Cross-posted from AO3. Was inspired after watching Sense8's finale, but it took me quite a while to get this penned out!
Fluff Therapy
"Who's a cute dog? Who's a good girl?" Riley cooed, ruffling Jindo's face in between her hands. "You are! Yes, you are!" The white dog sniffed excitedly at her face, seemingly uncaring that her owner was two people instead of one.
Beside her, Sun chuckled, looking through her closet for clothes to start the day. "Try scratching behind her ear. She really likes that."
Riley did so, and burst out in giggles when Jindo repaid the favor by licking her senseless. "I can see that!" Taking a moment to squish the dog's cheeks between her hands, she glanced back at Sun. "She really is a darling, isn't she?"
Sun nodded, beaming. "I don't know what I would do without her."
Matching her cluster-mate's smile, Riley rearranged herself on the bed so that Jindo could nuzzle into her side. "So how long have you had her for? Where did you get her?"
There was a pause as Sun's smile dimmed slightly, before she took a seat on Jindo's other side. Tangling her fingers into Jindo's fluffy fur, she took a deep breath before she answered.
"You know my father wasn't the most… caring of people in my younger years," she started. At Riley's nod, she went on. "After I graduated, I began working at the family company to try and prove to him I was worthy of his love and attention." She gave a humorless chuckle. "I think we all know by now how that turned out."
Riley leant over to give Sun a hug, but Jindo had already beaten her to it, wriggling into Sun's lap and staring up at her. Sun smiled wanly at her two companions, her hand drifting to Jindo's ears to fondle them.
"Anyway, on my 24th birthday, I had been living on my own for a year, and I was left to my own devices, but my teacher Mr. Chung decided to take me to an animal rescue shelter that his grandniece worked at. He mentioned 'fluff therapy', but I thought he was joking at the time." Jindo gave a rather put-out chuff, making both women laugh at the dog's expression.
"So, after we get there, the grandniece is showing us around the place, when I see this tiny white fluffball looking at me through the glass. I think she was literally about the size of a melon, that's how small she was. They told me that she was the runt of the litter and they didn't think she'd ever be healthy enough to be adopted." Sun's voice turned wistful. "But when I looked into those little black eyes…"
"…you fell in love. Kindred spirits," Riley summed up with a smile, reaching out to pet Jindo's side.
Sun closed her eyes and echoed that smile. "I don't think we spent more than 2 hours in the shelter. One moment she's sniffing my hand for the first time, the next I'm hugging her and demanding the adoption papers. I think I scared the employees with how fierce I was."
Riley winced in sympathy as she imagined some poor teenage volunteer in the full headlights of Sun's attention.
"That was 5 years ago." Sun leant down to press a kiss against the dog's forehead. "Not bad for a runt, no?"
The blonde woman looked over the white mound of fur that completely covered her friend's lap and then some, and nodded. "Not bad at all." Her fingers slipped beneath Jindo's belly for some better scratches, causing Jindo to squirm happily in Sun's lap and try and get closer to Riley.
The two of them reveled in the moment for a while longer, before they suddenly found themselves in a Chicago apartment bedroom with Will knocking on the open door. "Hey Riles, your gig's in 2 hours! You gotta get going – oh, hey Sun!" He paused as he noticed their clustermate. "Everything alright?"
"We're fine, Will," Riley answered, as they found themselves back in Seoul. She gave Jindo one last snuggle, then did the same to her owner before standing up from the bed. "Thanks for the company, Sun."
"Any time. Feel better about your first Chicago club gig?" Sun asked, reminding Riley why she showed up in the first place.
"Oh, much better. I really had been worrying too much about it, and Jindo helped a lot too!" Riley smiled and blew the Korean woman and her dog a kiss, before shooting her boyfriend a look when he glanced concernedly at her. "Don't worry, I'll tell you later."
"Best of luck for tonight!" Sun said, before adding in her most deadpan tone, "We'll all be there in spirit."
Riley giggled while Will rolled his eyes, before both vanished from her mindscape.
Will exhaled forcefully as he put his back into the next throw, then winced as the frisbee went sailing across the park a lot farther than he intended. Uncaring, Jindo went haring after it, barking excitedly.
Beside him, Sun cocked an eyebrow, noticing the hitch of frustration in his breath. "Department still being stubborn?"
"There's been some progress, but… yeah," Will grunted, looking out at the park bathed in the Seoul morning sunlight. "Can't blame 'em, though. I was suspended, went AWOL for more than a year, then suddenly I show back up asking for my old job back? If I was them, I wouldn't rehire me either."
He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Still doesn't mean I don't miss it."
"At least they're willing to negotiate," Sun pointed out. "Trust me, when it comes to bureaucracy, any day with progress is a good day."
"And also, more free time for you means more time to spend with her." Sun nodded to where Jindo was scampering back towards them with her frisbee in her teeth and her tail wagging rapidly.
Will crouched down to meet her with a smile. "Hey girl! That's a good girl! Now, let me have this back… come on…"
Sun grinned as Jindo tugged back, leading the both of them into a playful struggle over the toy. She could see the pressure on Will's shoulders melt away as he played with her dog, feel the tiring memories of the day fade from their shared mind.
Will finally won when Jindo noticed Mun strolling up with sports drinks, and she darted over to meet him and beg for attention. Will let out a chuckle, sitting on the grass, as Sun leant down next to him.
"Nice way to end your day, isn't it?"
Will's smile seemed plastered to his face. "I haven't played with a dog since I was 4 and we lived next to a family with a Labrador named Nettles. Damn, those were good memories."
Sun smiled in response, but it then turned slightly sly. "Well then… how about more?" In the blink of an eye, she was the one sitting down and Will was the one standing to her side, and she was picking up the discarded frisbee, waving it and raising her voice. "Jindo! Jindo, over here! Come and get the toy! Come get it!"
Will was back on the ground holding the frisbee by the time he realized what Sun did, and the next moment he was laughing helplessly as a yapping white furball charged into him at full speed, bowling him flat on his back and licking excitedly at his face.
Rainy days in South Korea were, in Sun's opinion, just as good as sunny days. The coolth of the rain was amazing at washing away one's cares, and every raindrop on her skin as she did her katas outside made the world feel that much more alive.
But when she had a ton of paperwork to handle to clear up the shambles of her family company, all it did was cast a cold, dreary air over it all.
The only solaces about her eyeglass-wearing, laptop-filled, signature-signing day was that she was doing it all from the comfort of her couch, with a mug of warm tea on the table and Jindo curled up on her feet as a very fuzzy foot-warmer.
A moan from her side made her glance over, to see Nomi in her sleepwear and her laptop on her knees, leaning back against the cushions and looking thoroughly exhausted.
Sun waited for Nomi to get her bearings. When she did, she glanced out the window at the rain, then looked gloomily back at Sun. "Doesn't look like your day's gone any better than mine."
Sun gave her a bemused look. "A bit late in San Francisco, isn't it?" All of them had gotten a lot of practice in estimating time zones lately.
"Midnight isn't late," Nomi mumbled. When Sun just lowered her glasses to look properly at her, the rather panda-eyed blonde sighed. "Can't help it. We've been working on these seating arrangements all week. I just want this over and done with. But all it's gotten me so far is a headache."
"And how is Amanita?"
"She conked out a while ago; I don't think she could take it any longer." Nomi glanced down at Sun's paperwork. "How about you? Progress on the cleanup?"
"A lot of dick-swinging as the people left try to get concessions or better positions in whatever comes next," Sun answered. "I still have a lot of requests and accounts to sort out."
"Do you need another background check into anyone?" Nomi asked after a pause, during which Sun signed off on another request and set it aside. "At this point, I'd take any distraction if I don't have to figure out whether Neets' third dad's family should sit nearer to the BPO delegate or farther for the rest of tonight."
Sun's gaze flicked between Nomi's tired expression and her own work for a moment, then she shook her head. "No, I don't need one right now. But I think I know what you need." She gestured at her teacup. "First, here, have some tea."
Nomi did as Sun requested, picking up her cup and taking a sip. The taste of green tea was like a calm blanket settling over them both, and Sun could feel her clustermate's nerves start to relax.
"Second…" she looked down, shifted her feet and clicked her tongue. Jindo, jostled awake, looked up curiously, and when she saw her owner reaching out her arms, she panted happily and hopped up on the couch too. Nomi all but melted in joy when Jindo laid her furry head against her shoulder, and she gave the dog a cuddle.
"And third…" For a brief moment, Nomi was back in her bed in San Francisco and Sun was setting her laptop aside, then they were back on Sun's couch and they were removing their eyewear. Sun curled her legs up and lay down on the couch, tugging Jindo into her arms.
Through Sun's eyes, Nomi watched Jindo look quizzically at her, give a big doggy yawn and nuzzle into her chest to fall back asleep. The hacker found herself yawning in sympathy; between Jindo's warmth, fluffiness, the sound of the rain outside, and her own sleepiness, she couldn't keep her eyes open if she wanted to.
"Just relax," Sun whispered, her presence making it seem like both she and Nomi were tangled together on Sun's couch, quietly stroking Jindo. "I think we're both overdue for a break now."
In San Francisco, Nomi drowsily spooned up to a sound-asleep Amanita, running her hand through her fiancée's braids like she was petting the dog many miles away. "Sun… since when did you get so motherly?"
Right before she nodded off, Sun smiled. "Blame Riley; guess she's rubbing off on me."
Capheus finally got a particularly stubborn clump of mud loose from the Van Damme's side, scrubbed it off, and turned back to the water bucket to rinse off his rag, when he suddenly felt someone else's fingers in the bucket as well. Startled, he looked up to see Sun beside him, splashing water around.
"Oh, hello Sun!" Capheus exclaimed, before glancing down at her rather ratty attire of shorts and an old sports bra. "What are you up to?"
Sun gave him a rather bemused look. "See for yourself." Abruptly, Capheus found himself in a tiled apartment bathroom, kneeling in front of the tub, and staring at a damp, sudsy and very miserable Jindo, whose pristine white fur was stained with bright orange splotches.
Capheus couldn't help but laugh. "Well, what happened to you, dear Jindo?" he asked, reaching over to fondle the dog's ears. He sniffed at the air. "Pasta sauce?"
Sun nodded tiredly. "Mun and I wanted to try some Neapolitan home cooking, but someone-" she shot Jindo an accusing look, "-couldn't wait for her table scraps. She tried to reach the sausages on the counter and ended up knocking the sauce jar all over herself." She dipped a sponge into the water and resumed her scrubbing, trying not to let Jindo squirm too much.
"I can relate," Capheus commented, looking at the water bucket and trying to decide if it was worth splashing it all over the side of his bus to try and get all the mud off in one go. He shook his head a moment later and got back to work. "Traffic jam in the city forced me to take a short cut, and it was a lot muddier than I expected. To cap it off, one of my baby passengers didn't like the extra bumpy ride." He jerked a thumb up at the back of the van. "I'm just lucky that today, wiping up baby sick is Jela's job. I mean, he has the experience."
"I heard that, you bastard!" Jela yelled through the bus window. "Hey Jean-Claude Lady, if you're listening, do me a favor and kick his ass for me, would you?!"
Sun grinned at the byplay, washing off a bit more of the mud. "Will do," she called out, "or better yet, if he laughs at you again, you and your wife can take a day off together while we get Capheus to babysit your kids!"
"Ha! I knew I liked you!" Jela cackled.
Capheus shot his clustermate a look that wavered between amusement and betrayal. "Thanks a lot, friend," he muttered, dipping his hands in the suds again.
"What's the problem?" Sun asked innocently. "With how close you and Zakia are getting, wouldn't you need the practice?" Though she couldn't see Capheus's blush, she could feel his embarrassment ringing through their connection.
Sun decided to spare him and change the subject. "How are you feeling about the campaign?"
Capheus blew out a breath and wiped his brow, absently smearing mud over his bald scalp. "We are making good progress, but… you were all with me on my political tour when I got back to Kenya. All the traveling, all the talks, Mandiba and his supporters trying to cause trouble, not to mention everything with BPO… I'm just worn out."
He huffed again. "I'm sorry. You've been through so much yourself, even prison, you don't need to listen to-"
Sun silenced him with a gentle smile and a hand on his shoulder. "We've all been through a lot together; there's no need to apologize. Besides," she added dryly, "if I can listen through Lito's moaning about his career being over right before he got his Hollywood gig, I can listen to a bus driver's muddy day."
Capheus couldn't help but laugh with her at that, especially when they heard their Hispanic clustermate mutter a half-hearted, "I heard that."
Sun's chuckling slowly died away as she glanced down and realized what had happened without them noticing, then cocked her head thoughtfully at Capheus, causing the Kenyan to look at her in puzzlement. "What?"
Sun looked down at his hands. "Well, you seem to be doing alright, so how about I take over washing your bus and you can spend some time with her?" In a blink, they were in Kenya and she was the one scrubbing at the side of the Van Damme. "Just remember to be gentle."
Just like that, Capheus found himself kneeling in Sun's bathroom and tending to Jindo, who he was brushing rather absent-mindedly. As if sensing her owner's distractedness, the dog shook herself, spraying suds and tomato-flavored water everywhere, before making a scramble out of the tub.
"Whoa now!" Capheus exclaimed, intercepting Jindo and keeping her from climbing out. He laughed as the wet, soapy dog squirmed against his chest, trying to keep his voice stern. "No, no, Jindo, you're not done with your bath yet! Sit down!"
Jindo stopped struggling, then defeatedly sat back down with a mournful whine. Capheus resumed washing the stains out of her fur, hearing Sun chuckle out of the corner of his ears.
Even if it was more active, this was miles better than washing his bus.
When Lito woke up after a much-needed post-lunch nap and saw the morning sun of Seoul instead of the afternoon sun of Los Angeles, it wasn't an unexpected experience for him. More than once, a cluster member had sleep-visited one of their fellows when their sleep or nap schedules coincided and had woken up somewhere else, and the worst that had ever happened was Will waking up to a Kenyan afternoon instead of a Chicago dawn and panicking that he overslept an important meeting.
What was new today, however, was the abundance of fluffbutt in his face.
"What the-?" Lito muttered blearily, prodding at the fuzzy shape. The shape whined and turned around, revealing Jindo who immediately started licking at his face.
"Hey! That tickles! Gerroff, you silly mutt!" The actor came awake in a hurry, shoving at the dog laying on his chest. Jindo barked and scrambled off, turning in circles next to him on the sheets.
"Feeling grouchy today, Lito?" Sun asked dryly, squeezed in next to him on her bed.
"Oh, *ahem*, morning, Sun," Lito said after getting his bearings and clearing his throat sheepishly. "No, no, the day is going fine. It's the morning that's the problem… and it was supposed to be our day off…" he said the last part in a mutter.
Sun took a moment to address Jindo as she hopped off the bed and started tugging at her owner's tank top. "Shall I guess, or would you prefer to vent?"
The Hispanic actor gave his clustermate a look, before taking a deep breath. "Wrangler apparently was inspired by something I did last rehearsal, so he woke me up at 4 fucking am to discuss it. Then he got it in his head to call a meeting at that very moment to discuss it further, meaning that everyone was woken up to talk about it. Don't get me wrong, it was a good idea in the end, but then Wrangler gave me full credit, meaning that I was the one getting all the dirty looks for waking everyone up! Can you believe it?"
Sun nodded along dutifully.
Lito was now striding about the bedroom, getting more and more into it. "So, I only get back to the apartment by 11, since Wrangler just couldn't stop talking about how good an idea it was, and what do I find? Daniela took the last scoop of premium grade Colombian coffee before she left today! I had to take coffee at that diner nearby, which has good food but can't brew coffee for shit! And I don't know what they put in my brunch today, but it left me so drowsy that I couldn't do any of the rehearsing that I had planned for the day! And you know what the worst of it was?"
"Your pillow was lumpy?"
Lito paused as his spiel hit a bump. "Yes! No! Well… maybe, but that's not it." He paused and slumped back on the bed. "Hernando managed to call me before I dozed off. He said that Joaquin's friends have been seen around our place back in Mexico City, and he's getting worried."
That made Sun frown. "And none of us are in the city to help him out. Do you think he's planning something?"
"I don't know, and that worries me!" Lito answered, jumping back up and striding to the window. "Joaquin is one vindictive SOB, you know that, and though Wolfie helped me put the fear of God into him, he might've found his balls from wherever they shriveled up to, and might be planning his revenge as we speak-"
He was suddenly cut off by a leash being slapped into his hand, and he turned around to see Sun, now dressed in sweats and jogging shoes and watching him patiently, with Jindo at her feet insistently tugging at the other end of the leash clipped to her collar.
"How about this? You help me take Jindo for a walk, clear your head, enjoy the sunshine, and you can tell us more of what Hernando has heard. I'm sure if Joaquin is planning something, Bug would love to take another hit at his media presence."
Lito's face brightened at the memory of the first time Bug had offered to handle his new friend's adversary for him and for Dani, through his digital and extra-legal expertise. Between the number of porn subscriptions, videos of drunken shenanigans, and financial audits Joaquin was going through, it was no surprise he hadn't been seen outdoors in months.
But for now, Lito decided to take Sun's advice and focus all his attention on the ball of white fluff that was barking at the bedroom door. "Alright, alright, I guess I could use some fresh air," he said, moving to open it for the restless pooch.
"Oh, that reminds me," he added as Jindo all but dragged him to the front door, "Mother sent me a catalogue of doggie jackets, and I think Jindo would look fantastic in them. How does hand-stitched green plaid sound?"
Sun just stared unimpressed at Lito, and even Jindo turned around to give him a look.
Wolfgang peered down.
Jindo stared up, tongue hanging happily out.
Wolfgang's eyebrow rose.
Jindo panted and turned in a circle.
Wolfgang kept watching impassively.
Jindo bowed, tail wagging excitedly.
Wolfgang folded his arms.
Jindo barked and leapt up, balancing against the new person's chest.
Wolfgang didn't move, but cleared his throat, almost sounding like a canine's growl.
Suitably cowed, Jindo dropped back down and rolled onto her back with a whine.
Wolfgang gave a satisfied smirk, crouching down to rub at the dog's fluffy stomach. "Always good for dogs to know who's boss," he said.
A moment later, Sun's hand landed none-too-gently on his shoulder. "And that better not be a dog bully, right?"
The German's expression didn't change, but he did give an acknowledging nod in her direction.
"Yes? You want it? Do you want the toy, Jindo?" Kala gushed. She gave the doggy toy a few squeaks, waving it in front of her. Jindo barked, bounced and turned in circles, her tail all but a wagging blur.
Finally Kala stopped teasing and dropped the toy. Jindo excitedly pounced on it and filled the apartment with chuffs and squeaks.
Kala laughed and just watched, her thoughts already settling. She had spent the day going over their trip arrangements to Paris next month, but her mind kept going back to the two men that were now such integral parts of her life, and how she was going to resolve the relationship that had sprung up between them all… It was a good thing that Rajan had asked to speak to Sun for a while to get some advice, and Sun had suggested that Kala keep an eye on Jindo in the meantime.
It was a nice distraction.
She briefly took her consciousness back to Mumbai, to find Rajan on the couch looking at Sun, sitting where Kala was in reality. Sun's expression was its usual stoic self, while Rajan looked grim.
"I will never say it's easy, turning someone you love into your enemy," Sun was saying, "but you've been doing alright thus far. You just need to remember that when you get up on that stand, there is a defendant sitting across from you that looks like the friend you once had. But he isn't your friend, because no friend you know would do something like this."
Rajan exhaled. "True. Ajay was never that callous, nor that mercenary, not when I first knew him. But still, even if I know the person on trial isn't my friend, I do wonder where that Ajay went, and how I can get him back." He glanced up at her. "Know what I mean?"
Sun remained impassive for a long moment, before her face softened and she nodded.
Kala smiled softly, gave Rajan a quick psychic kiss, and ducked out of the connection, not wanting to intrude any further. If she remembered correctly, Rajan was to give his own witness testimony to the court next week, and confronting his old friend for that corruption scandal was not going to be a pleasant experience. His sadness was all too evident in just those few moments of conversation, and she wished there was more she could do for her husband who she loved.
She loved her husband. Such a normal, benign statement to most, yet was so new and bizarre in her current context.
She glanced down to where Jindo was now lying under the coffee table, still worrying at the toy, and wondered if there was a way to bring her to Paris or Mumbai too.
On a whim, she reached out for Wolfgang, and found him lounging in Felix's club, drink in hand, watching Felix give impassioned orders to one of his employees.
"Look, I get that Dr. Klaus wanted to host his bachelor party here next month, and he's paying good money to reserve it this early; that's why we're letting him! But the fact is that two good friends of mine are getting married that same week, in Paris, so I can't be here to host it! That's why I'm leaving it up to you to host!" He fixed his man with a squint. "Or are you saying you can't handle it? Haven't you been around here long enough?"
That made his employee bristle. "Well… yeah, of course I can handle it! I've been working here longer than I've known you!"
"Excellent!" Felix declared, clapping him on the shoulder. "So when I get back, I expect to hear that the party was a rousing success and Dr. Klaus is off on a happy honeymoon, yes? 'Cause if not, I might have to start digging out pink slips!" He turned on his heel and strode off before his gobsmacked employee could respond, but added over his shoulder, "Look on the bright side: pull this off, and I'll be digging out the promotion forms instead!"
That made the man's mouth snap shut, and he stared for a while longer before huffing and getting back to work.
Felix cheerfully strolled up to his brother-in-arms, slung an arm over his shoulder and grinned. "That ought to keep him motivated."
Wolfgang simply rolled his eyes, before shooting a lazy smirk Kala's way and tilting his head as if to say, 'See what I have to deal with every day?'
That action was enough to bring a flush to Kala's cheeks, but before she could do more than return the smile, a sudden weight on her legs back in Seoul pulled her attention away. Returning to Sun's apartment, she found Jindo panting excitedly in her face, forelegs propped up on her lap and a different chew toy beside her.
Kala couldn't help but laugh again. She laid a kiss on Jindo's nose, gently shoved her back down, picked up the new bone-like toy, waved it, and sent it rolling across the room, watching amusedly as Jindo scampered after it.
"Thanks for watching over her," Sun said, suddenly sitting next to her.
Kala smiled back. "No, thank you for letting me spend time with her. I never had the chance to play with a dog so regularly, but Jindo has been wonderful. There's just something about her that makes all your cares melt away."
"She's special," agreed Sun, watching alongside her clustermate as Jindo paused in her playtime to take a drink from her doggy bowl.
"And thank you for talking to Rajan and offering your perspective," Kala added. "I know the upcoming court case is starting to get to him, and there's only so much I and Wolfgang can do."
"How are the three of you doing, by the way? Have you talked things out?"
"Um…" Kala bit her lip, "we're getting there…" Seeing Jindo look up at them, she quickly beckoned her over. "Do you think there's a way to bring Jindo to Paris with us? If she works for me, maybe she'll work for Rajan?"
From Sun's expression, she obviously wasn't fooled by the transparent attempt to change the subject, but she let it slide. "I'll look into it," she answered, stroking her white pet who was now sitting at her feet.
Kala joined in the petting. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask – what breed of dog is Jindo?"
"A Jindo."
That made Kala look up in confusion. "I thought her name was Jindo."
"It's both. She's a Korean Jindo named Jindo." When Kala's puzzled look didn't change, Sun actually blushed. "I never had to explain this to anyone… I just called her Jindo temporarily while I thought of a better name, but it stuck before I could find one. And in the end, what better way for everyone to know how special she is than by naming her after a dog breed known for unwavering loyalty?"
Kala smiled and nodded, scratching Jindo through her fluffy ear. "Ah. Very fitting then."
Jindo barked happily in agreement.
In regards to Jindo's gender, I'm going with the conversation during the birthday segment, where Soo-Jin gave Sun a picture of her and her dog and said, "You told me she was a Jindo".
Hope you enjoyed the snippets!