Chapter 12: The Relationship

It had been another 4 months and things continued to go well with Brett and Bandit. The girls and boys are getting along, Bradley's started walking, and the two men are starting to contemplate getting serious. It was inevitable, really, given how often they spent time together and how frequently the kids saw each other. Brett had enrolled Baxter and Bentley at Glasshouse shortly after he and Bandit had officially become a couple, and with Bingo having matriculated there it meant that all four were now at the same school. Bluey was thrilled at her little sister and potential stepbrothers all being her classmates, even if it did mean at times that she had to balance them and her friends during unstructured play time.

***BCH***

"Thanks again Stripe, Trix. We really appreciate it." Brett smiled as he ushered the kids into the house.

"Not a problem at all, Muffin's keen on the company, and Socks and Bradley get on famously." Trixie replied. She exhaled slowly as she rubbed her torso, clearly showing that she was soon about to have her third child.

"Well, anyway, we appreciate it." Bandit smiled, "And you're sure you're okay with us doing dinner and a movie?"

"Take the night. Long as you're back before midnight I'll be up." Stripe motioned to a large stack of invoices he had to work on. "Patches is out sick, which means I have to do both our work until he's back. I've got more than enough to keep me busy."

"And you're sure you don't mind watching the kids?" Brett confirmed.

"Don't worry, go, have a good time." Trixie waved the two away. "Enjoy your date night."

"Alright, but if anything happens, just call one of us, okay?" Bandit said, watching as the kids congregated in the front room.

"We will." Stripe said, taking a sip from his coffee.

Twenty minutes later the men were sitting across from each other at a table in an Italian restaurant. They'd dressed up for the occasion, which was a rarity given how infrequently either dog wore clothes. Bandit was wearing a white button down shirt and a grey striped tie. Brett was wearing a blue button down and a blue and green bowtie. They placed their orders with a waiter before Bandit looked around at the restaurant more.

"Wow, this place is really nice."

"I heard about it from one of my clients at work, he said it's really good." Brett replied, taking a small sip of water.

"Well, it definitely looks like it."

"I figured it made sense, y'know, given tonight."

Bandit smiled. It was their six month anniversary. "Happy anniversary, babe."

Brett rolled his eyes, "Now I know why your daughters always say that whenever they're playing pretend. You know you're incorrigible."

"Well, I'd hope so; I'm a pretty old dog to learn new tricks." Bandit smirked.

"Well, I'm glad you learned at least one for me." Brett held Bandit's hand as he looked across the table at him.

"Yeah, me too." Bandit paused, taking a deep breath. Alright Bandit… Here we go… "Brett, I love you."

"I love you too, Bandit."

Bandit smiled, mentally steadying himself a moment before he continued. "I never thought I'd say this to anyone except Chilli, but I love you. I love being around you. I love waking up knowing I'm going to see you. I love seeing you with my girls and how your boys are so close to them already… Brett, I never want to love anyone else, I want to love you for the rest of my life."

Brett smiled, tears starting to appear at the corners of his eyes. "Bandit, I love you too. I love how you're so intelligent, so kind, so fierce… You never back down and you always do what's right for your family. You constantly remind me of how much I love my kids, and I love seeing you and the boys together. After I lost Sara I was on autopilot for the longest time, but when I met you, I… I don't know, something changed. Now we're together and I can't think of a life without you."

It was at this moment that the waiter returned with their food. Both men quickly cleared their throats and thanked him, before waiting until he was out of earshot to continue.

"So, do you think you'd want to take our relationship to the next step?" Bandit asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely." Brett smiled.

Bandit beamed. "So, does that mean we're getting married?" Bandit asked as he twirled some spaghetti onto his fork.

Brett was silent a moment before he spoke. "I suppose so."

Bandit smiled cheekily, "No offense, mate, but I'd rather not plan another wedding. When Chilli and I got married it was a nightmare. There's a reason the girls don't know about their Aunt Brandi."

"Yeah, our wedding wasn't great either…" Brett commented, "We had some issues with one of my cousins saying something about one of Sara's bridesmaids, and I'll leave it at that."

"What if we just elope?"

Brett raised an eyebrow, "You know the kids would never forgive us if they didn't get a chance to be part of a real wedding."

Bandit grimaced, remembering how the girls had been when they'd 'married' him and Stripe as ponies. "They are a bit into the idea."

"So, what do we do? I definitely don't want some massive affair. And I don't want to pay for all the nonsense to go with it." Brett cringed at the memory of some of the massive bills he'd gotten in the days following the event. Nearly a grand for a cake! Just a cake!

"What if we just did something small? Just us, the kids, and our immediate family-my brothers and parents, your parents and sister?" Bandit suggested.

"Okay, that works for me, where would we do it?"

Bandit thought a moment, "Well, neither of us is particularly religious, so I'm pretty sure churches are out." He paused, "Plus, y'know the whole…" He gestured at the two of them, "…gay thing."

"Yeah, I'm fine with that." Brett nodded. "What about somewhere outdoors?"

"That could be nice. Just no gardens, my mum is terribly allergic."

Brett thought, "Okay, how about the beach? It's warm and afterward we can all go for a swim."

"I wouldn't mind a beach wedding."

"Perfect." Brett smiled.

Bandit rolled his eyes, "Now we just need to plan it."

"Not right now, Ban. Right now we enjoy the evening. We can start planning tomorrow." Brett smiled as he patted Bandit's hand. "I guess this means we're engaged."

"And you're sure you want me, mate?" Bandit asked, gesturing at himself. "A chubby archaeologist who still listens to Silverchair and wears clip-on ties?" He detached his tie and demonstrated its clip-on nature.

Brett rolled his eyes then leaned over and placed an arm on Bandit's shoulder, going in and planting a firm kiss on his muzzle. "Yes." He paused, "Bandit, you need to stop selling yourself short. You're an amazing guy, and I'm lucky to have you."

Bandit could feel his tail wagging as he blushed. "Thanks. You aren't too bad yourself."

Brett smiled as he pulled Bandit closer, whispering so as to not be heard by the other patrons. "Well, maybe we could do something together to show our newfound commitment to each other."

Bandit's eyebrows rose. Wait, is he talking about sex… The look on Brett's face seemed to imply it. "Wait, are you serious?" He whispered, his heart suddenly pounding.

"Only if you're ready. I know we've talked about it, and I figure since we're talking taking the next step…" Brett remarked. "But I don't want to force you."

Bandit stood up at the table, quickly raising his hand, "Check please!"

***BCH***

The two arrived at Brett's house a short time later, after a quick stop at a convenience store to grab a few essential items. Why would I want it cherry flavored? I'm not planning on… Oh… Bandit carried the bag as the two walked up the front steps. "Y'know, I don't think we've been to your place together, just the two of us." He remarked.

Brett thought back, "Hmm, I think you're right. Though, granted, we've only been together alone at your house so many times because I was rebuilding it."

"True."

Brett unlocked the front door and the two entered. They two went upstairs, then Brett led Bandit down the hall.

"Mind the laundry, Bentley's supposed to help fold and put it away but he didn't get to it today." Brett commented as he stepped around a basket. "I swear I'm going to have to have a word with that boy…"

"Bluey's just as bad. She's supposed to help with the washing up but half the time it ends up needing to be done again because she rushes through it."

The two entered the master bedroom and Bandit slipped off his shirt and tie, depositing them on the ground beside the bed. Brett did the same, tossing his shirt on the nightstand and placing his bow-tie on the dresser.

"So, now what do we do?" Brett asked, staring at Bandit.

"I actually don't know…" Bandit admitted, "I've never slept with another guy before."

"That makes two of us." Brett commented.

One Google search and a few videos later they had a few ideas.

Bandit looked at Brett for a moment to confirm they were both ready. He nodded. "Okay. I guess we'll give it a go."

Forty-seven explicit minutes of adult activities later the two men were lying on the queen sized mattress panting.

"Wow." Bandit said, his breathing heavy.

"Yeah… that was…"

He looked over at the red heeler. "Really good?"

Brett nodded. "Yeah, really, really good."

Bandit sat up, a pain in the small of his back causing him pause. "Oof. I've got to start working out more. You're a bit heavier than Chilli was. I'm going to throw out my back if I'm not careful."

"Well, you are 43, old man." Brett teased as he rolled out of bed and stretched.

"You're 41! You're not that much younger than me." Bandit replied with fake indignation.

Brett smiled, tenderly kissing Bandit. "No, I guess not." He glanced at the beside clock. "Shit. It's almost 10, I think we have to pick up the kids from your brother's soon."

Bandit sighed. "Well, first let's get this all cleaned up. I'll get the frangers, you okay with the sheets?" He looked at the linens, which while rumpled, looked relatively clean.

"Yeah, they're not too much of a mess. You kept most of it on me instead of them."

Bandit blushed scarlet as Brett chuckled.

"I've got to wash up. You want to join me, or you waiting?" He asked heading toward the bathroom.

"I'll wait. I don't think we can afford the delay to get randy in the shower." Bandit replied as he started to remake the bed.

"Damn, I thought I could get you with that." Brett joked as he shut the bathroom door and started the shower.

***BCH***

It was 10:43 when Bandit and Brett arrived at Stripe's house. The suspiciously freshly washed looking men smiled awkwardly as Stripe immediately knew what happened.

"Shit. I owe Rad a tenner."