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Jeongin considers himself lucky.
The luckiest a kit could be.
Everyday, he awakens in the coziest crib, surrounded with his plush friends that keeps him company during the night. The soft blanket gets tugged away and the curtain gets pushed aside, allowing the beam of sunlight to shine across the dark wood floor.
With a gentle touch to his face, Jeongin's day begins as he is hoisted into the warmth of his caregivers arms, hearing the same familiar ‘good morning’s.
“Want more eggs, kit?” Seungmin asked, his voice soft and hushed, barely heard over the sound of playful arguing from the other caregivers. Just another normal morning, truthfully. Jeongin shook his head, giving Seungmin a little appreciative smile for the considerate question.
Today's menu was scrambled eggs cooked by the caring chef, Seungmin and toast prepared by the gentlest cook, Felix. The combination was beyond comprehensive words, and Jeongin could only take another big spoonful, filling his stomach with such a tasty meal.
As Felix had set the toast down in front of him, Jeongin took a moment to take in the shape it was cut out into. “‘s star!” Jeongin finally beamed, giggling as he grabbed the toast with delight. “Our fox is so smart!” Felix excitedly cooed, patting at the younger's head fondly.
With a big bite to his toast, Jeongin received a round coos, earning an uncontrollably excited wag of his fluffy tail.
“I wanted stars too,” Jisung mumbled, holding up his toast that had a hollow middle in the shape of a perfect star. How could Felix give him the border of Jeongin's bread?
Hearing this, Felix rolled his eyes jokingly, grumbling at Jisung's complaint yet scooping in more eggs onto his plate. “Is it yummy?” Hyunjin asked, interrupting Jeongin's focus from the duo's silly banters regarding the leftover bread crusts. At the question, Jeongin adorably nodded, showing the half eaten toast he was eager to finish.
Jeongin really hasn't been much of a talker.
Despite this, he was excellent at expressing his feelings through his facial expressions and body language.
Being a fox hybrid and a little, Jeongin indeed struggled much in the beginning to work around the problem of being more verbal. Then, his strike of luck had begun and Jeongin was soon adopted to a loving family of caregivers.
He still remembers. The day he had peaked out of his crib upon hearing the booming voice from the door, only to be greeted with a group of such gentle caregivers huddling together with a smile on their face. Jeongin remembered the way his heart had tightened when they approached.
He remembered how terrified he had been when one of them had spoken to him, handing him a small fish plush to play with. They didn't seem to mind that he was small and timid, they just kept smiling and Jeongin silently begged that they had chosen him. Truthfully, he didn't have to beg, they fell in love the second they laid eyes on him.
These days, Jeongin found that speaking was an easy way to simply show his love even more. They had known him so well up to the point that he didn't need to speak in order for them to care for his needs. It was the sparkles in their eyes whenever he utters a word, followed by their gentle responses that makes Jeongin melt.
“Yennie, want more milk?” Chan asked, standing right next to the fridge with a creamer in hand. Oh, he must be making coffee, Jeongin has seen him make one a million times. “Miwk,” Jeongin mumbled, handing his sippy cup to Chan politely.
Chan had swiftly reached for the carton of milk, seemingly half empty despite having just bought it a few days ago. With the shut of the fridge, Jeongin's eyes landed on the rows of drawing block sheets as the pastel alphabet magnets had kept them in their places firmly.
Their fridge had been covered in Jeongin's little art projects, a creative result from his playtimes with Hyunjin. All of his drawings had a place of their own if it wasn't the fridge, the closest example being the fox self portrait that Chan had framed in his studio.
Although, Jeongin was pretty sure that these arts of his were going to be moved to their empty hallway walls. He recalled being in the grocery store a few days ago and seeing the large bulletin board being placed in the cart, along with a box of colorful thumbtacks.
“Here's your milk, my kit,” Chan said, handing the sippy cup back to Jeongin as he mumbled out a small ‘thank you’. And despite it sounding like nothing other than a few babbles, Chan had appreciated it nonetheless.
With a small cough, Changbin patted at his chest, eyes wide as he stared deeply into his plate of scrambled eggs. “God, I think I accidentally inhaled some scrambled eggs into my lungs,” he choked out, earning a half concerned yet half amused pat on the back from Minho. “It's eggs, Bin. Plus, I'm pretty sure all of it is in your tummy now that I gave you a big pat on the back.”
“Tummy,” Jeongin repeated, unbothered by the synchronized coos as he stared out of the window.
If you were to ask him, Jeongin would say that he loves cloudy weather. When the sun peeks behind the fluffy clouds and the wind blows just enough to sway leaves and wrap you in a hoodie. Jeongin even has a favorite overalls and sweater to wear whenever he takes walks on such a cloudy day.
Today though, the clouds were packed and condensed with rain, as the first few droplets had finally found their way to the ground. It was amusing, how the previously dry ground got increasingly darker as the rain droplets had soon covered the surface.
“What do you want to do today, Aegi?” Chan asked, his question hung without a response as Jeongin's eyes were fixed to the view of the rain picking up outside. Oh, the droplets are hitting that the ground faster now, it looks like they're racing each other!
Adoring the amused fox, the caregivers chuckled, with Chan now patting his silk soft hair to get his attention. “Thought of what you want to do today?” Chan repeated, taking away the younger's empty plate, turning towards the sink as he was now only left with his sippy cup.
Truthfully, when he woke up this morning, Jeongin had his mind set about going outside.
“Want to play castle?” Felix asked, his lips curling into a soft smile.
Castle indeed is one of Jeongin's favorite playtime games. Usually, Jisung would quickly gather their materials to build the said castle, scooping up pillows and blankets in his arms to bring to the living room. Then, Changbin would join their couches together, pulling out the hidden fold bed and combining it into a large rectangular cushioned space.
As the materials are now gathered and their ground is now chosen, Seungmin would begin helping Jeongin to build his desired castle. The little gap between the conjoining couches was their entrance, leading towards the steady stacks of pillows as their pillars. Hyunjin would always be in charge of draping the blankets over their heads.
Finally, Chan and Minho would complete the castle by helping Jeongin decorate the inside cozily. Then, their actual games begin where Minho would read aloud princess story books as they had all begun a theater.
But perhaps not today.
“Do you want to draw?” This time, Jisung asked.
Another option that seems compelling. Quite recently, Jeongin had been interested in drawing self portraits. And by self portrait, it means him drawing a fox with adorable outfits in a variety of different colors.
Jeongin always starts with the same base. The main point of his self portraits are the pointy triangle ears, fluffy yet long tail and his dimples. The rest depends on his mood. Occasionally, Jeongin gives himself outfits according to how he was dressed for the day, sometimes he just doesn't bother at all.
But he is often very dedicated to his craft, even going as far as sitting in front of the tall mirror in one of their bedrooms to properly capture his fox features and his outfit in the drawing. It had turned out amazing, as Jeongin proudly handed his art to Hyunjin who wasted no time framing it to be hung in his nursery.
But no, today simply doesn't feel like a drawing day.
With the ambience of the rain pattering, Jeongin knew what he truly wanted. He finally glanced away from the window, facing his caregivers who had been quietly observing him with a smile.
The little fox tilted his head, his ears flopping to the side at the motion. “Out?” he politely asked, eyes full of anticipation as they had all exchanged looks with each other. Well, this is tough. Their household had a strict ‘no playing in the rain’ policy after an event where six of them including their kit had caught a cold.
Although, the rules could be changed depending on Minho, as nearly all the rules had been his creation to prevent more catastrophic events.
“Outside?” Jeongin tried once more, this time his eyes locked with Minho as he grasped at the handle of his sippy cup. Now the pressure was on Minho, as all the caregivers had turned their heads to him, waiting for his verdict.
Usually, Minho would be lenient to allow Jeongin play around in the rain, yet the heavy clouds were yet to calm, as the rain had picked up. “Iyennie, it's raining really heavily outside.” Minho began his words, pointing at the foggy sliding door that overlooks their balcony and backyard.
Really, Minho's only thought now was to prevent Jeongin from getting sick.
With such pointy ears, Jeongin was bound to get uncomfortable after a long period of time in such weather, eventually complaining of his ear pains and that would usually be the start of a cold for him.
“Okay, mama,” Jeongin responded, not wanting to protest as he understood that his caregivers knew best. Maybe he will just play castle today. But then again, Jeongin couldn't really deny what his heart wanted, as he felt warmth rushing to his face and his vision was getting glassy.
Seeing Jeongin’s pooling tears, his caregivers reacted in an instant, once again turning to Minho with surprise yet still not exchanging a single word. Jeongin was much the same, staring at his sippy cup as his fingers fiddled with the sticker on it in hopes to stop himself from crying.
“You okay, kit?” Changbin finally asked.
“Mhm,” The little responded with a small smile, before quickly looking away.
Maybe Minho is right, the rain is too heavy today. Playing outside wouldn't be fun when the rain is a concern. But, it doesn't rain very often these days. Jeongin could only whine gently, clutching at his tail for comfort as distraction from the outside view.
As Felix had set down a plate of fruits for Jeongin, the younger babbled a small ‘thank you’ before picking up the cut out banana slices. Oh, well. At least he gets some snacks now. It's fine.
With the banana now greeting his taste buds, Jeongin’s lips jutted into a pout once again.
It's not fine.
He can hear the rain, he can smell the rain, yet he isn't allowed to play in the rain. And he didn't want to be naughty and throw a tantrum, so here he was, pouting with a banana in hand.
Minho will admit it, seeing Jeongin hold himself back from crying squeezed his heart tight. “Baby, can you look at mama?” Minho spoke, calling for Jeongin's attention and instantly regretting it upon noticing the tears threatening to spill.
“It's still raining heavily. So, you need to wear your raincoat and boots if you want to play outside, okay?” said Minho, earning a small giddy nod and finally a grin from Jeongin. Seeing this, they could only smile along with him, relieved that he was no longer upset.
With the fruits now eaten, Jeongin was ready to play!
Alright, perhaps not yet since Hyunjin is carrying to the sink to wash his face and hands first. “I'll wash the dishes,” Changbin volunteered as each of them had left their seats and cleaned their dining table, properly distributing their tasks as they usually would. “All of you will wear raincoats as well. No sick people today.” Minho said, before making his way to fetch Jeongin's rain boots.
“You sit here, Yennie. We need to let our tummy rest for a bit after eating. Mommy will be right there, just cleaning up a little,” Hyunjin said, placing the younger to sit on one of his many playmats, and handing him his favorite ball, Mr Dots to keep him occupied.
Usually, Jeongin would get a bath after his breakfast as he was a messy eater. Today though, the food was less of a mess and they did think that he was going to get mud on his pants anyways from playing in the rain so why not bend the routine for a day?
While they were still cleaning, Jeongin had kept himself entertained with his little game, pushing the ball away to bounce against the sliding door using his tail then catching it with his hands. Each time, Jeongin would get dangerously close to toppling over, making him giggle as he managed to capture the ball in his arms.
Although, the sliding door had been opened slightly and the ball had rolled out towards the balcony. “Dada?” Jeongin called, needing help for someone to retrieve his beloved Mr Dots before the wind stole it away. “Mama?” No one had heard him over the noise of the rain.
But there, the ball was now rolling down to the wet ground. Jeongin isn't ready to part ways with this ball just yet, and so, he squeezed his way through the door opening, crawling out to sit under the roofed balcony. Perhaps he could reach it if he just extended his arms. He will save Mr Dots!
Despite his fingers wriggling around and his arms stretched out, Jeongin simply couldn't grab the escaped ball, only seeing it roll farther away at each blow of the wind.
Oh no, the wind is blowing Mr Dots away!
Jeongin had decided he couldn't lose Mr Dots.
So, the little fox carefully stepped down to finally get into contact with the grass, his ears laying flat on his head to prevent water from coming in. It didn't take any longer than a few seconds for Jeongin to get soaked in the rain, but now, Mr Dots was in his grasp again.
“Yay!” Jeongin cheered, hugging Mr Dots to his chest before abruptly getting distracted by the ripple in a nearby puddle. How interesting, Jeongin could see the cloud's reflection from the puddle. “Aegi!” Finally, someone calls for Jeongin, the little fox in the rain turning around to face the said voice.
“Maybe just forget the raincoat.” Jisung said to Minho, pointing at Jeongin who was now patting at the ground with his hands, giggling at the splashes that landed on his overall pants. They sure made the right call for not giving him a bath after breakfast.
“Just for today.” Defeated, Minho said, gesturing for them to get out and accompany the excited kit.
Well, Minho wasn't going to miss out on the fun.
Tossing away the boots and raincoats on the couch, Minho made his way to sit at the edge of their deck, his feet dangling dangerously close to the moist soil, yet his body was shielded under the roof. From where Minho was sitting, he was able to take in the view of them running around, with Changbin now hoisting Jeongin on his hips and twirling him.
How adorable.
Surely enough, they took turns holding Jeongin, his tail wagging around with excitement whenever a hand reached out for him. “Gwass like rain, dada?” Jeongin asked, despite his stutters and slight babbles, he's sure he got the message across. “I think they do, it keeps them healthy and green,” Chan responded, stealing a small peck from the latter's nose.
“Hyunnie, look at me!” Minho called, smiling as he leaned backwards, attempting to fit them in one frame as Seungmin was now bent over and Changbin was crouching. Minho had always insisted on recording and taking pictures for memory and today wasn't going to be an exception.
Truthfully, Minho dislikes the rain. Something about getting your clothes stuck to your skin and shivering from the cold just doesn't appear as fun to Minho. Just then, Jeongin had made his way to Minho, his dimples showing as he smiled. “Mama play?”
Actually, nevermind, forget everything Minho said earlier. It does seem like fun after all. “Let's go,” Minho said, finally stepping in the rain and feeling the water hit his skin as Jeongin trilled. “What a happy kit!” Jisung cooed, patting at Jeongin's head as the younger finally unleashed his zoomies, running laps around his caregivers as he giggled.
His little hands splashed through puddles, sending water droplets flying everywhere. He leaped over fallen branches and darted around bushes, his tail wagging wildly behind him. He was a blur of energy, his laughter filling the air. He's running so fast!
As he ran, he imagined himself as a wild fox, exploring the forest in search of adventure. The rain made everything seem magical, and he felt like he was in his own little world.
“He's having zoomies.” Chan spoke, his smile only seemed to widen as Jeongin took a large leap over the puddle with a gasp as he collided with Jisung’s back. It wasn't hard enough to cause any unwanted accidents, yet it was fast enough to startle the latter who began caging Jeongin into his arms for a quick hug.
“He sure is. Look at how fast he's running, I should record this.” Replied Minho with a chuckle.
Letting Jeongin run for a while longer, the caregivers had chosen to sit on the grass near the patch of flower that Felix had delicately planted weeks ago. The blonde had always been the only one connected to nature, being able to nurture flowers and plants successfully.
“He's looking at bugs now,” Changbin commented, eyes fixed at the curious fox who was now bending over some bushes, his tail pointing upwards, as if he was being stealthy.
With a gasp, Jeongin finally joined in with the rest of his sitting caregivers, his hands cupped suspiciously to contain whatever insect he had caught. “For mommy!” Jeongin happily announced, revealing a squirming worm in his palm and it took Hyunjin every ounce of his power to not scream.
The fat juicy worm was staring right at him and he somehow had managed not to scream. How amazing he was, Hyunjin thought. Yet the giddy fox was still happily holding onto the worm, his tails wagging and his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“T-that's amazing, kit! How about you go show your Hannie hyung first? I'm sure he wants to see,” Hyunjin diverted, and thankfully, Jisung was right there to save Hyunjin from the worms, quickly pulling Jeongin to the side as he began telling stories about the worm species.
Whew. That almost got Hyunjin.
“He is a fox, remember?” Chan chimed in, still laughing at Hyunjin's expression as he was cautiously observing in case Jeongin still decides to hand him the worm. “How long have we been out here? The rain is letting up now,” Seungmin asked, putting his hand out to feel the light droplets of the rain.
Jeongin was sitting in Jisung's lap, telling him everything that he knew about the worm. If Jisung was going to be honest, Jeongin was mostly babbling his words out of excitement, but Jisung will take it. The younger was too adorable for his own good.
Although now out of nowhere, Jeongin jumped out of Jisung's lap, his feet tapping excitedly before he had wriggled his hips around to pounce. With a strong push on his lower legs, Jeongin flew, now returning back with a squirrel in hand.
“He caught a squirrel.” Minho uttered in amazement, simply watching as Jeongin held the squirrel in his hands, now showing it off the Changbin. “Friend?” The little asked as gently patted the creature's fur.
“Yes, he's your friend. But remember that we can’t bring him in,” Changbin replied, recalling one of Minho's rules: outside animals are prohibited. The event that led up to this had caused their house to be infiltrated by a group of raccoons and everyone had a fair share of fear towards raccoons starting from that day.
Jeongin didn't have to say a word to express his confusion.
Why couldn't he bring his friend inside?
“Kit, we can't bring this squirrel inside because his family is waiting for him right in that tree over there. Remember the wormie earlier? He went back to his family, too. So you can't bring him in, or else his dada and mama will miss him,” Explained Jisung, as the others nodded with agreement.
Luckily enough, Jeongin understood, quickly bidding a goodbye to the squirrel before releasing it gently, watching as his tail swished around while it was climbing up the tree.
As Jeongin spun around to give his ears a little shake, he sighed. It's starting to get really cold. “Yennie, you are shivering. Are you cold?” Hyunjin asked, concerned as he captured the younger in his arms, placing a hand over his ice cold skin.
The fox was indeed freezing cold, his lips were slightly trembling from the blowing wind, combined with the wetness of his clothes. He isn't used to being in the rain for long, especially without his raincoat. “Let's go inside. He's been playing for quite a while now.” Chan spoke as he stood on his feet.
“No, dada. Play more,” Jeongin mumbled, not quite grasping the idea that he was now as pale as a ghost from the sheer low temperature. “You are going to catch a cold, little kit. Come on, dada will carry you inside,” Chan coaxed, inviting the younger into his open arms yet only receiving a small unsatisfied pout.
“Oh, look!” Jisung suddenly exclaimed.
With all their heads turned towards the way he had been pointing, Jisung spoke once again. “I think the little squirrel is going to go home now!” And there it was, the squirrel Jeongin had captured earlier, sitting by the tree trunk before scurrying away at the sudden attention.
His squirrel friend is going to go rest.
At that, Jeongin nodded, letting out a small hum before he was lifted his arms above, allowing Chan to hold him ever so tightly. “My good boy. Come on, let's go take a bath.” Chan was thankful to Jeongin. An understanding and loving young fox, never misbehaving and ever so kind.
Minho stood by the door in clean clothes and slightly damp hair, holding onto Jeongin's towel as the younger was now slumped into Chan's shoulders, nuzzling into the warmth that seemed to lull him into fuzziness. “Iyen, don't sleep yet, baby. You need a bath.” Said Minho, ruffling the fox's hair as he let out a small whine.
But he's so sleepy now.
Where did this immense sleepiness even come from? He was fine a second ago, running and jumping around. It wasn't until he had been in Chan's arms that he had felt his mind blanking out and the noises blocked out. It must have been Chan's hands patting on his back, or even his sweet scent.
Chan was careful. Slowly tugging away at Jeongin's hands that were tightly clutching at his shirt as he had lowered the younger into the bathtub. Hyunjin had managed to get the latter’s clothes off without waking him, tossing them in the laundry basket for the time being.
“Kit, Mommy is going to wash your hair now, okay?” Hyunjin gently spoke, holding up the younger's chin as he massaged at his scalp. His fingers digging and carding through the slightly tangled hair was soothing, pushing the sleepy fox deeper into dreamland.
Chan was truthfully amused. Jeongin didn't even budge when Chan had lathered and rinsed the soap of his body swiftly, only the small sighs of exhales were heard. Occasionally, Jeongin would whine out a small adorable purr before he eventually calmed once more.
Their bath came to an end very quickly.
The sleeping fox was now handed to Minho who skillfully dressed him in his favorite cozy clothes, drying his hair with such care before he was tucked in bed. He had writhed around at the loss of warmth, his breaths steadying once he felt Minho's hands caressing his body.
“Shh, Mama's here. You can go to sleep, kit.” Minho stroked Jeongin's ears gently, humming a soft melody. The young kit's whines gradually subsided, and he let out a contented sigh.
Minho was right there for him. Jeongin couldn't help but press his head closer into the hand that had been caressing him, even in his sleep. He is content, the flashbacks of the heavy rain hitting his skin and their happy giggles echoing. He is sure he will dream of this very moment.
And he sure hopes his worm and squirrel friends are taking a nap like he does too.