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A quiet whine pulled Punz into consciousness. He blinked, trying to get his tired eyes to focus in the dark, before looking over to the doorway of his bedroom.
There stood Dream, his shoulders hunched, his tail tucked between his legs. Drool dribbled from between is closed lips, and he held his fox toy in front of him like a lifeline.
“Dream?” Punz slurred, lifting a hand to wipe at his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Dream whined again, hunching over, his ears flat against his head.
“Oh, puppy.” Punz lifted the blankets, scooting closer to the wall. “Come here.”
Hesitantly, Dream moved forward, his tail still tucked. He slowly climbed onto the bed, constantly glancing over to make sure Punz wasn’t going to change his mind.
Once he was in the bed, Punz lifted the blanket, pulling it over both of them. Dream was shivering, and his fur felt disgusting against Punz’s hands, but he was too tired to care, too elated that Dream had decided to come to him on his own. He wrapped his legs around the dog hybrid, pulling him closer, feeling Dream’s body relax just slightly when normally he would be crying from the touch.
Dream scrunched his toy up closer, pressing his forehead into Punz’s chest. It made something in him ache, and he cupped under Dream’s chin to pull his head back up.
Dream whined, but complied, eyes hazy. Punz pulled out the chain around his neck, removing it from the place it was tucked beneath his shirt.
On it was a set of keys, and Punz used one of them to release the locks on Dream’s muzzle.
With the bar removed, the two metal bars pushed back, retracting up against the rest of the wire cage and allowing Dream to open his mouth.
Dream’s eyes widened, and he started working his jaw slowly, scrunching up his face and wiggling his nose.
Punz laughed, bringing a hand up to rub behind Dream’s ear. “Is that better, puppy?”
Dream let out a deep groan, going boneless at the ministrations, his tail even beginning to wag gently against Punz’s leg. The dog turned his head, tucking his chin down again to press his forehead against Punz’s chest.
Punz wrapped his arms around Dream, immediately beginning to squeeze the other against him, as if the pressure would force the broken pieces of his friend back together.
Dream let out a sharp whine, harshly trying to pull backwards before Punz swatted him over the ear.
“Bad dog!” Punz said, propping himself up on an elbow.
Dream whimpered, sinking further into the mattress, his ears pinned back.
“Stop pulling away from me,” Punz snarled. “You love hugs.”
Dream’s eyes were wide, the uneven pupils mocking him in the low light.
“What is wrong with you?” Punz snapped. “Speak.”
Dream shrunk down even more. He looked around wildly, before swallowing.
The most pathetic bark Punz had ever heard fell from his mouth.
Before he knew what he was doing, Punz had Dream by the collar, dragging him off the bed.
Dream was whining, now, paws scrambling on the cold floor as Punz stormed to the punishment room, the room where Punz had been too kind as to leave his dog free to roam.
Dream cried as Punz stopped in front of the kennel. He let go, the dog falling to the floor in a heap in front of the open door. He leaned over, snatching a double ended snap hook.
He grabbed Dream again, pulling him up by the wire muzzle and attaching half of the snap to it.
Dream he out a whimper, and Punz pushed him towards the kennel, eyes flashing.
“In,” he commanded, and Dream hurried to obey, scrabbling to get into the wire cage.
The dog turned in the small space, bringing his head closer so that Punz could grap the snap.
The man yanked, pulling a startled yelp from the dog. With a quick grip he attached the other end of the snap hook to the wire front of the cave.
“Close,” Punz said, and Dream quickly pulled back, the hook forcing the door to close behind him.
Punz pushed it the last bit, causing Dream to stumble, quickly pushing the bars through the latches.
“Now, lets try this again,” Punz said, voice hard. “Speak.”
“So’y,” Dream said, forcing his lips and teeth to make up for what he lacked.
“Why did you leave your kennel?”
“’Aig’ma’,” Dream fumbled to reply.
Punz snarled, kicking the cage in frustration. Dream attempted to pull back, but was stopped by the snap hook.
“I don’t know what you’re saying!” Punz shouted, exhaustion and frustration boiling over. “Fucking learn to talk already!”
He kicked the cage again, and this time all Dream did was flinch.
Punz, exhausted, turned, storming back to his room. He stopped short in the doorway, realizing that Dream’s fox toy had been dropped in the shuffle.
He debated going back, debated apologizing, but he was too tired.
He’d return it in the morning.
Dream whimpered, back already starting to burn. The snap hook meant he couldn’t lay down, and the kennel was too small for him to stand.
Desperately, he wished he could bite. Desperately, he wished he could claw. Desperately, he wished these stupid fucking gloves would get off his hands to he could get out of here, so that he could finally go die.
Tears began to leak down his face, and that yawning pit in his chest opened its wide maw yet again.
Dream pulled up his knees, resting all his weight on them and bringing up shaking arms to wrap around himself.
He’d had a nightmare. He’d just wanted to be held.
Even now, he could feel the afterglow of the first kind skin contact in days.
Dark stains dripped from his eyes as the world once again reminded him that everything good came at a price.