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The first time Por sees the puppy, it is raining.
Not heavily yet. Just enough for the pavement outside the filming set of to glisten under the evening lights while staff members rushed around trying to move equipment beneath cover before the weather worsened. He is halfway through removing his mic pack when something brownish darts past the corner of his vision.
He looks down instinctively and freezes.
A tiny retriever puppy is staring directly at him from beneath one of the folding prop tables.
The thing is ridiculously pretty. Soft brownish-gold fur dampened slightly by rain. White paws. White fur on his chest. Big dark eyes that look almost painfully expressive for a dog.
The puppy tilts its head.
Por crouches immediately.
“Well, hi there.”
The puppy stares at him for exactly two seconds before trotting straight toward him without hesitation.
Por laughs softly in surprise.
“Oh my god.”
The puppy presses directly against his knee.
On impulse, he pulls out his phone to film a short video of the cute creature. Por reaches down carefully to scratch behind one fluffy ear, and the puppy immediately melts against his hand like it has been waiting for that exact touch its entire life.
Something about it feels strangely familiar.
Before Por can think too hard about that, one of the assistant directors shouts his name from across the set.
“Por! We need you for reshoots!”
Por glances up. “Coming!”
When he looks back down—the puppy panics at the sudden noise and bolts.
Straight behind the temporary wardrobe buildings near the back entrance. Por blinks.
“Well, okay then.”
Por rewatches the video he shot, the puppy looks up at him with absurdly soft eyes while leaning desperately into his hand.
Cute.
Still smiling to himself, Por heads toward wardrobe and almost runs directly into Teetee.
Teetee looks slightly breathless.
Hair messy.
Cheeks flushed strangely pink.
Por notices none of this because he is already holding his phone out excitedly.
“Look what I found.”
Teetee glances down at the screen a nd nearly dies.
Because that is him.
Not metaphorically.
Literally him.
He remembers every second of that video from the puppy’s perspective.
The warmth of Por’s hand. The sound of his laugh.
The way instinct had completely overridden every remaining ounce of dignity in Teetee’s body until all he wanted was to stay near him.
Teetee forces his expression to remain neutral.
“…cute.”
Por grins. “Right? It just walked up to me.”
Teetee swallows hard.
“Maybe it likes you.”
“Maybe,” Por says thoughtfully.
Then he pauses.
“Huh.”
Teetee’s entire nervous system goes rigid.
“What?”
Por squints at him slightly.
“You know the puppy and you kind of look alike.”
Teetee almost chokes to death.
“What?”
“The eyes,” Por says casually. “And the attitude.”
Teetee turns around immediately.
“I’m going to wardrobe.”
Por bursts into laughter behind him.
And Teetee walks directly into a clothing rack because his life is cursed.
The problem starts almost immediately afterward because the transformations keep happening.
Usually when Teetee gets emotionally overwhelmed.
Stress.
Exhaustion.
Jealousy.
Affection.
Unfortunately Por causes all four constantly and every single time Teetee transforms, instinct drags him toward Por before common sense can intervene which is horrifying.
Because human Teetee is careful and still shy even after they started dating two weeks ago.
But puppy Teetee? He has absolutely no self respect.
One afternoon filming gets delayed because of lighting issues.
Teetee disappears behind set after getting overwhelmed during rehearsals.
Ten minutes later the puppy appears beside Por’s chair.
Por looks down immediately.
“There you are.”
The puppy wags so hard his entire body shakes.
Por laughs softly and reaches down automatically.
The puppy climbs directly into his lap.
Traitorous body.
“Clingy little thing,” Por murmurs.
The puppy presses even closer and because the universe actively hates Teetee, one of the stylists nearby laughs loudly.
“Oh my god, it acts exactly like teetee.”
Por looks down at the puppy thoughtfully.
Then back toward the hallway Teetee disappeared into earlier.
“Hmm,” he says slowly.
Teetee, from the puppy perspective, contemplates running into traffic.
The pattern continues.
Teetee disappears. The puppy appears.
The puppy vanishes. Teetee returns.
Nobody notices.
Except Por starts unconsciously tracking it.
Not intentionally but just small things like how the puppy always shows up when Teetee leaves or how Teetee always comes back looking emotionally wrecked afterward or like how both of them have the exact same reactions.
One afternoon an actor playing a supporting role drapes himself dramatically across Por’s shoulder between takes.
Immediately the puppy growls.
Deeply offended.
Possessive.
Everyone nearby bursts into laughter, Por nearly chokes.
“Oh my god,” he wheezes, looking down at the puppy. “That is EXACTLY what Teetee does.”
The puppy huffs loudly and turns away.
Several minutes later the puppy disappears while everyone is distracted resetting cameras and Teetee returns from outside carrying a water bottle.
Still visibly annoyed and refusing to look at Por.
Por stares.
Then slowly says, “You know, this is becoming suspicious.”
Teetee almost drops the bottle.
“What is?”
“You and the dog.”
Silence.
“What about us?”
Por narrows his eyes slightly.
“You both get jealous the same way.”
Teetee laughs too loudly.
“That’s ridiculous, I've never even met him.”
Por keeps staring.
Then eventually smiles slowly.
“Yeah,” he says lightly. “But you should totally meet him one day.”
Teetee spends the next four hours convinced he is about to die.
The worst part is that Por keeps treating the puppy exactly the way Teetee secretly wants to be treated himself.
Softly.
Without hesitation.
Human Teetee still struggles asking for affection directly.
Even while dating.
He still overthinks every touch before initiating it and still worries about being too clingy but the puppy version of him has no such restraint.
The puppy just seeks Por automatically and Por always responds.
One rainy evening Por ends up alone in his trailer with the puppy sleeping in his lap while everyone waits for weather delays to pass.
The sound of rain taps softly against the windows.
Por scrolls mindlessly through his phone for several minutes before sighing quietly.
“You know,” he murmurs eventually, absentmindedly stroking the puppy’s fur, “your human version is difficult.”
The puppy lifts his head instantly tilting it slightly in confusion.
Por laughs softly.
“Not in a bad way.”
Por scratches behind one fluffy ear gently.
“He just overthinks everything.”
Teetee stops breathing. Por continues quietly, like he has forgotten he is speaking aloud.
“I wish he understood that I like taking care of him.”
Something inside Teetee cracks painfully open.
Because nobody has ever said that before.
The puppy lowers his head slowly onto Por’s thigh.
Por’s hand slides automatically through his fur.
“He acts like needing affection is embarrassing.”
The puppy presses closer unconsciously.
Por smiles softly.
“But I like when he needs me.”
Teetee thinks he might genuinely be in love beyond recovery.
After that, being around Por becomes unbearable.
Because now Teetee knows exactly how gently Por speaks about him when he thinks nobody is listening and how he likes caring for him.
Knows Por notices more than he says and apparently Teetee’s body cannot emotionally survive that realization.
The transformations become worse.
More unstable.
One afternoon Por corners him beside the vending machines after lunch.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
Teetee nearly drops his drink.
“I have not.”
“You disappeared three times yesterday.”
Teetee cannot exactly explain that two of those disappearances involved suddenly having four legs so instead he mutters weakly, “I was busy.”
Por steps closer.
Teetee’s pulse jumps immediately.
Por notices.
His expression softens instantly.
“Hey.”
Teetee looks away.
Por reaches out carefully and hooks two fingers through the sleeve of Teetee’s hoodie.
A very tiny gesture but it felt so warm.
“You know you can tell me if something’s wrong, right?”
Teetee’s chest aches.
Because there IS something wrong.
Something deeply wrong.
He is literally turning into a dog every time his boyfriend is affectionate but how is he supposed to explain that?
So instead of answering, Teetee leans forward suddenly and hides his face against Por’s shoulder.
Por stills instantly.
Then one arm slides carefully around his waist.
“It's okay Teetee” Por murmurs softly.
That’s the problem.
Por says things like that.
Like finding Teetee is easy.
Like Teetee belongs beside him naturally.
Teetee stays there several seconds too long.
Then warmth suddenly spreads beneath his skin.
Oh no.
He jerks backward instantly.
Por blinks.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Teetee walks away so fast he almost trips over a lighting cable and hidden behind the building outside two minutes later, a tiny brownish puppy sneezes furiously in frustration.
The reveal happened on a Thursday.
Filming runs late after multiple retakes. Everyone is exhausted and Por has been especially affectionate all day.
Small touches. Smiles from across set.
Hands brushing together constantly.
At one point Por presses a quick kiss against Teetee’s temple while staff members are distracted.
Teetee nearly transforms on the spot.
He barely makes it outside before the shift overtakes him.
Suddenly the world tilts and he is small and covered in fur again.
Fantastic.
Rain pours heavily now.
The puppy curls miserably beneath one of the equipment vans, exhausted beyond words.
Every instinct inside him points toward one thing.
Por.
A few minutes later footsteps approach.
Then Por crouches beside the van.
“There you are.”
The puppy whines softly before he can stop himself.
Por’s entire expression melts.
“Oh, baby.”
Teetee is genuinely never recovering from this. Por reaches beneath the van carefully and scoops him into his arms.
“You’re freezing.”
The puppy presses automatically against his chest. Por tucks him gently inside his hoodie.
“You can stay with me tonight, okay?”
The puppy freezes.
Home???
Por’s apartment
Por misunderstands the puppy's look of rejection.
“It’s okay,” he murmurs softly. “I’ve got you.”
and because Teetee is exhausted, emotionally wrecked, and catastrophically in love— he lets Por take him home.
Por’s apartment smells like coffee and clean laundry.
The puppy immediately recognizes it from all the times human Teetee has visited which somehow makes this worse.
Por towels him dry carefully while sitting cross legged on the floor.
“You’re ridiculously spoiled, you know that?”
The puppy blinks sleepily.
“You’re lucky you’re cute.”
Tail wag.
Eventually Por carries him into the bedroom.
The puppy curls automatically into the blankets while Por grabs fresh clothes.
“I’m gonna shower, okay?”
The puppy is already asleep.
Por pauses beside the bed.
Then very gently kisses the puppy between the ears.
The bathroom door closes and somewhere between warmth, exhaustion, safety, and overwhelming affection—
Teetee transforms back.
Human again.
He wakes slowly.
Blankets tangled around his waist.Hair messy and completely naked.
For several seconds his exhausted brain cannot process what happened. Then memory crashes into him all at once.
Oh no.
The shower is still running.
Teetee bolts upright in panic which is unfortunately the exact moment the bathroom door opens.
Por steps out wearing gray sweatpants while drying his damp hair with a towel.
Then stops completely.
Teetee stares back at him from the middle of the bed.
Wide eyed. Frozen. Blankets clutched desperately over his lap.
Por looks at him.
Then at the empty spot in the blankets where the puppy should be.
Then back at Teetee and suddenly every expression on his face changes all at once.
Confusion.
Realization.
Understanding.
“Oh,” Por says softly.
Teetee has never wanted the earth to swallow him more because suddenly everything is exposed.
Every moment he followed Por around helplessly.
Every time he sought comfort without knowing how to ask for it as himself.
Por now knows.
Teetee lowers his eyes immediately.
“…I can leave.”
Por’s expression changes instantly.
“What?”
“I didn’t mean for you to find out like this.”
Teetee’s voice sounds painfully small.
“I know it’s weird.”
Por stares at him for several long seconds.
Then suddenly laughs softly under his breath.
Not mockingly.
Just stunned.
“You’re the puppy.”
Teetee hides his face immediately.
“Oh my god.”
“You’re actually the puppy.”
“Please stop saying it.”
Por sits slowly on the edge of the bed.
Still staring.
“That’s why you kept disappearing.”
“That’s why the puppy only appeared when you were gone.”
Teetee groans into his hands.
“And why he acted exactly like you.”
“Por.”
“And why he got jealous every time somebody touched me.”
“Please stop talking.”
Por is visibly trying not to smile now which somehow makes this even worse.
Teetee finally risks looking up.
Por’s expression softens instantly.
“You thought I’d be scared?”
Teetee swallows hard.
“A little.”
Por looks genuinely baffled.
“You turn into a puppy when you’re emotional??”
“That’s honestly the least scary thing I’ve ever heard.”
Teetee stares.
Por smiles slowly.
“It’s kind of adorable, actually.”
“Por.”
“You literally followed me around because you liked me.”
Teetee falls backward dramatically into the blankets.
“I’m breaking up with you.”
Por laughs so hard he nearly falls off the bed.
And somehow— that is the exact moment the panic finally breaks.
Because Por is still looking at him the same way.
Like he’s precious.
Por eventually calms enough to lean closer.
Then quietly
“You know what the funniest part is?”
Teetee eyes him suspiciously from beneath the blankets.
“What?”
Por smiles softly.
“I don’t think the puppy ever felt separate from you.”
Something painfully tender twists inside Teetee’s chest.
Por reaches out slowly and brushes damp hair gently away from his forehead.
“You don’t have to hide from me.”
And that is what finally undoes him.
Teetee’s eyes sting unexpectedly.
Por notices immediately.
“Oh, hey.”
“I’m not crying.”
“You literally are.”
Teetee covers his face again.
“This is humiliating.”
Por’s expression softens impossibly further.. he very gently he slides beneath the blankets beside him.
Giving Teetee every chance to pull away.
Teetee doesn’t.
Por reaches for him carefully.
And this time instead of transforming,
instead of hiding—
Teetee lets himself lean in.
Por wraps both arms around him immediately exactly like always.
Only now Teetee is human for it.
Por presses a soft kiss into his hair and for the first time since all of this began—
Teetee realizes maybe being loved does not have to feel terrifying after all.
Por disappears into his closet after a while.
Teetee remains sitting stiffly in the middle of the bed, clutching the blanket to his chest while his brain continuously replays:
you’re the puppy.
Which is genuinely not something anyone should ever hear from their boyfriend.
From the closet, Por calls, “Do you want sweatpants or shorts?”
Teetee stares blankly at the wall.
“What?”
“Clothes,” Por says patiently. “You currently have none.”
“Oh.”
Right.
Human problems.
Teetee hears rustling before Por returns holding an oversized dark hoodie with the same gray sweatpants as his and a pair of soft socks
Teetee eyes him suspiciously.
“You picked the ugliest sweatpants you own on purpose.”
Por gasps dramatically. “Those are my favorite sweatpants.”
“They are comfortable.”
“That doesn’t make them less ugly.”
Por grins helplessly.
There he is.
Human Teetee.
Still dramatic even after catastrophic emotional exposure.
Por sits carefully beside him on the bed and offers him the clothes.
Their fingers brush briefly.
Warmth immediately flares beneath Teetee’s skin.
He jerks backward on instinct.
Por pauses instantly.
Then softer, more careful now, “Still happening?”
Teetee stares at the blanket in his lap for several quiet seconds before nodding once.
Por’s expression shifts immediately.
Concern replacing amusement.
“Does it hurt?”
“No.”
Teetee pulls the hoodie over his head slowly, disappearing into fabric far too big for him before his muffled voice emerges from inside it.
“It’s just exhausting.”
Por watches quietly while Teetee fixes the sleeves over his hands.
The hoodie nearly swallows him whole.
Por unfortunately thinks this is the cutest thing he has ever seen.
“You said it happens when you get emotionally overwhelmed?”
Teetee nods again.
“My family calls it a fight or flight response thing.”
Por leans back against the headboard slightly, listening carefully.
Teetee keeps his eyes lowered while speaking.
“It’s been in my family for generations. Different forms sometimes, but usually animal transformations.” He pauses. “Mine just happened to be…”
“A tiny clingy duck toller retreiver?”
Teetee closes his eyes.
“I’m leaving- WHY DID YOU EVEN SEARCH UP THE BREED??”
Por laughs immediately and grabs the sleeve of the hoodie before he can actually escape.
“No, no. Continue.”
Teetee tries very hard not to smile.
Fails slightly.
“It gets worse with strong emotions. Stress. Fear. Affection.” He hesitates briefly. “Love.”
Something soft flickers across Por’s face at that word.
Teetee continues quickly before he can think too hard about it.
“When I was younger, it only happened occasionally. But recently…” He gestures vaguely. “It’s been unstable.”
Because of you, he does not say.
Por understands anyway.
The room goes quiet for a moment.
Rain taps softly against the apartment windows.
Teetee avoids looking at him.
Then Por asks carefully, “Is there a way to stop it?”
The question surprises Teetee enough that he finally looks up.
Por’s expression is oddly conflicted.
Concerned.
But also… almost reluctant like he does not entirely want the answer to be yes.
Teetee narrows his eyes suspiciously.
“You like the puppy too much.”
Por immediately looks defensive.
“He’s cute.”
“He’s me.”
“Exactly.”
Teetee stares at him in betrayal.
Por continues shamelessly, “He follows me around like I personally invented happiness.”
“That is not helping.”
“He also gets jealous every time somebody touches me.”
Teetee pulls the blanket over his face.
Por laughs softly.
Then quieter
“No but like seriously.”
Teetee slowly lowers the blanket again.
“There is technically a stabilizing condition,” he admits.
Por tilts his head slightly.
Teetee suddenly looks deeply interested in the sleeve of the hoodie again.
“When someone with the curse…” He pauses. “Feels emotionally secure enough, the transformations weaken.”
Por watches him carefully.
“And?”
Teetee’s ears turn pink.
“And strong emotional grounding from someone they love can eventually stop the involuntary shifts completely.”
Por goes very still.
Teetee instantly regrets every life choice leading to this moment.
“I probably shouldn’t have phrased it like that.”
Por’s eyes are sparkling now.
“Oh my god.”
“Don’t.”
“You literally transform because you’re emotionally overwhelmed—”
“Yes.”
“—and love fixes it?”
Teetee covers his face again.
“When you say it out loud it sounds ridiculous.”
Por is trying so hard not to laugh which somehow makes it worse.
Teetee groans into his hands.
“My ancestors are embarrassing.”
Por gently hooks his fingers around Teetee’s wrists and pulls his hands down just enough to look at him properly.
“You know,” Por says quietly, “I think your family might’ve just been really bad at admitting they needed affection.”
Teetee blinks because somehow that feels painfully accurate.
Por’s thumb brushes lightly across his wrist.
“And is it working?”
Teetee’s pulse immediately stumbles.
“What?”
“The stabilizing thing.”
Teetee swallows hard.
“A little.”
Por’s smile turns unbearably gentle.
“How can you tell?”
Teetee looks away instantly.
“Because I haven’t transformed again since you hugged me.”
Then Por very slowly grins.
“Oh.”
Por shifts closer across the bed.
Not teasing now.
“You know,” he says softly, “we should probably continue testing that theory.”
Teetee stares at him.
“That was horrible.”
“I thought it was smooth.”
“It was medically concerning.”
This close, Teetee can smell soap and rain and coffee.
“You okay?” Por asks softly.
And the terrifying thing is— Teetee actually is.
He nods once.
Por watches him for another second like he’s making sure.
Then gently says, “C’mere.”
He goes without hesitation this time. Por pulls him carefully into his arms, warm hoodie fabric bunching beneath his fingers as Teetee settles against his chest.
“So that’s new.”
Teetee huffs weakly into his shoulder.
“It definitely is”
“I think it’s cute.”
“You think everything is cute.”
“That’s because you are.”
Teetee makes a deeply offended noise.
Then after a moment he tilts Teetee’s chin upward gently.
Their eyes meet.
And suddenly Teetee understands exactly where this is heading.
His heartbeat instantly becomes catastrophic.
Por’s hand remains warm against his jaw.
Patient.
Giving him time.
Teetee leans forward first.
Just enough.
Por closes the distance immediately afterward.
Warm.
Unhurried.
Nothing overwhelming.
Nothing frightening.
Just Por.
Teetee melts almost instantly.
One of Por’s hands slides carefully around his waist while the other stays against his cheek, grounding him there gently the entire time.
And for the first time in weeks—
there is no sharp warmth beneath his skin.
No panic.
No sudden shift threatening to pull him apart.
Just quiet steadiness settling slowly through his chest instead.
Por pulls back only slightly, still close enough that their foreheads brush.
Then softly
“Huh.”
Teetee narrows his eyes suspiciously.
“What?”
“You’re still human.”
Teetee stares at him for two seconds then he immediately shoves him backward into the pillows while Por dissolves into helpless laughter.
The strange thing is that after that night, the transformations start happening less.
Not immediately.
Teetee still accidentally turns into a puppy twice the following week.
Once because Por kissed him unexpectedly between takes.
And once because Por called him “baby” while half asleep over the phone.
But slowly—
the shifts become weaker.
Less uncontrollable.
Like his body is no longer constantly bracing itself against emotions it does not know how to carry and eventually, almost without Teetee realizing it—
they stop entirely.
No sudden transformations during stressful filming days.
No disappearing acts.
No tiny duck toller puppy appearing beside Por’s chair with devastating emotional attachment issues which should probably feel relieving.
Instead, one evening while lying across Por’s couch, Teetee says quietly
“…I kind of miss it.”
Por looks up immediately from where he’s scrolling through his phone.
“You miss being a dog?”
Teetee glares at him.
“You know what I mean.”
Por grins unapologetically.
“I miss him too a little.”
“That’s still me.”
“I know,” Por says easily. “But puppy you was just so tiny and cute.”
Teetee goes silent.
Then mutters into the couch cushion:
“…human me can be cute too.”
“Oh my god.”
“Shut up.”
Por abandons his phone immediately and throws himself dramatically across the couch to hug him.
Teetee complains the entire time while still automatically curling closer.
A week later, Teetee finally asks his mother about it over dinner.
“How did yours stop?”
His mother barely even looks up from her tea.
“Your father kissed me.”
Teetee chokes violently.
Across the table, Por nearly falls out of his chair laughing.
Teetee stares at his mother in absolute betrayal.
“You could’ve TOLD me.”
She looks genuinely confused.
“I thought it was obvious.”
“It was NOT obvious.”
His mother hums calmly into her tea.
“The transformations calm down once you stop fearing emotional attachment.” She glances at Por knowingly. “The person you love becomes emotionally grounding instead of emotionally overwhelming.”
Por is visibly delighted by this information.
His mother smiles slightly.
“You were always going to stop transforming once you felt safe enough.”
Teetee realizes she’s right because the curse had never really been about love.
It had always been about fear.
And somewhere between Por’s warmth and patience.
Teetee had stopped being afraid of being loved back.
Later that night, while half asleep beside Por who was already asleep, Teetee feels fingers gently brushing through his hair.
“Sit, Teetee” Por murmurs quietly.
Teetee laughs silently on the fact Por is dreaming about his puppy form probably but he stays exactly where he is.