All about a Dog: 3249

White fur dusts Minghao's strawberry hoodie like sprinkles as the tiny puppy wiggles—so much energy in such a tiny body—in his arms, happily barking away as Soonyoung paces back-and-forth. Seeing such a serious expression on the blonde's face is, for lack of better words, rather unsettling and the man definitely looks much more attractive when he smiles, not that Minghao has ever really paid attention to how Soonyoung looks because next to Jun he's greatly overshadowed. “Can you stop pacing,” Minghao requests with an acidic edge, body swaying sideways as he tries to watch whatever is on TV. He feels kind of bad for the predicament the man is in but to be fair he willingly put himself in this position.

“You know,” Soonyoung starts with a broken voice and pout, “for someone cute you're kind of mean.” The air grows increasingly thick as the puppy finally stops shouting.

Breathing suddenly feels difficult, Minghao's lungs filling with molasses, as he struggles with how to respond. Something unpleasant and hard unfurls in his stomach and quickly realizes it's guilt, interestingly enough it tastes a lot like gross room-temperature coffee.

Minghao uncurls his legs from underneath him, setting the dog down (again, how Soonyoung hasn't yet been replaced by a fish with all the stunts he pulls must be the eighth wonder of the world) and crosses his arms, a tired sigh leaving his chapped lips. Light practically beams from Soonyoung's face as he bounds over to the spot on the couch Minghao waves at, eyes sparkling and Minghao suddenly feels uncomfortable next to the other blonde. His smile, the way he beams at him, reminds him of Seokmin and Mingyu—too much for his comfort. Attention has always been his enemy, whether good or bad, Minghao shrinks from it; and the way the older male stares at him like he's something to behold is rather terrifying.

The dog whines and this time Soonyoung picks up the tiny creature. “So,” Minghao twists his bony fingers together, “let me see if I got this right. You got a dog even though you know Jun hates them?” Soonyoung nods fervently, smile on his lips. Minghao mildly wonders if they have medication for a headache he sees in his very, very near future and continues, “Okay, I still don't understand why though.”

“It was just in a box on the street, Hao!” Soonyoung lifts the dog up so it's just a few centimeters away from Minghao's wide eyes, “Look at this face baobei, don't tell me you wouldn't do the same,” Soonyoung chimes with a large grin. Oh god, Minghao gulps, scooting back quickly because he knows what the blonde is trying to do and it's not going to work.

“I would have taken him to a shelter or something, not bring him back here! Jun is going to kill you!” He politely leaves out the 'finally” because really, Soonyoung must lack any sense of self-preservation or Jun must have a planet-sized soft spot for the ditz.

“Don't throw me under the bus,” Soonyoung whines, collapsing on top of Minghao as he noses the boy's flat stomach.

Skinship, Minghao's second greatest adversary right behind all eyes being on him. His body goes stiff at the foreign touch, his brain recognizing that this isn't Seokmin who's touching him and slams the button on his fight-or-flight instinct. Minghao's not much of a runner so he flails his limbs, disentangling himself from the touchy male as fast as he can. Something soft and pliant makes contact with Minghao's knee, unable to see since he screwed his eyes shut, but whatever he hits makes Soonyoung groan and roll off the couch onto the floor where the young pup sits patiently.

“S-sorry.”

“It's fine,” Soonyoung groans, holding his gut, “Junnie always kept saying I had issues with personal space.”

Dusting off his hoodie, Minghao stares at the dog with furrowed brows until a light-bulb goes off in his head. “I got it,” he announces happily, “I know what we can do so you aren't killed by Jun-hyung and this poor puppy can have an actual competent owner.”

Soonyoung grumbles from his resigned position on the floor, “That hurts Minghao, after all I've done for you like convincing Jun to give you a chance.”

Minghao tenses but pretends not to hear, instead chooses to stare at the setting sun, but he commits the slight hurt in Soonyoung's otherwise breezy voice and remembers Jisoo's words. Maybe it wouldn't hurt him to be nicer, at least to Soonyoung. It's not like the blonde has done anything to embarrass him intentionally and compared to Jun he's the lesser of two evils.

“So,” Soonyoung says softly, “what's your master plan?”

“Huh? Oh, right, Seungcheol-hyung lives with parents so he has enough room to keep the puppy. I'll just text him.”

A thoughtful hum emits from Soonyoung, “but what if he says no,” he counters with a quirk of his eyebrow as he watches the thin boy send the text. Minghao throws his phone on the couch, a mischeveous twinkle in his eye as he waves off the concern with his hand.

“It's fine, I told him that if Mingyu-hyung finds out he refused to help he'll be really mad,” Minghao explains, mind suddenly filled with his giant puppy of a friend.

Soonyoung nods but confusion still clouds his eyes, “And I take it this Seungcheol guy has a weak spot for this friend of yours?”

Minghao blinks. Years ago, back when he was still in junior-high, he remembers a more reckless version of Mingyu, too tall for his age but just as boisterous as he is now. A time before Wonwoo came into their group and Mingyu was too awkward, much like any preteen boy, and his home life was just too much all the time. Why was junior-high so dramatic and traumatic for everyone he knew? Jesus Christ did thirteen year-olds have a lot of drama in their life.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Minghao eventually responds. The vibrating of his phone brings him back to the here-and-now. “Okay, Seungcheol-hyung said yes!”

“Yes,” Soonyoung repeats with slight disbelief, maybe because he isn't used to things working out for him—Minghao wouldn't be surprised. “We did it,” he finally cheers, practically buzzing on his feet as he lifts the poor dog and spins him around.

Minghao shakes his head, knowing that he's now an accomplice in Soonyoung's stupid stunt, but the blonde is smiling like he just won the lottery.

“Oh, Haohao,” A middle-aged woman greets, her pink cooking apron fluttering in the cold breeze, “and you brought a friend! Please, come in, you three must be freezing.” Moving aside, Minghao immediately sheds his padded jacket and boots. Soonyoung mimics the action, setting the puppy down to go explore.

“Is Seungcheol-hyung here,” Minghao inquires, head peering down the hallway he passes on the way to the dining room table. The chairs are rickety and the cushions are worn from wear, the best type of worn, and countless memories rush back to the blonde's mind.

Seungcheol's mother goes over to the soup she's cooking, “He's in the shower right now, you two are welcome to stay for dinner if you want,” she offers with a soft smile.

Minghao is about to agree, it's been ages (okay really just a few months but it felt like years) since he's had a nice, home-cooked meal filled with a mother's love. Before he can say yes though, Soonyoung quickly interrupts him with a rushed no.

“Jun doesn't like it when I'm out too late,” Soonyoung admits, worry lacing his voice.

“Well, he isn't the boss of you,” Minghao rebuttals with a huff, eyes darting to see the mother's worried gaze and decides to take the conversation to the empty living room. “It's rude to turn down an offer like that considering she's going to harbor a dog for us. Let's not forget whose fault this is.” The accusation stabs right into Soonyoung's heart, the last words leaving as nothing but a hiss from Minghao's lips and he knows that Soonyoung was just trying to do something nice but this is too much. Him, Jun, this whole situation really.

Shoulders going slack, Soonyoung chews on his lower lip, “You don't understand, Jun doesn't-”

Soonyoung abruptly stops with a shake of his head, “Never mind, if you want to stay with your friend I understand, but I can't.” And with that the conversation ends. Brushing pass the younger man, Soonyoung takes repose on one of the rickety chairs again but Minghao can't bring himself to move.

Luke-warm coffee invades his taste-buds again.

Seungcheol eventually comes out after ten minutes of uncomfortable silence, hair messy and damp as sweatpants loosely hug his waist. “Hey, you guys got here early, and who's this little fur ball,” he comments in a cute voice, abs flexing as he bends down to pick the puppy up. All thoughts of Soonyoung escape his mind as he watches the puppy his hyung's face eagerly, the black-haired male nothing but smiles as he sets the dog back down.

“We didn't name him,” Soonyoung interrupts with a smile.

Seungcheol seems to guard him wearily but offers him a polite smile nonetheless. “Names are hard,” he admits, “maybe Mingyu can help you name him,” directing the question toward Minghao who bites his lip nervously.

“Actually, we can't keep him. Jun-hyung hates dogs apparently.”

Seuncheol gasps like he's the one being personally victimized, “What kind of person doesn't like dogs?”

“Doesn't Wonwoo-hyung hate dogs?”

At this Seungcheol scoffs, “Or so he claims, Mingyu might as well be our group pet. That kid, did you know he forgot the combination to his luggage went he went on that trip to Jeju?” Minghao shakes his head no but it does sound like something Mingyu would do.

“So, you guys staying to eat?”

At this Minghao side-eyes a suddenly blushing Soonyoung and decides he's put the blonde through enough grief and answers for them. “Soonyoung-hyung has a lot of homework to do, but I can stay.”

Seungcheol grins.

Dinner is oddly calming, it doesn't feel tense or awkward like the morning run-ins he has with Jun or that time he ate ramen with Soonyoung with the only voices coming from the television. Most of the conversation is initiated by Seungcheol's mom asking questions about how Minghao's doing and if he likes his classes. Seungcheol's younger brother doesn't really contribute, too busy petting the puppy; Minghao doesn't blame him.

The million dollar question, or rather the question Minghao has been dreading and hoping no one would ask, comes up when they're all eating dessert. “So,” Seungcheol's father starts, “the missus tells me you have a new friend. Is he nice?”

Minghao rolls the lump of ice-cream in his mouth, letting the cold treat melt so he has time to think. He swallows, “Well, we're not really close, I've only known him for four days...? He's my new roommate,” he finishes, taking another spoonful of the softened vanilla ice-cream. He doesn't want to think about Soonyoung or the conversation they had—or it almost had?—about Jun. Whatever, he thinks with a soft grunt, it doesn't matter.

“Dinner was great like always, mom,” Seungcheol says with a thousand-watt smile, taking his dishes over to the sink to rinse them. “C'mon Minghao, I have this new mixtape I want you to listen too.” And with that, dinner ends.

Minghao follows the older male obediently, eyes grazing the family pictures lining the walls with disinterest until Seungcheol drags him into his room.

It's much smaller and more cramped compared to Minghao's new room but it feels more homey.

“So, are you having a rough time?”

Minghao tilts his head, setting a picture down as he tugs at his sleeves. He knows his friends inside and out, maybe better than he knows himself to be quite honest, and he knows for a fact that Seungcheol is surprisingly patient so the silent treatment won't work on him. Sighing, he flops on the dark-haired boy's bed, “I'm not sure. Jun-ssi is, well, you know,” he finishes lamely with a shrug of his shoulders, “but Soonyoung-ssi is just so, I don't know. I don't like it, everything is so new and weird and I don't now how to handle them. They're so different from each other! It doesn't even make sense as to how they can live together.”

“You know, Wonwoo and Mingyu are like that. They're polar opposites but they fit together.”
 

“Yeah, but they don't live together...”

Seungcheol grins, "Touché. What really bugs you though?”

Minghao sighs, staring at Seuncheol's out-stretched hand wearily before the brunette goes to ruffle his hair affectionately. “Jun is a major flirt and I hate it, most of his perosnality really, and when he looks at me it's like he's planning on eating me in my sleep or something. Soonyoung is just...really a huge pain, I mean, he means well but everything he does annoys me. Is that bad?”

“Kind of,” Seungcheol admits with a grin. Minghao throws his hands up in the air, great, so he's just a terrible perosn. Good to know. “But, you know, you were kind of hostile to all of us at first—well, maybe not Jisoo, which, by the way, is totally unfair—even Seokmin but now look,” Seungcheol exclaims with laughter in his voice, “you would walk through hell and high-water for him. You'd probably defy gravity if he wanted you to.”

Minghao tries not to gag at the cheesiness of the man's words but concedes. That was true, he used to be very guarded before and even after Seokmin came.

“I don't need new friends, I have you guys,” he pouts.

The bed creaks as Seungcheol climbs off, going over to take a seat next to his cluttered desk, books balanced haphazardly in a tall tower as paper litters every available space of the wood. “I'm not asking you to be best-friends, Seokmin would probably be pretty angry if he was replaced, but they might not be that bad. And,” the older male continues with a long drag of the vowel, “if they do hurt you, I”ll take care of it”

Minghao, despite Seungcheol and his mohter's insistence, decides to leave instead of staying the night. It is rather late, almost twelve, but he argues that a walk in the chilled air might help clear his head, also; he could just call a cab if he gets too cold or tired to walk.

Seoul's night-life is really something to be amazed at, lights glaring angrily into the night sky as the light pollution makes it impossible to see the stars. Minghao's not sure if he really misses seeing stars, he definitely doesn't miss the feeling of insignificance curling around his soul every time he looks into space, but he does miss being able to walk without drunk people walking into him every five minutes.

People are amazing sometimes.

Shaking his head, Minghao continues walking on. Apparently a lot of people, especially groups of young adults like to take late walks too. Just when he's about to make a turn Minghao spots that Dowoon guy from the pet store, all of his attention on a taller looking man with pale blonde hair and a guitar case slung around his model-esque frame. If Mingyu was here the idiot would probably whistle and say something like “guy's got legs for days” thankfully he isn't though.

As if the universe really didn't want Minghao to get back to his bed, Dowoon's eyes meet his and a look of surprise flutters across his soft features. The red-head proceeds to wave at him, letting go of his companion's hand and Minghao ahs no choice but to stay still as he watches the teen run to him.

“Hey! You were the one the dog peed on, right? Did you manage to clean the jacekt? I'm so sorry that happened usually I remember to tell peope to not pick up the puppies because they get excited so easily but Sonyoung-hyung distracted me and, I'm just really sorry,” the young man goes on, bowing deeply like when they first had met. Minghao's about to tell him not to worry but then the taller man finally joins them, a polite smile on his face but Minghao can feel the unsaid heat behind his piercing eyes.

He gulps.

“Who is this Dowoonie?”

The gruff voice vibrates somewhat menacingly, hand splayed against the red-head's hip as he brings Dowoon clsoer to him.

“This is, um...”

“Minghao.”

“Right, sorry. This is Minghao-ssi, Soonyoung-hyung's newest roommate.”

The taller male lets out a small laugh, shoulders automatically relaxing. “Well, if that's the case, I”m sorry for you. I know they can be a handful,” he admits with a chuckle. “They really don't act lke adults, but you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. Just don't make Jun angry and you should be okay.”

“Too late there,” Minghao thinks to himself. “Thanks for the advice. I should get going now, have a nice date,” he finishes in a rush before moving on. He barely manages to see Dowoon blush as the tall male leans down to say something. Minghao's much too engrossed in thinking about everything that happened today that he doesn't notice the tipsy man in his way. Luckily, Minghao has the reflexes of a cat and manages to jerk left, barely avoiding the man, and, slams his shoulder right against a utility pole he failed to account for. Of course.

When Minghao makes it back to the flat, finally, he stumbles toward the door and manages to punch in the code. Finally, he can shower, change, and pass out on his bed like he wanted to ever since he left Seungcheol's house. Opening the door, fully expecting for his two roommates to be in their rooms, Minghao blinks in surprsise as a foam dark this his cheek before falling on the floor.

“Oh,” Soonyoung's voice shouts as a mop of blonde hair jumps out from behind the large couch, “Minghao, you're back!”

Soonyoung playing with a nerf gun, Minghao can't say he expected this but it's not very surprising.

“You make a good human shield,” a slightly deeper voice resonates from below him. Looking down, Minghao sees Jun's crouched form, head tilted back so their eyes meet. Okay, Jun playing was a little bit more on the unexpected side.

Soonyoung shouts out “pause!” before walking over to the confused boy, “We're playing a game. Do you wanna join?” Minghao follows the older male's hand gesturing over to a yellow and blue gun lying on the kitchen counter.

“Guys, it's one in the morning and you're playing with a toy gun.”

Jun scoffs, standing up so that he's looking down on both of them, mainly Minghao though, “Your point?”

Minghao's mouth opens and closes, unable to get any coherent thought pass his lips. He thinks back on Seungcheol's words and thinks 'what the hell' and grab the gun and loads it with the foam cylinders.

“Whoever lsoes has to clean the bathroom,” Jun announces with glee, a playful glint in his eye and Minghao wants to laugh at the surrealism of it all.

“That's cruel and unusual punishment.” Soonyoung yells with abandon, literally diving for the couch commencing the start of the game.

And Minghao's mom said spending countless hours on the computer playing shooter games wouldn't help him in life.  

A/N: So this chapter is kind of more serious than the ones before but I tried to end it on a more happy note. You can really tell just how much Minghao dislikes new people and you can kinda guess the reason has to do with something that happened to him in the past. Seriously though, junior-high was filled with so much drama it was insane. And just to help keep everyone straight, Minghao met Seokmin, Seungcheol, and MIngyu during juniorhigh. He met the rest during high-school and college. The next one though wil be a lot less serious and hopefully funnier^^ and Dowoon makes an appearance again with Youngk because I love that pairing xD On a more serious note though, I will only be posting one more chapter before evaluating if I should continue this story or not. 

     PS: I told you guys to prepeare yourself because you'll want to punch everyone in this story at least once and it's still true