well I think this can be a Christmas gift n v n 

have a great Christmas, everybody! ovo/ 

"Woof," Chanyeol says as he crouches next to the metal cage, peering in at the quivering puppies as his brunette hair gets wet from the rain. "Woof, woof."

He frowns when they only answer with soft whimpers and whines, looking around curiously at the busy street. Their owner stands next to them, with his back facing them, talking to a customer about the puppies. Chanyeol turns back to the puppies, where a small, shivering one with a beautiful copper-red and brown coat sat; big, charcoal eyes pleading him for help. 

Blinking quickly, he pokes a few fingers through the cage, wiggling them and smiling slightly when the puppies lumber over clumsily. Their soft tongues lap at his fingers as if it was a can of delicious food, making him chuckle in delight at the sight and the feeling. Suddenly, the ferruginous coated puppy clambered over, equally clumsy as all his siblings before him (although they didn’t look like siblings) and he smiles wider, reaching out for the puppy. It’s suddenly brighter on that one stormy day, and Chanyeol’s eyes glitter with happiness.

The brunette didn't know what he was thinking, but when he slams the door of his apartment shut, taking in heaving, deep breaths and holding a certain reddish-brown puppy; he realizes that things have changed.

Chanyeol spends the next two hours trying to wash and dry a squealing puppy. It yelped, whined and nipped his fingers; by the time he's done cleaning the pup up, his arms are red all over and full of marks from the little monster's canines. The puppy was now huddled in the corner of the bathroom, growling and baring his teeth. He shakes his head - just how could a beautiful little puppy turn out to be such a troublemaker?

Getting out of the bathroom, he yanks his wet shirt off quickly. He's barely walked a few feet when there's nipping at his ankles, and he looks down at the little puppy terrorizing his legs. Chanyeol laughs at the little mite, reaching down to scoop it into his arms and quickly settling down on his couch, watching it struggle and yip loudly.

It nips his fingers, but the tiny canines it has does nothing much to Chanyeol's calloused hands. The tall brunette just smiles at its antics and plops it on the couch, shuffling off to make some hot cocoa. 

When he returns, said tiny terror was snuggled comfortably on one of the cushions, snoring. Smiling at the adorable sight, Chanyeol slowly sits down beside it, petting its soft fur and sipping his hot cocoa. He turns the television on, adjusting the volume so that it didn't disturb the puppy, and just sits there with a content smile on his face. 

This is nice, he thinks to himself as he watches the Christmas movie on the screen, listening to the soft hum of the people talking to each other. Something shuffles next to him, and he looks down to see the puppy with half-opened eyes, staring at him blankly. Chuckling softly, he sets his empty cocoa cup on the table and scoops the puppy into his arms. He watches it yawn widely, showing off its small teeth and pink tongue, and he pets its belly before he turns the television off. 

Perhaps it was too early for him, but for a certain puppy, it was bedtime already.

---

It's probably a dream when Chanyeol wakes up to a head of fluffy, reddish-brown hair, because he knows that he's gotten a puppy, not a full-grown midget. He stares down blankly with his brows furrowed at the sleeping male beside him - quite small compared to his large and lanky frame - in confusion. When had he taken in a boy, and what was the boy doing in his bed in the first place? Didn't he place his puppy on his pillow yesterday night? Recall as he might, he certainly didn't remember picking up a small redhead on his way home.

Said redhead stirs suddenly, making Chanyeol become wary of his bare chest (he'd always slept without a top), and before he could scramble to get a shirt, the boy's eyelids fluttered open, revealing the most beautiful pair of charcoal eyes Chanyeol had ever seen. He sits there with his mouth agape, staring at the milky-skinned beauty before him, and can only open and close his mouth like a fish. 

What comes as a shock is when the redhead realizes the situation and backs away in terror so fast that he falls over the edge of the bed. A soft whine comes from the floor, and Chanyeol moves to the edge, peering down at the boy. 

"A-Are you okay?" He asks, and the boy just quickly nods his head, pressing his pink lips together. "You sure?"

Another series of quick nodding, and Chanyeol stands up, only to hear the boy yelp and back away even further. O...kay? He thinks to himself as he grabs a shirt, pulling it over his head and messing up his hair even more. He an eyebrow at the boy, who cowers in the corner - since when did he get there? - and just shakes his head. Slowly, he bends down, cringing inwardly at the sharp cracks of his joints in the morning, and holds out a hand to said redhead.

"Hey," He begins softly, pulling up one corner of his lips. "I don't remember bringing you home, but the name's Chanyeol."

The boy just stares at him in confusion, and in that moment, with the boy's beautiful hair and equally beautiful eyes, Chanyeol finds himself feeling an emotion that he's never really felt before, and he can't comprehend it, but it pulls at his heart and makes his chest ache weirdly, and he thinks he's sick from the being in the rain yesterday. 

Deciding to bathe first, he smiles crookedly at the still cowering boy, and offers a small wave. 

"I'm going to bathe first," He tells the redhead, and steps into the bathroom with his clothes. "Stay there and wait till I come out, then I'll make us some breakfast."

It's only when he's bathing halfway does he actually realize that the puppy he picked up last night was gone.

---

As Chanyeol pours some cereal into two bowls, he glances over at the redhead keeping his distance, trying to get into his head that the boy could actually be the puppy he'd picked up last night. Is that even possible, he thinks to himself as he continues to pour the cereal. Only when he hears a soft whimper does he actually look down, and realize that he's over-poured the cereal and both bowls are already filled to the brim.

When he hands the boy the bowl and a glass of milk, the redhead first attempts to drink the milk - by sticking his nose into the glass and trying to lap up the milk with his tongue. Chanyeol raises his eyebrows at this and chuckles softly, before helping the boy to drink it properly, noticing how the male flinched when he touched him. 

Then the boy tries to eat his cereal the same way he tried to drink his milk. After about several attempts to get the cereal into his mouth by holding the bowl and pressing his face into the food, Chanyeol sighs and helps him once more. It doesn't pass unnoticed by Chanyeol that the boy is rather uncomfortable with his approximate closeness, and that he kept flinching every single time Chanyeol's fingers brushed against his. 

He sets his spoon down after he's finished eating, and Chanyeol sighs at the huge mess he's made on the table with the spilled milk and cereal bits everywhere. Seriously, he acts just like a dog... Wait...

"Are you..." Chanyeol starts, furrowing his brows slightly. "Are you the puppy I picked up last night?"

There's a silence that fills that room as the boy peers up at him with large, charcoal eyes and a scared expression on his face. It takes a prolonged moment before the boy finally nods his head a little.

Chanyeol swears his world has been turned upside down by that one tiny nod.

---

He sits opposite of the redhead, who he hasn't gotten the name of, yet, and he's got a sketchbook in front of him. Pushing it to the redhead, he suddenly wonders if the boy knew how to write. When the boy stares at the sketchbook in a confused way, Chanyeol sighs.

"Well, you know my name..." He pauses and writes it on the sketchbook. "There. Chan-Yeol. Do you have a name?"

The boy stares at his name for a moment and bites his lip, glancing away before nodding again.

"You do?" Chanyeol smiles, holding out the marker pen. "Here, write it down. Do you know how to write?"

He's disappointed when the boy shakes his head quickly. Biting his lip, he tilts his head to the side before his eyes light up and he snaps his fingers.

"I know! I'll give you a name, is that okay?" 

His smile brightens when the redhead nods meekly, and he pops the marker's cap open, scribbling on the sketchbook again.

"There," He smiles widely, proud of his (chicken scratch-like) handwriting. "Your name is now... Baekhyun!"

Baekhyun stares at him blankly before nodding again, and Chanyeol smiles.

"You're so cute... I still don't know how you turned into a human, but that's okay! Let's be friends from now on, Baekhyun," He grins widely at the redhead, only to frown when he doesn't receive a vocal reply or a nod. "Can you not speak or...?"

A pout graces the redhead's lips and he shakes his head slowly before drawing his knees up to his chest. He his bottom lip in again, chewing on it softly, and Chanyeol furrows his brows at him. Maybe he's scared, Chanyeol reasons, and he smiles again.

"Well, let's go shopping for your clothes," He suggests, standing up quickly and grabbing his coat. "I doubt you can wear mine, though you'd look cute in an oversized shirt. C'mon!"

He gently tugs the boy up onto his feet and pull him out the door, tossing his large coat over Baekhyun's small frame.

"Just point out whatever you like, I'll buy it for you."

---

He certainly shouldn't have said that, Chanyeol realizes too late as he trudges through the thin layer of snow on the cemented ground. Baekhyun is a only a few feet away from him, bouncing lightly on the spot as he points mutely at one shop that was selling hats. They enter the shop, with a little difficulty for the giant brunette since he was armed with about ten plastic bags.

When he finally squeezes through, Baekhyun already has a fluffy fur hat on his head, and he's smiling so brightly at Chanyeol, the brunette knows that he wants it. Sighing, he fishes in his pocket for his (almost empty) wallet, and starts to count the money for the hat. The redhead bounces over to another section in the shop, picking up another fur hat similar to the one on his head, and hands it over to Chanyeol.

At first the brunette furrows his brow - throughout the whole trip, Baekhyun hadn't given him two of the same items, so he didn't know exactly what the redhead was trying to tell him. Suddenly, the boy reaches up, hopping and trying to place the hat on his head, and that's when Chanyeol realized that Baekhyun wanted him to buy the same hat for himself.

Smiling brightly, Chanyeol takes the hat and goes to the counter, forking out the money to pay for both hats, requesting the person to cut out the tags so that they could wear them immediately. Once they get out of the shop, he turns to Baekhyun.

"Well, I think that's enough clothes to last for months," He tells the redhead, who just nods and bounces on his spot. "You seem so excited, Baek."

The redhead just smiles up at him winningly, and Chanyeol feels as though his breath has been taken away. He smiles softly at the small male, who points to a cafe ahead and turns back to look at him. He reaches for the small hand, and when Baekhyun doesn't flinch, he smiles wider.

"Let's go eat, shall we?"

---

Baekhyun had realized that something was wrong when he'd woken up. First, he wasn't in his smelly puppy form anymore, so that was a plus. Second, he was on large bed, so that was also a plus. Third, there was the giant male who'd stolen him yesterday sleeping beside him - and he couldn't decide if that was a plus or a minus, because the male radiated a warmth that his chilly body yearned for.

It was definitely a minus when Baekhyun finally registers in his mind that the giant is , and then he had fallen off the bed trying to scoot away, and cowered in the corner. Then, the giant had offered him breakfast after washing up, which consisted of tiny, colorful hard-to-bite stuff, and milk, his favorite. The giant had corrected his way of eating, and Baekhyun was puzzled why he had to drink the milk when he normally slurped it up, and why he had to hold this cold metal to scoop his food, and not lap it up. 

After breakfast was done, the giant had offered to go shopping, which meant going out, and Baekhyun was very ecstatic. The giant had let him pick out things he liked, and actually bought them for him, so that was a giant plus. He thought he would return the favor, so he got a similar hat to the one on his head and gave it to Chanyeol. The silly giant had been confused at first, but he got the hint afterwards, and now they were at a warm, cozy little cafe where he was munching on his toast happily.

Baekhyun couldn't explain it, but there was a warmth in his chest he'd never felt before, and he thinks that maybe it's the hot, tasty beverage the giant had gotten him. He starts to think that this was nice, being on a comfortable chair and eating, and best of all, no need to be on the floor at all times. It was nice hearing Chanyeol talk to him, and it was definitely weird, but nice, when Chanyeol had taken his hand.

He starts to think that this was vaguely similar to how his previous owner had treated him...

and that scared Baekhyun. 

---

When they finally reached home, it was about seven in the evening, and Baekhyun shuffles over to the couch, worn out from the long trip. His eyes start to droop, and he hears Chanyeol's soft voice calling out for him.

"Baek, come on, sleep on the bed."

"Baek? Do I have to carry you? I carried all your clothes!"

"Aw, man... I really do have to carry you."

He then feels himself being lifted up, and then he's surrounded by a nice warmth, and darkness.

"Aren't you just the cutest little puppy? Aren't you? Aren't you?" A woman cooed in a baby voice. "Look at him bounce, darling. Isn't he just a dream?"

"Come on, let's go get you some breakfast. You like chicken, don't you? Oh, such a good boy!" 

"Ow! No, no, don't bite. Be gentle, baby. That's right, be gentle..."

"Ugh, you little pest. Just because your owner isn't here doesn't mean you can pee wherever you like! Naughty dog, naughty!"

"You little rascal! How dare you wake the baby! Get out! Scram!"

"I want this dog out of the house!"

It was storming heavily, and the series of cracking thunder and flashing lightning did nothing to calm his nerves. He yipped and yelped, whimpered and whined; all the while struggling against the chains that held him back. The road was bumpy, and the cage was stinky, and he didn't like it once bit when the carrier was jerkily lifted up and ungraciously dumped on the floor. Through the small, round holds on the top of his cage, the rain invaded, wetting his fur and dampening his newspaper. He whined loudly when the loud engine of the car purred, and he kept whining as it drove away, further and further until the sound of the engine had faded. It was wet. It was uncomfortable. It was a nightmare. Slowly, he laid his head down on the wet newspaper, the smell of his own defecation irritating his nose.

Even if the storm had stopped outside, the storm didn't stop in his heart.

---

Chaneyol was awoken by the soft whimpering and kicking beside him, and in his confusion, he looks down at the trembling redhead beside him. Slowly, he wraps his limbs around the male's, effectively stopping his flailing legs by caging them between his, and he leans down to embrace Baekhyun softly.

His hand starts to the soft, red hair as he tries to speak in a gentle voice. (Given the fact that he had just roused from his sleep, it was a good effort.)

"It's okay, I'm here..." He whispers against the soft locks as he continues them. "There, there." 

He prays that he doesn't need to sing for the boy to calm down, because Lord knows that he can't sing to save his life. Rapping, yes. Singing, no. Fortunately for him, the boy starts to relax, as if being relieved from a nightmare, and Chanyeol smiles at Baekhyun sleeping peacefully once again.

For a while, he doesn't sleep, making sure that Baekhyun is soundly asleep and not whimpering any more.There's a strange warmth in his heart, and it certainly wasn't from the boy's cold fingers. Chanyeol couldn't place his finger on it, but he was pretty sure that his attachment to Baekhyun was clearly not as platonic as it seemed. He doubted that he had feelings for the boy, given that they'd just met, but then again, his heart might have been stolen from the very start.

It takes a while more before the brunette could actually feel sleepy, and a while later before he actually falls asleep.

---

Staring at the calender blankly, Baekhyun blinks once. Twice. He sighs as he flops back onto the couch, hugging one of its cushions tightly. It had been, what, about near to two months since he'd started living with Chanyeol and getting used to 'being a human', as the giant always put it. Throughout the span of two months, he hadn't said a word to the brunette, and he could tell that said brunette wasn't really pleased by that.

It certainly couldn't be helped, because Baekhyun didn't want to vocally voice out his wants. Every time they went shopping, he would point to the shop, or he would grab the item and shove it in Chanyeol's face. He didn't get why the brunette would tell him to ask every single time when he knew that Baekhyun wouldn't talk. The possibility of Baekhyun talking and Chanyeol finding him annoying was highly likely, and that would mean Chanyeol abandoning him, like his previous owners.

When he was a puppy, he was very vocal. He barked when he wanted food, he barked when he needed to go out to pee, and he barked whenever there was a stranger walking outside of the house - which happened a lot, because the mailman came twice a day, and the neighbors liked to water each other's plants. His very first owner had turned him to the shelter because of that, and he'd been abandoned once.

The second time was pretty much because of the same reason - he barked too much. Then came the third, fourth, fifth... countless times he'd been thrown out because he was too vocal. When it seemed to be hopeless for him, a nice lady came along, and taught him gently not to bark at every single thing. It felt like he finally had a home.

His owner had gone on a trip, and left him in her aunt's care for a few days. Unfortunately, her aunt was more of a cat person, and while she could tolerate dogs, she couldn't tolerate him. He didn't get along well with her two cheeky cats, who caused more trouble than anything. He didn't like them, and they didn't like him.

Therefore, they tried to frame him - they peed on the floor, and their owner had blamed him. That was the first straw. He knew it was the cats' faults, but he couldn't do anything about it. They continued to cause more and more trouble for him, so when he couldn't stand it one day, he barked at them - thus causing the baby to wake up. That was the second straw. Then came the day he bit her boyfriend. That was the third straw.

He was manhandled into a cage, and driven far, far away in the rain. By the time the car stopped, he could no longer trace back the smell of his lovely home. His cage was ungraciously dumped on the muddy floor, and the car drove off before he could cleverly maneuver that cage door open. It was raining then, and that memory was still a nightmare that haunted him in his sleep.

Baekhyun really liked Chanyeol, more than anything - more than the smell of fried bacon in the morning; more than the delicious milk Chanyeol would pour for him in a tall glass. He liked that crooked way that Chanyeol smiled, and he liked the way that Chanyeol spoke to him gently.

Baekhyun really, really liked Chanyeol, but did Chanyeol like him too?

---

"Baek, I'm home!" Chanyeol hollers as he passes through the door, shutting it behind him. "I've got dinner!" 

A flurry of red passes his vision as he's knocked over onto the ground, where he sees an excited Baekhyun grinning from ear to ear on top of him.

"Hey, Baek!" He greets enthusiastically as he sets the plastic bags on the floor and hugs the redhead, who places his head on his chest and wriggles happily. "Nice to see you too. I missed you." 

This was Baekhyun's second favorite part of the day - greeting Chanyeol at the door. Chanyeol seemed to like his hugs, so he made sure to give that to him once he reached the entrance. 

"C'mon, get up and I'll go make us dinner."

That was the cue to get off Chanyeol, and Baekhyun does that quickly, sitting up on the oak flooring. Chanyeol stands up and picks the plastic bags up as well, walking into the kitchen. Then comes Baekhyun's third favorite part of the day - eating with Chanyeol. 

"I've got some chicken tonight, so we'll have some rice and chicken filet, okay?" 

They would eat slowly, with Chanyeol telling Baekhyun about his day at work through mouthfuls of rice and chicken, and Baekhyun listening intently, hanging on to every single word that comes out of the brunette's mouth. 

"I'll go wash up and we'll get ready for bed, okay?"

Baekhyun would always look forward to this, because washing up meant a fresh-smelling Chanyeol, and a fresh-smelling Chanyeol meant getting ready for bed. Getting ready for bed meant snuggling with Chanyeol, and that was Baekhyun's most favorite part of the day. 

The brunette would pull him close to his broad chest, and Baekhyun would snuggle into the crook of his arm. He'd always been amazed by the way their bodies seemed to fit together, and he really liked the heat that radiated from Chanyeol. Tonight was no different - Chanyeol washed up, and got under the duvet. He waits until Baekhyun's all snuggled up against him before he turns out the light.

They lay awhile in silence.

"Hey, Baek?" Chanyeol's deep voice cuts through the dreamy haze Baekhyun has fallen into. "Can I.. ask you something?"

He barely finds the energy to nod against Chanyeol's chest.

"That... Can you... Tell me what you want?" 

His eyes pop open at that request, and he twists to look up at Chanyeol in surprise. Why did Chanyeol suddenly ask that? Fear grips his heart tightly, and suddenly, Baekhyun feels as though he can't breathe. Tears spring into his eyes, and he starts to wonder when Chanyeol's words had such an effect on him. Had he grown so attached that he couldn't live without the brunette now? Baekhyun starts to wonder what has changed between them, and whether or not he'd been abandoned again.

"Baekhyun... I understand that you're... well, you seem afraid," Chanyeol continues softly, reaching up to the redhead's hair out of reflex. "But, please understand.. I want to hear your voice. I want to hear you, Baekhyun."

Chanyeol cups his face in his giant hands, and slowly tilts his face up to meet his. Baekhyun widens his eyes as he realizes Chanyeol is absolutely serious, and his pulse starts to race in a good way.

"Baekhyun, I know this might seem impossible, but.." The brunette takes a deep breath and sighs. "I.. I really like you, Baekhyun, and you have to know that I really, really mean it when I say that. So, please, please let me teach you like how I have been all along.. Let me hear you so that I can love you completely."

Baekhyun couldn't respond through his shock as tears swam through his eyes. How could Chanyeol like him? What did Chanyeol mean? His thoughts swirled in his head as he tries to blink back his tears. The grip Chanyeol has on his face tightens slowly before loosening, and he panics for a moment, thinking that Chanyeol was going to let him go.

He was wrong, because Chanyeol hugs him close, and his tears start to spill over at the sudden warmth. For once, he couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening, because it seemed so surreal - could it really be that the person he really, really liked, liked him back? However, that didn't change the fact that Baekhyun was afraid. Afraid to let himself go completely. All through his life, he'd been taught to shut up, and now, someone was telling him to speak. He doesn't know if he remembers how to, and he's scared if he does, he'll be deemed as noisy and needy, and abandoned once more.

Shaking his head frantically, he tries to peel himself away from Chanyeol's embrace, curling himself into a ball. Tears start to fall down his cheeks, staining them as he rocks back and forth, trying to push away all of his thoughts. Through his emotional breakdown, he can hear Chanyeol's soothing voice, telling him it was okay for him to take his time to speak, and that it would be fine. Baekhyun doesn't feel the same - because Chanyeol might hate his voice. He might hate the neediness that was Baekhyun, and he might abandon Baekhyun. 

No, he thinks, crying even harder and trying to block out his thoughts. Chanyeol is a nice person, he wouldn't do that. No. 

"... N.. o..." 

Baekhyun freezes at the unfamiliar wheezing sound he'd just produced. Had he just spoken? There are suddenly strong arms around him, unfurling him from his fetus position, and he's brought into a warm embrace.

"Yes," He hears Chanyeol whispering in his ear. "Yes, Baek."

Closing his eyes, Baekhyun slowly manages to smile softly, sadly, through his tears. His hands crawl up to hold onto Chanyeol's big ones, and he succumbs to the warmth that is Chanyeol. He finally understands that Chanyeol isn't going to force him to speak. He finally understands.

---

It's been a week since Chanyeol had gotten together with Baekhyun officially, and the redhead had only spoken about ten words throughout the entire seven days - but that was fine with Chanyeol. Today was a Sunday, and he'd rolled out of bed to the smell of sweet syrup. When he walked into the kitchen yawning like a hibernating bear, he found his small boyfriend busying about making pancakes. 

Surprising his smaller lover with a back hug, he breathes in the scent that is so Baekhyun and smiles against the redhead's neck.

"Good morning, love," He whispers against the milky skin he loves so much, getting a shy laugh in return. "Thanks for breakfast."

Baekhyun pats his cheek and starts to set the table, motioning for Chanyeol to sit down while he served him. The redhead had been pretty specific about his "wife" role in the household, and Chanyeol didn't mind - only because Baekhyun looked extremely cute in an apron he loved Baekhyun so much. 

They ate breakfast in silence before Chanyeol left for work, and Baekhyun busies himself with cleaning the house. He prepares lunch for himself, and has ice-cream while watching a drama on television, then he gets back to cleaning the house. It was a life they enjoyed every single day.

Chanyeol swears he couldn't be any happier, because Baekhyun is the best thing that's happened to him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He especially loved it, because every night before bed, Baekhyun would snuggle up to him and grab his hand, playing with it before he starts to draw and write on his palm. Every night, it would be the same message Baekhyun writes, and some nights, the redhead would whisper it in his ear.

"Even if I don't speak... You'll always be with me, right?"

And Chanyeol would smile adoringly, pick up Baekhyun's hand, and write back, occasionally whispering back on some nights,

"Yes, forever and always."