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The Simple Things

Chapter Nineteen

By Roofles

"That was ridiculous!" I found myself saying as, yet again, we had been refused service. Though strangely enough I figured going to a sapient dominant place, with little humans, would be fine. However there was a different stir and commotion than before. Possibly because I was with Richard or just me being a human. Either or I couldn't believe the fact we had been refused service twice. An I wasn't feeling up to getting drive through. So we returned back to Richard's place, seeing as how I doubt my hotel would really take too kindly if I brought a shirtless, shoeless dog along with me.

Hey not that I minded! Richard was some nice eye candy in this ugly world of ours.

"Troubles in the bedroom?" Max said sitting where we had left him before, a leg tossed up over the side of his chair, in nothing but a tight pair of boxers (which the front of them was unbutton and I could clearly make out his junk) and a tight T shirt that served little to hide his muscular frame. It stretched under his arms was ripping.

I wasn't sure how to respond to the crude joke he had made. Or the attempt at one. "We just got back." I found myself saying anyways pointing over my shoulder. And I could see how little Max cared. I don't know why I bothered with the dog. Worse part was? He was the closest "friend" I had other than Richard here.

"Take a picture it'll last longer." Max said finally looking over at me. I blushed and looked away, coughing into my hand and trying not to appear too obvious that I had been, indeed, checking out his junk. I thought Richard was big. "And when you do." He reached down the side of his chair to snag another beer with his dull clawed finger and pulled it up, opening it in the process. "I'll kill you."

"Be worth it." I found myself saying anyways and he snorted at that and didn't say anything else on the matter. I was sure he smiled longer than I thought he would, clearly enjoying the compliment. It was odd to see the body-builder dog smiling. His face was rough and it really did look like he had just come back from some war.

"It'll be fine. I didn't want tacos anyways." Richard said coming in from behind and shutting the door. He took his time seeing as how the cement walk way was hot enough to cook an egg on and Richard was sandal less, bare paw and had to go the long way around. Once Richard actually said the word taco his stomach growled loud enough to catch even the bull terrier's attention.

"That actually sounded like the word taco." Max said in disbelief blinking a few times. "Oi," he barked making me jumped. "For staring at my junk you got to make me food." He glared coldly at me, though I couldn't help but notice he opened his legs a bit more as if daring me to look. It was tempting, I won't lie.

"Don't you mean us?" Richard whimpered in a soft voice lifting one of his hand-paws up to try and get our attention. We both ignored him.

"Do you even have stuff for tacos?" I said matching Max's stare the best I could.

"How the hell would I know?" He replied with a snort.

We continued the stare down until he just adjusted himself so openly I'm sure he slipped his sack free from the boxers. I blinked, folded my hand and just rolled my eyes half wishing I had watched just a few more seconds before heading towards the kitchen.

"Richard you want to help?" I asked but at the question Max nearly bolted up right.

"No! Don't you dare make him cook." And he visible shuddered. "The horror." He whispered and looked off as if having an old war flash back. I stared for a few seconds, eyes drifting down his torso to his open boxers and then away when Max snapped back to reality.

"Fine, I'll handle it." I said looking over at Richard half-expecting to have to explain I didn't want him to help me. He had been so clinging before I honestly was waiting for a fight on the matter. That he wouldn't want to leave my side like some puppy dog.

Instead? He pulled me close to him, kissed me deeply on the lips and with a large grin said. "Thanks, hun. Have fun." He followed this up by slapping my ass before hopping over the back of the couch to take a seat and watch whatever was on television. Max tossed him a cold one even before he asked.

"Grab the beer while you're in there!" Max said and if only to illustrate his point he threw the empty can he had, practically, shotgunning it down before tossing it at me. It was a good shot and I managed to catch it right before it hit me.

"Fuck you, Max." I replied and there was a moment pause and it was clear both of us were weighing what I had just said. If we were good enough "friends" that it could be over looked and treated as a joke it was meant to be. Or the big dog could get up and pound my face in. Thankfully he took option a; most likely due to the fact he'd have to get up (again) to pound my face in.

"Only in your wet dreams, boy." He replied snidely, with a crude grin and I was sure he knew just how right he was on that matter. Stupid handsome, muscular, nearly naked canine-sapient.

Tell me a week and a day ago that I'd be in a...dog house? I would've laugh and waved you off at the bad joke. And yet here I was with...well my boyfriend, Richard, no less! A man I had only known a couple of days really and yet had done more with him than some of my previous, far longer, relationships. Now? Apparently it was ok for me to jokes around with his roommate, a bull terrier who could (literally) bench press me if he so wanted too. An now? Now I was in their kitchen trying to rummage up some sort of ingredients, cooking dinner and being treated like part of the house hold. It was always rude to look in the drawers of a new friends houses and here I was being told to do just that. Invited too. It was...I didn't realize I had come this far.

The house was empty of any actual food. Let me clarify. They had ramen, insta-rice mixes, several cans of preserved fruit mixture gathering dust in the back of the cabinet. A box of pancake mix was up front and had been tipped over making a mess. Several soup cans had been stacked on top of it, don't ask me why. Everything were off brands and buy one get ten free type of things. Mac'n'cheese filled the next cabinet from one side to the next with a few empty places where some had been pulled out. They had food but nothing you could call "actual" food just a bunch of processed goods that was more chemical than not.

The last drawer held several cans of beef n' gravy, some sort of dog food chew mix that I didn't even begin to think on and just closed the door.

So I tried the fridge next, frowning at the hot plate that was still on top of the oven. I moved it aside, shuddering at the idea of something happening. The place was a fire hazard and in this heat it was bound to happen sooner than later. If I was more comfortable with myself or if Max wasn't in the room I would've taken my shirt off and probably my pants too.

The fridge did little to help broaden my options on what I could possibly salvage from all this. Some generic hot dog packages filled the middle sliding door, and I mean filled. There had to be a dozen at least. Chinese boxes of take out, most to which were empty, filled the shelf above it. Empty milk cartons sat next to them and the fridge itself on the counter. The door of the fridge was filled with miscellaneous condiments. Most of which seemed to have expired months ago. A pizza box was on the bottom, somehow shoved into one of the vegetable drawers. And, go figure, not a single vegetable was in sight. One of the two drawers was filled with nothing but beer cans. In large black letters read "Max's beer." And enough said on that matter.

"Hey, Richard." I called over bending down to pick up something I wasn't even sure what it could be. I think it was a steak that had slid out of it's container and just left to rot on the bottom shelf. At least they had the mind to put meats on the lower shelves what little good it did. "Mind if I throw some of this stuff out."

There was a moment pause and I stood back up to look over to see if he had even heard me.

"Is he about to clean?" Max said the last word as if it were another language, in a hushed whisper with slightly wide eyes.

"Shush," Richard hushed him. "Don't jinx it." And then he smiled over at me. "Be my guest, hun." He only grinned wider so I turned away to go about throwing away more than half the stuff in the fridge and the side cabinets.

I could hear from the other room Max ask Richard if I could do his laundry for him, Richard didn't say yes or no on the matter and I wrote it on my "to do list."

The faucet worked, mostly. The water was brown, then clear, then brown again, then clear. And the soap had been refilled with water so many times it was just like pouring more water over my hands. I wandered how they survived so long here. They must've ordered take out nearly every day.

Not even half way through I just began shoving everything into a black trash bag I had found stuffed below the sink. It looked like there was compost already growing inside.

Throwing stuff away was easy, tying the bag up and putting it out of the way was simple. Getting Richard off his fat ass to take the trash out was not.

"I got to clean up even before I can make," I looked over at the time and frowned. "Well dinner here soon. You can at least take out the trash."

"Next commercial." Richard replied just scratching his belly. And it was then that I realized just how far this relationship had come. And I was not happy about it one bit.

I could've gone on or turned off the tv (then I'd have to deal with Max) or chose a few choice words on the matter. Instead? I just gave an evil smile and a shrug of my shoulders. Richard asked for it. So I just picked up the trash bag and dropped it on his lap before going back to scrub down the counters and fridge. I could hear him cursing and whiny about the mess as he got up and took the trash out. I had found a fresh sponge under the sink still wrapped in plastic casing, unused and long forgotten and began scrubbing the counters and stove down. It took some digging to find some actual cleaner to use on the various grease, burnt spots and spills that had never been licked up. I smiled at the idea of Richard licking the counter clean after, say, Ice cream melted on it. This went, quickly, down the gutter as I imaged him doing the same to me after putting whip cream all over...

I really didn't mind so much, the cleaning up of the place. Even ended up doing most of the dishes and running the dish washer. At least I was helping out after eating their food and staying the night. An after Richard cleaned himself up a bit he came in to help with what he could, feeling bad for leaving the mess for me. At least I had a positive effect and it was nice to have his company. I still made him go wash up in the bathroom first so he didn't smell like trash.

Richard nodded, agreeing too eargly and ended up taking a long shower before showing up again. His very fur was steaming as he came out with nothing but a towel around his waist and showed little sign of putting anything on. He gave me a kiss when he joined me.

"You guys really need to go shopping." I said beginning to organize the cabinets and cleaning up the mess from the spilled pancake mix. I didn't even recognize the brand of it. I mean there was poor then there was this. Stuff you'd find in donation boxes to the hungry. I always put named brand stuff in instead of string corn. I don't even know what that is.

"Well we used too." Richard said scratching the back of his neck. It took me a moment to catch on.

"We?" I asked looking over at him as he put away some of the dishes after drying them. The towel slipped down his rear giving me a nice view of it. Sadly his tail had tucked down over it.

"Me and Colby." Richard half-shrugged but was clearly bothered by it. He wasn't trying to show it but canine-sapients were very clear about their feelings. The position of their tail, ears and their whole muzzle went through an array of emotions a human's never could.

"Oh," I nodded for a second. "How long did you guys date?"

"A couple months." Richard replied with a bit of a monotone.

"Serious?" I dared to ask. I was the one asking about it, he wasn't just dumping everything on my lap like some of the guys I had met before (and not even dated). One thing that always bothered me when others put their drama on you, specially when you first meet them. Always talking about ex's this and ex's that. They are ex for a reason.

While I wanted to know more about Richard's past, I didn't want to dig up painful memories either. I could be there for him. But not so good with the word making.

"A bit, yeah." Richard muttered before sighing and resting back against the counter and looking up at the ceiling taking a moment. The loose tie of the towel slipped down his waist showing off his curly fuzz and the tip of his plump sheath. Not even aroused and he put me to shame. No wonder the red states didn't want them around.

"If you don't want to talk about it." I began.

"We met at the collar and bone." Richard began and gave me a smile as if to say thanks that he didn't have too if he didn't want too. "It was fun, spontaneous and he was different than the other guys I had dated. He was the needy one in the relationship, for a change." And he chuckled at that. "And it went well. We...fooled around at first, nothing serious until he lost his last place."

"I thought you met on like craig's list or something." I asked recalling something along those lines.

"Well we met at the collar and bone. You don't just invite some stranger over." Richard chuckled and I was glad he had loosened up a bit. Even if it was a sour subject at least he was past it now. An, to be honest, I was worried he wasn't. Not sure if I could really date someone that wasn't over their previous relationship. "And yeah. It was fun! An when he lost his place I invited him to crash with us until he got back on his feet..."

"An he never did." Max grumbled heading into the kitche. I scooted aside for the dog, realizing just how small the kitchen was with too large muscular fuzzy, musky practically naked canine-sapients in it with me. I looked away trying to control my naughty thoughts on the matter. "You forgot to grab me a beer." He eyed me and for a second I bet he wondered if I would end up moving in to like Colby had. He moved past only after popping the can open and taking a drink, never looking away from me until he lost interest or finished his thought on the matter. At least he approved enough not to toss me out on the spot.

"Max moved out of the room and Colby moved in with me. And it was good...at first." An Richard chewed on his words trying to figure out the right wording for it. "Things change though when your with someone twenty four seven. I never knew Colby was a freelancer,"

"It never came up?" I dared to ask.

"Well I knew he worked! I just didn't realize how sporadic it could be. And he was on a rather dry spell when he moved in." Most likely the reason why he lost his old place. Or why his old roomies kicked him out. Hell, for all I know, Colby could've been living with his parents.

I could see where things were going. "And you ended up paying for everything." And Richard nodded. Money is a funny thing. And something you don't think about, until you don't have any. It's a rather large issue in relationships as well. Even if your a stay at home mom (for example), there is that tension that the dad is the working man and thus there are certain things that need to be done in turn as the other partner doesn't pay for anything. Like clean, make dinner and such. Or that's how it was with my family. Most don't mind it. But there is still that tension even in the best of relationships.

"He got lazy. Stopped looking for work. And just..."

"Leeched off you?" I finished the sentence and Richard bowed his head neither admitting or denying it. He pulled his towel up a bit, rubbing the fuzzy wool of it and looking down at it not able to meet my eyes.

"He was like a parasitic tick." Max said from the other room. The bull terrier had excellent hearing.

"Things only went down hill from there. You don't just break up with someone, who moved in..." Richard added the last part feeling guilty on the matter. Like taking in a stray animal and then realizing you can't keep them due to not being allowed to have pets or not the money for them. I know that sounds bad seeing as how Colby isn't an animal but a canine-sapient but still it was the closet thing I could think of explaining it or relating it too. "You don't just...break up with someone. If you actually, care... for them." He said the last part softly and it made me want to hug him.

I just nodded and rested beside him. I took his hand when he let me and I got a warm smile at that. I really wasn't the best at comforting him and the whole thing made me uncomfortable. I wanted to say something. To do something. But wasn't sure what and was more afraid of making things worse.

"Eventually we did break it off. Colby was already...seeing some other guys from the bar." And he took a moment on that.

"Richard..." I said his name without any real follow up. I wasn't sure how to comfort him. This wasn't my forte after all. The thing was? I knew Richard wouldn't exactly want an open relationship, nothing really wrong with it. Though the whole risk of std's and i's and all that lovely stuff... Colby most likely just took advantage of the poor dog's need to please. An issue I had been having with the canine myself, another story for another day however.

"He broke up with me." Richard finished with a bit of a sigh and stretched letting go of my hand and just paced around the kitchen doing various things just to keep himself moving. "Said I wasn't his type. That he needed more, someone that was a...real dog. He was just mad I had cut him off and all but still... And he didn't want us to be exclusive." And he frowned a bit at that and looked over at me. "Are we...?" He began.

"If you cheat on me I'm cutting it off." I joked with a laugh and walked over. "Trust me, there isn't a dog in the world that I'd leave you for." I didn't let it show that there might be one or two canine-sapients that I wouldn't mind getting fucked by. And one was sitting in the living room. His lap was most inviting after all.

"You can't cheat on me, either." Richard teased bumping noses and smiling with a wag of his tail. "I don't pull out." And it took me a moment before I ended up laughing, a little too loudly, in his face and resting my head against his chest. Dumb, loveable dog... His fur was warm and soft and I found myself hugging him around his waist, gripping the thick fur on his back. The fresh shower made it feel so soft and conditioned, still warm from the water. He returned the hug and I tried not to focus on the loud thumping of his heart, the labored breaths or the fact his fur had that rich natural musky scent that belong only to him; or that the towel had dropped down the floor with the action. Reason why I tried not too? I was already getting a hard on.

"Colby comes and goes now. Staying here when he doesn't have...somewhere else to go." Richard went on only after we let go of each other.

"I'm honestly surprised you kept him around." I winced at that. It sounded as if Colby was a sick dog and should just be put down. Well, my view of him had sour greatly since this conversation began. I would've long ago grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and tossed him out.

"He had a very...rough life. I can't blame him, fully for it. And it's not like I can just kick him out. He has no where else to go." Richard said almost like a saint making me frown. I really had to watch out for people taking advantage of my good nature boyfriend. That, and watch out for myself taking advantage of him. I could exploit that in the bedroom though... "Abusive dad who left at an early age and raised by a...not all there mother."

"Doesn't give him the right to just..." I began but shook my head. It wasn't really my business on the matter. If he was directly taking advantage of Richard nowadays that'd be another story but even the other dogs put up with him so there had to be something good about him in the end. "I had a cousin like that." I said trying to relate to him. Richard looked over and was listening to my every word. It was...strange. To have someone almost enraptured by every word I said. That he honestly wanted to listen to what I had to say. It made me feel a bit flustered as I, honestly, couldn't say the same about everything Richard talked about. Not talking about right now of course.

He tilted his head to the side looking at me with those oh so warm uncooked brownie eyes.

"She dated guys only to make sure she had a place to stay, money to buy things and just did that to...well survive really. And the guys themselves could've seen it coming but well...it was their choice in the end. The whole family knew about it and none of us really warned them - even if it was obvious. When one was dried up on money she'd begin finding a new one." I tried to reason, to be the devil's advocate but at the same time had an acrid taste in my mouth. I couldn't put up with that. I worked my ass off and deserved what I had, having no one else in the world to credit for my accomplishments in life. I got no help and did just fine.

Richard nodded. And before he spoke, I took his hand again. He smiled down at our hands together and rubbed a thumb over the back of my hand. His hand-paws were larger than mine...my hands that is. And it felt nice, I won't lie. His paw pads on his fingers were far less define but still just as warm and softer than his feet. His very touch was with great care and loving and he spent just a full moment caressing my hands.

"After that I ended up just having a few one night stands." Richard said, with a half shrug. I was glad I wasn't the rebound guy and smiled down at me. It made me blush that he was taller than me, bigger in most ways. I had always been the "man" of my relationships and yet now Richard was making me feel like he was the one to take care of me. "Then I met you." I could almost hear the audience on some dumb sitcom go "awww" at that. And it made me blush and I grinned foolishly, happy on the matter.

"And if I had just been another one night stand?" I teased. He ended up petting the side of my face and just smiled at me.

"I wouldn't have regretted a single moment when I took you that night." Richard said softly, somehow modest about the whole thing and made me flush even more with the blunt truthfulness of his words. "I'm glad you let me tie you. There's no other feeling in the world."

"I can imagine." I muttered a bit unsure how to really respond. Not like I could relate not having a knot. And yet being knotted I could, somewhat, relate.

"You don't forget the guys you tie with. It's too...much, to forget." Richard said romantically moving closer and looking at me.

"Unless your wasted! That's why I pull out." Max said from the living room ruining the moment. I had nearly forgotten about the bull terrier.

"And then Max moved back into your room?" I asked resting back against the counter and bringing the bull terrier into the conversation after he interrupted. Richard didn't sit next to me but pushed himself against my front, the taller male looking down at me with a smirk. Richard knew how much I liked it and he was more than happy to oblige me on the matter. The naked dog didn't even know the word shame as he ran his hand-paws down my sides and into my shorts to pet over my sides and ass.

"Our room!" Max called in from the living room once more, grumbling about the subject. "Kicking me out. Then calling it his own..." If Max really wanted the room I was sure he could, easily, get it back. It made me wonder though how much he cared for Richard. As if he were his own younger brother or something. And might be the main reason why he put up with me so much.

"Yeah. Well I needed someone to cuddle with during those cold nights." Richard pet the side of my face with the back of his hand and lifted my chin up with a dull claw. Even before we kissed I ended up sputtering a laugh.

"Wait? Max cuddles?" I tried not to but ended up laughing and resting my forehead against Richard's chest as I had before. Richard didn't seem to mind one bit.

"Hey!" Max called in from the room. "I'm a fuckin' good cuddlier, bastard." I still didn't buy it. I wondered what it'd be like. His fur was thin and he was built like a brick wall. Would that be...comfortable? "And aren't you gossiping hens suppose to be making me dinner?" I heard a thump and it took me a second, figuring it was from the tv. It was in fact the bull terrier's tail. It had wagged. And I wondered if hell had frozen over in that moment.

Richard agreed to put something on so long as I finished up cleaning things up; it was a little too hard to focus with him strutting around all bare and opened.

Making dinner wasn't elaborate or grand. I ended up just reusing some of the things they did have. Mostly dried vegetables packed away in other things like the rice mix boxes and such. Using them I combined it with the ramen after boiling up a giant pots worth. Mixing in a few eggs, the only thing that had somehow survived in the fridge. I tested it to make sure it wasn't rotten first of course - apparently Patch likes to buy cartons of eggs and just eat them raw. The skinny ass dalmatian still didn't have any ounce of muscle on his body sadly.

It turned out better than I thought. I found a few various seasoning in the cabinet and spiced things up a bit. Thankfully they don't expire for ages and ages. Or hopefully. I let the bull terrier test to make sure it was fit for consumption before trying any. It was. And hey, it wasn't half bad.

"It sucks." Max said around a mouth full watching the tv, propped up in his chair and holding the steaming bowl with a hand-paw. He continued to slurp it up.

"Bite me." I replied sitting next to Richard. The chocolate labrador smiled, nudged my side and sat a bit closer slurping up the meal as if it were the first real food he had since we ordered sushi a few nights ago.

"Don't tempt me." Max ended up growling. I didn't flinch, this time.

"Only when you cuddle, huh?" I teased and made sure to keep one eye on the dog to try my best to read his reaction. Max seemed to weigh the options of getting up and pounding my face in or being lazy and eating the food I made. "You got to do my laundry for that one."

"Which one?" I quirked an eyebrow, a habit I seemed to have picked up from the chocolate Labrador next to me.

"Looking at my junk." He said still watching the tv. It was a historical program of one of the old World Wars. While fascinating I didn't figure Max to be that type of dog.

"Are you ever going to let me live that down?"

"Well you didn't take a picture." And he said that as if he were offended, as if sad that I hadn't. I rather not give him an excuse to pummel me however.

"This is good, Alex." Richard jumped in ears up, tail wagging and not even seeming to grasp that Max and I were arguing with each other. It was as if to say he was just glad the two of us were getting along.

The rest of the night went much the same. Me and Max hit it off. And by that I mean we took every chance we had to pick at the other one. And, let me tell you, he was rather good with his comebacks. And I was a bit surprised he had sat up half-way into the night to actually face towards us as we went on to talk about any and everything. And nothing. Lots of nothings that I don't even remember.

Work. Family. Camping trips. You name it. I wasn't sure when Richard managed to coax me into taking my shirt off and pants off, resting back against him between his legs as he laid back on the couch. He kept an arm over me as me and Max continued to talk. The bull terrier had some of the most interesting stories that kept us long into the night. Hell, he even shared a beer with me. A beer and by share, gave me his half empty one.

It had to be after midnight when I retired with Richard, the chocolate labrador already in a sleep induced stupor by the time I managed to get him to crawl into bed. He turned his back and was already snoozing as I went about my nightly routine before bed. Richard slept on the edge of the bed so I slept directly behind him, thinking nothing of the empty space behind me.

Like most summer nights it grew cold as the hours ticked by and I found myself cuddling closer to Richard's back with the blanket over us (mostly as Richard kicked some of it off of him). And before I fell asleep I was sure I felt a warm body from behind that was built like a brick wall; sandwiching me between the other musky naked dog in the middle of the night.