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The Simple Things

Chapter Two

By Roofles

The lights of the office had all but winked out as the clock clicked Eight. It was both later and earlier than I had thought it was going to be as I stuffed the last folder into one of the side filing cabinets and was able to let out a satisfied groan of success, falling back into my chair and swiveling half way around to look at the work I managed to get done. And satisfied with that.

My new office was a mess only Eight hours or so ago. And now? Well it was still a mess but it actually resembled an office instead of a storage room. The In box was almost filed away, the random scraps of papers had been discarded, shredded or recycled. Each into their properly disposable ways. Most of the filing cabinets had a semi-organized feel to them and I had labeled most of them for my new co-office worker, Richard Richpaw.

I was used to working past the clock. Hell, it's how I live. Spending countless hours behind the desk filing reports, inputting data and things that really didn't get a guy laid kind of boring crap that impressed nobody. At least it put bread AND butter on the table. And apparently sushi.

Richard had been kind enough, though he felt obligated too stay behind and help in any way he could. The dog had gone out to "get dinner" and I really didn't expect to see him until the next morning. The fact he showed back up alone was a big deal, let alone with several white Styrofoam boxes in clear plastic bags made my own stomach growl in thanks.

"What's all this?" I motioned as he slid his stuff off to the side; a report that needed to be inputted last month and had been lost in the unmethodical haphazard mess the office had become.

"Food." He said giving me a look, "Fo oo od." He said slowly before dropping the bags onto the desk and began rummaging through them hungrily.

"Can dog's even eat seafood?" I said without thinking and did a mental wince at my elegance. Already annoyed by all of this I hadn't been in the mood the hour before let alone now for his antics. I was jet lagged, tired and needed a stiff drink after all the work I'd be doing in the future just to be able to figure out the job I had originally been brought here to do.

Seeing him reappear and not abandoning me did alleviate some worry that had been building up through the past couple of hours. This mess was why people jumped out windows, went on shooting sprees or drank themselves into a vegetated state. And the answer to it all apparently? Good company and sushi.

"Yes, dogs." Richard said the word with some amusement thankfully and made me feel even worse about saying it. I didn't know the political correct term to use. It would have been better if he threw the hot (several times refilled) coffee in my face. At least he took things in stride though that alone seemed to be punishment as it made me feel horrible for the remark. " Dog's Can. It just doesn't always sit well." And he barked a laugh seeming not to give a damn about my remark and rubbed his gut. "Can blame this one on the dog." And I rolled my eyes at the crude humor but smiled anyways.

Richard was a chocolate Labrador and not the four legged kind. Animalians had been around since the dawn of time and this man before me was a Canine-Sapien. He was taller than me by several inches, a bit thicker around the shoulders and was far more approachable than I was. Covered in a dark brown milky chocolate fur that was both fluffy in places and smooth in others, he just radiated warmth. His jowls weren't as saggy as I thought they would be for a Labrador, more perky and used to smiling. Floppy ears sagged down on the sides of his face, thin needle sized whiskers poked from the small bumps on his cheeks. His eyebrows were far more defined than a four legged dog and his warm chocolate nose wiggled as I looked at him. He was far more aware than some animal.

The front of his shirt had been opened up a few hours before and his suit hung open showing off a rather fuzzy chest that thinned down to his stomach and even more as it disappeared into the front of his, now opened, pants.

"It's far more comfortable." He had protested before not even caring about my opinion on the matter as he basically stripped down. "It's the fur, man! It bunches up on you. Strangles your giblets and gets snagged in everything!" But he barked a laugh and had gone back to work after, was hard to argue with results.

Several Californian rolls were separated out before, a little less than half, was pushed towards me. I was already reaching for my wallet.

"How much I owe ya?" I asked trying to be adamant on the issue but as I opened my empty wallet up my argument fluttered away with the metaphorical moth inside.

"Having issues?" Richard eyed my empty wallet before giving that small smile. "Don't worry about it, I already told ya'! This is just so you don't hate me for all," he motioned around him. "This!" And he barked another laugh. He, unceremoniously, picked up a piece of sushi between two fingers and popped it into it his muzzle. Each of his fingers had a grayish brown paw pad like his palm.

I ended up doing the same soon enough as the chopsticks I got broke in half when I tried to snap them apart. I heard that's terrible luck. Then again how could things really get worse at this point.

"So what's left to do?" Richard asked after closing the first box and dropping it crassly into the empty waste bin. The canine looked around the room as if there was some kind of sign to tell him what was next on the agenda. Like a list I had filled out for him and he had already somehow managed to lose. Which I did and which he did...

"Eating." I replied and as if to make the point clear kicked off my shoe, not so skillfully, and tossed my legs up on the corner of the desk.

"I can get on board with that!" And, as if mirrored, the dog did the same.

I tried not to stare. It's rude to stare. But when there wasn't a radio on or a TV blaring your eye tends to wander to the most fascinating thing in the room; and that was none other than my "cubicle buddy," the Canine-Sapien Richard.

His feet brushed almost against mine. They were feet, not paws, and yet they held a very animalistic toes and paw pads to them. Several grayish brown pads, one for each toe, one for the whole front and one for the heel of the otherwise human like foot. It had to be like walking on sandals. The fur even thinned out on the bottom of each. And once more I felt envy for the convenience.

The pants he wore were open at the end and were loose, even unbuckled as they were. Allowing for air to flow inside I guess. Or for him to scratch himself more freely, which he did often, blaming it on the the whole fur thing. I didn't berate him for it. If I was covered from head to toe in fur I would be scratching myself all the time. It had to be uncomfortable as all hell working in a suit, let alone during the Summer time or just in your day to day life. I'm glad I didn't have to worry about it.

Otherwise he really did appear human-ish. Just covered in fur. His head was a bit larger than a man's and a snout was jutting out of it, with floppy ears and dull uncooked brownie dough eyes. That were looking back at me.

Richard seemed to be giving me the once over as well and I wasn't sure if I was flattered or insulted. And then I felt like a hypocrite for doing it myself and just focused my attention on the sushi.

"So why'd they send us a pencil pusher like yourself?" He asked straight-forwardly.

I gave him a half chuckle and a frown at the term. "We use computers these days you neanderthal."

"Why'd they send us a computer pusher like yourself?" He asked again not missing a beat. And I gave a laugh at that. I think I heard his tail club thump against the side of the chair.

"Oh, you know. The usual." I gestured out in the main office, all the lights were off but the one in our room and the one next to the elevator. "Someone messed up something and they need someone to fix it. Or a scapegoat. Or something." I half laughed again and took another bite. "Who the hell really knows?"

"You don't know why they brought you in?" He eyed me a bit and pulled his legs down to face towards me fully as he picked at his food as if watching a TV than talking to someone. I'm glad I could be so mind-numbingly entertaining as the boob-tube.

"Well I know why I'm here. Just not what I'm suppose to really be looking for." So I went over a few more things not like it was exactly hidden or a secret why I was. "The productivity of this branch has been going down lately and not all of the input is being putted in." I chuckled at the lame ass office joke. "I'm just here to try to patch things up and hopefully find what the problem is." It still was just an excuse to get me out of central though. I left that part out.

"So why'd they send you." Richard ask stabbing another, much more colorful, roll and slurping it off his finger with a tongue three sized bigger than my own.

"I just told you. Well that's the layman's term for it anyway." It was a lot more technical and involved a lot more numbers and percentages and things central just loved to talk about, chart, document and other things to show to the stock holders.

He waved that off though with a brown gloved fur hand and looked back at me. "No, I mean you." He said spitting a bit of food before covering his mouth. With another sushi roll. And ate it. "Why did they send, specifically, you?" Richard asked once more spitting more rice over the desk.

It took me a second longer than it should have but I chuckled. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

And so he spun in his chair to face me fully, rested his elbows on the desk, perked his ears and wagged his tail. "Try me!" He said as if I just told him we were going on a car ride or on a walk or to play fetch. Or something stereotypical for a dog to jump on board with in a half-second.

"Well," And then I'm not sure why I did. I told him the real reason why they had brought a pencil pusher, paper sorter, data puncher here. I blamed his charming personality for it. And the fact he bought me sushi. I've put out for less... "I was having an affair with the boss."

And his jaw nearly dropped but his tail wagged faster and his lips pulled up in a grin. "Seriously?" He asked in disbelief. I could feel his eyes giving me the once over as if thinking someone like me wasn't good looking enough to have one. No, I wasn't nerdy looking. I kind of looked like a dumb jock in fact, and could act like it at times too. I was still a paper pusher, desk jockie.

"Well, hey now!" I laughed pushing back away from the desk. "How was I suppose to know he was married!" And the dog blinked his eyes. "It was only when his wife walked in on us that things became problematic." And then I went into more details as if the coffee had been spiked with something Irish. And I was a frat boy again bragging to my college roommates.

"It was just another late night at the office. Nothing different. We were working on a huge project and it just kind of led to one thing. After another. After another." I rolled my hand before chuckling, cheeks burning and just waved it off. "His wife didn't literally walk in but I had to stay under the desk the whole time during the visit," I rubbed the back of my neck. I could still feel the kink in it. "And his secretary was getting wise to it all and I think she was black mailing him, so he just got rid of me. And thus the problem." I chuckled with a shrug.

Richard just looked at me for a length of time before barking a laugh as he pounded the table twice. "Hah, I really don't believe it." Though there was almost something in his eyes, possibly pride, as we continued our dinner. "Truly unbelievable."

I took another roll and dumped the soy sauce packet over it before biting into it. Richard gagged as he watched.

"You actually use those?" He eyed the black and white package like it was the wasabi, or at least that's how I treated the stuff. Vile creation used to get back at Americans for winning the Second world war. "That just ain't right." He drolled on in a convincing accent. He took another piece and before biting into it he looked back up at me with those soft brownie eyes. "You get under the table often for guys?"

I coughed at that, choking a bit on the bite I had taken and had to pound my chest and take a good drink before I could speak. He had a toothy grin on his face. "It was a one time thing, ok!" I tried to defend but at the look I got in return, I blushed some more and laughed it off. "Ok, so maybe it was just a physical thing going on. But it wasn't like some one time fling. Not like I follow guys into back alleyways-,"

Richard cut me off with a wry grin to his black lips. "Just underneath business desks." At this he wrapped a knuckle on the wooden surface and we both shared a good chuckle at my embarrassment.

I'm rather surprised he wasn't freaking out. People like to pretend we're far more advance than we really are. More than half the states still deny full rights to people like Richard. Several of them still treat blacks like second hand citizens and they were humans too. It's easier to look the other way but the reality is, even in this century there are still countless bigots, dumbasses, and ignorant fools. Rather its those of different heritage or culture, separate species or even males and females. Even in this place, a business office, there were very few females. Yet just up North were only females.

Just like how there were only humans at central. And only...non-humans here. Just how things were.

"Must've been a good time." Richard grinned some more and I found him looking at me. I shook my head realizing I had been staring out into space. "Nothing to brag about, if you know what I mean."

He grinned and we shared another laugh. "Why waste the time then? If your going to go bad, go big."

I had to roll my eyes at that. "Yeah, yeah. I'm a workaholic," and I liked being one, "in a big business. Where the hell am I suppose to get some then, if not from the boss? They're used to screwing their employees over."

Richard shook his head, tapped a finger to his chin thinking it over. "Do they have glory holes where you come from?" I nearly spat but laughed. "Or back alleyways apparently." He grinned some more at my anguish and I quickly tried to nip that in the butt before it got any worse.

"Oh, fuck no! I'm no whore. I got class. I got style. I do it under desks." And we shared another laugh, I wiped a tear from my eye. It had been a long time since I had laughed so much or hung out with someone half interesting. The canine was just an amiable guy. Warm, welcoming, engaging and, dare I say, even charming? I could see why he was so chummy with those of the office. "What?" I said teasingly. "Never licked a few bones in your day?"

Richard rolled his eyes. "Wow. I have like, never, heard THAT one before." He said dramatically and huffed a large chest sinking sigh. And then we exchanged a look and chuckled some more. "I don't like to talk about my sex life during office hours." He said punctually like a saint, raising his right hand up and crossing his finger over his chest several times in just random lines.

"I'm far more innocent than you, I bet." I thumbed a sushi and took it apart, sadden to see it was the last one.

"As innocent as my fuzzy tail hole maybe." Richard barked a laugh before cleaning up the mess, I think more for my courtesy than for his own wanting too. If I left him alone he'd pig stye up the place once more.

"Never sniff a few stray butts in your day?"

"They weren't strays." He just grinned back. I gave him a roll of the eyes and rested back in my chair, flipping the file I had closed from before once more to go over it. It had to be the fifth time I tried to read the file. The canine could be very distracting.

Ms. Stalliwagon, what kind of name was that? Had gotten into an accident and someone had been sent out to verify the damage, cause and to see if a settlement was in order.

It was lucky as the name was so odd that a light bulb went on over head and I rummaged through the pile rotting on my desk, before pulling out another, identical case. Where she had gotten into another accident, falling off a balcony roof of her summer house. The damage was the same, the cause the same and she had been paid in full because of it. In other words? She was just trying to do it again to get a settlement from the insurance company. It happens more than you'd think. All kinds of people out there.

Made you a pessimistic person dealing with the scum.

So I pulled out a form, wrote down the needed information and slipped it inside before stamping it with a large red mark. Tossed the other file with it into the out box and got up to stretch.

Groaning I rocked back and forth until my shoulder popped and looked back at the dog. Who had been watching with a bored look.

"What?" I asked.

"You are such a nerd." The dog shook his head and stood up and did a matching loud yawning stretch before looking at the time. Nearly Ten already. I had to get up early as it was to come in to finish this all before noon. Maybe it'd be best to take some of the work with me.

I didn't as the dog continued to watch me. "I'm good at my job." I shrugged. "So fricking sue me."

"Isn't that what we try to avoid happening?" Richard gave me a sly grin and I just rolled my eyes again. "So we're done then?" He asked far chippier than before as I bent down to grab my briefcase. "Or you just planning on getting under the desk for me?" He gave a laugh but it wasn't that barking laugh and he watched me the whole time.

"You really are never going to let that go, huh?" I just shook my head. I don't know why I had even told him about it. The dog was, infectious? His good mood just brightened your day. Which is saying something as our small office didn't even have a single window looking outside. Just two in the walls and one in the door all of which had curtains pulled down over them.

"Nope." Richard then seemed to get an idea as both ears perked up and his eyes widened, if only for a half second, before he gave that toothy grin. "Unless you-,"

"Don't!" I said stopping him. "Don't even ask." I laughed and gave him a shove as he stood in the way of the door. I fished out my keys as he came out and shut, locked and checked to make sure it was closed. "It's too easy," I said using his own words against him.

And the skilled dog spun them back around at me. "Yes, you are too easy." And so he opened his arms up motioning to his groin. "What's the problem?" If it was anyone else I would've find his hounding annoying and punched him in his face or kneed him in said groin; he somehow made it charming. And I found myself blushing a bit again.

Something about a canines face I guess. Drooping ears, playful grin and wide soft warm uncooked brownie batter eyes that just stared almost innocently naïve at you that makes you lower your guard.

"Ya', no. Not going to happen, again." I chuckled moving past and heading down the nearly pitch black walk way. I kept bumping into everything but Richard didn't seem to have an issue and was finding great amusement watching me bump into the silhouette outline of the water cooler. "You go first!" I bit my lip as I stubbed my toe, cursing under my breath a bit.

So he did and gave me a thump with his tail as he went. So I grabbed the club tailed and gave it a tug and he actually yipped.

"Holy, shit. Sorry." I said waving my hand as he jumped forward.

"Dude, not cool." There was a growl to his voice and I winced back. Shit, I didn't even think it was that big of a deal. "The hell." his voice was low, ears folded back and I think his lips were raised and quivering.

"Sorry, I just didn't..." Motioning around me for some reason that wasn't there. And then I mentally hit my head against the wall several times. "Go on without me, I forgot something in the office." I quickly stammered out a bit. And then quickly headed back, bumping into the fake plant next to the door and fished out my keys before unbolting the door and slipping inside.

I wasn't sure if he was waiting or not as I slumped back against the door with my head in my hands. Cursing at my own stupid mistake.

It had been going so well and now I go and make an ass of myself. So I just shook my head, trying to calm the flush in my cheeks. One reason why I was a computer pusher. I don't handle direct conflict well.

There was a thump against the door and I heard the large Chocolate Labrador sit back against it. There was a window in the door you could easily look through, the curtain having been broken half way down, and I guessed Richard had seen me. Great, pour salt in the wound. I rather have him believe the obvious lie than see me like this. First day, make a friend and ruin it. Kindergarteners did it so much better than I. I could take notes from my niece.

"You know you're not suppose to do that right?" Richard said resting the back of his head against the door after a long drawn out, steadily increasingly uncomfortable, moment.

"Yeah, no shit. Now I do." I said far more defensively than I had wanted too. I groaned, covering my face. "How was I suppose to know?" I wanted to say but I didn't. Ignorance was never a good or valid excuse in these kind of situations. They're all touchy feely but grab a dogs tail and you're in the kennel. It's a trap! Came to mind.

So we sat there, I hugged my knees and waited for him to leave and he just waited for me. Neither of us budging. And here I thought I could be the stubborn one.

So I got up, swallowing what little pride I had left, grabbed a pencil off the desk and opened the door.

Richard stood up as I got up and waited outside, watching me lock up. "Got what you came for?" He asked and I showed him the pencil.

"Can't be a pencil pusher without a pencil."

"Better than grabbing a whole computer." He chuckled. And there was an awkward silence that followed.

"Look." I just said. "Let's just forget tonight. We can be coworkers. Do our work and just like exchange pleasantries or whatever. And get on with it." Not elegantly put but I'm sure I made my point.

An ear twitched and I could make out his eyes softly glowing in the light from the end of the room, they closed a bit and had an almost sorrowful look. It may have been a trick of the light though. "Is that what you said to your old boss?" He asked and it hurt, I won't lie. Struck true and that only made it worse.

"Yeah. Got a problem with that?" I snapped back. This was usually why I didn't get along with my coworkers. I dealt with stress great when it was dead lines. Not when there was conflict with others. I tended to, overreact. And get defensive, which always resulted in me getting angry. Which usually led to more physical displays of frustration. Thankfully never in the workplace.

His ears folded back and his face fell a bit, or I think. It was hard to tell in the light after all.

"Look," I sighed rubbing my forehead. "It's been a long night and I haven't slept in nearly a full twenty-four hours. I'm getting over jet lag or something." I waved it off. Him off. "I'll just see you tomorrow, Mr. Richpaw."

"It's Richard." He said but I was already heading back down, bumping into the same things before making it to the elevator, and holding the curse back from my stubbed toe. Clicked the button and waited.

Sure enough the dog joined me. "What?" He asked defensively now. "It's the only elevator for this floor!" He said loudly, angry but the corner of his muzzle pulled up. I rolled my eyes. "Would it make you feel better if I pulled your tail?" He offered a bit timidly and I heard his own tail wag.

I was about to reply as I shot him a look before shaking my head and changed my response. "Ew, I've seen where those hands of yours have been."

And I got a toothy smile at that and a much greater wag of the tail.

"Do you always react so hostile?" He asked, leaning against the back of the elevator now, folding his hands behind his head and resting against the wall, legs crossed. His chest was still exposed in the light of the elevator and I could make out muscle underneath.

I pushed the floor button. "Do you always overreact when someone grab's your tail?" I shot back and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's rude."

"So is growling."

"It was a knee jerk reaction." He countered sharply.

"Baring your teeth is a knee jerk reaction?" I replied and he lifted the same eyebrow, with the fish hook expression, as if the other one didn't even work. "So let me get this straight." I asked as the doors open and we made our way out. "It's ok to touch, hug, feel, rape each other? But not ok to touch tails?"

"Or wings or horns or other bodily parts that aren't...rape each other?" He asked stopping to look at me.

"Well I'm not sure that's what it was." I reminisced seeing the employees before who were practically humping one another, sitting in each other laps and doing things far too inappropriate for the working environment. Then again I think I was exaggerating a bit but still. When your from the hum drum Mid-West your views on the matter are a little biased. I found the whole pda thing disrespectful if nothing else. "Overly affectionate. Lovey dovey stuff." I stopped as the dog watched me. Trying to explain it only seemed to make the fact I wasn't making my point apparent.

"What exactly do you think they were doing?" I didn't answer not really sure where he was going with this. He chuckled though and walked over. "That isn't lovey dovey at all. There is a fine line between friendly and more than friendly." Richard said stopping in front of me. "Grabbing someone's tail would be overly so." And he gave that smirk. I think it was more than that but he played it off well. Stupid jerk didn't have to be so...genially adorable.

"Well then let's just say I like you and we can get past it." I said feeling a flush take my face once more. Grabbing a tail was like slapping someone's ass then? A form of approval, at least I didn't piss him off. Then why had he growled? Too many damn subtle signs for my taste.

"Fine." Richard said, nosed down and I felt the light brown nugget colored nose bump against mine. "I like you too." And with a wag of his tail we headed outside. Leaving me only further confused on the matter.