Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

        “What are you doing?”

        “Going for a jog.”

        “I know, but what are you doing.” Johnny repeated. Simon frowned and turned to face him. Was something odd? Johnny covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.

        “What are you wearing!” He crowed, holding on to the wall to support himself as he laughed.

        Simon looked down at himself. He was wearing his winter clothes, and on top-

        Ah. That must be it.

        “The snow is too tall for Ripa.” Ghost said, putting a hand on Ripa’s head. The small Pomeranian was strapped to his chest in a modified baby carrier that kept him comfortable. “This is the best way to deal with it.” Simon said with a frown.

        “Do you do this every time it snows? Do all your neighbors know?” Johnny asked between giggles. Simon folded his arms underneath Ripa’s wagging tail.

        “The neighbors love Ripa.  They wouldn’t laugh at him.” He huffed.

        “Oh darling, was I mean?” Johnny asked, still giggling. He crossed the entryway to press a kiss to Simon’s masked lips. “It’s a very good solution, and you’re a good Dog Dad for taking Ripa on walks even when it snows.” Simon glared at him, but accepted the kiss. “You have a good jog, Simon. I’ll have the kettle hot when you come back.” Johnny leaned down to press a kiss to Ripa’s forehead, too.

        Ripa sneezed.

        “See! He doesn’t care if I’m nice to him!” Johnny laughed, letting go of Simon.

        For his part, Simon huffed and headed out the door. He wanted to finish his jog before it got too dark.

        Simon opened the door and stepped inside, stomping snow off his shoes. Ripa let out one of his rare barks, a long howl dedicated to getting out of the cold. Simon chuckled and rubbed his head, making sure to warm up his ears.

        He didn’t put Ripa down after taking him out of the carrier. The floor was too chilly for him, after all. He needed to warm up first. So Simon carried him to the living room after leaving his outerwear behind in the closet.

        He came up short when he got to the living room. He still wasn’t used to Johnny being… around. But there he was, sitting on the couch,watching TV, and drawing all at once. Two mugs sat on the coffee table.

        “Saw you coming round the street corner, the tea should be ready.” Soap said from where he was taking up 95% of the couch. Simon felt himself smiling as he came to reclaim a cushion. He shoved Johnny’s legs out of the way and sat down just long enough for Johnny to push his legs into Simon’s lap. Simon sighed heavily, but pulled a blanket over them both before setting Ripa on top of the pile.

        Simon reached out and grabbed his tea, still steaming slightly. Oh fuck, that was good right after a run in the snow. He sighed again, from relief this time as he relaxed on the couch. Johnny’s legs were a warm weight across his lap, heavier than Ripa alone. The TV was playing one of Johnny’s cartoons, probably an old episode if he was drawing too.

        Simon’s book was on the table, he could easily reach it, but…

        He let himself slump to the side instead, lying half on top of Johnny.

        “Ack! Simon, ye absolute weapon!” Johnny croaked as Simon squished him. Simon hummed and nuzzled closer, sliding his cold hands under the blanket and looking for exposed skin. Johnny squawked but didn’t writhe to escape, which Simon took as permission to continue. They lay like that, spread out on the couch with Rippa perched on top.

        “Thank you for the tea, Johnny.” Simon said, nuzzling his cold nose against Johnny’s stubbled cheek.

        “Och, ye better be thankful. Who goes runnin’ in the snow? Ye big numpty.” Johnny continued to ramble on, pleasant background noise as Simon settled in against him.

        Simon smiled. He was happy.

Chapter Text

        “Alright Ripa, just you and me!” Soap said with a grin. He knew how big a show of trust it was for Simon to ask him to watch his beloved dog, so he was determined that it would go perfectly! Ripa was following at his ankles, his tail wagging. He actually looked kind of cute when he wasn’t staring with his big, black eyes.

        “Steamin’ Jesus, Simon sure did give me a laundry list…” Johnny mumbled as he unfolded the note Simon had given him that described Ripa’s care. Simon was only going to be gone for a day!

        “Says here you like to watch… Come Outside? Do you care what episode I put on?” Soap asked. It was probably safer to act like Ripa could understand every word he said. The dog was too smart, Soap didn’t trust he wouldn’t report back to Simon.

        Johnny sat on the couch. Ripa came trotting up and scrabbled up onto the couch beside him, his tail still wagging. Soap turned on the TV and started scrolling for Ripa’s special show. Ah! There it was, Simon had it saved. Of course he did.

        Johnny looked over the list again… “Special blanket…” He turned to look at the couch, and found the fleece Simon had described. “How does he even know what House of Stuart Tartan is…” Johnny mumbled to himself as he carefully wrapped Ripa in his blanket and set him back on the couch. Ripa smiled his little doggy smile, the first time Soap had actually seen him look so pleased. “Right little prince, aren’t you?” Soap asked, rubbing Ripa’s ears. Ripa closed his eyes and basked in the attention. “I suppose you’re a decent sort…” Johnny said softly. Ripa wasn’t so bad now that Johnny didn’t have to be so goddamn jealous of him. Now they both got to sleep in Simon’s bed and eat Simon’s cooking and snuggle up to Simon on the couch and watch telly-

        And Johnny got to do a few things that even Ripa didn’t get to do!

        Johnny settled down on Simon’s couch with Ripa nestled against his side, wrapped in his little blanket cocoon. He’d picked up one of Simon’s books, something he’d liked enough to buy a “shelf trophy” of.

        American, something high fantasy. Simon read a little bit of everything, but Johnny had noticed he definitely liked fiction the best.

        Over the course of the next hour, Johnny melted into the couch, and Ripa somehow wiggled into his lap without ever actually moving. Johnny had the book in one hand, and his other hand on a little fluffy head. Ripa snored softly as he dozed off, his funny little grunts and squeaks falling into the background noise with the show on the telly. Soap was warm, he was comfortable, he was gradually reading the same paragraph over and over again.

        Johnny sighed and marked his page. Time for a nap, he supposed.

        Soap was sitting on a tropical beach, enjoying a warm breeze that came in gentle puffs and gusts. He smiled and let the breeze ruffle his hair. It was kind of nice, peaceful, he could feel the warm weight of the sun on his chest-

        Hang on, warm weight? And why did the breeze smell like-

        Soap’s eyes snapped open. There was no tropical breeze, only Ripa’s warm dog breath in his face! He grimaced and pulled the dog down into his lap as he sat up. Ripa wagged his tail and panted up at Soap.

        “What time is it-” Soap checked his watch, grumbling. He felt disoriented from his nap, but refreshed. “Oh! No wonder, it’s your dinner time isn’t it?” Soap said, straightening up. He stretched and groaned and unkinked his spine before setting Ripa on the floor before untangling himself from at least half a dozen more blankets than he remembered using in the first place.

        Johnny took himself to Simon’s incredibly fancy kitchen. He’d investigate the fancy tools and appliances later, right now he had a hungry pom on his heels! Ripa chased Soap’s sock feet all around the kitchen, his tail wagging like a little fluffy flag. Simon didn’t make incredibly fancy food for Ripa every night, so luckily that meant all Johnny had to do was empty a can into a bowl and mash it up with a fork. Johnny set the bowl of food in front of Ripa.

        Ripa sat in front of his bowl, waiting.

        Soap did, in fact, know what Ripa’s release word was. But it was stupid, surely he didn’t have to say it? He didn’t believe Simon said it, and even if the other man wasn’t there to witness him, he felt like it was a dumb prank to embarrass him.

        But Ripa was waiting patiently.

        “Go.” Soap tried.

        Ripa stared.

        “Free.”

        Ripa kept staring.

        “Break?” Soap was starting to sweat. Was he really going to have to say it.

        Soap kept trying, going through every word he could think of except the release word Simon had written in his tight, neat handwriting on the list of instructions he had given Soap for this weekend.

        By the end of five minutes, Soap was breathless and Ripa was still staring at him, his big, black eyes boring into him, like Soap was the idiot here. Soap took a deep breath.

“...Enjoy your dinner, love.” Soap grumbled. Ripa immediately set upon his dinner with eagerness, his tail wagging again. Soap sighed and covered his face with his hands. How did Simon manage to train his dog to respond to that?  He needed a drink to deal with it.

Given free range of Simon’s fridge and kitchen, Johnny had considered experimenting a bit, but really he’d rather if Simon did the fancy cooking. Johnny looked over what options for  drinks Simon had, and decided pasta would go well with wine. Simon had a decent bottle of red open, and he’d already given Johnny permission to raid his fridge and pantry.

Ripa apparently decided Johnny was not to be trusted alone in the house, because he made his way to a fluffy little bed tucked into the corner of the kitchen. He turned a dozen tiny circles before settling down in a neat little loaf of cloudy white fluff.

Johnny got a pot of water boiling, and decided meat sauce was what he wanted. Simon had all the ingredients handy. It was interesting cooking in Simon’s kitchen. Everything was so nice. The pot was heavy and sturdy, the knife was sharp, even the spoon was high quality!

Johnny was browning beef on the stove when he heard a little grunt of a huff by his ankle. Looking down, he saw Ripa sitting at attention.

“Oh, does Simon feed you scraps? I heard that’s not good for dogs.” Soap said, grinning down at Ripa. Little did he know, Ripa was prepared for this.

The little dog hopped onto his hind legs, balancing perfectly as he begged with his front paws. He turned a slow, perfect circle, hopping with his little paws, before turning to face Soap again and dropping down to all fours.

“Did… Did Simon teach you to do that?” Soap asked Ripa wagged his tail. “Well… it was pretty impressive.” Soap snagged a tiny piece of beef from the pan and blew on it to cool it off. Then he offered the little scrap of meat to Ripa, who wolfed it down with feral glee. Soap couldn’t help but laugh as Ripa licked the grease of his fingers and then sat back, looking pleased with himself. “Yeah, you enjoy that, you’re not getting any more.”

It would be odd to sleep in Simon’s bed without him in it. But the big bed smelled like Simon, and that would be nice.

But that meant sharing the bed with Ripa. 

The little dog told him exactly when it was bedtime by sinking his vicious little fangs into Johnny’s pant leg and tugging, growling like a tiny motor. Soap laughed and got to his feet, putting his book down and turning off the telly.

“Yeah yeah, I got you.” He said, letting Ripa pull him by his pant leg to the bedroom. “Are you this pushy with Simon? I bet you don’t boss him around.” Soap grumbled. Ripa let him go as soon as they got to the bedroom, scampering off to his stairs that led up to the side of the bed. “Who am I kidding, I bet you’re even more pushy with Simon.” Johnny said.

He went to the bathroom to change into pajamas and brush his teeth. He still wasn’t quite up to being undressed around Ripa. He just knew too much.

Soap climbed into the bed and looked sadly at Simon’s empty spot. Well, mostly empty. Ripa had curled up on his pillow, his head on his paws.

“Yeah, I miss him too.” Soap said, reaching out to put a hand on Ripa’s small back. The little dog sighed heavily, as if he had to carry the very heaviest burdens in the world. “It’ll be alright, he’ll be home tomorrow afternoon.” Soap reassured Ripa, smiling at him in the dark. Ripa blinked at him.

        “I hope watching Ripa wasn’t too much work.” Simon said as he stepped into the house, setting down his bag and looking around, obviously looking for his dog.

        “He wasn’t any trouble at all. Your instructions were comprehensive.” Johnny said with a grin. Soap hadn’t wanted Ripa getting stepped on, so he had him tucked under his arm like a fluffy rugby ball. Ripa let out a happy yapping little bark, his tail wagging and his little legs kicking in excitement to see Simon.

        Simon reached out for Ripa like a mother bereft of her child and gathered him close, breathing a soft sigh as he held the animal. Ripa yapped and wagged his tail, delighted with the world.

        “You’re tired from your trip, go take a shower, I’ll make dinner.” Soap said, putting his hands on Simon’s shoulders and steering him towards the bedroom.

        “You’re sure? You’ve been here all weekend, I don’t want to take up more of your time-”

        “It’s my pleasure! Let me take care of you, you’ve been working all weekend, all I did was sit on your couch and read!”

        “It was just a conference-”

        “Still counts as work! Shower and change into different clothes, you’ll feel better once you’re comfortable. I’ll make something quick and easy and then you can cuddle Ripa and call it a day.” Soap said, still pushing Simon. The blond looked over his shoulder at Soap, looking deeply grateful as he let himself be steered to the master bathroom and practically shoved inside.

        In the process, Ripa wound up on the floor again, standing by Soap’s toes and wagging his tail.

        “What are you looking at?” Soap said to the dog.

        Ripa yapped.

        “No, it’s not your dinner yet, you don’t get to eat early just because your Da is home.” Soap said, walking away from the bathroom door as he heard the shower turn on. Ripa followed him, his fluffy ears bouncing in time with his steps. What should he make for dinner? Something quick and easy…

        Oh! He could make that stir fry Simon had showed him! The longest part of that was the rice.

        Johnny had learned a lot about cooking since he had started dating Simon including how to wash his rice. He hadn’t even realized that was a thing, but apparently Simon could tell the difference and would chastise Johnny if he didn’t wash every pot of rice he cooked.

        Ripa settled into his bed in the corner to watch Johnny cook. Apparently he was less interested in begging for scraps when Johnny wasn’t cooking meat.

        Johnny turned on the radio as he started cooking. Simon liked instrumental music, but Johnny liked songs with a beat. He didn’t get picky about artist or genre as long as it was something he could move to.

        Which was how Johnny found himself dancing in front of the stove as he cooked, humming along to the music, when a pair of cool hands slid around his hips and pulled him into an embrace.

        “Smells good.” Simon said, resting his chin on the top of Johnny’s head.

        “Probably because I used all your seasonings.” Johnny said as he pushed vegetables around in the pan, getting a nice sear. He leaned back into Simon’s chest, feeling those strong, solid arms wrap around him.

        “Thank you.” Simon said, holding Johnny tightly.

        “You’re welcome.” Soap said, knowing that Simon wasn’t thanking him for dinner, or even for watching Ripa.

        They stood in silence for a few minutes, the pan sizzling and Simon breathing in and out slowly, just holding Soap.

        “C’mon, we should eat. Then you can… what’s your little checklist? Drink, Dog, Book?” Soap teased, looking up at Simon.

        “I don’t have a checklist.” Simon grumbled, reluctantly letting go of Johnny so he could go get the plates from the cupboard.

        “You most certainly have a checklist!” Soap teased.

        They argued back and forth over dinner at the table, before adjourning to the bedroom since Simon wanted to lie down after his long work trip.

        “Fuck, this is always the best part…” Simon said as he folded his blankets back and climbed into bed. He groaned loudly as he wiggled under the blankets and got comfortable. Johnny smiled as he joined Simon on the other side of the bed.

        Little footsteps scratched up the mini steps as Ripa joined them, too.

        But Soap had gotten used to Ripa, and gotten used to sharing, at least a little bit. Johnny snuggled up next to Simon on the bed, tucking his head onto his shoulder. He could hear Ripa getting comfortable on the pillows above their heads, too.

        It was peaceful and cozy in bed with the lights low, just enough to see Simon’s face. Johnny lifted his head to press a kiss to the strong line of his jaw.

        “Welcome home.” He said softly. Simon blinked down at him, and then smiled back.

        “Not used to having anyone waiting for me. Most of the time I have to put Ripa in a kennel if I have to go anywhere, and he absolutely hates that.” Simon explained.

        “Does he not like other dogs?”

        “Not particularly. He loves people, but doesn’t get along well with other dogs. He thinks he should be the center of attention, doesn’t like sharing.” Simon said, Ripa huffed from above them, as if he knew they were talking about him.

        “As he should rightly be.” Soap said with a snicker, nuzzling closer to Simon. “He’s a little prince and deserves all the attention.”

        “Oh don’t go saying that, he’ll take you seriously!” Simon laughed, wrapping his arms securely around Johnny and pulling him more fully onto his chest.

        “You’re a perfect little prince, aren’t you?” Johnny asked, reaching above Simon’s head to pet Ripa. He could barely see his fluffy tail wagging in the dark. “That’s right, you know exactly how important you are.” Johnny said, grinning as he scratched behind Ripa’s ears. Simon sighed heavily and leaned back on the bed so Ripa could lean against the top of his head like an especially fluffy hat.

        Johnny settled down again, nestling himself under Simon’s chin.

        “Thank you.” Simon said softly, stroking Johnny’s back. He knew… he knew it wasn’t just for the dogsitting, or for cooking dinner. It was so much more. Johnny lifted his head to press another kiss to Simon’s face.

        “You’re welcome. It makes me happy. All of it.” Johnny said softly, hoping Simon took his words to heart.

        Johnny lay back down and got comfortable, closing his eyes. He was happy, being here with Simon.

        And Ripa too.

Chapter Text

        “I have bad news.”

        “Hm?” Soap looked up from his sketchbook, sitting up when he noticed how serious Simon looked. “What is it?

        “My family wants to meet you.” Simon said, looking as serious as an undertaker. Johnny had to fight the urge to laugh. That was all?

        “And this is… a bad thing?” Soap asked, shifting on the couch to make room for Simon to sit beside him.

        “It is when they’re overprotective. They’re going to scare you off.” Simon grumbled as he sat down and leaned against Johnny, resting his head on his shoulder. Johnny smiled and put his arm around Simon.

        “Oh Si, they won’t scare me off. And it’s good that they’re protective of you. It shows they care.” John said, squeezing Simon’s shoulder. For his part, Simon grumbled and nuzzled closer. “I’d like to meet them.” Johnny said softly, stroking Simon’s back.

        “They’re overwhelming…” Simon grumbled.

        “Family usually is. My sisters sound like a flock of chickens when they get excited.” Johnny joked, glad when he got a snort of laughter out of Simon.

        “I don’t want them to scare you off…” Simon said softly, turning so he could hide his face. Johnny shifted on the couch so he could pull Simon into his chest and hold him.

        “They won’t scare me off. Might scare me a little, but they won’t scare me away.” Johnny said as he rubbed soothing circles on Simon’s back. “Tell me about them?” Johnny asked hopefully. Simon heaved a sigh that came from his very core.

        “Mum. Tommy. Beth. Joey.” He said slowly. “Mum isn’t too bad. She’ll just complain that you’re too skinny and try to feed you. Beth is nice, she’s my sister-in-law. She’s very crafty, she’ll talk to you about art supplies. Joey is turning ten this year. Really into science. I got him one of those handheld microscopes for Christmas one year, and a journal to document his findings. It was great until he wanted to look up his Dad’s nose.” Simon said with a chuckle.

        “And Tommy?” Johnny asked, noticing the obvious omission. Simon sighed again and went limp.

        “He’s protective. Very protective. He thinks… he thinks I’ve already given too much, and he wants to make up for it.” Simon tipped his head down, muffling his voice in Johnny’s sweatshirt. “The year I came home from the military, there was… an incident. My family almost got hurt, and I did get hurt. I spent Christmas in the ICU and I don’t think Tommy ever got over that. I don’t think he really realized what I was doing in the military until it followed me home and tried to kill him. Now he’s convinced that he has to make up for all the years I was out there risking my life by protecting me now that I’m home.” Simon explained slowly. Johnny turned that over in his mind. Simon rarely spoke of his time in the military, but Johnny had guessed it had been… difficult. Which was an understatement.

        “It sounds like he loves you a lot.” Johnny said, still rubbing Simon’s back.

        “He does. He’s been my best friend for most of my life.” Simon said softly. “I remember when he was born… He was this little pink bean, and Mum said I had to look out for him…” Simon sounded a little choked up, but Johnny still couldn’t see his face.

        “I bet he appreciates being called a little pink bean.” Johnny said with a snicker.

        “I’m his older brother, I’m supposed to embarrass him.” Simon grumbled, but he lifted his face just a bit. His eyes were wet, but he didn’t look too emotional.

        “I’d love to meet your family, Simon.” Johnny said, lifting Simon’s chin to press a soft kiss to his lips. Johnny could feel SImon relax into the kiss, and his chest felt warm and full knowing that Simon found him so comforting. Simon sighed and laid his head down on Johnny’s chest again.

        “I know I shouldn’t be anxious, but I can’t help it. I keep thinking "what if something goes wrong?” Simon said softly. Johnny hummed and cupped the back of Simon’s head, holding him close.

        “It’s okay to be anxious. You probably haven’t brought anyone home to the family in a long time.”

        “Try ever. Nobody has ever stuck around this long.” Simon grumbled.

        “Well get used to it! You’re stuck with me!” Johnny said, squeezing Simon. He grinned when Simon laughed and snuggled closer. Good.

        “Yeah. Yeah, I’m stuck with you.” Simon repeated softly, relaxing on top of Johnny.

        And that didn’t sound like a bad thing at all.