Chapter Text
“Aoi, I’m going to take Willow to the dog park!” You called to your boss. The blonde woman smiled.
“Alright, make sure you put the adopt me vest on her.” Aoi called back. You headed into the kennels at the shelter you work at and walked over to a familiar dog.
The 10 year old Shiba inu had been in the shelter for over a year. You had developed a fondness for the dog and were trying your best to get her adopted.
You clipped a leash to the dog's collar before putting her in the blue vest that had 'ADOPT ME' in big white letters across either side of it.
"Come on Willow. Let's go to the park." You said to the dog.
Willow happily trotted in front of you as you made your way over to the nearby dog park. All of a sudden, Willow spotted a squirrel and bolted, jerking the leash out of your hand.
“Willow, no!” You exclaimed, running after the dog. You quickly lost sight of her. For a 10 year old dog, Willow could run .
On the other side of the park, Sekijiro Kan, also known as Vlad King was walking his own dog in the park.
Kan knew nothing before a flash of orange, blue and white crashed into his bulldog. His dog grunted in surprise at the shiba inu came to a stop next to them, tangled in both leashes. As Kan bent down to help the poor dog, you finally managed to catch up.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. She saw a squirrel and took off.” You apologized frantically. Kan chuckled.
“That's quite all right. There was no harm done.” Kan replied. The pro hero then took notice of the vest on Willow.
“You work at an animal shelter?” Kan inquires as you two make your way over to the fenced area where they can let the dogs off leash. You nod.
“Yeah. I love working there. It's really great seeing the animals getting placed in their forever homes. I just wish someone would adopt Willow.” You reply. Kan looks at you.
“What do you mean?” He inquires.
“Willow's original owner passed away a little over a year ago and she was brought into the shelter. Because she's 10 years old, she’s considered a senior dog and she gets overlooked in favour of the younger dogs and puppies. It's a shame because she’s such a sweetheart. I’d adopt her myself, but my apartment complex has a strict no pets policy.” You explained as Willow and Kan’s bulldog, Frankie, play together.
You and Kan continue to talk for over two hours while the dogs play together. When you left the park with Willow, Kan had a thought. It took him a couple of days to get the permissions from his condo’s management, but once he had it, he headed straight for the shelter where you worked.
……………………………….
Aoi smiled at Kan as he came in.
“Hello sir, how can I help you today?” Aoi inquired.
“I’d like to adopt Willow. I met her in the park the other day and heard her story. I’d like to give her a home.” Kan replied. Aoi’s smile grew wide.
“Hang on a moment. I think y/n should be the one to handle this adoption.” Aoi said. The blonde woman walked into the back and soon returned with you, nearly in tears.
“I could kiss you.” You said. Kan chuckled.
You help Kan go through the paperwork.
“Usually if an adopter has another dog, we’d ask them to bring them in to meet the dog they’re trying to adopt, but I think we’ve already covered that.” You said as you double check the adoption papers.
You get everything in order before going in the back to get Willow. The shiba inu happily greets Kan.
“Thank you so much. You have no idea how much it means to me seeing Willow get adopted.” You thanked Kan. He smiled at you before handing you a slip of paper with his number on it.
“I can see how much you care about this dog. If you ever want to meet up so you can visit her just give me a call.” He told you. You teared up again in response.
“Thank you.” You repeated.
You and Kan began to meet up once a week at a local cafe. As you two got to know each other better, you began to spend almost all of your free time together.
“Why did you decide to work at an animal shelter?” Kan asked. You smile at him.
“I’ve always loved animals and I knew I wanted to work with them. At first I considered being a vet, but then I volunteered in my hometown’s animal shelter. They were severely overfilled and understaffed, but everyone there worked so hard to give each animal the individual care they needed before getting them adopted. I fell in love with the work they were doing, and I’ve been working at shelters ever since. I know I’ll never make a fortune, but I love what I do.” You explain, your eyes lighting up as you talked about your job. Kan couldn’t help but smile at your enthusiasm.
“What about you? I don’t think you’ve told me what you do for a living.” You said, taking a sip of your tea. Kan smiled.
“I’m a teacher at ua. I teach one of the first year hero courses.” Kan replied. Your eyes widen in surprise.
“Oh, you must be incredibly busy then. I’m sorry if I’m taking you away from something more important, Kan.” You apologize. He takes your hand.
“Y/n, you are just as important to me as my students and my hero work. I look forward to spending time with you every week.” Kan stated. Your face flushed redder than Kan’s hero suit.
“In that case, would you like to go out on a proper date, Sekijiro?” You ask shyly. He grins and happily agrees.
……………………………….
A few months later, you and Sekijiro are settled in a log cabin in the mountains on a weekend getaway.
The two of you are curled up in blankets next to the crackling fireplace, Willow and Frankie asleep at your feet. Sekijiro wraps his arm around you and you sigh contentedly, snuggling closer to his muscular chest.
“Y/n…” Kan whispers. You tilt your head to look at him and he leans down, pressing his lips to yours in a gentle kiss.
You quickly melt into the kiss, wrapping your arms around Sekijiro’s neck to hold him closer. When the two of you pull apart, you're both grinning stupidly.
“I love you Sekijiro.” You whisper. Kan cups your cheek and looks into your eyes.
“I love you too, Y/n…” He murmurs, pulling you into another kiss. This one was interrupted by Willow and Frankie jumping into your laps.
Both you and Sekijiro laugh at your dogs. Willow licks your cheek and you smile, ruffling her fur. An overwhelming sense of joy fills your stomach as you pet the sweet shiba inu. If it hadn’t been for her wild antics, you probably wouldn’t have met Sekijiro.
“Thanks girl, I owe you big time.” You whisper in her ear before kissing Sekijiro once again.