비글 Part I

Kyungsoo convinces Yifan to adopt a homeless beagle.

"But, why me?" Yifan pouts as he looks down on the puppy stuffed in his arms.
"Well, first of all you're holding him wrong, secondly I can't take him because I already have Chanyeol and they are really strict about pets in my building." Kyungsoo says as he straightens Yifan's hold on the little pup, and ruffles his fussy hair. "Minseok kinda already named him Chen, so it would be best if he kept that name, but I guess he's yours now so feel free to call him what you like."
Kyungsoo leaves after explaining how he has to take him out after everything and anything to potty train him, well, not potty train, but whatever. How little Chen has one collar he should probably keep on until he listens and a more complicated harness, as well as a normal thin leash and one expandable. A short list of what he can and cannot eat and a list of commands that's important he learns. Yifan sighs and lays down on the sofa with Chen. "But why me?" Yifan sulks as Chen barks at something on the TV, struggling out of Yifan's hold and jumps down swagging his tail.

"Noooo! Chen, no, bad!" Chen just looks at him, swaying his tail before walking off swagging his . There's a big, well for tiny Chen, poop on his precious white rug. It's not even the first time, the little monster really seems to know where it hurts the most. Yifan looks away as he picks the poop up in a tissue. He has to clean the rug again, but first of all he needs to take poopchen out for another walk before he suddenly decides to pee on his magnolia tree or something. He seriously just did, but Chen seems to have a knack for making trouble.
"Chen! Paws up! You know you did wrong!" Chen winces as he holds his paws up, shaking his head before putting his paws down again, sitting. "Oh hoy, do it correctly!" Chen pouts as he raises his paws again. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eighth, nine, ten. Okay, let's go out Chenchen! Go go!"

Chen 2 - Yifan 1

"Nooo! Chen, bad! Not the puddle, noooo!" Chen jumps straight into it, jumping around a bit before rolling around as Yifan tries to pull him away, tightening the lead. "How can you be so strong, you're like one kilo!" Yifan squats down, bending his head down, trying to keep the tears of frustration a bay, and Chen jumps on him, his face and seating himself perfectly in Yifan's lap, covering his clothes in mud. "Come on, we need to go back and shower."

Of course Chen doesn't cooperate in the shower either. Which is stupid, because he loves water, running into puddles and creeks and anything he can. But the not the shower. No. Whenever Yifan tries to take him to the shower, Chen is screaming as if he were pulling him by his ear to the butcher. Once he screamed so loudly his neighbour asked him what had happened when they met in the lift. She even seemed afraid to ask him, so she waited — staring at him like crazy — before someone else got on. She didn't really seem to buy the 'my dog hates to shower' thing either.

Chen 3 - Yifan 0

The worst thing is, and Yifan is past the point of believing he's crazy and overanalysing, Chen is really smart too. Whenever Kyungsoo comes around, he's the world's greatest beagle, and if Yifan ever tries to demonstrate or show others how naughty Chen is, he immediately turns into a model pet. And he seems to be naughty just in order to piss Yifan off. And he knows where it hurts too. Yifan has no other explanation for it when Chen suddenly one day lays down besides Yifan a day were he's too exhausted to even look at up him from where he has face palmed the sofa. When Yifan wakes up though, he sees exactly what Chen has been playing with the whole time. His favourite pair of shoes. Yifan doesn't even hold back the waterfalls as Chen finishes off what's left of it.

Since Chen is still a young puppy and scares away all of his dog sitters, Yifan brings the little trouble maker to work. Which goes without a hitch, with Chen playing and keeping his crate clean, until Yifan's boss comes in. Luckily for Yifan, he's quite neatly placed in the company hierarchy, so he has his own corner office and all that jazz and his superior rarely comes in for anything. But then, one day he does, and the second he enters the door Chen starts howling loud enough for the entire floor to hear. His secretary even runs in, because Chen is so popular and sweet with his colleagues Yifan has even considered letting one of them take him (but Chen always seems to know what he's thinking). His boss, Kim Joonmyun seems to be absolutely flabbergasted and even a bit scared, even though Chen is tiny enough to even fit in Joonmyun's hand Yifan believes. Jongin, his secretary playing with him outside, but they can still hear him through the door. And Chen barks all until Joonmyun is gone, running over to Yifan and jumping into his lap before putting his paws on the desk as if to show Joonmyun who is in charge. Joonmyun walks out still a little lost, and Yifan catches a glimpse of Jongin snapping a picture of the two of them giggling.

Chen 1 - Joonmyun 0 - Yifan -2

Chen is sick. Yifan is officially freaking out. He's been trying to reach Kyungsoo because he has no idea what to do. The veterinary clinic Baekhyun introduced him to has closed and he ends up dialling his secretary Jongin who pops up panting along with three dogs. Jongin examines him quickly, and gets Yifan to drive to this 24 hour open clinic he knows. Kyungsoo
"As you said, he has eaten something bad. We'll need to keep him here tonight and pump his stomach." As Jongin and Yifan tries to leave, albeit very reluctantly on Yifan's side, Chen starts to cry as if he's been shot.
"Oh no, don't cry Chenchen, stay." Yifan tries to command, but in the end, Yifan ends up staying the night in the clinic as well, his head while mumbling 'Chenchen'. Only later does Yifan realise he's been eating of his plants. Yifan scolds him for probably two hour because he's terrified of him dying. Chen seems to understand how scared he is, and for once actually keeps doing as he's told.

Chen really has a knack for scaring away all the dog sitters. After the scandal with his boss, Yifan tries again. Chen bawls his heart out as Yifan leaves him with the stranger. The sitter had an impressive resume involving all sorts of trouble. Still, when Yifan comes home the sitter runs out, not even stopping to get a day's pay.

Yifan supposes he really should know better than to be fooled by Chen's — quite frankly — still pathetic size. Sure, he wouldn't really fit in Joonmyun's fit anymore, but he still fits in Yifan's (that are by no way large, it's just Koreans that has teenie tiny hands). He really shouldn't trust Kyungsoo, because as he's enjoying the weather and all in the park with dogs running and playing and strolling around with their owners as Chen takes off. Which is something that takes a while for Yifan to even comprehend. Because Chenchen was tied to the bench. And it wasn't a poor knot or anything, he's done the whole slip the leash through the hole and fasten it on Chen again — that whole thing. Sure, he'd been pulling and whining as always, but, no — just no. So when Yifan sees Chen take off running, he just sits there for a second before he starts yelling at him. Then he lowers his head in defeat and seriously hopes the little rascal will come back, because he seriously can't. No, Yifan won't even think about it. So he starts looking for him, rolling some dog treats he was smart enough to bring, around in his hand.

When Yifan has crossed the whole bloody park looking for the little source of Yifan's frustration he finally finds Chen playing with another dog and a slightly torn looking owner. When Chen notices him, a good 50 metres away, he comes running to him and jumps on his legs as Yifan picks him up in a suffocating hug mumbling 'don't you ever do that again, Chen' in Chinese. Chen wipes his tongue all the way up Yifan's face, before struggling out of his hold, and barking at him to follow.
"Oh, good, I didn't manage to read of his collar." The other owner says in one breath with what sounds like a slight lisp (but it could be due the speed or the low volume paired with the mumbling).
"Thank you, for trying and watching him. He actually managed to tear away from his lead by bending the metal ring connected to his collar, I—"
"It's 'kay, stuff happens." The dog owner says, and Yifan finds him very comforting despite his short words and cold appearance. The dog barks happily at him, swagging his tail like crazy drooling a little. "Xing, don't bark."
"You Chinese?" Yifan asks.
"Nah, but he is." The dog owner gestures at his dog, a golden retriever Yifan presumes (he's not really into dog races).
"I didn't know dogs had nationality?" Yifan asks with an eyebrow shooting up as he looks up from where he's trying to put on Chen's leash again.
"Well, he's… he was my boyfriend's." Yifan notices the dog owner's discomfort so he drops it. "Your dog Chinese too?"
"Ah, I don't think so, pretty sure he's from here, I am though."
"Do you live far from here? Looks like your leash is broken."
"Uhm, it's not far exactly, but with this rascal," Yifan lets his words linger in the air.
"I could lend you one of Xing's, here use his."
"You sure it's okay?"
"No worries, I bring Xing's for show. Let's go.” Xing picks Chen up by his neck just before he goes off trailing another smell again.

Xing 1 - Chen 0

Sehun, the dog owner, takes him across the street and stops in front of one of the gates before unlocking it and Chen drags him around in the back yard as Xing the dog nuzzles him back on track a bit while Sehun unlocks one of the doors. It leads to a stair case and Sehun takes him up the first set before opening another door and unlocking yet another before stepping out of his shoes. There are boxes all around the place, but it doesn't seem like the apartment of someone who recently moved or anything.
"It was my boyfriend's stuff. Don't know what to do 'bout it."
Yifan doesn't really want to intrude, any more than he already is, so he says nothing as Sehun opens a few boxes before he digs into one of them and hands Yifan another leash, much lighter and smaller than the one he borrowed to get here. Chen who diligently followed him around stops as well and jumps on his legs until Sehun picks him up and pets him.
"It was Xing's when he was a pup."
Yifan thanks him and offers to give it back when he buys a new one, but Sehun refuses so Yifan offers him money. He looks like he could use it, live a bit more … glamorous way. So he offers to buy a coffee and Sehun shows him the way to a bubble tea place on the other side of the park. Yifan can see from the well stamped discount card that he's a regular. Sehun asks him what he'd like as he hands him Xing's leash, and Yifan sceptically asks for something not to sweet.

He's didn't expect Sehun to find something that fits his palate, but he's pleasantly surprised as they sit down on a bench to drink and let the dogs play. It's rather funny to look at them, with the size difference and, well Chen looking like he thinks he's the boss. Yifan hands, or more like shoves his business card into Sehun's hands as they part ways. Maybe he'll get Joonmyun to offer him a job, he can't joggle part time jobs for the rest of his life.

Yifan and Chen pretty much collapse on the couch the moment they step in, face down and everything. Yifan would have been overjoyed by the fact that Chen was exhausted if he wasn't so himself.
Yifan exerts himself just enough to ruffle Chen's hair and Chen swags his tail once against the couch and leans closer to him.
When Yifan wakes up, he's lying with his back against the couch and with Chen sleeping on his arm, his forehead pushed against Yifan's lips. Yifan backs off a few centimetres and scratches Chen's ear before dozing off again.

When Yifan wakes up, it's already dark, and a warmth is missing against his body. He looks around, blinking his eyes before they land on the floor right in front of him. And the massacre.
"CHEN!”

Chen 1 - Yifan -1

He finally finds Chen in his laundry basket, well hidden between everything.
"Chen!" Yifan snaps. He know he's being mopey, but Chen murdered one of his favourite plushies. He can still see his beloved duck Kriscasso's remains vividly in his head. Chen doesn’t even bother to accept his punishment, and runs away (indisputably to create more trouble), until Yifan calls Kyungsoo and Chen is suddenly pawing at his legs and rolling around whimpering and howling for Yifan to forget him and Kyungsoo asking how he’s torturing him. Yifan hangs up to mope and Chen follows him begging for forgiveness. Eventually he gets tired of whining on top of Yifan’s head and starts to tug at him for attention.

Yifan wakes up the next day with the remains of his plushie seemingly disappeared and the cupboard door to the bin open. Yifan is definitely not paranoid or overanalysing. Unless Chen managed to call Kyungsoo for help or something (which frankly sounds even more sci-fi), he actually got everything left of the duck in the trash himself. Yifan almost considers praising him, but decides to just acknowledge his existence is enough.

Yifan 1 - Chen 0

Yifan is lost in his own thoughts as he walks Chen one not particularly special evening. Chen had almost not barked at Joonmyun at the office and Jongin had been snapping pictures of sudden-supermodel Chen all day. And then suddenly he hears this loud shriek that tears him away from his thoughts. And in the direction of the sound, he sees Chen. Of course. And a cat. His neighbour’s cat. And of course, due Yifan’s luck, the neighbour, that still seems to suspect him after he tried to shower Chen, yep, her cat. And the neighbour looking ready to explode. Because apparently Chen almost molested her cat. Yifan’s flight or fight response is flight, and he picks a suddenly disappointed Chen and runs away apologising.

Yifan finds himself in front of Sehun’s apartment building with a slightly growling Chen in his arms. Seems like he really wanted to bully his neighbour’s cat. But then, suddenly the gates opens and a docile golden labrador slips out and Chen is out of his arms before Yifan even knows it, wagging his tail and barking at Xing.
“Oh, hi, is there something…?” Sehun asks as he opens the gate to step out.
“Uhm…” Yifan blinks. His mind is blank. “He–“ Yifan’s opens his mouth, not really knowing what to say as he points at Chen (thankfully still stuck on to Yifan by the othe rend of his, well Xing’s, leash). Yifan closes his mouth.
“You out causing trouble again, huh?” Sehun says as he squats, slightly tugging on Chen’s ear. Chen wags his tail as he leans into Sehun’s touch. Yifan slightly jealously notes how he’s completely fine with Sehun touching his ears while he’s still fighting Yifan about it unless he’s too tired. One day, one day Yifan promises himself, he’ll get to be Chen’s boss too.

Sehun 1 - Yifan 0

// Sorry it's been so long, please forgive me and wish me happy birthday (now you have no excuse not to comment, finding the words can be so hard, I always want to write 'this is the best' whenever I come across something I like but then it's not the best and I feel like a liar)~ And upvoting does not cost karma (hinthint)