The soft hum of the bedside lamp bathed the room in a warm, amber glow. You lay sprawled comfortably on his bed, the disheveled sheets a testament to the night’s earlier activities. JJ was unusually still beside you, his usual restlessness replaced by an unexpected calm. Very possibly from the drugs—but he always felt a sort of calm around you.

You started to speak, your voice a low, intimate murmur. “You ever think about how humans must’ve discovered sex? Did any animal discover that?”

JJ, who was normally full of jokes and half-hearted teasing, lay quietly, his gaze fixed intently on you. His silence was unusual, almost heavy, and it contrasted sharply with his usual demeanor. He passed the joint over to you as he exhaled.

You noticed his intense stare and paused. “Hello? Earth to boyfriend?”

He blinked, momentarily lost in thought. “Yeah,” he said, his voice softer than usual. “Sorry, just… looking at you,” he hummed.

The room fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment, before JJ rolled over to face you. his forehead slightly damp from sweat.

“I think every mammal is born with a sense of the concept,” he answers finally.