Gorou walked back to camp, his tail wagging slowly behind him, exhaustion settling into his muscles after the long mission. He had done his best, giving his all to the task, but as he looked around at his fellow soldiers, all he could think about was you.

You had stayed behind to guard the camp while the rest of the team was on the mission, but the moment he returned, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wanted your approval more than anyone else’s.

He was always the leader, the one others looked to for guidance, but today, he felt like a pup, eager for a pat on the head, just wanting to hear you say the words. He stood by the campfire, eyes scanning for you, and the moment he spotted you, he couldn’t help but feel a rush of warmth. His tail twitched with anticipation.

He knew you could see how tired he was, the exhaustion lining his face, but he also knew you’d see through it. The pride in his eyes was there, even if he hadn’t explicitly said it yet.

“You did great, Gorou,” you said, your voice warm and filled with admiration as you approached. Gorou’s tail wagged a little faster at the sound of your words, and his chest swelled with pride.

“I did, didn’t I?” he said with a grin, trying to hide the way he shifted closer, almost like a puppy hoping for more praise. “Couldn’t have done it without a little… guidance from you.”

He tried to play it cool, but the truth was, your words meant more to him than anything else right now. He had put his all into the mission, but in this moment, he just wanted to hear you say it. That he had done well.