(after 3.03 Bad Day at Bad Rock)
Loki looked at Sam long and hard and Sam sighed, trying to ignore the way Loki's brows rose up, "You look..."
"Please, just don't say anything." Sam walked into Loki's apartment, past Max and Loki. He did just have the worst day ever the night before; after the rabbit's foot and meeting Bela. He was still healing from a bullet wound in the shoulder and still recovering from the spill he took in the parking lot. He'd bought a new pair of shoes and he needed a mental break from Dean and his 'living the new life' adventure though women, booze, gambling, and vacations.
He tossed Max as couple baby carrots from his salad the other night and Max crunched those up eagerly. Loki raised a brow.
"They're good for dogs' teeth." Sam shrugged. He liked to think he wasn't just making Max fat with all the things he brought him.
"I didn't even think he liked vegetables." Loki shrugged.
"Carrot are sweet." Sam told him and Loki laughed at him. Plain as day laughed at him.
"Apples are sweet. Strawberries are sweet. Carrots are not sweet. I would know." Loki declared on his way towards the bedroom. Sam rolled his eyes and followed.
Sam woke up from a small post sex nap from the movement on the queen sized bed. Apparently Max decided to climb in with them and Loki was sitting cross legged with his red boxers on and was eagerly scratching Max's ears while his tail was thumping the bed. Sam rolled over, pulling the sheets over his lap and Loki smiled at him.
"Hey, sleeping beauty." Loki patted Max's chest and Sam rubbed his eyes with his palms.
"You've got to stop letting me fall asleep here." Sam muttered.
"But you're so pretty when you're sleeping." Loki chuckled and Sam rolled his eyes.
"You're no prince charming." Sam reached over to join in Max's petting but Max lowered his head and a low growl rumbled out of him. Sam immediately pulled his hand back, not willing to get bit. It was frustrating, trying to be friendly with an animal that was so comfortable with a Norse god, a monster, compared to him. And Sam loved dogs, so yes, it stung a bit. Sam tucked his hands into his lap.
"Max." Loki scolded, voice firm. Max turned watery eyes on Loki but Loki tapped his nose, "Sam has never hurt you, and he's a guest. You can't treat every human like they're going to kill you. Got it?" Max's ears shifted a bit and his tongue darted out, licking Loki's finger for forgiveness.
"So... he's a real dog." Sam said slowly.
"Yes, he's not one of my concoctions." Loki patted Max's neck, "He's all flawed, scarred, and everything." Sam curled his knees to his chest and rested his arms on them.
"What happened to him?" Sam asked.
Loki eyed him, ceasing Max's petting, "I told you, Max was part of that animal testing idiot was doing as a side project back at Crawford." Sam remembered little on the details of the testing, Dean had been the one to sum it up.
"It must have been bad." Sam said reasonably.
"He look a petri dish of 5 human diseases, and pumped them into a dog, wanting to see how the body would react." Loki's voice was neutral and Max whined, licking the hand that rested on Loki's knees, ears lowered, "He was the last test. He was melting from the inside if you must know. So yeah, you could say he doesn't really like humans."
Sam stared for a while, feeling for the dog. Sam knew what it was like, so have someone do something unwilling experiment on his body with out his consent. To have a demon put poison in his veins and unable to stop it.
"And the little dog-brain decided to stay with me." Loki shrugged. He rubbed Max's ear and glanced back at Sam, a small smile on his lips, "Do you know how many times I've had to cure his belly aches? He eats just about everything." Sam smiled a little.
"Like wallets." Sam curled his fingers and held them towards Max, though more so Max could smell him than to pet him, "He's lucky to have you." Loki's smile grew.
"He chose to stay, that's all." Loki said as Max started sniffing Sam's fingers. Then his tongue darted out to lick Sam's fingers. Sam grinned, feeling some sort of truce was made. Even though Max turned away right afterwards and settled his chin on Loki's thigh and huffed out through his jowls. Loki chuckled, rubbing Max's floppy ears, "Looks like you're starting to grow on him."
"Yeah." Sam agreed with a smile as Loki began to rub Max's belly.