Fit for a King

[A/N: Prompt is: "Me and you and our dogs all sleeping together on our king-sized bed."]

Two years ago, Ja'far hadn't known Sinbad was a dog-lover. Two years ago, Ja'far at moved in with Sinbad, only to find four dogs sharing the house. Two years ago, Ja'far was sure he'd never grow an attachment to an animal.

Oh how wrong he was.

Pepper (German shepherd; loves snack food), Cinnamon (rusty hound dog; howls for no reason at ungodly hours of the morning), Bacon (chocolate Labrador; unbelievably energetic (how Sinbad had managed to get that mutt enough exercise all by himself before Ja'far had moved in was beyond him)), and Icing (husky; the quiet one. Ja'far appreciated that): all, unbeknownst to Ja'far, Sinbad's beloved pet dogs.

Two years ago, Ja'far would never have known the names of all of these dog breeds or that Labradors loved to swim (and would often take advantage of any opportunity to do just that, as Ja'far now knew from unfortunate personal experience) or that Sinbad had a penchant for naming his pets after foods or just how much work it was to keep four dogs.

They had to be fed and watered and walked and washed and groomed and played with and it was absolutely exhausting. But, Ja'far had to admit, Sinbad's unabashed joy was certainly enough to make up for it.

A small woof came from Ja'far's side and he turned from brushing his teeth to look at the four dogs, all waiting and looking up at him with pleading eyes. Ja'far rolled his eyes affectionately, washed out his mouth and set out to gather together all the leashes from around the house. The dogs followed him the whole way.

Walking four big dogs simultaneously was no easy task. Especially when it seemed like the neighbors bought out their dogs all at the same time just to make your life harder. Especially when it seemed like dogs were magnetically attracted to each other and were possessed to howl at the top of their lungs when they caught even a whiff of their canine brethren.

Fortunately, having much practice, Ja'far survived the afternoon (although he was insanely tired afterwards). And after a quick stop at the corner store to buy some dog biscuits, the five returned home.

It was a modest home, even if they could afford something better, what with Sinbad's income. Neither of them really had much desire for a huge house, as any house at all was certainly better than an apartment. The porch was red brick, decorated with hanging plants and patio chairs. The front yard was lined with bushes and several kinds of flowers. Out back was bigger, fenced in for the dogs and containing a larger garden that was separated from everything else. Taking care of it kept Ja'far busy.

Ja'far threw some biscuits at the dogs, watching them yip happily and scuffle for the treats, settling down himself in the living room with his well-worn (albeit well taken care of) grey laptop. The only sounds for a long, relaxing while were the occasional lapping of water and squeak of stuffed toys.

Ja'far wished the peace and quiet would last forever. Unfortunately for him, minutes later the tell-tale growls of Sinbad's prized navy blue van and the heavy footsteps Ja'far'd grown to know so well interrupted the perfectly blissful calm.

"Ja'far! I'm home!" Sinbad burst through the front door with his usual Friday-night enthusiasm, decked out in a suit and tie and carrying several brown paper bags brimming with groceries. He greeted by wild howls and bays, but Sinbad only laughed at the overly-excited dogs and scratched them each behind their ears. They calmed down long enough for Sinbad to push his way through the sea of bodies and dump the groceries unceremoniously on the countertop.

Ja'far looked up from his seat sinking into Sinbad's oversized plush chair, lowering his laptop. He'd become something of a housewife in the last two years with how much money Sinbad made, but that didn't stop him from earning a little extra cash online. You know; just in case. (Ja'far would never admit it, but he only did it to give himself something to do. Being a workaholic without any work to do was like being social butterfly and living in seclusion. He really wished Sinbad would let him work and would instead stay home with the dogs himself.)