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Not All Sunshine and Belly Rubs

copyright 2010 comidacomida

Even in high school Tanner had never been a back-of-the-room kind of student but, then again, he'd never been a front-of-the-room kind of student either. He learned very early on that the back-of-the-room students got the majority of the bad kind of attention from the teacher and the front-of-the-room students got too much of the good kind. Tanner had always preferred to be somewhere in the middle where he could learn at his own pace without the information being beaten into him or force-fed.

It was his second class of the morning: Modern American History. Tanner didn't dislike history, per se, but he always found it strange that certain classes were throw into his chosen degree with seeming disregard for their actual application in the field. Writing (his first class), Tanner could understand; he might have to file reports, complete business-like emails, or even compose a memo. Speech (his third), was a reasonable inclusion because he might have to present findings, explain a procedure in a meeting, or, in the most obvious case: apply for a job. The History of the United States, however... that really left the Dog wondering how that would apply to a career in computer information technology.

"...and THAT landmark event was known as the Whitetail-Lechty Act." the teacher noted, scribbling up the notes quickly on the white board. The instructor, Albert Rolling Howl was a basset hound. Tanner had never actually met a basset hound before the class and he had found most of the rumors to be untrue. The one he did agree with, however, was that they did look funny in glasses. That comment, however, he kept to himself.

"Mr. Rolling Howl?" a young, curly haired brunette human in the front row raised her hand to catch his attention. Tanner was never that great with names, but he thought her name was Rebecca.

"Yes, Ms. Woods?" the instructor turned around to look at her. One thing that Tanner liked about the hound was that he wasn't uptight about titles. The shepherd knew that TECHNICALLY he was a professor, but Rolling Howl didn't seem to care if he wasn't referred to by his proper title.

"The text book didn't really explain the Whitetail-Lechty Act very well... I mean... I understand the court case and all... but... why is that such a big deal?" the student asked.

"That's a valid question." the hound replied, and he went back to an open area of board and wrote WHITE TAIL twice largely then turned around to face the class, "Who can tell me the difference between these two names?" The class was silent. "Alright... how about now?" he about-faced and wrote ALBERT above the first and FRANKLYN above the second.

"They're two different names." the curly-haired brunette from up front offered.

"Very good, Ms. Woods." Professor Rolling Howl confirmed, "And that's why the Whitetail-Lechty Act was so important." he set down the marker and turned to face the class, pointing at the first name, "It is, in fact, why I chose Albert as my common name."

"So..." another student not far from Tanner spoke up, "If the Whitetail-Lechty Act wouldn't have passed, then Dogs wouldn't have been able to take a formal common name? What's wrong with that?"

Rolling Howl's eyes went to the student, then back to the white board with the two WHITE TAIL names written on it. His eyes went back to the student, "Bradley... do you know John?" the hound's eyes focused in on the student who had spoken.

"I know a lot of Johns." the student named Bradley spoke up.

"So how do you know what John someone is talking about then?"

"Their last name." Bradley responded without missing a beat.

"So what would happen if there was a law that made it so that people could not have last names?" Rolling Howl asked him.

"Uh... that'd be a pretty stupid law." Bradley offered, laughing hesitantly, as if to see if others would laugh too. A few others did.

"Precisely. And history is full of stupid laws that take something like--" the professor turned back to the white board and grabbed a marker, underlining WHITETAIL-LECHTY ACT, "THIS to correct. In 1919, a case was presented to the supreme court regarding a husky born in the Alaskan territory of the United States. He was attending secondary school in Connecticut, and used the name Albert so he would not be confused with a Labrador whose name as also White Tail."

"You've all read the text, I assume--" and the professor glanced at Bradley, "so we don't need to over the details. Needless to say, that is why all Dogs are able to elect to have a common name in addition to their given name without the government stepping in and arresting us for using a false identity."

"Citing the fact that humans were able to legally change their names," the brunette from the front spoke up, "and that led to a long list of legal battles regarding name changes ever since. But, more importantly, it opened up a huge can of worms for congress regarding women's rights, helping to bring about the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, and later, civil rights as a whole."

"Law major?" Professor Rolling Howl glanced down to her. She nodded, and his bemused smile said it all, "I thought so." he looked up to the class, "Alright, class... that's all for today. We discussed the United States of the early 20th century, but tomorrow we review the world at large and our part in things during that time period. World War I discussion tomorrow. I suggest reviewing Chapter 8 in its entirety." the professor closed his book, and began putting away his papers.

Tanner looked down at the few notes he scribbled into his notebook, and then the huge amount of white board space the professor had covered with notes of his own. The German shepherd had never really been much for note taking, and he usually didn't suffer any for it, but there was something about history that always made it difficult for him. He wasn't sure if it was the dates and names and all the piece-meal trivia, but things just never fit right for him. He hastily scribbled a few more notes as the rest of the students left, and then packed up everything quickly.

Shouldering his backpack, Tanner made his way out into the hall just before the professor left the room as well, locking it behind them. He said a brief 'thank you' to the basset hound and made his way down the hall and out of the building. His third class didn't start for another twenty minutes but he had to hike half way across the campus to get to get there. Tanner had never had any trouble talking in public, so speech class was an easy one for him. Despite his initial apprehension at the amount of research and citation the teacher required, the Dog couldn't help but appreciate how much he was learning, and he actually enjoyed the time he spent rooting through the library looking for material he could include for sources.

Tanner entered the speech room with a smile on his muzzle and found his usual seat slightly left-of-center in the room. There were only two other students in the room; the early crowd, he liked to call them. "Hey, Nicole..." he asked of the young human one table away from him, "Are you presenting today?" Nicole was one of the first students he got to know in his speech class because they were both always early to class. While he was always concerned with being as prompt as possible, she just had a short four-door-down trip to make, so both were often in class early.

"No... I go on Thursday." she frowned, "You?"

"Thursday." he nodded as well, "I'd rather just get it over with." he smiled.

"Yea... I know what you mean." she answered back.

Tanner's tail wagged in a friendly manner. When he first met Nicole she seemed a lot like Paul. She was fresh out of high school and college was a new experience for her, a lot like California was for Tanner's boyfriend. Tanner really liked the idea of having someone he could call his boyfriend. The German shepherd used to think that he was going to be alone his entire life. It seemed like a silly notion, being only in his mid twenties, but at the time he and Paul had found one another he had almost given up on looking. He certainly never expected to find everything he was looking for in a human-- not that he was racist by any means.

"Well... do you?" Nicole asked, the young woman pressing for an answer to a question Tanner had glossed over.

Tanner looked back to her and his tail stopped wagging. He felt an ear droop as he quickly reviewed what she had been saying while little daytime fantasies of Paul had played through his head, "Oh!" he suddenly made the connection, "Sure!" he smiled, tail starting up again. He reached into his backpack and pulled out one of his spare pencils.

"Thanks." she said, taking the pencil from him, "Daydreaming?"

"I'm not really THAT much of a moron... I just play one on TV." the words were out of his muzzle before he could stop them and his tail froze. It was a line that Paul tended to use at home occasionally when he did something stupid. Nicole cracked up at the comment, setting the pencil down as she laughed.

"God... where do you come UP with this stuff?" she rubbed the tears out of her eyes.

"I guess I just have really good inspiration." Tanner responded, his tail regaining its lost wag.

* * * * * *

Tanner always brought his lunch from home. With money being so tight, a two dollar slice of pizza from the food court wasn't exactly a choice piece of food and he really wasn't into the fast food restaurants on campus. The food court at the college more resembled one from a mall, with numerous small stores ringing a large, open area with tables and chairs.

It only seemed to make sense for the college to bid out its space rather than having a dedicated cafeteria; it created increased revenue and took away the need for meal-related expenses, though it did maintain a small kiosk of its own with food brought in and prepared by SYSCO employees. Tanner smirked, considering the food that the college 'cafeteria' served wasn't all that different from high school food after all. He smiled as he thought about someone he knew who didn't share the usual opinion of cafeteria food that most students had had back then.

Jack Daniels, a bull-terrier friend from high school ended up being what he considered an unofficial boyfriend of sorts. JD was unlike most of the friends Tanner had at the time and, from what JD had said, Tanner was very unlike the rest of his as well. It ended up being in Tanner's favor, however, because he was the only one JD didn't cut ties with after high school. Tanner and JD had gone their separate ways as lovers at that point though because JD had met the human that had been with him ever since.

Tanner remembered being completely dumbfounded by JD's decision to be with Jason. It was the first time Tanner ever really had any experience encountering a real life Burb Dog. He wasn't hurt, because he and JD weren't emotionally attached in that sense but he really didn't understand JD's attraction to a human. Tanner had heard of Burb Dogs, of course, but it was different when he found out someone he knew was one. That's when he also learned more about the different varieties of Burb Dogs that existed, and he was able to pick up more information off the internet when he did some research so he could better understand JD's interest in Jason and the role he elected as Guard Dog.

The German shepherd had some time to observe the relationship the two had. In addition to being there the first time Jason accepted JD's knot, he did spend a lot of time with both of them during his first time at college. He grew to understand more about Burb Dogs in general, but, specifically, the relationship JD had with Jason as his Guard Dog, and the relationship Jason had with JD as his Leasher. The first thing he learned was that JD did not appreciate Jason being called a Leasher-- it was a touchy point for Guard Dogs apparently.

Tanner separated the recyclables from the non-recyclables as he finished his lunch and disposed of them appropriately. He smiled to himself, heading out of the food court when he remembered hearing JD's take on being a Guard Dog, and Jason's take on being JD's human. He found it humorous how their descriptions of their roles changed based on whether he was told about them with the other present, or if they were alone.

JD always explained to Tanner that his job as a Guard Dog was to make sure that the only bad stuff that happened to Jason was in the bedroom. It was the usual kind of thing to come out of JD's muzzle, but it made the shepherd smile every time he heard it. When he and JD were alone however, and Tanner really pushed the issue, JD put it best by saying, "You know how you can have a favorite shirt, or a favorite drinking glass or something? Well... when it's your favorite, you wanna make sure nothing bad happens to it. Jason's kinda like that. He's a good guy, and stuff tends to wanna happen to him, and I aim to make sure that none of the bad stuff does."

JD once mentioned the warming, calming glow that Jason had or, rather "shone like Jesus on a stained glass window" was how JD had put it. Despite preferring a slightly less street-poetic way to phrase it, Tanner found that he very much agreed. Tanner had never really known Jason in more than a casual sense during high school, but that changed in college. There was something about Jason that was immediately likable, and Tanner was all too happy to spend time with him as well as JD.

Hearing about the Guard Dog relationship from Jason's point of view was probably one of the most eye-opening experiences that Tanner had ever had up to that point. Jason had explained to Tanner (without JD there) that JD had come from a hard life, and that a lot of times the emotional maturity people gained as they grew up became stunted or slowed because of traumatic experiences. He said that JD always had a hard time because he wasn't able to focus without something to focus on, and that he needed to have focus, and love, and attention, not unlike a younger pup half his age. He explained that it was important for JD to feel like he had control. When Tanner asked who really WAS in control in the relationship, Jason just smiled; Tanner never did get an answer.

The way that Jason explained it, the entire situation didn't sound insulting, or even depreciating. There was something about the frankness that both impressed and intimidated Tanner all at once. He remembered asking Jason if that is what the human sought in a relationship, but Jason answered quite simply, "No... I wasn't looking for any of that... I wasn't really looking for a relationship when it ended up happening. But if you ask me now what I'd be looking for, I'd have to say that I'd be looking for JD." Thinking back on that made Tanner smile because that was exactly the same way he felt about what happened with himself and Paul.

Tanner looked to the clock on the wall as he passed it in the main hall. He had ten minutes to get to his next class. A smile spread across the German shepherd's muzzle; he loved his afternoon classes. Every day during morning classes, Tanner looked forward to the afternoon, which focused entirely on computers, programming, and networking-- all areas that applied directly to the Dog's chosen field. He had to cross the campus to get to the computer and technology building, but he always made a point of parking close to it so it was quick walk back to his car. At the end of the day, Tanner always appreciated getting to go home to the human he loved.

* * * * * *

Tanner always enjoyed stepping foot into the condo after being away for the day. He opened the door and let the scents from within the house fill his nostrils. Most humans incorrectly supposed that a Dog's sense of smell was the same as the four legged variety, but they never really understood it correctly. Although Tanner's ability to detect scents was vastly superior to Paul's, one of Tanner's four legged counterparts trumped him by roughly an equal amount. To that end, Tanner always considered his nose to be a happy middle-ground.

He opened the coat closet and put his jacket up on one of the hangers then went into the living room to set his backpack on the sofa. He unzipped it and pulled out a few of his text books. The Dog always preferred to get his out-of-class work done as soon after he got home as possible because that meant his brain was still warmed up. That, and it was often hard to focus on papers and text books when Paul got home; he was an understandable distraction. Tanner smiled to himself, licking his muzzle.

The German shepherd did not have a lot of course work to complete. The majority of his time was spend reading over chapter 8 in his history book. Although Tanner didn't find history itself to be very interesting he always found it fascinating how and where the book publishers got their information and what they chose to include in discussion topics. Back when he was in high school most of the text books were predominantly mainstream history. It was a linear progression from early years to modern years.

In college, though, Tan Paw soon realized that the numerous viewpoints on history meant that it could be presented in countless ways. The plethora of history classes said it all: European History, Native American History, History of Western Hemisphere Relations, Dog History, History of Invention, Western Civilization, Eastern Civilization, History of Trade, Political History; the Dog couldn't possibly track them all. Closing his book, he thankfully reminded himself that he wouldn't have to. He was a third of the way through his Modern American History class, and it was the only one he'd have to take.

The last of Tanner's homework involved a web-based quiz for his computer programming class. It went quickly and painlessly for the shepherd; even after so long away from the scholastic side of computers he still found that he had a knack for it. He spent a little time checking emails and looked over the student forums. Tanner never really felt inclined to post on them, but he found seeing what others had to say to be very interesting. He couldn't help but smile when he saw a thread the administrators shut down regarding a "seeking significant other" add. A few years ago that very easily could have been him.

Tanner locked the computer and went into the kitchen. He knew he didn't really have a reason to bother locking it but, with training to be in networking, he figured getting into the habit of practicing what he'd be preaching was a good way to go. The Dog gathered up what he'd need for a simple dinner preparation and got to work. He knew that Paul was working on another important project and that meant that he wouldn't know what time to expect him, but Tanner planned on having something for him when he got back; they had relied on fast food far too often in the past few days and the Dog wasn't sure he trusted his stomach to it for any long duration.

It wasn't that Tanner was a good cook... in fact, he wasn't really that great a cook at all. He had been on his own ever since he was 17, having been thrown out of his family's house when he explained to his mother and father that he liked boys. Since that time, Tanner had learned all of life's skills when he hit the ground running. Cooking was one of those that still needed some development, but he had a few meals that he could prepare. Pulling out a carton of eggs, he settled on one of the easier ones.

Paul did the majority of the cooking when he had the time, but that was one thing the poor human didn't have lately. Tanner liked to help pick up the slack where he could, and the kitchen happened to be one of them, if only on the occasional night. The dog pulled out four slices of bread and set them into the toaster. His meals weren't the home cooked, traditional dinners that Paul made. Tanner made the simple, filling, basic food that would get the job done. If given a choice, the Dog would choose Paul's cooking paws-down over his own, but Tanner was also a realist. One reason he liked having Paul cook is because it was always such a show.

He contemplated the many times he watched Paul in the kitchen. Despite the fact that Tanner didn't really consider himself attracted to humans in general he always managed to find little things about Paul that made him think of his lover as 'sexy'. The way Paul whistled in the kitchen when he cooked, bobbing in time to the melody he was thinking of in his head... something about that never failed to make Tanner smile. Tanner was a little jealous of Paul's ability to whistle, and his own silly jealousness made the Dog smile all the more every time Paul did it.

Tanner had a smile on his muzzle throughout the dinner preparation as he thought about his boyfriend. He fried up two eggs and put them each on a piece of toast. He put a piece of cheese on each egg and then added a little catchup, salt, and pepper. He was just cutting each fried egg sandwich when he heard the door open. The Dog's tail began wagging the moment he knew Paul was home, but the wagging slowed to a halt as Paul went straight past the kitchen and down the hall to his bedroom. Tanner's nose was not all that great, but he didn't need to smell Paul to know that something was wrong.

Paul's door was mostly closed. Tanner looked at it from down the hallway for several moments, ears facing the direction as he listened to muffled breathing from within. The Dog slowly made his way to the human's room and gently knocked. The door vibrated from the sound, and swung open a few inches. Paul was laying on his bed, face down with his head in the pillow, arms wrapped beneath it. Tanner noticed that Paul's shoes were still on; Paul never wore his shoes on the bed.

Moving quietly into the room, Tanner knelt down beside the bed and put his head down onto it, chin resting on top of the blanket. He kept his ears forward, attentive, patiently waiting for Paul to speak; he knew the human was aware of him. Paul's breathing was irregular, quite likely due to the emotions he was going through, but Tanner could still smell tears. The Dog was concerned for his lover... Paul was an emotional individual and Tanner did not like to see him in pain. Regardless, two minutes past before Paul spoke up.

"Ray knows about us."

"Hmm?" Tanner inquired. He kept his head in place, ears up as he watched the human slowly turn to regard him.

"Ray... from work. He knows about you and me." Paul explained.

"What about us?" Tanner asked patiently. He had a good idea what Paul meant and, though at first the admission caught him by surprise, something about it didn't bother Tanner as much as he thought it would. What bothered him was that it was bothering Paul; he didn't like seeing Paul in distress.

"That day you picked me up from work... he saw us kissing outside AHB." Paul explained, a tear rolling down his cheek.

It took Tanner a moment to remember the instance, as it had been several months prior. He thought back to their interaction that night. Had it been a nose touch? A cheek lick? The German shepherd had to consider it for a moment as he searched his memories. No, he decided... THAT kiss couldn't have been misinterpreted. "And he just told you about it today?" Tanner inquired after considering the situation.

"Yea." Paul answered, sounding as if he were acknowledge symptoms a doctor was listing off.

"Why did he wait so long to talk to you about it?" Tanner asked, sliding up to sit onto the bed beside Paul.

The human made room for him and shrugged, "I don't know... I think he wanted to give me a chance to tell him about us."

"You mentioned the two of you are pretty good friends... but I guess you just like keeping personal stuff personal, huh?" Tanner leaned forward and licked the tear off of Paul's face.

"Yea... I guess." Paul noted. Tanner comfortingly ran his paw through the human's hair, and Paul slowly lowered his head back down to the pillow, "I just... I don't think he was very happy about it."

"About us being 'together'?" Tanner asked, slowly laying down beside Paul. They lay face to face, Paul's head against the pillow and Tanner's head propped up on a paw, elbow in the mattress beside Paul's pillow.

"Not sure... I think more about me not telling him." Paul noted with a sigh, and rolled over, looking away from him "I kind of always told Ray that friends should have an 'open disclosure' policy."

Tanner reached out his free paw and gently rubbed Paul's back, "Do you think maybe there are some things that friends still have a right to keep private?" he felt Paul tense up at that, and the Dog quickly regretted the question; Paul had a lot of hidden triggers, and the shepherd never knew when he was going to accidentally set one off.

He was relieved when Paul visibly calmed quickly and spoke up, "Yea... I know. That's pretty much what I said but.., well... I've prodded Ray into revealing some pretty personal things too, like when he lost his wife."

"Life history is a little less private than love life, I'd think." Tanner offered in consolation.

"I guess..." Paul rolled back over so they were muzzle-to-face, "It's just... I really kinda feel BAD about it... pressing for information and being so secretive myself... it really seemed like it hurt him because I wasn't being as open as he thought I should be."

"Do you want to be more open?" Tanner asked, looking Paul in the eyes.

Paul looked away, "I... yes? No?... I don't know."

"Do you think Ray is going to tell anyone in the office?" Tanner asked.

A faint, serene smile spread its way across Paul's face and he slid closer, sliding his arms around Tanner's body as he pressed himself to the Dog. The action confused Tanner, but as Paul rested his head against the shepherd's neck, the human said, "No."

"That's what you were really worried about?" Tanner asked, embracing Paul in return.

"Part of it..." Paul said, still hugging him, "I really like Ray... he's the first real friend I made here other than you or Mateo, and I didn't want to screw things up with him. I don't know... I guess if he really wanted to end the friendship he would have told everyone, huh?"

Tanner chuckled, "That would be one way to do it." and he slowly pulled Paul back far enough away so he could touch noses with him, "Feeling better?"

"With you around, how could I not?" Paul smiled... just a little.

"Good... come on. I made dinner, and I think I have an idea." Tanner got up off the bed, holding Paul by the wrist, and he brought him out into the hall.

"Hey... slow down." Paul chuckled half-heartedly, "I haven't even taken my shoes off yet."

"That's the point!" Tanner responded, tail wagging, "We're going back out."

"What about dinner?" Paul questioned.

"We're taking it with!"

"Where?" Paul asked.

Tanner grinned at Paul, relishing the confused expression on the human's face. He stopped in the kitchen to get sandwich bags and a cloth grocery bag before answering, "You'll see."

* * * * * *

They took Tanner's car, because the Dog drove. With Paul in the passenger's seat and their dinner-on-the-go situated inside the bag in the back seat, Tanner took them out of town and onto the interstate. It was almost seven by the time Tanner took a turn-off he had come to know all-too-well ever since he moved into town. From the look on Paul's face, the Dog could tell that the human recognized it too, even though he'd only ever been there once.

Tanner took his favorite parking spot at the far end of the parking lot situated directly off of the off-ramp. It was a gravel parking lot, but the Dog certainly didn't mind; he didn't exactly have a 4x4, but it wasn't one of the kind of cars that'd burst into flames if it drove on anything other than a city street. Stopping the car, Tanner turned to his boyfriend with a smile, "We're here."

"I guessed that, you goof." Paul answered, tapping him lightly on the side of the muzzle with a finger, "Now would you mind filling me in?"

Tanner got out of the car and opened the back door, pulling out the cloth bag with their food, "You've been working harder than hell lately, Paul... and you haven't had a change of pace or a change of scenery. I know I can't do anything about the first one but you're not naturally a city boy, and I can tell it's getting to you." he closed both doors and pressed the lock button on his key chain before sticking his keys onto his pocket. "Come on."

Paul stood next to the car for a moment, and took in a deep breath, "Smells a lot nicer out here, doesn't it?" the human asked him. Tanner smiled at the comment, and simply nodded, waiting for Paul before moving off toward a grassy hill not far from the parking lot. Tanner took a deep breath himself, able to appreciate it far more than Paul could. He could tell that allergy season was going to be on its way soon; it never bothered him, but several humans he knew always relied on a warning because he could smell it a day or two before they got hit.

The two crossed the parking lot stepping in time with one another. Paul had his hands in his pockets while Tanner carried the cloth bag in one paw and a 2 liter of soda in the other. There were a number of things on Tanner's mind, but he was happy enough to avoid voicing them, rather preferring to let Paul speak up if and when he was ready. He could tell the human was mulling over a lot of their earlier discussion by the way he chewed on his lip; if something existed that was the opposite of a poker face, Tanner decided that was what Paul had.

The sun was still off the horizon; it always started staying lighter for longer as spring neared its end. Paul had told him on a few occasions how surprised he was that the daylight hours on the west coast were so long. Tanner had to remind him that there were no mountains to the west to cut down on the sunlight... and the gleam from the ocean if you were in the right places made the sunset twice as bright. He smiled to himself, gazing westward to the sun-and-a-half just starting to become visible on the far-distant ocean.

"Wow..." Paul whispered, stopping to admire the scene.

"Yea..." Tanner smiled to himself as much as to the human beside him, "After I quit college and moved up here I spent a lot of my evenings right here. It was hard getting used to so many changes in such little time... but something about a quiet place with a nice view always helped me." he took a seat on the grass and set the food bag down. "I've never packed egg sandwiches before, but I think they'll still be okay."

"Egg sandwiches?" Paul asked, taking a seat beside him, "What're those, exactly?"

"Nothing too fancy... just some fried egg on toast with some cheese and condiments and spices." the dog replied.

"Some 'condiments' and 'spices'?" the human inquired critically, "Like what?" he looked at the plastic-wrapped bag Tanner handed him, "This isn't going to be a repeat of the burrito incident, is it?"

Tanner cracked up at the question. One trip to a mobile burrito stand was more than enough for the Dog's poor boyfriend, and he was certain Paul would never let him live it down. "I told you not to order the 'Lengua'." he said amidst his laughter.

"You never said WHY!" Paul came back with mock indignation.

"Well it didn't TASTE that bad, did it?" the shepherd asked, still laughing. They'd gone over the conversation dozens of times so that it essentially played out by rote. Paul complained about the texture; Tanner stated that it wasn't that bad; Paul complained about the spices; Tanner called Paul a lightweight. They wrestled around on the hill until both were laughing, covered in loose bits of grass and their clothes were stained. Tanner's tail wagged more than usual; by Paul's smile, he could tell that his plan was working and that the human was finally starting to relax.

After their rough-housing, Tanner pulled off his shirt and folded it on the ground beside the bag of food. He laid on the grass, staring up at the light blue, cloudless sky as he ate his sandwich, listening to the sound of plastic crinkling next to him as Paul unwrapped his own. The Dog smiled when he heard the 'mmm' sound Paul made after his first tentative bite.

"Taste okay? Or does it have a bad texture?" Tanner grinned.

"It's not spicy. As long as it doesn't burn going in or coming out, I think I'll live." the human replied crassly. Tanner could imagine Paul's smirk so he didn't need to turn and observe it.

They sat in silence for a time, both of them chewing, watching their surroundings, and enjoying the quiet evening. The sun was half-way set when Paul put the remnants of their meal away in the bag and scooted even closer to Tanner, "Thank you." the human said quietly, leaning forward to touch his nose to the Dog's.

Tanner smiled, and lifted his head to make his nose easier to reach, "You're welcome." he smiled then jumped a little when Paul followed it up with a proper kiss. Tanner's head felt dizzy every time Paul kissed him. There was something about the feel of his lover's fleshy lips that were so different from anything else the Dog had every experienced. It made him tingle all over, and his fur stood on end. It only got worse when Paul's hand caressed his stomach.

"What are you up to down there?" the shepherd demanded, half wondering, and half hoping.

"Fur therapy." Paul answered.

"Fur wha--?" but the question was cut short as the human began vigorously rubbing and scratching at Tanner's abdomen. The sensation was electric, and Tanner's muzzle clapped shut audibly.

"I used to do this at home with my family's four legged dog after a really bad day... it always made me feel better, so I got to calling it 'fur therapy'." Paul spoke up, the words barely registering in Tanner's mind as the sensations rolled through him like waves of intense relief, not unlike scratching the itch that had eluded you for an hour, or finding a way to uncramp your leg when it doesn't seem to want to give up. Tanner let out a groan through his clenched teeth.

"You silly goof... you're doing that just to humor me, aren't you?" Paul laughed. Only then did Tanner realize that his left leg had been twitching in a kicking motion.

"You caught me." the Dog grinned, embarrassed, "Entirely for your benefit," he smiled sheepishly, "not uncontrolled in the least."

"Bullshit." Paul responded with a smile, and he moved to using both hands.

Tanner let out a yelp that sounded far too much to him like a puppy getting tickled, and he felt his ears warm with a powerful blush because of it. His offending limb began kicking even more on its own but, by that time, Paul was laughing so much that Tanner couldn't help but lay back and enjoy the abuse. The dog closed his eyes and just smiled while Paul reclined next to him, resting his head on a palm, elbow on the ground, returning to one hand.

"You are the best thing that's happened to me since I came here." Paul spoke quietly once Tanner's leg had (thankfully) grown still.

Tanner turned to look at Paul. Over the course of the last several months, the human had said things, done things, and revealed things that created feelings and emotions in Tanner that he had never felt at those levels. Paul was something special, and it seemed that hardly a day went by that the human didn't reinforce that in some way. The look in Paul's eyes at that moment were enough to count.

"I lo.." Paul paused, and Tanner felt himself tense up, "I love being addicted to you." the human corrected himself.

The comment hurt Tanner in a way, because he knew what Paul wanted to say. He realized many times over that he could have just as easily said it becuause he knew that's what Paul wanted to hear. He often felt that he would be able to say it honestly and in earnest, but Tanner also realized that he wasn't about to cheapen its meaning... he wasn't about to say it just for the sake of saying it. After a pause, he just leaned forward and licked Paul's lips.

The lick turned into a kiss, and Tanner rolled over so that he was straddling his lover. The human's hands slid through the fur on his back as he was embraced, and Tanner realized that, despite his own reserves, Paul didn't doubt his devotion for even a second. "You're my favorite addiction." Tanner responded, and repeated the kiss, but slowly pulled away, "Come on... it's getting dark and we should get back home; you work tomorrow and I have classes."

"We're not going to bed right away... are we?" Paul asked, rising behind Tanner so he could softly knead the dog's rump through his jeans.

Tanner turned back to grin at his lover, tail curling partly around the placed wrist, "We're going to bed... but that doesn't mean we have to go to sleep."

* * * * * *

A warm feeling of contentment flowed over Tanner as he felt the fur of his back pressed against his flesh by the firm mattress beneath him. Paul's back lay against his chest, and yet he could still feel the human's heartbeat against his chest. The Dog was tied with his lover, the human electing to take him inside his body that night. Tanner wasn't sure how long they had coupled, but he loved every moment of it, including their time together afterward as Paul snuggled himself into position, sharing soft words of care, thanks, and enjoyment of his company, falling asleep atop Tanner as if he were a furry mattress.

Something about Paul always put Tanner at ease when it came to sex. The Dog had been uptight when he was younger, preferring far more to please other males than to be serviced himself... he didn't even really like being naked in front of others. Things were different with the human; it was something they both got to enjoy and Tanner embraced the time with as much fervor as anything else he and Paul did together. He smiled as he deluded himself; he looked forward to sex with Paul a LOT. The human helped him experience things that he didn't know would ever be possible.

He gently entwined his fingers with Paul's, resting his paws and Paul's hands on the human's stomach as he held him in place. Tanner rarely fell asleep with his member inside his lover-- there were too many hygiene issues for him to ignore and, while it seemed a romantic way to fall asleep, Tanner was worried about their mutual health a little too much to make a habit of it. Sometimes the Dog lamented his own analytical mind, but he always reminded himself that one night of romance-story-style lovemaking could just as easily result in months or years of displeasing results.

Tanner rolled to the side, carrying his sleeping lover with him as he felt Paul's opening give slightly. He knew his knot was shrinking, and he always let it slip free with care. He closed his muzzle, turning a quivering moan into a long exhale through clenched teeth. After release, Tanner's flesh remained sensitive for quite some time and the extraction, he found, was almost as gratifying in a way as his orgasm. He quietly kissed Paul on the cheek; without having a lover like Paul, that was one more thing he never would have known about being tied.

The dog knelt forward on the bed, his nose brushing up between Paul's rump cheeks. His tongue pressed out into the cleft, and he heard a muffled exhale of breath as the sleeping human responded favorably to the attention. Tanner had always been thankful of Paul's good personal hygiene, making intimate gestures such as that feasible; unlike four legged dogs, Tanner wasn't generally inclined to do such a thing to just anybody. His lover now clean, Tanner went to tend to himself.

He was in the bathroom for almost ten minutes, letting his flesh lose more of its tender qualities, but not letting it retreat without first being scrubbed clean. Tanner was meticulous about keeping clean, having heard far too many horror stories in his high school health class discussing all horrible diseases of the sheath. Tanner realized the chances of that were slim, but he didn't want to risk it and didn't want to expose his lover to anything of the sort if the human decided to use a different hole for pleasuring him. Tanner smiled at that thought; Paul WAS talented.

Completing the more mundane aspects of caring for his health, Tanner gently helped his clean member return to its place, comfortably tucked away in its furred sleeve. Like his penis, the dog was ready to also be tucked in. He slipped noiselessly into bed with Paul, and smiled as the human reflexively slid back across the mattress, furless back moving to furred chest, returning to the position in which they had spent the first part of their time together. Tanner was glad to spend the rest of the night just like that as well. He slid his arm around Paul's waist and rested his paw against the human's abdomen.

Tanner yawned, and gently nosed the side of Paul's head with his muzzle; he loved the way the his lover smelled. Tanner caressed the back of his boyfriend's hand with a single paw pad; he loved the way Paul's flesh felt to the touch. He listened to the slow, rhythmic breathing from Paul and reveled in the human's bodyheat and the body against him, his sheath nestled up against the small of Paul's back. He licked Paul, and loved the taste of his drying sweat. They were all things that he loved, just like the human in his arms... and yet it was not so easily voiceable.

The dog didn't know if he would be able to say if asked that he loved Paul... but Paul's term 'addicted' certainly fit. He yawned again, feeling sleep eagerly begin to overtake his tired body. It had been just another day... full of ups and downs. Paul had some hardships at work, and Tanner was glad he was able to help him get rid of some of the stress at home. He nuzzled his lover one more time and let his eyes close for the night. Life with Paul was not all sunshine and belly rubs, but the Dog was happy to know that, even though his lover had his down moments, both were present much more often for Tanner with Paul than without him.