chest where it was pressed to Jeno’s own. He didn’t seem like he was going to let go any time soon so Jeno took a careful step, then another when Mark didn’t react. He slowly made his way into his own bedroom. Some things had fallen off the shelves and dresser, but luckily nothing had broken, so he could focus on gently setting Mark down onto the bed.
He tried to pull away, to get an extra blanket and maybe turn the light on and clean up a little, but Mark yanked at his shirt, his strength sending Jeno toppling down until they were pressed together. Jeno, eyes wide, stilled as Mark wriggled around until he was completely beneath Jeno.
It took a long time for Mark to stop trembling, and even longer for him to fall asleep, his hands still gripping Jeno’s shirt.
Jeno was cold, but he didn’t dare try to get up and risk waking Mark. The poor thing was very obviously terrified, and it was a miracle that he managed to fall back asleep.
And he had to admit that he was just a little bit pleased that Mark felt safe around him. That, or he was using Jeno as a shield in case anything else fell down on them.
🦁
Something shifted between them.
It wasn’t like Mark grew fond of him overnight, no matter how scared he was, but he wasn’t hostile anymore. He could stand to be in the same room as Jeno, now, and even spoke to him on occasion.
The next day was spent shopping for things that had to be replaced in the house. Jeno had hired a cleaning service and taken Mark out to the shopping center, not wanting him around all the broken glass.
They picked out other things, too. Mark was particularly fond of shiny things, and Jeno was so elated that he didn’t hesitate to buy them for him. They had chicken skewers for lunch, and when they went home, the whole house was spotless.
Mark disappeared immediately, and Jeno was left to his own devices. He ordered a new TV and paid for next day delivery, deciding on a wall mounted flatscreen. He’d have to remove the old stand, but he could deal with that later.
He put everything away and got started on dinner. Sometimes he wished that Renjun, Jaemin, and Donghyuck lived here too, because it got lonely with all the empty space. This house was too big for two people.
Especially when the only other occupant went out of his way to avoid him.
Jeno blinked at his cutting board. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true anymore. Mark had been much more social these days, and they actually spent time together now.
He smiled to himself as he scraped the veggies he’d been chopping into the pan, and smiled harder when Mark came out to eat with him.
Maybe they were finally getting along.
🦁
The new TV arrived the next day, but Mark didn’t seem to care much for it. In fact, he seemed more interested in the giant box it came in.
Jeno left him in the living room as he sniffed at the box, wandering into the kitchen for a bag of chips. He should eat a proper meal, but he had so much paperwork to do that cooking felt like too much of a chore. He wished Renjun was here, but he gave his PA the weekend off.
He came back into the living room just in time to see Mark climbing into the empty box. It was so big that when he sat at the bottom only his round ears poked out.
Jeno stifled a laugh, not wanting Mark to get embarrassed, and quickly snapped a picture on his phone before creeping out of the room.
It seemed that the “if I fits, I sits” rule applied to scary hybrids too.
🦁
“You’re our son, you have to help us.”
Jeno fidgeted nervously. He had sent Renjun and Mark outside when his parents had shown up to his home. He hadn’t seen them in years, not since they left him at his uncle’s place, but now they wanted his help.
Because they were broke.
It stung a little, despite him trying his best to stay unaffected, that his parents only came back into his life because they wanted something from him.
All his life he thought that if his parents reached out to him, tried to form a connection with him again, that he would happily accept them back into his life.
Now? He’d rather die than give them what they wanted.
“You can’t take Mark,” he told them firmly. “That’s not up for discussion.”
“Don’t you want to help your parents, son?” His father spoke up.
Son. It was weird that they called him that. He wasn’t their son. His uncle was more of a parental figure to him than they were. They still didn’t call him by name. Jeno wondered how they even found out his uncle died and Jeno had inherited everything. They hadn’t even come to his funeral.
“That hybrid is worth millions—“
“His name is Mark,” Jeno said through gritted teeth. “And he’s not for sale.”
“Son, please,” his father insisted. “Your mother and I are in great debt. We need you to help us.”
Jeno closed his eyes. “How much?” He had savings in the bank. He just wanted them to go away. To leave him and Mark alone.
“$7 million.”
His jaw dropped. “I don’t have that much!”
His mother waved her hand impatiently. “Which is why you should sell the lion hybrid, it’s worth millions—“
“He is not going anywhere!” Jeno snapped, cutting her off once again. “In fact, the only one who should be leaving is you. Please leave. Now.”
“You can’t do this,” his father insisted. “We are your parents.”
“No, you’re strangers,” Jeno told them. “Now get out of my house before I call security and have them escort you off the premises.”
He didn’t actually have security, but his parents didn’t know that. They left, thankfully, but he had a feeling they would be back.
It would be pointless of them to even try. Jeno wouldn’t trade Mark for the world.
🦁
Jeno came outside to find Renjun sitting in the grass. Mark was lying in the sun next to him on his stomach, his tail swishing rhythmically. His ears perked up when Jeno approached, but he didn’t turn around.
“Are the bad people gone now?”
Jeno sighed, and turned to Renjun. “Can you leave us alone for now?”
“Sure,” Renjun said easily, getting up and dusting his pants off. Jeno gave him an appreciative smile before he left, then stole his spot in the grass next to Mark.
“They’re gone,” Jeno told him. He wanted to reach out and put a comforting hand on Mark’s back, but he wasn’t sure if he was allowed, so he kept his hands to himself.
Mark sat up, crossing his legs underneath him as he looked at Jeno. “They wanted to take me away.”
Jeno nodded. No point in lying. “Yes, they did.”
“But you didn’t let them.”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
Mark stared at him. “But why?”
Jeno’s heart broke. He didn’t know what to say. “Why would I? You—well first of all you’re not an object. I know there’s a price tag attached to you, and I’m sorry for that, but you can’t just be sold. And second, you’re just… you’re important to me. You’re family! Why would I let them take you away?”
Mark averted his eyes, pulling at the grass by his legs. “I thought you didn’t like me.”
What?
What?
“Mark,” Jeno said desperately, “I love you. Okay? You’re very special to me. What made you think I don’t like you?”
“I hurt you.”
“When?” It dawned on him. “When we were kids? That was an accident, and it was so long ago! I’m over it now. I don’t care anymore.”
In truth, he had completely forgotten about it. The scar had faded until it was barely visible, and Mark wasn’t really aggressive anyway.
“Oh.”
Jeno opened his mouth, but he saw the furrow in Mark’s eyebrows and decided to give him some time, instead examining the daisies beside him. He remembered Jaemin bestowing a crown of daisies upon Mark, and it seemed like it was so long ago.
Finally, Mark spoke again. “Can I have a hug?”
“Of course!” Jeno reached out happily and folded Mark in his arms, resting his chin atop Mark’s head.
“Thank you for wanting me,” Mark said quietly.
Jeno was going to cry.
“Silly lion,” Jeno said, pulling back and booping Mark’s nose, laughing when he scrunched his face. “Who wouldn’t want you?”
🦁
“Jeno, can you bring me that big tray?”
“Yeah, I got it!” Jeno called, grabbing the tray off the counter and heading back outside where Renjun was manning the barbecue. He was grilling shrimp, burgers, and lamb skewers. Jaemin and Mark were cutting up fruit inside, and Donghyuck was currently setting the table on the deck.
“Looks good,” Jeno said happily when Renjun began piling food onto the tray.
“Thank you,” Renjun replied, looking pleased as punch. Jaemin emerged from the house with a big tray of fruit, and they could barely squeeze everything onto the table.
But Mark had wanted a big feast for his birthday, and what Mark wants, Mark gets.
“Where’s the birthday boy?” Jeno asked, just as Mark came bounding out of the house, nearly crashing into Jeno. “Whoa!”
“Sorry!” Mark giggled, and Jeno instantly melted, his lecture forgotten as he pulled out a chair for Mark. He was wearing a paper birthday hat, positioned between his ears and the string tied under his chin. Donghyuck was wearing one, too. Jeno had lost his a couple hours ago. “Can we eat now?”
Renjun laughed, and soon the others joined him, all completely endeared by their lion hybrid. “Of course you can.”
“Thank you for the food!” Mark said before digging in. Jeno just watched him eat for a moment, elated.
Once their bellies were fit to burst, Jeno and Renjun went inside to get the cake, bringing it out to Mark with the candles lit.
“Happy birthday baby!” Jeno set the cake down and ruffled Mark’s hair, knocking the hat askew. “Make a wish!”
“Don’t need to,” Mark said, blowing out the candles without hesitation. “I’ve got everything I ever wanted right here.”