Youngjae was a grown adult, living by himself (not including his cherished dog, Coco) for almost a year.  He was still a student, but he made enough money to afford a very small house just a short distance away from campus, complete with a small backyard.  He paid extra for it just because he knew Coco would love the room to run around, and he was definitely the type who would do anything for his dog. 

He had grown used to being alone, staying up until the wee hours at night because that’s when he had the most inspiration for his compositions. 

That was when he heard a noise, what sounded like a loud thunk followed by some indistinct muttering.

Youngjae’s heart immediately started racing because he was sure the sound came from his backyard and he knew it had to be a person.  He looked around, half of his mind trying to figure out what to do and the other half regretting that he hadn’t made a will at the tender age of 20.

The ‘do something’ part of his mind finally won him over, he needed to check out the situation but he needed something.  Why didn’t he have a baseball bat or something? Could he possibly kick a well-aimed soccer ball into their face?  No, that probably would work.  Eventually, he settles on grabbing a knife from the kitchen, although the thought of actually having to use it made him sick to his stomach, and he ventured over to the sliding door to his backyard.

In the darkness he could barely see anything, so he grabbed his phone and the flashlight and made the reckless decision to shine it right into his backyard, illuminating a figure.  He looked right at him and Youngjae could’ve sworn he saw his entire life flash before his eyes as his grip on the knife got tighter.  He was waiting to be attacked, or threatened, but the man simply acknowledged him and went back to what he was doing.

What was he doing? He was crouched down on his knees, his hands patting a very familiar white ball of fluff- wait, was he petting his dog?

That was what pushed Youngjae over the edge, as he slid the door opened fearlessly and approached the man.  “Hey!  Leave Coco alone!  Don’t youdare hurt her!”  She was supposed to be sleeping soundly; she sometimes preferred her outdoor doghouse in the summer time than Youngjae’s bed- he understood.

He didn’t even look up, he just continued to pet her softly, as Youngjae got closer he noticed a soft smile on his face.

“Um,” He could see him clearly now, a well-built man with tan skin, both his shirt and snapback had the word ‘Wang’ plastered across it.  Despite his stature, the situation made him look completely unintimidating, “Excuse me?”

Still, no response.

“Hey,” Youngjae crouched down next to him and risked poking him in the arm, carefully ignoring how taut his muscles were.  “That’s my dog, what are you doing in my backyard?”

“Dogs… are great.”  He slurred, the alcohol on his breath prominent. Youngjae carefully put the knife he was holding down next to him, realizing he wasn’t dealing with a thief or murderer, just a belligerent drunk.

“I agree but um, why are you in my backyard at 3am?”  Youngjae spoke softly, unsure if this guy angered easily.

“I heard there was a dog, I love dogs.”  His speech was barely comprehensible.

“Okay.”  Youngjae nudged Coco over into his arms and the man turned to look at him.

“Hey, this dog is… your dog?  Nice dog.  Cute dog.  Very small dog.” He was smiling goofily.

“Right…”  Youngjae gently stood up with Coco in his arms and the man stood up with him, petting Coco again.  “You know you shouldn’t sneak into other people’s backyards, it’s a bad thing to do.”  It was also illegal, but Youngjae decided to keep his words suitable for the mind of a three-year-old, as the man didn’t look like he was prepared to comprehend long words at the moment.

“So soft… it’s fluffy it’s… ugh.”  The man finally removed his hand from Coco and laid it against his stomach. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“What?”  Youngjae didn’t understand until the man gagged, heaving violently and a hand covering his mouth.  “No!”  He almost threw Coco back on to the ground.  “Run!  Coco!  Save yourself!”

Coco seemed to understand the situation and bolted immediately back to the comfort of her doghouse.  Unfortunately, Youngjae was just a second too late.  Vomit spewed out from where the man’s hand couldn’t block the flow, splattering down Youngjae’s legs and down his feet. 

“Noooo!”  Youngjae felt like he was going to vomit, immediately running back into his house and throwing himself into the bathroom, getting rid of any piece of clothing covered in residue and hopping into the shower, furiously scrubbing himself clean.

As soon as he made sure he didn’t smell like alcoholic residue and he got out the shower and shrugged on another pair of pyjamas, thoroughly traumatized and ready to kick someone out of his house.  Instead, he came back to an empty backyard and the man passed out on his sofa.

Youngjae groaned, there was no way he would be able to move him by himself.

He resigned, realizing that he was going to have to keep a stranger on his couch for the night and hope he wasn’t dangerous.

Youngjae slept with one eye open, constantly worrying about the man lying on his couch.  He woke up much too early for the time he went to bed but he was anxious, he wanted to be around when the stranger woke, but at this rate, he seemed like he was going to be passed out for the next 48 hours.  He was resting on his side and drool was falling out of his mouth and dripping on to Youngjae’s sofa, much to his dismay.

It was two in the afternoon when he finally stirred, Youngjae standing right in front of him.  His eyes opened gently and then closed again as he groaned.  “Wha... so bright.”  He tried to sit up and rub the sleep out of his eyes finally getting them to stay open.  His gaze settled on Youngjae and he looked lost for a moment, and then he screamed.

“Hey, stop!  Relax!”  Youngjae was startled as the man leaped up on to the sofa.

“Who are you—where am I??  WHAT HAPPENED?”  Youngjae belatedly realized that he might’ve been experiencing some memory loss due to how intoxicated he was the night before.  “Are you… did we… oh my god.”

He sank back down on the sofa and held his knees up to his chest.  “Uh, are you okay?  You were drunk last night and you climbed into my backyard and then passed out on my sofa.”

“Is that all that happened?”  He sat back down in a normal position.  “That’s a relief!  I thought something weird happened…. actually, wait, I kind of remember.  I was definitely wasted, and Mark kept telling me about some dog and I really love dogs and… oh.  I did climb into your backyard, didn’t I?”

“You also vomited on me and drooled all over my sofa.”

“To be fair, I don’t remember that part.  Sorry about that.”  He gave him an apologetic smile but it still didn’t heal the trauma of getting vomited on.  “I’m Jackson, by the way.  Jackson Wang.”  His arm flexed when he held out his hand for Youngjae to shake and he was suddenly thankful this guy was so nice.  He could probably rip him to pieces if he wanted to.

 He had no idea why he needed to be formal with a guy who actually trespassed on his property, but this Jackson guy seemed to think they were buddies.  “Choi Youngjae, um, why were you in my backyard at three in the morning?”

“I just love dogs!  I was really drunk so I must’ve just climbed the fence without thinking, I’m really sorry!  Your dog is really cute, how could I resist?!”  Coco was in the corner of the living room lying down minding her own business. 

Youngjae had to agree, she was irresistible.  “Alright, you know what?  It’s okay, I forgive you.  Just… try and use the front door next time, maybe?”

“Wait, Youngjae,”   His name rolled off his tongue like they had been friends for years.  “I’m really thirsty, and I might need to throw up again.”  Jackson had a familiar look on his face and Youngjae recoiled.  “I definitely need to throw up again.”

Youngjae got up and literally pushed him along into the bathroom before any of his belongings were stained with vomit. 

After another fifteen minutes of consoling him as he continued to apologize and throw up, he finally wobbled to his feet, downed four glasses of water, and slumped back on Youngjae’s sofa.  “I feel light-headed. “

Youngjae was upset at first, but this guy was so dramatic it was starting to amuse him.  “Do you need anything else?”

“A bucket, a blanket, and maybe a hug.”  He said seriously.

Youngjae chuckled, but he had to be realistic about the situation.  “Don’t you have to go home, or something?”

Jackson pondered the thought for a moment, and then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone.  “, 42 missed calls.  I forgot I put it on silent, hope Mark didn’t call the police.”

“Who’s Mark?”

“My roommate, I’m pretty sure the trespassing thing was his idea, although, he was also pretty wasted when he suggested it.”   He instantly called the number back and Youngjae just stared at him amusedly as he could hear the other person yelling angrily into the receiver, before he ended the call with an ‘okay, I’m at the same place I was last night, just come pick me up, I’m fine’ and hung up before the other person got a chance to reply.  “I… should go now, shouldn’t I?”

“Perhaps.”

A car drove up in the front of Youngjae’s house and that was Jackson’s cue to leave.  “Again I’m really sorry, don’t worry.  I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Don’t worry about it.”  Jackson’s eyes lingered on his face a second too long for it to be considered normal, but Youngjae didn’t think much of it.

“Thank you.”  He said a final time before he was off to face the wrath of his roommate.

It was three in the morning the next day when he heard a familiar thunk, followed by some loud knocking on the glass door to his backyard.

“Youngjae!!!”  He heard a muffled yell coming and he ran over to find Jackson Wang, freshly clothed and showered, standing in his backyard again holding a bag.  Youngjae decided he wasn’t too bad to look at when he wasn’t drunk out of his mind.  He was actually really attractive, especially in the black tank top he was wearing today, clinging closely to his body.

He slid the door opened and Jackson walked in like it was his own home.  “Did you climb into my backyard, again?” 

“Yeah!  I needed to see you again!”

“Why didn’t you use the front door!?”

Jackson started at him for a bit before he flushed.  “Oh… I didn’t think about that…”

Youngjae was unsure if this guy was an idiot or just genuinely confused. 

“Anyways!  Here.”  He handed over the bag and Youngjae stared at it suspiciously before taking it and looking inside.

“Is this a dog bowl?”

“Not just any down bowl. It’s supposed to be specially curved and elevated to make eating more comfortable or something?  I felt really bad about the vomiting incident and everything that happened, it’s the least I could do.”

Youngjae had to admit, the thought was nice.  “Thanks.”  Youngjae smiled at him and Jackson grinned back.

“So…” Jackson looked a bit on edge; like he was trying to find the right words to say.  “Do you want to chill for a bit?  I’m kind of hungry.”

In any other situation Youngjae would’ve scratched this entire scenario off as weird and dangerous, but he somehow he trusted Jackson.  He wasn’t sure if he was basing this on the fact he hadn’t tried to harm him yet or that his heart beat a little harder when Jackson smiled at him and he didn’t know why.

“It’s three in the morning and I have class tomorrow.”

“Weren’t you up anyways?”

He had a point.  “All I have is cup noodles and dog food.”

“Cup noodles sound great!”  Youngjae was a bit lost about why he was so eager to spend time with him so suddenly, but there was no harm done.  He didn’t mind his company.

Youngjae didn’t know how they ended up on his sofa, almost five in the morning curled under a blanket discarded cups on the floor next to them watching some sort of documentary about conspiracy theories that was legitimately freaking both of them out.

“I can’t watch this anymore!  I’m having an existential crisis.  I’m scared.”

“It’s fine, they’re all just theories, right?”  Youngjae didn’t even have faith in his own words. 

He didn’t notice when they got into a position where they were almost cuddling each other because they were scared. Youngjae didn’t feel like moving, it was comfy, and Jackson’s muscles felt nice under his grip.  “You’re right, I’m over thinking.  I’ll stop thinking about it.”

Coco chose that moment to crawl over to the side of the sofa and Youngjae hoisted her up and she rolled over on Jackson’s lap.  “She likes you.” 

“Of course, all dogs love me.”  He picked her up in his arms and snuggled her against his shoulder.  Youngjae looked at them fondly, Coco squirming playfully in his grip and Jackson playing with her.  Coco didn’t like just anyone, so the fact that she was being so nice to a stranger convinced Youngjae even further that Jackson Wang was a formidable guy.

“Do you need to get going?  It’s really late, I don’t have class until two but I should sleep anyways.”

“Ah, you’re right, I actually have class in three hours so maybe I should just stay up…”

Youngjae was shocked.  “You have class at eight?? Why on Earth did you stay up?!”

“Well, I really was hungry and the documentary was really interesting and you’re really soft and warm and I couldn’t bring myself to leave?”

“W-what?”  Youngjae tried to digest the implications of what he just said.

“I mean… argh!”  Jackson slapped his face a couple of times to pull himself together.  “I didn’t just come over to bring you the dog bowl; I also wanted to say, um…”  Jackson’s eyes were on everything but Youngjae’s face, too nervous to face him directly.

“Yes?”  Youngjae put his hand on top of his in a subtle comforting motion and their gazes met again.

“Your dog is really cute but you turned out to be even cuter, so maybe we should do this again?  We could also go out maybe, to a café or an actual restaurant, unless you prefer staying home I don’t mind either I just want to see you again.”  Jackson spoke a million words per minute but Youngjae was able to catch everything.

Youngjae was sure his face was a nice shade of cherry red now.  “Are you asking me out?”

“Don’t say it so plainly, it’s embarrassing.”  Jackson buried his face in his hands and Youngjae literally felt himself swoon.

“Let’s do this again then, not tomorrow, though.  You need to catch up on sleep.”

Jackson’s face lit up.  “So, is that a yes?”

“Yes, that’s a yes.”

Jackson did a little victory dance and Youngjae laughed aloud be her smacked him across the shoulder to get him to stop.  “Now you’re being embarrassing.”

“Ow!”  He stopped dancing and rubbed his shoulder as he looked at him, offended.

Youngjae laughed harder and Jackson couldn’t help but join in.