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Among the Millers copyright 2011 comidacomida

Something about the sound of his suitcase hitting the conveyor belt snapped Tanner out of his early-morning zoning. Tanner considered himself a morning person but there had been a lot on his mind the last few hours, not the least of which being Paul, who appeared to be more of a zombie than he. Glancing over his shoulder at Paul, the Dog frowned a little on the inside; the human didn't even seem to notice his attention. For the fiftieth time that morning, Tanner was worried about him. They stepped up to the counter together.

Tanner did the talking, providing the attendant at the counter the confirmation number he received online for the ticket purchase. The woman informed him that he could have confirmed the online order via an electronic terminal. He apologized and informed her that it was his first time flying. She smiled blankly and handed him a ticket for himself and Paul. Tanner thanked her. She wished them a nice flight and proceeded to ignore them in favor of the next person in line. It was a very strange verbal dance and, as the Dog moved out of line with Paul in tow, it left him feeling a little dizzy.

The whole experience in fact, was easily summarized with that one word: dizzying. Paul went ahead of him as they waited in the security line. An Afghan Hound was taken out of line after setting off the metal detector and he was and pulled off to the side; Tanner watched as he was given a pat-down.

The Dog argued immediately, "This is racial profiling! You're taking me out of line just because of my breed! I was born in Detroit, for Christ's sake! I don't even SPEAK Arab."

"Sir, you are being detained because you set off the metal detector, not because of your breed." noted the man in charge, a big guy who looked like he had probably played professional football when he was younger, "Tony is going to search you. Do you have any health or medical problems that would necessitate that you be moved somewhere private, Sir?"

The Dog shook his head, mumbling something about not wanting to 'get a room'. The security guard the big man had indicated moved forward and began running latex-gloved hands along the outside and inside of the hound's arms. The Dog stood still, complaining all the while as he was frisked. The hound growled aggressively as the man slid his hands along the insides of his legs, "I don't want anyone fondling my junk."

"We are required to complete a full inspection, Sir," noted Tony, "but I assure you that you will be treated courteously and professionally."the human's tone was respectful but the words came out with the practiced ease of someone used to saying it dozens of times a day. The Dog threatened to talk to the ACLU and he was informed, seemingly by rote that he was able to lodge a complaint to be reviewed by the TSA. Someone further behind Tanner in line joked with his someone else that the Dog'd probably have more luck with the ASPCA; the shepherd didn't know whether it was funny or insulting... or both... but he knew it was certainly more stress.

Tanner let out a sigh; he wasn't sure if things were so stressful because of the purpose of their trip, or if traveling itself were stressful enough without adding family issues into the mix. He followed Paul's lead, taking off his shoes and his watch, emptying his pockets, and put them into a gray plastic bin. Paul pulled his laptop out of its carrying case and put each into a separate bin; Tanner did likewise. he Dog followed his human through the imposing, rectangular 'doorway' of the metal detector, holding his breath as he imagined all the wonderful outcomes; they both emerged on the other side without incident.

Paul went through all the motions of gathering up his items, his expression never changing. Tanner collected his own belongings, watching his boyfriend and worrying all the more. They both moved off to the side to put their shoes back on, and the Dog walked after Paul, who paused only long enough to look at the ticket information in his hand. "Frontier is Terminal 6." he said numbly, and headed off down the corridor, "I think our Gate is toward the end."

Tanner nodded quietly, trying to keep his concern from showing; considering the stress from being in an airport terminal for the first time there was nothing he could do about his tucked tail but he started to feel his ears droop and forced them back into a neutral position. He glanced at the window toward the horizon, noticing that the sun was FINALLY coming up. Tanner looked back to his boyfriend, "They have restaurants in the terminals, right? Did you want to get something for breakfast before our flight?"

"Are you hungry?" Paul paused, glancing back at him; Tanner couldn't help but notice that his eyes looked distant, and the large dark circles underneath them made it very clear that Paul had not slept well... which made sense considering their reason for travel.

"I figured it would be a good idea to get something to eat before we got on the plane... the prices are killer, I hear." he offered with an encouraging smile.

"Prices in the airport are almost just as bad." Paul noted, and glanced around the walkway, "There's some fast food down by the end of the terminal over there." he motioned with his free hand, "Let's find our gate then we can get something." the human paused, and Tanner's heart lifted just a little when he saw a mischievous glint spark within his boyfriend's eye, "We should probably find you some dramamine too... just in case." and he continued walking.

"Dramamine?" Tanner asked, ears going up, following him.

"This is your first time flying." Paul answered, then paused, "And it looks like that's our gate." he motioned with his head then looked back to the Dog, "Dramamine is used for motion sickness... Egg McMuffins might taste fine going down, but chances are you won't like em coming back up." The smile that emerged on Tanner's muzzle came easily to him; he was still worried about Paul, but it was much more obvious at that point that the human was more distracted than broken.

The wait in line for breakfast went very quickly and Tanner sat down at the waiting area by the gate while Paul went off in search of some motion sickness medicine. At first, the Dog considered offering to go with but he realized that it was an errand his boyfriend wanted to do alone... probably to keep busy. Ever since the two had awoken that morning Paul was moving a mile a minute; considering the reason for the trip, Tanner didn't blame him. The Dog ate quietly, eyes on the dark skinned male human attendant talking with a passenger whose ticket was apparently misprinted. The issue was just in the process of being resolved when Paul returned.

"Alright... I got some chewables." he offered, tossing a small packet to Tanner. The dog caught them easily and looked them over.

"They're pink." Tanner noted.

"I think they color them that way on purpose because they taste like Pepto Bismol." Paul replied, sitting down beside the Dog and pulling his own breakfast sandwich out of the bag, "That mixed with chalk, anyway" he added with a faint smirk, looking over his food.

"You take this stuff too?" Tanner asked, using the blunt claw on his index finger to poke out the metallic film from the back of one of the tablets.

Paul shrugged in response, "I used to... for my first few plane trips until we realized that it didn't bother me that much."

"Some people have problems in planes and some don't, huh?" Tanner asked, popping the tablet and chewing; Paul was not far off on the taste.

"Right." the human confirmed, "Kinda like reading in a car."

"Well... I never had much trouble with that, so it's probably good news." Tanner noted optimistically, smiling invitingly when he realized that the human was opening up just a little. The Dog hoped it was the start of a more normal Paul.

"Yea," Paul shrugged in response after chewing his bite of breakfast, "But it's a different kinda movement, I guess... I mean, Dad's okay on airplanes but he can't read inside a--" and Tanner watched as the weight of the situation came crashing back down on his boyfriend. Paul shut down again, wrapping up his sandwich before putting to back into the bag.

The human let out a sigh, "I can't believe it... it's... just... I... I can't believe it." and he hung his head.

Tanner opened his muzzle, but quickly shut it when he realized he didn't have anything to say. He wanted to be supportive, but he was at a loss for words... after all, what could he say to someone whose dad had cancer? He hadn't even spoken with his own family in several years so he couldn't even begin to consider what it must have been like for Paul. In the end, however, as numerous thoughts ran through Tanner's mind, he didn't have to say or do anything-- Paul's hand slowly reached out and gripped the Dog's paw.

Tanner jumped in surprise at that; Paul had never done anything that could have even been marginally misinterpreted as the two of them being 'together'. Glancing to the human, Tanner realized that Paul's defenses were down and that he was too far gone to care about what anyone thought of him or what they saw while he was in the airport on his way home. Home: the thought hung in Tanner's mind. He was following his boyfriend back to Paul's past; he was going to see where Paul grew up; he was going to meet Paul's family.

The thought terrified him and excited him at the same time but, as he looked down at the human's hand on his paw, he realized that it was probably one more reason why Paul was in a near catatonic state. Tanner was unable to even begin to guess how the discussion would go. He remembered being introduced to Casey's mom and Dad while they had been room mates, but Casey took the much more forward route and introduced Tanner as his boyfriend right away.

Tanner recalled being squeamish at that considering his own family background, regardless, it had worked well enough for Casey's folks... but the German Shepherd had a feeling that Paul's family was probably just a half-step less conservative than his own... and that meant, for the tenth or eleventh time since they left the house, Tanner wondered if he had made a big mistake in coming along. He didn't have much more time to consider it as Paul let go of his paw; the boarding had begun for their flight.

Despite how much Tan Paw had heard frequent fliers rave about the window seat, when it came time for the two of them to slid into their appointed row, the Dog realized that there was only one possible option, "Go ahead and slide in." he offered to Paul. A moment of indecision crossed the human's face, to which, the German Shepherd added, "If you don't I can't help but think that I'm going to keep pointing things out as we fly over them and I KNOW it'll drive you crazy." the Dog admitted.

Paul studied Tanner's face for a moment, and the Shepherd was able to identify the exact moment when the human decided to accept the offer, and Paul sat down in the window seat. Tanner lifted their luggage into the overhead compartment and paused, trying to figure out how to work the latch. "The stewardess'll get that... just sit." Paul offered, motioning to the seat beside him. Tanner obediently sat down, feeling a little embarrassed.

Wriggling into the seat, he pulled his tail out and set it between his thigh and the armrest, then looked around for the second half of his seat-belt. "These seats'll take some getting used to."

Paul reached down and picked up the clasp for the Dog and offered it to him calmly, "Here... you'll want this."

"I'm still new when it comes to flying, I guess." the Dog offered with a wag, clicking his seatbelt and tightening it snugly.

Paul smiled just a little at that, "Just remember not to freak out when you hear a little bump or the airplane dips... that kind of thing happens."

"There are bumps in the sky?" Tanner inquired, the tip of his tail thwapping on the seat next to where he sat.

"Landing gear... turbulence... flaps... high-flying birds--" Paul offered.

"You're joking." Tanner interjected.

"No... the landing gear really DOES make a loud thump when it--" the human offered with a smile.

"About the birds, you ass." Tanner countered, punching Paul in the shoulder. The two shared a laugh, and the Shepherd felt his tail wag more naturally. As they settled into their seats and the Dog took the opportunity to investigate the seat pocket in front of him, the minutes began to slowly creep by. If Tanner thought that the wait at the gate was long, he certainly wasn't prepared for the inactivity that followed once the two were seated.

"So... um... Paul?" the Dog glanced to his boyfriend, who appeared to be engrossed in a magazine or, more specifically, an article about sail-boarding in Costa Rica.

"Hmmm?" Paul asked, turning away from Tanner after he acknowledged the Dog; Tanner didn't miss the dampness on his cheek.

"Never mind." the Dog tossed the question away; he felt awkward... like nothing he could do ended up helping. He turned to look at his human again when Paul placed a hand atop Tanner's paw which was laying on the arm-rest between them. Paul laced his fingers between the Dog's and gave a little squeeze. The single gesture immediately made Tanner realize how stupid his little pity party was; his presence obviously made a difference, the way he knew Paul's did when he was feeling bad.

Mindful of his boyfriend's general squeamishness at public displays of affection, the Dog subtly moved their joined digits off the armrest and down to the slight groove between their seats; Paul didn't seem to notice as he continued looking out the window at the baggage handlers below them. Tanner was all-the-more confident in his decision to let Paul take the window seat; the human wouldn't have to deal with the constant flow of people moving past in the aisle and, at that moment, Tanner wanted to do everything for him he could.

Finally, after who-knew-how-long, the plane finally began to move. Tanner had seen enough movies to know that they still had to ease out to a good take-off point but, again, he was surprised at just how long that took. The stewardess walked the aisle, giving a safety demonstration covering everything from emergency exits to oxygen masks. Tanner looked up at the small plastic panel over his head; the thought concerned him for a split second... and then they were on to the 'in the case of a water landing' speech. Tanner decided that flying really didn't appeal much at that point, but he swallowed his puppy-fears and decided that it wasn't going to be that bad. He was right.

The flight, in total, took only about as long as the time from when the two woke up to the time the plane actually took off. Tanner had been hoping to play Angry Birds on his cell phone but, he reminded himself, they were supposed to remain off for the duration of the flight (only after they had touched down was he informed that using them in non-transmitting mode was acceptable). Regardless, the Dog was able to busy himself with a crossword puzzle followed by a complimentary snack followed by an in-flight movie and then, before he knew it, the crew was discussing the final approach.

Paul had apparently used the flight time to great effect; although he still looked tired, he didn't have the same 'haunted' look that he had displayed all morning. Tanner could tell by the way his human moved about the terminal that he was getting excited; regardless of the main purpose behind Paul's visit, he was going to see his family again, and that lifted his spirits. "Come on, slow poke... haven't found your land legs yet?" the human chided him.

"If I bite you in the airport, is the charge any worse than if I bit you somewhere else?" Tanner asked casually.

"Rather than biting me somewhere else, you'd want to bite me in my airport? Where exactly IS the airport on someone?" Paul asked, "If it is what I think it is, it'd hurt more than being bit on the arm."

The spontaneous word play made Tanner pause and, for a moment, he actually had to stop; a woman almost ran into him from behind. The shepherd apologized quickly and followed after his snickering boyfriend, "You suck." the Dog noted with mock indignation. Paul glanced back at him with a grin and momentarily raised one of his eyebrows... Tanner recognized that expression and the human didn't even have to say a word; Paul had agreed with him, albeit, in a different manner. Tanner was ready to continue berating his boyfriend, but their banter was interrupted.

"PAUL! You're HERE!" the shout carried to them even through the noisy airport terminal. Tanner turned to regard the speaker: a young human girl who looked like she was in her mid-to-late teens. Though her hair was a slightly darker shade of brown, her resemblance to Paul was unmistakable. "PAUL ABRAHAM MILLER, it IS you!" she called, waving frantically.

"Your middle name isn't Abraham...." Tanner mumbled to Paul, pausing so he could walk a step behind him.

"Right... that's just Rebecca being Rebecca." Paul answered; Tanner could see his boyfriend beginning to blush, "She loves making up middle names for me."

"There's a strange sense of humor in your family, isn't there?" the Dog asked plainly.

Paul's smirk widened, "The airplane was nothing... you're in for quite a ride."

"Oh GOD, Paul... it's so good to see you!" the girl threw her arms around Paul, lifting her feet up off the ground, forcing him to wrap his arms around her and hold her up.

"Heh... good to see you too, Becca..." Paul answered her once she stood on her own two feet again. He glanced around at the many people wandering around the terminal, "Is Mom here?"

"Nope..." the teen responded, holding up a collection of keys and giving them a little jingle.

"You got your license?!" it was much a comment of surprise as it was a question.

"Yea-huh!" Rebecca replied, jingling them again, "Mom's letting me use Ol'Yeller."

"Ol'Yeller?" Tanner asked before he had a chance to think. Both of the Millers' eyes went to him.

"Oh..." Paul suddenly squared his shoulders uncomfortably, "Becca... this is Tanner... my... uh... friend. Tanner, this is Rebecca, one of my sisters."

"You're Paul's roommate?" Rebecca inquired of him.

"Yes." Tanner responded formally, trying with all his might to keep his tail from curling between his legs. He offered out a paw, "Tan Paw Junior." he introduced himself.

The teen accepted it and gave it a firm shake, "Except it it's black." she pointed out.

"Thank you for letting him know." Paul quickly came to Tanner's rescue, "He never would have known if you hadn't pointed it out."

"Oh shut up." Rebecca playfully slapped at her brother's arm, "I just didn't know your boyfriend was a Dog."

Tanner almost felt his heart stop when Paul's sister blurted the 'b' word out, and he lost the fight with his tail, but only for a moment. The Dog's attention went to Paul, whose face was an unreadable mask of indecision over which emotion it should display. In the end, Tanner realized he had to say something, "Paul's letting me stay at his place until I finish with college."

"Whatever..." the teen shrugged, turning away, "Come on... I promised Mom I'd have you back before dinner and Kimmy can't wait to see you." and she started off through the concourse.

"I'm kinda surprised she didn't come with." Paul admitted, following after her.

"Who? Mom, or Kimmy?" Rebecca asked.

"Well... uh... either... both, I guess?" Paul offered.

"Mom's busy getting the house straightened up and Kimmy's grounded because she didn't finish her homework." the teen responded. She came to a stop and glanced back at her brother, "You brought more than that, right?" she asked, motioning to Paul's small carry-on bag.

"Yea," he responded, "I have one and Tanner has one."

"Great... now I just have to figure out where the baggage claim is..." she pondered.

"You're a girl..." Paul commented, "Why not ask for directions?"

The comment caught Tanner completely by surprise, and he had to do a double-take. Glancing at Paul, the Shepherd saw an unmistakably wide grin on the human's face; Tanner managed to hide a smirk of his own.

"So, after all that time in a big city, you still haven't learned how gentlemen treat ladies, is that it?" Paul's sister chided.

"Sure I did." Paul replied, "But what does that have to do with you?"

"Oh... there's a sign." Tanner quickly interjected, pointing at an arrow identifying the direction to the baggage claim, "Looks like we go left." The Dog moved quickly past the two siblings and headed where the sign indicated. It was the shepherd's hope that Paul and his sister would follow suit; he was relieved when it worked... but not so relieved as they continued their semi-friendly antics.

"Yea? Well so's your mother." Rebecca noted in response to Paul's casually caustic remark as they arrived at the baggage carousel.

"She's your mother too, so there!" Paul countered, and they both dissolved into a fit of laughter. Tanner rolled his eyes, picking up first his suitcase, and then Paul's wheeled luggage.

"Paul's humor isn't uniquely his, is it?" the Dog asked of Rebecca.

She grinned in response, "You're going to have a great time at the Miller household, Tan Paw... I can tell it already." The two humans laughed all the way out to the parking garage.

"Wow..." Paul noted, coming to a stop as Rebecca continued onward to a slightly rusted, banana-yellow, late '70s station wagon, "Ol'Yeller hasn't changed a bit."

Rebecca walked around to the driver's side and unlocked the door with the key, "Well... it can only get so bad and still run, you know."

"So..." Tanner noted, regarding the two siblings as Rebecca reached across to the passenger's seat and popped up the door lock, "It's yellow..." both of the Millers looked at him, "REAL yellow."

"That's reason number one it's called Ol'Yeller." Paul commented.

"There's more than one reason?" the Dog inquired; both humans nodded and grinned in unison, "I don't want to know reason number two... do I?" Tanner asked.

"Probably not." the siblings noted at the same time, and they spontaneously dissolved into fits of laughter again. One ear up, the other ear back, Tanner quickly slid into the back seat of the station wagon, taking the luggage with him.

Once everyone was situated, Rebecca started up the car (it took three tries), and they were on their way out of the airport parking lot. They paused long enough to pay the parking fee, and then they were out on the road. Tanner kept his attention on the countryside as it slid by; he couldn't help but be astounded at how flat everything was. The Dog was content enough to let Paul chat with his sister-- they obviously had a lot of catching up to do, and Tanner was plenty happy to let them at it.

He was just starting to doze off, when Paul suddenly shouted, "Hay!"

Tanner jumped in his seat, quickly looking around, "What?" he asked.

"Hay!" Paul repeated.

"'Hey' what?" the Dog demanded.

"Hay!" the human stated again, pointing out at the large fields of grass, and an enormous pile of... sure enough: hay. Tanner groaned, rubbing his face with a paw.

"Do you think he'll kill himself in desperation to escape?" Rebecca asked Paul casually.

"Nah... he's already used to the Miller-brand humor... lived with me so long he's built up a resistance." he noted, glancing back at Tanner with a grin.

"I'm used to smaller doses." the Dog replied, "Is your whole family like this?"

"All except for Kimmy... she's the quiet one." Rebecca noted casually, "But that's probably cuz she hasn't started high school yet... that's usually when everyone in our house comes out of their shell."

"Believe it or not," Paul noted with a smirk, "Becca here used to be well behaved and polite."

"Oh..." Rebecca spoke up, "speaking of polite," she smirked, "Mom's making Lutefisk tonight."

"She WHAT?!?" Paul gasped.

"She's making Lutefisk." the teen repeated.

"Oh my GOD... it's not even Christmas!" he exclaimed, "Can you even GET Lutefisk this time of year? Why would she be making Lutefisk?!?"

"What is Lutefisk, exactly?" Tanner chimed in.

"She's had it SINCE Christmas." Rebecca pointed out, not giving Paul a chance to answer the Dog, "And, she's making it NOW because you weren't here on Christmas." the second comment was more pointed and less patient.

Paul leaned over the seat to address Tanner, "Lutefisk is a tradition in our house... Grandma Fisher used to make it on Christmas when Mom was young, and Mom just kinda kept the tradition alive."

"It's an acquired taste." Rebecca added.

"Whenever I hear 'acquired taste' it makes my fur stand on end." Tanner admitted.

Paul chuckled, "Well that's nothing compared to what the TASTE will do." and both siblings laughed.

There was a short pause in the conversation as the chuckling slowly trailed off. Rebecca glanced over at Paul, her smile disappearing, "Why DID you miss Christmas?"

Looking over to his sister, the young man let out a sigh, "A lot of reasons." he answered.

"Mom and Dad were really sad when you called and said you couldn't make it." Rebecca noted aside to him, eyes focused on the road.

"I figured." Paul acknowledged, "I was talking to them on the phone, remember?"

"You know how Mom gets around the holidays..." she pressed.

"The whole holiday-season-family-togetherness thing... yea." he noted.

"It just..." Rebecca sighed, "it would have been better with you there."

"YES! I KNOW, okay?!?" Paul snapped, and turned to look ahead as well, letting out a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair, voice quieting as he continued, "I just couldn't get away from work... the holday season is a big deal for advertising firms."

"You always get me the best gifts too..." Rebecca added quietly.

"Well... I mailed everything, and Mom told me you guys got the packages." Paul offered.

"It's just not the same thing... I guess." his sister shrugged, and she brushed her hand across her nose, "So what was such a big deal that you couldn't come home, huh?"

"A really REALLY big client." Paul offered.

"What... like seven... eight foot tall?" Rebecca questioned.

"Not that kind of 'big'." he countered.

"So... like four... five hundred pounds?" she pressed.

"It was a large corporate contract." Paul clarified.

Tanner smirked, "So... like eighty... ninety pages?"

Rebecca laughed at that, "Careful Paul, this one's a quick learner."

"It only seems that way to the untrained eye." Paul noted, "He's had a few years of practice to get it right."

"You two keep talking about me like I'm not even here." Tanner objected.

"Did you hear something, Paul?" Rebecca inquired.

"No... why?" he asked, "Did you?" and Paul grunted when Tanner's balled paw hit him in the shoulder, "OW! Relax, Tanner! I'm just playing!"

"Me too." the Dog responded with a smirk, "And I play rough."

"Please, you two," Rebecca interjected, "I don't need to hear about your personal life." she smirked. Glancing at Paul, who was blushing profusely, the teen then spoke over her shoulder looking at Tanner in the rear-view mirror, "Remember that thing I said about Millers breaking out of their shells in high school? Well he still hasn't completely escaped his." the comment made Paul blush even more.

The conversation danced between topics the rest of the way back to the house. As the car got closer and closer to its destination, Tanner watched his boyfriend; Paul became increasingly interested in the surroundings, occasionally commenting aside to Rebecca about something being new, or changed, or out of place. She replied each time, usually with a laugh, or a giggle, or a nod, but, once or twice, she pointed out that a lot could change in two years. Paul became very attentive when the car pulled off the two lane highway and onto a long gravel driveway.

Tanner smiled to himself, content to remain quiet as he heard the encouraging sound of Paul's heartbeat quicken. "Wow..." Paul murmured, "That tree you planted in sixth grade REALLY grew."

"A lot can change in two years." Rebecca added yet another time, "Just wait til you see Kimmy." she added, and pulled the car up alongside a minivan, put it in park, and set the emergency break, "Well... welcome home." she noted, getting out of the car, "You don't have a tape recorder on you, do you?"

Paul paused at the question, and Tanner felt his own ears go up, "No..." Paul noted at length, "why?"

"Because you won't have any proof when I say that I missed you." she grinned, winking as she stuck her tongue out, "Now come on. Out! Out! Out! Out! There are people inside who want to see you, Paul Benjamin Miller. Move it!" she moved to the front door of the house, motioning him in with an arm.

"Wow... she certainly changes directions at the drop of a hat, doesn't she?" Tanner inquired with a smirk, reaching behind him to grab the luggage.

He was just about to head after Rebecca when Paul stopped him. "Tanner... I..." the Dog's boyfriend stalled.

"What's wrong?" Tanner asked, "You're concerned about what your mom and dad are going to think?"

"I just..." Paul offered with an embarrassed blush, "I'm not really sure how they'll react and... well... I guess I just wanna apologize ahead of time in case they say or do something... you know..."

"Paul-like?" Tanner smiled patiently, and got a dirty look for the attempt at humor. The Dog put down the luggage and turned to face the human, resting a paw on either of his shoulders, "Listen, Paul..." he noted, waiting until his gaze was met, "I'll be on my best behavior, and I'm sure they will too. I'm sure we'll all have our share of embarrassments and there's no doubt that they'll have tons of questions." Paul opened his mouth to talk, but Tanner quickly continued, "AND, no matter WHAT happens, I'm here with you and there's nothing they can do that'll reduce my opinion of you." and he gave his boyfriend a critical look, "Alright?"

"You don't know my parents." Paul answered back, but it was accompanied by a faint smile.

"No... but I know YOU... and anyone who could help mold someone into who you are can't be that bad." the Dog responded, leaning down to touch his nose to Paul's. The human responded by pressing his lips to Tanner's, and they embraced. It was a wonderful feeling for the Shepherd to finally be holding his lover in his arms again... at least, until the sound of a throat clearing from the porch.

"This isn't exactly a good start, is it?" Tanner asked quietly.

Paul sighed, "Nope." and he slowly disengaged, face almost as red as an apple, "Hi... Mom. This is... uh... Tanner." and he motioned toward the Dog sheepishly.

"Hello, Mrs Miller." Tanner offered a simple wave before reaching down to pick up the luggage.

"Why don't you two come inside and get settled in so we can be a little more polite about our introductions." she noted in a slightly forced tone; Tanner fought to keep his tail from tucking. Glancing briefly to Paul, the Dog noticed that his human's face was a complete mask of neutrality... or was it expression paralysis brought on by complete and abject terror? Tanner was again caught with the thought that his presence might not have been a good idea. Throwing the thought aside, the Shepherd followed his boyfriend into the home, where he was barraged by a powerful scent.

"What is that smell?" Tanner asked Paul quietly, "Do you think the washing machine overflowed?"

Paul choked back a laugh, whispering back instead, "No... that's the Lutefisk."

"Are you sure?" the Dog inquired, "It smells like laundry."

The human's grin widened as he leaned his head against Tanner's shoulder, "God, I'm glad you're here." The comment made the Shepherd feel immediately better.

"Me too." he replied, walking side-by-side with Paul down the hall after Mrs Miller.

She stopped, turning back to regard them when she reached the second door on the right, "We left everything exactly how it was when you left, just like I promised." she offered.

Paul glanced past her into the room, and Tanner saw the smile clearly on his face. He turned and embraced the older woman, "Thanks, Mom."

She returned the hug, "Of course, honey... you're always welcome here... you know that." Once they disengaged, she turned to regard Tanner; he swallowed hesitantly and offered a friendly wag of his tail, "So you're Tanner?" she inquired.

The Dog set down the bag he was carrying in his right paw and offered it to Paul's mother, "Yes ma'am..." he responded respectfully, "My name is Tan Paw Junior, but I go by Tanner."

"Dogs use simplified names in--" Paul began, but slowly trailed off when his mother looked at him.

"You're a very courageous young man for coming half way across the country without having met Paul's family." Mrs. Miller stated neutrally.

Tanner flicked an ear, both of them rotating as he tried to make sense of her abstract comment. Was it praise? Was it a veiled hint at contempt? He didn't know. "I didn't want to make Paul fly alone." the Dog responded after a moment's hesitation, "Paul is my best friend, and all I knew is that sometimes it's good to have someone nearby you can lean on if you need to."

"That's why Paul is home, Dear," Mrs Miller offered, "He's here to be with family." she noted, "But there's always room for Paul's friends if he wants them here." the woman offered a smile, and looked back to Paul, "Take some time to get settled... I'll call the two of you when dinner's ready."

Paul nodded and kissed her on the cheek, "Alright..." and he glanced around, "Where's Dad?"

"Honey... your father is still at the hospital..." she offered, resting a hand gently on his shoulder, "They asked him to stay overnight so they could continue running some tests."

"But he's alright... right?" Paul asked.

"He was having some trouble breathing and he was a little uncomfortable, but he was still himself when we left after lunch." she answered neutrally.

"So..." Paul noted, "he was driving the doctors crazy?"

Mrs. Miller laughed softly, "Oh, Honey... you and your Dad are so alike." and she kissed him on the forehead and headed back down the hall.

"That means 'yes'." Paul offered to Tanner. He took his suitcase from the Dog, and led the way into the room. Paul set his suitcase and laptop bag on the bed and motioned for the Shepherd to do the same, "Well... for the next five days..."

Tanner nodded, setting his luggage off to the side as he pulled out his cell, "I'm going to follow up real quick with the college... missing two days shouldn't be too bad, but I do want to have an idea of what I'll have to review when I get back."

"Thank you again for coming." Paul offered, moving to hug the Dog from behind.

Tanner felt the inside of his ears grow warm as he blushed, "Hey... I'm just lucky that my classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays... it'll give me more time to worry about more important things." and he gave one of Paul's hands a light squeeze. The Dog's ears focused back in on the phone when someone on the other end picked up, "Yes... Professor Talbot in Electronics, please." he noted to the receptionist.

"Finish your call..." Paul offered, kissing the Dog on his shoulder, "Come out to the main room when you're done." and, with that, the human disengaged, heading back out down the hall.

Professor Talbot was an older, no nonsense human and Tanner liked him. Even with as much dry material as they had to cover in class, the instructor always managed to keep things interesting, mostly because he kept things pertinent to real life. After confirming his absence, Tanner received the basic lesson plan, along with a suggestion that he review chapter 4a and 4b before he returned. The Shepherd thanked his teacher and ended the call.

"Now just voice mail." Tanner spoke aloud. He convinced himself that he was NOT putting off dinner with the Millers and that he was just being a responsible cell phone user. The Dog saw three messages and listened to the first.

"Hey Tanner... it's Casey." the Dalmatian's unmistakable voice was bubbly, as if he were trying to keep himself from laughing; the next sentence explained why, "Remember: if you 'get him' in his parents' place it's worth double points. K'bye!" Even though he was the only one who heard it, Tanner couldn't help but blush; even after all those years Casey STILL remembered that joke! Tanner summarily decided that the rest of his voice mails could wait.

The Dog stopped by the bathroom to wash his paws, then made his way down the hall and joined everyone in the dining room. The table was set when Tanner presented himself. Paul was seated at one end of the table, an open chair by his left arm. To the left of that chair, Rebecca sat with her elbows on the table, talking casually with her brother. Tanner came in at a rather awkward moment, "So he DOES bark in his sleep?" she asked after glancing at the Dog out of the corner of her eye.

"I think that sounds cute!" exclaimed a smaller version of Rebecca, seated with her back to Tanner.

"What sounds cute?" Tanner inquired amiably.

The younger girl turned around, revealing the immediate family resemblance. Like Paul and Rebecca, the youngest of the Miller children had brown hair, though hers was a slightly lighter shade with more than a hint of red, not unlike Mrs Miller's. "Oh WOW!" exclaimed the young girl, "He's so NEAT!"

"'Neat', huh?" Tanner inquired, glancing to Paul, who motioned to the empty chair to his left. The Dog took the hint and sat down, looking straight across the table at the young human, "Well I think you're neat too." he answered, gaining a giggle out of her.

"You have neat ears." she said with a huge grin.

"Thank you." the shepherd responded, his tail wagging, "I think your paws are really cute." he answered, glancing at Paul with a smirk. The human covered his own mouth to hide his smirk.

"I don't have paws!" the young girl responded.

"You don't?" Tanner asked, feigning surprise.

"No! I have HANDS!" she replied.

"You do? Okay... well I'll remember that then." the Dog responded.

"Oh my god, Paul... your boyfriend's such a doofus." Rebecca rolled her eyes, "Leave the poor Dog alone, Kimmy... he just got finished flying half way across the country."

"Oh! So YOU'RE Kimmy..." Tanner noted, resting his elbows on the table as he gazed across at the girl, "I've heard about you."

"You have?" she asked, giggling.

"Elbows off the table." Mrs Miller announced, causing every last one of them to sit back in their chairs, effectively ending their banter. The woman carried with her a large ceramic dish and Tanner paused, blinking several times as a powerful aroma struck him like a slap to his nose. She set the dish down, "I'll be right back with the meatballs and peas." and she glanced around to her children, "Are you all washed up?"

"Yes."

"Yea."

"Uh-huh."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." she acknowledged, and returned to the kitchen.

"So..." Kimmy spoke up, looking at Tanner, "Do you like lutefisk?" she asked.

"I've never had it before." the Dog admitted.

"If you don't like it, can I have yours?" she asked.

"Kimmy and mom are the only two in the whole house who actually like it." Rebecca noted casually looking at one of her forks, "Dad chokes it down because he knows mom likes it, and Paul eats it because he's a tool." she glanced over at her brother and shot him a sugary smile, "Love you." she offered in a smarmy tone.

"And Becca got in trouble last time we had it because she spat it onto the floor." Paul smiled.

"Hey! I had a stomach bug and I thought I was gonna throw up!" she stated defensively.

"It's really good." Kimmy offered to Tanner.

"It smells..." the Dog noted, looking for the right word, "...interesting." his tail curled in fear at the thought of tasting it.

"Just take a little piece and load up on meatballs." Paul offered, "That's what the rest of us do."

"Yea..." Rebecca noted with a wry grin, "Paul loves putting balls in his mouth."

Everyone fell silent the moment Mrs. Miller returned with a tinfoil-covered casserole dish, "Alright... two more dishes." she noted, and paused, "Kimberly..." she gave 'the look' at the youngest Miller child, who was reaching for the serving spatula next to the dish of lutefisk.

"I wasn't gonna eat any." the girl objected, pulling her hand back, "I just wanted to get a scoop before it's all gone."

"I don't think you have to worry very much about that, Kimmy." Rebecca noted, then paused, getting a dirty look from her mother, "Mom made plenty." she quickly added. Appeased by the ad hoc save, Mrs Miller went back to the kitchen, returning a moment later with two large serving bowls, one filled with peas, and the other with dinner rolls. Once all the plates were on the table, Mrs Miller finally took a seat and only then did everyone start passing the food around.

Tanner waited patiently, unaccustomed to the Miller household's dinner rituals. He accepted each plate handed to him by Paul, watching as they came his way clockwise around the table. Taking each in turn, the Dog dished himself up a reasonable helping of everything... excluding the lutefisk; its strong scent brought him close to tears. Unwilling to offend, however, the Shepherd served himself a small, partial-serving of the whitish gel.

Once everyone had the plates set back down, Mrs Miller looked to Paul, who bowed his head and led the family in saying grace. Tanner wasn't used to hearing grace spoken at dinner; his own family tended to overlook little rituals of that sort... not that he'd eaten dinner with his family in years. The experience was a combination of novel and disquieting, but Tanner held his tongue and accepted it as part of the visit.

"So how are things in California, sweety?" Mrs Miller inquired once everyone started in on their food.

"Work is going well... it's a good fit, I guess. And the condo is really nice... I keep forgetting to send pictures." Paul acknowledged, pushing some peas around on his plate with his fork. It amused Tanner to no end to see his boyfriend building what looked like a little wall of peas between the lutefisk and the rest of his food; even when the Human wasn't trying to make him smile he somehow succeeded.

"And you're a student, is it, Mr Paw?" Mrs Miller inquired, gazing right at Tanner.

"Yes, ma'am." the Dog acknowledged, "And 'Tanner' is fine... please." he corrected her politely.

"Full time?" she asked casually, taking a sip of water.

"Yes, ma'am." the Dog acknowledged, "And I help out as an intern at Harrison Pacific."

"An intern?" she inquired, "Is it one of those work study programs?"

"It's really good for experience." he confirmed, "...and it looks good on a resume."

"But it's not a paid position?" she asked.

"No..." Tanner smiled with a hesitant chuckle, "Most corporations prefer slave labor from college students."

"Oh... I see." she commented, her tone reserved.

Tanner wasn't sure what to make of the comment, but, thankfully, Paul took the opportunity to chime in. "His supervisor thinks that he'll be a shoe-in for their next opening in a few months after he gets his degree."

"Oh?" Mrs Miller asked, "In a few months?" she smiled pleasantly, "So you must be close to graduating."

"Yes ma'am." Tanner nodded his head.

"Well, it's good to know you're dedicated to learning and don't plan on being a full time student for life." she chuckled lightly, but the Dog couldn't escape the feeling that there was more to the comment. Thankfully, however, her attention turned to other things, and Tanner was left with the sense that the interrogation was, at least for the moment, complete. With that, the Dog could turn his attention to using the utensils without making a fool of himself.

The rest of dinner went well enough. Tanner was the winner that night when it came to bringing humor to others; though he managed the fork and spoon like a champ, the had mistakenly decided to give the lutefisk a try and his resulting expression brought uproarious laughter to the table. After that, the Dog stuck to the much more satisfying meatballs, which were as good as the lutefisk was "an acquired taste".

Mrs Miller brought dinner to a close by clearing the table, leaving Paul, Rebecca, Kimberly, and Tanner to talk. Once the dishes were taken care of, the older woman excused herself and noted that she was going to turn in early. Mrs Miller reminded Rebecca that there was coffee ready for brewing if everyone wanted an evening drink. "But if I find out that Kim had any, I'm holding you personally responsible." she added.

"Why not Paul? He's older?" Rebecca objected with the abused, misunderstood, downtrodden tone of a well-practiced high schooler.

"Because if she held me accountable it'd guarantee that you'd give some to Kimmy on principle." Paul pointed out.

"That's beside the point." the teen countered, obviously not objecting to his reasoning.

"Goodnight, everyone." Mrs Miller cut the argument short, and made her way off down the hall.

"Okay..." Rebecca noted, the moment the door to their mom's room closed, "I'm getting the coffee."

"TWO mugs. Kimmy doesn't get any." Paul reminded her.

"I know... I know..." Rebecca countered, waving the comment away as she headed into the kitchen.

"So..." Tanner noted, strumming his fingers on the table as he looked toward Paul.

"Do you have to wear a collar when you walk in the park?" Kim asked. Paul's mouth dropped open at the question, but Tanner couldn't help but laugh.

"No... that law's for four legged dogs." Tanner responded.

"That's a really rude question, Kimmy." Paul noted, "Tanner isn't a that kind of dog."

"Is there a lot of difference?" she asked.

"Yes." Paul answered flatly.

"Like what?" she questioned.

"Well... if you tell me to 'speak', I can say more than woof." Tanner responded with a grin, doing a very good impersonation of a feral dog's bark.

Kimberly laughed at that, "What else?"

"I walk on two legs... four legged dogs don't do that very well." he acknowledged.

"What else?" she pressed as Rebecca returned to the dining room with four mugs.

"Kimmy isn't getting coffee." Paul declared with finality.

"No duh... it's hot chocolate." the teen retorted, handing a pink-with-yellow-flower mug to the younger girl. She also handed one to Tanner , and then offered one to Paul, "Have you stopped hating coffee yet?" she asked with a smile.

"I never HATED coffee." Paul objected, accepting the mug, "I would just rather drink other stuff most of the time."

"But I win this round because you hate letting food go to waste." she noted victoriously, "And you didn't tell me to not bring you coffee."

"He did say two mugs." Tanner pointed out.

"Quiet you." Rebecca noted with a smirk, then looked back to Paul, taking a seat next to Tanner, "So..."

"So?" Paul countered, leaning over his cup and taking a deep breath. Tanner recognized Paul's tired face, and, considering how early they got up, the Dog had no doubt that they would have an early night.

"How did you two meet?" she asked, the huge grin on her face unable to be hidden behind the strategically raised mug.

"Are we REALLY going to talk about this?" Paul asked.

"He came into the shoe store where I worked and started yelling at me." Tanner answered with a smirk, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"I thought he was giving me the brush-off." the young man quickly explained, "I asked for help and he said he'd go get someone."

"He didn't know that I wasn't a sales employee." Tanner further elaborated.

"Wow... so you yelled at him and the two of you became friends?" Kim asked, giggling, "That's funny!"

"Yea..." Paul smiled, "I guess it is." and he took a sip from his mug.

"How long before you moved in together?" Rebecca asked.

"Ohmygawd, Becca...!" Paul objected, "are you gonna be as bad as mom?"

"Worse, probably." his sister chided, and she looked straight over at Tanner, "How long before you moved in together?"

The Dog looked to his boyfriend for guidance, but Paul just shrugged and rolled his eyes, taking another drink of coffee as he left Tanner to his own devices. The shepherd focused back on Rebecca, "A few months... when I lost my job I decided to go back to college, and Paul offered to help by giving me a place to stay."

"Aww..." Rebecca grinned a devilish little grin, "Paul's always been a sucker for hard luck cases... I mean, just take Brian for example--"

"No, let's NOT take Brian for example." Paul quickly interjected.

"Alright... fine." Rebecca shrugged and looked over at her sister, "How's your hot chocolate?"

"Good." Kimberly replied.

During the pause, Tanner went to take a sip from his mug, but the elder Miller sister chose that as her chance to strike, "So when did you two first do it?"

The coffee in Tanner's muzzle came out in a fine spray and both Miller sisters exploded into laughter. Paul casually lowered his elbow onto the table and hid his eys from view with a sigh. The Dog felt his ears slowly fall down to either side of his head as he glanced back at Rebecca, who had recovered, and was leaning closer toward him intently, "Hey... somehow Paul even managed to teach you his oh-em-gee face."

"Are you done harassing Tanner?" was the human's reply.

"Actually, I was thinking of keeping at it for another hour or so... why? Did you want a turn?" she smiled sweetly at Paul.

"You practically just met him..." Paul reminded her, "I think there's supposed to be some kind of introductory phase before you go full-bore-Rebecca on him."

"He's your boyfriend, which practically makes him family." Rebecca countered, "Besides..." she noted, "I was nice all the way home from the airport."

Paul glanced to Tanner, "Finish your coffee." he suggested.

"I was going to." the Dog confirmed.

"So... is it true what they say about Dogs?" Rebecca asked, interrupting the two of them.

"That depends on what they say about Dogs." Tanner replied, looking at the older of the two sisters.

"What do they say about Dogs, Becca?" the younger one asked.

The moment Paul turned away, half-covering his already-blushing face Tanner realized that the discussion was NOT going to end well. "I mean drink faster." his boyfriend suggested, taking a long swing of his own mug.

"Running away, huh?" Rebecca questioned, "That's probably because you don't want me asking about phone calls, isn't it?"

"What about phone calls?" Tanner asked.

Paul sighed, "You NEVER rise to the bait." and he took another drink.

"I was just wondering..." she leaned forward again with a big grin, "Did you ever have to call someone back after having missed a call and apologize for being 'all tied up'?"

Tanner was, for a split second, completely mortified. Was Paul's sister going where he thought she was going? Did she mean what he THOUGHT she meant? As the smile spread on her face, he realized that it was EXACTLY where she was going, and EXACTLY what she meant. Understanding that, the Dog realized there was only one possible response, "Oh yea." he replied casually, "A few times, actually."

The comment stopped Rebecca in her tracks, "...what?" she asked.

"Well... not ME... but Paul has... on several occasions." Tanner elaborated, "There was this one time..." he turned to face his boyfriend, "On your birthday, remember?" he added, "We ordered in Chinese and a half an hour later you said you were hungry again..." he glanced at Rebecca out of the corner of his eye, "and then I suggested 'dessert'..."

"Oh-my-god-gross!" Rebecca jumped up.

"Well..." Tanner regarded her, "You DID ask."

"Eeew!" she exclaimed, and left the table.

The Dog smiled, and glanced at Kimberly, who watched her sister go. When the young girl looked back his way, he added, "I brought an ice cream cake home too, so we had that for dessert."

"I like ice cream cake." Kimberly acknowledged.

Tanner grinned wide, "So does Paul." His boyfriend, unable to hold it in any longer, burst out laughing.

The girl paused, looking at both of them, confused by their laughter, "You two ARE weird." she stated, and left the table as well, mimicking her sister.

"Wow." Paul noted, staring at the table, which was suddenly empty except for the two of them, "That actually worked well."

"She actually talks like that around your little sister? Wow." Tanner noted, rubbing one of his ears.

"Well... Becca never was known for her tact... but I guess it could have been worse... another few years and Kimmy will actually understand what she was talking about." Paul smirked, standing up with his mug of coffee in hand, "Anyway... I'm beat... think it's time to call it a night."

Tanner glanced at the cat clock on the wall. Other than having a flashback of the 80s, he also took note of the time, "You know... it's not even 8 back home."

"Yea... but I also don't usually get up at 3." the human countered.

"Good point." Tanner acknowledged a split second before a yawn escaped him, "I think I have my toothbrush in your luggage." he admitted.

The two of them spent a good ten minutes separating their toiletries and getting ready for bed. Tanner let Paul use the sink in the hallway bathroom first, taking a few moments to organize his clothes for the following day; the Dog didn't spend much time traveling, and had to admit that suitcases weren't all that great for keeping clothing unwrinkled. The two passed in the hall, but, just as Tanner was heading into the bathroom, he heard the unmistakable sound of a door creak open, and Mrs Miller glanced down the hallway at them.

"Paul, honey? Do you have a moment?" she called.

"Be back in a minute." the human spoke to Tanner, then glanced toward his mom, "Yea." and headed over to join her in the room. Mrs Miller softly closed the door behind them.

The shepherd brushed his teeth, but also took the opportunity to borrow some of Paul's mouthwash. Despite the small amount of lutefisk the Dog had tried plus the much greater quantities of other food, the taste of the whitish gel still somehow managed to linger in his muzzle. The Dog just finished spitting it out when he heard the voices in Paul's parents' room increase in volume.

"This is about your FATHER, not you!" Mrs Miller's tone was even, but loud, "I can't believe you'd do something like this!"

"You told him to come!" Paul's voice was audible through the door. Tanner couldn't hear Mrs Miller's muffled, but agitated reply and it apparently didn't calm the young man any, "That shouldn't make any difference!' Paul objected. The Dog quickly found his way into Paul's room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Tanner let out a deep sigh.

The argument continued for another minute or two but eventually the voices died down to an inaudible volume. A few minutes later, Tanner heard the sound of a door opening followed by the sound of footsteps in the hall.

Paul entered the room a moment later. He met Tanner's gaze for a moment, then looked away, "You heard that, didn't you?" The Dog didn't reply, instead, he held a paw out to his boyfriend. Paul flipped the light switch, and moved over immediately and accepted the offered paw, collapsing onto the bed against him. "I'm sorry." he said softly to Tanner, resting his forehead on the shepherd's shoulder.

"You don't have to apologize for anything." Tanner responded, gently embracing Paul with one arm, leaning his head down against the human's.

"I just don't think anyone's really been treating you right since you arrived." the human responded.

"They're your family, Paul." Tanner pointed out, "They love you and care about you and, it's obvious that your mom's trying." he licked the top of his boyfriend's head, "It's okay... really."

"No it's not." Paul answered, letting out a sigh as he sat up on his own, pulling his head off the Dog's shoulder, "It's like..." he paused, obviously unable to figure out how he wanted to finish the sentence.

"Like they're all distracted, and touchy, and emotionally unstable?" Tanner suggested.

"Exactly." Paul nodded.

"Like they aren't really taking the time to get to know me?" the Dog pressed.

"Right." the human agreed.

"Like they might be focused more on your dad." the shepherd offered. Paul looked at him... but said nothing. Tanner reached out and took his boyfriend's hand in his paw, "Paul... I don't think any family is perfect all the time... and, considering the situation I think everyone handled it about as well as you could expect."

"I just..." Paul sighed, looking down at Tanner's paw in his hand, "... I guess I just expected something a little less... hard on you."

"Considering you showed up and pretty much declared 'Hey everyone, this is a bi-racial relationship', I think they did just fine." Tanner offered a comforting smile.

Paul managed to mimic the expression, and rested leaned against the Dog anew, "You're really generous about forgiving people their faults."

"If I wasn't I don't think we'd be together." the Dog chided.

Paul laughed, and poked him in the ribs, "Well I'm still glad you're here." he noted.

"Me too." Tanner acknowledged, and he licked the human's cheek, "Me too."

Paul let out a deep breath, and pulled his legs up onto the bed, rolling to his side so he could rest his head on the pillow. The mattress was a double, not leaving a huge amount of room for Tanner, but the Dog didn't mind; he laid down next to his lover, chest pressed against Paul's back, still embracing the human with one arm. Tanner smiled, his tail beating out a quiet tempo on the edge of the bed.

The shepherd reveled in the comforting silence of the room... the first quiet minutes he'd had all day. Tanner was just starting to feel the tell-tale signs of fatigue hit him when Paul slowly rotated in his grasp. The human rested his head against the Dog's chest, and gently kissed him through his shirt. "What was that for?" Tanner asked with a smile.

"For being you." Paul responded, slowly unbuttoning the dog's shirt. Tanner watched the human with a smile on his muzzle, closing his eyes when his boyfriend slid his hand through his exposed chest fur. It was impossible for Tanner to understand how the simplest of touches from Paul could do so much to him, or for him... but it was reality, and he closed his eyes, smile widening as his lover parted his shirt the rest of the way. His smile faltered just a little when Paul's fingers went to his belt.

"You don't have to do anything tonight." he offered hesitantly, ears turning back with uncertainty, "I know you have a--"

"I have a lot on my mind." Paul finished for him, "Which is exactly why I WANT to do this tonight..." Paul pointed out. "When I'm with you... when you're with me... things are so much simpler."

"Oh... so you're using me as an escape, is that it?" the Dog grinned, obligingly spreading his legs enough that the human could have easier access to his zipper.

"Isn't that the number one reason for addictions?" Paul replied, leaning up to nibble at the underside of the Dog's muzzle. Tanner shivered at that; his lover knew all the right places. A moment later, after the human's fingers slid into his pants, the Dog gasped, rumbling out a deep mrrr as he pulled Paul closer, his tail wagging even faster.

"You always make it really hard to say no, you know." Tanner noted in mock objection, head spinning as Paul's fingers gently drew the Dog's sheath back over his rapidly hardening flesh.

"What can I say?" the human grinned, "I don't mind 'making it really hard'." the human grinned. Tanner flea-nipped the top of his head in response, making Paul laugh. The human's fingers slid across the Dog's thighs, easing his pants further down. Tanner reached behind himself and undid the button securing the jeans above his belt and helped Paul slide them the rest of the way off; the pants landed on the floor beside the bed with a flop.

"Are we--" Tanner began, about to wonder just how far Paul wanted to go, when the human disengaged for a moment, and unbuckled his own belt, "Oh..." the Dog answered his own question, leaning forward to press his muzzle to Paul's lips, replacing Paul's fingers at the zipper with his own. Adding more pressure against his lover, Tanner got Paul's compliance in laying back against the bed without saying a word. The Dog took over, pulling his boyfriend's jeans and underwear off in two tugs, and he leaned forward, brushing his muzzle across Paul's already firm flesh.

Tanner didn't dwell on Paul's groin for long, mostly because the young man rolled to his side and pulled at the covers. The Dog caught the hint, and helped his boyfriend pull the blankets and sheets back; both slid into bed and Paul snuggled back against the Dog's body, letting out a deep breath of joy, "You okay with this?" he asked softly.

"You know I am." the Dog responded, nibbling the fur on the back of the human's head as he slid his paws up beneath Paul's shirt. He wrapped one of his legs over and around one of his lover's, caressing Paul's body with his own, the scouring away the stress from the day as he reveled in the feel of the human's almost-naked form against his fur. Tanner quivered in delight when his erection got caught between Paul's shirt and his furless body, pulling his lover even tighter as one of his paws traveled lower down the human's abdomen; Paul echoed the Dog's earlier gasp when Tanner's digits wrapped themselves around his flesh.

"Wait..." Paul whispered, slowly disengaging. Tanner let out a playful little growl and pulled back at the human as he tried to escape, but it was a good-natured gesture out of fun rather than any real attempt to restrain him. "Jackass." the human chided, grabbing his keys off the nightstand.

"Were you going?" the Dog asked, ears up.

"Nowhere." Paul responded, selecting a single key and using it to open the locked drawer next to the bed, "Just wanted to be better prepared."

"Better prepared, huh?" Tanner inquired, watching Paul's bare rump as the human shuffled through the contents of the nightstand. Inching closer, the Dog pressed his cold, wet nose up between the human's legs, brushing it across Paul's testicles and eliciting a gasp from him. Tanner followed it up by sliding his tongue out, licking out and then back across the entire length of the human's erection. Shivering at the stimulation, Paul reached back and bopped Tanner on the head with a tube of lubricant.

"Oh..." the Dog responded with a grin, "Right." he chuckled, picking it up from where it had fallen on the mattress. "So... do you have your own little nightstand of vices over there, or what?" he chided, reaching past the human to rummage his paw around inside it.

"Hey!" Paul objected, slapping at the Dog's arm, "That's personal stuff.", but he paused when Tanner's paw came back holding a row of condoms.

"You know... these things expire after awhile." Tanner noted, smirking.

"I didn't use em very often." Paul countered, "I never really had any problem with getting anyone pregnant."

"They stop being good at protecting against diseases too." the Dog noted, "but... then again, you never did really strike me as the promiscuous type." he wriggled his ears with a grin, "you know... being so shy and all." the Dog poked Paul in the ribs.

"It was more about not wanting to make a mess." his boyfriend replied, face visibly reddening despite the low level of light in the room, "When I lived here my mom did my laundry."

"OOooooooohhhhhh..." Tanner noted, realizing what Paul meant. He looked down at the packaged condoms, "Well... unfortunately I don't think any of these are a Dog fit."

"They aren't for you anyway." Paul noted, his blush still not subsiding; Tanner TRULY understood at that point what his lover was hinting at.

"Ah ha..." the Dog chuckled, tearing the first package in line open, "NOW I get it." he smiled.

"You're obviously a quick study." Paul chided, sliding back under the blankets; he was not ready for the paw that waited him. The human bit back a squeal at the pawful of cold lube that met his naked rump.

"And an opportunist." Tanner added with a wide grin, gently rubbing his middle finger up against the human's opening.

"I should be angry with you..." Paul murmured, slowly pressing his hips back against Tanner's paw.

"But you're not?" the Dog smiled.

"Your knot." Paul replied; it took Tanner a moment to catch the pun.

"I'm not going to survive your family's humor if they're all like you, you know." the Dog pointed out.

"You just need to find ways to get rid of your distress... and de-stress." Paul offered, adjusting the angle of his hips, taking the Dog's finger into his body.

"I'm thinking you have a suggestion..." Tanner rumbled, unable to keep the lust out of his voice. At most times he considered himself to be fairly in control, but something about Paul at his most inviting drove him crazy.

"I might." the human replied, taking hold of Tanner's paw and pulling the Dog's arm around him. Reaching back again, Paul gingerly slid his fingers around the shepherd's flesh, and confidently pulled him closer, not stopping until the tip of Tanner's shaft was pressed against his slickened opening, "I mean... it's worth a shot." Tanner didn't need to see Paul's face to know he was grinning.

"Well... who am I to say no to logic like that?" Tanner offered rhetorically, and wrapped his arm tighter around the human, pulling him to him, and, at the same time, pressing his hips forward. Tanner's head swam as he felt Paul's body open up for him, wrapping around his flesh tightly as the Dog impaled his lover. The human held his breath, wheezing out through his nose as inch after inch of Dog flesh slid into him. Tanner stopped himself as he felt his sheath ease back over his knot, and the broad lump of flesh push up against Paul's cheeks.

"mmm... I've been waiting for this all day..." Paul breathed, shivering softly in Tanner's embrace.

"For me to find your 'airport'?" Tanner smirked, holding steady.

Paul paused, but it took him only a moment to remember their discussion from earlier that day, "Just shut up and land already." he noted with mock indignation.

"Addict." the shepherd accused, and followed that up by sliding his still-slick paw around the human's rock-hard member. Paul gave an involuntary start at that, his hips thrusting forward into the Dog's grasp, causing Tanner to shiver at the feel of the human's insides caressing his own flesh with the movement. A moment later, Tanner managed to get the condom wrapped around the head of his lover's penis, and, with a single, smooth motion, brought his paw back toward Paul's hips, unrolling it in one go.

"Aww...." Paul laughed, "looks like you've got me covered." he joked. Tanner groaned, to which Paul wriggled his hips back against the Dog's groin, "So it was THAT good for you?" he chided at the sound.

"I don't think I want to do this anymore." Tanner joked, though it was obviously not the truth as the Dog began to gently rock his hips against his lover, holding Paul in place with the arm wrapped around the human. Each laying on their sides, both began to move in time with the other, Paul pressing back against each thrust, and then moving his hips forward into Tanner's waiting paw.

Tanner did not often have sex beneath the blankets, but he had to admit that Paul's condom solution did remedy part of the mess problem. He licked his partner's neck, taking in a deep breath as Paul tensed before stifling a moan, his entire body quivering as Tanner tightened his grip around the human's erection. There was something about the human that drove him crazy in ways no one else had ever managed, and somehow, as they lay there on their sides, enveloped in the throes of lovemaking the day's insane events and stress seemed to melt away.

"Oh..." Paul shivered again, talking at barely a whisper, "just like that." he murmured, his whole body quivering. The human's thrusts became erratic, and Tanner held him tighter, shortening his own movements against Paul as he gripped the tip of his lover's flesh, paw working vigorously against it. Tanner bit back a groan as he felt the human's insides begin to quiver, massaging his flesh rhythmically and, moments later, Paul pushed against the night-stand, forcing his rump hard against Tanner's groin.

The Dog felt it the moment his knot was surrounded by Paul's so-tight opening and then, a split second later, the insides of the human's body began their convulsions in earnest. Tanner felt his lover's erection begin to pulse as it began releasing its trickle of seed. The Dog whimpered as he felt each movement from Paul's excited prostate, the human's entire opening clamping down on his sensitive flesh as it began to milk him. It wasn't long before Tanner joined his lover in the throes of an orgasm; the urge and need had been so great, neither had lasted long.

The sensations blew the Dog's mind and, even as his entire body was sent into a fit at the much desired release. Tanner thrust one more time, then again, pressing his knot in as deep as it could go, each time making Paul's member jump in his paw, filling the condom's reservoir even more. Paul grunted with each movement, hardly shy about grinding himself against Tanner's hips, the Dog feeling each motion, every convulsion of his lover's insides as the human milked him for everything he had to give... and then, it was done, and they collapsed to the mattress.

"OoooOooOoohhhh..." Paul whimpered, body completely slack as he lay back against Tanner, "I REALLY needed that."

Tanner smiled, caressing his lover's sweat-soaked body, "Me too..." he spoke softly, nuzzling the side of the human's face. Paul turned his head to the side, giving Tanner access to his face and the two kissed. The shepherd pulled the covers up a little more and renewed his embrace of Paul, who, with a happy sigh, snuggled back against the Dog, still tied together. Silence prevailed... for almost three minutes.

"Paul, honey?" Mrs Miller's voice spoke from outside his door with a knock and a handful of seconds later, it opened. Tanner bit back the urge to yelp as Paul's insides clamped down hard in surprise around his member, still sensitive from their time together; he could tell that Paul had likewise had to silence a wince. "Oh..." she noted in a surprised tone from the doorway, "I didn't know you two went to bed already."

"Yea..." Paul noted, "It's been a long day." Tanner could tell that his boyfriend was fighting to hold his voice steady despite the probable embarrassment and definite pain.

"Well... remind me tomrorow and we can get the cot out of the garage... a single mattress can't be that comfortable to share." Mrs Miller offered; Tanner could hear that she was really pushing for civility by the tone in her voice. Based on the fact that she was still standing in the doorway, it was also evident that she had no idea what was going on under the covers.

"Thanks mom." Paul stated in a noncommittal tone.

"Oh... and Paul?"

"Hmm?"

Mrs Miller sighed, "You're right, and I'm sorry... I'll try better."

Paul didn't respond at first, but from the feel of the human against him, Tanner was certain that the apology held more than a little significance to him. "Thanks." he noted to his mother.

"Good night, Paul, honey." his mother offered.

"Night, mom." Paul answered.

"See you two in the morning." she noted.

"Goodnight, Mrs Miller." Tanner added cheerfully, "Thanks for knocking." and he received an elbow in the ribs from his boyfriend.

Mrs Miller giggled a little at that, "Well... I've learned to be a little more courteous about personal space... I still remember the first time I DIDN'T knock." the woman chuckled to herself, closing the door without elaborating further.

"She didn't know, did she?" Paul glanced over his shoulder at Tanner.

"Nope." the Dog confirmed, and they both chuckled. Several seconds passed after they both lowered their heads back to the pillow before the Dog spoke up again, "So when did she not knock?"

"It's a long story." Paul answered cryptically.

Tanner found himself smirking, "So? It's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon." and, to prove a point, he gave a tug with his hips, pulling Paul a half an inch across the mattress.

"Ow!" Paul noted, but the Dog could tell it was more in surprise than pain, "Fine..." he noted, readjusting himself to lean back against Tanner, "It was a little while after I came out... my boyfriend at the time, Brian, was staying over."

"So your parents were okay with it?" Tanner asked, curious.

"Well... he was a friend of mine since second grade, so they didn't really know that we were... well... uh..." Tanner could practically feel Paul blushing, "my mom walked in on us when... um... yea..."

"She has good timing, apparently." Tanner noted, suppressing a laugh.

"Well... what can I say?" Paul chuckled, "It's good to be home."