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It was Kinako’s very first day on Mother Base when she
- woke up her owner in a midnight barking fit,
- chewed on electronic equipment, including his portable radio unit, and
- stole a variety of ties and proceeded to hold them hostage for hours in her newly-established hideaway under the bed.
Kaz knew raising a Shiba Inu was going to be hard. A few weeks later, it’s clear those stunts were only the beginning of what quickly turned into a personal war between dog and human; one in which a significant amount of his property plays the role of civilian casualties more often than not.
By now, it’s common place for the first action of Kaz’s day to be locating Kinako and performing damage control. He learned that it’s easiest to push and prod the puppy with his crutch, trying to be gentle as he nudges her into her dog bed. It’s a dark grey and already a little worn from back when DD was her size.
“Stay.”
Despite his early morning appearance – sweats, a too-large shirt, messy hair – he’s confident the effect of his commanding voice is the same.
Kinako looks at him and starts chewing on the rubbery end of the crutch.
Two of four paws are on the dog bed.
“Close enough”, Kaz sighs and goes to work.
*
Venom comes by around noon.
Kinako barks up a storm in response to his knock on the door but he takes it in stride, yelling “Hey Kaz!” over the noise. Kaz scrambles to silence his dog, documents flying everywhere as they’re dropped in favor of holding the puppy’s tiny muzzle shut. A low growl remains. Kaz’ll take what he can get.
“Hey.” Glancing back at Venom, he watches as he picks up the folder and puts it back on the desk. “Thanks.”
Waiting a little longer, Kaz lets Kinako go. She sniffs disdainfully at them and slinks away to sulk. There’s a mix of understanding and teasing in Venom’s smile as he watches her go.
“She’s a handful, huh?”
Kaz rolls his eyes. “You know it. I’m starting to think she’s part demon or something. Lots of evil in such a small body.”
“Good, she’ll fit right in then.” Venom fixes Kaz’s ruffled hair and kisses his temple. “I just wanted to say bye. Pequod’s waiting.”
Cursing under his breath, Kaz’s eyes shoot to the clock on the wall; he was supposed to be there ten minutes ago.
“Shit, sorry, V–“
Venom guides him back into his chair. He rubs Kaz’s tense shoulders. “Relax, Kaz, I figured you’d be busy. See you in three weeks?”
Kaz pulls him into a proper kiss. “Yeah. Be careful out there.”
Venom nods, “Always am”, and waves Kinako goodbye from where she’s peeking at them, mostly hidden in the folds of her bed. Then he’s gone.
Kaz stares blankly at the closed door for a while – Three weeks, he thinks glumly – before he re-opens the folder and continues where he left off.
*
Between mission support and taking care of a puppy, Kaz’s sleep schedule is practically non-existent. Only on direct orders from Snake does he catch some rest – “I can handle myself for a while, Kaz, go sleep” – whilst trying to get in a decent amount of dog training every day.
Progress is slow on both accounts. The first days, sometimes weeks, of a long mission entail a lot of laying low and doing recon, “the boring stuff”, as Venom likes to call it; similarly, waiting for a breakthrough with Kinako requires iron-willed patience, which isn’t exactly Kaz’s forte.
It definitely beats accepting Ocelot’s offer to help, though. Kaz would rather have a bratty dog for life.
Opening the door to his office, he quickly shoves his foot in the gap to prevent said dog from escaping. “Good try but no”, Kaz huffs, managing to shuffle inside without incident. Curled tail wagging furiously, Kinako’s excited barks make him smile, just a little.
“Yeah, yeah, hello to you too.”
He makes his way to the bed. God, he’s so tired – his back hurts from sitting in the same position too long, his eyes dry from staring at data all day. Kaz rubs his neck and sighs.
Kinako is scratching his shoe.
“Alright, alright. What do you want?”
The tailwagging continues, albeit a little slower. Kaz checks her bowl – still full – and given he met the recruit tasked with going on regular walks with her – “Evening walk completed, sir!” – that can’t be it either.
Kaz reaches for one of Kinako’s toys, a plushie that looks like a slice of– “Toast?”
That draws some interest.
They play a few rounds of catch with the difference that, once caught, Kinako brings back the toast but is unwilling to let it go. Wrestling for it time and time again, Kaz is quickly exhausted while Kinako is only getting started, even hopping on his bed to recapture it.
“Not on the bed”, Kaz tries to reprimand her while holding the toy away, laughing despite himself at Kinako’s insistence. “Down! Bad girl!”
The will of the puppy is stronger. Kinako climbs Kaz’s chest, grabs the toy, and makes a tactical retreat to her dog bed, toast firmly in her grasp.
Lying on his back in total defeat, Kaz watches as she tucks the toy away and sits on it for good measure.
He counts four of four paws on the dog bed. It’s something.
*
“… bottom line, I’m bored out of my mind but the mission’s going well.”
Kaz leans back in his desk chair and closes his eyes; with Venom’s calm breathing in his ear, he can pretend this is just one of their usual late night chats.
“Did you listen to the tapes yet?”
“Been doing nothing but.” There’s a smile in Venom’s voice. “Bowie’s really something else.”
Kaz smiles, too. “Tonight was hard to get in time but definitely worth it.”
“Sneaked a copy for yourself before wrapping it, huh?”
“Who do you take me for? ‘course I did.”
It’s quiet for a while… Kaz frowns. Silence is always suspicious. V seems to think the same.
“Where’s Kinako?”
“I… don’t know. Be right back.”
Kaz is half-way across the room when a very sleepy-looking Kinako crawls out of her dog bed, plush toast in tow. She looks adorable.
“Hey little lady”, Kaz says, definitely not in a cooing tone, “we already played today. C'mon, Toast needs a break, too.”
The toy is easily taken out of her slackened jaw. Kaz takes pity on the dog – those shining puppy eyes might have something to do with it – and picks her up, cradling her gently in his lap after sitting down. Kinako nuzzles his hand, then rolls herself into a ball, falling asleep instantly.
“Okay, I’m back.”
Venom coughs, clearly trying to hide a laugh. “'Little lady’?”
Kaz groans. He forgot to mute the transmission.
“…So what?”
“Nothing, nothing. You’re getting along better?”
Glancing down, Kaz pets Kinako slowly to not wake her up. Her fur is so soft.
“Guess so. She’s still a brat, though.”
“She’s a kid, being a brat is what they do.”
Kaz lets out a long-suffering sigh. “I hate kids.”
Venom chuckles. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
“Hmph.” Kaz shoots the receiver a venomous look. “You’re in a mood.”
“Just missed teasing you, is all.”
Kaz’s face is hot. He draws mindless patterns into Kinako’s fur and says nothing.
“You know”, Venom says quietly, “I’m not that far away from where I found her. Glad I broke the 'no more animals’ rule that day.”
“Well…” Kaz shifts a little. Kinako stays blissfully asleep. “I’ll let it slide. Once.”
Venom’s laugh is rough; it’s how Kaz knows it’s genuine.
“Copy that.”
*
Kaz wakes from fitful sleep, hair sweat-slick and plastered to his forehead. He rubs his eyes with a groan but the vivid images his mind conjured moments before won’t disappear.
Beside him, the radio is silent. A sandstorm hit just when the mission was drawing to a close, effectively rendering their equipment useless in those last, crucial days. Venom’s last transmission barely came through, choppy and riddled with static.
I’m finishing this.
Two days have past. All available units are working overtime to get their Boss home safe and although not knowing burns through Kaz’s resolve like its written on paper, he denied all requests to fly out before it lets up. Venom would never forgive him for risking a single Diamond Dog unnecessarily, no matter how dire the situation is. No matter how desperate Kaz feels.
“Fuck”, Kaz mumbles to himself. The clock on his nightstand confirms he slept two, maximum three hours. He pushes his face deeper into his pillow.
It barely smells like Venom anymore.
The rest of the day goes by in a dizzying blur. Kaz pushes past exhaustion, past the constant hum of pain radiating from his shoulder, his leg; his eyes are constantly squinted against too-bright screens. Recruits come and go, reports stack up, and still they’re waiting for a message, a call, any sign of life.
The storm rages on.
By the time he drags himself back to his office, the sun’s coming up, peeking shyly over the horizon. Kaz closes the blinds and falls face-first into bed, hissing when his aviators dig into the bridge of his nose. One more ache on the list – still not enough to draw him away from the sense of dread wrapping around him, one inextricable thread after another.
Sleep is reaching for him yet it’s there where they are waiting for him. Kaz curls like a wounded animal, lets the frame of his glasses become points of pain to focus on, even when his head pounds with it. Not yet.
He’s drifting, shadowy figures closing in with every blink of his drooping eyes, and even if fear makes his pulse spike, no no no, Kaz can’t get himself to move–
Something nudges his hand and before Kaz can withdraw, it wiggles under his limp palm, warm and determined and soft–
“Ki?”
Kaz’s voice is weak, breathy, full of doubt – but the tongue licking his fingers is very much real. Kinako whines anxiously, crawling ever closer until she’s nuzzling his jaw, her wet nose tickling the patchy stubble on his cheeks. Slowly, Kaz puts his arm around her, holding her close until the pressure inside has lessened and he can breathe again.
That night, the dreams never come, the oppressive silence chased away by light panting and the thumping of a dog’s tail on fabric.
*
The door opens noiselessly. Venom Snake breathes a sigh of relief, inching his way inside.
The room is dark. After weeks of desert sun, the few light beams breaking through the cracks in the blinds is not enough, but Venom knows Kaz’s office well enough not to stumble.
It’s only when he’s closer that he notices something’s… not off, but different. Usually a stomach sleeper, Kaz is lying on his side, bent around a lump in the blanket. More importantly: He’s sleeping peacefully, features relaxed even if recent exhaustion has left its marks, too.
Although worried, Venom can’t suppress a small smile. Given he hasn’t been attacked by Kaz’s new personal guard upon entry, he can make a pretty good guess who that lump is; he makes a mental note to bring her some treats, next time.
After turning off Kaz’s alarm and putting a glass of water on the nightstand, Venom leaves as quietly as he got in.