Part 9

Time passed quietly in Petey's laboratory. At first, he had tried to keep his distance from Dogman, knowing what he had done, knowing what he felt. But, as always, things didn't go as planned.

Every day, Dogman showed up with his eternal smile and carefree attitude, as if the world was a place full of things to discover. More and more, Petey found himself enjoying the dog's company. The sound of his laughter, although silly and often out of place, made him smile. The days passed in a mix of work in the lab, silly jokes, and long moments of silence, shared without words but with a comfort that Petey had come to value.

Sometimes, when Petey looked up from his desk, he found Dogman staring at him with those bright eyes, as if he were the most interesting thing in the world. And despite himself, Petey couldn't help but feel... good. As if, somehow, things were easier when Dogman was around. Dogman, with his tail-wagging, silly laughter, and that attitude only he could have.

On more than one occasion, when Petey sat down to work, Dogman would come over and start curiously looking at tools or papers, or just stay there, silently, by his side. Sometimes he would even curl up on the lab couch, watching Petey as he worked.

One day, Dogman showed up with one of his usual questions that didn't make much sense but somehow always managed to make Petey stop and think.

—Hey, Petey... why do you sometimes look at me so weird?

Petey, who had been reading a document about a new invention, blinked, confused. He looked up and saw Dogman sitting across from him, head tilted and a silly smile on his face. The question took him by surprise.

—What...? —he said, uncomfortable—. I'm not looking at you weird.

—Yes, you are —Dogman replied, smiling even more—. Like you're about to say something but you don't. Or like you're thinking about something strange. What is it?

Petey furrowed his brow and looked down at his hands, which had tightened around the sheet of paper.

—No... it's nothing —he muttered, trying to hide his discomfort—. It's just that... sometimes you stay close and I don't know how... I don't know how to react.

Dogman moved even closer, wagging his tail back and forth with curiosity.

—React? —he asked lightly.

Petey sighed and rubbed his face, trying to explain, but feeling his words not coming out the way he wanted—. It's just that I... I don't know how to handle all this.

Dogman didn't say anything more, but stayed close, as if he were willing to wait as long as it took for Petey to say it. And, although Petey tried to avoid it, he realized something: it didn't bother him that Dogman was there. In fact, he had become so used to his presence that he could no longer imagine the lab without him.

Weeks passed. The rhythm of their daily life became a routine of laughter, quiet moments, and talks about silly things. They got to know each other more and more, and even though Petey tried to keep his emotional distance, something inside him began to change.

There was something special about the way Dogman smiled at him, how he came close without being invasive, how he was there without asking too many questions. Sometimes, Petey would find Dogman watching him while he worked, and he was surprised by the depth of that simple gesture.

And then, Petey began to doubt. Science, logic... everything that had led him to create the Neutralizer Ray 2000 didn't seem so clear anymore. He was starting to see Dogman not as an experiment, not as an accident, but as someone he truly enjoyed being with. As someone who was there, asking for nothing in return, without complications.

But he also realized something else, something that terrified him even more: he had gotten used to him. He could no longer deny what he felt. Dogman had gone from being the dog he had manipulated, to the dog he shared his time with, to the dog with whom... he felt at home.

One afternoon, after spending an hour talking about one of Petey's new inventions, Dogman lay down on the couch, staring at the ceiling with his usual carefree attitude. Petey, on the other hand, was staring at the Neutralizer Ray 2000 on the workbench. His thoughts had been clear for weeks, but now, looking at Dogman, he realized something he had never accepted before: the problem had never been the ray.

The problem was himself.

Dogman had chosen him. And he had tried to avoid it, he had tried to think it was all a damn experiment, a mistake in science. But, in the end, he could no longer ignore what he felt. And, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, he knew he couldn't keep playing with Dogman's feelings.

Petey looked at the ray one more time. Maybe it was time to use it. Not to make Dogman go back to "normal," but to fix things once and for all. He knew he couldn't keep doing this, he couldn't keep pretending he had done it all for science.

So, with a deep sigh, Petey stood up from the chair, took the Neutralizer Ray 2000, and walked over to Dogman, who still seemed lost in his thoughts.

—Greg —he said, his voice deep and serious.

Dogman raised his head and looked at him, still not understanding what was happening.

—What's up, Petey? —he asked, with no concern in his tone.

Petey held the ray in front of him, the light flashing faintly as his heart pounded.

—It's time for me to ask you one last question —Petey said, a mix of nervousness and determination in his voice—. And this time, the answer won't depend on a ray... or on science.

Dogman looked at him intently, not saying anything, but his gaze showed that he understood.

And with a simple motion, Petey pressed the button.

Hello! Short chapter, I know... but I promise the next one will be long, I'll make up for it.

Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate everyone who leaves comments, I like to know what people think.

I take advantage of commenting, right now I'm going to upload a few free one shots (then I have to translate the 30 days of otp) in case you are interested!