The Shop

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare nodded, though the idea of a dog using any kind of litter box, even a modified one, was odd to him. He ruffled Elouai's ears again, then stooped to set her back on the floor, where she turned back to the explorations she'd begun earlier. Dare watched her a moment, then straightened again and mimicked Michael's posture, leaning over crossed arms toward him. "Thank you," he said softly. His gaze dropped to Michael's lips.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael leaned and stretched across the counter to give Dare a light kiss. "You know I would do anything to make you happy," he said softly. His lips turned up in a smile and his eyes trailed over Dare's face before they were caught by Elouai over near the crup puppies. They all had their paws against the glass wall between them and were tilting their heads sideways in interest.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had been about to steal a more thorough kiss when he noticed the shift in Michael's attention. He looked back over his shoulder to see what was so interesting and saw the pups greeting each other. His lips curved at the sight. "She's friendly, too," he mused. "She's perfect." He watched for a moment as Elouai's tail wagged, then turned his gaze back to Michael. "She's going to be good for us," he said. For all the extra work she'd be, Dare was suddenly confident that the time it took to care for her, the time it dragged them away from their studies, would be a benefit. A forced walk outside every day would go a long way toward restoring both their patience.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael nodded, "To think I've spent the week telling myself I couldn't get attached to her..." He grinned and shook his head, then looked back at Dare. It was wild to think that not even a month before he had placed the order so that he could sell her, and now she was theirs. "So are we going to school to tell everyone we have a baby?" he asked, eyes sparkling at the idea of the reactions they would get.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare grinned broadly. "Of course," he said. "I'd suggest giving out cigars, but I don't think anyone would go for that." But she was their baby, so what else could they do but share their joy with their friends? "We'll need to take pictures!" Dare suggested. They hadn't used their camera at all since they'd moved in, and what better way to start than with pictures of Elouai? They needed a new spread in the sketchbook again.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"Of course," Michael said, nodding and watching Dare. He had very nearly forgotten the camera in the excitement and stress involved in moving to the new place, visiting Dare's father, and getting the shop up and running. He wrinkled his nose slightly, when it was all listed out like that, it seemed like so much more than it felt like it was.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare leaned forward again at the expression on Michael's face and stole another brief kiss, just enough to hopefully distract from whatever he'd been thinking of. "We can do that tonight when I get home," he said. Yeah, they'd have to take the pictures inside, but they'd find a place to walk soon enough. "I could take Elouai out and look for that park," he offered. He'd far prefer to go with Michael, but with the shop open today and Dare working tonight, he wasn't sure they'd both have time.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael bit his lip, unwilling to just let Dare go when he could just stay there in the shop until he had to work. Elouai needed walked and leash-trained. He sighed, "Alright, find one and maybe tomorrow we could go," he mused. No one would look twice if the place was closed on a Sunday, the majority of the people knew that he was a student, so his hours were odd anyway. He was open when he could spare the time.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare reached up and smoothed his fingers through the soft hair at the side of Michael's head. It was easy to see that Michael didn't want him to go, and he didn't really want to go either. "Maybe we could both go looking tomorrow," he suggested instead. "I could run upstairs and get some books and you could take her out while I'm at work." There was no option for all three of them to be together at the club, but maybe they could manage a day in the shop.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"Go ahead and take her, it'll get colder later," Michael said, glancing down at her. She was used to a nice, warm building, not being outside in the evening during winter. "We can go out tomorrow, too." He didn't want them to go, true, but he could see that it would be better for her to be out in the middle of the day. "Besides, you won't be gone long."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's lips curved again, and he nodded. "We won't, I promise." He'd see what he could find within a close distance to the Leaky Cauldron. Elouai needed exercise and training, but she didn't need to be completely worn out. Dare leaned forward again and brought his lips to Michael's, initiating a kiss that would need to last him however long he was out.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael accepted the kiss gratefully and parted his lips to deepen it. It was unbelievable how he had gone from living in a friend's apartment with his boyfriend to owning a shop and living above it with his fiance and, now, their dog, in a month's time. When the kiss finally stopped, he only pulled back enough to blink his eyes open and meet Dare's. "I love you."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's eyes were still a bit hazy, still just a bit hungry as they met Miichael's. "I love you too," he murmured. Just then, he couldn't think of the hardships ahead of and behind them. He could only think of how happy he was, and how incredibly lucky. Dare leaned in for another last kiss, but was suddenly distracted by a tug at his ankle. He blinked and straightened just enough to see Elouai, tugging as hard as she could at the bit of his jeans she'd managed to catch with her teeth. She was ready to play again, and she'd found Dare's ankles first and attacked.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael leaned further over the counter and laughed when he saw Elouai, "She's going to be a handful," he commented. He didn't have anything against that. There wasn't another puppy that would be better for them. "Good luck getting her to actually walk," he said, laughing lightly. He imagined Dare trying to get her to walk, only for her to get distracted by something on the street.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare chuckled, but he could see now that he had his work cut out for him. He couldn't imagine he'd have to drag her behind him, but neither could he picture her deciding to stay on the sidewalk or go in a straight line if she could help it. "I think I'm going to need all the luck I can get," he told Michael. He got Elouai's leash and hooked it on with little difficulty, but she'd decided to chew on it while he was latching, and when he tried to free the leash from her teeth, she decided he was playing tug-of-war.