Chanyeol's spotted ears twitched slightly at the barely discernible click of a key entering the front door lock. The Dalmatian hybrid's long limbs scrambled toward the door and arrived just in time to greet Minseok as he entered.

"Can we go for a walk now?" Chanyeol asked, pleading with wide eyes and pouted lips that got Minseok's agreement every time. It's not like Chanyeol wasn't fully capable of taking care of himself—of going out and functioning and taking walks all on his own—but everyday he waited excitedly for Minseok's 5 o'clock return and then dragged both himself and his human out of the house.

During the week, Minseok taught piano to children—both humans and hybrids—while writing music on the side, and Chanyeol stayed home, writing programming for a large online shopping company. As a hybrid with obvious non-human features, it was difficult for the Dalmatian to work in a public setting, so even though Chanyeol was really quite personable and extroverted, he didn't mind being home for most of the day. He made more than Minseok, anyway, and the alpha dog side of Chanyeol liked that he could be a functional provider for himself and his pet.

Of course, Chanyeol didn't own Minseok as a human pet anymore than Minseok owned him as an animal. Still, their mutual friend Jongdae had once observed that Minseok would be useless without Chanyeol to care for him, and the joking nickname was born. Nowadays, Chanyeol called Minseok his pet just to be annoying—or to turn the tables on anyone prejudiced enough to wonder why the latter treated his hybrid friend like an equal instead of the scum of the earth.

Today, Minseok looked exhausted—one of his students had been particularly difficult—but he gave into Chanyeol's begs like he always did and chuckled a "Yes" in agreement. He dropped his satchel on the entry hall shelf and stepped back into the doorway, already ready but waiting patiently like he always did until Chanyeol was ready, too.

"Don't you get tired of it?" He asked Chanyeol as the hybrid pulled on his windbreaker and slipped into his shoes. "Of doing the same thing every day?"

Chanyeol tilted his head to the side curiously, and Minseok was suddenly reminded that there was more Dalmatian in his friend's DNA than just the ears or barely visible tail. "I mean," Minseok clarified, holding the door open for Chanyeol to step through and locking the door behind them, "doesn't that seem like the definition of monotony to you?"

The hybrid man wagged his tail good-naturedly, more than used to his best friend's discontented contemplations. "Having days that are repetitive doesn't have to be a bad thing," Chanyeol clarified gently. "What matters is that you have someone to share each day with. It's waking up to a face you love that makes each day seem special."

"You're such a sap," Minseok teased to lighten the mood, silently wishing he believed in love and romance as naively as Chanyeol seemed to. He didn't even realize what Chanyeol was really saying—that the Dalmatian hybrid didn't get tired of doing the same thing every day because he had Minseok and that was enough.

"If I'm a sap," Chanyeol countered, "I hope you realize it's entirely your fault."

The Dalmatian's word's confused the human and he raised a questioning eyebrow. "What did I do?" Minseok wondered, almost defensively, as they made their way down the stairs and out the building's front entrance.

Chanyeol didn't answer until they reached the park. Though their daily destination was only across the street, Chanyeol made sure to keep Minseok close as they crossed--like always--just in case. The two men strolled toward their usual bench slowly, reveling in each other's company as much as a curious Minseok and a contemplative Chanyeol could.

Finally, Chanyeol responded. "Everything," he gushed, suddenly frustrated. "Nothing. I don't know!"

"Shh, shh," Minseok shushed the hybrid comfortingly, cooing until Chanyeol was calm enough to continue. "If I did something wrong, you'd tell me, right Chan-ah?"

Chanyeol nodded. "It's not even your fault though," the hybrid confessed quietly. "I'm the one who's lived day in and day out with you for years.  I'm the one who thought he could be content with doing the same thing everyday because you were right there doing it with me." He paused and took a deep breath, causing Minseok to wonder what the big finish was going to be. "I'm the one who fell in love with you."

Minseok hated himself for it, but at Chanyeol's words, the human man could only gape. Chanyeol was in love with him? Since when? Why hadn't Minseok noticed? (As someone who growled subconsciously in the presence of a cat or feline hybrid, Chanyeol was physically incapable of withholding strong emotions. He couldn't even keep himself from wagging his tail when he saw a toy--that's just the way his Dalmatian genes manifested.) Most importantly, what did Minseok himself feel toward Chanyeol?

He liked the hybrid, sure. Chanyeol was attractive and tall--and Minseok was one of few humans who actually thought that hybrids' appearances were enhanced by their non-human attributes, so Chanyeol had that going for him too. Personality wise, Minseok liked that Chanyeol was constantly cheerful, constantly naive, and constantly caring; Jongdae had been joking, but he'd also been right--without Chanyeol to care for him, Minseok would never have lasted to half-fifty. But were his feelings romantic or platonic?

Did Minseok love Chanyeol like he loved chocolate--a lot but he could do without it--or like he loved music--more than life? He didn't know.

"Chanyeol," Minseok started cautiously, still unsure quite what to say, "I'm sorry." At his apology, Chanyeol's spotted ears drooped and his tail stopped its anticipatory wagging. Catching that Chanyeol had misunderstood him, though, Minseok quickly clarified. "No, no!" He said urgently. "I'm not apologizing because I'm going to reject you."

Chanyeol looked hopeful when he heard that and he lifted his head shyly. "Really? You aren't?"

"Really," Minseok confirmed with a kind smile. "I don't know what I feel for you, but I do know that you're very important to me, and I don't want to lose that. So I was apologizing because I can't give you an answer right now. I don't have one yet and that's why I'm sorry."

A wide grin stretched across Chanyeol's facial features and the Dalmatian's joy was almost palpable. He knew that Minseok was the one for him because once Dalmatian hybrids made their choice, they mated for life. "Now who's the sap?" he asked teasingly, reaching across the bench to pull Minseok a little closer and entwine their fingers.

It wasn't much, but for two people who's days were the same constant of work, walks in the park, and each other, the gesture was wonderfully new. Chanyeol's dog side liked exploring unknown territory; Minseok wasn't a hybrid, but he thought he liked it too.