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Jeongin was just living his sweet life in the desert area of Artropolis. Artropolis was part of the new world, where humans and hybrids lived in sweet harmony.
Well, that was what it was supposed to be. Both classes still tried to take the upper-hand on each other. Humans argued hybrids didn’t have the same intelligence as them, while hybrids claimed to be stronger than humans due to their mix of hybrid and animal traits.
The land was distinct for its ability to have different climates for the different hybrids. As a fennec fox hybrid, Jeongin had lived in the desert district his whole. He had his small tent, cooked his food on the hot ground, and had plenty of water thanks to Artropolis’ never-ending water supply.
All was going fine until today. The day a stupid puppy hybrid zoomed in and destroyed Jeongin’s tent. The absolute nerve!
Jeongin wastes no time in chasing the puppy. Despite Jeongin’s small height, he’s fast – his diet is mainly insects he finds in the sand, but he also occasionally catches birds and rodents, which require speed. The puppy is fast but he’s also big and clumsy, and stumbles quite a few times as Jeongin gains on him.
Just as Jeongin’s about to jump up and bite, the tall, black-haired puppy hybrid jumps between the sliding doors of a passing bus. Jeongin yips in anger, but he’s no match for the bus that zooms down the road. With a stomp of his foot, he’s ready to take the loss and crawl back to his ruined tent, but something on the ground catches his eye.
A wolf keychain. Jeongin picks it up and sniffs it, his ears pricking up as he recognises the scent of the rowdy pup. With a smile so big his eyes almost close, he hops off in the direction the bus had driven away in.
XxX
It had taken a while, but Jeongin is very confident the house he’s sauntering up to is where the selfish puppy is currently hiding. Jeongin lets out curious chirps as he encounters several flashy cars in the driveway. A bright red Mercedes, a snowy Lamborghini and a BMW the colour of the night sky all beam under the sunlight. Although the mansion has a huge security system, Jeongin had been able to slink under the gate without being detected.
The front door has several cameras pointing at it, but Jeongin doesn’t care if he’s seen. The puppy was the one in the wrong – he would pay for what he’d done to Jeongin’s home. Considering how nice this place was, it was downright insulting for the puppy to think he had the right to destroy a home of someone less fortunate than him.
As soon as Jeongin knocks, the screen on the left side of the door flashes. It’s quite high up, so Jeongin has to crane his neck to see it.
“How did you get in?” a deep, intimidating voice growls out, but it quickly lets out a grunt of confusion.
Jeongin glares at the screen, which shows a muscular human sitting on a long, velvet sofa. “Get your puppy out here so I can ask why he ruined my tent.”
“Where even are you?”
Jeongin rolls his eyes, trying to jump up but not quite reaching. Then, Jeongin hears another voice. This one is less intimidating and his accent is one Jeongin doesn’t recognise.
“Changbin, who are you talking to?”
“I don’t know hyung. I don’t see anyone on the camera.”
“Well just look at the other cameras.”
A new face comes onto the screen. He’s not as muscular as the other one, but he’s still human by the looks of it. He has a sharp jawline, fluffy blond hair, and big, brown eyes. Jeongin hates to admit it, but he thinks the new guy is kinda pretty too.
There are some beeping sounds, and then both humans gasp.
“It’s a fox hybrid, hyung!”
“Hmm, I wonder what he wants.”
Within seconds, the door in-front of Jeongin buzzes. When the door opens, he swallows. The humans are a lot taller and bigger than he is. But he reminds himself that he’s a fox, and he’ll bite and scratch if he needs to.
“Hey, little one,” the taller one says, crouching down so he’s eye-level with Jeongin. “What are you doing out here?”
Jeongin assumes the puppy must work here. He’s heard of wealthy humans employing hybrids as servants because they don’t think hybrids should be working white collar jobs. He almost doesn’t want to tell them about the puppy in-case they decide to punish him; after all, hybrids were supposed to be united against humans.
But then Jeongin thinks of his home. It was small and cramped, but it was his. And the puppy had just bowled it over and hadn’t even apologised.
Holding his head high, Jeongin retrieves the wolf keychain from his pocket and shows it to the human. The latter looks at it, his eyes widening.
“Your puppy destroyed my home in the desert,” he states, a pout forming on his face as he thinks about how he’ll have to rebuild it. “And then he ran away! Just what kind of hybrids are you employing here?”
Hey, if Jeongin can get a hybrid out of having to work for humans, he’ll do it, even if the hybrid was a jerk. The human crouching on the ground looks more confused than anything, though. He frowns as he stands up, calling: “Kim Seungmin, come to the door this instant!”
As Jeongin peeks past the human, he sees the same puppy slinking down the stairs sullenly. Anger overtakes his small body, and within seconds Jeongin’s claws have protracted fully, his teeth are bared, and he runs straight to the trembling puppy hybrid.
The human who’d bent down to speak to him gasps in shock, while the more muscular one, Changbin, runs in from another area of the house. But Jeongin is quicker than humans, and can dodge them easily. Within seconds, he leaps up and manages to scratch the puppy’s cheek.
Like the coward he is, the puppy yowls as if he’s been fatally wounded and throws Jeongin off him. Jeongin is thrown onto a table with a vase and is knocked down with it, but the small cut on his thigh isn’t stopping him. He leaps again, ready to bite the puppy right in his shoulder, but lets out a blood-curdling scream as he’s snatched off.
“What on Earth is going on here?!”
Jeongin realises the person holding him isn’t human. When he looks up, he is greeted with stormy grey eyes; black, pointed ears, and sharp feline teeth.
A cat hybrid.
Many fox hybrids can easily subdue a cat hybrid, but fennecs are different. Small and stealthy, they’re better at hunting small creatures than combating actual hybrids. There’s a reason they’re not viewed as a threat to humans or hybrids.
This cat is a lot taller and a lot stronger than Jeongin, who isn’t used to feeling like prey. With a whimper, he flattens his ears, curls his tail and slumps submissively.
It’s the right move. The cat hybrid’s eyebrows shoot up for a moment, before he purrs. He tilts Jeongin’s neck and gives a few experimental licks. Jeongin remains stiff but as the cat hybrid marks him with his pheromones, he starts to properly relax.
“Minho,” one of the humans says eventually, rudely pulling Jeongin out of his trance. “We need to have a family meeting. Let’s go to the living room.”
When Jeongin is carried into the living room, he spots the same velvet sofas that had been on the screen next to the door. He stares at them, thinking they’d be nice to scratch. Instead, he’s placed in the cat hybrid’s lap. He remembers his name was Minho.
It’s kinda embarrassing to think a cat hybrid had pushed Jeongin into submission. Although it’s well-known that fennecs are one of the smallest hybrids, Jeongin had always prided himself on being ‘above’ cats as a member of the fox family.
Something about Minho tells Jeongin he’s not just a regular cat hybrid, though. Jeongin has no doubt this guy could take on hybrids twice his size. He has a demanding, captivating presence…one that Jeongin feels strangely safe in.
Minho senses Jeongin’s curious gaze and peers down at him, earning a squeak from the fennec hybrid. Embarrassed to have been caught, Jeongin burrows (one of his many instincts) into Minho’s chest, hoping to disappear. He doesn’t, but it earns him a fond chuckle and a pat to the butt.
“So,” Changbin starts off with a big sigh. “We seem to be in a bit of a…situation. Seungmin, do you have any idea what’s happened?”
Jeongin looks up, only to growl when he spies the puppy sitting nervously opposite him. There’s a red line across his cheek where Jeongin had scratched him, already on its way to healing.
“Enough,” Minho chides, smacking Jeongin’s bottom. Jeongin kicks out reflexively, but is quickly reminded of the pain in his thigh from where the puppy hybrid, Seungmin, had thrown him into the vase. He wails, clutching his thigh.
As the rest gather around, they all notice there’s a rip in Jeongin’s worn-out pants along with a pretty deep gash. Minho stands up, cradling Jeongin so the fennec hybrid’s leg isn’t touching anything.
“I’ll clean him up. Chan-hyung and Changbin, you get to the bottom of how exactly Seungmin and this little fox got acquainted.”
The humans both nod. So, the blond-haired pretty boy must be Chan.
Jeongin is carried up the spiral staircase and brought through a hall with many rooms. Minho opens the door at the end, and Jeongin chirps excitedly when he’s carried into the huge bathroom. He’d only bathed outdoors in buckets of rainwater, so this was a real treat.
Minho sets him down on a large counter and has Jeongin undressed from the waist down before the fox hybrid can blink. Jeongin’s not too bothered about being his underwear around the cat, especially when he can bat his hands away with his big tail. Minho smiles at his antics, allowing Jeongin to wrap his tail around his wrist.
“Luckily, it’s just a scratch. No broken bits of vase in it,” Minho murmurs, grabbing a cloth and cleaning the cut with soap and water.
Tears spring to Jeongin’s eyes as the cut is disinfected, but there’s something about Minho that makes Jeongin want to be good. Maybe it’s how gentle the cat hybrid’s being, or how soft his voice is when he walks Jeongin through exactly what he’s doing. Or maybe it’s the way he purrs when Jeongin lets out small yelps, the fact he giggles when Jeongin’s tail brushes his skin ever-so smoothly.
When Minho notices the little fox staring at the bathtub longingly, he decides talking with Seungmin can wait. It doesn’t take too long to fill the tub anyway with Jeongin being so tiny, and the little one squeals in delight when he sees the bath is for him. Minho’s chest feels warm.
Jeongin’s cheeks flush bright pink when Minho takes it upon himself to undress him, but it’s nothing the cat hasn’t seen before. And with the rash coating the fennec fox hybrid’s bottom and inner thighs, Minho understands the poor thing probably doesn’t understand how much he’d been struggling in the wild.
“The water’s so…warm!” Jeongin proclaims, splashing around in the tub. “The buckets of water in the desert were either freezing cold or had been warmed up by the sun, but at that point the water would be dirty and have insects floating around. This water’s just perfect.”
Minho takes a sponge and starts lathering it up. The water is already murky, but the tub can always be cleaned.
“How long have you lived in the desert?” Minho asks, cleaning behind the fox’s ears.
Jeongin exhales blissfully, closing his eyes. “Ever since I was born. I used to live underground, and all my families’ homes were connected by burrows. But then…”
His voice drifts off, and Minho hears the fox begin to get choked up. He coos and strokes a hand through Jeongin’s light brown hair.
“It’s okay, honey, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Jeongin sniffles, looking into Minho’s grey eyes. “One day, a bunch of trucks rolled onto our land. I think humans call them bulldozers. Anyway, they dug into our burrows and completely destroyed it. They wanted to make a water park for humans. All my family scattered off.”
Minho’s eyebrows furrow as Jeongin looks down. “I…I tried to bite the humans, tried to make them leave. But they shot me with a strange, pointy thing. When I woke up, I was on the other side of the desert. Some human explorers let me have their tent. Since then, I’ve been by myself.”
Fennec foxes are highly social hybrids. They need families, need someone to look out for them. This little fox’s story is one of many where humans got greedy and decided a hybrids’ natural habitat was theirs to take. Although Minho grew up side-by-side with humans, as pampered as them, he knows many hybrids weren’t as privileged as him.
“I’m so sorry, that must have been awful,” Minho says softly. But then he realises he’d missed a very important detail. “If you don’t mind me asking…what’s your name?”
Jeongin sniffles. He’d held out on giving out his name, as his family had always taught him not give his name to somebody unless he trusted them. But there’s something about this cat, about Minho, that tells Jeongin he’s not a threat.
“I’m Jeongin,” he says eventually. “And you’re Minho.”
Minho smiles. “I was born in ’98. I don’t like to make assumptions, but I think I might be your hyung.”
Jeongin lets out a teary laugh. “Yeah, you got it. I’m ’01.”
The air around them feels more peaceful. Minho washes Jeongin until he’s squeaky clean. He gives the fox a nice little head massage as he scrubs his hair, getting rid of all the dirt that was caked to his scalp. By the time they’re done, Jeongin’s hair is a lot lighter, almost wheat-coloured, and a whole lot fluffier.
Jeongin’s cut is practically gone when he’s lifted out the tub. Shame quickly comes back as he realises his whole body is on display. He crosses his legs, feeling very vulnerable as he’s laid down on a warm, fuzzy towel.
“Jeongin,” Minho murmurs as he stands over him, reminding Jeongin of their size difference. “I know in the wild you likely didn’t have access to bathrooms, but did you ever go and relieve yourself?”
Jeongin’s cheeks flush pink again. Ever since he was young, he’d always struggled to go to the bathroom. His family would go behind bushes and cover their scents to confuse predators, but Jeongin just never got the urge to go until it was too late.
Silence tells Minho all he needs to know. The white, folded piece of cloth the cat pulls out from under the counter gets Jeongin’s attention. “It’s probably best if you wear some protection for now.” Jeongin’s face scrunches up, and Minho is quick to reassure him. “Don’t worry, honey. Some hybrids just need some extra help. There’s no harm in that.”
“Those are what human babies wear!” Jeongin screeches, kicking his legs, but Minho catches them easily.
“Well, yes. But hybrids and humans aren’t the same. And as you know, not all hybrids are the same. I’m a cat and you’re a fennec fox. Both hybrids, but with different traits and needs,” Minho explains, not paying any mind to Jeongin’s tantrum. As soon as Jeongin is diapered, he attempts to crawl away, but Minho keeps an arm around his waist. “Just a few more minutes, sweetheart. We’ll get you into some comfy clothes.”
Jeongin isn’t too thrilled with the long, kitty-patterned onesie Minho had grabbed on his way to the bathroom. “Another member of our household, Jisung, has a cousin who stayed with us a few weeks ago. He left some of his clothes, and we washed them in-case he comes back, but we can use his stuff in the meantime while we get you settled.”
At those words, Jeongin springs up, crossing his arms over his bare chest. “H-hold on! Settled as in…I live here with you?”
Minho nods. Jeongin argues how he is perfectly fine in the wild, and never needed rescuing. The only reason he was here was because the silly puppy had knocked over his tent and Jeongin wanted him to build it up again.
But Minho disagrees. “Jeongin,” he murmurs, and Jeongin senses the pity in the cat hybrid’s tone. He hates it. “Obviously you weren’t doing well by yourself in the wild. I could see your ribs through your clothes, which were tattered and dirty. Although you got cut by the vase today, you already had scratches and bites.”
Jeongin rolls his eyes. “Stupid birds and spiders. Not my fault they fight back so much when I try and catch them.”
“Honey, I wouldn’t be insistent on you staying if I thought you were okay. But you’re clearly not. I want to take care of you,” Minho states softly, using Jeongin’s distraction to get him dressed.
Jeongin sticks his thumb in his mouth. On one hand, he thinks this house would be a good place to stay. It’s big, he can get hot baths, probably way nicer food than bugs and birds. But then the desert…well, it’s the only home he’s ever known. He can’t think of many upsides, except that the sunset and sunrise are always glorious to watch far away from human civilisation. The desert was quiet but it was lonely.
He decides he can stay for the time being. It’s the least they could do after their puppy ruined his tent.
“Fine, I’ll stay,” Jeongin grumbles around his thumb. “But I’m small and I can run fast.”
Minho smiles. “That’s okay, baby boy. I’ll always be there to catch you.”
XxX
Jeongin is surprised when he’s carried back into the living room to see the puppy hybrid across Changbin’s lap. Seungmin’s pants are around his ankles and his bottom, which is peeking out from his boxers, is bright red. Tears are streaming down his face.
“So next time, when someone tells you that there’s buried treasure in the desert, what are you not going to do?” Changbin asks, smacking Seungmin’s bottom.
Jeongin gasps. The puppy is clearly in pain; he’s not happy with how Seungmin ruined his tent, but that doesn’t mean he wants to see him hurt.
“I-I won’t knock over an innocent person’s home. But hyung, a spider jumped out at me. I got scared,” Seungmin wails.
Changbin scoffs. “That doesn’t excuse knocking over someone’s home and not even stopping to help them fix it. But anyway, that’s not the only reason why we’re here. What have we said about you leaving this house?”
Seungmin kicks his legs. “T-to tell someone. I know, but Taehyun said the treasure would be taken away. I had to find it.”
“There was no treasure, Seungmin. Taehyun was pranking you,” Changbin sighs, slowing down on the smacks. It’s then the human notices that they’re not alone in the living room. He shares a tired but fond look with Minho. “Anyway, I think there’s someone you need to apologise to.”
Big brown eyes gaze into Jeongin’s, and suddenly, Seungmin is spluttering and rolling off Changbin’s lap, immediately tugging on his jeans. “Hyungs,” he hisses. “Why would you let the baby see me getting punished?!”
“Well, he’s going to be here for a while, Seungmin, so it’s good for him to see how things work around here. Besides, you ruined his tent without apologising. I’d say it’s deserved,” Minho murmurs.
Both Changbin and Seungmin look surprised at the news. “We don’t even know his name,” Changbin whispers.
“His name’s Jeongin,” Minho says matter-of-factly. “Though I prefer honey, sweetheart, cutie-“
“Nooooo,” Jeongin giggles, playfully pushing Minho’s face away as the cat hybrid pretends to take a bite out of Jeongin’s cheek. “I’m a big boy, hyung.”
“Of course you are,” Minho says warmly, rubbing his nose against Jeongin’s neck. He then looks around for Chan. “Shall we resume our family meeting?”
Seungmin apologises to Jeongin profusely when he’s given the okay. Honestly, after seeing Seungmin in such a state over being punished, Jeongin welcomes the apology. It’s not like he’ll need his tent any longer if he’s living here.
Chan and Changbin both stare at Minho for a long time when the cat hybrid declares Jeongin would be living with them for the foreseeable future. At first, Jeongin is afraid they’re angry at Minho because they don’t want Jeongin living with them.
“Obviously it would have been better if we could have talked this out first,” Chan states softly after Minho explains everything. “But I understand this is an emergency. We have plenty of room and all the supplies he could need.”
Minho nods. “I’ll be taking full guardianship, too. So, you don’t need to worry about disruptions to your schedules.”
Changbin stretches his arms. “Don’t worry, hyung. Me and Chan-hyung are more than happy to step in when you need us to. It’ll be nice having a little one running around the house. I’ll call Jisung, Felix and Hyunjin to let them know, but I’m sure they’ll be fine with it.”
Chan smiles, winking at Jeongin as the fox hybrid perches on Minho’s shoulder. “Probably be more than fine. Felix will be demanding snuggles 24/7, no doubt.”
They decide to tell Jeongin a bit about themselves. Changbin is a rapper who does gigs every now and again, but has taken a step back to spend more time with his family. Chan, originally from Australia, works as an English teacher; he teaches some online classes and also teaches in-person at a university twice a week.
Seungmin had left home after he got to university age. He lived on campus for one year, where he met Chan. The puppy definitely needed some extra help staying focused, so Chan personally tutored him at no extra cost. It was safe to say Chan had taken a liking to the rambunctious, tall puppy, and asked if he wanted to come and live with his family. Seungmin is in his final year now, studying creative writing.
As for Minho, he was brought up in a very wealthy family of hybrids. When he met Chan and fell in-love with the human, his father had disapproved, not fond of his son marrying into a ‘nouveau-riche’ bloodline. Minho had taken all his personal belongings and told his family that while he loved them, he needed to do what was right for him.
“Do you still see your parents?” Jeongin wonders aloud.
Minho nods. “A few times a year. My father keeps trying to coax me to return to my more lavish lifestyle, but I much prefer it here. Back at my family’s home, I needed an attendant with me at all times, even when I went to the bathroom. I feel much more…free.”
Jeongin nods. While his home may not have been the flashiest or cosiest, he was free. Free to run around the desert at all hours, his arms spread out like wings, soaking in the sun. He looks out and sees there’s a beautiful garden behind the house, filled with every kind of plant and tree you could name (or couldn’t). While it might not be the desert, Jeongin has a feeling he’ll be running through those bushes, allowing the wind blow through his hair.
He feels giddy at the thought of exploring the new garden, of this huge house, but an uncomfortable feeling has the smile falling right off his face. Seungmin, Changbin and Chan all look confused, but Minho just cards a hand through Jeongin’s hair before standing up, shifting the fox hybrid to his hip. “Just got something to attend to. We’ll be back soon. Perhaps someone could make a bottle for the little one?”
Chan jumps up and heads straight to the kitchen, while Minho carries Jeongin to the same bathroom as earlier. As soon as Jeongin is sat on the counter, he crosses his arms.
“I don’t want a change,” he declares, glaring at the cream and powder Minho sets down.
Minho hums but continues to rummage under the counter, placing a new diaper in-front of Jeongin. Jeongin hisses. “Hyung!”
“Sometimes we need things that we don’t like. If we don’t change you, your rash will get worse, and you’ll be in a lot of pain. It won’t be nice being damp all day,” Minho says in that soft, slightly condescending voice of his.
Jeongin slams his hands down. Logically, he knows a change would be the best thing for him, but he doesn’t want to just obey. When Minho hooks his large hands under Jeongin’s armpits to lay him down, Jeongin twists away, almost falling off the counter. He feels victorious at the panicked look on Minho’s face, but when the cat hybrid quietly says his name, Jeongin huffs and allows Minho to move him.
He can tell Minho has tried to make the change as quick as possible. He’d dressed Jeongin in a onesie that snaps at the crotch so he doesn’t have to have any pants taken down. Still though, when the diaper is whisked off, Jeongin can’t help but whine. He sticks his thumb in his mouth, little feet kicking up in protest.
“Noooooo,” he whimpers as Minho wipes him as gently as possible.
The cat hybrid just gazes at him softly, responding with a teasing “Yesssss.” Jeongin huffs and attempts to roll over onto his front, but Minho has both the fox hybrid’s ankles held up effortlessly.
The cream does sting a bit, and Jeongin squeezes out a few tears, however as soon as he’s powdered and redressed, all sadness goes out the window. After Minho has washed his hands, he’s thanked with small teeth trying to pierce his wrist. Jeongin’s making it known he didn’t appreciate the change.
“No biting, honey,” Minho mutters, setting the fennec back on his hip. “Otherwise, we’ll be having a discussion like how Changbin was dealing with Seungmin earlier.”
Jeongin remembers the red-faced puppy hybrid over Changbin’s lap, tears streaming down his face. He shakes his head.
“No,” he pouts. “Don’t want it.”
Minho quirks up an eyebrow. “Don’t want what? A spanking? Well, don’t do something to earn one then.”
Of course, Minho tells Jeongin exactly what rules he will be expected to follow. Things like being kind to other members of the household and speaking to Minho when he has something on his mind, and no biting, hitting, or being disrespectful.
“You’ll get warnings, of course. But if you continue to break the rules, you’ll get a spanking for certain things,” Minho explains, patting Jeongin’s bottom. “Of course, you’ll always have aftercare after a punishment. Snuggles, lullabies, whatever you need.”
“So do I need a punishment to have snuggles?” Jeongin asks.
Minho shakes his head. “Oh no. You can have snuggles and lullabies whenever you want. Just ask,” he smiles, lifting Jeongin’s shirt so he can rub his back.
Jeongin lets out a deep sigh, sinking against Minho’s shoulder, allowing sleep to overtake him. The bottle of milk Chan had made for Jeongin sits in the kitchen, untouched.
XxX
After he wakes up, Jeongin is introduced to the remaining members of the family, who had returned during his nap.
Jisung is half-human, half-hybrid, by the small, red ears he has atop his curly brown hair. A squirrel hybrid, though he’s missing his bushy tail. The mischievous glint in his eyes reminds Jeongin of Seungmin. When Jisung meets Jeongin, he hides behind Chan, peeking at the unfamiliar hybrid in his home.
Felix and Hyunjin are both humans, and beautiful in every way possible. They’re like sun and moon – Felix, golden hair, bright eyes, larger than life; and Hyunjin, pale, serious, with an air of mystery surrounding him. It’s no surprise they wear matching gold wedding rings.
They’re both delighted by Jeongin’s presence. Felix immediately starts playing with him, while Hyunjin acts more laid back, but Jeongin can sense the human’s desire to whisk him up and throw him in the air.
“So, he’s staying for good, hyung?” Felix asks excitedly, tickling under Jeongin’s chin, earning an adorable giggle from the tiny fennec hybrid in Minho’s lap.
Minho nods. “Like I said to Changbin, he’s my responsibility, but everyone’s more than welcome to help out. It’ll make housework less boring having a little one to tend to as well,” he murmurs, shaking the bottle that Chan had recently reheated for Jeongin.
Jeongin’s eyebrows furrow. “Not little, hyung. I told you,” he snaps.
Felix coos, massaging Jeongin’s neck, causing the fox hybrid to chirp happily.
Minho had already prepared dinner before Jeongin returned, so they sit around the large dining table. Jeongin is fed his bottle by Minho, who had eaten while Jeongin napped. The milk is sweet and warm; the last time Jeongin had had milk was when he was an actual infant.
“You always cook the best food, hyung,” Jisung smiles, taking a big mouthful of spaghetti.
At Minho’s grateful purr, Jeongin’s eyes narrow. He thought purring was reserved for him; his kitty-hyung had no right to do it to someone else.
He suckles the bottle furiously, whining when he ends up getting a tummy ache.
“Not too fast, honey,” Minho hums, propping Jeongin over his shoulder. Jeongin’s not sure why Minho is patting his back so firmly, but he doesn’t like it. He squirms, trying to slide back down into Minho’s lap, only to let out a loud belch. “Good boy.”
“But you always scold me when I do that at the table, hyung,” Seungmin pouts, sauce smeared all around his mouth.
Chan chuckles. “I mean, if you want to be treated like the baby, we can arrange that,” he suggests, teasingly holding up a cloth and pointing it at Seungmin’s messy face. Seungmin shakes his head fervently, wiping his mouth and eating with a lot more care.
“I’m actually glad there’s a new baby around. I don’t think I need punishments anymore,” the puppy says after he’s cleared his bowl. That gains chuckles from all around. “Oh, come on. I’m not that naughty. Jisung breaks way more rules than I do and yet he only gets corner time.”
Changbin shakes his head. “Jisung was over my lap just last night, Minnie, for that stunt you both pulled in the grocery store.”
Jisung’s face is bright pink as he looks at Jeongin, embarrassed to have his punishment talked about in-front of the new hybrid. Jeongin feels weirdly smug about it – that’s what Jisung gets for acting cute and having Minho purr at him.
“Minnie, you know why those rules and punishments are there. Remember we stopped discipline for one night and you got all antsy because you’d broken the remote?” Chan reminds the puppy, one eyebrow raised.
Seungmin seems to remember the night very well, but he still rolls his eyes and shrugs all the same. “Fine. But what about the fox? Do me and Jisung discipline him too?”
“Leave that to me. And that goes for everyone,” Minho states firmly, looking every person at the dining table in the eye. “If he does something, tell me straight away. But we’re going to be together pretty much at all times for the next few weeks. The early bonding stages are the most important.”
“You mean you’re claiming him?” Felix asks, eyes wide.
Minho nods. “We’ve already claimed each other. He scent-marked me when we were cuddling. Fennecs are playful with those they trust most, and skittish around people they are afraid of. I didn’t realise it then, but he’s been trying to show me he feels safe.”
Huh. So that explained Jeongin’s behaviour. Well, he wasn’t going to tell them that Minho was wrong. It lined up pretty well with what had happened. If Jeongin felt in any way threatened by Minho, he would have lunged at him and attacked like he’d done with Seungmin. But instead, the cat hybrid calmed his nerves, and made the whole house feel peaceful.
Plus, the idea of being claimed sounds nice. He hasn’t belonged to a pack since…since…
Tears well up in Jeongin’s eyes as he thinks of his family. Is he betraying them by being here? Maybe this isn’t such a good idea, after all.
Before anyone can ask him what’s wrong, he leaps out of Minho’s lap and darts under the table, jumping over everyone’s legs. There are gasps all around as hands try to catch them, but Jeongin’s always been fast, certainly faster than any human.
He tears open the front door, adrenaline kicking in as alarms blare from every corner of the gated mansion. The fence is high, but Jeongin is small enough to wriggle under the metal bars, just like he’d done earlier.
Half his body is under the fence before he’s suddenly yanked right back to the other side, dangling by his leg. Even upside-down, Minho looks downright intimidating right now.
“Going somewhere?” the cat hisses, clearly unimpressed.
Well, Minho definitely wasn’t a liar because he’d promised to catch Jeongin if he ran away. Jeongin just wasn’t expecting someone to care that much.
At the fox hybrid’s sniffling, Minho’s expression softens, and he lifts Jeongin up the right way, fixing him on his hip. “Come on, Innie. You didn’t run out here for no reason. Tell hyung what’s wrong.”
Jeongin’s eyes sting. “I miss my family,” he murmurs. “But…I really like you, and I haven’t even known you for a day! For years I searched every inch of the desert. Hoping to find a trace, but they’re gone. I don’t even know if they tried to find me too.”
Minho exhales, rubbing Jeongin’s back. “If you give me their descriptions, we can talk to an investigator. Society takes wrongdoings to hybrids more seriously, now. I can’t make any promises, but if they’re alive and well, it would be good to know.”
Nodding, Jeongin says: “Thank you, hyung.” He nuzzles into Minho’s neck, more tears falling. “But what if I meet them and still want to live with you? Wouldn’t I be…betraying them?”
Minho purrs, patting his back. “You don’t have to choose between me or them. You can have two families – your biological family, and us. At the end of the day, you must do what’s right for you.”
The truth is, Jeongin had given up on finding his family a long time ago. He’d moved on. Sure, it was lonely and he missed them, but if all’s he thought about was them, he wouldn’t have survived in the desert for as long as he did. And now, after meeting Minho, he’d already felt attached.
“Just…don’t leave me, hyung,” Jeongin whispers. “I survived once after losing my family. I don’t think I could do it again.”
At first, there’s no reaction, and Jeongin is worried he’s scared Minho away for becoming too clingy. But then, there’s a kiss to his hair. Minho rumbles softly, his grey eyes gazing into Jeongin’s. “I’ll never leave you, Jeongin. That’s a promise.”
XxX
When Minho walks through the door, the rest of the household look as though they’re about to burst with all their questions. However, one look from the cat hybrid is enough for them to realise it’s time to keep their mouths shut.
Jeongin is worried that they’ll judge him. He’d just dived under the table and evaded all of them in an attempt to ‘escape’.
But was it really an escape? Or was it a test for Minho?
He buries his face against Minho’s shoulder, one eye peeking out to gauge everyone’s reactions. Thankfully, they all look pretty neutral.
“So,” Chan says, scratching his neck. “Um…what do you think of our cars, Jeongin?”
Everyone else turns around to glare at the human, who has a sheepish look on his face. Jeongin hums, deciding it was safe to show them his face now.
“They’re nice. My uncle worked as an engineer with some humans. He brought me and my brothers car catalogues. I really like the red Mercedes,” he mutters.
Felix’s face somehow lights up even more. “That’s my car!” he buzzes, grabbing Hyunjin’s shoulder. “Did you hear that, darling? The little fox likes my car the best!”
Hyunjin’s lips quirk up very slightly. “I did hear that. He has good taste.”
Jeongin blushes at all the attention but feels strangely satisfied that he’s made Felix proud. His tail bats left and right (not wag – that’s what puppy’s tails do!) and he happily chirrups. Minho bounces the tiny fox gently on his hip, catching the very faint yawn Jeongin lets out.
“I think that’s enough excitement for one day,” the cat hybrid declares, his voice tender to avoid a tantrum. Indeed, the beginnings of a tantrum start to show, Jeongin whining and squirming, but another few bounces on Minho’s hip have the fox sticking his thumb in his mouth with watery eyes.
“Pretty sure there are some pacifiers lying around. I’ll get you one.” Chan heads into the kitchen and starts rooting around the cupboards, while Minho carries Jeongin to say goodnight to everyone. Felix and Changbin give him an adoring tickle under his arms, Hyunjin waves playfully, and Jisung bows politely.
The only one left is Seungmin, who pretends to be busy looking at the clock, whistling with his hands in his pockets.
“Seungmin,” Minho teases. “Come on, the fox won’t bite.”
A look of sarcasm takes over Seungmin’s face. “Wanna bet?” But when he looks at Jeongin, the puppy hybrid sighs. “Night night, little fox. And I’m truly sorry about your tent. I know you’re not going back to the desert, but I could make it up to you by making a den sometime?”
Jeongin’s ears prick up. A den?
“It won’t be as good as one you can make in the wild, but we have clothes, pillows, some poles. I’m sure we can bargain with our hyungs for some wooden planks too, if you fancy.” Seungmin winks at him, and any ill feelings Jeongin had had towards the puppy disappears.
“I’d love that, puppy!” he squeaks, wriggling around on Minho’s hip, but this time it’s from pure joy.
Minho starts licking his neck to calm him down, purring. “That’s puppy-hyung to you, little fox.”
Eventually, Chan bustles out of the room, holding a red pacifier in his hand. “I just sterilised it, so he’s good to use it,” he smiles, leaning down to give Jeongin a kiss to his forehead. “He’s already beginning to smell like you, Minho.”
“Good,” Minho smiles, pride evident in his tone.
Once they’re upstairs, Minho gets himself and Jeongin ready for bed. Jeongin watches Minho strip down to his boxers and grabs some lounge pants. He’s surprised at how well-built Minho is, but then again, the cat hybrid had been wearing an oversized sweater all day.
Then, Minho gets Jeongin all freshened up for bed. Jeongin learns what toothpaste is and how to brush his teeth. Eating small animals and insects in the desert was a natural way to clean his teeth, along with always swishing water around his gums before bed, but Minho said this would be an important, non-negotiable step of his morning and night routine.
The pacifier is a little strange at first, but when Minho returns from the bathroom, Jeongin is already suckling it at a slow pace. Minho smiles, climbing into his bed and pulling Jeongin to lie on his bare chest. He barely weighs a thing.
“Hyung,” Jeongin asks, his voice laced with sleep. Minho hums curiously. “Can you scratch behind my ears?”
Chuckling, Minho doesn’t even respond, and begins to scratch behind Jeongin’s large, fluffy ears.