"Mom, I already told you I'm not going to be able to visit this year." Chris spoke into the Bluetooth hooked over his ear as he tapped away at the keyboard in front of him. "We have a big project due right after the new year, and I'm way behind." He shot a smile at one of his coworkers as they walked by.
He sighed and swapped over to another spreadsheet, listening to his mother ramble on the other end of the line. "I know it's been four years, but.." He sighed as he was cut off, looking up at another coworker who stopped by his cubicle, handing over a folder of paperwork without even having to exchange words.
"I'll try next year, mom. But it's just not going to happen this year. No matter how much dad wants one of my Christmas pies."
"WHITE!" Chris shot up at the sound of his boss shouting his last name, looking to where he stood in the doorway to his office, seeing the gruff rotund man beckoning him to come.
"Gotta go, bye." Chris said to his mother, clawing the Bluetooth off his ear before grabbing a few files off his desk and running off to his boss' office. As soon as he stepped through the door, Chris began nervously babbling. "Sorry, I just got done with the Lanston account, and.." He held out the folder but blinked as he met his boss' steely gaze.
"Sit down, White, we need to talk."
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Fired.
Well, Chris knew the company was looking to cut costs and its not like his job was all that secure. He just thought with a few coworkers being his juniors he'd be safe. "Probably pay them less." He grumbled as he stomped up the stairs to his third floor apartment. Well, its not like he liked that job anyway, maybe it was time for a change.
"Hey, hon, I'm home..." He hollered into the apartment as he opened the door, frowning as he noticed all the lights were off and the distinct lack of a large furry canine coming to greet him. Maybe they were on a walk? He flicked on the lights and dropped his backpack off next to the door, kicking off his shoes. He made a bee line right for the kitchen, needing a beer. Yanking open the fridge, he grabbed one from inside then closed it, a note held to the door by a magnet coming into his view.
He tugged it down, but he only read the first few lines before he crumpled it up and threw it towards the trash, just wincing as it bounced off the rim. Well, he could deal with that later.
Fired. Dumped. And he took the dog.
"Merry fucking Christmas." He muttered to himself after a swig of beer. As he made for the couch he pulled out his cellphone and shot off a text to his mother.
'Change of plans. See you in two days.'
At least he could get his family off his back.
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Chris leaned over the steering wheel and squinted into the thick white swirls that had descended upon him as soon as he crossed the county line just twenty miles from his home town. Sure, snow was to be expected out here, but he expected no more than a flurry as he drove through the picturesque woodlands on the outskirts of town. And it being night didn't help with visibility at all.
Maybe he should just pull over and try to wait it out, but then he had nothing to dig his car out with him for after the storm passed, and last he knew there was barely anything between here and the town other than a few hunting cabins and a maple syrup farm. Suddenly the snow seemed to part like a curtain and standing in the road ahead of him was a large antlered animal.
Acting without thinking, Chris swerved, his car spun out on the icy road and with a crash, slipped right into a ditch.
He was sure he blacked out, he didn't know for how long but for a moment he came to with everything in sight lit up by like it was day. He felt a hand on his neck, then a deep slightly husky voice asking him, "Hey, you with me?" Chris managed a weak nod, to be met with a, "Good, no way an ambulance is getting out here tonight. Let's get you out of there." He looked over and smiled.
Aw, his savior had a dog... He thought as a canine face came into sight. And oddly concerned looking dog. Two flannel covered arms reached into the car and helped to pull him out. "Can you walk?" Chris managed another nod to the question. The rest of the night was a blur, a moment of sitting in another vehicle, then another escort from the man and his dog to a bed. He remembered the dog coming in to check on him a couple times through the night.
He woke the next morning with a splitting headache and a sore side, but otherwise in one piece in a room he didn't recognize. The bed was soft and the comforter over him was warm, and there was even a fireplace with a small fire in it crackling away merrily. He was blessedly alone, and shockingly undressed he noticed as he pulled aside the covers. Well, he still had his underwear on at least, but bandages had been wrapped around his side and torso, neat and clean. Someone knew what they were doing.
Chris got dressed, moving gingerly as his side protested every time he moved too much, but otherwise he seemed fine. He stepped out of the room into a hallway of an old house desperately in need of a little TLC, despite the coziness of the room he had been in. The hallway was lined with doors and was in desperate need of a new coat of paint. However, he was soon distracted by the sound coming from a stairwell, that sounded distinctly like someone putzing away in a kitchen.
Well, he might as well go thank his savior, he thought as he made his way there, keeping one hand on the wall for support, especially as he went down the stairs. He came into what probably was meant to be a dining room, but it was stripped empty and full of construction materials of all sorts, the sounds led him through another doorway into a kitchen that also could do with a bit of a reno.
A tall, somewhat muscular figure was bent over the stove, grumbling to himself. Dressed in red plaid flannel and jeans, he definitely fit the small town vibe that Chris came to expect from returning to his hometown. And those jeans really fit, he thought as he took a moment to admire the rear in those tight jeans, even if he had a weirdly fluffy towel hanging from his waistband. "Morning?" He called out a bit hoarsely to the figure.
He stood up straight and turned around, a big grin spreading across his black and grey canine face, ice blue eyes sparkling, the towel hanging behind him beginning to wag excitedly. "Good! You're up!"
"Ah!" Chris felt himself shout involuntarily at the shock. He tried to take a step backwards, lost his balance and smacked his head into the door frame, blacking out again.