Code Drop: Dog's Best Friend - An Official Heat Anthology Teaser
#4 of Code Drop
Code Drop Promo 5 - Dog's Best Friend
Tempe O'Kun
How's a jealous jackal supposed to make it through dinner with some Labrador flirting with her boyfriend?
Tess Hurr was a jackal who really, really needed a milkshake.
Now, due to some asshole stopping short, she was wearing one.
The day had started with the network acting up, which, due to the general ineptitude of the in-house admins, resulted in the whole office being hurled back to Reagan-era telecommunications. Internet access returned just as she was about to leave for lunch, ensnaring her in its steely grasp of productivity. By the end of the day, she was starving, having subsisted only on strange Japanese candies her boyfriend had sent with her last week. Traffic crawled through the city like a snake on cold medicine. Sacrificing precious minutes to stop in at a McDonald's for a long-denied milkshake fix, she'd fought against the caloric guilt as she pulled into the drive-thru line. Now all lay in chocolaty ruin.
She swore at the SUV as it drove off, piloted by some airhead squirrel. Accustomed to views from above, squirrels always seemed to drive huge vehicles, though their panicky nature resulted in many sudden stops. One such stop happened seconds ago, inches in front of the drive-thru. No number of napkins could save her.
Still sticky twenty minutes later, the jackal pulled up next to her apartment and parked her car. She trudged up the stairs, weary and grumbling. A dozen deadlines buzzed through her head, her mind already scheming to catch up tomorrow. The hallway loomed in, claustrophobic, the color of sidewalk stains. She arrived at the door of the small apartment she shared with--
Bouncy 80's pop music pumped from computer speakers. Cyndi Lauper.
She opened the door to find her boyfriend dancing in the living room in his boxers, his back to her, tail ticking like a metronome. Swish-swish-swish-swish. "Oh, girls just wanna, just wanna! Oh girls, girls just wanna have fuuuuuuuun!"
Having verified that the only thing being murdered here was a song, she forced her fists to unclench. "Erik! What the hell are you--?"
The golden retriever spun on a hind paw, noticing her with a grin. Cell phone cradled in his shoulder, he pranced over to her, dragging her into the living room to frolic with him.
She followed, her body stiff with embarrassment as she glanced at the open door. Please don't let the neighbors walk by! Please don't let the neighbors walk by!
Between verses she hurried over and slammed the door, only to be pulled back by golden-furred paws. Erik howled into his cell and twirled her around the floor. Perhaps it was just dizziness, but she thought she felt a perverse enjoyment at their current activities. When the song finally ended, they both flopped down onto the old sofa, panting. Erik slipped his arm over her shoulders and continued talking into the phone.
"Yes, she's here. Tess, say hi!" He held the phone up to her muzzle-- it was still warm from his floppy ear.
"Hi?"
"Perfect." He resumed talking into the cell. "See? I didn't make her up. When are you coming down? Awesome. We'll see you then!" He snapped the cell phone shut.
"We? What are we doing? Who was that?"
"That was my favourite Labrador in the whole world: Hanna! We've known each other since we were pups and she's coming into town tonight and wants to have dinner with us." His tail thumped in joy against the cushions. "You're free, right?"
"Well, sure, I guess."
"Yay!" He squeezed her shoulders. "I haven't seen her in forever. Wow, you smell amazing!"
"Milkshake mishap." Tess wiped her sticky paws on the front of her shirt, to no effect. "Do you always sing during your conversations?"
"We both do. It's our thing. She's great."
"Uh-huh..." An icy tension grew in the jackal's gut. Don't be jealous. Nothing's going on. She glanced at his laptop. "H-how did you both get the song to sync up?"
"We used to do it by trial and error, but now there's an app that syncs them on her iPhone."
"She has an iPhone?"
"Yeah! She has a Mac too. Isn't it great?"
"Yeah, great." They're both crazy dogs and use Macs. Could they be any more compatible? "Did the two of you ever...?"
"Hmmm?" His floppy ears rose. His head took on a quizzical tilt.
"Nevermind. When is she getting here?"
"I don't know, maybe an hour. Probably less." He skimmed through some emails on his phone. "She called from the highway."
"Only an hour? Erik, I just got off work." And I look hideous.
"Oh." He patted her paw with an understanding smile. "You don't have to go if you're too tired, sweetie pie. She won't be offended."
I bet she wouldn't... "No, no. I can go."
"Alright." Erik wagged, his arm slipping off her shoulders as he rose from the sofa. "Let's go get ready."
* * * * *
I'm not going to get jealous. There's nothing to be jealous about.
"There she is!" Erik undid his seatbelt and bounced out of the car, straight into the arms of a tomboyish black Labrador. Their pelts shone in the afternoon light, picture-perfect.
Tess stepped out into the parking lot of the Texas Steak Exchange, her nose assailed by the scent of a dozen deep-friers. She had enough time to schedule in another workout session on her Android phone while the two canines were still wagging hello and performing some sort of butt-bumping dance of greeting.
After being forgotten for several more seconds, Tess found herself flanked by giggling canines.
Her boyfriend moved between them and placed a paw on both their shoulders. "Hanna, this is Tess. Tess, this is Hanna, my best friend since I was a pup."
"So I keep hearing." The jackal worked to keep her ears up and her expression inoffensive.
The black Lab gave her an appraising glance, so Tess took advantage of the moment to respond in kind. The canine wore a threadbare baseball cap, old bluejeans, and a "Save the Ta-tas" t-shirt. Her bare footpaws spread against the ground, just as unconcerned as Erik about anything sharp that might be on the sidewalk.
Hanna cleared her throat, ending the awkward silence. "Pleased to meet ya!" She extended a paw, which Tess shook with professional detachment. "So you're the one who stole this fine golden from the women of the world. Not to mention the men of the world!" That same black paw dropped to pinch Erik's butt, causing him to leap into the air with a yelp.
"Yeah, I guess that's me." The jackal growled a little, but to no visible effect.
"Now that we've got the niceties out of the way, let's get our tails inside and get a table. I'm starvin'!"
* * * * *
Tess picked at her potato salad, wondering if it contained anything but mayo. This buffet could starve a jackal. I hate buffets.
Across the table, Erik and Hanna recounted old adventures. The tomboyish black Labrador squeezed a lemon slice into her water. "Oh man, Erik, remember the tangerine?"
"The tangerine!" The golden somehow avoided choking on a bite of overcooked steak. "I thought his muzzle'd be permanently stuck like that! He still talks about how sour it was."
Her generous pink tongue cleared several ounces of stray barbecue sauce from her muzzle. "Not as sour as that balor we trapped in--"
"--in the caves of Kher Keep! Oh, jeez! It's been years since I thought about that."
Tess lowered her ears, tuning them out and gnawing at her wilting salad more than it deserved. Tawdry sports memorabilia cluttered the walls as cheap lighting buzzed overhead. A horse chewed his alfalfa-and-ranch with loud smacks of his lips behind her. Two otter pups escaped from their parents, running, squeaking, and making her life hell in all ways possible.
The waitress, a brown rabbit, hopped up to their table, a notepad in her apron and a pencil over one lop ear. "Is everything goin' fine for y'all?"
"Fantastic." The Lab saluted with a greasy drumstick. "You folks run a hell of an establishment."
"Aww, thank you." The bunny cleared away some of the empty plates, smiling at Hanna and Erik. "If you don't mind me sayin' so, you two make a real nice couple."
Both dogs barked in laughter. The rabbit twitched her nose, perplexed. Tess boiled in silence, unnoticed.
"Oh, this isn't the couple." Erik slid over in the booth and squeezed Tess close. "This is."
"Oops." The bunny simpered in a shy way, ears drooping further as she bussed the last of the plates. "Sorry 'bout that."
"Don't be." Hanna assured her with a wave of her paw. "Happens all the time."
Tess's grumbles tapered off as the retriever's paw settled on her thigh, squeezing a little as he smiled at her. Jealousy's fires fell quenched as he bumped her nose with his own, their private prelude to a kiss. She lifted her muzzle to his and--
"Erik, try this!" The Lab spun a surprised Erik around by the shoulder, popping a fat-fried tidbit into his mouth.
"Mmmmm..." His thick golden tail beat against the booth in approval.
The jackal's muzzle hung in midair for a moment, her lips frozen in an unintentional grimace, having not gotten the memo about the kiss that wasn't going to happen. Tess grit her teeth and slid from the booth. "Excuse me."
The Lab tilted her head in interest. "Is she going out for a smoke?"
"Eww." Erik rolled his eyes. "She doesn't smoke."
The jackal dodged around the bank of steam trays devoted entirely to baked beans. "I may just go start..."
The otter pups, now wielding complimentary crayons, had the good sense to pause their samurai war until she passed.
* * * * *
The door marked "Gals" clattered closed, imitation antiques trembling on the walls. Tess gripped both sides of the sink, directing her death glare safely into the mirror. Stupid Lab... Aren't there men to flirt with back in her slice of folksy nowhere? Why'd she have to come here for mine?
Little horseshoe branding-marks galloped across the walls. She ran the cold water, splashed some on her face, and punched the fur dryer to activation. Heated air coursed over the sharp angle of her muzzle. It felt nice. After a few moments, she swiveled her ears forward to dry the insides as well. Mmmm... Okay, I feel almost civilized again. I can make it though dinner for Erik's sake, so long as I don't get trapped alone with--
Hanna jaunted in.
Shit. Tess suppressed a growl. "Hi."
"Hey there." The dog gave her a witless Labrador smile. "I was wonderin' where you got to."
"Well, now you know."
"Yeah, but there's something else I've gotta know too."
"Oh, and what's that?"
"Will you protect him from himself?"
"Excuse me?"
She crossed her arms. "Erik's as sweet as spring corn, and about as observant. After how that collie bitch treated him, I figured I'd better check you out."
"By flirting with him all evening?"
"That's really just the way we are. Trust me-- he's been oblivious to it for ten years, and I don't see that changin'. I've accepted it by this point, as much as I would have liked things to turn out otherwise." She raised her floppy ears, just like Erik did when he looked for acceptance. "Once upon a time, you understand."
Tess thought she ought to be jealous, but the familiar flare of resentment never ignited. Unsure just what to do in its absence, she straightened her fur, straightened her posture, and headed straight for the door. Something gave her paws pause, freezing against the wrought-iron handle of the door. In a cool rush, the anger evaporated from her soul, like the moisture from her fur.
Against her better judgement, she turned and took the Lab by the arm with a smirk. "Come on. God knows what he'll get up to if we leave him alone too long."
Hanna's ears popped up in surprise.
The jackal enjoyed this reaction immensely.
They returned to the table to find Erik stuffing his muzzle with pie. He looked up at them over an especially large bite. His eyes widened, realization filling them in an instant. He swallowed. "Why are you two smiling?"
* * * * *
Erik and Tess stood watching Hanna drive off, the jackal still a little stiff from the Lab's unexpected hug. Her boyfriend's tail hung a little low as he watched the old pickup rumble off toward the highway.
Without really thinking, she placed a paw on his shoulder. "Well, she's okay."
The golden glance to her, smiling a little. "Told ya."
The ride home took them around the edge of town. Erik stared out the window in uncharacteristic silence. Tires hummed on asphalt. Dusk painted the world with outstretched fingers. Following a twinge of impulse, she pulled onto a quiet overpass.
The car came to a stop overlooking a small lake, surrounded by the honey-gold leaves of autumn. Clouds cooled to an airy pink as the sun sunk into the horizon, stretched double across the water's surface, shimmering ruby and topaz. His eyes met hers, glinting blue in the world awash with reds and yellows. Reaching over, he squeezed her paw, giving her a simple smile. Her muzzle brushed along his, returning it.
They kissed, at first slow and delicate as falling leaves, then with easy passion as his tongue traced gentle circles around hers. She lost herself in a world of warmth and love in his paws. Evening light flowed around her in warm fur and kisses, impossible to tell where the sunset ended and his golden fur began.
Her paws never lost contact with his body as she reached up to stroke his silken ears, the heat of his body lingering in her paw pads. Kisses gave way to nuzzles, accompanied by the feel of his fingers in her fur.
With a final nuzzle, she shifted in her seat, getting comfortable. His arm found its way behind her neck, supporting her in ways she didn't know she needed. In a reaction that was becoming a habit, she draped her head against his shoulder, her paws slipping around the slight pudge of his midriff. Though she had long prided herself on being a hard jackal in a hard world, part of her relished Erik's softness.
His muzzle lay across hers, the weight safe as a blanket to her dream-heavy soul, and in that moment Tess couldn't find a worry if she tried.
There you go, folks. Another little Code Drop adventure. Do let me know how you liked it. ^_^
Brainstormed with: Brer
Edited by: SillyNeko & Vendettaleopard
If anyone reading this has read Heat #7, comment on that Code Drop story here!
-Tempo