Remember, this chapter won't focus on Kris/Tao/Joonmyun/Sehun. Also I once again direct you to this video if you want to know what a fox sounds like

Chapter 5

It’s a quarter moon day, which means Jongin and Jongdae are stuck in their fox forms all day. It also means that they don’t eat. The two of them are huddled together in their little hollow. It’s a chilly morning and dew clings to everything, making it seem colder than it really is. Jongdae shivers and Jongin nuzzles his neck, hoping that it warms up soon. It was a rough winter, Jongdae lost a lot of weight and got really sick, Jongin thinks he’s still a little ill. Jongin wishes that they could get better jobs, or at least get a decent salary, but they don’t have papers or a good education, so they’re kind of screwed. Unless they go back to the halfway house, which is never going to happen.

Jongin is drifting off to sleep gain when he hears the birds chattering even louder. He picks his head up, ready to snap at them, when he smells a human. A human with food.

Jongin is on his feet in an instant, tugging at Jongdae’s scruff. Jongdae whines and burrows his nose into his tail, mewing quietly. Jongin whines and paws at his head, but he doesn’t move. Jongin peeks out and sees an absolutely adorable man with a bag full of bread crumbs. He looks so happy, cooing over the birds as they chirp up at him for more food. Jongin’s stomach growls and he glances at Jongdae. Jongdae is too proud to beg, but Jongin isn’t and he scampers out of the hollow.

Most people aren’t used to being approached by a fox, so Jongin goes slowly, keeping his body low to the ground so he doesn’t look too threatening. As he gets closer some of the birds fly away, and the man looks up. His eyes widen and his jaw drops.

Jongin steps back and mews, high pitched, and wags his tail a little. He hopes he looks like a dog, he even lets his tongue loll out, but only for a second because then he starts drooling. He creeps closer and meows again, sniffing at the air.

The man crouches down and the last few birds fly away.

“Hi little guy,” the man coos. “I’ve never seen you before.”

Jongin is still a few yards away and he creeps closer, standing up slightly.

The man gasps. “Oh no, you’re skin and bones!”

Jongin mews again and gives his best pitiful look.

“I’m not supposed to feed wild foxes…” The man says, looking sorry.

Jongin shakes his head and trills, standing up on his hind legs for a second before dropping back down.

The man looks even more shocked. “Can you understand me?”

Jongin wags his tail again.

The man is quiet for a few seconds, clutching his bag of bread crumbs with white knuckles. “I…I’m going to go get you something to eat,” he says. “I’ll be right back.”

Jongin’s heart leaps. As soon as the man walks away he bounds back to the hollow and pounces on Jongdae, seizing him by the scruff and dragging him, flailing and growling, out of the hollow. Once he gets Jongdae out, Jongin sits on him so he doesn’t go anywhere.

‘Be quiet you proud fool,’ Jongin thinks as he bats at Jongdae’s head. ‘We’re going to get fed!’

Jongin smells the food before he smells the returning human. ‘Bless this man,’ Jongin thinks. ‘Bless him and his family.’

He’s brought meat, sausages from the cart in the parking lot.

The man looks surprised to see two foxes waiting for him.

“Good thing I brought extra,” he says with a smile.

Jongdae throws Jongin off and backs away, Jongin can smell the fear on him. The man falters.

“Your friend doesn’t like me,” he says.

Jongin prances over and mewls, staring up at the man without bothering to hide his hunger. The man places a plate with four freshly grilled sausages on the ground in front of Jongin.

“Share,” the man orders, but Jongin would never eat all this by himself anyway. He tries to pace himself, because he doesn’t want to throw up later, and by the time he’s finished the first one Jongdae creeps forward, sniffing the air curiously. Jongin moves over and noses two sausages closer to the edge of the plate. Jongdae finally starts to eat as Jongin is half way through with his second. When he looks up, the man is nowhere to be found.

Jongin is a little disappointed, he would have liked to say thank you. But maybe the man is a frequent visitor, maybe Jongin will see him around later.

On his days off, Kyungsoo likes nothing better than walking through the park and feeding the birds. There’s such simple joy in it, and he really likes birds. Sometimes when his friends are feeling brave they’ll say that Kyungsoo reminds them of an owl, or a penguin, and then Kyungsoo will put them in a headlock and they’ll shut up for a few seconds. He likes birds, that doesn’t mean he is one.

Today when Kyungsoo’s bag of bread crumbs is empty, he sits down on a bench and “reads” the newspaper. He’s really just happily listening to the sounds of nature around him.

“Excuse me…”

Kyungsoo startles when he hears the voice. He looks up to see a boy standing in front of him.

The boy smiles. “Hi,” he says brightly.

Kyungsoo blinks. “Hello.” The boy looks like he’s high school age, and he’s very thin. His shirt is clean but worn and hangs off him like a tent.

“Do you remember me?” The boy asks.

Kyungsoo blinks again. “Should I?” He doesn’t think he’s ever met this person before.

The boy only smiles wider. “I guess not. I was a fox when you last saw me.”

Kyungsoo’s jaw almost drops but he quickly composes himself.

The boy’s smile fades a little. “It was about a month ago…I’m sure it was you…”

“You’re…the fox?” Kyungsoo asks. “The one with the friend who didn’t like me?”

The boy’s smile is back. “You do remember me!” He sits down on the bench next to Kyungsoo. “My name is Jongin, that other fox was my friend Jongdae. He’s very proud, doesn’t like to beg or pick through garbage. Me, I’m not that proud, not when I’m hungry. Anyway, I wanted to thank you for feeding us. You’re so kind, not many people would do that.”

One sentence stands out among the boy’s rapid speech. “Garbage?”

The boy—Jongin—looks stricken. “Oh. Oops.” He fiddles with the hem of his shirt. “Jongdae says this is why I shouldn’t talk to people, I say things without thinking. But you seem nice, you won’t tell on us, will you?”

Kyungsoo feels like he’s been dropped down a rabbit hole. “Are you homeless? But you’re a were-fox, why aren’t you in a halfway house?”

Jongin flinches and looks down. “We were,” he says quietly. “But they tried to separate us. They were gonna send Jongdae to China to get a job, and they wouldn’t let me go. We had to run away, or we probably would have never seen each other again.”

Kyungsoo gasps. “Oh. You’re in love.”

Jongin grins and nods. “Yes, we are. Jongdae—Oh by the way, it’s not that he doesn’t like you, he doesn’t like a lot of people. I mean, well, he doesn’t like pity. Like I said he’s very proud, he wants to be the one who rescues us, I think. He’s at work right now, he’s working late. He says he wants to buy a cake for my birthday.”

Kyungsoo feels like this boy is trying very hard not to betray how hungry the mere thought of cake makes him. “When is your birthday?”

“Two weeks,” Jongin says happily. “I’ll be eighteen.”

“You look much younger,” Kyungsoo says, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut. Eighteen is too young to be homeless.

“Do I?” Jongin asks, “I guess so, but I feel older. It’s strange.”

Kyungsoo nods. “It’s really not that strange. Jongin…do you need money?”

Jongin looks away. “Jongdae says I shouldn’t accept money from strangers,” he says quietly, looking guilty. “I’m sorry, I probably sound pathetic. I wasn’t trying to, I just wanted to thank you. Sometimes I talk without thinking.”

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo soothes. “I didn’t mean to pressure you. I just wanted to help.”

Jongin’s grin comes back. “You already have,” he says happily. “But it’s getting late and I don’t want to keep you, so I’ll say goodbye now. Maybe I’ll see you again!”

And before Kyungsoo can say anything, Jongin scampers off.

Kyungsoo is distracted at work for the rest of the week. He remembers meeting Jongin and Jongdae as foxes, even considered that they might be were-foxes, but when he didn’t see them again he figured they must have gone home. There wasn’t much he could do, he didn’t know how to find them nor did he even have any proof that they weren’t wild. But now Kyungsoo knows better and he’s kicking himself. Those boys were starved when Kyungsoo first saw them, now a month later it doesn’t look like they’re much better.

He drags a hand through his hair and sighs heavily. He’s at a loss for what to do, because now he has to do something. Kris has been pushing him to take in a were-person, he worries about Kyungsoo living on his own. Never mind that Kyungsoo is a grown 25 year old man, Kris thinks that he should have someone to come home to. He says Kyungsoo is too young to be married to his job. But Kyungsoo’s had to look after Tao and Joonmyun before, he’s not sure he wants the responsibility of two young boys who turn into foxes during the quarter moon. But Jongin said that the halfway house tried to separate him and Jongdae, so they’re not going back.

What to do, what to do?

Kyungsoo hasn’t known Minseok for very long, but Kyungsoo just moved into the building a few months ago, having finally saved up enough to afford the down payment. Minseok is his neighbor, and he has two foxes as well—Lu Han and Yixing. Normally Kyungsoo would go to Kris in this situation but he’s busy getting ready for Sehun’s arrival, so Kyungsoo doesn’t want to worry him. He’s sure Minseok’s advice will be just as good as Kris’.

Minseok is a few years older than Kyungsoo, already thirty, but he doesn’t look it at all. Especially not when he smiles.

“Kyungsoo, it’s so nice to see you!” Minseok greets when he opens the door. Kyungsoo called about an hour ago to ask if he could come over, and Minseok immediately said he needed to come for dinner. Kyungsoo can smell it cooking and hear Yixing and Lu Han bickering in the kitchen.

Kyungsoo holds up a bag. “I brought wine, I don’t know if it will be good for dinner though.”

“You’re so thoughtful,” Minseok says, taking the bag. He peeks at the brand. “This will be just fine, but you really didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” Kyungsoo says, “Plus I have some questions for you and…well I need some advice. This is an advanced thank-you present.”

“What about a present?” Lu Han asks, popping up from behind Minseok’s shoulder.

“My presence is your present,” Kyungsoo says. Lu Han sticks his tongue out at him.

“Dinner is almost ready,” Lu Han says, “Yixing’s just finishing up, come sit down—OH YOU BROUGHT ALCOHOL! Hang on I need to go get the good glasses…”

Kyungsoo looks over at Minseok, “Is he…okay to drink?”

Minseok nods. “Don’t mind him, he’ll be okay.”

Yixing and Lu Han are a bit older than Joonmyun, but Lu Han’s personality is even bigger than Tao’s. Yixing is fairly laid back but he’s got a sharp wit. They seem to have been destined to find Minseok—they bring out the best in his personality. Kyungsoo starts to feel like maybe having an arrangement like this isn’t such a bad idea. But he has to remind himself that these are his new friends and he hasn’t known them for very long. He doesn’t even know how long Minseok, Lu Han and Yixing have lived together, so he doesn’t really know what their relationship is like.

Once the dishes are cleared away the four of them move to the living room. Yixing and Lu Han cram into one arm chair and Kyungsoo and Minseok take the sofa.

“So,” Minseok says, “You had questions?”

Kyungsoo nods. “I ran into a were-fox couple last month, and I just recently learned that they’re homeless.”

Lu Han gasps and Yixing looks stricken.

“How old are they?” Minseok asks.

“The youngest is nearly eighteen, I’m not sure about the older one but maybe twenty? I don’t think they’re that far apart.”

“Poor things,” Lu Han sighs. “How did you meet them?”

“I was feeding the birds when the younger one approached me. I thought he was a wild fox at first…”

“Hang on, they weren’t human?”

“No, I just met the younger one as a human last week. The second one I’ve only met as a fox.”

“Are they really homeless?” Yixing asks.

“They’re stick thin,” Kyungsoo says, “And the younger one… he didn’t seem to want to come off as too needy. But I just can’t shake the image of him begging for stale bread crumbs…I bought them some sausages actually, and this last time I didn’t have time to even offer them any food. The younger one approached me, thanked me for helping them, and then left shortly after. We had a brief conversation and…he seems genuine, I don’t think he’s trying to trick me. He said they left a halfway house because the older one was being sent away, and they wanted to stay together.”

Minseok hums thoughtfully. “Well, it sounds to me like they really are homeless. I don’t think you’re being conned.”

Kyungsoo feels like the wind got knocked out of him. “Oh,” he says weakly.

Minseok looks at him curiously. “You must have known that, why is it such a shock?”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “I guess I was hoping that I was wrong, that they weren’t…” he sighs. “I don’t know what to do now. I mean, I have to do something for them.”

“You don’t have to,” Minseok says. “They chose this life, and they’re not asking for help.”

“Don’t I have a responsibility to help, now that I’m involved?” Kyungsoo counters. “At least one of them is underage, I have to do something.”

“Well,” Yixing pipes up, “What did you have in mind?”

Kyungsoo gulps. “Um, I was thinking maybe I should…sponsor them.”

Minseok frowns. “Kyungsoo, sponsoring is a big deal. It should be something you want to do, not something you do because you feel guilty for having a house and a steady income.”

Kyungsoo tries to hide a flinch. “I know. I’ve thought about sponsoring before and I never felt like the time was right but now…now I have an opportunity to make a difference. I feel like there was a reason I ran into them at the park. But I don’t even know how to go about it! They’re homeless, and they ran away from the halfway house. If I turned up with them, wanting to be a sponsor, wouldn’t they get in trouble?”

“Not necessarily,” Lu Han says, “If they’re over eighteen, you don’t need to go through the halfway house, because they’re of age, so they can make those decisions on their own. There’s also a no questions asked policy after that point. A lot of were-people run away from the halfway houses and turn up again on their eighteenth birthdays with sponsors. The problem is that by that point a lot of those people are their pimps.”

Kyungsoo gasps. “Oh, my god…”

Yixing sighs. “Yeah. It’s not fun out there.”

Kyungsoo feels even more horrible than he did before.

Minseok speaks up again, “Kyungsoo, if you want to help them out and offer to be their sponsor then by all means, do it. But make sure it’s something you can do first. You can’t back out of it once you’ve started.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo says quietly. “I wouldn’t back out.”

They change the subject and talk for a few more minutes but Kyungsoo’s heart isn’t in it, and it’s obvious enough that Minseok, Yixing, and Lu Han unanimously agree that Kyungsoo should go home and get some rest.

“I’m sorry to have been a bother,” Kyungsoo apologizes as Lu Han hands him his coat and a container of leftovers.

“What bother,” Lu Han scoffs. “If anything we’ve bothered you.” He smiles suddenly. “But I’m glad, because I think you’re going to end up sponsoring them and it’s a good idea. I don’t like to think of you living all by yourself in that apartment, a perpetual bachelor. You should have a family to come home to.”

“Lu Han, don’t be a busybody,” Minseok scolds. “I’m sure Kyungsoo gets that enough from his own mother.”

That does get Kyungsoo to laugh, and he thanks the three again for their time before leaving.

When he goes to bed that night, all he can do is wonder if Jongin and Jongdae are warm enough out in the park.

I think at this point, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are the only two I haven't mentioned yet. But their time will come, don't worry.

Guys I have over 100 subscribers and about 9 comments per chapter. I loathe having to do this but please, come on! Comment!!!