When Izan stepped through the door of his Hampstead ho, a sense of relaxation washed over him.
"Guess that’s what ho does to you," he muttered before, but he didn’t even get a full step in before a streak of white fur bolted toward him, nails clicking over the marbled floor.
Miko bumped into his shin with a soft huff, tail waving like it had been practising all week.
"I miss you too," Izan murmured, crouching to scoop the fluffy Samoyed into his arms.
Miko pushed his head against Izan’s chest and let out a low, pleased rumble that felt almost like a purr.
The caretaker who had been standing near the doorway smiled as she stepped forward.
"He’s been very good. No trouble at all. Ate on ti, slept on ti, no sses."
"I’m sure he did," Izan said as he scratched behind Miko’s ear, earning a satisfied blink.
"Thank you for looking after him."
"It was a pleasure."
She gathered her bag, offered him a quick goodbye, and let herself out, leaving the house suddenly quiet again.
Izan set Miko down, stretching his back a little while the dog looked up at him with bright eyes, chest puffed as though he knew he had the stage.
"So," Izan said. "What do you want to do?"
Miko barked once, sharp and sure, then turned and trotted off.
Izan followed him around the corner to the living room, where Miko nosed at sothing near the sofa, grabbed it, and trotted back proudly.
The leash hung from his mouth like a trophy as Izan tilted his head back and let out a tired sigh.
"Of course," he muttered. "I can’t refuse my master."
Miko barked again, as if confirming the hierarchy, while Izan knelt to clip the leash on, but before he could stand fully, a faint chi echoed in his head, too neat and too familiar to belong to the real world.
[Congratulations once more. Would the host like to view his rewards for winning the Super Cup and completing the Sextuple achievent?]
He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and exhaled through his teeth.
"Later," he said under his breath as the glassy panel faded out of his vision.
Miko tugged the leash gently, ready to go, while Izan gave him a resigned look.
"Alright. Let’s get this over with."
And with that, he reached for the door.
By the ti Olivia got ho, it was now just a few minutes to 5.
She pushed the door open with her shoulder, still holding a notebook from her afternoon classes, making her way inside and paused when she noticed Izan asleep on the couch.
His arm rested over his forehead, shirt slightly rumpled from the walk he’d taken with Miko, who now lay curled at his feet.
A small smile tugged at Olivia’s lips as she set her things down quietly and tiptoed across the room.
When she reached the side of the couch, she eased herself onto the edge of her thigh, careful not to wake him just yet.
Up close, his face looked even softer.
His lashes were long, unfairly long for soone who put almost no effort into anything related to appearances, aside from shoots and magazine covers.
She caught herself studying the shape of his mouth, the slight curve of his brow as her thoughts drifted wildly, unfiltered and amused.
Chopping a third of an inch off wouldn’t hurt, right?, she thought as she leaned in a little, whispering under her breath with a small grin, "You’re mine."
Then she kissed him.
Izan snorted awake the mont her lips t his, blinking once before muttering, "Really?"
Before she could pull back, he slipped an arm around her waist and dragged her up onto the couch with a swift tug, while Olivia laughed, bracing herself on his chest.
"Welco ho," she said.
"I didn’t find anyone at ho, so it was not exactly a well-co," he replied, eyes half open.
"You found Miko, didn’t you?" she said.
At the ntion of her na, Miko’s ear twitched, though she didn’t bother lifting her head.
Izan released Olivia and turned onto his side with an exaggerated sigh.
"What do you want to eat?" Olivia asked, adjusting her shirt and brushing her hair back.
"Anything at this point?" he said, sitting up.
Miko perked up properly now, just in case "anything" included sothing she wanted.
Before the two could continue, a rumble from outside carried into the room.
The sound of the rolling estate gate opening cut through the quiet.
A mont later, Miranda’s SUV pulled into the compound.
Komi hopped out before the engine was even off fully, jogging to the front door while Hori followed with a purposeful stride that made Miko suddenly sit up straight, tail wagging in anticipation.
Miranda locked the car and walked in behind them.
"I know I said it in the post after the ga, but congratulations," she said with a warm smile.
"Thanks," Izan replied, giving her a small nod while Komi reached him first, looping her arms briefly around her son’s shoulders(as she liked to do) before letting go.
Hori, on the other hand, bypassed all human beings and made straight for Miko, scooping her up like a stolen treasure while Miko wriggled in pure joy.
But a mont later, Hori glanced toward the small converted room down the hallway.
She slipped inside and returned wearing the newest addition to the space: the Super Cup dal, gleaming around her neck.
"Can I take a few pictures?" she asked, standing boldly in the doorway.
Izan smirked. "Are you asking or telling ?"
Hori shrugged with a small, smug grin. "I’m showing."
Before anyone could respond, she darted upstairs, dal bouncing against her chest as Miko trotted after her.
Izan let out a quiet laugh while Komi rubbed her forehead. "I was going to cook sothing, but—"
"Rest," Izan cut in.
"Olivia already ordered food from the usual place. None of us have the energy for anything right now."
Just as the words ca out of his mouth, a loud shriek echoed from upstairs.
"Hori, leave the dog alone," Miranda called out automatically.
A beat later, Hori’s voice carried down.
"Miko, don’t eat my lipstick!"
Olivia pressed her hand to her mouth to hide a laugh while Izan gestured upward with a tired shrug.
"Except maybe for her," he said.
Komi nodded in agreent, sinking onto one of the armchairs as Miko’s frantic paws pattered above them, chasing who-knew-what.
That evening, Izan ended the call with a quiet exhale and set his phone on the counter.
The dia liaison had spoken for almost the entire ten minutes, running him through the next few days.
Two days off from Arteta.
No training, no etings, nothing.
Then the full squad photo with all six trophies lined up like a museum exhibit, as well as a few dia duties after that and so sponsor taps.
The usual.
He had answered with simple acknowledgents the whole ti.
"Alright." "Got it." "I’ll be there."
His mind was only half in it.
The mont he walked back toward the living room, the sll of food pulled him in far more than anything dia-related could.
The girls were already eating.
"I know I told you to start, but damn," Izan said as he stepped inside.
Olivia looked up, unimpressed in the most affectionate way. "You were gone for ten minutes."
He blinked. "Fair."
He dropped onto the floor pillow beside the coffee table, stretching his legs out before reaching for a serving bowl while Miko lifted her head from Olivia’s feet, sniffed the air, then settled again.
Conversation had already been floating around the table, light and relaxed.
Izan listened for a minute, picking at his food before casually slipping in, "Artea gave us two days off."
They all looked at him for a mont, while he glanced toward Miranda, half expecting her to perk up and start unloading her usual talk about endorsents, shoots, fits, or whatever brands had been circling him recently.
Instead, she simply smiled at him, slow and oddly warm, nodding like she’d expected the news.
"You need the rest," she said.
It dropped into the room like soone had whispered a forbidden phrase.
Everyone paused.
Even Miko lifted her head again and stared, ears pointed toward Miranda.
Miranda blinked at their reactions. "It cannot be that bad."
"It can," Hori said. "And it has."
Miranda scoffed. "How?"
Hori set her chopsticks down and leaned slightly toward the table.
"Let remind you of Valencia. You made him the Christmas mascot. We had an actual person who looked the part already, yet you still dragged him into that ti with the kids, though I liked it because I got many s."
"He needed the exposure," Miranda argued lightly.
"Sure," Hori replied, drawing the word out just enough to make her aning clear.
Komi returned from the kitchen with a fresh bowl, shaking her head in amusent before looking at her son.
"So what will you do now that Miranda has decided not to run you into the ground?"
Izan took a few seconds before answering.
"Honestly," he said, "I have no idea."
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