FicWad

"Hi! I was just wondering what time you were open today!" Frank said animatedly into the phone, smiling wide. "Oh perfect! Thank you, bye!" He was still smiling when he lowered the phone from his ear, pressing "end" on the button pad. He looked up at Gerard, his eyes glittering with excitement. "I can't believe this is actually happening. I've been wanting this for so long, Gee!"
Gerard groaned. "Yeah, I can't believe this is happening, either."
Frank punched Gerard in the arm. It was light but Gerard feigned injury. "Ow, Frankie, Jesus. Now I'm hurt, we can't go today." Gerard laid his face down on the table.
Gerard turned in time to see Frank frown. "Come on, Gerard, we've already got everything, there's no backing down now," he said. "I mean, I guess if you're really that against it we don't have to do it." He clasped his colorful, tattooed hands together on the table and looked at them sadly.
Gerard sighed. He knew he had to do this, not for himself, but for Frank. "You know I wouldn't back out of this. I know how excited you are. You know, I'm just a little more... hesitant, with animals..." he said, giving a small, nervous smile.
Gerard and Frank were going to adopt a dog today. You see, Frank loves dogs. Ever since Gerard met Frank, he's always wanted one for himself. Every time he even saw a dog his face would instantly light up, his eyes all bright. Gerard always found it kind of odd, and unbearably endearing that Frank, this small, heavily tattooed punk rocker had such a soft spot for dogs.
Being together for three years now, having a house and a yard, Gerard knew this day would come. He knew Frank would start to pester him to adopt one, and fuck, he did. He bugged Gerard day in and day out and finally Gerard grudgingly agreed. They bought dog beds, food and water bowls, a leash, a collar, everything needed to care for the animal.
But the thing is, is Gerard isn't really a fan of dogs, or animals in particular. They smell bad, and they poop on your stuff and it's up to you to clean it up and still love them afterwards? It admittedly didn't seem appealing to Gerard, and he couldn't really understand why that seemed appealing to anyone. But apparently it was very appealing to his boyfriend, who was so excited he was nearly vibrating with energy.
Frank took Gerard's hand and slowly brought it up to his mouth to kiss it. "You don't know how much this means to me," he said, stroking Gerard's hand with his thumb. "Thank you, Gee."
Well, one of the few rewards to agreeing to this dog nonsense was definitely how grateful Frank was. The love and appreciation was literally visible in his eyes as he sat there, kissing Gerard's hand like it was the last thing he'd do. Gerard smiled. "I love you so much Frankie, if making you happy means getting a dog, of course I'm gonna do it," he said, and kissed Frank's pink cheek. Frank melted into the touch and then nuzzled into the crook of Gerard's neck, throwing his arms around him and sighing. "Are you ready to go?" He mumbled into Gerard's skin. "They're open now, and I wanna get there as soon as possible so we can bring him home today."
Gerard gulped, hopefully not too ostentatiously. "Yeah, Frank, let's go."
As they gathered the collar and leash and walked out to the car parked in the driveway, Frank never stopped smiling. On the way there, he never stopped smiling. He was buzzing with excitement, not even able to sit still. Gerard, meanwhile, was buzzing with anxiety. Having a dog was like having a fucking kid. Maybe not quite as demanding as a child, but still, that creature's life would depend on Frank and him. It was daunting. Gerard resisted the urge to suggest considering a goldfish instead.
As Gerard pulled into the parking lot, Frank let out a squeal and he kicked his legs with glee.
"That's manly," Gerard said under his breath, pulling in to a free parking space.
"Shut up, fucker!" Frank said, but his smile was so huge Gerard could swear it was about to consume his whole face. Frank unbuckled and lunged at Gerard, squeezing him in an embrace. "Oh thank you! Thank you, Gee!"
Frank's enthusiasm was somewhat of a comfort. Gerard pulled him in and held him there, treasuring him. Fuck, he loved Frank. He'd buy a damn horse if it made him happy.
They walked in together, Frank holding Gerard's hand in an attempt to comfort him, but Gerard could tell Frank was nervous now. His dream, finally about to happen...
They entered the animal shelter. Gerard immediately wanted to go right back out. It smelled like a fucking bomb of dog shit and anus exploded in there. It was so noisy, with incessant, blaring barking coming from the kennels in the back. Frank didn't seem disturbed by any of this, and he just tugged Gerard forward to the desk.
A woman looked up from her seat behind the computer. "Hello!" She greeted, standing up. She was tall and plain looking, with long, mousy brown hair collected in a sloppy ponytail. "How can I help you two?"
"We wanna adopt a dog!" Frank blurted, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "We have everything, all the supplies, we just need the dog!" He was so fucking excited. Gerard would have laughed out loud if he wasn't scared shitless.
The lady laughed. "Wonderful! We've got lots of dogs right now, puppies to purebreds. I'm sure you'll find one just right for you! Follow me, the kennels are this way," she said, grabbing a set of keys and motioning with her arm to follow her. "I'm Marcie, by the way!"
"I'm Frank!" Frank responded, too loudly. "And this is Gerard!" Gerard gave a solemn little wave.
"Nice to meet both of you!" She said back, matching Frank's enthusiasm and Gerard realized all this enthusiasm was really hurting his head. "Ready?" She asked, pausing in front of the door leading to the kennel, the key poised over the lock. Frank nodded vigorously and she smiled, unlocking the door.
The noise and smell inside was a million times worse than out in the reception area. Gerard cringed as the dogs in their kennels sprang at the gates as they walked by. Frank, on the other hand, eagerly inspected each one, talking in a baby voice to every dog, giggling with every lick of their pink tongues.
Gerard decided he should at least take a look at the dogs too. He walked up to a kennel that was eye-level with him, that had a small, fluffy white dog in it.
"Uh, hi," Gerard said, smiling weakly at the animal.
The animal jumped, literally jumped, at Gerard's voice like it was a damn bomb, then crouched down and started hissing viciously, its ears flat against its skull. Soon it lunged at the front of the cage, barking like there was a fucking demon possessing it. Its teeth gnashed together violently, sending slobber flying, some of it hitting Gerard in the fucking face. Gerard reeled away and put his hands over his head, admittedly letting out a cry of terror.
Marcie started laughing, and Gerard kind of had a fleeting feeling of wanting to punch her. Fuck, animals weren't so fucking loveable to everyone, stop cackling, lady! But Frank came up to Gerard and rubbed his back, his face totally serious and kind. "We won't get that one," he said quietly into Gerard's ear, now stroking his hair out of his face and rubbing his cheek with his thumb. "You okay?"
Of course he was okay. He had the best boyfriend on the fucking planet. "Yeah, Frankie," Gerard said, a faint smile playing on his lips now. Frank pecked his cheek and was off again, looking at more dogs that all seemed to just love him. Maybe they could smell it when a person hated them and that's why that dog nearly knocked the gate off in his haste to eat Gerard.
"The purebreds are over here!" Marcie called, and Gerard went over to her. They were all calm, lying down in their cages, looking dismissively at the pair of them. The purebreds seemed stuck up, almost, like they knew they were purebreds among kennels full of mutts. They were all very nice to look at, some of them small and furry, others big and sleek with shiny coats. Gerard didn't really care, but maybe Frank would like a purebred of some kind; maybe it was some kind of privileged thing to have a purebred. He was about to call Frank over when he heard Frank exclaim, "Oh my God! Gerard, Gerard, come see this dog!"
Gerard ran over, with Marcie trailing behind. Frank was bouncing up and down outside one of the cages, pointing eagerly into it. "Gerard, I think he's perfect!" He squealed, dropping to his knees to coax the dog to the front of the kennel in order to pet him.
This had to be the ugliest dog Gerard had ever seen, ever. Talk about a mutt. This dog was short, but wide, with light brown, tired looking eyes and a rather nubby snout. His coat was extremely odd. He had a brown back and face, and white underside, but his neck was white with black spots. It was the weirdest thing Gerard had ever seen, and he couldn't help but wonder what the hell kind of dogs bred with each other to make that. One of his floppy ears had a piece missing from it, Gerard noticed, as Frank scratched under his ears. He was very calm, with a solemn, sleepy looking face that was really, honestly, so ugly that it was adorable.
Marcie raised an eyebrow. "Uh, you like Waldo...? We have a lot of purebreds right over there, cocker spaniels, Pomeranians..." she said, pointing to the direction of the snobby dogs.
Frank shook his head. "No, no..." he said, dismissing her. "Gerard, what do you think? I... I think I love him!"
Frank had the sincerest, most elated face, glowing with joy at finding a dog. The dog. He seemed so positive, so sure, and Gerard couldn't help but feel the same. He smiled now, feeling surprisingly relaxed. "Yes. Frank, he's the one."
The rest of the process was a blur. Waldo was already vaccinated, fixed, and ready to leave. Marcie just grudgingly handed them their paperwork, obviously upset that she couldn't sell one of the purebreds. After much paperwork and preparation, Frank hooked on his collar and his leash, and the couple walked out the door into the parking lot with their new dog.
Waldo waddled ahead of Frank on his short legs, and Frank just watched him adoringly. "Thank you, Gee," he said again, less excited now and more in blissful awe. "I have a dog. I have a fucking dog!" He said, squealing some more. Gerard loved seeing Frank like this.
"I love you, Frank," Gerard said, wrapping an arm around Frank and kissing his head, inhaling the scent of his hair. Suddenly, he felt a pair of padded feet land on his calf. He looked down and there was Waldo, who was on his hind legs, his nub of a tail wriggling back and forth as he looked up at Gerard with those light brown, sleepy eyes. His ears were all perked and the missing piece was really noticeable now. Really, the ugliest, yet somehow the cutest dog Gerard had ever laid eyes on.
Frank let out a strangled noise. "Aw, Gee, look! He wants your attention!" He clasped his hands together, his mouth shaped in a little "o" at this apparently very cute sight. "Pet him, Gerard! He wants you to pet him!"
Gerard, slowly, hesitantly, knelt down beside the dog. He was still wagging his tail, completely silent and patient. Gerard reached out and scratched under his ear with the missing piece. Waldo closed his eyes then, and leant his head into the cup of Gerard's hand.
Gerard felt his heart melt.
Frank knelt down behind Gerard and wrapped his arms around his stomach, his chest flush against Gerard's back. "He knows how great of a daddy he has," he said, kissing the base of Gerard's neck.
Yeah, maybe having a dog was going to be just as awesome as Frank said it would be, after all.