Work Text:
“Can you look over this paperwork for me?” Minho let go of said stack of paperwork and let it fall gracelessly onto Jeongin’s desk, his tabby cat’s tail swinging smugly behind him.
Jeongin was the finance director (read: cooperate slave) for a relatively small company that managed a few hostels in Seoul. The “Stray Kids” line of hostels, where the whole point was helping people or travelers who felt a little lost and wanted to make a connection. Pretty much, a place to make friends and also sleep if you want to, all started by none other than Bang Chan, his childhood friend and practically brother.
“And you can’t do it, why?” Jeongin raised his eyebrow sarcastically. It was almost time for Jeongin to clock out, so he couldn’t help the way the large fox ears on his head twitched in annoyance.
“Because it needs to be done by tomorrow, and if you didn’t recall, me and dear Jisungie,” The hiring manager and aforementioned Lee Minho’s husband, “both have the day off.”
Jeongin blinked up at him again, “And he didn’t get this done sooner, why?”
Minho shrugged, “He said Chan gave this to him today, a problem with the fax machine or something.”
Jeongin sighed, looking up at the clock, “Whatever.” He had about forty minutes left, and he had finished all his tasks for the day anyway, “Have fun on whatever that squirrel has planned for you.”
Minho smiled, less smug and more genuine, “Why thank you. I’m quite excited myself.” It was their anniversary, and Jisung had told Jeongin exactly what he had planned, but Minho knew nothing. Jeongin is glad he knows how to keep a secret.
As Minho walked away, thanking Jeongin again, he nodded and actually took a look at the paperwork.
It’s new hire paperwork, already stamped in approval by Chan, all he needed to do was to transfer already printed data in his application to his actual hiring paperwork.
Jeongin sighed, its fine. He has nothing else to do for forty minutes— might as well help out Jisung.
Name : Kim Seungmin
Age : 24
Species : Dog
“Great,” Jeongin mumbled, “Let’s just hope he doesn’t quarrel with the cats.” No one could ever quarrel with Felix, their orange American shorthair. Minho, on the other hand, would love the opportunity to quarrel with a dog.
Subspecies : Golden Retriever
Gender : Male
Subgender : Unspecified / Prefer not to answer
Jeongin scrunched his nose, dogs usually do have some sort of hierarchy— unless they have no wolves at all in the family. Jeongin isn’t worried about this Kim Seungmin’s subgender affecting him, per say, he has a strong control over his instincts, and fox hierarchies work a little differently, so it’s not an issue for him.
He may clash with Chan, though, the latter being a gray wolf. Chan is an Alpha by biological standards, but he has a tendency to get pushed around a little. If this Kim Seungmin is also an Alpha, it could lead to some problems.
Position : Legal Advisor
Huh. A puppy as a legal advisor. Color Jeongin Impressed. He tries not to give mind to any stereotypes between species— he himself has been the victim of said stereotypes on multiple occasions— but domesticated species, specifically dogs, still make him a little uneasy when it comes to serious professions. Cats are fairly independent, sure. Minho and Felix get things done on their own just fine— albeit sometimes they need a little attention. Even Chan gets sort of needy sometimes as a wolf— not even a domesticated one!
Jeongin sighed, hopefully this dog isn’t like that. He should stop letting that cloud his judgement.
He transferred any relevant information onto the correct company file and off the boy’s resume (which Jisung clearly could’ve done himself before work ended), and set the newly finished papers onto Chan’s desk, he looked up in surprise.
“Jeongin?”
“Minho dumped it on me.”
“Ah,” Chan sighed.
“Don’t worry, I would’ve hit him if it was really a bother.”
Chan’s ear twitched, but he nodded. Jeongin always noticed those small things about him, about anyone, really. The way that Chan looks a little paranoid whenever anyone was looking at him; the way that whenever Minho passes the window and gets a little bit of sun, he has to let out a small stretch; the way Jisung hordes things at his desk; the way Changbin will tap his foot insistantly whenever he was nervous, or feeling too much of any emotion, really; the way Hyunjin would have to take long, too fast to be considered walks, walks after a long stretch of work and a cigarette break. Everyone has traces of their animal side.
Jeongin didn’t. It’s not like it was something he was suppressing, it’s just something that is. He doesn’t feel the need to burrow, he doesn’t scent people unless they ask, his tail doesn't give away his emotions. He may as well only be human. The tail and the ears are just decorations.
It’s not as if his family are like that either, his brothers both have playfully bit him when they were younger, he had never bit back, though. He never growled, never yipped, never purred. He was just… so normal it was abnormal.
“Thanks, Innie. I owe you.” Chan looked down at the paperwork, starting to read through it all.
“No, Minho owes me. Actually, no, Jisung owes me. They both owe me.” Jeongin smiled.
“Go home, In.” Chan waved him off, a smile on his face.
Jeongin didn’t think twice before packing up his things and starting the commute back home.
🦊
Jeongin’s apartment was rather bare.
He had a few things scattered about, a few pictures of him and his family, him and chan, him and his coworkers at the employee Christmas party. It never smelled like anything, though.
Jeongin was always told that scent was a big part of hybrid culture. It was how hybrids saw the world. Jeongin never got the big deal about that. If someone smelled good, they smelled good, there was no pull to them or any lust towards them. If they smelled bad, he just chalked it up to bad hygiene.
His childhood home, though, had a scent. It smelled like him, his brothers, Chan, and his parents. He couldn't individually pick out the scents, but he just knew they had all been there, and made their mark on the house. His apartment now smells like nothing, really. Some cleaning supplies, maybe.
He didn’t mind being normal– or abnormal, by hybrid standards. Sometimes, though, he did wish someone would make his house smell like home.
🐶
The next day of work was normal. It started out normal, at least.
Jeongin got settled into his desk, logged into all of his programs, checked his emails, and found something to do. The same, mundane day he’s had every day for the last few years.
That smell, though… It wasn’t mundane.
Jeongin tried to ignore it, he assumed that one of his co-workers (probably Felix) unboxed some sort of sweet treat and the smell just happened to waft into his area of the office. It smells really good, though, like a warm blueberry pastry, or something. Maybe Jeongin should go ask him if he can have a bite, it smells so good–
“Excuse me?” An unfamiliar voice broke through his thoughts, and Jeongin’s attention snapped to the man who he’d never seen before, uncharacteristically alert.
The man was a little taller than Jeongin, dressed in a suit jacket and khakis that hugged his thighs but went loose around his shins, he had fluffy dark brown hair that fell just above his eyes, and puppy-like eyes that– well, and golden puppy ears with a matching, low-swishing tail that followed.
Jeongin swallowed heavily.
“I think my new desk is next to yours,” The man extended his hand for a handshake, “Kim Seungmin, Legal Advisor… I just started.”
Jeongin looked at him for a few moments, frozen, before extending his hand, “Yang Jeongin. Marketing.”
Seungmin took his hand, shaking it– not firmly. Frankly, it was a terrible handshake. Weak.
Jeongin wanted to pounce.
Jeongin wanted to bite.
Jeongin wanted to–
Jeongin’s tail was wagging.
Upon this realization, he quickly turned around, sitting back down in his swivel chair. His tail never wags. The last time he can remember it wagging was when he was fifteen and his parents had gotten him a trip to Australia to visit Chan. All he did was shake his hand!
Well, that and look at him. Jeongin must've looked at him for quite a long time. He felt hungry, out of control.
One time, he watched Chan eat a rat.
It was the full moon, so he was on edge. He and Jeongin were walking on the streets of Seoul, Chan was on high alert, ears perked, following, listening. A rat got too close, he didn’t think of anything besides the fact that a rat was prey, and the prey was to feed his pack. That, or the rat was too close, and he needed to protect his pack.
He and Chan both cried that night.
Jeongin struggled to imagine the feeling, the feeling of seeing prey and needing to subdue it. For a second, looking at Seungmin, Jeongin thinks he could understand.
He didn’t think Seungmin was a threat, no. His body just went a little hot, a little antsy. The need to have Seungmin pinned under him with no where else to go, for him to claim, for him to subdue, to make him submit–
Jeongin stood up abruptly, causing Seungmin, who had just sat down after the awkward encounter, to look up at him. Jeongin didn’t dare meet his eyes. He walked straight into Chan’s office, head down.
“Jeongin?” Chan asked once he saw the young fox had entered the doorway, he gave him a once over before deciding something was wrong. “You smell weird, are you okay?”
Jeongin didn’t want to tell him.
He had only just met Seungmin, only just talked to him once, there was no reason for him to be feeling like this. Maybe it was a fluke.
“Yeah. I just… I need a second.” Not a lie, he really did need a second. He needed to learn how to breathe again without breathing in blueberries.
“Is it Seungmin?” Chan asked, brows furrowed, “If you don’t want him sitting near you, there's another desk near the back.” The back office, where Minho and Jisung are always flirting. Even Jeongin isn’t so cruel as to make him move back there.
“N-No, it’s fine.”
“You’re pale. What happened?”
Jeongin swallowed.
“Do you remember the rat, hyung?”
Chan blinked a few times, “I mean, I was kind of out of it.”
“But the feeling, the feeling of needing to do something. That’s how you described it to me back then.”
Chan furrowed his brows and nodded.
“I think I just felt that.”
Chan’s eyebrows shot up, “Is there a rat in the office?”
“No, hyung.” Jeongin shot a hand up, if Felix got word of that, it would be nasty. “I felt that way when I looked at Seungmin.”
Chan took a few moments to think that over. “In, I’ve known Seungmin for a long time. Almost as long as I’ve known you. He can be a little blunt sometimes, but he’s not dangerous.”
“I don’t think he’s dangerous.” Jeongin said simply.
“So why-”
“I don't know, I don’t know, hyung…” He took a deep breath, turning to close Chan’s office door, “I just… I saw him, and I clammed up, I felt like how people describe your instincts taking over is like. I just wanted to… I wanted to pin him, to scruff him, to bite him– hyung. I don’t like it. I don’t want to feel like that, I want to be normal.”
Chan didn’t look nearly as concerned as he should be. “You’ve never felt that before?”
Jeongin looked at him as if he had three heads, “I– of course not! That’s crazy! Do you know how many crimes just went through my head at the thought of this dog I don’t even know!”
“Innie. That’s just a part of being a predator hybrid, you’re gonna feel those things sometimes.”
“But,” He started, “But Seungmin isn’t a prey hybrid?”
Chan only shrugged. “Maybe your fox sees him as a threat? Either way, this isn’t appropriate for the workplace-”
“But-!”
“So I suggest you should get back to work, and control your thoughts like the rest of us. Feel free to rant to me when we’re not in my office.”
🦷
Promptly after getting kicked out of Chan’s office, Jeongin finds himself back at his desk. Kim Seungmin at the desk across. He tries to keep his eyes down.
He smells so good.
He has work to do– a proposal, marketing proposal.
Jeongin rubs his temples, it’s not just the scent, everything about Seungmin is pulling him in. Which sounds so bad, even to his brain who’s thinking it. He had only just met this guy, they’ve spoken one, two words to each other. Why is he getting worked up over it?
“Jeongin-hyung?”
His heart must've stopped, or at least skipped a few beats. He knew Seungmin’s birthday, he knew Seungmin was older, and it feels absolutely electric that Seungmin doesn't know that.
Seungmin must've noticed the way he froze up, though, “Sorry, Chan said I was the baby of the office, are… are you not my Hyung?”
Jeongin wanted to deny it, wanted to relish just one more time the way ‘Jeongin-hyung’ rolled off his tongue so sweetly. Did Chan really deal with this every single day? “Ah, no, I saw your paperwork, you’re a little older than me.”
“Ah, sorry, then, Jeongin-ah.” Maybe Jeongin just likes the way Seungmin says his name. Though, it wasn't as electrically charged as when he called him Hyung. “Can I borrow some tape from your desk? I just need to label a few drawers over here, if that’s okay.”
“Yeah,” Jeongin replies immediately. There’s a small rumble in his chest as he hands the tape dispenser to the dog hybrid, he’s providing a need. “Just keep it, if you need it.”
Seungmin looks up at him, smiling. Jeongin hopes he can't hear the rumbling– he’s not really sure how to contain it.
He looks at him a little too long to be considered normal, satisfaction blooming in his chest as he watches Seungmin take the tape, using it to attach his makeshift labels onto his drawers. He knows the rumbling is getting louder while watching the way Seungmin smiles at his work. Jeongin’s rational brain tells him that he’s just taping paper to a drawer, but some part of his brain he doesn’t quite know yet is telling him that his mate is using what he was able to provide to satisfy himself.
Oddly, that’s the thought that snaps him out of it.
He needs to pull it together.
So he trains his eyes on his computer screen, trying to get his marketing proposal done. He lets his sharper teeth pinch the inside of his mouth each time he catches his eyes straying to the dog hybrid.
He really needs to get it together.
🐺
“You cannot be serious.” Jeongin huffed, chugging the rest of his glass of beer.
“I am serious!” Chan laughed, far too loud for the tiny bar they were in, “I feel it with Felix every day, I swear.”
“Felix? In my department?” Jeongin’s jaw falls.
“What other Felix would I be talking about? What other Felix do you know in Korea?”
“I don't know!” Jeongin sputters, “I just didn’t expect you to be crushing on the cat I drag to all of my meetings!” He sighed, “And that you feel… like that, about him.”
“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s normal.” Chan shrugs, “We’re hybrids, we’re part animal. It’s only natural when it comes to love that we get a little…animalistic.”
“I just met the guy, hyung. We are far from any sort of romance. I just wanna…” Jeongin trails off, looking down at his hands, “Pin him down a little, maybe.”
“How do you think it works with our animal sides, In? I mean, there’s courting involved, sure.”
“I purred today.” Jeongin cuts him off, Chan stares at him wide-eyed.
“Really?” Jeongin nods, “I haven't heard you purr, since… I don’t think I’ve ever heard you purr.”
“I purred once, when I was fifteen, hyung. A decade ago.”
Chan sucks his teeth a bit, “Damn, Innie, you’ve got it bad.”
“I purred because I gave him a tape dispenser, and he used it.”
Chan just looked at him for a moment, “It sounds like your fox wants to court him, or subdue him, or something. You’re happy that you’re providing for him, at least, on a subconscious level.” Jeongin cringes, because that’s exactly what was going through his head when he gave Seungmin the tape.
“How do I make it stop?” Jeongin groans, letting his head drop against the countertop, “I cannot go to work everyday, not get anything done because I’m so distracted, and leave hard as a rock by the end of the shift.”
Chan scrunched his face, “I didn’t need to know that.”
“I didn’t need to know you wanna mate with my co-worker, either.” He grumbles.
“Your scent alone when you walked into my office told me that you wanted to mate with my friend and your co-worker, so I guess we’re even.”
“If you don't want to smell it tell me how to stop it!” He pouted.
“I don’t know! Maybe just listen to it a little bit?”
“No. I’m not doing that.”
“I don’t mean pin him down and have your way with him, no.” Chan sighed, “I mean listen to your fox in little ways. Like how you did with the tape dispenser! Provide for him in a completely co-worker way. Don’t let it go further than that in the workplace, though. I’m not above reporting you to HR.”
“It’s your company…” Jeongin rumbled, mulling over what Chan had said. “Maybe I’ll get him something for his desk.” He pondered.
Chan didn’t answer, just looking at Jeongin a little incredulously, “Your tail is wagging, In.”
“Don’t talk about it, please.”
🧸
He ended up taking Chan’s advice, sort of.
He spent about an hour in the office section shopping, only to wander around the store and find himself with a tiny, tiny golden retriever plushie in his hands. It looked just like Seungmin.
He had seen it across the aisle and practically sprinted next to it, staring at it for maybe five minutes before deciding he needed to give it to Seungmin. The rational part of his brain tells him he had only just met this man, there was no use for a small plushie to justify giving it to him. The fox part of Jeongin’s brain told him he needed Seungmin to have it.
It's not like it was the only thing he had bought for the puppy hybrid. He had almost fifty dollars of office supplies that he’s fairly sure is already provided in his hands. Seungmin wont even know it was him!
He gets to the office early, making sure he was there far before Seungmin would show up.
He had come to two conclusions last night about Seungmin: one, he was a little obsessed with this fantasy he had made about the golden retriever; and two, Seungmin must never know about any of it.
Jeongin neatly set the various office equipment in Seungmin’s drawers and along his desk, placing the plushie right in the corner. Seungmin hadn’t gotten too settled in yet, so hopefully that meant this wasn't as invasive as the human part of his brain is telling him that it is.
Once everything was arranged well enough for his instincts to be settled, he took a step back. This is good, he's providing for Seungmin without being obvious and without being… too weird.
He still felt a little weird though.
He felt weird as he watched Seungmin enter the office, watched as his eyes widened at the addition of new office supplies and a brand new dog plush in the corner. He watched as Seungmin’s lips formed a soft smile.
“Do they do this for every new employee?” Seungmin asked him once he had logged into his computer.
“Hm?” Jeongin questioned, feigning innocence.
“The office supplies and the little plush of your animal.”
Jeongin tried to avert his eyes, “Oh, yeah. Usually.”
“Wheres your little fox?”
Jeongin had to suppress his blush, “I uh… I brought it home.”
“Ah.” Seungmin smiled, “It’s a nice touch, I like it.”
Jeongin had to sit back in his seat a little further to stop the wagging of his tail.
🏢
They get into this motion, sometimes Jeongin will just put small things in Seungmin’s desk. Enough so his instincts are quelled, but not enough that Seungmin notices.
Chan does, though.
“Have you tried just talking to him?”
And Minho, being stupidly attentive, also notices.
“It would be miles easier than whatever weird mating dance you’re doing around him right now.”
“But he’s my coworker, it’s wildly unprofessional!” Jeongin sputtered.
And because Minho knows, Jisung does too.
“Innie, I really don't think we care about that here.” Jisung sighs, gesturing between him and Minho.
“I care about it, though! I mean, he's my senior, but I’m his senior in the company! There's like– a weird power dynamic at play!”
“You’re in different departments, though.” Chan chimes in.
“It’s the principle!”
“What I think you really need to do,” Minho starts, “Is talk to him, not about your problem, but just talk to him like a normal person. Maybe eat lunch with him, or something. Who knows, maybe he could be a total asshole, then your problem would be solved because you'll get over him. If he’s not an asshole, you gain yourself a friend, and that erases the power dynamic if you want to start courting him.”
Jeongin cringes a bit at the thought of courting, he never imagined himself in a position like this.
“Or you could just ask him out. That was what Irino did.”
“You two are a special case.” Jeongin sighed.
“I don’t think that’s a crazy thing to do.” Minho shrugged, “Be direct with what you want so you don’t get your hopes up. If he rejects you, change your plan.”
Jeongin pouted, “If he rejects me I’ll respect that rejection.”
“Your fox won’t, though. Be prepared for that. Your fox and your rational mind don’t always think the same.”
“What would you have done if I rejected you, hyung?~” Jisung asked teasingly.
Minho smirked, “I knew you wouldn’t. Either that or you would cave eventually— with my meddling or otherwise. I would’ve tricked you into thinking I was a precious object for you to hoard, coerced you that way.”
“That hot, Hyung.” Jisung smiled with eyes Jeongin didn’t want to decipher.
“Okay, enough about the weird shit you both are into.” Jeongin sighed, “I just don’t know what to bring up. I really don’t know anything about him— and I don’t want him to find out about all the weird courti— the weird gifts I’ve been giving him.”
Chan looked at him, a little weird, “Not to agree with whatever weird thing is going on with these two, but I also don’t necessarily think it would be a bad thing to state your courting intentions.”
“I-It’s not courting, I don’t know him.”
“You want to court him, though.” Jisung adds.
“And Channie-hyung wants to court Lixie-hyung too! You don’t see him proclaiming his love and being outward with his courting gifts.”
Chan turns a little red and embarrassed, Jeongin only slightly regrets calling him out for his hypocrisy.
“He talks to Lix, though. They’re at least friends.” Minho chimes in.
Jeongin groans, because he’s right.
“Just… talk to him, Jeonginnie.”
“…I’ll try.”
🍙
“Morning, Seungmin.”
Jeongin decided the hyungs were right. He should talk to Seungmin, start small. Small enough that if he focuses really hard, whatever response he gets won’t make his tail wag and won’t elicit any purring from his end.
“Morning, Jeonginnie.” Seungmin smiles at him, a sweet innocent thing that instantly makes Jeongin feel a little hot inside. Jeongin had to press his back to the chair to stop his tail from wagging at all.
“How was your weekend?” Jeongin was never good with small talk, he really only ever talked to the people in this office.
Seungmin smiled brightly, not bothered at all by Jeongin’s apparent awkwardness. “It was nice. I didn’t do much, though. Got a lot of stuff done around my apartment, watched a documentary I found on Netflix-”
Boom, something Jeongin can latch on to, “What was the documentary about?”
Seungmin's smile grew wider, and a small sparkle could be seen in his eyes that wasn’t quite there before, “The first one was about wildlife and natives within the arctic circle, like Canada and Russia. Like, a lot of how they interact with the wildlife. Did you know there’s a tribe of Alaskan Malamute Hybrids where they will kill one whale a year, cut it up, share it with the entire village, and it’ll last them an entire year?”
Jeongin thinks he may have died and gone to heaven, that’s truly how it felt seeing Seungmin happy and talking about things he loved. “I didn’t know that at all, no.”
“Then I watched a slightly more depressing one about tornados, god, I’m so glad I don't live in America. Their tornados are no joke, if we had tornados in Korea, I would move. Or maybe I would become a storm chaser.”
Jeongin couldn’t help but let out a laugh, “Would that not be the opposite of moving away? I thought you were scared of them.”
“Oh, I am. I’m terrified,” Seungmin nodded, “But they’re also really interesting. They’re fun to learn about. Maybe I want to see one, like one time. When I choose to see one, not when it’s like… above my house in the middle of the night.”
🍱
Jeongin and Seungmin get into some sort of rhythm. In the morning, they ask each other about the day before, was it good, was it bad? They laugh about things and learn about things.
It was only natural to progress further, “Jeonginnie, do you want to eat lunch with me today?”
Jeongin blinked, surprised, “Sure, yeah.”
Which led to Seungmin and Jeongin both sitting in the community break room, ears hiked and tails swishing.
“I watched a new documentary.” Seungmin says, picking up some kimchi and stuffing his mouth with it.
“Mm?” Jeongin perked up, still chewing, “What was this one about?”
Seungmin took a few seconds, more courteous than Jeongin, to swallow his food before speaking, “It was about foxes.”
“Ah?” Jeongin really couldn't stop the way his tail sped up even if he tried, “F–Foxes?”
Seungmin nodded, a hint of a smile threatening to break through as he took another bite.
“Like… red foxes, or-”
“Fennec foxes.” Seungmin wasn’t hiding his smile anymore, “You blush so easily, Innie. You’re so cute.”
Jeongin is sure his face’s redness matched the hue of Seungmin’s kimchi.
🐾
“He called me cute, hyung. I really can’t do this anymore.” Jeongin groaned, burying his face in the pillows of Chan’s couch.
“You are cute, Innie!” Chan’s newfound closeness with Felix meant that one more person in the office knew.
“Anyone would be lucky to date you, Innie.” And because Felix knows, Hyunjin knows.
“Says you.” And because Hyunjin knows, Changbin knows.
“You all are no help, none of you.” Jeongin covered his face with his hands, “Especially Changbin.”
“I’m just saying, look at my wife.” The rabbit hybrid smiled, touching his cheek with the ferret, who playfully pushed him away.
“Why did Chan even let you guys in? You’re just gonna defile his apartment.”
Hyunjin let out a gasp of exasperation, “Excuse you! We are not Minho and Jisung.”
Felix nodded, “Yeah, you two are worse.”
“At least we had the balls to–” Hyunjin is cut off by Felix’s hand.
“This is literally his house, can you both shut up!” Felix whisper-yelled.
“You and him have the same problem as Seungminnie and Jeonginnie here.” Changbin huffs, “You both like each other but you’re too anxious to see that. Well, actually, I don’t think Seungmin is anxious about it. I think Seungmin thinks everything is going well.”
Jeongin furrowed his brow, “Things are going well.”
“They are, but you still want more.”
Jeongin sighs, “Does that make me selfish?”
Hyunjin shrugs, “That makes you as human as the rest of us.”
Jeongin bites his lip, “Should I stop court–or um…”
“We all know you’re courting him, Innie, just say it.” Felix smirked.
“Okay, well should I stop? Am I going too fast? Am I making him uncomfortable?”
Jeongin yelps as he gets smacked in the back of the head, presumably by Changbin, “He thinks it’s going good, did you not hear me before?”
“But what if–”
“Yang Jeongin,” Chan’s voice comes in from the kitchen, “You’re doing fine!”
Jeongin sighed, he really, really hoped so.
🥩
Jeongin entered the office more nervous than normal. He still hadn’t exactly processed all of what Seungmin had said to him– or what Changbin had told him, for that matter.
Those worries only somewhat disappeared when he saw a small fennec fox plushie in front of his computer.
He blinked a few times, “Huh? Where did this come from…”
His ears twitched a little when he heard his favorite laugh from the desk right near his, “Hehe, I wonder.”
“Huh?” Jeongin gasped, “But…” Despite his embarrassment at being caught in his first lie he told Seungmin, he couldn't help the way his tail swished– Seungmin had gotten something for him!
“What? Am I not allowed to court you back?” Seungmin smiled, a teasing little thing that made Jeongin’s cheeks heat up. Jeongin didn’t know how to respond, leaving Seungmin to look around a little awkwardly, “Um… is that not what you were doing?”
“N-No! It was!! I mean, I didn’t know that was what I was doing until recently but… Yeah, I was…” Jeongin looked down, embarrassed, “I didn’t want you to find out, though! How did you…”
“Jeonginnie, you look at me like you want to eat me.”
Jeongin swallowed, “Would it scare you if I did?”
Seungmin just shook his head, “No. The feeling is mutual.”
Jeongin felt all of the tension in his body deflate in that moment, which only made Seungmin smile wider, “So…” Jeongin started, this is his first time courting someone, and certainly the first time it had gotten this far. He wasn’t quite sure where to go from here.
“So, since we’re being more traditional about this, take me out to dinner and give me a former courting proposal, eh?”
Jeongin shot up, nodding his head enthusiastically, “Okay, hyung! When are you free– tonight? I can get us reservations! Do you have any allergies? What kind of food do you like–”
🐶🦊
Jeongin was purring.
That had become a normal thing to him, any time Seungmin came near him or gave him any attention at all. He really couldn't help it, and Seungmin said it was cute, so why would he try to stop it? He only wants to make his mate happy.
Sitting on the couch, Seungmin noses at the mark on the back of Jeongin’s neck, it’s fresh, only about a week old. It feels like it should've been there his whole life. Seungmin can’t help but lick at it when he’s feeling clingy like this. It only makes Jeongin’s purrs louder.
“God! I didn’t think it was possible, you two are worse than both Minho and Jisung and Hyunjin and Changbin! I didn’t think you could do that!”
Jeongin scrunched his nose at the shorthair, “We’re not that bad.”
“You are.” Hyunjin agreed.
“They’re not.” Minho countered.
“They’re in the honeymoon phase, guys.” Chan sighed, “Minho and Jisung were indecent for the next month after their bite, so I would say Seungmin and Jeongin are doing quite well.”
Jeongin felt the way his breath hitched at the thought of Seungmin indecent right now, before getting smacked in the side of the head, “Don’t even think about it! Gross!” Jisung yelled.
“At least we weren't the example of indecency,” Seungmin quipped, “I don’t think you have any room to talk.”
“At least we kept it in our own room!”
Jeongin smiled, “That’s a great idea!” He got up, pulling Seungmin with him, “Let’s get a room. Byebye hyungs!” He dragged Seungmin out of the apartment with a sense of urgency.
Hyunjin sighed, “They’re gross.”
“Yeah,” Changbin agreed, “But they’re happy.”