Jaejoong looked around, his heart beating fast, breath shallow, eyes wide. His ears turned with every single sound no matter how small it was.

“Jaejoong, these are our children. Please meet our son Yunho,” said boy waved at him with a bright smile and curious eyes, “and our daughter Jihye.” The woman behind him pointed towards the baby in the other woman's arms.

“Hi, Jaejoong~” the child called Yunho said and took a step towards him.

Jaejoong took two fast steps back, stumbling against the man who had brought him to this house and held him in place with a hand that was supposed to be gentle but right then made Jaejoong feel caged in.

The young boy was a bunny hybrid, shy by nature and always hesitant with humans. Of course he had dreamed about his potential family with the other hybrids, but deep inside he had always been afraid of humans. The only human in his life until that day had been the owner of the shelter where he grew up, everyone else around him had always been a hybrid aside from occasional visitors who might have been interested in taking him with them. And then this day the unimaginable had happened: two humans had come, seen him, and decided to take him along. And now he was there, in a house he had never been in before, surrounded by people he had never met, and with absolutely no possibility to get back to the shelter he had lived in until that day.

“Mommy? Why is he so afraid?” the boy in front of Jaejoong asked and looked up to the woman now standing next to him.

The hybrid's eyes flew from one side to the other, trying to find a way out or at least a place to hide in, but the hallway gave away nothing and the doors he could see were blocked by the humans around him.

The hand in his back applied some force, not enough to make him stumble, but still leaving him no option but to take a step forward, instantly attracting Yunho's attention again. The young human reached out for him again, probably to touch him, and Jaejoong was overwhelmed by his fear. Because he couldn't step back he did the only thing that he thought was supposed to make the other go back, he stomped his foot and clenched his tiny hands to fists.

“You found a really cute one, Mr. and Mrs. Jung,” the woman holding the baby said and Jaejoong's eyes flickered up to her and then back to Yunho.

The boy in front of him turned around to the woman who had spoken up. “Nanny Ellie, Jaejoong is not cute! He's afraid.”

For a tiny moment, Jaejoong felt something like happiness inside him because it seemed like the boy understood, but then the man behind him spoke up again, “Yunho, honey, don't be that way. Elizabeth is right, this little bunny is-”

The moment Jaejoong felt that hand in his back again, he took a quick step forward, holding on to the back of the shirt of the other boy and pressing his face into the space between his shoulders, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to stop his body from trembling. Everyone was quiet for a moment and the bunny hybrid could feel all eyes on himself. He didn't know how much time passed until the boy moved and he pulled on the fabric as he started to turn around, and even though Jaejoong tried to hold on to the shirt, Yunho managed to change his position. Jaejoong raised his hands, pulling his bunny ears down until they were pressed against the sides of his head so no sounds could get inside. Yet his attempt to calm down failed the moment small arms were wrapped tightly around him and he was held close against the body he had pressed himself against a moment earlier. He could feel Yunho's chest move as he seemed to talk, but he didn't dare to move his hands away from his ears.

A couple of heartbeats passed until the arms around him left again and instead he could feel a pair of hands covering his own, gently prying them off his ears until they sprang up into their normal position. When he opened his eyes, they were met with dark-chocolate brown ones. “Jaejoong? You don't have to be afraid. Mommy and daddy are really nice! And from today on, I will take care of you. Okay?”

Somehow the boy's eyes transmitted a security and a sincerity that left Jaejoong unable to not believe Yunho's words. In his lack of other options and an ongoing inability to speak, the young bunny hybrid nodded ever so lightly, but it seemed to be enough for the boy in front of him because he beamed in response. “That's great! I will make you happy! You, too, have to smile!”

Just like that, Jaejoong was engulfed in another tight hug. He didn't know how to respond, so he simply stood there with his arms hanging limply at his sides and his heart still beating fast while that other boy held him. Before he was able to get himself to respond to the embrace, though, the boy stepped back and took his hand instead as he started to walk, eyes sparkling. “Come on, I'll show you around. There's so much you need to see! Do you like to play with Lego?”

“You have Lego?” Jaejoong asked back shyly, his voice timid and he looked up, walking a little faster as they walked past the woman who was still holding the little girl. The moment they were next to each other, the baby started to cry, making the hybrid jump and look up, scared that he might have been the reason. He could see the boy's parents look after them and felt like they were blaming him for the baby's cries as well, so he walked a little faster until he was close to Yunho, trying to hide away as good as he possibly could.

“Yes, I do! Let's play with it now! I have a real village with a police station and fire fighters and a farm...” Yunho went on about all of the things he owned as they walked. They turned around a corner and Jaejoong looked over his shoulder one more time, seeing the woman who had brought him to this place hold the baby against her chest and look at them, taking another fast step until the walls hid him from the adults' watchful eyes. The hallways seemed like a labyrinth to the young bunny hybrid, but he didn't mind – if it was a labyrinth it meant no one would find them.

Eventually, Yunho led them into a room filled with all kinds of toys. Jaejoong, who had never seen that many toys in one place, was speechless as he looked around, trying to take in the small pieces of Lego, the toy cars, the rocking horse, and all the other items he could see in the room.

“Wow… All of this belongs to you?” Jaejoong asked when he couldn't take in anything else and instead turned to look at Yunho again.

The other boy nodded with a bright smile. “Yes, it does! Come on, this is where nanny Ellie and I were playing before mommy and daddy arrived with you,” Yunho said and led the hybrid to a Lego set. “Let's build a village together, okay?”

Jaejoong nodded, but he looked down. “But nanny Ellie won't be mad at me if I do this, will she?”

“Of course she won't! She's my nanny. She's here to make my sister and me happy. But you must know, she's from very far away, she might not know about hybrids.”

“From very far away? Not know hybrids? How can anyone not know about hybrids?” Jaejoong looked at the other in confusion.

Yunho just shrugged as he sat down and patted the space next to himself, so Jaejoong sat down as well. “I don't know if there are hybrids where she's from.”

“Where is she from? From outside Seoul?” the hybrid who had only ever known South Korea's capital asked.

Yunho laughed. “Silly! You're not even in Seoul anymore.”

“We're outside of Seoul!?” Jaejoong's eyes widened again and he wrapped his arms around himself.

His eyes met Yunho's again and the other's widened as well. “I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you scared!” he said hurriedly and hugged the bunny hybrid tightly once more. “Have you never been outside of Seoul?” Jaejoong simply shook his head as he allowed himself to hug Yunho back, holding on to the other boy's frame tightly since it helped him find a bit of security on this chaotic day. “Welcome in Gwangju, then! Mommy and daddy say we're not very far from Seoul, but it feels far when we ride the car to Seoul…”

The bunny hybrid nodded softly and eventually looked up again. “If your nanny Ellie is not from Seoul, is she from here then?”

Yunho shook his head. “She's not even from Korea.”

Jaejoong's eyes widened once again as he tried to imagine that, but his young mind refused to fully understand the message. “Wow… That's very far away...”

“If you listen to her, she also speaks funnily. Listen closely when we eat dinner, okay? Mommy and daddy say she's doing really well, but I think it's funny how she speaks.”

The young hybrid nodded. “Alright, I'll listen very well.”

Yunho beamed and let go again. “Okay. You can have the police station today. It's my favorite, but I'll let you be in control of it today.”

“But if it's your favorite...”

“I'm sure you'll be a good police man!” Yunho interrupted him and his eyes were sparkling. Suddenly, he jumped up, then he pulled a heavy looking box closer. “You can be the police man and I will be the fire fighter!” he announced and sat down on the floor again as well. He opened the box filled with Lego blocks and the two boys started to build their departments, soon laughing and enjoying themselves together. At some point, the woman who had been introduced to Jaejoong as 'nanny Ellie' entered the room with the baby, but neither one of the boys paid a lot of attention to her since they had already spun their own world around the Lego pieces and figures, making up scenarios and extending their buildings, tearing some down when they needed the pieces or a different setting worked better for what they wanted to do.

Nanny Ellie came and went, sometimes with the baby and sometimes without it. One time when she came in, it had become pitch black outside. Jaejoong hadn't noticed how he had gotten tired, that he was thirsty and that he was hungry. It only came to his mind when the nanny announced that they would have dinner now, a sentence that let Jaejoong realize how much he had enjoyed being alone with Yunho.

The other boy smiled and got up in no time to run to his nanny and smile at her, obviously more than happy about the meal they would have. Jaejoong stayed where he was and didn't know what to do now; he didn't know whether he wanted to join the family or stay right where he was.

Yunho sensed that Jaejoong wasn't sure of what to do, at least he turned around with a bright gummy smile and asked, “Don't you want to come along with me? Mommy's food is always sooo yummy!”

Jaejoong felt the knot that had formed in his stomach melt, therefore he got up and shyly went over to Yunho who happily took his hand and led him through the mysterious labyrinth to the huge dining room. The bunny hybrid, who was not a bit used to such huge halls and rooms was both impressed and scared, and also a little grateful for and because of them.

When they entered the kitchen, the two adults who had brought Jaejoong to this house looked up from where they were standing by the counter, but it was only the woman who spoke up, “You can sit down, if you want to. I'm almost done.”

Yunho nodded and went to one side of the table, pulling Jaejoong along, only letting go of the hybrid's hand to climb onto his child's chair. “Come on, the other one is for you,” he said and pointed to the chair next to his own. Jaejoong looked up at the chair and shyly climbed up as well, looking around on the table once he was seated. At the shelter, they had always had very different dishes for every meal – there were the cat and dog hybrids who always got meat with anything they ate and Jaejoong remembered a fox hybrid who had also lived with them for a short while and who had also eaten more or less the same as the cat and dog hybrids. And then there had been him and another bunny hybrid, they had always had fruits or vegetables. There hadn't been a single meal when everyone at the table had eaten the same thing.

In this house, though, all of them had gotten a plate with vegetables on it while there was a basket with various kinds of bread in the middle of the table and many items to put on the bread spread around it. A lot of those items were unknown to Jaejoong, making him wonder if it was normal for humans to eat them or if some of them were just a special taste of the family he had gotten into now.

“Honey, what kind of bread would you like?” Yunho's mother asked and looked at her son.

“White bread, please,” Yunho replied. “And can I have cheese with it?”

“Of course you can. Which one?”

“Mommy, you should know that by now!”

The woman laughed. “When you said that last week, you changed your opinion a day later,” she remarked as she got a piece of bread from the basket and buttered it. “Jaejoong, do you also want some bread?”

The bunny hybrid's slightly widened eyes flew from the woman to Yunho and back to the woman. Was he expected to take bread now? It seemed like everyone else wanted to have bread as well…

“I don't think bunnies eat bread, do they?” her husband interrupted the silence after a couple of seconds.

Yunho's mother finished making her son's bread and handed it over to the young boy who took it excitedly. “The website said that some hybrids like to eat it, though. Do you like it, Jaejoong?”

Jaejoong looked at the woman with big eyes, his tiny trembling hands balled into his shirt. “I… Uh, I've never tried it I think…” he answered shyly and looked at Yunho as if the other young boy could help him.

Yunho instantly had a big smile on his face. “Try something from my bread then!” he offered excitedly and held his bread from which he had already taken a huge bite to the bunny hybrid.

Once again Jaejoong stared at him for a moment before he hesitantly leaned a little closer to be able to take a bite from the bread as well, though he only tried a little bit. He chewed on it, trying to find out if he liked the strange taste of the cheese combined with spongy bread, just to shake his head after he had swallowed.

Yunho looked a little disappointed at that reaction. “So you don't like it?”

The bunny hybrid looked down and shook his head again.

“That's sad, I would have loved to share my bread with you,” Yunho said and sighed, making the young boy next to him look up in confusion.

“Why would you share with me?” he asked carefully, afraid to do something wrong, but in the next moment there was this huge grin on Yunho's face that warmed his heart.

“Because I like you, that's why.” The human boy nodded resolutely before his expression lit up again. “You know what? I'll share my veggies with you then! Here.” And with that he gave Jaejoong one of his own carrot sticks which Jaejoong took happily.

The adult woman clicked her tongue. “Yunho, honey, you know you should eat your vegetables, they make you strong and healthy,” she scolded and the bunny boy who had just started to feel more comfortable shrank back on his chair.

“Mommy, stop making Jae feel scared! He can have my veggies if he wants.” Yunho had a fierce look on his face – as fierce as a three year old could be – and then as if to make his point clear gave a piece of his apple to Jaejoong as well.

The bunny hybrid knew whom of this family he would grow to like the best.

That night, Jaejoong couldn't sleep. He lay alone in his bed after the others had bid him goodnight, reminding him that from now on, he was allowed – or rather, supposed – to call them Mom and Dad. Loneliness crept up his skin as he was hugging one of the pillows he had been given. Everything smelled strange to him. His sensitive ears picked up all of the sounds around the house – nanny Ellie was awake in her room and talking, though he didn't know to whom and he also couldn't understand anything because she was speaking too quietly. The family's parents were also still awake, but he couldn't hear much from them.

A nearby street lamp illuminated his room a bit and drew frightening shadows on his walls that seemed to move occasionally, causing Jaejoong to pull his blanket even higher. Strange noises came in from the other side of his bedroom door sometimes that made him wonder if there were monsters living in the dark, waiting for him to close his eyes so they could get him.

The further the night progressed, the more certain did he become that there were indeed monsters around somewhere and that they were trying to convince him to get up again by making him need to use the toilet. It was only when he was certain he'd pee himself sometime soon that he was able to gather all of his courage – it really wasn't a lot – and get out of bed. He tiptoed to his door, opened it, and peeked outside. Light was coming from the direction of the staircase, forming strange shadows that Jaejoong could swear reached out for him. Pressing himself against the wall, he tiptoed along the hallway on his bare feet, hoping he was going into the right direction, when all of a sudden something creaked. With a squeal, he jumped forward and crouched down next to a small cabinet standing in the hallway, making himself as small as possible while scanning the hallway, trying to figure out where the creak had come from – but there was nothing. Were there ghosts around, too?

Suddenly he could hear steps. Were those the monsters coming for him? No, he didn't want to die! He didn't want them to kidnap him either!

Trembling, he pulled his bunny ears down again when a door opened nearby and he squeezed his eyes shut and pleaded in his head that the monsters and ghosts wouldn't find him, that he could become invisible.

Another scream escaped his lips when suddenly something touched him. No, they had found him! They knew he was there! He clenched his hands to fists, accidentally letting go of his ears as he did so, and a boyish voice got through to him.

“-fine. I'm here now, Jae. Open your eyes, okay?”

The bunny hybrid slowly did as he was told, opening his first eye a tiny bit, squeezing it close again quickly when he could see a figure in front of himself. He heard a huff in response.

“Jae, it's me. Yunho!”

Jaejoong hesitantly opened his eye again, a little further this time, hoping that it wasn't just one of the monsters that had taken on Yunho's voice – but no, the other boy stood there in front of him. Jaejoong opened both eyes at the assurance and a moment later blinked, releasing big, salty, wet drops from his eyes. “Y-Yunho… The monsters… They're trying to get me!”

“Monsters? What monsters?”

“They're here, Yunho, everywhere!”

The other boy shook his head. “There are no monsters here, Jaejoong. And if there are any, I will help you fight them, okay? None of them will get through to you!”

“A-are you sure?”

Yunho nodded and flashed him a bright smile. “I am very sure! Pinky promise.” He held one of his hands out with the pinky extended, so Jaejoong slowly relaxed one of his hands until he could lock his pinky with Yunho's. He looked at their intertwined hands until he couldn't help but smile.

“Okay!”

Another door opened nearby and light fell into the hallway. “Yunho, Jaejoong, what are you two doing here? You should go to bed.”

When Jaejoong looked up, he could see nanny Ellie's figure in the doorway and his bottom lip started trembling again. “I-I'm sorry… I hadn't meant to… I just needed to pee...”

“But this is the wrong direction from your room!” Yunho pointed out with a bright smile. “Come on, let's go together, okay?”

The nanny smiled and nodded. “You two are so cute. If you need help, just call out for me, alright?”

Jaejoong's strong monster hunter nodded as well and took the bunny hybrid's hand with so much confidence that Jaejoong forgot about his fear momentarily. Yunho dragged him along to the toilet, pushing the door open and switching the lights on.

“Here are no monsters! You can go to the toilet, I'll wait here for you, okay?”

Jaejoong pulled his bottom lip between his tiny teeth and grabbed the hand he held even tighter. “Ca-can't you just come in with me?” he whispered and looked down, afraid that Yunho would reject him.

Their eyes met for a couple of seconds, then Yunho nodded. “I'll protect you,” he promised and closed the door.

Jaejoong nodded, went to the toilet, and climbed onto the children's seat prepared for him and Yunho. He fumbled a little with his pajama pants and blushed a bit when he looked up and saw Yunho watch him curiously.

“Your tail looks really fluffy,” the latter said with a soft smile, but then he turned around ruefully, apparently realizing Jaejoong didn't feel comfortable being watched.

“Thank you,” the hybrid mumbled and did his business, struggling a little afterwards to get dressed and flush the toilet, then he went over to the sink and climbed onto the step to wash his hands. After drying them, he went back to Yunho and shyly took his hand again. “Let's go back?”

The latter nodded and tilted his head a little. “You don't look like you've slept so far.”

“I haven't… The monsters have been keeping me awake…” Jaejoong admitted and looked down in embarrassment. It seemed like Yunho wasn't afraid of monsters at all, so he was ashamed to be so afraid.

“Then come and sleep with me! There are no monsters in my room. Nanny Ellie and I have fought against them and now they're too afraid to enter again,” Yunho revealed with a mysterious smile. “Does that sound good to you?”

Jaejoong hesitated, but then his lips slowly formed a smile. “Okay! But I've never slept with anyone before...”

“Then I'll be your first~” They smiled at each other before Yunho turned off the light in the bathroom and led the way back to his room. In there, Jaejoong noticed a small, weak glowing lamp near the door and crouched down next to it curiously.

“What is this? Is it broken? It's so weak...”

The other boy crouched down as well. “It's not broken. It's one of nanny Ellie's weapons. It shines lightly so I can sleep while it's on but it'll make my room bright enough that no monster can come back in here,” Yunho explained wisely.

“Ohh!” Jaejoong made and looked at the other with big eyes. “That's so cool! And it works?”

“It never fails to work.”

“Wow...”

Yunho nodded and stood up again, holding his hand out. “Come on, let's go to sleep now, alright?”

The hybrid boy nodded and stood up as well. He grabbed Yunho's hand and followed him to the bed. They cuddled into the sheets and close to each other at the same time. Before Jaejoong had the chance to think about how weird this was, that he was sleeping in one bed with a human, he fell asleep.

After that night, Jaejoong continued to sleep in Yunho's bed. It was strangely comforting to him to have someone to cuddle with at night and to have the soft light to chase away any monsters. The strange sounds were still there, but when he asked Yunho about it at some point, the other said that was normal for the house, that the house was rather talking to them, so when they listened to those sounds at night, they sometimes tried to figure out what the house was trying to tell them and they responded to it until the first one fell asleep.

Jaejoong slowly got used to living with this family, even though he still didn't feel as comfortable with the other four people living in that house as he did with Yunho. Somehow Yunho understood him right from the beginning and was able to always defend him. They spent most of their days and nights together and the hybrid couldn't even recall anymore how he had spent his time in the shelter. Everything before this family suddenly seemed incredibly lonely.

The baby was the only one Jaejoong just couldn't build a relationship with and in retrospect he figured that one day during his first week there was one of the main reasons why he had had troubles with Jihye. He and Yunho had been playing in the games room just like almost every day and nanny Ellie came in with the baby that was awake for a change.

The bunny hybrid looked up when he noticed the baby girl squeal and saw her make grabby hands. Yunho also raised his head, watching curiously what was going on. Nanny Ellie came closer until the three of them sat in a row. Jaejoong felt a little uncomfortable with how close they were, glancing at nanny Ellie and Jihye while moving a little closer to Yunho, but he hadn't been prepared for the sudden baby hand that darted forward and held on to his bunny ear with a tighter grip than he had thought was possible for such a small creature. Jaejoong froze in place for a moment as the situation sank in, then his bottom lip started to tremble and a moment later tears ran out of his eyes as he started to cry. As always, Yunho was the first to react.

“Jihye, let go!” he exclaimed as he pulled Jaejoong into his arms. At the tone, Jihye started to cry as well, scaring the bunny hybrid even more, especially when the baby held on to his ear even tighter. A bigger hand, probably nanny Ellie's, loosened Jihye's grip and a moment later everything was over. He was cradled in Yunho's comforting arms, the baby's cries got a little softer as nanny Ellie tried to calm Jihye down.

“Jaejoong is taboo to everyone, okay? If he doesn't say he wants to be touched, no one can touch him!” Yunho ordered with a voice as fierce as he could and the bunny hybrid suddenly felt incredibly secure like that. Yes, the other would protect him. As long as Yunho was by his side, he was safe.

“I'm sorry, Yunho. I didn't know your sister would do that...”

“Don't apologize towards me. You two hurt Jaejoong.”

“I'm sorry, Jaejoong...”

The bunny hybrid glanced up at nanny Ellie for a moment before looking away again, shy hands gently holding on to Yunho's shirt. “It's okay...” he mumbled, not wanting to be a bother but also because just then it was okay. Yunho was holding him. Nothing could happen to him like that.

“Jaejoong, Jaejoong! Wake up!”

The bunny hybrid turned around, trying to ignore the other boy's nagging voice as well as the fact that someone was shaking his body.

“Jaejoooong!!”

“What?”

“Jaejoong, you have to wake up!”

The young boy turned to lie on his other side, slowly opening his eyes. He looked up at the other, sleepily and unwilling to wake up. “What's wrong?” he asked, but it was only when he could see clearly that he saw tear stains on the other's cheek. Within a heartbeat, he sat up and put his hands on Yunho's cheeks. “What's wrong?” he repeated his question, but this time his tone was more urgent and he was more awake.

“Jae, are there really no monsters in my room?”

The bunny hybrid frowned, but then, led by Yunho's fear, he looked around as well. “I think so? The light is on, so how could any monsters be in here?”

“Oh Jae, I thought they had come in! I dreamed they were here!” Yunho cried out and hugged the other boy tightly, sobbing.

For a couple of seconds, the hybrid just sat there, unsure what to do, until he slowly wrapped his arms around Yunho's shaking frame, tears slowly making his own eyes burn as well. “Yun… Why are you crying? I don't want you to cry… We're safe here.”

A soft knock on the door startled the hybrid and for a moment, both boys looked up, unmoving. Even their tears had stopped. The door was opened and nanny Ellie glanced in, spotting the two figures on the bed rather quickly. “Jaejoong, Yunho? Is anything wrong?”

“I had a nightmare… The monsters can't come into my room, can they?” Yunho asked and his voice was trembling.

Nanny Ellie shook her head. “Of course they can't come in here. I told you the light would keep them away.”

“O-okay...”

“Do you want me to stay for a little while and read you a bedtime story?” the young woman offered.

It was Jaejoong who shook his head. “We'll be fine,” he replied with a defiant look in his eyes, holding Yunho tighter. He didn't want to have to rely on anyone else to help him calm Yunho down when the other boy always managed to calm him down without further help.

“Are you sure?” Nanny Ellie asked, though, but Jaejoong still nodded. “Alright then. Talk a little maybe and then go back to sleep, okay?”

“Good night, nanny Ellie,” the two boys replied, but once she was out of the room, Yunho leaned away a little without breaking the contact. “I think I would have liked a bedtime story...”

Jaejoong felt his heart sink when he heard those words and he looked at the other with a sad expression until a thought crossed his mind. “Here, let me,” he said excitedly and nervously and took one of Yunho's hands, leading it to one bunny ear instead, but before Yunhot could touch it, he pulled away.

“But Jae, you don't like it when people touch you there.”

“I don't like it when it's just anybody. But I think it'll be fine if it's you.”

“Are you sure?”

Jaejoong nodded and this time Yunho hesitantly lifted his hand on his own until it came in touch with the soft fur of Jaejoong's bunny ear. The hybrid instinctively moved his ear a little at the unfamiliar touch, but then he allowed himself to relax a little, curious about what it would feel like if the other boy touched him there where he had never allowed anyone to touch him before. So far he had only known from the shelter that many hybrids liked others touching their animal ears and tails.

His eyes fluttered close as he felt Yunho curiously caress his bunny ear. “Jae, it's as soft as it looks!” he exclaimed excitedly and also raised his other hand to give both ears some attention. At some point, Yunho laughed with joy. “This is so nice! Can I touch your ears often from now on?”

Jaejoong opened his eyes again and thought about the question, then he nodded. “But only when it's just you and me, okay? No one else can know about this.”

The human nodded with sparkling eyes. “Okay. Pinky promise!” he replied and lowered one hand to extend his pinky.

Jaejoong couldn't help but laugh softly as well, but he followed the other's lead and also held out his pinky. “Pinky promise,” he agreed and beamed when their smallest fingers linked.

One evening before going to bed, the entire hallway started to smell like vanilla and honey. Jaejoong took a deep breath in the play room and exhaled with a hum. “It smells so good!” he commented out of nowhere, startling the others around him.

It was nanny Ellie who first answered his question. “That's the new bath supplement we got last week,” she explained.

Jaejoong pouted. “I wish I could take a bath, too...”

“Then why don't you?” Yunho next to him asked back.

“Because I don't like my bunny tail and ears getting wet?”

“But they also get wet when you take a shower, don't they?” the other asked further and the two boys just stared at each other for a couple of seconds. Yunho was right, his bunny ears and bunny tail got wet no matter how he cleaned himself unless he could simply use a cloth. Plus, taking a shower always seemed like a huge effort because he was too small to really reach the shower head or adjust the temperature. “Mommy will also surely help you wash your hair and then your bunny ears will get even less wet!”

“Can't I do it myself?” Jaejoong asked right away, the thought alone that while washing his head Yunho's mother would inevitably come in touch with his bunny ears making him uncomfortable.

“You can surely try. Mommy will probably know how to do it best and we'll tell you if there's any foam left.”

Jaejoong was still hesitant about it, but since they were using a different tub for Jihye which meant he would really only be taking a bath with Yunho, he eventually nodded. “Okay.”

The other boy lit up at those words. “Really? That's so cool! Let's hurry and get ready!”

“But the water may not be done yet...”

“That doesn't matter, let's get ready!”

As they went to the bathroom, the scent Jaejoong had noticed got more and more intense, but when they opened the door, the bunny hybrid thought for a moment that the heavy scent would knock him out. It was already incredibly warm in the bathroom due to the hot water flowing into the tub. Yunho's mother was just preparing their towels as they entered and when she looked up, she smiled. “Hello you all,” she greeted them.

Nanny Ellie had followed them and they all entered the bathroom, closing the door behind themselves.

“Is the tub for Jihye ready?” nanny Ellie asked with her accent that Jaejoong, too, noticed ever since Yunho had pointed it out to him.

The other woman nodded so nanny Ellie got Jihye undressed to bathe her.

“Mommy? Can Jae take a bath with me today?” Yunho asked while they were still waiting – the tub was barely halfway full so far.

His mother looked at the two of them in surprise. “Well, sure, I guess. If Jaejoong wants to do that?” she asked back and looked at the young hybrid who nodded shyly. “Then I don't see why you wouldn't be able to do it.”

“But mommy, you can show him how to wash his hair on his own then, can't you?”

Apparently she had heard about the incident with Jihye because she nodded. “Sure, I'll show you how to do it, Jaejoong.”

The bunny hybrid smiled in return and nodded softly. “Thank you.”

He and Yunho waited impatiently for the water level to rise enough for them to get in and in the meantime, the latter started to play with the bubbles that were forming, pushing some of them into Jaejoong's direction, making the boy laugh.

It was Yunho's mother who told them the water was almost ready. The two boys hurried to get undressed and then carefully got into the water, sitting down in opposite ends. They stretched out completely but still didn't touch, making Yunho laugh. “This tub is so huge!” he exclaimed. “I can't even see you over there!”

Jaejoong couldn't help but laugh at that comment either. “Liar. Of course you can see me.”

“Nope,” Yunho replied and reached out a hand, pushing the foam to the sides of the tub. “Now I can see you properly.”

The bunny hybrid shook his head. “You're being silly,” he commented, but his lips nevertheless formed a smile.

“No~” Yunho repeated with a grin and pushed up a bit of foam to play with it instead and Jaejoong laughed when it indeed worked out for a little while.

The foam was enough to keep them busy and occupied during their bath. At some point, Yunho held one hand up. “Hold still,” he ordered and moved closer. Jaejoong's eyes meanwhile went to the bit of foam that had gotten caught on his nose, enough for him to see it, but he held still the way the other had told him to. A moment later, Yunho was by his side and leaned closer, so close – and then blew softly until the foam was pushed off Jaejoong's nose by the other's breath. Both boys laughed once again as they watched the bit of foam slowly sink down next to the tub, but neither of them noticed the way the two women were watching them. They were caught up in their own world of foam and games.

Time passed and brought along many new experiences for both boys. They found out that even though Jaejoong disliked most kinds of bread and buns, he did like crispbread as a snack and loved carrot buns. Yunho had once spotted them at a bakery they were at and suggested bringing one for the bunny hybrid to try it and they had found out the boy loved it!

One thing that made the hybrid grin triumphantly was when he announced spring would come soon and no one believed him. Two weeks later, during which Yunho had started complaining about the amounts of white fur he found in his bed every morning, flowers started blooming and the trees were slowly turning green with fresh leaves as the temperatures rose and the other four people in the house had to realize that Jaejoong had been right about his spring announcement – Jihye was still too small to understand what was going on around her.

The seasons changed and Jaejoong kept on sleeping in Yunho's bed even though it was getting way too hot for them to do so, and then June came. Jaejoong didn't understand at first what was going on when they all drove to Seoul and brought along a huge suitcase. It was only when their nanny Ellie explained that she would go back to England where she said she came from – Jaejoong had absolutely no idea where that was – that he started to understand that the young woman wasn't an original member of the family, yet some more time had to pass until he truly understood that their nanny Ellie wouldn't come back.

Some time later, a new young woman arrived from some other country and it continued on that way. At some point Jaejoong learned those young women who turned out to rather be teenagers were called 'au pairs'.

When he and Yunho were five, Jaejoong got really sick during winter. At first, Yunho wasn't allowed near Jaejoong anymore because their parents were afraid Jaejoong had a contagious disease, but that knowledge alone was enough to drag the bunny hybrid down even more. He felt feverish and dead tired, yet he was unable to relax enough to sleep. It was only when he felt a slightly taller body sneak into bed with him and he opened his eyes again to spot Yunho that things changed.

“Yun… You're not supposed to be here...”

The other boy grinned. “But the doctor said you're only contagious for other hybrids. And even if I get it, I won't be as sick, so don't worry about me; worry about getting better again, okay?”

“If your parents find out...”

“Let them. I haven't told you to sleep well yet.”

“No wonder I couldn't sleep,” Jaejoong mumbled and rolled to lie on his side, cuddling close to Yunho. The other's familiar body next to his own felt good and allowed him to relax a little more.

“Good night, Jae. Sleep well and have sweet dreams, okay?”

“You, too.”

“And if you don't feel better tomorrow, I hope you know you'll have a problem with me!”

“I'm sure I will feel better,” the bunny hybrid promised sleepily. Now that Yunho was with him, his entire body was getting heavier until even thinking became difficult.

“Jae?”

“Mm?”

“Can I get a goodnight kiss?”

Jaejoong looked up through heavy eyelids, frowning a little. “You never asked for one… And you'll just get sick...”

Yunho shook his head. “Maybe I'll take a bit of your sickness, but in return I'll give you some of my health so you'll feel better tomorrow, okay?”

Jaejoong couldn't help but snicker, yet what the other said seemed logical to him at that moment. “Okay,” he agreed and tilted his head up, leaving it up to Yunho to give him the goodnight kiss the other wanted. His lips curved into a smile and he shook his head lightly after their lips had touched. “Yun, this feels weird.”

“Has no one ever given you kisses before?” the other asked, sounding surprised. When Jaejoong only shook his head once more, Yunho clicked his tongue in disapproval. “I'll give you all my love now! You're my family, after all, so you have to know you're loved a lot!”

The bunny hybrid smiled faintly, a wave of warmth spreading inside him that had nothing to do with the fever. “I like that,” he mumbled and cuddled into the other a little more.

“Now sleep well, okay? Mommy and daddy said you have to sleep a lot so you'll get better soon and so we can continue to play.”

“Okay,” Jaejoong mumbled. Only silence followed his response, a surge of contentment filling him as he drifted off to sleep now that Yunho was with him.

Hello everyone,

we're back again with a new YunJae AU :D We hope you enjoyed the chapter, even though it's more of a long foreword, and support us. Please upvote, leave a comment, leave some love <3 We're looking forward to hearing from you.

See you soon with chapter 2,

Evelyn-Everdeen and -UglyPinkMachine-