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San lazes in his favorite spot— the pile of blankets and pillows arranged meticulously in front of the balcony. The area is perfect for sunbathing, which San did often, the glass doors letting in warm sunlight. It also provides a clear view of the kitchen where Seonghwa currently flits around preparing brunch for their upcoming guests.
San’s deep blue eyes trace his every move, a black ear occasionally twitching to the sounds of birds chirping outside. The apartment is silent apart from Seonghwa’s quiet humming as he works. The two are waiting for Hongjoong and Wooyoung to return from the store with champagne to make mimosas.
As if on queue, the front door bursts open as Wooyoung scampers in to greet Seonghwa, touching their noses together sweetly. He’s panting as he asks, “Are they here yet?” seemingly having run the entire way home. His orange tail thrashes wildly behind him as he awaits Seonghwa’s response.
“Do you see anyone here yet?,” he replies cheekily, reaching up to brush over Wooyoung’s ear. Looking around, Wooyoung pouts at the lack of guests but quickly perks up once he notices San watching them from his spot on the floor.
Sensing Wooyoung’s incoming attack, San makes a move to get up but is caught halfway by the faster fox hybrid. Letting out a playful growl, his little fangs sink into San’s plush ear as he tackles him, not enough to hurt but enough that San can feel it nonetheless. The two continue to roll around a bit, San trying to nip at Wooyoung in retaliation as Hongjoong finally makes his way inside.
He strolls into the kitchen, placing the champagne bottle on the counter before turning to hug Seonghwa from behind. “Mmm smells good, baby.”
When Seonghwa just hums appreciatively, too focused on touching up his freshly baked casserole, Hongjoong plants some kisses along his husband’s neck, hoping to pull his attention. However, Seonghwa’s eyes stay fixated on the basil he’s placing, eyebrows knit together in concentration.
Only when Hongjoong pulls away to mix the mimosas does Seonghwa acknowledge him. “Did you give Wooyoung something while you were out? He came in all rowdy,” he inquires, finally turning away from his dish to face Hongjoong.
“No, why would I-“
His response is cut off by one of Wooyoung’s high pitched yips coming from the living room. San has finally got the upper hand in their little play fight, the white tip of Wooyoung’s tail caught between his teeth as he smirks, devilish eyes challenging him again.
The two husbands simply chuckle, returning to their conversation. Hongjoong sighs, starting the drinks again. “He’s just excited, it’s been so long since he’s seen Jongho.”
There’s a lull in the exchange as Seonghwa retrieves the orange slices from the fridge. He sidles up next to Hongjoong, artistically placing the slices onto the flutes while Hongjoong pours.
“How do you think San will do? He’s been a bit quiet all day.”
Hongjoong finishes pouring the drinks and begins placing them on a tray. “He gets along well with Yeosang. Once he sees that we trust Jongho I think he’ll be ok. I’ve noticed that Wooyoung’s opinion of people really affects how he reacts and Wooyoung loves Jongho so I doubt we have anything to worry about.” He gives his lover an encouraging smile and pulls him into a side hug for good measure. Seonghwa leans into it, resting his head atop Hongjoong’s as he watches the two hybrids continue to play.
When Wooyoung suddenly mentioned his desire to have a hybrid sibling, Seonghwa and Hongjoong were quite surprised. Wooyoung had been a part of their family for five years and never expressed any wishes for another hybrid in the house. However, Seonghwa and Hongjoong weren’t going to say no, especially after hearing Wooyoung’s reasoning.
Their friend group only had one hybrid in it, Yunho, a golden retriever. But Yunho was raised in a human home since he was a baby. Although they were very kind and loving towards Yunho, they had inadvertently caused him to unlearn many of the things that made him a hybrid, such as his dog-like behaviour. If it weren’t for the ears and tail, most people probably wouldn’t even notice Yunho was in fact a hybrid.
And although Wooyoung absolutely adores Yunho, he disclosed to them that he often wished he had someone he could play with like when he was a kit. Someone he could wrestle and pretend hunt or chase with. Sadly for Wooyoung, Yunho didn’t know how to “play” in the hybrid context.
So from there, the little family of three had begun their search for their new member. And that’s how they stumbled upon San, their missing puzzle piece.
They visited multiple hybrid shelters. Wooyoung would go into the common areas, where the hybrids hung out during the day before returning to their separate rooms, and come out with ears and tail hanging low time and time again. The bunny hybrids were too scared of him, the dog hybrids played too rough, the cat hybrids didn’t like him, etc. It was always something.
They were about to give up their search for a while until Hongjoong suggested they try one more a bit further away. They had already been driving for three hours, what did another one matter at this point?
The last shelter they arrived at was located in the countryside. It was a great deal larger than the other facilities they visited and even had an outdoor area for the residents. While Hongjoong and Seonghwa went over portfolios with the staff, Wooyoung was allowed into the outdoor area to explore.
As if a magnet was pulling him, Wooyoung immediately fixated on the scrawny cat hybrid napping under a big oak tree on some blankets. His legs moved on their own accord, bringing him closer to the napping cat until he stood right in front on him. Unsure of how to proceed, Wooyoung simply sat down next to the unsuspecting hybrid. However, the sudden movement was enough to wake him.
Blinking his eyes open confusedly, the poor cat startled upon seeing Wooyoung, practically jumping out of his skin. He scrambled to sit up, dragging the blanket with him to cover his face. Wooyoung felt just as bad, bringing his own tail up to grip on to in guilt as he chewed on his lip, dark amber eyes gazing at the other hybrid intently.
After a few seconds of silence, the cat slowly moved the blanket to reveal only his blue eyes, the black ears atop his head twitching wildly.
“I’m Wooyoung, what’s your name?” he leaned in inquisitively, flashing the strange hybrid his best smile. Except this time the cat didn’t flinch away, instead offering an unsure hand to Wooyoung. “I’m San.” And the rest was history.
After completing all the paperwork and getting San’s approval, they brought the little kitty home with them not even a week later. The staff at the shelter had told them San was neglected by his previous family. They weren’t sure how this affected other facets of his life but he acted rather skittish around new people. San’s immediate gravitation towards Wooyoung was not only a mystery, but a miracle as well.
San has been living with them for a few weeks now and has only met one of their friends, Yeosang. Since he was Wooyoung’s best friend, they deemed him the safest option. After seeing how much Wooyoung adored Yeosang, San accepted his presence without much hesitation, but had only recently welcomed his touch. Next it was only fitting to introduce San to their youngest friend, Yeosang’s boyfriend Jongho.
There’s a series of knocks on the front door, tapped in the distinct four beat rhythm used only by their friends. At the familiar sound, Wooyoung hastily untangles himself from their post-play cuddle pile while San darts to hide behind the armchair. Before Seonghwa can even grab the knob, Wooyoung is throwing the door open, immediately latching onto Jongho who returns the hug reluctantly.
“Oh drop the act. You were just complaining to me how much you missed Wooyoungie yesterday.” Yeosang sidesteps the two reunited friends to slip into the apartment, striding over to help Hongjoong set the table.
Wooyoung happily rubs his cheek against Jongho’s as Seonghwa ushers them through the threshold. San peers over the side of the chair, observing the interaction closely.
The feeling of a hand gently stroking his hair causes San to flinch. “Sannie baby, we’re going to eat now, will you join us?”
He relaxes into the touch upon hearing Seonghwa’s voice, staring up at him from his crouched position. Before answering, San takes one last glance toward the new pair who have made their way to the dining table. Wooyoung sits next to the stranger (called Jongho), clinging onto to his arm as he rubs their noses together. The action makes Jongho giggle which causes Wooyoung’s eyes to turn into crescents, visibly delighted by the sound.
Deeming Jongho a non-threat, San gingerly slinks into the dining room behind Seonghwa, taking a seat between Yeosang and Hongjoong. Although he knows Jongho must be safe considering they let him into their home, San can’t help but be intimidated by the stranger upon seeing him up close. Despite his clothes covering his body, it’s obvious Jongho is broad with muscle. San thinks he could throw him like a mere baseball if he wanted to. The thought causes him to curl in on himself, tail winding tightly in his lap.
Noticing San’s nervousness, Yeosang places a comforting hand on his knee while Hongjoong fills his plate for him.
Brunch proceeded surprisingly well. After properly introducing San and Jongho to each other, they had conversed as normal with San sometimes nodding or replying with single words to show he was listening. He had only gotten airplane ears twice when Jongho reached over to pass food to Hongjoong. Gradually, San allowed his tail to uncurl and hang calmly as he observed Jongho.
As the humans cleaned up the dishes (minus Jongho who wasn’t allowed to leave Wooyoung’s line of sight), the remaining trio made their way to living room to choose a movie to watch. Wooyoung was still curled into Jongho’s side, scrolling through Netflix; both their gazes were fixed on the tv. The lack of direct attention emboldened San as he decided to give Jongho a chance just as he had Yeosang.
Quietly, he made his way to the large middle sofa were the two currently sat in the left corner. Sitting as far to the right as possible, San felt better with Wooyoung acting as a barrier between the two. After a few minutes, Jongho’s eyes strayed from the screen, finally noticing San. As he glanced over, San was already staring back. But as their eyes met, he quickly averted his gaze and tried to sink as far into the couch as possible as if he was scared of being caught.
Sensing movement from the other side of the sofa, Wooyoung tore his gaze from the tv to properly look at San. He opened his free arm to entice the shyer hybrid to come cuddle with him, smiling softly. San hesitantly crawled toward the fox, eventually laying against him with his head beneath the younger’s chin. He would steal curious glances at Jongho while Wooyoung continued to scroll, being comforted by the other hybrid’s occasional kisses to his temple.
The others joined them just as Wooyoung queued up his top pick. Yeosang made himself comfy next to San while Seonghwa and Hongjoong cozied up to one another on the loveseat. As the movie progressed, San felt himself calming down significantly. He even felt safe enough to let his eyes droop a bit.
Everything was going smoothly until Jongho said the forbidden word.
Seonghwa detaches himself from Hongjoong, the end credits playing on the screen as he stands to stretch. “Hey do you guys want to go get some d-e-s-s-e-r-t?”
Wooyoung’s ears prick up at this. “Yeah I need me a t-r-e-a-t,” he grins wildly, already trying to extract himself from between Jongho and San.
“What you guys talking about?” San asks in a sing-song voice, tail swishing as he picks up on Wooyoung’s excitable behavior. When Wooyoung moves to stand up, San inches into Yeosang’s side instead.
The whole exchange positively puzzles Jongho, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “Yeah why did you guys just spell dess-“
“Shut up don’t say it!” Wooyoung scolds frantically, putting a finger up to his lips. This only confuses Jongho more, a line forming between his eyebrows.
“Uh… why?”
“Oh god how do we tell you this…” Seonghwa trails off. Luckily, Hongjoong finishes his sentence. “San… can’t spell.”
There’s a few seconds of silence. “What?!”
“San can’t spell!” Seonghwa exclaims, clearly disgruntled. “So when we talk about something he wants we spell it out loud so he doesn’t get too excited.” The lack of spelling was yet another side effect of San’s neglect; his previous family obviously did not educate him as a human being.
Jongho obviously doesn’t believe a word of this. “He’s a grown hybrid, he can’t handle hearing the word treat?”
San’s ears perk up as he hears the trigger word. “Treat?!” his tail swishes excitedly as he kneels, still on the couch, looking up at Hongjoong hopefully.
“No treat.”
“Treat?!”
“No treat.”
“Treat?” San asks one more time, practically bouncing in his seat.
“No treat!”
“Awwww” San whines with a pout, ears turning downward.
There’s another pause before Jongho speaks again. “Okay what is happening” he throws his hands out to the sides, looking to Yeosang in disbelief.
“We told you he gets excited when he hears the word t-r-e-a-t,” Wooyoung insists, rolling his eyes.
“Whatcha talking about?” San inquires sweetly, pupils still heavily dilated from earlier.
“Taxes,” Hongjoong deadpans.
The pout returns as San whines once again.
Jongho seems to have finally come to a conclusion. “What so you guys just treat him like a toddler?”
San’s tail thrashes ever harder this time as he starts to wiggle his butt a little. “Treat?!”
“No treat.” This time Seonghwa handles the rebuttal.
“Treat?!” he asks again, puppy (or rather kitten) eyes on full display.
“No treat!”
“Treat?!”
“No treat!”
San’s ears flatten and his eyebrows knit together, clear signs he’s getting upset with the current situation.
“You have to spell if you’re talking about f-o-o-d,” Seonghwa reminds him a bit impatiently.
Jongho tries again hesitantly. “Sooo are we getting an s-n-a-c-k?”
San’s ears and tail shoot up. “Snack?!” Jongho’s entire face falls.
“Oh come on!” Hongjoong exclaims exasperatingly.
“Dude really?”
Feeling a bit defensive in the face of the hybrid and his hyung’s comments, Jongho puts his hands up in surrender. “Oh come on I spelled it!” he says, offended.
“Well he knows how to spell snack,” Seonghwa rolls his eyes as if this was common knowledge.
The tone only causes Jongho to become more indignant. “So he can spell snack but he can’t spell treat?!”
“Treat?!” San paws at Yeosang as he looks around the room hopefully.
“No treat!” Hongjoong immediately denies.
“Treat?!” San is positively vibrating right now.
“No treat!”
“Treat?!”
This time Hongjoong puts his foot down. “NO TREAT!” What his voice lacks in anger it makes up for in volume.
San’s reaction is just as fierce as angry tears appear in the corners of his eyes. “God damnit!” he cries, ears turning outward. Regardless of how upset San might be, he still manages to look adorable. The silence after San’s outburst is broken by Seonghwa.
“Ok he’s getting fussy, time for a n-a-p,” he soothes.
Upon hearing the spelling, San’s ears immediately return to normal and his face softens, tears still stuck to his cheeks.
The sudden change causes Jongho to be suspicious so he asks San, “What does n-a-p spell?”
“Party” he answers, turning to Jongho for the first time that day with the sweetest grin on his face, showing his dimples.
Jongho opens his mouth to say something again, but Wooyoung discreetly sushes him with a not-so-intimidating wagging finger.
Seonghwa approaches San, opening his arms. When he’s close enough San raises his own arms, making grabby hands before reaching up to cling onto his hyung. All of his appendages wrap tightly around Seonghwa, even his tail, making him seem more like a koala than a cat.
As he turns to take the tired kitty to the bedroom, San reaches out to Wooyoung, whining petulantly. Wooyoung blows some kisses and waves goodbye to Yeosang and Jongho before going to accompany San in his midday nap.
Once the three disappear and he hears the click of a door being shut, Jongho angrily faces his boyfriend who didn’t speak a word during the whole fiasco. “You couldn’t have told me all this before we got here?!”
Yeosang laughs guiltily, small ‘Hehet’s bubbling out as he avoids his lover’s gaze, tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear. Hongjoong can’t help but grin, knowing the ‘guilt’ is completely fake and that Yeosang thoroughly enjoyed that whole shit show.
After their friends leave, the two husbands make sure San and Wooyoung are sound asleep before retreating to their own bedroom. Flopping on the bed, they look at each other with matching smiles.
“He got mad at us for the first time!”
“I know it’s so exciting!”
Seonghwa and Hongjoong squeal like little children, clutching onto each other before they share a celebratory kiss, both of them smiling into it. “He’s really starting to feel comfortable here. I’m so happy,” Seonghwa adds, small tears forming in his eyes.
Pretending to have already been asleep, Wooyoung listened in to the whole conversation thanks to his great hearing. He feels the exact same way and holds San that much tighter, feeling the rumble of the cat’s purr against his chest. San smiles in his sleep, nuzzling further into Wooyoung as the fox places a kiss to his cheek. San looks so young and innocent, so calm like this. Closing his own eyes, Wooyoung promises to give San the peaceful forever home he deserves, a place where he can make so many happy memories they outnumber the bad.