like a god, like a man (слэш)

It's almost like having a pet, Peter thinks, though dog jokes are usually beneath him. It's fitting, though, the way Derek follows him around with his wide, old eyes and looks at Peter with an entirely undeserved devotion. Peter begins to really think of it that way as Derek grows, and the clinginess continues. It's devotion, like Derek thinks of Peter as some kind of god.