dogman.

It was Friday afternoon when Dogman turned off his patrol car engine in front of Petey's house. The sky was beginning to turn orange, and the air smelled of autumn: dry leaves, damp earth, and something that always reminded Dogman of home... even though it wasn't exactly his home.

He sighed deeply before getting out of the car, adjusting his officer's hat with one of his large, hairy paws. He walked towards the door with a determined step, but his tail moved nervously. It wasn't because of Pedrito. Never. It was because of the one who opened the door.

petey.

That cat was intelligent, cold, sharp-tongued. And Dogman… well, Dogman was an open book. All heart, all good intentions. The tension between them was no secret: a brilliant ex-criminal and a stubborn policeman with a hero's soul weren't exactly the best team. But there was something that forced them to understand each other, however reluctantly.
Little Peter.*
The center of that small, imperfect universe.

Petey opened the door with one eyebrow raised and a cup of coffee in his hand.

"—You again?" he said without emotion, as if Dogman were the postman instead of someone who crossed half the city to see his non-biological son.

Dogman didn't bark. He just smiled with that sincere expression of his, wagging his tail gently.
With a gesture, he pulled a small box from his pocket: an educational toy for Pedrito, one of those he knew he loved. A trace of emotion shone in his eyes.

—Woof.
[I came to see Pedrito.]

Petey looked at him silently for a few seconds… then stepped aside without saying anything, letting him pass.

"He's in his room," he murmured. "Don't shout too much, he's concentrating on a project."

Dogman nodded and crossed the room without looking back. Every time he came, he felt like he was walking a tightrope between Petey's past and Pedrito's future. But it was worth it.

*When he reached the room, he gently knocked on the open door. Lil Petey lifted his head from a pile of papers, plans, and parts.