Standing around in the warm, midday sun, Sehun watches his dog sniff through the fallen orange leaves, hoping and waiting for him to finally poop.

 

Vivi peed almost as soon as they got out the door - as well as marking his territory in various locations around the neighbourhood and the parkland Sehun walks him by - but now they’ve gone a good twenty minutes without a number two, and Sehun’s starting to lose hope of him doing one at all.

 

“Come on, Vivi,” Sehun coaches, pulling out a small plastic poop bag from his pocket and waving it in the air, the rustling noise catching Vivi’s attention - this worked for him once last week, and Sehun’s been trying it everyday since, albeit it not producing any more results.

 

But Vivi only plops his down on the ground, looking back up at him innocently as he wags his tail, and Sehun sighs, because if Vivi doesn’t poop soon, they’ll both have to come back to the park later, when it’s no longer quiet.

 

Having the freedom to entirely control his schedule is one of Sehun’s favourite perks about being a children’s book author - maybe one of the only perks, too - especially when it comes to walking his dog. Taking Vivi out in the early morning or late afternoon runs the risk of seeing more people, people who just have to know what breed of dog Vivi is, or how old he is, or can't help but give him a pat and exclaim just how cute he is, before trying to start small talk with Sehun that he's completely not prepared for.

 

Dogs are such social pets to have, Sehun thinks as Vivi stands back up again for another round of useless circling and sniffing, cursing himself that he couldn't have been a cat person. Minseok, his cat-owning hyung from university probably never had to deal with strangers chatting him up.

 

So to perpetuate his unhealthy habit of avoiding anyone and everyone, Sehun walks Vivi at midday or midnight, when the world is either busy or fast asleep and he can enjoy the fresh outdoor air in peace. Even if he spends the whole time mulling in the frustration of his three-month-long writer’s block.

 

With a sigh, Sehun's just about to give up and take him home, back to staring at a blank notepad between bingewatching variety shows, until Vivi's walking and snuffing halts. He bends his legs and lowers his body into a squat, and when Sehun sees his back arch he in a breath. This might be it, Sehun watches intensely and forgets to give his dog any privacy in his act. Any second now Vivi will start his business, then they can end the walk and they won't have to come back later--

 

A small dash of black suddenly zooms past, the momentum whipping the ground's leaves up into the air around Sehun's feet. As it continues down the parkland, Vivi immediately gets up to chase it, no longer interested in pooping, and in one swift moment Sehun's hopes are crushed.

 

"Noooo, no no no," Sehun mumbles to himself as he takes after his dog who's now playing and yapping with what looks like a black toy poodle a few yards away. His steps quicken as he calls out to Vivi, stomach starting to churn, because there’s no doubt this poodle has an owner who's just around the corner, and the only thing worse than small talk with strangers is talking to strangers with dogs.

 

From Sehun's experience, every dog owner in the world thinks that every other dog owner is instantly their new best friend, that they're entitled to endless conversations as their dogs play together, and scheduled walks over coffees, and worst of all, doggie playdates, a refusal to any of which comes off as incredibly rude. Because everyone who has a dog has to get along, right?

 

Wrong, Sehun thinks, finally catching up to the scene of Vivi and the poodle tumbling in the leaves and dirt, trying to figure out how to remove himself and his dog from this situation before it's too late.

 

With determination, Sehun points to his heel. "Vivi, come here!"

 

But of course, his request goes unheard as Vivi continues to ignore him for his new companion - goddammit, why does his dog have to be so friendly?

 

In the distance, Sehun can already make out the sound of a yell and the crunching of leaves behind him, and his heart sinks in defeat.

 

"Toben!" A voice calls, so surprisingly deep that it strikes a chord somewhere inside Sehun.

 

Hesitantly, he takes a glance over his shoulder to see who he’ll be awkwardly conversing with for the next ten minutes, and instantly freezes, because jogging towards him is the most beautiful human he’s ever seen.

 

Oh, .

 

He’s tall. So tall, maybe even as tall as Sehun himself, he thinks as the man gets closer, his long legs slowing to a walk as the distance between them closes. His face is soft, round, kind-looking, topped with a mess of dark curls that bounce with each step - the first time Sehun’s ever seen someone rock a decent perm.

 

And when their eyes meet, the man breaks out into a brilliant and uninhibited smile, all teeth and eye wrinkles, making Sehun’s heart twist painfully and his stomach flip. He has an instant need to look down, feeling like he’s just stared directly into the sun.

 

Coming up and stopping next to Sehun - right next to him, so close that it’s already making Sehun’s cheeks heat up - the man looks down at his dog, who’s still wrestling with Vivi, completely unaware of his owner’s presence.

 

“Toben,” he repeats, and god, that voice is like -

 

Sehun gulps as he catches his train of thought, they haven’t even started talking yet and he’s already a mess.

 

At the third call of his name, Toben finally halts his playing, down on the ground, head up obediently and tail wagging, leaving Vivi lying across the orange leaves in confusion.

 

“Good boy.” He kneels down to Toben’s head, burying his hands - large, thick, manly hands - into his black fur, and only now does Vivi start paying attention, sitting up to get in on the action.

 

Sehun's heart races a million miles a minute as the man faces his dog, slowly putting out his palm for Vivi to sniff - what a gentleman, Sehun muses - before giving his fluffy white head a soft rub as well. Vivi accepts all of this without any hesitation or fear, completely oblivious to how uncomfortable his owner feels, and even flops back onto the ground, showing off his tummy expectantly and making the stranger chuckle.

 

"Hey there," he greets, giving into Vivi's spoilt demands by softly caressing the underside of his belly, the dog's leg twitching in pleasure. "What's your name?"

 

There's a fairly long silence, as Vivi continues to betray Sehun by being way too friendly to this extremely handsome man, and it's well after it becomes awkward that Chanyeol turns his head to look up at Sehun, who finally realises that he's the one who's meant to be answering the question.

 

"Oh- Uh," Sehun stutters, taking another quick glance at this guy and oh god, talking to strangers is so much harder when they’re so attractive. "It's Vivi."

 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Vivi," The man exclaims, facing Vivi again as if it was the dog who replied. He lightly grabs his front paw and gives it a gentle shake. "I'm Chanyeol."

 

Chanyeol finally stands up, leaving the dogs alone as they get back to their mischeif, and Sehun’s heart can’t help but do a little flip, knowing that whatever conversation he gets roped into right now, he’ll probably ruin it.

 

“Vivi is a nice name,” Chanyeol says, looking straight at him, and Sehun can’t hold eye contact in fear of burning up bright red. “You know, I think one of the magazines my sister reads in Japan is called Vivi -”

 

Oh great , he’s chatty, too, Sehun thinks to himself as Chanyeol starts to ramble, admittedly not really able to pay attention to his words once he notices that Chanyeol’s brown sweater clings to a fairly well toned body - with broad shoulders and a wide chest - as well as being rolled up to show off the veins running up his forearms.

 

“... she’s been living there for a few years now, doing…”

 

He must go to the gym, Sehun muses, desperately trying to stop himself from imagining the beads of sweat running down Chanyeol’s bare chest during ab workouts. Swallowing, Sehun decides to focus back on Chanyeol’s arms, a slightly safer area-- oh no, is that a tattoo?

 

Damn, it’s really been too long since Sehun got laid.

 

“Anyways, I’m sorry-- I’m sure you don’t really care, uh-- what’s your name?”

 

“Huh? Uh--” Forced back into reality by the question, Sehun scrambles for words that are coherent enough that Chanyeol doesn’t think he’s too weird. “I’m Sehun.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Sehun,” Chanyeol replies, warm and genuine, enough to make Sehun almost realise why most people like human interaction. “I haven’t seen you and Vivi walking around here before-- it’s a shame, it seems like she and Toben are really getting along--”

 

“He,” Sehun corrects bluntly, and Chanyeol’s face falls slightly in embarrassment before Sehun feels the instant shame at how rude he might have just sounded.

 

“Oh- I’m sorry, I didn’t--”

 

“No no no, it’s okay,” Sehun’s stomach churns, his fears of the conversation turning bad all coming true. “I-- I mean, he, gets that all the time. His name is pretty girly, so…”

 

“It’s okay, I like it.” Chanyeol’s expression calms after Sehun’s reassurance, returning back to his small, playful smile, and Sehun breathes a silent sigh of relief.

 

“So,” Chanyeol starts again, a little slower this time. “Do you guys usually come out for walks around this time? It’s so quiet…”

 

“Yeah-- uh, kinda.” Come on, Sehun, reply like a normal person . “We usually go out around the middle of the day-- and then around midnight.” Close enough .

 

“Ah, just before bed? That’s not a bad idea,” Chanyeol responds with a chuckle, and Sehun knows just enough about social etiquette to not mention how he’s up until 3 or 4am most nights as his writer’s block torments him.

 

Chanyeol continues to speak over the top of the dogs’ barking, their playing turned to roughhousing now as they become more acquainted. “I usually take Toben out early in the morning and just after work, but I just started to work from home-- today is my first day, actually--”

 

Sehun almost feels the need to say congratulations, before he remembers that it’s probably only necessary for promotions, as well as the fact that working from home is nothing to be celebrated-- he would know.

 

“-- so I guess I can take him out whenever… I was planning on sticking to the normal routine until I slept in, but now that I know we’re not the only ones, maybe Toben and I will come out at this time more often.”

 

Chanyeol’s grin widens again, all the way up to his eyes and making Sehun’s heart twist, uncertain of whether hearing that fills him with dread or excitement.

 

“Ahh...” is all Sehun can say back, and just before he tries to wrack his brain for anything better, Vivi catches his attention, suddenly jumping up from his fun with Toben to slowly circle and sniff beneath their feet.

 

“Sssshhhhhh!!!” Sehun is quick to hush Chanyeol, even though he wasn’t speaking. No matter how cute this boy is, Sehun has waited too long for this to risk any possible interruptions now, when this could be it.

 

A few more seconds of frozen silence go by before Vivi takes his stance, and after what seems like a hundred eternities, he finally does his long-awaited poop.

 

“Yes!” Sehun lets out a triumphant shout, ripping out the plastic bag from his pocket and reaching down to carefully scoop up the waste as if it were gold.

 

“Now, we can go home!” Sehun says to Vivi, giving his good boy an encouraging rub. “It’s been so long… Thank you, Vivi.”

 

But it’s not until he ties the knot of the bag’s opening that he remembers that Chanyeol is still right next to him, and that this whole scene was probably incredibly weird for him to witness. Sehun’s already wincing when he slowly turns up, expecting complete humiliation, but instead feeling a harsh pain on his back as Chanyeol lets out a loud cackle.

 

Continuing to hit him softer and softer, Chanyeol doubles over as he rides out his laughter, and even Sehun can’t help but let out a confused giggle himself, even as his shoulder throbs slightly.

 

“Oh man--” Chanyeol says through his bursts. “Toben did the exact same thing to me last week!” He wipes a tear from his eye and Sehun chuckles harder, relief bubbling out of his chest. “I was a whole hour late to work!”

 

“Honestly, it’s not even unusual for Vivi to take this long--” Sehun says, and Chanyeol starts up all over again, giving Sehun’s back another beating.

 

The two of them can’t calm down for almost another minute, by which time their dogs are already back to tumbling in the leaves, pulling on each others ears and yapping loudly. For the first time since the start of their encounter, Sehun’s eyes look up to meet Chanyeol’s properly, his heart picking up as they smile at each other, and Sehun thinks he might almost be softening to the idea of actually being friendly.

 

“I guess-- you should probably get that into a trashcan, huh?” Chanyeol gestures to the bundle of plastic in Sehun’s hand, who for the first time is a little disappointed to see a conversation he’s in come to an end.

 

“Uh, yeah… I should,” he replies, beginning to pull out Vivi’s lead from his dog walking pouch. After wrangling his dog from Toben’s jaws - no point trying to call his name, he’s too spoilt to listen - Sehun clips Vivi up, giving him a final head rub before standing up, ready to leave.

 

“Well,” Sehun gulps as he begins to turn back home, still a little unsure with his words. “It was nice meeting you.”

 

“Wait--” Chanyeol stops him with an arm while the other reaches back, fiddling with his back jean pocket. “Did you maybe wanna exchange numbers? We could bring Vivi and Toben together for a playdate, or maybe we could get a coffee-- I know some good dog-friendly cafes--”

 

Chanyeol taps the screen a few times before presenting his phone, the New Contact page open, and Sehun stares down at what has been, since beginning to look after Vivi, his greatest fear, and can’t decide whether it’s less or more scary than he’d ever imagined.

 

Most of his brian is screaming “No, no, no, no, no!” but the last little fragment left - the lonely part? The hopeless romantic? - is the one that reaches for the device, replying “Sure,” whilst willing his shaky fingers to type in his number without mistakes. He passes Chanyeol’s phone back, and he doesn’t let himself notice that their hands linger in warm contact for what feels like a second too long, or that the tips of Chanyeol’s large ears that poke out of his hair are bright pink.

 

After saying their goodbyes, with a tired Vivi trodding along beside him, Sehun finally heads back home, now a little less excited about the only thing he was looking forward to all walk. With his heart pounding so hard in his chest that it might just explode, he has no idea how he’ll be able to concentrate on his work, but for the first time in possibly forever, Sehun isn’t so worried.

 

 

---

 

 

In fact, Sehun was wrong, because the second he closes the door to his apartment, ideas and inspiration suddenly rush through him, as fast as Vivi runs into the kitchen. He quickly tosses a little dry food for him before rushing to his art desk. It’s rare for Sehun to begin illustrations before any sort of outline, but the images are fresh in his mind, and if he doesn’t catch them soon, he’s scared they could fly away.

 

His lead pencil first sketches his small, fluffy Vivi, who Sehun has drawn millions of times before, rolling on the autumn ground, a few maple shapes floating above. And next he draws a slightly smaller toy poodle, his curls larger and wider, soon to be painted black once Sehun brings out his watercolours. He’s leaping in the air, about to pounce on Vivi, excited yet unsuspecting.

 

Sehun draws them over and over again, first playing in the leaves, then walking side by side, then eating from the same dinner bowl.

 

He’s not sure what the plot is yet, that can come later, but the title, simple but sweet, is stuck in his mind, almost as strong as the warmth still burning in his hand and sore shoulder.

 

Vivi and Toben.

 

 

---

 

 

a/n: thank you so much for reading my lil fic!!! i really hope you enjoyed it~
if you liked this and you like chanhun fluff, please consider reading my latest two fics!! (and if ur into chanhun the two fics before that are very ty honhonhon)

if you would like to follow me on twitter my handle is @poodleyeol ^^ you can become my friend and watch me cry about chanhun and also every so often here me rant about crazy fic ideas that i never get around to writing ^^

i usually also include some other sns but i pretty much only use twitter (unless u really wanna talk to me in which case i have LINE bahaha..)

once again thank you SO MUCH for reading this fic, i know it was short but i'm hoping it was also sweet ^^