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Reigen Arataka loved dogs.It has been a known fact to anyone who has ever walked with him through the streets. Every time he would see a dog – big or small, friendly or intimidating - he would stop to pet it. Chatting up the owners, he would point out any slightest inadequacy in their care of the dog he could possibly notice. At times, he would take out treats straight from his pocket, as if he always carried them especially for moments like this. Nothing else really mattered once he leaned to make friends with the fluffy creatures. Even if he was in a hurry - he would smile, wide, bright, and 100% genuine, complete attention granted to the dog’s reactions.Needless to say, the dogs loved him as well. The owners would be in mild to absolute shock at the sudden changes that their pets went under with just a little of Reigen’s pats, astonished at how their closed-off dog could trust a complete stranger so much, or how their pets whined when inevitably, he had to leave. There was something magical about those moments, a sort of positive transformation the affection caused in both the tail-waggers and their new favorite human.It was truly fascinating to observe. Dimple’s usual form, invisible to most humans, allowed him to stare as much as he wanted, or even get closer: after all, the only person who could notice him didn’t see a world beyond the dog he was currently scratching behind the ear. Seeing Reigen beam like that, so untroubled, so radiant – it was a luxury. Perhaps from the third person’s perspective, it appeared more special: but there were also darker shades popping up in Dimple’s thoughts and emotions as he watched.Why did HE never get this sort of attention? Why Reigen never seemed to be so happy around HIM? Why some canines possibly covered in fleas or at least dirty were better than HIM?The human world had its own word for this sort of feelings: jealousy. But for Dimple, that sounded far too serious, almost official. It’s not like he was POSSESSIVE of Reigen, it’s not like they were married, it’s not like he had to be the most important person (or being, in this case) in his life. If he admitted he was jealous, it would be like admitting he cared. And not just that: it would mean he cared far beyond regular amounts too.It would almost be like admitting he wanted Reigen to be his, and his only.Evil spirits (and ESPECIALLY the high-class ones) were not even supposed to have this sort of feelings, goddammit. Not ANY positive emotions, actually. Fury was allowed, pride or misery accepted; they were efficient as a power fuel, useful for motivating vile intents. But any sort of – words uncomfortable even to mention – joy, attachment, l o v e – were nothing more than a nuisance. A weed of distraction that had to be pulled out and exterminated for good, so that no seeds remain.Dimple was really failing even at the one and the only job he had, huh. Being a ghost old enough he stopped counting, you would think he already learned. Having surpassed a fallible body, you would think he wouldn’t be falling into the traps of some human mating instincts or a bunch of brain chemicals. You would think he would be able to focus on his goal of becoming a God, to accomplish all he wanted.Instead, here he was, stuck with a soft yet powerful psychic kid, and his questionable liar of a master.Plus Stinky.When one day Reigen brought an ill-smelling ball of mud into Spirits and Such, Dimple was pretty sure the long foreseen mind loss of the fraud has finally happened; especially taking into account the care with which he cradled the mud, worried and whispering it’s gonna be okays as if it could understand him. Already mourning Reigen’s sanity, the ghost was already planning on how to pass these tragic events on to Mob without being blamed; until all of a sudden, the mud ball whined. Three disappointed clients and an hour of bath later, the dirt revealed its contents.A relatively ugly, scrawny, mixed-breed puppy.It was at this moment already that Dimple was convinced the situation he just found himself in was absolutely hopeless. Reigen’s eyes screamed out an absolute infatuation with the little stray. Within seconds, he named it: Pinky, a name the ghost never quite understood or accepted, calling the pup Stinky instead. Even after several baths, the smell didn’t really seem to wear off, after all, although the blond didn’t seem to notice, shoving his hands and face into the dog’s fur at any occasion. The next day, Stinky had everything he could possibly want, from comfy dog beds through ridiculous amounts of toys and treats to a new, shiny collar. Inversely proportional to that, the quality of Reigen’s lunches (or lack of them) worsened that week; Dimple could easily deduce the blond’s entire budget went into making the new pet feel at home. Some wack priorities indeed; he could never possibly understand if he tried for millennia.Stinky has become all Reigen talked about. Even to the clients, he would go off boasting about the puppy which was most often viciously biting on their shoes or pant legs at the same exact moment. He would carry the new pet everywhere he went and hardly be able to have normal conversations just because of the sheer fun and distraction every Stinky’s move brought him. And as the pup got more and more spoiled, Dimple was growing resentful.Now, no matter if he made himself visible or not, Reigen was treating him like thin air.He DESPISED this. More than being weak. Even more than those stupid feelings he had for the dumb blond. They were at least bearable as long as Reigen paid attention to him. But with all the conman’s heart and mind occupied with Stinky and Stinky only, the emotions seemed to be getting out of control.No longer particularly positive.The evil part of him kept advising him to simply break the puppy’s neck, throw it into the street and pretend a car did it. Or at the very least throw it out of the office when Reigen would go somewhere with the clients, hoping it will never come back. That was how spirits like him solved problems, it shouldn’t be an issue… That was how the past him would have solved this problem.And yet he didn’t have the heart to mess up that idiot’s happiness like that.How weak has he grown?With the simplest solutions obstructed, Dimple switched his focus to attempting to obtain a slice of Reigen’s attention at all costs. He would sneak onto his lap or shoulder while the blond was working. Talk louder than usual, and more than on most days. He would elbow Reigen out of nowhere, strike strange poses, float in front of his face, far too close for comfort but close enough to not get ignored. He would become particularly dramatic, making a huge deal out of every smallest thing, simulate illnesses, seek quality bonding time at least in client’s commissions. When he got at least one word from the blond, he wouldn’t leave him in peace until they would continue the conversation, effectively annoying the fuck out of him.But no matter what he did, what lengths he went on in his desperate efforts, Stinky was always a step before him. One cute puppy face – all his achievements were backtracking. One learned trick – Reigen was all over the dog again, with no progress possible to achieve in the next two weeks minimum.There was nothing quite enough like the frustration Dimple had to deal with. The thoughts of gruesome solutions kept coming back, more vivid and tempting with every passing day. If only he would continue on with his goals before and be a God by now, Reigen would have no choice but worship him. Give him the ATTENTION he deserved. Because he deserved it far more than some stinky street pest. Right?Unfortunately, Reigen’s attitudes seemed to claim otherwise. If only Stinky could disappear off the surface of this planet at least for 15 DAMN MINUTES. He would be able to call the dumb conman out properly for those shitty behaviors, for fucking up his life. He could tell him what he thinks. Well, not admit he was jealous of course, that would be ridiculous. But… more generally. If only…A shit-eating grin stretched Dimple’s plump purple lips.He finally knew what he had to do.***An unexpected call interrupted Reigen’s playtime with Pinky; reluctantly, he had to pick up. Still, petting the puppy with one hand, he placed the phone at his ear. The voice was unknown, deep and husky, yet anxious. Ah, a client. At this hour?“Reigen Arataka, the greatest psychic of the 21st century, Spirits and Such. How can I help?” he hardly contained the aww seeing Pinky roll over playfully.“Ah, I know the hour is rather late but I think it’s serious…”“Understandable. I got these powers to serve humanity at any time, tirelessly-“ albeit dramatized, the sentence was nothing more than a well-learned cant. “What is the issue?”“It’s my cat, sir… It’s possessed!”“Oh?” As far as Reigen was aware, from both Mob’s and Dimple’s accounts, spirits didn’t tend to possess animals unless they got particularly weak or desperate. If he was lucky this could be just the client’s imagination; if not, at least Dimple was around.Or actually, where was he?“Yes, you have to see it to understand, sir! It’s very serious, I’m sorry about the hour but you need to come now… I’ll pay the double price!”Now they were talking. Still carrying Pinky around the house everywhere he went, Reigen began to get ready for the mission. Even if Dimple disappeared somewhere, he could always call Mob shall the issue get particularly dire. “Be there soon. Please send me your location, and remain calm. Help is on the way.”Once he put the phone away he could jump out of his sweatpants and back into the suit. Just Pinky left to take and he could head to the mission…Halfway to the door, he froze in place.It was… a cat, right?“I’m sorry, Pinky.” he placed the puppy back in his bed, adding a favorite sock as an apology. “I’ll be right back, okay? The client is just around the corner.”***Dimple left the body of a random passerby and leaned against the wall at the sent location, smug like he wasn’t in weeks. The plan was flawless. Soon, Reigen was about to appear, obviously without Stinky since he was going to see a cat that little demon was particularly scared of. Finally, they could talk. Finally, Dimple could let him know how PISSED he was, make him feel guilty, make him-“What are YOU doing here?”Well, that was faster than expected.“Waiting for you. We need to talk Reigen.”“Later” the blond’s long-fingered hand waved dismissively. “I’m going to a client.”Dimple couldn’t help but roll his eyes. How much of dumb bitch energy could one person have? “There’s no client. I just wanted to TALK. Stop ignoring me, Reigen.”It wasn’t positive attention. But it was a start. Immediately as he realized what was going on, Reigen’s eyes narrowed as if he was disapproving of the ghost’s entire existence.“I left Pinky alone for this! Do you have ANY IDEA what can happen, he can get hurt, he-““REIGEN” Dimple’s voice rose. He didn’t mean to shout, really. Nevertheless, all the emotions building up inside had to explode at some point. Mob wasn’t all that weird in that sense. “Listen to me for once. 15 minutes.”“Fine. 15 minutes.” the blond grumbled, still obviously displeased; his foot tapping nervously against the pavement. “Then I’m going. I can’t BELIEVE you would make me leave Pinky alone-““You wouldn’t even notice me if Pinky Stinky was around. Reigen, can’t you see what’s happening?” as he spoke, Dimple’s voice kept shifting, stuttering and rising in nerves. Who would have thought he was capable of getting that stressed… “You’re forgetting the entire WORLD with this dog!”In turn, the conman only shrugged. “Pinky’s still a puppy! He needs a lot of affection. ESPECIALLY after what he’s been through? Do you have no heart?”“You’re talking about yourself.” the ghost gritted his teeth, the desperation hardly contained anymore. “YOU’RE the one who has no heart. You just don’t care at all, all you care about is that dog, you’re treating me like I’m not there and nothing, NOTHING helps-“Throughout his mini-rant, Reigen’s eyes kept getting wider. Was it also a slight blush appearing on his cheeks, or just the strange light? Quickly, Dimple covered his mouth with the small ghost hands. He has already said far more than he wished to.The pause was unbearable.“…Dimple, are you jealous?”“YES”, he blurted. Thinking came second. “NO!!!”“You’re totally jealous!” somehow, Reigen seemed more entertained than when Stinky brought back a stick for the first time. “You should have just told me, dumbass…”“Shut up. How was I supposed to tell you if you wouldn’t even listen.”“Well if you used the word jealous” the blond teased, all of a sudden pulling the green spirit blob into a hug. “I would have never thought! I thought you just hated Stinky-I MEAN PINKY!”Dimple snorted, his grumpy mood gradually improving with every bit of recognition. The hug helped too, although he’d probably never admit that. Finally… This went better than expected. “So what now?”Reigen looked back in the direction of his house; and nearly simultaneously, Dimple slumped. Obviously going back to Stinky was all he wanted. Was anything even going to change?“Let’s go home. I’m seriously worried Pinky might get hurt. But when we get there…” he paused, taking in the apparent resignation of the green jealous spirit. “How about watching some movies together? We could order some food and talk too-“Nothing else was necessary for Dimple’s mood to make a 180-degree turn. With a wide smile plastered on his face, he pulled Reigen’s hand – leading him back home.That night, after a bad movie and a decent pizza, they stayed up talking until dawn. Limbs comfortably splayed on the sofa, they giggled like teenagers while making fun of the film; as well as Pinky Stinky, who kept stumbling when walking over them. With the jealousy out of the way, even Dimple had to admit the puppy was absolutely adorable. It was impressive how much he has grown since Reigen found him in the mud, how healthy and happy he became.How could he not notice that before?When Reigen was around BOTH dogs and Dimple, he seemed even brighter.