Archive of Our Own

“And take Gerald while you’re at it!”

Jihoon finds himself freezing in place, turning to stare at his boyfriend, well, now ex-boyfriend, in confusion.

“Gerald?”

His ex huffs as he throws his hands into his air, his anger and annoyance so clear yet so baffling to Jihoon. 

“Yes! Take the fucking dog, Jihoon! He likes you better! Just take him!” And with that he stomps off to another part of the house, leaving Jihoon to gather his things, and Gerald he supposes, by himself. Jihoon grabs one of the bags he has there and slowly begins to pack his things, folding his shirts and pants and underwear, gathering his spare toothbrush and his other random things that had scattered about. It’s lots of little things in so many places, accumulated throughout the time of their relationship, yet Jihoon doesn’t even feel all that bad about extracting his life from his ex’s. The other man’s temper was always less than appealing, and the lack of willingness he had to work through issues left them in rough patches more often than not. 

With his bag packed and what feels like a dragging chapter of his life finally closed, Jihoon grabs another few bags that he’s sure no one will miss and begins to gather Gerald’s things. Gerald watches as Jihoon loads away his bowls and toys and blanket, but does nothing more than stare when Jihoon tries to take the bed. He thinks about fighting him, but Gerald weighs more than him so Jihoon decides to just leave him. Besides, Gerald’s about to have to move without knowing why. Jihoon can’t help but to feel bad about that. 

Gerald’s things, sans his bed, are mostly packed when Jihoon realizes his error. There’s no way that he can carry his things, Gerald’s things, Gerald, and the absolutely massive bag of dog food staring at him from the corner. Gerald is half his height if not more than, and the bag is almost the same, meaning that if Jihoon even tries to get his ass on the train he’ll be more dog than person. Humorous if it weren’t hellish. 

With a heavy sigh Jihoon pulls out his phone, dialing numbers he’s memorized for far longer than he’d ever admit. 

“Jagi? You okay?” Soonyoung asks and Jihoon just sighs again. 

“Can you pick me up? Me and Gerald?”

“Oh, you broke up?” Rustling sounds over the line as Soonyoung must grab his keys, heading out without worrying too much about it. 

“Yeah, and he gave me Gerald. Said he likes me more.” 

Soonyoung laughs so hard that he sounds like he might choke. “I’ll be there in like ten.”

“Thanks,” Jihoon says before he hangs up, turning to look at Gerald. “Guess it’s just you and me, buddy. You and me.” 

Gerald just sort of grumbles at him. Jihoon has half the mind to think he means good riddance.

“I thought the asshole already had Gerald when you two started dating,” Soonyoung says conversationally, helping Jihoon load all of his things into his car. 

“He did. He got Gerald with one of his exes, but when they broke up they left Gerald with him. It wasn’t that hard to tell that Gerald wasn’t his idea.” 

Soonyoung pauses then, half in the car, as he stares at Jihoon. “Was he mean to the poor guy?”

“Oh no,” Jihoon quickly amends. “Just not ever really lovey dovey, especially not like I ever was. Took care of him really well, took him on walks every day and played with him and made sure he was always happy and healthy, but just treated him more like he was a roommate,” he finishes with a shrug.

Soonyoung hums and they continue packing the car, Gerald sitting and watching them as they work. He’s a good dog, well behaved and gentle, sweeter than sugar but loves to play. Sure, he sheds enough to make multiple sweaters a month and he’s absolutely massive, but he’s a good boy through and through. 

“Tell me this,” Jihoon says once they’ve successfully coaxed Gerald into the car and they’re leaving Jihoon’s ex’s place in the dust, “how comical is it for me to have a dog like Gerald?”

Soonyoung snorts immediately, even if it’s clear he’s trying to hold back his laughter. “It’s not funny at all.” His voice cracks with the words and he keeps making sounds like he’s going to burst. Jihoon rolls his eyes and finally Soonyoung explodes in laughter, Gerald grumbling in the back. 

“Asshole,” Jihoon mutters and Gerald just chuffs in agreement. 

Jihoon’s grateful that he moved out of an apartment a couple years ago. He has a nice place, a house paid for by a few Billboard Top #100’s and residuals still coming in the mail, a backyard thankfully a good size for a fucking Leonberger of all dogs. Jihoon lets Gerald run around the moment they’re there as he and Soonyoung work on getting everything else moved into the house. 

“What did it in the end?” Soonyoung and, setting up food and water bowls in the kitchen. 

“Work, I guess. The fact that I’m semi famous. Something like that.”

Soonyoung makes a sad noise. “I always thought he was self centered.”

“Probably.” Jihoon doesn’t bother to say more and Soonyoung lets him have it, helping him finish setting everything up without another comment. Soonyoung does hug him within an inch of his life, and if he’s honest Jihoon’s grateful for it. 

“Call if you need me, yeah?”

“Yeah,”  Jihoon agrees easily, waving Soonyoung off before he meanders to his backyard, a tennis ball in hand. 

“Hey Gerald!” The dog looks up at him, trotting closer as he must spy what’s in Jihoon’s hand. “Fetch buddy!” 

As Gerald bolts after the ball, his long and shiny hair swaying with his movements and making him look both majestic and sort of like a bear, Jihoon can’t find that he minds that he has a new best friend. 

Jihoon was wrong. 

He’s been brushing Gerald for what feels like hours now and he still isn’t sure if he’s close to being done. Gerald is being a good boy about it, the best really, allowing Jihoon to comb him and work out any knots before they have a chance to become mats. There’s just so much hair everywhere.  

He minds this part of having a dog, or at least a dog like this. But he knows he’ll mind it more if Gerald ends up with mats that are all his fault. 

Besides, Gerald is a good boy. He can manage this, even if said dog is the size of a freight train. 

He can still manage it, he tells himself as Gerald completely crushes his lap as he tries to sit in it. 

All it is is just getting used to it, he says when Gerald begs to come on his bed with him, not satisfied with his own bed in the corner. 

It’ll all work out, he adds when Gerald leaves another massive hairball behind and yet another groomer tells him they don’t do Leonbergers. 

It’ll all be fine, he tells himself. It’ll all be great, even. They just have to adjust. 

There’s a dog park that’s only about half a mile from his house, and when Jihoon has a free day and the weather’s finally nice, he decides it might be worth it to take Gerald. 

“Hey Gerry,” he calls, trying out the nickname but not sure if he’s into it. The sound of trotting paws pull him from his thoughts and he smiles at the enormous dog running towards him. “Wanna go to the park?”

Jihoon should have expected Gerard to tackle him, but it takes him by surprise and he comes crashing down. Gerard takes the opportunity to lick Jihoon’s face with such enthusiasm that has him both spluttering and laughing. 

Eventually Jihoon frees himself from beneath the beast, finding Gerald’s leash and grabbing the bag he already had the sense to pack. Doing one last quick check for his phone and keys, Jihoon and Gerald set off for their walk to the park. 

The walk is fine if not sweet, an older woman stopping them to pet Gerald after Jihoon gave the go ahead. Gerald seems to love this too, trotting happily on the sidewalk, never once pulling nor barking at strangers. The dog seems perfectly content, and Jihoon has to wonder when the last time Gerald ever looked so happy was. 

It makes him a little sad, but he vows not to think about it as they approach the mostly empty park. Jihoon can only cross his fingers that it all works out, freeing Gerald of his leash before he scratches behind his ears. 

“Alright buddy,” he says, digging in the pocket of his bag for the tennis ball he brought, “fetch!” 

Gerald, God bless him, does just that. 

If his coloring were a bit different, Gerald would absolutely look like a bear thundering throughout the park in pursuit of a tiny safety green ball. But thankfully, and Jihoon really is grateful for it, Gerald looks enough like a dog that he tends to mystify people more than he tends to terrify them. It also helps that he’s a sweetheart, but when he’s just running that doesn’t really help much. 

He’s tugged from his concerned thoughts by a sudden noise. There is a yelp that turns into a laugh, and when Jihoon follows the noise he sees a rather handsome man laid out on his ass across the park, Gerald running from the scene of the crime. Jihoon trots over to him in a bit of a panic. 

“Are you alright?”

The man continues to laugh and soon a cute dog moves to suffocate him with kisses. Jihoon just watches in concern before Gerald bumps into his waist, turning to see the massive dog just staring at him, ball in mouth. Jihoon complies with his silent request, chucking the ball almost the length of the park before he turns back to the man on the ground. 

“You’ve got a hell of an arm,” the man quips, now resting on his elbows as he smiles up at Jihoon. He’s somehow even hotter like this and Jihoon doesn’t know how that’s possible. Somehow he forces his (so very gay) brain to restart, and he prays that his silence wasn’t awkward and his burning ears aren’t too obvious underneath his hair. 

“Are you okay?”

The guy grins back up at him and Jihoon feels the breath get knocked from his lungs. The guy is really unfairly hot, and Jihoon just can’t seem to get over it. Finally his brain seems to kick back on and he’s shoving a hand out, helping to haul the man to his feet and internally cringing when he finds he’s at least half a head taller than him. Admittedly, he’s always been a little too into height, and even though the difference isn’t all that jarring, it’s enough to make him notice.

“Seriously though, are you alright?” He manages to ask despite the fact that his brain is stuck on a loop going tall hot handsome tall broad hot beautiful smile smile smile-

“Yeah, ‘course!” The guy laughs, his smile lighting up Jihoon’s entire world. Even when he settles down he’s still absolutely breathtaking, his smile making his eyes sparkle as he keeps looking at Jihoon. “I’m Seokmin,” he says with another smile. 

“Jihoon.”

Seokmin’s smile turns to a grin.  “I haven’t seen you around here before, are you new to the neighborhood?” He sounds genuinely curious, like he actually wants to get to know Jihoon even after he’s been plowed over by the semi truck that is his dog. 

It’s a little baffling, if he’s honest.  

“Not really, no.” 

The man’s eyebrows pinch a little bit before a lightbulb seems to go off. “Oh, new dog then?” 

“More or less, yeah.”

The guy makes an interested sound, but he can’t ask anymore before the absolutely adorable black and white dog is back, bumping into the back of his legs with a toy in its mouth. He laughs again, sunshiny in a way that makes Jihoon ache to know more.

“Hi girl,” he greets, reaching down to grab the duck looking toy before he launches it through the park. The dog takes off, beautiful and majestic as she sprints, but Jihoon’s attention is pulled back to this mystery man as he begins to speak again. 

“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a dog as big as yours,” he remarks as Gerald comes bounding back, the slobbery ball in his mouth gleefully presented to Jihoon. Though he cringes, Jihoon still takes the dripping wet thing before he chucks it across the park, Gerald happily bounding after it. 

“He is a semi truck.”

Seokmin laughs again and Jihoon feels something in his chest surge. His attention is called away by the black and white dog running towards him, her eyes shining much like Seokmin’s own. Jihoon can’t help but to find it cute. 

“Oh hello,” he greets, holding out a hand to her. She rushes towards him, pressing her duck toy into Jihoon’s outstretched hand rather than her head like he expected. 

“That’s Oreo and she’d like you to slingshot that.” Jihoon knits his brows a little as he leans down to take the toy from her, finding that there’s a slot for his thumb to go so that he can pull the elastic back like it’s an arrow before letting it fly. It soars through the park and Oreo sprints after it, Jihoon watching the whole thing with a smile on his face.

When he turns back to Seokmin, he sees that the other man’s grin has somehow gotten even brighter. 

Smiling back has never been easier. 

“I know you hate shoes,” Soonyoung remarks with a grin, “and colors,” he adds teasingly and Jihoon wants to wring his neck, “but when I saw these I knew you needed them!”

Soonyoung slides the shoebox across the table. Even as Jihoon sighs he still opens the box, snorting at the hot pink reflective running shoes. 

But Jihoon knows they’re an expensive brand and he knows Soonyoung got them because of how much he worries. 

“Now you can still wear your all black get up but not get hit by a car.” He’s still grinning but there’s something in Soonyoung’s eyes that makes Jihoon feel as if he’s just waiting for the fight. It makes him a little sad to think about it.

“You’re annoying,” Jihoon says flatly as he rolls his eyes. “But thank you.”

He should have expected to be smothered into a hug. 

And even if he’ll never admit it, Jihoon doesn’t really mind. 

Though Jihoon isn’t really a big fan of cardio, Gerald is. 

That fact alone drags Jihoon away from his studio and to the sidewalk nightly, the two of them walking and jogging and running throughout the neighborhoods. It builds Jihoon’s stamina faster than he expected and in almost no time they’re pushing hour runs nightly. It’s a nice way to get out of his house often now that he has no other real excuse to, no boyfriend to need to see regularly unlike the hooligans he calls his friends. Plus, he’s found that the sound of the neighborhoods at night tend to fill his head with rhythms and beats that he can then use to kickstart new songs and projects. 

He already has a few demos for one of his own albums now. 

Jihoon can’t even remember the last time he wanted to write for himself. 

Feet slapping against the damp pavement, dog paws keeping up with him, Jihoon and Gerald follow their normal route down a side street. Cutting here makes the run a little shorter but also helps to keep them on sidewalks most of the rest of the way home, and in the dark with only the bits of Gerald’s white spots and Jihoon’s neon shoes as their reflective gear, he figures it’s worth it to be safer than to go farther. 

They round the corner before Gerald seems to hone in on something, woofing loudly and pulling Jihoon even faster. “Gerald! Slow down!” Jihoon scolds as he rushes to keep up, too busy trying not to eat pavement to figure out what has gotten into his dog. He’s still sprinting when a voice calls out to them and Jihoon finally figures out what’s happening.

“Gerald buddy!” The familiar voice yells and Gerald runs even faster. Gerald woofs happily once more as he finally closes in on his target, jumping up to rest his paws on Seokmin’s shoulders and licking his entire face. 

“Gerald! Off!” Jihoon tries, tugging at the leash uselessly as Seokmin splutters helplessly.

“It’s fine!” Seokmin laughs, holding Gerald there and making Jihoon roll his eyes in response. He gives up trying to help Seokmin out and instead turns his attention to Oreo, crouching down to greet her and give her all of the love she deserves as her tail wags at a mile a minute. Jihoon can’t be sure how long it is before Gerald returns to his side, having finished mauling Seokmin with love and licking a stripe up the side of Jihoon’s face. His disgusted face makes Seokmin snort as he wipes off the dog spit from his cheek.  

“I didn’t know you ran,” Seokmin says, a little out of breath from his recent assault. Jihoon hums softly as he looks up, ignoring how his chest warms at the sight in front of him, his hands still scratching at Oreo’s ears. 

Seokmin’s in a black tank top that lets Jihoon see his incredibly sculpted arms and a pair of sweats, a hot pink headband keeping his bangs off his face. He also has a reflective vest wrapped around his chest and Jihoon realizes that it’s probably something worth the investment for him now. Eventually he blinks back into the present, ignoring how much his chest is glowing with the smell of wet pavement surrounding him and the frankly beautiful man in front of him. It’s like he’s in a romcom or some sort of cheesy romance novel, and he’s not entirely sure how that makes him feel. 

“Gerald likes it,” he explains easily, forcing himself to stand despite Oreo’s big, sad eyes. “What kind of dog is she that she can look so sad so fast?” He asks bewildered, the devastation in Oreo’s eyes beyond heartwrenching and worse than anything he’s ever seen. It’s baffling.

Seokmin just laughs, smiling so widely at Jihoon that his eyes disappear into his cheeks. “She’s a Cockerspaniel. They’re known to do that.” He laughs a little more, and when Jihoon looks at him he finds a sweet flush adorning his cheeks. “That’s why she’s so spoiled.”

“Gerald’s sad eyes aren’t even half as good and I still find myself caving more often than not.” 

Gerald chuffs, seemingly both out of annoyance and a proud sort of agreement. Seokmin can’t stifle his giggle and Jihoon can’t help but to join in. 

“Well,” Seokmin eventually starts after their laughter dies down, his eyes bright and beautiful as the lights dance across the slick pavement, “we’re on our cool down, but if you guys want to cut your run a little short you can join us.” The pink in his cheeks reminds Jihoon of freshly bloomed peonies, the beautiful blossoms nestled between some baby’s breath and even some roses, a soft and beautiful color that everyone wishes to see at least once in their life. Jihoon’s mind strays to the last time he was nominated for an award and the sweet bouquet that Soonyoung had gotten for him, the flowers the same shade that speckles Seokmin’s cheeks. 

The overly sentimental part of him thinks it might be a sign. 

“What do you think buddy?” Jihoon asks Gerald, reaching out to scratch behind his ears. “Should we walk with them?” 

Gerald boofs as if he’s agreeing, and with matching laughs Jihoon and Seokmin begin to walk down the pavement. It’s quiet and peaceful, saccharine sweet in a way that Jihoon wouldn’t expect. His insides feel like melted honey that was somehow spun into cotton candy, ready to float off in the next breeze. 

“So,” Seokmin says softly, his voice barely louder than the sounds of their wet neighborhood, “I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while, but it’s a little intrusive.”

Jihoon’s brows knit on their own accord as he glances up at Seokmin, finding him pointedly not looking at him. “Okay?”

Seokmin glances at him before his eyes snap forward again, his cheeks flooding with heat. “Um, when we met you said that Gerald was ‘more or less’ a new dog. Can I ask what that means?” 

Jihoon blinks a few times before he shakes his head, chuckling softly. He scratches Gerald’s ears again and earns himself what looks like a smile from the beast. Gerald makes this night even better. 

“So Gerald was my ex’s dog,” he starts casually, watching Seokmin’s eyebrows dart up to his hairline. He seems to be so expressive that Jihoon finds himself sinking into every emotion he can see dance along Seokmin’s features, more than happy to find someone whose heart is on their sleeve more than when they’re just angry. “He got Gerald with another ex before me, and when we broke up he said that I should take Gerald too, that he liked me better.” Even if it was just a split second, Jihoon catches Seokmin’s mouth making a little o shape when he says his ex was a ‘he’ before his eyes dart away in embarrassment. Jihoon doesn’t want to read too far into it, but he swears Seokmin seems almost pleased. 

“I’m glad things worked out that way,” Seokmin says, soft and shy and oh so sweet. Jihoon just smiles back at him. 

“Me too.”

Gerald makes a sad noise that finally pulls Jihoon from his spiral. He’s been staring at his computer for what must have been hours, desperately trying to produce a single beat that doesn’t sound like absolute horse shite. 

His lack of success for something so simple is really starting to get to him, and with thoughts of bashing his head into a wall with such an intense force becoming almost all consuming he figures it’s time to throw in the towel. 

“C’mon boy,” Jihoon says with a sigh, somehow managing to get his feet under him and his legs to take his weight. Gerald barks in a way that Jihoon wants to say is hopeful. The thought stops him in his tracks before he shakes his head. He really is losing it if he’s reading that far into Gerald’s barks. “Let’s go for a walk.” 

Gerald spins in circles and scrambles to the door, his tail going a mile a minute as he sits like a very good boy. Jihoon shakes his head fondly before he looks at his attire, deciding it’s good enough to take Gerald out. He shoves on his fluorescent shoes and gets Gerald all ready too, grabbing his phone, his keys, and nabbing Gerald’s toy bag before he goes out.

Together they make their way to the dog park, Gerald happy to be out and about. Jihoon’s happy for him, honestly, but he can’t quite shake his shitty mood. There’s a flood of texts on his phone from an antsy artist, the asshole supposedly a “joy” to work for somehow ruining his life. Sure, they want the demo, want to know what the song “feels like”, but Jihoon can’t care right now. They might as well have demanded his work, then vetoed any of the songs Jihoon had to offer, and now are trying to make Jihoon do exactly what they want. It feels almost insulting, demanding him to do tricks like some sort of circus monkey, and he can’t really help but to feel slighted by the entire thing. He has really been considering breaking their deal, but he knows that releasing a song with the asshole would honestly be worth it just for the residuals. 

He’s buried in his phone as he opens the gate to the dog park, absentmindedly unhooking Gerald’s leash and throwing a tennis ball for him to chase. He still hasn’t looked up as he walks into the park, and it’s that inattention that leaves him full body slamming into someone.

Jihoon ends up splayed out, his phone thrown from his hand and his ass already hurting from the fall. He looks up, an apology on his lips as he tries to rub away the pain in his wrist, when he feels his words die out. Seokmin’s standing there above him, his entire expression riddled with far too much concern for one person. Especially over him. 

“Sorry,” Jihoon eventually remembers to mumble, ignoring how his ears begin to burn. “I wasn’t paying attention.” 

Seokmin’s brows knit as if he can’t understand why Jihoon is even apologizing. He holds out his hand and Jihoon barely hesitates before he takes it, allowing Seokmin to drag him to his feet as though he weighs nothing. Jihoon’s brain floods with images of Seokmin’s arms from the other day when his running gear unwittingly showed everything off, and he has to shake his head to bring himself back to the present. When he finally manages to sort himself out, Seokmin’s frowning in front of him and holding his phone out. 

“Are you okay?” 

Jihoon forces a smile as he nods. “Yeah.” 

Seokmin’s frown only deepens. “I don’t believe you.” 

Oh, wow. Jihoon hadn’t expected such a call out. He blinks a few times before he ends up snorting, shaking his head as he collects himself. 

“It’s been a sorta shitty day.”

Seokmin’s expression softens immediately, slowly reaching out to curl his fingers around Jihoon’s wrist. The touch is gentle and kind and it soothes Jihoon’s rumpled feathers far too easily in his opinion. 

“You look tired,” Seokmin agrees, squeezing Jihoon’s wrist. Jihoon just sighs as he shoves a hand through his hair.

“I am,” he admits softly, his eyes glued to the grass beneath his feet. “I’ve been trying to get this thing to work all day, and I haven’t been able to make anything but shit.” 

Seokmin makes a soft noise in protest, his hand moving so that he can squeeze Jihoon’s bicep this time. “Did you eat?” 

Jihoon looks up, sure that his expression is quizzical as he tries to remember. The fact that he can’t even recall the last thing he ate, let alone when, speaks volumes and the longer it takes him to respond the more that Seokmin’s face twists in concern. Eventually he gives up, grimacing.

“I don’t think so.” 

Seokmin makes a little noise that sounds a lot like Gerald whenever the toy he wants slips too far under the couch for him to get. The thought makes his chest soften before he’s struck with a sudden thought. 

“Wait, where’s Gerald and Oreo?” His head whips around as he tries to find the two dogs in question, his panic tightening a vice around his lungs as he searches desperately. 

Seokmin grabs his shoulder and spins him around, pointing with his free hand. “They found a puddle,” he says in an exasperated voice as they watch their dogs roll around in the muddy water. Jihoon can’t help but to cringe. 

“Gerald! Come!” 

Gerald looks up and huffs, but he does as he’s told. He happily trots up to Jihoon and Jihoon knows what’s going to happen before it does, stepping in front of Seokmin as best as he can before Gerald shakes out the mud.

Now mud covered and even more miserable, Jihoon reaches into his bag and pulls out Gerald’s leash. “No puddles, buddy.” 

Gerald makes a sad noise but doesn’t bother to protest, especially not when his friend Oreo is being leashed as well. 

It doesn’t make up for the mud that covers him, nor the mud that will become embedded throughout his entire house. Jihoon sighs a bone deep sigh at the thought. 

“You okay?” Seokmin asks gently, his eyes imploring when Jihoon finally forces himself to look at him. This time he deflates into himself with another sigh, looking back at the mud covered dog before he shakes his head. 

“Every groomer I’ve talked to refuses to work with Leonbergers,” he says flatly, pressing a hand into his face. “So I guess it’s about to be me, Gerald, and a hairdryer for twelve hours.”

Seokmin squeezes his shoulder, smiling at Jihoon with a sparkle in his eye that’s out of place for the situation but perfect on Seokmin’s face. “Jihoon, I’m a dog groomer.” 

Jihoon blinks at him. “What?”

Seokmin laughs sweetly, curling his fingers just underneath Jihoon’s elbow and leading him out of the park. “I groom dogs for a living. I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned it yet,” he laughs once more, his eyes lost to the power of his smile. 

“And you’d be willing-?”

“Of course!” Jihoon finds himself being pulled into Seokmin’s side, his shoulders squeezed. “Anything for you,” a pause, “and the bestest boy Gerald.” 

Jihoon lets those words warm his chest, unsticking the disgusting tar that coated his insides from the rest of his shit day. It’s nice to be taken care of, he admits to himself. It’s nice to have somebody there for him, especially when he’d otherwise be spending the night wallowing in despair and losing his mind.

“Thanks Seokmin,” he mumbles, ignoring the jolt that shoots down his spine as their eyes meet. 

“You’re welcome, Jihoon.” 

Jihoon and Seokmin end up sprawled across Seokmin’s couch after they got both Oreo and Gerald clean and fully dry. The whole entire process forced Jihoon to realize that he’ll never really be able to wash Gerald all by himself, but a softer part of his mind reminded him that if he has Seokmin, he never has to worry about taking care of Gerald all by himself. 

Gerald and Oreo are both passed out on Seokmin’s rug, curled into each other in the cutest way possible. Jihoon has taken about ten pictures already, but every time he looks over at them he just feels the need to take another. He’s not sure if he’s ever seen anything as heartwarming. 

“Hey Jihoon,” Seokmin starts, nudging Jihoon’s calf with his toes until he finally looks at him. “What do you make for work?”

Confusion muddies up his thoughts before he realizes that he didn’t know Seokmin’s profession until today, and since he never offers up who he is, Seokmin certainly doesn’t know what he does either. He smiles at him before he allows his eyes to close, bathing in the tranquility of the moment as his stomach begins to twist with apprehension. 

“I make music,” he says easily even if his intestines feel like they’ve been twisted into knots. “I’m a producer.” 

“Write anything I would know?” Seokmin says jokingly, his smile just as sweet and bright as ever. It takes a moment for him to realize that there’s nothing more than kind curiosity in Seokmin’s features, and that alone is enough to ease his anxieties. Jihoon just shrugs and smirks, happy to play coy.

“Maybe,” he teases.

“Unfair!” Seokmin cries, kicking at Jihoon’s shin even as they both begin to laugh. 

“You’ll just have to come over to mine and see what my accolades say.”

“Bet.” 

Even though Jihoon finds himself surprised at how fast and easy Seokmin agrees, he can’t help but to smile. “What’re you doing for dinner tomorrow?”

When Seokmin grins back Jihoon’s stomach swoops in excitement. 

Seokmin comes with a smile and Oreo in tow, an aluminum pan in his hands. He lifts the pan as he grins, blinding Jihoon with the might of a thousand suns. “My mother raised me to never go over someone’s house empty handed. I brought brownies.” 

Jihoon bursts out laughing before he waves Seokmin and Oreo inside, taking the pan from Seokmin so that he can use both his hands to take off his shoes and Oreo’s leash.

“Well I appreciate it,” Jihoon says, happier than he has been in a while. “Tell your mother I commend her efforts raising you.” 

Seokmin laughs loudly as Oreo takes off running, she and Gerald barking at each other in greeting. Jihoon shakes his head, walking to the kitchen once he’s certain that Seokmin’s following him. He sets the dessert down and turns to where their dinner is sitting still hot on the stove, tossing Seokmin a quick look. 

“Do you want to eat now?” 

“I can wait,” Seokmin says, his eyes flitting around the space. Jihoon shakes his head as he laughs, opening the back door so that the dogs can spill out into the yard before he shuts the screen door. 

“C’mon,” Jihoon half chides, walking towards the hallway in the corner. “All my music shit is over here.” 

“Did you get that project finished?”

It’s easy to smile when Seokmin not only remembers his anguish and why, but also follows up with him about it in person. It’s something that he’s never really had people besides his very best friends do, and to know that Seokmin is willing to put in so much effort into caring for him really makes his heart swell. 

“Yeah,” he says softly, moving to rest against the wall and gesturing to where a few frames hang. “That’s all said and done, thank god.” 

Seokmin laughs loudly, squeezing Jihoon’s shoulder. Affectionately, even. The attention makes Jihoon’s heart soar as the cynic inside of him tries to overthink everything happening. He ignores that part of him as he smiles back at Seokmin, reaching out to rest a hand against his flank. They stare at each other for who knows how long before Seokmin looks away, his cheeks cherry red as he looks at the frames across from them. When he freezes, Jihoon knows what’s about to happen before it does.

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah.” 

“Is that-?”

“Yeah.”

“And you wrote for-?”

Jihoon laughs. “Yep.”

Seokmin makes a sort of strangled noise. Jihoon just laughs as he’s pulled into a sudden hug. 

“You’re actually insane,” Seokmin says breathlessly. 

“Nah,” Jihoon tries, but Seokmin doesn’t let him have it. He pulls back just far enough to stare Jihoon down, a rather silly, overexaggerated angry expression staring down at him. 

“You’re, like, actually incredible. Millions of people think the stuff you make is exemplary,” Seokmin says firmly. “I can’t believe I’m actually in your house,” he finishes with a little awed laugh. 

“Shut up,” Jihoon mumbles as his cheeks burn, only to be lagged at once more. 

“Never.” Seokmin’s grin has gone cheeky, clearly proud of himself, as he crowds closer to Jihoon. They’re stuck in the moment, affection swirling around them, when their beautiful bubble is popped by the sound of a dog barking. They blink at each other before they both burst out into laughter, their dogs a perfect distraction for such a moment between them. Leaning against each other they laugh for far too long, eventually heading outside to join their dogs in the yard. Jihoon passes Seokmin a drink before they both drop onto his porch chairs, watching as the dogs sprint around mindlessly. 

It’s a real slice of a suburban heaven that Jihoon never knew he wanted, but apparently it’s something he’s always craved. 

“When can I meet your boyfriend?” Soonyoung asks in that annoying ass way that he does, well, anything. He knows it ticks Jihoon off whenever he does it, and even knowing this Jihoon still wants to wring his neck a little bit. 

“I don’t have a boyfriend.” 

Soonyoung raises an eyebrow. “You sure about that?” 

“Yes.” 

Soonyoung’s brow just raises even higher. Jihoon sighs as he looks away. 

“No.”

“You like him?”

Jihoon sighs and rolls his eyes, mainly just to save face. He has to ignore Soonyoung’s knowing look all the same.

“Why don’t you ask him out? See if he says yes and then go from there.” 

Jihoon hates to admit it, he really does, but, “I mean, I guess that’s a good idea. I could next time I see him at the park.” 

“Give it a try.” Soonyoung reaches out to squeeze his shoulder sweetly. “I’m rooting for you.”

“Thanks,” Jihoon mumbles and he means it. 

“But I want to meet him.” 

Jihoon just smacks him.

Jihoon’s palms are uncomfortably damp as he and Gerald enter the dog park. He’s decided that today is the day to ask Seokmin if he wants to grab dinner and a movie sometime, something that he wants to be a date but won’t feel as overwhelming as something more date-y.  

He lets Gerald off his leash and steels his resolve, convincing himself that he’ll be ready the moment that Seokmin walks through the gate. 

The moment never comes. 

Jihoon plays with Gerald in that damn dog park until he’s ready to drop and the sun is deeping beneath the horizon. Seokmin never shows. 

Even Gerald seems disappointed as Jihoon leashes him, his eyes big and sad as he looks around one last time. 

“I dunno buddy,” Jihoon says softly as he scratches behind Gerald’s ears. “Maybe we’ll see them tomorrow.” 

News Flash: They don’t.

Jihoon goes a few days without seeing Seokmin, worried beyond belief. They somehow never exchanged numbers, an oversight they must have missed with how often they saw each other, so he can’t even text Seokmin and ask him if he’s okay. By day three Jihoon finds himself restless, which means day four leads to Jihoon and Gerald standing on Seokmin’s porch, takeout boxes in hand. 

With a deep breath, Jihoon knocks on the door. There’s a little bit of scuffling on the other side and a soft little dog whine, the sounds making Jihoon’s eyebrows furrow. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should’ve just left a note.

He’s in the middle of panicking, trying to get Gerald to leave the porch where the massive freight train of the dog refuses to move, when the door opens. 

“Oh, hi Jihoon.” 

Jihoon’s head snaps up and he finds himself freezing. Seokmin looks like absolute shit. Limp and greasy hair, bags so harsh under his eyes that it looks like he has two impressive black eyes, his skin paler than Jihoon’s ever seen. 

“Are you okay?” 

Seokmin tries to laugh but it devolves into a cough that even buried into Seokmin’s elbow sounds louder than a fog horn. “One of my coworkers was sick last week,” he says, his voice breathy and cracking and clearly painful, “and apparently she shared.” 

Jihoon blinks at him for a few minutes before he decides fuck it. He slips past Seokmin and into his house, unleashing Gerald with one hand while the other juggles the takeout.

“What are you doing?” Seokmin tries to say before he devolves into a coughing fit, his eyes watering when he finally manages to look back up at Jihoon. Jihoon puts the takeout down before he shoos Seokmin to the couch, watching with his arms crossed as Seokmin sits down and reluctantly stretches out, Oreo grunting as he curls up beside her. 

“You need to rest,” Jihoon says sternly, frowning even harder when Seokmin begins to smile. “Have you eaten?”

Seokmin shrugs as he sniffles. Jihoon just shoves the nearby box of tissues at him, earning him another small smile. “Not really. Haven’t been hungry.” 

Jihoon huffs out an angry breath, shaking his head before he’s pointing a finger at Seokmin. “Stay. I’ll get you some food. Oreo don’t let him leave.” The dog blinks at him and makes another grunting noise which Jihoon takes to be her agreement. With that he stomps back towards the kitchen, ignoring Seokmin choking on his laughter behind him. 

Jihoon gets them both plates and splits the takeout, pausing for exactly two seconds before he moves to make tea. He doesn’t know if Seokmin has a kettle and he doesn’t care enough to dig around his cabinets, so Jihoon just grabs a microwavable mug that he fills with water before tossing it in the microwave for an absurd amount of time. In the meantime Jihoon runs Seokmin his food and glares at him as he moves to stand, waiting until Seokmin is sitting again before he heads back to the kitchen. Finding tea bags is rather easy and Jihoon puts Seokmin’s tea down beside him before he himself finally sits, going to town on the food in his lap immediately. He only looks up when Seokmin snorts so harshly he coughs. 

“Did you eat?” Seokmin snarks at him and Jihoon just rolls his eyes. 

“Clearly I was planning on eating with you.” 

Jihoon can’t tell if it’s a fever or more that makes Seokmin blush petal pink. It’s as cute as it is pretty and Jihoon can barely find it in himself to look away. His attention is called away however when Gerald looks up at Jihoon with his big sad eyes, resting a paw on the couch as he stares. Jihoon just shakes his head.

“We don’t get on other people’s couches when we’re guests buddy.” 

“It’s okay,” Seokmin croaks, smiling at Jihoon with watery eyes. “He can come up.” 

Jihoon’s nose scrunches as he shoots Seokmin a look. “He gets hair everywhere.”

“I know,” Seokmin says with a laugh, “Oreo does too.” 

Jihoon rolls his eyes before he pats the couch, Gerald happily lumbering up. He pauses for a moment, his tail wagging, before he moves to curl into Seokmin’s other side, licking the side of his face happily. When Seokmin laughs, Jihoon feels his chest warm and flood with sticky honey. It’s made even warmer, almost uncomfortably so, when Seokmin puts down his empty plate and wraps his arms around Gerald, looking perfectly at ease even despite how miserable he must be. 

“I love your dog,” Seokmin mumbles, wiggling as he gets more comfortable around Gerald. Jihoon reaches out and scratches behind Gerald’s ears before he moves to run his fingers through Seokmin’s hair. Seokmin’s lashes flutter but he doesn’t open his eyes, settling into the feeling and warmth instead. Jihoon feels like he’s glowing. 

“He’s a good boy.”

“The best.” 

Jihoon hums back, shuffling closer so that he can more comfortably continue to play with Seokmin’s hair. “You should get some rest.”

“Will you stay?” Seokmin’s voice is soft and shy and Jihoon wants to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go. Instead of doing that, he just hums softly and scratches Seokmin's scalp as he tries to find the words. 

“As long as you want.”

Seokmin smiles and Jihoon feels like he could soar. 

“What made you wanna come over?” Seokmin’s crackly voice asks into the darkness of his living room, the dogs curled together nearby as Jihoon and Seokmin stay close to each other, splitting a blanket between them. Seokmin’s breaths still rumble but overall he seems to be doing a little better, Jihoon’s hovering having helped somehow. But the question makes Jihoon flush down to his toes, embarrassed about how needy and lonely he had felt in only a matter of days, how intense his need to see Seokmin had become. 

“You weren’t around,” Jihoon admits, his eyes closed so he doesn’t have to see Seokmin’s expression. “I was getting worried and Gerald was getting sad.” The dog in question doesn’t even crack an eye open at the sound of his name, dead to the world as he happily sleeps next to his very best friend. Or maybe it just takes a freight train to wake a freight train, who knows. 

“I really do love your dog,” Seokmin whispers into the quiet between them. The clear fondness in his tone is enough to get Jihoon to open his eyes and take in Seokmin’s expression. Even in the darkness he can see the flush staining the crests of his cheeks, his eyes tired but warm like a cozy bed as he watches their dogs. Jihoon hums softly.

“He loves you too.” 

Seokmin’s smile grows as he looks back up at Jihoon, his eyes widening for a moment before he seems to settle once more. Though he has seemed soft and content for most of their night together, Jihoon can see an undercurrent of jitters running through him. His eyes flicker down a few times, and when Jihoon finally realizes what he’s looking at, his face burns. 

“I, um,” Seokmin starts, biting his lip even as he begins to smile as he must notice Jihoon watching. “I really wanna kiss you,” he admits in a rush, sniffling slightly as he goes shy, “but I don’t wanna get you sick.” 

Jihoon blinks at him for a few seconds, considering everything outside of this moment before he brutally shuts out the outside world. Nothing is as important as right now, not to him. 

“Would you take care of me?” Jihoon whispers, unable to get his voice any louder. “I’m kinda miserable when I’m sick.” 

Seokmin laughs sweetly, shuffling a little closer to Jihoon. Jihoon can’t help but to smile back. 

“Always,” Seokmin promises and Jihoon believes him without a doubt. 

Jihoon’s eyes fall to Seokmin’s lips once, twice, before a knowing glint seems to overwhelm Seokmin’s gaze. Slowly he leans in, his nose gently tapping against Jihoon’s own as he moves closer. Unable to take it anymore, Jihoon closes the gap between them. 

It’s just a kiss. Really, that’s all it boils down to. Jihoon and Seokmin pressing their lips together. But somehow it feels like more, like the crescendo of an orchestra, a harmony made perfect by one extra note. Jihoon snakes a hand up to cup Seokmin’s cheek and he feels him start to smile against his lips, Seokmin moving to press a little more firmly against Jihoon. It’s easy to get carried away, lost in the feeling of one another, only breaking apart when their need to breathe requires it. They pant into each other’s mouths, foreheads pressed against each other, and Jihoon feels his shit eating grin overwhelm his features. 

“Wow,” Seokmin mumbles and Jihoon bursts out laughing. They end up gripping each other as they giggle, kisses stolen between their waves of laughter. It’s a wonderful feeling, Jihoon has to admit, it’s a beautiful thing. Jihoon can’t think of anything better.

“Yeah?” He teases with a smile. 

“I just,” Seokmin’s eyes dip as he flushes even deeper. “I’ve been thinking about doing that for a while.”

Jihoon can’t help but to smirk. “What would you think about doing it again?”

By morning, neither of them will know how long they spent there, curled into each other and trading kisses. All they’ll know is that as Seokmin’s starting to feel better, Jihoon’s nose is getting a little stuffy. 

And when Seokmin dotes on him like it’s the only thing he knows how to do, well, Jihoon’s not sure he’s felt anything better. Gerald too, for that matter, as he runs around with Seokmin and Oreo as Jihoon sits sipping some hot herbal remedy on his porch and watches the three of them fondly. Seokmin must be the best thing that’s happened to both of them. 

Like he can hear Jihoon’s thoughts, Seokmin turns and waves at Jihoon with a grin so bright Jihoon feels like he needs sunglasses. With the biggest grin he can ever achieve, a warm heart, and a deep flush staining his cheeks, Jihoon waves back.