Six
Animal PlanetA month passed of Dongwoo accompanying Sungyeol to Companion Care. Every morning, the pair went into work; Dongwoo spent the day helping Sungyeol with the animals, often using his ability to communicate with them to help the vet diagnose the issues. In the evenings, they would eat with Hoya and then do something fun together, like watch movies or go out for ice cream. Dongwoo had become accustomed to the routine and, as much as Hoya hated to admit it, he too had found himself looking forward to his time with the alien and Sungyeol.
They had done all the calculations and worked out how much money Dongwoo needed to earn for his trip to Japan, and surprisingly it wasn’t as much as anybody had expected. After the first month, Dongwoo had saved up a substantial amount of the money that he needed. The look of excitement on his face after he saw his first month’s savings was so great that Hoya felt guilty for being a little sad. Dongwoo’s presence brought a new life to the large house and as the time passed, he was becoming more downhearted at the knowledge that it was only temporary.
Even his relationship with his brother had improved; he and Sungyeol had never been particularly close. It wasn’t like they didn’t like it each other, it was just that they didn’t have the same sort of interests. But now that Dongwoo was in the house, a sort of connection had sprung up between them. The alien had broken down that wall between the two brothers, and now they got along better than ever.
It was nice to be able to just relax with other people, to just have fun without worrying about his image or reputation. Most of Hoya’s acquaintances over the past couple of years were primarily interested in him because of his business. But with Sungyeol and Dongwoo, it wasn’t like that at all. They simply enjoyed each other’s company, and that was more refreshing than Hoya had ever realized.
His office door clicked open, his assistant walking in with a slight bounce in his steps. “Someone’s in a good mood this morning.” His eyes ran over the pristine black suit, the splash of color around his neck complimenting the look. “Nice tie, by the way.”
Myungsoo reached up to touch the pink patterned fabric subconsciously. “Thanks. They say that pink accents are the trend these days.”
“I see.” Hoya answered, trying to fight the knowing smile on his face. “You know, my brother’s favorite color is pink.”
The black haired man coughed, grabbing one of the water bottles from the side of Hoya’s desk. “Really? That’s interesting.” He took a swig of the water nervously.
“You look a little more dressed up today than normal. Is there an occasion?” Myungsoo visibly shifted in his seat, and Hoya had to hide his grin behind his hand. He knew exactly why Myungsoo was dressed up today - in a pink tie no less - but it was rather amusing to see him squirm.
“No reason at all! I just wanted to give my new tie a try.”
“Hmm. I could of sworn that you were going to visit my brother. Isn’t Luna’s check up today?”
Myungsoo’s cheeks colored. “Oh, of course. It must have just… slipped my mind! It’s a good thing you reminded me, I’m sure Sungyeol-sshi would have been upset with me if I missed the appointment.”
“Sungyeol-sshi? Hmm.” Hoya made a show of his chin, as if he was deep in thought.
The younger’s eyes widened. “W-what?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought that you two were a little closer than that, on more friendly terms.”
“Friendly?” Myungsoo laughed awkwardly, slapping his thigh. “I mean, he’s very nice but it’s not like we’ve ever spent time together alone or anything. I don’t even remember the last time I saw your brother-”
“I could have sworn Dongwoo told me that you dropped some cupcakes off by the clinic a couple days ago…”
Myungsoo sputtered. “That… was just, well you see… I had a client!”
“A client.” Hoya deadpanned.
“Yes! A client. That I was going to give some cupcakes as a gesture of goodwill for being so loyal to your company. But it turned out that they were allergic to…” His eyes darted around the room, landing on the protein bar on Hoya’s desk. “Chocolate!”
“Isn’t that an unfortunate turn of events.”
“Exactly! I mean, can you imagine being allergic to chocolate? And well, erm, I couldn’t just let the cupcakes go to waste. And I couldn’t take them home, because you know how dangerous chocolate is for cats. So I just figured that I’d drop them off at the clinic. It was just a completely coincidental situation! I mean, it’s not like I went to a bakery and bought cupcakes just for your brother because I know he loves chocolate! That would be ridiculous!”
“Wouldn’t it?”
“It would. So yeah. That totally would never happen.” Myungsoo concluded, crossing his arms resolutely.
Hoya had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. The two of them looked at each other in silence, Myungsoo clearly feeling uncomfortable under Hoya’s knowing stare. “Well, as much as I’d love to stay and chat, I’ve got to get cracking with that client! I’ll have to figure out a new way to say thank you since those chocolate cupcakes didn’t do the trick!”
He abruptly stood from his seat, bowing to Hoya. “I’ll be hard at work in the conference room, because I take our customer relations very seriously.” He accidentally ran into the chair while he was backing away, knocking it over. Hoya watched with raised eyebrows as Myungsoo put it back into place with his cheeks burning. “Sorry about that! I guess I should pay more attention to my surroundings!” He bowed again before reaching back for the door. “Well, I’ll be going! And I’m taking a late lunch to go visit your brother. Not for me! For my cat. Because Luna needs her check up. Seeing your brother is just a side effect. It’s not like I’m going to the clinic just to see Sungyeol-sshi.” He got a sort of wistful look on his face after saying the name, but he shook his head abruptly to try to rid himself of it. “Not that there’s anything wrong with him. He’s basically perfect. As a vet! It’s not like I know him well enough as a person to say he’s perfect, you know.” He squawked at an embarrassing pitch, his laughter clearly forced. “So… bye!” Myungsoo practically ran from Hoya’s office, shutting the door firmly behind him.
Hoya finally let his own laughter burst through, his smitten assistant almost embarrassingly transparent. He picked up his pen to return his attention back to his files, a grin spreading across his face. “Oh, Myungsoo. If only you knew that Sungyeol has it just as bad for you.”
Dongwoo leaned against the wall during their lunch break, watching Sungyeol log into the computer to look over the afternoon’s appointments; it wasn’t as if they really needed to check. Dongwoo knew of one particular appointment for that day, and judging by the extra ten minutes that Sungyeol had spent on his hair that morning, the vet did as well. Still, he couldn’t help but bring it up in conversation, just because he loved the way his best friend colored at a certain name.
“So, today is the day that Luna-chan comes in to see us again!” He exclaimed. “And that means that you get to see Neko-chan as well!”
“Neko-chan?” Sungyeol asked, turning to face Dongwoo.
The alien giggled. “Myungsoo! He looks just like his kitty with all that black hair, he’s so cute and cuddly and-”
Sungyeol cut in with a glare. “Okay! That’s enough about Myungsoo’s cuddliness!”
Dongwoo stopped and pouted. “I was just explaining why I call him Neko-chan… Besides, don’t you think he’s cute as well?”
“That’s not the point.” Sungyeol muttered, immediately turning away from Dongwoo to hide his blush. Of course, nothing got past the alien, who giggled at his best friend’s embarrassment.
“Luna-chan was right, you do like Neko-chan!”
“No I don’t!” Sungyeol protested, sputtering. “I just… respect the work that he does for my brother. That’s all!”
“I don’t think soooo!” Dongwoo sang. “I think you have a crush! I think you want Neko-chan to be your koibito!”
“I don’t want him to be my koi- whatever you said! And when did you get so cheeky? You’ve been hanging around with my brother too much!” Sungyeol complained, dropping his head into his hands in frustration. Just as he was about to continue his tirade about how he definitely did not have a crush on Kim Myungsoo, the door rang open and Sungyeol was greeted of the glorious sight of that very man.
And if he was trying to prove that he had no feelings whatsoever for his brother’s assistant, he didn’t do a great job of that, given that all he could do was splutter.
“I’m a little early…” Myungsoo started cautiously, his eyes landing on the sandwich on Sungyeol’s desk. “I thought you were open - I can wait outside if you’re having your lunch?”
“No! No!” Sungyeol interrupted, finally finding his voice. “I mean… No. I wouldn’t want Luna outside in the cold-”
“It’s the middle of summer.” Dongwoo interjected.
“Then stay in here where there is air conditioning!” Sungyeol choked, shooting a glare at his innocent assistant. “Afterall, I only have Luna’s wellbeing in mind!”
“Well if you’re sure…” Myungsoo said.
Sungyeol nodded vehemently. “Of course I’m sure! Just take a seat and I’ll see to Luna as soon as I’m set up! Dongwoo, why don’t you grab Myungsoo-sshi a cup of coffee?”
Dongwoo ran off to the back to do just that, stifling a giggle as he went on his merry way. That left just Sungyeol and Myungsoo in the reception together. No words passed between them as Sungyeol got to work clearing away the remains of their lunch, but he felt ultra aware of Myungsoo’s eyes on him. He rifled through his file cabinet, making a please sound when he finally saw Luna’s name under the cat section. He pulled the file out with enthusiasm, finally turning around to face Myungsoo.
“I’ve got her file right here, so I can see Luna now.” Sungyeol made a move to take the cat, but Dongwoo stepped out with the drinks at that point.
“Actually, why don’t I look Luna-chan over and you two can fill in the paperwork to update her patient file! Me and Luna-chan have so much to catch up on anyway!” He suggested.
Sungyeol nodded, confident that Dongwoo was perfectly capable of a scheduled check up and also knowing just how excited he had been to see Luna. He turned to Myungsoo. “Is that okay with you?”
Myungsoo just nodded. “Of course. I mean, Luna seems to like Dongwoo and… I guess I need to fill things out and…” He trailed off as he handed the cat carrier over to Dongwoo, who immediately began to purr at the cat as he walked away.
Once again, Sungyeol and Myungsoo were left alone. Sungyeol immediately busied himself by reading through some of the documentation in Luna’s file. Of course, he knew everything written in that folder; he had spent so many hours of his life wondering whether it was good practice to take the contact number from any owner’s file. When he finally extracted the necessary forms, he turned to face the other man with a grin on his face.
“So I just need you to verify that this vaccination history is complete, just to ensure that she’s up to date on her shots.”
Myungsoo nodded, pretending to concentrate on the paper in front of him when actually his attention was solely on Sungyeol’s proximity to him, and his hand holding the paper in place. Sungyeol had nice hands.
“You have nice hands.” He said out loud. Immediately realising what he had let out, he paused and looked up to see Sungyeol looking down at him with wide eyes.
“I’m sorry?”
“Nice fans. You have nice fans. They blow in really nice cool air, especially when it’s so warm outside. It’s nice.” Myungsoo saved.
“Oh… I thought you said something different.” Sungyeol said, returning his gaze back to the document between them.
“I mean, it’s not just the fans… this whole place is so nice It’s so comfortable and welcoming and the wall decor is just so well chosen. I just love this place, it’s the reason I always come here.” He paused, then shook his head. “Well not the only reason, I mean I come here because I like - I mean, Luna likes you!” He nodded. “Yes, because Luna likes you!”
“Thank you?” Sungyeol said, unsure of what to say.
“It’s nothing!” Myungsoo waved his hand enthusiastically, knocking Sungyeol’s mug and causing the coffee to spill all over his desk. Sungyeol pulled his hand back, but the boiling liquid still reached his hand. He hissed in shock, causing Myungsoo to jump up quickly. “! I mean - fiddlesticks! I am so sorry! Let me help.. Er…” He ran around trying to find some paper towels, his eyes wide in panic.
“I’m fine.” Sungyeol stated, wiping his hand of his jacket and then blowing on the burnt fingertips. Myungsoo didn’t stop fussing though, so Sungyeol repeated himself. “I’m fine!” But when Myungsoo continued to blither around, looking for napkins or towels or something, Sungyeol reached out to grab his arm. “Myungsoo-sshi. Seriously, I’m okay.”
Myungsoo froze at Sungyeol’s touch, spinning to face the vet. “But Dongwoo just poured it from the pot, it was still steaming…”
“It’s okay, really. It was only on my hand for a second. It doesn’t hurt too much.” Sungyeol protested, but Myungsoo shook his head.
“Let me see it.” He ordered, grabbing at Sungyeol’s other wrist to raise the hand to his eye level. Despite Sungyeol’s denials, he could see the skin turning red on the vet’s fingertips. “I’m so sorry…” He whispered, bringing Sungyeol’s burnt finger to his lips and kissing it softly. His eyes met Sungyeol’s, which were staring at him widely in surprise. He felt his face burn up at the contact and the feeling of Sungyeol’s hand against his lips, but he refused to look away. Sungyeol looked shocked, but he wasn’t moving away either, which to Myungsoo at least, was a good sign. As their eyes met, Myungsoo could see the reservation in the brunette’s gaze.
Myungsoo still hadn’t let go of Sungyeol’s delicate hand, his thumb now caressing the slightly red spot. “I told your brother that I only gave you those cupcakes the other day because a client didn’t want them.” He said quietly, his eyes moving down to gaze at Sungyeol’s hand joined with his own.
The vet looked confused at the sudden change of topic. “Oh, well, I still enjoyed them. I mean, we, as in me and Dongwoo. Even if you didn’t get them for us... I would’ve mentioned it earlier but-” Sungyeol tried to reassure the younger, but Myungsoo shook his head.
“No, it’s not that.” He looked up into the taller man’s eyes. “I didn’t tell him the truth.”
“But… why? What else could you have told him?” Sungyeol asked, his hand slightly shaking.
“The truth. That I bought them not for a client, not for the clinic, but just for you. I remembered overhearing you say that you liked chocolate when I was dropping off some paperwork to your brother, and I was thinking about you-” He stopped, suddenly feeling embarrassing. “Well, I always seem to be thinking about you and I just wanted an excuse to see you.”
“But why did you want to see me?” Sungyeol asked tentatively.
“Because I can’t get you out of my thoughts. I know we haven’t spent much time together, but I’d like for that to change. Maybe hang out with you outside of this clinic?” He laughed once, covering his mouth with his free hand. “Not that I don’t like seeing you here but… I’m not exactly sure how many times your brother is going to allow me to take a long lunch.”
He stepped closer to Sungyeol, tilting his face up to gaze in the vet’s eyes. “This is probably embarrassingly obvious, but I like you Sungyeol-sshi. I really like you.” He waited patiently for Sungyeol to respond, but the brunette simply stared at him. Myungsoo ran a hand through his hair nervously. “And Luna likes you too! If that helps… at all.” Sungyeol was still staring silently with the same frozen expression and Myungsoo began to feel any confidence that he had fall away. “I’m sorry… I guess I sprung that on you too quickly… I guess I should go - I’ll just wait outside for Luna...” Myungsoo made a move to step away, but Sungyeol tightened his grip on the younger man’s hand.
“No.” He said, finally finding his voice. “I mean, give me a second. You surprised me, that’s all… But in a good way… Ugh, I’m rambling.” Sungyeol shook his head. “Just… What I’m trying to say is that I feel the same way… I like you too, Myungsoo-sshi.”
Myungsoo looked up, his heart swelling at the words that had left Sungyeol’s mouth. “Really?”
“Yes… I mean... you’re the person I look forward to seeing the most, and I think about you a lot… I just never would have imagined that you felt the same way.” Sungyeol trailed off, looking up at Myungsoo shyly.
“So… About that date..?” Myungsoo prompted.
Sungyeol smiled. “I’d like that.” He looked away shyly, “I’d like that a lot actually.”
The shorter man beamed up at him, slightly bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Great. So are you free anytime-”
“Today!” Sungyeol interrupted him before blushing at his own zeal. “I mean, I might possibly be available today, if you were possibly available, and then we could possibly do something together, but only if you wanted to and-”
Myungsoo reached up, placing a firm hand on the back of the brunette’s head. He angled his face up, connecting their lips in a sweet kiss. It only lasted for the briefest of moments, but it effectively cut off Sungyeol’s rambling. Myungsoo pulled away, his mouth set in what was sure to be a permanent grin as he squeezed the vet’s hand. “Today sounds perfect.”
“Well, this is a surprising turn of events…” Luna purred. “I never expected either of them to go for it, at least not without a push.” Dongwoo stifled how own giggle with his palm, trying not to alert the two men to their presence in the doorway.
“They are completely infatuated with each other…” The alien mused, watching the way Myungsoo’s hand played with the hairs at the back of Sungyeol’s neck. “It’s really nice to see. Dating rituals on my planet are different - none of this will they or won’t they stuff - but I think it would be nice to have to wait to confess. It would make it much more special.”
Luna scoffed. “Humans are complicated in every way possible. I’m quite pleased that I was born blessed with the feline life.”
Dongwoo ignored the cat’s haughty words and instead fixed his eyes on the couple in front of them. He felt his own heart fill with joy at the look of happiness on his best friend’s face. He knew how much this must mean to Sungyeol and he was glad to be witnessing such a momentous moment. Now at least Sungyeol wouldn’t have to restrict his time with Myungsoo to within the clinic, and Dongwoo would still have Hoya to spend the evenings with.
That thought made Dongwoo giddy with excitement. He always loved spending time with Hoya, the businessman always made time for Dongwoo and he was actually great fun to be around, even if he was cranky at times. Now, Sungyeol could be happy with Myungsoo and Dongwoo could be happy with Hoya and everything was going to be amazing! And Dongwoo would still get to hang out with Sungyeol at the clinic, so it wasn’t like they wouldn’t see each other at all.
Dongwoo didn’t bother to hide his grin at he stepped out from the doorway, thinking that maybe now was the right time for him to come back. Sungyeol and Myungsoo had moved past the kissing and the talking and were now just staring at each other in a way that was dreamy as much as it was romantic.
“Luna is as perfect as usual! No issues at all, she’s happy and healthy and cute as ever.” He announced, placing the cat on the desk as the pair jumped away from each other in surprise.
Myungsoo hurried over to pick his cat up. “That’s great to hear, thank you Dongwoo.”
“Oh it’s fine! It’s always fun to talk to Luna-chan, and you two had some time together to talk as well! It looks like it all worked out.”
Sungyeol colored and looked away. “Yeah… Erm, thanks, Dongwoo.”
“Did you do all of the forms and stuff? I don’t like doing the boring paperwork things so I hope you did.”
“Oh, well…” Sungyeol turned to the forgotten document on the desk, still dropping with spilled coffee.
“It’s okay though.” Myungsoo interrupted. “It’s not like me and Luna ever go anywhere else but here anyway, so the patient history that you have will be correct.”
Sungyeol smiled. “I guess. Thank you Myungsoo-sshi.”
“So… I’ll pick you up later?” Myungsoo asked, scratching Luna between her ears, setting the cat into a state of bliss.
Sungyeol watched Myungsoo and Luna fondly. “I’ll call you when I finish?”
“Let me give you my number.” Myungsoo reached out to take Sungyeol’s phone, but the veterinarian shook his head.
“It’s okay! I can get it from Luna’s file-”
“Still, I’d like to give it to you…” Myungsoo cut in. “I just want to… you know… do this properly? Does that make sense?”
Sungyeol’s face lit up with joy. “Yes, it does.” He reached into his pocket and handed his cell to Myungsoo, who set to work entering his details into Sungyeol’s phone. After a moment, he handed it back, smiling shyly. “I should get Luna home so I can go back to work… Your brother wouldn’t appreciate me being late.”
Sungyeol nodded in agreement. “I’ll call you later…”
“I can’t wait.” Myungsoo stated, as he placed Luna back in the cat carrier and made his way to the door. “Goodbye, Dongwoo. I’ll see you tonight, Sungyeol-sshi.” Sungyeol waved goodbye to Myungsoo as he left the building and headed out on the street.
Dongwoo couldn’t help but stifle his own laughter when Myungsoo twisted around to wave goodbye one last time and walked into a streetlamp - he could only imagine Luna’s reaction to the mishap inside her cat carrier - before his attention was diverted by the next customer walking through the door. He watched Sungyeol slip back into his professional mode, although the too bright smile slightly gave him away.
And even though the next customer was a difficult customer, it didn’t ruin the amazing mood that Sungyeol was in all day. Sungyeol’s happy mood made Dongwoo even happier and the day passed by in a series of happy customer and patients, kept entertained by the antics of Sungyeol and Dongwoo.
At the end of the day, after the last customer had left laughing, Dongwoo finally had a chance to speak to Sungyeol about Myungsoo.
“You’re really excited to see Neko-chan, aren’t you?” he commented, as he straightened out the magazines on the table with his powers.
“Very. And also seriously nervous.” Sungyeol sighed. “What am I supposed to say, or do? He works for my brother and he wears suits almost every day of the week. He’s so clever and cool and why would he be interested in me?”
“Silly Kirin-chan! Because you’re funny and nice and clever too! Don’t worry, Neko-chan likes you a lot, Luna told me that he’s always talking about you at home!” Dongwoo whispered the last part, as though he was imparting a big secret. “So you needn’t worry at all. No matter what you do or say on your date, I’m sure Neko-chan will love it.”
Sungyeol looked up with a smile. “Let’s just get home so I can start getting ready. I can barely deal with this waiting anymore!”
The drive back home was quiet, Sungyeol’s nerves were evident on his face and Dongwoo didn’t know what to say to cheer his best friend up, so he figured that he would leave Sungyeol be. He knew that after the date, Sungyeol would be a whole lot happier anyway. They reached the house quickly, climbing out of the car and walking indoors.
For once, Hoya was home before the two of them. He looked up from the dining room table when they walked in. “Hey.”
“You’re home early.” Sungyeol commented.
“I just fancied a change.” Hoya replied. “I thought we could watch a movie tonight. Dongwoo hasn’t seen E.T. so I thought that might be fun-”
Sungyeol’s face dropped. “Oh… I would love to, but I have plans. I’m going on a date.”
Hoya looked up with interest. “Oh? A date? With who?”
Sungyeol faltered, not sure whether or not to tell his brother the truth. Of course, Hoya knew about his crush on Myungsoo, but would he be okay with his brother dating his assistant?
“Just… someone who came into the clinic today…” He said cautiously.
Hoya smirked. “Oh? Do I know them?”
“Why would you know them?” Sungyeol said, maybe too quickly.
“Just that I saw Myungsoo this morning, he said he was bringing his cat in for a check-up at lunch. It was odd though, because he seemed a lot happier this afternoon. When I asked him why he just said it was because he had a date tonight. It’s just a coincidence that the two of you are on dates on the same night, especially since you two are painfully head over heels for each other.” He said the last part completely casually and Sungyeol inhaled.
“I’m sorry hyung! I know he’s your assistant but I can’t help-”
“Seriously, Sungyeol, do I look bothered?” Hoya cut in. “I’m happy for you, really. At least now you can stop your secret fanboying every time I so much as mention his name in conversation.”
Sungyeol blushed. “Was I that obvious?”
“Let’s just say that all of those drama classes you took in high school didn’t really pay off for you.”
Sungyeol sighed. “I .”
“I will not dispute that.” Hoya remarked. “So, where are you going? And when?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t know.” Sungyeol responded. “He told me to text him when I finished work. I need to get changed though, I smell like animal.”
“Again, I will not dispute that.” Sungyeol glared at his brother, who held up his hands. “You said it first! Anyway, you should just call him right now, ask him to pick you up in forty-five minutes. That gives you time to shower and change and…”
“I’ll make it an hour!” Sungyeol interjected, running out the room with his phone in hand.
That left Hoya and Dongwoo - who had been entertaining himself with one of Hoya’s clicky pens throughout the whole conversation - alone in the dining room. Hoya turned to the alien, who looked up when he heard his name. “Well Dongwoo, I guess it’s just us tonight.” Only the first of many nights if his instincts were right about the two lovebirds.
Hoya smiled at Dongwoo, he was staring at him in complete fascination. “So, how do you feel about a movie?”
A/N: So maybe that was Myungyeol overkill, but who can say no to super adorable awkward flirting, and now that Sungyeol is distracted it just gives Yadong time together!
Those two, urgh! So adorbs!
All Jade ever seems to say is adorable, sorry guys!
So more Yadong coming at you guys soon! We hope that you guys are enjoying so far! As always, drop us a comment and let us know what you’re thinking!
Jade & Ray
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