The morning came and I woke up hearing barks and grunts downstairs. And guess what I came to look at?

An annoyed large man with a machine gun and a dog passionately biting his cargo pants.

With a kind of goal set in mind, I decided to watch the two of them fight each other back. I leaned on the railings and with a quick finger graze, my bedroom hair cascaded flawlessly to my shoulders.

They are somehow entertaining to watch from above. It isn't cliche, and it fueled my back to relax more even after a morning rise. One thing for sure, this is a different kind of my used-to-be morning rise.

It isn't every day you'll come to see a legendary muscled man troubled by a 3 times smaller enemy than his size.

More grunts from German and it made me think of a little girl tugging on a large man's shorts, forcing him to wear a flower crown on his head as they walk in her school hallway. He was so forced to do so in his first time but for the succeeding days with the same request, he learned to just laugh it out. There came a point where he would wear it on himself to soothe her from crying due to some lame and childish reasons. He'd even wear it while she's sick.

For a brief moment, I think that somehow, aside from that rotten girl, the dog made him unaware of what to do.

Like he doesn't know whether to hold it, grab it, or tame it.

Though his annoyance is clearly visible as the dog won't let go of the fabric no matter how he moves and where he tries to go. And how big his steps may be.

"Bit off me,"

"Arf! Arf! Arf"

"Ha! This dog honestly thinks he could rattle me with his sharp teeth?" his large voice boomed how he sees this all as an absurdity.

The unfamiliar dog barked more.

Trying to take chances, German sneaked a big move to snappily jogged behind the sofa but the dog continued to tail him, bitting remained on the action. Had the fabric caught still after an almost escape.

German's continuous conversation with the dog progressed. I even overheard him saying he was here before he came. And that he has the right to be freed. And that who does the dog think he is to be privileged of biting his treasured pants?

Well, yeah. He had this ardent love of that kind of pant.

"It must take time..." I whispered to myself as I spy them getting puzzled at each other in the middle of my U-shaped set sofas.

I am very sure he won't shoot, but I started walking downstairs when he decided to aim his gun at my little friend who got terrified in few minutes, but returns to bite on his pants anyways.

Brave.

And stupid.

"Seemed like someone is already welcomed upon entering the house,"

With a faint mockery not fading from the early show, I nod at him before walking towards the kitchen... only to meet a different scenery.

As soon as we arrived, I remembered feeding the dog the moment we enter the house. But I am sure I didn't place his plate in front of the refrigerator. And the kitchen is not messy last time as it is now. My head tilted a little to the right in acknowledgment of the sudden change of setup.

That dog definitely knows how to steal food— and mess up a whole kitchen. I think I've found someone to look over now.

And it might get messy.

I am picking up the scattered milk box and crackers on the floor to put it in the trashcan when German's big shoes and the dog entering the kitchen pricked on my line of vision. The persistent loud growls circled the place.

Also, the one I took home is a loud creature.

And it seemed like he also doesn't approve of the other creature I have here.

"Looks like I am not the only one troubled by the visitor in the house," the human creature pointed out as he sat on his usual chair.

Buying time to decide with things about my new housemate, I wiped the poured milk on the floor and stood up to throw the litter, then washed my hands. I glimpsed at German and found his curious eyes.

"Found him in the middle of the sea," I said as a matter of fact.

He immediately looked amused for whatever reason.

"No matter how I am curious about why you are in the middle of the ocean last night, I, in my humblest self, will not ask more about that adventure of yours,"

Respecting personal boundaries over self-interest.

Here he is again, making his reasons weigh heavier than his curiosity.

I fixed my gaze at the dog who is looking at me and back to the man he is biting a while ago. His ears are up and his head is slightly tilted to the right. Every time his gaze would land on German, his nose would wrinkle and his front teeth would show up. This is one of the things to decide...

As a man who is great at noticing everything, he realized how the dog is behaving. German, out of the box, decided to mimic the same thing by doing an awkward teeth display.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr... roar"

Rush of secondhand embarrassment for the lame sound effects twitched inside me. Frowning, I threw my distasteful and morbid eyes on German's reflection at the countertop.

One more glance back and now he is also wrinkling his nose badly! I looked up to the ceiling, fiercely brushing off my mind how he is displaying the teeth the wrong way!

That wasn't of a dog! That was more like a rabbit!

What kind of clownery is this?

"Arf arf arf!" the dog reacted in return.

"Grrrrrrooooar," German replied back.

Oh, hell. Of course now with the teeth exhibit.

"Grrrrrr..." the dog.

"A... woo?"

I inhaled sharply.

I had to turn my back on them just to conceal my supposed to be judgemental death glare. Constipated in preventing something, I tried harder to just purse my lips after an unsteady inhale and exhale.

I shouldn't walk out. I have endured a lot of bizarre and ridiculous situations, this shouldn't make me walk out.

Yet again, in the middle of my suppression, the dog did a walk around and stopped just in front of me.

I firmly closed my eyes. Fuck.

At my back, I can hear German humming a familiar cheerful melody I still have no idea of the title.

I opened my eyes and saw the black dog, staring straight still on my face.

Feeling my eyes on him, he paused to fully look at the whole me, before wiggling his tail nonstop. Tongue out... eyes curious of my gaze... and I knew he is all over me.

"Well, must be hungry?" I asked.

The bark died down as well as the impostor's unsolicited snarl.

I cleared my throat and tore my eyes at the creature in front, and proceeded to sashay away to reach for a cup, placing everything needed on it to create a black coffee. The coffee machine disrupted the usual silence in the house, add up the little random growls. I then turned to German and place the cup in front of him.

German immeasurably smiled at the served coffee.

Suddenly the dog barked with a higher pitch so I skimmed him with curious eyes. He barked once more before sitting properly with his ears up, and then I thought of why he is barking.

Grabbing the milk and cereal, I place the plate a few meters away from German's feet. And the dog immediately walks to attack it. I do not even know if those are the right foods for a dog?

Perhaps I should read some dissertations, blogs, or whatnots that talks about dogs.

Oh, why did I take the dog with me again?

Somehow, maybe...I supposed... he seems to be a... fine companion.

"I was riding my motorcycle last night, saw something, then decided to go fishing," I said to provide something for his curiosity. At the same time attentive of the behavior of the new housemate in our pack.

German just sipped on his cup, eyes wandering somewhere for a minute. "Will you be surrendering him to a rescue pound?"

I glanced at the eating dog. The thing is... that didn't slide into my mind.

"No." I answered.

"Shouldn't you be with a killer dog?"

I leered, remembering earlier. "I realized I wanted a dog that could trouble a muscled man during his trespass,"

He laughed loud, holding onto his stomach. I smirked at the now gaping dog. He casually returned back to eating like he just learned his owners are this way.

"Then you should treat him to be good at me," he said with a broad smile before consuming coffee.

He placed his cup back in the table again, before talking about someone I do not intend to hear. "Also..."

"Sir Luther ended the event successfully last night," he started talking with that man being the topic again. I caught him discreetly taking a glimpse of me.

"even with a nuisance doing some show again,"

I wasn't particular about what he is talking about. Or who is that nuisance he is referring to.

Lies.

I know it is me.

And I know what show he is referring to.

My shoulders move for a shrug. "He seems to love spotlight too much, maybe that nuisance thought of stealing her fair share of the spotlight too... "

"Sure that nuisance is contented of the spotlight she gained last night. And all the spotlight she gained on the past years," he said, raising his cup on me as if giving a toast.

The grin on his face is so noticeable and it is an everyday challenge for me to not roll my eyes at him.

He casually placed his cup back in its place, in comfort of my once again cold demeanor.

The nuisance has a lot of reasons to not get tired of provoking, I doubt she'll end sooner.

Will I end sooner?

No.

"Why are you here?" I asked him.

He raised his other foot on the same chair and made himself more comfortable in my kitchen.

"I wanted to have a coffee." he simply said. "A homemade... black coffee."

He is always here every morning. He is here when he wants to eat lunch. He is sometimes here to watch a movie. He is here to cook some breakfast. He is here to just lay on the couch. He is here to watch his favorite NBA show. He is here to sometimes just water the grass. He is mostly here because he just wants to. But I still always ask him why he is here in my house, because I just want to too.

And today he is here to grab a coffee.

A homemade black one.

Considerable. A bit reasonable.

But at least he is here.

My eyes flew to the emptied half-circle coffee beans container, the one he also have at home. The same flavor he had a lot of in his cabinet.

He caught me staring at it. Once again, the cup covered up for him after his disclosed alibi.

"And to also remind you to attend your class today," he added.

Yes, I am studying. Homeschooled. Tutors go to my house to teach me, but honestly, they are just for formality because it is me who teach myself most things. Sometimes they are offended by how I do not listen to them talking and preaching things, but I couldn't care more. Besides, I am giving them the opportunity to earn without wasting their saliva, they should thank me.

Though I'm worried I cannot even be attentive with them saying their thank-yous because I am always too occupied with the things going on my mind and the agendas I had to do, that no normal student could lend time to.

German would always lecture me how bad that attitude is. But well, am I a good person in the first place?

Anyway, whatever complaint they may have, they still give me high grades so that isn't a problem on my part.

I only attend meetings and orders in the mafia when I want to. And that want is when it is really needed for me to go. Reason why I have time to study. Besides, I consider not having any real connection with their leader, and I dare to say I am not a fan of his precious mafia because it is a product of him.

And I loathe everything he has now. He had to let go of everything he has before to be this man who has everything now.

How rude of him to just leave things behind.

And how bitter life is to take what's all I have.