Work Text:
When Yi sang arrived to the apartment door, everything seemed normal. It was a nondescript building five minutes away from the closest bus station and in a very common family friendly neighborhood. The only complaint he could have was that the elevator was broken, but that was a expected nuisance from an old build like this complex.
He had been hired to pet sit a salary man's dog. It was one of the many side gigs he had, but this one in particular had come with a very generous pay due several specifications that came with the assignment. The ten page document he had received in his email was, thankfully, detailed enough to not worry about mishandling the care of this very particular companion animal.
Specific diet, set routines and even very specific instructions for playing were written down with their set time (down to the dot) to the dot. The dog he would be taking care of seemed to have a very sheltered life as no walking schedule was noted down in the endless list of expectations.
It sounded like a very lonely life in his opinion, but it could be very well due chronic illness or an anxiety disorder. He was not one to pass judgement on the circumstances in the life of his employer's pet. He was just here to take care of a dog for a couple of hours.
Standing in front of the door with the number 0501, he knocked on it.
A man with a neat slicked back hair and the appearance of having just left work opened the door within the second. It was obvious he had been waiting for him to arrive. Yi sang recoiled a step and panicked a second before actually daring to ask the man if he was Meursault.
The man confirms it with a curt nod and asks him to step inside after basic greetings.
When Yi sang entered the apartment, he noted the huge amount of dog themed things inside. Almost excessive. Furniture, toys, food dishes, all of them expensive looking. High quality plastic, stainless steel, cotton material, the kind of stuff owners pay for a premium when their pet is their whole life and can afford it.
The thing is, Yi sang couldn't see the dog anywhere at all.
That was concerning, but maybe the dog in question was just in a different part of the house. With the size of all the things littered around the room, Yi sang assumed the dog was a big sized dog breed. Hopefully its shy nature just meant he was not open to meeting strangers quickly, Yi sang was not keen on the idea of getting his arms mauled by a nervous dog with behavioral issues.
Being invited to sit, Meursault repeated to Yi sang one more time the tasks and things he would need to do during his two hour stay. Listing that only a meal and spare snacks would be given to the dog (cooked chicken with a healthy side of greens) but no kibble for some reason. Yi sang considered giving advice about the dog diet, but the man was powering through his explanation giving him no chance to speak at all.
Yi sang was confused over a dog not needing to go potty or to go in a walk at all. He was puzzle as well over the obviously human food menu to give him, with even a whole glass of milk being allowed on the poor critter's diet. It was surprising for him how this man could invest so much in specialized dog supplies, but still neglect the dog's diet. Still, Yi sang decided to stay quiet, hands clasped together on his lap as he continued listening.
"Could you confirm as well the privacy policy you currently upheld for your services?," Meursault asked with an impassive expression, finishing his lengthy monologue in such abrupt way Yi sang got whiplash from it.
It took him a few moments, but Yi sang recited the information requested from the top of his head with ease. Confused over the situation but not seeing a reason to refuse Meursault's request, Yi sang made sure to include up to the last details of contract.
"Thank you." Meursault nods once, staring expectantly at Yi sang seemingly satisfied with the answer. As if he was giving his approval for Yi sang to take care of his pet.
This little gesture made the situation feel off.
"May I ask where the dog is?" Yi sang dared to ask, hoping he could finally get to the job he was hired for.
Meursault didn't reply, choosing to stare at him instead. It wasn't until he blinked owlishly that he moved, calmly retrieving something from his pant's pocket. A dog collar. The man pulled out a dog collar from his pocket and donned it on his neck. Like it was nothing but tying a necktie as if he was preparing for work.
Yi sang could only blink owlishly as the man knelt down on the floor in a very professional manner in front of him. The salary man set his hands on top of his knees and very obediently looked at Yi sang before opening his mouth again to speak.
"Woof."
Yi sang was coping with the current situation the best he could.
He currently had a grown up man resting his head on his knees, trying to mimic a dog and failing badly. Yi sang was glad the man didn't don a realistic dog costume, but seeing the man staring at him unblinking with puppy eyes was making that little consolation a moot point. Yi sang didn't know what to do in this absurd play, panicking in the inside while trying entertain a grown up man with a beast complex.
He suspected it to be a sex thing, some sort of kink play he accidentally got himself into. Maybe the oversized dog furniture had a different purpose, and he was not sure if he wanted to have his first BDSM experience to be this way. Yi sang's eyes darted everywhere but the attentive turquoise eyes that wouldn't let him escape their sight. Spending two hours like this started to feel like an eternity.
"I really don't get it," Yi sang muttered out, consumed by nerves but letting resignation wash over him. No amount of sighing would get him out of this situation.
His employer, well his pet sitting client, didn't reply. Choosing instead to scoot his head closer until bumping his cheek against Yi sang's hand resting on his lap. Practically rubbing his face against it, requesting to be pet exactly like a clingy dog.
Yi sang understood the request and reluctantly followed it, letting his fingers card through the man's hair in a soft caress all over his scalp. He didn't have a dog of his own, no pet really. He was new to this, so he didn't exactly know if his technique was appropriate or lacking. Thankfully it seemed to be sufficient for now.
"If I close my eyes, you almost feel like a real dog." Yi sang kept talking, his urge to fill the silence bigger than the awkwardness of the situation.
The motion of letting his hands card through the bangs becoming more natural as he instinctively knew where to scratch. Pretending that he was giving a friend a head massage helped too, but with the hilarious addition that he was ruining a salary man's perfectly combed hair. That last realization made him giggle even.
It seemed the dog in his care liked this treatment, for they leaned into the touch earnestly. Yi sang finally realized what it reminded him off, touch deprivation. This man was so touch starved. It showed in the way he barely restrained himself of climbing into Yi sang's arms, hand grip tightening onto his pants to the point of almost stinging his skin with his nails.
Yi sang, rather than being intimidated by this discovery, decided to empathize and instead indulge the man. Combing his hair to one side with long deliberate strokes, letting his fingertips gently massage the skin underneath with care. Playing with the hair and putting it in one shape only to ruin his own hard work and start again from scratch.
Meursault was so mesmerized with the attention he was being peppered with, he didn't note when he started letting the rest of his body lean onto his caretaker's lap. His arms hugged Yi sang's legs and soon the same hands petting his hair were passing over his neck and back. The gentle touch so satisfying, a soft hum would leave Meursault's throat unintended.
His want for more was growing uncontrollable. The urge to get more displayed in the way the wish to just hug the man and lie together on the couch. Little by little he stopped being on his knees on the floor, his small shifts in position making him start stand up. It wasn't until he noted that he no longer was looking up at his caretaker's face that Meursault realized something was wrong. Seeing eye to eye, like humans.
Realizing he was crossing the boundary between human and pet, he recoiled horrified.
Yi sang let out a confused yelp when the weight on his legs suddenly disappeared. Meursault seemed to go back to some sort of programmed behavior, because he immediately stopped laying all his weight on Yi sang and returned to kneeling on the ground with perfect posture. It appeared professional at first glance, but the way his eyes would avoid Yi sang demonstrated the amount of embarrassment Meursault was feeling.
The soft moment evaporated into a tense silence, only the sound of a distant clock filling in the space.
It wasn't until several minutes had passed, that someone moved again. Not saying anything, Yi sang extended his arms towards the man and brought Meursault's head back onto his lap. Gently, he lightly passed his hand again on top of his hair. Even if Meursault avoided looking at his eyes, Yi sang knew he was at least listening. He decided to speak out something to encourage him to not be ashamed of his small emotional outburst.
"I may not understand it fully, but I hope I can help." Rather than a wishful statement, Yi sang hoped it sounded like a promise. He meant it.