The Way You'll Love Me

Almost a year after they first met, Jack and Alex were still living together, happy as ever. This would seem quite obvious to anyone that didn’t know the boys, but once aware of their past situation, problems wouldn’t seem so unlikely to a stranger any longer. It felt like they’d known each other for their entire lives, but Jack and Alex knew they hadn’t, and they took this into consideration when planning their future together.

Jack had approached the younger boy with questions about marriage one day, being sure to inform him that he wasn’t actually asking to marry him right then and there. They had discussed the topic, and both he and Alex had agreed that waiting to tie the knot wouldn’t be a bad idea. Although they were at a good age for marriage, they hadn’t known each other until a short while ago, and wanted to take it slow, almost as if they were still teenagers. The same went for children; they’d wait a bit longer until they thought about that, too.

Something that Alex was very adamant about, though, was adopting an animal into their household. Every time he’d see a dog while on an outing with his lover, he’d point at it and coo, asking Jack if he thought the creature was, ‘completely adorable!’ as well. Jack would just nod and smile at Alex, assuring the shorter boy that he agreed with him.

Realizing that Jack just wasn’t good at taking hints, Alex finally decided to just straight up ask the other boy about adopting a dog one winter day. They both had jobs now, Jack keeping his boring office job while Alex worked at a coffee shop, so money was really no problem. The younger boy had approached his boyfriend when the latter had gotten home after work on a Wednesday night, just as he had sat down on the couch.

Shuffling over and sitting next to Jack, Alex spoke hesitantly.

“Jack, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, love. What’s up?” Jack replied, lifting his arm and inviting Alex in to cuddle with him.

The shorter boy shifted over, head tipped up to look at Jack as he continued.

“Can we get a dog?” Alex asked, trying his best to make a somewhat convincing face.

Jack chuckled in response, resting his head atop of Alex’s as he said, “I’m surprised you finally asked. I’ve known that you’ve wanted one for a while, but I was just waiting to see how long it took you to finally give up hinting at it.”

Okay, maybe Jack wasn’t so clueless. Alex frowned at that, taking a few moments to come up with a reply, before he was responding once again.

“Why would you do that? If you knew that I wanted one so bad, why didn’t you bring it up yourself? You know I’m horrible at it.”

“Well, I was actually thinking about surprising you with one for Christmas, because I didn’t think you’d crack before then. Since you have, though, let’s discuss it now, then.”

Alex was practically beaming now, pleased with the fact that Jack had had a present in mind for him, as well as the possibility of him finally getting a puppy. He was quick to reply, and this was almost the most eager Jack had ever seen him been.

“Okay, first of all, we’ll be able to afford really nice stuff for it, right? Like, our puppy will never starve, and will be able to have a nice bed and a bunch of toys?”

Alex’s smile was reflected onto the older boy’s face as he replied with,

“Yeah, yeah, baby. We’re both working now, so we’ll all be fine. I think it’s a good time for this, a good time for us to try being responsible for someone else’s life, other than our own.”

“Great!” Well, what kind are we looking for, then? Boy, girl? Fluffy, short hair? Big, small? We’re adopting, obviously, right?” Alex blabbered on, until Jack was finally able to get some answers in.

“Tell me what you’d like, babe. And yeah, of course, if that’s what you want.” Jack just smiled at Alex, feeding off of his excitement.

“I think I want a girl, and I don’t really care about fur length, but I want a small dog. What about you?” Alex asked, eyes practically sparkling.

“I don’t really care about fur length either, but I’d prefer a boy, and I’d definitely like a bigger dog.” Jack replied, nodding his head, satisfied with his decisions.

“I thought it didn’t matter to you!” Alex frowned, and Jack laughed, answering with, “That was before I knew you wanted a small dog.”

Alex just huffed, and then the two boys went on to decide when they’d go to the shelter, agreeing that they’d choose what they wanted when they got there.

That following Sunday, Alex and Jack walked down to the animal shelter that was located just a few blocks down from their house. They’d walked fast, desperate to escape the snow and chilly air, thick coats and mitten clad hands just not cutting it. Once in the warmth of the shelter, they let go of each other’s hands to unzip their coats, and continued to go speak to the secretary.

Soon enough, the boys were allowed into the back of the building to look at all the animals. Alex had immediately squealed at the first dog he saw, Jack just shaking his head and following behind. The two had looked at various dogs, both liking and disliking things about every dog’s exteriors and personalities that they had seen, before they got to a certain one.

She was a husky mix, still a puppy, and was calm in her cage until Alex had approached her. When the boy had neared her, she instantly lit up, tail beginning to wag and ears perking up. Alex giggled in response, trying to pet her with one of his fingers through the bars. Jack watched intently, admiring how nice of a smile his boyfriend had, before he joined in. They spent quite a while with the pup, agreeing that she was a good choice for them. She was the sweetest they had met, and was a girl in Alex’s favour, and would grow big in Jack’s favour. After discussing this with the staff, they were given the papers necessary, and were able to take her home in just over an hour’s time.

When asked what they’d name her, Alex looked at Jack, answering with, “Destiny? Because, like, we were brought together by destiny, and I think that’s how we found her, too. She’s supposed to be part of our family.”

Jack smiled and replied with, “I think that’s perfect, Lex,” glad that he, as well as Alex, and the puppy, were finally getting where they needed to be.

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“In the whole history of the world there is but one thing that money cannot buy... to wit... the wag of a dog's tail.” – Josh Billings