dogman

The afternoon sun streamed through the windows of Dog Man's small apartment, tinting the walls a soft orange. Inside, the sound of laughter and barking filled the air.

Dog Man was on the living room floor, his front paws resting on a fluffy rug while Lil Petey climbed his back as if it were a living mountain.

"I'm the conqueror of the canine Everest!" shouted the little orange cat, laughing hysterically.

Dog Man barked happily and sprawled out on his side in a dramatic move, causing Lil Petey to tumble over him in a wave of plush fluff and joy. His tail wagged incessantly, and his eyes shone with a protective tenderness that only someone with a huge heart could possess.

In the middle of that scene, the door opened without ceremony. Petey entered as he usually did: with a sure step, without warning, like someone who knows he has a place there even if he never asked for it.

He was wearing a dark jacket, a notebook under his arm, and that neutral expression that always seemed to hide a thousand thoughts behind his slanted eyes. Seeing them on the ground, his gaze softened… just a little.

Dog Man turned around upon hearing the door, raised a hand and moved his fingers in a quick and comfortable greeting, as if to say: "Hello, about time."

There were no words. They weren't needed.

Petey nodded in response and approached, leaving the notebook on the table.

"I see you have him in hyperactive mode," he said with a half-smile, sitting in the armchair without stopping to watch Lil Petey now trying to stick building blocks in Dog Man's ear.

Dog Man only barked once, softly, in an affirmative tone. Then he turned his attention to the little boy, allowing him to "fix" him with toy pieces as if he were a giant machine being repaired.

"Did it cause you any problems today?" Petey asked mockingly, crossing his legs.

Dog Man shook his head as he lifted Lil Petey with both arms, carefully dropping him onto his stomach. The child shrieked.