“Chanyeol, hurry up!” Baekhyun yelled as he pulled on his boots excitedly. It was finally the day he gets what he`s been wanting ever since he was 11 years old. His mom never allowed him to get that certain thing and now that he was independent and wasn't living in his parents` house anymore, he had his own rules. He was going to get it, even Chanyeol wouldn't stop him. Sure, Chanyeol didn't like the idea, but after much negotiating and fussing over this situation, Baekhyun won. No matter what, he was going to get his own hedgehog today.

 

“Baek, you sure you don't want to change your mind?” Chanyeol appeared in the foyer with a grumpy look on his face. He obviously wasn't happy about a hedgehog invading their privacy.

 

“Nope! Why would I change my mind, I`ve been waiting for this for years.” Baekhyun smiled cheerfully and tip toed to peck his groaning boyfriend`s cheek.”Get your shoes on, I`ll be waiting in the car.”

 

Chanyeol groaned as he watched Baekhyun happily skip to the car, and he groaned again as he put on his shoes, and groaned once more as he locked their home, knowing the next time they'll be in it, there was going to be a tiny, spiky creature stealing all of Baekhyun`s attention from him.

 

On the way to the pet store Baekhyun couldn't stop squirming in his seat from the excitement. Chanyeol liked, loved to be more honest, when Baekhyun became all smiley and hype. It was endearing and Chanyeol would give his life to see Baekhyun smile so that`s what made him shut up, despite disliking the whole idea of getting a pet.

 

Baekhyun was out the car before Chanyeol even turned it off, running towards the small pet shop that still owned his future hedgehog. He was almost there when he halted, turning around to check on Chanyeol. There he was, still exiting the car far too slow for Baekhyun`s liking. He shook his head at his lazy boyfriend and ran back to him, hooking their arms together and cuddling for warmth. This time Baekhyun walked in a reasonable pace, not too slow, not too fast.

 

“Your`e such a slowpoke, Yeol.” Baekhyun glanced up at Chanyeol who was now smiling at him.”You'd think with these abnormally long legs, you'd be faster.”

 

“Baekhyun, you can run off into the store right now. I know you want to.”

 

“I do, but I want to go in there with you.” the smaller male grinned.

 

It took just a few steps until they got to the door and Baekhyun was quick to push it open-- well at least attempt to push it open.

 

“Baek, you're supposed to pull it.”

 

“I knew that,” Baekhyun pinched Chanyeol`s sides and led them inside.

 

“Hello, how may I help you?” a young man, not looking much older than the couple, walked up to them with a polite smile.

 

“Hi! Can you show us the hedgehogs?”

 

The employee didn't say anything and only pointed at the area where the small pets were. Baekhyun didn't wait another minute and ran there. Then he screamed.

 

Chanyeol facepalmed. It wasn't unexpected to Chanyeol, given that Baekhyun even screamed if he saw one on tv or on the computer, let alone seeing a real one right before his eyes. He was definitely going to scream.

 

“Oh my God! Chanyeol, come look at these cute little things! They're so cute, I want them all!”

 

“Can you please tell him to lower his voice, he`s going to startle all the other animals.”

 

Chanyeol gave the guy an apologetic smile, and nodded before padding to Baekhyun.

 

“Baek, can you-”

 

“Chanyeol, look at that one! I want it, I want that one! I want it-”

 

The only solution to make Baekhyun be quiet in this situation was to cover his mouth with a big palm, and that`s precisely what Chanyeol did. Baekhyun`s eyes stared right into his, questioning him silently.

 

“Babe, you`re going to scare them.” he thought maybe that was enough to get him to stay quiet so Chanyeol removed his hand from the older`s mouth.

 

“Ohhh, right.” Baekhyun grinned sheepishly, then turned back to the cute creatures and whispered, ”I'm sorry little hedgehogies,”

 

Baekhyun reached out to the one that caught his attention and rubbed its fluffy tummy, squealing in a low voice at how soft it was. Even though he still didn't understand why they are known to be adorable, Chanyeol decided to give these things that Baekhyun was obsessed with a good look. He leaned down and grimaced at the wide black eyes staring back at him. The thing looked creepy, he couldn't help it.

 

“Aw, it likes you, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun cooed,”Why don't you touch it?”

 

“No, it`s spiky, I can't touch that.” he became scared the longer he looked at it.

 

“Touch its tummy, you idiot.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes and when he saw that Chanyeol started to back off, Baekhyun quickly held his wrist, giving him the irresistible puppy eyes saved for emergencies. Like now.

 

“Please please pleaseee,” Baekhyun pouted just slightly and laughed inside his head, he was obviously cracking Chanyeol.”It won't hurt, I promise.

 

“But Baek- Baekhyun, stop that.” Chanyeol groaned, his heart melted at those deep, sparkling eyes.”Fine. Just once.”

 

He thought maybe it was worth it when Baekhyun smiled, all teeth and sunshine. It wouldn't hurt to make Baekhyun happy just by touching a hedgehog, right?

 

 

 

Except it did.

 

“Ow!” Chanyeol`s ridiculously deep voice boomed in the pet store, he was quick to pull his finger away from the animal`s mouth. He hadn't even touch its tummy yet and that monster just attacked him like it had the right to.

 

“It won't hurt, I promise.” Chanyeol imitated his boyfriend`s previous statement as he blew on his poor index finger.

 

“Chanyeol, their teeth aren't even that sharp. Your`e overacting.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes again and picked up the hedgehog. It crawled slowly onto his hand as if it was shy, and Baekhyun couldn't help but squeal.”It`s so adorable, oh my god.”

 

“Do you like him?” The same employee who greeted them earlier was beside Baekhyun.”He`s shy at first but he becomes playful later on. I also have to warn you, he can get very clingy.”

 

“That`s exactly what I want.” Baekhyun said. He was making kissy faces at the creature and Chanyeol wanted to shout out in frustration.”I'll take him.”

 

“But Baekhyun, this one is a monster. You can't do this to me…” Chanyeol whined.

 

“I fell in love with him at first sight, he`s the one I want.” Baekhyun ignored Chanyeol.

 

“That`s what you once said about me.” but Baekhyun seemed like he didn't hear him or maybe he didn't care because he was already walking off to the counter, to pay and receive instructions. He felt he didn't need instructions because he knew almost everything about hedgehogs. He knew that they were mammals, he knew there were seventeen different species of them, he knew that they had very poor eyesight, he knew that they were nocturnal, he knew that they loved digging, he knew when to shower them, he even knew what they eat and what they don`t. Very important fact: tea tree oil is deadly so NO TEA TREE OIL. He knew it all.

 

“Do you have a cage to take him home in?” the man asked him, after giving him tips and facts about that certain hedgehog Baekhyun chose.

 

“Yep, it`s in the car.” Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol who was standing there, bored and annoyed.”Can you get it for me, Yeol?”

 

He sighed defeatingly and dragged himself out the pet shop to grab the cage. On the way back he decided maybe he was being a bit of an towards his boyfriend. One of Baekhyun`s dreams were coming true and he was supposed to be there with him, celebrating the excitement but he sometimes he could be a jerk without thinking. Chanyeol stopped at the door, taking a deep breath and decided to restart this with a positive mindset. The only positive thing about this was Baekhyun`s happiness, he guessed that it was more than enough.

 

---

 

As soon as they got back to the house, Baekhyun hugged the hedgehog close to his chest and began showing him around his new home.

 

“This is the kitchen, if you're hungry you can come here to let me know.”

 

“Baek, don't you know when to feed it?”

 

“Of course I do, but just in case he wants to snack on something-- oh my god we haven't named him yet!” Baekhyun gasped then looked at his unnamed hedgehog.”What do you want your name to be, cutie?”

 

Chanyeol wasn't going to lie, Baekhyun with that creature was adorable. And maybe it was becoming cute because of Baekhyun`s overflowing cuteness. He didn't know.

 

“I`ll name you Sonic!” Baekhyun blew a kiss to the hedgeh- Sonic.”It`s perfect.”

 

“You do know that you've called me that before, right?” Chanyeol glanced at his overhype boyfriend. Baekhyun looked at him innocently.

 

“No, I haven`t.”

 

“You have, it`s my nickname in bed-”

 

Baekhyun gasped, glared at Chanyeol and eyed Sonic who was now sniffing Baekhyun`s palm.”Shh, he can't hear that.”

 

“But, you did. You called me that when-”

 

“Nope! I don't remember.” Baekhyun turned towards the hallway where the bedroom was.

 

“--I ed you really fast that particular night!”

 

“Stop making up things!” Baekhyun shouted back without looking at his shameless boyfriend.

 

“I`m the original Sonic....” Chanyeol huffs and throws his body on the couch.

 

----

 

It`s been three weeks since they've gotten Sonic, and Chanyeol had long given up on that creepy thing. He didn't like it. He despised it. It pooped all the time and the smell was an odor he never had to deal with before in his life, until now. It often dug in the dirt in their indoor plant stands and made a mess. It`s bitten him four more times after the first time. Since it was nocturnal, it stayed up on most nights for long hours and Chanyeol was a light sleeper and it always disturbed his sleep when it exercised on its wheel, while Baekhyun was a heavy sleeper and experienced none of the discomfort.

 

Sonic was always friendly with Baekhyun but every single time Chanyeol attempted to approach it (because he never wanted to upset Baekhyun by always ignoring Sonic), it curled into itself, leaving nothing but its spikes for Chanyeol to touch. Speaking of which, Sonic has hurt Chanyeol with his quills several times. The most recent accident was when Chanyeol was in a hurry for he was late for work and when he tried to multitask by pulling his socks on and buttoning up his dress shirt, he yelped loudly, then groaned in pain. The freaking thing was hiding in his sock and it attacked him harshly, it stung more than all the other times. it felt like a hundred toothpicks poking his skin.

 

“!” Chanyeol shouted and grabbed his aching foot.

 

Baekhyun was in the bedroom in a flash when he heard Chanyeol shout.

 

“Are you okay, Yeol?”

 

Chanyeol didn't look up from his foot, only hissed in pain again.”It was in my sock and it poked me!”

 

Baekhyun`s shoulders were tense but when he heard that, he breathed and chuckled.

 

“Of course, you'd laugh. It`s not you that`s in pain right now.” Chanyeol grumbled, but Baekhyun was still able to hear him. He felt like throwing up when Baekhyun knelt beside him and instead of showing him the care he needed, Baekhyun picked up Sonic who was wandering around the sock he had invaded. Then he left the room with the hedgehog.

 

It hurt. Both his foot and his heart hurt. Baekhyun no longer cared about him. Chanyeol struggled to get up but it only stung again, he decided to wait there, alone, until the burning died down.

 

“How did he get in there?” it was Baekhyun`s voice, and Chanyeol could have swore his heart was beating ten times quicker than usual.”Are they even supposed to be in socks?”

 

Chanyeol looked up from his foot to the doorway, where Baekhyun was entering with a first aid kit in his hands. He still cared.

 

“Oh, my poor baby.” Baekhyun said, sitting criss-cross adjacent Chanyeol.”Sonic`s staying in his cage until tomorrow, for punishment.”

 

“I don`t think you can punish an animal, Baek.” a small smile appeared on Chanyeol`s face when Baekhyun grabbed his ankle gently and rested it on his thigh.

 

“Well, I just did.” Baekhyun shrugged then grimaced as he looked at the multiple tiny red dots on his boyfriend`s foot. ”Ow, it sure does look painful. I`m sorry, Yeol.”

 

“It`s okay,” and now it really was. Chanyeol was happy, he was ecstatic. He loved Baekhyun so much. He adored the man, he couldn't help but stare at Baekhyun as he wiped the red skin with a wet papertowel. He couldn't help it either when he jumped on Baekhyun, causing the older male to fall on his back, with a surprised yelp.

 

“Chanyeol!” Chanyeol ignored him, and instead kissed his boyfriend square on the lips.

 

”I love you.”

 

---

 

 

After that, Baekhyun was almost immediately back to Sonic. Sonic this, Sonic that, it was all about Sonic. And Chanyeol was sad all over again.

 

One of the worst things about this situation was Baekhyun never allowed Chanyeol to kiss him when Sonic was around. There was one time that they had gotten half- on the couch, Chanyeol was kissing down Baekhyun`s torso and Baekhyun was giving his boyfriend pleasure by rubbing his foot against his clothed , then all the fire they were in had died down when Baekhyun had spotted Sonic playing around the coffee table near them. It was hell when Baekhyun pushed him away.

 

But Baekhyun proved to be a good lover later that night, when they were alone in their closed bedroom. Chanyeol was shocked again by the amount of love he had for the boy above him as he rode them both to a toe-curling .

 

But that was only once. Chanyeol hated to admit it, but he was jealous of Sonic. It had successfully stole 95% of Baekhyun`s attention. He played with Sonic every single day, morning and night. Chanyeol was lonely, but he couldn't go tell his boyfriend “Oh, Baekhyun, I'm hella jealous of your hedgehog, it feels like you're dating it not me.” No.

 

Besides, Baekhyun was happy. That`s all that mattered.

 

Since it made Baekhyun smile, Chanyeol loved it. But he still hated it for obvious reasons. He had a love/hate relationship with Sonic, it was confirmed.

 

----

 

Two weeks later, Chanyeol arrived home from work to a silent house. Usually, he would come home to a laughing Baekhyun playing with Sonic. But today, he came home to Baekhyun sitting at the dining table with huge frown on his face. And Sonic was no where near him. It worried Chanyeol to death whenever Baekhyun was upset, and now was the same. He slipped out his shoes and walked up to his boyfriend.

 

“Baek, what's wrong?” Chanyeol bent down to hold Baekhyun`s chin and turn his face towards him. He got no answer and it made him worry even more, his heart was aching seeing Baekhyun sad.

 

“Baek, tell me. Please?” Chanyeol urged.

 

“He`s gone,”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Sonic,” Baekhyun placed his elbows on the table and held his head with both hands, there were wrinkles on his forehead.”I showered then went out to play with him, but I couldn't find him.”

 

“He`s probably hiding like he does,” Chanyeol squeezed Baekhyun`s shoulder, “Maybe he could be in an open cupboard or in a sock--”

 

“I already searched everywhere, including outside, for six hours!”  Baekhyun raised his voice and threw his arms on the table in despair.”He`s gone, Chanyeol.”

 

Chanyeol sighed heavily and sat down beside Baekhyun, watching him break down.”It hasn't been two months, and this is what happens. I`m so reckless and stupid.”

 

“Baek, no you're not stupid. We'll find him, stop eating yourself up.” Chanyeol took his boyfriend`s cold hands in his and squeezed them.”Don't worry, he'll come back.”

 

There were unshed tears and Baekhyun`s eyes and Chanyeol would rather jump off a building than see Baekhyun cry, he hated when it happened, so he got up from the dining table and began searching for Sonic. Two hours passed and still nothing. It was almost dark and the only place Chanyeol hadn`t searched was outside. Baekhyun was now in their bedroom, still worrying about his pet`s well being. He refused to even eat because ‘it wasn't fair for him to eat when Sonic was probably hungry and in the cold’. That also ended up with Chanyeol not eating (the only meal he had was breakfast) because how can he eat while Baekhyun is hungry and upset.

 

Chanyeol threw on a jacket over his work clothes --he still hadn't changed yet-- and grabbed their emergency flashlight before walking out the backdoor. The sun was near setting and he had a feeling that he was going to be out for a while. He knew he looked creepy crawling on the grass with a flashlight in his hands calling out for a video game character (that`s how people saw it) but he didn't care, he was determined to find Sonic and make Baekhyun smile again.

 

After forty-five minutes, Chanyeol was ready to give up. It was getting cold and his stomach was growling, and he figured Baekhyun probably needed his accompany. So with the tenth sigh of the day, he got up on his feet and walked to their back door, thinking of ways to make Baekhyun feel better.

 

Just as he slid the door open, he heard a small, familiar sniffing noise by the recycling bin on the porch. His ears tensed and he wished and prayed that it was what he thought it was. Chanyeol switched the flashlight back on and followed the small sounds.

 

“Thank you, God.” Chanyeol breathed out, and it felt like mountains were lifted off his heart when he found Baekhyun`s little hedgehog tapping at a bottle top.”Come here, Baek momma is dying inside, how can you do this?”

 

Surprisingly, Sonic didn't back away or curl this time. It jumped onto Chanyeol`s hands without hesitation then looked at him with wide, curious eyes, and Chanyeol couldn't help but smile. He could see why Baekhyun loved Sonic, he definitely could.”Come on, let`s go make Baek happy.”

 

“Baek! Baekhyun, where are you?” Chanyeol had a huge smile on his face when he entered their warm, cozy home.”I have a surprise for you!”

 

As expected, Baekhyun didn't answer him. When Baekhyun was upset, he couldn't even talk. So Chanyeol ran to their bedroom, Sonic still in his hands, and slowly opened the door.

 

“Baek,” Chanyeol stuck only his head in the room, his lover was still sitting on the bed, his eyes and nose red. Chanyeol smiled and hid Sonic in his jacket before walking to the bed and sitting beside Baekhyun, who still wasn't sparing him a glance, finding the blank wall more interesting. He kissed Baekhyun`s forehead then slowly pulled the hedgehog out for Baekhyun to see.”Surprise?”

 

The way Baekhyun`s eyes lit up was magical, tears were back in them almost immediately and a quivering smile decorated his face again.”Oh my god, Sonic!”

 

Baekhyun took Sonic from Chanyeol, instead of being jealous like always, Chanyeol smiled in adoration at the two.”Where was he? He`s not hurt, are you hurt Sonic?” Baekhyun kissed the hedgehog and hugged it close for a moment before realizing something.”Why did you do this to me, you cruel hedgehog. You have no idea how worried I was. You need to eat right now, must be dying of hunger. Or did you eat something from where ever you were? Did you?"

 

In seconds, Baekhyun was out the door still nagging and Chanyeol thought he just fell in love with Baekhyun all over again. He was just so caring, sweet, and lovable all at the same time and it was overwhelming.

 

Now, with a happy sigh, Chanyeol grabbed a comfy sweater and pants and changed into them.

 

---

 

 

Five minutes later they were all in the living room, Sonic was in his cage eating the food Baekhyun had given him and the couple was watching it enjoy the food.

 

“You scared me to death,” Baekhyun frowned at his pet. Chanyeol moved closer to the smaller and gave him a back hug, squeezing him close and kissing his cheek.

 

“You scared me to death.”

 

At that, Baekhyun turned around in Chanyeol`s arms and stared at him, gratitude filled in his eyes.”You know I love you, right?”

 

“Hmm… yeah, I do.”

 

“I`m sorry I practically ignored you all this time, I was just excited about finally getting my own hedgehog, and that really can't be a real excuse. I , I know. Thank you, Yeol.”

 

“Baek-” he was cut off with Baekhyun`s lips pressed on his. It was a quick kiss, but one that made their fingertips tingle and stomachs flip.

 

“You just kissed me in front of Sonic...” Chanyeol gaped, looking almost dumb.

 

Baekhyun gasped, obviously a fake, overdramatic one.”Well, oops?”

 

It was Chanyeol`s turn to gasp in shock when Baekhyun grabbed the bottom of his large sweater and pulled at it, to make way for him. It happened in a flash and suddenly both of them were in Chanyeol`s sweater, with Baekhyun`s hands running up and down his heated back.

 

“This is a nice place to kiss you when he`s around,” Baekhyun chuckled, tip toeing to capture his boyfriend`s plump lips.”I love you so much, more than anything.”

 

Chanyeol couldn't lie, he was getting hot because Baekhyun was whispering on his lips and it just was too much to handle along with the words.”Really though, I`m a terrible boyfriend.”

 

“No,” Chanyeol kissed him back.”You're not.”

 

Baekhyun sighed then pulled himself out the warmth Chanyeol was providing for him, leaving Chanyeol confused.

 

“Really, Chanyeol. I'm now aware that I was being a jerk. No matter what, I wasn't supposed to ignore you for Sonic.” Baekhyun`s chest tightened at the guilt and he couldn't keep his eyes off the floor.”I promise to stop being insensitive towards you, Yeol.”

 

“Baekhyun…” Chanyeol couldn't help but smile then hold Baekhyun`s hands, slowly guiding him to the wall.”Thanks, for finally realizing and you know what…  I'm really starting to like our kid.”

 

“Our kid?”

 

“Yeah,” Chanyeol leaned down then stopped mid-way.”Uhm, Baek, I wanna kiss you.”

 

Baekhyun laughed out loud before whispering an ‘okay’, he wiggled himself back under Chanyeol`s sweater to kiss the younger man until they were out of breath.

 

“I'm pretty sure Sonic still hears you when you scream my name, though.”

 

“Shut up.”