Chapter Text
3:58 PM
The simultaneous clicking sounds of the wall clock, keyboard and mouse, and calculator are almost hypnotizing. Donning a baby chick-patterned pajama set, rounded glasses, and a low ponytail, a man of tall stature sits alone in his bedroom, working tirelessly on his desk. Furrowed brows become raised in delight as he types in the last digit.
He's finally done.
All those taxes sure did a number on him. Doppio stretches back and looks at the time: 4:00 PM. He can take a little hour nap before dinner. He grabs his phone on the desk to message Maria.
Pio-Pio🐣: Mariring~ I'll take a nap for a bit okay?
Pio-Pio🐣: If you need me, you can wake me up no problem
Mariring🐰: Okay pio-chan!
Mariring🐰: I'll bake us some cookies in the meantime. Otsu~ ♪(^∇^*)
Pio-Pio🐣: Sweet! You’re the best Maririn (★ ω ★)
A small smile appears on Doppio’s lips. He puts his phone down on the night stand next to him and takes another big stretch before laying down to rest, almost immediately drifting off to sleep.
~~~~~
A bright place appears before Doppio’s eyes. It’s almost blinding in a way, but his eyes immediately adjusted to the sheer light. Everything looked dimmer now, and a pink figure is now visible in front of him. “Mari?” he called out to her. As she turned around, something, maybe everything, looked different about her.
Her hair is no longer in her usual up-do and is instead replaced with her hair down, the eyepatch now revealed her other eye, and her outfit resembles that of a pink lolita maid outfit. Doppio feels a sense of oddity in the dream. Sure, he’s used to seeing his partner do all sorts of things that makes his heart flutter, but this dream tells him otherwise.
“Oh! Doppio, you’re here.” Maria says in a happy tone, but something in Doppio broke down: his soul. He doesn’t often hear her say his name formally because she’s reserved all sorts of cute nicknames for him. So hearing her say ‘Doppio’ to his face even in a dream, kind of gives him a heartache.
He’s about to open his mouth but a weighted force had suddenly dropped down on his head. Almost immediately after, said force had jumped off his head and has now appeared by Maria’s side, a familiar figure too. Resembling more of his likeness, but younger, smaller, and a brat at that. Pocopio.
If this were a comedic manga, Doppio would have had multiple irk marks appear around him. He holds back the urge to punt the guy and opts for a more civilized approach. “So… you guys are friends?” Doppio places a hand on his hip as he glances between the two. “Oh we’re more than that Doppio… Mari nee-san is my onee-chan!” Pocopio hugs Maria at her hips, a cheeky look plastered on his face.
This lollipop-brained… “I-is that so… never thought I’d see the two of you side by side,” Doppio grimaces, as his free hand is now pinching the bridge of his nose. “Anyway, what are you guys—” “doing here?” A deep sultry voice is heard behind him. Doppio opens his eyes and notices that the dream has now changed. The once blank white space is now replaced with a colorful city at night.
The owner of said voice has now appeared next to him. Doom. One who also resembles Doppio, but taller by ten centimeters, a sort of wolf hybrid who dons a particularly torso revealing coat and three eyeless wolves that drape on his shoulder. “Doggy! Where have you been?” Pocopio interrupts the two, “Don’t tell me you got lost on the way here?”
Doom scoffs at the remark. “I did not get lost. I only took a little detour is all,” he points out to the shorter male, “and also: how many times have I told you to stop. calling. me. doggy.” Doom towers greatly over Pocopio. All he could do was hide his face on Maria’s waist. “Alright, alright. You did not get lost Doom, Pocopio is just teasing,” she tiptoes quite a bit to reach a hand to give Doom a head pat.
He doesn’t blush, but the tail says otherwise. Meanwhile, Doppio is on the side, flabbergasted at the sight. He couldn’t believe his eyes at what his dream is producing, but there he was. Perhaps it was due to his shock or his thoughts have plagued his mind with all sorts of questions, that the scene before him now has the trio entering a magenta-colored convertible.
“Wait wait wait! Where are you going with these… these clowns, Maririn?!” He’s now rushed to the passenger side where she was seated. “They’re bad news, and you want to go with them?” A snicker is heard from the backseat. Pocopio is leaned back, legs crossed, as he watches a bewildered Doppio try to snap the doll out of her senses. “Oh Doppio, Doppio, Doppio… you don’t get it, do you? Mari nee-san is no longer yours,” Pocopio leans forward before continuing, “she’s already ours, mine and doggy’s.”
The car revs up its engine. Doom, who’s seen to be the driver, is growing impatient. “Anyway, see you never, Doppio. Buh-bye!” Pocopio pushes Doppio off the side of the car and stuck his tongue out before the car drifts off into the night. Doppio looks off into the distance, feeling a little helpless, when suddenly a huge manhole opens under him, taking off into another dream.
~~~~~