These Perfect Moments
These Perfect Moments
copyright 2010 comidacomida
"All I'm saying," Miranda noted to those surrounding her at the lunch table, "is that our society puts an unfair amount of importance on looks. The majority of first impressions are based on appearance."
"That IS the easiest way to make first impressions, Miranda." Candi offered amiably. The beagle sat to Miranda's right, and was busily trying to undo the plastic film from the tray of a microwavable meal without burning her paws.
"If that's all it was I could live with that... but, take me for example; I'm Asian and proud of it. Looking at all the stereotypical garbage portrayed in media it would stand to reason that I'm very good at math, I do well at standardized tests, and I have a high level of computer aptitude."
"Do you?" Ben asked casually, unpacking a sacked lunch and spacing it out in front of him on the table.
"Yes, but that's beside the point." Miranda noted emphatically.
"Many stereotypes DO hold an element of truth." Ben pointed out.
"What about you, Ben? Would you like to be categorized as a stereotypical black man?" Miranda countered. The conversation only got more heated from that point as Ben questioned what she meant by that, and Miranda pointed to his defensiveness to prove her argument. Paul was happy to sit on the sidelines and escape notice. That is, he would have been if he hadn't been dragged into it.
"What do YOU think, Dakota?" Miranda asked, looking at Paul. All other eyes at the table followed suit.
"I..." Paul paused. He had been back at work for only 3 hours and he was already thrust directly into the thick of 'office drama' once again, "...I think if everyone were stereotypical then I would probably be sitting on the edge of a frozen lake ice fishing?"
Everyone at the table dissolved into a fit of laughter. The lunch room was thankfully devoid of discussion for several minutes as everyone unwrapped, unpacked, or uncovered their respective lunches. It was Miranda who first spoke up, continuing the conversation, "If I were in a movie, I bet whatever asshole directed it would probably give me theme music straight out of an anime."
"Miranda..." Ben stated flatly, "let it go."
"All I'm trying to say is--"
Ben glanced pointedly to Ray then back to Miranda, "I think we've dealt with enough racial issues this month that there isn't any real humor to this discussion. Its novelty has worn thin. Drop it, or take it up with HR." he stared her down, "Got it?"
Miranda quickly backed off, "Fine." she stood, Subway sandwich bag in hand, and she left.
"Wow." is all Paul had to comment.
"She just likes finding things to complain about." Ben shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich, "If you let her, she'll talk your ear off about nothing worth discussing for hours."
"We've all worked with her... no need to preach to the choir." a voice spoke from the doorway. Paul froze immediately; he recognized the speaker.
"Good to see everyone again!" Casey announced, moving away from the doorway. He took a seat right next to Paul, draping an arm over the human's shoulder. "I thought I heard you'd be coming back today, Paul!" the dalmatian announced, tail beating out a quick tempo on the back of the chair.
"Casey?" Candi puzzled, "Hi!" she greeted him, wagging happily, "I thought you weren't due back in until Mein Hund started work on their next project."
"Or at least until they renewed their advertising contract with AHB." Ben added with much less enthusiasm.
"Yay, it's Casey. What a surprise." Ray noted without enthusiasm.
"The guys at the front office know me." Casey shrugged, "Besides, you guys are on lunch break, so it's not like I'm interrupting anything important."
"Lunch IS important when you spent the whole morning grinding your teeth over what didn't get done while you were out." Ray inputted.
"Alright... then I'll leave you to it." Casey offered a casual salute. He stood up, one paw circling Paul's wrist.
"Huh?" the human asked.
"Come on. I'm just gonna steal you for a minute." the dalmatian noted, wagging.
"But... lunch... important.... teeth grinding..." Paul sputtered.
"It's only for a minute you doofus." Casey chided, and pulled the still-objecting Paul out of the lunch room. Paul recognized where Casey was taking him, and it was scarcely twenty steps until they were both back in Paul's cubicle. The dalmatian took a seat in the second chair while motioning for Paul to sit as well; he did.
"Okay... so what's with the surprise visit?" Paul asked.
"Eizenzahn wanted to talk with you." Casey answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
"What? He did?" Paul inquired, surprised by the announcement.
"Well..." Casey dug a foot into the carpet, "I was talking with him earlier this week and he said that he needed to talk to you before making any promises to me."
"About what?" Paul questioned.
"Oh... just... stuff." the dalmatian did a poor job of evading the question.
"Like?" Paul pressed.
"We both need your help with something." Casey answered cryptically.
"'We'?" Paul's mind caught the word and refused to let it go.
"Yea." Casey noted sheepishly, wagging just the tip of his tail.
"If we're playing 20 questions I think I'm running out of them." the human stated.
"Oh... sorry... right..." the dalmatian acknowledged, pulling out his cell phone, "I'll just call him for you and hand over the--"
"It's almost 10 o clock over there!" Paul objected.
"Yea." Casey nodded and handed the ringing phone over to the human, "It's okay... he'll be expecting the call."
"Bad dog." Paul added quietly before taking the phone. Casey's ears drooped at that, but Paul could still hear the mischievous tapping of the Dalmatian's tail against the cubicle wall hinting that Casey wasn't all that rebuked.
"Mr. Miller..." Alric's identifiable voice spoke through the cell, "Good afternoon."
"Um... Good evening, Mr Eizenzahn." Paul answered after putting the cell up to his ear, "I guess you WERE expecting the call."
"Indeed." came the Doberman's response, "I expected that Casey would work quickly."
"So..." Paul paused, "you really DID want to speak with me."
"I did, yes." Eizenzahn confirmed, "and it is about Casey, in fact."
Something about the way the Doberman added that casual comment made the hair on the back of Paul's neck stand up, "Oookay." he paused for a moment, "How can I help you, Mr Eizenzahn?"
"By helping Casey." Alric replied simply.
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Paul noted in as basic an objection as he could think of. Across from him in the cubicle Casey had his muzzle stuck in a mug Paul kept on his desk for holding pens-- the pens were on the desk beside it. The human quickly covered the mouthpiece of the phone before saying, "Casey... behave." The dalmatian sat up straight in his chair, looking innocent, tail wagging.
"I assume Casey has not explained the reason we are speaking?" Alric inquired calmly.
"Just that you would be expecting OUR call." Paul emphasized that the call was a joint venture.
"I see." the Doberman noted neutrally from the other end, "Please return the cell to Casey, Paul. Thank you." Paul handed the phone to Casey obediently.
"Da?" Casey inquired into the mouthpiece.
"Thats Russian." Paul interjected.
Casey brought a finger up to his muzzle followed by a "shh... I'm on the phone."
The Dalmatian spent most of his time nodding, and responding to whatever the executive was telling him with simple one syllable responses including but not limited to "Sure.", "Yes.", "Yea.", "Yep.", and an occasional "No.", "Nah", and a single "Oh." It was after that last piece of dialogue that Casey handed the phone back to Paul, "I'm losing my apartment and Eizenzahn wants you to help me out." The Dalmatian's ears drooped and he didn't make eye contact.
"Help you out?" Paul asked incredulously, "What does he mean, 'help you'--" he took the phone and held it up to his mount, "What do you mean 'help him out'?"
"Casey has, unfortunately, shown himself to be a little... was ist das wort? ah!-- careless." Eizenzahn explained, "He does not have the skills for handling his finances."
"You're losing your apartment?" Paul asked Casey, lowering the phone.
"Yea... it's a long story." Casey noted, still avoiding eye contact.
"He did not budget or save on the contractual stipend." Eizenzahn's voice spoke up from the cell in Paul's hand. The human returned it to his ear.
"So how am I supposed to help?" Paul asked, "I mean... being the head of photography for your advertisements is one thing, Mr. Eizenzahn, but--"
"Your task is very simple, Paul." the Doberman cut him off, "I explained to Casey that I would provide him an advance off of his next stipend if and only if he has a representative payee."
Paul paused, watching Casey who was finally looking at him, ears down, eyes wide and glistening. It was impossible for Paul to ignore the similarities between Casey's expression and a well-executed set of puppy dog eyes. When they locked gazes Casey's expression and posture remained perfectly frozen, completely unmoving except for the faintest tempo of his tail beating optimistically against the wall of the cubicle.
"What is a representative payee, exactly?" Paul asked.
"It's someone he can send money to that makes sure that it's used the right way. Once it reaches my paws it kinda disappears." Casey admitted sheepishly.
Eizenzahn likewise explained on the phone, "A representative payee accepts money on behalf of another person and then uses it for that person's benefit. I want you to budget for Casey, and perhaps teach him how to handle it himself."
"Why me?" Paul asked rhetorically, then paused, realizing that he'd spoken it into the cell.
"Because," Alric explained, actively answering the question, "I need someone responsible I can trust who will be fair and impartial and make certain that Casey's needs are attended to." Paul's mind flashed back to the dream of Casey and himself in bed together and he almost dropped the phone. If Eizenzahn had any indication that Paul was flustered he didn't let on, "If you agree then you will be compensated too, of course."
"I think you'd make a great whatever-that-is, Paul." Casey encouraged, wagging slowly.
"I'll have to ask Tanner first." Paul stated simply, coming up with the first possible excuse he could consider. He never knew something like a representative payee position existed, and he certainly never expected that he would be offered it. He was mutually honored and aghast that the Doberman would offer him the task, "I appreciate that you'd think of me for the opportunity though, Mr Eizenzahn."
"Excellent." Alric confirmed from the other end, "I will get your account information from AHB's HR department to set up the direct deposit."
"I... I didn't say--" Paul objected.
Alric continued as if there were no reproach, "Thank you for your continued service, Paul. You are truly reliable, and I appreciate that." *click*
"...yes." Paul added, then looked to Casey, "I didn't say yes." he repeated, unable to object to the Doberman any longer. He passed the cell back to the dalmatian.
"Oh..." Casey noted, "I already asked Tanner and he said he was okay with it." his wags continued.
"Why would YOU ask TANNER if I could receive money for you?" Paul questioned.
"Oh... we talked about a lot of stuff... it wasn't SPECIFICALLY about the money thing..." Casey wrung his paws together.
"So he found out that you were losing your apartment, I take it? When was that?" Paul questioned.
"This morning, before I headed over. That was part of what I talked to him about." the Dog answered.
"So what did you talk about?" Paul questioned, not sure he wanted to know.
"Well... since I'm out of an apartment," Casey noted, avoiding eye contact again, "the other part of things is that Eizenzahn is going to be paying my rent for awhile too."
"Again..." Paul repeated, "What does that have to do with Tanner?" he felt his heartbeat start to increase.
"Oh... because Eizenzahn wants me to stay with whoever is handling my money." Casey offered a hesitant wag and a sheepish grin.
"But I'M handling your money." Paul pointed out.
"Yea... and Tanner lives with you so I figured I'd check with him first since we're ALL going to be roommates." the Dalmatian explained.
"Son-of-a--" The two fought for control of the cellphone; Casey won.
* * * * * *
It was just after six by the time Paul finally clocked out. The office had been abuzz all day with new possible contracts. Upper management was talking about distributing project goals, assigning teams, and forging ahead. The whole idea of work returning to a break-neck speed was a mixed bag in Paul's opinion; a busy work schedule kept everyone in the office moving around enough that interaction could return to purely professional, but too much work meant extra stress. Stress was one thing that Paul already had plenty of.
"Dakota... wait up." Ray called after him as he left for the parking lot.
"Oh... hey, Ray." Paul greeted him, "Sorry... had a lot on my mind."
"So...?" Ray's tone suggested a question, "Is Casey really moving in with you?"
Paul paused for a moment, not exactly sure how to respond. In the end, he used a combination of honesty, indignation, and humor "Yes... but how did you find out about it? You're psychic, aren't you?... I knew it."
Ray laughed good-naturedly at the comment and patted Paul on the back, "No... but I know you well enough to tell that something's up. Between the little hints I read into when Casey left and the way you've been mulling about all day like a hurricane victim I put two and two together. The most likely answer was that you were adopting a new Burb Dog."
"I'm not--!" Paul began, then realized his voice was several decibels too high. He glanced around, cleared his throat, and started over, "I'm not adopting a Burb Dog... I'm just helping out a friend."
Ray smiled and leaned forward to lick the side of Paul's face, "Relax, Dakota... I'm just playing with you. No need to be so defensive, kid."
Paul let out a sigh, "Eizenzahn put me up to it." he admitted morosely, "I'm not really sure how I feel about it."
"Well..." Ray contemplated, stopping at his car, "You like Casey, right?"
"Yea." Paul nodded noncommittally, pausing in his trip to his own car to stand beside the Dog's.
"God knows why..." Ray shrugged with a grin, wagging, "But if you like him, and you're able to do a favor for him, then this is a good thing, right?"
Paul analyzed the comment for awhile then, after letting out a deep sigh, nodded, "I guess so."
"Then don't worry." Ray patted him on the shoulder, "Everything'll turn out fine."
"I wish I had your optimism, Ray." Paul lamented.
"You need a tail first, Dakota." the retriever noted, getting into his car, "Then, you just let it start wagging." Ray closed the door and put the key in, rolling the window down, "The key is to keep wagging because as long as you do the clouds get fanned away." the Dog winked and started the car, "Don't worry, Dakota-- everything'll be fine. I'll see ya tomorrow." and, with that, Ray backed out of the parking spot and headed off down the street.
Paul let out a sigh, watching the retriever drive away before pulling out his cell. He quick dialed Tanner and held the phone up to his ear, waiting for the Dog to answer.
"Heya." Tanner spoke up warmly, "I was wondering when you were gonna call."
"Yea... long night, sorry." Paul answered with a deep sigh, "I'm on my way back though... just got finished at the office." He paused for a moment as he heard some noise in the background, "He's there already?"
Tanner's chuckle confirmed it, "Yea... since about three. I think he went back to his place after visiting you at the office then came right over."
"Ah." Paul commented, not exactly sure how to respond to that. He changed the subject instead, "So... should I bring something home for dinner?"
"Hey Casey!" Paul heard Tanner shout away from the phone, "Dinner ideas?" The human could just barely hear a reply of some kind from somewhere further away and then Tanner was right back on the phone, "Casey says he'll handle it. He said you could probably use a break from cooking."
Paul felt a faint blush at that-- he wasn't used to sharing the kitchen responsibilities, "Well... to be honest, I was thinking of just stopping off somewhere and picking something up."
"Nah..." Tanner dismissed the idea, "Go ahead and save the money... I'll tell Casey to make patty melts... I think you'll get a kick out of em."
Paul felt his face redden again, this time from a strike of indignation, but it passed quickly, "Alright... I'll take your word for it... but if you're letting him cook and he makes a mess then the two of you clean it up."
"Fair enough." Tanner replied in an upbeat tone, "And Paul?..."
"Yea?" Paul inquired.
"Don't worry... it'll be okay." Paul could hear the upbeat tone in his boyfriend's voice and, despite all the many different things the human could worry about, all the different ways it could go wrong and all the horrible, horrible manners in which Casey could cause problems, Tanner's reassurance somehow helped.
"I know it will." Paul finally answered, "You're there, so no matter what it won't be that bad."
Tanner chuckled in response, "I consider that a very positive way to look at things." Paul imagined the Dog's tail wagging and could practically see his boyfriend's smiling face. The thought made him smile as well, and he was suddenly that much more eager to get home, even if there was an awkward situation involving a spotted house guest awaiting him.
Unable to put off the inevitable any longer, Paul finally headed to his car, "See you soon." Paul promised.
"Can't wait." Tanner replied simply, and Paul knew that the Dog spoke from the heart because he felt the same way.
* * * * * *
It was impossible for Paul to not notice the car parked outside his condo; he'd seen Casey's coupe often enough to know who owned it, and it only seemed that much more obvious considering the situation in which Paul found himself. He'd analyzed it over and over again in his mind-- it wasn't that he minded the thought of Casey spending a few weeks with them... it was the suddenness of the surprise that had really caught him off guard.
Paul pulled up on the curb behind Casey's car and put the parking break on. Another hard-to-miss observation: the license plate read "IMDOG4U". Suppressing a shudder, the young man turned off his car and got out.
Closing and locking the door behind himself, Paul turned to the path leading to the condo. He started up the walk to the front door, but only then did he realize that Casey was seated on the patio step.
"Uh... hi?" Paul asked, not exactly sure what to think of seeing the dalmatian camped out on the porch in the late twilight.
"Hey Paul." Casey offered a quiet greeting, tail wagging softly behind him, "I didn't really want to jump you first thing when you got home, but I was hoping we could have a minute to talk."
"Uh..." Paul paused, "Oh." he shrugged, "I was kinda thinking I'd get settled in first before dinner. It WAS a long day." The human stopped on the way to the door, waiting to see the Dalmatian's response.
"I know." Casey nodded sympathetically, glancing down at the walkway, "Sorry..." and he stood up and to the side, "I just wanted to say 'thank you'." he noted simply, "I know I can be a pest sometimes, but I don't plan on making this anything more than what it is. I really appreciate your help... thank you."
The simplicity and honesty of the comments caught Paul off guard and paused for a moment longer. He looked at the Dalmatian, who stood beside the path, providing him free entry into the condo. The gears turned in Paul's head as he analyzed their short exchange and all he could come up with in the end was a very obvious result, "You're welcome." he offered. "You're a good Dog, Casey... I'm glad I could help."
The Dalmatian remained subdued, following him in quietly, tail having picked up speed but otherwise still calm, "Go ahead and relax... I'll let you know when dinner's ready." Casey turned and headed into the kitchen, tail wagging still as he disappeared from sight.
"Thanks, Casey." Paul called after him, and went down the hall immediately, heading for his bedroom. Closing the door behind himself, the human went straight to the closet to hang up his tie. He saw Tanner over at the desk pouring over a set of books.
Paul could not deny that he'd spent hours doing nothing but sitting and watching Tanner doing homework; there was something almost mystical about the way the desk's lamp lit up the Dog's fur. Each of Tanner's movements glimmered and danced hypnotically so that even the task of the Dog erasing something became the most wonderful display to experience. That night, however, Paul couldn't stop to focus on it no matter how much he wanted.
The human began unbuttoning his shirt as a sigh escaped him. It had been a long day and he was glad to be home, but Casey's presence was an unknown variable. The Dalmatian's greeting had surprised him and he felt off-balance. Paul turned back toward Tanner when he heard the Dog change positions at the desk.
Tanner set down his pencil and closed his book, resting his elbow on the back of his chair so he could turn to face Paul. The Dog's face was attentive and calm, inviting and unassuming. Tanner looked to him if he were simply eager to observe, ready to respond but not requiring anything. "Welcome back."
Paul finished unbuttoned his work shirt and tossed it into the hamper. He took off his undershirt and quickly grabbed a plain gray t-shirt from the closet and slid it on over his head. "Thanks." Paul finally answered once the shirt was on. Even though it was two shirts and a tie opposed to a single shirt, there was a vast difference in Paul's mind between work clothes and casual clothes-- after his day, Paul longed for the second kind, "Today was just plain crazy... new projects, dissension in the ranks, lunch time arguments, a call to Germany, and, of course, a new roommate."
"That crazy, huh?" Tanner inquired, tail striking against the back of the chair in a pleasant, welcoming beat.
"And then some." Paul confirmed, slipping out of his work slacks, "But we'll talk about it later... I think Casey plans on wine-ing and dining us." He grabbed a pair of sweat pants and slid them on.
Tanner chuckled in response and got up from the desk, "Dining is one thing, but back when Casey really drank he was more into the harder stuff... not so much wine."
"Hardy har." Paul noted flatly, stepping to meet his boyfriend in the middle of the room. They embraced, and the human let out a sigh. Paul buried his face into Tanner's neck and took in a deep breath, letting the Dog's musky scent wash away his thoughts from the day, "Ah... that's better." He snuggled into Tanner's furred form and reveled in the strong squeeze that the Dog returned to him.
Tanner laughed, rubbing the small of Paul's back with one paw while the other gently caressed the back of the human's head. "Now if only all of life's problems could be solved so easily, huh?"
Paul smirked into the fur at the comment, "Yea... it'd give me even more reasons to do this all the time.... not that I need more."
Their time was spent together in one another's arms until Casey called from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready!"
Paul let out a soft sigh, slowly disengaging, "And I suppose that's that... at least for now. Sorry about the house guest." he apologized.
"No need to be." Tanner waved the concern away, "I've lived with him before... you're the one who has to deal with a second Dog around. I'm used to Casey but you aren't; I'm more worried about you."
Paul couldn't help but smile, "Well... to be honest, I'm more worried about me too." They both shared a laugh as they headed down the hall hand-in-paw to join Casey.
* * * * * *
Paul let out a deep breath as he collapsed on the bed. The motion was accompanied by a weary groan, "Ugh..." he emoted, "This has been one INSANE day."
Tanner chuckled, heading into the bathroom, to get his toothbrush, "And, despite it all, you're still alive."
Paul smirked at that, "Well, no thanks to Casey... I thought he was trying to kill me with all that food!"
Tanner laughed, "He shows his thanks in many different ways... I think that was just a sign that he was VERY grateful."
"Grateful enough that I have lunch already taken care of tomorrow... and maybe Thursday." Paul smiled, laying flat on the bed as Tanner started brushing his muzzle, "Wow... I can't remember the last time a Dog left me this full."
Tanner's tail beating against the counter in the bathroom was the only hint Paul received that the Dog caught his inadvertent double-entendre. Paul recovered quickly despite the accidental humor and managed to add, "Well... not BEFORE bed anyway." Tanner was unable to restrain the laugh and he was forced to wipe the bathroom mirror off after spraying it with several droplets of toothpaste.
"'at's 'orr-i-bul, 'aul." Tanner accused, wiping at several errant lines of toothpaste dripping off his chin.
"I know." Paul smiled innocently, sitting up so he could take his shirt off, "But it helps ease the tension." he tossed it onto the desk chair near the bed. "I'm just glad that Casey seems to be settling in without creating too many waves."
"He's pretty subtle when he knows he needs to be." Tanner acknowledged, washing off his toothbrush.
Paul shuddered just a little, "Ugh... Dog Toothpaste."
"Oh stop it... you've been dealing with it for months. It's not that bad." Tanner countered, coming out of the bathroom with the blue-and-white tube in his paw. He moved to stand by the bed, "Maybe you should try it sometime..." and the Dog tossed it to Paul. "It's a lot different than your stuff."
"No thanks." Paul stuck his tongue out. He looked the tube over, "I'm only good for so much variety and I think a second roommate has me at my limit this week." and then set it on the nightstand next to the alarm clock.
"Variety keeps life interesting, Paul." the Dog winked. Tanner drew his shirt up around his head as he took it off.
Paul reached out and slid his fingers through his lover's belly fur with a smile, admiring Tanner's physique and the smoothness of his form. The human pressed his hand against the German shepherd's abdomen, kneading the firm abs he could feel beneath the fur, "You're all I need to keep life interesting... everything else is overload."
Tanner grinned down at him, "A little chaos never hurt anyone either." He tossed his shirt onto a nearby armchair.
Paul responded without hesitation, "I had enough chaos today to overdose a regular man two-fold."
"Hmm... I always knew you were a resilient human." Tanner smiled, leaning forward until Paul was laying backwards. The Dog placed a paw on either side of the human's head and lay down atop him. The two shared a kiss, and slowly pulled close to embraced one another as they snuggled on the bed. Tanner rested above the blanket, laying on his back. Paul was next to him, head on the Dog's chest; he let out another sigh.
"I hope things work out alright with Casey." Paul murmured, making small circles with his finger in Tanner's belly-fur.
"He'll be just fine... trust me." Tanner offered in earnest, taking Paul's meandering hand in a paw, "We've been roommates before, remember?"
"And remind me again why you stopped being roommates?" Paul chided, remembering full-well. He laced his fingers with the Dog's digits.
"Because we didn't have a human to keep him in line." Tanner answered back with a wry grin. He leaned forward and touched his nose to Paul's.
"Oh... you're quite the smooth operator, smart ass." the human countered, resting his head back down on Tanner's chest, "But I'm serious..." his tone lost its levity, "Do you think he'll be better this time around?"
Tanner let out a deep breath and then kissed the top of Paul's head, "I know he will. We're both older, and Casey isn't the same kind of party animal he was back then. People can change in a half-dozen years, and I can tell that Casey's done a lot of growing up."
"Wow..." Paul smirked, "If this is 'grown up' I'd have hated to see what he was like before."
Tanner grinned and poked the human in the side, "Like you said: we stopped being roommates." and the shepherd rolled over until he was straddling Paul, "But he's a good guy regardless of his faults... most of his worst ones are when he acts up or puts on a show anyway."
"And you think that won't be much of an issue once he settles in?" Paul asked, running his fingers through his lover's chest fur.
"No... actually, it'll probably be worse because he'll be showing off for you." Tanner snickered-- and summarily received a pillow in the face.
"Feathery doom is upon you, mutt!" Paul challenged in an epic tone, pulling the pillow back for another swing. Tanner got his arms up to defend and rolled to the side as the human launched a flurry of blows. The roll continued, taking Tanner just to the edge of the bed. Paul quickly dropped the pillow and reached out to grab the back of the dog's jeans, pulling him back over.
Tanner laughed, and spun around, grabbing at Paul's wrists with a laugh, forcing him back to the mattress. The Dog grinned down at Paul, who smiled, "You cheated." he accused.
"How could I have cheated?" the Dog questioned disbelievingly.
"Because you fought back." Paul countered, using his spare hand to reach up and caress Tanner's abdomen.
"Oh... my bad. I didn't know that was against the rules." the shepherd acknowledged... "I didn't even know there WERE rules against that sort of thing."
Paul smirked at the comment, "Well there are. I just made them." and he raised his head so he could reach Tanner's dangling muzzle with a kiss. The Dog let out a hot breath against Paul's face and sank down atop him, a gentle mrr escaping through their joined lips. The human's smirk grew wider when Tanner jumped in surprise; Paul's fingers slid around the German shepherd's sheath, easing his firming flesh out into the open.
Tanner's smile joined Paul's, "You're pretty energetic considering Casey is right down the hall." The casual comment brought Paul's playful mood to a halt, and he felt the blood drain out of his face as he imagined Casey being able to listen to everything he and Tanner were doing. Paul sat back against the headboard.
The shepherd's ears went up, then slowly drooped. Tanner moved back over on the mattress to sit next to Paul, likewise resting against the headboard, "I didn't mean it that way." he offered.
"I know..." Paul nodded with a sigh, "But you're right... it's... kinda weird." he fidgeted, looking down at his hands as he idly picked at some dirt under one of his fingernails, "I mean... I don't think I've had a 'roommate' since I moved out here."
"No?" Tanner offered. Paul could hear the shepherd's tail beat out a hesitant, encouraging beat on the mattress, "So what am I-- chopped liver?"
"You're..." Paul paused, "you're MORE than a roommate... you know that." the human noted.
"Oh am I?" Tanner questioned, voice teetering on mischievous, "What would you call that, hmm?"
Despite himself, Paul always found Tanner's moods to be infectious, and he couldn't help but smile... but only a little. At least, it was only a little until the next words escaped him, "You're an addiction."
Tanner's tail picked up speed and the German Shepherd leaned over to wrap an arm around Paul, "well, for as bad as most are, I've heard that most people have trouble quitting because addictions can be pretty comforting at times of stress." The Dog licked his cheek.
Paul let out a content sigh, "You have no idea." and he smiled, resting his head against Tanner's shoulder. The two of them sat on the bed that way for longer than Paul was able to track. It was almost eleven by the time he had any inclination to bother looking at the clock. Another sigh excaped Paul, "Time with you passes too fast."
"That's because we pack so much into the time we spend together." Tanner smiled, slowly disengaging so he could sit up and unzip his pants. Paul leaned over to run a hand down the Dog's back and undo the tail-button on his boyfriend's jeans. The Dog kicked them off and tossed them to one side of the room; they landed on the armchair next to his shirt.
Paul waited with open arms as Tanner rejoined him on the bed. As the Dog lay on his back, Paul slid atop him and kissed his muzzle lightly. Tanner responded by drawing his paws up the human's back. One paw stayed, pressed out across Paul's back at the shoulder blades while the other slid down to the waistband of the human's sweatpants. Tanner hooked a thumb underneath the fabric and slowly eased them off.
Pulling his legs up and squirming to the side, Paul wriggled free of the last of his clothing and let Tanner drop them to the floor. The Dog pulled him close and Paul exhaled, reveling in the feel of his lover's fur caress across the entirety of his naked body. He took in a deep breath, burying his face into the side of Tanner's neck, "Mmm...." he sighed, "No matter what happened during the day, you always make it better."
Tanner chuckled wordlessly, slowly easing Paul to the side. The human watched as the Dog grabbed hold of the blanket where it lay crumpled at the foot of the mattress, a casualty of their roughhousing. Reclining against the headboard with a pillow under his back, Tanner held his arms out to Paul once again as he pulled the blanket up to cover their naked forms.
Paul rested his head on Tanner's chest, folding one arm around the Dog's back beneath the pillow, the other around Tanner's abdomen. His lover smiled down at him, softly taking hold of Paul's top arm in one paw, the other paw caressing the back of his head, "You know... Casey IS a heavy sleeper..."
The comment got a laugh out of Paul, who looked up at meet Tanner's nose with his own, "I'm kidding." the Dog smirked.
"Not according to at least one part of you." Paul chided, glancing down at the section of blanket sticking up between Tanner's legs.
Tanner chuckled, "I'd rather wait until you were comfortable having Casey in the house... what's a day or two?"
"You think I'll be comfortable with Casey THAT fast?" Paul questioned with a smirk.
"Yea..." Tanner countered, resting his head back against the headboard, "I'll pick up a locking doorknob for the room tomorrow."
Paul smiled as he closed his eyes, basking in the loving glow of his boyfriend, "Yea... a day or two should do it."