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"Okay, Felix. Do not panic. Everything is under control," Felix whispers under his breath to himself.
The thing is, however, that absolutely nothing is under control.
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Felix had just arrived at the dog park with the three lovely dogs he had under his care when he noticed that one of his sneakers was untied.
And you see, for the past two weeks that Felix had been taking these dogs out for a walk, they’d all been pretty well-behaved, always staying beside him and even stopping their barking when Felix asked for it. So, feeling pretty confident in his two-week-honed dog-walking skills, and spurred on by the fact that he didn't want to look like a fool (thank you very much), Felix set the leashes aside while he hurriedly tied his laces. What Felix didn't expect, though, was that precisely today would be the day they'd cross paths with a cat. A cat. In a dog park.
A cat and unleashed dogs.
It all happened in less than a minute.
Cali, the cinnamon-colored Irish setter, saw the feline first and tried to follow it, expecting the leash to stop her, only to find no resistance and immediately bolt after it, which ended up with Pluto, the Italian mastiff, running after her, with Volka, the dalmatian, following close behind and leaving a gaping Felix close to freaking out.
And now Cali is missing. Pluto has completely lost his mind and is wallowing in the mud. And Volka is desperately running laps around a tree.
And to top it off, Cute Guy aka Chan aka The Reason Felix Took This Job is walking straight in Felix’s direction.
Fuck.
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To be fair, it’s not like you can blame Felix for what happened. (Except that you totally can.)
Exactly two and a half weeks ago, Felix and his friend, Seungmin, had been walking back from the only class they shared at their university when he received a call from Hyunjin.
"Hey, Feeeelix," he singsonged, pronouncing his name in that uniquely Hyunjin way. "Are you busy?"
"Hello, Hyunjinnie! No, I was planning to go home with Minnie, maybe get ice cream or something?" Felix asked Seungmin, who agreed with a nod. "Yeah, that. Why, though? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, everything’s good. And that’s actually perfect! Hi, Seungmin-ah," Hyunjin screamed loud enough to be heard by Seungmin through the phone, startling Felix, who had to pull the phone back and turn on speaker mode. "I have superb plans for you two this lovely evening, then."
Felix and Seungmin shared an incredulous look.
"Yah! It’s true," Hyunjin exclaimed over their loud silence. "What could be better than spending quality time with me?"
"Do you really want me to answer?" Felix teased.
"Felix, not you," Hyunjin whined. "I thought you loved me." Felix could practically hear his pout through the phone. "I’m at the park… Kkami’s here too."
"Kkami?! Awww, my baby," Felix cooed. "And of course I love you, Jinnie. I'll go." He looked at Seungmin.
"Count me in too!" he added.
"Send me your location and we'll meet you guys there," Felix said.
"Sure, see you!" Hyunjin replied before hanging up.
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That's how they ended up in a shiny, newly inaugurated dog park near the Han River.
"Whoa," Seungmin said. "This place is nice."
The grass was a vivid green, dotted with clusters of small, colorful flowers here and there, and the sky was a lovely blue despite it being nearly five in the afternoon. The dog park itself was a large, fenced-in area the size of an entire city block, equipped with water fountains and a broad stretch of sod and dry ground had obstacle courses for the more adventurous dogs.
The best part of it all, at least according to Felix, were the adorable barking balls of fur. About 30 dogs, each with their owner in tow, filled the park. Some people were playing frisbee, others were even being trained, but for the most part, there were happy dogs being petted and wagging their tails.
"This place is like paradise, I swear," Felix said when they reached Hyunjin, who had been lounging in a seat as he scrolled on his phone. He crouched down to greet Kkami. The little dog's tail immediately picked up speed as he yapped, and Felix scratched behind his ears. "Who's a good boy? Who's the best boy at the park, huh?" he cooed, before glancing back up at Hyunjin. "How did you find this place?"
"Oh, y'know. Instagram. Saw a story from someone I follow bringing her dog here, and it seemed cool," Hyunjin answered, languidly looking around until something caught his attention, standing up. "Look! Fishcakes! I'm starving,” he pointed toward a food stall not too far off, fishcakes and more on display. A small crowd had already gathered around it. “Let's go get some."
"Nice. I haven't had those in a long time," Seungmin said, absentmindedly rubbing his belly as he eyed the line.
"Let's go," Hyunjin said, already stomping toward the vendor before he awkwardly backtracked, rubbing his hands. "Uh, someone should watch over Kkami though, it's kinda crowded and I don't want him to get bored when I brought him here to have a good time. He hasn’t even gone inside the fenced area yet." Felix watched as Hyunjin, very subtly, —which is to say not subtly at all—, winked and gestured for him to stay behind with Kkami.
Felix looked back at him, unimpressed, and allowed himself three full, blissful seconds of watching Hyunjin squirm in place before he took pity on his friend and beat Seungmin to speak. "I'll stay! I'm fine with whatever. I trust Minnie's gonna get me something I'd like," he rushed out. "Besides, someone's gotta make sure this sweet boy is taken care of, right, Kkami?" Felix cooed, petting Kkami.
"Right," Seungmin said, turning to Hyunjin. "C'mon, then."
Felix watched as they went to the other side of the park, talking among themselves, and mentally crossed his fingers for Hyunjin to finally get it this time. He got up and surveyed the rest of the park, trying to spot the entrance for the actual dog-park area.
"Kkami, look! Let's go over there!" Felix pointed when he found it, and received a bark in answer.
Felix was walking over, leash firmly in hand, when a ‘Careful!’ and a sharp pain on his side made him yelp and jump. Kkami barked at the stranger approaching, apologies already leaving his lips and dissolving almost into unintelligible rambling.
"Ouch! What the fu–!" Felix turned to say, the words dying quickly on his lips once he caught sight of the culprit. Oh shit, he thought. Cute guy alert.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry, dude. I– I threw it way too far apparently, and my friend couldn't catch it. He's always complaining that I throw it too high, and now that I do throw it low, this happens. I seem to have the worst luck ever, oh god," cute-guy rushed out in a single breath, his hands awkwardly hovering over Felix's arm, trying to gauge the damage done. "And I haven't even checked how you are! Does it hurt? Do you think you need to see a doctor? I think there's a clinic near uh, maybe a couple of blocks away, but definitely within walking distance. Unless you need an ambulance. Wait, do you?!"
That was enough to pull Felix out of his daydream of him and cute-guy in the music video for ‘Marry You’.
"Uh, no. No," Felix laughed. "I'm good, really. You throw well, but not enough to kill me yet," he found himself teasing, aiming to get a smile out of cute-guy.
Pretty-guy laughed. Mission accomplished, Felix patted himself on the back, feeling unsteady on his feet at the sight of dimples. Dimples. "I guess so. I still could have hurt you, though. I'm sorry," he said, looking apologetic again.
New mission. Felix needs his name; he can't call him cute-guy all his life, right?
"Oh! A puppy!" he cooed, crouching down immediately to pet him. Felix ended up with his warning not to touch him because he's picky with strangers stuck in his throat the moment Kkami happily yipped and let himself be petted and fretted over. Felix could only blink, dumbfounded. "So, so cute! What's their name?"
Felix was already a goner for that smile. Fucking dimples. "His name is Kkami," he replied. Felix saw Kkami sniff at gorgeous-guy's hand and thanked every god above for his own wit. "That means he wants to know your name, too."
Dimples-guy looked up at him, smirking, and Felix felt like a deer caught in headlights. (As cliché as that sounds). "Oh? Really?" he asked. "Well, my name is Chan, Kkami," he made a point of saying. "What's your owner's name?"
Chan. Wow, even his name was pretty.
"Oh, he's not mine, I'm just walking him around while my friend's not here," Felix said, gesturing vaguely in the direction Seungmin and Hyunjin had gone. "But I'm Felix."
"Oh! You walk dogs too!?" Chan asked him, so excited over the idea that Felix swore he could see his metaphorical tail swaying like crazy.
It only took three seconds for his stupid, weak, monkey brain to decide that he did not want to be the reason Chan lost his dimpled smile. "…Yeah. Yes. Of course I do… That. Walk dogs. I walk dogs, yes." Nice job, Felix. You're an idiot, his mind supplied.
"That's so cool, man! I've never met another dog walker before, haha. I mean, I see them walking around, but I've never really approached them, and neither have they to me, so…" Chan rambled before he shook his head, very much like a dog, Felix couldn't stop himself from thinking. "Uh, anyways. What days do you work, tho? I've never seen you before… Not that I was stalking you or whatever, I swear! I just– uh."
Felix giggled. "Chan, it's okay. I know you weren't stalking me. Unless you were?" he teased, and reveled in the way Chan's blush deepened. "Haha, no, but– I'm new. Just started this week, actually," the lie came easily. "Uh, what days do you work?"
"I work Wednesdays and Fridays, usually, but I sometimes do Tuesdays too, haha," Chan said, more demurely now.
"Wow, what a coincidence, me too! Wednesdays and Fridays, I mean," Felix was mentally kicking himself. How the hell was he gonna keep up this lie.
"Man, that's so cool!" Chan joyfully exclaimed, his eyes squinting in a smile. "That means we might see each other again soon, then."
"Yeah! Maybe. Hopefully." Felix blushed when he saw Chan watching him attentively.
"Sweet." The other scratched the back of his head and threw a glance toward two guys who seemed like his friends, who were watching them, unashamed and amused. "Uh– I better get back," Chan said, holding the blessed frisbee up. "Gotta keep playing, haha."
"Uh-huh," Felix smiled, feeling enamored already. "Good luck!"
Chan looked at him for a moment before he kind of shook himself off and walked backwards, keeping his eyes on Felix. "See you," he waved.
"Yeah…" Felix breathed, with his own small wave, chuckling when Chan almost tripped and had to turn around, his step quickening almost imperceptibly. Suddenly remembering where he was, Felix looked down and spotted Kkami watching him, unimpressed. "Shhh! Don't judge me," Felix shushed him. "Let's go play."
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"Hyunjin. Hyunjin, you have to help me," Felix found himself pleading to his supposedly best friend over a phone call that night. (If he continued to refuse to help him, he'd be on probation forever, Felix decided.) "Do you know how much I've suffered because of your crush on Minnie?" he whined, kicking his feet.
Hyunjin sighed, again. "Lix, I think that lying to that guy isn't going to end well." Felix could hear faint music over the phone, and the sound of a pen sliding on canvas.
"Exactly! That's why I won't be lying," Felix pointed out as he scrolled down the website he was currently reading. "I just need to find a couple of dogs to walk for the week".
How to Be the Best Dog-Walker in Your Neighborhood in 3 Steps read that having a love for dogs and being honest with your clients was the very first step to standing out among the rest. He silently googled another page.
"Alright. But on one condition," Hyunjin stated, defeated.
"No, I'm not gonna wear dog ears or some bullshit," Felix said ahead of Hyunjin's request before it even landed, a grin tugging at his mouth.
"You're boring."
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And so, the next day they met around noon.
Hyunjin carried a bunch of pamphlets they taped along the whole neighborhood, while Felix knocked on every possible door to introduce himself and offer his services. Dog-walking for the first time? WE GOT U! said it was crucial to show himself around, and since Felix needed a couple of dogs ready to be walked within two days, he was prepared to use every trick in the book.
Luckily for Felix, he did manage to charm three dog owners into letting him walk their dogs, in a blur of "A 30 kg dog?? Pffft, no biggie at all!" conversations. Now he had an Irish setter named Cali, an Italian mastiff named Pluto, and a dalmatian called Volka under his care for this Wednesday’s evening, and the rest to come. Never mind that he'd never walked a dog bigger than a poodle before, Felix wasn't oblivious. He'd seen those shows on TV where people tamed wild horses in Alaska, and he was ready to pull out some moves. And puppies were fluffier anyway.
(They also had sharper teeth, but that was beside the point.)
The minute his classes ended that Wednesday, Felix quickly said goodbye to Seungmin, earning himself a look that promised they'd talk later, once his "I'll pass by the market to pick up a few things" excuse didn't make the cut. Then he went to pick up his new babies to take them to the dog park.
The only issue was that Felix didn't exactly know at what time Chan worked, so his plan was to remain long enough at the park to cross paths with him and chat for a bit. In the meantime, Felix was bound to look after his four-legged, hairy clients.
And they were lovely.
Sure, they tugged at their leashes with enough force to drag Felix along like a cartoon character if he wasn't careful, but their harnesses (thank you, Google) made it easier to handle them without choking them.
Pluto, as big and intimidating as he looked, was actually a huge softie who stopped every five seconds to smell flowers, and Felix's phone gallery was slowly filling up with this particular boy's photos. "You're so cute!" he couldn't stop cooing. "Look! Look! Look over here! Atta boy."
Volka was obsessed with birds and made sure to point out every single one she saw to Felix with a bark. "Wow, Volka, yeah, that one is so big!" he made sure to answer. She was also obsessed with sniffing other dogs' butts, but Felix didn't take any pictures of that.
And Cali was a praise who–. Uh, well, she loved praise, which meant she was the best at playing fetch and excelled at doing tricks. "Such a good girl!" Felix petted her, feeling strangely proud that he was the one walking her and running her through tricks.
He sat on a bench, watching them play inside a smaller fenced-off area he'd found, not confident enough yet to let the dogs off leash in the entire expanse of the dog-park and risk losing one of them, but wanting to give them a bit of freedom too. Felix rummaged through his backpack for the bag of treats he'd bought for the day. He was hand-feeding Cali when a voice made him look up.
"Hey! Felix, right?"
Chan's voice.
The second Felix saw him, he knew the hour he'd spent at the park wouldn't be going to waste. Not that he didn't love the time he spent with the dogs, but— this time Chan was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, and Felix could admit he was a second away from drooling at the sight of his toned, bulky, bite-able arms. But what really made his world stop for a second was the fact that Chan's hair was cap-free this time, and he had curls. Silky brown curls, and Felix quickly realized that meant he now had to live with the knowledge that a pretty unfairly hot boy with curls and dimples existed in this world.
"Uh, yeah! Hi! Fancy seeing you here," Felix remembered to reply.
Chan chuckled. "Yeah, it's not at all like we both work doing the same thing on the exact same days… But it's really nice seeing you." Chan rushed out, blushing.
Felix smiled and looked down at Chan's hands —veiny, somewhat petite hands, Felix noticed too—, following the leash trail down to two fuzzy heads with sparkly eyes and tongues lolling out.
"Oh! Are these the puppies you walk?" Felix chirped, crouching down from the bench to reach his hand toward them through the fence bars that separated them. Chan had probably just arrived at the park. "They're adorable," he cooed at the dogs lapping his hand.
"Yeah, adorable," Chan breathed. "Uh, yeah!" he said, sounding surer now. "This is Molly," Chan pointed at the black-and-white dog. "She's a border collie. And this boy over here is Baguette."
"Like the bread?" Felix laughed as he petted the dogs and rubbed their ears.
"Yes, like the bread," Chan grinned. "He's a corgi. A nice little dude."
"They sure are. Bestest dogs in the park. Who's the best boy? Who is? And who's the best girl? You are!" Felix found himself babying them, endeared by their little yips and playful licks.
Dogs had always been the best, in Felix's humble opinion.
Chan was quietly looking down at him, his lips curved into a smile, and Felix could feel his cheeks heating up. "Uh, I'm here with the kids too. You wanna meet them?"
"Oh! Yeah, yeah! I love dogs, and these kiddos here could use a new pair of friends too," Chan said, patting Molly's back. They barked in agreement.
"Give me a sec," Felix said, standing up to call them over.
"Which ones are they?" Chan asked, craning his neck to look around. "That hound? Or maybe that tiny du– Oh wow! Definitely not that dog," Chan cut himself off as the three enormous dogs came barreling toward them, barking and straining to reach Chan's hovering hand. "Wow, hey pups! Yeah, yeah, I like you too. What are they called?" he grinned, trying to give all of them equal amounts of love.
Chan was way too charming for Felix's poor heart. "Okay, so, this girl over here is Cali, and I think she's a, uh–" Felix faltered, not knowing anything about dogs beyond the fact that they were, and always would be, the cutest beings on Earth. (Maybe tied with Chan, now.)
"She looks like an Irish setter to me," Chan offered, sensing his struggle. He turned flustered when Felix looked at him. "I– I like dogs a lot, so I know a few things about them. Not that much, though, haha."
Okay, that's sexy, Felix thought. "I just know they're cute, so I trust you to be right," he blurted out. "Um, so, the other one is Pluto, who is a…?" Felix's question hung in the air.
"A mastiff," Chan bashfully answered, petting him.
"Right. And Volka, my girl here, is dalmatian, that one I know," Felix said proudly, a smug smile on his face.
"Yeah, you're right. She's a lovely dalmatian." Chan laughed at his antics. "So, uh, do you maybe wanna walk them with me? Uh, so we can– I– I mean, so they can get to know each other. Seems like they'll be good friends," Chan gestured downward, and Felix saw that they were indeed trying to play through the bars. Embarrassed, he also noticed that Volka was already trying to sniff the others' butts.
"She does that all the time, please ignore her," Felix whined at the sight.
Chan laughed again and waited for him to come along.
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That had been a very good day, by Felix's standards. After an intense butt-sniffing session that Felix was too embarrassed to even watch as Chan cackled, they walked the entire length of the park together. Chan told him about Berry, his own puppy who was living with his parents in Australia, and they had a ‘Wait. You're from Australia too?’ bonding moment that kept them talking for hours on end.
They watched the dogs play on their own (more like Felix was trying to look at Chan whenever the other wasn't looking), and then had a fetching tournament that ended with a victorious Felix smothering Cali in kisses. Felix had always been a little competitive, but honestly, he wouldn't have minded losing to Chan if it meant Chan's gentle affection would've gone to him instead of Molly and Baguette.
The best part of it all was that Felix got Chan's phone number. "So we can meet again if our schedules line up!" he'd said, and Chan had quickly agreed before they went their separate ways.
They'd been messaging each other all week long. What started as ‘this's the pic of the pups i took today!!! thought i'd share hehe’, ‘this is the best dog treat, period 😤’, and ‘i hate this chewing toy 😫’ swiftly turned into ‘g'morning, felix! haha i'm just going to sleep now tho 😴’, ‘what u doin atm?’ and ‘have a nice day!! 🤗’ texts.
That Friday, Chan had brought the frisbee too, and they spent over two hours at the park chatting, which was half an hour more than Felix's dog-walking schedule allowed, as his clients gently reminded him. In his defense, he'd texted them and even sent some pictures to ease their worry, but Volka's eighty-year-old owner didn't cope well with technology and nearly had a heart attack. An exaggeration, maybe (or maybe not, judging by the expression on the old man's face).
The worst part was returning Pluto home; Felix could feel the dog staring straight through his soul right up until his owner closed the door after waving Felix off. He had a feeling the dogs could sense something was going on too. There'd been a moment when he looked away from Chan's blinding smile to check on them, only to find all five dogs sitting quietly, watching the two of them, before breaking into play again.
Spurred on by the past week's beautiful memories, Felix had been looking forward to today. Which brings him back to the present, in which Cali is missing, Pluto is caked in mud, Volka might faint any minute from how many laps she's run around that tree, and Chan is walking straight toward him with Molly and Baguette in tow, expression becoming worried at the sight of Felix's distraught expression.
"Hey, Lix." Lix —that's new, Felix's mind manages to rationalize through his mild panic. "Are you alright?" Chan asks.
"Hi, Chan. Um, yeah– Actually, no. You see, I was walking here when I realized my laces weren't tied, and I just stopped to tie them, and then this cat appeared and the pups went batshit crazy. Cali ran after it, and then Pluto and Volka followed her, and I had to run over here too because I can't lose them, but I was too late, and now I– I can't find Cali, and Pluto's ge– getting dirty, and Volka's not listening to me, and I– I don't know what to do, Chan." Felix feels tears pool in his eyes as he hiccups through the explanation, distantly aware of how embarrassing it must be for Chan to see him crying in public.
"Lix. Lix, it's alright, yeah?" He feels Chan grab him by the shoulders, the leashes pressing into his bony joints feeling weirdly reassuring, almost as much as Chan's painfully sincere eyes, filled with concern. "It's okay, take a deep breath with me, alright? One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… now exhale… Yeah, that's good." Chan smiles, small. In the back of his mind, Felix can feel Molly and Baguette brushing themselves against his shins too, trying to comfort him in their own doggy way.
Felix tries to stifle his cries, blushing hard and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. "S– sorry, it's just a lot."
Chan's hand rubs up and down his arm, his eyes still locked on Felix's. "No worries, ba– uuddy," he corrects himself, almost imperceptibly. "You better?"
Felix breathes again. "Uh, yes. Thank you," he says, admittedly feeling much better than before. His eyes sweep across the park, and a pained sound leaves his lips. "I still have to sort this out."
Beside him, Chan claps his hands together. "Alright. Game plan, then."
Felix turns to look at him, surprised. "You'll help me?"
Chan looks at him as if Felix is stupid, the right amount of fondness tucked behind his dimples to make it a silly-you kind of look. "Of course I will, Lix," he says, softly. "And I'm sure the kids will too, right?" he adds, brighter, glancing down at the two dogs beside him.
"Right," Felix strangles out.
"Okay, so I'm gonna tie Molly's and Baguette's leashes over there," Chan points at the tie spot near one of the park’s rules signs, "and we'll get Volka and Pluto before looking for Cali. You've got some treats with you, right?" Felix nods, feeling a little lost for words at Chan's innate ability to make everything better for him. "Okay, so, I'll go for Pluto so you don't get your clothes dirty, and you go for Volka. I’m sure that once you get close enough to show her the treats she’ll come to you, alright? I'll take care of the pups, then I'll be right with you. You've got this, Lix," Chan says, before hurrying off toward the sign.
It takes Felix a few seconds to climb out of his Chan cares that my clothes don't get dirty, he'd rather get dirty himself instead of me loop, and then he's walking toward the dalmatian, bag of treats open and ready to bribe the black-spotted dog into submission. Yeah.
Luckily for Felix —like, truly luckily, like he's seriously wondering if he should buy a lottery ticket on his way home—, the moment Volka spots him and the treats, she stops her running and rushes toward him instead.
Felix accepts her happy licks in stride, muttering a frustrated "Why were you being so mean to me before?" as she dips her snout into the bag and wildly wags her tail.
He sighs fondly and pats her head, making sure to grab the end of her leash in case anything happens. Felix really hopes that's not the case.
"I knew you got this!" Felix hears, and he spins around to see Chan, who, as Felix horrifiedly realizes, is covered in mud.
Felix gasps. "Chan, your clothes!"
Chan just laughs and proudly shows off Pluto's leash. "It's fine. I'm pretty sure this guy just wanted a bit of fun," he says, as if the fact that his shirt and shorts are probably ruined for life doesn't matter to him at all. Felix is so moved and endeared he feels like he might combust. There's a spot of still-wet mud on Chan's cheek, and without thinking, he reaches up and swipes his thumb over it to wipe it away.
Felix flushes under Chan's gaze and stutters out a "You had mud, see?" lifting his thumb.
"Thanks," Chan grins, tenderly. "I've got mud all over, though," he gestures at himself.
"I'll hose you down, don't worry," Felix jokes. Chan's chuckle feels like a victory.
"Here," Chan says, handing Pluto's leash to Felix. "Let's go find Cali now."
"Sure, but how…?" Felix wonders at Chan's confidence as they walk back to the tie spot where Molly and Baguette had been patiently waiting for them.
"Uh, now that I think about it, I completely forgot to add you. There's a group chat for the people who come to the dog park often. I'll send a message, and hopefully, if someone sees her, they'll let us know." Us —Felix doesn't miss it, and he feels ridiculous for how smitten he is. "In the meantime, we'll just have to look around." Chan unties the leashes with practiced ease, and they set off walking through the park.
It's so easy with Chan, Felix thinks, once they've been searching for Cali for over ten minutes, their conversation never once stopping for anything other than shouting her name. He wonders if he should just grow up and ask Chan out, remembering Seungmin's words. "Felix," he'd said, touching his arm. "I love you, but you should grow a pair, quit your fake-job, and ask your mysterious guy on a date before my hair turns white from stress."
"Uh, so…" Felix starts. "I don't think I'm made for this, man."
"What do you mean?" Chan looks at him.
"For dog-walking. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love dogs, but I wasn't made to handle more than one at a time," he chuckles, self-deprecatingly.
"You'll quit, then?" Chan sounds sad, though he tries to keep his voice unaffected as he looks straight ahead.
"Yeah, seems like it isn't for me, after all," Felix sighs, glancing at Chan's expression. Now or never, he braces himself. "But, like. I could still come hang out with you. If you'd like that…"
Chan turns to reply, smiling, when a very familiar bark breaks their bubble. "Oh! It's Cali!" Chan points behind him, in time with the dogs barking in excitement.
As if on cue, Felix whips his head around, and a 33-kilogram dog launches herself at him. "Ah—!" Felix stumbles back with the force of the paws on his chest, trying to protect his face from Cali's wet tongue. "Cali, oh my God, girl, I'm so happy to see you, I could kiss you too!" Felix shrieks, relief washing over him.
The other dogs keep barking, and within moments they're all just a jumbled mess of tails and wet noses on the grass, with Felix right in the middle of it. "Chan," he laughs. "Help! Help me".
"Oh, I don't know," Chan smirks. "You brought this upon yourself." He looks far too amused watching them, and Felix feels his heart grow a size bigger.
"Asshole," he pouts, avoiding a tongue aiming for his mouth, which makes Chan grab his hand and tug him upright in one motion. Again, luckily for Felix (he's definitely buying that lottery ticket), he ends up pressed against Chan's chest.
"There," Chan whispers, eyes locked in Felix’s.
"Thanks," Felix mumbles, delighted by the sight of Chan's rosy cheeks, before stepping back. "Let's get going, then."
"Yes." Chan clears his throat. "C'mon, pups, let's go," he says, as they gather their leashes.
This time, they walk in relative silence, sharing only a few giggles over the dogs' antics. When they reach the main street, they look awkwardly at each other, as if both were waiting for something to happen.
That something turns out to be an invitation from Chan.
"Uh, do you wanna go grab ice cream?" Chan asks, the tips of his ears turning pink as he rubs the back of his neck, a nervous tell.
The day's heaviness catches up to Felix then; all his anguish, his crying, and the three leashes gripped firmly in his hand, reminding him his afternoon is still far from over. His smile fades, and reluctantly, he ends up turning down the invitation. "Oh, Chan, I'd like to, really, but today's been so wild that I think I'm just gonna return the dogs ho–"
"I mean," Chan interrupts him, "without the dogs. Just me and you. And I still gotta change clothes, so. Maybe tomorrow? Same time as always?" Chan adds, in a rushed string of words.
Feeling lightweight all of the sudden, Felix finds himself smiling harder than he has all week, and breathes out an infatuated "Yes. I'd love to."
⊹ ─ ☾ ❍ ☼ ─ ⊹
Felix decides to come clean to Chan a month into dating.
They're cuddled on the couch, watching some movie Chan wouldn't shut up about that starred his favorite actor: aka Ryan Reynolds, aka Felix's #1 Competition. By the time Felix finishes his side of the story, Chan is cackling almost hysterically.
"So you liked me that much, huh?" Chan teases shyly, seeming pleased with himself but still sheepish that Felix found him that attractive at first sight.
It's Felix's new mission to tell him how pretty he is until Chan actually believes it. Felix groans from his hiding place behind his hands.
Chan quiets down. "You could have just asked for my number, though it's not only your fault, I guess. I'm not actually that bad at frisbee, y'know? I liked you too," Chan says, blushing, pressing his forehead into Felix's neck.
"You liked me since the frisbee?" Felix gasps, scandalized, hands flying to his chest. "Chan. Chan. I almost killed an elderly man for nothing."
Chan laughs against his skin, the sound vibrating warm through Felix's whole chest.
Felix is in love.