Open Heart and Open House

Johanna tapped her fingernails lightly on the desk, staring through the scrolling scripts on her three monitors. She wasn’t reading them — wasn’t reading anything, for once. Her thoughts were turned entirely inward, and, as usual when they did, she didn’t like what she found.

With a sigh, she plucked her phone from its cradle beneath the central monitor.

<<Johanna: When is your next break? [12:16p]>>

<<Dane: I could take one in ~15 min. [12:17p]>>

<<Johanna: Come to my office when you can, please. There’s something I need to talk about. [12:17p]>>

<<Dane: Office? o.O [12:17]>>

Of course he was surprised. Even Dane hadn’t seen the inside of her office since they’d moved in. It was an unspoken rule that no one ever came in here, especially during her workday.

But today wasn’t a workday. And there was no emergency tugging her back to duty, which made her presence here even more unusual. Not that Dane would know — he’d been streaming for hours before she stepped in. Johanna scrolled through unrelated articles on her phone while she waited, listless. Barely five minutes passed before a light knock came at the door. “Come in,” she called flatly.

Dane eased the door open just enough to poke his head through. “Hey, is everything okay?” Concern was written all over his face. He’d even paused his stream early to check on her.

She didn’t answer right away. Without looking up from her phone, she turned her chair toward the bed against the far wall.

“Come in and close the door,” she said, rising to cross the short distance. As soon as she heard the latch click, she added, “And lock it.”

Dane hesitated, worry creeping into his voice as he twisted the lock. “Okay ... you’re starting to scare me a little, sis.”

Still not facing him, Johanna crooked a finger over one shoulder to beckon him closer, then flopped belly-down onto the bed. She placed her phone face-down on a pillow and finally glanced back at him with a quiet, expectant look.

Dane moved to lie beside her, but Johanna hooked a heel around his hips and guided him behind her. Taking the hint, he stretched out on top of her, resting his elbows just above her shoulders and crossing his arms lightly over the back of her neck. His weight settled along the length of her spine.

Johanna let out a long, contented sigh. It had been far too long, by her measure, since Dane had done this for her. He gave her time to savor the closeness, waiting until her body began to soften beneath him before speaking.

“Talk to me, Johanna. What’s got you all bothered?”

She sighed again — less comfort this time and more resignation.

“There’s something I want to ask you, and you ought to answer ‘no.’ I shouldn’t even ask it, but it’s going to gnaw at me if I don’t admit it. I’m sorry you didn’t get a normal, dependable sister.”

Her brother blinked at the back of her head — then chuckled.

“You know,” he murmured into her ear, “A ‘normal’ sister never would’ve hooked Gemini for me. I’d probably still be single, and waiting tables to keep up some crappy studio apartment. So ‘normal’ can go wuff itself.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I love the one I’ve got.”

Her tail tried to wag exactly once, pinned beneath his hips.

“Now, say whatever you need to say,” Dane urged, lacing his fingers behind her neck and resting his chin there. “You being hesitant bothers me way more than whatever it is you’re about to ask.”

Johanna had her doubts — but she took the comfort for what it was, reminding herself this was the one person she’d always been able to trust.

“The Ironhearts asked for a favor today,” she began. “Just a little research. I spent more time on the formatting than the fact-finding. It felt good to finally do something for them, but ...”

She shifted her head slightly on the mattress, searching for the right word. Eventually she decided on, “Inadequate. I feel antsy, especially after our Peace Day get-together.”

“You have a hard time leaving gratitude at just ‘thank you,’” Dane observed gently.

“Words alone are shallow,” she sighed. “They’re fine for something small. But for what those two did ... I don’t even know what could satisfy this sense of debt I’ve got. Only one thing comes close.”

She wriggled beneath him, rolling over so she could look into his eyes and wrap her arms around his shoulders.

“Everything. I want to invite them into our home, and give them a key. I want to welcome them into our bed, and offer to warm theirs. I want them to know they’re family. And I am very inappropriately close with my family.”

She nodded, in perfect agreement with the wary look he was giving her.

“I can’t actually offer all that,” she admitted. “Too much of it belongs to you, and to Gemi and Ares. You all have every right to refuse.”

Her arms tightened around him, pulling his face down to the mattress as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

“Words are shallow — so if you say ‘no,’ I’ll drop it right now. I won’t even bring it up with the others. Just ... thanks for hearing me out.”

It surprised them both that he had to think about it — and for more than a minute. Finally, Dane lifted his head so she could see the reluctance in his expression.

“I don’t always understand you, sis. But I do know something like this will eat you alive if you can’t act on it.”

He studied her face, noting the subtle shift from false disinterest to near unreadable attentiveness.

“So I’m saying ‘yes’ — and I’ll stand by it — if only because I think the Ironhearts will say ‘no’ themselves. But you still need Gemi and Ares on board. And Johanna ...”

He kissed her forehead. “I really wish you’d take intimacy more personally, and value your body more.”

“I take it very personally,” she replied softly. “That’s why it’s the only thing that feels adequate.”

She wrapped both arms and thighs around him in a full-body hug.

“Alright ... let’s go downstairs and see if Gemi or Ares will be more sensible than we are.”

Dane chuckled, rising and offering her a hand. She grabbed her phone from the pillow, already scanning the screen by the time they reached the stairs.

— — — — —

“Oh, wuff yes!” Gemini blurted, her smile a little too wide and obviously forced.

Her answer was sincere, but she was trying very hard not to let her expression turn lewd with Orion sitting on the floor beside her, stacking plastic cups. The little Pup was already a master at mimicking, especially her, and she definitely didn’t want to add that kind of look to his repertoire.

“I mean, I wasn’t going to say anything, but Sarahi looks like she’d be a veritable playground in the bedroom!”

She immediately regretted her choice of words.

“Playground!” Orion cheered, eyes going wide with excitement.

Gemini slapped both hands over her muzzle to smother the laugh.

“N-not just yet,” she said quickly, unsure how much he actually understood beyond a few keywords. “We’ll go outside after lunch.”

Then, in a quick distraction maneuver, she nudged one of the central cups in their little triangle. The toys tumbled to the floor in a clatter.

“Oh no!” she gasped dramatically, eyes wide.

Orion clapped with delight and dove for the nearest cup to rebuild.

Seated beside Dane on the couch, Johanna simply nodded.

Gemini had always been the low bar, and her enthusiasm came as no surprise to either Dalmatian. The real test sat beside her on the loveseat: Ares, frowning — not angry, exactly, but clearly nursing a quiet kind of hurt.

Johanna’s phone lay face-down on the coffee table, untouched. Her gaze stayed locked on Ares, that same blank, unreadable look she wore when listening closely. It was purely a mask; behind it, her attention was absolute.

Ares rubbed the back of his neck, jaw tightening as he fought off a grimace.

“If Dane’s already agreed, I won’t be a wet blanket,” he muttered. “But I don’t like it, Johanna. It feels ...”

He hesitated, searching for a word for the cold feeling in his stomach that wouldn’t come out too harsh.

Johanna spared him the struggle. “Disrespectful,” she said. “And selfish. You should feel insulted — and you should absolutely tell me ‘no.’”

That they tolerated her as often as they did — with sharing Dane, moving in together, even trying to get her pregnant — said more about their trust than she deserved to test again.

Ares shook his head slowly, still clearly unhappy ... but not refusing her.

Dane watched him with quiet understanding. It wasn’t unusual for Ares to yield like this. What was unusual was Dane being the one to notice it.

He reached out and laid a hand gently on Johanna’s shoulder. “Well, we’re not going to say no,” he told her, “But you’re definitely out of line. And I think this one deserves a punishment.”

That line, from him, got every head in the room to tilt. (Except for Orion’s, who was laser-focused on balancing the final cup atop his teetering tower.) Johanna’s tail gave a single wag, quiet but proud.

“What do you have in mind?” she asked, like he’d just suggested takeout options for dinner.

“For starters, you’re not coming to bed tonight,” Dane said. “You’ll be sleeping in the streaming room with Ares. Just the two of you.” He rocked his head thoughtfully. “Though I guess you could take him to your office, if you want more room.”

Ares arched a brow, but Johanna shook her head. “Punishments aren’t supposed to be comfortable,” she said plainly. “But that hardly feels severe enough for what I’ve done. What else?”

A sly glint crossed Gemini’s face — one she quickly wiped away by rubbing both hands over her eyes, her cheeks, then her muzzle.

“Ares, would you do me a huge favor and take Orion upstairs for a bit? But help me up first,” she added, lifting both arms like a toddler asking to be picked up.

She’d been sitting cross-legged against the loveseat, her watermelon-wide belly nestled in the curve of her thighs. Getting down had been hard enough — getting up unassisted was simply not happening.

Ares rolled his eyes, having clearly caught the slip in her restraint. But he rose anyway and crouched low, sliding his hands beneath her shoulders and hoisting her up with ease.

Instead of standing, Gemini dropped her weight back down onto the loveseat with a sigh. “Whew! Once this Pup arrives, I’ve got to get back to skating on my breaks,” she laughed, rubbing her thighs. “Need to get some muscle back in these legs!”

Her brother chuckled, then bent to scoop Orion up and swing him onto his hip. “Alright, squirt, you like watching me play Star-Shooters, right?” the big Doberman grinned as his nephew instinctively latched onto his ribs.

“Crash!” Orion cheered, followed by a stream of toddler gibberish only another Pup might decode.

Ares snorted, choosing not to let the unintended jab dent his gamer pride.

The three remaining in the living room waited in silence until the sound of Ares and Orion faded upstairs. Then Gemini stretched out along the full length of the loveseat and reached toward Johanna, crooking a finger.

The Dalmatian took the cue without hesitation, carefully straddling Gemini’s thighs just above the knees.

“Want help?” Johanna asked, fingers already hooked into the elastic of Gemini’s pants.

Gemini shook her head and motioned her closer. Johanna obliged, crawling forward until her hands gripped the armrests on either side of Gemini’s head, her thighs braced gently against the swell of the Doberman’s belly.

“You picked a terrible time to pull a stunt like this,” Gemini giggled, glancing up at her sister-in-law and giving her chin a playful scratch. “I can’t move the way I’d love to right now — so you’re just going to have to hold this pose while we talk,” she added with a grin, cupping a hand between her belly and Johanna’s to rub the Dalmatian teasingly. “Don’t you dare fall on me.”

“It hasn’t stopped you and brother,” Johanna replied matter-of-factly, tilting her head as if running some mental calculations. “Would you like to sit on my face?”

Gemini burst into laughter and gave her a light, mock-slap on the shoulder. “Stop it! You’re not even going to be in our bed tonight.”

She sobered after a breath, smoothing her features into something close to serious. Then she looked Johanna square in the eyes.

“This is the last time I’m saying ‘yes,’ Johanna,” Gemini warned gently. “I’m the last Dog in Heartherra who’d demand exclusivity, but I honestly don’t know how you could push ‘family bonds’ any further than this. And if you did find a way ...” She shook her head. “I can’t imagine where the line remains after that.”

Her hand rested lightly on Johanna’s side. “I think you’re losing the difference between ‘friend,’ ‘family,’ and ‘lover.’ I get wanting everyone to feel equally close — but those roles aren’t the same. They’re not supposed to be.”

Johanna, still on all fours above her, simply nodded. No argument, no deflection. “You’re the only real friend I’ve ever had, Gemi,” she said quietly. “I know there’s supposed to be a difference ... but it’s entirely possible I’ve never really understood the distinction.”

Gemini nodded, gently tracing her fingers down the side of Johanna’s cheek, along her neck, almost to the cleft between her breasts. Johanna had grown up with a very poor example of a father, and no mother at all. Dane had been more protector than sibling. It made a certain kind of sense that her idea of “family” had blurred into the other roles.

The Doberman lifted her head just enough to brush a kiss across Johanna’s lips. “Okay,” she murmured. “I just needed to give you that warning. Serious talk’s done now.”

Her hands slid down Johanna’s belly … and went straight for the button of her pants. “Time to wuff and make up,” she grinned, running her tongue slowly along her lips. Then she turned her head and gave Dane — still quietly listening from the couch — a playful, come-hither look.

“Get over here ...”

— — — — —

Night had fully fallen by the time Johanna stepped into the streaming room. Gemini was in the next room over, tucking in a very tired Orion. Ares was still downstairs, finishing the dishes. Dane was rotating laundry before heading up to the attic bedroom to wait for Gemini.

And Johanna was here — waiting for her “punishment.”

The room was cramped: just enough space to slide between the twin desks, chairs, and the double bed pushed against the windowed back wall. She set her phone on one desk and angled it toward the bed, for use as a clock. Beyond the silhouetted trees out back, a single speck of light marked a window in the Ironhearts’ house.

She stared at it absently as she reached behind to unhook her bra, then peeled it and her shirt off in one fluid motion. Her breasts bounced free as she dropped both into Ares’ chair, quickly followed by her jeans and panties. Fingers slid up her belly to soothe the crease beneath where the bra had rested, then trailed lower — gliding along the backs of her thighs until they reached the faint hollow beneath her curves. With two fingers, she parted her cheeks just slightly, letting cool air kiss the still-hot stretch from that knot.

That was the sight Ares walked in on: Johanna, completely bare, standing at the window with her back to the door and staring out into the night, hips tilted just enough to be taken for an invitation.

He chuckled softly and gave an appreciative whistle. “Nice view. What are you doing over there?”

“Thinking, obviously,” she replied flatly, letting her cheeks fall closed and smoothing her hands down across them.

Ares’ smirk faded into a quiet frown. “About the neighbors?” He couldn’t see the pinprick of light she’d been focused on, but he knew which side of the house faced the Ironhearts’ place.

“No,” she said simply, turning to face him. “About us.”

Johanna crossed the room with quiet purpose, her stride unhurried, almost deferential. She stopped just short of pressing against him, nose nearly to his chest. One hand settled on his abdomen, the other on his broad chest. Then she leaned in, gently pinning him back against the closed door.

She looked up into his eyes with that familiar, blank expression — the one that hovered between indifference and curiosity. As if she were reading him. Searching for the answer to a question she hadn’t asked aloud.

In truth, she was thinking about the cabin — the day he’d proposed, and derailed all their schemes. About how he’d made himself vulnerable, first physically, then emotionally, when she’d first panicked. About the time she’d nearly shot him ... and the time he’d nearly died protecting her and their nephew.

About all the times ...

Ares tilted his head at her silence, about to ask if she was okay — but Johanna lifted a hand behind his head and gently guided him down.

Her kiss was soft, warm and overflowing with the same quiet gratitude that had driven her earlier request. When their lips parted, she whispered, “I love you. And I’m sorry.”

Ares let out a breath, low and rough. “... Wuff. You can only mean one of those after a kiss like that,” he murmured, still savoring the taste of her on his lips.

“I’ll leave it to you to decide which it is, then.”

She gave a light tug on his shirt, then stepped back to offer him some space. “Get undressed and come here.”

Ares obeyed without question, pulling his snug shirt up over his chest. Johanna moved to the bed, lying back with casual ease, her hands drifting idly across her chest — not to tempt, just to feel. To unwind herself. She watched as he loosened his belt, then his pants. Finally bare, Ares climbed onto the bed, crawling toward her from the foot.

But before he reached her, she pressed her feet against his thighs, stopping him just short.

Johanna patted the space between her breasts, then reached up to gently guide his head down. He let it rest there, ear pressed to her chest, where her heartbeat pulsed quick and steady beneath his cheek.

“You said ‘yes’ earlier,” she murmured. “But you didn’t say everything you wanted.” Her hands and even her legs encouraged him to settle fully atop her. Her fingers traced slowly from between his ears down the back of his neck, then along his spine.

“Go ahead,” she said softly. “It’s just us now, and you know I’m hard to offend. So say whatever’s on your mind. Then you can wuff me angrily, like I deserve ... or gently, like you deserve.”

Ares sighed into her fur. “Look, sweetcakes ... it’s not like I’m afraid of a little competition. I doubt there’s anything anyone could do to knock Dane off the throne in your heart.”

He slid his arms beneath her back. Not roughly, but possessively. “I’m just ... disappointed, I guess,” he admitted, rubbing his cheek lightly against her fur.

“... Me too,” Johanna admitted, scratching lightly along his back. “I didn’t really think on it much, but ... I somehow imagined that if I ever fell for anyone besides Dane, I’d be a more faithful girlfriend.” She exhaled slowly. “I didn’t realize how easy it is to set hooks in my heart after all.”

Ares shifted, laying his snout directly in the channel between her breasts, eyes tilted up so she could see the concern on his face. “If monogamy really mattered to me,” he said, “I wouldn’t have proposed to you, Johanna. I knew — well, thought I knew — I’d be sharing you with Gemini, at the very least.”

He hesitated, then added more quietly, “What bothers me isn’t the sharing. It’s that I got kind of proud — maybe even excited — thinking you wanted my Pups.” A half-hearted shrug. “Maybe you do. Or maybe it doesn’t matter, as long as you get one and can have a real go at Dane the way you dream of. But that idea ... it made me happy.”

He laid his cheek back against her chest, voice softening further. “It’s still worst-case thinking, I know. But if one of the Ironhearts takes you up on that offer ... it’s not impossible that you’ll end up with one of theirs first. Maybe even instead of mine.”

Johanna lay still beneath him, quiet for a long moment. Ares listened to the rhythm of her heart, a steady pulse beneath his ear, waiting while she sorted through her thoughts.

When she didn’t move for a long minute, he tilted his head up just enough to check if she was still awake. Their eyes met.

“Is that really what’s bothering you most?” she asked.

He nodded.

She gently tugged his floppy ear. “Come up here.”

Obedient as ever, Ares shifted higher on the bed until his face hovered above hers. Johanna closed her eyes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, briefly.

“I don’t deserve you, Ares,” she said quietly. “And you deserve better than this.” A pause. “I know I’ve told you before that I don’t want just anyone’s Pup anymore. But let me clarify.”

She shifted beneath him, scooting lower and lifting her knees to his hips. Positioning herself deliberately, she guided his barely-emerging tip to meet her entrance.

“I swear my first will be yours,” she whispered. “And all the ones that come after, too.”

They already had rules in place. He wasn’t allowed to use a condom anymore. Everyone else absolutely must. No one but him would be allowed that closeness ... not even in gratitude.

Johanna tipped her head just enough to kiss his chin, then nudged his hips with her heels in quiet encouragement.

Ares responded, grinding gently against her mound, coaxing himself out of his sheath, inch by careful inch, into her waiting warmth.

Then Johanna surprised him, quietly: “Should I enjoy it?”

Ares let out a soft chuckle. “Don’t you always?”

His hips rocked slowly, his body firming inside hers. He didn’t need her to answer; he could always tell — even when her face barely changed — how eager she was in their near-nightly couplings.

She nodded, “I do.” What she liked most, in fact, was that he did demand she act like she enjoyed it.

“But I still make the effort to show it to Dane, even when he doesn’t ask. I feel like I owe him that.” She kissed his chest as he settled fully inside her, his knot beginning to swell.

“And I owe you just as much,” she murmured. “So I’m going to show you, too, tonight. Just tell me if you want a different attitude.”

Johanna tipped her head back and dragged her tongue along his throat, her voice a breathy whisper laced with passion rarely seen on her face. “Please, Ares ... fill me up with your Pups.”

His knot surged so quickly he didn’t get it through her entrance first. Now he’d have to force it in the hard way — which, fortunately, Johanna liked.

“Harder,” she begged, voice still soft but urgent, as he nudged against her opening with careful pressure, stretching her to take him.

But she wasn’t here for careful. Not tonight. As his next thrust sealed her up, she let her voice drop low, firm, almost into a growl. “I said ‘harder.’ Do as you’re told.”

Everything in Ares’ core clenched at once, and he let out a strained “Wuff!” muffled into the pillow beside her ear.

Then he slammed forward, knot surging past her entrance in one rough, unstoppable thrust.

“Good boy,” Johanna gasped, her voice sharp with pleasure as her body sealed around him, tight, throbbing, and full. She wrapped him in her arms and legs, holding him flush to her as he began to rock her in strong, steady movements.

But her grip was too firm — each thrust moved her whole body along with him, stealing some of his depth.

Johanna dropped her heels to his thighs. “Position change,” she commanded, arching her hips up and pressing down in the same motion.

Their dual groans filled the room as his knot slipped free with a wet pop — sending a shudder of sensation through both their bodies, that dragged them that much closer to the edge.

Johanna rolled onto her belly, still beneath him, and tucked her knees under until she could push both of their hips into the air. With her face buried in the pillow, she braced her hands against the headboard — then glanced back over her shoulder with a demanding look.

“Now get back in here,” she growled, bucking her hips beneath him. Patting the headboard once, firmly, she added, “And make this necessary.”

Ares chuckled, kissed her cheek, and got into position. He rose onto his knees, planting his hands on her shoulder blades to hold her steady — then drove his hips forward in one hard, claiming thrust.

Johanna barked as he filled her again, sharp and sudden. But she dug her heels into the backs of his thighs, urging him on without hesitation.

It was a loud session — especially for Johanna. She even let out a full-throated howl alongside him at his climax, like they meant to announce it to their siblings upstairs.

Afterward, they collapsed sideways on the too-narrow bed, panting in sync as their bodies cooled. Ares gathered her close, arms wrapped tight around her back, and they settled together, spoon against spoon.

They lay there together, tangled and slick, Ares’ knot still pulsing faintly in the afterglow. His hand moved slowly along her belly, absently stroking.

“You know,” he murmured in her ear, “I still know where I stand in the grand scheme of things, sweetcakes. It meant a lot, what you said. But don’t let it get in the way of your dreams.”

Johanna placed her hand over his, stilling it gently above her womb. “This is one of them, too,” she said softly. “I’m allowed more than one.”

She paused, letting that truth settle in the silence between them.

“I love Dane. I always will. And I envy Gemini for several reasons.” Her voice didn’t waver. “But you are the one I’m pinning all my hopes for the future on. No one gets to take that from you.”

Reaching back, she cupped his cheek and pulled his head forward, pressing a kiss to the side of his snout. “Don’t let it overwhelm you now.”

If he’d been a Cat, his purr would’ve echoed through the whole house. Ares nuzzled her neck and kissed her softly.

Johanna exhaled, long and slow, and finally let herself drift off to sleep in the safety of his arms.