Contentment was a new feeling, but one you could get used to. 

Namjoon had been living with you for two months now, and it had been perfect. Sure, there had been awkward moments as the two of you got used to each other. You had to relearn what it was like to live with someone again after years of being alone, and with a guy at that. No amount of wet towels on the floor or broken dishes could dampen this bone-deep feeling of absolute contentment, however. The overwhelming loneliness that had been eating away at your soul for years was being healed as you lay wrapped in Namjoon’s arms every night, like you were at this very moment. 

You’ve basically moved into his bedroom now, since every night that first week he’d been unable to sleep otherwise, claiming the “itch” would keep him awake if you tried to sleep in your own room. He’d even started to move some of his plushies off the bed to make more room for you, although the Ryan with the hoodie that you’d bought him still stayed in its place of honor near his pillow. You didn’t mind it at all, even if it made your heart a bit confused to try to keep your growing feelings under control. It was a little hard to not allow yourself to think certain things about Namjoon when he was literally wrapped around your entire body so tightly that you could feel everything.

That everything being the inevitable morning wood that always slotted itself perfectly behind you. And of course, there was the nibbling. He’d started that up after the first month. A few nights a week you’d wake up to him kissing and nipping slightly on your neck while still fast asleep. You’d never mentioned either issue to him, not wanting to embarrass him or make him uncomfortable around you. 

You still hadn’t been brave enough to look up information about hybrid/human relationships. You knew they were possible considering that you were well aware of Soonyoung and Jihoon’s relationship, but you didn’t know how they actually worked. But the constant wondering and imagining of what things would be like with Namjoon had you wanting to at least look into it, even if you had no idea if he actually liked you in that way. 

You force your mind to quiet down as you try to open your eyes against the intrusive light, groaning silently at having to be awake. You were so comfortable wrapped up against Namjoon’s heated skin and you dreaded that you were going to have to crawl out of the warm bed into the winter tainted air of your house. Unfortunately, your bladder didn’t agree with your desire to stay so you tried to pry Namjoon’s fingers off your stomach, scootching forward a bit to try to slip out of his arms without waking him. Instead, his hands tightened their hold on you and he pulled you even closer to his chest. 

You snort and tap the fingers of the apparently awake hybrid. “Namjoon. Joonie, you gotta let me up.”

“Nope,” Namjoon’s sleep-roughened voice mumbled into your hair. 

“Jooooon. Up, sweetheart. I really have to go.” 

He answered by nestling in closer to your neck and pretending to snore. 

“You’re not asleep. Up before I pee the bed.” 

His sigh is loud and dramatic, and he is so lucky that he is cute because dragon morning breath was on another level. 

“Trust me, I don’t want to get up either. I know as soon as I do I’m going to turn into a popsicle. I’ve gotten entirely too comfortable with your furnace of a body and even a bit of cold is too much for me. You’re spoiling me.” 

Namjoon releases you easily and you glance over your shoulder to see him blushing with a cute little side smile. You grin back and throw the blankets off of you. 

“Holy crap,” you hiss, as your body is hit with a wave of cold air and the floor beneath your bare feet feels like walking on ice. 

You go to Namjoon’s side of the bed and ruffle your fingers through his silver hair gently, slowly untangling the comforter from his grabby fingers. 

“Sooner you get up, the sooner we can eat and head out. You promised the kids you’d read them Christmas stories. You don’t want to disappoint the poor young hybrid babies, do you? That could scar them for life.” 

“You’re playing dirty. Don’t bring the whelps into this.” 

You giggle as he throws back the blanket and sits up, pouting up at you sleepily. 

“I’ll do it for a hug.” 

You raise an eyebrow at the teasing tone of voice but try to hug him despite the awkward angle that you were in. He snorts and opens his legs wide, pulling you in and wrapping his arms around you. He nestles into your neck and sighs. It’s sweet and you adore how much he loves to hug, but it’s much too quiet. 

Suspiciously quiet. 

“Namjoon. Don’t you dare try to fall back to sleep like this.” 

The groan rumbling into your neck makes you laugh, the dragon knowing he’d been caught out. 

“To the shower with you. I’ll make you some breakfast.” 

He sighs and releases you, letting you go to your own room to shower while he did the same in his room. Afterward, you head to the kitchen to make some quick steak and cheese omelets to fill him up until the big dinner at the shelter later. 

Cooking for Namjoon had been a struggle in the beginning because you’d assumed for some reason that a Dragon hybrid would be easy to feed, and it had been the opposite. He was very polite about it and had eaten whatever you’d given him at first, but it had soon become obvious that he didn’t like a lot of stuff. He was incredibly picky and mostly enjoyed simple fare. He could quite happily survive on noodles and mountains of meat alone. Except bacon for some reason (who hates bacon?). Getting him to eat vegetables willingly was a struggle and you’d taken to processing everything into a pulp and hiding it in whatever you were making like he was a toddler. It worked, however. He rarely noticed. 

Once he joined you in the kitchen, the both of you sped through your meals and hurried out the door, in a rush to get to the shelter. 

You were amused and definitely not surprised by the sheer amount of decorating around the place today. Heechul had lights and banners everywhere, multiple trees of every size, and no less than thirty mistletoe hanging on the ceilings.

“Merry Christmas! What do you think?” Heechul asks as he walks up to the two of you with a smirk. 

“It’s nice. Very...um...red.” 

“It is, isn’t it?” He nods and proudly looks around like you’d just paid him the highest of compliments.  

“So, the kids room is all ready for you guys to hang out in. Everyone was really surprised to hear that you were going to be spending Christmas Eve with us.” 

You shrug. “It’s always just been me, and I didn’t do anything. Soonyoung tried to have me come here with him and Jihoon a few times before, but I never saw the point. I figured I’d go ahead and join this year since I have Namjoon.” 

A quiet whine comes from behind you and you turn to Namjoon in surprise. 

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” 

“That means I could have met you sooner!” He pouts, playfully glaring at you. 

“Aw, I’m sorry Joonie. I wish I had met you sooner too,” you croon and poke his cheek. 

Heechul snorts over his shoulder as he walks towards the hallway. “I knew the two of you would be disgustingly cute together.” 

Namjoon smiles and grabs your hand to follow behind as the other led you to the playroom. Once there, Heechul opens the door and the sounds of too many excited kids fill the air. There are hybrids of all kinds and ages in here today, both exotic and not since the shelter is closed to the public for the next couple of days. 

There were kitten hybrids napping in front of the windows, puppies playing tag, birds watching sing-a-long videos, and lots of others that you weren’t very sure about. All of the older hybrids were pitching in to help with the little ones. Everyone was in their Christmas themed clothing and looking adorable. It was easy to see that at least in this shelter no hybrid missed out on anything or wanted for much. Heechul took very good care of everyone, and you weren’t sure how he got the money to do so. You suspected there was something magical about him and you guessed that wasn’t too crazy to think about considering you lived with a dragon. 

Once the little hybrids noticed the company, the volume increased as several ran towards the door shrieking happily. 

“NAMJOON! You came! I was so sad that you weren’t going to be here this year but now you’re here so I’m not sad and you read the bestest and is that your owner she’s so prettyyy!” 

Namjoon chuckled and pet the head of the little puppy hybrid that had grabbed onto his leg. 

“Take a breath, buddy. Why don’t you introduce yourself?” 

The puppy suddenly stood up straight before doing a perfect bow. “Hello. I’m Felix, nice to meet you.” He looked up at Namjoon what he was done, smiling when he got a nod of approval. 

“You smell nice. Are you going to stay with us too?” 

You grin down at the cute hybrid. “Yup. Can’t turn down free food.” 

Felix gasps. “We have the BEST food. I’ll save you an egg tart because the Ox hybrid always eats them all.” 

“Thanks, Felix. That’s very kind of you.” 

He grins then runs back to his little group. Namjoon gives you a little encouraging smile before he takes your hand and walks you around, introducing you to everyone. It was nice to finally meet the people that Namjoon came in and worked with all the time. Including the famous Jackson, who got a growl of warning from Namjoon when he’d tried to lay the flirting on a little thick. 

Soonyoung and Jihoon eventually showed up, Jihoon rushing over to get his customary ear scratches from you before abandoning all of you to play with the kittens. Soonyoung was busy entertaining a rowdy group of pups, making up silly dances and play fighting.

There were still a few hours until the Christmas Eve dinner, so you pitched in and helped entertain the little ones too. You mostly just listened to them since they seemed so desperate for just a little special attention. You knew they were well taken care of, but that still wasn’t the same as being in an actual home where they weren’t just one of many. You wished you could take them all, but you’d settle for visiting more often. Maybe when Namjoon does his classes on the weekend you could start coming with him to hang out. 

After a while you found yourself sitting on a loveseat in a corner with a sleeping five year old boy snoring in your lap. You weren’t sure what kind of hybrid the little boy was, but he’d basically glued himself to you for most of the day. He hadn’t even left your side when Namjoon started reading Christmas stories to the kids. Instead, he’d spent his time telling you stories and dancing and asking you to sing for him. Eventually, he’d simply draped himself across your lap and laid his head on your shoulder, playing with your hair until he fell asleep. Your shirt was starting to feel a little damp meaning he was drooling all over you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to move. Namjoon had told you ages ago that hybrids didn’t fall asleep with someone they didn’t trust, no matter the breed. So the fact that the little boy was now drooling all over you fast asleep was sweet. You felt moving would probably mess up the trust and so you stayed. 

Heechul wandered over to you, grinning at the predicament you were in. 

“I see Mark’s taken a liking to you.” 

You pet the boy’s back and smile up at Heechul. “Yeah, seems so. He’s a sweetie. I have a feeling it’s going to be a trial to go home in a bit. I don’t think he’ll let me go very easily.” 

“Probably not. If you promise to come back to see him again soon it will probably make it easier.” 

You snort. “Smooth. No need to trick me into it. I’d already been thinking about coming in when Namjoon teaches his classes. I’ve been staying at home and missing him the whole weekend so why not come in with him and hang out with the kids?” 

“Very admirable. I’m sure they’d love it. They can never get enough attention.” 

You hum and sway lightly when it seemed like your conversation was waking Mark up a little bit. The hybrid stopped shuffling and went back to sleep, snoring into your neck. 

“You know, this explains the look Namjoon’s been sending over here too.” 

You raise an eyebrow at Heechul’s statement, having not noticed anything strange yourself. But when you glance over towards the other side of the room Namjoon is staring intensely at you, like he was in awe. 

“Probably has something to do with what kind of hybrid Mark is,” Heechul smirks when you look back at him. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Mark is a Komodo dragon hybrid, darling. You’re probably giving Namjoonie all sorts of ideas. You’re sitting here with the nearest thing to a dragon whelp we have, being all sweet and motherly.” Heechul wags his eyebrows as your blush grows. 

“We aren’t even together like that, I doubt it.” 

“Yet,” Heechul scoffs. “It’s only a matter of time. That boy is so madly in love with you I’m almost embarrassed for him.” 

You silently chew your lip, thinking. A quick look up at Namjoon showed his expression had morphed into a sort of soft fondness as he locked eyes with you.

Do you dare hope? 

“Anyway, I haven’t had much of a chance to talk with you one on one since the bonding period. So how are things going, really?” 

You smile happily, “Wonderfully. He’s incredible. He’s so sweet and thoughtful, smart, just all around amazing. Half the time I forget he hasn’t been with me my entire life. Seriously, we just...click.” 

“I knew you guys would. Namjoon’s report after the bonding period positively raved about you. It sounded like he was one step away from building a temple to worship at your feet.” 

“Shut up,” you groan as Heechul chuckles, elbowing you. 

“Seriously though, no issues? It’s best to get them out and work on them early so they don’t become big issues. That’s how so many hybrids get brought back to the shelter.”

“Oh, no. Nothing like that. I mean, there’s little things here and there, but it’s all part of getting to know each other and learning to live with someone new. Just things like he’s clumsy as hell and banned from the kitchen. Food issues sometimes. That’s about it.” 

Heechul nods. “Sounds about right. Hows the hoarding?”

You blush. “Um. Good? Uh...I think I’m part of it?” 

Heechul slowly grins, a sure sign that he’s loving your embarrassment.

“Oh? Do explain?”

“Well, he says he gets an itch when something is wrong with his hoard, right?” You glance at Heechul, who nods. “Uh...he gets the itch when I sleep in my own room? So I have to sleep with him. BUT, it's just sleeping! That’s all we do is sleep.” 

“You know, it’s okay if you wanted to do more than sleep right? I’m not going to force the idea on you or make you feel bad if you don’t return his feelings, but it sounds like he wouldn’t be averse to that. Hybrids and humans have relationships all the time. There is nothing wrong with it, and you know Namjoon well enough to know that he’s intelligent and capable of making his own decisions. Dragon hoards are composed of the things most precious to them. That you’re now apparently considered part of his hoard means you are the most precious thing to him. Keep that in mind and maybe take some time to consider how you want your relationship to go. If you don’t ever want things to go further than Hybrid and owner, it would probably be a good idea to let him know now before he gets too invested.” 

You nod and Heechul pats your shoulder as he gets up from the loveseat. 

“Sounds dramatic, but just be careful. I’m pretty sure that boy would worship the ground you walk all no matter what you decide though.” 

One of the shelter workers came in and announced dinner, so you pushed the issue to the back of your mind. Instead, you gently woke Mark up and let him lead you to the dining room. He had to go sit with the other children, but that didn’t stop him from getting up and bringing you things constantly. Namjoon sat next to you and between him and Felix and Mark bringing you treats they wanted you to eat, you never saw the bottom of your plate the entire meal. 

When the time came to leave, Mark threw a fit just like you’d predicted. The boy had only quieted down once you promised to be there the next weekend to visit, an announcement that left even Namjoon smiling. Mark gave you a hug and rubbed his cheek against your neck before skipping off after the group of little ones heading to bed. 

“You know he just had you scent him, right?” Namjoon was grinning as he walked with you to the car. 

“Huh? Mark did?” 

“Yeah. He rubbed on your neck to get your scent on him. He probably wanted to sleep still smelling like you. It’s sweet. It’s something that hybrid parents usually do for their young.” 

You were blushing by now, the look in Namjoon’s eyes warming you. The expression was as close to adoration as you’d ever seen. 

“He’s a sweet kid. I’m glad he liked me.” 

Namjoon was the clingiest he’d ever been on the ride home as well as when you got home and went to bed. There had barely been a few moments when his hand wasn’t laced with yours or his long legs weren’t tangled in your own. You tried not to think too much about why, but Heechul’s words kept floating through your mind to the point where a relationship with Namjoon was beginning to sound like it could actually work. 

You close your eyes and drift away with a smile, imagining what it would be like. 

You feel like you’re floating suddenly, so you pry your eyelids open and find yourself being carried bridal style by Namjoon. 

“Joonie...what’s going on?” 

“Merry Christmas! It’s time to get up! I have coffee and doughnuts.” 

“Joon! It’s freezing outside! Did you walk all the way to the doughnut shop?” 

“Dragon. I don’t get cold. Well, I suppose I could probably be cold in like Antartica or something. But this was fine. Just feels like an Autumn breeze to me.” 

“Show off,” you grumble, as he sets you gently onto the couch. There is only the kitchen and hallway lights on to better show off the lights coming from the Christmas tree. He’s even started the fireplace, the quiet crackling and gentle heat adding to the ambiance. 

Namjoon hands you your coffee, which you accept gratefully. You take a long drink and sigh, hoping the caffeine hits you soon. The peek you had of the time showed it was six am, at least four hours earlier than you had planned on getting up. But Namjoon seemed so excited so you didn't complain. 

“Namjoon. Are you ready for a present?” 

He looks up from his breakfast, his cheeks stuff full of doughnuts. How he still looked adorable like this was ridiculous. 

“Present?” 

You snort. “You thought all those boxes of presents under the tree were for another Namjoon?” 

He blushes and swallows his food quickly. “Don’t tease. I wasn’t sure.” 

“Oh, baby. You know that I love to spoil the out of you. It’s all yours.” 

Namjoon covers his face shyly so you poke his hand to get his attention. 

“Go for the smallest one first. The one in the silver wrapping.” 

Namjoon goes over towards the tree and looks for the little box, finding it hung from the tree itself. He glances over towards you and once you nod, he opens the box. 

“A...key?” he looks at you, confusion written all over his face. 

You grin and point towards the closed door that’s been a subject of many conversations. You’d kept it locked the entire time he’d been here, telling him a little white lie about how you used it as storage and lost the key. 

“Time to open to the secret door!” 

Namjoon’s eyebrows raise and he grins, running towards the door. He unlocks it and opens the door slowly. You wonder what he thinks you actually keep in there for him to be so cautious. He flips on the light and you smirk when he gasps in surprise. 

“This...this is a studio! There’s a computer and speakers and synth machines...what is this?!” 

“This is what I’ve been working on when you’re teaching during the weekend. I made sure to ask around so that I got you the best stuff I could find. This is all the same equipment the professional studios use. I figured you and Jihoon could use this space at home now instead of the cramped corner you had at the shelter. Do you like it?” 

Namjoon stomps towards you and opens his mouth a few times like he’s having issues finding the words. Then he stops over to the tree, knocking a few presents over in his search. He comes back and shoves a flat square shaped present towards you, his jaw tightly clenched. 

You accept it and open it carefully, revealing something like a large jewelry box. You open the black velvet lip and gasp when the contents are revealed. It’s a necklace made in a loose choker style. There were alternating silver and gold pieces that looked almost like some sort gemstone, but none that you were familiar with. They were each covered with something that looked suspiciously like the type of runes you’d see in a video game or something. 

“Namjoon, this is beautiful. Where did you get this?” 

“Uh, I actually made it. With help from Heechul hyung. It’s made from my scales. Not as gross as it sounds, I promise. I shed and they come loose, and the material is stronger than any material on earth. We’ve tested it so many times. They are nearly a blend of some sort of metal and gemstone.” 

“Wait, you have scales? Where?” 

Namjoon blushes and scratches the back of his head. 

“Technically under my skin? I can bring them out but I can keep them hidden. Horns too.” 

“Why have you never showed me?” 

“It’s not that I don’t trust you or anything! Really! I just...don't want to scare you or freak you out.” 

“You wouldn’t scare me, sweetheart.” 

Namjoon smiles shyly. “Okay, but not today. I’ll show you another time.” 

“That’s fine. So what are these markings then?” 

“Oh, uh, Heechul helped me those. They’re spells. Like, this one is for protection, this is one is for good health, stuff like that. They are good charms.” 

“Huh.” You lightly brushed your fingers across the necklace, smiling at the absolute beauty of it. It was probably a bit weird to think about wearing dragon scales, but they looked enough like regular gems that you could probably pull it off. 

You smile up at Namjoon but he looks so nervous still. “What’s the matter? I like it, I really do.” 

“I’m glad, but that’s not all,” Namjoon exhales loudly before tightening his shoulders. “It was an instinctual thing to want to give you those. I wasn’t sure why, but Heechul and I did some research and...I think Dragons give their scales to potential mates. Every scale is different and carries their scent, so it’s kinda like staking a claim.” 

You stare at Namjoon, not really knowing what to say. 

“I messed up, I’m sorry. I can take it...”Namjoon murmured, reaching for the necklace. 

“NO! No...Namjoon. Sweetheart, I...I love it. You...you want me for your mate?”

Namjoon’s face was nearly crimson at this point. “I thought we could do it the more human way first, maybe go on some dates. I know it’s probably weird to think about dating a hybrid, but I’d like to try. And I wouldn’t mind if we were mates in the future. Seeing you today with Mark...I want that.” 

If your heart fluttered any faster it would probably be jumping out of your chest at this point. 

“Oh, Joonie.” 

You crawl over onto his lap and grin at his surprised face before leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips. You pull away and gently caress his cheek with your thumb. 

“I’d love to go on a date with you.” 

Namjoon’s smile was blinding as he crushed you to him, hugging you like he never wanted to let you go. 

“Merry Christmas, girlfriend.” 

You giggle and press a soft kiss to his neck. 

Merry Christmas, boyfriend.”

Notes:

Yes, that is Stray Kids Felix and NCT Mark as kids. This series is getting so multifandom it’s ridiculous.