Chapter Text
Tobirama clips the leash onto the collar of his new puppy, a beautiful beagle that his brother surprised him with on his birthday.
She's lovely, but anija warned him that she has a lot of energy, and that warning has more than proven true in the last two weeks. Which means daily walks are a must, no matter the weather, or she will make her own fun. Despite the way he's dutifully been exercising her, he's so far lost a belt, one pair of loafers, and a rolling pin to her sharp teeth, and he's taken to carefully putting his shoes away in the shoe cabinet instead of leaving them in the hall like he used to.
Having to put up with the way she steals socks out of his dirty laundry basket is bad enough - he doesn't need her to steal the shoes as well.
Today is going to be a little different though - he plans to take her on a run instead of a walk, and he suspects that keeping up with his pace will be enough to wear out some of that mischief.
He hopes so anyway.
But, even before they can get to the stairs, Tobirama must face what he's come to think of as The Ritual.
The puppy sniffs at Izuna's door, pawing and whining, before escalating to little excited barks. This happens every time - every time! - they pass and Tobirama doesn't know why.
She's only been in Izuna's house twice, once when anija showed her off to Madara, and once when she escaped the leash, squirming through the closing door on Izuna's heels. Tobirama asked his brother about the behaviour, unsure of the cause, but anija only smiled sheepishly and muttered something about Madara and dogs.
Whatever the case may be, Tobirama can't leave his dog here all day but he doesn't want to drag her away either. He kneels down, trying to coax her into his arms so he can carry her down the stairs, but she gives him a pleading look instead. How a dog can look so mournful he doesn't know, but he understands the phrase 'puppy dog eyes' now.
Anija likes to pretend to be pathetic, but this dog can beat him at his own game any day of the week.
Tobirama sighs, readying himself for whatever the equivalent of an argument is when one of the parties is a puppy.
It's the only reason the sudden opening of Izuna's door takes him by surprise.
Of course, the other reason for the very undignified way he falls on his ass is the plastic that's hurled at his head. He instinctively raises his arm to shield himself and it bounces off, landing on the floor beside him where a quick glance is enough to recognise it.
His missing orthotic.
"Why do you insist on leaving your things in my brother's apartment!" Madara's roar can probably be heard two floors up and Tobirama grimaces at the window rattling volume. "First it was your mail, then your dry cleaning, and now this!" Izuna's brother waves the other orthotic in his face. "Shoe bits! Covered in dog spit!"
Ah, so that's where they were.
Tobirama rapidly puts the pieces together - Izuna apparently knew more than he said after all.
"They are disgusting!" Oblivious to the mystery that's being solved under his nose, Madara continues to rant. "I stepped on one! Why don't you keep your dog toys to yourself?!"
"I would, except for the way I didn't know they were my puppy's chew toys." Tobirama holds out his hand and Madara slaps the other orthotic insole into it. "My brother and yours have been keeping secrets, or so it appears."
"...Izuna stole your insoles?" Madara looks confused, hilariously so to Tobirama's eyes, and he struggles not to laugh in the man's face. "As a prank?"
"I suspect this wasn't Izuna's idea," Tobirama climbs to his feet, careful to keep hold of the puppy's leash, and the way she snatches the half chewed orthotic out of his hand speaks for itself. "Instead, I believe that it's anija who should be interrogated."
"Hashirama." Madara's voice is a growl. "I'll pin him down if you'll get answers out of him."
"It would be my pleasure," Tobirama gestures towards the stairs.
It appears that today's run will be delayed after all.