They giggle.

    He turns around and then they stop. He turns back around.

    They giggle louder.

    He turns around quicker and then they look around. He turns back around slower.

    They giggle more obnoxiously.

    He stands up and leaves the living room to the bathroom. They laugh out loud.

    Chen was feeling tense thanks to all that giggling. Yeri and Joy had slept over last night as a slumber party and he had no sleep. He finally had to succumb to asking Joonmyeon to move over so he could get a decent amount of rest since the three puppies decided to take up the rest of the living room. Then the day before that, Umji was over. Two days before that, Wendy went over to Jimin’s house. Then the day before that, it seemed like very female puppy was over for the whole day all week. All the giggling and yapping was starting to give the poor cat a migraine.

    It’s been two weeks since Wendy asked that stupid question he remembered. He’s been counting the days since she’s asked since it equaled the days he didn’t answer.

    He didn’t really take note of Wendy’s appearance until Kai showed up, and even then it was a minute thought. He just knew that he didn’t like how Kai viewed Wendy as a play thing. Chen wondered why though; since the puppy was attention-seeking and nosey, what made Kai think Wendy could possibly be his?

    Chen shook his head as he entered the bathroom and locked the door. He set his hands on the counter and looked up at the mirror, staring at himself.

    Now you’re making no sense.

    Of course I know that. You’re avoiding it.

    Avoiding what? Her?
    No, dumb . Them.

    Yeah, them. Her and her friend.

    No! Gosh, you’re one dumb cat. Why does it bother you that Kai touched her?
    Chen thought about how he felt when he saw Kai place his hand on her arm. He was ready to commit some kind of crime since he was the reason Wendy cried.

    Oh, so you don’t like it when your puppy cries.

    Shut up.

    No, no. You don’t like it when your human cries.

    His situation is different; he can move on.

    Wendy crying is worse to you than your own human. Why is that?
    Because she’s a dumb puppy.

    Chen knew it wasn’t that; he knew he was trying to deny it, but it was really difficult. He was stubborn and that was a fact.

    Gosh, you’re stubborn. Tell me, do you think she’s pretty?
    “Am I pretty?”

    Chen gulped at the memory. He sighed pretty loud and grabbed at his hair. He can’t say those words because then it’s opening that door! He’s been staring at that door for a while now, longing to open it but too unsure if it’s worth it. He can’t stop thinking about that damn question because he’s been noticing things! Things about her! And it was like dumping water on him while lighting him on fire; very exhausting and exhilarating to think about.

    The first time one of her friends came over, they put makeup on her. They did her eyes and her lips, and though Joonmyeon thought it was cute, Chen didn’t like it. He never was a fan of enhanced beauty and the way this makeup was done was not enhancing anything. She kept having it on her face every time these puppies came over and Chen was just the tiniest bit worried that maybe it was becoming a permanent feature of her face.

    The second time her friends came over, they made her put on shorts and a low cut top which Chen had to force himself to discreetly look. What made him practically go into cardiac arrest was when she dropped something and bent down to get it. Chen was recently at war with his instincts and watching her bend down, showing off the curve of her behind that she had; making the item of clothing rise up a bit higher and showing off more of her thighs, was really painful when he was holding himself back.

    Then the third time her friends came over, they brought a pool over and have fun playing around in the water, wearing nothing but shorts and tank tops. Chen was forced by his human to ‘make sure one of them doesn’t drown’ and was practically wailing when he witnessed his puppy bend down to pick something up, her tank top allowing him to have a view of her chest.

    The cat gulped again, feeling a bit warm at the thoughts of his housemate. His ear twitched and his tail started to fluff out. He was feeling really tense because sure, he was having emotions about something, but admitting it was opening that door!

    He just decided to have his hand hover over the door knob.

🐱 🐶

    Chen woke up to the smell of pancakes. Trying to think of what day it was, he groggily rubbed his eyes and sniffed around. Joonmyeon wasn’t home, so it couldn’t have been the puppy...

    He rubbed his eyes and yawned, his ears twitched as if recalibrating for the day. His tail thumped on the couch as stretched.

    The first thing he noticed when he entered the kitchen was how bright it was. It was a sunny morning and the backyard seemed really green compared to usual; it seemed like the perfect setting for a lazy morning home. Wendy was dressed in leggings and someone’s t-shirt. Her hair was put up in a messy bun and her tail wagged to a beat as she hummed to herself, placing pancakes on a plate.

    Chen’s breath caught in his throat, unable to think.

    Wendy continued to make breakfast, occasionally signing the words and shake her hips to the song, which only made keeping his hand hovering over the door knob even harder.

    When she finished the food, she turned off the stove and tried her best to clean up the kitchen before turning around with the plate of pancakes. She nearly dropped them at the sight of the cat staring at her. Her ears stayed hidden in her hair, but her tail waved a bit faster, “You scared me! I know there’s such a thing as cat’s stealth, but geeze Chen!”

    Chen couldn’t stop staring at her face. It was clean and rosey and pure. He wanted her to keep looking at him since he felt like this was one of those muses painters wished they had.

    He noticed too that she was a bit more... daring. Ever since