Before I Ran || Perrentes

Epilogue

* * *SIX YEARS LATER* * *

Tony wasn't sure what, exactly, the nightmare had been about - but he did remember it wasn't very pleasant, so he didn't mind being dragged from sleep by a vaguely wet, sandpaper tongue licking his neck. However, still tired, he groaned and rolled over, pulling the blanket over him - but the licking persisted, and soon a wet nose came nuzzling against his cheek, accompanied by soft fur. The alarm was going off in the background, and he knew this was the end of his lie-in.

"Alright, Sammy," Tony moaned, cracking open one eye and turning the alarm off before facing the black German Shepherd that was refusing to allow him to go back to sleep. "I'm awake, okay?"

Sammy stretched his muzzle forwards and sniffed Tony's face, before he snorted in approval and gave him one final lick in greeting, as if he'd never seen Tony before. Turning onto his back and opening both eyes, he removed one arm from beneath the sheets and tickled Sammy's neck fur as he lay down, paws stretched across Tony's chest. "Good morning to you too."

Sammy whined softly, tail thumping on the mattress, feathery fur creating a draft, and Tony huffed with laughter. "I have a whole day at work today, Sammy, so you be good for Jason, okay? I know his cuddles aren't as good as mine, but he feeds you and takes you for walks, and let's face it, that's all you really care about, isn't it?"

Sammy's pointed, feather-fluff ears swivelled and he cocked his head to the side, and the sun that crept in through the crack in the curtains made his big, dark, shining eyes glimmer. He opened his jaws and let his tongue loll out of his mouth as he panted a few times. Tony sighed and tickled his head before dislodging his paws and forcing himself out of bed, walking over to the curtains and throwing them back, letting in the light. It fell across the floor as if it had just tripped accidentally, and it splattered around the room, illuminating its features - it cast a glow on the polished fingerboard of his guitar, which sat beside its amp on the stand in the corner of the room. It enlightened the chair in the opposite corner of the room, clothes from the previous day draped over the arm. It lit up the dresser, which had an assortment of items perched on top of it; a hairbrush, a photo in a frame, a copy of the original, unabridged Peter Pan, a shoebox that hadn't been opened in six years.

Sammy sat back up and tilted his head as he saw Tony looking around the room, part absent minded, part hollowed. Tony looked back out the window for a moment - it was shaping up to be a lovely day. The sun was gleaming in a crystal blue sky, and a few puffy white clouds sailed across it with ease. The hills were looking bright and pearly green - but the trees were different. They were losing their lovely green and starting to turn brown and orange and gold. Already, in the slight breeze, a few orange leaves were blowing around.

Sammy barked once, drawing Tony's attention back to him. He tilted his head again and then leapt down off the bed, trotting over to Tony and sitting at his feet, licking his hand. Tony huffed in part amusement, part melancholy. "Yeah," he sighed. "Sorry I always get a bit sad this time of year, Sammy. But you know how it is...I turned twenty five a few weeks ago. Isn't that crazy? There was a time I doubted I would ever turn twenty."

Sammy whimpered and butted Tony's hand with his head. "I know. Honestly, buddy, you wouldn't believe how fucking insane things were for a while -"

Tony was cut off by a sharp rap at the door downstairs, and he jolted, coming to life and remembering he didn't actually have all the time in the world. He picked up his Star Wars hoodie from the chair and pulled it on over his head, shivering a little in the growing cold. "That'll be Jason," he murmured to himself, and he hurried out of the room and down the corridor, Sammy at his heels, tail wagging madly.