Chapter Text
Dulce’s returning from the kitchen with a mouth full of stolen sandwich when Aiko scampers up to her, rearing up to block the coyote’s way. “Don’t go in there.”
Dulce glances from the bedroom door to the dragon, doing her best to convey confusion past the sandwich.
“They’re fucking again,” Aiko explains, ears flattening back in distaste. Dulce can’t help but grin at her expression, tail wagging in mirth. Aiko flattens her ears farther, batting at the coyote’s nose. “Don’t laugh at me. It’s gross. They’re gross.”
Dulce’s snicker is audible even past the sandwich, and Aiko rolls her eyes and drops back down to four legs. “I’m going to take over the couch until they’re done,” she says, and trots off.
Dulce follows. Aiko slows just enough for her to catch up, and takes the offered paw to clamber onto Dulce’s back. She could make the leap easily on her own, but Dulce’s discovered that the dragon seems to like playing at being a delicate lady. It’s a mirror of how Genji enjoys being swanned around on Jesse’s arm, hiding his deadliness under a veneer of innocuous gentility. Dulce and Jesse figure it’s a Shimada thing, even there’s no one left of that family to compare their partners to.
It’s only when she’s hopped up onto the couch and set down the sandwich that Dulce asks, “Why’s it bother you so much?”
“Why does what bother me?” Aiko makes herself comfortable on Dulce’s back, little bird-hands kneading into the soft fur.
“Them fuckin’.” Dulce takes a bite of the sandwich, wolfing it down before adding, “You’re always actin’ so offended.”
Letting out a soft huff, Aiko rests her head across Dulce’s shoulders. “It’s messy.”
Dulce rolls her eyes, seeing the lie for what it is. “I’ve seen y'covered in blood. Try again.”
Aiko’s ears flatten back, a little growl rumbling in her throat. “What’s it to you?”
“Aw, c’mon now.” Dulce gentles her tone, licks carefully at Aiko’s snout. “I don’t mean no harm. If it makes you that prickly, I won’t go pushin’.”
“Humph,” says Aiko, but she licks back, little tongue tickling at Dulce’s nose until she sneezes. It makes the both of them laugh, and Aiko’s feathers relax, her ears perking back up.
“There’s that pretty smile!” Dulce gives Aiko one more lick, just for good measure, tail thumping against the couch.
“Flatterer,” snorts Aiko, and nestles herself a little further into Dulce’s fur.
It seems, for the moment, that the topic of humans and sex is done with, so Dulce tucks back into her sandwich. It’s a good one, with proper mustard, and she’s so absorbed in eating that at first she doesn’t notice when Aiko starts talking again. It takes a little nip on the ear for her to look up. “Whuh?”
“Your face is covered in yellow,” Aiko says primly.
“’s excellent mustard.” Dulce leans over, coyote grin big and wily. “You wanna taste? Can just smear some on ya–”
Aiko stops her with a paw right in the middle of her black nose. “No. Yuck.” Dulce licks it just to hear her squeal. “Uncultured swine!”
“Ah, no, darlin’, see–I’m a coyote, ‘s a canine, very different than a pig–”
“That is not what I meant and you know it,” Aiko huffs, but she’s grinning, and Dulce’s tail thumps against the couch again.
She licks her chops clean, and asks, “So why’d y’bite me?”
“I was talking and you weren’t listening.”
“Listenin’ now.” Dulce rests her head on her paws, ears pricked and attentive. “See? Ears up an’ everythin’.”
Aiko stretches, makes herself comfortable again. Fidgets her claws against each other, and it’s only when Dulce lets out an impatient whuff that she says, “I never know what to do.”
“When?”
“When they’re–” Aiko gestures towards the bedroom. “What are we supposed to do when they’re having sex?” Her claws flex, but Dulce takes the little pinpricks without comment. “He knows what he’s doing, but I’m just stuck out here–been stuck out here, since he started going out whenever the Elders got up in our damn business.” She shifts restlessly, tail lashing. “It’s a whole part of our human’s lives we don’t fit into.”
Dulce raises her head to nose against those anxious paws. “They don’t mean to shut us out.”
Aiko snaps her jaws in agitation, teeth clicking together. “How do you know? Sometimes I thought he used to hate me, because I wasn’t–we weren’t–what they wanted, and now we’re too much like what they did–”
“Hey, hey–” Dulce licks at Aiko’s chin, noses against her neck. “Darlin’, your boy loves you. This ain’t about him hatin’ you, ‘s about him wantin’ to jump Jesse’s bones.” Aiko’s claws prick again, and Dulce sighs, rolling over to force the dragon to scramble until she’s between Dulce’s forelegs. Coyotes aren’t built for hugging, but Dulce tries anyways. “I promise he don’t hate you.”
Aiko huddles into Dulce’s fur. “How do you know?”
Dulce snorts. “How do you not? He’s always got you on his shoulders, always stealin’ you treats when we go on missions, pettin’ your feathers and havin’ you sleep on his chest. That ain’t hatin’, darlin’. Not at all.” She licks at Dulce’s head, mindful of her sharp horns. “Humans can’t bond with each other like we can with ‘em. Sex ‘s just one’a the ways they try anyways. Genji’s not tryin’ t’ replace you with Jesse, he’s tryin’ t’ add Jesse to his heart.”
“You sound so sure.”
Dulce snorts again. “Darlin’, I promise th’ moment they’re done, they’re both gonna be calling for us t’ come join in th’ cuddlin’. Neither of us is in danger of bein’ hated by those boys.”
Aiko hums. “They do like cuddling with us.”
“See?” Dulce squirms herself into a more comfortable position. “So just relax an’ enjoy gettin’ some time with me. I’ll even share th’ sandwich.”
“You can keep it.” Aiko nestles closer. “Dulce?”
“Hm?”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime, darlin’.” Dulce tucks her partner closer. “Anytime.”