Chapter Text
“Life man… you make these plans, set all these goals and then bam.. you hit a bump in the road and you're completely derailed. It doesn't even have to be a big bump.. it can be as small as a rock.. or a pebble.. no, let's stick with a rock.. and that’s it.. game over. OK, so maybe not over, but you definitely have to start again. So maybe it is game over… I don't know.. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but you get what I'm trying to say though, right?”
Ed pauses, takes a sip of his latte, and looks expectantly at his companion. They don't give him any response at first, just a bit of a blank stare and a yawn. Ed starts to feel awkward, until he's convinced he sees them nod their head slightly. He's going to take that as a yes..
“Great, thought I'd lost you there for a second. So where was I.. right.. so you start again.. you kick that cheating scumbag out, block him on everything and I mean absolutely everything, leave town for a while until the dust settles, stay with your friends… well.. that's what you were planning on doing anyway, but you'd forgotten they were going away too … and you just spend time focusing on.. well you. And that’s it. You don't even need to get over a broken heart or any of that bullshit, because you're so done... with all the lies.. the drama.. the angst, you just need peace. And you know, these last few days getting to spend time with you.. you've given me some of that. You're just so easy to talk to and it feels like you really listen to me. I'm so glad we met, you know.”
The biggest pair of amber eyes Ed has ever seen look back at him. They are so full of love and trust, it almost breaks his heart. How can something so pure still exist in such a cruel and unjust world?
“I have instincts about these things mate, and I just think we're going to end up being great friends. I'm not usually wrong…”
A bark stops Ed mid sentence as the black and white Border Collie he's supposed to be exercising, finally loses his patience. The dog picks up the tennis ball he had already left at Ed's feet in his mouth and promptly drops it again. It hits the front of one of Ed's boots and bounces off the toes. His intentions couldn't be any more clearer if he tried.
“Shit, sorry Captain, I forgot we were supposed to be playing fetch there for a second.”
Ed drains the last of his latte and stands up from the park bench. He stretches, revealing a hint of stomach, before leaning over and throwing the empty coffee cup into the bin; “Come on boy, let's do this.”
Picking up a red plastic ball launcher off the bench, Ed uses it to scoop the tennis ball off the ground. Captain gives an excited bark as he turns in a circle in front of Ed, his tail wagging furiously. He barks again as Ed takes a couple of steps forward and bends his right arm at the elbow, holding the launcher so it rests on his shoulder. He smiles at Captain before he flicks his arm forward, sending the ball flying through the air. “Go get it.”
Captain doesn’t need Ed to tell him twice. He bolts across the grass after the ball as if he's been fired from a cannon or something. It always amazes Ed how fast the dog can move, and how gracefully… almost. There are a few moments where he scrambles about before he finds the ball and picks it up triumphantly in his mouth. He turns in another excited circle to celebrate.
“Good boy Cap, now bring the ball back to me. There's a good lad!” The dog takes a couple of steps towards Ed before he flops down, quite dramatically, onto his stomach. He drops the ball and lies looking back at Ed, his long tongue lolling out of his mouth as he pants.
“Are you kidding me right now? You've got more legs than I have, bring the ball here.”
What follows is some kind of weird standoff, where man and canine stare at each other, both determined not to be the one to give in and make a move for the ball first. Until Captain yawns, rolls over onto his back and starts to roll around in the grass. His interest in Ed and the ball are long gone.
“I think you're missing the whole point of fetch here, Captain,” Ed mutters as he stands with his hands on his hips watching the dog. He shakes his head as Captain rolls back onto his front, stands and then starts to follow the scent of something far more interesting than Ed or the ball.
“Doesn't your dog know how to play fetch?”
Ed looks down in surprise at the young boy who is now standing beside him. He's dressed smartly in a school uniform made up of black shoes, black trousers, a white shirt, red tie, grey blazer and a rucksack almost as big as him is on his back. Ed had noticed the kid watching from a distance before but hadn't realised he’d come over to them until he’d spoken.
“He's my friend's dog, and he does usually know how to play fetch, yeah. Think he's just being a bit stubborn today though.”
The boy studies Ed closely. “Or maybe he just doesn't want to listen to you.”
Where the hell has this kid come from? Ed looks over the top of his head and around the park for any signs of the adults responsible for him. There are a few people dotted about, but nobody looks as if they're about to come forward and make any sort of claim.
Ed is still being scrutinised when he looks back at the boy.
“How old are you… 6 or something? Where are your parents? Are you lost?”
“I'm 13 actually, and I'm allowed to walk home from school on my own now. I also know the route perfectly fine thank you, so no, I'm not lost.”
13.. wow.. Ed really didn't know much about kids at all.
“OK.. Well, didn't your folks teach you not to talk to strangers?”
“Yes.”
“And were you actually paying attention at the time?”
“What's your name?”
Ed looks around the park again, this time for anyone hiding behind trees or acting as if they're not really there… is this some kind of setup or a prank? Was someone going to jump out on him at any second?
“My name’s Ed.”
“My name’s Louis.. see we're not strangers anymore, Ed.”
“I'm not sure it works like that kid..”
“Can I play with the dog?” Ed follows Louis’s gaze over to Captain who is now rolling around on his back again. He's not entirely sure what he should do in this situation.
“I guess….”
“Fab,” Louis takes the rucksack off his back and places it on the floor next to Ed. He then happily trots over to Captain who has stopped rolling around and is watching the boy approach curiously. His tail starts wagging as Louis drops down onto his knees and gives Captain a belly rub. The dog eventually stands and licks his new friend rather sloppily on the cheek making Louis laugh out loud. Although he’s still feeling a little unsure, Ed can't help but laugh too. There was something heartwarming about seeing kids and dogs interact.
Louis finds the ball and starts to play fetch with Captain making Ed feel slightly redundant. He sits back down on the bench and watches the two of them together. It's hard not to take it personally when Captain chases after the ball, picks it up and promptly takes it back to Louis every single time. They play for a while until the sound of a phone ringing comes from out of the rucksack. Louis runs over to it, unzips a pocket at the front and takes out the phone. “Hi, Dad,” he says as he answers the call, “I'm heading home now, yes. I just stopped in the park for a bit. OK.. see you soon.. love you too.. bye.”
Ending the call, Louis puts the phone in his blazer pocket and looks over at Ed. “I have to go now, will you both be here tomorrow?”
“Probably.. not sure yet.”
“Great, see you tomorrow… Bye, Captain.”
Ed watches Louis walk away until he disappears around a corner and out of sight. Even though they have only just met, Ed finds himself feeling strangely protective over the youngster. Especially if he has a habit of going up to random people in the park. Somebody had to look out for him. Louis seemed like a great kid, but Ed thinks he probably needs to sit down and have a conversation with his dad at some point…
He whistles to Captain who is still standing on the grass, looking forlorn now his new friend has left him. “Come on mate, it's time to go.”
Captain tilts his head to one side as if mulling over what Ed has just said. Deciding he isn't ready to leave yet, he sits and slowly stretches out his front legs until he is lying down again. With one last defiant look at Ed, he rolls onto his side and lets out a loud grumbling noise. He's also no doubt turning himself into a dead weight that Ed knows he's going to have to spend the next few minutes trying to coax and wrestle off the ground before they can go anywhere.
This dog…