#agent doom

The day had started so chaotically with a sudden cat emergency and a mad dash to the vet. Thankfully, Dolphin had puked up the detergent he’d gotten into before they even got to the office, and while the vet had still recommended they keep an eye on the little guy for the next 24 hours just in case, the couple was certain the group’s feline companion was in the clear - though still agreed to cat-sit when Wolf and Diane got called away on a sudden ISGLOP mission.

“Look, what I’m tryin’ to say is… how?” Doom finally asked, her eyes still locked on Dolphin as he swatted and chewed on Snake’s shirt buttons. “How do you look at something that cute and that small and not just want to gobble him up?!”

“Ahh,” Snake nodded, getting it. If she was asking anyone else, they might have thought she was speaking metaphorically or just exaggerating. But Snake was a fellow cuteness connoisseur.”

“Don’t take it the wrong way-”

“No, no, I get it,” Snake assured. “Trust me, I was more than a little tempted when we first saw this guy stuck up in one’a Marmalade’s trees.” Dolphin straightened up a bit at hearing the guinea pig’s name, but relaxed again once Snake started giving him pets with his tail. “Yeah, had the bread to make him into a kitten sandwich and everything.”

A morbid image, but one that made Doom snicker regardless. “So, what, you sayin’ that you don’t get tempted now?”

“Ehhhh… I do on occasion, usually if I haven’t eaten all day, but it’s not like I’m constantly havin’ to hold myself back,” Snake answered honestly. “For one, I’m pretty sure both Wolf AND Diane would kill me three times over if I did actually go through with eatin’ him. For another, it’s not like kitten is my favorite food. Too gamey. I’d much rather have guinea pigs or chicken, or even those cheap gas station hotdogs.”

As Snake’s pets continued, Dolphin’s purrs revved up like a motorbike. The cat nuzzled against Snake’s tail, then against his chest, letting out a happy mew. “Hmph, plus, the guy’s got a way of charming ya. Too charming to eat, I guess you’d put it,” Snake concluded, a soft smile on his face.

“Maybe. Or maybe you’re just getting soft, Mr. Good Guy,” Doom teased, poking his cheek. Snake rolled his eyes, and likely would have continued their banter if not for Dolphin then deciding to distract them both.

Flopping over onto his back, Dolphin tilted his head back and looked up at the raven, his eyes so big and trusting and loving that it felt like they were staring right through Doom’s own eyes and into her cold little heart. “Oh,” she said quietly.

With a tuckered out yawn, Dolphin pushed himself off Snake’s lap and wormed onto Doom’s, still purring all the while before finally relaxing against her resting wing. The cat really did trust her wholeheartedly, and as cheesy as it was to think, maybe there was something that was still special about that. Maybe she could, indeed, understand why Snake wouldn’t just want to gobble the cute cat up, no matter how easy it would’ve been.