Chapter Text
“En. Enki. Hey, Enkidu!!”
They definitely couldn’t hear her over the sound of all those barking dogs. She sighed and tied her hair up in a tight ponytail before kicking open the cabinet by the door to the yard and pulling out a box of dog biscuits. One sharp shake and the entire pack bolted over to her, including…
“There you are. Enkidu, you’re covered in mud.”
“Nn? Oh, yeah, haha. Did you need something? Can I have one of those?”
“For the last time, I know they’re called ‘biscuits’ but they’re not for people. They’re for dogs. Do you remember why?”
“They don’t taste that bad.”
“En, c’mon,” Shammy said. Her grip on the box tightened.
Her green-haired friend sighed and rolled their eyes towards the clear sky. “It’s a joke! I will not eat dog biscuits… anymore.”
“Okay, just checking. Sometimes the finer points of modern society seem to elude you.” She passed out treats, one biscuit per dog. It was still early in the day, so there were only eight so far, ranging in size and breed from beagle to German shepherd mix, including their own dog, a wolf-hybrid named Chimera. Eight dogs and one very dog-like human. “But it makes your nickname very fitting.”
The mud-covered friend stood up and half-heartedly attempted to dust off their clothes. En could be short for their “real” name--or rather, just their legal name. Who knew the true name of a child found living with a pack of wild dogs? It could also be short for “Enkidu”, a character in Shammy’s favorite ancient epic.
“You’re too pretty to be a wild man made of clay, though.”
“I took inspiration from you.”
“Very flattering! You can be quite the charmer when you’re not out here wrestling with the dogs and trying to scratch behind your ears with your foot!” Shammy clapped. Enkidu’s looks did seem to mimic hers. There was an old wives’ tale that masters and their dogs resemble each other, or start to over time. The same thing had happened with Shammy and Enkidu over years and years of close friendship, which had eventually culminated in them moving to the same city, rooming together, and working together while Shammy chased her PhD. The doggie daycare wasn’t her ideal source of income, but it was Enkidu’s and it did pay their bills.
“Sometimes I think you’re like, a savant and your talent is animals. What’s that in the theory of nine intelligences? Holistic intelligence?”
Enkidu shrugged, leaning to scratch Chimera behind the ears.
“Were you calling me before? I thought I heard you, but we were all playing…”
“Oh! Yeah, we can take a new client, right? A large dog? From the looks of it, it’s good money.”
“Absolutely, please bring in more dogs.”
“So serious. Awesome, I’ll go tell the client they’ve been approved!”
“You’re very cheerful about this, you do not usually get so excited about more work,” They eyed her suspiciously.
“Rich client,” she said, grinning. “And maybe a little famous!”
Enkidu had absolutely no interest in the human client — only the dog. What kind of dog would someone rich and “a little famous” drop off? Hopefully it was huge. They always had to hold back a little when playing with the current dogs because of their size. Even Chimera sometimes lacked the stamina. It’d be nice to have a huge friend to wrestle with! They followed Shammy back inside, half-eavesdropping on her conversation as she picked up the phone from hold.
“Yes, yes — oh, I’m so sorry! My co-worker was outside--yes, we absolutely have an opening — yes, no problem! Of course, we can — oh, sure. Yes, we’re already open, we open at 5:30. Sure, bring him over any time! I’ll get the paperwork started. Of course. Oh, definitely! Have a nice — ah. He hung up. Well, better get ready, we got a new dog on the way, just in time for the morning rush…” Shammy turned around to find a stationary Enkidu staring at her without blinking. “What?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. You’re just standing there smiling at me with that weird spacey look you get.”
“Nothing in particular. Just remembering that I like you very much.”
“Aw… I like you too, En. Now get ready for a huge dog that belongs to a very rich client. And I mean now, this guy is kind of impatient.”
Again, Enkidu had absolutely no interest in the human client. Only the dog! They decided not to ask Shammy what she knew. Better to have it be a surprise. They didn’t have to wait long, a few minutes later a beautiful and very, very large Tibetan mastiff walked through the door at a pace just shy of dragging their master by their leash.
Enkidu’s heart leapt. What an amazing dog! The size! The gorgeous shiny coat! The perfect nose and ears! The powerful legs!
“Look Chimera — a new friend!” Chimera’s ears perked up and his tail whirled in circles like the blades of a fan. The two of them stood on the sidelines almost vibrating with excitement, waiting for Shammy to tell them it was okay to take the new friend outside.
It was odd though, the feeling in Enkidu’s stomach: a twisting knot, a choking lump in their throat as if they needed to contain a sob. Yes, it was very exciting to see such a huge and beautiful dog, maybe even worthy of shedding a few tears of joy, but they had the feeling that was not the source of the physical anguish inside them. Their eyes were unwittingly drawn to the face of the dog’s owner. His presence was like a magnet and so very shiny — the golden hair or the golden earrings? Bright red eyes a shade Enkidu had never seen on a human before.
They immediately cleared half the lobby to stand next to him. After a fraction of a second where they made eye contact, bright red and forest green, their expressions mirroring each other’s surprise, Enkidu pulled back their arm and decked the man in the face.
“ENKIDU! WHY!?” Shammy howled.
“Oh — oh my god!” Enkidu unclenched their fist, raising both hands in the air. “I am so sorry, I don’t know what came over me, I just really, really felt like I needed to…”
“It’s okay,” the dog’s owner replied, rubbing his cheek. “I wanted to do that too for some reason. Do I… know you?”
They made eye contact again, just for a split second, and before Shammy could say anything he’d smashed Enki in the face with his elbow.
It just felt like it was supposed to happen. They weren’t mad. They welcomed the retaliatory blow. Normally, being attacked by a complete stranger would elicit a response of anger, or fear, but instead their heart leapt with joy, as if they had been waiting for their entire life to be struck by this golden-haired jerk in the expensive suit. It filled them with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia for something they couldn’t remember.
The dog’s owner passed the leash off to Shammy without a word and both he and Enkidu lunged at each other. It didn’t matter that they had never met and had no reason to fight, or that neither had originally done anything to provoke the other, or that one of them was a mud-covered dog-loving hippie of indeterminate gender and the other was a clearly wealthy and incredibly handsome potential client; they were going to throw down right there in the middle of that lobby.
A regular client came in with their labradoodle and Shammy flagged them around the edge of the room towards the front desk. Enkidu worked in mysterious ways and she did not feel confident enough to step in and stop the current grappling match happening between them and their new arch-enemy.
The golden-haired stranger clicked his tongue as he tried to wrest his arms from Enkidu’s grip and land the next blow. “You’re so short, how do you have this much strength?”
“You look too fancy to like working out, it’s strange that you’re not budging,” Enkidu replied without releasing their grip in the slightest.
“You’re underestimating how important maintaining my physique is to my image, which makes perfect sense considering you’re a grubby commoner.”
“Some people actually like, value integrity?” Enki smiled brightly. They couldn’t strike again while their hands were locked with this stranger’s, but they really, really wanted to punch his face again. Then kiss it. Then punch it… again!
“Can you even spell that?”
“Yes, absolutely, without even looking at my phone or calling a maid to do it.”
“I swear we’ve met before, but it’s hard to recognize someone under so many layers of dirt.”
“That can’t be right! I’d remember someone so offensively shiny.”
Their expressions were still mirrored, but had long since morphed from confused surprise to joyous, determined grins. Enkidu finally pushed one leg forward, shouldering their opponent in the gut, lifting him off the ground, and flipping him over their shoulder while bending backwards.
“Enkidu! Do NOT German suplex clients! Especially not in the lobby!” Shammy shouted from behind the counter.
“Oh— sorry— !!”
Enkidu doubted someone that obviously well off would have ever had to lift a single finger in self defense, but this client had an impressive recovery time. He’d known how to land properly to avoid the worst of the blow and kicked Enkidu's feet right out from under them. Before either of them were all the way back in standing position, they both lunged again, wrestling to try to pin the other on the dog-hair covered tile floor.
“Alright, alright, alright. Break it up! You’re scaring the other customers!” Shammy, with Chimera at her side, finally rushed over to try to break up the impromptu lobby-brawl. “En, don’t tear the client’s incredibly expensive-looking designer clothes that we can most certainly not afford to replace. That’s not civilized.”
She took the same tone with Enkidu that she did when she was scolding one of the dogs, firm but not angry. They sighed and rolled over onto their hands and knees, away from their opponent. “You're right…”
“I am so, soooo sorry!” Shammy said, offering the man a hand. “My friend is a little excitable, but as you can see, they're great with dogs!”
Both Chimera and the new dog had gravitated towards Enkidu. Chimera was already licking a perceived wound on his master’s face.
“What, were you raised by wolves?” The dog’s rich owner asked, one eyebrow raised (over the eye that wasn't darkening by the second with a nasty bruise).
“Actually, they were… long story. I'll, um, get you an ice pack and if you could fill out the paperwork really quickly, we won't keep you any longer…”
“That would be good. Hurry up.”
Shammy felt blessed that somehow, miraculously, both her oldest friend and likely richest client had decided the sudden fight was all in good fun. There was still the chance he could sue them for all they were worth, though. Before that, she would perform her best customer service routine. She raced to fetch a ziplock to fill with ice while Enki sat on the floor, petting Chimera and the giant mastiff at the same time. The mastiff had already laid down across their lap. That was just Enkidu’s way with animals.
When she returned, she found the new customer had filled out almost all the paperwork and was about to sign the final few lines with a gold and ebony pen that looked like it would be worth a month of her salary.
“Again, I am very, very sorry. You have to think about Enkidu like another dog sometimes. Here is an ice pack, allow me to offer a twenty-five percent discount for your first visit.”
“Discount? No, here, that was so entertaining I'll pay you a tip up front…” He fished his wallet out of his jacket pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill, handing it to her as if it were a tissue. She took it hesitantly, jaw dropping ever so slightly.
“Zasshu?” Enkidu had come over to check the paperwork. If asked, they would have said to see the dog’s name, but that was of course on the brand name, gold-trimmed collar. They were actually checking for the client's name.
“It means ‘mongrel’ in Japanese,” he replied.
“But you wrote that your dog is a purebred.”
Shammy smacked her forehead. What a painful exchange.
“That's more than I can say for you.”
“It's better than being in bred.”
Shammy ducked behind Enkidu and put her hands on their shoulders, marching them back to Chimera and Zasshu, who were quick on their way to becoming best friends. Enkidu seemed to pick and choose what elements they retained of modern society and she wished that horrible stereotypes about rich people wasn’t one of those things.
“Please do not make us lose our current most popular candidate for house representative, Gilgamesh Uruk,” she subtly jerked her head in their client’s direction, “because you have trigger happy fists.”
“OH my god is that really his name? Like the guy from that old poem you like? That’s hilarious!” Enkidu said, most definitely loudly enough for Gil to hear.
“Enkidu! PLEASE!”
“He gave you a hundred dollar tip, it’s fine! Is that why you were so interested in him?”
“That and he owns like five major companies in this city and has his own TV show. No big deal, right?”
“We don't have cable.”
“There are advertisements all over — oh, nevermind. Just go play with the dogs, okay? And next time he comes in, no brawling!”
“He has a very punchable face, I will make no such promise.”
“This is the worst regression you’ve gone through so far. Are you sure you don't know each other?”
“It… kind of feels like we do? It's strange. Like, I almost could have guessed his name…”
“Maybe it was in a past life, haha! What are the odds that you have the nickname of his namesake’s best friend.”
“Is that possible?” Enkidu’s head whipped around to look at Shammy. “A past life?”
“Um… well, depends on what you believe, I guess. Anyways, get lost before he changes his mind. Butter up the dog. He's your type, right?”
“Well, all the shiny accessories and obvious flaunting of wealth is a turn off…”
“The dog, Enkidu. Wait, are you interested in another human ?”
“Hmmm… I guess so?”
“I’m not sure what that means, just don't go punching everyone you find attractive, you got that?”
“Mm-hm.”
###
“Sir, I brought your coffee— eeeeeee?”
Tiné Chelc was not expecting her boss to arrive ten minutes late to the office sporting a nasty black eye. As a matter of fact, it ranked very high on the things she would least expect from him, the black eye in particular. Who in their right mind would lay a hand on him?
“Better be light on the sugar this time. By the way, refill this.”
He threw a soggy plastic bag at her as soon as she placed the mug down on his desk. She caught it one handed, of course. There was a reason she alone had been chosen as his assistant.
“I’ll be… right back…” She turned and mechanically made her way back down the hall.
Should she ask…? It was sometimes hard for her to gauge what her boss would find humorous and what he would find insulting, and heaven forbid you accidentally insult him. She was not going to allow a little curiosity to ruin three months of hard work towards a potential paying summer job.
Tiné Chelc was on a lifelong journey to make life better for her people, no matter how she had to do it. She’d been involved in activism for her tribe and others for as long as she could remember. The most plausible route seemed to be going into politics, and that required money, which required connections. She finished high school in three years and entered college as a sophomore, immediately seeking out an internship. There were plenty of large companies in the same city as her university, but because of her age (and more unfortunately, her race and gender), she’d been shunted into position of a lowly gopher. For the first two weeks of her second semester, she stoically put up with office harassment and a severe underestimation of her abilities and intelligence all day, with a heavy load of classes at night.
But she would persevere. She was working for something bigger than herself.
And to get it, she needed some one bigger than herself, at least in spirit.
Two weeks in, the head of the company, the actual top, was at her office. She was expecting someone older, with less gaudy gold jewelry, and no leopard print on their person. She knew who he was, and his name, but it took every fiber in her being not to choke with disbelief when he introduced himself with it in front of her.
Gilgamesh Uruk? First of all, what a power move for his parents, naming him after one of the oldest recorded heroes. Second of all, just who were his parents that he’d been able to make his way into this lifestyle? She said nothing. She was scolded by her supervisors for trying to show off her efficiency in the background, but she’d been noticed. Gil — whoops, no, it was Mr. Uruk, or just ‘Sir’ for her — had said he liked her sharp style and determined eyes and everyone she had met before him was a fool who had not seen how useful her talents were. Then, without even asking her, he’d made her his assistant. Of course, she was honored! … he said. Normally an assistant was a lowly position, but not when it was his assistant!
If she could keep her position and make it through school, he was damn right she was honored. It was a challenge, keeping up with a man who owned five completely separate companies, had a TV show, and had abruptly decided to run for house representative after some social media posturing.
She thought it was amazing and she was going to learn everything she could.
She came back to his office with a bag full of ice, wrapped in a terry cloth towel, and threw it to him. Naturally, with his coffee in one hand, he caught it with the other. She wanted to see him falter someday, but at the same time, she didn’t. This brief notion made her feel brave.
“If you don’t mind me asking…”
“I was attacked by a mutt. Cancel anything involving cameras today.”
“A dog did that? Your dog?” She went for her tablet, making a show of doing the exact task he asked her to do while fishing for more information.
“Ha! Of course not. Zasshu knows better.”
“How big was this dog? Where was it?” Oh no, was he in such a bright mood because that dog was officially set to be put down? That would leave a bad taste in her mouth, worse than the failed first coffee she’d prepared earlier. “Was it stray?”
He paused, sizing her up. “Bigger than you. When I dropped Zasshu off at daycare. And no, looks like it has an owner who doesn’t know how to control it.”
A person was involved?! Would he sue?
“Was it… taken care of?”
“Yes, but as it was more entertaining than anything, it’s not a problem.”
It’s not a problem, he said. But he was in a good mood. A better mood than she’d ever seen him. He hadn’t stopped smiling the entire time. Suddenly, a strange suspicious overcame Tiné.
“Was it a dog or a person?”
His smile widened slightly. It was often hard for her to look away from those brilliant red eyes. His presence was truly powerful, as if he was a star and anything that got close to him would be caught in orbit and begin revolving around him. Maybe she was already caught up in that. If so, she’d like to be Mercury, or maybe Jupiter with their connections to knowledge and power.
“At least you know how to read into things.”
But he didn’t explain further than that.
“... Did you kill them?”
He slammed his coffee mug on his desk and doubled over laughing. She hoped that meant the idea was ridiculous, but she would put nothing past him.
If a human sacrifice had been made, she was grateful for the resulting amazing day at the office.
###
Gil had people to pick up Zasshu, if he needed them to. He had people for everything. But he was in a whimsical mood and decided to do it himself.
The girl from that morning stood behind the desk, the end of a cheap ballpoint pen resting on her lips while she looked over documents. She was pretty, in the same amusing way Tiné was pretty — the same amusing way most women were pretty. Temporary. Fun. Like flowers.
No sign of the green-haired mongrel or their white dog, though. Wait, were they a woman? Women weren’t usually that freakishly strong, but he knew a few. Their resemblance to their more level-headed friend was bordering on uncanny, but maybe the small differences came from a difference in gender.
Either way, he might have been… no, of course he wasn’t disappointed when the other woman said “Enkidu and Chimera left early to get some supplies. Dog food and treats and stuff.”
“Oh, good. I was hoping they hadn’t turned tail and run, haha.”
“Enkidu? Never. To be honest, I think they’d be disappointed if I told them they missed you coming here.” She laughed. “Again, I am so sorry about this morning. They’re usually pretty docile but sometimes weird things set them off.”
He returned her laugh and slapped another hundred down on the desk when she came back with Zasshu on his leash.
Normally, he would have driven directly home, already having taken far too much valuable time out of his day doing things he considered the work of people he un-ironically called ‘peasants.’
“Since you had to spend the day in such an awful place, I think you deserve a reward. I’ll let you choose,” he said to Zasshu, who obviously could not understand English, but wagged his prestigious tail anyways.
Normally, he would never have set foot in any store where it was an option to push your own shopping cart. Zasshu did not share his master’s discerning tastes. He was just excited to be at another place that had many dogs and things that smelled good.
Normally . Gil was feeling ab normally cheerful, so normal didn't really apply that day. Zasshu wasn’t an easy dog to drag around. Actually, it was near impossible. He weighed more than Gil, but with a little determination, he slid across the tile floor, gazing wistfully at the passing bones and squeaky toys.
He almost missed it: a flash of green and white in the corner of his eye, crouched down to examine something further down the aisle. Why wear white if you were just going to roll around in the mud with dogs all day? Well, it’s not like it mattered what you wore if it was cheap. Without any consideration for common social mores, Gil strode over and grabbed his target by the ponytail. They let out a yelp when they looked up and locked eyes, a warm smile flooded their face.
Oh. He hadn’t been expecting that. His heart leapt. But he was not the type to show surprise, or any other emotion, so casually.
“My god, are you not wearing shoes?”
“My god, are you still wearing leopard print after the nineties?”
“Can you not afford them?”
“I can, I just don’t like them. Did you come here ‘cuz you want to go another round?” They enthusiastically pushed up one of their sleeves, revealing surprisingly well-toned arms.
“Not tonight, you’ve already set work back a few days. I can’t make appearances with this.” Gil pointed at his bruised left eye. “So expect payback next time, mongrel.”
“Oh no, I’m so sorry, how will you ever afford to maintain your wine-filled swimming pool in the meantime? I think you should keep it, it’s a good look for you! I’ll replace it as often as you like!”
They both laughed, then stood awkwardly a moment as if waiting for the other to say something.
“Well, it’d be a shame to waste even more time on you.”
“Ah, must his majesty take his leave now? How tragic!”
“Ha. What was your name again?”
“What, you ran out of crude nicknames after ‘mongrel’? Considering your name, I’m incredibly offended! You forgot the name of your own best friend?”
They’d meant it as a joke, but after the words left their mouth, they felt as if they’d been plunged into icy water. All the color seemed to drain out of the world around them, and the sounds faded as if they were coming muffled behind glass.
Pure, unfiltered truth dripped from the words between them.
“You might think it’s humorous, but I am named after a king. Who in their right mind names their child after a beast made of clay?”
“Of course, it’s a nickname, idiot.”
The whole mood of the conversation had changed, both of them suddenly very uncomfortable and miserable for no reason they could discern.
“Don’t start snacking before you leave the store,” Gil said, nudging the basket full of dog treats Chimera had been dutifully guarding with the toe of his shoe. Enkidu stuck their tongue out at him.
They parted ways, with Gil feeling guilty , of all things. That was not an emotion he was familiar with, nor was it necessary, in general or logically in this situation. He bought Zasshu the most expensive bone they had in stock and drove back home to sulk over wine.
Enkidu returned to work with Chimera and twice as much food and treats as Shammy had estimated they would need, but instead of going out to play with the remaining dogs, curled up against Chimera in the corner of the yard and napped. There was nothing about the earlier exchange in particular that had offended them. They just felt so lonely and regretful they couldn’t process it while awake.
“Maybe next time we meet, it will be okay.”