Author's Note: This fic is a sequel to the first fic I ever posted up on this site, The Great Depression, so if you haven't read that one, please go back and do so as I really think you'll be missing the full effect of this story otherwise. This was my first attempt at writing a sequel, and I'm quite happy with the results. It's the longest fic I've ever written, and it will be divided up into chapters unlike its predecessor which was a rather lengthy oneshot. There's really nothing else to say, so sit back, relax, and (hopefully) enjoy my latest fic!
Warning: This story contains pedophilia and bestiality.
Disclaimer: I do not own Family Guy or any of these characters.
The First Steps
Part I
"Stewie, I'm home!"
The dog entered his house and shut the door before proceeding into the living room. He sat down on the couch, undid the buttons on his black suit jacket, and waited for his partner to come greet him. It didn't take long for him to hear the familiar pitter-patter of feet approaching from behind the couch, followed by a voice.
"Hey, B-ry!"
Brian smiled and looked to the left to see Stewie appear. The boy hopped up onto the couch and looked up at the dog, beaming. Brian leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips before pulling back and allowing him to speak.
"Soooooo? How'd it go at the book signing?"
The dog gave a stretch and leaned into the couch before answering.
"It was amazing, Stewie. I knew it was only a matter of time before people realized what a masterpiece Faster Than The Speed of Love actually is, but the people there were so enthused about the book it was…unreal."
The dog chuckled.
"It was great to have something to really be proud of for once. It wasn't like it was when everyone loved Wish It, Want It, Do It. I always knew that was tripe, even if I did let the fame go to my head somewhat. This was completely different. This was the first time I had really put my heart and soul into something and had it honestly received that well by the public. You were right. My novel was strong enough to stand up on its own merits. It just took a little while to find its footing, and in the end, it was all worth it."
Brian sighed contentedly.
"I can't believe how well everything is going for me right now."
He wrapped an arm around Stewie and pulled him in close.
"And it all started with you."
The dog began to run his paw slowly up and down the length of the boy's arm, earning an appreciative murmur from him.
"Mmmmm."
Stewie laid his head against the dog's chest and let himself just enjoy the contact for a while. After several moments, Brian leaned over and kissed the top of his partner's head. He inhaled the boy's scent and whispered into his ear.
"I love you so much."
This elicited a shiver from the child as he felt the dog's breath grace across his ear. He looked up and met Brian's eyes with his own.
"I love you, too."
Before either of them realized it, their lips were touching again, the pressure firm but gentle. Stewie moaned and took a hold of Brian's tie, pulling him closer and trying to deepen the kiss. Brian laughed into the kiss and slowly pulled away, much to the chagrin of his partner.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Kid. There will be plenty of time for that later."
Stewie let go of Brian's tie and frowned slightly.
"You're no fun."
The dog rolled his eyes at this and smirked.
"Oh, really? Well, we'll just have to see who's no fun later on tonight then. I just figured that, since my book has suddenly become such a huge success, that we could go out and celebrate or something. No sense in ruining our evening before it even gets started, is there?"
At these words, Stewie's frown was suddenly replaced by a suggestive expression.
"Fine, but I'm going to make you pay for making me wait."
Brian felt the heat rising to his cheeks as he instinctively raised a paw up to scratch behind his neck, unable to keep his mind from wandering over all the possible ways in which Stewie probably planned to make him pay.
"Oh…well…I…"
He shook his head, trying to clear it and regain his composure. After a few seconds, he responded.
"Like I said, we'll have plenty of time for all that later, but for right now, how about you go ahead and tell me how your day went."
The boy's eyes lit up at this, all too eager to indulge Brian's request and explain to his partner what had been going on with him all day.
"Weeeelllll…after you left, I spent about an hour watching a little television, nothing really that good just a couple of standard sitcoms to kill some time. After that, I got online and read a couple of articles about your book. You know, just felt like reading up on what a huge success my man is. I had to stop when I dared to read one of the comments sections and saw all the crazy fans who were talking about how sexy you are and how much they wanted to boink you and whatnot. I swear, Brian, it took everything in me to not track each and every one of them down and give them a warning they wouldn't soon forget."
Brian laughed at this, and in response, Stewie's gaze turned steely, obviously not amused in the slightest.
"What are you laughing about? You know good and well that I could have gotten to them if I really wanted to."
Brian's smile didn't falter.
"I didn't mention this before because I knew you wouldn't like hearing about it, but…there were actually a couple of those 'crazy fans' at the book signing."
The boy immediately went to say something, but Brian stopped him.
"Wait. Wait. Let me finish."
Stewie reluctantly let the dog continue.
"They kept going on and on about how much they loved me and how handsome they thought I was. I won't lie, it was really flattering, but I told them all the same thing, 'I appreciate the compliment, but you're wasting your time because I've already got someone who really loves me back home, and I would never do anything to jeopardize what we have together.'."
Stewie's gaze softened a bit.
"You really said that, Bry?"
The dog nodded his head.
"Maybe not those exact words, but that was the gist of it."
He grabbed Stewie's hand.
"I don't want that stuff to bother you. What we have…I could never replicate that with anyone, Stewie, and even if I could, I wouldn't want to because you are everything to me."
The dog gave the boy's hand a firm squeeze and looked at him seriously.
"You do trust me, right? I know, in the past, I've mistreated you, but I do regret those instances, Stewie. Things are different now. I'm seeing everything clearly for the first time in a long while, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you again."
The boy's stern look completely fell away, and he let a small smile form across his lips.
"I…I do. I do trust you, Brian."
The dog smiled at this and released the boy's hand. He was about to go in for a hug but stopped when he saw Stewie's smile transform into an all too familiar smirk.
"Now, as for your crazy fans. Them? I don't trust them at all, so it couldn't hurt to send just a tiny warning, could it?"
Brian shook his head and laughed.
"The last thing I need is a story about one of my adoring fans being murdered by my crazy boyfriend just because they tried to get a little too close to me. I doubt that would help my book sell."
Stewie just scoffed at this.
"Please, Brian. There's no such thing as bad publicity. I bet a scandal like that would make your book fly off the shelves faster than it already is. Besides, I never said anything about killing them. You know I've reformed from my more sadistic ways. I have you to thank for that, and I have no intention of throwing that all away for a petty little thing like jealousy."
Brian was very pleased to hear that. Stewie had come such a long way from the evil child he used to be, determined to rule the world and hardly ever giving a second thought to things like murder. He hated to imagine where Stewie would be right now without him just like he hated to imagine where he'd be right now without Stewie.
"I'll tell you what. How about I take you with me the next time I get a chance to go out and promote the book. Think you can handle meeting a bunch of my fans in person?"
Stewie seemed to take a moment and think about Brian's question before responding confidently.
"I'm sure I can manage that. I'd love to come along with you next time, but you know, what you should do is just go ahead and make me your publicist again. Remember how good I was at that job? It would help if I could really keep an eye on all those skanks and make sure that they don't try anything funny. Plus, I really did love being able to support you in such a strong way, even if you did kind of ruin it for me by being a douche…"
There was an awkward silence that brought on a tense atmosphere, and for a split second, Brian could have sworn he saw a tinge of sadness make its way into Stewie's expression.
"But, like you said, that's in the past."
The dog nodded his head, shaking away the guilty feelings that were beginning to surface.
"I just might have to do that. You really were amazing at that job."
The tension seemed to immediately alleviate after Brian's compliment.
"Thanks."
Stewie chuckled and then continued, sarcastically.
"Not that I needed you to tell me that, but thanks all the same."
For a while after that exchange, there was just a comfortable silence with the two of them just reclining and relaxing together on the couch. For Brian, the longer he sat there, the heavier his eyelids began to get, and he was about to doze off when, suddenly, Stewie loudly spoke up.
"Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you about the other thing I was doing today! I mean, I was working on it when you came in, but once we started talking, I guess it just slipped my mind."
The dog's eyes shot upon. He looked over at his partner, curiosity apparent on his face.
"What are you talking about?"
Stewie suddenly got really excited. He grabbed Brian's paw and pulled him up off of the couch.
"Come on. Follow me. You're going to love this!"
The boy quickly sped off, dragging Brian through the living room, up the stairs, and into their bedroom. He stopped at the bookcase, which Brian knew concealed Stewie's hidden lab. The kid obviously wanted to show him a new invention of some sort. While Brian was busy pondering what it was that Stewie could possibly have cooked up in his lab, Stewie set to work inputting the proper passcode that revealed the secret room.
"Alright, Brian! Prepare to be blown away!"
With that, the door to the lab began to open. Before Brian could see inside, though, he felt himself suddenly being shoved by an unknown force. He fell to the floor, and Stewie rushed over, looking concerned.
"Brian, are you ok? Brian? Brian?"
"Brian."
The dog's eyes opened slightly as he began to awaken from his deep sleep.
"Hmmm. I-I'm fine. You wanted to show me something?"
The boy looked at him slightly confused but quickly figured out that the dog must have been referring to a dream he'd been having since it was obvious that he was still half asleep. The infant smiled.
"Awww. Brian, were you dreaming about me?"
The canine rolled over and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and finally realized that he had been dreaming and was now waking up where he had fallen asleep the night before, Stewie's crib. He looked at the boy, who was clothed in a pair of blue pajamas, and chuckled nervously.
"I, uh, I guess you caught me, huh."
The boy giggled and scooted in so that he was snuggled against his partner. He began slowly running his hand through the fur on Brian's belly.
"Sooooo? What was I doing in your dream?"
The dog just shrugged.
"Nothing special really. We were just kind of sitting on a couch, talking to each other like we usually do."
It wasn't the whole truth, but Brian wasn't quite ready to reveal all the details of his dream to Stewie or the fact that he had been having similar dreams ever since they'd officially gotten together a couple of days ago. It was just too early in their relationship to be discussing a life all their own, even if he knew full well that that was something he wanted for them. The likelihood of that ever happening seemed really slim, though. They were together now, sure, but there were still so many complications at play, things that would need to be addressed at some point. For now, though, there was no sense in ruining these early days of their newfound mutual love for one another. He smiled and took a hold of the hand that was on his stomach, and then, the boy sighed sadly.
"As much as I'm enjoying this, Brian, the reason I woke you up was to make sure that you were able to get out of my bed before Lois came in, soooo…"
Brian nodded his head in understanding, kissed the boy's hand, and hopped out of the crib. He reached through the bars and gave the child one last affectionate stroke across his cheek before making a retreat for the door. Before he left, he turned back one last time to gaze upon the one that mattered most in his life.
"I'll see you in a little while."
The infant smiled warmly at him.
"Ok."
With that, Brian exited the room and headed down the stairs to make like he'd been sleeping on the couch all night. This was one of the things Brian was bugged by. He hated how he had to get up so early and leave Stewie every morning just so he could avoid raising any suspicion from Lois. In actuality, the chances of Lois ever coming to the conclusion that there was something funny going on between him and Stewie weren't that good, considering everything else they had been able to get away with, and it wasn't like he'd never slept in Stewie's room before. Still, things were different now, and Brian just wanted to be safe. God help him should Lois, or anyone for that matter, find out about him and Stewie. The dog shook those thoughts away, refusing to dwell on them. He got up on the couch, curled up into a more dog-like sleeping position, and waited for Lois to get up and bring Stewie down with her.
Stewie was lying in his crib, smiling. He could still hardly believe that his dream had actually come true. Brian was his. He was Brian's. They were…together. Despite what had seemed like insurmountable odds, he had successfully won Brian's heart. Out of all of his goals in life, this was the one that mattered the most, and he had triumphed. Victory was his. He folded his arms up under his head and gazed up at the ceiling, zoning out as he reflected on what had occurred only a couple of days ago. He couldn't recall a single event in his life that had brought on the kind of joy he had experienced the moment Brian came up to his room to tell him that he accepted and reciprocated his love. He laughed to himself, remembering the way the dog had chosen to reveal how he felt.
"You wanna do something sometime?"
It couldn't have been any more perfect. Stewie had been hitting on Brian for such a long time, and he had sometimes wondered if Brian ever really picked up on his come-ons. That statement, though, proved that Brian had been aware of his attraction, at least to a degree. Plus, the fact that Brian even remembered that time, the time when the child had first begun to see the dog as something more than a friend, really did mean a lot to him. He'd always considered that a special moment in his life, and now, he knew that Brian felt the same way about it. The boy let his mind wander as he reminisced on all the times he had tried to win over Brian. Memories that used to sting were now ones that he could look back on and laugh at fondly for the most part. He remembered the night Jillian had left Brian and how he had tried to convince Brian to have sex with him. He remembered the time Brian requested to borrow his urine for a drug test and how he had used the opportunity to strip down in front of the canine and subtly try to implant some naughty thoughts into the dog's brain. He remembered the first time he got to touch Brian's penis and how overwhelmed he had been by how forward Brian had acted before he found out it was really the boy in disguise. Before long, Stewie could feel himself getting turned on by these memories and began to reflect on the night he and Brian had consummated their relationship. It hadn't happened under the best of circumstances. Stewie certainly would have preferred it if they could have reached that point without Brian having reached such a low point in his life, but he tried not to think about that as he closed his eyes and recalled how eager Brian had been during the act, how wonderful it had been to have the dog take him, claim him in such a passionate way. The baby moaned lowly at the thought and reached down to rub at his groin. He couldn't exactly just take off his pajamas and start going to town on himself since Lois could walk in at any minute, but maybe, he had just enough time to get a little good crotch rubbing in. Unfortunately, just as he was beginning to get himself going, the door opened and Lois shuffled into the room wearing a robe and looking extremely tired. Stewie silently cursed his mother for interrupting his good time as she made her way over to the crib and wordlessly picked him up. Despite his frustrations with the woman, though, Stewie didn't protest since he knew the quicker he got this over with, the quicker he could return to his love, who was no doubt waiting for him in the living room downstairs like he'd been doing recently. Lois set him down on the floor and walked over to the dresser to retrieve her son's regular yellow shirt and overalls along with a pair of socks and shoes. She walked back over, picked up Stewie, and brought him over to lie down on the changing table. She blinked her eyes a couple of times before looking down at the infant and smiling at him.
"Good morning, Honey. Did you have sweet dreams?"
The baby smirked up at her.
"Oh, if only you knew just how sweet my dreams really were. You'd probably keel over right on the spot if you knew what all ran through my head."
As usual Lois completely ignored what was being said by her youngest child, passing it off as simple baby talk as she proceeded to change the boy into his clothes for the day. Before long, the child was dressed, and Lois was once again carrying him. She carried her son out of the room and down the stairs to the living room. The annoyed look on Stewie's face was quickly replaced by a small grin once he caught sight of the dog pretending to be asleep on the couch. The woman set her son down on the couch beside the canine, and Brian immediately sat up and stretched. Without a word, Lois turned to head towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family. Once Lois was occupied in the kitchen, Brian placed an arm around Stewie and pulled the boy in closer, allowing the child's head to rest against his side. They never bothered with the television like they normally would in the morning, and no words were exchanged. They just stayed that way, enjoying each other's company and the abnormal silence of the house, save for the sizzling of a frying pan, for as long as they could before the others came down and the pretending would have to begin.
"I'm tellin' ya Lois we're gettin' really close to findin' out who messed up our car, and when we find 'em, oh boy, you can bet they're gonna wish they hadn't. Me and Chris are gonna make 'em pay!"
The Griffins were all sitting around the table, eating breakfast, as they listened to Peter explaining the latest developments in his and Chris's investigation into who had vandalized the car a couple of days ago. Both Brian and Stewie had to try really hard to keep themselves from laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, mainly because of the fact that they knew what had happened to the car, but also because of just how illogical the connections being made were. Simply put, the two older Griffin males were no Holmes and Watson. Lois was barely paying attention to her husband, obviously growing tired of Peter's foolish pursuit.
"Peter, don't you think that it's enough that we already have Joe looking into what happened with the car? What makes you think you'll be able to find this person before he does?"
Peter rolled his eyes at this.
"Really, Lois? Joe's a freakin' cripple. Who knows how long it will take him to track down this person. Beside's I was talkin' to him the other day, and he told me not to worry about it too much, that it was probably just some teenagers messin' around or something."
Lois sighed.
"And what if it was just some teenagers messing around? Then this whole investigation is completely pointless."
Peter shook his head fiercely and slammed his fist down on the table, causing it to shake violently and almost knock some dishes onto the floor.
"No! It wasn't just some stupid teenagers! What happened in that garage was a message, a threat against my family, and I'm gonna find the bastard responsible!"
Lois shot up from the table, fed up with Peter and peeved at his sudden unwarranted burst of outrage.
"How can you know that, Peter!? God! I swear you get stupider everyday!"
Peter followed suit, shooting up from his seat and retorting.
"I have a natural talent for solving mysteries! Remember that one time at that mansion where I single-handedly solved all those murders!"
Lois scoffed at this.
"You! You didn't solve anything! Your incompetence almost got me killed!"
Peter folded his arms and shook his head.
"Oh, how quickly we forget. Don't we, Lois?"
There was an awkward pause. Everyone at the table was staring at Lois waiting to see what she would do next, but after only a few seconds, she just threw her hands up into the air in exasperation and walked out of the room. Peter just smirked, like he had won a battle of wits, and proceeded to finish his breakfast before saying goodbye and heading off to work. Chris and Meg followed soon afterwards, Chris seemingly proud of his dad for standing up to Lois about their investigation and Meg obviously just annoyed by the whole ordeal. Brian looked over at Stewie, who was rolling his eyes.
"This family, huh?"
Brian nodded his head.
"It sure can be…interesting at times."
Stewie chuckled.
"Well, that's not exactly the word I would have chosen, but yes, you're right. There's hardly ever a dull moment here. Still, it's a miracle that I haven't gone completely insane from it all."
Brian smirked at this.
"I don't know about that. I've always considered you a pretty fucking crazy individual."
The boy feigned offense at the dog's statement.
"There's a fine line between insanity and genius, and I'll have you know that, at the moment, I'm firmly on the genius side of that line. However…"
The child leaned in a little closer with a sly grin and whispered.
"When it comes to you, I can't help but be a tiny bit crazy."
The dog chuckled at this.
"Well, they say the crazy ones are the most fun."
The boy nodded his head.
"Mmhmm. You have no idea."
Brian wasn't sure when it had happened, but he was just now realizing just how close his face was to Stewie's and how he couldn't help but start to tilt his head in closer. Unfortunately, before things could escalate, the two of them heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, prompting them to jump away from each other and try their best to compose themselves. By the time Lois walked into the kitchen, Brian and Stewie were once again focused on their breakfast, trying to ignore the sexual tension that had been building ever since the others had left. The woman sighed.
"Brian, could you please drop Stewie off at preschool this morning. Arguing with Peter has given me a headache, and I just want to lie down for a little while before I go shopping later."
The dog finished chewing the food in his mouth and tried to hide the eagerness in his voice as he replied.
"Oh, yeah, of course. No problem, Lois. I'll take care of that."
Lois smiled and thanked the dog before leaving the kitchen again and heading back upstairs to her room. Brian looked over at Stewie, who had quite a perturbed look on his face. The baby looked back over at him and shook his head.
"I swear that woman has the worst timing. She's always interrupting my fun."
Though the canine wasn't entirely aware of what Stewie meant, he couldn't help but chuckle as he turned back to finish his meal.
It wasn't like it was hard for Brian and Stewie to find time alone together. The family hardly ever paid them much mind, and they completely trusted Brian to take care of the youngest Griffin child. Still, that didn't mean the couple didn't jump at every opportunity they were given to be by themselves. The car ride to Stewie's preschool was by no means a long one (at the max five minutes depending on the traffic), but to them, that was just around five extra minutes where they didn't have to worry about others seeing them. The dog was holding the infant's hand, stroking it lightly and savoring the contact before the boy had to leave him for the day. Stewie was in the process of ranting about various things he had to deal with at his preschool, but while his voice carried a tone of annoyance, he was still smiling. Brian nodded his head, occasionally making a comment when he saw fit to do so, but mostly, just letting the kid speak his mind. It was hardly any different than it had always been. The added layer of romance to their relationship felt more natural than Brian would have ever expected. Maybe, that was because it had always been there to a degree. There was the occasional moment where the dog wasn't sure how to act around the kid now, but they passed quickly. Stewie was so confident about everything that the dog was never given much time to feel awkward about this new step in their relationship. Brian was still trying to figure things out, but he was happy, really, genuinely happy. After years of feeling discontent with his life, he wasn't going to give up this feeling for anything. He turned onto the street the preschool was located on, and just as the building came into site, a request came from Stewie.
"Bry, could you pull over for a moment?"
The canine looked over at the boy, confused, but did as he was asked and stopped the car on the side of the road about a block away from the drop off point. As soon as they were stopped, Stewie unbuckled himself from his car seat and crawled over into the dog's lap. Brian tensed up, not sure what Stewie was up to. He darted his eyes back and forth, making sure no one was around outside. Once he was sure they were safe, he looked down at the boy.
"Wh-What are you doing?"
Stewie didn't say anything, just rested his head against the dog's chest and hummed contentedly. After a moment, he met the dog's eyes.
"I don't want to leave you."
The dog let out a small laugh.
"What? It's not like you're going away for long or anything. It's not even for the entire day."
The child gently bit his lip with a contemplative expression on his face.
"I-I know, but…I mean, it's not like I need to go to preschool or anything. We could just hang out until it's time to go home."
The boy reached up and began scratching behind the dog's ear.
"Wouldn't you like that?"
Brian would be lying if he were to say that Stewie's offer didn't sound appealing, and it didn't help matters any that the child was working his magic, the contact, that smooth needy tone in his voice, the way he knew just how to scratch him to get the dog's leg going. Oh, yeah, Stewie knew exactly what buttons to press, and Brian loved it. He wanted to just drive off, take Stewie somewhere secluded and do unspeakable things to this seductive, conniving little genius child. They hadn't really done anything like that with each other ever since that night he had come home drunk because he'd been too nervous about the others finding out somehow, and he'd been eagerly anticipating an opportunity to get Stewie completely to himself for a little while. This seemed like the perfect opportunity, but just as he was about to give in, he had a moment of clarity and realized that this just wasn't the right time. He gently pushed the boy away, reaching up to grab that magic hand to prevent it from entrancing him any further.
"I would really like that, Stewie, but if I don't drop you off at preschool, Lois might find out that you didn't go, and then, I'd have a lot of explaining to do."
The look of disappointment that appeared on the boy's face was heartbreaking, but eventually, he just nodded his head in understanding.
"I guess you're right. It's just that…Brian, we haven't even been on a proper date yet, and in case you've forgotten, this all started with you asking me out."
The canine patted the child's back and smiled.
"I know, Kid. I know. Of course, we've only been together for a couple of days, but I understand your frustration. This is just something we're going to have to deal with. I promise you, as soon as we have an opportunity; we're going to go out."
The child was still disappointed, but he smiled back at the dog and crawled back over to his car seat. Brian buckled him back in and pulled back onto the road to drive the short distance to the preschool. He stopped at the drop-off point, and waited for Stewie to get out. Just as the boy was about to open the door, Brian felt a sudden impulse. Not wanting to leave things off on such a sour note, the canine placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. The child turned his head around, and the dog used the opportunity to place a finger under the baby's chin, tilting his head up and capturing his lips in a quick kiss. He pulled away and was pleased by the huge grin that had taken the place of the boy's look of disappointment.
"Have a good day, Stewie."
The child giggled, blushing. He took a moment to compose himself before responding.
"Ok. I'll see you this afternoon."
With that, he hopped out of the car and practically skipped into the building. The dog chuckled, taking a moment to admire the boy before driving off and heading back for home. On the way there, Brian couldn't help but do a little reflecting on the history of his relationship with Stewie, something he had been doing a ton of ever since that morning when he'd realized how much the boy really meant to him. From the outside looking in, the whole situation was simply batshit crazy, but everything about it just felt so right. Looking back at where they started and where they were now, it all just seemed so natural, inevitable that they would reach this point. Ok, so their early relationship was maybe a tad strained, and maybe he felt the kid was a bit of a nuisance at first. All that aside, it really hadn't taken long for him to begin seeing Stewie for the kindred spirit he was, and from that point on, he'd always been at his happiest when he was with Stewie. Well, maybe always wasn't the right word. There were several moments in their relationship that were far from happy ones, and as he had been thinking about things over the past couple of days, he had also begun to realize that most of those instances were his own fault. He'd been blind to it before, but he couldn't ignore the fact any longer. There had been times when he had been a serious ass to the kid. He'd known about the child's crush on him and had deliberately chosen to ignore it because of how uncomfortable it had made him to think about, not to mention all the instances where he had been too obsessed with other things to give a damn about the boy's feelings. A wave of guilt began to overwhelm the dog as he thought about the specific moments where he had mistreated Stewie. There was the time when he had let fame go to his head and had been acting overly critical and just plain hurtful towards the child. That was probably the worst example. Stewie had been in tears after that one. He could hardly believe how terrible he had been in that moment.
I was a monster.
It hurt him to think about that, made him hate who he had allowed himself to become, allowing himself to take for granted the most important person in his life, the very reason he had briefly become such a success in the first place. Brian pulled to the side. He was feeling sick to his stomach, thinking about what all Stewie had put up with and how he himself had at times treated him in return, and then, as he was mulling all this over, he began to remember an instance that he had completely forgotten about, possibly blocked from memory. He shuddered as images came flooding back to him, images of Stewie with a dislocated arm and him mercilessly trying to force it back into its socket, ignoring the boy's cries of pain, gagging him so no one would hear. That was it, that had been his lowest moment, and it had all been because of that skank of a preschool teacher, Miss Emily. He lowered his head against the steering wheel and sighed.
How could he still love me after…that. I…abused the kid.
He didn't understand it. Stewie should despise him for all of that, not love him. He had done nothing to earn that love. He raised his head back up, now with a perfectly stoic expression, hiding the turmoil he was currently feeling.
We may be together now, and we may even be happy, but I can't just ignore all this any longer. I have a lot to make up for. I'm going to earn my place in Stewie's heart.
It was a promise, one he intended to keep. He cranked the car again and pulled out onto the road to head back towards home, determined to do right by his partner from now on.
Stewie was at a table, casually coloring in a book that he had found on the floor upon walking into the room with the other children, but his mind was far from focused on his art. All he could think about was that goodbye kiss, unable to remove the large, saccharine grin that was plastered on his face. It wasn't even like, he'd never kissed the dog before, far from it, but that kiss had still been really special. He could read Brian like a book. He knew how nervous the canine was about this new step in their relationship, but that kiss had been a genuine sign of just how much the dog loved him. The fact that Brian had instigated such an obvious display of affection, even in a semi-public setting, did wonders in reassuring Stewie that everything was going to work out, that he wasn't just another one of Brian's flings but someone truly special in the dog's heart. Ever since he and Brian had gotten together, Stewie had tried his best to stay confident about the whole thing, focusing solely on the here and now of the matter, but there was always that small inkling of worry that he could end up just like all the other people Brian had hooked up with, just another rotation in the cycle. And, really, he had every right to be slightly worried. It wasn't like Brian had never hurt him before. There were several instances that Stewie could look back on where Brian had mistreated him. Of course, to be fair, it wasn't like he'd been a perfect angel toward Brian either. There were things that he had done to Brian that he regretted, but the amount of emotional pain he felt at times seemed like it more than made up for any of the physical pain he'd at times inflict upon the canine. He was just violent by nature. He'd gotten better about things like that, but that side of him still found a way to come out every now and again. He was working on it, though. The child sighed.
The simple truth is, even if we do care about each other, we've both had moments where we've mistreated each other, but things can be different now that everything is out in the open between us.
The boy smiled again. Sure, there was a lot of hurt in the past, which he fully intended to make all up to the dog in time, but he didn't need to focus on that right now. Things were finally perfect between him and Brian. There was no need to ruin the magic of these early days in their couplehood. There was no doubt that all this would need to be addressed in time, but for now, the child was content simply thinking about that kiss. He finished his coloring, giving it an approving look and then tearing out the page, folding it, and putting it into his pocket before running off to another section of the room, hoping to find something else to occupy him as he waited for the school day to end.
Brian walked into the house and took a seat on the couch. He grabbed the remote and flipped on the television, figuring it was just as good as anything else to kill some time. There wasn't anything else for him to do at the moment, no errands he needed to run or anything, nothing to occupy him enough to take his mind off of the guilt he was feeling. A little TV sounded good at the moment, so he started flipping through channels. It didn't take him long to realize that there was nothing decent on. Defeated, he cut off the TV, tossed the remote aside, and slumped down into the couch. A couple of minutes later, he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and looked over to find that it was Lois. He sat up, hoping to hide the fact that something was bugging him and keep Lois from asking any questions. He forced a smile and addressed the woman.
"Oh, hey, Lois. You, uh, feeling any better?"
Lois took a seat beside him on the couch before nodding her head, but the look on her face made it clear that she was still upset about this morning.
"Yeah, I'm feeling a little better. My headache is gone, but…"
She seemed to hesitate before continuing.
"That man, he can be so…frustrating at times. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother putting up with him."
Brian wasn't exactly in the right mindset to be having this conversation with Lois, but he knew he couldn't just get up and walk away. She needed someone to talk to, and well, he was the only individual available at the moment. He let out an inaudible sigh before responding as kindly as he could muster.
"Lois, I understand that dealing with Peter isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world, but you and I both know that the reason you put up with it is because you love him."
The woman laughed sarcastically.
"Well, of course I love him. I wouldn't have married the moron if I didn't love him, but does that mean that I should just put up with whatever he throws at me? Shouldn't there come a point when enough is enough!?"
Brian wasn't sure where this was going, but if the tone in Lois's voice was any indication, it wasn't a good place.
"Wha-What are you talking about, Lois?"
There was an awkward pause as the dog waited for the woman to respond. In actuality, it only lasted for a few seconds, but to Brian, it felt like much longer than that. Lois sighed.
"I'm talking about a divorce, Brian."
The canine's eyes went wide. He hadn't seen this coming at all.
"L-Lois, y-you can't be serious."
He had heard the woman joke about this before, or at least they had seemed like jokes at the time, but after all her and Peter had been through, he would have never imagined Lois speaking like this, even if he had wished for it in the past. The two Griffin parents separating was unthinkable. The dog's mind was suddenly going a mile a minute due to this sudden revelation, and he was barely able to pay attention as Lois responded.
"I've been thinking about it for a while now. It's not like I want it to come to that, but I just don't know how much more I can take."
Brian raised his paws up, urging the woman to stop speaking.
"Stop, Lois, listen. Like I said, I understand that Peter can be frustrating at times, but…just listen to yourself. You two love each other, you've both proven that time and time again, sticking with each other through thick and thin. You two can make it through anything. You're just angry with him right now, but I know if you just take some time to cool down and think this through, you'll realize that you really don't mean what you're saying."
The woman just stared at him for a moment, seeming to really think about what the dog had said. After a moment, she smiled lightly.
"Maybe you're right, Brian. Maybe I'm just too angry to think clearly right now. That…that makes me feel a lot better about things. Thank you."
She reached over and began to pet him on the head in a show of gratitude, something the dog used to enjoy a great deal, but now, it just made him feel awkward knowing how he used to feel about Lois and who he was currently with. He wasn't really enjoying it. He really just wanted Lois to stop, but he couldn't exactly let her know that. He squirmed a little, feeling really uncomfortable. Suddenly, the phone rang, prompting Lois to get up to answer it and bringing a close to the awkward petting session. The dog sighed in relief.
I know she was just being nice, but that was just really unpleasant.
Well, at least he knew he was completely over Lois. That was one less thing to worry about in his life he supposed. As he began to get comfortable again, he couldn't help but make out the sound of Lois's voice talking animatedly over the phone. Whoever she was talking to obviously had some good news, maybe good enough to bring Lois out of her morning funk so that she wouldn't need to have another conversation like that again. He laughed under his breath.
When have I ever been that lucky?
And the first answer that popped into his mind was an image of Stewie which he couldn't help but smile at. It was true, he didn't have the best of luck, but simply having Stewie in his life more than made up for that.
Scratch that, I'm the luckiest guy in the world.
He heard the phone being hung up and then, the sound of Lois coming back into the living room. She rejoined him on the couch, and Brian immediately noticed the new, lively grin on her face. Without even waiting for Brian to ask, the woman immediately spoke up.
"That was Carol."
The dog slowly nodded his head, not wanting to seem callous but still not really sure why he should care.
"Ok. What did she call for?"
Lois crossed her legs and began explaining.
"Well, you know her birthday is next week right?"
Brian wasn't sure if Lois was being serious with that question. He had no reason to know when her sister's birthday was. God, did the woman actually think that he kept tabs on her entire family like that. He just chose not to say anything and waited for her to continue. It wasn't even a couple of seconds later before she did.
"Anyway, she just called to tell me that her husband is going to be throwing her a huge birthday party this Friday at their mansion, and of course, me and Peter are invited! She said that we could bring the kids, too, but I'm thinking that it might be good idea if me and Peter went alone, you know, give us a good night out together."
Now understanding what Lois was so excited about, Brian couldn't help but feel a little happy for her, too, considering how upset she had been just a couple of minutes earlier.
"Oh, well, that's great. I'm sure you guys will have a great time."
The woman nodded her head before shooting up off the couch.
"Oh! I need to get going! I was so preoccupied with this morning that I had almost forgotten that I need to get some shopping done before it's time to pick Stewie up this afternoon. Not to mention, there a few other things that I need to do around town, and I need to get ready for the day and everything!"
Before she could rush up the stairs, Brian called to her.
"You know, Lois, you don't need to rush. I'd be more than happy to pick Stewie up later. You take all the time you need."
The woman smiled at him.
"That would actually be a really big help. Me and Bonnie are actually going out to take care of errands together, and it would be great if I didn't need to rush her. Thank you, Brian. I don't know what I'd do without you."
With those final words, she proceeded up the stairs at a normal pace. Brian folded his arms behind his head, satisfied that he had been given an opportunity to get Stewie from preschool and that it still only seemed like he wanted to help Lois out. Now that she was gone, his mind began to refocus its attention on what he had been thinking about earlier only now he wasn't feeling as bad about everything. He had done terrible things, and he still felt guilty over them. However, the main thing he was feeling now was gratitude that Stewie loved him enough to stick with him through all that bullshit. He looked over at the empty space beside the couch and frowned slightly. He found himself wishing that Stewie was there so that he could wrap an arm around the tyke and hold him tightly.
It's barely been an hour, and I'm already missing him.
He had to laugh at that. He'd never had such a constant need to have someone near him.
Perhaps I should have taken him up on his offer to just hang out for the day.
He was half joking. He knew he had made the right call about going ahead and taking Stewie to preschool, but he couldn't help but wonder what they would be doing right now if he had just decided to fuck all and let the kid play hooky. They just might have to do that one of these days. He mulled over these thoughts for a bit longer before deciding he had wasted enough time, so he hopped off the couch and went to retrieve his laptop, feeling a sudden inspiration to write. By the time he had returned and had booted up his laptop, Lois had made her way downstairs, now carrying a purse and looking ready to go out and get her tasks done for the day. She walked over to the door, opened it, and turned back toward Brian.
"I'll try not to be too long, but I can't make any promises. Just don't forget about my baby. Ok."
The dog looked over and had to keep himself from sounding irked at the mere notion that he would forget to pick up the kid.
"I'm not going to forget about Stewie. I mean, I love the little guy."
That last sentence had come out unexpectedly. He knew Lois had no way of knowing what he had really meant, but he couldn't help but get a little nervous as he waited for her response. The woman just smiled in approval.
"I know you do, and he loves you, too. It's good that he has a decent male role model in his life. Lord knows, Peter will never be that."
The dog just chuckled nervously, not really liking the comparison that was being made at the moment. He couldn't really think of anything to say in response, but luckily, Lois left it at that and walked out of the house. He pulled at his collar and cleared his throat.
She thinks I'm some sort of father figure? Well, that's just plain…disturbing to think about. Oh, if she only knew just how off the mark she was with that comparison. As if I needed another layer of weirdness in my relationship with Stewie.
The dog decided to just shake those thoughts away and opened up the document that contained his latest story to begin work on his writing. Before long he was enveloped in his work, mind racing with ideas and fingers flying across the keyboard, but he also made sure to stop and check the time every now and then, practically counting down the minutes until he was able to go get Stewie.
