Work Text:
Before this happened, Fu and Zanka were training.
Zanka's attitude toward Fu was reluctant.
From the very first moment, he was disgusted by Fu's presence at the headquarters.
I mean, that raccoon hybrid was a former raider, he hadn't had just any job, he'd been a RAIDER, a VANDAL.
He must have done bad things before coming here.
So why treat him well? Treat him as if he were worthy of being there? HA! He would never do that.
It was Enjin who asked him to start training with Fu; so, even though he thought he would die, he bit his tongue and agreed to be Fu's instructor.
That afternoon they would have their first training session, which would be supervised by Enjin and Gris.
He just wanted it to be over quickly; he couldn't stand the idea of coexisting in the same place as Fu for too long.
When Fu arrived, his tail was tucked between his legs and his ears were drooping.
He looked scared.
Zanka could smell his anxiety, which made him wrinkle his nose in disgust.
Enjin and Gris greeted Fu and gestured for him to approach Zanka, which he did.
When he was close enough, Zanka spoke.
"Alright, you're here. Let's begin”. And without waiting for Fu's response, he activated his jinki and lunged at him, beginning his attack.
Fu let out a yelp and tried to defend himself as best he could.
But Zanka was ruthless.
He didn't even have time to react before he was already landing another blow.
"Is that all you've got?" Zanka was just trying to provoke him.
It was like a game of cat and mouse, and Fu was the mouse.
Fu's frustration was so immense that it clouded his judgment, and he didn't even think about activating his own jinki.
No matter how he attacked, he always ended up lying on the ground.
The worst part was that he sensed Zanka enjoying it.
He enjoyed beating him until he was left on the ground, gasping for air.
He even laughed in his face!
How sadistic was this cleaner?
His breaking point came when Zanka told him, "You'd better stay on the ground, you're no good at this”.
“Oh yeah, idiot, I'll show you I am good at this”, he thought.
He waited for Zanka to turn around and pounced on him, grabbing his tail. Screw it if that made him look like a coward, he wanted to get back at Zanka for treating him so badly.
Not just during training, but ever since he arrived. He would make him pay for looking down on him.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Zanka turned his head only to find Fu kneeling and pulling on his tail, HIS FOX TAIL!! Was he out of his mind??
"LET GO!!" He bent his body further to reach Fu and grabbed his arms, trying to get the boy to remove his hands from his tail.
“Don’t let go”. Hii commanded in his head, seemingly amused by the situation.
“FORCE ME!!” Fu struggled harder and tightened his arms around Zanka’s tail, hugging it.
“YOU’RE IMPOSSIBLE!!” And Zanka began to shake him desperately.
Enjin and Gris couldn’t tell if Fu and Zanka were fighting or… courting?
Wow, anyone who saw that scene would think they were trying to imprint their scent on each other or something.
But in a more… wild way.
Maybe in a more traditional way?
Enjin believed they didn't get along.
In fact, this training between Fu and Zanka began at Enjin's request; he wanted his star student and the rising cleaner to make peace.
But judging by the public demonstration they were putting on (and a very particular one at that) it seemed they got along better than he expected.
Enjin didn't even consider that they were having a life or death fight; the only thing that crossed his mind was that those little devils were up to something, probably a secret they hadn't told anyone about, something like an enemies to lovers situation?
Interesting… He'll have to tell Riyo and Tomme about it later.
For now, he would dedicate himself to admiring the sublime scene before him.
It seems that Gris (the functional adult) was the only one who knew who to read the atmosphere.
"I'M TELLING YOU TO LET ME GO, DAMMIT!!" Zanka's hands were on the boy's chest, pushing him back, digging his claws in as he did so.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge Fu; he was like a concrete wall.
What did he eat? Rocks?
"Don't do it”. Hii contradicted Zanka's orders, hoping Fu would listen to him, and it worked.
The curse wanted to add fuel to the fire.
"AND I TOLD YOU I WOULDN'T!!" Fu clung tighter and tighter to Zanka's tail as if his life depended on it.
"You're testing my patience”.
Zanka lowered his voice; all that shouting was giving him a headache.
He was starting to get angry.
He'd never liked anyone touching his tail, NEVER.
It just felt awkward, strange.
"Oh yeah? Well, that's too bad”. Fu hid his face in his arms and Zanka's tail, and closed his eyes tightly.
"DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!! BUT I'M NOT LETTING YOU GO HA HA HA”.
Did he find this whole situation funny?
Zanka thought he heard the veins in his forehead pop.
His fangs itched; he wanted to bite him until he bled for being so childish and stupid.
Wait, bite him? His ears perked up at the new revelation.
“FINE, you asked for it, but don't regret it later”.
Zanka changed the position of his hands and moved them to Fu's face, lifting his chin and grabbing his cheeks.
Fu was enraged by the invasive touch, and before he could defend himself, Zanka brought his fangs closer and bit his cheek.
“AGH!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Fu tried to break free from Zanka's hands, but he was digging his teeth in hard enough to tear off a good chunk of flesh.
He held his face with one hand and with the other he held him by the neck to prevent him from moving away.
“I told you not to regret it”.
Fu barely understood what he said because he didn't take his teeth off his cheek.
Zanka began to nibble repeatedly while simultaneously licking the nibbled areas.
The sensation sent shivers down Fu's spine.
"D-DON'T DO THAT!" No one had ever bitten his face, much less licked it.
But this sensation didn't feel good.
Rather, he was terrified.
The area began to hurt, and his tail twitched in alarm.
"IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" And reflexively, Fu gripped Zanka's tail even tighter, pulling out fur in the process.
He didn't realize it, but his own tail curled around one of Zanka's legs, as if searching for something to hold onto.
They wanted to let go of each other, but it seemed they were clinging to each other even more tightly.
"Then let go of my tail!" Zanka pulled away from Fu's cheek to speak, then returned to continue nibbling.
He soon detected a salty taste between his teeth, and when he looked up, he realized Fu was crying.
"P-please forgive me!! Let me go!!" Fu began to cry even harder.
His ears were drooping, and his nose wouldn't stop twitching.
Fu was the first to give up and finally let go of Zanka's tail; he raised his arms and tried to pull Zanka away from him.
Zanka released Fu's cheek and moved away from the boy, who was still kneeling on the ground.
He could see the marks of his own teeth on Fu's face; they might take a day or two to disappear.
Fu brought his hands to his face and began wiping away his tears. His tail wrapped around his legs, protecting him.
They remained silent; Zanka didn't know what to say.
Perhaps, just perhaps, he'd gone a little too far…
Soon, Enjin and Gris approached.
"Alright, that's enough. Training's over”. Enjin sighed, placing his hands on his hips.
"Fu, are you okay?" He looked at Fu, and the boy could only nod in response, his face still hidden.
Gris helped Fu to his feet, gently stroking his back, trying to comfort him.
"You did well, kid”. Fu lifted his face and met Gris's enormous smile.
That only made his crying intensify, and he dissolved into the man's arms.
Fu smelled of fear.
Things had gotten out of hand.
"Zanka, what happened to you? You went too far this time, don't you think?" Enjin was scolding him? What a shitty day.
"Whatever”.
He felt so immature, but he didn't want to admit he'd been too harsh with Fu.
He didn't want to give that ex raider the satisfaction, damn it.
Enjin looked at him in surprise; he hadn't expected that response from Zanka.
The boy didn't dare meet the man's gaze and, ashamed, walked away from them and left the training room.
As soon as the boy left, silence reigned.
Enjin looked at Gris, and they began a war of glances and silent gestures, something like nonverbal communication.
Gris shifted his eyes from Enjin to Fu, who was still crying in his arms.
Enjin understood the message and approached the pair.
"Don't worry, kid, everything will be alright. Let's eat, shall we?" He ruffled Fu's hair.
The two men took Fu away and made him eat with them; he soon felt better.
He even joined the adults' conversation.
When they finished, they took him to Eishia to have him checked out, to make sure he wasn't hurt.
Fortunately, Fu was perfectly fine, so after the checkup, they thanked the girl and left the infirmary.
They accompanied Fu to his room, said their goodbyes, and then left.
Once alone, Fu took a bath and decided he would sleep for a while; he was too dazed to think about the events of the morning.
—
The reconciliation came days later when Enjin had a conversation with Fu about how touching other people's tails without their consent was disrespectful, since that area was extremely sensitive and touching it could make the other person uncomfortable or stressed.
Basically, he told him that what he had done was wrong, something like a lesson on hybrids.
Of course, Enjin made sure to tell him that what Zanka had done was also terrible, and that he didn't understand why he had done it.
Zanka had never been a problem; he was one of the most disciplined cleaners.
But even the most disciplined students can falter.
Enjin had been trying to talk to him, but Zanka avoided him every single time.
Teenagers at that age are definitely difficult.
And Fu, realizing what he had done, felt incredibly guilty.
He had only thought about grabbing onto one of Zanka's limbs, and he ended up grabbing his fox tail.
He wanted to defend himself, but he ended up putting them both in an embarrassing situation.
The sensation of Zanka's fangs against his cheek was still fresh.
Remembering their closeness made his face feel hot.
Perhaps Zanka had given him a disease or something after biting him. Maybe rabies?
"He infected you with his stupidity”. Hii said again, with his jokes that weren't funny.
So, after talking to Enjin, he decided he would go and apologize to Zanka.
The boy also hurt him, but Fu has the feeling that Zanka wouldn't look for him. In the end, their relationship remained as nonexistent as before.
He wandered around the barracks for a while, looking for him. He asked about him, but no one knew where the boy was.
Was Zanka a Pandora's box?
How hard could it be to find him?
Damn sneaky fox…
He spent about 30 minutes going from door to door, from room to room, but he still didn't know where he was.
He decided it would be best to take a break from his search and headed to the common room; a drink wouldn't hurt.
When he got to the room, he crossed the threshold and went straight to the mini fridge where the drinks were.
He bent down a little and took out a can of peach juice.
When he closed the refrigerator door, Zanka was on the other side, sitting on the couch that faced right there.
Fu jumped. He hadn't seen him, man.
Zanka was reading a book, seemingly too engrossed to notice Fu's presence.
His tail thumped the couch repeatedly, as if he were anxious.
How long had he been there?
Fu set his juice can down on the counter and mustered his courage to approach the boy.
When he stood before Zanka, he paused, waiting for the boy to notice him.
It wasn't long before Zanka lowered the book from his hand and let it fall onto his lap.
His gaze fell upon Fu; the boy was staring at the floor, his hands clasped to his lower abdomen.
The raccoon hybrid's tail was tucked between his legs.
Of course he’d seen him come in, but he decided to ignore him.
He thought it would be best; that way they wouldn't have to put up with each other or invade each other's personal space.
Pretending to be strangers, that's it.
Especially after how they'd acted during training.
"Do you need something?" Zanka wanted to end whatever this situation was quickly; the atmosphere was making him uncomfortable.
"I- well- you see…" Fu brought one of his hands to his head and began scratching the back of his neck.
"I came to apologize to you”. He raised his head and forced himself to meet Zanka's gaze.
His eyes were so sharp, his nose so upturned, and his ears so long and pointed… he really did look like a fox.
The only one he knew and the most intimidating of any hybrid he'd ever met.
“Really?” Zanka raised an eyebrow.
“Did Enjin ask you to?”
“What? No! I mean, he actually scolded me…” Fu’s ears drooped.
Zanka’s eyes widened slightly, then returned to their neutral expression.
“Really?” Fu nodded in response.
“That sounds perfect to me, you deserve it”. And he laughed in Fu’s face.
“That son of a bitch is making fun of us”. And for the first time, Fu thought about letting Hii out to do whatever he wanted with Zanka…
"S-shut up! Enjin told me he's been looking for you, but you don't have the guts to face him!! Coward!!!" Fu pointed an accusing finger at him.
Zanka's neutral expression transformed into one of pure hatred.
He growled through gritted teeth and stood up from the armchair, facing Fu.
"What do you know?! You're always like a lapdog following him or any other cleaner around just to get orders!! What does that make you?!" Zanka closed the distance between them and invaded Fu's personal space, standing only centimeters from his face, their breaths mingling.
The air began to thicken.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
"You don't know anything”. Fu gritted his teeth.
"Exactly, and neither do you. So mind your own business”. Zanka smiled mockingly.
"Same here”.
"Good”.
"You're an idiot”.
"Thanks for noticing”. Zanka looked down at him with superiority, but Fu wouldn't let him win, not this time.
They stared at each other, neither willing to submit.
Their tails swung from side to side, as if they were about to start a street fight (worse than the one in training).
"I'm not going to apologize to you”. Fu said after a silence that felt like an eternity.
"I'm not asking you to”.
"I'd rip your tail off”.
"I want to see you try”. Zanka's smile widened.
Fu narrowed his eyes; he was getting tired of the situation.
"It hurt when you bit me!" Fu backed away and pointed at him, while his other hand rested on his bruised cheek.
"And it hurt when you grabbed my tail! You savage!" Zanka pointed at him too.
"So what did you want me to do? You were acting like an idiot!"
"Me??" Now Zanka was pointing at himself, incredulous.
"Yes! Do you think I don't notice the way you look at me? It's obvious you don't like me!" Fu's voice held a hint of helplessness.
He wanted to understand why Zanka hated him so much, even though discovering it would make his chest ache.
Zanka fell silent, for the first time that afternoon, unsure of what to say.
Fu lowered his arms to his sides and clutched the fabric of his sweater.
"Listen, I know you don't like me, but could you PLEASE at least avoid fighting with me? I really want to do things right here, I have nowhere else to go..." Fu walked over to the couch and sat down, burying his face in his hands.
Zanka watched him, surprised and puzzled.
"What happened to the raiders?"
"They left me to my own devices”. Fu sighed.
"Wow, I had no idea”. Zanka also approached the couch and sat next to Fu, leaving a small space between them.
"Didn't sir Enjin tell you?"
"Well, I wasn't that interested in hearing about you, sorry”. They were finally being honest.
Fu let out a small laugh.
"Nah, it's fine. That's what happens when you're useless in life”, Fu turned to look at Zanka and gave him a forced smile, “You thought that yourself while you were beating me up the other day, didn't you?”
“Not really”. Zanka put a hand to his chin.
“Actually, I think you're strong”, and he looked at Fu, “But I admit I enjoyed giving you that beating”.
Zanka started to laugh.
Fu rolled his eyes and gave him a light punch on the arm.
"That's not fair! I want a rematch!"
"Fine. We'll train again tomorrow, but this time for real”.
"Deal”.
And they looked at each other with smiles on their faces, smiles that reflected mutual acceptance.
After all, they would give themselves the chance to get to know each other.
"You know, your tail is really soft and fluffy”.
Fu confessed to Zanka, his cheeks flushed.
"Pff, thanks, I guess”. Zanka's tail fluttered in place, happy to hear that. His ears also gave a slight, almost imperceptible twitch.
"W-would you like to touch mine?"
"What?" Zanka's jaw nearly dropped at the sudden request.
"That way we'd be even, right?" Fu moved his tail and brought it closer to Zanka's lap, waiting for the boy to stroke it.
"I think so..." Zanka, caught in the situation, had no choice but to touch Fu's tail.
Carefully, he ran his fingers along Fu's tail, feeling the strands of fur brush against the calluses on his hands.
It was smaller than his own and less fluffy, but he admitted it was still soft. The sensation was pleasant.
“It tickles”. Fu chuckled softly.
"I know”. He continued running his fingers along the tail.
"Your tail is soft, but not as soft as mine”.
The raccoon hybrid glared at him.
"Yeah…” Fu rolled his eyes.
Were all fox hybrids this self centered?
"Since I bit you, you should bite me back?" Zanka felt Fu's tail stiffen.
"What?" Fu's brain short circuited.
"Yeah, I mean, you said it before, we'd be even, right?" Didn't Zanka think before he spoke?
“Switch places with me, Fu, or I’ll pull out every last hair”. This time, Hii wasn’t joking.
“I-I won’t do that!” Fu pulled his tail away from Zanka’s hands.
“Suit yourself~” Zanka leaned his head back against the armchair and closed his eyes.
Fu did the same, relaxing his body.
A peaceful silence settled between them.
They had judged each other because they didn't know each other; and people tend to judge what they don't know out of fear.
But all it takes to break that ideology is the will to change.
And the change happened when Fu opened up to Zanka.
At that moment, the door to openness, clarity, and trust opened for him.
Who knows, perhaps if they follow that path, they will end up discovering the door to love.
A door that didn't even have a lock.
Minutes later, the calm of that moment made them fall asleep; and the dorsal memory was stripped from their bodies, as their tails met and, carefully, they embraced each other, holding on tightly.