PRECIOUS

「fluff」「hybrid」

top!johnny
bottom!jaemin

[in which johnny stumbles upon a fox hybrid without a home and can't help but fall for his fiery nature as he takes care of him]

requested by crotchy2

it was pouring rain that night. the heavens had well and truly opened up to unleash the storms they could offer and flood the city with as much water as possible. puddles sloshed underfoot and under tyres as pedestrians and traffic all fled from the streets to get home.

johnny, a young college student, was left in a predicament when his best friend had apologised profusely earlier that evening for getting waylaid with a group assignment he'd committed to. the korean-american was pretty irritated that he had no lift to get him back to his apartment, but a little rain never hurt anybody...or so they said.

as he neared a convenience store with its lights pouring out onto the rainy outdoors, he ducked closer towards it to walk along the small shelter it brought. his mood was a little sour due to the circumstances, though knowing he could flop onto his couch tonight after a warm shower and watch television into the early morning lifted his spirits. no classes tomorrow, he grinned victoriously.

once he was out of the shop's light range, he was met with a small parting between it and the next building — an alleyway of sorts. he usually chose to ignore the foreboding areas of the city like those, yet found himself unable to pass by quietly at the small view of a shot of red and white. his figure stiffened, brows knitting together as he inwardly chanted all the reasons to just leave it be.

but he was better than that.

the blonde sighed dramatically and clutched the strap of his bag tighter, pulling his hood further over his face and dismally stepping into the narrow space. the rain's loud clattering suddenly eased and calmed once he sandwiched between two structures, their gutters providing resistance from getting drenched and their cement surfaces deflecting the sounds.

"here we go," the tall male murmured with only a hint of distress, for once he closed in on the red and white tail hidden behind the stack of cargo boxes — possibly wine crates — he found a small fox curled up tightly in defence. oh god, what am i supposed to do? he grimaced, crouching down and scratching the back of his neck. "hey," his hoarse voice gushed amidst the chaotic splatters of cars kicking up puddles nearby.

there wasn't a response, or so to speak. more-so, the animal softly raised his head from a rested position and glanced up at him with the most delightful mocha irises — curious and bold. his little snout sniffed around once or twice before it decided johnny wasn't a particular threat and went back to sleeping.

"hey, hey, hey," the older proceeded to tap its head, "you can't just ignore me. what the heck are you sleeping out here for? go back to the suburbs or something, dumbass." he wasn't entirely sure how to deal with wild animals like foxes, and this one didn't even seem injured, just situated where it shouldn't have been.

before he had time to concoct a plan of action, the red-furred creature shifted uncomfortably to rest in a sitting position, shaking off its drenched form and blinking without much enthusiasm. then, after looking left and right as though it knew human behaviour, it started to change.

johnny's breath hitched once the animal enlarged and lost an awful lot of its dog-like features, trading them for more humanoid ones. the adult fell back onto the ground and stared intensely, beyond intrigued now that the shape-shifting had completed. "fuck..."

"i'm assuming you didn't intend on helping me, but a fox, right?" the brunette yawned exhaustedly. he was naked and a bit shabby, like he'd been left out here for days. his hair was a mess, his eyes still sparkling and in general...quite beautiful. "run along, man. i'm fine."

"what the fuck is a hybrid like you doing in an alleyway? aren't you lot like...rich, glorified pets? where's your master?"

"ew, go away," the brunette scrunched his nose up in disgust. "i don't need that kinda attitude."

he's snarky, the blonde thought, mentally debating whether he should've continued this endeavour or not. in the end, he was too much of a good person to leave the guy like this. he clearly wasn't as fine as he claimed to be if he was in this state. "alright, sorry. not a pet, then."

"nope."

a short breath of silence passed, and it was then made evident that neither were particularly 'talkers' in stranger situations...so johnny took it upon himself. "um...would you claw my eyes out if i attempted to take you home?"

"might do," the smaller chuckled gravely. "depends on what your intentions are. i don't need your help, and i'd rather stay somewhere no one can find me. so maybe just turn a blind eye, yeah?"

"what's your name? mine's johnny."

"jaemin."

"cool, we have the introductions done," the older sighed before getting up and brushing down his jeans. "c'mon, at least for one night, okay? i won't sleep otherwise."

"dodgy," the younger puffed his cheeks out and shot him an incredulous glare. "you could be a rapist."

"you have permission to kick me in the balls if i rub you the wrong way," the blonde scoffed before extending his hand to help him up. "deal?"

"ugh," jaemin rolled his eyes, though smirked nonetheless and nodded. "deal." then, shifting back into a fox due to nudity, he hopped up into the older's arms and allowed him to carry him home.

and that was how they ended up with this life. the 'one night' johnny had convinced the hybrid to stay turned into a week, and then a month, and eventually a permanent arrangement. the younger had no problems making himself busy at the apartment while the older went to school, and likewise, the taller gave him space when he wanted to be on his own or got into one of those pensive moods.

as discovered, jaemin was a bit of a runaway, and this was officially his safe haven.

"eat," the human male insisted as he pushed food in the other's direction across the table. "you're skinny."

"not hungry," the brunette shoved it back, knees up to his chest as he sat on his chair and lips pursed to make a stand. his appearance was much better now — hair trimmed to be fluffy and a little long, but not tatty, skin clear and a pale, eyes less dark since he was able to sleep, and clothes more classy than plain. "you eat it."

"i cooked it for you, stupid boy! just shove it in your mouth and swallow!"

"no!"

and so the chronicles of their ridiculous relationship as friends grew and developed, only evolving into more and more with each passing day. johnny would occasionally have visitors around, and they wondered why he was suddenly living with a boy. their rehearsed answer was always the same; 'we're partners in crime'. essentially best friends...

yet those cute words weren't really cutting it anymore, and emotions were such strong things to harbour.

"you know, i had this dream last night," the younger murmured softly as he stood before the apartment's large window that allowed an overview of the city below. he was shifting his weight from one leg to the other, the pads of his bare feet sticking to the tiles as he absentmindedly ate from a bucket of ice cream with a fork.

johnny, who was perched on the sofa a few metres behind him whilst flicking through a magazine hummed in response. "and what was it about?"

"my last home. you know," he swished his fox tail agitatedly as he explained it, "the nasty one with all those snobs."

"mhm," the blonde yawned before tossing the compiled sheets of paper onto the glass coffee table. "nana, you haven't been there in like...eight months?"

"still. one of your friends that came over the other day smelt like one of the guys i used to know, and it sent literal chills down my spine."

"i sometimes forget how your nose works," the taller chuckled softly before snapping his fingers to gain the other's attention. jaemin briefly looked over his shoulder to view him, smiling the most ethereal grin johnny had ever seen. "come and sit with me."

he pranced over elatedly before sliding onto the couch beside the older and nestling in against his side. then, diving the utensil that was a little unsuitable for the dessert choice into the bucked, he dug up a mound of vanilla ice-cream and held it up to the boy's lips. "have some."

"i bought it for you though."

"johnny, there's literally enough here to feed a small nation. i don't think sharing a few mouthfuls will leave me hungry."

"it's one of the only things i can get you to eat!" the blonde argued. "you're such a little minx." he then proceeded to start pinching the shorter's sides, eliciting melodic laughter from him which only came once every blue moon. jaemin was pretty hard to please and entertain, and it appeared only one man was capable of getting those happy sounds from him.

"w-wait," the younger wheezed, setting the snack down on the table first before hopping up onto the taller's lap and trying his very best to tickle him as well. johnny was a lot tougher though, and while jaemin dug his fingers into his sides and giggled hysterically as he had him flinching...the blonde merely chuckled fondly and watched his jovial expressions.

he had come to adore those expressions.

one afternoon in the depths of summer, long after the rainy season and the autumn blues, even after the spring that had followed a very severe winter, the hybrid found himself sitting alone on the kitchen table. he was in his animal form, naturally, as he was more comfortable this way when his housemate wasn't around to protect him.

his sienna eyes scanned the space around him listlessly as he waited patiently for johnny to come home. he was a bit lonely — a bit bored. sometimes he wondered what the older was even doing when he went out to grab groceries...if that was all he would do. the tall adult never brought girls or boys home, at least not since jaemin had moved in. the fox couldn't help but wonder if all those jokes the human's friends would make about him being an old player were true. possibly...would he have given it up? or changed routine to go to the partner's house instead of his own?

stop thinking about it, he inwardly grumbled. his tail would swipe across the smooth surface every time a thought triggered him, and then it would settle when he recalled what he was doing. the perky red ears he had twitched uncontrollably at all times, even in dead-silence. they couldn't help trying to detect what the world around him had in store, and it was a little exhausting to be so on-edge all the time.

a vision swarmed his mind's eye for a fleeting moment...yet enough for him to raise his snout in curiosity. what would johnny have said if he suggested bringing their relationship one step farther? they were already at a point where two paths faced them — a dead-end, and another long, winding trail. one meant they would stay like this forever...and the other set out another course where they could do things that friends wouldn't do...but risked everything else falling apart.

don't be stupid, he grimaced, nuzzling into his own paws to banish the idea. but it kept tugging and pushing his brain, like an irritating child that wouldn't shut up unless it had its way. the creature was left scratching his ears frustratedly with his back paw to relieve an itch that had formed. i hate this. i shouldn't be feeling this way...

the click of the front door closing and the jingling of a familiar key-chain captured the hybrid's attention, and he immediately shifted out of the fox form and into the body of the gorgeous human he was. his bare feet padded against the clean floor as he waited behind the hallway wall for the man he always wanted to see. always wanted to be around. "hey."

"oh, hi nana," the taller beamed, dropping two bags of shopping to wander over and ruffle the naked boy's hair. "done sunbathing?"

"psh, you make it sound like i have a life."

"and it ain't me who locks you up in here, lovely, it's yourself. go out and get some air."

jaemin tentatively bit his lower lip after rejecting the suggestion. his mind wasn't set on the idea of leaving for long, since it lingered on the pet name johnny had adopted over their time together. he liked it a lot, but couldn't help but want to hear it in another context. "so..." he mumbled quietly before following the older into the kitchen and sitting on the countertop as he packed the fridge. "do you go and hang out with girls often?"

"hm? where's that coming from?"

"just a thought," the brunette insisted a little defensively. "answer please."

"sassy brat," the blonde scoffed, though replied all the same with honesty as he loaded some ingredients for bubble tea into the cold container. "not really. sometimes though, if my college class or friends go out for drinks and stuff."

"but not like...like for other things?"

"other things being....?"

"fuck, don't make me spell it out," jaemin hissed, "for adult things!"

"god, where did my fox go and who replaced it with this shy prude? nana," johnny rolled his eyes, "i don't do one-nighters, okay? is that what you needed to hear?"

"ugh, whatever," the boy folded his arms defiantly and looked away to stare at the living area near the kitchen. he was bitter because of his own attitude this time, and he had no one to blame but himself. if he wasn't always such a pain in the ass and stirring arguments like he tended to...maybe the college student packing groceries away right now wouldn't be so eager to fight with him. it was just normal at this point for the pair to bicker...but now the younger wanted to take something seriously yet was too shy to set the record straight.

"hey, you're getting all depressed on me," the korean-american suddenly went all soft once he took notice of the prominent pout on his friend's face. "jaem, what's wrong?"

"nothing's wrong..." the brunette sighed. "i just..." damn it, what the hell am i trying to say?

"don't worry," johnny cupped the boy's cheeks and brought his face around to at him. with the hybrid sitting on the countertop, he was now only a centimetre or two above the human. jaemin thought that this was finally going to be it. that they were going to have this precious moment that led to all the things he wanted. "i did buy ice-cream."

"god," he smacked the older's hands away, "shut up about the ice-cream!"

"what the fuck? you nearly ripped my head off last week when i forgot it!"

"well i don't care right now! you're so oblivious!"

"what?! oblivious? me? child, you are sitting naked on a kitchen peninsula in the middle of the day with open windows everywhere. what does that say about you-" he wasn't able to finish, however, as a warm and needy pair of lips crashed against his and silenced his rant.

the older's breath hitched, eyes widening exponentially as two clammy hands came up to lace around his shoulders...tightening until jaemin wrapped his arms around his neck. johnny soon overcame the initial shock and brought his own fingers up to cup the boy's cheeks again. they were so soft and warm, just like his mouth. the sun sprinkling in from the windows showered them in heat.

slowly taking this a bit further, the taller grazed his tongue along the shorter's lower lip and managed to tease a small moan from him that way. jaemin didn't hesitate for even a second before parting to allow the other's wet muscle to invade his cavern.

he loved it. the sensation of the blonde's palms gliding down along his bare skin to rest on his hips, squeezing lightly as if to assure himself that the hybrid was real, and that he was really kissing him right now. their tongues clashed in a battle for dominance, though the brunette was certain he'd give in eventually since his housemate was a total control freak when the occasion needed it. his voice wasn't even his own as he whined into the action and gasped as the older moved away from his lips to trail kisses along his jaw — reaching for that point at his collarbone that had him mewling weakly.

"nana, is this what you were upset about?" johnny enquired, "and why you were asking about girls all of a sudden? were you....jealous?"

"no!" the smaller hissed immediately, then started to recline from that fervour once he realised he was turning on his defence mechanism again. "maybe..."

"lovely, you should've said something. i've always put everything on hold for you, you know? you're basically my life now, and i've been patient."

"w-well you could've said something as well. how was i to know you felt the same?"

the taller laughed with relief before resting his forehead against the hybrid's chest. he could hear the male's heartbeat, and it was literal music to his ears. "god, you're so fucking cute. so salty yet so adorable."

i'm not blushing, the younger tried to convince himself while slapping his cheeks to prove it. perhaps that was a crap idea though, as it made them even more scarlet than before. but, as he took them down from his face to admire the head of blonde hair against his chest, he smiled fondly and laced his fingers through the locks. "i...i love you."

johnny glanced up as well and planted a short hiss to his pale skin before agreeing all too fondly. "i love you too, baby."

word count: [3072]

hope you liked this one guys. my friend and i love that episode of awsaz with jaemin and johnny, so this was inspired from their dynamic. i liked writing fluff for once as well, without accidentally slipping into angst ;3

thanks for reading~
-lily