Border Line
Unlikely, UnusualLu Han’s favorite days were weekends—to be more precise, Saturdays.
Those were the days that Sehun promised Lu Han that he would devote his full attention to him. Which meant no taking phone calls, no checking emails, and absolutely no looking at the papers he called “case files” because those were horribly annoying and had even seeped into their movie time in the evenings.
Lu Han always made sure to be on his best behavior during all the other days and stayed out of Sehun’s business. But on Saturday he could be as attention-seeking as he’d liked, and he took advantage of that.
As soon as he woke up on this particular Saturday morning, Lu Han would bound over to Sehun’s room, opening the door wide and making a running leap on to the bed.
“Woah!” Sehun yelled as he was awoken by the sudden weight on the bed, “Lu’s up early."
Sehun was now regularly calling him “Lu,” and Lu Han liked that a lot.
“Oh Sehun,” he said, dragging out his words and whining a little, “you said you’d take us to see Papa today!"
Sehun did vaguely remember making this agreement one day when Lu Han was on the phone with Mr. Zhou. But truth be told, the boy had been so happy that Sehun would’ve agreed to anything he’d said in that moment.
“Alright then,” Sehun said, forcing himself out of bed, “a promise is a promise, let’s head out."
Lu Han smiled brightly, said a “I’ll go make breakfast,” and was out of the room before Sehun really knew what happened.
The two eventually got ready and took the drive to Mr. Zhou’s house. Lu Han could barely stay still in his seat, chatting about how much he’d like to see so-and-so and how this person or that pet was getting along. There were so many people he’d missed… oh, and the new litter! They were sure to be completed by now.
Mr. Zhou and Jia were out in the front lawn playing with the pets when Sehun pulled up to the front. Many sets of eyes simultaneously looked at the new arrivals and a few lit up when they saw the person in the passenger seat.
Jia hurried over and gave Lu Han a big hug before he even stepped out of the car, “Oh dear, how have you been?"
The pet’s face lit up as he returned the embrace and began summarizing his past few weeks to Jia.
Sehun got out of the car and gave a polite greeting to Mr. Zhou.
The trainer replied with a grin on his face, “Sehun! I’m glad you decided to come today.”
Lu Han ran up to Mr. Zhou and gave him a hug, which was returned warmly. Mr. Zhou then turned to Jia and told her to keep watch of the pets as he took the pair into the house.
The three sat down and Mr. Zhou began making polite conversation, mainly directed at Sehun. They talked about how things were going at the bureau, how Lu Han was doing, how the new pets were getting on—the typical fare.
Lu Han didn’t mind much, he really enjoyed the atmosphere of the house and just snuggled up against Sehun and stared off into space. The conversation faded into a pleasant din in his head.
He remained this way until he felt Sehun jerk suddenly. Lu Han refocused his eyes on his master and saw him making a strange face at Papa. What was going on? He swung his head over to look at Mr. Zhou, who looked like he was about to bust into laughter at any moment.
“Mr. Zhou, you know my stance and why this would be clearly impossible.”
That’s when the laughter came, “Of course, of course, investigator, how could I just assume. Now Lu Han…"
“Mr. Zhou!” Sehun yelled, effectively stopping the rest of the conversation. Mr. Zhou continued to laugh hysterically.
Luckily, any further damage was avoided by an interruption from Jia.
“Mr. Zhou, I’ve sent all the pets inside to wash up before lunch, is there anything you need before we serve them?”
The trainer turned to Sehun, “I need to steal Lu Han for a moment, would you mind Jia taking you around?"
Sehun narrowed his eyes, “Only if you don’t talk to him about strange things."
Mr. Zhou laughed again, “You have my word.”
Sehun nodded and got up from his seat, following Jia out to the pet houses in the back.
Mr. Zhou stood up and ruffled Lu Han’s hair a little, motioning for him to stand up, “I was cleaning and found a few of your things I’m sure you’d like to have, so let’s go to your room."
Lu Han smiled, “Thank you!” Papa was always so lovely to him.
“I see Sehun got you a new collar. It suits you very well."
“Thanks Papa!” He smiled, reaching to fiddle with the bell, “Oh Se—Master let me pick out the charm."
As much as Sehun preferred that Lu Han call him by his name, Papa would surely be disappointed at the idea.
Mr. Zhou opened the door to Lu Han’s former room, “How has he been to you?"
Lu Han sat down on the bed and swung his legs back and forth a few times, “Master is lovely, but he doesn’t make use of my training very well."
“As expected,” Mr. Zhou said, fiddling with a few things in the room, “hopefully that doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten it though."
“No,” Lu Han said adamantly, “I practice in my head everyday.”
“Good boy.” Mr. Zhou praised, pulling a garment bag out of the closet, “Now, I don’t suppose you’ll need this anytime soon, but just in case…"
ping the bag, Mr. Zhou took out a set of pet clothes—the kind made for special occasions and parties.
It was really beautiful. Clearly Papa had put a lot of thought into it. The clothing had those shiny gems that Lu Han adored so much, and the pet was overjoyed by that.
“I didn’t have a chance to get this made before you got a proper master, and then since I was in no rush I kept delaying and delaying and adding to it.” Mr. Zhou said, “I hope it’s to your liking, I’ve completely worn out the tailor with all the adjustments I’ve made to this."
Lu Han brushed a hand along the collar of the garment, “Oh Papa, it’s much more than Lu Han deserves."
“Nonsense,” Mr. Zhou responded, putting it back in the bag and zipping it up, “you’re priceless in my heart."
Lu Han blushed and hid his face in his hands.
“Now, how about we join the others for lunch? I’m sure some of your friends are excited to see you again."
...
Jia was very easy to talk to. Which is why Sehun ended up complaining to her about Mr. Zhou as they waited for lunch to be finished.
“Sehun, don’t mind Mr. Zhou.” Jia said as they filled pitchers with drinks.
“I know this might be commonplace for you, but this is not a comfortable topic for me to discuss.” Sehun said, moving the milk cartons out from the fridge, “I don’t understand why someone, if you’ll excuse me, as old as Mr. Zhou cares so much about my life."
Jia laughed, “He’s just curious. The only contact he has with anyone outside this house is either with people who have dedicated their lives to pets or people who want nothing else more than a pet. You’re neither."
“And he finds that interesting.” Sehun deadpanned.
“Of course! His life revolves around these pets that you seem to have no interest in owning."
“Well, I’ve seem to have been persuaded on that factor.” Sehun said, a little sheepish.
Jia chuckled, “Lu Han does seem to have that effect on people.”
“What effect does Lu Han have on people?” Mr. Zhou’s voice suddenly joined the conversation, the two not even realizing that he had entered the room.
“What effect doesn’t he have?” Jia said, grinning at Lu Han, who entered the room shortly after Mr. Zhou.
Mr. Zhou looked at Jia with a knowing look but let the subject drop anyway, “Lu Han, do you want to join the others for lunch?"
“Oh can I?” Lu Han asked.
It took a moment before Sehun realized he was the one being addressed. “I don’t see why not."
“They’re in the dining room now, Lu Han, go ahead.” Jia said, standing up, “The food is about ready now."
The rest of Lu Han’s day was spent catching up with his other pet friends until he was quite tired by the end of everything. Sehun, with a bit of Jia’s help, managed to avoid any more awkward conversations Mr. Zhou. Overall, it was a nice visit.
After packing the things Mr. Zhou set aside for Lu Han in the car and exchanging goodbyes, the two headed back home.
...
On this particular day, about a week after their visit to Mr. Zhou, the doorbell rang.
They’d just finished dinner and Sehun wasn’t expecting anyone, so he ignored it in attempts that whoever wanted to sell him something would leave eventually. Plus he didn’t really want to leave the cozy position he and Lu Han had gotten in.
A few seconds later, two more rings sounded and Sehun decided he’d better get up and figure out what was the matter.
Lu Han shifted out of the way to let Sehun get up, but moved right back into the spot they were in previously to snuggle in Sehun's heat. Sehun didn’t have much time to enjoy this sight before the doorbell sounded again.
These people were awfully persistent. And annoying. Sehun looked through the peephole and completely stopped in his tracks.
“Lu, lay down and stay quiet. Don’t move until I tell you to.” He commanded quickly before opening the door.
“Sehun!” The man on the other side greeted with a big smile.
“Daehyun, why are you here.” Sehun said in a way that sounded more like a statement than a question.
“Oh come on, aren’t you excited to see your older brother?” Daehyun pushed his way inside, taking off his shoes before making a beeline for the kitchen and shuffling in Sehun’s fridge for food.
“No. Probably because he always arrives unannounced and eats all my food."
Daehyun rolled his eyes and pulled out some of the leftovers he found in the fridge. He opened the lid and then furrowed his eyebrows, “Did you learn some new cooking methods recently?"
“And so what if I did?” Sehun said, moving next to his older brother, “Could you leave?"
Daehyun shook his head, “Come on little bro, I barely see you anymore and you always make a big fuss whenever I visit you at work. Can’t I spend some time with you?"
Sehun sent him a death glare, “I would prefer not to. You know why I don’t want to talk to you at work."
“Oh come on, a little time together doesn’t hurt anyone.” Daehyun commented as he put the food in the microwave, “How is the case doing these days?"
“You know how slow these things move. But work isn’t what you wanted to talk to me about, is it?"
The thing Sehun absolutely could not stand about his brother was the fact that Daehyun constantly felt the need to be fully involved in his life. In particular, the part of Sehun’s life where he didn’t have a pet. Daehyun was a big fan of pets in general and always felt the need to tell his brother, in great detail, about the escapades he had with them.
And there was only so much of this nagging and storytelling that Sehun could stand.
“Why are you so eager to get me out anyway?” Daehyun questioned as he grabbed the food and headed to the couch.
Sehun sidestepped into Daehyun’s path, “Don’t eat on the couch."
Daehyun furrowed his eyebrows again, “Why not? You’ve let me before."
“I cleaned it the other day and I’d prefer you not get anything on it.” Sehun said.
“I’ll be careful.” Daehyun said, stepping over and heading to the couch again.
“Daehyun, please.” Sehun said, stepping in his away once more.
“Okay.” Daehyun said, narrowing his eyes and pronouncing each syllable carefully. He moved to the dining room table and sat down. Taking a bite of the food, his facial expression changed briefly.
“Wow Sehun, you’ve gotten to be a much better cook—“ Daehyun stopped speaking and made a dash for the couch.
Sehun didn’t have enough time to react.
Daehyun noticed the figure lying down on the couch and backed away, “Sehun, you should’ve told me you had someone over.”
“Should I have.” Sehun said, monotone, although visibly more relaxed. Thank goodness his brother was too much of an idiot to notice the details.
“Hey,” Daehyun completely ignored his brother and addressed the person on the couch, “you can sit up. I’m Daehyun, Sehun’s older brother.”
Lu Han looked over at Sehun before sitting up carefully, “Hi, I’m Lu Han."
Daehyun looked at Sehun, “Is he your lover? Damn is he pretty."
Sehun made a tight-lipped smile, “Thank you, could you leave already."
“Oh come on, at least introduce us properly.” Daehyun said, getting his food and bringing it back over to the couch, “Why would you hide him from me in the first place? It’s not like I don’t know you’re gay.”
There was a silence while Daehyun scarfed down his food. It took a while before the realization of what he said dawned on him. Daehyun looked over and saw the collar on Lu Han’s neck. His eyes widened.
“Oh.”
Sehun closed his eyes, held his breath, and waited for the next words.
“Sehun-ah, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” Daehyun exclaimed, “You got a pet!"
“Not exactly…” Sehun tried to stop his brother before...
“This is so great! I’m glad you’ve decided to change your opinion! They are so great, aren’t they? Were you the one who cooked this food, Lu Han?"
Lu Han nodded.
“I knew Sehun couldn’t have done this. You’re such a good cook too! That’s so great! Sehun, I knew you’d come on our side sooner or later. And you’ve got such good taste. How is he? Have you used—"
“That’s it Daehyun.” Sehun said, voice stern, “Leave."
Daehyun rolled his eyes, “Sehun, shouldn’t you stop being so sensitive about this kind of stuff?” He picked up his food and started to eat again.
Sehun grabbed Daehyun by the arm and pulled him up, “You really should be leaving,” He lowered his voice, “and don’t you dare tell anyone about Lu Han. Especially not mom or dad.”
Daehyun finally gave in, placed the bowl down, and walked himself to the door, “Alright little bro, I’ll see you some other time. Bye Lu Han!” He shouted before closing the door behind him.
“Your brother is interesting.” Lu Han commented as Sehun settled beside him.
“That’s one way to put it.” Sehun said, “Sorry for making you hide, I didn’t know how else to handle him."
Lu Han laughed quietly, “It’s quite alright. I just didn’t expect him to be someone like that."
True. Daehyun was very different from Sehun, to say the least.
Sehun just smiled and hugged Lu Han tightly.
...
There were some days where Sehun hated his job, and today was one of those days. A lot of miscommunication caused a large issue with the major project they were working on, delaying progress for a few days. Sehun hated doing that—not only was it annoying to him and his division, but it meant more time for the pets to be kept in hands of the smugglers. And while that was never good news, this particular case involved illegal training, one of the more egregious cases they worked on.
Not to mention the surprise visit from his brother during lunchtime. Daehyun always left a bad taste in Sehun’s mouth after his visits and Sehun absolutely hated having to deal with him. After learning about Lu Han’s existence, he became more insufferable, something Sehun didn’t think was possible.
Naturally, Sehun was looking forward to sitting on the couch and cuddling with his pet after work.
After dinner Sehun immediately pulled Lu Han toward him and the two waddled over to the couch, as per usual. Sehun flopped down on the couch and Lu Han choose a movie before settling down on Sehun’s lap.
The opening hadn’t even finished before Lu Han started getting restless. This had been happening more and more often and today was not the day Sehun felt like dealing with it. He just wanted to relax and a constantly shifting Lu Han was not going to help.
A sudden thought crossed Sehun’s mind. Lu Han’s ear was right in front of his face and he leaned over and gave it a gentle bite.
The pet immediately relaxed and fell like putty into Sehun’s arms.
Sehun hadn’t done that since Mr. Zhou had prompted him to back when Lu Han wasn’t his yet. He remembered how the pet would respond when attention was given to these areas.
There was a bit of a pause, then Sehun decided to continue. The movie wasn’t all that interesting anyway.
Sehun began showering Lu Han with touches, starting with nosing around his ears. Lu Han let out the loudest purr Sehun had ever heard from him which caused the pet to freeze up a little and cover his mouth out of embarrassment. Sehun smiled into his neck and returned to what he was doing before.
Lu Han hugged his knees to his chest and shifted so that Sehun had better access, loud purrs sounding from his chest. Sehun moved to his neck, teeth grazing the side followed by little .
Lu Han was so lovely and responsive. Sehun reached an area just under Lu Han’s collar that when he kissed, caused the pet to let out a loud breath, which Sehun took to be a good sign. He spent a little extra time there, biting it gently just to hear the noise his pet made.
Then he the skin there. Lu Han moaned.
It was a soft little sound that escaped with his breath. Nothing like those noises Sehun typically thought of when using the word ‘moan,’ but there was no other word that could describe it better. And Sehun really wanted to hear it again.
Sehun was about to put more pressure on the area when he felt a presence on the side of his face. He opened his eyes to see Lu Han’s hand hovering there.
A little confused, Sehun stopped and perched his chin on Lu Han’s shoulder. He slowly brought his hand up behind Lu Han’s, threading their fingers together before gently guiding their hands down to the pet’s lap.
“Lu, is there something the matter?"
Lu Han looked at his feet and pressed his lips together. The silence worried Sehun a lot.
“Lu, tell me you’re thinking about."
Lu Han started fidgeting with the hem of his shirt with his free hand before dropping it suddenly because he knew it was a bad habit he should break. He took a deep breath, “Master, I’d be stepping out of line."
Sehun was just about to deny that before Lu Han inhaled sharply, “Could Oh Sehun stop?"
The last word was spoken like a whisper and Sehun immediately moved himself away from Lu Han, “I’m sorry Lu Han. How about I make us some tea? You sit tight."
Sehun quickly moved to the kitchen and began flipping through the cabinets to get the kettle and start the water. His face was completely red, and he made sure to keep his eyes away from the TV and who sat in front of it.
How could he have done that? Sehun gripped his mug tightly, as if it could somehow diffuse all the anger he felt toward himself. Lu Han had never protested previously so he assumed that everything was alright. But with pets—or people in general—assumptions always lead to trouble. And Sehun had been trying so hard not to become like those owners he despised.
The kettle whistled. Sehun moved to pour the water into the mugs and carried them over to the couch, placing them down on the coffee table before sitting a distance away from Lu Han. This was the first time there was this much distance between them on the couch.
Half the tea from Lu Han’s mug was gone before the pet spoke, voice barely audible under the sounds of the movie, “Master I’m sorry, Lu Han is sorry, so so sorry."
“Lu it’s alright—"
Lu Han didn’t even pause to listen and continued to apologize without a break. “Lu Han shouldn’t have spoken up the way he did and he is sorry. Lu Han had no right to order Master."
Sehun really wanted to hug the pet to get him to stop but he didn’t want a repeat of the moments before. Instead he gently patted Lu Han on the back until Lu Han’s words were stopped by a hiccup.
“Lu, it’s my fault, not yours, so stop apologizing.” Sehun forced out a laugh, “Now I think I’ll head to bed, it’s been a long day."
After a firm pat on the back, Sehun stood up and headed up the stairs.
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