[O] Lovesick Pup

Tuzik had been so distracted lately and even Alyosha was starting to notice.

The last few days all he had done was lay around and think, remembering what had happened the night he had gone down to Coilean's house to visit him.

He hadn't expected what had happened that night but once he had gotten home it had plagued his mind.

He hadn't seemed all that interested in his meals, even being slightly dismissive of the steak Lyo had tried to perk him up with and moments before he hadn't wanted to go outside and play with his ball.

Instead he lay curled up on the floor, nestled in against his bright red squeaky bone.

New Years was coming and with it, came mating season, but he was yet to court his chosen mate, what if he had waited too long and someone else took Coilean?

Alyosha had bought a book with him when he had dragged Tuzik down to the back garden to play, as he always did. But this time he hadn't settled down in his usual comfortable half-awareness to read and play with Tuz.

He'd sat down and opened his book. And then read the same line two dozen times because his mind was elsewhere.

A few metres elsewhere, actually, curled up in a sad little lump, leaning on a squeaky bone.

Alyosha sighed and slammed his book shut.

"What is it, Tuz?" Alyosha sounded a terrible mix between exhausted and desperate. "What's wrong?" He had tried a hundred different things to get the Hound to cheer up and nothing worked. He just didnt know what to do anymore.

Tuzik didn't exactly know what was wrong, and even if he did, he didn't know how to explain it.

The hound uncurled and rested his chin on the squeaky bone, looking up at the exasperated man with a sorry little look, he didn't mean to make Alyosha worry.

His hand reached up and rubbed softly against his own chest, he had been feeling an ache in his chest and an unsettling fluttering in his stomach for days now.

"Not good."

He grumbled out his words, as he rubbed his chest, what he was struggling to convey was that his chest didn't feel right and the source of his discomfort was something he didn't fully grasp.

His chest?

No, after a moment it clicked. His heart.

Alyosha was just as out of his depth now, knowing that it was his feelings that were making him dull like this rather than any actual physical pain.

The man chewed on his lip.

"Do you...like someone?" Was it liking someone? Or had someone hurt him?

Alyosha was not equipped to deal with emotional pain.

Like someone? Tuzik liked a lot of things.

"Tuzik likes...Alyosha."

He started before looking down at his bone.

"Squeaky bone...steak...books..."

He replied, slowly listing off things that he had decided that he liked.

Alyosha almost wanted to open up his book and bury himself in it rather than continue this conversation.

"Do you like anyone in different way?"

How did he explain liking someone?

Gah, he was in over his head.

Tuzik paused his listing and looked down at the bone as he pawed at it gently.

A confused look taking over his face before his features smoothed out a little.

A small smile graced his lips as he thought about the night he went out on his own.

He looked up at Lyo and nodded softly.

A relieved smile curled Lyo's lips.

We had a breakthrough.

"Who is lucky person?"

He almost felt like he was back in Russia, talking to his cousin about her first crush when she was an early teenager.

It had been just as painful then as it was now here with Tuz.

Tuzik looked a little relieved, being able to work through this and figure out why he felt this way was already lifting his mood.

He picked up his bone and padded over to Alyosha, resting his head in the man's lap and nuzzling against him affectionately.

He placed his bone on the ground, giving it a soft squeak before leaving it.

"Coilean."

He replied, he had been thinking about Coilean a lot lately.

Ly smiled and stroked Tuz's deep red hair when he laid his head in his lap.

The pup was already looking better in himself.

His lips kicked up into an amused smile.

Tuzik had a puppy crush on Coilean? Well, if that wasn't just the cutest thing he had heard.

"Been thinking of Coilean?"

He gave another little nod, he had been thinking about Coilean a lot.

"Coilean be Tuzik's girlfriend?"

He had heard Alyosha use that word when he had been talking about taking Tayce out and being close to her.

He hoped that he could be the same way with Coilean.

Alyosha laughed.

He couldn't help it The question had taken him off guard in the best way possible.

"You will have to ask him."

He'd like to be there to see that go down.

"Tuzik scared."

He replied, looking up at Alyosha.

"Someone else takes Coilean."

If someone else took Coilean for mating season then he was going to be really upset.

He hadn't taken a proper mate before, he had only been bred with who they had chosen for him in order to make good pups.

Ah, there he was, out of his debt again.

"We will have to ask Coilean if someone has taken him." That was the best he could manage.

Alyosha began fiddling with the cover of his book, dogearing the corner.

"I can call Silt soon. Ask for visit."

After the two had gotten along so well, he and Silt had exchanged numbers so they could arrange more puppy dates.

Tuzik nodded, he wanted to see Coilean again, he hadn't managed to sneak down and see the man again since their night together.

He wished that Coilean lived up here, then they could play everyday and Alyosha would read and they would all be happy.

"Coilean visit."

He replied, he was going to find out whether Coilean had a girlfriend already or not.

Alyosha hummed.

"Maybe."

He pet Tuzik's hair gently.

"Let's go back to room. Phone is there. I can call." The quicker they found out, the quicker he could get Tuzik out of his funk.

He wanted nothing more than for Tuzik to be back to normal.

Tuzik gave Lyo a smal as his hair was stroked, he was feeling a little better, but he wanted to know if Coilean cared about him more then just liking.

The hound stood up on all fours and picked up his bone, ready to head back to the room and call Silt.

He hoped they were able to come over.

Lyo pushed himself to his feet and picked up his book.

"Come, then."

The two began to walk back towards their room. Alyosha was quite content to walk at a slow pace.

Purposefully, of course.

He hoped that Tuz would get impatient and nudge him around like he used to.

He let out a low whine when Lyo walked so slowly. He was eager to get back to the room and call them and the man was being so slow.

He looped around Lyo, circling him as he squeaked his toy before nudging the back of his legs, trying to get him to go faster.

Tuz pouted around the toy in his mouth and gave a small bark.

That was more like it.

He grinned as Tuzik pouted, forcing himself to walk slower.

With such long legs, walking this slowly was nothing but a pain, but he wanted Tuzik to get impatient and nudge him again.

He wanted to see the pup lively again. He'd been so despondent recently.

Tuzik gave a louder bark as Lyo slowed down, his Master definitely was frustrating.

He nudge the side of Lyo's leg again trying to make him speed up.

Reaching up he gave Lyo's hand a soft nip before tugging it, trying to drag the man forward.

Lyo chuckled softly as his hand was nipped.

"All right, all right."

He sped up, still grinning as the two walked through the hallway towards their room.

Tuz's butt wiggled as he gave a wag of his non-existent tail, bounding down the hallway toward their bedroom.

The dual feeling of nervousness and excitement felt better than the dull, moping feeling he had been going through lately.

Once he was at the end of the hall he gave a bark before darting toward their door.

Lyo followed after the pup with a little grin on his face.

It was good to see the pup back to normal.

He opened their bedroom door and stepped into the room, setting the book down on his bedside table before sprawling out on the bed.

"Now...why did we come back here?" he mused. "Oh, I remember. It was for nap!"

Tuzik padded into the room excitedly and sat up on the bed.

"Alyosha!"

He whined, writhing on the bed as he pouted.

The man was teasing him when he was so excited about making the phone call.

Lyo could be such a mean man.