It’s been a rough day.

A coworker went home sick, and Chanyeol had to cover their shift. It’s been twelve hours, and he’s ready to sleep for twelve years. The commute home is usually his time to unwind and return to his normal self, his usual equilibrium, but it’s crowded and noisy and bumpy and everything the exact opposite of relaxing.

He is going to murder the next man to say anything to him. If this cab driver so much as asks how her day was—

If the old security guard tries to goad him to smile more, because he’s more handsome, then—

If the guy in the elevator so much as breathes in his direction—

The bell dings.

Mankind survives.

He gets to his apartment and dumps everything at the door. Shedding clothing on the way to his bedroom, he rummages for his biggest, softest sweatshirt and pants and throws himself onto the sofa.

As expected, his dog comes out once Chanyeol’s down and does his best to clambour onto the sofa and wriggle between it and his boy. “Hey, handsome…” Corgis are not small, they’re just short, so he’s a bit too big to fit, but Chanyeol rolls onto his side and tucks and arm over the dog’s shoulders.

Chanyeol adores this Corgi. Baekhyun—he came with that name; it would never be Chanyeol’s first choice—is just the best boy and very sweet and patient and fun and fluffy and cute, with his little muzzle freckle and freckled toe beans.

And he doesn’t care when Chanyeol comes home after work nearly asleep on his feet and collapses against him on his oversized dog bed.

“You’re smelling a little musty, my dude,” he mumbles into his thick ruff. “It may be time for a bath.” Baekhyun’s wiggles. He loves water. There have been times where Chanyeol’s ran a bath for himself and had to share.

“You’re the only valid man, Baek.” He kisses the soft muzzle. “Everyone else is trash.”

Chanyeol buries his face between his arm and Baekhyun’s fur. The dog snuffles and sniffs his hair until he’s satisfied—if Chanyeol was crying, he’d just have to his face until he laughed—then lays his chin on his boy’s head with a heavy sigh.

Baekhyun is in love with his best friend. If that’s not sad enough, add to it the fact they live together, see each other every day, and that Baekhyun is privy to all of Chanyeol’s little habits and behaviors that make him so loveable.

However, Chanyeol is dense as cement.

Actually, no, dense as osmium, the densest material in the known universe. Thank you, nerdy science channel Chanyeol leaves on for Baekhyun when he’s at work.

He’s tried to confess his feelings numerous times, all the time, constantly, even—he kisses Chanyeol whenever he can, cuddles him all the time, sleeps with him, waits for him at teh door when he comes home, eats with him, goes on walks with him…

But Chanyeol is someone who needs words. Verbal affirmation.

That’s difficult for Baekhyun, who spends most of his life on four legs. He can bark and growl and howl himself hoarse, but Chanyeol just doesn’t get it.

What they have here is not a failure to communicate but rather failure to understand.

Even his friends have kind of picked up on Baekhyun’s situation. One day, Chanyeol’s buddy Kyungsoo is over, and he’s a good guy. He’s a great guy; he cooks amazingly, sings like a bird, has a really nice …

Baekhyun notices all of this. It’s a wonder the man’s still single, but he does have a habit of glaring—squinting, really; he forgets his glasses, sometimes—or getting startled to the point of staring stupidly. Those big, round eyes should be able to capture someone’s attention, but he never mentions anyone special or interesting and just talks about his cat.

But the three of them are watching a movie one night. Chanyeol is on the chaise end of teh sofa, Kyungsoo is on the opposite end, and Baekhyun is in the middle, begging for popcorn that Chanyeol won’t let him have because of the added butter and salt that actually makes it taste worthwhile.

During a lull in the action, Kyungsoo looks over, breathes a laugh, and says, “Dude, you ever think your dog’s actually a person?”

Chanyeol turns his head but doesn’t remove his eyes from the television. “Huh?”

“Look at how he’s sitting! He’s got a little gut.”

That’s a little hurtful. Baekhyun’s more muscle than fat, but there is a roll to his belly with how he’s sitting: back against the sofa, hind legs stretched out, forelegs resting on that belly roll.

He’s quite comfy.

Finally looking away, Chanyeol laughs at him, partly chewed popcorn falling down his shirt. Baekhyun slides sideways to reach the closest ones.

He calls Baekhyun cute, rubs his ears, and that’s it.

So close.

The time he could say something is when Chanyeol is at work, because he can only shift at night and only for as long as there’s moonlight. Them’s the werewolf rules. Weredog...werewolf...dog...rules…

Whatever. It’s bull, is what it really is, and it’s frustrating, to say the least. He’s tried to work out his feelings by humping his bed, but that didn’t help any, and ripping it open to throw the stuffing all over in his hormonal haze only sets a block of ice in his gut, because Chanyeol is not going to be happy when he gets home to this mess…

It’s not like he can clean it up, because how would he explain the obvious lack of his expensive and honestly very comfortable cushion? He could order one online, but Chanyeol would notice his card being used and freak out that it had been stolen.

What’s a smitten Corgi to do?

Amazing.

Two days in the same week. At least the perk in having an emotional breakdown is he gets to go home early. A nice long cuddle with his dog is just what he needs.

But his apartment is silent. Baekhyun reliably greets him; he’s a smart dog. Dogs can tell time by smell.

Rather than the tippy-tap of nails, he hears...tippy-tapping like a game controller.

The dog bed—advertised as chew-resistant—is obliterated. His living room is like a snowscape. Among it, nestled quite comfortably on the sofa cushions and in a blanket with Chanyeol’s headphones, is a boy he’s never seen before and has no memory allowing inside his home.

He trips over a braided rope toy but doesn’t fall, and the stranger finally notices him from the vibrations of his baby elephant steps. Rolling over, he sits up on his knees, eyes wide and face flushed. He yanks the headphones down around his neck and seems to wither. “Chanyeol...”

Chanyeol shrugs lazily. it. everything. Nothing is permanent. Whatever happens, happens.

“You know what? I am too ing tired to even care. You wanna steal something? Be my guest. Just don’t break anything, and don’t hurt me or my dog.”

“I’m not going to steal anything…” He sounds almost sulky. “And you yell at me for even picking up your shoe; your idea of breaking things is intense.” Looking around at the puffs of white, he hunches his shoulders more, the picture of sorryness and shame. “Sorry about the bed…”

“Who are you?”

He looks away, biting at a finger. “...Baekhyun.” His hair is a familiar tawny brown, but it’s the eyes—those warm brown eyes with the mischievous light are definitely Baekhyun’s. So’s the little freckle by his upper lip.

Ah. A shifter. That explains a lot. They’re indecipherable from the natural animal-animal when seen side-by-side. It’s the behavior that sets them apart.

Baekhyun shuffles a little closer, still on his knees. “You have a bad day? Wanna talk about it?”

Apprehensive at first, Chanyeol decides  it. He’s lived with this guy—albeit assuming he’s a dog and incapable of human understanding of things like personal boundaries, , and sleeping together—for weeks, now. He’s moody from work and looking for a little sympathy. He’ll take what he can get.

He drops to the upended sofa cushions, and Baekhyun scoots between his knees without reservation and takes his usual recumbent spot against Chanyeol’s front.

It’s kind of weird. They don’t fit together as easily.

But it’s still nice.

Chanyeol’s always been a touchy, tactile person. He does everything with his hands, from eating to drumming beats to talking. When laughing, he whacks the nearest person. When sad, he’ll want to hold someone’s hand.

Baekhyun’s stiffness is gone, and he starts a new race on the handheld console. “Was your boss an again?”

There’s a horrible, embarrassing montage of everything he’s complained about, animals he’s gushed over, and clients he’s cursed.

But Baekhyun expressed neither a stance nor opinion then and doesn’t now. He’s still in his role of comforting companion.

Breathing deep, Chanyeol pulls his legs up to rest his arms on his knees. Baekhyun doesn’t move, so he supposes it’s okay. “Surprisingly no, but I’m sure it’s a matter of time. A client brought their cat in, because they were lethargic, not eating, expressed pain when touched, and peed blood.”

“Nothing good. Sounds like a UTI or stone.” Living with a veterinary technician, Baekhyun’s picked up a few things. Other things are just plain logic.

“I thought the same, but I’m not a vet. The doc listened to the lungs for, like, five seconds, and said they’re fine, even though the owner said it sounded like fluid. And you’d think an animal can’t pee for a while, you’d cath them to relieve the bladder, right? Apparently not! The doc gave her fluids!”

Baekhyun frowns at Chanyeol’s irate reflection. “Why would you give fluids to someone blocked?”

“No ing clue.” He drops his head to Baekhyun’s shoulder. “She prescribed painkillers and sent the cat home, saying if it gets worse to come back for surgery, which costs millions. Not eight hours later, she gets a call that the cat’s dead. Probably a ruptured bladder.” He breathes out a shuddering sigh and is silent for a few moments.

“I’m just pissed. The doc pretty much killed that cat, and for what? So she wouldn’t have to do her ing job?” It was only a kitten, a baby.

“Is this the one you don’t like?” Two of the three veterinarians are thrilled with just about every animal they meet—Baekhyun’s favorite is the youngest one; she’s cute and kind and the only one Baekhyun trusts with a thermometer—but one of them is very reserved with a stoic bedside manner and lint roller in their pocket to pick off any rogue strand of fur. Baekhyun isn’t sure why she became a vet, if she didn’t like animals.

“Yes.”

The game chirps a victory song through the headphones. Baekhyun feels the shoulder of his shirt is damp and starts a new level. “...I’m sorry.”

This is pretty far from how Baekhyun imagined revealing his human self to his best friend and love of his life, but it’s not bad, all things considered. Cautiously, he rolls his head to his shoulder and nuzzles Chanyeol. As a dog, he could climb into his arms and his salty face and it’d be like magic. Everything would be better.

He doesn’t know if he has magic like that when like this.

One game over and three levels later, Chanyeol is heavy against his back. “You’ve actually got a good gig going,” he mumbles sleepily.

“What?”

“Playing house pet. You’re totally cared for without paying anything.” He yawns. “Not money, anyway. Living here, you put up with my , which is price enough to pay.”

“You’re not so bad.”

“Gee, thanks.” Chanyeol turns his head to the other side with a sigh. “How does this work, anyway? How did you hide for so long?”

“It’s not so much I was hiding but rather you didn’t notice.” Or maybe he is really great at urban camouflage. He’s hidden on Chanyeol’s bed before, napping among his plush collection, and the poor guy went nuts tearing apart the apartment trying to find him.

“Pretty sure I’d see a handsome man in my apartment.”

Baekhyun shrugs. “You work nights, when I shift. When you were off...I dunno. I wasn’t under the table or anything.”

“So you just…change? Poof,  of midnight?”

Baekhyun frowns, eyes rolling back to the ceiling. “There’s no real set time? Depends on the moon, more than anything. If I concentrate, I can shift sooner or later, but it’s only at night. Were-rules or something.”

“Huh.”

He’s rehearsed an introduction so Chanyeol knows he’s who he says he is, but all of the speeches and grand confessions of his undying love never sound right. Words just don’t express his feelings well.

Better to start small, he supposes.

Pulling the headphones from his neck, he shifts a bit until he can look at his boy. “Can I still stay here?”

Chanyeol smiles, honesty evident without wakefulness to tone it down to something polite. “You’re my very best friend, and I always said I love you regardless of anything you did. I guess being able to turn human falls under that.” He yawns and rubs his nose. “Might have to do something about sleeping arrangements—you’ve destroyed your bed again, for some reason.”

“Can’t I sleep in your room?”

When he’s embarrassed, Chanyeol will cover his mouth with his hand. If it’s to hide his blush, it doesn’t work; his ears give it away. “I mean—Yeah, I guess. Not like we’ve not shared a bed before.”

Baekhyun takes a chance and leans in, softly kissing Chanyeol’s cheek and fingertips. I love you so much.

It’s a rare opportunity, meeting Chanyeol with the moon. He’d like to say the things he’s thought about for so long, but this is enough, now. This is something life-changing for Chanyeol, and Baekhyun doesn’t want to overwhelm him.

He is looking forward to being able to smother him with kisses, however.

It’s definitely life-changing, learning his dog is actually a shifter and only a dog during the day. Now, Chanyeol can’t look at anyone the same.

He’s visiting Kyungsoo with Baekhyun—the Corgi—for the first time, and Kai the cat pauses his nap to grace them with his presence and find a more public napping place.

“Chanyeol...are you alright?” Kyungsoo probably thinks he’s nuts, staring at the cat like he’s going to sprout a bouquet from his or something. Or turn human on the coffee table.

“Huh? Yeah! Why?”

“You’re staring at my cat. Like, really intently.”

“Oh, yeah...he’s just really pretty?” The cat lifts his head, not bothering to fully wake up to wash his whiskers. Baekhyun nudges his side, and the cat rolls over, exposing a soft belly. “Baekhyun,” Chanyeol hisses, absolutely mortified.

“It’s fine. Kai doesn’t mind.” Apparently not, as it just lies there while Baekhyun thoroughly sniffs him.

Thoroughly.

Chanyeol hopes his ears are just hot and not blushing horrendously. It was easier when Baekhyun was just a dog, a best friend, and cuddle companion.

His boyfriend really needs a leash.

a/n: Written for izy_angelic as part of the EXZoo exchange. (prompt Shapeshifter dog A had been there always. Waiting for the Human B to notice that he is a human by night. Meanwhile Human B been complaining about his days and whining to A. When A shifts from dog to human one day, B could careless because he had bad day and need some warm comfort. )

This could be a fun AU to put more work into. There's a lot they could do, because while Baekhyun has intimate (very intimate) knowledge of Chanyeol, Chanyeol really just knows the dog, not the person. It might be nice to make it a bit more romantic, too...or find an explanation as to how and why Chanyeol got a dog-shifter instead of a dog-dog.

I hope the perspective changes were obvious. There was no other way I could make this story really work without using both, because both their perspectives are important, I think.

Working with dogs, I'm always so grateful they're just dog. "Imagine people doing that," we'll say, as a little Eskimo doggedly follows a massive Goldendoodle with his nose stuffed under her tail. Disgusting.