Chapter Text
Petey’s day so far had been relatively normal. He had just gotten back to the police station, and in pretty decent time, having just arrested Dog Man (again) for the second time that week. He sits at his desk with a sigh, looking with slight irritation at the stack of paperwork that had been placed atop his blueprints of inventions he was working on.
One of the less cool parts of police work: paperwork.
Shifting the pile to the side and taking the top sheet to examine it, it didn’t take long before Petey’s focus was lost, and his thoughts drifted to the scuffle with his adversary not too long before. He had been able to stop Dog Man relatively easily, but that hadn’t been where the difficulty of the encounter lied.
It had been communication.
Petey had a basic understanding of Dog Man’s expressions and movements, and what they usually meant after facing him for as long as he had, but there would always be misunderstandings. Petey could tell Dog Man understood him at least, and admittedly, Petey does talk a lot. Drawn-out explanations of his inventions and how he could help the police force with them came naturally to the cat, and even though they were supposed to be enemies, Dog Man waited to execute his own plans until Petey had finished.
Which was… strange, but appreciated by Petey. Not even the other officers did that. They humored him, but it didn’t take a genius to tell they were a bit annoyed by Petey’s chatter. Which the cat was all too aware of. Unfortunately.
Nonetheless, Petey tried not to let it bother him and keep him from inventing, which was his passion. …Despite the ratio of accidental explosions being slightly above average.
Petey mused about the lack of verbal communication between he and Dog Man, and even still, the contradiction of how Petey felt so understood by the villain. It was odd. The only issue was that even though Petey felt that Dog Man knew him, he knew little to nothing about Dog Man. Which frustrated him.
Petey knew he was a special case, and his speech had been learned from childhood, but due to Dog Man’s… physical state, it was safe to assume he didn’t have that luxury. He was likely unable to speak, which complicated things. If only there was a way to communicate with him without speech…
Wait a minute. Petey sat up in his chair excitedly.
Sign language!
That was it!
Turning on his computer and opening the search, Petey began the process of locating a book on ASL to offer Dog Man. Hopefully it would work, and Dog Man would use it. He could bring it to the Jail tomorrow! The pile of paperwork momentarily forgotten, Petey looked forward to the day to come.
……………………………………………
The next day, when Petey was free, he went to the jail in hopes of giving the book he now had to Dog Man. He had gotten two copies, one for the troublemaking hybrid, and one for himself. Petey wanted to be able to learn sign language well enough to interpret it as well, so he knew he had his work cut out for him, but it would be worth it. Just to have a little sliver into what Dog Man was thinking… It was worth a try.
He arrived at the jail in good time, but as soon as he had opened the front doors, he could hear the alarms that echoed down the halls.
There had been a breakout.
Petey sighed. Just his luck. He had a pretty good of idea who exactly had escaped as well. Sure enough, when he checked in with the guards, he discovered that only one prisoner had escaped, (thankfully) and it was in fact, Dog Man. Petey wasn’t even fully sure how he managed to escape so often, it had to be some fault of the prison’s at this point. It kept him busy though, and he’d take any excuse he could get to avoid the paperwork.
After reporting the incident to Chief, he had been set on the task of locating Dog Man and capturing him once more. Petey decided to take the book with him in case he did encounter the furry felon.
Which wouldn’t be too difficult.
……………………………………………
As he’d hoped, locating Dog Man wasn’t much of an issue, and Petey soon found him digging holes in a community garden. “Hey! Stop that!” Petey called out. Dog Man’s ears perk up at the familiar voice and he looks over at Petey. “Don’t you know people worked hard on that?” He continues, scoldingly. Dog Man frowns, sticking his tongue out at Petey petulantly. Petey’s ear flicks in annoyance. “Rude.” He mutters. Dog Man, having heard him, merely smirks and shrugs. He then turns to dash off, and Petey urgently chases him. “Hey, Dog Man, wait—” The pesky pup perp continues running, ignoring Petey’s pleas. “Dog Man! Hold on, come back here!” He ducks around a corner and into an alley, and when Petey rounds the corner, he’s gone. The cop huffs, knowing his rival well enough to know he was just hiding to toy with him. “I know you’re there.”
Silence.
Petey sighs. “Fine. You know I could use my tech to find you, but I won’t. Not this time. Just… listen. I have something for you.” There is a brief moment, and then Dog Man emerges from his hiding spot, slowly approaching, watching Petey questioningly, but warily.
“I got you this.” Petey held out the book as a peace offering. “I have one as well, and I want to learn from it too.” Dog Man tilts his head to the side, prompting Petey to continue. Petey does so, less confident as he goes on, but hoping for the best as he starts rambling.
“Um, well, it’s a book on sign language, but you can see that, obviously— A-Anyway, I was thinking, I mean, I know I talk a lot, especially when it’s about my inventions, and people don’t usually care, they just ignore me, which I’m used to! No big deal.” Dog Man looks skeptical at that, but Petey barely stops for a breath, going on. “But you were different. You’re a criminal, I’m a cop, we’re adversaries, and yet, when I accidentally slipped into talking about multi-particle physics, you… waited .” Petey looks up from the book he held and met gazes with his longtime enemy(?) for a moment. Enemy didn’t feel like the right word anymore…
“That… was the first time in, well, a while actually, that I felt … heard. And it wasn’t the last time. You are just good at that I guess, the whole listening thing. This world has way too many people like me who talk all the time, but it needs more people like you: natural listeners. You know?” Petey smiles. Dog Man was touched. He felt flattered and a bit confused as to where this was coming from, and what a book had to do with it, but he knew Petey’s style of storytelling in conversation very well indeed. He knew that the cat would circle back to his point eventually, even if it was in a more roundabout way. Petey continues, seeming to grow more shy as he goes on. “But I wanna return the favor. You listen to me, but I want to make you feel heard too. I want to know you better, Dog Man. Should you wish to share more with me. So I thought that maybe… sign language could be a good solution? I-If you want to of course! I’m not forcing you or anything!”
Dog Man is surprised to say the least, and a bit caught off guard by the thoughtful gift. Petey had clearly thought about him often, enough to have such an idea. And he ‘wanted to know him better’? That sounded suspiciously like… an offer of friendship…? They weren’t supposed to be friends…. But even so….
Dog Man would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that having Petey as a friend would be… nice. Even while being his opposition, Petey seemed to care more than any others Dog Man has had the misfortune of encountering.
Minus … him.
Dog Man looks briefly at his human hands, then away fiercely. Petey notes that with confusion, but schools his expression back to somewhat normal very quickly indeed. Taking the book gingerly from Petey, Dog Man flips through the pages with interest.
“There are lots of helpful diagrams and pictures to follow!” Petey adds, narrating what Dog Man had just noticed as he’d thumbed through the pages. He nods, continuing to examine them. Glazing through the book, he then locks onto one page with how to say ‘thank you’, and studies it carefully as Petey yaps on. “I was just thinking, it would be a great way to start asking you about yourself, and I’ll answer you too, of course! Like a trade: I tell you something, and you tell me something! I can’t share any confidential PD info though. But besides that-!” Dog Man nods, closing the book and holding it to his chest. He looks up to see Petey standing awkwardly, twisting his tail in his hands. “So! Um, what do you think..?”
Petey watched anxiously as Dog Man looked at the book and then back at him, completely silent. Then he smiled, and Petey felt his heart race.
So then… he likes it…? He’s smiling at least… that’s good. His smile is so cute…. WAIT- NO- Pull yourself together-!
Petey watches, captivated as Dog Man opens the book to a specific page, and points to the words ‘thank you’ on them. Petey’s eyes widen, and he looks up from the page in time to see Dog Man slowly sign ‘Thank you.’ the look in his brown eyes softening into something quite rare to see. Petey blinks in surprise, his cheeks pink. “Ah, y-yeah… You’re welcome!” Dog Man nods, and moves back a couple steps with a wink. Unbeknownst to Petey, his striped tail flicks behind him, betraying his excitement. Then the criminal turns and disappears around the corner and Petey finally begins to come to his senses with a fist pump and a hissed: “Yesss!” Petey heads back to the station with a pep in his step, his task of apprehending Dog Man temporarily forgotten. Chief would surely berate him for it, but Petey found he didn’t mind too much. Besides, he’d see Dog Man again soon.
Hopefully.
……………………………………………
Back in his home and (sorta) secret hideout, Dog Man reads the book Petey had given him, learning more by the minute. He kept trying out signs of things that he anticipated may arise in conversations, although he only found himself wanting to talk with one specific person… He shakes his head, as if to dislodge the orange cat from his thoughts. Which unfortunately for him, was a little more difficult than a mere head shake would allow. The cop stayed firmly put in his thoughts, his cheery voice still fresh in Dog Man’s mind from their previous encounter.
“You are just good at that I guess, the whole listening thing. This world has way too many people like me who talk all the time, but it needs more people like you: natural listeners. You know?”
“I want to know you better, Dog Man.”
…yep, he wouldn’t be able to dislodge those words anytime soon. That darn chatterbox…
But Dog Man wouldn’t change it for the world. He knows Petey’s tendency to chatter and talk a lot was just a part of what made him who he was, and it showed he felt comfortable with you. Especially when he gets excited, the streams of words just flow and flow, and he doesn’t catch himself doing it at first. It was… admittedly adorable how passionate Petey got when talking about his inventions or something he cared deeply about. Even though about 85% of the time he had no clue what Petey meant, Dog Man found it sort of entertaining in a way, to sit and listen to the sound of his voice, his changes in pitch and tonality as he yammered on animatedly, his expressive face, his countenance betraying every emotion he felt…
At some point the canine wasn’t even reading the book anymore. He had been staring for at least a solid minute or two at the page, completely lost in thought, having reread the same line about four times. He lets out an embarrassed huff, and throws up the hood of his hoodie. Why did that freaking cat get under his skin so easily?! The most infuriating part was the fact that he didn’t even try. Petey’s effortless smiles and cheerful greetings extended to all, so why should it be any different when those smiles are directed his way? It was stupid. Wishful thinking.
But even so…
There were small things. Little signs that he noticed. He may be over-analyzing, but it was at least possible.
The way Petey’s eyes lit up when he found him.
The way his tail seemed to lift when talking with him.
How Petey’s tail brushed his legs when he walked him back to jail.
Come to think of it, Petey’s tail seemed to have a mind of its own, which Dog Man found quite amusing. It reflected a variety of moods, and made Petey a lot easier to read. Though of course, Dog Man would never tell him that. It would spoil the fun.
For example, if Petey was happy, it seemed to lift up more, and when content, it would swish calmly from side to side. When he was in lower spirits, his tail would droop, and stay below his waist. When he was angry, his tail would thrash wildly, and if irritated, it was a slower, peeved flick, but still enough to knock over a soda can. It got puffy anytime he was scared too, which was pretty cute actually—
Wait a minute. Stop…
Dog Man catches himself in the act of thinking far too much about his enemy’s tail to be normal, and upon the realization, his face flushes and he draws his hoodie strings tight, cinching it around his face, hiding from the outside world. He growls quietly, more in annoyance with himself than anything. Irritation with his inability to not think about Petey, and his stupid smile, his voice, his tail, his dazzling emerald eyes…
DAMN IT.
He really was screwed.
……………
……………………………………………
……………
It had been a few days since he had given Dog Man the book, and with radio silence since then, Petey was growing antsy. Chief had him busy with other tasks, assuring Petey that if Dog Man showed his face and decided to make his presence known that he would be the first officer to know, which Petey doubted. He hated being dispatched last minute, he was more than capable of uncovering any schemes before they happened, but unfortunately he was kept busy with other tasks.
Petey still had a feeling something was off, whether that was a scheme in the works, or something that he had done that affected the canine criminal and caused his disappearance. Both options were unpleasant, and left Petey on edge. He sighed, going back over the case files he was left to analyze and review at his desk. At least case files were relatively interesting. Though Petey would much rather work in his lab. He had a new idea for long range trackers, and also debugging and unlocking devices that could bypass basic encryption and electronic locks. The blueprints called, but Chief would have his head if he didn’t get the reviews in. Petey shuffles through the pages until one of them catches his eye. An investigation report that had been made several days ago on multiple trucks that had been hijacked carrying …. squeaky toys?
Suspicious.
Suddenly, Petey’s work phone rings, startling him. Answering it, Petey hears Chief’s voice, filled with urgency.
[Petey, we need you en site! I have reason to believe that Dogman has collected hundreds of squeaky toys and he’s making all of them go off at once! The sound is disrupting traffic and causing chaos!]
Petey can hear a high pitched screeching of hundreds of differently pitched toys in the background, causing the audio to crackle with interference. He winced, the loud sound already making his ears go back. “10-4 Chief, on my way. Send me the location.” Petey hangs up, and shortly after there is a ping from his phone with the location, and he’s off.
……………………………………………
After a noisy battle that resulted in an explosion scattering the squeaky toys across the city (where other pets and animals happily claimed them) all that remained was for Petey to catch Dog Man, who had escaped in the explosion. Petey grabs his long range thermography scanner, searching for heat signatures close by. He locks onto a suspiciously Dog Man shaped reading and takes pursuit. As he approaches and goes down a dark alley, Petey hears a rustling, indicating his scans and hunch were correct.
“Dog Man! I know you’re here! Come out right now!” He is (predictably) answered by silence. Petey’s tail flicks in annoyance. The cat cop sighs, and tries a different tactic.
“You worried me, y’know.”
Silence.
“You disappeared for a while, and I wasn’t allowed to find you. I— ugh , can't believe I’m saying this, but… I’m glad you’re okay. Even if you’re still a pain in my neck.”
Slowly, the furry felon shows his face, and he watches Petey contemplatively. Petey lets out a breath, he hoped for it to convey his exasperation, but it came off as more relieved, much to his chagrin. “…There you are.” Dog Man crosses his arms. Petey stands triumphantly. “Dog Man, you are under arrest!” Dog Man watches him blankly, then snickers under his breath. Petey pouts. “Hey! I’m serious, Dog Man!” Interrupting his own train of thought, Petey mumbles to himself in curiosity. “Come to think of it, I wonder…” He turns to Dog Man questioningly. “Is Dog Man your name? Or just a title or something?”
Dog Man blinks, surprised by the question, and completely unsure how to answer. His brow furrows a bit, and upon noticing, Petey panics. “I-! I mean, uh, you don’t have to answer obviously, like I’m not forcing you to, I hope you understand, I’m just curious! But I don’t wanna over step, if you’re not comfortable I completely understa—” Suddenly Dog Man barks loudly, startling the cat a bit, his tail fluffing up as he goes quiet. “R-Right… Sorry.” Dog Man waits a moment until he is sure he has Petey’s full attention, looks away nervously, and slowly, carefully signs something.
‘G-R-E-G’
Petey’s eyes widen and he speaks in a breathless whisper. “…what..? WAIT! Say it again? Please…” Dog Man sighs, and awkwardly answers.
‘My….name is…. G-R-E-G’
Petey mouths the words as he signs and spells. His name is… “Greg? Your name is Greg…?” Dog Man looks at Petey, and his ears go alert. Petey smiles, beyond touched that he had been trusted with this information about his ….not quite enemy, but now something harder to name….
“Greg… It’s nice to meet you.” Dog Man is frozen, his eyes wide. Petey’s smile melts into concern when he sees Dog Man’s- no, Greg’s, eyes begin to tear up. He sniffs and Petey steps closer with the intent to comfort. “Buddy? You okay?” He canine sniffles again, and pulls his hood up and around his face, pawing at his tears in an attempt to wipe them away. It’s been a long time since he’s heard his real name spoken to him, and the sound of it brings a flood of accompanying emotions that are too difficult to process all at once.
Petey watches the scene, his heart racing, when suddenly, it clicks. His ears and tail droop in sorrowful understanding. He knows that look in his eyes all too well. It was… grief. Mourning who you once were.
Oh yes. Petey knew that look very well indeed.
He takes a few more cautious steps forward. Finally within arms reach of Greg, Petey stops, and gently lifts his paw and cups the canine villain’s cheek, the fur there wet from tears. “It’s your name, isn’t it… How long has it been since someone used it…?” Petey murmurs. Dog Man, or rather, Greg, trembles and sinks slowly to his knees. Petey follows, kneeling beside him. He continues to watch in helpless concern, and does his best to fight the rise of his own tears that threatened to spill.
Fighting to keep his voice steady, Petey does his best to offer comfort. “Shh… it’s okay. Come here.” Petey sits properly, and then pats his lap welcomingly. He could tell that in this emotional moment that his adversary was more in the dog mindset with how he was coping, so impulsively, Petey had offered his space in comfort. As he’d guessed, Dog Man/Greg shuffled over and obediently sat there, slightly surprising Petey with the warm weight. Petey lets out a sigh, and begins to pet Dog Man’s head, and the latter contentedly tucks his head under Petey’s chin. Petey wraps the arm that wasn’t petting Dog Man around him, and holds the mutt closer, securely. “I’ve got you, Greg. It’s okay.” At the sound of the name, Petey feels him shudder in his arms once more, and he nuzzles closer, which surprised Petey a bit, but he couldn’t possibly refuse him, even if he’d wanted to. In a quiet, calming voice, Petey smiles and whispers:
“You’re a good boy, Greg.”
Petey hears a whine of protest, and feels the brush of fur as Dog Man shakes his head under his chin in denial. Petey chuckles. “You are too.” He takes a steadying breath and adds: “You’re safe. I’m not gonna arrest you right this second, we won’t fight, no cop and criminal nonsense. Just you… and me.” A moment of quiet, only occasionally broken by a sniffle. Petey feels a tear trickle down his own cheek.
“You don’t have to pretend… Not now. Please…”
Dog Man leans back fully to look at Petey, and the cat feels his heart break a little more at seeing the pain etched into the normally playful and wild dog’s expression. He meets Petey’s eyes with a look that seemed to say:
Are you sure…?
Petey smiles, nodding. Greg relaxes a bit, and Petey can feel some of the tension release from his body. In a moment, before Petey even realizes what was happening, Greg had leant forward and licked his cheek, leaving Petey in shock, feeling the trail of saliva on his fur.
It takes a moment to process the action, and when he does, he can’t help but laugh. “Uhm, thank you…? Kinda gross though.” He wipes away the spit as best he can, and Greg pouts, making a move as if to get up off Petey’s lap. Petey wraps both his arms around the dog-headed man even tighter, preventing his escape. “Nooo wait! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Forgive me?” Petey pleads, and Dog Man looks at him, but relaxes with a huffy cross of his arms, choosing to stay. Suddenly, realizing just how tight of a grip he had on the other and how close they were, Petey’s face flushes, and he relinquishes his grip a bit.
The two take a moment, just resting quietly with each other. Petey’s tail swishes slowly and contentedly behind him as he continues to pet Dog Man, running his fingers through the ruffled and tangled fur, calming and smoothing it. He seemed to enjoy the pets too, as Petey could feel him lift his head and lean into the touches. There was still so much about Dogman- Greg, that he didn’t know. Unasked questions swirled in the mind of the cop.
How did he get like this?
What was his favorite food?
Games and music he likes?
And most urgently…
How long has he been alone…?
Petey wasn’t blind to the meaning of the reaction he’d received in response to using Greg’s name, and additionally, the way he seemed to drink in every pet, every touch like it was a sip of water in the Sahara Desert.
It was clear Greg was on his own; that no one had spoken the name to him in far too long, that no one had held and pet him in far too long…
…That he was lonely.
He just wanted affection, as any dog, cat, or human, would. That sobering thought made Petey hold Dogman just ever so slightly more close, determined not to let him feel alone or uncared for. No one deserved that fate. Petey knew what loneliness felt like, and it hurt. He shouldn’t have to feel that way, not on Petey’s watch.
He would always care for him.
However, fate seemed set to torture the two, for at this moment, Petey’s radio that was strapped to him beeped loudly, and loud static interrupted the moment, spooking both of them. They both jump slightly, and Petey’s tail goes alert and puffy.
[Petey, you’ve been awfully quiet after taking pursuit, did you lose him, officer?]
Petey feels cold dread trickle down his spine, obliterating the past warmth he’d felt.
Right. He still had to arrest Dog Man. It was his duty to apprehend the criminal.
But…
Petey glances down at the criminal in question, in his lap mind you, who looked back at him wide eyed, now no longer relaxed but instead tensed to run at a moment’s notice. Petey felt frozen, unsure how to answer. He sees a glimmer of … fear in Greg’s eyes, and makes a hasty decision.
“Uhm, yeah, yep. Lost him. He’s gone.”
Dog Man tilts his head in confusion but Petey hurriedly puts a paw over his muzzle to keep him quiet. He frowns in annoyance at that, but Petey ignores him.
“But-! Give me a bit longer, I think I can locate him.”
[….hm. Alright, fine. Be sure to report in regularly.]
“I will. 10-4 Sir.”
There is static, then a click, and the Chief is gone. Petey lets out a sigh and takes his hand off Dog Man’s mouth. “Sorry about that…” Petey mumbles. Dog Man looks at him in irritation, but that look shifts to a questioning expression of confusion, as he tilts his head to the side. Guessing what he meant, Petey answers. “I told you that you could trust me, so I’m not gonna tell anybody. I still have to arrest you though, it’s my job.” Dog Man rolls his eyes and huffs, moving off Petey and standing.
“But,” Petey begins, already knowing that he was making a brash decision. “I have to admit… that was …nice.” Dog Man’s eyes grow hesitantly hopeful, and he feels his phantom tail wag a bit. “Thank you Greg.” Petey adds, his tone genuine. Dog Man blinks in confusion, and still a bit unused to hearing his name. He meets Petey’s gaze, seemingly saying: For what?
“For trusting me. For allowing me to hear you.” Petey smiles. Dog Man’s breath catches for a second, his brain malfunctioning. It’s that darn smile again… Petey being so kind, so genuine… ‘No. Thank you.’ He signs. He is rewarded by Petey’s quiet gasp and the way his whole face lit up with delight. “Of course!” The enthusiastic tabby beamed. Unsure how to sign the next part of what he wanted to say, Dog Man gestures between the two of them and puts a finger to his lips. Petey thankfully understands. “Hm? Oh, yes, this can stay our secret.” Dog Man nods in relief.
Stepping back, Petey stretches his arms and legs a bit. “Now. I’ll give you a head start.” He winks and Dog Man tries to ignore the way his face burned from just a wink, when suddenly he gets an idea.
Dog Man gets a wonderful, awful idea.
Confidently striding up to Petey, he noticed the cat’s bravado trickle away as he got in his space. “Uh, Dog Man, what are you-!” Before Petey can finish, Dog Man wraps his arms around Petey in a hug, completely flustering the cop. Petey’s face is red as he freezes in shock, by the time his brain cells decide to coherently form a thought that he should return the hug, Dog Man leans away. At this moment, an all too familiar CLICK is heard. Petey feels his stomach drop in dread.
Oh no. He better not have—
…yep. Dog Man had handcuffed him. With Petey’s own handcuffs.
Ugh. Go figure.
Petey scowls, looking at the smug dog with disappointment. “Really?!” Dog Man shrugs, then salutes and takes off, grinning. “Wha- HEY! GET BACK HERE!” He strained his wrists against the cuffs, but as well made as they were, they didn’t give. Unlocking them would be a chore. Petey growls under his breath in exasperation.
“…rats.”
⋆ ✮ ~♡~ ✮ ⋆