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Phoenix rocked back and forth on his feet, waiting rather impatiently as Miles twisted the key into the door of his apartment.
This was exciting! Though this wasn't the first time he'd gotten together with his boyfriend outside of work, this was the first time he'd been invited back to Miles's place.
He wondered how it looked inside. Would it be decorated in the same weirdly old fashioned way that Miles dressed himself? Would it be decorated at all? Phoenix briefly imagined Steel Samurai posters lining the walls, and had to hold back a chuckle. He wouldn't actually be that surprised, he had been invited over for a movie marathon of the series anyway.
But when Miles finally withdrew the key from the lock and opened the door, Phoenix saw the last thing he ever would've expected.
A fully grown German Shepherd skidded across the floor almost immediately, claws scraping against the hardwood as it jumped up and into Miles's arms. Arms that were wide open, showing that he clearly expected, even welcomed, the reckless show of affection.
Then, as if to add a cherry on top of this sundae of unexpectedness, he began to speak in a voice Phoenix had never before heard him use. It was higher pitched and almost singsong.
"Why, hello dearest!" He held the dog's paws in his hands, leaning down to give it a very loud and exaggerated kiss on the nose. "How is my absolute favorite girl doing this afternoon?"
The 'girl' in question let out a whine in response, wagging tail beating out a rhythm against the wall inside as he moved to scratch her behind the ear.
Miles laughed and Phoenix just about felt his heart give out. Sure, he'd heard the man laugh before. Many times in fact, though a lot of the time it tended to be more of a smug thing, derision at his missteps in court. This pure, unguarded affection left him weak in the knees. He wouldn't have ever guessed Miles was capable of showing this much emotion if he hadn't seen it with his own two eyes.
….Not that it lasted long. His smile completely disappeared as he turned back to Phoenix, a look of mild annoyance settling onto his face. His grey eyes were steely and cold, and his tone even colder.
"Wright . Won't you close the door already? You'll let in bugs. ….Though with your mouth gaping wide open like that, it's almost as if you're trying to catch flies."
There was an audible clack of teeth as Phoenix snapped his mouth shut, still staring at Miles as if he'd grown another head. He closed the door as he'd been asked, lost for words in the wake of this emotional whirlwind.
"Come now, don't just stare. It's terribly rude." He voice lilted up again as he turned to his dog. "Pess is waiting for you to say hello too, aren't you, girl?"
Phoenix tore his gaze from Miles to the dog. She stared right back at him, dark brown eyes inscrutable. It was almost as if she was actually waiting.
".......Uh. Hi. Bess."
"Pess ."
"Pess." He waved limply, still in a daze.
"What on earth is the matter with you, Wright? You act like you've never seen a dog before." Miles seemed almost offended that they weren't getting along better.
As if to make up for Phoenix's lack of affection, he knelt down to give Pess another kiss on the head. "Who could resist your adorable face?" he whispered to her, punctuating the question with yet another kiss.
"Just…...wondering who the hell you are and what you've done with my boyfriend.." Phoenix deadpanned, still reeling from the shock of it all.
"I beg your pardon? And don't use such language in front of my dog, thank you very much."
"I just…." Phoenix waved his hand, vaguely gesturing towards Miles and Pess. "All….. this. "
"You have an issue with dogs?"
"No!! No, that's not it at all! Dogs are fine. It's just." He stopped, turning to the side. "You're so…" Phoenix waved his hand again, looking for the words. "You love her," he finished lamely.
"Of course I do. She's my dog. We've been through a lot together." He raised a brow, but his tone wasn't quite so clipped as before. "....Just as you and I have." Now he was looking away as well.
"...I love you too."
"...So you love me too?"
They spoke at the same time, heads whipping around to stare at each other.
Neither were sure what to say, until Phoenix thankfully broke the silence with a nervous chuckle.
"Ah…. That's...a relief. Heh."
"Wright. We are dating, are we not? I… I do love you. Of course I do."
"Really?" Phoenix laughed again, more lighthearted this time. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you were pissed! When you tell Pess you love her, do you glare at her like that?"
Miles's face flushed several shades darker, and he gaped at Phoenix, mouth opening and closing. Looks like he was finally lost for words.
…..Or not.
"Wright ."
Oh boy, the 'Wright' treatment. Just how many times has he called me by my last name today?
"You know this is….. hard . For me. To...show affection. So openly. ...To you."
Phoenix's gaze softened, and he gave him a small smile. But before he could say anything, Miles continued to talk.
"But really. To be so jealous over a dog? Your ridiculousness never ceases to amaze me."
Aaaaand the moment was ruined.
"I am not jealous of Pess."
"You are. It's obvious."
"Maybe."
"Okay."
"....."
Miles let out a long suffering sigh.
"What . What do you want? I know you have something to say. Just spit it out already."
"Well…. Could I have a kiss too? Or… maybe two, or…" He tried to count how many times Miles had kissed his dog on the nose. "Three?"
Miles rolled his eyes.
"Greedy, greedy. But… I suppose."
He stepped closer, setting a hand on Phoenix's shoulder to slowly pull him closer. Then he gave him three kisses, as requested. One on the forehead, one on the tip of his nose (exaggerated and noisy, just like those he'd given to Pess), and one at the corner of his mouth, short and sweet. Miles pulled his head back to look into Phoenix's eyes, as if searching for his approval.
"Now then. I trust you are satisfied?"
Phoenix grinned.
"Maybe. Just one thing…."
He grabbed the lapels of Miles's jacket and crushed their lips together, smiling against him all the while. When he finally leaned back, he had a big, almost smug grin on his face.
"There we go. Now I'm satisfied."
He suddenly remembered something.
"….Say, we came here to watch some movies, didn't we? We're still standing by your door."
"....Oh!"
Miles seemed to break out of a trance, eyes going wide.
"Yes! Yes, of course!"
He immediately slipped his shoes off and started to walk further into his apartment, stopping to point down the hall.
"I'm going to get everything set up, the kitchen is that way if you'd like to get something to drink."
As Phoenix took off his own shoes, he could've sworn he saw Miles hiding his own smile as he disappeared further down the hall.
Then he looked down at Pess, who continued to watch him curiously.
"I guess you saw all that, huh? I hope you're not too jealous, haha. ...We gotta get along, for Miles's sake."