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Rules of Engagement

Chapter Thirteen

By Roofles

Charles had thankfully set his alarm in the morning or he'd never have gotten up out of bed; woken up the previous night as he was. He had to practically get a crowbar to unhinge the husky's arms wrapped around him still as the large lug slumbered away in peaceful, restful sleep. Butt naked Charles managed to escape, falling butt first onto a pile of Togo's dirty cloths the husky had cleaned up by pushing the scattered remnants into a neat cohesive pile.

The husky's idea of tiding up.

"Cleaned up the place, huh?" Charles rolled his eyes, looking over at the snoring husky. Togo work hours varied greatly and allowed him to sleep in most days; while others he had to wake up before the butt crack of dawn. The man envied him for that. Mostly. In fact, he envied a lot of things about the husky now that he had a moments peace to think about it.

Even being born with the short end of the stick in this day and age, Togo had made something of himself and was a productive part of society. Working numerous, varied jobs of labor that most outright refused to do even for a steady paycheck. From gardening land work to dishwashing and unloading shipments for a friend's business. Charles went to work every day, punched in a couple of empty numbers and knew that if he didn't show up? No one would notice. No one would care and it would have little to no effect on life itself.

Yet, he made nearly double Togo did. Maybe more.

It was early in the morning, around Six, when Charles got himself into the bathroom two doors down from the husky's bedroom. He had grabbed one of Togo towels and despite his better judgement, one of the husky's elongated toothbrushes. They shared everything else and in his haste to get out of his own home, he had forgotten his. It looked like the end of two toothbrushes pushed together with an extra set of bristles for the far back of the husky's muzzle.

Togo said he could borrow his truck, which was actually Clem's. But it was repaired by Reese who got it from... Charles chuckled at that, shaking his head. These guys were far closer than he was with any of his schoolmates, coworkers or even family. Sharing is caring Togo had pointed out and seemed to get offended when Charles didn't wish too. So, a toothbrush would be fine If disgusting.

The curtains had been drawn on the tub, sleep deprived as he was Charles didn't even notice until he had pulled them back that the bathroom wasn't empty. In fact, there was a rather large something in it. Reese was in the bath tub, with one leg up over the edge of it and nude as the day he was born. Charles didn't ask about the chew toy yellow ducky currently in his muzzle. Or the six pack of beer hanging from a finger over the tub. Or the wet towel over his upper part of his face. His muzzle was still visible.

"Uh, sorry." Charles just said, covering himself with the towel. He had been hoping he'd woken up early enough to miss any of the others in the house. "Didn't know it was in use."

Reese lifted the rag of a towel from his face to look at him. Noted the towel in Charles hand, then with one hind paw turned the water back on. Adjusting it as needed and then the middle knob, turning the shower on. It hit the black wolf square in the chest and even freezing cold, Reese barely noticed. Then he just lazed back, finishing off the can of beer in his other hand. Most of it spilled out the side of his muzzle. So, he just rummaged another one out from the bathtub itself. There were several empty cans of beer here and there, most were marked with the name CLEM on the side.

"Uh..." Charles said as the water fell down onto the wolf. Reese didn't seem to care though. Just lying in the tub, miserable. Togo had said he was getting over something after the howl that woke them all up that very morning; apparently that was just phase one in the "getting over."

"You're letting the water out." Reese only growled at him, glaring over at the man as if finally noticing he was even there. "In. Or out." The wolf snarled, not amused.

In any other situation he would never willingly get into a bathtub with a depressed, angry, naked giant of a wolf. This was extenuating circumstances. Charles had a good job, even if it was pointless. He got good benefits and it was something simple enough that so long as he showed up on time there was no risk of getting canned. It was stable and right now in his life he needed something very bland and stable to fall back on. Reeking of husky love on the other hand might be enough to get him noticed, thus fired.

"Uh, I'll be quick." Charles said slowly stepping into the tub. The water was cold and it made him hug the wall; he couldn't get his footing and ending up falling butt first onto the wolf. Reese didn't even seem to notice as the man quickly adjusted the temperature and scrambled back to his feet.

Togo had been brief about it last night, falling asleep before he could finish explaining. Charles knew something happened to Reese and now he was dealing with it. Drinking booze in the bathtub apparently was just one of the steps he would be going through. Last night was one, the howling, though even to Charles it sounded more of a victory howl than one of sorrow and loss.

Charles could only figure the wolf took his own ten step program in getting over grief rather than following any conventional manner. He only wished it wasn't in the only bathroom in the place. It was impossible to get any footing without stepping on some part of the wolf. The worst part was, Reese didn't seem to mind or notice and the musky black fur running between his toes actually felt sort of good. That warm flesh, tone muscular stomach underneath his rear as he ended up sitting back down to soap up his legs and feet.

Reese even seemed to appreciate the contact and shifted his rear in the tub, touching Charles thigh for a few second before Charles wash the soap off.

"Uh, no thanks." Charles only said after Reese offered him a half empty can of beer. The wolf just shrugged, adjusted his rear in the tub once more and finished the can off. The man was still sitting on his stomach and trying not to slide down towards the wolf's groin. Charles was sure with the state he was in; Reese wouldn't have minded. And it was a dark, tempting thought seeing the wolf naked and vulnerable like this.

Then again the wolf was quoting horrible poetry about the emptiness of the vacant hole in his chest and just how it was a sucking void of nothing that no hope could escape from. It made Charles have the shortest shower in his life. Or he wished.

Reese was in a miserable state and clearly hadn't taken an actual shower in some time. His chest was crusty from something Charles forced his mind not to comprehend. Whatever happened last night hadn't been cleaned up and now the wolf was soaking in his own filth.

Reluctantly, Charles squirted a good palm sized dose of shampoo onto one of Reese's legs. One of the black wolf's ears lifted up as he peeked to see what the man was up too.

Charles flushed at the growling murr that filled the whole bathroom, shaking the very walls it seemed as Charles sudded up the wolf's leg. Kneading his fingers under the thick outer coat of fur.

Togo was a domestic dog breed and didn't have the thick, rich natural coat that Reese did. The wolf had an outer and inner layer of fur. The outer layer was coarse, rough against his palm. The inner was thicker, warm and felt almost identical to his husky's. It took nearly twice the amount of shampoo to clean Reese up.

Charles didn't say a thing as he turned around on the wolf's stomach to do up his chest and shoulders. Holding up one arm to soap it up and then back down. Everywhere he could think of, other than the groin he was nearly sitting in. The wolf was clearly aroused, his sheath full and nearly burning hot against his inner thigh, but behaved himself, just soaking in the feel of the other male washing his naked dirty body.

Charles had gotten out of the shower at the end, to finish things up. The wolf still just laid in the same spot that he had been; at least he didn't look like such a miserable mess after Charles washed him down and cleared out some of the cans of beer.

"Do you need anything, you know, before I go, boss?" Charles said using Togo's towel to dry off. He frowned a bit at the smell of it. The whole point of washing up was to get the stench of husky jizz off his back. Now it was all over his face.

"More beer." Reese just grumbled, still frowning as he just laid underneath the spray of water. Charles decided it was best to turn it off for fear of the wolf drowning. It seemed to take too much effort to scratch is own ass as it was.

"Right, I'll see what Togo has in stock. If you need anything, uh call." Charles said showing his cellphone for emphasis. The wolf didn't even respond as he sunk back into his loathsome pit of self-hatred and despair. "And uh, don't tell anyone about this."

The wolf only grunted at that and didn't say a word.

"Shit, maybe I should like call someone." Charles thought, holding his phone outside in the hallway. Who exactly would he call? He'd make sure to at least let one of the other dogs know before leaving. At least he was clean now.

Dodge was sleeping on the couch, Muff was in the lounger and another body was sleeping on the floor in the living room. Charles didn't know the third one and tried to keep quiet as he tip toed towards the front door. He knew Brigsby slept in the garage that had been turned into a bedroom. He was glad to see Dodge and him weren't hooking up; not while Reese was down like this.

The man didn't get two steps until a voice from the kitchen caught his attention. "Coffee?" He turned to see the boxer, Clem, looking at him from under the counter. In the dark room Charles could barely make out his dark orange, brown marked fur. It was only from that deep voice he could tell which canine it was.

"Uh, sure." Charles said quietly as he headed over instead. It was hard to refuse coffee so early in the morning. "Didn't think anyone else would be up." He kept his voice low as Clem handed him a cup. It was half empty. Still a warm cup of coffee was exactly what the doctor ordered for such an early morning. Charles thanked him before taking a sip. He shuddered, there was no creamer in it at all. Charles went over to put at least some milk in.

They were almost out; Charles made a mental note to pick some up after getting off work. The very thought made him stop what he was doing. Here he was thinking of already coming back here like it was his new home...

He wasn't sure if that was reassuring or extremely depressing.

"Is Reese going to be ok?" Charles finally asked, changing the subject of his mental torment. He turned around to see the boxer staring at him, leaning against the corner of the counter with his arms folded. Clem just took another drink from the extra mug he had gotten out for himself.

For a second Charles thought Clem was naked but as his eyes adjusted to the dark he could see the boxer was wearing a rather popular line of clothing. It was made from fake or donated fur and patched into shirts or pants. The idea was that the cloths mimicked the color and look of the Anthro's natural fur tone, giving the appearance of being naked while not. Or something like that, it was a social taboo for a human to wear any of the outfits and thus Charles only knew so much .

The boxer only had a sleeveless vest of this material, wearing instead a pair of tan khakis that looked as if they had never seen an iron in their life before.

"Not the only one who works." Clem finally spoke up; the boxer didn't keep his voice down. One of the dogs in the living room grumbled at the noise. Seeing the look on Charles face, Clem went on and as he did he spoke louder. "The dumbasses in there don't work. Can't complain about the noise." He barked the last word, looking over at them.

Even Charles could see the annoyance on the boxer's face. There was something about working that really resonated with him; that if someone wasn't working when they could they were insulting not only him but society as a whole. Clem never had the luxury of being unable to work; ever since he was a kid he had been working one job or another. On the family orchard, as a delivery boy and finally at the age of sixteen at his uncle's shop. There hadn't been a single day in his life he wasn't employed somewhere, even if it was under the table.

Charles didn't agree or deny what he had said, preferring to be a neutral party in the whole affairs of the dog house. Sure, he was here with Togo but it was just that. He didn't belong here, that much even he could tell. It was hard to ignore the fact he was a human, an outsider here. Their minor cultural differences added up quickly in such close proximity to one another.

"And Reese?" Charles asked a bit concerned.

"Still in the tub?" Clem asked, Charles just nodded. "Well at least he's proceeding quickly this time." The look on the man's face was evident even in the dark to the canine's eyes. "Every time this shit happens the dude goes through stages." And he air quoted the word with a hand; apparently all the dogs called it that. "First a low, then a high, then a low, then a high." Clem shook his head. "Bipolar bastard." He snorted but fell silent, looking away as he thought about it.

Clem came off as one of the top dog's in the house but he still did care for the others, most of them anyways. The three in the living room could all go fuck themselves for all he could care. If you were working your dues, chipping in to help when you could and trying your best even after what life shit on you; then he would be there to help until the end. And when your alpha was in trouble everyone felt it.

"So, he'll be ok?" Charles asked just wanting to get confirmation. He was worried about leaving the black wolf like that. He felt he should stay and like make sure the wolf didn't stick his head into any chimneys. Or drown. In this case, he just might with the water going; thankfully he had turned it off.

"Eventually." Clem nodded emphatically. "We all got our shit to deal with." The boxer just finished, taking another long drink from his cup of coffee. Or rather lapping at the remains with his tongue. Charles flushed a bit and looked away. The boxer's tongue was so broad, long and drooled with coffee. He was making a bit of a mess even.

Such minor things like that really stood out. And just another reason species didn't mix well with one another.

The supreme court had ruled them non-human; which is also what they had wanted. However, because of this most human groups wanted them to be banned as if they were just that, animals that could never be part of society. The problem was they were animals but weren't. Charles could see it in Togo's eyes, in Clem's. A spark of humanity that most human's seemed to forget they had.

Things weren't black and white. That was what people wanted though. They didn't want to give special privilege to bears or other creatures who hibernated during the winter. They didn't want to give special rooms to otters or water mammals just because it was something they were familiar and comfortable with. Every species had a unique need and right that several human groups could never understand or agree too. Businesses alone used these reasons to decline hiring them.

And it wasn't just stupid but selfish not to admit they weren't human, when they themselves fought for these rights that humans didn't have. They bled for this country as any human had and yet...

Charles shook his head, clearing the history lesson going through it. When it was plastered all over the media, in news articles, magazines, billboards and tv? It was hard to ignore such stereotypes. Whatever increases the sales though.

"Oh, he wanted more beer." Charles spoke up, recalling the only request the wolf had. Clem just nodded; the boxer looking him over as he did so. Like Togo, Clem had a habit of really looking at him. It was uncomfortable; most humans didn't stare at one another but dogs seemed too.

"Figured as much." Clem just shook his head though. "He needs to get it himself if that's what he wants, drinking all my good booze." He grumbled more to himself. "You need a lift to work?" The boxer finally asked setting the coffee cup down and, for reasons Charles couldn't figure, took a step closer to him.

The boxer was muscular, even more so than Togo. According to the husky Clem had been the one to get him working out again; his job itself required a lot of physical work as well. And he was buff. A beefcake. And Charles had to make sure to recall which dog it was he was sleeping with; though that small voice in the back of his head was asking him why it wasn't this guy. He could even smell Clem's musk, it was heavier than Togo's. Rich, earthy and made him flush as it wafted over his face.

"Well?" Clem asked, lifting up a brown fur eyebrow. The boxer was mostly orange with white markings around his muzzle, chest and under his arms. There were brown splotches here and there that mixed it all together like some Van Gogh painting. From a distance the mess didn't seem to make sense but the closer you got, one could see and appreciate the beauty of the pattern to his fur. And as close as Charles was right now, it was hard not to notice even in the darkened room.

"I was going to take Togo's... truck." Charles stopped then, recalling that it was in fact Clem's truck.

The boxer seemed to have trapped him with that, grinning widely as Charles himself came to that very conclusion. "Need a lift?" Clem just asked once more; Charles could feel the boxer's hot breath against his face as he spoke.

"Please." The man actually laughed, shaking his head. He couldn't believe the boxer had set him up like that. It was something Togo would do, something far more playful than he thought the brutish boxer could be.

"What about Togo?" Charles asked buckling himself into the passenger seat a good half hour later. The two had stayed in the kitchen just to chat over another cup of coffee. The last mug had to be split between the two and Clem had poured the whole thing into his cup and passed it over. It was strange sharing the same mug.

He wasn't sure why but the canines around him seemed to enjoy driving more than riding along; just another stereotype he supposed. Thinking of the boxer sticking his head out the window did crack a smile though.

"He can take public transportation." Clem just said without another thought, giving a half shrug on the matter.

"Poor bastard." And the two took a moment of silence for the soon to be departed friend. Then shared a laugh. Clem kicked it into gear and sped out of the driveway, swerving in the road before tearing down it.

"How are you and husky butt doing?" Clem asked, resting back and tossing an arm up on the seat. In the morning light Charles could see just how fit the canine was, his arm flexing a bit as he was looked over.

"Doing? Great over all. I guess." Charles just said, looking out the window with a flush. The boxer pulled up to a stop sign. And for a second Charles thought he'd scooted closer to him. It took another two stops for the man to realize the boxer was waiting for him to move to the middle seat. Much as he had done for Togo the other day.

Not wanting to be rude he did scoot over and the boxer finally rested his arm around him. And that was that. Nothing more than a simple touch, holding his shoulder was what the boxer had been after. Wanting that closeness between them, their sides touching and Clem's arm resting around the man.

"How goes your uh... stuff?" Charles asked trying not to focus on the boxer thigh brushing up against his now. He was flushing still from it. While most didn't get to him, Togo and Clem seemed to be on top of the list. Metaphorically getting under his fur. The heavy smell of the boxer didn't help matters much.

"Life." Clem just shrugged. The boxer left it at that. They drove for another ten minutes in silence. "Do you need a ride after?" The boxer asked, not letting his shoulder go as he pulled up to Charles's work.

"My car still at, that other place." Charles fumbled with his words as Clem turned towards him. Maybe he was sitting too close now. The boxer had made a joke about not taking a shower due to a wolf in the tub and now he could smell it. That natural dog musk that was the start to Togo and him screwing was making his pants uncomfortably tight. "SO, yes. Please." Charles almost squeaked as Clem placed a hand on his thigh, almost brushing those thick fingers against his aching member; it was still chaffed from a certain husky going to town on it last night.

"Sure." And Clem gave his cheek a soft lick, letting him go. "I or one of the other dogs will be around Five then." And the boxer saw him off with a wave, not pulling out until he was sure the human could get into work.

Charles mind was preoccupied during the rest of the day with everything that had been going on. He had enough in him to grow a pair and text Marcy that the two just "needed some time apart." And since then he was checking his phone every couple of minutes for a reply.

Togo was the one to reply first, even though Charles hadn't sent him a text. The husky was just asking about his day, seeing how he was doing and if he needed anything. Such a simple text only made things worse somehow; because it made him feel a thousand times better about himself. That Togo, his dear close friend, was more concerned for his wellbeing where his soon to be wife hadn't even bothered to send a text after he was gone for the night.

And that only made him feel worse. He was sleeping with Togo on the side, that he was cheating only somehow seem to come to mind right here and now at work. And the fact that it didn't bother him as much as it should, only bothered him more. A multi stack of problems that almost ended up in an anxiety attack in the men's room. He just splashed his face a couple of times with cold water, looking at his own reflection.

Charles didn't think he looked that bad but couldn't help but wonder if he was in fact a fur, a dog, this somehow would all just be easier. Knowing his luck though he'd end up being a pug or something. All smashed face and ugly. The thought did make him laugh; as he was sure Togo would still accept him for who he was.

The man had his phone out as he walked out the front door to his work, expecting to send a call or text to get a ride. Possibly even call a cab. He was glad to see it was Clem waiting for him out front.

"Hey!" Charles said and wasn't too surprised to get a big hug from the boxer. Charles gladly returned the hug only feel embarrassed after.

"Sup, dude." Clem just said squeezing him tightly before setting him back down. "How was the work?"

"The work was well." Charles smiled back as they got into the car. "Where's Togo?"

"Still working." Clem just said, opening up his arm a bit. Charles didn't wait this time before moving in. The boxer wagged his stubby tail at that as they took off. "Got hung up for another hour or so with work."

"We going to get him?" Charles asked and Clem rolled his eyes, messing up the man's hair with a chuckle.

"Like we'd leave our favorite husky butt to suffer in this heat." Clem just gave him a strong one arm hug as they drove to get frozen yogurt while waiting.

The boxer was outside, on the hood of the truck with one leg up licking over the frozen treat with his wide tongue. Charles was in the open doorway of the passenger side; the two just waiting nearby for Togo to give them the call.

"What's troubling you, pup?" Clem finally asked, hopping down and moving around. The large boxer leaned against the side of the truck, putting an arm up on top and took up the whole doorway of the passenger side. Like Togo, Clem seemed to not understand personal space.

"Troubling me?" Charles asked, then frowned. Clem was eying his frozen yogurt cup way too intensely. "Pup?" Charles added, shielding his dessert away from the hungry boxer.

"Well, pup because you're the newest member of team Dog House." Clem just grinned, leaning in a bit more sniffing the air in front of him. "And it's obvious something bugging you." The boxer shooed him over so he could sit inside the truck. All the windows were down and both doors were open on this hot September day. One of the last they'd have before the cold rolled in.

"That obvious, huh?" Charles frowned. Togo had pointed out that it was easy to read the man.

"You're easy to read." Clem just crawled all the way inside, kicking a bare paw up on the dashboard. He rested back, groaning a bit as he opened his fly. The boxer was panting; apparently Charles and Togo weren't the only two working this day. "One of the things Togo likes about you, I guess." And he shrugged at that. "That and you got a nice smell."

"Smell?" Charles asked with a laugh.

Clem grumbled. "Don't take it the wrong way or nothing. Just can't stand nasty fuckers." The boxer growled a bit. Like Togo, he was sure other canines, talking about smells and scent and musk was perfectly natural and just part of their culture.

"Just teasing." Charles gave him a nudge. "I enjoy your scent too." Charles smiled. Togo had taught him a bit of their culture. The general oks. The dos and donts. The don't freak out about, the things not to say and words to stay away from to every spot that is ok to scratch in public and areas not too. Charles didn't need to be told that last part. Specially not in public. With a demonstration from a frisky husky.

Clem's ears splayed out at that. "Uh, thanks." The boxer cleared his throat. "Back to what's troubling you?" The boxer got up a bit and sat back down, a bit closer now and turned to face him. One arm up on the back seat, one leg over the other as he smiled at the human.

"Nothing in particular." Charles lied, not making eye contact.

"Dude, you have the worse poker face. Ever." Clem laughed, shaking his head. "Should play poker night with us."

"Yeah, Togo asked me to that. A lot. Too many times." Charles just laughed back.

Clem just smiled at that. "True, we'd drain you dry. Of money." Clem clarified. The boxer put one leg up over Charles and rested a hand on his shoulder. "We can talk about this now. Or I'll wait for Togo to get off and we can talk about it with him."

Charles just glared back. "You wouldn't dare." This was just one of those small little things that did bug the guy. The openness between them all was a bit much. It was hard enough having this gigantic secret with him and Togo, let alone having everyone in the whole damn house know about everything. And he did mean everything.

Every time they were together they would know if they had fucked, or just cuddled. Every time Charles had to use the restroom, was sweating due to the heat, was nervous or even bothered by something. Let alone for everything Togo told them; or at least Clem and Reese who the husky was closest with. Charles didn't want their sexual exploits to be talked about and here the husky was bragging about them.

"Am I a problem?" Clem asked, leaning in a bit. He put a hand on his chest and at Charles look, began scratching over his chest with both hands. "Am I making it worse? Huh, huh? Am I?" The boxer just went on pushing the man back and scratching all over his chest and stomach as the boxer grinned, teasing the poor helpless human in his truck.

"Shit, dude stop!" Charles only laughed, trying to push the boxer off him. "Ow, that hurt you fucker." The man gave the boxer a good punch to his shoulder. Clem pulled off with a grin. Togo was far more careful when they rough housed. "Going to give me a bruise."

"Oh, like Togo hasn't already." Clem rolled his eyes, easing off him a bit. "You look like a fuckin' chew toy."

"Jealous much?" Charles asked, giving him another punch for good measure. Clem just flipped him off.

"You wish." Clem laughed but eased the rest of the way off. "Togo should be out soon." And he scooted back over, crawling over Charles to get to the front seat. The man was mostly annoyed that Clem had shoved his groin into his face, presumably on purpose, as he crawled over.

"Don't sit on my face." Charles only grumbled, getting back to his side before scooting close once more.

"Like you don't like it." Clem added sticking his tongue out a bit more than need be. Charles just looked away and the boxer smiled in victory.

"Hey!" Togo waved coming from the back of the deli he worked at. Apparently one of Brigsby cousins worked here and liked the additional hands during rush hours. The husky took the apron off and ran over towards the two. "You came to pick me up?"

"Duh, I do it every fuckin' day." Clem spoke up but the husky went straight for Charles, scooping him up and spinning him around into a powerful hug.

"Well, I thought it would be nice is all." Charles explained as if it was his idea. "I'm glad to see you." And the husky pushed his wet bumpy nose against his humans.

"I'm glad to see you too." Togo added on, petting the side of his face before tilting his muzzle to the side and giving him a soft kiss. Clem gagged and looked away. "I'm all musky and sweaty." Togo giggled after, letting him go.

"I don't mind." Charles just replied, touching his bare chest fur and running his fingers through it. "You smell like... bagels?"

"And donuts." Togo grinned widely, then barked a laugh as Charles poked his stomach hard.

"I can tell." The man just teased. "Could just eat ya up."

Togo opened his arms, looking away. "Be gentle. It's my first time." And then Clem shoved the husky over.

"Get in. We're leaving him." The boxer just finished, rolling his eyes. Charles laughed, helping Togo back up.

"You're so mean!" Togo was grinning though as he helped Charles into the truck before crawling in after him. Togo tossed one arm around the man and Clem found himself with nowhere to put his other arm.

Things eased up as the two dogs panted into the afternoon. Togo licked Charles half empty frozen yogurt cup clean. "Went to get ice cream without me! Rude."

"It's not ice cream." Clem just started up.

"Basically the same!" Togo only growled back.

The two dogs went on, with Charles caught in the middle. He was busy texting as the two dominate males jostled him back and forth as they got on the other. The two canines were best friends and they seemed to revert back to puppies when they hung out; becoming even more immature than they already were, picking at each other and making crude jokes.

"Who you texting?" Togo finally said as they pulled up into the driveway.

"Marcy." Charles grumbled, annoyed by the Seven paragraph sized passive aggressive texts he had just gotten. All things about her somehow even if it was talking about his family and what he was doing.

"Still?" Clem was the one to speak up first. Togo was trying to shush the boxer though, crossing his throat to get him to shut up. "Should dump that bitch." The boxer said without missing a beat as he walked inside.

Togo flinched at the words, his ears splaying out as he looked at his human. Clem could be brutally honest. The husky tried to be tactful with how he approached the subject.

Charles didn't say anything to that as he forcibly stuffed his phone back into his pocket. Togo quickly followed behind them back to his room.

"I'm sorry about Clem." Togo began after Charles nearly slammed the door in his face. The husky caught it, slipped inside and shut the door. His ears were still out to the side. "He means well."

Charles didn't say anything, just nodded and looked away. He fully agreed with the boxer but it wasn't just that simple.

"You are here though." Togo forced himself to finally start up, bringing up something he had been meaning to for some time. With the doorway open now on the conversation thanks to Clem, the husky took his chance.

"I already sent her a text we need to take time apart." Charles said far more harshly than he meant too. It only made him angrier on the subject. That he had gotten mad at Togo, the one who has helped him through all this. The blame wasn't on the husky, but on himself. On all this.

And that only made it worse.

"That's a good start." Togo took a step forward. The husky took out his wallet, his keys and put it on his dresser where he always did. "It's just, with it so close now..." The husky pressed.

"It's just not that simple." Charles let out a heavy breath. "Have you ever been in this situation before?" Charles turned towards the husky.

Today had been going so well too.

"No." Togo folded his ears back, looking away. The husky had a horrible track record in dating. Nothing even more than a couple of months, let alone years.

"Exactly. We had this planned since we were in High School!" Charles threw up his arms, turning away. "For years and years. This was just how things were supposed to go."

"Ok." Togo said, frowning a bit now. If he wanted to get aggressive the husky could too. "Then what stopped you, huh? You said you were planning this for years? And you're only now doing it?"

Charles was taken aback at first. The husky hadn't ever snapped at him like this. He knew Togo meant well but when emotions were running hot, logic had nothing to play in it.

"Well, things kept coming up." Charles said far too defensively. It was clear he was the reason why it had taken so long for them to actually set a date. They had been in a traditional relationship. Where the guy was suppose to set a date, to propose, to it all. Things had taken a turn over the years and Charles had been backed into a corner and ended up just blurting out the proposal. Things Togo knew all too well, seeing as how it was this very husky Charles had finally confined in.

Togo crossed his arms, just giving him a look. The husky wasn't buying it. "Bullshit." The husky finally just said loudly. "You knew very well why."

"It just wasn't," Charles became flustered now. Trying to argue with no real ground to walk on.

"Wasn't what?" Togo asked, lifting up a black fur eyebrow. "Right?"

"Well..." Charles bit his lip now.

"Because it was with her." Togo finally just said what he had always feared. "That she wasn't the one. She wasn't the one you wanted to be with." Charles only flushed now, getting hot in the face. Angry that he was bringing this up now. Now that he was stuck here with Togo like this. And angry that Togo was hitting the issue right on the head.

"It's not like that." Charles began. He could feel the sting of hot tears in his eyes and had to look away.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" Togo finally asked. The husky was beginning to calm down, taking a step closer to him.

"Because I'm afraid!" Charles finally spat. "Is that what you want to fucking hear?" The man glared at him viciously. "Life wasn't... wasn't suppose to be like this! I was suppose to find someone. To settle down, get married, have kids and just..." The man finally broke down with burning hot tears run down his face. He covered his face but Togo caught one of his arms.

Carefully, the husky pulled it away. Then the other so he could look in his face. "We all are." Togo just said truthfully, with that all too honesty he seemed to possess. Charles just looked him in the face, into those eyes and his heart melted. Those eyes held no anger for him. No judgement. They were just the brutal honesty the husky possessed.

And Togo hugged him tightly against his bare chest. The musky, sweaty fur brushed against Charles face wiping away the tears.

"We all are." Togo just whispered down to him, petting the side of his face as he looked into it once more. He nosed away a tear and licked over his cheek with that smoldering hot tongue. "I'm terrified. Here and now with you. About the future. About everything." And Togo didn't let his face go as Charles pushed his cheek into that strong palm. "But it's not so bad. When I look at you."

"Damnit, Togo." Charles sniffled. "Going to make me cry, again." And Togo smiled at that.

"And if you do, I'll be here to wipe away those tears." The husky just said.

"Promise?" Charles tried not to cry again.

"Promise." Togo just replied and they gave a kiss.

Then Togo's ears jumped up as there was a loud "Awww" from the other room.

"Damnit! Stop eavesdropping!" Togo shouted angrily as he held his human against his chest. The husky bared his teeth at the door, picking up an empty bottle and tossing it at the door. Several dogs on the other side quickly scurried back down the hall and away from the drama.

Charles just pushed his face against that musky, sweaty fur covered chest. Listened to the sound of Togo's heart and let everything else go. For nothing else matter but this husky, here and now.