A year had passed, and everything changed for Ragnar. He stopped being afraid, he stood tall next to Hyunjin when they walked down the street. He barked at his owner when he had trouble getting up from the bed, he grabbed his shirt with his teeth and pulled, getting him up. They were always together, except when Hyunjin was in university. Even when going to the gym, where Jin found love for Jiujitsu, Ragnar would wait at the front desk with Jisung.
If anyone looked at Hyunjin the wrong way Ragnar would growl at them, they were working on changing that, but the dog did everything in his power to protect his owner. The truth was, Hyunjin was beyond loving and kind to his dog and no one had ever treated him like that before him.
Ragnar's story was a sad one, but even if no one knew it, everyone could guess. His last owner was probably abusive with him, Ragnar could've ran away or his owner could've abandoned him. Still, that possible story resonated with Hyunjin a little all too well.
It wasn't completely clear what had happened to him till one day, when walking with him and Chris, a man approach them.
- That's my dog, Cesar. - The man angrily said. As he kept on walking towards them, they noticed Ragnar had his tail between his legs and he was hiding behind Hyunjin. They knew who that man was and what he probably did to the dog.
Hyunjin didn't know why, but when he started to feel overly angry, Chris too, and maybe because he changed his stance and the way he acted, Ragnar stopped hiding. Maybe it was because he realized he was protected by the two men in front of him. But he stopped hiding, he tail now alert, the same with his ears, and he started to bark so aggressively it seemed he was going to bite that man's head off.
The man had been taken aback by it, not knowing what to do now. He never expected the dog he used to call his own to stand up for himself like that. Not after everything he did to him.
Hyunjin held the leash with a strong hold and walked towards the man. Each step they made, the man back two away.
- I'm only saying this once, get out of here, before I let go of him, I wouldn't want to know how badly he hurts you if I were you. - Hyunjin had never acted this way before, he never saw himself as a threatening man. Not until someone he cared for had been in danger. Not until he was faced with someone just like his father, someone that didn't think the laws applied to him. The man ran, and something deep in him told him he didn't deserve to live. As he was loosening the grip in the leash, Chris grabbed his hand.
- He is a piece of shit, but hurting him, won't change anything. You'll feel guilty, and you know how incredibly damaging guilt can be, right Jin? - Chris said, and he was right. There was no point, and if he did it, it would only be revenge, not justice. Only because of that, he tried to calm down his dog. Making sure he was alright. That the aggression left when the man did.
They walked some more, till they reached the park, where he let Ragnar loose. There where a lot of dogs running around and they were far from where they met that man, so they assumed it was safe for Ragnar to be loose. He ran and played with the other dogs while Hyunjin and Chris sat down to talk.
- You know, Minho said yes to being my best man. So my two brothers and my sister are going to be at the wedding. - Chris said, he was happy and couldn't wait to see Minho again, but he was nervous, he didn't know what was going to happen when they saw each other again. - I'm worried it'll be weird when I see him.
- You've known each other since kids Chris, it might be a little awkward at first but it won't last long. He is your childhood. You two will always be fine. - Hyunjin knew this was only a rough patch in their relationship, but it wouldn't last. Not with how much they loved each other.
Far from there, Minho was packing, having the same worries than Chris. He was hoping his aunt would be the one to make everything a little bit more comfortable, she usually was the nicest person everyone could meet.
He packed his clothes, he didn't have a suit, its wasn't like he needed it in the farm, so he was going to buy when the got to the city. He packed his pets favorite toys and their respective leashes. He would be staying there a week and he would be traveling with his car. He, as a best man, needed to be there sooner to help Chris with whatever he needed. He didn't ask that in his letter, but he thought it was implied. His aunt was happy because it meant more time to catch up with family.
Secretly, even though Chae loved having Minho there to help her, she knew he had to go back to the city. So she hoped that when they got there, he would be up to meet some of her friends, who happen to own or work at veterinarians in the city, she hoped to find him a job there and incite him to study veterinary. She knew how much Minho loved it, and even if he was a great dancer, he had lost the passion for it. Sometimes that happens, what you love the most becomes something that you wish would just go away. Chae could understand that perfectly, that's why she wanted him to go back to school. He needed to be surrounded by family, he needed to get out of that farm.
At this point, Chae knew everything there was about what had happened a year ago. She knew Minho did a lot of wrong things, but he had to own up to it and move on. Mistakes are bound to happen, how you faced them makes you who you are. When she made her mistakes at a young age, she too ran away. And that had been the biggest mistake she ever made. She now had a life in her own little farm, but she didn't wish the same life on Minho. He couldn't keep pulling away from those he loved and he needed to start asking for help instead.
They loaded the trunk with their stuff and Minho put his dog in his harness, he did the same thing with his cat, and before leaving, he placed their beds on the backseat, to make sure they would be comfortable.
Minho and his aunt got in the car and he started to drive towards his parent's house. He just had a few hours before seeing everyone again, and he wasn't even the least bit excited.
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Up To Scratch
Fanfiction- Jeongin, you should think it through. - What's there to think? Im really tired of guys my age, they aren't really interesting and the moment they see Changbin, they run away. It's no fun rebelling like that. Deep in thought, he was trying to come...
