I wanted to have this uploaded sooner, but...college. Ugh. Anyway, hope evenryone enjoys.

“Please don’t go…” the pup whimpered again, his lip quivering.

The last thing D.O. wanted to do at that moment was to leave Kai. He hated leaving the pup alone. He couldn’t stand it. He felt like the worst owner imaginable. All of his friends were able to properly provide for their hybrids. They either purchased companions for them or were able to work from home and spend all day with them. And D.O.? The only companion he ever had for his hybrid…he had to get rid of…because he couldn’t take care of him.

I already failed Tao…but I won’t let the same thing happen with you, Kai. I can’t. Never.

“Would you feel better if I called one of your friends to come play?” the man asked softly. He didn’t necessary want to call one of his friends to help him out in a pickle, yet again. He just wanted something that could make his pup feel better. Kai wouldn’t even look at his owner in the face.

“No.” the pup said simply. D.O. gently grabbed Kai’s chin and made him look him in the eyes. He the dog’s cheek with his other hand.

“Are you sure? Will you be fine by yourself?”

“Yes.”

It killed D.O. the way Kai was only giving quick, one word answers. He desperately didn’t want to leave, but he was already wasting time.

“I have to go now.” He kissed his puppy before grabbing his keys.

I’m sorry Kai. But I can’t risk losing you.

“I’ll see you later, Kai.” D.O. said as he walked out the door. “I love you.” The short man quickly got in his car and headed to the bus station, trying to ignore the sniffles he heard before closing the door.

“I have to do this. I need to buy that new heater. As long as I get enough money to keep Kai warm at night, this will all be worth it.” D.O. spoke to himself as he drove. He had to keep convincing himself that everything would be better soon. He was going to be a good owner.

Yeah, a good owner who ditches his dog every day.

D.O. flinched at the thought. But he was right. A good owner doesn’t leave his puppy hybrid alone by himself all the time. He felt so bad for Kai with no playmates to keep him occupied. After leaving the dog alone on the day they were supposed to have together, he couldn't just let him sit alone by himself. Suddenly D.O. whipped out his phone.

“Hello? Soo?”

“Kris hyung?”

“Yeah? Is something wrong?” the elder asked.

“Um well, I just got called into work.”

“What?! But it was your day off. What happened?”

“A lot, but that’s not important.” The boy sighed. “I just had to leave Kai by himself and he’s really upset. I hate to ask this but…”

“You want me to send the kids to go check on him?” Kris suggested. He was sure his beagles and kitty wouldn’t mind going to D.O.’s house to spend time with their puppy friend.

“Um…could you? I…I don’t want him to be alone and upset while I’m at work. Please hyung.”

“Of course, Soo. I’ll give them a call right now.”

“Thank you, hyung.” D.O. said quietly.

“It’s okay, Soo. We’re all glad to help you.” Kris knew exactly how the younger boy was probably feeling. All of their friends knew how proud D.O. was. They knew he hated how he had been struggling so much recently and had been asking for help much more frequently. And all of them wished he’d understand how they didn’t think he was a nuisance. How they didn’t think he was an inferior owner. And how they were always willing to help as much as they could.

“Thanks, I have to go now. I’m pulling up at work.”

“Sure thing. I’ll call you later.”

D.O. hung up first since Kris would never do so to anyone over the phone. He tried to put on a happy face as he got out of his car. The man noticed his boss standing next to his bus. His cigar was attached to his lip and a cloud of smoke was surrounding him, as usual.

“Kyungsoo, where have you been?” the man asked, clearly irritated.

“Traffic, sir.” D.O. lied.

“Oh, of course.” The man patted D.O.’s shoulder. “Alright, listen Soo. Like I said, I had to let someone else go this morning. So you’re to have to take on their shift in addition to your own. You’ll be working five days a week , 10 hours each day.”

“Excuse me?! You didn’t say that over the phone! And why 10 hours each day?” D.O. shouted.

“Well you’re route was going to be extended to 5 hours anyway. And now you’re going to have to take on the new route which is also being extended.” The man said calmly as if it were no big deal. “Holiday travel, you know how it is.”

“But sir, my dog hybrid…”

“Oh yeah, hybrids." The man said with a grimace. "You should be thankful you don’t have to drive that bus.” He laughed heartily, starting to cough due to all of the smoke in the air.

“When I was driving that bus, it was only for like 3 hours. Plus they're much more tolerable than humans."D.O. thought angrily.

“Well, here are your keys and the GPS in the bus is already updated with the new route. Have fun.” And with that, D.O.’s boss headed off. D.O. meanwhile wanted to start crying. First he got called to work on his day off to spend with Kai, now he was getting an extra route with longer hours on top of that. He’d never be able to spend any time with his pup. Sure he’d be able to buy more stuff, but what would the point be if he couldn’t ever enjoy those things with him.

“Well, it should get better by Christmas.” The boy sighed as he climbed into his bus.

At around 3 o’clock, D.O. was already annoyed. He’d only been driving for about 2 hours, yet he’d already experienced his fair share of irritating riders. People were extremely rude and pushy, not to mention overly loud. It was times like this that D.O. really wished that he could have been driving his hybrid bus. If the young man had been given these extreme extra hours for his hybrid route, everything would be perfect. At least the hybrid riders were polite to each other and to their driver. Plus, D.O. would have been able to bring Kai with him, so they could have been able to spend all of their time together. Sure it would have been while D.O. was working, but at least they’d have each other to make the experience enjoyable.

“Have a good day.” D.O. announced with the fakest smile ever. He just wanted everyone off of his bus so he could take a break. Mainly, he wanted to call Kai and see if he was okay. The man sighed in relief when the bus was finally empty so he could pull it into the large garage. D.O. tended to just take his breaks in the bus. He wasn’t a fan of interacting with his co-workers, so it was more comfortable for him to just relax in a seat and speak to his puppy over the phone. Remembering that Kai would not answer the house phone, he dialed Chanyeol.

“Hello?”

“Yeollie?”

“Soo! Soo! Hi Kyungie!” the boy barked happily. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Are you at my house right now?” D.O. wasn’t sure if all of Kris’s pets had gone over to hang with Kai, but he was almost certain that Chanyeol would have been there. Not only was he super close to the puppy, but he most definitely would have wanted to do something Kris asked him to.

“Um…well…” there was a bit of a whine in Chanyeol’s voice and D.O. instantly became concerned.

“Is something wrong?” the man asked, trying to remain calm.

“Um…Baekhyun wanted to play fetch so…we took Jongie to the park.” The pup finished. D.O. instantly sighed in relief.

“Oh. That’s fine Yeol.”

“It it?” he asked, and D.O. could almost see how his head was tilted.

“Sure. I’m glad that you took Kai out there. He’s always cooped up inside anyway. He’s probably having a blast.”

“He is. We’re all having fun.” Chanyeol responded.

“Are Chen Chen and Taozi out there too?” D.O. asked.

“Nah, they stayed at home. Kitties don’t like the cold.” The hybrid said with a bit of a chuckle.

“Ah. That makes sense.” The man smiled. He was glad to hear that Kai was having fun. Chanyeol was such a great dog and a friend for Kai to have. “Well, I’ll let you guys go. Say hi to Kai for me.”

“Sure thing, Soo.” The beagle barked. And D.O. hung up the phone. Though he still wasn’t thrilled with the situation, hearing that Kai was enjoying himself was enough to lift the man’s spirt. He spent the rest of his break relaxing, and thinking of this puppy. As long as he kept his mind on Kai, he’d be able to make it through the day.

It was around 10:30 when D.O. finally made it home. He picked up some subway sandwiches from a small shop on the way home. He wasn’t sure if Kai had eaten or decided to wait for him again, so he picked him up a sandwhich just in case. He desperately hoped that Chanyeol had made him eat, though.

He walked into his home and was met with an unexpected sight. On his couch were two sleeping dog hybrids and a tall, blond man watching something, probably a drama, on his phone.

“Kris hyung?” D.O. was clearly surprised by his hyung’s presence in his home. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey Soo. I came over after work.” The man began. “Chanyeol didn’t want to leave Kai alone so he stayed to wait for you. And when you weren’t back by the time I got off, I came over so I could take him home.”

“I’m sorry, hyung. I was supposed to get off earlier, but…ugh there’s so much crap going on over there.” The man sighed as he leaned against the side of the couch.

“Hey, don’t be upset. It’s no big deal. All of that stuff is out of your control. As long as you and Kai are both safe and healthy, that’s all that matters.”

“Did Kai eat dinner? Do you know?” D.O. asked.

“Yeah, Yeollie and I made him something.” Kris said, his own puppy on the head.

“Thank you, hyung. You didn’t have to. I mean, you could have just heated up some of the leftovers in there.”

“It was no trouble. Plus, Yeol loves to cook for his dongsaengs.” Kris was still staring endearingly at his silver hybrid. D.O. nodded.

“Well, I should probably get him home.” Kris said, gently lifting Chanyeol into his arms. “Do you need anything else?”

“We’re good, hyung. Thanks so much.”

“It’s nothing.” Kris smiled and extended his hand to D.O. The short man paused before opening his palm out to Kris. The blond man put a rather thick roll of paper in D.O.’s hand. The younger boy didn’t even need to look at the small bundle to know that it was a check, along with some additional cash as well. The shorter man flinched.

“Kris hyung…please…” D.O. stuttered. For D.O., accepting money from his friends was nearly the equivalent of having his shoes tied for him by a five year old. It just made him feel utterly pathetic; a grown man receiving gift cash because he wasn’t successful enough to make enough on his own.

“Take it, Soo.” Kris smiled.

“No, I can’t.” D.O. tried held the money out to his hyung, who refused to take it.

“Please, I want you to have it.” The man said, gummy smile lighting up his face. “You don’t have to use it now. Maybe save it to buy some nice Christmas gifts for Kai.” Chanyeol stirred in his owner’s grasp. He began quietly mumbling. “I have to go now.” Kris whispered. And with that, he exited the home.

D.O. stared at the door in silence, unable to decide whether or not he wanted to follow Kris. On one hand, he knew Kris wouldn't take the money back, but on the other hand…he’d given up so easily. Any thoughts about following the man instantly vanished as D.O. heard the sounds of Kai shuffling behind him.

“Hnung, ugh…hyung?” the puppy whined. Instantly, D.O. joined his pet on the couch and wrapped his arms around him.

“Kai, are you okay buddy?”

“Yeah, I’m fine hyung.” The puppy yawned. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” D.O. replied, pressing a kiss to the toy poodle’s head. Kai giggled in response.

“Woah, is that how much you got paid?”

“Huh?” D.O. was confused until he noticed that the roll of won was still sticking between in fingers. “Oh you mean this?”

“Yeah! Wow hyung, this is great!” the pup barked. He began happily his owner and returned the hug. “I was upset earlier when you left hyung, but if you can make this much money, then I’m happy that you got to work more.”

“You…you are?”

“Yes hyung. I want you to be able to buy the things you want.” Kai nuzzled his head under his hyung’s chin, actually managing to elicit a few chuckles from the elder.

“That’s great to hear.” D.O. said, patting his hybrid’s head. He was smiling but deep down inside he was disgusted with himself. Not only had he accepted the handout from Kris, but now he was misleading Kai. D.O. hadn’t fully counted the money in his hand, but knowing Kris, he was certain that it was probably well over what he actually would have made at work. Heck, he wouldn’t be surprised it was over double his paycheck. Unlike D.O., Kris had a good, well-paying job that left him plenty of money to spare. The younger on the other hand usually barely made enough to actually support a grown man and a growing puppy hybrid.

“Did you get food?” Kai asked, sniffing the air.

“Oh, yeah. I picked up some sandwiches in case you didn’t eat anything.”

“Kris made some Dakgalbi. There’s some left over for tomorrow too.” The puppy said, wagging his tail.

“Sounds nice.” D.O. tried not to let the irritation sink into his voice.

“But…can we still have the sandwiches?”

“You’re still hungry?”

“Well, no. But…I still like eating with you, hyung.” Kai said, tail wagging. D.O. couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Sure thing. Best to eat them warm anyway.” The short man patted his puppy’s head. He took out the sandwiches for each of them and the two of them ate in silence. Kai leaned against his owner’s side as he ate, enjoying being as close to the man as possible. Content hums made their way out of his throat. D.O. on the other hand was in panic mode, though he played it off as if everything was fine; smiling at his pup fondly as they ate.

You idiot. Why did you lie to him? What’s he going to think when you get your paycheck Friday and it’s nothing close to this? Why did you have to take the damn money from Kris anyway? Why can’t you have a good job so you don’t have to take handouts from your friends? Why can’t you be a good pet owner?

D.O. hated feeling this way. Like the lowest of the low. He wasn’t poor by any means, but he couldn’t stand how he made so much less than his friends. Something that was pocket change for Kris, D.O. would be glad to make after two weeks of work. D.O. was so caught up in berating himself that he almost didn’t hear Kai speak.

“Hyung?”

“Uh, yes Kai?”

“Do you have to go to work tomorrow?”

“Yes. Yes I do.” The man’s tone was much more somber than he wanted it to be. “In fact, I’m going to be working every day of the week now.”

“Every day?!”

“Well, not on the weekends, but…Monday through Friday.” The man sighed. “So it’s almost every day.”

“And it’s going to be as long as you worked today?” The puppy whined.

“I’m sorry bud. Really, I…”

“That’s okay.” Kai said suddenly.

“Huh? But Kai…”

“It’ll be fine. After all, you’re going to be making more money. So it’ll be fine in the end.” The toy poodle said with a smile.

“Oh, um yes. More money.” D.O. said, a nervous smile plastered on his face. “And you can go over and play at your friends’ houses too.”

“Yeah. So everything is going to work out after all.” The hybrid nuzzled against his owner’s face and D.O. couldn’t help but to playfully ruffle his fur.

“You’re right. Everything will be alright.” The young man said.

In the following weeks, D.O. made it his mission to work as hard as possible to earn as much money as possible. He and Kai both hated how the time they were spending together was decreasing by the day. But if receiving a high paycheck what would keep Kai in good spirits during the day, D.O. was going to make sure that he came home with enough money to make Kai proud. Unfortunately, things at work had only gone from bad to worse. Two more workers ended up leaving the company for one reason or another, which meant that their load had to be placed on the remaining workers. D.O. was now having to drive even father distances and had even shorter breaks. It didn’t help that his wages didn’t even increase after the loss of the other workers. His boss insisted that a portion of their original paycheck would have been added in to the remaining employee’s checks, but D.O. hadn’t received any more money than usual and that only frustrated him further.

He didn’t tell any of this to Kai of course. The man simply played if off as if everything at work was fine and would distract the hybrid with lots of cuddles and playtime when he got home. As long as Kai thought that D.O. was making more money, the pup was happy and D.O. wanted nothing other than for his dog to be happy. He’d worry about the money situation later.

“How are things at work, Soo?” Xiumin asked, sipping a cup of bubble tea.

“It’s getting much better actually.” D.O. said with a smile. He truly didn’t want to lie to his hyungs, but he couldn’t let them know what was actually happening at his job. They’d be throwing money at him and cooking for him every night.

Xiumin smiled happily. “That’s great news.” D.O. smiled, but avoided eye contact, instead staring into his own cup of tea.

“Yeah, I’m just glad Kai is so upbeat. We haven’t had much time to each other recently.”

“Well from what Lulu has told me, he’s happy to be spending more time with his friends. He’s also thrilled that you’ve been so much happier recently.”

“I have?” D.O. was genuinely confused. He’d been feeling totally worn out recently and was actually worried about Kai noticing. Had he really put on that great of an act?

“Well that’s what he said.” Xiumin chuckled. “He said, ever since you’ve been making more money you’ve been super happy after work. Oh, and by the way, did you get that new heater yet?”

“Not yet, but I’m almost there.” That was the only statement D.O. had made that wasn’t a completely lie. He’d continued saving and storing his money and was nearly at the point that he could buy his new heater. It couldn’t come at a better time either, as the weather was getting colder by the day, and there was actually a big storm on the way.

“Great. I’m sure you and Kai will be so happy to have it. I know how cold your house gets.”

“As long as he’s warm, that’s all I care about.” D.O. said very seriously. He was still staring into his tea cup and was surprised when Xiumin made his way over to him.

“Kyungsoo, I know you’d been having some money issues before, and I know that you hated whenever I or one of the others would try to help you. “Xiumin placed his hand over the younger boy’s as he spoke. “I’m really proud of you. I’m so glad that things are getting better for you.”

D.O. nodded quietly. He didn’t know what to say. He was already feeling uncomfortable for lying, and Xiumin’s kind words were only making him feel more guilty.

“But I just want you to know that if ever you need any more help, please don’t hesitate to call us.”

“Hyung, I…”

“I know things are going well now and that you probably won’t need anything, but I just wanted you to know that you can still ask us for help if you need something.”

“Okay.” D.O. replied dryly.

“We all know how you felt when you didn’t have that much money and had to ask us for help. You thought that you were a crappy pet owner and annoyed us by asking for help. But we all want you to know that you’re a great guy and a great owner to Kai. And we’ll always be there to help you, no matter what.” D.O. nodded. He hadn't even realized when Xiumin had started rubbing his back.

“Thank you, hyung.”

“And if anything bad happens at your job and you suddenly need something, we won’t think any less of you. We all love you Kyungsoo.”the older male said softly.

D.O. gulped. He messed up big time. He never should have lied to the others and told them that everything at work was fine. Now if something did come up and he truly did need help, they might be hesitant to help him.

“I…I have to go hyung.”

“Something wrong?”

“No, I just need to get Kai settled before I head to work.”

“You can leave him here if you want. I’m sure Lu would love to hang out with him some more and maybe watch more of those dramas.”

“It’s okay hyung. Maybe some other time.”

“Okay then.” The blond replied, taking the cup of bubble tea from D.O. The younger man headed up to Luhan’s room where the two hybrids were currently watching a movie. Kai was snuggled against Luhan’s chest, eyes locked on the TV. The deer hybrid was gently grooming Kai’s hair and face, not really paying much attention to the movie.

“Time to go Jongie.” D.O. whispered.

“Aw, hyung. The movie isn’t over yet.” The pup whined.

“You can finish it next time. I have to get ready to go to work.” The boy cooed.

“Can Kai come back to finish it tomorrow?” Luhan asked.

“Sure thing.” D.O. said, rubbing the deer hybrid’s antlers. Kai smiled and hugged his friend before hopping out of the bed.

Once the duo arrived home, D.O. immediately their old heater. It was already really cold outside and the man knew from watching the news that it was only going to get eve colder that night.

“It’s so cold, hyung.” Kai said. The toy poodle had wrapped himself in some blankets that were sitting on the sofa.

“Hopefully this old thing will warm up soon so you’ll be good for the evening.” D.O. said. He was upset that he had to leave Kai alone in this cold, but was happy since he would be receiving his paycheck later, and if he got the extra money that was promised, he’d have enough to get the new heater the next day.

“I’ll be fine, hyung.” The pup barked.

“Alright, there’s plenty of food in the fridge, but with everything you ate at Xiumin’s place, you shouldn’t be that hungry.” D.O. said as he grabbed his keys.

“I’d wait for you anyway.” The dog hybrid replied. D.O. patted the puppy and received a quick on the cheek.

“Okay, okay, I’ll see you later bud.”

“You’re off tomorrow, right hyung?” Kai asked with hopeful eyes.

“Yep. And hopefully we’ll be able to get that new heater.”

“I hope so, hyung.” Kai replied with a wag of his tail.

“Me too.” D.O. said as he closed the door.

D.O. climbed out of his bus with a heavy sigh. Though he was handling the same new route he’d had for the past few weeks, he felt more exhausted than ever before. It was only the fact that he knew he was mere minutes from receiving his paycheck that kept him from completely wiping out.

“I made it.” The boy said to himself. “Just a few more minutes and I can head home.” And right on schedule, his manager approached him and the other workers.

“Alright boys, good job tonight.” The man said, taking out several small slips of paper. “I hope it wasn’t too tiring.” The man laughed.

“No, I just feel like I’ve been driving for 3 days straight with no food or sleep.” D.O. muttered to himself.

“Well, I’m glad you all made it back with no issues. Unfortunately I have a bit of bad news.” The man said, playing with the checks in his hand. And D.O. immediately snapped to attention.

Oh gosh, please don’t tell me we have to work tomorrow. After all the crap that’s been going on, I really don’t need this.

“I know I promised you guys larger paychecks and you’ve all been expecting them. And don’t worry, you will be getting them…just not today.”

“What?!” D.O. shouted along with a few other employees.

“Not only that, but your checks for this week are a bit lower than usual.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!”

“I know that a lot of you are understandably upset. I am too. I was only just informed of this, earlier today. But everything will be fine.” The man assured them. “You will be receiving your extra pay by the end of the month.” And with that, the man began passing out the checks. Irritated mumbles echoed throughout the room.

D.O. was in such a state of shock that he didn’t even realize when his check had been placed into his hand. He hadn’t realized when everyone else had left. He didn’t remember his boss walking his out to his car and reassuring him once again that he would receive his extra money and expressing his deepest condolences. And he certainly didn’t know how he got the courage to drive home to explain all of this to Kai. Only one thought sounded in the young man’s mind as he drove home.

I…I failed him.

The eerie mood lingered as D.O. returned to his house. The first thing he noticed as he pulled into the driveway was that none of the lights were on. It certainly wasn’t like Kai to turn off all of the lights if he was home alone. Instantly the man went into panic mode and dashed to the house. After fumbling with his keys in the dark, he finally managed to get the door open.

“Kai! Kai! Jongin what’s going on?!” the man hollered. The house was freezing and the man could barely see anything.

“Hyung?” came a small whimper.

“Jongin? Where are you?” D.O. asked frantically.

“I’m here, hyung.” The sound of footsteps drew D.O.’s attention towards the back hallway. Eventually, the man’s arms found his puppy.

“Kai? Are you okay? What happened?”

“Hyung. The heater… it went off. It just stopped working.” The puppy whined. “So I went to the room to get more blankets, and then…the lights went out. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t see so I just stayed in the room. But it was so cold…”

“Oh, Kai…”

“Hyung…I know it’s late, but…can we go get the heater now?”

D.O. could barely register what was going on. First, his paycheck was short, meaning didn’t have nearly enough money to get the heater that day or even in the next few weeks, now his power was out and his house was freezing and he had no way to fix it.

“I…I…” D.O. couldn’t even form words. He was trying his hardest to cry.

“Please hyung.” The toy poodle whimpered.

And the tears started streaming down D.O.’s face.

“I can’t. I don’t have enough money.” The man cried, wiping his eyes.

“What do you mean, hyung? You said you should have enough by now.”

“I lied Kai. I said I was making more than I was because I didn’t want you to worry. And you said you were more comfortable being home alone as long as I was making more money for the heater. And honestly, I thought I would be making more money soon, but…ugh…I’m sorry Jongin.” The man sniffled. “I’m so sorry. I’m the worst pet owner on the planet.”

"Hyung…” Kai whined, wrapping his arms around his owner. He was silent for a few seconds before speaking up again. “I never cared about the money.” D.O. ‘s eyes widened as he pulled away from his puppy.

“But, you said…”

“Chanyeol hyung told me to act like I was happy that you were working more so you wouldn’t feel as bad about leaving, but the truth is that I don’t care about money. I don’t care about any of that. I just care about you hyung.”

“Kai.” D.O. tried to find words. He tried to find a way to apologize to Kai for all that he’d done, but there was no way to do such a thing so easily. “I’m sorry you have such a pitiful excuse for a pet owner.”

“Hyung, you are a good owner. You’re the best owner a dog could ask for, but…you need help.”

“Huh?” D.O. was generally confused about what Kai was referring to.

“I know you don’t like to ask people for help, but…I don’t think any less of you because of it. I don't care that you get gift money and food from our friends. I just…I’m just cold hyung.” The puppy shivered and sniffed. Though D.O. couldn’t see I the dark, he knew his hybrid was crying.

‘I’ve ruined everything.’ D.O. thought. ‘I’ve ruined everything and can’t do anything about it’ D.O. started to tear up again at the thought of Kai getting sick from this weather, all because he was too proud to tell his friends how much he was actually struggling and refuse their help. But he had no time to wallow in self-pity. His pup needed warmth now and that was all that mattered. And he knew what he had to do.

“Let’s go.”

D.O. wobbled through the cold as he clutched his puppy close to him. The wind was so strong that it nearly knocked the two of them down.

How could you let this happen? No money, no heat, and no lights. You’re the worst excuse of a pet owner on the planet. Kai deserves so much better than you. All you had to do was provide a good home for him, but you couldn’t even do that.

D.O. continued to beat himself up until he arrived at the front doorstep. He rang the doorbell a few times and knocked with all his might. Within minutes, someone arrived at the door.

“D.O., Kai? What are you doing out here?”

“Junmyeon, hyung…please…can Kai come in?” D.O. asked barely getting any words out properly due to the strong wind and freezing cold. He slowly pushed Kai towards his friend, but Suho pulled them both inside the house and shut the door behind them.

“What is going on guys?” Suho asked worriedly. “Why are you outside at this hour? And in this weather?”

“My heater went out. Our lights went out. The car wouldn’t start. I just…please…”

“Your heat went out? Tonight? Oh my gosh, you guys must be freezing!” Suho exclaimed, dashing to grab some blankets. “Wrap up in these for now. I’m going to go start a nice, hot bath.” And the short man ran up the stairs without another word.

Kai shivered as he his lips in nervousness. D.O. wrapped the blanket Suho had given him around his puppy. He didn’t care about how cold he was at the moment; he just wanted his toy poodle to be warm.

“Hyung…”

“Keep it. I just need you to stay warm.” D.O. said, wrapping his arms around the boy to give him even more warmth. Luckily, Suho returned downstairs rather quickly and with a handful of blankets.

“Sorry, I took so long. Sehun and Lay heard the noise and I had to tell them everything was fine.” Suho explained. “And Kai, you’re free to join the boys once you finish your bath.”

“It’s no problem, hyung.” D.O. said, still shivering. “And thank you so much.”

“The tub is ready for you Kai. Or you can both go together if you want.” The older man said. “I brought these in case you wanted to go one at a time.” Kai looked at his owner as if to ask what he wanted to do.

“Go on, Kai.” D.O. smiled. The pup nodded and left the blankets with the humans as he headed upstairs. Once the hybrid was out of sight, D.O. stood up.

“What’s wrong, Soo?”

“I’m going home.”

“Excuse me? Home? You said there are no lights and no heat.” Suho exclaimed, gabbing the young boy’s arm.

“I’ll be fine hyung. I just wanted make sure Kai was okay. I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Kyungsoo stop.” The elder said sternly. D.O. paused for a minute. He knew Suho would want to talk about what was going on, and he really wasn’t in the mood to think even more about what a crappy owner he was.

“Hyung…please…”

“Kyungsoo, sit down.” Suho said, his tone softer. D.O. obeyed. Suho wrapped the blankets around the younger boy before he sat down again.

“Now, can we talk?” the man asked with his arms folded.

“Junmyeon, I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Aish, this is your problem, Soo. You never want to tell anyone anything.”

“I don’t have to tell anyone anything. It’s my business, not anyone else’s.” D.O. replied, rather angrily.

“When you’re walking up to my house at like 1 am using my bath tub and blankets, it is my business.” Suho retorted, eyes stern once again. D.O. flinched. He looked at his hands in his lap, not wanting to look at his hyung in the eyes.

“I just wanted Kai to be warm. I don’t need to stay here or use anything.” The boy mumbled.

“Soo, you know I don’t mean that it a bad way. I’m perfectly happy to let you and Kai use whatever you need whenever you need it.” The elder reached over to pat his friend’s hands. “But I need to know what’s going on so I know how to help you.” D.O. pulled his hands away from his hyung and turned away in the chair.

“You don’t understand, hyung.”

“What don’t I understand?”

“You don’t understand anything.”

“What do you mean?” Suho asked, still trying to keep his voice down despite how irritated his was getting with D.O.’s vagueness.

“You’re rich! You have all the money in the world to take care of Lay, Sehun and probably ten other hybrids without any effort. You don’t know what it’s like to be 21 years old, and have to ask your friends for help every other day because you have a y job that doesn’t pay you enough to care for your hybrid! You don’t know what it’s like to go sleep at night, not knowing whether you’ll have enough money to feed your hybrid or yourself in the morning. You don't know what it's like to have to give up a hybrid you took in becuase you just didn't have enough money! You don’t understand anything I’m going through. None of you guys do!” The boy huffed as he ended his emotional outburst. He wiped away tears he didn’t even realize were there and tried to calm himself. He was so out of it that he didn’t even realize Suho wrapping his arms around his body. The older man pressed a kiss D.O.’s forehead.

“Oh Soo. You’re so sweet.”

“Wha…what?”

“Kyungsoo, you’re a good kid.” Suho whispered. "You're always thinking about others, over yourself." He held D.O. in place for a few minutes, slowly rocking the two of them back and forth.

“Hyung?” D.O. asked eventually. Suho released the boy and sat down.

“Soo, why don’t you like asking for help?” the older man asked calmly.

“Because I’m a grown adult and should be able to take care of myself.” D.O. spoke with a slightly angered tone. “I should be able to provide for my own hybrid without assistance from my friends.”

“What’s wrong with that? If I was in a situation where I had little money and had to ask you and our friends for help all the time, would you think poorly of me? Would you not want to help me?”

“Of course I’d help you hyung. That’s not what the issue is.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s Kai. He deserves so much better. He deserves an owner who can afford to buy him things and provide a decent home. An owner that can get by with their own paycheck.”

“Do you really think Kai has a problem with how you guys live?” Suho asked. And D.O. couldn’t formulate words. Deep down he knew that Kai loved him, but he still had a lingering feeling that the pup might be jealous of his friends who have wealthier owners.

"I..."

“Hyung!” Both men looked to the hallway to see the toy poodle approaching. He had finished bathing and had gotten dressed in the puppy themed onesie pajamas Suho had taken out for him.

“Kai? Why aren’t you in bed?” D.O. asked and was caught off guard as Kai threw himself at his owner.

“Hyung, I’m sorry. Please don’t feel bad about yourself.” Kai whined, rubbing himself on his owner’s body. D.O. wrapped his arms around the taller boy and pulled him onto his lap.

“Why are you apologizing? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“I heard you say that you don’t like to ask for help because of me. But I don’t want you to feel that way hyung. I just want us to be happy together. I don’t care about you having to ask for food or money or anything. I still love you, Kyungsoo.” The dog sniffled as tears streamed down his face. Suho grabbed a nearby napkin and handed it to D.O. as he exited the room. This moment was just for D.O. and his hybrid alone. He'd give him the cash he wanted to gift him in the morning. That heater would be purchased the next day.

“Jongin, I didn’t mean it that way. I just…sometimes I feel like you’d be happier if you had a different owner. Someone who could give you all the things you want and need. Someone that I could never be.” D.O. explained as he wiped away Kai’s tears.

“Hyung, you’re the only thing that I want and need. I don’t need money or toys or a heater or anything else. I only want you.” The dog sobbed out. "I only want you."

“Do you really mean that, Jongin?”

“Yes, hyung. I’ve always felt that way.” The dog said, resting his head on his owner’s. “As long as we are together, I have everything I need.”

“Thank you, Kai. I'm sorry for lying.” D.O. said, the puppy’s head as more tears streamed down his face. He pressed a kiss to Kai’s check. “I love you.”

“I wuv you too hyung.”

I hope everyone liked the ending. I was so happy to see all of the positive feedback for part one. Unfortunatley, the uploading for the epilouges might slow down a bit. I've been really busy lately and am a bit behind with where I want to be with the future entries. But I'll try to work as hard as possible to keep uploading within a weekly basis.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and enjoying :)