#(The dogs are waiting very patiently for their pup cups in the first pic

[soulsxng]

From that last post, here’s my little menagerie of animals, for those interested.

On the left is Rune. (Roo/Roo-berry/Booger buns, or, if he’s being a lil’ shit, Runepert D. Dinkle.) He’s an elkhound, he’s gonna be 2 in April, and he’s a trip tbh. Wants to make friends with every person that deigns to look in is direction, and WILL make sure that his displeasure is heard, if he isn’t allowed to do so. The only exception is if I see the person before he does, and say “Oh no, baby. They’re doing things and stuff, we can’t have friendship right now”

On the right is Kona. (Koko, Nanner, Coconut, Noot-Noot. If she’s in trouble, she gets the full name “KONA RHEE!”) She’s a German shepherd and Rottweiler cross, and she’s scared of literally everything. Loves beds, will start pointing if she hears the words “Do you want”, even if they’re not directed at her. She also enjoys splooting in front of you, while giving you a judge-y stare that will make you regret All of your life decisions. She turned 5 in October.

In the middle is Pippin. (Pip/Peep/Pipsqueak. If he’s in trouble it’s Pippin Squeakers. Sometimes he’s snooty, and will answer only to his Name of Distinction: ‘Ah, Pippin Squeakers, the Sweetest and Most Benevolent, Babiest of All Boys’…and then he’ll deign to grace you with his presence). He’s our old man who turned 9 in November. He hoards balls to compensate his own having been chopped off, and can say “Mama”, “Yeah”, “No”, and “I dunno”. Also screams when slighted.

Next are the birds. The first one, enjoying his mashed potatoes, is Wynnie! (Woodle-noodle/Woopie-wooper/Wynnie-woo) He’s a pied cockatiel, and he’s 6 years old. The first song he ever learned was the Chocobo song from final fantasy. He enjoys calling Pip over to the cage at all hours of the day and night, mimicking dog cries/barks/growls, and having his cheeks scratched. Also says “What the fuuuuuuuck?” At almost scarily apt moments.

The next one is actually my brother’s bird, but he’s at our house…probably all but 1 week per month? His name is Rocky (Ki-bird/Chonker) He’s only a year and a half, and he’s a silver-pied cockatiel. He likes to say “Oh, good boy?”, plays peekaboo, and is currently learning the o.ld sp.ice whistle. He also uh. Has exorcisms from time to time. It’s actually really funny. When you enter the house, you have .2 seconds to do a specific whistle pattern at him so he knows you’re chill, or he’ll start going off like a fire alarm.

[inlovewithhisblueeyes]

Last Minute

Pairing: August Walker x Reader

Prompt: Someone write me a pic where you somehow convince August Walker, your next door neighbor, to babysit to you dog/cat whenever you’re away. Then one day you come back from wherever the hell you went to, he slips up and says “Our son/daughter missed you.”

Word Count: ~2k

Warnings: Mentions of nudity and the morning after, implied sexual activities

A/N: This is a Christmas present for the wonderful @raspberrydreamclouds​ who also wrote the prompt. I hope you enjoy!

A/N 2: I decided to give my own dog, Paris, a chance to play a starring role in one of my stories. She’s definitely a character.

Shimmering rays of gold slipped into the room on the gentle morning breeze. August had woken up a short while earlier to find that the spot beside him on the bed was cold and empty. He had been retired from his life as the Hammer for a few years now. The skills of observation that August had prided himself had completely vanished as soon last night’s romp slipped into his life. The only thing that comforted him was the fact that he could hear the shower turning on. With a groan, the blue-eyed devil removed his legs from where they were tangled up in the sheets and rose to his feet.

Where he had expected to feel the clothes that had been discarded from his latest tryst, August had only felt the cool wooden floor. Glancing around, he noticed that his clothes had been folded up and placed on the dresser. He could just barely remember a soft voice teasing him about making a mess. His arms reached out above his head as he yawned before one of his hands scratches down through the fur on his chest. It just narrowly misses brushing up against his impatient cock. The man remained perplexed while racking his head for the memories of last night.

He chuckled and just then he heard a tender lilt steaming out from the bathroom.

“Hold me close and hold me fast”

This voice was incredibly familiar to him, yet August couldn’t place where he had heard it before.

“The magic spell you cast.”

He couldn’t refrain being drawn into it like a ship in the night. He needed to know who this angel was.

“This is La vie en rose”

Steam seeped out from the cracked doorway as he crept closer.

“When you kiss me, heaven sighs”

The former agent slowly pushed the door the rest of the way open carefully so he didn’t alert his songbird.

“And though I close my eyes”

The glass of the shower door was all fogged up and August could scarcely make out the curve of her breast. Who was she?

“I see La vie en rose”

Her face turned away from the door and he leaned up against the doorframe, content with listening to her siren song. The mystery woman continued to hum the rest of the song as she swayed under the warm water. As if she was listening to his prayers, she slowly turned around. One glance at her face and the bewhiskered man saw that it was you. With a crook of your finger, you drew him closer to your heavenly body. August reached out to open the shower door and-

A sonorous snort yanked August away from your teasing ways. He immediately sat up and searched his bed for your sleeping form; however, he had the rude awakening that his visions of you were just an incredibly realistic dream. He only found your mutt happily snoring away belly up in the middle of his bed. The blue-eyed devil ran a hand down his face as he glanced at the sun just rising in the distance. Scratching his mustache, August considered his options. Option one consisted of moving the snuffling mutt that had stolen his bed from him, but the chances of waking the needy pup up were high. He wasn’t particularly in the mood for getting attacked with affection this early.

Option two was abandoning his bed for a dog free couch, yet he had a feeling the pup would trail after him. She was rather attached to him which is why you had asked him to watch her. When August had moved in a few years ago, the clingy dog had gotten off her harness and ran all the way back to your townhouse. She happened upon August as he was sitting outside and instantaneously attached herself to his lap. Normally, dogs could sense that he wasn’t the best of men around and would leave him be. This mutt, your little Paris, had decided the former agent was the best person to run to.

Now he had seen you with her a few times and knew that this rascal was never allowed outside with her harness. So when she happened to be outside sans harness and running around freely, August immediately knew he had a runaway pup. By the time you had finally arrived back to your townhouse, which happened to be right next to his own, you were noticeably in tears with the harness and leash in hand as you called out for her. Paris had decided to not even stir from where she decided to rest on his lap and the bewhiskered man had decided it was better to wait for you to return.

He was never good with tears especially when they came from a pretty lady. Even stranger in that moment he wanted to perhaps be the reason the stopped. It was a puzzling thought. August called over to you and let you know that he had your runaway pup. Your cries immediately stopped and you ran towards him, thanking him profusely. Once you had the naughty dog back on her harness, you had hugged him. Given that he was just recently retired from his life as the Hammer, John Lark, and all the other names he went by, August had distinctly noticed how your body seemed to slot up just right against his.

Thinking back, he had never received a hug or any commendation for any of the various contributions he made to his country’s security. It shocked him at first and then it was over before he could even get used to it. You thanked him profusely and in that moment he realized he wanted to hear your voice say his name any way he could get you to. This is the very reason why he had agreed to be your saving grace when your usual sitter had backed out. By this point, he had spent some time getting to know you; there had been a few dinners at each others places and trips to the movies. You had made him welcome in his new home and he didn’t want to mess this up like he had in the past.

August wanted to fuck you of course, it had been awhile since he had the pleasure of someone other than his right hand. But, it was your personality, your beliefs, your way of giving love to those who needed it most, that had really drawn him in. You had rescued Paris and had rehabilitated her and his troubled soul wanted you to do the same for him. You had a lightness in you, an innate goodness, that reached out and soothed the tattered remains of his dark heart. The former secret agent found himself actively seeking you out when he felt he hadn’t seen you in a while. He wanted to spend as much time in your presence as he could.

Granted this desire led to him watching the mutt which he was definitely handling well. It was just a dog after all, a very needy, attached to his hip, dog. Another obnoxious snort broke him from his reflections. It had only been one night so far and he only had three more days of this. He could do this and prove to himself that he doesn’t destroy everything good in his life. It was then he noticed how high the sun was in the sky and decided it was best to get started with his first full day with the mangy mutt. With a slight groan, August rose from his bed and made his way to the kitchen. He was going to need all the caffeine he could get to handle this overexcited bundle of fuzz.

After two cups of coffee, he had deemed himself ready to take the ball of fluff out for her morning walk. The man prayed to whatever was out there that the mutt wouldn’t get off her harness. He really did not have to call you and let you know that he had lost your dog. That would not bode well for his plan of a future with you. The pup was easy enough to wrangle into her harness as soon as he mentioned the magic word walk. August had to laugh at how fast her tail was wagging at the prospect of going out. He was certainly beginning to understand the appeal behind owning a dog.

The two slipped out of the house and into the cold morning air. He allowed the dog to lead him wherever she wanted to go. She seemed eager to sniff various spots along the way and walk at a leisurely pace. It was refreshing to be out in the open air like this even if he was stuck there with the mutt. The rest of the walk continued without issue that was until she caught the scent of home. The poor thing tried dragging him back to her home, but August stood his ground as she whimpered. The sound just might have broken his heart when he realized for the first time that she missed you probably much more than he did.

“Paris! Puppy! You see here, Paris. I miss your mommy too. Luckily you only have to be without her for a few days. Alright pup? Now let’s go have some breakfast. If you come willingly, I might just let you snuggle up on my lap,” the bewhiskered man murmured starring down at the sad dog.

At the mention of food, she immediately bounced back to being the overeager pup he knew her to be. The rest of the days passed by in a similar manner. He would get up, walk the pup, remind her that her mommy would be home soon, feed her, and cuddle with her which he was slowly starting to enjoy. The pure unadulterated love that poured out of this tiny thing soothed him just how you did. He could definitely get used to this puppy love. August had almost forgotten that this furry baby wasn’t even his by the time you returned home. The pup had nestled herself right into his world like she had been a part of it all along.

The chime of the doorbell had the puppy leaping from his lap in circus of barking and jumping. August paused the movie he was watching and he made his way over to the door, careful to avoid tripping over his excited baby. He opened the door to reveal you waiting patiently. If he thought Paris had been going nuts before, it was nothing compared to this display of affection.

“Par-bear!!!,” You squealed as you stepped into the house.

You bent down in front of your puppy and were greeted with a flurry of kisses that August feeling a bit left out.

“How was she?” You beamed up at him.

“Paris was great. Honestly, none of the things you were concerned about came to pass. Our daughter did seem to miss you a little bit,” August admitted as he scratched the back of his neck.

“Our daughter?!?” You questioned with a smirk that could rival one of his.

He could feel the color drawn from his face as he sputtered, desperate to come up with a way to save his from this mess. You stood up and gently placed a hand on his arm before giving his bicep a squeeze.

“Is this your way of finally asking me out?” You teased as a bright smile appeared on your face.

The blue-eyed man could only nod yes not trusting his voice in that very moment.

“Well Paris seems to love you so I’d be happy to go out with you sometime. You know how to reach me.”

In that moment, August was grateful for the fateful day Paris had gotten of her harness. Maybe someone out there was looking out for him after all.

[culturenlifestyle]

Abandoned Wolf/Husky Mix Wanders Into Woman’s Porch Before Hurricane Irma Hits

Topic: Animals, Dogs || by STAFF

A woman based in Florida stumbled upon this lost, frazzled and starving pup while she was prepping her yard before Hurricane Irma struck. She quickly offered the traumatised doggy three bowls of food and water! 

From bloody paws to tar in her fur, Find out what happened to this adorable wolf/husky mix in the midst of danger!

See what imgur user Amiawifeorasword writes, 

“While I was out prepping our yard for big Irma badness here in central Florida I saw this sweetie across the street. I called to her like I would any dog and she cautiously walked over. Even looked both ways before crossing the street. She's a smart cookie.”

“She let me pet her a bit but looked pretty nervous at any loud noises or if I moved too fast. I went inside and got her a bowl of dog food and some water.”

“She scarfed it down with such ferocity. She went through three bowls of food and two cups of water before taking a breath. And each time I went back in the house she waited patiently for me to come back out.”

“She got pretty snuggly after being feed. As far as even putting her paw on my arm and dragging it back to her chest whenever I paused for a moment.”

“Look at that smile. I knew I couldn't leave her outside with the storm coming so I held the door open and asked if she wanted to come it. She hesitated for just a second and then trotted inside to meet my doggo and two cats.”

“That's when I really got a good look at her. She was filthy and smelled to high heaven. Almost every bit of her fur was matted with dirt or feces. She wouldn't let me touch her ears but I could see massive matts behind them that had to be so painful too.”

“I even discovered that she had sat in tar at some point and she was very cautious of me going anywhere near that side of her body.”

“I got her calmed down and just sat on the bathroom floor with her for ages. She finally let me check her ears and her feet. I didn't notice until then that her paws were bleeding. (She'd left bloody paw prints in the living room for me to find later.) so I attempted a first bath. It didn't go so well. She was a nervous wreck. She trusted me enough to pick her up and put her in the tub but as soon as the water came on she barked and cried.”

Only managed to clean the top of her back before we both needed a break. So she came and sat on the couch with my doggo Arthur. He didn't take his eyes off her for the longest time but eventually they snuggled together to nap.

The look on her face when I said it was time for another attempt at a bath. This time I took the hair clippers to her first. She hated the noise but allowed me to cut away most of the matts. I still couldn't go anywhere near her ears though even with just scissors. It took four hours of cutting and scrubbing. To get her to a reasonable state. The hardened tar was so difficult to get off her backside. I ended up needing to shave away so much of her fur before it was all said and done.

I got her to a vet yesterday afternoon. She has no chip. They said she's probably a husky/wolf mix. And that she's very young. Maybe even less than a year old. She's obviously been on her own for a long while though.

“She's a snuggler. Pretty much anytime I sit down she wants to be in my lap. And she howls outside the bathroom door while waiting for me. We managed to hold her long enough to chip behind her ears finally. Once she realized we were helping not hurting she stopped fighting us. It must have felt so good to have those matts released from her pulling her skin.”

I posted all over social media trying to find an owner in hopes that she was loved. After navigating my way through three different scammers (there's a dogfighting and dog sale profiting problem in our area) I managed to find her original owners who had this pic of her as a puppy. They lost their apartment and couldn't take her with them when they moved. They gave her to a couple they thought would care for her but I managed to get ahold of them too. They gave her away shortly afterwards also. I found one of person who said that she had been her boyfriends dog. And that her boyfriend couldn't keep her so they let her out of the truck on the side of a road. A month. In a different city. That just broke my heart.

After much deliberation and several offers from dog lovers here in town we decided to keep her!! She is just so loving and grateful. She makes a perfect addition to our family... We named her Amaterasu or Amy for short. She's already responding to Amy like she was born to it.

h/t:imgur

[kirukirice]

Among the Crows: Chapter 50 - Puppy Love

Chapter 50!! （ﾉ｡≧◇≦��ﾉ✰ ✰ 

As always, thank you all for reading and sharing your thoughts about the fic, both on tumblr and Ao3 :’) It’s about more than halfway done, and I’d love to make a commemorative pic of this milestone (soon)

For now, here’s what happened between the doge and the little crow in the days before!

–> Full text here on Ao3! 

Let us turn back the clock on our story a while,

And look through the eyes of Iwa the hound.

The ghastly white creature; oh, he never did smile!

For no soul on earth who could do so was found.

Not even his master – oh, heavens, don’t play -

Could make his pup grin or brighten his day.

But if you were pulled from your home and beyond,

It would be strange to feel rather fond.

When Oikawa and Iwa-chan heeded the villagers' calls for help and arrived in Hanomachi, the first thing the mage tasked his familiar to do was scout out the area.

The hound followed the trail of carnage the Carcamas left behind. It was his job, after all. He sniffed - just once - at where the creatures descended upon the town, and tracked them all the way to the outskirts of Kabeki Forest. He walked on all fours among the shadows of the trees, taking care to evade all notice, lest his targets threw him off their trail. But as he stalked and roamed closer to the doctor’s abode, he picked up another scent so unique, one that his nose could not ignore.

Iwa-chan peered from the bushes to see what it was that drew his attention, and there in the middle of the wide open fields was one young Hinata picking flowers for his Mama.

At once, he knew that his master would want to know of this bird-boy’s existence. But to approach the boy and make himself known was a risk that could jeopardize the mission, so he thought to make the child come to him instead. He made a lure by picking the biggest, brightest flower he could find within the forest, and then tossing it near the bushes where he hid. There, he waited patiently for the boy to take the bait.

Once he heard the rustling of small feet beside him, he poked his snout out from under the leaves, startling the child into dropping his flowers. The boy froze to the ground when he saw the hound in all his glory, and he did not scream nor run for help. Iwa-chan had hoped that this would happen, for he could then take his time to silently sniff and examine the winged child. But he got more than what he asked for when Hinata, bold as ten men, began touching his pelt and fawning over his amazing appearance.

Iwa-chan didn’t like to be touched - even more so by his annoying master who would take any chance he got to cuddle him. He couldn’t simply run off and abandon this chance, however, so he endured the boy’s small hands and showed his displeasure by pacing around and snorting at him. Hinata shrank away at Iwa-chan’s resistance, and after a while someone called out loudly for him. He ran off hastily into the house, and Iwa-chan hid himself again behind the bushes.

When the boy didn’t return for a long time, Iwa-chan thought he had busted it all.

But to his relief, Hinata came back with a sloppy bun on a plate in an attempt to appease him, and he ate it without much hesitation. Who could resist free food? Not him. In exchange, he let the child pet him just a little bit more, which put a silly grin on the young creature’s face. The hound left shortly after and told his master of the curious little one. Oikawa was very pleased with this knowledge, and declared that they would soon pay a visit to the doctor’s.

The next day when Iwa-chan returned to the same spot in the bushes at the same time, he noticed a speck of orange peeking out from one of the cottage’s windows. He thought the boy was looking out for him, and so he lifted his white tail above the leaves for a brief moment. That was enough to get Hinata’s attention, and minutes later he came dashing through the fields with a steaming plate of grilled meat in his hands. Iwa-chan drooled at the sight and fought to calm his excited tail, relegating it to a twitchy wag. It was hard saying no to that juicy hunk of flesh and the boy this time; he even ignored that fact that he was now christened ‘Snowball’.

When he licked his lips and whined for more, the boy delivered faithfully with a basket of jam rolls and raw meats. Iwa-chan feasted and was nearly hugged upon many times that day.

Sadly, the fun had to end on their next date.

Iwa-chan waited at their usual spot, but he sensed the presence of three strangers accompanying the boy. Two of them smelled very similar to the child - one was sharper, and the other was muted. Hinata began calling out for him, and he hesitated to walk out. But since he and his master would come to meet them eventually, he thought it better to do so sooner than later. After all, not everyone would accept a killing machine as quickly as Hinata did.

So when Iwa-chan revealed himself and looked upon the startled faces of the strangers, he kept a close eye on their movements and appeared as unintimidating as he could. He took interest in the other bird-boy, who seemed more mature and less likeable at first glance. At the hunter with the knife he growled, and he nodded to himself when he backed away. He didn’t bother about the other man, whom he guessed was the doctor from the lingering smell of herbs.

More importantly, he didn’t get driven away, which was a good sign for what was to come.

And thus he left, satisfied with his work – which brings us back to the present, where Oikawa and Iwa-chan have just left the house for a breather after meeting Suga.

The skies are dim and cloudy, and the heavy dampness of the air foretells the coming of rain. The Kabeki trees look like giant umbrellas in the distance, and more so than ever, a sinister glade for the enemy. There was always time for calm and banter with these two, however, a sure-footedness that had been forged between them over the years.

“He’s quite a fine specimen, don’t you think?” Oikawa remarked as he rubbed his chin gleefully. Iwa-chan begged to differ and folded his arms crossly.

“He’s weak.” he snorted.

“Obviously.”

“Not just his body.”

Oikawa rolled his eyes at him. “You’ve only seen him for like, what, ten seconds? And he said two things.”

Iwa-chan ignored him and stared at the murky green forest, his tail twitching stiffly in irritation at the side.

“In any case, I suppose the boys belong to him, since he’s the only adult Kara. You’ve gotten quite chummy with the orange one, haven’t you? He was even hugging you when I got here,” Oikawa remarked and peered at him. The hound glanced at his master briefly, wholly disinterested at what he was going to say next, and then looked away.

Annoyed, the man-child pouted and began to throw a tantrum.

“That’s no fair! I’m your master, and I wanna hug the fluffy puppy, too! You always run away from me like I’m the plague!” He then tackled his stone-faced familiar and pleaded in a sing-song voice, “Come on, Snowball! Change into a puppy for me, okay~?”   

Just then, Hinata poked his head out from the front door warily.

His big round eyes looked like he wanted something as he glanced longingly at Iwa-chan, who had his back turned, then back at Oikawa. The mage had a pleasant face and a rather approachable air about him, but the child was still hesitant about talking to strangers.

Oikawa saw him from the corner of his eye and said without missing a beat, “Yes, Hinata?”

“Mister Oikawa?” Hinata gulped.

“Go on.”

“Why can Snowball turn into a man?”

The mage let go of Iwa-chan and squatted down to face him. He beckoned Hinata to come closer with his hand, and spoke softly. “I can tell you the reason why. But you gotta keep it a secret, okay?”

“Okay.” Hinata nodded, and leaned in eagerly. Whispering into his ear so Iwa-chan couldn’t hear, the mage told him, “He’s a cute demon puppy from hell.”

But Iwa-chan’s eye still twitched, because dogs from the underworld had good hearing, too.

The boy’s eyes widened, and it was quite plain to see that he was the complete opposite of terrified. “Really?” he whispered back in a gasp.

“Really. Isn’t that cool?” Oikawa grinned. He felt like an older brother. “Now, since I told you, you gotta tell me a secret, too.”

“What kind of secret?”

“How did you get Iwa-chan to let you pet him?”

The hound gave his master a sound kick in the posterior and sent him tumbling flat onto the ground.

“Ow, that actually hurt, Iwa-chan! See how mean he is to me?!” Oikawa exclaimed, and Hinata couldn’t help but giggle.

“I just fed him some food, that’s all.”

“But I feed him all the time. That can’t be it! Don’t lie to me, Hina-chan.” Oikawa said indignantly,

“I’m not! I gave him a lot of meat and bread, and then he let me pet him.” Hinata insisted.

The man then gave an exaggerated sigh and cupped his cheek. “Okay, I believe you. Maybe he just likes kids like you, or when someone calls for him in a cutesy voice. I’ve had this feeling for a long time, you know, that maybe he’s a perv-“

Oikawa got another flying kick to the ass which put him squarely out of commission this time.

Iwa-chan huffed once and an angry puff of black smoke shot out from his nostrils, and the hair and fur on his tail frazzled up like a static storm had just passed by. Laughing out loud at their violent but silly antics, Hinata warmed up quickly to this larger-than-life duo. They reminded him of how he, Kageyama, and his friends used to play, what with their boyish sparring and uninhibited loudness.

“You two are funny,” he giggled, “I like you two.”

And then, as if shot through the heart, Oikawa slowly lifted his head from the grass. With soil and all manner of dirt stuck to his face, he quietly wept tears of pure happiness as the pristine innocence of youth positively shimmered off the crow child’s body.  

“Oh. My. Goodness. Iwa-chan, can we keep him?” he whispered.

“You nuts?” Iwa-chan barked, unaffected by this mortal madness.

“But he’s such a precious child! You heartless demon-- why can’t you be more like him?”

Then, Hinata walked up to Iwa-chan and tugged at his hand, which were really claws. The hound glared down with his blood red irises at the boy, who didn’t flinch at all as he stated his hopeful request.

“Can I still call you Snowball?”

“…No.” he spoke to the boy in a low but unthreatening voice.

If Hinata had puppy ears, they would have drooped then.

“Okay. Then can I still pet you?”

“No.”

If Hinata had puppy dog eyes, they would have moistened then.

“… Okay.” The boy mumbled dejectedly and took away his hand. It was like seeing a flower wilt through a time lapse, all that glimmer in his face dimmed down in mere moments. Oikawa tut-tutted in disapproval and shook his head at the demon. “Don’t be such a meanie, Iwa-chan. Let him have another go.”

It was at this moment that Iwa-chan’s inner monologue was one of exasperation and his abysmally dismal understanding of the human world.

Specifically, why the hell was everyone trying to pet him?

For Hades’ sake—he was a feared and respected demon in hell, not a lop-eared, snot-nosed, cuddle-seeking puppy on the streets! But he might as well have been one, for as long as he felt that pulsing ring of warm metal on his neck, he would never walk this realm as a real hellhound. He would always be the ‘cute demon puppy from hell’.

Grinding his teeth, Iwa-chan reluctantly morphed back into his canine self. Oikawa smirked, “Good boy,” and nudged Hinata closer. “Go on, before he changes his mind.”

The young crow peeped at the demon’s never-absent frown, a deep valley on his furry forehead, and reached out to pat it. Iwa-chan squinted as the boy’s hand drew closer and became an impending brown blur between his eyes. When the thin barrier of air between fur and palm was finally breached, he closed his eyes and waited for the feeling of revulsion to pass.

But it never came.

It was only a gentle nuzzle on his brows that respected the rest of his face—and that was all.

Iwa-chan opened his eyes once the small spot of warmth left him. His frown creased a little less and turned slightly upwards at the boy, who was smiling again.

“You look nicer when you don’t frown,” he said, “You should do that more often.”

Stumped, the demon dropped his gaze.

The mortal heart was such a maze.

Every last thing he would set ablaze,

But not the thought of this little face.