Work Text:
This might just be the most exhausting week of your life. One of your family members called you in a distressing tone, telling you their retriever dog was pregnant and they couldn’t take care of them. You had just moved into your own place in Yokohama, your new apartment was spacious and could house just what they wanted you to, their dog. You reluctantly took the dog in, feeling bad for her and your family member for not being able to house her. It was nice to not feel like you were alone in your apartment, but then again, the cost of a dog, no less a pregnant one, exhausted you at times. Once the puppies were born, your exhaustion grew since there were ten, but it was worth it because they were so damn cute! After eight weeks, it was time to put up signs for them to be adopted. You hung them up in busy parts of Yokohama, hoping enough people would see it and want to adopt one. To your luck, it didn’t take long for you to start receiving phone calls. Your first phone call was from a guy who seemed really interested to adopting one.
“ I saw your flyer while I was out today, I hope I’m not too late to call.” His raspy voice said to you over the phone.
“Not too late at all, all puppies are still here. In fact, you’re the first person to call me.” You said, sitting down on your dog fur infested couch as you pet one of the golden puppies while others played on the floor with various dog toys you had bought for them.
“Really?” His tone was surprised, you could hear him moving his phone while he spoke to you. “ Well, if it’s not too much trouble, could I stop by later today?”
“Of course, I’ll see you then!” You said happily, thankful that it only took a day for someone to stop by to see the puppies.
The evening rolled around, you were watching TV on your couch with a puppy in your lap until you heard a knock at your door. The puppy jumped up as soon as he heard the knock, running to the door. You briskly got up from your couch, turning off your TV and making yourself way to the door. You opened it to see a blue eyed, ginger haired man at your door. He was wearing a black hat, along with a dark brown leather jacket with a plain white shirt underneath it. His black boots clicked against the floor, his hands in the pockets of his black leather pants that was adorned with a belt. He was handsome and the fact he was at your place to adopt a dog made him even more attractive.
“I called you earlier about the flyer.” He said, clearing his throat quietly, a slight flush on his face as he looked down to see the puppy by your feet, looking up at him curiously.
You let him inside, the puppies swarming him as soon as he stepped in. You told him your name, leading him into your living room so he could interact better with the dogs with their toys.
“I’m Chuuya,” he said, looking down at the puppies that attempted to jump on his leg.“These are a lively bunch.” He kneeled down, petting the dogs.
“You could say that,” you smiled, watching the puppies basically bend over backwards for his attention. There was a sparkle in his eye as he looked at all of them, you figured he must really like dogs. You saw as he looked up to you, feigning embarrassment as to how much he was enjoying being around puppies. He couldn’t imagine how others at the Port Mafia would see him if he was getting all soft for a litter of puppies. After Akutagawa walked in on him reading a book on how to raise puppies and seemed judgmental about it, he’s been defensive and embarrassed about his dream about adopting a puppy. Especially after he saw The Boy and The Puppy and that damn Dazai looked down on him being able to raise one, he didn’t want you, a stranger, to also think badly of him but he didn’t know how to prove himself. But here you were, unknowingly watching a Port Mafia executive give a puppy a squeaky toy to play with. He was impressed that you were able to take care of ten puppies and their mom, who was laying in a nearby dog bed. He wished he could do what you did, his eyes lingering on you before turning his attention back to the puppies. When he opened the door, he didn’t expect himself to be thrown off by you. He thought you were easy on the eyes, but he was here for puppies, not to get himself involved with someone he just met.
“Can I get you anything?” You asked, cutting him out of his daze.
He took notice the wine bottle on your kitchen counter, it was a brand he drank from time to time.
“Some wine would be nice.” He said, patting one of the puppies head’s.
You turned to the wine bottle, completely forgetting you had it. It was a “new neighbor” gift by the lady who lived next door to you. You barely even drank it since you were so busy with the dogs, but it was nice to indulge in some wine from time to time. You went to your kitchen, pouring him and you a glass before returning to your living room and setting his glass on your coffee table. He sat on the other end of your couch, drinking his wine hoping it would ease him up. The puppy he gave the most attention to followed him, jumping up on the couch with him.
“I think he likes you.” You smiled, noticing how the other puppies continued to play with bones and chew toys.
Chuuya’s eyes widened slightly, his hand reaching out to pet the puppy who leaned into his touch.
“You think so? Maybe he just likes wine.” He laughed to himself, watching the puppy lay next to him.
You laughed as you took a sip from your glass.
“Do you have dogs of your own?” You asked, wondering if the puppy just took a liking to him or he was just a natural.
“Ah, no,” he said, looking at the other puppies on the floor. “I’ve always wanted one though.” He scratched behind the puppy’s ears, his tail wagging.
You nodded your head. It was endearing how softly he looked at the puppy. He noticed you staring, feeling himself heat up as he scratched the puppy’s chin.
“So,” his voice dragged out, looking up at you. “You must be a big fan of dogs if you’re willing to take care of this many.” His eyes rested on your face, finding it endearing himself how a pretty woman like you was taking care of these dogs.
“Yeah, one of my family members needed help so I took her in.” You said, gesturing to the mom who was fast asleep in her dog bed.
He let out a soft “huh,” liking how caring and selfless you must be to do that.
“I can’t imagine how hard this must be.” He said, watching the puppy beside him drift off to sleep next to him. It made his heart squeeze.
“It’s exhausting but I’m managing.” You said, petting a puppy that came up to your feet.
He noticed the tiredness on your face, thinking to himself what it would be like to raise ten puppies.
“I’ve done my own research about having a puppy, but is there anything specific I should get?” He asked, watching you lean back on your couch.
You wrote down a list for him, making sure to highlight important things like food.
“I’m guessing you already have an idea of which puppy you’re adopting?” You said, not being able to hold back a smile as you looked at how the puppy next to him snuggled up to him.
He nodded, saying, “yeah, but I want to make sure I have everything prepared before I bring him home.” He took the list, skimming over it before looking back up at you.
“I understand, feel free to stop by to visit him until you’re in the best place to bring him home,” You said, getting up from your couch and he followed. “Or we can exchange numbers and I can give you updates on him.” You suggested, secretly wanting to get his number.
He seemed very interested in the updates, nodding his head before he put in his number in your phone. As the two of you walked to your door, you watched as he gave his puppy a goodbye pet before his eyes shifted back to you.
“I’ll try to be here around the same time tomorrow.” He said, adjusting his jacket.“Sounds good.” You nodded, watching him step out the door, but not before he gave the puppy one more longing look. As he walked off, you closed the door, breathing out a sigh. You looked down at the puppy, watching him wag his tail at you. If dogs could talk, you would give him the biggest thank you for letting you meet that cute guy.
The next day, Chuuya was at his desk, looking at files before he felt his phone buzz. He opened it, seeing a picture of the puppy sleeping in the spot he sat at on the couch. He felt his heart melt, it was just so cute. He read your text, saying,
— Someone misses you
He missed that puppy too, sighing with content as he kept his eyes on the picture. His lips tugged into a smile, texting back,
— The feeling is mutual
He continued to look at the picture, imagining his life after he adopted that puppy. He completely forgot about his files and didn’t notice the dark figure enter his room.
“Hmm..” Akutagawa hummed, noticing how happy Chuuya was staring at his phone.
As soon as he heard the sound, his closed his phone, turning it face down so he couldn’t see.
“Got a problem?” He questioned defensively, knowing he saw him smiling like a madman over his phone.
“I said nothing.” Akutagawa’s eyes looked away boringly, breathing out a sigh before covering his mouth with his hand to cough.
It became a routine for you and Chuuya to text and see each other everyday— for the puppy of course! You helped with his questions and concerns about having puppy. Even though it was a long process, It was nice for you to have such nice company, a guy with a soft spot for dogs who eventually warmed up to being somewhat soft around you. It was nice for him to destress while being surrounded by puppies after a long day of work. He enjoyed the little picture updates you gave him while he was working, making him happier than usual. No one at work knew why Chuuya was acting so different, it scared them. The more comfortable the two of you got around each other, the more romantic tensions grew. Chuuya could tell you had taken an interest in him and it made him feel different. Normally, he didn’t have time for women, but it was like the universe had led him to you, a happy dog owner, and his future puppy. It felt like puppy love to him. When the time came around for Chuuya to pick up his puppy and take him home, you couldn’t help but be a little sad. When you heard him knock on the door, you opened it to see him in a green bomber jacket with a black shirt underneath, along with his black leather pants and boots. His ginger hair fell over his face, sculpting it beautifully as his eyes softened at the sight of you. The two of you walked out of your apartment, walking out of the complex while Chuuya carried the puppy. You could help but laugh as the puppy attempted to lick his face, his tail wagging while doing so. You knew that they were basically perfect for each other, you just wished you could see them together after this.
You watched as he walked to a sleek red motorcycle, placing the puppy carefully in his dog carrier on the back of his motorcycle. The puppy disappeared into the black bag before poking his head out, placing his paws above the bag. You couldn’t help but swoon over the fact he was also a motorcyclist, which is what he wanted to happen. He made sure the puppy was safe in the carrier before turning to you, saying, “thank you for being so helpful.” His bright eyes reflected in the sun, creating a beautiful contrast.
“It’s no problem.” You smiled at him.
You watched him begin to turn before hesitating, turning back to you.
“You know,” he began, his eyes circling back to you. “I’d love to take you out sometime, if you would be up for that.” He watched you blink once, then twice in surprise. He felt like he misread you, so he quickly covered himself by saying, “it’s just you’ve been so helpful so I just thought—”“I’d love to.” You snapped yourself back onto reality, coming out of your initial surprise.
Chuuya breathed an internal sigh of relief, laughing a little to himself for his unneeded save.
“I’m free Saturday.” You told him, feeling giddy he wanted to go out with you.
He nodded his head, saying, “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“It’s a date.” You smiled, feeling your pulse quicken.
“Date— yes— a date.” He stumbled on his words, mentally cursing himself for doing that in front of you, no less when you’re planning a date! He had never done this and he hoped that wasn’t too obvious to you.
You two exchanged a quick awkward goodbye before hesitating drove away. You felt cemented in place, did you seriously just get invited to go on a date with Chuuya?
Saturday rolled around faster than you expected. You had texted him earlier asking him where you two were going so you could dress accordingly. He texted you back a place you hadn’t heard before and when you looked it up, it was fancy as hell. He wanted to really impress you, especially for a first date. He was sitting on the chair in the Port Mafia common room. Tachihara noticing him, yet again, glued to his phone. “What’s been your deal, man?” Tachihara asked, curious as to what was going on with him.
“Nothing.” He hissed, not having a deal at all. God, why does everyone not know how to mind their own business?
Tachihara looked at him curiously before it clicked in his head.
“You’ve got a girl, don’t you, Chuuya.” Tachihara grinned, seeing the red in Chuuya’s face.
“Go to hell.” He said, pink staining his cheeks as he stood up and walked off to his office.
After work, he put on nice clothes looking at himself in the mirror as he put on his hat. He was wearing his dusty purple dress shirt accompanied by his black tux. He adjusted his black tie, making sure it was to his liking and dusting off his black dress pants. He felt his puppy running around his feet, presumably wanting to go out with him too. Chuuya chuckled, kneeling down to pet him as he said, “sorry pal, I’ve got a date tonight.” He stood back up, checking the time before slipping on his black dress shoes. He was out the door and on his motorcycle, driving to your place. Once he was at your apartment complex, he shot you a text.
— I’m outside
Soon after, he saw you walking towards him, in your own nice clothes. He couldn’t help but stare, it was still hitting him that the two of you were going on a first date. “You look really pretty.” He said, only in a tone you could hear.
“Thank you,” you smiled from the compliment. “You look nice.” You said, getting on his motorcycle and settled behind him.
“Thanks,” he said, adjusting his gloves. “You ready?” He asked, feeling your arms wrap around his waist. You told him yes, watching him kick up his kickstand before shifting gears to begin driving to the restaurant. He drove slower than normal, making sure you were comfortable. If it was any other day, he would be driving at the speed of light. But today, he had your arms wrapped around him and your head resting on his back. He felt his body heat up the more he thought about the physical contact, trying to be normal about it. Once the two of you reached the restaurant, the nerves really set it. Chuuya didn’t want to mess up, he tugged on his tie as the two of you approached the table he had reserved.
The more the date continued on, the more comfortable the two of you got, just like before— but maybe even more. You two talked mostly about dogs and how he was adjusting to having a puppy around. He watched you look around the place, knowing he had successfully picked a great restaurant as you told him how much you liked the place. The two of you exchanged longing looks most of the date, caught up in each other and the moment. To put it shortly, it was the best date you had ever been on. He asked you if you wanted to stop by his place since it was nearby to see the puppy and you happily agreed.
Once you reached his place, he opened the door and you were met by tiny barks. The puppy jumped up at you, happy to see you.“Someone missed you.” He said, a smile on his face as he looked at you and the puppy. His eyes softened, realizing how easily he could get used to this. He let you inside, sitting on his couch together as the two of you watched the puppy play with a toy on the ground.
“Tonight was fun.” He said in a soft spoken tone.
You nodded your head in agreement, noticing him already looking your way. You realized just how close you sat next to him on the couch, his eyes flicking down to your lips before meeting your eyes again. He noticed you do the same, swallowing the lump in his throat. The two of you leaned in slowly, sharing a soft, delicate first kiss. He put his hand over yours, his breathing warm against your face. It became more sensual, but gentle nonetheless. You felt his other gloved hand caress the side of your face before being abruptly stopped, a sudden thing making you two jump back from each other. You both looked down in between the two of you, seeing the puppy wagging his tail happily, unknowingly interrupting your kiss. The two of you looked back up at each other, laughing. It was a sweet moment, and he hoped to continue to have moments as sweet as these with you every day.
🐾
🐾
🐾