My Stepbrother the Firefighter and Our Dog [mxm]

Dec 3rd - Ian - Taking Home (A) Lost Puppy(ies)

I've never seen a cuter guy, Ian thought while he grinned like a loon.

Thankfully, the police officer had quick reflexes and caught the poor house owner before he could hit the ground too hard.

The paramedics had him on a stretcher in no time and in the back of the ambulance so he could come to in relative quiet. Fiddling with the tubes a bit, Ian settled himself on the seat beside the stretcher, changing the puppy into his other arm.

The furry fella snuggled against him with a little huff that was as cute as the man with the short dark brown hair and scruffy cheeks. He made an over all rumpled impression. But Ian was sure that normally the man was a neat freak.

With a little groan that tickled something in Ian's groin, the man's lashes began to flutter.

"Did... did I.... faint?" Cedric asked from his laying position, face still white as a sheet.

"Sure did, mate," Ian smiled. "The blast was a bit much for the nerves, eh?"

"There won't be anything to save, don't you think," Cedric said in a beat voice. He turned his face to Ian, folding his hands over his stomach as if already in a coffin. "Did I loose my glasses?" he then asked a little confused.

"No, they're right here." Ian picked them up from where he had deposited them beside his seat and held his hand out.

"So... you're Ced?" he asked while the pale guy slowly sat up, rubbing his neck and putting on his glasses.

"Oh, yes, excuse me." Ian enveloped the cold, outstretched hand in his. "It's actually Cedric but you can call me Ced if you'd like."

It sounded a bit unsure and Ian felt another grin coming on.

"Cool, thanks." The grin broke free. "I would say you can shorten mine, too, if you like, but it's a bit tricky with Ian."

Then the police officers came back and all the questions started.

They both had to go to the police station to give statements and Ian found himself sitting in the lobby waiting for Ian to come back out. Having only one blanket over his short running outfit didn't bother him. He had spend nearly ten years in Australia. He had the sun and the heat in his blood.

And he would go to the hospital tomorrow for a check of his lungs. Being a fireman himself he knew that nothing bad had happened to them, but it also made him aware of how important check-ups after going in without a mask were.

"Ced," he called when the other men went by him, looking dazed and confused.

He had been attracted to the occasional man, but never tried anything. The town in Australia he had lived in hadn't been that big and the atmosphere towards homosexuality not one he wanted to bother with. He liked woman just as much, even a little more, maybe, because his definite interest in men had never made him act on it. Or maybe it had simply been to easy to find female company.

"Where are you staying?"

"I don't know," Cedric stated, coming back from wherever his head had been. "My insurance will pay a hotel I think. I need to call them in twenty minutes again."

Dates and time lines seemed to give the guy some security, his voice growing stronger and a more determined gaze made his eyes shine. He even pushed his glasses up that adorable nose with some resolve.

"Don't you have any family that can take you in?" Ian really didn't like the thought of the man being all alone after what had happened today.

"My mother married again just a few days ago, I don't want to impose on her," Ian said in his a little stiff seeming manner. "And my sister was in between flats and living in the house that burned, so I don't think she can take me in either. There was no message in the last few days that she found something new."

"So you came back from the wedding, today?" Ian asked curious, still standing in the lobby with a blanket over his black running shirt, talking to the man with dirt on his coat from the adventure on the pavement.

"Oh, no." This time it was an embarrassed motion with which the man pushed his glasses up to his eyes, looking everywhere but at Ian. "It was nothing but a three month business exchange."

"Wait, so your mum got married while you where out of the country? Was it a sudden trip you hadn't planned on having to make?"

"Uuuh, no. Actually, the wedding was the sudden occasion."

"Huh." Ian was very angry on Cedric's behalf. Waiting for a son to be there for a wedding didn't sound that hard to accomplish. 

"Know what? I've got an apartment and I'm still searching for a roomy for the second bedroom. Why don't you come over to my place and I make you some dinner while you check out the hotels and talk with the insurance?" he offered on a whim.

"No, that..." Cedric stopped himself, looking down to his shoes. With sudden resolve he looked up, straight into Ian's eyes. "Know what?" he echoed and there was the first shadow of a smile on his face that Ian had seen. "Thank you. I would like that very much."

Aww, no, drama again... :-( But we are getting there! Sorry, y'all, but somehow my characters always tell me epic stories.
So I decided to let a hot guy with a dog take the lead on Dec 3rd :-) Just to keep the crazies calm ;-)
Have a great day, everyone!