Strawberry Kiwi: ItaFushi

Chapter 2

 The list of things Megumi needed to buy seemed to grow as he walked the aisles of the pet store. Walking to the store was colder in his old black coat, but he didn't mind as long as the puppies had something of his to smell. It could have been just an old wives' tale that had just been passed down over generations, but he believed it was true that dogs learned to love their owner by scent.

The contents of the small cart he pushed around the store rattled with various toys and treats. The pet store quality wasn't perfect, but it would do for the beginning. He had a few teething toys designed to fill with peanut butter or wet dog food, a bag of "bully sticks," otherwise known as threads from a bull's nether region, and some crinkly fabric toys with squeezers.

A male voice called out from behind him as he walked the collar section, "I was going to ask if you needed help finding anything, but it looks like you have half the store."

Megumi turned to politely decline the offer when he caught a glimpse of the man. The employee was wearing a blue store-branded polo shirt that clashed with his bright pink hair. He had a toothy smile as if he were proud of his observation skills.

Megumi grumbled, "Uh, no. Thanks."

"Wasn't really a question at that point. But if you need anything, I'll be around," the man said.

Megumi grunted, looking back at the collars, "Actually, I do have a few questions."

The pink-haired man stopped in his tracks before tilting his head toward Megumi, "What's up?"

"Do you offer shots here? I know you don't have a full vet, really just grooming service. But I figured I'd ask," Megumi asked.

"No shots, but we have a pop-up event every six weeks to get dogs checked up. They could do it then, as well as any chemical neutering you might need to do," the pink-haired man said.

"Oh, well, thanks anyway," Megumi honed his eyes on the employee's name tag. "Itadori."

"Anytime! What breed do you have?" Itadori asked.

Megumi sighed, "I'm not sure actually."

"Strays? Did you adopt them? That's pretty cool," Itadori said.

The pink-haired man's voice was higher than Megumi would have expected from looking at his physique. He read enough books to know not to judge one by its cover, unless it was manga. Itadori's arms seemed almost too large to contain in the cuffs of the sleeves. Megumi quickly darted his eyes away.

"Not exactly. Strays though, yes. I found them in an alley," Megumi said.

Itadori's eyes lit up, "A savior! What were you doing in an alley?"

Megumi shook his head, "Well, just outside of an alley. Beside a convenience store I visit."

"So, you're just going to keep them? Just like that? That's awesome! How old? How many?" Itadori grinned.

The pink-haired man was a little shorter than Megumi, but that wasn't saying much since it felt like everyone was. His eyes were light brown, the color of caramel with rings of amber. He smelled slightly of a wood-themed cologne but the animal odor was blocking most of it.

"What else would I do? Just two of them, fraternal twins. No idea about their age, still really small, so I am preparing for that," Megumi said.

"Already a good dog dad, I see. You should get some puppy pads since they are so young. Do you have any pictures?" Itadori asked.

Megumi pulled his phone from his pocket. It was kind of embarrassing, but they were already his lock screen. The black-haired man furrowed his brows and revealed the screen.