Work Text:
“I said I was… damn it Sammy let me in at least,” Ben yelled, all but banging on his partners front door.
It had been five minutes since he had arrived. Five minutes of ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door only for there to be no response. Not a shadow behind the door or even the sway of a moved curtain, nothing. And Bryant had to know it was him.
“Sammy! I’m not going anywhere,” Ben yelled again as he hit the door harder, he was about to yell once more when he saw movement.
“Sherman! If you bang on my door anymore I swear I will shoot you,” Bryant angrily answered back, yanking his door open but holding up a hand to block Ben from entering.
“Sammy just let me in and lets talk about this,” Ben implored his fellow cop and trainer.
“I made it clear when the shift is done so are we. So we have nothing to talk about. And why do you have Thunder with you?” Bryant asked, making no move to clear the doorway but looking down at the Golden Retriever sniffing at his flower beds not far from Ben’s feet.
“I messed up, I get that but we’re still, it can’t just be over. Not just like that,” Ben argued, “please Sir,”
“The dog, why is the dog with you and not at the pound. I called them and they said he was already adopted?” Bryant asked his eyes on the dog until they shifted to Ben, his eyes narrowing, “Pup!” he barked.
“He was for you,” Ben answered with a start at Bryant’s tone, locking his knees he wouldn’t drop to them. “I wanted him to be a gift, a thank you gift for…everything but then the evidence and…” he trailed off and looked away.
“Well hello there Thunder, you remember me?” Bryant asked as he knelt down and held out a hand toward the canine.
The Golden Retriever looked up at his name and looked at Bryant before bounding up toward him and went right past Bryant’s hand and started licking his face, making Bryant smile for the first time since Ben had arrived at his door.
“That’s a good boy,” Bryant said as he ruffled and petting the dog playfully.
“Sammy, Sir,” Ben said wistfully as he watched the trainer and dog interact.
Bryant looked up at Ben for a moment and after a long pause he stood up, stopping Thunder from bouncing up after him with a word and gesture and light tap on the nose. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” he added, stepping back through the doorway.
“What about Thunder?” Ben asked as the dog came back over to him.
“Take care of him pup, maybe he’ll teach you trust and loyalty,” Bryant answered after a long hard look before he shut the door on his pup and dog.
Ben stared at the door for a few moments before he slowly walked away, a little more hopeful than he had been when he’d first arrived.
***
Letting out a sigh when the car vanished down the road the Trainer turned away from the window and headed toward his bedroom, leaning against the door jam he observed Karl. The younger man was sleeping, half under the covers and half out from under them.
He had needed it, hell he was looking for it when he’s walked into the club, and he didn’t owe the pup anything after what he’d done. ‘And it was just sex. He and Ben weren’t about sex,’ Bryant thought frustrated with the feelings inside him as he pushed off from the doorframe, backing up toward the living room, spotting the blue rubber ball left on the floor.
It hadn’t been just sex, the trainer confessed to himself as he picked up the ball, giving it a squeeze before throwing it across the house toward the kitchen garbage, the anger overwhelming everything else. Damn it all, he’d bought that ball for Sparks not a stray.
The ball hit the side of the bin and bounced off, rolling across the kitchen floor and out of his sight, once it was all the anger and frustration drained out of Bryant, leaving him exhausted. It hadn’t been just sex with Karl…but it hadn’t really been more either, he knew that too. Falling into his armchair he frowned, unsure just where to go next, how to move forward. But he knew it had too.