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There were three things everybody knew Hanzo Shimada loved; his husband, his brother, and his dragons. There was one more thing, however, Hanzo loved that nobody knew. He absolutely adored dogs.
Growing up, Hanzo was never allowed pets. They were seen as distractions from his studies. When he was younger, there were a few guard dogs on the Shimada estate. During his allowed afternoon break period, little Hanzo would spend it in the gardens along the castle walls where the dogs were posted. The three large akitas were always eager to see the young master, bounding over on large paws to tackle him to the ground, assaulting him with slobbery kisses. Hanzo would laugh as he gladly pet their fluffy heads and fed them the small crackers he smuggled out of the kitchen for them.
These were the only pleasant moments for the Shimada heir growing up. Then one day, as Hanzo made his way like normal to the gardens, there were no furry faces there to greet him. The dragon spent that afternoon disappointed but tried not to assume the worst. Yet, after a week of not seeing his only companions, Hanzo had to assume they were never coming back. To this day, he is convinced the elders made the decision to remove them from the property as it was a 'distraction' for him. Of course, the one bit of happiness in his life was taken away.
Hanzo didn't get to interact with dogs again until he was on the run from the clan. There were a few times eager pups would sniff and jump on him as he passed them on the streets, their owners apologizing profusely for their overexcited companions. Hanzo would always assure them it was fine and happily bend down to placate the dog with some pets. Occasionally, he would come across a stray while wandering late at night through back alleys. Hanzo would always try to lure the dog out with something to eat and try to find a local animal shelter that may give them a better chance. One time, while taking a brief rest in a park, a small little shih-tzu ran out from under a bush to yip up at him. The archer noticed the collar on the little dog and picked her up to get a closer look. He was able to locate the address and returned the runaway to a grateful teary-eyed little boy and his father. Hanzo treasured each and everyone of these memories.
Now the he had stopped running and settled somewhere, Hanzo could potentially adopt a dog of his own. While he was sure Cassidy would be fine with it, Hanzo did not want to burden his cowboy with the responsibilities of a dog he adopted. Though the archer was learning to do and ask for what he wanted, there were still occasions that he struggled with the idea of doing certain things for himself.
The closest Hanzo had were his dragons. Soba and Udon were loyal companions that he loved deeply but he would not consider them pets. While they sometimes behaved like energetic ferrets, they were still ancient spirits capable of deadly destruction. The two were much more than a pet but just as lovable. So, Hanzo was content with what he had and could perhaps one day work up the courage to discuss pet ownership with his husband.
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Cole Cassidy had the perfect present for his husbands birthday.
The idea came to him four months ago when the two men were on a short vacation to Venice beach in California. It was a peaceful week of lounging on the beach and exploring the Santa Monica Pier. While walking through the nearby town, they passed a local pet shop and Cassidy watch his husband practically melt right there. In the window, a small group of puppies were excitably playing together and ran up to the glass when they saw they were being watched. Hanzo walked closer to put his hand on the glass and smiled as the little ones yipped at him. Until now, the cowboy had no idea his darling was a dog person. Seeing how happy he was, Cassidy asked if he wanted to go inside and pet them. The dragon looked mildly shocked at the question but quickly nodded with one of the biggest smiles Cole has seen from him. They stayed until closing time and it broke the gunslingers heart a little to tell Hanzo they had to go. Seeing the sad smile his archer made as he said goodbye to the puppies, he got the idea.
Now, here Cassidy was sneaking a tiny samoyed puppy into their shared rooms. He enlisted Genji to take Hanzo to a birthday lunch so he could get everything ready. Luckily, Winston was alright with having a dog on base. After setting up food bowls, putting toys out, and letting the little pup explore their room, all he had to do was wait for his hubby to get back. The cowboy did get a little bed for the puppy, but he had a feeling she'd be spending her nights snuggled up with them in their bed.
Soon enough, Cassidy got a text from Genji saying the two were back on base and Hanzo was on his way to their room. The cowboy quickly cleaned up the bags and sat on the bed as the door opened.
"Cole, I'm ba-" Hanzo was cut off as the tiny cloud excitedly yipped and ran over to the door. The dragon fell to his knees and scooped the little one up in his arms, laughing as he received a flurry of kisses.
"Happy birthday darlin'," Cassidy smiled at his husband. The archer looked up at him with tears in his eyes, clutching the fluff ball to his chest.
"Cole, you did this for me?" The gunslinger nodded and Hanzo quickly set the puppy down to tackle his husband in a hug. "Thank you anata. I love you so much."
"Anything for you, Hanny." Cole felt his own happy tears fill his eyes. "I love you too."
Later, the two men were cuddled up in bed watching their new daughter play with the dragons by the foot of the bed. Hanzo thought, far from the first time, how lucky he was to have the world's most perfect husband.