Gossip (Damien)

Damien was still very much riding the high that came along with a new relationship. Sure, Valentine’s Day had been a touch... rocky, but they’d survived it with little damage done. Provided you didn’t count allergy attacks or getting Benadryl drunk as damage.

Not that he’d actually... really... told anyone. Not anyone at work, anyway. Especially Janice. While it might have been an out for all of her misguided attempts to set him up with her friends for dates, well... he didn’t really want to deal with the Spanish Inquisition over it quite yet. He’d had a lot of practice keeping his mouth shut over the years, and it was easy to do it now. Work stayed at work, and home stayed at home.

... Well, most of home stayed at home. This morning he’d decided to bring Gypsy to work with him. No one seemed to mind her much, and she was so well behaved that he didn’t think it was an issue. As soon as he’d gotten into the office, she’d settled on the bed he had under his desk for her.

He was already flipping through a few case files when Gypsy slipped out from under the desk and barked, wagging her tail at the sound of other people in the building. She loved everyone, which was nice when she was in the office.

Sure enough, the knock pulled him away from looking at the files. At least it was Josh, not Janice. He got up and opened the door more than the crack it had been, smiling at Josh. “Good morning,” he greeted. Gypsy just wagged harder, seeking the attention she knew she could charm out of the attorney. “Sure, that would be nice. I hadn’t gotten around to making it yet.” Which loosely translated into ‘I might have been fussing my dog rather than making coffee.’ “How was your weekend?”

"Ah, great. Thank you." Damien didn't have a huge love for coffee, usually opting for tea instead, but he'd deal with it. (Truthfully, that was probably the bigger reason he tended to forget to put the pot on in the morning.) Gypsy just wagged enthusiastically at Josh, making happy grunting noises as he rubbed her ears. She really did flirt with everyone, though Damien could tell that Josef was becoming one of her favorites.

Of course, Josh was up there too.

"Sure," he agreed, stepping out. Gypsy followed him out, clearly still hoping for attention handouts. Damien shook his head slightly and stooped to run his hand down her back. "Sometimes I think Gypsy's your biggest fan," he said with a little laugh. She'd follow just about anyone that gave her the smallest bit of attention. "After Sean, of course."

He was curious as to what had made Josh's weekend so glorious, but he supposed he'd have to wait for that until they actually made it to the break room. This was the one aspect of working in an office that he'd often tried to squirm out of. The whole socializing before actually working, which, in their office, could go on for a little while. At least they were small. He'd worked for a large firm in Vancouver, and while it had been easier to disappear, so to speak, it had also been harder to get away once he was cornered.

Once they made it, he grinned at the treats Josh had brought. "You were busy." Not that he minded. Sweet things were good things. "Don't let Janice see the brownies. You know what she's like with chocolate." After carefully picking out a cookie, he cocked his head and leaned back against the counter. "So. What made the weekend so great?"

Well, there was something to look forward to. Janice hopped up on chocolate. "All right, all right. She can do whatever she wants." It wasn't like she'd listen, anyway. Damien would just put extra effort into remaining quiet and out of sight for the rest of the day.

He took the mug and moved to mix in some sugar and cream, but he paused at the news. A grin spread on his face as he turned back to Josh. "Really? That's great! Congratulations!" It was no secret that Damien adored kids, so this really was fabulous news.

"There has to be more than that. Have you met your foster child yet?" If he couldn't be a father himself, he'd just have to live through Josh. And his sister, if she ever got her act together. "You and Sean must be so happy."

Damien really was happy for Josh. While he didn't know from personal experience, he had the understanding that being a parental figure to a child was one of the greatest feelings on earth. Maybe one day he'd feel it himself. Until then, he'd just have to live through his friends' joy over it. "That has to be a little tough for her. Hammel was hard enough on me without the added complication of a new family." He offered a little smile. "But I know if anyone is capable of getting her through it, it's you and Sean." As for bringing her to work, Damien had no problem with it. He loved kids. "Let me know if you're bringing her by. I'll make sure Gypsy's here." Of course, not everyone liked dogs... "Unless she's afraid of dogs?"

Not that Gypsy would ever hurt anyone, but he wasn't going to push her on a timid girl.

Speaking of the collie, she was continuing to stare up at Josh adoringly, tail wafting happily. She wasn't even after the baked goods. Petting was just as good, if not better.

"I'm sure you and Sean will make her feel right at home," he assured. The transition to Hammel was difficult for any child, especially one in the foster system, but he was sure they would fair well with her. "When she's settled, I'd love to meet her." Hell, maybe one day he'd be asking Josh about foster advice himself. Except he didn't know how Josef felt about kids yet, or even if they'd still be together in a year or two...

He needed to stop worrying so much.

Josh's questions caught him off-guard. Not so much about the weekend, but the date. It wasn't exactly a well kept secret that he tried to resist every attempt Janice made to set him up. He didn't often like saying no, but with her? He had turned it into an art. "Uh." That was eloquent. Try again. "Weekend was fine. Didn't do much." Except go out with his boyfriend. He tried to buy time by awkwardly taking a drink of coffee, but it probably wasn't that effective. "No. I generally ignore her attempts." He shifted slightly to the left. He could trust Josh, right? "Besides, I don't need her assistance." There was a slightly cautious glance up at Josh. "I'm... kind of seeing someone." There, it was out in the open.

"... Please don't tell Janice. I'll never hear the end of it."

Well. He hadn't expected that. Damien blinked at Josh's surprise before allowing a shy, but happy smile spread as he nodded.

"Yeah. Um. Josef Muller." Pink colored his cheeks. "Gypsy actually introduced us. I was walking her downtown and she got away from me. She found him, and... that was sort of it. We started talking." He shrugged like it was no big deal, but he suspected that Josh wouldn't go for that.

"Anyway, it isn't that important. You and Sean fostering is much bigger news." He wasn't fond of the spotlight, and really, if Janice came in now she'd find out herself. He just... wasn't ready for that yet. Josh was safe. Janice, not so much.