10 Days [Brallon]

Tyler Gets A Dog

[I've low key been updating so much but I want to publish all this for some reason yknow,, 66% done after this chapter ayeeeeeee. I might post a new thing too maybe later tho it's aight]

"I got you a dog." Brendon said as soon as I opened my front door. My eyes grew wide and I felt my heart drop. I did not ever want a dog.

There was no way in hell I would be able to take care of an electronic Tamagotchi let alone an actual animal. Speaking of Tamagotchis, once I found one on the side of the street and as soon as I picked it up to feed it or whatever the heck you do with one of those life consuming devices, it literally exploded. I'm not talking like it shorted out or whatever, it actually caught on fire and proceeded to explode like a travel sized bomb. And all I'd done was pick it up by the keychain with a stick in case it was like diseased or something of that nature, and now there's a crater in the street that the town has passed off as a pothole.

So no, I can't take care of a dog. It'll probably explode too. On accident, of course.

"Wait - fuck, did you really?"

He shook his head no to my relief, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. "Nah. I wanted to see how you'd react if I did ever decide to. So based on your reaction, I will not be getting you a dog."

"Oh. Okay, good."

Brendon nodded, a forced smile played across his lips. "Excuse me for a second?" I nodded and he proceeded to spin around and whip his phone out from his back pocket to his jeans.

"Josh," he whispered as low as he could "take the dog to your place... he doesn't like the idea of a dog... fine, give it to Tyler... go ahead and take all the credit just don't bring it... I actually don't care that you're down the street, just go back-"

"Is there a problem?"

He shot back around with a nervous grin, ending the call to "Idiot #1.5" immediately. "No. No problem. No problem at all."

Josh's dark red convertible revved around the corner, and he honked twice loudly while wrapping an arm around the dog sized crate settled on the front seat. "Screw you for making me drive all the way out here!"

He sped away before Brendon could yell back an argument. A wise decision though, because somehow Brendon always could burn someone even off the top of his head. He simply called it talent, everybody else called it either pure luck or impeccably quick wits, but he could silence an entire room if somebody were to bring up what Pete liked to call, the burn to end all burns, rivaling even Patrick's very best remarks.

(We were discussing theories of evolution over dinner, the main point revolving around how man evolved from apes. Brendon hadn't said a word so far, and Josh asked his opinion on the matter. Stupid, of course, because whenever he's quiet he's thinking and Brendon can't stand being interrupted while thinking. He wasn't really thinking, rather organizing his vegetables so they were evenly spaced and divided for each bite.

Without hesitation, Brendon set down his plate and said "I believe that we all sprang from apes. But I also believe that you didn't spring far enough."

To which Josh responded with "I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and my ass would shit out a better response than that." So by then everyone was screaming, mainly Pete. And of course, again without any second thoughts, Brendon said "Funny. I thought the shit came out from your mouth, not the other way around."

Thus, more screaming ensued.)

"I bet Tyler will get Josh and the dog mixed up," Brendon frowned through a smile, wiggling his way past me and into my front room before the knowledge of the dead coyote could sink in.

"Don't vampires have to be invited in?" I followed him through the hallway and to the living room. It still reeked of peanut butter from when I got sidetracked sorting my socks (again) and hugged him from behind.

He rolled his eyes and brushed aside crumbs from my couch before carefully settling down. "You're paler than I am. You look like a zombie."

My tongue drooped between my lips and I let my head swing to the side like I was dead before sitting down next to him. Brendon bounced up and his breath hitched for a moment before he burst out in a cheeky smile.

"Guess you're out of luck, zombie. I only buy pups for living people." He shrugged, lips brushing against the crook of my neck.

"Speaking of buying me things," I said and Brendon pushed back, positioning us nose to nose. "What's up with all the expensive gifts?"

"Don't people like expensive gifts?"

Well, yeah. Especially when they have less cash than a financially struggling college kid. But then again that's me minus the college part, emphasis on the 'struggling'. But I didn't need them, necessarily. Like it would be nice to wake up to a new TV set or whatever else he impulsively purchases, but I have just enough to make it through. I don't really need any of the things he gets for me.

"They do, but sometimes they don't... have to have them, if that makes sense."

Brendon cocked his head as if he were a lost puppy. "Elaborate?"

Well, shit.

Even before I began, I felt like I was explaining the birds and the bees to a child. But Brendon wasn't a child, and we were discussing that I don't need dogs or closed down restaurants, not even stolen flowers from a million dollar botanical garden - much to his ditzy rich minded surprise. (Now don't get me wrong, I love the boy all the same, but for gods sake his parents are billionaires and I'm 99% sure they have better things to buy than a shut down Italian bistro.)

"Alright. Believe it or not, people actually live in places without very much money or resources, and research shows that they're significantly happier than people that have an abundance of those things."

He audibly gasped, and I was unsure whether it was in astonishment, or terror. "Does that mean we're being brainwashed?"

"No - no! Of course not, you idiot. It just means that sometimes you don't need big pricey things to make you happy." On second thought, maybe he was being brainwashed. Probably targeted specifically because he was so unfairly pretty.

"Oh. That makes more sense." Brendon sighed in relief. "Are you saying you don't need expensive things? Did you not want the restaurant or the flowers or-"

Well damn, I didn't want to sound selfish. I loved them, of course I did. Who wouldn't? But at the same time I didn't need them. So I told him that, and he nodded. The gears in his mind spun for a minute before responding.

"Should I not get you so many things then? Where do you draw the line?"

"I draw the line when you think it's too much," I said slowly, not sure what to reply "but do cut back on animals. I don't want to accidentally kill one of them."

Brendon giggled and curled up into my grip, looping his arms around my neck and burying his nose in my shirt. "I won't get you any animals, I promise."

"Thanks, B."

"Welcome." He mumbled. It sounded like he was about to fall asleep on my chest, which I didn't mind nor was I complaining. It was the middle of the day hey somehow I felt like I should be sitting with him right then. The birds chirped outside and the wind chimes from the neighbors backyard filled the silence until Brendon tapped my shoulder for my attention.

"So, does that mean I should take the air conditioning machines back?"