Chapter Text
Gorou and Lumine fled from the shrine. Gorou clutched a hand to his chest as Yae Miko continued to laugh in the distance. Lumine kept her hand on his shoulder the whole walk in fear he'd collapse from embarrassment.
They stopped under a sakura tree and Gorou crouched on the ground, groaning in absolute regret at his choice of ‘battle tactic.’ Lumine knelt next to him and rubbed his back while face-palming.
"I just... I thought she had a tail! Did you know she doesn’t have a tail?"
"I did."
"Ohhhh why didn't I go over my plan with you?! I’m so so so dumb."
Lumine couldn't bring herself to disagree. After all, "Just like me, you hug your tail when you go to sleep... and just like me, you daydream about someone else grooming your tail for you!"
They both stayed silent for a few minutes like that. Lumine said, "We need to leave this realm..."
"Heh, agreed but what-"
Lumine took Gorou’s hand and in a puff of herbal smelling steam, took them into her Serenitea Pot.
"Woah! I didn't think you'd seriously take us to another realm! I forgot you had this place. Uh… by chance, can Yae Miko-”
“She can’t come in here.”
"Thank goodness."
Lumine started towards the house and Gorou silently followed. Inside the traveler's home, Gorou couldn’t help but take a few deep breaths to take in the calming scent. They slumped on her soft sofa in silence until Lumine couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Gorou?"
"Hm?"
"Would it be ok if I groomed your tail for you?"
Gorou stiffened in his relaxed position. He took his time answering and choked out "If... if you want to? I mean, if you wouldn't mind-"
Before he could ramble himself into another embarrassing hole, Lumine got up and walked to another room. "Be right back! Get comfortable!"
Despite the nervousness he was feeling, his tail decided to wag hard enough to thump against the couch. He took off some armor and neatly placed it on a coffee table nearby.
Lumine came back with a few combs and brushes and held them out to him. He pointed to one and she sat next to him on the couch. He looked at her expectantly and she giggled."Are you going to turn around?"
Gorou gasped "O-oh! Of course, my bad."
He turned to face the arm of the couch as Lumine tried to lightly grab his tail but it wagged out of her grip. Her quiet giggle both mortified him and relieved him. "Ah, sorry. I've never had someone groom my tail for me so I'm uh…"
"That’s alright. I'll get a better hold on it but make sure to tell me if anything feels unpleasant."
She firmly held his wagging tail and started methodically brushing the fur. The action was the same thing he usually did himself but... someone else doing it felt much better. So much better that he had to hold in his whines, making his ears go flat from the effort.
Lumine noticed and stopped. "Hey, do you feel ok Gorou?"
He let out a deep breath he'd been holding. "N-never better! I think it just... feels very good."
"Ok then. I'm almost done brushing but when I'm done can I um, pet it a little?" she shyly asked.
Gorou was immensely grateful she couldn't see his flushed face. "N-no problem!"
Lumine finished up brushing by going from top to bottom and all around the tail, all while holding it still in one hand. She set the brush down and pet his soft fur with her hands. Her fingers ran through the downy fur, scratched at the skin, and smoothed out the fur only to start the process over.
At this point, Gorou had relaxed so much that his tail had gone still and his back had relaxed. Lumine got up and walked to the arm of the couch to face him. He only realized she was there when it was too late and she lightly rubbed the base of his ear.
Gorou was almost able to question her but the feeling of getting ear scritches had his jaw going slack and his eyes glossing over.
"I wonder... what else about you is influenced by being part dog, Gorou?"
Gorou really couldn't focus. He’d start a thought only for it to be fogged away. His body reactively leaned his head into her hand, making her touch wander all around his ear and to his jaw.
"You're a good boy, Gorou."
Gorou gasped and his eyes widened. Then his tail wagged loudly against the sofa. He looked up at Lumine and felt some primal part of his brain feel the need to be good for the human in front of him.
Of course the human side of his brain was trying to reign his emotions in but... he wasn't out where his soldiers could see him. No one could walk in and see this side of him. He had total privacy with a trusted friend that was willing to indulge in his doggy wants and not mock him for them.
Lumine pulled her hand back. "Sorry, too much?"
Gorou realized he needed to admit to wanting to be treated like a good dog if he had any chance of this continuing. He blushed and looked off to the side murmuring, "is it... ok if i liked it a lot? I know it must be really weird for you."
"You liked what? Being called a good boy?"
His tail started up again and he pouted at it giving him away so clearly.
Lumine sat down next to him again and he faced her to see what she'd do. She reached out her hand to scratch his other ear and he hesitantly leaned into it like before.
"Good boy," she softly cooed.
He didn't hold back a quiet whine.
Curiously, she reached her other hand out to pet both ears at the same time. This made him lean forwards into her personal space, as if getting closer to the source of the good feelings meant getting more of them. When he couldn’t lean on his hands any farther, Lumine simply scooted over and patted her leg.
"Come, lie down."
Eager to please, Gorou rested his head in her lap. His reward was Lumine running her fingers through the rest of his hair.
"Aw, such a sweet boy."
Gorou was beyond caring about his dignity at this point. He just wanted to bask in the affection a dog would crave. So he snuggled further into the couch and curled up his limbs closer to himself. This allowed Lumine to reach his tail with one hand, and pet his head with the other.
Gorou was in absolute bliss. It was as if he’d denied himself a pure happiness all his life, which he kind of did. And now in his good friend’s teapot realm, he wished this wouldn't be the last time.
He closed his eyes and let Lumine’s scent relax him. Every so often she'd murmer gentle praises to him until he fell asleep.
Lumine then took the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and covered Gorou with it.
She leaned back and relaxed into the couch, Gorou's head in her lap and her hand in his hair.
Her last coherent thought before drifting off was, "we can't let Miko know she was right."