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The front door had barely cracked open before Zanka looked up from the couch, caught sight of the enormous wolf squeezing through the entryway, and let out a long, deeply familiar sigh.
Enjin froze with one front paw still planted outside, ears flicking once before he finished ducking through the doorway anyway. His yellow gold coat was caked in dried mud from shoulder to flank, pine needles clung stubbornly to the thick fur around his chest, and somewhere along the way he'd apparently decided rolling through leaves had been an excellent idea. Every heavy step left damp pawprints across the floor, his tail swaying behind him with all the confidence of someone who knew exactly how filthy he was and simply didn't care.
"..Absolutely not." Zanka folded his arms across his chest, raising a single brow as the wolf continued padding toward him without the slightest hesitation.
"Enjin."
The wolf's ears rotated in acknowledgement, proving he'd heard every word, yet he kept coming until his broad muzzle was only inches away. Golden eyes regarded Zanka with open amusement before Enjin leaned forward, pressing the cold bridge of his nose directly against his shoulder with an innocent little huff that carried the unmistakable scent of damp earth and forest moss.
"No." Zanka pushed gently against the enormous head, though moving several hundred pounds of stubborn werewolf amounted to little more than a symbolic gesture. "You're not coming any farther inside looking like that."
Enjin answered by blinking once and peering at him carefully. His tail swept lazily across the hallway behind him, knocking a forgotten shoe sideways like he had all the patience in the world to wait for Zanka to change his mind.
"I don't understand you." Zanka muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking back up at him. "Every single time you finish a run, you stay shifted for another hour. You know you could change back the second you crossed the property line and easily avoid all this mess for my sake."
Enjin tilted his head. It was exaggerated enough to border on theatrical, one ear folding sideways while the other remained perked high, and the expression somehow conveyed complete sincerity despite the fact he couldn't form a single word. He let out a soft rumbling chuff then nudged Zanka's shoulder again, insisting on the point with all the quiet confidence of someone who genuinely couldn't see the problem.
"I know you like it." Zanka continued, watching those bright eyes follow every movement he made. "I just don't know why."
Enjin's tail gave another broad wag and he looked almost offended by the question.
Zanka brushed two fingers through the fur along Enjin's shoulder before holding them up. A streak of dried mud coated his fingertips. "..You're disgusting."
Enjin only answered by sneezing, and it wasn't delicate either. The explosive puff of air sent loose bits of leaf scattering across the floor before the wolf looked back up with an expression so unapologetically pleased with himself that Zanka couldn't even stay annoyed.
"You did that on purpose."
A slow blink then another wag.
"Yeah. I thought so." He sighed through his nose before pointing toward the bathroom. "Bathtub, now."
Enjin remained perfectly still and a small headache began to bloom. "Don't make me repeat myself."
Nothing.
Zanka narrowed his eyes. "..Enjin."
At last the great wolf gave an exaggerated sigh of his own, shoulders drooping dramatically as though he were enduring an unbearable injustice. He shuffled past Zanka with painfully slow steps, each one louder than necessary, glancing back every few feet in hopes the decision might somehow change if he looked disappointed enough.
"It isn't working." Zanka called after him. "You're still getting washed."
By the time the tub had filled with warm water, Enjin had somehow managed to sprawl across nearly the entire bathroom floor. His chin rested on crossed forelegs, tail lazily thumping whenever Zanka moved around him gathering towels and bottles, though he made no attempt whatsoever to climb into the bath. Instead, he simply watched with half lidded eyes, looking entirely too comfortable for someone who was intentionally delaying the inevitable.
"You can run through a forest for hours.." Zanka said, setting the shampoo beside the tub. "But stepping into warm water suddenly becomes impossible?"
Enjin looked away.
It was almost impressive how expressive a wolf could be without speaking. The sideways glance, the tiny wrinkle across his muzzle, the deliberate refusal to make eye contact, it all amounted to a sulk so transparent Zanka nearly laughed.
"Oh, don't start again."
He stepped closer, resting a hand against the thick ruff beneath Enjin's jaw. The fur there was unbelievably soft beneath the dirt, warm from the lingering heat of the run and the instant his fingers began scratching lightly through it, the Enjin's ears melted back.
"Always your weakness."
Enjin leaned shamelessly into the touch. His eyes drifted closed as another deep rumble vibrated through his chest, completely involuntary this time, and before long he was pressing enough of his weight forward that Zanka had to brace himself to keep from losing balance.
"Could you be any more predictable?" With one final scratch beneath his chin, Zanka withdrew his hand and pointed toward the waiting tub. "Now get in."
Enjin stared at him for a long moment, then at the tub before returning back to Zanka. His ears flattened in quiet protest before he slowly stood, stretching each leg with exaggerated reluctance until every joint had popped. Only after drawing the process out for as long as physically possible did he place one oversized paw over the edge, followed by another, climbing into the warm water with all the tragic dignity of someone making an enormous personal sacrifice.
Zanka couldn't help smiling as he rolled up his sleeves. "See? The world didn't end."
Enjin settled with a defeated splash, water rising around his broad chest while his tail floated lazily behind him. Although he still wore the picture of quiet martyrdom, the way his muscles gradually loosened betrayed him completely; the warmth seeped through his tired limbs until the last of the tension from the run melted away.
"I knew you'd feel better."
Working slowly, Zanka soaked the thick coat before working shampoo into the dense golden fur. Rich foam disappeared beneath practiced hands as he massaged careful circles across Enjin's shoulders, behind each pointed ear, and down the powerful length of his neck, his fingers working through every hidden knot the run had left behind.
It was immediately how Enjin's eyes slid shut, his head lowering until his chin rested against the edge of the tub while another low, impossibly content rumble filled the room. One hind leg gave an involuntary twitch the moment Zanka found a particularly satisfying spot behind his ear, and his tail drifted lazily through the water with slow, rhythmic swishes that sent tiny ripples against the porcelain.
"There you are." Zanka murmured, smiling to himself as the enormous wolf practically melted beneath his hands. "You complain every time, and then five minutes later you remember you actually enjoy this."
One eye cracked open and Enjin regarded him with the closest thing a wolf could manage to a smug grin before closing it again, making no effort whatsoever to deny the accusation. Instead, he simply leaned a little harder into the steady massage, perfectly content to let Zanka scrub every trace of the forest from his coat to give way to warm water, clean fur, and the quiet comfort of coming home.