↬ animal shelter.

@⁰⁴ doyoung k. His little comment, void of any malice or snark made her giggle before she picked up her head, shooting him a haughty side glance. “Yes, and what about it?” she huffed with a flare of pompous audacity; it made her cringe soon after, beginning to pick up a simper of mirth. “I’m kidding!” she exclaimed, nudging the side of his waist to let him know just that; how could she ever admit that this was such a special moment to her? That adopting a pet together was so much more than simply having company but was the simplest excuse she could come up with?

“Also, no offence to anyone,” she began, glancing around to spy for any ears yet still dropped her voice to a whisper. “I just don't like chihuahuas. I have Chihuahua Trauma from my art professor back in Paris.” She shuddered again at the thought of said dog, the memories just putting her off the kind itself and it was not anything she would have liked to remember. Her banter drops at his laughter, rolling her eyes heavily at him. “Hey, I’m big and strong!” lies. She hated exercise and took her love for her bed to another level and besides, it really wasn’t her fault she was lactose intolerant and had refused to drink milk when she was a kid! “I hate it here,” she whined, unhooking her arm from his right away. Taking a sip of her coffee, she continued. “It was my first puppy ever, pa gave him to me when i was five. did you ever gone to the adoption center then?” she asks, automatically reaching for his free hand to hold. She didn’t realize what she was doing. “Whoa… i think i am happy to do this with you too. Wait, no- i AM happy.”

@⁰² yoonah c. (h) The expression she wears the moment his words leave his lips is all-telling; he's caught her, right on the nose, and though he'd likely never verbally admit this to anyone other than his private id, the despondent look she suddenly employs across her visage is incredibly endearing. "Wow," he says, shaking his head playfully. "And so you've only kept me around this long so I'd raise a dog with you?" Not that he would mind. Masochistic as it sounds, perhaps in a sense, Doyoung is fine being used by her as she deems fit, whether it place him in the position as a presence in her bed or a father to her dog.

Head tilted in contemplation whilst he brings his drink to his lips, he shrugs his shoulders. "A bigger dog would be nice also..." Doyoung agrees slowly, perhaps paying more brain cells than needed to the decision. But she's also so small― "But why can I already see you getting dragged down the sidewalk, getting walked /by the dog/." A light chuckle leaves his lips, though he nods in understanding in response to her answer. "Ah," he hums. "You do kind of strike me as a Boston Terrier type of girl. And no, I didn't have pets, unless you count my sister―" A laugh escapes his lips. "I've always wanted one though. But as I got older I kind of just, didn't have time. So... I'm glad I get to do it now."

@⁰⁴ doyoung k. And she was caught red-handed, just like that. In all fairness, she had been meaning to adopt a pet when she landed back in Seoul but it had all been put off for a variety of reasons. But the opportunity presented itself when he came into her life, being so much more than someone she sometimes shared a bed with; he’d began to become a person she genuinely liked more than just a friend but she could never say it out loud. How much she cared for him, how much affection she harbored for him and what her heart did when he was around and not there. So a puppy made up for it, the empty and cold space in both her bed and her heart when he was not there. “Well, yeah,” she nodded, lower lip jutting out into a pout. “Only because i didn’t know if i wanted a retriever, a labrador or a samoyed!”

His suggestions made her frown, a pensive expression befalling pretty visage. Maybe he was right, that it was a good idea to start off with a little dog instead. Yoonah sighed, shaking her head as she took another sip of her coffee. “No, a bigger dog is nicer. I think it also gives me the chance to begin going on walks and stuff, yknow?” she pondered, allowing him to veer them towards the animal shelter. “Yeah, i did. We had a Boston Terrier when i was young. But he passed away just a month before i moved out of Seoul so i never really had the heart to adopt again. What about you? Did you have pets?”

@⁰² yoonah c. (h) If it were up to him, he would have cupped her cheeks full in the warmth of his hands and leaned his head down to pepper her entire visage with his lips, taking his promised kisses for himself. In that very moment, he would have done so, had it not been for their very public affair. He's a man starved after a few days of not being able to hold her, feel her invigorating presence and to be quite honest, he's sure this short meeting will be enough to energize him for his next shift in a few hours. "Did you just decide to get a dog and didn't think further?"

These words are accompanied by a prompt roll of his eyes, but it's all in good favor; Doyoung himself could never afford to think this way but perhaps in that sense... having her around could be his own way of living boldly. "Yeah, but maybe we should go with a smaller dog," he suggests with a slight chuckle, lifting his straw to his lips once more. "For now, at least." As they begin to saunter off campus, edging ever closer to the animal shelter, he asks, "Have you ever had a pet?"

@⁰⁴ doyoung k. Oh right… ten more kisses. She had forgotten about their little deal. Although it had started in a banter and was probably meaningless, her heart had skipped a beat before the swarm of butterflies had erupted in her stomach, filling it with excited jitters. Eleven kisses and she got to keep his hoodies forever- if that wasn’t a fair deal, she didn’t know what was. “Pft, bring it on! Mama aint raise no wimp!” she exclaims in laughter, the sound flittering with the warm spring breeze.

As they begin their walk to the shelter, somehow beginning to match steps and pace, she briefly pondered if it was okay to hold his hand- they did look lonely albeit pretty. Deciding it was for the better, she reached forward, hooking her arm around his, pulling herself close to his body. This was so much cozier. “Mm, to be honest, I didn’t think that far,” she muses out loud, gnawing on the paper straw of her coffee cup. “Maybe it makes better sense to just look for someone who screams the name ‘Romeo’ at us? What do you think?”

@⁰² yoonah c. (h) Someone should scream at him, throw shame on him for the rest of his life for finding relief in the fact that she easily forgives him, but he would have done the same. With her large and expressive eyes which may rival those of their soon-to-be-adopted pup, and her lips… those lips, which would spill sweet apologies, he’d never be able to say no either. There’s not much that can be done for the fact that both Doyoung and Yoonah are simply pawns, small pieces in a larger mural of love. Especially when she presents him with such indispensable gifts, like bliss in the form of his favorite black coffee.

Though his left hand keeps a hold on the cup, his right hand snakes sneakily around the circumference of her waist, seeking purchase upon her frame. At her kiss, he can’t help the sly simper which spreads across his own tiers, speaking against her lips. “I believe you owe me ten more,” he teases, but releases her nonetheless. This wouldn’t exactly be the right place; he instead refocuses his lips to the straw of his beverage. Its bittersweet sapidity spreads across his tongue; ah, the glory! She truly spoiled him. He almost reaches out to grab her hand as the pair begins to make their way to the animal shelter (a short walk off campus) but instead occupies both his hands around the coffee cup. “Do we know what kind of dog we want?”

@⁰⁴ doyoung k. glossed lips had moved to the straw of his drink and as she took a sip, yoonah couldn't help but disgustingly wonder how the heck he functioned on just iced americanos; they'd often discussed their preferences on their drinks, hers mildly sweet and milky and his dark. ultimately, it had been decided they both had a penchant over being way too caffeinated. she couldn't take more than a gulp, shuddering in distaste. "ew," she murmured under her breath, gladly taking another swig of her own latte. oh, sweet cold goodness!

yoonah felt him approach before she saw or even heard him. it was the slight pace change in the breeze, tinged with sunshine and warmth and the way the world suddenly got a thousand times better. ah, the rosy colored lenses! but truly, with him around, it seemed like every single worry simmered down into a mere dull noise at the back of her mind if not nothing at all or maybe, just maybe, it simply seemed like they would get better. the pat on her head causes her to turn around, brow arched just enough to show him her annoyance. that's all he could say when he was so late? but then again, could she even hold her annoyance for longer than a fraction of a breath? absolutely not. yoonah's posture eased as she handed him his coffee, taking a small step towards him hence in turn, closing much distance between their bodies. "it's alright, i know you've been busy. but thank you for coming still, okay?" she grinned, toothy and genuine as she raised slightly on her tiptoes so she could reach his height (god, why was he so bloody tall!) and pressed a little peck on his puckered tiers in acceptance. "Forgiven! Now let's go! I can't wait to meet Romeo!"

@⁰² yoonah c. (sh) He's late and he knows it. The worst part is that Doyoung prides himself on his meticulousness and punctuality―it's almost a requirement for a full-time student with three jobs to burden upon his back. But for some reason, today after his afternoon shift at the cafe, he had completely passed out on the shared House™ couch without much regard for what he was to be doing in only a few hours' time: meeting Yoonah at the school to pay the animal shelter a warm visit. It was meant to be a short nap, he swears! But when he woke to the incessant sound of his phone ringing (it was Jaehyun, the genius who had locked himself out of the house), his eyes had nearly bugged out from their sockets upon seeing that he had only a quarter of an hour until their meeting time.

He probably looks like a mess; his white sweater is unruly atop black jeans from his shift and his hair is tousled from his afternoon nap. But as he rounds the corner of the campus dorm building, keeping up a slight hurried jog, he sees her and she looks... Lovely. God, he thinks whilst he runs a hand through his hair thus making a mess of the dark locks. He really needs to get his head on straight. Thinking about her (not just in the physical sense, but even of the simple banter they can hold for hours) keeps his mind occupied during work, and Doyoung is unsure of whether that is a good or bad thing. As he approaches, he pats the top of her head to pull her attention to him. "Hey," he says. Hey? He's twenty minutes late and the best thing he can think to say in his chagrin is 'Hey'? Maybe he can persuade her with a kiss; no, that's a bad idea. "Sorry I'm late, I... overslept. Had a long shift at the cafe." There's no use in lying, he knows this. Puckering his lips the slightest, he asks, "Forgive me?"

@⁰⁴ doyoung k. ― the weather had lightened up, summer’s impending loom glorious hues of blue, yellow and green. In spring, the world looked brighter and ready for the sticky joy that summer brought. It was such a juxtaposition to autumn’s cobbler crust and cinnamon dust and winter’s frozen wonderland and twinkling lights. Yoonah had just begun a peculiar inclination towards spring; she didn’t hate it too much at that very moment.

Not when she was waiting for her date, an excited tap of her shoed toes against the concrete of the campus. Truthfully, he was not just a date― Doyoung had begun meaning so much more to her, in all of his dry humor, matching snark, ever ready comfort and penchant to indulge her whims. This was by no means a date… yet she could not explain why she took time to get ready, clad in what she hoped was an effortless look of a simple black dress. Yoonah wasn’t made of colors of lovely spring and summer; she was monochromes and earthy, leather and silk altogether. She hoisted the strap of her bag further up her shoulder, shooting an annoyed glance at the door of the university dorms which remained unmoving for the most part. God, he was so late!, she thought to herself as she took a sip of her iced latte with half a mind of finishing the second cup she’d gotten for him. Serves him right.