Chapter Text
Hanamaki Takahiro had two dog leashes held in each hand, and he was being pulled along through a park by four large Akita, which all belonged to his friend Oikawa Tooru. He had agreed to watch the dogs while Oikawa and his boyfriend, Iwaizumi Hajime, went on a week-long vacation. Since he was in between jobs, he was very grateful that the couple had offered to pay him to care for their dogs and watch their house while they were gone.
Oikawa loved those four dogs just as much as any parent loved their children, so he was extremely picky about how they were cared for. He had even typed up a two page instruction manual on their daily routine and care requirements. Then he insisted that Hanamaki read it out loud to him before he left, just to make sure nothing got skipped over. Iwaizumi had apologized for the trouble—and by trouble, he mostly meant Oikawa’s helicopter dog parenting. But Hanamaki had assured him that it was no big deal. Especially not for how much they were paying him for watching the dogs, which was going to cover his rent for three months. That would hopefully be enough time to find a job.
It was a Monday morning when the week-long commitment started, and Hanamaki was currently taking the dogs on a walk for the first time. But he was already feeling slightly regretful about agreeing to help. He was being dragged along by the four strong dogs, and they wouldn’t listen to his commands. So he was doing everything he could to keep himself from falling as he was pulled forward against his will.
Oikawa had insisted that the dogs all be walked together so that none felt left out. “They’re very sensitive, and they get lonely. Trust me—you won’t like dealing with them if they’re sulking,’ he had said before leaving. Like owner, like pet. But he also said the dogs were incredibly well behaved.
Hanamaki was starting to think that it may have been an outright lie, just based on how the morning had gone so far. The excessive amount of money for the favor suddenly made more sense. It wasn’t generosity. Rather, it was bribery. It was basically Oikawa saying, ‘I’m leaving you with my four hellhounds, and you’re going to have a bad time. But I gave you money, so you can’t complain or back out.’
However, he definitely could complain. And he absolutely would complain. He had already decided to send an irritated text asking Oikawa what his definition of ‘well behaved’ actually was—because his four dogs were anything but that.
Hanamaki was both lost in thought and distracted by trying to keep his footing, so he hadn’t been watching where the dogs were going. And they had already made him walk through several mud puddles. His shoes were probably ruined, and he wasn’t very happy about it. But what made him start yelling at the four dogs was when he looked up and saw that they were charging right towards a man in a nice suit.
“Wait, wait, wait! Stop! Stay! Heel! Sit!”
The commands didn’t phase the dogs in the least. But it did get the attention of the man walking ahead of them, who turned around just in time to have all four dogs playfully jump on him. He was knocked over backwards from the weight of the impact. The dogs surrounded him, then started licking his hands and face.
As Hanamaki yanked on the leashes, which did little to move the persistent dogs, he apologized profusely. “I’m so sorry! This is my first time walking them! I didn’t know how strong they were, or how stubborn…. Apparently they take after their owner.”
Most people would have been angry about being knocked over by dogs—especially ones that happened to have muddy paws and no manners. But to Hanamaki’s surprise, the man started laughing as he sat up and affectionately patted each of the dogs in turn. His laugh was wonderful. It was a steady rumble that somehow reminded Hanamaki of a waterfall, maybe because it was smooth and deep. But the attractive sound matched his face quite well; he had thick eyebrows, a naturally easygoing expression, and pleasant features. His hair was dark, short on the sides, and messy on top—but not in a bad way. It was the type of unkempt style that many guys only wished they could pull off.
Now that’s a handsome man, Hanamaki thought to himself as he continued to pull at the four leashes. But he realized that he was focusing more energy on checking out the man than he was on moving the dogs away. Then his heartbeat sped up when the man looked up at him with a warm smile, and he gave a shy smile in return.
The dogs continued to nudge at the man as he happily petted them and scratched behind their ears. They had obviously taken a liking to him. They may be disobedient, but at least they were friendly.
Truth be told, Hanamaki had also taken quite a liking to the man. And it wasn’t only based on his looks. There was a calm self-assurance that he seemed to carry himself with, and it made Hanamaki feel safer just by being near him. He was actually starting to feel grateful that the dogs had misbehaved.
“I guess I should’ve washed my hands better after eating that pork bun for breakfast,” the man said with a grin. His voice was even more attractive than his laugh had been; it was deep, mellow, and playful. “But I got to meet a nice guy and some friendly pups, so maybe it was for the best.”
Hanamaki tried to think of a clever reply while meeting the man’s gaze, but he came up with nothing. Then he looked down at the man’s mud-covered clothes and frowned guiltily. “Wow... these damn rascals really did a number on your suit. I’ll pay to have it cleaned.”
“Well, accidents happen.” The man looked down at himself, and his smile only faltered a little bit. “It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about paying for it.”
Hanamaki shook his head while pulling at the leashes, which still didn’t get a reaction from the dogs. “I insist on paying. Please, I feel really bad.”
The man looked back up at Hanamaki and studied his face for a moment, then winked and replied in a light-hearted tone. “I guess we should exchange phone numbers, then, if it’ll help ease your conscience.”
“It would definitely make me feel better,” Hanamaki mumbled as he dug into his pocket for his phone. It proved difficult, since he also had to keep hold of the leashes. But he eventually managed it.
After gently pushing the dogs off of himself, the man stood up. All four dogs stayed close to him and tried to jump on him again. But he calmly looked down at them, then spoke in a firm voice. “Chill out, you wild lot. Sit!”
The dogs sat down right away, and their tails wagged against the ground as they looked up at the man.
Hanamaki stared at the animals, then looked at the man in disbelief. He felt a combination of awe and irritation. They had never obeyed him like that—not even once. “How’d you get them to listen like that?”
With an amused grin, the man shrugged and pulled out his phone. “Animals always seem to listen to me... that’s actually part of why I became a veterinarian. So, what name should I save your number under?”
“I’m Hanamaki Takahiro,” he said as he unlocked his phone and went to add a new contact. “What about you?”
“Matsukawa Issei. It’s nice to meet you,” the attractive man said with an equally attractive grin.
Hanamaki felt himself getting hopeful as they exchanged phone numbers. Matsukawa seemed like he was flirting a bit. But then again, it also seemed unlikely that Matsukawa was single, let alone looking for someone unsuccessful. He was basically dripping in sex appeal—so he could probably have his pick of whichever romantic partner he wanted. Why would he settle for some average guy who couldn’t hold a steady job?
While holding back a discouraged sigh, Hanamaki pocketed his phone, which now held Matsukawa’s number. Then he met Matsukawa’s gaze for a long moment. He wanted to ask him for a date, but he couldn’t quite summon the courage.
It was Matsukawa who finally broke the silence. “I need to get to work now. See ya later,” he said with a smile as he walked away.
The dogs tried to follow Matsukawa, so Hanamaki had to hold onto them with all of his strength. And they still almost managed to pull him over. But he wasn’t focusing on them, because he was staring at Matsukawa as he left. Then he smirked and hummed thoughtfully. He may feel terrible that Matsukawa was going to work in a muddy suit, and he may end up having to pay a chunk of his dog watching money to clean that suit, but at least he had Matsukawa’s phone number now. Once he found out if Matsukawa was single or not, he would figure out what to do next.