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Sand and surf had been replaced with a kitchen sink. Reid and Kelvin tended bar, creating a cocktail of monstrous proportion in the city sewers. Bottles of rum, gin, vodka, tequila, and good old sour mash whiskey were opened and upended into the stainless steel tub, their contents disappearing into the drain.

"This isn't going to be easy." Reid mused, glancing forlornly at the ornate label on a bottle of tequila before pouring it down the drain.

"I know. Just remember, if you ever need to talk or anything, we're here for you. Whatever you need, as long as it keeps you from drinking."

"Yeah." He picked up an unopened bottle of expensive scotch whiskey, and then set it back down, away from the others. That one can stay...

"Maybe ask the doctor if he can prescribe you something for anxiety or depression."

"I'd like to do this with the help of as few medications as possible. I don't know, but I'm debating on going to see this therapist he recommended me to."

"Wouldn't be a bad idea." Kelvin concurred, and shook the last few drops out of the bottle. Reid began to speak, but nearly jumped out of his fur when a loud knocking sounded at the door. His heart raced. Was this was getting sober was going to be like? Opening the door, he balked.

"Aiden!"

"Hey, babe." They kissed, and the lab entered.

"Hey, Kelvin."

"Hey."

Aiden stopped at the edge of the kitchen counter and looked quizzically at the small army of empty liquor bottles lined up on it. Then, he glanced up at Kelvin, who was pouring out another one. He looked up at Reid, who just grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"This is happening?"

"This is happening."

"You're doing it? You're really quitting?"

"I'm really quitting." Reid affirmed, and Aiden launched himself at him.

"I'm so proud of you." He nuzzled into the cattle dog's neck, kissing it and holding onto him as though he would vanish into thin air if he relented. Reid squeezed him back, but there was something odd about the lab. There was a misgiving air about him, as though he was anxious about something.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I was super busy today with work, I'm sorry I didn't call you. How'd the doctor visit go?" Aiden removed the tie he'd gone home and put on along with a shirt and slacks to make it appear as though he'd been at work all day.

"It's okay. They did a blood draw and put me on some meds that are supposed to help wean me off. I'm supposed to get an update on the results of the blood work tomorrow."

"I'm sure everything will be fine."

"I hope so. Did you eat yet? We made lasagna."

"I did, yeah." Aiden lied. He didn't have an appetite for all the adrenaline that was still coursing through his blood; perhaps, he thought, if Reid had some Valium lying around, he might be able to sneak one or two.

Reid yawned.

"It's almost midnight, guys. I'm turning in."

***

Reid finished brushing, and spat into the sink. He rinsed, and raised his head to look at his reflection in the mirror. Poor nutrition and diet had taken a toll on him, and as a result, he looked older than he was. The grey fur at the end of his muzzle was as prominent as ever, and his deep-set eyes had lost the clarity and brightness they once had, now reduced to a steely, bluish-grey. Even his once rich, flowing blonde hair had lost its luster. He wondered; did it come with age, or with alcohol? He wiped his mouth on a towel and shut off the light on his way out into the lamp lit bedroom, where Aiden was pulling off his shoes and socks.

"God I hope I'll be able to sleep tonight."

"Why wouldn't you?" Aiden asked, unbuckling his belt.

"I don't know. I feel weird, being sober. It's been hours since I last had a drink, and I already feel like I need one." He took comfort in watching the lab slide his slacks off, revealing the black boxer-briefs underneath them, and with the removal of his shirt, the abs underneath it.

"I'll be here." He whispered, and slid into bed next to the cattle dog, sidling right up to him and draping an arm over his chest.

"I know." Reid caressed his arm until he found the hand at the end of it, and brought it up to his face where he kissed it, and noticed a peculiar scratch. Aiden had two equal length scratches on the webbing of his right hand between his thumb and forefinger, about an inch apart and an inch long each.

"What happened here?"

"Hm? Oh, I got pinched in a file cabinet at work today. Just being clumsy."

"Oh."

Reid stared up at the ceiling and watched the fan blades spin slowly. Something smelled faintly like fireworks.

"I know what'll help you get to sleep." Aiden said with giddiness in his voice, pushing himself up against the heeler's leg. With the events from earlier still fresh in his mind, he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon himself.

"Aiden..."

"Whaaat?"

"It's late, and Kelvin's in the other room."

"So?" The lab swung his leg over and sat up, straddling the other dog's thighs and presenting a rather tempting package concealed uncomfortably beneath black cotton designer briefs. He started to slide his fingers beneath the waistband of Reid's underwear, and grunting in concession, the cattle dog arched his back to aid in getting them off.

"Pent up?" Reid grinned, laughing at Aiden's confirmation and consequent stiffness. Muzzles meshed, and the heeler felt a similar affliction gripping him when their tongues began to dance. He squirmed underneath the lab, caressing his back and digging his claws into the muscle beneath them. In a show of dominance, Reid pushed his hips upward, pressing their cocks against one another, and rolled them over so that he was on top.

"Ah...!" The lab gasped and writhed in the sheets when the heeler began to replicate their first encounter together, planting teasing kisses in a zigzag pattern down his torso until he'd reached the finish line. His thin lips traced the length of the hard flesh, breathing in the scent he so loved, though it was markedly less intense, as if the lab had recently showered. Aiden bit his lip and refused to look down for fear of climaxing in his underwear.

Reaching the very tip, Reid slid his mouth over the first half inch, underwear and all, and gently squeezed it between his lips, tasting the rapidly darkening spot on the black fabric. It was stretched so thin over the lab's stiff cock that he could effortlessly feel even the finest contours with his lips and tongue. He couldn't help but smile. It was fun to tease, to feel him squirm and hear him whine, desperate for release.

"Reid." Aiden managed to get out amidst his labored breathing.

"Yeah?"

"I think I want to go all the way with you tonight..."

For some reason, Reid's first thought was of a girlfriend he'd had in his senior year of High School, 1996. She'd said the same thing, with the same kind of tenderness in her voice. A sentiment that led the heeler to believe they'd be together forever. It scared him to think that one day, Aiden might no longer be a part of his life, but he hoped that when that day came, it would be the day he died of old age.

"Okay." He whispered back, grinning.

"It just feels like the right time, now. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't. I want you to make me yours."

Until that point, Reid wasn't certain whether Aiden wanted to be on top, or if he wanted him to be. He felt his mouth go dry. No one had said anything of that caliber to him in a long time, and he wasn't sure how to interpret it, especially coming from a male, but he didn't care. If he was going to have sex for the first time in years, he wanted it to be with someone that he could at least see himself being with for a long time.

"You have lube, right?"

"Yeah." He dug it out of a bedside table drawer while Aiden pulled his underwear off, and popped the cap open before handing it to the lab so that he might do the honors. Aiden spared no expense in making sure that Reid's cock would slide easily into him, since it had been a while for him as well. Cool, clear liquid streamed out of the bottle onto the heeler's shaft, and the lab stroked it gently, making sure it was covered from base to tip. Three coats finally satisfied him, much to Reid's amusement, and Aiden used the excess on his hand to prepare himself. Not one to pass up an opportunity to tease, the lab remained in full view of his partner while he fingered and stretched his tailhole, pumping the slick digits in and out from under his tail.

Aiden clambered back up to his knees once he'd been sufficiently primed for entry. Swinging one leg over, he straddled Reid's hips and grabbed the base of his cock, holding it upright and locking eyes with his boyfriend.

"You ready for this?"

"Are_you_?" Reid grinned devilishly and cocked an eyebrow. Not to be outdone, Aiden winked, but his confidence disappeared when let his weight carry him all the way down the heeler's length. Both of them grunted through gritted teeth with balled fists, the feeling not foreign to them, just not had in a while.

"Feels a lot bigger than it did when I was going down on it." Aiden remarked, an ego boost for the cattle dog.

"You good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just let me get situated. It's been a while for me."

Aiden laughed a little while he tried to adjust his legs into a position suitable for riding the member inside of him, inadvertently doing so all the while. Reid ran his hands up the lab's thighs toward the hard, pink flesh situated between them. About that time, Aiden finally began to lift his body some, drawing the cock out of him and sinking back down on it with a slow, but rhythmic pace. Whatever he did, the heeler matched, pushing all the way into Aiden's tight tailhole until his balls were pressed tightly up against the base of the lab's tail.

"You okay?" He asked for the second time in the last thirty seconds.

"Yep."

"Want to go faster?"

"Sure, just take it easy."

Aiden winced as Reid began to pump his hips in sharp upward motions. Fast, but at short intervals. Using muscles he knew would be sore in the morning; he swung his pelvic region upward sharply, slamming every inch of his length into the tight entrance. His heavy balls bounced in his furry sack, bumping the underside of the lab's tail and falling back onto his taint with a wet slap, courtesy of the gratuitous amount of lube. Aiden found himself not needing to move for all the work the cattle dog was doing down there, but when Reid grew tired, he picked up the slack.

Aiden saw his lover's bet and raised it. He quickened the pace, finally relaxed and loosened enough that he could take the cattle dog's enormous dick with relative ease. Knees on the bed, hips working, he bounced his hips up and down with all the grace of a porn star, sheathing and drawing the hot, throbbing flesh from his aching ass over and over and over again. Even his cock was taking a beating as it slapped heavily against both of their bodies, flinging precum as far as the cattle dog's chest. Reid's cock was a piston, and Aiden's ass was being bored and stroked.

"Hang on, let's put more lube." Aiden winced, raising his hips and letting the dick fall back to his stomach with a sticky, wet plap. Reid grabbed the lube and slickened his shaft once more while the lab assumed a new position on the bed; on all fours, grasping the headboard for support. Just seeing Aiden's ass primed and ready to be stuffed was almost too much for him to even look at.

"Fuck, I don't know how much longer I'm going to hold out." He said, positioning himself at the lab's entrance.

"Me neither...don't hold back, just cum whenever you feel it hit you."

Reid gave a gentle push, and felt the tip of his cock clear the right ring of muscle until it was squeezing right behind the head. It almost pushed him past his threshold right then and there. Backing off, he clenched every muscle in his body, trying to fight back his orgasm. Nice guys finish last, he thought. Once he'd managed to calm his loins somewhat, he pushed the rest of himself into Aiden's waiting passage, hilting himself in the lab's firm rear.

Worn bedsprings creaked, Aiden moaned loudly, and Reid grunted with every thrust of his tiring hip flexors. He wasn't in as good of shape as he used to be, when he could go for hours on end, given that his climax would hold off for that long. Eventually, he was ready for it to hit. Even his balls were starting to hurt from bouncing off of Aiden. He wanted to be done, but not because he wasn't enjoying what he was doing - he was just enjoying it for different reasons. He wondered amidst all his action if Aiden was feeling the same way. Reid was anticipating post-coitus cuddling like he hadn't in years.

And that wasn't a bad thing.

Reid reached down underneath Aiden and took hold of his twitching member, caressing it, stroking it, teasing it - he wanted the lab to enjoy it as much as he was, if not more. Aiden groaned and whined, his ears flat against his head in gleeful submission while he did his best to hump the cattle dog's loose grip. That hand was doing just as much as the cock in his ass was to bring about his climax. Reid traced a finger claw gently up the underside. Thumbed the tip. Gently and loosely jacked him off for only a couple seconds at a time. Fondled his balls. Aiden groaned and pushed back off of the headboard until his back was nearly pressed against Reid's front. Reid wrapped an arm around him tightly while he humped with ever increasing speed, growing closer and closer to climax.

He figured now was as good a time as any. He gripped Aiden's dick with his free hand and began stroking, pushing his own cock as deep as it would go with each thrust until he let himself fall over the precipice of orgasm, exploding inside the lab like doves taking flight.

It was bar none, the most powerful climax Reid had ever experienced in his life. He wasn't sure if it was just the tightness of Aiden's tailhole, or Aiden himself, or what. He huffed, his breath staccato and agitated while he released everything he had in him into his lover. He couldn't see, but he could feel Aiden's cock twitching in his hand, and the wet, sticky sensation of hot cum running down his fingers and dripping onto the sheets below.

Reid pulled out, and they collapsed onto the bed, drained, tired, and panting.

"That was amazing." Aiden whispered.

"I'm glad you think so."

"Was it good for you?"

"So good..." Reid said, taking an entire breath to say it.

For several minutes, neither of them said a thing. They simply lay there, listening to the whirr of the fan overhead, relishing in the cold air being pumped down onto them and chilling the sweat on their brows.

Finally, after several minutes Reid wet his lips and turned his head to speak, only to find that Aiden had drifted off to sleep. Lucky guy. He turned his eyes from the lab and stared back up at the spinning fan. He wondered if Kelvin had heard in the next room. As awkward as it was, he was certain the Shiba Inu wouldn't say anything about it.

The entire room smelled of sex.

And gunpowder.

***

Seven-thirty AM, Aiden found himself on the phone outside with Bobby. Reid was in the bedroom, and Kelvin was in the living room, so in an effort to maintain secrecy, the lab had retreated outdoors where he was being watched uncomfortably by the cattle dog's nosy neighbor.

"What's up?"

"Oh. I figured you'd want to know, Larry didn't make it."

"Fuckin' hell..."

"Yeah. You get a make or a plate on the vehicle?"

"No, they were too far away. You guys find out anything yet?"

"Not anything conclusive. We've talked to several witnesses, but we've got one person saying it was this, another person saying it was that. One idiot gave us two different answers."

Aiden just sighed.

"What about you, any idea as to who they could have been, or who they were after?"

"It's hard to say. Larry was involved in some shady shit, so it's entirely possible that he had other games going on, or even something we didn't know about."

"Think they might be after you? Rival racers, possibly?"

"I'd imagine that if they were after me, they wouldn't have killed Larry and José...you think they're trying to send a message?"

"Maybe. José was a bookie for the races. Larry and his dealings...one might have just been collateral damage. I'm sure you're fine, just stay out of the racing scene for a while until we can get this cleared up."

"Hard to do in my car."

"Heh. All right. Just take it easy and lay low for a while, okay?"

"Sure, man. Thanks for the call."

Back inside, Reid was just waking up after a whopping two hours of sleep. He'd tossed and turned all night, unable to drift away to the land of dreams without the help of inebriation. It was something he would later address with Dr. Hamad when the results of his blood test returned, but for now, he had to get ready for work.

On his way to the bathroom, he noticed Aiden's gun sitting on the dresser. It was such an ominous object; cold, black, and menacing. He walked over to where it sat and picked it up. It was heavier than he expected; he guessed it weighed about two and a half pounds. A bit of gunshot residue stained the muzzle, as if it had recently been fired, and it smelled of gunpowder. Fiddling with a button, Reid swore and felt a couple of hairs go grey when the magazine slid out of the gun and hit the floor. Scooping it up, he fought to orientate it correctly, shoving it back into the grip and setting it down. He paused. Picking it up again, he gripped it in his hand, and noticed where the slide sat in relation to the webbing of his hand - the edges lined up with where those scratches had been on Aiden's hand. Something was off, and he intended to find out what.

Kelvin had made scrambled eggs and bacon. They sat around the table munching away at breakfast, awkwardly quiet. Aiden had just received some bad news, Reid was concerned, and Kelvin hadn't gotten much sleep either for all the noise that had been coming from the adjacent room.

"My blood work is supposed to come back today."

"Yeah, you were saying. You worried about it?" Aiden asked.

"Maybe a little. I'm not exactly optimistic about it. If there is a problem, I'm sure I'll be able to get it treated."

"I hope so." Aiden whispered. Kelvin nodded. "Well, I have to get to work. Thanks for making breakfast, Kelvin."

"Sure."

"Love you." He said, leaning down and kissing Reid on the lips.

"Love you too. You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm good. See you tonight?"

"Sure."

Even on his worst days, Reid found a sense of comfort in the bays at work. It was his home away from home. It was his castle, his place to be in his element, to do what he did for a living and love every minute of it, but without his medication, without his alcohol, things were different. He couldn't focus. His mind wasn't as sharp, and he caught himself responding irritably to even the simplest of questions. It embarrassed him to be so touchy, but they understood. Everyone had come to the agreement prior to the heeler's arrival at work that no matter how bad it got, they would tolerate his withdrawals. Addiction recovery was a battle, and as promised, they would be there to help him fight it.

He was just about to begin work when he got the phone call.

"They need me to come in."

Paul set his pen down on the desk, his brow furrowed.

"Did they say why?"

"They said they need to discuss the results of the test with me. They didn't give me any specifics."

"All right." Paul tapped the end of the pen on his desk pad nervously. "Go ahead, make sure you come back or at the very least call and tell me what's going on, okay?"

"I will, sure."

***

There was no little girl to read to in the waiting room this time. He would gladly have done it - he was one day sober and didn't smell like booze. It would have taken his mind off things.

There was a palpable tension in the air around him. Sweat broke about his brow, and his heel tapped on the carpeted floor with speed that could have ran a sewing machine. He wanted to run. His heart pounded in his ears, and it only grew when the nurse appeared in the doorway to call him back.

The exam room was like Aiden's gun. Offensive to most of the five senses. It was quiet, bright, very white, and had a certain odor that was by no means unpleasant, just different. Finally, after two minutes that felt like two hours, Dr. Hamad entered, missing his characteristic smile.

"Hello, Reid. How are you feeling today?"

"Terrible."

"I see. What's going on?"

"I didn't sleep well last night. Well, hardly at all, to be honest. It's tough trying to get to sleep sober."

"Mhmm, that's to be expected. How is the Naltrexone working out for you, have you been experiencing any unpleasant side effects?"

"No. I imagine it's working well, I'm sober for one day now."

Dr. Hamad smiled plaintively and patted the heeler on the knee.

"Well. Let's hope for many more to come, shall we?"

Reid nodded.

"I received your results from the lab this morning...and I'm afraid I have bad news. You have liver disease, Reid."

He felt himself go numb with shock. Why he was surprised, he couldn't possibly imagine. Twenty years of heavy drinking had finally caught up to him, and now he was sitting in a doctor's office, the verdict having been delivered plainly, and without hesitation.

"The soreness you're feeling is caused by inflammation. It's likely that you have what we call alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver; cirrhosis is what happens when healthy tissue is replaced with non-functioning, hard scar tissue, this impedes the liver's ability to function as normal and can progress to acute liver failure if left untreated."

Everything the doctor was saying was beginning to run together. He felt faint.

"I'd like to do a CT scan, and possibly a biopsy to check for any cancer cells."

It took several minutes, but Reid somehow managed to collect himself.

"Um...what-what's the worst case scenario here?"

"Worst case scenario is you will be put on the donor waiting list for a transplant. This is only if we cannot save yours, so hopefully it will not come to that." Dr. Hamad spoke slowly and clearly, watching the cattle dog's ears press flatter yet against his head.

"My advice to you is, keep looking forward. Don't look back. You can't change the past, but you can change the future. Stay off alcohol, keep taking your medication, and we'll see what we can do from here. In the meantime, let's get you scheduled for that CT scan, and we'll be able to determine how to proceed."

Reid just nodded.

"Okay. Thank you."

Breaking the news to Paul was one of the hardest things he had ever done; he wondered how Dr. Hamad did it on what had to be a near daily basis. He didn't go back to work. Instead, he returned home to a dark apartment, lit only by the light coming in through the window in the living room. Entering his bedroom, he sat down on the bed and stared at the wall, and the pictures on it. They made him think of all the people he hadn't spoken to in months, even years.

"Gunnery Sergeant Travis."

"Xavier. It's me."

"...Reid?"

_ _

"Yeah bro."

"Wha...shit, man, how've you been? It's been forever since I heard from you!"

_ _

_ _ "Yeah, I've been busy. Life and all."

"Yeah, I hear you. What's new?"

_ _

_ _ "Not much. Still doing my thing over at Doghouse. Jeff, my buddy over there, he got killed in a car wreck."

"Ohh, man! That's terrible, I'm sorry to hear that."

_ _

_ _ "I got bumped up after that happened; I'm running the place now."

"You are? Well, that's good news. I got promoted recently myself, just got my E-7 two weeks ago."

_ _

_ _ "That's great, bro. I'm happy to hear the Corps' treating you well. Have you talked to Mom recently?"

"I talked to her yesterday, she's doing fine. She misses you, Reid. You ought to call her."

_ _

_ _ "She does?"

"Yeah. I know things didn't go so well back in '99, but that was a long time ago, brother. You need to let bygones be bygones. She loves you. It would mean so much to her if you called."

_ _

_ _ "Okay." Reid choked.

"I gotta go. Listen, you take care of yourself, okay?"

_ _

_ _ "I will, Xavier. Stay safe."

With a sigh, Reid ended the call and swung his legs up onto the bed. He imagined he'd end up a plaque on the wall, just like Jeff. Reid Travis. 1979 to 2015. Closing his eyes, he breathed softly and waited to die.

***

The inside of the car smelled like fried chicken. After the night he'd had, Aiden felt as though he deserved one of his favorite meals for lunch; crispy fried chicken breasts with coleslaw and French fries, homage to his roots in Kansas City, a soul food hub of the United States.

He found his mind wandering to Reid as he headed back to work. Had he seen Larry's house on the news? Would he put two and two together and assume he was involved? And what had become of the blood tests? Aiden was so preoccupied with thoughts of his love that he hadn't noticed the cars that were now surrounding him on the highway.

"What the..."

Identical vehicles cruised at identical speeds to his left and right. A similar make in an SUV was following him. As much as he wanted to believe that it was coincidence, he couldn't fathom it. Scared, he prepared to shift and outrun them, but the one on his right pulled ahead and in front of him, the SUV pulling around to replace it. Their windows were tinted far too opaque for the lab to get an ID on anyone inside, but he simply kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, scanning his periphery for threats.

Finally, they backed off, but not before the vehicle in front of him braked suddenly, forcing him to lay on his own. Forward momentum launched his chicken from the passenger seat into the floorboards, spilling French fries and coleslaw all over the mat. Aiden swore heatedly at them, liking the idea of opening fire on them, but he thought better of it.

Things were getting creepy, and he didn't like it one bit. The idea of moving out of LA was sounding better and better, but the way things looked, Reid wasn't going to go for it.

There was only one way to find out.