Archive of Our Own ^beta

Kunhang was well aware that people were staring at him. They watched as he walked through the aisles of the grocery store and they gawked whenever he turned around in their general direction. More than once, he had caught elderly people with their eyes glued to his figure even after he had made eye contact and they continued to follow him with a slack jaw until he was out of their sight. It may have been bothersome to anyone else, but Kunhang rather enjoyed the attention and really, it worked in his favour.

Long silk sleeves covered his hands as he walked while the silver bracelets jingled with each step. Honestly, he thought he looked rather nice today and he had even had the time to style his hair. Perhaps it was a waste to dress up just to buy some chicken feed, but he wasn’t someone to overlook any opportunity regardless of how small. Nonetheless, admiring and feeling himself up was not the number one priority (though it sat at a high number 3) and he had things to do.

Passing by the rows of dog and cat food, he finally found the chicken feed tucked away at the back and he was forced to shove his head between 5kg bags of dry cat food to reach it. Luckily, the hanfu he was wearing wasn’t easily dirtied so he wasn’t too bothered about it when he stretched into the dark and dismal depths of the supermarket shelves and tightly curled his fingers around the gold sack. 

Why is it so far back? He thought with a hint of irritation as he managed to pull away and immediately wiped the dust off of his sleeves. Shouldn’t they keep it in the front rather than letting it waste away?

After checking the date and seeing that there was still a good few months left, he let bygones be bygones and held it in one arm as he began to walk again in search of another chicken product. Kunhang passed by the milk, the butter and the cheese before finally getting to the eggs and he pursed his lips, his eyes narrowed as he began to inspect every tray. He would accept nothing less than perfection usually but since his own chickens weren’t laying eggs for reasons unknown to him, he’d have to bite his tongue and settle.

Eventually, after making his way through five cartons of a dozen eggs, he found one that was satisfactory and picked that up also. 

With nothing else he needed, he began to make his way to the front of the store to check out. Of course, there were more stares but he hardly noticed them. Instead, his gaze zeroed in on the person that was working on the self checkout, their countenance young and soft with the young man resembling a little lamb. His hair was slightly curly and his lips seemed to be pulled into a permanent pout that made him look perpetually doe eyed. 

Ah. If there was any sort of person that Kunhang liked to feed with, it would be types like this worker. It had been a long time since he'd sunk his teeth into someone so cute looking. 

With his tail itching to appear and watch behind him in anticipation, he gave the young man (Seojun, according to his name tag) a slight smile before his gaze lingered on him, dark and deep brown eyes dragging up and down Seojun's person before he turned to the machine. 

It was hardly anything difficult but he wanted an excuse to talk to the worker who was standing by, watching to see if anyone was in need of help. 

I’m in need of help, Kunhang amused himself with his own thoughts, eyes connecting with the worker's once again before he scanned something and the ‘please wait for assistance’ screen popped up.

Success.

He walked to where Kunhang was, his head was mostly down, mumbling a soft ‘excuse me’ that was unbearably cute. The scent that lingered on his skin was typical of young men, a woodsy sort of smell that seemed ‘masculine’. Though, even if the smell was rendered unamusing by sheer overuse, he would overlook it if it meant he could gain something otherwise. “Thank you”-his eyes moved to the name tag to feign ignorance-“Seojun.”

This time, a softer flush of pink appeared on the man’s ears that then crawled to his cheeks and Kunhang had sunk in the hook; he needed to drag him to shore.

“You’re welcome.” Seojun didn’t move and Kunhang began to reel the line in. 

“Are you a new worker? I haven’t seen you here before.” He kept his line of vision focused, watching him squirm a little before he nodded.

“I am.” His hand rested on the man’s shoulder, the silver on his fingers glistening under the almost sterile lighting of the store. “I joined last week.”

“Oh? How are you liking it so far?” This was going well!

Seojun shrugged. “It’s okay! It's my first job.”

Okay, that wasn’t too weird. Some people got jobs when they were older because their parents supported them. “You’re in university?”

“No.” Seojun smiled. “I’m in high school.”

Kunhang had never let go of someone so fast in his life, a shiver running down his spine as he stepped away. Any modicum of attraction that he felt instantly disappeared and instead of a pretty little koi fish that he had reeled in, it was a great white shark that stared back at him with sharp, pearlescent teeth bared in a grin. What the hell…

“Oh,” he muttered, hurriedly shoving whatever spare change he had in his pockets into the machine, begging silently for it to hurry up. “That’s nice.”

“Yeah.” Seojun didn’t seem to get the hint, apparently getting over his shyness and moving onto chatter characteristic of a child being validated on their interests. “I wanted to get a job before university and not have to waste time, like, looking for one after.” He took a closer look at what Kunhang was buying. “Do you own chickens?”

“Mhm.” Practically ripping the receipt from the machine, he grabbed the bag and cartons before running away, humiliation and mortification blending together into a mixture that settled in the pit of his stomach.

Only, he barely made it more than five steps before his foot caught in the silken hem of his clothing and he tripped forwards in a mess of flailing arms and fabric. His first instinct was to protect the eggs and the second was to scramble up once he'd made sure they were unharmed. 

"Oh shit, are you okay?" Kunhang stared at the outstretched hand with horror and thinly veiled repulsion. It didn't help that Seojun was leaning closer to try and see if he was hurt. 

He was going to be sick. The bile was already rising-

"I'm fine," he squeaked, the soles of his shoes barely gripping onto the floor with the desperation with which he moved. 

"Are you su-"

"Yes!"

Within the next second, he was up and out, ears flat against his head with the bitter taste of defeat lingering on his tongue. What sort of rotten luck did he possess?

He had never been happier to open the front door of his lovely bungalow. Everything was as he left it and turned were no nasty surprises lying in wait for him; this was what life was supposed to be like - peaceful and full of things that only brought him joy. 

Alas, it seemed that the only living beings that were affected by his inert charms were his beloved chickens. After changing out of his clothing and into something a little more suitable for tending to animals, he had smoothed out the folds and stored it with care. They were what most of his money went into, hence it was deserving of the attention. 

"This is extremely annoying," Kunhang complained out loud, sitting on the chair on the patio that overlooked the five hens and one cockerel. "Do you guys think I've lost my touch?"

Three, maybe four, clubs followed and then some pecks to the ground. 

"Don't all talk at once," he grumbled, cheek resting in his right palm for a moment before he got up. Kunhang walked down the steps and sat on the grass, some of the chickens looked up as he passed by but most ignored him in a manner that was typical of overconfident fowl. 

A hen strutted a little distance away from him and the fox ears on his head twitched in the direction of her steps. She paused to preen herself, head nuzzling against her feathers and Kunhang made a note to give them each a bath later on. 

"Hey, Wol, come here." The hen did as he asked and he scooped her up, placing her on his lap as noises of contentment rumbled in her chest. He ran his fingers through the soft feathers and stroked under her chin. "I had to buy eggs today," he huffed, voice thick with a pout, "I shouldn't have to be doing that when I'm feeding you all such nutritious food." 

Wol's eyes were closed and his tail stopped its gentle wagging, instead falling flat on the grass behind him.

"Young lady, you shouldn't ignore me. Haven't you heard the phrase 'don't bite the hand that feeds you?'" She clucked a little this time and Kunhang buried his face in her wing. The faint and absurd wish that she would lift her wing and shield him with it crossed his mind before he dismissed it with a swift shake of his head. What was he thinking?

Clearly, his spectacular failure at the store had left a lasting impression and even now, hours after the fact, he felt like he would burn up and turn to ash at the idea of recollecting the events. How pathetic. Even an attempt that he thought was going well for once had turned out to be skin-crawlingly awful. 

"Maybe I should get you all a bigger pen. Is it too cramped, hm?" Wol said a whole lot of nothing and he sighed. Perhaps his bad luck was rubbing onto his birds too. 

A few of the girls wandered over, nipping at his thighs and feet in a way that was more ticklish than hurtful. Wol, upon hearing the noise from her fellow penmates, got up and flapped her wings. Kunhang let her down and decided that he was wasting his own time by doing nothing but wallowing. 

He had failed a million times before and the best thing to do was forget about it - just as he had done for the past twelve years. 

So he let them stay in the garden, intending on coming back later to check up on them a final time. He was very lucky that they were all well behaved and usually went into the pen themselves when they were tired.

The stove was switched on and a pot of water was placed. Whenever he felt the slight discomfort in his stomach, he instantly craved eggs. Yes, he could have eaten it raw, which he had done when he was younger, but the texture was too slimy to tolerate and it had made him gag more than once as it slid down his throat. Soft boiled was the way to go. 

With the timer set and another quick glance towards his chickens, he walked to his room and opened the compartment under his bed to pull out the scroll that was neatly rolled up within. 

This scroll was made out of a pure white satin that he had gone through much financial trouble to obtain, so much so that the seller had stared at him with an increasingly concerned look as he pulled out ₩10 coins and piled them up on their stall. This continued for a solid minute, by which point the seller had taken pity on him and told him to quote ‘take it, just take it. Watching you search through your pockets is making me sad’.

It would have been embarrassing had he not been so excited to finally get it. Nonetheless, even with troublesome startup’s aside, it was a project that he had put his whole heart and soul into and had yet to regret.

The satin had images of a small kit, pure white in colour and curled around various flora. Mint flowers and lavender patches tickled its paws and Kunhang had depicted the soft fur of the animal with the lightest of brush strokes and hints of water colour for depth. The further right one looked, the more they would see about the story of this young kit gradually growing and evolving, eventually absorbing enough essence from nature and mastering meditation enough to have a human form - a form that looked exactly like Kunhang. It was his life he was depicting afterall.

Yet, despite the promising start and eventful thirty years after, there seemed to be nothing of note after Kunhang had hit his human age of 40 and physical of 23. There were some depictions of him in his traditional clothing and of his hens (of which he was now on his third set) but nothing truly interesting. 

And that was because whatever charisma he had been given as a Hulijing, or fox spirit, had shrivelled up and died a long time ago. Sure, he was still attractive and would be for the rest of his life if he so chose, but that meant nothing when he couldn't attract even one person to him without it falling through. 

Kunhang pushed his hair out of his face, the strands covering his eyes if left alone, and tied it up quickly to form a little ponytail at the back of his head. He found that having longer hair often got him more looks and he also preferred it when his fringes touched his cheeks. A little vanity here and there had never hurt anyone. 

The paints were brought out and he set everything down on his desk, getting ready to add some more details to the scroll. Since he didn’t have anything new to add, he settled for adding more flowers and adding colour to the background to show the time of day. For his early days, he kept it to lively shades of blue, wanting to capture the feeling he always had of the sun on his fur and the contentment he felt within simply lazing around. The next few decades were tinged with pinks and oranges, sunset shades for the transition. And, lastly, dark purple and midnight hues decorated the fabric behind the chickens and his sleeping figure that was shrouded in darkness. 

With nothing else to add to the scroll, he weighed it down to dry and opened the compartment again to bring out the fans that he had yet to finish. These were something else he liked to do, mostly for entertainment and a hobby besides his phone and watching anime, but they also gave him some sort of income when he sold them on his online shop.

The one he was currently working on depicted a lotus garden with bright flowers that were in various stages of blooming, along with typical birds in the background. They were meant more as an ornament piece rather than something that was actually used.

The timer went off and he got up, running to his boiled eggs and running back with them in tow. 

And so, with his body bent over the desk and his peeled snack at his side, he began to decorate. Each feather light movement of his pencil barely left a mark, just enough for him to know where to go next and where to colour. Rippling and free flowing waters were carved out and lily pads were spread over their expanse. Kunhang’s eyebrows were furrowed together, wrist held flat on his desk while his fingers moved and his imagination did too. 

It wasn’t until he had taken a bite out of his now frigid egg, that he looked at the time and realised that he had practically worked through the night and let the hours get away from him. Seriously, it was a good thing he no longer needed sleep or he would have collapsed the moment he saw it turning 6am and heard the characteristic crowing of his cockerel. Though, his working-through-the-night meant that he had basically finished the front side of the fan and now only needed to wait for it to dry and then do the back. At least when they sold, they did so for a decent price that could sustain him for a month or more if he was truly picking and choosing what to buy. 

He got up with a hefty sigh and cracked his back and joints, doing a few stretches to get blood running to his otherwise numb limbs. Kunhang caught sight of himself in his mirror and he stared with narrowed eyes at how his skin had gotten paler over the years and more translucent, like he hadn’t seen the sun at all. While his brown hair was otherwise voluminous, it didn’t have that shine he wanted and it looked as though it had been dyed a few times rather than being completely healthy. 

The rectification for these issues were easy to achieve in theory, but in practise Kunhang had flopped each and every time he’d gone about a solution. In simple terms, he needed to get laid. In more expansive terms, the energy from nature could no longer fully sustain him and he needed the energy of humans instead. It just so happened that sexual energy and the pleasure they got from more intimate activities was the perfect sustenance.

Well… It would have been if Kunhang could manage to have someone be interested in him.

Letting out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumped and he made his way into the ensuite bathroom to start his skincare routine and once he was satisfied with how he glistened like steamed egg pudding, he went back to his room to pick out his outfit. 

Opening up his wardrobe, he moved each hanfu aside to look for the perfect one. He had worn blue yesterday and today he was in a pink mood.

This one was one he had bought recently, a soft rose in colour with white accents. Embroidery of roses ran up the sleeves and the belt was made of blush tinted georgette. He pulled it on after checking that it was ironed and completely wrinkle free, and brushed his hair. Little clips adorned his locks and he opted to leave his neck bare in favour of wearing more eye-catching earrings. Eventually, he managed to make up his mind and dragged himself out of his room an hour later with the scroll rolled up and put back in its safe place. 

Kunhang really did love making himself look pretty. 

Not quite feeling hungry yet, he decided to feed his chickens first before boiling another egg and maybe making some tea. 

He opened the back door and walked out into the garden, the sun already out and casting light on the pen. Today seemed like a nice day to lay in the sun and do nothing for a while. 

“Chuck already woke you all up, didn’t he?” he asked in a teasing tone as he spread the feed onto the grass, letting them get it at their own pace. Honestly, it was funny watching them run back and forth to wherever he threw the food, racing each other with their heads bobbing. 

Chuck was in his own corner gobbling down whatever he could get, while the other hens were spread around. 

Wol, Hwa, Su, Mog and Chuck.

He frowned.

Wol, Hwa, Su, Mog and Chuck…

“Geum?” Kunhang looked around, not finding the fifth hen outside. He checked the bushes, trees and even the inside of the pen but she was nowhere to be found. “Geum? Where are you?”

Her smell was still present so she hadn’t been gone for too long but Kunhang’s heart felt like it was stopping regardless. How could something have taken her without him knowing? He had a mirage placed around the house so it wasn’t as though a human could have snatched her up, so that left only an animal as the culprit.

He set the bowl down and took to following her smell, hoping that if he was fast enough he could still retrieve her unharmed. Hiking up his hanfu, he climbed over the overgrown grass and opened up the gate. Hwa caught this action and attempted to rush over, but he closed the door in her face and ran away.

When the ears on his head twitched at the sound of birds ahead, he quickly concealed them and the tail that had curled around his waist in anxiety. Having chickens always did pose the threat of other things trying to eat them but the smell of fox deterred them. There were only a few animals that had the gall to pass by regardless and Kunhang felt annoyance stir in his gut; he was going to bite the shit out of that animal.

Eventually, after weaving through different paths and seeing some of her feathers lying on the floor, he reached a residential area and climbed over the fence. The trail ended here and there was a pile of feathers but no sign of Geum.

But, and this was a very big but, Kunhang could distinctly smell a cat .

“Stupid cat,” he hissed under his breath, switching into his fox form instead to prowl and lurk, trying to find where this damned feline was so he could smack it silly. How dare a housecat come and steal his prized pet!

And there it was, a brown and gold cat lounging on the tree with a feather of his precious bird in its jaws. Kunhang climbed up the tree and the cat got up too with its back arched and fur standing up on edge. A ferocious hiss escaped it and Kunhang showed off his teeth (ones that were bright and sparkling, mind you).

“Why are you running? You ate my chicken!” The cat did not respond to his accusation, instead batting at him with its claws out as he approached. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get much closer since the branches of the tree were too thin but he could do a nice job of swatting at it and snapping his jaws. “Hey!”

It began to yowl and hiss, swiping again at him and Kunhang lurched backwards, paws struggling to keep a tight grip on the bark. Suddenly, it came charging straight for him and he yelped in shock, tumbling from the branches with the angry mass of fur beating at him. He was not about to be bested by someone’s temperamental tom cat.

Despite Kunhang being a lot bigger than it was, it was surprisingly vicious and he had to jump up before it left a deep scratch on his face. Kunhang tossed it onto its back, fumbling around with it while it let out horrible high pitched noises that he thought was rather overdramatic. He wasn’t even trying to harm it, just teach it a lesson about stealing other predator’s things.

It was as he was tussling with the furball, its teeth dangerously close to his ears, that he heard a shriek and then suddenly felt pebbles pelting him. “Leon!”

He let go of the cat and it shot off like a rocket, racing away from him and towards the source of the voice. Before he was able to open his eyes, he suddenly felt something smack him.

“Ow! Ow, what the fu-” The stick came down on him once again, smacking him repeatedly over the back and the sides. 

Another scream.

“Stop screaming!”

“Why are you talking? What the fuck?!” It hit him again and he’d had enough, ripping the weapon from the person’s hands and snapping it in half between his teeth. “Oh my god, Leon! Did you summon something?”

“Summon?” Kunhang gaped at the audacity. “Your mannerless cat could never summon me.”

Sick of getting beat up in his fox form and of their incessant screaming, he changed back into a human and glared. Now, he hadn’t been in a good mood since he’d found out Geum was missing, but being scratched at by a cat and then hit didn’t make it any better. “Your cat stole and ate my chicken.”

The owner of ‘Leon’, someone he could now clearly see without the haze of a dirty stick waving about in his vision, was wide eyed in shock. “You’re human?”

“No.”

“...Fox spirit?”

Kunhang nodded. "Hulijing."

"Oh." The woman let out a short laugh. "I must be dreaming."

He sucked on his teeth awkwardly. "So, about my chicken…?"

"Your chicken."

"Yeah." He used the kitchen window as a mirror, fixing the strands of hair that had gotten messy. "Your cat ate her." 

"Leon wouldn't do that."

His eyebrows furrowed and he scoffed. "I saw her feather in its mouth. I spent a long time raising her."

"Um, I'm sorry about your chicken but she's not here."

He wasn't going to take that for an answer. "She was. I can smell her here."

Her eyebrows knitted together in a mirror image of his expression. "Can you? Where is she?"

"In that cat's stomach." It was the cycle of nature, sure, but he couldn't help but feel upset at the fact that he had lost a hen prematurely. He didn't even eat them himself, just reared them for their eggs and made sure they lived in comfort once they could no longer produce any. "You shouldn't let cats outside unsupervised."

The woman turned around to look at the cat that was sitting behind her feet, his eyes slitted as he stared at Kunhang. Even if she didn't believe him now, the cat would inevitably show the evidence of its misdemeanours. "Is this true?" she asked and the cat just hissed.

"I'm sorry," she said finally and he took the opportunity to look her over. Despite the demon of a cat she owned, the woman herself was rather pretty: deep and entrancing eyes, a gentle pout of her lips and every feature of her face was perfect for creating the image of someone easy to look at. "What can I do to make it up to you? I'll pay for the expense."

Kunhang thought of something and even though he was aware that it was a far cry for her to accept, he decided to blurt it out anyway. "There is one thing."

"Yes?"

"Will you sleep with me?"

A moment of silence passed before she reached down to grab another stick and came closer.

He realised her intentions too late. 

The stick met his back and he yelped, jumping up as he clutched the injured spot. Yet, this was fruitless because she was relentless, hitting him wherever she could reach. "You fucking pervert! Did you make up this chicken story just to be a freak!?"

"Wha- Ah! No!" He shielded his face with his hands and stumbled backwards to use the tree as cover. "I wasn't lying! Your cat did chicken-nap my poor Geum. I just thought I'd ask because I haven't eaten in a long time." 

She stopped approaching him, the offensive item lowered from its position above her head. "But you're a Hulijing. Don't you feed from humans?"

"Yes, but they need to be willing." He harrumphed and checked his clothes to wipe off the specks of dirt. "And I haven't had success. But if you're going to give me money as compensation instead, I'll take it." Brown eyes lingered on the stick. "Just stop hitting me, please. I won't ask you to sleep with me again, I promise." And Kunhang never broke his promises. 

"Fine." She dropped the stick and kicked it away. "And what do you mean? Are you picky?"

He coughed. "Not really. I just don't have much luck with anyone."

The feeling of her eyes glossing over his figure was nothing new but somehow it felt more scrutinising and analytical than usual. "Hm. When was the last time?"

This was something he really did not want to admit out loud. "A while."

"Okay, but how long?"

"Why? You said no already."

"Because." Kunhang's mouth opened but no words came out of it. This felt almost cartoonish. 

"-years."

She blinked. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

He repeated it begrudgingly. "-years."

"Mr Hulijing, I can't hear what you're saying."

"Twelve years!" He cringed at how loud he had said it and immediately hid his face. How shameful was it to admit that a spirit that fed off of sexual energy was so devoid of appeal that he had gone over a decade without feeding? The answer was extremely. It was enough to make him wish he had been the one eaten up and shit out instead. 

"Oh." 

Kunhang turned to leave, his day already miserable and he had no intentions of being laughed at by a human. The last thing he would do was hand her the salt to rub in. 

However, just as he was about to change back into a fox and scamper away, he was stopped by a hand on his sleeve. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Anywhere that is not here."

"I didn't give you your compensation." 

"Forget it. That's how life is."

He moved his arm away before he could see the pity in her eyes. Two days in a row now he felt his insides churn due to his own unfortunate actions. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it seem like I was laughing at you. I was asking because I thought I could help you find someone to feed on. Unless, you still want the money?"

Kunhang was definitely being made to play the fool. Why would a random woman offer something like that? Wouldn't it be easier to offer money and then tell him to get lost?

"You don't need to entice me with untrue things."

"I'm being serious. You likely spent a lot of time and effort with Geum and I don't think just money makes up for it. If you accept then I swear to help." Kunhang narrowed his eyes a little. It was definitely a tempting deal and even if his pride took a massive hit, he knew that he had a better chance of success with the help of a person who understood humans more intimately than he did. "What do you say?"

Though, there was one issue. "I can't make a deal without giving something of equal value."

"Huh?" The woman's lips pulled into a line. "I don't need anything. Doesn't it work if I owe you?"

"No."

"I'm not sure what you could do for me." 

Without meaning to, his eyes drifted to Leon's collar and he noticed that the cat had a slight nick on his ear. He did feel bad for injuring it and he had an idea. "What about something for your cat?"

"Huh?" She caught his line of vision and followed it, gasping when she saw the cut and immediately picking him up. "Why would you attack him?"

"I didn't attack him, just roughed him up a little. He's the dramatic one that almost killed me." She huffed at the explanation (and his own melodramatic recollection) but, ultimately, let it go. Leon did deserve it, after all. 

Her fingers went to the collar, playing with it and the tag that stated Leon's name and address. "You're good at protection stuff, right? I'd like a jade charm for my cat."

While it wasn't anything that he specialised in, he was familiar with jade and precious stones. It shouldn't be too hard.

So he smiled and held out his hand, letting her warm one take it. Her grip was surprisingly firm. "It's a deal."

“Mog, is something wrong?” The poor chicken was in distress, sitting in her spot in the pen and not moving even when Kunhang had tried to coax her out with feed in his hand. She clucked quietly, the sound dying in her throat and he feared that he would be losing another hen within the week. “Mog-ah?”

She didn’t want to get up, making sad little noises instead that tugged at his heart and his ears twitched in her direction. 

“Let Baba see what’s wrong.” He reached out his hand and nudged her towards him, letting her come to him of his own accord before he scooped her up in both hands. “Aren’t you hungry?”

He sat on the grass outside of the pen and gently massaged her throat, trying to gauge if it was swollen or not, but since she didn’t squirm from pain he guessed that wasn’t why she wasn’t herself. Lifting her up, he checked her feet but found nothing again and then he moved his hands to her abdomen and instantly recognised the issue - her egg wasn’t coming out. 

“Oh. No wonder you don’t want to eat.” He held her between his knees and his cheat for stability before he began to massage her abdomen. The squirming that ensued was hard to ignore but he managed to hold her down long enough to guide the egg to where it needed to go. "Shh, I know, I know."

Once he'd finished, he put her right back in her little nest and stroked her head before itching under her chin. She would feel better after getting the egg out. 

Kunhang slumped against the pen, his tail coming to curl around his waist and sit in his lap for him to stroke while in thought. He had made the deal to make a jade charm but now that he thought about it, he really didn’t know where to even begin looking. It was definitely out of his price range to buy one outright and he didn’t want to risk getting something counterfeit online. So where was he supposed to source this?

The answer was obvious after a few more seconds of thought: the mines.

What better place to find a precious gem than where they originated from?

He took out his phone and immediately searched up the closest mine before finding one just a few kilometres away from where he was now. There wasn’t much information on it, the website redirecting people to call their number and organise business that way instead. It was extremely annoying, he had to say.

He was looking at the map, trying to figure out a route there when a message popped up on his screen. 

Unknown no: Hey !

Unknown no: is this mr fox spirit?

He was confused for a split second before realising who it was. He had given his number to her before leaving with his head bowed and mortification flooding his being. She was like a stark reminder of how loser-like he could be.

Kunhang: yes it’s me

Kunhang: 🤣 u can call me kunhang

MC: is that your actual name

Kunhang: yh y?

MC: shouldn’t u be more coveted with your name?

A short laugh escaped him at this. 

Kunhang: a name has power but not enough that it would hurt to give it out

MC: fair enough

MC: So.

MC: I have a few questions

Kunhang: what r they

MC: how old are you?

Kunhang: 23 physical and human 52

MC: DAMN

Kunhang: ;;; what

MC: u r old as hell

Kunhang: Hulijing don’t age as fast 😵😧

MC: Still. 53 

MC: How do Hulijing age?

Kunhang: it’s kinda weird

Kunhang: we start off as foxes and we age 5x’s faster than humans at that stage. So by the time we’re 20, we’re four in human age. We can change into the form of a young man, a teen of any gender or a child. Then you can choose to stop ageing if you’re strong enough.

MC: Oh wow 

MC: So you can choose whatever age you want afterwards?

Kunhang: yes

MC: that’s so cool

MC: I would chose to be 50

Kunhang: why? 😕

MC: I want to be a hot older lady forever

Kunhang: Understandable 

Kunhang: 🤣🤣🤣

MC: U dont eat humans, do u?

Kunhang: No

Kunhang: I Like eggs

MC: so that’s why u have a chicken

MC: anyways

MC: i wanted to know if u want to meet up. Maybe at a cafe or something

MC: you know, to discuss semantics and stuff

Kunhang: ok, around what time?

MC: when are you free

Kunhang: all day

MC: alright, in two hours then? I’ll send you the location

MC: address

Kunhang: see you soon

MC: see you!

And so Kunhang had another excuse apart from self indulgence to dress up and look nice (not that he ever didn’t do as such).

This time he chose to go with a purple theme. It wasn’t as extravagant as his usual ones, but he would make up for it with accessories. His hair was tied up into a small ponytail at the back, some strands still framing his face, and he formed a bow with a ribbon around his neck and hair tie. If he didn’t look like he stepped out of a historical webcomic then he wasn't satisfied.

Checking up on the rest of his chickens, he made sure that they were all there and accounted for before he left, his phone in his hand as he followed the map to the address. It was a shame that his fox form didn’t have thumbs because it would have been much faster to trot there instead.

The day was clear, the sun out with the breeze nice against his skin. It felt nice and even with all of his layers on, he didn’t feel uncomfortable. Regardless, he took in the scenery and found himself watching other people rather than being the one that was only observed. He’d done this hundreds of times before, watched how couples interacted with each other and he took slight interest in seeing just what kinds of people ended up together. Sometimes the pairs looked wildly opposite and other times, they looked almost a little too much like each other for it to be comfortable.

Regardless, it was none of his business. 

He looked down at his phone again, checking he was going in the right direction. However, he didn’t look up in time and bumped into someone, almost tripping over. His hand shot out, grabbing them by the wrist to stop them from falling backwards and it was only now that he realised that he was holding onto a woman’s hand, the lady staring at him with wide eyes and her lips parted in shock. 

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” he muttered, embarrassed that he had knocked this person over. Gently, he pulled her onto her feet and let go. “Are you hurt?”

She met his eyes but looked away quickly, tucking her hand into her jacket pocket and brushing her fingers quickly through her long brown hair. “No, I’m okay,” she replied in a  voice that was somehow weaker than his. Kunhang smiled politely, not thinking anything else of it and began to walk again, only to cast a glance over his shoulder and see that she was still staring at him with cheeks that were now flushed a soft pink - only looking away when she realised he was looking.

He thought for a moment about turning back to maybe try and talk to her but decided against it; Kunhang needed to get to the cafe soon and he doubted this would be his big break anyway.

After another ten minutes of walking, he finally reached his destination and pushed open the door to get inside, spotting her sitting at a booth with only her phone and a drink of what smelt like hot chocolate (a choice he thought was rather odd for a warm day). He slinked into the seat in front of her and waited until she looked up, stifling a smile when she jumped.

“What the hell? When did you come?”

“Just now.”

“You’re too quiet,” she said before putting her phone away. “Do you want anything to eat?”

“I’ve eaten already, but thank you.”

The feeling of her eyes moving across his body was nothing new though he found himself brushing his hair away from his eyes regardless, looking closer at what she was wearing. Rather than the pyjamas from before, she was dressed nicely for the outside with an outfit that complimented her - nothing as extravagant as him but still pretty in its own right.

“Okay, so”-she clapped her hands together-“what’s your type?”

“My type…? I like anyone regardless of gender.” But no one liked him so did his choices really matter?

“Oh. Then do you have a preference in looks?” she leant in a little, as though she was about to tell him a secret. “It’s okay, we’re all a little shallow.”

“Um, not really? They just have to look okay and not smell awful. I can’t handle bad smells.” Thankfully, she didn’t seem to smell of her killer cat and instead had a nicer more mellow scent of lavender and mint. He was very thankful for this, still bitter over what had happened to Geum.

“That’s very vague.” Kunhang shrugged. “Alright, then can you describe the last person you were with? Just looks… wise.” She began to trail off, seeing that he had reached into his pocket and produced a chicken feather to play with. The bristles were soft to the touch and while he hadn’t intentionally packed it with him, he was happy for anything to fiddle with. “Anyway, can I ask why you wear hanfus? Do you work as a performer?”

“No, I just like wearing them. It gets people to look at me. And the last person was just a middle aged woman.” An awkward cough. “I offered to build a dollhouse for her kid and it moved on from there.”

Unlike what he was expecting, there wasn’t any judgement, just plain curiosity. “Oh, so you don’t mind any age? That makes it easier.” Her eyes followed the feather as he played with it. “You know, you’re very handsome. I can’t really figure out a reason why people wouldn’t want to, um, do something with you.” Kunhang almost laughed. “And you don’t seem like too much of a weirdo.”

The smile was wiped off his face almost instantly. “People are interested but something always happens that makes it awkward. I’m not sure if I’m cursed with bad luck.”

“Can Hulijing be cursed?”

“Not that I know of. I haven’t done anything that would result in that… I think.” He thought for a moment before being more firm in his answer. “No, I haven't.”

“Okay, so at least it’s something we can still potentially improve on.” Thank god someone was still being positive about it. “Are you very weak right now? Will you die if you don’t eat soon?”

“No, but my powers aren’t as strong as they used to be. I can’t die from starvation.”

“Ah. We have time then.” She took a sip of her hot chocolate and Kunhang let his shoulders slump. Was it really a good idea to be asking a human for help on such an, for lack of a better word, intimate matter? Sure, he could reconcile with his pride later on but he didn’t want to waste her time if it all turned out to be null and void. “Is something wrong? You’re staring at me.”
He blinked, shaking his head quickly and averting his gaze in embarrassment. He didn’t even realise. “No, no. Just… If you can’t figure something out then don’t feel bad.”

“You underestimate my matchmaking skills,” she said and even though that was hardly words of reassurance, he felt a little more relieved. “And besides, that lady over there has been staring at you since she came in. Go make some moves on her, I want something to analyse.”

“I’m not an experiment.”

She only smiled and he decided to quit pushing there before she said something about dissecting and inspecting his brain. Turning around, Kunhang looked at who she had claimed was staring at him and he was more than surprised to see that it was the same lady that he had bumped into before. His eyes caught hers and even though she quickly looked away, he was encouraged to get up and make a move by his ‘matchmaker’s’ insistence. 

“Hey, nothing wrong with trying,” she said and he guessed she was right. 

So he stood up and made his way over, the fabric flowing around him like fresh, spring water and he placed a hand on the chair in front of the woman, asking with a smile if the seat was free. 

“Ah, yes. Feel free,” the woman muttered and Kunhang saw a thumbs up from the corner of his eye. 

“How are you?” Kunhang decided to take the initiative, feeling confidence simmering under his skin. “You weren’t too hurt, were you? I would hate to have hurt even a hair on your head.”

She didn’t meet his eyes, her fringe hiding her from him. “No, I’m okay. I also wasn't looking, please don’t blame yourself.” Both her hands were wrapped around her cup, her grip becoming tighter. 

“Are you waiting for someone?”

A nod. “My friend said he would meet me here.”

“I hope he won’t mind me keeping his seat warm until he arrives?”

This time he earned a smile and he had to bite back a grin. “He won’t.” 

Perhaps she was trying to be subtle with how she was looking over him, lingering on his neck and slightly exposed chest, but Kunhang was always tuned in whenever the matter pertained to being observed. 

“I’ve never seen anyone dress like you except for special occasions. Are you celebrating something?”

“No, I just like to wear this.”

She nodded, one hand moving from the cup to fiddle with her rings instead - none on her ring finger he noted. “Oh. So, um, what were you doing today?” An actual conversation: Kunhang hadn’t gotten this far in a while. 

“I was tending to my chickens,” he explained with a proud air around him. “One of them wasn’t feeling so well.”

“Your chickens?”

“Yeah, she wasn’t passing her egg well.”

Her mouth opened and then closed. “Are they a family thing?”

“Hm?” He shook his head. “I live by myself, but they’re like my children. I raised them all.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the feather from before and her eyes flickered over the bristles before she pursed her lips and looked at her phone.

“How about you, how was your day?”  

“It was good,” was her brisk reply, eyes not leaving the screen to look at him. 

Suddenly, she got up, shoving her napkins into her bag and holding her drink so tightly it crumpled. “I’m sorry, my friend said he won’t be coming. I should head home instead.”

What? But it was going so well!

“Really? I-uh, that’s a shame. Get home safely.” The woman wasted no time getting out of her seat and the cafe, leaving him to trace over his fingers with the feather and pout.

“Ouch.” He heard and didn't bother looking up, already smelling hot chocolate and knowing exactly who it was. “What went wrong? She seemed into you.”

“I don’t know. She just asked about my day and I said that I looked after my chickens.” All of his words were heavily laced with a sombre tone and he knew it was silly to be upset over a woman he didn’t know, but he didn’t care. 

“Maybe she doesn’t like chickens.”

“Do you mean a vegan? I wasn’t going to make her eat any of them.” But then again, did he really want to sleep with someone who so clearly did not like his precious pets? No, he didn’t. “Maybe next time?”

She nodded, looking out at where the woman had disappeared. “Yeah. Next time.”

Kunhang had completely forgotten that he had invited her over, though it wasn’t for lack of due diligence, rather that he was so busy trying to rear his new chicken and get it to fit in with the others, that it had completely escaped his mind. His phone buzzed in his pocket while he was kneeling on the floor, the knees of his work trousers muddied from the previous rain and the dirt that had been disturbed as he tried to poke his head inside the chicken pen and work out a new nest.

It buzzed again and he crawled backwards, pulling off his gloves to look at the screen.

MC: hello

MC: Kunhang

MC: did u send me the right address?

MC: It look empty here?

MC: Like, literally nothing but dirt

MC: ???

Kunhang: ur at the right place

Kunhang: one second. I’ll come out

He raced to get up, leaving the newly dubbed ‘il’ to hang out with her new siblings. Passing by the mirror, he realised he looked far from his best, with his hair messily tied up and clothing covered in various matters of muck. Kunhang would much rather crawl into a hole and stay there than look anything but his best.

So he ran to his room and picked out the first thing he could slip on: a robe that was mostly navy blue with white accents. It was just enough to look put together and even though he lamented the fact that he couldn’t make his cheeks rosier or do something with his hair, it was good enough.

“Hi,” Kunhang said, walking up towards her figure where she stood outside, staring at his home with a look of confusion and mild distaste. She jumped, turning around and trying to see where he came from, only to see nothing but the same barren area as before. “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”

“It’s fine but, uh, you live here?” A wry smile found its way onto his lips and he nodded. 

“Yeah. It’s a nice, quaint place.”

“Yes. Very lovely.”

He resisted the urge to laugh and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Can you see it now?”

“Oh, oh .” Instead of the dirt plot that he had carefully created to be perceived by human eyes, there stood a one story house that extended over the entire space. It was far from grand or royal, but it looked cosy with red bricks and white paint to decorate the porch and overhang. Kunhang was very glad that he had tended to the flowers in the front because they were now in full bloom and looked especially lovely against the backdrop of the brick. “You can hide things like this?”
“It’s hidden under a mirage. Humans can’t see anything but dirt and decay.”

“How come? Do you think you’ll get attacked?”

“What? No.” He furrowed his brows at the assumption. Did she think he was weak enough to be overpowered by stragglers? “I didn’t have planning permission.”

“Right. But what if they try to build here?”

“They forget this place exists when they walk away unless I let them see past the mirage.” He avoided looking at himself in the windows, instead opening up the front door for her to walk into. “You don’t smell like your cat today.”

“Oh, did I smell like Leon before?” He nodded. “What do I smell of now?”

“Nothing, really. It’s more like hints of flowers.”

Offering her a seat on his sofas, she sat down on the one opposite to him. “I would have asked you to come over but Leon is shedding a lot right now, I don’t think you’d like it.”

“It’s fine.” Kunhang didn’t want to be around that cat anyway. “I haven’t hosted guests in a long time.” Suddenly, Kunhang felt rather awkward; he hadn’t offered her any food and he had no idea what humans liked to eat when visiting other people’s houses. Most of his friends were vampires who would maybe drink coffee, but he had no coffee! What was a hulijing to do… “Do you like eggs?”

“Depends.”

“Would you eat one now?”

“I’ll have water instead, if you’re offering something. But thank you.”

He got up and she followed behind him, not seeming to mind that his hospitality was rusty and left much to be desired. Luckily, he found some ripe fruits and decided to chop them up and plate them.

“I think I’ve figured out what your issue is,” she said and his ears perked up, though he didn’t look away from the chopping board.

“Do tell.”

“You don’t know how to hold a conversation.”

Kunhang spluttered, almost chopping off the tip of his index finger in the midst of his indignation. “Yes, I do!” He protested, “we have good conversations.”

“Our first conversation consisted of me beating you with a stick.”

“Details.”

“Regardless, after watching you yesterday, I feel as though you mean well and that you are charming, but your conversation points are… they’re very bad, to be honest. No offence,” she added after and he huffed, pushing the plate of fruits towards her, of which she ate some with no shame. “And our conversations are different because we are not going to have sex. Different intentions, you know.”

“So what do you suggest then?”

“When was the last time you went to a club?”

A grape was popped into his mouth, the flavour not something he had often but it was sweet and pleasant. “I’m not entirely sure. Maybe four years?”

“If conversation isn’t your strong point, maybe somewhere like the club where you don’t need to talk is better.” Another grape was held between her fingers and was being waved around as she talked.

“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to wear a hanfu to one though, it will probably get dirty.”

“I have normal people clothes.”

“Perfect.” A pause. “Actually, is it alright if I take a look?”

“Do you not trust my taste?"

"In hanfu's, yes. Not so much in regular clothing."

Fair enough. 

“By the way, what do you work as?”

“Nothing really, I sell eggs at the market when I have excess.”

“Surely that doesn’t bring that much money in.” It didn’t.

Kunhang smiled a little, one that was almost cheeky in its intent. “I offer to rent my pet fox to farmers to chase away vermin.”

“No way. You have a pet fox?”

His fluffy ears twitched and her expression switched through confusion, mild horror and then acceptance. “His name is Hendery.”

“That’s great for the both of you. He… you don't eat them, do you?”
“Ew! Who do you think I am?” He cleared his throat, neglecting to mention his many other ventures in the creative arts for the sole reason that he thought it would bore her. “It’s enough money and I don’t need to pay bills.”

At this, she laughed. “You think you can put a mirage on my house? I’m sick of paying for electricity.”

“I’ll consider it if we’re successful.” He ate another cube of fruit, not paying too much attention to what it was before grimacing as a tangy orange taste filled his mouth. “Come. I’ll show you my wardrobe.”

She followed behind him and he was glad he had cleaned up a few hours before, hoovering the carpets to get rid of his own fur that seemed to get everywhere if he didn’t keep on top of it. The wardrobe was opened up and she stood behind him, craning her neck to get a good look inside and her jaw almost dropped at how many gorgeous silk and satin artisanal works were within. Kunhang moved them aside without much thought, their separate covers crinkling with the force, and revealed his rather lacklustre collection of three identical black shirts, two jumpers that were a brown and dark green respectively, and a two pairs of blue and black jeans. 

“Is this it?” she asked and he glanced at her from the corners of his eyes. 

“Yes.”

“Okay, Let’s see what we can do with this, I guess.”

Everything was taken off of the railings and placed on the bed while he stepped back. Kunhang only watched as she um’ed and ah’ed over what combination to put him in, before settling on a short sleeve black shirt and blue jeans. “Do you think this will work?”

“You didn’t give me much to work with, but with some accessories, I’m sure you’ll look great.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, painting over his image in her mind. “I like your half pony, that would look good. Some clips too and jewellery on your ears. How do you feel about the bad boy look?”

“Bad boy?” Kunhang was far from a bad boy. The worst thing he had ever done was accidentally take someone’s pen home after a performance. “If you think so.”

“You can pull it off.”

He decided to trust her, eyeing the clothes and nodding. “Alright. Will you be coming with me?”

“Yeah. I’m your wingwoman. What time do you want to go?”

“8pm?”

She stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“What?”

“You’re really too old. The only people in the clubs at 8pm are the staff and people who have work at 9am the next day. There is no getting laid, only metaphorically fucked.”

”Fine. What time?”

“11.” 

“That ’s so late. I have to check on Il.”

“Il?”

“My new chicken.”

She didn’t laugh even though Kunhang was certain that reaction was to come. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Put her to sleep a little earlier.”

“Okay. 11 it is then.”

“Great.” Kunhang stared at the clothes, nodding slowly to himself as he tried to think of how he could make this bad boy look work. Maybe he could use some eyeliner? “You want to meet at the club?”

His mouth opened to say that meeting at the club was fine but then another voice said something about how he had no idea how to make normal clothes work anymore. What if he needed this woman’s help? 

Hah! As if he would ask for help again. No, Kunhang was better than that.

“At the club,” he said with an air of finality, trying to muster up confidence in his choice. 

“How will you get there and home?” she asked, punching a hole straight through his grand plan and ego. He hadn’t thought about that.

“Um, maybe here then, actually,” he said with much less oomph than before. “

“Fine by me.” She didn’t make a motion to leave and he was a little confused. “This might be weird, but can I meet your chickens?”

Kunhang gasped a little but agreed without any qualms. “Yes! Of course.”

He took her outside with a skip in his step and he was delighted that they didn’t shy away from her. 

“They’re all outside right now.” Ushering her closer, he sat down on the grass and she did too. He had some feed in a bucket nearby and he leant over to drag it to them, before dropping some in her hand.

Hwa was the first one to approach, beady eyes looking her over before pecking at her hand.

“This is Hwa, she’s the second oldest.”
Then, surprisingly, came Il. She wasn’t too bothered about getting to know who was feeding her, instead pecking away and getting her fill. 

“That’s Il. She’s the newest hen.”

“You got her after Geum?”

Wow, he thought, she remembered. “That’s right.”

“She’s cute. She’s smaller than the others.” Ever so slowly, she reached out to stroke her feather and the hen didn’t mind, only spreading her wings for a moment before eating again. “You take good care of them, her feathers are so soft.”

“I love them,” he told her earnestly. “I make sure they all live happily.”

The other hens were coming over now and Kunhnag introduced each one. Most of them stuck around him, sitting at either his feet or wanting to be held. The only one that didn’t check out the newcomer was Chuck, but that was normal behaviour for him.
“I think that lady was very wrong for not liking them. They’re adorable.”

It was hard to describe just how much joy her words sparked. His chickens were his pets, yes, but he always had trouble not getting weird looks from people when he said he raised them as such and not livestock. To know that she found them cute was more than enough to make it worth the grimaces.

Nonetheless, she left soon after stating that she needed to buy groceries while she was still out. Similarly, Kunhang thought he also needed to take a walk, maybe observe some people for inspiration. How was he supposed to act at a club when all he could smell was alcohol? He did like to indulge in a few drinks here and there that had sweet hints, but he would prefer to be sober while with another person - it felt better that way instead of sensations that blended together.

He went out, not bothering to change, and went straight for the local park that he knew couples tended to frequent. His main goal was within understanding what they liked to talk about and if he was approaching things the wrong way. If she said conversation wasn’t his strong point, then he would try his hardest to rectify that.

So Kunhang sat down, pretending to be on his phone, and watched. 

The first two people that he saw looked to be just friends, the two women bumping shoulders as they walked before one of them gently wrapped their fingers around the other’s wrist, head leaning on her shoulder as they spoke about what sort of place they wanted to eat out at. Oh. So clearly that was also something he needed to work on - his assumptions. Clearly some people preferred smaller gestures of attraction, something that was more fleeting and less grandiose. 

Kunhang had never thought too deeply about these kinds of things, his main agenda and need being focused on the physical aspect of a ‘relationship’. Was he coming off as too eager or pushy?

Another duo came by, this time a man and a woman who did nothing more than hold hands in relative silence, occasionally pointing out something like a flower that they thought was beautiful or warning the other to watch their step lest they stand in fresh bird poo. It was cute yet Kunhang almost couldn’t grasp this concept of spending time with someone in a way that wouldn’t benefit him. Was it because he was a fox that the concept of loving for only the sake of love was so foreign, or because it had never been a topic for him to bother about? 

Whatever it was, he knew that there wasn’t much point in spending time dwelling on it - not when his powers were severely weakened compared to what they had been. A Hulijing of his age should have been able to master fox fire with ease, yet his weakness meant he struggled with keeping the flames lit for more than a few minutes at a time. He was lucky that the area he lived in didn’t have many others of his kind because he knew he would have been the laughing stock of the group, not that he wasn’t already amongst his other supernatural friends.

(Though, when he did let himself linger on it on his way back home, he supposed it would have been nice to have someone that was there even after he had fed.)

He had reached his home with time to spare, spending it on changing and even adding some colour to his cheeks and eyes. This was going to be his redebut at the club and this time, he couldn’t afford to be shown up because he had an audience to impress this time.

It was a force of habit by now to check on his chickens before he went out and luckily, they were all there and settled down - most of them looking ready to head into their coop to sleep.

She was back within a few hours, dressed in a rather simplistic outfit that had no stand out elements, much unlike himself. “How come you’re not wearing anything brighter?” he asked, unable to stop himself as he looked over the dark clothing that would blend her into the backgrounds. 

“I don’t want to be hit on, I’m going strictly just to be your wingwoman. You need to be the one that’s attention grabbing between us both.” Kunhang supposed she was right. It would be even more humiliating if she was the only one to get a date. “You ready?”

“I am, yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

The club wasn’t too far away and Kunhang rather enjoyed the drive there. He only ever walked or used his bike if it was a very long distance, so sitting in a car was somewhat of a luxury. He couldn’t get the hang of driving, honestly, it messed with his head to follow the traffic laws. If there was an opening, why couldn’t he just go? Why did a red light matter to him if he could press on the gas and be gone? Human rules made no sense to him sometimes. 

A pair of fluffy dice hung from her rearview mirror and he had to forcibly bite down the urge to bat at them, his instincts telling him to cup them within his hands and flick at them. They were so soft and pretty… and they swayed so hypnotisingly-

“Do you need to hide your ears?”

Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he gasped out loud and nodded. He held out his palm, her eyes flickering to it for a moment as a leaf materialised within it. 

“What’s that?”

“A trick I learnt from a Kitsune. I can’t remember the name, but it hides your tail and ears until you take it off.”

“I thought you could use illusions?”

“I don’t have the energy to constantly keep it up.” He placed it on top of his head and his ears and tail disappeared instantly. 

She looked mildly impressed. “So there’s more than just you?”

Right, Kunhang had forgotten she was just a human. “Yes.” And then he realised something else. “You didn’t seem too shocked to find out I was a Hulijing, so this shouldn’t be news.”
Shrugging, she kept her eyes on the road while he reached up to make sure his hair was perfect. “Yeah, I always knew there were other things apart from humans. My grandad used to tell me all about them. I thought he was always just making up stories but when you start paying attention to the world around you, you can’t help but think there are things beyond our understanding.”

“You’ve never met a supernatural before me?”

“No.”

“You met the best first of all.” 

Her laughter made him smile and he looked ahead at the road, satisfied with himself.

The club came into view and they got out at the same time, her keys spinning around her index finger before being pocketed. “Do you want to have a drink or go sober?”

“A drink,” he replied without even a moment of hesitation. 

Finding a table wasn’t too hard and Kunhang took it upon himself to get the drinks - some juice for her and fruity soju for himself. He sat down opposite to her, gaze on the people at the bar and then the dance floor as the alcohol washed over his tongue. His tolerance was a lot higher than a humans, so this drink wasn’t going to do much for him other than make him feel lighter.

“You look like you’re worrying.”

“Hulijing don’t worry.”

“Mhm.” She took a sip of her juice, following his gaze. “You’re hot. You’ll find someone to pick up here.”

“Thank you.” Maybe if he just relied on his non-verbal charm, he would be successful. 

“Anyone caught your eye?”

Dark brown eyes rolled over the selection of people once again. “Not really.”

“Let’s give it some time, people are still coming in.” He nodded, focusing on her again. Even if she wasn’t dressed to the nines, she looked nice under the club lighting and he didn’t doubt that she could have also picked someone up if she felt like it. 

“Do you come here often?” He asked
“No, this is my second time in one.” His eyebrow raised. “I came because my friends needed a driver but wanted to drink. I get a headache being in loud places for too long.” That he could definitely understand. His ears were also sensitive to loud sounds. “Are there clubs for just supernaturals?”

Kunhang nodded. “There are.”

“Why don’t you try there?” He barely stifled his snort. If he couldn’t get it on with a human, what made her think a supernatural would want to see his dick?

“It’s easier to sleep with a human,” was his reply, leaving out the other part of his thoughts. “Energy from anyone works, though.”

A few minutes passed where they only made conversation, talking to each other while she pointed out people that might have interested him. He had to admit, her eye was keen and she seemed to already have an idea of what he liked - something that even he wasn’t sure of. 

And then he saw someone at the bar that made his eyes widen. They were well built, shoulders broad with impeccable muscle that seemed to strain against the form fitting green shirt. Kunhang waited for the man to turn around before deciding to seal the deal - and, by an unimaginable stroke of luck, he wasn’t disappointed. The man’s face was equally as beautiful as his form, with a baby-like face that seemed much too innocent. Their eyes met for a brief moment and he smiled toothily at her, getting up seconds later with her words of ‘go get him!’ boosting his ego.

Making his way over, he sat down at the bar next to him, only to be hit with a familiar wooden scent that always clung to a certain species. “Hey.” He smiled brightly and the man did the same, revealing pearly whites that only confirmed his suspicions. “You’re a”-he poked his own sharp canines and he laughed. 

“I am.” Similarly dark eyes roamed over Kunhang, narrowing. “You are?”

“Hulijing.”

“Right, you smell like flowers.” He took pride in this. “You look nice. You all dress well.” 

Kunhang stopped himself from getting excited, but he couldn’t help but eye the man’s biceps. “I’m Kunhang.”

“I’m Hoseok.” He glanced down at his empty glass. “Would you like a drink?”

“What do you suggest?” Hoseok smiled and waved down the bartender, ordering something that he had never heard of before. “You’re not going to poison me, right?”

“It’s not wine, don’t worry.” Okay, now he was impressed; how did he know Hulijing were intolerant to grapes? “Did you come with anyone?”

“Just a friend. You?”

A nod. “My husband.”

His jaw dropped almost to the floor, completely caught off guard. Was he serious?

“Your… husband?”

“Mhm, his name is Junhee.” The drinks came and Hoseok paid for them with a nod of thanks. “He’s just in the restroom.”

“Oh.” There went his plans. Feeling dejected, he didn’t have it in him to hang around anymore.

Hoseok, to his credit, noticed this change almost immediately and suddenly looked guilty. “Oh shit. I didn’t mean to lead you on, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” 

“Let me buy you another drink-”

Kunhang shook his head. “It’s okay, really. I hope you both have a good night.”

His drink was cold in his hand, the red and orange mixture thankfully nothing aligned with blood. It tasted fruity and burnt the back of his throat when he took a big mouthful, heading back to the table to hopefully try again.

However, just as he had made it halfway there, someone caught his attention by touching his shoulder. “Excuse me.”
An older man was standing there and Kunhang felt a certain type of way as he was looked at - and it was not pleasant. 

“Yes?”

“My wife saw you sitting with your friend,” he said, gesturing to the woman he had come with - her eyes cast down at her phone with her drink pushed far away from anyone’s passing reach. His ears were standing up, alert. “She’s too shy to come over and ask you this, but she wanted to know if you would be up for a night together.”
Kunhang almost spat out his drink in the man’s face. “Um, my friend isn’t interested in anything like that.”

Slight dejection came over his face. “That’s fine. What about you?”

“Me…?” Well, the man himself wasn’t so bad looking - even if he was a little unnerving with his stare. “Who is your wife?”

He pointed towards a woman on a table a few metres away, her hair cut in a bob with dark, sultry makeup decorating her eyes. Kunhang pursed his lips. Who was he to be picky right now? His first choice had flopped miserably and here was someone else coming up to him because he was the one they wanted: his ego needed the stroking.

“What do you think?”

He nodded. “Alright.”

“Yes!” He raised his fist in triumph and Kunhang stared. “One thing, we’re into mummification.”

Oh, so he would have to call them ‘mummy’. He could learn to live with that, even if it didn’t come naturally to him. “Do you both like being called that, or just your wife?” Hey, he wasn’t here to kinkshame.

Weirdly, the man looked confused before laughing, slapping a hand down on Kunhang's back with enough force to make him stumble. “Oh no, you’ve got the wrong idea. Mummification, it’s when you’re completely tied up like an egyptian mummy.”

At this, Kunhang’s alarm bells were blaring full blast. “Egyptian… mummy.”

“Yes. I’ll go tell my wife you’re interested.” The second the man turned around, Kunhang was running at the speed of light to their table, his eyes wide and frantic as he tugged at her hand, pleading for them to leave immediately. 

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” She asked, downing the rest of her drink before he managed to pull her out of her chair and towards the entrance, his own drink forgotten. “Did you get rejected?”

“Worse!” He exclaimed, looking frantically over his shoulder. “They want to put me in a sarcopamagus!”

“A what?”

“A sarcofamus!”

“Kunhang”-she sighed, digging her feet into the gravel-“what the hell are you saying?”

“They want me to be a mummy!” Kunhang wailed, now in complete distress as he saw the man coming towards them, waving his hands to get them to stop. “We need to go, NOW!”

Unable to say no to his desperate pleas, she opened the car doors and he flew into the backseat, sitting in the small space behind the seat with his ears and tail now free. The tyres screeched as they pulled away and he sighed in relief, the building getting smaller and smaller.

“Maybe some people do need to be kinkshamed,” he murmured to himself, hugging his tail to his body. “I’m never going to the club again.”

The nearest jade farming site was quite a while away, Kunhang realised as he looked at the results of his search. They seemed to have 24 hour operations but he sincerely doubted that it would be as heavy at night as the morning, so he decided that this was his best bet. He figured that digging out some sizable jade would be more economically viable to him than buying a piece from the shops and having to fork over his savings. 

So, for the first time in a while, he had to pull out his bicycle and he was forced to change from his usual attire into something still classy but more suitable for cycling in. His hair was pushed out of his face with a headband and he set up his phone on the handlebars, the directions set to be read out to him. 

Cycling at night wasn’t something he did often, but as he made his way to the mining site, he thought that maybe he should do it more often. It felt calming and he loved the cold breeze against his face, the issue of his hair in his face barely a worry even if he had forgone the headband. His eyes were also well adapted to the night so he had no problems with not being able to see anything either - there were definitely more plus points than he had realised. 

It took almost an hour for him to reach the destination but it was mostly because he kept stopping to look at the flowers. There were so many pretty ones that grew in undisturbed areas and he couldn’t stop himself from picking a few and putting them in the basket of his bike to paint later.

Hiding his bike in the bushes, he made sure no one was around before changing into a fox, his white fur slightly inconvenient but manageable. The mining site was huge to the human eye and even larger to the fox, the chasms seeming to tower over him as he padded around, trying to sniff out the scent of jade amongst the explosives and dirt. Jade had a cleaner scent, almost like honeydew melon, and it was distinctive amongst the rubble. Only, the issue was tracking it down when the earth beneath him felt like it would collapse when he put a paw down.

He danced around the outskirts, poking his head into the small gaps before sauntering into a tunnel that had a stronger melon smell. He dug at the far corners, getting his claws to loosen the dirt before batting at the bits that fell. Unfortunately, his work only yielded him crumbs of jade that wouldn’t work as anything other than confetti. 

Ugh, he thought, maybe this tunnel is no good after all. 

If there were plenty of small smatterings of jade, it could easily smell the same as one large chunk. He continued pawing nonetheless, at least trying to see if he could find anything, but the pieces he found were no bigger than a claw clipping and he decided to not waste his time here any longer.

However, just as he had turned around to get out, he heard the sound of yelling before a torch was flashing in his eyes, his yelp drawing attention. “Hey, shoo!” A man hissed coming towards him and Kunhang sprinted out between his legs, tangling him up and making him trip face first into the ground, a sharp curse echoing in the air as he ran away to the next tunnel. He had run into a hiccup but he was not a quitter and wouldn't leave until he found something he could take home.

Wandering into the next area, he dusted off his paws on some nearby grass and went to the bottom instead, figuring there would be more there than the edges of the crater. The melon smell was more potent down here, even if still mostly covered by TNT. Kunhang had a good feeling about this place.

Crawling under the wooden beams, he made his way deep into the tunnel and changed into his human form to use the small spade he had shoved into his back pocket. It was much easier to use than his claws and he made decent headway into the dirt, his tail happily swishing behind him. The nuggets that fell out were considerably larger than before, but still not enough to be whittled into a charm. 

He had just about managed to make a smaller hole to stick his hand through, when he suddenly smelt something familiar - a wooden scent mixed with something fruity. The spade was shoved back into his pocket and he was back in his fox form, a hiss forming in the back of his throat.

A shadow moved and he pounced, launching himself onto it and beginning to bat at the attacker (even though, technically, he was the one attacking).

“Shit! I’m not going to hurt you!” He heard this vampire exclaim from under him, dark brown eyes meeting his as they furrowed their eyebrows. He stopped boxing and jumped off, the vampire looking disgruntled as he wiped the dust off of his back.

Kunhang got up quickly and changed back, bowing in embarrassment. “My apologies, you scared me.”

“It’s fine. It’s my fault for creeping around.” The man bowed also before straightening up. “I guess you’re here for the same reason.”

“You’re digging, too?” He nodded.

“Yeah.” And then he stared at Kunhang in an analytical way. “Do I know you? I feel like I’ve met you before.”

Now that he mentioned it, he did seem familiar. “What’s your name?”

“Kihyun.”

“Do you know any vampires here?”

Kihyun nodded and he realised that was a stupid question. “Who do you know?”

“Qian Kun, Ten-”

“Ten. I was at his birthday party last year.” Kunhang’s lips formed an ‘o’, now realising who he was. He had been a little (very) intoxicated and he remembered downing at least twelve shots in a row and, probably during that haze, he had spoken to Kihyun to hit on him. He vaguely recalled seeing him talking to their mutual Phoenix friend, Sicheng.

“Oh, I remember now,” Kunhang said, somewhat telling the truth. “How have you been?”

“Pretty good but jade prices have been getting a little high.” The vampire shrugged and Kunhang had to agree. “How about you?”

“Good enough, I’m still breathing.” 

“That’s more than me.” That earnt a more relaxed smile.

Shuffling from one foot to the other, tail wound around his left leg, he turned slightly to look at the pile of dirt behind him. “You want to search together?”

“Sure.” Kihyun came to his side, a gloved hand coming to scratch at the walls before he spotted the spade. “You came prepared.”

“Yeah, I wanted to be in and out.” Kihyun seemed to be scratching a little aimlessly, hovering his hand over any space and then clawing at it until it crumbled. “Can you smell it?”

“The jade? I don’t know what it smells like naturally.”

“It’s like melons. In stores they make it smell kind of weird.”

“It’s probably the polish.” His nose twitched a little. “Where is it the strongest?”

Kunhang pointed towards the grove he had made and Kihyun hummed. 

“You smell it out and I’ll dig? That spade will take you years.” If it sped up the process, Kunhang didn’t really care - agreeing without much hesitation. “How come you’re here?”

“I need some to make into a charm, you?”

“I lost some that I was supposed to gift, and I don’t have enough to buy more.”

“Great minds think alike,” Kunhang replied and Kihyun laughed before rearing his hand back, fingers curled into a fist, before colliding with the wall with frightening speed and power. He always managed to forget just how strong vampires could be.

The dirt crumbled away like dust and Kunhang took to digging through it, scrabbling around within before managing to pull out a decently sized chunk of jade. It didn’t really need to be much bigger than his pinky so he was happy to take this one. 

Holding it up, it was marbled with white and green. “That looks very high quality.”

“Right? I’m happy with it.” Despite poking through the dirt again, there was nothing. “How big do you want yours to be?”

“Three fingers wide, maybe.” He mimed with his fingers a dimension. “Around that size, it doesn’t need to be perfect.”

“Alright.” Hopefully they would be lucky. 

And, while they did find more nicely sized bits that were divided between the two, there wasn’t much luck in finding one of the magnitude that Kihyun wanted.

“Ugh, maybe I’m just not destined to find one,” Kihyun groaned to himself. “It’s been two hours. If we don’t find one in this next tunnel, I’ll just cut my losses.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Kunhang then thought of a trick he could try out. “Let me try something.”

His palm faced upwards as blue flames began to materialise within it, glowing brightly and illuminating the dingy area they were standing in. This technique was something he still struggled with and rarely did it go exactly to plan, but since this was their last try, he figured it couldn’t hurt to have his foxfire help him look. 

“Look for jade,” he whispered, closing his fingers around the light before opening them again, the fire immediately bursting out of his hand and rushing for the wall behind Kihyun, pressed firmly against it.

Kihyun began to dig where the fire was after being assured that it wouldn’t burn him, and the flame moved deeper. The two worked in tandem and it took almost fifteen minutes before the fire stopped moving and Kihyun could concentrate on wrapping his fingers around whatever was there. A few minutes later, he pulled out a muddied stone the size of his palm, and wiped at it with a now raggedy tissue. Kunhang watched, the fire hovering over their shoulders and providing light, and then jumped once Kihyun let out a joyful exclamation of ‘yes!’.

“Thank you so much.” Kihyun beamed, holding the jade up proudly, vcarressing it like it were his newborn child. “I owe you, seriously. I didn’t know you could do that with foxfire.”

“Neither did I,” he admitted, though felt pride regardless - the fire now gone. “It’s not worked that well until now.”

“In any case, if you ever need anything let me know, yeah?” He wrapped the jade in another tissue before putting it in his pocket. 

“Actually… how did you get here?”

“By car, why?”

“Can you give me a lift home? I don’t feel like biking right now.” 

There was nothing that could have dampened this man’s sharp toothed smile, his nod enthusiastic as he wrapped his arm around Kunhang’s shoulders and squeezed. “Of course, but I’m not counting that as your IOU.”

That was fine by him and he felt more than satisfied as he made the journey home, now finally having something to fulfil his end of the deal.

His idea of whittling away at the stone himself had gone pretty well, he thought. The stone he was practising on was a similar texture and malleability to jade and he found that, as he worked, he was able to get a better feel for what sort of pressure to use and what angles were best for certain looks. The design that he settled on was a dove, the silhouette of which wasn’t vastly complicated and he could forgo most of the intricate work that other designs might have needed. 

Thankfully, he was able to work on this stone for the better part of two days with minimal rest needed, and once he was satisfied with the practise run, he was able to start mapping out on the jade. Faintly, he could hear chuck cawing in the background and he wondered what was wrong with the cockerel to be making noise right now and- oh. He realised it was the early am again, his phone also buzzing and forcing him to finally put down his tools.

Ten: guess what

Kunhang rolled his eyes, already tired of this man’s antics. Whenever Ten messaged him, he knew he was in for a headache. 

Kunhang: no

Ten: A little birdy told me that you were stealing jade

Kunhang: don’t lie

Ten: why were u at a mining site?

Kunhang: i needed jade

Ten: turning to stealing? Ur not helping a fox’s reputation

Kunhang: i think you’re going senile

Ten: 😂😂

Ten: Can’t believe you met Kihyun-hyung there

Ten: He said you helped him out a lot

Kunhang: when did he talk to u?

Ten: met him last night while visiting Kun

Ten: asked me for your number but idk if he’s texted it yet

Kunhang: no he hasn’t

Ten: you sell fans right?

Kunhang: yeah

Ten: so…?

Kunhang: that’s on a need to know basis

Kunhang: I just didn’t want to spend money on buying jade. Those company’s wont miss a little bit

Ten: thievery. i like it

Kunhang: 🙄

Even if Ten did make his brain melt out of his ears, he realised that he did need to have a little break. 

Ten: how has ur sex life been?

Kunhang: u dont need to be so forward

Ten: so ... it's dead.

Ten: otherwise u wouldve said something

Kunhang: do u feel pleasure in bullying your juniors?

Ten: listen. When u r as old as I am, u take whatever u can get

Ten: so yes. I do

Kunhang: get a hobby

Kunhang: I found someone whos being my wing woman

An audio came through that lasted for a total of 6 seconds and he pressed on it, only to hear Ten’s unending laughter come through the speakers.

Kunhang: ugh

Kunhang: go to hell while ur getting a hobby too

Ten: come with me and u can suck some demon dick

Kunhang: …

He set down his phone, not bothering to check what else Ten had said, and instead crawled into his bed to get some sleep, suddenly feeling rather drained from all his hours of concentration.

MC: Hey

MC: can u do me a favour?

Kunhang: ?

MC: Can u come with me to the garage?

MC: I just need a guy there

Kunhang: how come?

MC: car is being annoying. I think the brakes need to be replaced

MC: If i go by myself, they’ll scam me

MC: doesn’t matter if u don’t know anything about cars

Kunhang: sure

Kunhang: I’ll come to yours

MC: as soon as u can if possible

MC: I’ll boil u some eggs

MC: Oh, also, idk if u wanna wear a super nice hanfu since the garage is kind of dirty

Kunhang: 👍🏼

With the promise of eggs that he didn’t have to boil himself, he wasted no time in grooming himself and changing his clothes. He kept her recommendation in mind, not wearing anything that was too extravagant and instead was darker than his favourite whites and pastels. He left the bungalow within half an hour and reached her house in even less, taking the liberty of changing into a fox to gallop there in under ten minutes.

He reached the front door, already able to smell the signature scent of eggs, and rang the doorbell - only for his smile to drop the second the door opened and he smelt the odour of a murderer feline.

“Leon,” he murmured, staring holes into the cat that was between her legs, a toy in his mouth but dropped once Kunhang was noticed. “How… nice to see you.”

Her eyes flickered from him to her cat and she gently tried to nudge Leon away, but his behind was firmly latched onto the floor.

The cat hissed when Kunhang tried to come inside, batting at his feet with his claws out and he instinctively hissed back, showing off his dastardly sharp teeth. Leon ran away instantly and she shook her head. “You’re older than him. You should know better than to bully a child.”

“Hmph, your mannerless cat is no child.” He stepped inside and followed her to the kitchen despite her insisting for him to take a seat. “Why would they scam you?”

“Because they think women don’t know shit about cars.” She shrugged. “I don’t but I know what’s wrong this time.”

“I know even less than you.”

“But they won’t upcharge me if you’re there,” she said, peeling him an egg and handing it over, “it’s a locally sourced egg.”

He thanked her and took a bite out of it. “So when do you want to go?”

“Right now. I need my car for work.”

“What do you work as?” he asked as he swallowed down the egg, appreciative of the runny yolk.

“Graphic designer. I mostly work from home but they ask me to come in once a week. In two days, is that once a week.”

“Right.” He knew of that profession though didn’t know much about it beyond a surface level. “Let’s go now.”
He was still excited to sit in her car, but knowing that her brakes weren’t in the best shape was extremely concerning even with his usual nonchalance. 

“You sure it’s safe to drive in this?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m the best driver.”

Thankfully, her brakes did still work, though he saw that she had to force her foot down hard on it, and they arrived in one piece to the garage - a place that Kunhang had also never stepped foot in. It smelt too strongly of grease and his stomach churned at how much oil was everywhere: his poor hanfu’s would have never stood a chance!

He left the car and walked with her as they approached one of the men that was within. Kunhang hung around behind her, hoping that he didn’t get asked what was wrong because he clearly didn’t know what to say. 

“Hey, what can I help you with?” Her annoyed expression said enough, the guy looking at him and she nudged him gently. 

He looked desperately at her and she mouthed what he needed to say, his words coming out stumbled. “Uh, the breaks aren’t working. They need too much force.”
“Right. And you both share the car?”

She shook her head slightly. “No, it’s mine but she drives it sometimes.”

A thumbs up and he let out a sigh of relief, the man scribbling something down - then looked at the car - and scribbled something else. “That’ll be 300k.”

He glanced at her again and she mouthed ‘warranty’.

“It’s covered under warranty.”

The man humphed and nodded. “Got it.”

Kunhang was nudged again and she pointed to her wrist. “How long will it be?”

“Three hours at most. Come by if we’re not done by then.”

“That’s great, thank you,” she said in place of prodding Kunhang, and she quickly evacuated them from the garage before the man could say anything else that would try to weasel money out of her. “I told you,” were the first words out of her mouth when they were out of earshot. “They’re such scammers.”

“What do I know about cars?” He huffed. “Why did he tell you a price without checking?”

“To see if you would pay it on the spot.”

A grimace formed on his lips. How could people be so slimy?

“So-”she sucked on her teeth-“what do you want to do for three hours? I realise I dragged you here and now we have nothing to do.” 

Now he was also stuck. “Uhm, honestly I’m not sure. Is there a park nearby? We could get some ice cream and sit.” Kunhang didn’t think it was extremely polite to leave her by herself, so this was the next best thing.

“Let me check.”

She pulled out her phone before showing him the screen, a park shown only twenty minutes away with a corner shop beside it. “Let’s go here.”

“Okay.”

“Can I ask you questions about hulijing?”

There wasn’t anything interesting about his species, but he agreed anyway. “Feel free.”

“Are you born as people? Or foxes?”

“As foxes. We can reach enlightenment by meditating and then we can progress onto different stages as we age and gain more power.”

“So what’s your goal age?”

He had to think about this. “Maybe 500? I don’t know if I want to go over that. I don’t think ascending is my goal.”

“Ascending?”

“You can reach a stage where you’re able to transcend this world and become something that’s more akin to- how do I say it? Like light.”

She nodded, even if just to satisfy him. “I get it. But why wouldn’t you want to reach that?”

“It feels like too much. Who would want to live for a thousand years?”

“Yeah true, 90 feels like too much these days.”

It was definitely amusing to hear her say that, though he did feel a little concern. Humans lived short lives compared to supernatural beings, and being reminded of this fact always made him just that little bit more aware of how fleeting life could be.

“So are there more than just you?”

“There are, but not many. Most foxes choose to live as they are since it’s an easy life. I only know one other Hulijing, but I’ve not spoken to them in fifteen years.” It wasn’t anything to be sad over and most of his friends didn’t emphasise that difference in species much, other than a few jokes about his egg eating and how his farts stunk the whole room up. “I don’t think we’re too different to humans. We just have different powers.”

“Humans don't have any powers,” she reminded and he waved it away.

“You have the power of numbers,” he said and there was no argument to this. “Do you have any more questions?”

“Too many.” The corner shop wasn’t too much further and even though his tail and ears were concealed, he could feel his tail wagging slightly from side to side. “Where are you from?”

“I moved here from Macau, why?”

“Oh, I was just wondering why a Hulijing would be in Korea.”

“We don’t have to stay where we’re born. There are Kitsune in Europe and faerie in Asia. It’s actually become rather common for supernaturals to immigrate.” He had always wanted to visit a European country but his limited finances had forced him to put a pin in that desire. “I moved here just after I was able to have a human form. I should go home sometime.”

“Do you have parents?”

Kunhang laughed at this. “Do you?”

She pulled a silly face at him. 

“I do, but they both chose to stay as foxes, so they’ve passed on.” She, of course, looked a little regretful about asking this, but he thought nothing of it. “Don’t worry, I’m not sad about it. It was a very long time ago.”

They reached the shop and headed inside, going straight for the ice cream freezers to browse and devour. 

Unable to decide between the oreo and the matcha, he snuck a look towards what she was reaching for and saw her pick raspberry ripple. Hence, he made the decision to go for something ‘healthy’ too. 

He paid for it in multiple ₩50 coins and the cashier looked startled that someone even had the amount of change he did. “How far is the park?”

“Should be around the corner,” she replied and, just as she said, once they went around the bend, the big iron gates were there. “Wow, it’s so big.”

“That’s what he said,” Kunhang couldn’t fight back the urge and she didn’t bother to grace him with a reply. “Can I ask you some questions?”

“Sure.”

They chose to sit down on a bench that overlooked a pond, their ice creams unwrapped.

“I’ve lived amongst humans for a long time, but I’ve never really befriended any. They tend to become nervous around things that don’t make sense to them.” He looked at the empty pond, licking at the ice cream - his teeth too sensitive to bite it. “What do humans look for in a person?”

“Just in general or when they want to sleep with them?”

“Um, both.”

She shrugged. “It depends on the individual, but I don’t think it’s different from any other species. If they think you’re hot, you make them laugh, you’re likeable. Stuff like that.”

Oh, maybe he needed to polish up his comedy skills.

“Why don’t you try and form a relationship with someone? Like friends with benefits, that kind of thing. Then you wouldn’t need to hunt around for different people.” For some reason, he wasn’t quite fond of that idea despite how much easier it would make his life. 

“I don’t know how that would end up.” And then another question popped into his mind, though it was much more juvenile and he felt a little stupid. “What are you thinking about?”

His ears twitched, feeling her shoulder brush against his as she lifted the treat to her mouth. “Don’t laugh, okay?”

“Mhm.”

“What does love feel like? I always see so many couples here.”

When she paused and looked at him, he prepared himself to be laughed at. 

Of course, she didn’t (she never had). “Don’t you guys fall in love?”

“Well, we do but I don’t know if it’s the same as you. Plus none of my friends are in a  relationship.” He pushed it away with a shrug, about to tell her that it didn’t matter, but she started speaking and he didn’t dare to interrupt her.

“I’ve not been in love I don’t think, but I have liked people. To me, it always feels.. Comfortable? I enjoy being around them and spending time with them. It’s like being friends but you just notice little things and you feel warm inside.” Shaking her head, she bit into her ice cream and he shivered - imagining it was his own teeth being submerged in sub 0 temperatures. “Like that, I suppose.”

It was a vague description but for someone that hadn’t been in love, it might have been the best she could do. But who was to say that someone that knew it would describe it any better? Kunhang fell silent, thinking to himself for a little while, absentmindedly eating.

If that was love, didn’t that mean he was in love with a lot of people. He felt comfortable with a lot of his friends, enough that he never felt ashamed to act on his instincts and say what he wanted, but there were a few things that fell short.

Then he thought about the person sitting right next to him. Did he love her?

He felt like he could be open with her, after all he had trusted her to help with his most embarrassing secret, and he did find her rather pretty. There was always kindness whenever she spoke to him and even though she had smacked him multiple times with a stick, he didn’t hold a grudge against her for it.

For what it was worth, he thought she was a great person and if there was a way to love a friend, then he most certainly had endless affection to feel.

“Do hulijing go to school?” 

Dragged out of his thoughts by her question, he nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“Like a human school?

“I’ve been to university.”

“Oh. What’s 13x13?”

“What? It’s 169.”

“15x5.”

“75- do you think I don’t know basic maths?” She shrugged,

“24x68?”

“1632.”

She leant back against the bench, impressed. “Wow, you actually are smart.”
His eyes narrowed, pointing his now empty stick at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just wanted to know if you’re lying.”
He sighed, though there was no upset behind it.

Luckily, the next few hours barely felt like anything and before they knew it, she had her car back and was driving him home, thanking him again for taking time out of his day to help her. Honestly, it was nothing and if he wasn’t out with her, he would’ve been sitting with his chickens anyway. All in all, it had been a good day.

MC: Hey!!

MC: do you want to be my +1?

MC: i have to go to a company party

MC: and id rather die than go alone. Maybe u can find someone here?

MC: it’s for 2 days time. 5-10pm but i will not be staying that long 

MC: lmk

With nothing else to do and no hope for his own skills, he decided that ‘why not?’ He could eat free food if he so desired and hang around her and some other people for a while. 

Kunhang: yeah sure

Kunhang: what’s the dress code

MC: no dress code. Come sexily. Wear a cute hanfu

Kunhang: expect nothing less

MC: great, i’ll pick u up at 5 then. We don’t want to be on time

Kunhang: 👍🏼

Now, with yet another reason to dress up, he was already thinking about what sort of style he should wear and how much was ‘too much’ for being a plus one at a company party.

The time to be picked up came quickly enough and he decided to go with something more seductive, a hanfu of black and a deep blood red with embroidered flowers and images of a dragon's tail. The shoulders were elongated, making him look broader than usual, and he decided to do another half up hairstyle with hairpins and ornaments to sell the look.

MC: I’m outside

Kunhang: coming

He had a good feeling about today and he walked out with a bounce in his step, approaching the car and getting inside - only to hear her whistle and for his cheeks to flush. 

“Damn, you look sexy today,” she complimented and he grinned from ear to ear, tail wagging on his lap as he put his seatbelt on. “I love the darker colour. What made you go for black rather than white?”

“Dark colours are more seductive, I’ve heard.”

She laughed, the car engine already rumbling underfoot. “No sex in the venue bathrooms. Take them home.”

“I have some self restraint, you know.” He noticed that she was also a little dressed up, glitter on her eyes and a soft tint of colour on her lips. “You look beautiful today.”

“Thank you.” If he didn’t know any better, he would've thought that his compliment made her a little shy. “If you came better dressed than me as my plus one, I’d never hear the end of it.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” He was shifting a little in his seat, unable to stay still and only just remembering to cloak his ears and tail before they got out of the car.

The venue was larger than he expected, hosted in a grand hotel with security hanging around outside. Kunhang stuck close to her side, not bothering to look the guards in the eyes.

“Why do they have sunglasses on?” he questioned, “it’s the afternoon.”

“So they can stare at you without being noticed?”

“Really?” He looked back towards them and she laughed, moving a hand to his arm to gently tug him forward and away from his gawking. “What are we supposed to do here?”

“No idea, just eat some food and walk around, I guess. I’ll let you look a little and if you’re interested in anyone, tell me.” 

It sounded easy enough and he certainly did feel like a celebrity when they both walked in, joined at the arm, and many people turned to look at them. Stares lingered on him for a few seconds and swept over to the figure at his side. This was exactly what he wanted and he was content with his decision to go all out.

They went towards the food table first and they both picked up a glass of juice. There were various wines waiting to be poured but he didn’t fancy the taste of them right now, not until he had explored everything he could. The little finger sandwiches amused him and he took one, tasted a little, and then thought it was good enough to finish.

“You look good today,” a brunette woman said, coming over to greet them, “and you’re fashionably late as always.”

She shrugged while Kunhang looked her over. “It’s a miracle I came.”

“And is this your boyfriend?”

Their disgruntled expressions were synchronised but she recovered quickly. “No, he’s just my friend. I didn’t want to come alone.” Then she looked behind the woman, eyebrows slightly furrowed. “Did you bring someone?”

A slightly polite laugh answered the question for them. “Ah, no. I came alone.”

The lingering stare was easily felt by Kunhang, deep brown eyes mulling over the embroidered patterns and the way his yaodai perfectly framed his waist. Honestly, he didn’t think she was hard on the eyes either. She looked a little older than him, sure, but who was he to shy away from older women? Also, he didn’t feel awkward or like he was teetering on the edge of being killed and harvested for his organs.

She seemed to catch on to the mutual interest between her coworker and Kunhang, and immediately began her end of the bargain. “This is Kunhang,” she introduced, using her hands to gesture teasingly towards him and he took the opportunity to bow and smile jokingly. “And, Kunhang, this is my lovely coworker, Dasom.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Dasom-ssi.”

The lady giggled, placing a hand on his arm and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her begin to move away. “No need for that, you can call me Noona.”

And for once, he didn’t feel chills of disgust rush down his spine. This, he could play into easily and happily. “How come there’s no one with you, Noona? It’s quite surprising that someone like you is by themselves.”

A hint of a blush coated her cheeks and she covered her mouth with her free hand - though it did nothing to conceal her flattered simper. “Something came up, but it doesn’t matter now.” Her hand moved to his bicep, feeling the taunt muscle underneath his sleeve. “Your outfit makes you look so”-she tasted the possible words on her tongue-“handsome.”

“It does?” He coughed, trying to conceal his excitement. “Thank you, I wasn’t sure if this was a good choice, but you’ve confirmed it for me.”

“You picked the right thing.”

Her hand left his arm but she didn’t move from his side, not even when other people approached them and asked who he was, often eyeing him and how close they were. It might have been conceited, but he enjoyed feeling desired, and so blatantly too. He couldn’t miss the subtle bites to the inside of her cheek as she watched him swallow some drinks, how she leant down a little too often and gave him eyefuls that he promptly averted his gaze from - wanting to remain a gentleman rather than someone entirely consumed by want. But, the nail on the coffin, he mused, was how she purposefully complimented his fingers and the rings that adorned them.

Occasionally, he would see his friend amongst the crowd, talking with someone new each time and always that glass of never ending juice in their hands, and the first time he had done so he was caught by Dasom.

“Are you both close friends?” She’d asked and Kunhang merely gave his softest, most reassuring smile.

“She is my friend,” he said, “but that’s all.”

Satisfied with that answer, she didn’t ask again and it wasn’t until it turned 8pm that the woman became a little bolder, fuelled by the drinks she’d had and the fact that Kunhang wasn’t turning her down.

“How did you get here?” Her question was punctuated by a wide eyed and expectant gaze that made his smile become a little more sly.

“I came with her, but I’d be happy to leave with you.”

And that sealed the deal for the night, only having a few minutes to tell her that he was leaving before he was entering a delicately perfumed car and feeling his heart race in excitement. 

The drive didn’t take long, though it felt longer than normal when she had one hand on his lap and snuck multiple glances towards him as he inspected his (thankfully) blunt nails and checked himself in the rear view mirror: not a hair out of place.

He did notice a shirt in the back of the car that didn’t smell like her, rather it smelt like regular men’s perfume, though he didn’t think deeper into it.

She almost dragged him inside, hand tight around his as she used the front of her shoe to pull down the heel of the other, Kunhang mimicking her. It was then that she grabbed onto the collar of his hanfu and dragged him down to her height, kissing him so hard it left him stunned for a moment as he felt power steadily begin to flow in his veins. 

Likening it to a rush of adrenaline, he returned the enthusiasm and she smiled against his lips, pulling away for a moment - a second in which he caught sight of a picture of Dasom and another man hung up. 

“Let’s go to the bedroom,” she breathed out and he followed, almost stumbling over the hem of his attire with how rapidly it was moving. He’d forgotten just how quickly these things happened. “You know how to treat a woman, don’t you?”

His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth before he nodded. “I’ll let Noona be the judge.”

She laughed again, both hands cupping his face as she kissed him, and his heart felt fit to burst from his chest.

The front of his hanfu was mussed, exposing unblemished skin and the sharp lines of his collarbones. Fingertips traced over them before his knees hit the edge of the bed and he paused.

The room had the same smell as the shirt from the car.

“Noona, does someone live here?” There was something that was brewing in his gut, something that wasn’t the beginnings of a good time.

“Hm? No.” She said it almost instantly.

His hand was tugged again, body between her legs at the end of the bed. His eyes flickered to her blank phone screen for a reason unknown and he let himself be pulled down, hands wandering over the delicate skin of his neck and shoulders. 

The phone lit up with a notification, the message from ‘jagi’ asking when she would be back.

“Noona,” he tried again, dragged down on top of her, staring down at the woman that looked at him expectantly. “Do you have a partner?”

Dasom looked vaguely annoyed. “Kunhang, it doesn’t matter.”
The bad feeling got worse, but he was shut up by another kiss that was followed by a plea for him to just touch her already!

He got up, pushing his hair behind his ears. “Please tell me the truth.”

She groaned. “He doesn’t matter. He never pays attention to me, I’d rather be with you.”

That sentence made him feel sick and he shook his head. Being an accomplice to a cheater wasn’t something he was willing to be, not even if the power and kisses tasted like ambrosia. “No, I’m leaving.” 

Turning on his heel, he wiped his mouth and tried his best to fix his hanfu, disgust making the hair on his arms raise. 

“Kunhang, wait! Don’t leave! I promise it’ll be good, he won’t be home until the morning and we’re not in love anyway, it’s just conveni-”

“Dasom-ssi, I don’t want to hear it.”

She didn’t try again and he left the house, frustration almost driving him to tears.

Kunhang: can you pick me up, please?

MC: where r u ?

Kunhang: *location*

MC: omw

He didn’t have to wait long, the cold was biting at his skin the entire time, and he sighed in relief when he saw the headlights of her car.

“You look like you had fun,” she remarked but he shook his head.

A frown marred her face. “What’s wrong?”

Whatever words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat instead and it took monumental force to get them out. “She has a boyfriend.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

For the most part, he was silent, curling into himself with his tail in his lap for comfort, stroking the soft fur as he gazed ahead at the night shrouded roads. There had to be something wrong with him. This kind of luck wasn’t normal and he had no idea what he had done wrong to warrant such a horrible turn in his ability to be desired. 

“Why does it always fail?” His question was meek, defeated. “It never works even when I try so hard.”

She didn’t turn to face him as she spoke, diligently keeping her eyes ahead. “I take it back,” she said, “It’s not your conversational ability that’s the problem. I actually think it’s nothing at all to do with you.”

“Don’t say untrue things just to make me feel better.”

“I’m not. This entire time that I’ve known you, all the people you’ve spoken to weren’t compatible. The first lady didn’t like your chickens, the vampire had a husband, the couple wanted to try something you weren’t into, and now this woman wanted to do something that went against your morals.” Kunhang caught her gaze in the rear view mirror, seeing nothing but sincerity reflected back at him. “I’m certain it’s not because of you.”

Even if he didn’t want to believe it, wanted to pin all the blame on himself for failing at the one thing his species were supposed to be the best at, he couldn’t help but feel that she was right. He could have lowered his standards and morals, but it wouldn’t be him then. “Do you think so?”

“Yeah, I do. I don’t know if this is the thing that’s been plaguing you for 12 years, but I’m sure it's just incompatibility, not because of you.”

Pouting a little, he decided to tell the truth. “To be honest, I didn’t try for the first six years. I wasn’t interested in sleeping with anyone and I just wanted to invest time in my hobbies instead. I didn’t need more power, so I didn’t bother to look for it.”

“And what about the rest?”

“Only slightly but I don’t think I put enough effort into it.” For some reason, this was humiliating to admit. What sort of Hulijing didn’t want more power? Why would he waste time whittling away at creating fans and performing fan dances on stages? He was surprised she wasn’t calling him beyond pathetic.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you just need time to do what you want, rather than follow a preset plan. You’re being too harsh on yourself.”

“What do you think I should do then?”

“Let it come naturally. Talk to people, but not only for that one reason. If the right people come along then you’ll feel a lot happier than if you’re only getting hit on by weirdos.” He had nothing else to lose, so he nodded. 

And, even though the night had been one dramatic failure, he didn't feel as upset as he did in the beginning. Being with her always made him feel better.

“Thank you.”

For the past week Kunhang had stayed at home, working on his own things in order to forget about anything and everything. It felt therapeutic to sit in his room and do nothing but indulge himself in his interests. He also finally had more to add to his scroll and he spent hours perfecting the image of his friend’s silhouette to the silk scroll. He painted her in her dressed up state, drawing himself beside her with their arms linked. The car was added in, and he inked flowers blooming beneath the tyres and their feet. 

There had also been significant progress made on the jade charm, and he was confident that he would be able to finish it within a couple more days if he really focused. It was moving along quickly and even though he still felt a little bitter towards her cat, it was more a gift to her and that removed any sour aftertaste.

A few of his fans had also been sold and others had messaged him asking for a commission, surprising him since his online shop was stagnant for a couple of weeks, and now he had a lot of extra money to his name. 

However, he had been working on a special fan, ones that had protection symbols and nature imagery carefully hand painted onto it. It was something that he could have sold for a high price, but he didn’t want to sell it - rather, he intended to give it to her.

She was due to arrive any minute now and he only just had time to tie a ribbon around the thin, decorative box, before he heard his doorbell ring. Shoving it on top of his dresser, he scurried out and opened the door.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” He stepped aside and told her to sit down and close her eyes. There was a few raised eyebrows and questions of what the surprise was, but he refused to spill just yet.

Both the scroll and the box was held in his hands and brought to the living room, his anticipation bubbling over as his tail wagged at mach speeds. Ever so gently, he pressed the box into her palm and closed her fingers over it, before setting up the scroll to show her the entirety.

“Open your eyes.”

Pride washed through him at her gasp, grin unable to be kept at bay as she played with the ends of the ribbon before opening it up. Each of her movements was careful, as though she were handling precious jewels, and he felt warmth blossom in his chest when her eyes widened with shock upon unfurling the fan.

“It’s so beautiful.” It was a genuine statement, said with admiration laced between each syllable. She traced over the details and then the symbol. “Did you make this?”

“I did.”

“Wow, you are so talented. Thank you so much.” Placing it on her lap, she admired the fine fabric that he had built them with, and the finely done metalwork that held the structure up. “This is the nicest thing someone’s ever gifted to me.”

“I’m glad,” he said simply, not needing any further words to express his joy. “There’s also something here.”

Her attention shifted and she looked over the scroll, the reflection of where her gaze fell clear in her eyes and Kunhang took great pleasure in seeing how she inspected every tiny detail. “This is amazing! You add so much detail to everything. I feel like I could actually feel the fur on the fox.”

Then, she seemed to catch on. “Is this about you?”

“It is.”

“And is this us at the company party?”

A nod.

“You made me look really pretty,” she said and he scoffed. 

“You always look like that.”

“Aw, are you trying to make me blush?” Her teasing words made him huff, an ear twitching. “Do you add to this?”

“Yes, whenever something happens that I want to remember, I add it to the scroll.” He sat down on the floor, pointing to the beginning where he was but a little cub. “Most of my memories as a fox are hazy, but I remember them a little easier when I have a visual.”

“Could you go through it?” She asked, eager to know and to explore. “Please?”

Kunhang couldn’t have been more ecstatic.

The entire explanation took over an hour, but she sat and listened intently to each thing he said, asking questions about things that he hadn’t thought about in years. 

(“Before you turned into a human, could you still use powers?” 

“I could.” 

“Then why didn’t you use your powers to create hands?”

“...What?

“Then you could do everything.”

“A fox with hands? I would’ve been captured and sent to a circus.”

“That’s true, actually.”)

She didn’t stay too long after he’d finished, needing to go and visit her sick friend, but she hugged him tightly and thanked him once again. Something had settled within his sternum, a feeling he wasn’t too familiar with but knew that it was always present whenever she was. 

Though, he wasn’t left alone for too long and he found his phone lighting up.

Sicheng-ge: kunhang

Sicheng-ge: are u free?

Kunhang: yeah

Sicheng-ge: i need a favour

Sicheng-ge: come over, please?

Kunhang: what sort of favour?

Sicheng-ge: ill tell you if you come

Kunhang: 😒😒😒

Kunhang: fine

Kunhang: im coming

Sicheng-ge: whoa. I didn’t mean like that

Kunhang: 😶 

Kunhang: ur so gross, ge

Sicheng-ge: 😇

Despite having no idea what Sicheng could have wanted, Kunhang hadn’t seen him for a while and he was still teetering on his high from being praised and thanked. Anything could have been approved by him right now and Sicheng had gotten him at the right time.

The Fenghuang’s home was a penthouse that Kunhang had to pass through security to reach, a feat that was achieved only by flashing his ears and tail for a split second before being let up; he still had no idea what Sicheng did for a living and, at this point, he was too afraid to ask.

He reached the top of the penthouse and the door was opened automatically, leading him inside to where he heard two other voices: one belonging to Sicheng and another belonging to a young man he had been skirting around for a while.

“Yangyang, don’t try to eat his nightmares this time.”

He groaned. Not Yangyang…

The voices went quiet and Sicheng’s head popped around the corner, his pretty face only just overshadowing his gorgeous red and gold wings that shimmered and extended to almost 180cm in width.

“You’re here!”

“I am.” White, fluffy ears lay flat against his head. “You didn’t tell me that lazy ass baku would be here.”

This time Sicheng rolled his eyes and ushered him away from the hallway. “He didn’t mean to eat your dream that one time. Come on, Kun-ah, that was 10 years ago.”

“The terror is fresh in my mind.”

“You’re so overdramatic, you old man.” Yangyang’s voice announced, his body sprawled out along one of the large, white and plush sofas that Sicheng had in his living room. “You’re still not over it?”

Perhaps hissing at him would be too uncouth, but he desperately wanted to. “You were literally hovering over me like a demon, and I saw you suck up my dream…”

“Your dreams and nightmares look too similar,” Yangyang huffed, arms crossed over his chest, “how was I supposed to know that you jumping from cliffs and into the sea was a dream?”

“Because there was koi in the sea,” Kunhang retorted and Yangyang rolled his eyes. “I am not sleeping over with him here.”

“You don’t need to sleep over,” Sicheng interrupted their little spat, mildly exasperated by the childishness of these two creatures. “I need you both to help me.”

He sat down on the opposite sofa and Kunhang helped himself to one of the eggs and a small plate with chilli oil on it. "What do you need?"

"I was asked to do a stage for the Lunar new year, but I want supernaturals to be the ones participating." Both the Baku and Hulijing exchanged a shared look. “Don’t make those faces. Every dancer I know there is a human and I’d rather ask you both to be in the performance with me.”

“What kind of dance?” Yangyang asked, obviously trying to hide his interest but failing.

“About a phoenix and hulijing that are on the cusp of falling in love but their dreams are holding them back.”

Kunhang um’ed and ah’ed. “You didn’t really give yourself much choice other than us.”

“Because I thought of you both,” Sicheng deadpanned, “I can change it if you say no, but that’s the concept that I’d like to go for.”

Yangyang cut in. “Wouldn’t a dragon be more appropriate?” 

“Maybe, but that’s just sticking to what’s normal.” And the auburn haired Fenghuang was far from normal. “What do you think?”

“What sort of dance is it?” There was a wide variety of styles that Kunhang could easily do, but some would require a little more time and dedication.

“A fan dance with some modern elements. I know that Yangyang is better at street, so I thought that he would do some of the singing.” Kunhang glanced at Yangyang and the boy was beaming, finally sat up. 

“Sure, I’ll sing. I’ll dance a little if you want, too, Ge.”

He looked more than relieved, tense shoulders relaxing, “Thank you. You’ll be paid for this, don’t worry.”

"Nice”-Yangyang puffed out his cheeks a little-“and this is, like, off topic, but why does your place smell like ash? You’re not that kind of phoenix.”

“No, it doesn’t smell like ash,” Sicheng said, staring him down while he laid back onto the sofa, burying his face into the soft pillows. “I think you’re eating too ‘being burnt alive’ nightmares.”

Yangyang grunted as Kunhang shoved his legs out of the way to sit down. “My nose is fine. I know that Kun smells like someone.”
Even Sicheng made a noise of surprise that Kunhang couldn’t decide was insulting or not. “Oh? Did you finally find someone?”

“Not really, I had a guest over.”

“Whoa! That’s the bigger surprise.” 

Having enough of his blabbering, he grabbed Yangyang’s leg and dragged him off of the sofa, launching the Baku onto the floor.

Despite his groans and deceptively intense injury rubbing, Sicheng didn’t scold Kunhang and he flopped to the floor in defeat mumbling something about how these animal spirits were the worst - nevermind that he much resembled a panda in mannerisms and attitude.

“So you haven’t found anyone yet?” This conversation was like a broken record and he had no way to skip through it. “That’s a shame. Maybe you should ask Yangyang.”

“No way!” The two of them exclaimed in sync, a small smile making its way onto Sicheng’s plush lips. “That’s disgusting,” Yangyang added, yelping seconds later when fox fire began to burn his behind. 

“Are you sure? Maybe both of your fighting would make for something interesting.”

“I wouldn’t be able to get it up if I was looking at him.” This made the fox fire move from his behind to his hair, singeing some strands of his dirty blonde hair.

“Likewise,” Kunhang grunted, kicking him with his foot to move him away. “He’d be the cause of my nightmares.”

“Mhm, whatever you say. You know, you guys remind me of these two humans I used to know and-”
Kunhang and Yangyang weren’t going to escape this anytime soon.

The multiple weeks of rehearsals were something that Kunhang wasn’t unused to, but it had fallen out of practice. The first week was difficult, and he kept stumbling with either his feet not landing where he needed them to go, or forgetting the next step. There were multiple acts that they had to remember and he was finding it difficult. However, Sicheng was patient and didn’t scold him if he did something wrong, instead he gently guided him with an ease that only a seasoned dancer could achieve and it only made Kunhang wonder what the hell this Fenghuang did with his time.

Yangyang, despite his rather lazy demeanour in everyday life, was also disciplined and did his best to sing to the standard Sicheng wanted. More than once, Kunhang found himself surprised at how elegantly he could move and how he filled the stage with just himself and a silk fan in either hand. 

They were told that they could invite whoever they wanted and Kunhang invited everyone he knew. This was the first time that he was doing such a large performance with this high of a budget and he wanted as many people as possible to experience it. 

The stage that had been chosen was at the very front of a grandiose hall, one that was filled with vibrant walls of gold and balcony seating for generous patrons to occupy. Hundreds of seats were lined up and Sicheng had excitedly told them that they had pretty much sold out, the promotion by the organisation having worked wonders to drum up excitement.

“Are you guys ready?” Yangyang asked, his makeup finished and his outfit going through its last few adjustments with a stylist. For the beginning act, he would be wearing a cloak that covered his body and head, a mask on his face to make him look like an evil and grotesque creature when he was on stage. “I feel kinda nervous.”

“Same,” Kunhang admitted. He had performed before but, again, it was nothing to this calibre. “It’ll go by smoothly.”

“I hope so. Ge’s put a lot of money into this. I heard that he paid half for our costumes.” That was both shocking and also completely expected. “You look good.”

“Thank you. You look wretched.”

Yangyang’s smile was big and toothy. “Thanks.”

Peeking through the curtains, he saw that the seats were filling up and in the front row beside his various other friends, was her. 

He forced himself not to wave, citing professionalism as the reason, and instead went to look for Sicheng. Thankfully, he was only in the back and he easily spotted the man with his impressive wings. They’d all decided to forgo any glamour since it was easier to not wear fake prosthetics for assets they already had, and it made everything more realistic. He was dressed in a beautiful gold and emerald hanfu with a crown on his head that matched his feathers. Intricate designs were added along the sleeves and the culmination of the designs were along his back and ended at his shoulder blades where his wings poked through.

“You look sexy,” was the thing Kunhang said in lieu of a greeting. “It was the right idea to go with green instead of red. It brings out your wings.”

“You think so?” Sicheng looked at the mirror in front of him, his wings fluttering with the micromovements. “Lilac brings out your ears and tail.” 

Kunhang had already spent too long gazing at himself and admiring the fabric that adorned his body. The ruffled sleeves had to be his favourite part, though the gold accents that travelled all over the outfit was a magnetic force.  His outfit was complete with a headpiece and matching earrings for his fox and human ears.

“2 minutes to start. Get in your positions.” A stage director came over, handing them their fans and Kunhang took a deep inhale, readying himself.

“Let’s go.”

Sicheng was the first person on stage, standing with his back to the audience before turning around with his wings unfurling, stretching to their full size that dominated the stage. Gasps of people filled the room and Kunhang could see the slight quirk of his lips at the sounds. The fans covered his face and he moved like water across the floor, his clothing floating behind him with such grace that he had everyone transfixed. 

Fuck it, Kunhang thought, I need to ask him where the hell he learn to move like this.

And then it was his turn to debut.

His footfalls were feather light and he felt no semblance of stage fright or doubt. Instead, all his movements were perfect and he felt like he was dancing on air. Sicheng gave him a brief smile as they circled each other, his wings folded back into themselves, before they separated and left to allow Yangyang to take centre stage.

He did his job of acting like a creepy and predatory creature, crouching and hobbling his way through the choreography whilst still remaining stable as he sang. Kunhang heard whispers from Ten asking his neighbour, Yuta, if that really was Yangyang, and he found it so funny that he couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

The rest of the acts passed by quickly and Kunhang found that, while the story wasn’t expressed verbally and relayed step by step, that it was easy to understand and digest for audiences who may not have been familiar with fan dancing. His eyes always lingered on her whenever he looked at the front row, trying to gauge her reaction and never finding anything less than pure interest. It was easy to get absorbed in the moves, to feel the air rushing past his ears as Sicheng tilted his head up with the edge of his fan, when his wings enveloped them both and hid him entirely from the audience. 

However, the most engaging part of the performance had to be when Yangyang revealed his true form. The cloak had come off, revealing his silver and white clothing that reflected every last light from above, and his eyes were dark, teeth poking against his bottom lip. He hovered over Sicheng, hand pressed delicately to his forehead, and wisps of smoke trailed along his arms.

A memory of a nightmare shimmered above him, one with dark nights and endless volcanic land that erupted with the intention of maiming and destruction, and the audience saw in gruesome detail how his jaw unhinged and his eyes turned a deep, unsettling black. The nightmare was devoured and with it, Yangyang’s normal, youthful visage returned. 

The ending of the performance was met with roaring cheers and the trio bowed, more than satisfied with the outcome of the story and the reactions.

“Oh my god,” Kunhang heard her exclaim as she ran up to him. “You were amazing! Everything was so beautiful and you all looked so professional. I never knew you could dance.”

He prayed that she thought the blush on his cheeks and ears was from physical exertion and not because she had taken his hands in hers and complimented him so sincerely. “Yeah, I sometimes dance at small festivals.”

“You’re full of surprises, seriously. You did great, so many people were saying that they’ve never seen anything so interesting.” She moved so that she could look behind him. “Are his wings real? They’re gorgeous.”

“They are. He’s a phoenix.”

“Which one?”

“Fenghuang.”

“Wow. And the other guy?”

“Yangyang? He’s a Baku.” He was waiting for her to be shocked but, to her credit, she took it in stride. “Sicheng-ge wanted us all to play what we are, so we didn’t use any glamour. Most humans were too far away to feel unsettled so he thought it would be fine.”

“He is a smart man. You looked better than any props.” Soaking up the praise, he almost didn’t notice that Kihyun was approaching until he was right behind him.

“Kunhang, that was amazing,” he said, shining teeth on display as he grinned. “I didn’t know you had talents in performing too. You’re full of surprises.”

“I’m a man of many talents,” Kunhang laughed, still on a high. “Really, though. Sicheng-ge was the one who organised everything. He’s the true talented one.”

“I can’t deny that, but you made a great love interest. You should wear purple more often.” Kihyun finally caught sight of the woman that was there. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’m Kihyun.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. Kunhang’s all yours.” The Hulijing’s eyes narrowed at this and he felt something pinch at arteries connecting to his heart. “I was just about to talk to Sicheng-ssi.”

She tilted her head slightly towards Kihyun, plainly urging him to make the most of  this moment, but Kunhang decided that it wasn’t very nice to leave her hanging around in a gaggle of people she didn’t know.

“One second, Hyung.” Taking her hand, he led her to the group that had formed, consisting of Ten, Kun and Sicheng. “Hey, guys, this is my friend.” He introduced her and Kun stared at him; Kunhang avoided looking his way. “Take care of her, and she already knows about supernaturals so don’t act weird. I’ll find out and bite your ear off… Ten-ge.”

“Hey!” The vampire held his hands up before grinning, both fangs on display. “A friend of this smelly fox is a friend of ours.”

Despite how annoying Ten was, he knew she was in safe hands and she already seemed to assimilate into the group with her laughter ringing in the air and his ears. 

“Is she your friend?” Kihyun asked and he’d heard this too many times for it not to get to him (though he nodded his head anyway).

“She is. I’d call her my best friend, honestly.”

“And she’s a human.”

“Yeah.”

Kihyun seemed amused upon seeing that Sicheng was letting her stroke his wings. “Seems like she fits right in.” He turned back to face Kunhang, the eye contact lasting a little too long for it to not insinuate something deeper simmering under the surface.

And there was no mistaking the way that dark, endless eyes caught onto every detail of his costume, lingering near his chest and then on the long expanse of his neck. Vampires like skin, sure, but they didn’t subtly lick their lips right after, nor did they gaze into his eyes in a way that made him almost explode into embers and ash.

“That costume really suits you.” A hand moved to play with the sleeve and then shifted, thumb pressed to pulse point. “Can you take it home?”

“I can.”

A pause followed in which Kunhang moved closer, almost exchanging breaths, to gauge interest… Only to find it staring him in the face in the form of dilated pupils and a tongue that pushed against the inside of Kihyun’s olive toned cheek.

“Kunhang?” 

He hummed, hand moving to touch the soft silk of Kihyun’s shirt.

“Have you decided what you’re going to use your IOU for?” The question lingered in the air, hovering over them both and Kunhang laughed, ears twitching. Sharp teeth poked into the soft flesh of his bottom lip and he looked towards the group he had left her with.

He saw her nod encouragingly and that was the final push he needed.

Dainty fingers curled around Kihyun’s bicep and he leant in, only millimetres away from having his lips brush against the man’s cheek. “I want to use it on you.”

There was no response, and no need for one either - Kihyun’s hand cold and tight in his as they headed straight for the back entrance (but Kunhang was sure that his body heat would be more than enough to warm him up).

A small, decorative box lay in the palm of his hand, one that he had spent countless hours staring at and trying to figure out his feelings towards. Within it lay the finished jade charm, a product of his promise and his finger numbing work. It had been finished for a while now but he couldn’t muster up the will to deliver it to her, to finally put an end to that promise that was keeping engaged with him. 

Kunhang shoved it into the pocket of his clothing and walked to her home, taking the time to look around and inspect the path there. He had no desire to rush yet he found himself in front of her door within the blink of an eye.

So he knocked, and the door opened less than a minute later.

“Kunhang? You didn’t message saying you were coming over.”

“Oh, did I come at a bad time?”

“No, no. I would’ve just boiled some eggs for you.” The route to her living room was already ingrained in his memory and he waited for her to come to him before he could give his gift. “What’s up?”

Velvet brushed against his fingers as he produced the box from its hiding place, his teeth digging into his cheek as he took her hand to give it to her. “I finished the charm,” he said, “I wanted to give it to you.”

He had always loved the look of surprise and gratitude on her face whenever he gave her things, and it was no different now even when he felt a myriad of emotions swirling within him. 

“But I haven’t found someone for you?”

“You did.”

“Kihyun? But he was your friend already.”

Despite himself, Kunhang found himself giggling. “I met him before then in the mines when I was looking for jade. It was your charm that made us reconnect.”

“I’m glad I could help then.” The translucent green dove was held to the light and he could see each detail refracted in the light, pride filling his chest. “You made this?”

“I did.”

“How are you good at everything?” She shook her head. “So, how did it go? You guys practically ran out of the building.”

Normally, he would have happily divulged all the details and told her how Kihyun was the nicest person he had ever been intimate with, how he felt genuinely appreciated rather than someone to fuck and forget, but he couldn’t say it to her. “It was good, Hyung was a good fit,” he decided to say instead.

“You’re glowing,” she commented and he supposed she was right, in a way. Kihyun was much stronger than a human so had given him more power; his skin had taken on a more radiant look to it as a result. “Are you guys awkward now?”

“No, we are friends.” It was complicated to explain despite being very simple, but he blamed it on how his stomach had knotted up the moment he had seen her face. “Neither of us thought of it as anything deeper than just a one night thing, though he said I’m welcome to text him whenever I need to. We had coffee and eggs for breakfast, then I left.”

“That’s a good thing, right? You seemed unsure when I brought this type of deal up before.” His focus went from her face to just her eyes, taking in how the light reflected galaxies back to him. Kunhang had always found her pretty, but he knew that the way he thought her skin glowed from the inside out, and how much he wanted to hold her hand - that this was not typical of platonic adoration. 

“I didn’t want to ruin an existing friendship,” he replied, trying to suppress the nervous thumping of his tail. “But I realised after I had left his home, that I didn’t want to carry on like this. I don’t want to have meaningless affairs with people, even though that’s what we’re supposed to do.”

The jade glimmered in her palm and he held her hand with both of his, wishing that it would protect her and her silly cat for as long as they lived. 

“Then what do you want to do?” 

It was either now or never, and he had already braced himself for rejection. “I want to be in a  relationship with you. Like a… girlfriend and Hulijing.”

There was an indiscernible emotion that was answering him. “But I’m human?”

“So what?” he blurted. “I don’t care if you’re human. There are ways to extend your lifespan if you want it, but it does not matter to me what species you are.”

One of his hands was removed and the jade handed over to him. His heart started to sink, but this was premature and she was still holding the other. 

“Please put it on Leon.”

Not wanting to push for an answer, he decided to do as she asked. 

As much as he did still feel a little edge of annoyance towards the cat, he had gotten over it a long time ago and only kept up the act as a way to honour Geum. Honestly, he thought Leon was rather cute with his too-big ears and playful attitude.

Changing into a fox, he held the charm in his jaws and padded slowly over to where Leon was hiding in the cubby hole of his cat tree. It was an impressive thing and he would have loved one for himself, but he had more serious things to think about.

Leon stared at him with slitted amber eyes as he approached and sat down in front of the hole. He didn’t hiss, which was a start, but he was clearly on guard and wondering why on earth the fox that had attacked him was sitting in his home.

Kunhang let the charm tumble from his mouth before pushing it towards Leon with his snout, the feline following each movement closely. He didn’t make any sudden movements and Leon, slowly but surely, climbed out of his safe zone.

He made a soft purring nose, pushing the charm towards Leon again and he paused mid footstep. Yes, he thought, please take it.

And, as thought Leon could read his thoughts, he slowly pawed at the jade and then stared at Kunhang, observing him before poking at his leg to get a reaction. When there was none, he was sniffed a few times before Leon sat with him and began to groom himself.

“Good kitty,” he cooed, changing back into his human form and letting him smell his hand again, the charm placed ever so gently on his collar. “There we go.”

She knelt down beside him, scratching under Leon’s chin before tracing the dove that had been lovingly handmade. “I want to be with you, too.”

A flood of relief overcame him and he hugged her tightly, beaming with enough force that his cheeks hurt. “I’m so happy, I thought you didn’t like me.”

“What? Why would you think that?” She asked with enough disbelief in her tone that he felt stupid for ever imagining such a thing.

“Because you were encouraging me to sleep with other people.”

“That was literally the one thing I was supposed to do.”

 He buried his face in her shoulder, wanting to hide his delight. “I know, but still.”

“For such an old man, you don’t catch on quickly. It’s hard not to like you.”

“Do you think I’m sexy?”

She scoffed. “Only a little.”

“Then will you kiss this sexy fox?”

“Oh my god, Kunhang,” she groaned, feigning disgust, “only if you don’t steal my soul.”

And, as he cupped her cheeks and pecked her lips, a rush of power surging through him, he whispered a quiet ‘I’d never dream of it’.

These are the inspirations for what Kunhang and co. were wearing:

sicheng's fit (imagine it in emerald)

(kun's stage fit)