Arpeggio
Demyx didn't mind the rain, despite being out without an umbrella. He'd always felt at ease hearing the tap-tap-tap of falling rain, so it wasn't that that made the day miserable. Maybe for someone else, the gloom and damp would bother them, but for Demyx, the main thing was the chill in the air, causing his breath to make little puffs as he ran down the street, letting his ears lead him. Because the other miserable part of the day was his escaped dog.
The barking was coming from the direction of a nearby park, which shouldn't have been a surprise, since Demyx always took Arpeggio to the park. The bloodhound had gotten loose in his excitement for a walk, tearing down the street. Leaving a flustered Demyx on the doorstep, cursing.
The barking had stopped by the time Demyx reached the park, and he frowned, casting a worried look around. He'd at least taught Gio about crossing streets, but an excited dog didn't always remember his training, and the thought made his stomach curl.
"Gio!" he called out hopefully.
No blur of incoming fur.
He bit his lip and glanced around again. At the center of the park, under a decorative gazebo, was another person, no doubt taking shelter from the rain, and Demyx changed direction. "Excuse me! Did you see a dog, just now?" As he approached the other, he had a moment of thinking, oh, what an attractive person, before his mouth ran off with him. "He's a bloodhound, kind of reddish and black, long ears. He ran off, he got really excited for his walk, you know?"
A slow blink of one visible blue eye, the other hidden behind a curtain of slate hair, as the person tilted their head. "Yeah, he ran that way," they pointed a finger in a direction. "Do you want help finding him?"
Already in motion to chase after his dog, Demyx turned with a smile and nodded. "Yeah, that would be great! Oh, he really likes to bark at strangers, but I swear, he's friendly!"
The stranger chuckled, joining Demyx in the search. "It's okay, I like dogs."
Demyx glanced over. "They're the best, right? Except when they do stuff like this." He called out for his dog again, "GIIIIOOOOO!" followed by a whistle.
"GIIIOOO!" the stranger echoed, and, wow, they had a really lovely voice, too, Demyx decided.
The blur of fur headed their way was accompanied by a cheerful "Aroo! Rooo! Rooo!" Gio stopped a few feet shy of Demyx and his helper, tail wagging eagerly, barking incessantly.
"Arpeggio, quiet!" Addressing his companion, he added "I'm so sorry! He just really likes to bark at new people!"
"It's okay," they murmured, already crouching and holding a hand out. "Arpeggio, is it?" An affirmative bark. "Well, it's nice to meet you, face to face." Aroo! "I'm Zexion." Demyx watched the exchange, smile growing wider, as a very attractive person made friends with his dog (his stomach was feeling light and feathery). "He's really cute." Zexion looked up, face bright, a hand still scratching behind Gio's ears, and Demyx really couldn't stop the next thing that left his mouth.
"So are you!" And promptly clamped a hand over the offending body part. "Uhm," muffled, because he hadn't moved his hand, "uh." He could feel his face growing warm, and Zexion's face had turned a shade of pink. "Sorry, that was a little awkward, uhm. Sorry!"
Zexion let out a nervous laugh. "Maybe we should," they pointed at the gazebo, "get back under there before we get totally drenched."
Demyx nodded and bent to clip the leash onto Gio. Which was made much easier with Zexion's help to keep the hound still. "T-thank you."
Zexion tucked slate hair behind an ear, and Demyx realized it was deliberate, so he could see the wink sent his way. "Anything to help a cutie." And, Demyx thought, maybe Zexion meant Gio, but he was really hoping that Zexion meant him.