For a long while, Baekhyun is blissfully unaware of his dog's habits. As far as Baekhyun's concerned, Chen is a very good dog! He follows commands—usually, if he feels like it—eats his kibble without complaint—until he's tired of that flavor of very expensive dog food and has to have something different—and he sleeps on his own bed instead of climbing onto Baekhyun's and shedding over the blankets—unless there's dark clothing laid out, then it needs a touch of white.

Baekhyun works rather long hours, driving around the Seoul area as a telephone technician, so he has a bit of the morning, more of the evening, and most weekends to spend with his beloved Samoyed.

So imagine his surprise when he has to call in sick one day and his dog is nowhere to be found after he wakes up after noon.

“Chen?” Slowly, Baekhyun rolls off the sofa, giving himself a moment for his sinuses to drain and relieve some pressure behind his face. The round dog bed is covered in hair but no dog. His own bed is still bare of sheets, since he sweated through them overnight. The bathroom doors are closed, to remove the temptation of grabbing towels and whipping them around as playthings. Metal dishes are neatly in place against the wall, kibble bowl empty and water dish mostly full. A few stray hairs float on top; Baekhyun dumps the water and leaves the bowl in the sink.

The previous owners of his little house had a dog door installed, and it never seemed big enough for Chen's fluffy body, but he does fit. Baekhyun looks outside and feels a throb in his temples.

His dog hangs on the perimeter fence, hind feet braced against the slats.

Throwing open the door, Baekhyun meets Chen's big black eyes and deliriously thinks he sees them sparkle. “Chen!” A kick and a wriggle, and the dog's over the fence.

Baekhyun stuffs his feet into his boots and grabs a jacket, running out and around the house to the front gate.

It snowed overnight, again. He's been too tired to shovel his sidewalk or driveway, so he has to march more than run. He looks like a toddler trying to navigate snow. Already a block away, Chen's trotting comfortably. Baekhyun hollers his name again and tries to whistle, but his lips are even drier in the winter air, and his dog simply looks over his shoulder and barks.

Come on, slowpoke!

He feels bad. He knows he's not been much fun or good company, but he's just so tired after working from five to five or later, depending on what location he's called to. Chen isn't the most active dog, but he enjoys a good walk or wrestle or would even settle for a solid few minutes of scratching. Baekhyun's just been exhausted, and this cold or flu or whatever creeping crud he has isn't helping any.

Now he's certain his fever hasn't gone away. His face stings from the cold, but his cheeks still feel hot.

Chen barks back at him again, leading him to the end of their street where it makes a ninety-degree turn and becomes another street. It intersects with the main street and heavier traffic, so Baekhyun tries to hurry over the cleared sidewalk to collar his dog before he tries crossing the street to wherever he thinks he needs to go.

Sometime, somewhere, Baekhyun vaguely recalls reading about how people shouldn't actually chase their dogs when they run away. Sit down or pretend to faint, and the dog will be lured back by curiosity or concern or something—he remembers the videos people responded with, showing their dogs returning to pee on their fallen owners or their dogs just carelessly continuing on their way. Chen is evidently one of those dogs that would just keep going, and Baekhyun can't find it in him to be surprised or hurt.

At the intersection, Chen stops on the corner and turns around, tail starting to wag and going turbo the closer Baekhyun gets. He throws his head back with a howling sort of bark, his usual sassy tone.

What's taking you so long?

“When we get home,” Baekhyun sniffles, “I am ordering a leash and tying you to the house.”

Just within reach, Baekhyun extends his arm, and Chen sniffs his fingers—then ducks away and spins around a full three-sixty, lowering himself to a bow with his fluffy in the air.

“Chen...come on! I wanna go home...”

Chen doesn't care about his wants or whining and bounds down the next block, following a short white fence holding back small mounds of windblown snow. The building is wide and short with a large front window painted with white characters and silhouettes before a green door at the far corner. Most of the storefront is protected by a green and white striped canopy, drooping in places with snow.

The dog rounds the corner of the store and peeks around at Baekhyun, disappearing when his human is close again. Baekhyun hears a delighted “hey, you!” and curiously follows Chen.

His dog is wriggling in the loose hold of a man sitting against the brick building in a crouch, turning his head left and right to try and escape the onslaught of dog breath, kisses, and huffy snorts.

“Chen, down!” Baekhyun doesn't sound very authoritative when congested, but Chen finally listens and plants his on the cold cement, tail waving happily and black lips smiling broadly as his hot breath escapes in puffs. “I'm so sorry...”

The man stands, and Baekhyun unconsciously wipes his mouth with his sleeve. His fevered mind is still coherent enough to tell him, he's really cute, then recognize the furry mass beside him as a very, very big dog.

He's dazed enough that he doesn't understand what the man says, so he repeats himself, with a slightly less wide smile. “Is this your dog?”

“Yes... His name is Chen, and he ran away from home.”

“What?” His name is Chanyeol—there's a nametag pinned to the apron draped over his arm. “I thought he was this other guy's dog, because I always see them together.”

“He's been here before?”

“Oh, yeah. Quite a few times, actually. If I'd known he'd run off, I'd've called you or something... Does he have a tag?”

“He used to, little .” Baekhyun had ordered a cute custom tag that looked like a driver's license. Somehow, he'd managed to hook it on something, and Baekhyun's not seen it since. “He is chipped, though, so he'd eventually make it home and maybe realize that there's no place like it.” Chen smiles at him, leaning into Chanyeol's legs to get his ears scratched. The big dog shifts and stretches, and Baekhyun realizes it's been asleep the whole time.

“Can I pet that dog?”

“Sure! This is Kai, and he loves everybody.”

“Is he a Husky? I love Huskies...” Baekhyun tries to walk, just one foot in front of the other, but his legs are heavy, and his dragging toe trips him. He's saved from face-planting into the brick by Chanyeol's arm.

“Whoa,” he remarks, “you're really hot. Are you sick? Should you even be out here?”

He tries to think of some clever comeback, but words are hard enough even with coherency. “I had to get Chen...”

Chanyeol sets him upright and puts an arm around him, taking most of his weight. “Let's go inside. I'm closed for a lunch break, so no one's around. I'll make you tea.” He whistles, and the big dog gets to his feet, not at all hindered by Chen's playful nudging or biting. They follow the humans inside.

Chen finally goes to Baekhyun's side once he has a mug of hot tea in front of him, probably more concerned about its smell than Baekhyun's well-being. Kai, even fluffier than Chen, is more interested in the man than the tea, sniffing both before nudging his head under Baekhyun's arm.

“Kai, don't be a nuisance.”

“It's alright. I love Huskies.”

“He's a Malamute, actually. “

“Oh, so a big Husky.”

Chanyeol laughs and shakes his head. “Not really, but whatever.”

Baekhyun carefully sips the tea, unable to taste it but appreciating how it chases away some of the numbness, and absently pets Kai. The dog's eyes slip shut, and he rests his chin on Baekhyun's lap. Not even Chen's pawing disturbs him.

“Thank you for the tea.”

“No problem. Are you going to get home okay? If you walked, you must live close. I could walk you back.”

“Just a couple blocks. I think I'll be fine.” He gets halfway through his tea and sighs, looking around the interior.

It's some kind of cafe or bakery. Small tables mingle at the front and right sides of the open room, partly surrounding a peninsula style of prep space with stainless steel countertops and glass-front display cases of baked goods. The display nearest where they sit has plates of cookies in the shape of bones, pine trees, and Scottish Terrier dogs.

“Are those dog treats?”

Chanyeol jumps, abruptly brought out of his own daydreaming, and looks at the display. “Yeah. We make dog treats and people treats here.”

“Huh. I've never really been this way.” Most of Baekhyun's clients are in the opposite direction, with more highrise businesses and corporations. “I guess my representative has been scoping the real estate, though.” It makes sense in his head, and Chanyeol laughs, so he feels pretty good.

“I've been careful with what I've given him, since I didn't know about any allergies. If he's thrown up at home or had the s, I am sorry.”

Baekhyun waves a hand. Kai grunts, and he puts it back between his ears. Chen's laid down between them beneath the table. “Chen's got a stomach of steel. When I first got him, I didn't know he was getting into things until I had to take him to the vet for emergency surgery. Socks, couch stuffing, and underwear.”

“Oh my God... I'm glad Kai's never been into that. He's very gentle with everything. He's had the same stuffed bear since he was a baby.” Chanyeol makes a face and sighs. “It's kind of nasty, but he loves it.”

“Big dogs are the most gentle, though. I've never met a mean big dog, but the little ones have a really bad complex!” Baekhyun loves dogs. They don't all love him, though, and he's found out the hard way once or twice.

Chanyeol nods sagely. “Little dogs can be huge . And I actually had every intention of adopting a toy poodle or something just as small, but then I met Kai and just....fell really hard. He's really just the best, like, he's prime cuddling size, but he's also an intimidating enough size to scare away any potential bad guys. My neighborhood is full of them,” he adds with a scowl.

“My Chen's a rescue from China. A friend of mine sent me a video of him, and I just had to have him. Flew out to China, flew back with him—and he's very well-behaved on a plane. It's only once he understood that my house was his home that he started getting naughty. Like eating things he shouldn't, which he's gotten over.”

“Is there something he hasn't gotten over?”

Baekhyun drinks more tea and feels a bit more human. He should ask what type it is and buy some for himself. “He likes to sing. At three in the morning. He also finds my darkest clothes to be the best to lay on.”

“Chen, you little .” So summoned, the Samoyed gets up and goes to Chanyeol, then Baekhyun, pushing his way between him and Kai. He ignores the scolding and smiles, happy to be center of attention again. The Malamute sits on Chanyeol's feet with a sigh.

“That's what I say!” Baekhyun exclaims. He coughs into his elbow. “That and 'you're lucky you're so cute,' because look at this smile. Look at it. Who can say 'no' and mean it to this smile?” Baekhyun pulls the Samoyed's head around and presses a heavy kiss to his muzzle. “Me, that's who. I've dreamed of getting a Corgi for pretty much forever, but I got this fluffy cloud, instead. I wouldn't change it.”

“Me, neither. I think I'm just a big dog kinda guy. Granted, if they sleep in bed with you, it can get a little tough. They always start out as a cute fluffy puppy,” he says dreamily, running his fingers through Kai's coat, “and what could be so bad about letting them snuggle up with you, right, but then they grow. And they keep growing–Kai's actually only just stopped growing within the last couple months—then they're full-grown and taking up as much room as a person. It's kinda nice, honestly. I think I sleep better with another body, and Kai doesn't snore, so it's all the better.”

“I think I'd prefer it if Chen snored rather than sang, sometimes. Especially now. I just want to sleep, and he's all up in my business or howling at the windows...” His dogs sniffs his hands, offering a . When Baekhyun flips his hand palm-up, Chen drops his chin onto it. “We should go, though... I feel a bit better.”

“I'll walk you back.”

“You don't have to...”

“I will worry if I don't, and I get clumsy when I worry. I can only handle thinking about one thing at a time, and as much as I'd like to think about you, I don't want to worry.” He stands and takes Baekhyun's empty mug. “I've got an extra leash you can borrow.” Kai's ears perk up when he hears leash, and he stands with a bark that gets Chen excited, and they try to out-howl one another while Chanyeol retrieves leashes.

Kai wears a harness; Baekhyun never knew they came in his size. He has to sift through Chen's coat to find his collar and then the D-ring to clip the leash onto.

Outside again, Chen pulls ahead but doesn't get far. Baekhyun whines at him to slow down. Kai lumbers beside Chanyeol, head swiveling.

“How does he walk so nice?” Baekhyun asks, already breathless at the corner of the sidewalk.

“He's tired. Usually, he's dragging me behind him, because he's got really tireless stamina. We love going skiing and stuff, because he can just keep going. If there are kids, I'll tie a sled to his harness, and he'll just drag them around. He loves snow.”

“I love looking at snow. I think I'm more of a sunny summer beaches kinda guy. I never get sick during summer, at least.” He's congested again and mouth-breathing. Chen stops to pee on a pole. Kai sniffs it and pees over the same spot. “I'm glad we don't do that,” he mumbles. He's uncomfortable enough peeing in his own bathroom, exposing sensitive flesh to the cool air.

“You said you lived close. Are you on this next block?” Chanyeol asks. Baekhyun hasn't been paying attention, blearily following the pull of Chen's leash, but he's been leading them home, so he nods. “You should go right to bed when you get back.”

“I don't have sheets on my bed.”

“Then get some sheets and then go to bed. I'm surprised you're still upright; you look awful.”

Baekhyun grins. “That's what a guy likes to hear.” He sneezes and wipes his nose on his sleeve. Everything he touches needs to be sanitized or burned.

Chen sings their homecoming and stands on his hind legs to push open the front gate. Kai moves to pee on it, but Chanyeol tugs him away. “Don't be rude.”

“Home sweet home!” Baekhyun trips over his feet a little but catches himself on the fence and Chanyeol's arm. “Thanks for the . And the tea.”

“Uh, before you go?” Chanyeol rubs his neck. His cheeks are pink with the cold; Baekhyun thinks they look nice. “Could I get your number? In case Chen comes back to the cafe, I could text you and let you know. Get him home safe...”

“Sure.” Baekhyun pulls off a glove and holds out his hand, inputting his name and number. “I'd take a picture for the ID, but you said I look awful, so.” He snaps a photo of Chen, sitting contentedly in the snow.

“Thanks!” He's smiling really wide, excitedly looking at his phone and dropping it into a zippered pocket. “Maybe we could arrange a playdate for Chen and Kai or something, sometime. Even just go out for a walk.”

“If I don't die in the meantime, I'd like that.” Kai noses at his hand, his fingers. “For now I'm going to lock my dog inside and take a long nap.”

“Sounds good...” Chanyeol flips Kai's tail. “Well, I hope you feel better.” He and his dog wait until Baekhyun follows Chen into the house. Baekhyun watches them leave from the living room window as he removes his jacket and boots and starts to feel his thighs again. Pajamas are not suitable to wear outdoors.

“Chen, you jerk, if I die, no one is going to feed you anymore.” The Samoyed is curled on his own bed, eyes closed. Baekhyun can tell he's awake by the wagging tail.

He puts the bin of Chen's old leashes and collars in front of the dog door; it's not one that has any kind of lock, apparently, and stumbles to the bathroom to shower.

Heat and steam make him feel more alive again, allowing enough energy to remove his clean sheets from the dryer and tuck the fitted sheet over his mattress. He gets as far as putting on pillowcases and tossing the other sheets and blankets over his bed before he just pitches forward and snuggles into the warmth.

A buzz from his floor brings him back from near-unconsciousness. There's a text from an unknown number: just so you have my number right away, too. with an image attachment of a much more lively looking Malamute smiling at the camera.

Baekhyun saves the photo and sets it at Chanyeol's contact ID. He can't think of any response but a peace sign emoji and drops his phone back to the floor.

His door slowly opens, and Chen invites himself onto the bed. He paws at the blankets a bit, pushing them around with his nose until they're suitably laid out, then sprawls out along Baekhyun's side with a sigh. Baekhyun hugs him and nuzzles his face between Chen's ears.

For as annoying as he can be, Baekhyun is grateful to Chen. Sometimes, his habits can lead to good things, like new friends.

a/n: Written as an adopted prompt from EXO Housewarming. (propmt no.52 It all starts when A's dog falls in love with the cute new employee of the cozy cafe/bakery down the corner -who turns out to be conveniently available for dog-sitting whenever needed; B is a nice guy, fun and friendly and all things boyfriend material. It comes to a point where A feels like he has two loving puppies at home.)

As usual, I didn't get to what I wanted to but got to a place that seemed good enough to stop and post. I'll keep working on the rest to hopefully have the whole fic by the end of the month. ✌

I didn't want to use their own dogs, Toben and Mongryong, because it seems like big dogs aren't as common in South Korea as pets? Not in the cities, anyway, although Samoyeds can actually be good apartment dogs, as long as they're walked frequently to keep them from getting restless. Malamutes are really more country dogs, for their size and energy, but any dog can be okay in most any environment, as long as their people are aware of their needs.

<[>I just thought the breeds suited Jongdae (a noisy, smiley kinda guy) and Jongin (tireless hardworker). And I adore big, fluffy dogs.