[for Bush] acquaint a man with strange bedfellows...

[usethecompany]

Archie had pretended to forget about the annual mysterious arrival of various presents, brand new things without any sort of negative connotation associated with them usually, but as the end of the month drew closer he found himself disappointed by the lack of packages addressed to him arriving on their doorstep. Perhaps it was for the better, he

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[stoicsidekick]

William barely stirred when Archie pressed closer to him,for he, too, was nearing wakefulness and equally reluctant to leave sleep behind. But as sleep slowly dissipated, he became aware of small changes to the room. There was a small chirping noise coming from somewhere, almost undetectable but wholly strange. And there was someone else in the room, too. Or something. Yes, he was almost sure of it - he could hear breathing, and the padding of paws on the floor, and there was something wet nudging against his foot...

He sat up bolt upright, cursing in his surprise. "What in God's name-"

[usethecompany]

Archie fell back onto his back, laying prone in surprise at William's sudden outburst so early in the morning. Blinking away the bleariness of sleep, or at the very least making an attempt to do so, he struggled into a sitting position to see what the commotion was about.

"What on--" Perhaps seeing the lively action and hearing the shouts as signs of welcome, the dog -- for it was in fact a dog that had been nudging a cold nose against the two men's feet -- leaped onto the bed, tail wagging frantically. He headed straight to Archie without hesitation, almost desperate to lick the young man's face, a bright red bow around his neck.

For a moment he could only stare, nigh on flabbergasted, but the insistent licking spurred a flare of laughter from him. "Seems as if our gifts have arrived," he said, cheerfully announcing the obvious.

[stoicsidekick]

William gaped at man and beast for a moment or two. Certainly, he had been expecting some kind of gift to appear for them, but he had not expected it to be alive. Finally, as he got over his surprise, a smile began to curve at his lips. "Well, I think he must be for you. He likes you well enough."

But there was something else in the hut that had not been there before. William could still hear an odd chirping coming from the corner, and so he threw off the bedclothes and went to investigate. There, tucked beneath a small table, were half a dozen yellow, fluffy chicks, no more than a few days old. "Well, will you look at that," he murmured, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Good Christ."

[usethecompany]

Archie searched the bow for a tag or collar of some kind, but only found a card that did indeed confirm that the pup was for him. This effort was a great one, as the puppy squirmed and scrambled across Archie's lap and in his arms, so much so that the young man could only find his partner again after a handful of minutes. The puppy continued to scamper about, miraculously not knocking any furniture over.

"Are those-- Good God, William," he laughed. "I think you've been made a mother hen."