[one-shot] Dog’s Eye View
Title: Dog’s Eye View
Type: One-shot
Word count: 1,008
Rating: G
Pairing: Massu/Tegoshi
Summary: Everybody loves Tegoshi’s toy poodle, except one person.
Notes: I was on the bus home one day and this guy was sitting next to me. I thought to myself that he smelled kind of nice. One thought led to another: smell -> sniffer dogs -> Deka Wanko -> Tegoshi -> Skull-kun. This was meant to be a drabble but it became longer than expected. And LOL, I can't use my Tegomass icon because... when I was running out of icon space it was either them or the panda, and I hardly used the Tegomass one so I chose the panda. Orz
Skull-kun is a cute dog, and he knows it. Despite his young age he has learned enough about the world to know that he holds a certain charm over people (and that he can use it to his advantage). Well, most people, anyway.
Take his master Tegoshi, for example. He may be athletic and profess a fondness for tough-looking skull accessories - which is how Skull got his name. But Tegoshi also has a weak spot for cute things, of which a toy poodle is an excellent example. He even chooses to leave his other dog Tinny at his parents’ home in favor of keeping Skull in his own apartment. Skull is a modest puppy (and quite wise too for his age, if he may say so himself), but he would not be exaggerating if he says that his master likes him better than Tinny. And the feeling is mutual, especially because Skull recognizes in Tegoshi a number of qualities that he possesses himself: charm, wit and confidence. Combined, they make Tegoshi (and Skull) irresistible.
The undisputed fact of Skull’s irresistibility is made apparent when Tegoshi stars in a dog-related drama and, in consequence, begins taking Skull to interviews, photo shoots and TV show tapings. People take one look at the puppy and they start making high-pitched squeals. They pat him and cuddle him and squeeze him, and through it all Tegoshi watches in the background, a tiny smile curled on his lips because adoration for Skull is an extension of adoration for himself, and together they lap it all up.
Tegoshi’s band mates are not immune to the puppy’s appeal - Skull suspects it’s because they’re also not immune to Tegoshi’s, despite what some of them might say to the contrary. One of them, a towering, kind-faced man called Kei-chan (the face of an animal lover, Skull thinks), openly dotes on Skull, fussing over him and saying things to him in baby talk. The other band members are a bit more subtle. The one named Shige just scratches him under the neck while Yamashita and Nishikido, whom he doesn’t meet very often, gives him friendly pats or offers him treats.
But only one of Tegoshi’s friends acts differently around Skull - the round-faced, red-haired Massu. Instead of smiling the way most people do when they see him, Massu visibly blanches and keeps his distance from Skull. If urged by an interviewer or photographer to make some kind of contact, he touches Skull’s head gingerly as if afraid the dog has fleas or something.
It looks like Massu reacts that way to all furry animals so at least Skull knows it’s not just him. Massu also won’t touch Shige’s dog Nana who, despite being a complete sweetheart, is clearly not as cute as Skull is. Still, it’s discouraging, but Skull doesn’t really put much thought into it. Haters are gonna hate and there’s nothing much he can do - at least there are a lot more people who like him.
The sad thing about it, though, is watching Tegoshi react to Massu’s aversion to Skull. Even at such a young age Skull recognizes tender feelings when he sees them, and it doesn’t escape his attention how Tegoshi smiles a little wider, his gaze a little bit brighter, when he’s around Massu. So it must be a bit of a put-down for Tegoshi to see Massu sitting farther away from him when he’s holding Skull, or trying as hard as he can to avoid touching the puppy unless the situation warrants it. Just as Tegoshi loves it when people show their affection for Skull, it would be disheartening to see someone disliking his dog so strongly - especially someone for whom he has fond feelings. At least that’s how it seems to Skull: Tegoshi has fond feelings for Massu, whether he admits it or not.
Taking pity on his master, Skull springs into action one day when Tegoshi takes him to a photo shoot with Massu. At first he only sits nicely at the back as Tegoshi had told him to and lets female staff members pat him on the head as they pass. Then during a break, Tegoshi takes a phone call and goes outside while Massu rests on a chair with a bottle of tea in his hand. It seems as good moment as any.
Slithering closer to the chair, Skull sits at Massu’s feet and gently nudges him with his head. When it appears Massu doesn’t feel it, Skull tries harder, rubbing himself against the man’s leg. Massu jerks in surprise, his eyes wide and even a bit frightful as he sees the puppy at his feet. “What the...?” he mumbles.
Skull gives Massu what he considers - what he knows to be his most engaging stare, deep and innocent and able to pierce straight to the heart, and lets out a quiet woof for good measure. Massu seems to soften a bit, and he doesn’t even back away when Skull starts rubbing against his leg again.
The reaction seems encouraging so Skull keeps going at it; besides, the fabric of Massu’s pants feels good against him. And it’s nice just to be like this: instead of being forced to touch the puppy, Massu is sitting still and letting himself be touched. Maybe he doesn’t hate dogs that much after all and just needs some getting used to. Maybe one day he’ll even be moved to touch Skull on his own accord. Baby steps, Skull reminds himself.
Then Tegoshi comes back inside and when he catches the bonding moment he gasps in delight. “Massu!”
Massu lifts his head and stammers, “I- I don’t know what happened, he’s just suddenly there...”
Chuckling, Tegoshi crouches to stroke Skull’s head. “I think Skull-kun likes you.”
Massu seems to hesitate for a second before replying, “He’s not so bad, really.”
Skull knows his mission is already half accomplished when he sees the way Tegoshi looks up at Massu, a contented smile playing on his lips, because adoration for Skull is an extension of adoration for himself.
Type: One-shot
Word count: 1,008
Rating: G
Pairing: Massu/Tegoshi
Summary: Everybody loves Tegoshi’s toy poodle, except one person.
Notes: I was on the bus home one day and this guy was sitting next to me. I thought to myself that he smelled kind of nice. One thought led to another: smell -> sniffer dogs -> Deka Wanko -> Tegoshi -> Skull-kun. This was meant to be a drabble but it became longer than expected. And LOL, I can't use my Tegomass icon because... when I was running out of icon space it was either them or the panda, and I hardly used the Tegomass one so I chose the panda. Orz
Skull-kun is a cute dog, and he knows it. Despite his young age he has learned enough about the world to know that he holds a certain charm over people (and that he can use it to his advantage). Well, most people, anyway.
Take his master Tegoshi, for example. He may be athletic and profess a fondness for tough-looking skull accessories - which is how Skull got his name. But Tegoshi also has a weak spot for cute things, of which a toy poodle is an excellent example. He even chooses to leave his other dog Tinny at his parents’ home in favor of keeping Skull in his own apartment. Skull is a modest puppy (and quite wise too for his age, if he may say so himself), but he would not be exaggerating if he says that his master likes him better than Tinny. And the feeling is mutual, especially because Skull recognizes in Tegoshi a number of qualities that he possesses himself: charm, wit and confidence. Combined, they make Tegoshi (and Skull) irresistible.
The undisputed fact of Skull’s irresistibility is made apparent when Tegoshi stars in a dog-related drama and, in consequence, begins taking Skull to interviews, photo shoots and TV show tapings. People take one look at the puppy and they start making high-pitched squeals. They pat him and cuddle him and squeeze him, and through it all Tegoshi watches in the background, a tiny smile curled on his lips because adoration for Skull is an extension of adoration for himself, and together they lap it all up.
Tegoshi’s band mates are not immune to the puppy’s appeal - Skull suspects it’s because they’re also not immune to Tegoshi’s, despite what some of them might say to the contrary. One of them, a towering, kind-faced man called Kei-chan (the face of an animal lover, Skull thinks), openly dotes on Skull, fussing over him and saying things to him in baby talk. The other band members are a bit more subtle. The one named Shige just scratches him under the neck while Yamashita and Nishikido, whom he doesn’t meet very often, gives him friendly pats or offers him treats.
But only one of Tegoshi’s friends acts differently around Skull - the round-faced, red-haired Massu. Instead of smiling the way most people do when they see him, Massu visibly blanches and keeps his distance from Skull. If urged by an interviewer or photographer to make some kind of contact, he touches Skull’s head gingerly as if afraid the dog has fleas or something.
It looks like Massu reacts that way to all furry animals so at least Skull knows it’s not just him. Massu also won’t touch Shige’s dog Nana who, despite being a complete sweetheart, is clearly not as cute as Skull is. Still, it’s discouraging, but Skull doesn’t really put much thought into it. Haters are gonna hate and there’s nothing much he can do - at least there are a lot more people who like him.
The sad thing about it, though, is watching Tegoshi react to Massu’s aversion to Skull. Even at such a young age Skull recognizes tender feelings when he sees them, and it doesn’t escape his attention how Tegoshi smiles a little wider, his gaze a little bit brighter, when he’s around Massu. So it must be a bit of a put-down for Tegoshi to see Massu sitting farther away from him when he’s holding Skull, or trying as hard as he can to avoid touching the puppy unless the situation warrants it. Just as Tegoshi loves it when people show their affection for Skull, it would be disheartening to see someone disliking his dog so strongly - especially someone for whom he has fond feelings. At least that’s how it seems to Skull: Tegoshi has fond feelings for Massu, whether he admits it or not.
Taking pity on his master, Skull springs into action one day when Tegoshi takes him to a photo shoot with Massu. At first he only sits nicely at the back as Tegoshi had told him to and lets female staff members pat him on the head as they pass. Then during a break, Tegoshi takes a phone call and goes outside while Massu rests on a chair with a bottle of tea in his hand. It seems as good moment as any.
Slithering closer to the chair, Skull sits at Massu’s feet and gently nudges him with his head. When it appears Massu doesn’t feel it, Skull tries harder, rubbing himself against the man’s leg. Massu jerks in surprise, his eyes wide and even a bit frightful as he sees the puppy at his feet. “What the...?” he mumbles.
Skull gives Massu what he considers - what he knows to be his most engaging stare, deep and innocent and able to pierce straight to the heart, and lets out a quiet woof for good measure. Massu seems to soften a bit, and he doesn’t even back away when Skull starts rubbing against his leg again.
The reaction seems encouraging so Skull keeps going at it; besides, the fabric of Massu’s pants feels good against him. And it’s nice just to be like this: instead of being forced to touch the puppy, Massu is sitting still and letting himself be touched. Maybe he doesn’t hate dogs that much after all and just needs some getting used to. Maybe one day he’ll even be moved to touch Skull on his own accord. Baby steps, Skull reminds himself.
Then Tegoshi comes back inside and when he catches the bonding moment he gasps in delight. “Massu!”
Massu lifts his head and stammers, “I- I don’t know what happened, he’s just suddenly there...”
Chuckling, Tegoshi crouches to stroke Skull’s head. “I think Skull-kun likes you.”
Massu seems to hesitate for a second before replying, “He’s not so bad, really.”
Skull knows his mission is already half accomplished when he sees the way Tegoshi looks up at Massu, a contented smile playing on his lips, because adoration for Skull is an extension of adoration for himself.