Hm, maybe Yuri was wrong, maybe they could see eye to eye on something after all
“Ok,” he said simply, completely unbothered by the threat as he finished the stitch, snipping away the extra thread and setting his tools neatly aside before standing up
“Ofcourse, I should have one more roll in the back room,”
He was going to have to make sure he kept up with the shop’s first aid supplies, especially if he could expect Kaz to be any kind of frequent visitor, maybe he’d upgrade to a higher level kit….
Stepping into the back again, he reached up to the high shelf to get the gauze and not noticing until it was too late that Veeya had used the opportunity to sprint past him and go see their new guest
“V-Veeya! Bad dog, don’t go bothering him!”
Though truth be told he couldn’t care less about Kaz being bothered so much as he cared that Veeya not get snapped at again, but he supposed as long as he kept her from getting too close…
Hurrying out after, he quickly tailed the little dog, following her back out to his pseudo-patient and settling on the floor beside him again, keeping a close eye on Veeya as she toddled closer, seemingly unbothered by the situation as she sat down by Kaz’s head, tail wagging and head tilting with curiosity, as if wondering what he was doing on the floor
It was the dog again, and Kaz didn’t quite have the energy to force back the slight smile that graced his features - the real one. When he was being at his most cruel, when he was playing games with people, generally being an asshole, he had a kind of cold smile that seemed almost eerie. His features only accented it - angled cheekbones causing him to look almost skeletal. It was worse when he was younger and had far less meals, smiles making him look increasingly gaunt and sunken eyes from too many sleepless nights and too much coffee. Those were the smiles that creeped people out, and were intended to.
His genuine smiles were few and far between, and this one wasn’t the largest - it took a lot to pull a full smile out of his features. But the slight softening of his face wouldn’t quite go away as the dog plodded up to him, and let his hand drift to pet the dog’s fluffy fur. Immediately, she seemed to take this as an invitation to hop into his lap, turning a couple of times before snuggling up to his stomach - luckily, on the opposite side of his wound.
For a moment, he froze up. It was shockingly easy to forget how little contact he had with anyone - including dogs. That warmth came from a body rather than cold rot. It felt good in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time, and despite all other circumstances, he felt the need to cuddle it closer.
Cuddle? Kaz Brekker? He needed the strongest cup of coffee he could find, or maybe just to shove coffee grounds down his gullet until the softness was deemed bearable. “It’s fine. Small price to pay for medical care.”