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When Roberu first met Shien, he thought Shien was cute in his own way. A little intimidating, but cute nevertheless.
Roberu’s never seen a beastman before, so it should come as no surprise when the first thing he laid his eyes on was the pair of fluffy ears resting on Shien’s head.
Naturally, Roberu was curious. Human nature demanded that he investigate this new thing he’d come across, but Roberu pushed back his instinct in favor of letting Shien get acquainted with him. He saved his questions for later. For now, the best thing he could do was welcome Shien and his demon friend Oga to the human world and help them get settled.
Over time, Shien and Roberu got to know each other better. When Shien wasn’t leading his subordinates or streaming, he would visit Bar Robel and talk to Roberu for a few hours. (Roberu learned very quickly that Shien had low alcohol tolerance.) During streams, the pair that would come to be known as Babudon would laugh and tease each other, to the joy of their fans. One time, Roberu even surprised himself when he allowed Shien to stay a night over at his place. (His domain!)
Neither of them admitted it, but both of them would begin to look forward to the next time they would talk to each other.
Now, they were a very close pair of friends… but while tending to Bar Robel one evening, Roberu realizes he still didn’t know much about Shien’s beastman traits. Despite restraining his curiosity ever since the two of them met, his hands were now itching to touch Shien’s ears and tail. What would they feel like? Would they be soft to the touch? Warm? He was eager to find out, but for the sake of keeping Shien’s trust, he would continue to control that urge.
… or at least, he thought he could control it.
Shien came over to Roberu’s place one night to cook a meal and play a game. (Shien’s cooking never failed to make Roberu feel warm and cared for.) After eating, the pair would play Mario Kart in the living room. Roberu laid across his couch, while Shien was comfortable resting against the base of it.
It wasn’t until a few races in that Roberu noticed how close Shien’s ears were to his hands. The urge resurfaced with full force: He desperately wanted to touch them.
Between races, Roberu would slowly inch one hand closer to Shien’s head. Soon, he made it to the point where his hand hovered just above Shien’s ears. He was so close. His fingertips just needed to meet the fur. Roberu could feel his own heart beating with anticipation.
“Robe-san, I can see you from the reflection on the TV.”
Roberu startles and quickly pulls his hand back. ‘Wonderful! You’ve really done it now, Roberu!’ he scolds himself. Did he break Shien’s trust? He feels a sense of guilt wash over him. Shien looks at him with worry.
“Sorry,” Roberu starts. “I’ve been kind of curious about your… ears.”
“You could’ve asked me about them, Robe-san! I’d be very happy to tell you about them.” Shien smiles. Roberu flushes in embarrassment.
“I didn’t want to be disrespectful to you as a beastman.” Roberu admits. “I’m not sure what your boundaries are like, so it’s kind of hard for me to figure out when it’s okay to ask about your beastman traits.”
“That’s okay. I’m used to people being curious about my beastman traits, so don’t worry about it. I appreciate how you’re trying to be nice to me.” Roberu sighs in relief.
To his surprise, Shien adds “I trust you to touch them, Robe-san.” Roberu’s heart quickens in excitement.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Just be careful with them. They’re sensitive.”
Shien turns back toward the TV. Roberu debates inwardly on whether or not to take up Shien’s offer, and settles on ‘Why the hell not?’ If he’s given a chance, he may as well take it!
Roberu hovers his hand back over Shien’s head again. He steels himself for his next move, and then he slowly lowers his hand onto the space between Shien’s ears.
His fingers finally rest on Shien’s head, and his heart soars at the achievement. His hand moves to explore Shien's hair.
“Soft…” Roberu hears himself whisper. He moves his fingers to the fluffy base of Shien’s ears, and then works his way up to their tips. “They’re so soft, Shien!”
Shien’s tail wags in pride. “Of course! I take great care of my fur!”
As Roberu continues petting Shien, he relaxes. There was something therapeutic about doing this. Roberu could get used to it (which was a dangerous thought). He didn’t want to stop, and it seemed like Shien was enjoying the attention. He couldn’t keep this up all night, though, so he mentally tells himself that he should stop and go back to playing the game.
However, there was only one thing left for him to try. ‘Don’t dogs like it when people do that? I wonder if it’s the same for jackals…’
Roberu curves his fingers slightly and uses his nails to gently scratch the back of Shien’s ears.
This draws out a full-body shiver from Shien, and his tail shoots up at the sudden sensation. He can’t help but close his eyes from the soothing feeling of the ear scratches. Roberu notices how Shien’s foot starts twitching, as if trying to tap to a rhythm, not unlike a dog. On the TV screen, Yoshi falls off the side of the road.
“Does that feel nice, Shien? Is it too much?”
“...Feels amazing!” Shien answers enthusiastically. He relaxes onto the couch and leans into Roberu’s hand.
To Roberu, seeing Shien wholeheartedly enjoying his ear scratches was a huge blessing. He drinks the sight in, and he can’t help but smile.
Feeling pity for Shien’s neglected Yoshi, he finally stops the ear scratches and finishes by ruffling Shien’s hair. He returns his hand to his controller in an effort to regain his self-control.
“Thanks for letting me do that.”
Shien’s tail wags again. “No, thank you, Robe-san! It’s been a long time since i’ve been spoiled like that.”
Roberu gains a warm feeling of satisfaction, and Shien becomes a very happy jackal beastman.
“In fact, you can do it again whenever you like. Just warn me beforehand, okay?”
“No problem. Now if you don’t focus on the race, you’re going to end up in 12th place.”
“For real!? Shit!”
To Shien’s delight, Roberu is more than happy to shower him in headpats and ear scratches, but only in private. To Roberu, there's something about the nature of that action that feels intimate -- like it can’t be done just anywhere where other people can see.
He feels contentment in having gained enough of Shien’s trust to do that. Roberu treasures the feeling.