Chapter Two

Rudy slammed the door behind him with his foot before the small, white fur ball darted out to freedom and scooped it up in one hand before it caused itself brain damage from its high speed on its tiny legs.

The thing wriggled in his hands, as if feigning escape but not so much that he actually got free. Rudy smirked at it, taking his fingers and scratching softly at his fur only to be pawed fondly by the furry animal.

"Rudy is that you?" a voice called from the kitchen. The smell of something good was hanging in the air and he followed it while answering:

"No I'm just a daylight burglar coming to steal... oh wait, it seems this piece of shit apartment has nothing worth of stealing."

"Oi, you live here too, you shit!" Rosie scolded at him as he appeared in the small kitchen where she had her back turned and was hovering over a pot with the apron he had bought her for her birthday last year with a pair of boobs on the front that made her look ridiculous. "So what's got you in a bad mood - well, a worse mood than your usual, grumpy self?"

"Nothing..." he muttered as the furball started to nip at his fingers playfully, he snorted at the thing. He looked up to see his sister turned, her spatula raised menacingly, dripping with pasta sauce with an eye brow raised. He shrugged, trying to look at if the spatula didn't faze him at all and he was answering her on his own terms. "There's just this new guy that keeps screwing up and I'm the one that needs to clean up after him just because he's got connections with my boss."

Satisfied with his answer she returned to stirring the pot. "Well that's not fair, you should speak to your boss about it. Actually you should just speak to him in general about how he's been treating you. Seriously, Rudes."

He gave a noise that was close to agreement and confirmation that yes he was going to go down and speak to Archer about his unfair treatment compared to the other staff, but he knew, and all his other past jobs told him that it wouldn't end well and he'd walk out there without a job at all. Rudy had something of a temper at times.

He walked over to the small table with two chairs and pulled out one with his foot and sank into it, jostling the little white ball of fur so he was petting its back and it could snuggle into his chest.

"So unfair, "Rosie complained as she looked at them. "He still won't let me pet him and he's my dog. I'm the one that feeds him! Why the hell does he hang all over your depressing ass?"

Rudy didn't say anything but looked down at the wriggling creature in his arms how was snuggling into the crook of his arm and then popping out and looking up at him expectantly until Rudy caved and petted it, running his fingers through his soft fur. When he lifted his head Rosie was still looking at him, glaring at him heatedly. He smirked at her and she flicked her spoon at him to pasta sauce flicked a line over him and the dog who yipped as he was splattered and scampered out of his arms.

Rudy sighed, "I hope your happy now, I'll need to give him another bath and build up his self esteem yet again."

"Oh my god," she moaned. "He's going to hate me forever."

He couldn't deny her of that thought.

Rudy watched his sister in amusement, wiping off some of the sauce from his face and tasting it."Needs a pinch of salt."

Rosie made an exasperated sound and flicked him again but went for the cupboard where the salt was anyway.

Rosie had adopted the little white furball she liked to call Legolas two years ago when they moved into the apartment. Rosie's friend's dog had puppies or something like that, and Rosie had took one without even thinking about it much to Rudy's disappointment. Rudy didn't see how having another mouth to feed was helping anyone and resented the thing for a while, whereas Rosie tried for months trying to bond with the thing that kept running away from her, obviously not reciprocate her feelings. The thing was still a nervous wreck; pissed itself whenever a car honked its horn outside and hid behind the sofa and stayed there whenever there was someone in the house other than just Rosie and Rudy, which wasn't often anyway.

"Worst guard dog ever. We'll be slaughtered in our sleep while he's behind that fucking sofa."

"Shut up Rudy. He's adorable."

In all honesty Rudy hated small animals, animals, children, people and just about everything else that could think for itself. The usual. And for months he had ignored the stupid little creature that followed him like a tiny, white, poofy shadow that barked and yipped at him and gnawed and licked at his fingers when he wasn't paying attention to him and woke him up every morning by snuggling into the side of his head. Rudy would have to be completely heartless if he hadn't eventually fallen for the stupid thing.

"Dinner is ready in five, set the table."

Rudy groaned, "I would but I'm now covered in pasta sauce and I should reall-"

More pasta sauce came splattering across his face along with a wooden spoon hovering over him with his sister at the end with every promise of causing bodily harm with one look.

"Set the damn table or there's no dinner for you, bro." She said her relation to him like it was a threat in itself.

Rudy set the table, the sauce drying on his face, while Rosie hummed happily putting the pasta into bowls while Legolas whined, occasionally poking his head round the door way with part of his fur stained red, sometimes he licked at it pathetically hoping for Rudy's attention once more.

Rudy ignored him. Mostly.

"How's your new job going?" Rudy asked over the table when dinner was served, digging in.

Rosie twirled spaghetti onto her fork, "it's alright. I mean, waitressing totally isn't my calling but at least I'm getting paid, but there was this totally cute guy that was seriously checking out my ass..."

Rudy zoned out as his sister went on about how attractive some of her customers were.

He remembered when he was a waiter. It had lasted a week after he had poured a diet coke over some dick that had been disturbing everyone in the restaurant and ended up getting a free meal as Rudy had been fired on the spot.

Dick.

"How's the pasta?" his sister asked earnestly, like she always did.

Rudy shrugged, fork half way to his mouth."S'all right," he said before shoving the pasta in his mouth. Rosie smiled knowingly.

When his bowl was practically licked clean he glanced at the shaking creature, still making small, pathetic noises at the door that Rosie was making faces at. "I'm going up to take a shower with that shaking furball over there."

"His name is Legolas, you ass," she spat, somehow she had managed to get her tomato sauce making a beard around her mouth.

He laughed at her as he left," alright Gimli."

He made a noise with his teeth and a gesture with his hand at the creature for it to follow him, although it probably would have already. As Rudy walked, the dog struggled to plod along with him and through the small bathroom next to his bedroom. In fact everything in the apartment was small - the apartment was small in itself. Rosie sometimes joked that he was the biggest thing in here and then he always responded that actually her ass was and then she always responded with violence.

Legolas barked happily as she saw Rudy lean over the bath to turn on the shower and stood up and place it's tiny paws onto the side of the bath as if to climb in even though it only reach half way and was wagging its tail ecstatically while watching the water flow.

Legolas turned to Rudy and Rudy smiled at the little thing before he was yanking off his shirt and the rest of his clothing before stepping in then reached over the bath and took Legolas over with him, unbuckling his collar as he did and flinging it into the pile of his clothes.

For a moment the dog flinched at the spray, blinking rapidly as it hit him and then leaned back into its warmth like it thought it was some kind of majestic mermaid; all nervousness and jitters gone. Rudy laughed at the creature like he always did, his fur being matted down completely making him look smaller and even more pathetic than he usually was but instead was basking in the feel of the water.

"You're one of a kind, eh buddy?"he smiled, rubbing the back of his ears and leaning his head in which earned him a small lick on his nose and a grabby paw. "Stupid dog."

He leaned over to get the dog shampoo and put a small amount on his hand and lathered the dog in it, making sure to give him a ridiculous looking Mohawk which then turned into a mane until Legolas figured he was taking the piss and yapped at him to get the soap off which to Rudy consented with shaking shoulders as the small dog huffed at him but his tail betraying him as the water beat down on him.

After the two were clean and pasta sauce free, Rudy towel dried the both of them then picked up his brush and Rosie's hair dryer and made his way into the living room were Rosie was already sitting, bag of Doritos in her hand and feet up on the table watching re-runs of Supernatural. When she saw them she turned on the subtitles as Rudy plugged in the hair dryer and sat on the couch, Legolas in between his legs ready for his blow-dry and came out looking like a shower puff more than dog.

Together, the small family of three sat on the sofa and Rudy felt better than he had all day.

A/N: remember to vote and comment!

Dedicated to chelseaXmattana for being one for being the first commenter and for also being awesome. Shall be dedicating through this story from now on bc I love you all