Shelter. [Standalone.]
Title: Shelter. [Standalone.]
Author: causticmayhemx
Pairing: Brendon Urie/ Jon Walker.
Rating: NC17.
Word Count: 6450.
Summary: Jon Walker works at the local animal shelter. Brendon is hopelessly smitten and ends up with more animals than he actually has room for-- All because of Jon Walker.
Disclaimer: This isn't true. Let's leave it at that.
A/N: Aria basically came up with this whole idea for me, as she is pretty gosh darn awesome. Massive thanks to her. I hope I didn't fail her with this.
Shelter.
Jon Walker started working at the animal shelter in his town when he was fourteen years old. He would walk there from his school, after school, every single day. His uncle was the vet so it wasn't like anyone ever cared. He would sit in the back room of the shelter, the room where animals were brought after surgery to recover, and the room where stray animals stayed until they were adopted or until, well. Jon didn't like to think about that.
He could spend hours on end in that room, and he often did. He would let the kittens play on his lap, climb on his shoulders, bite at his ears. He would just laugh. He loved the kittens the most. He ones that were just born, whose paws were too big for their body, the kittens who still slightly stumbled when they walk and hadn't quite developed their meow yet. Those were his favorite. He had already personally adopted two of them and was trying to convince his mother to get a third, but she wasn't giving in.
When he was a senior in high school, his uncle started paying him to work there. He would take the dogs out for walks and out to do their business. There wasn't enough room inside the shelter for any of the larger dogs to get exercise so Jon would take them to the local park, if the weather permitted. He was paid to sit in the back room and play with the animals, feed the babies whose mother had died. He got to spend hours a day around animals. He couldn't think of anything else he'd rather do.
Even after he graduated and got an actual day job, he still spent at least two hours a night in the shelter and all of his Saturday. He couldn't quite tear himself away from the place that practically raised him. He always had a soft spot in his heart for animals and being so close to them, day in and day out, only made the spot softer and it made his heart grow. He would never be able to tear himself away from animals, no matter what.
+
"I need this kitten," Jon said, looking up at his uncle, Paul.
Paul sighed. "Jon, you have three cats and a dog as is. Do you have room for another?"
"Probably not," Jon admitted. "But look at this face!" he exclaimed, holding up the kitten. "This is the face of a kitten who needs a good home," he told him. "I can give her a good home."
"Jon. I already posted up fliers concerning this litter's adoption. Someone already called and is interested."
"So I don't get first dibs?"
"Not when your house is already a zoo."
+
"Why do I have to help you pick out a dog? You won't even let me get one."
"Stop whining, Brendon," Ryan said. "You're too hyper for a dog. You wouldn't pay enough attention to it."
"I so would!" Brendon protested. "I love animals."
Ryan stepped into the animal shelter. "Yes, you do. If by 'love' you mean 'take them all home' then, yes. I would agree."
"I hate you, Ryan Ross," Brendon whined.
"Hi there, I'm Jon Walker. Anything I can help you with?"
Brendon froze, staring at the smiling man.
"Yeah, I'm Ryan. Um. I want a dog. But not one that'll get too big. But I want a decent sized one, you know?"
"Yeah," Jon nodded. "Any specific breed or do you not have a preference?"
"No preference. Just no miniatures. I don't like small dogs."
Jon laughed. "Male or female?"
"Male."
"Okay, well, we can walk around and look. Let me know if you're interested in any of them," Jon said.
"Help me, Brendon," Ryan said, before looking back at Jon, lowering his voice. "Keep an eye on him-- He'll want to adopt everything here."
Jon laughed. "We love people like that here."
"Not him," Ryan said, grabbing his friend's arm and dragging him along.
"Now, keep in mind that we have new animals brought in all the time and we find them everywhere. So if you don't find anything today, you can always come back," Jon explained, leading them all along.
"Oh, this one's cute," Ryan said, kneeling in front of a cage holding a miniature schnauzer. "Hi puppy," he said, sticking his finger through a hole in the cage. The dog sniffed his hand and nipped at him, causing him to laugh and stand back up. He looked further down the row and gasped. "Oh, wait!" He walked down a row or two and stopped. "Well, hi there puppy!" He stuck a finger through the cage again. The dog cautiously walked up to him, looking at him up and down, sniffing him slowly, and scratching at his ears.
Jon smiled. "He's a new edition to our family here. We haven't even named him yet. He was all cut up but we got him clean and the infection is gone, so he's doing just fine."
"What breed is he?"
"Jack Russel terrier. He might be mixed but we can't know for sure. Or, well, I can't," he smiled. "But he's a cute little thing. You can ask my uncle if you want. Do you want to hold him?"
"Hell yeah!" Ryan laughed.
Jon fumbled with the keys on his belt, unhooking them and searching for the right one. He unlocked the cage and let Ryan pull him out, hugging him to his chest. "He's almost a year old, so he's still got a bit of growing to do. He'll get about double that size. They're fairly small dogs."
"Oh, this is great. I have a small apartment and this little guy is just great," Ryan said, poking one of his ears. He smiled and ran his finger lightly over the brown spot over his left eye. "I'll take him."
Jon smiled. "Great. I'll go get my uncle, he deals with all of that. I'm just the adorable sales person you can't say no to," he joked.
Ryan laughed. "Well, I haven't said no, so you're good at your job."
"I'll be right back," Jon said, heading into the back.
Ryan looked over at Brendon. "Isn't the little baby just darling?"
Brendon smiled, petting his forehead. "He's so cute. Too bad he has to have an ugly owner."
"Yeah, well..." Ryan shrugged. "I can't think of a rude comeback because I'm overwhelmed by the cute. I'll insult you later."
"What are you gonna name him?"
"I don't know," he said. "I'll figure something out."
Jon walked out of the back room. "Ryan, this is my uncle, Paul, he has all the paper work. So if you go with him, you can take him home today."
Ryan grinned wider. "Sweet. Lead the way."
Brendon looked away from Jon and walked over to the rows of kittens, tapping on the care of one of them. "Hi cutie. Hi. You're just so cute. Yes, you are," he said in a childish voice. "You're just so darling, aren't you? Yes, you are!"
Jon leaned against the cage. "She's adorable, isn't she?"
Brendon jumped. "You surprised me."
"Sorry. You were really into that, weren't you?"
Brendon flushed. "Yeah. Sorry. She's just adorable. What's her name?"
"Bundy."
"Like Ted?"
"Yeah," Jon laughed. "I had just finished watching a show about him when I came in and saw this little thing. So, I don't know. It sounds crazy but I think it's fitting. She'll claw the hell out of someone if she doesn't like 'em."
"Can I hold her?"
"Sure," Jon said, unlocking the cage. He grabbed the kitten and handed her to Brendon. "Be careful."
"I will."
"So, um. What's your name?"
"Brendon," he said, scratching behind the kitten's ears, smiling when he heard her start to purr. "What breed is she?"
"She is a half Somali and half Sacred Birma," Jon explained. "She's been here since she was born. She was born here, actually, in a litter of four. The other three were adopted, her mother died shortly after," he said, voice filled with sadness.
"So this baby's got no one left?" Brendon pouted, bringing the kitten up to his face. "You're all alone?" The kitten hit his nose with her paw. "I can't just leave you alone here, can I? No, I can't."
Jon smiled.
"I want to take this kitten home with me, Jon Walker," Brendon said. "Can you make that happen?"
"I most certainly can. C'mon, my uncle needs more work to do today anyway," he laughed. "Do you have all the supplies you need?"
"Yeah." Brendon nodded. "I have another kitten at home."
Jon smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah. I love animals. I just, I can't not take one home with me, you know?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I know. I have three cats. And a dog. And I'm always wanting to take more home," he laughed. "I just hate to see them stuck in these cages."
"I know what you mean," Brendon said, kicking the back of Ryan's leg.
"Ow! Stupid son of a--" Ryan groaned. "Brendon, what the hell are you doing?"
Brendon held up the kitten. "Gettin' a kittie." He smiled.
"You have no room."
"I do now," Brendon told him. "Could you really say no to this face, anyway?"
Ryan sighed.
"Look at her ears! They're so big! I love them," Brendon said, laughing, kissing one of her ears.
Ryan just shook his head. "If you think you have the room, then go ahead."
"I was going to anyway. You're not my mom; you can't tell me I can't do it," he said.
"You're a petulant four year old."
"I'm nineteen, Ryan. I'm old enough to make my own decisions. Stop acting like you're so superior to me," Brendon said. "Goddamn."
Ryan looked down before looking back over at Paul. "Sorry about that."
Brendon frowned and just scratched behind Bundy's ears. "It's okay, lovely. Mean old Ryan won't be coming over to annoy you. Don't worry your pretty little face about it."
Jon watched the scene in front of him, the way Brendon and Bundy interacted; the purr of the kitten and the light in Brendon's eyes. And he just smiled.
+
"Look! Bundy can play fetch, Ryan!" Brendon laughed, tossing a little ball down the hallway leading to his bedroom and he smiled as Bundy chased after it.
Ryan shook his head. "Your apartment is a zoo."
"It is not," Brendon said, still smiling as Bundy trotted over to him, dropping the ball in front of him and meowing softly. "Isn't she adorable?"
"Sure."
"She is." He nodded, ignoring Ryan. He tossed the ball again and looked up at Ryan from where he was sitting on the floor. "Did you need something?"
Ryan sighed. "Keltie wants a dog."
"Good for her."
"I refused to take her to get one. Am I an asshole?"
"Yes," Brendon said. "You are an asshole. Why won't you take her?"
"Because our six month anniversary is coming up and I was going to ask her to move in with me. I don't have enough room for another dog," Ryan said, sitting on the floor next to Brendon. Bundy returned and Ryan scratched behind her ears.
"Why don't you two get a bigger place then? If she really wants one, maybe you should just get her one for your anniversary then, I don't know."
Ryan rolled his eyes. "That's a bad idea, Bren. You suck at this."
Brendon shrugged. "I know. I'm not good with the whole relationship-gift thing."
"Maybe if you were in a relationship, you'd be better at it."
Brendon paused, avoiding his friend's eyes. "You're a real jackass, Ryan Ross," he said.
Ryan groaned. "Shit, Brendon, I didn't mean it like that," he said. "Honestly. "You know I don't think before I speak."
"Well, fucking learn," he said quietly. "You can't go around talking like that to people, least of all me. That's why you've lost so many friends."
Ryan looked down. "I know. I'm sorry."
"I know you are," Brendon told him, swatting at Bundy's tail. "I love this kitten."
"I know you do," Ryan said. "I have an idea."
"Which is?"
"How about I get her the dog for our anniversary?"
Brendon rolled his eyes. "Someone awesome must've suggested that..."
Ryan laughed. "No, but here's my plan. You take her to the shelter so she can just look at them. And then you and I can go to get the one she likes the most. This way, I know she'll like it, you know?"
"The same shelter we went to?"
"Yeah, why not? That guy seemed nice."
Brendon smiled. "He did seem nice. He was nice."
Ryan looked at him. "You're blushing."
"A little bit," Brendon said, biting his lip. "He was cute."
"So you'll take her there tomorrow?"
"Sure. I don't have to work, so. Why not?"
Ryan smiled, hugging Brendon with one arm quickly. "Thanks, Bren. Why don't you call her and invite her so she doesn't think I put you up to it."
"How much you wanna bet she thinks you put me up to it anyway?" Brendon said.
Ryan laughed. "I'm not going to lose another bet to you."
"I'll call her later."
"And get the guy's phone number when you're there tomorrow, yeah?" Ryan told him, standing up.
"Maybe."
"Do it." Ryan messed up his hair, blowing a kiss to Bundy and he walked out of Brendon's apartment.
Brendon picked up the kitten, kissing her nose. "Should I get the cute boy's phone number?" Bundy meowed, yawning. Brendon laughed. "I'll take that as a yes, then."
+
"Morning, Keltie," Brendon said, yawning as he climbed into the passenger's seat of Keltie's car.
She laughed. "It's one in the afternoon, Brendon."
"I know," Brendon told her.
"I'm so excited to even look at puppies," she said, changing the radio station and pulling onto the main road. "They're so cute. I'll want to adopt them all so try to stop me before doing that, okay?"
"Only if you stop me from adopting all the kittens I see," Brendon said.
Keltie nodded. "I promise. Where are we going?"
"Make a right up here. It's where I got my little Bundy."
"I still find it hard to believe that you named your kitten after a serial killer," she said.
Brendon smiled. "I didn't name her. Jon Walker did."
"Jon Walker?"
"He's the guy that works at the shelter."
"Why don't you just call him Jon?"
"He's one of those people that you just naturally call by their first and last name because everything else sounds weird," Brendon said easily.
"Ah." Keltie nodded. "Who else do you call by their first and last name?"
Brendon pondered the question for a minute. "Um. Nikki Sixx."
"And?"
"And. Um." He paused again. "Okay, that's all."
Keltie smiled. "And how good looking is this Jon Walker?"
"Incredibly good looking," Brendon said. "And I don't want to know how you know that he's attractive."
"You have the 'Jon Walker is so good looking' glow about you," Keltie said, smug.
"Right into this driveway," Brendon told her. "And don't mention it in front of him, okay? He's probably straight."
"Probably isn't for sure. Want me to hook you two up?"
Brendon looked over at her. "You don't even know him."
Keltie nodded, throwing the car into park. "That may be true. But hey, I want to help a friend."
"Please don't embarrass me," he said quietly.
Keltie sent him a reassuring smile. "When have I ever?"
"Never," Brendon said. "Just. Continue not embarrassing me while we're here?"
"You got it," she said. "C'mon, I'm excited. Let's go."
+
"Hey, you're back!"
Brendon stilled as Jon walked over to him, a smile on his face. "Yeah, I am," he said, forcing himself to say something and hoping he didn't sound like an idiot.
"Hi, I'm Jon," he said, sticking a hand out towards Keltie.
"Keltie," she said, smiling, shaking his hand.
"What can I help you with? Do you want another kitten named after another serial killer?" Jon asked Brendon. "Because I'm sure I could find one. We have a kitten named Jack. I'm sure you could tell everyone it's after Jack the Ripper."
Brendon laughed. "I just might take you up on that offer. But actually, we're here for her. She wants a dog," he said, nodding towards Keltie who was meandering around the shelter.
"She's beautiful. You have good taste," Jon said quietly. "If it's not too bold to say."
"It's not. But she's not my girlfriend," Brendon told him. "She's Ryan's girlfriend, one of my best friends."
"Oh." Jon nodded slowly.
"Yup."
"Cool?" Jon offered.
Brendon smiled slowly. "Something like that, yeah."
"So, um. You're single?"
"Y--"
"Brendon!"
Brendon cursed under his breath and mumbled an apology to Jon before walking over to Keltie. "I hate you," he whispered.
"He's so cute!" Keltie said.
"I know he is."
She sent him a look. "Not him, you idiot, this puppy!"
"So you're saying Jon isn't?"
"No, he is, too--"
"I know he is! You interrupted a moment!" he whispered.
Keltie rolled her eyes. "Okay. Whatever. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Now look at this puppy," she said, smiling.
Brendon spared a look at the puppy. "Yes. Cute. Are you done now?"
"Be nice, Brendon Urie," she warned him. "Or I'll have Ryan embarrass the hell out of you in front of your boy."
"He's not my boy," Brendon said, rolling his eyes. "And please don't have him embarrass me."
"I won't--"
"Hey, Brendon, we got a new edition the other day," Jon said, smiling and walking over to him. "The cutest little puppy. Wanna see him?"
Brendon's eyes lit up. "Hell yes, I do."
"This way," Jon told him. He led him over towards the back door. "Okay, wait right here. You're gonna love him. He's the cutest thing on earth." Jon sent Brendon a smile and slipped out the back door.
Brendon wrapped his arms around his middle, stomach fluttering as he waited for Jon to return. When Jon opened the door and stepped in, Brendon's eyes widened. "Oh my God! It's huge!"
Jon laughed.
Brendon paused. "That sounded wrong."
Jon nodded, laughing. "Yeah. This is... Well, I haven't thought of a name yet," he said, "to be quite honest."
"Irish wolfhound?" Brendon asked, kneeling in front of the puppy and scratching his neck. "God, you're just a gorgeous piece of puppy dog."
"Yup," Jon said, kneeling beside him. "What should we name him?"
"Mercury," Brendon said.
"...Like the thermometer stuff?" Jon asked.
Brendon laughed. "No, like Queen."
Jon smiled. "I like Queen. I like Mercury. I approve."
"Good. I'd have to beat you if you didn't," Brendon joked.
Jon laughed. "Well, then it's good that I like it."
Brendon scratched behind the puppy's ears. "Damn, it's hard to believe this is just a puppy when it's going to get like, five times as big."
"Yeah, one of the biggest breeds, I think," Jon said. "I just want to find this one a good home."
"You will."
Jon smiled.
"So, um. Would you maybe want to...hang out sometime? With...me?" Brendon asked, squinting an eye shut in a nervous gesture, hoping Jon would say yes.
"Yeah. Definitely."
+
"So you're sure this is the puppy she was looking at?"
Brendon nodded, slouching against the side of the cage.
"What's wrong with you, Brendon?" Ryan asked, sighing.
He shrugged.
"Is it because Jon's not here?"
"No."
"Brendon."
"It's not!"
"Brendon."
He sighed. "Fine. It is."
Ryan looked over at him. "Listen. He might just be off today, Brendon."
"It's been a week since we planned to hang out and he hasn't called," he said quietly.
"He might be busy. Have you called him?"
"I gave him my number. I didn't get his."
"That was dumb."
Brendon glared at him. "Are you trying to make me feel worse?"
"Maybe."
"You're a shit friend."
Ryan rolled his eyes and looked back at the cage. "You're positive this is the one?"
"Yes," Brendon repeated. "And you fail for not even caring about my predicament."
"It's hard to care about your predicament, Brendon. You're making a big deal out of nothing."
"Fuck you, Ross," Brendon said, shaking his head and stalking over to the door of the shelter, slamming it open.
"Shit!"
"Fuck!" Brendon shrieked as he saw Jon standing before him, his nose bleeding. "Oh, my God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there!"
Jon groaned. "Well, it's okay. I can forgive you for not seeing through a door," he said, smiling before grimacing.
"Here." Brendon pulled the bandanna out of his back pocket and held it up to Jon's nose. "I, um. I think you're supposed to, like, pinch your nose or something."
Jon pinched the bridge of his nose as Brendon held the now bloodstained bandanna under his nose. "Thanks."
"You should sit," he said, leading him over to the bench in front of the building and sitting down next to him. "Are you okay?"
"Sure thing," Jon said. "I didn't really want to work today anyway," he joked.
Brendon bit his lip. "I'm so sorry. You've no idea. I didn't know-- I was just so mad at what Ryan said and I just--"
"Hey, it's fine," Jon assured him. "Really."
"No, it's not. You're bleeding and stuff and--"
"It's not broken," Jon told him. "It's not gushing blood. And I think you hit my lip more."
"So you're trying to make me feel worse?" Brendon asked.
Jon shook his head. "No, not at all. It was supposed to make you feel better."
He looked down at his lap.
Jon grabbed his wrist lightly, pulling it away and he glanced at the bandanna. "Um. I think this is ruined," he said.
Brendon shrugged. "Didn't like it that much anyway."
Jon nodded, folding part of it over to get to a clean spot and he held it up to his lip for a minute. He pulled it away and smiled as he saw it was barely covered in blood. "I think it stopped."
Brendon looked up at Jon, his nose red, lip cut, and he felt even worse. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be, Brendon," Jon said, smiling. "Really. I'll be fine in, like, an hour. It looks worse than it is."
"Are you sure?"
Jon nodded. "I'm sure. I'll take some Advil and I'll be set. Don't feel bad."
"But I do feel bad."
"Don't," Jon repeated.
"Let me make it up to you," Brendon said. "Like. I'll buy you ice cream or something." He paused. "That was a stupid idea, sorry."
"No, it wasn't. Ice-cream sounds good." Jon smiled. "How about tonight? I get off work at eight."
Brendon looked up at him. "You're serious?"
"No." Jon laughed. "Of course I'm serious."
Brendon felt himself smile slightly. "Okay. Sure. I'll meet you here at eight."
"Looking forward to it."
+
At seven thirty that night, Brendon grabbed his keys and was heading out the door when his cell phone rang. He stopped and leaned against the door, digging it out of his pocket. "Hello?"
"Brendon?"
"Yes?"
"Hey, it's Jon. Um, I just wanted to let you know that my uncle sent me home right after you left. So did you just want to meet somewhere?"
"Yeah, sure," Brendon said. "Um. Where do you want to meet?"
"There's a Coldstone a couple blocks away from my apartment, on Maple Avenue."
Brendon nodded. "Yeah, sure, I know where that is. Eight still?"
"Yup."
"Okay. I'll see you there," he said, hanging up the phone and smiling. His heart was racing. He felt himself smile and skipped all the way to his car.
+
"Hey stranger."
Brendon jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around. "God, you scared the shit out of me!"
"At least I didn't slam a door in your face," Jon smiled.
"Making me feel worse? Uh-huh. That's sweet," Brendon said, nodding.
Jon laughed. "That wasn't my intention and you know it."
"Sure it wasn't," he teased.
"C'mon, let's get food," he said, smiling, leading Brendon over to the counter.
Once they got their ice-cream, they walked outside to one of the small tables, sitting in a comfortable silence.
"Do you think it's boring to get something so plain? Ice-cream wise?" Brendon asked.
"Hmm." Jon took a bite of his ice-cream, mulling it over. "You know what. I don't think I do, no."
"My friends always make fun of me because I don't get forty different kinds of ice-cream mixed together," Brendon said bitterly.
Jon smiled up at him. "I somehow don't think you can mix forty different kinds together."
"It'd be cool if you could, though."
"I agree. Let me try a bite of yours," Jon said.
Brendon laughed. "Why? You have your own."
"Yeah, but I want to see if it's boring or not."
Brendon scoffed, scooping a small amount onto his spoon and holding it out to Jon.
Jon rolled his eyes. "C'mon. I want more than that."
Brendon laughed, scooping some more onto the spoon. "Better?"
Jon nodded, taking the offered food, and he smiled. "Yeah, not boring."
Brendon took a bite himself. "I happen to like it. It's simple. Chocolate and sprinkles. You can't really go wrong there, so."
"That's true. I like mine more, though."
"Yeah, but mine is better," Brendon countered.
"Want some of mine?"
"Sure."
Jon scooped up some and held it out to Brendon, who ate it with a smile. "Mine is better, right?"
Brendon shook his head, laughing. "No way. I still think mine is. Yours is good though."
"Better," Jon whispered.
Brendon laughed louder. "You're ridiculous."
"Ridiculous...with great ice-cream," Jon said, smiling.
He rolled his eyes, finishing his ice-cream before settling his eyes on Jon's face.
Jon paused after a minute, picking up a napkin and wiping at his mouth. "What? Do I have ice-cream in my beard?"
Brendon laughed, shaking his head. "No, you don't. Just... Does it still hurt?"
Jon thumbed the cut on the side of his lip, under his swollen nose. "Not really. It's a bit sore but, well, I think I'll live."
"Really?" Brendon breathed a sigh of relief. "That is great to hear. Because I totally thought it was life threatening."
Jon smiled. "I know. But it's okay, Brendon. You can sleep easy tonight. Your life...is now complete."
"It's true. Everything is perfect now. Thank you, Jon. Really. Thank you."
Jon laughed. "I'm not really this conceited."
"I believe you."
Jon scratched the back of his head. "So how's Bundy?"
Brendon smiled. "Amazing. She's playing fetch now. She's taken to sleeping on my pillow, right next to my head."
"That's adorable. So you're feeding her and everything?"
"Shit, I knew I was forgetting something!"
Jon sent him a look. "You're lucky I know you're kidding. Otherwise, I'd kick your ass."
"Of course I'm feeding her. And I feed her well, too. She's getting so big. I'll walk in my apartment and she's sitting on my kitchen counter, which is close to the door, just staring at me," Brendon said, smiling.
"How many animals do you have?" Jon asked.
"Three cats and a bird. You?"
"Four cats and two dogs," he said, nodding. "I can't not take one home with me. But it's difficult when I can't. I've been working at the same shelter for... I was fourteen then so, ten years. Wow. I feel old."
"You're not old until you're dead," Brendon said.
Jon smiled. "That's a nice philosophy."
"Do you have a second job or do you spend all of your time at the shelter?"
"It's my only job since I'm there all the time. But I also go to school full time," Jon told him. "It's difficult to get classwork done when you're surrounded by kittens who keep trying to take your pen from you." He laughed.
Brendon smiled. "That's how Bundy is. I think she's trying to tell me that she's more important than, well, my future."
"Of course she is," Jon said, nodding. "Probably cuter than any future, anyway."
"You miss her?"
"Yeah, I do," Jon told him. "But she has a good home so it's not like I worry."
Brendon nodded, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out. "Sorry, Ryan texts me at the worst times," he said, reading the message. "Shit, it's nearly eleven. I should get back home, I have class at nine."
"Me, too." Jon stood up. "Seemed like a good plan when I scheduled classes months ago, when I was getting up at eight every day to develop my pictures. Now it seems stupid because I like to sleep until eleven."
Brendon laughed. "I know what you mean. I drink a whole pot of coffee before class."
"Really?"
"No." He shook his head, smiling. "But I do go through a lot of energy drinks."
Jon smiled. "Do you wanna get something to eat tomorrow night? I don't work and, yeah."
Brendon nodded, mentally reminding himself to not look too enthused. "Yeah, sure."
"Cool. How about, um. Do you know that run down diner that no one ever goes to on Fairview?"
"The Liberty Diner?"
"Yeah! I forgot the name, sorry." Jon laughed.
Brendon smiled. "Yeah. I go there pretty frequently."
"Do you wanna meet there at, like, six?"
"Sure thing," Brendon agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jon Walker." Brendon smiled, waving a little bit as he stood up.
The smile didn't leave his face until he fell asleep.
+
Brendon changed his outfit four times before leaving to meet Jon at the diner.
"You don't seem too happy," Brendon muttered, picking at his friends.
Jon sighed. "I'm sorry. I had an...interesting day."
"Interesting?"
"More like bad."
"I"m sorry. Want to talk about it?"
Jon shrugged. "Just more teachers piling on more papers. I haven't even finished my last photography assignment and it's due in two days. And it's all piling up, you know? School and work and...everything," he explained, taking a drink of his coke.
"Anything I can do?"
Jon smiled, barely. "Tell Bundy I love her?"
Brendon laughed. "I can do that. You know. You can come and see her if you ever want to."
Jon's smile widened. "Really?"
"Yeah. I mean. You must have, like, a connection with her, y'know?"
"Thank you, Brendon."
Brendon smiled.
+
"This puppy gets cuter every single time I see it, Jon Walker," Brendon said, kneeling in front of the Irish Wolfhound and rubbing his neck.
Ryan looked at his watch. "Brendon, you know you don't have enough room."
Brendon scowled up at him. "I'm going to get this dog one day, Ryan. You'll see."
Jon laughed. "You can take him today, y'know. If you really want to."
"I just might."
"No, he won't, Jon," Ryan said. "Sorry, but there's barely enough room in his apartment for anyone to breathe, let alone bring in a dog that'll be bigger than him."
Jon shrugged. "Well, we'll find a good home for Mercury either way."
"Brendon, we have to go."
Brendon pouted.
"Ice-cream at nine?" Jon suggested.
Brendon smiled at that. "You're on, Jon Walker."
+
"If we keep getting so much ice-cream, Jon Walker, I'm going to gain a lot of weight. This will go straight to my ass," Brendon said.
Jon leaned back, glancing down at Brendon's backside. "It already has."
Brendon elbowed him in the side, taking the last bite of his ice-cream and tossing the container and spoon into a trash can. "That was mean."
Jon smiled, throwing his own container away. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it."
Brendon watched Jon for a minute, the way his eyes sparkled beneath the moon and the way one corner of his lip tilted upwards. And he couldn't resist. He leaned up and pressed their lips together, holding still for a second, giving Jon ample room and time to back away.
He did.
Brendon sat back on his heels. "I'm. Sorry, I--"
"I didn't know you--"
"Sorry--"
"No, I just...didn't know," Jon said, awkwardly, looking down at his feet.
"You didn't know?"
"That you...felt that way?"
Brendon looked confused. "What did you think? We've been going out almost every night these past two weeks."
"Yeah, hanging out, not...dating. I-- I didn't know we were dating," Jon said, looking down.
"Oh." Brendon nodded. "I'm going to get headed home."
"No, Brendon, I didn't mean I don't want to date you--"
"I'll see you around, Jon," Brendon told him, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away.
Jon never thought he could miss the way Brendon would always call him Jon Walker instead of just Jon.
+
Ryan sighed as he walked into the pet shelter that he had become incredibly too familiar with. He walked up to the counter where a boy with long dark hair and bright blue eyes looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, hi, is Jon here right now?"
"Yeah, he's in the back. I'll get him for you."
"Thanks," Ryan said, nodding in his direction before walking over to the cages of kittens and tapping on the doors.
"Ryan? Hey," Jon smiled. "Thanks, Spence. What's up?"
Ryan sighed. "Brendon's adamant on adopting that Irish Wolfhound. And while it'd be fantastic for someone to adopt it because, well, no one wants an animal to stay here forever. But his apartment is tiny and he already has too many pets. It's ridiculous. He doesn't have enough room."
Jon nodded slowly. "What does this have to do with me?"
"Don't let him adopt it, okay?"
"I can't tell someone not to adopt an animal, Ryan."
"I know," Ryan said. "Just don't let him. Don't tell him I stopped by."
"Oh, I won't," Jon said bitterly, staring at his feet while Ryan left.
Spencer looked up from the counter at the sound of the door slamming and his eyes landed on Jon. He walked over to him. "What's up?"
"Brendon," Jon said simply.
Spencer smiled. "You like him."
He shrugged.
"And you made a fool of yourself."
"I didn't know he thought they were dates. I wanted them to be, but. He was so unclear of exactly what was going on, you know? I had no idea until he kissed me, and--"
"Wait, he kissed you? You didn't tell me that!"
Jon shrugged. "It was nothing. Ugh, no, it wasn't nothing. It was, like. Everything? I don't know. It was something."
Spencer looked at him. "You have to say something, Jon. Or you know he'll adopt that dog and you heard that guy. He doesn't have the room."
"I haven't talked to him in a week. I've barely fucking slept. I turned in my English paper late." Jon shook his head.
"Call him."
Jon sighed. "I should."
"You will."
"Yeah... I will."
+
Brendon leaned against his counter as his phone rang. He saw Jon's name flashing on the screen and bit at his lip. He let it go to voice mail the first time. And the second time. He almost did the third time, but he gave in, answering. "Hello?"
"And here I was preparing to leave a witty message."
Brendon didn't smile. "Did you need something?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"Okay."
"I was an idiot, you know? I knew they were dates. They were to me. But I didn't know where you stood. You weren't clear about what you wanted--"
"Please don't blame this on me," Brendon said quietly.
"I'm not trying to, I'm sorry. It's my fault, too. I wasn't clear, either."
"What are you trying to say?"
Brendon, please. Can we meet somewhere and talk?"
Brendon sighed.
"Can I come over? Just for a minute. That's it, I swear."
"Okay," he said quietly. "Okay. But just for a minute."
+
Brendon's heart raced as he heard the knock on his apartment door. He had been expecting it. He had been expecting it for fifteen minutes. He slowly made his way over to it, glancing out the peephole. He opened the door, gesturing him in and shut it behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest.
Jon looked at his feet awkwardly. "Are you mad at me?"
"No. I'm embarrassed with myself," Brendon admitted.
"Don't be."
"I kissed you, Jon. In the middle of a street where everyone could see and you totally shot me down. I think I have the right to be embarrassed," he said quietly.
"I didn't shoot you down."
"You pulled away."
"I don't like kissing in public."
"Or you don't like me?"
"I like you, Brendon," Jon said quickly.
Brendon slowly looked up at him. "Really?"
Jon nodded.
"Is it because I'm pretty?" Brendon smiled.
Jon laughed. "Yes," he said, reaching over and grabbing Brendon's hand in his own. "Wanna...show me around your place?"
Brendon grimaced. "It's small. So small, you've already seen the whole place."
"Really?"
"No," Brendon said. "I'll show you." He led him down the hallway. "That's the closet. This is my bedroom-- You don't need to see that quite yet. This is my bathroom. And this is the best room in the house." He smiled and walked inside the room. Bundy was sleeping on a cat stand in front of the window. His bird, Lorenzo, was in a cage in the corner. And his three other kittens were sleeping on the small cat bed, curled up together.
Jon smiled, dropping Brendon's hand and walking over to Bundy, scratching at her ears. "Hi, gorgeous." He laughed. "I missed you. Yes, I did."
Brendon walked over and sat next to him, flicking Bundy's tail.
"She's fitting in around here?"
He nodded. "Perfectly. I love her so much. My animals never let me down."
Jon smiled, kissing Bundy's forehead before leaning back and looking over at Brendon. "Hey, Bren?"
"Yeah?" He carefully avoided Jon's eyes.
"Do you want to go out on a date with me?"
Brendon met his eyes, smiling. "Yeah?"
Jon nodded.
"Hell yes, Jon Walker!" Brendon laughed, leaning in to press their lips together again.
Jon didn't pull away.
[x] Whee, this is for Aria. And she liked it. So I succeeded in my mission. The idea was all her, once again. I just...put it to...word document. Or something. That wasn't witty. Anyway. There needs to be more BWalk in the world *nudge* so I really hope you enjoyed this. I had fun writing it. Because I love writing Jon Walker as completely perfect and stuff. (Because really. He is.) Thank you for reading. =D
Author: causticmayhemx
Pairing: Brendon Urie/ Jon Walker.
Rating: NC17.
Word Count: 6450.
Summary: Jon Walker works at the local animal shelter. Brendon is hopelessly smitten and ends up with more animals than he actually has room for-- All because of Jon Walker.
Disclaimer: This isn't true. Let's leave it at that.
A/N: Aria basically came up with this whole idea for me, as she is pretty gosh darn awesome. Massive thanks to her. I hope I didn't fail her with this.
Shelter.
Jon Walker started working at the animal shelter in his town when he was fourteen years old. He would walk there from his school, after school, every single day. His uncle was the vet so it wasn't like anyone ever cared. He would sit in the back room of the shelter, the room where animals were brought after surgery to recover, and the room where stray animals stayed until they were adopted or until, well. Jon didn't like to think about that.
He could spend hours on end in that room, and he often did. He would let the kittens play on his lap, climb on his shoulders, bite at his ears. He would just laugh. He loved the kittens the most. He ones that were just born, whose paws were too big for their body, the kittens who still slightly stumbled when they walk and hadn't quite developed their meow yet. Those were his favorite. He had already personally adopted two of them and was trying to convince his mother to get a third, but she wasn't giving in.
When he was a senior in high school, his uncle started paying him to work there. He would take the dogs out for walks and out to do their business. There wasn't enough room inside the shelter for any of the larger dogs to get exercise so Jon would take them to the local park, if the weather permitted. He was paid to sit in the back room and play with the animals, feed the babies whose mother had died. He got to spend hours a day around animals. He couldn't think of anything else he'd rather do.
Even after he graduated and got an actual day job, he still spent at least two hours a night in the shelter and all of his Saturday. He couldn't quite tear himself away from the place that practically raised him. He always had a soft spot in his heart for animals and being so close to them, day in and day out, only made the spot softer and it made his heart grow. He would never be able to tear himself away from animals, no matter what.
+
"I need this kitten," Jon said, looking up at his uncle, Paul.
Paul sighed. "Jon, you have three cats and a dog as is. Do you have room for another?"
"Probably not," Jon admitted. "But look at this face!" he exclaimed, holding up the kitten. "This is the face of a kitten who needs a good home," he told him. "I can give her a good home."
"Jon. I already posted up fliers concerning this litter's adoption. Someone already called and is interested."
"So I don't get first dibs?"
"Not when your house is already a zoo."
+
"Why do I have to help you pick out a dog? You won't even let me get one."
"Stop whining, Brendon," Ryan said. "You're too hyper for a dog. You wouldn't pay enough attention to it."
"I so would!" Brendon protested. "I love animals."
Ryan stepped into the animal shelter. "Yes, you do. If by 'love' you mean 'take them all home' then, yes. I would agree."
"I hate you, Ryan Ross," Brendon whined.
"Hi there, I'm Jon Walker. Anything I can help you with?"
Brendon froze, staring at the smiling man.
"Yeah, I'm Ryan. Um. I want a dog. But not one that'll get too big. But I want a decent sized one, you know?"
"Yeah," Jon nodded. "Any specific breed or do you not have a preference?"
"No preference. Just no miniatures. I don't like small dogs."
Jon laughed. "Male or female?"
"Male."
"Okay, well, we can walk around and look. Let me know if you're interested in any of them," Jon said.
"Help me, Brendon," Ryan said, before looking back at Jon, lowering his voice. "Keep an eye on him-- He'll want to adopt everything here."
Jon laughed. "We love people like that here."
"Not him," Ryan said, grabbing his friend's arm and dragging him along.
"Now, keep in mind that we have new animals brought in all the time and we find them everywhere. So if you don't find anything today, you can always come back," Jon explained, leading them all along.
"Oh, this one's cute," Ryan said, kneeling in front of a cage holding a miniature schnauzer. "Hi puppy," he said, sticking his finger through a hole in the cage. The dog sniffed his hand and nipped at him, causing him to laugh and stand back up. He looked further down the row and gasped. "Oh, wait!" He walked down a row or two and stopped. "Well, hi there puppy!" He stuck a finger through the cage again. The dog cautiously walked up to him, looking at him up and down, sniffing him slowly, and scratching at his ears.
Jon smiled. "He's a new edition to our family here. We haven't even named him yet. He was all cut up but we got him clean and the infection is gone, so he's doing just fine."
"What breed is he?"
"Jack Russel terrier. He might be mixed but we can't know for sure. Or, well, I can't," he smiled. "But he's a cute little thing. You can ask my uncle if you want. Do you want to hold him?"
"Hell yeah!" Ryan laughed.
Jon fumbled with the keys on his belt, unhooking them and searching for the right one. He unlocked the cage and let Ryan pull him out, hugging him to his chest. "He's almost a year old, so he's still got a bit of growing to do. He'll get about double that size. They're fairly small dogs."
"Oh, this is great. I have a small apartment and this little guy is just great," Ryan said, poking one of his ears. He smiled and ran his finger lightly over the brown spot over his left eye. "I'll take him."
Jon smiled. "Great. I'll go get my uncle, he deals with all of that. I'm just the adorable sales person you can't say no to," he joked.
Ryan laughed. "Well, I haven't said no, so you're good at your job."
"I'll be right back," Jon said, heading into the back.
Ryan looked over at Brendon. "Isn't the little baby just darling?"
Brendon smiled, petting his forehead. "He's so cute. Too bad he has to have an ugly owner."
"Yeah, well..." Ryan shrugged. "I can't think of a rude comeback because I'm overwhelmed by the cute. I'll insult you later."
"What are you gonna name him?"
"I don't know," he said. "I'll figure something out."
Jon walked out of the back room. "Ryan, this is my uncle, Paul, he has all the paper work. So if you go with him, you can take him home today."
Ryan grinned wider. "Sweet. Lead the way."
Brendon looked away from Jon and walked over to the rows of kittens, tapping on the care of one of them. "Hi cutie. Hi. You're just so cute. Yes, you are," he said in a childish voice. "You're just so darling, aren't you? Yes, you are!"
Jon leaned against the cage. "She's adorable, isn't she?"
Brendon jumped. "You surprised me."
"Sorry. You were really into that, weren't you?"
Brendon flushed. "Yeah. Sorry. She's just adorable. What's her name?"
"Bundy."
"Like Ted?"
"Yeah," Jon laughed. "I had just finished watching a show about him when I came in and saw this little thing. So, I don't know. It sounds crazy but I think it's fitting. She'll claw the hell out of someone if she doesn't like 'em."
"Can I hold her?"
"Sure," Jon said, unlocking the cage. He grabbed the kitten and handed her to Brendon. "Be careful."
"I will."
"So, um. What's your name?"
"Brendon," he said, scratching behind the kitten's ears, smiling when he heard her start to purr. "What breed is she?"
"She is a half Somali and half Sacred Birma," Jon explained. "She's been here since she was born. She was born here, actually, in a litter of four. The other three were adopted, her mother died shortly after," he said, voice filled with sadness.
"So this baby's got no one left?" Brendon pouted, bringing the kitten up to his face. "You're all alone?" The kitten hit his nose with her paw. "I can't just leave you alone here, can I? No, I can't."
Jon smiled.
"I want to take this kitten home with me, Jon Walker," Brendon said. "Can you make that happen?"
"I most certainly can. C'mon, my uncle needs more work to do today anyway," he laughed. "Do you have all the supplies you need?"
"Yeah." Brendon nodded. "I have another kitten at home."
Jon smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah. I love animals. I just, I can't not take one home with me, you know?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I know. I have three cats. And a dog. And I'm always wanting to take more home," he laughed. "I just hate to see them stuck in these cages."
"I know what you mean," Brendon said, kicking the back of Ryan's leg.
"Ow! Stupid son of a--" Ryan groaned. "Brendon, what the hell are you doing?"
Brendon held up the kitten. "Gettin' a kittie." He smiled.
"You have no room."
"I do now," Brendon told him. "Could you really say no to this face, anyway?"
Ryan sighed.
"Look at her ears! They're so big! I love them," Brendon said, laughing, kissing one of her ears.
Ryan just shook his head. "If you think you have the room, then go ahead."
"I was going to anyway. You're not my mom; you can't tell me I can't do it," he said.
"You're a petulant four year old."
"I'm nineteen, Ryan. I'm old enough to make my own decisions. Stop acting like you're so superior to me," Brendon said. "Goddamn."
Ryan looked down before looking back over at Paul. "Sorry about that."
Brendon frowned and just scratched behind Bundy's ears. "It's okay, lovely. Mean old Ryan won't be coming over to annoy you. Don't worry your pretty little face about it."
Jon watched the scene in front of him, the way Brendon and Bundy interacted; the purr of the kitten and the light in Brendon's eyes. And he just smiled.
+
"Look! Bundy can play fetch, Ryan!" Brendon laughed, tossing a little ball down the hallway leading to his bedroom and he smiled as Bundy chased after it.
Ryan shook his head. "Your apartment is a zoo."
"It is not," Brendon said, still smiling as Bundy trotted over to him, dropping the ball in front of him and meowing softly. "Isn't she adorable?"
"Sure."
"She is." He nodded, ignoring Ryan. He tossed the ball again and looked up at Ryan from where he was sitting on the floor. "Did you need something?"
Ryan sighed. "Keltie wants a dog."
"Good for her."
"I refused to take her to get one. Am I an asshole?"
"Yes," Brendon said. "You are an asshole. Why won't you take her?"
"Because our six month anniversary is coming up and I was going to ask her to move in with me. I don't have enough room for another dog," Ryan said, sitting on the floor next to Brendon. Bundy returned and Ryan scratched behind her ears.
"Why don't you two get a bigger place then? If she really wants one, maybe you should just get her one for your anniversary then, I don't know."
Ryan rolled his eyes. "That's a bad idea, Bren. You suck at this."
Brendon shrugged. "I know. I'm not good with the whole relationship-gift thing."
"Maybe if you were in a relationship, you'd be better at it."
Brendon paused, avoiding his friend's eyes. "You're a real jackass, Ryan Ross," he said.
Ryan groaned. "Shit, Brendon, I didn't mean it like that," he said. "Honestly. "You know I don't think before I speak."
"Well, fucking learn," he said quietly. "You can't go around talking like that to people, least of all me. That's why you've lost so many friends."
Ryan looked down. "I know. I'm sorry."
"I know you are," Brendon told him, swatting at Bundy's tail. "I love this kitten."
"I know you do," Ryan said. "I have an idea."
"Which is?"
"How about I get her the dog for our anniversary?"
Brendon rolled his eyes. "Someone awesome must've suggested that..."
Ryan laughed. "No, but here's my plan. You take her to the shelter so she can just look at them. And then you and I can go to get the one she likes the most. This way, I know she'll like it, you know?"
"The same shelter we went to?"
"Yeah, why not? That guy seemed nice."
Brendon smiled. "He did seem nice. He was nice."
Ryan looked at him. "You're blushing."
"A little bit," Brendon said, biting his lip. "He was cute."
"So you'll take her there tomorrow?"
"Sure. I don't have to work, so. Why not?"
Ryan smiled, hugging Brendon with one arm quickly. "Thanks, Bren. Why don't you call her and invite her so she doesn't think I put you up to it."
"How much you wanna bet she thinks you put me up to it anyway?" Brendon said.
Ryan laughed. "I'm not going to lose another bet to you."
"I'll call her later."
"And get the guy's phone number when you're there tomorrow, yeah?" Ryan told him, standing up.
"Maybe."
"Do it." Ryan messed up his hair, blowing a kiss to Bundy and he walked out of Brendon's apartment.
Brendon picked up the kitten, kissing her nose. "Should I get the cute boy's phone number?" Bundy meowed, yawning. Brendon laughed. "I'll take that as a yes, then."
+
"Morning, Keltie," Brendon said, yawning as he climbed into the passenger's seat of Keltie's car.
She laughed. "It's one in the afternoon, Brendon."
"I know," Brendon told her.
"I'm so excited to even look at puppies," she said, changing the radio station and pulling onto the main road. "They're so cute. I'll want to adopt them all so try to stop me before doing that, okay?"
"Only if you stop me from adopting all the kittens I see," Brendon said.
Keltie nodded. "I promise. Where are we going?"
"Make a right up here. It's where I got my little Bundy."
"I still find it hard to believe that you named your kitten after a serial killer," she said.
Brendon smiled. "I didn't name her. Jon Walker did."
"Jon Walker?"
"He's the guy that works at the shelter."
"Why don't you just call him Jon?"
"He's one of those people that you just naturally call by their first and last name because everything else sounds weird," Brendon said easily.
"Ah." Keltie nodded. "Who else do you call by their first and last name?"
Brendon pondered the question for a minute. "Um. Nikki Sixx."
"And?"
"And. Um." He paused again. "Okay, that's all."
Keltie smiled. "And how good looking is this Jon Walker?"
"Incredibly good looking," Brendon said. "And I don't want to know how you know that he's attractive."
"You have the 'Jon Walker is so good looking' glow about you," Keltie said, smug.
"Right into this driveway," Brendon told her. "And don't mention it in front of him, okay? He's probably straight."
"Probably isn't for sure. Want me to hook you two up?"
Brendon looked over at her. "You don't even know him."
Keltie nodded, throwing the car into park. "That may be true. But hey, I want to help a friend."
"Please don't embarrass me," he said quietly.
Keltie sent him a reassuring smile. "When have I ever?"
"Never," Brendon said. "Just. Continue not embarrassing me while we're here?"
"You got it," she said. "C'mon, I'm excited. Let's go."
+
"Hey, you're back!"
Brendon stilled as Jon walked over to him, a smile on his face. "Yeah, I am," he said, forcing himself to say something and hoping he didn't sound like an idiot.
"Hi, I'm Jon," he said, sticking a hand out towards Keltie.
"Keltie," she said, smiling, shaking his hand.
"What can I help you with? Do you want another kitten named after another serial killer?" Jon asked Brendon. "Because I'm sure I could find one. We have a kitten named Jack. I'm sure you could tell everyone it's after Jack the Ripper."
Brendon laughed. "I just might take you up on that offer. But actually, we're here for her. She wants a dog," he said, nodding towards Keltie who was meandering around the shelter.
"She's beautiful. You have good taste," Jon said quietly. "If it's not too bold to say."
"It's not. But she's not my girlfriend," Brendon told him. "She's Ryan's girlfriend, one of my best friends."
"Oh." Jon nodded slowly.
"Yup."
"Cool?" Jon offered.
Brendon smiled slowly. "Something like that, yeah."
"So, um. You're single?"
"Y--"
"Brendon!"
Brendon cursed under his breath and mumbled an apology to Jon before walking over to Keltie. "I hate you," he whispered.
"He's so cute!" Keltie said.
"I know he is."
She sent him a look. "Not him, you idiot, this puppy!"
"So you're saying Jon isn't?"
"No, he is, too--"
"I know he is! You interrupted a moment!" he whispered.
Keltie rolled her eyes. "Okay. Whatever. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Now look at this puppy," she said, smiling.
Brendon spared a look at the puppy. "Yes. Cute. Are you done now?"
"Be nice, Brendon Urie," she warned him. "Or I'll have Ryan embarrass the hell out of you in front of your boy."
"He's not my boy," Brendon said, rolling his eyes. "And please don't have him embarrass me."
"I won't--"
"Hey, Brendon, we got a new edition the other day," Jon said, smiling and walking over to him. "The cutest little puppy. Wanna see him?"
Brendon's eyes lit up. "Hell yes, I do."
"This way," Jon told him. He led him over towards the back door. "Okay, wait right here. You're gonna love him. He's the cutest thing on earth." Jon sent Brendon a smile and slipped out the back door.
Brendon wrapped his arms around his middle, stomach fluttering as he waited for Jon to return. When Jon opened the door and stepped in, Brendon's eyes widened. "Oh my God! It's huge!"
Jon laughed.
Brendon paused. "That sounded wrong."
Jon nodded, laughing. "Yeah. This is... Well, I haven't thought of a name yet," he said, "to be quite honest."
"Irish wolfhound?" Brendon asked, kneeling in front of the puppy and scratching his neck. "God, you're just a gorgeous piece of puppy dog."
"Yup," Jon said, kneeling beside him. "What should we name him?"
"Mercury," Brendon said.
"...Like the thermometer stuff?" Jon asked.
Brendon laughed. "No, like Queen."
Jon smiled. "I like Queen. I like Mercury. I approve."
"Good. I'd have to beat you if you didn't," Brendon joked.
Jon laughed. "Well, then it's good that I like it."
Brendon scratched behind the puppy's ears. "Damn, it's hard to believe this is just a puppy when it's going to get like, five times as big."
"Yeah, one of the biggest breeds, I think," Jon said. "I just want to find this one a good home."
"You will."
Jon smiled.
"So, um. Would you maybe want to...hang out sometime? With...me?" Brendon asked, squinting an eye shut in a nervous gesture, hoping Jon would say yes.
"Yeah. Definitely."
+
"So you're sure this is the puppy she was looking at?"
Brendon nodded, slouching against the side of the cage.
"What's wrong with you, Brendon?" Ryan asked, sighing.
He shrugged.
"Is it because Jon's not here?"
"No."
"Brendon."
"It's not!"
"Brendon."
He sighed. "Fine. It is."
Ryan looked over at him. "Listen. He might just be off today, Brendon."
"It's been a week since we planned to hang out and he hasn't called," he said quietly.
"He might be busy. Have you called him?"
"I gave him my number. I didn't get his."
"That was dumb."
Brendon glared at him. "Are you trying to make me feel worse?"
"Maybe."
"You're a shit friend."
Ryan rolled his eyes and looked back at the cage. "You're positive this is the one?"
"Yes," Brendon repeated. "And you fail for not even caring about my predicament."
"It's hard to care about your predicament, Brendon. You're making a big deal out of nothing."
"Fuck you, Ross," Brendon said, shaking his head and stalking over to the door of the shelter, slamming it open.
"Shit!"
"Fuck!" Brendon shrieked as he saw Jon standing before him, his nose bleeding. "Oh, my God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there!"
Jon groaned. "Well, it's okay. I can forgive you for not seeing through a door," he said, smiling before grimacing.
"Here." Brendon pulled the bandanna out of his back pocket and held it up to Jon's nose. "I, um. I think you're supposed to, like, pinch your nose or something."
Jon pinched the bridge of his nose as Brendon held the now bloodstained bandanna under his nose. "Thanks."
"You should sit," he said, leading him over to the bench in front of the building and sitting down next to him. "Are you okay?"
"Sure thing," Jon said. "I didn't really want to work today anyway," he joked.
Brendon bit his lip. "I'm so sorry. You've no idea. I didn't know-- I was just so mad at what Ryan said and I just--"
"Hey, it's fine," Jon assured him. "Really."
"No, it's not. You're bleeding and stuff and--"
"It's not broken," Jon told him. "It's not gushing blood. And I think you hit my lip more."
"So you're trying to make me feel worse?" Brendon asked.
Jon shook his head. "No, not at all. It was supposed to make you feel better."
He looked down at his lap.
Jon grabbed his wrist lightly, pulling it away and he glanced at the bandanna. "Um. I think this is ruined," he said.
Brendon shrugged. "Didn't like it that much anyway."
Jon nodded, folding part of it over to get to a clean spot and he held it up to his lip for a minute. He pulled it away and smiled as he saw it was barely covered in blood. "I think it stopped."
Brendon looked up at Jon, his nose red, lip cut, and he felt even worse. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be, Brendon," Jon said, smiling. "Really. I'll be fine in, like, an hour. It looks worse than it is."
"Are you sure?"
Jon nodded. "I'm sure. I'll take some Advil and I'll be set. Don't feel bad."
"But I do feel bad."
"Don't," Jon repeated.
"Let me make it up to you," Brendon said. "Like. I'll buy you ice cream or something." He paused. "That was a stupid idea, sorry."
"No, it wasn't. Ice-cream sounds good." Jon smiled. "How about tonight? I get off work at eight."
Brendon looked up at him. "You're serious?"
"No." Jon laughed. "Of course I'm serious."
Brendon felt himself smile slightly. "Okay. Sure. I'll meet you here at eight."
"Looking forward to it."
+
At seven thirty that night, Brendon grabbed his keys and was heading out the door when his cell phone rang. He stopped and leaned against the door, digging it out of his pocket. "Hello?"
"Brendon?"
"Yes?"
"Hey, it's Jon. Um, I just wanted to let you know that my uncle sent me home right after you left. So did you just want to meet somewhere?"
"Yeah, sure," Brendon said. "Um. Where do you want to meet?"
"There's a Coldstone a couple blocks away from my apartment, on Maple Avenue."
Brendon nodded. "Yeah, sure, I know where that is. Eight still?"
"Yup."
"Okay. I'll see you there," he said, hanging up the phone and smiling. His heart was racing. He felt himself smile and skipped all the way to his car.
+
"Hey stranger."
Brendon jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around. "God, you scared the shit out of me!"
"At least I didn't slam a door in your face," Jon smiled.
"Making me feel worse? Uh-huh. That's sweet," Brendon said, nodding.
Jon laughed. "That wasn't my intention and you know it."
"Sure it wasn't," he teased.
"C'mon, let's get food," he said, smiling, leading Brendon over to the counter.
Once they got their ice-cream, they walked outside to one of the small tables, sitting in a comfortable silence.
"Do you think it's boring to get something so plain? Ice-cream wise?" Brendon asked.
"Hmm." Jon took a bite of his ice-cream, mulling it over. "You know what. I don't think I do, no."
"My friends always make fun of me because I don't get forty different kinds of ice-cream mixed together," Brendon said bitterly.
Jon smiled up at him. "I somehow don't think you can mix forty different kinds together."
"It'd be cool if you could, though."
"I agree. Let me try a bite of yours," Jon said.
Brendon laughed. "Why? You have your own."
"Yeah, but I want to see if it's boring or not."
Brendon scoffed, scooping a small amount onto his spoon and holding it out to Jon.
Jon rolled his eyes. "C'mon. I want more than that."
Brendon laughed, scooping some more onto the spoon. "Better?"
Jon nodded, taking the offered food, and he smiled. "Yeah, not boring."
Brendon took a bite himself. "I happen to like it. It's simple. Chocolate and sprinkles. You can't really go wrong there, so."
"That's true. I like mine more, though."
"Yeah, but mine is better," Brendon countered.
"Want some of mine?"
"Sure."
Jon scooped up some and held it out to Brendon, who ate it with a smile. "Mine is better, right?"
Brendon shook his head, laughing. "No way. I still think mine is. Yours is good though."
"Better," Jon whispered.
Brendon laughed louder. "You're ridiculous."
"Ridiculous...with great ice-cream," Jon said, smiling.
He rolled his eyes, finishing his ice-cream before settling his eyes on Jon's face.
Jon paused after a minute, picking up a napkin and wiping at his mouth. "What? Do I have ice-cream in my beard?"
Brendon laughed, shaking his head. "No, you don't. Just... Does it still hurt?"
Jon thumbed the cut on the side of his lip, under his swollen nose. "Not really. It's a bit sore but, well, I think I'll live."
"Really?" Brendon breathed a sigh of relief. "That is great to hear. Because I totally thought it was life threatening."
Jon smiled. "I know. But it's okay, Brendon. You can sleep easy tonight. Your life...is now complete."
"It's true. Everything is perfect now. Thank you, Jon. Really. Thank you."
Jon laughed. "I'm not really this conceited."
"I believe you."
Jon scratched the back of his head. "So how's Bundy?"
Brendon smiled. "Amazing. She's playing fetch now. She's taken to sleeping on my pillow, right next to my head."
"That's adorable. So you're feeding her and everything?"
"Shit, I knew I was forgetting something!"
Jon sent him a look. "You're lucky I know you're kidding. Otherwise, I'd kick your ass."
"Of course I'm feeding her. And I feed her well, too. She's getting so big. I'll walk in my apartment and she's sitting on my kitchen counter, which is close to the door, just staring at me," Brendon said, smiling.
"How many animals do you have?" Jon asked.
"Three cats and a bird. You?"
"Four cats and two dogs," he said, nodding. "I can't not take one home with me. But it's difficult when I can't. I've been working at the same shelter for... I was fourteen then so, ten years. Wow. I feel old."
"You're not old until you're dead," Brendon said.
Jon smiled. "That's a nice philosophy."
"Do you have a second job or do you spend all of your time at the shelter?"
"It's my only job since I'm there all the time. But I also go to school full time," Jon told him. "It's difficult to get classwork done when you're surrounded by kittens who keep trying to take your pen from you." He laughed.
Brendon smiled. "That's how Bundy is. I think she's trying to tell me that she's more important than, well, my future."
"Of course she is," Jon said, nodding. "Probably cuter than any future, anyway."
"You miss her?"
"Yeah, I do," Jon told him. "But she has a good home so it's not like I worry."
Brendon nodded, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out. "Sorry, Ryan texts me at the worst times," he said, reading the message. "Shit, it's nearly eleven. I should get back home, I have class at nine."
"Me, too." Jon stood up. "Seemed like a good plan when I scheduled classes months ago, when I was getting up at eight every day to develop my pictures. Now it seems stupid because I like to sleep until eleven."
Brendon laughed. "I know what you mean. I drink a whole pot of coffee before class."
"Really?"
"No." He shook his head, smiling. "But I do go through a lot of energy drinks."
Jon smiled. "Do you wanna get something to eat tomorrow night? I don't work and, yeah."
Brendon nodded, mentally reminding himself to not look too enthused. "Yeah, sure."
"Cool. How about, um. Do you know that run down diner that no one ever goes to on Fairview?"
"The Liberty Diner?"
"Yeah! I forgot the name, sorry." Jon laughed.
Brendon smiled. "Yeah. I go there pretty frequently."
"Do you wanna meet there at, like, six?"
"Sure thing," Brendon agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jon Walker." Brendon smiled, waving a little bit as he stood up.
The smile didn't leave his face until he fell asleep.
+
Brendon changed his outfit four times before leaving to meet Jon at the diner.
"You don't seem too happy," Brendon muttered, picking at his friends.
Jon sighed. "I'm sorry. I had an...interesting day."
"Interesting?"
"More like bad."
"I"m sorry. Want to talk about it?"
Jon shrugged. "Just more teachers piling on more papers. I haven't even finished my last photography assignment and it's due in two days. And it's all piling up, you know? School and work and...everything," he explained, taking a drink of his coke.
"Anything I can do?"
Jon smiled, barely. "Tell Bundy I love her?"
Brendon laughed. "I can do that. You know. You can come and see her if you ever want to."
Jon's smile widened. "Really?"
"Yeah. I mean. You must have, like, a connection with her, y'know?"
"Thank you, Brendon."
Brendon smiled.
+
"This puppy gets cuter every single time I see it, Jon Walker," Brendon said, kneeling in front of the Irish Wolfhound and rubbing his neck.
Ryan looked at his watch. "Brendon, you know you don't have enough room."
Brendon scowled up at him. "I'm going to get this dog one day, Ryan. You'll see."
Jon laughed. "You can take him today, y'know. If you really want to."
"I just might."
"No, he won't, Jon," Ryan said. "Sorry, but there's barely enough room in his apartment for anyone to breathe, let alone bring in a dog that'll be bigger than him."
Jon shrugged. "Well, we'll find a good home for Mercury either way."
"Brendon, we have to go."
Brendon pouted.
"Ice-cream at nine?" Jon suggested.
Brendon smiled at that. "You're on, Jon Walker."
+
"If we keep getting so much ice-cream, Jon Walker, I'm going to gain a lot of weight. This will go straight to my ass," Brendon said.
Jon leaned back, glancing down at Brendon's backside. "It already has."
Brendon elbowed him in the side, taking the last bite of his ice-cream and tossing the container and spoon into a trash can. "That was mean."
Jon smiled, throwing his own container away. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it."
Brendon watched Jon for a minute, the way his eyes sparkled beneath the moon and the way one corner of his lip tilted upwards. And he couldn't resist. He leaned up and pressed their lips together, holding still for a second, giving Jon ample room and time to back away.
He did.
Brendon sat back on his heels. "I'm. Sorry, I--"
"I didn't know you--"
"Sorry--"
"No, I just...didn't know," Jon said, awkwardly, looking down at his feet.
"You didn't know?"
"That you...felt that way?"
Brendon looked confused. "What did you think? We've been going out almost every night these past two weeks."
"Yeah, hanging out, not...dating. I-- I didn't know we were dating," Jon said, looking down.
"Oh." Brendon nodded. "I'm going to get headed home."
"No, Brendon, I didn't mean I don't want to date you--"
"I'll see you around, Jon," Brendon told him, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away.
Jon never thought he could miss the way Brendon would always call him Jon Walker instead of just Jon.
+
Ryan sighed as he walked into the pet shelter that he had become incredibly too familiar with. He walked up to the counter where a boy with long dark hair and bright blue eyes looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, hi, is Jon here right now?"
"Yeah, he's in the back. I'll get him for you."
"Thanks," Ryan said, nodding in his direction before walking over to the cages of kittens and tapping on the doors.
"Ryan? Hey," Jon smiled. "Thanks, Spence. What's up?"
Ryan sighed. "Brendon's adamant on adopting that Irish Wolfhound. And while it'd be fantastic for someone to adopt it because, well, no one wants an animal to stay here forever. But his apartment is tiny and he already has too many pets. It's ridiculous. He doesn't have enough room."
Jon nodded slowly. "What does this have to do with me?"
"Don't let him adopt it, okay?"
"I can't tell someone not to adopt an animal, Ryan."
"I know," Ryan said. "Just don't let him. Don't tell him I stopped by."
"Oh, I won't," Jon said bitterly, staring at his feet while Ryan left.
Spencer looked up from the counter at the sound of the door slamming and his eyes landed on Jon. He walked over to him. "What's up?"
"Brendon," Jon said simply.
Spencer smiled. "You like him."
He shrugged.
"And you made a fool of yourself."
"I didn't know he thought they were dates. I wanted them to be, but. He was so unclear of exactly what was going on, you know? I had no idea until he kissed me, and--"
"Wait, he kissed you? You didn't tell me that!"
Jon shrugged. "It was nothing. Ugh, no, it wasn't nothing. It was, like. Everything? I don't know. It was something."
Spencer looked at him. "You have to say something, Jon. Or you know he'll adopt that dog and you heard that guy. He doesn't have the room."
"I haven't talked to him in a week. I've barely fucking slept. I turned in my English paper late." Jon shook his head.
"Call him."
Jon sighed. "I should."
"You will."
"Yeah... I will."
+
Brendon leaned against his counter as his phone rang. He saw Jon's name flashing on the screen and bit at his lip. He let it go to voice mail the first time. And the second time. He almost did the third time, but he gave in, answering. "Hello?"
"And here I was preparing to leave a witty message."
Brendon didn't smile. "Did you need something?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"Okay."
"I was an idiot, you know? I knew they were dates. They were to me. But I didn't know where you stood. You weren't clear about what you wanted--"
"Please don't blame this on me," Brendon said quietly.
"I'm not trying to, I'm sorry. It's my fault, too. I wasn't clear, either."
"What are you trying to say?"
Brendon, please. Can we meet somewhere and talk?"
Brendon sighed.
"Can I come over? Just for a minute. That's it, I swear."
"Okay," he said quietly. "Okay. But just for a minute."
+
Brendon's heart raced as he heard the knock on his apartment door. He had been expecting it. He had been expecting it for fifteen minutes. He slowly made his way over to it, glancing out the peephole. He opened the door, gesturing him in and shut it behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest.
Jon looked at his feet awkwardly. "Are you mad at me?"
"No. I'm embarrassed with myself," Brendon admitted.
"Don't be."
"I kissed you, Jon. In the middle of a street where everyone could see and you totally shot me down. I think I have the right to be embarrassed," he said quietly.
"I didn't shoot you down."
"You pulled away."
"I don't like kissing in public."
"Or you don't like me?"
"I like you, Brendon," Jon said quickly.
Brendon slowly looked up at him. "Really?"
Jon nodded.
"Is it because I'm pretty?" Brendon smiled.
Jon laughed. "Yes," he said, reaching over and grabbing Brendon's hand in his own. "Wanna...show me around your place?"
Brendon grimaced. "It's small. So small, you've already seen the whole place."
"Really?"
"No," Brendon said. "I'll show you." He led him down the hallway. "That's the closet. This is my bedroom-- You don't need to see that quite yet. This is my bathroom. And this is the best room in the house." He smiled and walked inside the room. Bundy was sleeping on a cat stand in front of the window. His bird, Lorenzo, was in a cage in the corner. And his three other kittens were sleeping on the small cat bed, curled up together.
Jon smiled, dropping Brendon's hand and walking over to Bundy, scratching at her ears. "Hi, gorgeous." He laughed. "I missed you. Yes, I did."
Brendon walked over and sat next to him, flicking Bundy's tail.
"She's fitting in around here?"
He nodded. "Perfectly. I love her so much. My animals never let me down."
Jon smiled, kissing Bundy's forehead before leaning back and looking over at Brendon. "Hey, Bren?"
"Yeah?" He carefully avoided Jon's eyes.
"Do you want to go out on a date with me?"
Brendon met his eyes, smiling. "Yeah?"
Jon nodded.
"Hell yes, Jon Walker!" Brendon laughed, leaning in to press their lips together again.
Jon didn't pull away.
[x] Whee, this is for Aria. And she liked it. So I succeeded in my mission. The idea was all her, once again. I just...put it to...word document. Or something. That wasn't witty. Anyway. There needs to be more BWalk in the world *nudge* so I really hope you enjoyed this. I had fun writing it. Because I love writing Jon Walker as completely perfect and stuff. (Because really. He is.) Thank you for reading. =D