Five Weeks aka How Long it Takes a Puppy to Change Everything 3/6
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'm a little surprised, and disheartened, with the lack of enthusiasm going around with this year's exchange, but I'm happy the few of you who are commenting are enjoying! I hope I can continue to live up to your lovely words!
Previous Chapter
Five Weeks
aka How Long it Takes for a Puppy to Change EverythingWeek Two
“Moony! Quit tugging on the leash - he won’t stop tugging on the leash!” Arthur looks at Alfred in frustration as he tries to bring Moonshine to heel for what has to be the sixth time already. It’s starting to get ridiculous and Arthur wants to wipe the smug expression right off Alfred’s face. He makes this look so easy; why the hell won’t the bloody dog listen to him?
“You’re not being strict enough, which is something I never thought I’d say.” Arthur scowls at the dumbfounded look Alfred adopts before elbowing him. Or, tries to elbow him; Moonshine tugs hard off the paved walkway towards a tree at that moment and Arthur ends up just sort of brushing Alfred’s side with his elbow. “You’re just letting him go wherever he wants.”
Arthur sighs and struggles back over to Alfred’s side; Moonshine starts sniffing the sidewalk enthusiastically, abandoning the tree that had captured his attention before. “I’m sorry, I thought that walking him in the park implied that he would get to look where he wants.”
Alfred laughs, but it’s full of affection and he looks at Arthur like he’s learning something he never knew before. “Oh God, you’re such a puppy-virgin!”
“Ex-excuse me?”
“You can totally tell you’ve never had a dog before, it’s hilarious!” Alfred leans in close and settles his hand over Arthur’s on the leash. “Here, just follow my lead, ok?”
Arthur nods and tries not to think about how Alfred’s breath smells like the burger he just ate, or how much he doesn’t mind that his breath smells like burgers. Normally, it annoys him, Alfred’s eating habits, but right now it doesn’t. The last few days have been good, like Arthur remembers before they stopped talking. It’s a little awkward walking with Alfred’s hands over his, their legs touching with every step they take; Arthur’s reminded of a three-legged race, and he smiles to himself before focusing back on Alfred’s instructions.
“Ok, now, he’s a little guy, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take some force. Wrap your hand around the leash, like this,” Alfred loops the leash around Arthur’s wrist once before settling his hand back on top of his. “This way, you have more control and it’s easier to keep him from running off. Now, if he tries to tug against the leash, you want to square your feet, like this, and use his name to bring him back over. If he needs a little encouragement, tug him back with a little bit of pressure until he’s looking over at you; it’s not yanking and it won’t hurt him, even if he whines at you. If all else fails, I’ll wrap the leash in my grip until I’m level with him and show him to heel that way. He’s pretty good, though; he’s just messing with you because he knows he can.”
Alfred steps away and lets go of his hand with a small, supporting grin. He’s waiting for Arthur to follow his advice, doesn’t want to swoop in and take over like he normally does when he knows how to do something better than someone else. Alfred’s hero complex is both endearing and aggravating, depending on the situation and Arthur’s mood. Moonshine scampers off after a movement in a bush and Arthur squares his feet quickly, holds onto the leash firm and doesn’t give when Moonshine pulls and whines at the restriction. “Moony… Moonshine.”
Two chocolate warm eyes turn back to meet him after a few moments of tug o’ war. “Come back.”
“Use ‘heel.’ I‘ve been using that and he responds to it; German Shepherds are really good at following commands, but you want to be consistent.”
Arthur nods. “Moonshine, heel.”
It takes a few moments, but Moonshine does what he’s told eventually. He trots back over to the path and stops in front of Arthur’s feet, looking up with a puppy-grin and wagging his tail. Arthur crouches down and rubs at his fur affectionately, smiling down at the puppy in fondness. “That’s a good lad, Moony.”
Moonshine’s tongue lolls out in happiness and he licks at Arthur’s hands until he stands back up; Alfred’s looking at him, and it’s so tender, Arthur feels his throat constrict just a tiny bit. He cocks his head to the side and starts walking down the path again, Moonshine walking happily beside him and Alfred falling into step on the other side. “Something like that, then?”
“Yeah, something like that.” His hand reaches out and grabs Arthur’s. Arthur smiles before looking forward again, his hand tightening around Alfred’s instinctually. It’s not forced, the air and moment between them, and Arthur has to bite at his cheek to keep the goofy smile from forming. Maybe they aren’t talking like they need to, still skirting around each other when they shouldn’t, but they’re also noticing each other again, picking out the little quirks and details that had gotten lost before. Moonshine barks at a leaf in the wind, and Arthur tightens his hold on either side.
*****
“You really shouldn’t feed him scraps, Alfred.”
“It’s little pieces of cooked chicken, it’s fine. Stop worrying so much, he deserves a little treat for being such a brave guy at the vet’s office today. Weren’t you, Moony-boy? Yes you were, you hardly squirmed or whined at all when they kept sticking you with all those nasty shots.” Arthur is loath to admit it, but Alfred’s puppy-talk to Moonshine is strangely charming; he can’t help the soft smile and doesn’t quite lock it away in time for Alfred not to notice. “What?”
“Nothing. Are you sure that’s all right?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m only giving him little pieces and it’s not seasoned with anything. I promise, it’s not gonna hurt him.”
Arthur nods and watches him feed Moonshine a few more small pieces of chicken. Oliver wanders over, which surprises no one because where there is food, there is Oliver, and meows plaintively up at Alfred. Moonshine glances over for a moment to take in Oliver before turning his full attention back to Alfred, tongue lolling out and letting out soft, adorable little noises. Alfred gives another piece of chicken to Moonshine before he straightens up in his chair; Arthur rolls his eyes and gives him a disapproving look. “So you’re just going to ignore Oliver? That hardly seems fair, after giving all those scraps to Moonshine.”
“Lardball doesn’t need any more food. I’m trying to discourage his begging ways.”
“By encouraging another to start?” Alfred has the good grace to blush a little as Arthur quirks his lips up in a smirk.
“That’s not-I mean I’m just-whatever.”
“I suddenly understand why all the dogs at your parents’ home sit on whatever couch they want and all beg around the dinner table.” Arthur grins and clicks his tongue a few times to get Oliver’s attention. The cat perks up and waddles over immediately, bushy tail curling back and forth as he looks up hopefully at Arthur. He breaks off a small piece of chicken and feeds it to the cat, keeping a firm eye on Moonshine to make sure he doesn’t try to bowl Oliver out of the way for the chicken. He’s seen the retrievers at the Joneses’; he doesn’t put it past Moonshine to muscle poor Oliver out of the way for the scrap-even if Oliver is nearly the same size as the puppy.
“Yeah, yeah. Maybe we can just put it in his food dish or something. And get Lardball on a diet.” Alfred grins and pushes around the peas on his plate. “Kind of speaking of my parents, they uh, they wanted to know if we’re going back home for Thanksgiving this year.”
“It’s August, Alfred.” Arthur feels something loosen in his stomach a little, a worry he hadn’t even been aware he had. They hadn’t talked about the holidays at all recently, not even the small ones-it’s a big deal that Alfred is bringing them up now.
“Yeah, I know, but you know how they are. So, uhm, what did you want me to tell them?”
Arthur meets Alfred’s nervous gaze across the table and reaches out to grab his hand. He gives it a brief squeeze before settling back against his chair and looking back down at his chicken as he cuts off a bite-sized piece. “That’d be lovely.”
Arthur doesn’t need to look up to know that Alfred’s smiling.
*****
Arthur is playing tug-o-war with Moonshine in the front room, but it’s not with any of the toys or play ropes they’ve bought him. No, it’s with a pair of Arthur’s socks. Well, really just one sock of the pair; Arthur’s wearing the other one. He’s not running late for work quite yet, but he’s heading that way and he really doesn’t want to get another pair of trouser socks. He likes the black ones, they go well with the dark blue slacks and the black button down he has on; they also don’t bunch at the bottom after a full day of walking because Arthur is just too damn young to contemplate wearing sock garters, but he hates the bunching.
Unfortunately, he’s not winning the battle for his sock.
“Moonshine! Bloody dog, give that here!” Moonshine clamps down tighter on the sock and raises his backside high in the air, playfully growling at Arthur despite the frustration beginning to mount. “Moonshine, bad dog, bad! Give me the bloody sock!”
Arthur makes a grab for it, but Moonshine scampers away and down the hall. “Fiend! You’re getting locked in the kitchen for this!”
Arthur is stomping down the hall and towards the office when Alfred walks out to meet him, a squirming puppy under one arm and a slobbery sock in the other. Arthur can tell he’s struggling not to smile; he’s failing terribly. “I think this is yours?”
Arthur snatches the sock out of Alfred’s hand and glares at the wet patches and the saliva; there’s no way he can put that sock on his foot, no matter how much he likes the socks. It needs to be washed-he turns the glare on Moonshine and then Alfred in turn. Alfred chuckles and adjusts his hold on Moonshine, who’s whining pitifully and unhappy with his current predicament. Arthur refuses to soften and feel sympathy for the mutt; he absolutely refuses.
“So, good thing he didn’t chew any holes, right? I mean, he ruined that one slipper of mine last week but-I mean, you just got to wash this and it’ll be fine.”
“These are my favorite dress socks.”
“I know-they don’t bunch, right?”
“And that thief stole it right out of my hand.”
“But it’s not ruined! Highlight the positive!”
“And now I need to wear a pair of the knobby black dress socks your friend Gilbert gave me for my birthday this year, which do bunch, because your dog massacred the good pair.” Alfred’s not even trying to hide his smile now; instead, he’s biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
“I know you’re kind of annoyed right now, and he’s your dog, too, even when he’s misbehaving, but can I just say that you’re sort of adorable walking around and glaring with only one sock on and your tie all half done?” Arthur blinks at Alfred and starts to flush a little at the words, at the blatant admiration and affection shining through from behind Alfred’s glasses.
“That’s-well clearly it’s just-”
Alfred grins and steps close, completely ignoring Moonshine’s struggles and leaning in to kiss Arthur quick and hard on the mouth. “Yeah, I know. I’ll wash them today and make sure this guy stays away from temptation.”
He leans in and kisses him again and Arthur feels heat pool in his stomach from the simple touch; he wonders how long it’s been since he and Alfred kissed in the morning, or kissed with more emotion than what is needed for perfunctory greetings. A groan slips from him as Alfred moves away, which really just results in Alfred dropping Moonshine to the ground and wrapping Arthur up close. Arthur meets him, wrapping his arms around Alfred’s neck even though he’s still holding the slobbery sock. “I’m going to be late…”
“Blame it on the puppy.”
Arthur can’t help but grin into Alfred’s mouth.
*****
“Today was good, right?” Arthur glances over at Alfred from where he’s reading on the couch. Alfred’s got the television on but isn’t paying much attention to whatever show is playing. Instead, Alfred’s sitting on the floor and petting Moonshine softly as the puppy gnaws and chews on a Kong toy they stuffed with some peanut butter, his eyes far away and troubled. “I mean, the training class went really well with Moony, and it was nice going to the park afterwards. We haven’t seen Elizaveta and Gilbert for a while.”
“You saw them last weekend. I saw Elizaveta at work yesterday.”
“I mean together. We haven’t seen them together in a while. Both of us, not them because, just yeah. Am I making any sense?”
Arthur sets aside his book and takes off his reading glasses, glancing quickly as Oliver hops onto the couch next to him and goes belly-up. Arthur scratches the tummy distractedly. “Not really, no.”
“I just-I mean, aside from us doing stuff with Moonshine lately, we haven’t done a lot of stuff together for a while.” Alfred looks so painfully sincere and vulnerable that Arthur feels a swell of guilt for the observation, which is ridiculous because it takes two to not hang out together. “It was nice, you know, today when we met up with Liz, Gil, and Maximus after puppy class. It was good for Moony, too, spending time with another dog, even if Maximus isn’t the brightest Great Dane of the litter. But yeah, hanging out together again was pretty nice.”
Like a couple goes unsaid, but Arthur hears it. He doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t want to say the wrong thing and have everything go balls up, because Alfred’s right. Today had been nice; Arthur doesn’t want to ruin it. “It-it was, nice, that is.”
“Yeah. Do you-why do you think that is? That we haven’t really hung out, I mean.”
“Our schedules or-or-” Arthur finds he doesn’t have another throwaway reason in his arsenal. He only has the truth, which is something they’ve both become experts at avoiding. The words were out of him before he could think better of it. “Or the fact that we probably haven’t wanted to.”
Alfred laughs, surprisingly enough, and leans back a little against the other couch, his neck extending back to expose the swell of his Adam’s apple. Arthur had expected a frown or a hurt response at the very least, not laughter; true, the laughter isn’t exactly ‘funny haha’ sort of laughter, but it is still leaning towards amused. “Or that.”
“I’m sorry, but why the blazes are you laughing?” Arthur wants to sound angry, but mostly he just sounds confused to his own ears. “I just commented on the fact that we’d rather not spend time together and you laugh?”
“I know but-it’s kind of nice, you know? Getting it out there? I mean, we spend all our time tiptoeing around the fact that we’re a little fucked up it just makes everything worse and actually getting it out there-well, it’s kind liberating.” Alfred shakes his head and smiles at Arthur, meets his eyes and shrugs his shoulders before getting up from the floor and walking over. He scoots Oliver off to the side, which earns him an unamused look from the cat, and sits down next to Arthur, resting his elbow on the back of the couch. Moonshine keeps going at the Kong toy on the other side of the room, little grunts and high-pitched growls drifting over to them occasionally.
“And you think that’s a good thing?”
“I think it’s a better thing than ignoring each other and keeping it all inside until one of us starts yelling all irrationally because of day old dishes.” Alfred smiles ruefully at Arthur, passively reminding him of their fight a week ago. “We don’t really talk much anymore and maybe-maybe that’s part of the problem.”
It is; maybe not talking along with living together, getting used to each other’s habits, and trying to reconcile that they are heading towards a type of commitment that is, frankly, terrifying is making everything worse. Making them worse. Arthur doesn’t know how to say any of this though; he’s always been absolute shit at this sort of thing. His brothers will certainly attest to that, along with the string of exes left behind in England. So, he settles for a sad sort of smile that feels more like a grimace and rests his hand against Alfred’s leg-Alfred sighs but doesn’t press. He doesn’t know how to say anything, either; what a pair they’re turning out to be.
Moonshine has noticed he’s been abandoned and hurries over to them, Kong forgotten on the floor, leaving Oliver to sniff and lick away any peanut butter remnants. Moonshine’s smiling the only way a puppy can and places his paws on the couch in between their bodies; he hesitates for only a moment, obviously expecting one of them to push him off, before hopping up to join them, settling comfortably in the wedge between them. Alfred laughs and ruffles his ears and fur and Arthur pets down his back in smooth, measured strokes.
“We’ll never be able to get him off the couches now.”
“Meh, the couches are crap anyway.”
They share a small, private look that says and hides so much, and return their attention to Moonshine. He’s much more pleasant to focus on anyway.
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'm a little surprised, and disheartened, with the lack of enthusiasm going around with this year's exchange, but I'm happy the few of you who are commenting are enjoying! I hope I can continue to live up to your lovely words!
Previous Chapter
Five Weeks
aka How Long it Takes for a Puppy to Change EverythingWeek Two
“Moony! Quit tugging on the leash - he won’t stop tugging on the leash!” Arthur looks at Alfred in frustration as he tries to bring Moonshine to heel for what has to be the sixth time already. It’s starting to get ridiculous and Arthur wants to wipe the smug expression right off Alfred’s face. He makes this look so easy; why the hell won’t the bloody dog listen to him?
“You’re not being strict enough, which is something I never thought I’d say.” Arthur scowls at the dumbfounded look Alfred adopts before elbowing him. Or, tries to elbow him; Moonshine tugs hard off the paved walkway towards a tree at that moment and Arthur ends up just sort of brushing Alfred’s side with his elbow. “You’re just letting him go wherever he wants.”
Arthur sighs and struggles back over to Alfred’s side; Moonshine starts sniffing the sidewalk enthusiastically, abandoning the tree that had captured his attention before. “I’m sorry, I thought that walking him in the park implied that he would get to look where he wants.”
Alfred laughs, but it’s full of affection and he looks at Arthur like he’s learning something he never knew before. “Oh God, you’re such a puppy-virgin!”
“Ex-excuse me?”
“You can totally tell you’ve never had a dog before, it’s hilarious!” Alfred leans in close and settles his hand over Arthur’s on the leash. “Here, just follow my lead, ok?”
Arthur nods and tries not to think about how Alfred’s breath smells like the burger he just ate, or how much he doesn’t mind that his breath smells like burgers. Normally, it annoys him, Alfred’s eating habits, but right now it doesn’t. The last few days have been good, like Arthur remembers before they stopped talking. It’s a little awkward walking with Alfred’s hands over his, their legs touching with every step they take; Arthur’s reminded of a three-legged race, and he smiles to himself before focusing back on Alfred’s instructions.
“Ok, now, he’s a little guy, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take some force. Wrap your hand around the leash, like this,” Alfred loops the leash around Arthur’s wrist once before settling his hand back on top of his. “This way, you have more control and it’s easier to keep him from running off. Now, if he tries to tug against the leash, you want to square your feet, like this, and use his name to bring him back over. If he needs a little encouragement, tug him back with a little bit of pressure until he’s looking over at you; it’s not yanking and it won’t hurt him, even if he whines at you. If all else fails, I’ll wrap the leash in my grip until I’m level with him and show him to heel that way. He’s pretty good, though; he’s just messing with you because he knows he can.”
Alfred steps away and lets go of his hand with a small, supporting grin. He’s waiting for Arthur to follow his advice, doesn’t want to swoop in and take over like he normally does when he knows how to do something better than someone else. Alfred’s hero complex is both endearing and aggravating, depending on the situation and Arthur’s mood. Moonshine scampers off after a movement in a bush and Arthur squares his feet quickly, holds onto the leash firm and doesn’t give when Moonshine pulls and whines at the restriction. “Moony… Moonshine.”
Two chocolate warm eyes turn back to meet him after a few moments of tug o’ war. “Come back.”
“Use ‘heel.’ I‘ve been using that and he responds to it; German Shepherds are really good at following commands, but you want to be consistent.”
Arthur nods. “Moonshine, heel.”
It takes a few moments, but Moonshine does what he’s told eventually. He trots back over to the path and stops in front of Arthur’s feet, looking up with a puppy-grin and wagging his tail. Arthur crouches down and rubs at his fur affectionately, smiling down at the puppy in fondness. “That’s a good lad, Moony.”
Moonshine’s tongue lolls out in happiness and he licks at Arthur’s hands until he stands back up; Alfred’s looking at him, and it’s so tender, Arthur feels his throat constrict just a tiny bit. He cocks his head to the side and starts walking down the path again, Moonshine walking happily beside him and Alfred falling into step on the other side. “Something like that, then?”
“Yeah, something like that.” His hand reaches out and grabs Arthur’s. Arthur smiles before looking forward again, his hand tightening around Alfred’s instinctually. It’s not forced, the air and moment between them, and Arthur has to bite at his cheek to keep the goofy smile from forming. Maybe they aren’t talking like they need to, still skirting around each other when they shouldn’t, but they’re also noticing each other again, picking out the little quirks and details that had gotten lost before. Moonshine barks at a leaf in the wind, and Arthur tightens his hold on either side.
*****
“You really shouldn’t feed him scraps, Alfred.”
“It’s little pieces of cooked chicken, it’s fine. Stop worrying so much, he deserves a little treat for being such a brave guy at the vet’s office today. Weren’t you, Moony-boy? Yes you were, you hardly squirmed or whined at all when they kept sticking you with all those nasty shots.” Arthur is loath to admit it, but Alfred’s puppy-talk to Moonshine is strangely charming; he can’t help the soft smile and doesn’t quite lock it away in time for Alfred not to notice. “What?”
“Nothing. Are you sure that’s all right?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m only giving him little pieces and it’s not seasoned with anything. I promise, it’s not gonna hurt him.”
Arthur nods and watches him feed Moonshine a few more small pieces of chicken. Oliver wanders over, which surprises no one because where there is food, there is Oliver, and meows plaintively up at Alfred. Moonshine glances over for a moment to take in Oliver before turning his full attention back to Alfred, tongue lolling out and letting out soft, adorable little noises. Alfred gives another piece of chicken to Moonshine before he straightens up in his chair; Arthur rolls his eyes and gives him a disapproving look. “So you’re just going to ignore Oliver? That hardly seems fair, after giving all those scraps to Moonshine.”
“Lardball doesn’t need any more food. I’m trying to discourage his begging ways.”
“By encouraging another to start?” Alfred has the good grace to blush a little as Arthur quirks his lips up in a smirk.
“That’s not-I mean I’m just-whatever.”
“I suddenly understand why all the dogs at your parents’ home sit on whatever couch they want and all beg around the dinner table.” Arthur grins and clicks his tongue a few times to get Oliver’s attention. The cat perks up and waddles over immediately, bushy tail curling back and forth as he looks up hopefully at Arthur. He breaks off a small piece of chicken and feeds it to the cat, keeping a firm eye on Moonshine to make sure he doesn’t try to bowl Oliver out of the way for the chicken. He’s seen the retrievers at the Joneses’; he doesn’t put it past Moonshine to muscle poor Oliver out of the way for the scrap-even if Oliver is nearly the same size as the puppy.
“Yeah, yeah. Maybe we can just put it in his food dish or something. And get Lardball on a diet.” Alfred grins and pushes around the peas on his plate. “Kind of speaking of my parents, they uh, they wanted to know if we’re going back home for Thanksgiving this year.”
“It’s August, Alfred.” Arthur feels something loosen in his stomach a little, a worry he hadn’t even been aware he had. They hadn’t talked about the holidays at all recently, not even the small ones-it’s a big deal that Alfred is bringing them up now.
“Yeah, I know, but you know how they are. So, uhm, what did you want me to tell them?”
Arthur meets Alfred’s nervous gaze across the table and reaches out to grab his hand. He gives it a brief squeeze before settling back against his chair and looking back down at his chicken as he cuts off a bite-sized piece. “That’d be lovely.”
Arthur doesn’t need to look up to know that Alfred’s smiling.
*****
Arthur is playing tug-o-war with Moonshine in the front room, but it’s not with any of the toys or play ropes they’ve bought him. No, it’s with a pair of Arthur’s socks. Well, really just one sock of the pair; Arthur’s wearing the other one. He’s not running late for work quite yet, but he’s heading that way and he really doesn’t want to get another pair of trouser socks. He likes the black ones, they go well with the dark blue slacks and the black button down he has on; they also don’t bunch at the bottom after a full day of walking because Arthur is just too damn young to contemplate wearing sock garters, but he hates the bunching.
Unfortunately, he’s not winning the battle for his sock.
“Moonshine! Bloody dog, give that here!” Moonshine clamps down tighter on the sock and raises his backside high in the air, playfully growling at Arthur despite the frustration beginning to mount. “Moonshine, bad dog, bad! Give me the bloody sock!”
Arthur makes a grab for it, but Moonshine scampers away and down the hall. “Fiend! You’re getting locked in the kitchen for this!”
Arthur is stomping down the hall and towards the office when Alfred walks out to meet him, a squirming puppy under one arm and a slobbery sock in the other. Arthur can tell he’s struggling not to smile; he’s failing terribly. “I think this is yours?”
Arthur snatches the sock out of Alfred’s hand and glares at the wet patches and the saliva; there’s no way he can put that sock on his foot, no matter how much he likes the socks. It needs to be washed-he turns the glare on Moonshine and then Alfred in turn. Alfred chuckles and adjusts his hold on Moonshine, who’s whining pitifully and unhappy with his current predicament. Arthur refuses to soften and feel sympathy for the mutt; he absolutely refuses.
“So, good thing he didn’t chew any holes, right? I mean, he ruined that one slipper of mine last week but-I mean, you just got to wash this and it’ll be fine.”
“These are my favorite dress socks.”
“I know-they don’t bunch, right?”
“And that thief stole it right out of my hand.”
“But it’s not ruined! Highlight the positive!”
“And now I need to wear a pair of the knobby black dress socks your friend Gilbert gave me for my birthday this year, which do bunch, because your dog massacred the good pair.” Alfred’s not even trying to hide his smile now; instead, he’s biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
“I know you’re kind of annoyed right now, and he’s your dog, too, even when he’s misbehaving, but can I just say that you’re sort of adorable walking around and glaring with only one sock on and your tie all half done?” Arthur blinks at Alfred and starts to flush a little at the words, at the blatant admiration and affection shining through from behind Alfred’s glasses.
“That’s-well clearly it’s just-”
Alfred grins and steps close, completely ignoring Moonshine’s struggles and leaning in to kiss Arthur quick and hard on the mouth. “Yeah, I know. I’ll wash them today and make sure this guy stays away from temptation.”
He leans in and kisses him again and Arthur feels heat pool in his stomach from the simple touch; he wonders how long it’s been since he and Alfred kissed in the morning, or kissed with more emotion than what is needed for perfunctory greetings. A groan slips from him as Alfred moves away, which really just results in Alfred dropping Moonshine to the ground and wrapping Arthur up close. Arthur meets him, wrapping his arms around Alfred’s neck even though he’s still holding the slobbery sock. “I’m going to be late…”
“Blame it on the puppy.”
Arthur can’t help but grin into Alfred’s mouth.
*****
“Today was good, right?” Arthur glances over at Alfred from where he’s reading on the couch. Alfred’s got the television on but isn’t paying much attention to whatever show is playing. Instead, Alfred’s sitting on the floor and petting Moonshine softly as the puppy gnaws and chews on a Kong toy they stuffed with some peanut butter, his eyes far away and troubled. “I mean, the training class went really well with Moony, and it was nice going to the park afterwards. We haven’t seen Elizaveta and Gilbert for a while.”
“You saw them last weekend. I saw Elizaveta at work yesterday.”
“I mean together. We haven’t seen them together in a while. Both of us, not them because, just yeah. Am I making any sense?”
Arthur sets aside his book and takes off his reading glasses, glancing quickly as Oliver hops onto the couch next to him and goes belly-up. Arthur scratches the tummy distractedly. “Not really, no.”
“I just-I mean, aside from us doing stuff with Moonshine lately, we haven’t done a lot of stuff together for a while.” Alfred looks so painfully sincere and vulnerable that Arthur feels a swell of guilt for the observation, which is ridiculous because it takes two to not hang out together. “It was nice, you know, today when we met up with Liz, Gil, and Maximus after puppy class. It was good for Moony, too, spending time with another dog, even if Maximus isn’t the brightest Great Dane of the litter. But yeah, hanging out together again was pretty nice.”
Like a couple goes unsaid, but Arthur hears it. He doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t want to say the wrong thing and have everything go balls up, because Alfred’s right. Today had been nice; Arthur doesn’t want to ruin it. “It-it was, nice, that is.”
“Yeah. Do you-why do you think that is? That we haven’t really hung out, I mean.”
“Our schedules or-or-” Arthur finds he doesn’t have another throwaway reason in his arsenal. He only has the truth, which is something they’ve both become experts at avoiding. The words were out of him before he could think better of it. “Or the fact that we probably haven’t wanted to.”
Alfred laughs, surprisingly enough, and leans back a little against the other couch, his neck extending back to expose the swell of his Adam’s apple. Arthur had expected a frown or a hurt response at the very least, not laughter; true, the laughter isn’t exactly ‘funny haha’ sort of laughter, but it is still leaning towards amused. “Or that.”
“I’m sorry, but why the blazes are you laughing?” Arthur wants to sound angry, but mostly he just sounds confused to his own ears. “I just commented on the fact that we’d rather not spend time together and you laugh?”
“I know but-it’s kind of nice, you know? Getting it out there? I mean, we spend all our time tiptoeing around the fact that we’re a little fucked up it just makes everything worse and actually getting it out there-well, it’s kind liberating.” Alfred shakes his head and smiles at Arthur, meets his eyes and shrugs his shoulders before getting up from the floor and walking over. He scoots Oliver off to the side, which earns him an unamused look from the cat, and sits down next to Arthur, resting his elbow on the back of the couch. Moonshine keeps going at the Kong toy on the other side of the room, little grunts and high-pitched growls drifting over to them occasionally.
“And you think that’s a good thing?”
“I think it’s a better thing than ignoring each other and keeping it all inside until one of us starts yelling all irrationally because of day old dishes.” Alfred smiles ruefully at Arthur, passively reminding him of their fight a week ago. “We don’t really talk much anymore and maybe-maybe that’s part of the problem.”
It is; maybe not talking along with living together, getting used to each other’s habits, and trying to reconcile that they are heading towards a type of commitment that is, frankly, terrifying is making everything worse. Making them worse. Arthur doesn’t know how to say any of this though; he’s always been absolute shit at this sort of thing. His brothers will certainly attest to that, along with the string of exes left behind in England. So, he settles for a sad sort of smile that feels more like a grimace and rests his hand against Alfred’s leg-Alfred sighs but doesn’t press. He doesn’t know how to say anything, either; what a pair they’re turning out to be.
Moonshine has noticed he’s been abandoned and hurries over to them, Kong forgotten on the floor, leaving Oliver to sniff and lick away any peanut butter remnants. Moonshine’s smiling the only way a puppy can and places his paws on the couch in between their bodies; he hesitates for only a moment, obviously expecting one of them to push him off, before hopping up to join them, settling comfortably in the wedge between them. Alfred laughs and ruffles his ears and fur and Arthur pets down his back in smooth, measured strokes.
“We’ll never be able to get him off the couches now.”
“Meh, the couches are crap anyway.”
They share a small, private look that says and hides so much, and return their attention to Moonshine. He’s much more pleasant to focus on anyway.
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