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"Hey, Jeongin." Seungmin greets the fox hybrid who always sits next to him in his gen-ed 8am lecture. Seungmin isn't a hybrid, nor was he raised around them, so he makes an effort. After all, he does want to make a friend in general. It'll be a long college run if he doesn't make any.
Jeongin just blinks back, his ears twitching ever so slightly. He crinkles his nose, just for a second, but Seungmin sees it. It's something new. Progress at least. He'll accept it.
Seungmin sets down his bag and pulls out his notebook and pencil. A habit of his really. He's not been one for taking notes on his laptop, or an iPad like Jeongin does. Alas, the class starts and he files away the nose twitch as a small victory.
*
The next time he makes another little victory is actually in the green space between the buildings, deemed "The Quad" on campus. He's a little too focused on the tufted titmouse that's hopping from branch to branch nearby to realise that he's about 5 seconds away from running into someone. A certain fennec fox someone.
"Oh, fuck." Seungmin yelps as he stumbles into the other. It's just his luck that he falls backwards and in his attempt to not fall on his ass, he grabs the other and takes them down with him.
His eyes widen as he finds himself flat on his back with Jeongin straddling over him, his hand having moved with unnatural speed to cradle the back of Seungmin's head before he hit the ground.
"Oh my god. Fuck." Seungmin groans out once the threat of cracking his head open is gone and the ache from hitting the ground sets in.
Jeongin just stares down at him, blinking slowly. His ears are twitching like crazy. It takes the other a few moments to gather his bearings and sit up right, still straddling the other. Once that position fully registers he makes a strange little chattering sound before hopping off and basically scurrying out of the green space before Seungmin can even apologise. His tail practically lashing behind him.
Seungmin isn't sure if it's a victory or a horrible step backwards.
*
When his next 8am class arrives he tries to get there early, hoping not to make a fool of himself, but it turns out Jeongin must have arrived right when the doors were unlocked. Seungmin awkwardly sits next to him.
"Sorry about yesterday." He starts, not having even greeted the other yet, "I didn't mean to knock you over. I was just distracted watching this bird. It was a pretty tufted titmouse, a common songbird around here, really, and I was trying to track it's…I'm rambling." He cuts himself off when all he gets are those little blinks back. He really wishes Jeongin would just say something, anything really. Curse him into next week even.
What surprises him, though, is when Jeongin pulls out a brand new pencil from his bag, not even sharpened, sets it on the table between them, and pushes it towards Seungmin.
It's Seungmin's turn to simply blink, not sure the point of this. He picks up the pencil and uses his pencil sharpener, which he always has at the ready next to his notebook, to sharpen it before pushing it back, which emits another win, or a loss, because Jeongin growls quietly at him and pushes it back.
When Seungmin takes the pencil back, the growls stop, and he decides that this is what Jeongin wants, somehow. It doesn't make any sense to him. Maybe this is the small victory.
*
The first time Jeongin speaks to Seungmin is in the library.
"Taken?" Is all he asks as he points at the chair at the same table as Seungmin. Seungmin startles out of his studying and has to register the question before shaking his head in answer and the other sits down, pulling out his classwork.
Seungmin scans the library. It's not full by any means. There are plenty of open tables and seats so that no one has to share tables. And yet? Jeongin is sitting at the table with him. Asked for it specifically. Huh.
That actually makes Seungmin pause as he realises that it's the first time Jeongin has spoken real verbal words to him, well one word, but still. He honestly assumed the guy was mute or something. Nothing wrong with it, just what else would he have expected?
They work in quiet tandem until a caramel candy is being slid over the table to him. Seungmin takes it quietly, not really giving it much thought, lest he cause the other to growl again. He unwraps it and pops it in his mouth.
This causes a low rumbling noise from across the table. Seungmin jerks his head up but Jeongin is fully engrossed in his laptop regardless of the sound emitting from him.
Interesting.
*
This seems to unlock a new side of the fox hybrid because every class period Seungmin is being given some little trinket.
An eraser here. A candy there. A handful of buttons. A nickle—not even their currency. A bottle cap. Even a broken piece of glass.
Seungmin has started keeping all the random items that he can't use or eat in a little jar. A jar which he carries in his bag everywhere because he has no idea when he will run into the other. He started this after being handed string in the hallway of one of the buildings and had no idea what to do with it. Jeongin was gone before he could even register who gave it to him.
It evolves beyond gifts in class after the string incident. Jeongin brings him candy in the library. A torn piece of paper is shoved into his hand in passing—there was no note, literally a blank piece of paper. The jar fills up quickly.
The day Jeongin sees the jar though? That is the tipping point for them.
Seungmin is out in the quad. Jeongin has found him staring at birds, yet again. The hybrid procures a paperclip for the other.
"Oh!" Seungmin takes it happily, he is starting to like his little collection. "Let me just…" He pulls the jar out of what should be a water bottle pocket. The second Jeongin sees the jar Seungmin finds himself flat on his back with an armful of fennec fox hybrid.
The hybrid is purring loudly—Seungmin looked up all the noises they can make after the rumbling in the library—and is sniffing Seungmin's neck quite aggressively.
The second word he's ever gotten out of Jeongin happens now, "Mate? Mate? Mate?"
Seungmin has to blink back confusion, no idea what is actually happening right now. Jeongin doesn't seem to mind his silence and stays on top of him, still sniffing his neck. Seungmin has no idea why his neck would be all that interesting. And what does that jar have to do with a mate?
"Jeongin," He shoves at the other's head until he unlatches from his neck. Jeongin rolls over, laying in the grass next to him, still purring. "What do you mean 'mate'?" He asks, turning his head to face the other.
Jeongin gestures between then and more firmly says, "Mate." Before taking a hold of Seungmin's hand.
Seungmin looks down at their clasped hands. "Huh. Like boyfriends? Do you want to be boyfriends?" He asks, because that sounds the logical assumption. Maybe hybrids have some funny vernacular that he's unaware of.
Jeongin lets out a slew of chattering before seeming to settle into his purring again. So, Seungmin takes that as a yes. Guess he's got himself a hybrid boyfriend now. Definitely going in the books as a victory.
*
Having a hybrid boyfriend doesn't mean too many differences from having a hybrid acquaintance. Jeongin still gives him little trinkets, but now leans heavily into the food category. Seungmin usually finds bagels or donuts or even a packet of uncooked oatmeal on his side of their table in the mornings before class. He usually eats them then and there which garners that lovely purring from his hybrid boyfriend—he still can't get over the fact that he has a boyfriend. The oatmeal, though, he saved for later.
The one really big difference is Jeongin's tail. Seungmin hadn't really paid much mind to his tail before. He always had it tucked politely out of the way, but now? It's always laying on Seungmin's lap as soon as he gets settled into his seat. Seungmin likes it. He'll absentmindedly run his fingers through it during class. When they walk together, Jeongin always has it wrapped around Seungmin's waist. It's so cute, in Seungmin's opinion. It also keeps Jeongin's hands free so they can hold hands. Seungmin is probably a sight having a fox tail wrapped around him while swinging their clasped hands in between them.
Jeongin still doesn't talk much, not that Seungmin minds. He will happily fill up their time together yapping and Jeongin is such an avid listener. He did get Jeongin to give him his phone number at one point. He's just as few of words written as he is spoken. But if Seungmin sends him a location and time, he always shows up.
When winter break arrives and they finish up the finals for their class—both passing with high marks—Seungmin brings him home to meet his family. His family has some choice opinions about his boyfriend, both that he's a he and also a hybrid. That's okay. Jeongin takes him to visit his family the next day and they spend all break there.
Seungmin learns that it's just Jeongin in his family full of fennec fox hybrids that doesn't speak much. His younger brother talked Seungmin's ear off all break but he loved it. His mother spent over 3 hours going through photos of Jeongin growing up and telling him stories. Jeongin would steal him away every night for at least an hour of cuddle time before they went to separate beds. (Seungmin was in Jeongin's room while Jeongin willingly slept on the couch)
Another thing about his boyfriend, his skin is cool to the touch. Seungmin looked it up later and learned that the large ears of a fennec fox help with body temperatures and keeps them cool, which makes sense. Jeongin also has very calloused feet—his whole family does. Apparently, it's supposed to help them walk easily in the dessert, but instead they just go barefoot outside nowadays. He also needs thicker sheets so they won't tear as easily from his heel rubbing it. The last thing Seungmin found cool was how Jeongin didn't need to drink nearly as much water. Something about their kidneys conserving water exceptionally well.
Break ends much too soon and then they're back in the throes of classwork. They make time together at least 3 times a week, Seungmin insists upon it and Jeongin doesn't complain.
Jeongin still brings trinkets, little gifts. He caught a bird once. Being handed a dead house finch was not in Seungmin's plans that Wednesday, nor was he pleased with it. He sat down and explained to Jeongin what types of gifts he was okay receiving and then they had a small funeral in the quad under a tree for the bird.
*
Summer is quickly approaching and Seungmin has invited Jeongin back to his dorm. They've been here before but this is the first time his roommate is out all weekend. So, Seungmin sits himself pretty in his boyfriend's lap and they kiss, like a lot.
Seungmin moves his way down Jeongin's jaw until he's sucking at the pulse point, which causes Jeongin's tail to wrap tightly around him and his nails to dig into Seungmin's waist a bit beyond comfortable.
"Kits?" Jeongin's hoarse voice is right in Seungmin's ear.
Seungmin pulls back with a "pop" and looks at his boyfriend, who's eyes are pitch black. "Huh?"
One of Jeongin's hands runs along Seungmin's stomach, "Kits?" He repeats himself, pushing slightly on Seungmin's stomach as if to articulate himself more.
Seungmin furrows his brow, "Kits?"
"Kits. Kits. Kits!" The words rush out in excitement from Jeongin and he's nosing at Seungmin's pulse point.
Seungmin thinks he knows what the other is saying. Baby foxes are called kits after all.
"Innie, baby. I can't have kits. That's not part of my anatomy." He coos at the other, "But I'm not against you trying." He adds on with a smirk.
And try Jeongin did. A lot.
Seungmin, after sleeping in well past midday, spends the rest of the day researching what exactly an alpha hybrid is because he wasn't prepared for Jeongin to physically not be able to pull out for over half an hour. He also learned what an omega is and why Jeongin might've thought he could have kits.
Anyways. Seungmin is smitten with his hybrid boyfriend, his weird little gifts, and lack of speech. When they both graduate in 3 years, they graduate with honours and almost perfect grades. Seungmin might have spent one finals week more on his boyfriend's knot then he did in the library—it was good for stress.
Eventually they do mate, or sort of. They have a proper wedding and they get matching tattoos of each other's bite marks on their shoulders since humans can't mate hybrids and a hybrid mark wouldn't stay like it should on a human.
And one day they do adopt some kits. And a sweet puppy hybrid as well.