Junhui couldn't sleep. All he could think about as he tossed and turned inside his humble little house was the ethereal creature that had captured his attention. He couldn't stop wondering how soft his ears were, how his face would look with a smile on it instead of raw fear, how his voice would sound with laughter coaxed gently from his throat.

How could he lay in his warm, albeit old and kind of small, bed knowing the fox was cold and damp sleeping in newspapers.

Newspapers.

It disgusted him. The newspapers, the dog food, the dirty worn out smock. It was so dehumanising. He'd tried to mask the repulse on his face as he watched the poor starving creature slaver over the chicken but he couldn't help it. The pet store made him feel sick.

"You'll get us in trouble," Minghao hissed at him when he realised his employee had fed the hybrid his lunch. "No one here gives a shit about him," Junhui had replied. Minghao didn't like it any more than Junhui but he had a family corporation and reputation on the line. Junhui had nothing to lose but his job.

In the end he got out of bed at 5am and began making a packed dinner. He searched his kitchen for things that would be super nutritious and small enough to poke through the vent. In the end he  roasted a chicken and shredded the meat from the thigh and, on a whim, he kept the bone. He mixed some peanut butter in a bowl with chopped walnuts and dried cranberries and rolled the mix into little balls. It was an odd lunch for a fox but he hoped it would be enough.

Junhui tried to fill his day with anything that involved avoiding thoughts of the fox. Eventually the time passed enough to shower and get ready. He ironed his coveralls neatly and made sure he was clean shaven and combed his hair up off his face in a neat style. He searched his bathroom cupboard for some old styling wax leftover from the last time he had a date and ran a little through his hair to keep it in place.

"Nice," he smiled and gave himself the thumbs up in the mirror before grabbing the lunchbox and waiting outside for Minghao.

When he climbed into the van Minghao began to laugh. "What the fuck?" He giggled uncontrollably as he eyed Junhui's hair and the lunchbox he was clutching. "Are you..." he couldn't even get the words out. "Are you courting the fox?" It was a while before he recovered enough to start driving as Junhui sat embarrassed in the passenger seat. "I'm just going to feed him again," he whispered and Minghao groaned. "What are you doing? Please don't fuck this job up for me," he turned the vehicle into the mall carpark and they disembarked with their supplies.

They worked in the roof for three hours until it was dinner time and the store was closed. As soon as he grabbed his lunchbox Junhui's eyes lit up and Minghao just shook his head. "Go on then," he said and folllowed Junhui out of curiosity. He hadn't wanted to see the object of Junhui's sudden affection but inquisitiveness had gotten the better of him. He gasped in shock as Junhui moved slowly towards the glass and the skinny creature crawled out of the newspaper pile.

"Oh God," Minghao whispered as he saw the state of the hybrid. He also saw what had Junhui so addicted. The creature, while dirty and thin and absolutely wild, was exquisitely and exotically beautiful. When he spoke the creature noticed him and quickly skidded back into the safety of his makeshift den making Junhui frown. Minghao silently walked out leaving them alone.

"He's gone," Junhui whispered as he saw glowing amber eyes blinking at him from inside the den. "Come out please. I brought more chicken."

Chicken...

The fox followed the scent back over to the vent where they had shared a meal the day before. His stomach growled audibly and, to Junhui's surprise, he made a soft yipping sound as he crouched low to the ground. "I, ah, made this just for you. Yesterday I brought chicken breast but I really think the leg is the tastiest part..."

The fox felt his mind swim with a thousand conflicting feelings. No one had ever spoken to him so gently, so kindly and so reverently, and no one had ever come back. He kept low and submissive, afraid to mess up, his throat yipping softly as he anticipated the delicious meal.

The man was right. The leg was the best part of the bird. This time there was no lemony taste, not too much salt, definitely flavours and spices he couldn't identify. He was further from starvation than he was yesterday so this time he was able to sit cross-legged in front of the vent and enjoy the meat slower. When he was done and he saw the man produce the bone he felt like a kit again. He spun around and onto his feet and whined in excited delight knowing he'd feel the embarrassment later. He didn't care. In that moment he was running on pure instinct.

Junhui poked the bone through the hole. "Save it," he said but the fox didn't listen. He shoved the thigh bone between his lips and sucked it like a child sucked a sweet lollipop with the same enthusiasm. Eyes closed, saliva running down his chin, happy little yips and whines escaping the fox's throat. Junhui suddenly felt hot as he realised why so many likes to have the hybrids around. The fox was attractive and sensual in the most raw and wild way Junhui had ever seen. He couldn't ever remember feeling as attracted to someone as he did watching the fox suck on the chicken bone.

He shifted uncomfortably at the sudden and swollen heat in his pants and forced himself to look away. When he heard a crunching noise he looked back to see the fox chomping down on the bone shattering it into splinters with his strong jaw. Junhui shuddered. A minute ago he'd been so heated by the fox slavering the bone and now all he could think of was how easily he could shatter his fingers.

The fox was in heaven with the sharp shards of bone crunching in his mouth. It was a tactile sensation that took him back to a time before he was stolen from his life. When he belonged to himself and a pile of snuffly noses and brush tails and a mother who provided den and bird and warmth in the night. He eyed the man who seemed genuinely caring and kind. The fox had a keen nose for intention and he could smell the honesty on the man. He could smell his arousal and his virility but it was heavily tempered by kindness and empathy and innocence.

The man began to drop little balls of something the fox had never tried into the glass cage and he tried to listen as the man talked about 'peanut butter' and 'craisins' but he was too far gone in a haze of rich sweet bliss. "Save some for later," the man implored him, "in case I can't come back anymore."

This made the fox stop. He wanted the man to come back. He wanted the man to bring more of his delicious bird and his fatty sweet peanut butter and his rich masculine scent heavy with fertility and nurture. He'd never lost the ability to trust men. He'd never ever had a reason to start in the first place. But this one smelled of comfort and food and security. It was unsettling and made the fox cower a little as he dealt with his instincts.

"I'll come again tomorrow," the man said as he brushed his hair back from his perfectly crafted face. His eyes sparkled with soft delight when he saw the fox gather the remaining peanut butter balls and secret them away in his den. He watched the man from inside his shelter as he packed up the remains of the food and he was just about to leave when the fox came out again.

"Do you need something else?" He asked as the fox looked at him quizzically for a moment before beckoning him closer to the vent. "Can I scent you?" the fox asked and Junhui took a moment to realise what he was asking for. He moved closer to the ground and held his hand out towards the vent and watched the fox press his nose against it and inhale deeply. He sniffed a few times and inhaled again and his face softened a little from the hard scowl he always seemed to wear.

The hot breath on his hand made Junhui feel strange again and his voice broke a little as he stuttered out the words. "C-can I know your name little fox?" He asked and the fox thought for a minute. "No one's ever kept me long enough to name me," he said as his dark eyes blazed with the remnants of his past trials.

"Who were you before you were caged?" Junhui asked and this made the fox scowl again. Who was he? Before he was caged, captured, he was cool breezes in rumpled hair and midnight runs along the banks of a river. He was midday naps in a sunflower field and warm nights in a pile of siblings. He was sky and sun, earth and rain, he was wind and fire and freedom.

"They used to call me Wonwoo," he whispered as he moved towards the vent again and Junhui held out his hand. He let the fox sniff him again before he had to go. "I'll come again tomorrow," he said as he gathered up the food mess. "Wonwoo is a beautiful name."