esp_dragon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
esp_dragon) wrote2017-01-31 02:01 pm
esp_dragon) wrote2017-01-31 02:01 pm
Entry tags:
Tradition [Part 2]
Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Tao continues the family tradition.
Notes: Inspired by polyshipprompts' 'A surprises their spouses with a date to the animal shelter. who’s ready to adopt fifty cats? who’s just going to make the others happy? who needs the most convincing to actually adopt?'
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 4032
Total word count: 5,005
Status: Work in progress
"Come on, you guys!" Tao said, looking at M-21 and Takeo over his shoulder as they walked through the streets. "We're nearly there!" Tao had insisted they walk instead of rooftop hop, which had to mean it was close.
"You still haven't told us where 'there' is," M-21 grumbled, glancing around, trying to guess where Tao was leading them. Tao hadn't given them a hint, which wasn't different from his other surprises.
"You haven't figured it out yet?" Tao's eyes were wide in fake shock. "Are you slowing down in yer old age, ahjussi?"
"I'm not-" The wind shifted and M-21 was hit in the face by the scent of dogs. A lot of dogs.
M-21 eyed the building they were coming up to, seeing the sign outside. Right. A dog home.
"You want to adopt a pet?" Takeo asked.
"Mi-yeon could do with a friend!" Tao said. "And we are going to adopt a companion!"
Tao hadn't made any more pets around the house since making Mi-yeon, but he seemed to be trying to develop her AI even more.
"You're used to the puppy's presence, huh," M-21 said, his tone wry.
"Not his destructive side!" Tao said, shivering. "But yeah, a little," he admitted. "The house doesn't smell the same, you know?"
That was one thing Mi-yeon couldn't replicate, and even with how clean Frankenstein liked his house, the puppy's scent wasn't erased, just like how everyone's scent lingered as well.
"Sooo?" Tao said, rocking back and forth on his feet. "We going in?"
M-21 shared a look with Takeo and the corners of his lips twitched up.
"Of course," Takeo said, answering for both of them.
"Yesss!" Tao threw himself at them, wrapping his arms around their shoulders, holding them tight. "We're gonna find the best companion!"
* * *
"Aaah, oh jeez, aren't you absolutely the cutest-!"
M-21 walked past Tao as he cooed over the puppies, the most curious pressing themselves against the glass, eager to play with his fingers.
"I wanna take you all home!"
He should have known Tao would have reacted like that as soon as they stepped through.
Takeo seemed to have the same idea, moving on ahead since Tao would cover the entrance. They nodded at each other as Takeo slowed, Tao's voice still easily heard bouncing off the walls.
All the dogs had gone up as close as they could when M-21 had entered, some barking as they'd pressed their front paws against the mesh separating them, others only watching him.
"I've never seen them act like this," one of the people there said, fussing over one and M-21 shrugged, hiding his sigh.
It wasn't unexpected for him, and since he'd gotten stronger since Raizel-nim had first awakened him, he could almost understand canines now. It was more like he could feel their intentions rather than hearing specific words, and the majority of them were very interested, wanting to meet him.
Except one.
M-21 couldn't tell the breed, but their hair was shaggier than the rest, unkempt. There were a couple patches of white amongst the grey fur. They'd curled up at the far wall, not even raising their head to look at him.
"Oh, you won't want her," the person who'd been distracted with the dogs said, walking up to him. Her name tag said 'Min-ji'.
M-21 raised his eyebrows. "Why not?" Unwanted, huh...
"Kyung-hee's too wild," Min-ji said. As soon as she walked into the dog's line of sight, M-21 could hear the soft warning growl from inside the cage. "She'll try to bite you at the first chance she gets and doesn't like being near people."
"Sounds like someone I know," M-21 heard, just before Tao perched his elbow on M-21's shoulder. Takeo had also come over, peering into the cage.
M-21 rolled his eyes at Tao's comment; he hadn't bitten anyone yet in a fight.
"We saw you looked interested in someone," Takeo explained.
Tao leaned forward to poke his fingers through the mesh and was greeted with a louder growl, Kyung-hee's hackles rising up.
"Yup, definitely," Tao said with a nod. "Takeo?"
"We'll take her," Takeo agreed.
"Are you sure?" Min-ji asked, her eyebrows drawn in at a concerned slant.
"There's nothing that'll change their mind once they've made it," M-21 told her. And they were all in agreement.
He sighed when Tao waggled his eyebrows at him, jerking his chin towards Kyung-hee, knowing exactly what Tao wanted him to do.
"Hey," he said, stepping up close to the mesh, "we can get you out of here." Kyung-hee blinked, her eyes widening as she lifted her head off the floor. Even without his werewolf heart to translate, she radiated 'who, me?' "Yeah, you. You'll have a bigger space than this, the ability to go out whenever you want, and as many toys as Tao can afford."
Tao stuck his tongue out at him, reaching over to ruffle M-21's hair. "Like you aren't gonna spoil her rotten too."
M-21 didn't duck away, letting Tao mess up his hair. "Hmph." M-21 knew he would spoil Kyung-hee; he'd been in a similar position to her. Undesirable. Angry. Lashing out at whatever she could because any approach had to have an intention to hurt.
He would do all he could to make sure she knew she was cared for in her new home.
Kyung-hee stared at him, staying where she was.
"Come on," Tao said, a bounce in his step as he walked towards the exit. "We've got forms to fill out!"
Nodding, M-21 gave Kyung-hee one last look before following Tao and Takeo out.
* * *
Kyung-hee was still in the same place when they came back, hands filled with bags of things for her. She looked over in their direction though, which was better than last time.
Min-ji opened the door, still casting uncertain looks between M-21 and Kyung-hee. She'd been doing that ever since M-21 had said they weren't buying a leash. Their first act with Kyung-hee wasn't going to be dragging her out when she didn't want to.
M-21 stood there with his thumbs hooked into his pockets, showing he didn't have anything in his hands. "Come on, then," he said. "We're taking you home."
Kyung-hee stared at him, not moving.
"You think I'm lying?" M-21 said. "We're here, aren't we?" He jerked his chin towards Takeo and Tao. "We've got all these toys, treats, and everything else for you." Tao squeaked the toy he'd just stopped squeezing at her. "And the door's open."
Kyung-hee continued to stare at M-21 and then at the open door.
He took a step back to give her more space, the others doing the same.
She lifted her head at that, still studying them.
When they didn't move, she stood up, shaking herself off. Step by step, she came closer, not taking her eyes off M-21.
She paused at the threshold, her nose twitching. She cocked her head, eyeing the three of them.
Tao, thankfully, didn't pounce on her as soon as she was within reach, though he did squeak the toy at her again, waving it.
"Heeeya! I'm Tao," Tao said, giving her a quick bow, "this is Takeo-" Takeo also bowed. "-and you've already met M. We're gonna be yer new housemates!"
Kyung-hee pricked her ears at Tao's tone, and looked up at M-21 once she'd stopped sniffing at the other two.
M-21 gave her a small smile. "Ready to go home?"
She continued staring at him, and then slowly, the tip of her tail began to wag.
As they walked out, Kyung-hee trotted by their heels. Every few steps she looked up at them, like she was making sure they were still there, that they hadn't disappeared on her.
* * *
The walk home took a lot longer compared to the walk to the dog home, since Kyung-hee paused to sniff everything she could. At first, the pauses were short, Kyung-hee's head shooting up to check where they were after a few seconds and then going back to them.
After the first couple times, when they hadn't moved from where she'd left them, she started taking her time exploring her surroundings. But she still checked where they were after a minute or so.
"Abandoned during a walk?" Takeo mused, watching her as she investigated a lampost, her head still facing them.
"Maybe," Tao said, his fingers laced together at the back of his head.
When she came back to them, Tao tossed her a treat, which she snapped up before it hit the ground.
"That bag'll be done before we get home," M-21 said with a snort, though the corners of his lips were curling up.
"It won't," Tao said, flapping a hand. "And we can always buy more."
That wasn't the point, but it did seem to help settle Kyung-hee down.
* * *
"And thiiis," Tao said as Takeo opened their front door, "is your new home!"
Kyung-hee didn't dash in as soon as the door was wide enough, but stood there, leaning in as she sniffed.
Tao raised a hand to pet her head, but changed his mind at the last minute, running a hand through his own hair instead.
"We'll see you inside," Takeo said with a smile as the rest of them went in.
Kyung-hee watched them change shoes, still sniffing around the entrance.
"Tea first," Tao said, setting some of the bags down, "or unpacking?"
"Both," M-21 said, switching the kettle on.
The bubbling water was white noise in the background as they decided where to put the food and treats, and where exactly to put the bowls.
"Let her decide?" M-21 said with a shrug. "Shifting it another inch to the left isn't going to make a big difference."
Tao stuck his tongue out at him. "That could be a huge difference to her!"
"Then we let her choose," M-21 said again, raising an eyebrow.
Tao paused, then grinned. "Heh, point." He handed a bowl to M-21. "You can ask her."
M-21 glanced out the corner of his eyes, where a furry head had just poked in. "Later." She'd only just entered the house; she didn't even know where everything was yet.
"She still needs a drink after that walk," Takeo pointed out, filling the other bowl. "Kyung-hee," he called out. He waited until she looked at him and then set the bowl down.
"And you finished making the tea!" Tao said, swiping one of the steaming mugs. "Sneaky Takeo."
"You two were busy," Takeo said, a small smile on his face, picking up a mug.
M-21 took the final one and they headed to the sofa, curling up on the sofa.
Kyung-hee watched them as Tao turned on the tv. It was only after they started commenting on the show that Kyung-hee padded in, keeping close to the wall until she reached the bowl, drinking from it.
Once she was done, she investigated the living room, checking on them every once in a while.
"Tao..." Takeo said, his eyes on the screen.
"Mmhm?"
"Is your computer room locked?"
Tao peered at him. "No, wh-" His eyes darted to Kyung-hee. "I'll be right back!" He dashed out the room.
Kyung-hee watched him leave but resumed sniffing out the area.
Tao came back, a spring in his step. "Phew. The security room and the lab entrance are locked up — how's she doing?"
"Still exploring," M-21 said.
"Heh, good."
They settled down to continue watching the tv.
* * *
"What should we make for dinner?" Tao asked, opening the fridge and peering in.
"What do we have enough for?" Takeo said, looking over his shoulder.
"Weeell..."
As the two talked, M-21 glanced over at where Kyung-hee had curled up in the corner, watching them. The puppy would have been begging for tidbits by now, getting underfoot. It wasn't a bad thing. Just different.
She hadn't tried to explore the rest of the house either, seemingly content with the kitchen and living room.
Or she wanted to keep them in sight.
M-21 turned his attention back at a light pressure on his shoulder. "M?"
"Yeah?"
"We'd narrowed it down to two choices," Tao said. "You're the tie-breaker."
M-21 shook his head. "Sorry, wasn't paying attention." This time, he listened when the others told him what the options were.
* * *
After dinner, M-21 walked over to Kyung-hee, the second bowl in hand. "Hey, Kyung-hee."
She'd already been looking at him, and the tip of her tail wagged.
"We're going to give you dinner," he told her, "but we want to know where you want to put the bowl."
She tilted her head, looking at it.
M-21 held out the bowl to her. "Where do you want to eat?"
Kyung-hee stared for a second more, then stood up, taking the bowl in her jaws with a gentle grip. Then she set it down in front of her paws, looking up at him afterwards.
"Just there?" M-21 asked, making sure.
She snuffled.
"One doggy gourmet meal, coming right up!" Tao called out.
Kyung-hee stepped closer, sniffing at M-21 and he didn't move, letting her take her time. She only did that for a few seconds before backing away again, and M-21 went over to Tao to make sure he wouldn't give Kyung-hee the entire bag.
* * *
"Hey there, Kyung-hee," M-21 said, repeating everything Tao said as the other man tossed his new gadget between his hands. "I've got something for you."
Tao knelt down and held out the device: it was the shape of a pen, with a button on one end.
"This'll hurt, but only for a second, okay?" Tao said as Kyung-hee sniffed it.
She narrowed her eyes at Tao.
"Only for a second!" Tao waved his free hand around. "It's so you can get in and out that door-" He pointed at the door leading to the garden. "-whenever you want."
They'd learned early on that attaching anything to clothes had too much of a risk getting destroyed, one way or another. Injecting meant they could come and go without worrying about keys.
"You don't have to get it," Takeo added.
Tao nodded.
Kyung-hee sniffed the device once more before sitting down with a huff, looking away from Tao.
"Is that a yes?" Tao asked. "Walk away if that's a no."
She stayed where she was, her tail sweeping the floor once.
"All riiight!" Tao said as he leaned forward, running his palm down Kyung-hee's scruff. She watched him do that, neither leaning in or pulling away from his touch. "Mmhm, this seems like a good spot."
M-21 wasn't sure if he was supposed to keep repeating what Tao was saying, but Kyung-hee might want to know anyway, so he continued.
Tao gave one last pat to Kyung-hee's neck before pressing one end other syringe there and pushed the button.
"And that's it!" Tao said, rubbing her scruff with both hands. "How's that?"
As soon as Tao let go, she shook herself off, scratching the spot.
"Wanna test it out?" Tao asked, gesturing towards the door again. "All you gotta do is walk up to it."
She turned to look at it. After a few seconds she got up and padded over to the door.
Kyung-hee had only taken a couple steps before she paused, looking at them over her shoulder.
"We're coming," M-21 said, following her.
That seemed to reassure her and she went over, the back door beeping and sliding open.
She made sure M-21, Takeo and Tao were in the garden with her before she began investigating the area, finding a spot to pee.
Once she was done, she wandered over to them, not close enough to be petted, and went inside.
Grinning at M-21 and Takeo, Tao clapped his hands on their shoulders as he went inside.
The door worked perfectly, closing behind them.
* * *
"There's someone else we'd like you to meet," Takeo said and M-21 looked over to see Mi-yeon curled up in Takeo's arms, purring.
"She's my baby!" Tao said, and Mi-yeon yawned, a pink tongue lolling out.
Tao had added fur to her shell, even going as far as a rough material for her tongue for more realisim.
Takeo set her down close to Kyung-hee. Mi-yeon sat down and licked at her out of place fur.
Kyung-hee didn't move from where she was either, only leaning her head closer to sniff before turning away again.
Tao looked between the two and then rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it's better than them fighting."
That was true.
* * *
"And this is yer room!" Tao said, opening the door. "You've got your bed in here, and so's all your toys."
Kyung-hee took her time to enter the room, but by this time, M-21 expected that.
"We'll be upstairs if you need anything," Takeo said.
When M-21 repeated Takeo's words, Kyung-hee froze and rushed back to them, whining.
"Hey, we're not leaving you, all right?" Tao said, running a hand over her. "We're still in the same house."
It didn't reassure her, and she stuck close to them.
"Guess she's sleeping with us then," M-21 said.
"Mm!"
Takeo had already collected her basket, and they went upstairs together.
* * *
M-21 woke to a wet tongue roaming over his knuckles. He grimaced, pulling his hand back. "Tao, do you really have to-" Tao was at his back, still asleep. M-21's hand had been over the bed.
He opened his eyes and Kyung-hee was standing there, peering at him.
"Morning," he said, holding his hand out to her. She moved to sniff his fingers. "We're still here."
Kyung-hee bumped her forehead into his palm and then walked off.
M-21 glanced at the clock and it was close enough to when he woke up anyway so he may as well start getting ready for the day.
* * *
"We're b-" Tao had enough time to say that before he was ambushed by a furry missile, intent to check all three of them at once.
"We just went shopping," M-21 said, stepping over Kyung-hee, making sure the bags were out of reach.
The replying whine was almost translated in M-21's head as words. "It wasn't that-" He cut himself off with a sigh. It would have been long for her, especially if she thought they'd abandonded her as well. "We're not going to leave you," he said instead.
"Of course not!" Tao said, rubbing his hand over her head.
Kyung-hee calmed down and they spend the next hour playing with her, to make sure she knew they were all right.
* * *
"The storm's pretty heavy," Takeo said, watching the rain come down through the kitchen window.
"What storm?" Tao said with a laugh. "You sure someone isn't playing drums on the roof?"
"Your sensors would have gone off," M-21 said, snorting. The storm had been going on for a while and with the dark clouds still covering the sky in all directions, it was going to last a while before passing.
But they were inside and-
M-21 froze, his eyes widening at the scene in front of him.
The living room was a mess, mud splattered across the floor and dots of it speckled every surface. It was concentrated at the garden door, and while the tracks were confusing to follow, doubling back on themselves, it was easy to know who the culprit was.
Kyung-hee had curled up into a very wet and muddy ball in the corner of the room, fast asleep.
"Oh, man," Tao breathed. "Papa is gonna-" He paused. M-21 knew what he was going to say. "Wait, papa isn't here."
"We should still clean this up," Takeo said.
"Mm! All right!" Tao said, straightening out his clothes with a sharp tug. "You two wash 'er up and I'll do the clean up duty here. I'll join ya later." His cables were already hissing into view.
M-21 nodded, getting ready to coax Kyung-hee to go with them.
* * *
The shower wasn't too bad. Kyung-hee knew what to expect and stayed still for most of it, and she enjoyed the rubdown afterwards, leaning into Takeo's touch.
The three of them had curled up in front of the tv for the night when Kyung-hee came in and after a small hesitation, she went over and pushed her snout into Takeo's hand.
Tao chuckled as Takeo obliged her, scratching the base of her ears. She sighed, closing her eyes.
"I think we know who her faaavourite is!" Tao said in a sing-song tone, grinning.
"You don't think it's you?" M-21 said with a smile. "You give her treats whenever you can." The bag was already half-gone.
"But those aren't scritches. And you can talk with her."
M-21 shrugged. He couldn't fully communicate with her so it didn't count.
"You're the one who chose her first," Takeo pointed out.
"Yeah..." The others would have noticed her eventually.
Kyung-hee pulled away from Takeo and laid her head on M-21's lap, staring at him.
M-21 didn't block Tao's elbow from his side; he'd already started petting Kyung-hee to do that.
* * *
"What do you think Kyung-hee'll be like this time?" Tao said as Takeo opened the front door, M-21 on the lookout from habit.
"She's getting better," Takeo said. "Not as worried about us when we come back."
Kyung-hee wasn't scrambling to get out the door to greet them like she had the first time they'd been out, but it was too big a difference for M-21. Was she asleep and hadn't heard the keys?
Takeo pushed the door open and then let out a low chuckle. He opened the door fully and Kyung-hee was sitting there, her favourite squeak toy in front of her. She was wriggling, pawing at the floor.
"Who's a good dog, hey?" Tao exclaimed, bounding over. "Look at you waiting all patiently for us!"
That was enough for her and she leaped up to greet him, her paws on Tao's shoulders as she licked his face.
"Such a good dog, a good patient dog!" Tao cooed, already picking up the squeaky toy with his cables as he scritched her. He also picked her up with a laugh, carrying her like a baby through the house. "C'mon! Let's go play in the garden, huh?"
M-21 had just closed the front door when Tao called out, "Last one here has to do the dishes tonight!"
It wasn't a serious threat. Not when whoever felt like doing the dishes did them, and they did it in pairs to finish it faster.
It didn't stop M-21 and Takeo sprinting for the garden.
* * *
When they were alone, they piled onto a heap on the sofa, not bothering to get a drink for the moment.
Kyung-hee came over and lay her head on Tao's lap, licking his trousers.
"I don't think that tastes good," Tao said with a chuckle, lifting her up.
"Ta-" M-21 started but got a tail to the face as Tao placed her across their laps.
She didn't move, unsure, until Takeo patted her, M-21 doing the same.
Kyung-hee huffed and all four settled down in each others' presence.
* * *
"Night, Kyung-hee!" Tao said as the rest of them climbed into bed.
M-21 had just laid down when he heard Takeo wheezed, "Oof!"
He found out why a second later when Kyung-hee flopped on top of him, her nose snuffling at M-21's neck.
"What's wrong?" he asked, scratching her jaw.
All she did was close her eyes and lay her head on his chest.
"Think Kyung-hee wants to sleep here tonight?" Tao said with a snicker.
"You've got a bed, Kyung-hee," M-21 murmured, still scratching.
He got a soft rumble in reply: it's right here with you three.
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head even as he smiled. "She's not moving."
"Welp, nothing we can do about it," Tao said. "Our bed's big enough anyway, so puppy pile it is! Night!"
There wasn't any reason to argue, so M-21 petted Kyung-hee until he drifted off to sleep.
____________________________
I was going to have a scene where the trio got into a fight and had to recover in the main home, and Kyung-hee goes to find them, but then I remembered that this is set after the Union's been taken out so yeah. XD; There's no-one else strong enough to fight them.
I…..did not expect this to be so long, wow.
Summary: Tao continues the family tradition.
Notes: Inspired by polyshipprompts' 'A surprises their spouses with a date to the animal shelter. who’s ready to adopt fifty cats? who’s just going to make the others happy? who needs the most convincing to actually adopt?'
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 4032
Total word count: 5,005
Status: Work in progress
"Come on, you guys!" Tao said, looking at M-21 and Takeo over his shoulder as they walked through the streets. "We're nearly there!" Tao had insisted they walk instead of rooftop hop, which had to mean it was close.
"You still haven't told us where 'there' is," M-21 grumbled, glancing around, trying to guess where Tao was leading them. Tao hadn't given them a hint, which wasn't different from his other surprises.
"You haven't figured it out yet?" Tao's eyes were wide in fake shock. "Are you slowing down in yer old age, ahjussi?"
"I'm not-" The wind shifted and M-21 was hit in the face by the scent of dogs. A lot of dogs.
M-21 eyed the building they were coming up to, seeing the sign outside. Right. A dog home.
"You want to adopt a pet?" Takeo asked.
"Mi-yeon could do with a friend!" Tao said. "And we are going to adopt a companion!"
Tao hadn't made any more pets around the house since making Mi-yeon, but he seemed to be trying to develop her AI even more.
"You're used to the puppy's presence, huh," M-21 said, his tone wry.
"Not his destructive side!" Tao said, shivering. "But yeah, a little," he admitted. "The house doesn't smell the same, you know?"
That was one thing Mi-yeon couldn't replicate, and even with how clean Frankenstein liked his house, the puppy's scent wasn't erased, just like how everyone's scent lingered as well.
"Sooo?" Tao said, rocking back and forth on his feet. "We going in?"
M-21 shared a look with Takeo and the corners of his lips twitched up.
"Of course," Takeo said, answering for both of them.
"Yesss!" Tao threw himself at them, wrapping his arms around their shoulders, holding them tight. "We're gonna find the best companion!"
"Aaah, oh jeez, aren't you absolutely the cutest-!"
M-21 walked past Tao as he cooed over the puppies, the most curious pressing themselves against the glass, eager to play with his fingers.
"I wanna take you all home!"
He should have known Tao would have reacted like that as soon as they stepped through.
Takeo seemed to have the same idea, moving on ahead since Tao would cover the entrance. They nodded at each other as Takeo slowed, Tao's voice still easily heard bouncing off the walls.
All the dogs had gone up as close as they could when M-21 had entered, some barking as they'd pressed their front paws against the mesh separating them, others only watching him.
"I've never seen them act like this," one of the people there said, fussing over one and M-21 shrugged, hiding his sigh.
It wasn't unexpected for him, and since he'd gotten stronger since Raizel-nim had first awakened him, he could almost understand canines now. It was more like he could feel their intentions rather than hearing specific words, and the majority of them were very interested, wanting to meet him.
Except one.
M-21 couldn't tell the breed, but their hair was shaggier than the rest, unkempt. There were a couple patches of white amongst the grey fur. They'd curled up at the far wall, not even raising their head to look at him.
"Oh, you won't want her," the person who'd been distracted with the dogs said, walking up to him. Her name tag said 'Min-ji'.
M-21 raised his eyebrows. "Why not?" Unwanted, huh...
"Kyung-hee's too wild," Min-ji said. As soon as she walked into the dog's line of sight, M-21 could hear the soft warning growl from inside the cage. "She'll try to bite you at the first chance she gets and doesn't like being near people."
"Sounds like someone I know," M-21 heard, just before Tao perched his elbow on M-21's shoulder. Takeo had also come over, peering into the cage.
M-21 rolled his eyes at Tao's comment; he hadn't bitten anyone yet in a fight.
"We saw you looked interested in someone," Takeo explained.
Tao leaned forward to poke his fingers through the mesh and was greeted with a louder growl, Kyung-hee's hackles rising up.
"Yup, definitely," Tao said with a nod. "Takeo?"
"We'll take her," Takeo agreed.
"Are you sure?" Min-ji asked, her eyebrows drawn in at a concerned slant.
"There's nothing that'll change their mind once they've made it," M-21 told her. And they were all in agreement.
He sighed when Tao waggled his eyebrows at him, jerking his chin towards Kyung-hee, knowing exactly what Tao wanted him to do.
"Hey," he said, stepping up close to the mesh, "we can get you out of here." Kyung-hee blinked, her eyes widening as she lifted her head off the floor. Even without his werewolf heart to translate, she radiated 'who, me?' "Yeah, you. You'll have a bigger space than this, the ability to go out whenever you want, and as many toys as Tao can afford."
Tao stuck his tongue out at him, reaching over to ruffle M-21's hair. "Like you aren't gonna spoil her rotten too."
M-21 didn't duck away, letting Tao mess up his hair. "Hmph." M-21 knew he would spoil Kyung-hee; he'd been in a similar position to her. Undesirable. Angry. Lashing out at whatever she could because any approach had to have an intention to hurt.
He would do all he could to make sure she knew she was cared for in her new home.
Kyung-hee stared at him, staying where she was.
"Come on," Tao said, a bounce in his step as he walked towards the exit. "We've got forms to fill out!"
Nodding, M-21 gave Kyung-hee one last look before following Tao and Takeo out.
Kyung-hee was still in the same place when they came back, hands filled with bags of things for her. She looked over in their direction though, which was better than last time.
Min-ji opened the door, still casting uncertain looks between M-21 and Kyung-hee. She'd been doing that ever since M-21 had said they weren't buying a leash. Their first act with Kyung-hee wasn't going to be dragging her out when she didn't want to.
M-21 stood there with his thumbs hooked into his pockets, showing he didn't have anything in his hands. "Come on, then," he said. "We're taking you home."
Kyung-hee stared at him, not moving.
"You think I'm lying?" M-21 said. "We're here, aren't we?" He jerked his chin towards Takeo and Tao. "We've got all these toys, treats, and everything else for you." Tao squeaked the toy he'd just stopped squeezing at her. "And the door's open."
Kyung-hee continued to stare at M-21 and then at the open door.
He took a step back to give her more space, the others doing the same.
She lifted her head at that, still studying them.
When they didn't move, she stood up, shaking herself off. Step by step, she came closer, not taking her eyes off M-21.
She paused at the threshold, her nose twitching. She cocked her head, eyeing the three of them.
Tao, thankfully, didn't pounce on her as soon as she was within reach, though he did squeak the toy at her again, waving it.
"Heeeya! I'm Tao," Tao said, giving her a quick bow, "this is Takeo-" Takeo also bowed. "-and you've already met M. We're gonna be yer new housemates!"
Kyung-hee pricked her ears at Tao's tone, and looked up at M-21 once she'd stopped sniffing at the other two.
M-21 gave her a small smile. "Ready to go home?"
She continued staring at him, and then slowly, the tip of her tail began to wag.
As they walked out, Kyung-hee trotted by their heels. Every few steps she looked up at them, like she was making sure they were still there, that they hadn't disappeared on her.
The walk home took a lot longer compared to the walk to the dog home, since Kyung-hee paused to sniff everything she could. At first, the pauses were short, Kyung-hee's head shooting up to check where they were after a few seconds and then going back to them.
After the first couple times, when they hadn't moved from where she'd left them, she started taking her time exploring her surroundings. But she still checked where they were after a minute or so.
"Abandoned during a walk?" Takeo mused, watching her as she investigated a lampost, her head still facing them.
"Maybe," Tao said, his fingers laced together at the back of his head.
When she came back to them, Tao tossed her a treat, which she snapped up before it hit the ground.
"That bag'll be done before we get home," M-21 said with a snort, though the corners of his lips were curling up.
"It won't," Tao said, flapping a hand. "And we can always buy more."
That wasn't the point, but it did seem to help settle Kyung-hee down.
"And thiiis," Tao said as Takeo opened their front door, "is your new home!"
Kyung-hee didn't dash in as soon as the door was wide enough, but stood there, leaning in as she sniffed.
Tao raised a hand to pet her head, but changed his mind at the last minute, running a hand through his own hair instead.
"We'll see you inside," Takeo said with a smile as the rest of them went in.
Kyung-hee watched them change shoes, still sniffing around the entrance.
"Tea first," Tao said, setting some of the bags down, "or unpacking?"
"Both," M-21 said, switching the kettle on.
The bubbling water was white noise in the background as they decided where to put the food and treats, and where exactly to put the bowls.
"Let her decide?" M-21 said with a shrug. "Shifting it another inch to the left isn't going to make a big difference."
Tao stuck his tongue out at him. "That could be a huge difference to her!"
"Then we let her choose," M-21 said again, raising an eyebrow.
Tao paused, then grinned. "Heh, point." He handed a bowl to M-21. "You can ask her."
M-21 glanced out the corner of his eyes, where a furry head had just poked in. "Later." She'd only just entered the house; she didn't even know where everything was yet.
"She still needs a drink after that walk," Takeo pointed out, filling the other bowl. "Kyung-hee," he called out. He waited until she looked at him and then set the bowl down.
"And you finished making the tea!" Tao said, swiping one of the steaming mugs. "Sneaky Takeo."
"You two were busy," Takeo said, a small smile on his face, picking up a mug.
M-21 took the final one and they headed to the sofa, curling up on the sofa.
Kyung-hee watched them as Tao turned on the tv. It was only after they started commenting on the show that Kyung-hee padded in, keeping close to the wall until she reached the bowl, drinking from it.
Once she was done, she investigated the living room, checking on them every once in a while.
"Tao..." Takeo said, his eyes on the screen.
"Mmhm?"
"Is your computer room locked?"
Tao peered at him. "No, wh-" His eyes darted to Kyung-hee. "I'll be right back!" He dashed out the room.
Kyung-hee watched him leave but resumed sniffing out the area.
Tao came back, a spring in his step. "Phew. The security room and the lab entrance are locked up — how's she doing?"
"Still exploring," M-21 said.
"Heh, good."
They settled down to continue watching the tv.
"What should we make for dinner?" Tao asked, opening the fridge and peering in.
"What do we have enough for?" Takeo said, looking over his shoulder.
"Weeell..."
As the two talked, M-21 glanced over at where Kyung-hee had curled up in the corner, watching them. The puppy would have been begging for tidbits by now, getting underfoot. It wasn't a bad thing. Just different.
She hadn't tried to explore the rest of the house either, seemingly content with the kitchen and living room.
Or she wanted to keep them in sight.
M-21 turned his attention back at a light pressure on his shoulder. "M?"
"Yeah?"
"We'd narrowed it down to two choices," Tao said. "You're the tie-breaker."
M-21 shook his head. "Sorry, wasn't paying attention." This time, he listened when the others told him what the options were.
After dinner, M-21 walked over to Kyung-hee, the second bowl in hand. "Hey, Kyung-hee."
She'd already been looking at him, and the tip of her tail wagged.
"We're going to give you dinner," he told her, "but we want to know where you want to put the bowl."
She tilted her head, looking at it.
M-21 held out the bowl to her. "Where do you want to eat?"
Kyung-hee stared for a second more, then stood up, taking the bowl in her jaws with a gentle grip. Then she set it down in front of her paws, looking up at him afterwards.
"Just there?" M-21 asked, making sure.
She snuffled.
"One doggy gourmet meal, coming right up!" Tao called out.
Kyung-hee stepped closer, sniffing at M-21 and he didn't move, letting her take her time. She only did that for a few seconds before backing away again, and M-21 went over to Tao to make sure he wouldn't give Kyung-hee the entire bag.
"Hey there, Kyung-hee," M-21 said, repeating everything Tao said as the other man tossed his new gadget between his hands. "I've got something for you."
Tao knelt down and held out the device: it was the shape of a pen, with a button on one end.
"This'll hurt, but only for a second, okay?" Tao said as Kyung-hee sniffed it.
She narrowed her eyes at Tao.
"Only for a second!" Tao waved his free hand around. "It's so you can get in and out that door-" He pointed at the door leading to the garden. "-whenever you want."
They'd learned early on that attaching anything to clothes had too much of a risk getting destroyed, one way or another. Injecting meant they could come and go without worrying about keys.
"You don't have to get it," Takeo added.
Tao nodded.
Kyung-hee sniffed the device once more before sitting down with a huff, looking away from Tao.
"Is that a yes?" Tao asked. "Walk away if that's a no."
She stayed where she was, her tail sweeping the floor once.
"All riiight!" Tao said as he leaned forward, running his palm down Kyung-hee's scruff. She watched him do that, neither leaning in or pulling away from his touch. "Mmhm, this seems like a good spot."
M-21 wasn't sure if he was supposed to keep repeating what Tao was saying, but Kyung-hee might want to know anyway, so he continued.
Tao gave one last pat to Kyung-hee's neck before pressing one end other syringe there and pushed the button.
"And that's it!" Tao said, rubbing her scruff with both hands. "How's that?"
As soon as Tao let go, she shook herself off, scratching the spot.
"Wanna test it out?" Tao asked, gesturing towards the door again. "All you gotta do is walk up to it."
She turned to look at it. After a few seconds she got up and padded over to the door.
Kyung-hee had only taken a couple steps before she paused, looking at them over her shoulder.
"We're coming," M-21 said, following her.
That seemed to reassure her and she went over, the back door beeping and sliding open.
She made sure M-21, Takeo and Tao were in the garden with her before she began investigating the area, finding a spot to pee.
Once she was done, she wandered over to them, not close enough to be petted, and went inside.
Grinning at M-21 and Takeo, Tao clapped his hands on their shoulders as he went inside.
The door worked perfectly, closing behind them.
"There's someone else we'd like you to meet," Takeo said and M-21 looked over to see Mi-yeon curled up in Takeo's arms, purring.
"She's my baby!" Tao said, and Mi-yeon yawned, a pink tongue lolling out.
Tao had added fur to her shell, even going as far as a rough material for her tongue for more realisim.
Takeo set her down close to Kyung-hee. Mi-yeon sat down and licked at her out of place fur.
Kyung-hee didn't move from where she was either, only leaning her head closer to sniff before turning away again.
Tao looked between the two and then rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it's better than them fighting."
That was true.
"And this is yer room!" Tao said, opening the door. "You've got your bed in here, and so's all your toys."
Kyung-hee took her time to enter the room, but by this time, M-21 expected that.
"We'll be upstairs if you need anything," Takeo said.
When M-21 repeated Takeo's words, Kyung-hee froze and rushed back to them, whining.
"Hey, we're not leaving you, all right?" Tao said, running a hand over her. "We're still in the same house."
It didn't reassure her, and she stuck close to them.
"Guess she's sleeping with us then," M-21 said.
"Mm!"
Takeo had already collected her basket, and they went upstairs together.
M-21 woke to a wet tongue roaming over his knuckles. He grimaced, pulling his hand back. "Tao, do you really have to-" Tao was at his back, still asleep. M-21's hand had been over the bed.
He opened his eyes and Kyung-hee was standing there, peering at him.
"Morning," he said, holding his hand out to her. She moved to sniff his fingers. "We're still here."
Kyung-hee bumped her forehead into his palm and then walked off.
M-21 glanced at the clock and it was close enough to when he woke up anyway so he may as well start getting ready for the day.
"We're b-" Tao had enough time to say that before he was ambushed by a furry missile, intent to check all three of them at once.
"We just went shopping," M-21 said, stepping over Kyung-hee, making sure the bags were out of reach.
The replying whine was almost translated in M-21's head as words. "It wasn't that-" He cut himself off with a sigh. It would have been long for her, especially if she thought they'd abandonded her as well. "We're not going to leave you," he said instead.
"Of course not!" Tao said, rubbing his hand over her head.
Kyung-hee calmed down and they spend the next hour playing with her, to make sure she knew they were all right.
"The storm's pretty heavy," Takeo said, watching the rain come down through the kitchen window.
"What storm?" Tao said with a laugh. "You sure someone isn't playing drums on the roof?"
"Your sensors would have gone off," M-21 said, snorting. The storm had been going on for a while and with the dark clouds still covering the sky in all directions, it was going to last a while before passing.
But they were inside and-
M-21 froze, his eyes widening at the scene in front of him.
The living room was a mess, mud splattered across the floor and dots of it speckled every surface. It was concentrated at the garden door, and while the tracks were confusing to follow, doubling back on themselves, it was easy to know who the culprit was.
Kyung-hee had curled up into a very wet and muddy ball in the corner of the room, fast asleep.
"Oh, man," Tao breathed. "Papa is gonna-" He paused. M-21 knew what he was going to say. "Wait, papa isn't here."
"We should still clean this up," Takeo said.
"Mm! All right!" Tao said, straightening out his clothes with a sharp tug. "You two wash 'er up and I'll do the clean up duty here. I'll join ya later." His cables were already hissing into view.
M-21 nodded, getting ready to coax Kyung-hee to go with them.
The shower wasn't too bad. Kyung-hee knew what to expect and stayed still for most of it, and she enjoyed the rubdown afterwards, leaning into Takeo's touch.
The three of them had curled up in front of the tv for the night when Kyung-hee came in and after a small hesitation, she went over and pushed her snout into Takeo's hand.
Tao chuckled as Takeo obliged her, scratching the base of her ears. She sighed, closing her eyes.
"I think we know who her faaavourite is!" Tao said in a sing-song tone, grinning.
"You don't think it's you?" M-21 said with a smile. "You give her treats whenever you can." The bag was already half-gone.
"But those aren't scritches. And you can talk with her."
M-21 shrugged. He couldn't fully communicate with her so it didn't count.
"You're the one who chose her first," Takeo pointed out.
"Yeah..." The others would have noticed her eventually.
Kyung-hee pulled away from Takeo and laid her head on M-21's lap, staring at him.
M-21 didn't block Tao's elbow from his side; he'd already started petting Kyung-hee to do that.
"What do you think Kyung-hee'll be like this time?" Tao said as Takeo opened the front door, M-21 on the lookout from habit.
"She's getting better," Takeo said. "Not as worried about us when we come back."
Kyung-hee wasn't scrambling to get out the door to greet them like she had the first time they'd been out, but it was too big a difference for M-21. Was she asleep and hadn't heard the keys?
Takeo pushed the door open and then let out a low chuckle. He opened the door fully and Kyung-hee was sitting there, her favourite squeak toy in front of her. She was wriggling, pawing at the floor.
"Who's a good dog, hey?" Tao exclaimed, bounding over. "Look at you waiting all patiently for us!"
That was enough for her and she leaped up to greet him, her paws on Tao's shoulders as she licked his face.
"Such a good dog, a good patient dog!" Tao cooed, already picking up the squeaky toy with his cables as he scritched her. He also picked her up with a laugh, carrying her like a baby through the house. "C'mon! Let's go play in the garden, huh?"
M-21 had just closed the front door when Tao called out, "Last one here has to do the dishes tonight!"
It wasn't a serious threat. Not when whoever felt like doing the dishes did them, and they did it in pairs to finish it faster.
It didn't stop M-21 and Takeo sprinting for the garden.
When they were alone, they piled onto a heap on the sofa, not bothering to get a drink for the moment.
Kyung-hee came over and lay her head on Tao's lap, licking his trousers.
"I don't think that tastes good," Tao said with a chuckle, lifting her up.
"Ta-" M-21 started but got a tail to the face as Tao placed her across their laps.
She didn't move, unsure, until Takeo patted her, M-21 doing the same.
Kyung-hee huffed and all four settled down in each others' presence.
"Night, Kyung-hee!" Tao said as the rest of them climbed into bed.
M-21 had just laid down when he heard Takeo wheezed, "Oof!"
He found out why a second later when Kyung-hee flopped on top of him, her nose snuffling at M-21's neck.
"What's wrong?" he asked, scratching her jaw.
All she did was close her eyes and lay her head on his chest.
"Think Kyung-hee wants to sleep here tonight?" Tao said with a snicker.
"You've got a bed, Kyung-hee," M-21 murmured, still scratching.
He got a soft rumble in reply: it's right here with you three.
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head even as he smiled. "She's not moving."
"Welp, nothing we can do about it," Tao said. "Our bed's big enough anyway, so puppy pile it is! Night!"
There wasn't any reason to argue, so M-21 petted Kyung-hee until he drifted off to sleep.
I was going to have a scene where the trio got into a fight and had to recover in the main home, and Kyung-hee goes to find them, but then I remembered that this is set after the Union's been taken out so yeah. XD; There's no-one else strong enough to fight them.
I…..did not expect this to be so long, wow.