Step by step (1/4)

[theirblinggirl]

Title: Step by step
Author: theirblinggirl
Pairing: Leo/Hyuk (side Ravi/N)
Rating: PG-13 (brief mentions of sex and some swearing)
Word Count: ~19.000
Summary: Aspiring veterinary med student Han Sanghyuk gets a summer job at an animal shelter. Little does he know that his fellow humans would be the ones giving him more headaches than the animals, and that the only one he can really trust is the one named Leo.
A/N: Okay so this was supposed to be my post for a fic exchange but it never got posted so I just decided to post it here because you guys the amount of work I've put into this piece, I don't think I've ever worked so hard on a fic before. Mainly because I was unfamiliar with A) the requested pairing and also B) the requested genre (it's supposed to be romcom-ish but so help me Lord I suck at romance and comedy both). So please enjoy and please do let me know what you thought of it! Kisses~~
A/N2: there are 3 links to pictures hidden in this first part OuO you should click on them OuO
~*~

One step, as I look into your eyes,
two step, I will hug you and tell you
That I’ll always be your man,
step by step, I really love you
ZE:A - Step by step
~*~

The building in front of Sanghyuk is small - a lot smaller than he had expected, and the enormous placard over the entrance is definitely not commensurate with the size of the building, as it covers half of the frontage. It’s a photo of a ridiculously celebrity-looking someone cuddling a few white, absurdly fluffy dogs. Sanghyuk thinks his name is something Minhyuk - Lee Minhyuk, most probably, and Sanghyuk vaguely remembers seeing him on TV just recently in some silly romantic drama. Not that he’s watching any of those, of course.

"Give new members to your wonderful family - adopt a pet today!" the sign says (more like shouts) and the boy idly wonders how such a small place like this tiny animal shelter has managed to get someone as famous as Lee Minhyuk to advertise for them.
He finally shrugs, fixing his freshly dyed hair one last time for a bit of extra confidence, and walks up to the bigger door at the front, which says "entrance" in bold, childish letters written on the wall next to it. Sanghyuk tries to ignore the looming presence of the other, way less obnoxious door at the far end of the front wall - one that says "Veterinarian Clinic - open Monday-Saturday from 10AM till 4PM".

"Some day, Sanghyuk, some day you’ll have your own" he promises himself before stepping inside, tiny bells somewhere over his head announcing his arrival. "This is gonna be one Hell of a summer job" he thinks, without knowing just how true that guess is going to turn out.

As far as first days go, things are looking quite alright in Sanghyuk’s opinion - he meets his new boss, Cha Hakyeon, immediately upon entering. In fact, he kind of pushes him over, as soon as he steps into the customer area, where the guy is practically running up and down with a phone attached to his ear, gesturing animatedly and totally ignoring his surroundings which, unfortunately, include Sanghyuk in close, almost intimate proximity.

He looks anything but a manager capable of running even such a simple institute as an animal shelter, Sanghyuk observes after successfully separating his face from Hakyeon’s shoulder and apologizing (not that it wasn’t Hakyeon who walked into him) just in case, but his first impression somewhat fades once the guy finishes talking and turns to him with an overly friendly and wide, charming smile. He introduces himself, leaves no chance for Sanghyuk to properly do the same, grabs his arm and drags him across the room to a counter. The whole thing - the whole two and a half minutes that Sanghyuk has spent at the institute - feels like he’s being blown away by a hurricane.

Behind the counter sits another guy, one with impossibly thick lips. Sanghyuk stares at them for a little longer than he probably should before gathering himself, trying to look the other one in the eyes. Leave a good first impression, Sanghyuk, his mother has always told him. Introduce yourself politely and properly. So yeah, no staring at absurd lip-structures.
That however, still confuses him enough that he doesn’t quite catch the guy’s name - something Jaewon or Jaehwan, maybe? That, and the loud, vociferous shriek that (horror!) comes from under the desk when Sanghyuk reaches over it to shake hands.

“What to do? What to do?” asks an inhuman, face-less voice repeatedly, and the guy whose name is almost definitely something Jaewon or Jaehwan, just laughs, reaching a hand down.

“Nooo, Ken, this is not the way to greet people! Come on, say what I taught you!”

“What to do? What to do?” repeats the phantom-voice, and Sanghyuk will feel infinitely embarrassed later for the horrified expression that shows on his face at that moment, when Hakyeon and Jaewon-slash-Jaehwan start laughing. The latter then brings his hand up from where he reached down, and on his wrist sits a gorgeous, peach-coloured cockatoo with his head cocked aside and looking curiously at Sanghyuk.

“What to do?” he announces with a tone of finality, furrowing the feathers on the top of his head a little as he hops up on the desk and takes his - assumedly - rightful place on the bird stand just next to the phone that Sanghyuk has failed to notice before.

"He likes to sit on my knee sometimes" Jaewon-or-Jaehwan explains, probably for the still terrified frown that Sanghyuk is trying to force off his face, but before he can say anything, Hakyeon is already dragging him away, through a short corridor behind the reception desk, and outside.

This is the real thing, Sanghyuk thinks immediately. This is what he has signed up for - rows of spacious kennels with heavily tortured grass and holes in varying sizes in the ground, small, uniformized houses at their far ends. Some of the kennels have multiple of them, some only one, depending on the numbers of their inhabitants, most of whom are running immediately up to the front gates to greet the arriving humans with enthusiastic barks and rapid, hip-swaying tail wiggling.

Sanghyuk can't suppress his heartfelt, big smile as he looks at the dogs - there are roughly ten or eleven of them, and although it is evident from ribs visible through skin or patches of fur missing on thin bodies that some of them are newcomers that have yet to gain a healthy shape after living - possibly - on the streets, their eyes are all bright and shining and full of love.

Dogs are the best things that have happened to this planet, Sanghyuk decides. Dogs and Marvell comics.

Hakyeon is talking to him, but his voice barely registers in Sanghyuk’s mind through the almost child-like excitement, and he only notices that he’s gone when he hears someone else speaking.

“Hey there, new kid!” a deep voice suddenly calls from somewhere next to him and he jumps in surprise, turning to see a boy that seems about the same age as him - thus having no right to call him a kid, by the way.

He holds a couple kittens, hugging them close to his chest with one arm. The tiny things are hanging onto him like their lives depend on it, and Sanghyuk’s heart sinks when he notices that their eyes are not yet open.

“Came in the mail this morning” the boy tilts his head, gesturing towards the kittens, when he notices Sanghyuk looking, but his brows only slide higher on his forehead at that.

“Oh, sorry, slang. Sounds… better than saying we found them in the garbage, y’know. “
His face darkens, and what looked like an open, easy-going face one second becomes the most raw, rough glare the next moment. Sanghyuk can’t help but wonder if it’s on purpose that all the faces he’s seen in here are this animated, if they were, in fact, hired for that one special ability, or if it’s just a coincidence.

Except Sanghyuk has read way too much manga to believe in coincidences.

“Jaehwan says it’s still better, y’know… That they leave them in our garbage now. Still more chance that we find them in time” the other boy continues, adjusting a kitten that has started to wriggle its way out of his hold, threatening to fall.

So it’s Jaehwan, not Jaewon, Sanghyuk notes distantly.

“What do you say?” he suddenly asks, looking at Sanghyuk with an unreadable expression.

“I say they are fucking assholes either way” he answers, dead serious, and that seems to be the correct answer because the boy grins again, visibly pleased, and holds his free hand out to Sanghyuk.

“I’m Wonshik, by the way. And these babes are super hungry, so, wanna help feeding them?”

Wonshik is extremely easy to get along with, Sanghyuk decides, while they sit on a bench by the wall, each of them with a kitten hungrily slurping some milk-vitamin cocktail in their hand.

“So what did you think of them?” Wonshik asks, motioning at the general direction of the door through which Sanghyuk and Hakyeon came outside. Which reminds him…

“Hakyeon-sshi kind of just… left me? When we came outside? Is that a thing he usually does?” he asks, a little unsure if he’s not being rude, but still smiling. You can’t really not-smile when a newborn kitten is purring while sleeping in your hand. Wonshik laughs.

“He’s all over the place, all the time. Probably just forgot to mention that he actually brought you out so you could get to me and help here, which is what you’ll mostly do. You see, Jaehwan sometimes lends a hand, but Ken is really insufferable if you leave him alone at the desk for long… he likes being around people. Hakyeon would sometimes sit at the reception, if he has to, but he really can’t stay put for long. Besides, he’s got his… manager-things to attend to. Or so he claims. It’s gonna be a lot easier now tho, with you around… How did you end up here in the first place, anyways?”

So Sanghyuk tells him how the standard childhood dream to become a veterinarian has stuck to him during high school, how he’s struggled and barely but miraculously managed to get into university, how impossibly tough the first semester has been but how it’s only strengthened his determination to graduate. He goes on about how it would’ve been impossible to get a summer job at a pet clinic with his grades, so he chose the second best option that came to his mind - an animal shelter. He’s not doing it for the money, he tells Wonshik honestly. He’s doing it because he believes in it, because it’s his dream and because he loves the animals, he truly does. Wonshik nods along while he speaks, studying his face intently.

“That’s the thing here… nobody’s in for the money. But we all have our reasons… like, for Jaehwan, it’s the knowledge. It’s important for him that these poor things are never abandoned again, that they are taken care of, the knowledge that he’s doing something… good. Something meaningful, y’know.”

“And what about Hakyeon-sshi? Because he seems… well, he seems nice but he doesn’t exactly strike me as an animal-lover greenpeace-activist.”

“He’s better with people, yeah” Wonshik laughs, apparently finding the mere idea hilarious.
“That’s why he’s so good, tho, he can just look at someone and tell it they are trustworthy, if we can leave a pet in their care…”

“But why is he doing it? I mean, what is he getting out of it? People with people-skills are pretty popular on the job market lately, no?” Sanghyuk asks, out of pure curiosity, but regrets it the second the question leaves his mouth because it’s really not his place to ask such things.

Wonshik stays silent for a long, thoughtful moment, but answers anyways.

“For Hakyeon” he says, and his otherwise rusty voice is softer than Sanghyuk thought it could possibly be “it is important to know that he is important.”

There is something in the way he says those few words, ever so thought-out and careful, that supplies Sanghyuk with ideas for why Wonshik himself is here.

There is nothing much for them to do after the rescued kittens fall back into sleep, carefully tucked in a basket filled with soft rugs. Jaehwan makes coffee and Wonshik returns outside because “he needs a cigarette with that”. Sanghyuk stays with the receptionist and, of course, Ken, who seems to find the colour of his hair fascinating enough to leave his stand in favour of Sanghyuk’s shoulder, where he proceeds to pick at the locks of his hair carefully while making the most embarrassing, gurgling, soft and emotional sounds.

"I think he's trying to court you... or your hair, at least" Jaehwan laughs, nodding at the bird, and Hakyeon chooses this exact moment to re-appear from God-only-knows-where, springing at the coffee machine with an excited yell that sounds suspiciously like "CAFFEINE!"

Sanghyuk's endless debate within himself, whether it was his best or worst idea to apply for this job, starts right there.

"Did I hear something about somebody courting somebody? Oh well anyways, another somebody should bring coffee to the doc!" the manager beams, once he's gotten the first mouthful of his coffee-sugar cocktail (which might explain the reason behind his alarming hyperactivity, Sanghyuk muses). He then proceeds to grab a mug (which happens to read "VETERINARY MEDICINE: Because people are gross.") and pushes it into poor, unsuspecting Sanghyuk's hands.

"You haven't even met him yet so why don't you go? Introduce yourself; say hi, you know... Just down the corridor and last door on your left, go, go!" he ushers the boy away, pushing him towards the aforementioned corridor, waving goodbye with his fingers.

"You... you just sent him off to the lion's den..." Wonshik, who's just returned, deadpans. "You ruthless monster..."

"Exactly... But you love me anyways!" Hakyeon grins, sliding up to the boy, slender arms wrapping around his waist. In the background, Jaehwan pretends to throw up.

"What to do?" Ken shrieks, heartbroken.
~*~

The room Sanghyuk enters turns out to be a fairly small, albeit cleverly furnitured office. There are posters of different brands of pet food and medicine, as well as graphs of animal anatomy all over the walls, and amongst them, Sanghyuk spots a framed diploma of a veterinarian, from the very same university he goes to. A desk stands in the middle of the room with all kinds of papers, file folders, pencils, a desk lamp, a couple empty paper cups and a photo frame, the usual equipment you’d expect to see in any office, save for some smaller medical tools that Sanghyuk recognizes anyhow. He doesn’t spend much time looking around, because the office is not empty - almost as soon as he steps in, after not getting any response to his previous knocking, a huge blur of golden fur hurls itself at him, and the next moment, he finds himself face-to-face with the most beautiful dog he’s ever seen.

The animal stops right in front of Sanghyuk, sitting back on quivering legs as if contemplating whether or not to jump at him, but there is nothing menacing about its composure. The boy carefully sets the still steaming mug down on the desk, eyes not leaving the dog, before slowly bending down, lowering himself to its level. He extends a hand out, tentatively, and the animal looks at it curiously.

“I came bearing coffee! Though it’s probably not for you, but your dad…” he says in a low, calming voice that is supposed to work well with dogs, and not so surprisingly, it does, because the animal leans closer to sniff at Sanghyuk’s extended palm, furring its brows before making the final decision.

The next thing Sanghyuk knows is that he’s kneeling on the floor, hands buried into soft, silky yellow fur and laughing quietly as the dog attempts to thoroughly lick his entire face. The name tag hanging on the collar reads “LEO” on the front and “Dr. Jung Taekwoon” and a phone number on the back, and he both looks and acts mostly like a golden retriever with all his enthusiastic, lovely friendliness, though Sanghyuk suspects some other breed or breeds, probably shepherd-type, in his family tree. He’s mixed but still prettier than most dogs Sanghyuk has ever seen, and as he desperately tries to climb into the boy’s not-quite-big-enough lap, Sanghyuk feels himself falling in love. He laughs quietly at the numerous failed attempts before Leo decides that it would just be easier to throw his legs up in the air and let Sanghyuk properly pet his belly, viciously wiggling his tail when Sanghyuk indeed does so.

“You, you gorgeous boy, look at that, you like that don’t you, aren’t you just a big soft sweetheart marshmallow, look at you…” Sanghyuk coos, charmed, and it’s only when Leo barks happily, jumping up on his feet to jog to his - presumed ­- owner that Sanghyuk even notices someone has entered the room through the other door that leads most likely to the consulting room. (But it might as well lead directly into Mordor, for all Sanghyuk knows, for creatures with such coldly murderous gaze like this man to come through it.)

The creature with the deadly gaze is a young man in an ordinary white lab coat over his clothes, short and ruffled black hair framing almost unhealthily pale skin, a small mouth set in the thinnest line and impossibly high, almost prodding cheekbones. He is simply gorgeous, Sanghyuk realizes belatedly, gorgeous in a unique and not-quite-common way that forces you to look at him and study every small feature while you desperately try to work out just what it is that’s so breathtaking and special about him - just like his dog. He’s gorgeous and really angry and also, most likely, Dr. Jung Taekwoon himself.

“Umm… Hi?” Sanghyuk offers hesitantly, and stumbles to his feet. The man nods, acknowledging the greeting, but doesn’t say anything else.

“I, umm, I’m Han Sanghyuk, the new co-worker? They, uh, they sent you coffee…” he continues, even more unsure, and reaches to his hair self-consciously. Man, are those eyes piercing. He waits for a moment, wondering if he’ll ever get a reply, but the other just keeps standing in the same spot, one hand petting Leo’s head absent-mindedly. The dog is sitting obediently at his feet, obviously well-trained, but he is still looking at Sanghyuk, as if expecting something.

“You… have a nice dog” he finally mutters, feeling utterly embarrassed, and kind of wants the ground to just open below his feet because dear Lord that was the lamest compliment ever and he’s not even sure why he wanted to compliment the guy anyways.

“He wasn’t supposed to be friendly with you.” the man says, and his voice is the complete opposite of what Sanghyuk has expected - it’s soft and warm and languid but without any trace of emotions. He sounds… neutral.

“Excuse me?” Sanghyuk asks, flabbergasted, staring back at Taekwoon unbelieving, feeling more and more uncomfortable under the steady gaze that appears to be studying him carefully.

“Nothing personal. He’s trained not to trust strangers.” he shakes his head slightly and Leo looks back and forth between the two of them, as if sensing that the conversation is about him. “He loves children, tho… maybe he took you for one for some reason.”

“But I’m not a kid!” Sanghyuk blurts out, flushed, and something in Taekwoon’s eyes - amusement? - glistens for a split second.

“No, it wouldn’t seem so” he shakes his head, and although he doesn’t seem quite as menacing anymore, now that Sanghyuk is paying closer attention, there is still something overwhelming about him, something that kind of screams “RUN!” at Sanghyuk.

“I’ll… I’ll be going then, er, it was, umm, nice to meet you, bye!” he stammers, turning on his heels and practically sprinting through the door that leads back to the corridor.
~*~

“What the fuck is his problem?” he asks later, clutching his own coffee close to his chest for some warmth and emotional support. Wonshik laughs at him. He seems to be laughing at something most of the time, and Sanghyuk appreciates that trait extremely, especially after this most awkward encounter with the household vet.

“Nobody quite knows, I guess… Maybe Hakyeon does. They’ve been best friends for all their lives, or so the story goes. Taekwoon hyung has never denied it, although he does claim to hate every single thing about Hakyeon on a regular basis. They are… weird like that, those two.” Wonshik shrugs, exhaling another drag of smoke.

Sanghyuk glares at him disapprovingly, but he’s not about to start lecturing when Wonshik is the only person at the moment who doesn’t seem to either hate him or be clinically insane, or both.

“Don’t worry, it’s not like he actually hates you. He’s just… like that. It’s normal, you’ll get used to it, I promise. He’s actually quite fun, once he warms up to you…” he continues, patting Sanghyuk’s shoulder sympathetically.

“So what, do I have to, I dunno, tame him? Like a stray cat?” he rolls his eyes, before grinning apologetically at the basket of sleeping kittens next to them. “No offense, kitties. You guys are cool. You guys like me.”

“Chill out, dude, it’s not like you have to spend all your time with him…”

“But I want to! I mean, he’s the vet, I want to be in there, you know, see how he works and stuff… So I could actually learn something!” Sanghyuk groans, burying his face in his hands.
“At least Leo likes me a lot…” he mutters, more to himself than to Wonshik, or anyone else in particular, and he completely misses the shock of surprise that flashes through Wonshik’s face.

“Is that so…” he whispers to himself, making a mental note to mention that little episode to Hakyeon by any means. Oh, how wonderfully that’s gonna piss him off!
~*~

Sanghyuk is going to make Jung Taekwoon like him, he decides. It can’t be that hard, he is a likeable guy, he has a lot of friends, he’s easy-going and charming. All the neighbourhood ahjummas adore him, after all, what’s one sullen vet to a flock of constantly complaining elderly ladies. He’s going to make Taekwoon let him work at the clinic, let him study and help him to become a vet himself. That’s how it’s going to happen.

The next day, he volunteers to bring in Taekwoon’s coffee, to his co-workers utmost surprise. Hakyeon is downright pouting at him, totally un-manager-like, but he lets Sanghyuk pour the coffee and milk anyways, shaking his head in disbelief while watching him leave.
Like yesterday, only Leo is at the office, and like yesterday, he lounges happily at Sanghyuk, rolling over on his back for some well-deserved belly-rubbing. Sanghyuk laughs at him but bends down nevertheless, letting the dog soak his hands in saliva. He doesn’t have to wait for long for Taekwoon to arrive, and this time, he puts on his best, most charming smile that used to get him into clubs before he turned legal.

“I brought you coffee!” he announces cheerfully, ignoring the way the vet’s eyebrows slide upwards in surprise. “Also, I wanted to offer you my help… I noticed that you work alone, and since there aren’t that many things to do, I don’t always have to hang around Wonshik outside. I thought that maybe you could use some help here, too. I’m currently studying veterinary medicine, so I know a few things…” he goes on, determined to get his point through, and trying his hardest not to defloat by the unamused stare Taekwoon is giving him. He’s going to make the guy like him, even if he has to force himself down Taekwoon’s throat - oh fuck that sounded really completely wrong, even in his head. Not that he doesn’t still find the guy ridiculously attractive but... for the love of Jesus stop right there!

“Which year?” Taekwoon asks quietly, stopping the chaotic train of thoughts in Sanghyuk’s head.

“...what?”

“Which year are you in?” he repeats, and Sanghyuk kind of wants to repeatedly bang his own head against the wall because he’s only a few minutes into his Grand Plan and already made a complete fool out of himself.

“First…” he mutters, embarrassed.

“So what do you actually know? They don’t teach much in first year, not unless things completely changed since I was there” Taekwoon shakes his head, face unreadable, and he plops down on his desk unceremoniously. Sanghyuk watches his hands as he picks up a pen to swirl it between his fingers, a small and automatic movement, but still fascinating - wait what the ever-loving fuck...???

As if sensing his internal turbulence, Leo abandons his owner with a joyous yelp, and jumps to Sanghyuk, pushing his head under the boy’s hand that’s hanging down beside his torso helplessly. He’s thankful for the dog, he really is, especially because the other man is still looking at him, clearly expecting an answer. Oh no, Sanghyuk decides, gathering willpower and determination from the soft touch of Leo’s fur. You don’t get to pull that high-and-mighty shit with me…

“You don’t seem that old, surely you remember then, right?” he asks back, daring, and Taekwoon lets out a small chuckle of surprise, clearly not expecting Sanghyuk to strike back.

He doesn’t say more, though, leaving the boy to pet Leo in silence and gathering up some papers from his desk before retreating through the other door without a word. He’s the weirdest guy Sanghyuk’s ever met, he decides.

On the fourth day, he thanks Sanghyuk for the coffee that the boy brings in his office every morning. When he tells that to the others later, Jaehwan is so scandalized he almost chokes on the apple he’s eating, after which he insists that they call him Snow White for the rest of the day and keeps asking Ken to be his Prince Charming. The bird, thankfully, doesn’t understand a word of what he says.
~*~

“Can you come in early tomorrow morning?” Hakyeon asks later that day, and there is something mischievous in his grin, something that sets tiny alarms off in Sanghyuk’s head - but then again, something is always off about Hakyeon, in the most charming yet distressing way, so he doesn’t pay much thought to it.

“Sure I can…” he shrugs, not too fond of the idea of having to get up earlier than usual, but it’s not like he wants to refuse what his boss is asking him. He’s not that spoiled, contrary to his mother’s belief.

“Great! Around six would be amazing! Just go straight in the back to the dogs, the guys will be there and they’ll explain what to do, okay?” the manager continues, not waiting for an affirmative response before running off, as per usual, ruffling Sanghyuk’s hair fondly as he passes by.

Sanghyuk is not even suspecting a thing, continuing on his way to Jaehwan’s desk, whom he promised to help sorting some old archives out.

He should have known, though. He should have listened to his instincts that told him something was extremely off about the way Hakyeon’s eyes shone brighter than usual, about the way he seemed so eager to hear him promise that he would come in earlier. About the fact that he didn’t even tell him what he should be coming in for.

But even then he wouldn’t have been prepared for what he finds in the morning - and that is only one car in the parking lot, a completely vacated building (save for Ken chirping enthusiastically at him from the confines of his cage), and in the back, Taekwoon by himself inside one of the kennels. Leo is laying by the door, under the extending pent-roof, and barely pops an eye open to look up at Sanghyuk before returning to his nap.

Taekwoon, however, doesn’t notice Sanghyuk arriving - he doubts Hakyeon even informed him that Sanghyuk would be coming in this early, while he’s doing his regular check-ups on the sheltered animals. He seems completely immersed in his job, and for some reason, Sanghyuk feels reluctant to let him know he’s there. As carefully and slowly as he can, he edges closer, trying not to make much noise, till he stands at the gate, peeking in.
It’s the first time he sees Taekwoon out of the lab coat - he can’t help but notice the broad shoulders that the light, navy cardigan does much more justice to than the coat. But what mesmerizes him is not the shoulders - it’s the way Taekwoon bends down to the two adolescent puppies that are gathering at his feet, jumping up and down excitedly. Sanghyuk knows they are siblings and have been found together only a couple weeks ago, in terrible condition. They are still only starting to get used to human contact, and both him and Wonshik spend multiple turns trying to gain their trust, to get them comfortable with being touched and petted. Now they are willing to eat their food while the humans are still inside their place, and that already counts as an accomplishment.

With Taekwoon, they change completely. Sanghyuk can’t quite make out what he is saying to them - he only hears the soft, calming, almost hypnotizing murmur of his voice while he runs his hand down their sides, checking if they’ve gained weight and scribbling some notes in the small notebook he’s balancing on his knee. It’s the first time that Sanghyuk has seen him actually working, actually being around animals, other than Leo, of course, and it shocks him how his entire aura changes. There is nothing cold or distant about him right now, nothing icy and menacing - he radiates warmth and steadiness and safety. When he stands up and turns, Sanghyuk also notices that he is smiling - it’s the first time he’s ever seen Taekwoon smile. He wasn’t even sure the guy was capable of such expression but now the only thing he can think of is how he should never, ever do anything but that. His whole face lights up with that one slight curve of his lips, and if Sanghyuk has thought that he was beautiful before, he’s breathtaking now - and that’s when he realizes he’s done.
His heart is doing this weird thing where it’s unable to decide whether to beat a hundred times faster than it should or to stop altogether, and Sanghyuk knows what that means. Yes, he’s done for good. Oh, for fuck’s sake, really…

“Are you done gaping like a goldfish?” Taekwoon’s voice startles him out of his haze, and he nods feverishly, signaling that yes, he’s done, (he’s soooo done), yes he’s ready to do whatever the vet asks him to.

“Grab that scale from the bench and bring it along. We’ll measure Lady over here” he waves towards the petite female dog that likes to put her head in Sanghyuk’s lap whenever he pets her.

“Now, you’ll write down what I dictate, in the notebook. I’ll show you the tricks they don’t teach at school…” Taekwoon beckons, and Sanghyuk follows his every direction carefully, not even daring to ask questions, no matter how hard they burn the tip of his tongue.

They check up on every animal of the shelter, Sanghyuk meticulously taking notes of their weight, growth, mood and condition, following in Taekwoon’s footsteps as he visits them, one by one. They don’t talk much - or rather, Taekwoon doesn’t really say anything to Sanghyuk, besides short, quiet instructions, but the boy pays attention, closer attention than he ever has in any class - attention to the way Taekwoon works, to his methods and moves and the way his eyes light up as he tends to these poor, stray animals that drink in his care like it was water in a desert. And it probably is, Sanghyuk thinks, as he watches him gently caressing down the back of a pregnant cat that closes her eyes blissfully under his touch.

The others arrive shortly after they are done - while Taekwoon is in the small kitchen behind the reception, making the first dose of coffee that everyone accepts with gratitude. Sanghyuk stays back by the door, watching in awe as Hakyeon drapes himself all over Taekwoon, chattering about this-and-that cheerfully and Taekwoon only rolls his eyes but never pushes him off; as Wonshik and Taekwoon exchange a quite ridiculous, yet endearing bro-fist and Taekwoon asks him something about his car; as Jaehwan excitedly pulls Taekwoon aside and shows him something on his phone that has Taekwoon laughing - a short and quiet, but incredibly precious and sweet sound.

It all looks so...natural, so easy and so fascinatingly ordinary, for some reason, but most of all, it looks closed. Sanghyuk’s watching from the side and suddenly, very suddenly, he feels lonely and useless, because they all fall in their place in that tiny kitchen and he, he doesn’t.
Something wet and soft and warm touches his hand by his side, and Sanghyuk looks down to see that Leo’s waken up from his morning nap and decided to join the squash in the kitchen. Sanghyuk leans down to pet him, thankful for his company and he’s not feeling all that lonely anymore, but it still stings a tiny little bit.

Suddenly, the dog tenses, his whole body going rigid and barely sensible shudders run through him, starting from his neck, all the way down his back. Sanghyuk knows this posture, he’s learned that much, and he looks up in alarm, following Leo’s gaze - which he finds fixed on none other than Hakyeon. He leans back in surprise, just as Leo growls, deep and rough and warning, and Hakyeon stiffens, releasing Taekwoon to stare at the dog with utmost disapproval.

“Sanghyukkie, run, step away from that monster! That dog is a public menace!” he yells, and Taekwoon, again, for at least the third time that morning, chuckles.

“He likes the kid” he simply says, drying his hand with a paper towel, completely ignoring the dumbfounded stare that Hakyeon gives him.

“You… you sorry excuse of a best friend, I know you trained him to hate me specifically!” he complains, looking honestly hurt, and Taekwoon just shrugs, passing by him on his way out, heading towards his office.
Sanghyuk isn’t entirely sure that his silence can not be taken as an agreement to that statement.

Later that day Taekwoon lets Sanghyuk watch silently while he works, receiving clients in his small but cozy clinique. Sanghyuk notes that they are mostly locals, from the neighbourhood, and Taekwoon charges them all quite friendly, which, compared to his skills, seems somewhat ridiculous. Sanghyuk’s seen enough of Taekwoon’s sure hands, of his quick and precise diagnoses, of the way he handles the animals in such way that even the most scared, trembling things go languid and calm under his palms, to know that he could easily get a job at any fancy Gangnam pet clinic that charges small fortunes for the littlest procedures, where he could easily become obscenely rich with half the work he does here. He speaks in an even and natural tone with the owners, delivering both good and bad news without hesitation or even any indication that they affect him in any way, but what he lacks in social skills, he makes up for in his skills with the pets.

He keeps talking while he treats them - he’s not treating them as humans at all, not speaking to them in a way someone would to a person, he clearly doesn’t try to take them for people, which is a common mistake amongst vets. He takes them for what they are, sick or injured animals that need something special, something that they can only get from Taekwoon, and his voice remains gentle, his small smile he barely ever gives to the owners constantly playing around the corners of his lips as soon as he touches soft fur or sometimes feathers or thick, scaly skin.

Sanghyuk falls in love with Leo at first sight because the dog gives everything that’s on his heart away, without asking for anything in return, he gives love unconditionally like only a dog can - and he falls in love with Leo’s owner slowly, as Taekwoon gives himself away in front of his eyes, with the animals, to the animals, treating them in such a special and gentle way Sanghyuk never imagines he - or anyone, for that matter - could treat a human.

With humans, there is always a chance of disappointment, no matter how small, no matter how trustworthy they may seem. But animals bear no such danger, animals give their hearts without conditions or demands and their warm, open eyes hold only love and trust and gratitude as they look up on Taekwoon. For some reason, Sanghyuk can’t imagine that Taekwoon could, or would, ever betray someone’s trust.
(He has no idea how wrong he actually is.)
~*~

After a few days of quiet observation (he runs straight to the vet’s office as soon as Wonshik tells him there is nothing more he can do at the moment), Sanghyuk is allowed to help Taekwoon with smaller tasks - writing prescriptions, filling syringes, holding bigger dogs that would require both of his hands if he were to treat them on his own - and he’s just insanely happy about all of it. One time a customer asks who Sanghyuk is, more out of politeness than curiosity, and Taekwoon looks at him for a long moment, pondering, before simply saying “my assistant”, and going back to the task at hand.

Sanghyuk can’t stop grinning for the rest of the day.

He’s fairly aware that it’s showing, the endless smiles, the ridiculously happy mood at all times, the small jumps in his steps - once he actually catches himself crooning while he washes his hands in the bathroom -, but he couldn’t care less. The others notice, too - surprisingly Jaehwan is the first to inquire about the “lucky lady” and Sanghyuk blushes tomato-red, shaking his head and saying he has no idea what Jaehwan is talking about.

“Good” Jaehwan says, tilting his head, but his shit-eating grin tells Sanghyuk he doesn’t quite believe him. “Because Ken is already as depressed as he can be, now that you are cheating on him with that mammal.”

Sanghyuk almost chokes on thin air before Jaehwan adds a surprised “What?! I meant the dog!”

Truth is, Sanghyuk would most definitely cheat on anything or anyone with Taekwoon, but he’s not even sure if he’s not making things up yet. It’s easy to read worlds into the smallest things when you are desperate enough.
He’s not quite sure whether or not he’s only imagining the way Taekwoon is not pulling his hand away immediately if their fingers accidentally touch while working, if it was him or the young and enthusiastic pomeranian that Taekwoon’s amused smile was directed at when the latter jumped off the table during examination, if it’s Taekwoon warming up to him or him getting used to the reserved, distant attitude of the vet.

(part 2)