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HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
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starandrea! Title: A Walk in the Park (You’ll never know how much I wanted to call this “Dog Day Afternoon”.)
Fandom: Power Rangers Time Force
Descriptors: Fluff, slash, Wes/Eric, puppy!
Summary: Eric had decided months ago he would never have another pet. Sometimes life has other ideas.
Rating: PG-ish
A/N: This is a request fic done for StarAndrea. Happy Birthday, Star! Assume my ‘Red Fire’ series as background, with this taking place several years after Wes has moved into Eric’s house.
A Walk in the Park
“What the hell is that?” Eric exclaimed, astonishment struggling with outrage at the spectacle of a small, furry object in the middle of his formerly clean living room carpeting. It seemed to be mostly white and tan - under a few layers of dirt - all floppy ears, bright eyes, and a pink tongue. The situation was only made worse by the fact that Wes was teasing it by holding a pen over its head while the creature tried to jump high enough to grab it, emitting a series of shrill yips.
“Haven’t you ever seen a puppy before?” Wes countered.
“Not in my house. Not on my rug. Where did it come from?”
“She was wandering out by the highway; I saw her on my way home.” Wes glanced up, looking a little defensive. “I couldn’t just leave her there; she might have gotten hit by a car or something. And I couldn’t take her to the pound; she’d be miserable locked up in a little cage.” Wes tickled the puppy under the chin, resulting in it flopping on its back wriggling in delight. “Wouldn’t you be? Yes you would!”
“Well, it can’t stay here.”
“Just for a few days? I’ll call the papers and run a lost dog ad, and I’ll put up signs around where I found her.”
“What if the owner doesn’t show up?”
“Then I’ll find her a home.” Wes got to his feet and came to Eric, sliding his arms around his waist and nuzzling his neck in the way he knew Eric couldn’t resist. “Pleeeaaase? For me?”
“Well...” Eric already knew he was defeated, even as he glanced down to find the puppy at his feet looking up eagerly. It was kind of cute, not that he’d ever say that. “As long as the little drooler doesn’t pee on anything.”
“Don’t worry!” Wes stepped back with a brilliant grin and headed for the door. “I’m going to go buy a leash and a bowl and food and training pads and a brush and whatever right now!”
“And some dog soap! First thing you’re going to do is give it a bath!”
“Yes, sir! Watch her for a few minutes, okay?” The words trailed behind Wes as he disappeared out the front door.
“Geez.” Eric sat down on the couch and eyed the puppy warily. He pointed a finger at it. “If you need to go, don’t,” he warned. “No shedding, no barking, no jumping on the bed, and no more getting my carpet dirty. Are we clear?” The puppy took a few steps closer, sat up, and licked his finger. Eric took it as a yes.
“Cut it out, Wes,” Eric mumbled sleepily, “Can’tcha see I’m trying to sleep...” But when he pushed a hand in the direction of the tongue swiping his jaw it encountered soft fur instead of skin. He opened his eyes to see a small doggie face looming over his with an expression that seemed almost like laughter. Eric propped himself up on one elbow and glared. “Thought I said no jumping on the bed,” he growled.
“Let her stay; she’s lonely,” Wes mumbled drowsily, curling one arm around the dog. With a smug look it settled down in the space between them.
“Great.” Didn’t seem worth the effort to get up, carry it out of the bedroom, and close the door. Besides, it was already closing its eyes and going to sleep. No point in risking listening to barking all night. “No peeing,” he muttered, just in case, and lay back down. As he was starting to drift off, the puppy squirmed a little closer and laid her head on his arm.
“What kind of dog do you think she is?” Wes asked the next morning over breakfast.
Eric paused for a sip of coffee as he glanced over to where the puppy was gobbling her own meal, as much dog food landing on the floor as in her stomach. “A sloppy one?”
“If I’m going to put this lost dog ad in the paper, I need to describe her. Got a book on dog breeds last night too, but I haven’t had much time to look. What color would you say she is?”
Eric considered that. “Hmm. I guess white and tan with a little black.”
“Maybe she’s golden retriever mixed with something. Maybe collie. What do you think?”
“I don’t know.” Eric stared at the puppy again. “Probably hard to tell with a puppy, anyway. How do you even know it’s a she?”
“Just look under her tail.”
Eric made a face. “No thanks, I’m really not into dog butts. I’ll take your word for it.”
All he got was the hint of a smile before Wes looked at his watch. “Getting late, gotta go.” Wes got up and bent to pat the dog on the head. “Be good, now,” he said cheerfully. On the way to the kitchen door he paused to kiss Eric’s cheek and then ruffled his hair. “You too!”
“Watch the hair,” Eric grumbled. As he got up he aimed his best intimidating look at the puppy, who unfortunately had her head buried in the food bowl. “If you think I’m going to be a pushover like Wes, forget it. Remember our rules. There better not be any stains on the carpet when I get home.”
Eric inspected the spotless carpeting suspiciously when he returned that evening. If there had been any accidents, Wes had managed to clean them up. Or had he? “Hmmm...” he muttered, running a finger over the surface of a bookcase shelf and then taking a closer look at the top of the television. “The furniture’s been dusted. The carpet’s been vacuumed. Your pile of stuff on the coffee table’s been straightened up.” He shot an accusing look at Wes. “Philips was here, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah.” Wes was unrepentant. “Someone had to feed her and walk her while we were at work, and Philips loves dogs, so...”
“Huh. But he can’t do it every day.”
“I can rearrange my schedule and come home for lunch, and let her out in the yard for half an hour. Days I can’t make it, I’ll call Alice next door and she can come over between classes. I already talked to her, and she still has our keys from before. She’s an animal lover too, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” Eric realized he was frowning at the reminder of his now-deceased birds which Alice had sometimes fed, and looked away. “Seems like a lot of trouble to go to.”
“It’s only for a few days, remember?” As Eric found himself frowning again, Wes stopped rubbing the puppy’s stomach and picked up one of the small army of toys he had bought the day before. “C’mon, doggie! Fetch!” he said, shaking it in midair. When he threw it the puppy took off, tearing madly across the room, almost knocking over an end table, yelping with excitement as the toy bounced off the far wall, and sliding across the tiles of the small entrance hallway in pursuit. Wes was almost doubled over laughing when she reappeared with the toy in her mouth and a look of triumph on her face.
It was almost enough to make Eric smile. Almost. “That’s just great. Take it outside, willya?” he muttered, sat on the couch, and hid behind the newspaper.
Eric spent the next five days reminding himself that he didn’t want a pet. They had no room, no time, no energy, no space in their lives for a pet. Whether it was a dog or a cat or a fish - or a bird - all they did was eat and break things and lie around and make noise, anyway. Useless, no matter how cute and friendly and affectionate they were, no matter how much he was starting to get used to a warm body that wasn’t Wes’s on their bed, no matter how much she had starting worming her way into the routine of their daily lives.
And that was what seemed to be the main problem: the disruption of his routine, the day the crisis came.
Eric looked up at the quick rap on his office door at Bio-Lab, already expecting to see Wes’s face as it opened. His partner was in the uniform that suited him so well, red beret a little off-center, his expression serious.
“I’m heading out to the shopping mall,” he said without preamble. “A store robbery, and the owner wants us to investigate along with the police.”
“Need help?” Eric started to get to his feet.
“No. I’ll call for backup if I need it. This may take a while, though.” Wes hesitated for a moment. “Look - I won’t be able to make it home at lunchtime. Philips is busy with some party Dad’s having and Alice is spending the day with a friend. Could you run home and walk the dog?”
“What? Wes, I’ve got more important things to do than watch a dog take a dump.”
“I know; I’m sorry. It’s just one time. Can you do it?”
“Okay. I guess I can grab lunch while I’m there,” Eric agreed reluctantly.
“Great!” Wes’s face lit up with a smile that eased at least some of Eric’s annoyance. “Can you walk her around the block or something if you have time? I’m worried she’s not getting enough exercise in the yard.”
“All right, all right. Go.” Eric sighed as his door closed again. Pets. More trouble than they’re worth.
She was waiting when he walked in, tail wagging eagerly. Eric frowned down at her and spoke a sharp “Down!” when she started to jump up on his legs. To his pleased surprise she stopped and sat, tail swishing back and forth over the floor. “Good dog. With a little training, maybe you wouldn’t be such a pest.” But that training would be up to her owner, or whoever adopted her, he reminded himself, ignoring the little twinge of regret that came along with the thought.
Eric put down the puppy’s food and fresh water before making a sandwich for himself. Her table manners were better; she managed to drop only a few bits of food on the floor. Another improvement. “You’re making progress. Don’t blow it by begging for human food,” he advised her when she sat next to his chair, looking up with a plaintive expression worthy of a dog that hadn’t eaten in days. After finishing his sandwich (except for the slice of chicken he ended up giving to the puppy) Eric sighed and continued, “I guess you have to go for a walk now, huh?”
The puppy wagged her tail, ears lifting at the word ‘walk’.
Again inwardly impressed by her intelligence, Eric let a smile slip before finding the leash and snapping it on the collar Wes had gotten for her. With the puppy frisking around his feet he left the house and paused when they reached the sidewalk. “So, where to?” he asked his companion. Wes had said something about exercise. A run in the park would be a lot better than just a walk. It was only a few blocks away, and he still had half an hour before he had to get back to work.
“Fetch! C’mon, what kind of dog doesn’t know how to fetch?” Eric grumbled ten minutes later, for the fifth time picking up the fallen branch he had tossed a few yards, only to see the puppy run madly after it, grab it, and then just drop it. “It’s a very simple principle. Just bring the damn branch back. Let’s try it again.”
This time she picked it up and turned to face him, tail wagging furiously. After a little coaxing she started back to him before dropping the branch.
“Better,” Eric said. “But you’re going to have to try harder.” He walked over to her and picked it up, shaking it enticingly over her head. “Now focus. You can do it. Fetch!”
He threw it farther this time, and his aim was off - the branch sailed into the bushes at the edge of the clearing they were in. The puppy yipped and charged after it, disappearing from sight. He could hear her, rustling around - then a bark - then nothing.
More nothing, as Eric became acutely aware that she was off the leash and not yet trained to come when he called. They were reasonably far from the street, but she could move pretty fast. What if she got lost and ran into traffic? What if she wandered off and he couldn’t find her? She didn’t even have a tag on her damn collar... A vision of Wes walking into a puppyless house flashed before him - worse visions of the puppy lost and frightened, of hours and days searching... This was all Wes’s fault for bringing the dog home in the first place... No, it was the puppy’s fault for being stupid... But it was his own fault for letting her off the leash, and throwing the damn stick where he couldn’t see her going after it...
“Dog!” he called, hurrying into the bushes. “Here, dog! Puppy! Get your furry butt over here right now!” Why hadn’t they given her a name so he wouldn’t sound like an idiot calling her? He even resorted to “Here, doggie!” before spotting something moving in the underbrush. Eric started in that direction, stopping with a sigh of relief as the puppy trotted into view and ran to his feet with the branch firmly in her mouth and a triumphant sparkle in her eyes.
It was late when Wes finally made it home. He opened the front door, all his thoughts of dinner, relaxation, and bed dissolving at the sound of Eric’s voice coming from the living room. Quietly he moved to where he could see inside, grinning at the sight of Eric standing at one side of the room pointing a finger at the puppy, who sat on the other side brightly listening to him like a student with a teacher.
“Okay, you’ve almost got it,” Eric informed her. “Let’s try again. Dora, come!”
The puppy jumped up eagerly and ran to him, quickly gulping down the treat he held out to her.
“Good dog!” Eric stepped back from her. “Now, stay!”
She took a step after him, nosing at his hand.
“Sorry, kid, no. Stay! Sit, stay!” Eric bent and pushed her rear end down.
This time the puppy stayed put, shifting her weight from one front paw to the other impatiently, as Eric backed away from her.
“Good dog! Your sitting needs work, though. Now come, Dora!”
Another joyful jump up and a dash across the room. This time Wes almost chuckled aloud as she got her treat - and promptly sat down as if trying to anticipate the next command. Eric knelt and patted her head, his expression softening into an affectionate smile.
Wes leaned against the doorframe, content to just watch for a moment. It wasn’t often he saw the warmer, softer side of his partner. It happened, of course - he had no doubts or complaints about the strength of Eric’s feelings for him, even if he rarely showed them in any obvious way. Still, it was nice to see that part of Eric that loved animals and children (even if he would never admit it) and felt compassion for the weak and helpless.
Wes wasn’t sure when he’d started hoping something like this would happen - it hadn’t been the moment he brought the puppy home, but very soon afterwards, or maybe the hope had grown as he’d become fond of her. It wasn’t just for the puppy’s sake, either. The loss of his birds from old age within days of each other, only a few months ago, had hit Eric hard. He hadn’t shown it, of course, beyond becoming unusually quiet for a few weeks and throwing himself into work more than ever, and a curt “No more pets” when Wes had suggested getting a cat or another bird.
But now - maybe things had changed. Maybe fate had given them a gift that evening when Wes had spotted a little white, tan, and black form sitting forlorn by the roadside. Speaking of gifts...
“Dora?” he asked.
Eric glanced up with a look that clearly said both that he was well aware of Wes’s presence and that he dared him to make anything of what he had seen. “Yeah. About time she had a name. We can change it if you don’t like it.”
“No, I like it a lot. So you’re training her?”
“Yeah. About time for that, too. And she probably needs shots. And a tag for her collar.” Eric paused, a hint of tension in the lines of his shoulders. “Have you heard anything from the lost dog ad?” he asked, too casually.
“No, nothing.”
“Been almost a week.”
“Yeah.”
“If anyone’s looking for her, they would have called by now.”
“Yeah, they should have.”
“So I guess there’s no point in running it again.”
“No point at all.”
“Pretty hard to find a home for a dog too. A good home, anyway.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“I’m not handing her over to someone who won’t take care of her.”
“Of course not.”
“So...”
“So...?”
Eric shot him a look. “So, what do you suggest we do?”
“I dunno.” Wes hid a grin and shrugged. “I guess we have to keep her.”
Only the hint of a smirk broke the cool of Eric’s face as he replied, “Well, if you insist.”
