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The night air sent a chill through Petey’s fur as he sat outside, looking up at the starry skies.
Li'l Petey had been put down for bed about an hour ago. Petey had strummed his ukulele a bit for his son.
He was hesitant to play the instrument, he wasn't that good, but the soft smile his whole world gave him was worth the bit of embarrassment that came with hitting the wrong notes.
Here he sat admiring the night, holding that same ukulele, occasionally strumming a string, it was more of some type of comfort than trying to play something.
Sighing he glanced down at the instrument, wishing he could hear his mother play it one last time.
Lifting his head and sitting up straight hearing a shuffle of feet stepping out the dog house, he blinked away what little tears were trying to spring out.
He sighed seeing who came out, as they had plopped down without warning and a bit too close.
“Oh. It's you…”
‘I'm sorry, are you busy?’ Dog man signed.
It got tiring calling him Dog man sometimes, would it be strange to refer to him as Greg?
Or would that be seen as…intimate?
“No, no. Just-” Petey grimaced trying to think of something.
“enjoying the fresh air.” he vaguely gestured around.
Petey looked back over to Dog man to see if he'd respond.
Li’l Petey forced him into learning sign language, he'd still have to remind himself to look directly at Dog man to make sure he caught anything the other would like to communicate.
‘It is a nice night…’ his hands slowly moved at the end.
Petey caught this as him trailing off.
Petey sighed, setting the ukulele to the side and brought his knees to his chin to hug his legs to his chest.
“I don't get it.”
He heard Dog man shift, he didn't even have to look at him to know the other was tilting his head.
“After all I've done. Not only to the town, but to you too.”
He hid his face into his knees.
“I'm trying to be a good cat, for my son's sake. Yeah sure, I haven't made any evil plans as of late or fallen back into old habits, but I just-” he turned to look at Dog man, his eyes were sincere watching him, listening.
“I-I-” Petey hid his face again.
“I still feel…rotten.”
He started digging his claws into his legs.
“I don't know if you've noticed but I have a bit of a temper.” He bitterly chuckled.
“I take most of it out on you. Yet, here you are. Providing housing for me and my son, hell you take custody of my son on the weekends before all this.” He bit his lip.
“I just don't understand. Why are you so nice to me?”
Dog man looked away and up at the sky.
Petey watched him for a moment, he could see the gears turning in that tiny canine brain of his.
Sighing he stood up.
“Sorry, I'm just…I probably need to go to sleep or something.” He turned to walk back in the dog house to go to bed, bending down to pick up his ukulele, he was held back by the wrist.
He looked down and stayed in place so Dog man could use both of his hands.
‘Don't be sorry.’
Petey narrowed his eyebrows.
‘I want to know how you feel.’
“W-what?” Petey brought his hands up to himself, a subconscious move to shield himself.
‘I want to know how you feel.’ He signed slower, thinking Petey didn't quite catch what he said.
‘I care about you…I care about you as much as I care about Li'l Petey.’
He smiled standing up to be closer to Petey.
“Pfft, no you don't. That kid is easy to love. He's practically a beacon of positivity and sweetness.” Petey waved around a hand, brushing Dog man's words off.
“And I'm just…me.”
‘You're easy to love.’
Li'l Petey told him that same exact thing a while back…but this for some reason felt…different.
“Look I know me and my kid are identical, literally, but I have no idea how you're mixing us up. We're different ages.” He chuckled but it sounded sour.
Dog man rolled his eyes and grabbed Petey’s head to make him pay attention to everything he had to say.
‘You are lovable. Since dropping the whole evil act I've been able to appreciate other things about you. You're intelligent, funny, and a little cute. Watching you with your son opened my eyes even more to how lovable of a guy you can be. Please believe me when I say I love you…’ his hands moved slowly again at the end as his eyes widened.
A blush spread over Dog man's snout as he vigorously waved his hands around trying to sign to correct himself, but his hands were moving too fast for Petey to catch what he was saying.
Petey watched him for a moment then a smirk and a glint appeared in his eyes before he burst out laughing.
There was a blush on his cheeks but he ignored that, wiping a tear from his eye from his laughter.
“Wow! You didn't tell me you could be funny!”
Dog man groaned, face palming.
While Petey doubled over in laughter, Dog man signed to no one in particular, ‘forget it.’
He yanked Petey down by the arm and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Well. He was too shy for a genuine kiss so it was a lick instead.
Petey grimaced and wiped at his face.
“Ew! I was just now complimenting you!”
Dog man ignored him walking into the dog house.
He may have seemed moody to Petey as he walked in, but he was smiling to himself.
Petey was sitting outside by himself, ready to burst into tears and here he is now, about ready to cough up a lung from his giggles and laughs.
Even if it was at his expense and his genuine feelings towards the cat.
He'd rather put up with the laughing than having to wipe the tears from a broken man that he longed to heal.
Slowly but surely, Dog man told himself.
Slowly but surely.
“Hey, wait up! Tell another joke!” Petey followed after him into their home.
Dog man holds up his pinky, index finger, and thumb.
He gwaffed. “You already told that one!
Dog man shook his head as he headed to bed.
‘Goodnight, Petey.’
“Oh yeah, cop job. Need a good sleep schedule…I should get to bed too.” He walked over to his bedroom door and turned to Dog man again.
“Goodnight Dog man.”
‘I love you.’
Dog man rolled his eyes as he heard that obnoxious “haw haw haw!” again.
-
Cozying up in bed next to his son, Petey closed his eyes with a smile on his face.
In his sleep his son cuddled up to him and Petey accepted it with open arms.
Feeling himself starting to doze he had a flash of an image of Dog man looking at him…with adoration, a blush, and then he smirked.
Petey shot up in bed, launching his son off himself.
Oh no.
Does he like Dog man?
Wait-! Li'l Petey!
“Sorry!” He reached down the bed and held his son close.
Li'l Petey was still happily sleeping, small purrs pouring out from his chest.
Petey sighed in relief and buried his face into his son's head of fur and groaned.
He liked Dog man.