Part 6

Dogman arrives at Petey's hideout as usual... but this time, he finds it occupied.

Big Jim is there.

The huge purple cat is sitting on Petey's couch, one leg crossed over the other and a bowl of snacks in his paws. He chews noisily while chatting with total confidence, his usual exaggerated and carefree personality on full display. Petey, instead of pushing him away like he would with anyone else, seems to tolerate him. He even looks relaxed.

Dogman stops at the door, feeling something uncomfortable in his chest. Something he doesn't know how to name.

But what really unsettles him is when Big Jim—one of his usual bursts of enthusiasm—leans too close to Petey, nudging him playfully with his elbow while laughing.

Dogman feels his snout scrunch up. His tail, which would normally be wagging in any other situation, remains completely still.

He doesn't understand why, but he feels... annoyed.

Petey notices his expression and raises an eyebrow.

"Well, Dogman, nice of you to show up. I thought you'd gotten tired of using my couch."

Dogman doesn't react. His gaze stays fixed on Big Jim's paw, still resting confidently on Petey's armrest.

Big Jim, for his part, laughs with his deep, carefree voice.

"Ohhh! Am I interrupting something between you two?" he asks teasingly, waggling his eyebrows dramatically.

Dogman blinks, suddenly flustered. Interrupting what? There's nothing to interrupt!

But before he can react, Petey smirks mischievously.

—"Maybe you are, Big Jim. Maybe you are."

Dogman looks at him with a mix of surprise and frustration. Petey is just playing around, as always, but this time... this time, it doesn't feel funny.

Without thinking, Dogman walks forward until he's standing directly in front of Petey, positioning himself between him and Big Jim. He doesn't sign anything, doesn't bark, doesn't make any gestures. He just stands there, ears tense and jaw clenched.

Big Jim watches him curiously, as if he's just discovered something interesting.

Petey, however, looks at him in silence. His teasing smile remains, but there's something in his eyes that changes. As if he's just realized something new.

"Well, well..." he murmurs, resting an elbow on the back of the couch and watching him with interest.

Dogman doesn't respond.

Because, for the first time, he doesn't know how to.

"Ohhh, does that bother you, Dogman?" he asks with fake innocence. "Don't you like the idea of Big Jim and me being... close?"

Dogman blinks rapidly, moving his paws clumsily to try to explain something in sign language, but he's so frustrated that his movements come out messy and disorganized.

Big Jim watches him curiously, tilting his head.

"Hey, wait!" he suddenly says. "Don't tell me the little pup is... jealous?"

Dogman freezes.

Petey hides a laugh behind his paw, but his tail sways with amusement.

"Jealous?" he repeats, feigning surprise. "Nooo, Dogman isn't the kind of person who would get jealous over something like this, right?"

Dogman quickly shakes his head, but the blush rising to his face betrays him.

Big Jim lets out a loud laugh.

"Ohhh, this is great!" he says, nudging Petey. "Your little pup is getting territorial!"

"Hmm..." Petey pretends to think. "Maybe I should give him a reason to be."

Before Dogman can react, Petey leans a little closer to Big Jim with an exaggeratedly relaxed air.

He doesn't do anything too bold—just a small gesture. He places a paw over Big Jim's and gives him a shameless smile.

But that's enough.

Dogman feels something inside him snap.

With a low, frustrated bark, he lunges forward. Not aggressively, but with enough determination that Big Jim lifts his paws in surrender, laughing, "Whoa, whoa!"

Dogman wedges himself between them, staring at Petey with eyes burning with frustration. His breathing is fast, and his paws move urgently.

"Stop! I don't like that!"

Petey looks at him, his teasing smile still in place, but this time... there's something different in his expression.

"You don't like it?" he asks, his voice lower, more provoking. "And why not, Dogman?"

Dogman freezes. His heart is beating too fast. His mind can't find the words to explain what he feels.

Petey leans in slightly, locking eyes with him in challenge.

"Tell me."

Dogman clenches his fists, still breathing hard. He looks at Petey, then at Big Jim, then back at Petey.

And then, without thinking, he does something that surprises them both.

Clumsily, almost desperately, Dogman takes Petey's paw in his own and holds it firmly.

Big Jim lets out a long "Oooohhh" in the background, but Dogman doesn't hear him.

All he feels is the warmth of Petey's paw in his.

And for the first time, Petey doesn't have an immediate comeback.

His tail stops moving. His teasing smile softens—just a little.

Because in that moment, he realizes that this little game he started just to mess with Dogman... has just become real.

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

Petey felt the warmth of Dogman's paw against his, his grip clumsy but firm. He hadn't expected this. Not from him.

A shiver ran down his spine, but it wasn't discomfort. It was something else. Something he didn't want to name.

Don't look at him like that. Don't show that he caught you off guard.

His tail gave a small, betraying twitch.

Dogman was still there, not letting go of his paw. His ears were low, but his expression was serious. Determined. His eyes shone with something Petey couldn't ignore.

Big Jim, who had been enjoying the scene until now, narrowed his eyes, noticing the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

"Uh, hey... are you guys okay?"

Petey snapped out of whatever trance he had fallen into. With a scoff, he put on his usual smirk—the teasing shield he always hid behind.

"Pffft, of course," he said, as if the situation hadn't affected him at all. "Why wouldn't we be?"

Dogman didn't respond immediately. Petey noticed his paws tense slightly, but instead of letting go... he leaned in closer.

Petey felt his breath hitch for a second.

Oh.

Oh, no.

This wasn't part of his plan.

Dogman was challenging him.

It wasn't just his grip or the way he looked at him with that mix of curiosity and determination. Now, he was also closing the distance between them.

Petey felt his back press against the sofa.

His smirk didn't waver, but his left ear twitched in a small, nervous tic.

"Well, well, Dogman... do you even realize what you're doing?"

The dog tilted his head slightly, but he didn't move back. Not even an inch.

Petey had to fight to keep his tail from reacting too much.

Dogman tilted his head a little more. And then... he leaned in even closer, closing the space between them until there were only a few inches left.

Petey's eyes widened slightly.

Oh, shit.

Dogman wasn't just accepting the challenge.

He was returning it.

Petey felt a strange tingling in his chest. A part of him screamed to make a joke, to twist the situation back into his control like he always did.

But the other part...

...The other part didn't want to move.

Dogman's tail swayed gently. His paws were firm, but his expression—while serious—wasn't meant to intimidate. He wasn't acting like a rival.

He was acting like someone who knew what he wanted.

Petey swallowed.

Big Jim, watching the scene from a corner, started feeling very out of place.

"Well," he said, standing up quickly. "I'm... gonna grab a snack. You two keep doing... whatever this is."

He exited with surprising agility for his size, leaving them alone.

The silence left behind was heavier than before.

Dogman didn't move.

Neither did Petey.

For the first time in a long while... he didn't know what to do.

And Dogman knew it.

Dogman didn't step back. He didn't waver. His grip on Petey's paw wasn't forceful, but it wasn't hesitant either.

That was new.

Petey was used to leading, to having control in every situation. But this time, there was something about the way Dogman was looking at him—with that mix of confidence and innocence—that made him feel... cornered.

And Petey didn't like feeling cornered.

So, if Dogman wanted to play at challenging him... well. Two could play that game.

Without breaking eye contact, Petey smirked, tilting his head with a nonchalant air.

"Well, well."

He tightened his grip on Dogman's paw and, with a sudden movement, yanked him forward.

Dogman let out a small, startled huff as he was pulled even closer, their noses nearly touching.

Petey could feel the way Dogman's muscles tensed. How his breathing hitched, just enough for him to notice.

He had him.

"What's wrong?" Petey whispered, his smirk sharp despite not showing his fangs. "Weren't you so sure of yourself just a second ago?"

Dogman blinked, surprised by the sudden counterattack.

But instead of pulling away...

His tail wagged.

And then, he pushed back.

Petey felt the weight of Dogman pressing him against the back of the sofa. Not enough to pin him down, but enough to make him feel it.

Oh.

Oh, so that's what this was.

Dogman's eyes gleamed with something different. It wasn't just the determination from before. It wasn't just clumsy embarrassment.

It was something deeper.

Petey felt his heartbeat pick up.

A few feet away, Big Jim—who had been enjoying the scene so far—frowned as he noticed the sudden shift in atmosphere.

He set his snack aside, tilting his head.

Petey didn't even glance at him.

Jim blinked slowly, watching the scene with suspicion, but then let out a resigned sigh.

Without a single word, he grabbed his snack and, with exaggerated slowness, walked toward the lab's exit.

When the door clicked shut behind him, the silence felt even heavier.

Dogman still didn't move.

Neither did Petey.

The air between them grew denser.

Petey narrowed his eyes.

"If you keep getting this close, Dogman, someone might think you like being on top of me."

Dogman tilted his head with an innocent expression.

Then, with a slowness that felt completely intentional, he leaned in just a little more—just enough for his muzzle to barely graze Petey's cheek.

A shiver ran down Petey's spine.

Oh, damn it.

Who would've thought?

Dogman knew how to play this game too.

And Petey had just realized...

...that maybe he had underestimated his opponent.