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[ 1 ]
Dingo was always the jealous type.
When they were younger, Dingo would always try to keep Yonny around him, and would be by his side every second of the day. Of course, he wouldn’t deprive Yonny of interacting with anyone around him, but Yonny had to reassure him that Dingo would always have the title of “best friend”. It was a title that Dingo wore with pride.
As he grew older, that urge to be outwardly possessive ebbed away, but it was still there. He just knew that it wasn’t exactly something to be displayed. Besides, Yonny’s peers were bound to flock to him with how smart he is. The main deterrent from anyone being friends with Yonny is…how scary he can be.
But that’s not the point. The point is that Yonny is his best friend and Dingo is his. They are partners in crime and have been since they were kids. Yet, even now, when they’re in their mid-twenties, Dingo still doesn’t know how to process anyone who may threaten that bond that they have.
Who knew that working at the same job together would throw so many of those people at him.
Enter the Rescue Corps.
Actually, that’s a little dramatic. Dingo loves the team. He loves his coworkers. Every single one of them is special in their own ways, and each of those ways lets Dingo experience something new day to day. He considers them friends, in a way. Besides, one of them is Yonny.
But sometimes, they get on his nerves.
The person he has the largest gripe with is Russ. Both Russ and Yonny have an affinity for testing their contraptions on him, and if Dingo had a Poko for each time either of them blew him up, he would have a quarter of his salary, which is concerning. Dingo’s always been fine with it if it was Yonny experimenting on him—he would do anything for his friend—but Russ has adopted leaving out his prototypes in vulnerable places, and if Dingo sees a button, he presses it. He doesn’t appreciate it, though, because only Yonny should be allowed to mess with him!
(Dingo considers for a split second that it is his fault for being so nosy in the first place, but he is too proud to admit that and instead continues to find fault in the people he does not like.)
Of course, because Russ is the only person he has this grudge with, Russ is the one who picks up on it.
“Are you jealous of me?” The scientist’s grating voice rings through the empty living room (save for the both of them), and Dingo has to hold himself back from throwing his cup of juice at the taller man’s bald head (they don’t get juice from Koppai often! Oh, and it's rude, he supposes).
He doesn’t, and instead he turns around with a smile (that looks more akin to a scowl if anything), “What makes you think that, Russ?”
“Well, aside from…” Russ makes a quick motion towards Dingo’s expression, and Dingo is about ready to stab him, “your face, you tend to be really upset whenever I talk with Yonny, kee-hee.”
“Yeah, but that’s because you’re stupid,” He growls out of instinct, making Russ raise his eyebrows in surprise. Dingo doubles down and keeps talking, “You are so frustrating. Yon complains about you a lot, y’know.”
“Oh? Does he?” Russ tilts his head, a sly smile on his face, “Well, Yon and I have some very enlightening conversations from time to time, and—”
“Don’t call him that.”
It takes Dingo a bit to process the nickname, but once he does, the words slip out of his mouth by accident, and the growl he makes catches even himself by surprise. Russ is taken aback, his eyes blocked by the glint of his glasses.
Russ coughs, “...Wow.”
Dingo can feel his face starting to turn bright red as he waves his hands around in a panic, “Wait-no! I didn’t mean to say that. You didn’t hear anything.”
“So you’re fine with me calling him Yon?”
“ No! That’s my nickname for him!”
“Copyrighting nicknames, now?” Russ shrugs, giggling to himself, “and you don’t want to admit you’re possessive of him…”
“I-I’m not! He can do whatever he wants!” The ranger yells back, clutching the couch cushion that he’s leaning on, “I do not care about you and Yonny!”
“What about me?”
The light, melodic voice rings through the room, silencing Dingo and Russ’s bickering almost immediately. They turn to the owner of that voice, who turns out to be the devil himself: Yonny. The doctor tilts his head, an easy smile on his visage, walking over to the two of them, “Did I miss something?”
“Oh, nothing much!” Russ chimes, side-eyeing Dingo, “However, I do want to talk to you about improving your centrifuge. I noticed that it starts to make some creaking noises if it spins for too long.”
“Oh, does it?” Yonny hums, trying to think back on the last time he used the centrifuge, then sighs, “If you could take a look at that for me, that would be great.”
“It would be my pleasure,” Russ pushes up his glasses and sends a smirk in Dingo’s direction, which pisses Dingo off severely and makes him speed walk out of the living room and to his quarters. Oh, how I fucking hate that man.
[ 2 ]
The PNF-404 mission brought so many new obstacles.
The main one? The rookie. The one that came in mere DAYS before the mission.
Before they left, Yonny wasn’t too interested in the new recruit, and neither was Dingo. He was mostly engaging in the same song and dance he does daily, and so did Dingo, other than (unwillingly) helping mentor the rookie.
However, once the rookie saves Yonny, he immediately confides in her to gather glow sap for his medicine. Dingo will admit—it frustrated him to see the rookie immediately gaining Yonny’s trust over something like this. Especially when Dingo himself was right there! He didn’t know how to feel about being the back-up.
(However, his worries are quietly reassured when he gets injured on a night expedition he did in lieu of Pom. Yonny was silent the entire time while he was patching up Dingo’s injuries, and gave curt responses to any small talk he tried to initiate. It freaked him out, but then Yonny hugged him tightly and let out an unsteady breath, muttering, “Please don’t be so reckless.” It was only then that Dingo realized Yonny was shaking.)
What really irks him is how close Yonny and the rookie got in such a short amount of time. It boils his blood whenever the rookie runs up to his friend in the morning and his first instinct is to pat the shorter’s helmet, or when she comes back from a night expedition and Yonny praises her for her hard work. It’s simple things, but they piss him off so much.
They are showing the basic affections that any two friends would give each other. Hell, Dingo and Yonny do those exact same things, and it’s not like the idea of friendship is exclusive to them, because everyone else does it, too.
So why is he so mad?
He knows it’s not good to be overly possessive of his friend. That’s why he doesn’t do anything about it. But it all frustrates him the same, and he doesn’t know why. They aren’t even in a romantic relationship, for crying out loud! Even then, if Yonny was his partner, keeping him from making friends is not a good thing at all.
The thought of being in a romantic relationship with Yonny makes his heart flutter, and his face heats up, and that’s when he realizes.
Dingo isn’t trying to keep Yonny from making friends to keep him to himself. He does it because he loves Yonny. He does it out of the fear that he will lose him to someone else. He wants to be more than just Yonny’s best friend.
…And yet, he doesn’t know how to feel about that. It hurts and it feels good at the same time. He loves Yonny, and he doesn’t know if the doctor feels the same way, but the thought of him makes Dingo giddy anyway.
He needs time to process this. And so, he runs off to a closet, locks the door shut, and doesn't come out until his mind is cleared (and until he hears Shepherd calling for him in the hallway).
[ 3 ]
Surely, SURELY, the rookie would have been the last one to get in between him and Yonny.
And then they save Nelle.
Nelle is a beautiful, intelligent Koppaite. She’s dainty, competent, and their ticket out of this planet. Dingo does not miss the way that Yonny seeks her out constantly for some random science talk. Dingo understands—Yonny is extremely fixated on medicine and there is no one he can really talk to it about.
And he fears that he doesn’t have a chance anymore.
It’s baseless and unreasonable. Dingo has been friends with Yonny for years, decades even , and there’s no way that some random Koppaite is going to get in the way of Dingo’s chances with Yonny. That fact doesn’t get rid of the insecurity, though. Yonny has always been more open to befriending people who share interests with him because no normal person will approach him readily.
When Yonny heard of Nelle, Dingo could see the way his ears perked up at the thought of having someone (who isn’t Russ) who could talk about medicine or whatever to him. He knew that Yonny would check in with the rookie consistently to hear about the progress of finding Nelle.
Of course, it may just be from the urgency that Yonny has to figure out the cure for Oatchi, but Dingo also knows that sharing knowledge isn’t the same as letting Yonny infodump to Dingo while patching his injuries or watching him cook.
And that’s why he’s so scared.
He stays quiet about it though. Yonny can befriend anyone he wants, hell, even get with whoever he wants. Dingo can’t hold him hostage over some meaningless feelings that he isn’t strong enough to confess. He knows they will pass, anyways. He’s had crushes on some of the other Rescue Corps members. It’s only a matter of time.
But his crush on Yonny isn’t based on the professional environment, and the little interactions he’s had that grew more personal over the years of working at the Rescue Corps. His love for Yonny is based on years of highs, and lows, and secrets, and memories, and…
As Dingo exits the ship to see Yonny and Nelle deep in conversation, he realizes that he doesn’t know how much longer he can handle this.
[ +1 ]
It all comes to a head when Shepherd asks for Yonny’s status report on the new medicine.
“Eheheh, it’s going great!” Yonny cheerfully responds, not knowing that Dingo is blowing Nelle up in his mind, “Dr. Nelle’s solution is genius. It was such a simple solution—just swap the cell types! I don’t know how I didn’t see it.”
“Maybe you just NEEDED the extra head,” Bernard chimes, his mouth still full of food, “It’s GOOD to ask for help!”
“I guess so,” Yonny nods, “Thank you, Bernard.”
“No PROBLEM, Doc! It was YOUR medication that saved me, after all,” the pilot shoots Yonny a thumbs up, which the doctor reciprocates.
Oooookay . At this point, even the smallest thing will set Dingo off, apparently. Now Bernard is starting to get on his nerves. Dingo is fine with this (he isn’t).
Yonny continues his spiel, not noticing how the male next to him glares at the rest of the group with a look that could kill, “Either way, Nelle is a pleasure to work with. I’ve never worked with a Koppaite before, but her knowledge is extremely valuable in helping me further my breakthroughs.”
Shepherd nods, her face a whimsical smile as she thinks about the woman, “That’s good to hear. Good work, Yonny!”
Before the group can move onto another subject, Collin looks Dingo straight in the eyes with a worried expression, “Hey, Dingo, are you okay? You seem upset.”
“Yeah,” Russ hums, tapping his chin in thought, “You’ve been sitting there seething for the past… 10 minutes.”
Dingo crosses his arms in anger, “I am not seething, thank you very much. I am trying to enjoy my dinner but you all keep talking my ears off.” He knows that this doesn’t make sense to them all, because he also enjoys bantering at the table. He just doesn’t enjoy it when it’s Yonny talking about people stealing his attention…
Yonny, of course, reads right through him. “Ohh..? Dingo, are you jealous?” Yonny shoots him an innocent smile from across the table, and Dingo’s face bursts into a bright red color.
“N-No?? Why would I be? What.” He sputters, leaning back in his chair in a lame attempt to look cool, “There’s nothing to be jealous of here.”
“Don’t think I miss the way you glare at—“
“Ahh, look at the time! This dinner was great, guys, but I have to catch a doctor’s appointment!!” Dingo gives the group the world’s fakest smile as he shoots up from his seat and starts speed walking towards the hallway.
“What?” Yonny tilts his head in such an adorable manner that Dingo starts feeling lightheaded, “But Dingo, I am the doctor.”
“Not with you! Go fuck yourself!”
The group watches in silence as Dingo storms away, and Pom is the first one to break it, “What’s his problem?”
Yonny sighs, “I’ll go check on him.”
-
Dingo storms into his room and flops down onto his bed, scratching at his head in frustration, “God, what is wrong with me?!” He groans and runs his hands down his face, his head spinning with how overwhelmed he is.
He swears, ever since he figured out his feelings for Yonny, every single thing hurts instead of making him angry. He’s scared, so scared. He doesn’t want to lose Yonny, but they’re surrounded by people that are leagues better than him, and this behavior of his is only going to make Yonny drift away. No one likes an over possessive friend.
He sulks in his bed before he hears a knock on the door, and by the rapid rhythm and the softness of how it sounds, he already knows who it is. “Yon—I’m okay,” Dingo calls out, but that doesn’t deter the knocking. It keeps going, and he keeps ignoring it, until he hears the doorknob jostle around and click. God, since when did he know how to lockpick??
The door creaks open and he turns around to face the intruder, which is indeed Yonny. The doctor gives him an easy smile, one that would easily calm Dingo down. Unfortunately, that would only work if it wasn’t Yonny he was stressed about.
Yonny walks up to Dingo and sits beside him, and Dingo doesn’t make any attempt to sit up from his position. There’s a few moments of silence—an awkward one, much different from the nice silences they usually have—before Yonny speaks, “Dingo, what’s wrong? Are you coming down with something? You know I’m always here for you if you need medical assistance.”
Dingo decides to roll over on his stomach and props himself up on his arms, looking Yonny in the eyes, “Yon, everything’s okay, I promise! I really don’t want you to worry about it, man. Especially ‘cause you’re working on that medicine and everything.”
“No, it’s already made, I’m just waiting for the reaction to finish now,” Yonny shakes his head, moving his position so that he is lying beside Dingo, “I’m worried about you, Dingo. You seem so adamant on avoiding me recently, and you always look… mad. Even more so than usual, at least.”’
“It’s been a stressful mission, y’know,” Dingo mutters, resting his head on the mattress, “We’re both stressed. Besides, you’re always hard at work, so I don’t wanna bother you too much.”
“You never bother me!” Yonny exclaims, an offended look on his face, “You’re my best friend, after all. Being with you, even when I’m working, is a pleasure.”
“Oh, god no, I don’t wanna be near you while you work,” Dingo whines, taking on a joking tone that he knows Yonny is familiar with, “You’re gonna make me drink everything in your lab.”
“No! No… Why would I ever, ehehe…” Yonny giggles, “In all seriousness, I do miss you. You are always free to spend time with me, if that's upsetting you.”
Dingo sighs, his mind racing to try and figure out a way to ease Yonny’s worries, but decides to come clean anyways, “I guess I’m just… bothered by all the people taking your time.” He can feel his face heating up at the confession, but at least his consciousness feels a little bit lighter.
“Ohh, I was right, you are jealous.”
“Don’t say it like that, Yon…!”
“Eheheh, I’m right after all,” Yonny hums in a sing-song tone, “But why are you jealous? You know they are only friends with me. I talk to them the same way I do you, just without the personal aspects.” He reaches out and grabs the ranger’s hand, squeezing it, “If I’m doing something wrong, I would like to know.”
“No, you aren't! I just—ah—um—” Dingo’s mind short circuits from the doctor’s touch, and he can feel his heart pounding, “You just—You’re always around people who seem much more interesting to you and I feel like I won’t be as important to you anymore…?”
“You know that doesn’t make sense, Dee,” Yonny frowns, rolling over so he presses against Dingo’s side, “We’ve been friends for years. If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t have stayed around for so long.”
“Y-Yeah, but…” He presses his face into the blanket as he tries to think about how to get himself out of this one.
Yonny sits up, and the shift in weight is enough to make Dingo look up at him. He has an unreadable expression on his face, but Dingo can sense the slight sadness in it, and now his heart is pounding for a completely different reason. He follows Yonny’s motion to get him to sit up, and Yonny takes his hand again, rubbing his thumb on the dorsal, “Please be honest with me. I do not wish to keep upsetting you, Dingo.”
“It’s not you, Yon, I promise, it’s just…”
“Just what?”
“It’s… embarrassing,” Dingo shrinks back shyly, and Yonny’s eyebrows raise, as he hasn’t seen Dingo so timid in a long time.
Yonny tilts his head, and despite the serious talk they’re having, it's done in that cute and endearing manner that he never fails to pull off, and now it’s all Dingo can think about now, “You can tell me anything, Dingo. I know almost everything embarrassing about you.”
“I-Guh, Yon—” Dingo sputters, conflicted on whether or not he should say something.
“You know that no matter what, I will always support you,” Yonny gives him a gentle smile, and something in him snaps.
All shame is thrown out of the window as he grabs Yonny’s shoulders and stares the taller male into the eyes, shouting in his face, “It’s just that I love you, Yonny! There! I don’t want anyone to take you away from me! I’m worried that you will leave me for someone better—which is stupid because we aren’t even in a relationship or whatever—and I can’t handle that!! I want to be able to call you mine and have people know that!”
Yonny blinks, and he takes a deep breath after rambling for so long. Oh. Shit.
He pushes Yonny out of his grasp, the poor boy looking dazed with how much is going on, and Dingo is so embarrassed it feels like he is on fire, “Shit—Aah, Yon- I-I don’t know where that came from! Ah-um, sorry- sorry for springing that on you and being so weird about it- I completely understand if you don’t want to talk to m—”
Dingo’s cut off by a pair of slim arms wrapping around him and a small, soft laugh.
“Eheheh…Oh, Dee…”
Yonny presses his head into the crook of Dingo’s neck, and the ranger can feel him smiling against his skin, “Don’t freak out. I… I love you, too.”
Dingo opens his mouth to respond, but he can’t get anything out. Yonny keeps speaking, “I’ve loved you for a long time, ehehe, but I didn’t know if you swung that way. I know I tease people a lot, but it’s all for fun. I don’t mean to upset you.”
“N-No, Yon!” Dingo grabs the doctor’s face, pulling him out of the embrace so he can look him in the eyes, “You don’t owe me any commitment, we’re just friends! You can talk however you want to people, I just—I get jealous…”
“Oh, Dee, I know you do,” Yonny giggles, and Dingo can only shoot a glare at him, “You’ve always been like this. But,” Yonny takes Dingo’s hands off his face and holds them gently in his own hands, stepping forward to close more of the distance between them, “Maybe I can help resolve your jealousy.”
“Wh-What..?”
“I’m saying that I want to be yours, Dingo,” Yonny tightens his grip on the ranger’s hands, and Dingo feels like he’s about to keel over, “I would love to be more than friends with you, and it’ll help with your insecurity too. Of course, this is only if I get to call you mine, too.”
“Of course!” Dingo blurts out, his outburst being embarrassingly quick and excited, “Please be my boyfriend! Urk-I-I mean, do-do you want to… be my boyfriend…?” He cringes at how pathetic he sounds. He always thought he would be more smooth than this when it came to asking someone out.
“Yes, yes I would love to.” Yonny wraps Dingo in an embrace, before whispering in his ear, “Can I kiss you?”
Dingo lets out a breath that he’s been holding in and swallows, “Y-Yeah, you can—”
Before Dingo can make a further embarrassment of himself, Yonny presses his lips against his. It’s gentle, and sweet, and it’s everything Dingo could have wanted. His heart is pounding in his chest and his blood rushes in his ears as he reaches up and runs his hands through the doctor’s forest green hair. He pulls softly, and his ears barely pick up on a noise that Yonny lets out. Fuck. He wants to hear that again.
But he’s getting ahead of himself, and Dingo pulls away from the doctor, his hands still threaded through Yonny’s hair, “Shit, Yon, that was amazing.” Even if he’s only found out about his feelings for his friend recently, it feels like he’s been waiting for this moment since they were young.
“We can always do it again, eheheh,” Yonny giggles, wrapping his arms around Dingo’s hips, “We have all night, after all.”
“We do…” Dingo murmurs, resting his head on Yonny's neck and resting there until he gets a great idea. A lightbulb goes off inside of his head as he presses his lips against Yonny’s neck, feeling the man shiver under the touch. Dingo smirks, “I have an idea. Trust me?”
Yonny shudders, “Alright.” With that, Dingo pins him to the bed, and indulges in himself.
-
When Dingo enters the kitchen, he is so pleased to see that Yonny ditched his usual turtleneck. Maybe it’s because he ended up wearing it somehow, but that’s besides the point.
“Good morning Yo—oh my god. What happened? Did you get mauled by bugs or something?”
“Hah?”
Dingo smiles as Yonny pulls out the camera on his tablet to look at himself, and he appreciates the way Yonny’s face turns completely red as he turns towards Dingo and looks at him with a flustered and mortified expression. Dingo can only laugh back.
While the marks won’t have Dingo’s name on them, it’ll be enough to tell everyone else that Yonny’s taken.