⟡⋆.˚❀THE HERETIC'S ANGEL ❀⋆.˚⟡ DOGDAY x GN! READER

❀ new recruit ❀

 ‧° ‧₊˚y/n pov ˚₊‧° ‧

I was slowly lulled back out of my deep sleep, the buzzing light above slicing through the darkness when I tried to open my eyes. My head still throbbed with headache, but almost all the initial pain and sweat from the final battle with catnap had dissipated. 

I turned my head from where I lay and studied the room with adjusting eyes. It seemed like a storage room, but it held little supplies- only a mop and bucket in the corner and some empty cardboard boxes in another. The walls, floors, and ceiling were cement, like most of the rooms with deep into the factory. I did not see Dogday anywhere, which saddened and worried me.

I tired moving, but my body only flinched as I let out a wince of pain from the ache in my muscles. I allowed myself a few more moments to gather my thoughts and strength to try to get up again, until I finally realized a warm weight gently pressing against my stomach area...

I sat up on my elbows, groaning again in pain as I blinked away the rest of the light. My eyes widened and my body stiffened as I saw a mini smiling critter in the form of bobby bearhug, dozing peacefully on my stomach. It's body was curled into a small little bundle, stubby ears occasionally twitching. 

I didn't really know how to react, my first instinct was to grab it in my hand and hurl it like a football as hard and as far as I could- but something told me that the little creature was harmless...

I hesitantly brought my shaky hand up and inched it close to the smiling critter. I gently cupped my hand and brushed it against its body with caution, surprised at the softest of its fur. It stirred and blinked open its eyes, i tensed when it's dark little pupils focused on me.

I was at first sure it would attack me- but it instead let out a long, happy squeal and nuzzled into the touch of my hand. I chuckled and sat up all the way, now softly petting it. "Hey little buddy...where did you come from?" I asked quietly, smiling as it did little roundabouts on its stubby little legs.  

I took this moment to look around more, and I saw that the sliding metal door had the smallest gap in the opening. Maybe it squeezed through there? I looked down to my ankle, and saw it wrapped neatly with clean bandage, my pantleg rolled just above it. I smiled, knowing only dogday could've preformed such a gesture. 

I again focused my attention to the small critter, it's wide smiling mouth frozen as it yipped and made small happy noises. I smiled again and gently booped its nose with my thumb, causing it to squeak and chitter with more sounds. "Maybe I take back what I said about not finding you cute anymore..."

The rusty sound of the metal door opening prompted me to lift my head, and I saw dogday duck down to enter the room. I let out a sigh of relief and let my body relax against the wall. "Thank goodnes, you left and-..." I cut myself off, the thought of dogday abandoning me too much to bare at the moment.

He gave me an apologetic look and sighed. "I'm sorry, Angel. I just wanted to make sure I had turned all the right dials. The red smoke seeped into your mask and eventually knocked you o-" he froze as his eyes fixated on the smiling critter nuzzling against me. 

"W-...what is that?" He stuttered in disbelief, this eyes shaking with a horrified look. I suddenly remembered the few final moments before I rescued dogday, the flood of mini smiling critters chasing after us as I dragged his bloody upper body to safety. I picked up the creature in my hands and placed it down next to me, standing up (only buckling a little, now that my ankle was wrapped tightly) with my hands out to reassure dogday.

"Listen, there's no need to worry. It hasn't tried to attack or anything like that. I just woke up with it on me..." I glanced down as I felt it run around my legs, recoiling when it bumped into one, but recovering and beginning the run again with happy squealing. "It's just a little energetic, that's all." 

Dogday still seemed uneasy, so I bent down and held my hands out to the critter, to which it immediately stepped into them. I lifted it and stepped up to dogday. He flinched as I brought it closer, but I gently lay my hand on his arm to calm him. "Don't worry, it's friendly."

The small creature, upon seeing this new arrival, jumped onto my other arms and traveled from me to dogday, crawling up his fur with ease until it reached his head, where it shuffled itself between his big floppy ears. Dogday's eyes followed him, and the panic seemed to slowly disappear as he realized it wasn't going to go for his organs.

Dogday sighed and took the creature in his hands, holding it out in front of him as it chirped happily. "It is quite a cute creature..." He hummed in a half-genuine tone. I smiled, about to agree, when I noticed the faint blood splatters around his ankles. Paired with that, the scent of fresh red smoke was singed to his fur. My smile faded as I realized where he had really been off to.

I closed my eyes for a moment before I brought them up to look at dogday, who had set the smiling red bear onto the ground. "You went back, didn't you?" I asked, not disappointed, but more understanding. His eyes widened before lidding, realizing he had been caught. "Yes." He admitted, his voice heavy and crackling with static. 

I took a breath and stepped up to him, wrapping my arms around his waist in a hug. He did the same, weakly leaning down to embrace me. "Did you think you would find him there?" I asked gently. He nodded his head and shakily breathed out- "yes..."

I patted his back, ignoring the wooziness from the smell of red smoke coming off his fur. "I'm so sorry, dogday." 

He pulled away. "There is nothing to be sorry for. It had to be done...that cat was not the friend I once knew, and I accept that." Though he still looked at only the floor, and I could feel his heart ache for catnap. 

I heard a sad chitter at my feet and saw the smiling critter pawing at my pantleg, whining in seemingly shared pain. I lifted it up and gave it a few pets across it's fuzzy body. "Well, it looks like we've got quite the crew here. I don't think any other toys will want to be messing with us." I commented on a slightly more upbeat note. Dogday chuckled and gave the critter a small scratch under its stubby ear. "I would hope so..."

₊˚. end of chapter eleven