The shelter’s staff room was small, cluttered with leashes, bags of kibble, and a whiteboard listing the dogs’ feeding schedules. You and Yuji stood by the sink, brushing stray fur off your clothes after a long shift. The air smelled like shampoo and wet dog, but you were used to it by now.

“You got a whole husky’s worth of fur on you,” Yuji chuckled, reaching over to pluck some fluff from your sleeve. His fingers lingered for a second longer than necessary before he pulled away, scratching the back of his neck.

“You’re not much better,” you shot back, flicking a tuft of golden retriever fur at him. It stuck to his cheek, and you laughed.

Yuji groaned, wiping at his face. “Man, I swear, one of these days, I’m gonna leave here without taking half the dogs with me.”

You grabbed your clean clothes from your locker, glancing at him as he pulled off his hoodie. His hair was messier than usual, and there was a smudge of dirt on his jaw. He looked—well, good. Not that you were about to admit it.

He caught you looking and grinned. “What, do I have something on my face?”

You rolled your eyes, tossing him a towel. “Yeah. The usual—dog fur and bad decisions.”

He laughed, but there was something softer in his gaze, something unsaid. If only you knew how hard it was for him to play it cool when all he wanted was to ask if maybe, just maybe, you’d want to grab dinner together after this—just the two of you.