(Archived) Poth 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 out his keys to unlock the door, taking the offered arm once more when it was held out to aid him inside. Lotus began to hobble forward, only to tilt backward as he belatedly realized his partner had stopped in the doorway, staring at the dog. He hazarded a question, "Is something wrong?"

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

"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' 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. The small skeleton 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. I'm not dealing with fur all over the furniture. The floor's just as close to you."

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 guess I just 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 help the smaller properly treat his leg along with the scrapes now that they were safely home.

As he removed the magazine splint and stained gauze, cleaned away the stray marrow, disinfected the area, and applied clean dressings, a buzzing sound came from Lotus' pocket. Pulling out his phone, the smaller quirked his socket at the number.

"Who is it?" Rurik asked, receiving a shrug. He went back to re-wrapping the broken bone while Lotus answered. Within seconds, the small skeleton's expression wilted, causing the taller to frown, "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, bumped his good leg 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, replying somberly as he rubbed the dog's head, "They have a little girl that's been upset about the missing dog. Apparently, she got loose chasing a bag thief and got lost. They've been looking everywhere for her and called immediately after they found one of the posters."

The taller skeleton cursed, knowing their hands were tied if a kid was involved. No one with any sense of decency would deprive a kid of their pet. 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, 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. We should at least get those scapes cleaned up before they arrive."

Lotus shrugged off his cloak while Rurik reached for the disinfectant. Half an hour passed with the taller treating the scrapes, tossing the torn cloak in the wash, and retrieving a clean black hoodie for the smaller 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. Lotus had been subdued for the whole exchange. Rurik sat down once more, pulling him into a tight hug. The hooded skeleton sniffed, "I'm fine. It was just 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, but denied the offer upon remembering as tears began to leak from his sockets, "It wouldn't be the same... it wouldn't be Alexis."

Rurik nodded, settling for consoling his partner instead.

When Lotus eventually wore himself out and fell asleep, the taller carefully scooped him up and brought him upstairs. He cringed when he realized the smaller hadn't eaten yet, but decided sleep was more important right now.

Entering the room and laying Lotus on the bed, Rurik moved in next to him and pulled up the covers. He pressed his forehead against his companion's, silently thanking Alexis as he closed his sockets and let himself drift to sleep.

While Lotus would probably be upset for a while, he was still around and that was what mattered. Time would heal him and Rurik would be there to help.

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Word Count: 1,189