Long Distance, Close to Home
Long Distance; Close to Home copyright 2011 comidacomida
Paul felt his heart racing a mile a minute as the phone proceeded to ring. He heard the sound of it connecting, followed by "Mein Hund Hauptbüro. Zu wem kann ich diesen Anruf weiterleiten?" in a formal, female voice.
"Uh..." Paul paused for a moment, striking his palm against his head, "Ick..." he began rapidly looking around the surface of his work desk, "er... Ich... um... Ich sprichi..." the young man flipped over a sheet of paper, then another, "damn you, Babel Fish..."
"Do you prefer English, sir?" the woman asked, barely a hint of German accent on her voice.
"Oh thank god." Paul mumbled, but not before covering the end of his phone. He cleared his throat, "Yes... please. I need to speak with Alric Eizenzahn."
"I'm sorry, sir, but Mr Eizenzahn is in a meeting at the moment. If you would like, I can take a message."
Paul sighed; it only made sense that an executive like Eizenzahn would be too busy to receive calls at random times in the day, even if it was mid-afternoon in Germany. "Yea... I guess." he acknowledged, "Can you please tell him that Paul Miller called, and that I hope he--"
"Oh!" the woman interrupted him, "Mr. Miller. Of course... let me forward you to his assistant." and, before Paul could comment, he heard her disconnect. She was replaced by what sounded like a canned ad; he didn't understand much of it since it was in German, but he did hear "Mein Hund" often enough.
The tempo of the ad was just starting to get familiar when it was cut off and replaced with a very upbeat, "Paul, mon beau garcon!"
Paul found himself sighing again, "Hello, Pascal."
"Monsieur Eizenzahn is finishing up with an important client... iz zere somesing I can do for you?"
"I... well..." Paul paused for a moment, "I wanted to talk to him about Casey."
"Merveilleux!" the poodle gushed on the other end, "I know zis iz what he wanted to talk about wit you as well!"
"...but he's in a meeting." Paul spoke.
"Oui." Pascal confirmed.
"...right now." Paul reiterated.
"Oui oui." the poodle acknowledged.
"Do you know how long he's going to be?" Paul asked
"More than zee minute, less than zee hour."
"Do you think he'll be able to call me back?" the young man finally sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to have any luck.
"No need, Paul." Eizenzahn's voice spoke up on the line.
"I'm on speaker phone, aren't I?" Paul questioned.
"You are." the Doberman confirmed.
"So you aren't in a meeting?" Paul inquired.
"Of course I am." Eizenzahn countered, "I've been in my office since 6am your time-- I've been waiting for your call."
"For three hours?" Paul challenged.
"Yes, Paul." the Doberman confirmed.
"Why?" the human asked.
"Because you are not timely on reaching me." Eizenzahn stated simply, "I was expecting you to call me several hours ago."
"You were expecting me to call?" Paul questioned, "Why?"
"Because I feel that I know you well enough to anticipate your need to talk." the Doberman answered, but he didn't bother explaining; he changed the topic instead, "How are things with your Dog Tanner?"
"Hold on." Paul paused the conversation, "If you had a feeling I was going to need to talk, why didn't you just call me?" he rested his elbow on his desk and placed his forehead in his hand.
"It would seem impropitious to have the head of marketing for your company's largest contract constantly calling one of their employees... someone might begin to think that we are trying to steal you from AHB." Eizenzahn's answer was full of a playful tone; Paul realized that the Doberman wasn't serious... maybe.
"So you've been expecting my call?" Paul moved the discussion to safer ground.
"Of course." the Doberman replied, "Tell me... how are you enjoying having Casey around?" Apparently that ground was not so safe.
"I called because I wanted to talk to you about that, Mr Eizenzahn." Paul made a wild grab in an attempt to regain control of the conversation, which was rapidly sliding further out into the icy lake of dangerous waters.
"When I have spoken with him he has said many times over that he has never been happier." the Doberman continued casually. For a moment, Paul felt a metaphorical warm ray of sunlight descend upon him and he couldn't help but smile at the realization of the Dalmatian's happiness but, in the next moment, a just-as-metaphorical icy cold grip of fear squeezed his heart.
"Why?" Paul asked, "What did he say?" the human grimaced when he heard Pascal giggling in the background and speak softly to Eizenzahn in French.
"From your tone, it sounds like you are worried about what he might have said." the Doberman chuckled after speaking his piece, "I will not pry... you've already said enough."
"You knew something would happen." the words came out of Paul's mouth before he could stop them.
"You didn't?" the Doberman countered.
"I--" Paul froze before he could answer the question; Eizenzahn wasn't even trying to deny any subterfuge or hidden objectives, "...no." Paul heard the Doberman pick up the receiver on the other end, ending the conference call.
"I like you, Paul... I like you very much." the Doberman spoke candidly, "You are genuine... and there is very little of that in the world. I like you because you truly care and you honestly try. I like you because you are willing to speak your mind... although you must be pushed very hard before you do." he and Pascal shared a laugh. Paul's insecurities often made him feel that laughter was directed at him yet, for all the reasons he had to believe it in that case, he felt, strangely, that it wasn't.
"What do you WANT, Eizenzahn?" Paul didn't know any other way to ask it.
"Many things." the Doberman answered cryptically, "First, I want Mein Hund to be successful. Behind that, I would like to see a good man like you to be happy. Third, I would like to see a good man like you be successful."
"I think that anyone who is happy IS successful." Paul quickly spoke up.
"Well said, Paul." Eizenzahn confirmed, "All the more reason I wish to see you happy."
"And where does Casey and all of that fit into things?" Paul questioned.
"Do you remember the first lunch we shared? You were not doing well because of an argument you had with your Dog." Eizenzahn noted.
"What does that have to do with Casey?" Paul stood his ground.
"I can only assume based on the joy you've brought Kitten Chaser that you have come to that level of understanding that was beyond you during that first talk." Eizenzahn brought the discussion to a middle ground.
"He..." Paul began, unable to ask if Casey had told the Doberman.
"Casey has said nothing to me... have you already forgotten that I am good at reading people, Mr. Miller?" the Doberman was toying with him.
It had been almost two weeks since the karaoke night. Paul had expected that things would 'become weird' between the two Dogs at his condo, but it hadn't. Even more peculiar is that things didn't 'become weird' for him either. Stranger yet, that night with Casey hadn't been a one time thing. Even though Paul's sex life with Tanner had returned to a healthy level despite Casey's presence, Casey respected their privacy. Regardless, every few nights the dalmatian wound up joining them.
"We are friends, Paul..." the Doberman noted calmly, "be honest with me, please. You have been with Pascal and myself..." Paul felt almost as embarrassed at the Doberman's admission as he had been when he was in the locker room with them, "and I believe I can safely assume that you have been with both Tanner and Casey together..."
Paul shivered as he remembered the night, Casey beneath him and Tanner above him, the three working towards a climax in unison, lost in the moment of complete bliss. Eyes closed, the human relented, and spoke, "Yea."
"More than once, I would think." Eizenzahn pressed.
Paul remembered when he was on the floor with his back against the couch; it was three days later-- he and the two Dogs were in the living room; . Tanner's paws were on his head, lovingly running his claws through Paul's hair as the human kissed the Dog's eager flesh. Casey was seated in Paul's lap, taking the human to the hilt and rocking against him urgently, "More than once." Paul admitted.
"Several times?" the Doberman asked. Paul almost thought he heard the Dog licking his muzzle.
Paul thought back to the time in the arm chair, Tanner's chest huffing against his back while Paul held tightly to the Casey's collar with one hand, the Dalmatian's member in the other. At one point, Paul practically lost track of whose body was whose... and he had to admit that he had loved it. His mind jumped to the time they were together on the living room floor, the two Dogs' furred forms pressed close to him on either side, one paw from each exploring his body as he dedicated one hand to each of theirs. Paul considered the time in the kitchen when-- "a few." he finally confirmed.
"But you still think of Tanner as your 'boyfriend'?" Eizenzahn asked.
"Of course." Paul confirmed, surprised that the Doberman would have considered any other possibility.
"Even if you've included Casey in your 'intimate moments' more than once?" the Dog questioned.
"Yes." Paul acknowledged.
"And is Casey your boyfriend as well?"
"No." the human answered without hesitation.
"Why not?" Eizenzahn inquired.
That answer took a few seconds for Paul to puzzle out... but in the end, a level of understanding struck, "Because he's a friend."
"And now you are starting to think like a Dog." Eizenzahn's voice was full of mirth and levity.
"This wasn't really what I was calling about." Paul interjected, reaching his limit on the embarrassing discussion.
"Ah... of course, Paul. I apologize." the Doberman confirmed, "Please... by all means."
"I want to talk about Casey." Paul explained.
"Is that not what we were doing?" the human could hear Eizenzahn's smile through the phone.
"What I mean is that I haven't seen him in two days..." Paul finally got to the point of the call, "He didn't come home last night."
"He is in Los Angeles on business." the Doberman responded coolly.
Paul sighed, rolling his eyes, "Okay... so you want me to keep an eye on him but I don't even get a text about his plans?"
Eizenzahn chuckled on the other end of the phone, "Paul... I asked for you to be his representative payee, not his executive assistant."
"I just get worried when I don't know where he is." the young man admitted, "If he's a roommate then at least I should have an idea of what his schedule is."
"You worry yourself too much, Paul Miller." Eizenzahn responded soothingly, "Casey is Mein Hund's resource."
"Well he's my friend." Paul countered.
"I can respect that." the Doberman responded, not even phased by Paul's admission, "Be that as it may, perhaps you might consider asking him if you are concerned. You have his phone number, yes?"
Paul paused, letting out a breath before rubbing his forehead, "I figured I might come across as too pushy or give him the wrong idea if he thought I was keeping tabs on him."
"I see... so instead you call a third of the way around the world to ask his employer and your company's largest contract?" the assessment was candid and serious, but the humor of the situation was clear in Eizenzahn's words.
"I just want to know that he's alright." Paul slumped in his chair, realizing that no matter how he tried to get information out of the Doberman he simply lacked the Dog's skill at verbal boxing.
"He is, Paul-- you have my word." Eizenzahn finally relented, "As I have told you before, I believe in taking good care of my investments."
"Casey is more than an investment to me." Paul spoke, "He's my friend."
"You are a good person, Paul Miller. Casey and Tanner are very fortunate to have you in their lives, and I feel lucky that you are there to look after my interests." the Doberman's words slowly flowed from the informal to the formal, and Paul was glad to hear that Eizenzahn was regaining his business tone-- Paul was much more comfortable dealing with the Doberman in a business capacity. "How is the newest project coming?"
Paul grit his teeth; suddenly he found that he would have rather continued talking about Casey, "We're still in the planning stage." it was a phrase he'd heard Miranda use before. It was business speak which, when translated, roughly meant "We haven't got a fucking thing done."... her words, of course.
"Good... good..." the Doberman spoke, "I have full faith in you, Paul. Can I expect an update next Monday?"
"Of course, Mr Eizenzahn." Paul agreed.
"Excellent... then I will let you get back to work.... and Paul?"
"Yes, sir?" the young man questioned.
"I am pleased with your progress, both personally, and professionally." the Doberman acknowledged.
"Thank you." Paul accepted the praise, and the line went dead. He put his phone away and sat for a moment, staring at his computer. A few seconds later the young man slapped himself in the forehead; Paul had called Eizenzahn to talk about the living arrangements with Casey, but the Doberman had shrewdly navigated right past the discussion AGAIN!
Rubbing his temples, Paul looked back to his computer and the blank page staring back at him from his word processing program. He was the lead designer on the newest Mein Hund project but he didn't have the slightest idea how to get started; he found it disconcerting how much in common there was in that regard between his job and his personal life.
Paul lost track of how long he sat staring at the computer until he was pulled out of his trance by a not-so-subtle throat clearing. Turning toward the entrance to his cubicle, Paul's heart gave a little thankful leap when he saw Tanner. "Hey Tan Paw." the young man smiled; it was funny in a way keeping things so formal at work when they both knew it was just a show. At first he was worried that his boyfriend would be discouraged by it, but, thankfully, the Dog seemed to have a fine time playing along.
"Mr. Miller." Tanner grinned right back, "TeeSee said that you have a work order for us. He wanted to make sure I caught you before you headed to lunch."
"Oh... well that's not a problem... I don't usually take lunch til 12:30." he explained, then looked at the time at the bottom right of his computer screen, "It's ten after one?!?" he demanded in disbelief.
"Time flies." Tanner grinned, his tail beating a gentle tempo against the entrance to Paul's cubicle.
"Well... I guess I'd better get to lunch then." Paul shrugged, "Is TeeSee having you handle this alone, or...?" Paul glanced around for the husky.
"Actually, 1:15 is our lunch time." Tanner explained, "He's in the cafeteria being a computer geek... I'm supposed to be joining him so he doesn't have to do it alone." the German Shepherd grinned.
"Well... I don't have anything better to do." Paul smiled, "If you're using our lunch room the least I can do is be a good host." The human stood up and grabbed the paper bag off of his desk, and headed out of his cubicle; Tanner followed.
It had been a surprise the first day his boyfriend showed up with TeeSee. He should have anticipated it considering the reference call Paul received from Harrison Pacific, it just didn't really connect in his head that Tanner would actually be working at AHB as a contracted IT worker. Paul glanced to the German Shepherd, who glanced back and smiled, tail wagging.
The Dog spoke up as they walked, "So how's the project coming?"
"Eh." Paul shrugged, "Could be better... I'm still trying to figure out the right feel for it.
"Well, if any of the other advertisements are an indicator I'm sure you'll find something that gets noticed." Tanner's praise and encouragement were expected, but they still felt good to hear.
"I guess I'll just have to wait for something to jump out and grab--"
"BOO!" Miranda sprang out of a cubicle and grabbed hold of Paul's arm.
"Shhhhhhhhh-ugar Honey Iced Tea!" Paul exclaimed, quickly correcting his choice of words, "I almost had a heart attack." he announced.
Miranda cracked up immediately, "Paul... you should have SEEN the look on your face." she patted him on the shoulder, "And I mean the one you've been wearing all day. If ANYBODY needed a faster heartbeat, iy's you... you've spent the whole day looking like you're part of the walking dead!"
"Yea... thanks..." Paul scowled.
"Oh, don't be that way." she playfully punched his shoulder, "Come on! You need a little bit more 'oomph'." and she wandered off back toward the cubicles, leaving Paul rubbing his shoulder.
Tanner glanced toward Miranda as she turned the corner and disappeared, "Hmm... now I see what you mean."
"Tables're right over here." Paul noted, avoiding any further discussion of Miranda. Catching the hint, Tanner didn't bother continuing the conversation and the two of them made their way into the lunch room.
A few AHB employees were spread out around the break area-- a few guys from set prep were talking sports at one table; three graphic designers were going over an upcoming layout for a Mein Hund newspaper print ad; Mr Aimes was talking quietly with the firm's single lawyer (ie: the Legal Department). What really caught Paul's attention, however, was the boisterous group nearest the door: several of Paul's coworkers, and a very animated husky-- TeeSee was in the middle of telling a joke.
"And he said 'Iz not a tumah.'." the Dog's Austrian accent was nowhere near accurate, but Paul was still able to catch the Arnold Schwarzenegger reference.
Ollie and Sam, the two lighting techs that were assigned to Paul's Mein Hund project laughed, and Sam mentioned something about getting to a chopper. Ray's tail wagged appreciatively, but it was obvious that the lab wasn't much for impressions.
"Oh my god... that's SO funny!" Candy announced, tail wagging mirthfully.
Paul realized there was something a little different about her and it took him a moment to place his finger on it, "Hey... Candy? You have a flower behind your ear... you know that, right?"
Everyone at the table cracked up and Paul felt himself blush, just a little, "Well... she does!" he defended himself.
"Willy proposed last night!" the beagle beamed, tail wagging a mile a minute.
"Oh?" Paul paused, taken aback, "Well... that's great news!" he smiled, "Congratulations!" the smile slowly faded when all eyes remained on him. "So... uh..." he hesitated, "What does that have to do with a flower?" he felt himself blush even more, "It DOES looks nice, by the way... just wondering."
"You really don't know?" Sam asked in surprise. Paul, blushing even more, shook his head.
Candy giggled and took hold of Paul's hands in her paws as he sat down, "Well, Dakota... when Dogs get engaged, it's normal for the lady to wear a flower behind her ear and the man wears a flower in his shirt pocket or in a button hole on his shirt collar."
"Really?" Paul asked, "That's kinda cool." he said with a shrug, not knowing what else to say.
"For a week." Candy added, "...to let everyone know." her wagging continued.
"Kinda like a first-time human lady running around for a month straight showing every last person she sees the ring she got... kinda like that... only less loud." Ollie added. He got the stink-eye from almost everyone at the table, "What? It's true!"
"Wow..." Paul nodded, "So... that's a long standing tradition kind of thing?"
"Yep..." Candy confirmed, "Dates back to the days of the steamboats in the Mississippi. Girls working in the bars used to wear flowers in their hair and they'd tell the patrons that they got the flowers from 'someone special' so they wouldn't get harassed. Since humans have engagement rings I guess they kinda left the flower to us." she giggled, "Personally, I like it."
Paul chuckled in response, "Well, I think if you were one of those serving girls you'd NEED a flower to keep the guys at bay. Willy's a lucky Dog."
Candy giggled and gave Paul a gentle push, "Charmer."
Paul smiled, "I guess it's good to know I'm still learning new things every day." and his smile broadened, laughing inwardly at himself as he pictured Candy in one of the over-the-top steamboat-era frilly dresses. He had no doubt that she'd be able to pull it off-- her personality was at least as big.
"And congratulations, again. I mean it." Paul offered.
Candy smiled wide and reached over, giving Paul a huge hug, "Thanks, Dakota. I hope you realize you're getting an invitation."
"Then you'll be getting an RSVP." he countered.
"So, TeeSee..." Sam called attention to the husky, "what's up with the vest? You said you'd tell us."
The IT Dog glanced down to his button-up shirt, half-hidden beneath a gray vest, "Oh... this?" his tail began to wag languidly, "Why should there be some kind of story to it?"
"Because you're usually about as well-dressed as a color-blind grunge-rocker." Ollie smirked.
"Oh, he's not THAT bad." Candy countered, "He's usually just..." she pondered the right words, "...business casual."
"So come on already... what's up with the vest?" Sam repeated his earlier question.
"You want to know?" the husky inquired.
"Yea. Why the vest?" Sam pressed.
"You REALLY want to know?" the Dog repeated.
"Yes, already." Sam threw a balled up napkin at TeeSee, who laughed.
"I lost a bet."
"What?" Sam asked.
"I lost a bet." TeeSee repeated.
"Come ON... there HAS to be more of a story to it than that." Sam pressed, "Nobody just wanders around an office building all day dressed like an 18th century card-shark because they 'lost a bet'."
"Well..." the husky noted melodramatically, "I would love to stay and elaborate, but Tanner and I have to earn our pay." the Dog stood up.
"Oh bullshit... you're just messing with us." Ollie accused.
"My manager consistently reinforces the point that we have a contract to upkeep. According to him we are the primary representatives from Harrison Pacific and it's our top priority to look like we're contributing to the well-being and smooth servicing of your information technology systems." the husky announced, sounding almost like a TV commercial.
"I have no idea how you can do that with a straight face." Tanner smirked.
"I'm laughing on the inside." TeeSee announced, tail wagging, "Come on." he smacked the German Shepherd on the shoulder then glanced to Paul, "Mr Miller... we'll be back to work on your system at 2:30."
"Alright." Paul nodded, "Thanks." As the two Dogs walked out of the break-room, Paul couldn't help but chuckle as he considered Sam's assessment of the vest; it DID almost look like one he'd expect to see in an old western movie.
Paul finally got down to eating his lunch. His coworkers slowly abandoned him as their lunches came to an end and, by the time he was done he was the only one left in the break room. Letting out a deep breath, the young man kicked back in his chair, intent on enjoying his last ten minutes of break in peaceful contemplation; he was about two minutes into his 'zen moment' when his cell phone started ringing.
"Ugh..." Paul emoted, already having had enough of phone conversations for the day. He glanced at the caller ID and perked up, quickly answering, "Casey?"
"Hey Paul!" the Dalmatian's voice was upbeat and positive.
"You didn't come home last night." it was the first thing Paul could think of.
"Oh... yea!" Casey confirmed, "I'm in LA!"
"Los Angeles?" Paul questioned.
"Yea! Remember that talent scout guy at the karaoke bar a few weeks ago? Well I got a call and they said they wanted me for a few practice sessions... so here I am!" Paul could practically hear Casey's tail wagging through his voice.
"As long as you're alright." Paul confirmed.
"You bet! I wouldn't go running off or anything... this is just real important." the dalmatian noted.
"Yea... I bet." the human responded, "Pretty lucky break, right?"
"You can say THAT again!" Casey confirmed, "At least I'll have something to do until Mein Hund starts up their advertising again."
"Just remember, Eizenzahn still wants you to be available for photo shoots when we're ready for you." Paul pointed out.
"Last thing I remember was that you were still trying to figure out what to do." the Dog chided.
"I'll give you a call when I find out the dates for the shoots." Paul quickly cut Casey's playful banter off; he didn't need to be reminded how far behind he was.
"No problem, Paul... just let me know! Unless anything special comes up I'll be home tomorrow... or maybe Friday."
"Okay... have fun," Paul noted and, as an afterthought, he included a line his parents always used to use on him, "and make good choices!"
"Your sense of good, or mine?" the dalmatian laughed, "Oh! Gotta go... I'm hanging out with a few folks in the recording studio and we're about to get another game of cards started."
"I always pictured you as the 'card'-dog type." Paul offered.
"har-har." Casey noted flatly, "See you soon." and he disconnected. Paul chuckled to himself; Casey sitting at a table, muzzle-deep in cards... it was a funny image. The young man switched his phone over to vibrate (he'd had enough of the ringing for one day), and checked the time. He let out a sigh. With only three minutes left to his lunch he figured there was no sense putting it off any longer; Paul gathered his things and headed back to his cubicle for another few hours of trying to figure what to do for the next layout.
Although he came up with a few notes and some unclear ideas, Paul had no better luck coming up with a solid advertisement premise. The two main advertising themes "Fashion is more than just fun and games." and "Get spotted in Mein Hund." were the prominent focus of his thoughts; Eizenzahn liked themes and both of them had been well received by the market. Continuing with those ideas, he sat alone in his cubicle for the better part of an hour until he was joined by the two Harrison Pacific dogs.
"Afternoon, Mr. Miller." TeeSee nodded before entering the cubicle.
"Afternoon, Mr. Miller." Tanner parroted.
"Hello, TeeSee. Hello Tan Paw." Paul replied, just as formally.
"Tanner works fine too, you know." the German Shepherd responded with a smirk, "You're casual enough with TeeSee." he motioned to the husky.
"Well, maybe that's because TeeSee is the only name of his I know." Paul chided, but he kept the tone professional regardless. He stood up to give TeeSee access to his computer.
"Oh..." the husky spoke up, crawling under Paul's desk, "Total Chaos... you know... TC... short for Total Chaos..."
"Oh... TeeSee... TC... got it." Paul nodded, "So which do you prefer?"
"TeeSee's fine." the husky commented, "Hey... Tanner..." he held a paw out, not bothering to look back, "flashlight."
Tanner stepped forward and slid a small penlight into TeeSee's paw.
"Thanks." the husky confirmed, and continued to do whatever he was doing underneath the desk.
"TeeSee's staying after close to work on a few system updates." Tanner noted quietly, You guys are switching to iPrint and he doesn't want any problems when everyone comes in tomorrow."
"Alright." Paul acknowledged.
"I'm gonna stay and help him.. see you around seven?" the Shepherd's tail wagged pleasantly.
"Sounds good." Paul confirmed in a whisper, "Thanks for letting me know."
The Dogs were in Paul's cubicle for less than 20 minutes. He wasn't exactly sure what TeeSee did, and the husky's "very simple" explanation still went over his head, but the problems he was having with a slow connection to the internet disappeared.
The rest of Paul's day at work went quickly enough. Although he was able to generate another page or two of notes he still didn't have any solid concepts to run with. Logging out of his computer and turning off the desk light in his cubicle, Paul headed for the door. He gave a farewell wave to his coworkers, most of whom were likewise getting ready to leave, and he acknowledged a goodbye from Tanner, who was helping TeeSee pressing buttons on one of the printers, trying to find something called an "IP address"-- Paul had no idea what it was, but that's what he overheard them looking for.
Paul got into his car and tossed his cell onto the passenger seat. The ride home went smoothly enough, which was a relief since Paul really wasn't in the mood to deal with any traffic-- he still had an empty spot in his mind that was supposed to house an idea for Mein Hund's next advertisement. Arriving at home, Paul let out a sigh and grabbed his phone from off the seat next to him. He paused when he saw there was a missed call; he'd left it on vibrate.
He didn't consider it worth getting angry over so he checked the message instead: "Good afternoon, Mr. Miller. My name is Zachary Carpenter. I'm a production assistant at Walter Media Group. When you have the chance, please give me a call at area code 212--" Paul deleted the message. The local press had given up on hounding him more than two weeks prior; why was this Walter Media place still bothering him? Grumbling to himself, Paul stuffed the phone into his pocket. The human locked up his car and went into the condo.
Most of Paul's evening was spent in a combination of some quick pick-up around the condo (he always had an easier time relaxing with clean surroundings) and making dinner. Paul was finishing serving up plates for himself and Tanner when the German Shepherd walked through the door. Tanner let out a groan and deposited a backpack on the armchair in the living room.
"Everything go okay?" Paul asked.
Tanner found his way into the kitchen, approached the human without a word, and embraced him. Letting out a huge breath, the German Shepherd shrugged, "Better now." he stated.
Paul smiled at that, "Well... you're home when you said you'd be."
"Yea... TeeSee's still there. He sent me home because they're paying me hourly... he's on salary so he can work overtime without costing the company more."
"Wow... the benefits of a salary position." Paul commented flatly.
"Guess I can't complain though... most intern positions don't pay anything, and I gotta say, I don't mind getting a little bit of cash."
Paul chuckled, holding a plate out to his boyfriend. Tanner took the dish, running his nose through the air above it with a "mmmmmm".
"That work?" Paul asked with a grin.
"Anything would work right about now... I'm STARVING." the German Shepherd confirmed. The two sat down at the table and time was spent with good food and good company. Tanner washed the dishes while Paul dried them.
"So the internship's been going okay?" Paul asked, picking up the conversation as if they hadn't even stopped.
"Yea." Tanner acknowledged, "Learning new things every day, and loving it."
"So you're a tech whiz now?" Paul inquired, heading out of the kitchen once their work was done. He took a seat on the sofa.
Tanner came over and sat down next to him, stretching an arm around Paul's back, "I wouldn't exactly say a whiz... but I could probably fix 90% of the problems you could cause."
"Me personally, or do you mean 'you' in the general sense?" Paul grinned.
"In the general sense." Tanner answered. His grin widened, "I couldn't fix half the problems YOU cause." and he laughed as Paul gave him a lazy punch to the gut.
"Well... I already know for a fact that you have a magical way with technology." Paul smiled, and he could tell that Tanner was getting ready for the punchline-- the Dog knew him too well.
"Oh yea?" Tanner asked, humoring him with the set up.
"Well... with a wave of your paw you can turn my software into hardware." Paul gave a theatrical wink.
Tanner rolled his eyes, "That's two completely separate areas of focus. Software are the programs installed on--" and Paul silenced him with a kiss. The Dog was smiling wide when Paul finally pulled back. "I think you must have a magical way with technology too, because now all I can think about are 'plug and play' devices."
Paul's hand slipped down into Tanner's jeans, "I think I found one already... that's a joystick, right?"
"One of these days, Paul, if you don't slow down you're gonna run out of puns." Tanner warned.
"Well, I bet you'll be 'monitoring' my use then?" Paul climbed into the Dog's lap, hand geatly caressing the contents of Tanner's pants. Tanner groaned, but it was not from Paul's pun. The Dog hefted him up and stood, carrying him in his arms down the hall toward their bedroom.
"Oh... are we going to get involved with a CD past time?" Paul grinned.
"Paul?" Tanner inquired, nudging their door open with a foot.
"Yes?" the human smiled wide.
"You have more tech puns, don't you?"
Paul laughed, "If I thought about them long enough, probably." Tanner laid the human down on the bed. Paul shuffled to the side, pulling his cell out of his pocket and set it on the night stand.
"So you mean I need to give you something else to think about?" Tanner asked, pulling his shirt off. Paul smiled, getting to his knees on the bed. He pressed his face against his lover's sternum, feeling the Dog's soft fur brush across his cheeks as he inhaled Tanner's musky scent.
"You already did." Paul admitted, and he kissed Tanner's chest as his fingers slowly began unworking the Shepherd's front button. Without objection, the Dog undid the tail button of his pants to let them fall to the floor... but they didn't.
Paul grinned, "Looks like you have your own clothes hanger." the human laughed, gingerly removing the jeans from his lover's erection.
"It got caught on my dongle." Tanner explained.
"... that was a tech pun, right?" Paul asked, taking off his own shirt.
"Yea." Tanner replied, a goofy smile spreading across his muzzle.
"Oh... just checking." the human responded, "Care to try again?" he chided.
"A challenge, eh?" Tanner inquired, undoing Paul's pants and pulling them off of him.
"If you're looking for one." Paul countered with a grin.
"Do you know the difference between RAM and ROM?" the shepherd asked, climbing into the bed, legs straddling the humans' body.
"Uh... no." Paul paused, "not really."
It was Tanner's turn to grin, "You aren't gonna get 'ROMmed' tonight." It didn't take Paul long to understand that pun as Tanner's slick flesh slid between the human's things and bumped just behind his scrotum. Paul raised his hips, wrapping his legs around his lover's waist.
"So you're implying that I'm going to get Ra--" the words got caught in Paul's throat as Tanner lowered his head and brought his hips forward. Paul let out a strangled cry as he was opened up by his lover's eager flesh. He realized it would have hurt more if Tanner hadn't already been dripping with anticipation.
The Dog gasped, letting out a held breath, "You weren't ready..." he realized, "Sorry." Tanner pulled back a few inches, softly licking away the tears that had come out of Paul's eyes.
"Ow..." Paul took a moment to readjust his hips against Tanner. "You did that on purpose because you hate my puns." Paul accused playfully.
"Well... it did get you to stop." Tanner countered, a smile across his muzzle.
"Careful... that might encourage me to keep going." Paul warned.
"Oh yea?" Tanner smirked.
"Well... just thinking about all the keys on a keyboard... there's 'Enter'... there's 'Insert'..." Paul smiled, slowly squeezing Tanner's hips with his legs, pulling the Dog a fraction of an inch deeper into him.
Tanner licked Paul's cheek again and pulled the human closer to the edge of the bed, "You forgot C-T-R-L." the Dog added.
"I've always wondered what that meant..." Paul admitted.
Tanner growled softly, nibbling at Paul's neck, "Control."
The human let out a gasp as the Dog pushed in deeper once, with a shallow thrust. He did so a second time, experimentally, and then again. Paul moaned, puns forgotten as gripped the blankets with both hands. He felt the heat radiating down from his lover's body as Tanner groaned, grunted, and moaned in response to every move his body made. The frustrations of the day forgotten, Paul gave himself over completely to the moment.
Both cried out in unison the moment Tanner's knot slipped into Paul's body. The human released the blankets, transferring his hands to Tanner's biceps, gripping them so he could push back against each of the Dog's thrusts. Tanner was panting by that point, hips shaking as his knot shifted by fractions of an inch within Paul's body, but it was enough.
Paul gasped, moaning as his release seeped out of his shaft, trickling free in slow, rhythmic pulses, impeded by the thick flesh inside him and drawn out all the longer for it. Tanner, on the other hand, found his plateau with explosive results, howling out his orgasm as his blunt claws dug into the mattress. His voice slowly trailed off into a contented whimper, his body shivering every few seconds as Paul's still-convulsing insides worked his tender flesh.
"Ohhh..." Paul murmured as the last of his release finally subsided, "I needed that." he chuckled.
"Me too." Tanner smiled, licking the side of Paul's face. The two of them rested quietly, their heavy breaths the only sound before Tanner spoke again, "What... done with the puns?"
"Well... considering how we're going to be like this for awhile, I was going to bring up the Scroll 'Lock' on a keyboard..." Paul offered half-heartedly.
Tanner chuckled, "There's also a Caps Lock and a Num Lock key."
Paul's grin reappeared out of nowhere, "Oh... this is hardly a 'numb lock'... I don't know about YOU, but *I* sure can feel it."
The Dog laughed, "I'm a captive audience now."
"You better believe it... no 'Esc' for you!" Paul punned.
The puns continued for some time.
* * * * * *
It was still dark out when Paul awoke. At first he thought his alarm clock had somehow gone off early, but he realized that the loud, rhythmic humming was his phone. It was still on vibrate, rumbling against the top of the nightstand. Tanner was still asleep next to him and, unfortunately, between him and the belligerent communication device. Glancing across his prone boyfriend to where the alarm clock sat, Paul saw that it wasn't quite 3am.
Still half-asleep, Paul's mind simultaneously counted the hours of sleep he had, wondered who would be calling at such an early time in the morning, and pondered how Tanner, who often woke up when Paul sneezed in the middle of the night, was able to sleep through such a racket barely two feet from his ears. Grumbling, the human shuffled himself across Tanner's chest as he stretched, reaching for the phone.
"Casey better not be drunk dialing..." Paul mumbled to himself, and picked up the phone, "h-hello?" he tried to sound coherent.
"Paul? Sweetie? It's your mom." his mother's voice spoke up from the other end.
"Yea?" he couldn't think of what else to say.
Her voice sounded strained, barely composed, "I need to talk to you..."
"Mom?" Paul puzzled, "What's wrong?" the mist of sleepiness was quickly burning away, replaced by a strong sense of unease. His mom was calling him at 3am? Even with the time difference it wasn't any later than 5 in the morning where she was.
"I'm calling from the hospital, Honey... it's about your father."
If there were any traces of sleep left in Paul's body they were gone after hearing that. The human vaulted over Tanner so he could sit on the corner of the bed, forgetting for a moment that his phone didn't have a cord on it so there was no need to be close to the nightstand.
"What's going on?" the Dog inquired blearily.
"What's wrong?" Paul asked, "Is he okay? What happened? What's wrong?" a hundred questions were rolling around in his head, concern blotting out the realization that he asked the same question twice without even giving her a chance to answer.
"Paul... Honey..." his mother's voice wavered; he could tell she was near tears, "Your father has cancer."
"What?" Paul asked. The cell fell from Paul's hand and landed on the mattress beside him.
"Your father has cancer." she said, her voice quieter, cracking once with emotion, barely audible from its place on the bed. It was if the entire world slowly eased to a stop as his mind tried to wrap itself around those four words... and as they began to sink in, it all started to speed up again, blurring so impossibly fast that he lost track of events.
"Paul?" Tanner's paw came to rest on his shoulder.
"Paul?" his mom's voice spoke up from the fallen phone.
"What's wrong?" his boyfriend asked softly.
"Honey? Are you there?" the phone questioned from its place on the bed.
"I..." Paul's voice came out as a faint whimper as his vision started to get blurry, "I... I need a minute." Vaulting up off of the bed, he went straight to the bathroom and slammed the door behind himself. He stumbled to the counter and struck his palms down, shoulder width apart as he stared at himself in the mirror.
~Wake up.~ he told himself in his mind, ~Wake up!~ he demanded. It was a dream... it had to be a dream. ~Wake up, damn it! WAKE UP!~ his hands had balled up into fists, his vision growing blurrier as tears started to stream down his cheeks.
He'd talked to his parents two weeks back. It was the usual family discussion about this-and-that... what Paul's brothers were up to... what his sister was doing... how well Paul was getting along on the West Coast. His parents were always good about dancing around the main issue that necessitated him leaving home-- they never asked if he was dating anyone; it was a comfortable arrangement for all of them.
The next phone call was supposed to be about more seemingly random catching-up... it was supposed to be about Paul working for a great advertising company... it was supposed to include some seemingly random comment about his sister getting ready for Junior Prom. It was supposed to be full of all of the various topics they could think of to maintain some kind of dialogue without his parents having to ask if he was still gay... if he had found some nice girl that would put him on the right path... if he was ready to come home. It wasn't supposed to be... "Cancer..." he whispered, a new set of tears falling.
Paul shivered, suddenly feeling cold. His whole body was shaking as the tears continued to come. "Cancer..." he said again. The soft sound of a muted voice through the closed door caught his attention. He knew it was Tanner, but Paul also realized that the Dog wasn't speaking to him. It took another two minutes before the young man could work up the nerve to open the door. When he did, his hand, still shaking, remained on the knob as he looked out into the bedroom.
Tanner was seated on the bed, gazing across the distance to him. The Dog's eyes gleamed green from the light cast on him from the bathroom. Tanner had Paul's cell up to his ear, "Yes, Mrs. Miller... I understand." Tanner nodded, "Alright... I'll be sure to let him know." The Dog was gazing right at him, eyes full of sympathy, concern, and a hint of tears, "I'm sure he does." Tanner nodded again, "Of course. I know." Tanner let out a sigh, "...I wish the circumstances could have been better too."
The Dog held out a paw, and Paul slowly held out his hand. When their fingers met, Paul practically fell into Tanner's arms, burying his face in his lover's chest. "I'll make sure he gives you a call later today." Tanner continued the conversation, and Paul had no way to express just how lucky he felt having him there, "Mm-hmmm." Tanner nodded, resting his muzzle over Paul's head, "You too... alright... okay... goodbye." and the Dog closed the cell.
Tanner said nothing, which was just right for Paul. He remained in the Dog's arms, still wishing that he would wake up but knowing beyond hope that it wasn't going to happen. "What did she say?" he finally asked.
"Your mom brought your dad into the emergency room because he was short of breath." Tanner answered softly, gently rubbing Paul's back as the human continued to lay against him, "They took some x-rays and had to wait a few hours for an oncologist to confirm what it was."
"Cancer?" Paul said, voice choked off as emotion strangled his words.
Tanner just nodded his head, "They're going to speak with a specialist later today, but she thought you should know." he said softly.
"I need to be there." Paul said with conviction.
"I know." Tanner acknowledged, giving him a gentle squeeze, "Your mom said she thought you probably would."
"Family's always been important to the Millers." Paul said softly, slowly pulling back so he could sit up straight.
Tanner nodded, "She said she's worried about you because you don't have any family nearby. I told her not to worry and that I'd keep an eye on you."
Paul felt an icy chill in the pit of his stomach for a moment, "Did you... did you tell her that... we.... that you're my....?"
Tanner shook his head, "Not my place to... but she did kind of gave off that parent-vibe that said she might have an idea."
Paul covered his face with his hands, "Oh GOD..." he began breathing faster. It seemed like such a stupid thing to fixate on considering the purpose of his mom calling, but he couldn't help it, "What... what did she say that gave you that idea?" he asked for clarification.
"Well..." the Dog commented, taking one of Paul's hands in his paws, "She said she was worried about you, and she said that she thought it might be a good idea for me to come too."