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For the record, Kim Dokja was - entirely and fully - a certified specimen bred by the academy.
Not only was he bred by the StarStream academy, everything down to his very fur was genetically altered for the only purpose that was to serve as a guard and a pointer. His intelligence met a satisfactory number. He was bred to be medium sized - suitable for small space but still enough to suppress a target with the strength of his kind. He was sensitive to both sound and scent, capable of detecting targets from a distance further than his fellows of the same breed. And he came in bi-color of black and white, with long fur as soft as rabbits’ - easily mistaken for a common Border Collie and would raise no suspicion, so that was a plus.
Ever since he was deemed Ready to Serve by the Academy, he had been Yoo Joonghyuk’s companion.
They didn’t get along at first, because Yoo Joonghyuk only cared about efficiency and meeting his goals, while Kim Dokja can get quite… cheeky at times. But they managed. They saw Yoo Joonghyuk soften up after some time, sharing his meals with Kim Dokja, taking him out for a walk, playing around with him, refusing to leave without his companion. They were inseparable.
Maybe that was the reason why Yoo Joonghyuk blamed himself so much.
“Kim Dokja, put this on.” Yoo Joonghyuk sternly said.
Kim Dokja, with his ears pulled back flat on his head and his doe-like eyes sparkling like morning dew, gave Yoo Joonghyuk his best puppy look, as he backed up further into his bed while whining pitifully. He knew Yoo Joonghyuk’s only weakness was to see him acting cute, but this time around, it was different, for he had forgotten one very important fact.
“The temperature tonight will drop to 5 below zero. Kim Dokja, put this on .” Yoo Joonghyuk hissed.
“But I don’t want to.” Kim Dokja whined. “I hated those clothes! You know I hate them! What about my fur!”
Sighing heavily, Yoo Joonghyuk pinched the bridge of his nose, in his head was that one meme which Han Sooyoung liked to spam every time he turned down an offer to have Kim Dokja bred with another specimen.
“You don’t have fur anymore.” He repeated for the fourth time in a span of just one week.
Kim Dokja made a dramatic gasp, his eyes widened as his ears stood straight on his head.
“What do you mean I don’t have fur anymore??” Kim Dokja straightened himself on his four limbs. “Did you let them shave my fur Captain??”
“No-”
“My fur was beautiful!” Kim Dokja howled miserably. “It was the softest! I thought you liked it!”
“I did-”
“H-How am I going to keep you warm?? I will freeze if I have to pursue the target into a lake! Why did you do this to me??”
“Kim Dokja, sit!”
Kim Dokja immediately stopped yapping and sat down on his bed.
“We have gone through this before. You no longer have your primal form, so for fuck’s sake,” Yoo Joonghyuk growled, thrusting his own hoodie forward. “put this on!”
Kim Dokja’s expression changed from surprise to terror then to sadness by the time Yoo Joonghyuk finished his sentence, his ears fell back to the side of his head, as he looked down onto his hands, realization slowly dawned on his face, as he shifted around, clearly stressed.
“Oh…”
Yoo Joonghyuk held the collar part of the hoodie out for Kim Dokja and he - obediently, as if he was merely putting on his prized Constellation collar - put his head through, quietly and docile, letting the man put the hoodie on for him.
“Good boy.” Yoo Joonghyuk praised, scratching right behind Kim Dokja’s fluffy black ears.
Kim Dokja turned around in circles, the way he always did whenever he was stressed, and once again, Yoo Joonghyuk was reminded that Kim Dokja had lived his entire life in his primal form. Even though he had never transformed into a human, he had full capabilities to do so, and Yoo Joonghyuk was very glad that he could change forms. If not-
If not, then Kim Dokja wouldn’t be here right now.
“Captain…” Kim Dokja called, his expression gloomy. “Did I fail you?”
“No, you did not.” Yoo Joonghyuk said, his voice - unknowingly, even to himself - became much softer. “You did an excellent job.”
Kim Dokja had his head hung low, nuzzling the blanket in his bed, but then he remembered: he no longer had a snout. Whimpering softly, he turned around, maybe wanting to bite on his tail - he had this bad habit ever since he was small, Yoo Joonghyuk heard - then gave up, curling in the bed that was now too small for him. It would take some time before he could get used to his human form , they told him. Cases like him tend to go rogue , they told him. If he showed any sign of getting feral we would have to get rid of him , they said.
Kim Dokja would never . Yoo Joonghyuk had told them. Kim Dokja was his companion all these years long, the worst he had ever done was chewing on Yoo Joonghyuk’s reports (and had to wear a cone of shame for it). Reaching out to stroke Kim Dokja’s hair - as soft as his prized fur once was - Yoo Joonghyuk found his hand wandering to the specimen’s (now a man’s) cheek, feeling the silky smooth skin. He was warm. He was breathing. And he was here, right next to Yoo Joonghyuk.
“Dokja.”
Kim Dokja’s eyes darted towards his face, still the same puppy eyes that he had grown familiar with after all these years.
“You will be okay.” Yoo Joonghyuk said, stroking his furry ear. “I’m right here.”
Kim Dokja made a sound that Yoo Joonghyuk thought was supposed to be a huff, then he moved to place his head on Yoo Joonghyuk’s thigh, the way he always did when he was still a dog.
“Can I even help you now, Captain?” Kim Dokja asked, his voice sulking and sad. “I won’t be able to fit in the ventilation anymore…”
“I can’t fit into the ventilation, yet I can still do my job just fine.” Yoo Joonghyuk said, running his hand through his companion’s unbelievably soft locks. “We can train together again. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
Kim Dokja made an upset sound from the back of his throat, face buried into Yoo Joonghyuk’s stomach.
“Can I sleep on your bed tonight?”
“Put the pants on then we’ll talk.”
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Kim Dokja’s fur hid many many scars over the years that he’d worked with Yoo Joonghyuk.
As a companion, he would follow Yoo Joonghyuk anywhere. Through the smoke, through the fire, through the rain of bullets, tracking down his target, throwing himself head first into danger. They would come at Yoo Joonghyuk with guns and knives, and Kim Dokja would use his own body as a meat shield to protect his companion. Many times, Yoo Joonghyuk carried Kim Dokja’s in his arms, beautiful fur coat of black and white stained with blood, ragged breaths and painful whines escaped his throat as his head was carefully positioned on Yoo Joonghyuk’s arms. But his tail would wag happily. Warm tongue lapping at Yoo Joonghyuk’s hand as he was placed on the table for examination. Kim Dokja would bounce back in just a few days - he was bred to heal, and he healed fast. He would yap for attention and treats, staring at Yoo Joonghyuk with big round puppy eyes until the man gave him an ear massage. Rinse and repeat.
Except for that last time, when Kim Dokja threw himself in between Yoo Joonghyuk and Asmodeus.
Asmodeus was the prime example of a specimen who went rogue. He could easily shift between his primal form - a black wolf-like creature stood towering over Kim Dokja’s primal dog form, with razor-sharp teeth that bit through steel as if they were mere warm butter - and his human form - whose combat skill easily overwhelmed Yoo Joonghyuk’s team before he arrived. With such prowess, he realized that ah, he was better than these mere humans . His kin was as intelligent as humans, stronger and faster, with senses far more superior, why must they bow and accept lives like animals? - he asked, as Kim Dokja howled in pain, being held down by jaws that were big enough to easily snap his neck in the blink of an eye. Yoo Joonghyuk pulled out his gun, and Kim Dokja saw it, scrambled right back on his feet and made a valiant attempt to throw the bigger creature off his body. The first shot missed, Asmodeus was fast, but Kim Dokja’s brain worked faster, his jaws aimed at Asmodeus’ throat, biting a mouthful of fur and skin and flesh, putting his entire weight on the beast, pinning him down.
The team aimed at Asmodeus and fired their guns.
Asmodeus died in his primal form, but so did Kim Dokja - they lost him to excessive bloodlost. Yoo Joonghyuk remembered holding Kim Dokja like all the other times, stroking his blood-drenched fur, telling him that it would be alright. That he would be alright. His hands were shaking when he placed them in front of Kim Dokja’s wet nose, his entire body went cold as he realized:
His companion was no longer breathing.
Yoo Joonghyuk woke up in the middle of the night, covered in cold sweats. Kim Dokja stirred awake from his place at the end of the bed - it was his usual position, he would always sleep with his head on Yoo Joonghyuk’s leg. Yawning, Kim Dokja made his way to Yoo Joonghyuk, nuzzling with his nose and sniffing around as if he was still in his primal form. Half asleep and still frightened from the memories of his dream, Yoo Joonghyuk pulled his companion’s head down and let him licked his cheek - like he always did. Patting the space right next to him, he let Kim Dokja crawl under the blanket and curled up - like he always did. Nothing really changed, except that Kim Dokja was now bigger than his primal form, lacked the soft fur that he was always so proud of, but he was warm and he was breathing. Yoo Joonghyuk watched the way Kim Dokja curled up against his side, one cheek turned pink from his previous position - having pressed against his leg until now. He slept with his arms folded near his body, definitely still wasn’t used to being in another form. He didn’t look half bad as a human, with long lashes and smooth skin, but the most important thing was the way his breath felt on Yoo Joonghyuk’s skin: warm, consistent, tickling.
On that day, Yoo Joonghyuk had threatened and pleaded, threw a tantrum and almost drawn his gun, until the Academy accepted his request and begun the transition. Since Kim Dokja’s human form remained unscathed - he barely used it after all - they would force his conscious and memory into it and get rid of his primal form. It was a dangerous thing to do, considering that the specimen might lose their life in the process, but would gain much more enhanced senses - now in a more superior form of their own. Yoo Joonghyuk had agreed to it all. He signed into the form, sworn an oath that he would take responsibilities, and that should Kim Dokja went rogue, he shall received the same punishment as his companion does.
None of that mattered to Yoo Joonghyuk at that moment. He needed Kim Dokja. Of course it did not matter to him now.
What mattered was that Kim Dokja is here. Yoo Joonghyuk told himself. In another form, but very much alive.
That night, Yoo Joonghyuk found himself falling asleep to the sound of Kim Dokja’s breathing, mind strangely at peace.
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“Dokja…-ssi. You don’t have to get on my table.” Lee Seolhwa kindly said. “You can just sit on that chair.”
“Oh…” Kim Dokja sheepishly climbed off the doctor’s table. “Right.”
Lee Seolhwa was Kim Dokja’s designated doctor, taking care of his well-being and was responsible for giving him his scheduled shots. He never liked being stung, or examinations, but he would stay down and be nice. He was used to jumping on her table so that she could take a better look at him, but he was still not used to being human, or following their practices - this morning, he refused to put on… the so-called artificial fur - clothes - again, and Captain was quite upset. Apparently, putting on artificial fur - clothes - was one of human’s common practices, and if Kim Dokja still refuse to put artificial fur - clothes - on, his companion would put him in a cone kf shame instead.
Kim Dokja hated it. The artificial fur - clothes. But he hated the cone of shame even more. So the former choice it is.
But if he were to be honest, he would preferred his fur. He took great pride in it. It was thick and soft and gorgeous. He wanted his fur back!
“How are you feeling Dokja-ssi?” Lee Seolhwa asked.
“Do I always have to wear these?” Kim Dokja groaned, tugging at the fabric.
“Yes.” Said Captain.
“Unfortunately, yes.” Lee Seolhwa nodded.
“I want my fur.” He whined.
“I know Dokja-ssi, I know.” Lee Seolhwa cooed - she always used that voice when talking to him, whether he was hurt or not. Her voice always sounded very calming, as if she was talking to a puppy, or a younger human. “Let me see your teeth.”
Kim Dokja gave her a sneer, pulling back his lips to show his teeth, and Lee Seolhwa - with gloves on her hands - pulled his lips all the way back to take a better look at his mouth.
“Healthy. No sign of cavity. Clean.” She said. “Have you been instructing Kim Dokja-ssi how to brush his teeth, Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi?”
“It’s the first thing that he wanted to try.” Said Kim Dokja’s companion. “He had been wanting to eat my toothpaste for a while.”
Captain’s voice was fond, and his accusation made Kim Dokja’s cheeks warmed up because, yes, he had been curious about the thing that his companion used on his teeth every night. He had thought that it smelled weird, but if Captain had it every night then it must be something nice. It wasn’t. It was neither bad nor good, but it’d help make his teeth healthy - said Captain, so he copied what Captain did and used it on his teeth, too.
“Do you feel pain when chewing something particularly hard?” Lee Seolhwa asked.
“No.” Kim Dokja said. “But why are my teeth so blunt now? They used to be sharp.”
“It’s because you are taking human form, Dokja-ssi.” Lee Seolhwa calmly explained. “Your teeth seemed healthy enough.”
“Do I get no needles today?” His ears perked up hopefully.
“I’m afraid that you still need to have your rabies injection.” The doctor smiled apologetically.
It was almost hilarious, the way Kim Dokja’s fluffy ears flopped and his expression changed from happy to absolute melancholy. Yoo Joonghyuk had always thought that if he had to fight to put Kim Dokja on the pedestal of the best doggo ever, then he would - and it was still true until these days, the title might have to change just a tiny bit, though. Reaching out to stroke Kim Dokja’s hair, Yoo Joonghyuk patted his head gently, and Kim Dokja whined, moving to bury his head into the inner part of the man’s elbow.
Yoo Joonghyuk felt fond. Kim Dokja always did this when he was upset about something. His companion hated needles and injections.
“It will be real quick, Dokja-ssi.” The doctor said, reaching out - as if she wanted to stroke his fur, but then she also remembered, Kim Dokja was no longer a dog, and they weren’t exactly close enough for Lee Seolhwa to touch his head in human form. She opted to pat his shoulder instead. “You have done this before, isn’t that right?”
“But I don’t like it…” Kim Dokja whined.
“It’s for your own good.” Yoo Joonghyuk said, stroking his companion’s hair. “I’ve had to take it, too.”
“I took rabies shot before…”
His companion whined louder, and Yoo Joonghyuk would never admit it out loud, but he found this form of Kim Dokja adorable, too. Lee Seolhwa shook her head lightly with a gentle smile, standing up from her seat and gave Kim Dokja another pat.
“I’ll prepare the shot.”
“Rabies shots should be retaken for safety measures.” Yoo Joonghyuk ignored the doctor as he explained to his companion, he didn’t think he had ever been so patient with anyone else - unless it’s his own younger sister Yoo Mia.
“Noooo…”
If Kim Dokja was still in his primal form, he would definitely howl - Yoo Joonghyuk was reminded vividly of all the time he said something that his companion didn’t like. He would start first (obviously), and Kim Dokja would yap at him, and if he attempted to cut his companion’s “speech”, the other would howl so loud he couldn’t even hear his own voice. It was annoyingly cute, and would normally end when Yoo Joonghyuk got up from his seat, pretending to scold Kim Dokja, to which the other would bounce up happily to initiate a game of tag.
“Kim Dokja-”
Kim Dokja’s ears perked up immediately, both turning towards the door, then his hand went up to cover Yoo Joonghyuk’s mouth, looking alert. His eyes went wide, as he slowly stood up from his seat, one hand still reached back to keep Yoo Joonghyuk in his seat, his gaze locked onto the door.
“Kim Dokja?”
Then, without warnings, Kim Dokja yanked open the door and pounced outside.
“Kim Dokja!”
There were shouting, screaming, a lot of people rushing over: some pulling out their stun gun, taser, some even had one of those big neutralizer guns. Kim Dokja was on the ground, growling and snarling at someone, his voice loud and booming with anger.
“You! Why are you still here!? Why are you here!?”
Yoo Joonghyuk rushed out to grab Kim Dokja’s shoulder, and it was when he looked down on the person who was pinned down by his companion.
It was Asmodeus, put inside a straitjacket - the type with electric wires inside so they could zap him whenever they felt like he was out of control. A baskerville muzzle was put over his mouth, which had already had a bite gag on, but he still made an attempt to growl back at Kim Dokja. Yoo Joonghyuk understood: Asmodeus was being escorted to the specialized containment area, and Kim Dokja picked up his scent through the door. With both his feet still tied together, Asmodeus kneed Kim Dokja on his back, and the smaller specimen growled louder, giving the other a hard punch in retaliation. It was a punch so hard that Asmodeus had his head turned to the side, and he saw Yoo Joonghyuk.
Without him saying anything else, Kim Dokja's eyes followed his look, and suddenly, he looked terrified .
“No!”
Kim Dokja shot back up on his legs, his back against Yoo Joonghyuk, and he pushed the man back until Yoo Joonghyuk stumbled, pressed between Kim Dokja’s back and the wall. At such a close distance, with his front pressed against his companion’s back, Yoo Joonghyuk can see the way his companion’s fur bristled in anger, his entire body was tensed like a drawn bow - ready to protect, ready to attack. He behaved the same way he always did when he sensed danger: putting himself in between and using everything he had to protect Yoo Joonghyuk, be it a vacuum machine or a serial killer armed with a gun, he would protect his companion without a trace of hesitation. Asmodeus somehow got on his knees, and Kim Dokja made an even louder growl, ears pulling half-way back, baring his sharp fangs at the other member of his kind. The officers of the Academy quickly reacted, surrounding Asmodeus in mere seconds - he was beginning to struggle and breaking through his restraints - with neutralisers and lethal weapons readied in their hands. They were not wrong to do so: Asmodeus was supposed to be dead along with his primal form, considering the fact that his human form was also severely injured, but here he was, looking healthy enough to attack another specimen even though he was bound. A small blond woman brutally tased him on the nape of his neck and refused to let go until he passed out, only then did she retreat back on her feet, letting people from her team put more specialized straps on him.
The moment her eyes darted towards Yoo Joonghyuk, she raised an eyebrow at him:
“Is that your partner?”
Yoo Joonghyuk, finally remembered that Kim Dokja was still keeping him pressed against the wall with his back against his front, tapped his companion’s arm gently and ordered:
“Kim Dokja, sit.”
Towards that order, Kim Dokja had a reaction that was almost his second instinct. He sat down immediately, still growling at the unconscious Asmodeus, but refused to leave Yoo Joonghyuk’s side. The blond woman squinted her eyes at Kim Dokja, seemingly evaluating his danger level, and when her eyes darted back to Yoo Joonghyuk, her frown was deep:
“He doesn’t seem very tamed.”
“He was just not used to being in this form.” Said Yoo Joonghyuk - this time becoming the one who stepped forward to shield Kim Dokja instead. “I got him under control. He would listen.”
The woman put her taser back into her coat. Although she was mumbling, Yoo Joonghyuk could still hear her clearly:
“That’s what Han Myungoh said.”
“Uriel.”
Yoo Joonghyuk grunted threateningly, his hand reaching down to press Kim Dokja’s head against his leg - this was a habit of his, a thing he always did when he was in distress, knowing far too well that his companion would never leave his side. Uriel watched the way Yoo Joonghyuk angled himself to hide his companion, and the way his companion watched her in curiosity, sighing heavily as she fixed her coat:
“Look, I don’t like to do this. But you know what happened when a specimen went rogue.”
“He hasn’t gone rogue yet.” Yoo Joonghyuk argued.
Looking down on Kim Dokja, his companion was watching him with round eyes, both ears turning towards him, a clear sign that all of his attention, at that moment, was on Yoo Joonghyuk and Yoo Joonghyk only.
The look in those eyes made the next thing that came out of Yoo Joonghyuk’s mouth the most concreted words that he had ever said in his entire life:
“He would never.”
And Yoo Joonghyuk would make sure of it.