#they’re doggos so I’m going with puppy

[zuppizup]

Really hope Ethari isn’t waiting for the shadowpaw and the moonstrider to come back…

[the-himawari]

A3! Miyoshi Kazunari - Translation [SSR] MANKAI Treasure (2/3)

*Please read disclaimer on blog

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*flashback starts*  

Kazunari: Phew… Lovelin and the others at the Dog Circus sure were adorable~. Everyone was just too cute, I keep looking at the pics I took of them on my phone over and over again.

*door opens*

Kazunari: Ah, welcome back, Tax! Are you back from a run?  

Tasuku: Yeah. I was running along the riverbank.  

Kazunari: You go on both a morning run and an evening run… your self-discipline is no joke~.  

Tasuku: Well, I enjoy running after all. …  

Kazunari: Hm? What’s up?  

Tasuku: …Are those pictures from the circus? That reminds me that I actually watched the dog circus the other day.  

Kazunari: Huh? Hold on, are you talking about the same dog circus I appeared in?  

Tasuku: Are there any others?  

Kazunari: HUHH!? You came to watch! You should’ve shot me a line if that’s the case~!  

Tasuku: Sorry about that. I was going to tell you but missed the chance to.  

Kazunari: Sooo, how was it?  

Tasuku: Well… it was fun, plain and simple.  

Kazunari: I know, right~! It totes raises your sprits right up! Ah, and me? How ‘bout me?  

Tasuku: You worked hard, didn’t you? The crowd was riled up when you guys appeared too.  

Kazunari: Woohoo! Tax complimented me ♪  

Tasuku: Also… the dogs were a sight to see. Their skills were impressive with the way they carried the balls so well and jumped so dynamically.  

Kazunari: Ah, right! You’re a dog lover, aren’tcha! Is that why you came~?  

Tasuku: …That’s not the only reason, okay?  

Kazunari: I’ll just leave it at that~. …Ah, that’s right! That reminds me, there’s a spot I wanna go with you, Tax. If you’re down, then let’s go together!  

Tasuku: Huh? A spot you want to visit?  

-pause-  

Dog A: Woof, woof!  

Kazunari: They’re so cute I’m gonna die~! Shiba inu cafes are a fluff-filled heaven! Here, here. Head pats for you~.  

Dog A: Woof!  

Tasuku: They’re brimming with energy…  

Dog B: Arf, arf.  

Dog C: Bark!  

Kazunari: I wanted to try coming here with you since you love dogs~… err, woah! The puppies are all over you, Tax. They’re all gathering at your feet! Give them some pats~!  

Tasuku: Sure thing. …Here, here.  

Dog B: Arf ♪  

Dog C: Woof~.  

Kazunari: The interaction between a big, rugged man and an adorable little doggo totally hits~. Let me snap a pic later!  

Tasuku: No.  

Kazunari: Aww! Buzzkill!  

Dog D: Arf, arf, arf!  

Tasuku: Would you like me to throw this ball? Here goes—.  

Dog D: ARF, ARF!  

Dog B: Woof, woof…!  

Tasuku: Hey, that tickles. Haha. Here. Good boy.  

Kazunari: (Tax is smiling from ear to ear~. What a rare expression we don’t usually get to see!)  

-pause-  

Kazunari: Ha, they were all so cute~. Tax with the dogs was super cute too. It was relaxing and I got to see something great!  

Tasuku: …I’m not a spectacle.  

Kazunari: But you know what they say! Good people are liked by animals! The doggies could totally tell, wouldn’t you say~?  

Tasuku: …I don’t know about that.  

Kazunari: Ahaha. Just take the compliment, will ya~! Ah, look. There’s a merch corner! There’s plushies and mug cups… All of them look cute~!  

Tasuku: I see… they have stationary too?  

Kazunari: —! Hey, lookie here, Tax! Isn’t this t-shirt cute af!?  

Tasuku: …Uh. The dog is cute, but is the shirt cute…?  

Kazunari: It totally is! But it might look pretty funny if you wore this, huh? Why don’t you wear it as your rehearsal shirt?  

Tasuku: No thanks.  

Kazunari: As expected~. Btw, do you still have some time after this, Tax? I won’t take no for an answer!  

Tasuku: What is happening? …Well, I don’t have any particular plans.  

Kazunari: I’ll treat you to a meal as thanks for coming along with me! I found a restaurant that has some tasty-looking chilled ramen~. You like chilled ramen, right?  

Tasuku: I mean, yeah… I’m surprised you remember.  

Kazunaru: That’s because I thought it was cute that you like chilled ramen! I’ll guide, so you drive! Let’s go!  

Tasuku: Good grief...

*flashback ends*  

Kazunari: After that place started serving chilled ramen, we started going there together every now and then~.  

Tasuku: …Right. I guess that was the trigger. On that note, here’s your present.  

Kazunari: Thanks! “On that note” was a weird segway, but okay! Can I open it?  

Tasuku: Yeah.  

Kazunari: I wonder what could be inside~ ♪

*opens*

Kazunari: —EH!? Isn’t this the t-shirt they were selling at the shiba inu café!  

Tasuku: I remembered you liked it. I passed in front of the shiba inu café and they weren’t selling the exact same design… but I found and bought something similar. Like you said back then, you can wear this t-shirt during rehearsals.  

Kazunari: I’m so happy~! Thanksies! I’ll wear it ‘til it gets all worn out!  

Tasuku: Great. I’m glad if you like it. Since we’ve come all the way here, we might as well have some cold ramen, right?  

Kazunari: Of course!  

Tasuku: It’s your birthday, so I’ll treat you this time.  

Kazunari: Tax is so generous! Yippee!  

Tasuku: Alright, let’s go in.  

Kazunari: Ah! Hold up. You haven’t said happy birthday to me yet, have you!?  

Tasuku: Ah… …Happy birthday, Miyoshi.  

Kazunari: Thanks, Tax~!

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previous | next

[catb-fics]

Recently I’ve been extra obsessed and moved by puppies and dogs and I wish I could get one. So naturally I’d want to adopt a cute little doggo with Vaniel. Can you imagine how cute that would be 🤧 what kind of breed do you think he would get? 💖

Aww I’m a cat person but I love all animals and I love dogs too. Imagine going to an animal rescue shelter with Van to choose a puppy to adopt? He’d want to take them all home with him! He’d be such a softy 🥹

I’ve always thought I could see Van with a Labrador, they’re such good-natured loyal family type dogs. But then I think of Little Mary and can see him with a smaller dog like a terrier. What kind of breed can you see him with?

[seastarblue]

Hiii, can I hear about Kaiden's dog? (And also the details of that deathless curse)

You absolutely can!

So. This is her doggo (v quick doodle bc I realized I never drew The Boi):

(He’s supposed to be a border collie)

Uh, his name’s Goose, because he’s a silly goose. The silliest of Gooses, I think.

There’s not that much about him, he’s just a girl in the world man idk. Kaiden adopted him off the street when he was a lil puppy, and now they’re besties :3

———

NOW ABOUT THAT CURSE— (under the cut :3)

Uh 🧍‍♀️ so I haven’t quite figured out the exact mechanics of it YET ☝️ but here’s the gist of it:

They do not have any form of innate magic (which is pretty common amongst humans, to be fair)

They are not affected by spells cast directly onto them (if the environment was manipulated via magic, then they would still be affected. Like if someone set a tree on fire and then shoved a Deathless into it, they’d burn even though that fire was magical in origin. It’s the same deal with helpful spells, too.)

They have gold blood, and when feeling neutral, they have small gold flecks in their eyes. (They become more prominent with extreme emotions, they can go completely gold if they’re Feeling Things)

They can see ghosts? Some can, at least. Our Girl Kaiden can.

Speaking of blood, their wounds (except ones dealt with [insert name of drug that counters the Curse] but that’s a story for another time) heal VERY QUICKLY compared to normal humans. A broken bone could take a week to heal, tops.

Speaking of injuries: the reason it’s called the ‘Deathless Curse’ is because the people who have it have the ability to come back from death, provided they aren’t too mutilated to the point of no return. That point is what I’m having trouble with BUT I’m getting there. Trust.

It’s very stigmatized, because in Niali (and as a whole—Ardenian) society, it’s considered Very Bad to mess with Death itself. Also it’s kinda freaky (in a bad way) to see someone—presumably dead—get up like nothing happened.

It certainly doesn’t help that they don’t know what causes it. All they know is that it affects humans only.

———

anddd yeah I think that’s it? Thanks for the ask @illarian-rambling ! ✨✨

[collectivecloseness]

Not Used To Visitors

Kurt Kunkle x reader

(Summary: When Kurt asks you to meet his dogs after a little while of dating he’s so happy to be able to share them with you! But he forgets that he’s not really brought a friend home for a long time, and how his dogs react to most strangers on their property. Notes: Reuploaded from my ao3 - this was my first fic in a while, and ever for Kurt, when originally posted)

“Hey y/n so- yeah! I h-heard you like dogs!”

You turned around to your doe eyed friend, well, you guessed he was closer to a boyfriend now, in all honesty you hadn’t had that talk because you thought it was still a little early to ask him about labels, and he was too awkward to ask. Dating was what you told people. And Kurt beamed every time you did, just like the way he was looking at you now.

You looked up at him from the passenger seat you’d just climbed in, smile upturning your cheeks in intrigue. “Yeah, I did say that. When you asked me yesterday Kurt.”

Kurt hopped in his seat at your response. “Well you’re in luck then mister-m-my love, because I’ve got some puppers who’re really excited to meetcha!”

“Really?” Your eyes lit up at this, and it seemed to give Kurt that little push of confidence he needed every time he’d started a new conversation with you once you’d asked him out. Especially when you didn’t react negatively at all to his last minute pet name. “Yeah-huh! Back at my home. They’re my grandpa’s pets but they live with me and my mom now.” He explained happily, seeming content to just sit in his car and talk with you, putting off the actual drive before he had to drop you off at your location. Luckily for him this proposal really caught your attention.

“Oh my god Kurt yeah you’ve mentioned your dogs before.” You grabbed his arm in both your hands as you spoke to shake it lightly, asking him why he hadn’t shown you them earlier. Truth is you mostly spent time in his car, out, or at yours. He’d taken you to the junkyard before, but not his home yet. To be fair, you hadn’t exactly known each other too long, you just couldn’t help but find this greasy gamer boy attractive.

Kurt dragged his eyes down to his arm, his throat bulging a little as he swallowed, feeling the warmth of your hands on him. “Yeah well... they’re good doggos.”

“What’re they called?”

“Luna and Dozier.” He smiled, relaxing into his headrest a little before you removed your hand. “They’re pits, but everyone’s always so mean about that.”

You nodded in agreement. “Yeah you hear those stories, from bad owners especially.”

“But they’re good dogs! They’re so sweet and like, like little old pals. You’ll see. You- well- you’ll see them tomorrow! In fact!” He shimmied up in his seat, a confident but hazy smile crawling upon him yet again.

You raised your eyebrows challengingly. “And what if, I’m not available tomorrow? Huh?”

Kurt momentarily froze, eyes sinking back down to his console, fingers playing on his turn signal. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry...” his lips quickly twitched into a dispirited frown. “Well- I guess-“

You smirkingly cut him off with a playful shove noticing the way his little dejected puppy expression still didn’t leave as he looked up at you confused. You tried to make it a bit easier for him, happily leaning your cheek against his upper arm, snaking your own through his before going to hold his seemingly always clammy hand. “Kurt I’m kidding. I’d love to go and see your dogs with you tomorrow.”

Whenever his cheeks blushed pink his eyes seemed to get more brown you thought. You adored that about him. “Really? Oh yeah w-okay, well, great!” His hand now slowly merged into your own, his fingertips grazing your palm as he shuddered whenever you did that to him. His hand was always so gentle when it held yours. Even though you had to admit how insatiably cute it was, you wish he’d grow a little more confident and secure when holding you. One time you thought during a chilling moment, he was so soft because he was scared of hurting you. But you knew the world had done it’s share of hurt to him, and that touch like this, until you, was rare. It was your job to make all those light simple touches near boring. Nearly. Giving a quick squeeze to his hand, you felt him lean more needily into your arm, even if it crushed it just a little between the seats. You gave him a hushed encouraging “Yeah?”

“Yeah!” He said it so happily that everything was going according to plan, he even leaned forward to give a chaste, although somehow still wet, kiss to the left of your forehead. “Sounds cool!!”

By the time you’d driven up to Kurts house you’d already listened to the top rotation of your favourite songs at the moment, some of which Kurt promised he’d add into a new song for you, even though you’d never asked him to, and he’d been ranting on about his dog’s favourite games, and what you guys could play, before just deciding to hang out with them when they inevitably got tired.

Kurt had already told you what his house looked like, so you weren’t surprised at all to see it so secluded. And although you’d seen it in videos of his you watched, you’d never seen Kurt’s bedroom in person, so you were definitely going to ask for a bit of a tour later on. That’s if you could find a way to ask to see his bedroom that you didn’t think would make Kurt spontaneously combust upon saying. You hadn’t had any luck yet. God he was an adorable mess of a man.

Even though Kurt liked to open his doors for you when he could, he knew you could get out of his Prius just as quickly. So he walked around to the side as you got your bag from the car floor, and walked outdoors, standing by Kurts side as he smiled back down at you, trickles of hair covering his eyes, before he shook it out the way and to the side. “Well- here’s- home sweet home! Welcome.” He threw his arms up in the air, slapping them back down at his sides, before walking up to the front door.

That’s where you were expecting to meet his dogs. Inside the house dozily waiting for Kurt to come home. You neared just a few feet away from the side fence, in the middle of a sentence to do with if Kurt’s mom would be home, when all of a sudden a loud mass of barking accompanied a heavy weight bashing the fence right at you. Shadows clipped through the gaps of the wood and the whole frame shook, snarls and growls bellowed louder as the lock to the gate was clawed at, scratch marks accompanying the wood around it as the noises grew louder and more violent.

You jumped at the sudden assault of noises, scared and shocked into stillness as the wood seemed to bulge out almost cartoonishly, like something was about to break free and head straight for you.

“Hey hey hey!”

You hadn’t even realised you’d backed into Kurt, neither had he realised he’d come to wrap around you from behind, both acting instinctually, even though it was his beloved pets.

It was only when his arms wrapped over your shoulders that you felt yourself breathe again. And that’s when you realised his words were too harsh to have been trying to comfort you. He was talking to his dogs.

You looked up at him from where he was softly tucking you into his chest, even he looked shocked at their behaviour, although there was a distinct trace of sternness you didn’t think you’d ever seen on Kurt Kunkle’s face before. You sank further into Kurt’s hold as you looked back at the gate, backing up into him as much as your subconscious state would allow.

Kurt swaddled his arms around your upper torso further, protectively. “Hey stop it you two! You’re scaring them!” Kurt gently clasped onto you quickly again with a soft squeeze. “Stop that right now!”

The banging on the wood stopped, thankfully, but even as the lock stopped flipping up and down, you held all of your body as flush to Kurt as any parts could; the barking didn’t cease, and they’d begun howling now.

Kurt seemed to be instinctively and not at all falsely confident about something for the first time in his life now. At least since you’d known him. He rubbed his warm hands up and down your shoulders, rejuvenating some spark in you you realised had been simmering a little, thankful for his touch of reassurance. After a couple of seconds of that he looked down at you, frowning, disappointed, and apologetic and upset on your behalf, letting you go with another brush, but marching straight towards the fence now.

“Hey you two. You’re being very bad!!” Kurt pointed his finger at them, through the rather crooked gaps, and it made your breath catch in your throat. But these dogs who’d been growling and snarling incessantly since the moment you stepped even close to their home, only licked and whined at Kurt’s finger as he lectured them, the darker one, Luna, even going in for a friendly nibble, as if she was just saying hello after he’d come back from the store.

Kurt still wagged his finger, even though he didn’t stop either of the dogs as they paced close to the fence, or went up to sniff and lick at him, wagging their tails. Dozier sat a little further away in the background as they saw their mad owner’s gaze upon them. “You’re both being really bad dogs! Y/n is a friend! See? Gooooood. A good friend. They’re nice. And you can’t bark at them! No barking! No biting!!!”

As in control as Kurt was, your heart was still to stop hammering.

“You don’t attack y/n, okay! Don’t be naughty. Y/n is a friend. You be nice to y/n, okay?”

Kurt walked back up to you with a sigh, head hung but with no growling behind him. You swear you could hear a tail repeatedly hitting the fence panelling.

Kurt raised his head once he got near you, and that was your cue to raise your arms. He enveloped you in the hug first, which wasn’t too unusual, but the small, yet heavy, open mouthed kiss to your cheek was a bit of a rarer deal for him. Although you didn’t doubt he thought about it a lot. His movements almost seemed natural to him at this point, and you just melted into his chest, resting your cheek on his soft shirt that smelt of mango vape and a bit of sweat, but you liked that last smell. When he stayed over and your pillows smelt of it, or that time he didn’t have a shirt at yours and gave you back your tee that you fiddled with the rest of the evening, or when he hugged you, just like this. “I’m sorrry...” he drawled out.

You shook your head. You weren’t sure what at, but you did nuzzle your nose and one of your eyes into him more efficiently. You closed the other one as well, just letting him hold you as you breathed.

“Sorry... they’re not used to new people.” He explained sadly, rubbing a hand comfortingly up and down your back, in such a way it raised your shirt a little at the bottom each time. It felt nice, to have him knowingly hold you like this. You were sure he was getting a little comfort out of petting you this way as well, but of course you were happy to give him that. You clasped your hands around his middle, rubbing your face against his chest for a couple of seconds before just relaxing into him. You felt enveloped for a moment as his neck craned and his long hair hung over you, head tucked against yours, but you welcomed the enveloping, how he sheilded you in the darkness. Kurt started to sway you then, and you hooked your arms around his shoulders, leaning into the back and forth movements with you and he kept up his soft rubbing. All the while breathing him in, finally having your lungs return to normal.

It only lasted a couple of seconds though, before Kurt was pulling back, pouting down at you with those big brown puppy dog eyes. You could tell he was upset by how his plans had gone. “Oh K-Kurt.” You lowered your hands now, holding one to his hip but using the other to rub smaller circles than his one into his lower back. Kurt tucked his chin at you, looking down between your feet. So you raised the hand on his hip to his chest, having him look at that instead. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t plan it to go this way. It’s alright. We can do something else instead.” You tried to reassure him sensitively. “They only spooked me for a second.”

He looked back up at you now, biting on his bottom lip with his upper one. You pat his chest twice. “I’m sure they really are good pets, just-“

“Come here. I wanna show you.” Kurt’s tongue dashed down to his lower lip, wetting it in thought, as he grabbed your hand in his, and absentmindedly following, you quickly realised he was leading you straight to the dogs. “Wait Kurt. I don’t think-“

“Hey!” Kurt whistled, and you could immediately hear the dogs at the gate again, your heart beating inside your chest. Although this time they weren’t trying to open the gate, they weren’t even being loud. The only noises were the patter of excited footsteps on the pavement.

Kurt let go of your hand once you were both by the gate and squatted down, putting the back of his hand to the gaps. “H-hey, hey guys.” This time his stutter wasn’t from second guessing his sentence, but from laughter, at the tickle of his dogs licking his fingers with friendly anticipation.

“Now you need to be good dogs. Luna? Dozier? You need to be good dogs okay? Y/n’s good, they’re my- they’re my friend.” He seemed to flounder for just a moment, unsure whether he was allowed to call you his partner or not, or whether his dogs would even understand that. “You’ll get more used to them. They’re your friend now too.” At this point, Kurt looked up at you, bouncing on the balls of his feet and grinning in childish excitement. He held his hand out to you, as you twisted your lips down at him. You were thinking about it.

“C’mon. I swear they won’t hurt you. I promise.” He said, tilting his head almost like a sad dog. When you didn’t move he took your hand himself, but softly, guiding you down, calculating his movements to make you sure he wasn’t bringing you any further to the gate, only to him. “I promise I won’t let them hurt you.” He brought your hand back into his chest this time, moving it about in between his own, with it gently brushing over the fabric of his shirt. And then, with all his gaze focused on it, he leant down and kissed the back of your hand, with all the tenderness as if it was a physical wound, rather than you just being emotionally scared. His lips continued to hold their affection in them, just as his eyes did as he batted them up at you. It was when he dropped your hand, fingers still itching to trace on yours till the very last second, that you imagined this is the feeling Kurt had once explained to you late agaisnt your pillow. How your hand felt like it had pins and needles where he’d once been touching, except these were warm, and exciting to the touch, and not in the least bit uncomfortable. Only the sensation could be soothed, by being touched by the other once again.

Finally, with his words of encouragement, you started to move a bit closer. Kurt shuffled, still crouching, until he was behind you, knees swaying against your back every so often, as his hand held encouragingly on your shoulder, there and alert for you in his promise, as you slowly reached the back of your hand towards the gap in the fence.

The immediate sniffing against your skin brought in light giggles. Memories of dogs you’ve loved and childhood meetings flew into your mind as you felt the two dogs fighting over eagerly sniffing your hand through the medium sized hole, only there was no hurting or snarling, just tripping over each other and excited nudges of each others noses.

You wondered if Kurt had thought the mix of his scent on your hand would help the dogs accept you more, or maybe he just wanted to kiss your hand. Looking at him right now, even though he was looking at the dogs, full of light and smiling so genuinely, you really thought it was the second one. You laid a hand on his knee. You could always have used the excuse you needed it for balance, the way you two were framed right now, but you didn’t want to. You smiled at him, not even noticing one of the dogs had gotten their nose through until they eagerly started to lick at your palm. You giggled into Kurt’s eyes at how gross the feeling was, before moving your hand closer so they could both sniff and touch it more. You didn’t notice that Kurt’s eyes had been glued to yours since the moment your hand touched his knee. His face only got redder when you went to stretch an ankle, and your hand slipped further up, to his mid thigh.

“Right! C’mon guys! Be good dogs to y/n okay! Friendly!”

“Wait!” Panic started to set in a little as you realised Kurt may still not understand so much how different his childhood pets may react to a stranger, especially if he hasn’t had many friends over before. “Kurt hold on a-“

Before you could react, Kurt had unlocked the gate, and you were still in a squatted position. You shut your eyes with a brief squeak, before you felt something barrelling into you. You fell on your ass, still managing to keep sitting up, with your hands raised in surrender in front of your face. You didn’t know what you expected, but the tongue between your hands trying to dig into your face, the slapping of a tail against your calf and a paw on your crotch took you a second to digest. As soon as you heard the friendly whining, you peeked through your hands to see Luna, the darker grey one, with her dropped ears and her paws pattering desperately as she finally got up to your face, immediately licking where she’d been denied before, and sniffing everywhere you could. Your hands lowered down, expecting her face to follow, but a gush of wind right in your eardrum as she sniffed made you burst into laughter. You couldn’t even be mad at the fact Kurt had just opened the gate with too much trust in them, they were too cute to be mad at their owner.

Looking up, hands finally finding a gentle purchase on Luna’s paw, you saw Kurt stood directly in front of you, momentarily blocking Dozier from his attack of snuggles so you wouldn’t be bombarded, but Luna having snuck past. You couldn’t help but gaze into his open mouthed smile, as he watched you and his previous best pal become buddies.

You were slightly afraid if you opened your mouth, Luna would find her way in there, but you managed a very pleased grin at him as Luna snorted against your chin, desperately trying to lick your face.

Kurt was so happy, watching you, a person he actually really liked, who liked him back, out loud, playing with his dogs, outside his house, smiling at him like that.

He was so distracted he forgot about the pit with more patches of white on them, but it didn’t matter too much as Dozier was just as friendly when they finally got to greet you, sniffing the back of your head and accidentally head butting your shoulder in the process, trying to climb under their sister as they tried to smell you even more. You just laughed more and more at that, and Kurt fell to the ground, bringing his knees up to his chin but making sure his feet just touched yours, as he laughed more genuinely than he felt like he had in years. Well, discounting the times you’d made him laugh recently of course.

The dogs went to go play with Kurt now as well, Dozier happily accepting a few head scratches in trade for leaving Luna to slobber over more of his face, trotting back over to you with a wizzing tail to get less of an interrupted inspection.

You gently tried to lead Dozier down from your face, not exactly wanting any kisses from the mouth, well, not from the dogs, distracting them with ear scratches until their butt was basically landed in your lap to get an equal amount of scritches, laughing each time their tail whipped your leg out of excitement, and how their head bounced back and forth to get a good idea of which ear would be scratched next.

When you finally got a chance to open your eyes without a fear of slobber getting on them- and you’d done a pretty good job of protecting your face, just not your head, or anywhere else- you saw Kurt, who had clearly been trying to speak to you, in a much similar position that you must’ve just been in. With his eyes and face scrunched up so cutely, but still clearly in a big smile, as Luna licked all over his face, wherever she could get. Kurt seemed to resign to his slobbery fate just a little more than you though, it made you giggle. Which of course got Dozier to bound up and go for your chin again. You gently set them down, looking at Kurt again and finally gaining some eye contact, and with both your twisted up smiles, Kurt finally started to stand up, reaching his hand over and, after Luna so graciously accepted first, you took his hand and let him help you up, both pups circling around your feet now, sniffing excitedly at your pants and looking up at their new friend with playful anticipation.

Kurt seemed to get them, letting go of your hand but stepping closer to you in the process, cheeks coloured with pink yet again. “Yeah yeah. You dog-guys go play. We’ll play with you in a minute, okay?” He swept his hair slick with either grease or slobber, likely both, back to the side. Both dogs came up to his legs now, and both demanded attention before they ran off together in Kurt’s land. “Yeah. Good dogs.” He drawled out, grinning.

And that grin stayed on his face as he turned to you, happy and proud, of his dogs and from making you laugh so hard, beaming down on you as he finally had you, y/n, in his yard.

And fuck was Kurt the most adorable boy you’d ever dated.

You practically skipped that last step towards Kurt, before you were close enough to take his hand again. He happily took it without much of a pause this time, still letting you take the lead though on where they went, although your eyes crinkled with your smile as you watched Kurt play with your hands, his eyes just watching as he gently toyed with your fingers. It wasn’t until your legs moved till they crossed with his, and your free hand trailed gently to his chin, making him look right into your eyes, that he did so. His demeanour immediately changed, whilst he still held your hand, he clasped it more for comfort, and except for his eyes that slowly drew down to your mouth, his body began to still. His lips parted, into a small round shape, perfect and plump, hot shallow breaths starting to be audible as he realised what was happening.

His eyes remained warm and lips wet until you didn’t exactly pull away, but you broke eye contact, fake groaning with a pout that still couldn’t wipe away your smile. “Mmmmh! I don’t wanna kiss you nowww.” You drawled, emphasising the now, and moaning like a brat. But Kurt, like usual, didn’t seem to catch on.

He did draw back slightly, but out of confusion. Not enough so your hand would leave his face, but his hair wasn’t dangling above you two anymore. His eyes squinted sadly, before they seemed to get innocently wider. “But, why?”

You laughed. So much of a laugh that Kurt had to get you’d been joking earlier, especially with the way you lightly slapped his chest, but kept your hand on there soothingly afterwards; also, much to his eager and unexpected knowledge, he could tell you liked the way his chest felt under your hands by the way you touched it. His heart beat quicker at the knowledge, and he had to suck in his lips to stop himself from whining like a dog, as he realised you could probably feel it too.

The whine only became audible, once your hand slithered up his chest, past his very sensitive neck, to pat teasingly at his cheek. “Go wash your face pretty boy.”

[magicshopaholic]

Please this was so 😭🥹💕🐶❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Firstly, can I just say how you've nailed the new dog parent aspect? Especially with a puppy, because I related to every single thing. No sleep, constant anxiety, unable to get mad, the straining on the leash - and the damn poop bags. Those damn poop bags.

Welp Seokjin's shoulders have made an appearance

Lmao "run until you're tired" Two years in and this is still a daily thing

I'm SO sorry about your shoes Y/N I really am but how do you get mad at a tiny chocolate labrador 🥲 and the screaming when you leave the room for two whole seconds i'm dECEASED

Not Y/N thinking Seokjin's talking about HER 😭😭😭 No one pays attention to humans when there are doggos around woman

Also, I know this is fictional but I'm so jealous of Perfectly Trained Dog Owner Seokjin

Okay but who wouldn't trade a weasel of a boyfriend for a dog though WHO

I know I'm going on and on about this but every single thing is so accurate - the puppy messes, the spontaneous crying because everything is too much at once, the dog mom guilt - like, the PTSD is setting in fully 😭

PUPPY PURPOSES AKSJKSFJFKA SURE GUYS

Aight hold up Seokjin's cooking! Man's bringing out his move so smoothly it's insane. he's such a sweetheart though, with the conversation and the relief. Only Seokjin 🥹

Okay the sales pitch bit was so cute. I love a couple that can carry a joke longer than the actual joke ❤️ And that kiss - like my heart actually fluttered how are you doing this

Okay and the SECOND kiss - not Seokjin tugging and kissing her ughhh it’s so hot and it’s literally just a kiss? I love it I love it so much

Okay also - I love how you’ve shown how emotionally and mentally drained Y/N is, with work, a new dog, lack of sleep and so many things so when she tells Seokjin that she can’t commit to anymore right now, it makes complete sense. Like, even just reading her point of view I was so tired that I didn’t think a whole relationship was possible atm.

Seokjin nooooo don’t jump to conclusions you Neanderthal 🙄🙄😬😬😢😔😒😒

Okay he’s being so petty and annoying but kudos to Y/N for not being all woe is me about it and actually being a little pissed? Like excuse you shoulder man but we’re not in middle school anymore so stop fkn sulking

Yesss she told him off 👸🏻 idk why but it was still so hurtful? Every time he went all blank - it’s so much worse than actually making a face :(

Okay fine he apologised 🙄 idiot. Jesus Y/N don’t pretend like you don’t want to give him a second chance JUST LET HIM IN

Omg they’re having sex 😍 Yes yes yes Seokjin stay oml he’s stayinggg ♥️♥️♥️

I’m sorry I made most of this about me and my experience as a single dog mom but it was so so real and really, that kind of support from a fellow dog parent but an experienced one is invaluable so in conclusion I love them sm 🥹

Sit. Stay. || KSJ

(banner by @kth1)

Title: Sit. Stay. WC: 14k one-shot Genre: fluff, s2l, neighbors!au, baby angst for a quick minute?, smut

Summary: Your new puppy, Zinnia, has turned your world on its head. She’s ruined everything from your sleep schedule to your favorite shoes, and you know it’s your own failure to train her properly. When your cute upstairs neighbor tells you about a local obedience academy, he slowly starts to make himself a place in your schedule, your life, and your heart. After your last relationship went up in flames, will his affections be something else you can count as a failure?

Rating: NSFW - Minors DNI, i mean it

Warnings: language, casual drinking, a parent is having heart problems and seeing doctors for it, miscommunication sort of, immaturity lol, kissing, mentions of surgery/doctors/hospitals - but everyone is okay!, an argument, protected penetrative sex, doggy style (i mean how could i NOT), fingering, a nanosecond of nip stim

A/N: Written for the Paw Prints Academy Collab hosted by @kth1fics! Typo-check by @oddinary4bts - thank you, Ella!!!

--

You’re asleep, dreaming something plotless - your grandmother, long deceased, is there. It doesn't feel sad - it feels peaceful. It feels like, oh, it’s nice to see you again. 

And it’s ruined, too early, by a long, high-pitched, inhuman cry. You startle awake, heart pounding as your brain scrambles to make sense of the sound. The whine - it’s a whine despite the loudness of it - dies down and is followed by a series of yips and sharp barks. Every noise seems to pierce straight through your skull.

You haven’t slept through a night in four days.

“Zinnia,” you beg, pushing the comforter off your body and making your way blindly across the unlit bedroom, “you have got to chill. You are not dying.”

Zinnia, an eleven-week old chocolate labrador, yaps even louder once she hears your voice.

You’re reinforcing bad behavior by getting up, a voice in your head reminds you.

You know it’s true, but what’s the alternative? Let Zinnia wake up every apartment on the whole floor? 

You open the bedroom door, and Zinnie bounces with excitement in her crate, her tail flapping against the wall of it with a rhythmic thwap-ap-thwap-ap.

You sigh. She’s so dang cute, you can’t even be pissed that it’s two in the morning. “Hi, silly girl,” you say, resigned. She rolls herself in a full circle, going belly up and then back to her feet in less than a second. 

You unlock the crate and watch absently as she catapults around your feet, races into the kitchen, slides across the linoleum and crashes sideways into a wooden cabinet door, and then dashes - unphased - back towards you, barreling into your shins. 

You sigh again and head back to your bedroom for a hoodie and some shoes. Miss Zinnie needs to run, apparently. 

You hook up her leash and grab your keys, patting your pocket to make sure your phone is in there before heading to the hallway. Zinnia zips left and right, tripping you more than once on the way to the elevators. 

You take the elevators up instead of down. There are a lot of perks to your high-end apartment building - covered parking, a pool, a 24-hour gym - but the best is by far the dog run, outside on the twelfth floor. You’ve used it approximately sixty times in the days since you brought Zinnia home. 

You realize as you push open the glass doors to the rooftop space that you forgot poop bags. 

“Zinnia,” you say seriously, “I need you to promise not to poop. Got it?”

Zinnie gags once as she pulls too hard on the leash. You rub a hand over her face and reach down to pick her up, opting to carry her hyper ass the rest of the way to the dog run. You hold the door on your way back in for a tall guy with a baseball cap tugged low over his brow, leading a fluffy, blue-eyed dog back into the building. He nods in thanks and hurries past you. You have to step inside for a second to let him by, his shoulders take up so much of the doorway despite his slender frame. 

“His dog isn’t choking itself on the leash,” you point out to Zinnia sourly. You make your way over to the dog run and make sure to latch the gate before setting Zinnia back on the ground and unclipping her.

“Go, you absolute menace,” you tell her. “Go run until you’re tired. Please, for the love of god, run until you’re tired.”

–

You’ve always gotten a mid-afternoon energy slump; Zinnia’s nighttime shenanigans haven’t helped that at all. You’re bent over your desk, trying to inhale the caffeine from your two pm coffee, when your phone pings on your desk.

Your heart sinks when you see the name of the college kid who’s supposed to watch Zinnia on weekday afternoons. 

“Please just be a cute picture,” you mutter as you unlock your screen. No such luck. The text informs you that, in your absence, Zinnia chewed through a pair of shoes you’d been stupid enough to leave out.

There is an attached picture.

It is not cute. 

–

You get home earlier than normal somehow, letting yourself into the apartment and kicking off your shoes. You immediately pick them back up, cradling them against your chest like they need to be protected.

They kind of do. Zinnia hears you and blasts straight at you, running circles around your legs, tail flopping side to side so hard her whole butt wiggles.

“Hello, silly beast,” you say affectionately, though truth be told you’re still mourning those chucks she’d ruined. 

Ry, Zinnia’s college pal, gathers her belongings and tells you goodbye. Alone with your shoe-destroyer, you sigh and head to your bedroom, closing the door behind you. Abandoned in the living room, Zinnia begins to sing the song of her people.

“Oh my god,” you huff. “Please, can you let me pee and change clothes? It is okay to be alone for five seconds!” 

You ignore her complaints as you do just that, emerging in joggers and a hoodie, and sneakers that aren’t your chucks, since those live in the garbage can now. 

You’d been planning on taking Zinnia on a walk walk, but there are some pretty ominous clouds out there. You pull your phone from your pocket and check the hourly - 80% chance that it’s already raining. 

A quick trip to the dog run will have to be better than nothing. 

You two head to the elevator, and you push the button for the twelfth floor, the ring around the button lighting up red.

The elevator slows to a stop on the eighth floor. The doors open and you spot the dog you’d passed last night, the one with the pretty blue eyes. You raise your eyes to look at its owner, the guy with shoulders the width of the moon.

He’s got a cap on again, but you can see his face today. He lights up when he sees you, stepping inside to let the doors close behind him. He glances at the button panel to make sure his choice is selected - he must be heading to twelve as well.

“We met you last night,” he says slyly, smiling at you. You’re unable to answer for a second; he’s so good-looking you think he must model or something. He’s got a strong brow, beautiful dark eyes, and lips that should be a museum, carved from marble.

“I think we did,” you agree, feeling suddenly shy, completely unqualified to speak to this absolute god.

“We did,” he says confidently. “I’d remember a face that cute anywhere.”

You feel yourself flush, suddenly so warm that you want to strip off your hoodie and maybe your shoes too, just to cool down. Then you realize that he’s looking down at Zinnia, whose tail is wagging so ferociously that she’s almost toppling over as she sniffs noses with the stranger’s dog.

“Is she okay?” you ask suddenly. “Do I need to –?”

“It’s fine,” he says easily, flapping a hand at you. “Blue’s very maternal. She knows a baby when she sees one.”

“Okay,” you say, sighing a little in relief. Being a Bad Dog Owner is bad enough, you’d hate to make a mistake with someone else’s dog in the equation. 

The elevator doors open on the twelfth floor, and the guy holds out a hand, beckoning you to go first. You try to exit, but Zinnia is so obsessed with the guy’s dog - Blue - that she won’t budge.

“Good god,” you grumble, reaching down to lift her, stalking out of the elevator with only a scrap of your dignity. You’re pretty sure you hear the guy snicker as he follows you towards the doors to outside. 

There’s an elderly lady and a corgi in the dog run, and you and the guy from the eighth floor hurry through the gate and latch it quickly. 

Zinnia takes off sprinting the second you unclip her. Blue trots over to the corgi first.

“So,” you say. “You have a dog that listens.”

The grin he shoots you is amused. “I’ve had Blue for almost eight years. You have a baby. A lot of her behavior right now - the energy, chewing on everything she finds - she’ll grow out of.”

“That’s a relief,” you say, thinking of the ruined chair legs under your kitchen table. You’d had that kitchen set for a decade and Zinnia left it covered in teeth-marks within the seven minutes it took you to switch laundry loads. 

He shrugs. “Some of it has to be trained out, though,” he warns you.

“Damn,” you sigh. A raindrop hits the back of your hand; instinctively, you raise your eyes to the clouds. Beside you, the guy does the same. On the other end of the dog run, the older lady calls her corgi over and clips its leash, ready to head in.

“You better pee fast, you monster,” you tell Zinnia, who doesn’t hear you and wouldn’t care even if she did.

The guy laughs quietly under his breath, then whistles once. Blue stops sniffing the ground and trots over immediately. Either his competence is really sexy, or you’re biased by his face. 

“I’m Seokjin, by the way,” he says, looking up at you as he bends over to clip the leash back on. “Most people just call me Jin. This is Blue.”

As the rain starts to patter more strongly, you tell him your name, and then point at your bonkers puppy, who is currently trying to wedge herself under the metal beam below a bench. “That absolute disaster is Zinnia.”

He smiles and repeats it. “We’ll see you around,” he says, heading back in towards the building, leaving you and your puppy in a suddenly steady rain. 

–

You stagger like a zombie to the elevators in the morning, hands clasped around a travel mug full of hot tea. Inside, you lean heavily against the wall, willing your eyes to stay open as you descend. 

You’ve made it down two floors before you even register that another human is in there with you. One more before you register that you know that human.

“There she is,” he says brightly, when he sees that you’ve clocked him, finally. “Good morning!”

“Sorry,” you say, smiling ruefully. “I’m exhausted.”

He nods understandingly. “New puppies will do that,” he says, still cheerful. “Are you crate-training her at night?”

“Trying to,” you grumble. “It’s not going great.”

He seems like he’s going to answer, but the elevator stops on floor three and four more people shuffle in between you. When you’re released into the lobby, he nods goodbye from the opposite side of the small crowd as you make your way through the front doors. 

–

You barely make it through the work-day without taking an illegal nap at your desk, but somehow you do. When you get home, Ry slipping out your front door the second she hears you, you want nothing more than to collapse on the couch and close your eyes. 

Instead, you leash up Zinnia - without even changing clothes first - and head up to the dog run. You figure if she handles her business now, it might buy you a few hours of couch time.

You also wonder if the guy - Jin - is usually out there right around now. He was yesterday, after all. Maybe that’s his normal schedule. 

He’s out there before you, this time. Your hunch was right. You unclip Zinnia and lean back against the fence, hoping you don’t fall asleep on your feet like this.

Jin sidles up beside you and you can’t deny the warm, pleased feeling that rises up in you. 

“Tough day at work?” he asks.

You can’t fight the smile off your face - you don’t even try. “Normal,” you say. “Yours?”

He shrugs. “Normal.”

You wait a beat, two beats. Jin leans comfortably next to you, his eyes watching Blue as she runs happily alongside someone’s doberman. 

“What do you do?” you ask, curiosity getting the best of you. 

He gives you a sideways look that you can’t decipher. “You’ll be disappointed,” he says, sort of like a warning.

This surprises you. “Disappointed? Why?”

He shrugs. “It’s pretty boring.”

Your smile turns a little knowing. “And you don’t like looking boring?”

His mouth twists to the side. “I don’t like feeling boring. But anyway - I’m a salesman. I work at a sporting goods store. I do consultations for certain equipment, but most of the time I’m just trying to make commission.”

I think with that smile you could probably sell me a used tissue, you think unhelpfully. 

“That’s more exciting than mine,” you tell him, hoping it cheers him up. “I spend all eight hours behind a desk.”

He grimaces. “Do you hate it?” he asks. 

No one’s ever framed the question like that before. You ponder this as, across the dog run, Zinnia happily harasses a pair of doodle-mixes. 

“I don’t hate it,” you say slowly, weighing the truth of the words. “It’s just… monotonous, sometimes.”

“So you got a puppy to break up the monotony,” he guesses. 

Now it’s your turn to grimace. “I got a puppy because my boyfriend moved out.”

He turns to look at you sharply, expression stricken. “I’m sorry - I didn’t -.”

“It’s fine,” you assure him. “I kicked him out. Caught him - well - it doesn’t matter. The point is I wasn’t sad to see him go. And I’d been trying for a long time to talk him into getting a dog, so. I gave myself a few months to get back on my feet and then I got myself a damn dog.”

And now she’s eating everything I own, you don’t add.

“Sorry you went through that,” Jin says seriously. You wave him off.

“It’s ancient history,” you tell him. “Besides, I’d trade him for Zinnie any day. Even when she pees inside.”

He laughs at this. 

You stand chatting for a while - long enough for the doodle-mixes to get taken inside, and for a whole herd of dachshunds to come, chase circles around Zinnia for thirty minutes, and leave again, shepherded out by a middle-aged man. Long enough to learn that Jin went to college in the city, has an advanced degree in Business Management that he’s never used, adopted Blue when he was twenty-one. Long enough to learn that his parents live on the coast, that he can do most board-centered sports well, that he likes food and video games more than he likes most people. Long enough for him to learn your answers to the same questions. 

“I should probably take her in,” he says finally, as dusk settles around you. “We both need dinner.”

“Sure,” you say. “I should, too. Zinnie! Zin! Zinnia, come!”

Jin snorts as Zinnia happily ignores you. 

–

Your Friday is off to a bad start. Not only did Zinnie scream through the night, until you caved and let her out of the crate and spent the rest of the night on the couch so she wouldn’t feel lonely, but you break a heel on your way out the door. 

The sudden break sends you sprawling onto your carpeted entryway floor. Your thermos of tea rolls away - thankfully sealed tight - but you feel your tights tear on your knee where you land. And your face ends up almost under a kitchen chair, eye to eye with a delightful little gift that Zinnia must have left you sometime while you were trying to get dressed.

You pushed yourself to your feet, eye your ripped tights and then the clock, and burst into tears on the spot. “Zinnia!” you wail. “I do not have time to go change! And I definitely do not have time to scrub the carpet right now!”

You do both, shooting the puppy death-stares as you scoot out of the apartment twenty minutes late with a blotchy face. You’d better not meet Seokjin in the elevators today, like this.

Luckily you don’t - but that’s about the last good thing you can say about the rest of your day. You get a nasty email from your boss for arriving late, you realize once you get to your office that you’d left your thermos of tea back on your kitchen table after you’d tripped, and Ry texts you to say she’s got a flu and she can’t take Zinnia out to pee after lunch the way she usually does. 

You can’t leave early to handle it; you’re already in hot water for being late. You have to accept the fact that you’ll be going home to a mess - Zinnia can’t be expected to hold it that long, and it’s your fault, not hers. You just hope that, without someone there to play with her, her tiny, baby bladder is the only mess you’ll find, and not more ruined furniture. 

It sucks, and you feel horrible - hoping she doesn’t cry and bark all afternoon, alone - but there’s nothing you can do about it.

When you get home, it’s about what you expected. You spray the carpet, hurry to change clothes, then come out to scrub where the spray had been sitting. You clean this up, and then the shreds of paper towel from the paper towel roll that Zinnia somehow got from the kitchen table, and face the puppy, utterly exhausted and at wit’s end. Somehow, you find yourself wanting to cry again.

“Maybe,” you tell her, as she looks up at you expectantly, “I am just not meant to be a dog parent. Maybe you need someone who knows what they’re doing. Or works from home. Or has a roommate to help. Something. Something that isn’t this.”

Oblivious to your emotional spiral, oblivious that you’re questioning your place in her life, Zinnia lays down and yawns, pink tongue curling and paws stretching as far as they can reach. 

You skip the dog run. You think she probably needs an actual walk since Ry didn’t play with her this afternoon, and you don’t think you can face Seokjin in your current mood. He’ll either be friendly or sympathetic, and you can’t handle either of those with grace right now. 

You strap Zinnia into an actual harness, not trusting her on just a clip-leash off the apartment property, and head towards the river. You detour through the park on your way, hoping the fresh air, exercise, and sunshine will work their magic.

They don’t. You fight back tears all the way to the riverside, Zinnia trotting along at times, pulling the leash towards passersby and random garbage at others. 

Near the river, you spot a restaurant with outdoor seating. A few tables have brought their dogs; they lay on the pavement next to their humans’ tables happily, causing no fuss.

“What do you think?” you ask Zinnia wryly. “Can you be good long enough for one drink?”

You don’t give her the choice, getting yourself a table and tying her leash securely to your chair. One drink turns into two, then somehow you’re working on a third, your chin resting in your hand, a little stormcloud brewing above your head. 

You’re startled when a body drops into the chair across from yours. You reach for Zinnia’s leash, alarmed, and then you realize it’s only Jin.

“What are you doing here?” you ask, at the same time that he says, “You look miserable.”

You stare at each other, not sure who should address what first. 

“I was on my way home,” he explains. “The subway stop here isn’t that far from our place, so I’ll take it sometimes when the weather’s nice.”

You nod, accepting this. Then you decide to address what he’d said. “I am miserable,” you admit. “I am the worst dog owner on the planet. Come see me in five years, I will have one hellion of a dog, and exactly zero unruined square inches of apartment.”

Jin looks at you with an expression that’s both amused at your hyperbole and a bit sympathetic. You don’t know what you expect him to say, but it isn’t this - he leans forward, brows furrowing seriously, and asks you, “Can I make a suggestion?”

“Please,” you say, somewhat desperately. “I will take any suggestions.”

He sits back, the intensity leaving his face. “I have a few friends who work at this place in town? It’s called Paw Prints Academy.”

You chuckle. “Is it for bad dogs?”

He flashes you a smile. “Their secret, unofficial motto is there are no bad dogs, only bad owners.”

“Sounds like the place for me,” you admit. 

“They’ve got it all - obedience classes, experts to run your questions by, groomers, boarding, day care.”

“It sounds great,” you say. “I obviously need some expert help. I’m a disaster.”

“I’ll send you their website,” Jin promises, and then pauses, his hand halfway to his phone. He seems, suddenly, less sure. The tips of his ears are suddenly red. “I… that is… if you’re okay with giving me your number?”

You hide your smile behind a hand. “Sure,” you say, trying to bite back the grin. “You can have my number.”

“For puppy purposes,” he clarifies with a cheeky smile. As if you both know that’s a lie.

“For puppy purposes,” you reassure him, feeling your little stormcloud start to dissipate.

–

Seokjin doesn’t abuse having your number. He sends you the website to Paw Prints Academy, and adds, “my friend’s name is jimin, tell him you know me” and then you don’t hear from him again. You call the academy and get Zinnia registered for obedience courses. You also sign yourself up for a seminar called New Puppy 101. 

Slowly, things actually start looking up. It happens in a trickle, so gradually it’s barely noticeable. You don’t notice - until the first morning your alarm goes off and you realize with a jolt of terror that Zinnia hadn’t woken you up in the middle of the night, even once.

But when you trip over your own feet in a panic, throwing open your bedroom door, terrified of what you’ll find… you find Zinnia lying peacefully on her side in her crate. She begins to thump her tail happily when she sees you, and you nearly sag with relief. 

Things improve for you at work, too; it’s almost like getting a full night’s sleep makes you more productive or something. 

You go a full five days without scrubbing your carpet or throwing away any shoes.

And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that you meet Seokjin and Blue up in the dog run nearly every evening after work. 

It’s during one of these unscheduled, yet oddly routine instances that Jin points out Zinnia’s progress. 

You’re leaning against the fence together, watching absently as the dogs run around, as you have almost every day lately. Sure, you take Zinnia up as soon as you get home from work for her sake. But the coincidence that Jin is usually there around the same time doesn’t hurt.

“She seems way better,” he observes, turning his head to watch Zinnia zip by. “I can’t believe how big she’s gotten, too.”

“I know, right?” you explode, responding to both observations at once. But you can’t help it - you’re proud. “Watch this! Zinnia! Zinnie!”

And Zinnia, your wild baby, stops running and turns to look at you eagerly, waiting. 

“Sit!” you call.

And Zinnia sits.

Seokjin whistles low, appreciative. 

“Jimin’s a miracle worker,” he says. “I’m glad you called them.”

“Me too,” you admit. “Did I ever thank you for sending me their info? Because, seriously, I think you saved my life.”

Jin laughs, full and deep.  

It scares you how much you like the feeling of making him laugh. It makes you want to sprint out of there, with or without Zinnia, hopping the fence if you have to.

–

The next afternoon, you get home and get ready to head up to the dog run. It’s a beautiful day, but you barely notice as you rotely go through the motions - change shoes, clip Zinnia’s leash, grab your keys from the countertop, head for the elevator. You keep your phone in your hand, hoping for a vibration, terrified of the vibration.

The dog run is empty when you get there; normally you’d be a little bummed that Jin isn’t there with Blue as he is almost every weekday evening, but today you’re relieved that you don’t have to try to carry a conversation. You unclip Zinnia, who darts away, and give a heavy sigh, leaning heavily against the fence, your phone still between your white-knuckled fingers.

Your relief is short-lived, because the building door opens less than two minutes later and Blue leads Jin out into the sunshine. 

He smiles when he sees you, loping over and taking his now-familiar spot next to you as Blue sniffs the ground next to the metal bench to your left. 

He’s chattering at you, and you think you’re answering, but it all kind of flows around you. After a few minutes of this, he pauses mid-sentence, brows furrowing.

“Hey,” he says kind of softly - there’s a definite change in his tone, which is honestly the thing that grabs your attention. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you answer on instinct. “All good.”

There’s something sharp in his sideways glance. “You sure? You seem distracted.”

You wave the hand holding your phone a little, nodding your head toward it. “My dad’s at a cardiologist appointment right now. I’m waiting to hear if everything is fine… or if everything is not fine, in which case I probably need to go pack a bag and look up train times…” You trail off. Seokjin is listening intently, his face serious. You feel a flush of embarrassment anyway. “Sorry. I shouldn’t unload on you. We’re practically strangers.”

The crease between his eyebrows deepens with his frown.

“Well, now my feelings are hurt,” he complains. 

You blink back at him, surprised. This was not the response you were expecting. 

“I thought we were friends,” he continues, an exaggerated pout creeping into his tone and onto his features. “I don’t keep a steady schedule at the complex’s dog run for just anybody, you know.”

Your heart trips over its own feet and faceplants in the dirt. You feel your eyes go wide as he puts words to something you’d suspected but had been afraid to assume - that you’d both been coming here at the same time on purpose. Not just you, but him too.

The playfulness melts away with the fake pout, and he’s back to looking at you seriously. “Have you had dinner?” he asks. There’s something gentle about the way he says the words; you feel something warm drop to your toes, intoxicating. “Let me cook for you.”

“You cook?” you blurt. 

He smiles warmly, a touch of amusement in it. Like he’s thinking, but is too polite to say, how much you don’t know about him. It’s definitely what you’re thinking. 

“Come on,” he says, heading around you towards the gate, giving your elbow a gentle touch on his way by. “I’ll make you something good.”

–

Jin’s apartment is cleaner than you’d expected, to be honest. He sets you up at his breakfast bar with a generously poured glass of red wine and gets to work in the kitchen. 

“Is Zinnie okay?” you ask him, looking over your shoulder anxiously as Zinnia sniffs his couch frantically, like the fabric is holding every secret the universe could ever hold. “She tends to… chew. It’s been better since we started classes with Jimin, but nobody’s perfect.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Jin says, waving a hand at you. “Blue did her share of damage to my stuff when she was a baby.”

You watch him in comfortable silence as he dices vegetables, a pot of water heating on the stovetop. Maybe it’s the wine talking, but it’s lowkey pretty sexy how he works a kitchen knife. It’s almost enough to distract you from the churning pit of anxiety in your stomach as you tap your fingers absently on your darkened phone screen.

“So it’s been going well with Jimin, huh?” Jin asks over his shoulder, and you tear your gaze away from your phone and try to catch up to the conversation.

“Oh,” you say, once you’ve processed. “Really well, actually. I think he’s a dog genius.”

Jin laughs at this, lifting the cutting board to slide what he’s chopped into the pot of water. Then he comes over to his side of the breakfast bar and picks up the other glass of red wine, still untouched. 

“He’s good at his job,” Jin agrees. “I don’t know about genius. Did you know he’s secretly a cat person?”

This makes you giggle a little, your eyes falling back to your screen. Again, Jin tries to pull you back.

“Is she following any other commands now?” He eyes you over the top of his wine glass as he takes a long drink from it.

You smile a little, well aware that he’s distracting you on purpose, well aware that you aren’t sure you deserve this level of care from him. 

But apparently you’re friends.

“She’s pretty good about here, and sit,” you say. “Not so good with stay. It’s a work in progress.”

Jin grins at this, something sparkling in his eyes. 

“She’s sleeping in her crate at night, too,” you add.

“Wow,” Jin says, eyebrows raising. “That must be nice.”

“I don’t know how I was surviving before,” you tell him seriously, and he laughs again as he turns back to the stove to handle something.

You chat like this, in starts and stops, until the meal is done. Jin slides a steaming bowl before you and sets up a few sides before coming to take the seat to your right. Zinnia appears underfoot, nose sniffing wildly.

“I agree,” you tell her seriously. “It smells amazing. Who taught you to cook?”

His smile softens, going a little sideways. “My grandfather, actually. Weird, right? He was widowed when my dad and my aunts and uncles were all pretty little, so he had to learn, had to feed all those kids.”

“That’s not weird at all,” you tell him. “It’s actually kind of beautiful.”

Emboldened, Jin continues, the fond smile remaining on his face. “He’s a brilliant cook - we’ve told him forever he should have a cooking channel.”

You laugh a little. “People would probably be into that. Especially if you were the assistant.”

This comes out of your mouth without you realizing; the second you register that it has, you feel yourself blush furiously. And, dammit, Jin clocks the whole thing.

“Oh yeah?” he asks, that soft smile turning razor sharp. “Why’s that?”

You’re saved by your phone buzzing on the table, the screen coming to life, illuminating with the notification from your messaging app: Mom.

Frantically, you swipe to open the message, eyes flying across the screen as you read her update. Then, you close your eyes, pressing your forehead to the breakfast bar, the fake granite cool beneath your skin, letting out a shaky exhale.

You feel Jin; he’s instantly in your space, one large hand resting lightly over your shoulder as he hovers closer to you. Aside from his hand on your back, comforting, he’s not touching you at all. But somehow it feels like he’s surrounding you.

He says your name quietly, inquisitively. 

You reach out blindly, your hand finding his knee. “It’s okay,” you say, taking a deep breath and sitting up. Your head spins. You press the heels of your hands to your eyes and take another deep, bracing breath. Seokjin’s hand stays on your back. “It’s good news.”

You hear Jin exhale beside you, his fingers twitching against your shoulder blade, almost like he had the reflex to squeeze you and fought it just a second too late. It strikes you, deeply, that he’s relieved. He doesn’t know your parents, has no real stake here. But his relief is palpable next to you; your worry had become his own. 

“I’m sorry,” you tell him. Your problems shouldn’t be his to bear. “I know I wasn’t great company tonight.”

He shakes his head, following your lead and placing his hand back on his own legs, as if wanting to cover the spot on his knee that you’d left vacant. “I enjoyed your company,” he says openly. “I’m glad you came over.”

You sit in silence, both sneaking glances, neither knowing what move to make yet. You feel like you’re playing Chutes and Ladders and a chute just sent you sideways around the Peppermint Forest and dumped you seven spaces ahead when you don’t really belong there yet. Or maybe you’re mixing up your board games. 

“I should probably go give them a call,” you say reluctantly. “Can I help you clean up? You cooked.”

“No,” he says firmly, shaking his head. Both dogs look up at this familiar word, gauging if they’re the ones in trouble. This makes you smile, and it breaks you out of the weird headspace you were in. “I’ll clean up.”

You rise, calling to Zinnia as you grab her leash. You clip her up and head for the door. Jin trails behind you, walking you out. You pause near the door, looking at him balefully.

“Thank you,” you say quietly. “Seriously - for everything. For… caring about my problems. For the delicious food. For cooking and cleaning up. You should have let me do the dishes.”

He smiles at you, sunlight spun into the quirk of his lips, the soft wrinkle at the edges of his eyes. “If you’re that worried about it, I know how you can make it up to me,” he says, his voice a little teasing. 

“Oh?” You quirk an eyebrow. You’ve got emotional whiplash; in the last three hours you’ve gone from flirting to panicking to soft to awkward to flirting again and you cannot keep up.

He leans against the wall, crosses his arms over his chest, that smile turning sharp again. God, you like his face so much. You like him so much. “Mhm,” he says, mock seriously. “I found a trail I want to check out with Blue, but as a general rule I don’t do mountains alone.”

“Sure,” you deadpan. “You need an Adventure Buddy.”

“Yes,” he says eagerly, snapping his fingers in excitement. “Exactly. So, what do you think? This weekend? The weather’s supposed to be great.”

“Can I let you know?” you ask. “Text me the details.” Truth be told, you want to look up the trail first and decide if it seems too challenging. 

Jin slips out of that teasing, flirtatious mode easily. “Sure,” he says, all casual again. He’s so hard to keep up with, you think you’ll never get used to it. “I’ll text you.” 

You open the door, tripping over Zinnia a little as she pushes past you into the hallway, but you’re stopped when Jin says your name one more time. You look back over your shoulder, curious.

“I’m glad your dad’s okay,” he says, giving you a rueful smile.

You give a tiny smile back before Zinnia bodily tugs you further away, spurring you into movement. “Thanks,” you say, and turn to go.

–

[9:19 PM] You: idk about this trail…. looking at the elevation… do you think it’ll be too hard for Zinnie? she’s just a baby :’)

[9:21 PM] Seokjin: the elevation’s misleading, it’s honestly not that bad

[9:22 PM] Seokjin: you’ll be totally fine

[9:23 PM] Seokjin: oops i mean “Zinnia” will be totally fine 😏

[9:23 PM] You: … what exactly are you implying here

[9:24 PM] Seokjin: just that any and all babies will be fine :) 

[9:25 PM] You: …….i think we’re fighting

–

Seokjin drives you - and the dogs - to the trailhead early Saturday morning, the low rising sun dodging in and out between buildings as they pass you by. The forecast calls for a beautiful day - bright and clear, not too hot to hike, but not so chilly that you’ll shiver the whole first leg. 

As Seokjin parks and organizes his backpack, you stand next to the car, shielding your eyes and peering at the top.

He laughs when he notices, the sound alive and as bright as the weather. “It’s not as bad as it looks,” he promises, coming close, looking at the top with you. His presence, so close to you, feels thrilling - like electricity, like a promise.

“You keep saying that,” you deadpan, “but if Zinnia conks out on me, you’re carrying her up the mountain and back.”

“Have some faith,” he teases, and heads for the place where the trees split, the path tamped down from many feet, leading into thick forest.

Zinnia keeps up pretty well, actually, and you and Seokjin set a steady pace up the trail. 

About a half a mile in, he asks, “How’s your dad?”

It startles you, and you look over at him kind of wildly. He looks back at you like it’s nothing - like it’s nothing that he remembered and thought to ask - waiting for your response.

“Fine,” you say, a habit. Then, reconsidering, you add, “I mean, the same. He’s got more tests and stuff lined up, but the verdict from the cardiologist was that there’s no immediate concern. So… that was a relief. His primary care doctor looked at his EKG results and said to go immediately, so we were pretty scared.”

“I’d be scared, too,” he admits. “I’m glad you got good news. I would have been a wreck.”

You continue talking as you walk - about your families, your parents, your siblings. This moves into a conversation about things you both remember from growing up, until the conversation has delved into you both laughing too hard to get a sentence out as you manage, “Wait - wait, do you remember -?”

This takes the conversation to old movies you remember fondly.

“Can you believe my ex had never even heard of those?” you ask a little indignantly, before registering that maybe that was a weird thing to say. 

But Seokjin takes it in stride. “The one who cheated on you? We’ve established his poor taste already.” 

This makes you giggle. “Yes, that winner.” 

He looks over at you, as the trail veers left and sharply steepens. “I’m sorry you went through that,” he says evenly. “I can kind of relate. It’s not fun.”

You peer back at him, not sure how heavy this conversation is going to, or should, get. 

Hesitantly, you ask, “Do you want to tell me about it? I don’t want to… y’know. Pry.”

He shrugs. “At the end of the day, there’s not much to tell. My last girlfriend… I don’t think she cheated - or, well, I never had proof that she did.”

“You suspected?”

He wiggles his head, indicating a maybe. “I think it was heading that way with her and a co-worker. It’s possible that I ended things before it got to that point. But she started lying to me about him - about little stuff, stuff that shouldn’t matter. And I just… I’m a pretty understanding, easy-going guy, but I’m not going to tolerate someone lying to my face.”

You continue in silence for a few minutes, weighing these words in your mind, adding this new knowledge to the idea of Jin that’s in your head. 

Then, he flashes you a cheesy grin and says lightly, “And that’s my sales pitch! Want to date me?”

You laugh out loud, mostly in surprise. But he’s still looking at you, and you feel your eyebrows raise.

“Was that a real question?” you ask, a little disbelieving. God, he’s the most unserious person you’ve ever met. 

“A little bit,” he admits. 

Stunned, you manage, “You might need to do a harder sell.”

His brows furrow dramatically. “Please, I’m a catch. Didn’t you taste my food the other night?” 

“That’s true,” you muse. “The food was bomb. I’ll think about it. Gotta decide if this purchase will break the bank or not.”

While you’re just going along with his little bit, it kind of feels like code. You do need to consider if you can afford dating Jin - emotionally. Mentally. Are you ready for a relationship again? Would that even be what he wants?

“That’s fair,” he says easily. “Crunch some numbers and let me know.”

You think with anyone else it would be awkward the rest of the way, but Jin doesn’t allow it to be. He carries the conversation onto the next topic - gossip about your dog-trainer, Jimin - without a hitch.

You follow the conversation somewhat absently, still in your head, questions rising up to stare at you like Marley’s ghost, covered in chains. What do you want? What are you ready for? 

You aren’t sure - about any of it. But Seokjin’s presence feels like warm rays of sunshine, warming you from a chill you didn’t know you had, and his laugh feels like the toll of city bells, telling you it’s time to come home. 

–

Zinnia doesn’t conk out on her way up the mountain, but she definitely slows. Jin ties the girls’ leashes to a low branch near the trail and fishes a collapsible water bowl from his backpack, filling it with water and setting it down.

“Wow, that’s fancy,” you marvel, as Zinnia attacks the water bowl with vigor, water splashing the rock beneath, painting everything a darker shade of grey. “If we’re gonna keep doing this, I might need to get one of those.”

But Jin’s attention isn’t on the dogs anymore - it’s on the view. He’s wandered to the edge of the flat expanse of rock, where grey meets the green of far down below. You join him, and he puts an arm around your shoulders, glancing at you to make sure this is okay. You look out at the view, and it is beautiful… but your mind is too busy to appreciate it.

“Jin…” you say slowly, and he looks down at you, hand tightening against your shoulder almost reflexively. 

“Hm?”

“If I were interested… what exactly are the terms of sale?” you murmur, feeling kind of shy. 

Jin laughs, delighted, throwing his head back with it. His hair falls away from his face and he uses the hand that’s not on your shoulder to push it back. “What do you want them to be?” he asks, and you feel a tingle down to your toes at the dangerous undercurrent that flows along with the question. 

“I’m not totally sure,” you admit quietly. “Is there any kind of… trial period? Any way to start is slow and see how it goes?”

Seokjin gives you an understanding squeeze. “Listen, as much as I love the bit and your dedication to it, I really want to communicate clearly about this. So - just to be very clear - I’d really like to date you. If you’re more comfortable starting slowly, I’m okay with that.”

You press your lips together, reaching a hand up to gently touch his fingers where they rest on your shoulder, considering. 

Seokjin watches your face, then says, “I know a great burger joint on the way home. Let me buy your dinner, and we can call this a first date. What do you think?”

You turn to face him, looking up and up into his warm eyes, and his hand shifts from your shoulder to the center of your back, holding you loosely enough that you don’t feel held in place, feel free to go if that’s what you choose. 

“That’s a pretty good first date,” you say seriously. “But it’s really gonna depend on how the burgers are.”

He grins, cocky. “They’re pretty good,” he says. “But, honestly, mine are better.” Then, he presses the knuckle of his index finger gently to the bottom of your chin and kisses you gently - again, so gently it’s barely there, so gently it would have taken just a breath of space for you to pull away if you wanted to. 

You don’t; instead you press forward, pressing your lips more firmly against his, your hands coming to rest on his upper arms, feather-light. Behind you, Zinnia begins yipping - loud, insistent, each sharp sound piercing the silence around you.

You pull away from Jin, flushing, pleased to see a smile on his face. “She’s just jealous,” he deadpans. 

You roll your eyes, laughing. “Please. She gets to kiss me all the time. She can share.”

Laughing, Jin heads for the dogs, ready to head back down to the cars. “Come on,” he says over his shoulder. “Let’s go get some pretty good burgers.”

–

They are good - better than pretty good, you think, and you tell Seokjin so after a beer and a half at the burger joint’s outdoor patio. The mountain you’d tackled looms in the distance, blue and shadowy.

“I’m telling you, mine are better,” Jin insists. “I have a secret method.”

“Yeah?” You tease. “Taking it to the grave?”

“You say that like it’s a joke,” he says seriously. “But I am.” 

On the wooden deck beneath you, Zinnia lays on her side, eyelids fluttering and paws twitching as she dreams.

“We really knocked her out,” you observe.

Jin laughs, reaching his arms over his head to stretch, the movement causing his shirt to ride up just enough to show a slip of belly before it falls back into place. You try not to look, try not to remember kissing him at the mountain’s top. 

“That’ll be us in a few hours,” he jokes. “I always knock out after a hike like this.”

“I’m going to be sore for days,” you agree, rubbing your calves in anticipation of the aching muscles you’ll have tomorrow.

“I have a suggestion,” Jin says, voice low. You flush, expecting him to flirt, to offer to rub your tired legs or something suggestive. Instead he says, “You ever try epsom salts?”

You blink at him, bamboozled. You just can’t predict him - he zigs when you expect a zag every damn time. 

“I have, yeah,” you finally stammer. “I don’t think I have any left, though.”

“I have a huge bag,” he tells you, finishing the last of his second beer in one long draught. When he sets down his glass he tells you, “I’ll bring you the bag later. It’ll help a lot, I promise.”

You look him over. “You’re a guy with a lot of solutions, huh?”

He coughs, averting his gaze. You notice the tips of his ears turning pink and you hide a smile behind your hand. So cute. 

“I try to be solution-oriented, yes,” he mumbles, embarrassed. 

There’s no sign of that - the pink ears, the averted eyes, the mumbling - when he shows up at your door about twenty minutes after you arrive home. Zinnia is passed out on the floor behind you, having first lapped up her body weight in water from her silver bowl in the kitchen. As for you, all you’ve managed to do so far is shed your sneakers, your jacket, and the tshirt that had been sticking to your back, leaving you in athletic leggings and a sports bra. 

Jin’s gaze sweeps you from head to toe and then settles determinedly on your eyes, like he’s got to work at it. “I brought the epsom salts,” he tells you unnecessarily, holding up the bag. 

“I see that,” you murmur, feeling warm under his gaze. “Thanks.”

You reach to take the bag from him, but he tugs back on it a little, effectively pulling you to him. You trip into his arms willingly, ready for it this time when he kisses you. 

He walks you backwards into your apartment, out of the threshold, letting the door close behind him. You hit the wall of your entryway, let him cage you in against it, his lips insistent against yours. When he runs a hand softly up your arm, summoning a wave of goosebumps in its wake, you sigh against his lips. 

He takes advantage of the opening, teasing your bottom lip with his tongue before venturing further. You open for him happily, leaning back against the wall, reveling in the feeling of his strong arms on either side of you, the feeling of his tongue sliding against your own, the feeling of his hair between your fingers - when had you grabbed his hair?

You kiss him until you’re dizzy, until your legs feel weak beneath you, until you feel his hand travel from between your shoulder blades, to the small of your back, to the side of your ribs.

You break the kiss gently, nearly panting for breath. You can feel Jin’s pulse jumping as he does the same.

You look at each other for a long moment, communicating silently, weighing options.

You could invite him in. He’s here already, Zinnia’s unconscious, you’re holding a bag of bath salts (wait, no, the bag is on the ground - when did you drop it?). But something in your stomach tugs, tells you not yet. So that’s what you tell him, on a whisper, your teeth coming to toy with your swollen bottom lip as soon as the words are out - not yet. I’m sorry.

“Hey,” he says, cupping your cheek with a hand, so soft. “It’s okay. I wasn’t expecting anything. Don’t apologize.”

You glance around the room, desperate for a distraction, but nothing comes. “I, um,” you say, looking anywhere but him, “I think I’m gonna try the salts now. My legs are like jello.”

He gives you a tiny grin, and you roll your eyes. “From the hike!” you protest.

He gives you a playfully disbelieving look but backs off, giving you some space again. “Sure, of course,” he says, smirking. 

You bend to pick up the discarded bag, holding it in your hands, feeling along the rubber zipper. Then, you cross Jin’s path and open the front door again, looking up to find him still watching you.

He gives you a playful smile. “I had a nice first date and a half,” he says, losing the fight against a pleased smile. 

You huff out a laugh. “This was the half?” you clarify.

“I don’t kiss like that on the first date,” he sniffs in mock indignation.

You giggle, following behind him as he heads to the hallway. “Goodnight, Seokjin. Thanks for the salts. And the date and a half.”

–

You soak away your sore muscles and sleep deeper than you have in months. 

Your days continue this way as April’s grey and rainy afternoons give way to sunshine, bright afternoons, trees starting to bud as the temperature grows milder. You meet Jin at the dog run every afternoon unless you text to make different plans - sometimes a walk with the dogs through the park nearby, sometimes dinner out, sometimes dinner in. 

Dinner in usually means more kissing.

Sometimes, dinner out does, too.

In retrospect, you should have known. You should have known that as you fall for Seokjin little by little something else must be coming. Things can’t just be bright sunshine and Seokjin’s laugh, Zinnia’s wagging tail and linked fingers under starry skies.

Your brother shows up at your door, unannounced, almost a full month after your first date with Jin.

You almost don’t recognize him; it’s not that you haven’t seen him in that long - you have. It’s just that he’s still a kid in your head, a gangly, acne-prone teenager with earpods and a scowl. The man who stares at you, a rolling suitcase in hand, is in a suit. He looks put-together, and grown.

You say his name nervously, and he sort of grimaces at you. 

“Sorry I didn’t call,” he says. “I’ve been on the phone with Mom and the doctors.”

“Doctors?” you echo, backing up to let him inside. 

He gives you a look as he wheels his little suitcase inside. You don’t like the look. It says something bad is coming. 

“It’s Dad,” he says.

–

You end up going out to grab dinner - you have no groceries to cook him a meal, and you’re a terrible cook anyway.

Your little brother fills you in - that cardiologist appointment over a month ago had ended with a positive outcome. They’d told your parents not to worry, there was no immediate danger, but there were certainly concerns.

Concerns that had worsened in the following month, apparently.

“They’re going to see a cardio team at the hospital here in the city,” your brother explains. “Mom was going to call and explain all of this to you, but I told her I was coming here anyway. She can focus on them - getting a hotel set up, packing, all that stuff. It looks like he’ll probably need surgery - they’ll decide at his appointment tomorrow. If that’s the case, they’ll stay in the city for a little until he’s recovered enough to go home again.”

You feel like you’re in shock; it’s a lot all at once. Your whole family suddenly in your city, under terrible circumstances. Surgery? Heart surgery?

“I’ll get a hotel, too, if it turns out they’ll be here a long time,” he says.

You come back to earth sharply. “You don’t need to do that. You’re welcome with me and Zinnia as long as you need, okay? Seriously. I’ll talk to Mom in the morning. We’ll get everything figured out.”

Just like that, the toughness drops out of him. Somehow he’d been the one your mom had called, the one responsible for relaying the information, the one responsible for making and supporting medical decisions. You’re the elder, it should have been you. As soon as you take the reins again, he folds, pressing his hands to his face and letting out a shuddering breath. 

You feel horrible, instantly. He’s the baby, he’s not supposed to have to shoulder the responsibility. 

“Hey,” you say softly. “It’s gonna be fine. Dad will be fine. We’ll find out tomorrow what his treatment plan is, and how long they’ll need to stay. You’re fine staying with me, okay? It’ll be okay.”

“Okay,” he says, uncovering his face and reaching for his water glass. “You’re right.” Then, quieter, “You’re right.”

At the end of the meal, walking back to the apartment, you stop near the door and give him a hug, your brave little brother.

“You did well,” you assure him. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

He hugs you back, holding you like he’s been drowning and you’re a buoy. It breaks your heart to think that may sort of be the case.

Neither of you notices Seokjin and Blue pass by, glancing at you curiously over his shoulder on his way into the building.

When he texts you that night, not long after you’ve set your brother up on your couch and crated Zinnia for the night, it’s not entirely unexpected, considering you’d skipped your normal trip to the dog run earlier, and you’d been too spun in circles to text him an explanation.

His message lights up your screen - “missed you earlier. everything ok?”

You hesitate, nibbling at your lower lip as you consider. What could you really tell him right now?

Not really, my baby brother showed up unannounced and emotionally hanging by a thread, and we’re waiting to find out tomorrow if a team of surgeons will be opening my elderly father up for heart surgery. 

Not really a text message conversation, right? Honestly, you’re not sure it’s an in-person conversation, either. The relationship - if you can call it that without having discussed exclusivity yet - is still new, blooming, fragile. Is it too much, too soon? Would you be better off telling him later, when things are settled, when you can tie up the story nice and neat?

We had another health scare with my dad, but it’s okay now. He’s recovering. 

Isn’t that less heavy? Your problems should not be Seokjin’s to carry, and you know he’ll try to carry them. He’s wonderful that way, always doing. There’s something scared and snappish inside you that wants to keep him far away from this until you’re sure you can look brave, until you’re sure you won’t fall apart in front of him. 

In the end you send back, “all good! just got busy. how was your day?”

It strikes you as a little weird that he hasn’t answered by the time you go to bed. But as soon as you’re up the next day, you’re completely focused on your parents. You call them before you’re even out of bed, checking up on where in the city they’re staying, what time your dad’s appointment is. You call out sick from work, glad you hadn’t wasted sick days back when Zinnia was keeping you from sleeping - even though you’d definitely considered it more than once.

You and your brother both go to the cardiologist appointment, you two and your parents squeezing into the little consultation room as the surgeon examines your dad’s results on his computer screen.

Your heart hammers as you wait. You see your mom’s foot tapping, tapping, tapping, and you reach to hold her hand, hoping to comfort her, calm her down.

The surgeon removes his glasses and looks at your father seriously. “I do think surgery is the best course of action,” he says calmly. Your heart drops. The doctor continues, “It’s a pretty routine procedure, as far as these things go. Nothing to worry too much about. I’m confident that a stent will work.”

You lock onto the words minimally invasive, listening eagerly as the doctor continues to outline the plan he thinks will work best. 

“I think it’s best to admit you today and schedule the surgery as soon as possible,” you hear the doctor says, and the rest of the day is a blur - signing papers, answering doctors’ questions, running back to your parents’ hotel to throw together a bag of personal items for your dad, running to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee that has been your only meal all day, more papers, waiting room after waiting room after waiting room.

When you finally get home, long after dark, your brother trailing wordlessly behind you, you’re so mentally and physically exhausted, you could cry. Zinnia waits for you in her crate - Ry had luckily been around when you texted, and came to take her outside a few times while you were gone. You let Zinnia out of the crate and collapse on the couch. Your brother takes the recliner, staring at you like you’ve both emerged from a warzone. 

As you unwind, try to unclench your brain and your jaw and your shoulders, you think to check your messages. Part of you hopes Jin’s sent you something.

But your messages are empty. Your heart sinks with disappointment. You plan to go to work tomorrow; your dad’s surgery should end midafternoon and you can go straight to the hospital from work. It’s another day that you’ll miss Jin at the dog run. You think about texting him with an explanation, but that last message you sent him still sits there, unanswered, calling you a fool. So, instead, you slide your phone into your pocket and ask your little brother if he wants you to order delivery.

–

It takes you two more days to really get the message - Jin’s silence is deliberate. Your father’s surgery goes well, and if all goes according to plan your family should be heading back home in just a day or two. Crisis handled, on the day after surgery you swallow your pride and send Jin, “Sorry I’ve been MIA - family thing. All good now. What’s new with you?”

Not only does this go unanswered - like the one before - but another three weekdays go by and your trips up to the dog run at 5:15pm remain devoid of company. 

Your father heals. Your mother takes him home. Your brother packs up and leaves just a folded up blanket on the couch he’d occupied for almost a week. April turns rainy, like the children’s rhyme says. And you… you slide back into your old routine, sans Seokjin.

You’re sad - of course you’re sad, you liked Jin. He was funny, charming, and so ready to do for you. You’d gotten used to having him around - his windshield wiper laugh, his great cooking, the way he’d carry the same joke or bit with you for a whole day before letting it go, the way the monotony of your day to day seemed interesting again once he was in it.

And you missed Blue, too.

But it wasn’t that deep - not yet. You’re not sobbing, heartbroken, into your pillow or anything. You feel disappointment above all else - disappointment at the loss of what could have been something. 

You really do think it could have been something real. 

You also feel… confused. What had happened? Had Jin seriously gotten mad at your silence for a few days and just ghosted you? You replay your last few conversations in your head, scour your last few text exchanges for anything that would make sense, but nothing does. 

Some little part of your brain niggles, suggests that you’ve been wronged, somehow. That something had happened to you that you didn’t deserve. It’s enough to start just the tiniest flicker of anger, deep in your belly. 

Thursday brings rain - relentless, cold, the kind of rain to make you wrap up in a jacket and tell Zinnia to hustle when you bring her upstairs to pee. 

For the first time since the day your brother showed up at your door, you run into Jin and Blue. Jin is coming in from outside, both he and Blue soaked from the rain. His jacket sticks to his chest, his drenched hair pushed away from his face. He pauses as Blue shakes the water from her fur, and that’s enough time for your eyes to catch his.

You freeze, not sure what will happen - will he talk to you? Should you say hi?

His face, already blank, somehow slides blanker, like something falls away from it and leaves it even more empty. Then he pulls his gaze away from you, orders Blue to his side with a single, muttered syllable, and turns on his heel to walk to the stairwell at the end of the hall. 

He’ll take the stairs, you figure, so he doesn’t have to walk past you to get to the elevator.

That little flicker of anger builds into a flame, and even the mid-April downpour can’t put it out.

–

It rains for days, your apartment cast in grey. You don’t know if it contributes to your mood or if it’s just mirroring it, but you feel grey, too. You quit using the dog run and start taking Zinnie on loops around the block, instead. After her walks, you lay on the couch, cheek pressed against the soft material, dramas playing on the screen without your attention.

Zinnia lays on the floor against the couch, occasionally whining and licking your hand. Sometimes she digs out toys - rubber kongs, plush ducks she’s practically decapitated, rawhides - and drops them at your feet, looking at you hopefully. You toss them for her or play tug each time, but you think she knows your heart isn’t in it.

Later, when you try to remember April, all you can think of is grey and rain.

–

It seems, though, that you’re not the only one who gave up on the dog run. On the first weekend in May, on a day that is - yes - grey, but thankfully not rainy, you run into Jin on the sidewalk a few buildings down from your own.

Blue wags happily when she sees you, but you feel yourself frown, already sliding your gaze to the ground. You don’t want to watch his face go ugly again, like last time. You can’t bear it, you think you might snap. That indignant little flame tickles in your veins. 

You have to pass each other unless one of you turns around, so you grit your teeth and push on. It feels like an imminent collision, tension and anxiety building in you the closer and closer you get - and then Zinnia decides to make it an actual collision, zigging sharply towards Blue at the last second, knocking you off-balance right into Seokjin’s space.

His hands take you by the upper arms, steadying you, placing you back on your feet. There’s something tender in his touch, you think, and then you glimpse his face. That blankness again, the flatness nastier than any scowl he could send your way. 

His hands are off you quickly, and he’s pushing past you, not a word spoken.

That flame bursts from a tickle to a storm.

“Hey!” you shout, the word tearing from your chest like it had to detach from something, burning up your throat like the burn of liquor. Seokjin turns, that flat expression starting to border on a defensive sneer. “What the hell is your problem?”

Now it is a sneer. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me!” you shout, stomping closer. Zinnia follows, her tail down, sensitive to your tone. “What exactly is the problem, Seokjin? I’m dying to know.”

He opens his mouth to answer you, but you cut him off with a bitter laugh. “No, seriously,” you say, that same bitterness marinating every word. “I’m dying to know. I’ve been trying to figure it out, and I can’t. So please, enlighten me. What did I do?”

Your body sings with adrenaline, your chest heaves with quick breaths as your body tells you it’s ready to fight. 

Seokjin lets out a single huff of a laugh. “What did you do?” he echoes sarcastically. “Literally the only thing I consider a hard no.”

You don’t follow. “What?”

He shakes his head, like he can’t believe that you don’t get it. “I saw you hugging that guy,” he says evenly, “and then I texted you to see what -.”

“That was my brother,” you blurt furiously, eyes narrowing. “Is that what this was all about? You didn’t strike me as a jealous, jump-to-conclusions kind of person -.”

“I don’t care about that,” he says over you, tone stoney. “You lied to me - right to my face.”

You stare at him blankly, trying to put the pieces together. He’d seen you hugging your brother, and then he’d texted you “everything ok?” and you’d said… “just busy”. It was a lie, sort of - barely. 

You laugh - actually laugh. “You’re out of your mind,” you say coldly. “You dropped me over that? I had things going on that I didn’t want to get into. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I don’t care,” he says, not cruelly, just truthful. “It was a lie.”

You heave a frustrated breath, casting your gaze at the full clouds above you. “Seokjin,” you say slowly, “you’re not being fair.” It feels suddenly very important to you to defend yourself, to explain it all away - even if he still walks away after, you want to be sure he knows he was wrong. “I wasn’t lying about, like, where I was, or who I was with. It was just… omission. The situation felt… too heavy for whatever this is. Whatever this was,” you amend. 

He just looks at you silently, but you can see the changes in his expression - that flatness melting away almost imperceptibly, making way for something chagrined. You take this as a good sign and continue, explaining what had happened - from your brother showing up, to the surgery, to your family heading home again - leaving your space emptier than they’d found it. 

Finished, you look at him silently, watching him process. Then, everything off your chest, you move to continue on. You feel, suddenly, like you have nothing else to say to him. “We were just casually dating,” you point out as you take a step away. His ears are red again, but he hasn’t tried to speak. “At no point did I lose the right to choose what to tell you and what to keep to myself. You acted like a child when you could have just communicated with me.”

You give Zinnia a gentle tug and she follows as you head back to the apartment’s front doors. You don’t look back; you don’t think you can.

–

Upstairs, you unclip Zinnia and sink into a kitchen chair, head in your hands. It felt good to yell at him, felt good to find out the reason for his silence. You’d made your peace already with losing him - so why do you feel worse now?

You’re there only minutes when you hear a soft knock on your door. You sigh, knowing exactly who and what it is, and forcing yourself to rise anyway. All the anger you’d felt outside seems to have leaked out of you; now you just feel resigned.

Jin’s ears are still bright red. “You’re right,” he says in greeting. Then, he waits, leaning against the door jamb as you process, as you decide how to respond. Blue stands just behind him patiently, the leash slack. 

Mouth twisting, you look at him flatly. “Care to elaborate?”

“Ah,” he utters. He looks embarrassed, one hand still absently on the back of his neck, eyes on the ground. “I owe you an apology.”

When you still say nothing, he continues. 

“You’re right - you don’t have to tell me your business. I’d like you to - or, I’d like to feel like you can - but you’re not obligated to. I… overreacted. And then I was being too rigid to look closely at what was going on. I just…” 

He trails off and looks at you balefully. “I’m not trying to make an excuse,” he tries to explain. “I know I was wrong. I just made myself a promise years ago to never let anyone lie to me again… hoping I’d never feel so stupid again… and I let it… take over. I’m sorry.”

You consider this, foot tapping nervously. “Okay,” you say finally.

Something hopefully breaks over his face; he moves minutely closer to you. “I feel horrible,” he admits, voice hushed suddenly. “You were going through all that, and I absolutely made more problems for you. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” you say, your voice echoing a little flatly to your own ears. “I forgive you.”

He takes a step back, like the unbending insincerity of your words actually knocks him off balance. 

“Okay,” he says, his voice somehow small. He starts to back away from your door, Blue scurrying out of his path, but his eyes remain on you. “I’ll, uh… I’ll probably be at the dog run tomorrow? Normal time?”

The way he says it, a question, asks if you will too.

“I don’t know,” you answer, even though he didn’t technically ask. “I don’t know yet. Maybe. We’ll see.”

You agonize over it all night. You’re mad - mad that he reacted childishly, mad that he added stress during a hard time for you, mad that he doubted you and judged you and didn't give you a chance to explain yourself. Mad that he let you down. 

But, something logical inside you counters, he’s apologized. He’s taken accountability for it, admitted he’d behaved immaturely. Didn’t people, generally, deserve second chances? Didn’t you want to give him a second chance, regardless?

By the time you get ready for work the next morning, you still aren’t sure. Your stomach churns with indecision all day. When you get home, you sit on the couch, still in your work clothes, and eye Zinnia thoughtfully. She sits and cocks her head to the side, almost quizzical. Like she’s asking, okay, boss, what’s the plan?

You still don’t know. With a sigh, you change out of your office attire and take Zinnia out. At the elevator, you stare at the buttons: physical embodiment of this choice.

In the end, you hit down, taking Zinnie out through the lobby and heading down the street. The idea of Seokjin up at the dog run, eyes on the glass doors - hoping to see you, makes you hunch your shoulders up against a wave of guilt.

You feel like now you’re being the childish one. You know you want to give him another chance. Pretending otherwise just to punish him for hurting you… it’s not a good look, and you know it.

When the knock on your door comes, several hours later, as the sunset casts your apartment in deep blues and shadows, you feel like you were expecting it the whole time. You feel like it’s your own second chance.

“You didn’t come,” he says, frowning adorably. 

You sigh, taking a step backwards to let him inside. He does, the door shutting behind him.

“Why are you here?” you ask; not demanding, not to fight - you want to know. You want to know what he’s hoping for right now, what he wants to happen, so that you can decide if you’re game or not. 

He seems to understand, seems to hear the question for what it really is. He says your name, still hushed, like if he says it with too much force the letters will blow away like dead autumn leaves in a November squall. 

“Well?” you prod.

“Please,” he says, something so desperate playing on the notes of the word. 

“What?” you repeat, hating that your voice is choked. “What do you want, Seokjin?”

He closes the space between you, one hand coming to cup your jaw so light you aren’t sure he’s actually touching you or if you just feel the warmth of proximity. “Forgive me,” he whispers. “I want you to let me try again. Let me do better.”

“I don’t know,” you whisper, but you lean into his touch, closing your eyes. He strokes your cheek gently with his thumb, then pulls his hand away and cups the back of your head, guiding you close enough to press his lips to the top of your head, the kiss lost in your hair.

“I promise,” he whispers, “I won’t fuck up like that again. I want to try again - I like you so much, I want to do everything right for you. I feel like such an idiot for wrecking it.”

“You are an idiot,” you say, and you feel him smile against your forehead before he laughs. 

“Never again, Jin,” you say sternly, leaning back to look up at him. His hand slides down to the back of your neck, resting comfortably. “I don’t do bullshit like that. We’re adults. We have to communicate. We have to speak -”

Behind you, Zinnia barks once, sharp and proud. 

You and Jin both dissolve into giggles, both of you praising Zinnia for following the command. 

When you turn back to Jin, he’s looking at you warmly, eyes shining with fondness. He dips his head to kiss you, and when he feels you kiss him back he tugs you closer by the small of your back, grunting into your mouth when your bodies collide. 

He breaks the kiss and whispers against your jaw, “Let me show you how sorry I am.”

You let out a breathy sound somewhere between a whimper and a sigh, tilting your head to give him more room as his lips go from whispering his desire to kissing your pulsepoint, teeth barely there before his lips soothe the spot. 

You fist your hands in the fabric of his shirt, holding on tight, relying on him to hold you upright as his mouth makes you dizzy. When his lips make it back to yours, you tug on his shirt and walk him backwards towards your open bedroom door. You giggle against his lips when he kicks it shut behind him. 

You’re kissing again as you shed layers in tandem, breaking apart to pull shirts over your heads, kissing messily again as you balance on one foot at a time to remove socks, giggling as you lean back to get a good look at him as he undoes his belt. Would it be crass of you to whistle in appreciation? His shoulders are just... so… wide.

When your leggings pool on your carpet next to his blue jeans, he backs you up to the bed, where you sit heavily. He crawls over top of you, mouths clashing again as he holds himself over top of you. You feel like you’re spinning - you cling to his shoulders, focus on the feeling of his tongue sliding against yours, his fingers tracing the outline of your breast, the insistent press of his clothed erection hot against your thighs.

He kisses you like he’s devouring you, like he’s claiming you, like he’s pouring out every frustration into his lips and teeth and fingers and tongue and they’re all spinning you in bigger and bigger circles, ever widening.

Then the spinning crashes to a halt, because his fingers are meandering lower and lower, skimming your last rib, skating over your lower belly, sliding over your cotton panties and hovering just out of reach from where you want him the most. 

He presses kisses down your jaw, down your neck, goosebumps rising up your arms as his breath ghosts along your throat. His fingers skim your slit over the damp cotton, making you moan shamelessly against the top of his head, but his hand travels back up, fingers sliding up your stomach and back to your chest. 

“Jin,” you breathe, as he rolls your nipple between thumb and forefinger, sending jolts of electric delight clear down to your toes, and he answers you with a low groan before capturing your mouth in another deep kiss. 

You’re spinning again.

Then his hand is back where you want it - fuck, you want it everywhere - fingers sliding through your folds before pushing deep into you. You gasp, but your body shifts to meet his knuckles, hips tilting to let him deeper still. 

It takes you only minutes before you’re begging for him, unashamed, whispering his name around a litany of please and I need you and more, please, more.

He rolls away from you wordlessly, shifting to dig through his wallet. You hear the telltale sound of foil ripping and then he’s back over top of you, lips marking a path from your stomach, up between your tits, past your collarbones, before latching onto your neck as he gives you exactly what you asked for.

The stretch stings but you don’t care, moving to meet him, to take him all the way. Seokjin buries himself deep with a throaty groan, the sound mingling with your own whine.

He keeps a slow pace at first, content with exploring every new everything - every new sound he can pull out of you, every new spot he can touch that makes you arch your back and moan a little louder, every angle that makes you pitch go high and your nails find his shoulders. 

It’s not long before his resolve breaks, his pace quickening as his hips snap into yours, the room filled with the sound of his thighs slapping yours. The tightening ball in the pit of your stomach swells, and your fingers find your clit as you careen towards the edge. Seokjin talks you through it when you crash past the precipice, calling you beautiful, telling you that you feel so good as you clench around him in waves. 

Your limbs feel like jelly as you come down from the high, but Seokjin isn’t done with you. He presses kisses to your jaw, your cheek, the space just beneath your ear. Then, he whispers, “Can I go behind you?”

You nod - words are still too far away, slipping just outside of your fingertips. You can touch them, but can’t pull them close enough to use. Jin uses gentle hands to roll you over and backs up to stand next to the bed; he guides your hips backwards until your knees rest on the edge of the mattress. Still boneless, you fold your arms and press your face into them, moaning loudly when he enters you slowly. 

At this new angle, you feel like he’s somehow, impossibly, deeper, and it’s all you can do to dig your fingers into the sheets beneath you and survive. His pace is slow for only a moment, letting you adjust, and then he’s pounding into you again, hands tight on your hips, pulling you backwards to meet each thrust. 

You can tell it immediately when he’s close - the sounds spilling out of him turn from deep grunts and quiet gasps to lengthier sounds that verge on whiny. You gasp in time with him as he pumps into you more shallowly, barely pulling out at all, as one last strangled, broken sound leaves his mouth. 

You collapse forward onto the bed the second he releases you, your heart hammering. Behind you, he must be handling the condom because when he flops next to you, eyes searching for yours, it’s gone.

“Hi,” he says, smiling. 

You laugh. “Hello there.”

He rolls onto his back next to you, radiating happiness. “So?” he asks your ceiling. “Am I forgiven?”

You roll your eyes, but you can’t erase the smile from your face. Oxytocin is a bitch. “I guess,” you allow. “But you’re on thin ice for a while.”

He makes a thinking sound. “I’ll have to fix that,” he muses, one arm thrown over his head. He looks over at you. “How about you go shower, and I’ll cook you something?”

You twist your lips, considering. “Mmm,” you say. “I think I’d rather you join me in the shower first.”

His smile grows impossibly wider, and his hand creeps to find yours, his fingers lacing between yours and squeezing tight.

–

When you think about May, you remember pink. 

Pink flowers blooming on the trees outside. Pink sunsets as you and Jin walk Blue and Zinnia through the park in the evenings. The pink of Zinnia’s tongue, lolling out of her mouth as she pants happily at your feet. The pink of Seokjin’s ears when you tease him or call him handsome in front of your friends. 

You started things slowly - even slower than the first time; you’re nervous that something will happen again, that this second chance was indeed a mistake. But, true to his word, Seokjin shows up for you every day - he misses no chance to remind you that he’s here, and he’s got a score to settle with his past mistakes. 

As the month comes to a close, spring teasing at tepid summer, you make a decision. You head to Seokjin’s place before dinner, as you do most evenings lately, letting yourself in with the door’s code. Blue is resting on a dog bed near the kitchen, placed there so she can see Seokjin even when he’s cooking and doesn’t feel lonely out in the living room. Zinnia slips through your hands the second the door opens, zipping into the apartment wildly.

“Zinnie!” you call.

Seokjin’s voice carries out to you from the bedroom - “Yeah?”

You laugh, shutting the door behind you and heading to where you’d heard him from. “I said Zinnie, not Jinnie!” you clarify. 

He comes out of the room, laughing at the miscommunication, pausing to kiss your cheek. “How was your day?” he asks, before heading around you into the kitchen, where he had apparently been halfway through chopping some veggies. 

“It was fine,” you hedge. “There’s something I was thinking about today, though.”

“Oh?” he says, looking over his shoulder at you as he picks up where he left off with the chopping.

You lean over the kitchen table, palms a little sweaty with nerves. Below you, Zinnia zips around, chasing a rubber ball of Blue’s, barking loudly as if scolding the toy for fleeing.

“I was thinking about us,” you say slowly, and Seokjin stills, setting down the knife and turning to face you, sensing that this talk is serious. His ears tinge pink almost instantly. 

“Okay…” he says slowly. 

You take a deep breath and push forward. “I was thinking about how I asked if we could do this slowly. How we were taking it one day at a time, not putting a name to it or anything.”

He nods, eyes on you, listening.

You shrug, look away and lick your lips. “I think I’m ready - I think what I want is…”

Behind you, Zinnia’s repeated yaps overtake the room, echoing through Jin’s kitchen. 

You try to speak over her, stumbling over your words. “What I’m trying to ask you is… will you…”

Zinnia’s barks get louder; the ball is stuck under the couch and she is pissed. You turn, calling to her, “Zinnia, sit!” 

The command works. She plops onto her butt obediently, and silence descends on the room like a sprinkle of snow. 

You turn back to Jin, heart racing, to finish your question. “...stay?”

--

Thank you so much for reading! <3 Please look forward to the other fics in the collab and support those excellent writers as well!!!

[jalapenokpoppers]

Stray Kids reactions to S/O being an animal lover.

Fluffy fluffy fluff.

Warnings: none. Not proofread I guess.

A/N This. was. So. Cute.

(D/N=Dog’s name)

Chan: Berry, Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

•He’s literally this 😍 emoji whenever he sees you playing with animals.

•Let’s say you two are walking through a park, when a loose dog comes running towards you.

•Not in a mean way, it just wants to play.

•The dog comes up to you, and starts licking you, and nuzzling you.

•*Cue the 😍.*

•The owners come up and start apologizing, while you assure them it’s all right.

•When you’re done talking with the owners, Chan grabs your hand.

•”Where are we going?”

•”Australia. You need to meet Berry.”

Lee Know: Soonie, Doongie, Dori.

•The minute he sees you playing with his cats, you’re going to need to call an ambulance, because boy is dead.

•Just watching the loves of his nine lives life, playing together on the floor.

•uwu.

•Takes so many pictures.

•Buys you all matching sweaters .

•FAMILY PHOTOS WITH HIS KITTIES-

•Apparently Doongie is kind of a brat, and Minho would be so jealous if you got the kitty to snuggle with you.

•”B-but Doongie? Don’t you want to sit with daddy instead?”

•*Cue Doongie hissing from your comfy lap.*

Changbin: none.

•Binnie doesn’t have any animals, but he takes you to Seoul’s bunny café!

•Loves watching the bunnies swarm around you.

•Just watches you coo over the bunnies with a 🥺 face.

•Bends his head towards you.

•”I’m half bunny too.🥺”

•When you pet his head, like you do to the bunnies, he melts.

•He loves to spoil you, so if you ask if you can have a bunny, he’ll buy two for you, since bunnies should be in pairs.

•He acts like he doesn’t really like them, when they’re actually his babies, and he’s so soft for them.

Hyunjin: Kkami, long haired chihuahua.

•Oh boy, oh boy.

•You know that video where Hyunjin is trying to get Kkami to give him a kiss but Kkami is like. 😑

•Yeah, he gets jealous when Kkami gives you kisses, but not him.

•But is also like.

•”Well if Kkami loves them, that means they’re my soulmate.”

•Honestly gets so emotional, because like. Look at his S/O playing with his doggie.

•He finds it so intimate, and domestic.

•If he’s being serious, that’s the moment he realized you’re his forever person.

Han: Bbama, bichon frise.

•Poor guy is allergic to animal fur. :(

•BUT. Good thing bichon frises are hypoallergenic.

•Sits on the floor, playing with you and Bbama.

•Why do I see him as one of those people who loves to smack dog’s bellies.

•Lots of snuggles with the three of you.

•Gets jealous if you spend too much time with his doggo though.

•”Can we cuddle without Bbama for once, Y/N? 🥺”

•”HoW dAre yOu. He iS oUr cHild-“

•Let’s it slide, but doesn’t let Bbama sleep with you two. :(

•He might let him sleep with you guys every once in a while, if you ask him nicely.

Felix: none.

•Two words.

•Puppy cafés.

•Unlike Changbin though, he WON’T buy you an animal.

•Sorry.

•He’ll take you to puppy cafés all you want though.

•Just makes that 😁 smile he does, watching you drink your beverage, and play with doggos.

•Loves to pet one on his lap while watching you.

•Buys you all the animal plushies.

•Names them all for you.

•Your bed is just completely taken taken up by animal plushies now.

Seungmin: none. Daengmo, IKEA golden retriever dog plush.

•Ok but. Cuddling with Seungmin, and his dog plush.

•I know it’s not a real animal but still.

•Seungmin is also a puppy himself

•Pet his head.

•You’re literally his biggest weakness, so if you ask for a puppy he’ll get you one.

•He tells you the dog is all yours, and he’ll have very little to with it, but in the end Seungmin ends up loving the dog more than you love it.

•You didn’t think that was possible.

•Jealous of the attention you give a new puppy though.

•”I need a kiss for every kiss you give the puppy. 🥺”

•Calls it your child.

•omg he’d call you D/N’s mommy.”

•Another dog belly smacker.

Jeongin: none.

•Also won’t buy you a pet, sorry.

•He tells you he’s already your baby who needs lots of attention, so why would you get another one.

•Kitty cafés though.

•Loves the sound of cats meows.

•He can’t explain it, it just calms him.

•Is literally like. 

•“That’s my S/O!!”

•Whenever all the kitties swarm to you.

•Tells everyone how good with animals you are.

•Might promise to get you a kitty when you get married.

•And you’re all like. 

•”When we what?!”

•And he’s just.🤗

[thescarletwitchsapprentice]

Imagine: You’re obsessed with dogs and your girlfriend Nat is both so done with your shit and so in love with you.

*Not my GIF.

Warnings: Dogs, deworming mention, fluff: both in the story and the doggos, metaphorical murder mention.

(Y/N) = Your Name.

(Y/L/N) = Your Last Name.

“Shh!” 

You’re gentle with the new canines as you carry them into your bedroom at the compound; a litter of a dozen golden retriever puppers in a cardboard box and their mama, along with a bunch of doggo stuff. They all got vaccinated, in the process of deworming, all that fun stuff. But they’re so excited to see this new place so they make little yips and yaps.

“Haha, Tony’s gonna murder me,” you chuckle. 

“(Y/N)?”

You freeze. It’s Nat. You try to hide the new family members. You already have a husky, a Jack Russell mix, and a malamutt. Nat made you promise not to get another dog. But you couldn’t help it. They were on the street all alone, no collars, no nothing. Plus you’re a sucker for Golden Retrievers; they’re so sweet and cuddly.

“Baby?” you say, trying to sound as innocent as possible as you hide the puppies in the closet and the supplies under the bed.

You hear her approach and finish up as quickly as possible. You sit on the bed trying to look innocent as she walks in.

“Hey, honey,” she smiles. “Where’ve you been? I thought you were just gonna get coffee.”

“Oh, yeah I did, but I realized that I forgot some things when I went grocery shopping yesterday, so I put in an order to pick up some later.”

Suddenly your pups rush in; Misha the Husky, Nico the Malamutt, and Sparky the Jack Russell mix. They practically knock you down like a bowling pin as they jump up to greet you. They sniff you over to try to figure out where you’d been when Sparky jumps down and sniffs under the bed. You try to get up to pull him out, but Nico’s butt is right in your face and Misha’s on your stomach.

“Uh…(Y/N)?”

You freeze as Nat pulls something out of Sparky’s mouth. It’s one of the toys you’d bought.

“What’s this?”

“Umm….I just thought the doggos could use some extra toys,” you say.

“God, I’m a terrible liar….”

Nat looks at you in disbelief. Suddenly Sparky rushes over to the closet and sniffs it. That’s when they become apparent; about a dozen little yips over and over. She heads over to the closet.

“Um, y-you really don’t need to do–!” you begin.

But Nat opens the door. The cardboard box tips over and the Golden Retirever puppies surround Nat and the mama tries to herd her babies back into a group. Closing her eyes and pursing her lips, Nat huffs.

“….(Y/N)?” she asks.

“….Yeah?” Your voice goes up an octave or two.

“Why is there a litter of Golden Retriever puppies and an older dog hiding in your bedroom closet?”

“….Would you believe me if I told you I had no clue?” you ask hopefully.

She looks at you knowingly and you whine.

“Baby, they didn’t have a home! I just found them on the side of the road all by themselves! I mean, c’mon. Look at how cute they are!”

“You promised!”

“C’mon! Golden Retrievers are such sweethearts!”

“We already have three dogs.”

“What’s thirteen more?” 

You look up at her and pout cutely, trying your own puppy dog eyes. 

“Can’t we keep them, Natty? Pwetty pwease?” you ask in the cutest voice you can muster.

Nat huffs, but she also can’t help but smile and shake her head.

“Exactly how many dogs do you plan to get?”

You blink.

“Is there a limit?” 

“I’m pretty sure there is.”

“Well then we can open a dog kennel!” you suggest. 

Nat shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Baby, there are only two things that I’ve ever been more serious about than normal. This is one of them.”

“What’s the other one?”

“Being in love with you.”

Nat chuckles and you can tell she’s blushing a little.

“You do realize Tony’s gonna murder you when he sees this, right?” she tells you as she folds her arms.

“I’m very well aware. I’m gonna go see how much it costs to get a kennel license.”

You grab your laptop and hop up on the bed. 

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), what am I gonna do with you?” she sighs, smiling.

“Come and cuddle me while I do some research?” you suggest.

She chuckles and hops up on the bed with you, hugging you in close. Yeah, you may be a bit of a sucker for floofs, but that’s just one reason she loves you. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

[uselessundertalefacts]

Frisk Month '22 Day 10 - ITEM

* You throw the Stick.

“WHAT!!! A FUN STICK APPEARS!!!” Doggo’s attack stance disappears and he starts running in circles, looking for the stick. Frisk picks it back up and holds it defensively. It could be a trick. The dog could attack again at any moment.

They let Doggo’s sword attack phase through them and throw the stick again. This time, Doggo lunges for it and catches it in his mouth. He deposits the stick on the counter of his station. “I did it!!! I got the stick!!!!” He pants excitedly. “Thank you, weird invisible person!!!!”

Frisk grabs the stick, smiles, and spares him.

———

Lesser Dog doesn’t run after the stick. Instead, its neck stretches out to catch the stick in its mouth. Then it retracts and nudges Frisk with its nose, as if to say, “throw it again!”

“I can’t throw it again if you don’t give it to me!” Frisk is laughing. “Drop it!”

Lesser Dog drops it. They play fetch for a while.

———

“Whoa!!!! A stick!!!!” Dogamy dives after the stick that Frisk threw between him and Dogaressa. “I’m gonna get it!!!!”

“No!!!!” howls Dogaressa, trying to push her husband away. “My stick!!!!!!”

“Mine!!!!!”

“MINE!!!!!”

As they growl at each other, a small, white dog trots over and takes the stick. It takes the Dogi a few seconds to notice. When they do, Dogamy’s ears droop.

“Oh, honey,” whines Dogaressa, “I’m so sorry! I love you more than any stick!!!”

Dogamy nuzzles her nose. “I’m sorry, too. Let’s never let a stick get between us again!” He turns to Frisk. “You taught us a lot about marriage, weird puppy. Thanks!”

The little white dog walks up to Frisk and drops the stick at their feet. Frisk scratches them behind the ears, salutes at the Dogi, and continues through the forest.

———

Greater Dog is Frisk’s most formidable foe, because he isn’t all that interested in the stick. Instead, Frisk throws snowballs for him, which explode in his mouth as he catches them and cover his face in powder. By the time he’s tired out, he seems to be half snow and half dog. But Frisk still gives him lots of belly rubs. “Good boy,” they say. “Good fetch!” He licks their face and retrieves their stick from underneath the piles of snow.

———

“NYEH HEH HEH!! HAD ENOUGH???” Papyrus throws a few more bone attacks towards Frisk. They don’t know what to do. They don’t feel much like going on a date with Papyrus, since they’re not even in college yet. And insulting him wouldn’t be nice…

On an impulse, they throw the stick. Papyrus runs after it (well, more like he flies after it) and catches it in his mouth with incredible grace. He gives it back to Frisk. “TRYING TO APPEASE ME WITH A GAME OF FETCH???” he cries. “WELL, IT WON’T WORK! MY RESOLVE IS STRONGER THAN ANY STICK!!!”

“Good fetch,” says Frisk. “You want a treat?”

“A TREAT?????” Papyrus’s eyes widen and he gasps. “HOW DID YOU KNOW… MY ONLY WEAKNESS???????” He goes back into his cool battle pose and glares at Frisk. “SO YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS…. WELL! LET’S SEE HOW YOU HANDLE… MY FABLED BLUE ATTACK!!!”

Frisk makes a mental note to get a biscuit for Papyrus later, when they become friends.

———

Undyne isn’t like anyone Frisk has faced before. Her spears are fast and tricky and sometimes don’t go where Frisk thinks they’ll go. And she won’t listen to anything Frisk says.

They throw the stick. Might as well try anything at this point. It falls into the chasm where Monster Kid was about to fall.

“Fuhuhuhu! You think that impresses ME?” shouts Undyne. “So you can throw a puny little stick! SO WHAT? I CAN THROW… THIS!” She picks up a boulder and launches it into the air. It lands in the chasm with a massive crunching sound.

Suddenly, Undyne looks guilty. “Uh… hang on, I’ll get your stick back.” She jumps into the chasm and reappears seconds later with the stick. “Here you go, kid.” She drops it at their feet.

Frisk picks it up. Seems like even Undyne likes fetch.

———

“I’m the idol everyone craves!” Mettaton’s new body is dancing at a beat Frisk can’t comprehend. They think they’re getting pretty good at this TV thing. So far, they’ve been playing the heel for the most part, but they’re planning on turning face and making a heroic comeback once they get Mettaton’s attack patterns down.

For now, they decide to do something wacky. They throw the stick. Mettaton goes flying after it and catches it in his mouth, posing at the camera and winking as he does so.

“Wow, beautiful~ You’re quite good at fetch!” he croons. “And I think all of you in the audience agree… I’m QUITE the catch~” He twirls the stick and throws it to Frisk, who barely catches it. The crowd goes wild. The ratings skyrocket. There’s a screen behind the camera that says the show is testing well with the canine demographic now. Frisk giggles and does a curtsy.

———

After throwing the stick to the shambling mass of dog-like beings, Frisk is sure the stick is gone forever. The stick is absorbed by the mass, which distorts and swirls around like it’s about to transform. Then, the stick comes flying out at Frisk, who catches it. It’s pristine.

The mass forms a pseudopod and nudges the stick with it. Endless eyes look at Frisk expectantly.

It’s the weirdest game of fetch they’ve ever played.

———

“Isn’t it delicious?” Asriel sneers and cackles at Frisk as pure magic surrounds them. “Your determination… the thing that got you this far… it’s gonna be your downfall!” He swings a shining saber at Frisk, who mostly dodges it. They’re getting used to his patterns now.

This was never about dodging, they realize. This whole time, Asriel hasn’t really cared about destroying the universe, or hurting them. He just wants a friend.

They throw the stick. It flies off past Asriel and keeps moving in that direction. Seems like there’s no gravity here.

“Uh… what was THAT?” Asriel glares at them. “Do you seriously think a little twig is gonna hurt me? You’re even more pathetic than I thought!”

“Haven’t you ever played fetch before?” Frisk asks. “You’re supposed to chase it.”

In the back of their mind, far away but so, so, near, Frisk hears something.

* Go fetch!

Somehow, the stick comes flying back in their direction. Frisk catches it in their mouth.

* You won!

[newtonsheffield]

What was your experience like as a single parent to a puppo and eventual doggo? I'm tempted myself but i'm so hesitant because of work but I know i'd make time and give my last 2% of energy to my dog child - but still curious, was it hella hard or were you blessed and Greg was a good boy out the gate?

Okay here’s the thing!

My number one goal for 2021 was to get a dog. I had wanted to get a dog for about five years, and I hadn’t done it because even when I work four days a week, I work over 40hours. And when I contacted the breeder, I was enquiring about a litter she had advertised planned for six months time. It just so happened that Greggy had been rejected by his potential owners and he was available and I saw a picture and I couldn’t not get him. It was like a That’s my dog moment,

Greg was… not easy right out of the gate.

He was a really difficult small puppy tbh. It was like living with a velociraptor. Corgis are herding dogs, and their instinct to nip and herd is very prominent in them, so I had bruises and cuts and scratches all over my arms and legs until he was about 5 months old.

Not to mention, training a puppy is really hard work, they don’t know anything, and they’re really dependent on you and your attention.

Your shoes will get destroyed, your clothes peed on, you can’t leave them unattended for a second.

I was convinced I had made a huge mistake until Greg was about 4 months old, even though I loved him.

That being said, I’m glad I did it. There are ways around working long hours: when I have days off I try and spend the most amount of time I can with him, he loves riding in the car, and my friends are pretty chill about the fact that I basically travel everywhere with my dog. My work even doesn’t really care if I bring him into work.

I am exhausted when I come home from work but I give the last remaining scraps of energy I have to make sure my pets are happy. That’s the lifestyle I’ve chosen for myself but some people find it limiting.

It’s also super important to research the kind of dog you want to get to make sure they’ll fit in with your lifestyle. I grew up with Golden retrievers and I love them, but they’re not conducive to my lifestyle. Researching breeders is also really important to make sure they’re breeding responsibly. You have to make lifestyle changes and be willing to do it. Pets are a lifetime commitment and they depend on you.

That being said, there’s always going to be a reason not to do something, and I don’t know, I’m at a very different point in my life than I thought I’d be now, and I’m tired of putting things on hold that I want to do because I p’m waiting for the right time or person. And now I have Greggy and Lady Supreme and I’m happy!

I don’t know if this helped but yeah… Show me puppy pics when you get one!

TLDR: It’s very hard but very worth it.

[princeanxious]

As a transmasc leaning but goth/femme presenting transman who’s 5’1 and got the natural high pitched voice of your average teenage intern/call center lady(a partial source of my disphoria, even though i dont /want/ a deep voice, but i swear everyone who hears my voice for the first time automatically clocks me in as some 15 y/o girl and my masculine name tag, pronoun pins, and trans flag pin are literally rendered useless in avoiding being misgendered lol), i have some thoughts about it

And honestly? They’re gonna be positive self-affirming thoughts, bc i chose this route over letting my dysphoria win in weighing me down.

So, I do not speak loudly, by default, from both my lung capacity and my own hearing issues. I cannot yell or project my voice very well out of lack of practice. On a good day, i do not have to repeat myself more than once per conversation.

This is not including when i’m wearing a mask. I am actually unintelligible with my mask on it seems, and have had to speak through my cupped hands to be heard clearly or simply have to take the mask off briefly to be understood.

The louder i try to be, the higher my voice gets.(hence why i’m not usually inclined to use a louder voice, because this is *after* i’ve done vocal training to speak lower)

As it stands, though, i also tend to speak w/ a higher tone when i’m happy and excited! And, honestly?? Instead of being upset about that?? Instead of letting my disphoria ruin my mood when i’m trying to he happy??

I’ve decided to call it ‘going Puppy Mode’?? Cause heck it. High pitched exclamations, happy stimming and running around? Might as well be as excited as a happy lil doggo!

It’ll be my own little gender neutral mental self-affirmation. :3

[the-himawari]

A3! Sakisaka Muku - Translation [N] WONDER RUSH

*Please read disclaimer on blog

---

Kazunari: Oh-em-gee! I’m swooning~!

Misumi: He’s sooo~ adorable~!

Muku: (Hm? Kazu-kun and the others seem to be having fun while looking at their phones.)

Kazunari: Isn’t Itarun’s kid super clever!?

Misumi: Amazing, amaaazing! Good boy, good boy~.

Itaru: Isn’t he? I know I sound like a doting parent, but my boy’s got it down.

Muku: Good boy… doting parent… Itaru-san’s kid… EHH!?

Kazunari: Ah, Mukkun~!

Itaru: Perfect timing. Come over, Muku.

Muku: O-okay. (I-I didn’t know Itaru-san had a child…!)

Itaru: Take a look.

Misumi: Itaru’s boy is so cute~.

Kazunari: Ikr!

Muku: (Could this be a photo of the child…!)

Itaru: Behold, my chihuahua.

Muku: …Eh? Wow, a cute puppy…! (So Itaru-san’s child was a puppy in a game! That surprised me…!)

Itaru: There was “Nyancadia” in the past, remember?

Muku: Right! That’s the cat raising game you told us about during our Sardines play.

Itaru: Yep, exactly. This is a game called "Wancadia", published by the same company that made "Nyancadia”. I heard that dogs were the theme of Summer troupe’s next performance, so I just came over to tell you guys about it.

Kazunari: What he said. We got Itarun to give us a lecture earlier! Mine’s a Labrador retriever, and Sumi’s is a golden retriever!

Misumi: Yeah! Lookie, these are ours. Ehehe. They’re cuties, aren’t they~?

Muku: Wahh, they really are! Both of them are just adorable!

Itaru: The main system is the same as the one in Nyancadia, so I think it’s easy to pick up. But there’s additional features that are unique to Wancadia, like separate personalities and teaching them tricks. It’s pretty neat since there are elements of strategy in this relaxing raising game. Misumi’s puppy is triangular already.

Misumi: He picks up triangle items when we go for walks~.

Kazunari: My boy gets along really well with the other doggos~!

Muku: I see! They really do take after their owners.

Itaru: Wanna try it too, Muku? I’ll teach you how to play.

Muku: Yes! I’d definitely love to. Please teach me!

-pause-

Muku: Umm… I should be doing exactly what Itaru-san taught me, but it's not going well… (The puppies of all the other guys in Summer troupe who started at the same time can do their tricks properly.) (But my toy poodle isn’t learning shake… why is that?) Maybe it's because I'm a lousy owner who can't get the hang of this…

Kazunari: Huh, what’s wrong, Mukkun? You don’t look that well?

Muku: Kazu-kun… the truth is…

-pause-

Kazunari: I see~. Your dog’s not learning tricks very well, huh? I think it’s important do it patiently! Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll learn. Keeping at something is Mukkun’s specialty. So don't compare yourself with others and do your best for your pup!

Muku: Kazu-kun… Yeah, you’re right. I’ll try my best with my dog as well!

-pause-

Kazunari: How’s your Toypoo-chan doing, Mukkun?

Muku: Well, he still can’t shake very well. But we’re taking our time and practicing over and over again. We're getting to know each other better, little by little, so it's fun training together too.

Kazunari: That’s great! It feels super nice getting buddy-buddy with them, right~!

Muku: Yes! Alright, let’s do our best with practice again today. Here, shake.

Toy poodle: Arf!

Muku: ! He gave me his paw!? T-this is…!

Kazunari: He’s actually doing the move! Toypoo-chan learned shake, Mukkun!

Muku: Hooray! There, there, good boy. You did it…!

Toy poodle: Arf, arf ♪

Kazunari: Toypoo-chan looks happy too!

Muku: Ehehe, I’m also feeling happier now. Let’s become even better friends from now on, okay…!

---

[milfgyuu]

 ❥ Hello there! Here is another little mini series I am working on called the ‘Mr.Right Next Door’ series! All stories are based off of neighbor AU’s and contain content to make you laugh, smile, and swoon for ATEEZ. Mini Series COMPLETED.

A Spoonful Of Sugar [Kim Hongjoong] posted 1.30.21 Tags: Neighbors!AU, F2L, Fluff, Humor, A Spoonful Of Romance. Summary: Your handsome neighbor, Hongjoong, is constantly on your doorstep at all hours in need of some sort of missing item or ingredient. Slowly, you begin to think that may not be the only reason he’s always knocking. “Not that I mind you borrowing things, but...have you ever been to the grocery store?”

Secret Serenade [Park Seonghwa] posted 5.02.22 Tags: Neighbors!AU, Strangers to Lovers, Extra Fluff. Summary: You’ve never actually met your next-door neighbor but you eagerly tuck into bed every night like clock-work to listen to him sing through your thin bedroom wall. After a few nights, the singing stops and the lack of sleep that ensues causes you to knock on his door in the middle of the night to find out why. “Hey...why’d you stop singing? It uh...helps me fall asleep.”

Top Shelf [Jeong Yunho] posted 5.03.22 Tags: Neighbors!AU, S2L, Fluff, Humor, A Very Soft Size Kink. Summary: Your new apartment is great. Perfect, actually, except for one problem: You can’t reach a damn thing. Thankfully, your new neighbor has no such issue and is more than willing to be there at your beck and call. “I need your legs.” “Excuse me?” “I can’t reach anything in this freaking apartment.”

Self Absorbed [Kang Yeosang] posted 5.09.22 Tags: Neighbors!AU, S2L, Fluff, Minor Angst Due To Stupidity. Summary: The guy across the hall is sort of elusive. You only know two things about him: One, he seems to share the same schedule as you, always coming and going at the same time and two, he’s kind of an arrogant ass. “Listen, you’re very pretty but I’m just not interested.” “Neither am I?”

Knock First [Choi San] posted 6.15.22 Tags: Neighbors!AU, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Frying Pans. Summary: Truly, you adore your neighbor but if you sleepily wander into your kitchen again to find him already standing there, you may hit him over the head with a frying pan. You’re not even really sure how he’s getting in but at this point, he may as well move in and split the rent. “Stop sneaking up on me! You’re going to give me a heart attack!”

Bubble Boy [Song Mingi] posted 12.12.22 Tags: Neighbors!AU, F2L, Nurse!Reader, Fluff, Kissing booboos. Summary: It always starts with a loud thud or groan ringing out before your sweet but terribly uncoordinated, accident-prone neighbor is knocking at your door. The only thing lucky in Mingi’s life is having you to put him back together. “Hey...uh, what are you doing here?” “I heard the crash, just let me in.”

Puppy Love [Jung Wooyoung] posted 04.05.23 Tags: Neighbors!AU, Strangers to Lovers, Fluff, Humor, Doggos. Summary: So, your dog manages to score a boyfriend before you…unsurprising with your luck. However, your four-legged companion and her beau seem to conspire to bring a little puppy love into their human’s lives as well. “Our dogs have an agenda.”  “I think they want me to kiss you…any thoughts on that?”

Lessons In Love [Choi Jongho] posted 08.10.23 Tags: Co-Worker!!AU, F2L, Teacher!Jongho, Fluff, Dry Humor. Summary: Your fourth-grade students learn that both you and the teacher next door are single and they’re much too invested on getting you both hitched. Or at least on a real date. Who knew they could be great matchmakers?  “Oh, you’re such a softie.” “Shut up and try the food.”

ATEEZ M.List | Main M.List

→ Do not copy, re-post, translate, or share any of my works on other platforms WITHOUT PERMISSION! All stories are copyrighted, Bubblebeom, 2020. ©️

[my-avengers-obsession]

avengers chatroom. gender neutral!reader. "doggo"

Warning(s): Cursing :) Note(s): I love doing avenger chatrooms so i decided to make one for you guys :) Pairing(s): Avengers x Reader (Gender not specified) Summary: Y/N makes a chatroom for all of the avengers to announce very special news! Technically a third person cause it's a group chat :)

[Y/N has created a chatroom]

[Y/N has invited Tony, Steve, Sam, Bucky, Bruce, Clint, Nat, Peter Parker, Thor, and Loki]

[Sam has joined the chat]

[Steve has joined the chat]

[Tony has joined the chat]

[Tony has left the chat]

[Bucky has joined the chat]

[Bruce has joined the chat]

[Nat has joined the chat]

Nat We are here today because...?

Y/N

Wait, I want to tell everyone at once.

Nat Fine.

[Peter Parker has joined the chat]

[Peter Parker has changed their name to Parker]

Parker I have to leave in three minutes, is this important?

Y/N

Yes, extremely important

Steve Can't you tell us now and we can tell the news to the others?

Y/N

No, the news will lose it's magic

Nat Magic?

Y/N Yes, magic. It won't be as good

Bruce Should I tell Tony to come back?

Bucky His absence is a blessing

[Tony has joined the chat]

Tony Fuck you, TinMan

[Tony has left the chat]

Bucky Coward left before I could reply

Y/N Leave my childish father alone

Bucky I feel bad for you

Y/N ....

Y/N I feel bad for myself as well..

Parker Mr. Stark isn't that bad

Y/N Cause he's not your father and your friends are your friends bc they like you. Not bc your father is IronMan.  ;-;

Steve What is ;-;?

Bucky Sadness

Y/N Depression

Parker Lonliness

Nat Steve

Steve Wow, Nat🥲

Y/N I saw this coming but I refused to prevent it

[Loki has joined the chat]

Loki I thought I destroyed the servers

Y/N It must've been a dream

Parker Who dreams of destroyign servers?

Loki "Destroyign"? I speak English

Nat So do I

Y/N Me two

Steve Me three

Bucky Me four

Parker Pls don't hate me, I would totallyyyyy say five, but I have to go

Parker Byeeee

Y/N I hate youuuu

Parker I love you too, Y/N

[Parker has left the chat]

Loki I should leave as well. I value my time, unlike the rest of you

Y/N You've been on Earth for like 2 years, why tf are you so bougie?

Loki Because I can be

[Thor has joined the chat]

[Tony has joined the chat]

Tony I'm bored, why was this created?

Y/N Dad

Tony Yes, child?

Y/N Why do you keep joining and leaving? Like what's the point?

Tony I'm Tony Stark, I'm fucking IronMan

Y/N And that gives you the right to be annoying because...?

Tony I made you

Y/N Like half of me

Nat Still counts

Tony Anyways, why did you make this?

[Clint has joined the chat]

[Clint has changed their name to Hawkeye🏹]

[Y/N has changed Hawkeye🏹 to Clint]

[Y/N has changed settings]

Clint Not fair .-.

Y/N Very fair.

Steve Hey, I have to go

Y/N Fine..

Sam Is it something bad?

Loki Oh, he talks

Thor He does indeed brother

Sam I see you've been working on your caps lock, Thor

Thor CAP IS LOCKED?

Loki This is degrading, brother

Thor It isn't if you laugh

Loki I would laugh, but it wasn't funny

Sam Omg you're so mean

Loki Why thank you

Y/N I got a new puppy and I get to pick him up today

Steve Wow...I mean, I'm happy for you, but this...this is the news? Congrats Y/N

[Steve has left the chat]

Nat What kind of dog did you get?

Y/N A pitbull mix, they're so cute. His name is Benji and he's 2 years old.

Sam Ahhh so cute

Nat Can't wait to meet him

Clint I don't regret wasting my time :)

[Clint has left the chat]

Tony That thing is not allowed in the lab...on my floor..anywhere near me

Loki You and Benji will be the best of friends, Stark

Y/N Yeah, Dad's such a softie

Tony Whatever

[Tony has left the chat]

Y/N I'll be back, you guys keep the chat open

Thor Okay! 😃

Sam I'll go with you!

[Sam has left the chat]

[Y/N has left the chat]

[Bucky has left the chat]

[Bruce has become ADMIN of the chat]

BruceInfinite powers

Loki No.

Nat Loki, stop being mean

Loki Never

__An hour later__

[Y/N has joined the chat]

[Y/N has become ADMIN of the chat]

[Sam has joined the chat]

Y/N Are you guys still here?

Nat Yeah, forgot about this cause it died when you guys left

Nat Do you have the pic of the doggo?

Sam A few

[Sam has shared 5 images with the chat]

Nat Tony is in all of these, you're never gonna get Benji back, Y/N

Y/N HAHA! I know, I didn't expect him to be on board this fast!

LokiI would like to meet this creature

Thor Me too!

Bruce I'm on the way!

[Bruce has left the chat]

[Thor has left the chat]

Nat I will be there soon!

[Nat has left the chat]

Y/N Are you happy I made the chat?

Loki Somewhat.

[Loki has left the chat]

Y/N  He's a softie

Sam Don't text me when you're right beside me

Y/N No man tells me what to do

Sam I hate you sometimes

Y/N And I love you too :)

[Y/N has left the chat]

[Sam has become ADMIN of the chat]

[Sam has left the chat]

[Chatroom has closed]

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Pet Store/Animal Shelter Masterlist

a forever home starts with a corgi (ao3) - auroraphilealis (peachrosepetals)

Summary: it’s one of those things where dan’s been meaning to do it for ages. if he’s being honest with himself, he’s surprised phil hasn’t done it first, hasn’t beaten him to it the way he beat dan to everything else (saying i love you first, asking dan to be his officially, taking them out on their first date and paying for it all without ever even telling dan what it was meant to be), but he’s glad as well when he walks past the pet shop six blocks away from their new apartment and see’s…them.

a new friend, alright (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Maybe if Louise hadn't sent him that ad from Battersea dog shelter, he wouldn't be sat here getting emotional on the tube, alone. But it'll all be worth it to see Phil's face.

antisocialites watch a wilting flower (ao3) - det395

Summary: Phil's an emotionally attached and loving vet and Dan's the drained receptionist with no dreams at the animal shelter who reconnect over the poor, hurt puppy dropped off. Dan's boyfriend is their boss.

Better than kittens (ao3) - LiterallyAmazingPhan

Summary: Dan works at an animal shelter and Phil comes in everyday just to play with the kittens and Dan thinks Phil is super cute but can't work up the courage to talk to him but eventually he does and you go from there. Phan, drabble, fluff.

bring me home (ao3) - whiskers (robertmontauk)

Summary:

"Hello," she says, tilting her head with a friendly smile. "Are you looking for something?" Dan can't speak. "Yes, actually," says Phil, thank fuck. "We're looking to adopt a dog."

(or: the story with the dogs.)

Dan the Dog Lover (ao3) - threecheersfrnk

Summary: Dan hasn't stopped talking about dogs around Phil. Phil had enough and snuck out to the pet shop to find get his boyfriend a fluffy companion

Daniel's Spaniels (ao3) - bathildabagshott

Summary: Dan owns a dog rescue. Phil volunteers to help.

*ft. doggos, cute boys, and coffee*

december 5th: puppy eyes (ao3) - watergator

Summary: prompt: hamsters

dan and phil take their daughter to the pet store

fish me up (ao3) - megiaolf

Summary: Dan has a crush on the pet store clerk

I’m Waiting For the Day (ao3) - japhanforever

Summary: Dan has been working in the Lester’s pet store for two years now, but he has been pining after their youngest son, Phil, since possibly the beginning of time. Phil is somewhat of an enigma to everyone, and Dan wants nothing more than to get to know Phil a little better, but since Phil has never given Dan a second look, it seems impossible. That is until Phil asks Dan to accompany him to a pet expo to help expand their business. Then, a whole lot of things seem more possible.

In Deep Water (ao3) - analester

Summary: “My friend is out of town and I’m supposed to be taking care of his pet fish but it died and you work at the pet store help me find one that looks the same so he won’t notice" ?

just this once (ao3) - happy_endings15

Summary: Phil can be very convincing when he wants to be. Even when they're at the pet store.

Little Shop of Phan (ao3) - theoreticalgrey

Summary: “Look at all the little Susans and Jonathans in here, Dan!”

“Phil, I think they’re just called fish these days”

mini (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: dan's lonely while away at university and goes to a pet store to fill the void.

Our New Chapter - oakleysfthoying

Summary: After they’ve finished their book tour, Dan and Phil decide that they want to adopt a dog. So they go to their local animal shelter and meet Moon.

regret (ao3) - lionkid

Summary: One fateful day, Phil Lester walks into a pet shop to look at some bunnies. He leaves with a dog.

Sniffles (ao3) - mollieblack

Summary: How could Phil say no to the adorable man frantically running down the street begging for his help to catch the puppy racing away from him?

Who Was This Man Called Phil? (ao3) - developerdaniel

Summary: After four weeks of watching a raven-haired stranger come into the shelter to play with the puppies, Dan finally got the courage to talk to this man called Phil, sparking a new friendship like one he'd never had in his life before. Sure, it was all centred around playing with puppies, but sometimes, seeing a man for two hours a week was all it took to build a friendship stronger than one Dan had ever had before.

You Come and Go (ao3) - Fictropes

Summary: “Oh! Hi.” The man sticks his head around the corner, gives a smile brighter than the entire fucking store. “There you are.”

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Nightwing #81 Review

i swear i actually thought no one was interested so i didn’t write one but a grand total of two (2) people said they wanted to read it, so here it is. honestly, my opinion’s been going a bit downhill, but the art is really cool and there are some decent parts so. holding out i guess? i really hope taylor has an end goal or at least a cohesive plan, otherwise i don’t see this series going anywhere i’ll particularly enjoy

the cover is very straightforward in its imagery, this villain has nightwing in the palm of his hand, easily manipulated, easily controlled no matter the action dick thinks he’ll take. 

what i find interesting is the colour: both previously and heavily in this issue, the colourist has chosen to make pink this villain’s main colour, with different shades of pink as accents. so why the red in the cover? possibly to just make it more eye-grabbing, though one could argue that pink is even more eye-catching than red. maybe to convey a sense of dread or fear that pink won’t fully get across. either way, it’s definitely a decision i’m curious about.

so melinda zucco is in a high enough political position within bludhaven that she is next in line to become the mayor after the previous mayor died and dick just,,,,didn’t have any idea she existed? dick didn’t know anything about her? forget dick’s own brilliant detective skills, forget his doggedness at anything zucco related, you’re telling me bruce never found her and told dick about her? maybe he wouldn’t have now, but back when dick was a young kid, he definitely would have at least made dick aware of her existence, to let dick know and ask if he wanted to interfere with her life or anything.

i have a thought about zucco’s facial expressions. she is very much stone-cold poker face throughout the entire issue. the only time i see her pull a different expression is near the end when dick corners her against a wall with an arm around her throat. 

this is most certainly intentional, what with the varied and intense expressions we see on other characters, dick most prominently. i’m wondering what exactly is the creative team’s reasoning behind this. in these panels, zucco is meeting with the most dangerous, powerful, near-bloodthirsty man in all of bludhaven and becoming the mayor of the city respectfully. in both of these panels, there is barely a hint of emotion in her face: no fear, no determination, no satisfaction. it’s just odd, considering the circumstances she’s in, regardless of any training recieved.

just spitballing here but. like. from what i’ve read so far, dick doesn’t really seem like bludhaven’s guardian angel. more like when peter parker first put on spandex and blindly stepped out into new york.

dick, how exactly can you underestimate someone from one move. so he caught your escrima. anyone with enhanced reflexes can do that. you still don’t know how he can actually fight, and this is shown in the next set of panels. 

i just don’t like the wording here. dick’s “underestimated” him, but beats him up easy in the next page. in addition, i don’t know much about combat, but i would assume it would take more than one move to determine exactly what an opponent’s skill level is, made even more complex when you add physical enhancements and metahumans and aliens into the mixture.

idk my first thought when i saw that he caught the stick was “ah ok he’s enhanced” because obviously he couldn’t have reacted fast enough if he wasn’t (as there are few people trained enough to catch it on human reflexes alone.) then the wording in the next panel, i’ve underestimated him, made me think “oh no ok so he’s not enhanced, he’s just a really good fighter and can give dick a run for his money in a fight.” then, it turns out my first assumption was proven correct in the next panel. it just comes across as misleading to me.

(also sidenote but his curls are cute.)

have i praised the art enough in this series? no, i have not.

i adore the way this is laid out and illustrated. without even having to read the text, the action sequence is visually engaging and intense, and easily followable from one panel to the next. dick’s physical expertise comes through quite efficiently, and i love the special attention shown to draw our attention to dick’s escrima in the bottom right corner.

also that move in the middle row leftmost panel that’s the mcu black widow move to get up off the ground it was the first thing i noticed and it made me laugh; thought it was worth noting

i’m really loving dick’s escrima sticks in this run. they’re just so multipurpose, it’s hilarious and exhilarating. kinda reminds me of bruce’s belt, the way the button in the middle does eevveeerrryyytthhiinngg. 

got a problem? don’t worry! dick’s installed a feature into his escrima that can fix that! (i like thinking dick helped make them it makes me happy and makes my engineer!dick side satisfied)

yawn. your big heart is your one true weakness yadda yadda the fact that you care will be used against you blah blah we get it. jesus can the villains please find a different weakness to exploit, this is getting old.

i need dick’s capacity to empathize and care and love to stop being a weakness that villains sneer about. bonus points if dick saves everyone anyway, either because of or despite his great big heart and the villain is surprised by the goodness of mankind or some shit like that.

i need it to be a strength, right from the get-go. the fact that he cares so incredibly much should be an asset that dick has and will use. he’s a very complex character with years of background, it can’t possibly be that hard to find another weakness of his. 

ooooh this is cool, gosh i absolutely love this.

because what exactly is the reader doing? we are seeing the fear in dick’s face, just as this villain intended. even better, we’re seeing the reflection of it from the villain’s glossy mask, telling us exactly what we’re seeing and exactly what he likes so much about it.

dick’s standing up straight, shoulders drawn back, looking up at this villain’s face with determination and resolve, but his suit is tattered. one eye looks to be swollen. his hair is falling limply around his eyes, as opposed to the curls from earlier. his escrima aren’t even part of the main focus, instead blending into the side of the mask in the outer corners of the mask’s eyes, which tells you exactly how big of a threat they are to this villain.

poor bitewing’s quite alarmed.

also on second thought why would you bring your puppy out like this, when you know you’re gonna end up fighting someone in the suit. a) how many grey three-legged adorable little puppies live in the bludhaven area dick? and how easy will it be to connect the doggo running around with nightwing with the doggo that dick grayson owns? and 2) is this puppers trained? does she have fighting experience? how exactly can you ensure she will survive this highly stressful situation?

dick take better care of your dog 

you know what? i was with tim on this one. why exactly is dick so optimistic and trusting about the people of bludhaven? bludhaven, which has been described as gotham’s smaller, smellier, more corrupt sister city once or twice. it’s not just the corrupt people in power, the entire system needs to change and people need to have faith and hope in order for them to come together, espcially if they’ve been living in conditions like how bludhaven has been described. from how clueless dick is about his own goddamn city, i can tell he hasn’t been here long.

it was a nice moment of hope, i’ll admit. but it was a tad unrealistic for me.

also it was in a weird place in the comic. this sort of confrontation and big get-together of the people to rejuvenate hope in each other feels like it should come near the end of a run, if not the end of an issue. certainly not in the first third of an issue. the pacing’s a bit off to me.

loyal little puppy patiently waiting for her human to wake up. i love her so much.

no it’s not. it’s bitewing.

living for this t-shirt honestly. do comics of dc characters exist in the dc universe? they must if the mug and the shirt are any indication

(now i’m imagining the first batman movie that came out in the dc universe and bruce just. being so offended at who they chose to play him.)

well, yes. but when a group of people are put through hellish conditions over and over again, they soon become desensitized to the pain and terror of their everyday lives in order to both stay sane and keep their life relatively stable, and part of that becomes ignoring or blocking out anything that isn’t directly important to you or your loved ones. having a bleeding heart will most likely get you killed in a city like bludhaven if you don’t have the same skills that vigilantes have.

and of course, people are more than capable of coming together and rallying under their city’s vigilante after seeing the good they’ve done and how they’ve helped the people, but that sort of trust takes time and effort to build. dick also had the whole ric arc and was gone for a while, which has been referenced several times in this particular issue in fact. that’s not going to make bludhaven’s citizens any more likely to trust him.

maybe i’m being a bit harsh but this comic is comic off as a bit too idealistic for the amount of change nightwing can do in a city given the present and past circumstances as well as nightwing’s own abilities. even dick grayson can’t pull off everything.

ok seriously this needs to stop this needs to stop.

right now, dick reminds me of oliver queen in the few episodes of the cw’s arrow i watched. he does the punchy-kicky-fighty and occasionally has smart insights due to the skills he gained from his past that he certainly definitely totally has but only ever exhibits once, while his team does all of the background research and information gathering and actual work.

this is dick’s city. if he has the same intelligence, worth ethic, and stubbornness in this run that he’s been shown to possess all his life, then he knows this city inside out. he’ll have meticulous notes organized in a ridiculously efficient system, he’ll have scouted out zucco long before this started, he’ll have known when anything big happened in the bludhaven political landscape in an instant.

i’m really not liking exactly how much dick’s relying on babs and tim in this series. sure, he loves them and cares for them and likes working cases with them. but he always pulls his own weight, has always been a mentor figure to tim instead of what’s weirdly becoming the other way around, and takes point on the cases in his own damn city.

what kind of weak-ass oracle is this?? redacted fbi files are child’s play. babs used to hack into the fbi for fun. this one particular picture is so out of character i want to laugh.

reading this series has unfortunately made me confront that, despite the tiny fluid acrobat dick that lives in my head 24/7, canon dick is impossibly 5′10 and muscular at that.

mmm. titties.

tim said hydrate or die-drate bitch

love how dick’s doing all this intense brooding and stuff meanwhile bitewing is curled up in a soft comfy post having the time of her life.

you don’t understand i would legitimately kill myself for her.

also the lighting in this one scene is cool. the blue tones come off so well.

they’re just. so multipurpose!! they can become a bo staff. they can cut glass. they can become a grapple hook/line. they can electrify someone. they’re a funky colour. i’m becoming really attached to these things. absolute solid choice in weaponry.

if you’re gonna write up every rookie mistake dick has made during this series to head trauma, then dick shouldn’t be out and about at all, much less in costume.

see this? this is just straight up wrong. dick most definitely should have spotted her, and would have immediately moved to take her down.

scratch that, dick would have done a full check of the building, because he knows not to break into places uninformed, especially if the owner of the apartment was raised by the maroni family. someone as highly trained, experienced, and competent as dick wouldn’t have done this.

and if you chalk it up to head injury, (which is probably true), than his ~love interest~ and his little brother should have done a much better job making sure he stays in his house.

zucco looks so awkward it’s fucking hilarious

are those shadows that mimic a domino mask, to both reflect and hide the fact that his mask is missing? are those bruises around his eyes, to show how, despite what good he’s doing, being nightwing is hurting dick right now? 

(isn’t his domino mask supposed to have an electrifying feature that keeps people from removing them?)

it’s a little odd how the three known villains of this series are all coloured in warm shades, more specifically pink. meanwhile, in earlier issues, dick’s fondest memories were in pink, memories of him and alfred in particular. why has the colour pink changed from signifying something benevolent to something malicious? idk i hope this gets explained later.

this i did like. either it’s just a display of brute force in anger, or dick slipped the ties and pulled them off once untied. both ways, it’s an unintentional display of power, and i think that’s kinda cool.

again. dick is,,,tall? sort of? weirdddd

i’m so glad most readers are unified in the notion that this was the absolute dumbest fucking thing.

i’m hoping this gets disproved or something soon. and i hope dick doesn’t fall for it, because he definitely knows better than to take something as important as this at face value.

what exactly is taylor trying to accomplish here? why is he trying to go back on what we all knew was a happy, loving childhood and throw strife and disharmony and (what i’m assuming will be) infidelity? this will not end well at all.

---

,,,,,this review got way longer than expected lol. and i realize most of it just became me ranting. i guess i didn’t realize how ticked off i was originally. fingers crossed it gets better.

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