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"C'mon, dad! Who sends their kid to a farm for the summer anymore?!" Cy whined at his father. "I hate this! I was supposed to go with to Florida with my friends!"

"Well, you'll still be getting plenty of sun!" Howard tried to assuage Cy's indignation. "Look, I just think that this'll be good for you! I worked on that very farm from the time I was 16 to the time I graduated college, and now look at me!" Cy's dad made a muscle, and the kid rolled his eyes.

"Dad, I'm 18. I know nothing about farms, I don't want to go, and they probably don't even want me there! Can't I just go to Florida? Please?" Cy's eyes went wide, and he put on his best pout.

"Cypress Stevenson, you know that trick doesn't work on me. Knock it off." Howard glared, and Cy rolled his eyes again. "Roll your eyes at me one more time, boy, see what happens."

Cy flinched, but knew he was safe. His dad was really a big softie, even if he looked a little rough. "Okay, okay, geez. How about if I just stay home, then? We can hang out before I go off to school, and- "

"Nope, no can do, sport. I've already bought you a plane ticket down to Tennessee; Leo's expecting you. Come on, son, do it for me? Please? I mean, if it weren't for that farm, you mother and I would never have met, and you wouldn't be here. Wouldn't it be great if you could find someone special there, too?"

Unlikely... thought Cy, but the collie sighed and shifted his shoulders. "I guess... if it meant that much to you and mom... Cheap trick, using her to get me to go."

"If she could be here with us now, she'd have approved." Howard winked at his son, then wrapped him in a vise-like hug. "I'm so proud of you! If you like it, Leo said you can go back on every break you get from college."

"F-fine! Geez, dad, get off me!" Cy shoved his father away, but when Howard looked down, he saw his son failing to fight off a smile. "I'll think about it, all right?"

"That's all I ask. Now, go get packed." Howard ruffled Cy's hair and smiled fondly. "Your flight leaves tomorrow at 7:00 AM."

"WHAT?!"

...

Grumbling, tired, and cranky, Cy stepped off the plane and headed to baggage claim. Grabbing his suitcase, he sent a text to the number his father had given him before he left, belonging to the mysterious "Leo". The border collie stood just to the side of baggage claim, looking around for a lion around his dad's age, but he saw nobody matching that description... Suddenly, he jumped and let out a squeak as a heavy hand fell onto his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a tall, thickly built, tan-furred bull, just a little older than himself, glaring down at him.

"You the Stevenson kid?" the bull asked, his voice a thick drawl.

"U-uh... I'm waiting on someone already, they should be here any minute..." Cy said, stammering out a reply. Stranger danger!

The bull rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yer waiting on me. Leo's got actual work to do. He ain't got time for this crap."

"Oh... you know Leo?" Cy asked as he tried to hide the pangs of hurt he felt when the bull spoke, but he knew he wasn't able to. Does he look... happy? Asshole! A quiet rage subsumed the collie's guilt. Well, maybe I just got off on the wrong foot. Deep breath... "Hey, sorry about that, then. What's your name?"

"Joseph."

...

Well, at least he answered my question. "Well, it's nice to meet you! My name's Cypress, but you can call me Cy. I hope we can be friends. My dad really wanted me to meet some people, so I guess..."

"Just don't hold me back, and stay out th'way, city boy." Joseph snagged the suitcase out of Cy's hand and lifted it over his shoulder with ease. "Come on, we've got a long drive to go."

Leading Cy to a beat-up, newer red pickup truck, he threw the case in the bed and strapped it down, then hopped up into the cab with practiced ease. Cy had to knock on the door. "I think it's locked!" he called out.

"You gotta pull on it!"

Grumbling, the collie yanked on the door, and it popped open with such force that he stumbled back a bit. Joseph let out a sharp, barking laugh and shook his head. "Oh, yeah, this'll be a great summer..." Blushing, Cy clambered into the cab and buckled himself in for the trip.

They spent most of the drive in silence. Cy looked out the window as the city disappeared into wide, rolling fields. After a couple of hours, he finally got the nerve to ask a question. "So, um... how much longer is it to the farm?"

"Eager to get started, huh?"

The collie sighed. "Not... not really. But I wanted to meet Leo; my dad made him sound really cool. They talk all the time..."

Joseph chuckled, and Cy could swear that he looked genuine. "Well, at least you're honest. We've got pert' nigh an hour t'go, I reckon."

"S-sorry, what did you say?"

"Ugh... you don't know how to talk, huh?" Joseph gave the collie a hard glare that caused him to shrink into himself, but then the bull cackled. "Hah! Man, you spook too easy. Aw, this is gonna be fun..." He reached back and grabbed two bottles of water from behind the seats, and handed them to Cy. "You mind makin' yerself useful and opening that for me? We're comin' up on dirt roads and I need my hands.

"O-oh. Uh, sure." Cy cracked open one of the water bottles and handed it to the bull.

Joseph chugged the lukewarm water, giving a refreshed sigh when he was done. "Awright, now... Hey, that other bottle's for you, you know."

Cy blinked, then opened it and took a sip. It was warm, but it was the first thing he'd had to drink since the flight, and he was parched. He took several more sips, then capped the bottle again.

"Good boy." Cy's ears went flat behind his head, and his tail began wagging slightly as Joseph spoke. "Now, I said we've got close to an hour to the farm. It won't be long now, so just sit tight, and- "

"No, you... you said something else. I heard you say something else. 'Pert nigh', I think?"

"Oh, I guess. Your daddy didn't teach you nothin'? 'Pert nigh' means pretty close, I guess. You can use it lotsa ways."

"My dad taught me plenty, thank you. Y'all speak weird down here, is all... ulp!" Cy covered his mouth with his paws.

"Hah! I take it back, kid, we'll make you one of us yet!" He nudged the collie's shoulder with his fist, and grinned.

Damn it, dad... Cy cleared his throat. "And what's up with you calling me kid? You can't be that much older than I am.

"Old enough... I'm 24."

"That's only six years! You're a kid too!"

"No, I ain't! I've been workin' with Leo since I was 16, was the first job I ever had. And he's fixin' to give me the farm, so I'll be damned if some KID comes in and screws anything up! Just do what you're told, and stay outta trouble, and we'll make it through this, alright?"

"Tch, f-fine..." Cypress crossed his arms and looked out the window in a huff. The transition to dirt road was noticeable, as it made the whole truck shake, but Joseph seemed mostly unphased. The rest of the ride was filled with an uncomfortable silence, and when they pulled up to a well-kept homestead, Joseph shut the car off and put a hand behind his neck. "Look, ki- ah, Stevenson, don't... don't sweat it too much, okay? Me n' Leo got a good handle on this. So, you don't have to try too hard, you hear?"

Cy shoved the door open and slid out of the truck. "I may not have wanted to be here, but I'm not gonna half-ass it now that I am!" he growled back.

"Oh, good boy!" came an unfamiliar drawl. The collie turned, and...

Sweet Mother of...!

A towering, muscled lion was sauntering towards Cy, arms relaxed at his sides. The collie shook his head, boggling at the sight of the massive cat. Determined not to be intimidated, he stammered out a greeting. "H-hello, sir, I'm C-Cypress Stevenson. You're... Mr. Holton, right? I hear you're a, uh, friend of my dad's?"

"Aw, shucks, call me Leo! Yeah, Howie and me go way back. C'mere, boy, lemme get a good look at ya!" Leo grabbed the young collie by the shoulders and turned him back and forth. "Hmm. Yer skinnier than your pa was. But fit! You do any runnin', kid?"

Cy blushed. "Er, yeah, I like to go jogging. Oh, is there anywhere out here I can run?"

"I knew it! And boy, I got fields for days! But give it a week, you'll be gettin' plenty of exercise." He slapped Cy on the back and grinned. "Now come inside. I'll get lunch started for us."

Leo and Joseph had to duck to get in the farmhouse door, but Cy had plenty of clearance to enter. I really am short... no, they're just freakishly tall! Maybe it's both? They walked in through a mudroom where the farmers pulled off their boots, and Cy slipped out of his tennis shoes. Leo cast a sidelong glance at the collie.

"You got any boots to wear out here? Those shoes ain't gonna cut it."

"O-oh, yeah, I know. Dad bought me a pair, they're in my bags."

Leo grunted out a reply. "Good." The lion hung up his jacket as he proceeded to the kitchen. "I trust your pa to get something quality."

"I... I think he special ordered them? He was real excited about it when he went shopping." Cy followed, with Joseph close behind.

The house was spacious and well appointed, with most of the furniture composed of pieces of solid wood. The table in the kitchen was no different, but Cy particularly noted that the table and chairs appeared to hold together with simple wood joins; no nails held them in place. "Hey, this table is, um, neat! It's impressive how it's just held together with tension, unless there's glue somewhere?"

"Wull, sure, there's glue to keep things stable. But yeah, I didn't use any nails for that. We're purdy proud of that little project, right, Joe?" Leo grinned at the younger bull.

Joe snorted, but couldn't suppress a grin as he turned his head away. "Yeah, yeah. It was fun, alright? You did all the work, I just held shit still for you."

Leo pulled out a baking sheet and layered tortillas, cheese, and meat onto it before popping it into a hot oven. "That'll be ready in about 15 minutes. It's simple, but it makes a lot! So, you excited to work on the farm like your old man, kid?"

Cy fumbled with the strings on his hoodie. "W-well... not... really? I mean, thank you for having me out here, Mr. Holton, but honestly... I know nothing about this kind of work, I'm not really excited about spending my last summer before college doing manual labor, and all I can think is I should be on a beach with my friends."

Leo's whiskers drooped just a little, and his smile came out a little forced. "Well, I understand that. I like the work, keeps me in shape... Look. Just give me two weeks, alright? I think you'll really love it here. Two weeks, and if you really don't want to stay, I'll talk to your dad and get him to send you to anywhere you want to go. I don't want you to be miserable, that wasn't the plan. I- "The lion's eyes went wide, and he swallowed against the words caught in his throat.

"Plan? What plan?" Cy scowled and folded his arms across his chest.

"W-well, you see, your dad and I... we, er..." Leo, who until now had been so self-assured, got flustered and turned his head away, running a paw through his mane.

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud. He just wanted to meetcha, Stevenson. But he don't have much time to travel with the farm as busy as it is, so your dad figured this'd be a great way to teach you some things while letting you get to know his best friend. So, yeah, it's not just about the work. Sorry-not-sorry." Joe punched Leo in the shoulder before opening the oven to check on lunch.

The lion smiled, tail twitching behind him. "Er, well... he's right, son. Your daddy and I have known each other over 30 years; hell, I was the best man at his wedding. It's killed me that I couldn't go see y'all for all this time, and I wanted to see what kind of man my buddy raised. That's all, really. And would it kill you to call me Leo? It's a majestic name; I like it a lot."

"It's because he don't want you to know his real name is Leonard." Joseph said, snickering as Leo gave him a scorching glare.

The young collie laughed, a gentle tinkling sound that caused the older two to stop their bickering and stare at him. "Leo, huh... I'll call you Leo if you agree to call me Cy. I'm not a kid anymore; I'm literally an adult, and I'd like to be treated as one." The smile faded from his muzzle as he realized they were staring at him. Cy shuffled his feet and looked down at the floor. "Uh, did I say something wrong, or...?"

Leo snapped out of it first. "N-no! No, you jes'... you reminded me of you pa there for a few minutes..." He's so like him... I wasn't ready. Not at all. "I'll call you Cy, if ya want. Sorry, it's just... well, you are still awful young. I think the last time I saw you, you were just turning one? I'm not used to you bein', well, grown."

Joe took a moment longer to recover, but eventually the bull gave Cy a lopsided grin. "Heh, and you can call me Joe. If it makes you feel better, I'll call you Cy, but you're still a kid."

"Am not!" Cy's voice undercut his witty retort, cracking as he shouted. The older two doubled over in wheezy laugher, and even Cy joined in after a moment, a stronger, heartier sound this time. Nobody paid attention to how Joe stopped laughing when Cy started again, listening intently with a soft smile playing about his lips. Finally, they stopped and took some deep breaths. Smiling shyly, Cy asked, "So, ah... what should I do first? I don't really know what chores there are on a farm, but I'm ready to learn."

"Eager, are ya? Well, I think you're a little small to help me today. But Joe was supposed to make some jam today and jar it. Why dontcha help him?" Leo clapped Joe on the shoulder and smiled at him. "This guy makes the best strawberry jam I've ever had! You gotta try it, s'better than sex." The lion waggled his eyebrows at Cy, who blushed.

"Hah... aha ha... sure it is. I guess I'll try some later, i-if that's okay, Joe."

The bull blinked a few times, observing. Huh, he's all flustered now. Interesting... "Yeah, 'course that's fine. You gotta try it to make sure it tastes right. We're gonna be selling most of it, after all."

"Oh, you guys sell finished products? I would've thought you just sell crops."

Leo laughed and said, "Nah, we do that too. But some of our produce goes bad too fast to sell it all, and so we preserve it and sell it that way. Less waste, more profit! And sometimes we can trade with other farmers for stuff they sell, too."

"Oh! Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Cy blushed, feeling foolish for not thinking of that on his own. "S-sorry if that was a stupid question..."

"People have asked stupider. Not much, mind, but they have. You're a city boy, you're gonna be kinda stupid about this stuff!" Joe leered at the collie and smirked.

Cy's ears drooped, and his shoulders slumped. Looking down at the floor, he mumbled out another apology, shuffling his feet and fidgeting his paws together.

Leo glared at Joe. "Hey! Leave the kid alone, y'hear? Look, you've gone and made him sad. Go get the berries and bring them inside. You can do all of it, since you wanna be rude to our guest."

Joe looked taken aback, and eyed Cy up and down. Out of the corner of his eye, the collie saw Joe rub a hand against the back of his head, unable to look at either of them. The bull grumbled, "Fragile little collie, can't take a joke..."

"GO!" Leo roared, and the other two jumped. Joe mumbled out an apology to Leo and scurried off to pick up the fruit. Cy thought it would've been comical if it weren't for the fact that Leo scared the pants off of him, too. After Joe left, Leo turned to Cy and put a heavy paw on his shoulder. "Sorry 'bout that. Joe's a little rough around the edges; he's not too good with new people. He'll warm up to ya, though, I promise."

"Really? Because it seems like he hates me... all he's done so far is insult me at every opportunity." The collie's eyes began to sting, and he turned away to hide his quivering chin from the mature lion. Damn it, I don't need him to think I'm a kid any more than he already does... Cy's shoulders quivered, and his tail drooped between his legs. Why do I even care so much what Joe thinks, anyway? I... ah!

Leo swiftly wrapped Cy in a fierce hug, squeezing him tightly to his chest as the collie let out a muffled sob. Cy cried softly into Leo's chest as the lion stroked his head and played with his ears. The younger collie only cried for a couple of minutes, but Leo continued to hold Cy and rock him back and forth for several minutes more, before letting him free.

"Th-thanks. This is all just... a lot." The collie said. Cy voice was thick, but he smiled, wiping away the last of his tears as he stepped away from the lion.

Leo ruffled the boy's hair one more time and said. "I understand. You're away from home, in a totally new place, with new people, and one's bein' mean to boot. Your daddy was the same way, 'cept... well, I was the one bein' mean to him."

"Really? How did you two wind up being friends, then?"

Leo blushed and looked away. "Ahh, we shared some common interests. But that's a story for another time, kid- Cy! Heh, sorry..."

The door clicked open, and Joe hauled in a couple of large baskets filled with strawberries. Cy's eyes grew wide. "We're going to make jam out of all of those?"

The bull snorted. "I've got six more of these in the truck. This ain't nothin'."

"Do you... I mean, can I help? I can bring a couple in, at least." Cy asked as he looked down at his feet, kicking his one foot against the heel of the other.

Joe hesitated. He looked at Leo, who nodded. "Uh... yeah, sure. Just... just don't drop anything, newbie."

The collie perked up. "I won't! I'll take one at a time if I have to. But you'll see, I'm stronger than I look. Let me go put on shoes, and I'll be right there."

Leo called after him as he left. "Wear your boots! You'll need to break them in sometime!" Cy shouted a confirmation back and disappeared around the corner. The lion dropped his voice, and whispered to Joe. "Hey, kid... Don't go scaring him off. I want him to work, but I want him to have a good time here. You could use a friend too, so lay off him, wouldja?"

"I'm not a kid, Leo." The bull crossed his arms across his chest in a huff. "Besides, I didn't really mean it. S'not my fault that he can't take a joke."

"I called you kid because yer actin' like one." Leo retorted. "And he doesn't know you like I do. He doesn't know you're jokin'; He thinks you fuckin' hate him."

"W-what?" Joe looked taken aback. "I... I don't hate him! He's kinda dumb, but he's nice enough. Why would he think I hate..." The bull blinked, and the pieces started to come together. "Oh... you said he didn't know I was joking. Shit, I called him stupid to his face... Oh, man..." Joe hugged his arms to himself and sighed deeply.

"Yeah. You might want to apologize to him, especially since you'll be sharing a room. It'd be mighty awkward if you two were fighting the entire summer." Leo clapped his paw to the bull's shoulder. "Can I trust you to behave if I leave you two alone this afternoon? I got work to do out in the field; that hay isn't gonna bale itself. I can't babysit you all day, so I need to know that you'll get along."

"Y-yeah... I can behave. Sorry, Leo." Joe blushed as the lion ruffled the hair between his horns. "Hey, cut it out!"

"Sorry, kiddo. You're jes' too cute." Leo smiled at him as Cy re-entered the room. Looking the collie over, he saw that he'd changed into a tight, navy blue t-shirt, a pair of sturdy jeans, and the boots his dad had bought for him. Leo let out a whistle. "Dang, those Blue Feathers? Your daddy really went all-out, mine ain't even that nice."

Cy's face fell a little. "O-oh, are these really nice? I don't know much about them except that Dad wanted to get me something that'd last. Should I change again...?"

To the collie's surprise, it was Joe who stepped forward and patted his head. "Naw, these are the kind of boot that's made to work. They'll just get better the more you use them, long as you take good care of 'em. I'll show you how to clean and condition them later. And, uh..." Joe glanced back at Leo for a moment, before kneeling down to meet the younger man's eyes. "I'm sor-... er, I'm glad you're here. I hope it'll be fun for you."

Cy gave a small smile and blushed. "T-thanks. That means a lot."

The bull's heart jumped in his chest. _Damn... cute..._Clearing his throat, he turned to the door and walked outside. "W-well, you comin'?"

Cy hurried after him, as Leo went to put his own boots on. Cy only managed a single basket at a time, but he still helped take off a trip for the bull. After they unloaded the truck, Leo took off with it, leaving the pair on their own.

Cy stood around, shuffling awkwardly. Despite his earlier friendliness, Joe had said nothing to him while they brought in the baskets of strawberries. "Uh, so- "

"Hey, I- "

They both started talking at once, causing them both to blush and look away. Cy spoke first. "S-sorry, I really didn't mean to interrupt, I- "

The young bull cut him off. "No, uh, don't be sorry. I'm the one that needs to apologize. Gah, you're too nice..."

"Sorry..."

"That! Stop that!" Joe ran his fingers through his hair and blew a snort of air out through his nose. "Look, I'm sorry I've been such a jerk. I'm... not good with people. I didn't mean what I said, really... well, maybe a little of it. But you're really not a bad guy! And I... I don't think you're really stupid. That was a shitty thing for me to say..." He sighed, and reached out a hand to the younger collie. "Can we start over? My name's Joe, it's nice to meetcha."

Cy hesitated for a few moments, causing the bull to start retracting his hand. Suddenly, the collie reached out with both paws and seized it, shaking it vigorously. "Okay! My name's Cypress, but you can call me Cy! I..." he swallowed audibly, causing Joe to wince. "... I hope we can be friends!"

Joe looked at the young man, Cy's eyes sparkling as he smiled up at the tall bull, and his mind blanked. He wasn't sure what he should do, so he decided to just act on instinct. He pulled the collie close and gave him a surprisingly gentle hug. Leaning his head down, he whispered into Cy's ear. "You got it, buddy. Let's be friends."

A shiver traveled down Cy's spine as the bull's breath tickled his ear. What...? "Uh... heh... thanks, Joe." He patted his new friend on the back as Joe squeezed him tighter. Ack! This is weird... But it's kinda... nice? The collie breathed in the bull's scent, slightly spicy and sharp with a hint of... "Ah, Joe? Do you... smoke?"

The bull jumped back. "Wha-? H-how did you know?"

"I could smell it on you. It smells like my grandpa; he used to smoke a pipe. I'm kinda surprised... I didn't think people did that much anymore."

Joe tensed up, then sighed. "All right, all right. Look, Leo didn't want you to know, said it'd be a bad influence. I was supposed to keep it a secret, I haven't smoked in a couple days... it's kinda why I'm so testy. I thought I'd be able to hide it. He had me wash everything, but I guess there's no hiding from a canine's nose." He chuckled nervously. "Heh, uh... just don't tell Leo you know, okay? He'd be super mad at me..."

"Well, I don't get why he'd be mad, but I can keep it under wraps." Cy gestured to the baskets scattered around the kitchen. "So, what are we doing with all these?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, we should start hulling these things." Reaching into a drawer, he pulled out two little contraptions that looked like a teaspoon measure with a serrated edge. "You ever use one of these before?"

"No, what is it?" Cy asked as Joe handed one to him.

"It's a huller. You can use 'em to take the tops off of strawberries, or the core out of tomatoes, stuff like that. They're good for soft stuff. Watch." Joe pulled out a trash can and set it down, then sank the teeth of the huller into the top of the strawberry, twisting it around. The green top of the fruit popped right out and plopped into the can below. "You can use this to start. I'll be using a knife, it's faster for me. You don't need to be hurting yourself."

"Come on, give me a knife! I'm not as stupid as you think." Cy pouted.

"I don't think you're... Ugh, look, I said I was sorry." The bull rolled his eyes and fetched a couple of sharp paring knives instead. "Fine, just be real careful. I mean it, I really don't want you getting hurt."

"Come on, I'm not a baby, I used to help my mom in the kitchen all the time. I even do most of the cooking now." Cy started grabbing berries and hulling them, deftly notching out the leafy tops with ease.

Joe started too, a look of amazement spreading across his face. "Damn, kid, you're going faster than I am. It's impressive." Reaching into a cupboard, he pulled out a large pot and scooped the already hulled berries into it. "Sorry, forgot about this... we can chuck everything in this as we go."

They continued for a long while in silence. Cy was content and in the zone, but Joe felt awkward. He's your friend now. You should talk to him! Say something! "So, uh, you mentioned your mom. I don't think Leo's ever told me much about her, what's she like?"

"Oh, well..." Cy's face softened, a slow smile spreading across his lips. "She was great. Was always up early making breakfast for me and dad, great at helping me with my math homework, taught me everything I know about cooking... she was always baking something, cookies, cakes, candies, pies, you name it. I still can't get her recipe for fudge to turn out just right..." The movement of Cy's hands slowed as his voice trailed off, and he sniffled a little before picking the pace back up, though it still wasn't as fast as before.

Joe hesitated to ask his next question, but he couldn't stop the words from bubbling out of his mouth. "So, uh, you said she was... Does that mean she...?"

"Cancer, about four years ago. She fought it a long time, held on just long enough to see me start high school." Cy's voice was uncharacteristically flat as he spoke.

"Oh, shit... I'm really sorry, man, I didn't know. I wouldn't have asked, I'm so sorry..."

"No, it's... fine. Dad and I knew it was coming, and the three of us talked about it a lot before she... before it happened. I mean, it sucked, yeah, but it's mostly fine now. And it's nice, talking about her. I have nothing but good memories of her, and it's nice to remember them." The collie smiled wistfully at Joe. "But, what about your family? Any nice memories you'd like to share?"

"N-not really." Joe froze, and his hands tensed up, crushing a berry between his thick fingers. He jumped at the sudden feeling of sticky wetness. "Ah, hell. Lemme go wash my hands." He set his knife on the counter and walked to the sink, turning it on and scrubbing the fruit off himself.

Cy stared at the bull's back, wondering what could've possibly caused such a reaction. He was so distracted that he let his knife slip, taking a small slice out of his finger. Dropping the berry he was holding in the trash, he sucked air through his teeth and winced in pain. "Ah! Damn it, shit, shit..."

"What?! What happened...!" Just finished with drying his hands, the bull whipped around, and saw Cy quickly setting down his knife, blood dripping from his thumb. "Hell! I told you to be careful! Damn..." Joe swiftly grabbed a wad of clean paper towels and pressed them to Cy's finger.

"S-sorry, it's my fault, I let myself get distracted, and I wasn't paying attention. Shit, that stings!"

Joe said nothing, focusing entirely on applying pressure to the wound. Several silent minutes went by, and the collie began fidgeting around. "Joe? Joe, I'm really sorry. I know you said to be careful, and I promised you I would, I just... I'm sorry."

The bull sighed. Pulling the towels off his thumb, Joe inspected the wound. "Well, it sure was a bleeder, but you didn't really get yourself that bad. You prob'ly won't even scar. Lemme wrap this thing up. Go wash your arm, you don't want that to dry into your fur or it'll hurt like crazy tryin' to get it out."

"Okay, but Joe, I'm sor- "

"Kid, stop apologizing, seriously. I'm not mad, I was just... worried. This kinda shit happens sometimes, and you'll be fine, so... it's fine. It's fine..." Cy thought Joe was reassuring himself just as much as he was comforting the collie. "Just go wash up. I'll be right back." The bull lumbered off to another part of the house, and Cy did as Joe asked, washing the blood off his hand and arm. Taking some more paper towels, he dried his fur as best he could, and by that time, Joe was back.

The bull had brought a bandage and a tube of antibiotic ointment. "This should help you heal up. You'll want to keep it clean and covered for a few days, then you'll leave it uncovered after that. You still gotta keep it clean. Shit, Leo's gonna kill me..." Joe grumbled, uncapping the tube and spreading a little of the ointment on the collie's wound.

"Mmn... I'll just tell him it was my fault. You shouldn't get in trouble for this, you even warned me." Cy marveled at how tender the bull's callused fingers were as he bandaged the thumb.

"He still wanted to show you how to throw a bale of hay. You really shouldn't be doing that now, you could get an infection- "

"If you got a cut like this, would it stop you from doing that?" Cy asked coolly.

"W-well... no, I guess not." Joe looked down at the floor.

"Then it won't stop me. I'm not made of glass. This isn't even the first time I've cut myself with a knife, it happens. Really, I'll be fine, don't worry." Picking up a huller, he grabbed another strawberry. "Let's keep going, we're almost done."

Joe smiled at Cy, who missed it as he dug into a strawberry.This kid... Nice to know he's not as fragile as I thought. The pair continued, and worked late into the afternoon, hulling the strawberries and then adding sugar to them, cooking them down, and jarring the proceeds. By the time the sun set and Leo walked in, there were jars of fresh strawberry jam stacked all over the counters and table. The lion clapped his paws together and grinned. "You boys did good work! I take it you two got along then... Hup!"

He walked into the living room, and saw Joe sitting on the couch, leaned back, with Cy's head resting on the bull's shoulder. Both were snoring quietly, and the collie's tail was slowly wagging as he slept. Leo smiled and went back to the kitchen. Pulling out a few portions of a frozen casserole he'd made previously, he began warming them up for the three of them in the microwave. I'll let them sleep a while longer, just till dinner's ready. Glancing back into the living room, he felt a strange pang in his stomach.

They're cute...

But I can't help but wish...

I really wish that was me.

Damn, am I... I'm jealous of him? No, they're not even doing anything! So why am I...

Why do I feel this way about him?