There’s a crunch of leaves beneath his foot, one step. Another step, another crunch. Toben skitters back and forth across the sidewalk pulling on his leash, scattering the fallen leaves of autumn and barking at some small animal Chanyeol can’t even see. He smiles, shivers, pulls his coat a little tighter around his neck with his one free hand and… smiles some more.

An autumn vacation is even more peaceful than he’d imagined. It’s Chanyeol fourth day here, this sleepy little tourist town with too many art shops and cafes and parks, and a lake. The perfect respite for a two-week getaway, specifically for him and his dog, no others. The crisp autumn wind, the smell of nature, the browns and yellows and oranges, all the colors of the fall… sure Chanyeol would have seen this in the city. But he wouldn’t have gotten a chance to enjoy it.

“Come on, pup,” he tells the poodle, endeavoring to take the right fork instead of the left. It’s a daily battle, what with the duck pond down left, but it’s nearing six o’clock and the sun is mostly gone from the sky. The wind is picking up and the temperature’s dropping. Chanyeol would like to make it back to his room before his toes freeze off. Also, wouldn’t hurt to drop by the front wing of the bed and breakfast where the owners stay up until the grand old hour of seven, sharing a bottle of wine with whichever guest happens to be around.

“I said, come on, pup. Maybe they still have some dog treats.”

The house is already lit up from the inside, a warm color which spills out from large, paned and rustic windows. The gravel walkway is lined by little sunlights. Chanyeol thinks there are three guest bedrooms and a couple little cabins behind, but right now only two occupants besides the owners.

“Mrs. Zhang, Mr, Zhang,” he said upon entering. Toben yips once, then growls a measly growl until he recognizes the owner. Chanyeol drops the leash and picks him up, bowing towards his hosts. He leaves his shoes by the door and steps into the warmth. There’s a crackling fire in the corner of the room, and a little table with home-baked goodies.

“Oh, Chanyeol. Good evening!” said an older woman. Her face is lined with maturity and love. Chanyeol loves her already; she reminds him of his mother. Mr. Zhang is just as cordial. He smiles and pours Chanyeol a glass of red from a bottle they’d already sampled on Chanyeol’s first night here. He remembers Chanyeol likes it.

“It’s getting cold out there,” he says, after pouring out his thanks.

“Mmm, yes, this time of year, it is,” says the woman.

They talk a little about Chanyeol’s day, the things he found to occupy himself, the things he did just so not to occupy himself. Vacation, in Chanyeol’s definition, isn’t something to be packed full of events and plans. It’s for taking the time to explore, to rest, to pamper himself and Toben, as in the pet and human spa he checked into the day before.

And vacation is definitely to sit and remind oneself of the pleasures of life. Wine, and good company, and a sweet little dog, and a fireplace.

The front door opens. Chanyeol pauses mid sip, nods at the newcomer, smiles a little and goes back to his glass. He’ll let his hostess welcome the man Chanyeol met a few nights ago who Chanyeol still isn’t entirely sure likes him.

“Oh, Kyungsoo, you’re here too! Well right in time. Here, honey, come have a sit. Do you want the last glass of wine? How about some cookies.”

Do Kyungsoo, as he’d introduced himself before, smiles politely, apologetically. “No, that’s alright, thank you. Actually I just came to ask if you had some spare towels?”

Chanyeol ignores the rest of their brief interaction. He can’t help how his eyes follow the man when he leaves though. He’s not short, but definitely shorter than himself. Stern looking, a rugged face, neutral expression, warm eyes. Soft , but the kind of soft where he probably doesn’t know it yet.

Their first meeting had been kind of like this. Chanyeol out on a walk outside the B&B, Toben going crazy chasing after scents on his leash. Kyungsoo was just arriving, still lugging his suitcase out of his car. He’d eyed Chanyeol warily, his dog even more.

“Hi!” said Chanyeol. “You’re new?”

“Uhh. Yes. Are you, do you live here?”

“Just a guest! I’m Chanyeol. This is Toben. That’s the house up there.”

Kyungsoo stared past him. “Okay… thanks.”

They’d met around the B&B and in town a few more times since then. Each time Chanyeol struck up a conversation, purely for the sake of being friendly, Kyungsoo had shut him down. Now, three days later Chanyeol doesn’t even bother.

But that’s okay, he tells himself over and over. Chanyeol isn’t here for romance. No matter that Kyungsoo is cute and pretty much his type. Perhaps in another environment Chanyeol would pursue it more, dig in to see if Kyungsoo is just the kind of person who genuinely doesn’t care about getting to know a person, or just kind of shy.

“I think I’ll head to bed. Goodnight,” he tells his hosts, half an hour later.

It’s officially dark outside the house. Chanyeol follows the path out the front door and around the side of the house to the back walkway where the guest wings are. No stars in the sky, but Chanyeol smiles happily anyways. It’s not often he gets to enjoy the weather for what it is, even if all it is now is cold, cloudy and black. Not half a mile away is the lake where he spends half his day just wandering about. Maybe tomorrow he’ll take a couple books and some picnic food and lounge around, if Toben will let him.

Chanyeol is so lost in his thoughts he almost walks right into Kyungsoo.

“! ! I’m so sorry!” he says, throwing out a hand automatically to grab onto the other man. Kyungsoo stutters, but doesn’t fall. He’s braced against a tree trunk though and staring incriminatingly at Chanyeol’s fingers around his forearm. Chanyeol relinquishes it immediately, apologizing even more.

Kyungsoo is slow to respond, and when he does he won’t meet Chanyeol’s eyes. “S’okay.”

Toben sniffs at Kyungsoo’s shoes and Chanyeol silently prays that’s the most embarrassing thing he does.

They’re standing two feet apart, neither moving, neither talking. The entire situation screams Awkward! which inevitably triggers Chanyeol’s brain to try and make it less so. Traditionally he does this by just diving in. Wherever there is silence, Chanyeol wants to fill it. It’s an old habit from childhood. Problem is, he’s tried that before with Kyungsoo and has been making no progress. Logic says he should move on, tell him goodnight, and enjoy the rest of his vacation. Kyungsoo is but a stranger passing in the night.

He opens his mouth. “Well… good—”

But then something weird happens. With Toben still at Kyungsoo’s feet, the man actually bends over, smiles, and starts petting the little animal. Chanyeol’s words freeze and fall away. He clears his throat, finds himself staring down at soft black hair and a dainty arm now petting his dog.

“He’s cute.”

Chanyeol almost misses it, Kyungsoo’s soft mumble.

“You… yeah… I mean, yeah, he is.” There’s nothing for it but to also crouch down, give Toben a few gentle pets and… slyly stare down Kyungsoo’s nice profile. His dog’s loving the attention. Truth be told, Chanyeol is also enjoying this.

The stay quiet for another minute. Chanyeol’s long legs are beginning to ache, but Kyungsoo’s squatting in a way that makes it look easy, makes him look comfortable. Toben lays at his feet.

“I like dogs,” says Kyungsoo unexpectedly. “Never was able to have one though.”

“Oh.” Chanyeol is sad. “That’s sad. How come?”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “Too busy, I guess?”

“You’re on vacation now though, right?”

The man shakes his head. “Not really. A working vacation.”

“Oh, right. I remember.”

They had actually had this conversation before. Chanyeol remembers it didn’t go quite as well as now. He’d met Kyungsoo coming out of the doggy spa, Toben all prim and pretty and Chanyeol feeling like a million dollars. He’d blushed, bowed, asked Kyungsoo about his day and if he was on vacation. Before Kyungsoo could interject Chanyeol volunteered that he was on vacation. He’d smiled oddly like an idiot, feeling proud of his leisure. Kyungsoo’s response left much to be desired.

“You come on vacation with just your dog?”

“Yeah. Uhm, the spa here had great reviews.”

“...Okay.”

And maybe Chanyeol has always been a tiny bit slow reading cues, but he’d gone onward—still like an idiot—asking how Kyungsoo found his place, if there was anything he liked in particular.

“I’m here to work actually. Excuse me, good afternoon.”

Now, suddenly emboldened by Kyungsoo’s soft words, Chanyeol grins.

“Working vacations are the pits. Been on a few myself. Too many probably. I hate them. Have to leave Toben with my sister, I get no rest. That’s why this time I planned it out just for myself, and the pup of course.”

Kyungsoo’s expression softens. “That’s nice. Maybe someday I’ll get to do that too.”

Clearing his throat, Chanyeol gets an idea. “How long are you here for? Surely you get some downtime?”

“Hmmm,” Kyungsoo has to think about it. “Another week, maybe. I guess I get some free time, if I budget for it.”

“You should hang out with us!” says Chanyeol, before he can chicken out.

“What?”

“Yeah, me and Toben. My treat.”

“Your… treat?”

“Yeah, you know. The whole leisure thing. I can show you what it’s about. See, the thing about going on vacation, even if it’s totally just for fun, is to not overdo it. You gotta waste time just doing nothing. Like going on walks, finding a nice cafe to sit in for a few hours. Having a picnic, or… something.”

Too late Chanyeol realizes all that sounds awfully like asking Kyungsoo out on a date. A lot of dates, actually. And he sees Kyungsoo’s clamming up. The man’s expression sinks a little, the corners of his lips droop, he gets this faraway look.

“That’d be nice,” says Kyungsoo though, like it were only wishful thinking. Chanyeol takes a second chance.

“Just do it. You won’t regret it. Even for just an afternoon.” He gives his best encouraging smile, refusing to relent, praying his optimism shines through, infects Kyungsoo, gives him a chance, gives them a chance.

“Hmm. We’ll see.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Two hours. Just give me two hours and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

One week later, Chanyeol wakes to a late morning sun shining down through his open curtains. It’s been overcast for days. This is the first time he’s seen true sunshine. Even still, there’s no doubt from his first glance outside that it’s gonna be cold. The chill autumn wind picks up the fallen leaves, spreads them around. The window sill is littered with them.

Chanyeol drags himself out of bed, pulls on a long robe and yawns unattractively as he makes his way to the complimentary coffee pot in the corner of his room. The instant stuff isn’t great but it’s way too early to be leaving his room. Plenty of time for that later. He’s on vacation, and on vacation there is no schedule.

Well, maybe there’s a little one.

Chanyeol trips over Toben, still snoozing snuggly on the rug beside his bed. The pup blows a long snoozing breath but doesn’t move from its warm spot. Chanyeol bends over and annoys him anyways. The little bell of his collar jingles against his dog tags, a welcome sound to Chanyeol’s ears.

He stands, checks the clock. Only 10 o’clock and Kyungsoo said he had until at least noon today. Tomorrow they’re both going home, back to the big city where it seems they work and live only half an hour apart.

The coffee pot gurgles on the table. Chanyeol takes a leak, reassembles his robe, trips over a pile of clothes on the floor and finds Toben’s leash.

He opens the door to discover it’s just as cold as he thought it would be.

“Ahhhhhhh, breathe that in, Toben, breath it in!”

The pup, unhappy from being rustled, paws through a crunch of fallen leaves beside the sidewalk and does his business. A minute later, satisfied that it’s going to be a good day, Chanyeol leads him back inside.

He pours two cups of coffee, takes one and sips it, puts it back down on the table. Then he takes the second one and strides towards the bed. It dips where he perches beside a tiny cylindrical lump in the blankets.

“Hey, hey Kyungsoo…” He waves the cup beneath the sleeping man’s nose. “Smell this? You know you wanna… come on, smell the coffee. Isn’t it heavenly? See what you’ve been missing all these years? Coffee in bed, man. Coffee, in. bed.”

Thirty seconds later he gets his response, all soft and mumbling.

“Go... f- yourself, Chanyeol. I’m sleeeeeping in.”