To have been completely satisfied with life was a feeling not many can achieve. Fortunately for Baekhyun, he woke up whole, not missing a single piece of the puzzle. Life really was great the way it was.

How could he ever long for more, when his best friends in the entire world were always at his side? Chanyeol’s long body enveloped his left side completely, radiating heat like only a giant Great Dane could. Then there was his size twin Jongdae, whose small Sheltie body fitted into his like two spoons in a cutlery drawer. Huddled together, sharing warmth; it was all a dog could ask for.

Okay, maybe things were not perfect: Chanyeol drooled in his sleep, Jongdae moved every other minute – but perfection and satisfaction were two different things. In a perfect world, he, Chanyeol and Jongdae wouldn’t live in a shelter, they would have lived in their own home, ran around in a big yard and ate all the chocolate they liked. That was a vision of perfection Baekhyun knew not to reach for; he already shared a room with Chanyeol and Jongdae. And yes, the shelter’s yard was small, but they could still play frisbee in it. Maybe chocolate was the only dream he couldn’t downsize, but he preferred not dying over chocolate, anyway.

To find satisfaction in life, Baekhyun accepted the circumstances short of perfection. As long as Chanyeol and Jongdae were by his side, it was enough.

“You’re snoring, Chanyeol.” Jongdae mumbled, eyes still closed.

Chanyeol, who was on the utter left side of the bed, had his mouth spread open, a pond of drool overflowing from the corners of his mouth, while a saw-like snoring resounded from his sinuses. Truly charming. Baekhyun grinned and elbowed his fellow dog.

“Yah, Chanyeollie. Wake up.”

Chanyeol’s snoring stopped. Jongdae and Baekhyun let out a sigh of relief, but only ten seconds later it resumed, now sounding like logs were being sawn left and right. The two smaller dogs collectively groaned.

---

The general room was always rowdy. It was the place where most hybrids in the shelter ate, played and lounged around. Along the length of the room stretched two long tables, both lined with eight seats each. One side of the room was completely decorated with soft seats and sofas, complemented by velvet cushions and wooly blankets, all the softness a hybrid could ask for. The other side of the room was open space, leaving room for the hybrids to play around. Of course, it was not without a large shelving closet, its compartments filled to the brim with all types of toys.

It was close to breakfast time and that always served to bring unrest. Dogs being dogs, the prospect of food being presented to them made them bubble over in excitement, and Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae were no exception.

The three of them were seated at one end of the table, Chanyeol at the head and Baekhyun and Jongdae on either side. Jongdae was forking his still empty plate. Baekhyun couldn’t stop the jittering of his knees. Chanyeol’s taut silver tail wagged happily behind him, as it always did, but he was unfocused, head whipping towards every other sound in the room.

Next to Jongdae was a quiet black cat named Kyungsoo. He looked irritated at having to sit by the hyper dogs and flinched when Chanyeol’s knees knocked into the table, scooting it sidewards.

A chaotic storm erupted in the room when the main caretaker, a human named Jongin, walked in juggling two large platters containing a multitude of sandwiches. Jongin set a platter down on each table, before clapping his hands once. Through the yips, growls and whiny meows, Jongin made his announcement.

“Alright sweeties. Today we have ham sandwiches for the dogs and tuna sandwiches for the cats. Diet food will be here shortly.” The man smiled and gave Chanyeol a pet between his long, floppy ears, which made the Great Dane’s tail slap against his thigh relentlessly. “Now, be nice to each other. There is more than enough food.”

The completion of the announcement was the signal to attack the food, and Chanyeol was the first one to rip the foil off the platter, scarfing down a ham sandwich in record time.

“Ugh, tuna again.” Baekhyun heard Kyungsoo mutter.

Baekhyun paid the negative cat no mind as he downed the ham sandwich. He loved ham. Jongdae did too, his fellow dog seemed very pleased as he started on his second sandwich.

“Chanyeol, eat slowly. You’re going to get sick.” Jongin gently scolded the large dog, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Chanyeol paused to look up at the keeper, mouth still half open in a display of his third, mildly ravaged ham sandwich.

Jongin laughed. “Don’t look at me like that, you little rascal.”

Chanyeol’s tail wagged again and he began chewing again, this time slower.

“Can I have the special diet food?” Kyungsoo piped up, having not touched a single sandwich.

Jongin put his hands on his hips. “That is only for our hybrids with special needs, Kyungsoo. You know that.”

“But I don’t want to eat tuna again.”

“I’ll eat your sandwich if you don’t want it.” Chanyeol proposed, mouth empty by now.

“No, no way, Chanyeol. Just ham for you. Do we really have to recall what happened the last time you ate fish?” There was a lot of dog puke. Baekhyun scrunched up his nose at the memory. Jongin sighed. “Just one sandwich, Kyungsoo. You have to eat. I’ll see if we can get something else tomorrow, okay?”

Kyungsoo grumbled something under his breath before reaching out to the platter in disdain.

Breakfast was always over sooner rather than later, and while most hybrids in the room made their exit, either back to their own rooms or out to the lounging area, Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae stayed, relishing in a post-breakfast dip.

Jongin cleared out the plates before he joined the three dogs, taking Kyungsoo’s empty seat. He scratched Jongdae behind his ear, and the dog leaned into his touch.

“Have a good meal?” Jongin asked Baekhyun, his smile soft and gentle.

“Yes,” Baekhyun answered timidly, ears immediately flattening on his head. He scooted his chair closer to Chanyeol, who immediately dropped his head on his shoulder. Jongin had only been here half a year, and Baekhyun really didn’t trust him that much yet, but since a couple of weeks ago, he did feel comfortable enough to at least talk to him.

“That’s good.” Jongin let his eyes float to Chanyeol as he continued to scribble Jongdae behind his ears. “I guess I won’t have to ask Chanyeollie if he liked the food.”

The large dog grinned, and his tail began wagging a little bit.

“So what is your little pack doing after this, hmm? Playing in the yard?”

Chanyeol perked up. “Oh, I want to play in the yard!”

“Nooo,” Jongdae expressed, his eyes still closed at Jongin’s incessant petting. “It’s raining. I don’t want to get my fur wet.”

It was understandable, Jongdae was a Sheltie; a miniature collie, and he was the only one between the three of them who had longer fur on his ears and tail. It was graceful, but a pain to manage when wet.

Chanyeol pouted. “But I like the rain.” He looked over to Baekhyun with his large eyes, pleading.

“I don’t feel like getting my coat wet either,” Baekhyun confessed. His fur length was right in between Jongdae’s long hairs and Chanyeol’s flat coat, his Welsh Corgi genes blessing him with just the right amount of coverage.

Chanyeol slouched, immensely disappointed.

“Don’t worry, Chanyeol. You can come with me. We have an appointment, remember?”

Chanyeol blinked. “We do?”

“Yes, I told you last time. We’re meeting my friend.” Jongin gently reminded him, getting up from his seat.

“Oh, I forgot.” Chanyeol grinned sheepishly.

Jongin petted him between the ears. “It’s okay. Come, let’s go.”

As Chanyeol and Jongin exited the room together, Baekhyun shot his fellow dog a concerned look. Jongdae quirked an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat.

“What?”

“Where do you think Chanyeol went?”

Jongdae shrugged. “Don’t know. Wanna play tug-of-war?”

Baekhyun dug his teeth into his bottom lip. “What if he’s going to… to the vet?”

“He’ll survive,” Jongdae commented dryly. “Now come on, let’s play tug-of-war.”

“No wait, what if he’s scared? Jongin tricked him into it!”

“Aish, you worrywart. Chanyeol isn’t going to die. He probably knew about the appointment, just forgot the date, like he always does.” Jongdae shook his head. “Let’s go.”

Baekhyun trailed behind his fellow dog as they were on their way to retrieve a toy rope, but he was dismayed, couldn’t shake his worries for Chanyeol.

---

Baekhyun counted the minutes until the Great Dane’s return. He really didn’t like it when the three of them were halved, separated or otherwise scattered. Every time Jongdae or Chanyeol went in for a vet check-up, he was worried sick, and when it was his turn, he forced either of them to come with. Being alone in a room with a human was far from his favorite activity and being with both Jongdae and Chanyeol felt safe.

Jongdae and Baekhyun were lounging in their shared room when Chanyeol burst through the room, his tail like a whip. His face was stretched in utter glee and he lunged to the bed, tackling his two best friends to the mattress.

“Baekhyunnie! Jongdae-yah!” He called happily.

“Hi Chanyeol!” Baekhyun greeted back, melting into Chanyeol’s embrace as his bushy tail wagged.

“Augh, my stomach! Chanyeol, watch the elbows!” Jongdae protested, but his swishing black-and-brown tail gave away that he, too, was delighted to see Chanyeol.

“Sorry.” Chanyeol grinned, leaning more towards Baekhyun. “You guys, I have to tell you something. I just met the coolest human ever!”

Baekhyun frowned. The vet wouldn’t be cool. “You weren’t at the vet?”

Chanyeol blinked at him. “Huh? No. Not at all! I met a man named Junmyeon. He’s Jongin’s friend. He is so cool!”

“Oh? Why did you meet him?” Jongdae asked curiously.

“Well… Jongin said not to get too excited, but maybe, he’s interested in adopting me!” Chanyeol explained, eyes sparkling.

Baekhyun felt as if he was doused with ice cold water. His body stiffened under Chanyeol’s warm embrace, and he desperately searched for Jongdae’s eyes, hoping he would share the same sentiment. Jongdae, however, grinned wide.

“That’s great! I always thought you would be the first of us to get adopted. Humans just love you.”

Chanyeol smiled bashfully. “It’s too soon to say, though. Jongin said the whole adoption process is pretty long and this was the first time we met each other.”

“And how was it?” Jongdae asked, clearly happy for his friend.

“It was awesome!” Chanyeol exclaimed. “We went for a little walk in the park, then we went to a café and I had a special dog cappuccino! Jongin was there too, he had a flat white, whatever that means. He didn’t let me taste it but it’s okay, we had a good time anyway. I told Junmyeon about you and he said he would like to meet you guys!”

“I’m sure we’ll get to meet him.” Jongdae nodded, ears perked up.

Baekhyun pursed his lips. He didn’t want to meet this Junmyeon guy. He never wanted to meet him, he hoped he would never show his face here again and that Chanyeol wouldn’t leave him, but seeing his friends’ elated expressions, he couldn’t express it.

“Baek, you’re kinda quiet.” Chanyeol pointed out, his smile a little nervous.

“Oh, um, yes. I’m happy for you, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun lied through his teeth.

Chanyeol, being the excitable pup that he was, immediately perked up, tail whipping against the bed. Baekhyun found the means to smile, reassuringly, but his feigning didn’t go unnoticed by Jongdae, who gave him a pointed look when Chanyeol was distracted by a moth on the ceiling lamp.

---

Baekhyun hoped it was all a bad dream. He pretended Chanyeol never met Junmyeon. It was easy, because Chanyeol’s attention span was peculiar, and he jumped from one interesting thing to the other, forgetting everything in between. However, anxiety settled itself in Baekhyun like a seed in the soil, always present, waiting for the right conditions to peek its bud above the ground and let its leaves grow.

That optimal condition came a week later, when Jongin once again took Chanyeol away after breakfast. Chanyeol stumbled over his legs in excitement at the mere mention of Junmyeon, nearly foaming at the mouth, and his tail was spinning like a helicopter behind him as he followed Jongin out.

Baekhyun’s appetite vanished, and he dropped his half-eaten ham sandwich on his plate.

“You’re not going to eat that?” Kyungsoo asked beside him. His tuna sandwich was untouched.

“Are cats even allowed to eat ham?” Jongdae challenged, eyebrow raised.

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Better than tuna.”

“You can have it,” Baekhyun muttered, sliding his plate over.

Kyungsoo snatched the sandwich off and abruptly fled the table, not wanting to be seen with an illegal food item.

Across from him, Jongdae sighed, crossed his arms and gave Baekhyun an insistent look.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

Jongdae was unimpressed with Baekhyun’s answer.  “It’s about Chanyeol, isn’t it?”

Baekhyun kept mum, knowing he couldn’t deny it.

“I know he can’t tell because he’s… well, Chanyeol. But you’re not doing a very great job of convincing me.” Jongdae shot him a sympathetic look. “Just try to be happy for him. It was going to happen eventually.”

“But I don’t want him to leave,” Baekhyun admitted in a low voice, sadness swirling in his chest.

“I know, but try to think of it as a good thing. This Junmyeon guy seems really nice and who knows, maybe you’ll change your mind once you meet him.”

“I doubt it,” Baekhyun muttered, still avoiding Jongdae’s sharp eyes.

“Ah, come on, Baek. You know more than anyone how great Chanyeol is. He’s great with everyone. Dogs, humans, cats— well, maybe cats not so much, but I digress. He’s just… great! It was only a matter of time before he got adopted.”

“Of course I want Chanyeol to be happy, but what about us?” What about me, he wanted to say. He couldn’t bear the thought of not having Chanyeol around.

Jongdae shrugged. “We’ll stay here. You’ll probably get adopted too, in time.”

“I don’t want to get adopted. I want the three of us to stay together.” Baekhyun said firmly, finally connecting his gaze with Jongdae. Jongdae faltered for a moment, letting Baekhyun’s emotion get through to him. His eyes softened.

“I’m not a big fan of the whole adoption thing either, but Chanyeol is a different type of dog. If he gets an owner that loves him as much as we do, takes him on long walks, spoils him, who are we to refuse? It would be cruel to keep him here if he has a better opportunity in life.”

“I know, I know. But I still don’t like it.” Baekhyun folded his arms around himself protectively.

“Well, don’t mope too much. You look like a cat.” Jongdae nodded. “Now speaking of cats, let’s go find Kyungsoo before the ham kills him.”

---

“Junmyeon is so awesome, Baekhyunnie! I can’t wait for you to meet him.” Chanyeol told him, jumping on his feet as he had just returned from another meeting with said human. “We went to walk in the park again and he gave me a toy! It’s a tough rubber ball. Indestructible, he said. Then Jongin told me I can go to Junmyeon’s house next time! He has a huuuge yard. Bigger than this one!”

Baekhyun smiled at the Great Dane’s word vomit, but there was an undeniable pinch of sourness in his chest. “I’m glad you had a good time,” he said.

The two of them sat on the edge of the small porch by the shelter’s yard. Jongdae was at the groomers, his coat needed clipping.

“I really did!” Chanyeol exhaled happily, leaning back to stretch his arms. “You wanna play with the ball?”

“Sure,” Baekhyun agreed, and the two of them headed to the grass.

Chanyeol lunged the ball to the other end of the field, and turned to Baekhyun to exclaim: “Fetch!”

“Yah, not funny!” Baekhyun shot back, but then he ran across the field to get the ball anyway.

The two of them threw the ball around for a little while, until Chanyeol proposed a game of soccer, and soon enough they were scuffling around the yard to kick the ball into the imaginary goal; an appointed piece of fence at the back of the yard.

At a certain point, Chanyeol used his long limbs to swerve the ball from Baekhyun’s feet, and with some impressive footwork, he shot it right in the goal.

“YES!” He exclaimed, jumping in the air before he wolf-howled jokingly. Then he ran a circle around the field while Baekhyun stood there, defeated. When Chanyeol circled back, he stumbled towards Baekhyun, and tackled the little Corgi to the ground.

The two of them tumbled through the grass, mud staining their clothes brown. Chanyeol laughed, both in genuine happiness and triumph, and Baekhyun couldn’t help a smile back. They came to a stop, and Baekhyun felt his breath catch as Chanyeol’s face was centimeters from his. The Great Dane smirked at him.

He poked Baekhyun on the nose. “I win,” he teased.

Baekhyun’s cheeks flared up in a blush, and his heart did a little pitter-patter. Feeling slightly shy, Baekhyun admitted: “Yes, you win. Congratulations.”

Chanyeol grinned, the smile reaching to every corner of his face, and he jumped up, limbs flailing in the air.

“Let it be known that I, Chanyeol, beat Baekhyun at soccer in this beautiful yard on this beautiful day! All the odds were stacked against me, but I came out victorious! I am the winner!” He announced, his arms spread out to the sky.

Baekhyun laughed at the Great Dane’s antics, and he continued to watch in amusement as Chanyeol circled the yard three more times, wolf-howling all the way.

It was at that moment Baekhyun saw truth in Jongdae’s words. Chanyeol was the most amazing dog he had ever known, and it would be cruel to keep him confined in the walls of this shelter. He was meant to shine. But even if Baekhyun knew it, his heart was longing to keep Chanyeol by his side, because truthfully, Baekhyun shone too when Chanyeol was around; life was light-hearted, like Chanyeol’s laughter. His past weighed nothing when Chanyeol smiled. He could never feel alone with Chanyeol next to him.

In all honesty, Baekhyun was not a fan of humans because of his past experiences. For a long time, it clouded him, depressed him, especially when he first came to the shelter. Then came Chanyeol and Jongdae, only a week apart, and Baekhyun’s spirit returned.

They formed an unofficial pack right away, where the three of them balanced each other like weights on a scale. Baekhyun was reserved, but Jongdae’s quippy nature and Chanyeol’s literal sun of a personality melted him in no time. Jongdae was very independent, but he too, melted, and let some of his burdens be shared by the safety of Baekhyun’s gentle nature and Chanyeol’s, once again, literal sun of a personality. Chanyeol was the only one who came in without any hesitation, shining like the comet in the night sky, being his unashamed, happy self, and he pulled Baekhyun and Jongdae in like gravity.

Baekhyun watched Chanyeol run towards him, his silver ears flopping around his mussed-up hair, brown eyes pure with joy, and felt his throat tighten.

It was bittersweet, he could never deny Chanyeol happiness when the latter only ever vowed for his.

---

Baekhyun got to meet Junmyeon sooner than he anticipated. Jongin allowed him to enter the common room to retrieve Chanyeol before they would go to his house.

As soon as Junmyeon entered, Chanyeol fell over his own feet, scrambling to greet the human. Junmyeon laughed as Chanyeol jumped at him with a whipping tail, and welcomed him into his arms. Chanyeol had that effect on people.

Baekhyun observed the human with an unaltered gaze. He was about as tall as himself, dressed in a soft beige sweater and a brown overcoat, his legs clad in dark jeans, and neat, pressed shoes. His chestnut hair was parted on one side, but Chanyeol already distressed the haircut when he flew onto the man.

“You have to meet my friends!” Chanyeol exclaimed, grabbing the man’s hand and pulling him over to the table before anyone could even protest.

“Try not to bite his head off,” Jongdae muttered to Baekhyun with a grin as Chanyeol and Junmyeon arrived at the table.

“Hello, I’m Junmyeon.” He carefully shook Jongdae’s hand, and smiled kindly.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Jongdae.”

“You’re very cute,” Junmyeon commented, which made the Sheltie’s tail wag happily.

“Okay, you may pet me.” Jongdae grinned at the human, and Junmyeon reached out to ruffle between his ears. Chanyeol, behind Junmyeon, beamed widely.

“My friends are the most important in the world to me!” He said, nodding firmly.

“So you’ve told me,” Junmyeon said with a laugh. Then he turned to Baekhyun with an expectant look. “You must be Baekhyun.”

“Yes,” Baekhyun muttered, bowing his head low.

Junmyeon stuck out his hand, and Baekhyun shook it stiffly. “You’re also very cute. I’m glad Chanyeol has such good friends.”

And you’re about to ruin that, Baekhyun thought, but he didn’t say anything.

“Don’t mind Baekhyunnie, he’s shy with strangers, but once you get to know him, you’ll love him!” Chanyeol expressed to Junmyeon.

“Ah, I’m sure. Now if you don’t mind, I’m stealing Chanyeol away for the day.”

“The entire day?” Baekhyun asked before he could stop himself, concern furrowing his brow.

“Yes. But don’t worry, Baekhyunnie, I’ll be back before you know it!” Chanyeol grinned at him, before he ruffled Baekhyun’s hair, and then followed Junmyeon out the door.

Jongin came to stand by Jongdae and Baekhyun, and sent Baekhyun a pitiful smile. He reached out, but paused halfway, knowing a physical attempt at comfort wouldn’t be welcomed by the Corgi.

“I know you’re attached to Chanyeol, but you’ll have to get used to him being away. Want to help me start lunch to get your mind off it?”

Baekhyun frowned. He didn’t appreciate Jongin’s words at all, no matter how kindly intended. He got off his seat and stormed off to the pack’s room, ignoring the caretaker’s e