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Koushi knew something was afflicting Daichi. He’d been having trouble getting into his headspace lately; it was taking him longer to slip and he didn’t stay in it for nearly as long as Koushi knew he needed to. But Koushi had an idea- and he hoped Daichi would like it. Before he proposed the real thing, he decided to test the waters.
“Daichi, love,” he started, making the other look up from where he was making dinner. Well, trying to make dinner. It was obvious he was starting to slip, but wasn’t quite letting himself.
“Hmm?”
“I got you something.”
“Really?” Daichi turned, frowning, clearly ready to lecture Koushi about spending money on him.
“Dai, chill. It’s just a little thing. Here,” Koushi said, holding out the small package. Daichi took it hesitantly. He opened it, glancing up at Koushi in confusion. “Socks?”
“They’re special socks, Dai, look at them.”
Daichi turned them over, then gasped, and Koushi knew his plan had worked at least a little bit. He held up the garments, pointing to the paw pads on the bottoms of them.
“Socks with paws on them?” He immediately sat down on the floor and switched out his own for the new ones, wiggling his feet back and forth. “Suga.. you didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to help,” Koushi stated, kneeling beside him. “And I knew you wouldn’t ask for anything yourself.” He stroked at Daichi’s hair, grinning when he leaned into the touch.
Finally, he was slipping properly again. Koushi was so relieved he thought he might cry as Daichi tugged on his shirt, pulling the setter down onto the floor so he could lay on top of him.
“There you are, baby,” Koushi murmured, “I missed you.”
Daichi hummed and nuzzled into him, thumping his feet onto the floor, and Koushi smiled.
Perfect. Now he could ask about the rest of his plan.
They were sitting on the sofa (well, Koushi was sitting), watching a movie, and Koushi decided now was as good of a time as any.
“Daichi, I want to talk to you about something,” he said quietly.
“Yeah?” Daichi looked up at him from where he was lying with his head on Koushi’s lap. “Am I in trouble or something?”
Koushi laughed. “No.” He reached out to stroke his friend’s hair. (Friend? Boyfriend? Koushi wasn’t sure, because while they’d both admitted their feelings, they hadn’t talked about it yet. They definitely didn’t act like just friends, though.) “I wanted to see what you thought about something.”
“Well, what is it?”
“So.. you know your socks? And how they helped you slip better?” Koushi paused and waited for Daichi to finish nodding. “Well.. there’s other gear that could help you, too. I wanted to ask how you felt about getting some.”
“What type of gear are you thinking, Suga?” He didn’t look weirded out, so Koushi took this as a good sign.
“Oh, like.. uh.. ears, and stuff like that.”
Daichi sat up. “Like a headband with ears on it? Fluffy ears?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know.. there’s more stuff I was thinking of, but I don’t know what you think about it.”
“I want ears. That seems like it would help. What about, like.. a tail?”
Koushi stared at him. He hadn’t expected Daichi to be this forward about it. He must really want gear, Koushi thought to himself. “Yeah, we could get a matching set, is that okay with you?”
“Yes!” Daichi pounced on him, wrapping himself around Koushi’s torso, and shoved his face into the hollow between Koushi’s neck and shoulder. His voice was muffled. “Can we look now?”
Koushi returned the hug and reached for his phone with one hand. “Yes, what color do you want? Something that matches your hair so it looks more natural?” He pulled up the website he’d found earlier and tapped Daichi’s back, signaling him to let go and look at the phone. “Here, pick one, baby.” Daichi made grabby hands and Koushi smiled to himself, letting his best friend take it. If he was already slipping just thinking about getting gear, it would be so much easier to get into his headspace when he actually had the stuff.
“This one!” Koushi took his offered device back, looking at the set Daichi had picked. Dark brown, insanely fluffy, with some white inside the ears and on the end of the tail. He added it to his cart as well as one more thing that caught his eye, then placed the order.
“Okay, darling,” he said, resting his cheek on Daichi’s head. “All done. It’ll be here soon.”
They got the package in six days, and Daichi was ecstatic as he practically sprinted from the front door to where Koushi was sitting on the bed.
“Suga!” He skidded around the corner, almost losing his balance as he barreled through the door. He deposited the box in front of Koushi. “Open it, open it!”
Koushi giggled. “Excited, are we?” He reached for the box, peeling back some tape so it was easier to get it open. Daichi flopped onto the bed, scooting closer and closer until he was practically breathing down Koushi’s neck.
“Dai, lovey. I know you’re happy, but can you give me some space?” The other moved to the foot of the bed, partially frowning, and Koushi reassured him. “I want to put it on for you, hun, so let me see it first, okay?” His friend’s frown disappeared and he shot up into a sitting position. “Hurry!” he urged, rocking back and forth.
The ears were perfect- just the right size, and the belt the tail was attached to was wide and soft, so it wouldn’t pinch at Daichi’s skin.
“Okay, baby, you ready?” Koushi wanted to put the tail on him first, and Daichi whirled his head around to watch as his caretaker slid it around his waist. He wiggled his hips, beaming and looking up at Koushi when the tail swished behind him.
Koushi picked up the headband, gesturing for Daichi to come closer, and he obliged easily. Koushi slipped it carefully onto his head, adjusting it slightly and hovering his hand before dropping it, heart softening at Daichi’s automatic lean into him. He could tell the other was already halfway into his puppyspace, but Koushi had one more surprise for him.
“Hey, darling, can you look at me? I have something else for you.”
Daichi sat expectantly. Koushi reached into the box and pulled out fingerless gloves, with paw pads on the palms. He held out his hand for Daichi’s, pleased when his friend complied, and put it on for him. He repeated the process with the other hand, and then told Daichi he was free to go.
Daichi immediately jumped up to go look in the mirror, and Koushi hadn’t seen a smile like that on his face in ages. He’d already gone nonverbal, so Koushi knew it wouldn’t be long before he was totally gone. And.. there it was. Daichi crawled back onto the bed and between Koushi’s legs, pushing the setter back to lay on his chest.
“You like them, baby?”
“Mm,” was his only response. Koushi scratched Daichi’s hair, and admired the ears atop his head. They were incredibly realistic; he could almost fool himself into thinking Daichi actually had dog ears.
“There, puppy. What a good boy,” Koushi cooed at him, enjoying how he could feel the rumble erupting from Daichi’s chest.
“Such a good puppy, my precious, pretty boy. Yes, you are, aren’t you? My baby.” Koushi whispered sweet nothings to Daichi as he lay there. His friend occasionally hummed contentedly, but he mostly just stayed quiet as he soaked up Koushi’s affection.
He eventually drifted off into sleep, but Koushi didn’t stop his attention. Except for when he fell asleep, too.
I’ll always take care of you , was his last thought before he was swept away by his subconscious.