Fandom: Inception/TDKR RPF I guess
Pairing: Joe/Tom
Rating: PG
Length: 745 words.
Summary: In which Joe is awkward and Tom is insistent and Louis is adorable. Sequel to Unkissed, comes before You Yes You
Warnings: None, except maybe risk of diabetic coma from cuteness. IDK.
A/N: I actually wrote this before the epilogue, just for fun. Thought I'd share.

Tom goes crazy when he meets Joe’s dog.

It’s not, strictly speaking, unexpected. After all, Joe’s had opportunity to see how Tom is with animals and children, the way he gets down on their level both literally and figuratively; it’s the same way he’s now rolling on the floor with Baxter, scratching behind his ears and under his collar and telling him he’s gorgeous even as Baxter’s fat slimy tongue goes everywhere — Tom’s cheeks, his ears, his nose, his mouth. Joe’s not a germophobe by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s seen the way Baxter goes to town on his junk, and he privately resolves to get Tom into the shower or at least near a toothbrush before kissing him again.

“He’s brilliant,” Tom says, as though this might not have been clear from the display that preceded his judgement. “He’s lovely. Agh, he makes me miss my dog so fucking much!” And he has Baxter by the face, twisting all his doggy loose skin around, back and forth, while Baxter licks the air joyously and his tail thumps the floor.

“Yeah, he’s a good boy,” Joe says, grinning, getting a hand in there, scratching under Baxter’s collar. He loves his dog — not enough to let him molest Joe’s ear holes, true — and he loves Tom, of course, so he’s not actually sure why it is that the sight of Tom bonding with Baxter is making him edgy rather than pleased.

He clues in some time later when Tom gets on Skype. Usually Joe stays politely clear of the room when this happens, but Joe’s internal clock isn’t over the New York to LA time change, and he doesn’t realize it’s eight o’clock in London until Tom’s laptop is already chirping.

“Hi, sweetheart, hello little man!” Tom is saying, leaning in to the computer. Joe picks up his coffee cup and prepares to leave the room quietly. On the other end he can make out a little voice, its accent a mirror to Tom’s, but Joe can’t quite catch what the words are. “Oh, Daddy misses you so much,” Tom says warmly. “Do you miss Daddy?” This time it’s clear as a bell — yes, Daddy, yes, I miss you lots and lots — and Joe is almost out the door when Tom beckons him back with a wave of his hand.

Joe hesitates, pulls a puzzled blank look, hopes playing dumb might get him a pass this time.

Tom’s eyebrows fly up and his mouth goes flat. Now, his face says, clear as anything.

Joe suppresses a sigh and comes over, staying clear of the web cam but now able to see the screen, the little blond headed boy with Tom’s mouth and Tom’s eyes, only brown. He’s fucking adorable, Joe thinks helplessly. No two ways about it.

“And after the park, where did you and Mummy go?” Tom is saying, twining his fingers with Joe’s in a way that is probably supposed to seem affectionate but is actually a thinly-veiled trap. Louis prattles on in a semi-comprehensible way about swings and slides and a great big something with purple somethings. “Ah, it sounds brilliant, I wish I’d been there,” Tom says, like this all made perfect sense. “Louis darling, say hello to Joseph.”

“Hello, Joseph,” says Louis dutifully, not particularly bothered as Tom yanks Joe into the frame. Joe smiles and lifts his free hand up in greeting and thinks, Tom let Baxter lick his tongue, jesus fuck, what a precedent.

“Hi Louis,” Joe says, making more of an effort, spurred on by this last thought. “It’s nice to talk to you. You know, your dad talks about you all the time.” He clears his throat, wonders if he sounds like a smoker, wonders if Louis’ mother is listening somewhere just out of sight, watching him, frowning.

“Yes,” says Louis. “Daddy, will you come over to play tomorrow?”

Tom makes a sad sound. “Oh, sweetheart, I can’t, I wish I could with all my heart. Daddy’s stuck in LA making movies still.”

“Okay,” says Louis, accepting this with far more equanimity than Tom. “Do you want to see my owie?” And he is shoving a band-aid covered elbow into the screen and Tom is exclaiming over it, and Joe leans into Tom’s side and thinks maybe he’s got the better deal, after all, because Louis probably smells nice and doesn’t whine when you eat bacon.