FellPoth Short Stories and One-Shots

A Friend in Need: Chapter 6 (End)

Chapter Warnings: Mild blood (marrow), swearing

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As the pair traveled up the walkway of their home, the dog finally separated from them to lay down near the bushes. Lotus smiled at her before turning his focus toward balancing on his good foot to hop up the steps. He braced himself against the wall as Rurik pulled unlocked the door, taking the offered arm once more when it was held out to aid him inside. He began to hobble forward, only to tilt backward when he belatedly realized his partner had stopped in the doorway; the skeleton in question was staring at the dog and he hazarded a question, "Is something wrong?"

Rurik stood silent, as if he were at war with himself before grumbling, "Get in."

Lotus blinked, "... What?"

"I'm telling the dog to get in," he reiterated, looking away, "Whether I like it or not, she protected you. As far as I'm concerned, she's earned her keep."

Lotus's eye light lit up as he pulled Rurik in for a one-armed hug, "Really? Thank you!"

"Yeah yeah," the taller grouched, though a hint of a smile began to creep onto his face afterward.

The hooded skeleton leaned around his companion as he called out, "Come on, girl!" In a flash, the dog was on its feet and bounding up the step toward Lotus, rushing past him into the house before turning a one-eighty to watch at the pair with a furiously wagging tail; he limped over, scratching behind her ears as he made his way over to the couch.

Flopping onto the couch, the dog quickly tried to follow him. "Ohh no, mutt stays off the couch," Rurik asserted, wrapping his arms around the animal's waist to haul her onto the floor; the dog refused to budge, groaning in protest.

"Aw, she just wants to be next to me," Lotus reasoned, holding in laughter since he found the situation amusing.

Rurik persisted with a glare, "I said she could stay in the house, not that she could have free run of it. The floor's just as close to you and I'm not dealing with fur all over the furniture."

Lotus grimaced, knowing Rurik was already making a big concession by letting the dog inside; deciding not to push their luck, he sighed and said, "Down girl."

Moments later, the dog was off the couch and on the floor, curling up under the small skeleton's feet like a footrest; Rurik gave her a dirty look, "It really does only listen to you..."

Lotus shrugged, pulling the med kit that was still sitting on the table toward himself, "I suppose I have a way with animals."

"Or it's a whore for free food," Rurik muttered under his breath, crouching down so he was on-level with the worst of his companion's injuries. Rather than try to start an argument, his priority should be to properly treat Lotus's leg along with the scrapes now that they were safely home. He removed the magazine splint, grimacing in sympathy at the quiet hiss from his partner as he slowly removed the stuck-on gauze. Pulling out a familiar bottle and recalling past experiences, he asked, "You want something to bite down on?"

"I think I can handle it," Lotus replied, inhaling deeply while staring at the ceiling in silent preparation. Rurik shrugged and uncapped the bottle, tipping the disinfectant into a waiting cotton ball; once the damp cotton made contact with the crack, the smaller jerked. "Mother-! fffffffffff...," he exhaled, clenching his fists into the couch cushions.

"Handling it?" Rurik clarified with a cocked socket.

"Handling it," Lotus bit out stubbornly, petting the dog that had placed her head on his good leg in concern, "... but try to make it quick."

Nodding his skull, Rurik cleaned away the stray marrow and applied clean dressings; as he reached for the tape roll, a buzzing sound caught his attention. Lotus pulled out his phone, quirking his socket at the screen. "Who is it?" the taller asked, receiving a shrug as his partner answered the call; he frowned when their expression wilted moments later, "What's wrong?"

Tilting the phone away, Lotus responded, "It's the dog's owner... the family wants to come to pick her up." He returned to the conversation, mumbling responses every so often before giving their address. He visibly deflated as he hung up; the dog whined as he said, "They're on their way."

Rurik taped the end of the wrap in place and situated himself next to Lotus on the couch, crossing his arms as he huffed, "... Maybe we can buy the dog off them?"

Lotus shook his skull, rubbing the dog's head as he replied somberly, "They have a little kid who's been upset about their missing dog. Apparently, they've been looking everywhere for her after she got loose chasing a bag thief and got lost; they called immediately after they found one of the posters."

The taller scowled... their hands were tied if a kid was involved; no one with any sense of decency would deprive a kid of their pet. Still, Rurik wracked his skull for an excuse, "Well... maybe they're not the dog's actual owners. She seems pretty well-trained for a dog that got off its leash; it might just be some freaks hoping to get a free dog."

"I don't know, maybe; the guy was able to give a name and details that I didn't include on the poster...," Lotus countered softly.

Rurik sighed, not sure what else he could say to reassure his partner, "I guess we just have to wait until they get here. Come on, we should at least get those scrapes cleaned up before they arrive." He reached for the disinfectant once more as Lotus shrugged off the cloak. Half an hour passed with him treating the scrapes, tossing the torn cloak in the wash, and retrieving a clean black hoodie for his boyfriend just as the doorbell rang.

Lotus shimmied into the hoodie as Rurik went to answer the door, finding a pair of adult birdlike monsters and a smaller child on the doorstep; The little girl peeked into the house, her eyes lighting up as she ran forward yelling, "Alexis!" The dog perked up at the name, running for the door and meeting the girl halfway; she latched onto the dog's neck, sobbing as she buried her face in their fur.

Lotus smiled sadly at the pair as Rurik sighed, knowing without a doubt that these were the dog's true owners. The adults thanked them profusely for taking care of Alexis and the house fell silent upon their departure; his partner had been subdued for the whole exchange.

He sat down once more, pulling Lotus into a tight hug; the skeleton sniffled, "I'm fine; it was only a stupid dog."

"No you're not, I can tell you're upset," Rurik countered lightly, laying his skull on top of theirs, "You know my previous offer's still on the table, right?"

It took Lotus a minute to figure out what he meant; tears began to leak from his sockets as he shook his skull in denial, "It wouldn't be the same... it wouldn't be Alexis." Rurik nodded, carefully scooping his partner up and making his way toward the stairs; he paused when he realized they hadn't eaten yet, but quickly decided rest was more important right now.

Entering the room and laying Lotus on the bed, Rurik moved in next to them and pulled up the covers. He pressed his forehead against his boyfriend's as the skeleton curled into him, rubbing soothing circles into their spine as they drifted off beside him.

Even if he didn't want to admit it, Alexis had managed to rub off on him a bit; in hindsight, it was probably better for the dog to leave now rather than after he became truly attached like his boyfriend. While Lotus would probably be upset for a while, he was still around and that was what mattered; the emotional and physical wounds would heal in time.

For now, all he could do was be there for Lotus and silently thank Alexis for protecting his partner in his stead.

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Word Count: 1,356