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Bowie loves his owner.
Contrary to his media appearances and resting grumpy face, Leon is gentle and considerate to those he loves, something Bowie is able to happily attest to given he lives with the man. But in all fairness, it’s not just Bowie, he's certain that others would say the same about his owner. After all, Leon is also kind to his family, his friends, his team and his significant others.
Most of the time, he’s also fairly courteous to strangers.
So Bowie does not understand what makes the man across the alley from them such an anomaly.
Case in point, Leon is currently glaring at said man and muttering something distinctly rude under his breath in German.
Bowie cocks his head to the side with a small questioning whine.
He doesn’t know who the stranger is, just that he appears to be an occupant in the apartment building across the alley from where Leon and Bowie are temporarily staying in whilst the "bubble" is ongoing.
Bowie also has no idea what the "bubble" is, but Leon had seemed much happier since it started and that's all that matters.
Refocusing back on the stranger, Bowie wonders what it is that Leon doesn't like about him.
The other man had seemed perfectly fine earlier when Bowie had been watching him through the balcony railing out of boredom. It had taken the man a good few minutes before he had even noticed Bowie but once he had, he had waved and said something Bowie couldn’t hear before coming back with a small plate and chucking something over.
Upon investigation of the mysteriously launched object, Bowie had discovered it was a piece of cooked chicken breast.
He loves chicken.
What's more, usually Bowie has to successfully complete a few tricks before he gets to have a snack, so he had very gratefully munched down on the freely provided treat without another thought.
Given the interactions so far, the man seems lovely!
He can therefore only watch on in utter bafflement as his owner scowls in response to something the man does.
“Fick dich,” Leon mutters and gives the man a middle finger.
Bowie barks, scandalised by his owner’s rudeness.
He scrambles onto the patio furniture and peers over at the man.
The stranger notices Bowie immediately and waves at him cheerily. He’s holding a little pad of paper up now, with scribbles on it that Bowie doesn’t understand.
Bowie isn’t too bothered, he’s too busy staring in fascination at the man’s face, especially when it breaks into a slightly toothy grin.
He likes the man’s smile, it’s sweet and a little goofy.
He thinks that it’s the kind of smile Leon normally likes on his partners.
Bowie wags his tail at that thought and barks happily since he can’t wave back.
Then he yelps as his unobstructed view of the man is suddenly gone as he is physically picked up by his owner and set back onto the balcony ground.
He whines.
“As if I’d tell you asshole,” Leon grumbles, gritting his teeth in a way that makes Bowie worry.
His owner already has terribly blunt teeth, he’s not sure Leon can afford to grind his teeth down even more.
Bowie lets out another whine at the idea of his poor owner no longer being able to eat because he doesn’t have any functioning teeth.
The stranger must do something or write a new message because Leon’s face sours.
Bowie barks and scrambles back onto the furniture in concern.
The man is rolling his eyes and, as Bowie watches, the man waves one last time, flashing another easy grin before he walks away from the window.
Instinctively, Bowie crowds closer to the railing and lets out another bark.
He wonders if the stranger is going to come back with more treats.
“Come on,” Leon says as Bowie is once more picked up, “ignore Tkachuk, he’s not worth your time.”
Bowie cranes his head back at the window where the man, Tkachuk, lives and lets out a soft whine.
He doesn't understand why his owner dislikes Tkachuk.
---
Bowie is once more bored.
His owner had taken him for a perfunctory walk in the morning before hastily dashing off for ‘practice’.
It’s been years and Bowie still has no idea what that is but Leon has it a lot so he’s learned to accept it.
He’s napping fitfully on the sofa in the living room when he hears a faint whistle.
Bowie sits up and looks around in confusion.
An examination of the room he's in yields nothing and he’s about to scramble off the sofa to try another room when he catches sight of the man from the other day through the glass door leading out to the balcony.
Tkachuk is grinning at him and waving a small bag.
Bowie wags his tail in excitement at the idea of seeing the friendly man and of potentially having more treats.
He jumps off the sofa and scrambles out to the balcony, nudging through the doggy door happily and hopping easily onto the patio furniture so he can peer over the railing at Tkachuk.
The man has his window open today.
“Well hello there,” Tkachuk calls out, a broad smile on his face which makes his eyes crinkle at the corners.
Bowie barks in reply, wishing he could get close so he can put his paws on the man’s leg and ask to be picked up.
He thinks Tkachuk would give good cuddles and tummy rubs.
“Well, at least one of you is happy to see me,” Tkachuk says, still fairly loudly, before he holds up the bag in his hand and shakes it invitingly, “want one buddy?”
Bowie whines and wags his tail a bit harder.
Tkachuk laughs and throws a treat across the divide.
Bowie watches as it plinks against the balcony door and falls onto the ground, and promptly jumps off the furniture to eat it.
It’s some peanut butter flavoured snack this time.
Bowie gets back up onto the furniture once he’s done and barks a 'thank you' at Tkachuk.
He knows humans don’t understand him but it still seems polite.
Funnily enough, Tkachuk seems to get the gist of his sentiment anyway because the man grins back, then he holds up an oddly shaped thing in his hands.
Bowie cocks his head to the side.
Tkachuk chuckles and squeezes it.
The thing squeaks.
Bowie perks up.
He loves squeaky toys.
Unfortunately, for some reason Bowie has never been able to ascertain, his owner isn’t overly fond of them, so Bowie doesn't have too many squeaky ones in his toy stash. He wags his tail and barks once.
He wonders whose toy Tkachuk is holding and if they’d mind if Bowie plays with it for a bit.
Bowie watches on in confusion as Tkachuk pulls out a wooden basket. He stares as Tkachuk stuffs the toy into the basket, closes the lid and winds his arm back.
The basket comes sailing over to Bowie and he darts out of the way with a startled yelp.
“Oh fuck,” Tkachuk curses loudly, “shit, shit.”
Bowie stands up so his paws are once more on the railing and barks at the man’s continued cursing.
“Oh thank God, Draisaitl would have killed me,” Tkachuk confesses in relief, eyes still wide with panic.
Bowie doesn't understand why Tkachuk think his owner would hurt him, but he's also isn’t really paying attention anymore, too curious about the new object to focus. He hops off easily so he can have a sniff at the basket, noting as he did so that it’s attached to a rather lengthy rope.
He paws at the top of the basket until the lid flips open and he can tug at the squeaky toy with his teeth. He is terribly proud when he frees it from the basket without much trouble.
There is a faint woodsy smell on the toy, and Bowie distantly wonders if it’s what Tkachuk smells like.
If it is, it’s nice.
Not as nice as his owner’s smell but Bowie might be a bit biased.
He bites down on the toy.
Squeak.
Oh that’s perfect.
Bowie’s so happy he thinks his whole body is shaking.
Squeak.
Squeak.
He jumps back onto the patio furniture so he can show off how well he's playing with the toy to Tkachuk, pleasantly surprised when the man looks utterly charmed and gets equally as excited as Bowie.
Tkachuk bids Bowie to do it again as he holds up a phone.
Bowie hesitates.
Normally he is not a fan of phones, because the presence of a phone usually precedes people trying to put weird costumes on him or force him to get into annoying positions so they can take a photo.
However, given Tkachuk has generously shared his toy, Bowie very graciously decides to pose for the camera.
He even bites down on the toy.
Squeak.
“Perfect,” Tkachuk praises warmly.
Bowie breathes in Tkachuk’s smell from the toy in his mouth and thinks he might come to like the woodsy smell.
---
Bowie is still playing with his new toy when his owner comes back.
He hears Leon’s steps way before the lock turns in the doorway and he proudly drags his new toy with him to greet his owner.
Usually, Leon will pause and give him a quick cuddle before he moves to take off his shoes.
Today, Leon does neither and stomps directly over to the balcony.
Baffled, Bowie scampers along even though he doesn’t understand what’s causing the change in routine.
“Tkachuk,” Leon calls out, sounding angrier than Bowie has heard in a while, “I know you’re there asshole.”
At his new friend’s name, Bowie jumps up on the patio furniture and bites down on his new toy.
Squeak.
Squeak squeak squeak.
Leon looks down at him.
Bowie peers up at his owner and excitedly bites down on the toy a few more times.
The faint frown on Leon’s face deepens into a truly impressive scowl as he takes out his phone and presses something before he holds it up to his ear.
“Seriously? A flame?” his owner bites into the phone, “do you have no taste?”
There is a loud laugh, and both Bowie and Leon stop their staring contest to look over simultaneously at where Tkachuk is once more at his window.
He waves jauntily and says something into the phone he’s holding up.
Bowie drops his toy briefly to bark back a greeting, tail wagging so hard his whole body shakes with it.
“No, he does not like it,” Leon mutters, scowling darkly at Tkachuk, “Bowie has more taste than that.”
Bowie looks up at the sound of his name before he goes back to chewing on his new toy.
Squeak.
Squeak squeak.
“Fuck you,” Leon retorts to something Tkachuk says and moves to grab Bowie’s new toy.
Bowie sees the hand coming and cleverly ducks out of the way.
He barks happily, because an impromptu game of tug with Leon is always fun.
Except, Leon is not chasing him, he’s instead standing still and glaring at Tkachuk.
“You fucking wish asshole,” his owner snaps into the phone before he rolls his eyes, “go bother someone else’s dog.”
For good measure, Leon gives Tkachuk the middle finger and hangs up.
Bowie whines.
He doesn’t understand why his owner doesn’t like his new friend but he can tell Leon is in a bad mood.
Bowie doesn’t like it when his owner is upset.
Tentatively, because he’s not sure why Leon is annoyed, Bowie leaves his new toy in favour of pawing at Leon’s pants. Leon looks down at him and easily scoops him up.
Bowie wiggles contentedly in Leon’s arms as he is carried back inside.
He’ll come back out for his new toy later.
Once they’re both in and the balcony door is slid shut, Leon draws the blinds, much earlier than he normally would given it’s nowhere near evening time just yet.
Odd.
Bowie licks Leon’s face when the man leans in close to cuddle him.
“As if he can buy your affections with some cheap treats and a chew toy, you have more sense than to fall for his sad attempts to charm you, right?”
Bowie wags his tail at the word 'treats'.
Leon smiles down at him, something conflicted in his expression that Bowie doesn’t understand.
“Fuck him,” his owner says.
If Bowie notices that Leon's eyes are consistently drawn over to the direction of the balcony the rest of the night, he doesn't draw attention to it.
---
Tkachuk is fast becoming one of Bowie’s favourite people, which is quite an accomplishment considering Bowie has never had a chance to meet him in person.
Though, given all of their interactions so far, Bowie is certain that he doesn’t need to meet Tkachuk in person to know that he likes him. After all, it’s hard not to adore someone who goes out of his way to greet Bowie every day with a smile on his face and who periodically throws over treats and toys.
Tkachuk is perceptive too.
After about a few days of tossing over randomly flavoured treats, Tkachuk seems to have somehow realised that Bowie likes blueberry flavoured ones the most and now almost exclusively sends that over the divide.
Bowie likes his thoughtfulness.
He thinks that’s one of the traits his owner values in his partners.
Bowie huffs to himself and rests his head on his paws.
It’s funny.
Tkachuk is, by all of Bowie’s observations, very much his owner’s type.
He’s funny, charming and pays careful attention to those around him, so it continues to be a conundrum that Leon does not appear to like Tkachuk.
Bowie whines softly to himself.
He really wishes they would get along better. Ever since Celeste and his owner parted ways, Leon had been a bit maudlin, which has only been worse since this lockdown started. For the past few months, it’s only really been Leon and Bowie pottering aimlessly around their too large house back home and, despite the many phone and video calls, sometimes Leon will sit on the couch after a long day and, despite having Bowie to cuddle with, he’ll still seem a bit lonely?
Bowie thinks that Tkachuk’s warm grins and infectious laughter might fit nicely in the empty spaces of their temporary apartment (and maybe someday, their house).
If only because Tkachuk certainly makes Leon feel a lot of things.
Bowie isn’t sure he’s ever seen his owner curse so much and so frequently.
He’s taken to always being on the balcony because, just like how he’s learned to like his new chicken-flavoured kibble, Bowie thinks that repeated exposure might help Leon realise all the good traits Tkachuk has and give him a chance.
“Hey Bowie!”
Speaking of the man.
Bowie perks up and looks over at the opposing window.
“Did your mean old owner leave you alone again?”
Bowie barks in reproach.
Leon isn’t mean.
He then pauses to reassess.
Okay, Leon might be mean to Tkachuk but he's normally much nicer!
The man across from him just seems to have a knack for bringing out the worst in Leon.
“You should head in,” Tkachuk is calling out, “much as I like our hang outs, we’re playing against the Oilers tonight so Draisaitl and I will both be gone until late.”
Bowie cocks his head to the side.
He didn’t realise Tkachuk worked with his owner but that would definitely explain how they seem to know each other already.
He barks to acknowledge Tkachuk’s advice.
The man smiles and waves briefly at him before heading away from the window.
Bowie peers sadly after him and wishes, not for the first time, that he could jump over the divide for a pat on the head.
He still thinks Tkachuk would give good cuddles and belly rubs, but he now knows that even if Tkachuk was terrible at both and didn’t pet him at all, Bowie would still be happy to be in his company.
Just to bask in the man’s good cheer.
Slightly despondent at the rather short interaction, Bowie settles back down for another nap.
Maybe when he wakes up, Leon and Tkachuk will be friends and Bowie will get to cuddle with them both together.
---
Sadly, Tkachuk and Leon are not both there when Bowie wakes up later, which is rather disappointing and Bowie spends a few minutes moping before he notices that his owner had come home with a new toy.
He jumps excitedly around Leon’s feet and paws impatiently at his pants.
“Bowie, wait buddy, no, ugh, fine. I don’t even know why I didn’t just throw it away,” Leon says grumpily, before he gives in with a sigh and allows Bowie to snatch it, “I hope you hate it and tear it to pieces.”
The toy smells like Tkachuk.
Bowie stares at it curiously.
It’s shaped like a fuzzy rat and when Bowie picks it up and bites down, it makes a sharp little squeak.
Bowie wags his tail.
Squeak.
Squeak.
He loves it.
He bites down the toy again and does an excited loop around Leon’s feet.
“Of course,” his owner sighs and reaches up to rub at his face tiredly, “of course it’s another squeaky toy. Why did I expect anything else?”
Bowie paws at the toy and pretends to pounce on it.
Leon watches him for a bit longer, looking hesitant for reasons Bowie does not understand before he blows out a deep breath and takes out his phone.
Bowie grabs and chews on his new favourite toy as his owner angles the camera and films him.
He thinks Leon might be the only person he’d happily pose for the camera for.
Bowie gnaws on the soft fur and reconsiders that. He might also include Tkachuk, if the man continues to give him more squeaky toys.
When Leon leaves to change and drop off his game day stuff, Bowie entertains himself by tossing his new toy up in the air and catching it again with his paws so he can bite and kick at the toy.
He’s settled on chewing diligently on the toy rat’s tail when Leon comes back in, phone in hand still.
There is a softness in his gaze that makes Bowie pause, because he’s seen that look before, it usually happens right before his owner gets a new significant other.
Bowie watches as Leon spends the next couple of minutes texting, occasionally snorting or rolling his eyes, but there is a fond smile playing about his lips the entire time.
Changing track to bite at the rat’s ears, he breaths in the woodsy smell and wonders who his owner is on the phone with.
---
Ever since that night, Leon has been in a comparatively good mood, further intensifying Bowie’s suspicions that his owner is interested in someone.
The last time Leon had seemed this quietly content was when he was still with Celeste.
The only strange thing is that Bowie still has no idea who it is that’s caught his owner’s eyes, which is a rather bizarre turn of events because usually Leon will let slip the name to Bowie or to someone else whilst on a call or FaceTime.
It’s never been a mystery before.
Except, even when Bowie pauses to reflect, the only new name that’s come out of his owner’s mouth repeatedly in recent times is ‘Tkachuk’ and, well, he doesn’t always say it very affectionately.
Though, on a positive note, at least Leon’s distaste of Tkachuk appears to have miraculously mellowed in recent days, to the extent that they even managed to have some cordial interactions from the confines of their respective temporary apartments. Honestly, the first time the two of them had a comparatively normal conversation, Bowie had been so ecstatic by the development that he had nearly wiggled off of Leon’s lap out of joy.
Finally, progress!
Sadly, Bowie still hasn’t had a chance to actually meet Tkachuk in person but he figures at the rate that they’re going, it’ll happen any day now, especially given Tkachuk is literally only a building away.
So Bowie is ready to meet Tkachuk, he’s just not expecting that his chance to meet the man in person will unexpectedly come a few days later.
One minute Bowie is walking with Leon, and the next, he catches wind of a familiar woodsy scent and his tail is wagging before he fully comprehends what he’s smelling.
Except, he knows that scent now.
It’s Tkachuk!
Bowie lets out a happy bark and tries to tug his owner towards the direction where the scent is coming from.
To Bowie’s dismay, Leon is much much bigger and is in no mood to follow his lead.
“No, Bowie, we’re going home, we’re not detouring again,” Leon chides gently, tugging on his leash in the opposing direction.
Bowie tries to resist but he knows that his window of opportunity is closing, any moment now, his owner is going to reach out and grab him and then he won’t get to meet Tkachuk in person, which would be terrible because Bowie has been so patient.
He barks apologetically at Leon before he strategically places himself in the right position such that when Leon goes to pull on his leash once more, Bowie leans back as far as he can and-
Pop.
His collar slips off.
He winces when it catches temporarily on his ears but refocuses on the mission at hand immediately.
His ears will be fine.
He needs to find Tkachuk and finally ask the man for a cuddle.
“Oh shit,” Leon gets out as Bowie immediately takes off in the direction of the familiar woodsy smell.
He scrambles quickly around the first corner, sniffing as he runs to orient himself, scampering as fast as he can as he hear Leon’s footsteps and loud cursing follow close behind.
Bowie gives an enthusiastic bark when the scent gets stronger.
Almost there!
He gets even more excited when he gets to the end of the block and catches sight of what must be Tkachuk’s back.
The man is crossing the road.
Bowie gives another happy bark and dashes onto the street after him.
“Oh fuck, no, Bowie!”
Bowie hears his owner’s panicked voice the same time he turns and sees the oncoming car.
He freezes.
“What the-” is the last thing he hears before an unexpected weight tackles him and Bowie is enveloped in a set of familiar smelling arms.
The world spins unpleasantly as they roll off to the side of the street.
Tkachuk is panting heavily and his heart is pounding so frantically that Bowie can hear it from where he’s been gently cradled to the man's chest.
Bowie curls in on himself when he realises how badly he’s messed up.
“Oh shit, fuck,” Tkachuk is muttering, sitting up on the sidewalk so he can peer down at where Bowie is huddling in concern, “you okay buddy?”
Bowie whines and licks Tkachuk’s cheek as a thank you and an apology in one, even as the car speeds past them with a loud honk.
“Verdammt,” Leon spits out as he jogs up, bending down so he’s more or less level with them, “let me see him.”
Bowie whimpers.
He doesn’t like the fury in his owner’s voice.
“Is he hurt?” Leon demands as he whisks Bowie out of Tkachuk’s gentle hold, “did you do something?”
Bowie barks to refute the unfair accusation but his owner isn’t looking at him anymore.
“You can’t be serious,” Tkachuk is saying in bewilderment, voice going hard and flat when Leon only glowers back, “I saved him from being a doggy pancake and you’re asking if I hurt him?”
“Well, why is he whimpering then?” Leon continues aggressively, guilt and panic warring on his face still.
Bowie whines from within Leon’s arms and paws at his owner to try and get his attention, concerned that his owner will say something he’s going to regret if he doesn’t calm down.
Leon ignores him.
“Maybe because he was almost hit by a car?” Tkachuk says back, eyes wide and a dull flush rising up his neck, “why wasn't he on a leash?”
In the ensuing silence, Bowie feels Leon tense at the implied accusation. He's still in a way that makes Bowie think Tkachuk has hit a raw nerve and Leon is about a second away from truly losing his temper.
Bowie whines, which seems to ground his owner enough that instead of biting something back, he simply grits his teeth.
“Fick dich,” Leon replies and begins walking away.
Which would have been the end of this disastrous encounter, except-
Tkachuk snorts.
“Seriously?” he calls out after them, getting up but standing instead of following after Leon’s departing back, “that’s what I get for heroically saving your dog Draisaitl?”
“He wouldn’t need saving if not for you, because he wouldn’t have run off in the first place,” Leon turns around and snarls, heedlessly of the fact that it was Bowie's mistake and Tkachuk had no hand in the incident, “he’s never once tried to get off his leash and collar before he met you.”
Bowie whines at the loud words and angry tone.
Scratch that, he’s never heard Leon be this upset before.
Not even when he accidentally chewed apart his owner’s brand new shoes a few months back.
“I told you before and I’ll tell you one more time,” Leon says darkly, “I don’t why you’re so intent on paying attention to Bowie but he doesn’t need it. So just stay the fuck away from me and leave my dog alone.”
Bowie stops cowering at that.
He does a frantic wiggle to try and get out of his owner’s arms because he definitely does not want that.
He likes Tkachuk.
Leon curses and shuffles his hold so he’s gripping onto Bowie better.
“No, you better behave,” Leon scolds in a harsh tone, “you’ve caused enough trouble for one day, what were you thinking to chase after this asshole?”
Bowie whines as his owner begins striding away, scrambling desperately so he can peer over Leon’s shoulder.
Tkachuk’s face is initially slack from shock but, as Bowie watches, it becomes tight with hurt before the man turns away, hands clenched into fists at his side.
Bowie deflates.
He really messed up.
---
“Bowie, Connor and Lenny are here,” Leon calls out.
Bowie thinks about moving from his current position on the patio furniture before he decides against it.
He’s not moving until he sees Tkachuk.
He's not seen the man since that day and he’s worried.
And even more than that, Bowie is sorry.
It wasn’t Tkachuk’s fault Bowie ran into the road, that was Bowie’s decision and it wasn’t fair that Tkachuk got yelled at for it.
“Bowie?”
Bowie looks up when Connor joins him on the balcony and gives him a gentle pat on the head.
He wags his tail once before he goes back to watching Tkachuk’s window, where the blinds have been drawn for the past three days despite the time of day.
He just wants to know his friend is okay, and maybe tell him that he's not the only one who was unfairly punished, not when Leon had taken the two squeaky toys he gifted Bowie away after the road incident, and that so far, no amount of begging from Bowie has convinced his owner to give them back.
“Has he been like this the whole time?” Connor asks, a worried furrow to his brows.
Leon looks tired, and at the question, he slumps a bit into himself. “Yeah, ever since, you know,” he sighs, then admits in a low voice, “at first I tried keeping him off the balcony but he just moped inside instead. I just, I thought maybe having you both over would help.”
Bowie whines at his owner’s defeated tone.
He’s so so sorry.
He’s sorry he got Tkachuk into trouble and he’s sorry he’s upsetting Leon but he stands by his decision to camp out on the balcony.
Bowie is worried about his friend.
Three days is a long time not to come to the window and say hello.
What if Tkachuk took Leon’s words seriously and Bowie will never get to see him again?
He perks up a bit when Lenny pads outside to join them.
‘Bowie,’ Lenny says, coming in close to nuzzle him in a simple affectionate gesture, ‘why does your owner look like that?’
‘He’s worried,’ Bowie explains, ‘but so am I!’
He quickly fills Lenny in on the events so far.
‘Oh,’ Lenny ponders, ‘maybe I can try getting that man’s attention?’
He barks, a loud deep sound that shatters the quietness of the day. When that doesn’t immediately work, Lenny continues barking, much to Connor’s consternation.
“Len, buddy, shush, quiet.”
Lenny subsides with a grumble.
Bowie peers over at the window in hopes that the recent cacophony will have drawn a reaction.
No luck.
Not even a twitch of the curtains.
Bowie whimpers and lays his head down once more.
He hates this.
“Huh,” Connor mutters, staring down at his vibrating phone, signalling new messages as they come in in rapid fire speed.
“Leo,” Connor says slowly, still squinting at his phone even as he types back a reply, “did you blame Chucky for what happened?”
“No,” Leon lies, shifting guiltily, "I was perfectly reasonable with Tkachuk."
Bowie growls at his owner, startling all of them, including Bowie himself, who hadn’t even realised he was going to do it.
“I thought you guys have been getting along better?” Connor asks in puzzlement, “didn’t he give you a dog toy last time we played against each other?” He then narrows his eyes thoughtfully, “and haven’t you been texting him a lot recently?”
Leon grunts and looks away. “No,” he tries to deny but he isn’t able to meet Connor’s knowing gaze.
Connor sighs.
“Well, I think you guys should talk,” Connor advises after a beat, reaching out to pet Lenny when the dog sits and leans his weight against Connor’s leg. He pauses and throws a contemplative look over at the still closed curtains.
“And I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think you should apologise Leo,” he continues quietly, “Chucky is a good guy and I think you really hurt his feelings. You know he cares about Bowie and wouldn’t have purposefully tried to do anything to endanger him, he knows how much Bowie means to you.”
Bowie nuzzles into Connor’s thighs.
He’s so happy his owner’s best friend is smart.
“Tkachuk doesn’t have feelings,” Leon argues, but he doesn’t sound like he believes himself, “and I’m not apologising, I told him to back off and get his own dog if quarantine is making him bored, and he didn’t listen.”
Connor hums consideringly. “Did you ever ask him why he was so interested in Bowie?”
Bowie tilts his head so he can look up at the man, there’s a strangely considering look on Connor’s face as he stares at Leon.
“Because Bowie is the cutest dog and everyone loves him?” Leon guesses half heartedly, then throws his hands up in the air in annoyance.
“Excuse you, that’s Lenny,” Connor defends loyally and automatically, resulting in a brief scuffle whilst the two men tussles whilst Bowie and Lenny watch on in bafflement.
Humans are weird.
“I don’t know, why does he do anything?” Leon grumbles eventually, he lets out a long sigh, “other than to piss me off and deprive me of the one thing I have that’s keeping me sane during lockdown.”
“Uh huh, I’m sure that’s his evil plan,” Connor retorts promptly with a snort, rolling his eyes, “you’re honestly hopeless, just talk to him. I know you still have his number saved.”
Leon grunts.
Bowie watches all this play out and feels like he’s missing something.
He sits up and looks over at the still closed window and curtains and lets out a sad huff before he settles back down.
He hopes Leon will listen to Connor and reach out to Tkachuk.
He misses his friend.
---
“Hey Bowie,” says a familiar and much missed voice.
Bowie looks up immediately from where he had continued to camp out on the balcony, panicked excitement causing him to yip in a way he hasn’t since he was just a tiny pup.
It’s Tkachuk!
The man is smiling fondly at him from across the divide.
Bowie barks and wiggles happily.
Except, as he watches, Tkachuk’s face falls a bit and the man has a downtrodden look that Bowie has never seen on his face.
“So,” the man looks down briefly before he calls out, “this might be the last time you see me buddy. The bubble is going to end soon and I don’t think your owner is going to let me visit you in the future given what happened.”
Bowie whines and paws frantically at the railing.
“I know,” Tkachuk says, his voice sounds a bit choked, “I really thought this was going somewhere, that maybe he was, that we-” he cuts himself off and clears his throat, hastily pressing his hands to his eyes.
Bowie watches and wishes he could be there across the divide, he thinks Tkachuk could use a cuddle.
“Well,” Tkachuk seems to gather his composure once more after a long moment, “it was a pleasure meeting you Bowie.”
Bowie whines again.
He doesn’t like this, this is the type of thing people say when they’re about to leave.
He doesn’t want Tkachuk to leave.
He would like Tkachuk to stay forever, preferably in Leon and Bowie’s too big apartment and, once this temporary situation is over, in their too empty house in Edmonton.
Tkachuk smiles at him, but it’s a bit sad and not at all like his usual grins.
Bowie hates it.
“I'm going to miss this,” the man admits with a low sigh, “you better behave for him yeah? He’s loves you a ridiculous amount and is wound up tight enough without you adding more stress, so no more running into streets buddy.”
Bowie watches and lets out a small whimper.
He still thinks Leon could have come to love Tkachuk too.
“Well,” Tkachuk says, faux brightly, “one more game tomorrow night and then back to Calgary I go. So consider this a goodbye.”
He ducks below the window and Bowie barks panickedly, he’s not ready for this to be their last encounter.
Only, Tkachuk pops his head back up seconds later and there is another wooden basket on a string in his hands.
Bowie waits expectantly as the man carefully tosses it over.
It thunks against the balcony floor and Bowie stares down at it.
“Be good Bowie,” Tkachuk calls out gently, “I’ll miss you.”
---
There is a bag of blueberry flavoured treats in the bag, a note Bowie can’t read and a toy which looks oddly like some of the shirts in Leon’s closet.
Bowie tugs the basket painstakingly through the doggy door and into the living room, then he waits for his owner to get home.
---
Leon comes back late, looking tired with a slightly manic gleam in his eyes.
His mood likely isn’t helped by the fact that, as has become a common occurrence since the incident, Bowie doesn’t greet him by the door.
Bowie hears Leon’s hasty footsteps stomp into the apartment, likely in search of Bowie, and cuddles close to the basket, nuzzling his latest toy from Tkachuk.
This one doesn’t squeak when bitten, but Bowie thinks it’s a wonderful gift nonetheless and he’s been doing his best not to damage it in any way before his owner gets back.
Leon shuffles closer with a suspicious look on his face, one that makes the dark circles under his eyes stand out even more starkly against his abnormally pallid face.
“Of fucking course,” he mutters bitterly as he draws close.
Bowie barks sharply in reprimand.
Leon glares down at him.
“Oh? You’re still on his side?” Leon snips a tad brusquely, “even though I’m the one who feeds and takes care of you on a daily basis?”
Bowie barks again.
He doesn’t like the idea of there being sides, as if it’s fact that Bowie has to choose between Leon or Tkachuk when the obvious answer is that it should be both of them together.
“He almost caused you to be hit by a car and keeps ruining your diet because he can’t stop sneaking you treats,” Leon continues, voice raising in frustration, “but of course you like him. He spoils you rotten without taking into account how irresponsible his actions are because he can’t stop going out of his way to annoy me.”
Bowie pauses.
He’s never thought this of his owner before (because Leon is spectacular) but, he’s beginning to think it doesn’t mean that Leon can’t also be dumb, because he’s not sure Tkachuk’s actions are the actions of someone trying to annoy Leon.
Maybe someone attempting desperately to be friends with Bowie, yes, but Bowie is under no illusions that he’s the reason Tkachuk is making an effort.
Perhaps at the start?
But given that, before the almost accident, most of the interactions Tkachuk had when he came to his window was chatting on the phone with Leon and not feeding or entertaining Bowie, Bowie thinks it’s fair to say he’s only part of the equation. He wishes he could communicate his speculations to his owner but he can't, so he settles for waiting, hoping fervently that his owner will come to his own realisations.
Bowie observes as Leon pauses to take in a deep breath, visibly trying to calm himself down, which is when he seems to actually see what’s inside the basket.
Leon reaches down to grab the bag of treats roughly, only, in doing so, his hand brushes against the note. There is a beat where he appears to debate with himself but eventually, he picks it up gingerly, as if the note would grow teeth and bite him if he isn't careful.
Bowie watches.
The longer Leon reads, the tighter his shoulders get until he suddenly turns and heads back to the doorway and begins digging viciously into his jacket.
Bowie whimpers a bit in concern but stays seated by the basket as his owner finds his phone and comes storming back.
Leon jabs harshly at the phone.
“What the fuck is your problem?” his owner demands when the other person picks up, “are you incapable of listening? I told you to stay away from-”
His face sours when he is cut off.
“Yeah,” Leon snorts a few seconds later, “super touching, like I believe you’re really sorry, as if you ever take accountability for anything you do Tkachuk.”
Bowie’s ears perk up at the magic word.
He barks and scrambles up.
Leon gives him a rather unreadable look and cuts off the noise from the other side.
“Look asshole, I don’t care if you feel guilty,” he snaps, “I've told you before, if you’re really bored and want a dog that badly, just get your own and stop trying to win mine over-”
A rather sharp and loud rebuttal comes from the other end and Bowie watches as his owner’s mouth click shut before his cheeks flood with colour.
There is a tense moment of silence.
“You what?” Leon asks gruffly, his adam’s apple working as he swallows, “what did you say?”
Bowie isn’t sure if Tkachuk replies but he must because Leon’s face does something complicated, like he can’t decide to be embarrassed, angry or pleased and is therefore trying to somehow to do all three at once with very little success.
He settles back down with his newest toy and marvels at Tkachuk’s continued ability to somehow wrangle every emotion from his owner with very little apparent effort.
Honestly, Bowie is almost impressed.
“And you thought the best way was to befriend my dog,” Leon says slowly, disbelievingly, eyes darting down to stare at Bowie.
Bowie tilts his head to the side in response.
“You’re a fucking idiot,” his owner remarks into his phone, but the complicated expression is smoothing out now and something softer is taking its place, “I honestly can’t stand you.”
The responding ‘hey!’ is so loud that even Bowie hears it.
Leon huffs and, abruptly, looks behind him and carefully settles onto the couch.
“So let me get this straight,” he says, “your master plan was to win over my dog’s affections and hope that I, what? Decide to fuck you because I’m so impressed you guys get along?”
Leon snorts in response to whatever Tkachuk says, but there’s a disbelieving smile tugging at his lips.
“You’re a fucking idiot Tkachuk.”
He lets out a loud sigh at whatever response he gets and tilts his head back against the couch so he’s staring at the ceiling.
“Yeah, I do,” he admits in a low whisper after a long pause.
Whatever Tkachuk says in reply causes the red flush in Leon’s cheeks to deepen.
“Okay yeah,” Leon swallows hard, “yes, I’ll text you the buzzer and door number.”
Bowie is puzzled when that appears to be the end of the conversation and Leon lowers his hand to stare down at the now silent phone.
He’s not certain if this means he’ll get to see Tkachuk again after all?
He whines softly from where he’s still by the basket, which appears to startle his owner out of his thoughts.
“Well,” Leon says, smirking briefly at Bowie, “at least you’ll finally stop sulking.”
Bowie barks once and tilts his head to the side again when his owner gets off the couch and begins to hurriedly rush around the apartment.
He doesn’t get what’s happening.
---
About an hour later, Bowie scrambles up into a sitting position when he hears an unexpected knock on the door.
He wonders who their guest is and hesitantly pads a few steps towards the doorway, pausing when Leon rushes by him instead.
Did Leon invite Connor and Lenny over again?
He waits and listens as the door is unlocked.
“Uh hey,” says a familiar voice, “um, so, is this for real or like are you about to punch me because-”
Bowie barks in excitement and dashes towards the door because he knows that voice, it’s Tkachuk!
Tkachuk is in their apartment!
He bounces over and tries not to wilt in disappointment when he sees his owner pressed up against Tkachuk by the door.
He really thought they were past fighting each other.
Bowie barks to try and break them apart when he notices Tkachuk squirming against Leon, and growls when Tkachuk starts to make these desperate sounding pants.
He’s not sure what he can do but he doesn’t want them to fight.
“Drai- Leon,” Tkachuk gasps out, slapping a hand against Leon’s shoulders, “stop, wait, Bowie-”
“What?” Leon mutters and they both turn to stare at Bowie.
Bowie stares back at them.
He takes in the rumpled clothing where his owner’s hand disappears into Tkachuk’s hoodie, the way Leon’s leg is shoved in between the other man’s legs, their reddened lips, and-
OH.
Bowie turns tail and promptly runs back into the living room.
Tkachuk’s breathless laughter follows him all the way and is still audible even after he drags his new toy into his doggy bed by the TV and settles in for what will presumably be a very noisy night.
Still.
Bowie wags his tail absently as he curls up in his bed.
He was right.
Tkachuk’s laugh does fit nicely in their otherwise too quiet apartment.
(The next morning, Bowie will get to properly meet Tkachuk, who introduces himself as Matthew and proves Bowie’s suspicions correct by giving him an incredible cuddle and an equally amazing belly rub.
Bowie hopes that the man will stay, in this apartment, in their Edmonton home and in their lives.
He’s quietly pleased when a day turns into a week, turns into months, and Matthew does stay.
Bowie observes Leon and Matthew and marvels at their relationship, because it’s not easy or smooth, not when they both seem to have a terrible knack of riling each other up unintentionally. But Bowie is so proud everytime they work through it, even more so when he notices that they've gotten better at riding out the tough times by talking through things instead of stomping off with hurt and fury still etched into their faces.
At one point, Matthew moves away for work and Bowie spends most of his time worrying about how sad Leon is and how much the two of them are fighting.
It’s painful to see his owners be so sad.
Only, then the holiday season comes around and Matthew shows up at their door with a sheepish smile and a new toy that resembles the one he gave Bowie before, except instead of Leon's shirts, it looks more like the ones that Matthew sometimes wears.
This one also squeaks.
Bowie spends the evening chewing on his new toy and pretending not to hear what his owners get up to upstairs.
He’s just happy they’re together once more.
When Matthew goes away for work again after the holiday break, there are less fights and more quietly whispered conversations that last into the night until one of them inevitably falls asleep with the phone still by their ear.
As summer rolls around, Leon spends most of his down time trying to teach Bowie a new trick and, by the time Matthew meets them that summer, Bowie has learned it by heart.
He’s irrationally proud when, on a lovely day later that summer, Leon trusts him to carry a familiar wooden basket containing a very important small box over to where Leon is kneeling by Matthew in the sand.
Bowie happily runs around his owners when Matthew says ‘yes’, pausing only to peer up at their faces, barking excitedly at their corresponding grins before he is picked up and the photographer Leon hired takes a photo of them.
Bowie doesn’t protest.
His two favourite people are in the photo with him after all.)