The bell had rung twice when Jinki reached the door, a towel hung on his neck and toothbrush still loosely stuck in his mouth. He swung the door open, revealing the familiar worn-out look of his best friend from the entrance. Minho entered the duplex with much difficulty, a duffel bag in his right hand and a dog crate in the other.

“Why did you crate him?” Jinki frowned deeply as he eyed a yapping white Bichon Frise inside the green crate.

Tossing the duffel bag on the floor, Minho immediately collapsed onto the sofa in the living room. He sighed then unlocked the crate, and as soon as he did the energetic white dog inside leaped outside, woofing happily before hopping onto Minho’s back.

“He didn’t want to stop running around. I don’t know what he ate at the pet care today, but he for sure was unusually giddy for no damn reason,” Minho mumbled, his face planted against the couch. “Putting on the leash does no effect. I almost can’t control him.”

“Funny you said that. Your poodle is barely a quarter your height which basically means that you’re exhausted over nothing. Jjong is almost half my size yet I found no problem in handling him,” Jinki sneered.

Minho glared at the older from his position. “Jjong is just abnormally obedient. Or seeing that you two are just as lazy, that is absolutely no wonder.” His dog was still pouncing on his back, pawing lightly on it as if using it as a mat. “And dammit Jinki, Taem is not a poodle. How many times do I have to say that?””

When Minho finally grew annoyed with the weight on his back, he reached behind him and tried to shoo his excited little friend from on top of him. But instead of getting off of his master, it continued to toy with Minho’s hand that had successfully been trapped under its paws. “Yah yah, Taem, stop it. Go play with Jjong,” Jinki helped him by dropping Taem to the floor, it instinctively landed on his legs then cheerfully ran to the dining room.

“Long day at the restaurant today?” Jinki nudged Minho’s feet and plopped himself on the cushion, letting the latter’s feet awkwardly dangling off the couch.

“Heh. You have no idea,” Minho grumbled. “You just woke up?” He inquired, looking up to observe his friend curiously.

“Not really. I just feel like taking a bath this late,” Jinki shrugged.

“Oh how much fun it must be to be you,” Minho groaned. “You’re fudging rich, smart, a fudging freelance architect who can stay home lazing around if you want to, rich, a perfect candidate my mother-in-law would want for her daughter -though I’m sure I’m still far better in the look department- God I envy you. Oh have I mentioned rich?”

Jinki held his stomach as he cracked up with laughter. “You no more than found out that I took a bath at this hour and yet you’re already complaining about the- wait, you have a girlfriend?”

“No. I was just bluffing around.”

Once again, the oldest in the room chuckled lightly. “You know more than anyone else that I do have my own problem, Minho.”

“Hmph. I know. I just feel like whining.”

*          *          *

Taem dashed into the dining room, intending to find his playmate but scowled mentally when the said dog wasn’t where he was supposed to be, next to his food bowl munching on his afternoon snack. He proceeded to run toward the kitchen, which held the same condition, empty without his golden friend’s presence. Initially planning on going back to where Jjong’s master was to ask for a clue, he turned back to the hallway. Taem was already strolling past the reading room, when he awkwardly stumbled on his feet, as he caught something out of the ordinary from his vision.

The door to the reading room wasn’t closed, the slight opening allowing Taem to peek and examined the entire room. There was nothing interesting to him at that exact moment though, because all of his attentions were only focused on one being that lied peacefully on a dog basket beside Jinki’s working desk.

Taem was completely aware that dogs’ ability to comprehend colors is weaker than humans’, but he knew well that his eyes wouldn’t play trick on him. The white furred cat on Jjong’s basket was real and to make it even more valid, the cat was now staring at him, its bright eyes shone a little from the dim-lighted room. They held eye contact for a few more seconds, after that the look on the cat’s face showed no more concern, he was back to his paw, perhaps it discerned no harm coming from Taem.

Although it burdened him so much, Taem could do nothing to check into the area. Taem had once learned not to enter that reading room. Jinki was so furious back then when he found Jjong and him inside playing on top of the paper stacks that were lying on the ground. He would only allow Jjong to be in that room whenever he was also there to work on some building designs.

However, feeling the protectiveness building inside him, Taem figured it would be better if he alerted his master about the intrusion.

*          *          *

“Oh, you were in the dining room all the time?” Jinki remarked when he saw Taem rushing from the hallway. “Jjong is in my bedroom, Taem,” he petted Taem’s head the moment it stood on his lap.

Taem barked, his spine tensed and he’s looking so restless on Jinki’s lap.

“Taem,” Minho jadedly groaned. He had his head resting on the armrest of the coach, his palms against his ears, trying to block the annoying barks Taem sending out. “Please, shut up.”

Minho’s order fell on deaf ears. Taem just kept barking loudly to Jinki who seemed quite fazed with the demeanor. He looked questioningly at Minho, confused as to what’s bothering the bichon frise on his lap. The perplexed gaze was unreturned because Minho had buried his face on one of the cushion on the couch, groaning once again as an effect to the unending noises.

“Shut the hell up, Taem!” Minho shouted, making Taem jolt in surprise. Taem’s ears fell as he whimpered, without any command he bounced back to the ground and left the room. Out of the hallway he quickly went to the stairs.

Maybe warning someone who actually understood him was a far better idea.

*          *          *

Taem found Jjong sleeping on Jinki’s bed. He immediately approached him and noticed that the other wasn’t actually sleeping. He was just lying there with eyes closed and eyebrows creased…? That’s strange.

“Hyung!” Taem barked to Jjong’s ear. “Hyung, hyung! Wake up!!”

The older barely opened his eyes, a growl coming out from his throat. “Not now, Taem. I’m not in the mood.”

Taem jumped onto Jjong’s back and pushed his weight on his front legs, poking uncomfortably on the latter’s shoulder bone. “Noooooo you gotta wake up now, it’s URGENT!! U-R-G-J- wait, how do you spell it?”

“Off, Taem, OFF!! You’re hurting me!!!”

“But hyuunng..! This is important, please wake up!”

“UGHH what is it?!” Jjong finally lifted his head up, toppling over the younger as he did and glared at him.

“I-I saw it!! A CAT!” Taem barked again, he got up in a second then ran from side to side, showing how much the matter panicked him.

The smaller dog however, didn’t expect to hear a mere snort instead of a loud and furious growl. “Yeah, tell me about it,” Jjong snarled. “Master brought him home yesterday. I can do nothing about it.”

“But… But…” Taem was a little startled but felt like he didn’t want to buy it either. “But he’s on your basket! How could you not let me sleep on your basket but allow that cat to drop its fur all over your fine cushion??”

A silent but deep rumble resounded from the finnish spitz, Jjong raised slowly on his feet, staring at the door with a scary intensity on his gaze. His muscles were suddenly tensed, claws twitched just so lightly they scraped over the bed sheet without tearing it open, but sharp enough they left visible trails on its wake.

Taem fixed him an alarmed look, his ears fell on instinct with a presence of domination around the older. “…hyung, what’s wrong?”

Jjong growled, “Him. That cat. Is so wrong.”

*          *          *

By the time Jjong and Taem reached the reading room, Jinki and Minho was already there. Minho had placed himself on Jinki’s work place when Jinki walked toward Jjong’s basket.

“Meet my new family member, Key~!” Jinki lifted the cat from the dog’s basket and showed it to Minho. He only received a skeptical look from the latter, but the wide grin on his face never disappeared.

Minho observed from Jinki’s work desk, he pinched the bridge of his nose then continued to scrutinize the white-bored-looking cat in Jinki’s hold. “…that is a cat, Jinki.”

“Yeeeaaah isn’t it the most adorable ball of fur in the world?”

Minho furrowed his eyebrows. “How can you be so sure? How many ball of fur have you exactly encountered in the world?”

Jinki didn’t suppress his itch to roll his eyes. “Oh come on, you gotta know what I meant.”

“Look Jinki, I don’t know if you’re sober enough to understand this or not, but lemme tell you- you can’t really keep a cat and a dog under the same roof.”

It’s Jinki’s time to frown. “If Stuart Little and Snowbell can live together, why can’t Key and Jjong?”

“Jinki. That’s a goddamn movie. Your cat is not a talking white ball with cute little tail which you got from an orphanage. It can’t friggin communicate like Stuart Little does.”

“But things like this are common on National Geographic! They actually have no problem in living together, cats and dogs get along well.”

“Okay, my mistake. You can’t really keep a cat and Jjong in the same house. Can’t you see him glaring at that thing??,” Minho sat up, his hand gestured at the door trying to make a point of Jjong’s hard stare. “He doesn’t like that most adorable fur in the world of yours.”

“Its name is Key! And Jjong doesn’t hate Key!” Jinki sulked, stomping to the door. “They’re friends, see??” He shoved Key toward Jjong and rubbed the cat all over the dog’s face, not realizing the grossed expression they made at that. “Okay maybe this morning he kind of tried to eat him but they had settled their problem now! Look at how affectio-”

“Wha- Jinki! Jjong tried to eat the cat?!”

“That’s not the point! I’m saying that Key is living with me now, period.” Jinki ignored Minho’s continuous babble as he placed the cat back on the dog basket. He shushed the other with a further excuse about wanting to show him a new design of the project he’s working on.

Meanwhile near the door, Jjong witnessed the scene with no less furry in his eyes. He used the chance for his plan to confront the new existence of a being in the house.

“Hey, you,” Jjong and Taemin walked toward Key, trying to be all gangsta but failed miserably. “Trying to make yourself comfortable on someone else’s basket, huh?” Jjong shot him a rather intimidating glare.

Key lazily looked up, pretending to make sure who had disturbed his moment of peace. He stretched his body before then lied comfortably on his side. “You saw it yourself, Master put me here,” he said as his tongue darted out to neaten the fur on his front leg.

Jjong instantly growled at the statement. “He’s my master.”

“Well too bad you gotta share, doggie,” Key chuckled, a glint of amusement twinkling in his eyes.

“Don’t you dare ‘doggie’-ing me, you .”

“Uhh.. hyung, that kinda sounds wrong,” Taemin whispered bashfully from his side.

“And you better leave now, coz I don’t need such stupid reason like you to waste my energy on. I don’t want to have to beat anyone,” Jjong said in a low voice.

“Exactly,” Key cut him off. “Don’t waste your energy. You and who anyway? Your poodle friend?”

“Hey! I’m not a poodle!!”

“You may want to look for an excuse to go coz we don’t want dirty stray cat around here.”

“Hm really?” Key proceeded with his fur cleaning. “Your master surely does. He loves me so much, he begged me to stay.” Okay, that was a lie.

Jjong scoffed. “Yeah, of course.”

“You know, we even took a bath last night. Looks like he’s trying so hard to induce me,” Key smirked as he saw the dog’s expression fell.

“Y-you two took a b-bath? To-together??” Jjong stammered at his own words. Okay, maybe Jinki had washed him several times when he’s not too lazy to do it or when the maid in the house wasn’t around. But to have a bath together? That is a whole different level for them pets. But Jjong didn’t really note that Key never actually mentioned the word ‘together’.

“Hyung, stop stuttering! Geez, you’re embarrassing me,” Taem told him off, his leg nudged Jjong hard on his side.

“Oh? Don’t tell me you’ve never…?” Key hitched a breath, dramatizing his disbelief. “So…” He sang, swaying his tail playfully as he enjoyed Jjong’s still-bewildered expression. “Give me one reason why I can’t stay.”

“Cats are lazy! All they do is taking a nap at daylight and eating like a pig in the evening,” Taem quickly blurted out, trying to defend his friend’s dignity for once.

“It’s not a nap, we call it beauty sleep, you moron.”

“All in all,” Jjong finally recovered his guts to speak, “You’ll just end up making my master get fatter with your beauty sleep habit since he most probably would be more than willing to cuddle with you, judging from-”

“So you do agree that he will like me more?”

“I –what?! Of course not! Anyway, those times that he should be spending for exercising with me would be wasted with the unnecessary stupid activity he will do with you. You cats are burdensome pets. Or should I say, pests.”

“Whatever. At least we’re not stupid, doggie.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“Well,” Key his paw. “We cats don’t chase our own tails.”

*          *          *

Minho stared silently from his chair, the crease between his eyebrows increased as more thoughts passed his mind. It was crazy really, but he felt like he could sense those animals talking to each other.

“Don’t you think he’s a little... feisty?”

“What do you mean?” Jinki looked up from his work.

“Your cat. He looks like... I don’t know- arguing with Jjong and Taem at once? Can’t you see it?”

Jinki scoffed mockingly. “Don’t be silly, animals don’t argue. Key can’t communicate like Stuart Little does, remember?”

A/N: I miss this light series so much I couldn't help but write this nonsense x) so... like usual, there's nothing important in this chapter, I just made this for the sake of Minho and Taem's appearance :)

Taem is a Bichon Frise! Here's how he looks like :D