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Streets paved with gold.

By: Wolfie Steel.

Chapter 2

The Husky opens the door to the house and enters the house, as he does so he calls out for his son, Max, suddenly a bundle of bouncing fluff bounds down the staircase and stands in front of his father.

"Hey dad, welcome home, who is our guest?"

Such a respectful young lad, I mean sure he must follow in his dads ways, but damn the kid is just three years younger than me, I remember when I was his age, I was a snotty nosed teenager who would run around creating small bits of havoc wherever I went.

"Max, this young man is Trent Hobson and he will be staying with us"

The young Husky looks at me and then he looks back to his dad.

"Erm dad, I don't mean to speak out of place, but isn't he kind of young to be your boyfriend?"

This makes both myself and Bradley blush profusely.

"M...Max, I can't believe you just said that, Trent is not here as my boyfriend, he is here to work as a live in babysitter"

I gently place a paw on Bradley's shoulder.

"Mr. Marshall, don't be too hard on the lad, he meant nothing by it, to be honest I wouldn't mind if you wanted me as a boyfriend"

The Husky blushes to a deeper red, but then calms a little.

"Trent, you and I will talk about this when prying ears aren't listening to every word"

Great, my first job and I go and blow it before I even start. Bradley looks at his watch.

"Okay guys, how about I make us a light dinner, and then Trent, maybe you can put Max to bed for me?"

I give a gentle nod and so Bradley walks into the kitchen while Max takes hold of my paw and leads me to his room. Once inside, I see that it is a typical teens room, laid out much the same as...mine used to be, bed, TV, Games systems, Ipod and dock, and a large and powerful looking computer.

"Erm Mr. Hobson sir, do you play video games?"

I give a slight chuckle.

"Max, it's okay to call me Trent, and yes I have played a game or two in the past, what have you got?"

We play a few rounds of Super Smash Bros until Bradley calls us down for dinner, true to form, Max instantly saves the game and then shuts off the system, his father has obviously taught him well, we both head into the kitchen and sit down at the table and begin to eat, the meal is a simple beef roast, but I see Max's eyes light up with delight.

Max finishes his meal before either me or Bradley and excuses himself from the table.

"Dad, I'm going to go and have a shower and then I will call you to let you know that I am ready for bed"

The elder Husky nods his head as Max leaves the room, Bradley then begins to clear the table after we finish our meals, I gently lay my paw onto his.

"Mr. Marshall, if I am going to work for you, then I will start with clearing the table"

I load all of the used plates and dishes into the dishwasher and then I set it in motion, with that done, Bradley leads me into the living room and motions for me to sit on the couch, which I do without question.

"Okay Trent, we need to talk, I have hired you to work as a babysitter for my son because his mother, my wife, died two years ago. I have struggled ever since to keep things together, I must admit at first my thoughts were solely centred on Max's well being, but what Max said earlier did strike a chord within me, what Max actually needs is a father and a mother"

Just as he is about to continue, Max shouts down that he is ready for bed, and so I head back up to his room to tuck him in. Max climbs into bed and I gently pull the bed sheets over him, as I do so Max looks up at me.

"Trent, I hope that you can stay here forever"

I blush again as the young Husky begins to drift off to sleep. I turn and leave the room, shutting the light off as I go, I then head back into the living room where I find Bradley still sitting in his seat.

"Is Max okay Trent?"

I nod my head softly.

"He's fine Mr. Marshall, now do you want to continue our chat?"

Bradley lets out a gentle sigh and nods.

"Well Trent, as I said, Max needs the stability of having a mother and father in his life, the thing is, when Max's mother died I vowed to never take the paw of another, but truth be known, I can't cope on my own. I know that it is too soon to be thinking about such things, but I was wondering how you would feel about combining the two roles, so not just a babysitter but more Max's mother or I guess a second father"

Again I blush to a bright red, but I cannot deny that Bradley is one good looking Husky, and I see the wisdom of his words, Max is at that point in his life where he needs the stability of a family, true as yet I am only seventeen, but on the coming Sunday I turn eighteen and so I can legally be taken as a civil partner, not that we would go down that route just yet.

"Mr. Marshall, I am flattered that you have asked me the question, but the thing is you know absolutely nothing about me, I mean I am still a minor so I am not allowed to become a civil partner just yet, however that all changes on Sunday, but for now I think that we should keep things the way that they are, with me being Max's babysitter, and maybe in a year or two when we know everything there is to know about each other, maybe then we can take things to the next level"

The Husky gives a weak smile as he stands from his seat; he then lands a paw on my shoulder and gently squeezes it.

"You have a wise head on your shoulders Trent, and just for the record, I want you to call me Bradley, Mr. Marshall just sounds way too formal, anyway, you are right in what you say I guess, it is too soon to be talking about a relationship, so getting to know each other is the best for us, and so the status quo will remain. Now it has been a long day for all of us, the spare bed is made ready I always keep it made just in case we have visitors, so why don't we all get some sleep and begin afresh in the morning"

I nod my head as the Husky leaves the room and heads to his bedroom, I head into the kitchen to empty the dishwasher, I then check throughout the house to make sure that nothing is left switched on, after all, I don't want lightning to strike twice. Once my tour of duty is complete, I head off upstairs to the spare room, and my first sleep in near forty eight hours.

The bed feels oh so comfy but I am still unable to close my eyes, thoughts and nightmares of the last time that I fell asleep rage around my head, now each time I close my eyes I imagine that I can smell smoke. I guess I must be making a little bit of noise as the next thing I know the bedroom light is being turned on and standing there in the doorway is Bradley.

"Having some bad nightmares Trent?"

I focus my eyes again as I try to find the answer.

"Yeah, sorry Bradley, but every time I close my eyes I'm back at home and sensing the fire, I'll sleep downstairs for tonight and then in the morning I will go and find a shelter where I can stay, that way at least you and Max will be able to get your much needed sleep"

Bradley sits on the bed next to me and gently strokes my fur.

"Trent, with what you have been through I'm not in the slightest bit surprised that you aren't sleeping, but there is no way in hell that you are going to live in a mangy shelter. Now I know that we agreed to keep our relationship as a working one for the foreseeable future, but we all need to sleep, so I want you to join me in my bed, hopefully that way you will at least be able to get some sleep"

At first I protest against the idea, but no matter which way I look at it, Bradley does have a point, and so with a heavy soul and a hanging head I follow the Husky into his room. We both climb into bed with our backs facing each other, and I have to admit that once I knew the fact that I was no longer alone in the bed I found it easier to fall into a deep sleep.