Welcome to the Geek Shop

[NPC Christina Hendricks and NPC Peter Krause. Takes place about the same time David and Joe revisit the Peter-topic.]

She swings her foot as she twirls the pen (black ink, fine point) about in her fingers. "You've got the Yamamoto lunch tomorrow, eleven-thirty; four e-mails from the Sun-Times op ed that I can respond to easily, three you should preview; your cousin Stacey's birthday is next Friday, and I'm narrowing down what you're going to get her; your mother wants to know if you're going to attend your nephew Jon's piano recital; and I've stuck post-its on what I want from the latest La Perla collection: pink are favourites, feel free to remove the blue ones you don't like."

He doesn't look up from where he's revising notes the whole time she's listing things off. "Do I actually have to go to anything for Stacy's birthday, please gauge the level of shit I'm going to take from my mother if I don't attend the piano recital, ( and what happens if I don't like any of the ones that are pink?'' )

[Takes place sometime after David tells Joe about his ex contacting him on facebook. Crossposted to dr_dolittle]
David closes up the dishwasher, stretches, then walks over to Joe. "Upstairs now?" he asks.

"Have you ever in your life had to ask twice?" Joe says, folding the dish towel he's been using for the too-big-for-the-dishwasher stuff, and hanging it over the front of the oven.

"Yes, but you were on the phone," David says, a little cheekily. He takes Joe's hand and leads him through the house, flicking off lights along the way.

( ''Well... it didn't really count then, did it?'' )

"Dude, you've got to tell him."

"It's the right thing to do, Dave."

"It really is. Just tell him."

( ''But I'm not going to do anything about it!'' )

Strider has taken Mars's rope bone. Again. So Pixel jumps down off the mantel, swipes Strider across the nose, and takes the toy back to drag it across the floor to Mars.

If Joe or David were home, Max knew they'd tell Strider he was being bad.

( Which is right on cue for the key to sound in the lock, and Joe to walk in the door. )

[Sometime not so long after Karl gets hired. Crossposted to dr_dolittle]

"Joe!" Karl greets Joe enthusiastically when he comes into the geek shop. "How're you doing, mate?"

"I'm good--really good," Joe grins. It had been a good day--nothing catastrophic, for once--and his assistant had shown up with a surprise for him. Which is why Joe's here now. ( ''The boss around, or is he working too hard, as usual?'' )

[Takes place sometime after Mars learns not to trust Labrador Retrievers]

"Mars, look, Joe's here." David points.

Mars has a rope bone. It is the best rope bone on the face of the earth. But Joe is here! What's a dog to do? He picks up his toy and goes to greet Joe at the shop door, little stub of tail wagging madly.

"Hey there, Mars!" Joe says, dropping down in front of him and ruffling him up, not trying to take the rope bone from him. ( ''How's your morning going? Keeping David busy and in line?'' )

[Takes place not so very long after Joe and David get the gay bunnies, when Mars is still a puppy. Crossposted to dr_dolittle]

As soon as Joe comes in the door, Max comes running in from the kitchen and plops his little furry self down on Joe's feet. We need to talk.

"We do? What's up, buddy?" Joe asks, settling down closer and scritching Max behind the ears.

First, you need to know that it wasn't Mars's fault. He's just a puppy, Joe. Just a puppy!

( Uh oh. )

[Sometime in 2006(ish)]

David's up to his eyeballs in inventory. Parts, accessories, books, everything. He damn well hates month-end. He hates doing the reports, he hates being in the shop at seven am, he hates being there until close at nine, and he wonders who the dumbass was who thought that Wizard Computers needed to have a monthly inventory.

( Oh, right, that'd be him. )

[Sometime in 2003.]

David looks... off when he returns home from work. He walks straight by Max, who dutifully follows him back to the kitchen, and sits down by the door with his head cocked curiously to the side. David's never not said hi to him before.

David also doesn't even seem to notice that Joe's attempting to make dinner. He opens the fridge and looks inside, closes it, opens it again, then eventually extracts the chocolate milk. He pours himself a very large glass, then proceeds to let it sit on the counter as he stares out the window at the backyard.

( Okay. Some people are probably good at the leave it alone and let it come out on it's own thing, but Joe's never been one of those people. )

[Back in 2001. Crossposted to dr_dolittle]

"Let me help with the dishes. Really." David looks rather like he's afraid that Joe's going to break the good salad spoons.

"You cooked, I do the dishes," Joe reminds David. "We settled that one on like our... third date? Fourth?"

"I feel useless just sitting here staring at the leftover wine."

( ''You could list the pros and cons of the last three Doctors again....'' )

[Back in 2000, when Kate is first visiting Joe and David. Crossposted to dr_dolittle]

"Joe? Kate?" David calls out as he opens the front door. "Anybody home? Hello?" Max and Pixel aren't even running to meet him. "Hello?" he calls out again, and then he hears the shower running in the guest bath, so that answers one question. "Joe? Baby?" Still no answer, so he picks up all the Chinese food he's left on the porch, and heads back to the kitchen.

( The Chinese food hits the floor with a loud splat and some clattering as David shrieks in terror. )

[Back in 2000. Not so very long after David moves in with Joe, David's sister Kate decides it's time to pay the boys a visit...]

David grabs Joe's arm. "There she is!" he says, pointing at the girl with the bushy, curly blond hair and the long skirt and flowy blouse, who breaks into a big smile and waves enthusiastically.

( ''She's got your smile,'' Joe says, butterflies doing a fearsome dance in his stomach. )

[Back in 2000.]

[Some time after David comes over to Joe's for dinner, once they've been dating for awhile.]

"Are you sure I'm not allowed to carry any of the computer equipment?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure. I'm doing okay."

"You're going to fall over. Max is very concerned," Joe warns him. "I won't drop anything. I promise."

"Well... I guess you can carry this little box..."

Joe looks at the box. ( ''It's the mouse, isn't it?'' )

[Back in 2000. Crossposted to dr_dolittle]

[Takes place not so long after Joe and David do... stuff. And... things.]

Joe doesn't exactly have a lot of company.  Uh, ever.  And it shows.  He's been racing around the house for the last few hours trying to get things cleaned up, and he's been mocked almost the entire time.  Even pointing out that it's not wise to taunt the person who goes out and brings the food home doesn't help.  ( The cats just threatened to eat him. )