A cold, dreary, rainy day in Detroit had marred what was supposed to be a relaxing day off for Hank and Connor. A call from Captain Fowler regarding Hank's impressive disciplinary file had summoned the Lieutenant back to the precinct to handle some irritating paperwork effectively leaving Connor alone in Hank's house with the lovable Saint Bernard, Sumo, as his only company for the wet afternoon. Connor didn't mind having the dog as his company as his fondness for animals continued to develop throughout his deviancy, and it was clear that Sumo didn't mind having the deviant around either. The two had quickly bonded after Connor moved in with Hank, and there were times where Hank accused Sumo of loving Connor more than him in a teasing manner.
Wearing only his white dress shirt and blue jeans as opposed to his gray blazer and black tie, Connor appeared more casual and relaxed than normal as he always appeared professional and serious while on the clock. Being able to relax and wear the closest thing he had to casual clothes during days off was still something he was still trying to get used to.
As the rain poured down in a massive torrent that turned the snow into slush and mud, the inevitable happened. Sumo needed to go outside. Connor had hoped that there would be a break in the rain that would allow the dog to go outside quickly without getting too wet, but his scanners indicated heavy rain all day long, and Sumo couldn't wait until nightfall to go outside.
Glancing about the livingroom Connor looked for an alternate solution to his current problem but couldn't see one readily available. That was until his soulful brown eyes trailed over to the hallway and fell on the closed closet door.
"Perhaps an umbrella will keep your fur from getting too wet while you're outside, Sumo."
Connor spoke to the lovable dog as if he could understand him perfectly well. It became a habit after their first unorthodox encounter when Connor had to break into Hank's house to tend to the unconscious Lieutenant laying on the kitchen floor. Sumo had approached him curiously but non-aggressively, and in return Connor was able to keep the dog calm by calling him by his name in an equally calm tone.
"Come on. Outside, boy."
While Sumo went into the kitchen to wait by the backdoor Connor found an umbrella in the hallway closet and prepared to open it right as he opened the backdoor to let the dog outside. However, as soon as the door was opened the massive dog raced excitedly outside and proceeded to run through a large mud puddle that had formed in the small patch of lawn beside the driveway before Connor could react and stop him from making a mess.
"N-No, Sumo!"
Aware of what was happening Connor attempted to discipline the dog but Sumo was far too interested in the mud and the rain puddles to pay the deviant any mind. Connor's L.E.D. flashed from blue to yellow at the sight of the muddy dog making a huge mess in the side yard and backyard, and even worse, the mud caking into Sumo's thick fur all along his belly, his legs and his long, bushy tails.
"Oh, no... If Sumo gets mud all over the house Hank is going to be pissed."
Eager to get Sumo out of the rain Connor tossed aside the now useless umbrella and got down on one knee inside the opened backdoor to try to get the dog back inside the house. Patting his leg he called for Sumo to try and coax the dog over to him but Sumo couldn't be bothered. The rain and mud was far too interesting to pay the deviant calling his name any attention.
"Come Sumo! Come here boy!"
Unsurprisingly Sumo responded to the commands by trotting over to the largest mud puddle and rolling around all through it as rain continued to soak into his messy, matted fur. Shortly after he walked over to the fence lining the rear and side of the property, lifted his leg to relieve himself, and then went back to the largest and muddiest puddle in the middle of the backyard to roll about and play around.
"No... Sumo! You need to come back inside!"
Thick mud caked into Sumo's equally thick, long fur and dripped from his nose, ears and tail as he happily frolicked through the rainy, muddy landscape without a care in the world. For Sumo, playing in the snow and the mud was doggy Heaven!
"Okay, how can I get him back inside without messing up the house in the process?"
Connor's yellow L.E.D. flashed back to blue as he remembered that Hank kept a box dog treats on top of the refrigerator that always brought Sumo running. Rushing inside house quickly Connor tossed aside the now useless umbrella and pulled a single treat out of the box from its place on top of the tall appliance before he stood in the opened backdoor to try and lure Sumo back inside. Holding the treat up for the dog to see Connor called out to the Saint Bernard again.
"Sumo! Want a treat?"
The massive dog's ears perked up at the word 'treat' and he jumped up from the mud excitedly with his tail wagging frantically. All four of his paws were absolutely covered in mud and guaranteed a messy return to the house the second he set paw on the linoleum floors.
Once more Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow as the large canine suddenly came running toward him at full speed.
"Uh-oh... S-Sumo?!"
Barreling at Connor as quickly as he could run, the Saint Bernard jumped on to the deviant, knocking Connor flat on his back onto the kitchen floor with a heavy 'thud'. Sumo greedily ate up the treat in Connor's hand while simultaneously staining Connor's white shirt, jeans, hands, neck and the side of his face with thick mud in response.
Reacting quickly Connor wrapped both arms around the dog in a tight hug to keep him from running back outside and to keep him from tracking mud all through the floors of the house. Though it was awkward Connor managed to stand up with the heavy, muddy dog in his arms to keep Sumo from tracking mud all over the floors and embraced Sumo in a tight hug to his chest and shoulder. Using one hand Connor pulled the backdoor shut and looked down at Sumo's face as the dog looked up at him with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and his tail still happily wagging.
"You're a mess. What am I going to do with you?"
Sumo's simple response was a slobbery lick across Connor's muddy cheek as a means of getting back on the deviant's good side.
"That doesn't help matters."
Despite the irritation in Connor's voice his yellow L.E.D. did transition back to blue as he looked at the tap in the kitchen sink and another idea popped into his head.
"I have no choice, Sumo; I have to give you a bath."
At the word 'bath' Sumo's tail stopped wagging and he gave Connor a small whimper in response.
"I'm sorry, but you've left me with no alternative. You didn't obey when I called you back inside the house."
Careful not to drip mud anywhere as he walked, Connor managed to carry the cumbersomely large dog into the bathroom just down the hallway from the kitchen. It was awkward fumbling with the doorknob with a muddy hand, but Connor succeeded in opening the bathroom door and then kicked the door shut behind him again as he placed the muddy dog down on the linoleum floor to prepare for a bath.
"There, now we just need to get you cleaned up."
Connor looked down at his own shirt and jeans, eyeing the mud with great annoyance at his stained clothing courtesy of Sumo.
"...I need to be cleaned up as well. However, you're the priority."
Turning on the water in the tub Connor sat down on the edge to check the water's temperature then reached for Sumo's collar to remove it before putting the dog down into the warm water. As he reached for Sumo's neck the dog responded playfully by jumping up and pressing his muddy paws against Connor's chest leaving perfect pawprints behind over the deviant's shirt as he accidentally pushed Connor backward and into the filling tub gracelessly with an embarrassing splash.
"S-Sumo?!"
Warm water splashed all over the walls and all over Connor as Sumo proceeded to shake off the rainwater, slush and mud from his fur, peppering the entire bathroom in wet dirt spots all around him. It was amazing how quickly and easily the dog was able to spread his muddy joy all around the four bathroom walls, the ceiling and of course the defenseless floor.
Rubbing the back of his head and through his hair after it impacted the yellow tiles on the wall just above the tub, Connor just stared at the playful dog with a weird sense of humor in his soulful brown eyes. Rolling his wet shirt sleeves up to his elbows the determined deviant tried once again to get the dog into the bath so that he could also clean up the bathroom before cleaning off his clothing all before Hank came back home to a large mess.
"Sumo, I need you to obey me."
Awkwardly Connor managed push himself up and out of the tub and onto his knees on the floor beside the mostly filled bathtub. Water dripped from his jeans and shirt sleeves creating tea colored puddles all around the deviant where he knelt as his L.E.D. flashed to from blue to yellow again with mild annoyance. Holding up one hand Connor pointed to the floor and issued another command to the friendly and playful dog.
"Sumo. Sit."
The dog did as he was commanded and sat down in front of Connor with his tail still wagging. This time Connor was able to remove the leather collar from around Sumo's neck and place it down on the sink without difficulty, but not before Sumo managed to once again lick the side of his face.
"Good boy."
Connor wiped the dog drool from his face and onto his already dirty jeans since they were going to be washed as soon as he could get around to doing so.
"Okay, get in the tub."
Sumo didn't understand any words in that particular command and tilted his head curiously in response as he continued to wag his tail.
"Fine. Let's do this the hard way."
Ready for a fight Connor again wrapped his arms around the muddy dog and hoisted him into the air and then down into the partially filled bathtub. As Sumo's muddy paws hit the water the dog began to frantically start digging at the air and splashing water everywhere as if trying to swim despite being in relatively shallow water.
"S-Sumo!"
Connor nearly shouted as he placed the dog down into the tub then leaned his arms down against Sumo's shoulder and hip to make the dog lay down in the water to stop kicking his legs and let the water soak the mud out of his fur.
"St-Stay! Stay..."
With a sad whine Sumo obeyed and laid down in the tub as the water rose up slowly while the tub continued to fill. The water was warm enough to soak through the mud without scalding the dog's skin by mistake.
"Good boy. That's a very good boy, Sumo."
Waiting for the water to reach a decent depth Connor turned off the faucet and grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the corner of the tub since the house didn't have the traditional flea shampoo anywhere. It didn't take long for the deviant to completely lather up the dog's fur or for his own L.E.D. to turn blue again as the situation calmed slightly.
"Very good boy."
The water in the tub quickly turned a coffee brown as Connor scrubbed the mud out of Sumo's fur and from under his paws. As the dog stood up in the water, his tail wagging a little once more, Connor was able to get all of the remaining mud from his fur with very little difficulty. Using the sprayer from the shower Connor rinsed the shampoo out of Sumo's fur and pulled the plug in the tub to let the muddy water drain away at the same time.
Rinsing off Sumo's fur one last time until the water going down the drain was entirely clear and no more sudsy bubbles were rising from Sumo's pelt, Connor was satisfied with his work. The dog was now clean and ready to go about his day as if he hadn't even set paw outside or in the mud outside.
"There, all clean. Good dog."
Connor commented as he turned off the water and put his hand under the dog's chin to rub it a little and help Sumo understand he wasn't being punished.
"That wasn't so bad, was it? In fact, I believe this will become a monthly routine to ensure your fur remains mat-free and clean."
Sumo tilted his slightly again before violently shaking his entire body to rid himself of the lingering bath water. Unable to get out of the way Connor only closed his eyes as water erupted from Sumo's freshly washed fur and drenched every square inch of the bathroom in small drops that smelled of clean shampoo and muddy wet dog creating quite the contradicting aroma of pleasant and vile odors.
After Sumo stopped shaking off his fur Connor opened his eyes, his blue L.E.D. once again yellow, as he looked at Sumo with an almost defeated stare.
"...You can get out of the tub now."
Sumo licked Connor's face for the third time, which turned his yellow L.E.D. blue in response, and hopped out of the tub. The dog sat patiently by the closed bathroom door waiting for the deviant to open it for him so he could leave and go about his business.
"Not yet, Sumo. I have a lot of mud to clean up."
Standing up from where he had been kneeling beside the tub Connor looked at the mess all over the bathroom and decided it'd be best to wipe off the mirror, the sink, side of the tub, the toilet, walls, floor and even parts of the ceiling with a towel before the muddy water stained anything important. It was important to mop up as much as he could with the towels to ensure the messes didn't have time to settle in and stain.
"I don't want to risk you making another mess behind my back."
Working efficiently Connor managed to use a towel to clean up the entire bathroom leaving no trace of mud or water on any of the surfaces. Before he even dared to use the towel to dry off Sumo's fur Connor himself stepped into the shower, fully clothed, to wash the mud off of himself in a comically effective manner. It was the best way to ensure that he didn't drip any mud around while trying to get a mess cleaned up.
Being an android who couldn't sweat or create body odor meant Connor had no need to shower or to wash his clothes unless he worked a particularly messy case, but this was a special occasion that required a special approach. Fortunately, the mud stains disappeared from his white shirt with little effort as the water and soap removed any trace of the dirt from Connor's clothing. The same went for his jeans and for his face, his neck, his arms and his hands as he rinsed off the remaining mud from his person and didn't turn off the water until it cycled down the drain completely clear.
As Connor stepped out of the shower he knelt on the floor and picked up the nearest clean towel to dry off Sumo's thick fur as best as he could before he replaced the dog's collar and finally opened the door for Sumo to pass through. Wisely Connor kept his hand on the doorknob and held the door slightly closed as he addressed Sumo again as if scolding a stubborn child.
"If I let you out of the bathroom you have to behave. Deal?"
Sumo just tilted his head to the side once more as if confused and Connor sighed in response to the dog's innocently mischievous behavior.
"Somehow, that's what I thought you'd say."
Opening the bathroom door fully Connor watched as the freshly groomed dog casually strolled out of the room, down the hallway and immediately plopped down on the floor in front of the couch as was his usual custom. Sumo then proceeded to settle down for a nap. For Sumo it was just another day in the Anderson household and he no cares in the world.
"Good boy. Please avoid all mud puddles in the future for your sake and my own sanity."
With his own clothes still soaked through Connor decided that it'd be best to let them dry in the bathroom before he ventured out into the rest of the house. Slipping off his drenched shirt he wrung out the excess water from the garment into the tub before draping it over the edge of the sink to dry off. He repeated the process for his jeans leaving him with only his black boxers and what remained of his dignity as he decided he'd need to raid the laundry room to find other clothes to wear.
...Or so he thought.
An unexpected knock on the opened door frame drew Connor's attention toward the sound and his L.E.D. flashed from blue to red as his cheeks filled with a blue tinted blush of embarrassment when he saw who was standing there watching him in his near nudity. Feeling himself awash in embarrassment, Connor realized that he had essentially been busted and there was nothing he could try to say or do to explain what had just happened.
Hank was smirking with a completely amused expression at Connor from the opened door while the deviant looked mortified in return. The senior detective nonchalantly leaned his shoulder against the door frame as he studied his embarrassed younger partner and friend for a moment before asking the obvious question that no detective needed to ask.
"Sumo got into the mud today, didn't he?"
-next chapter-
