"Uh. Keith? Baby?" Shiro said tentatively, pausing at the doorway into the living room.
"Yes honey?" Keith asked with a placid smile. That alone would have tipped him off - Keith's smiles could be many things, but not placid.
"What's that?" Shiro asked, inching closer to where his lover was kneeling over a box. A box that was moving slightly.
Keith grinned, tipping his head and beckoning Shiro closer. "It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I just tell you, would it?" he asked, eyes bright. "Come here and open it, find out for yourself." he invited.
Shiro obligingly came close and knelt beside him, gently nudging the box. "Surprise?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and eyeing Keith sideways. "What is it . . . for?"
"The last surprise you brought me." Keith said, expression sliding almost into a smirk.
Shiro blinked, trying to remember, but carefully hooked the fingers of his left hand around one of the top flaps of the box. He pulled it back and leaned over, only to freeze when something warm and damp pressed against his fingers.
He opened the box and a grey-white puffball bounced up, then flopped out of view. He pulled away the cardboard flaps as Keith laughed, and the-
Puppy. There was a puppy in the box, clumsily bouncing back up to its paws and bracing the front ones on the side to get closer to Shiro. Shiro reached in, petting what proved to be thick, wool-soft fur, and got another warm-soft-wet swipe across his wrist, which was somewhat less alarming when he could see it was the puppy licking him.
"You- You brought home a puppy?" Shiro said, not quite believing it. "In a box?"
"I didn't bring him home in the box." Keith said, and Shiro dragged his gaze away from the animal to look at his lover. That had not been- Keith shrugged slightly, eyes not meeting Shiro's. "I brought him home in a carrier. That was sort of obvious, though, so . . . I put him in the box to surprise you."
"It worked." Shiro said faintly, looking back down. "How- I- You brought home a puppy?" he repeated.
"You- Don't you like him?" Keith asked softly, and Shiro splayed a hand almost protectively across the puppy's shoulder.
"Of course I do! It's- He's a puppy!" Shiro said, shocked. Keith relaxed a little, though he was laughing now. "It's just- You brought home a puppy as a . . . surprise?"
"Well you brought home a surprise kitten." Keith said dryly, eyes flicking to the hallway, which was probably where Kuro was, down in their bedroom maybe. Shiro glanced at the puppy and suddenly wasn't surprised that the kitten hadn't been in the front window when he returned home.
"That . . . is true." Shiro allowed, helping the puppy, who was hopping against the edge of the box, to get out of the box. "Was it- Did you find him?"
". . .yes." Keith said, looking away again.
"Keith?" Shiro prompted, and Keith sighed. His lips quirked towards a smile as he looked down at the puppy, though.
"I found him . . . at the shelter. I went looking for a puppy. For you." Keith admitted, and Shiro looked at him, surprised. "I love Kuro," he said, smile softening, and Shiro grinned, "and so do you, but," he paused, letting out a soft breath of a laugh, "he's a you, in fluffier, smaller form." he said teasingly, reaching out and tugging Shiro's forelock playfully. "Well, smaller for now." he added, smile going crooked.
Shiro laughed, ducking his head, and Keith rubbed his knuckles lightly over Shiro's cheek. "What, eh, what is he?" he asked curiously, running his hand down the puppy's back as he sniffed at Keith's knee.
"He's a big ball of fluff." Keith said, lips curving fondly as he looked at the puppy. He tugged one floppy ear and the puppy lifted one foreleg, pawing at his arm. "They tell me he'll still be like that when he's fully grown, just . . . even bigger."
Shiro nodded, catching hold of the puppy's other paw as it waved aimlessly in the air above him. "How big is he going to get?" Shiro asked, gently rubbing the soft paw pad.
". . .big." Keith said shiftily, and Shiro's brows rose.
"Keith?" Shiro said, looking up at his lover.
"He's a great Pyrenees - mostly - and he could get to be, er-" Keith held up a hand, just a bit higher than his own shoulder with him sitting on the floor. "We have enough space, and he was," he paused, "sweet, and I thought. . ."
Shiro smiled, looking back down as small paws slid over his crossed legs and the puppy nearly tumbled head-first into his lap. "He's adorable." he said, picking the puppy up and settling him a little less precariously. He immediately slid sideways, nearly falling back off Shiro's lap and onto the floor, but didn't seem to notice, yawning big.
He put his head down on Shiro's knee and sighed, a warm, fluffy, content lump.
Shiro's heart melted.
"Yes, I thought you'd like him." Keith said, his voice warm and soft. He leaned over and kissed Shiro's cheek, and Shiro met his eyes, smiling. Keith nudged his nose gently against Shiro's, smiling back.
"Bopul- No, Bopul, ow," Shiro said clearly, "stop!"
Keith put down his coffee and went to peek into the living room. Bopul was lying on the couch with Shiro, who was trying to push him back with one hand on his muzzle - likely because the other hand was caught in Bopul's jaws, which were chewing determinedly.
"Stop." Shiro said again, looking helpless and a little frustrated, pushing at the puppy's nose gently and flexing his trapped fingers.
It was pretty tough - probably tougher than Shiro's other hand - but it probably wasn't good for either the prosthetic's fine joints or the puppy's teeth for this to continue.
Keith slipped into the room. "Bopul." he said firmly, and caught the top half of the puppy's muzzle in one hand, fingers and thumb curling over it and pushing his lip in past his teeth. He pulled up with a gentle grip and Bopul fussed, flailing his paws a bit, but his jaw loosened, and Shiro quickly withdrew his hand, flexing his fingers.
"Thank you." Shiro said, with a sigh. "How. . ."
"He can't close his jaw if it's held like this." Keith said, pulling Bopul back just a little more. He tilted Bopul's head up to show Shiro. "And his teeth can't get my fingers without catching his own mouth. It doesn't hurt him or you to grip him this way and you can get his mouth open and still get whatever he's got out of his jaws. Or, er, get your other hand free." he added, with a wry smile, as he released Bopul.
Shiro pinked faintly. Bopul licked his fingers, and Keith petted his head apologetically.
"Er, 'ow'?" Keith quoted tentatively. Shiro's prosthetic had some very, very distant hints of sensation, but as far as he understood it, it wasn't really 'pain' - or much of anything other than hints, vaguely like pressure from what Shiro said.
Keith didn't press him for more detail and never had; Shiro talked to Keith about it when he needed or wanted to, and he was open with Keith's curiosity and concern, but it was a subject Keith very much didn't want to become uncomfortable for his lover and he left it up to Shiro how much to say and when.
Shiro shrugged. "He's learning 'ow' means to be gentle or to let go, so I thought. . . Besides," he flexed his prosthetic hand again, "if it was anyone else, it would have hurt."
Keith nodded, moving around to Shiro's other side and sitting on the arm of the couch. He rubbed Shiro's shoulder absently. "Are you all right?" he asked, and Shiro reached over - with his right hand - and squeezed Keith's thigh just above the knee. His hand was still covered in dog drool; Keith wrinkled his nose.
"I'm all right, he didn't do any damage. I just didn't want him to keep going until he did. Or learn it's okay to chew on fingers, mine or anyone else's." Shiro explained, leaning against Keith's side.
"That's a good lesson to learn." Keith said absently, and Shiro made a low sound in his throat. "I mean, not to chew on fingers." he clarified, aware that wasn't actually what Shiro had said. "Although learning 'ow' means 'back off' is also good." He reached down and lightly pressed a finger to Bopul's nose, getting licked for his trouble.
Bopul had actually begun learning that one on his own; pained sounds were probably a close enough range across species for him to understand. He was a smart dog.
Shiro leaned a little more against Keith, head resting on his shoulder, and Keith kissed his lover's temple, reaching up to rub his back, and then curl his arm around Shiro's shoulders. "Tired, honey?" he asked, and Shiro shook his head a little, but didn't lift it.
Bopul edged a little more across Shiro's lap again, licking at his right wrist. Keith watched him sharply, ready to stop him if he tried to go back to chewing. Shiro didn't appear to have noticed - it was probably a very light touch, and Keith suspected from the angle of Shiro's head that he'd closed his eyes.
"Just comfortable." Shiro said, squeezing Keith's thigh again and sliding his left arm further across Keith's legs. Keith hummed, tilting his head to rest his cheek against Shiro's hair, tightening his arm around his lover in a gentle hug.
Puppy floof Bopul - name means 'fluff' in Korean (in this continuity Keith's part Korean; my headcanon is fluid)
Bopul-puppy's name is entirely on me (and I was tempted to name him Sangchu, which means lettuce, after the dog in To The Beautiful You).
It should probably go without saying, but surprising your significant other with a pet is actually not generally speaking the greatest idea. . At least on purpose.
Shiro does indeed have a prosthetic arm still in this domestic AU, though obviously it was a different incident that saw the loss of his arm. (The prosthetic itself is somewhere beyond the advancements we have in cutting edge modern ones today, and somewhere less than the scientific wonder that the Galra tech arm is.) And . . . this is going to be a series. Call it 'Cats & Dogs, Living Together' (courtesy of my friend M) and expect another few shorts for it this month.