Chapter Warnings: Swearing

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"Rurik? Rurik, wake up," a soft voice and a nudge to the shoulder pulled the skeleton from his unconscious state. Cracking open an eye socket, he smiled at the sight of Lotus standing over him already dressed for the day; the mark from yesterday now completely gone.

"Today's already looking to be a better day than yesterday," the taller purred, raising his arms in an attempt to pull his partner back into bed with him.

"Oh spare me," the smaller monster snorted, rolling his eye light as he easily weaved around the outstretched arms, "Flattery will get you nowhere, now come down for breakfast before it gets cold."

Shrugging his shoulders, Rurik crawled out of bed and followed Lotus down the stairs and into the kitchen. Breakfast, which appeared to be scrambled eggs and bacon, was already set out on the table. Sitting down and digging in, he noticed the eggs tasted different than usual. "New recipe?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lotus confirmed, "I figured plain eggs were kind of boring, so I tried dicing up some broccoli along with adding some cheese for texture and flavor."

"It's good," the taller replied simply, "You should do this one again". The pair fell into smatterings of small talk as they ate their breakfast; what their day looked like, what they would have for supper... inconsequential things they always took for granted.

"Hey Rurik?" the smaller questioned, continuing once Rurik looked up, "I was thinking about making posters to put up around town."

He perked up at the statement, "For the dog?"

"Yeah, I'll take a picture of her with my phone, then make an adoption poster and print out copies at the library after work," Lotus explained as he nibbled on a piece of bacon.

"Hmm... are you gonna be using your cell number?" Rurik hummed, receiving a nod as he thought the plan over, "It sounds okay... but just to be on the safe side, I wanna come with you if you get called to meet someone; there are too many whackjobs out there for my liking."

Lotus chuckled as he picked up his plate and carried it over to the sink, "Alright, fair enough. I'll print out and put up the posters after work, so I'll probably be a bit late tonight. If I get a call to meet someone, I'll let you know and we can go together."

"Sounds like a plan," Rurik said as he got up to put his plate in the sink as well so he could go take his shower. Seeing Lotus slipping on his cloak, scarf, and boots by the door, he made a detour around the couch; he pulled the smaller into a hug and planted a kiss on their forehead, "Good luck with work and the posters; be careful."

Lotus fought down a blush as he reached up on his tiptoes to reciprocate the show of affection with a peck on the cheek, "I always try. You stay safe too."

As the smaller opened the door, Rurik just barely managed to catch a glimpse of the mutt standing on the lawn outside before his companion slipped through the door and shut it behind himself. Leaning toward the window, he watched Lotus move down the walkway as the dog bounded in circles around them, clearly excited to see the skeleton; a knot twisted in his chest as he watched his companion pause to rub behind the animal's ear before continuing down the sidewalk.

Making his way up the stairs and into the bathroom, Rurik turned on the shower and stripped while the water warmed up. Stepping in, he let the heat soak into his bones as he attempted to focus on the day ahead rather than the uncomfortable feeling that had crept up on him.

---

Slotting the key into the deadbolt, Rurik opened the door to an empty house; as he predicted, Lotus wasn't home yet. He internally cursed himself for not asking for a rough estimate of when he might get home.

Stuffing his keys into his pocket, he took off his jacket and hat, tossing them on the arm of the couch to put away later as he browsed the kitchen for something to eat. Opening the fridge, he was surprised to find a plate with leftovers from the previous night; figuring that would be better than snacking on junk food, he removed the plate and headed toward the microwave.

Partway to his destination, he stopped and stared down at the plate in thought before backtracking toward the cabinets. Pulling out another plate, he scooped some of the food onto it and placed the remainder back in the fridge for Lotus to eat once he got home before returning to the microwave; setting the timer for a minute, he leaned against the counter as his thoughts wandered to a particular conversation he had earlier.

~~~

"Jealous?" Rurik arched his eye socket as he readjusted the box in his arms, "Why the hell would I be jealous?"

"Well, think about it," The red-headed woman, Carmen, retorted as she wheeled the handcart over, "other than you, who does your boyfriend interact with?"

Setting the box onto the platform and turning to retrieve another from the truck as he contemplated the question, the skeleton was dumbfounded at his conclusion, "No one... he can't stand his parents and he's never mentioned any friends; he has a cousin, but that guy kind of hates me so they don't talk much. Other than me and maybe his boss, he doesn't really talk to anyone."

Placing his cargo on the first box, Rurik huffed as he scrubbed at his skull, "Shit... is he becoming isolated because of me?"

"I wouldn't say that," the woman corrected, aligning the boxes so they were centered before going to retrieve another, "You're much better than when you first started and we both know friendship's not a common practice. From what you told me, he's not an outgoing guy either; it's more likely he just doesn't get out enough to have those interactions. That said, your answer proves my point; you're used to having his undivided attention and being the center of his world. That dog represents competition and you're not used to sharing; that's why it grinds your gears."

"But the mutt's not competition!" Rurik exclaimed, "We talked and Lotus chose me last night!"

"Box," she reminded as she easily hefted another package, prompting the skeleton to keep loading the handcart with her, "Just because he chose you doesn't mean those feelings will go away overnight. You mentioned the dog ignored you when you tried to scare it off, so it's a source of defiance as well; it might also be that you're nervous about others giving the little guy attention. You tend to be pretty defensive when it comes to your boyfriend and you said your main concern was the dog attacking him, right?"

"Yeah... I dunno, am I being too controlling? Should I ease up?" Rurik questioned, stacking up the fourth box and tilting back the cart to move it toward the elevator.

The woman snatched up a clipboard and walked with him as she soothed, "Given the way things work around here and the volatile nature of animals, your worries aren't completely unjustified. The best thing I can tell you is to talk it over with him and see what he thinks; after that, you can decide what to do together. For now, let's get these boxes upstairs before the owner has a fit."

~~~

The beeping of the timer broke him out of his woolgathering as he popped the microwave open and pulled out the steaming plate of food. Without company, the meal was finished within minutes and the plate was dumped into the sink with the breakfast plates... but as he turned away, he got the bright idea to wash and put them away instead; it was a small thing, but it was sure to put Lotus in a better mood.

Shutting the cabinet door and drying off his hands with a satisfied grin, he returned to the living room to await his partner's arrival; before he could even sit, a buzzing noise from his jacket caught his attention. Fishing out his phone, the screen lit up to notify him of a text from Lotus.

"Good, I can ask him when he's gonna-" The sentence died in his throat, his body frozen and mouth hanging open slightly as his eye lights shrunk to mere pinpricks; he could only stare at the screen displaying multiple unread messages, the first one having been sent over ten minutes ago:

L: I need help

L: I'm alright, but I can't get back on my own

L: Rurik, are you there?

L: Rurik?

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Word Count: 1,459