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The day had finally arrived. After months of begging, bartering and making wild promises that were likely not going to be kept, Ye Qiu and Ye Xiu had managed to convince their parents that they were old enough, and responsible enough to have a dog. They’d attempted to convince their parents on the merits of having two dogs, one for each of them but their parents remained unconvinced and they had to content themselves with one.
The convincing had taken a long time, but perhaps the highlight of the event was when Ye Qiu had borrowed his father’s laptop in order to create a presentation of why having a dog was important and Ye Xiu had cleared off the schedule in the kitchen to replace it with a schedule of himself and his brother taking care of a dog. The two boys had then very solemnly, invited their parents into the kitchen and ran through their presentation, citing how responsible they both were, how they did all their chores on time, barring that one time and that dogs were good for happiness levels. Ye Xiu had helpfully provided a drawing of how their happiness levels would increase.
It was very likely that their parents were less convinced by the presentation and more focused on the fact that getting a dog would likely stop their children from offering these presentations twice a week. So the date was set and both boys were bouncing in the car the entire way over to the shelter, clapping their hands together excitedly. The name had already been picked out: Little Dot, both parents sighed, remembering the nightmare of picking out the name, neither one willing to back down.
Ye Qiu and Ye Xiu’s eyes were wide with delight once they arrived, clambering in to sit with the dogs immediately, hands outstretched to urge them closer. Their parents watched as both boys began to shriek with laughter when they were overwhelmed by the excitable animals, buried under an avalanche of wagging tails and eager licks.
“Good boy, good boy!” Ye Qiu was already trying to teach one of the dogs to sit, patting him on the head with a bright smile when he instead rolled over, tongue lolling out as he begged for a tummy rub. Ye Xiu seemed enamoured by one who seemed to be so excited she didn’t know what to do with herself, trying to run, jump, eat and play all at once, a tornado of energy.
The twins locked eyes with each other, arms wrapping around their respective choices and neither seemed willing to back down. Their parents watched, expecting that this could go on for hours, both boys were remarkably stubborn and strong-willed and their mother offered a solution after five minutes of staring.
“How about we take home the dog who’s the best behaved?” Before either boy could argue that his dog was clearly the best behaved, Yang Qinmei continued speaking, “when I say sit, the dog that sits will be the one we adopt, agree?” When her sons nodded and relinquished their grips on the dogs, Yang Qinmei gathered up all her authority and calmly spoke.
“Sit!” Neither Ye Qiu’s choice nor Ye Xiu’s choice obeyed the command but a small dog with golden fur came running up to Yang Qinmei and sat immediately before her tail started thumping, waiting for her reward.
Ye Qiu and Ye Xiu peered at the dog critically, wrinkling their noses as they examined her carefully, running their hands through her fur, booping her nose to see how she would react. The dog was unconcerned by all of this and simply jumped around between the two, seemingly ecstatic to receive so much attention and Ye Xiu exchanged a look with his brother before they both nodded in unison.
“Our Little Dot.” They proclaimed, ruffling the dogs fur as her tail wagged enthusiastically behind her. The collar was bought, the paperwork filled in and as much as the two boys wanted to sit in the boot of the car with their new dog, they were told, in no uncertain terms, that they were to sit in their seats and that Little Dot would be fine where she was.
The boys scrambled out of the car, shoving at each other to be the first to let the dog out of the back, Ye Xiu managed to tug his brother back and pull open the boot. Little Dot greeted them both eagerly and Ye Qiu ran inside to collect the toys they’d already bought for her. They’d attempted to buy out the inventory of three different pet shops before their parents decided that letting their children dictate what was being bought was a terrible idea.
Little Dot began jumping around excitably at once, unable to figure out if she wanted to chase the ball, chase her own tail, chase after the two boys who were running or just flop over and demand cuddles. In the end, she chose to chase after the boy who shrieked in delight as they began to run faster through the garden, delighted by this new game.
When the call came for dinner, they raced to the kitchen, nearly tripping over the cook who shook her head fondly at the them, Little Dot hot on their heels. Ye Qiu filled a bowl of water while his brother measured out the food into her food bowl. They then deposited these onto the dining room table, much to their parent’s chagrin.
“No.” Their father’s voice brooked no further discussion, eyes stern, “we are not eating with the dog at the table.” The twins seemed horrified by the proclamation and grabbed their own plates to sit on the floor with Little Dot.
Ye Qianyu looked over to his wife for guidance as his sons stared at him defiantly from where they’d settled on the floor, their new dog wedged between them happily. Yang Qinmei let loose an amused sigh, kneeling down beside her sons as they refused to budge.
“Won’t you sit at the table?” The brother’s exchanged another one of their silent exchanges before shaking their heads in unison, determined to remain on the floor and Yang Qinmei smiled at their strong wills. “Why won’t you sit with us?”
“Because Little Dot is family!”
“Yes! If meals are family time then Little Dot needs to eat with us!” Ye Qiu rushed to support his brother and Yang Qinmei had to stifle a laugh at the idea. She glanced over at her husband, smile on her lips that seemed to say, what can you do?
“Fine. The dog-“ at the glare from his sons Ye Qianyu corrected himself, “Little Dot may eat with us.”
The twins cheered happily and Little Dot barked, responding to their energy as she was placed onto a chair with her food bowls in front of her. It was a peaceful meal and Ye Qianyu had to admit that the latest addition to their family meal was very well-behaved. At the very least, she didn’t start kicking halfway through the meal like his children decided to.
Another argument erupted at bedtime when both children faced off in the corridor, certain that Little Dot would be sleeping with him tonight. The dog in question merely sat between them, tail wagging excitably as she waited for her instructions. Ye Qiu folded his arms across his chest and managed to summon up a good impression of their father’s sternest expressions while Ye Xiu raised one eyebrow, invoking their mother’s expectant stare.
Their parents watched the stare off helplessly, wondering if they could sort it out between themselves but when both stalked off to their bedrooms and began to call for Little Dot, they settled in to watch the argument unfold.
Little Dot’s head tilted to the side as she listened to both boys calling for her and she seemed confused by the whole affair. Ye Xiu lit up when she padded to his side but he frowned in confusion when she began tugging at his trouser leg until he followed her to stand beside his brother. Ye Qiu stared at his brother suspiciously as Ye Xiu bolted back to his room, but when he re-emerged with an armful of blankets, Ye Qiu’s face lit up in delight and they disappeared into his room, Little Dot hot on their heels.
“Should we just forbid Little Dot from sleeping on their beds?” Ye Qianyu asked his wife, seemingly exhausted and Little Dot had only arrived for less than a day. Yang Qinmei laughed softly at her husband’s defeated face and shook her head.
“They can take turns to have her in their rooms but tonight,” they pushed the door open to find both boys curled up in a nest of blankets and pillows with Little Dot curled up between them. “Tonight they can sleep like this.” When Ye Xiu made a soft snuffling noise Little Dot licked his nose, pulling a giggle out of Ye Qiu. The parents smiled at the scene, leaving the boys to sleep with their new dog.
Little Dot was an exceptionally intelligent dog, with a good temperament making her easy to train and the brothers soon had her mastering a number of tricks from jumping through hoops to playing dead. She approached each new challenge with her tail wagging as she learnt to jump hurdles, catch frisbees and fetch sticks.
They also liked to dress her up and Little Dot could often be seen in a variety of outfits as she was taken out for walks. It was normal to see the two boys dressed to match their beloved dog and every family portrait had Little Dot, front and centre in her own miniature version of what the twins were wearing. On her birthday the cooks lamented the mess Ye Qiu and Ye Xiu had left behind in their attempt to bake her an edible birthday cake but Little Dot ate it eagerly, party hat securely on her head and this picture, of his brother, himself and their dog, was one that Ye Xiu found in his brother’s suitcase once he unpacked.
He felt an overwhelming surge of homesickness crash over him at the sight, remembering how excited they’d been to celebrate Little Dot’s birthday. The cake had been lopsided and perhaps overbaked, but they’d followed the recipe to the letter and even if it wasn’t fit for humans, Little Dot seemed to enjoy it. Ye Xiu shoved down the tight bundle of emotions in his chest that reminded him that he wouldn’t see his beloved dog for a long time.
She’d always been intelligent and had met him at the door, nosing at his ankle, tail still as she sat and whined at him, eyes wide and hurt. Ye Xiu had paused for a long moment to kneel beside her, pulling her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her head and fighting back his tears.
“Take care of him for me.” Were his last words before he gently pulled her teeth from his trouser leg and slipped out of the house, a mix of elation and regret swirling in his stomach, exhilarating and sour all at once.
Ye Qiu ran all over the house searching for his brother, continually telling himself that there was no way Ye Xiu had actually left without saying goodbye, trying to convince himself that his brother was still in the house, that he hadn’t left him behind. But when he spotted Little Dot pawing at the front door, whining and whimpering, he knew that his brother was gone. That he’d left and never said goodbye.
He sat down with a soft thud and Little Dot curled up in his lap, head resting on his knee, letting his hands shift restlessly through her fur as he tried to sort out the tangled bundle of emotions in his chest. He didn’t realise he was crying until Little Dot licked the salty tracks from his cheeks and he scrubbed away the tears before he buried his face in Little Dot’s fur and took comfort in her.
Ye Xiu had really gone and all Ye Qiu had was their dog. Little Dot nudged at his hand and Ye Qiu retreated into his room, curled up on his bed with his dog in his arms and all he could wonder was if his brother would ever be coming home. And if he shed more tears at the thought, only Little Dot would ever know.
Ye Qiu turned up at his brother’s new residence, Little Dot beside him, decked out in her latest outfit, tail wagging rapidly behind her as she waited for the door to open. Su Mucheng opened the door and her eyes went wide at the sight before she was on her knees cooing over how adorable Little Dot looked. Ye Qiu couldn’t help the smug triumph in his chest, Little Dot truly looked precious in her custom-made Happy jacket.
He felt further smugness at the way his brother’s mouth dropped open slightly and he relinquished the leash to let his brother scoop up their dog, cooing soft nonsense to her and Little Dot went absolutely wild. After not seeing the older twin in years she immediately set to licking every inch of him she could reach, tail a blur behind her.
Ye Xiu led his brother up to his room and Ye Qiu blinked at the photo of the both of them at Little Dot’s first birthday party. All three were in matching party hats and Little Dot was eyeing her cake eagerly as Ye Qiu shoved at his brother’s shoulder laughing.
“You kept it?” Ye Xiu glanced over at the photo as if he’d forgotten he still had it and he shrugged, movement casual as he placed Little Dot on the floor.
“Of course, even if your face spoils it,” Ye Xiu ducked his brother’s smack, “it’s still a nice picture of myself and Little Dot.”
“Tch, you still have some of the cake mix on your face and you say I ruined the picture.” Ye Qiu rolled his eyes and the two fell into their old arguments with ease while Little Dot enjoyed the simultaneous attention from them.
The words left unsaid hung between them. Acknowledge and accepted.
“I missed you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I just wish you’d said goodbye.”
“I love you.”
Ye Qiu took his place on his brother’s bed after pulling off his jacket and Little Dot nudged at Ye Xiu until he joined him and she squeezed between them happily, just like they’d done all those years ago. They could almost pretend that the years of distance were gone and they were children once more, excited over their new dog. Neither brother managed to resist the call of sleep, eyes slipping shut and breathing evening out as they succumbed.
Happy peered into the room, wondering why it had gone so silent and they had to restrain their noises at the sight. Ye Qiu and Ye Xiu were curled up on the bed, both fast asleep, Ye Qiu having abandoned his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, looking ruffled and relaxed. And in between the brothers, snuffling quietly as she dozed, was Little Dot, curled up between the boys she loved the most, content and at peace.
Su Mucheng couldn’t resist the urge to take a photo, making a note to make copies for the twins when she had the time. That photo of them both was framed and Ye Qiu kept one on his desk while Ye Xiu kept his beside his computer. The other copy was kept in their wallets allowing both brothers to ensure that two of their most important people remained beside them at all times. Not apart. Not again.