Archive of Our Own ^beta

Frank is not a dog person per say. Sure he likes the things well enough; they’re cute when they’re not barking at you and covering your favorite pair of jeans in mud. If he sees one in the street he’ll smile at it, maybe give it a pet if the owner seems friendly enough. Any time he sees one of his friends or family's dogs on instagram he’ll give it a like straight away. He’d even helped out at a local shelter one summer back in high school; he’s never felt compelled to have one, but he likes them.

That said, waking up in the middle of the night to a crushing weight on your chest and a big furry nose shoved in your face is not Frank’s idea of a good time.

“What the fuck.” He hisses in a panic, sitting up and half shoving the dog off him and onto the floor with a thump. Its tongue, which had been attacking his face with wild abandon, has left a wet trail down the right side of his cheek. 

“What the fuck?” He repeats louder this time, blinking blearily down at where the dog stares at him with a dumb expression on it’s face. The streetlight outside his window lets in just enough light to see the small puddle of drool collecting on the carpet as it pants up at him.

Now that it's no longer looming menacingly above him, he can see that actually it’s fairly small, just a puppy really. A lump of fur and fat that’s practically vibrating as it stares at him with dark trusting eyes.

Frank doesn’t remember getting a dog in the last few days, nor does he remember allowing one into his room last night. In fact, he’s fairly certain the landlord doesn’t even allow pets, so he’s not too sure how it’s even here.

Well no that’s not quite true. This has Noel written all fucking over it.

Back in the first year of college, when they’d been clueless freshmen drinking far too much, Noel had missed an exam because he’d found a puppy on the sidewalk and had taken it to the vets. He’d gone on to fail that class and had to resit the exams in the summer. And when Frank had finally, finally , bitten the bullet and asked him on a date, that had been cut short when they’d been roped in to help fish a group of kittens from a storm drain. 

He loved the guy, god help him, but when it came to animals in need Noel was never one to say no. This puppy was probably some stray he’d picked up off the streets, and if Frank ended up with fleas he was going to kill Noel.

With a groan, Frank checks the clock. Four am, fantastic.

“Stay there.” He hisses at the dog. It blinks at him and continues to pant. He thumps his head back into the pillow and covers his eyes with his arm. It’s too early to be awake, and Frank is too sleep deprived to deal with this right now. If he’s lucky he’ll wake up in five hours and this will have been some sort of crazy dream.

Frank is, above all else, not lucky.

“Hey Babe have you seen - oh.” He’s startled awake by the sound of the bedroom door crashing against the wall, and Noel barrelling in. There’s a heavy weight across his legs, and when he pushes himself up onto his elbows he sees the dog from last night lying there asleep. So not a dream then.

It’s not been five hours either, the clock flashing 7:30 at him almost mockingly. He’s thankful at least that he doesn’t have class today. 

“So I see you’ve met the dog then.” 

“It woke me up at 4am this morning Noel, 4am .” He pushes himself up until he’s half sitting up and yawns.

“It’s not an it.”

“ 4am Noel, and I knew you were behind this. You’re lucky you’re hot.”

Noel’s grin widens and he crosses his arms as he leans against the bedroom door, Frank’s gaze resolutely does not drift down from his face. This is a lot harder than he’d like to admit, because Noel is shirtless, and yes this might be a sight he sees daily but he isn’t blind for god sake.

“I’d like to know exactly why there’s a dog in my bed.”

“Actually I want to know that too,” Noel pouts at him,  “I thought you said the reason you don’t share your bed is because it’s too small for more than one person.”

Frank rolls his eyes, “You are significantly bigger than a dog. Besides, it’s summer and the AC is dead, we’d melt if we tried to share.”

It’s a good point and Noel doesn’t try to argue it. Just comes to sit at the edge of said bed, smiling down at the still sleeping dog. 

“Please tell me you actually know where it came it from and that it’s not just some random stray that broke into the house.”

Frank has known Noel for just over two years now, has been dating him for half of that time, he knows all his tells. When he’s hiding something, when he’s sad and refusing to talk to anyone about it and he just knows that he’s not going to like what’s about to come next.

“Look, don’t be mad at me?” Noel is too big and muscular and frankly too old for his puppy eyes to work so well. Then again, maybe that’s just a Frank thing.

“Where’d he come from?” Frank says, resigned, watching Noel rub the dog's belly. 

“Ah, Matt called yesterday afternoon. The shelter is full right now and they needed someone to look after this little guy for a few days.”

Frank frowns; Matt, of course it was. Noel’s not quite ex; not quite because they hadn’t been dating, but it hadn’t been just fucking around either. It’s completely irrational for him to dislike the guy so much considering they’d never actually formally met. Frank had been in his pining from afar stage of his relationship with Noel at the time, and had made every excuse to avoid meeting the guy. 

“I know, I know,” Noel stops stroking the dog to squeeze Frank’s thigh through the covers, “I wouldn’t usually reply, but he sent me a picture and I couldn’t say not to this guys face.”

“You’re joking.”

“All their regular foster parents are full up. I was their last resort.” The dog is stirring now, shifting around with a sleepy growl.

“Noelie…” But he’s wavering, and he knows Noel knows it too, “The building doesn’t even allow pets.”

“I cleared it with Yands, it’s just for a week.”

Frank sighs and shakes his head, “Does he have a name at least? I can’t keep on calling him Dog if he’s sticking around.”

The grin that Noel gives him is brighter than the sun coming in through the window, and honestly letting the dog stay is no hardship if that’s the reaction he’s going to get. 

“You’re my favorite.” Noel tells him, pressing a kiss to his forehead and then another lightly to his mouth. Frank stretches up to deepen the kiss when he feels a tongue, and not the one he was looking for, tickle his chin. 

“Eugh,” The dog has squeezed between the two of them, determined to finish what he started earlier than morning and personally wash Frank's face with his tongue. Noel, the traitor is too busy laughing at him to help.

The dog’s name is Thor, he’s a year old and was brought in by a family who were moving across the country and couldn’t take him with them. Despite waking Frank up at four am, he’s mostly well behaved and mercifully house trained. He might have actually murdered Noel if he’d come back from College in the afternoon to find dog shit on the carpet. 

On the first day Frank learns this; Thor likes to hide shoes in the bathroom, prefers stealing food from Noel’s plate than his and will do almost anything for a belly rub. 

And without fail, every night Thor lopes into Frank's bedroom and settles himself onto the bed. Frank tries, the first time, to push him off or send him back to Noel’s room, but it never works. Thor is, apparently, a stubborn bastard. 

He folds by the first night, and lets the puppy curl up next to him with minimal complaint.

“It’s not fair,” Noel complains one morning, “He likes you better than me, I’m the one who’s supposed to be taking care of him.”

Frank looks pointedly at where Thor’s head rests on Noel’s lap, dopey eyes staring up at him, “That dog adores you, stop bitching.”

And it’s true, Thor follows Noel around the house with a single minded focus that’s admirable, if a little sad. It physically hurts to listen to his whines when Noel goes to class, like he doesn’t think he’ll be coming back. Between them, and occasionally Troch when they both have classes, they try not to leave him alone too much. Frank’s worried he’ll tear up the furniture or eat the carpet, Noel just doesn’t want him to be lonely.  

“Do you have classes today?” Noel asks a few days later as they sit at the kitchen island eating breakfast. Well, Frank is at the kitchen island, Noel had decided to sit on the floor and is sharing his bacon with Thor, who’s slumped across his legs. 

“No. But I have an essay I should probably get started on,” Frank says through a mouthful of scrambled egg, “Why?”

“I was going to take Thor out to the park this afternoon, you want to come?”

Frank shouldn’t, he really does have to work on the essay and there’s a lab report he needs to finish as well. But it’s Noel, and Franks never been very good at telling him no. The weather is beautiful too, the sun streaming in through the windows and bathing the kitchen in warm golden light. The park sounds like the perfect way to spend the day.

“I have work I need to do,” He protests but he doesn’t mean it, and from the wide smile that spreads across Noel’s face, he knows it too. 

“We don’t have to go right away, do the work now and we’ll head out later.”

Frank’s never been able to study well in his room, so he does what he usually does and sprawls out on the couch with his laptop resting on his belly. It’s hard to concentrate though, with the way his gaze keeps catching on Noel and Thor playing tug of war with a dish cloth in the kitchen.

Sue him, it’s adorable, what can he say.

After the fifth time catching himself zoning out in just over an hour, watching his boyfriend roll around on the floor with a god damned puppy, he figures it’s time to give up. He managed to write less than 500 words in that time, but it’s not like the history of sports culture in eastern Asia was interesting to him anyway.

The park is, as predicted, much more enjoyable than writing the essay was. 

Noel ends up letting Thor go loose off the lead, it’s a small enough park that no matter where he runs he’ll still be in sight. They find a tree to sit under, and Frank lies back and lets Noel keep a watch on the dog. It’s the first time he’s let himself have an afternoon to relax in weeks, what with exam season creeping ever closer. He’s definitely needed it. 

“I told you this whole having a dog thing would be great.” Noel says grinning down at where Frank is lying in the grass. 

“Fuck off no you didn’t,” Frank retorts, “You said it was only for a week and begged me not to be mad at you.”

“I didn’t beg -”

“Mmm, yes you did. I remember it clearly, you were on your knees and you said; Frank you’re the best person in the world, pretty please let me keep a dog here for a week I’ll owe you an infinite amount of blo- eugfh ” He’s cut off by Thor dumping himself on Frank’s stomach and dropping a stick onto his face, barely missing his mouth.

“I think he wants to play fetch.” Noel says innocently, barely suppressing his chuckles at Frank’s unamused glare. 

He’s pretty tempted to throw the stick at Noel and demand he do it, just to be petty. But Frank likes to think he’s the mature one of them both, and so he very generously doesn’t. Just picks himself off the ground and follows after Thor into the sunshine.

“Just you wait Acciari,” He calls back over his shoulder, “You won’t be so smug when he decides he loves me and my superior fetch playing skills over you!”

Noel’s answering laugh is unendingly fond, and Frank can’t help but crack a smile too. It’s the best afternoon he’s had in months.

And Frank’s not a dog person, and he hates to admit that Noel had been right, but having one around the house is surprisingly easy. Enjoyable even. Thor’s happy to play and run himself ragged, but he’s equally content to curl up with him and Noel on the sofa in the evenings while they watch reruns of old cartoons. He’s the first one to greet Frank when he gets in the door, plasters him with sloppy, wet dog kisses before Noel comes to give him the real thing. 

One evening, someone - read; Noel - decides it would be a good idea to take Thor to the beach. Summer evenings in Florida are warm and humid, but just enough of a breeze comes off the sea to keep them cool.They go for a walk along the beach, picking up burgers from a vendor along the way. Thor splashes in the waves as they sit and eat them, baffled by the bits of seaweed that catch around his legs. 

He would, Frank realises with no small amount of surprise, be happy to spend the rest of his life like this if he could. Chilling on the beach, not a care in the world with Noel by his side and the sun shining down on them both.

They spend a lot of time that week like this, taking their minds off finals just hanging out together with Thor. Frank, who has never actually needed any kind of reason to want to spend time with Noel, is grateful nonetheless. Finals are creeping up on him slowly, and any distraction is welcome. 

Somehow, in the midst of all this, he forgets that it’s not all permanent.

They’re on the couch when the call comes through, watching an old Simpsons episode. Noel has to physically untangle himself from Frank and Thor to go grab his phone from the kitchen, and the cold air against his side is like some sort of omen. 

Still he doesn’t think anything of it, it’s probably Noel’s family or Weegs asking if they can add something to the house grocery list. Except that when Noel comes back through five minutes later he looks too devastated to have been talking to his family. Frank sits up immediately, dislodging Thor and earning him growl.

“Everything alright?”

“That was Matt,” Noel tells him, sinking down onto the sofa, “The shelter has space for Thor now, and we need to take him back.”

Frank stares at him in disbelief, somehow within the last week he’d forgotten that Thor wasn’t actually their dog. They were just a temporary solution before the shelter found him a new home, a new family and a new name. Irrationally he also has a sudden desire to strangle Matt, because anyone who puts that awful expression on Noel's face deserves it.

“When?”

“Wednesday.”

Frank does the maths in his head, “But that’s only...shit that’s tomorrow!”

“Yeah I know.” Noel laughs bitterly, “I guess I just forgot he wasn’t actually here to stay.”

“Can’t you just keep him?”

“You said it yourself Frank, the building doesn’t allow pets. Yands relented for this past week because he knows us, but it wasn’t going to last forever.”

Between them, Thor hangs his head like he understands what’s happening, Frank wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

He slides over and wraps his arms around Noel, whispering into his hair; “I’m really sorry Noelie.”

Noel leans into him and smiles without humour at the floor, “I shouldn’t have gotten attached, I knew what was going to happen.”

Frank relents his rule regarding his tiny single bed that night. They all squeeze in, him and Noel wrapped around each other and Thor curled up on top of their feet. It’s cramped, and too hot even with the window open but he can’t bring himself to care. 

He wonders if it should be this painful, it’s just a dog for christ sakes, Thor’s only been with them a week and Frank’s never particularly wanted a pet. But he knows Noel does, has wanted one for years, he’d be lying if he said it was only empathy for his boyfriend that was making it hard though. He’d enjoyed having Thor around far more than he thought he would.

They both skip classes the next day, Noel has to take Thor to the shelter and Frank hadn’t felt right not going with them. He sits in the car whilst Noel goes in, Thor trotting at his heels, had wanted to give him time to say goodbye to Thor alone.

“So that’s it then.” He says when Noel slides back into the driver's seat, grip on his seat belt too tight. 

“Yeah. Matt said there’s always loads of families looking to adopt dogs like Thor, he won’t have to be at the shelter for long.”

“They wouldn’t let him go to awful people, he’s going to have a good home with people who’ll love him.” Frank’s not sure who’s he’s trying to reassure more here, Noel or himself.

“I know, I know. I’m just gonna miss him.”

“Me too Noelie, me too.”

When Frank goes to bed that night, it takes him hours to fall asleep. The sheer emptiness of his bed, once almost too small for him, is foreign after a week of having Thor sleep there too. In the morning he oversleeps, too used to being woken up at 7am every day for Thor’s morning walk.

Noel is miserable at breakfast, although he tries to hide it. He pokes at his cereal disinterestedly, and Frank can’t help but shoot him concerned looks as he quickly drinks his coffee before class. Noel tells him that he'll be fine, to just give him a few days to get over it, and Frank tries he really does. But he hates seeing that forced smile on Noel’s face, feels cold inside every time he sees it.  

When he gets to class he finds he can’t concentrate, and spends the time split between lazily scribbling on his notepad and gazing into space. 

Even Troch, who hadn’t even spent that much time with Thor, comments on how quiet the house is without him.

“I kinda miss the little guy,” He tells Frank over lunch one afternoon, “Can’t imagine how the two of you feel.”

“We knew it was only for the week, there’s nothing else we could do.” Except this isn’t strictly true; he’d had the thought whilst they’d driven Thor back to the shelter. It’d just been an idea in passing, a fantasy really, that he’d squashed down and told himself was never going to happen, and that he was never going to do anything about.

He lasts all of three days, and it’s a somber three days at that. The sky is grey and overcast, unusual for a Floridian summer, but fitting for his mood. 

On that third day, when he’s driving home from class, he makes the decision. It’s completely irrational, and he tries to talk himself out of it multiple times as he drives. It’s been three days and Thor’s young and well behaved, there’s no way he’s still going to be at the shelter. Some cookie cutter family, with three kids and a goldfish, had probably fallen in love with him on day 1 and taken Thor home on the spot.

Still, he can’t quite force himself to turn around, and pulls up to the shelter half an hour after his last class finishes. It’s Matt working the front desk when he walks in, because who else would it be. He recognises Frank; but whether it’s from back when he and Noel had been a thing or somewhere else Frank doesn’t know. 

“Vatrano? What are you doing here?”

“There was a dog brought in the other day, very fluffy, likes to slobber everywhere,” He deliberates for a moment, “Golden Retriever, was going by the name Thor?”

Matt gives him a knowing look, but nods, “Yeah? We had one like that come in a few days ago. Why?”

“I want him.” Frank says, “As in, I want to adopt him. Officially.”

“There was a family that viewed him earlier today, I think they wer-”

“I don’t care.” He leans over the counter and glares, “I need that dog.”

There’s definitely amusement creeping into the other man's eyes now as he taps something into his computer, “Well, they didn’t reserve him, so I guess I can take you out back to meet him.”

Frank wants to say that he doesn’t need to meet Thor, that he’s spent the last week getting attached to him. That his boyfriend is currently moping and sad, and even if Frank hated dogs with his whole heart he’d still want to adopt him just to make Noel happy again. He doesn’t say any of this, just let’s Matt lead him out back.

They’ve got Thor locked in a cage, and it’s no different from any other animal in any other shelter but it makes him feel indignant  nonetheless. He’s curled up on the far side, looking as dejected as Noel has been the past few days. 

“Hey Thor.” He says crouching down by the cage. Thor looks at him sleepy for a second before he realises who Frank is. The Golden is on his feet before Frank has time to do anything else, letting out a loud bark as he bounds forward. 

“He likes you huh, he’s been grumpy for the rest of us.” Matt comments and Frank has to resist the urge to smile smugly in his face.

“I guess so,” He stifles a grin as Thor pushes his nose through the thin bars of the cage, “Can we let him out?

Matt shrugs and pulls a set of keys out his trouser pocket, “Don’t see why not, you entertain him for a minute and I’ll go print off the papers.”

Frank spends the five minutes it takes Matt to print off the adoption papers showering Thor with hugs and pets. In return he gets a saliva facial, but he’s too damn glad that no one got to Thor before he did to care.

It’s a simple matter of signing an endless stream of forms, listening to a short and concise lecture on where in town had the best dog food and then it’s done. Thor, one year old Golden Retriever with a clear  bill of health, was officially Frank’s. He’ll have to look up a way to add Noel’s name to the adoption papers later on, he’s fairly certain it’s possible and there’s no way Frank’s going to take sole responsibility for Thor. 

He stows him in the back seat of his Honda, it’s not the safest way of transporting a dog, but Frank wasn’t exactly prepared for this. So he takes it slow, gaze flickering into the rear mirror every few seconds to check that Thor hasn’t fallen out the window or something. For his part, Thor takes the journey well, alternating between looking out the window and barking at Frank with what he hopes is joy and not the dying need to shit. The closer they get to the house, the more frenetic he gets, and the louder he barks.

Thor’s practically vibrating with excitement by the time they pull up into the driveway, and he races circles between Frank and the front door when he’s finally let out.

“Someone’s excited” Frank tries for a disparaging tone, but his smile betrays him.

No ones in just yet, Noel is still in class and Troch at the gym. He calls Yandle while he waits; their landlord is a good guy but he can’t be sure he’s going to let them keep a dog here. It’s too late, he’s already got the adoption papers and he’s sure as hell not taking him back, but he figures it’s the thought that counts.

Perhaps for the first time in a long time, he gets lucky. Yands, although he bitches and moans, agrees that they can keep the dog. ‘ I’m keeping your security deposit though ’, is the last thing he says before he hangs up. Frank’s not entirely sure that’s completely legal, but he doesn’t care, the dog is staying and that’s all that matters.

They’re sitting in the hallway when the front door opens an hour or so later, and at the sight of Noel, Thor is off like a shot. He slips on the laminate flooring in his desperation to get to him, and Noel stares bewildered at him as Thor jumps up at legs, “What? Frank I don’t-”

Frank can’t help but laugh at the completely shell shocked expression on Noel’s face. Thor has given up on trying to climb him and resorted to whining and barking as if to demand attention. Noel is all too happy to indulge him,  collapsing to the floor in his haste to envelope the Golden in a hug. 

“I might have gone to the shelter and adopted him.” Frank admits, leaning against the kitchen doorway, “I cleared it with Yands so don’t worry. I don’t think we’re getting the security deposit back though.”

“Are you serious?” Noel still seems shocked, pressing his cheek to the top of Thor’s head. Thor’s tail, which Frank’s worried might actually come off with how hard it’s wagging, sends a pair of shoes skidding across the hardwood floor of the hallway, “He’s actually, like...ours?”

“Yeah,” He replies with a grin. Ours , he likes the sound of that, “We’ll need to get you added to the papers eventually but in everything but writing he’s ours.”

“Have I told you you’re my favorite?” Noel asks, still sounding stunned. Thor, who’d calmed down a little, seems content enough to just slump all over his lap, resting his head against Noel’s chest.

“It might have come up once or twice.”

“Because you are, you know, my absolute favorite. I mean god, Frank ” There’s something in his eyes there, something so warm and intimate that Frank’s a little scared to put a name to it. It’s fine though, they live together, they have a dog together now, they’ll have time for that. 

And maybe after all this Frank’s a little bit of a dog person too, it’s cool, no one else has to know.