Tiger Winter - 18. Arrival

“Hey you two, it’s about time yo-” Huan-Yu’s paused mid-word, and his smile turned into a glare, “What the hell have you done? Why is there a dog?”

“Hey Rain.” Jian kept his happy grin plastered to his face as he looked up at the angry shape of his cousin. “Did you have a nice Christmas?”

“Same as any other December, thank you. And you?” Huan-Yu’s traditional politeness was so ingrained that he stopped glaring to smile, answer the question, and bow very slightly.

“Oh, it was great.” Jian glanced across the hood of the truck at Emmett. For the space of a heartbeat, Emmett’s vision went gold and fuzzy at the edges and instead of Jian’s contented smile, he saw an image of the little tiger on his knees, fingers running up Emmett’s naked thighs. Hot breath against his leg made him shiver, and Pitanê’s yap make him blink back into reality again.

“Why are you holding a dog?” Huan-Yu’s tone dripped with distain.

Jian gathered the puppy up into his arms, and cradled the fluffy bundle against his chest. Pitanê instantly began to nuzzle the hollow of his throat and neck, ears perked up, tail wagging and flipping from side to side.

“Huan-Yu, this is Pitanê. Pitanê, this is my cousin Huan-Yu. Come say hello now like a good boy.” Placed back on the ground and with Jian holding the end of his lead, Emmett watched as his boyfriend and the puppy trotted up the path and steps to the front door of the house. The husky sniffed at Huan-Yu’s robe, wrinkled his nose, and yapped softly. “Good boy!”

Huan-Yu looked over his cousin’s head and glared at Emmett.

“Let me make it very plain, at no point am I looking after, feeding, or cleaning up after that thing,” he intoned, “and if I find dog hairs in the kitchen I’ll… well…” he sighed, “…never mind.”

“Thanks Huan-Yu!” Jian chirped after him as the panda vanished from sight. “See, Rain likes him!”

“I’m not sure that’s how I would interpret the situation,” Emmett replied. “You gonna come help me with this stuff or have I got to carry everything myself?”

They settled Pitanê in Jian’s room and left the dog happily chomping on his squeaky toy while they relieved the truck of its many bags and packages. Even with all the new dog-centric purchases, they had not brought nearly as much back as they had taken away with them. Emmett spent ten minutes playing fridge and freezer Tetris in order to find room for the two boxes of salmon, one box of arctic perch and the enormous amount of frozen seal meat and blubber he had brought back to Toronto with him. Whatever else Emmett felt after coming home from Christmas time, the polar bear knew he was always guaranteed to eat well for a while. By the time he got upstairs, he found his new puppy trailing his boyfriend back and forth across the hallway. Pitanê yapped when he saw the big bear, and ran towards him, skidding the last few feet on the lacquered floor as he failed to stop in time.

“Hey there Pita,” Emmett shortened the dog’s name without much thought, “what’cha doin’?”

“He’s helping me move,” Jian called from Emmett’s doorway, sounding rather muffled.

“Move?” Emmett paced along to his doorway, and found his previously relatively clean and tidy room strewn with Jian’s clothes. There was a pile of them on the bed, brightly coloured board shorts and Jian’s winter coat, his boots and flip flops making a pattern of lost feet between the doorway and the bathroom. Jian wandered past him to collect his surfboard, and Emmett held out a hand to stop the little tiger. “Babe?”

“Well, I’m not going to stay over there. Your bed is huge! And way more comfy,” he grinned, “and I don’t think I should wander around the hallway naked in the mornings, so it’s better if my wardrobe comes to join yours.”

“OK,” Emmett put his hand down and petted the puppy who had brought him one of Jian’s flip flops, “and you are intending to use the surfboard as a desk?”

“Wall decoration,” Jian grinned. “Think of it as artwork.”

Emmett sat in the centre of his bed, watching Jian install himself into his bedroom, Pitanê literally dogging his every step – so much so that Emmett worried the puppy would get trodden on every time Jian paused and moved backwards, deciding where he was going to put things. Emmett knew exactly why Jian wanted to move the surfboard into the bedroom with them: it was a permanent reminder of the other thing he loved, something he had, in effect, left behind in order to follow Emmett around for four months in the snow. Emmett had promised to go to a beach with him one day, and already the polar bear knew that was not a pledge which would be forgotten.

*

“This is going to be unbearable.” Emmet pulled a pillow over his head and groaned as Jian slid into bed beside him.

“And yet in Moosonee, you were only too happy for me to sleep in your bed,” Jian teased lightly. The young tiger tickled his fingers down Emmett’s spine and paused at the hem of his boxer shorts. “You never wear underwear.”

“Well I didn’t figure we’d be alone much longer,” Emmett re-emerged from his pillow-shelter, “oh Great Spirits…”

Jian frowned at him, and then deliberately tugged down the waistband of Emmett’s underwear.

“You figure Rain is going to come storming in on us now he knows we’re together? You are weird Xue. Come on, I refuse to sleep with you if you’re dressed.”

Emmett rolled over to stare at the boy who, until the previous day, he had only ever seen in cute well-fitted hipster briefs, and arched a pale eyebrow.

“Underwear does not count as being dressed.”

“Not now it doesn’t.” Jian efficiently removed the shorts from Emmett’s legs with a swift jerk: he frowned at the shapeless blue cotton boxers. “If you’re going to wear underwear Xue, then at least make it nice underwear.” The tiger snuggled back down and lay himself along Emmett’s front, chest to chest. “Of course I’d prefer it if you didn’t bother.”

Emmett sighed, knowing this was a discussion he had no hope and no interest in winning.

It had taken Jian most of the rest of what remained of the evening to finish moving his belongings into place, and while Emmett returned to the kitchen to start creating dinner, the little tiger and his husky went for a walk around the neighbourhood together. Emmett had been almost jealous not to have gone with them: people noticed gorgeous young men with adorable, distinctive husky puppies, and Emmett wanted to be there with his arm wrapped around Jian’s narrow waist, knowing he was the luckiest guy on the planet. Emmett had never felt possessive before, except over fish, hockey, and dinner, but now he wanted everyone who met them to know how proud he was to love the little tiger.

After dinner they had let Pitanê out into the back garden to sniff around and lift his leg, and then made the little puppy ready for bed. Jian’s old room, empty of almost all its contents, had been transformed into a puppy den by the application of an extra-extra-large dog crate Emmett had driven to the store and picked up. Pitanê was mostly house trained, but that didn’t mean Emmett wanted to wake up to any surprises. The puppy had settled down in his bed happily enough, curled up on his bed-cushion with his blanket and a non-squeaky chew toy, his water bowl in the corner, and had simply watched them both as Jian had latched the cage door. As soon as the bedroom door closed though, the whimpering had started.

“Seriously?” Emmett re-joined their conversation after a particularly drawn out high-pitched howl. “How can you stand listening to that? Are you sure he’s not part wolf or something?”

Jian sighed heavily.

“You managed to resist me when I was sleeping over there all alone,” he made puppy-eyes at Emmett, “am I less irresistible than he is?”

Predictably, Emmett melted under Jian’s gaze, wrapped his arms around the tiger and hugged him hard against his chest, nuzzling his hair and neck until the little cat purred happily in his arms. The rumbling sound in Jian’s chest was almost loud enough to drown out the pathetic whimpering cry from across the hall, but it wasn’t quite sufficient. Emmett fell back with a groan, his hopeful semi pulsing against his abdomen.

“You realise if we let him in tonight, he’ll be in every night?” Jian said firmly. “And you can think again if you reckon I am going to let the dog watch us fucking.”

“You’re heartless, Tiger.”

“No,” Jian pushed a hand between their bodies and deliberately wrapped his strong fingers around Emmett’s cock, “I’m horny. You know how long I have spent imagining being with you? I’m not giving up now.”

“Oh…” To Emmett, the idea of going for months without some kind of gratification, other than that provided by his right hand and imagination, was as foreign as the concept of surfing in a warm sea. He looked at Jian, eyes scanning the young man’s beautiful features, skimming down over the sinuous lines of his perfect body, and he wondered how he had allowed himself to miss the obvious for so long. Jian said they were mates, meant to be together, and Emmett physically couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. “Come dancing with me.”

“What?”

“I want to take you on a date,” Emmett grinned in anticipation, “show you off.”

“Alright,” Jian ran the tip of his tongue over his teeth. “You know that vision I sent you earlier?”

Emmett could recall flash-fast, how the image of Jian on his knees had made him feel, and he shuddered.

“Can I do that?”

“Uh-huh,” Emmett could barely speak, and Jian took his quickly colouring cheeks as full permission to do whatever he wanted.

He pushed the duvet back, exposing them both, and then slid down Emmett body until he was at eye level with the polar bear’s crotch. To Emmett’s delight, Jian knelt with his knees together inside Emmett’s own, and when he leant down to breathe warmly on Emmett twitching erection, presented his lover with a wonderful view of his heart-shaped arse. Emmett was nearly distracted enough not the notice the first touch of Jian’s tongue to his flesh, but he gasped as the boy took his whole length into his mouth without a moment’s hesitation and bathed him in warmth like distilled sunlight: it was like being sucked off by a very friendly volcano.

The first time Emmett had dreamt of Jian, it had been like this, and he had assumed his imagination had provided him with a partner who was, essentially, himself in regards to fellatio skills. But it had not been his imagination, it had been Jian’s, and the boy hadn’t over-estimated his level of talent. Emmett groaned as the tiger swirled his tongue over the head of Emmett’s cock, flicking his orange eyes up to meet Emmett’s own, somehow being able to smile despite the length of Emmett’s cock between his damp lips. It was the most erotic thing Emmett had ever seen, his eyes travelling along Jian’s supple spine from his rear to the perfect ‘o’ formed by his mouth. He wanted to resist the inevitable, edging so close to the point of no return that he was not sure how he hadn’t already fallen over it: but then he heard Jian’s voice in his ear, the texture of the boy’s breath against his cheek even though he had not moved.

“Come for me.”

It was a command like no other, and Emmett growled, his fingers digging into the mattress hard enough to make the bed creak and groan as he came into the hot, sucking confines of Jian’s mouth. The young man released him slowly, and then lapped up the last of Emmett’s emission with his tongue like a cat with cream.

Emmett blinked, trying to pull the world back into focus: it would be a cruel thing, to allow his natural desire to sleep to overtake him before he could repay the favour.

“Not tonight,” Jian smiled as if he was able to read the polar bear’s thoughts, “I would rather do this again.” The tiger rubbed himself along Emmett’s cock as he sat up, and between heartbeats the polar bear found his desire to sleep much overwhelmed by his desire to indulge the little tiger’s every whim.

“Whatever you want Tiger.”

Jian licked the tip of one finger, and then put the damp digit against Emmett’s lips as he rocked his hips, rubbing Emmett’s cock between his cheeks. He smiled excitedly.

“I want you to fuck me,” he panted, “really hard.”

It wasn’t a command, but Emmett was powerless to resist regardless.

*

Having been away from the university for so long, Emmett could not have, in good conscience, spent the following day at home: despite the arrival of a new puppy and the advent of the love of his life.

They had been woken in the small hours of the morning by Pitanê resuming his pathetic whimpering, and Jian had hopped out of bed, pulled on sweats and gone to check on their little fluffy bundle. As expected, the dog had been so excited to see Jian that he had a little accident as soon as he was let out of his crate. Still in bed, Emmett had sniffed the air and acrid scent of urine and felt pleased he had put so much paper down around the door. It became Jian’s job to take the puppy downstairs and out to the garden to do his business, and Emmett had nearly succeeded in drifting off to sleep again when he felt small feet climbing up the duvet. Jian had slid in next to him, his feet cold from standing on the wooden floors, and when Emmett had moved to wrap the tiger in his arms, had found Pitanê’s hopeful face between them.

Emmett grunted.

“You see why I didn’t want to let him in last night?” Jian chuckled, “he’d have gotten in the way.”

“He’s getting in the way now,” Emmett scooped up the puppy in one big hand and placed him on the other side of Jian so he could cuddle his boyfriend. “I don’t like having to share you.”

Jian kissed him, and frowned.

“You think that buying me a dog made me love you less?” he queried, “oh Xue! What am I going to have to do to convince you of how much I love you?”

“Mmm…” Emmett took Jian’s jaw in one hand and kissed him deeply, “well hearing you say it is wonderful.”

Making out had been wonderful and soft, right up until the point where Pitanê had decided to start using the two of them as a mountaineering set-up, and after receiving a paw to the face, even Jian was ready to get up and get on with the day. Emmett showered, ate the half slice of toast and peanut butter Jian offered him, and decided to walk to the university.

They had all gone together, Pitanê trotting along on the lead, and for a person who had never before owned a dog, Jian was firm with the puppy, keeping him to heel and getting him to walk and wait in a sensible manner. They had run over the college fields, and Pitanê had snuffled and burrowed his way into every drift of snow he could access. Jian had kissed Emmett under the arched doorway leading into the building in which his office was based, and it was strange to watch the young man and the little dog walk away from him. Within thirty feet, they had been stopped by a pair of passing students, who smiled and cooed and fussed over the little pup as much as could be decently allowed.

Whenever he returned from a long time away, whether it was going home or going out into the field for lengthy snow-based excursions, Emmett always felt a sense of satisfaction when he returned to his office. He shared it with three other academics, though they were rarely all in at once, and it was strangely comforting to spend the day, tucked up behind his desk, reading through bits of academic journals, marking papers, and doing a bit of further research on his grandfather’s newest collaborator. It wasn’t very long before he found himself with a map spread out over his desk.

It was his favourite one, after the book he had so lovingly annotated, and it showed nothing except the top of the world. Emmett knew the route as though he had travelled it a dozen times: from Resolute, across Bathurst Island, through the ever shifting ice boulder fields of the frozen sea, all the way up to the North Pole. It had always been his dream to go, something he would do one day soon when there was enough time and funding. For the first time since he was a child, Emmett wondered if he would really ever make it.

Jian wouldn’t want to go to the North Pole. The little tiger had spent the last year or so being a beach bum, in a rather literal sense of the word: sleeping in sand dunes, getting a perfect even tan, surfing, drinking, and having his photograph taken with his shirt off. Emmett realised he didn’t own a single picture of the man he loved, and snarled to himself as he walked a set of antique callipers across the map from Resolute down to the edge of the Arctic Circle. Ukkusiksalik was just there, a fraction below the line, and Emmett ended up with his head pillowed on his forearms, watching the point where the map vanished, and imagining the route drawn inexorably further south towards Moosonee, then all the way to the house on Collier Street.

Emmett had never really imagined he would find his mate, it was rare, something from a story, and not in his wildest dreams had he imagined being so lucky. Jian was bright and funny, incredibly sexy and open, and they fitted together like they were made for each other: but Emmett had no idea what he was supposed to do with his ideas for the future, and when Jian smiled at him like the rising sun, it was hard to hold onto the vision of the frozen north.

The tiger and the little puppy met him on the corner of the street, and Emmett bundled Jian up in his arms as the boy’s scent hit him like a battering ram made of fragrant flowers. Though he hadn’t forgotten how his lover smelt, even in a few short hours the aroma had faded, and Emmett was sure that whatever the cost he could not manage to be away from the tiger for more than a day.

“Hey Tiger.”

“I missed you,” Jian nuzzled into Emmett’s shoulder just as hard, “did you have a nice day at work?”

“Sure,” Emmett glanced down at Pitanê as the puppy began to tie them both together with his lead, “where are we going?”

“Recall training,” Jian grinned, “I’ve been reading up. You wanna come?”

Emmett took the boy’s hand and pulled him close to his side as he turned away from the house. Right then there was no amount of money, snow, or fish in the universe that could have persuaded him to part from Jian’s side.

*

“Pitanê! Come on!” Jian called to the young dog, and the puppy’s tail flapped excitedly as Emmett released his gentle grip on the back of his collar. The independence of husky dogs was well-known, and they were notorious for running off and never being allowed off lead; but when it came to training Pitanê, Jian had other ideas. The puppy took off running, and though it took him a moment to get his feet sorted out underneath him, he was soon streaking across the sixty yards of snow towards Jian. Dog and tiger collided and Pitanê was rewarded with a click of Jian’s tongue and tiny treat along with lots of ruffles and cuddles. “Good boy!”

“He’s much better at coming to you,” Emmett called across the park.

“Well he has to learn to come to both of us. You still got treats?”

Emmett checked his pocket, even though he could smell the meaty biscuits from the other room. Living with treats in the house was just as hard for him as it was for Pitanê; but Jian didn’t seem to have that problem.

“OK! Call him.” Jian got the little puppy facing the correct direction, and crouched down to hold his sides, tickling the dog’s ribs with his long fingers. Emmett sighed, knowing it was all going to go wrong – yet again.

“Pitanê!” he yelled, “COME!”

And there it was, the puppy looked back and Jian, and only after the tiger had nodded and urged him forwards did he come trotting across the snow towards Emmett. Halfway across the space he glanced over his shoulder, and then wandered away to the left. It was only after Emmett let out an involuntary snarl that he got the young dog’s attention again.

“Here boy! Come on!” Eventually Pitanê arrived at his feet and Emmett clicked his tongue, gave the puppy his treat and fussed him until Jian arrived. As soon as he saw the tiger, Pitanê yapped happily, his tail wagging suddenly harder. “I don’t think he likes me much.”

“He just hasn’t spent as much time with you babe,” Jian clipped the long lead to the puppy’s collar and then stepped around him to bring his lithe body into contact with Emmett’s: the polar bear shivered, but he wasn’t cold. “He’ll love you just as much as I do, you’ll see.”

Two good looking young men arm in arm walking a happy white and grey husky drew attention in the city, even in the park, and before Emmett and Jian even made it out as far as the street, they had been stopped half a dozen times by well-meaning strangers who were all a-flutter over the pretty puppy and his owners. Jian loved to talk about the young dog, and for a while Emmett couldn’t imagine anything better than getting to stand in the cool afternoon air with his arms around Jian’s waist while the tiger showed off their new arrival to a smiley lesbian couple with a giant schnauzer who was very interested in making friends with Emmett’s pocketful of treats. Still more lovely was when Pitanê parted from their new friends and ran straight for Emmett, his tail flapping about happily. The polar bear scooped up his new arrival and carried the dog half the way home.

“We make a good family, don’t we?” Jian tickled the puppy under the chin as they walked. “I love you, Xue.”

“Always,” Emmett inhaled the combined scent of the little husky: warm and soft, and full of the pine and salt of home; and that of his lover, the spicy, honeyed scent of his boyfriend. “You’re everything I could have ever wanted.”

“What about the Pole?”

“Are you sure you can’t read minds?” Emmett frowned. “I got you,” Pitanê yapped and Emmett ruffled his ears too, “yeah, and you. It’d be greedy to ask for more.”

“You think Pita knows he’s living with a bear?” Jian asked when they were most of the way home.

“You know, I have no idea.” Emmett frowned, “do you think we should tell him?”

Pitanê was as excited to get home as he had been to go out for his walk, and finally off the lead the puppy wandered around the entire house, his nose pressed against the floor, the walls, and poking under any piece of furniture he could reach. Jian had been out and bought a toddler-gate for the kitchen, and so Emmett found himself cooking up a small dinner of pan seared salmon, steamed asparagus, and potato wedges whilst being examined longingly by a pair of desperate ice blue eyes.

“Not a chance, buddy,” Emmett felt mean even looking at the dog while he flipped the salmon strips over, “Tiger would kill me for ruining you with human food.”

“Does it count as human food if it’s being eaten by shifters?” Huan-Yu’s arrival made Pitanê stare hopefully at him for a little while. “Could you get me an aloe vera juice please, Emmett? I don’t fancy accidentally letting the dog into the kitchen.”

“Sure. You’re not too mad are you?”

“That you brought home a dog, or that you’re screwing my cousin?” Emmett winced at Huan-Yu’s deadpan tone. “The dog I could live without. But I’m happy for you two: plus it’ll make him quit pining after you like a lovesick school boy.”

“I do not pine…” Jian muttered. “You’re supposed to be on my side Rain: you too Xue! I should turn up and hear you guys saying nice things about me.”

“I say plenty of nice things about you,” Emmett grinned. “Dinner’s nearly ready.”

“Oh babe!” Huan-Yu rolled his eyes and departed when Jian smiled warmly. “You don’t have to cook for me if you’re not eating.”

Emmett served the salmon and vegetables and passed the single plate and cutlery over the gate to Jian. He stole a sticky seared piece of salmon and ate with relish.

“See, I ate something. Now go eat while I tidy the kitchen.”

“We’re so lucky, aren’t we Pitanê?” Jian, and his dinner, were now the sole focus of the little puppy, “I’ll feed him now and hopefully he’ll stop eyeing up my food. Thank you, Xue.”

Emmett still disliked doing the dishes, but at least now he could hear Jian chatting idly to their puppy, the crunch of the dog eating kibble bits, and he was content in the knowledge not only did Jian love him, but also that he wouldn’t be forced to watch crap television all evening.

“How do you tell a dog that you’re a shifter?”

“I dunno,” Jian frowned, “No one in our family has pets.”

“Almost without exception, the only animals who have seen me in my fur haven’t lived to talk about it,” Emmett admitted. “Do you think we should take him upstairs with us? Do it there?”

“Sure, I’ll go let him out first.”

Emmett sat on the bed, naked, and folded his clothes up into a neat little pile. The simple gesture of gridding and stacking his clothes made him yearn, just a little, to pack his rucksack and tent and take off into the wilderness again. He wondered vaguely if Jian had ever slept in a tent: he certainly hadn’t slept in the snow.

“Hey Pita,” the puppy shouldered his way through the door, slipped over, and picked himself up to trot over to Emmett and rub against his legs. Emmett scooped the dog up and cradled him against his chest.

“Mmm… I don’t think there’s anything sexier than that,” Jian’s voice dripped with suggestibility, “hot naked man with a fluffy puppy? Yes please.”

“Tiger…”

“Even better than that…” Jian stepped towards him with a grin, pulling his shirt off over his head in slow motion. Emmett took a breath and found the image of Jian, naked, shining at the edges, reaching forwards for his muzzle to kiss him. Emmett’s head spun as the world snapped back into focus. “I miss you Xue-bear; you’re so sexy in your fur.”

“Babe…” Emmett frowned, “no one thinks bears are sexy.” He paused, “not my kind of bear anyways.”

“Well I do,” Jian squeezed his hand gently, “I love your fur, and your big paws,” Jian swished his hips in a manner Emmett found incredibly inviting, especially with the boy’s fly half undone and showing off the waistband of his boxers, “please Xue-bear?”

Emmett stood, pulling Jian up to his chest, and kissed him hard, invading his mouth and overwhelming the young man until he felt Jian melt in his arms. Only when they were both dizzy for want of oxygen, did he step back, and change. Emmett blinked softly, and fell onto all fours, swinging his great head to look at Pitanê as Jian draped himself over Emmett’s thick pure-white fur. To his surprise, the little puppy ran at him, snapping and growling.

“Haaroam!” Emmett barked back, shuffling around on the wooden floor as the dog aimed for his feet, “wrrooar!”

“Pitanê don’t!” Jian tried to reach for the dog, “I reckon he thinks you’re attacking me.”

Emmett glanced between the man he loved and the puppy he had adopted, and frowned. And then Pitanê bit him.

“ROOOARMM!” Emmett roared at him, jaws wide and ears pressed back over his skull in shock and pain.

“Babe don’t-!”

Pitanê whimpered, and before either of them could make another move, had skidded headlong under their enormous bed. Emmett sort of didn’t blame the little dog: he had already been much mistreated in his short life, and because of that had attached himself very firmly to Jian. The appearance of a polar bear, a big and scary predator, had driven him to attack the bear. But Emmett was huge, and Pitanê only very young, and Emmett was not surprised his roar had sent the puppy shivering and shaking under the bed.

“Oh!” Jian slapped his shoulder ineffectually, “look what you’ve done!”

“Wroam?” Emmett held up his bleeding paw, the bright red spots of blood very obvious against his white fur, “huurnnm roar wroam.”

“You’re the adult, Xue.” Jian crouched down to peer under the bed frame, “oh Pitanê! Come on boy…”

Emmett pressed his belly to the floor and placed his head on his paws to better peer underneath the bed: Pitanê wasn’t really small enough to fit easily underneath, and the dog had squeezed himself as far back as he could get against the wall, his tail pressed between his hind legs and his ears flat back against his head. Emmett exhaled softly.

“Woom.”

Pitanê snarled in the frightened way of small animals everywhere trying to be brave but really wishing they didn’t have to be. Emmett raised his head and huffed at his boyfriend.

“Well I wasn’t the one who freaked him out!” Jian kissed the bear’s muzzle before pushing him away, “go sit over there and look less scary.”

“Huumt,” Emmett muttered, but he did as he was bid and settled over in the corner of his room farthest from the door, watching as Jian sat cross-legged on the wooden floor.

There was something vaguely surreal to Emmett about watching a cat try and coax a dog out of hiding. Jian might not have been wearing his species striped hoodie, but the ears seemed to have become a permanent part of how Emmett saw him. Now they were perked forwards as Jian attempted to reason with their fluffy houseguest.

“Come on Pita… it’s OK boy, it’s only Emmett.” He changed tack, and Emmett had to keep himself from growling softly. “Did the big polar bear scare you baby? Aww Pitanê, it’s alright pup. He won’t hurt you.”

There was a whimpered reply and the soft noise of sniffing, accompanied by the soft scratch of Pitanê’s claws against the hardwood floor. Jian ended up lying on his side, almost entirely under the bed, but he emerged, his hair falling in his face, with the husky in his arms.

“See, it’s OK Pita.”

Emmett stayed very still as Jian carried the little dog towards him. Pitanê burrowed himself into the crook of Jian’s elbow, even though the puppy was bigger than Jian’s narrow chest, and he whimpered softly as Jian sat down in front of the big bear. Emmett looked up at his lover from under his brows, resisting the urge to whimper himself.

“Love you Xue-bear,” Jian whispered; and suddenly everything was better. Emmett smiled, imagined reaching out to wrap Jian and the young dog in his big paws, cradle them both against his chest, his thick white fur blending with the husky’s own and contrasting beautifully with Jian’s smooth tan skin and orange and black striped aura.

Jian blinked and bit his lip.

“That’s how you see me?” he blushed, “Xue…”

As if he knew what was being said, Pitanê turned around to look at them both, his tail wagging experimentally from side to side. Jian stroked the dog, settling him on the floor, and watched with baited breath as he stepped up to the wedge-shaped head of the polar bear. Emmett decided that if the dog scratched him, he could deal with it, but if Pitanê bit his nose then the little pup would have to be taught some manners. He was not expecting the dog to pause; look back over his shoulder at Jian’s smiling face, then bump noses with him, very gently.

“Wruff?” Emmett peered at the puppy. “Mmrraeo,” he spluttered as the dog licked the end of his nose with his bright pink tongue. Emmett snorted and blinked, shocked by the sudden inhalation of puppy dribble.

“Good boy Pitanê!” Jian giggled with delight, clapping his hands together, “I told you he liked you Xue!”

By degrees, Emmett raised his head before the puppy could decide to clamber over him, and watched as the husky paced back to Jian before stepping over his forepaws and sniffing at his chest. He nuzzled Emmett with a happy rumble in his tiny chest, suddenly delighted to be able to snuggle up next to another warm and furry body.

“Ahhn huurmm,” Emmett rumbled, attempting to say the complex syllables of the young dogs name with his bass voice box. To his surprise, Pitanê instantly stilled, looking up at him expectantly: exactly as though he had understood. Emmett reached out and scooped the puppy up, cuddling him against his thick chest fur before he opened out his other foreleg to Jian. The little tiger instantly snuggled into him, fingers tight in his pelt and relaxed as he inhaled the scent of the polar bear.

“We’re a family Xue,” Jian murmured happily, “Bear-Tiger-Dog: could be our very own zodiac.”

“Wrooam.”

Jian kissed his muzzle with a grin.

“Everything is going to be awesome.”