Part 19

The morning sunlight filtered softly through the curtains, bathing the living room in a golden glow. Petey was lying on the couch, with Dog Man asleep on his lap. His breathing was calm and rhythmic, and the relaxed look on his face gave him an air of complete peace.

Petey watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest, feeling an odd sense of tranquility at the sight. His hand rested on Dog Man's head, fingers tangled in his fur. Without realizing it, he had fallen asleep the night before while petting him.

It was weird. Strange. But not uncomfortable.

His tail twitched slightly as he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

—Mmm... what time is it? —Dog Man murmured suddenly, his voice rough from sleep.

Petey glanced down and saw Dog Man lazily cracking his eyes open, still curled up against him.

—I don't know —Petey replied calmly—. Let's check.

He reached out and grabbed the remote control from the coffee table. With a click, he turned on the TV and switched to the morning news channel. The screen showed the news anchor animatedly talking about the city's traffic.

"It's eight forty-five in the morning-"

—Eight forty-five?! —Dog Man exclaimed, sitting up abruptly.

In an instant, Petey felt his lap grow cold as Dog Man shot up.

—I'm late! —Dog Man shouted, eyes wide with panic.

Petey, still barely waking up, blinked a few times before noticing something. Dog Man was still wearing his uniform.

—Uh-huh... tell me, do you plan to go like that, without changing? —he said with a teasing tone, pointing at the uniform Dog Man had worn since the night before.

Dog Man looked down and blinked.

—But... I'm already dressed!

—Exactly, that's the worrying part —Petey replied, crossing his arms with a smirk—. Aren't you going to shower? Or at least change? Right now, you look like a slob who sleeps in his work clothes.

Dog Man frowned for a second, as if considering Petey's logic, but then quickly shook his head.

—I don't have time for that! I need to go now!

He jumped to his feet and rushed toward the door. Petey watched him scramble around, searching for his boots and trying to fix his hair with his hands—only making it look messier.

—Tsk... what a mess —Petey muttered, resting his head on his hand as he observed.

Finally, Dog Man slipped on his boots and turned to Petey, still looking panicked.

—See you later, Petey! Thanks for the movie! —he said hurriedly before opening the door.

—Yeah, yeah, go before the Chief makes you clean the bathrooms —Petey replied, waving him off.

Dog Man vanished in an instant, leaving the door open behind him.

Petey let out a sigh and stretched on the couch, enjoying the silence filling the house once again. However, his hand remained on his lap for a moment, remembering the warmth that had been there.

.

.

.

—DOG MAN!

The shout echoed through the entire precinct, making the nearby officers flinch and quickly step aside. Chief, his mustache bristling and his face red with frustration, stood in front of Dog Man with his arms crossed.

—You're late! Again! Do you have any idea how important punctuality is in this job?! You're an officer of the law, not some drifter who sleeps in until noon!

Dog Man stood at attention, as if listening intently to every word... but in reality, he wasn't.

He couldn't.

Because in his mind, Chief's voice was fading, replaced by memories of the previous night.

He remembered the movie, the warmth of Petey beside him, the feeling of being curled up against his chest as sleep took over. He recalled how his heart raced every time Petey looked at him, and how, somehow, this wasn't just a game of glances or small gestures anymore.

"Petey is my boyfriend."

Dog Man's tail wagged unconsciously, and a goofy smile spread across his face.

—And stop smiling like an idiot! —Chief growled, slamming his hands on his desk—. This is serious!

Dog Man blinked and shook his head, trying to snap back to reality.

—Sorry, Chief —he responded quickly, though his smile didn't completely fade.

Chief squinted at him, suspicious.

—What's wrong with you? You're... acting weird.

Dog Man opened his mouth to answer but hesitated.

Chief sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

—Look, I don't care what's got you so... happy —he said, waving his hands in the air—. Just don't be late again! And do your job properly!

—Yes, sir! —Dog Man answered, a little too enthusiastically.

Chief huffed but decided to let it go.

—Now get out of my sight before I regret not making you scrub the bathrooms.

Dog Man quickly nodded and left the office.

As he walked through the station, officers looked at him curiously. It wasn't unusual to see Dog Man happy, but the dopey grin he wore, as if he were daydreaming, was a rare sight.

And although he had a long workday ahead of him, one thought kept repeating in his mind.

"Petey is my boyfriend... finally."

And with that, everything in the world seemed just a little bit better.

.

.

.

The morning sun bathed the streets in a soft warmth as Petey and Lil' Petey walked home together. The city was at its most peaceful: a few cars passed slowly down the street, birds chirped from the lampposts, and the fresh air signaled the start of a new day.

Lil' Petey, as always, was full of energy, wagging his tail excitedly while rambling about his sleepover at Molly's.

—It was amazing, Papa! Molly and I played detectives! We solved a super hard case about who ate the last cookie! And then we made a blanket fort and watched horror movies!

Petey raised an eyebrow, glancing at him.

—Horror movies? Are you sure you didn't end up hiding under the blankets?

Lil' Petey laughed nervously.

—Ehh... well... maybe a little bit... but it was still fun!

Petey rolled his eyes but couldn't help a small smile. His son had a way of making any situation sound like a grand adventure.

—I'm glad you had fun —he said, his tone more relaxed.

They walked in silence for a while, enjoying the fresh air. Petey had his hands in his pockets, lost in thought about his own night. It wasn't surprising that his mind drifted back to Dog Man and what had happened between them.

Not much had changed... but at the same time, everything had.

Now, Dog Man was his boyfriend. His... partner. And even though he had made the decision himself, there was still a small part of him processing it.

"What happens now?"

It wasn't that he didn't want to be with Greg—in fact, he liked him more than he was willing to admit out loud—but there were so many things he still didn't fully understand. He had never been in a real relationship before. He had never had to think about how to be a good boyfriend.

And, if he was honest with himself, part of him was afraid of messing it up.

—Papa.

Lil' Petey tugged at his sleeve, pulling him out of his thoughts.

—Hmm?

—I said Molly and I made drawings! —the little one explained, pulling a folded paper from his backpack—. Look, this one's for you!

Petey took the drawing and unfolded it. The paper was covered in colorful doodles. In the center, three figures with pointy ears and big smiles stood together. One was clearly Lil' Petey, the other looked a lot like himself, and the third...

Had floppy ears, a big nose, and a goofy grin.

It was Dog Man.

Petey frowned, not in annoyance, but in surprise.

—Why did you draw Greg here?

Lil' Petey looked at him like the answer was obvious.

—Because he's part of the family now!

Petey felt his face heat up slightly and looked away.

—Tch... so cheesy...

Lil' Petey just laughed, not giving it much thought.

They kept walking, the sound of their steps softly echoing on the sidewalk. Petey glanced at the drawing again, and, unable to help himself, a small smile formed on his face.

Maybe he didn't have all the answers yet, but for now... this was fine.

It was enough.

.

.

.

When they arrived home, Petey set the keys on the table with a sigh, stretching his arms after the walk. Lil' Petey, on the other hand, was still full of energy, running to the kitchen and pulling his crayons and papers out of his backpack. Within seconds, he was at the dining table, enthusiastically drawing.

Petey watched him for a moment before deciding that this was the perfect time to talk. He knew he had to explain to him eventually that Dog Man and he were now together, but... well, it wasn't like he had experience with these kinds of conversations.

Come on, it can't be that hard... just relax.

He sat down in front of Lil' Petey and rested an arm on the table, clearing his throat.

—Hey, kid —he began, trying to sound casual—. Are you hungry?

—Mmm... nope —Lil' Petey replied without looking up, completely focused on his drawing.

—You sure? I can make something real quick...

—Dad, I just came from a sleepover where Flippy gave us more food than we could eat. I can't eat anything else.

Petey slowly nodded, a little frustrated by the lack of attention. But well, he couldn't exactly force him to listen... or could he?

He tried a different approach.

—Hey... you and Dog Man get along well, right?

Lil' Petey nodded while continuing to color.

—Yeah! He's super fun, and he always plays with me when he comes over.

—Uh-huh... And you like him, right?

—Mmmhmm.

—And if he were around in our lives more often, would that be okay with you?

Lil' Petey nodded again without thinking, not looking up from his drawing.

—Yeah, sure, that'd be great.

Petey squinted his eyes.

"He's not listening to a single word I'm saying, is he?"

He decided to get straight to the point.

—Because, well... Greg and I...

—Dad, give me the red crayon .

Petey paused for a moment, watching as Lil' Petey reached out his hand without looking at him, still focused on his drawing. Sighing, he handed him the crayon.

—Thanks. What were you saying?

Petey propped his elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand, feeling ridiculous.

—Nothing, forget it.

—Oh, okay.

And with that, Lil' Petey kept drawing as if nothing had happened, completely oblivious to his father's frustration.

Petey huffed and leaned back in his chair. Well, at least he didn't object... though I doubt he processed any of it.

He decided to leave it for later. The important thing was that Lil' Petey already saw Dog Man as part of the family. The rest... would sort itself out.

For now, the only thing he could do was wait for his son to finish drawing.

And maybe go make himself a coffee.

—I'm gonna make some coffee, you want anything?

—Mmm... juice would be nice.

—Oh sure, I work for you now.

Lil' Petey just laughed.

Petey smirked as he headed to the kitchen.

.

.

After a few minutes in the kitchen, Petey returned with his cup of coffee in one hand and a glass of peach juice in the other. When he entered the living room, he noticed that Lil' Petey wasn't as focused on his drawing as before. He was still adding some minor details, but no longer with the same intensity.

Petey took the opportunity.

—Here you go, kid —he said, placing the juice on the table.

Lil' Petey smiled and eagerly took the glass.

—Thanks, Papa!

Petey sat down in front of him, took a sip of his coffee, and decided to try again.

—So... what were you drawing?

—Oh! It's a super comic where Molly and I are space heroes fighting an army of evil robots led by Mega Diarrhea Man.

Petey stared at him in complete silence.

—Mega what?

—Mega Diarrhea Man! —Lil' Petey repeated excitedly—. He's a mutant villain with the power to launch toxic diarrhea blasts and flood entire cities with his... you know...

Petey grimaced in disgust.

—...Why?

—Because it's fun!

Lil' Petey eagerly flipped the page and showed him a chaotic drawing of a giant, deformed monster covering a city in a brown wave.

Petey sighed.

—Why can't you draw something more normal?

—Because this is art, Papa!

Petey decided to let it go. He had a more important conversation in mind.

—Hey, Lil' Petey...

—Hmm?

—Tell me something. What do you think about Dog Man?

Lil' Petey took a sip of his juice and then shrugged.

—I already told you, I like him.

—I know, I know, but... —Petey searched for the right words— What would you think if he spent more time with us?

—That'd be great —Lil' Petey answered casually.

Petey drummed his fingers on the table.

—And if... let's say... he and I were something more than friends?

Lil' Petey blinked and tilted his head.

—Something more?

Petey took a deep breath.

—I mean... that he and I are a couple now.

Lil' Petey blinked a few more times, as if slowly processing the information. Then, his eyes lit up with excitement.

—Really?!

Petey raised an eyebrow, surprised by his reaction.

—Yeah, basically.

Lil' Petey put down his juice and jumped in his seat with a huge grin.

—That's amazing! That means we can do so many things together as a family!

Petey blinked at the child's energy.

—Well, I guess...

Lil' Petey started counting on his fingers.

—We can all go to the park together!

—Uh-huh...

—We can eat together every day!

—We already do that, kid.

—We can watch movies together!

—We do that too...

Lil' Petey paused, staring at his fingers and frowning.

—Mmm... We can all play something fun together!

—We've done that before too.

The boy fell silent for a moment. He looked up, thoughtful, then opened his mouth as if he was about to say something... but closed it again. Finally, he let his hands drop onto the table.

—...Wait.

Petey raised an eyebrow.

—What's wrong?

Lil' Petey narrowed his eyes.

—I think... we already did all those things before.

Petey smirked at his son's slow realization, despite his earlier enthusiasm.

—Yeah. It's not like Dog Man is going to become a different person just because he's my partner now.

Lil' Petey tilted his head.

—So... what changes?

Petey rested his cheek on one hand, thinking about the question.

—Well, I guess the difference is that now there's... more affection.

Lil' Petey looked thoughtful.

—More affection?

—Yeah. Now when Dog Man and I spend time together, there's one more reason to do it. And it also means we want to be together in a special way.

Lil' Petey slowly nodded.

—Oh...

Then, he lifted his head with a huge smile.

—So that means Dog Man is going to have even more love for both of us! Right, Papa?

Petey couldn't help but smile at his son's enthusiasm.

—Yeah... that's right, kid. Dog Man has a lot more love to give us, both of us.

Lil' Petey jumped in his seat with joy.

—That's the best part!

Petey let himself be carried away by his son's excitement, feeling more at ease than he had expected. Maybe this was going to be easier than he thought.

—Yeah. And that's a really good thing.

Lil' Petey walked over to him and hugged him tightly.

—I'm so happy that Dog Man is with us!

Petey ruffled his son's head, smiling tenderly.

—Me too, kid. Me too.