Wonwoo enjoyed the days alone at first. He filled them with solitude in the garden, relearning what it felt like to sleep in the sun, to scent his territory, to chase bird and rodent and even a few errant bugs. His favourite thing to do was to hide in the flowerbed and dig his fingers into the damp rich earth until the soil and pollen made him sneeze. He didn't even know what he was hiding from but hiding was fun. It just felt good. He hid in the flowers, he hid in the tree, he hid under the rainwater tank and behind the fence and inside his den and behind the couch. Wonwoo loved to hide and there were so many wonderful hiding places here in his new home.

He discovered the television when it rained one afternoon. Junhui had told him he could touch whatever he wanted but he was still nervous. He had turned over book after book in his fingers, being careful to put them back exactly where he found them, but if they didn't have pictures then they were no good to him. The fox couldn't read. But in a fit of boredom, trapped inside the warmth of the house by a greying sky, he pressed the big red button that Junhui had showed him on the remote control and spent the whole day on the couch watching nature documentaries.

After almost a week of being alone during the day he realised he missed Junhui. That he began to crave for his company, to hunger for his voice as he called out a greeting, to covet the moment when the man would come home to share food with him and then fill the bath full of warm water. He had no sense of time or how to read a clock but he could read the sun and he knew when it dipped below a certain point he could get excited that Junhui was almost home.

He didn't know what 'work' meant or where Junhui went all day. It had a vague connection in his mind with his mother leaving and coming back with food for him and his siblings. Junhui came back every day with food but smelling like that other man that the fox didn't like. He was suspicious of the man called Minghao. There was too much of his smell around Junhui all the time and he had a laughing, mocking undertone in his voice which made the fox nervous.

It was 'Friday' today which, according to Junhui's constant chatter, was the best night of the week. There would be no 'work' tomorrow and they would have two whole days to themselves to lay in the sun and enjoy the quiet. It sounded like heaven. Wonwoo ran to the back door and checked the sky, excitement building in his stomach, his chest fluttering with anticipation. The sun had dropped just enough for it to be time.

He circled near the front door a few times and a whine of joy slipped free from his throat as he heard the now-familiar sound of the work van pull up in the driveway. He could sense the footsteps of Junhui in his heavy work boots coming towards the front door and suddenly it was open. He was here. His scent filled the entrance and the fox whined again and leaped towards the man in excitement, nosing at his neck, biting gently at his chin and jaw. "Hey," the man admonished him gently, his voice chiding but soft, as he pushed the fox down a little. And then he saw him.

Him...

The other man, the one who lingered his scent all over Junhui, the one who took him away every day to this 'work'. The one who frightened Wonwoo for reasons he didn't even fully understand yet.

The fox barked sharply and vanished into his den. He scratched around inside the den, tossing his pillow and blanket to the side before burying himself underneath them. He blinked through a gap in the pile when he saw the door of the tent pull back and Junhui's face appeared with a frown.

Junhui had a feeling this was going to happen but he wanted them to know each other. Minghao was his best friend and he wanted to prove to him how absolutely lovely the fox was now he was clean and fed and comfortable.

"Come out," he said softly as he held out his hand. "Minghao won't hurt you. I promise." He let the fox crawl towards him and nose at the skin of his hand, nuzzling gently at his fingers, the exchange of hot breath and warm scent making Junhui feel strange. "I asked him here to have dinner with us," he said gently and calmly, "so you can see that he's nice."

"You can trust me."

Trust...

Wonwoo did trust Junhui. Despite the past traumas he'd been subject to he had already developed a fragile trust for the man who smelled of comfort and kindness. If Junhui said it was okay then it must be okay.

He moved slowly to the front of the tent and then came out. He was dressed in a pair of Junhui's tracksuit pants, black with a hole cut into the back, and a black tshirt which hung too loose around his neck. His tail swung free, fluffy and shiny from all the bathing, and his ears were flattened against his hair in submission.

"I'm scared," he whispered to Junhui. The man didn't dismiss his fear. He knew that to him Minghao was a friend but to the fox he was a stranger intruding on his territory. "It will be fine," he said and held his hand out again. This time the fox didn't nose at it. He clutched it tightly with his own as they walked back out into the living area.

"This is Minghao," Junhui said gently as the fox hid behind his back. "He won't hurt you. And look, I've brought something special, a real treat!" Junhui proudly held up the tray with three big T-bone steaks and Wonwoo's eyes flashed with excitement.

Minghao sat back on the dining chair and watched on. The dynamic was odd and he felt uneasy as he observed them together. They had been together for a week and they already operated in a strange kind of symbiosis, a dance of expressions and gestures, a series of non verbal cues. Minghao was not just an observer he was an intruder in their silent relationship.

Every step Junhui took was shadowed by the fox. As he moved around the kitchen and the house Wonwoo stalked him, followed him, whining every now and then for attention which the man willingly gave. And when the steaks were fried to perfection, medium rare and tender, and put onto plates the fox was almost hysterical. He whined and cowered, he licked and bit at Junhui's chin and jaw, he nosed excitedly at Junhui's neck and cling to his clothes as the man tried to carry the plates. Junhui giggled and his eyes sparkled as the fox lavished attention on him and Minghao had to look away. It felt too intimate. Like he was intruding on a private moment.

To Minghao's curiosity Junhui carried the plates into the living room. "Steaks on the couch?" he asked quietly but Junhui looked over at the fox settling himself on the floor and smiled. "Yeah he won't sit at the table. He's too scared." It seemed like enough explanation and Minghao accepted it. He picked up a knife and fork and pulled the coffee table closer so he could cut his steak. Junhui sat beside him and the fox whined in excitement at his plate on the floor before consuming the steak in about five seconds using just his hands.

He curled up on the rug with the bone and made happy noises in his throat as he enjoyed the meaty treat. Minghao and Junhui ate in silence as the fox sucked the meat from his bone and then gnawed away at it on the floor. He chewed and crunched and by the time the other two had finished the bone was nothing but a few shards on the floor that had escaped the fox's jaw. "Eat your vegetables," Junhui said and the fox smiled as he sniffed at the carrots and zucchini on the plate. He ate one slice of the carrot and one of the zucchini and promptly deposited himself on Junhui's feet. Junhui tried to ignore the clutch of the fox's meaty hands at his work clothes as Wonwoo mouthed at his chin and neck and whined until Junhui gave in and handed him the bone from his plate as well.

"He's.... a lot tamer than I expected..." Minghao said carefully as Junhui walked him to the door. The fox was still slavering happily over the second bone and Junhui had waved away Minghao's offer to help with the dishes. He knew his friend was itching for the excitement of the most popular nightclubs and he was itching to be alone with the fox. "He's really so gentle. He's still afraid of everything, he barely remembers his life before he was taken, he's hardly had time to grow up." Tears filled Junhui's eyes as he looked over at the fox. He was sprawled contentedly on his back, one hand clutching the bone planted firmly between his lips, the other scratching lazily at his belly exposed under the hem of his t-shirt.

"Just be careful," Minghao said and Junhui cut him off immediately. "I am being careful. I won't let anything happen to him or me. But I trust him."

As Minghao drove away his heart felt heavy. It wasn't a physical threat that made him concerned for his best friend. The fox could hurt him in so many other ways.