Five Weeks aka How Long it Takes a Puppy to Change Everything 2/6
TITLE: Five Weeks aka How Long it Takes a Puppy to Change Everything
GENRE: Romance/angst, fluff
PAIRING(S): USUK, background barely there Prussia/Hungary
RATING: PG-16
WARNINGS: relationship drama/angst, language, some sexy times, present tense, human names
SUMMARY: Sometimes, love just isn't enough to fix what's gone wrong--luckily, that's what puppies are there for. A story of breaking apart, coming together, and puppy-rearing.
PROMPT: Alfred and Arthur adopt a puppy together.
NOTES: Done for the Secret Santa at
usxuk. A thousand thanks to the wonderful, lovely
hotbabysitter who beta'ed this story for me and did it with love! I went to town with this and went outside my usual comfort zone, but I'm very happy with the results. This story is completed and will be updated twice a week. Hope you all enjoy, especially you
greeko88!
Note 2: Thank you to all those who commented! I hope you continue to enjoy this story and I'll get around to responding to you each individually soon I promise!
Previous Chapter
Five Weeks
aka How Long it Takes for a Puppy to Change Everything
Week One
Moonshine is howling. Or howling as much as a puppy can, at any rate.
Arthur groans and rolls over in their bed, blinking his eyes awake and glaring angrily at Alfred’s still snoring face. He wants to hit him, to wake him up and make him go check on Moonshine, but he knows if he does, Alfred’s response is going to be bringing the puppy into their bed. Arthur read all the puppy training blogs and pamphlets-that was the road of never having enough space on the bed again. He groans a second time and looks over at the clock as he gets to his feet, feeling a twinge of despair at the early hour that blinks back at him.
“Ar’hr? Wazzgoinon?”
“Go back to sleep, it’s just Moony.” Arthur smoothes his hand over Alfred’s hair and smiles at how he mumbles sleepily before rolling face first into his pillow. Well, at least the snoring won’t be so loud when he crawls back into bed. Arthur yawns and shuffles out of the room and down the hallway, making his way towards to the kitchen where they have Moonshine set up temporarily while they house-train him. Eventually, his little den area and kennel will move into their room or the front room - likely their room, if Alfred has any say in it - but for now, the kitchen is the largest space they have to pen him up in.
He turns on the kitchen light and blinks rapidly as his eyes adjusts to the sudden light change; once he can open them without discomfort, he steps over the crate barrier and into the kitchen, where Moonshine blinks up at him forlornly, letting out pitiful whines with big brown eyes. Puppy dog eyes from a puppy; there really is no defense against such a thing. He smiles and sits down in front of him to gather the puppy close to him, scratching the soft skin and fur under his jaw.
“Now, Moony, that’s quite enough. You need to go to bed, or how else will you have the energy to compete against Alfred tomorrow? He’s more spastic than you.” Moonshine licks at his hands and settles down against his side, resting his head against Arthur’s leg. “Oi, none of that! How am I supposed to tolerate Alfred’s behavior if I don’t get any sleep of my own?”
Moonshine is obviously not concerned in the least about Arthur’s plight and lets out an adorable yawn. Arthur shakes his head and gently pets between the puppy’s ears for a few silent moments. Moonshine has been home for two days, and the majority of those two days were one big adjustment period. They’d picked up the majority of their puppy supplies before going to the shelter, but they had still needed to get some toys for Moonshine, as well as some conciliatory treats for Oliver, who Arthur had known would not be pleased with the puppy for at least a few days, even with his friendly nature. It had been interesting shopping for the dog together, domestic even, and Arthur wasn’t sure what to make of it. They hadn’t fought and even had fun shopping, but a nagging part of Arthur’s mind kept whispering doubts and worries-he’d tried to distract himself with Moonshine’s curious and cute behavior at the store. For the most part, it had worked, but the feeling had remained until they had arrived back home with the puppy; Alfred would have been blind not to notice something was bothering him, but as usual, he hadn’t asked. Arthur isn’t sure if he’s relieved or disappointed about that.
He looks down and finds that Moonshine looks close to sleep; he hushes the whimpers as he slowly maneuvers himself out from under the puppy and makes his way back out of the kitchen. The puppy whines a little, but eventually curls up on the small dog bed and blankets they’d set up for him, eyes drooping shut as sleep takes him. Arthur goes to turn off the light, hesitates, and settles for keeping the hallway light on and shutting off the kitchen light so that Moonshine still has some light, isn’t shut away in complete darkness. Moonshine doesn’t stir awake again, and Arthur smiles softly as he watches the puppy’s breathing slow and even out with sleep.
“Sweet dreams, my little marauder,” Arthur murmurs before heading back to bed.
*****
“You don’t know, it could’ve been Lardball.”
“Oliver has never shown any interest in toilet paper before, and stop calling him that bloody name.”
Alfred grins and hugs Moonshine close, blinking up at Arthur in time with the puppy; they’re pinning him with twin puppy-dog stares. Oh, bugger them both. “Alfred, he has toilet paper stuck to his paw.”
Alfred blinks and looks down. “Aw, come on, Moony! How am I supposed to defend you against Sherlock here if you don’t dispose of all the incriminating evidence?”
Moonshine barks playfully and licks Alfred’s cheek in response. “You dirty liar, you tried to pin this crime on Oliver when you knew it was this little ruffian.”
Alfred shrugs with a teasing grin. “Who do you think had to clean up all that toilet paper?”
Arthur crosses his arms, but struggles to keep the smirk off his face and the disapproving frown on. “So you just let him get away with it?”
“Well, he had it all stuck around him and kept chasing a loose piece around in a circle, so I figured any case we could build against him would just get dismissed on an insanity plea.” Arthur really can’t help the laugh that escapes him.
“You’re hopeless. You’re going to let him become some kind of devil dog that never behaves!”
“Nah, I did give him a little scolding, let him know it was bad, kept him in the kitchen while I cleaned up. He feels really bad about it, can’t you tell? So beat up over it.” Alfred grins and waves his hands at Moonshine, who had decided they were entirely too boring for him and was now attacking a stuffed squirrel with a squeaker inside. “Practically in tears. We figured if you thought Lardball did it, then he’d be spared guilt from your disappointment, which is pretty bad, you know.”
Alfred gets back to his feet and grins warmly at Arthur, who continues to chuckle and doesn’t bother to correct Alfred’s nickname for the cat, even though he hates it. They’re teasing each other, exchanging playful banter back and forth; Arthur can’t remember the last time they’ve done this. His laughs die out eventually, but his smile remains and so does Alfred’s stare.
“I have heard it’s frightful to be subjected to.” No ‘well you would know’ or something equally scathing that would’ve left his lips a week ago if Alfred had made that same comment. But then, Alfred would’ve said it meaner, crueler, implying all sorts of things in so few words-his smile softens a little and he reaches out to touch at Alfred’s shoulder. “How was um-your day went all right, then?”
“Meh, school is school, even if you’re basically doing all your own stuff and grading undergrads. It’s better now, though. Yours?”
Arthur nods and looks down from the earnest, soulful eyes. “Mine too.”
*****
“You don’t need to clean those up. It’s my night, I think, I just haven’t had time to get to it today but I can-”
“It’s not going to get done otherwise, so no, I’ll just do it.”
Sharp inhale and then quick words. “You know what, fine. Whatever, I have papers to grade and schematics to work on. I probably would use the wrong soap or put the stuff in the wrong cabinets anyway.”
The door to the extra room they use as a study slams shut, rattles the pictures on the wall a little. Just enough to notice. Deep breath, exhale, and turn back to scrubbing. Moonshine whines a little from the living room and it sends wracks of hot, biting guilt through his gut. He still needs to go out on a walk, probably hasn’t been played with much today; Wednesdays are always terrible for them. He finishes the dishes and leaves them to air dry before wiping his hands and grabbing the leash from the side drawer. His hands feel like they may be shaking, but a quick look shows him that they’re still steady-he takes a deep breath and heads down the hallway.
Moonshine gives a couple of eager barks and follows him down to the study, the door still shut. Quick glance down, deep breath to quell the bitter taste of courage and regret, and gives a knock.
“It’s open.” He pushes the door open after turning the handle and stares at his back; he doesn’t bother to turn around, not a great sign. But, he could’ve ignored him knocking, so he plows forward.
“I-was wondering if you wanted to take Moony on a walk.”
“Despite what you may think, I was able to take him out today a little earlier. He hasn’t been cooped up all day.”
“I meant take him on a walk, with me. Together.” Oh brilliant; and eloquence is supposed to be his strong suit. “We-we could find a park he may like. I didn’t mean to imply that you didn’t-that you were-I didn’t mean it like that.”
His back stiffens, whether in surprise or anger, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know anything half of the time anymore-but maybe it’s time he tries to change that. He turns around in his chair, his face still hurt behind the glasses, but eyeing the leash in Arthur’s hand in contemplation. They stare at each other in silence, only Moonshine’s impatient whines and yips punctuating the quiet, until Alfred nods his head and gets up. Arthur’s stomach unclenches; funny, he hadn’t known it was tied up in knots until now. He walks over to Arthur and takes the leash from his hand, not really smiling at him, but his eyes hold a sort of forgiveness that’s better than any bright and empty smile he could’ve given. Alfred clips on the leash into Moonshine’s collar and heads out the door, holding out his free hand for Arthur to take.
“You coming? You wanted to go now, right?”
Arthur doesn’t move for a moment, but then nods, and takes Alfred’s hand as they walk out the door. “Yes.”
A leash acting as the proverbial olive branch; he supposes stranger things could’ve been used.
*****
Moonshine isn’t a quite used to his new home yet, which is just as well, since Arthur is sure he’s still getting used to him. Alfred is doing much better at adjusting to a puppy than he is, but Alfred’s had dogs for most of his youth; Arthur has not.
It’s not that Arthur is unhappy or put out at having Moonshine there, because he isn’t. The puppy’s already worked himself deep into Arthur’s heart and he’s only been with them for six days, nearly a week. But, Arthur has never had a dog before, and he’s realizing how much different owning a dog is compared to owning a cat - even a cat who acts like Oliver does. It’s more work, for one thing. Moonshine has to be let out to do his business a few times a day, and Alfred’s set up a schedule for taking him on walks twice a day. He needs more attention than Oliver does, and he’s more vocal if he doesn’t get said attention. Alfred took responsibility over training him and teaching him different tricks or commands, but he’s still a puppy and wont to get into trouble, which means actively punishing him to correct bad behavior. Arthur hasn’t had a full night’s sleep since Moonshine’s been there, either, and it’s starting to wear on him.
Owning a cat is easy with a few tedious chores; owning a puppy is exhausting.
He’s up again that night, stroking the soft fur between Moonshine’s ears in the kitchen, only the soft light from the hallway on. He’s tired, for a multitude of reasons, but sitting on the cool kitchen tile, leaning against the cabinets with Moonshine’s head in his lap, his legs curled up underneath his body, feels good. Relaxing, almost. He’s humming quietly and Moonshine is sleeping-Arthur isn’t sure if Moonshine’s whimpering woke him or if he just needed an excuse to leave the bed. Probably a bit of both. He closes his eyes, but sleep still escapes him; he is sitting on the floor, though, not lying in bed, so that doesn’t surprise him much. Still, it feels nice to close his eyes and rest, especially after the long week. Adding a puppy to their lives the same week he has an important deadline due for an article wasn’t the best idea, and the stress builds up.
“Hey.”
Arthur blinks his eyes open and meets Alfred’s stare. There’s a little bit of concern there, hidden within the blue.
“Hallo.” He keeps his voice down for Moonshine’s sake, though the puppy looks dead to the world and speaking up probably won’t wake him.
“What are you doing in here? I rolled over and you were gone. Your side’s all cold.”
Arthur shrugs because he can’t think of a better answer. “He gets lonely out here on his own. He whines a bit-he usually gets to sleep if someone’s with him for a little while.”
Alfred continues to stare for a few moments longer, long enough to make Arthur a little uncomfortable and look away, and then swings a leg over the crate barrier. He’s off balance and clumsier than usual in his sleepy state and Arthur feels like grinning a little watching him. Only when Alfred’s not looking, though-they’d fought again that day, over something stupid, as per usual. Always something stupid. They’re both on edge and not handling it well, hence why Arthur is sitting in their kitchen until Moonshine stops his whimpering.
“You’ve been coming in here every night, uh? That’s why you’ve been so-so grouchy in the morning. You’re not getting enough sleep.”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing-I didn’t want to wake you.”
Alfred frowns and sits down next to Arthur, pressing close against his side and reaching across him to pet at Moonshine as well. Their hands brush over one another’s as they pet. “You shouldn’t have done it every night.”
“You take care of him during the day. I don’t mind.”
Alfred laughs and it’s a gentle sound against Arthur’s ear. “Of course you don’t mind, look at him! He’s so fucking cute it hurts, and he knows it.”
Moonshine chooses that moment to start twitching in his sleep, paws moving spasmodically as if he was chasing after something. Arthur smiles and slows down his strokes. “He’s not used to the apartment yet-I want him to feel comfortable and safe.”
“Aw, I don’t know, he seems fine to me.”
“I’ve been sitting with him for close to an hour, of course he’s fine now.”
“And I bet he was fine before, but if he knows he gets special Arthur time at night with a little whining, I wouldn’t be surprised if he, you know, exaggerated a bit. He’s a smart little guy, I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Arthur snorts but doesn’t deny the words-he’s probably right. Moonshine had stopped whining the moment Arthur appeared; it hadn’t been like the first night, where it took a while for him to settle down. “You should go back to bed.”
Alfred stays quiet for a moment before grabbing Arthur’s hand and pulling it away from Moonshine. “I will, if you come with me. You’re going to get horrible back pains if you stay here on the floor.”
Heated and low, that’s how Alfred’s words hit Arthur and it sends a shiver down his spine-he can’t remember the last time they spoke to one another like that. Too long, and he turns into them without thinking, mind too tired from sleep deprivation to worry over the words and wonder if it’s all right to do so without addressing uglier words from earlier. He nods and lets Alfred help him to his feet, too stiff to get up on his own after sitting on the floor for so long. Alfred’s hand is just as warm as his words, and Arthur wonders if he’s just a little bit punch-drunk from his midnight wanderings. He climbs over the crate barrier and Moonshine continues to sleep on the floor, feet twitching and chasing in his dream world.
“I-it’s really cool - that you sit with him, at night I mean.” Arthur turns into Alfred’s voice as they walk back to their room. “But, you don’t have to do that every night. I can help, too, if he gets really fussy. Just, push me or something, if he wakes you up and not me.”
They lay back down, still touching, almost holding, and Arthur doesn’t want to admit that he doesn’t mind checking on Moonshine, even if sleep deprivation is the result. He hums and turns toward Alfred, his eyes just barely able to make out his shape in the dark of their room; he rests the fingertips of his other hand against Alfred’s chest and feels the heartbeat like a lullaby, ba-dump ba-dump, soft and strong. Alfred’s looking at him in the dark, too, he can feel it; it doesn’t make him squirm like it might have in another light. He exhales and curls in closer, close enough that he feels Alfred’s chin brush against the top of his head. “We can trade off-go to sleep, it’s still early.”
It’s anyone’s guess whether those words are actually coherent or not, Arthur thinks he may be slurring a little as sleep finally starts to take over. Alfred tightens his hand just a little, though, so he understands enough. “Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”
Arthur loves it when Alfred calls him that.
Next Chapter
GENRE: Romance/angst, fluff
PAIRING(S): USUK, background barely there Prussia/Hungary
RATING: PG-16
WARNINGS: relationship drama/angst, language, some sexy times, present tense, human names
SUMMARY: Sometimes, love just isn't enough to fix what's gone wrong--luckily, that's what puppies are there for. A story of breaking apart, coming together, and puppy-rearing.
PROMPT: Alfred and Arthur adopt a puppy together.
NOTES: Done for the Secret Santa at
usxuk. A thousand thanks to the wonderful, lovely
hotbabysitter who beta'ed this story for me and did it with love! I went to town with this and went outside my usual comfort zone, but I'm very happy with the results. This story is completed and will be updated twice a week. Hope you all enjoy, especially you
greeko88!
Note 2: Thank you to all those who commented! I hope you continue to enjoy this story and I'll get around to responding to you each individually soon I promise!
Previous Chapter
Five Weeks
aka How Long it Takes for a Puppy to Change Everything
Week One
Moonshine is howling. Or howling as much as a puppy can, at any rate.
Arthur groans and rolls over in their bed, blinking his eyes awake and glaring angrily at Alfred’s still snoring face. He wants to hit him, to wake him up and make him go check on Moonshine, but he knows if he does, Alfred’s response is going to be bringing the puppy into their bed. Arthur read all the puppy training blogs and pamphlets-that was the road of never having enough space on the bed again. He groans a second time and looks over at the clock as he gets to his feet, feeling a twinge of despair at the early hour that blinks back at him.
“Ar’hr? Wazzgoinon?”
“Go back to sleep, it’s just Moony.” Arthur smoothes his hand over Alfred’s hair and smiles at how he mumbles sleepily before rolling face first into his pillow. Well, at least the snoring won’t be so loud when he crawls back into bed. Arthur yawns and shuffles out of the room and down the hallway, making his way towards to the kitchen where they have Moonshine set up temporarily while they house-train him. Eventually, his little den area and kennel will move into their room or the front room - likely their room, if Alfred has any say in it - but for now, the kitchen is the largest space they have to pen him up in.
He turns on the kitchen light and blinks rapidly as his eyes adjusts to the sudden light change; once he can open them without discomfort, he steps over the crate barrier and into the kitchen, where Moonshine blinks up at him forlornly, letting out pitiful whines with big brown eyes. Puppy dog eyes from a puppy; there really is no defense against such a thing. He smiles and sits down in front of him to gather the puppy close to him, scratching the soft skin and fur under his jaw.
“Now, Moony, that’s quite enough. You need to go to bed, or how else will you have the energy to compete against Alfred tomorrow? He’s more spastic than you.” Moonshine licks at his hands and settles down against his side, resting his head against Arthur’s leg. “Oi, none of that! How am I supposed to tolerate Alfred’s behavior if I don’t get any sleep of my own?”
Moonshine is obviously not concerned in the least about Arthur’s plight and lets out an adorable yawn. Arthur shakes his head and gently pets between the puppy’s ears for a few silent moments. Moonshine has been home for two days, and the majority of those two days were one big adjustment period. They’d picked up the majority of their puppy supplies before going to the shelter, but they had still needed to get some toys for Moonshine, as well as some conciliatory treats for Oliver, who Arthur had known would not be pleased with the puppy for at least a few days, even with his friendly nature. It had been interesting shopping for the dog together, domestic even, and Arthur wasn’t sure what to make of it. They hadn’t fought and even had fun shopping, but a nagging part of Arthur’s mind kept whispering doubts and worries-he’d tried to distract himself with Moonshine’s curious and cute behavior at the store. For the most part, it had worked, but the feeling had remained until they had arrived back home with the puppy; Alfred would have been blind not to notice something was bothering him, but as usual, he hadn’t asked. Arthur isn’t sure if he’s relieved or disappointed about that.
He looks down and finds that Moonshine looks close to sleep; he hushes the whimpers as he slowly maneuvers himself out from under the puppy and makes his way back out of the kitchen. The puppy whines a little, but eventually curls up on the small dog bed and blankets they’d set up for him, eyes drooping shut as sleep takes him. Arthur goes to turn off the light, hesitates, and settles for keeping the hallway light on and shutting off the kitchen light so that Moonshine still has some light, isn’t shut away in complete darkness. Moonshine doesn’t stir awake again, and Arthur smiles softly as he watches the puppy’s breathing slow and even out with sleep.
“Sweet dreams, my little marauder,” Arthur murmurs before heading back to bed.
*****
“You don’t know, it could’ve been Lardball.”
“Oliver has never shown any interest in toilet paper before, and stop calling him that bloody name.”
Alfred grins and hugs Moonshine close, blinking up at Arthur in time with the puppy; they’re pinning him with twin puppy-dog stares. Oh, bugger them both. “Alfred, he has toilet paper stuck to his paw.”
Alfred blinks and looks down. “Aw, come on, Moony! How am I supposed to defend you against Sherlock here if you don’t dispose of all the incriminating evidence?”
Moonshine barks playfully and licks Alfred’s cheek in response. “You dirty liar, you tried to pin this crime on Oliver when you knew it was this little ruffian.”
Alfred shrugs with a teasing grin. “Who do you think had to clean up all that toilet paper?”
Arthur crosses his arms, but struggles to keep the smirk off his face and the disapproving frown on. “So you just let him get away with it?”
“Well, he had it all stuck around him and kept chasing a loose piece around in a circle, so I figured any case we could build against him would just get dismissed on an insanity plea.” Arthur really can’t help the laugh that escapes him.
“You’re hopeless. You’re going to let him become some kind of devil dog that never behaves!”
“Nah, I did give him a little scolding, let him know it was bad, kept him in the kitchen while I cleaned up. He feels really bad about it, can’t you tell? So beat up over it.” Alfred grins and waves his hands at Moonshine, who had decided they were entirely too boring for him and was now attacking a stuffed squirrel with a squeaker inside. “Practically in tears. We figured if you thought Lardball did it, then he’d be spared guilt from your disappointment, which is pretty bad, you know.”
Alfred gets back to his feet and grins warmly at Arthur, who continues to chuckle and doesn’t bother to correct Alfred’s nickname for the cat, even though he hates it. They’re teasing each other, exchanging playful banter back and forth; Arthur can’t remember the last time they’ve done this. His laughs die out eventually, but his smile remains and so does Alfred’s stare.
“I have heard it’s frightful to be subjected to.” No ‘well you would know’ or something equally scathing that would’ve left his lips a week ago if Alfred had made that same comment. But then, Alfred would’ve said it meaner, crueler, implying all sorts of things in so few words-his smile softens a little and he reaches out to touch at Alfred’s shoulder. “How was um-your day went all right, then?”
“Meh, school is school, even if you’re basically doing all your own stuff and grading undergrads. It’s better now, though. Yours?”
Arthur nods and looks down from the earnest, soulful eyes. “Mine too.”
*****
“You don’t need to clean those up. It’s my night, I think, I just haven’t had time to get to it today but I can-”
“It’s not going to get done otherwise, so no, I’ll just do it.”
Sharp inhale and then quick words. “You know what, fine. Whatever, I have papers to grade and schematics to work on. I probably would use the wrong soap or put the stuff in the wrong cabinets anyway.”
The door to the extra room they use as a study slams shut, rattles the pictures on the wall a little. Just enough to notice. Deep breath, exhale, and turn back to scrubbing. Moonshine whines a little from the living room and it sends wracks of hot, biting guilt through his gut. He still needs to go out on a walk, probably hasn’t been played with much today; Wednesdays are always terrible for them. He finishes the dishes and leaves them to air dry before wiping his hands and grabbing the leash from the side drawer. His hands feel like they may be shaking, but a quick look shows him that they’re still steady-he takes a deep breath and heads down the hallway.
Moonshine gives a couple of eager barks and follows him down to the study, the door still shut. Quick glance down, deep breath to quell the bitter taste of courage and regret, and gives a knock.
“It’s open.” He pushes the door open after turning the handle and stares at his back; he doesn’t bother to turn around, not a great sign. But, he could’ve ignored him knocking, so he plows forward.
“I-was wondering if you wanted to take Moony on a walk.”
“Despite what you may think, I was able to take him out today a little earlier. He hasn’t been cooped up all day.”
“I meant take him on a walk, with me. Together.” Oh brilliant; and eloquence is supposed to be his strong suit. “We-we could find a park he may like. I didn’t mean to imply that you didn’t-that you were-I didn’t mean it like that.”
His back stiffens, whether in surprise or anger, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know anything half of the time anymore-but maybe it’s time he tries to change that. He turns around in his chair, his face still hurt behind the glasses, but eyeing the leash in Arthur’s hand in contemplation. They stare at each other in silence, only Moonshine’s impatient whines and yips punctuating the quiet, until Alfred nods his head and gets up. Arthur’s stomach unclenches; funny, he hadn’t known it was tied up in knots until now. He walks over to Arthur and takes the leash from his hand, not really smiling at him, but his eyes hold a sort of forgiveness that’s better than any bright and empty smile he could’ve given. Alfred clips on the leash into Moonshine’s collar and heads out the door, holding out his free hand for Arthur to take.
“You coming? You wanted to go now, right?”
Arthur doesn’t move for a moment, but then nods, and takes Alfred’s hand as they walk out the door. “Yes.”
A leash acting as the proverbial olive branch; he supposes stranger things could’ve been used.
*****
Moonshine isn’t a quite used to his new home yet, which is just as well, since Arthur is sure he’s still getting used to him. Alfred is doing much better at adjusting to a puppy than he is, but Alfred’s had dogs for most of his youth; Arthur has not.
It’s not that Arthur is unhappy or put out at having Moonshine there, because he isn’t. The puppy’s already worked himself deep into Arthur’s heart and he’s only been with them for six days, nearly a week. But, Arthur has never had a dog before, and he’s realizing how much different owning a dog is compared to owning a cat - even a cat who acts like Oliver does. It’s more work, for one thing. Moonshine has to be let out to do his business a few times a day, and Alfred’s set up a schedule for taking him on walks twice a day. He needs more attention than Oliver does, and he’s more vocal if he doesn’t get said attention. Alfred took responsibility over training him and teaching him different tricks or commands, but he’s still a puppy and wont to get into trouble, which means actively punishing him to correct bad behavior. Arthur hasn’t had a full night’s sleep since Moonshine’s been there, either, and it’s starting to wear on him.
Owning a cat is easy with a few tedious chores; owning a puppy is exhausting.
He’s up again that night, stroking the soft fur between Moonshine’s ears in the kitchen, only the soft light from the hallway on. He’s tired, for a multitude of reasons, but sitting on the cool kitchen tile, leaning against the cabinets with Moonshine’s head in his lap, his legs curled up underneath his body, feels good. Relaxing, almost. He’s humming quietly and Moonshine is sleeping-Arthur isn’t sure if Moonshine’s whimpering woke him or if he just needed an excuse to leave the bed. Probably a bit of both. He closes his eyes, but sleep still escapes him; he is sitting on the floor, though, not lying in bed, so that doesn’t surprise him much. Still, it feels nice to close his eyes and rest, especially after the long week. Adding a puppy to their lives the same week he has an important deadline due for an article wasn’t the best idea, and the stress builds up.
“Hey.”
Arthur blinks his eyes open and meets Alfred’s stare. There’s a little bit of concern there, hidden within the blue.
“Hallo.” He keeps his voice down for Moonshine’s sake, though the puppy looks dead to the world and speaking up probably won’t wake him.
“What are you doing in here? I rolled over and you were gone. Your side’s all cold.”
Arthur shrugs because he can’t think of a better answer. “He gets lonely out here on his own. He whines a bit-he usually gets to sleep if someone’s with him for a little while.”
Alfred continues to stare for a few moments longer, long enough to make Arthur a little uncomfortable and look away, and then swings a leg over the crate barrier. He’s off balance and clumsier than usual in his sleepy state and Arthur feels like grinning a little watching him. Only when Alfred’s not looking, though-they’d fought again that day, over something stupid, as per usual. Always something stupid. They’re both on edge and not handling it well, hence why Arthur is sitting in their kitchen until Moonshine stops his whimpering.
“You’ve been coming in here every night, uh? That’s why you’ve been so-so grouchy in the morning. You’re not getting enough sleep.”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing-I didn’t want to wake you.”
Alfred frowns and sits down next to Arthur, pressing close against his side and reaching across him to pet at Moonshine as well. Their hands brush over one another’s as they pet. “You shouldn’t have done it every night.”
“You take care of him during the day. I don’t mind.”
Alfred laughs and it’s a gentle sound against Arthur’s ear. “Of course you don’t mind, look at him! He’s so fucking cute it hurts, and he knows it.”
Moonshine chooses that moment to start twitching in his sleep, paws moving spasmodically as if he was chasing after something. Arthur smiles and slows down his strokes. “He’s not used to the apartment yet-I want him to feel comfortable and safe.”
“Aw, I don’t know, he seems fine to me.”
“I’ve been sitting with him for close to an hour, of course he’s fine now.”
“And I bet he was fine before, but if he knows he gets special Arthur time at night with a little whining, I wouldn’t be surprised if he, you know, exaggerated a bit. He’s a smart little guy, I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Arthur snorts but doesn’t deny the words-he’s probably right. Moonshine had stopped whining the moment Arthur appeared; it hadn’t been like the first night, where it took a while for him to settle down. “You should go back to bed.”
Alfred stays quiet for a moment before grabbing Arthur’s hand and pulling it away from Moonshine. “I will, if you come with me. You’re going to get horrible back pains if you stay here on the floor.”
Heated and low, that’s how Alfred’s words hit Arthur and it sends a shiver down his spine-he can’t remember the last time they spoke to one another like that. Too long, and he turns into them without thinking, mind too tired from sleep deprivation to worry over the words and wonder if it’s all right to do so without addressing uglier words from earlier. He nods and lets Alfred help him to his feet, too stiff to get up on his own after sitting on the floor for so long. Alfred’s hand is just as warm as his words, and Arthur wonders if he’s just a little bit punch-drunk from his midnight wanderings. He climbs over the crate barrier and Moonshine continues to sleep on the floor, feet twitching and chasing in his dream world.
“I-it’s really cool - that you sit with him, at night I mean.” Arthur turns into Alfred’s voice as they walk back to their room. “But, you don’t have to do that every night. I can help, too, if he gets really fussy. Just, push me or something, if he wakes you up and not me.”
They lay back down, still touching, almost holding, and Arthur doesn’t want to admit that he doesn’t mind checking on Moonshine, even if sleep deprivation is the result. He hums and turns toward Alfred, his eyes just barely able to make out his shape in the dark of their room; he rests the fingertips of his other hand against Alfred’s chest and feels the heartbeat like a lullaby, ba-dump ba-dump, soft and strong. Alfred’s looking at him in the dark, too, he can feel it; it doesn’t make him squirm like it might have in another light. He exhales and curls in closer, close enough that he feels Alfred’s chin brush against the top of his head. “We can trade off-go to sleep, it’s still early.”
It’s anyone’s guess whether those words are actually coherent or not, Arthur thinks he may be slurring a little as sleep finally starts to take over. Alfred tightens his hand just a little, though, so he understands enough. “Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”
Arthur loves it when Alfred calls him that.
Next Chapter