Unlikely Match
Title: Unlikely Match
Pairing: Chanyeol/Jongin
Rating: PG-13
Length: 2400w
Summary: There's a new addition to their family and Jongin hates it.
A/N: Written for the 2014 round of kittyexo12.
Jongin wakes up to the sunlight streaming in from the spaces between the blinds hitting his face and the aroma of eggs and bacon cooking on top of the stove. He sits up and stretches his arms up above his head, feeling the knots in his back undo themselves as he yawns. His hair is in a mess but his brown ears stick out from the stop of his head and his dark brown tail swishes behind him lazily, left to right as he walks out to the kitchen. He sees Minseok, back facing him by the stove. Jongin smiles at this, walking forward to wrap his arms around Minseok’s waist and nuzzling his nose into Minseok’s neck.
“Good morning, Jongin,” Minseok greets, eyes trained on the eggs in the frying pan.
“Good morning, hyung,” Jongin replies, voice muffled by Minseok’s neck.
Minseok shifts to move the eggs from the pan to a plate and Jongin moves along with him, refusing to let go of Minseok’s waist even as Minseok reaches up to try grab two mugs. Jongin chuckles to himself and gets the mugs instead when Minseok’s doesn’t reach them. He’s rewarded with a light nudge in the gut and he pretends it hurts by doubling over.
“That doesn’t work anymore,” Minseok comments as he breaks away from Jongin’s grip.
“I’m reporting you for domestic abuse,” Jongin huffs, ears twitching.
“That doesn’t work either,” is Minseok’s only reply and Jongin gives up.
They dig into their breakfast in silence sitting on high stools at the counter in the kitchen, munching on scrambled eggs and it’s too quiet. Jongin looks up at Minseok’s face and frowns when he sees his eyebrows furrowed, blank eyes staring at a certain spot on the counter. Jongin directs his eyes to where Minseok is looking at but he sees nothing.
“Minseok hyung?” Jongin asks, leaning forward.
Minseok startles and this makes Jongin worried. Minseok never blanks out and it’s uncharacteristic of him to do so, especially when Jongin is around.
“Hyung, is something bothering you?” Jongin asks, tail stopping its swishing and ears perking up.
“Uh,” Minseok hesitates. All Jongin has to do is glare and Minseok sighs before he says, “We’re going out today.”
The answer is unsatisfactory but Minseok won’t meet eyes with Jongin anymore, finishing the last of his food even though Jongin’s sure he can feel Jongin staring at him. He replays Minseok’s words in his head and all his worries immediately disappear because whenever Minseok says they’re going out, they always have a lot of fun and Jongin’s looking forward to it already.
Jongin throws himself into the passenger seat and buckles himself up before Minseok can tell him to move to the back. He only grins when Minseok shakes his head and doesn’t say anything. Jongin is sure Minseok already knows how much Jongin loves sitting in front of him. He watches as Minseok gets into the driver’s seat and revs up the engine, backing out of the parking lot and driving onto the main street. His eyes never leave Minseok’s face even when they’re on the road, ears twitching and tail stiff behind him. There’s something wrong with Minseok today but he cannot put his finger on it and it bothers him. Minseok’s hand, he observes, is tightly gripping onto the steering wheel and his legs don’t stop shaking and Jongin gets the feeling that Minseok is nervous.
“Why are you so nervous?”
Jongin knows he’s hit jackpot when Minseok freezes momentarily before the expression is wiped from his face. Although it’s a little useless because Jongin can still see the nervousness in Minseok’s eyes, Jongin chooses to keep his silence and finally takes his eyes off Minseok. Instead, he observes his surroundings and tries to remember the routes that he and Minseok usually take when they go out to play. This definitely isn’t the route to the park they frequent, nor is it one to the diner they normally go to when they decide to eat out.
When they stop outside a building that’s all too familiar and one that Jongin certainly doesn’t want to visit again, his eyes widen and they start to water. His ears go flat against his head and his tail drops. He’s shaking because even if they’re where it all began for him, it could now be the end for him too.
The adoption shelter.
“If it’s something I did, I am so sorry. Please don’t send me back, I promise-”
“Jong-”
“I’ll be good and I’ll do what-”
“Jongin.”
“-ever you say and-”
“Jongin!”
Jongin stops and stares at Minseok with watery eyes, ears flattened against his head and he’s shaking. He’s shaking because he doesn’t want to go back. He wants to stay with Minseok and he doesn’t know why they’re here where Minseok first picked him up two years ago.
“I’m not sending you back,” Minseok comforts him, enveloping him in a hug and stroking his hair softly.
Jongin presses himself further into Minseok’s embrace even though he’s taller, clinging onto Minseok tightly because he doesn’t want to let go.
“Then why are we here?” Jongin asks, sniffing.
Minseok lets go of him and Jongin whines, arms still wrapped around Minseok’s shoulders. He hears Minseok’s sigh before his hands are forcefully pulled away, though the grip around his wrists are gentle and Jongin’s confused.
“Wait here, and you’ll find out why,” Minseok says before he unbuckles his seat belt and steps out of the car.
Jongin’s eyes follow Minseok’s every movement and stays trained on the double doors of the entrance as Minseok disappears inside. He counts down the minutes until Minseok appears again, holding the door open and looking back behind him. Jongin raises his eyebrows, wanting to know why Minseok was inside the shelter for more than half an hour.
He accidentally lets out a whimper when a big dog hybrid follows Minseok out to their car. The dog has long floppy ears and a short brown tail, and he doesn’t stop smiling. Minseok doesn’t stop smiling either and that makes Jongin unhappy. Why is his human smiling at someone that is not him?
Jongin scowls when Minseok holds their car door open for the dog to climb in and his eyebrows furrow when he detects a hint of fear in the dog’s eyes. Minseok doesn’t seem to notice, only closing the door before climbing back into the front seat beside Jongin.
“Who’s this?” Jongin immediately asks, staring at the dog currently occupying the back seat.
“That,” Minseok replies as he revs up the engine once more, “is Chanyeol, your new companion.”
“I don’t need a new companion,” Jongin retorts, backing down when Minseok glares at him.
“Chanyeol is a nice fellow,” Minseok compliments Chanyeol and Jongin hates him already. “Say hi, Chanyeol.”
Jongin cringes when drool escapes Chanyeol’s mouth as he attempts to greet Jongin. Jongin only nods his head curtly before turning back to face the front, crossing his arms and the frown never leaves his face.
“Where are we going now?” Jongin questions, turning his head only slightly to look at Minseok.
“I was thinking of going to the park so you can meet your friends and introduce Chanyeol to them,” Minseok answers and the look he gives Jongin afterwards makes Jongin afraid to say no.
Minseok is a nice owner who dotes on him, but Jongin’s learnt to never make him mad.
They’re only halfway to the park when Jongin’s sharp ears pick up a small sound from the back. He turns his head and Chanyeol looks so sick that Jongin’s sure he’s going to throw up inside the car if Minseok doesn’t stop.
“Hyung, I think you need to stop for a while,” Jongin comments, gaze never leaving Chanyeol who keeps heaving.
Minseok pulls the car to a stop and Chanyeol opens the door forcefully, running to the side of the road where the grass are before he heaves and pukes. Jongin watches in disgust from inside the car while Minseok rushes out to aid Chanyeol, rubbing his back and Jongin tries to not let it bother him.
His tail lying limp on his lap and his flattened ears say otherwise.
Jongin starts playing with his fingers and ignores whatever is going outside because he knows that if he looks, he’ll get angry and jealous at the affection Minseok is showing Chanyeol. The affection’s always been for him only but now that there’s a new addition to the family, Jongin is not taking to it too well although he knows that no matter what he says, Chanyeol will stay. Minseok is never going to send Chanyeol back to the shelter and that’s a fact that Jongin knows.
He only looks up when he hears the car doors opening, Chanyeol armed with a plastic bag and Minseok looking worried.
“I think we’ll have to go straight home,” Minseok says, turning back to look at Chanyeol. “Poor guy’s carsick.”
Jongin lets the words of protest die on his lips because he knows Minseok won’t tolerate it. He crosses his arms and his tail flicks in annoyance, looking out the window the rest of the ride home. He had really wanted to meet his friends but because of Chanyeol, he can’t and that makes him mad.
“Jongin, please try to understand,” Minseok sighs.
Jongin doesn’t reply.
When they get home, Jongin’s the first to exit the car and go inside. He goes straight to his room and locks the door, throwing himself on his bed face down. He stays in the position for a while before he turns on his back, legs kicking at the covers in frustration. He would have been okay with a new addition to the family if Minseok had told him beforehand and let him prepare himself, but Chanyeol is too unexpected for him to welcome him warmly and he reckons it’ll stay that way until Chanyeol proves his worth.
He hears Minseok and Chanyeol’s movements downstairs from his room. It seems like Chanyeol’s shuffling his feet against the carpet as Minseok shows him around. His ears perk up as he tries to listen for more, frowning when he hears two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs towards the bedrooms. There’s an extra bedroom beside his, that Jongin knows, and he assumes that it’ll be for Chanyeol.
There’s a knock on the door and he hears Minseok calling for him in a soft voice and while Jongin tries his best to ignore it, his affection for Minseok prevents him from doing so. He unlocks the door and immediately regrets his decision when Chanyeol barges into his room, Minseok standing by the door frame.
“I need you to watch after him while I cook,” Minseok explains. “I’d rather he be with you than explore the house on his own.”
Jongin cannot say no when Minseok looks serious and hopeful at the same time and agrees with a small nod of his head, although his eyebrows are still furrowed. Minseok smiles at him and pats his head, scratching behind his ear lightly and Jongin pushes his head up against Minseok’s hand as he purrs.
“Good boy,” Minseok compliments before he walks off and Jongin feels better already.
The smile is wiped off his face when Jongin turns around to see Chanyeol spread out on his bed and playing with the toys that Minseok got for Jongin when he first moved in. He storms up to the dog boy and takes the toys out of Chanyeol’s hand, setting them down on the table where they originally were carefully before he turns to glare at Chanyeol.
“Hi, you already know I’m Chanyeol,” Chanyeol greets. “What’s your name?”
“Jongin,” Jongin replies when he observes that there’s no drool this time.
“Cool. How long have you been here?”
“Two years.”
Chanyeol’s questions never stop and Jongin gives him short answers, not bothering to ask more about Chanyeol because Chanyeol tells him anyway. Jongin learns that Minseok has been visiting him at the shelter once a week. He learns that Minseok was reluctant to adopt Chanyeol at first because he was afraid of hurting Jongin’s feelings. He learns that Chanyeol’s had a past similar to his.
His past is something Jongin doesn’t want to think about ever again. He’s forgotten most, but the part that he remembers most is being beaten to the point he had to limp out of the house instead of run, and he remembers passing out by the roadside and waking up in the shelter where Minseok got him from.
“Did the shelter help you recover?” Jongin asks softly.
Chanyeol looks sad for a moment and Jongin’s heart goes out to him. It’s never easy to recover from a painful past and Jongin knows because he’s been there before.
“Hey, come here,” Chanyeol gestures Jongin forward with his hand, soft smile on his face.
Jongin comes forward but he doesn’t expect Chanyeol to pull him forward by the arm for him to fall into bed with him. He struggles to escape but Chanyeol’s arms wrap around his waist and he’s too strong for Jongin to fight so Jongin gives up and goes limp, tail trapped in between their bodies and ears twitching with annoyance.
“I’m glad Minseok took me in. At least I have a friend now,” Chanyeol murmurs into his hair.
Jongin huffs because Chanyeol’s grip around his waist is too tight but at the same time, Chanyeol is warm and Jongin feels comfortable leaning against the tall boy. He tries not to move as Chanyeol continues to nuzzle his nose into Jongin’s hair, occasionally brushing against his ears and it feels nice.
It feels like it’s been hours before Jongin hears the soft snoring coming from behind him, hold around his waist going limp. He’s finally able to free himself from Chanyeol but he doesn’t, choosing to stay and enjoy Chanyeol’s warmth for a bit. While Jongin hates that Chanyeol is a sudden addition, he has to admit that he’s pretty warm and friendly and he never thought that their past is something that could possibly bring them closer together.
It’s just the start, but Jongin figures that maybe, just maybe, he could learn to accept Chanyeol. For now, he leans back against Chanyeol’s body and closes his eyes, waiting for sleep to take over.
Pairing: Chanyeol/Jongin
Rating: PG-13
Length: 2400w
Summary: There's a new addition to their family and Jongin hates it.
A/N: Written for the 2014 round of kittyexo12.
Jongin wakes up to the sunlight streaming in from the spaces between the blinds hitting his face and the aroma of eggs and bacon cooking on top of the stove. He sits up and stretches his arms up above his head, feeling the knots in his back undo themselves as he yawns. His hair is in a mess but his brown ears stick out from the stop of his head and his dark brown tail swishes behind him lazily, left to right as he walks out to the kitchen. He sees Minseok, back facing him by the stove. Jongin smiles at this, walking forward to wrap his arms around Minseok’s waist and nuzzling his nose into Minseok’s neck.
“Good morning, Jongin,” Minseok greets, eyes trained on the eggs in the frying pan.
“Good morning, hyung,” Jongin replies, voice muffled by Minseok’s neck.
Minseok shifts to move the eggs from the pan to a plate and Jongin moves along with him, refusing to let go of Minseok’s waist even as Minseok reaches up to try grab two mugs. Jongin chuckles to himself and gets the mugs instead when Minseok’s doesn’t reach them. He’s rewarded with a light nudge in the gut and he pretends it hurts by doubling over.
“That doesn’t work anymore,” Minseok comments as he breaks away from Jongin’s grip.
“I’m reporting you for domestic abuse,” Jongin huffs, ears twitching.
“That doesn’t work either,” is Minseok’s only reply and Jongin gives up.
They dig into their breakfast in silence sitting on high stools at the counter in the kitchen, munching on scrambled eggs and it’s too quiet. Jongin looks up at Minseok’s face and frowns when he sees his eyebrows furrowed, blank eyes staring at a certain spot on the counter. Jongin directs his eyes to where Minseok is looking at but he sees nothing.
“Minseok hyung?” Jongin asks, leaning forward.
Minseok startles and this makes Jongin worried. Minseok never blanks out and it’s uncharacteristic of him to do so, especially when Jongin is around.
“Hyung, is something bothering you?” Jongin asks, tail stopping its swishing and ears perking up.
“Uh,” Minseok hesitates. All Jongin has to do is glare and Minseok sighs before he says, “We’re going out today.”
The answer is unsatisfactory but Minseok won’t meet eyes with Jongin anymore, finishing the last of his food even though Jongin’s sure he can feel Jongin staring at him. He replays Minseok’s words in his head and all his worries immediately disappear because whenever Minseok says they’re going out, they always have a lot of fun and Jongin’s looking forward to it already.
Jongin throws himself into the passenger seat and buckles himself up before Minseok can tell him to move to the back. He only grins when Minseok shakes his head and doesn’t say anything. Jongin is sure Minseok already knows how much Jongin loves sitting in front of him. He watches as Minseok gets into the driver’s seat and revs up the engine, backing out of the parking lot and driving onto the main street. His eyes never leave Minseok’s face even when they’re on the road, ears twitching and tail stiff behind him. There’s something wrong with Minseok today but he cannot put his finger on it and it bothers him. Minseok’s hand, he observes, is tightly gripping onto the steering wheel and his legs don’t stop shaking and Jongin gets the feeling that Minseok is nervous.
“Why are you so nervous?”
Jongin knows he’s hit jackpot when Minseok freezes momentarily before the expression is wiped from his face. Although it’s a little useless because Jongin can still see the nervousness in Minseok’s eyes, Jongin chooses to keep his silence and finally takes his eyes off Minseok. Instead, he observes his surroundings and tries to remember the routes that he and Minseok usually take when they go out to play. This definitely isn’t the route to the park they frequent, nor is it one to the diner they normally go to when they decide to eat out.
When they stop outside a building that’s all too familiar and one that Jongin certainly doesn’t want to visit again, his eyes widen and they start to water. His ears go flat against his head and his tail drops. He’s shaking because even if they’re where it all began for him, it could now be the end for him too.
The adoption shelter.
“If it’s something I did, I am so sorry. Please don’t send me back, I promise-”
“Jong-”
“I’ll be good and I’ll do what-”
“Jongin.”
“-ever you say and-”
“Jongin!”
Jongin stops and stares at Minseok with watery eyes, ears flattened against his head and he’s shaking. He’s shaking because he doesn’t want to go back. He wants to stay with Minseok and he doesn’t know why they’re here where Minseok first picked him up two years ago.
“I’m not sending you back,” Minseok comforts him, enveloping him in a hug and stroking his hair softly.
Jongin presses himself further into Minseok’s embrace even though he’s taller, clinging onto Minseok tightly because he doesn’t want to let go.
“Then why are we here?” Jongin asks, sniffing.
Minseok lets go of him and Jongin whines, arms still wrapped around Minseok’s shoulders. He hears Minseok’s sigh before his hands are forcefully pulled away, though the grip around his wrists are gentle and Jongin’s confused.
“Wait here, and you’ll find out why,” Minseok says before he unbuckles his seat belt and steps out of the car.
Jongin’s eyes follow Minseok’s every movement and stays trained on the double doors of the entrance as Minseok disappears inside. He counts down the minutes until Minseok appears again, holding the door open and looking back behind him. Jongin raises his eyebrows, wanting to know why Minseok was inside the shelter for more than half an hour.
He accidentally lets out a whimper when a big dog hybrid follows Minseok out to their car. The dog has long floppy ears and a short brown tail, and he doesn’t stop smiling. Minseok doesn’t stop smiling either and that makes Jongin unhappy. Why is his human smiling at someone that is not him?
Jongin scowls when Minseok holds their car door open for the dog to climb in and his eyebrows furrow when he detects a hint of fear in the dog’s eyes. Minseok doesn’t seem to notice, only closing the door before climbing back into the front seat beside Jongin.
“Who’s this?” Jongin immediately asks, staring at the dog currently occupying the back seat.
“That,” Minseok replies as he revs up the engine once more, “is Chanyeol, your new companion.”
“I don’t need a new companion,” Jongin retorts, backing down when Minseok glares at him.
“Chanyeol is a nice fellow,” Minseok compliments Chanyeol and Jongin hates him already. “Say hi, Chanyeol.”
Jongin cringes when drool escapes Chanyeol’s mouth as he attempts to greet Jongin. Jongin only nods his head curtly before turning back to face the front, crossing his arms and the frown never leaves his face.
“Where are we going now?” Jongin questions, turning his head only slightly to look at Minseok.
“I was thinking of going to the park so you can meet your friends and introduce Chanyeol to them,” Minseok answers and the look he gives Jongin afterwards makes Jongin afraid to say no.
Minseok is a nice owner who dotes on him, but Jongin’s learnt to never make him mad.
They’re only halfway to the park when Jongin’s sharp ears pick up a small sound from the back. He turns his head and Chanyeol looks so sick that Jongin’s sure he’s going to throw up inside the car if Minseok doesn’t stop.
“Hyung, I think you need to stop for a while,” Jongin comments, gaze never leaving Chanyeol who keeps heaving.
Minseok pulls the car to a stop and Chanyeol opens the door forcefully, running to the side of the road where the grass are before he heaves and pukes. Jongin watches in disgust from inside the car while Minseok rushes out to aid Chanyeol, rubbing his back and Jongin tries to not let it bother him.
His tail lying limp on his lap and his flattened ears say otherwise.
Jongin starts playing with his fingers and ignores whatever is going outside because he knows that if he looks, he’ll get angry and jealous at the affection Minseok is showing Chanyeol. The affection’s always been for him only but now that there’s a new addition to the family, Jongin is not taking to it too well although he knows that no matter what he says, Chanyeol will stay. Minseok is never going to send Chanyeol back to the shelter and that’s a fact that Jongin knows.
He only looks up when he hears the car doors opening, Chanyeol armed with a plastic bag and Minseok looking worried.
“I think we’ll have to go straight home,” Minseok says, turning back to look at Chanyeol. “Poor guy’s carsick.”
Jongin lets the words of protest die on his lips because he knows Minseok won’t tolerate it. He crosses his arms and his tail flicks in annoyance, looking out the window the rest of the ride home. He had really wanted to meet his friends but because of Chanyeol, he can’t and that makes him mad.
“Jongin, please try to understand,” Minseok sighs.
Jongin doesn’t reply.
When they get home, Jongin’s the first to exit the car and go inside. He goes straight to his room and locks the door, throwing himself on his bed face down. He stays in the position for a while before he turns on his back, legs kicking at the covers in frustration. He would have been okay with a new addition to the family if Minseok had told him beforehand and let him prepare himself, but Chanyeol is too unexpected for him to welcome him warmly and he reckons it’ll stay that way until Chanyeol proves his worth.
He hears Minseok and Chanyeol’s movements downstairs from his room. It seems like Chanyeol’s shuffling his feet against the carpet as Minseok shows him around. His ears perk up as he tries to listen for more, frowning when he hears two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs towards the bedrooms. There’s an extra bedroom beside his, that Jongin knows, and he assumes that it’ll be for Chanyeol.
There’s a knock on the door and he hears Minseok calling for him in a soft voice and while Jongin tries his best to ignore it, his affection for Minseok prevents him from doing so. He unlocks the door and immediately regrets his decision when Chanyeol barges into his room, Minseok standing by the door frame.
“I need you to watch after him while I cook,” Minseok explains. “I’d rather he be with you than explore the house on his own.”
Jongin cannot say no when Minseok looks serious and hopeful at the same time and agrees with a small nod of his head, although his eyebrows are still furrowed. Minseok smiles at him and pats his head, scratching behind his ear lightly and Jongin pushes his head up against Minseok’s hand as he purrs.
“Good boy,” Minseok compliments before he walks off and Jongin feels better already.
The smile is wiped off his face when Jongin turns around to see Chanyeol spread out on his bed and playing with the toys that Minseok got for Jongin when he first moved in. He storms up to the dog boy and takes the toys out of Chanyeol’s hand, setting them down on the table where they originally were carefully before he turns to glare at Chanyeol.
“Hi, you already know I’m Chanyeol,” Chanyeol greets. “What’s your name?”
“Jongin,” Jongin replies when he observes that there’s no drool this time.
“Cool. How long have you been here?”
“Two years.”
Chanyeol’s questions never stop and Jongin gives him short answers, not bothering to ask more about Chanyeol because Chanyeol tells him anyway. Jongin learns that Minseok has been visiting him at the shelter once a week. He learns that Minseok was reluctant to adopt Chanyeol at first because he was afraid of hurting Jongin’s feelings. He learns that Chanyeol’s had a past similar to his.
His past is something Jongin doesn’t want to think about ever again. He’s forgotten most, but the part that he remembers most is being beaten to the point he had to limp out of the house instead of run, and he remembers passing out by the roadside and waking up in the shelter where Minseok got him from.
“Did the shelter help you recover?” Jongin asks softly.
Chanyeol looks sad for a moment and Jongin’s heart goes out to him. It’s never easy to recover from a painful past and Jongin knows because he’s been there before.
“Hey, come here,” Chanyeol gestures Jongin forward with his hand, soft smile on his face.
Jongin comes forward but he doesn’t expect Chanyeol to pull him forward by the arm for him to fall into bed with him. He struggles to escape but Chanyeol’s arms wrap around his waist and he’s too strong for Jongin to fight so Jongin gives up and goes limp, tail trapped in between their bodies and ears twitching with annoyance.
“I’m glad Minseok took me in. At least I have a friend now,” Chanyeol murmurs into his hair.
Jongin huffs because Chanyeol’s grip around his waist is too tight but at the same time, Chanyeol is warm and Jongin feels comfortable leaning against the tall boy. He tries not to move as Chanyeol continues to nuzzle his nose into Jongin’s hair, occasionally brushing against his ears and it feels nice.
It feels like it’s been hours before Jongin hears the soft snoring coming from behind him, hold around his waist going limp. He’s finally able to free himself from Chanyeol but he doesn’t, choosing to stay and enjoy Chanyeol’s warmth for a bit. While Jongin hates that Chanyeol is a sudden addition, he has to admit that he’s pretty warm and friendly and he never thought that their past is something that could possibly bring them closer together.
It’s just the start, but Jongin figures that maybe, just maybe, he could learn to accept Chanyeol. For now, he leans back against Chanyeol’s body and closes his eyes, waiting for sleep to take over.