When Tala arrived at work that afternoon, he'd been expecting a typical day stocking shelves, placing orders, and supplying the sometimes odd necessities for his customers and their pets. He even had a bounce to his step knowing that it was the last week in the month, and that the handsome Scot and his pack of gorgeous bear-sized dogs would be in for their maintenance grooming.

What he was met with, however, was an utterly disastrous conversation between Bryan (of course) and a young boy holding a small terrarium with his fish in it.

"I think my fishy Socks has ick, Mister!" The boy had a worried expression, and it was easy to tell that he really cared for this fish. It was probably a first pet - the test for a puppy or hamster or something.

"Ick, huh?" Bryan was hardly interested, it seemed, and barely even looked up from the shelving as he restocked the various fish foods.

"Yeah!" The kid exclaimed, hefting the small terrarium with his little beta in it up to Bryan, showcasing his ill pet. "He's been scratching on the tank! I think his white spots are itchin' him!"

Bryan spared a glance at the fish, looked down at the boy, and thought for a moment. "Hm, seems pretty serious." He decided, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the shelf. "You should flush it."

The boy gasped and tears immediately welled up in his eyes. "There's nothing you can do for him?"

Tala looked between Bryan and the young boy, completely shocked. "OF COURSE THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO." Tala blurted, shoving his coffee and keys into Bryan's hands and ushering the child over to the counter.

"I'm going to kill you."

Bryan didn't even look up from his phone, taking a sip of Tala's coffee before making a face. "I can't imagine why."

Tala huffed. "You know we carry medicine for treating ick. It's just under the counter."

"That fish was fucked. Come on, Tala, it was spotty." Bryan shrugged, taking another sip of the coffee and scowling. "Ugh, your mix is disgusting."

"Then stop drinking my coffee and get your own!" The redhead exclaimed, fussing with a treat display on the counter. "Seriously, you just have to tell him it will work. It's still a sale, Bryan. He was like 12."

"Ooh, we're in the business of lying now..." The older Russian teased, taking a final sip of the coffee before giving up on it completely and tossing it into the garbage can behind him. "Jesus that's gross."

Rubbing at his eyes tiredly, Tala sighed heavily. "It's not lying if it's actually for treating the problem. How is it our fault if his parents refuse to take it to the vet or flush and replace it while he's out with a friend or something?"

"So you DO agree with flushing it!"

The redhead groaned, dropping his head to the counter in frustration. After a long moment, he turned to look at the clock. "Did Kai show up today?"

Nodding, Bryan put his phone in his pocket and stretched. "Yepp. On time too. Still won't wear the uniform though."

"Neither will you." Tala growled. The fact that the kid showed up was good... And on time too! Maybe he was coming around after all! "What did you have him do? Please don't tell me he shadowed you..."

"Nah, I don't want that little brat on my ass all day. That's your job anyway." He chuckled at the glare Tala shot him. "Last I seen he was checking off the order that came this morning. C'mon, we'll go see what kinda mess he made."

A quick survey around the store told them that barely anything had been put away, and a nice sketch of a hand flipping them off, doodled in marker no less, covered the invoice for their order.

"Lovely." Tala grumbled, frowning down at the papers.

"Well, he put a couple of bags away. I can bet my paycheck they're not rotated though." Bryan observed, pulling a couple of bags of kibble off the shelf and checking the dates skeptically. "Yepp, newest are in the front. What a dumbass."

"Am I asking too much for you to fix it up and deal with the order while I find the little mongrel?" Tala asked as he fixed a couple of the bags himself.

"Go ahead, I got this. Means I don't have to deal with the customers for a bit." Bryan grinned, fishing the packing slip from his pocket and clipping it to the clipboard in place of the vandalised invoice.

Kai was leaning against the counter, messing around with an app on his phone, when the door chimes indicated that someone entered the store. A quick glance around told him that he was on his own, and, with a sigh and a roll of the eyes, he approached the customer.

"What do you need?" He asked in a bored voice. The customer didn't seem to notice; she was staring at a tower of dog food bags stacked on the floor, a large orange sale sign in front of it. "I want to try this food, since it's just gone on sale, but my dog is very fussy. I don't know for sure if he would like it, and I don't want to waste my money."

Kai glanced at the stack of large bags, each weighing 30 lbs. He shrugged, walked to the counter, retrieved a box cutter and a shopping bag, and sauntered back to the woman and the food. He clicked the blade into place on the knife, and slashed the top bag open, right down the centre. He then started to shovel kibble into the shopping bag until it was full, then handed it to the customer. She gave him a confused look, to which he responded harshly, "What? I gave you a damn sample, didn't I?" And he walked away.

Tala came around the corner on his quest for Kai, just in time to see a customer leave with a store bag full of loose kibble. He started toward the door to confront her, but stopped in his tracks at the sound of crunching beneath his feet. Looking down, he saw the mess of kibble, and, following the path of destruction, saw the slashed bag of food.

Assuming that the customer did this herself, he hurried to the back to check the cameras. His eyes bulged when he saw that the one who cut the bag open was Kai.

He walked back to the sales floor, livid. "Kai!" He yelled. Kai sauntered to the front, eyes still glued to his phone. "What?" Tala was flushed red with anger. "What? WHAT? YOU KNOW WHAT!" The raised voice attracted Bryan and Spencer, who heard from the other side of the grooming room door.

"I don't know what the problem is." Kai responded, seemingly bored. "The problem," Tala began, through gritted teeth, "Is that you tore open an eighty dollar bag of food, put a good chunk of it in a shopping bag, and GAVE IT TO A CUSTOMER!" Kai looked affronted. "I gave her a sample!"

Bryan snorted his laughter, and Spencer frowned. "We have bags of samples behind the counter." Tala said, as he walked over and picked one up. "I showed these to you already!" "Yeah, well, there are just too many kinds. I wasn't really paying much attention." Tala squeezed the bag, and fought hard the urge to throttle the kid. His red face darkened.

Spencer stepped forward. "Tala, why don't I take the kid in with me? I can get him to shampoo the dogs or something." Tala nodded curtly, and stalked off to get a broom. Bryan let out his laughter, and almost doubled over. Spencer placed a hand on Kai's back, and led him away to the grooming room, hoping Tala would cool down, and not murder the guy.

The grooming room wasn't very large, but it was astoundingly functional. One wall was large kennels, fit for all sizes of dogs, and each was equipped with an independent dryer. This area could both hold the dogs until it was their turn, or their owner came to get them, or the washed dogs could be dried off before the grooming took place.

A second wall was a large walk in shower stall, the shower head removable and flexible, and a small hydraulic table with a grooming arm was inside, tucked against one side, for smaller dogs. There were lots of cupboards, all labeled, for the equipment, and all tables and arms were adjustable, with alternative straps in place, if a noose couldn't be used. All equipment was top of the line, and the place was spotless, a fact that Spencer took great pride in.

Kai walked in, and examined the dogs in the kennels. All were small, except one monstrous standard poodle. He nosed around the equipment, and poked around at the tools. Spencer kind of left him be, and went to retrieve one of the small dogs from the kennels.

"While I bathe this one, I want you to take Angus out and fluff him." Kai gave him a blank stare. "The poodle, Kai. The big poodle." Kai opened the kennel, and Angus walked out, looking around imperiously. "I think this dog is stuck up. And what kind of name is Angus on a dog?" Kai asked. "He is stuck up. His owner is extremely wealthy, and his dogs are spoiled. And Johnny's Scottish, so the names kind of reflect that, I guess. Angus isn't bad to deal with, though. Much easier to handle than Ram, he tries to eat the clippers. Alright, I already finished with him, he just needs to be fluffed a little more with the metal comb there."

Spencer returned to his work, taking a small terrier into the walk in shower, and closing the door. Kai picked up the comb, and started idly poking at the dog's fur. When he quickly grew bored of that, he picked up a electric clippers, and started playing with them. He turned them on, and, though they were very quiet, the vibration was very strong. Surprised, he dropped the clippers, which fell onto Angus' back. Kai picked the clippers back up, turned them off, and put them on the table, before noticing the stripe of missing hair on the dog. Kai looked back to the clippers, and realized the blade attachments weren't on. He bent down, picked up some of the fur that was clipped off, and laid it on the bald patch.

When Spencer finished the detangling of the wet dog, he placed him in the dryer, and started gathering his tools. He looked at Angus, decided that Kai didn't do a half bad job of fluffing him, and smiled. "Great job! Thanks for the help. Could you take him out for me? Johnny should be here by now to get him. I'll be right out."

Bryan thanked his lucky stars that it was just a small order; The kid must've went through the stock like the Tasmanian Devil! There were toys with no price tags, supplements out that were supposed to be behind the counter, and a fair amount of bones misplaced in the bins.

It had to be purposeful.

But a good hour and the bulk of it was done, just the toys and accessories to be priced and put out. He felt productive.

And kind of tired.

BUT it was the last hour of his shift and he could take his time, do things at his pace and relax. Also try to hook up for the night. Even the door dinger going off couldn't ruin his good mood.

Except for when it did.

It wasn't that he didn't want to deal with anyone in general...

The mass of red hair that poked through the door and the Scottish accent that followed it was what squashed his mood.

"Anyone in here, Bryan?"

"Nope." He muttered with a sigh, getting a few sheets of printer paper and clipping them to the clipboard. Dread filled him as the door opened once more and five TOO LARGE dogs barrelled in, off leash, and began the feast.

"Ya know the drill." Johnny grinned, tucking the leashes into his pocket. "Anythin' they eat or destroy, just write it down. I'll get it all on the way out."

With a scowl, Bryan began jotting down the items that the dogs immediately went for, knowing their favorites by now. "Rich bastard."

"Arsehole."

Tala came out from the stock room with a mass of bags and receipt rolls, barely noticing the commotion around him as he argued into the phone receiver propped up on his shoulder.

"No, we don't carry that brand. That's a brand Barthez carries. NO we can't special order it. They're next door. No we can't get it in cheaper because we don't carry it. I am the manager. Yes you can try calling him but he won't even answer me. That was rude, Sir."

Johnny and Bryan watched the smaller man argue away before finally just hanging up the phone in frustration. He sighed tiredly and went about stocking the bags he'd brought up.

"Tala, ya work too hard!" Johnny chuckled at the fellow redhead.

Tala whipped around and smiled broadly. "Johnny! Nice to see you in! How are things?" His mood visibly went from zero to ten and Bryan snickered.

"Ah, same old stuff. Work, family nonsense, an' of course the boys." The Scot nodded towards the sounds of disaster and they both chuckled.

"And you say I work too hard. You own one of the busiest clubs in town. I'd think you're the overworked one."

"Aye, but the boys make it worth it. That reminds me, did my order come in yet?" Johnny asked, popping a few bags of treats up on the counter.

"Just came in today." Bryan popped a small box up with the rest of the Scot's items. "One top of the line heating lamp for one old as fuck salamander." He ignored the glare from Tala.

"Tell me about it. The damn thing's older than I am." Johnny examined the box for a moment, and almost dropped it when a muffled yelp of distress drew his attention to the gondola with all the bones. "One sec, Ram got his nut stuck in the basket again."

"His what?!" Bryan gawked, but Tala was quick to quiet him.

"Head, Bryan, it's slang for head. His genitalia is not somehow stuck in the basket." Tala corrected him. "You'd think for how much you guys see each other at his club you'd understand him better by now."

"I think you consider us better friends than we are. I like his joint, and because I go there so much I get discounted drinks. That's about where it ends." Bryan shrugged, jotting down a few more items. "'Sides, you only understand him so much because you love him. Two years ago you didn't know what 'aye' meant."

Tala frowned. "I don't LOVE him. I just find him very attractive and he has a bunch of cute dogs."

"I think it's love. And those dogs are too much. I mean YOURS is a hell-raiser alone. Can you imagine six?"

"Hey, Wolborg's brother is over there! They both turned out just fine!" Tala said defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. "And the dogs are just happy in the store. It's not like they're uncontrollable."

"Noooooo... Not at all."

The grooming room door opened, and Kai emerged with Angus behind him. The dog went happily to his owner, who started scruffing and kissing him immediately. It only took seconds before the loose hair covering the bald spot fell off.

Johnny froze, the loose fur in his hand, and stared at the bald patch. Bryan and Tala stared in horror. Kai just folded his arms. Spencer came out, his smile fading when he saw the look on everyone's face. "What's wrong?" He asked, very concerned. Johnny held up the handful of hair to Spencer, who paled immediately, seeing the stripe of skin now exposed. Everything was quiet, until finally, Johnny's face broke into a huge smile, and he started laughing. "Bad day at work, Spencer?" He asked, cracking up. Spencer shot a look at Kai, who said nothing, and took out his phone to play with. "N-no... Johnny, I am SO sorry!" he stammered, not sure what to do or say. Johnny waved him off. "Don't be a div! It's fine! Could ya even him out a bit, though?" He asked, wiping a tear from his eye, the result of his hysterical laughter.

Spencer muttered another apology, and a quiet, "Of course!" before leading Angus back to the grooming room to be trimmed down.

-

When Spencer finished, and Johnny had left, Spencer grabbed Kai by the arm, and dragged him into the grooming room. Bryan and Tala followed, thinking he was going to beat the kid. "I asked you to FLUFF HIM, you stupid little brat!" He hollered, easily pulling Kai along, regardless of his struggling. Tala tried to reason with Spencer, but it fell on deaf ears. Bryan was grinning.

Spencer threw Kai into the shower, where he tumbled to the floor, looking confused. "Make a fool out of me, when I was trying to be nice, and save you from being fired? I'll show you, you ungrateful little TURD!" Spencer turned on the water, and started blasting Kai with ice cold jets. Kai started squealing, throwing his hands up to block the flow. Tala was now pulling on Spencer's arms, trying desperately to stop the attack, but Spencer acted as though he wasn't even there. Bryan was laughing now, cheering Spencer on.

"STOP! Stop it, you asshole!" Kai shouted, his words turning to gurgles when Spencer aimed the nozzle at his face. "Sure!" He said, turning off the water. "You're right, I should stop." He reached down, and pulled the soaked teen to his feet. Kai thought he was in the clear, and a murderous look started to creep onto his face, until his arm was grabbed again, and he was being dragged over to the grooming table now.

Tala chased after, still shouting at Spencer to stop. Spencer picked up the same clippers that Kai used on Angus, and removed the attachment, making sure it was down to the surgical blade. He turned it on. "I think this will teach you some manners, you rotten kid" And with that, he shaved a stripe across the side of Kai's head, just about to the skin of his scalp. Kai screamed and flailed, but the damage was done. Spencer turned off the clippers, put them on the table, and walked out, leaving Kai standing there in disbelief, screaming obscenities, Bryan laughing uncontrollably, and Tala wondering what he ever did to deserve all of this.