Pairing: D.O./Kai

Genre: Romance, Fluff

Rating: PG-13

Length: 1800+ words.

Summary: Jongin takes his dogs for a walk, and meets a thoughtful boy.

Winter

It was after all the leaves had fallen, and the snow began to sprinkle the streets, that Kim Jongin would experience a blessing. He was on his way to the park, walking one of his dogs, a toy poodle, Monggu. In the past, Jongin had tried to walk both of his dogs at the same time, but they had a way of causing lots of mischief when they were together. Their leashes would cross and tangle, and Jongin would yell in frustration, the quiet streets of Icheon suddenly in a panic; He was once smacked with a rolled up newspaper by an older woman for being so loud. Since then he had decided to walk them separately.

He had just passed the hospital, bumping into an older man who was blubbering into his hands. Jongin apologized but the other continued to walk past him, sobbing. He swore he heard him say something like “Minseok,” but maybe he had said “mianhe.” He frowned, Monggu whimpering, as she was eager to continue walking. He obeyed the cinnamon-colored pooch at his feet and sauntered towards their ultimate destination: The dog park.

This park was somewhat notorious for other dog-owners to meet each other, or for their dogs to meet other dogs, essentially. Jongin planned to run around with Monggu and wear her out, take her back home to their cozy apartment, and do the same with his younger dog, Jjanggu. There was a DANA Mini-mart close to this park, and Jongin figured he could pick up a few groceries on his final way back.

When reaching the park, he was surprised to see that it was almost completely barren. There was someone on the bench, and an older woman training with her Collie. He should have known it would be like this, since it was snowing after all; Jongin and Monggu both seemed to be shivering.

“Alright, we’ll make this quick.” Monggu looked up at the bottle-dyed brunette when hearing his voice, her tail starting to wag. Jongin began to jog around the park, huffing into his scarf. Monggu ran at his side, almost smiling. They ran for a total of two laps, Jongin seeming to be more worn out than his pup. He took a seat on the bench next to the one that was already being used. He caught eyes with a boy that seemed to be around his age, bowing his head slightly to greet him politely. The other had a blank expression, and did not return his gesture. Jongin looked away, the silence between them being sort of awkward to him.

“Are you excited to go home and nap and eat? Yeah? Well you’ll get to, but I have to take your stupid brother for a walk too.”

The boy on the other bench patted the head of his golden Labrador Retriever, giggling under his breath. He noted his affectionate nature with his dog, wishing he could have the same sort of relationship with his own.

Jongin had already gotten up from the bench starting for home. When he walked through the door, Jjanggu was whimpering and barking to greet him, and Jongin got on his knees to scratch under his ears and chin.

“It’s your turn now, Jjanggu! I know you missed us for the whole hour we were gone, I know! It’s okay, boy, calm down.”

He took the leash from Monggu and clipped it to Jjanggu’s collar, Monggu ambling away to find her doggie bed. She curled up there and looked at the two as they were about to leave. Jongin was tempted to lay down and sleep, as this was his only day off from work, but he knew Jjanggu would be upset with him if he didn’t walk him immediately. He sighed as he left his apartment, Jjanggu excited to venture outside. As they exited the complex, Jjanggu promptly began shivering and whimpered once.

“Come on you baby, you were just begging me to leave!”

Jjanggu looked up at him with glistening eyes and his own signature doggie pout. A smile crept to Jongin’s lips, unable to handle his cuteness.

“Alright, alright.”

Jongin began to jog, Jjanggu having a tougher time keeping up compared to Monggu. Jjanggu was still technically a puppy, but he was past his peeing-everywhere-and-tearing-up-all-of-the-furniture stage. They made it to the park fairly quick, and the woman and her Collie were done training and gone. The small-seeming boy, with a fairly mature face, however, was still sitting on the bench.

Jjanggu barked at him, and Jongin knew he wanted to be released to run around. He was skeptical, as there was an open portion of fence in the park, but ultimately knew he wouldn’t run away. He unclipped him from his leash and Jjanggu ran up to a nearby tree and began furiously urinating on it. Jongin shook his head, embarrassed of his ‘son’ as he sat down at the bench that he had before, breathing hard. He was completely tuckered out.

“You’re back,” A smooth voice spoke in his direction, and Jongin turned his gaze to make eye-contact with the other again. Something felt different this time, however.

“Haha, yeah. Had to get a walk in for both of the pups.” Jongin looked down at his lap and rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them up.

“Ah, so you have more than one?”

“Yep! They take a lot outta’ya. What’s their name?”

A long pause.

“Oh, her name is Seobi.”

“That’s an interesting name! She looks very well-mannered, is she a show dog?”

The smaller boy giggled and reached out to her, having to pat the air a few times to find her head. Almost mumbling, he replied.

“She’s my guide dog.”

Jongin’s eyes widened slightly, and he looked back to see Jjanggu rolling around in the snow.

“Ah, man! I’m sorry, please excuse me for a minute!!”

Jongin ran towards his small dog, yelling that he was very naughty and he would be punished with a bath. The smaller boy on the bench smiled and stood, brushing his knees. As Jongin walked back, puppy in his arms, his head cocked to the side.

“Is everything alright?”

Another pause. It seemed he thought thoroughly before replying.

“Ah, yes! It’s just that... My mother was supposed to pick Seobi and I up from here a while ago. It seems she might be caught up with work or something.”

“Do you live around here? I could-”

“No, it’s fine! We’re okay.”

“Well, alright... Um... I didn’t catch your name.”

“Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo.”

“Kim Jongin. It’s nice to meet you.”

Pause.

“Yeah.”

After that, Jongin and Kyungsoo met a few times at that very same park serendipitously. Throughout the winter they exchanged thoughts and their current obsessions and music tastes. They had become somewhat close and considered eachother to be friends. Monggu and Jjanggu made friends with Seobi, and they played together in the park on more than one occasion.

Weeks later, Kyungsoo had gotten a call from Jongin asking if he’d like to hang out. Seobi was at a resort with Kyungsoo’s mother, so he wasn’t confident in finding the way to Jongin’s place alone. He told him that he’d meet him at the park, and he’d walk with him from there.

Jongin got there early, and heard tapping in the distance. He looked over his shoulder to see Kyungsoo in a big puffy jacket, and for the first time, with a walking stick. He got up from his usual spot on the bench and walked over to him.

“Hey!”

“Oh, hi! You startled me a little.”

“Sorry about that. Your nose is all red.”

He swallowed, retracting his walking stick and putting it carefully into his pocket. He sniffed.

“Cold.”

“You can say that again.”

Kyungsoo reached for Jongin’s arm and pulled him to his right, wrapping his hands around his bicep. He smiled, waiting for Jongin to begin walking, and he did just that.

When they got to Jongin’s place, he led him to the couch and invited him to sit. Kyungsoo had peeled his coat off, and underneath he wore a fitted tee. He said he’d be making cocoa in the kitchen, and Kyungsoo asked if he could join him. They both walked to the kitchen, Monggu and Jjanggu pawing at their ankles and barking excitedly at their arrival. Kyungsoo stood close while Jongin prepared his premade cocoa packets, and Kyungsoo seemed to enjoy the smell as they mixed with hot water.

“Do you want marshmallows?”

“Yes, please.”

Kyungsoo had a pleased neutral expression, and it was really nice and cute to Jongin. Their instant cocoa was done, and Jongin reached to grab Kyungsoo’s wrist and wrap his fingers around the mug.

“Be careful, it’s a little hot.”

Kyungsoo nodded and waited to drink until he thought it was safe enough. They migrated to the couch, where Monggu and Jjanggu slept at their feet as they conversed. Their knees touched, and their conversation began to get somewhat intimate, talking about their high school experience and girls.

“I’ve never dated anyone.”

“Really? You’re a catch.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, totally. Hasn’t anyone told you that?”

“My mom. And my best friend, but they’re supposed to say that, arent they?” He paused before speaking once again. “So what about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you handsome or what?”

“It would be vain of me to admit it.”

“So you are handsome.”

“I don’t know!" He crossed his arms.
"You're confusing me.”

“Jongin-ah,”

“Hm?”

“What’s... Well, what’s kissing like?”

“Hmmm... It’s hard to describe.”

Kyungsoo nodded. A lot of things seemed hard to describe when it came down to it. If Kyungsoo wanted to be honest with himself, it would be hard to say that he didn’t like Jongin. He’d never been interested in girls at his school, or guys for that matter, but something seemed different about Jongin. They could have a conversation and it wasn’t awkward or painful, and the questions Jongin asked didn’t make him feel upset or dehumanized. He wanted to kiss Jongin, and if he knew where his lips were, he probably would have already.

Kyungsoo reached out, his hand touching Jongin’s chest. He patted up to his neck, and at his jaw. It was thin, and felt sharp. He placed his fingers on Jongin’s lips, and Kyungsoo could feel his heart throbbing in his chest. The fact that Jongin wasn’t saying anything made him even more nervous. He could feel warm breath escaping the slit of his lips, warming his fingertips.

He felt the weight of the couch shift beneath him, and Jongin’s hand removing his from his lips. Kyungsoo parted his mouth to apologize when he felt a warm sensation on his own lips. A hand slid to his waist, and Jongin’s knee was snuggly fit between his legs.

A smack could be heard as their kiss broke, and Kyungsoo’s cheeks were visibly red. Jongin chuckled and slowly took his seat back, picking his mug up from the coffee table and taking a drink. Kyungsoo broke the silence.

“That was...”

Pause.

“Nice.”