For You I WIll - Teddy Geiger 

Kyungsoo woke before dawn and prepared breakfast for both him and Monggu.  They ate on the porch bench together and watched the golden sun rise out of the ocean; Kyungsoo never got sick of his breathtaking backyard view of the beach.

“Monggu ah…” Kyungsoo said. The poodle stopped eating and looked up. “We’re gonna see Chanyeol today. Promise to be a good boy?” Monggu barked ferociously at Chanyeol’s name and turned back to his food.

“Oh well, at least one of us is excited.”

Later that afternoon, Chanyeol came dressed in a red varsity jacket and skinny jeans. Kyungsoo nearly fell to his knees when the guy showed up. It took him all his might to pull himself together as it wasn’t every day he got treated to such delicious eye candy.

Monggu yapped non-stop the moment Chanyeol stepped in. Luckily for them, it took him only ten minutes to minimize the barking to a low buzzing growl.

“Good to see he’s not mauling your face off.”  Kyungsoo commented from the kitchen.

“Yeah, thank god.” said Chanyeol, rubbing his cheeks. “I can’t afford to lose this face.”

Kyungsoo stifled a laugh and rolled his eyes. “Just sit there quietly with Monggu. Maybe he’ll stop snarling once he gets used to you.”  

Chanyeol turned to the fluffy dog and blew it a kiss, foolishly thinking that that would settle things between them. He sat in the living room while Monggu stood his ground by the front door, as if waiting for Chanyeol to take his leave.  

"Who does this little bastard think he is..."

"Oi!" Kyungsoo scolded. "Mind your language, the dog can hear you." 

Chanyeol was taken aback by this and apologised. Feeling confused yet again, he scratched his head so hard that Kyungsoo told him to stop before his scalp peeled off.

“How does he like you more than me?!” Chanyeol exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “I know I barely spent any time with him but…neither have you.”

Kyungsoo thought about this too while working in the kitchen. “You probably give off bad vibes.”

Chanyeol grunted and shot Kyungsoo a skeptic glare. “Monggu’s just a silly dog, what does he know about vibes?!” Monggu barked at him again and Kyungsoo snickered. Chanyeol drooped in his seat and let out a sigh of defeat.

“Dogs can sense a person’s uneasiness. If you’re not comfortable with them, they wouldn’t be too comfortable around you either.”

Chanyeol didn't look too convinced by this and Kyungsoo wondered if he really was such a moron.

“Either that, or Monggu just doesn’t like you.”

Chanyeol took offence to this statement and gasped. “What makes you so special?”

“Watch me,” said Kyungsoo. He stopped work and quickly got down on one knee. “Monggu yaa…”

At the sound of his voice, Monggu dashed into the kitchen, his ears flopping around as he bounced. He hopped right into Kyungsoo’s arms and furiously tried to his face. "Good boy, Monggu!"

Chanyeol was so amazed by this he started clapping like a well-trained walrus. Kyungsoo merrily bowed and thanked his audience.

“Now that I think of it,” said Chanyeol. “You kinda remind me of Jongin.”

Kyungsoo ran through all the names and faces in his mind but was unaware of anyone called Jongin. “Who’s that?” He asked.

Chanyeol looked into Kyungsoo's eyes and the latter could feel his soul being scanned.

“A close friend. He is Monggu’s real owner.”

Kyungsoo smiled and appreciated the thought. He loved the way Chanyeol beamed at him, his head tilting cutely to the side and his silly grin showing off his pearly white teeth. He gazed at Kyungsoo with such intensity that he had to be snapped out of it by Monggu’s bark. His eyes turned back to focus but his smile never faltered.

 “I guess that’s why Monggu adores you so much,” said Chanyeol. “You’re very much like Jongin.”

Jealousy bubbled up inside Kyungsoo. Who was this Jongin person? And why did Chanyeol have to mention him so many times?

“So I guess we found the problem then," said Kyungsoo, putting Monggu down and returning to his work. "I'm very much like Jongin and you're not."

"Yeah," sighed Chanyeol, looking disheartened. "You're both really soft and gentle whereas I'm just a clumsy giant who breaks everything." 

Kyungsoo gave him a sympathetic smile. "I gotta have a steady hand as a baker, you know." He then gave Chanyeol the cupcake he had been working on: vanilla sponge with a chocolate rugby ball painstakingly iced at the top.

Chanyeol looked at it and cackled. His face was so ecstatic that Kyungsoo was prepared to catch him if he passed out from excitement.

"You know I play rugby?!" Chanyeol asked. "Yeah," said Kyungsoo. "I figured from the way you tossed Monggu into the air last night." 

"Oh, right..." said Chanyeol, lowering his head. "Shouldn't have done that."

Kyungsoo shook off the matter and pointed to Chanyeol's chest. "It's also printed on your jacket, dummy." 

Chanyeol looked at the logo on his jacket and smiled, as if noticing it for the first time. 

"You're very thoughtful too." Chanyeol said, taking a big bite out of the cupcake. "Thanks man."

Kyungsoo giggled and bit his bottom lip, ready to burst with happiness. A great idea struck him and he couldn't help but blurt it out.

"Stay with me." 

Chanyeol was shocked by the assertion and choked on his last bite of cupcake. It wasn't the statement that mattered; It was the sincerity in his voice that had caught him off guard.

Kyungsoo snapped out of his daydream and realised what he had just said. "Uh, I mean, like, you know...like, I meant..."

He took a deep breath.

 "Stay close to me. I can teach you how to bake, frost, design, anything that would help control those big hands of yours." 

Chanyeol looked reluctant at the idea. "Do we really have to resort to baking?" 

Kyungsoo got nervous; he didn't know how else to help. He couldn't bare to lose Chanyeol now.

You mean the hunk is here?! 

Baekhyun's voice echoed through his mind.

You should really start charging these people for your doggy day-care.

Yes! Kyungsoo thanked the delivery boy repeatedly in his head.

"It's either you bake, or you pay up." Kyungsoo said, bringing out his no-nonsense voice. "I don't provide free services for taking care of pets."

"OKAY I'LL BAKE!" said Chanyeol without missing a beat. "Besides, I promised Jongin not to leave Monggu in the hands of strangers."

"But you already have." 

"Shh, I'm working on it."

----

The two youngsters chatted and laughed till the sun went down. Kyungsoo's purpose for Chanyeol's  visit today was for Monggu to get used to his presence, and by looking at the puppy's behaviour they concluded that things were slowly progressing. Monggu still didn't let Chanyeol within a meter of his being, but Kyungsoo was confident that the conflicting pair would make up soon.

But if that happened, Kyungsoo would have to say goodbye to both Monggu and Chanyeol, which was a terribly sad situation to think about. He told himself to live for the moment, and to look forward to the exciting adventures that have yet to come for the three of them.