James' Birthday (Ch. 1)
#1 of James' Birthday
The first part of this birthday gift! I really, really hope you guys enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing this.
It had been a lot harder than Percy had expected to grab neon green party supplies. Apparently every party store within ten miles of him and James' apartment eirher didn't carry them or was out, and once he did find them he felt like a pup again, trudging out to his car with an armful of tablecloths and napkins- all *offensively* lime green, just like James loved. A balloon had dangled in the air above him, just barely wrapped around his claws. More than a few dd looks had been cast his way, a purple husky walking out of an outlet store with tons of obnoxiously green items. Percy didn't really care, though. It was for James' birthday. He really wanted to treat the mountain dog to a special day, and this was how he was going to do it.
Again, his thoughts flashed back to the black leather box he had stashed away in the guest closet a few months before, resolving to give it to his boyfriend when the time was right. If he ever had the balls to do it, that was. He'd been sorely tempted a couple times now- once when James had brought a huge bowl of chicken noodle soup to him when he was sick, refusing to leave until the husky had eaten every drop, and once after a a sleepy makeout session that had ended with James hilted deep inside his lover, teeth locked in a gentle nip on Percy's neck. Both times, his anxiety has flared up as soon as he had worked up the nerve, pushing him to throw out the idea for another day.
Percy shook his head, shutting any thoughts of the box or what was inside of it out of his mind. When the time came, he'd either present it to James or chicken out. That was the deal. For now, he needed to make sure everything was ready for the next day's party. With a frustrated sigh, he glanced around the apartment, noticing the complete lack of any decorations. Not that he could really do much until James was sound asleep, snoring in bed after a long night of work. That meant Percy himself couldn't fall asleep at all tonight, if he was asleep when James curled up with him, he didn't have any way of waking himself up without startling the other dog. If he fell asleep after his boyfriend got home, he'd have no time to decorate and get the apartment ready. Ugh. A pang of guilt shot through him as he glanced at the pill bottle of sleep medicine he took on the counter, the same amount of red tabs in it as had been there the night before. He felt bad for not taking his meds, even worse for deceiving James- the dog had always been so good about making sure Perce took all his pills, reminding him when he forgot. With a little whimper, Percy pushed the guilt away and turned back to the living room. He was doing it to make James' birthday special. That was all.
In Percy's left paw was the list of things he needed to do before waking James up the next morning, and he checked half-heartedly to make sure he had done everything he could at present. He had the card written out- a soppy old love letter he'd rewritten what seemed like eighty times- and he'd grabbed all the decorations. At the bottom, he'd scribbled the words "plan some gifts!" and, with a flush, he verified that, well, he had two gifts planned out. Millions, actually if he considered the amount of puppies he would be pumping into his boyfriend over the course of the day. If James was okay with it, Percy reminded himself.
Normally, Percy would be the one receiving gifts like that- when he'd first moved in with James, he'd just given into fact that he would have a chronically sore tailhole- but he'd also known for a while that James was normally submissive, and he wanted everything to be about his partner on the special dog's birthday. That fluffy husky tail swished through the air a couple times as he thought about the other half of that 'gift,' something that he and James had talked about plenty but had never actually pulled off... While that was on his mind, he reminded himself to drink plenty of water throughout the day. He would need it.
That little surge of anxiety sprang up from the back of his mind, like it so often did, making him second guess all of his plans and ideas. He didn't want to take things too fast or too slow, didn't want to do too much or too little... he just wanted things to be perfect for James. That meant all the food would have to be cooked exactly like his partner liked it, every decoration just the right tint of green... And he would do everything he could to make that a reality. James was worth all that and more.
He shrugged off his nerves as best he could, resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn't be able to do *everything* perfect, what mattered was the effort he put in- James was the kind of dog to probably not even care if Percy didn't do anything for his birthday- and that was precisely why he felt the need to do so much for his baby. That, and just the sheer amount of care James exacted when he was doing stuff for Percy. he never complained, per say, but his husky could tell that James went out of his way to make Percy happy sometimes, dropping everything he was doing to comfort the dog when he was down, or just hanging out with him. Percy tried his best to reciprocate that help, but the truth was that James just had his life together more than he did. Well, for one day Percy could hold his life together as well. He was sure of it. Now, to throw something on the TV and waste the hours before James got back....
When James creaked the door open, Percy was crashed on the couch, remote dropped on the floor beside him. He was slumped onto his belly, left paw clutched to his chest and right paw down his pants. James had once asked Percy why he slept like that, to which Percy had sheepishly said that he just felt safe like that. Images flickered on the TV, mouths moving with no sound to accompany them except Percy's soft snores, a little waterfall of drool dripping out of his maw onto the pillow he was snuggled up to, eyes flickering underneath closed lids. James' work-exhausted face crumbled into a smile as he walked over to his husky, planting a soft kiss on the sleeping dog's forehead. Percy mumbled in his sleep and rolled over onto his back, tail wagging a couple times between his legs. James watched him for a minute or so, torn between waking the husky up, curling up next to him, or sleeping alone. After thinking for a while, he pulled Perce into a close hug, scooping his arms underneath his torso and lifting him up like a huge puppy, cradled between his chest and arms. Percy's body seemed like a liquid as he seeped into the embrace, his body filling the space completely. A couple of content sighs came out of his mouth as he was carried across the apartment, James moving slowly to the bedroom.
He deposited his armload on the bed with a blushing wag of his tail, settling the husky's head on the pillow as carefully as he could before stripping off his sweaty work clothes, setting them in the hamper in the closet, leaving nothing on but his soggy boxers. With that, he hopped into bed and formed a protective curl of his body around the sleeping husky, the two of them ceasing to become two separate organisms. They became one singular unit of intertwined limbs, slow grumbles, and love. And both were content.