thing lovers would do, Balto knew he was really afraid to leave him alone in case he tried to kill himself again. One day he called Steele out on this, and when the malamute denied it again he exploded. He told Steele he didn’t need him to watch him all the time and that going along with this relationship was a mistake. An argument grew from there, until Balto eventually lost it and broke down crying in the malamute’s arms. And for the first time in his entire life, Steele actually comforted him. In the days that followed, Balto stopped minding the visits so much and made an effort to be friendlier with his rival.

Eventually, Balto kissed Steele again (but by his own decision this time), and when he did he knew that the malamute was indeed ‘the one’ he had been waiting for. They spent the rest of the night in Balto’s trawler, sleeping side-by-side in his cabin. They didn’t do anything then but sleep, but they were closer than they had ever been, spooning each other til dawn.

Balto still loved Jenna, and she would always be in his heart (because you couldn’t just turn off your love for someone and jump right onto the night person you date, life wasn’t that easy), but now he realized he was starting to love Steele too, and Steele was the one who could spend the rest of his life with him, hidden in plain sight the whole time.

The closer he got to Steele, the more he realized why the ladies used to love him so much (something he always scoffed at). His muscles were well-built and defined from years running on the tundra. His eyes were a piercing light blue, almost as if they were staring right into your soul. Personality wise, he mainly had a mixture of charm, machismo, recklessness, and indignance. He was still kind of full of himself (though nowhere near as arrogant as he used to be), but luckily that was counteracted by his newfound sense of kindness and compassion. All these things combined created one hell of a sexy dog, and now he was Balto’s boyfriend.

The wolf-dog actually found him attractive now. Quite what that made him he wasn’t sure. He still didn’t find any other males of his kind attractive or sexually arousing, only Steele. So he still wasn’t gay. Maybe he was bisexual. Or maybe there weren’t any labels to describe him at all.

“Mr. Smith and Joan” by Murray Gold begins.

The next month, Balto worked up the nerve to go into town with Steele (the malamute encouraged him to stride into town with his head held high, like he always used to). By then, everyone in Nome, even the humans, knew about them because of the incident, and the reaction from the town was a mixed bag. Many of the dogs disapproved, but they didn’t dare voice their opinions beyond hushed whispering and disgusted stares.

On the other hand, Dixie and Sylvie, the biggest gossip hounds in Nome, surprised Balto by taking the side of their friend’s former boyfriend. Nikki, Kaltag, and Star told him they didn’t give a damn about whether or not he liked guys or even that he was half-wolf, since their butts would all be frozen in the tundra if it wasn’t for him (though Kaltag did poke him in the ribs and jokingly ask him why he had to choose Steele).

One day, he decided to take Steele away from town to a clearing he found in the forest, where they could talk in private, away from their friends and family. He told him he was ready for the mating part of being mates, and Steele (being the surprisingly patient purebred he was), asked him if he was sure before they proceeded.

If Balto thought the brief kisses and hugs they had exchanged before were good, the sex was mind-blowing. Steele’s reputation about him having sex with dozens of girls with obviously true (he was such a man-slut), since he knew exactly what he was doing. He hit all the right spots, kissed all the right parts, and gave his boyfriend a night he’d never forget.

Even more so, he gave Balto a turn at the wheel, even though the half-breed knew Steele would be incredibly uncomfortable surrendering his virgin ass to another male and not being in control for once. But he got through it with a brave face, and in the end their relationship was even stronger now that they knew they could trust each other.

When the summer passed Steele became worried about his mate having to spend another winter living in the trawler, so he asked Balto if he wanted to come live with him. The half-breed told him he would love to, but it’d be impossible.

Steele, being the crafty dog he was, had a whole plan devised on how to get him in. He’d take Balto home with him one night, and when his owner called him he’d refuse to come inside unless he let Balto come in as well. Either it worked and they both slept happy, or it failed and they both slept outside in the cold. But surprisingly, Steele didn’t even need the plan; his second master let into Balto into his home without a second thought.

Richard knew all about their kiss on the roof top from his neighbors, and he wasn’t oblivious to how much time they spent together now, so he wasn’t going to deny them room and board together. If any of his neighbors stopped by and told him he was housing abominations, he’d tell them that what his dogs did with their lives was their own choice, and politely ask them if they wanted to talk outside.

So it seemed Balto had misjudged the citizens of Nome. Yes, there was still a majority of people and dogs who liked to shun anything different, but there were also good people like Kaltag and Richard who were open-minded to pretty much anything that came their way (they would have loved the hippy days of the 60s).

During the day Balto still made trips out to the trawler quite often, so his friends wouldn’t think he had forgotten them. But during the night the hybrid didn’t get that much sleep, now that he and his boyfriend shared the same roof.

And so far tonight was another sleepless night, since Balto had dragged Steele out of bed, on the eve of a big party, to come see another light show. But neither dog really minded the exhaustion that much.

“Whoa”, Steele exclaimed.

“Cool trick huh? It’s all done with mirrors, or should I say bottles”, Balto explained. “I showed Jenna this place once, and now I’m showing you”, the hybrid said, lying down on the floor and beckoning for his mate to join him.

Steele laid down next to him, and threw one of his paws over the mutt. “She would be proud of you Balto, for how far you’ve come”, the malamute declared.

“She would be proud of you too. She probably wouldn’t recognize you, you’ve changed so much”, Balto replied.

“I don’t think she’d recognize either of us”, Steele mused, nuzzling the wolf-dog’s neck (yes, he had gotten used to the girly acts of affection that came with showing his softer side over the year). “Do you miss her sometimes?”, he asked curiously, but with a hint of worry carefully buried underneath.

Balto paused, before shaking his head. “Yes and no. I do think about her some days, but I don’t want her back. She was a great friend, and whatever boyfriend she’s found now has no idea how lucky he is lucky to have her. But you’re the one I want most in my life Steele. That’s why I took you here. This place is more than just a pretty sight, it’s where dogs from all over go to prove their love”, Balto replied.

Steele smirked and sat up. “So I’m not just the rebound then?”, he asked teasingly.

“Nah, if I wanted a rebound I wouldn’t choose a guy who spends all his time puffing out his chest and admiring himself in the mirror”, Balto said, grinning.

Steele frowned and growled, pretending to be angry. They had played these little games before. “And what makes you think I’d choose some scrawny little wolf-dog who’s tail is so long it’s a miracle it doesn’t get stuck in doors all the time?”, the malamute shot back.

Balto laughed, and licked his mate’s cheek, softening his expression instantly. “Good one, but you get what I’m trying to say. I really do love you Steele, and I don’t ever want to leave your side”, the half-breed said, getting himself nice and comfortable and leaning into Steele’s chest.

“Well then that’s good, cause I’m not going anywhere”, Steele replied, wrapping both his arms around Balto and securing the half-wolf to prove his point. He then licked Balto’s ears and, confidentially, whispered into his earlobe. “And I love you too Balto”, he said proudly, before closing his eyes and finally getting some rest.

This was what Balto had been waiting for his whole life. Things had, at last, changed for the better, and Steele had come through with his promise of giving him a reason to keep living. He had a lot to be thankful for now, but mostly he would be forever grateful to his old love Jenna, for telling him to move on and allow fate to bring him to his real soulmate. He meant every word he had said to Steele; he hoped Jenna was happy as well in her own new life, wherever she was.

“Thank you Jen, for saving me one last time”, he thought, before closing his eyes and joining his boyfriend in a blissful sleep.

Not all stories had happy endings, but