Being Together

[Patch]

One of a kind.

One of a kind.

One of a kind.

Patch's own eyes slid closed, his smile stretching wider still as Angel's words echoed in his mind. He trusted her - and she'd opened up to him in a way he guessed she wouldn't have to just anyone else, so she must trust him too - and he could tell she wasn't the type to indulge in idle flattery. If she said he was one of a kind, then he well and truly was. He leant even further in against Angel, his nose brushing her cheek ever so slightly as he drank in her tantalising scent.

Patch had never known he could feel so content. But he had the most stunning girl ever - at least in Patch's opinion - nestled up against him, and she trusted him and thought he was sweet and special and had just told him the thing he'd longed to hear for so long, and he thought she might even like him... This had to be the best moment of his life. Even better than meeting Thunderbolt face-to-face like he had a few days before, as unbelievable as that must sound coming from him.

"Y-you are as well, Angel." His patched eye cracked open partway to regard her lovely form. "You're really special, and if Buster can't see that then you shouldn't go back to him." He didn't want her to go back to Buster. Where else she could go, of course, was going to be an issue all its own; but Patch didn't want to imagine Angel ever going back to the dog who called her his own but didn't value her at all. Maybe there was a little bit of jealousy at work there, too.

[Angel]

He thought she was special. One of a kind... Maybe she was, because she was likely one of the only pups that would ever be seen on the streets back home. Angel hadn't seen any other dogs her age, anyway. This was the only place she'd seen any other puppies around. Knowing that Patch thought she was special and unique just about made her life. His leaning closer to her was just wonderful.

"Believe me," she said at length, "I don't want to go back to him. Or the junkyard. The only reason I stayed as long as I did was because I didn't have anywhere else to go. If I could find a different place to live, though... I wouldn't have to go back there at all. Really, I don't think I'll be going back any time soon anyway. Not while we have this... School stuff to do."

There was that, and there also was Patch. These were things that kept her from going back home. Angel didn't expect that the people in charge of the school would just let her walk out without attempting to complete the education. Besides, as long as Patch was around she didn't have a lot of reasons to make her want to go home... If one could even call the junkyard a home at all. Maybe things would be different before too much longer, though. Angel could have found a potential home and people who cared about her. So far, her mission was a success. She'd found Patch at the very least, and that was all she really could ask for at the moment.

"But the school's not the only reason I want to stay here," she said. Her fuzzy cheek brushed against Patch's and her tail resumed wagging. He was as much of a reason as any.

[Patch]

At this point, Patch figured, he and Angel couldn't get any closer together unless they were crushed into each other in a vice; they were nestled into each other so tightly that if not for their disntinctly different fur colours, it would have been nearly impossible for an observer to tell where one ended and the other began. And the dal found that he didn't really want her to move away at all; the press of her body against his; the way it shifted slightly in time with her breathing; the way her golden fur brushed against his own white and black... every sensation felt amazing, and Patch was sure he never, ever wanted it to end.

His tail only wagged faster as Angel confirmed that she never wanted to go back to her old life. Not that he could blame her, but still... Patch had been dreading slightly the idea that, when the school holidays came around, she would have no choice but to trail back to the junkyard, where at any time something could happen to her and he'd never know, never be able to keep his promise not to abandon her. It was reassuring, in its way, to hear that she had no intention of ever returning there again if she could help it.

"We'll find somewhere better for you when the time comes," he promised at length. Angel was right, it wasn't going to be a big concern for as long as they were here; still, Patch hoped something would come up before too long. She deserved so much better than a junkyard, and if he knew she'd have somewhere better to go back to once this was all over, it would just make him even happier with the current state of things.

There wasn't much he could do to express additional happiness when Angel implied that he was an equally valid reason why she wanted to stay around here; somehow, though, his smile seemed to stretch that tiny bit wider, and his tail seemed to wag that tiny bit faster. Everything in him itched to... to lick her or kiss her or something like that; but as much as he wanted to, Patch restrained himself. Not only did he not have any idea how to respond to the desire, he also wasn't sure when the best time to go for something like that would be; at present felt as though it would probably be a bit too forward. He thought she might, possibly, like him in the same way that he liked her, but Patch wasn't ready to push his luck quite yet. And besides, he was plenty happy just cuddled up to her like this.

"I''m so glad I met you," the words were muttered into her neck as he tilted his head down, ever so slightly, in a way that let his nose nudge her jawline tenderly. There didn't seem to be a lot more to say, besides the fact that Patch didn't think he could possibly have been happier. and truth be told, he thought that was pretty obvious without him even having to voice it aloud.


(ooc: I don't want this thread to eeeeend... but I'm starting to think there's not much more we can do with it at present. Should we start wrapping it up soon?)

[Angel]

(ooc: Yeah, I think we can wrap it up after the next post or two.)

"I'm glad, too," Angel said. She wouldn't have known how to react if he'd decided to lick her right then and there. Besides, Angel was just happy knowing that anyone wanted to be close to her. The junkyard smell had to have lingered in her fur despite how many attempts she'd had at bathing herself. How anyone could have found that attractive was beyond her comprehension. So, just knowing that Patch was willing to linger beside her as she leaned against him was perfect for her. All the while, though, Angel really couldn't comprehend how Patch could stand her smell. As much as she wanted to ask, though, the question just didn't come up. Asking now would ruin the moment. Patch liked her for who she was, and that was all Angel could have really asked for when it came to that much.

"To be honest," she admitted, "I was beginning to wonder if I'd find anyone I could trust here. Not that I've gone out of my way to get to know that many people or animals, but... Now, I can't imagine me opening up to anyone else but you. Or being with anyone but you."

The exception probably would have been Vanellope. That girl was different from most humans she'd met, and Angel could easily see herself spending time with the little girl in question. Patch didn't need to know that much, though. He probably hadn't even met her yet, and she'd wait for that much to happen whenever it did. All that mattered was that she and he were together. That wasn't about to change any time soon. ...Well, it would definitely change whenever they had to go to class. Whenever they did have to go to class, though, they could always meet each other outside of it. In the halls, the cafeteria, sneaking into each other's respective circle dorms... Angel would have taken anything by that point. She could hardly wait to spend more time with him.

"We're going to have to see each other again. You know that, right?" she asked. Angel simply refused to let this be the last time the two saw each other.

[Patch]

Patch was aware of the scent of junkyard that clung to her, of course - though like most young male dogs would, he found it more an exciting smell than a repulsive one - but he could also detect her own unique scent beneath that. A scent that, well, he couldn't rightly define, but one that was every bit as enticing as the rest of her beauty was. For she was a beautiful dog; of that, Patch had absolutely no doubt at all, and in spite of what she may have thought about herself, he counted himself as the luckiest male alive to have her pressed up against him like this. She'd chosen him, not anyone else... and when she confirmed that by speaking up about how she couldn't imagine being like this with anyone other than him, Patch beamed so widely that it was a wonder his face didn't crack right in two.

"I can't imagine being with anyone else, either." Again, he nosed her neck gently for a brief moment, and then looked back up into the female's cerulean eyes - pretty cerulean eyes that presently danced with happiness in a way that made his heart do a flip within his chest - as she stated how they were going to have to see each other again.

Patch wouldn't have had it any other way.

A very enthusiastic nod was given in response. "I can't wait until I can spend more time with you. This is going to be champion!" What they would even do, when that time came, Patch couldn't begin to guess. Play around together, like they had yesterday? Just talk and sit together, like just now? Or something else entirely? Whatever it consistded of, however, Patch would be only too happy to grab the opportunity with both paws.

"There aren't any classes over the weekend, are there? We could meet up tomorrow or sunday," he suggested hopefully. Maybe Angel would find that a bit soon; but Patch felt like he quite literally couldn't get enough of the girl at present.

[Angel]

"I don't think there are, at least from what I've heard," Angel answered. She hoped that was the case, anyway. If there were classes it would make things infinitely more difficult for the two to get some alone time. Still, at the very least she had the hopes that they could get together at all. Spending time with a dog that she, admittedly, had taken a liking to seemed like the ideal way to spend a weekend. ...At least for the moment. Angel didn't have any idea of what the future held, so there could have been things that happened later that very day that could make things all the more different for the days to follow.

Patch's idea to get together over the weekend was the best thing they had going for them. So, Angel nodded in agreement with it. It wasn't as if she had any better conclusions to come to for how their weekend was to be spent. She didn't even really know what they'd end up doing should they end up together again. Playing and talking were about all she could imagine. So...

"I'd love to spend time with you this weekend. Just name the time and place, and I'll be there."

[Patch]

His tail whipped vigorously as Angel confirmed that she was, indeed, up for seeing him again over the weekend. A part of Patch had almost been afraid he was coming on too heavily - he'd only known her a day and a half and already they were already cuddling intimately - but knowing that Angel was fine to keep on getting together as often and wasn't asking him to take it slower was enough to reassure the dalmatian. If she was fine with the pace at which they were apparently growing so close, then there was no way he was going to be caught complaining.

"Why not tomorrow, at lunch? I've got homework to do in the morning, but we could spend the whole afternoon together after we've eaten." Unlike today, when Patch was all too aware that it wasn't going to be much longer before the bell rang, announcing that they had to head off to their separate classes; and as much as he would really prefer to stay here with Angel rather than stick himself back behind a desk to learn some more, Patch wasn't really a rebel at heart. He'd be in his class - whatever it was actually going to be this afternoon, he hadn't thought to check - even if right here was a much more desirable place to be.

"Do you know what you've got this afternoon?" he enquired of Angel momentarily. As of yet, Patch hadn't pulled away from Angel; if it had to end, he would rather wait for her to be the one to move, as opposed to breaking the embrace himself. And his question was simply curious; curious as to what Angel would be studying while he was in his own class.

[Angel]

"Sounds good to me. I'll be sure to be here," Angel said. She didn't have anything to do at that time, at least as far as she knew, so it would be relatively easy to get to the meeting spot without worry. Patch's question about what she had for classes wasn't all that unexpected, either. A casual shrug was Angel's initial answer as she rose to her paws and her fluffy tail curled back to where it belonged. Not that Angel necessarily wanted to move away from him right then, but still... The bell would surely ring sooner or later, and Angel wanted to be prepared for it.

"I think I've got some history class next. We'll have to see how that goes. I'm not really sure why whoever's running this place thought it'd be a good idea to stick me in that class, but I guess it's all right," Angel said. She didn't really have a lot to say about the class. The one teaching it was a pet not unlike Patch, just older and a cocker spaniel. Whether or not the class was still going on had yet to be determined, though. Angel would make her way to the classroom, but she'd have to see for herself if it was still good to go. She glanced back to Patch and tilted her head to the side moments later.

"What about you? What class have you got?"

[Patch]

"I can hardly wait," Patch nodded as Angel promised that she would, indeed, be there to meet him again the next day. They could just play around together or something, he didn't even know; and the thing that made it even better was that, as a day without classes, neither of them would have to be wearing their uniforms. It wasn't as though Patch much minded the attire really, in spite of the numerous issues he still had at times with his trailing tie, and he still believed Angel carried the look very well; but it would mean neither of them had to worry about another tie-pulling fisaco like the previous day's, and that was certainly a desirable thing in the male's book.

In the present, however, Patch watched as Angel stood and took a step or two away from him, and then hastily followed suit. He didn't know the exact time, but it couldn't be long until the bell went.

"I'm not sure," Patch had to confess momentarily as Angel turned his question back on him. He knew he hadn't ended up in any history classes - unfortunate as that was, because he would have loved to take one if he could have sat next to Angel in it - but the dal had been so preoccupied, first with his vigorous scratching and then by Angel's arrival, that he'd completely forgotten to check. For a moment, Patch fell a pace behind Angel as he scrabbled in his shirt pocket for the rumpled piece of paper that was his timetable, then bounded to catch up to her once he'd managed that.

"I've got something called Chaos Theory." He squinted at the bit of paper in puzzlement. What that was going to be all about, the spotted canine couldn't even begin to guess; apparently, however, he'd been signed up for it, and it was where he needed to be next. "Do you want to- ah!" Engrossed in his timetable, Patch came dangerously close to stepping on his tie yet again, and only managed to catch himself before it happened by turning his step into an awkward little spin that crashed him straight into Angel's side. The dal gave his head a little shake, checked that his tie had escaped unscathed - for a miracle, it had - and glanced sheepishly at Angel as he finished off his sentence.

"-to stick together until we get into the mansion? Sorry."

[Angel]

"Chaos Theory?" Angel repeated. She didn't really know what a class like that would have been like, but she wasn't about to ask what it could have been. All she'd really been doing was repeating the name of the class because it sounded so odd. There were just some classes that made no sense to her. But... That was neither here nor there. Angel stopped herself from going any further when she heard Patch's yelp and glanced back to see what the problem was. He'd apparently managed to nearly step on his tie, and she had to keep herself from laughing at the sight of it. Poor Patch... That wouldn't have been pleasant at all.

Thankfully, Patch asked if they could stick together until they got to the mansion. She nodded once and her tail wagged back and forth once more. Of course they could be together for a bit longer.

"Sure, that'd be great. I wouldn't mind the company," Angel said. While she could have teased Patch about wanting someone to guide him back, she resisted for this particular moment. They could walk back together without her gentle teasing about that particular subject. She could, however, do some teasing about how he'd nearly made a mess of his tie.

"You should be careful with that tie of yours," she teased. "I'm not going to be here every time you need the knot undone."

[Patch]

This time the crimson that rose to Patch's cheeks was distinctly embarrassment rather than pleasure. Okay, maybe a tiny amount of pleasure - at least insofar as he'd rather have Angel teasing him than anyone else - but Patch still felt plenty mortified that she'd had to point it out at all. He ducked his head slightly as he scurried back to her side, though his flush was still quite unmissable even so, and for a moment Patch didn't even speak at all as he, rather, watched his paws very, very carefully. It was only once he was sure that his tie was trailing between them without further mishap that the dalmatian allowed himself to look up again.

"It gets under my paws when I'm not looking," he complained at length, not quite looking straight at Angel. Her tie didn't seem to give her any such troubles; then again, he supposed hers was tied to be a bit shorter than his, so that while its tip still brushed the ground, it didn't get so far underpaw as his did. And in spite of the teasing she was giving him for it, Patch couldn't help but feel that was a good thing; Angel had already had such a difficult life, the last thing she needed was incessant tie troubles on top of it all. In light of that, actually, Patch supposed he didn't really mind being laughed at so much when it was by her. He knew she ment it good-naturedly.

"But at least I didn't step on it that time," he added defiantly a moment later, managing to chuckle slightly as he met her eye again. Maybe it wasn't much, considering how close he'd still come - if he'd taken half a step further then, he would have ended up flat on his face again and he knew it - but Patch thought it should still count as a minor victory. The spotty pup did consider that he maybe ought to try remedying his issue somehow once and for all, since it had been troubling him at various points all week; thus far, however, he hadn't really tried anything.

[Angel]

"That's true. You did manage to avoid making a mess out of it again," Angel said. How strange it was that the two of them had only known each other for a day by that point. It felt as though it had been much longer than that. Angel could hardly complain about that, though. She enjoyed his company regardless of how long they had known one another and wasn't about to make light of that much. He made her smile without even really trying to. His being sweet and kind on top of that just made the fact of the matter that much more appealing. Really, Angel couldn't imagine herself being this happy with being in anyone else's presence. Sure there were other members of her circle that she could have gotten to know, but none were as special as Patch.

There was a sort of spring in her step as she trotted along. Angel noted, at least briefly, that her tie wasn't giving her as many problems as Patch's was. Perhaps hers was a bit shorter? That was always a possibility, but she chose not to touch upon it. Instead, she glanced at Patch once more with that same smile on her face and decided to steer the topic away from the bothersome uniform parts. As funny as it was to touch upon Patch's nearly messed up tie, there had to be better topics to discuss on their way back to the mansion.

"I just remembered something, actually. Aren't those fights supposed to be today?" Angel asked at length. She wasn't going to watch them, of course, but she did wonder briefly if Patch would... Or if he knew anyone that was participating in them.

[Patch]

"Yeah, they are." Patch nodded, a little more subdued now that Angel had switched the topic of conversation. On the one paw, he was glad she hadn't continued poking fun at the difficulties his tie still gave him; but on the other, the very idea of the fights had made him nervous. Though he had checked and double-checked the list to make sure Angel's name hadn't been on there, the fact remained that there was still plenty of time for her to be drawn in the weeks ahead. And while he knew that she was probably more than capable of handling herself - more capable than he was, at any rate - the idea of her even just potentially getting hurt was enough to make Patch's stomach start to turn queasy.

"I'm glad neither of us got picked this week," he confessed as he continued to trot at her side. "I wouldn't want you to be put in danger in there." He hoped Angel felt more or less the same way; although he hadn't met any personally, Patch knew there were some students who were altogether quite eager to enter the arena, and he wasn't sure what he'd think if Angel held that sort of attitude herself. He didn't think she was the type who would enjoy that sort of thing, but if the streets had given her some sort of thirst to prove herself...? He didn't know if that would be the case or not.

"I didn't think I really wanted to watch the fights." While it was true that Thunderbolt fought with bad guys on telly all the time and Patch loved seeing that, there was something... different about this. For one thing, Ol' Thunder always won, and the bad guys were just that - bad guys. In contrast, there were no heroes and villains in the arena; just students like himself and Angel. Watching them beat each other up wouldn't be fun; it would be brutal. Even if he knew a couple of those who were down to fight - the wolf-girl Rahne and his own brother Wizzer - Patch was still sure he would rather not look on. The only exception would be if Angel ended up in the fights; the dalmatian knew he'd never forgive himself if he didn't do everything within his power to support his new friend.

"How about you?" He asked at length.

[Angel]

"I don't know anyone that's in the fights," Angel said before too long, "so I don't have much of a reason to watch. Even if I did... I don't much like the idea of watching anyone fight like this. I've seen more than my fair share of fights."

Thankfully, Angel had never actually been in the fights she'd mentioned. She'd only ever seen foolish dogs getting beaten up by Reggie when they wandered into his alley. Those times were few and far between, granted, but still. Angel really didn't want to watch any more fights than she absolutely had to. The only way she would end up watching would be if she knew someone that was involved. Patch, she was certain, would be one of those individuals she may have wound up watching. She cared about him, even if they did only know each other for about a day or so. Nothing was going to change that much. Regardless of how long they had known one another, she couldn't just pretend not to know him if he wound up in one of the fights. It wouldn't be right.

"So, I'll probably just be hanging around the earth circle area for the time being. I don't know anyone that well in my circle yet, but... Who knows? Maybe I'll find someone to talk to. At least until we see each other tomorrow," she said. She would have loved to spend time with Patch that night, but he probably had things to do. With that being the case, Angel decided it best not to suggest it.

"What about you? How've you been getting on with the people in your circle?" she asked. Mostly, it was out of curiosity.

[Patch]

Patch nodded his agreement as Angel voiced her sentiments. Just like him, she didn't much like the idea of the fights, or of watching them; and for that, Patch was grateful. He wouldn't have known quite how to react if Angel had shown an enjoyment for that sort of thing; however as he evidently had nothing to worry about on that count, there was little point in dwelling on it.

"I'd only watch if there was someone who I really cared about in them. Like..." he almost stopped, not sure if it would be tempting fate to say what he had meant to, and then decided to chance it. "Like you. I wouldn't want you to get hurt at all, but if you did get in one of the fights, I'd be there to support you." He gave a little smile in Angel's direction. In honesty, Patch was almost expecting her response to be an argument that she could handle herself; even if it was, however, he hadn't wanted to leave the sentiment unspoken. Whether it was too fast or not, he genuinely cared about her in a way that was wholly unfamilliar to the young dalmatian.

"Oh, some of them are really cool." Patch's tail gave a wag as he thought back a couple of days. Since the time he'd spent hanging out with Rahne and Elphaba on Monday, the spotted pup hadn't really had much opportunity to mingle with his circle members; still, those he had met had proven fascinating. "I've only got to know a couple, but there's this one girl with green skin who can use magic; and another girl who can turn into a wolf!" He knew it must sound far-fetched, especially to someone who - he presumed - didn't watch a lot of TV, but Patch had seen the ability with his own eyes. He had to wonder what Angel would make of hearing about the two humans who he felt had started to befriend him, though.